This paper illustrates a typology of 14 natural and anthropogenic hazards, the evidence for their causes and consequences for society and their role as vectors of change in estuaries, vulnerable ...coasts and marine areas. It uses hazard as the potential that there will be damage to the natural or human system and so is the product of an event which could occur and the probability of it occurring whereas the degree of risk then relates to the amount of assets, natural or societal, which may be affected. We give long- and short-term and large- and small-scale perspectives showing that the hazards leading to disasters for society will include flooding, erosion and tsunamis. Global examples include the effects of wetland loss and the exacerbation of problems by building on vulnerable coasts. Hence we emphasise the importance of considering hazard and risk on such coasts and consider the tools for assessing and managing the impacts of risk and hazard. These allow policy-makers to determine the consequences for natural and human systems. We separate locally-derived problems from large-scale effects (e.g. climate change, sea-level rise and isostatic rebound); we emphasise that the latter unmanaged exogenic pressures require a response to the consequences rather than the causes whereas within a management area there are endogenic managed pressures in which we address both to causes and consequences. The problems are put into context by assessing hazards and the conflicts between different uses and users and hence the management responses needed. We emphasise that integrated and sustainable management of the hazards and risk requires 10-tenets to be fulfilled.
•This is the first detailed typology of coastal & marine hazards leading to risks.•Examples of hazard and risk are given especially related to vulnerable coasts.•Each of 13 types of hazard is explained and illustrated using worldwide examples.•A set of 10-tenets is given for sustainable marine management of hazard and risk.•We emphasise merging natural & societal aspects to minimise hazards & risks.
A detailed analysis has been conducted of Ti–6Al–4V processed by metallic shot peening and laser shock peening. Analysis by incremental hole drilling, electron backscattered diffraction microscopy, ...transmission electron microscopy and transmission Kikuchi diffraction microscopy is evaluated and discussed. The results of this analysis highlight the very different dislocation structures in surfaces processed by these two techniques. Transmission Kikuchi diffraction also has been used to evaluate sub-grains generated by laser shock peening. A notable feature of material processed by laser shock peening is the almost complete absence of deformation twinning, contrasting with the frequent observation of extensive deformation twinning observed in the material processed by metallic shot peening.
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Offshore and coastal wind power is one of the fastest growing industries in many areas, especially those with shallow coastal regions due to the preferable generation conditions available in the ...regions. As with any expanding industry, there are concerns regarding the potential environmental effects which may be caused by the installation of the offshore wind turbines and their associated infrastructure, including substations and subsea cables. These include the potential impacts on the biological, physical and human environments. This review discusses in detail the potential impacts arising from offshore wind farm construction, and how these may be quantified and addressed through the use of conceptual models. It concludes that while not environmentally benign, the environmental impacts are minor and can be mitigated through good siting practices. In addition, it suggests that there are opportunities for environmental benefits through habitat creation and conservation protection areas.
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•Polyimide films with two thicknesses from four manufacturers were investigated.•The two sides of the same polyimide film were significantly different.•The roughness on the air side ...was consistently smaller than the cast side.•The DMT modulus and imidization degree has a positive correlation.•Irregularities in nanomechanical property compromised the tension of the film.
Polyimide films are widely applied in harsh environments because of their outstanding performance. High-quality polyimide films are often manufactured through a two-step process. The complicated procedure results in different properties on the two sides, i.e., the air side and cast side of the films, and the quality of products from different manufacturers varies notably. In the present work, polyimide films with two thicknesses (1 and 2 mm) from four manufacturers were investigated. Atomic force microscope and FT-IR spectrometer were employed to monitor morphology, roughness, nanomechanical properties, and corresponding relative imidization degree on the two sides of each film. Statistical tools were applied to analyze the data. T-test suggests that the two sides of the same film were significantly different in roughness, DMT modulus, and relative imidization degree (p < 0.05). The roughness on the air side was consistently smaller than that of the cast side. ANOVA was used to compare differences among the manufacturers. Manufacturer B provided the smoothest films with the highest DMT moduli and imidization degrees. A positive correlation was found between the DMT modulus and imidization degree (r = 0.7330). Nanostructure and nanomechanical properties could affect the quality of the film. Striped morphology and adhesion were found on the cast side of the 2-mm film from manufacturer D, which compromised the film tension in the direction perpendicular to the strips. Investigations of morphology and mechanical properties of polyimide film at the nanoscale would help us better characterize the film, assure its quality, and select suitable film and side for proper applications.
The term coastal squeeze has been used to describe the process whereby hard flood defences in areas subjected to relative sea level rise constrain the ability of an estuarine system to respond ...naturally, thus leading to a loss of intertidal habitat, with an associated potential reduction in the carrying capacity of the estuarine system for fish and bird populations. The process of coastal squeeze, coupled with the long-term effects of climate change, has generated the need to create or restore intertidal habitats in estuaries. In Humber Estuary (UK) it is estimated that over 700 hectares of intertidal habitat will be lost due to coastal squeeze and rising sea levels over the next 50 years. In order to address this net loss, a process known as ‘managed realignment’ has been employed as an estuarine habitat management tool, whereby sections of flood defences are moved inland to create or restore intertidal habitat and offset potential losses in carrying capacity. On the Humber, the Paull Holme Strays site, to the east of Hull, has been the first managed realignment site on the estuary to become operational. The site at Paull Holme Strays was breached in September 2003 creating approximately 80 hectares of intertidal habitat. In order to assess the development of the waterbird assemblage at the Paull Holme Strays site, and ultimately the success of the habitat creation technique, monthly ornithological surveys were undertaken in the newly created habitat and on the mudflat fronting the managed realignment site. The analysis of avifaunal usage data at Paull Holme Strays has demonstrated that within 3 years of creation, the new intertidal habitat is capable of supporting at low water, a functional waterbird assemblage of similar composition to that of adjacent existing intertidal areas. At Paull Holme Strays, this has been achieved with little ongoing management of new habitats.
