Placa de Castillo Morales: uso precoce e qualidade de vida da criança com Síndrome de Down

OpenAIRE

Santana, Ana Luísa Rato

2015-01-01

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre no Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde Egas Moniz Com este trabalho pretende-se, mostrar a importância da terapia precoce da regulação orofacial com o uso de Placa Palatina Castillo-Morales, em pacientes com Síndrome de Down, e avaliar as alterações e benefícios do uso desta placa para uma melhor Qualidade de Vida. A Placa de Castillo-Morales é utilizada como um complemento para a estimulação orofacial, sendo, especialmente usada em pacien...

Utilización de la placa palatina de memoria y desarrollo orofacial en infante con Síndrome de Down

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Vera Lúcia Carneiro

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Los infantes con Síndrome de Down presentan en general, hipotonía de la muscular, cierre labial incompetente, lengua flácida y protruida. La placa palatina de memoria, propuesta por Castillo Morales, induce el cierre bilabial y posicionamiento correcto de la lengua. Este trabajo tuvo por objetivo evaluar el desarrollo orofacial, de una niña con Síndrome de Down, a través de terapia de estimulación precoz y utilización de placa palatina de memoria. Recibió tratamiento con placa palatina de memoria desde los 5 hasta los 15 meses y fue acompañada por un equipo multidisciplinario hasta los 6 años de edad. En el caso presentado, la terapia empleada permitió un desarrollo bucofacial adecuado, armónico y funcional. La utilización precoz de placa palatina de memoria demostró ser un complemento valioso en el programa multidisciplinario de atención a pacientes con Síndrome de Down.

Conceção e produção de placas de gesso laminado

OpenAIRE

Lopes, Susana Maria de Oliveira

2012-01-01

O presente relatório tem como objetivo descrever o trabalho desenvolvido durante o período de estágio realizado na Fibroplac que tem como atividade a produção de placas de gesso laminado. As placas de gesso laminado têm-se destacado na indústria da construção civil por serem um produto leve e de rápida instalação, atendendo à atual procura de racionalizar a construção, evitando desperdícios e otimizando etapas. O relatório descreve de forma sucinta os conhecimentos adquirido...

Fisiopatología de la placa de ateroma

OpenAIRE

Jesús Gómez, Mª Teresa de; San Román Montero, Jesús Mª

2013-01-01

La aterosclerosis ha pasado de ser considerada una enfermedad de depósito y degenerativa a ser entendida como una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica que da lugar a un episodio clínico agudo como resultado de la complicación de una placa de ateroma. La inflamación actúa en todas las fases de la aterosclerosis, desde su inicio hasta sus últimas complicaciones como la trombosis. Medicina y Cirugía

Normalización de imágenes de placas vehiculares a través de corrección geométrica

OpenAIRE

Choez Álvarez, Carlos Leonardo; Salas Guerrero, Steve Fernando; Vintimilla, Boris X.

2013-01-01

El proyecto en general consiste en implementar un sistema de control de acceso vehicular mediante el reconocimiento del número de placa de manera automática usando una cámara y algoritmos de procesamiento de imágenes incluyendo Reconocimiento Óptico de Caracteres (OCR). Para el reconocimiento de las placas se tomara una imagen al vehículo al momento de entrar a un parqueadero específico. Este proyecto consta de cinco partes: 1. Detección y extracción de placas. 2. Normalización de imágenes...

Caracterización de la mezcla de yeso grueso con adición de residuos tratados de placas de yeso laminado

OpenAIRE

Rodríguez-Orejón, A.; Del Río-Merino, M.; Fernández-Martínez, F.

2014-01-01

La protección del medio ambiente implica la reutilización de los residuos de construcción y demolición. Los residuos de placas de yeso laminado se utilizan en la fabricación de cemento y de placas de yeso laminado. En este artículo se ha estudiado la utilización deresiduos de placa de yeso laminado cocido (YLC) mezclado con yeso grueso (YG), realizándose la caracterización físico-mecánica de dureza superficial y resistencias mecánicas, para determinar su idoneidad formando materiales de ye...

Orogenias: das margens continentais ao interior remoto das placas, uma revisão no tema

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Benjamim Bley de Brito Neves

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Esta síntese do conceito de orogenias abrange desde a Tectônica de Placas dos anos 1970, adendos e modelos "alternativos", que buscam explicar orogenias distantes das zonas de interação de placas. A análise crítica dos modelos originais resultou em adendos que incluem domínios proterozoicos e paleozoicos e observações sobre reologia e história termo-tectônica da litosfera. Os modelos alternativos explicam a orogênese por subdução local de litosfera continental, sem envolver litosfera oceânica. Nos anos 1990, houve notável avanço no estudo das causas da subsidência (tectônica formadora de bacias e estudos que contestam a rigidez das placas e propõem modelos de enfraquecimento devido à ação termal. Orogenias intracontinentais, entendidas como caso extremo da inversão de bacias, ocorrem em praticamente todos os continentes. Esforços gerados em zonas de interação de placas podem ser transmitidas continente adentro por milhares de quilômetros e gerar tectônica deformadora longe de suturas. Embora esteja ainda em estágio de fluxo, o conceito de orogenias intracontinentais ("telessuturais" vem se consolidando, embora não tenha sido incorporado a livros-texto. O histórico e o reexame do tema possibilitam classificar os orógenos segundo três variáveis principais: posição em relação às zonas de sutura, organização geométrico-geológica (em planta e nível de exumação.

Um experimento simples usado na produção de placas de zonas de Fresnel

OpenAIRE

Muller,Márcia; Silva,Jean Carlos Cardozo da; Fabris,José Luís

2005-01-01

Neste trabalho propomos um experimento simples que tem por finalidade auxiliar no aprendizado dos fenômenos de interferência e difração da luz. Após uma análise pertinente da teoria de Fresnel da difração, os conhecimentos são aplicados na compreensão do funcionamento das placas de zonas de Fresnel. Apresentamos uma descrição detalhada dos processos usados para a fabricação e caracterização destas placas zonais, o que possibilita a produção de lentes difrativas com a distância focal desejada ...

Reciclado de placas de yeso laminado aligeradas con residuos de poliuretano = Recycling of gypsum plasterboard lightened with polyurethane waste

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Lourdes Alameda

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Este trabajo presenta los resultados de un proceso experimental de reutilización de residuos obtenidos de desechos de placas de yeso laminado elaboradas con residuos poliméricos de origen industrial (espuma de poliuretano y reforzadas con fibras de polipropileno, para la fabricación de nuevas placas de yeso laminado. Para ello, se expone la metodología de reciclado de placas prefabricadas buscando de esta forma aumentar el ciclo de vida del yeso y de los residuos de poliuretano empleados. Para ello se detalla el proceso de fabricación las nuevas placas así como su caracterización mediante ensayos físicos y mecánicos a través de ensayos normalizados para placas de yeso laminado (densidad aparente, resistencia a flexión, absorción total en agua y dureza superficial. Los resultados obtenidos indican que es posible reciclar este tipo de prefabricados de una manera sencilla. De la misma forma se ha demostrado que las nuevas placas fabricadas con el residuo recuperado, presentan un buen comportamiento mecánico, a la par que se reduce su capacidad de absorción de agua y se aumenta su dureza su superficial. Abstract This paper presents the results of an experimental process of reusing waste obtained from waste gypsum plasterboard made from polymeric industrial waste (polyurethane foam and polypropylene fibers whit the aim to manufacturer new gypsum plasterboards. Therefore, a methodology to recycle is presented to increase the life cycle of waste gypsum. The manufacturing process of the plates is detailed as well as their physical and mechanical characterization by means of standardized for gypsum plasterboard (bulk density, flexion strength, total water absorption and surface hardness. The results indicate that it is possible to recycle this type of prefabricated in a simple way. Likewise it has been demonstrated that new plates made with the residue reusing, have good mechanical strength, at the same time reduce the capacity of water

Congelador de placas: diseño y modelado

OpenAIRE

Orrego Alzate, Carlos Eduardo

1996-01-01

La congelación de alimentos es uno de los métodos de preservación mas utilizados y aceptados porque, bien ejecutada, no involucra alteraciones importantes en las características organolépticas y nutricionales de los productos, utilizando solamente un procedimiento físico. Este documento presenta la memoria del diseño y construcción de un congelador de placas para planta piloto. Hará parte de los elementos necesarios para disponer de una miniplanta para ensayos de congelación y liofiliz...

Empleo de placas filtrantes cubanas en el proceso de producción de melagenina loción

OpenAIRE

Guillermo Lago Mendoza; Patricia Melgares Hernández; Gabriel Coto Valdés; Loida Oruña Sánchez; María de los Ángeles Jiménez Gómez

1999-01-01

La melagenina loción es un medicamento extraído de la placenta humana e identificado como una lipoproteína de bajo peso molecular, que ha demostrado su eficacia en la cura del vitiligo. Durante el proceso productivo de obtención de dicho extracto se emplea un sistema de placas de celulosa en la estación de filtración del Centro de Histoterapia Placentaria, Planta. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo el empleo y evaluación de placas de producción nacional modelo Filtec 00 producidas en la ...

Evolución geológica del margen Norte de la Placa del Caribe, República Dominicana

OpenAIRE

Pérez-Estaun, Andrés; Tavares, I.; García-Cortés, Ángel; Hernaiz Huerta, P. P.

2002-01-01

La Isla La Española se encuentra situada en la actualidad en la parte septentrional de la Placa del Caribe. Conjuntamente con Puerto Rico, constituye una unidad que puede interpretarse como una microplaca, limitada al Norte por una zona de subducción oblicua, con una fuerte componente de salto en dirección, y al Sur por otra zona de subducción incipiente a la que se asocia la Fosa de los Muertos. El margen Norte de la Placa del Caribe ha evolucionado desde constituir un límite contro...

Farmacos orales para el control quimico de las biopeliculas dentales (placa bacteriana

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Rodrigo Abello Moreno

2013-12-01

Full Text Available La placa dentobacteriana o biopelicula es la responsable de patologias clinicas como la caries dental, gingivitis y enfermedad periodontal, por lo tanto productos con agentes germicidas actuan en la prevencion de la biopelicula dental cuando las medidas de higiene oral no son las mas apropiadas.

Corte de placas solares con láser. Estudio de modificaciones microestructurales

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Ramírez Del Valle, A. J.

2003-06-01

Full Text Available In photovoltaic solar cells manufacturing process, system breaks are produced. Recycling improves the material profitability. In this sense, manufacturing of components with non-straight shapes is not feasible using traditional methods. The processing of these materials through Nd-YAG laser, allows manufacturing with any geometric shape. This work shows a study of solar cells cutting process with laser. First of all, it is necessary to carry out a parameter optimization in order to make an accurate material cutting. The microstructure of the cutting area and possible microcompositional changes were studied by scanning electronic miscroscopy (SEM and X-ray analysis (EDX.

En el proceso de fabricación de placas fotovoltaicas se producen roturas de las células solares, por tanto, el reciclaje es necesario para mejorar la rentabilidad de este proceso, además, la fabricación de piezas de formas curvas no es factible por los métodos tradicionales. El procesado de estos materiales mediante un láser de Nd-YAG, permitirá la fabricación en cualquier forma geométrica además del mejor aprovechamiento de las placas desechadas por estar rotas. El presente trabajo muestra un estudio del proceso de corte de placas solares con láser. En primer lugar se procede a la optimización de los parámetros necesarios para realizar el corte de este material. La microestructura de la zona de corte y los posibles cambios microcomposicionales que se hayan podido producir, se estudian mediante microscopía electrónica de barrido, con microanálisis de energías dispersivas de Rayos X.

Placa bacteriana dentária em cães Dental bacterial plaque in dogs

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Duvaldo Eurides

1996-12-01

Full Text Available Com objetivo de avaliar a incidência de placa bacteriana dentária, foram utilizados 30 cães, sem raça definida, distribuídos em três grupos iguais, de acordo com a faixa etária, sendo o grupo I de 0 a 2 anos, o grupo II de 3 a 5 anos e o grupo III acima de 6 anos. Os animais foram submetidos a anestesia geral e sobre os dentes foi aplicado cloreto de metilrosanilina, para evidenciar acúmulos bacterianos. As placas encontravam-se distribuídas em 80,99% no grupo I, 71,45% no grupo II e 83,96% no grupo III. Os grupos dentários foram considerados separadamente, apresentando índices de 64,84% nos dentes incisivos, 84,80% nos caninos, 87,23% nos pré-molares e 78,34% nos molares. Nos três grupos de cães observou-se índices semelhantes de placa bacteriana nos diferentes grupos dentários. Os animais do grupo II e o grupo de dentes incisivos apresentaram menores índices de placa bacteriana.To avaliate the incidence of bacterial plaque 30 mogreal dogs were utilizated, distributed among three equal groups. According to age, group I was composed of 0 to 2 years-old dogs, group II was 3 to 5 years-old, and group III over 6 years-old. The animals underwent a general anesthesia and metilrosanilin cloret was applied over the tooth, to evidence the bacterial mass. The plaques were distributed to 80.99% in group I, 71.42% in group II and 83.96% in group III. The dental groups were considerated apart, showing index of 64.84% on the incisar tooth, 84.80% on the canine tooth, 87.23% on the premolar tooth, and 78.34% on the molar tooth. At the dogs groups, similar Índex of bacterial plaque were observed on the diffèrent dental groups. The dogs from group II and the incisive tooth group showed minar bacterial plaque index.

Caracterización del comportamiento en fractura de paneles sandwich de placas de yeso laminado y lana de roca

OpenAIRE

Alonso Vera, Juan Antonio; Reyes Pozo, Encarnación; Gálvez Ruíz, Jaime

2011-01-01

En esta comunicación se presenta el trabajo realizado para la caracterización experimental de un panel sándwich de yeso laminado y lana de roca, así como de cada uno de sus componentes: placa de yeso laminado, placa de yeso, lana de roca y papel. Para ello se diseñó una campaña de ensayos destinados a obtener las propiedades resistentes de los materiales estudiados, así como la energía específica de fractura, GF, y las curvas completas de carga aplicada frente a desplazamientos. A partir de l...

Placas ósseas confeccionadas a partir de diáfise cortical equina na osteossíntese femoral em coelhos

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Fernando Pinheiro Milori

2013-10-01

Full Text Available A evolução tecnológica tem possibilitado o desenvolvimento e o aperfeiçoamento de novos materiais para implantes. Apesar dos fundamentais benefícios providos pelos dispositivos ortopédicos, complicações decorrentes de corrosão, degradação, infecção, além de outras podem ocorrer. O entendimento das características dos biomateriais é fundamental para a previsibilidade do seu comportamento in vivo, fornecendo subsídios para que o composto mais adequado seja escolhido na reconstrução do defeito ósseo. As placas de origem metálica são as mais utilizadas para o reparo de fraturas de ossos longos, sendo mecanicamente resistentes e biocompatíveis. No entanto, a necessidade de remoção e o enfraquecimento do osso são suas principais desvantagens. Neste trabalho, placas produzidas a partir de osso cortical equino foram empregadas experimentalmente em fêmur osteotomizado de coelhos (Grupo osso-GO, num estudo comparativo com placas de metal (Grupo metal-GM. A avaliação radiográfica foi realizada a cada 30 dias, durante 120 dias, momento em que foi então realizada análise histológica do material em estudo. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os dois grupos com relação à morfometria do calo ósseo e consolidação óssea em todos os momentos avaliados, sendo que ambas as placas permitiram a consolidação em todos os animais. Entretanto, observou-se que o calo ósseo foi menor no GO, em relação ao GM, em todos os momentos do estudo. Por outro lado, a maior parte dos animais do GO apresentou consolidação completa da fratura aos 90 dias, enquanto que no GM isto ocorreu aos 60 dias. Não foram evidenciadas células do tipo corpo estranho na histopatologia dos animais do GO, mas maior quantidade de tecido fibroso foi identificada, envolvendo este biomaterial. A placa confeccionada com osso equino representa uma alternativa de baixo custo e muito viável, uma vez que permitiu estabilização adequada

Sensibilización de placas para ensayos inmunoenzimáticos con antígenos vacunales

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Rolando Ochoa

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Se describe un procedimiento de sensibilización de placas para ensayos inmunoenzimáticos (ELISA con antígenos vacunales. Se define como concentración óptima de sensibilización aquella donde se alcanza la mayor densidad óptica con los sueros estándares y la menor con los sueros negativos y el blanco reactivo. Como modelo se emplean ensayos indirectos correspondientes a los antígenos de captura: toxoide tetánico, diftérico y la vesícula de membrana externa de meningococo B, materia prima activa de la vacuna antimeningocócica VA-MENGOC-BC. Esta metodología permite alcanzar un mayor recubrimiento de la fase sólida, lo cual incrementa la sensibilidad de los ensayos. La ocupación de espacios libres en la placa se hizo más evidente con antígenos de menor peso molecular, como los toxoides diftérico y tetánico.

Arduino Tricorder : Aplicació Android per a la supervisió, control i adquisició de dades d'una placa Arduino

OpenAIRE

Sánchez Morato, Sergi

2015-01-01

Aplicació Android per a la supervisió, control i adquisició de dades d'una placa Arduino que disposi de comuninació Ethernet i/o Wi-Fi. Creació d'interfícies dinàmiques amb diferents modalitats d'interacció: tàctil, reconeixement de veu i síntesi de veu. Aplicación Android para la supervisión, control y adquisición de datos de una placa Arduino que disponga de comuninació Ethernet y/o Wi-Fi. Creación de interfaces dinámicas con diferentes modalidades de interacción: táctil, reconocimiento ...

Aggregation of plaque disclosing agent in a dentifrice Incorporação de evidenciador de placa bacteriana a um dentifrício

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Débora Dias da Silva

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Dental plaque removal is an important issue in health promotion. Toothbrushing is one of the main methods employed for such purpose, since it can prevent dental caries by means of the fluoride present in the dentifrice. Dentifrices might contain plaque disclosing agents and thus allow dental plaque observation. The aim of this study was to assess whether utilization of a plaque disclosing agent interfered with plaque removal among adolescents, as well as the difference between utilization of erythrosine tablets and dentifrices containing plaque disclosing agent. The sample was composed of 62 students from Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, aged 12 to 14 years old, divided into 3 groups: G1 or control group (toothbrushing without plaque disclosure; G2 (plaque disclosing with an erythrosine tablet and toothbrushing and G3 (toothbrushing with dentifrice containing plaque disclosing agent. After toothbrushing, disclosure of the remaining dental plaque was performed in all groups with a fuchsin tablet and measured through the Simplified Oral Health Assessment Index (OHI-S, in two stages with a 2-month interval between them. The analysis of variance (ANOVA showed that there was no difference in the OHI-S index between the groups (p>0.05, however the G3 displayed a higher proportion of students with plaque reduction (23% than G2 (21%, besides the smallest difference in the mean remaining dental plaque. There was no difference between groups; however, it was suggested that the dentifrice with plaque disclosing agent had positive results in relation to the erythrosine tablet, even though the small sample size may have interfered with the results, indicating the need of complementary studies.Na promoção de saúde, a remoção da placa bacteriana é um fator importante e um dos métodos que incentivam sua remoção, é a escovação dentária, podendo-se prevenir a cárie dental através do íon flúor dos dentifrícios. Estes podem conter evidenciadores

Interação entre computadores e placas baseadas em FPGA

OpenAIRE

Soares, Pedro Miguel dos Santos

2012-01-01

Esta Dissertação é dedicada ao projeto, implementação e avaliação de ferramentas que permitem a transferência de dados entre FPGA presentes em placas de prototipagem Digilent (no caso a Nexys 2 e a Atlys) e um computador de uso geral. Esta problemática é relevante para diversos propósitos, tais como: 1) a verificação expedita de projetos para aplicações de processamento intensivo de dados; 2) para possibilitar a separação do projeto num núcleo hardware de elevado desempenho, que cumpra os obj...

Um laboratório portátil de baixo custo: medição de g utilizando um pêndulo e a placa Raspberry Pi

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Thiago Corrêa Almeida

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Neste artigo apresentaremos a placa Raspberry Pi como solução de baixo custo para um laboratório portátil com múltiplas aplicações, podendo ser utilizado tanto no ensino básico quanto no ensino superior. Utilizaremos a placa com um LDR (Light Dependent Resistor para medir o período de um pêndulo e obter a aceleração da gravidade. Apesar de simples, o experimento possui excelente acordo com valor encontrado na literatura, diferindo em apenas 0,07%.

Implantación de placas solares para mejorar el consumo en calderas marinas

OpenAIRE

Rodríguez Ramos, Miguel Daniel

2017-01-01

En el presente trabajo se realizarán cálculos a partir de un ciclo de vapor obtenido de una instalación de vapor marina. A partir de estos datos, se calculará el consumo de combustible. Al mismo tiempo se procederá a realizar los cambios oportunos en los valores de partida del ciclo debido a la instalación de las placas solares, y en consecuencia se calcularán nuevamente los valores de consumo, rendimiento, etc. Además, se tendrán en cuenta 3 disposiciones diferentes en l...

Placas de refratários aluminosos do sistema de válvula gaveta de panelas de aciaria: análise post mortem da degradação química

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B. B. de Sousa

Full Text Available Resumo Em uma aciaria, os recipientes que comportam o aço líquido, tais como o forno e a panela de aciaria, são revestidos com materiais refratários especiais para alta temperatura e elevada resistência ao desgaste. O custo desses materiais é alto e, portanto, almeja-se aumentar sua vida útil sem afetar seu desempenho. Este trabalho teve o objetivo de investigar as transformações que ocorrem no material refratário aluminoso de placas de válvula gaveta de panela de aciaria. Para tanto, a região das placas post mortem que entraram em contato com o material líquido a alta temperatura foi caracterizada por meio de análise visual e análises de composição e estrutura através das técnicas de fluorescência de raios X, difração de raios X e análise de microestrutura por microscopia eletrônica de varredura com espectroscopia por dispersão em energia. Como resultado, têm-se contribuições sobre o processo de corrosão química proporcionada pelo contato de escórias residuais com o canal das placas da válvula gaveta. Constatou-se a presença de materiais com alto teor de Ca e compostos por fases como mervinita e guelenita, características de escória, aderidos às placas. Ao mesmo tempo, foi possível estabelecer que a espessura de interação entre o material aderido e a superfície da placa variou entre 0,4 e 1,2 mm. Assim, quando associada à erosão pelo fluxo de aço, a corrosão química decorrente do contato com a escória tem o potencial de intensificar o desgaste da placa refratária.

Placa funerária nos Armazéns Sommer (Lisboa) (Conventus Scallabitanus)

OpenAIRE

Encarnação, José d'; Neto, Nuno; Rebelo, Paulo; Ribeiro, Ricardo

2018-01-01

Ficheiro Epigráfico é um suplemento da revista «Conimbriga» do referido Instituto de Arqueologia. Criado em 1982, destina-se a dar a conhecer as inscrições romanas inéditas da Península Ibérica. Dá-se a conhecer uma placa funerária com inscrição, achada num significativo lugar da Lisboa Romana. A invulgar «interpunctio» sugeriu aos investigadores que a letra Y isolada poderá estar por Hy (com a habitual aférese do H), o que denunciaria um antropónimo grego, cuja identificação oferece dúvi...

TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES MEDIANTE REACTORES ANAERÓBICOS DE PLACAS VERTICALES PARALELAS EN ACRÍLICO TRATAMENTO DE ÁGUAS RESIDUÁRIAS POR REATORES ANAERÓBIOS DE PLACAS VERTICAIS PARALELAS EM ACRÍLICO WASTEWATER TREATMENT BY ANAEROBIC REACTORS OF VERTICAL PARALLEL PLATES IN ACRYLIC

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Guillermo Chaux F

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Algunos filtros anaeróbicos con lecho de piedra construidos en el departamento del Cauca (Colombia, están presentando problemas de colmatación. Si se reemplaza la piedra por placas verticales paralelas, se elimina el problema de obstrucción. Este documento presenta el desarrollo y resultados de una investigación que evaluó a escala de laboratorio el potencial de los reactores anaeróbicos de placas verticales paralelas en acrílico para remover contaminantes (materia orgánica y sólidos suspendidos. El reactor anaeróbico de placas paralelas en acrílico se desempeñó como tratamiento secundario; se alimentó con agua residual efluente de un Tanque Imhoff con concentraciones medias de 156 ± 14 mg/L de DB05, 438 ± 32 mg/L de DQO y 98 ±22 mg/L de sólidos suspendidos totales. Las remociones de DQO y DB05 en el reactor sobrepasan el 50% y la remoción de sólidos suspendidos sobrepasó el 60% para tiempos de detención de 24 horas. La facilidad en la operación del reactor lo hace viable como tratamiento biológico anaeróbico de aguas residuales previamente decantadasAlguns filtros anaeróbios com recheio de pedras construída no departamento de Cauca (Colombia estão apresentando problemas de obstrução. Se a pedra é substituída por placas verticais paralelas, evita o problema da obstrução. Este artigo apresenta o desenvolvimento e os resultados e no estudo realizado em escala de laboratório que avaliaram o potencial de reatores anaeróbios de placas verticais paralelas em acrílico para remover os contaminantes (sólidos suspensos e matéria orgânica. 0 reator anaeróbio de placas paralelas de acrílico serviu como tratamento secundário; foi alimentado com água residuária do efluente de um tanque Imhoff com concentrações médias de 156 ± 14 mg/L DB05, 438 ± 32 mg/L de DQO e 98 ±22 mg/L de sólidos suspensos totais. A remoção de DQO e DB05 no reator são mais de 50% ea remoção de sólidos em suspensão superior a 60

Análise de Tensões em Placas, Cascas e Reservatórios

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J. F. Silva Gomes

2007-01-01

Placas e Cascas são elementos estruturais de utilização frequente nas mais diversas áreas tecnológicas de engenharia civil, mecânica, química, naval, aeronáutica e aeroespacial. Pelas suas propriedades intrínsecas de leveza e resistência, são utilizadas na construção de pontes, coberturas de pavilhões industriais e grandes superfícies, aeronaves, veículos aeroespaciais e muitos outros tipos de equipamentos onde o reduzido peso da estrutura é essencial.O livro está escrito duma forma simples e...

VALIDACIÓN DE LA PLACA BRUXCHECKER COMO MEDIO DIAGNÓSTICO DE BRUXISMO, COMPARADA CON MODELOS DE ESTUDIO EN LA CLÍNICA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD COOPERATIVA DE COLOMBIA, SEDE BOGOTÁ, DURANTE EL PERIODO COMPRENDIDO ENTRE FEBRERO Y MAYO DEL 2011

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Claudia Liliana Cabrera Bello

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Introducción: El bruxismo es un trastorno del movimiento del sistema masticatorio, caracterizado por apriete,rechinamiento y golpeteo dentario. La ausencia de un elemento diagnóstico para evaluar el patrón de contactos oclusales y diagnosticar el grado de bruxismo llevó a realizar un estudio investigativo para validar la placa bruxchecker. Objetivos: En este estudio se validó la placa bruxchecker como medio diagnóstico para valorar la presencia y ubicación de las interferencias oclusales durante los episodios de bruxismo. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de evaluación de pruebas diagnósticas, en una población de 35 pacientes mayores de 18 años que asistieron por primera vez a la clínica de ortodoncia correctiva de la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia sede Bogotá entre febrero y mayo de  2011, se compararon las marcas en las placas Bruxchecker con los desgastes de las caras oclusales encontrados en los modelos de estudio para determinar la concordancia entre los diagnósticos. Resultados: La placa bruxchecker clasificó correctamente de cada 100 enfermos a 96 y de cada 100 sanos a 57. El valor predictivo positivo es del 96% y del 57% el valor predictivo negativo. La prevalencia de bruxismo medida con la placa  fue de 80% en la población. Conclusiones: Se concluye que la placa es una adecuada herramienta para diagnosticar bruxismo.

VALIDACIÓN DE LA PLACA BRUXCHECKER COMO MEDIO DIAGNÓSTICO DE BRUXISMO, COMPARADA CON MODELOS DE ESTUDIO EN LA CLÍNICA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD COOPERATIVA DE COLOMBIA, SEDE BOGOTÁ, DURANTE EL PERIODO COMPRENDIDO ENTRE FEBRERO Y MAYO DEL 2011

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Claudia Liliana Cabrera Bello

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Introducción: El bruxismo es un trastorno del movimiento del sistema masticatorio, caracterizado por apriete,rechinamiento y golpeteo dentario. La ausencia de un elemento diagnóstico para evaluar el patrón de contactos oclusales y diagnosticar el grado de bruxismo llevó a realizar un estudio investigativo para validar la placa bruxchecker. Objetivos: En este estudio se validó la placa bruxchecker como medio diagnóstico para valorar la presencia y ubicación de las interferencias oclusales durante los episodios de bruxismo. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de evaluación de pruebas diagnósticas, en una población de 35 pacientes mayores de 18 años que asistieron por primera vez a la clínica de ortodoncia correctiva de la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia sede Bogotá entre febrero y mayo de  2011, se compararon las marcas en las placas Bruxchecker con los desgastes de las caras oclusales encontrados en los modelos de estudio para determinar la concordancia entre los diagnósticos. Resultados: La placa bruxchecker clasificó correctamente de cada 100 enfermos a 96 y de cada 100 sanos a 57. El valor predictivo positivo es del 96% y del 57% el valor predictivo negativo. La prevalencia de bruxismo medida con la placa  fue de 80% en la población. Conclusiones: Se concluye que la placa es una adecuada herramienta para diagnosticar bruxismo.

Consideraciones prácticas sobre la placa distalizadora Benac

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Mariela González Fernández

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Existen muchas modalidades de tratamiento sin extracciones de la maloclusión de clase II. Una de ellas consiste en convertir la relación molar de clase II en una de clase I mediante el desplazamiento de los molares superiores hacia distal en las etapas iniciales del tratamiento. Este procedimiento resulta interesante y controvertido, ya que desplaza los dientes en contra de la tendencia normal de movimiento mesial que muestran durante toda la vida, y en la actualidad ha ganado interés. Prestigiosos investigadores han comenzado a profundizar en ella y han aparecido técnicas intraorales, en su mayoría fijas, muy novedosas, con materiales cada vez más efectivos. Todos estos aparatos son efectivos distalizadores, pero crean incomodidad al paciente, dificultan la higiene bucal y, lo más importante, son muy costosos. Por lo antes expuesto, se decidió realizar este trabajo, con el objetivo de ampliar los conocimientos que se tiene sobre la placa distalizadora Benac, un aparato intraoral removible, su modo de construcción y las ventajas de su uso. Se concluye que esta placa no solo resulta de muy bajo costo, sino que además permite una higiene bucal correcta, es más aceptada por el paciente y logra resultados similares a los alcanzados con técnicas más modernas.There are many variants of non-extraction treatment of class II malocclusion. One of these variants consists of turning class II into class I molar relation through the displacement of upper molar to distal position at the initial stages of the treatment. This procedure is interesting but controversial since it moves teeth contrary to the normal mesial movement that they show during the whole life. However, this method has aroused the interest of prestigious researchers who have begun to delve into its application, so novel and mostly fixed intraoral techniques that use increasingly effective materials have emerged. All these appliances are effective distalizers but bother the

Avaliação comparativa da efetividade das placas oclusais confeccionadas em relação central ou máxima intercuspidação em pacientes com DTM

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Hamata, Marcelo Matida [UNESP

2006-01-01

A posição de relação central (RC) para a confecção de placas oclusais é muito discutível. Dessa forma, quando existe estabilidade oclusal, a máxima intercuspidação (MI) poderia ser utilizada como ponto de referência, eliminando a necessidade de registro interoclusal. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo comparar a efetividade de placas oclusais confeccionadas a partir de modelos articulados nessas duas posições. Para isso, 20 pacientes com desordens temporomandibulares (DTM) e dor de origem m...

Prevalencia de Helicobacter pylori en muestras de placa dental de un grupo de pacientes venezolanos, mediante la técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa

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Berroteran, Alejandra; Perrone, Marianella; Correnti, María; Cavazza, María Eugenia; Tombazzi, Claudio; Lecuna, Vicente; Goncalvez, Rosa

2002-01-01

La placa dental ha sido propuesta como un reservorio para Helicobacter pylori, pero la hipótesis de que la microflora bucal pueda ser un nicho permanente para la bacteria es muy controversial. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivos:1.- Detectar la presencia de H. pylori en la placa dental de un grupo de pacientes de la población Venezolana mediante la Reacción en cadena de la Polimerasa (RCP), y 2.- Investigar la relación existente entre la infección por este microorganismo y algunos índices...

Evaluación de la efectividad de un desinfectante mediante el método de placas de contacto

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Nancy Burguet Lago

Full Text Available Objetivo: evaluar la efectividad del desinfectante LopHene ST mediante el método de placas de contacto. Métodos: se tomó 1 mL de la suspensión de los microorganismos de referencia (bacterias, levadura y un hongo filamentoso y se esparció sobre una superficie de material análogo al material donde se aplica el desinfectante. En posiciones aleatorias en réplicas de tres, se realizó el muestreo de superficie con placas de contacto que contenían agar triptona soya y sabouraud dextrosa agar, más neutralizante. Se incubaron a 32 ± 2 ºC de 3 a 5 días y 22 ± 2 ºC de 5 a 7 días, según tipo de microorganismo a ensayar. Se contaron las unidades formadoras de colonias en las placas (control positivo. Sobre una superficie de igual dimensión, se aplicó el desinfectante preparado (concentración: 4 % con 10 min de exposición. Se procedió de igual manera que con el control positivo, se tomó como criterio de aceptación una reducción del número de microorganismos en al menos 3 logaritmos. Resultados: los tres lotes evaluados mostraron que el desinfectante redujo la concentración de las bacterias en un rango de 4,60 a 7,20 logaritmos. Para la levadura la reducción fue de 4,70 a 5,40 logaritmos y para el hongo filamentoso ensayado los valores estuvieron entre 4,10 y 5,50 logaritmos. Conclusiones: el desinfectante LopHene ST es eficaz frente a las cepas de microorganismos ensayadas en el tiempo evaluado y a la concentración probada; con esto se confirma su capacidad bactericida y fungicida bajo las condiciones estudiadas. Además se demuestra que el método empleado resulta válido para el análisis de la efectividad de los lotes de desinfectante evaluados, al mostrar la reducción de las colonias.

Convergencia en el margen occidental de América del Sur durante el Cenozoico: subducción de las placas de Nazca, Farallón y Aluk

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R. Somoza; M.E. Ghidella

2005-01-01

En este trabajo se presentan nuevos parámetros de la convergencia cretácica tardía - reciente en el margen occidental de América del Sur. La historia de la convergencia puede describirse en tres etapas: 26-0 Ma, con subducción dominante de la placa Nazca; 47-28 Ma, con subducción dominante de la placa Farallón; y 72-47 Ma, cuando habrían entrado en subducción Farallón (parte norte de la trinchera) y Aluk (parte sur). Las reconstrucciones para la etapa 72-47 Ma son compatibles con una migració...

Efeito de ondas de choque na placa de crescimento de coelhos Effect of shock waves upon the growth plate in rabbits

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Guilherme Giusti

2005-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar os efeitos da aplicação de ondas de choque na placa de crescimento de coelhos, variando a energia e o número de ondas aplicadas. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 30 coelhos com idade de cinco semanas divididos em seis grupos. O aparelho gerador de ondas de choque foi o OSSATRON (HMT. Os animais foram submetidos a aplicações na placa de crescimento proximal da tíbia esquerda, variando a intensidade (14, 21,28kV e o número de ondas (1000 e 4000. A tíbia direita foi usada como controle. Os animais foram sacrificados após seis semanas e sua avaliação foi feita por meio da mensuração do comprimento das tíbias e pela análise microscópica da placa de crescimento. Os resultados de mensuração da área da placa e do comprimento das tíbias foram comparados com o grupo controle e entre os grupos, utilizando-se estudos estatísticos. RESULTADOS: Neste estudo não ocorreram alterações estatisticamente significantes nas medidas da área da placa ou do comprimento da tíbia após a aplicação de ondas de choque em nenhum dos grupos. Foi observada tendência de ocorrer uma diferença de crescimento das tíbias entre os grupos submetidos a 1.000 impulsos e os grupos submetidos a 4.000 impulsos, mas esta diferença não foi considerada significante. Foi observada também a formação de hematoma no local da aplicação nos grupos que receberam ondas com maior energia, evoluindo com regressão espontânea sem necessidade de cuidados especiais. CONCLUSÕES: A aplicação de ondas de choque na região proximal da tíbia de coelhos imaturos, nas formas descritas, não teve nenhum efeito na placa de crescimento, de acordo com os métodos de avaliação usados neste estudo.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of shock waves upon the growth plate in rabbits by varying the energy and number of applied waves. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six groups of five rabbits aged 5 weeks (Total: 30 were studied. OSSATRON (HMT was used to generate

Evolución de la sociabilidad en Hymenoptera: Rasgos conductuales vinculados a niveles sociales y precursores de sociabilidad en especies solitarias Evolution of sociality in Hymenoptera: Behavioural traits linked to social levels and precursors of sociality in solitary species

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LUIS FLORES-PRADO

2012-09-01

Full Text Available En Hymenoptera, los niveles de sociabilidad han sido asociados a rasgos conductuales, tales como los comportamientos de nidificación y agonísticos, y la capacidad de reconocimiento entre conespecíficos. El reconocimiento de compañeros de nido es un fenómeno de amplia difusión entre especies eusociales, y puede ser inferido por el resultado de las interacciones agonísticas entre hembras; estas son más tolerantes hacia compañeras de nido que hacia no compañeras de nido. Contrariamente, en la mayor parte de las especies solitarias las hembras son agresivas hacia otras hembras conespecíficas. En especies eusociales, la descendencia inmadura es alimentada directamente por la madre, o por obreras; así, el contacto frecuente entre progenie y hembras adultas puede contribuir a entender el reconocimiento social. En el extremo opuesto, las especies solitarias construyen nidos que no permiten interacciones entre adultos e inmaduros. A pesar de esto, estudios recientes sugieren que el aprendizaje del fenotipo propio podría explicar la capacidad de reconocimiento y, tal vez, corresponde al punto de partida en el desarrollo y evolución de la sociabilidad. La subfamilia Xylocopinae (Apidae ha emergido como un valioso modelo para estudiar la evolución de la sociabilidad pues contiene especies que presentan un amplio rango de sociabilidad. En particular, la tribu Manueliini representa un taxón interesante desde el punto de vista de la evolución de la sociabilidad en Xylocopinae pues ha sido propuesto como el grupo hermano de todos los demás Xylocopinae, es un taxón relicto que retiene rasgos morfológicos ancestrales, contiene solo especies fundamentalmente solitarias (aunque en una de estas se ha demostrado recientemente reconocimiento de compañeras de nido y de parientes y algunas especies exhiben rasgos conductuales precursores de vida social. En este trabajo se revisa en Hymenoptera los grados de sociabilidad asociados con rasgos

termodinámico en placas de acero AISI 4140 y pistas de rodamiento utilizando adhesivos anaeróbicos

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Germán García

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Se evaluó el trabajo de adhesión termodinámico de placas planas de acero (AISI 4140 y AISI 52100 en contacto con dos adhesivos anaeróbicos de uso comercial, mediante la medición de los ángulos de contacto termodinámico de avance y retroceso obtenidos por el método de inmersión y emersión. Se utilizó el método de van Oss para calcular las componentes polares y no polares de adhesión para cada par metal-adhesivo. Se analizó también el efecto de la aplicación de un activador de superficie sobre el trabajo de adhesión en húmedo y se relacionaron los resultados con las características químicas y físicas de las placas. Los resultados indicaron que la aplicación del activador tuvo un efecto importante sobre la mojabilidad de los adhesivos, pero pequeña influencia en el trabajo de adhesión medido. Por otro lado, se encontraron diferencias importantes en la respuesta de los dos adhesivos estudiados, fundamentalmente en virtud de su composición química y propiedades reológicas.

Desenvolvimento de compósitos poliméricos baseados em polipropileno reciclado visando o uso como placas absorvedoras de energia solar

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Leonardo Azevedo Massulo

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Devido à crescente demanda por energias sustentáveis, gestão de resíduos e o uso de materiais recicláveis, o presente trabalho objetivou o desenvolvimento de compósitos poliméricos de matriz de polipropileno reciclado visando o uso como placas absorvedoras de energia solar. Nessa matriz polimérica adicionou-se como fase dispersa um resíduo do tabaco (pó de fumo empregando teores de 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% e 30%, em massa. Além disso, estudou-se a adição de negro de fumo junto ao pó de fumo, utilizando teores de 6% e 10% de cada fase dispersa. As formulações foram misturadas em homogeneizador de laboratório, moídas em moinhos de facas e processadas por moldagem por compressão a 180°C, obtendo-se placas com dimensões de 400x400mm e espessura de 4 mm, as quais, foram caracterizadas e avaliadas em testes de absorção de calor, tração, flexão, dureza e densidade. Os resultados indicaram potencial de aplicação no sistema de aquecimento solar de água devido aos resultados de absorção térmica. Também, a utilização do negro de fumo como fase dispersa mostrou-se uma grande contribuição para as características mecânicas do material. Outro importante resultado diz respeito a possibilidade de se estar usando um polímero reciclado e um resíduo industrial gerado em grande quantidade, tal como é o pó de fumo, na produção das placas caracterizando assim um ganho ambiental.

Plaque removal by manual and electric toothbrushing among children Remoção de placa bacteriana pela escovação elétrica e manual em crianças

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Carolina Covolo da COSTA

2001-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of plaque control performed with electric and manual toothbrushes. Fifteen children with primary dentition and 14 children with mixed dentition were divided in two groups and randomly assigned to utilize a manual or an electric toothbrush. In the first session, professional plaque removal was performed, and the children spent 24 hours without brushing their teeth. In the second session, plaque was disclosed and assessed on all facial and lingual surfaces. After that, all children brushed their teeth with the predetermined toothbrush. The next procedure was the disclosure and measurement of residual plaque. After a period of 7 days, the children switched the kind of toothbrush, and the same procedures were repeated. According to the statistical analysis of the results, there were no significant differences concerning plaque removal when the toothbrushes were utilized by children with mixed dentition. On the other hand, the electric toothbrush promoted significantly greater plaque removal on the lingual surfaces of teeth from children with primary dentition.A proposta deste estudo foi comparar a eficácia da remoção de placa bacteriana pelas escovações elétrica e manual. Quinze crianças portadoras de dentadura decídua e 14 crianças portadoras de dentadura mista foram divididas em dois grupos e, aleatoriamente, designadas a utilizar a escova manual ou a escova elétrica. Na primeira sessão, foi realizada completa remoção de placa bacteriana e após, as crianças permaneceram 24 horas sem escovar os dentes. Na segunda sessão, foi feita revelação de placa bacteriana e computação de seu índice para todas as faces vestibulares e linguais dos dentes. Depois, todos os participantes escovaram os dentes com a escova predeterminada. A próxima etapa foi a revelação e medição da placa residual. Decorridos 7 dias, as crianças trocaram para a outra escova dental e os mesmos

“VALORACIÓN DE PLACA BACTERIANA Y GINGIVITIS, MEDIANTE EL ÍNDICE DE PLACA DE O ́LEARY E ÍNDICE GINGIVAL DE LOE-SILNESS, POSTERIOR AL USO DE CLORHEXIDINA AL 0.12%, EN PACIENTES CON APARATOLOGIA FIJA”

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Bucio Hernández, María Sugey

2012-01-01

Antecedentes: La búsqueda de agentes para el control de la placa bacteriana ha sido amplia, más teniendo en cuenta la importancia que ha adquirido la enfermedad periodontal en los últimos años; esto ha llevado a diversas industrias farmaceuticas a investigar en este campo. En el presente estudio se utilizo el índice Gingival de Löe y Silness (1963), por ser sencillo y valorar todas las áreas del diente, el más utilizado actualmente para medir el estado de inflamación y de salud...

Relación placa bacteriana y caries en un grupo de niños escolarizados entre 5 y 14 años de la población de la Boquilla - Cartagena en el año 20041

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Lizelia Alfaro Zolá

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Objetivo: Describir la ocurrencia de placa bacteriana en las superficies dentales y relacionarla con el tipo de lesión de caries que se presenta en niños escolares de 5 a 14 años de la Boquilla - Cartagena. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio de corte transversal, en el cual se seleccionó una muestra de 89 niños escolares de la población de la Boquilla a través de un muestreo aleatorio sistemático, a quienes se les evaluó el estado de higiene oral mediante el índice de placa comunitario de Corchuelo modificado y el índice de caries superficial con criterios de diagnóstico Ekstrand. Resultados: La superficie con lesiones de caries de mayor frecuencia fue la oclusal, presentándose un mayor numero de lesiones detenidas, seguido en palatino por las lesiones precavitacionales, a diferencia de las superficies vestibular y lingual donde se encontraron un mayor número de superficies sanas. En todas las superficies evaluadas predominó la presencia de placa bacteriana independientemente de la presencia de caries y no se encontró una relación estadísticamente significativa entre estas dos variables. Conclusiones: La alta frecuencia de placa bacteriana en las superficies dentarias nos mostró el deficiente estado de higiene oral de la población, sin embargo, sigue en duda la pertinencia de los índices de placa para la predicción de la caries debido a que no se encontró relación estadística. (Duazary 2007; 2: 119 - 126

Estandarización del método de centrifugación en placa para el aislamiento del virus dengue Rapid centrifugation assay standarization for dengue virus isolation

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Miryam Palomino

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Se estandarizó el método de centrifugación en placa, para el aislamiento del virus dengue a partir de muestras de suero humano. Se utilizó la línea celular C6/36-HT determinándose los valores óptimos de velocidad de centrifugación, volumen de inóculo, dilución de suero y tiempo de incubación. Posteriormente, 22 muestras de suero con aislamiento viral positivo y cepas referenciales de los cuatro serotipos del virus dengue, fueron procesadas simultáneamente por el método de centrifugación en placa y el método convencional de cultivo en tubo, los aislamientos fueron tipificados mediante inmunofluorescencia indirecta empleando anticuerpos monoclonales. Se optimizó el método de centrifugación en placa inoculando 200 μL de diluciσn de suero 1/20, centrifugaciσn a 1600 rpm/30 min, presentando sensibilidad de 95,5% a cinco dνas postinoculación. Se concluye que el método de centrifugación en placa mejora el porcentaje de aislamiento, con significativa reducción en tiempo de aislamiento del virus dengue.The plate centrifugation assay was standardized for dengue virus isolation from serum samples. C6/36-HT cells were used determining the optimal values for centrifugation spin speed, inoculum, sera dilution, and incubation time. Then, 22 positive serum samples with viral isolation and viral strains of the four reference dengue virus serotypes were tested simultaneously by the standardized plate centrifugation method and the conventional tube culture. The isolations were typified by indirect immunofluorescent test using monoclonal antibodies. The plate centrifugation method was optimized to 200 μL of inoculum, dilution of sera 1/20, centrifugation speed at 1600 rpm/30 min, and sensitivity of 95,5% after 5 days post-inoculation. We concluded that the plate centrifugation method increased dengue virus isolation, with a significant reduction of the time of isolation for dengue virus.

Impacto do posicionamento da placa na osteotomia em cunha de fechamento lateral em cúbito varo Impact of plate positioning on the lateral closing wedge osteotomy for cubitus varus

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Min Yu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: O cúbito varo é uma doença muito comum em crianças e adultos, ocasionada por fratura supracondilar. Existem vários procedimentos cirúrgicos e fixações internas para correção do cúbito varo, com diferentes desfechos, embora a fixação interna com placa e parafusos seja o mais comum. Contudo, o impacto do posicionamento da placa sobre a cirurgia raramente foi estudado até agora. MÉTODO: Em nosso estudo, 12 pacientes com cúbito varo foram divididos em dois grupos, operados pelo método de osteotomias em cunha com fechamento lateral e fixações internas com placa e parafusos. Em um grupo, as placas foram colocadas no lado póstero-lateral; no outro, as placas foram colocadas no lado lateral do úmero. RESULTADO: O período de acompanhamento foi 4,5 meses (faixa de 2 a 7 meses. Houve cinco resultados excelentes (83,3% e um bom (16,7% em cada grupo. Em todos os casos, a aparência é muito semelhante ao lado oposto; não há diferenças de amplitude de movimento (AM no cotovelo depois da cirurgia. Um paciente no grupo B teve paralisia nervosa transitória; não houve infecções nem osteomielite. CONCLUSÃO: A posição da placa de fixação interna não tem impacto sobre a osteotomia em cunha de fechamento lateral. Nivel de Evidência II, Prospectivo Comparativo.OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of low intensity ultrasound irradiation applied on the spinal cord, in the regeneration of the rat's sciatic nerve after a controlled crush injury, evaluating the functional results of the sciatic functional index as measured on video recorded images of the foot sole. METHODS: Eighteen rats were submitted to a controlled crush injury of the right sciatic nerve, and divided into two groups according to the treatment: Group 1 (n=9, simulated irradiation; Group 2 (n=9, effective irradiation. Low-intensity ultrasound irradiation was started on the 7th postoperative day and applied daily for 6 weeks. Images of the animals´ foot soles were

Vulnerable Genders, Vulnerable Loves

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schleicher, Marianne

2015-01-01

This chapter analyses religious reflections on vulnerable genders and vulnerable loves from the Hebrew Bible to early Rabbinic literature. It is based on theories by inter alia Donna Haraway on complex identities, Turner and Maryanski on love as a prerequisite for survival, Michel Foucault...... on gathering knowledge and its often unpremeditated effect of recognition and inclusion, and Judith Butler on cultural intelligibility and subversion from within. With these theories as a departing point for the analysis, the chapter links the vulnerability of complex identities with the vulnerability...... of cultures which leads to the overall understanding that culture can accommodate complex identities associated with individual and cultural vulnerability as long as the overall survival of the culture is not threatened. This understanding questions the feasibility of the ethical position of thinkers...

Escova dental e dedeira na remoção da placa bacteriana dental em cães The dental brush and thumb-stall in the removal of the dental plaque in dogs

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Tânia Berbert Ferreira Lima

2004-02-01

Full Text Available A placa bacteriana é fator primário na formação de gengivite, cálculo dentário, halitose e doença periodontal. Objetivou-se avaliar a quantidade de placa bacteriana dental removida pela escova dental e dedeira. Foram utilizados 60 cães machos e fêmeas de diferentes raças, idade e peso, divididos em dois grupos. O índice Logan & Boyce foi utilizados para quantificar a placa bacteriana antes e após a escovação. Observou-se diferença estatística (p0,05 entre a utilização da escova dental e a dedeira.The dental plaque is the primary factor for gingivitis formation, dental calculus, oral malodor and periodontal disease. To evaluate the amount of dental plaque removed by the dental brush and thumb-stall, 60 male and female dogs of different races, age and weight were divided in two groups and studies. The index of Logan & Boyce was used to quantify the dental plaque before and after the toothbrush. Statistical difference was observed (p 0.05 between the use of the dental brush and the thumb-stall.

Empleo de placas filtrantes cubanas en el proceso de producción de melagenina loción

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Guillermo Lago Mendoza

1999-12-01

Full Text Available La melagenina loción es un medicamento extraído de la placenta humana e identificado como una lipoproteína de bajo peso molecular, que ha demostrado su eficacia en la cura del vitiligo. Durante el proceso productivo de obtención de dicho extracto se emplea un sistema de placas de celulosa en la estación de filtración del Centro de Histoterapia Placentaria, Planta. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo el empleo y evaluación de placas de producción nacional modelo Filtec 00 producidas en la Unión Investigación Producción Cuba 9 para la obtención del producto, para ello se evaluó el filtro teniendo en cuenta algunos criterios de operación además de los parámetros de control de la calidad del medicamento.Melagenine lotion is a drug extracted from human placenta. It is identified as a low molecular weight lipoprotein that has proven its efficiency to cure vitiligo. A system of cellulose plates is used during the productive process of obtention of this extract at the station of filtration of the Center of Placental Histotherapy. The present paper is aimed at studying the use and evaluation of plates of national production model Filtec 00 made at the Cuban 9 Union of Research and Production for obtaining the product. To this end, the filtre was evaluated taking into account some operational criteria in addition to drug quality control parameters.

Correção de falhas ósseas diafisárias: trasnporte ósseo fixado com placa

OpenAIRE

Picado,Celso Hermínio Ferraz; Garcia,Flávio Luís

2007-01-01

O objetivo deste estudo é descrever um novo sistema de transporte ósseo que dispensa o uso de fios transfixantes. O sistema, constituído por uma placa, um carro móvel e por um dispositivo tracionador, foi instalado na tíbia direita de 17 ovelhas para preencher um defeito ósseo de 1 cm. O transporte ósseo foi iniciado 7 dias após a cirurgia numa taxa de 0,8 mm/dia, dividido em 0,2 mm a cada 6 horas. Radiografias em ântero-posterior e perfil foram realizadas imediatamente após a cirurgia e sema...

Una secuencia didáctica de modelización, indagación y creación del conocimiento científico en torno a la deriva continental y la tectónica de placas

OpenAIRE

Jordi Domènech Casal

2015-01-01

Se describe una actividad de indagación sobre la Tectónica de placas. En ella, el alumnado debe reconstruir la historia geológica de un planeta imaginario integrando distintos tipos de datos (distribución geográfica de fósiles, antigüedad de orógenos, regiones sísmicas) para construir un modelo de la ubicación de los límites de placa tectónica y los cambios que han sufrido los distintos continentes. A lo largo de la actividad se suceden distintas organizaciones de aula y andamios didácticos, ...

