Search

Nearly 1 100 fissures have formed on the Hebei Plain in China. Within the Yellow River-Qinghe River-Zhanghe River shallow buried paleochannel band on the plain, 93 ground fissures controlled by paleochannels have developed, of which the Wuyi-Fuping ground fissure is a typical paleochannel-controlled fissure located in Hengshui, Hebei Province, with a total length of 3 km, a dominant strike of NE78°, and nearly upright in the shallow layer. The surface damage observed in this fissure primarily manifests as beaded pits, and its activity shows distinct segmentation characteristics. On the trench profiles, the offset distance of shallow layers remains consistently around 20 cm within the depth range of 0 to −3 m. An evident flexure is observed in the strata at depths ranging from −4.5 to −7 m. The drilling profile reveals that there is an absence of dislocations in the deeper strata. Nonetheless, the shallow seismic physical profiles unveil the presence of underlying faults beneath the study area, underscoring the intricate formation process and genesis mechanism of the Wuyi-Fuping ground fissure. Firstly, the formation and evolution of the Qingling River's paleochannel were shaped by the actions of fault blocks and underlying faults. The interplay of the regional stress field, fault block movement, and fault activity played pivotal roles in driving the development of this paleochannel. Secondly, the paleochannel exerts a controlling influence on the development location and severity of the fissure. During pumping, the confined aquifer within the paleochannel undergoes water loss and compression, resulting in the formation of a surface subsidence funnel. When the tensile stress surpasses the soil's tensile strength at the funnel's edge, the soil fractures give rise to a ground fissure. Finally, large amounts of surface water generated by heavy rainfall and irrigation can cause existing hidden ground fissures to rupture, emerge, and expand. This paper provides a heretofore generally unknown example, promotes research on the mechanisms of paleochannel-controlled fissures, and has guiding significance for disaster prevention and reduction in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density currents, fluid flows driven by differences in density, play a crucial role in disaster prevention for water pollution and tsunami mitigation, particularly due to thermal releases from power plants. Understanding their dynamics is pivotal for effective mitigation strategies. While the influence of seabed and lake bottom topography on density currents is well-studied, research on how embankment shapes affect these currents has been limited. This study aimed to fill this gap by experimentally and numerically analyzing the flow dynamics of density currents using various embankment shapes in a controlled water tank environment. The findings revealed distinct variations in density perturbation across different embankment shapes. Specifically, density currents exhibited reduced head velocities in embankments shaped as right-angled triangles, rectangles, and L-shapes, in that sequential order. This research underscores the significance of embankment design in modifying density currents, offering valuable insights for optimizing disaster management strategies related to water pollution and tsunami hazards induced by thermal effluents from industrial sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire detection is a critical task in environmental monitoring and disaster prevention, with traditional methods often limited in their ability to detect fire and smoke in real time over large areas. The rapid identification of fire and smoke in both indoor and outdoor environments is essential for minimizing damage and ensuring timely intervention. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to fire and smoke detection by integrating a vision transformer (ViT) with the YOLOv5s object detection model. Our modified model leverages the attention-based feature extraction capabilities of ViTs to improve detection accuracy, particularly in complex environments where fires may be occluded or distributed across large regions. By replacing the CSPDarknet53 backbone of YOLOv5s with ViT, the model is able to capture both local and global dependencies in images, resulting in more accurate detection of fire and smoke under challenging conditions. We evaluate the performance of the proposed model using a comprehensive Fire and Smoke Detection Dataset, which includes diverse real-world scenarios. The results demonstrate that our model outperforms baseline YOLOv5 variants in terms of precision, recall, and mean average precision (mAP), achieving a mAP@0.5 of 0.664 and a recall of 0.657. The modified YOLOv5s with ViT shows significant improvements in detecting fire and smoke, particularly in scenes with complex backgrounds and varying object scales. Our findings suggest that the integration of ViT as the backbone of YOLOv5s offers a promising approach for real-time fire detection in both urban and natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Block collapse is one of the most common geological disasters that occurs during the construction of tunnels in blocky rock masses and is characterized by sudden events and severe damage, which seriously threatens the safety of tunnel construction. To achieve effective control of block collapse, model experiments on tunnel block collapses with a scale of 200 × 125 × 23 cm were conducted to study the effect of the tunnel span on disasters in this paper. The height of block collapse increases with increasing tunnel span, which verifies the accuracy of the discontinuous deformation analysis method (DDA) in simulating block collapse by comparing the experimental results with the DDA simulation results. Then, the influencing factors of block collapse disasters were selected, and the effects of different influencing factors on tunnel block collapse were simulated based on the DDA method. According to the simulation results, the height and area of block collapse were obtained, and the influence laws of each factor on the height and area of block collapse were analyzed. Based on that, the impact levels of each factor on block collapses were divided. Finally, based on the K-means method, tunnel block