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Commercial inkjet-printers from manufacturers like Epson or Brother can be used for rapid prototype printing conductive traces onto paper or flexible PET substrates by using nanoparticle based dispersions. The surface coating of the substrate influences the attainable electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity as well as the loss tangent, which are important parameters for developing inkjet-printed microwave circuits on paper substrates. For characterizing the permittivity conventional methods are using microstrip ring or microstrip transmission line resonators that require the printing of two electrically conductive layers. In the proposed paper, a novel method is introduced to determine the relative permittivity and loss tangent via a coplanar waveguide resonator realized on a single layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a novel fabrication method of a multi-pad paper plate (MP 3 ) for transfer and optimisation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) on paper. The plate was fabricated using a combination of laser cutting and lamination for rapid and low-cost production of a multi-pad paper plate compatible with a standard 96 well microplate format. The plate was used to transfer a sandwich ELISA assay for detection of the acute phase protein bovine haptoglobin, allowing assay optimisation in the new format. The optimised protocol was also applied to detection of haptoglobin in bovine serum, demonstrating significant correlation with the traditional lab-based ELISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012 the City of Flagstaff partnered with researchers at the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northern Arizona University to successfully develop a mix design utilizing sludge derived from the manufacturing of recycled paper pulp sludge (PPS) and fly ash as a component of a landfill cap. This research has been extended to explore the addition of polymers to the mix of waste materials in order to optimize a design that would be suitable as a component for an EPA Subtitle D-approvable landfill liner. Cinder Lake Landfill (CLL) serves several communities in Northern Arizona and is managed by the City of Flagstaff. CLL does not have a reliable source of clay needed to construct a required landfill liner, which is necessary for the upcoming 108-acre landfill expansion. However, CLL receives approximately 80 tons of recycled PPS daily from the local tissue manufacturing plant. PPS is currently used as daily cover and was tested for use as part of a landfill cap, as noted above. Incorporating polymers in alternative materials such as PPS and fly ash has the potential to meet performance criteria and be approved by state and federal regulators, and has the potential to save the City millions of dollars over conventional composite liners of geomembrane and clay. Different mixtures of PPS, fly ash and three different polymers are currently being subjected to testing for the following: Water Content, Specific Gravity, Porosity, Organic Content, Atterberg Limits (plasticity), Proctor Compaction, Consolidation, California Bearing Ratio, Shear Strength, Gas Permeability, and Liquid Permeability. The optimal mixture of PPS and fly ash will be blended with a range of polymer concentrations. The goal is to find an optimal mix of PPS, fly ash, and polymer to achieve regulatory standards related to permeability, along with other desirable properties such as strength and flexibility. The optimum mixture(s) will then be subjected to field trials, scheduled to begin in 2016, in which test cells will be created at CLL. The liner will be constructed with the optimized mixture(s), and the cells will be operated as landfills for 1-2 years. Results from lab and field testing will be submitted to federal and state regulators for consideration as an alternative liner approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012 the City of Flagstaff partnered with researchers at the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northern Arizona University to successfully develop a mix design utilizing sludge derived from the manufacturing of recycled paper pulp sludge (PPS) and fly ash as a component of a landfill cap. This research has been extended to explore the addition of polymers to the mix of waste materials in order to optimize a design that would be suitable as a component for an EPA Subtitle D-approvable landfill liner. Cinder Lake Landfill (CLL) serves several communities in Northern Arizona and is managed by the City of Flagstaff. CLL does not have a reliable source of clay needed to construct a required landfill liner, which is necessary for the upcoming 108-acre landfill expansion. However, CLL receives approximately 80 tons of recycled PPS daily from the local tissue manufacturing plant. PPS is currently used as daily cover and was tested for use as part of a landfill cap, as noted above. Incorporating polymers in alternative materials such as PPS and fly ash has the potential to meet performance criteria and be approved by state and federal regulators, and has the potential to save the City millions of dollars over conventional composite liners of geomembrane and clay. Different mixtures of PPS, fly ash and three different polymers are currently being subjected to testing for the following: Water Content, Specific Gravity, Porosity, Organic Content, Atterberg Limits (plasticity), Proctor Compaction, Consolidation, California Bearing Ratio, Shear Strength, Gas Permeability, and Liquid Permeability. The optimal mixture of PPS and fly ash will be blended with a range of polymer concentrations. The goal is to find an optimal mix of PPS, fly ash, and polymer to achieve regulatory standards related to permeability, along with other desirable properties such as strength and flexibility. The optimum mixture(s) will then be subjected to field trials, scheduled to begin in 2016, in which test cells will be created at CLL. The liner will be constructed with the optimized mixture(s), and the cells will be operated as landfills for 1-2 years. Results from lab and field testing will be submitted to federal and state regulators for consideration as an alternative liner approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In accordance with environmental sustainability and in order to optimize the recycling process of prints from indirect electrophotography with liquid toner the results of investigating the effects of changes in printing conditions on the characteristics of recycled fibres is presented. Changing of printing machine conditions, respecting of voltage variations, comprises of the reverse rollers and intermediate cylinder. Based on the results it can be concluded that the change in the voltage of the reverse rollers more affect the recycling efficiency with respect to the voltage change of the intermediate cylinder. Brightness gain is higher when the print for recycling is made on uncoated paper compared to coated, and dependent on the voltage changes. Effective residual ink concentration decreases far more on handsheets obtained from recycled samples on uncoated paper in relation to both sides coated paper. Increasing the positive voltage of intermediate cylinder and increasing the negative charge of reverse rollers increases the 3 D gamut CIE L*a*b* color cubic units. Guidelines for the size of the voltage in order to obtain optimal print reproduction are provided. The further research will include the development in area of clean technologies, advanced materials, closed loop systems; therefore the significant terms in the area of environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of studies of the generation of methanol in the accelerated aging of paper insulation in transformer oil under the influence of an elevated temperature. All investigated materials (cable paper, transformer oil) are of Russian origin. A description is given for the used models of paper insulation samples, specially designed test cells and a circulating bath. The results of a comparison of studies conducted by authors and other researchers from countries are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate the influence of ZnO nanoparticles on the performance of paper-based humidity sensors. The sensors were developed on standard, commercial printing paper with laser-patterned gold interdigitated electrodes (IDE) and ZnO nanoparticles spin-coated by various sol-gels. Blank devices were used as reference sensors in an effort to elucidate the role of ZnO and the dependence of the device performance on the concentration of the sol-gels and the number of spin-coated layers. Resistive measurements were conducted at room temperature to evaluate the devices’ response on known relative humidity levels. Relatively fast rise and response times