Protective Shelters Research Articles

Rethinking Traumatic Brain Injury from Intimate Partner Violence: A Theoretical Model of the Cycle of Transmission

ABSTRACTDespite growing evidence of the repeated nature of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), there is no theoretical model depicting TBIs as a cyclical process throughout a lifetime. Situational analysis methodology was used on interviews with 10 women who self-reported passing out from being hit in the head during an episode of IPV to create a theoretical model depicting the cycle of transmission of TBI. We define the cycle of transmission of TBI as the way that women experience multiple TBIs over the course of their lifetime and how TBI can be perpetuated in a family or community. The cycle begins in childhood or adolescence, when women receive a TBI from abuse, sports, or motor vehicle accident. They enter into abusive relationships with men who are also described as living with a TBI and the women receive other TBIs during this relationship. With repeating head trauma, women described increasing TBI symptoms: problems with memory, cognition, executive functioning, depression, and concentration. If they do seek help, they must choose between healthcare and protective shelter. With either choice, the element of instability could be introduced and the cycle of transmission continues. This theoretical model shows that it is necessary to move beyond individual behaviors to think about how TBIs are transmitted through communities and how untreated symptoms can impact help-seeking behavior and perpetuate other risk factors for receiving a TBI.

Exploratory study on geodesic domes under blast loads

This article studies the feasibility of using geodesic domes as expeditionary protective structures, since they are fast-assembly lightweight structures and are able to withstand very heavy loads due to their specific geometry. A 6-m standard International Orginization for Standardization container is used as a benchmark structure for the study, which is developed using the nonlinear explicit code LS-DYNA. The blast simulations were performed with the Load Blast Enhanced option, using the phenomenological Johnson–Cook constitutive model to reproduce the behaviour of steel subjected to a large range of strain rates. The performance assessment of the protective structures under blast loading was based on the evaluation of the associated safety zones inside the protective shelter as well as on the characterization of the potential structural damage. With the additional insights provided by this article, it is possible to identify some of the competitive advantages shown by this type of structures which will hopefully foster new advances in the field.

Modelling of the Radiant Heat Flux and Rate of Spread of Wildfire within the Urban Environment

One approach to increase community resilience to wildfire impacts is the enhancement of residential construction standards in an effort to provide protective shelters for families within their own homes. Current wildfire models reviewed in this study assume fire growth is unrestricted by vegetation fuel bed geometry; the head fire has attained a quasi-steady rate of spread; and the shielding effects of urban development are ignored. As a result, radiant heat flux may be significantly overestimated for small vegetation fires in road reserves, urban parklands, and similar scenarios. This paper proposes two new models to address this issue, and utilises two case studies for comparison against existing approaches. The findings are significant as this is the first study to analyse these factors from a fire engineering perspective, and to demonstrate that the use of landscape scale or siege wildfire models may not be appropriate within the urban context. The development of enhanced wildfire models will have a significant impact on town planning and construction practices in areas prone to wildfires, as well as firefighting suppression efforts when these events occur.

Abortion as a Contested Right in Occupied Palestine

Abortion as a Contested Right in Occupied Palestine

Women with Disabilities in Nepal

The women who have one or more impairments and experience barriers in society are the women with disability (WWD). Disabled women of all ages, in rural and urban areas, regardless of the severity of the impairment, sexual preference and cultural background or whether they live in the community or an institution are recognized as the WWD. As the Person with Disabilities are deprived, isolated, marginalized and excluded groups of the society, the women who have disability are one of the components of them. The social status of disabled women varies according to individual circumstances and to the country in which they live. Being a member of United Nations, Nepal recognized the human rights of people with disability in the year 1981. Accordingly, it enacted a special law known as the Disabled Persons Protection and Welfare Act, 1982 but even after 36 years of existence, the people with disabilities are often excluded from the mainstream of society and denied their human rights. Nepal is rich with legislative provisions but there is discrepancy between legislation and practices. Social security system is very poor in Nepal; disabled as well as economically marginalized people have not received any kind of social protection (food, shelter, clothes, health, education, and training). The strongest rights to social security may turn out to be nothing more than unfulfilled promises. Again most of the services are situated in urban areas and disabled people from rural areas at more risk. So it is mandatory to cater necessary services to all women with disabilities living in any part of Nepal for the respect, protect and fulfilling the commitment of government by human rights Instruments. The Sapta Gandaki JournalVol. IX, 2018 Feb. Page: 17-25