collapses were divided into five levels according to the height and area of the block collapse, accounting for 28.6%, 32.5%, 23.4%, 11.7%, and 3.9%, respectively. To avoid block collapse, disposal measures were provided for different levels of tunnel block collapse in this paper, which can provide theoretical guidance for the safe construction of tunnels in blocky rock masses. Highlights: Large-scale model experiments were conducted to study the effect of the tunnel span on block collapse. Factors influencing block collapse in tunnels were analyzed based on the DDA simulation results. Block collapses were divided into five levels according to the severity of the disaster based on the K-means method. Standards for prevention measures were established according to the different levels of tunnel block collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are differences between Western mainstream culture and traditional Indigenous culture in the way they address sustainable development. The spirit of sustainability has been emphasized and practiced by Indigenous cultures for hundreds or even thousands of years, but it is increasingly disappearing over time due to the threat of natural disasters. It is necessary to recover this practice of sustainable development from its roots in traditional Indigenous knowledge. This study considers the possibility and utility of incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into Indigenous education for sustainability, a topic that has not been addressed by other studies. Based on a literature review, the proposed framework and content for this study focus on Indigenous disaster prevention. The specific topic was chosen to be most relevant to young Indigenous children. STEM indicators from the US next-generation science standards (NGSS) were referenced to create the proposed STEM teaching objectives, which were designed to be specifically appropriate for Indigenous curricula and teaching activities. Additionally, the cultural curriculum model was adopted to reform the Indigenous curriculum and teaching model by utilizing the transformation and social action approaches. Finally, the five-stage learning cycle was used as the framework to implement the curriculum, intertwined with the principles of the spiral curriculum, to co-construct an instructional example of Indigenous education for sustainability for future reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The complicated geological environment of deep rocks poses new challenges to tunnel and mining engineering. Some thorny disasters such as large deformation of soft rock and rockburst are becoming more and more prominent. However, the classic tunnelling methods represented by the mine tunnelling method and the new Austrian tunnelling method are generally unsatisfactory in addressing these issues due to the limited self-stability of surrounding rock mass. Therefore, the excavation compensation method (ECM) with the core of active stress compensation has been proposed and applied in practical engineering construction to solve the above problems. After extensive engineering practice, the theoretical foundation, key technologies, and construction system of ECM have been established and improved. This article provides a comprehensive overview of this novel tunnelling method. In addition, its controlling effects on surrounding rock are demonstrated by two typical engineering examples. It could provide some new ideas and references for the development of future tunnelling technology.

Facing persistent natural catastrophes, the necessity for disaster prevention products in afflicted cities becomes paramount. Modular design has proven to be a viable method for streamlining transportation and manufacturing processes for disaster prevention products. However, existing post-disaster prevention products often fail to incorporate the green modular concept, with limited research on spatial allocation strategies. In response to the current challenges, a new breed of green post-disaster prevention products is urgently warranted to mitigate the impact of major natural disasters and safeguard lives and property. To achieve the goal, this study employs a combined analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis to propose an inflatable cabin for emergency disaster prevention, specifically designed for flood scenarios. Using the inflatable cabin as an empirical case, this study introduces a layered design approach progressing from macro to meso and then to micro levels to construct an objective decision-making model to prioritize key design elements, develop spatial post-disaster prevention strategies, and analyze the mechanical performance. Results indicate that at a distance of 30 m from the base of the slope (SPIC), the impact force is most significant, reaching up to 1.8 × 10⁷ kN. As the distance increases from 30 m to 150 m, the maximum impact force decreases by an order of magnitude, and the average impact force decreases by approximately two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, this comprehensive approach, which starts from a holistic design perspective and culminates in optimizing individual disaster structures, offers practical significance for engineering design research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The case study on Airblue chronicles the events that led to the biggest plane crash in the aviation history of Pakistan. Airblue flight 202 destined from Karachi to Islamabad crashed while attempting to land under adverse weather conditions. The flight carried 146 passengers and 6 crew members; all died in the crash. Later investigations identified gross errors in judgment and decision making by the cockpit crew and unprofessional attitude as the sole cause of the crash. The case study documents the events that unfolded prior to the crash and identifies a number of major factors that are important while communicating and making decisions under critical situations. It touches upon the themes of superior-subordinate communication and relationships, empowerment, sense of responsibility under life-threatening situations, making sense of crises, the role of initiative, self-confidence, and reliance on others. The case is suitable to be taught on topics dealing with