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Background: Iran is a country with a high rate of natural disasters like earthquake. The environmental conditions slow down the delivery of health services, especially in the event of disasters. The modern technologies such as telemedicine are appropriate for facilitating disaster relief operations after an earthquake. This study aimed to develop a model for the implementation of telemedicine in an earthquake. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out using a mixed-methods research in three phases: 1. Review of the literature; 2. Qualitative study (modeling); and 3. Delphi method (validation of the model). Databases of Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were searched from 1990 to 2019 with the keywords of "telemedicine" AND "disaster" OR "emergency" AND "earthquake". After screening of the retrieved records, 13 articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review study. Ten experts extracted all key elements of telemedicine in the disaster from the articles and categorized them in 6 themes with 38 subthemes. The model of telemedicine in the earthquake was finalized with 2 rounds of Delphi with groups of selected volunteer experts. Results: In the first phase of the study, 6 key themes (telecommunication infrastructure, technical infrastructure, financial infrastructure, health infrastructure, organizational infrastructure, social infrastructure, and cultural infrastructure) with 38 subthemes of telemedicine for implementing in the disaster were obtained. At the conclusion of the third phase of the study, 6 key themes with 33 subthemes contributed to the model of telemedicine in the earthquake. Telecommunication infrastructure with a maximum score of 9.24 earned the priority, and social and cultural infrastructure themes with the minimum score of 7.53 came in the end. Conclusion: The model derived from this study can be used as an applied telemedicine model in an earthquake. We suggest that the results of this study be implemented as a theoretical model, or in a pilot study in a region of the country, and to be evaluated by regarding mortality reduction. We also recommend that a comparative study for using telemedicine in other types of disasters be undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Iran is one of the earthquake-prone countries in the world that have experienced earthquakes with a magnitude of more than seven on the Richter scale, which has caused significant financial, human, economic, and social losses in society. In earthquakes where the vital arterial system is severely damaged, the community's life is threatened and sometimes causes significant damage. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the earthquake on vital arteries and to design a new approach to earthquake crisis management in the classification of vital arteries. Materials and Methods: This study was descriptive applied. The study population consisted of technicians and experts in management and civil engineering in Isfahan Province, Iran. Considering that the study population is 265 people, all of them were studied with the assumption of a confidence interval of 0.95 and an error of 0.05. The study data were collected by a questionnaire. Because of the normality of the data, the data were analyzed with the Pearson correlation coefficient in SPSS software. Results: The results of data analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient test show a significant relationship between the classification of vital arteries based on new structuring with crisis management and its key role in earthquake crisis control. The passive defense was the most important component and the most relevant among effective approaches to managing vital arteries crises. Conclusion: By creating this proposed model of earthquake crisis management, a new classification was made for the system of vital arteries. Also, It provides a proper performance in different situations of before, during, and after social crises. It is also necessary to form a headquarter called the Social Crisis Management Headquarter based on efficient strategies and the necessary implementation and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Iran is an earthquake-prone country, and a considerable rural population lives in earthquake-prone areas. With many worn-out areas, incompetent houses, and relatively underdeveloped rural areas, it is necessary to pay special attention to risk reduction and subsequent measures in these areas. Materials and Methods: Among the current methods, HAZUS is one of the most common methods in estimating potential losses in an earthquake. We used it to calculate the buildings' estimated losses in the earthquake based on the instructions. Because one of the main issues in disaster management is to choose locations for emergency or temporary settlement of population affected by the distracter, this research tries to carry this out based on the derived results from the damage using fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). After reviewing the previous studies and the experts' opinions, the major and minor criteria affecting the selection of temporary settlement locations were identified. Results: Results suggested that using the damage rate of the studied buildings in the studied area and after choosing six priorities in the pilot village of Vaneshan, priority number 1 was chosen as the best option for temporary settlement in this village. Ultimately, the required items for the evacuees were determined by using the standards of supplying the essentials for the evacuees. Conclusion: Regarding the study area, the results of the damage analysis of the area show that the rate of damage with extensive and complete levels in the