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The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the February 6, 2023, earthquakes in Turkey and recurrent aftershocks on balance and post-traumatic stress in surviving victims. Our study included 1004 participants aged 18–65 years who were exposed to the February 6 earthquakes and aftershocks in Turkey. After obtaining online consent from all participants, the Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS), the Dizziness Handicap Index (DHI), and the Posttraumatic Post-Traumatic Disorder Checklist Scale (PCL-5) were administered online, and the interactions between the variable sets were examined using a correlational screening model. As a result of the structural equation model established with the observed variables, it was found that VSS total scores had a statistically significant positive effect on PCL-5 (β1 = 0.56; p = 0.001 < 0.05). In addition, statistically significant positive high-level correlations were found between VSS and DHI (cov VSS-DHI = 0.71), and a positive low level correlation with the number of days with dizziness (cov VSS-number of days with dizziness = 0.34), and a positive low level correlation with frequency of days with dizziness (cov VSS-frequency of days with dizziness = 0.37). A statistically significant positive low-level relationship was found between DHI and the number of days with dizziness (cov DHI-number of days with dizziness = 0.34) and a positive low-level correlation between DHI and the frequency of days with dizziness (cov DHI-frequency of days with dizziness = 0.29). The structural equation modeling analysis showed that post-traumatic stress disorder had a significant effect on balance and dizziness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major earthquake occurred in Syria and Turkey on the 6th of February 2023. As part of the humanitarian response, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNAF) team was tasked to evacuate earthquake victims from the Kahramanmara&#351, region in Turkey. The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic characteristics and medical conditions of the earthquake victims who were transported during the aeromedical evacuation by RNAF C130 aircraft in February 2023. We retrospectively analyzed the transport records and other documents relating to 247 earthquake victims, 98 of whom were patients, including demographic data, symptoms, diagnoses, injury areas and survival. The mean age of the earthquake victims transported was 43.13 ± 19 years, the youngest passenger was 14 months-of-age and the oldest was 90 years-of-age. Of these, 98 (39.7%) were patients, 118 (47.8%) were relatives of patients, and 31 (12.6%) were health care and military personnel who were being relocated from the region. The majority of the transported patients (n = 72, 73.5%) had extremity injuries. The most frequent intervention applied to the patients was analgesia (n = 111, 11.2%). No deaths occurred during transfer and for the following three-month period. This study, the first from Turkey, analyzed the aeromedical evacuation of victims from the 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkey. In order to prepare for aeromedical evacuation flights in the future, training exercises should be conducted, a communication plan should be developed, an in-flight patient placement plan should be prepared, and a special team of personnel should be formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) decorrelation that creates great challenges to phase unwrapping has been a critical issue for mapping large earthquake deformation. Some studies have proposed a 'remove-and-return model' solution to tackle this problem, but it has not been fully validated yet, and therefore has rarely been applied to real earthquake scenarios. In this study, we use the 2023 M w 7.8 and 7.6 earthquake doublet in Turkey and Syria as a case example to develop an iterative modelling method for InSAR-based coseismic mapping. We first derive surface deformation fields using Sentinel-1 offset tracking and Sentinel-2 optical image correlation, and invert them for an initial coseismic slip model, based on which we simulate InSAR coseismic phase measurements. We then remove the simulated phase from the actual Sentinel-1 phase and conduct unwrapping. The simulated phase is added back to the unwrapped phase to produce the final phase measurements. Comparing to the commonly used unwrapping method, our proposed approach can significantly improve coherence and reduce phase gradients, enabling accurate InSAR measurements. Combining InSAR, offset tracking and optical image correlation, we implement a joint inversion to obtain an optimal coseismic slip model. Our model shows that slip on the Çardak Fault is concentrated on a ∼100 km segment; to both ends, slip suddenly diminished. On the contrary, rupture on the East Anatolian Fault Zone propagated much longer as its geometry is fairly smooth. The iterative coseismic modelling method is proven efficient and can be easily applied to other continental earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identifying healthcare services and also strengthening the healthcare systems to effectively deliver them in the aftermath of large-scale disasters like the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, especially for vulnerable groups cannot be emphasized enough. This study aimed at identifying the interventions undertaken or proposed for addressing the health needs or challenges of vulnerable groups immediately after the occurrence of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, as well as for prioritizing their healthcare service delivery in the post-Turkey-Syria earthquake. Methods: In