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Assessing the accuracy of the wildland–urban interface index in Portuguese rural villages’ context: A case study of the 2017 Pedrógão Grande Wildfire
Get PDFClimate change and human interventions can boost wildfires. Although naturally happening, massive events are becoming more frequent and severe. In Portugal’s mainland, many rural settlements are populated mainly by older people, and uninhabited houses are frequently poorly conserved. This combination leaves the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) dangerously exposed to the fires. Pursuing the understanding of WUI areas, this study applies the Wildland–Urban Interface Index (WUIX) assessment methodology to an area severely affected by the massive 2017 wildfire of Pedrógão Grande, Leiria, Portugal. The primary objective of this study was to compare the results from WUIX with the areas burned during the fire event. As a result, maps of WUI effect were generated, visually pointing to villages with higher severity compared to the others. A statistical analysis was performed in three villages from the region to validate the results by comparing the accuracy of the results obtained to the actual damages. The results point out a high correlation between the WUIX and the real scenario despite the apparent challenges in determining the variations in different types of fire effect. Finally, the WUIX results align with the data from the Pedrógão Grande wildfire, showing that some are promising in conjunction with other wildfire indicators
Pain management in people with inflammatory arthritis: British Society for Rheumatology guideline scope
Get PDFLay Summary: What does this mean for patients? Inflammatory arthritis includes conditions causing swollen and painful joints. The main types are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is common, affecting over 1 in 100 adults and 4 in 10 000 children and young people in the UK. Despite the availability of effective medicines to reduce joint inflammation, many people with inflammatory arthritis continue to experience daily pain. This has a great impact on their lives. They often receive strong pain medicines called opioids, despite little evidence that they help pain in inflammatory arthritis. The British Society for Rheumatology is the UK’s main medical society for healthcare professionals providing care to people with inflammatory arthritis. It provides guidelines that recommend how healthcare professionals can best treat people with specific conditions. This paper outlines the plan to develop the first guideline from the British Society for Rheumatology about how pain should be managed in people with inflammatory arthritis. It will be developed by a group of people from many backgrounds (including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, podiatrists, occupational therapists, psychologists, pharmacists and people with inflammatory arthritis) and will be based on the best available research, identified by reviewing published studies in a systematic way
Intelligent energy management for full-active hybrid energy storage systems in electric vehicles using teaching–learning-based optimization in fuzzy logic algorithms
Get PDFElectric vehicles (EVs) are a compelling alternative for mitigating CO2-equivalent emissions. In the context of EVs, the architecture and operational efficiency of a hybrid energy storage system (HESS)are pivotal. The present study focuses on a HESS model based on a parallel full-active configuration that integrates a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery with an ultracapacitor facilitated by two direct current-to-direct current converters. The energy management strategy governing the HESS emerges as a critical element in the overall performance of EVs. Conventionally, fuzzy control strategies have been extensively utilised at the supervisory and high-control levels; these are largely dependent on expert experience. This paper introduces an innovative fuzzy control system that employs teaching–learning-based optimisation (TLBO) in the energy management strategy domain of a HESS in EVs. This intelligent control mechanism aims to optimise various performance metrics – such as energy consumption, lithium battery output current, and peak power. The optimisation focuses on fine-tuning the parameters constituting the fuzzy rule base and membership functions. Simulation results substantiate the adaptability of the TLBO-based fuzzy energy management system in efficiently allocating power across various driving conditions. Comparative analyses are conducted with respect to the power-sharing capabilities of the proposed TLBO-fuzzy (TLBO-F), particle swarm optimisation-fuzzy (PSO-F), and non-optimisation-fuzzy (NO-F) strategies under two distinct driving conditions: the urban dynamometer driving schedule and the European extra-urban driving cycle. The main objective of this research is to extend battery lifetime by minimising both the lithium battery output power and overall energy consumption. In this way, the study aims not only to prolong the lifespan of Li-ion batteries but also to mitigate the associated energy costs for battery charging. Ultimately, the proposed method enhances the power sharing of the ultracapacitor during a span of 1400 seconds. It also confirms the battery ratio power, R.Pb, is decreased for the proposed method (TLBO-F) to 6.4% compared to the PSO-F strategy and is decreased 35% relative to the NO-F algorithm. The battery’s state of charge is increased to 14% by implementing the TLBO-F method relative to the PSO-F and increased to 30% compared to the NO-F algorithm. This diminishes the charging and discharging rate of the battery during the driving cycle while extending the lifespan of the Li-ion battery and adheres to the ultracapacitor’s state-of-charge constraints
Early high-dose cryoprecipitate to reduce mortality in adult patients with traumatic haemorrhage: The CRYOSTAT-2 RCT with cost-effectiveness analysis
Get PDFTraumatic haemorrhage is common after severe injury, leading to disability and death. Cryoprecipitate, a source of fibrinogen, may improve outcomes for patients with traumatic haemorrhage. To investigate the effects of early fibrinogen supplementation in the form of 3 pools (15 units, approximately 6 g of fibrinogen) of cryoprecipitate on 28-day mortality. A randomised, parallel-group, unblinded, multicentre, international trial and economic evaluation. Patients were randomised to either the intervention (early cryoprecipitate) or the comparator (standard major haemorrhage protocol) arm via opaque, sealed envelopes in the emergency department or the transfusion laboratory/blood bank. All analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis. A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken. Twenty-five major trauma centres in the UK and one level 1 trauma centre in the USA. Adults who had traumatic haemorrhage following severe injury requiring activation of the major haemorrhage protocol and had received a blood transfusion. Early cryoprecipitate - 3 pools (equivalent to 15 single units of cryoprecipitate or 6 g of fibrinogen supplementation), infused as rapidly as possible, within 90 minutes of arrival at hospital in addition to standard major haemorrhage protocol or standard major haemorrhage protocol only. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at 28 days. The secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality at 6 hours, 24 hours, 6 months and 12 months from admission; death from bleeding at 6 hours and 24 hours; transfusion requirements at 24 hours from admission; destination of participant at discharge; quality-of-life measurements (EuroQol-5 Dimensions, five-level version and Glasgow Outcome Scale) at discharge/day 28 and 6 months after injury; and hospital resource use up to discharge or day 28 (including ventilator-days, hours spent in critical care and inpatient stays). Eight hundred and five patients were randomised to receive the standard major haemorrhage protocol (control arm). Seven hundred and ninety-nine patients were randomised to receive an additional three pools of cryoprecipitate in addition to standard care (intervention arm). Baseline characteristics appeared well matched. Patients had a median age of 39 (interquartile range 26-55) years, and the majority (79%) were male. All-cause 28-day mortality ( = 1531 patients; intention to treat) was 25.3% in the intervention arm compared with 26.1% in the control arm (odds ratio 0.96; = 0.74). There was variability in the timing of cryoprecipitate administration, with overlap between the treatment arms, limiting the degree of intervention separation. There was no evidence that early empiric administration of high-dose cryoprecipitate reduced the risk of death in unselected patients with traumatic haemorrhage. There was also no difference in adverse events. The cost-effectiveness of the intervention was similar to that of standard care. Research to evaluate if fibrinogen replacement is more beneficial for selected patients, for example those with low fibrinogen blood levels, is needed, as is further exploration of whether there is a difference in outcome according to mechanism of injury. This trial is registered as ISRCTN14998314. This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: 15/57/02) and is published in full in ; Vol. 28, No. 76. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information
What do policymakers need to know about harassment in the metaverse?
