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Due to the harmful effects of chlorinated combustion products and strontium in currently used red-burning pyrotechnics on human health and the environment, new substitutes have to be found. A promising alternative could be using lithium-salts. While it is a literature-known problem that the generation of a lithium-based red flame color is a challenging task due to the diverse requirements of the Li(0) color species, a promising alternative could be using lithium-heterocycle salts. In this context, nitrogen-rich lithium tetrazole and bistetrazole salts, namely, lithium tetrazolate, lithium 5-aminotetrazolate, dilithium 5,5’-bistetrazolate dihydrate and dilithium 5,5’-bis(tetrazolate-1-oxide) have been investigated as potential replacements. To evaluate the performance of the salts a variety of mixtures were prepared and their pyrotechnic parameters were analyzed. Furthermore, application-specific pyrotechnic clusters and parachute flares were produced and these were also tested for burning time, dominant wavelength, spectral purity and luminous intensity. Observations on the use of lithiated nitrogen-rich salts in pyrotechnic mixtures showed a red color impression, indicating the potential of these mixtures. Further research opportunities can be pursued by refining nitrogen-rich compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most important air pollutants that can hurt human health. Fireworks are rare but important sources of ambient PM and can therefore lead to short‐term exposure to high concentrations of PM with potentially toxic components. For the first time in the city of Rijeka, Croatia, the characteristics of fireworks PM during 6 celebrations (New Year 2015, 2017, and 2018 and 3 football events in May 2017) were investigated and compared with the average concentrations during the surrounding period. The elemental composition of the PM samples was determined using the X‐ray fluorescence technique, where the concentrations of 15 elements from S to Pb were determined. Although the total PM concentrations were in the range of values previously measured at the same locations, the concentrations of several elements were substantially larger during the fireworks. A significant increase in concentrations was observed for K, Ti, Cr, Cu, Sr, and Ba, with the largest increase in concentration for Sr and Ba. The most noticeable increase in concentrations compared to the seasonal average was observed during the 2018 New Year's sampling when the average 8‐h concentrations were elevated as follows: 11 times for K, 14 times for Ti, 5 times for Cr, 9 times for Cu, 691 times for Sr, and 243 times for Ba. The increase in concentrations at other events where 24‐h samples were taken was present but not as pronounced and was lowest at football celebration events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the results of the concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter, in the PM2.5 and PM10 fractions, acquired by two low-cost sensors. The research was carried out from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, in Palermo, Sicily. The results obtained from two systems equipped with the same sensor model were compared. Excellent linear correlation was observed between the results, with differences in measurements falling within instrumental accuracy. Two instruments equipped with different sensors, models Novasense SDS011 and Plantower PMSA003, were placed at the same site. These were complemented by a weather station to measure meteorological parameters. Upon comparing the atmospheric particulate matter concentrations measured by the two instruments, it was observed that there was a good linear correlation for PM2.5 and a poor linear correlation for PM10. Additionally, the PMSA003 sensor appeared to consistently record higher concentrations than the SDS011 sensor. During periods influenced by natural sources and/or anthropogenic activities at the regional and/or local scale, i.e., the dispersal of Saharan sands, forest fires, and local events using fireworks, abnormal concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter were detected. Despite the inherent limitations in precision and accuracy, both low-cost instruments were able to identify periods with abnormal concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter, regardless of their source or type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellites adopt a single-task observation mode in traditional patterns. Although this mode boasts high imaging accuracy, it is accompanied by a limited number of observed tasks and a low utilization rate of satellite resources. This limitation becomes particularly pronounced when dealing with extensive and densely populated observation task sets because the inherent mobility of satellites often leads to conflicts among numerous tasks. To address this issue, this paper introduces a novel multi-task merging mechanism aimed at enhancing the observation rate of satellites by resolving task conflicts. Initially, this paper presents a task merging method based on the proposed multitask merging mechanism, referred to as the constrained graph (CG) task merging approach. This method can merge tasks while adhering to the minimal requirements specified by users. Subsequently, a multi-satellite merging scheduling model is established based on the combined task set. Considering the satellite combined-task scheduling problem (SCTSP), an enhanced fireworks algorithm (EFWA) is proposed that incorporates the CG task synthesis mechanism. This algorithm incorporates local search strategies and a population disturbance mechanism to enhance both the solution quality and convergence speed. Finally, the efficacy of the CG algorithm was validated through a multitude of simulation experiments. Moreover, the effectiveness of the EFWA is confirmed via extensive comparisons with other algorithms, including the basic ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm, enhanced ant colony optimization (EACO) algorithm, fireworks algorithm (FWA), and EFWA. When the number of tasks in the observation area are dense, such as in the case where the number of tasks is 700, the CG + EFWA (CG is adopted in the task merging stage and EFWA is adopted in the satellite combined-task scheduling stage) method improves observation benefits by 70.35% (compared to CG + EACO, CG is adopted in the task merging stage and EACO is adopted in the satellite combined-task scheduling stage), 78.93% (compared to MS + EFWA, MS is adopted in the task merging stage and EFWA is adopted in the satellite combined-task scheduling stage), and 39.03% (compared to MS + EACO, MS is adopted in the task merging stage and EACO is adopted in the satellite combined-task scheduling stage). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method was developed for the rapid detection of heavy metals in firework solutions with high sensitivity and minimal pretreatment by enriching them with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) reagent and analyzing them using microwave plasma torch mass spectrometry (MPT‐MS). Quantitative results showed that the limits of detection and quantification for heavy metals (Pb, Ba, Sr, and Ag) ranged from 0.05 to 0.25 and 0.38 to 0.71 μg·L−1, respectively. The linear dynamic ranges covered at least two orders of magnitude, with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.99. Fireworks from five regions in China were also analyzed quantitatively, detecting heavy metals including Pb, Ba, Sr, and Ag, with recovery rates ranging from 87.9% to 107.5%. Good separation between the firework samples from different regions was achieved by using element ratios and principal component analysis (PCA). These results from the preliminary study showed that the EDTA‐assisted MPT‐MS combined with PCA is a powerful tool for characterizing firework samples and tracing them back to their sources, which is valuable to effectively regulate and manage banned fireworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers how affects animate and uphold tourism and settler colonialism. Engaging a 'curious' postdisciplinary research methodology informed by the relational power of listening, I trace the emergence of two interrelated atmospheres in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, both of which exemplify how settler colonialism is built and maintained as a structure of feeling that supports larger processes of worldmaking via tourism. In detailing these two atmospheres and their effects, I illuminate the mechanisms and practices through which tourism-related atmospheric infrastructures overtly and covertly contribute to worldmaking; exemplify how settlers might learn to destabilize, disrupt, or diffuse such atmospherics in and through tourism as a practice of unsettling; and expand on the literature detailing how we might research affective, embodied, and atmospheric moments of tourism. I take inspiration from related critical, interventionist, and narrative work in tourism and build on it to suggest that unsettling tourism—or tourism worldmaking—must be oriented toward mediating agencies of worldmaking like light and sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of firework‐associated fear in dogs in Sydney, owner perception of their dog's response to fireworks, perceived efficacy of interventions to manage fearful behaviours and the frequency of dog owners seeking professional advice for these behaviours. Methods: Dog owners in the Greater Sydney area were invited to complete an anonymous online survey. Results: From 387 valid responses, 44.4% (171 of 385) reported their dogs were fearful of fireworks. The most common fear‐related behaviour was seeking an owner or caretaker (120 of 161, 74.5%). Most owners responded by bringing their dog inside or trying to comfort or reassure their dog. Only 22.5% of owners sought professional advice for their dog's fear of fireworks, but of these, 65.5% considered that advice to be effective. Source and breed group were significantly associated with fear of fireworks (P = 0.011, P = 0.036 respectively). Fear of fireworks was also significantly associated with fear of thunder (P < 0.0001), gunshots (P < 0.0001) and vehicles (P = 0.0009). Conclusion: Fear of fireworks and other loud noises negatively impacts canine welfare, yet only a small percentage of owners sought professional advice. There is scope for veterinarians to educate owners and raise awareness about the identification and management of noise‐associated fear and reduce the risk of escalation of fearful behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fireworks play a vital role in festive celebrations and entertainment. These fireworks industries are administered by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur, Government of India. Even though PESO prescribed the standard composition for various fireworks products, concerns persist regarding the potential deviation from these standards, particularly in the pursuit of increased noise levels to attract consumers. This change in the burning and reactive properties of chemicals could potentially lead to accidents and environmental pollution. The current work investigated the combustion characteristics of two unknown market flash powder samples and a PESO standard sample. The samples were openly ignited in a controlled atmosphere, and video recordings of the resulting chemical flames were analyzed to determine fire area, flame intensity, and motion magnitude. The residues were also collected for EDAX and SEM analysis. Fire pixels from video frames are segmented to create a comprehensive database detailing flame area and motion magnitude under different circumstances. From the flame area profile, motion magnitude and SEM/EDAX analysis, it is found that PESO standard sample combustion is better than the unknown flash powder combustion. • Burning flame of fireworks chemicals captured by CCD. • Flame area and volume had been found by Digital Image Processing. • Residue analysis was carried out. • Through flame analysis and residue analysis, fuel properties had been explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addressing the optimal formation obstacle avoidance control problem for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) in environments with unknown and moving obstacles, this paper employs the Modified Fireworks Algorithm based on a Loser Elimination Mechanism (MLoTFWA) and constructs a Distributed Model Predictive Control (DMPC) framework to achieve obstacle avoidance for AUV formations. Initially, a prediction model is established, followed by feedback compensation to mitigate the effects of unknown perturbations. An appropriate fitness function is then formulated, and enhancements such as the loser elimination rule are introduced to optimize the fireworks algorithm. Additionally, the concept of an adaptive DMPC prediction window is proposed to conserve resources. The local and global stability of the DMPC formation control framework is theoretically proven. Simulations verify that the control system based on the DMPC framework ensures safe obstacle avoidance for the formation, maintains formation consistency, and achieves the shortest and smoothest path. The improved fireworks algorithm demonstrates superior performance compared with the original fireworks algorithm and other optimization algorithms. In testing, the improved fireworks algorithm exhibits better adaptability, higher average fitness, and best fitness, along with a significantly faster convergence speed. Compared with the ordinary fireworks algorithm, the convergence speed is reduced by 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine and characterize patterns of injury to the upper extremity caused by fireworks in a nationally representative sample of emergency department patients from 2011 to 2020. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was queried for upper-extremity injuries caused by fireworks between 2011 and 2020. One thousand two hundred fifty-one injuries were identified from the database representing 47,235 national cases that presented to emergency departments in the United States. Case frequency was stable during the period until 2020, which was nearly 70% higher than the previous 9-y average. Patients were generally young and male, with most cases in the 10-29-y age group and males over three times as likely to be injured as females. The most common injury was burn, and the week of July 4th accounted for 53% of cases alone. Diagnosis was also significantly associated with device type. These data can be used to target prevention measures and campaigns to specific patient populations most at risk of injury, specifically young males. They may also be used to highlight the impact of policy changes on availability of fireworks, the need for public health education coinciding with injury incidence peaks, and secondary pandemic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The range of changes in the characteristics of powder mixtures, even of the same brand, expands due to different storage periods and progressive degradation of the powders. The need to simplify the procedure for determining the composition and energy characteristics of the powders used is emphasized. The purpose of simplification is to increase the number of quality control points for incoming charges, bring them closer to combat formations, and reduce the requirements for service personnel. It is proposed to determine the actual composition and energy characteristics of the powder charge based on the library method. This approach requires a large amount of