Una secuencia didáctica de modelización, indagación y creación del conocimiento científico en torno a la deriva continental y la tectónica de placas

OpenAIRE

Domènech Casal, Jordi

2014-01-01

Se describe una actividad de indagación sobre la Tectónica de placas. En ella, el alumnado debe reconstruir la historia geológica de un planeta imaginario integrando distintos tipos de datos (distribución geográfica de fósiles, antigüedad de orógenos, regiones sísmicas) para construir un modelo de la ubicación de los límites de placa tectónica y los cambios que han sufrido los distintos continentes. A lo largo de la actividad se suceden distintas organizaciones de aula y andamios ...

Avalliação da eficacia de colutorios antiplaca, com e sem a adição de cloreto de zinco, sobre o metabolismo da placa dentaria "in vitro"

OpenAIRE

Luis Antonio de Filippi Chaim

1992-01-01

Resumo: A eficácia de colutórios antiplaca, çem como de seus princípios ativos, foi determinada utilizando-se a inibição do metabolismo da placa dentária IN VITRO, como parâmetrode avaliaçãoo. A fermentação foi realizada incubando-se a suspensão de placa recente (lOmg/ml de tampão fosfato pH 6,8) em meio contendo glicose, com ou sem a adição de colutório, durante 2 horas, à 372C, com e sem a adição de Cloreto de Zinco o Os ácidos de fermentação foram tituladoscom NaOH O,OlNo A síntese de poli...

Utilización de la placa palatina de memoria y desarrollo orofacial en infante con Síndrome de Down Use of palatal plate and orofacial development in a child with Down's syndrome

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Vera Lúcia Carneiro

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Los infantes con Síndrome de Down presentan en general, hipotonía de la muscular, cierre labial incompetente, lengua flácida y protruida. La placa palatina de memoria, propuesta por Castillo Morales, induce el cierre bilabial y posicionamiento correcto de la lengua. Este trabajo tuvo por objetivo evaluar el desarrollo orofacial, de una niña con Síndrome de Down, a través de terapia de estimulación precoz y utilización de placa palatina de memoria. Recibió tratamiento con placa palatina de memoria desde los 5 hasta los 15 meses y fue acompañada por un equipo multidisciplinario hasta los 6 años de edad. En el caso presentado, la terapia empleada permitió un desarrollo bucofacial adecuado, armónico y funcional. La utilización precoz de placa palatina de memoria demostró ser un complemento valioso en el programa multidisciplinario de atención a pacientes con Síndrome de Down.Babies with Down Syndrome (DS present, in general, muscle hypotonia, insufficient mouth closure and protrusion of the tongue. The palatal plate therapy, submitted by Castillo Morales, induces the lip closure and the correct position of the tongue. The objective of this research was to evaluate the oral development in a girl with DS through early stimulation and use of palatal plate. She was treated with the palatal plate method from 5 to 15 months of age. She was followed-up by a multidisciplinary team until he was six years of age. In this case report, the palatal therapy allowed adequate, harmonic and functional oral development. The early treatment with palatal plate has shown to be a valuable supplement to the multidisciplinary program of care to Down's syndrome patients.

Módulo instruccional y modelo de conocimiento de la tectónica de placas basado en el aprendizaje significativo

OpenAIRE

Pascual Bonel, Lara

2013-01-01

El objetivo de este proyecto es el aprendizaje significativo de la tectónica de placas y la elaboración de un material conceptualmente transparente acerca de la misma, es decir, la realización, basada en los conocimientos previos y errores conceptuales del alumnado, de un modelo de conocimiento y módulo instruccional que permitan la construcción significativa del conocimiento acerca de esta teoría Máster Universitario en Formación del Profesorado de Educación Secundaria Unibertsitate Ma...

Distribución de los genotipos de fimA en cepas de Porphyromonas gingivalis aisladas de placas subgingivales y de sangre durante bacteriemias

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Martine Bonnaure-Mallet

2009-06-01

Conclusión. En los aislamientos de sangre y de placa subgingival de pacientes con periodontitis el fimA más frecuente fue el tipo II; no fue posible correlacionar el tipo de fimA con la bacteriemia inducida por el alisado radicular. Los resultados de la secuenciación del gen fimA no concuerdan con los obtenidos por PCR.

Araneofauna of the Křéby National Nature Monument (Eastern Moravia, Czech Republic with some notes to conservation management of the locality

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Ondřej Košulič

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper makes a faunistic contribution to knowledge of spider composition in the xerothermic habitats of the Křéby National Nature Monument which is located in Kroměříž district, eastern Moravia. Spiders were collected by four different methods during 25 April–28 October 2013: pitfall traps, sweeping of herb vegetation, individual collecting and beating the branches of shrubs and trees. In total, 1070 individuals (865 adult spiders were collected and identified as 114 species of 19 families. The species diversity in the Křéby area is rather high, representing approximately 13% of Czech araneofauna. Of the identified species, five are listed in the Red List of Threatened Species in the Czech Republic. These included critically endangered Dysdera hungarica Kulczynski 1897, endangered Alopecosa solitaria (Herman, 1879, Cheiracanthium montanum (C. L. Koch, 1877 and vulnerable Lathys stigmatisata (Menge, 1869 and Haplodrassus dalmatensis (L. Koch, 1866. The findings of Alopecosa solitaria and Dysdera hungarica belong to the northernmost occurrence of these rare species in the Czech Republic. In general, the great richness of spider fauna and the occurrence of rare and threatened species for Czech region confirm the high biotic value of the investigated area. In addition, the author discussed management methods of the locality and suggest management conservation system for slowing down the succession rate on overgrown places.

Efeito do ultra-som terapêutico contínuo em placas epifisárias de coelhos Efectos de la ultrasonografia terapéutica continua en placas epifisarias de conejos Effect of continuous therapeutic ultrasound in rabbit growth plates

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Andersom Ricardo Fréz

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Devido aos efeitos terapêuticos, o ultra-som tem se tornado ferramenta indispensável no tratamento fisioterapêutico de alterações causadas por lesões e em diversas doenças, porém seu uso em pacientes pediátricos é controverso por possíveis distúrbios e danos à placa epifisária. O objetivo deste estudo é verificar se o ultra-som contínuo apresenta efeitos de alteração na placa de crescimento da tíbia de coelhas. Oito coelhas da raça Nova Zelândia com dois meses de idade foram submetidas a um tratamento usando ultra-som terapêutico de forma contínua com dose de 1W/cm² na região lateral da articulação do joelho direito por 5min, durante 10 dias com dois dias de intervalo após a 5ª aplicação. A articulação do joelho esquerdo foi utilizada como controle. A análise histológica mostrou uma alteração na espessura da cartilagem epifisária, sendo que no lado tratado o tamanho foi 24,40% maior do que no controle (p Debido a los efectos terapéuticos, la ultrasonografía se ha convertido en una herramienta indispensable al tratamiento fisioterapéutico de las alteraciones causadas por lesiones y en diversas enfermedades, a pesar de esto su uso en pacientes pediátricos es controversial por los posibles disturbios y daños a la placa epifisaria. El objetivo de este estudio es verificar si la ultrasonografía continua presenta efectos de alteración en la placa de crecimiento de al tibia de conejas. Ocho conejas de la raza Nueva Zelanda con 2 meses de edad fueron sometidas a un tratamiento usando ultrasonografía terapéutica de forma continua con dosis de 1W/cm² en la región lateral de la articulación de la rodilla derecha por 5 min, durante 10 días con 2 días de intervalo después de la 5ª aplicación. La articulación de la rodilla izquierda fue utilizada como control. El análisis histológico reportó una alteración en la espesura del cartílago epifisario, en el lado tratado el tamaño fue de 24,40% mayor del

Pistas dermatoscópicas para diferenciar a tricotilomania da alopecia areata em placa Dermoscopic clues to distinguish trichotillomania from patchy alopecia areata

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Leonardo Spagnol Abraham

2010-10-01

Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: Tricotilomania e alopecia areata em placa possuem características clínicas e dermatoscópicas semelhantes. OBSERVAÇÕES: O exame dermatoscópico da tricotilomania revela densidade capilar diminuída, cabelos fraturados em diferentes tamanhos, enovelados e vellus, tricoptilose, pontos amarelos com ou sem pontos pretos e ausência de cabelos em "ponto de exclamação". CONCLUSÃO: No contexto de alopecia em placa e cabelos fraturados, a ausência de "pontos de exclamação" sugere o diagnóstico de tricotilomania. Por outro lado, o achado de pontos amarelos sem pontos pretos não afasta o mesmo.BACKGROUND: Trichotillomania and patchy alopecia areata have similar clinical and dermoscopic features. OBSERVATIONS: In trichotillomania, dermoscopy shows decreased hair density, short vellus hair, broken hairs with different shaft lengths, coiled hairs, short vellus hair, trichoptilosis, sparse yellow dots, which may or may not contain black dots and no exclamation mark hairs. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of patchy alopecia and broken hairs, the absence of exclamation mark hairs suggests a diagnosis of trichotillomania. On the other hand, the finding of yellow dots without black dots does not exclude it.

Caracterización térmica de placas de yeso con material de cambio de fase incorporado

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García, A.

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In this research the suitability of including PCM in gypsum boards to multiply their thermal energy storage capacity is demonstrated. So the thermal storage capacity of several constructive materials is evaluated and compared, whose use and application is similar to the gypsum boards: paneling of a wall and partition wall. An experimental facility has been designed and operated for the study of the new compound material, exchanging heat with air. It has been studied the influence of different parameters and system variables (working temperature, air velocity, display of the phase change materials, and location in the building…, to establish a latent heat storage system which –complemented with passive strategies (solar gains, natural ventilation– reduces the acclimatization energy consumption in buildings. So, here we demonstrate that a gypsum board including a 44.5% in weight of phase change materials (PCM is able to store –in a 1.5 cm thick- 5 times the thermal energy of a current gypsum board –with the same thickness–, and the same amount to 11.5 cm brick layer, in the comfort temperature range (20-30 ºC, maintaining the mechanical and physical properties required by the regulations in force.

En este trabajo se demuestra la idoneidad de incorporar materiales de cambio de fase en placas de yeso para incrementar su capacidad de almacenamiento térmico. Para ello se evalúa y se compara la capacidad de almacenamiento térmico, de diferentes elementos constructivos cuyo uso y aplicación es similar a la de las placas de yeso: trasdosado y tabique separador. Se ha disenado y puesto en funcionamiento una instalación experimental que simula las condiciones de contorno que se producen en una estancia donde estén instalados los diferentes materiales y sistemas constructivos. Se ha estudiado la influencia de diferentes para´metros y variables del sistema (temperatura de trabajo, velocidad del aire, presentación de los

Imobilização interna da coluna vertebral lombar com placas de cloreto de polivinila, em cães - parte I: resultados clínico-cirúrgicos Internal immobilization of the lumbar canine spine using polyvinylchloride plates - part I: clinical and surgical results

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Eduardo Alberto Tudury

1997-03-01

Full Text Available Utilizando-se 20 cães, com o segmento lombar da coluna vertebral cirurgicamente desestabilizado na junção das vértebras L2-L3, foi testada a eficiência de placas ortopédicas de cloreto de polivinila (PVC Tigre®, fixadas com parafusos nos corpos vertebrais e com fio ortopédico de aço inoxidável nos processos espinhosos. As placas foram manual e individualmente confeccionadas para cada animal e esterilizadas pelo calor. Apesar de apresentar maleabilidade adequada, a resistência das placas utilizadas no corpos vertebrais deixou a desejar, dado seu rompimento em 40% dos casos. Apesar disto, durante os 45 dias do estudo, verificaram-se resultados favoráveis quanto ao estado clinico-neurológico, resultados de exames laboratoriais, achados radiológicos, estabilidade e alinhamento da coluna vertebral, assim como, quanto a resistência e flexibilidade das placas utilizadas nos processos espinhosos. Os fios ortopédicos de aço inoxidável, utilizados para fixar as placas no compartimento dorsal da coluna vertebral, passaram entre e não através desses processos.The efficiency ofpolyvinylchioride (PVC orthopedic plates, fixed by screws to the vertebral bodies and by cerciage wires to the spinous processes, were tested in twenty dogs with the lumbar spine destabilized at L2-L3. The plates were produced manually and individuatly for each animal and sterilized by heat. The plates exhibited suitable malleabitity but inappropriate strength because 40% ofthose affixed to the vertebral bodies were bmken. Nevertheless, during the 45 days ofthe study, the technique was consideredefective based on stability, clinicai, neurological, laboratory and radiological results. This effïciency was achieved by the technique used m the spinous processes, where the plates were fixed by wires passing between (not through them.

Vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

Taback, I.

1979-01-01

The discussion of vulnerability begins with a description of some of the electrical characteristics of fibers before definiting how vulnerability calculations are done. The vulnerability results secured to date are presented. The discussion touches on post exposure vulnerability. After a description of some shock hazard work now underway, the discussion leads into a description of the planned effort and some preliminary conclusions are presented.

Detección de Clamydia pneumoniae en placas ateroscleróticas de pacientes sometidos a procedimientos de revascularización

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Willmar D. Patiño

2000-02-01

Full Text Available

Introducción: El reconocimiento de factores de riesgo cardiovascular ha impactado el manejo médico de la arteriosclerosis. Sin embargo, éstos sólo explican entre el 50% al 70% de la distribución mundial. Por lo que investigaciones en búsqueda de nuevos factores de riesgo han dado importancia a los agentes infecciosos en la etiología de la arteriosclerosis y en especial al papel que tiene la Clamydia pneumoniae.

Objetivos: 1. Detectar la presencia de Clamydia pneumoniae en personas sometidas a procesos de revascularización percutánea o quirúrgico mediante la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa. 2. Determinar los factores de riesgo cardiovasculares asociados a la presencia de C. pneumoniae.

Metodología: Se seleccionarán todos los pacientes que sean sometidos a revascularización percutánea o quirúrgica en las unidades de hemodinamia y cirugía de la Universidad de Antioquia o de la Clínica Medellín, durante doce meses, a partir de agosto de 1999. Las muestras se almacenarán a –800 C hasta su procesamiento.

Resultados parciales: Hasta el momento se han procesado 27 muestras de las cuales 11 (40.7% son positivas para C. pneumoniae, del total de muestras 13 corresponden a placas de ateroma coronario y de ellas 6 (46% son positivas. Tres muestras de placas carot

Simulación y experimentación de laminación plana de placas de aluminio 6063

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Teresa Robert

2011-06-01

Full Text Available An experimental methodology was generated for understanding the theoretical and practical concepts inherent to cold flat rolling. Aluminium slabs about 100 mm length, 9 mm thickness with different widths: 10 and 30 mm were rolled. A constant 0.3 mm thickness reduction step was performed in order to achieve a thickness reduction greater than 80 %. In the Abaqus® commercial software, a mathematical model was implemented in order to obtain a greater understanding concerning how the process variables affect the fields of stresses and strains that are not observed experimentally. It was found, by mathematical simulation, that a superficial hardening in the plates was produced and the deformation obtained is heterogeneous, which is corroborated physically. Keywords: Flat rolling; 6063 Aluminium; Data acquisition system; Simulation Se generó una metodología experimental para el entendimiento teórico-práctico de los conceptos del proceso de laminación plana en frío. Se laminaron placas de aluminio de aproximadamente 100 mm de longitud y 9 mm de espesor, a diferentes anchos: 10 y 30 mm. Se seleccionó una razón de reducción constante de 0.3 mm para cada paso de laminación, hasta lograr una reducción superior al 80 % en espesor. Se implementó un modelo matemático en el paquete comercial Abaqus® con el fin de obtener un mayor entendimiento sobre la influencia de las variables del proceso (fuerza aplicada y dimensiones de las probetas en los campos de esfuerzos y deformaciones que, experimentalmente, no se pueden observar. Se encontró, mediante la simulación matemática, que se produce un endurecimiento superficial en las placas y que la deformación obtenida es heterogénea, lo cual se corrobora físicamente.

Obtención de una placa fotosensible como material de registro holográfico

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García, C.

2000-08-01

Full Text Available In this article was showed the procedure of obtaining and depositing of photosensitive dry films uses as holographic recording materials. We compare the thickness and the uniformity of plates obtained with two different depositing method, with a manual depositor and an automatic depositor. The influence of the thickness on the behaviour of the material as holographic recording material has been studied.

En este artículo se presenta, en primer lugar, el procedimiento de obtención y depositado de películas fotosensibles secas utilizadas como material de registro holográfico, comparando el espesor y uniformidad de las placas obtenidas con dos métodos de depositado distinto, con un depositador manual y con un depositador automático. En segundo lugar se analiza la influencia del espesor en el comportamiento del material como material de registro holográfico.

Placas de identificación de combatientes de la Guerra Civil española (1936-1937, recuperadas en exhumaciones de escenarios bélicos en el País Vasco

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HERRASTI, L., SAMPEDRO, A.J., DIÉGUEZ, J., ETXEZARRAGA, J., IRUSTA, A., JIMÉNEZ, J., REBOLLEDO, I., SARDÓN, A., SARDÓN, E. ...

2014-01-01

ayuda desde la perspectiva forense. Se presentan varios ejemplos en los que las placas de identificación, recuperadas en las exhumaciones realizadas en el País Vasco, han facilitado determinar la identidad de los soldados allí enterrados.

Análisis de falla en evaporadores de placas de aluminio de sistemas de acondicionamiento de aire automotriz

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Santiago Mendoza Hurtado

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Se caracterizaron los tipos de fallas a partir del estudio de tres perfiles de evaporadores de placas de aleación de aluminio, puestos fuera de servicio por fugas del refrigerante y obtenidos en talleres de refrigeración automotriz en la ciudad de Barranquilla. Luego se aplicaron las pruebas de la metodología del análisis de falla. Se comprobó que los mecanismos de falla fueron principalmente corrosión con algunas situaciones tendientes a fractura frágil; además, las condiciones ambientales de la ciudad de Barranquilla son factores influyentes en los mecanismos de corrosión.

Determinación de la temperatura óptima de neutralización en vía en placa

OpenAIRE

Palomar Gutiérrez, Ivan

2011-01-01

El trabajo presenta inicialmente una descripción de los dos tipos de vía que se utilizan para el diseño de las infraestructuras ferroviarias (Tranvías, Vías Convencionales y en vías de Alta Velocidad); los dos tipos de vía se denominan vía en placa y vía en balasto. También se comparan ambos sistemas, pudiendo conocer las ventajas y desventajas de cada uno. Posteriormente, se detalla el punto teórico más importante de la tesina; el cual es la neutralización de tensiones en carriles contin...

Acelerômetro eletrônico e a placa Arduino para ensino de física em tempo real

OpenAIRE

Fábio Saraiva da Rocha; Guilherme Frederico Maranghello; Márcia Maria Lucchese

2013-01-01

http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7941.2014v31n1p98 Apresenta-se o projeto de um acelerômetro eletrônico triaxial voltado ao ensino de física experimental. Este dispositivo, quando acoplado adequadamente a um corpo, permite a leitura da aceleração imprimida ao conjunto. O acelerômetro funciona conectado eletronicamente à placa Arduíno sendo capaz de fornecer dados numéricos de aceleração que atualizam no decorrer de uma experiência. Tais dados podem ser disponibilizados através de tabelas e ...

Bite force and sleep quality in patients with bruxism before and after using a mandibular advancement device = Força de mordida e qualidade do sono em pacientes bruxômanos antes e após o uso de placa de avanço mandibular

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mainieri, Vivian Chiada

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Objetivo: Comparar a força de mordida e a qualidade do sono em pacientes com bruxismo antes e depois do uso de uma placa de avanço mandibular resiliente. Metodologia: Dezoito pacientes com bruxismo em atendimento na Clínica de Oclusão da Faculdade de Odontologia da PUCRS foram selecionados de acordo com os critérios de eligibilidade do estudo, examinados segundo o protocolo RDC/DTM e tratados com uma placa de avanço mandibular resiliente. Antes e após 30 dias de uso da placa de avanço mandibular os sujeitos foram submetidos a testes de força máxima de mordida com um transdutor de força compressiva de arco cruzado posicionado na região de primeiro molar; de qualidade do sono, de acordo com o questionário QAS da Universidade de Toronto; e de contagem do número de contrações do músculo masseter durante o sono usando-se o adesivo BiteStrip®. Os dados foram analisados por teste t de Student, teste de Wilcoxon e teste de McNemar ao nível de significância de 0,05. Resultados: Houve diminuição significativa (P < 0,05 dos parâmetros de bruxismo, de força de mordida e do escore total do QAS após o uso da placa de avanço mandibular por 30 dias. Conclusão: Os resultados sugerem que o uso da placa de avanço mandibular resiliente por um mês reduziu a força de mordida e o bruxismo e melhorou a qualidade do sono nesta amostra

Caracterización biológica de variantes de placa de la cepa vacunal 17d contra la fiebre amarilla

OpenAIRE

Rojas, María; Camacho, Marcela; Grosso, María

2009-01-01

La vacuna colombiana 17D, contiene por lo menos cuatro fenotipos, denominados pequeño (0.3 – 1.2 mm), mediano (1.3 – 2.1 mm), grande (2.2 – 3.0 mm) y extragrande (>3.1 mm). La composición y distribución porcentual de esos fenotipos, varió entre lotes y entre ampolletas de un mismo lote. Cada variante fue clonada por dilución de la vacuna y su efecto virulento fue analizado en ratones; el fenotipo de placa pequeño estuvo ligeramente sub representado en los lotes analizados y mostró una viru...

In vitro bacterial plaque suppression and recolonization by S. mutans and S. sobrinus Supressão e recolonização de placa bacteriana por S. mutans e S. sobrinus in vitro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cássio Vicente Pereira

2006-03-01

Full Text Available The in vitro study of the interactions between S. mutans and S. sobrinus is important to determine the role of these microorganisms in the formation of biofilms on dental structures and their potential to induce carious lesions. The objective of this research was to study the suppression of bacterial plaque formation and its recolonization by rifampycin-resistant S.mutans and streptomycin-resistant S. sobrinus. To study the competitive relationship between these species, previously standardized strains were incubated in media containing different fermentable carbohydrates. At determined time intervals, samples were collected from mixed cultures of S. mutans and S. sobrinus, diluted and plated on BHI-agar containing rifampycin or streptomycin to determine the number of viable cells of each species by counting colony-forming units. In order to study the bacterial colonization process and in vitro recolonization of bacterial plaque, three experiments were performed: I - co-cultivation of S. mutans and S. sobrinus; II - inoculation of bacterial plaque pre formed by S. sobrinus with S. mutans; and III - bacterial plaque pre formed by S. mutans dispersed and plated on BHI- agar containing streptomycin or rifampicin to determine the number of viable cells for each species. The results indicated a predominance of S. mutans in relation to S. sobrinus, demonstrating the capacity of S. mutans to inhibit plaque formation by S. sobrinus and recolonize the surfaces.O estudo in vitro das interações entre S. mutans e S. sobrinus pode ser importante na determinação do papel desses microrganismos na formação de biofilmes nas estruturas dentais e seu potencial em induzir lesões cariosas. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi estudar a supressão da formação da placa dental e sua recolonização por S. mutans rifampicina-resistentes e S. sobrinus estreptomicina-resistentes in vitro. Para avaliar as relações de competitividade entre essas espécies, cepas

Sistema de supervisión y control para los enfriadores de placas y los tanques de contactos.

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Eliecer Méndez Méndez

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Se realizó la sustitución del equipamiento obsoleto de automatización de las áreas de Enfriadores de Placas y Tanques de Contactos, por un Sistema de Supervisión y Control, formado por un PLC y el sistema SCADA. Para esto se estudió el lenguaje de programación existente en los equipos anteriores, se interpretaron los códigos, se identificó la programación de los lazos de medición y regulación existentes y se adicionaron nuevas mediciones. Se realizó el proyecto, la compra, el montaje, la programación y la puesta en marcha. El nuevo sistema mejoró el control y la supervisión y contribuyó a elevar la eficiencia tecnológica.

Assessing flash flood vulnerability using a multi-vulnerability approach

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Karagiorgos Konstantinos

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the framework of flood risk assessment, while the understanding of hazard and exposure has significantly improved over the last years, knowledge on vulnerability remains one of the challenges. Current approaches in vulnerability research are characterised by a division between social scientists and natural scientists. In order to close this gap, we present an approach that combines information on physical and social vulnerability in order to merge information on the susceptibility of elements at risk and society. With respect to physical vulnerability, the study is based on local-scale vulnerability models using nonlinear regression approaches. Modified Weibull distributions were fit to the data in order to represent the relationship between process magnitude and degree of loss. With respect to social vulnerability we conducted a door-to-door survey which resulted in particular insights on flood risk awareness and resilience strategies of exposed communities. In general, both physical and social vulnerability were low in comparison with other European studies, which may result from (a specific building regulations in the four Mediterranean test sites as well as general design principles leading to low structural susceptibility of elements at risk, and (b relatively low social vulnerability of citizens exposed. As a result it is shown that a combination of different perspectives of vulnerability will lead to a better understanding of exposure and capacities in flood risk management.

Partial time use of anterior repositioning splints in the management of TMJ pain and dysfunction: a one-year controlled study Utilização de placas protrusivas em tempo parcial no tratamento da dor e disfunção da ATM: estudo controlado de um ano

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Paulo César Rodrigues Conti

2005-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of partial use of anterior repositioning appliances in the management of TMJ pain and dysfunction when compared to stabilization splints and a control group in a one-year follow-up. Sample was initially constituted by 60 patients, randomly divided into three groups: I- stabilization splints, II- repositioning splints and III- no treatment. The whole sample was evaluated by means of TMJ and muscle palpation, mandibular AROM, analysis of occlusal contacts, joint sounds inspection and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS for one year; 52 patients composed the final sample. A significant (after 15 days improvement in pain report (VAS and palpation index was found for group II (pO objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a efetividade das placas oclusais reposicionadoras no controle de patologias intra-articulares da ATM, quando comparadas a um tratamento convencional (placa estabilizadora e um grupo sem tratamento (controle. A amostra final constou de 52 pacientes portadores de sinais e sintomas de desordens intra-articulares da ATM, divididos, aleatoriamente em três grupos, de acordo com o procedimento empregado: grupo I (n=20, utilizou placa estabilizadora, grupo II (n=18 utilizou placa reposicionadora e grupo III (n=14, sem nenhum tratamento.Toda a amostra foi acompanhada durante um ano, sendo avaliada através de questionários anamnésicos, palpação muscular e da ATM, movimentação mandibular e detecção de sons articulares.Uma avaliação da condição oclusal também foi realizada nos diferentes períodos de exame. Os resultados demonstraram uma maior efetividade das placas reposicionadoras na redução inicial da dor relatada pelo paciente, assim como uma diminuição na sensibilidade a palpação na ATM.Todos os grupos mostraram-se semelhantes após seis meses de controle em relação aos sintomas, assim como em relação aos ruídos articulares. Os índices de palpação muscular mostraram-se melhor

Enfermedad de la Peyronie: De la extirpación a la incisión de la placa de fibrosis Peyronie's disease: Incision or extirpation of the plaque

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A. A. Núñez Serrano

2008-06-01

Full Text Available La Enfermedad de La Peyronie es una entidad médica bien descrita y conocida, sin embargo su tratamiento quirúrgico no siempre consigue el resultado esperado. Las técnicas habituales (Nesbitt, Horton- Devine, basadas en la extirpación de la placa fibrosa que desvía el pene eréctil, suelen conllevar acortamiento peneano y/o recidiva de la enfermedad. Presentamos una serie de 20 pacientes con Enfermedad de La Peyronie tratados con una nueva técnica basada en la incisión de la placa fibrosa e interposición de injerto dérmico autólogo. Describimos indicación, procedimiento quirúrgico y resultados obtenidos en un período de seguimiento de entre 16 y 1 años último paciente incluido. La técnica supone un cambio sustancial del enfoque terapéutico; la incisión de la placa frente a su extirpación respeta el tejido peneano, protege el paquete vasculonervioso aminorando la incidencia de impotencia, no acorta la longitud peneana, disminuye la incidencia de recidivas y su ejecución quirúrgica es asequible y simple.Peyronie's disease is a well-known medical entity but its surgical treatment does not get the expected outcome all the time. Usual techniques are based on the extirpation of fibrous plaque which distorts the erectile penis. These traditional techniques can produce shortening of the penis and/or disease recidivation. We report a 20 patient series afflicted of Peyronie's disease who were treated by a new surgical procedure; it consists of the incision over the fibrotic plaque and the insertion of a dermal autologous graft. We describe indication, surgical procedure, and results achieved by us with a following time within 16 to 1 year (last patient included. This technique changes the essential therapeutic approach. Using plaque incision instead of plaque extirpation we contribute to preserve vessels, nerves and we penis length. The incidence of impotence and disease recidivation also decreases with this simple and available

Distribución de los genotipos de fimA en cepas de Porphyromonas gingivalis aisladas de placas subgingivales y de sangre durante bacteriemias

OpenAIRE

Martine Bonnaure-Mallet; Paula Juliana Pérez-Chaparro; Patrice Gracieux; Vincent Meuric; Zohreh Tamanai-Shacoori; Jaime Eduardo Castellanos

2009-01-01

Introducción. Porphyromonas gingivalis es el principal agente etiológico de la periodontitis. El gen fimA ha sido relacionado con la virulencia del microorganismo, lo cual sugiere la participación de dicho gen en la capacidad del microorganismo para alcanzar el torrente sanguíneo. Objetivo. Estudiar la distribución de los tipos de fimA de P. gingivalis en muestras de placa subgingival y de sangre obtenidas durante bacteriemias después de raspaje y alisado radicular. Materiales y métodos...

Vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Issa, Sahar; van der Molen, Irna; Stel, Nora

2015-01-01

This chapter reviews the literature on vulnerability. Together with Chapter 3, that offers a literature review specifically focused on resilience, it lays the conceptual foundations for the empirical chapters in this edited volume. Vulnerability symbolizes the susceptibility of a certain system to

GESTÃO HÍDRICA A PARTIR DE CISTERNAS DE PLACAS: AVALIAÇÃO SOCIOAMBIENTAL DA EFICIÊNCIA DO P1MC NO MUNICÍPIO DE PEDRA LAVRADA-PB

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José Adailton Silva

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Atualmente, muitas populações rurais do Semiárido brasileiro têm convivido com árduas realidades em virtude da carência de água. Diante disto, as cisternas de placas surgem como mecanismo para prover o acesso e disponibilidade de água. Neste sentido, a Articulação do Semiárido (ASA elaborou o “Programa Um Milhão de Cisternas Rurais – P1MC”, o qual busca prover o gerenciamento e a valorização da água para a “convivência sustentável” com a escassez de água no Semiárido brasileiro. Conhecendo-se as premissas do P1MC, o presente estudo objetivou analisar a eficiência das cisternas de placas e o desempenho do P1MC para com a disponibilidade de água, e a melhoria da qualidade de vida das famílias que convivem com a escassez hídrica. Para tanto, foram realizados: i estudos sobre a pluviometria (série de 61 anos de precipitação pluvial; ii estimativa do Volume Potencial de Captação (VPC dos telhados residenciais e das cisternas; e iii aplicação de questionários semiestruturados a 40 famílias beneficiadas pelo P1MC, no município de Pedra Lavrada – PB. Como resultados, concluiu-se que: 1 as cisternas de placa é uma tecnologia eficiente e capaz de suprir as necessidades hídricas durante o período de estiagem (8 meses; 2 o P1MC apresentou pontos negativos: ausência de fiscalização das cisternas com problemas (rachaduras e vazamentos, e a impossibilidade de atender aos anseios familiares (dessedentação animal ou cultivo de pequenas lavouras; e 3 o P1MC promoveu o acesso/disponibilidade de água, e “independência hídrica”, promovendo assim a sustentabilidade das famílias rurais em meio às adversidades edafoclimáticas do Semiárido brasileiro.

Applicability of vulnerability maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, L.J.; Gosk, E.

1989-01-01

A number of aspects to vulnerability maps are discussed: the vulnerability concept, mapping purposes, possible users, and applicability of vulnerability maps. Problems associated with general-type vulnerability mapping, including large-scale maps, universal pollutant, and universal pollution scenario are also discussed. An alternative approach to vulnerability assessment - specific vulnerability mapping for limited areas, specific pollutant, and predefined pollution scenario - is suggested. A simplification of the vulnerability concept is proposed in order to make vulnerability mapping more objective and by this means more comparable. An extension of the vulnerability concept to the rest of the hydrogeological cycle (lakes, rivers, and the sea) is proposed. Some recommendations regarding future activities are given

Efecto de colutorio-gel de clorhexidina sobre el crecimiento de placa en 24 horas = Effect of chlorhexidine mouthrinses-gel on de novo plaque formation in 24 hours

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Rivera, Tânia

2006-01-01

Full Text Available En un estudio cruzado, doble ciego y randomizado, 25 alumnos de Odontologia de buena salud oral, participaron de cuatro estudios donde ellos se abtuvieron de toda limpieza mecanica oral por 24 horas, los estudios estuvieron separados entre si por 4 semanas. Durante los estudios los alumnos en un randomizado orden, se enjuagaron por una vez con uno de los siguientes colutorios: CHX 0.12% + alcohol (Oralgene®, CHX 0.12% + alcohol (Perio.Aid®, CHX 0.1% + alcohol (Dentilim® y CHX 0.1% + HMC 2.5% (Colutoriogel®, nueva formula. Despues de un dia se midio formación de placa, se completo y registro el cuestionario de parametros clinicos. Las formulaciones de CHX 0.12% + alcohol y CHX 0.1% + HMC 2.5% se mostraron eficientes en retardar el crecimiento de placa dental de novo, esto obtenido de las observaciones clinicas, y siempre superior (p < 0.05 a la formulación del colutorio de CHX 0.1%+ alcohol (Dentilim®. Los resultados de este estudio demuestran el potencial clinico de este nuevo colutorio-gel sin alcohol de CHX 0.1% + HMC 2.5% (Colutoriogel® como un efectivo agente antiplaca y con reducidas efectos secundarios registrados

PLACA/DPLACA: a code to simulate the behavior of a monolithic/dispersed plate type fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denis, Alicia; Soba, Alejandro

2005-01-01

The PLACA code was originally built to simulate monolithic plate fuels contained in a metallic cladding, with a gap in between. The international program of high density fuels was recently oriented to the development of a plate-type fuel of a uranium rich alloy with a molybdenum content between 6 to 10 w %, without gap and with a Zircaloy cladding. To give account of these fuels, the DPLACA code was elaborated as a modification of the original code. The extension of the calculation tool to disperse fuels involves a detailed study of the properties and models (still in progress). Of special interest is the material formed by U Mo particles dispersed in an Al matrix. This material has appeared as a candidate fuel for high flux research reactors. However, the interaction layer that grows around the particles has a deleterious effect on the material performance in operation conditions and may represent a limit for its applicability. A number of recent experiments carried out on this material provide abundant information that allows testing of the numerical models. (author)

Osteosíntesis con placa puente en fracturas diafisiarias conminutas de húmero.

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Luis Mancilla Mancilla

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Objetivo: Describir y evaluar la técnica de osteosíntesis percutánea mínimamente invasiva en fracturas disfisiarias conminutas de húmero. Material y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo longitudinal de tres pacientes con diagnóstico de fractura de húmero clasificación AO 12C3 tratado quirúrgicamente en el Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia, evaluándose pérdida sanguínea intraoperatoria, tiempo quirúrgico, movilidad de articulaciones vecinas y callo óseo. Resultados: La perdida promedio de sangre fue de 180cc y el tiempo operatorio promedio 60 minutos. Los pacientes presentaron dolor leve tolerable desde el primer día post operatorio, movilidad del hombro y del codo sin limitación, formación del callo óseo a partir de la cuarta semana y consolidación ósea a las 12 semanas promedio. No hubo lesión del nervio radial. Conclusiones: La placa puente es una alternativa de tratamiento en fracturas conminutas diafisiarias del húmero tanto por su bajo costo como por la rehabilitación funcional precoz de las articulaciones vecinas, asimismo recomendamos la visualización intra operatoria del nervio radial.

Una secuencia didáctica de modelización, indagación y creación del conocimiento científico en torno a la deriva continental y la tectónica de placas

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Jordi Domènech Casal

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Se describe una actividad de indagación sobre la Tectónica de placas. En ella, el alumnado debe reconstruir la historia geológica de un planeta imaginario integrando distintos tipos de datos (distribución geográfica de fósiles, antigüedad de orógenos, regiones sísmicas para construir un modelo de la ubicación de los límites de placa tectónica y los cambios que han sufrido los distintos continentes. A lo largo de la actividad se suceden distintas organizaciones de aula y andamios didácticos, con el objetivo de promover dinámicas de creación de conocimiento científico y la sistematización del aprendizaje y la consecución del objetivo final: realizar un breve vídeo de divulgación científica sobre la historia geológica de este planeta imaginario.

VULNERABILITY OF COMPANIES

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ARMEAN ANDREEA

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In present, the study of vulnerability of companies is increasing in every field due to the unstable economic environment influences. The object of this research is to define and identify vulnerabilities of companies and the establishment of evaluation methods at their level. This article emphasizes the importance and usefulness of one of the best known model in this way, from our point of view, namely Băileşteanu, Negrila Pattern. This pattern covers both external factors and internal ones, that increase vulnerabilities of companies, and fit the companies in which the state of vulnerability are (vitality, viability, vulnerability, high vulnerability, difficulty and high difficulty, with a matrix. The result of the research is that any company belonging to any field, can be analyzed using this model, and assigned to one of the conditions defined within.

Armado con familias de armaduras en direcciones arbitrarias. Parte II. Placas y láminas

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Samartín, Avelino

2003-02-01

Full Text Available This paper is an extension of a previous one, what was dedicated to the study of the problem of design/verification of reinforcement in two-dimensional concrete structures subjected to in plane forces. Here, the verification of the reinforcement of two-dimensional concrete structures subjected to out-of-plan actions (plates and shells is reviewed. The presented verification procedure allow us to handle important situations that often appear in reinforced concrete structures. such as reinforcement at plate cornes. combination of in-plane forces and bending stresses occurring at function of cantilever and webs in continuous bridge box sections. The usual alternatives to treat these cases are based oo heuristic procedures or semi-empirical formulae as the Wood. The analysis can be carried out by the use of a simple computer program. The output of this program includes the diagrams of stresses and strains for each of the bar reinforcement families and the principal stresses in the as function of the load amplification factor: Iii this way it is possible to find the safety factor at a point of the reinforced concrete strutctureEste artículo corresponde a la extensión de uno anterior dedicado al estudio del problema de la comprobación y el dimensionamiento de las armaduras de acero en estructuras bidimensionales de hormigón armado tipo laja, cuyos esfuerzos están contenidos en su plano medio. Aquí se consideran las estructuras con cargas normales a su plano medio (placas y láminas, es decir. sometidas a esfuerzos de flexión. El procedimiento de comprobación y dimensionamiento que se propone, permite tratar situaciones importantes como el armado en las esquinas de placa, la combinación de tensiones axiles, rasantes y de flexión que aparecen en los arranques de 10s voladizos en las estructuras de los tableros continuos de puentes, particularmente las zonas sobre apoyos. En estos casos las alternativas actuales son procedimientos heur

Efecto de la motivación sobre la higiene oral: valoración mediante el índice de placa de Quigley-Hein modificado por Turesky

OpenAIRE

Poyato Ferrera, Manuel María; Segura-Egea, Juan J; Bullon, Pedro

2001-01-01

Objetivo. Estudiar el efecto de una intensa motivación sobre la higiene oral de los pacientes. Pacientes. Cuarenta y seis alumnos del primer curso del ciclo superior “Higiene Bucodental” del IES Santa Aurelia de Sevilla, 10 hombres (21,73%) y 36 mujeres (78,26%), con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y 30 años.Material y métodos. Se ha utilizado como índice de higiene oral el índice de placa de Quigley-Hein modificado por Turesky (IPQHT). La motivación se mantuvo de forma muy intensa (al menos...

Characterization of gold and nickel coating on AISI 304 stainless steel for use in the fabrication of current collector plates for fuel cells; Caracterizacion de recubrimientos de oro y niquel realizados sobre acero inoxidable AISI 304 para su empleo en la fabricacion de placas colectoras de corriente para celdas de combustible

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flores Hernandez, J. Roberto [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico)] e-mail: jrflores@iie.org.mx; Aguilar Gama, M. Tulio [UNAM. Facultad de Quimica, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Cano Castillo, Ulises; Albarran, Lorena [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico); Olvera, J. Carlos; Orozco, German [CIDETEQ, Pedro Escobedo, Queretaro (Mexico)

2009-09-15

Among the different components that compose fuel cell technology (MEA, bipolar plates, seals, etc.) current collector plates play an important role in the good performance of fuel cells, since they collect all of the current generated and distribute it to the external circuit. Therefore, the most important properties that the current collector plates should have are excellent conductivity and good resistance to the corrosive conditions present in the fuel cell. This document presents results obtained during the nickel and gold electrodeposition process on AISI 304 stainless steel and the morphology and thickness of each coating, their adhesion, hardness and conductivity values. Finally, results obtained during some of the electrochemical tests performed on the coatings are shown. [Spanish] De los diferentes componentes que integran la tecnologia de celdas de combustible (MEA's, placas bipolares, sellos, etc.), las placas colectoras de corriente tienen un importante rol en el buen desempeno de la celdas de combustibles, ya que en estas placas se colecta toda la corriente generada y se distribuye al circuito externo. Debido a esto, las propiedades mas importantes que deben tener las placas colectaras de corriente son: excelente conductividad y buena resistencia a las condiciones corrosivas presentes en la celda de combustible. En este documento se presentan los resultados obtenidos en el proceso de electrodeposicion de niquel y oro sobre acero inoxidable AISI 304, asi como la morfologia y el espesor de cada recubrimiento, sus valores de adherencia, dureza y conductividad. Finalmente se muestran tambien los resultados obtenidos de algunas pruebas electroquimicas a los que fueron sometidos los recubrimientos.

An holistic view on aquifer vulnerability based on a distinction of different types of vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

De Luca, Domenico Antonio; Lasagna, Manuela; Franchino, Elisa

2016-04-01

AN HOLISTIC VIEW ON AQUIFER VULNERABILITY BASED ON A DISTINCTION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF VULNERABILITY D.A. De Luca1 , M. Lasagna1, E. Franchino1 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin The concept of vulnerability is certainly useful in the field of groundwater protection. Nevertheless, within the scientific community, the definition of groundwater vulnerability is still debatable and not clear and conclusive. This is probably due to the fact that researchers often have very different experiences and education. A positive effect of it is a constant exchange of ideas, but there are also negative consequences and difficulties in deepening the issue. The different approaches are very important but they are usable only if the concept of vulnerability is standardized: thus, for the sake of clarity, a number of definitions should be laid down, based on the different types of vulnerability. These definitions can then provide the necessary holistic view for the aquifer vulnerability assessment. Nowadays vulnerability methods focus on the degree of vulnerability and the parameters needed for its evaluation, often neglecting to clarify what is the type of vulnerability the proposed methods are referred. The type of vulnerability, indeed, is both logically and hierarchically superior to the degree of vulnerability. More specifically the type of vulnerability represents the evaluation of the hydrogeological conditions considered in the vulnerability assessment and able to influence the way in which the contamination can take place. Currently the only distinction, based on of the type of vulnerability, is referred to intrinsic and specific vulnerability. Intrinsic vulnerability assesses the susceptibility of the receptor based on the natural properties of the land and subsurface; specific vulnerability also includes properties of the analyzed contaminant. This distinction is useful but not exhaustive. In addition to this, e.g., a distinction of vertical vulnerability

Resultados clínicos e radiológicos en serie de artrodesis cervical anterior con caja de fusión intersomática y placa Resultados clínicos e radiológicos em série de artrodese cervical anterior com dispositivo de fusão intersomática e placa Clinical and radiologica outcomes in series of anterior cervical fusion with intersomatic cage and plate

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Lyonel Beaulieu Lalanne

2012-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Analizar los resultados clínicos e radiológicos de una serie de pacientes sometidos a artrodesis cervical anterior con caja de fusión intersomática (CAGE y placa. MÉTODOS: Análisis retrospectivo de serie de pacientes sometidos a artrodesis cervical anterior con caja de fusión intersomática y placa entre los años 2004 y 2009. Revisión de fichas clínicas y radiografías, registro de edad, sexo, diagnósticos, nivel operado, complicaciones, evolución clínica y radiológica. Técnica quirúrgica de Smith-Robinson. Las cajas de fusión intersomática fueron llenadas con sustitutos de huesos. Deambulación 12 horas después de la cirugía, alta a las 48 horas, collar cervical intermitente por 2 semanas. Evaluación clínica mediante criterios de Odom. Seguimiento 17 a 78 meses. RESULTADOS: Diagnósticos: Hernia del núcleo pulposo (HNP cervical, 44 (71%, mielopatía, 11 (17,7%, fracturas, 7 (11,3%. Nivel 1: 44 (71%, Nivel 2: 15 (24,2%, Nivel 3: (4,8%. El nivel C5-C6 incluyó 92% de los casos. Alivio del dolor radicular: 60 (97%. Recuperación del déficit neurológico: 59 (95,2%. Alivio de la mielopatía: 8/11 pacientes (73%. Alivio del dolor cervical: 56 (90%. Resultados clínicos: 91,9% excelentes y buenos. Complicaciones (12,9%: 4 disfagias transitorias (6,5%, 1 disfagia permanente (1,6%, 2 disfonías transitorias (3,3%, 1 subcidencia con aflojamiento del implante y fractura asintomática de placa (1,6%. No hubo pseudoartrosis. CONCLUSIONES: Esta serie presenta buenos resultados clínicos, com alivio del dolor y recuperación neurológica comparables con los hallazgos en la literatura. El uso de la caja de fusión intersomática evita complicaciones de la zona dadora y, cuando es asociado a placa cervical anterior permite fijación intersomática inmediata, dando soporte estructural adecuado, con buenos resultados y sin complicaciones a largo plazo.OBJETIVOS: Analisar os resultados clínicos e radiológicos de uma série de

Osteossíntese de fratura diafisária do úmero com placa em ponte: apresentação e descrição da técnica Osteosynthesis of the humeral shaft fractures, with bridge plate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Livani

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Os autores descrevem o método cirúrgico inédito para o tratamento das fraturas da diáfise do úmero, com placa colocada por técnica minimamente invasiva. Após estudos anatômicos, foram identificadas três acessos cirúrgicos pelos quais se pode introduzir uma placa na face anterior do úmero, sem risco de lesão vásculo nervosa. O acesso proximal se faz entre os múculos deltóide, lateralmente, e bíceps braquial, medialmente. Nas fraturas do terço médio o acesso distal é feito entre os músculos bíceps braquial e braquial com a placa introduzida de proximal para distal. Nas fraturas distais do úmero o acesso proximal é o mesmo, mas o acesso distal é o descrito por Kocher, com a placa introduzida de distal para proximal e fixada na face anterior da coluna lateral do úmero. O método aqui apresentado vem sendo utilizado desde junho de 2001, principalmente nos pacientes politraumatizados e polifraturados, por ser rápida, segura e por permitir que o paciente possa ser operado em decúbito dorsal horizontal. Além disso, não há necessidade de intensificador de imagem, ou mesmo aparelho de radiografia. Até o momento não foram observadas complicações vásculo nervosas nos 22 pacientes tratados.The authors describe for the first time ever a minimally invasive plate osteosythesis for the treatment of the humeral shatf fractures. After anatomic human cadaver's studies, it was identified three surgical approaches for plate percutaneous insertion on the anterior surface of the humerus without vascular and nervous injury. The proximal approach is between the biceps and deltoid muscles. The distal approach for medial third fractures is between the biceps brachialis and brachialis muscles. The plate is inserted from the proximal to distal direction. For distal fractures, the proximal approach is the same described by Krocher, with the plate inserted from distal to proximal and fixed on the anterior surface of the lateral column of the

Vulnerability curves vs. vulnerability indicators: application of an indicator-based methodology for debris-flow hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Papathoma-Köhle, Maria

2016-08-01

The assessment of the physical vulnerability of elements at risk as part of the risk analysis is an essential aspect for the development of strategies and structural measures for risk reduction. Understanding, analysing and, if possible, quantifying physical vulnerability is a prerequisite for designing strategies and adopting tools for its reduction. The most common methods for assessing physical vulnerability are vulnerability matrices, vulnerability curves and vulnerability indicators; however, in most of the cases, these methods are used in a conflicting way rather than in combination. The article focuses on two of these methods: vulnerability curves and vulnerability indicators. Vulnerability curves express physical vulnerability as a function of the intensity of the process and the degree of loss, considering, in individual cases only, some structural characteristics of the affected buildings. However, a considerable amount of studies argue that vulnerability assessment should focus on the identification of these variables that influence the vulnerability of an element at risk (vulnerability indicators). In this study, an indicator-based methodology (IBM) for mountain hazards including debris flow (Kappes et al., 2012) is applied to a case study for debris flows in South Tyrol, where in the past a vulnerability curve has been developed. The relatively "new" indicator-based method is being scrutinised and recommendations for its improvement are outlined. The comparison of the two methodological approaches and their results is challenging since both methodological approaches deal with vulnerability in a different way. However, it is still possible to highlight their weaknesses and strengths, show clearly that both methodologies are necessary for the assessment of physical vulnerability and provide a preliminary "holistic methodological framework" for physical vulnerability assessment showing how the two approaches may be used in combination in the future.

Placa cerámica fotovoltaica para fachadas ventiladas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pastrana, A.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Gres de la Mancha, in response to the increasing demand for friendly with the environment products, and realizing towards the use of renewable energies and the energy efficiency in the construction, has developed his new ceramic ecological photovoltaic panel ECOCERAVOLT developed for its use in systems of Ventilated Façade. ECOCERAVOLT joins the benefits of the ventilated façade (energy saving, thermal - acoustic isolation, increase of the comfort in the buildings, reduction of the emission of CO₂, etc. and the generation of electrical energy without compromising neither the aesthetics of the frontage, not of the building. This way, it puts itself in value on the direct and indirect exhibition to the sun of the frontages, which happen of being passive elements of closing and decoration, to be generators of a clean energy for proper or commercial use. ECOCERAVOLT, due to its design, does not need to be hidden, as it happens with other photovoltaic generators. These technical and innovative merits imply the entire optimization of the installed revetment in addition to creating a criterion of sustainability and energy efficiency.

Gres de La Mancha, en respuesta a la demanda creciente por productos medioambientalmente amigables, y su concienciación hacia el uso de energías renovables y la eficiencia energética en la construcción, ha lanzado su nueva placa cerámica ecológica fotovoltaica ECOCERAVOLT concebida para su uso en sistemas de fachada ventilada. ECOCERAVOLT aúna los beneficios de la fachada ventilada (ahorro energético, asilamiento térmico-acústico, aumento del confort en los edificios, reducción de las emisiones de CO2, etc. y la generación de energía eléctrica sin comprometer la estética de la fachada, ni del edificio. De este modo, se pone en valor la exposición directa e indirecta al sol de las fachadas, que pasan de ser elementos pasivos de cerramiento y decoración, a ser generadores de una

Defining energy vulnerability in mobility. Measuring energy vulnerability in mobility. Acting against energy vulnerability in mobility. Discussing energy vulnerability in mobility. Task no. 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jouffe, Yves; Massot, Marie-Helene; Noble, Cyprien

2015-01-01

Extensive expansion of urban areas generates transportation needs and energy expenses for mobility. Households already impacted by fuel poverty also suffer from energy vulnerability in their mobility. This report was prepared in the framework of the study of fuel poverty in France in the light of several indicators from existing inquiries, databases and modeling tools. The report is organised in 4 parts dealing with: the definition of energy vulnerability in mobility, its measurement, the possible remedial actions, and the discussions about energy vulnerability in mobility through working group meetings, respectively

Coeficientes de transferencia de calor y pérdida de eficiencia en intercambiadores de calor de placas durante el enfriamiento del licor amoniacal

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Enrique Torres-Tamayo

2011-10-01

Full Text Available En la planta de Recuperación de Amoniaco de la empresa niquelera Ernesto Che Guevara la pérdida de eficiencia del proceso de enfriamiento del licor amoniacal, mediante el uso de intercambiadores de calor de placas, se asocia a la incorrecta estimación de los coeficientes de transferencia de calor y la acumulación de incrustaciones en la superficie de intercambio; lo anterior incrementa el consumo de agua, la energía disponible en el sistema y los costos de mantenimiento. Se realizó una investigación en un intercambiador de calor de placas, con el objetivo de determinar los coeficientes de transferencia y la influencia de las incrustaciones en la pérdida de eficiencia de la instalación. Mediante un procedimiento iterativo se determinó la ecuación del número de Nusselt y su dependencia con el Reynolds y Prandtl, para ello se utilizó un diseño experimental multifactorial y mediciones de los parámetros de trabajo de la instalación en función del tiempo. Los resultados predicen el conocimiento de los coeficientes para el cálculo del número de Nusselt, con los valores de Reynolds y Prandtl, para ambos fluidos (licor amoniacal y agua. Los valores de los coeficientes del licor son inferiores, ello se debe a la presencia de componentes gaseosos. La comparación con resultados de otros autores muestra correspondencia con los de Thonon. Se recomienda la limpieza y mantenimiento de la instalación en un período de 27 días debido a la reducción de la eficiencia térmica hasta valores inferiores al 70 %.

