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The available studies on contingency planning in projects lack an effective method for accurately estimating time contingencies because they (1) do not account for historically unprecedented disruptions, (2) produce estimation errors for low-probability and high-impact events and (3) do not consider the disproportionate impact of disruptive events on project resources. With this in mind, this research posits that the notion of resilience is central to contingency planning because understanding disruptions is directly interconnected with modelling and measuring resilience to disruptions. As a result, a method for estimating time contingency is presented in which resilience is used to describe the disruption and recovery profiles of project activities. The proposed method is applied in a real-life construction project to demonstrate its capability. In addition, a case study from the literature is selected to compare the proposed method with a critical chain project management solution. The results show that an accurate forecast of time contingency requires precise information about the specific impact of a disruptive event on project resources across various stages of disruptions. From a practical standpoint, the proposed method assists project managers and key stakeholders in the delay analysis of disrupted projects, as well as in developing cost-effective resource management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study household credit responses to Hurricane Harvey using new, geographically granular data on credit cards, mortgages, and flooding. Estimates from a differences-in-differences design that exploits the flooding gradient show that affected households only borrow at low-interest rates, often using promotional (zero interest) cards and that they quickly pay down balances. We also document that take-up of forbearance (borrowing by missing mortgage payments without penalty) increases with flooding. These results are attenuated in floodplains, particularly in structures subject by code to physical hardening. Our results indicate that credit acts as a substitute for the lack of physical hardening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relief supply inventories are important in disaster response operations. To address the problem of dead stocks and avoid relief supply expiration, such inventories must be renewed periodically. Different from the traditional shelf-life rotation mechanism (i.e. renewal of the entire inventory at the expiration date), which pays more attention to decreasing the quantity of dead stocks, the novel period rotation mechanism that we design in this study will gradually rotate relief supplies according to their shelf life. We propose a mathematical programming model to minimise the total cost of relief organisations and conduct a case study and analyse the sensitivity of key parameters using real-world data. Results show that our rotation mechanism can substantially reduce the financial burden on relief organisations and improve the quality of relief supplies for victims. The novelty of our study includes: (1) We introduce a new approach that can rotate multiple times, through which we consider the quality of relief supplies; (2) We incorporate recycling and remanufacturing into the rotation process; and (3) We adopt an inductive reasoning method to develop the model with demand and time uncertainties. We prove the feasibility of our model and contributions of our study to humanitarian logistics practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian subcontinent is highly susceptible to natural disasters. To abate the effect of the disasters, the government emanates institutional mechanisms and strategies for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response. Although there is well-established institutional framework in India for disaster management, there is no study that proposes a disaster supply chain structure under the institutional framework and integrates information and digital technologies (IDT) of industry 4.0 within it. The present study overcomes this research gap. It introduces an IDT structure within the institutional framework of India for multi-agency information sharing, coordination and decision making. It formulates a mathematical model and analyses the impact of IDT on the total response time through three scenarios. The results of scenario analysis reveal the significance of IDT on the disaster supply chains and its capability to handle information delays and IDT failure. The present study can be adopted by disaster management institutions to construct and implement better response practices at the operational, planning and strategic levels. Furthermore, the proposed model in the study can be used for vaccination planning, which includes vaccine distribution, monitoring, regulation and effective implmentation as a response against the current pandemic situation caused due to SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk management is an essential component of effective campus recreational sport programming. However, research on risk management policies, procedures, and practices within recreational sports is both limited and outdated. As such, this study provides an overview of current risk management policies, procedures, and practices across North American collegiate recreational sports departments. Specifically, the results emphasize current training practices for both part-time and full-time staff, practices in establishing and updating emergency action plans, and contents covered in emergency action plans. The results suggest that while the vast majority of recreational sport programs have established risk management procedures and engage in risk management training, they diverge in best practices related to emergency action plans and in terms of contents covered in such plans. Applications of these results for practitioners and institutions are emphasized, including discussions around best practices in risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of global warming, the