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Axially loaded piles in liquefiable soils can undergo severe settlement due to an earthquake event. During shaking, the settlement is caused by the decreased shaft and tip capacity from excess pore pressures (ue) generated around the pile. Post shaking, soil settlement from the reconsolidation of liquefied soil surrounding the pile results in the development of additional load (known as drag load), causing downdrag settlement of the pile. Estimating the axial load distribution and pile settlement is essential for designing and evaluating the performance of axially loaded piles in liquefiable soils. In practice, a simplified neutral plane solution method is used, where the liquefied soils are modeled as a consolidating layer without considering the effect of ue generation/dissipation. A TzQzLiq analysis models the load and settlement response of axially loaded piles in liquefiable soils by accounting for the effect of excess pore pressure (ue) generation/dissipation on the shaft and tip capacity. This paper presents the deficiencies of the simplified neutral plane method in predicting the drag load as well as the downdrag settlement by comparing it with the TzQzLiq analysis validated with hypergravity model tests. The results show that the drag load and the downdrag settlement predicted by the neutral plane method might be over- or under-estimated depending on the pile load, the rate of ue dissipation, and the soil settlement. For the cases studied, it was found that most of the pile settlement occurs during shaking due to the decrease in the pile's tip resistance from the development of ue in the soil surrounding it. While large drag loads develop during reconsolidation, the resulting downdrag settlement is small. While the neutral plane method generally predicted a downdrag settlement comparable to that of the TzQzLiq analysis, it overpredicted drag load and could not predict co-seismic settlement. Finally, the study advocates for the development and use of a displacement-based procedure (accounting for all the mechanisms occurring during and after an earthquake event) such as based on TzQzLiq analysis in accurately evaluating the performance of the pile (i.e., the pile settlement and the maximum load), thus providing an overall safe, efficient, and optimized design.

As buried water reservoirs are increasingly being utilized to store and deliver water, they are now regarded as critical infrastructures that must continue to operate in the event of an earthquake. This paper presents the results of a large-scale numerical parametric study that was carried out to advance our understanding of the seismic fluid-structure-soil interaction (FSSI) response of buried water reservoirs. Advanced nonlinear three-dimensional (3D) FSSI numerical models of reservoirs were employed while considering reservoir size, embedment depth, soil profile, and ground motion variability. The study showed that, unlike other conventional underground structures, the peak ground acceleration (PGA) has the strongest correlation to the reservoir seismic response. Increasing the embedment depth or reservoir size was found to generally increase the demands on the structural elements while reducing the base and backfill slippage. Softer sites were found to cause an increase in the roof racking and including the vertical component of the motion increased the water dynamic pressures. Among the columns, the ones closest to the center were found to experience the highest demands and the ones at the corner the lowest. In fact, in some extreme cases, a total collapse of the reservoir was initiated by column failure due to the lack of structural redundancy. The roof in-plane shear stresses were observed to accumulate near the walls, indicating a diaphragm behavior. The reservoir's unique seismic response compared to other underground structures makes generalizing the commonly used simplified design procedures inapplicable. Instead, 3D FSSI numerical models were demonstrated to be a reliable tool for the seismic design of buried reservoirs.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected the health and well-being of people globally. Some studies suggest individuals with overweight or obesity may have been more adversely impacted by pandemic restrictions. Additionally, military personnel may have been more vulnerable to stress during the pandemic because of job demands (e.g., work in close quarters). Our research group was conducting a randomized clinical trial of a weight management intervention in active duty military personnel with overweight or obesity when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Thus, we collected additional pandemic-related data from participants enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic and conducted exploratory analyses to understand how the pandemic affected their stress levels and perceived abilities to engage in health behaviors like exercise and healthy eating. The aims of this exploratory study were to: (1) assess associations between pandemic-related stress and health behaviors with body fat percentage (BF%) and psychological and physical health, and (2) explore how pandemic-related stress and health behaviors affected BF% during and after the intervention.Materials and methodsA total of 29 active duty Navy personnel (55% female, 69% White) were enrolled after the onset of pandemic restrictions and completed measures assessing pandemic-related stress and health behaviors as well as measures of general psychological and physical health before the intervention. BF% was collected at 5 timepoints, including baseline, during, and following the intervention. Bivariate correlations assessed associations at baseline. Linearmixed-effects longitudinal models explored how pandemic-related stress and health behaviors affected BF%. Post-hoc analyses evaluated the effects of pandemic factors on BF% at each timepoint.ResultsMost participants perceived of the pandemic as increasing stress and detracting from their abilities to engage in health behaviors (i.e., exercise and healthy eating). Higher pandemic stress was significantly associated with reporting exercise and healthy eating as more difficult, worse overall health, and more anxiety and general stress. Reporting exercise as harder during the pandemic also was associated with more psychological distress at baseline. A linearmixed- effects model controlling for age, sex, and number of intervention sessions attended revealed endorsing "exercise as harder" was associated with higher BF%. Post-hoc regression analyses revealed rating "exercise as harder" significantly predicted higher BF% 3 months post-intervention (B = 0.65, P = .01), whereas pandemic stress was not significantly associated with higher BF% at 3 month (B =0.14, P = .08) or 6 month (B = 0.21, P = .09) follow-up.ConclusionsAs expected, most participants perceived of the pandemic as heightening stress and interfering with engagement in health behaviors. It is possible that pandemic-related stress may have exacerbated weight gain-promoting behaviors and/or interfered with achievement of desired weight management outcomes. Outside the context of the pandemic, it may be beneficial for healthcare providers to screen individuals for stress and perceptions of ease of engagement in health behaviors before enrollment in a weight management intervention. Further, tailoring interventions to mitigate stress and promote perceptions of ease in engaging in health behaviors may promote better weight management outcomes.