this scoping review compiled with the five steps of the Arksey and O'Malley framework, five databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, OVID, and Google Scholar, were searched for studies published between March and April 2023 in line with the eligibility criteria. Interventions for enhancing post-earthquake healthcare services (PEHS) were grouped into seven (7) categories, adopted from previous guidelines and studies. Each one was assigned a default score of a value equal to one (1), which, in the end, was summed up. Results: Of the 115 total records initially screened, 29 articles were eligible for review. Different interventions they reported either undertaken or proposed to address the healthcare needs and challenges, especially faced by the most vulnerable groups in the aftermath of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, were categorized into 7 PEHS. They were ranked with their scores as follows: humanitarian health relief (25); medical care (17); mental health and psychosocial support (10); health promotion, education, and awareness (9); disease surveillance and prevention (7); disability rehabilitation (7); and sexual and reproductive health (5). Conclusion: Since there are no proper guidelines or recommendations about the specific or most significant PEHS to prioritize for vulnerable groups after the occurrence of large-scale earthquakes, this scoping review provides some insights that can help inform healthcare service delivery and prioritization for vulnerable groups in the post-2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes and other similar disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The February 2023 Turkey‐Syria Earthquake doublet ruptured multiple segments of the East Anatolian Fault (EAF) Zone. Dominating seismicity focal mechanism shifted dramatically from strike‐slip to normal‐faulting after the doublet. To better understand this shift, here we derived a comprehensive 3D co‐seismic displacement field and performed the stress analysis. Abundant space geodetic data were used to generate high‐resolution 3D surface displacement, which provide tight constraints on fault geometry, slip distribution and stress field. Together with stress inversion from aftershock focal mechanisms, we show that the principal stress direction rotation in the region with the most normal‐faulting aftershocks is the staggering 29°. The induced heterogenous stress may explain the shift of the dominant focal mechanism toward normal faulting. We suggest that the extensional horsetail splay faults, likely formed through geologic time scale related to the releasing bend on the EAF, are the hosts of most of the normal faulting aftershocks. Plain Language Summary: Sudden dislocation of two sides of a fault, or the rupture of rocks, produces an earthquake. The dislocation direction relative to the fault traces reflects the direction of stress that are responsible for the earthquake. When dislocation direction is parallel to the fault strike, the earthquake is termed as strike‐slip type, and termed as normal‐faulting type when they are perpendicular. A remarkable feature for the 2023 Turkey‐Syria Mw7.8 & 7.7 earthquake doublet is that, background seismicity shifted dramatically from strike‐slip to normal type of faulting after the doublet. To unravel the physical process resulted in this feature, we use space geodetic measurements to derive the surface displacements and stress field associated with the doublet. The derived stress field shows a staggering 29° rotation occurred in a horsetail splay fault structure where many normal‐faulting earthquakes happened. The large stress rotation indicates the doublet released considerable stress and may result in a heterogeneous stress field due to the stress change. The combination of the identified horsetail structure and stress rotation can help better explain the occurrence of pervasive normal‐faulting earthquakes. Key Points: We map the 3D displacements, slip distribution, and stress fields related to the 2023 Turkey‐Syria Earthquake doubletDramatic stress rotation occurred after the Earthquake doublet, up to 29°Stress rotation and horsetail splay fault structure are potentially responsible for normal‐faulting aftershocks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial for a special issue of the journal Remote Sensing, which focuses on using satellite data and new methodologies to understand the preparatory phase of medium-large earthquakes. The issue includes 15 papers from authors in various countries, covering topics such as seismo-electromagnetic processes, lithospheric structure, atmospheric anomalies, ionospheric disturbances, and interactions between the lithosphere, atmosphere, and ionosphere. The editorial emphasizes the need for further research to explain the different patterns observed in earthquakes and the potential role of tectonic settings and water in these phenomena. Additionally, there is an acknowledgment section from a research paper published in the journal, expressing gratitude to the academic editors who helped evaluate the papers in the special issue. [Extracted from the article]