Get PDFAs immersive technologies and spatial computing paradigms move into the mainstream, public and political interest in the metaverse is growing. In some respects, the metaverse offers an exciting view of the future, one in which a global community can meaningfully connect regardless of where they are in the world. In contrast, however, early instances of “proto-metaverse” spaces have been plagued by reports of harassment and abuse. Policymakers around the world are now considering the role that governments might play in the regulation and governance of metaverse spaces, seeking to secure protections for citizens, and criminal accountability for offenders in this fast-evolving space. This paper introduces some of the key issues for governments engaging with this topic, including the suitability of existing legislative frameworks, and consideration of a new category of harm that seeks to recognise the distinctive impact of “conduct” abuses in metaverse environments
Gas chromatography – Sensor system aids diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, and separates Crohn’s from ulcerative colitis, in children
Get PDFThe diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and the need to distinguish between subtypes (Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)) requires lengthy investigative and invasive procedures. Non-invasive, rapid, and cost-effective tests to support these diagnoses are needed. Faecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are distinctive in IBD. VOC profiles can be rapidly determined using a gas chromatography–sensor device (OdoReader©). In an inception-cohort of children presenting with suspected IBD, we directly compared the diagnostic fidelity of faecal calprotectin (FCP, a non-specific protein marker of intestinal inflammation) with OdoReader© VOC profiles of children subsequently diagnosed with IBD with matched controls diagnosed with other gastrointestinal conditions. The OdoReader© was 82% (95% confidence interval 75–89%) sensitive and 71% (61–80%) specific but did not outperform FCP (sensitivity 93% (77–99%) and specificity 86% (67–96%); 250 µg/g FCP cut off) in the diagnosis of IBD from other gastrointestinal conditions when validated in a separate sample from the same cohort. However, unlike FCP and better than other similar technologies, the OdoReader© could distinguish paediatric CD from UC (up to 88% (82–93%) sensitivity and 80% (71–89%) specificity in the validation set) and justifies further validation in larger studies. A non-invasive test based on VOCs could help streamline and limit invasive investigations in children
Hybrid Images and the Vanishing Point of Digital Visual Effects
No full textToday’s visual culture is full of hybrid images where live-action cinematography and computer-animation combine to create a single coherent image. Tackling digital effects such as colourisation and time ramping, compositing and photo-realistic rendering, this book explores how the growing use of post-photographic procedures shapes our relationship with the image and the world that the image represents. At stake is the ability to critically engage with the digital techniques that mediate perceptions of reality. Through a series of case studies the book connects the dominant techniques of hybridisation with emergent ways of being in our increasingly hybrid physical-digital world. Pointing at the relationship between mainstream visual culture and the manifold imperatives of digital technology and digital culture Hybrid Images and the Vanishing Point of Digital Visual Effects highlights how a handful of digital visual effects are coming to shape the way we live
Effect of slenderness ratio on the behavior of RC bearing walls under fire exposure
No full textReinforced concrete (RC) bearing walls are commonly used in building structures to resist axial and lateral loads. Therefore, their ability to withstand loads when exposed to fire is important. The behavior of RC walls under fire exposure is affected by various factors, such as slenderness ratio, concrete strength and composition, and axial load. This paper investigates the effect of slenderness ratio on the structural performance of RC walls subjected to fire. A series of numerical simulations were conducted on RC walls with different slenderness ratios. The simulations are performed on a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model, after validating its thermal and structural behavior using previously published experimental data. The walls were exposed to standard fire curves (ISO834) on one side. The thermal and structural response of the walls were assessed in terms of axial deformations, out-of-plane deformations, and fire resistance. The results showed that slenderness ratio had a significant influence on the fire behavior of RC walls. The walls with higher slenderness ratios exhibited higher temperature gradients and larger deflections compared to the walls with lower slenderness ratios. Moreover, the fire resistance of the walls was significantly reduced when the slenderness ratio was increased
The role of security assistance in reconfiguring Tunisia’s transition
Get PDFIn many contexts in the Mediterranean, Security Assistance (SA) is perceived to have contributed to state fracture or prolonged conflict. In Tunisia, in contrast, SA has increased the performance and capacities of the security forces in matters of counterterrorism and migration control. However, in this article, by analysing SA’s reordering impacts, I argue that it has interacted with political developments to reconfigure Tunisia’s volatile political landscape in two ways. Firstly, SA programmes have acted to reinforce the coercive capacities of Tunisia’s security forces vis-à-vis the general population. Secondly, vertical SA practices contributed to the reconfiguration of power dynamics between different actors in Tunisia’s security sector, helping consolidate power in the increasingly authoritarian hands of the executive as well as the increasingly politicized security forces. Furthermore, in the final section of this article, I reflect upon the entanglements between security assistance, Tunisian political economy and the economic interests of many provider states. In doing so, I make the case for a ‘recoupling’ of security studies and political economy in analysis of external interventions in the Mediterranean to better understand their reordering impacts