Relación placa bacteriana y caries en un grupo de niños escolarizados entre 5 y 14 años de la población de la Boquilla - Cartagena en el año 2004-1

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Lizelia Alfaro Zolá

2013-10-01

Full Text Available ResumenObjetivo: Describir la ocurrencia de placa bacteriana en las superficies dentales y relacionarla con el tipo de lesión de caries que se presenta en niños escolares de 5 a 14 años de la Boquilla - Cartagena. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio de corte transversal, en el cual se seleccionó una muestra de 89 niños escolares de la población de la Boquilla a través de un muestreo aleatorio sistemático, a quienes se les evaluó el estado de higiene oral mediante el índice de placa comunitario de Corchuelo modificado y el índice de caries superficial con criterios de diagnóstico Ekstrand. Resultados: La superficie con lesiones de caries de mayor frecuencia fue la oclusal, presentándose un mayor numero de lesiones detenidas, seguido en palatino por las lesiones precavitacionales, a diferencia de las superficies vestibular y lingual donde se encontraron un mayor número de superficies sanas. En todas las superficies evaluadas predominó la presencia de placa bacteriana independientemente de la presencia de caries y no se encontró una relación estadísticamente significativa entre estas dos variables. Conclusiones: La alta frecuencia de placa bacteriana en las superficies dentarias nos mostró el deficiente estado de higiene oral de la población, sin embargo, sigue en duda la pertinencia de los índices de placa para la predicción de la caries debido a que no se encontró relación estadística. (Duazary 2007; 2: 119 - 126AbstractObjectives: describe the presence of dental plaque in healthy in the dental surfaces and relate it with the type of lesion of caries in children between 5 and 14 years of age in the village of la Boquilla- Cartagena. Material and Methods: This is study transversal, in a universe of 89 scholar children in the village of la Boquilla, 60 of these were chosen through a systematic aleatory sampling. They were evaluated to establish their status of oral hygiene using the modified �

Utilização de código aberto de dinâmica de fluidos computacional para estudo de placas de orifício

OpenAIRE

Thiago Teixeira Kunz

2014-01-01

Este trabalho apresenta simulações numéricas de escoamento de fluidos através de placas de orifício, elementos primários de medição de vazão, em comparação aos resultados esperados por normas internacionais. O coeficiente de descarga usado para a determinação da vazão de um escoamento em uma tubulação foi obtido numericamente através da aplicação do modelo de turbulência de baixo Reynolds proposto por Launder-Sharma, resolvido através de um código aberto de Dinâmica de Fluidos Computacional. ...

EFICACIA DEL CEPILLADO CON Y SIN DENTÍFRICO EN EL CONTROL DE LA PLACA BACTERIANA SUPRAGINGIVAL EN ALUMNOS DEL 1ER GRADO DEL NIVEL PRIMARIO DE LA INSTITUCIÓN EDUCATIVA JUAN MANUEL POLAR DEL DISTRITO DE JOSÉ LUIS BUSTAMANTE Y RIVERO. AREQUIPA, 2015.

OpenAIRE

CÁRDENAS DEL CARPIO, ROSA ELENA

2016-01-01

CEPILLADO OBJETIVOS FRECUENCIA DE CEPILLADO DURACIÓN DEL CEPILLADO TÉCNICAS DE CEPILLADO REQUISITOS DE UN CEPILLADO DE DIENTES SATISFACTORIO DENTÍFRICO O PASTA DENTAL PLACA BACTERIANA ÍNDICE DE HIGIENE ORAL SIMPLIFICADO ANÁLISIS DE ANTECEDENTES INVESTIGATIVOS

Are older people a vulnerable group? Philosophical and bioethical perspectives on ageing and vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozzaro, Claudia; Boldt, Joachim; Schweda, Mark

2018-05-01

The elderly are often considered a vulnerable group in public and academic bioethical debates and regulations. In this paper, we examine and challenge this assumption and its ethical implications. We begin by systematically delineating the different concepts of vulnerability commonly used in bioethics, before then examining whether these concepts can be applied to old age. We argue that old age should not, in and of itself, be used as a marker of vulnerability, since ageing is a process that can develop in a variety of different ways and is not always associated with particular experiences of vulnerability. We, therefore, turn to more fundamental phenomenological considerations in order to reconstruct from a first person perspective the intricate interconnections between the experiences of ageing and vulnerability. According to this account, ageing and old age are phenomena in which the basic anthropological vulnerability of human beings can manifest itself in an increased likelihood of harm and exploitation. Thus, we plead for a combined model of vulnerability that helps to avoid problems related to the current concepts of vulnerability. We conclude first that old age as such is not a sufficient criterion for being categorized as vulnerable in applied ethics, and second that reflections on ageing can help to develop a better understanding of the central role of vulnerability in human existence and in applied ethics. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Vulnerability of damage-accumulating systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lind, Niels C.

1996-01-01

Disastrous failures have shown that systems can be highly vulnerable. Quantified vulnerability can help designers and regulators to decide how much vulnerability is tolerable. Vulnerability of a system to a specified disturbance is defined as the ratio of the probability of failure of the disturbed system to the probability of failure of the undisturbed system. This vulnerability can be specialized to particular system types. It is adapted here to systems that are expected to deteriorate while in service due to processes such as fatigue, creep, corrosion, aging, neglect or insufficient maintenance. Application is illustrated by vulnerability to fatigue under constant and variable stress

Consensus on melanonychia nail plate dermoscopy Consenso sobre dermatoscopia da placa ungueal em melanoniquias

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Nilton Di Chiacchio

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This statement, focused on melanonychia and nail plate dermoscopy, is intended to guide medical professionals working with melanonychia and to assist choosing appropriate management for melanonychia patients. The International Study Group on Melanonychia was founded in 2007 and currently has 30 members, including nail experts and dermatopathologists with special expertise in nails. The need for common definitions of nail plate dermoscopy was addressed during the Second Meeting of this Group held in February 2008. Prior to this meeting and to date (2010 there have been no evidence-based guidelines on the use of dermoscopy in the management of nail pigmentation.Este consenso, com foco em melanoníquia e dermatoscopia da lâmina ungueal, se destina a orientar os médicos que trabalham com melanoníquia e auxiliar no manejo destes pacientes. O grupo internacional de estudos sobre melanoníquia foi fundada em 2007 e tem agora 30 membros, incluindo dermatologistas e dermatopatologistas com conhecimento especializado em unhas. A necessidade de definições comuns de dermatoscopia da lâmina ungueal foi abordada durante a segunda reunião deste grupo, realizada em fevereiro de 2008. Antes desta reunião e até a presente, não existem orientações com base em evidências sobre a utilização de dermatoscopia da placa ungueal.

Melqart-Herakles matando al Toro Celeste en una placa ebúrnea de Medellín

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Almagro-Gorbea, Martín

2002-12-01

Full Text Available An ivory plaque found in the Tartessian necropolis from Medellin (Badajoz, Spain, dated about 600 B.C., shows a hero with a Phygian helmet killing a bull. The iconography of this scene can be interpreted a Phoenician-Tartessian myth of «Melqart killing de Heaven's Bull», which could be a precedent of the well-known Greek myth of «Herakles and the Cretan Bull». This ivory plaque is interesting not only for classical iconography but also to show the deep relation between the Phoenician and the Tartessian mythology.En la necrópolis tartésica orientalizante de Medellín ha aparecido una placa con una escena de tauromaquia fechada hacia el 600 a.C. con un personaje con gorro frigio que apuntilla a un toro. Su análisis iconográfico permite interpretarla como un posible mito de «Melqart dando muerte al Toro Celeste», probable precedente del mito griego de Heracles y el Toro de Creta. Además de su interés para la mitología clásica, este marfil confirma la profunda interrelación entre la mitología y las creencias tartésicas y fenicias.

Mangrove vulnerability index using GIS

Science.gov (United States)

Yunus, Mohd Zulkifli Mohd; Ahmad, Fatimah Shafinaz; Ibrahim, Nuremira

2018-02-01

Climate change, particularly its associated sea level rise, is major threat to mangrove coastal areas, and it is essential to develop ways to reduce vulnerability through strategic management planning. Environmental vulnerability can be understood as a function of exposure to impacts and the sensitivity and adaptive capacity of ecological systems towards environmental tensors. Mangrove vulnerability ranking using up to 14 parameters found in study area, which is in Pulau Kukup and Sg Pulai, where 1 is low vulnerability and 5 is very high vulnerability. Mangrove Vulnerability Index (MVI) is divided into 3 main categories Physical Mangrove Index (PMI), Biological Mangrove Index (BMI) and Hazard Mangrove Index (HMI).

Automated Software Vulnerability Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Sezer, Emre C.; Kil, Chongkyung; Ning, Peng

Despite decades of research, software continues to have vulnerabilities. Successful exploitations of these vulnerabilities by attackers cost millions of dollars to businesses and individuals. Unfortunately, most effective defensive measures, such as patching and intrusion prevention systems, require an intimate knowledge of the vulnerabilities. Many systems for detecting attacks have been proposed. However, the analysis of the exploited vulnerabilities is left to security experts and programmers. Both the human effortinvolved and the slow analysis process are unfavorable for timely defensive measure to be deployed. The problem is exacerbated by zero-day attacks.

What Does Vulnerability Mean?

Science.gov (United States)

Parley, Fiona F

2011-01-01

Protection of those deemed vulnerable has received increasing attention since 2000. This article reports on care staff views of vulnerability using original data from a research study (Parley. "Vulnerability and abuse: an exploration of views of care staff working with people who have learning disabilities," PhD Thesis, 2007) in which care staff…

Redistributing vulnerabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seeberg, Jens; Padmawati, Retna Siwi

2015-01-01

It is widely accepted that the social distribution of vulnerability in a given society may turn hazardous events into disasters. This distributional approach draws attention to continuities that explain catastrophes by virtue of the workings of society prior to the event. In this paper, we draw...... attention to the social processes whereby vulnerability is modified and renegotiated during the post-disaster period where resources for disaster alleviation and reconstruction enter local communities. Specifically, we explore the social dynamics of house damage classification in the wake of the 2006...... Central Java earthquake, and we explore relations between citizens and the state during post-disaster house reconstruction. We argue that disastrous outcomes of catastrophic events do not follow pre-existing fault lines of vulnerability in a simple or predictable manner, and that the social process...

Influência da distribuição granulométrica na estabilidade dimensional de placas cerâmicas de base vermelha Influence of particle size distribution on the dimensional stability of red ceramic tiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. C. A. Prado

2008-12-01

Full Text Available As propriedades do revestimento cerâmico queimado estão intrinsecamente ligadas às características da massa, dentre estas se encontram o tamanho, a distribuição, o formato e o arranjo das partículas. O efeito da distribuição granulométrica de partículas sobre a estabilidade dimensional de placas cerâmicas para revestimentos de base vermelha foi estudado em três massas, todas continham no mínimo 57% de material advindo da Formação Corumbataí. Foram estudadas duas distribuições granulométricas - uma parecida com aquelas usadas no Pólo Cerâmico de Santa Gertrudes e, outra, com uma massa de grés. De uma maneira geral, granulações mais grossas, semelhantes à massa de Santa Gertrudes, variaram menos dimensionalmente quando as placas apresentaram médias e altas porosidades (absorção de água entre 3,0 e 10,0%. Já, granulações mais finas, similares a massas de grés, foram necessárias para a produção de placas de baixa absorção (menor que 3,0%.The properties of final ceramic tiles are related with the mass characteristics, among them the size, shape, distribution and arrange of particles. The effect of particle size distribution on dimensional stability of red ceramic tiles was studied in three masses; all of them composed with, at minimum, 57% of Corumbataí Formation's materials. Two particle size distributions were investigated: the first was similar to the masses that are used in the Santa Gertrudes Ceramic Pole's factories and the other was similar to the stoneware mass. In general, masses with larger particle sizes, similar to that of Santa Gertrudes, had greater dimensional stability in the products with 3 to 10% of water absorption. On the other hand, in the manufacture of low porosity tiles (water absorption capacity < 3% it is recommended the use of smaller grain size.

Modelling farm vulnerability to flooding: A step toward vulnerability mitigation policies appraisal

Science.gov (United States)

Brémond, P.; Abrami, G.; Blanc, C.; Grelot, F.

2009-04-01

Recent catastrophic flood events such as Elbe in 2002 or Rhône in 2003 have shown limits of flood management policies relying on dykes protection: worsening of flood impacts downstream, increased damage by dykes rupture. Those events, among others, contributes to radical changes on the philosophy of flood prevention, with the promotion of new orientations for mitigating flood exposition. Two new trends may have a significant impact on rural areas: floodplain restoration and vulnerability mitigation. The Rhône River program, which is an contract of objectives signed between French Government and local collectivites, is highly illustrative of these new trends and their impact on agricultural sector. In this program, it appears that areas to be concerned by floodplain restoration are agricultural ones, because their supposed vulnerability to flood is expected to be less important to urban areas. As a consequence, agricultural sector is particularly concerned by planned actions on mitigation of assets vulnerability, an important part of the program (financial support of European Union of 7.5 Million euros). Mitigation of agricultural assets vulnerability reveals particularly interesting for two following reasons. Firstly, it is a way to maintain agricultural activities in floodplains yet existing, without promoting flood protection. Secondly, in case of floodplain restoration, vulnerability mitigation is a way for local authorities to compensate over-flooding impacts. In practice, local authorities may financially support farmers for implementing measures to mitigate their farm vulnerability. On the Rhône River, an important work has already been done to identify farm vulnerability to flooding, and propose measures to mitigate it. More than 3 000 farms exposed to flood risk have been identified representing 88 690 ha of agricultural areas which is estimated to generate damage between 400 and 800 Million euros depending on the season of occurrence for a catastrophic

Poverty and Vulnerability - An Interdisciplinary Approach

OpenAIRE

Makoka, Donald; Kaplan, Marcus

2005-01-01

This paper describes the concepts of poverty and vulnerability as well as the interconnections and differences between them using an interdisciplinary approach. While poverty is a static concept, vulnerability has a forward-looking dimension. We, therefore, review the methodologies that different disciplines use to measure poverty and vulnerability. In particular, the differences between vulnerability to natural disasters, vulnerability to climate change, as well as vulnerability to poverty a...

Vulnerability of complex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Mishkovski, Igor; Biey, Mario; Kocarev, Ljupco

2011-01-01

We consider normalized average edge betweenness of a network as a metric of network vulnerability. We suggest that normalized average edge betweenness together with is relative difference when certain number of nodes and/or edges are removed from the network is a measure of network vulnerability, called vulnerability index. Vulnerability index is calculated for four synthetic networks: Erdős-Rényi (ER) random networks, Barabási-Albert (BA) model of scale-free networks, Watts-Strogatz (WS) model of small-world networks, and geometric random networks. Real-world networks for which vulnerability index is calculated include: two human brain networks, three urban networks, one collaboration network, and two power grid networks. We find that WS model of small-world networks and biological networks (human brain networks) are the most robust networks among all networks studied in the paper.

Resultados clínico-radiológicos en pacientes jóvenes con fractura articular completa de radio distal tratados con placa palmar bloqueada. [Clinical and radiological results in young patients with complete articular distal radius fractures treated with volar locked plate.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo De Carli

2016-02-01

Conclusión: El tratamiento de las fracturas de radio distal tipo C en pacientes jóvenes con placa palmar bloqueada muestra resultados clínicos y radiológicos favorables con corrección de la mayoría de los escalones articulares.

PORT SECURITY-Threats and Vulnerabilities

OpenAIRE

Kusi, Bernard

2015-01-01

The main objective of this thesis is to identify the threats and the vulnerabilities concerning Takoradi port, and finally recommend measure to overcome the identified threats and vul-nerabilities. Various categories of potential threats and vulnerabilities have been studied throughout the literature review. However, because each port presents a unique sets of threats and vulnerabilities, there was a need to look critically into how Takoradi port operations are being conducted in other to ide...

O uso de placas de tetrapak como uma alternativa sustentável na construção civil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz Antonio Perrone Ferreira Brito

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A indústria da construção civil, devido a sua grande influência nas atividades econômicas, é responsável pelo consumo dematéria-prima não renovável em grande escala sendo, portanto parte fundamental para que se consiga um desenvolvimentosustentável. Os materiais reciclados surgem como opção para a preservação destes recursos. O sistema modular também se adapta asnecessidades da construção sustentável já que seu processo construtivo resulta na racionalização da obra reduzindo perdas, custosfacilitando a inserção do material no mercado. O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver um sistema construtivo modular produzido complacas de argamassa de cimento, areia e caixas recicladas tetrapak. Foi desenvolvida uma proposta de planta padrão para umaresidência com 45m2 onde as vedações e divisórias internas são moduladas e construídas por placas pré-fabricadas de dimensõespadronizadas. Estas placas foram produzidas com duas espessuras diferentes de maneira que se pudesse avaliar sua massa final eresistência a compressão. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com NBR 6136 (2008 Blocos vazados de concreto simples paraalvenaria - Requisitos. Um modelo de edificação foi construído neste sistema de maneira que se pudesse avaliar sua durabilidade,resistência as intempéries e conforto ambiental.Abstract Due to its strong influence over the economicactivities, the civil construction industry is responsible for thelarge-scale consumption of non-renewable raw materials and byconsequence being an important part of any sustainabledevelopment model. The recycled materials appear as an optionfor preservation of resources. The modular system also fits thenecessities of the sustainable construction since its operativeprocess results in a rationalization of needed man power,reducing losses, costs and facilitating the insertion of the recycledmaterials into the market. The objective of this work is todevelop a modular constructive

Energy vulnerability relationships

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, B.R.; Boesen, J.L.

1998-02-01

The US consumption of crude oil resources has been a steadily growing indicator of the vitality and strength of the US economy. At the same time import diversity has also been a rapidly developing dimension of the import picture. In the early 1970`s, embargoes of crude oil from Organization of Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) created economic and political havoc due to a significant lack of diversity and a unique set of economic, political and domestic regulatory circumstances. The continued rise of imports has again led to concerns over the security of our crude oil resource but threats to this system must be considered in light of the diversity and current setting of imported oil. This report develops several important issues concerning vulnerability to the disruption of oil imports: (1) The Middle East is not the major supplier of oil to the United States, (2) The US is not vulnerable to having its entire import stream disrupted, (3) Even in stable countries, there exist vulnerabilities to disruption of the export stream of oil, (4) Vulnerability reduction requires a focus on international solutions, and (5) DOE program and policy development must reflect the requirements of the diverse supply. Does this increasing proportion of imported oil create a {open_quotes}dependence{close_quotes}? Does this increasing proportion of imported oil present a vulnerability to {open_quotes}price shocks{close_quotes} and the tremendous dislocations experienced during the 1970`s? Finally, what is the vulnerability of supply disruptions from the current sources of imported oil? If oil is considered to be a finite, rapidly depleting resource, then the answers to these questions must be {open_quotes}yes.{close_quotes} However, if the supply of oil is expanding, and not limited, then dependence is relative to regional supply sources.

Memory Vulnerability Diagnosis for Binary Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tang Feng-Yi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Vulnerability diagnosis is important for program security analysis. It is a further step to understand the vulnerability after it is detected, as well as a preparatory step for vulnerability repair or exploitation. This paper mainly analyses the inner theories of major memory vulnerabilities and the threats of them. And then suggests some methods to diagnose several types of memory vulnerabilities for the binary programs, which is a difficult task due to the lack of source code. The diagnosis methods target at buffer overflow, use after free (UAF and format string vulnerabilities. We carried out some tests on the Linux platform to validate the effectiveness of the diagnosis methods. It is proved that the methods can judge the type of the vulnerability given a binary program.

Observando as marés atmosféricas: uma aplicação da placa Arduino com sensores de pressão barométrica e temperatura

OpenAIRE

Carvalho,Luiz Raimundo Moreira de; Amorim,Helio Salim de

2014-01-01

Apresentamos uma montagem experimental simples para o estudo da maré atmosférica, baseada no uso da placa Arduino Uno. Com essa montagem, o professor de física no Ensino Médio poderá apresentar para seus alunos as oscilações barométricas, um efeito fundamentalmente de origem térmica devido ao aquecimento da atmosfera produzido pela radiação solar. Apresentamos também uma comparação entre a maré atmosférica e o efeito gravitacional da maré oceânica, destacando as diferenças entre os dois fenôm...

Vulnerability Identification Errors in Security Risk Assessments

OpenAIRE

Taubenberger, Stefan

2014-01-01

At present, companies rely on information technology systems to achieve their business objectives, making them vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Information security risk assessments help organisations to identify their risks and vulnerabilities. An accurate identification of risks and vulnerabilities is a challenge, because the input data is uncertain. So-called ’vulnerability identification errors‘ can occur if false positive vulnerabilities are identified, or if vulnerabilities remain u...

Avaliação do tratamento da discopatia degenerativa cervical pela artrodese via anterior utilizando placas associadas a cages ou cages em peek isoladamente Evaluación del tratamiento de la enfermedad degenerativa del disco cervical por la artrodesis anterior utilizando placas asociadas con jaulas o jaulas en peec, aisladamente Evaluation of cervical degenerative disc disease treatment by anterior arthrodesis using plates associated with cages or cages in peek alone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Rafael Hübner

2011-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Avaliar comparativamente o tratamento da discopatia degenerativa cervical por discectomia e artrodese cervical via anterior utilizando placas associadas a cages ou cages em PEEK isoladamente. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo comparativo entre dois grupos de pacientes operados pela técnica de discectomia e artrodese cervical via anterior. Foram selecionados aleatoriamente 70 pacientes, 35 operados com o método de fixação com placas associadas a cages - denominado Grupo I - e 35 com o cage em PEEK isoladamente - Grupo II. Realizou-se anamnese, exame físico, escores de dor (escala visual e analógica da dor e função (critérios de Odom's, SF-36, Indice de incapacidade do pescoço o pré e pós-operatório e exames de imagem. RESULTADOS: Houve predominância de pacientes do sexo feminino em ambos os grupos, com média de idade de 55 anos no Grupo I e 47 no Grupo II. Ambos os grupos apresentaram distribuição semelhante quanto ao número de níveis operados, assim como nas complicações encontradas e escores de dor, cervicalgia e SF36 no pré e pós-operatório. Houve 97.1% de fusão com 94.3% de bons resultados no Grupo I e 100% de fusão, com 97 % de bons resultados no Grupo II. CONCLUSÕES: O estudo comparativo da utilização de placas com cages e cages em PEEK isoladamente apresentou resultados semelhantes e satisfatórios para os grupos estudados, não se constatando superioridade ou inferioridade de um método com relação ao outro.OBJETIVOS: Evaluar comparativamente el tratamiento de la enfermedad degenerativa del disco cervical por discectomía y artrodesis cervical vía anterior, utilizando placas asociadas con el uso de jaulas o estas en PEEK [Poliéster-Éter-Éter-Cetona], aisladamente. MÉTODOS: fue realizado un estudio retrospectivo comparativo de dos grupos de pacientes tratados con la técnica de discectomía y artrodesis cervical vía anterior. Se seleccionaron al azar 70 pacientes, 35 operados

Fuzzing and Vulnerabilities Search

OpenAIRE

Stanislav Evgenyevich Kirillov; Nikolai Petrovich Lavrentiev

2013-01-01

Fuzzing for vulnerabilities can be very effective if we know the input data format. This work contains description of network message format recovery algorithm and the usage of restored data model in fuzzing and vulnerabilities search.

Aren't we all vulnerable: why do vulnerability analysis?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moench, Marcus

2011-11-15

The idea of 'vulnerability' is widely-used shorthand for the disproportionate impacts that climate change will have on high-risk groups and fragile ecosystems. Decision makers increasingly want to target adaptation funding to those people and environments most affected by climate change. They must also be able to monitor the effectiveness of their investments. Vulnerability analysis is sometimes presented as the solution to these wants and needs — but existing approaches are often of little use: at best, they reiterate what we already know; at worst, they are used to justify entrenched agendas. To be truly useful as a basis for dialogue, action and accountability, the meaning of 'vulnerability' must be clarified and the methods for analysing it greatly strengthened. This means establishing standard, replicable approaches that differentiate between the roles and exposure of stakeholders, systems and institutions.

spatially identifying vulnerable areas

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The model structure is aimed at understanding the critical vulnerable factors that ... This paper incorporates multiple criteria and rank risk factors. ..... In terms of quantifying vulnerable areas within the country, the analysis is done based on 9 ...

Fuzzing and Vulnerabilities Search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav Evgenyevich Kirillov

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Fuzzing for vulnerabilities can be very effective if we know the input data format. This work contains description of network message format recovery algorithm and the usage of restored data model in fuzzing and vulnerabilities search.

Selective vulnerability in brain hypoxia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cervos-Navarro, J.; Diemer, Nils Henrik

1991-01-01

Neuropathology, selective vulnerability, brain hypoxia, vascular factors, excitotoxicity, ion homeostasis......Neuropathology, selective vulnerability, brain hypoxia, vascular factors, excitotoxicity, ion homeostasis...

Web Application Vulnerabilities

OpenAIRE

Yadav, Bhanu

2014-01-01

Web application security has been a major issue in information technology since the evolvement of dynamic web application. The main objective of this project was to carry out a detailed study on the top three web application vulnerabilities such as injection, cross site scripting, broken authentication and session management, present the situation where an application can be vulnerable to these web threats and finally provide preventative measures against them. ...

Mapping human vulnerability to climate change in the Brazilian Amazon: The construction of a municipal vulnerability index.

Science.gov (United States)

Menezes, Júlia Alves; Confalonieri, Ulisses; Madureira, Ana Paula; Duval, Isabela de Brito; Santos, Rhavena Barbosa Dos; Margonari, Carina

2018-01-01

Vulnerability, understood as the propensity to be adversely affected, has attained importance in the context of climate change by helping to understand what makes populations and territories predisposed to its impacts. Conditions of vulnerability may vary depending on the characteristics of each territory studied-social, environmental, infrastructural, public policies, among others. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate what makes the municipalities of the state of Amazonas, Brazil, vulnerable to climate change in the context of the largest tropical forest in the world, and which regions of the State are the most susceptible. A Municipal Vulnerability Index was developed, which was used to associate current socio-environmental characteristics of municipalities with climate change scenarios in order to identify those that may be most affected by climate change. The results showed that poor adaptive capacity and poverty had the most influence on current vulnerability of the municipalities of Amazonas with the most vulnerable areas being the southern, northern, and eastern regions of the state. When current vulnerability was related to future climate change projections, the most vulnerable areas were the northern, northeastern, extreme southern, and southwestern regions. From a socio-environmental and climatic point of view, these regions should be a priority for public policy efforts to reduce their vulnerability and prepare them to cope with the adverse aspects of climate change.

Mapping human vulnerability to climate change in the Brazilian Amazon: The construction of a municipal vulnerability index.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Júlia Alves Menezes

Full Text Available Vulnerability, understood as the propensity to be adversely affected, has attained importance in the context of climate change by helping to understand what makes populations and territories predisposed to its impacts. Conditions of vulnerability may vary depending on the characteristics of each territory studied-social, environmental, infrastructural, public policies, among others. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate what makes the municipalities of the state of Amazonas, Brazil, vulnerable to climate change in the context of the largest tropical forest in the world, and which regions of the State are the most susceptible. A Municipal Vulnerability Index was developed, which was used to associate current socio-environmental characteristics of municipalities with climate change scenarios in order to identify those that may be most affected by climate change. The results showed that poor adaptive capacity and poverty had the most influence on current vulnerability of the municipalities of Amazonas with the most vulnerable areas being the southern, northern, and eastern regions of the state. When current vulnerability was related to future climate change projections, the most vulnerable areas were the northern, northeastern, extreme southern, and southwestern regions. From a socio-environmental and climatic point of view, these regions should be a priority for public policy efforts to reduce their vulnerability and prepare them to cope with the adverse aspects of climate change.

Mining Bug Databases for Unidentified Software Vulnerabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dumidu Wijayasekara; Milos Manic; Jason Wright; Miles McQueen

2012-06-01

Identifying software vulnerabilities is becoming more important as critical and sensitive systems increasingly rely on complex software systems. It has been suggested in previous work that some bugs are only identified as vulnerabilities long after the bug has been made public. These vulnerabilities are known as hidden impact vulnerabilities. This paper discusses the feasibility and necessity to mine common publicly available bug databases for vulnerabilities that are yet to be identified. We present bug database analysis of two well known and frequently used software packages, namely Linux kernel and MySQL. It is shown that for both Linux and MySQL, a significant portion of vulnerabilities that were discovered for the time period from January 2006 to April 2011 were hidden impact vulnerabilities. It is also shown that the percentage of hidden impact vulnerabilities has increased in the last two years, for both software packages. We then propose an improved hidden impact vulnerability identification methodology based on text mining bug databases, and conclude by discussing a few potential problems faced by such a classifier.

Open Source Vulnerability Database Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jake Kouns

2008-06-01

Full Text Available This article introduces the Open Source Vulnerability Database (OSVDB project which manages a global collection of computer security vulnerabilities, available for free use by the information security community. This collection contains information on known security weaknesses in operating systems, software products, protocols, hardware devices, and other infrastructure elements of information technology. The OSVDB project is intended to be the centralized global open source vulnerability collection on the Internet.

Tsunami survivors' perspectives on vulnerability and vulnerability reduction: evidence from Koh Phi Phi Don and Khao Lak, Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Steckley, Marylynn; Doberstein, Brent

2011-07-01

This paper presents the results of primary research with 40 survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in two communities: Khao Lak (n=20) and Koh Phi Phi Don (n=20), Thailand. It traces tsunami survivors' perceptions of vulnerability, determines whether residents felt that the tsunami affected different communities differently, identifies the populations and sub-community groups that survivors distinguished as being more vulnerable than others, highlights community-generated ideas about vulnerability reduction, and pinpoints a range of additional vulnerability reduction actions. Tsunami survivors most consistently identified the 'most vulnerable' community sub-populations as women, children, the elderly, foreigners, and the poor. In Khao Lak, however, respondents added 'Burmese migrants' to this list, whereas in Koh Phi Phi Don, they added 'Thai Muslims'. Results suggest that the two case study communities, both small, coastal, tourism-dominated communities no more than 100 kilometres apart, have differing vulnerable sub-groups and environmental vulnerabilities, requiring different post-disaster vulnerability reduction efforts. © 2011 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2011.

Cotton genetic resources and crop vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

A report on the genetic vulnerability of cotton was provided to the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council. The report discussed crop vulnerabilities associated with emerging diseases, emerging pests, and a narrowing genetic base. To address these crop vulnerabilities, the report discussed the ...

Vulnerability and resilience: a critical nexus.

Science.gov (United States)

Lotz, Mianna

2016-02-01

Not all forms of human fragility or vulnerability are unavoidable. Sometimes we knowingly and intentionally impose conditions of vulnerability on others; and sometimes we knowingly and intentionally enter into and assume conditions of vulnerability for ourselves (for example, when we decide to trust or forgive, enter into intimate relationships with others, become a parent, become a subject of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, and the like). In this article, I propose a presently overlooked basis on which one might evaluate whether the imposition or assumption of vulnerability is acceptable, and on which one might ground a significant class of vulnerability-related obligations. Distinct from existing accounts of the importance of promoting autonomy in conditions of vulnerability, this article offers a preliminary exploration of the nature, role, and importance of resilience promotion, its relationship to autonomy promotion, and its prospects for improving human wellbeing in autonomy inhibiting conditions.

VT - Vermont Social Vulnerability Index

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — Social vulnerability refers to the resilience of communities when responding to or recovering from threats to public health. The Vermont Social Vulnerability Index...

Osteosíntesis percutánea con placas volares bloqueadas en fracturas metafisarias distales de radio Descripción de la técnica y resultados preliminares. [Percutaneous volar locked plate fixation in metaphyseal fractures of distal radius: technical description and preliminary results].

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia del Milagro Gutierrez Olivera

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Objetivo Evaluar resultados objetivos y subjetivos obtenidos luego de realizar osteosíntesis con placas en T bloqueadas volares, colocadas con técnica mínimamente invasiva, en fracturas del radio distal con extensión metafisaria. Material y Métodos Evaluación retrospectiva de seis pacientes adultos que presentaron fracturas inestables de radio distal, extra-articulares o articulares parciales, con extensión  metafisaria, tratadas quirúrgicamente con placas en T largas de compresión bloqueadas volares, mediante  técnica mínimamente invasiva, entre 2007 y  2012. Edad promedio 40,6 años. Todas las fracturas fueron cerradas, clasificadas como tipo 23A3 (n: 5 y 23B1 (n: 1 según el Sistema AO/ASIF. Se realizó reducción indirecta de la fractura, bajo visión radioscópica, a través de dos pequeñas incisiones se deslizó en forma percutánea una placa bloqueada volar en T. Se analizaron  parámetros radiológicos (angulación volar, inclinación radial y altura radial, el rango de movimiento y la fuerza. Los resultados subjetivos fueron evaluados usando la Escala de DASH y la Escala Visual Análoga. Resultados Tiempo de consolidaron promedio de 2,3 meses. Los resultados radiográficos no mostraron diferencias significativas entre el primer y el último control radiográfico al año de seguimiento. Flexión y extensión promedio 70° y 60°, pronación y supinación 79° y 80° respectivamente. Fuerza de prensión promedio 78,4%. El score de DASH 19,84 puntos y el EVA 1,5 puntos. Conclusión Las técnicas mínimamente invasivas reducen el daño quirúrgico y complicaciones. Son una opción en pacientes con daño severo de partes blandas, conminución metafisaria y trauma de alta energía. Pequeñas incisiones alejadas del sitio de fractura respetan los tejidos blandos y la biología ósea, contribuyendo a lograr la consolidación. La colocación de placas volares bloqueadas percutáneas es un procedimiento técnicamente demandante

Animal models to study plaque vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schapira, K.; Heeneman, S.; Daemen, M. J. A. P.

2007-01-01

The need to identify and characterize vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions in humans has lead to the development of various animal models of plaque vulnerability. In this review, current concepts of the vulnerable plaque as it leads to an acute coronary event are described, such as plaque rupture,

ICMPv6 RA Flooding Vulnerability Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linas Jočys

2016-06-01

Full Text Available ICMPv6 is the newest version of internet control message protocol, whose main purpose is to send error message indicating packet processing failure. It is know that ICMPv6 is technologically vulnerable. One of those vulnerabilities is the ICMPv6 RA flooding vulnerability, which can lead to systems in Local Area Network slow down or full stop. This paper will discuss Windows (XP, 7, 8.1 and Linux Ubuntu 14 operating systems resistance to RA flooding attack research and countermeasures to minimize this vulnerability.

Assessing vulnerability of urban African communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karlsson Nyed, Patrik; Jean-Baptiste, Nathalie; Herslund, Lise Byskov

2014-01-01

East African cities are in the process of assessing their vulnerabilities to climate change, but face difficulties in capturing the complexity of the various facets of vulnerability. This holistic approach, captures four different dimensions of vulnerability to flooding - Assets, Institutions......, Attitudes and the Physical environment, with Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as a case city. The methodology is actively involving the expertise of the stakeholders, and uses GIS to analyze and compile the data. The final output is presented as a comprehensible map, delineating the varying vulnerability...

Estudio comparativo de flujo de fluido a través de una placa de orificio usando las ecuaciones de Stokes y de Navier-Stokes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miryam Lucía Guerra-Mazo

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Presenta los resultados de la comparación entre las ecuaciones de Stokes y de Navier-Stokes para la simulación del flujo de agua líquida, a condiciones atmosféricas, a través de una placa orificio concéntrica. A partir de los datos experimentales que fueron tomados en el banco de fluidos, se evaluaron las simulaciones de ambas ecuaciones, usando el software libre Freefem++cs, que se basa en el método de los elementos finitos; las variables evaluadas son velocidad y presión en un intervalo de tiempo. Al analizar los resultados obtenidos con las simulaciones y comparar con los datos experimentales se encontró que las ecuaciones de Navier-Stokes representan mejor el sistema que la ecuación de Stokes.

Motherhood, Marketization, and Consumer Vulnerability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davies, Andrea; Prothero, Andrea; Sørensen, Elin

2010-01-01

This article explores consumer vulnerability and the role of public policy by focusing on new mothers. Developing the consumer vulnerability model of Baker, Gentry, and Rittenburg, the authors consider how medical contexts, political and legal factors, economic resources, societal prescriptions...... a time of physical and psychological changes in mothers-to-be. This article illustrates that the extended market logic dominating contemporary mothering environments both contributes to and has the potential to exacerbate new mothers’ vulnerability, raising important challenges for public policy, both...

Groundwater vulnerability mapping of Qatar aquifers

Science.gov (United States)

Baalousha, Husam Musa

2016-12-01

Qatar is one of the most arid countries in the world with limited water resources. With little rainfall and no surface water, groundwater is the only natural source of fresh water in the country. Whilst the country relies mainly on desalination of seawater to secure water supply, groundwater has extensively been used for irrigation over the last three decades, which caused adverse environmental impact. Vulnerability assessment is a widely used tool for groundwater protection and land-use management. Aquifers in Qatar are carbonate with lots of fractures, depressions and cavities. Karst aquifers are generally more vulnerable to contamination than other aquifers as any anthropogenic-sourced contaminant, especially above a highly fractured zone, can infiltrate quickly into the aquifer and spread over a wide area. The vulnerability assessment method presented in this study is based on two approaches: DRASTIC and EPIK, within the framework of Geographical Information System (GIS). Results of this study show that DRASTIC vulnerability method suits Qatar hydrogeological settings more than EPIK. The produced vulnerability map using DRASTIC shows coastal and karst areas have the highest vulnerability class. The southern part of the country is located in the low vulnerability class due to occurrence of shale formation within aquifer media, which averts downward movement of contaminants.

A pragmatic analysis of vulnerability in clinical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendler, David

2017-09-01

Identifying which subjects are vulnerable, and implementing safeguards to protect them, is widely regarded as essential to clinical research. Commentators have endorsed a number of responses to these challenges and have thereby made significant progress in understanding vulnerability in clinical research. At the same time, this literature points to a central contradiction which calls into question its potential to protect vulnerable subjects in practice. Specifically, analysis suggests that all human subjects are vulnerable and vulnerability in clinical research is comparative and context dependent, in the sense that individuals are vulnerable relative to others and in some contexts only. Yet, if everyone is vulnerable, there seems to be no point in citing the vulnerability of some individuals. Moreover, the conclusion that everyone is vulnerable seems inconsistent with the claims that vulnerability is comparative and context dependent, raising concern over whether it will be possible to develop a comprehensive account of vulnerability that is internally consistent. The solution to this dilemma lies in recognition of the fact that the practical significance of claims regarding vulnerability depends on the context in which they are used. The claims that appear to lead to the central contradiction are in fact accurate conclusions that follow from different uses of the term 'vulnerability'. The present manuscript describes this 'pragmatic' approach to vulnerability in clinical research and considers its implications for ensuring that subjects receive appropriate protection. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Not the usual suspects: addressing layers of vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Luna, Florencia; Vanderpoel, Sheryl

2013-07-01

This paper challenges the traditional account of vulnerability in healthcare which conceptualizes vulnerability as a list of identifiable subpopulations. This list of 'usual suspects', focusing on groups from lower resource settings, is a narrow account of vulnerability. In this article we argue that in certain circumstances middle-class individuals can be also rendered vulnerable. We propose a relational and layered account of vulnerability and explore this concept using the case study of cord blood (CB) banking. In the first section, two different approaches to 'vulnerability' are contrasted: categorical versus layered. In the second section, we describe CB banking and present a case study of CB banking in Argentina. We examine the types of pressure that middle-class pregnant women feel when considering CB collection and storage. In section three, we use the CB banking case study to critique the categorical approach to vulnerability: this model is unable to account for the ways in which these women are vulnerable. A layered account of vulnerability identifies several ways in which middle-class women are vulnerable. Finally, by utilizing the layered approach, this paper suggests how public health policies could be designed to overcome vulnerabilities. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Extending Vulnerability Assessment to Include Life Stages Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodgson, Emma E; Essington, Timothy E; Kaplan, Isaac C

2016-01-01

Species are experiencing a suite of novel stressors from anthropogenic activities that have impacts at multiple scales. Vulnerability assessment is one tool to evaluate the likely impacts that these stressors pose to species so that high-vulnerability cases can be identified and prioritized for monitoring, protection, or mitigation. Commonly used semi-quantitative methods lack a framework to explicitly account for differences in exposure to stressors and organism responses across life stages. Here we propose a modification to commonly used spatial vulnerability assessment methods that includes such an approach, using ocean acidification in the California Current as an illustrative case study. Life stage considerations were included by assessing vulnerability of each life stage to ocean acidification and were used to estimate population vulnerability in two ways. We set population vulnerability equal to: (1) the maximum stage vulnerability and (2) a weighted mean across all stages, with weights calculated using Lefkovitch matrix models. Vulnerability was found to vary across life stages for the six species explored in this case study: two krill-Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera, pteropod-Limacina helicina, pink shrimp-Pandalus jordani, Dungeness crab-Metacarcinus magister and Pacific hake-Merluccius productus. The maximum vulnerability estimates ranged from larval to subadult and adult stages with no consistent stage having maximum vulnerability across species. Similarly, integrated vulnerability metrics varied greatly across species. A comparison showed that some species had vulnerabilities that were similar between the two metrics, while other species' vulnerabilities varied substantially between the two metrics. These differences primarily resulted from cases where the most vulnerable stage had a low relative weight. We compare these methods and explore circumstances where each method may be appropriate.

Multi-dimensional flood vulnerability assessment using data envelopment analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Zahid, Zalina; Saharizan, Nurul Syuhada; Hamzah, Paezah; Hussin, Siti Aida Sheikh; Khairi, Siti Shaliza Mohd

2017-11-01

Malaysia has been greatly impacted by flood during monsoon seasons. Even though flood prone areas are well identified, assessment on the vulnerability of the disaster is lacking. Assessment of flood vulnerability, defined as the potential for loss when a disaster occurs, is addressed in this paper. The focus is on the development of flood vulnerability measurement in 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia using a non-parametric approach of Data Envelopment Analysis. Scores for three dimensions of flood vulnerability (Population Vulnerability, Social Vulnerability and Biophysical) were calculated using secondary data of selected input and output variables across an 11-year period from 2004 to 2014. The results showed that Johor and Pahang were the most vulnerable to flood in terms of Population Vulnerability, followed by Kelantan, the most vulnerable to flood in terms of Social Vulnerability and Kedah, Pahang and Terengganu were the most vulnerable to flood in terms of Biophysical Vulnerability among the eleven states. The results also showed that the state of Johor, Pahang and Kelantan to be most vulnerable across the three dimensions. Flood vulnerability assessment is important as it provides invaluable information that will allow the authority to identify and develop plans for flood mitigation and to reduce the vulnerability of flood at the affected regions.

Modeling Coastal Vulnerability through Space and Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopper, Thomas; Meixler, Marcia S

2016-01-01

Coastal ecosystems experience a wide range of stressors including wave forces, storm surge, sea-level rise, and anthropogenic modification and are thus vulnerable to erosion. Urban coastal ecosystems are especially important due to the large populations these limited ecosystems serve. However, few studies have addressed the issue of urban coastal vulnerability at the landscape scale with spatial data that are finely resolved. The purpose of this study was to model and map coastal vulnerability and the role of natural habitats in reducing vulnerability in Jamaica Bay, New York, in terms of nine coastal vulnerability metrics (relief, wave exposure, geomorphology, natural habitats, exposure, exposure with no habitat, habitat role, erodible shoreline, and surge) under past (1609), current (2015), and future (2080) scenarios using InVEST 3.2.0. We analyzed vulnerability results both spatially and across all time periods, by stakeholder (ownership) and by distance to damage from Hurricane Sandy. We found significant differences in vulnerability metrics between past, current and future scenarios for all nine metrics except relief and wave exposure. The marsh islands in the center of the bay are currently vulnerable. In the future, these islands will likely be inundated, placing additional areas of the shoreline increasingly at risk. Significant differences in vulnerability exist between stakeholders; the Breezy Point Cooperative and Gateway National Recreation Area had the largest erodible shoreline segments. Significant correlations exist for all vulnerability (exposure/surge) and storm damage combinations except for exposure and distance to artificial debris. Coastal protective features, ranging from storm surge barriers and levees to natural features (e.g. wetlands), have been promoted to decrease future flood risk to communities in coastal areas around the world. Our methods of combining coastal vulnerability results with additional data and across multiple time

Social vulnerability assessment: a growing practice in Europe?

Science.gov (United States)

Tapsell, S.; McC arthy, S.

2012-04-01

This paper builds upon work on social vulnerability from the CapHaz-Net consortium, an ongoing research project funded by the European Commission in its 7th Framework Programme. The project focuses on the social dimensions of natural hazards, as well as on regional practices of risk prevention and management, and aims at improving the resilience of European societies to natural hazards, paying particular attention to social capacity building. The topic of social vulnerability is one of seven themes being addressed in the project. There are various rationales for examining the relevance of social vulnerability to natural hazards. Vulnerability assessment has now been accepted as a requirement for the effective development of emergency management capability, and assessment of social vulnerability has been recognised as being integral to understanding the risk to natural hazards. The aim of our research was to examine social vulnerability, how it might be understood in the context of natural hazards in Europe, and how social vulnerability can be addressed to increase social capacity. The work comprised a review of research on social vulnerability to different natural hazards within Europe and included concepts and definitions of social vulnerability (and related concepts), the purpose of vulnerability assessment and who decides who is vulnerable, different approaches to assessing or measuring social vulnerability (such as the use of 'classical' quantitative vulnerability indicators and qualitative community-based approaches, along with the advantages and disadvantages of both), conceptual frameworks for assessing social vulnerability and three case studies of social vulnerability studies within Europe: flash floods in the Italian Alps, fluvial flooding in Germany and heat waves in Spain. The review reveals variable application of social vulnerability analysis across Europe and there are indications why this might be the case. Reasons could range from the scale of

A vulnerability-centric requirements engineering framework : Analyzing security attacks, countermeasures, and requirements based on vulnerabilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elahi, G.; Yu, E.; Zannone, N.

2010-01-01

Many security breaches occur because of exploitation of vulnerabilities within the system. Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in the requirements, design, and implementation, which attackers exploit to compromise the system. This paper proposes a methodological framework for security requirements

A measure of vulnerability and damage tolerance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lind, Niels C.

1995-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to present probabilistic definitions of 'vulnerability' and 'damage tolerance'. A new measure of damage is also proposed. Disastrous failures, such as of the Titanic or the Chernobyl reactor, have revealed that some systems can be highly vulnerable. A seemingly insignificant damage can reduce such a system's resistance severely. Attempts to write design code requirements for damage tolerance or structural integrity have not been successful so far. One reason is that these ideas have not been defined with the necessary precision. The suggested definitions aim to be general, applicable to all engineered systems, and readily specializable to particular system types. Vulnerability is defined as the ratio of the failure probability of the damaged system to the failure probability of the undamaged system. It is argued that 'vulnerability' and 'damage tolerance' are complementary concepts. Damage tolerance is defined as the reciprocal of vulnerability. Vulnerability and damage tolerance both concern hypothetical future damage. A damage factor, applicable for the analysis of an existing structure in an assessed state of damage, is defined analogous to vulnerability. Application is illustrated by examples

Assessing the Security Vulnerabilities of Correctional Facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morrison, G.S.; Spencer, D.S.

1998-10-27

The National Institute of Justice has tasked their Satellite Facility at Sandia National Laboratories and their Southeast Regional Technology Center in Charleston, South Carolina to devise new procedures and tools for helping correctional facilities to assess their security vulnerabilities. Thus, a team is visiting selected correctional facilities and performing vulnerability assessments. A vulnerability assessment helps to identi~ the easiest paths for inmate escape, for introduction of contraband such as drugs or weapons, for unexpected intrusion fi-om outside of the facility, and for the perpetration of violent acts on other inmates and correctional employees, In addition, the vulnerability assessment helps to quantify the security risks for the facility. From these initial assessments will come better procedures for performing vulnerability assessments in general at other correctional facilities, as well as the development of tools to assist with the performance of such vulnerability assessments.

Drug abuse: vulnerability and transition to addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Moal, M

2009-05-01

Intrinsic vulnerability is central to the transition of recreational drug use to misuse. Several factors contribute to vulnerability, inherent or acquired, and they account for the huge individual differences observed concerning the propensity to enter in the addiction process. Some of the multifactional causes for a vulnerable phenotype will be examined: genetic factors, age and gender influences, various comorbidities and epidemiological observations. Stress-induced vulnerability will be particularly reviewed because it provides a good model for a pathophysiological research and for relating environmental events to biological consequences of drug vulnerability, namely through the striato-cortical dopamine system. Experimental studies are generally blind concerning these historical factors that contribute vulnerability and a critical evaluation of current animal models is needed. The transition of the last stage of the process, addiction, is conceptualized as a progression from homeostasis to allostasis and then, to pathology.

Treatment of unstable sacral fractures with percutaneous reconstruction plate internal fixation Tratamento de fraturas sacrais instáveis com reconstrução percutânea com fixação de placa interna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-Wei Chen

2012-05-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: To study the effects of percutaneous reconstruction plate internal fixation in the treatment of unstable sacral fractures. METHODS: Percutaneous reconstruction plate internal fixation was applied on 21 cases of unstable sacral fracture (15 males and six females, at age range of 16-65 years, mean 38.3 years including four cases of Denis Zone I, 14 cases of Zone II and three cases of Zone III. In operation, an arc incision (about 3-5 cm long was made along the iliac crest on the outside border of posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS on both sides, and then the plate was transported from the wounded side to the opposite one through the subcutaneous tunnel. RESULTS: The mean incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss was 4.3cm, 45.2min, and 160.8ml respectively. All these patients were followed up for 12-33 months (average 16.3 months, which showed no incision infection, intraoperative neurovascular injury, internal fixation loose or breakage, disunion, or obvious lower limb length inequality. The function result was rated as excellent in six cases, good in 12 and fair in 3, with excellence rate of 85.7%, according to the Majeed scoring system. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous reconstruction plate internal fixation is an ideal surgical approach to unstable sacral fractures, as it is easy, safe, causing less trauma and fewer complications, and conducive to quicker recovery.OBJETIVO: Estudar os efeitos da reconstrução percutânea com fixação de placa interna no tratamento de fraturas sacrais instáveis. MÉTODOS: A reconstrução percutânea com fixação de placa interna foi aplicada em 21 casos de fratura sacral instável (15 homens e seis mulheres, com idade variando entre 16 e 65 anos, média de 38,3 anos incluindo quatro casos de Zona I de Denis, 14 casos de Zona II e três casos de Zona III. No ato operatório, uma incisão arqueada (cerca de 3 a 5cm de comprimento foi feita ao longo da crista ilíaca na borda externa da

Influence of age, sex, plaque and smoking on periodontal conditions in a population from Bauru, Brazil Influência da idade, sexo, placa bacteriana e fumo nas condições periodontais em uma população de Bauru, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana Schützer Ragghianti

2004-12-01

ções periodontais. Este estudo transversal objetivou avaliar a influência da idade, sexo, placa bacteriana e fumo na doença periodontal em uma amostra da cidade de Bauru. Os dados sobre as condições periodontais foram obtidos de 380 pacientes da Universidade de São Paulo, sendo registradas medidas de profundidade de sondagem, nível de inserção clínica e índice de placa de 4 sítios de todos os dentes. A influência da idade, sexo e fumo foram avaliadas utilizando-se a Estatística descritiva e a Análise de Variância (ANOVA e o papel da placa bacteriana, por meio do coeficiente de correlação de Pearson. Os resultados mostraram um aumento nas médias de profundidade de sondagem e nível de inserção e um maior número de sítios com perdas severas com o avanço da idade. A correlação entre a porcentagem de sítios com placa e os parâmetros periodontais foi positiva porém fraca. O sexo masculino apresentou médias significantemente maiores de nível de inserção do que o sexo feminino. Os fumantes obtiveram médias significantemente maiores de profundidade de sondagem e de nível de inserção quando comparados aos não-fumantes. A idade, hábito de fumar, sexo masculino e porcentagem de sítios com placa estão associados a maior destruição periodontal, sendo fatores importantes no diagnóstico da doença periodontal nessa população brasileira.