Increased Osmolarity in Biofilm Triggers RcsB-Dependent Lipid A Palmitoylation in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACTBiofilms are often described as protective shelters that preserve bacteria from hostile surroundings. However, biofilm bacteria are also exposed to various stresses and need to adjust to the heterogeneous physicochemical conditions prevailing within biofilms. In Gram-negative bacteria, such adaptations can result in modifications of the lipopolysaccharide, a major component of the outer membrane characterized by a highly dynamic structure responding to environmental changes. We previously showed that Gram-negative biofilm bacteria undergo an increase in lipid A palmitoylation mediated by the PagP enzyme, contributing to increased resistance to host defenses. Here we describe a regulatory pathway leading to transcriptional induction of pagP in response to specific conditions created in the biofilm environment. We show that pagP expression is induced via the Rcs envelope stress system independently of the Rcs phosphorelay cascade and that it requires the GadE auxiliary regulator. Moreover, we identify an increase in osmolarity (i.e., ionic stress) as a signal able to induce pagP expression in an RcsB-dependent manner. Consistently, we show that the biofilm is a hyperosmolar environment and that RcsB-dependent pagP induction can be dampened in the presence of an osmoprotectant. These results provide new insights into the adaptive mechanisms of bacterial differentiation in biofilm.

Carbon monoxide elimination for health and safety: new powerful silica-based adsorbents applied in continuous breakthrough experiments at elevated laboratory scale

The adsorption of carbon monoxide (CO) is difficult and the degree of elimination requested is very high, due to the high toxicological risk of CO. Nevertheless, only a few studies deal with this topic. The presented investigations are based on powerful functionalized silica adsorbents which deliver very fast separation kinetics in combination with high binding capacities. Even at very low CO concentrations of 0.9 and 85 ppmv, respectively, high adsorption rates for all investigated adsorbents were detected. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness and selectivity of the new adsorbents, breakthrough experiments at elevated laboratory scale (gas flow rate of 300 mL min−1) were executed with a high CO feed gas concentration of 10,000 ppmv. The experimental results prove that 20 g of the new functionalized silica adsorbent HSU 001-075.2 made sure that the “Eight Hours EC Occupational Exposure Limit Value” of 100 ppmv CO in the air was not exceeded for at least 200 s. In that context, a realistic fire scenario with respect to the CO burden of first responders was focused. The protective efficiency of the new adsorbents was exemplary calculated for the new functionalized adsorbent HSU 031-295.1. According to that, an amount of approximately 0.35 kg is able to decrease a CO concentration of 1000 ppmv in the breathing air of one person under high physical strain (assumed air demand 95 L min−1) to a maximum concentration of 83 ppmv for a protection time of 10 min. In case of a collective fire protection shelter occupied by 10 persons under low physical strain (air demand 30 L min−1), an amount of 3.1 kg is sufficient for their protection against CO intoxication over an assumed time interval of 60 min. These results verify the suitability of the upscaled arrangement of the new developed process for worker’s safety installations as well as for protective equipment of emergency services.

Exposure to elevated carbon dioxide does not impair short-term swimming behaviour or shelter-seeking in a predatory coral-reef fish.

Adult bluespotted rockcod Cephalopholis cyanostigma, a coral-reef grouper, were acclimated to either ambient (mean ± s.d. 406 ± 21 μatm; 1 atmos = 101325 Pa) or high pCO2 (945 ± 116 μatm) conditions in a laboratory for 8-9 days, then released at the water surface directly above a reef (depth c. 5 m) and followed on video camera (for 191 ± 21 s) by scuba divers until they sought cover in the reef. No differences were detected between groups in any of the six measured variables, which included the time fish spent immobile after release, tail beat frequency during swimming and the time required to locate and enter the protective shelter of the reef.

COMPUTER SIMULATION OF MASONRY DYNAMIC STRENGTH UNDER IMPACT LOAD

Purpose: The aim of this work is computer simulation of the dynamic strength of masonry fragment under impact load of various intensity and contact angles. Design/methodology/ approach: Numerical calculations are performed on the RANET-3 software package allowing 3D simulation of impact, explosion and powerful radiation using the finite element analysis oriented towards the solution of dynamical problems. Stress states of masonry are studied in its interacting with the weight drop at different time points. Research findings: A mathematical model is proposed to simulate the impact interaction between the masonry fragment and a 1000 kg weight drop. The fracture of masonry is shown due to the impact load of various intensity and contact angles of 0, 30 and 45 degrees. Practical implications: The obtained results can be readily used in design and reconstruction of rooms in civil buildings into protective shelters and other civil defense buildings. Value: SNiP 88.13330.2014 ‗Civil defense buildings‘ is being currently revised, and the mathematical simulation of the dynamic fracture of masonry due to the impact load are therefore rather relevant.