were observed even at room temperature, while all devices tested did not require refreshing procedures. The deposition of ZnO was found to affect the sensor response, resulting in reduced sensor signal, due to the blocking of water diffusion in the porous paper material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A piezoelectric based touch sensitive device has been successfully fabricated by screen printing silver (Ag) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) inks as conductive and piezoelectric materials, respectively, on paper substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed to verify the formation of β-phase crystals in the PVDF layer during the curing process. Voltages, as high as 0.22 V, were observed for human finger touch tests and a sensitivity of 0.3 V/N was obtained when varying forces ranging from 0.2 N to 1.4 N, in steps of 0.2 N, were applied on the printed device. The piezoelectric-voltage analysis demonstrated that the printed device can be used for both touch and force sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the fabrication of Rochelle salt based piezoelectric structures is illustrated. Structures composed of paper and Rochelle salt are easily manufactured using simple processes. Both manufacturing and the material itself are environmental friendly. Additionally Rochelle salt is biocompatible. In the paradigm of a cleaner piezoelectric technology, the fabrication of active sensing or actuating devices is developed. Thus processing method, material and piezoelectric properties have been studied: (1) pure crystals are used as acoustic actuator, (2) properties of paper impregnated with Rochelle salt are detailed, (3) charge generation is demonstrated on the impregnated material. Actuating and sensing devices are reported in order to highlight the potential of this green piezoelectric material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the fabrication of Rochelle salt based piezoelectric structures is illustrated. Structures composed of paper and Rochelle salt are easily manufactured using simple processes. Both manufacturing and the material itself are environmental friendly. Additionally Rochelle salt is biocompatible. In the paradigm of a cleaner piezoelectric technology, the fabrication of active sensing or actuating devices is developed. Thus processing method, material and piezoelectric properties have been studied: (1) pure crystals are used as acoustic actuator, (2) properties of paper impregnated with Rochelle salt are detailed, (3) charge generation is demonstrated on the impregnated material. Actuating and sensing devices are reported in order to highlight the potential of this green piezoelectric material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of a mechanically flexible piezoresistive load sensor is reported. Inkjet printing offers an inexpensive non-contact fabrication method for microelectronics. Herein we report the first direct fabrication of inkjet-printed graphene arrays, and apply them to electromechanical detection of force. The graphene ink was printed on a cantilever shape paper substrate. The results illustrated a linear resistance change with the applied forces. The force range, force resolution, and sensitivity were found to be 25 mN, 10 μN, and 1.2 mV/mN, respectively. In addition, graphite ink was also used as the sensing component in order to make a comparison between the piezoresistive effect of graphene and graphite ink. The results show that using graphene ink instead of graphite increases the force range and gauge factor of the sensor, which are two important designing factors. This sensor is inexpensive, simple to fabricate, lightweight, and disposable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the motivation and methodology developed to evaluate the cost effectiveness and potential improvements for the transportation and storage of food aid commodities. Additionally, preliminary fieldwork conducted to map out the domestic portions of the supply chain is also presented. We hypothesize that modern bag technologies, such as hermetic bags, offer the potential to cost effectively improve the quality of food aid commodities as a substitute to current fumigation processes. A range of packaging (current and new), shipping modes, commodities, and foreign ports will be evaluated in the traditional supply chain with the use of a factorial design. Furthermore, the down-stream supply chain portions such as storage will be simulated by placement in prepositioning warehouses in foreign ports for up to three months. The use of a factorial design with sliding levels is a crucial method utilized to accommodate the various factors involved in the complex supply chain of food aid. Domestic fieldwork has provided valuable insights into the viability of implementing modern bagging technologies in the existing supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-layered composites are frequently used in many applications as constructional materials. Such materials represent a difficult inspection task for some traditional techniques of non-destructive testing (NDT). Typical defects of composite materials are delaminations, lack of adhesion and crumpling, just to name a few. IR thermography and ultrasonics are typically considered as candidate techniques to detect different types of defects. In order to assess the potential usefulness of both methods, a composite laminate with a polytetrafluoroethylene disk inserted between two layers to simulate a delamination is investigated. Experimental evidences resulting from the two technologies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we demonstrate that the phase shift detection technique can be applied to reveal, with very high sensitivity and resolution, concentrations of chemical/biological substances optically detectable by measuring power variations of a light source. The system is based on the synchronous demodulation technique and employs a Si photodiode (PD) operating in photovoltaic regime biased through a small modulating sinusoidal waveform. The phase shift variations are measured between this biasing voltage and that one generated by the Si PD illuminated by the light, that interacts with the chemical/biological sample under analysis, providing the phase shift change. Experimental results demonstrate that is possible to achieve phase detection sensitivity, with respect to light power variations, up to 3100°/μW as a function of the Si PD settable operating conditions. By using a commercial lock-in amplifier with a 0.01° phase resolution, a light power variation resolution of about 3pW has been achieved. As a case-example, variations of the molar concentration of a methylene blue solution are detected by performing optical absorption standard measurements. Despite the phase resolution limitation of the used lock-in amplifier, the comparison between the data obtained through the proposed technique and those ones achieved by conventional amplitude measurements demonstrates a high improvement of the detection sensitivity. As a consequence, the measurement of molar concentration variations with a resolution of 80pM is achieved resulting 33 times higher than that one obtained with the amplitude detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of wrinkling in deep drawing processes generally occurs in the two area of flange and cup wall. In this paper, a geometric method based on FEM simulation has been developed to investigate the wrinkling in the wall area of conical cups. Wrinkling wave variation was considered as the criterion of wrinkle defect. The forming process in this study is hydrodynamic deep drawing assisted by radial pressure with inward flowing liquid. The effects of radial pressure and cavity pressure on wrinkle phenomenon have been investigated. To verify the results of the simulation, experiments were performed on the steel sheets. Good agreement between the simulation and experimental results shows the reliability of this method in the wrinkling study. Results showed that radial pressure and cavity pressure have significant impacts on creation or prevention of wrinkling in the side wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of mass manufacturing, MRR (material removal rate) is of primary concern even in manufacturing using contemporary CNC (computer numerical controlled) machines. In this paper Taguchi method has been employed with L25 (5^3) Orthogonal Array for three parameters namely Speed, Feed and Depth of cut. For each of these parameters five different levels have been identified and used to perform the turning parameters for maximization of material removal rate on an EMCO Concept Turn 105 CNC lathe. The material selected for machining was SAE 1020 with carbide cutting tool. The MRR is observed as the objective to develop the combination of optimum