frequency, intensity, and duration of heatwave events have markedly increased, bearing profound implications for both natural ecosystems and human societies. To effectively cope with this challenge, it is imperative to accurately identify and comprehensively assess the risks posed by heatwaves. This study undertakes a systematic approach and robust methodology to assess heatwave risks by leveraging a diverse array of data sources—encompassing remote sensing, statistical analyses. The methodology integrates the risk triangle theory alongside established risk assessment frameworks laid out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Employing a three‐dimensional evaluation framework encompassing hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, we unravel spatial–temporal patterns, high‐risk zones, and dominant dimensions of heatwave risks contributing to potential disasters. Results indicated that during 1999–2008, roughly 27% of the study areas were affected by high and above risk levels of heatwaves, and the areas with high and very high hazard, exposure, and vulnerability accounted for approximately 19.5%, 10%, and 32.5%, respectively. During 2009–2018, the proportion of areas with high and very high risk, hazard, and exposure increased to about 31%, 26%, and 14%, respectively, while the percentage of areas with high and very high vulnerability decreased to about 24.43%. Notably, Xinjiang and the western part of Northwestern China are characterized by hazard‐dominant conditions, while Southern China's risk profile has shifted from 1999–2008 to 2009–2018 from high hazard and vulnerability conditions to a more complex interaction involving hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Moreover, Northern China and the northern segment of Southwestern China exhibit simultaneous high‐risk rankings across hazard, exposure, and vulnerability dimensions, forming a comprehensive high‐risk zone. These findings characterize heatwave risk patterns and offer critical insights for risk management decisions, guiding effective disaster prevention and relief measures to ensure socio‐economic stability and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers an examination of augmented reality (AR)-assisted disaster preparedness guidelines designed to improve public awareness and engagement. Topics include the use of AR to enhance disaster preparedness by incorporating object recognition for environmental hazard identification, a comparison of AR-based guidelines with traditional paper-based ones in terms of usability and task performance, and the findings from testing these interfaces across different age groups.

This study attempted to determine the impact of school disaster risk reduction and management program in public schools in Angono, Rizal for school year 2023 -2024 which served as basis to develop an enhanced contingency plan. The method of research used was the descriptive type of research with the questionnaire as the data gathering instrument. The respondents who rated the nine (9) schools principals, SDRRM coordinators non-teaching personnel, thirty (30) teachers and PTA officers of the nine public school in Angono, Rizal with a total of 442. The findings revealed that the teaching personnel and the SH/DRRMC/NTP respondents rated the impact of Prevention and Mitigation, Preparedness, disaster response and recovery and rehabilitation the grand weighted mean of 3.50and 3.64 respectively with verbal interpretation of strongly agree while the PTA officers -respondents rated the four aspects of grand weighted mean of 3.42 verbally interpreted as agree. Meanwhile, the perceptions of the teaching personnel and the SH/DRRMC/NTP on the challenges encountered on SDRR Program got the grand weighted mean of 3.54 and 3. 65 which interpreted as strongly agree. Meanwhile, PTA officer- respondents rated the four aspects as Agree with grand weighted mean of 3.49. Furthermore, there is a relationship between the impact of disaster risk reduction and management programs as regards preparedness, disaster response and recovery and rehabilitation and the challenges encountered by school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanuatu is located within the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for its intense tectonic activity. The country is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, affecting about 12% of the population and causing an average loss of 42.8% of GDP. Internal displacement of population is one of the elements of the strategy to adapt to the consequences of climate change and natural disasters. This article, based on government documents and legislative acts, examines the national policy of the Republic of Vanuatu on climate change and natural disasters, analyzing it to highlight relevant aspects for Ukraine that, after critical reflection and thorough study, should be considered when developing appropriate legislation in Ukraine. It was found that the basis of this policy consists of the following documents: «National Sustainable Development Plan for 2016-2030», «Vanuatu Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy for 2016-2030», «National Adaptation Program of Action», «Disaster Risk Management Act No. 23 of 2019», «Meteorology, Geological Hazards and Climate Change Act No. 25 of 2016», «Vanuatu's Revised and Enhanced 1ST Nationally Determined Contribution», «National Policy on Climate Change and Disaster-Induced Displacement». From the perspective of legal support for the rights of displaced persons and the regulation of this process, the most important act is the «National Policy on Climate Change and Disaster-Induced Displacement», which ensures the functioning of institutions involved in planning potential emergencies and combating their consequences, in cooperation with the government of Vanuatu to meet the needs of all affected displaced communities and host communities, including different types of displaced persons: controlled displaced, internal migrants, residents of informal settlements, as well as those threatened with displacement. It is noted that displacement occurs in accordance