calculations - multiple solutions to the problem of equilibrium conversion of the original powder mixture into combustion products. But these calculations for a given brand of powder are carried out in advance, once and in laboratory conditions. The characteristics of a specific charge sample are determined using library data based on the measured technological parameters of its combustion process - the mass of the burned sample and the temperature of the powder gases. To be able to take into account soot formation and gaseous products of thermal destruction of powder when solving problems for filling the library, the equilibrium model of such a process has been modernized. Instead of partial pressures and concentrations of substances, their mole fractions are considered. The use of partial pressures is convenient when there are only gaseous products. The use of mole fractions made it possible to uniformly take into account the gaseous and condensed phases of combustion products. The modernized calculation model was verified by comparing the obtained results with known data. The need to validate the list of combustion products in each case under consideration was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world has seen an increase in the frequency and severity of elevated outdoor pollution events exacerbated by the rise in distant polluting events (i.e., wildfires). We examined the intersection between indoor and outdoor air quality in an urban area using research-grade sensors to explore PM2.5 infiltration across a variety of pollution events by testing two separate indoor environments within the same building. We confirmed prior work suggesting that indoor environments in buildings are most protective during wintertime inversion events and less so during fireworks and wildfire events. The building indoor environment protectiveness varies notably during different pollution episodes, especially those that have traveled longer distances (e.g., wildfires), and we found evidence of varied infiltration rates across PM2.5 types. Inversion events have the lowest infiltration rates (13–22%), followed by fireworks (53–58%), and wildfires have the highest infiltration rates (62–70%), with distant wildfire events persisting longer and, therefore, infiltrating for greater durations than local-wildfire-related particle matter. The differences in PM infiltration rates were likely due to the combined effects of several factors, including varying particle size, concentration, and chemistry. Subsequently, the local wildfires had different temporal air quality impacts than distant wildfire pollution in this case. Based on these findings, indoor air quality appears more conducive to protective action and policies than outdoor air quality because the built environment may serve to shield individuals from outdoor air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ion chromatographic method and its application have been described to quantify nine cationic components (lithium, sodium, ammonium, methylammonium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium) in pyrotechnics (firecracker and firework) samples. The samples in this study were purchased from local shops in Ternate City, North Maluku. The method performed a mixed eluent with 4 mM HNO3 and 0.015 mM Na2EDTA, combined with a Metrosep C4-150/4.0 separation column for all quantifications. Excellent chromatograms were achieved, and the nine cationic components were eluted in less than 18 min. The calibration graphs of the quantifications were linear in the range of 1.25–37.5 mg L−1. The detection limit (LOD) at S/N = 3 was below 0.098 ppm (mg L−1). This method was applied to the pre-blast and post-blast residues of pyrotechnics samples, and the simultaneous quantification of the nine cationic components in these samples was achieved with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renowned Moors and Christians celebrations held in Alicante (specifically in Villajoyosa), are widely appreciated for their authentic recreations of historical events and battles that took place during the sixteenth century. Moreover, Villajoyosa is famous for its excellent state of conservation of architectonic elements such as walls, facades, watchtowers, churches, or fortifications. However, due to the poor information, these events have been moved to different places to the ones where the original battles happened. Hence, this study presents a practical examination aimed at cataloging and characterizing the impact of pyrotechnics and firing weapons in close proximity to these architectural elements. In order to gather these data, multiple sound‐level meters and accelerometers were strategically positioned on the building. Six arquebusiers fire their weapons to emulate the effect of this festival. Thanks to the obtained results, we have been able to propose some recommendations to move these events to the original emplacement at the time of protecting our heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel Gyro Fireworks Algorithm (GFA) is proposed by simulating the behaviors of gyro fireworks during the display process, which adopts a framework of multi-stage and multiple search strategies. At the beginning of the iteration, the gyro fireworks are full of gunpowder; they move via Lévy flight and spiral rotation, and the sprayed sparks are widely distributed and more balanced, which is an effective global exploration method. In the later iteration stages, due to the consumption of gunpowder, the gyro fireworks gradually undergo aggregation and contraction of spiral rotation, which is conducive to the search group to exploit the local area near the global optimal position. The GFA divides the iterative process into four phases, and each phase adopts a different search strategy, in order to enhance the diversity of the search of the population and to balance the exploration capability of the gyro fireworks search group in the global space and the exploitation of the local space. In order to verify the performance of the GFA, it is compared with the latest algorithms, such as the dandelion optimizer, Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO) algorithm, gray wolf optimizer, slime mold algorithm, whale optimization algorithm, artificial rabbits optimization, in 33 test functions. The experimental results show that the GFA obtains the optimal solution for all algorithms on 76% of the functions, while the second-placed HHO algorithm obtains the optimal solution for all algorithms on only 21% of the functions. Meanwhile, the GFA has an average ranking of 1.8 on the CEC2014 benchmark set and 1.4 on the CEC2019 benchmark set. It verifies that the GFA proposed in this paper has better convergence performance and better robustness than the competing algorithms. Moreover, experiments on challenging engineering optimization problems confirm the superior performance of the GFA over alternative algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major causes of explosion in fireworks industries is self-heating due to decomposition of chemicals during handling. This may be due to the absorption of water from the surrounding air which causes self-heating decomposition while mixed with Aluminium and thus starts to self-ignite. Flash powder is one of the main raw materials for making crackers which contains Potassium nitrate has more hygroscopic effect. In this work, to reduce the hygroscopic effect on Oxidisers, surface modification is done by coating the surfactant over Oxidisers. Spray drier is used to disperse the emulsified Oil in water from Oxidiser. SEM and FTIR images are used to confirm the coating. After coating, thermal analysis, sensitivity tests and flame analysis has been carried out. The results show that coated oxidiser can be used in fireworks industries safely without affecting the