cutting parameters. This paper proposes an optimization approach using orthogonal array for the maximized MRR and the result from this study confirms the same. This study also produced a predictive equation for determining MRR with a given set of parameters in CNC turning. Thus, with the proposed optimal parameters it is possible to increase the efficiency of machining process and decrease production cost in an automated manufacturing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For security requirements, no fatigue failure of axles is admitted in railway industry. Design process of axles must ensure that there is no crack initiation during its life. Maintenance inspections guarantee that no defect initiates critical propagation of fatigue cracks. In order to remove surface defects, wheel grinding is realized during maintenance task. The present paper addresses a lifetime comparative study of an axle with and without grinding operation. The goal is to investigate the influence of the grinding parameters on the lifetime of axle. In the first part of the paper, the context of maintenance of railway axle is briefly described and the grinding process is presented. The grinding process modifies the roughness, the microstructure of the surface and induces residual stresses: some experimental results are presented. In the second part, the case of a ground axle is considered without defect. A study of the effect of the grinding process on the lifetime of fatigue samples is presented. In the third part, the case of a ground axle is considered with defects. In this case, a study of the effect of the grinding process on the lifetime is presented for different types of defects. Fatigue tests results on specimens are presented. Numerical simulations results for lifetime evaluation are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the automotive light-duty passenger vehicles, double dry clutch provides high comfort and fuel efficiency to passengers with automated gear box. Its functional performance and quality depends on its diaphragm spring. Fatigue analysis on this component and correlation is quite complex because of several manufacturing processes involved like stamping, heat stabilization and shot-peening. The procedure to predict the diaphragm fatigue strength is described in the paper; also it integrates the new simulation softwares capabilities to handle the process effects for evaluation of diaphragm. This paper outlines the different simulation stages involved to access the fatigue assessment on diaphragm spring; also it is done at various life situations of vehicle: normal, parking, overloading conditions. A great attention is paid for correlation through measurement fitting in simulation. Between each manufacturing process simulation, the deformed shape and its residual stress-strain data are mapped using customized scripts. After the process simulations, fatigue actuation on diaphragm is done for new, semi-worn and worn positions of clutch. Miner’s damage and its summation are done at each critical point in diaphragm to determine its total life under nominal design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to present three indicators to determine the fatigue limit of woven carbon-fiber epoxy-matrix laminates using the Self-Heating test method. The approach adopted in the self-heating methodology consists usually in plotting the heat transfer indicator values versus the maximum stress values. This plot is named the self-heating curve and from the profile of the self-heating curve, one can identify the fatigue limit. During the self-heating experiments, the temperature of the specimen increases with the number of applied cycles and then stabilizes after a certain number of cycles. In this study a novel “peak-temperature point” approach was identified as the most suitable methodology to determine the fatigue limit for a class of composite materials. The paper also sheds some light on how a suitable approach can be chosen to uphold the economic aspect of the self-heating methodology. The purpose of the present paper is to validate this approach for an impacted laminate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3rd Edition of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 2016 Fitness-For-Service includes a new Part 14 dedicated to fatigue assessment. An important section in this part covers the fatigue assessment of welded joints. In this paper, an overview of the fatigue methods for welded joints is provided and extensions are recommended. First, an overview is given of the classical fatigue method used in the ASME B&PV Code based on smooth bar fatigue curves in conjunction with a fatigue strength reduction factor. In addition, the mesh insensitive structural stress method is outlined using an equivalent stress parameter based on fracture mechanics considerations in conjunction with a master S-N curve based on the analysis of over 2000 high and low cycle S-N test data. The resulting master S-N curve approach is applicable to high cycle fatigue and low cycle fatigue if a Neuber correction is introduced. In this paper, a new structural strain method is presented to extend the early structural stress based master S-N curve method to the low cycle fatigue regime in which plastic deformations can be significant while an elastic core is present. With this new method, some of the inconsistencies of the pseudo-elastic structural stress procedure can be eliminated, such as its use of Neuber’s rule in approximating structural strain beyond yield. The earlier mesh-insensitive structural stress based master S-N curve method can now be viewed as an application of the structural strain method in the high cycle regime, in which structural strains are linearly related to traction-based structural stresses according to Hooke’s law. Thus, both low cycle and high cycle fatigue behavior can now be treated in a unified manner. In the low-cycle regime, the structural strain method characterizes fatigue damage directly in terms of structural strains that satisfy a linear through-thickness deformation gradient assumption, material nonlinear behavior, and equilibrium conditions. A PVRC Joint Industry Project is currently sponsoring work on the structural strain method that will lead to its incorporation in the next edition of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation is more and more used in automotive industry to reduce design time and cost. Moreover, for high performance engines, the development of cylinder heads requires well known and adapted materials to ensure their reliability. The estimation of adapted fatigue criteria based on few experiments is thus an important challenge: to obtain more predictive model on more complex mechanical phenomena. This paper describes the methodology adopted by Renault to estimate fatigue life of a new aluminum-silicon alloy. A low copper aluminum-silicon alloy has been developed for a new generation of cylinder heads. Those kinds of alloys provide a good compromise between the two main failure modes encountered for cylinder heads: high cycle fatigue of water jacket and low cycle fatigue of fire deck. However, those materials are subjected to thermal ageing that can affect mechanical behavior, such as yield stress and hardening, but also fatigue mechanisms at higher temperatures. This article presents first the selected constitutive equations that introduce thermal ageing effect in a cyclic elasto-viscoplastic model. The low cycle fatigue criterion is then calibrated on the relevant database, which includes isothermal and non-isothermal tests. The fatigue criterion is a specific version of a classical model previously developed at Onera. The critical variables for the fatigue part are the stress amplitude and the mean stress, both of them being normalized by an ultimate stress which depends on temperature and ageing state. Finally, the constitutive and damage models have been applied on 3D cylinder head numerical analysis. The paper proposes a brief comparison of those results with more classical simulations made on cylinder heads and highlights the perspectives offered by this new aluminum-silicon alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are three major methods to verify the durability characteristics of a new designed leaf spring. These are simulation, test bench and rough road testing. Simulation is a rapid approach to find out the very first results for the assessment of the design. Test bench uses a pre-defined load program to estimate the lifetime of the leaf spring. It takes more time than simulation and is more costly. Rough road testing covers a complete endurance run for the whole heavy duty truck structure which is very costly and takes a very long time to accomplish. The aim of this paper is to reduce the time and the cost of the development procedure of a