A comprehensive approach to conservation of ancient graffiti at El Kurru, Sudan

ABSTRACTThis paper describes conservation and preservation of ancient Meroitic graffiti in a rock-cut temple at the site of El Kurru in Sudan. The temple and its graffiti provide important material evidence for the African empire of Kush, but El Kurru's sandstone monuments suffer from granular disintegration and other serious condition problems. Although the conservation of archaeological heritage is often complicated, it is especially challenging in Sudan due to a fragile national economy and, until October 2017, United States sanctions against the country. A comprehensive, investigation-based approach has been used in conservation planning for the graffiti. Work began with a criterion-anchored rating condition survey designed to identify, prioritize, and monitor condition issues. Chemical analysis of the stone was conducted, and treatment options including alkoxysilane consolidation and grout injection were explored. Preventive conservation strategies for the temple, including a protective shelter and increased community education, have also been examined. Finally, reflectance transformation imaging was used to document the graffiti's condition and create a virtual, visual catalog. In description of these activities, the paper emphasizes key principles for guiding conservation at archaeological sites: practicality, flexibility, sustainability, and placing a high value on the contributions and wishes of stakeholders.

Galls on Smilax campestris Griseb. (Smilacaceae) protect the insects against restinga constraints, but do not provide enriched nutrition

Smilax campestris Griseb. (Smilacaceae) is a superhost of galling insects, adapted to xeric environments such as those of the restingas of the Parque Estadual do Acarai, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Currently, we evaluate the structural and histochemical changes induced by a Cecidomyiidae on S. campestris leaves, originating globoid midrib galls. We hypothesized that the macroenvironmental constraints of the restingas should reflect in gall developmental sites, resulting in enhanced xeromorphic anatomical features. The mesophyll of S. campestris non-galled leaves is dorsiventral, hypostomatic, with an adaxial homogeneous parenchyma, some cells with invagination in the walls, and an abaxial ordinary spongy parenchyma. In galls, the cells of leaf mesophyll redifferentiate into a homogenous parenchyma, with polygonal cells and straight cell walls. Few intercellular spaces are observed. Galls have uniseriate epidermis, without stomata, an outer parenchymatic cortex, a mechanical layer, and a nutritive tissue, limiting a diminutive central larval chamber. The histochemical profile reveals an increment in lignified cell walls, and accumulation of polyphenols, tannins, and alkaloids from non-galled leaves toward the galls. The absence of any special type of reserve in nutritive cells, and the occurrence of secondary metabolites in outer cortical layers, indicate reduction or absence of photosynthesis in gall tissues. Gall structure is redirected to a protective shelter against UV and oxidative damages imposed by the excessive light and water deficiency of the restingas, but do not provide enriched nutrition to the gall inducer. Current results contrast with common observations in insect-induced galls and reveal an alternative adaptive morphogenetic pathway for xeric environments induced on Smilax campestris by the gall inducer.

The Application of Fibre Reinforced Concrete for Protective Shelter from Auxiliary Material

The article deals with the application of fibre reinforced concrete for protective shelter from auxiliary material. It describes a basic structure element, a structure of the shelter, and a process of building.

Seed dormancy, soil type and protective shelters influence seedling emergence at Shark Bay, Western Australia: Insight into global dryland revegetation

SummarySeedling emergence is a major constraint on dryland revegetation success. In this study, we investigated seedling emergence of six framework shrub species as influenced by seed treatment, soil type and protective shelters using a large field trial in arid Western Australia. We observed the main effects of seed treatment and soil type to account for the majority of the variation in emergence. For species that exhibit pronounced dormancy, we found emergence of dormancy‐alleviated or treated (T) seed to be significantly greater than dormant or untreated (UT) seed, with responses varying across species (e.g. 41 times greater for Acacia ligulata Benth., and 10 times greater for Stylobasium spathulatum Desf.). For shallowly or nondormant species like Senna glutinosa (DC) Randall, UT seed emergence was slightly greater than for T seed. Compared to subsoil, topsoil was more receptive to infiltration (3.44 vs. 0.38 mm/min), and less prone to compaction (1.24 vs. 1.67 g/cm3) and crusting (0.6 vs. 1.3 kg/cm2); however, subsoil had greater moisture retention. Shelters failed to benefit soil moisture retention in either soil type, but enhanced emergence for most species. This study provides insight into how various cost‐effective treatments can be utilized to manipulate seed dormancy to optimize seedling emergence, the intrinsic value of topsoil as a superior growth medium and the benefit of novel, low‐cost shelters for enhancing seedling emergence. In arid environments, sowing T seed in combination with UT seed increases the likelihood of capitalizing on inherently variable precipitation events.