communication, decision making, teamwork, and leadership in crises, at the graduate level (MBA) and in executive training courses on team building, leadership and crisis management. It highlights the situations which emerge as crises and where teamwork is paramount for the effective achievement of goals. Furthermore, it focuses on the possible relapses when effective teamwork and communication are not in play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Resilience" is the ability to recover after being affected by a disaster or accident. Companies are expected to be resilient against accidents and disasters; however, no method comprehensively evaluates corporate resilience. As a preparation for developing such an evaluation method, this study examines the 13 Resilience Indicators developed by "Resilient Organisations" as one of the models for organizational resilience to assess whether it comprehensively covers the factors that contribute to corporate resilience. This study compares the indicators with past accidents and disaster cases. Consequently, the study determined that the 13 Resilience Indicators do not explicitly cover the following four factors: (1) risk diversification related to external resources such as suppliers, (2) prompt decision-making and action, (3) countermeasures to protect corporate reputation, and (4) a never-give-up attitude. It cannot be said that this is a definitive conclusion, as subjectivity intervenes in various ways in the examination process. However, this study identified factors that should be considered while developing a model that comprehensively includes factors that contribute to corporate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing intensity of human activity is exposing more people and property in hill regions to geohazards (including rockfall, landslide, debris flow, et al.). In tectonically weak and humid (TWH) hilly areas, such as the Jiangxi Province, a large proportion of the losses in geohazards are caused by cut slope house-building (CSHB) landslides. The house is the "first line of defense" of a household against geohazards. However, previous studies mainly studied cut slope landslides themselves to reduce disaster losses, but few conducted analyses from the perspective of house damage. Considering the situation, this study makes an inventory of house damage information related to CSHB landslides in Jiangxi Province from 2019 to 2022 and analyzes the house damage characteristics, effects of influencing factors on house damage, and prevention suggestions in TWH hilly areas. Some main findings can be summarized as follows: (i) The main house with a brick-concrete structure will not collapse under the influence of 81.07% cut slope landslides; (ii) the first floor needs to be reinforced due to its high frequency of damage; (iii) the ancillary houses should be placed in front of the main house or on diagonal sides away from the cut slope and should not be set up as high-activity functional areas; (iv) the kitchen is the functional area with the most severe damage closely related to layout pattern and stability characteristics. Our study contributes to subsequent analysis of house damage or physical vulnerability, and disaster loss reduction in TWH hilly areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic understanding of the spatial distribution of meteorological disasters that affect cotton growth, such as rainstorms, gales, and hail, is important for reducing plant losses and promoting sustainable development. Our study aimed to evaluate the risk of meteorological disasters during cotton growth and analyze their spatial distribution and driving factors. A risk assessment model for major meteorological disasters during cotton cultivation in Xinjiang was established by integrating entropy weight methods and an analytic hierarchy process. A cotton meteorological disaster risk assessment index system, including the vulnerability of disaster-bearing bodies, hazards of disaster-causing factors, and exposure of disaster-bearing bodies, was constructed using Google Earth Engine. We determined the comprehensive risk levels of major meteorological disasters for cotton in various regions of Xinjiang. Research shows that the selection of indicators is very important, and crop risk assessment with a clear disaster-bearing body can make the results more accurate. It is necessary to consider the risk assessment of multiple disaster species for meteorological disaster risk assessment. The results revealed spatial differences in the meteorological disaster risk for cotton in 2020. The very high and high risks for cotton accounted for 42% of the cotton planting area, mainly distributed in Karamay, Tacheng, Kashgar, Changjizhou, Kezhou, and Ilizhou. Consequently, this study provides a scientific basis for cotton cultivation in Xinjiang, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the occurrence patterns of coal and gas outburst accidents, statistical analysis was conducted on coal and gas outburst accidents in China from 1950 to 2022 from the spatial and temporal dimension, and preventive measures and suggestions were proposed. The research results indicate that the temporal distribution pattern of coal and gas outburst accidents in China from 1950 to 2022 can be divided into three periods: a period of significant increase (1950-1980), a period of continuous improvement (1981-2000), and a period of stable decline (2001-2022). The spatial distribution pattern is wide range, relatively concentrated, more in the south and less in the north, and serious in the south and slight in the north. The number of coal and gas outburst accidents gradually decreases over time, and the ratio of the number of deaths to the total number of deaths in coal mine accidents fluctuates and increases over time. The spatial distribution of coal and gas outburst mines is generally characterized by more in the south and less in the north. The research results provide a basis for the prevention and control of coal and gas outburst accidents in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the adverse effects of climate change-induced frequent extreme disasters on agricultural production and supply stability, this study develops a comprehensive agricultural disaster prevention system based