IntroductionThe Weight Loss Readiness Test (WLRT) was developed to encourage consideration of factors influencing readiness to engage in weight loss. The WLRT is used clinically, most notably to assess motivation before initiating Navy weight management programs, yet little is known about its psychometric properties.Materials and methodsThis study examined the reliability, convergent and predictive validity, and factor structure of the WLRT in a sample of active duty service members enrolling in a Navy-based weight management program (N = 178, identified as female = 61%, mean age = 29.7 years, mean baseline body mass index = 33.1 kg/m2). All procedures were approved by the respective Institutional Review Boards and research committees.ResultsExploratory factor analysis revealed a 5-factor structure explaining 52% of the variance that best fit the data with low to moderate correlations between factors: (1) Motivation, (2) Exercise-Related Confidence, (3) Non-Exercise Confidence, (4) Cues, and (5) Anticipated Satisfaction. Internal reliability of subscales was acceptable to good (α = 0.755-0.903). Generally, convergent validity was found between the identified subscales and other measures of motivation, confidence, and disinhibited eating in expected directions. No relationships were found between the subscales and predictive validity outcomes (weight change, program attendance).ConclusionsResults indicate adequate structural and convergent validity in the WLRT, but that weight loss readiness, as measured by the WLRT, does not provide predictive validity regarding weight loss or attendance outcomes in this sample. Nonetheless, this measure offers clinical utility in fostering thoughtful conversations about weight loss. The WLRT uniquely focuses on long-term maintenance of behavior change and differentiates between exercise-related and non-exercise confidence. Future studies should further probe the utility of this measure in other populations and the contexts in which it is being used.

Continuous advancements in scientific and engineering understanding of earthquake phenomena, combined with the associated development of representative physics-based models, is providing a foundation for high-performance, fault-to-structure earthquake simulations. However, regional-scale applications of high-performance models have been challenged by the computational requirements at the resolutions required for engineering risk assessments. The EarthQuake SIMulation (EQSIM) framework, a software application development under the US Department of Energy (DOE) Exascale Computing Project, is focused on overcoming the existing computational barriers and enabling routine regional-scale simulations at resolutions relevant to a breadth of engineered systems. This multidisciplinary software development—drawing upon expertise in geophysics, engineering, applied math and computer science—is preparing the advanced computational workflow necessary to fully exploit the DOE’s exaflop computer platforms coming online in the 2023 to 2024 timeframe. Achievement of the computational performance required for high-resolution regional models containing upward of hundreds of billions to trillions of model grid points requires numerical efficiency in every phase of a regional simulation. This includes run time start-up and regional model generation, effective distribution of the computational workload across thousands of computer nodes, efficient coupling of regional geophysics and local engineering models, and application-tailored highly efficient transfer, storage, and interrogation of very large volumes of simulation data. This article summarizes the most recent advancements and refinements incorporated in the workflow design for the EQSIM integrated fault-to-structure framework, which are based on extensive numerical testing across multiple graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated platforms, and demonstrates the computational performance achieved on the world’s first exaflop computer platform through representative regional-scale earthquake simulations for the San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA.

One-dimensional site response analysis (1D SRA) remains the standard practice in considering the effect of local soil deposits and predicting site-specific ground motions, although its range of applicability to realistic seismic wavefields is still in question. In this 1D approach, horizontal and vertical ground shaking are assumed to be induced by vertically propagating shear and compressional waves, respectively. A recent study based on analytical two-dimensional (2D) plane waves and simple point source earthquake simulations has shown two mechanistic limitations in this 1D modelling technique for general inclined seismic waves, that is, systematic over-prediction of the vertical motion and wave trapping in the 1D soil column. In this article, we evaluate in detail the applicability of this 1D modelling approach to realistic three-dimensional (3D) simulated seismic wavefields in shallow sedimentary basins. Linear-viscoelastic 1D SRA predictions using two types of input motions that are commonly used in practice—rock outcrop and in-column motions, are compared with the reference true site response results from 3D earthquake simulations in terms of various measures in the frequency and time domain. It is shown that the horizontal motion in the 3D seismic wavefield exhibits dominant shear wave propagation phenomenon, while the vertical motion is a combined effect of compressional and shear waves and can be over-predicted by the 1D approach when the incident seismic waves are inclined. Direct evidence of the wave refraction process that leads to the vertical motion over-prediction is provided. 1D SRA with in-column inputs can yield motions that have significantly longer duration compared to the true 3D site response solution due to trapped waves, casting in doubt the frequent need for increased soil damping in existing site studies to compensate for wave attenuation due to scattering alone. Sensitivity investigation on the increase of soil profile damping by a multiplier Dmul shows Dmul values compatible with those found in the literature for both horizontal and vertical motions. It is shown that the level of Dmul optimized for a best match of the spectral acceleration is dependent on the characteristic of the input motion and a larger Dmul is typically required for the vertical component. In contrast, 1D SRA with outcrop motions predicts motions with shorter significant duration due to its inability to capture the basin-edge generated surface waves. A suite of ground motion simulations was performed to assess the sensitivity of the observations to the basin geologic structure including the velocity gradient, rock-basin impedance contrast and basin depth. The analysis results show that the accuracy of the simplified 1D procedure is dependent on the wavefield composition of both the input motions and the true 3D site response solution. While the horizontal motions in shallow sedimentary basins can, to the first order, be reasonably captured by the simplified 1D approach, 1D SRA for the vertical component is in general not reliable and contributions from inclined shear waves should be accounted for in site-specific evaluation of the vertical design ground motion.

