Assessing the exposure of the built environment to potential ignition sources generated from vegetative fuel

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Beverly ◽  
P. Bothwell ◽  
J. C. R. Conner ◽  
E. P. K. Herd
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Short Range ◽  
Radiant Heat ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Wildland Urban Interface ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
Treatment Plans ◽  
Over Time

We assessed the exposure of the built environment to potential ignition sources generated from vegetative fuel for four communities in the province of Alberta, Canada. Ignition processes generated by burning vegetation that were included in the analysis were radiant heat, short-range spotting, and longer-range spotting. Results were used to map the boundaries of the wildland–urban interface and to delineate zones within each community that identify the degree to which these areas represent potential wildfire entry-points into the wildland–urban interface. The assessment method can be used to set priorities for mitigation activities; compare conditions within and between communities and over time; and identify priority areas for time- and resource-intensive site assessments that are often completed for individual structures located in the wildland–urban interface. We compared results among the four case-study communities and demonstrated an application of the approach for evaluating community fuel treatment plans. Factors that influenced the exposure of the built environment to potential ignition sources differed among the communities, which suggested the need for community-specific mitigation strategies. Spatial patterns of areas with elevated ignition exposure reflected not only the amount of ignition-producing vegetation around the built environment, but also the size and arrangement of fuel patches in relation to the unique morphology of the community and the occurrence of occluded interface zones.

scholarly journals Hold-Up Problems in International Gas Trade: A Case Study

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4984
Author(s):  
Guych Nuryyev ◽  
Tomasz Korol ◽  
Ilia Tetin
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Supply Disruptions ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Number Of Parties ◽  
Gas Supply ◽  
Over Time

The infrastructure required for international natural gas trade is considerable, which often leads to hold-up problems and supply disruptions. This study discusses disruptions of gas supply from Algeria, Indonesia, Russia, and Turkmenistan since the early 1980s. The novelty of this study is its focus on the issues related to transit countries, which are rarely considered in the literature. The results of the study classify supply disruptions into six types, show the evolution of supply disruptions over time, and discuss mitigation strategies. The six types of disruptions include political change, price demands, debts, technical issues, transit fees, theft of gas. The evolution of the disruptions shows that the issues related to transit countries have become more frequent in the last two decades. Mitigation strategies tailored to transit countries include using an international organisation, designing contracts with price mechanisms that might reduce the possibility of disputes and reducing the number of parties involved in the trade.

scholarly journals Vitiligo in equine: a four-year case study of a roan horse ˗ case report

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-196
Author(s):  
J.H. Fonteque ◽  
T.C. Valente ◽  
G.M. Avila ◽  
T.G. Cristo ◽  
L.M.A. Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Skin Lesions ◽  
Upper Lip ◽  
Dermatological Disease ◽  
Treatment Plans ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Treatment Alternatives ◽  
Over Time ◽  
New Skin

ABSTRACT Vitiligo is a dermatological disease affecting both animals and humans. It is characterized by depigmented macules of varying shape and size, originated from melanocyte destruction. Even though there are some theories tackling causation, disease etiopathology is not yet certain. Moreover, lesion areas can either increase or diminish over time, and therefore, available treatment alternatives tend to prove inconsistencies. No epidemiological data or registered cases were found for equines in Brazil. The horse in this case description displayed depigmentation areas in facial regions, including upper lip, nose and lips. However, the individual did not happen to develop any systemic alteration. Through clinical evaluation, backed by a histopathological exam, a definitive vitiligo diagnosis was obtained. However, no therapeutic plan was stipulated. The animal was accompanied for four years, during which period some affected areas diminished while others increased in size. In addition, emergence of new skin lesions was also observed during the time the animal was studied. Overall, this disease does not display alterations to organism functionality, only aesthetic changes. Therefore, treatment plans may vary from case to case, occasionally being even ruled out.