on current adaptation strategies for mitigating agricultural meteorological disasters. The primary goal is to enhance disaster preparedness and recovery through three core platforms: a fine-scale weather forecast service system, a crop disaster early warning system, and an agricultural information service platform for disasters. The results show that every major agricultural production township in Taiwan now has dedicated agricultural weather stations and access to refined weather forecasts. Additionally, a disaster prevention calendar for 76 important crops is established, integrating cultivation management practices and critical disaster thresholds for different growth periods. Utilizing this calendar, the crop disaster early warning system can provide timely disaster-related information and pre-disaster prevention assistance to farmers through various information dissemination tools. As a disaster approaches, the agricultural information service platform for disasters provides updates on current crop growth conditions. This service not only pinpoints areas at higher risk of disasters and vulnerable crop types but also offers mitigation suggestions to prevent potential damage. Administrative efficiency is then improved with a response mechanism incorporating drones and image analysis for early disaster detection and rapid response. In summary, the collaborative efforts outlined in this study demonstrate a proactive approach to agricultural disaster prevention. By leveraging technological advancements and interdisciplinary cooperation, the aim is to safeguard agricultural livelihoods and ensure food security in the face of climate-induced challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Sociales (13159518) is the property of Revista de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Zulia Venezuela and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Objective] The three prefectures of Sichuan (Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture) have fragile ecological environments and frequent geohazards, whereas slopesurface vegetation has the role of water storage and foundation consolidation. The study of the dynamic change of vegetation cover and key drivers in this region can help predict the robustness of ecological structure and prevent geohazards. [Method] MODIS remote sensing data from 2002 to 2022 were selected to analyze the development trend and transfer of vegetation cover based on transfer matrix and trend analysis method, and the influence of each driving factor on vegetation cover was studied through correlation analysis and geodetection model. [Result] The different vegetation cover in the study area had a tendency to evolve to higher cover, but the overall tendency was stabilized with the increase of time, and the influence of meteorological factors, such as air temperature, was slightly larger than that of rainfall, and both factors had a facilitating effect on the vegetation cover; The combined effect of natural and human factors was the main reason for the differences in the spatial distribution of vegetation cover in the three states of Sichuan, and elevation and land use were the two controlling factors of vegetation cover. Elevation and land use were the two controlling factors of vegetation cover, and natural factors had a more significant impact on vegetation cover in the study area, and the superposition of different drivers explained vegetation cover more strongly than the role of a single factor. [Conclusion] The study suggest that the recovery of vegetation cover at high altitude should focus on the temperature tolerance of vegetation and strictly control the over-exploitation and utilization of natural space by human beings, and that the factors affecting vegetation cover should be improved in a multi-dimensional way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Online Journal of Art & Design is the property of Online Journal of Art & Design and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Global climate change has led to frequent natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes, making offshore construction risky. In this paper, high-level papers from the Web of Science (WoS) were searched, and critical terms were identified and categorized using text-mining techniques. To ensure the resilience and safety of marine structures, we discuss the challenges of marine clays, marine eco-civilization construction, and disaster prevention databases. The recommendations presented provide valuable insights for engineers, researchers, and other stakeholders involved in marine construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lala copper mine is located in the Sichuan-Yunnan stress zone. Since the shallow resources are close to the end of mining, it has gradually changed from open-pit mining to underground mining. Due to the complex geological conditions of deep mining, the deep mining area of Luodang will face the problem of in-situ stress in the mining process. The characteristics of the deep in-situ stress field in the Luodang mining area of the Lala Copper mine were taken as the research object, the in-situ stress tests of 10 boreholes by stress relief method, and 22 groups of indoor physical and mechanical tests of surrounding rocks were carried out. The rock burst prediction analysis of the deep mining area was completed by 3 stress criteria of the national standard method, Barton method and the Tao Zhenyu method. The results show that the in-situ stress was distributed discreetly in the shallow part and increased linearly in the deep part. The direction of maximum principal stress is discrete. The degree of rockburst increases gradually with the depth, distributed discretely in the shallow part and gradually concentrated in the deep part. The phenomenon of a strong rockburst may occur at the elevation of 1780m in the east area. Combined with the distribution characteristics of faults and test points in the mining area, the influence of faults and stratum on the in-situ stress test results is pointed out. It can provide a useful reference for deep disaster prevention and safe mining of similar metal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attaining skillful decadal predictions for the western North Pacific tropical