The global increase in atmospheric water vapor due to climate change tends to heighten the dangers associated with both humid heat and heavy precipitation. Process-linked connections between these two extremes, particularly those which cause them to occur close together in space or time, are of special concern for impacts. Here we investigate how atmospheric rivers relate to the risk of summertime humid heat in the United States. We find that the hazards of atmospheric rivers and humid heat often occur in close proximity, most notably across the northern third of the United States. In this region, high levels of water vapor-resulting from the spatially organized horizontal moisture plumes that characterize atmospheric rivers-Act to amplify humid heat, generally during the transition from dry high-pressure ridge conditions to wet low-pressure trough conditions. In contrast, the US Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest tend to experience atmospheric rivers and humid heat separately, representing an important negative correlation of joint risk.

Mercury is a hazardous pollutant of global concern. While advances have been made in identifying the detrimental effects caused by Hg species in phytoplankton, knowledge gaps remain regarding the metabolomic perturbations induced by inorganic mercury (Hg(II)) and monomethylmercury (MeHg) in these organisms. Diatoms represent a major phytoplankton group essential in various global biogeochemical cycles. The current study combined targeted metabolomics, bioaccumulation, and physiological response assays to investigate metabolic perturbations in diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana exposed for 2 h to nanomolar concentrations of Hg(II) and MeHg. Our findings highlight that such exposures induce reprogramming of the metabolism of amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids, carboxylic acids and antioxidants. These alterations were primarily mercury-species dependent. MeHg exposure induced more pronounced reprogramming of the metabolism of diatoms than Hg(II), which led to less pronounced effects on ROS generation, membrane permeability and chlorophyll concentrations. Hg(II) treatments presented distinct physiological responses, with more robust metabolic perturbations at higher exposures. The present study provides first-time insights into the main metabolic alterations in diatom C. meneghiniana during short-term exposure to Hg species, deepening our understanding of the molecular basis of these perturbations.

Abstract: This paper assesses the effects of (1) the gravity load‐resisting system (GLRS) modeling approach, (2) the seismic force‐resisting system (SFRS) modeling approach, and (3) the uncertainty of the model parameters of the constitutive law of the longitudinal reinforcing steel of the SFRS on the seismic responses of a 12‐story reinforced concrete wall building with force‐limiting connections. This is achieved by conducting nonlinear numerical earthquake simulations. The seismic responses of the building models with force‐limiting connections using two GLRS modeling approaches, (1) a moment frame system and (2) a pin‐base lean‐on‐column system, are compared. The seismic responses of the building models with conventional connections and force‐limiting connections, respectively, using two SFRS modeling approaches, (1) a distributed‐plasticity modeling approach and (2) a lumped‐plasticity modeling approach, are compared. A joint probability density function for the ASTM‐A615 Grade 60 steel available in the literature is used to conduct an uncertainty propagation analysis through Monte Carlo simulation. The uncertainty in the steel model parameters is propagated to the seismic responses of the building models with conventional connections and force‐limiting connections, respectively. The distributions of the mean values of the peak structural responses of the building models are studied. The effects of the GLRS modeling approach on the seismic responses are not significant in the context of seismic performance‐based design and assessment of buildings with force‐limiting connections. The effects of the SFRS modeling approach and the uncertainty in the steel model parameters on the floor total acceleration and force responses are reduced by including force‐limiting connections.

Rain-on-snow (RoS) events in regions of ephemeral snowpack-such as the northeastern United States-can be key drivers of cool-season flooding. We describe an automated algorithm for detecting basin-scale RoS events in gridded climate data by generating an area-Averaged time series and then searching for periods of concurrent precipitation, surface runoff, and snowmelt exceeding predefined thresholds. When evaluated using historical data over the Susquehanna River basin (SRB), the technique credibly finds RoS events in published literature and flags events that are followed by anomalously high streamflow as measured by gauge data along the river. When comparing four different datasets representing the same 21-year period, we find large differences in RoS event magnitude and frequency, primarily driven by differences in estimated surface runoff and snowmelt. Using dataset-specific thresholds improves agreement between datasets but does not account for all discrepancies. We show that factors such as meteorological forcing and coupling frequency, as well as choice of land surface model, play roles in how data products capture these compound extremes and suggest care is to be taken when climate datasets are used by stakeholders for operational decision-making.

The Arctic has been identified by scientists as a relatively promising venue for controversial ‘solar geoengineering’ – technical schemes to reflect more sunlight to counteract global warming. Yet contemporary regional security dynamics and the relative (in)significance of climate concerns among the key Arctic states suggest a different conclusion. By systematically juxtaposing recently published schemes for Arctic geoengineering with Arctic security strategies published by the littoral Arctic states and China, we reveal and detail two conflicting security imaginaries. Geoengineering schemes scientifically securitise (and seek to maintain) the Arctic’s ‘great white shield’ to protect ‘global’ humanity against climate tipping points and invoke a past era of Arctic ‘exceptionality’ to suggest greater political feasibility for research interventions here. Meanwhile, state security imaginaries understand the contemporary Arctic as an increasingly contested region of considerable geopolitical peril and economic opportunity as temperatures rise. Alongside the entangled history of science with geopolitics in the region, this suggests that geoengineering schemes in the Arctic are unlikely to follow scientific visions, and unless co-opted into competitive, extractivist state security imaginaries, may prove entirely infeasible. Moreover, if the Arctic is the ‘best-case’ for geoengineering politics, this places a huge question mark over the feasibility of other, more global prospects.

