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One-shot devices are products that can only be used once. Typical one-shot devices include airbags, fire extinguishers, inflatable life vests, ammo, and handheld flares. Most of them are life-saving products and should be highly reliable in an emergency. Quality control of those productions and predicting their reliabilities over time is critically important. To assess the reliability of the products, manufacturers usually test them in controlled conditions rather than user conditions. We may rely on public datasets that reflect their reliability in actual use, but the datasets often come with missing observations. The experimenter may lose information on covariate readings due to human errors. Traditional missing-data-handling methods may not work well in handling one-shot device data as they only contain their survival statuses. In this research, we propose Multiple Imputation with Unsupervised Learning (MIUL) to impute the missing data using Hierarchical Clustering, k-prototype, and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN). Our simulation study shows that MIUL algorithms have superior performance. We also illustrate the method using datasets from the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the dynamic response of offshore platforms in complex marine environments (combined action of wind, wave and current loads), the offshore jacket platform model was established by using finite element software, the strength of its ultimate load structure was checked, and different working conditions were simulated and analyzed to grasp its dynamic response characteristics and rules, and finally its fatigue life was predicted by combining with S-N curve. The results show that the natural vibration period of the jacket structure is much smaller than the wave period, and the resonance basically does not occur. Under the extreme storm, the strength and stiffness of the jacket structure meet the requirements, and with the increase of wave height and wave velocity, the maximum equivalent stress and maximum displacement are significantly improved, the maximum stress increases by more than 182.76%, and the displacement increases by more than 182.72%, and the maximum stress area occurs at the intersection of the diagonal brace support. The fatigue life of the jacket structure is predicted to be 44.19 years, which meets the design requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of ideal theory in non-ideal circumstances and its importance in guiding long-term institutional reform and evaluating deviations from perfect justice. While some critics argue that ideal theory is irrelevant in non-ideal conditions, the author contends that it serves a third role in a fairness model that limits choices between feasible institutional arrangements. Ideal theory is crucial in preventing excessive demands on individuals and ensuring that basic rights, liberties, and opportunities are not denied. The article also addresses objections to the fairness role of ideal theory and examines its significance in comparative and urgent assessments. The text emphasizes the concept of the ideal-theory constraint in political philosophy, particularly in relation to justice and fairness. This constraint states that just institutions can only restrict someone's basic liberties or opportunities if that person uses those goods to deny others their rights or liberties. The text further explores the application of the ideal-theory constraint to specific areas, such as freedom of expression and affirmative action. It argues that ideal theory is necessary for comparing different societal arrangements in terms of justice and fairness. However, critics argue that the fairness requirement may be too lenient or too demanding in non-ideal conditions. The article concludes that ideal theory still has a significant role to play in non-ideal theorizing and should not be disregarded. The author suggests that ideal theory can be adapted to suit the specific society it is applied to, allowing for adequate compliance. [Extracted from the article]

Drowning is an overlooked public health concern and drowning risk is dependent on environmental risk factors. The preponderance of drowning deaths occurs in low- and middle-income countries. Small-scale fishers face high occupational risk of drowning. Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of storms, thereby exacerbating fishers' risks and creating a need to examine the contribution of storms to fisher drowning deaths for the development of mitigation strategies. We examined this relationship between weather and fisher drowning deaths in Lake Victoria, which is Africa's largest lake, a site of high fishing pressure, and where climate change is predicted to increase thunderstorms. We conducted a verbal autopsy with people knowledgeable about recent fatal fisher drowning incidents to collect information about the deceased fishers and circumstances surrounding the incidents across 43 landing sites in the Kenyan shore of Lake Victoria. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders also elucidated community perspectives on drowning risks. Fatal drownings were often attributed to bad weather (41.8%). Other risk factors, such as non-use of life jacket and navigation equipment, co-occurred with bad weather at high rates (69.5% and 67.8%, respectively) to jointly contribute to fatal drowning incidents. Such co-occurrence of risk factors indicates that actions across multiple risk factors can help mitigate the issue. Stakeholder analysis revealed a range of opportunities for improved communication of risks and action to mitigate risks across boat operators and manufacturers, as well as multiple levels of management. Across global small-scale fisheries, limited use of safety equipment and intensive fishing pressure may coincide with increases in extreme weather events, necessitating action to address current and mitigate future drowning risks to small-scale fishers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inherent unpredictability of the maritime environment leads to low rates of survival during accidents. Life jackets serve as a crucial safety measure in underwater environments. Nonetheless, most conventional life jackets lack the capability to monitor the wearer's underwater body movements, impeding their effectiveness in rescue operations. Here, we present an intelligent self‐powered life jacket system (SPLJ) composed of a wireless body area sensing network, a set of deep learning analytics, and a human condition detection platform. Six coaxial core‐shell structure triboelectric fiber sensors with high sensitivity, stretchability, and flexibility are integrated into this system. Additionally, a portable integrated circuit module is incorporated into the SPLJ to facilitate real‐time monitoring of the wearer's movement. Moreover, by leveraging the deep‐learning‐assisted data analytics and establishing a robust correlation between the wearer's movements and condition, we have developed a comprehensive system for monitoring drowning individuals, achieving an outstanding recognition accuracy of 100%. This groundbreaking work introduces a fresh approach to underwater intelligent survival devices, offering promising prospects for advancing underwater smart wearable devices in rescue operations and the development of ocean industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the narrator's reflections on his grandfather's life and the deep cultural heritage of the Cherokee people in North Arkansas. Topics include the grandfather's unique ability to communicate with nature, the systemic challenges faced by Native Americans, and the personal impact of preserving traditional knowledge and practices.