Large earthquakes can trigger smaller seismic events, even at significant distances. The process of earthquake triggering offers valuable insights into the evolution of local stress states, deepening our understanding of the mechanisms of earthquake nucleation. However, our ability to detect these triggered events is limited by the quality and spatial density of local seismometers, posing significant challenges if the triggered event is hidden in the signal of a nearby larger earthquake. Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) has the potential to enhance the monitoring capability of triggered earthquakes through its high spatial sampling and large spatial coverage. Here, we report on an uncatalogued magnitude (M) 5.1 event in northeast Turkey, which was likely dynamically and instantaneously triggered by the 2023 M7.8 earthquake in southeast Turkey, located 400 km away. This event was initially discovered on ∼1,100 km of active DAS recordings that are part of an 1,850‐km linear array. Subsequent validation using local seismometers confirmed the event's precise time, location, and magnitude. Interestingly, this dynamically triggered event exhibited precursory signals preceding its P arrivals on the nearby seismometers. It can be interpreted as the signal from other nearby, uncatalogued, smaller triggered events. Our results highlight the potential of high‐spatial‐density DAS in enhancing the local‐scale detection and the detailed analysis of earthquake triggering. Plain Language Summary: Large earthquakes can trigger smaller ones even far away. This helps us understand more about how earthquakes start and develop. However, finding these smaller earthquakes can be difficult as sometimes they are hidden in the chaos of a bigger, nearby earthquake. There is a novel technology called Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) that might help. DAS can listen for earthquakes over large areas and gives a more detailed picture of what's happening underground. In this study, we discovered a moderate‐size earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 in Northeast Turkey that was triggered by a large earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 in Southeast Turkey, using a DAS system that stretched over a thousand kilometers. We then checked this finding with conventional seismometers to be sure. Interestingly, this triggered earthquake showed precursory signals before its main shaking started, which could be signs of other smaller earthquakes happening nearby. Our findings deepen our understanding of how earthquakes interact with each other and offer insights into how earthquakes start. Our results also suggest that DAS could help us find and understand these triggered earthquakes, providing us with invaluable information for future seismology studies. Key Points: We find an uncatalogued M5.1 earthquake in NE Turkey dynamically and instantaneously triggered by the 2023 Mw 7.8 SE Turkey earthquakeWe uncover this event on a thousand‐kilometer linear distributed acoustic sensing array, then confirm its precise time, location, and magnitude with seismometersPrecursory signals of the M5.1 event are observed and are most likely resulting from other nearby events rather than its nucleation phase [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The February 6, 2023, Turkey earthquake with a moment magnitude (Mw=7.8) will be recognized as one of the most powerful earthquakes to strike a large metropolitan area in recent memory. This quake occurred in southern Turkey near the northern border of Syria along the southern western branch of the East Anatolian Fault (EAF). This major event was followed by numerous significant aftershocks, with 14,107 earthquakes occurring as of March 5, 2023. Preliminary data analysis in this study of aftershocks a month after the main earthquake (Mw=7.8) implies that the majority of the aftershock sequence was focused near the epicenter of the main shock displaced numerous fault segments within the EAF zone and can have indirect effects on neighboring fault systems. As a result, notable earthquake activity was observed along the northern section of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. According to statistical seismological analysis, 81% of aftershocks with magnitudes less than 3 occurred after the main shock, while 38 aftershocks with magnitudes 5 or greater occurred within the first 6 days, which includes 7.5 and 6.8 magnitude shocks. The depth distribution of the large main shocks and the aftershocks was located at shallower crustal depth. The aftershock sequence is mostly distributed in the first 15 km of the earth's crust, with significant occurrences occurring between 5 and 19 km deep. The expected aftershock scenario of such a large earthquake is to continue for several months or longer, possibly years. The interaction of the EAF and the DST fault is strongly recommended as an important research issue since it may well provide insights into the general tectonic activity and assist in better predicting future earthquakes in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional visual inspection technique for damage assessment of buildings immediately after an earthquake can be time‐consuming, labor‐intensive, and risky. Numerous studies have been carried out using deep learning techniques, particularly convolutional neural network (CNN), to evaluate the damage to building structures after an earthquake using buildings' damage images. Quantum computing, on the other hand, is a computing environment that can exploit superposition and entanglement, which are not available in classical computing environments, to achieve higher performance using parallelism between qubits. This paper presents a novel quantum CNN (QCNN) approach to detect damage to reinforced concrete (RC) buildings from images after the earthquake. The QCNN model is developed and trained using the RC building damaged images collected from past earthquakes. The performance of this model is evaluated based on the multiclass damage detection ability of the real‐world RC building damaged images collected from the recent earthquake in Turkey in February 2023. Furthermore, the seismic damage detection accuracy obtained from the QCNN model is compared with various CNN architecture