Abstract: Advancing the seismic resilience of building systems is an active area of research in earthquake engineering. Ensuring safe egress in and out of buildings during extreme events, such as an earthquake, is essential to supporting this effort. To this end, understanding the seismic response of stairs facilitates the robust design of egress systems to ensure they can remain operable after an earthquake. From prior earthquake events and physical experiments, it is understood that stairs with a flight to landing fixed connection at multiple levels within a building are prone to damage. In addition, the stair system with flight to landing fixed attachments may affect the dynamic behavior of the building. To accommodate seismic inter‐story drifts, a kinematically free connection between the stairs and landing has been proposed. Herein this connection is referred to as a drift‐compatible stair connection. To investigate and aid in the design of such a connection, a unique set of shake table experiments were conducted at the University of Nevada, Reno. In this paper, an overview of these tests is presented, and a high‐fidelity finite element model of the tested stair system is used to predict the responses measured during these experiments. Developed in Abaqus, the robustness of the modeled stair unit is investigated considering a variety of contrasting connections, namely, drift‐compatible connections, fixed ends and one end fixed and the other free. Results from these numerical simulations offer guidance towards development of simplified models of multi‐level stair subsystems. Such models are needed when investigating seismic resilience of building systems across a wider range of hazard levels. Furthermore, best practices observed utilizing the models developed and evaluated herein against experimental data will be useful for subsequent analysis of larger stair tower models, such as the 10‐story stair system implemented in the NHERI Tall Wood mass timber building with post‐tensioned rocking walls, conducted in 2023 at the UC San Diego Large High‐Performance Outdoor Shake Table.

Seismic design of water retaining structures relies heavily on the response of the retained water to shaking. The water dynamic response has been evaluated by means of analytical, numerical, and experimental approaches. In practice, it is common to use simplified code-based methods to evaluate the added demands imposed by water sloshing. Yet, such methods were developed with an inherent set of assumptions that might limit their application. Alternatively, numerical modeling methods offer a more accurate way of quantifying the water response and have been commonly validated using 1 g shake table experiments. In this study, a unique series of five centrifuge tests was conducted with the goal of investigating the hydrodynamic behavior of water by varying its height and length. Moreover, sine wave and earthquake motions were applied to examine the water response at different types and levels of excitation. Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian finite element models were then developed to reproduce 1 g shake table experiments available in the literature in addition to the centrifuge tests conducted in this study. The results of the numerical simulations as well as the simplified and analytical methods were compared to the experimental measurements, in terms of free surface elevation and hydrodynamic pressures, to evaluate their applicability and limitations. The comparison showed that the numerical models were able to reasonably capture the water response of all configurations both under earthquake and sine wave motions. The analytical solutions performed well except for cases with resonance under harmonic motions. As for the simplified methods, they provided acceptable results for the peak responses under earthquake motions. However, under sine wave motions, where convective sloshing is significant, they underpredict the response. Also, beyond peak ground accelerations of 0.5 g., a mild nonlinear increase in peak dynamic pressures was measured which deviates from assumed linear response in the simplified methods. The study confirmed the reliability of numerical models in capturing water dynamic responses, demonstrating their broad applicability for use in complex problems of fluid-structure-soil interaction.

Security literacy can be viewed as being different, at different levels of management. This paper presents and explains a security literacy model from a managerial level perspective and how different security literacy methods (awareness, training, education) supports the model of the different information security needs of strategic (why), tactical (how), and operational (what) management. The model was developed from academic literature content. The model suggests that security goes beyond technical knowledge and instead involves critically thinking about what to do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kuruluşundan bugüne entegrasyon amaçlarını ekonomik alanla sınırlı bırakmayarak genişleten AB’nin çevreci adımları 1987 Avrupa Tek Senedi’yle ete kemiğe bürünmüş ve çevre konusu resmen AB’nin ortak politikası haline gelmiştir. AB’nin çevre politikası oluşturma arzusu normatif amaçlar taşımakla kalmayıp bir Birlik stratejisi olarak yerini almıştır. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışmanın amacı AB çevre politikasının gelişim sürecinin AB bütünleşme sürecindeki önemini ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmada çevre politikalarının yalnızca normatif bir amaca hizmet etmediği, AB’nin ekonomik ve siyasi bütünleşme sürecine de katkılar sunan stratejik bir alan olduğu açıklanmaktadır. Çalışmanın evreni AB olup, örneklemi iklim değişikliğinde politik fırsatlar için itici ve destekleyici faktörlerdir. Ele alınan itici faktör parametreleri; normatif ve sivil güç, önlem ilkesi, bilimsellik ilkesi, uluslararası işbirliği ve etkili çok taraflılık, sürdürülebilir kalkınma ve iklim göçünün güvenliği ilkeleridir. Çalışmada nitel araştırma tekniklerinden yararlanılmış ve literatür taraması yapılmıştır.

Air pollution represented by particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is closely related to diseases of the respiratory system. Although the understanding of its mechanism is limited, pulmonary inflammation is closely correlated with PM2.5-mediated lung injury. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and epoxy fatty acids play a vital role in the inflammation. Herein, we attempted to use the metabolomics of oxidized lipids for analyzing the relationship of oxylipins with lung injury in a PM2.5-mediated mouse model, and found that the cytochrome P450 oxidases/sEH mediated metabolic pathway was involved in lung injury. Furthermore, the sEH overexpression was revealed in lung injury mice. Interestingly, sEH genetic deletion or the selective sEH inhibitor TPPU increased levels of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) in lung injury mice, and inactivated pulmonary macrophages based on the MAPK/NF-κB pathway, resulting in protection against PM2.5-mediated lung injury. Additionally, a natural sEH inhibitor luteolin from Inula japonica displayed a pulmonary protective effect towards lung injury mediated by PM2.5 as well. Our results are consistent with the sEH message and protein being both a marker and mechanism for PM2.5-induced inflammation, which suggest its potential as a pharmaceutical target for treating diseases of the respiratory system.