The high-altitude imaging capabilities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer an effective solution for maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. In such missions, the accurate identification of boats, personnel, and objects within images is crucial. While object detection models trained on general image datasets can be directly applied to these tasks, their effectiveness is limited due to the unique challenges posed by the specific characteristics of maritime SAR scenarios. Addressing this challenge, our study leverages the large-scale benchmark dataset SeaDronesSee, specific to UAV-based maritime SAR, to analyze and explore the unique attributes of image data in this scenario. We identify the need for optimization in detecting specific categories of difficult-to-detect objects within this context. Building on this, an anchor box optimization strategy is proposed based on clustering analysis, aimed at enhancing the performance of the renowned two-stage object detection models in this specialized task. Experiments were conducted to validate the proposed anchor box optimization method and to explore the underlying reasons for its effectiveness. The experimental results show our optimization method achieved a 45.8% and a 10% increase in average precision over the default anchor box configurations of torchvision and the SeaDronesSee official sample code configuration respectively. This enhancement was particularly evident in the model's significantly improved ability to detect swimmers, floaters, and life jackets on boats within the SeaDronesSee dataset's SAR scenarios. The methods and findings of this study are anticipated to provide the UAV-based maritime SAR research community with valuable insights into data characteristics and model optimization, offering a meaningful reference for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kiteboarding (kitesurfing on water and snowkiting) is a fairly new sport and is defined as a high-risk sport. The injury rate has been reported to be between 6 and 9 per 1000 h. The aim of the study was to identify and describe kiteboarding-related injuries in Norway over a five-year period. Methods: We used "snowball sampling" to identify kiteboarding accidents in a retrospective study. In addition, we conducted structural searches in the National Air Ambulance Service and Search and Rescue Helicopter patient record databases. All included informants were interviewed. Descriptive methods were used to characterise the sample. Results: Twenty-nine kiteboarders were included, with a total of 33 injuries. One half of the injuries to head, face and neck were cerebral concussions (n = 12). The most common type of injury was bone fractures (n = 28), followed by soft tissue injuries (n = 24). Most injuries were of moderate severity (51%) and falling from less than 5 m was the most common mechanism of injury. Operator error and lack of experience were the most frequently reported causes of accidents (82%). Conclusions: Serious injuries occured during kiteboarding. The majority of kiteboarders reported operator error or lack of experience as the cause of their accident. Prior to kiteboarding, a course highlighting the importance in using helmet for snowkiting and both helmet and life vest in kitesurfing, should be mandatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, titled "Of Flotsam and Jetsam," is a personal reflection by the author on the significance of dreams and the unconscious in navigating difficult times. The author shares her experience of growing up in a family that valued dream journaling and how it became a mainstay in her life. She recounts a story told by her late father about a yacht race and uses it as a metaphor for staying afloat during challenging moments. The author emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the "flotsam and jetsam" of our lives, such as dreams, emotions, and thoughts, and using them as a raft to wait for healing and insight. The article concludes by highlighting the enduring wisdom of her father's story and the value of cherishing the unconscious in our daily lives. [Extracted from the article]

This article provides a brief history of Aqua Lung, a company known for its diving equipment. The company was founded in 1943 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan, who invented the Aqua Lung, a pioneering scuba diving apparatus. Over the years, Aqua Lung expanded and became Aqua Lung Worldwide, a leader in the diving industry. The article also mentions the decline of printed catalogs and highlights their significance in the past as a purchasing guide and wish list for divers. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the imminent threat of climate change and its potential to cause irreversible damage to human life and civilization. It uses the metaphor of a new Titanic, where the passengers and officers are aware of the impending disaster but fail to take necessary action due to the perceived high cost. The article explores the concept of alienation, where industrial civilization has become an uncontrollable force that threatens its creators. It highlights the role of young activists, like Greta Thunberg, in mobilizing efforts to address the climate crisis and calls for a change in the current political and economic system. [Extracted from the article]