new designed leaf spring. The most efficient way to reach this goal is to correlate the results of the testing and simulation, so that, it would be possible to release new designs mostly depending on the simulation which is the fastest and the reasonable way to reach a final evaluation. A new designed leaf spring, with two leaves, is simulated in finite element analysis with the loads from multi body simulations in order to reach a fatigue life assessment; is tested in the test bench with the pre-defined loads from the rough road; is mounted to a complete truck structure to run a full rough road truck program to reach the final evaluation. In this paper, these three durability assessment techniques are compared and correlated with each other as a main scope. Additionally, the simulation methodology, the structure of the test bench and the procedure of the rough road testing are given in details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policies guiding the Nigerian environment, oil and gas production is enormous. Nigeria is a signatory to innumerable international agreements and conventions related to environmental sustainability, climate change, health and safety of its citizens and protection of marine waters, fishes and livelihood structures. The regulations are aimed to reduce the dangers that emanates from industrial activities and safeguard the surroundings and wellbeing. This paper is a review of some instructive environmental policies and guidelines in the Nigerian oil and gas industry in relation to compensation for environmental damages resulted from oil spillages. The literature including journal articles, conference papers, government documents and news papers were reviewed to understand the influence of the established policies on communities affected by oil spills. The study establishes that the policies are laudably pronounced theoretically rather than practically. The policies lack consistency, enforcement and overlaps of mandates which is contradicting and controversial for the affected communities. In addition, the lack of clarity in compensation strategies and transparency in the process calls for a greater attention. The paper recommends that government and the oil and gas industries revisit the existing policies to in-cooperate compensation for damages due to oil spills, or enact a separate law specifically for damages from oil spillages. Also, there should be a clear mandate between agencies for an effective enforcement of the laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the concept of stakeholders at national level in the context of societal challenges associated with: Health, demographic change and wellbeing; Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research & the bioeconomy; Secure, clean and efficient energy; Smart, green and integrated transport; Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials; Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective societies; and Secure societies – protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens. It focuses on how to effectively identify and map those individuals, groups and organisations likely to be affected by, or likely to have an influence on societal challenges and thereby effectively helping to understand the importance of considering stakeholders when addressing societal challenges, identify stakeholders, and understand their relationship to each societal challenge, and map and prioritise stakeholders. Research presented in this paper was carried out as part of the CASCADE project (Collaborative Action towards Societal Challenges through Awareness, Development, and Education) which aimed to provide the foundation for a future International Cooperation Network programme targeting South Asian Countries, which will promote bi-regional coordination of Science & Technology cooperation. The objectives of CASCADE included to map and develop an inventory of national and regional stakeholders related to global challenges amongst other objectives and targeted and had the participation of seven South Asian countries, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish the key role of power and legitimacy attributes in effective community participation in post-disaster reconstruction (PDR) projects. Design/methodology/approach – The research applies a qualitative research approach in conjunction with a case study method, using semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling techniques. The principal source of data were semi-structured interviews of affected community members and other stakeholders of a post-natural disaster reconstruction project initiated in the aftermath of 2005 devastating earthquake in Pakistan. The interviews were undertaken between October and December 2016. Findings – Participation of affected community is significant for the success of a PDR projects; however effective participation cannot be ensured without empowerment and legitimization. In context of post disaster reconstruction; both, power and legitimacy attributes have a direct effect on effective participation of the community. Originality/value – This paper has explored the relationship of stakeholder’s attributes with participation and have also proposed an attribute model for future PDR projects. Adoption of attribute model will enhance the chances of success of future PDR projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much research has been conducted to increase the resilience of healthcare service to major hazards; however, every time a major hazard takes place we discover that this critical service is yet to reach the anticipated resilient state. This paper reports an ongoing research work that looked at: the resilience of the structure of healthcare facilities, equipment stability, lifeline (utility) supplies, the interaction between hospitals and emergency agencies and the support the latter can provide during major emergencies. This paper presents findings on the ability of human resources to deal with the stress associated with major hazards. A mixed research method was adopted, including a systematic literature review followed by a survey to gather evidence about the stress level amongst healthcare staff in hospitals and their motivation. The literature review was conducted to find information about the level of stress healthcare staff experience with during major emergencies. Findings suggest that healthcare staff remain at high risk of stress and thus represent a major weakness of healthcare service resilience. The research concludes with a set of recommendations to address this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a project that explores the opportunities and challenges for compliance with safe building codes for disaster resilience, focusing on two countries - Bangladesh and Nepal. Recent disasters in both countries highlight a significant problem of non-compliance with building codes. However, these disasters have brought institutional and community awareness of the importance of safe building codes, presenting a germane opportunity to explore the issues associated with compliance. Building codes do exist in the two countries, but due to socio-economic, political and cultural conditions compliance is generally lacking or limited, particularly in the large informal building sector. There is thus a need for understanding how these codes might be more widely adopted to enable disaster resilience. Collaboration between partner universities in these countries with experience in this field address: sharing the understanding that evidence-based knowledge is a critical component in the commitment to local action; improving institutional and community awareness of the importance of compliance with/barriers to enforcement of codes; fostering communities of collaborative practice; and developing local and international dissemination networks . A log-frame approach indicates the rationale, assumptions and expected outcomes of the project. The project is at a preliminary stage and this paper discusses the framework associated with the exploration of barriers and enablers to building codes compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an important component for achieving sustainable development of cities, in particular when the world is steadily becoming more urbananised. Fast growing cities and urban areas of the world increase disaster risk due to economic growth and fast population expansion. With local governments increasingly taking an important role in the sustainable development, the need for globally comparable knowledge of disasters risks has even become greater. Sound practices that have been tested and implemented by different cities around the world aid knowledge sharing opportunities for future disaster risk reduction. Accordingly, this paper focuses on reported sound practices of local DRR