Medical personal protective equipment (PPE) made from nonwoven thermoplastic fibers has been intensively used, resulting in a large amount of biohazardous waste. Sterilization is indispensable before ...recycling medical waste. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of the decontamination treatments and help properly recycle the PPE materials. The study investigated the effects of three disinfection treatments (NaClO, H
2
O
2
, and autoclave) on chemical composition, molecular weight, thermal properties, crystallinity, crystallization kinetics, and mechanical tension of three types of PPE (Gown #1, Gown #2, and Wrap) made of isotactic polypropylene fibers. The chemical compositions of the materials were not evidently affected by any of the treatments. However, the M
w
of the polymers decreased about 2–7% after the treatments, although the changes were not statistically significant. The treatments barely affected the melting and crystallization temperatures and the maximum force at break, but they tended to elevate the thermal degradation temperatures. Although the treatments did not notably influence the crystallinities, crystallization rates and crystal growths were altered based on the Avrami model regression. Since the detected changes would not significantly affect polymer processing, the treated materials were suitable for recycling. Meanwhile, evident differences in the three types of raw materials were recorded. Their initial properties fluctuated notably, and they often behaved differently during the treatments, which could affect recycling operation. Recyclers should test and sort the raw materials to assure product quality. The results in this study provide fundamental data for recycling medical PPE to reduce its environmental footprint.
This article establishes a model of likely campaign effectiveness, before examining the intensity of constituency campaigning at the 2010 general election in Britain and its subsequent impact on ...electoral outcomes, using both aggregate and individual level data. It shows that constituency campaigning yielded benefits in varying degrees for all three main parties and that Labour’s constituency campaign efforts were effective despite the electoral context, and ultimately affected the overall outcome of the election. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of the circumstances under which campaigns are likely to be more or less effective, and provide further evidence that a carefully managed campaign stands the most chance of delivering tangible electoral payoffs.
► Constituency campaigns were electorally effective in the 2010 general election. ► The Conservatives’ campaigns were least effective. ► Labour’s campaigns were surprisingly effective, given the electoral context. ► Labour’s campaigns probably influenced the final election outcome.
From the 1950s onwards, David Butler and a number of co-authors of the Nuffield studies of British General Elections stressed the perceived futility of local campaigns, dismissing them as ritual, ...irrelevant exercises. During the 1990s, a new orthodoxy emerged. Using their own surrogate measure of campaigning, three groups of scholars found that the more intense a party's campaign in a constituency, relative to its opponents', the better its performance there. The significance of campaigning appears to vary across the country's three main political parties; however, it seems to be particularly important to the success of the Liberal Democrats. These findings are entirely consistent with arguments regarding the role and efficacy of local campaigning, but there remains a need for more direct evidence. If the traditionalists are correct, then local campaigning will have no impact on either turnout or the electoral performance of the party involved. If the ‘revisionists’ are correct, then where a party campaigns intensively it should be better able to identify and mobilise its core supporters, ensure that they turn out to vote, and thus improve its performance relative to its opponents. To evaluate these two arguments require data on where and how a party campaigns intensively, at local scales which can then be linked to electoral turnout data for those small areas. Such an evaluation is reported in this paper, using a case study of one ward in the City of Bath at the 1999 local government elections there.
We report observation of the electroweak production of single top quarks in ppover collisions at sqrts=1.96 TeV based on 2.3 fb(-1) of data collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ...Collider. Using events containing an isolated electron or muon and missing transverse energy, together with jets originating from the fragmentation of b quarks, we measure a cross section of sigma(ppover --> tb + X, tqb + X) = 3.94 + or - 0.88 pb. The probability to measure a cross section at this value or higher in the absence of signal is 2.5 x 10(-7), corresponding to a 5.0 standard deviation significance for the observation.
To examine the association of positive report on a maternal depression screen (PDS) with loss or reduction of welfare support and foods stamps, household food insecurity, and child health measures ...among children aged < or =36 months at 6 urban hospitals and clinics.
A convenience sample of 5306 mothers, whose children <36 months old were being seen in hospital general clinics or emergency departments (EDs) at medical centers in 5 states and Washington, District of Columbia, were interviewed from January 1, 2000 until December 31, 2001. Questions included items on sociodemographic characteristics, federal program participation and changes in federal benefits, child health status rating, child's history of hospitalizations since birth, household food security status, and a 3-question PDS. For a subsample interviewed in the ED, whether the child was admitted to the hospital that day was recorded.
PDS status was associated with loss or reduction of welfare support and food stamps, household food insecurity, fair/poor child health rating, and history of child hospitalization since birth but not low child growth status measures or admission to the hospital at the time of ED visit. After controlling for study site, maternal race, education, and insurance type as well as child low birth weight status, mothers with PDS were more likely to report fair/poor child health (adjusted odds ratio AOR: 1.58; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.33-1.88) and hospitalizations during the child's lifetime (AOR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.03-1.39), compared with mothers without PDS. Controlling for the same variables, mothers with PDS were more likely to report decreased welfare support (AOR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.03-2.25), to have lost food stamps (AOR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.06-2.30), and reported more household food insecurity (AOR: 2.69; 95% CI: 2.33-3.11) than mothers without PDS.
Positive maternal depression screen status noted in pediatric clinical samples of infants and toddlers is associated with poorer reported child health status, household food insecurity, and loss of federal financial support and food stamps. Although the direction of effects cannot be determined in this cross-sectional survey, child health providers and policy makers should be aware of the potential impact of maternal depression on child health in the context of welfare reform.
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