villages is very high, which leads to a large number of homeless people with the urgent need to provide adequate shelter. This endower requires a lot of money, and the relevant managers should already be thinking about finding financial resources for it. This issue is not only related to the study area and applies to the whole of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After the Kermanshah earthquake on November 12, 2017, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences dispatched a response team to the earthquake-stricken areas. This team provided the affected people with health services for 10 days. This article intends to examine the experience of this team in Kermanshah earthquake-stricken areas. Materials and Methods: After the team's return from Kermanshah, a meeting was held to examine the challenges and review the learned lessons with 60 participants, including authorities and the people who were members of the team. The discussed issues were coded using content analysis. The similar codes were merged, and then categories were extracted. Results: The analysis of discussions led to 9 categories of experiences that included delay in recalling process and its challenges, lack of preparedness, use of the virtual space capacity, lack of proper assessment of the health needs and the estimation of facilities, management experience of the team on the dispatch, shortcomings, and imperfections, managerial challenges, lack of coordination, and setting up of field hospitals without planning. Conclusion: Iran is susceptible to natural disasters, and from time to time, parts of the country are affected by these disasters. One of the priorities in these disasters is people's need for health services. Since health facilities in the area usually encounter problems in these circumstances, other medical universities should provide help and relief. The present experience shows that there are still many challenges that should be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Natural disasters are out of human control, often leading to loss of life and property, and particularly affecting public health. Natural disasters influence human lives in different ways. They may have severe, obvious, or hidden consequences. Therefore, the present study aimed at examining the environmental health condition of the cities affected by 2017 earthquake in Kermanshah Province. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The environmental health experts gathered and analyzed the study data regarding the environment health condition of public places, food safety, solid waste management, types and number of water supplies, number of healthcare facilities and local health centers, etc. Results: According to the results, the lowest and highest number of damaged villages in Kermanshah Province were located in Sarpol-e Zahab (205 villages) and Qasr-e Shirin (29 villages), respectively. In addition, Eslamabad-e Gharb and Salas-e Babajani had the highest and lowest urban and rural populations, respectively. A total of 138564 people were affected by the earthquake. The improved water sources in the affected areas included 51 low-risk water sources, 171 moderate-risk water sources, 2 high-risk water sources, and 0 very high-risk water sources. In addition, 5059 m³ water was chlorinated by the environmental health experts and 1805 households were under the coverage of methoxymethyl chloride. Moreover, public healthcare centers (1059 intact and 605 damaged), 4564 food safety centers (3204 intact and 1360 damaged), and 20 solid waste management centers (16 intact and 4 damaged) were available in the area after the earthquake. Conclusion: Overall, the results indicate that the environmental health activities in the areas affected by the earthquake were adequate in terms of providing healthy drinking water, garbage and wastewater management, distribution of healthy foods, and so on. Thus it can be used as a good model to response the needs of the survivors from the future natural disasters and crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study investigates the impact of the earthquakes that occurred in the first half of the 3rd millennium BCE on Western Anatolian settlements, aiming to determine the dates of the earthquakes that happened during the prehistoric period using the earthquake layers of the settlements and associated C14 data. The focus of the paper is the investigation of the effects of two earthquakes that occurred in the region during the first half of the 3rd millennium BCE on the settlements of the region. The first earthquake occurred around 2800 BCE and damaged settlements in the area of İzmir. Evidence of this damage is provided by traces of fire and destruction in the archaeological layers. In addition to the building materials and techniques of the period, the common use of side walls of buildings 25 m in length and their construction in blocks increased the destructive effects of earthquakes. In the wake of earthquakes, some structural changes were made, and the masons of the period tried to take measures against earthquakes by using new construction techniques. The earthquakes of the first quarter of the 3rd millennium BCE may have caused political turmoil in Western Anatolia, as they had the potential to create social unrest. The earthquakes that hit the İzmir region in the first half of the 3rd millennium BCE led to the abandonment of settlements, a reduction in the sizes of settlements, or changes in social organisation. In this paper, the earthquake layers of Bakla Tepe and Liman Tepe, which contain the oldest archaeological earthquake remains found to date in Western Anatolia, are analysed in detail for the first time. Highlighting the importance of archaeological data, this paper also offers