cyclone (TC) emerges as a formidable challenge, mainly stemming from the limited prediction skills of Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV) within the state‐of‐the‐art models. Assessing sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models' retrospective predictions finds that the predictability of PDV transcends the expectations set by raw forecasts featured by constrained temporal skills and low signal‐to‐noise ratio. Employing a refined approach, we selectively identify the models that capture the diverse phases of PDV and subsequently adjust their variances. This tailored approach yields a compelling concordance between the predicted PDV and observation in phases and variances. Anchored in the heightened prediction skill of PDV, we establish a sophisticated statistical model adept at predicting the latitude of TC's lifetime maximum intensity (LMI). The near‐term prediction indicates a sustained poleward migration of LMI latitude by 1.53° during 2020–2027, increasing subtropical East Asia's TC‐related disaster vulnerability in the coming decade. Plain Language Summary: Tropical cyclones (TCs) account for one‐third of the deaths and economic losses from weather‐, climate‐ and water‐related disasters. This ratio tends to be much greater in the East Asia region due to its neighborhood to the busiest TC basin in the world‐the western North Pacific (WNP). However, it is particularly challenging to make skillful decadal predictions for the WNP TC activity due to the limited prediction skill of Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV), the foremost driver for the TC decadal variability. Here, we find that the capacity of the current state‐of‐the‐art climate model predicting PDV can be substantially improved. The improved prediction indicates that the latitude of the TCs' lifetime maximum intensity will migrate poleward in 2020–2027, making subtropical East Asia more vulnerable to TC disasters. The finding has profound implications for disaster prevention and mitigation strategies in subtropical East Asia, offering pivotal insights that can significantly enhance preparedness measures. Key Points: Near‐term prediction of tropical cyclone (TC) activity depends on Models' skills to predict Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV), which is limitedWe substantially improved PDV's hindcast skill and the refined approach predicts a PDV negative phase in the near‐term (2020–2027)The predicted PDV phase implies a poleward shift of location of TC's lifetime maximum intensity, increasing subtropical East Asia's TC‐related risk [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic effect is a very important issue widely debated by scholars when studying the genetic and disaster-causing mechanisms of earthquake-triggered landslides. First, the dynamic effect mechanism and phenomena of earthquake-triggered landslides were summarized in this paper. Then, the primary types of dynamic effects were further used to interpret the Mogangling landslide in Moxi Town of Luding County, China. A field investigation, remote sensing, numerical calculation and theoretical analysis were carried out to illustrate the failure mechanism of slope rock masses affected by earthquakes. The interaction between seismic waves and slope rock masses and the induced dynamic effect of slope rock masses were primarily accounted for in the analysis. The slope topography, rock mass weathering and unloading characteristics, river erosion, regional seismogenic structure, and rock mass structure characteristics were also discussed. The results showed that the formation of the Mogangling landslide was mainly related to the high amplification effect of seismic acceleration and back slope effects, interface dynamic stress effects, and double-sided slope effects of seismic waves caused by the catastrophic Ms 7.75 Moxi Earthquake in 1786. The principles for the site and route selection of large-scale infrastructure in the planning stage and the scientific prevention of seismic geological disasters were proposed on the basis of the dynamic effect of earthquake-induced landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In decision making related to protective action against hazard risk, scrutinization of hazard-related information seems favorable for accurate risk evaluation. It is, however, unknown how such a risk-scrutiny attitude is related to sensitivity in risk perception or the difference in the types of information (e.g., sensory vs. numerical). Furthermore, how these attitudes are related to evacuation-prone individual factors, which may inform the psychological mechanisms of these attitudes, remains unknown. To address these questions, we conducted an online experiment (n = 1,200) using evacuation decision-making task with 40 earthquake scenarios where tsunami risks were manipulated using sensory or numerical information. Factor analysis identified risk-sensitive attitude, risk-scrutiny attitude, and sensitivity to sensory (vs. numerical) information. Risk-sensitive attitude was positively related to a evacuation-prone trait, that is emotion regulation, while risk-scrutiny attitude was negatively related to another evacuation-prone trait, leadership. The results demonstrated the independence of risk-scrutiny attitude from risk-sensitive attitude, as well as their independence from information types. Importantly, our results supported the notion that the suppression of optimistic bias is critical for risk-sensitive attitude and that the motivation to resolve the cognitive dissonance may underlie the risk-scrutiny attitude and delayed protective response. The current results have implications for psychological theories of protective decision making and development of disaster communication and education systems for tsunami and potentially other types of disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to consider the effects and problems of a tsunami evacuation drill support system that visualizes dynamic tsunami data and evacuees' locations. The system was developed and operated during a tsunami evacuation drill experiment. The location information application transmits evacuees' locations in real time using the GPS and network functions of a multi-function terminal. The web application visualizes tsunami