ELABORACIÓN Y EVALUACIÓN DE PLACAS PREFABRICADAS DE CONCRETO ALIGERADO CON ARCILLA EXPANDIDA PARA USO COMO COBERTURAS DE ESTRUCTURAS PECUARIAS DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF PREFABRICATED CONCRETE ROOF SLABS MADE WITH LIGHTWEIGHT EXPANDED CLAY ARID APPLIED TO COVERING FACILITIES FOR ANIMAL PRODUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilda de Fátima Ferreira Tinôco

2010-12-01

Full Text Available El objetivo fue evaluar el uso de la arcilla expandida en concretos livianos, dosificada y elaborada de manera que fuera viable el moldeo de placas con una geometría apropiada, capaz de atender las demandas de confort térmico y de las técnicas para estructuras pecuarias. Modelos de galpones de aves fueron construidos en escala 1:12, de acuerdo con Jentzsch (2002 y localizados en dirección este-oeste. Los techos fueron construidos con tres materiales diferentes: placas prefabricadas de concreto aligerado con arcilla expandida (LWC, tejas en fibrocemento (Fcim y tejas cerámicas (Cer. Los parámetros evaluados al interior de los modelos reducidos fueron: humedad relativa (HR, índice de temperatura de globo negro y humedad (ITGU y carga térmica radiante (CTR, durante el verano y el invierno. Los resultados mostraron que los parámetros HR, ITGU y CTR fueron estadísticamente diferentes para cada sistema evaluado. El mejor comportamiento se presentó con el modelo de placas prefabricadas de concreto aligerado con arcillas expandidas (LWC.This research aimed to evaluate the use of the expanded clay on the light concrete, dosed and executed in order to make possible to mold the roof tiles with appropriate geometry, according to the comfort and technique demands of the animals constructions. Models of poultry livestock facilities were build in scale of 1:12, Jentzsch (2002, and were positioned on the East-West direction. The roofs were made of three different materials each one: roofing tiles of light concrete using expanded clay (LWC, roofing tiles of asbestos-cement (Fcim and ceramic roofing tiles (Cer. The parameters evaluated inside of the reduced models were: relative humidity (RH, and black globe temperature and humidity index (BGHI and thermal load of radiation (TLR, during the summer and winter. The results showed that the parameters RH, BGHI and TLR were statistically different among the systems. The best performance happened on the

Safeguard Vulnerability Analysis Program (SVAP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilman, F.M.; Dittmore, M.H.; Orvis, W.J.; Wahler, P.S.

1980-01-01

This report gives an overview of the Safeguard Vulnerability Analysis Program (SVAP) developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. SVAP was designed as an automated method of analyzing the safeguard systems at nuclear facilities for vulnerabilities relating to the theft or diversion of nuclear materials. SVAP addresses one class of safeguard threat: theft or diversion of nuclear materials by nonviolent insiders, acting individually or in collusion. SVAP is a user-oriented tool which uses an interactive input medium for preprocessing the large amounts of safeguards data. Its output includes concise summary data as well as detailed vulnerability information

Vulnerability of multiple-barrier systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lind, N.C.

1996-01-01

'Vulnerability' is defined as the ratio of the probability of failure of a damaged system to the probability of failure of the undamaged system. This definition applies to all engineered systems and can be specialized to particular system types. Some disastrous failures (e.g., Chernobyl) have shown that systems can be highly vulnerable. open-quotes Defense in depthclose quotes is a powerful design principle, reducing vulnerability when the consequences of failure can be catastrophic. In the nuclear industry, defense in depth is widely used in radiation protection, reactor control, and shutdown systems. A multiple-barrier system is a simple example of a system that has defense in depth. The idea is that the system is not vulnerable. It cannot fail if one barrier fails because there is another to take its place. This idea is untenable in waste management, but a quantified vulnerability of a system can help owners, designers, and regulators decide how much defense in depth is desirable or enough. Many multiple-barrier systems can be modeled as systems of components physically in a series, each individually able to prevent failure. Components typically have bimodal distributions of the service time to failure, as illustrated by an example of application to a hypothetical nuclear fuel waste repository

Fluctuation between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.

Science.gov (United States)

Gore, Whitney L; Widiger, Thomas A

2016-10-01

Current literature on narcissistic personality disorder has emphasized a distinction between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Some researchers have further suggested that narcissistic persons fluctuate between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. However, this perception has been confined largely to clinical experience with no systematic research testing the hypothesis. Clinicians and clinical psychology professors in the current study identified 143 persons who fit a description of either a grandiose or a vulnerable narcissist and indicated the extent to which these persons ever demonstrated traits of the complementary variant. The results supported the fluctuation hypothesis, particularly for episodes of vulnerable narcissism in persons identified as a grandiose narcissist. Correlations of the grandiose and vulnerable narcissism traits with a brief five-factor model measure corroborated past trait descriptions of the 2 respective variants of narcissism. The results of the current study are compared with existing cross-sectional and longitudinal research, and suggestions for future research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Climate Vulnerability and Human Migration in Global Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Grecequet, Martina; DeWaard, Jack; Hellmann, Jessica J.; Abel, Guy J.

2018-01-01

The relationship between climate change and human migration is not homogenous and depends critically on the differential vulnerability of population and places. If places and populations are not vulnerable, or susceptible, to climate change, then the climate–migration relationship may not materialize. The key to understanding and, from a policy perspective, planning for whether and how climate change will impact future migration patterns is therefore knowledge of the link between climate vulnerability and migration. However, beyond specific case studies, little is known about this association in global perspective. We therefore provide a descriptive, country-level portrait of this relationship. We show that the negative association between climate vulnerability and international migration holds only for countries least vulnerable to climate change, which suggests the potential for trapped populations in more vulnerable countries. However, when analyzed separately by life supporting sector (food, water, health, ecosystem services, human habitat, and infrastructure) and vulnerability dimension (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity), we detect evidence of a relationship among more, but not the most, vulnerable countries. The bilateral (i.e., country-to-country) migration show that, on average, people move from countries of higher vulnerability to lower vulnerability, reducing global risk by 15%. This finding is consistent with the idea that migration is a climate adaptation strategy. Still, ~6% of bilateral migration is maladaptive with respect to climate change, with some movement toward countries with greater climate change vulnerability. PMID:29707262

Climate Vulnerability and Human Migration in Global Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Grecequet, Martina; DeWaard, Jack; Hellmann, Jessica J; Abel, Guy J

2017-05-01

The relationship between climate change and human migration is not homogenous and depends critically on the differential vulnerability of population and places. If places and populations are not vulnerable, or susceptible, to climate change, then the climate-migration relationship may not materialize. The key to understanding and, from a policy perspective, planning for whether and how climate change will impact future migration patterns is therefore knowledge of the link between climate vulnerability and migration. However, beyond specific case studies, little is known about this association in global perspective. We therefore provide a descriptive, country-level portrait of this relationship. We show that the negative association between climate vulnerability and international migration holds only for countries least vulnerable to climate change, which suggests the potential for trapped populations in more vulnerable countries. However, when analyzed separately by life supporting sector (food, water, health, ecosystem services, human habitat, and infrastructure) and vulnerability dimension (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity), we detect evidence of a relationship among more, but not the most, vulnerable countries. The bilateral (i.e., country-to-country) migration show that, on average, people move from countries of higher vulnerability to lower vulnerability, reducing global risk by 15%. This finding is consistent with the idea that migration is a climate adaptation strategy. Still, ~6% of bilateral migration is maladaptive with respect to climate change, with some movement toward countries with greater climate change vulnerability.

Methods to Secure Databases Against Vulnerabilities

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

for several languages such as C, C++, PHP, Java and Python [16]. MySQL will work well with very large databases. The documentation references...using Eclipse and connected to each database management system using Python and Java drivers provided by MySQL , MongoDB, and Datastax (for Cassandra...tiers in Python and Java . Problem MySQL MongoDB Cassandra 1. Injection a. Tautologies Vulnerable Vulnerable Not Vulnerable b. Illegal query

Determining Vulnerability Importance in Environmental Impact Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toro, Javier; Duarte, Oscar; Requena, Ignacio; Zamorano, Montserrat

2012-01-01

The concept of vulnerability has been used to describe the susceptibility of physical, biotic, and social systems to harm or hazard. In this sense, it is a tool that reduces the uncertainties of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) since it does not depend exclusively on the value assessments of the evaluator, but rather is based on the environmental state indicators of the site where the projects or activities are being carried out. The concept of vulnerability thus reduces the possibility that evaluators will subjectively interpret results, and be influenced by outside interests and pressures during projects. However, up until now, EIA has been hindered by a lack of effective methods. This research study analyzes the concept of vulnerability, defines Vulnerability Importance and proposes its inclusion in qualitative EIA methodology. The method used to quantify Vulnerability Importance is based on a set of environmental factors and indicators that provide a comprehensive overview of the environmental state. The results obtained in Colombia highlight the usefulness and objectivity of this method since there is a direct relation between this value and the environmental state of the departments analyzed. - Research Highlights: ► The concept of vulnerability could be considered defining Vulnerability Importance included in qualitative EIA methodology. ► The use of the concept of environmental vulnerability could reduce the subjectivity of qualitative methods of EIA. ► A method to quantify the Vulnerability Importance proposed provides a comprehensive overview of the environmental state. ► Results in Colombia highlight the usefulness and objectivity of this method.

Tratamiento de agrandamiento gingival inducido por fenitoina asociado a placa bacteriana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Julia Rovira

2013-10-01

Full Text Available ResumenLa ingesta de algunos medicamentos puede producir un sobre crecimiento de las encías. Se reportan medicamentos tales como los bloqueadores de los canales de calcio, inmunosupresores, anticonvulsivantes que producen estos efectos adversos. Múltiples casos de agrandamientos gingivales están asociados a la ingesta de Fenitoína. El tratamiento de los agrandamientos gingivales inducidos por drogas por lo general es quirúrgico, pero mantener un buen control de placa bacteriana puede evitar en muchos casos que se presente un exagerado aumento de volumen gingival. Se presenta un caso de agrandamiento gingival en paciente masculino de 22 años de edad, bajo tratamiento antiepiléptico con fenitoína. Al examen clínico se observó aumento del volumen gingival de forma generalizada, en maxilar superior e inferior, predominante en sector anterior, produciendo ardor y sangrado durante el cepillado y la ingestión de alimentos. Al sondaje presenta múltiples pseudobolsas en los diferentes cuadrantes. La radiografía panorámica reveló pérdida ósea moderada horizontal, predominante en el sector posterosuperior, posteroinferior y anteroinferior. El plan de tratamiento consistió en fase higiénica, instrucción y motivación en higiene oral a la madre, gingivectomía y gingivoplastía en ambos maxilares. (DUAZARY 2011 No. 2, 226 - 231Abstract The importance of endodontic treatment is to achieve a complete filling and sealing of the root canal to prevent the transport of contaminants to and from root canal, with materials compatible with the surrounding tissues. Occasionally a situation may arise in which the purpose of the maintenance of working length is compromised such as overenlargement. This situation allows the extrusion of filling materials, mainly sealer cements, causing post treatment complications such as inflammatory reactions, injury to adjacent structures (orbital pain, inferior alveolar nerve injury, headache, etc., and infections

Analysis of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in Java

OpenAIRE

Marius Popa

2013-01-01

The zero-day vulnerability is a security lack of the computer system that is unknown to software vendor. This kind of vulnerability permits building attack strategies for gaining the access to the resources and data of a computer system. The main issue of the topic is how a computer system can be protected by zero-day vulnerabilities using the actual security procedures and tools for identifying the potential attacks that exploit the vulnerabilities unknown to computer users and software prov...

Assessing environmental vulnerability in EIA-The content and context of the vulnerability concept in an alternative approach to standard EIA procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kvaerner, Jens; Swensen, Grete; Erikstad, Lars

2006-01-01

In the traditional EIA procedure environmental vulnerability is only considered to a minor extent in the early stages when project alternatives are worked out. In Norway, an alternative approach to EIA, an integrated vulnerability model (IVM), emphasising environmental vulnerability and alternatives development in the early stages of EIA, has been tried out in a few pilot cases. This paper examines the content and use of the vulnerability concept in the IVM approach, and discusses the concept in an EIA context. The vulnerability concept is best suited to overview analyses and large scale spatial considerations. The concept is particularly useful in the early stages of EIA when alternatives are designed and screened. By introducing analyses of environmental vulnerability at the start of the EIA process, the environment can be a more decisive issue for the creation of project alternatives as well as improving the basis for scoping. Vulnerability and value aspects should be considered as separate dimensions. There is a need to operate with a specification between general and specific vulnerability. The concept of environmental vulnerability has proven useful in a wide range of disciplines. Different disciplines have different lengths of experience regarding vulnerability. In disciplines such as landscape planning and hydrogeology we find elements suitable as cornerstones in the further development of an interdisciplinary methodology. Further development of vulnerability criteria in different disciplines and increased public involvement in the early stages of EIA are recommended

Social vulnerability indicators as a sustainable planning tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yung-Jaan

2014-01-01

In the face of global warming and environmental change, the conventional strategy of resource centralization will not be able to cope with a future of increasingly extreme climate events and related disasters. It may even contribute to inter-regional disparities as a result of these events. To promote sustainable development, this study offers a case study of developmental planning in Chiayi, Taiwan and a review of the relevant literature to propose a framework of social vulnerability indicators at the township level. The proposed framework can not only be used to measure the social vulnerability of individual townships in Chiayi, but also be used to capture the spatial developmental of Chiayi. Seventeen social vulnerability indicators provide information in five dimensions. Owing to limited access to relevant data, the values of only 13 indicators were calculated. By simply summarizing indicators without using weightings and by using zero-mean normalization to standardize the indicators, this study calculates social vulnerability scores for each township. To make social vulnerability indicators more useful, this study performs an overlay analysis of social vulnerability and patterns of risk associated with national disasters. The social vulnerability analysis draws on secondary data for 2012 from Taiwan's National Geographic Information System. The second layer of analysis consists of the flood potential ratings of the Taiwan Water Resources Agency as an index of biophysical vulnerability. The third layer consists of township-level administrative boundaries. Analytical results reveal that four out of the 18 townships in Chiayi not only are vulnerable to large-scale flooding during serious flood events, but also have the highest degree of social vulnerability. Administrative boundaries, on which social vulnerability is based, do not correspond precisely to “cross-administrative boundaries,” which are characteristics of the natural environment. This study adopts

Social vulnerability indicators as a sustainable planning tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yung-Jaan, E-mail: yungjaanlee@gmail.com

2014-01-15

In the face of global warming and environmental change, the conventional strategy of resource centralization will not be able to cope with a future of increasingly extreme climate events and related disasters. It may even contribute to inter-regional disparities as a result of these events. To promote sustainable development, this study offers a case study of developmental planning in Chiayi, Taiwan and a review of the relevant literature to propose a framework of social vulnerability indicators at the township level. The proposed framework can not only be used to measure the social vulnerability of individual townships in Chiayi, but also be used to capture the spatial developmental of Chiayi. Seventeen social vulnerability indicators provide information in five dimensions. Owing to limited access to relevant data, the values of only 13 indicators were calculated. By simply summarizing indicators without using weightings and by using zero-mean normalization to standardize the indicators, this study calculates social vulnerability scores for each township. To make social vulnerability indicators more useful, this study performs an overlay analysis of social vulnerability and patterns of risk associated with national disasters. The social vulnerability analysis draws on secondary data for 2012 from Taiwan's National Geographic Information System. The second layer of analysis consists of the flood potential ratings of the Taiwan Water Resources Agency as an index of biophysical vulnerability. The third layer consists of township-level administrative boundaries. Analytical results reveal that four out of the 18 townships in Chiayi not only are vulnerable to large-scale flooding during serious flood events, but also have the highest degree of social vulnerability. Administrative boundaries, on which social vulnerability is based, do not correspond precisely to “cross-administrative boundaries,” which are characteristics of the natural environment. This study

Arteria carótida y placa "carótida un órgano" Carotid artery and plaque. "carotid: an organ"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan G Barrera

2006-10-01

Full Text Available En estos momentos es posible hacer recomendaciones sobre las indicaciones de la endarterectomía carotídea, basadas en los ensayos clínicos publicados y en la revisión de grandes series quirúrgicas. Las indicaciones para la cirugía dependerán del grado de estenosis y de la morfología de la placa, así como del estado clínico del paciente y de la morbi-mortalidad del equipo quirúrgico. Este al igual que otros estudios con grandes series de casos, evidencia que la endarterectomía carotídea y/o el manejo endovascular, realizado por equipos expertos, es un procedimiento seguro en pacientes con indicación quirúrgica.It is now possible to recommend indications for aortic endarterectomy, based on published clinical essays and revision of large surgical series. Surgery indications will depend on the stenosis degree and the plaque morphology, as well as on the patient's clinical state and the morbid-mortality in this surgical team. As other studies with large case series, evidences that carotid endarterectomy and/or endovascular management, when realized by expert teams, is a safe procedure in patients with surgical indication.

Global analysis of urban surface water supply vulnerability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padowski, Julie C; Gorelick, Steven M

2014-01-01

This study presents a global analysis of urban water supply vulnerability in 71 surface-water supplied cities, with populations exceeding 750 000 and lacking source water diversity. Vulnerability represents the failure of an urban supply-basin to simultaneously meet demands from human, environmental and agricultural users. We assess a baseline (2010) condition and a future scenario (2040) that considers increased demand from urban population growth and projected agricultural demand. We do not account for climate change, which can potentially exacerbate or reduce urban supply vulnerability. In 2010, 35% of large cities are vulnerable as they compete with agricultural users. By 2040, without additional measures 45% of cities are vulnerable due to increased agricultural and urban demands. Of the vulnerable cities in 2040, the majority are river-supplied with mean flows so low (1200 liters per person per day, l/p/d) that the cities experience ‘chronic water scarcity’ (1370 l/p/d). Reservoirs supply the majority of cities facing individual future threats, revealing that constructed storage potentially provides tenuous water security. In 2040, of the 32 vulnerable cities, 14 would reduce their vulnerability via reallocating water by reducing environmental flows, and 16 would similarly benefit by transferring water from irrigated agriculture. Approximately half remain vulnerable under either potential remedy. (letter)

Caracterização e Beneficiamento Primário de Placas de Circuito Impresso (PCI de Telefones Celulares

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theo Antonio de Jesus

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Devido ao constante avanço tecnológico, uma grande quantidade de aparelhos é descartada por obsolescência tecnológica ou defeitos. Isto acarreta a contaminação do solo e do lençol freático, além de representar perda econômica pois as PCI (placas de circuito impresso dos telefones celulares são ricas em metais pesados e alguns metais valiosos. Com o objetivo de conhecer melhor a composição e concentração destas PCI de modo a otimizar os processos de reciclagem, foi realizada a caracterização das PCI através da digestão em água régia e da utilização das técnicas de DRx (difração de raios x e FRx (espectrometria de fluorescência de raios x. Os resultados proporcionaram conhecimento suficiente a respeito da composição e concentração dos principais metais das PCI. A presença de ouro, prata e cobre chama a atenção para o potencial econômico destes resíduos. Estudos são necessários para desenvolver os processos mais adequados com vistas a concentrar estes metais e viabilizar sua reciclagem.

Groundwater vulnerability map for South Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Chiedza Musekiwa

Coastal vulnerability is the degree to which a coastal system is susceptible to, ... methods, indicator-based approaches, GIS-based decision support systems and ..... E 2005, 'Coastal Vulnerability and Risk Parameters', European Water, vol.

Detecting C Program Vulnerabilities

OpenAIRE

Anton, Ermakov; Natalia, Kushik

2011-01-01

C/C++ language is widely used for developing tools in various applications, in particular, software tools for critical systems are often written in C language. Therefore, the security of such software should be thoroughly tested, i.e., the absence of vulnerabilities has to be confirmed. When detecting C program vulnerabilities static source code analysis can be used. In this paper, we present a short survey of existing software tools for such analysis and show that for some kinds of C code vu...

Mental vulnerability as a risk factor for depression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Ditte; Dalton, Susanne Oksbjerg; Bidstrup, Pernille Envold

2012-01-01

Mental vulnerability (i.e. a tendency to experience psychosomatic symptoms, mental symptoms or interpersonal problems) is associated with various diseases. This study investigated whether mental vulnerability is associated with hospitalization for depression.......Mental vulnerability (i.e. a tendency to experience psychosomatic symptoms, mental symptoms or interpersonal problems) is associated with various diseases. This study investigated whether mental vulnerability is associated with hospitalization for depression....

Fuzzy vulnerability matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, Jorge H.; Rivera, S.S.

2000-01-01

The so-called vulnerability matrix is used in the evaluation part of the probabilistic safety assessment for a nuclear power plant, during the containment event trees calculations. This matrix is established from what is knows as Numerical Categories for Engineering Judgement. This matrix is usually established with numerical values obtained with traditional arithmetic using the set theory. The representation of this matrix with fuzzy numbers is much more adequate, due to the fact that the Numerical Categories for Engineering Judgement are better represented with linguistic variables, such as 'highly probable', 'probable', 'impossible', etc. In the present paper a methodology to obtain a Fuzzy Vulnerability Matrix is presented, starting from the recommendations on the Numerical Categories for Engineering Judgement. (author)

Vulnerability, Health Agency and Capability to Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Straehle, Christine

2016-01-01

One of the defining features of the capability approach (CA) to health, as developed in Venkatapuram's book Health Justice, is its aim to enable individual health agency. Furthermore, the CA to health hopes to provide a strong guideline for assessing the health-enabling content of social and political conditions. In this article, I employ the recent literature on the liberal concept of vulnerability to assess the CA. I distinguish two kinds of vulnerability. Considering circumstantial vulnerability, I argue that liberal accounts of vulnerability concerned with individual autonomy, align with the CA to health. Individuals should, as far as possible, be able to make health-enabling decisions about their lives, and their capability to do so should certainly not be hindered by public policy. The CA to health and a vulnerability-based analysis then work alongside to define moral responsibilities and designate those who hold them. Both approaches demand social policy to address circumstances that hinder individuals from taking health-enabling decisions. A background condition of vulnerability, on the other hand, even though it hampers the capability for health, does not warrant the strong moral claim proposed by the CA to health to define health as a meta-capability that should guide social policy. Nothing in our designing social policy could change the challenge to health agency when we deal with background conditions of vulnerability. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Vulnerability of Forests in India: A National Scale Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Jagmohan; Upgupta, Sujata; Jayaraman, Mathangi; Chaturvedi, Rajiv Kumar; Bala, Govindswamy; Ravindranath, N H

2017-09-01

Forests are subjected to stress from climatic and non-climatic sources. In this study, we have reported the results of inherent, as well as climate change driven vulnerability assessments for Indian forests. To assess inherent vulnerability of forests under current climate, we have used four indicators, namely biological richness, disturbance index, canopy cover, and slope. The assessment is presented as spatial profile of inherent vulnerability in low, medium, high and very high vulnerability classes. Fourty percent forest grid points in India show high or very high inherent vulnerability. Plantation forests show higher inherent vulnerability than natural forests. We assess the climate change driven vulnerability by combining the results of inherent vulnerability assessment with the climate change impact projections simulated by the Integrated Biosphere Simulator dynamic global vegetation model. While 46% forest grid points show high, very high, or extremely high vulnerability under future climate in the short term (2030s) under both representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5, such grid points are 49 and 54%, respectively, in the long term (2080s). Generally, forests in the higher rainfall zones show lower vulnerability as compared to drier forests under future climate. Minimizing anthropogenic disturbance and conserving biodiversity can potentially reduce forest vulnerability under climate change. For disturbed forests and plantations, adaptive management aimed at forest restoration is necessary to build long-term resilience.

Climate Change Vulnerability Analysis of Baluran National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beny Harjadi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Every ecosystem has a different level of susceptibility to environmental disturbances it receives, both from natural factors or anthropogenic disturbance. National Park (NP Baluran is one national park that has a representation of a complete ecosystem that includes upland forest ecosystems, lowland forests, coastal forests, mangroves, savanna and evergreen forest. The objective of this study is to get a formula calculation of vulnerability analysis of constant and dynamic factors. Baluran NP vulnerability assessment to climate change done by looking at the dynamic and fixed factors. Vulnerability remains a vulnerability factor to the condition of the original (control, whereas vulnerability is the vulnerability of the dynamic change factors which affected the condition from the outside. Constant Vulnerability (CV in  Baluran NP dominated resistant conditions (61%, meaning that the geomorphology and other fixed factors (slope and slope direction/aspect, then the condition in Baluran NP sufficiently resilient to climate change. Dynamic Vulnerability (DV is the vulnerability of an area or areas that change because of pressure from external factors. DV is influenced by climatic factors (WI = Wetness Index, soil (SBI = Soil Brightness Index, and vegetation (GI = Greenness Index. DV in  Baluran NP from 1999 to 2010 shifted from the original category of being (84.76% and shifted to the susceptible (59.88%.  The role of remote sensing for the analysis of raster digital system, while the geographic information system to display the results of cartographic maps.

The SAVI vulnerability assessment model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winblad, A.E.

1987-01-01

The assessment model ''Systematic Analysis of Vulnerability to Intrusion'' (SAVI) presented in this report is a PC-based path analysis model. It can provide estimates of protection system effectiveness (or vulnerability) against a spectrum of outsider threats including collusion with an insider adversary. It calculates one measure of system effectiveness, the probability of interruption P(I), for all potential adversary paths. SAVI can perform both theft and sabotage vulnerability analyses. For theft, the analysis is based on the assumption that adversaries should be interrupted either before they can accomplish removal of the target material from its normal location or removal from the site boundary. For sabotage, the analysis is based on the assumption that adversaries should be interrupted before completion of their sabotage task

Europe's vulnerability to energy crises

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-01-15

The growing dependency of Europe as a whole on energy imports and anticipated further increases in energy prices reinforce the concerns about meeting the energy demand in the future. The objective of the Study is to identify the threats leading to potential energy crises and suggest solutions for facing, in an appropriate way, the related key challenges. In addition, the Study intends to develop a number of indicators effective enough to assess the level of different types of vulnerability, as well the overall vulnerability of a country or region, including threats to physical disruption, higher energy prices etc. The use of vulnerability indicators is highly recommended for all WEC-European countries, as well as to policy makers and market players.

The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and Vulnerable Consumers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trzaskowski, Jan

the economic behaviour of consumers ‘below 1 average’ even though the practice does not meet the requirements of professional diligence. The Directive’s adoption of the European Court of Justice’s ‘average consumer’ entails that protection is generally provided only for those who are far from vulnerable......Consumer protection is deeply anchored in EU law, including the Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. This article discusses the concept of consumer vulnerability and how vulnerable consumers are protected in the context of commercial practices which is fully harmonised by the Unfair....... The Directive’s Article 5(3) concerning vulnerable consumers protects only—and to a limited extent—groups who are vulnerable due to mental or physical infirmity, age or credulity. Even though consumers make many good choices, all consumers are vulnerable in certain situations—often due to time constraints...

Desenho de placa em forma de borboleta para tratamento de fraturas do calcâneo Design of butterfly-shaped plate and its application in treatment for calcaneal fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guangrong Yu

2012-12-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Apresentar um desenho de placa em forma de borboleta e sua aplicação no tratamento de fraturas do calcâneo e discutir suas indicações clínicas, vantagens e desvantagens. MÉTODOS: De fevereiro de 2008 a abril de 2010, 22 pacientes com 26 fraturas intra-articulares do calcâneo foram tratados com redução a céu aberto e fixação interna com placa em forma de borboleta. Dezesseis pacientes eram homens e 6 eram mulheres, com média de idade de 36,8 anos. Onze eram pés esquerdos e 15, direitos. De acordo com a classificação de Sanders, 12 eram fraturas de calcâneo Tipo II (inclusive 3 Tipo IIa, 7 Tipo IIb e 2 Tipo IIc e 14 eram Tipo III (inclusive cinco do Tipo IIIab, 7 Tipo IIIac e duas do Tipo IIIbc. RESULTADOS: Dezessete pacientes (21 pés foram submetidos a acompanhamento por em média 19,2 meses. Os desfechos funcionais foram avaliados com o sistema Maryland Foot Score. Entre os nove pés com fraturas Tipo II, sete receberam escore excelente e dois, bom. Entre as 12 fraturas Tipo III, seis tiveram escore excelente, cinco, bom e uma, razoável. CONCLUSÃO: A placa em forma de borboleta é aplicável ao tratamento de fraturas do calcâneo do Tipo II e Tipo III de Sanders, com a vantagem de garantir fixação confiável, facilitar a cirurgia, produzir menos complicações pós-operatórias e produzir melhores desfechos clínicos gerais. Nível de Evidência IV, Série de casos.OBJECTIVE: To introduce the design of butterfly-shaped plate and its application in treatment for calcaneal fractures, and to discuss its clinical indications, advantages and disadvantages. METHODS: From February 2008 to April 2010, 22 patients with 26 intra-articular calcaneal fractures were treated by open reduction and internal fixation with butterfly-shape plate. Sixteen patients were male and 6 patients were female, with a mean age of 36.8 years. Eleven were left feet and 15, right. According to Sanders classification, 12 were Type II (including 3

Energy Vulnerability and EU-Russia Energy Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Hunter Christie

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The concept of energy vulnerability is reviewed and discussed with a focus on Russia’s foreign energy relations, in particular those with European countries. A definition and a conceptual framework for quantifying energy vulnerability are proposed in the context of a review of recent research on energy vulnerability indices. In particular it is suggested that source country diversification should be reflected using the expected shortfall measure used in financial economics, rather than the Herfindahl-Hirschman or Shannon-Wiener indices, and that the former should then enter a calibrated function in order to yield expected economic loss. The issues of asymmetric failure probabilities and accidental versus intentional supply disruptions are then discussed with examples of recent Russian actions. Energy vulnerability measurement and modelling should ultimately inform policy. In particular, member states should legislate that no energy infrastructure project by one or more member states may increase the energy vulnerability of another member state. Additionally, European environmental policies, notably the EU ETS, should be amended so as to account for induced changes in energy vulnerability. Finally, member states should increase the level of transparency and disclosure with respect to gas import statistics and gas supply contracts.

Vulnerability maps for Druzba crude oil pipeline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hladik, P.; Hosnedl, P.; Buresova, H.; Corbet, J.

2012-01-01

Maps of risk for individual environmental aspects within the protection zone of the Czech part of the Druzba crude oil pipeline (505.7 km) were developed based on a modified 'H and V index' method. Risk data were added into a GIS of the Druzba pipeline so that the system could be used as conceptual material in the field of environmental protection (a base for the new SCADA system). Considered environmental aspects were assessed in terms of their vulnerability. The criteria were defined as the vulnerability of the aquatic environment (surface waters and ground waters), the vulnerability of soil environment and the vulnerability of biotic components of the environment. (authors)

The politics of vulnerability and resilience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frerks, G.E.; Warner, J.F.; Weijs, B.

2011-01-01

Much conceptual confusion exists over the concepts of vulnerability and (social) resilience, reinforced by the different paradigms (the article identifies four) and disciplinary traditions underlying their use. While since the 1980s the social construction of "vulnerability" as a driver for disaster

Vulnerability of schools to floods in Nyando River catchment, Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Ochola, Samuel O; Eitel, Bernhard; Olago, Daniel O

2010-07-01

This paper assesses the vulnerability of schools to floods in the Nyando River catchment (3,600 km(2)) in western Kenya and identifies measures needed to reduce this vulnerability. It surveys 130 schools in the lower reaches, where flooding is a recurrent phenomenon. Of the primary schools assessed, 40% were vulnerable, 48% were marginally vulnerable and 12% were not vulnerable. Of the secondary schools, 8% were vulnerable, 73% were marginally vulnerable and 19% were not vulnerable. Vulnerability to floods is due to a lack of funds, poor building standards, local topography, soil types and inadequate drainage. The Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), established in 2003, provides financial support to cover school construction and reconstruction costs; CDF Committees are expected to adopt school building standards. In an effort to promote safe and resilient construction and retrofitting to withstand floods, this paper presents vulnerability reduction strategies and recommendations for incorporating minimum standards in the on-going Primary School Infrastructure Programme Design.

Vulnerabilities Classification for Safe Development on Android

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Luis D. M. Ferreira

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The global sales market is currently led by devices with the Android operating system. In 2015, more than 1 billion smartphones were sold, of which 81.5% were operated by the Android platform. In 2017, it is estimated that 267.78 billion applications will be downloaded from Google Play. According to Qian, 90% of applications are vulnerable, despite the recommendations of rules and standards for the safe software development. This study presents a classification of vulnerabilities, indicating the vulnerability, the safety aspect defined by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas - ABNT norm NBR ISO/IEC 27002 which will be violated, which lines of code generate the vulnerability and what should be done to avoid it, and the threat agent used by each of them. This classification allows the identification of possible points of vulnerability, allowing the developer to correct the identified gaps.

Oil vulnerability index of oil-importing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Eshita

2008-01-01

This paper assesses the relative oil vulnerability of 26 net oil-importing countries for the year 2004 on the basis of various indicators - the ratio of value of oil imports to gross domestic product (GDP), oil consumption per unit of GDP, GDP per capita and oil share in total energy supply, ratio of domestic reserves to oil consumption, exposure to geopolitical oil market concentration risks as measured by net oil import dependence, diversification of supply sources, political risk in oil-supplying countries, and market liquidity. The approach using the principal component technique has been adopted to combine these individual indicators into a composite index of oil vulnerability. Such an index captures the relative sensitivity of various economies towards developments of the international oil market, with a higher index indicating higher vulnerability. The results show that there are considerable differences in the values of individual indicators of oil vulnerability and overall oil vulnerability index among the countries (both inter and intraregional). (author)

Oil vulnerability index of oil-importing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, Eshita [The Energy and Resources Institute, Darbari Seth Block, Habitat Place, New Delhi 110 003 (India)

2008-03-15

This paper assesses the relative oil vulnerability of 26 net oil-importing countries for the year 2004 on the basis of various indicators - the ratio of value of oil imports to gross domestic product (GDP), oil consumption per unit of GDP, GDP per capita and oil share in total energy supply, ratio of domestic reserves to oil consumption, exposure to geopolitical oil market concentration risks as measured by net oil import dependence, diversification of supply sources, political risk in oil-supplying countries, and market liquidity. The approach using the principal component technique has been adopted to combine these individual indicators into a composite index of oil vulnerability. Such an index captures the relative sensitivity of various economies towards developments of the international oil market, with a higher index indicating higher vulnerability. The results show that there are considerable differences in the values of individual indicators of oil vulnerability and overall oil vulnerability index among the countries (both inter and intraregional). (author)

Groundwater Vulnerability Map for South Africa | Musekiwa | South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Vulnerability of groundwater is a relative, non-measurable and dimensionless property which is based on the concept that some land areas are more vulnerable to groundwater contamination than others. Maps showing groundwater vulnerability assist with the identification of areas more susceptible to contamination than ...

6 CFR 27.400 - Chemical-terrorism vulnerability information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Chemical-terrorism vulnerability information. 27... FACILITY ANTI-TERRORISM STANDARDS Other § 27.400 Chemical-terrorism vulnerability information. (a... that constitute Chemical-terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI), as defined in § 27.400(b). The...

Nuclear material production cycle vulnerability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bott, T.F.

1996-01-01

This paper discusses a method for rapidly and systematically identifying vulnerable equipment in a nuclear material or similar production process and ranking that equipment according to its attractiveness to a malevolent attacker. A multistep approach was used in the analysis. First, the entire production cycle was modeled as a flow diagram. This flow diagram was analyzed using graph theoretical methods to identify processes in the production cycle and their locations. Models of processes that were judged to be particularly vulnerable based on the cycle analysis then were developed in greater detail to identify equipment in that process that is vulnerable to intentional damage

Comparative studies of groundwater vulnerability assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Maria, Rizka

2018-02-01

Pollution of groundwater is a primary issue because aquifers are susceptible to contamination from land use and anthropogenic impacts. Groundwater susceptibility is intrinsic and specific. Intrinsic vulnerability refers to an aquifer that is susceptible to pollution and to the geological and hydrogeological features. Vulnerability assessment is an essential step in assessing groundwater contamination. This approach provides a visual analysis for helping planners and decision makers to achieve the sustainable management of water resources. Comparative studies are applying different methodologies to result in the basic evaluation of the groundwater vulnerability. Based on the comparison of methods, there are several advantages and disadvantages. SI can be overlaid on DRASTIC and Pesticide DRASTIC to extract the divergence in sensitivity. DRASTIC identifies low susceptibility and underestimates the pollution risk while Pesticide DRASTIC and SI represents better risk and is recommended for the future. SINTACS method generates very high vulnerability zones with surface waters and aquifer interactions. GOD method could be adequate for vulnerability mapping in karstified carbonate aquifers at small-moderate scales, and EPIK method can be used for large scale. GOD method is suitable for designing large area such as land management while DRASTIC has good accuracy and more real use in geoenvironmental detailed studies.

An Extreme-Value Approach to Anomaly Vulnerability Identification

Science.gov (United States)

Everett, Chris; Maggio, Gaspare; Groen, Frank

2010-01-01

The objective of this paper is to present a method for importance analysis in parametric probabilistic modeling where the result of interest is the identification of potential engineering vulnerabilities associated with postulated anomalies in system behavior. In the context of Accident Precursor Analysis (APA), under which this method has been developed, these vulnerabilities, designated as anomaly vulnerabilities, are conditions that produce high risk in the presence of anomalous system behavior. The method defines a parameter-specific Parameter Vulnerability Importance measure (PVI), which identifies anomaly risk-model parameter values that indicate the potential presence of anomaly vulnerabilities, and allows them to be prioritized for further investigation. This entails analyzing each uncertain risk-model parameter over its credible range of values to determine where it produces the maximum risk. A parameter that produces high system risk for a particular range of values suggests that the system is vulnerable to the modeled anomalous conditions, if indeed the true parameter value lies in that range. Thus, PVI analysis provides a means of identifying and prioritizing anomaly-related engineering issues that at the very least warrant improved understanding to reduce uncertainty, such that true vulnerabilities may be identified and proper corrective actions taken.

Assessing vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hellmuth, M.; Kabat, P.

2003-01-01

It is in the shantytowns and rural villages of the Third World that floods and droughts strike hardest and deepest. Vulnerability to the vagaries of climate depends not only on location, but, crucially, on the capacity of the victims to cope with the impacts of extreme weather. So, where are the

Reconceptualizing Vulnerability in Personal Narrative Writing with Youths

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Elisabeth

2014-01-01

Through a student/teacher classroom conflict, the author explores ways adults produce student writers as vulnerable. Drawing on post-structural concepts of adolescence, identity production, interrogation, and vulnerability, the author details how an English teacher invited students to perform vulnerability in personal narratives about issues like…

Working up a Debt: Students as Vulnerable Consumers

Science.gov (United States)

Robson, Julie; Farquhar, Jillian Dawes; Hindle, Christopher

2017-01-01

Students are recognized as vulnerable consumers where financial matters are concerned, particularly with reference to indebtedness. This study examines student indebtedness in order to initiate wider debate about student vulnerability. We consider vulnerability as dynamic and temporal, linked to an event that renders the consumer susceptible to…

Áreas vulnerables en el centro de Madrid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agustín Hernández Aja

2007-07-01

This document shows an vulnerability analysis of the central area of Madrid taken it as the field of APE-00.01. Its objective is to delimit “vulnerable areas” so there can be evaluated the opportunities for interve trough them and then define the best tools in detriment of their vulnerability reasons. To determinate those areas we have developed a sociodemographic analysis where we have found those units of population with vulnerable values. Once determinated, we have synthetize them to define them as easy drafts that makes understandable the work area for later on establish a vulnerable areas catalogue with spatial homogeneity and significant size. The basic nucleus of the análisis has been the sociodemographic fact, based on homogeneus data sources for all the area so they could be referenced to specific spacial areas. In each case has been advised other possible indicators of vulnerability including a signifier selection of thrm on the fifth chapter.

The Relationship between Grandiose and Vulnerable (Hypersensitive Narcissism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuel Jauk

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Narcissistic grandiosity is characterized by overt expressions of feelings of superiority and entitlement, while narcissistic vulnerability reflects hypersensitivity and introversive self-absorbedness. Clinical evidence suggests that grandiosity is accompanied by vulnerable aspects, pointing to a common foundation. Subclinical personality research, however, views grandiose and vulnerable narcissism as independent traits. Grandiose narcissism displays substantial correlation with extraversion, while vulnerable narcissism correlates highly with introversion. We investigated if (1 controlling for intro-/extraversion might reveal a “common core” of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and if (2 the correlation between both aspects might be higher at higher levels of narcissism. Latent variable structural equation modeling and segmented regression analysis confirmed these hypotheses in a large non-clinical sample (N = 1,006. Interindividual differences in intro-/extraversion mask the common core of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. The association between both aspects increases at high levels (upper 10% of grandiose narcissism, which suggests a possible transition to clinically relevant (pathological narcissism.

The Relationship between Grandiose and Vulnerable (Hypersensitive) Narcissism

Science.gov (United States)

Jauk, Emanuel; Weigle, Elena; Lehmann, Konrad; Benedek, Mathias; Neubauer, Aljoscha C.

2017-01-01

Narcissistic grandiosity is characterized by overt expressions of feelings of superiority and entitlement, while narcissistic vulnerability reflects hypersensitivity and introversive self-absorbedness. Clinical evidence suggests that grandiosity is accompanied by vulnerable aspects, pointing to a common foundation. Subclinical personality research, however, views grandiose and vulnerable narcissism as independent traits. Grandiose narcissism displays substantial correlation with extraversion, while vulnerable narcissism correlates highly with introversion. We investigated if (1) controlling for intro-/extraversion might reveal a “common core” of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and if (2) the correlation between both aspects might be higher at higher levels of narcissism. Latent variable structural equation modeling and segmented regression analysis confirmed these hypotheses in a large non-clinical sample (N = 1,006). Interindividual differences in intro-/extraversion mask the common core of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. The association between both aspects increases at high levels (upper 10%) of grandiose narcissism, which suggests a possible transition to clinically relevant (pathological) narcissism. PMID:28955288

Statistics of software vulnerability detection in certification testing

Science.gov (United States)

Barabanov, A. V.; Markov, A. S.; Tsirlov, V. L.

2018-05-01

The paper discusses practical aspects of introduction of the methods to detect software vulnerability in the day-to-day activities of the accredited testing laboratory. It presents the approval results of the vulnerability detection methods as part of the study of the open source software and the software that is a test object of the certification tests under information security requirements, including software for communication networks. Results of the study showing the allocation of identified vulnerabilities by types of attacks, country of origin, programming languages used in the development, methods for detecting vulnerability, etc. are given. The experience of foreign information security certification systems related to the detection of certified software vulnerabilities is analyzed. The main conclusion based on the study is the need to implement practices for developing secure software in the development life cycle processes. The conclusions and recommendations for the testing laboratories on the implementation of the vulnerability analysis methods are laid down.

Vulnerability, Borderline Personality Disorders. Clinical and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Borderline personality disorder and vulnerability are difficult to assess and are rather elusive to define. A case study material is presented from a cognitive analytical model. An attempt of the dominant features of cognitive analytical therapy and discussion of vulnerability in relation to personality disorder is provided.

[Aged woman's vulnerability related to AIDS].

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Carla Marins; Lopes, Fernanda Maria do Valle Martins; Vargens, Octavio Muniz da Costa

2010-09-01

This article is a systhematic literature review including the period from 1994 to 2009, whose objective was to discuss the aged woman's vulnerability in relation to Acquired Imunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids). The search for scientific texts was accomplished in the following databases: Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SciELO), Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE). The descriptors used were vulnerability, woman and Aids. Eighteen texts were analyzed, including articles in scientific journals, thesis and dissertations. As a conclusion, it was noted that aged women and vulnerability to Aids are directly related, through gender characteristics including submission and that were built historical and socially. We consider as fundamental the development of studies which may generate publications accessible to women, in order to help them see themselves as persons vulnerable to Aids contagion just for being women.

Extinction vulnerability of coral reef fishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Nicholas A J; Chabanet, Pascale; Evans, Richard D; Jennings, Simon; Letourneur, Yves; Aaron Macneil, M; McClanahan, Tim R; Ohman, Marcus C; Polunin, Nicholas V C; Wilson, Shaun K

2011-04-01

With rapidly increasing rates of contemporary extinction, predicting extinction vulnerability and identifying how multiple stressors drive non-random species loss have become key challenges in ecology. These assessments are crucial for avoiding the loss of key functional groups that sustain ecosystem processes and services. We developed a novel predictive framework of species extinction vulnerability and applied it to coral reef fishes. Although relatively few coral reef fishes are at risk of global extinction from climate disturbances, a negative convex relationship between fish species locally vulnerable to climate change vs. fisheries exploitation indicates that the entire community is vulnerable on the many reefs where both stressors co-occur. Fishes involved in maintaining key ecosystem functions are more at risk from fishing than climate disturbances. This finding is encouraging as local and regional commitment to fisheries management action can maintain reef ecosystem functions pending progress towards the more complex global problem of stabilizing the climate. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

The vulnerability of Australian rural communities to climate variability and change: Part I—Conceptualising and measuring vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nelson, R.; Kokic, P.; Crimp, S.; Meinke, H.B.; Howden, S.M.

2010-01-01

Vulnerability is a term frequently used to describe the potential threat to rural communities posed by climate variability and change. Despite growing use of the term, analytical measures of vulnerability that are useful for prioritising and evaluating policy responses are yet to evolve. Demand for

A synthesized biophysical and social vulnerability assessment for Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yung-Jaan

2017-11-01

Taiwan, located in the Western Pacific, is a country that is one of the most vulnerable to disasters that are associated with the changing climate; it is located within the Ring of Fire, which is the most geologically active region in the world. The environmental and geological conditions in Taiwan are sensitive and vulnerable to such disasters. Owing to increasing urbanization in Taiwan, floods and climate-related disasters have taken an increasing toll on human lives. As global warming accelerates the rising of sea levels and increasing of the frequency of extreme weather events, disasters will continue to affect socioeconomic development and human conditions. Under such circumstances, researchers and policymakers alike must recognize the importance of providing useful knowledge concerning vulnerability, disaster recovery and resilience. Strategies for reducing vulnerability and climate-related disaster risks and for increasing resilience involve preparedness, mitigation and adaptation. In the last two decades, extreme climate events have caused severe flash floods, debris flows, landslides, and other disasters and have had negative effects of many sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure and health. Since climate change is expected to have a continued impact on socio-economic development, this work develops a vulnerability assessment framework that integrates both biophysical and social vulnerability and supports synthesized vulnerability analyses to identify vulnerable areas in Taiwan. Owing to its geographical, geological and climatic features, Taiwan is susceptible to earthquakes, typhoons, droughts and various induced disasters. Therefore, Taiwan has the urgent task of establishing a framework for assessing vulnerability as a planning and policy tool that can be used to identify not only the regions that require special attention but also hotspots in which efforts should be made to reduce vulnerability and the risk of climate-related disaster. To

Mental Vulnerability as a Predictor of Early Mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eplov, Lene F.; Jørgensen, Torben; Segel, S.

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated that mental vulnerability (ie, a tendency to experience psychosomatic symptoms or inadequate interpersonal interactions) is associated with various diseases. The objective of our study is to evaluate whether mental vulnerability is a risk factor for early...... mortality. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 3 random samples of the population in Copenhagen County, Denmark selected in 1976, 1982-1984, and 1991 (n = 6435). Baseline data collection included measures of mental vulnerability, social factors, comorbidity, biologic risk markers (eg, blood...... of mortality as the result of natural causes. The association between mental vulnerability and survival was examined using Kaplan-Meir plots and Cox proportional-hazard models adjusting for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: With respect to mental vulnerability, 79% of the sample was classified...

Assessing intrinsic and specific vulnerability models ability to indicate groundwater vulnerability to groups of similar pesticides: A comparative study

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Steven; Dixon, Barnali; Griffin, Dale W.

2018-01-01

With continued population growth and increasing use of fresh groundwater resources, protection of this valuable resource is critical. A cost effective means to assess risk of groundwater contamination potential will provide a useful tool to protect these resources. Integrating geospatial methods offers a means to quantify the risk of contaminant potential in cost effective and spatially explicit ways. This research was designed to compare the ability of intrinsic (DRASTIC) and specific (Attenuation Factor; AF) vulnerability models to indicate groundwater vulnerability areas by comparing model results to the presence of pesticides from groundwater sample datasets. A logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between the environmental variables and the presence or absence of pesticides within regions of varying vulnerability. According to the DRASTIC model, more than 20% of the study area is very highly vulnerable. Approximately 30% is very highly vulnerable according to the AF model. When groundwater concentrations of individual pesticides were compared to model predictions, the results were mixed. Model predictability improved when concentrations of the group of similar pesticides were compared to model results. Compared to the DRASTIC model, the AF model more accurately predicts the distribution of the number of contaminated wells within each vulnerability class.

Assessing local vulnerability to climate change in Ecuador.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Mario Andres; Bucaram, Santiago J; Renteria, Willington

2015-01-01

Vulnerability assessments have become necessary to increase the understanding of climate-sensitive systems and inform resource allocation in developing countries. Challenges arise when poor economic and social development combines with heterogeneous climatic conditions. Thus, finding and harmonizing good-quality data at local scale may be a significant hurdle for vulnerability research. In this paper we assess vulnerability to climate change at a local level in Ecuador. We take Ecuador as a case study as socioeconomic data are readily available. To incorporate the spatial and temporal pattern of the climatic variables we use reanalysis datasets and empirical orthogonal functions. Our assessment strategy relies on the statistical behavior of climatic and socioeconomic indicators for the weighting and aggregation mechanism into a composite vulnerability indicator. Rather than assuming equal contribution to the formation of the composite indicator, we assume that the weights of the indicators vary inversely as the variance over the cantons (administrative division of Ecuador). This approach captures the multi-dimensionality of vulnerability in a comprehensive form. We find that the least vulnerable cantons concentrate around Ecuador's largest cities (e.g. Quito and Guayaquil); however, approximately 20 % of the national population lives in other cantons that are categorized as highly and very highly vulnerable to climate change. Results also show that the main determinants of high vulnerability are the lack of land tenure in agricultural areas and the nonexistence of government-funded programs directed to environmental and climate change management.

Plutonium Vulnerability Management Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-03-01

This Plutonium Vulnerability Management Plan describes the Department of Energy's response to the vulnerabilities identified in the Plutonium Working Group Report which are a result of the cessation of nuclear weapons production. The responses contained in this document are only part of an overall, coordinated approach designed to enable the Department to accelerate conversion of all nuclear materials, including plutonium, to forms suitable for safe, interim storage. The overall actions being taken are discussed in detail in the Department's Implementation Plan in response to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 94-1. This is included as Attachment B

VuWiki: An Ontology-Based Semantic Wiki for Vulnerability Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Khazai, Bijan; Kunz-Plapp, Tina; Büscher, Christian; Wegner, Antje

2014-05-01

The concept of vulnerability, as well as its implementation in vulnerability assessments, is used in various disciplines and contexts ranging from disaster management and reduction to ecology, public health or climate change and adaptation, and a corresponding multitude of ideas about how to conceptualize and measure vulnerability exists. Three decades of research in vulnerability have generated a complex and growing body of knowledge that challenges newcomers, practitioners and even experienced researchers. To provide a structured representation of the knowledge field "vulnerability assessment", we have set up an ontology-based semantic wiki for reviewing and representing vulnerability assessments: VuWiki, www.vuwiki.org. Based on a survey of 55 vulnerability assessment studies, we first developed an ontology as an explicit reference system for describing vulnerability assessments. We developed the ontology in a theoretically controlled manner based on general systems theory and guided by principles for ontology development in the field of earth and environment (Raskin and Pan 2005). Four key questions form the first level "branches" or categories of the developed ontology: (1) Vulnerability of what? (2) Vulnerability to what? (3) What reference framework was used in the vulnerability assessment?, and (4) What methodological approach was used in the vulnerability assessment? These questions correspond to the basic, abstract structure of the knowledge domain of vulnerability assessments and have been deduced from theories and concepts of various disciplines. The ontology was then implemented in a semantic wiki which allows for the classification and annotation of vulnerability assessments. As a semantic wiki, VuWiki does not aim at "synthesizing" a holistic and overarching model of vulnerability. Instead, it provides both scientists and practitioners with a uniform ontology as a reference system and offers easy and structured access to the knowledge field of

Premature closure of the distal ulna in the dog. A case report; Fechamento prematuro da placa epifisária distal da ulna em um cäo. Descriçäo de um caso

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borges, Andréa Pacheco Batista; Araújo, Roberto Baracat de; Sampaio, Romeu; Del Carlo, Ricardo Junqueira; Pompermayer, Luiz Gonzaga

1991-02-15

A case of premature closure of the distal ulna in a ten-month-old crossbred dog is described. Diagnosis was suggested by clinical signs including lameness, angular deformity of the forelimb, and pain [Portuguese] Descreve-se um caso de fechamento prematuro da placa epifisária distal da ulna em um cäo sem raça definida e de aproximadamente dez meses de idade. O diagnóstico clínico baseou-se na sintomatologia de claudicaçäo, deslocamento lateral do membro torácico direito e sensibilidade dolorosa. Os exames radiográficos confirmaram o diagnóstico (AU)

Climate change & extreme weather vulnerability assessment framework.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

The Federal Highway Administrations (FHWAs) Climate Change and Extreme Weather Vulnerability : Assessment Framework is a guide for transportation agencies interested in assessing their vulnerability : to climate change and extreme weather event...

County Population Vulnerability

Data.gov (United States)

City and County of Durham, North Carolina — This layer summarizes the social vulnerability index for populations within each county in the United States at scales 1:3m and below. It answers the question...

