Experimental investigation on weak shock wave mitigation characteristics of flexible polyurethane foam and polyurea

In recent years,explosion shock wave has been considered as a signature injury of the current military conflicts.Although strong shock wave is lethal to the human body,weak shock wave can cause many more lasting consequences.To investigate the protection ability and characteristics of flexible materials and structures under weak shock wave loading,the blast wave produced by TNT explosive is loaded on the polyurethane foam with the density of 200.0 kg/m3(F-200)and 400.0 kg/m3(F-400),polyurea with the density of 1100.0 kg/m^(3)(P-1100)and structures composed of the two materials,which are intended for individual protection.Experimental results indicate that the shock wave is attenuated to weak pressure disturbance after interacting with the flexible materials which are not damaged.The shock wave protective capability of single-layer materials is dependent on their thickness,density and microscopic characteristics.The overpressure,maximum pressure rise rate and impulse of transmitted wave decrease exponentially with increase in sample thickness.For the same thickness,F-400 provides better protective capability than F-200 while P-1100 shows the best protective capability among the three materials.In this study,as the materials are not destroyed,F-200 with a thickness more than10.0 mm,F-400 with a thickness more than 4.0 mm,and P-1100 with a thickness more than 1.0 mm can attenuate the overpressure amplitude more than 90.0%.Further,multi-layer flexible composites are designed.Different layer layouts of designed structures and layer thickness of the single-layer materials can affect the protective performance.Within the research range,the structure in which polyurea is placed on the impact side shows the optimal shock wave protective performance,and the thicknesses of polyurea and polyurethane foam are 1.0 mm and 4.0 mm respectively.The overpressure attenuation rate reached maximum value of 93.3%and impulse attenuation capacity of this structure are better than those of single-layer polyurea and polyurethane foam with higher areal density.

Socio-scientific quantification of the comprehensive benefits of debris flow mitigation measures for villages in western Sichuan, China

Debris flow hazards seriously threaten thesafety and sustainable development of mountainousareas. Numerous debris flow mitigation measures havebeen implemented worldwide;however, acomprehensive assessment of the specific disasterreduction effects of these measures and their economic,social and ecological benefits is yet to be performed.The western region of Sichuan Province frequentlysuffers from geohazards such as debris flow, and thegovernment has adopted many mitigation measures.This study assessed the benefits of debris flowmitigation measures and identified the key influencingfactors via a field-based study conducted in 81 villagesin western Sichuan province, China. A framework forthe evaluation of the benefits of rural debris flowmitigation measures was constructed andquantitatively evaluated using a survey. Snowballsampling was performed to recruit 81 village leadersand 468 farmers. The results showed that managementand engineering measures were the main methodsused to mitigate debris flow;ecological measures wereauxiliary. The average satisfaction scores of farmers forthese three types of measures were 4.07, 3.90, and 3.56,respectively (as measured on a five-point Likert scale).In contrast, in terms of the benefits of these mitigationmeasures, only a small proportion of villages (11.11%)obtained a high level of comprehensive benefits fromthe debris flow mitigation measures, while the majority(88.89%) received medium to low-level benefits. Toimprove this situation, we further studied and foundthat the main factors that restricted villages fromachieving high-level comprehensive benefits were theunpredictable nature of debris flows, labour forceoutflow and remoteness. Effective control measures, agood economic environment and strong governmentassistance were reported as crucial factors forimproving these comprehensive benefits. This studyprovides socio-scientific references for decisionmakingon rural debris flow mitigation measures while keeping villages at the centre of economic development.