data and evacuees' locations with animation on a web map using WebGIS. By operating the system in the tsunami evacuation experiment, the study could immediately evaluate the evacuation drills through real-time visualization of the evacuees' actions. Feedback, including the results and evaluations of the evacuation drills, was provided to the participants. Before receiving feedback, 50% of the participants positively evaluated the drill results. However, 42.1% of the participants changed their evaluation to negative after receiving feedback. Additionally, by emphasizing the speed of action during evacuation as one of the important factors for quick evacuation, the system helped to alter participants' disaster prevention awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire detection is a critical task in environmental monitoring and disaster prevention, with traditional methods often limited in their ability to detect fire and smoke in real time over large areas. The rapid identification of fire and smoke in both indoor and outdoor environments is essential for minimizing damage and ensuring timely intervention. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to fire and smoke detection by integrating a vision transformer (ViT) with the YOLOv5s object detection model. Our modified model leverages the attention-based feature extraction capabilities of ViTs to improve detection accuracy, particularly in complex environments where fires may be occluded or distributed across large regions. By replacing the CSPDarknet53 backbone of YOLOv5s with ViT, the model is able to capture both local and global dependencies in images, resulting in more accurate detection of fire and smoke under challenging conditions. We evaluate the performance of the proposed model using a comprehensive Fire and Smoke Detection Dataset, which includes diverse real-world scenarios. The results demonstrate that our model outperforms baseline YOLOv5 variants in terms of precision, recall, and mean average precision (mAP), achieving a mAP@0.5 of 0.664 and a recall of 0.657. The modified YOLOv5s with ViT shows significant improvements in detecting fire and smoke, particularly in scenes with complex backgrounds and varying object scales. Our findings suggest that the integration of ViT as the backbone of YOLOv5s offers a promising approach for real-time fire detection in both urban and natural environments.

This document is an editorial from the journal Frontiers in Earth Science, discussing the instability mechanism and disaster prevention of jointed rock masses. The presence of joints and discontinuities in rock masses can lead to instability and pose risks to engineering structures. The editorial highlights the progress made in this field, including studies on the mechanical properties of rock samples, failure characteristics of stratified and fractured rock masses, blasting vibration propagation in tunnels, and the evolution process of tunnel instability. The editorial also provides a list of papers published on this research topic for further exploration. [Extracted from the article]

Facing persistent natural catastrophes, the necessity for disaster prevention products in afflicted cities becomes paramount. Modular design has proven to be a viable method for streamlining transportation and manufacturing processes for disaster prevention products. However, existing post-disaster prevention products often fail to incorporate the green modular concept, with limited research on spatial allocation strategies. In response to the current challenges, a new breed of green post-disaster prevention products is urgently warranted to mitigate the impact of major natural disasters and safeguard lives and property. To achieve the goal, this study employs a combined analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis to propose an inflatable cabin for emergency disaster prevention, specifically designed for flood scenarios. Using the inflatable cabin as an empirical case, this study introduces a layered design approach progressing from macro to meso and then to micro levels to construct an objective decision-making model to prioritize key design elements, develop spatial post-disaster prevention strategies, and analyze the mechanical performance. Results indicate that at a distance of 30 m from the base of the slope (SPIC), the impact force is most significant, reaching up to 1.8 × 10⁷ kN. As the distance increases from 30 m to 150 m, the maximum impact force decreases by an order of magnitude, and the average impact force decreases by approximately two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, this comprehensive approach, which starts from a holistic design perspective and culminates in optimizing individual disaster structures, offers practical significance for engineering design research.

Earthquakes threaten humanity globally in complex ways that mainly include various socioeconomic consequences of life and property losses. Resilience against seismic risks is of high importance in the modern world and needs to be sustainable. Sustainable earthquake resilience (SER) from the perspective of structural engineering means equipping the built environment with appropriate aseismic systems. Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a class of advanced materials well suited for fulfilling the SER demand of the built environment. This article explores how this capability can be realized by the innovative SMA-based superelasticity-assisted slider (SSS), recently proposed for next-generation seismic protection of structures. The versatility of SSS is first discussed as a critical advantage for an effective SER. Alternative configurations and implementation styles of the system are presented, and other advantageous features of this high-tech isolation system (IS) are studied. Results of shaking table experiments, focused on investigating the expected usefulness of SSS for seismic protection in hospitals and conducted at the structural earthquake engineering laboratory of the University of Bonab, are then reported. SSS is compared with currently used ISs, and it is shown that SSS provides the required SER for the built environments and outperforms other ISs by benefitting from the pioneered utilization of SMAs in a novel approach.