Coeficientes de transferencia de calor experimental para el enfriamiento de licor en intercambiadores de placas//Experimental heat transfer coefficients for the liquor cooling in plate heat exchanger

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrique Torres‐Tamayo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available La pérdida de eficiencia del proceso de enfriamiento del licor amoniacal, mediante el uso de intercambiadores de calor de placas, está asociada a imprecisiones en la estimación de los coeficientes de transferencia de calor y la acumulación de incrustaciones en la superficie de intercambio. El objetivo de la investigación es determinar los coeficientes de transferencia de calor y la influencia de lasincrustaciones en la pérdida de eficiencia de la instalación. Mediante un procedimiento iterativo se estableció la ecuación del número de Nusselt y su relación con el número de Reynolds y Prandtl. Se utilizó un diseño experimental multifactorial. Los resultados predicen el conocimiento de los coeficientespara el cálculo del número de Nusselt en ambos fluidos. Los valores de los coeficientes del licor amoniacal son inferiores, ello se debe a la presencia de componentes gaseosos. La ecuación obtenida muestra correspondencia con el modelo de Buonapane, el error comparativo es del 3,55 %.Palabras claves: intercambiador de calor de placas, coeficientes de transferencia de calor, eficiencia térmica.______________________________________________________________________________AbstractThe loss of efficiency of the ammonia liquor cooling process, by means of the plate heat exchanger, is associated to the incorrect estimate of the heat transfer coefficients and the accumulation of inlays in the exchange surface. The objective of the investigation is to determine the transfer coefficients and the influence of the inlays in the efficiency loss of the installation. By means of an iterative procedure was obtained the Nusselt number equation and the relationship with the Reynolds and Prandtl number, for it was used it a design experimental multifactorial. The results predict the knowledge of the coefficients forthe calculation of the Nusselt number for both fluids. The ammonia liquor coefficients values are inferior, due to the presence of gassy

The double tragedy of agriculture vulnerability to climate variability in Africa: How vulnerable is smallholder agriculture to rainfall variability in Ghana?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel K. Derbile

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This article analysed vulnerability of smallholder agriculture to climate variability, particularly the alternating incidences of drought and heavy precipitation events in Ghana. Although there is an unmet need for understanding the linkages between climate change and livelihoods, the urgent need for climate change adaptation planning (CCAP in response to climate change makes vulnerability assessment even more compelling in development research. The data for analysis were collected from two complementary studies. These included a regional survey in the Upper West Region and an in-depth study in three selected communities in the Sissala East District. The results showed that smallholder agriculture is significantly vulnerable to climate variability in the region and that three layers of vulnerability can be identified in a ladder of vulnerability. Firstly, farmers are confronted with the double tragedy of droughts and heavy precipitation events, which adversely affect both crops and livestock. Secondly, farmers have to decide on crops for adaptation, but each option – whether indigenous crops, new early-maturing crops or genetically modified crops – predisposes farmers to a different set of risks. Finally, the overall impact is a higher-level vulnerability, namely the risk of total livelihood failure and food insecurity. The article recommended CCAP and an endogenous development (ED approach to addressing agriculture vulnerability to climate variability within the framework of decentralisation and local governance in Ghana. Keywords: Climate variability; agriculture; vulnerability; endogenous development; Ghana

Windows Server 2012 vulnerabilities and security

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel R. López

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This investigation analyses the history of the vulnerabilities of the base system Windows Server 2012 highlighting the most critic vulnerabilities given every 4 months since its creation until the current date of the research. It was organized by the type of vulnerabilities based on the classification of the NIST. Next, given the official vulnerabilities of the system, the authors show how a critical vulnerability is treated by Microsoft in order to countermeasure the security flaw. Then, the authors present the recommended security approaches for Windows Server 2012, which focus on the baseline software given by Microsoft, update, patch and change management, hardening practices and the application of Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS. AD RMS is considered as an important feature since it is able to protect the system even though it is compromised using access lists at a document level. Finally, the investigation of the state of the art related to the security of Windows Server 2012 shows an analysis of solutions given by third parties vendors, which offer security products to secure the base system objective of this study. The recommended solution given by the authors present the security vendor Symantec with its successful features and also characteristics that the authors considered that may have to be improved in future versions of the security solution.

Integrated flash flood vulnerability assessment: Insights from East Attica, Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Karagiorgos, Konstantinos; Thaler, Thomas; Heiser, Micha; Hübl, Johannes; Fuchs, Sven

2016-10-01

In the framework of flood risk assessment, vulnerability is a key concept to assess the susceptibility of elements at risk. Besides the increasing amount of studies on flash floods available, in-depth information on vulnerability in Mediterranean countries was missing so far. Moreover, current approaches in vulnerability research are driven by a divide between social scientists who tend to view vulnerability as representing a set of socio-economic factors, and natural scientists who view vulnerability in terms of the degree of loss to an element at risk. Further, vulnerability studies in response to flash flood processes are rarely answered in the literature. In order to close this gap, this paper implemented an integrated vulnerability approach focusing on residential buildings exposed to flash floods in Greece. In general, both physical and social vulnerability was comparable low, which is interpreted as a result from (a) specific building regulations in Greece as well as general design principles leading to less structural susceptibility of elements at risk exposed, and (b) relatively low economic losses leading to less social vulnerability of citizens exposed. The population show high risk awareness and coping capacity to response to natural hazards event and in the same time the impact of the events are quite low, because of the already high use of local protection measures. The low vulnerability score for East Attica can be attributed especially to the low physical vulnerability and the moderate socio-economic well-being of the area. The consequence is to focus risk management strategies mainly in the reduction of the social vulnerability. By analysing both physical and social vulnerability an attempt was made to bridge the gap between scholars from sciences and humanities, and to integrate the results of the analysis into the broader vulnerability context.

Perspectives on contextual vulnerability in discourses of climate conflict

Science.gov (United States)

Okpara, U. T.; Stringer, L. C.; Dougill, A. J.

2016-02-01

The science of climate security and conflict is replete with controversies. Yet the increasing vulnerability of politically fragile countries to the security consequences of climate change is widely acknowledged. Although climate conflict reflects a continuum of conditional forces that coalesce around the notion of vulnerability, how different portrayals of vulnerability influence the discursive formation of climate conflict relations remains an exceptional but under-researched issue. This paper combines a systematic discourse analysis with a vulnerability interpretation diagnostic tool to explore (i) how discourses of climate conflict are constructed and represented, (ii) how vulnerability is communicated across discourse lines, and (iii) the strength of contextual vulnerability against a deterministic narrative of scarcity-induced conflict, such as that pertaining to land. Systematically characterising climate conflict discourses based on the central issues constructed, assumptions about mechanistic relationships, implicit normative judgements and vulnerability portrayals, provides a useful way of understanding where discourses differ. While discourses show a wide range of opinions "for" and "against" climate conflict relations, engagement with vulnerability has been less pronounced - except for the dominant context centrism discourse concerned about human security (particularly in Africa). In exploring this discourse, we observe an increasing sense of contextual vulnerability that is oriented towards a concern for complexity rather than predictability. The article concludes by illustrating that a turn towards contextual vulnerability thinking will help advance a constructivist theory-informed climate conflict scholarship that recognises historicity, specificity, and variability as crucial elements of contextual totalities of any area affected by climate conflict.

Narrative self-constitution and vulnerability to co-authoring.

Science.gov (United States)

McConnell, Doug

2016-02-01

All people are vulnerable to having their self-concepts shaped by others. This article investigates that vulnerability using a theory of narrative self-constitution. According to narrative self-constitution, people depend on others to develop and maintain skills of self-narration and they are vulnerable to having the content of their self-narratives co-authored by others. This theoretical framework highlights how vulnerability to co-authoring is essential to developing a self-narrative and, thus, the possibility of autonomy. However, this vulnerability equally entails that co-authors can undermine autonomy by contributing disvalued content to the agent's self-narrative and undermining her authorial skills. I illustrate these processes with the first-hand reports of several women who survived sexual abuse as children. Their narratives of survival and healing reveal the challenges involved in (re)developing the skills required to manage vulnerability to co-authoring and how others can help in this process. Finally, I discuss some of the implications of co-authoring for the healthcare professional and the therapeutic relationship.

Social Vulnerability and Ebola Virus Disease in Rural Liberia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John A Stanturf

Full Text Available The Ebola virus disease (EVD epidemic that has stricken thousands of people in the three West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea highlights the lack of adaptive capacity in post-conflict countries. The scarcity of health services in particular renders these populations vulnerable to multiple interacting stressors including food insecurity, climate change, and the cascading effects of disease epidemics such as EVD. However, the spatial distribution of vulnerable rural populations and the individual stressors contributing to their vulnerability are unknown. We developed a Social Vulnerability Classification using census indicators and mapped it at the district scale for Liberia. According to the Classification, we estimate that districts having the highest social vulnerability lie in the north and west of Liberia in Lofa, Bong, Grand Cape Mount, and Bomi Counties. Three of these counties together with the capital Monrovia and surrounding Montserrado and Margibi counties experienced the highest levels of EVD infections in Liberia. Vulnerability has multiple dimensions and a classification developed from multiple variables provides a more holistic view of vulnerability than single indicators such as food insecurity or scarcity of health care facilities. Few rural Liberians are food secure and many cannot reach a medical clinic in <80 minutes. Our results illustrate how census and household survey data, when displayed spatially at a sub-county level, may help highlight the location of the most vulnerable households and populations. Our results can be used to identify vulnerability hotspots where development strategies and allocation of resources to address the underlying causes of vulnerability in Liberia may be warranted. We demonstrate how social vulnerability index approaches can be applied in the context of disease outbreaks, and our methods are relevant elsewhere.

Modeling groundwater vulnerability to pollution using Optimized DRASTIC model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mogaji, Kehinde Anthony; Lim, Hwee San; Abdullar, Khiruddin

2014-01-01

The prediction accuracy of the conventional DRASTIC model (CDM) algorithm for groundwater vulnerability assessment is severely limited by the inherent subjectivity and uncertainty in the integration of data obtained from various sources. This study attempts to overcome these problems by exploring the potential of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique as a decision support model to optimize the CDM algorithm. The AHP technique was utilized to compute the normalized weights for the seven parameters of the CDM to generate an optimized DRASTIC model (ODM) algorithm. The DRASTIC parameters integrated with the ODM algorithm predicted which among the study areas is more likely to become contaminated as a result of activities at or near the land surface potential. Five vulnerability zones, namely: no vulnerable(NV), very low vulnerable (VLV), low vulnerable (LV), moderate vulnerable (MV) and high vulnerable (HV) were identified based on the vulnerability index values estimated with the ODM algorithm. Results show that more than 50% of the area belongs to both moderate and high vulnerable zones on the account of the spatial analysis of the produced ODM-based groundwater vulnerability prediction map (GVPM).The prediction accuracy of the ODM-based – GVPM with the groundwater pH and manganese (Mn) concentrations established correlation factors (CRs) result of 90 % and 86 % compared to the CRs result of 62 % and 50 % obtained for the validation accuracy of the CDM – based GVPM. The comparative results, indicated that the ODM-based produced GVPM is more reliable than the CDM – based produced GVPM in the study area. The study established the efficacy of AHP as a spatial decision support technique in enhancing environmental decision making with particular reference to future groundwater vulnerability assessment

A knowledge integration approach to flood vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzorana, Bruno; Fuchs, Sven

2014-05-01

Understanding, qualifying and quantifying vulnerability is an essential need for implementing effective and efficient flood risk mitigation strategies; in particular if possible synergies between different mitigation alternatives, such as active and passive measures, should be achieved. In order to combine different risk management options it is necessary to take an interdisciplinary approach to vulnerability reduction, and as a result the affected society may be willing to accept a certain degree of self-responsibility. However, due to differing mono-disciplinary approaches and regional foci undertaken until now, different aspects of vulnerability to natural hazards in general and to floods in particular remain uncovered and as a result the developed management options remain sub-optimal. Taking an even more fundamental viewpoint, the empirical vulnerability functions used in risk assessment specifically fail to capture physical principles of the damage-generating mechanisms to the build environment. The aim of this paper is to partially close this gap by discussing a balanced knowledge integration approach which can be used to resolve the multidisciplinary disorder in flood vulnerability research. Modelling techniques such as mathematical-physical modelling of the flood hazard impact to and response from the building envelope affected, and formative scenario analyses of possible consequences in terms of damage and loss are used in synergy to provide an enhanced understanding of vulnerability and to render the derived knowledge into interdisciplinary mitigation strategies. The outlined formal procedure allows for a convincing knowledge alignment of quantified, but partial, information about vulnerability as a result of the application of physical and engineering notions and valuable, but often underspecified, qualitative argumentation strings emerging from the adopted socio-economic viewpoint.

Coastal vulnerability: climate change and natural hazards perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Romieu, E.; Vinchon, C.

2009-04-01

Introduction Studying coastal zones as a territorial concept (Integrated coastal zone management) is an essential issue for managers, as they have to consider many different topics (natural hazards, resources management, tourism, climate change…). The recent approach in terms of "coastal vulnerability" studies (since the 90's) is the main tool used nowadays to help them in evaluating impacts of natural hazards on coastal zones, specially considering climate change. This present communication aims to highlight the difficulties in integrating this concept in risk analysis as it is usually practiced in natural hazards sciences. 1) Coastal vulnerability as a recent issue The concept of coastal vulnerability mainly appears in the International panel on climate change works of 1992 (IPCC. 2001), where it is presented as essential for climate change adaptation. The concept has been defined by a common methodology which proposes the assessment of seven indicators, in regards to a sea level rise of 1m in 2100: people affected, people at risk, capital value at loss, land at loss, wetland at loss, potential adaptation costs, people at risk assuming this adaptation. Many national assessments have been implemented (Nicholls, et al. 1995) and a global assessment was proposed for three indicators (Nicholls, et al. 1999). The DINAS-Coast project reuses this methodology to produce the DIVA-tool for coastal managers (Vafeidis, et al. 2004). Besides, many other methodologies for national or regional coastal vulnerability assessments have been developed (review by (UNFCCC. 2008). The use of aggregated vulnerability indicators (including geomorphology, hydrodynamics, climate change…) is widespread: the USGS coastal vulnerability index is used worldwide and was completed by a social vulnerability index (Boruff, et al. 2005). Those index-based methods propose a vulnerability mapping which visualise indicators of erosion, submersion and/or socio economic sensibility in coastal zones

Social vulnerability to climate-induced natural disasters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rubin, Olivier

2014-01-01

This paper conducts an analysis of the socioeconomic determinants of Vietnam's cross-provincial variations in natural disaster vulnerability. The purpose is twofold: (i) to capture disaggregated vulnerability variations normally obscured by national statistics, thereby providing more nuanced...... insights into Vietnam's vulnerability to natural disasters; and (ii) to take advantage of the fact that the overall political system and key institutional structures to a large extent are constant across Vietnam's provinces, which makes the analysis a novel addition to the many disaster studies based...

Assessing European wild fire vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

Oehler, F.; Oliveira, S.; Barredo, J. I.; Camia, A.; Ayanz, J. San Miguel; Pettenella, D.; Mavsar, R.

2012-04-01

Wild fire vulnerability is a measure of potential socio-economic damage caused by a fire in a specific area. As such it is an important component of long-term fire risk management, helping policy-makers take informed decisions about adequate expenditures for fire prevention and suppression, and to target those regions at highest risk. This paper presents a first approach to assess wild fire vulnerability at the European level. A conservative approach was chosen that assesses the cost of restoring the previous land cover after a potential fire. Based on the CORINE Land Cover, a restoration cost was established for each land cover class at country level, and an average restoration time was assigned according to the recovery capacity of the land cover. The damage caused by fire was then assessed by discounting the cost of restoring the previous land cover over the restoration period. Three different vulnerability scenarios were considered assuming low, medium and high fire severity causing different levels of damage. Over Europe, the potential damage of wild land fires ranges from 10 - 13, 732 Euro*ha-1*yr-1 for low fire severity, 32 - 45,772 Euro*ha-1*yr-1 for medium fire severity and 54 - 77,812 Euro*ha-1*yr-1 for high fire severity. The least vulnerable are natural grasslands, moors and heathland and sclerophyllous vegetation, while the highest cost occurs for restoring broad-leaved forest. Preliminary validation comparing these estimates with official damage assessments for past fires shows reasonable results. The restoration cost approach allows for a straightforward, data extensive assessment of fire vulnerability at European level. A disadvantage is the inherent simplification of the evaluation procedure with the underestimation of non-markets goods and services. Thus, a second approach has been developed, valuing individual wild land goods and services and assessing their annual flow which is lost for a certain period of time in case of a fire event. However

Vulnerability Assessments in Ethical Hacking

OpenAIRE

Ashiqur Rahman ,; Md. SarwarAlam Rasel; Asaduzzaman Noman; Shakh Md. Alimuzjaman Alim

2016-01-01

Ethical hackers use the same methods and techniques to test and bypass a system's defenses as their less-principled counterparts, but rather than taking advantage of any vulnerabilities found, they document them and provide actionable advice on how to fix them so the organization can improve its overall security. The purpose of ethical hacking is to evaluate the security of a network or system's infrastructure. It entails finding and attempting to exploit any vulnerabilities to de...

Software Design Level Security Vulnerabilities

OpenAIRE

S. Rehman; K. Mustafa

2011-01-01

Several thousand software design vulnerabilities have been reported through established databases. But they need to be structured and classified to be optimally usable in the pursuit of minimal and effective mitigation mechanism. In order we developed a criterion set for a communicative description of the same to serve the purpose as a taxonomic description of security vulnerabilities, arising in the design phase of Software development lifecycle. This description is a part of an effort to id...

AVQS: Attack Route-Based Vulnerability Quantification Scheme for Smart Grid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jongbin Ko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A smart grid is a large, consolidated electrical grid system that includes heterogeneous networks and systems. Based on the data, a smart grid system has a potential security threat in its network connectivity. To solve this problem, we develop and apply a novel scheme to measure the vulnerability in a smart grid domain. Vulnerability quantification can be the first step in security analysis because it can help prioritize the security problems. However, existing vulnerability quantification schemes are not suitable for smart grid because they do not consider network vulnerabilities. We propose a novel attack route-based vulnerability quantification scheme using a network vulnerability score and an end-to-end security score, depending on the specific smart grid network environment to calculate the vulnerability score for a particular attack route. To evaluate the proposed approach, we derive several attack scenarios from the advanced metering infrastructure domain. The experimental results of the proposed approach and the existing common vulnerability scoring system clearly show that we need to consider network connectivity for more optimized vulnerability quantification.

AVQS: attack route-based vulnerability quantification scheme for smart grid.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Jongbin; Lim, Hyunwoo; Lee, Seokjun; Shon, Taeshik

2014-01-01

A smart grid is a large, consolidated electrical grid system that includes heterogeneous networks and systems. Based on the data, a smart grid system has a potential security threat in its network connectivity. To solve this problem, we develop and apply a novel scheme to measure the vulnerability in a smart grid domain. Vulnerability quantification can be the first step in security analysis because it can help prioritize the security problems. However, existing vulnerability quantification schemes are not suitable for smart grid because they do not consider network vulnerabilities. We propose a novel attack route-based vulnerability quantification scheme using a network vulnerability score and an end-to-end security score, depending on the specific smart grid network environment to calculate the vulnerability score for a particular attack route. To evaluate the proposed approach, we derive several attack scenarios from the advanced metering infrastructure domain. The experimental results of the proposed approach and the existing common vulnerability scoring system clearly show that we need to consider network connectivity for more optimized vulnerability quantification.

Baropodometria dinâmica de atletas remadores, com sinais e sintomas de disfunção temporomandibular, pré e pós tratamento, com placa oclusal estabilizadora e exercício terapêutico de movimento mandibular: estudo piloto

OpenAIRE

Eduardo Yujiro Abe

2016-01-01

A desordem temporomadibular em atletas da modalidade do remo é uma temática ainda pouco abordada na literatura, muito embora se tenha conhecimento que a biomecânica do gesto esportivo possa provocar dores lombares, fratura de costela devido ao estresse, além de dores cervicais provenientes do desprendimento de força, para atingir grande velocidade e manutendo o equilíbrio por um longo tempo. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar, por meio da baropodometria dinâmica, a ação da placa ocl...

New approach to analyzing vulnerability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Callaghan, P.B.; Carlson, R.L.; Riedeman, G.W.

1986-01-01

The Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) has recently completed construction of the Fuel Cycle Plant (FCP) at Richland, Washington. At start-up the facility will fabricate driver fuel for the Fast Flux Test Facility in the Secure Automated Fabrication line. After construction completion, but before facility certification, the Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operation Office requested that a vulnerability analysis be performed which assumed multiple insiders as a threat to the security system. A unique method of analyzing facility vulnerabilities was developed at the Security Applications Center (SAC), which is managed by WHC for DOE. The method that was developed verifies a previous vulnerability assessment, as well as introducing a modeling technique which analyzes security alarms in relation to delaying factors and possible insider activities. With this information it is possible to assess the relative strength or weakness of various possible routes to and from a target within a facility

Climate change: are we all vulnerable?: Reconsidering inequalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnan, Alexandre

2013-01-01

This bibliographical note presents a book in which the author reviews two generally accepted ideas: first, the poorest communities would be the most vulnerable to climate change due to their weak adaptation capacities, and second, such an adaptation would only be an issue of projection on a long term. Based on his works on coastal areas and on his experience on issues of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change he shows that all societies are potentially vulnerable. He uses the notion of 'impact chains', introduces three global parameters for these chains (temperatures, sea level, and precipitation regime), and outlines the always increasing complexity of causes-consequences relationships. He discusses two key concepts: vulnerability as the degree at which a system might be affected by climate changes, and the adaptation capacity which is developed by societies to reduce their vulnerability to environmental changes

Susceptibility to mountain hazards in Austria - paradigms of vulnerability revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, Sven

2010-05-01

The concept of vulnerability is pillared by multiple disciplinary theories underpinning either a technical or a social origin of the concept and resulting in a range of paradigms for either a qualitative or quantitative assessment of vulnerability. However, efforts to reduce susceptibility to hazards and to create disaster-resilient communities require intersections among these theories, since human activity cannot be seen independently from the environmental setting. Acknowledging different roots of disciplinary paradigms, issues determining structural, economic, institutional and social vulnerability are discussed with respect to mountain hazards in Austria. The underlying idea of taking such an integrative viewpoint was the cognition that human action in mountain environments affects the state of vulnerability, and the state of vulnerability in turn shapes the possibilities of human action. It is argued that structural vulnerability as originator results in considerable economic vulnerability, generated by the institutional settings of dealing with natural hazards and shaped by the overall societal framework. Hence, the vulnerability of a specific location and within a considered point of time is triggered by the hazardous event and the related physical susceptibility of structures, such as buildings located on a torrent fan. Depending on the specific institutional settings, economic vulnerability of individuals or of the society results, above all with respect to imperfect loss compensation mechanisms in the areas under investigation. While this potential for harm can be addressed as social vulnerability, the concept of institutional vulnerability has been developed with respect to the overall political settings of governmental risk management. As a result, the concept of vulnerability, as being used in natural sciences, can be extended by integration of possible reasons why such physical susceptibility of structures exists, and by integration of compensation

Identification of vulnerability within a child and family health service.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimla, Katarina; Nathanson, Dania; Woolfenden, Susan; Zwi, Karen

2017-11-21

Objective The aims of the present study were to describe the prevalence of vulnerability in a cohort of newborns, identify the factors that increase the risk of vulnerability and examine whether those who are most vulnerable are receiving home visits. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was performed using data collected from questionnaires completed by child and family health nurses and obstetric discharge summaries for each mother-baby dyad. Descriptive frequencies and percentages are used to describe the proportions of children who were vulnerable, offered services and had risk factors for vulnerability. Categorical data were compared using Pearson's Chi-squared analysis. Results In all, 1517 newborns were included in the present study. Of these, 40.5% were identified as vulnerable and 13.9% had two or more risk factors for vulnerability (95% confidence interval (CI) 12-16%). The most common risk factors were biological. Across all newborns, 33.7% were visited at home, and 74.6% of vulnerable newborns were offered a home visit. Children identified as vulnerable were more likely to have a home visit than those who were not (z for 95% CI=1.96; Pvulnerability allowed the offer of home visiting to be directed towards those most likely to benefit. What is known about the topic? Of the Australian child population, 10-20% are vulnerable to adverse health, developmental and wellbeing outcomes. Vulnerable infants are at a greater risk of becoming vulnerable children, adolescents and adults over the life course. Biological and psychosocial risk factors for vulnerability are well described. Families with the greatest need are often the least likely to access or receive support, and have lower utilisation of preventative health services despite evidence that support in the first few years of life can significantly improve long-term outcomes. What does this paper add? This paper provides a detailed description of vulnerabilities in a cohort of newborns and

Periodontopathogens in the saliva and subgingival dental plaque of a group of mothers Periodontopatógenos na saliva e placa subgengival de um grupo de mães

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Odila Pereira da Silva Rosa

2002-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess the periodontal condition and the presence of putative periodontal pathogens in 30 Brazilian mothers, aging 21-40 years (28.4 ± 4.49 years, and in their children, aging 5-6 years, since mothers can be a source of pathogens and, thus, influence their children's bacteriological and clinical condition. Besides assessing the plaque index (PI, gingival index (GI and pocket probing depth (PD, the survey analyzed four subgingival dental plaque samples from mothers and children, as well as a sample of stimulated saliva from mothers. Those samples were analyzed by means of the slot immunoblot (SIB technique, in order to determine the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa, Prevotella nigrescens (Pn, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg and Treponema denticola (Td. The mean values and standard deviations of the evaluated clinical variables for mothers and children were, respectively: 1.86 ± 0.67 and 1.64 ± 0.68 for PI, and 1.24 ± 0.67 and 0.82 ± 0.37, for GI. Only for mothers, the total PD was 1.81 ± 0.69 mm, and the PD of four sites was 4.03 ± 1.40 mm. The Wilcoxon test revealed significant difference (p Procurou-se avaliar a condição periodontal e a presença de periodontopatógenos em 30 mães brasileiras, com idades entre 21-40 anos (28,4 ± 4,49 anos e seus filhos, com 5-6 anos de idade, considerando que elas possam ser fonte de transmissão para seus filhos e influenciar suas condições clínicas e bacteriológicas. Além de determinar o índice de placa (IP, índice gengival (IG de mães e filhos, e a profundidade de sondagem periodontal (PS, apenas das mães, avaliaram-se quatro amostras de placa dental subgengival de mães e filhos e uma amostra de saliva total estimulada das mães para a presença de Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa, Prevotella nigrescens (Pn, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg e Treponema denticola (Td, pela técnica de "slot immunoblot" (SIB. As médias e desvios

A socioeconomic profile of vulnerable land to desertification in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvati, Luca

2014-01-01

Climate changes, soil vulnerability, loss in biodiversity, and growing human pressure are threatening Mediterranean-type ecosystems which are increasingly considered as a desertification hotspot. In this region, land vulnerability to desertification strongly depends on the interplay between natural and anthropogenic factors. The present study proposes a multivariate exploratory analysis of the relationship between the spatial distribution of land vulnerability to desertification and the socioeconomic contexts found in three geographical divisions of Italy (north, center and south) based on statistical indicators. A total of 111 indicators describing different themes (demography, human settlements, labor market and human capital, rural development, income and wealth) were used to discriminate vulnerable from non-vulnerable areas. The resulting socioeconomic profile of vulnerable areas in northern and southern Italy diverged significantly, the importance of demographic and economic indicators being higher in southern Italy than in northern Italy. On the contrary, human settlement indicators were found more important to discriminate vulnerable and non-vulnerable areas in northern Italy, suggesting a role for peri-urbanization in shaping the future vulnerable areas. An in-depth knowledge of the socioeconomic characteristics of vulnerable land may contribute to scenarios' modeling and the development of more effective policies to combat desertification. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Análisis, diseño e implementación de un sistema de control de ingreso de vehículos basado en visión artificial y reconocimiento de placas en el parqueadero de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana - Sede Cuenca

OpenAIRE

Álvarez Durán, Mayra Alejandra

2014-01-01

El presente trabajo consiste en un sistema de reconocimiento de placas vehiculares que utiliza algoritmos de Reconocimiento Óptico de Caracteres ROC o OCR, mediante las librerías OPENCV, está desarrollado en lenguaje JAVA y se encuentra basado en Inteligencia Artificial, esta herramienta recepta y procesa las imágenes desde una cámara de video que se encuentra al ingresar al parqueadero de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, sede Cuenca. This work consists of recognition system license p...

Climate change vulnerability assessment in Georgia

Science.gov (United States)

Binita KC; J. Marshall Shepherd; Cassandra Johnson Gaither

2015-01-01

Climate change is occurring in the Southeastern United States, and one manifestation is changes in frequency and intensity of extreme events. A vulnerability assessment is performed in the state of Georgia (United States) at the county level from 1975 to 2012 in decadal increments. Climate change vulnerability is typically measured as a function of exposure to physical...

Predicting Vulnerability Risks Using Software Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Roumani, Yaman

2012-01-01

Software vulnerabilities have been regarded as one of the key reasons for computer security breaches that have resulted in billions of dollars in losses per year (Telang and Wattal 2005). With the growth of the software industry and the Internet, the number of vulnerability attacks and the ease with which an attack can be made have increased. From…

Mental vulnerability--a risk factor for ischemic heart disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eplov, Lene Falgaard; Jørgensen, Torben; Birket-Smith, Morten

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine whether mental vulnerability is a risk factor for the development of ischemic heart disease (IHD) after adjustment for well-established risk factors. METHODS: In three prospective cohort studies in Copenhagen County, Denmark, we recorded the level...... of mental vulnerability and possible risk factors to IHD at baseline. For follow-up, the sample was linked to relevant registries to identify all cases of fatal and nonfatal IHD. The relationship between mental vulnerability and IHD was examined using both Kaplan-Meir and Cox proportional hazard models...... adjusting for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: Mental vulnerability was significantly associated with the risk for IHD (medium mental vulnerability: hazard ratio 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.91; and high mental vulnerability: hazard ratio 2.05; 95% confidence interval 1.46-2.88), after...

Características energéticas de una placa fotovoltaica, por variación de ángulo de inclinación, frente a la radiación solar en Ecuador.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Germán Alfredo Mora Trujillo

2015-11-01

Igualmente se implementara un sistema de control de la producción diaria de energía (Kw/h y el ahorro de emisiones de CO2 a la atmósfera, con el fin de hacer las comparaciones del uso de energía renovable frente a la convencional, lo que permitirá estimar el beneficio económico y ambiental. Esta investigación, permitirá registrar información precisa para diseñar instalaciones solares fotovoltaicas teniendo en cuenta la incidencia de la radiación solar en una placa fotovoltaica por variación de ángulo de inclinación frente al sol y determinar el ahorro de emisiones de CO2 a la atmósfera.

Development of a heat vulnerability index for New York State.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, S G; Shrestha, S; Kinney, P L; Ross, Z; Sheridan, S C; Pantea, C I; Hsu, W H; Muscatiello, N; Hwang, S A

2017-12-01

The frequency and intensity of extreme heat events are increasing in New York State (NYS) and have been linked with increased heat-related morbidity and mortality. But these effects are not uniform across the state and can vary across large regions due to regional sociodemographic and environmental factors which impact an individual's response or adaptive capacity to heat and in turn contribute to vulnerability among certain populations. We developed a heat vulnerability index (HVI) to identify heat-vulnerable populations and regions in NYS. Census tract level environmental and sociodemographic heat-vulnerability variables were used to develop the HVI to identify heat-vulnerable populations and areas. Variables were identified from a comprehensive literature review and climate-health research in NYS. We obtained data from 2010 US Census Bureau and 2011 National Land Cover Database. We used principal component analysis to reduce correlated variables to fewer uncorrelated components, and then calculated the cumulative HVI for each census tract by summing up the scores across the components. The HVI was then mapped across NYS (excluding New York City) to display spatial vulnerability. The prevalence rates of heat stress were compared across HVI score categories. Thirteen variables were reduced to four meaningful components representing 1) social/language vulnerability; 2) socioeconomic vulnerability; 3) environmental/urban vulnerability; and 4) elderly/ social isolation. Vulnerability to heat varied spatially in NYS with the HVI showing that metropolitan areas were most vulnerable, with language barriers and socioeconomic disadvantage contributing to the most vulnerability. Reliability of the HVI was supported by preliminary results where higher rates of heat stress were collocated in the regions with the highest HVI. The NYS HVI showed spatial variability in heat vulnerability across the state. Mapping the HVI allows quick identification of regions in NYS that could

Rockfall vulnerability assessment for reinforced concrete buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Mavrouli, O.; Corominas, J.

2010-10-01

The vulnerability of buildings to the impact of rockfalls is a topic that has recently attracted increasing attention in the scientific literature. The quantification of the vulnerability, when based on empirical or heuristic approaches requires data recorded from historical rockfalls, which are not always available. This is the reason why appropriate alternatives are required. The use of analytical and numerical models can be one of them. In this paper, a methodology is proposed for the analytical evaluation of the vulnerability of reinforced concrete buildings. The vulnerability is included in the risk equation by incorporating the uncertainty of the impact location of the rock block and the subsequent damage level. The output is a weighted vulnerability that ranges from 0 to 1 and expresses the potential damage that a rock block causes to a building in function of its velocity and size. The vulnerability is calculated by the sum of the products of the probability of block impact on each element of the building and its associated damage state, the latter expressed in relative recovery cost terms. The probability of exceeding a specific damage state such as non-structural, local, partial, extensive or total collapse is also important for the quantification of risk and to this purpose, several sets of fragility curves for various rock diameters and increasing velocities have been prepared. An example is shown for the case of a simple reinforced concrete building and impact energies from 0 to 4075 kJ.

Aircraft vulnerability analysis by modelling and simulation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Willers, CJ

2014-09-01

Full Text Available attributable to misuse of the weapon or to missile performance restrictions. This paper analyses some of the factors affecting aircraft vulnerability and demonstrates a structured analysis of the risk and aircraft vulnerability problem. The aircraft...

Helping air quality managers identify vulnerable communities

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wright, C

2008-10-01

Full Text Available population exposure and vulnerability risk prioritisation model is proposed for potential use by air quality managers in conjunction with their air quality management plans. The model includes factors such as vulnerability caused by poverty, respiratory...

Vulnerabilities in snakebites in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Rita Bertolozzi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To describe elements of vulnerability of victims of snakebite.METHODS This qualitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study had, as theoretical framework, the concept of vulnerability in individual, social, and programmatic dimensions. We interviewed 21 patients admitted into a hospital specialized in the care of accidents caused by venomous animals. The interviews were analyzed according to a discourse analysis technique.RESULTS Patients were mainly young men, living in remote countryside areas, where health services frequently have limited resources. We found social and individual conditions of vulnerability, such as precarious schooling, low professional qualification, housing without access to piped water, no sewage treated, and no regular garbage collection, and lack of knowledge on this health problem. Regarding the programmatic dimension, we found limited accessibility to the health services that could affect the prognosis and the frequency of sequelae and deaths.CONCLUSIONS Considering such vulnerabilities evoke the need to improve the program for control the Accidents by Venomous Animals and the training of health workers, we highlight the potential use of the concept of vulnerability, which may amplify the understanding and the recommendations for the practice and education related to snakebites.

Assessing the social vulnerability to malaria in Rwanda.

Science.gov (United States)

Bizimana, Jean-Pierre; Twarabamenye, Emmanuel; Kienberger, Stefan

2015-01-07

Since 2004, malaria interventions in Rwanda have resulted in substantial decline of malaria incidence. However, this achievement is fragile as potentials for local malaria transmissions remain. The risk of getting malaria infection is partially explained by social conditions of vulnerable populations. Since vulnerability to malaria is both influenced by social and environmental factors, its complexity cannot be measured by a single value. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to apply a composite indicator approach for assessing social vulnerability to malaria in Rwanda. This assessment informs the decision-makers in targeting malaria interventions and allocating limited resources to reduce malaria burden in Rwanda. A literature review was used to conceptualize the social vulnerability to malaria and to select the appropriate vulnerability indicators. Indicators used in the index creation were classified into susceptibility and lack of resilience vulnerability domains. The main steps followed include selection of indicators and datasets, imputation of missing values, descriptive statistics, normalization and weighting of indicators, local sensitivity analysis and indicators aggregation. Correlation analysis helped to empirically evidence the association between the indicators and malaria incidence. The high values of social vulnerability to malaria are found in Gicumbi, Rusizi, Nyaruguru and Gisagara, and low values in Muhanga, Nyarugenge, Kicukiro and Nyanza. The most influential susceptibility indicators to increase malaria are population change (r = 0.729), average number of persons per bedroom (r = 0.531), number of households affected by droughts and famines (r = 0.591), and area used for irrigation (r = 0.611). The bed net ownership (r = -0.398) and poor housing wall materials (0.378) are the lack of resilience indicators that significantly correlate with malaria incidence. The developed composite index social vulnerability to malaria

Cuento: La ironía

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugo Ruiz

1967-11-01

Full Text Available Hacía varias horas que paseaban los dos por las solitarias calles de la ciudad, en medio de la noche. Abrigados por sus raidas gabardinas avanzaban ahora a lo largo de la avenida. Rabia llovido un poco esa tarde y el asfalto brillaba al resplandor de los neones. Un taxi cruzó a toda velocidad...

Tripartite Governance: Enabling Successful Implementations with Vulnerable Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Margaret Ann

2016-01-01

Vulnerable populations are often at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the implementation of health information systems in an equitable, appropriate, and timely manner. The disadvantages experienced by vulnerable populations are innumerable and include lack of representation, lack of appropriate levels of funding, lack of resources and capacity, and lack of representation. Increasingly, models of representation for complex implementations involve a tripartite project governance model. This tripartite partnership distributes accountability across all partners, and ensures that vulnerable populations have an equitable contribution to the direction of implementation according to their needs. This article shares lessons learned and best practices from complex tripartite partnerships supporting implementations with vulnerable populations in Canada.

Current diagnostic modalities for vulnerable plaque detection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.A. Schaar (Johannes); F. Mastik (Frits); E.S. Regar (Eveline); C.A. den Uil (Corstiaan); F.J.H. Gijsen (Frank); J.J. Wentzel (Jolanda); P.W.J.C. Serruys (Patrick); A.F.W. van der Steen (Ton)

2007-01-01

textabstractRupture of vulnerable plaques is the main cause of acute coronary syndrome and myocardial infarction. Identification of vulnerable plaques is therefore essential to enable the development of treatment modalities to stabilize such plaques. Several diagnostic methods are currently tested

Childhood physical abuse and aggression: Shame and narcissistic vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Keene, Amanda C; Epps, James

2016-01-01

This study examined narcissistic vulnerability and shame-proneness as potential mediators between childhood physical abuse (CPA) and adult anger and aggression. Participants were 400 undergraduate students, 134 of whom had a history of CPA. All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing history of CPA, shame-proneness, narcissistic vulnerability, physical aggression, trait anger, and hostility. Results indicated abused participants were more angry and aggressive and experienced higher levels of shame-proneness and narcissistic vulnerability than nonabused participants. Multiple mediation analyses showed that narcissistic vulnerability, but not shame-proneness, partially mediated the relation between abuse and physical aggression. However, narcissistic vulnerability and shame-proneness both emerged as partial mediators between abuse and the anger and hostility variables. These findings suggest that narcissistic vulnerability and shame-proneness may function as mediators of adjustment following childhood maltreatment. Study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors Contributing to Exacerbating Vulnerabilities in Global Clinical Trials

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Ricardo E.; Amato, Angélica A.; Guilhem, Dirce B.; de Carvalho, Marta R.; Lima, Elisangela da C.; Novaes, Maria Rita C. G.

2018-01-01

Background: Although policies and guidelines make use of the concept of vulnerability, few define it. The European Union's directive for clinical trials does not include explanations for or the reasoning behind the designation of certain groups as vulnerable. Emerging economies from lower middle-income countries have, in recent years, had the largest average annual growth rate, as well as increase, in number of clinical trials registered in the US government's database. Nevertheless, careful supervision of research activities has to be ensured. Objective: To describe and analyze the features of the clinical trials involving vulnerable populations in various countries classified by development status and geographic region. Methods: Retrospective study that involved analysis of data obtained from the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) database between 01/2014 and 12/2014 from countries with (i) highest trial densities during 2005 to 2012, (ii) highest average growth rate in clinical trials, and (iii) greatest trial capabilities. Results: Statistical analysis of this study showed that patients incapable of giving consent personally are 11.4 times more likely to be vulnerable patients than patients who are capable, and that patients in upper-middle-income countries are 1.7 times more likely to be vulnerable patients than patients from high-income countries when participating in global clinical trials. Malaysia (21%), Egypt (20%), Turkey (19%), Israel (18%), and Brazil (17%) had the highest percentages of vulnerable populations involving children. Conclusions: Although the inability to provide consent personally was a factor associated with vulnerability, arbitrary criteria may have been considered when classifying the populations of clinical trials as vulnerable. The EU Clinical Trials Register should provide guidance regarding exactly what aspects or factors should be taken into account to frame given populations as vulnerable, because

Mapping social-ecological vulnerability to inform local decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Thiault, Lauric; Marshall, Paul; Gelcich, Stefan; Collin, Antoine; Chlous, Frédérique; Claudet, Joachim

2018-04-01

An overarching challenge of natural resource management and biodiversity conservation is that relationships between people and nature are difficult to integrate into tools that can effectively guide decision making. Social-ecological vulnerability offers a valuable framework for identifying and understanding important social-ecological linkages, and the implications of dependencies and other feedback loops in the system. Unfortunately, its implementation at local scales has hitherto been limited due at least in part to the lack of operational tools for spatial representation of social-ecological vulnerability. We developed a method to map social-ecological vulnerability based on information on human-nature dependencies and ecosystem services at local scales. We applied our method to the small-scale fishery of Moorea, French Polynesia, by combining spatially explicit indicators of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of both the resource (i.e., vulnerability of reef fish assemblages to fishing) and resource users (i.e., vulnerability of fishing households to the loss of fishing opportunity). Our results revealed that both social and ecological vulnerabilities varied considerably through space and highlighted areas where sources of vulnerability were high for both social and ecological subsystems (i.e., social-ecological vulnerability hotspots) and thus of high priority for management intervention. Our approach can be used to inform decisions about where biodiversity conservation strategies are likely to be more effective and how social impacts from policy decisions can be minimized. It provides a new perspective on human-nature linkages that can help guide sustainability management at local scales; delivers insights distinct from those provided by emphasis on a single vulnerability component (e.g., exposure); and demonstrates the feasibility and value of operationalizing the social-ecological vulnerability framework for policy, planning, and participatory

Drought vulnerability assesssment and mapping in Morocco

Science.gov (United States)

Imani, Yasmina; Lahlou, Ouiam; Bennasser Alaoui, Si; Naumann, Gustavo; Barbosa, Paulo; Vogt, Juergen

2014-05-01

Drought vulnerability assessment and mapping in Morocco Authors: Yasmina Imani 1, Ouiam Lahlou 1, Si Bennasser Alaoui 1 Paulo Barbosa 2, Jurgen Vogt 2, Gustavo Naumann 2 1: Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II (IAV Hassan II), Rabat Morocco. 2: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), Ispra, Italy. In Morocco, nearly 50% of the population lives in rural areas. They are mostly small subsistent farmers whose production depends almost entirely on rainfall. They are therefore very sensitive to drought episodes that may dramatically affect their incomes. Although, as a consequence of the increasing frequency, length and severity of drought episodes in the late 90's, the Moroccan government decided, to move on from a crisis to a risk management approach, drought management remains in practice mainly reactive and often ineffective. The lack of effectiveness of public policy is in part a consequence of the poor understanding of drought vulnerability at the rural community level, which prevents the development of efficient mitigation actions and adaptation strategies, tailored to the needs and specificities of each rural community. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess and map drought vulnerability at the rural commune level in the Oum Er-Rbia basin which is a very heterogeneous basin, showing a big variability of climates, landscapes, cropping systems and social habits. Agricultural data collected from the provincial and local administrations of Agriculture and socio-economic data from the National Department of Statistics were used to compute a composite vulnerability index (DVI) integrating four different components: (i) the renewable natural capacity, (ii) the economic capacity, (iii) human and civic resources, and (iv) infrastructure and technology. The drought vulnerability maps that were derived from the computation of the DVI shows that except very specific areas, most of the Oum er Rbia

Vulnerability assessment and mitigation for the Chinese railway system under floods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Liu; Ouyang, Min; Peeta, Srinivas; He, Xiaozheng; Yan, Yongze

2015-01-01

The economy of China and the travel needs of its citizens depend significantly on the continuous and reliable services provided by its railway system. However, this system is subject to frequent natural hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, and debris flow. A mechanism to assess the railway system vulnerability under these hazards and the design of effective vulnerability mitigation strategies are essential to the reliable functioning of the railway system. This article proposes a comprehensive methodology to quantitatively assess the railway system vulnerability under floods using historical data and GIS technology. The proposed methodology includes a network representation of the railway system, the generation of flood event scenarios, a method to estimate railway link vulnerability, and a quantitative vulnerability value computation approach. The railway system vulnerability is evaluated in terms of its service disruption related to the number of interrupted trains and the durations of interruption. A maintenance strategy to mitigate vulnerability is proposed that simultaneously considers link vulnerability and number of trains using it. Numerical experiments show that the flood-induced vulnerability of the proposed representation of the Chinese railway system reaches its maximum monthly value in July, and the proposed vulnerability mitigation strategy is more effective compared to other strategies. - Highlights: • We propose a methodology to assess flood-induced railway system vulnerability. • Railway system vulnerability is evaluated in terms of its service disruption. • Chinese railway system reaches its maximum monthly vulnerability in July. • We propose an effective maintenance strategy considering link vulnerability and burden

Osteosíntesis mini-invasiva con placas bloqueadas en fracturas metafisarias distales de tibia. Resultados clínico-funcionales. [Minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis in distal metaphyseal fractures of tibia. Comparison of results between fractures AO 43A and AO 43C.

OpenAIRE

Juan Manuel Yañez Arauz; Ignacio Arzac Ulla; Javier Del Vecchio; Andres Eksarho; Leandro Civetta; Rodrigo Perez Davila

2015-01-01

Introducción Las fracturas distales de tibia son un desafío para el tratamiento debido a la escasa cobertura y particular vascularización. Los objetivos del presente estudio son analizar los resultados clínicos y funcionales de los pacientes con fractura de tibia distal; tratados con técnica MIPO (minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis) con placas bloqueadas; comparar los resultados del grupo de fracturas tipo AO 43A con las tipo AO 43C1-C2; y comparar los resultados MIPO con el tratamie...

Identifying Vulnerabilities and Hardening Attack Graphs for Networked Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saha, Sudip; Vullinati, Anil K.; Halappanavar, Mahantesh; Chatterjee, Samrat

2016-09-15

We investigate efficient security control methods for protecting against vulnerabilities in networked systems. A large number of interdependent vulnerabilities typically exist in the computing nodes of a cyber-system; as vulnerabilities get exploited, starting from low level ones, they open up the doors to more critical vulnerabilities. These cannot be understood just by a topological analysis of the network, and we use the attack graph abstraction of Dewri et al. to study these problems. In contrast to earlier approaches based on heuristics and evolutionary algorithms, we study rigorous methods for quantifying the inherent vulnerability and hardening cost for the system. We develop algorithms with provable approximation guarantees, and evaluate them for real and synthetic attack graphs.

Social Vulnerability and Ebola Virus Disease in Rural Liberia.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanturf, John A; Goodrick, Scott L; Warren, Melvin L; Charnley, Susan; Stegall, Christie M

2015-01-01

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic that has stricken thousands of people in the three West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea highlights the lack of adaptive capacity in post-conflict countries. The scarcity of health services in particular renders these populations vulnerable to multiple interacting stressors including food insecurity, climate change, and the cascading effects of disease epidemics such as EVD. However, the spatial distribution of vulnerable rural populations and the individual stressors contributing to their vulnerability are unknown. We developed a Social Vulnerability Classification using census indicators and mapped it at the district scale for Liberia. According to the Classification, we estimate that districts having the highest social vulnerability lie in the north and west of Liberia in Lofa, Bong, Grand Cape Mount, and Bomi Counties. Three of these counties together with the capital Monrovia and surrounding Montserrado and Margibi counties experienced the highest levels of EVD infections in Liberia. Vulnerability has multiple dimensions and a classification developed from multiple variables provides a more holistic view of vulnerability than single indicators such as food insecurity or scarcity of health care facilities. Few rural Liberians are food secure and many cannot reach a medical clinic in Liberia may be warranted. We demonstrate how social vulnerability index approaches can be applied in the context of disease outbreaks, and our methods are relevant elsewhere.

Vulnerability in north- central Vietnam

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Casse, Thorkil; Milhøj, Anders; Nguyen, Thao Phuong

2015-01-01

This article examines changes in livelihood strategies in response to flooding. It does so on the basis of a household survey which was undertaken in three provinces in north central Vietnam. All households in the survey were regularly affected by flooding, but only poor households experience a l...... the impact of flooding in the provinces. The article ends by looking at the vulnerability-resilience debate concluding that the poorer households could enter a vulnerability loop, unless new strategies to cope with natural hazards are suggested....

Managing a network vulnerability assessment

CERN Document Server

Peltier, Thomas R; Blackley, John A

2003-01-01

Managing a Network Vulnerability Assessment provides a formal framework for finding and eliminating network security threats, ensuring that no vulnerabilities are overlooked. This thorough overview focuses on the steps necessary to successfully manage an assessment, including the development of a scope statement, the understanding and proper use of assessment methodology, the creation of an expert assessment team, and the production of a valuable response report. The book also details what commercial, freeware, and shareware tools are available, how they work, and how to use them.

6 CFR 27.215 - Security vulnerability assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Security vulnerability assessments. 27.215 Section 27.215 Domestic Security DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CHEMICAL FACILITY ANTI-TERRORISM STANDARDS Chemical Facility Security Program § 27.215 Security vulnerability...

Vulnerability of families with children with intestinal stomas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara Ferraz Lazarini Zacarin

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Intestinal stomas cause transformations in the body and create specific and continuous needs for care that imply in hospitalization and surgeries. In this context, we applied the concept of family vulnerability in order to identify the vulnerability of the family living with a child who has intestinal stoma. It is a qualitative study which interviewed the mothers of children with this chronic condition. We used narrative analysis based on the concept of family vulnerability. The results display that the family has gone through previous noteworthy experiences associated with the child’s condition. The family cares for the child on their own and seeks ways to control the situation and regain autonomy, hoping for stoma reversal. Based on the concept of vulnerability, we observed that these families can be considered vulnerable, for they experience threats to their autonomy, but are moved by the hope of reversal and intestinal tract reconstruction. doi: 10.5216/ree.v16i2.26639.

CARACTERIZACIÓN BIOLÓGICA DE VARIANTES DE PLACA DE LA CEPA VACUNAL 17D CONTRA LA FIEBRE AMARILLA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Rojas

2009-09-01

Full Text Available La vacuna colombiana 17D, contiene por lo menos cuatro fenotipos, denominados pequeño (0.3 – 1.2 mm, mediano (1.3 – 2.1 mm, grande (2.2 – 3.0 mm y extragrande (>3.1 mm. La composición y distribución porcentual de esos fenotipos, varió entre lotes y entre ampolletas de un mismo lote. Cada variante fue clonada por dilución de la vacuna y su efecto virulento fue analizado en ratones; el fenotipo de placa pequeño estuvo ligeramente sub representado en los lotes analizados y mostró una virulencia similar a la de la cepa silvestre neurotrópica Francesa (LD50 > 10-6, mientras que el fenotipo predominante y mas atenuado fue el mediano (LD50: 10-4. Los fenotipos grande y extragrande mostraron una virulencia intermedia (LD 50: 10 – 5  con relación a los anteriores. Los análisis de secuencia de las variantes sobre una región comprendida entre el extremo 3´NS5 y el inicio de 3´NCR, mostró la cercanía entre aquellas variantes con algún grado de virulencia, y entre la variante atenuada y la vacuna colombiana. La heterogeneidad de la vacuna 17D, constituye una evidencia de la estructura de quasiespecies propia de los virus RNA y señala cómo los casos de reacciones post vacunales  adversas pueden estar asociados con la aplicación de vacunas fabricadas a partir de cepas virales atenuadas.  

Estrutura florestal em projeto de assentamento, comunidade São Mateus, município de Placas, Pará, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Bezerra da Silva Ribeiro

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o potencial e a estrutura florestal de uma Floresta Ombrófila Densa de terra firme, da Comunidade São Mateus, município de Placas, Pará. A avaliação foi realizada em dois tipos de ambiente, sendo, um, em Floresta Manejada (FM e, outro, em Floresta Não Manejada (FNM. Foram alocadas 20 unidades amostrais, sendo nove em FM e 11 em FNM. Em cada unidade amostral, os indivíduos foram inventariados em três classes de tamanho (CT: CT1 - 10 cm 50 cm (50 m x 200 m. As formas de utilização de todas as espécies arbóreas registradas foram verificadas por meio de entrevistas com assentados, no comércio, nas feiras livres e no mercado municipal de Santarém. Foram amostrados 472,6 árvores/ha na FM, distribuídas em 134 espécies e, na FNM, 508,0 árvores/ha, distribuídas em 146 espécies. As espécies de maior valor de importância nos dois tipos florestais foram: Licania kunthianamm Hook. f. (Chrysobalanaceae e Mezilaurus itauba Taubert ex Mez (Lauraceae. As espécies que mais se destacaram com diferentes possibilidades de uso foram: Protium cf. heptaphyllum (Aubl. Marchand (Burseraceae, Hymenaea courbaril L. (Fabaceae e Caryocar villosum (Aubl. Pers (Caryocaraceae. Após quatro anos de colheitas, não ocorreu diferenciação estrutural entre FM e FNM.