new perspectives for understanding the profound and permanent impacts that natural disasters had on ancient societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of implementing a psychological first aid intervention for psychological distress, resilience capacity, quality and meaning of life among survivors affected by earthquake adversity in Northern Syria. Methods: A quasi‐experimental, pre‐posttest, two‐group research design was utilized. A convenience sample of 95 survivors (46 in the study group and 49 in the control group) was recruited for the psychological First Aid intervention at a 1:1 ratio. The psychological first aid intervention was delivered in 10 sessions, twice weekly, followed by 3‐month follow‐up. Results: A statistically significant improvement in the mean scores of resilience capacity, quality and meaning of life among survivors, along with a significant reduction in psychological distress, was registered among the study group compared with the control group. Conclusion: Our work verified the suitability of implementing psychological first aid following the catastrophic temblors which struck Northern Syria. Given that the psychological first aid intervention is grounded in psychological safety, cognitive reframing, mobilization of social support and installation of hope, the feasibility of its path following public health emergency, traumatic events or even a personal crisis can be favourable. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? On 6 February 2023, a massive earthquake devastated large portions of war‐torn northwest Syria and southern Turkey, leaving millions in these regions battling to reconstruct their lives.In northwest Syria, strong aftershocks left more than 4500 people dead, injured hundreds more and demolished at least 10 000 structures.Disasters such as earthquakes can have a significant impact on the mental health and well‐being of those affected. Survivors may experience high levels of psychological distress and other negative mental health recovery outcomes.There is a need for psychologically supportive interventions such as the psychological first aid intervention to help survivors cope with the aftermath of such disasters.What this paper adds? A statistically significant improvement in the mean scores of resilience capacity, quality and meaning of life among survivors, along with a significant reduction in psychological distress, was registered among the study group compared to the control group.Our work verified the suitability of implementing the psychological first aid intervention following the catastrophic temblors which struck Northern Syria.The implications of this paper: Being ready for disasters is critical; health care professionals, including nurses, are one of the most frequently requested actors in disaster interventions.Nurses are an indispensable part in ascertaining the psychological repercussions of disasters on survivors, families and communities.Due to their training and professional experience, nurses can take the lead in reducing health‐threatening risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquakes are major catastrophes that cause great life and economic losses to human society and environment. This paper reviews and synthesizes relevant studies, drawing from a systematic examination of 4229 articles from the Web of Science core collection (1982--2023). Employing the CiteSpace visualization and analysis tool, current research and emerging trends in seismic risk assessment are discussed and analyzed. This paper provides a holistic overview of principal contributions, knowledge sources, interdisciplinary characteristics, and principal research topics in this field. Additionally, we propose key technologies that are in urgent need of enhancement, including data availability, quantity and quality of data, interpretability of machine learning models, performance improvement of machine learning methods and application of foundation models, as well as real-time risk assessment techniques. These insights support both theoretical understanding and practical applications of seismic risk assessment and damage analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the first results of the application of an innovative methodology for the development of a walkability overall index for urban street infrastructure, aimed at the application of urban design techniques to improve the urban form and its use by pedestrians. The general objective of the research is to identify the performance of the current city walkable network, to structure public policies and strategies consistent with it aimed at rebalancing settlements and infrastructure, and above all at the development of active mobility. The methodology defined integrates three approaches on walkability analysis: geometric–morphological, proximity, and sociality. In this paper, the analysis process related to the geometric–morphological component and partly to that of proximity will be described. It will be applied to the case study of the city of L'Aquila (Italy), a city undergoing reconstruction after the 2009 earthquake. From the first results of the application of the methodology to the case study, it emerges that the urban area analyzed is not capable of hosting walkable infrastructures unless urban design interventions are aimed at structuring an efficient network of pedestrian paths. In the future development of the study, it is expected to conclude the analysis of the proximity and social components, the other two groups of analysis considerations for walkability, which will complete the experimentation of the general methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every year many earthquakes occurs around the world and some of them are highly destructive. Therefore, the