and aims to provide a collection of sound practices on DRR actions at the local level and what needs to be done to reduce future disaster risks. Paper uses the ten essentials identified by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) in 2010 to illustrate some of the risk reduction work that has been undertaken across the world. The intent is to provide local governments and other institutions learn from one another by effectively facilitating the sharing of sound practices and disseminating these established sound practices in risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following increases in the frequency and magnitude of disasters over the past decades, continuous knowledge production and dissemination has become a crucial pathway for understanding disaster risks. The Sendai Framework provides guidance for various levels of governance and well lays emphasis on managing ‘disaster risks’. While a great deal of existing scholarship has contributed immensely to proactive participation of key players in the public and private sectors, the interpretation of knowledge produced by academia and professional organizations that aids in better understanding for ease of planning and implementation becomes a challenging and rigorous task. The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual framework that simplifies the interpretation of ‘knowledge creation’ and ‘knowledge dissemination’ connecting the Sendai priority one focus and requisite actions for disaster risk reduction at local, national, global and regional levels. The intended outcome is to better enhance understanding using ‘knowledge’ as a lens for key players and stakeholders involved in disaster risk reduction activities. This is achieved through the review of the role of knowledge and knowledge management literature for understanding disaster risks and utilizes an exploratory approach to further create a theoretical linkage with the focus of the Sendai Framework. The paper suggests that appropriate and continuous interpretation of knowledge created and disseminated has the propensity to stimulate and assist in achieving improved disaster risk reduction outcomes and judicious harnessing of resources required for achieving such tasks. The limitation of this paper is that it utilizes a knowledge lens to achieve its aim while acknowledging that other lenses can be used to provide better understanding and clarity of the subject matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal settlements, where mostly the urban poor reside, tend to be located in hotspots of natural hazards such as floods, fire, earthquakes and tsunamis. The devastating impacts of these natural hazards on such settlements can be attributed to the higher levels of physical, economic, social and environmental vulnerability in conjunction with inadequate and poor level of disaster preparedness. Conceptualizing a detailed risk profile, in the context of informal settlement characteristics presents a starting point to which the impacts posed by environmental hazards can be addressed effectively. This paper develops a theoretical framework through literature review coupling the concepts of “disaster hazards”, “vulnerability” and “informal settlements”. The findings suggest that the policy environment (environmental/land use planning and communication) impacting the informal settlement characteristics (demographic, financial, social/poetical and locational/environmental) is key to managing disaster risk profile in informal settlements. The paper concludes by identifying five theoretical propositions that can assist in disaster preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In natural disaster and man-made conflict scenarios, livelihoods, assets, community networks and relationships get destroyed and in many areas, lives and communities are devastated. Re-settling these communities and providing them the essential support to adapt to the new or changed environments has been a major challenge for governments. Taking into consideration case studies from two South Asian countries, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, this paper explores the displacement and re-location cycle experienced and the impact disaster, conflict and reconciliation has on families, community and stakeholder relationships and networks as they re-build their lives in the re-settlement process. The case studies were selected from available literature to focus on different kinds of natural disasters and civil conflicts. The paper focuses on characteristics of resilient communities and how these characteristics have aided the recovery and re-settlement. It also identifies attributes that are inherent in communities that have undergone disaster and displacement and explores how these attributes have helped communities in re-building their lives. From the literature and the case study results and information, it is seen that topics of safety, security, and livelihoods summarises the core needs that are important for transitional settlement and shelter. Having ownership of assets, a shelter or dwelling unit or land is also important in the re-settlement process. These requirements vary according to the ethnicity, religion and culture and the challenges for the relief agencies are to provide alternative solutions that match these requirements in the short and long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will present findings from a longitudinal case study of the reconstruction of horizontal infrastructure networks in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the major earthquakes of 2010-2011. This involved exploring the role of governance in recovery and in particular, how funding mechanisms shape decisions for managing disaster risk. National policy on the funding of recovery that was geared towards direct replacement of existing infrastructure had a pivotal role in influencing design standards for infrastructure reconstruction. An outcome of this national policy, combined with constrained local financial resources, is that it was difficult to maximise the opportunity presented by a disaster to resolve the shortcomings of the existing infrastructure systems. This raises critical questions: whether it is appropriate to attempt to improve infrastructure in recovery and how local governments (or asset owners in general) may be better incentivised to invest proactively to reduce future disaster risk. Special (yet limited) betterment funds were made available for the Christchurch reconstruction and similarly for post-flood reconstruction that was in progress at the same time in Queensland, Australia (which will also be explored in the paper). However, recent recovery funding reviews conducted in New Zealand and Australia have identified a need to investigate incentives to increase proactive investment to limit damage. This paper explores this proposition and presents some of the challenges faced with respect to building back better in Christchurch’s reconstruction and the subsequent lessons for developing future funding mechanisms for disaster recovery. It demonstrates the need for clearer terms of engagement between central government and local government, and how insurance mechanisms could play a more effective role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much critique has been directed towards top-down community and housing redevelopment models. Yet top-down approaches continue to be the preferred development models of government and donor organisation. This paper explores post disaster redevelopment models, bottom up approaches and a local community led housing development. Using a case study approach, the paper presents the situation of an ethnic minority fisher community in Thailand after the 2004 Asian Tsunami and the outcomes of top-down and bottom-up rebuilding approaches on their living environment, recovery and lives. The aim of the paper is to discuss the processes that led to the outcomes of the case studies and identify how recovery and empowerment can be facilitated through community engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will set out our current understanding of how psychology can help us to understand and influence preparation for, and responses to disaster. Using four primary research studies, this paper will outline how psychology can inform our knowledge of all stages of a disaster (preparedness, immediate response and long-term consequences). The first study used a questionnaire design to examine factors that influence evacuation behaviours. The second and third studies explored physiological and psychological responses to simulated disaster training. The fourth study explored the consequences of trauma exposure focusing specifically on predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic growth. The results show that psychology can play a role