Tsunami vulnerability assessment in the western coastal belt in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Ranagalage, M. M.

2017-12-01

26th December 2004 tsunami disaster has caused massive loss of life, damage to coastal infrastructures and disruption to economic activities in the coastal belt of Sri Lanka. Tsunami vulnerability assessment is a requirement for disaster risk and vulnerability reduction. It plays a major role in identifying the extent and level of vulnerabilities to disasters within the communities. There is a need for a clearer understanding of the disaster risk patterns and factors contributing to it in different parts of the coastal belt. The main objective of this study is to investigate tsunami vulnerability assessment of Moratuwa Municipal council area in Sri Lanka. We have selected Moratuwa area due to considering urbanization pattern and Tsunami hazards of the country. Different data sets such as one-meter resolution LiDAR data, orthophoto, population, housing data and road layer were employed in this study. We employed tsunami vulnerability model for 1796 housing units located there, for a tsunami scenario with a maximum run-up 8 meters. 86% of the total land area affected by the tsunami in 8 meters scenarios. Additionally, building population has been used to estimate population in different vulnerability levels. The result shows that 32% of the buildings have extremely critical vulnerability level, 46% have critical vulnerability level, 22% have high vulnerability level, and 1% have a moderate vulnerability. According to the population estimation model results, 18% reside building with extremely critical vulnerability, 43% with critical vulnerability, 36% with high vulnerability and 3% belong to moderate vulnerability level. The results of the study provide a clear picture of tsunami vulnerability. Outcomes of this analysis can use as a valuable tool for urban planners to assess the risk and extent of disaster risk reduction which could be achieved via suitable mitigation measures to manage the coastal belt in Sri Lanka.

Perspectives on plant vulnerabilities ampersand other plant and containment improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaChance, J.; Kolaczkowski, A.; Kahn, J.

1996-01-01

The primary goal of the Individual Plant Examination (IPE) Program was for licensees to identify plant-unique vulnerabilities and actions to address these vulnerabilities. A review of these vulnerabilities and plant improvements that were identified in the IPEs was performed as part of the IPE Insights Program sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The purpose of this effort was to characterize the identified vulnerabilities and the impact of suggested plant improvements. No specific definition for open-quotes vulnerabilityclose quotes was provided in NRC Generic Letter 88-20 or in the subsequent NRC IPE submittal guidance documented in NUREG-1335. Thus licensees were left to use their own definitions. Only 20% of the plants explicitly stated that they had vulnerabilities. However, most licensees identified other plant improvements to address issues not explicitly classified as vulnerabilities, but pertaining to areas in which overall plant safety could potentially be increased. The various definitions of open-quotes vulnerabilityclose quotes used by the licensees, explicitly identified vulnerabilities, proposed plant improvements to address these vulnerabilities, and other plant improvements are summarized and discussed

Macroeconomic Vulnerability in Developing Countries: Approaches and Issues

OpenAIRE

Anuradha Seth; Amr Ragab

2012-01-01

Economic vulnerability is approached from micro- and macroeconomic perspectives. While the microeconomic perspective is concerned with the impact of shocks on the well-being of individual households, the macroeconomic perspective focuses on the impact of these shocks on economic growth. This paper reviews the literature on macroeconomic vulnerability and finds that there is no single approach to understanding macroeconomic vulnerability in the context of financial and economic crises in devel...

The principle of vulnerability and its potential applications in bioethics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Demény Enikő

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The principle of vulnerability is a specific principle within European Bioethics. On the one hand, vulnerability expresses human limits and frailty on the other hand it represents moral and ethical action principles. In this paper a discussion on the relationship between the concepts of autonomy, vulnerability and responsibility is proposed and presentation of some possible applications of the principle of vulnerability within bioethics. In conclusion, some potential benefits of applying the principle of vulnerability as well as possible difficulties in its application are highlighted.

An Integrated Method of Supply Chains Vulnerability Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiaguo Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Supply chain vulnerability identification and evaluation are extremely important to mitigate the supply chain risk. We present an integrated method to assess the supply chain vulnerability. The potential failure mode of the supply chain vulnerability is analyzed through the SCOR model. Combining the fuzzy theory and the gray theory, the correlation degree of each vulnerability indicator can be calculated and the target improvements can be carried out. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we use Kendall’s tau coefficient to measure the effect of different methods. The result shows that the presented method has the highest consistency in the assessment compared with the other two methods.

Anaphylaxis vulnerable groups

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ehab

Age groups vulnerable to serious attacks of anaphylaxis include infants, teenagers, pregnant women, and the elderly. Concomitant diseases, such as severe or uncontrolled asthma, cardiovascular disease, mastocytosis or clonal mast cell disorders and the concurrent use of some medications such as beta adrenergic ...

Focus on CSIR research in water resources: improved methods for aquifer vulnerability assessments and protocols (AVAP) for producing vulnerability maps, taking into account information on soils

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Colvin, C

2007-08-01

Full Text Available for Aquifer Vulnerability Assessments and Protocols (AVAP) for producing vulnerability maps, taking into account information on soils Groundwater resources are increas- ingly threatened by pollution. The AVAP project was initiated to develop improved... characteristics. Both intrinsic and specific vulnerability are taken into account. The approach used to determine the vulnerability of the in- termediate zone involved the descrip- tion and quantification of the factors that influence vulnerability (unsatu...

Review Article: A comparison of flood and earthquake vulnerability assessment indicators

Science.gov (United States)

de Ruiter, Marleen C.; Ward, Philip J.; Daniell, James E.; Aerts, Jeroen C. J. H.

2017-07-01

In a cross-disciplinary study, we carried out an extensive literature review to increase understanding of vulnerability indicators used in the disciplines of earthquake- and flood vulnerability assessments. We provide insights into potential improvements in both fields by identifying and comparing quantitative vulnerability indicators grouped into physical and social categories. Next, a selection of index- and curve-based vulnerability models that use these indicators are described, comparing several characteristics such as temporal and spatial aspects. Earthquake vulnerability methods traditionally have a strong focus on object-based physical attributes used in vulnerability curve-based models, while flood vulnerability studies focus more on indicators applied to aggregated land-use classes in curve-based models. In assessing the differences and similarities between indicators used in earthquake and flood vulnerability models, we only include models that separately assess either of the two hazard types. Flood vulnerability studies could be improved using approaches from earthquake studies, such as developing object-based physical vulnerability curve assessments and incorporating time-of-the-day-based building occupation patterns. Likewise, earthquake assessments could learn from flood studies by refining their selection of social vulnerability indicators. Based on the lessons obtained in this study, we recommend future studies for exploring risk assessment methodologies across different hazard types.

Assessing local vulnerability to climate change in Ecuador

OpenAIRE

Fernandez, Mario Andres; Bucaram, Santiago J.; Renteria, Willington

2015-01-01

Vulnerability assessments have become necessary to increase the understanding of climate-sensitive systems and inform resource allocation in developing countries. Challenges arise when poor economic and social development combines with heterogeneous climatic conditions. Thus, finding and harmonizing good-quality data at local scale may be a significant hurdle for vulnerability research. In this paper we assess vulnerability to climate change at a local level in Ecuador. We take Ecuador as a c...

Mental vulnerability and survival after cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nakaya, Naoki; Bidstrup, Pernille E; Eplov, Lene F

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that personality traits affect survival after cancer, but studies have produced inconsistent results. This study examined the association between mental vulnerability and survival after cancer in Denmark in a prospective cohort study. METHODS: Between 1976...... and 2001, 12733 residents of Copenhagen completed a questionnaire eliciting information on a 12-item mental vulnerability scale, as well as various personal data. Follow-up in the Danish Cancer Registry until 2003 identified 884 incident cases of primary cancer, and follow-up for death from the date...... of cancer diagnosis until 2003 identified 382 deaths. Mental vulnerability scores were divided into 4 approximately equal-sized groups. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Multivariate HR for all-cause mortality for persons...

Workplace support after breast cancer treatment: recognition of vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiedtke, Corine; Dierckx de Casterlé, Bernadette; Donceel, Peter; de Rijk, Angelique

2015-01-01

Support from the workplace seems to be a key element in addressing the poor return-to-work (RTW) rate of employees with breast cancer. We aim to acquire an in-depth understanding of how Flemish employees experience their RTW after breast cancer and the support from the workplace. Fourteen in-depth interviews of women who experienced breast cancer and returned to work (high school graduates, age range 42-55 years, mean age 48 at time of surgery) were analysed using the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven (QUAGOL), based on a Grounded Theory approach. The key experiences were feeling vulnerable, feeling able to work and need for support. Although little diversity in RTW experiences was found, the background of the vulnerability varied. Women experienced support (which could be emotional or practical) only as adequate if it addressed their specific vulnerability. Employees felt particularly vulnerable. Vulnerability is not the same as low-work ability and as such it should be added as theoretical concept in RTW research. Adequate workplace support addresses the specific vulnerability of an individual woman. Our study offers a nuanced insight into the RTW process of breast cancer survivors. Upon actual return-to-work (RTW) after breast cancer treatment, women feel vulnerable but able to work and, hence, have a high need for workplace support. Support from the workplace during RTW after breast cancer treatment is experienced as adequate when it expresses genuine recognition of the individual woman's vulnerability.

IT Security Vulnerability and Incident Response Management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hafkamp, W.H.M.; Paulus, S.; Pohlman, N.; Reimer, H.

2006-01-01

This paper summarises the results of a Dutch PhD research project on IT security vulnerability and incident response management, which is supervised by the University of Twente in the Netherlands and which is currently in its final stage. Vulnerabilities are ‘failures or weaknesses in computer

Managing Risk, Reducing Vulnerability and Enhancing Productivity ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Managing Risk, Reducing Vulnerability and Enhancing Productivity under a Changing Climate. The countries of the Greater Horn of Africa are particularly vulnerable to drought, exacerbated by widespread poverty and dependence on rainfed agriculture. Even with normal rainfall, the region does not produce enough food to ...

A preliminary analysis of quantifying computer security vulnerability data in "the wild"

Science.gov (United States)

Farris, Katheryn A.; McNamara, Sean R.; Goldstein, Adam; Cybenko, George

2016-05-01

A system of computers, networks and software has some level of vulnerability exposure that puts it at risk to criminal hackers. Presently, most vulnerability research uses data from software vendors, and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). We propose an alternative path forward through grounding our analysis in data from the operational information security community, i.e. vulnerability data from "the wild". In this paper, we propose a vulnerability data parsing algorithm and an in-depth univariate and multivariate analysis of the vulnerability arrival and deletion process (also referred to as the vulnerability birth-death process). We find that vulnerability arrivals are best characterized by the log-normal distribution and vulnerability deletions are best characterized by the exponential distribution. These distributions can serve as prior probabilities for future Bayesian analysis. We also find that over 22% of the deleted vulnerability data have a rate of zero, and that the arrival vulnerability data is always greater than zero. Finally, we quantify and visualize the dependencies between vulnerability arrivals and deletions through a bivariate scatterplot and statistical observations.

Assessing vulnerability to drought: identifying underlying factors across Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Urquijo, Julia; Gonzalez Tánago, Itziar; Ballesteros, Mario; De Stefano, Lucia

2015-04-01

Drought is considered one of the most severe and damaging natural hazards in terms of people and sectors affected and associated losses. Drought is a normal and recurrent climatic phenomenon that occurs worldwide, although its spatial and temporal characteristics vary significantly among climates. In the case of Europe, in the last thirty years, the region has suffered several drought events that have caused estimated economic damages over a €100 billion and have affected almost 20% of its territory and population. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness among experts and authorities of the need to shift from a reactive crisis approach to a drought risk management approach, as well as of the importance of designing and implementing policies, strategies and plans at country and river basin levels to deal with drought. The identification of whom and what is vulnerable to drought is a central aspect of drought risk mitigation and planning and several authors agree that societal vulnerability often determines drought risk more than the actual precipitation shortfalls. The final aim of a drought vulnerability assessment is to identify the underlying sources of drought impact, in order to develop policy options that help to enhance coping capacity and therefore to prevent drought impact. This study identifies and maps factors underlying vulnerability to drought across Europe. The identification of factors influencing vulnerability starts from the analysis of past drought impacts in four European socioeconomic sectors. This analysis, along with an extensive literature review, led to the selection of vulnerability factors that are both relevant and adequate for the European context. Adopting the IPCC model, vulnerability factors were grouped to describe exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The aggregation of these components has resulted in the mapping of vulnerability to drought across Europe at NUTS02 level. Final results have been compared with

Transdisciplinary knowledge integration : cases from integrated assessment and vulnerability assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hinkel, J.

2008-01-01

Keywords: climate change, integrated assessment, knowledge integration, transdisciplinary research, vulnerability, vulnerability assessment.
This thesis explores how transdisciplinary knowledge integration can be facilitated in the context of integrated assessments and vulnerability

Assessment of human-natural system characteristics influencing global freshwater supply vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

Padowski, Julie C.; Gorelick, Steven M.; Thompson, Barton H.; Rozelle, Scott; Fendorf, Scott

2015-10-01

Global freshwater vulnerability is a product of environmental and human dimensions, however, it is rarely assessed as such. Our approach identifies freshwater vulnerability using four broad categories: endowment, demand, infrastructure, and institutions, to capture impacts on natural and managed water systems within the coupled human-hydrologic environment. These categories are represented by 19 different endogenous and exogenous characteristics affecting water supply vulnerability. By evaluating 119 lower per capita income countries (Yemen and Djibouti nearly as vulnerable. Surprising similarities in vulnerability were also found among geographically disparate nations such as Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala. Determining shared patterns of freshwater vulnerability provides insights into why water supply vulnerabilities are manifested in human-water systems at the national scale.

Reducing vulnerability among pastoralists in Northern Kenya

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

CCAA

vulnerability among pastoralist communities in Mandera and Turkana in Northern Kenya, led by the Kenyan NGO ... to understand how people have experienced droughts and other ... norms and gender roles may make them more or less vulnerable, ... and see direct impacts on the resources they depend on for their.

Hydrologic vulnerability of tribal reservation lands across the U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, C., Jr.; Leibowitz, S. G.; Sawicz, K. A.; Comeleo, R. L.; Stratton, L. E.

2017-12-01

We apply the hydrologic landscapes (HL) concept to assess the hydrologic vulnerability to climate of the United States (U.S.) with special emphasis on tribal lands. The basic assumption of the HL approach is that catchments that share similar physical and climatic characteristics are expected to have similar hydrologic characteristics. We map climate vulnerability by integrating a retrospective analysis of historical climate and hydrology into the HL approach, comparing this baseline of variability with future projections of temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, snow accumulation, climatic moisture, surplus water, and seasonality of the water surplus. Projections that are not within two standard deviations of the historical decadal average contribute to the vulnerability index for each metric. This allows stakeholders and/or water resource managers to understand the potential impacts of future conditions. The resulting vulnerability maps show that temperature and potential evapotranspiration are consistently projected to have high vulnerability indices across the U.S. including all tribal reservations. Precipitation vulnerability is not as spatially-uniform as temperature. Most areas with snow are projected to experience significant changes in future snow accumulation. The seasonality vulnerability map shows that mountainous areas in the West are most prone to changes in seasonality. This paper illustrates how the HL approach can help assess climatic and hydrologic vulnerability for disadvantaged groups across the U.S. By combining the HL concept and climate vulnerability analyses, we provide an approach that can assist tribal resource managers to perform vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans, which is a major priority for the tribes nationwide.

Ecosystem Vulnerability Review: Proposal of an Interdisciplinary Ecosystem Assessment Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Weißhuhn, Peter; Müller, Felix; Wiggering, Hubert

2018-06-01

To safeguard the sustainable use of ecosystems and their services, early detection of potentially damaging changes in functional capabilities is needed. To support a proper ecosystem management, the analysis of an ecosystem's vulnerability provide information on its weaknesses as well as on its capacity to recover after suffering an impact. However, the application of the vulnerability concept to ecosystems is still an emerging topic. After providing background on the vulnerability concept, we summarize existing ecosystem vulnerability research on the basis of a systematic literature review with a special focus on ecosystem type, disciplinary background, and more detailed definition of the ecosystem vulnerability components. Using the Web of ScienceTM Core Collection, we overviewed the literature from 1991 onwards but used the 5 years from 2011 to 2015 for an in-depth analysis, including 129 articles. We found that ecosystem vulnerability analysis has been applied most notably in conservation biology, climate change research, and ecological risk assessments, pinpointing a limited spreading across the environmental sciences. It occurred primarily within marine and freshwater ecosystems. To avoid confusion, we recommend using the unambiguous term ecosystem vulnerability rather than ecological, environmental, population, or community vulnerability. Further, common ground has been identified, on which to define the ecosystem vulnerability components exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. We propose a framework for ecosystem assessments that coherently connects the concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptability as different ecosystem responses. A short outlook on the possible operationalization of the concept by ecosystem vulnerabilty indices, and a conclusion section complete the review.

Effect of a 0.5% chlorhexidine gel on dental plaque superinfecting microorganisms in mentally handicapped patients Efeito do gel de clorexidina a 0,5% em microrganismos superinfectantes da placa bacteriana de portadores de necessidades especiais

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cláudio Mendes Pannuti

2003-09-01

Full Text Available A randomized clinical trial was conducted to investigate the effect of a 0.5% chlorhexidine (CHX gel on dental plaque superinfecting microorganisms in mentally handicapped patients. Thirty inmates from the institution "Casas André Luiz" were assigned to either test group (CHX gel, n = 15 or control group (placebo gel, n = 15. The gel was administered over a period of 8 weeks. Supragingival plaque samples were collected at baseline, after gel use (8 weeks and 16 weeks after baseline. The presence of Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus and yeasts was evaluated. No significant growth of any superinfecting microorganism was observed in the CHX group, when compared to the placebo group. The results indicated that the 0.5% chlorhexidine gel did not produce an undesirable shift in these bacterial populations.Foi conduzido um ensaio clínico aleatório com objetivo de investigar o efeito do gel de clorexidina (CHX a 0,5% sobre microorganismos superinfectantes da placa bacteriana de pacientes especiais. Trinta internos da instituição "Casas André Luiz" foram aleatoriamente divididos em grupo teste (gel de CHX, n = 15 e controle (gel placebo, n = 15. O gel foi utilizado por oito semanas. Amostras de placa supragengival foram coletadas no início do estudo, após o uso do gel (oito semanas e 16 semanas após o início do estudo. Foi avaliada a presença de bacilos entéricos Gram-negativos, Staphylococcus e leveduras. Não houve diferença entre os grupos quanto à presença desses microorganismos em qualquer momento do estudo. Os resultados indicam que o gel de CHX não provocou mudanças significativas na composição desses microorganismos.

El cálculo de placas de anclaje de soportes metálicos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soto Pardo, M.

1971-05-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to contribute to the design calculation of anchorage plates, whose detailed behaviour is not well known. Due to the briefness of this investigation, readers are invited to amplify and complete it, and if necessary to correct it, since it is probable that a new investigation may include errors of method. The contents can be summarised as follows: 1. The classical design calculation of anchorage plates should be revised since it is based on an inaccurate idea on the actual behaviour and strength potential of mass concrete. Designers should know that this method implies a safety factor of the order of 10. This knowledge should give him confidence in cases of possible error, or when base reinforcements have been omitted, or placed after loading the structure. 2. The new calculation criterion is given in art. 54 of Code IEH-68, which authorises stresses to be increased, though still keeping them within fairly conservative limits. Since currently IEH-68 is the standard calculation code, it is advised that is should be strictly followed, and this paper should not be an invitation to anyone to go beyond the authorised limits given in this code. The purpose of this paper is not to offer a more economic formula, but to clarify ideas. 3. A metal column directly welded to a baseplate, without cross reinforcements, is always outside Code IEH-68, for normal slenderness values. However, this design can be regarded as fairly acceptable in the case of compound columns with separable extrusions (II, ] [, [ ], acceptable for simple or joined extrusions ([ ], I as can be inferred from tables 1, 2 and 3 (see the value of ɣb- 4. As a practical guidance, design calculations can generally be based on a stress of 120 kp/cm2El presente estudio intenta aportar algo al cálculo de placas de anclaje, colaborando en el enfoque de un fenómeno, en general, mal conocido. Consciente de la exigua extensión de este trabajo, impuesta por la falta de tiempo

Vulnerability of birds to climate change in California's Sierra Nevada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodney B. Siegel

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In a rapidly changing climate, effective bird conservation requires not only reliable information about the current vulnerability of species of conservation concern, but also credible projections of their future vulnerability. Such projections may enable managers to preempt or reduce emerging climate-related threats through appropriate habitat management. We used NatureServe's Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI to predict vulnerability to climate change of 168 bird species that breed in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, USA. The CCVI assesses species-specific exposure and sensitivity to climate change within a defined geographic area, through the integration of (a species' range maps, (b information about species' natural history traits and ecological relationships, (c historic and current climate data, and (d spatially explicit climate change projections. We conducted the assessment under two different downscaled climate models with divergent projections about future precipitation through the middle of the 21st century. Assessments differed relatively little under the two climate models. Of five CCVI vulnerability ranking categories, only one species, White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura, received the most vulnerable rank, Extremely Vulnerable. No species received the second-highest vulnerability ranking, Highly Vulnerable. Sixteen species scored as Moderately Vulnerable using one or both climate models: Common Merganser (Mergus merganser, Osprey (Pandion haliaetus, Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis, Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus, Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus, Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius, Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa, Black Swift (Cypseloides niger, Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana, American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus, Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus, American Pipit (Anthus rubescens, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis, Pine Grosbeak

GIS Based Measurement and Regulatory Zoning of Urban Ecological Vulnerability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaorui Zhang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Urban ecological vulnerability is measured on the basis of ecological sensitivity and resilience based on the concept analysis of vulnerability. GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA methods are used, supported by the spatial analysis tools of GIS, to define different levels of vulnerability for areas of the urban ecology. These areas are further classified into different types of regulatory zones. Taking the city of Hefei in China as the empirical research site, this study uses GIS-MCDA, including the index system, index weights and overlay rules, to measure the degree of its ecological vulnerability on the GIS platform. There are eight indices in the system. Raking and analytical hierarchy process (AHP methods are used to calculate index weights according to the characteristics of the index system. The integrated overlay rule, including selection of the maximum value, and weighted linear combination (WLC are applied as the overlay rules. In this way, five types of vulnerability areas have been classified as follows: very low vulnerability, low vulnerability, medium vulnerability, high vulnerability and very high vulnerability. They can be further grouped into three types of regulatory zone of ecological green line, ecological grey line and ecological red line. The study demonstrates that ecological green line areas are the largest (53.61% of the total study area and can be intensively developed; ecological grey line areas (19.59% of the total area can serve as the ecological buffer zone, and ecological red line areas (26.80% cannot be developed and must be protected. The results indicate that ecological green line areas may provide sufficient room for future urban development in Hefei city. Finally, the respective regulatory countermeasures are put forward. This research provides a scientific basis for decision-making around urban ecological protection, construction and sustainable development. It also provides theoretical method

Measuring vulnerability to disaster displacement

Science.gov (United States)

Brink, Susan A.; Khazai, Bijan; Power, Christopher; Wenzel, Friedemann

2015-04-01

Large scale disasters can cause devastating impacts in terms of population displacement. Between 2008 and 2013, on average 27 million people were displaced annually by disasters (Yonetani 2014). After large events such as hurricane Katrina or the Port-au-Prince earthquake, images of inadequate public shelter and concerns about large scale and often inequitable migration have been broadcast around the world. Population displacement can often be one of the most devastating and visible impacts of a natural disaster. Despite the importance of population displacement in disaster events, measures to understand the socio-economic vulnerability of a community often use broad metrics to estimate the total socio-economic risk of an event rather than focusing on the specific impacts that a community faces in a disaster. Population displacement is complex and multi-causal with the physical impact of a disaster interacting with vulnerability arising from the response, environmental issues (e.g., weather), cultural concerns (e.g., expectations of adequate shelter), and many individual factors (e.g., mobility, risk perception). In addition to the complexity of the causes, population displacement is difficult to measure because of the wide variety of different terms and definitions and its multi-dimensional nature. When we speak of severe population displacement, we may refer to a large number of displaced people, an extended length of displacement or associated difficulties such as poor shelter quality, risk of violence and crime in shelter communities, discrimination in aid, a lack of access to employment or other difficulties that can be associated with large scale population displacement. We have completed a thorough review of the literature on disaster population displacement. Research has been conducted on historic events to understand the types of negative impacts associated with population displacement and also the vulnerability of different groups to these impacts. We

SSL/TLS Vulnerability Detection Using Black Box Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Gunawan, D.; Sitorus, E. H.; Rahmat, R. F.; Hizriadi, A.

2018-03-01

Socket Secure Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are cryptographic protocols that provide data encryption to secure the communication over a network. However, in some cases, there are vulnerability found in the implementation of SSL/TLS because of weak cipher key, certificate validation error or session handling error. One of the most vulnerable SSL/TLS bugs is heartbleed. As the security is essential in data communication, this research aims to build a scanner that detect the SSL/TLS vulnerability by using black box approach. This research will focus on heartbleed case. In addition, this research also gathers information about existing SSL in the server. The black box approach is used to test the output of a system without knowing the process inside the system itself. For testing purpose, this research scanned websites and found that some of the websites still have SSL/TLS vulnerability. Thus, the black box approach can be used to detect the vulnerability without considering the source code and the process inside the application.

Examining social, physical, and environmental dimensions of tornado vulnerability in Texas.

Science.gov (United States)

Siebeneck, Laura

2016-01-01

To develop a vulnerability model that captures the social, physical, and environmental dimensions of tornado vulnerability of Texas counties. Guided by previous research and methodologies proposed in the hazards and emergency management literature, a principle components analysis is used to create a tornado vulnerability index. Data were gathered from open source information available through the US Census Bureau, American Community Surveys, and the Texas Natural Resources Information System. Texas counties. The results of the model yielded three indices that highlight geographic variability of social vulnerability, built environment vulnerability, and tornado hazard throughout Texas. Further analyses suggest that counties with the highest tornado vulnerability include those with high population densities and high tornado risk. This article demonstrates one method for assessing statewide tornado vulnerability and presents how the results of this type of analysis can be applied by emergency managers towards the reduction of tornado vulnerability in their communities.

Vulnerability of networks of interacting Markov chains.

Science.gov (United States)

Kocarev, L; Zlatanov, N; Trajanov, D

2010-05-13

The concept of vulnerability is introduced for a model of random, dynamical interactions on networks. In this model, known as the influence model, the nodes are arranged in an arbitrary network, while the evolution of the status at a node is according to an internal Markov chain, but with transition probabilities that depend not only on the current status of that node but also on the statuses of the neighbouring nodes. Vulnerability is treated analytically and numerically for several networks with different topological structures, as well as for two real networks--the network of infrastructures and the EU power grid--identifying the most vulnerable nodes of these networks.

DOE contractor vulnerability analysis: DPA or MAIT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Six, D.E.; Nichols, D.H.

1980-01-01

Two vulnerability analysis techniques, Diversion Path Analysis (DPA) and Matrix Analysis of the Insider Threat (MAIT), were applied by EG and G Idaho, Inc. Safeguards and Security to the same item accountable SNM storage area at INEL. Technical and cost data for each methodology were collected and compared. A recommendation that MAIT be utilized for future vulnerability analyses of item accountable SNM storage and use areas operated by EG and G Idaho for DOE-ID resulted. Unclassified results of the two techniques and MAIT/DPA technical and cost comparisons will be presented which show that MAIT can be used for vulnerability analyses to comply with Department of Energy (DOE) requirements

Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change: Agricultural ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-04-21

Apr 21, 2016 ... Much of this biodiversity is highly vulnerable to climate change. ... an astonishing range of life forms found nowhere else on the planet. ... As well as improving information on climate change vulnerabilities, ... They also note negative effects on traditional knowledge, which is seen as losing its sacred power.

Configuration Fuzzing for Software Vulnerability Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Huning; Murphy, Christian; Kaiser, Gail

2010-02-15

Many software security vulnerabilities only reveal themselves under certain conditions, i.e., particular configurations of the software together with its particular runtime environment. One approach to detecting these vulnerabilities is fuzz testing, which feeds a range of randomly modified inputs to a software application while monitoring it for failures. However, typical fuzz testing makes no guarantees regarding the syntactic and semantic validity of the input, or of how much of the input space will be explored. To address these problems, in this paper we present a new testing methodology called configuration fuzzing. Configuration fuzzing is a technique whereby the configuration of the running application is randomly modified at certain execution points, in order to check for vulnerabilities that only arise in certain conditions. As the application runs in the deployment environment, this testing technique continuously fuzzes the configuration and checks "security invariants" that, if violated, indicate a vulnerability; however, the fuzzing is performed in a duplicated copy of the original process, so that it does not affect the state of the running application. In addition to discussing the approach and describing a prototype framework for implementation, we also present the results of a case study to demonstrate the approach's efficiency.

Virtuous aging and existential vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Laceulle, Hanne

2017-12-01

In its efforts to overcome problematic views that associate aging with inevitable decline, contemporary gerontology shows a tendency to focus predominantly on age-related vulnerabilities that science may try to remedy and control. However, gerontology should also offer languages to address vulnerabilities that cannot be remedied because they intrinsically belong to the human condition. After all, these are increasingly radically encountered in later life and should therefore be reflected upon in the study of aging. Humanistic gerontology seems to be the most promising field to look for languages capable of contemplating such existential vulnerabilities. The potential contribution of philosophy in this field remains underdeveloped so far, however. This article therefore aims to introduce insights from the philosophical tradition to (humanistic) gerontology. More specifically, it focuses on the tradition of virtue ethics, arguing that virtue is a particularly relevant notion to explore in dealing with existential vulnerability in later life. The notion of virtue is clarified by discussing a selection of philosophical perspectives on this topic, by Aristotle, MacIntyre and Swanton. Next a brief overview will be given of some of the ways the notion of virtue has found its way into gerontological discourse so far. The article ends with an analysis of the merits of virtue-ethical discourse for the study of aging and later life, and pleads for more inclusion of philosophical ideas such as virtue in gerontology, as these can enrich our conceptual frameworks and help us relate to deep existential questions regarding the experience of aging. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vulnerability of birds to climate change in California's Sierra Nevada

OpenAIRE

Rodney B. Siegel; Peter Pyle; James H. Thorne; Andrew J. Holguin; Christine A. Howell; Sarah Stock; Morgan W. Tingley

2014-01-01

In a rapidly changing climate, effective bird conservation requires not only reliable information about the current vulnerability of species of conservation concern, but also credible projections of their future vulnerability. Such projections may enable managers to preempt or reduce emerging climate-related threats through appropriate habitat management. We used NatureServe's Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to predict vulnerability to climate change of 168 bird species that breed i...

Vulnerability of European freshwater catchments to climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Markovic, Danijela; Carrizo, Savrina F; Kärcher, Oskar; Walz, Ariane; David, Jonathan N W

2017-09-01

Climate change is expected to exacerbate the current threats to freshwater ecosystems, yet multifaceted studies on the potential impacts of climate change on freshwater biodiversity at scales that inform management planning are lacking. The aim of this study was to fill this void through the development of a novel framework for assessing climate change vulnerability tailored to freshwater ecosystems. The three dimensions of climate change vulnerability are as follows: (i) exposure to climate change, (ii) sensitivity to altered environmental conditions and (iii) resilience potential. Our vulnerability framework includes 1685 freshwater species of plants, fishes, molluscs, odonates, amphibians, crayfish and turtles alongside key features within and between catchments, such as topography and connectivity. Several methodologies were used to combine these dimensions across a variety of future climate change models and scenarios. The resulting indices were overlaid to assess the vulnerability of European freshwater ecosystems at the catchment scale (18 783 catchments). The Balkan Lakes Ohrid and Prespa and Mediterranean islands emerge as most vulnerable to climate change. For the 2030s, we showed a consensus among the applied methods whereby up to 573 lake and river catchments are highly vulnerable to climate change. The anthropogenic disruption of hydrological habitat connectivity by dams is the major factor reducing climate change resilience. A gap analysis demonstrated that the current European protected area network covers climate change. Priority should be placed on enhancing stakeholder cooperation at the major basin scale towards preventing further degradation of freshwater ecosystems and maintaining connectivity among catchments. The catchments identified as most vulnerable to climate change provide preliminary targets for development of climate change conservation management and mitigation strategies. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rethinking vulnerability analysis and governance with emphasis on a participatory approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossignol, Nicolas; Delvenne, Pierre; Turcanu, Catrinel

2015-01-01

This article draws on vulnerability analysis as it emerged as a complement to classical risk analysis, and it aims at exploring its ability for nurturing risk and vulnerability governance actions. An analysis of the literature on vulnerability analysis allows us to formulate a three-fold critique: first, vulnerability analysis has been treated separately in the natural and the technological hazards fields. This separation prevents vulnerability from unleashing the full range of its potential, as it constrains appraisals into artificial categories and thus already closes down the outcomes of the analysis. Second, vulnerability analysis focused on assessment tools that are mainly quantitative, whereas qualitative appraisal is a key to assessing vulnerability in a comprehensive way and to informing policy making. Third, a systematic literature review of case studies reporting on participatory approaches to vulnerability analysis allows us to argue that participation has been important to address the above, but it remains too closed down in its approach and would benefit from embracing a more open, encompassing perspective. Therefore, we suggest rethinking vulnerability analysis as one part of a dynamic process between opening-up and closing-down strategies, in order to support a vulnerability governance framework. © 2014 Society for Risk Analysis.

Avaliar clinicamente uma solução contendo 0,12% de clorexidina, 0,05% de cetilpiridínico, e 0,05% de fluoreto de sódio na formação da placa e manchamento dental

OpenAIRE

Silva, Wagner Chagas da

2008-01-01

Apesar de sua eficácia no combate de infecções orais, a pigmentação de dentes e língua associada ao uso de soluções de clorexedina é um dos efeitos adversos que mais desencoraja o uso deste antisséptico por tempo prolongado. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o efeito da solução para bochecho contendo 0,12% de clorexidina, 0,05% de cetilpiridínio e 0,05% de fluoreto de sódio, na atividade anti- placa e formação da pigmentação extrínseca dental e da língua. Participara...

Analyses Of Two End-User Software Vulnerability Exposure Metrics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jason L. Wright; Miles McQueen; Lawrence Wellman

2012-08-01

The risk due to software vulnerabilities will not be completely resolved in the near future. Instead, putting reliable vulnerability measures into the hands of end-users so that informed decisions can be made regarding the relative security exposure incurred by choosing one software package over another is of importance. To that end, we propose two new security metrics, average active vulnerabilities (AAV) and vulnerability free days (VFD). These metrics capture both the speed with which new vulnerabilities are reported to vendors and the rate at which software vendors fix them. We then examine how the metrics are computed using currently available datasets and demonstrate their estimation in a simulation experiment using four different browsers as a case study. Finally, we discuss how the metrics may be used by the various stakeholders of software and to software usage decisions.

Seychelles, a vulnerable or resilient SIDS? A local perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dean Philpot

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This article analyses perceptions of residents of the Seychelles in the western Indian Ocean in relation to a long-running debate over small island developing states (SIDS as to whether they are vulnerable or resilient. The results of data obtained from 25 key informant interviews and 70 household surveys conducted in 2013 showed that respondents perceived their country to be both vulnerable and resilient. Moreover, the data revealed that the relationship between vulnerability and resilience was complex, and that five interpretations of that relationship were evident: conflict, compromise, complementarity, symbiosis and transformation. Also, the conceptual distance between the two terms – vulnerability and resilience – was shown to be closer than may be commonly assumed. Finally, the paper questions whether the debate over vulnerability versus resilience is rightly confined to SIDS or could be equally applied to other states.

Modelling homogeneous regions of social vulnerability to malaria in Rwanda.

Science.gov (United States)

Bizimana, Jean Pierre; Kienberger, Stefan; Hagenlocher, Michael; Twarabamenye, Emmanuel

2016-03-31

Despite the decline in malaria incidence due to intense interventions, potentials for malaria transmission persist in Rwanda. To eradicate malaria in Rwanda, strategies need to expand beyond approaches that focus solely on malaria epidemiology and also consider the socioeconomic, demographic and biological/disease-related factors that determine the vulnerability of potentially exposed populations. This paper analyses current levels of social vulnerability to malaria in Rwanda by integrating a set of weighted vulnerability indicators. The paper uses regionalisation techniques as a spatially explicit approach for delineating homogeneous regions of social vulnerability to malaria. This overcomes the limitations of administrative boundaries for modelling the trans-boundary social vulnerability to malaria. The utilised approach revealed high levels of social vulnerability to malaria in the highland areas of Rwanda, as well as in remote areas where populations are more susceptible. Susceptibility may be due to the populations' lacking the capacity to anticipate mosquito bites, or lacking resilience to cope with or recover from malaria infection. By highlighting the most influential indicators of social vulnerability to malaria, the applied approach indicates which vulnerability domains need to be addressed, and where appropriate interventions are most required. Interventions to improve the socioeconomic development in highly vulnerable areas could prove highly effective, and provide sustainable outcomes against malaria in Rwanda. This would ultimately increase the resilience of the population and their capacity to better anticipate, cope with, and recover from possible infection.

Risk assessment by dynamic representation of vulnerability, exploitation, and impact

Science.gov (United States)

Cam, Hasan

2015-05-01

Assessing and quantifying cyber risk accurately in real-time is essential to providing security and mission assurance in any system and network. This paper presents a modeling and dynamic analysis approach to assessing cyber risk of a network in real-time by representing dynamically its vulnerabilities, exploitations, and impact using integrated Bayesian network and Markov models. Given the set of vulnerabilities detected by a vulnerability scanner in a network, this paper addresses how its risk can be assessed by estimating in real-time the exploit likelihood and impact of vulnerability exploitation on the network, based on real-time observations and measurements over the network. The dynamic representation of the network in terms of its vulnerabilities, sensor measurements, and observations is constructed dynamically using the integrated Bayesian network and Markov models. The transition rates of outgoing and incoming links of states in hidden Markov models are used in determining exploit likelihood and impact of attacks, whereas emission rates help quantify the attack states of vulnerabilities. Simulation results show the quantification and evolving risk scores over time for individual and aggregated vulnerabilities of a network.

Intrinsic vulnerability assessment of Sette Comuni Plateau aquifer (Veneto Region, Italy).

Science.gov (United States)

Cucchi, Franco; Franceschini, Giuliana; Zini, Luca; Aurighi, Marina

2008-09-01

Maps illustrating the different degrees of vulnerability within a given area are integral to environmental protection and management policies. The assessment of the intrinsic vulnerability of karst areas is difficult since the type and stage of karst development and the related underground discharge behavior are difficult to determine and quantify. Geographic Information Systems techniques are applied to the evaluation of the vulnerability of an aquifer in the alpine karst area of the Sette Comuni Plateau, in the Veneto Region of northern Italy. The water resources of the studied aquifer are of particular importance to the local communities. This aquifer must therefore be protected from both inappropriate use as well as possible pollution. The SINTACS and SINTACS P(RO) K(ARST) vulnerability assessment methods have been utilized here to create the vulnerability map. SINTACS P(RO) K(ARST) is an adaptation of the parametric managerial model (SINTACS) to karst hydrostructures. The vulnerability map reveals vast zones (81% of the analyzed areas) with a high degree of vulnerability. The presence of well-developed karst structures in these highly vulnerable areas facilitate water percolation, thereby enhancing the groundwater vulnerability risk. Only 1.5 of the studied aquifer have extremely high-vulnerability levels, however these areas include all of the major springs utilized for human consumption. This vulnerability map of the Sette Comuni Plateau aquifer is an indispensable tool for both the effective management of water resources and as support to environmental planning in the Sette Comuni Plateau area.

Vulnerability of the global terrestrial ecosystems to climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Delong; Wu, Shuyao; Liu, Laibao; Zhang, Yatong; Li, Shuangcheng

2018-05-27

Climate change has far-reaching impacts on ecosystems. Recent attempts to quantify such impacts focus on measuring exposure to climate change but largely ignore ecosystem resistance and resilience, which may also affect the vulnerability outcomes. In this study, the relative vulnerability of global terrestrial ecosystems to short-term climate variability was assessed by simultaneously integrating exposure, sensitivity, and resilience at a high spatial resolution (0.05°). The results show that vulnerable areas are currently distributed primarily in plains. Responses to climate change vary among ecosystems and deserts and xeric shrublands are the most vulnerable biomes. Global vulnerability patterns are determined largely by exposure, while ecosystem sensitivity and resilience may exacerbate or alleviate external climate pressures at local scales; there is a highly significant negative correlation between exposure and sensitivity. Globally, 61.31% of the terrestrial vegetated area is capable of mitigating climate change impacts and those areas are concentrated in polar regions, boreal forests, tropical rainforests, and intact forests. Under current sensitivity and resilience conditions, vulnerable areas are projected to develop in high Northern Hemisphere latitudes in the future. The results suggest that integrating all three aspects of vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and resilience) may offer more comprehensive and spatially explicit adaptation strategies to reduce the impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Análise microbiológica da placa bacteriana da doença periodontal em cães e o efeito da antibioticoterapia sobre ela Microbiological analysis of bacterial plaque of periodontal disease on dogs and effects of antibioticotherapy on it

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stella Alves da Fonseca

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Objetivou-se determinar a microbiota da placa bacteriana subgengival de cães com doença periodontal (DP e estabelecer o efeito da antibioticoterapia. Avaliaram-se 20 cães com graus variados de DP e coletaram-se amostras da placa bacteriana subgengival antes e após antibioticoterapia. Preconizou-se antibioticoterapia distinta em dois grupos, com 10 animais cada: clindamicina (G1 e metronidazol + espiramicina (G2. Observou-se crescimento bacteriano subgengival na maioria dos cães com DP e correlação entre a severidade da DP e a idade dos animais. Houve redução significativa no crescimento bacteriano após a antibioticoterapia e o antibiograma demonstrou maior sensibilidade à clindamicina, seguido da espiramicina; todos os microrganismos foram resistentes ao metronidazol.The objective was to determine microbiote of the subgingival bacterial plaque of dogs with periodontal disease (PD and establish the effect of antibioticotherapy on its reduction. Twenty dogs with varied stages of PD were evaluated and samples of their subgingival bacterial plaque were collected. Distinct antibiotic protocols were used in two groups with ten animals each: clindamycin (G1 and metronidazole + espiramycin (G2. New subgingival samples were collected 15 days after antibiotic therapy started. There were observed subgingival bacterial culture on most dogs with PD and correlation between severity of PD and age. There was reduction of bacterial growth in 20% of the samples after treatment and antibiogram showed higher sensibility to clindamycin, followed by espiramycin - all microorganisms were resistant to metronidazole.

Vulnerability of Coastal Communities from Storm Surge and Flood Disasters

Science.gov (United States)

Bathi, Jejal Reddy; Das, Himangshu S.

2016-01-01

Disasters in the form of coastal storms and hurricanes can be very destructive. Preparing for anticipated effects of such disasters can help reduce the public health and economic burden. Identifying vulnerable population groups can help prioritize resources for the most needed communities. This paper presents a quantitative framework for vulnerability measurement that incorporates both socioeconomic and flood inundation vulnerability. The approach is demonstrated for three coastal communities in Mississippi with census tracts being the study unit. The vulnerability results are illustrated as thematic maps for easy usage by planners and emergency responders to assist in prioritizing their actions to vulnerable populations during storm surge and flood disasters. PMID:26907313

Red Team Operations to Assess Information Technology Vulnerabilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veltman, M.; Parker, R.L.

1999-01-01

All Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems have vulnerabilities. Weaknesses in these systems are introduced either during the specification, implementation or operational phase. Leaving aside these introduced vulnerabilities are intentional or unintentional, the fact remains that

Diseño de un colector solar de placa plana; Design of a Solar Flat Plate Collector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeovany Rafael Rodríguez Mejía

2015-12-01

Full Text Available En el presente artículo se integra el uso de un software de diseño mecánico y un algoritmo de simulación de la operación de un colector solar de placa plana, con el objetivo de simplificar el proceso de diseño y manufactura de este último. Se exponen los resultados de la simulación de la operación del colector solar considerando diferentes combinaciones en los parámetros de los materiales utilizados, tales como sus propiedades y características físico químicas, además de la variación de las dimensiones del sistema adiseñar. Finalmente en el artículo se evalúa la operación de un colector solar para las condiciones climatológicas típicas de la irradiancia, velocidad de viento y temperatura ambiente a partir de una serie de curvas sinusoidales, típicas de Cuba, validándose la viabilidad del algoritmo como apoyo en la etapa de diseño y selección de materiales.In this article the use of mechanical design software and an algorithm for simulating the operation of a flat plate solar collector, with the objective of simplifying the process of design and manufacture of the latter isintegrated. The simulation results of the operation of the solar collector considering different combinations in the parameters of the materials used, such as its physicochemical properties and features in addition to thevariation of the dimensions of the system design are set. The article finally evaluates the operation of a solar collector for typical climatic conditions of irradiance, wind speed and ambient temperature from a series ofsinusoidal, typical Cuba curves is evaluated, validating the feasibility of the algorithm as support in step design and material selection.

What if quality of damage data is poor: an Entity-Vulnerability approach for flood vulnerability assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Naso, Susanna; Chen, Albert S.; Djordjević, Slobodan; Aronica, Giuseppe T.

2015-04-01

The classical approach to flood defence, aimed at reducing the probability of flooding through hard defences, has been substituted by flood risk management approach which accepts the idea of coping with floods and aims at reducing not only the probability of flooding, but also the consequences. In this view, the concept of vulnerability becomes central, such as the (non-structural) measures for its increment. On 22 November 2011, an exceptional rainstorm hit the Longano catchment (North-East part of Sicily, Italy) producing local heavy rainfall, mud-debris flow and flash flooding. The flash flood involved property, buildings, roads and more than 100 commercial estates have suffered severe damages. Some days after the event, the municipality provided people forms to describe the damages that occurred on their properties. Unfortunately, the lack of common guidelines in compiling them, their coarseness and the impossibility to have monetary information on them (such us damage data from previous events), did not allow the implementation of a detailed damage analysis. What we're developing in this work is a method for a qualitative evaluation of the consequences of floods, based on vulnerability curves for structures and classes of entities at risk. The difficulty in deriving the vulnerability curves for different building typologies, as function of the water depth, was due to the lack of quantitative information both on damages caused by previous events and on buildings' value. To solve the problem we submitted a questionnaire to a team of experts asking for an estimation of building damages to different hypothetical inundation depths. What we wanted to obtain was deriving the vulnerability data from technicians' experience, believing in the fundamental importance of the collaboration among research and professional engineers. Through the elaboration and the synthesis of the experts' estimations we derived the vulnerability curves for different building typologies and

Monitoring the Vulnerability of Energy Supply System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gnansonounou, E.

2006-01-01

Due to the increasing complexity of the world evolution, the public decision makers, the energy supply industry and the consumers in industrialised countries are more and more sensitive to the vulnerability of energy supply. The emergence of new big consumer countries and the perspective of oil and gas depletion at the end of the current century raise the concerns about how to share fairly the remaining resources for the common and sustainable development of the mankind. Erratic energy prices discourage investment and delay the energy transition. Voluntary measures are needed mainly in industrialised countries in order to develop alternative and sustainable energy sources and to avoid world struggle for energy procurement. In this contribution a synthetic energy vulnerability index is defined for monitoring energy supply vulnerability. The proposed index is based on energy intensity, oil and gas import dependency, CO 2 content of primary energy supply, electricity supply vulnerability and non-diversity in transport fuels. The preliminary assessment of this synthetic index for selected industrialised countries provides promising results that need however further refinement.(author)

Analysis of computational vulnerabilities in digital repositories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valdete Fernandes Belarmino

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Objective. Demonstrates the results of research that aimed to analyze the computational vulnerabilities of digital directories in public Universities. Argues the relevance of information in contemporary societies like an invaluable resource, emphasizing scientific information as an essential element to constitute scientific progress. Characterizes the emergence of Digital Repositories and highlights its use in academic environment to preserve, promote, disseminate and encourage the scientific production. Describes the main software for the construction of digital repositories. Method. The investigation identified and analyzed the vulnerabilities that are exposed the digital repositories using Penetration Testing running. Discriminating the levels of risk and the types of vulnerabilities. Results. From a sample of 30 repositories, we could examine 20, identified that: 5% of the repositories have critical vulnerabilities, 85% high, 25% medium and 100% lowers. Conclusions. Which demonstrates the necessity to adapt actions for these environments that promote informational security to minimizing the incidence of external and / or internal systems attacks.Abstract Grey Text – use bold for subheadings when needed.

Vulnerability to Climate Change in Rural Nicaragua

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, T. R.; Townshend, I.; Byrne, J. M.; McDaniel, S. A.

2013-12-01

While there is a growing recognition of the impact that climate change may have on human development, there has been a shift in focus from an impacts-led assessment approach towards a vulnerability-led assessment approach. This research operationalizes the IPCC's definition of vulnerability in a sub-national assessment to understand how different factors that shape vulnerability to climate change vary spatially across rural Nicaragua. The research utilizes the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' (FAO UN) CropWat model to evaluate how the annual yield of two of Nicaragua's staple crops may change under projected changes in temperature and precipitation. This analysis of agricultural sensitivity under exposure to climate change is then overlain with an indicator-based assessment of adaptive capacity in rural Nicaraguan farming households. Adaptive capacity was evaluated using household survey data from the 2001 National Household Survey on Living Standards Measurement, which was provided to us by the FAO UN. The result is a map representing current vulnerability to future climate change, and can serve as a basis for targeting policy interventions in rural Nicaragua.

Groundwater vulnerability assessment in karstic aquifers using COP method.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagherzadeh, Somayeh; Kalantari, Nasrollah; Nobandegani, Amir Fadaei; Derakhshan, Zahra; Conti, Gea Oliveri; Ferrante, Margherita; Malekahmadi, Roya

2018-05-02

Access to safe and reliable drinking water is amongst the important indicators of development in each society, and water scarcity is one of the challenges and limitations affecting development at national and regional levels and social life and economic activity areas. Generally, there are two types of drinking water sources: the first type is surface waters, including lakes, rivers, and streams and the second type is groundwaters existing in aquifers. Amongst aquifers, karst aquifers play an important role in supplying water sources of the world. Therefore, protecting these aquifers from pollution sources is of paramount importance. COP method is amongst the methods to investigate the intrinsic vulnerability of this type of aquifers, so that areas susceptible to contamination can be determined before being contaminated and these sources can be protected. In the present study, COP method was employed in order to spot the regions that are prone to contamination in the region. This method uses the properties of overlying geological layers above the water table (O factor), the concentration of flow (C factor), and precipitation (P factor) over the aquifer, as the parameters to assess the intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater resources. In this regard, geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) were utilized to prepare the mentioned factors and the intrinsic vulnerability map was obtained. The results of COP method indicated that the northwest and the west of the region are highly and very vulnerable. This study indicated that regions with low vulnerability were observed in eastern areas, which accounted for 15.6% of the area. Moderate vulnerability was 40% and related to the northeast and southeast of the area. High vulnerability was 38.2% and related to western and southwestern regions. Very high vulnerability was 6.2% and related to the northwest of the area. By means of the analysis of sensitivity of the model, it was determined that the focus

77 FR 28894 - Maritime Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Transportation Security Administration Maritime Vulnerability Self... maritime vulnerability self- assessment tool. SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announces that the TSA Maritime Self-Assessment Risk Module (TMSARM), developed to support the United States...

Cognitive vulnerability to depression : genetic and environmental influences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Antypa, Niki

2011-01-01

This thesis explores cognitive vulnerability to depression and the interplay between genetic and environmental influences. Cognitive vulnerability to depression is characterized by negative patterns of information processing. One aspect is cognitive reactivity - the tendency to respond with

Malware Sandbox Analysis for Secure Observation of Vulnerability Exploitation

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshioka, Katsunari; Inoue, Daisuke; Eto, Masashi; Hoshizawa, Yuji; Nogawa, Hiroki; Nakao, Koji

Exploiting vulnerabilities of remote systems is one of the fundamental behaviors of malware that determines their potential hazards. Understanding what kind of propagation tactics each malware uses is essential in incident response because such information directly links with countermeasures such as writing a signature for IDS. Although recently malware sandbox analysis has been studied intensively, little work is done on securely observing the vulnerability exploitation by malware. In this paper, we propose a novel sandbox analysis method for securely observing malware's vulnerability exploitation in a totally isolated environment. In our sandbox, we prepare two victim hosts. We first execute the sample malware on one of these hosts and then let it attack the other host which is running multiple vulnerable services. As a simple realization of the proposed method, we have implemented a sandbox using Nepenthes, a low-interaction honeypot, as the second victim. Because Nepenthes can emulate a variety of vulnerable services, we can efficiently observe the propagation of sample malware. In the experiments, among 382 samples whose scan capabilities are confirmed, 381 samples successfully started exploiting vulnerabilities of the second victim. This indicates the certain level of feasibility of the proposed method.

A new approach to analyzing vulnerability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Callaghan, P.B.; Carlson, R.L.; Riedeman, G.W.