study of the vulnerable areas to the earthquakes seems crucial. Current paper presents a novel method for the assessment of areas, which are prone to the earthquakes, using relative tectonic activity index (IAT). IAT is calculated via six morphometric indices, including Asymmetry factor, Mountain Front Sinuosity, Valley Floor width, Hypsometric Integral, Average of Channel Mean Slope and Drainage Basin Shape. Every index has some limits to show the magnitude of tectonic activity and sometimes they are not clear enough and need a reliable and accurate scoring method to reduce the uncertainty of the calculation results. Morphometric Indices, as the key factors in determining the tectonics situation of an area, were analyzed via fuzzy inference system to improve the accuracy of decision making in the IAT calculation, as the suggested method in present paper for the earthquake vulnerability assessment. Torbat-e-Jam basin was selected as a case of paper to operate the proposed method. Results showed that about 0.87 percent of paper area has the high IAT and is high risk of earthquake, consequently. About 82.47 and 16.66 percent of paper are determined as the moderate and low IAT, respectively. The map of the earthquake intensity of the paper area was plotted, afterwards, to check whether the results of presented method are reliable, and it approved that. The above method, thus, is applicable in those areas, which do not have enough seismologic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake death tolls are a basic statistical measure of the capability of a country to manage seismic risk. The extremely high Turkish death toll of 50,000 from the Kahramanmaras earthquake doublet of 6 February 2023 is the product of a cascade of detrimental factors. These need to be explained if lessons from this disaster are to be learned. This is the purpose and objective of this paper, which is a contribution to the interdisciplinary Frontiers research topic on integrated perspectives on the 2023 Turkey and Syria earthquakes: advancing understanding and preparedness across earth sciences, engineering and public health. This paper covers these three disciplines by focusing on casualties, and identifying crucial aspects of earth sciences and engineering which contributed to the high death toll. First, there was a surprising combination of multiple fault segment ruptures, and a high level of ground motion relative to the risk-based Turkish code, indicative of the under-representation of the M7.5+ earthquake doublet event in the national probabilistic seismic hazard model. This combination of fault segment ruptures was missing from all seismic source models. Furthermore, the capability of buildings to cope with strong ground motion was much reduced by informal construction methods, which eroded the margin of safety needed to avoid building collapse. The extent of building code non-compliance was widely underestimated in seismic risk models. Noncompliance is often hard to identify, but construction amnesties make noncompliance more transparent and trackable. The disastrous outcome of the Kahramanmaras earthquake doublet of 6 February 2023 has drawn global attention to systemic building code non-compliance, and the open official acceptance of informal housing. To demonstrate that this key systemic risk is far from being just a Turkish problem, notably in Istanbul, the challenge of Italian informal housing is highlighted within the context of international building code non-compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing concerns about seismic events enforced structural engineers and architects to embrace the hazardous effect of ground motion in design. To address this, researchers have developed various base isolation (BI) techniques. This study comprehensively reviews BI system types, techniques, and implementation. Exploring the dynamic response of three-dimensional BI devices and the mutual effects of isolation devices and soil-structure interaction during strong ground motion, the paper covers topics such as seismic isolation of nuclear power plants, cost analysis, and various optimization techniques. Furthermore, the paper investigates the behavior of isolation devices in beyond-design events, including blast and aircraft impact loading. In general, the seismic isolation and control device response is demonstrated through shaking table tests and computational analysis. The study sheds light on the functions of seismic isolation system by comparing them with fixed base structures. Additionally, the paper presents codal recommendations, recent advancements, and current practices, aligning them with historical developments and past reviews of different BI techniques, along with their advantages and disadvantages. In conclusion, the closing remarks emphasize the future research prospects in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquakes are catastrophic natural disasters, and the built environment requires a quick recovery after such events. Estimating the loss from an earthquake can be complex as unique factors, in addition to conventional repair work, that need to be considered during the postperiod stage. Previous research has been able to identify 11 factors that impact the postearthquake cost estimation for the earthquake damage repair work (CEEDRW) process. Current loss estimation methods such as PACT, SLAT, and SP3 do not incorporate the impact of all these factors. This paper identifies the factors that impact different stages of traditional CEEDRW: precontract estimates, estimates during repair work, and cost calculations after construction. Discussion around methods to adopt these modeling factors into CEEDRW is also presented. A two-stage data collection method was adopted for this paper. Data