quality. The residue was also tested by SEM EDAX to confirm the elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind power has unpredictable, intermittent traits due to meteorological conditions and environmental factors. Large-scale grid integration of wind energy will undoubtedly challenge system stability. This study developed a fireworks algorithmbackpropagation (FWA-BP) neural network model to forecast wind power using wind speed, direction, and power as model inputs. Optimization of the BP network weights and thresholds occurred through the fireworks algorithm. Compared to a standard BP network, the FWA-BP model yielded improved prediction accuracy seen through a lower mean squared error. This implies that the approach introduced in this paper significantly enhances global search capabilities, prediction accuracy, and speed. It contributes to enhancing the reliability of the power system, optimizing resource allocation, and improving wind power scheduling, with substantial potential and economic significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the application of thermite, firstly, the development process is reviewed. Then, guided by practical application problems, the application of thermites in micro energetic devices (such as microigniters and microthrust-ers), energetic agents (such as pyrotechnics, propellants and their additives, primary explosives, and explosive additives), material preparation (including material preparation and synthesis, material welding), and other fields (such assafety devices, microbial killing, metal thermal cutting and oil well plugging) are reviewed. The safety issues (including sensitivity and toxici-ty) in the application of thermites are discussed. The shortcomings of the application of thermites research are summarized, such as the type of thermites with excellent performance are relatively simple, the development of new application scenarios is insufficient, and the safety research of thermite is not deep enough. Finally, the future research direction and development trend of thermite application research are prospected, and the development direction should be to develop new thermite, expand new application fields, and further study the application safety of thermite. With 124 references. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the combustion characteristics and reaction mechanism of luminescent pyrotechnics under sub-atmospheric pressure conditions, low-pressure combustion tests and thermal analysis were performed for magnesium/sodium nitrate pyrotechnics with zero oxygen equilibrium in the pressure range of 1 kPa~101 kPa. The results reveal that when the pressure drops, the flame height rises, and the flame transitions from a steady-state convergent to a turbulent evanescent flame. Reduced oxygen concentration at low pressure reduces the flame's high temperature response zone, as well as burning speed and luminous intensity. Furthermore, both the light intensity and the burning rate comply with Vier's law. The weight loss increased from 16.3% to 36.7% when the pressure was reduced from atmospheric pressure to 1 kPa, the enthalpy change of reaction decreased from 6.75 kJ/g to 2.45 kJ/g, and the characteristic peak of magnesium oxide at 500 nm in the flame spectrum disappeared at 1 kPa, indicating that the reduction of pressure would affect the degree of reaction of pyrotechnics, leading to the decrease of magnesium oxide content and the decrease of heat release. These scientific findings provide useful insights into the low-pressure combustion behavior of pyrotechnics and support the growing demands for military and civilian applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban science plays a pivotal role in understanding the complex interactions between fireworks, air quality, and urban environments. Dense firework smoke worsens air quality and poses a health hazard to the public. In this study, we show a situation where extremely foggy meteorological conditions coincided with intense anthropogenic emissions, including fireworks, in an urban area. For the first time, the chemical composition and sources of non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) in outdoor and indoor air were characterized in Vilnius (Lithuania) using an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) and Positive Matrix Factorization for the period before the fireworks, on New Year's Eve, and after the fireworks in 2020/2021; thus, typical changes were assessed. Due to stagnant weather conditions and increased traffic, the highest concentrations of black carbon (BC) (13.8 μg/m3) were observed before the fireworks display. The contribution of organic (Org) fraction to the total NR-PM1 mass concentration, in the comparison of the values of a typical night and New Year's Eve (from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.), increased from 43% to 70% and from 47% to 60% in outdoor and indoor air, respectively. Biomass-burning organic aerosol (BBOA, 48% (44%)) and hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA, 35% (21%)) dominated the organic fraction indoors and outdoors, respectively. HOA was likely linked to increased traffic during the event, while BBOA may have been related to domestic heating and fireworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shelf life of energetic materials (EMs) (i.e., explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics) is strictly linked to safety and functionality. Therefore, a priori knowledge of this parameter is of paramount importance. The standard method for predicting the shelf life of EMs, the so called multi temperature aging method, is tremendously time and money consuming. Specifically, it consists of massive isothermal accelerated aging tests at temperatures typically between 40 and 80°C for relatively long time periods (from months to years) with different aging time intervals, followed by analysis of the aging-induced changes. A subsequent kinetic analysis with Arrhenius evaluation provides the effective activation energy for calculating shelf life at lower storage temperatures. In this work, a much less time- and resource-intensive approach is presented as a possible alternative for the shelf life prediction of EMs. This approach is based on the kinetic analysis of decomposition data gathered by using thermal analysis techniques, which are usually operated under dynamic (i.e., nonisothermal) conditions and possess the advantage of a rapid reaction process, and requires accelerated aging tests only to validate the kinetics extracted from such data. Results from the literature to support this alternative approach are discussed, with particular emphasis on those obtained by the present authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fireworks are commonly used to celebrate holidays and events with potential to impact livelihoods from blast injuries. This study aims to describe and analyse firework related burns in adults across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Methods: A retrospective review from January 2010 – January 2023 across all ANZ adult burns units. All firework related burn injuries in adults greater than 18 years that attended or were referred to the burns unit were included. Results: There were 173 patients with a firework related burn injury. The male to female ratio was 4.4:1 with the majority representing a younger age group (18–45 years). Men were significantly more likely to have firework related injuries at home and /or outside than women (49.3 % vs 24.2 %, p = 0.009). There were 29 firecrackers, 44 sparklers, and 99 firework burn injuries with significant differences in proportions between states for sparklers and fireworks. The mean TBSA was 4.3 % with significant differences amongst sex (men 4.7 % vs women 2.0 %, p = 0.042) and amongst states. Adequate first aid was reported higher in men than women (61.4 % vs 42.4 %, p = 0.047). Approximately half the injuries were hands and a third of injuries involved more than one body part. The most frequent type of injury was a full thickness burn (39.6 %), followed by mid dermal (24.1 %) and superficial (23.0 %) respectively. Conclusions: Firework related burns have distinct patterns of use and injuries amongst men and women with variations across states. Legislation and prevention are cornerstone to reducing the impact of burn related injuries.