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of in-vessel phenomena under severe accident mitigation strategy based on ISAA-SAUP program

The phenomenology involved in severe accidents in nuclear reactors is highly complex.Currently,integrated analysis programs used for severe accident analysis heavily rely on custom empirical parameters,which introduce considerable uncertainty.Therefore,in recent years,the field of severe accidents has shifted its focus toward applying uncertainty analysis methods to quantify uncertainty in safety assessment programs,known as“best estimate plus uncertainty(BEPU).”This approach aids in enhancing our comprehension of these programs and their further development and improvement.This study concentrates on a third-generation pressurized water reactor equipped with advanced active and passive mitigation strategies.Through an Integrated Severe Accident Analysis Program(ISAA),numerical modeling and uncertainty analysis were conducted on severe accidents resulting from large break loss of coolant accidents.Seventeen uncertainty parameters of the ISAA program were meticulously screened.Using Wilks'formula,the developed uncertainty program code,SAUP,was employed to carry out Latin hypercube sampling,while ISAA was employed to execute batch calculations.Statistical analysis was then conducted on two figures of merit,namely hydrogen generation and the release of fission products within the pressure vessel.Uncertainty calculations revealed that hydrogen production and the fraction of fission product released exhibited a normal distribution,ranging from 182.784 to 330.664 kg and from 15.6 to 84.3%,respectively.The ratio of hydrogen production to reactor thermal power fell within the range of 0.0578–0.105.A sensitivity analysis was performed for uncertain input parameters,revealing significant correlations between the failure temperature of the cladding oxide layer,maximum melt flow rate,size of the particulate debris,and porosity of the debris with both hydrogen generation and the release of fission products.

Overview on Mangrove Forest Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Functions

This paper provides a comprehensive overview on coastal protection and hazard mitigation by mangroves.Previous stud-ies have made great strides to understand the mechanisms and influencing factors of mangroves’protection function,including wave energy dissipation,storm surge damping,tsunami mitigation,adjustment to sea level rise and wind speed reduction,which are sys-tematically summarized in this study.Moreover,the study analyzes the extensive physical models,based on indoor flume experi-ments and numerical models,that consider the interaction between mangroves and hydrodynamics,to help our understanding of mangrove-hydrodynamic interactions.Additionally,quantitative approaches for valuing coastal protection services provided by man-groves,including index-based and process-resolving approaches,are introduced in detail.Finally,we point out the limitations of previous studies,indicating that efforts are still required for obtaining more long-term field observations during extreme weather events,to create more real mangrove models for physical experiments,and to develop numerical models that consider the flexible properties of mangroves to better predict wave propagation in mangroves having complex morphology and structures.

On the Polygonal Wear Evolution of Heavy-Haul Locomotive Wheels due to Wheel/Rail Flexibility and Its Mitigation Measures

Wheel polygonal wear can immensely worsen wheel/rail interactions and vibration performances of the train and track,and ultimately,lead to the shortening of service life of railway components.At present,wheel/rail medium-or high-frequency frictional interactions are perceived as an essential reason of the high-order polygonal wear of railway wheels,which are potentially resulted by the flexible deformations of the train/track system or other external excitations.In this work,the effect of wheel/rail flexibility on polygonal wear evolution of heavy-haul locomotive wheels is explored with aid of the long-term wheel polygonal wear evolution simulations,in which different flexible modeling of the heavy-haul wheel/rail coupled system is implemented.Further,the mitigation measures for the polygonal wear of heavy-haul locomotive wheels are discussed.The results point out that the evolution of polygonal wear of heavy-haul locomotive wheels can be veritably simulated with consideration of the flexible effect of both wheelset and rails.Execution of mixed-line operation of heavy-haul trains and application of multicut wheel re-profiling can effectively reduce the development of wheel polygonal wear.This research can provide a deep-going understanding of polygonal wear evolution mechanism of heavy-haul locomotive wheels and its mitigation measures.

Cooperative Anti-Jamming and Interference Mitigation for UAV Networks: A Local Altruistic Game Approach

To improve the anti-jamming and interference mitigation ability of the UAV-aided communication systems, this paper investigates the channel selection optimization problem in face of both internal mutual interference and external malicious jamming. A cooperative anti-jamming and interference mitigation method based on local altruistic is proposed to optimize UAVs’ channel selection. Specifically, a Stackelberg game is modeled to formulate the confrontation relationship between UAVs and the jammer. A local altruistic game is modeled with each UAV considering the utilities of both itself and other UAVs. A distributed cooperative anti-jamming and interference mitigation algorithm is proposed to obtain the Stackelberg equilibrium. Finally, the convergence of the proposed algorithm and the impact of the transmission power on the system loss value are analyzed, and the anti-jamming performance of the proposed algorithm can be improved by around 64% compared with the existing algorithms.