in our understanding of human behaviour during a disaster. Specifically, study one shows how psychology can inform disaster preparation by identifying barriers to evacuation. The second and third studies show how psychology can help us to explore and predict human behaviour during a disaster. Finally, the fourth study highlights how psychology can help us to understand the longer-term impact of exposure to traumatic events. Overall, the results of these studies show that psychological knowledge can predict and positively influence human behaviour in response to disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to elaborate the research methodology adopted for a doctoral research study aimed at developing a framework to empower local governments to make cities resilient to disasters in the built environment context. Based on the constructionism epistemological undertaking and the theoretical perspective of being interpretivistic in nature, the research falls under the category of qualitative research. Therefore, qualitative strategies were best suited for conducting the study. Various research strategies exist for qualitative research such as case studies, ethnography, grounded theory and phenomenological research. The research seeks to investigate how local governments can be empowered to make cities resilient to disasters in the built environment context and, out of the available qualitative research strategies, case studies were identified as the most appropriate research strategy for the research discussed in this paper. The paper compares and contrasts the available research strategies and puts forward the suitability of the case study research strategy in order to achieve the aims and objectives of the research. In doing so, the paper outlines the inherent components of the methodology namely, research philosophy, approach, strategy, choice, time horizon and techniques while justifying the suitability of the selected methodology through various research methodology literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the long term outcomes of involuntary or voluntary relocation by citing three relocation projects that commenced in 1990’s Colombo, Sri Lanka. Poor and marginalized families living in unauthorized underserved settlements in flood prone areas around Colombo were relocated as a flood risk reduction strategy to rebuild their lives in secure locations. The Sri Lankan experience suggests that relocation projects have been guided by project specific guidelines as opposed to common guidelines which have produced both successes and failures. These outcomes, no doubt, stress the need for having specific guidelines for the three main stages of the relocation process: prior to displacement (pre-relocation), immediately after relocation and two years after relocation. This paper stresses the need to formulate people centric relocation policy guidelines based on the household surveys in select relocation settlements and key informant interviews with government officials and community leaders. Thereafter the implementation of such policies should be considered as a relocation process with emphasis on securing their livelihoods which in turn will assist them to move out of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Sri Lanka, development projects and their aims cannot be understood in absence of politics. Not only the rationale of the project, but also it’s the process and outcomes are products of the clientelistic politics practiced in the country’s politics since its independence. In that context, examining the process and politics is immensely important to understand the disaster potential of the Moragahakanda Development Project. This project is one of the last components of the Mahaweli Development Program that was designed as a 30-year project. The main objective of the project is to provide irrigation facilities to the existing water scarce farmlands (82,000ha) and also to open up new land (5000ha) for agriculture development in Northern, North Central, and Eastern and North Western provinces. In addition, generating and supplying of 25MW hydro-power to the national grid, increasing inland fish production, provision of potable and industrial water requirements, Eco tourism and effective flood control are also among the objectives of the project. According to the Mahaweli Authority, nearly 70% of the construction work of the Moragahakanda reservoir has been completed and the project is expected to be concluded by December 2017. This paper will be based on the field research that the author is carrying out for his forthcoming publication. Often such mega projects present its objectives loud and clear while keeping pitch silent about its negative effects. This paper, in order to examine the relationship between development politics and disaster mitigation, focuses mainly on the issues that are hardly being discussed. The Moragahakanda project has displaced a total of 5870 people in 1181 families from 11 Grama Niladari Divisions (GNDs). Once the project is completed Six GNDs areas will be totally and six other partially submerged causing more displacement of families. It effect on the environment is also alarming. This paper aims to examine the role of politics in development in relation to Moragahakanda project and thereby study the readiness of such mega projects to mitigate possible future disasters. It is naïve to expect development projects to be completely free of consequences on environment and human lives. In addition, one has to completely ignorant of the nature of politics in our society to believe that development projects to be initiated and implemented free of politics and practice of clientalism. Therefore, the strategies for mitigating potential disasters of such projects should also be examined in relation to the politics within which such projects are implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami prompted a relocation process of an unprecedented scale in Sri Lanka, relocating thousands beyond the government imposed coastal buffer zone. Amidst the relocatees were thousands of children whom were exposed to multiple risks and stresses. These impacts caused by relocation remain largely unexplored. This paper investigates the impact of involuntary relocation, experienced by children relocated to Cinnamon Garden settlement and Tea Garden settlement of Galle district, Sri Lake. The paper focuses on (a) what are the impacts children experienced due to forced relocation?, (b) What is the nature of those impacts?, (c) What is the possibility of using a risk model to identify these impacts? Case studies were conducted with a purposively selected sample of individuals whom were relocated as children. The findings suggests that children suffered from social impacts such as disruption of social relationships failing to develop new social networks, decline in education levels and victimized to bullying and discrimination. The study successfully employed the Michael Cernea’s (2000) impoverishments risks and reconstruction to identify key negative and positive impacts of forced relocation, initiating the development of a risk model that can specifically identify the impact of relocation on children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resilient city is a sustainable network of physical systems, constructed urban form, and human communities. Traditional or vernacular built form evolves to achieve higher human comfort by using locally available building materials and construction technology and is more responsive to the geographic conditions. In contrast to the highly bureaucratized building process in modern built form, vernacular architecture is more climate responsive. A typical traditional building of earth emits fewer greenhouse gases, consumes less energy, and maintains a high level of internal thermal comfort. Resilient urban systems must also have resilient communities. Traditional built form results in the creation of social spaces, promotes adherence to socio-cultural value systems and imbibes a feeling of social cohesion. Modern construction techniques, greater energy consumption and the loss of diversity of architectural forms would have significant implications on urban resilience. The paper aims to trace the changing built form in a small settlement of West Bengal and the resultant loss of climate responsive and socially interactive spaces. Based on primary data sources and field observations, the paper also looks into the implications of the loss of such spaces on urban resilience and assesses the perception of the locals who prefer modernization of built form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International collaborations in the context of Disaster Resilience (DR) is pivotal due to several reasons. It helps to propose ways to create more coherent international