Purpose To report six ocular injury cases caused by unlicensed fireworks and subsequent complications at a level 1 trauma center in the setting of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related shelter-in-place orders. Observations All six cases occurred between March 2020 and July 2020 and involved fireworks of non-official use. A majority of subjects were male between the ages of 17 and 53 years old. Ocular trauma presented as the following: Case 1 is a 17-year-old male who sustained a left-sided corneal abrasion and small intraocular foreign body after a firework exploded in his hand. Case 2 is a 47-year-old male who presented with a right globe rupture after being struck with a projectile from a neighborhood fireworks display. Case 3 is a 36-year-old male with corneal abrasion, traumatic iritis, and commotio retinae after a firework injury in the setting of alcohol use. Case 4 is a 35-year-old male who presented with left lid injury, corneal abrasion, and hyphema after being struck by a firework with evidence of penetrating eye trauma on subsequent exams. Case 5 is a 53-year-old male who developed bilateral subconjunctival hemorrhages and a partial-thickness corneal laceration after a firework exploded in his left hand. Case 6 is a 48-year-old woman who sustained bilateral corneal stromal foreign bodies while cooking after a firework exploded near her vicinity. Conclusions and importance Fireworks are a preventable cause of mortality and long-term ocular morbidity. The index of suspicion for open globe injuries related to fireworks should be high given the mechanism of injury. These presenting cases at a level 1 trauma center and safety net hospital may be an unforeseen by-product of COVID-19 lockdowns. Our findings are relevant to trauma centers and safety net hospitals with large cases of firework injuries. Further initiatives to improve awareness of the dangers of fireworks should be prioritized to limit harms for all community members.

BackgroundThis study aimed to examine the epidemiology of firework-related injuries within a national population between 2012 and 2022, including the severity of injury by year, patient demographics, body region injured, firework type, and diagnosis category of injury.MethodsData were collected from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which is a representative nationwide database that collects data on consumer product-related injuries occurring in the US. Injury rates were calculated based on patient age, sex, body region injured, firework type, and diagnosis category.ResultsA total of 3219 injuries, representing an estimated 122,912 firework-related injuries, were treated in emergency departments within the US from 2012 to 2022. The overall incidence rate of firework-related injuries in the study rose by over 17% from 2012 [2.61 cases per 100,000 people (95% CI 2.03-3.20)] to 2022 and [3.05 cases per 100,000 people (95% CI 2.29-3.80)]. The rate of injuries was highest in adolescents and young adults (age 20-24; 7.13 cases per 100,000 people). Men experienced firework injuries at more than double the rate of women (4.90 versus 2.25 cases per 100,000 people). The upper extremities (41.62%), head/neck (36.40%), and lower extremities (13.78%) were the most commonly injured regions. Over 20% of cases in patients older than 20 were significant injuries requiring hospitalization. Aerial devices (32.11%) and illegal fireworks (21.05%) caused the highest rates of significant injury of any firework type.ConclusionsThe incidence of firework-related injuries has risen over the past decade. Injuries remain the most common among adolescents and young adults. In addition, significant injuries requiring hospitalization occur most often during aerial and illegal firework use. Further targeted sale restrictions, distribution, and manufacturing regulations for high-risk fireworks are required to reduce the incidence of significant injury.

Serous surface papillary borderline ovarian tumor (SSPBOT) is a distinct subtype of serous borderline ovarian tumor characterized by solid tissue deposition confined to the ovarian surface. Because SSPBOT is rare, there are few published reports on the ultrasonographic features of this condition. In this retrospective study, we investigated 12 cases of SSPBOT. Ultrasound imaging of SSPBOT showed grossly normal ovaries that were encased partially or wholly by tumor deposits that were confined to the surface, with clear demarcation between normal ovarian tissue and surrounding tumors. Color Doppler imaging demonstrated the 'fireworks sign' in all cases of SSPBOT, corresponding to an intratumoral vascular bundle originating from the ovarian vessels and supplying hierarchical branching blood flow to the surrounding tumor. No patient with ovarian high‐grade serous carcinoma showed these morphological and Doppler features. In our series, the fireworks sign appeared to be a characteristic feature of SSPBOT that could facilitate correct identification of this tumor. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handwritten character recognition becomes one of the challenging research matters. More studies were presented for recognizing letters of various languages. The availability of Arabic handwritten characters databases was confined. Almost a quarter of a billion people worldwide write and speak Arabic. More historical books and files indicate a vital data set for many Arab nations written in Arabic. Recently, Arabic handwritten character recognition (AHCR) has grabbed the attention and has become a difficult topic for pattern recognition and computer vision (CV). Therefore, this study develops fireworks optimization with the deep learning-based AHCR (FWODL-AHCR) technique. The major intention of the FWODL-AHCR technique is to recognize the distinct handwritten characters in the Arabic language. It initially pre-processes the handwritten images to improve their quality of them. Then, the RetinaNet-based deep convolutional neural network is applied as a feature extractor to produce feature vectors. Next, the deep echo state network (DESN) model is utilized to classify handwritten characters. Finally, the FWO algorithm is exploited as a hyperparameter tuning strategy to boost recognition performance. Various simulations in series were performed to exhibit the enhanced performance of the FWODL-AHCR technique. The comparison study portrayed the supremacy of the FWODL-AHCR technique over other approaches, with 99.91% and 98.94% on Hijja and AHCD datasets, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the multi-machine collaboration of agricultural machinery is one of the international frontiers and a topic of research interest in the field of agricultural equipment. However, the multi-machine cooperative operation of agricultural machinery is mostly limited to the research on task goal planning and cooperative path optimization of a single operation. To address the mentioned shortcomings, this study addresses the problem of multi-machine cooperative operation of fertilizer applicators in fields with different fertility and fertilizer cooperative distribution of fertilizer trucks. The research uses the task allocation method of a multi-machine cooperative operation of applying fertilizer-transporting fertilizer. First, the