Systematic Literature Review on Cloud Computing Security: Threats and Mitigation Strategies

Cloud computing plays a significant role in modern information technology, providing organizations with numerous benefits, including flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. However, it has become essential for organizations to ensure the security of their applications, data, and cloud-based networks to use cloud services effectively. This systematic literature review aims to determine the latest information regarding cloud computing security, with a specific emphasis on threats and mitigation strategies. Additionally, it highlights some common threats related to cloud computing security, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, account hijacking, malware attacks, and data breaches. This research also explores some mitigation strategies, including security awareness training, vulnerability management, security information and event management (SIEM), identity and access management (IAM), and encryption techniques. It discusses emerging trends in cloud security, such as integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), serverless computing, and containerization, as well as the effectiveness of the shared responsibility model and its related challenges. The importance of user awareness and the impact of emerging technologies on cloud security have also been discussed in detail to mitigate security risks. A literature review of previous research and scholarly articles has also been conducted to provide insights regarding cloud computing security. It shows the need for continuous research and innovation to address emerging threats and maintain a security-conscious culture in the company.

Geostructures, dynamics and risk mitigation of high-altitude and long- runout rockslides

Long-runout rockslides at high altitude could cause disaster chain in river basins and destroy towns and major infrasturctures.This paper firstly explores the initiation mechanism of high-altitude and long-runout rockslides.Two types of sliding-prone geostructure models,i.e.the fault control type in orogenic belt and the fold control type in platform area,are proposed.Then,large-scale experimental apparatus and associated numerical simulations are conducted to understanding the chain-style dynamics of rockslide-debris avalanche-debris flow.The results reveal the fragmentation effects,the rheological behaviors and the boundary layer effect of long-runout avalanche-debris flow.The dynamic character-istics of quasi-static-transition-inertia state and solid-liquid coupling in rapid movement of rockslide-debris avalanche-debris flow are investigated.Finally,the risk mitigation strategy of the non-structure and structure for resilient energy dissipation are illustrated for initiation,transition and deposition zones.The structural prevention and mitigation methods have been successfully applied to the high-altitude and long-runout rockslides in Zhouqu and Maoxian of the Wenchuan earthquake zone,as well as the other major geohazards in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its adjacent areas.

The Increasing Role of Synergistic Effects in Carbon Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement, and Its Associated Health Benefits in China

A synergistic pathway is regarded as a critical measure for tackling the intertwined challenges of climate change and air pollution in China. However, there is as yet no indicator that can comprehensively reflect such synergistic effects;hence, existing studies lack a consistent framework for comparison. Here, we introduce a new synergistic indicator defined as the pollutant generation per gross domestic product (GDP) and adopt an integrated analysis framework by linking the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, response surface model (RSM), and global exposure mortality model (GEMM) to evaluate the synergistic effects of carbon mitigation on both air pollutant reduction and public health in China. The results show that synergistic effects played an increasingly important role in the emissions mitigation of SO_(2), NOx, and primary particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter no greater than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), and the synergistic mitigation of pollutants respectively increase from 3.1, 1.4, and 0.3 Mt during the 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP) (2006–2010) to 5.6, 3.7, and 1.9 Mt during the 12th FYP (2011–2015). Against the non-control scenario, synergistic effects alone contributed to a 15% reduction in annual mean PM2.5 concentration, resulting in the prevention of 0.29 million (95% confidential interval: 0.28–0.30) PM2.5-attributable excess deaths in 2015. Synergistic benefits to air quality improvement and public health were remarkable in the developed and population-dense eastern provinces and municipalities. With the processes of urbanization and carbon neutrality in the future, synergistic effects are expected to continue to increase. Realizing climate targets in advance in developed regions would concurrently bring strong synergistic effects to air quality and public health.