Case Studies of School-Level Governance Dynamics in the Eastern Cape

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Levy Brian ◽  
Lawule Shumane
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
School Level ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Educational Mission ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
School Governing Bodies ◽  
Level Performance ◽  
Over Time

This chapter explores some micro-level governance and political economy determinants of performance over time in four schools in low-income communities in the Butterworth district of the Eastern Cape. Using process tracing methodologies, the chapter explores the interactions over time between school-level leadership, the bureaucracy, school governing bodies, and the broader community—and how they impact school-level performance. There was no evidence of effective support by the bureaucracy for the educational mission of the schools. But there was striking evidence in three of the four case study schools of the role of participatory governance by SGBs, communities, and parents as a partial institutional substitute, offsetting to some extent the weaknesses of hierarchy. The findings offer encouragement that non-hierarchical entry points for improving educational outcomes indeed have some potential to achieve gains.

The perceived importance and objective measurement of walkability in the built environment rating

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1655-1671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
Lan Mu
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy Process ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Objective Measurement ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Objective Measurements ◽  
Perceived Importance ◽  
Hierarchy Process

The built environment plays an important role in shaping physical activities and furthering a healthy lifestyle. An obesogenic environment, which promotes obesity through uninviting neighborhood design, can cause sedentary living and environmentally induced inactivity, particularly by reducing walking. Existing measures of walkability consider the distribution and features of potential destinations, but fail to account for key aspects of the built environment design, pedestrian preferences, or various reasons for walking. In this paper, we propose a new assessment method, the Perceived importance and Objective measurement of Walkability in the built Environment Rating (POWER), incorporating pedestrian preferences derived from a walking preference survey. By conducting a university campus-based case study, we developed a quantitative method, the customized analytic hierarchy process, to analyze data from the survey. The customized analytic hierarchy process was used to calculate the perceived importance of various factors. In addition, objective measurements were collected and processed from Geographic Information System (GIS) data and fieldwork. Using both perceived importance and objective measurements, we created a POWER map showing the most walkable and unwalkable places on campus. The outcome of this case study reveals the nuanced spatial variations with regard to walkability. The proposed integral measure creates an improved method for rating the walkability of the built environment. Future applications and limitations are also discussed.

When Culturally Significant Songs are Decontextualised: The Initiation Song Somagwaza, A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Dowling ◽  
Somikazi Deyi ◽  
Anele Gobodwana
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Popular Song ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Ritual Music ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Small Focus ◽  
Over Time

While there have been a number of studies on the decontextualisation and secularisation of traditional ritual music in America, Taiwan and other parts of the globe, very little has been written on the processes and transformations that South Africa’s indigenous ceremonial songs go through over time. This study was prompted by the authors’ interest in, and engagement with the Xhosa initiation song Somagwaza, which has been re-imagined as a popular song, but has also purportedly found its way into other religious spaces. In this article, we attempted to investigate the extent to which the song Somagwaza is still associated with the Xhosa initiation ritual and to analyse evidence of it being decontextualised and secularised in contemporary South Africa. Our methodology included an examination of the various academic treatments of the song, an analysis of the lyrics of a popular song, bearing the same name, holding small focus group discussions, and distributing questionnaires to speakers of isiXhosa on the topic of the song. The data gathered were analysed using the constant comparative method of analysing qualitative research.

SEISMIC RISK AND RESILIENCE ASSESSMENT OF INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES: CASE STUDY ON A BLACK CARBON PLANT

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Karagiannakis
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Risk ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Fragility Curves ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Industrial Plants ◽  
Plant Equipment