Highly specific antibodies are the key reagents for developing immunoassays with a low false positive rate for environmental monitoring. Here, we provide evidence that nanobodies have the potential to achieve higher specificity than conventional antibodies and explain why from their structural features. Using sulfadimethoxine (SDM) as a model analyte, we constructed an immune phage display library and precisely isolated an ultra-specific nanobody (H1-17) by a crucial homologous antigen counter selection strategy. H1-17 showed no observable cross-reactivity (CR) with other structural analogs of 41 SDM tested, which has never been achieved by conventional antibodies. The structurally original specificity of H1-17 was illuminated and compared with that of one conventional antibody by homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis validation. It was found that the noncanonical disulfide bond (C50-C104) of H1-17 helped CDR3 form a tailor-made binding pocket and divide it into two parts to accommodate the common structure of sulfonamides and the characteristic methoxyl group of SDM, respectively. Besides, the mutual-checking hydrogen bonds also played important roles in the specific recognition. Lastly, immunoassays with zero false positive rate were developed to screen SDM in water and milk samples, indicating that nanobodies could be reliable reagents for the accurate detection of chemical compounds.

Ongoing nuclear modernization programs in Russia, China, and the USA have reopened longstanding debates among scholars concerning whether tailored nuclear weapons are likely to have destabilizing consequences for international security. Without data to adjudicate this debate, however, these discussions have remained entirely theoretical. In this article, we introduce an experimental wargaming platform, SIGNAL, to quantify the effect of tailored nuclear capabilities on the nuclear threshold in a simulated environment. We then compare these results with a survey experiment using scenarios related to military basing, cyber operations, and nuclear threats from the wargame environment. While the survey experiments suggest that the presence of tailored nuclear capabilities increases the likelihood of conflict escalation, this trend diminishes in the wargaming context. Across both data-generating processes, we find support for the proposition that lower-yield nuclear weapons are used as a substitute for their higher-yield counterparts. These results have consequences for recent and ongoing policy debates concerning strategic posture and the future of arms control. This work also makes methodological contributions to the design and application of experimental wargaming for social science research, particularly for scenarios where data are limited or non-existent.

On August 14, 2021, a Mw 7.2 earthquake struck the Tiburon Peninsula of western Haiti triggering thousands of landslides. Three days after the earthquake on August 17, 2021, Tropical Storm Grace crossed shallow waters offshore of southern Haiti triggering more landslides worsening the situation. In the aftermath of these events, several organizations with disaster response capabilities or programs activated to provide information on the location of landslides to first responders on the ground. Utilizing remote sensing to support rapid response, one organization manually mapped initiation point of landslides and three automatically detected landslides. The 2021 Haiti event also provided a unique opportunity to test different automated landslide detection methods that utilized both SAR and optical data in a rapid response scenario where rapid situational awareness was critical. As the methods used are highly replicable, the main goal of this study is to summarize the landslide rapid response products released by the organizations, detection methods, quantify accuracy and provide guidelines on how some of the shortcomings encountered in this effort might be addressed in the future. To support this validation, a manually mapped polygon-based landslide inventory covering the entire affected area was created and is also released through this effort.

Microplastics are an emerging and persistent pollutant due to their threat to global ecological systems and human health. Recent studies showed that microplastics have infiltrated the remote Third Pole - the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we summarize the current evidence for microplastic pollution in the different environments (rivers/lakes, sediment, soil, ice/snow and atmosphere) of the Tibetan Plateau. We assess the spatial distribution, source, fate, and potential ecological effects of microplastics in this broad plateau. The integrated results show that microplastics were pervasive in biotic and abiotic components of the Tibetan Plateau, even at the global highest-altitude, Mt. Everest. Although the concentration of microplastics in the Tibetan Plateau was far below that found in the densely populated lowlands, it showed a higher concentration than that in the ocean system. Tourist populations are identified as a substantial source of anthropogenic plastic input rather than local residents due to the rapid development of the tourism industry. In the sparsely inhabited remote area of the Tibetan Plateau, long-range atmospheric transport facilitates allochthonous microplastic diffusion. Robust solar radiation in the Tibetan Plateau might enhanced production of secondary microplastics by weathering (UV-photooxidation) of abandoned plastic waste. A rough estimation showed that the microplastic export flux from melting glaciers was higher than that measured in most of the world's largest rivers, which affects local and downstream areas. Since the Tibetan Plateau is vital for Asian water supply and numerous endangered wildlife, the potential human and ecological risk of microplastics to these fragile ecosystems needs to be fully evaluated within the context of climate-change impacts.