1986-01-01

The Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) has recently completed construction of the Fuel Cycle Plant (FCP) at Richland, Washington. At start-up the facility will fabricate driver fuel for the Fast Flux Test Facility in the Secure Automated Fabrication line. After construction completion, but before facility certification, the Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operation Office requested that a vulnerability analysis be performed which assumed multiple insiders as a threat to the security system. A unique method of analyzing facility vulnerabilities was developed at the Security Applications Center (SAC), which is managed by WHC for DOE. The method that was developed verifies a previous vulnerability assessment, as well as introducing a modeling technique which analyzes security alarms in relation to delaying factors and possible insider activities. With this information it is possible to assess the relative strength or weakness of various possible routes to and from a target within a facility,

Assessing species vulnerability to climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Pacifici, Michela; Foden, Wendy B.; Visconti, Piero; Watson, James E. M.; Butchart, Stuart H. M.; Kovacs, Kit M.; Scheffers, Brett R.; Hole, David G.; Martin, Tara G.; Akçakaya, H. Resit; Corlett, Richard T.; Huntley, Brian; Bickford, David; Carr, Jamie A.; Hoffmann, Ary A.; Midgley, Guy F.; Pearce-Kelly, Paul; Pearson, Richard G.; Williams, Stephen E.; Willis, Stephen G.; Young, Bruce; Rondinini, Carlo

2015-03-01

The effects of climate change on biodiversity are increasingly well documented, and many methods have been developed to assess species' vulnerability to climatic changes, both ongoing and projected in the coming decades. To minimize global biodiversity losses, conservationists need to identify those species that are likely to be most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In this Review, we summarize different currencies used for assessing species' climate change vulnerability. We describe three main approaches used to derive these currencies (correlative, mechanistic and trait-based), and their associated data requirements, spatial and temporal scales of application and modelling methods. We identify strengths and weaknesses of the approaches and highlight the sources of uncertainty inherent in each method that limit projection reliability. Finally, we provide guidance for conservation practitioners in selecting the most appropriate approach(es) for their planning needs and highlight priority areas for further assessments.

Human Rights and Vulnerability. Examples of Sexism and Ageism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mª DEL CARMEN BARRANCO AVILÉS

2015-12-01

Full Text Available A human rights based approach applied to the idea of ‘vulnerable group’ connects vulnerability and structural discrimination. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability provides some elements that allow to state that we are facing a new paradigm in the International Human Rights Law. One of the keys for the understanding of this new framework is the assumption of the disadvantage related to vulnerability as, at least in a part, socially built and ideologically justified. Sexism and ageism are examples of how ideologies reinforce vulnerability of women, children and aged persons transforming them in groups which members are in risk of discrimination.

Flood vulnerability of critical infrastructure in Cork, Ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

de Bruijn Karin M.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Recent flood events in Ireland and particularly in County Cork have caused significant disruption to health service provisions, interruption of water and power supplies, and damage to roads and other transportation infrastructure, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people over a prolonged period of weeks. These events clearly reveal- the vulnerability of the critical infrastructure to flooding and the dependence of society on critical infrastructure. In order to reduce the flood vulnerability and increase the resilience of the critical infrastructure networks in the future, detailed evidence-based analysis and assessment is essential. To this end a case study has been carried out on Cork City which analyses this vulnerability as it was in 2009, and as it is currently, and identifies adaptation options to reduce the future vulnerability of critical infrastructure to flooding and to build a more resilient society. This paper describes the storyline approach and CIrcle tool and their application to Cork City which focused on the analysis of the flood vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the impacts of failure of the infrastructure for other critical functions and on society.

What's in a word? Conflicting interpretations of vulnerability in climate change research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, Karen; Eriksen, Siri; Schjolden, Ane; Nygaard, Lynn

2004-01-01

In this paper, we discuss two competing interpretations of vulnerability in the climate change literature and consider the implications for both research and policy. The first interpretation, which can be referred to as the ''end point'' approach, views vulnerability as a residual of climate change impacts minus adaptation. The second interpretation, which takes vulnerability as a ''starting point'', views vulnerability as a general characteristic generated by multiple factors and processes. Viewing vulnerability as an end point considers that adaptations and adaptive capacity determine vulnerability, whereas viewing vulnerability as a starting point holds that vulnerability determines adaptive capacity. The practical consequences of these two interpretations are illustrated through the examples of Norway and Mozambique. We show that, if the underlying causes and contexts of vulnerability are not taken into account, there is a danger of underestimating the magnitude (large), scope (social arid environmental) and urgency (high) of climate change. (author)

Informality and employment vulnerability: application in sellers with subsistence work

Science.gov (United States)

Garzón-Duque, María Osley; Cardona-Arango, María Doris; Rodríguez-Ospina, Fabio León; Segura-Cardona, Angela María

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the origin, evolution, and application of the concept of employment vulnerability in workers who subsist on street sales. METHODS We have carried out an analysis of the literature in database in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, without restriction by country. This is a review of the gray literature of government reports, articles, and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean. We have analyzed information on the informal economy, social-employment vulnerability, and subsistence workers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The concept of informal economy is dispersed and suggested as synonymous with employment vulnerability. As a polysemic term, it generates confusion and difficulty in identifying defined profiles of employment vulnerability in informal subsistence workers, who sell their products on the streets and sidewalks of cities. The lack of a clear concept and profile of employment vulnerability for this type of workers generates a restriction on defined actions to reduce employment vulnerability. The profiles could facilitate access to the acquisition of assets that support their structure of opportunities, facilitating and mediating in the passage from vulnerability to social mobility with opportunities. We propose as a concept of employment vulnerability for subsistence workers in the informal sector, the condition of those who must work by day to eat at night, who have little or no ownership of assets, and who have a minimum structure of opportunities to prevent, face, and resist the critical situations that occur daily, putting at risk their subsistence and that of the persons who are their responsibility, thus making the connection between social and employment vulnerability. PMID:29020122

Informality and employment vulnerability: application in sellers with subsistence work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Osley Garzón-Duque

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the origin, evolution, and application of the concept of employment vulnerability in workers who subsist on street sales. METHODS We have carried out an analysis of the literature in database in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, without restriction by country. This is a review of the gray literature of government reports, articles, and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean. We have analyzed information on the informal economy, social-employment vulnerability, and subsistence workers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The concept of informal economy is dispersed and suggested as synonymous with employment vulnerability. As a polysemic term, it generates confusion and difficulty in identifying defined profiles of employment vulnerability in informal subsistence workers, who sell their products on the streets and sidewalks of cities. The lack of a clear concept and profile of employment vulnerability for this type of workers generates a restriction on defined actions to reduce employment vulnerability. The profiles could facilitate access to the acquisition of assets that support their structure of opportunities, facilitating and mediating in the passage from vulnerability to social mobility with opportunities. We propose as a concept of employment vulnerability for subsistence workers in the informal sector, the condition of those who must work by day to eat at night, who have little or no ownership of assets, and who have a minimum structure of opportunities to prevent, face, and resist the critical situations that occur daily, putting at risk their subsistence and that of the persons who are their responsibility, thus making the connection between social and employment vulnerability.

Informality and employment vulnerability: application in sellers with subsistence work.

Science.gov (United States)

Garzón-Duque, María Osley; Cardona-Arango, María Doris; Rodríguez-Ospina, Fabio León; Segura-Cardona, Angela María

2017-10-05

To describe the origin, evolution, and application of the concept of employment vulnerability in workers who subsist on street sales. We have carried out an analysis of the literature in database in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, without restriction by country. This is a review of the gray literature of government reports, articles, and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean. We have analyzed information on the informal economy, social-employment vulnerability, and subsistence workers. The concept of informal economy is dispersed and suggested as synonymous with employment vulnerability. As a polysemic term, it generates confusion and difficulty in identifying defined profiles of employment vulnerability in informal subsistence workers, who sell their products on the streets and sidewalks of cities. The lack of a clear concept and profile of employment vulnerability for this type of workers generates a restriction on defined actions to reduce employment vulnerability. The profiles could facilitate access to the acquisition of assets that support their structure of opportunities, facilitating and mediating in the passage from vulnerability to social mobility with opportunities. We propose as a concept of employment vulnerability for subsistence workers in the informal sector, the condition of those who must work by day to eat at night, who have little or no ownership of assets, and who have a minimum structure of opportunities to prevent, face, and resist the critical situations that occur daily, putting at risk their subsistence and that of the persons who are their responsibility, thus making the connection between social and employment vulnerability.

A Comprehensive Assessment and Spatial Analysis of Vulnerability of China’s Provincial Economies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chongqiang Ren

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Vulnerability theory is a fundamental scientific knowledge system in sustainable development, and vulnerability assessment is important in vulnerability studies. Economic vulnerability affects economic growth sustainability. Comprehensive assessment of economic vulnerability in the process of economic growth under the theoretical framework of vulnerability will provide a new perspective for vulnerability studies. Based on a vulnerability scoping diagram assessment model, this study selected 22 economic sensitivity indexes and 25 economic adaptability indexes from the economic, social, and nature–resource–environmental subsystems to comprehensively assess and spatially analyse the vulnerability of China’s provincial economies since the year 2000, while applying the entropy method, multilevel extension assessment, spatial measurement method, and geographic information system technology. The results showed the following: (1 There are great differences in the vulnerability of China’s provincial economies. Western China’s vulnerability is higher and the fluctuation range of economic vulnerability is larger. The vulnerability increased significantly based on spatial differential features; (2 Regional differences in economic vulnerability, mainly caused by differences within a region, increased gradually. Eastern and Western China showed the spatial pattern characteristics of prominent and reinforcing regional imbalance, while Central and Northeast China showed declining regional imbalance. The spatial structure evolution of economic vulnerability is characterized by a volatility curve, and regional separation and divergence are strengthened; (3 Growth of China’s provincial economies and economic vulnerability are related negatively. In Eastern, Central, and Northeast China, vulnerability of the provincial economies has a negative spillover effect on neighbouring provinces’ economic growth, while in Western China it has a slight positive

Assessing infrastructure vulnerability to major floods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jenssen, Lars

1998-12-31

This thesis proposes a method for assessing the direct effects of serious floods on a physical infrastructure or utility. This method should be useful in contingency planning and in the design of structures likely to be damaged by flooding. A review is given of (1) methods of floodplain management and strategies for mitigating floods, (2) methods of risk analysis that will become increasingly important in flood management, (3) methods for hydraulic computations, (4) a variety of scour assessment methods and (5) applications of geographic information systems (GIS) to the analysis of flood vulnerability. Three computer codes were developed: CULVCAP computes the headwater level for circular and box culverts, SCOUR for assessing riprap stability and scour depths, and FASTFLOOD prepares input rainfall series and input files for the rainfall-runoff model used in the case study. A road system in central Norway was chosen to study how to analyse the flood vulnerability of an infrastructure. Finally, the thesis proposes a method for analysing the flood vulnerability of physical infrastructure. The method involves a general stage that will provide data on which parts of the infrastructure are potentially vulnerable to flooding and how to analyse them, and a specific stage which is concerned with analysing one particular kind of physical infrastructure in a study area. 123 refs., 59 figs., 17 tabs= .

Cyber/Physical Security Vulnerability Assessment Integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacDonald, Douglas G.; Key, Brad; Clements, Samuel L.; Hutton, William J.; Craig, Philip A.; Patrick, Scott W.; Crawford, Cary E.

2011-01-01

This internally funded Laboratory-Directed R and D project by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in conjunction with QinetiQ North America, is intended to identify and properly assess areas of overlap (and interaction) in the vulnerability assessment process between cyber security and physical protection. Existing vulnerability analysis (VA) processes and software tools exist, and these are heavily utilized in the determination of predicted vulnerability within the physical and cyber security domains. These determinations are normally performed independently of one another, and only interact on a superficial level. Both physical and cyber security subject matter experts have come to realize that though the various interactive elements exist, they are not currently quantified in most periodic security assessments. This endeavor aims to evaluate both physical and cyber VA techniques and provide a strategic approach to integrate the interdependent relationships of each into a single VA capability. This effort will also transform the existing suite of software currently utilized in the physical protection world to more accurately quantify the risk associated with a blended attack scenario. Performance databases will be created to support the characterization of the cyber security elements, and roll them into prototype software tools. This new methodology and software capability will enable analysts to better identify and assess the overall risk during a vulnerability analysis.

Legislative vulnerability of minority groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Paula, Carlos Eduardo Artiaga; Silva, Ana Paula da; Bittar, Cléria Maria Lôbo

2017-12-01

Minorities are in an inferior position in society and therefore vulnerable in many aspects. This study analyzes legislative vulnerability and aims to categorize as "weak" or "strong" the protection conferred by law to the following minorities: elderly, disabled, LGBT, Indians, women, children/ adolescents and black people. In order to do so, it was developed a documental research in 30 federal laws in which legal provisions were searched to protect minorities. Next, the articles were organized in the following categories: civil, criminal, administrative, labor and procedural, to be analyzed afterwards. Legal protection was considered "strong" when there were legal provisions that observed the five categories and "weak" when it did not meet this criterion. It was noted that six groups have "strong" legislative protection, which elides the assertion that minorities are outside the law. The exception is the LGBT group, whose legislative protection is weak. In addition, consecrating rights through laws strengthens the institutional channels for minorities to demand their rights. Finally, it was observed that the legislative protection granted tominorities is not homogeneous but rather discriminatory, and there is an interference by the majority group in the rights regulation of vulnerable groups.

Vulnerable Hunter

OpenAIRE

Md.Asha Begum; Y.VishnuPriya; V.ManoranjanBabu; ,O.Srinivasu

2016-01-01

This project "VULNERABLE HUNTER" application main aim is to detect risk in our mobile applications. This application contains modules like Fetch Application, Generate Score, Uninstall and Display Graph. Through this application it detects risk so that this application is very useful to smart phone users Now-a-days so many people are using smart phones and people are crazy about new apps. But by installing all the applications into our mobile may reduce its performance. Some apps c...

Teste de estimulação repetitiva no músculo ancôneo para diagnóstico da miastenia grave: mapeamento da sua área de placa motora Repetitive stimulation test on the anconeus muscle for the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis: the mapping of its motor end-plate area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria das Graças Wanderley S. Coriolano

2007-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Mapear a área de placa motora do músculo ancôneo para definir a melhor localização dos eletrodos de registro em testes de estimulação repetitiva (TER no diagnóstico dos distúrbios da transmissão neuromuscular. MÉTODO: Registramos o potencial de ação composto do músculo ancôneo sobre a pele que o recobre, após estimulação do ramo que o inerva. Analisando as formas de onda registradas em cada ponto da pele foi possível definir a área de placa. RESULTADOS: A área de placa motora do ancôneo é uma linha paralela à borda da ulna. O melhor local de colocação do eletrodo "ativo" de registro situa-se cerca de 2 cm distal ao olécrano e 1 cm lateral à borda da ulna. CONCLUSÃO: A realização de TER no músculo ancôneo é simples e bem tolerada. Com a estimulação do ancôneo o antebraço praticamente não se move, sendo o procedimento livre de artefatos de movimento.PURPOSE: To map the motor end-plate area of the anconeus muscle and define the best place for positioning the recording electrodes in repetitive stimulation tests (RST for the diagnosis of neuromuscular transmission disorders. METHOD: The compound muscle action potential of the anconeus was recorded after stimulating the motor branch of the radial nerve that innervates it. By analyzing the waveforms registered at each point of the skin we were able to define the motor end-plate area. RESULTS: The motor end-plate area of the anconeus is a line parallel to the ulna border. The best place for placing the "active" recording electrode is about 2cm distal to the olecranon and 1 cm lateral to the border of the ulna. CONCLUSION: Performing RST in the anconeus muscle is simple and well tolerated. Stimulation of the anconeus almost doesn't move the forearm and the procedure is virtually free of movement artifacts.

Vulnerability Analysis of Urban Drainage Systems: Tree vs. Loop Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi Zhang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Vulnerability analysis of urban drainage networks plays an important role in urban flood management. This study analyzes and compares the vulnerability of tree and loop systems under various rainfall events to structural failure represented by pipe blockage. Different pipe blockage scenarios, in which one of the pipes in an urban drainage network is assumed to be blocked individually, are constructed and their impacts on the network are simulated under different storm events. Furthermore, a vulnerability index is defined to measure the vulnerability of the drainage systems before and after the implementation of adaptation measures. The results obtained indicate that the tree systems have a relatively larger proportion of critical hydraulic pipes than the loop systems, thus the vulnerability of tree systems is substantially greater than that of the loop systems. Furthermore, the vulnerability index of tree systems is reduced after they are converted into a loop system with the implementation of adaptation measures. This paper provides an insight into the differences in the vulnerability of tree and loop systems, and provides more evidence for development of adaptation measures (e.g., tanks to reduce urban flooding.

Climate variability and vulnerability to poverty in Nicaragua

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C. Herrera (Carlos); R. Ruben (Ruerd); A.G. Dijkstra (Geske)

2018-01-01

textabstractThis study considers the effect of climate variability on vulnerability to poverty in Nicaragua. It discusses how such vulnerability could be measured and which heterogeneous effects can be expected. A multilevel empirical framework is applied, linking per capita consumption

Categorisation of typical vulnerability patterns in global drylands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sietz, D.; Lûdeke, M.K.B.; Walther, C.

2011-01-01

Drylands display specific vulnerability-creating mechanisms which threaten ecosystems and human well-being. The upscaling of successful interventions to reduce vulnerability arises as an important, but challenging aim, since drylands are not homogenous. To support this aim, we present the first

Seeing climate vulnerabilities through lived experience in Madagascar

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-04-21

Apr 21, 2011 ... ... both vulnerability and strategies for reducing risk, and the project is in the process of producing a range ... of the team's effort to paint a composite map of climate vulnerability and risk to agrarian systems. ... Feeling stressed?

THE VULNERABILITY TO WATER HAZARDS OF URBAN AREA TURDA– CÂMPIA TURZII

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IOANA URCAN

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The vulnerability to water hazards of urban area Turda – Câmpia Turzii. The risk was defined as a social object whose primary component is vulnerability. This paper examines the way in which vulnerability was defined by highlighting its three aspects: physical, technical and social. The vulnerability involves a complex systematic approach especially when cities are analyzed. The economic, social heritage, the environmental elements can all become factors of vulnerability. In this paper the urban areas vulnerable towaterborne hazards, especially floods were mentioned. The means to reduce urban vulnerability were analyzed, highlighting the measures taken by the local communities to mitigate the crisis.

Drought vulnerability assessment: The case of wheat farmers in Western Iran

Science.gov (United States)

Zarafshani, Kiumars; Sharafi, Lida; Azadi, Hossein; Hosseininia, Gholamhossein; De Maeyer, Philippe; Witlox, Frank

2012-12-01

Drought, as a natural and slow-onset phenomenon, creates numerous damages to agricultural communities. As a drought prone area in the Middle East, Iran has currently launched a crisis management approach to mitigate the harmful impacts of drought. However, thus far studies indicate that effective drought management strategies should be designed based upon vulnerability management which can increase farmers' ability to challenge the impacts. The purpose of this study was to assess drought vulnerability across three drought intensities (very high, extremely high, and critical) areas in Western Iran. Accordingly, a survey study was applied and 370 wheat farmers who all experienced drought during 2007-2009 were selected through a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. Face to face interviews were used to collect data on vulnerability indices from the farmers. Me-Bar and Valdez's vulnerability formula was applied to assess the vulnerability of wheat farmers during drought. Results revealed that the farmers' vulnerability is influenced mainly by economic, socio-cultural, psychological, technical, and infrastructural factors. The results also indicated that the farmers in Sarpole-Zahab township were most vulnerable compared to those in the Kermanshah township as the least vulnerable. Accordingly, some conclusions and recommendations are drawn for both policy-makers and practitioners who often must prioritize limited resources in the design vulnerability-reducing interventions.

Spatial variation of vulnerability in geographic areas of North Lebanon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Issa, Sahar; van der Molen, I.; Nader, M.R.; Lovett, Jonathan Cranidge

2014-01-01

This paper examines the spatial variation in vulnerability between different geographical areas of the northern coastal region of Lebanon within the context of armed conflict. The study is based on the ‘vulnerability of space’ approach and will be positioned in the academic debate on vulnerability

Aircraft vulnerability analysis by modeling and simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Willers, Cornelius J.; Willers, Maria S.; de Waal, Alta

2014-10-01

Infrared missiles pose a significant threat to civilian and military aviation. ManPADS missiles are especially dangerous in the hands of rogue and undisciplined forces. Yet, not all the launched missiles hit their targets; the miss being either attributable to misuse of the weapon or to missile performance restrictions. This paper analyses some of the factors affecting aircraft vulnerability and demonstrates a structured analysis of the risk and aircraft vulnerability problem. The aircraft-missile engagement is a complex series of events, many of which are only partially understood. Aircraft and missile designers focus on the optimal design and performance of their respective systems, often testing only in a limited set of scenarios. Most missiles react to the contrast intensity, but the variability of the background is rarely considered. Finally, the vulnerability of the aircraft depends jointly on the missile's performance and the doctrine governing the missile's launch. These factors are considered in a holistic investigation. The view direction, altitude, time of day, sun position, latitude/longitude and terrain determine the background against which the aircraft is observed. Especially high gradients in sky radiance occur around the sun and on the horizon. This paper considers uncluttered background scenes (uniform terrain and clear sky) and presents examples of background radiance at all view angles across a sphere around the sensor. A detailed geometrical and spatially distributed radiometric model is used to model the aircraft. This model provides the signature at all possible view angles across the sphere around the aircraft. The signature is determined in absolute terms (no background) and in contrast terms (with background). It is shown that the background significantly affects the contrast signature as observed by the missile sensor. A simplified missile model is constructed by defining the thrust and mass profiles, maximum seeker tracking rate, maximum

Vulnerability assessments as a political creation: tsunami management in Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Pronk, Maartje; Maat, Harro; Crane, Todd A

2017-10-01

Vulnerability assessments are a cornerstone of contemporary disaster research. This paper shows how research procedures and the presentation of results of vulnerability assessments are politically filtered. Using data from a study of tsunami risk assessment in Portugal, the paper demonstrates that approaches, measurement instruments, and research procedures for evaluating vulnerability are influenced by institutional preferences, lines of communication, or lack thereof, between stakeholder groups, and available technical expertise. The institutional setting and the pattern of stakeholder interactions form a filter, resulting in a particular conceptualisation of vulnerability, affecting its operationalisation via existing methods and technologies and its institutional embedding. The Portuguese case reveals a conceptualisation that is aligned with perceptions prevalent in national government bureaucracies and the exclusion of local stakeholders owing to selected methodologies and assessment procedures. The decisions taken by actors involved in these areas affect how vulnerability is assessed, and ultimately which vulnerability reduction policies will be recommended in the appraisal. © 2017 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2017.

The Vulnerable Subject of Negligence Law

OpenAIRE

Stychin, C.

2012-01-01

The approach taken by English courts to the duty of care question in negligence has been subject to harsh criticism in recent years. This article examines this fundamental issue in tort law, drawing upon Canadian and Australian jurisprudence by way of comparison. From this analysis, the concept of vulnerability is developed as a productive means of understanding the duty of care. Vulnerability is of increasing interest in legal and political theory and it is of particular relevance to the law...

Economic development and declining vulnerability to climate-related disasters in China

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jidong; Han, Guoyi; Zhou, Hongjian; Li, Ning

2018-03-01

Exposure and vulnerability are the main contributing factors of growing impact from climate-related disasters globally. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamic patterns of vulnerability is important for designing effective disaster risk mitigation and adaptation measures. At national scale, most cross-country studies have suggested that economic vulnerability to disasters decreases as income increases, especially for developing countries. Research covering sub-national climate-related natural disasters is indispensable to obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the effect of regional economic growth on vulnerability reduction. Taking China as a case, this subnational scale study shows that economic development is correlated with the significant reduction in human fatalities but increase in direct economic losses (DELs) from climate-related disasters since 1949. The long-term trend in climate-related disaster vulnerability, reflected by mortality (1978-2015) and DELs (1990-2015) as a share of the total population and Gross Domestic Product, has seen significant decline among all economic regions in China. While notable differences remain among its West, Central and East economic regions, the temporal vulnerability change has been converging. The study further demonstrated that economic development level is correlated with human and economic vulnerability to climate-related disasters, and this vulnerability decreased with the increase of per-capita income. This study suggested that economic development can have nuanced effects on overall human and economic vulnerability to climate-related disasters. We argue that climate change science needs to acknowledge and examine the different pathways of vulnerability effects related to economic development.

Importance of biometrics to addressing vulnerabilities of the U.S. infrastructure

Science.gov (United States)

Arndt, Craig M.; Hall, Nathaniel A.

2004-08-01

Human identification technologies are important threat countermeasures in minimizing select infrastructure vulnerabilities. Properly targeted countermeasures should be selected and integrated into an overall security solution based on disciplined analysis and modeling. Available data on infrastructure value, threat intelligence, and system vulnerabilities are carefully organized, analyzed and modeled. Prior to design and deployment of an effective countermeasure; the proper role and appropriateness of technology in addressing the overall set of vulnerabilities is established. Deployment of biometrics systems, as with other countermeasures, introduces potentially heightened vulnerabilities into the system. Heightened vulnerabilities may arise from both the newly introduced system complexities and an unfocused understanding of the set of vulnerabilities impacted by the new countermeasure. The countermeasure's own inherent vulnerabilities and those introduced by the system's integration with the existing system are analyzed and modeled to determine the overall vulnerability impact. The United States infrastructure is composed of government and private assets. The infrastructure is valued by their potential impact on several components: human physical safety, physical/information replacement/repair cost, potential contribution to future loss (criticality in weapons production), direct productivity output, national macro-economic output/productivity, and information integrity. These components must be considered in determining the overall impact of an infrastructure security breach. Cost/benefit analysis is then incorporated in the security technology deployment decision process. Overall security risks based on system vulnerabilities and threat intelligence determines areas of potential benefit. Biometric countermeasures are often considered when additional security at intended points of entry would minimize vulnerabilities.

[Assessment of eco-environmental vulnerability of Hainan Island, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Bao-rong; Ouyang, Zhi-yun; Zhang, Hui-zhi; Zhang, Li-hua; Zheng, Hua

2009-03-01

Based on the assessment method of environmental vulnerability constructed by SOPAC and UNEP, this paper constructed an indicator system from three sub-themes including hazard, resistance, and damage to assess the eco-environmental vulnerability of Hainan Island. The results showed that Hainan Island was suffering a middling level eco-environmental hazard, and the main hazards came from some intensive human activities such as intensive agriculture, mass tourism, mining, and a mass of solid wastes thrown by islanders and tourists. Some geographical characters such as larger land area, larger altitude range, integrated geographical form, and abundant habitat types endowed Hainan Island higher resistance to environmental hazards. However, disturbed by historical accumulative artificial and natural hazards, the Island ecosystem had showed serious ecological damage, such as soil degradation and biodiversity loss. Comprehensively considered hazard, resistance, damage, and degradation, the comprehensive environmental vulnerability of the Island was at a middling level. Some indicators showed lower vulnerability, but some showed higher vulnerability.

Defining Resilience and Vulnerability Based on Ontology Engineering Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kumazawa, T.; Matsui, T.; Endo, A.

2014-12-01

It is necessary to reflect the concepts of resilience and vulnerability into the assessment framework of "Human-Environmental Security", but it is also in difficulty to identify the linkage between both concepts because of the difference of the academic community which has discussed each concept. The authors have been developing the ontology which deals with the sustainability of the social-ecological systems (SESs). Resilience and vulnerability are also the concepts in the target world which this ontology covers. Based on this point, this paper aims at explicating the semantic relationship between the concepts of resilience and vulnerability based on ontology engineering approach. For this purpose, we first examine the definitions of resilience and vulnerability which the existing literatures proposed. Second, we incorporate the definitions in the ontology dealing with sustainability of SESs. Finally, we focus on the "Water-Energy-Food Nexus Index" to assess Human-Environmental Security, and clarify how the concepts of resilience and vulnerability are linked semantically through the concepts included in these index items.

Status of the forensically important genus Ophyra (Diptera: Muscidae in Argentina Estado del género de importancia forense Ophyra (Diptera: Muscidae en Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciano D. Patitucci

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The genus Ophyra Robineau-Desvoidy is a necrophagous group of Muscidae distributed in warm climates worldwide. The information here presented is based on the compilation of distributional data obtained from material of different collections and bibliography for Argentina. Ophyra albuquerquei Lopes, Ophyra capensis (Wiedemann, Ophyra chalcogaster (Wiedemann and Ophyra solitaria Albuquerque were recorded for the first time for the country. A key for the Argentinean species is presented. Biological and forensic data of species are discussed.El género Ophyra Robineau-Desvoidy es un grupo de múscidos necrófagos distribuidos en los climas cálidos de todo el mundo. La información aquí presentada se basa en la recopilación de datos de distribución, obtenida a partir del material de diferentes colecciones y bibliografía para la Argentina. Ophyra albuquerquei Lopes, Ophyra capensis (Wiedemann, Ophyra chalcogaster (Wiedemann y Ophyra solitaria Albuquerque se registraron por primera vez para el país. Se presenta una clave para las especies argentinas. Se discuten los datos biológicos y forenses de las distintas especies.

Method of Pentest Synthesis and Vulnerability Detection

OpenAIRE

Hahanova Irina Vitalyevna

2012-01-01

The structural method for penetration test generation and vulnerability simulation for infrastructure of telecommunication hardwaresoftware information cybernetic systems (CS), focused to protect against unauthorized access the services defined in the system specification by means of penetrating through legal interfaces of component interaction, which have vulnerabilities, is proposed. A protection service infrastructure is created with cybersystem and maintains it during the life cycle, serv...

Fostering cooperation through the enhancement of own vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kopányi-Peuker, A.; Offerman, T.; Sloof, R.

2013-01-01

We consider the possibility that cooperation in a prisoner's dilemma is fostered by people's voluntary enhancement of their own vulnerability. The vulnerability of a player determines the effectiveness of possible punishment by the other. In the "Gradual" mechanism, players may condition their

Fostering cooperation through the enhancement of own vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kopányi-Peuker, A.; Offerman, T.; Sloof, R.

2012-01-01

We consider the possibility that cooperation in a prisoner's dilemma is fostered by people's voluntarily enhancement of their own vulnerability. The vulnerability of a player determines the effectiveness of possible punishment by the other. In the "Gradual" mechanism, players may condition their

Europe's vulnerability to energy crises

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-01-15

The growing dependency of Europe as a whole on energy imports and anticipated further increases in energy prices reinforce the concerns about meeting the energy demand in the future. The objective of the Study is to identify the threats leading to potential energy crises and suggest solutions for facing, in an appropriate way, the related key challenges. In addition, the Study intends to develop a number of indicators effective enough to assess the level of different types of vulnerability, as well the overall vulnerability of a country or region, including threats to physical disruption, higher energy prices etc. The use of vulnerability indicators is highly recommended for all WEC-European countries, as well as to policy makers and market players.

Detecting Network Vulnerabilities Through Graph TheoreticalMethods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cesarz, Patrick; Pomann, Gina-Maria; Torre, Luis de la; Villarosa, Greta; Flournoy, Tamara; Pinar, Ali; Meza Juan

2007-09-30

Identifying vulnerabilities in power networks is an important problem, as even a small number of vulnerable connections can cause billions of dollars in damage to a network. In this paper, we investigate a graph theoretical formulation for identifying vulnerabilities of a network. We first try to find the most critical components in a network by finding an optimal solution for each possible cutsize constraint for the relaxed version of the inhibiting bisection problem, which aims to find loosely coupled subgraphs with significant demand/supply mismatch. Then we investigate finding critical components by finding a flow assignment that minimizes the maximum among flow assignments on all edges. We also report experiments on IEEE 30, IEEE 118, and WSCC 179 benchmark power networks.

Comparação do comportamento à flexão com restrições à deflexão de placas de compósitos de matriz polimérica epoxídica em função do tipo de fibra de reforço

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morais Willy A. de

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Placas finas de compósitos de matriz polimérica epoxídica reforçada por fibras de vidro, carbono ou aramida, bem como placas de um compósito híbrido vidro-aramida, foram submetidas a ensaios de flexão. As condições de fixação dos corpos de prova foram tais que o ensaios foram realizados com deflexão restrita. Os resultados experimentais obtidos para a deflexão máxima dos compósitos puderam ser qualitativamente previstos usando-se o método de balanço de energia de Ritz. Os compósitos reforçados por fibras de carbono apresentaram os maiores valores de energia de iniciação e de força máxima, o que foi atribuído às altas propriedades intrínsecas das fibras. As propriedades específicas do compósito híbrido foram superiores às dos compósitos apenas com fibras de vidro ou fibras aramidas. Este efeito sinergístico indicou um projeto adequado na fabricação deste compósito. O modo de falha macroscópico de todos os compósitos foi semelhante. Na face frontal, a interação compósito - punção seguiu o comportamento previsto pela Lei de Hertz. Na face posterior, houve preferencialmente delaminação.

Assessing node risk and vulnerability in epidemics on networks

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, T.

2015-01-01

Which nodes are most vulnerable to an epidemic spreading through a network, and which carry the highest risk of causing a major outbreak if they are the source of the infection? Here we show how these questions can be answered to good approximation using the cavity method. Several curious properties of node vulnerability and risk are explored: some nodes are more vulnerable than others to weaker infections, yet less vulnerable to stronger ones; a node is always more likely to be caught in an outbreak than it is to start one, except when the disease has a deterministic lifetime; the rank order of node risk depends on the details of the distribution of infectious periods.

The SAVI Vulnerability Analysis Software Package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mc Aniff, R.J.; Paulus, W.K.; Key, B.; Simpkins, B.

1987-01-01

SAVI (Systematic Analysis of Vulnerability to Intrusion) is a new PC-based software package for modeling Physical Protection Systems (PPS). SAVI utilizes a path analysis approach based on the Adversary Sequence Diagram (ASD) methodology. A highly interactive interface allows the user to accurately model complex facilities, maintain a library of these models on disk, and calculate the most vulnerable paths through any facility. Recommendations are provided to help the user choose facility upgrades which should reduce identified path vulnerabilities. Pop-up windows throughout SAVI are used for the input and display of information. A menu at the top of the screen presents all options to the user. These options are further explained on a message line directly below the menu. A diagram on the screen graphically represents the current protection system model. All input is checked for errors, and data are presented in a logical and clear manner. Print utilities provide the user with hard copies of all information and calculated results

Social vulnerability assessment using spatial multi-criteria analysis (SEVI model) and the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI model) - a case study for Bucharest, Romania

Science.gov (United States)

Armaş, I.; Gavriş, A.

2013-06-01

In recent decades, the development of vulnerability frameworks has enlarged the research in the natural hazards field. Despite progress in developing the vulnerability studies, there is more to investigate regarding the quantitative approach and clarification of the conceptual explanation of the social component. At the same time, some disaster-prone areas register limited attention. Among these, Romania's capital city, Bucharest, is the most earthquake-prone capital in Europe and the tenth in the world. The location is used to assess two multi-criteria methods for aggregating complex indicators: the social vulnerability index (SoVI model) and the spatial multi-criteria social vulnerability index (SEVI model). Using the data of the 2002 census we reduce the indicators through a factor analytical approach to create the indices and examine if they bear any resemblance to the known vulnerability of Bucharest city through an exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA). This is a critical issue that may provide better understanding of the social vulnerability in the city and appropriate information for authorities and stakeholders to consider in their decision making. The study emphasizes that social vulnerability is an urban process that increased in a post-communist Bucharest, raising the concern that the population at risk lacks the capacity to cope with disasters. The assessment of the indices indicates a significant and similar clustering pattern of the census administrative units, with an overlap between the clustering areas affected by high social vulnerability. Our proposed SEVI model suggests adjustment sensitivity, useful in the expert-opinion accuracy.

Recognizing Risk and Vulnerability in Research Ethics: Imagining the "What Ifs?"

Science.gov (United States)

Peter, Elizabeth; Friedland, Judith

2017-04-01

Research ethics committees (RECs) may misunderstand the vulnerability of participants, given their distance from the field. What RECs identify as the vulnerabilities that were not adequately recognized in protocols and how they attempt to protect the perceived vulnerability of participants and mitigate risks were examined using the response letters sent to researchers by three university-based RECs. Using a critical qualitative method informed by feminist ethics, we identified an overarching theme of recognizing and responding to cascading vulnerabilities and four subthemes: identifying vulnerable groups, recognizing potentially risky research, imagining the "what ifs," and mitigating perceived risks. An ethics approach that is up-close, as opposed to distant, is needed to foster closer relationships among participants, researchers, and RECs and to understand participant vulnerability and strength better.

Operationalizing analysis of micro-level climate change vulnerability and adaptive capacity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiao, Xi; Moinuddin, Hasan

2016-01-01

This paper explores vulnerability and adaptive capacity of rural communities in Southern Laos, where households are highly dependent on climate-sensitive natural resources and vulnerable to seasonal weather fluctuations. The speed and magnitude of climate-induced changes may seriously challenge...... their ability to adapt. Participatory group discussions and 271 household surveys in three villages highlight the current level of vulnerability and adaptive capacity towards climatic variability and risks. This paper visualizes three dimensions of the vulnerability framework at two levels using the Community...... Climate Vulnerability Index and household climate vulnerability cube. Results show that not only poor households are most at risk from climate change challenges, but also those better-off households highly dependent on specialized agricultural production are locally exposed to climate change risks...

Vulnerability and the bioethics through the experiences of illness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rolim-Neto Leite Modesto

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Vulnerable people are relatively or absolutely incapable of protecting their own interests. Vulnerability is an anthropological attribute of human beings due to the simple fact of being alive. Brazilian society has long been established as a matter through the eyes of social scientists. In the name of it, the vulnerability in the doctor-patient context is now being a much-discussed issue. Purpose: This study aims to analyze the current studies regarding the insertion of vulnerability in the health issue, reflexively dealing with the ethical matters involved, as well as with the narratives’ insertion in this process. Methods: This article is based on data extracted from Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo and on secondary data from textbooks about vulnerability, ethics, physician-patient relationship and narratives. Results and discussion: Doctors are faced with dilemmas in clinical practice: moral, ethical, legal, social, religious and economic. On these occasions, question their own values. By listening carefully to the stories of patients, health professionals broaden their perspectives, organize and integrate complex situations, which assists in conducting these difficult situations. Conclusion: Reflect the concept of vulnerability raises (re think health practices, particularly in bringing to light the social experience of illness and hospitalization of the patient.

Vulnerability and the bioethics through the experiences of illness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rolim-Neto Leite Modesto

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Vulnerable people are relatively or absolutely incapable of protecting their own interests. Vulnerability is an anthropological attribute of human beings due to the simple fact of being alive. Brazilian society has long been established as a matter through the eyes of social scientists. In the name of it, the vulnerability in the doctor-patient context is now being a much-discussed issue. Purpose: This study aims to analyze the current studies regarding the insertion of vulnerability in the health issue, reflexively dealing with the ethical matters involved, as well as with the narratives’ insertion in this process. Methods: This article is based on data extracted from Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo and on secondary data from textbooks about vulnerability, ethics, physician-patient relationship and narratives. Results and discussion: Doctors are faced with dilemmas in clinical practice: moral, ethical, legal, social, religious and economic. On these occasions, question their own values. By listening carefully to the stories of patients, health professionals broaden their perspectives, organize and integrate complex situations, which assists in conducting these difficult situations. Conclusion: Reflect the concept of vulnerability raises (re think health practices, particularly in bringing to light the social experience of illness and hospitalization of the patient.

An Empirical Measure of Computer Security Strength for Vulnerability Remediation

Science.gov (United States)

Villegas, Rafael

2010-01-01

Remediating all vulnerabilities on computer systems in a timely and cost effective manner is difficult given that the window of time between the announcement of a new vulnerability and an automated attack has decreased. Hence, organizations need to prioritize the vulnerability remediation process on their computer systems. The goal of this…

“Mapping the regional variation in potential vulnerability in Indian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

GREG

namely, Bio-Physical vulnerability index and Socio-Economic vulnerability index to develop the final overall vulnerability index. ... Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy more spe- cifically of the rural livelihood security system. ... of the total workforce) in spite of the diversification of eco- nomic activity. It is also an ...

Effective vulnerability assessments for physical security devices, systems, and programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, R.G.; Garcia, A.R.E.

2002-01-01

Full text: The efficacy of devices, systems, and programs used for physical security depend critically on having periodic and effective vulnerability assessments. Effective vulnerability assessments, in turn, require certain conditions and attributes. These include: a proper understanding of their purpose; not confusing vulnerability assessments with other kinds of metrics, analyses, tests, and security exercises; the view that vulnerabilities are inevitable, and that finding them is good news (since they can then be mitigated), not bad news; rejection of findings of no vulnerabilities; avoidance of mere 'compliance mode' rubber stamping; the use of the proper outside, independent, imaginative personnel; psychologically predisposed to finding and demonstrating problems; the absence of conflicts of interest; no unrealistic constraints on the possible attack tools, procedures, personnel, or strategies; efforts to not just find and demonstrate vulnerabilities, but also to suggest possible countermeasures; proper context; input and buy-in from ALL facility security personnel, especially low-level personnel; emphasis on the simplest, most relevant attacks first; no underestimation of potential adversaries; consideration of fault analysis attacks; awareness of Rohrbach's Maxim and Shannon's Maxim. In addition to these factors, we will cover some of the complex issues and problems associated with the design of vulnerability assessments. There will also be suggestions on how to conduct effective vulnerability assessments on a severely limited budget. We will conclude with a discussion of both conventional and unconventional ways of reporting results. (author)

Assessment of groundwater vulnerability and sensitivity to pollution ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Groundwater pollution caused by human activity is a serious environmental problem in cities. Pollution vulnerability assessment of groundwater resources provides information on how to protect areas vulnerable to pollution. The present study is a detailed investigation of the potential for groundwater contamination through ...

Vulnerability of southern plains agriculture to climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Climate is a key driver for all ecological and economic systems; therefore, climate change introduces additional uncertainty and vulnerability into these systems. Agriculture represents a major land use that is critical to the survival of human societies and it is highly vulnerable to climate. Clima...

Agency and Vulnerability: Reconfiguring the Female Characters in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article recognizes the pressures on an individual's agency and vulnerability to societal containment as constant interplay that accounts for creative dimensions and responses intensified within a love relationship. It locates agency and vulnerability as mutually inclusive within the philosophical nexus of self-actualization ...

Web vulnerability study of online pharmacy sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzma, Joanne

2011-01-01

Consumers are increasingly using online pharmacies, but these sites may not provide an adequate level of security with the consumers' personal data. There is a gap in this research addressing the problems of security vulnerabilities in this industry. The objective is to identify the level of web application security vulnerabilities in online pharmacies and the common types of flaws, thus expanding on prior studies. Technical, managerial and legal recommendations on how to mitigate security issues are presented. The proposed four-step method first consists of choosing an online testing tool. The next steps involve choosing a list of 60 online pharmacy sites to test, and then running the software analysis to compile a list of flaws. Finally, an in-depth analysis is performed on the types of web application vulnerabilities. The majority of sites had serious vulnerabilities, with the majority of flaws being cross-site scripting or old versions of software that have not been updated. A method is proposed for the securing of web pharmacy sites, using a multi-phased approach of technical and managerial techniques together with a thorough understanding of national legal requirements for securing systems.

Formal Vulnerability Assessment of a maritime transportation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berle, Oyvind; Asbjornslett, Bjorn Egil; Rice, James B.

2011-01-01

World trade increasingly relies on longer, larger and more complex supply chains, where maritime transportation is a vital backbone of such operations. Long and complex supply chain systems are more prone to being vulnerable, though through reviews, no specific methods have been found to assess vulnerabilities of a maritime transportation system. Most existing supply chain risk assessment frameworks require risks to be foreseen to be mitigated, rather than giving transportation systems the ability to cope with unforeseen threats and hazards. In assessing cost-efficiency, societal vulnerability versus industrial cost of measures should be included. This conceptual paper presents a structured Formal Vulnerability Assessment (FVA) methodology, seeking to transfer the safety-oriented Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) framework into the domain of maritime supply chain vulnerability. To do so, the following two alterations are made: (1) The focus of the assessment is defined to ensure the ability of the transportation to serve as a throughput mechanism of goods, and to survive and recover from disruptive events. (2) To cope with low-frequency high-impact disruptive scenarios that were not necessarily foreseen, two parallel tracks of risk assessments need to be pursued-the cause-focused risk assessment as in the FSA, and a consequence-focused failure mode approach.

Participatory flood vulnerability assessment: a multi-criteria approach

Science.gov (United States)

Madruga de Brito, Mariana; Evers, Mariele; Delos Santos Almoradie, Adrian

2018-01-01

This paper presents a participatory multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach for flood vulnerability assessment while considering the relationships between vulnerability criteria. The applicability of the proposed framework is demonstrated in the municipalities of Lajeado and Estrela, Brazil. The model was co-constructed by 101 experts from governmental organizations, universities, research institutes, NGOs, and private companies. Participatory methods such as the Delphi survey, focus groups, and workshops were applied. A participatory problem structuration, in which the modellers work closely with end users, was used to establish the structure of the vulnerability index. The preferences of each participant regarding the criteria importance were spatially modelled through the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP) multi-criteria methods. Experts were also involved at the end of the modelling exercise for validation. The final product is a set of individual and group flood vulnerability maps. Both AHP and ANP proved to be effective for flood vulnerability assessment; however, ANP is preferred as it considers the dependences among criteria. The participatory approach enabled experts to learn from each other and acknowledge different perspectives towards social learning. The findings highlight that to enhance the credibility and deployment of model results, multiple viewpoints should be integrated without forcing consensus.

Mapping the Drivers of Climate Change Vulnerability for Australia's Threatened Species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jasmine R Lee

Full Text Available Effective conservation management for climate adaptation rests on understanding the factors driving species' vulnerability in a spatially explicit manner so as to direct on-ground action. However, there have been only few attempts to map the spatial distribution of the factors driving vulnerability to climate change. Here we conduct a species-level assessment of climate change vulnerability for a sample of Australia's threatened species and map the distribution of species affected by each factor driving climate change vulnerability across the continent. Almost half of the threatened species assessed were considered vulnerable to the impacts of climate change: amphibians being the most vulnerable group, followed by plants, reptiles, mammals and birds. Species with more restricted distributions were more likely to show high climate change vulnerability than widespread species. The main factors driving climate change vulnerability were low genetic variation, dependence on a particular disturbance regime and reliance on a particular moisture regime or habitat. The geographic distribution of the species impacted by each driver varies markedly across the continent, for example species impacted by low genetic variation are prevalent across the human-dominated south-east of the country, while reliance on particular moisture regimes is prevalent across northern Australia. Our results show that actions to address climate adaptation will need to be spatially appropriate, and that in some regions a complex suite of factors driving climate change vulnerability will need to be addressed. Taxonomic and geographic variation in the factors driving climate change vulnerability highlights an urgent need for a spatial prioritisation of climate adaptation actions for threatened species.

Calibration of groundwater vulnerability mapping using the generalized reduced gradient method.

Science.gov (United States)

Elçi, Alper

2017-12-01

Groundwater vulnerability assessment studies are essential in water resources management. Overlay-and-index methods such as DRASTIC are widely used for mapping of groundwater vulnerability, however, these methods mainly suffer from a subjective selection of model parameters. The objective of this study is to introduce a calibration procedure that results in a more accurate assessment of groundwater vulnerability. The improvement of the assessment is formulated as a parameter optimization problem using an objective function that is based on the correlation between actual groundwater contamination and vulnerability index values. The non-linear optimization problem is solved with the generalized-reduced-gradient (GRG) method, which is numerical algorithm based optimization method. To demonstrate the applicability of the procedure, a vulnerability map for the Tahtali stream basin is calibrated using nitrate concentration data. The calibration procedure is easy to implement and aims the maximization of correlation between observed pollutant concentrations and groundwater vulnerability index values. The influence of each vulnerability parameter in the calculation of the vulnerability index is assessed by performing a single-parameter sensitivity analysis. Results of the sensitivity analysis show that all factors are effective on the final vulnerability index. Calibration of the vulnerability map improves the correlation between index values and measured nitrate concentrations by 19%. The regression coefficient increases from 0.280 to 0.485. It is evident that the spatial distribution and the proportions of vulnerability class areas are significantly altered with the calibration process. Although the applicability of the calibration method is demonstrated on the DRASTIC model, the applicability of the approach is not specific to a certain model and can also be easily applied to other overlay-and-index methods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How Should We Treat the Vulnerable?: Qualitative Study of Authoritative Ethics Documents.

Science.gov (United States)

Zagorac, Ivana

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore what actual guidance is provided by authoritative ethics documents regarding the recognition and protection of the vulnerable. The documents included in this analysis are the Belmont Report, the Declaration of Helsinki, The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) Guidelines, and the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, including its supplementary report on vulnerability. A qualitative analysis of these documents was conducted in light of three questions: what is vulnerability, who are the vulnerable, and how should the vulnerable be protected? The results show significant differences among the documents regarding the first two questions. None of the documents provides any guidance on the third question (how to protect the vulnerable). These results suggest a great discrepancy between the acknowledged importance of the concept of vulnerability and a general understanding of the scope, content, and practical implications of vulnerability.

Spatial differences in drought vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

Perčec Tadić, M.; Cindić, K.; Gajić-Čapka, M.; Zaninović, K.

2012-04-01

Drought causes the highest economic losses among all hydro-meteorological events in Croatia. It is the most frequent hazard, which produces the highest damages in the agricultural sector. The climate assessment in Croatia according to the aridity index (defined as the ratio of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration) shows that the susceptibility to desertification is present in the warm part of the year and it is mostly pronounced in the Adriatic region and the eastern Croatia lowland. The evidence of more frequent extreme drought events in the last decade is apparent. These facts were motivation to study the drought risk assessment in Croatia. One step in this issue is the construction of the vulnerability map. This map is a complex combination of the geomorphologic and climatological inputs (maps) that are presumed to be natural factors which modify the amount of moisture in the soil. In this study, the first version of the vulnerability map is followed by the updated one that additionally includes the soil types and the land use classes. The first input considered is the geomorphologic slope angle calculated from the digital elevation model (DEM). The SRTM DEM of 100 m resolution is used. The steeper slopes are more likely to lose water and to become dryer. The second climatological parameter, the solar irradiation map, gives for the territory of Croatia the maximum irradiation on the coast. The next meteorological parameter that influences the drought vulnerability is precipitation which is in this assessment included through the precipitation variability expressed by the coefficient of variation. Larger precipitation variability is related with the higher drought vulnerability. The preliminary results for Croatia, according to the recommended procedure in the framework of Drought Management Centre for Southeastern Europe (DMCSEE project), show the most sensitive areas to drought in the southern Adriatic coast and eastern continental lowland.

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment of the Tarkwa Mining Area ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In view of the extensive mining in the Tarkwa area, quality of groundwater has become an important issue. This study estimates aquifer vulnerability by applying the SINTACS model which uses seven environmental parameters to evaluate aquifer vulnerability and geographical information system (GIS) in the Tarkwa mining ...

Social Protection and Vulnerable Communities in East Africa ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Social protection mechanisms can reduce poverty and vulnerability, increase work and educational achievement, and promote economic growth. Formal social protection initiatives cover only a small proportion of the population in East Africa - those working in the formal sector. Vulnerable groups - such as the poor and ...

Determining shallow aquifer vulnerability by the DRASTIC model ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Shallow aquifer vulnerability has been assessed using GIS-based DRASTIC model by incorporating the major geological and hydrogeological factors that affect and control the groundwater contamination in a granitic terrain. It provides a relative indication of aquifer vulnerability to the contamination. Further, it has been ...

Network Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Alward, Randy G; Carley, Kathleen M; Madsen, Fredrik; Taylor, Vincent K; Vandenberghe, Grant

2006-01-01

.... The break out group discussed vulnerability presentation needs common across various application domains, particularly in support of network discovery and network analysis tasks in those domains...