This paper uses various channels to collect the data of earthquake disasters in 2022, and collates the global seismic activities and earthquake disasters in 2022. The change curves of global disaster earthquake frequency and casualties in recent 20 years and the distribution map of disaster earthquakes in 2022 were drawn. By summarizing the earthquake information and disaster conditions causing casualties, a detailed analysis of major earthquake disasters was made. The main characteristics of global earthquake disasters in 2022 were summarized, and major earthquake events in Afghanistan were listed. Compared with last year’s earthquake, the number of casualties caused by earthquake disasters in 2022 has decreased, and the disaster earthquakes are characterized by concentrated casualties and frequent secondary disasters. In view of the prominent causes of earthquake casualties, this paper puts forward corresponding earthquake disaster prevention measures and suggestions.

Abstract Attaining skillful decadal predictions for the western North Pacific tropical cyclone (TC) emerges as a formidable challenge, mainly stemming from the limited prediction skills of Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV) within the state‐of‐the‐art models. Assessing sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models' retrospective predictions finds that the predictability of PDV transcends the expectations set by raw forecasts featured by constrained temporal skills and low signal‐to‐noise ratio. Employing a refined approach, we selectively identify the models that capture the diverse phases of PDV and subsequently adjust their variances. This tailored approach yields a compelling concordance between the predicted PDV and observation in phases and variances. Anchored in the heightened prediction skill of PDV, we establish a sophisticated statistical model adept at predicting the latitude of TC's lifetime maximum intensity (LMI). The near‐term prediction indicates a sustained poleward migration of LMI latitude by 1.53° during 2020–2027, increasing subtropical East Asia's TC‐related disaster vulnerability in the coming decade.

Palu City is one of the city centers in the world which is located on a fault line that is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. The latest earthquake and tsunami occurred on September 28, 2018 with a magnitude of Mw 7.4, which was centered on the ground and caused a large tsunami in Palu City. The earthquake and tsunami claimed 4,194 lives and damaged 55,102 buildings while missing, heavily, and lightly damaged. To reduce the impact of disasters, it is necessary to make efforts to increase awareness based on local wisdom so that it can be easily implemented in the community of Palu City. Local wisdom was explored by the people of Palu City and saw its effect on the level of alertness to disasters caused by the earthquake and tsunami. Local wisdom ombo is obtained from the people of Palu City, which contains a prohibition on building close to clean water sources. Data collection was carried out by conducting interviews with 121 affected communities regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and environmental conditions related to the level of vigilance. For environmental variables, local activity was a parameter included in the survey. The results of the analysis showed that the level of knowledge about the earthquake and tsunami as well as attitudes based on local wisdom increased the level of vigilance in disaster risk reduction efforts in Palu City. The results of the analysis showed that the implementation of attitudes based on local wisdom can affect the level of alertness with a value of 0.87, which means that the application of local wisdom can increase preparedness for earthquake and tsunami disaster. Indigenous latent variables (knowledge, attitudes, and environmental conditions) had a strong effect on exogenous latent variables (earthquake and tsunami preparedness) with an R2 value of 0.741. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the results of the seismic hazard survey in Yunnan Province, four exceedance probabilities of peak ground acceleration were converted into earthquake magnitudes using the empirical relationship between epicentral intensity and magnitude. By using logistic regression, earthquake magnitude, source depth, cover layer thickness, and fault type were used as independent variables to calculate the probability of co-seismic displacement for different earthquake magnitudes. Using the magnitude-displacement empirical model in the southwestern region of China, horizontal and vertical displacements were obtained with a 95 % confidence level. The results show that all Holocene faults have the ability to produce surface displacement, but from the perspective of probabilistic hazard, the probability of surface rupture in the short term is low, while the probability of surface rupture for each fault significantly increases over a long time scale. Buildings with different service lives should adopt different avoidance strategies, and buildings with shorter service lives (<50a) can consider not avoiding active faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-dimensional and multi-sliding surface measurement of deep-seated displacement on landslides poses a significant technical challenge in landslide monitoring and early warning. The fixed borehole inclinometer serves as an important measurement method based on drilling for this purpose. In this study, a novel flexible measurement array for deep- seated landslide displacement and its installation and measurement process were developed, enabling higher accuracy in full- hole multi-dimensional deformation measurement. The measurement array consists of individual measurement probes as basic units, connected in series through coaxial cables and high-pressure rubber hoses, forming a flexible measurement array. Each probe is equipped with acceleration and magnetic field sensors, allowing for the measurement of borehole inclination and azimuth