results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to obtain the viable parameters of base isolation systems that are utilized in buildings with seismic isolation and specially located in Turkey. To provide a more accurate representation of real-world scenarios, the study accounts for severe ground motion records simultaneously during the dynamic response analysis of the structure. Three records are taken from the 2023 Turkey earthquake (records for Elbistan, Nurdagi, and Pazarcik). The optimization model's objective function is to minimize the ratio of the roof acceleration to the peak ground acceleration. To ensure realistic outcomes, certain isolation parameters are constrained, such as maintaining the damping ratio and period within a predetermined range as well as the maximum lateral drift of the structure. An upgraded variant of the Butterfly Optimization Algorithm, known as the Fuzzy Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (FBOA), is employed to address the presented optimization model. The FBOA technique incorporates a fuzzy decision-making mechanism that adjusts its search strategy according to the prevailing conditions of the present problem. In addition, the FBOA method utilizes a new auxiliary vector called virtual butterfly, which provides information on the entire population based on each agent's quality. Consequently, FBOA transforms into a self-regulating search algorithm, eliminating the requirement for any external parameters. Results have verified the effectiveness of FBOA in detecting optimal parameters of the proposed isolation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth observations from remotely sensed data have a substantial impact on natural hazard surveillance, specifically for earthquakes. The rapid emergence of diverse earthquake precursors has led to the exploration of different methodologies and datasets from various satellites to understand and address the complex nature of earthquake precursors. This study presents a novel technique to detect the ionospheric and atmospheric precursors using machine learning (ML). We examine the multiple precursors of different spatiotemporal nature from satellites in the ionosphere and atmosphere related to the Turkey earthquake on 6 February 2023 (Mw 7.8), in the form of total electron content (TEC), land surface temperature (LST), sea surface temperature (SST), air pressure (AP), relative humidity (RH), outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), and air temperature (AT). As a confutation analysis, we also statistically observe datasets of atmospheric parameters for the years 2021 and 2022 in the same epicentral region and time period as the 2023 Turkey earthquake. Moreover, the aim of this study is to find a synchronized and co-located window of possible earthquake anomalies by providing more evidence with standard deviation (STDEV) and nonlinear autoregressive network with exogenous inputs (NARX) models. It is noteworthy that both the statistical and ML methods demonstrate abnormal fluctuations as precursors within 6 to 7 days before the impending earthquake over the epicenter. Furthermore, the geomagnetic anomalies in the ionosphere are detected on the ninth day after the earthquake (Kp > 4; Dst < −70 nT; ap > 50 nT). This study indicates the relevance of using multiple earthquake precursors in a synchronized window from ML methods to support the lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling (LAIC) phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliable estimation of earthquake magnitude and stress drop are key in seismology. The novel technology of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) holds great promise for source parameter inversion owing to the measurements' high spatial density. In this study, I demonstrate the robustness of DAS for magnitude and stress drop estimation using the empirical Green's function deconvolution method. This method is applied to nine co‐located earthquakes recorded in Israel following the 2023 Turkey earthquakes. Spectral ratios were stacked along the fiber, and fitted with a relative Boatwright source spectral model. Excellent fits were obtained even for similar sized earthquakes. Stable seismic moments and stress drops were calculated assuming that the moment of one earthquake is known. DAS derived estimates were found to be more stable and reliable than those obtained using a dense accelerometer network. The results demonstrate the great potential of DAS for source studies. Plain Language Summary: Estimating earthquake magnitude and stress drop, the two most fundamental source parameters, is key for various seismological investigations, including earthquake self‐similarity and hazard mitigation. The extraction of source parameters requires that path and site effects are reliably deconvolved from source contributions. One approach is to deconvolve a small earthquake from a co‐located larger one in the frequency domain such that common path and site functions cancel and relative source function, between both earthquakes, remain. In this study, I apply the deconvolution approach to nine earthquakes that followed the 2023 Turkey earthquakes, recorded using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) in Israel. DAS converts standard optical fibers into dense arrays, with seismic measurements every few meters along tens‐of‐kilometers long fibers. The deconvolution was calculated for different earthquake pairs and excellent fits were obtained with a relative source spectral model. Stable seismic moments and stress drops were calculated. These parameters were found to be more reliable than those obtained using a dense standard‐accelerometer network. The results demonstrate the great potential of