problems of fertilizer applicator operation and fertilizer truck fertilizer distribution are defined, and the operating time and the distribution distance are used as optimization objectives to construct functions to establish task allocation mathematical models. Second, a Chaos–Cauchy Fireworks Algorithm (CCFWA), which includes a discretized decoding method, a population initialization with a chaotic map, and a Cauchy mutation operation, is developed. Finally, the proposed algorithm is verified by tests in an actual scenario of fertilizer being applied in the test area of Jimo District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province. The results show that compared to the Fireworks Algorithm, Genetic Algorithm, and Particle Swarm Optimization, the proposed CCFWA can address the problem of falling into a local optimum while guaranteeing the convergence speed. Also, the variance of the CCFWA is reduced by more than 48% compared with the other three algorithms. The proposed method can realize multi-machine cooperative operation and precise distribution of seeds and fertilizers for multiple seeding-fertilizer applicators and fertilizer trucks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real world problems in various domains demonstrate different characteristics of changes over time. This is why several researchers have been interested in dynamic optimisation for the last two decades. Since changes occur over time in a dynamic optimisation problem, the goal of a related algorithm becomes tracking the changing optima over time. Evolutionary algorithms and various swarm intelligence techniques have been adapted in the literature to solve dynamic optimisation problems. The Fireworks Algorithm (FWA) is a recently proposed swarm intelligence algorithm for global optimisation of complex static functions that simulates the explosion process of fireworks. Although a set of improvements over the conventional FWA are presented in the literature for the static optimisation problems, the most evident extension is the Enhanced Fireworks Algorithm (EFWA). In this paper, cost effective extensions of the EFWA are proposed for solving dynamic optimisation problems in continuous space. The performance evaluation of our EFWA-based algorithms is validated with the Moving Peaks Benchmark. Empirical studies on different benchmark instances clearly show the applicability of our extensions. Our EFWA-based extensions outperform the related work in terms of both quality of solution and computational cost for a large set of test instances of the benchmark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prevent crowd incidents, it is important to share information among stakeholders from the planning stage of crowd management. However, numerous stakeholders are typically involved in crowd management for events, and it is difficult for each stakeholder to understand and agree on their goals, roles, responsibilities, and plans. Additionally, given the vast number of scenarios, it is also difficult to consolidate plans in an efficient and effective manner. Therefore, we devised the simulation-based agile approach (SBAA) methodology, which is characterized by "collaboration with stakeholders," "responding to plan changes," and "identifying quality requirements for operations through iterative proposals and agreements." The first two characteristics are consistent with the Agile Manifesto, which has proven successful as a software development methodology. We participated in the creating of a crowd control plan for a local fireworks display and put SBAA into practice. The SBAA methodology and the effectiveness of SBAA in practice are discussed herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burning of fireworks damages air quality by causing elevated concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in short periods of time. In this context, the research aimed to compare airborne concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 from fireworks with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline. The applied methodology involved the use of the PRISMA 2020 statement. The literature review was conducted on digital databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, and Ebsco. Annual growth in scientific production was calculated using a digital tool (Calcuvio), and data analysis was performed using Microsoft Office Excel and VOSviewer. The annual growth in production (1999 to 2022) was 18.74%. The highest scientific production per year was concentrated in 2019 and 2020, with China being the leading country. The festivities where sound pressure levels were predominantly measured were during the Spring Festival and Diwali. The most frequently mentioned keywords were "fireworks" and "PM2.5". In conclusion, the percentage of studies that exceeded the NAAQS for PM2.5 and PM10 was 2% and 15%, respectively, while for the WHO guideline, it was only 1% for PM10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively address large-scale optimization problems, this paper proposes an evolutionary dynamic grouping (EDG) based cooperative co-evolution (CC) algorithm. In the proposed algorithm, a novel decomposition method is designed to generate the sub-components of decision variables dynamically. Additionally, an evolutionary search method based on the fireworks search strategy is proposed to enhance the searchability of the algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm is assessed using two benchmark suites, IEEE CEC'2010 and IEEE CEC'2013, as well as a real-world optimization problem, the 0/1 Knapsack Problem (KP). Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves competitive results when compared with other state-of-the-art algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing complexity and difficulty of numerical optimization problems in the real world, many efficient meta-heuristic optimization methods have been proposed to solve these problems. An improved Fireworks Algorithm (FWA) with elitism-based selection and optimal particle guidance strategies (EO-FWA) was proposed to address the limitations of the traditional FWA in terms of optimization accuracy and convergence speed, which not only improves the efficiency of the searching agent but also accelerates its convergence speed. In addition, by adopting boundary-based mapping rules, EO-FWA eliminates the randomness of traditional modulo operation mapping rules, which improves its stability and reliability. Twelve benchmark functions in CEC-BC-2022 are used to test the performance of EO-FWA, and the welded beam design problem is optimized at the end. The results show that EO-FWA exhibits stronger competitiveness than other algorithms in dealing with high-dimensional optimization problems and engineering optimization problem, and it can balance exploitation and exploration effectively so as to prevent the algorithm from falling into local optimal solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyroshock is a large mechanical response with a wide frequency range that occurs instantaneously in a structure owing to the detonation of pyrotechnics or explosives. This response can cause critical damage to the surrounding electronics of aerospace systems. Therefore, designing a structure to prevent damage to electronic equipment from pyroshock is necessary. However, the characteristics of pyroshock change depending on the shape of the structure, boundary conditions, and materials; hence, it must be quantitatively analyzed. In this work, a pyroshock simulator was used for the characteristic study of shock propagation in various structures. A typical aerospace structure is a connected structure that uses rivets or bolts to connect two separate structures. Therefore, a study was conducted using numerical analysis and a shock simulator to