A Quasi-chemical Model for Bacterial Spore Germination Kinetics by High Pressure

High pressure processing (HPP) is an emerging non-thermal technology that is growing exponentially in use worldwide for the pasteurization of commercial foodstuffs. At combinations of elevated pressures and temperatures, HPP inactivates bacterial spores, but HPP has not yet been implemented commercially for food sterilization. Studies of the mechanisms of bacterial spore inactivation by HPP using primarily spores of Bacillus species have shown that spore germination precedes inactivation, with the release of dipicolinic acid from the spore core as the rate-determining step. Investigations probing spore resistance to and germination by HPP using Bacillus subtilis, a number of selected B. subtilis mutants, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Clostridium difficile spores have compiled a wealth of detailed mechanistic information, while also accumulating abundant germination kinetics data that has not previously been analyzed by predictive models. Presently, we devise a “quasi-chemical” model for bacterial spore germination dynamics by HPP. This quasi-chemical germination model (QCGM) hypothesizes a three-step mechanism and derives a set of ordinary differential equations to model the observed germination dynamics. The results with this model are viewed in the context of historical studies of spore activation, germination, and inactivation, with an eye toward potentially integrating differential equation models for germination and inactivation into a single, comprehensive model for spore dynamics by HPP. With the increasing use of high hydrostatic pressure to investigate mechanisms of bacterial spore resistance and physiology, the QCGM results help promote the efficient control of bacterial spores, whether for the inactivation of Clostridium botulinum spores in low-acid foods or aerosolized Bacillus anthracis spores on textiles used in protective clothing, tents, or shelters.

Modelling free social spaces and the diffusion of social mobilization

Free social spaces have long been emphasized in the social movement literature. Under names such as safe spaces, social havens, and counterpublics, they have been characterized as protective shelters against prevailing hegemonic ideologies and as hubs for the diffusion of ideas and ideologies. However, the vast literature on these spaces has predominantly focused on internal dynamics and processes, thus neglecting how they relate to the diffusion of collective mobilization. Inspired by formal modeling in collective action research, we develop a network model to investigate how the structural properties of free social spaces impact the diffusion of collective mobilization. Our results show that the assumption of clustering is enough for structural effects to emerge, and that clustering furthermore interacts synergistically with political deviance. This indicates that it is not only internal dynamics that play a role in the relevance of free social spaces for collective action. Our approach also illustrates how formal modeling can deepen our understanding of diffusion processes in collective mobilizations through analysis of emergent structural effects.

Freshwater population of Ulva flexuosa (Ulvaceae, Chlorophyta) as a food source for great pond snail: Lymnaea stagnalis (Mollusca, Lymnaeidae)

SUMMARYCosmopolitan species of the genus Ulva (Ulvaceae; Chlorophyta) that populate the littoral zone of marine habitats constitute a staple diet for a variety of organisms, particularly snails, shellfish, polychaetes, and birds. Occurrence of Ulva species (e.g., U. flexuosa and U . prolifera) has also been observed in freshwater inland ecosystems that have no contact with saline water. However, the influence of the development of macroalgal mats of Ulva on indigenous organisms in limnic ecosystems has not been established. This study investigates the trophic relationships between Ulva flexuosa and one species of snail from freshwater habitats in central Europe. During the summer, the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) consumed Ulva as a source of nutrition even when other algae and plants were available. Lymnaea stagnalis consumed an average of 100 mg of Ulva thalli per day. This level of biomass exceeded the consumption of an alternative food source, the shoots of Elodea canadensis. Ulva thalli are more actively consumed by great pond snails than Elodea shoots, and this is expressed in terms of the differences of biomass consumption. It was also observed that the interior of the monostromatic tubular thalli of Ulva flexuosa serves as a protective shelter for juvenile great pond snails.

An assessment of the condition of nine engraved sites in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Nine engravings in the hinterland around Hong Kong Island have been studied independently by the authors, as part of an overall assessment of current management practices, the state of the engravings, conservation impacts and future survival. Four independent studies were commissioned in 2009 by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in conjunction with the Antiquities and Monuments Office who have legislative responsibility for all archaeological sites within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The sites have received varying levels of protection in the form of roofs, fences, and screens, and in more recent times, a range of conservation treatments aimed at prolonging their life and improving legibility. This paper reviews the state of the engravings from the point of view of protection and presentation and considers the effectiveness of the infrastructure in mitigating what are often conflicting needs. Modern conservation treatments must be considered in several dimensions: their effectiveness and durability in an aggressive climate, given that the engravings have survived for 3000 years, and the feasibility and cost of maintaining such treatments over the next 3000 years and longer. This paper describes field observations rather than measured data, due to the nature of the commission, highlighting the value of intelligent observation as an investigative tool. The main focus of the paper is on the impact of protective shelters and applied treatments as observed during two of the independent surveys, concluding that protection must address all environmental and visitor impacts to be fully protective.