This article aims to conduct an analytical examination of the terrorist attacks in Indonesia to assess the success of terrorism. The analysis uses a framework to evaluate the success and inherent advantages from a tactical, organizational, and strategic perspective. Notable cases analyzed include the Bali Bombings in 2002 and 2005; the Australia Embassy Bombing in 2004; the Jakarta Marriot and Ritz-Carlton Bombings in 2009; and the Jakarta assaults in 2016. These instances were selected based on their substantial influence on Indonesian culture and their portrayal of various terrorist strategies and goals. The implication indicates that although certain tactical objectives may be accomplished, there are typically restrictions on achieving strategic and organizational aims. This study explains tactical successes implied by immediate casualties and economic disruption. The study gives some recommendations to enhance intelligence efforts in counterterrorism, cooperation and collaboration with international efforts, and improving the deradicalization program. This insight can be used by policymakers and law enforcers who work with counter-terrorism efforts to make the efforts in Indonesia more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's growing inclination towards the Indian Ocean region makes Maldives a significant neighbour for reinforcing its image and accomplishing its national interest. The significance of Maldives for India's foreign policy discourse lies as it is the immediate maritime neighbour, the Maldives archipelago comprising 1200 coral islands lies next to key shipping lanes. India-Maldives relations largely remain close, cordial and multidimensional. However, foreign policy being dynamic and multidisciplinary is influenced by numerous determinants. Likely, India-Maldives relations are also influenced by the internal politics of Maldives, China's increasing interests in the Indian Ocean, and regional and global geopolitics. This paper examines the changing contours of India-Maldives relations, especially after the formation of a new coalition government in Maldives headed by Muizzu. It also examines how the Maldives' bonhomie with China affects India-Maldives relations. India being a benign and undeniable actor in the Indian Ocean region has unveiled numerous initiatives like the Neighbourhood First policy, SAGAR, Project Mausam, Indo-Pacific Ocean's Initiatives etc. to reduce trust deficit with littoral states in the region and enable it to leverage the benefit of its strategic location as well. This paper also provides insight into what foreign policy stance India should opt to maintain cordiality about the Maldives and the peaceful Indian Ocean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In response to the alarming performance of the learners in the core subjects, this study aimed to improve the learning outcomes using the Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM) in Grade 6 Science subject. Two intact classes with a total of forty-six (46) Grade VI learners were used as participants of the quasi-experimental study. By random approach, the control group had 20 learners, and 26 learners in the experimental group. The effect of SIM to the performance of the struggling learners in science subject was determined using the pre-test and post-test scores of the two groups of participants. Appropriate statistical tools were used to analyse the test scores of the participants by observing the assumptions of parametric test. Results showed that the pre-test scores between the two groups of participants at the start were very comparable. However, the post test scores of the participants from the experimental and control groups were statistically different with a medium effect size. Moreover, the performance of the female participants significantly exceeded the performance of their male counterparts. This was due to the diligence of the female participants in keeping and handling of the SIM for their advantage. The researcher concluded that SIM significantly helped improve the test scores of the learners. For this, it is recommended that SIM be also applied to other learning areas in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Unveiling insights into the Chinese low consumption puzzle by emphasizing the impact of monopolistic and strategic land supply on the final consumption rate. • Monopolistic land supply suppresses the final consumption rate by expanding government income share and widening urban-rural income gaps. • Strategic land supply suppresses the final consumption rate by driving up the share of capital income and housing prices. • Reducing land transaction monopolies and optimizing supply structures can yield substantial benefits for economic rebalancing. The challenge of low consumption presents a complex development issue in China, one that has been insufficiently analyzed through the lens of land supply. This paper introduces a fresh perspective to the Chinese low consumption puzzle by shedding light on the constraints imposed by monopolistic/strategic land supply on the final consumption rate. Our findings reveal that China's distinctive land supply patterns systematically restrict consumption, as monopolistic land supply hinders total consumption by widening the share of government sector income and the urban-rural income gap. Additionally, strategic land supply curtails consumption by increasing the share of capital income and driving up housing prices. This study underscores the significance of land supply-side reforms in bolstering consumption, offering valuable policy insights for China and other transitioning economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As the business environment becomes more complex and the needs of consumers become more complex, companies and business organizations must carefully consider how to conduct strategic marketing planning. The aim of the present research is Designing and compiling the strategic marketing development plan of the Iraqi Swimming Federation. Method: The current research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive survey, which was collected using qualitative methods. The statistical population of this research is 450 swimming experts in Iraq (according to the statistics of the Iraqi Swimming Federation in 2021). Experts mean swimming club managers, coaches, athletes, referees, and veterans of this sport in Iraq who are active in swimming at a professional level. First, the total number of samples was selected in the qualitative section to reach theoretical saturation, and 17 samples were selected for the qualitative section. Results: The results of the internal and external matrix show an average of 2.23 and 2.16, which indicates that the strategic marketing plan of the Iraqi Swimming Federation is in the WT position and the conditions for maintaining the existing situation. Conclusion: This program cannot make good use of strengths and opportunities and address weaknesses, and reduce threats. Managers and organizations related to this sport can reduce and minimize losses caused by threats and weaknesses with proper planning. Therefore, the strategic marketing development plan of the Iraqi Swimming Federation should be developed with a comprehensive, transparent and accurate approach to improve the marketing and development activities of the Iraqi Swimming Federation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We report on results from triaxial drained monotonic and cyclic compression tests for four different aggregates (gabbro, limestone, demolished concrete, steel slag), and discuss the applicability of UBCSAND model for simulating the relevant non-linear stress-strain curves. First, UBCSAND is integrated analytically for the elastic and plastic volumetric and deviatoric strains, leading to a pair of novel closed-form solutions expressed in terms of hypergeometric functions. These solutions are inherently free of numerical errors and can be used for the evaluation of results from numerical integration. Second, three calibration techniques for the model parameters are presented and compared: (1) a graphical “chart” solution based on results from forward numerical simulations; (2) a numerical approach based on minimization of residuals; and (3) an informed trial-and-error approach based on the analytical solution. Errors in numerical integration of the model are explored by comparing the analytical solution against results from an Euler integration. Variations in the calibrated parameters are discussed for drained monotonic and cyclic triaxial loading considering different types of aggregates.

IntroductionAlcohol use disorder (AUD) and PTSD have high rates of co-occurrence in U.S. Military Veterans resulting in incrementally worse functional outcomes relative to having either one of these disorders alone. Cognitive dysfunction can impede one's ability to benefit from standard behavioral AUD and PTSD treatments. Cigarette smoking is also highly prevalent among U.S. Military Veterans, and cognitive dysfunction is associated with chronic cigarette use among individuals with AUD and PTSD independently. However, much less is known about to what extent cigarette smoking further impairs cognitive functioning in individuals with both co-occurring AUD and PTSD.Materials and methodsU.S. Veterans with co-occurring AUD and PTSD (n = 162) completed a comprehensive cognitive assessment covering various domains: working memory, processing speed, mental switching, cognitive inhibition, auditory-verbal learning, auditory-verbal memory, and verbal fluency. To examine the impact of alcohol use, traumatic stress, and cigarette smoking on cognitive function, we conducted a three-way interaction examining the moderated effects of smoking status on the association between alcohol use and PTSD symptoms on a composite domain of global cognition.ResultsSmoking status in Veterans with co-occurring AUD and PTSD moderated the relationship between alcohol use and global cognition (P = .042), such that higher levels of alcohol use in the past week were related to worse global cognitive function among Veterans cigarette smokers (P = .015) but not among nonsmokers (P = .833). On follow-up analyses of individual cognitive domains, greater alcohol use in the past week was associated with lower cognitive inhibition in smokers but not nonsmokers, with traumatic stress symptoms moderating this effect (P = .039). Additionally, smoking status moderated the relationship between alcohol use and auditory-verbal learning, such that there was a differential relationship between alcohol use and auditory-verbal learning between smokers and nonsmokers.ConclusionsOverall, results provide evidence for the compounding impact of alcohol use, traumatic stress, and cigarette smoking on cognitive functioning. Impaired cognitive performance on a global level as well as on individual domains of cognitive inhibition and auditory-verbal learning were evident. Cognitive dysfunction may impede a Veteran's ability to benefit from therapeutic treatment, and these cognitive domains may represent potential targets for cognitive training efforts. Further, study results support smoking cessation initiatives and smoke-free policies enacted at Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities and medical centers.