characterize the pyroshock propagation in these joint structures. First, numerical analysis and experiments were performed by varying the bolt torque to observe the shock propagation characteristics according to the bolt load. Second, to observe the shock propagation characteristics according to the angle of the joint structure, the responses of 90°, 120°, and 180° joint structures were compared. Third, the characteristics of shock propagation through SUS304 and AL 6061-T6 were compared to observe the change in propagation characteristics due to material change. The results of investigation of the shock propagation characteristics in various structures in this study could be used to mitigate electronic equipment malfunctions due to pyroshock and in designing effective shock-attenuating structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the turn of the year, injuries caused by fireworks occur in Germany every year. According to the professional associations, the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin, for example, treats an average of 50 injuries caused by fireworks on New Year's Eve. Patients come with burns, soft tissue injuries, or fractures; eyes and hands are particularly frequently affected. Again and again, there are also very serious or even fatal injuries. The background is usually the improper or illegal use of larger fireworks. Smaller fireworks such as sparklers, bangers, or smaller rockets are available in Germany in most supermarkets, and their use is permitted from the age of 12 or 18. However, the use of larger fireworks in Germany requires proof of an official permit to handle pyrotechnic objects, which is why they are often acquired abroad. The following report describes such a case. Shortly after the turn of the year 2022, a young man died as a result of an explosive effect on the facial skull after using an illegal firework shell. The case is discussed with regard to the autopsy findings, the possible cause of the accident, and the type of firework used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aspires to show that duende belongs to the sphere of action, rather than solely to that of aesthetics. I depart from Lorca's concept and demonstrate that it dialectically unifies the acts of creation, performance, and reception, and therefore it transforms the aesthetic object to a deed immersed in life and history. Viewed as such, duende affects the way in which the aesthetic field enters the broader system of social institutions, while modifying the paradigm of art as sovereign, championed by the Avant-garde at the beginning of the twentieth century. Drawing on the epistemological debates around imagination, this article posits that duende's aptitude of continuously actualizing the work of art resides in the artistic form: the sound of the voice that sings and is heard, the shape of the body that dances and is felt, the plasticity given to and perceived in volumes, colors, words. This is possible because duende's creación en acto bridges the gulf between two fundamentally different qualities of the aesthetic object: representation and performance. The multidimensional nature of duende facilitates passages from one category to the other, thus giving way to a dialogue that is an inexorable part of the aesthetic experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combustion of mixed homogeneous pyrotechnic compositions and heterogeneous charges is studied experimentally with the aim of producing a selectable wavelength signal flare. The heterogeneous charge was perceived as a mixed color by a distant observer. A model for color chromaticity coordinates of homogeneous mixtures was derived that includes the mass, mass‐based burn rate and luminous intensity ratios of the constituting color compositions. This model can predict the expected dominant wavelength of a mixed composition. It can also handle the spacing of chromaticity coordinates of mixed compositions on a straight line in the CIE diagram between chromaticity coordinates of constituting colors. With two series of color composition mixtures, it was demonstrated that the chromaticity coordinates of the mixtures could be at, or slightly deviate, from the straight line connecting the chromaticity coordinates of the constituting compositions. It indicates there is little to no influence of flame temperature and mutual pyrotechnic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the results of the concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter, in the PM2.5 and PM10 fractions, acquired by two low-cost sensors. The research was carried out from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, in Palermo, Sicily. The results obtained from two systems equipped with the same sensor model were compared. Excellent linear correlation was observed between the results, with differences in measurements falling within instrumental accuracy. Two instruments equipped with different sensors, models Novasense SDS011 and Plantower PMSA003, were placed at the same site. These were complemented by a weather station to measure meteorological parameters. Upon comparing the atmospheric particulate matter concentrations measured by the two instruments, it was observed that there was a good linear correlation for PM2.5 and a poor linear correlation for PM10. Additionally, the PMSA003 sensor appeared to consistently record higher concentrations than the SDS011 sensor. During periods influenced by natural sources and/or anthropogenic activities at the regional and/or local scale, i.e., the dispersal of Saharan sands, forest fires, and local events using fireworks, abnormal concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter were detected. Despite the inherent limitations in precision and accuracy, both low-cost instruments were able to identify periods with abnormal concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter, regardless of their source or type.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review the CT imaging findings of injuries in the head and neck caused by fireworks through a case series. Methods: The imaging database from the University of Chicago Medicine was searched with "fireworks," "firecrackers," and "mortar" as keywords and CT as the imaging modality. Cases without acute CT findings or initial CT scans were excluded. Results: Eighteen cases with acute CT findings of head and neck firework injuries were identified and included. The associated injuries included skull fractures (5, 28%), ocular injuries (7, 39%), soft tissue trauma (18, 100%), retained foreign bodies (8, 44%), and intracranial trauma (2, 11%). Conclusions: Fireworks can cause injuries of varying severity in the head and neck, including blunt and penetrating trauma, that warrant CT evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PMF source analysis was performed by using combined bulk and single-particle data. • Fresh/aged fireworks were identified from biomass burning during Spring Festival. • Fresh fireworks and biomass burning dominate the mass of particles on the LNY 's Eve. • Fresh fireworks contribute more to nitrate while the aged one contributes more to sulfate. Fireworks (FW) could significantly worsen air quality in short term during celebrations. Due to similar tracers with biomass burning (BB), the fast and precise qualification of FW and BB is still challenging. In this study, online bulk and single-particle measurements were combined to investigate the contributions of FW and BB to the overall mass concentrations of PM 2.5 and specific chemical species by positive matrix factorization (PMF) during the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong in February 2013. With combined information, fresh/aged FW (abundant 140K 2 NO 3 + and 213K 3 SO 4 + formed from 113K 2 Cl+ discharged by fresh FW) can be extracted from the fresh/aged BB sources, in addition to the Second Aerosol, Vehicles + Road Dust, and Sea Salt factors. The contributions of FW and BB were investigated during three high particle matter episodes influenced by the pollution transported from the Pearl River Delta region. The fresh BB/FW contributed 39.2% and 19.6% to PM 2.5 during the Lunar Chinese New Year case. However, the contributions of aged FW/BB enhanced in the last two episodes due to the aging process, evidenced by high contributions from secondary aerosols. Generally, the fresh BB/FW showed more significant contributions to nitrate (35.1% and 15.0%, respectively) compared with sulfate (25.1% and 5.9%, respectively) and OC (14.8% and 11.1%, respectively) on average. In comparison, the aged FW contributed more to sulfate (13.4%). Overall, combining online bulk and single-particle measurement data can combine both instruments' advantages and provide a new perspective for applying source apportionment of aerosols using PMF. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fireworks are important elements of celebrations globally, but little is known about their effects on wildlife. The synchronized and extraordinary use of fireworks on New Year's Eve triggers strong flight responses in birds. We used weather radar and systematic bird counts to quantify how flight responses differed across habitats and corresponding bird communities, and determined the distance‐dependence of this relationship. On average, approximately 1000 times as many birds were in flight on New Year's Eve than on other nights. We found that fireworks‐related disturbance decreased with distance, most strongly in the first five kilometers, but overall flight activity remained elevated tenfold at distances up to about 10 km. Communities of large‐bodied species displayed a stronger response than communities of small‐bodied species. Given the pervasive nature of this disturbance, the establishment of large fireworks‐free zones or centralizing fireworks within urban centers could help to mitigate their effects on birds. Conservation action should prioritize avian communities with the most disturbance‐prone, large‐bodied bird species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploding foil initiator (EFI) is a kind of advanced device for initiating explosives, but its function is unstable when it comes to directly igniting pyrotechnics. To solve the problem, this research aims to reveal the ignition mechanism of EFIs directly igniting pyrotechnics. An oscilloscope, a photon Doppler velocimetry, and a plasma spectrum measurement system were employed to obtain information of electric characteristics, impact pressure, and plasma temperature. The results of the electric characteristics and the impact pressure were inconsistent with ignition results. The only thing that the ignition success tests had in common was that their plasma all had a relatively long period of high-temperature duration (HTD). It eventually concludes that the ignition mechanism in this research is the microconvection heat transfer rather than the shock initiation, which differs from that of exploding foil initiators detonating explosives. Furthermore, the methods for evaluating the ignition success of semiconductor bridge initiators are not entirely applicable to the tests mentioned in this paper. The HTD is the critical parameter for judging the ignition success, and it is influenced by two factors: the late time discharge and the energy of the electric explosion. The longer time of the late time discharge and the more energy of the electric explosion, the easier it is to expand the HTD, which improves the probability of the ignition success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firework noise, generated in short bursts, poses health risks. The objective of the research was to compare the sound pressure levels generated by fireworks with the World Health Organization's (WHO) noise guidelines. The methodology employed was the 2020 PRISMA statement. The bibliographic review was conducted using digital databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, and EBSCO. To determine the annual growth of scientific production, a digital tool was utilized, and data analysis was performed with Microsoft Office Excel and VOS viewer. The annual growth of scientific production between 1975 and 2022 was 6.47%. The geographical distribution of studies by year and country was concentrated in 2013 and in India, with 3 and 13 publications, respectively. The festival where the most sound pressure levels were measured was Diwali, with 8 studies. The author with the highest number of citations was Overall K., with 161 citations, and the keyword with the highest number of occurrences was "fireworks" (18 instances). It is concluded that 100% (19) of the studies exceeded the WHO's desirable upper limit value for outdoor noise. This finding is concerning because it directly affects people's health. Consequently, governments should implement strategies to minimize the negative impacts generated by fireworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the launch of JWST and other scheduled missions aimed at probing the distant universe, we are entering a new promising era for high- z astronomy. One of our main goals is the detection of the first population of stars (Population III or Pop III stars), and models suggest that Pop III star formation is allowed well into the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), rendering this an attainable achievement. In this paper, we focus on our chance of detecting massive Pop IIIs at the moment of their death as Pair-Instability Supernovae (PISNe). We estimate the probability of discovering PISNe during the EoR in galaxies with different stellar masses (7.5 ≤ Log(M ⋆/M⊙) ≤ 10.5) from six dustyGadget simulations of 50  h −1 cMpc per side. We further assess the expected number of PISNe in surveys with JWST/NIRCam and Roman/WFI. On average, less than one PISN is expected in all examined JWST fields at z ≃ 8 with Δ z  = 1, and O(1) PISN may be found in a ∼1 deg2 Roman field in the best-case scenario, although different assumptions on the Pop III IMF and/or Pop III star formation efficiency can decrease this number substantially. Including the contribution from unresolved low-mass haloes holds the potential for increased discoveries. JWST/NIRCam and Roman/WFI allow the detection of massive-progenitor (∼250 M⊙) PISNe throughout all the optimal F200W-F356W, F277W-F444W, and F158-F213 colours. PISNe are also pre-dominantly located at the outskirts of their hosting haloes, facilitating the disentangling of underlying stellar emission thanks to the spatial-resolution capabilities of the instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In times of peace and except for terrorist attacks, fatalities by explosions are rare. Fireworks have deadly potential, especially self-made or illegally acquired devices. The use of professional pyrotechnics by untrained persons poses a life-threatening hazard. We present a case of devastating blunt force and blast injuries to the head and chest of a young man. After ignition of a display shell (syn. a real shell or mortar shell) without the use of a launching pipe, the device hit the man's face, nearly simultaneously followed by the explosion of the burst charge. The autopsy revealed injuries to the face and forehead as well as extensive tissue structure damage and a massive contusion with a bloody edema of the lungs. Autopsy results are supplemented with CT imaging and 3D reconstruction of the fractured mid face, as well as histological and toxicological examinations. This case of a misused display shell demonstrates both its devastating destructive potential and the corresponding and rarely observed injury pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]