Non-destructive analytical methods to study the conservation state of Apadana Hall of Persepolis

Atmospheric and biological agents are the main enemies of the building material conservation. In this work an innovative methodological approach, based on Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) and X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), has been employed to evaluate the conservation state of Persepolis limestone samples collected both, under a protective shelter and outside the shelter, at Apadana Audience Hall area in Persepolis. The use of NIR spectra permitted to discriminate, by using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the differences between samples collected inside and outside the protective shelter and we have been able to identify a major degradation state of the out shelter stone samples due to a major presence of organic compounds.

Peroxidase-catalysed interfacial adhesion of aquatic caddisworm silk.

Casemaker caddisfly (Hesperophylax occidentalis) larvae use adhesive silk fibres to construct protective shelters under water. The silk comprises a distinct peripheral coating on a viscoelastic fibre core. Caddisworm silk peroxinectin (csPxt), a haem-peroxidase, was shown to be glycosylated by lectin affinity chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Using high-resolution H2O2 and peroxidase-dependent silver ion reduction and nanoparticle deposition, imaged by electron microscopy, csPxt activity was shown to be localized in the peripheral layer of drawn silk fibres. CsPxt catalyses dityrosine cross-linking within the adhesive peripheral layer post-draw, initiated perhaps by H2O2 generated by a silk gland-specific superoxide dismutase 3 (csSOD3) from environmental reactive oxygen species present in natural water. CsSOD3 was also shown to be a glycoprotein and is likely localized in the peripheral layer. Using a synthetic fluorescent phenolic copolymer and confocal microscopy, it was shown that csPxt catalyses oxidative cross-linking to external polyphenolic compounds capable of diffusive interpenetration into the fuzzy peripheral coating, including humic acid, a natural surface-active polyphenol. The results provide evidence of enzyme-mediated covalent cross-linking of a natural bioadhesive to polyphenol conditioned interfaces as a mechanism of permanent adhesion underwater.

Reward processing and drug addiction: does sex matter?

Reward processing is crucial to our health and wellbeing and dysfunctional brain reward signaling is a component of a number of psychiatric disorders, including major depression and drug addiction. Rewarding behaviors like eating, parenting, nursing, social play, and sexual activity are powerfully preserved in evolution and are essential for survival. All of them gratifying, they represent enjoyable experiences with high reward values and activate the same brain circuits that mediate the positive reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. In line with preclinical findings and clinical observations, recent imaging studies confirmed that natural (sex, food) and non-natural (drugs of abuse) rewards differently activate male and female brains (Haase et al., 2011; Wetherill et al., 2014) and also that men and women differ in the ability to resist reward-related impulses (Diekhof et al., 2012). The study of sexual morphological differences in human brain has provided evidence of critical effects of gender on brain architecture and morphometry (Giedd et al., 2012; Feis et al., 2013). Male-female differences in human brain anatomy have stimulated research on the difference in onset, prevalence, and symptomatology of many neuropsychiatric illnesses between women and men, including drug addiction (Rando et al., 2013; Tanabe et al., 2013; Ide et al., 2014). Following the official recognition by International Institutions and Funding Research Agencies on the importance of taking into account potential differences between men and women in all of the relevant aspects of health-related research, gender is receiving increasing attention by medical and scientific communities. As a consequence, evaluation of sex and gender (i.e., biological characteristics and socio-political-cultural influences associated with the terms “male” and “female,” respectively) differences in reward processing in general, and in drug addiction in particular, is increasingly being studied. Numerous human behaviors are driven by evolved instincts and urges. We have evolved the capacity to experience considerable pleasure and happiness from several behaviors, among which are eating, drinking, mating, creating protective shelter, and reproducing, all activating an anatomical and neurochemically defined brain circuit commonly referred to as the “pleasure circuit” or “brain reward system.” In both animals and humans, males and females display diverse attitudes and expectancies, process information differently, perceive experience and emotions in different ways and are behaviorally determined by different needs and drives. Reward processing may also differ between male and female population with sexual hormones playing an important, although not exclusive, role. When looking at the most common behavioral features known to favor the development of drug dependence, such as poor impulse control, risk-taking behavior, a heightened reactivity to stress and psychiatric comorbidity, all reveal important differences between men and women. Here I will illustrate the most recent evidence showing sex/gender differences in these and other behavioral traits linked to reward processing and enhancing the vulnerability to drug addiction.