DAS for source studies. Key Points: The spectral ratios approach was applied to nine earthquakes in Israel recorded by distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and accelerometersAccurate relative magnitudes and stress drops were calculatedDAS can provide reliable source parameter estimates that may outperform accelerometers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On February 6th 2023 two major earthquakes struck southeast Turkey, M7.7 Kahramanmaras and M7.6 Elbistan, respectively. Unfortunately, due to the impact of these catastrophic events more than 50 000 casualties and 35 000 collapsed buildings have been reported since then. The aim of the study is to demonstrate preliminary site response analysis and assessment of re-liquefaction potential of sites which have been affected by the earthquakes - especially the cities of Iskenderun and Golbasi. Both site-specific areas have clear evidences of liquefaction and lateral spreading events which imply the focus of the presented paper. A series of geophysical MASW and microtremor tests have been performed in order to determine shear wave velocities up to depth of 30 m as well as the fundamental natural frequency of the soil deposits. Moreover, samples have been collected from sand and silt ejecta in order to evaluate some basic physical properties - grain-size curves, specific gravity and plasticity parameters. On the basis of the obtained data seismic classification of the investigated sites according to current design codes has been made and in-depth distance to relatively stiff layer has been assumed. For the sake of evaluating risk of re-liquefaction the widely-used simplified stress-based approach to triggering assessment has been adopted considering some rules of the thumb (e.g., sieve analysis and plasticity properties evaluation). Lastly, post-liquefaction reconsolidation settlement and lateral displacement have been determined in terms of future earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the southeastern part of Turkey, two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 7.8 on the Richter scale occurred within 9 h on 6 February 2023, causing 120,000 injuries and over 50,000 deaths. Evacuees were transferred to various secondary and tertiary hospitals as the health system and hospitals in the affected region were affected by the earthquake. Injuries were mostly caused by blunt trauma and/or prolonged bruising under rubble. The severity and pattern of traumatic injuries in earthquake victims differed from other trauma patients who were not affected by an earthquake. In addition to traumatic injuries that affected multiple body regions and systems, patients who were trapped under debris for long periods of time were also frequently found to have crush syndrome. Pulmonary thromboembolism and hypoxic–ischaemic brain injury were observed in some patients. In this review, we present the imaging findings of traumatic injuries in earthquake victims, emphasising the earthquake-related distinct injury types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of variations in the parameters of various geophysical fields during the preparation of destructive earthquakes that occurred in Turkey in February 2023 with magnitudes of 6 ≤ M ≤ 7.8 are carried out using satellite data. It has been found that anomalies of these parameters manifested themselves from 34 to 25 days before the earthquakes as a sharp decrease in the values of relative humidity (RHS) and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), as well as in an increase in the density of local lineaments. An increase in the surface skin temperature (SST), surface air temperature (SAT), RHS, and OLR, as well as in the values of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and ionospheric total electron content (TEC), was revealed 19–9 days before the analyzed seismic events. In the period from 5 to 2 days before these earthquakes, a decrease in the SST, SAT, the flux of OLR, and the ionospheric TEC, as well as an increase in RHS and in the length of the secants of the rose diagrams of regional lineaments, were recorded. Quantitative characteristics of these anomalies are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the significance and urgency of addressing migration issues in global political and social discourse. It highlights various events in 2023 that brought migration to the forefront, such as earthquakes in Syria, Turkey, and Morocco, the sinking of a boat in the Mediterranean, and conflicts in Nagorno‐Karabakh, Gaza, and Sudan. The article also mentions the impact of migration on societies and the rise of far-right political parties in Europe. It emphasizes the need for reasoned debate and evidence-based solutions to address the complexities of migration and build a more inclusive world. The article also mentions the research published in International Migration, including commentaries on migration scholarship and special issues on topics such as African migration, migrant entrepreneurship, and the intersection of migration and climate change. The editorial team expresses gratitude to contributors, reviewers, readers, and sponsors for their support. [Extracted from the article]