IntroductionMilitary Veterans have an increased risk of suicide compared to the general population, but less is known about changes in risk with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, or whether any changes have been moderated by psychiatric or demographic factors. The primary objective was to test the hypothesis that the likelihood of suicide attempt or death by suicide was stable during the first year of the pandemic versus the preceding year for the full sample. A second objective was to test the hypothesis that, in contrast, risk increased for Veteran subgroups characterized by traditional risk factors (e.g., psychiatric diagnosis).Materials and methodsWe extracted electronic health record data for 771,570 Veterans who received one or more health care visits between March 13, 2019, and March 12, 2021, at eight VA hospitals across the southwestern United States. Primary outcome measures were suicide attempts and deaths by suicide. Predictor variables included psychiatric diagnoses and demographic factors.ResultsMultivariable models indicated that the odds of death by suicide did not change during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the odds of making a suicide attempt declined. Veterans treated for major depression were at heightened risk for attempting suicide in both years, but the association was smaller during the pandemic than the year prior. In contrast, the relative risk of attempt for Veterans who were never married and Veterans treated for a non-alcohol, non-opioid substance-use disorder increased during the pandemic.Conclusions and relevanceThe findings suggest that the pandemic has not led to an increase in suicidal behavior, which is consistent with other studies, although the degree of decline varied across diagnostic and demographic groups. Further longitudinal research is needed to evaluate whether the prolonged nature of COVID-19 may lead to changes in risk over time.

BackgroundDespite programs to address housing for Veterans, they continue to be at high risk of unstable housing. Interpersonal violence is also highly prevalent among Veterans and may contribute to unstable housing. Our study aimed to determine whether interpersonal violence was associated with unstable housing among Veterans, and how this association was influenced by common co-occurring conditions such as substance use and mental illness.MethodsVeterans in the Mind Your Heart Study (N = 741) completed survey data on history of interpersonal violence and access to housing in the prior year. Interpersonal violence was defined as experiencing sexual violence, physical violence, or mugging/physical attack using the Brief Trauma Questionnaire. Multivariable models examined associations between interpersonal violence and unstable housing. Primary models were adjusted for age and sex. Potential explanatory factors were added in subsequent models, including marital status, education, income, substance use disorder, PTSD, and other mental illness.ResultsVeterans who had experienced interpersonal violence had almost twice the odds of unstable housing after adjustment for age and sex (AOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.0). This association was attenuated in the fully adjusted model including substance use, PTSD, and other mental illness, illustrating the interdependence of these factors (AOR 1.5, 95% CI 0.91-2.5). Subtypes of interpersonal violence were individually associated with increased odds of unstable housing after adjustment for age and sex (physical abuse AOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.5; mugging/physical attack AOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7; sexual violence AOR 1.4, 95% CI 0.89-2.2), but were no longer significant in the fully adjusted model.ConclusionsPrevious experiences of interpersonal violence were associated with unstable housing among Veterans. Substance use, PTSD, and other mental illness played an important role in this relationship-highlighting the potential to improve health outcomes through trauma informed approaches that address mental health, substance use, and housing concurrently.

The goal of this nationally representative, cross-sectional study is to evaluate the trends in routine checkup within the last year associated with exposure to a hurricane. We compared Puerto Rico (2017 Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria), Texas (2017 Hurricane Harvey), and Florida (2017 Hurricane Irma, Hurricane 2018 Michael) with states that had a category 1-2 hurricane make landfall from 2014 to 2019: Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. We found that states impacted by a major hurricane in 2017 had a drop in routine checkup while the states that experienced a category 1-2 landfall did have a change in that year. By the following year, all states reported an increase in routine checkup suggesting that the disruption in routine care was temporary.

The 2020 hurricane season threatened millions of Americans concurrently grappling with COVID-19. Processes guiding individual-level mitigation for these conceptually distinct threats, one novel and chronic (COVID-19), the other familiar and episodic (hurricanes), are unknown. Theories of health protective behaviors suggest that inputs from external stimuli (e.g., traditional and social media) lead to threat processing, including perceived efficacy (self- and response) and perceived threat (susceptibility and severity), guiding mitigation behavior. We surveyed a representative sample of Florida and Texas residents (N = 1846) between April 14, 2020 and April 27, 2020; many had previous hurricane exposure; all were previously assessed between September 8, 2017 and September 11, 2017. Using preregistered analyses, two generalized structural equation models tested direct and indirect effects of media exposure (traditional media, social media) on self-reported (1) COVID-19 mitigation (handwashing, mask-wearing, social distancing) and (2) hurricane mitigation (preparation behaviors), as mediated through perceived efficacy (self- and response) and perceived threat (susceptibility and severity). Self-efficacy and response efficacy were associated with social distancing (p = .002), handwashing, mask-wearing, and hurricane preparation (ps