L'homme qui plantait des arbres , la nouvelle que Jean Giono a publiée en 1952, raconte l'histoire d'un berger solitaire qui consacre des décennies à planter inlassablement des arbres dans le sud de la France et à restaurer la vie, l'eau, la végétation et le bonheur dans une région autrefois ravagée. Des indices dissimulés dans l'histoire, moins évi-dents, relèvent les causes de la désolation et de la déforestation de la région aux mains de charbonniers désespérés. Même si Giono a rédigé sa nouvelle en 1952, avant que le terme « changement climatique » soit inventé, il était en parfaite harmonie avec le monde naturel et s'inquiétait des effets destructeurs attribuables à l'exploitation irresponsable de l'environnement par la population humaine. Cette histoire remarquablement visionnaire rappelle le XXIe siècle actuel avec ses sécheresses, ses incendies et ses inondations, qui font les manchettes au quotidien. Frédéric Back, environnementaliste et planteur d'arbres dévoué, a consacré six ans de sa vie à adapter l'histoire de Giono pour l'écran. La transposition de cette nouvelle à l'écran est l'objectif analytique du présent article. Sa représentation des causes et des effets des changements climatiques et de la désolation qui en découle est particulièrement intéressante. L'animation de Back est plutôt inquiétante, mais il s'arrête brusquement et propose une solution pour imaginer un monde meilleur, plus sain, une vision qui repose sur l'idée que les humains prennent soin du monde naturel et coupent court aux pratiques qui mettent la vie sur Terre en péril pour en faire des agents positifs des changements climatiques. Ainsi, dans le film, la représentation des changements climatiques n'évolue pas irrévocablement vers une catastrophe comme le font la plupart des films de fiction climatique. L'histoire de Giono en est une de rédemption, démontrée par le passage de Back d'une palette monochromatique au début du film à des scènes qui rappellent les jardins de Monet à la fin, foisonnants de couleurs, de vie et de joie. Pour comprendre le film, l'auteur aborde le militantisme environnemental tant de Giono que de Back et examine les films antérieurs de Back. Jean Giono's 1952 novella, "L'Homme qui plantait des arbres," tells the story of a solitary shepherd who spends decades tirelessly planting trees in southern France, restoring life, water, vegetation, and happiness to a once desolate region. Less obvious are clues embedded in the story that point to the cause of the region's desolation, deforestation at the hands of desperate charcoal makers. Although Giono wrote the story in 1952, before the term "climate change" was coined, he was profoundly attuned to the natural world and concerned about the destructive effects of reckless human exploitation of the environment. This strikingly prescient tale recalls our own twenty-first-century world with drought, fires, and flooding in the headlines every day. Fredéric Back, a dedicated environmentalist and planter of trees, spent six years adapting Giono's tale for the screen. How Back translated Giono's tale to the screen is the focus of this paper. Of particular interest will be his depiction of the causes and effects of climate change and the misery engendered by it. Backs' animation leaves us a bit haunted, but he stops short, throwing us a life vest and allowing us to imagine a better, healthier world, a vision predicated on humans taking care of the natural world and halting practices that imperil life on earth, making them positive agents for climate change. In this way, the film's depiction of climate change does not move irrevocably towards calamity as most cli-fi films do; Giono's story is one of redemption, signaled by Back's shift from a monochromatic palette early in the film to scenes at the end that recall Monet's gardens, teeming with color, life, and joy. Key to understanding the film will be discussion of both Giono and Back's environmental activism, as well as consideration of Back's earlier films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety is one of the main aspects related to physical activities conducted on or in the immediate vicinity of water. Many people drown every year in Poland. The use of a kayak has numerous legal aspects. In the light of Polish regulations, a kayak is a ship. Vessels used on inland waterways must comply with the technical requirements and requirements for life-saving equipment set out in specific regulations. One of them is the obligation to equip the ship with life jackets in the number corresponding to the number of passengers on the ship. With the proviso that to meet the requirement it is enough to equip the ship with life jackets, and not to use them, understood as putting a life jacket on a person staying on the ship. The study was aimed at determining the attitudes and behaviors of Polish kayakers in the field of kayak use, especially regarding safety and comfort, with particular emphasis on the life jacket as a popular means of increasing safety on the water. The study was conducted in the form of an original questionnaire placed in groups of kayakers on a popular social networking site. In total, all kayaking groups in which the survey was placed count nearly 15,000 participants. The survey was anonymous and voluntary, it did not collect data about respondents. The study involved 257 people, including 172 men (67%) and 85 women (33%). The participants of the study assess their kayaking skills as: intermediate 43.6%, advanced 38.9%, beginner 9.7%, expert 7.4%, one person declared the level of "instructor". 42% of respondents declare that they kayak several dozen days a year, 37.4% - several days a year, 15.6% - one to several days a year, 4.3% - several times a week, some people gave different answers. Most respondents (72.8%) have their own life jackets. 27.2% of respondents do not have such vests, which suggests that they rent them together with kayaks. Conclusions: There is lack of coherent and clear laws regulating the safety obligations of persons using kayaks as amateurs in Poland. Among the surveyed intermediate and advanced kayakers there is high level of awareness regarding the safety of using a kayak and measures to increase safety. Among interviewed kayakers there is significant popularity of life jackets in the absence of a legal regulation considering them as basic and sufficient safety measure when kayaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]