This paper deals with state of the art risk and resilience calculations for industrial plants. Resilience is a top priority issue on the agenda of societies due to climate change and the all-time demand for human life safety and financial robustness. Industrial plants are highly complex systems containing a considerable number of equipment such as steel storage tanks, pipe rack-piping systems, and other installations. Loss Of Containment (LOC) scenarios triggered by past earthquakes due to failure on critical components were followed by severe repercussions on the community, long recovery times and great economic losses. Hence, facility planners and emergency managers should be aware of possible seismic damages and should have already established recovery plans to maximize the resilience and minimize the losses. Seismic risk assessment is the first step of resilience calculations, as it establishes possible damage scenarios. In order to have an accurate risk analysis, the plant equipment vulnerability must be assessed; this is made feasible either from fragility databases in the literature that refer to customized equipment or through numerical calculations. Two different approaches to fragility assessment will be discussed in this paper: (i) code-based Fragility Curves (FCs); and (ii) fragility curves based on numerical models. A carbon black process plant is used as a case study in order to display the influence of various fragility curve realizations taking their effects on risk and resilience calculations into account. Additionally, a new way of representing the total resilience of industrial installations is proposed. More precisely, all possible scenarios will be endowed with their weighted recovery curves (according to their probability of occurrence) and summed together. The result is a concise graph that can help stakeholders to identify critical plant equipment and make decisions on seismic mitigation strategies for plant safety and efficiency. Finally, possible mitigation strategies, like structural health monitoring and metamaterial-based seismic shields are addressed, in order to show how future developments may enhance plant resilience. The work presented hereafter represents a highly condensed application of the research done during the XP-RESILIENCE project, while more detailed information is available on the project website https://r.unitn.it/en/dicam/xp-resilience.

scholarly journals Heritage Buildings Conservation in the Light of Sustainable Built Environment: A Case Study of Few Selected Projects in Samarkand City

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 ◽  
pp. 012034
Author(s):  
Anvar Safarov Normatovich ◽  
Dong Wei ◽  
S G Dalibi ◽  
I I Danja ◽  
A A Mukhtar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Heritage Buildings

Storm surge risk assessment method for a coastal county in China: case study of Jinshan District, Shanghai

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 627-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi Xianwu ◽  
Qiu Jufei ◽  
Chen Bingrui ◽  
Zhang Xiaojie ◽  
Guo Haoshuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Risk Assessment Method ◽  
Coastal County

Thinning in mature eastern white pine: 43-year case study

2002 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D Anderson ◽  
John C Zasada ◽  
Glen W Erickson ◽  
Zigmond A Zasada
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Thinning Intensity ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Volume Production ◽  
Pine Stands ◽  
Over Time

A white pine (Pinus strobus L.) stand at the western margin of the species range, approximately 125 years of age at present, was thinned in 1953 from 33.5 m2 ha-1 to target residual basal areas of 18.4, 23.0, 27.5, and 32.1 m2 ha-1 . Repeated measurement over the following 43-years indicated that the greatest total volume production and the greatest number of large diameter trees occurred in the unit of highest residual density. Over time, the distribution of stems was predominantly random although mortality between 1979 and 1996 resulted in a tendency for clumping in the 23.0 and 27.5 m2 ha-1 treatments. DNA analysis indicated that thinning intensity had little effect on the genetic diversity of residual white pine. This study suggests that mature white pine stands in northern Minnesota may be managed at relatively high densities without loss of productivity. However, regardless of overstory density, there was little or no white pine regeneration occurring in this stand. Key words: thinning, growth, genetic diversity, molecular markers, spatial pattern, regeneration

scholarly journals A Comparative Analysis of Two Major Approaches for Mapping the Wildland-Urban Interface: A Case Study in California

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 679
Author(s):  
Avi Bar-Massada
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Practical Purpose ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Spatial Accuracy ◽  
Wildland Urban Interface ◽  
Spatial Correspondence ◽  
Data Requirements

The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is where human settlements border or intermingle with undeveloped land, often with multiple detrimental consequences. Therefore, mapping the WUI is required in order to identify areas-at-risk. There are two main WUI mapping methods, the point-based approach and the zonal approach. Both differ in data requirements and may produce considerably different maps, yet they were never compared before. My objective was to systematically compare the point-based and the zonal-based WUI maps of California, and to test the efficacy of a new database of building locations in the context of WUI mapping. I assessed the spatial accuracy of the building database, and then compared the spatial patterns of WUI maps by estimating the effect of multiple ancillary variables on the amount of agreement between maps. I found that the building database is highly accurate and is suitable for WUI mapping. The point-based approach estimated a consistently larger WUI area across California compared to the zonal approach. The spatial correspondence between maps was low-to-moderate, and was significantly affected by building numbers and by their spatial arrangement. The discrepancy between WUI maps suggests that they are not directly comparable within and across landscapes, and that each WUI map should serve a distinct practical purpose.

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