California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA) established food safety metrics with guidance recommendations of 366 m (1,200 feet) and 1,609 m (1 mile) distances between production fields of leafy greens and a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) containing >1,000 and >80,000 head of cattle, respectively. This study evaluated the effect of these distance metrics and environmental factors on the occurrence of airborneEscherichia coliin proximity to seven commercial beef cattle feedlots located in Imperial Valley, California. A total of 168 air samples were collected from seven beef cattle feedlots during March and April 2020, which were the months implicated in the 2018 Yuma Arizona lettuce outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. The distance between air sampling sites and the edge of the feedlot ranged from ∼0 to ∼2,200 m (∼1.3 mile), with each sample comprised of 1,000 L of processed air taken at a 1.2 m elevation over a 10-minute duration. E. colicolonies were enumerated on CHROMagar ECC selective agar and confirmed with conventional PCR. Meteorological data (air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity) were collectedin situ. The prevalence and mean concentration ofE. coliwere 6.55% (11/168) and 0.09 CFU per 1,000 L of air, with positive samples limited to within 37 m (120 ft) of the feedlot.Based on logistic regression, the odds of airborne E. coli detection were associated with little to no wind and close proximity to a feedlot. This pilot study found limited dispersal of airborne E. coli in proximity to commercial feedlots in Imperial Valley, with light-to-no wind and proximity within 37 m of a feedlot significant factor-associated airborne E. coli in this produce-growing region of California.

Slow-moving landslides are widely observed in mountainous areas worldwide. While most of these landslides move slowly downslope over long periods of time, some ultimately accelerate rapidly and fail catastrophically. Simulating the landslide creep movement triggered by environmental factors such as precipitation, is therefore necessary to anticipate potential damaging effects on proximal infrastructure, habitat, and life. Here, we present a physically-based model that links pore-water pressure changes in the landslide mass with a new viscoplastic constitutive law designed to capture different temporal trends in slow-moving landslides. The model accounts for landslide velocity changes caused by rainfall infiltration through the Terzaghi’s effective stress principle, thus directly resolving the deformation of the active shear zone. Calibration and validation of the computations benefited from both ground-based and remote sensing data for three active landslides in the California Coast Ranges, USA. We find that our model can accurately describe both slow quasi-continuous and episodic movement commonly displayed by active landslides. Although inherent limitations of the viscoplasticity framework did not enable us to describe catastrophic landslide acceleration, our model provides versatile tools that can be used to analyze and describe distinct types of slow-moving landslide dynamics.

This study aims to analyze the strategies applied by tahfidz teachers in increasing interest in memorization among 8th grade MTS students at the Islamic Centre Foundation of North Sumatra. In addition, this study also wants to identify the factors that support and hinder the strategy. The method used is qualitative with a descriptive approach. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. The findings of this study indicate that one of the strategies used by tahfidz teachers to increase interest in memorization is by applying the tasmi' method. As for this research, there are supporting factors in increasing students' interest in memorizing, which consist of internal and external factors. Internal supporting factors come from oneself, namely the spirit of memorization and a strong will, besides that, external factors consist of the home and school environment, such as support from parents and motivation from teachers. As for the inhibiting factors for each student, most of the students themselves experience fatigue and often feel bored. In addition, teachers also conduct learning evaluations which are carried out every day

This study investigates strategic financial planning for long-term sustainability in Madrasah Aliyah Siti Mariam Banjarmasin. The objective is to analyze the institution's financial challenges, explore strategies for enhancing financial sustainability, and propose recommendations for effective financial management. The research employs qualitative methods, including interviews and observations, to gather data on financial practices, challenges, and strategies within the institution. The findings reveal significant challenges in allocating financial resources effectively, including dependence on government funding and limited investment in critical areas such as infrastructure and staff development. However, the study also identifies promising strategies for improving financial sustainability, such as diversifying revenue streams through fundraising events and partnerships, optimizing resource utilization, and implementing prudent financial management practices. Based on these findings, recommendations are proposed to prioritize investments in key areas, enhance revenue diversification efforts, and foster a culture of financial responsibility within the institution. Overall, the study contributes to understanding strategic financial planning in educational institutions and provides practical insights for enhancing long-term sustainability in Madrasah Aliyah Siti Mariam Banjarmasin.

Making early and good predictions is a critical feature of decision making in domains such as investing and predicting the spread of diseases. Past literature indicates that people use recent and longer-term trends to extrapolate future outcomes. Nonetheless, less is known about what differentiates the strategies people use to make better predictions than others. Furthermore, factors underlying predictive judgments could be an important behavioral component in psychosocial research investigating manic-depression, anxiety, and age effects. Additionally, predictive judgments may be moderated based on the experience of living in areas with greater income inequality. To address these issues, we used investment tasks where participants had to predict future outcomes of their investments based on a trend in information. In the task, participants predicted how many tokens a gold mine would produce on the twelfth turn. On each turn, participants could ask for more information at a cost, or make a prediction about whether the gold mine would produce more or less than 100 tokens by the 12th turn. The trend was determined by function type (exponential and inverse exponential functions), whether the function was more linear or curved (growth factors), and good or bad outcomes (final values). This paradigm could help disentangle to what degree people use recent or longer-term information to inform their predictive judgments. We used Qualtrics to conduct this study. We also collected questionnaire data quantifying anxiety, impulsivity, risk attitudes, manic-depressive symptoms, and other psychosocial characteristics. The study was administered to adults with age ranges across the lifespan (N = 360; 225 male, 132 female; 3 nonbinary; mean age: 44.3 years; SD: 15.4 years, min: 18 years, max: 78 years). Additionally, we sampled across areas with high- and low-income inequality, thereby allowing researchers to investigate if value-based decisions are associated with participants’ local communities. We outline potential ways to use and reuse this data, including exploring how individual differences are associated with predictive judgments.