The Turkey-Syria earthquake On 6 February 2023, around 4:15 am local time, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck south central Turkey near the Turkey/Syria border. NASA's satellites help with earthquake response Following the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and western Syria on 6 February 2023, NASA is working to share its aerial views and data from space in ways that can aid relief and recovery workers in the region, as well as improve its ability to model and predict such events (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-satellites-help-with-turkey-syria-earthquake-response). Gl Similar changes were seen in the Turkish town of Gölcük after the 1999 Izmit/Kocaeli earthquake, and more recently along the coast following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake in New Zealand - both of which were also large strike-slip earthquakes. DEC response to the Turkey-Syria earthquake A series of devastating earthquakes hit southern Turkey (now known as Türkiye) and north-west Syria in February killing over 33 000 people and injuring many more. [Extracted from the article]

Turkey has large aggregate deposits; however, these deposits cannot be used effectively due to a lack of controls. This can lead to fatal errors, as in the 6 February 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes. The main motivation of this study is to investigate the availability of existing and new aggregate deposits as concrete aggregates in northeastern Turkey. Thus, the quality of aggregates in this region will be studied comparatively. This research was carried out with aggregate samples taken from 30 different rock quarries in 10 different provinces in this region of Turkey. First, the locations of 30 crushed rock aggregates were identified, and their petrographic, mineralogical, physical, geometric and durability properties were determined. Fifteen different test procedures were applied to 30 crushed rock samples. It was concluded that these rocks are generally sedimentary rock types and that 18 of these 30 samples are of limestone origin. To obtain high-strength concrete, in addition to quality cement, the aggregates used must also be of high quality. The use of aggregate resources mentioned in this study for building concrete will contribute to the production of high-strength concrete. These samples, which generally have sufficient physical, mechanical and durability properties, meet the limitations of the standards much better than concrete aggregates. High-statistical-performance regression equations were obtained for the physical and durability properties. • There are rich rock resources in northeast of Turkey that can be used as aggregate. • Igneous rocks are more resistant to freeze-thaw effects than sedimentary rocks. • Sedimentary rocks are more durable against freeze-thaw effects than igneous rocks. • Sedimentary rocks are more durable against ASR effects than igneous rocks. • Alkali resistance is higher for rocks that water absorption is smaller than 1 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spike is a type of abnormal waveform observed in strong motion records. It is characterized by a sudden and significant increase in peak acceleration, exceeding the theoretical range, and being greatly uncoordinated with the surrounding record points. The spike severely affects the reliability of subsequent analysis of strong motion records. This paper conducts research based on the strong motion records of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes in 2023. It focuses on the spike represented as Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) and proposes a spike recognition model for strong motion records using Bayesian-optimized Support Vector Machine (SVM). Firstly, a preprocessing method for strong motion records based on adaptive waveform scaling is proposed. This method enables the adaptive normalization of strong motion records with different scales, thereby eliminating the influence of different scales on the accuracy of manual annotations. Furthermore, a new method for characterizing strong motion records is proposed. It captures shape features (two-dimensional) through one-dimensional data, enabling the spatial distribution of strong motion records to be represented by a shape feature vector. Finally, a Bayesian optimization-based improved SVM model is proposed. It utilizes the feature extraction method proposed in this paper for the identification of spikes in strong motion records. The experimental results show that the proposed model in this paper achieved excellent performance, with an F1-score of 0.868 and an AUC value of 0.93 on the test set. • A normalization method for strong motion records at different scales is proposed. • Proposed a numerical computation-based method for spike feature extraction. • Developed a spike identification model based on Support Vector Machine. • Optimized our model's hyperparameters using bayesian optimization. • Achieved good results on the dataset of Turkey-Syria earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study individual differences in donations to two groups of earthquake victims. • Both contextual and personality factors were related to overall amount donated. • Honesty-humility was the strongest personality predictor above and beyond contextual factors. • Most individuals donated equally to the two victim groups; only some were selective in their donations. This pre-registered study assessed actual donations to two groups of victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria in February 2023 while considering various theoretically-relevant contextual and personality factors as determinants of donations. In a diverse German online sample (N = 496), most participants (62.9 %) donated something, and only few (24.0 %) were selective in their donations, donating more to one group of victims than to the other. Dispositional honesty-humility added to the prediction of donation behavior beyond contextual factors. Selective donations, however, were largely driven by (contextual) perceptions of need. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into donation behavior and highlight the importance of personality in understanding individual differences in donations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the structural deformation at the Arabia-Anatolia-Africa junction is critical for understanding eastern Mediterranean tectonics, it remains debatable (extensional or compressional). Field survey of the 2023 Mw7.7 Pazarcik earthquake surface rupture along the Amanos Range, and microstructure and composition analyses of related fault rock were performed to investigate this issue. The surface rupture shows transtensional branches, with the main and secondary strands displaying sinistral (normal) offsets of 2.0–4.0 (0.4–0.9) and 1.0 (0.2) m. Slip plane of the secondary fault is marked by a ∼20 cm wide extensional fracture dividing fault breccia from gouge. Meanwhile, the gouge (26 % calcite, 38% serpentine and 36% smectite) is also dominated by tension cracks microscopically. In contrast to the widespread extensional deformation, geological evidence imply that this fault had experienced reverse slip in the Quaternary, as shown by thrusting of serpentine onto alluvium and the consistency of R foliations with reverse shear. We interpret it as the SW continuation of the East Anatolia fault (EAF) that was formerly characterized by transpressional deformation, and reactivated transtensionally due to the change of fault strike during this earthquake. In the broader Mediterranean tectonics framework, the Amanos segment might be interpreted as a recently formed component linking the Karasu fault to the EAF. • The coseismic rupture along the Amanos Range is overall transtensional. • The largest branch fault reactivated was previously transpressional. • This transformation happened in the Quaternary. • It highlights the tectonic evolution in the Arabia-Anatolia-Africa junction zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Significance of design errors in the structural system. • Steel retrofitting and load transfer elements applied in relatively few but logical places is remarkable. • Strengthening and load transfer improvement works beam damages were reduced by 40 % for X direction and 50 % for Y direction. • Life safety performance level ratio, which was 30.1 % in the ground floor columns, decreased to 13.5 %. On 6 February 2023, two large earthquakes of M w 7.7 and 7.6 occurred in the Pazarcik and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaras province in Turkey, causing extensive structural damage, collapsed buildings and casualties. This study examines a damaged building and presents the relevant repair and strengthening procedures. The importance of design flaws in the structural system, particularly when subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motions, on the performance of the structure is highlighted in this case study. The effects of the interrupted frames and components with unsuitable cross-sectional properties for load transfer within the structure were comprehensively assessed using 3D modelling and on-site investigations. Following repair and strengthening works to improve load transfer, the analysis carried out on the model showed a reduction in LS of approximately 33 % for beams and 45 % for columns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual drift of structural systems after seismic events can make buildings uninhabitable and may cause their collapse in aftershocks, as seen in the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. Self-centering rocking-core systems can eliminate plastic deformation of structures after earthquakes. In the current study, a bi-rocking steel-braced frame was designed using the modified modal superposition (MMS) method. The optimal location of the secondary joint was found to minimize the base shear, overturning moment, peak floor acceleration and inter-story drift. Damage to non-structural components has been considered. The models included 12-, 18- and 24- story frames that were subjected to far-field (FF), near-field-pulse (NP) and near-field-no-pulse (N) ground motion records. The seismic records were scaled to the maximum credible earthquake level. Nonlinear time-history analyses were performed using OpenSees open-source finite element software. Additionally, post-tensioned cables and energy dissipation fuses as variable parameters were optimized using particle swarm optimization. The performance of seven metaheuristic algorithms was compared and the results showed that placing the secondary joint at the mid-height of the structure reduced all seismic demand. The results also suggest that the story moment and FF records were most sensitive to the location of the secondary joint. It was observed that frames with lower stiffness and yield strength of the damper exhibited better seismic performance. Based on this, corrective percentages have been proposed for the design of the cable and dampers. A self-centering ratio of 1.07 was suggested at the mid-height and 1.19 for the base damper. The colliding bodies optimization algorithm performed best for time-history analysis-based optimization. • Using a bi-rocking mechanism to reduce the higher mode effects of high-rise structures. • Designing the bi-rocking steel-braced frame with modified modal superposition method. • Optimization of the main design parameters of bi-rocking joints using metaheuristic algorithms. • Investigating the performance of the bi-rocking steel-braced frame under far- and near-field ground motions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X23070280 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on earthquake in Turkey and Syria in February 2023 and humanitarian situation is above politics and many countries, as well as local people, are providing rescue and aid teams as well as collections of food, clothes and money.