were collected through semistructured interviews using 19 participants and a questionnaire survey using 92 participants who have experience in the CEEDRW process. The interview data analysis emphasized the usage of 11 factors at the three stages of estimation. Furthermore, survey results identified the most suitable methods of incorporating each factor in CEEDRW. Existing estimation tools used for CEEDRW do not consider a number of factors. This paper suggests the most suitable methods of considering these into an estimation tool that aims to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the CEEDRW process. The methods identified in this paper can be used in developing more reliable future cost estimation models used to determine postearthquake damage repair work. The data were collected from professionals who are experienced in housing repair work in New Zealand. The results vary for other types of geographic regions and construction methods. Currently used postearthquake cost estimation processes for earthquake damage repair work have a lot of drawbacks. To achieve the final aim of developing a standard postearthquake cost estimation model for earthquake damage repair work that is more accurate and faster than current ones, this research achieved one of the objectives of identifying methods that can be used to mitigate problems of the current cost estimation process. The research identifies methods that can be used to include factors that were not fully considered in current postearthquake cost estimation processes. The results of the research will help with increasing the accuracy of the upgraded model. The next step in this process is the develop the upgraded standard postearthquake cost estimation model for earthquake damage repair work. Even with the current findings, cost estimators, builders, and insurance agencies can improve their cost estimation process by including the impact of the factors through the suggested methods. Governments can implement changes to standard construction contracts and policies so that the construction industry can positively manage the cost-varying dynamics of earthquake damage repair work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of seismic resilience has been introduced in the design of buildings in the last decade. In this regard, the delay time may be defined as the time that occurs between the event and the moment the repair process begins. In the literature, only a few contributions have considered delay time, and even its definition is still under discussion. However, it is a key parameter in the assessment of resilience after earthquakes since it may significantly increase the total time after which a structure may be considered recovered. The principle at the base of the paper is that seismic structural health monitoring (S2HM) may play a significant role in reducing the delay time. Therefore, delay time needs to be considered since it may significantly reduce the seismic resilience of structural systems. The paper aims to consider this important issue demonstrating the relationship between S2HM and the assessment of the seismic resilience of buildings. In particular, the assumption herein is that the accuracy of the S2HM may be described with different levels, and in correspondence with these levels, certain values of the delay time may be considered. In addition, the delay time is considered as a percentage of the total repair time. A multidimensional definition that includes the accuracy of S2HM in the description of the delay time is herein proposed to be included in methodologies that aim to assess seismic resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method to reduce seismogram variability as a determining factor in its interpretation, processing, and clustering. By introducing the concept of single fluctuations (SFs), the seismogram can be parsed into a sequence of random impulses with subsequent ordering. This rearrangement of SFs, if they are assigned by positive integers, represents the formal mapping of a regular string of integers into a random one, which can be represented with a bipartite random graph (bigraph). Due to its specific randomness, such a bigraph is considered a new type of random balanced bigraph. The R-envelope and RQ-envelope, its equidistant version, are defined by tracing the peak envelope over ordered SFs. The equivalence and complementariness of the RQ and bigraph are considered and discussed, forming a combined characteristic of the seismogram. The R/RQ provided a considerable reduction in seismogram variability, which was confirmed by creating and analyzing an ensemble of RQ from several seismograms. In the RQ domain, distance is defined as a possible basis for metrics and clustering, but the ensemble variability was quite narrow and not as suitable for this purpose. Otherwise, the ensemble shows high redundancy hidden in the seismogram population. As for the bigraph, the mesh of its edges is structuralized in bundles, forming a skeleton, which reflects the internal structural content of the seismogram. The distance over the domain of bigraphs is proposed to show the possibility of clustering. This means that only a combined RQ and bigraph provides a suitable frame for seismogram representation with reduced variability and, thus, the potential for more effectively organizing seismic databases and a deeper interpretation of seismograms; therefore, RQs and bigraphs can be considered as a transform of a seismogram. Many aspects of these concepts are thoroughly discussed. The similarity between concepts of SF and wavelets is briefly considered. This very complex theme is new and promises broad further research. All issues considered in the paper are abundantly illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]