angles and providing a more comprehensive understanding of the deformation of deep-seated landslide. This flexible measurement array resolves the limitations of traditional fixed inclinometers, such as limited probe quantity or inaccurate installation positions that fail to reflect the deformation trend of the landslide body. Moreover, it eliminates the need for auxiliary installation accessories like pulleys and inclinometer pipes, simplifying the mechanical structure and installation process, which represents an advancement in methodology and an improvement in measurement techniques. This array provides a more comprehensive and improved monitoring tool for disaster prevention and mitigation, thereby enhancing the level of geological hazard monitoring and early warning technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quito's 2011 urban plan incorporated the zoning "Landslide Risk Zones", banning new buildings. This policy, with weak technical backing, had inaccuracies that impacted households' safety and their economies. After ten years of implementation and reforms, this policy still does not solve the problem. This analysis proposes lessons for the future and for similar contexts. This case study reviewed plans, urban regulations, and municipal studies on landslide risk since 1990. This input was triangulated with interviews with municipal officials and the analysis of land management data. To contrast this, layers of risk zones, the 2005-2017 period events, and areas highly susceptible to landslides were spatially overlaid. For ten years, 81% (644 hectares) of highly hazardous areas were not protected as risk zones, leaving risk generation unchecked. Conversely, 25% (218 hectares) of the risk zone area did not present high susceptibility to landslides, affecting landowners. Recently, the 2021 urban plan updated an affectation layer of 260 thousand hectares of the highest landslide-susceptible areas in Metropolitan Quito, where only 27% of the 2005-2017 events coincided with this highest landslide-susceptible areas. This latest plan opens the possibility of specifying preventive planning with planning instruments for smaller territory scales, and a master plan for risk management is expected. The 2011 zoning for landslide risk prevention, the objective of which was landslide risk reduction, had inaccuracies that left territories with high landslide-susceptibility unprotected, and affected the owners of risk-free properties. Although there were mid-term studies with better results, the policy was not updated until 2021. However, the new layer barely covers 27% of the damaged sites, and future plans of smaller city scales are scheduled to detail the risk zoning, while more events continue to occur, with extreme climatic variability becoming more frequent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altinay, Z.; Morris, L.L., and Reams, M.A., 2023. Information needs of coastal residents in Louisiana, U.S.A.: Implications for risk communication. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(6), 1170–1179. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. This study aims to address the gap between communication practices and adoption of hazard-mitigation behavior in a deltaic land that experiences chronic coastal hazards, including storm surges and shoreline erosion. Focusing on Louisiana's coastal crisis, first, an online questionnaire was distributed to identify hazard mitigation patterns and information needs of a subset of southern Louisiana residents. A follow-up focus-group discussion sought to delve deeper into residents' experiences with community communication practices as well as the obstacles with dissemination of hazard-mitigation information to nontechnical audiences. Participants recommended the establishment of stronger public-private partnerships, increased use of visual information, and the necessity of providing clear and comprehensive details regarding funding and financial assistance programs to communicate hazard mitigation strategies. Findings provide a starting point for building local knowledge through extension engagement related to the delivery of hazard-mitigation information and discuss how to engage in proactive outreach methods to raise awareness about risk and hazard mitigation for both technical and nontechnical audiences. It combines the theoretical framework of community resilience with principles of communication. Results of this study contribute to an understanding of the barriers to household-level mitigation actions within the community; provide community feedback for extension agents and state and local officials; and suggest discussion points in the context of the Louisiana Coastal Master Plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large fires in factories cause severe human casualties and property damage. Thus, preparing more economical and efficient management strategies for fire prevention can significantly improve fire safety. This study deals with property damage grade prediction by fire based on simplified building information. This paper's primary objective is to propose and verify a framework for predicting the scale of property damage caused by fire using machine learning (ML). Korean public datasets are collected and preprocessed, and ML algorithms are trained with only 15 input data using building register and fire scenario information. Four models (artificial neural network (ANN), decision tree (DT), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and random forest (RF)) are used for ML. The RF model is the most suitable for this study, with recall and precision of 74.2% and 73.8%, respectively. Structure, floor, causes, and total floor area are the critical factors that govern the fire size. This study proposes a novel approach by utilizing ML models to accurately and rapidly predict the size of fire damage based on basic building information. By analyzing domestic fire incident data and creating fire scenarios, a similar ML model can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]