Nourishment and disaster mitigation efficiency of feeding sand on the dry section of a dissipative beach

To explore the nourishment effect and disaster reduction efficiency of a fully dissipative dry beach under the impact of storms,this paper uses the measured topography and hydrodynamic data to establish a one-dimensional numerical model of the XBeach beach profile.By numerically modeling the change in the nourished profile for different dry beach widths under normal waves and storm conditions and the recovery process of the profile after the storm,the degree of response in dry beach nourishment for the fully dissipative beach is analyzed.The results show that under normal wave conditions,the response of the nourished dry beach is obvious.Sediment on the dry beach erodes heavily,and the shoreline moves landward over a long distance.With the increase in the width and size of the dry beach,the wave height at the bottom of the backshore profile decreases,the wave height attenuation rate increases continuously,and the wave elimination effect is remarkable.When the storm incident wave intensifies,the wave height attenuation rate of the nourished dry beach decreases,indicating that the smaller the storm intensity is,the more significant the wave reduction effect of the nourished dry beach is.At the same time,different profile arrangements of nourished dry beaches suffer from different degrees of erosion under storm conditions,with significant changes in profile morphology.With intensified storm action,the intensity of sediment erosion in the nourished dry beach increases,the nourishment is weakened,and the recovery effect of the profile after the storm is not obvious.The results of the numerical modeling highlight that the dry beach nourishment method can resist storms to a certain extent,but the overall effect is relatively limited.

Ground-borne vibrations induced by impact pile driving: experimental assessment and mitigation measures

Impact pile driving is an interesting technique for the construction of deep foundations from a practical and economical point of view.However,the generalization of this technique can be restricted due to the excessive vibration levels that can be generated,which can be especially problematic in residential areas.However,different mitigation measures can be applied to prevent excessive vibration levels inside buildings located near construction sites.To compare its efficiency through a numerical prediction tool,two experimental test sites are first presented and characterized.From the results obtained,it was found that the construction of an open trench near the impact source can be used as an efficient mitigation measure to reduce the maximum vibration levels evaluated in this study.

Development of electromagnetic pellet injector for disruption mitigation of tokamak plasma

Disruption remains to be a serious threat to large tokamaks like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER).The injection speed of disruption mitigation systems(DMS)driven by high pressure gas is limited by the sound speed of the propellant gas.When extrapolating to ITER-like tokamaks,long overall reaction duration and shallow penetration depth due to low injection speed make it stricter for plasma control system to predict the impending disruptions.Some disruptions with a short warning time may be unavoidable.Thus,a fast time response and high injection speed DMS is essential for large scale devices.The electromagnetic pellet-injection(EMPI)system is a novel massive material injection system aiming to provide rapid and effective disruption mitigation.Based on the railgun concept,EMPI can accelerate the payload to over 1000 m/s and shorten the overall reaction time to a few milliseconds.To verify the injection ability and stability of the EMPI,the prototype injector EMPI-1 has been designed and assembled.The preliminary test has been carried out using a 5.9 g armature to propel a dummy pellet and the results suggest that the EMPI configuration has a great potential to be the DMS of the large scale fusion devices.

Comparison of different noble gas injections by massive gas injection on plasma disruption mitigation on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

Massive gas injection(MGI)is a traditional plasma disruption mitigation method.This method directly injected massive gas into the pre-disruption plasma and had been developed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).Different noble gas injection experiments,including He,Ne,and Ar,were performed to compare the mitigation effect of plasma disruption by evaluating the key parameters such as flight time,pre-thermal quench(pre-TQ),and current quench(CQ).The flight time was shorter for low atomic number(Z)gas,and the decrease in flight time by increasing the amount of gas was insignificant.However,both pre-TQ and CQ durations decreased considerably with the increase in gas injection amount.The effect of atomic mass on pre-TQ and CQ durations showed the opposite trend.The observed trend could help in controlling CQ duration in a reasonable area.Moreover,the analysis of radiation distribution with different impurity injections indicated that low Z impurity could reduce the asymmetry of radiation,which is valuable in mitigating plasma disruption.These results provided essential data support for plasma disruption mitigation on EAST and future fusion devices.

