Advanced Techniques in Modelling, Response and Recovery

AbstractTranslation is an important means of enabling access to information in an emergency response. Increasingly, volunteer translators have been using social media platforms to self-organize and carry out urgent translation tasks that effectively complement official disaster relief efforts. However, the role of crowdsourced translations and the capacity of volunteer translators in reducing the impact of disasters remain underestimated and therefore understudied. Based on semi-structured interviews with five volunteer translators and online observation of their translation practices, this study investigates the role of a volunteer-driven crowdsourced translation effort in facilitating the donation and procurement of medical supplies between Wuhan and the world. By addressing the real challenges of urgent crisis communication in Wuhan in the early stages of the pandemic, this study draws attention to the need to integrate information and communication technologies with multilingual resources for disaster relief. In addition, it calls for the inclusion of multilingual logistics in national emergency preparation, response and recovery plans.

Download Full-text

Tin Disulfide-Coated Microfiber for Humidity Sensing with Fast Response and High Sensitivity

Crystals ◽

10.3390/cryst11060648 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 648

Author(s):

Aijie Liang ◽

Jingyuan Ming ◽

Wenguo Zhu ◽

Heyuan Guan ◽

Xinyang Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Humidity Sensor ◽

Small Diameter ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Large Change ◽

Small Variation ◽

Response Speed ◽

Fast Response ◽

Tin Disulfide ◽

Recovery Times ◽

Response And Recovery

Breath monitoring is significant in assessing human body conditions, such as cardiac and pulmonary symptoms. Optical fiber-based sensors have attracted much attention since they are immune to electromagnetic radiation, thus are safe for patients. Here, a microfiber (MF) humidity sensor is fabricated by coating tin disulfide (SnS2) nanosheets onto the surface of MF. The small diameter (~8 μm) and the long length (~5 mm) of the MF promise strong interaction between guiding light and SnS2. Thus, a small variation in the relative humidity (RH) will lead to a large change in optical transmitted power. A high RH sensitivity of 0.57 dB/%RH is therefore achieved. The response and recovery times are estimated to be 0.08 and 0.28 s, respectively. The high sensitivity and fast response speed enable our SnS2-MF sensor to monitor human breath in real time.

Download Full-text

Quantifying Road-Network Robustness toward Flood-Resilient Transportation Systems

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063172 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3172

Author(s):

Suchat Tachaudomdach ◽

Auttawit Upayokin ◽

Nopadon Kronprasert ◽

Kriangkrai Arunotayanun

Keyword(s):

Road Network ◽

Critical Infrastructure ◽

Policy Issue ◽

Analytical Framework ◽

Transportation Systems ◽

Network Robustness ◽

System Response ◽

Chiang Mai ◽

Protection Measures ◽

Response And Recovery

Amidst sudden and unprecedented increases in the severity and frequency of climate-change-induced natural disasters, building critical infrastructure resilience has become a prominent policy issue globally for reducing disaster risks. Sustainable measures and procedures to strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery of infrastructures are urgently needed, but the standard for measuring such resilient elements has yet to be consensually developed. This study was undertaken with an aim to quantitatively measure transportation infrastructure robustness, a proactive dimension of resilience capacities and capabilities to withstand disasters; in this case, floods. A four-stage analytical framework was empirically implemented: 1) specifying the system and disturbance (i.e., road network and flood risks in Chiang Mai, Thailand), 2) illustrating the system response using the damaged area as a function of floodwater levels and protection measures, 3) determining recovery thresholds based on land use and system functionality, and 4) quantifying robustness through the application of edge- and node-betweenness centrality models. Various quantifiable indicators of transportation robustness can be revealed; not only flood-damaged areas commonly considered in flood-risk management and spatial planning, but also the numbers of affected traffic links, nodes, and cars are highly valuable for transportation planning in achieving sustainable flood-resilient transportation systems.

Download Full-text