with international law, with mandatory adherence to fundamental human rights. Considering the limited possibilities for population displacement due to the geomorphological structure of the islands of the Republic of Vanuatu, the efforts of the government of the country are concentrated on disaster prevention and climate change control measures. This is the focus of other important foundational documents of national environmental policy, the analysis of which indicates the construction of a successful system of state management of processes, synergy between the public sector and non-governmental organizations involved, and innovative methods of economic reform. The reviewed documents address a wide range of problems caused by climate change, containing solutions that are undoubtedly useful for legislators, politicians, and executive authorities of many countries, including Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disasters occur during unanticipated events, in which immediate responses are needed under the process of rescue and relief operations. Rescuers play an important role during disasters and catastrophes, they ensure that public safety is prioritized. Rescuers deal with various rescue operations, and it was evident that they have faced challenging experiences going through emergencies and disaster responses. Although these duties are essential to the community, they are taxing on rescuers and increase their risk of trauma over time which may lead to poor performance at work, job dissatisfaction, and sleep deprivation. emergencies are unpredictable and cause destructive effects on our society, it has become an important research project in the field of crisis management for the development of scientific coping mechanisms and to improve rescuers' resilience. Psychological distress was experienced during disasters which affected the rescuers emotionally. Given that emergencies are unpredictable and cause destructive effects on our society, it has become an important research project in the field of crisis management for the development of scientific coping mechanisms and to improve rescuers' resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Systematic Review Registration Evidence‐based protocols for managing bleeding emergencies in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are lacking. We conducted a systematic review of treatments for critical bleeding in patients with ITP.We included all study designs and extracted data in aggregate or individually for patients who received one or more interventions and for whom any of the following outcomes were reported: platelet count response, bleeding, disability, or death.We identified 49 eligible studies reporting 112 critical bleed patients with ITP, including 66 children (median age, 10 years), 36 adults (median age, 41.5 years), and 10 patients with unreported age. Patients received corticosteroids (n = 67), IVIG (n = 49), platelet transfusions (n = 41), TPO‐RAs (n = 17), and splenectomy (n = 28) either alone or in combination. Studies reported 29 different treatment combinations, the 5 most common were corticosteroids, platelet transfusion and splenectomy (n = 13), corticosteroids and IVIG (n = 13), or splenectomy alone (n = 13); IVIG alone (n = 11); and corticosteroids, IVIG and TPO‐RA (n = 8). Mortality among patients with critical bleeds in ITP was 30.6% for adults and 19.7% for children.The effects of individual treatments on patient outcomes were uncertain due to very low‐quality evidence. There is a need for a standardized approach to the treatment of ITP critical bleeds.CRD42020161206. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students participating in regular physical activity may be better equipped to respond to disasters due to increased physical fitness and mental resilience. This study assessed the level of physical activity engagement and disaster preparedness among college students, examined the relationship between physical activity engagement and disaster preparedness, and informed interventions to promote healthier lifestyles and effective disaster response on campuses. The descriptive-correlational survey method was employed to investigate demographic profiles, levels of physical activity engagement, and disaster preparedness among college students. Furthermore, the findings showed a significant relationship between physical activity engagement and disaster preparedness among college students. Thus, the researchers recommended future researchers as a reference point, expanding upon its findings through additional studies or exploring different aspects of physical activity engagement and disaster preparedness among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Employment and household responsibility are critical health determinants. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the work and social landscapes in Nevada, USA through closures of workplaces and schools/childcare centers, changing patterns of employment, and household responsibilities. This study aimed to measure changes in employment status and perceived housework responsibilities among Nevada adults in December 2020, before widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in a pandemic-affected economy. Methods: Using a cross-sectional telephone survey of 1,000 Nevada adults, this study compared respondent experiences and perceptions of employment and time spent on housework in December 2020 to pre-pandemic using multinominal logistic, proportional odds, and logistic models. Results: 70.52% of participants experienced no employment change; roughly 24% reported being fired/laid-off, working reduced hours, or quitting. Chi-square analyses found participants of color more likely than Whites to report being fired/laid-off or working reduced hours (p-value = 0.0005), though these findings were not significant in our models. Participants in the lowest income bracket had higher odds of being fired/laid off (p-value = 0.0030), and participants aged 65+ were less likely to experience employment change (p-value<0.0001). 