approaches on disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and resilience strengthening; it helps to enhance risk management capabilities by bridging the gap between science and legal/policy issues; it helps to address the issue of efficient management of trans-boundary crises. The need to optimise international cooperation in relation to resourcing research, capacity building to undertake research and facilitating its uptake is mentioned throughout the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR). Given their different capacities, as well as the linkage between the level of support provided to them and the extent to which they will be able to implement the SFDRR, developing countries require an enhanced provision of means of implementation, including adequate, sustainable and timely resources, through international cooperation and global partnerships for development, and continued international support, so as to strengthen their efforts to reduce disaster risk. The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of engagement of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries in Asia in international collaborations to improve their Research and Innovation (R&I) capacities in DR. Based on a project entitled ASCENT (Advancing Skills Creation and Enhancement), the findings of the paper focuses on three Asian countries, i.e. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Other than an extant literature review, the paper findings are drawn from a questionnaire survey carried out in eight HEIs from the said countries. There are already several regional initiatives that promote collaboration among HEIs towards building resilience. These networks should be supported and encouraged to grow. These global networks should collaborate with existing bodies to ensure that the role of higher education is understood and can be made use of. Findings of this paper supports the need for an enhanced international partnership to improve the science-policy interface in DR and to achieve the objectives of the SFDRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia’s 11 th Five Year Plan (2016-2020) emphasises the need for strengthening of disaster risk management strategies. This is in accordance with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), which calls for substantial global reductions in the occurrence of disasters by 2030. Flooding in Malaysia normally occurs after heavy rains, especially during the monsoon seasons. The resulting floods are increasing in severity because of climate change, to the point where serious flooding is occurring almost every year. The effects of flooding are extensive and widespread all over the country, with consequential loss of life and property. The infrastructure of the Malaysian university sector is not immune from these effects. Recovery to an operational state may be highly problematic, especially if research and teaching infrastructure is damaged. The recovery process may be complex and would be aided by the implementation of strategies leading to improved resilience to flooding, as both processes require co-ordination among many stakeholders. At present, there is an almost total lack of information on flooding recovery strategies improvement in the context of the Malaysian university sector, and this is a matter of some concern. This paper describes potential improvements to apply to Malaysian universities’ current measures for handling the aftermath of flooding. The objective of the paper is to review relevant literatures related to flooding recovery planning in Malaysian universities. The main methodologies used in this study include a literature review and interviews with stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Austrian Climate and Energy (CEM) model regions are facing energy transition towards a greater share of renewable energy sources in the final electricity mix. To guarantee the resilience of the CEM socio-economic and regional systems, an integrated approach towards electricity generation and transmission is necessary. The changing architecture of electricity generation is causing new challenges to the transmission grids to adapt. The cascading risks of existing and emerging risks for electricity transmission grids can lead to power outages and even blackouts. This paper argues about the need of a multi-risk approach towards risk assessment and risk governance for resilience of CEM regional electricity systems. It also discusses a multi-risk governance perspective as a tool to strengthen resilience of urban socio-economic systems against electricity blackouts. Based on extensive dialogue with stakeholders from the CEM regions over the last two years the paper develops recommendations for inclusive and participatory risk governance process. The data collection included contributions of stakeholders from public and private sector, as well as academia and civil society. The analysis of data was done in light of possible stakeholders and public engagement into decision-making processes on risk mitigation measures and strengthening of electricity infrastructure of the CEM regions in Austria for resilience in the process of energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research capacity development is one of the most critical challenges facing HEIs in the Asian countries. Growing the number and quality of researchers is a strategic issue. For academia, developing research capacity can help enhance academic fulfilment as well as provide career advancement. The notion that excellent people are a resource to be treasured has led to increased attention being paid to how to attract, support and retain them, thereby building research capacity. This paper is part of an Erasmus plus co-funded project called ASCENT, which focuses on building the research and innovation capacity (R&I) of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) on disaster resilience related studies. This paper particularly aims at reviewing the current context and gaps in the literature with regards to the indices used to assess the research capacity of the higher education institutions. Qualitative systematic review approach was adopted at the initial stage, followed by three-round Focus Group Discussion with high -level academics from 14 countries in Asia and Europe. Twenty-one Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of HEIs Research and Innovation Capacity were identified, which were grouped into three themes: Structure, System, and Policy; Skills and Training; and Staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilient Health Infrastructure (RHI) is part of MERCY Malaysia’s Building Resilient Communities (BRC) initiative. It is a program focusing on advocating a planned preparation in strengthening hospitals’ in order to respond effectively during disasters as well as fast recovery from the impact of extreme events. Hospital management and its built environment representing building and infrastructure systems within a defined boundary should perform in a predictable manner during and after a hazard event and/or disaster. The failure of hospitals to absorb and accommodate pressures during disasters will cause performance degradation of services and health care of the hospital. This paper will discuss strategic approaches taken to increase the level of resiliency for health infrastructure, with focus on the criteria of robustness, redundancy and rapidity. The study of this paper will share the RHI/BRC initiatives in the investigation of health infrastructure’s (i) robustness through building codes and structure, architecture, planning and zoning; (ii) redundancy through planning and operations; and (iii) rapidity through communication, movement and risk assessment. The case studies conducted in partnership with the Kelantan State Health Department in Malaysia. This study will form a clear understanding of hospital resilience, and help in the understanding of drafting preliminary conceptual framework for a more resilient health infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of war in Iraq are coupled with the susceptibility to natural hazards, which has exposed the people of Iraq to multiple man-made disasters. Despite the fact that terrorists did not have a hold on any part of Iraq before the US invasion, it is generally believed that Iraq contains many terrorists and terrorist organisations. As a result, violence in Iraq has become normalised, ranging from the Iraqi and US military assaults and sectarian militias, threat of suicide bombings, to violent street crime. Because response activities must operate in a constantly changing environment during a disaster, the response operation is complex and need more controlling efforts. Therefore, it is widely agreed that controlling the response to disaster stemming from war operations and terrorism is often