Reflection on China's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Construction after Rainstorm and Snowstorm

On July 10,2004,Beijing was hit by the rainstorm that has not been seen for many years,which caused water accumulation in many places of the urban area,power supply interruption in many places,and traffic paralysis for nearly 5 h. On July 12,2004,the rainstorm in Shanghai lasted less than 1 h,but it caused 7 deaths,more than 20 injuries,extensive power outages and traffic paralysis. At the end of 2005,the continuous snowfall in Weihai City of Shandong Province for half a month caused direct economic losses of over 200 million yuan,and the continuous heavy snowfall had a serious impact on people’s lives. From July 17 to 23,2021,Henan Province suffered a rare extremely heavy rainstorm in history,with a direct economic loss of 120.6 billion yuan. Faced with such urban meteorological disasters and other types of urban disasters,combined with the current situation of disaster prevention and reduction in China,what will managers,decision-makers,and experts and scholars think about from them.

Framework for Mainstreaming Climate Change into African Blue Economy Strategies to Enhance Adaptation, Mitigation, and Resilience in Sustainable Development

This article outlines a framework for mainstreaming climate change into African blue economy Strategies. We underscore that the proliferation of the blue economy in climate change has gained momentum, however, there remains no standardized approach, mechanism or framework for mainstreaming and integrating climate change into blue economy. The economic pillars of economic development, social equity, and environmental management, conservation and sustainability are at the center of the blue economy frontier. The surrounding blue economy components have led to discrepancies in how the blue economy is mainstreamed, integrated, implemented and what is prioritized on agile basis. This article takes a continental overview of current approaches to regional and national levels of blue economy realignment. In doing so this article provides the continental, regional and national assessments of blue economy implementation approaches, through the development of a stepwise innovative process. Using the available literature, data and information from blue economy strategies and other publicly available online information, we analyzed each region and national blue economy strategies to assess the levels of blue economy components mainstreamed into climate change. Throughout this article we outline the methodological approach we took in order to develop a stepwise process innovation for mainstreaming climate change into blue economy at national and regional levels This approach will allow for ongoing and continued mainstreaming and integrating of climate change into blue economy realignment, operationalization and implementation as the concept of blue economy continues to evolve. The approach entails a collective action process for an informed decision making to direct, guide and inform actions for climate change that will effectively and efficiently enhance adaptation, mitigation and resiliency anchored to sustainable development. It establishes linkages to blue economy strategies through an integrated approach. The article addresses the question “How does mainstreaming climate change into African blue economy strategies contribute to achieving sustainable development?” The methodology is based on desk-top study and literature review. This explores the process of mainstreaming, drawing on the countries and regional blue economy strategies, that have made progress in development of blue economy strategies, plans, guidelines and frameworks for governance coordination mechanism. In conclusion, the article states that mainstreaming climate change in Africa reflects a complex pathway of processes and stakeholders that need to be taken into consideration in further research, with particular focus on institutional policy change, administrative structures and transformation.

Sustainability of Bridges:Risk Mitigation for Natural Hazards

Bridges serve as essential parts of transportation infrastructure,facilitating the movement of people and goods across rivers,valleys,and other obstacles.However,they are also susceptible to a wide range of natural hazards,including floods,earthquakes,and landslides,which can damage or even collapse these structures,leading to severe economic and human losses.A risk index has been developed to address this issue,which quantifies the likelihood and severity of natural hazards occurring in a specific location.The application of risk indices for natural hazards in bridge management involves a data collection process and mathematical modelling.The data collection process gathers information on bridges’location,condition,and vulnerability,while mathematical modelling uses the data to assess the risk of natural hazards.Overall,risk indices provide a quantitative measure of the vulnerability of bridges to natural hazards and help to prioritize maintenance and repair activities.Mitigation measures are then evaluated and implemented based on the risk assessment results.By using this tool,the UBMS research group has developed an algorithm for risk assessment which will be essential in the decision-making process,specifically focused on enhancing Fund Optimization,Deterioration Modelling,and Risk Analysis.These developments effectively fulfill the primary objectives associated with addressing and mitigating hazards.This development also helps bridge managers understand the potential threats posed by natural hazards and allocate resources more efficiently to ensure the safety and longevity of critical transportation infrastructure.