32.43% of participants reported more time spent on housework. Multivariate analyses showed age is significantly associated with changes in both employment status (p-value<0.0001) and housework time (p-value<0.0001); income is a significant factor for employment status change (p-value = 0.0024). Of those reporting their households spent more time on housework, females were 2.90 times (95% CI = 1.66, 5.05, p-value = 0.0002) more likely to report taking on the additional work. Conclusions: Results demonstrate a disproportionate burden in employment change and/or more perceived household responsibilities on lower income and younger respondents, and females reporting they are more likely to take on additional housework. Understanding systemic vulnerabilities related to employment status and household responsibilities is necessary to aid impacted communities and to plan for future emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: Over the last five decades, extreme weather events (EWEs) have made a substantial contribution to the overall climate change impacts in India. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted that India will experience an increase in extreme weather events in the future. The primary aim of the study was to gain insights into India's overall occurrence of EWEs between 1970 and 2019 across different states. Methods: In the present study, data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) spanning the last five decades (1970–2019) was examined to understand how specific EWEs have changed in India over varying regions and time spans. The analysis involved descriptive statistics using heatmaps, and trend analysis using the Mann- Kendall test. Findings: In the past 50 years (1970–2019), around 11,158 EWEs occurred in India. EM-DAT data shows a rise from 4 + events in the 1950s to 20 + in 2018, while IMD data indicates an increase from 50 + events in the 1970s to 400 + in 2019. The event-wise trend analysis of 50 years of data on EWEs in India revealed a consistent increase in the incidence of each EWE. The Mann–Kendall test, conducted to detect trends in EWEs over 50 years revealed a significant upward trend at 1% level for total EWEs, including heat waves, floods, heavy rains, and thunderstorms. Heat map and spatial analysis revealed that significant regions for heat waves include Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand. Cold waves have increased in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Floods, heavy rains, thunderstorms, and lightning are common in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Karnataka. Conclusion: The findings of the study have critical implications for climate resilience strategies and disaster management in India. The increasing frequency and geographical concentration of EWEs call for region-specific preparedness and mitigation plans. By knowing the trends of EWEs and hotspot states through retrospective data records, the Government can proactively plan for future adverse events to prioritize high-risk areas, implementing targeted preparedness and mitigation strategies to prevent significant mortality and morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Location‐based underwater communication applications such as strategic surveillance, disaster prevention, marine research, and mine detection have given the field of underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSN) a head start. Node localization is a prerequisite for accurate data collection, target monitoring, and network management in UWSNs. However, the unique characteristics of the underwater environment, such as signal attenuation, multipath propagation, and variable acoustic properties, pose a major challenge to effective node localization. Accurate sensor node location data is essential for successful underwater data collection, but difficult to achieve as the GPS system cannot be used in an underwater environment. In this paper, existing node localization techniques such as ALS, SLUM, MASL, SLMP, UDB, USP, etc., and recent advances such as the fusion of range‐based and range‐free techniques, the fusion of RSSI and AoA to improve localization accuracy by using directional information in addition to signal strength, and the use of optimization techniques such as PSO, COA, and WOA algorithms to improve the accuracy of the applied node localization algorithm, e.g., TP‐TSFLA, and challenges related to UWSN are discussed. Also, different localization algorithms that affect the accuracy of UWSN localization techniques have been evaluated and compared with NS2 in terms of localization error, localization coverage, energy consumption, and average communication cost metrics. In addition, this paper also provides an up‐to‐date investigation of localization techniques. Finally, the tools available for simulation are presented, followed by open research questions that need to be addressed in the localization of nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWith the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, generative AI has shown broad application prospects and potential in various fields. Frequent emergencies have put forward higher requirements for traditional Emergency Response Decision Support Systems (ERDSS). This paper proposes a theoretical framework of ERDSS based on generative AI (ERDSS-GAI), which deeply integrates generative AI with three stages of emergency response decision-making. The framework aims to leverage the advantages of generative AI in massive data processing, knowledge mining, strategy optimization, and other aspects, thereby enhancing the intelligence level and emergency response capability of ERDSS. The key components and implementation path of ERDSS-GAI are systematically explained from a theoretical perspective, and its application value is analyzed through the case of rainstorm and flood disaster in Shenzhen. This research demonstrates that generative AI can improve the scientific and refined level of emergency response decision-making, providing a theoretical framework and practical insights for its widespread adoption in emergency management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]