considered a difficult stage within the four disaster response management stages: planning, organising, directing, and controlling. This paper is based on an ongoing PhD study. It aims to determine the challenges facing the controlling stage of disaster response management in Iraq with particular reference to war operations and terrorism. This paper adopts a single holistic case study approach, where disaster response management is the unit of analysis. In order to develop a rich and robust data set, a mixed methods approach is utilised based on semi-structured interviews, questionnaire surveys and document analysis. A conceptual content analysis is used to articulate the primary data and this is then analysed in the context of the secondary data. The findings show that disaster response controlling stage faced different challenges such as lack of modern technology and equipment, multiple sources for the decision at the scene, lack of public education, and failure in imposing a proper security cordon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capabilities are required for managing the impact of disasters on the built environment. These capabilities need to be continually improved and there should be a way of assessing them. This paper focuses on the development of a built environment flood resilience capability maturity model for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The study utilised the concept of capability maturity modelling to achieve its aim. The model developed identifies the built environment flood resilience capabilities of MSMEs. This was achieved by identifying relevant capabilities from the literature and mapping accordingly with maturity level characteristics prior to verification and refinement. This paper is limited to the development of the conceptual version of the model. The flood resilience capability maturity model is aimed at providing an assessment, improvement and benchmarking methodology for built environment flood resilience capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of private sector engagement on risk reduction is increasingly mentioned over the last years. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 stresses that the private sector should be a crucial partner in achieving disaster resilience. However, the contribution by the private sector is still rare and mostly undertaken by large multinational firms with just a few positive impacts on the local level. Particularly manufacturing firms are heavily exposed to floods in Indonesia; Jakarta and Semarang are prominent examples. Broader flood risk reduction measures are still insufficiently developed. Therefore, it is argued that firms can reduce the flood risk through collective adaptation measures. We understand collective adaptation as collaborative activities to reduce risks that firms are either initiating or participating together with other firms, the community, NGOs and authorities. Our own research has revealed that particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rarely engage in collective flood adaptation. Based on our findings, this paper examines which circumstances determine the willingness of SMEs to contribute to flood risk reduction. Instruments in order to increase the willingness to collective adaptation are also discussed. Scenario-based experiments with 120 SMEs have been conducted in Jakarta and Semarang. These scenarios contain different risk reduction measures (polder system, river expansion and sensitization program), each with different actors’ constellation of contribution. Comparative logistic regressions have been applied to determine context-specific factors, e.g. risk behavior, firm-specific characteristics or level of flood-proneness that influence the willingness to contribute to flood risk reduction. Overall, the paper provides deeper insights in understanding firms’ engagement in flood risk reduction and gives answers of how firms can be motivated to become an active player on building resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian Ocean Tsunami of Boxing Day, December 2004, caused loss of lives and widespread damage to infrastructure and ecosystems across Indian Ocean States. The massive tsunami rudely awakened Indian Ocean States on the dangers of ‘ocean basin wide’ hazards. It also identified the importance of coastal hazards, vulnerability, risk assessment and management and generated global interest for disaster risk reduction in coastal areas. Over the following decade the member states through regional and international collaboration, planned, designed and commenced operations of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) as a highly successful end to end warning system under UNESCO/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). The objective of this paper is to share this experience, summarising important aspects including policies that had to be adopted, capacity development that had to be undertaken both with respect to technology and institutional development. The paper also describes the measures undertaken to promote institutional coordination, exchange of data and information and vital links of dialogue both on a routine basis and when a hazard is active across a region. It also highlights key learning achievements and good practices. The IOTWMS is certainly larger than the sum of its components and it has been a win-win situation to the all member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) emerged as systematic approaches to reduce the impact of climate change on the built environment. However, post 2015 United Nations (UN) disaster management and emergency policies failed to capture the dynamics of hazards, exposure and vulnerability essential for building urban resilience. As part of an ongoing PhD study, this paper aims to identify common principles for DRM and DRR in the context of urban resilience, towards building coherence between the 2015-2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the built environment and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). The paper adopts a constructivist position to investigate the historical emergence of DRM and DRR in pre-and-post the year 2015. Learning lessons, identifying gaps and future challenges, a correlational study of the three-stage disaster preparedness process of recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction in DRR and DRM is conducted, against the indicators of Target D for the SFDRR, and Goal 11 for the SDGs three main constructs: disaster damage, critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services. The outcomes of this study show the absence of indicators to monitor progress on evolving disasters and underlying risk drivers. A Preparedness Framework is developed in this paper with recommendations to integrate the UN Habitat Urban System Model Approach for urban resilience, and develop risk-resilient DRM and DRR frameworks for sustainable built environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a strategic approach to strengthening research methods skills in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to improve disaster resilience (DR). The findings are based on an initial assessment of the nature, scale and beneficiaries of the research methods training program developed as a part of an ERAMUS+ project called ASCENT (Advancing Skill Creation to ENhance Transformation). This project aims at addressing Research and Innovation (R&I) capacity strengthening for the societal DR. The paper examines what research methods skills are needed to be improved in HEIs in three countries, i.e. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand. This was examined mainly with the use of an online survey questionnaire that was sent to 08 HEIs from these three countries. Altogether 530 responses were received from both the academic and research staff in these institutions. The responses were analysed using version SPSS 23.0 with several analysis techniques such as Mann-Witney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Principal Component Analysis. The research findings revealed that both academic and research staff lack capacity in research methods such as elite interviews, observations, document studies (e.g. secondary data analysis), probabilistic method, interdisciplinary thinking, field experiments, sampling techniques and Delphi studies. The strategic approach to strengthening research methods skills, therefore, focuses on developing a comprehensive and structured research methods training programme encompassing the aforementioned research methods. In addition, several modes of training such as face-to-face, and online training were incorporated in this strategic approach to suit the nature, scale and beneficiaries of the research method training program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]