Addressing Nursing Safety Hazards and Mitigation Strategies for Elderly Endocrinology Patients in Hospital Care

Objective:To investigate the safety hazards in nursing and explore mitigation strategies for elderly patients in the endocrinology department.Methods:A total of 240 bedridden elderly patients from February 2021 to January 2023 were recruited and divided into two groups using the random number table method.The control group(n=120)received conventional nursing care,and the observation group(n=120)received personalized nursing care.Patients’quality of life,the incidence rate of pressure sores,and patient satisfaction with nursing care were observed and analyzed.Results:The incidence of pressure ulcers in the observation group was significantly lower at 17.50%compared to 30.00%in the control group(P<0.05).Quality of life in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).The satisfaction rate in the observation group was significantly higher at 93.33%compared to 84.17%in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:These findings emphasize that only through the implementation of scientific and rational nursing measures can effectively reduce nursing risks,enhance therapeutic outcomes,and improve the quality of life for elderly patients.

An Experimental Methodology for Storm Mitigation

There are many theoretical explanations for the mitigation of tornados, storms, and hurricanes and one or two known simulation models that address the reduction of the intensities of these forces. We introduce an innovative methodology that releases environmentally friendly aerosol particles responsible for cloud condensation and weakens the intensities of these forces. For the past nine years, we did several experiments and analyzed the results. Experimental results give evidence to this methodology is practical, environment-friendly, cost-effective, and consistent. In this paper, we described our experiments along with results in three different scenarios such as tornado (March 2021, Georgia USA), storm Claudette (June 2021, Georgia USA), and hurricane Elsa (July 2021, Florida USA). Our experimental outcome and subsequent relevant meteorology data support the reason for mitigating the intensity of these destructive forces in and around the experiment locations.

Relative performance of novel blast wave mitigation system to conventional system based on mitigation percent criteria

Recent researches focused on developing robust blast load mitigation systems due to the threats of terrorist attacks.One of the main embraced strategies is the structural systems that use mitigation techniques.They are developed from a combination of structural elements and described herein as conventional systems.Among the promising techniques is that redirect the waves propagation through hollow tubes.The blast wave propagation through tubes provides an efficient system since it combines many blast wave phenomena,such as reflection,diffraction,and interaction.In this research,a novel blast load mitigation system,employed as a protection fence,is developed using a technique similar to the technique of the bent tube in manipulating the shock-wave.The relative performance of the novel system to the conventional system is evaluated based on mitigation percent criteria.Performances of both systems are calculated through numerical simulation.The proposed novel system proved to satisfy high performance in mitigating the generated blast waves from charges weight up to 500 kg TNT at relatively small standoff distances(5 m and 8 m).It mitigates at least 94%of the blast waves,which means that only 6%of that blast impulse is considered as the applied load on the targeted structure.

Overcoming obstacles to implementation: addressing political,institutional and behavioral problems in earthquake hazard mitigation policies

This project is aimed at bridging the three planes,from basic research,through enabling processes,to engineered systems.At the basic research plane,we have been working to improve our collective understanding about obstacles to implementing mitigation practices,owner decision processes (in connection with other MCEER projects),and public policy processes.At the level of enabling processes,we have been seeking to develop an understanding of how obstacles to greater mitigation can be overcome by improved policy design and processes.At the engineered systems plane, our work is intended to result in practical guidelines for devising policies and programs with appropriate motivation and incentives for implementing policies and programs once adopted.This phase of the research has been aimed,first,at a thorough,multidisciplinary review of the literature concerning obstacles to implementation.Second,the research has focused on advancing the state of the art by developing means for integrating the insights offered by diverse perspectives on the implementation process from the several social,behavioral,and decision sciences.The research establishes a basis for testing our understanding of these processes in the case of hospital retrofit decisions.