Vulnerability and controllability of networks of networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Xueming; Peng, Hao; Gao, Jianxi

2015-01-01

Network science is a highly interdisciplinary field ranging from natural science to engineering technology and it has been applied to model complex systems and used to explain their behaviors. Most previous studies have been focus on isolated networks, but many real-world networks do in fact interact with and depend on other networks via dependency connectivities, forming “networks of networks” (NON). The interdependence between networks has been found to largely increase the vulnerability of interacting systems, when a node in one network fails, it usually causes dependent nodes in other networks to fail, which, in turn, may cause further damage on the first network and result in a cascade of failures with sometimes catastrophic consequences, e.g., electrical blackouts caused by the interdependence of power grids and communication networks. The vulnerability of a NON can be analyzed by percolation theory that can be used to predict the critical threshold where a NON collapses. We review here the analytic framework for analyzing the vulnerability of NON, which yields novel percolation laws for n-interdependent networks and also shows that percolation theory of a single network studied extensively in physics and mathematics in the last 50 years is a specific limited case of the more general case of n interacting networks. Understanding the mechanism behind the cascading failure in NON enables us finding methods to decrease the vulnerability of the natural systems and design of more robust infrastructure systems. By examining the vulnerability of NON under targeted attack and studying the real interdependent systems, we find two methods to decrease the systems vulnerability: (1) protect the high-degree nodes, and (2) increase the degree correlation between networks. Furthermore, the ultimate proof of our understanding of natural and technological systems is reflected in our ability to control them. We also review the recent studies and challenges on the

Groundwater vulnerability maps for pesticides for Flanders

Science.gov (United States)

Dams, Jef; Joris, Ingeborg; Bronders, Jan; Van Looy, Stijn; Vanden Boer, Dirk; Heuvelmans, Griet; Seuntjens, Piet

2017-04-01

Pesticides are increasingly being detected in shallow groundwater and and are one of the main causes of the poor chemical status of phreatic groundwater bodies in Flanders. There is a need for groundwater vulnerability maps in order to design monitoring strategies and land-use strategies for sensitive areas such as drinking water capture zones. This research focuses on the development of generic vulnerability maps for pesticides for Flanders and a tool to calculate substance-specific vulnerability maps at the scale of Flanders and at the local scale. (1) The generic vulnerability maps are constructed using an index based method in which maps of the main contributing factors in soil and saturated zone to high concentrations of pesticides in groundwater are classified and overlain. Different weights are assigned to the contributing factors according to the type of pesticide (low/high mobility, low/high persistence). Factors that are taken into account are the organic matter content and texture of soil, depth of the unsaturated zone, organic carbon and redox potential of the phreatic groundwater and thickness and conductivity of the phreatic layer. (2) Secondly a tool is developed that calculates substance-specific vulnerability maps for Flanders using a hybrid approach where a process-based leaching model GeoPEARL is combined with vulnerability indices that account for dilution in the phreatic layer. The GeoPEARL model is parameterized for Flanders in 1434 unique combinations of soil properties, climate and groundwater depth. Leaching is calculated for a 20 year period for each 50 x 50 m gridcell in Flanders. (3) At the local scale finally, a fully process-based approach is applied combining GeoPEARL leaching calculations and flowline calculations of pesticide transport in the saturated zone to define critical zones in the capture zone of a receptor such as a drinking water well or a river segment. The three approaches are explained more in detail and illustrated

a survey of security vulnerabilities in wireless sensor networks

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

which primarily are their stringent energy constraints to which sensing nodes typify and security vulnerabilities. Security concerns ... Keywords: Sensors, Wireless, Network, Vulnerabilities, Security. 1. .... If the node detects a transmission.

Disaster Governance and Vulnerability: The Case of Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicente Sandoval

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This exploratory work seeks to shed light on disaster governance by looking into potential linkages between the production of vulnerability and disaster governance in Chile. Our point of investigation is the case of post-disaster Chaitén and the Chilean model of Disaster Risk Management. The work begins by situating disaster governance and the production of vulnerability in a broader context of existing governance system that includes a multiplicity of actors and socio-economic, socio-ecological, and political processes. Coming from a multi-scalar perspective, we use the disaster Pressure and Release (PAR model to enable a differentiated analysis of the multiplicity of actors, rules, and processes related to DRM that participate in the production of disaster vulnerability in the current Chaitén. With this we address the questions as to ‘why’ the Chilean model of DRM is prominently centralised and ‘what’ are the effects on the production of disaster vulnerability for the case of post-disaster Chaitén.

Social Vulnerability to Climate Change and the Architecture of Entitlements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adger, W.N.; Kelly, P.M.

1999-01-01

The objective of this paper is to outline a conceptual model of vulnerability to climate change as the first step in appraising and understanding the social and economic processes which facilitate and constrain adaptation. Vulnerability as defined here pertains to individuals and social groups. It is the state of individuals, of groups, of communities defined in terms of their ability to cope with and adapt to any external stress placed on their livelihoods and well-being. This proposed approach puts the social and economic well-being of society at the centre of the analysis, thereby reversing the central focus of approaches to climate impact assessment based on impacts on and the adaptability of natural resources or ecosystems and which only subsequently address consequences for human well-being. The vulnerability or security of any group is determined by the availability of resources and, crucially, by the entitlement of individuals and groups to call on these resources. This perspective extends the concept of entitlements developed within neoclassical and institutional economics. Within this conceptual framework, vulnerability can be seen as a socially-constructed phenomenon influenced by institutional and economic dynamics. The study develops proxy indicators of vulnerability related to the structure of economic relations and the entitlements which govern them, and shows how these can be applied to a District in coastal lowland Vietnam. This paper outlines the lessons of such an approach to social vulnerability for the assessment of climate change at the global scale. We argue that the socio-economic and biophysical processes that determine vulnerability are manifest at the local, national, regional and global level but the state of vulnerability itself is associated with a specific population. Aggregation one level to another is therefore not appropriate and global-scale analysis is meaningful only in so far as it deals with the vulnerability of the global

Strengthening US DoD Cyber Security with the Vulnerability Market

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-01

Executable Source Lines of Code for Selected Weapon Systems [9] ..............10 Figure 2.2 Valley of Vulnerabilities...the remaining vulnerabilities is a function of time, funds, expertise, and system exposure. 11 Figure 2.2 Valley of Vulnerabilities...4.1 Quantitative Measurements: System_A Asset Valuation Components Value Justification Direct Costs Inventory $100,000 Financial Databases

An assessment of coastal vulnerability for the South African coast ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Coastal vulnerability is the degree to which a coastal system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change. One of the most widely used methods in assessing risk and vulnerability of coastlines on a regional scale includes the calculation of vulnerability indices and presenting these results on a ...

Vulnerability Assessment of Mangrove Habitat to the Variables of the Oceanography Using CVI Method (Coastal Vulnerability Index) in Trimulyo Mangrove Area, Genuk District, Semarang

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Rifandi Raditya; Fuad, Muhammad

2018-02-01

Some functions of mangrove areas in coastal ecosystems as a green belt, because mangrove serves as a protector of the beach from the sea waves, as a good habitat for coastal biota and for nutrition supply. Decreased condition or degradation of mangrove habitat caused by several oceanographic factors. Mangrove habitats have some specific characteristics such as salinity, tides, and muddy substrates. Considering the role of mangrove area is very important, it is necessary to study about the potential of mangrove habitat so that the habitat level of mangrove habitat in the east coast of Semarang city is known. The purpose of this research is to obtain an index and condition of habitat of mangrove habitat at location of research based on tidal, salinity, substrate type, coastline change. Observation by using purposive method and calculation of habitat index value of mangrove habitat using CVI (Coastal Vulnerability Index) method with scores divided into 3 groups namely low, medium and high. The results showed that there is a zone of research belonging to the medium vulnerability category with the most influential variables is because there is abrasion that sweeps the mangrove substrate. Trimulyo mangrove habitat has high vulnerable variable of tidal frequency, then based on value variable Salinity is categorized as low vulnerability, whereas for mangrove habitat vulnerability based on variable type of substrate belong to low and medium vulnerability category. The CVI values of mangrove habitats divided into zones 1; 2; and 3 were found to varying values of 1.54; 3.79; 1.09, it indicates that there is a zone with the vulnerability of mangrove habitat at the study site belonging to low and medium vulnerability category.

Narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability in psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pincus, Aaron L; Cain, Nicole M; Wright, Aidan G C

2014-10-01

This article briefly summarizes the empirical and clinical literature underlying a contemporary clinical model of pathological narcissism. Unlike the DSM Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), this clinical model identifies and differentiates between two phenotypic themes of dysfunction-narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability-that can be expressed both overtly and covertly in patients' ways of thinking, feeling, behaving, and participating in treatment. Clinical recognition that narcissistic patients can and often do present for psychotherapy in vulnerable states of depression, anxiety, shame, and even suicidality increases the likelihood of accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning. This article provides case examples derived from psychotherapies with narcissistic patients to demonstrate how narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability concurrently present in patients who seek treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Temporal dimensions of vulnerability to crime in economic sectors

OpenAIRE

Klima, Noel

2011-01-01

This paper presents the results of research into vulnerability to crime in two economic sectors in Belgium. Vulnerability to crime is an integration of diverse temporal factors. We address pre-crime and post-crime aspects of vulnerability, arising before and after the criminal event in an economic context. Based on interviews with professionals, security staff, law enforcement agents and with criminals in the transport sector and the hotel and catering industry, a study of police files, and i...

POLITICS, JUSTICE AND THE VULNERABLE SUBJECT: THE CONTRIBUTION OF FEMINIST THOUGHT

OpenAIRE

Casalini, Brunella

2016-01-01

The present article argues that the main contribution of contemporary feminist theory on vulnerability stems from the distinction of two possible kinds of vulnerability: an ontological vulnerability and a vulnerability linked to various processes (social, cultural, economic and juridical) of vulnerabilisation. This contribution is not limited to the critical and deconstructive level. As a positive proposal, it advances in the direction of an individual which, recovering its own relational, em...

Building vulnerability to hydro-geomorphic hazards: Estimating damage probability from qualitative vulnerability assessment using logistic regression

Science.gov (United States)

Ettinger, Susanne; Mounaud, Loïc; Magill, Christina; Yao-Lafourcade, Anne-Françoise; Thouret, Jean-Claude; Manville, Vern; Negulescu, Caterina; Zuccaro, Giulio; De Gregorio, Daniela; Nardone, Stefano; Uchuchoque, Juan Alexis Luque; Arguedas, Anita; Macedo, Luisa; Manrique Llerena, Nélida

2016-10-01

The focus of this study is an analysis of building vulnerability through investigating impacts from the 8 February 2013 flash flood event along the Avenida Venezuela channel in the city of Arequipa, Peru. On this day, 124.5 mm of rain fell within 3 h (monthly mean: 29.3 mm) triggering a flash flood that inundated at least 0.4 km2 of urban settlements along the channel, affecting more than 280 buildings, 23 of a total of 53 bridges (pedestrian, vehicle and railway), and leading to the partial collapse of sections of the main road, paralyzing central parts of the city for more than one week. This study assesses the aspects of building design and site specific environmental characteristics that render a building vulnerable by considering the example of a flash flood event in February 2013. A statistical methodology is developed that enables estimation of damage probability for buildings. The applied method uses observed inundation height as a hazard proxy in areas where more detailed hydrodynamic modeling data is not available. Building design and site-specific environmental conditions determine the physical vulnerability. The mathematical approach considers both physical vulnerability and hazard related parameters and helps to reduce uncertainty in the determination of descriptive parameters, parameter interdependency and respective contributions to damage. This study aims to (1) enable the estimation of damage probability for a certain hazard intensity, and (2) obtain data to visualize variations in damage susceptibility for buildings in flood prone areas. Data collection is based on a post-flood event field survey and the analysis of high (sub-metric) spatial resolution images (Pléiades 2012, 2013). An inventory of 30 city blocks was collated in a GIS database in order to estimate the physical vulnerability of buildings. As many as 1103 buildings were surveyed along the affected drainage and 898 buildings were included in the statistical analysis. Univariate and

Urban Vulnerability Assessment Using AHP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Rezaei

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Physical expansion of urban areas and cities is of great importance nowadays. Irreparable damages will thus be caused by lack of proper planning against natural disasters. Crisis management will therefore guide through prevention, preparedness, disaster relief, and recovery by planning an appropriate program. Methodology. Principal processes of crisis management against earthquake in Iran were evaluated and discussed. Multicriteria earthquake crisis management was then proposed by means of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP. Vulnerability of 19 urban areas in Qazvin city was studied and analyzed as a case study. Three main criteria were considered as “physical dimensions and physical vulnerability texture,” “the amount of urban texture responsibility to aid after crisis,” and “possibility of city reversibility after the crisis.” These criteria were divided into 20 subcriteria which were prioritized by a questionnaire survey. Findings. “High population density,” “urban texture of old and repairable buildings,” “lack of relief and medical services,” “a few organic texture areas,” “sidewalks with less than 6 meters width in the region,” and “lack of open spaces in the area” were concluded to be the most important reasons causing high vulnerability of urban texture in Qazvin city.

The space of vulnerability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio Sgarbi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Archi-tecture has lost the reference to its prop “Archi” to develop mostly its “Tecture”: a deceitful form of nihilism, which has given full credit to a hurricane of instruments for which we know no purpose. Any distinction between city and architecture is purely contingent. Contingency is relevant but only in so far as it makes one lose any sense of scale. Many of our cities do not work because our style of life eradicates the sense of hospitality. The city becomes the place where we un-learn how to live together. Hospitality is vulnerability – the construction of vulnerability is the true beauty, the only deterrent against stupidity. Learn to live with the others, to approximate the alterity and its unpredictability. The basic tools of conviviality are the common goods of inter-disciplinarity. Learn to cultivate and educate yourself to phenomenal incompleteness.

Direction: happiness : improving well-being of vulnerable groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weiss, Laura Anne

2016-01-01

In the PhD-thesis ‘Direction: Happiness. Improving well-being of vulnerable groups’, the effects of the Happiness Route, a positive psychology intervention, were examined. The intervention is directed at a vulnerable group with an accumulation of risk factors for a low well-being; lonely people with

A modeling ontology for integrating vulnerabilities into security requirements conceptual foundations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elahi, G.; Yu, E.; Zannone, N.; Laender, A.H.F.; Castano, S.; Dayal, U.; Casati, F.; Palazzo Moreira de Oliveira, J.

2009-01-01

Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in the requirements, design, and implementation, which attackers exploit to compromise the system. This paper proposes a vulnerability-centric modeling ontology, which aims to integrate empirical knowledge of vulnerabilities into the system development process. In

Vulnerability assessment of atmospheric environment driven by human impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yang; Shen, Jing; Ding, Feng; Li, Yu; He, Li

2016-11-15

Atmospheric environment quality worsening is a substantial threat to public health worldwide, and in many places, air pollution due to the intensification of the human activity is increasing dramatically. However, no studies have been investigated the integration of vulnerability assessment and atmospheric environment driven by human impacts. The objective of this study was to identify and prioritize the undesirable environmental changes as an early warning system for environment managers and decision makers in term of human, atmospheric environment, and social economic elements. We conduct a vulnerability assessment method of atmospheric environment associated with human impact, this method integrates spatial context of Geographic Information System (GIS) tool, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method, ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operators under the Exposure-Sensitivity- Adaptive Capacity (ESA) framework. Decision makers can find out relevant vulnerability assessment results with different vulnerable attitudes. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, China, we further applied this developed method and proved it to be reliable and consistent with the China Environmental Status Bulletin. Results indicate that the vulnerability of atmospheric environment in the BTH region is not optimistic, and environment managers should do more about air pollution. Thus, the most appropriate strategic decision and development program of city or state can be picked out assisting by the vulnerable results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vulnerability assessments, identity and spatial scale challenges in disaster-risk reduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward R. Carr

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Current approaches to vulnerability assessment for disaster-risk reduction (DRR commonly apply generalised, a priori determinants of vulnerability to particular hazards in particular places. Although they may allow for policy-level legibility at high levels of spatial scale, these approaches suffer from attribution problems that become more acute as the level of analysis is localised and the population under investigation experiences greater vulnerability. In this article, we locate the source of this problem in a spatial scale mismatch between the essentialist framings of identity behind these generalised determinants of vulnerability and the intersectional, situational character of identity in the places where DRR interventions are designed and implemented. Using the Livelihoods as Intimate Government (LIG approach to identify and understand different vulnerabilities to flooding in a community in southern Zambia, we empirically demonstrate how essentialist framings of identity produce this mismatch. Further, we illustrate a means of operationalising intersectional, situational framings of identity to achieve greater and more productive understandings of hazard vulnerability than available through the application of general determinants of vulnerability to specific places and cases.

Comparison analysis on vulnerability of metro networks based on complex network

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jianhua; Wang, Shuliang; Wang, Xiaoyuan

2018-04-01

This paper analyzes the networked characteristics of three metro networks, and two malicious attacks are employed to investigate the vulnerability of metro networks based on connectivity vulnerability and functionality vulnerability. Meanwhile, the networked characteristics and vulnerability of three metro networks are compared with each other. The results show that Shanghai metro network has the largest transport capacity, Beijing metro network has the best local connectivity and Guangzhou metro network has the best global connectivity, moreover Beijing metro network has the best homogeneous degree distribution. Furthermore, we find that metro networks are very vulnerable subjected to malicious attacks, and Guangzhou metro network has the best topological structure and reliability among three metro networks. The results indicate that the proposed methodology is feasible and effective to investigate the vulnerability and to explore better topological structure of metro networks.

The CERT Guide to Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-11

Incident vs. Vulnerability Response 6 1.3 Why Coordinate Vulnerability Disclosures? 6 1.4 Previewing the Remainder of this Document 7 2 Principles of...Accidental Leaks 53 6.5 Independent Discovery 54 6.6 Active Exploitation 55 6.7 Relationships that Go Sideways 55 6.8 Hype, Marketing , and...guide provides an introduction to the key concepts, principles , and roles necessary to establish a successful CVD process. It also provides insights

Air pollution and vulnerability: solving the puzzle of prioritization

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wright, CY

2011-01-01

Full Text Available conditions exacerbates the problem. Air quality management plans identify prioritized strategies for improved air quality independent of consideration of vulnerability. A population exposure and vulnerability risk prioritization framework comprising five...

Building Blocks: A Quantitative Approach for Evaluating Coastal Vulnerability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Komali Kantamaneni

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Climate change and associated factors such as global and regional sea-level rise; the upsurge in high-intensity flooding events; and coastal erosion are pulse and press disturbances that threaten to increase landslides in coastal regions. Under these circumstances; a rigorous framework is required to evaluate coastal vulnerability in order to plan for future climate change scenarios. A vast majority of coastal vulnerability assessments across the globe are evaluated at the macro level (city scale but not at the micro level (small town scale; particularly in the United Kingdom (UK. In order to fill this vital research gap; the current study established a coastal vulnerability index termed here as the Micro Town Coastal Vulnerability Index (MTCVI and then applied it to Barton-on-Sea; which is a small coastal town of the Hampshire region; England; UK. MTCVI was evaluated for Barton-on-Sea coastal vulnerability by integrating both novel and existing parameters. Results suggest that the entire shoreline frontage (2 km exhibits very high coastal vulnerability and is prone to various coastal hazards such as landslides; erosion; and wave intrusion. This suggests that Barton-on-Sea coastal amenities will require a substantial improvement in shoreline protection measures. In this study; GIS (geographic information system coastal vulnerability and landslide maps were generated; and these maps can be used by the local authorities; district councils; coastal engineers; and planners to improve and design coastal management strategies under the climate change scenarios. Meanwhile; the methodology used in this study could also be applied to any other suitable location in the world depending on the availability of the data.

Respect for Human Vulnerability: The Emergence of a New Principle in Bioethics.

Science.gov (United States)

ten Have, Henk

2015-09-01

Vulnerability has become a popular though controversial topic in bioethics, notably since 2000. As a result, a common body of knowledge has emerged (1) distinguishing between different types of vulnerability, (2) criticizing the categorization of populations as vulnerable, and (3) questioning the practical implications. It is argued that two perspectives on vulnerability, i.e., the philosophical and political, pose challenges to contemporary bioethics discourse: they re-examine the significance of human agency, the primacy of the individual person, and the negativity of vulnerability. As a phenomenon of globalization, vulnerability can only be properly addressed in a global bioethics that takes the social dimension of human existence seriously.

Cyber Security Vulnerability Impact on I and C Reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadley, Mark D.; McBride, Justin B.

2006-01-01

We present a discussion of the cyber security vulnerability impact on instrument and control reliability. In the discussion we demonstrate the likely vector of attack and vulnerabilities associated with commodity hardware, protocols and communication media. The current fleet of nuclear power plants in the United States utilizes aging analog instrument and control systems which are more frequently suffering from obsolescence and failure. The commodity equipment available now and in the near future incorporates features from information technology systems which compound cyber vulnerabilities

Social vulnerability assessment using spatial multi-criteria analysis (SEVI model and the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI model – a case study for Bucharest, Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Armaș

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In recent decades, the development of vulnerability frameworks has enlarged the research in the natural hazards field. Despite progress in developing the vulnerability studies, there is more to investigate regarding the quantitative approach and clarification of the conceptual explanation of the social component. At the same time, some disaster-prone areas register limited attention. Among these, Romania's capital city, Bucharest, is the most earthquake-prone capital in Europe and the tenth in the world. The location is used to assess two multi-criteria methods for aggregating complex indicators: the social vulnerability index (SoVI model and the spatial multi-criteria social vulnerability index (SEVI model. Using the data of the 2002 census we reduce the indicators through a factor analytical approach to create the indices and examine if they bear any resemblance to the known vulnerability of Bucharest city through an exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA. This is a critical issue that may provide better understanding of the social vulnerability in the city and appropriate information for authorities and stakeholders to consider in their decision making. The study emphasizes that social vulnerability is an urban process that increased in a post-communist Bucharest, raising the concern that the population at risk lacks the capacity to cope with disasters. The assessment of the indices indicates a significant and similar clustering pattern of the census administrative units, with an overlap between the clustering areas affected by high social vulnerability. Our proposed SEVI model suggests adjustment sensitivity, useful in the expert-opinion accuracy.

Groundwater vulnerability to pollution mapping of Ranchi district using GIS

Science.gov (United States)

Krishna, R.; Iqbal, J.; Gorai, A. K.; Pathak, G.; Tuluri, F.; Tchounwou, P. B.

2015-12-01

Groundwater pollution due to anthropogenic activities is one of the major environmental problems in urban and industrial areas. The present study demonstrates the integrated approach with GIS and DRASTIC model to derive a groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model considers the seven hydrogeological factors [Depth to water table ( D), net recharge ( R), aquifer media ( A), soil media ( S), topography or slope ( T), impact of vadose zone ( I) and hydraulic Conductivity( C)] for generating the groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model was applied for assessing the groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Ranchi district, Jharkhand, India. The model was validated by comparing the model output (vulnerability indices) with the observed nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the study area. The reason behind the selection of nitrate is that the major sources of nitrate in groundwater are anthropogenic in nature. Groundwater samples were collected from 30 wells/tube wells distributed in the study area. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory for measuring the nitrate concentrations in groundwater. A sensitivity analysis of the integrated model was performed to evaluate the influence of single parameters on groundwater vulnerability index. New weights were computed for each input parameters to understand the influence of individual hydrogeological factors in vulnerability indices in the study area. Aquifer vulnerability maps generated in this study can be used for environmental planning and groundwater management.

Groundwater vulnerability to pollution mapping of Ranchi district using GIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishna, R; Iqbal, J; Gorai, A K; Pathak, G; Tuluri, F; Tchounwou, P B

2015-12-01

Groundwater pollution due to anthropogenic activities is one of the major environmental problems in urban and industrial areas. The present study demonstrates the integrated approach with GIS and DRASTIC model to derive a groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model considers the seven hydrogeological factors [Depth to water table ( D ), net recharge ( R ), aquifer media ( A ), soil media ( S ), topography or slope ( T ), impact of vadose zone ( I ) and hydraulic Conductivity( C )] for generating the groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model was applied for assessing the groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Ranchi district, Jharkhand, India. The model was validated by comparing the model output (vulnerability indices) with the observed nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the study area. The reason behind the selection of nitrate is that the major sources of nitrate in groundwater are anthropogenic in nature. Groundwater samples were collected from 30 wells/tube wells distributed in the study area. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory for measuring the nitrate concentrations in groundwater. A sensitivity analysis of the integrated model was performed to evaluate the influence of single parameters on groundwater vulnerability index. New weights were computed for each input parameters to understand the influence of individual hydrogeological factors in vulnerability indices in the study area. Aquifer vulnerability maps generated in this study can be used for environmental planning and groundwater management.

Do depressive episodes lead to accumulation of vulnerability in the elderly?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oldehinkel, AJ; van den Berg, MD; Bouhuys, AL; Ormel, J

2003-01-01

The vulnerability-accumulation (or scarring) hypothesis postulates that the experience of depression induces a lasting increase in vulnerability, and through this raises the risk of recurrence. We examined the validity of the vulnerability-accumulation model for depressive episodes in later life.

Development of information security and vulnerability risk management system for J-PARC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Hiroyuki; Tate, Akihiro; Murakami, Tadashi

2012-02-01

In J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex) we have set up intra-network (internal network, we will abbreviate it as JLAN, below) to support research activity and communication among users. In JLAN, we set up various kinds of security devices to keep JLAN secure. However, the servers which provide information or service to public are still in danger of being accessed illegally. If there is an illegal access, that may cause defacement of data or information leak. Furthermore, the victim servers are manipulated by the malicious attackers, and they themselves attack the external information equipments. Vulnerability of servers enables unauthorized access. So, vulnerability test with use of a vulnerability tool is one of the most effective ways to take measures for vulnerability of the equipments. However, it is not enough to just conduct a vulnerability test. It is also essential for information security to take measures to cover constantly for the vulnerability of servers. We focused on the points above, and developed the vulnerability testing system for security. It is not only a testing tool for the vulnerability of servers, but also management system which enables the server administrators in charge of taking measures for vulnerabilities to manage risks and handles PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action) cycles as countermeasure for vulnerability. In this paper, we report the technologies and ingenuities for the development of the above system. (author)

Taking the uncertainty in climate-change vulnerability assessment seriously

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patt, A.; Patt, A.; Klein, R.J.T.; Vega-Leinert, A. de la

2005-01-01

Climate-change vulnerability assessment has become a frequently employed tool, with the purpose of informing policy-makers attempting to adapt to global change conditions. However, we suggest that there are three reasons to suspect that vulnerability assessment often promises more certainty, and more useful results, than it can deliver. First, the complexity of the system it purports to describe is greater than that described by other types of assessment. Second, it is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain data to test proposed interactions between different vulnerability drivers. Third, the time scale of analysis is too long to be able to make robust projections about future adaptive capacity. We analyze the results from a stakeholder workshop in a European vulnerability assessment, and find evidence to support these arguments. (authors)

Vulnerability analysis of a PWR to an external event

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aruety, S.; Ilberg, D.; Hertz, Y.

1980-01-01

The Vulnerability of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to external events is affected by several factors such as: the degree of redundancy of the reactor systems, subsystems and components; the separation of systems provided in the general layout; the extent of the vulnerable area, i.e., the area which upon being affected by an external event will result in system failure; and the time required to repair or replace the systems, when allowed. The present study offers a methodology, using Probabilistic Safety Analysis, to evaluate the relative importance of the above parameters in reducing the vulnerability of reactor safety systems. Several safety systems of typical PWR's are analyzed as examples. It was found that the degree of redundancy and physical separation of the systems has the most prominent effect on the vulnerability of the NPP

Vulnerability of Maize Yields to Droughts in Uganda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terence Epule Epule

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Climate projections in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA forecast an increase in the intensity and frequency of droughts with implications for maize production. While studies have examined how maize might be affected at the continental level, there have been few national or sub-national studies of vulnerability. We develop a vulnerability index that combines sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity and that integrates agroecological, climatic and socio-economic variables to evaluate the national and spatial pattern of maize yield vulnerability to droughts in Uganda. The results show that maize yields in the north of Uganda are more vulnerable to droughts than in the south and nationally. Adaptive capacity is higher in the south of the country than in the north. Maize yields also record higher levels of sensitivity and exposure in the north of Uganda than in the south. Latitudinally, it is observed that maize yields in Uganda tend to record higher levels of vulnerability, exposure and sensitivity towards higher latitudes, while in contrast, the adaptive capacity of maize yields is higher towards the lower latitudes. In addition to lower precipitation levels in the north of the country, these observations can also be explained by poor soil quality in most of the north and socio-economic proxies, such as, higher poverty and lower literacy rates in the north of Uganda.

The Vulnerability Assessment Code for Physical Protection System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Sung Soon; Yoo, Ho Sik

2007-01-01

To neutralize the increasing terror threats, nuclear facilities have strong physical protection system (PPS). PPS includes detectors, door locks, fences, regular guard patrols, and a hot line to a nearest military force. To design an efficient PPS and to fully operate it, vulnerability assessment process is required. Evaluating PPS of a nuclear facility is complicate process and, hence, several assessment codes have been developed. The estimation of adversary sequence interruption (EASI) code analyzes vulnerability along a single intrusion path. To evaluate many paths to a valuable asset in an actual facility, the systematic analysis of vulnerability to intrusion (SAVI) code was developed. KAERI improved SAVI and made the Korean analysis of vulnerability to intrusion (KAVI) code. Existing codes (SAVI and KAVI) have limitations in representing the distance of a facility because they use the simplified model of a PPS called adversary sequence diagram. In adversary sequence diagram the position of doors, sensors and fences is described just as the locating area. Thus, the distance between elements is inaccurate and we cannot reflect the range effect of sensors. In this abstract, we suggest accurate and intuitive vulnerability assessment based on raster map modeling of PPS. The raster map of PPS accurately represents the relative position of elements and, thus, the range effect of sensor can be easily incorporable. Most importantly, the raster map is easy to understand

Perception of vulnerability among mothers of healthy infants in a middle-income country.

Science.gov (United States)

Dogan, D G; Ertem, I O; Karaaslan, T; Forsyth, B W

2009-11-01

Although four decades have passed since the concept of 'vulnerable children' has been introduced into paediatric literature, research on vulnerability is limited to high-income, Western countries. To adapt and adopt practices that have been advised for paediatricians to prevent 'the vulnerable child syndrome', information is needed also on the prevalence and correlates of perceived vulnerability in children in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries. To determine the rate and correlates of the perception of vulnerability among healthy young children in a healthy population of children in Ankara, Turkey. In this cross-sectional observational study, participants comprised of a 'prescriptive sample' of healthy, thriving children with no known health risk for vulnerability. Maternal perception of child vulnerability was assessed using the Child Vulnerability Scale (CVS). Potential risks factors for vulnerability including history of threatened abortion during pregnancy, child gender, birth order, maternal and paternal age and education were collected using a structured questionnaire. A total of 519 children - 264 boys (50.9%) and 255 girls (49.1%) - comprised the sample. The internal consistency of the CVS was 0.71. Item-total scale correlations were 0.30 or above for all of the eight items. The median CVS score of the sample was 2.0 and 30 mothers (5.8%) were found to perceive their children as vulnerable. None of the socio-demographic variables that were investigated were found to be associated with high vulnerability scores. This study is the first to examine maternal perceived vulnerability of healthy children in a middle-income country. The findings imply that a high proportion of healthy children are perceived as vulnerable by their mothers and that previously studied socio-demographic factors do not explain perceived vulnerability. The results of this study may provide a comparison point for studies on childhood vulnerability in LAMI countries.

Vulnerability of Smallholder Farmers to Climate Change in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Yitayal A.

adopted Vulnerability as expected poverty (VEP)approach was where an individual's vulnerability is the .... cropping seasons. About 21% of the respondents are below the food poverty line of ..... Cambridge, UK: University Press. Stige, L., J.

Cambios esqueléticos, faciales y dentoalveolares producidos por el tratamiento con placas de acetato y elásticos de clase III en pacientes con mesiorrelación esquelética y dental en dentición decidua o mixta temprana

OpenAIRE

Espinal Botero, Gabriel Emilio; Betancur Pérez, John Jairo; Blandón Uribe, Ana María; Ortiz Burgos, Paola Alejandra

2011-01-01

Introducción: el propósito fue establecer los cambios clínicos y radiográficos con el uso durante un año de placas de acetato bimaxilares con elásticos de clase III para el tratamiento de la clase III esquelética en pacientes con dentición decidua o mixta temprana. Métodos: se hizo un estudio clínico prospectivo cuasi-experimental en 26 sujetos entre tres y nueve años. Se tomaron radiografías cefálicas laterales y modelos de estudio al inicio, a los seis meses y al año de tratamiento, se eval...

The Flood House Concept : A New Approach in Reducing Flood Vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vreugdenhil, H.; Meijer, L.; Hartnack, L.; Rijcken, T.

2006-01-01

Deltas throughout the world are vulnerable to natural hazards. New Orleans provides a recent and obvious example. We analyzed the situation in New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta after hurricane Katrina has passed, from a vulnerability perspective. Vulnerability can be subdivided into four

Reflexivity and vulnerability in collaborative knowledge production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Helle Nordentoft; Olesen, Birgitte Ravn

-reports of positive learning outcomes and fails to illuminate how power is always at play leaving certain participants exposed and potentially vulnerable (Fenwick, 2008). As such, it remains unclear how power relations unfold in moment-by-moment interactions including how the researcher’s position matters...... because their voices are subjugated and they appear to be vulnerable. The extent of this development in the peer interactions and the reproductive nature of the knowledge produced were unexpected. In other words we – the researchers – became struck in the analytical process. In the final part of the paper......, we discuss how the reproduction of power relations invokes ethical concerns and raises critical perspectives on the undeniable common good of collaborative research in which participants’ vulnerability may be overlooked in potentially reflexive moments (Nordentoft and Kappel, 2011). Still, we find...

Network Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Alward, Randy G; Carley, Kathleen M; Madsen, Fredrik; Taylor, Vincent K; Vandenberghe, Grant

2006-01-01

To help understand a network and its ability to continue operating when under attack, the break out group discussed issues that need to be considered when presenting network vulnerability information...

Multi-level significance of vulnerability indicators. Case study: Eastern Romania

Science.gov (United States)

Stanga, I. C.; Grozavu, A.

2012-04-01

Vulnerability assessment aims, most frequently, to emphasize internal fragility of a system comparing to a reference standard, to similar systems or in relation to a given hazard. Internal fragility, either biophysical or structural, may affect the capacity to predict, to prepare for, to cope with or to recover from a disaster. Thus, vulnerability is linked to resilience and adaptive capacity. From local level to global one, vulnerability factors and corresponding indicators are different and their significance must be tested and validated in a well-structured conceptual and methodological framework. In this paper, the authors aim to show the real vulnerability of rural settlements in Eastern Romania in a multi-level approach. The research area, Tutova Hills, counts about 3421 sq.km and more than 200.000 inhabitants in 421 villages characterized by deficient accessibility, lack of endowments, subsistential agriculture, high pressure on natural environment (especially on forest and soil resources), poverty and aging process of population. Factors that could influence the vulnerability of these rural settlements have been inventoried and assigned into groups through a cluster analysis: habitat and technical urban facilities, infrastructure, economical, social and demographical indicators, environment quality, management of emergency situations etc. Firstly, the main difficulty was to convert qualitative variable in quantitative indicators and to standardize all values to make possible mathematical and statistical processing of data. Secondly, the great variability of vulnerability factors, their different measuring units and their high amplitude of variation require different method of standardization in order to obtain values between zero (minimum vulnerability) and one (maximum vulnerability). Final vulnerability indicators were selected and integrated in a general scheme, according to their significance resulted from an appropriate factor analysis: linear and

Summary of vulnerability related technologies based on machine learning

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Lei; Chen, Zhihao; Jia, Qiong

2018-04-01

As the scale of information system increases by an order of magnitude, the complexity of system software is getting higher. The vulnerability interaction from design, development and deployment to implementation stages greatly increases the risk of the entire information system being attacked successfully. Considering the limitations and lags of the existing mainstream security vulnerability detection techniques, this paper summarizes the development and current status of related technologies based on the machine learning methods applied to deal with massive and irregular data, and handling security vulnerabilities.

Vulnerable participants in health research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordentoft, Helle Merete; Nanna, Kappel

2011-01-01

Ethical guidelines for conducting research are embedded in the Helsinki declaration of 1964. We contend that these abstract and intentionally universal guidelines need to be appropriated for social and health care research in which purpose and methods often deviate from medical research. The guid......Ethical guidelines for conducting research are embedded in the Helsinki declaration of 1964. We contend that these abstract and intentionally universal guidelines need to be appropriated for social and health care research in which purpose and methods often deviate from medical research...... and problems of vulnerable patients and - at the same time - respect their integrity without exposing them unnecessarily? The article illuminates the interactional construction of roles and relationships and how they affect the contextual construction of vulnerability. In this respect we demonstrate...

[Vulnerability of eco-economy in northern slope region of Tianshan Mountains].

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jian-zhai; Li, Bo; Zhang, Xin-shi; Zhao, Wen-wu; Jiang, Guang-hui

2008-04-01

Based on the theoretical meaning of vulnerability, a vulnerability assessment of eco-econom in fifteen counties in the northern slope region of Tianshan Mountains was conducted. The ecosystem services change to land use was regarded as the impact, and based on the fourteen indices from resource holding, society development, and economy development statistic data, the adaptive ability was evaluated by using the methods of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy synthetic evaluation. On the basis of assessment results of impact and adaptive capacity, the fifteen counties were divided into five classes under the assessment principles, and the district with higher-class number was of more vulnerability. The first class included Usu City and Changji City, the second class included Hutubi County, Miquan County, Fukang City, Jimsar County, Qitai County and Mori Kazak Autonomous County, the third class included Karamay City and Urumqi City, the fourth class included Kuitun City and Shawan County, and the fifth class included Jinghe County, Shihezi City and Manas County. The vulnerability reflected the level of eco-environment change and socioeconomic development, and the vulnerability assessment could be a good way to ensure the sustainable development. Aiming to decrease the vulnerability, various districts belonging to different class of vulnerability should establish relevant tactics according to the vulnerability factors to accelerate the region's sustainable development.

Urban Vulnerability in Bantul District, Indonesia—Towards Safer and Sustainable Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Rijanta

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Assuring safer and sustainable development in seismic prone areas requires predictive measurements, i.e., hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment. This research aims to assess urban vulnerability due to seismic hazard through a risk based spatial plan. The idea is to indicate current and future potential losses due to specified hazards with given spatial and temporal units. Herein, urban vulnerability refers to the classic separation between social and physical vulnerability assessments. The research area covers six sub-districts in Bantul, Indonesia. It experienced 6.2 Mw earthquakes on May, 27th, 2006 and suffered a death toll of 5700, economic losses of up to 3.1 billion US$ and damage to nearly 80% of a 508 km² area. The research area experienced the following regional issues: (1 seismic hazard; (2 rapid land conversion and (3 domination of low-income group. This research employs spatial multi criteria evaluations (SMCE for social vulnerability (SMCE-SV and for physical vulnerability (SMCE-PV. The research reveals that (1 SMCE-SV and SMCE-PV are empirically possible to indicate the urban vulnerability indices; and (2 integrating the urban vulnerability assessment into a spatial plan requires strategic, technical, substantial and procedural integration. In summary, without adequate knowledge and political support, any manifestation towards safer and sustainable development will remain meager and haphazard.

CDC's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Social vulnerability refers to the resilience of communities when confronted by external stresses on human health, stresses such as natural or human-caused...

Determinação de dose absorvida em feixes de elétrons utilizado câmara de ionizacão de placas paralelas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bulla Roseli T.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi estabelecer um procedimento para a determinação dos fatores de calibração e de doses absorvidas em feixes de elétrons. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados um irradiador de 60Co e um acelerador linear Varian, modelo Clinac 2100C, com feixes de fótons e de elétrons. Foram estudadas câmaras de ionização do tipo dedal e de placas paralelas. RESULTADOS: Os sistemas de medidas foram submetidos aos testes preliminares (estabilidade de resposta e corrente de fuga, com resultados muito bons. Quatro métodos de calibração de câmaras de ionização para utilização em feixes de elétrons foram testados. Para a determinação da dose absorvida em feixes de elétrons foram aplicadas três metodologias propostas pela Agência Internacional de Energia Atômica, com a obtenção de resultados concordantes em quase todos os casos. CONCLUSÃO: A maior parte das câmaras de ionização estudadas mostrou-se viável, com desempenho dentro dos limites internacionais estabelecidos.

Economic vulnerability of timber resources to forest fires

Science.gov (United States)

Francisco Rodriguez y Silva; Juan Ramon Molina; Armando Gonzalez-Caban; Miguel Angel Herrera Machuca

2012-01-01

The temporal-spatial planning of activities for a territorial fire management program requires knowing the value of forest ecosystems. In this paper we extend to and apply the economic valuation principle to the concept of economic vulnerability and present a methodology for the economic valuation of the forest production ecosystems. The forest vulnerability is...

Assessment of the intrinsic vulnerability to groundwater contamination in lahore, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmood, K.; Khan, R.M.; Ashfaq, M.; Ahsan, A.

2015-01-01

This study was intended to map intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater contamination in Lahore using GIS based DRASTIC model. The final output of DRASTIC model was reclassified into three equal interval classes, corresponding to low, moderate and high vulnerability regions. Most of the study area was found to have low to moderate vulnerability, with 27.48% area of low, 66.48% of moderate and only 6.04% area of high vulnerability. Most of the drinking water wells are installed in the residential area of the city, which shows low chances of contamination due to deep water table and almost no recharge. However, an industrial drain is located in the high vulnerable area in the southeastern part of the study area. The previous studies are in agreement with vulnerability zones. Further to remove any doubt in the suitability of assigned weight, map removal sensitivity analysis had been carried out. The assessment of the sensitivity analysis had been made through visual as well as quantitative methods. Priority order for contribution of the parameters in the vulnerability for the study area is D>I>C>R>A>T>S. (author)

Current techniques for the investigation of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riou, L.; Broisat, A.; Fagret, D.; Ghezzi, C.

2005-01-01

Atherosclerosis is the single most important contributor to cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Atherosclerosis complications such as vulnerable coronary plaque rupture or erosion result in acute coronary events, i.e. myocardial infarction and sudden death. Vulnerable plaques initially develop eccentrically without impeding on the vessel lumen and are therefore not detectable using angiography. New techniques for the investigation of vulnerable plaques are needed to identify and treat vulnerable patients. Invasive techniques require the use of intracoronary probes and are thereby not applicable to large populations of patients. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are the most promising invasive modalities. They provide morphological data that could potentially be associated with a more functional approach such as thermography, elasto-graphy, or spectroscopy, Non-invasive techniques are better suited for studying larger populations of patients. Computed tomography is currently used for calcium scoring, but the biological meaning and the prognostic value of this index remain to be fully determined. Non-invasive coronary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) faces numerous technical challenges, and it essentially provides morphological data. Molecular nuclear imaging offers a great sensitivity and the ability to provide metabolic data about atherosclerotic lesions. New potential tracers of vulnerable plaques are currently being evaluated. Nuclear Medicine should therefore play a major role in the future as a non invasive imaging modality for the assessment of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. (author)

Design and implementation based on the classification protection vulnerability scanning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Chao; Lu Zhigang; Liu Baoxu

2010-01-01

With the application and spread of the classification protection, Network Security Vulnerability Scanning should consider the efficiency and the function expansion. It proposes a kind of a system vulnerability from classification protection, and elaborates the design and implementation of a vulnerability scanning system based on vulnerability classification plug-in technology and oriented classification protection. According to the experiment, the application of classification protection has good adaptability and salability with the system, and it also approves the efficiency of scanning. (authors)

Climate change vulnerability in Ethiopia : disaggregation of Tigray Region

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gidey Gebrehiwot, T.; Gidey, T.G.; van der Veen, A.

2013-01-01

Climate change and variability severely affect rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity, yet they are causes of stress vulnerable rural households have to cope with. This paper investigated farming communities' vulnerability to climate change and climate variability across 34

Vulnerability assessment for reinforced concrete buildings exposed to landslides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mavrouli, O.; Corominas, J.; Fotopoulou, S.; Pitilakis, K.; Zuccaro, G.; Cacace, F.; De Gregorio, D.; Santo, A.; Di Crescenzo, G.; Foerster, E.; Ulrich, T.

2014-01-01

The methodologies available for the analytical quantification of the vulnerability of buildings which are subject to actions resulting from slope instabilities and landslides are relatively limited in comparison with other components of quantitative landslide risk assessment. This paper provides a general methodology for calculating the vulnerabilities of reinforced concrete frame structures that are subject to three types of slope instability: slow-moving landslides, rapid flow-type slides and rock falls. The vulnerability is expressed using sets of fragility curves. A description of the general framework and of the specialised procedures employed is presented here, separately for each landslide mechanism, through the example of a single-bay one-storey reinforced concrete frame. The properties of the frame are taken into account as variables with associated uncertainties. The derived vulnerability curves presented here can be used directly by risk assessment practitioners without having to repeat the procedure, given the expected range of landslide intensities and for similar building typologies and ranges of structural characteristics. This permits the applicability of the calculated vulnerability to a wide variety of similar frames for a range of landslide intensity parameters. (authors)

Assessment of intrinsic vulnerability of an alluvial aquifer under anthropogenic pressure: cross comparison of 4 index-based groundwater vulnerability mapping models within the Biguglia lagoon watershed (Corsica, France).

Science.gov (United States)

Jaunat, Jessy; Huneau, Frédéric; Garel, Emilie; Devos, Alain; Lejeune, Olivier

2016-04-01

KEYWORDS: Alluvial aquifer, Vulnerability mapping, Index-based methods, DRASTIC, SINTACS, SI, GOD The geographical position of the Biguglia lagoon watershed south of the Bastia city (80 000 inhabitants), lead to a highly vulnerable hydrosystem setting. This littoral plain is the unique territory available for the urbanisation and for the agriculture activities (cattle breeding). All the activities developed are likely to have a qualitative impact on water infiltration and therefore on groundwater, which is in hydraulic connection with the lagoon system. Beyond this ecological issue, groundwater of this watershed is intensively used as drinking water supply. It appears essential to control the long-term groundwater quality of the Biguglia plain which is the major economic zone of Corsica. Achievement of this issue requires the identification of the areas where the alluvial aquifer is mostly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. The results given by 4 of the most popular index-based vulnerability mapping methods (DRASTIC, SI, SINTACS and GOD) are compared. The water table, net recharge, aquifer and soils properties, topography, vadose zone and land uses have been precisely mapped and numerically translated in GIS with a 25m precision. 4 final maps were finally compiled according to the weighting factors of each methods. Hydrochemical investigations were also carried out on 30 sampling points (major ions and anthropogenic tracers) to evaluate the effect of anthropogenic activities on groundwater quality and also to validate the results of the vulnerability mapping. A comparison between the parametric models shows a significant agreement between the DRASTIC, SINTACS and SI results (2% to 5% of the total area in very low vulnerability class, 10% to 13% in low vulnerability, 16% to 23% in medium vulnerability, 31% to 53% in high vulnerability and 14% to 23% in very high vulnerability). The two first methods are quite similar, which explains the proximity of the

Economic vulnerability of timber resources to forest fires.

Science.gov (United States)

y Silva, Francisco Rodríguez; Molina, Juan Ramón; González-Cabán, Armando; Machuca, Miguel Ángel Herrera

2012-06-15

The temporal-spatial planning of activities for a territorial fire management program requires knowing the value of forest ecosystems. In this paper we extend to and apply the economic valuation principle to the concept of economic vulnerability and present a methodology for the economic valuation of the forest production ecosystems. The forest vulnerability is analyzed from criteria intrinsically associated to the forest characterization, and to the potential behavior of surface fires. Integrating a mapping process of fire potential and analytical valuation algorithms facilitates the implementation of fire prevention planning. The availability of cartography of economic vulnerability of the forest ecosystems is fundamental for budget optimization, and to help in the decision making process. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Environmental Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment in Urban Water Mines (Porto, NW Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria José Afonso

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A multidisciplinary approach was developed to estimate urban groundwater vulnerability to contamination combining hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, subterranean hydrogeotechnics, groundwater ecotoxicology and isotope tracers. Paranhos and Salgueiros spring waters in Porto City were used as a case study. Historical and current vulnerability scenarios were compared using hydrogeological GIS-based modelling. Potential contamination sources were mapped around the spring galleries. Most of these were point sources and their potential contamination load was moderate. The ecotoxicological assessment indicated a low acute toxicity potential. Groundwater radionuclides appeared to be mainly controlled by geological factors and biomineralisation. Vulnerability maps suggest that most of the area has a moderate to low vulnerability to contamination. However, some surface sources such as sewage systems cause contamination and contribute to increased vulnerability. This integrated approach was demonstrated to be adequate for a better knowledge of urban hydrogeological processes and their dynamics, and highlighted the importance of a vulnerability assessment in urban areas.

Vulnerability in the power network - a pre study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kjoelle, Gerd H.; Uhlen, Kjetil; Rolfseng, Lars; Stene, Birger

2006-02-01

Vulnerability in the power distribution network has been made a current topic because of various factors, from terror attacks to a strained power balance, large breakdowns in the power system in Europe and North America in recent time and an anticipated increase in climate-related challenges in the coming years; all related to the modern society's critical dependence on reliable power supply. Several questions are posed; whether there is a foundation to say that the vulnerability in the power network is increasing because of factors like cuts in staffing, reduced investments and increased exploitation of the capacity in the power systems, or increased average age on the air network. Different development features can indicate that the power network's ability to resist high stress is about to weaken. Examples of this is the slowly increasing trend in the number of non-reported interruptions, as well as an increase in the error frequency for power lines in the distribution network and for distribution transformers. In the pre-study there has not been found enough evidence to give a clear answer to whether the vulnerability in the power network is in fact on the rise. This is mainly due to the lack of good indicators, measuring methods and the foundation for documentation. Suggestions for methodology in order to identify unwanted incidents, estimate the probability and classify consequences for vulnerability analyses of power networks are presented. The methodology is concretised and exemplified in relation to a specific case: Power loss in the southern Norway affecting more than 250 000 people for 8-12 hours. Such a consequence is classified as critical. For four sub areas it has been exemplified which incidents may potentially cause such breaks. A summary is made of the most important challenges related to making vulnerability analyses of power networks. Comprised here are appropriate concepts, definitions, standards and measuring scales as well as data foundation

Enhancing protection for vulnerable waters

Science.gov (United States)

Creed, Irena F.; Lane, Charles R.; Serran, Jacqueline N.; Alexander, Laurie C.; Basu, Nandita B.; Calhoun, Aram J. K.; Christensen, Jay R.; Cohen, Matthew J.; Craft, Christopher; D'Amico, Ellen; Dekeyser, Edward; Fowler, Laurie; Golden, Heather E.; Jawitz, James W.; Kalla, Peter; Kirkman, L. Katherine; Lang, Megan; Leibowitz, Scott G.; Lewis, David B.; Marton, John; McLaughlin, Daniel L.; Raanan-Kiperwas, Hadas; Rains, Mark C.; Rains, Kai C.; Smith, Lora

2017-11-01

Governments worldwide do not adequately protect their limited freshwater systems and therefore place freshwater functions and attendant ecosystem services at risk. The best available scientific evidence compels enhanced protections for freshwater systems, especially for impermanent streams and wetlands outside of floodplains that are particularly vulnerable to alteration or destruction. New approaches to freshwater sustainability -- implemented through scientifically informed adaptive management -- are required to protect freshwater systems through periods of changing societal needs. One such approach introduced in the US in 2015 is the Clean Water Rule, which clarified the jurisdictional scope for federally protected waters. However, within hours of its implementation litigants convinced the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to stay the rule, and the subsequently elected administration has now placed it under review for potential revision or rescission. Regardless of its outcome at the federal level, policy and management discussions initiated by the propagation of this rare rulemaking event have potential far-reaching implications at all levels of government across the US and worldwide. At this timely juncture, we provide a scientific rationale and three policy options for all levels of government to meaningfully enhance protection of these vulnerable waters. A fourth option, a 'do-nothing' approach, is wholly inconsistent with the well-established scientific evidence of the importance of these vulnerable waters.

Security Vulnerability and Patch Management in Electric Utilities: A Data-Driven Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Qinghua [Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (United States); Zhang, Fengli [Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (United States)

2018-01-18

This paper explores a real security vulnerability and patch management dataset from an electric utility in order to shed light on characteristics of the vulnerabilities that electric utility assets have and how they are remediated in practice. Specifically, it first analyzes the distribution of vulnerabilities over software, assets, and other metric. Then it analyzes how vulnerability features affect remediate actions.

An Empirical Study on Android-related Vulnerabilities

OpenAIRE

Linares-Vasquez, Mario; Bavota, Gabriele; Escobar-Velasquez, Camilo

2017-01-01

Mobile devices are used more and more in everyday life. They are our cameras, wallets, and keys. Basically, they embed most of our private information in our pocket. For this and other reasons, mobile devices, and in particular the software that runs on them, are considered first-class citizens in the software-vulnerabilities landscape. Several studies investigated the software-vulnerabilities phenomenon in the context of mobile apps and, more in general, mobile devices. Most of these studies...

The Vulnerability of Some Networks including Cycles via Domination Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tufan Turaci

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Let G=(V(G,E(G be an undirected simple connected graph. A network is usually represented by an undirected simple graph where vertices represent processors and edges represent links between processors. Finding the vulnerability values of communication networks modeled by graphs is important for network designers. The vulnerability value of a communication network shows the resistance of the network after the disruption of some centers or connection lines until a communication breakdown. The domination number and its variations are the most important vulnerability parameters for network vulnerability. Some variations of domination numbers are the 2-domination number, the bondage number, the reinforcement number, the average lower domination number, the average lower 2-domination number, and so forth. In this paper, we study the vulnerability of cycles and related graphs, namely, fans, k-pyramids, and n-gon books, via domination parameters. Then, exact solutions of the domination parameters are obtained for the above-mentioned graphs.

The Mental Vulnerability Questionnaire: a psychometric evaluation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eplov, Lene Falgaard; Petersen, Janne; Jørgensen, Torben

2010-01-01

The Mental Vulnerability Questionnaire was originally a 22 item scale, later reduced to a 12 item scale. In population studies the 12 item scale has been a significant predictor of health and illness. The scale has not been psychometrically evaluated for more than 30 years, and the aim of the pre......The Mental Vulnerability Questionnaire was originally a 22 item scale, later reduced to a 12 item scale. In population studies the 12 item scale has been a significant predictor of health and illness. The scale has not been psychometrically evaluated for more than 30 years, and the aim...... 0.30 for the 12 and the 22 item scales. All five Mental Vulnerability scales had positively skewed score distributions which were associated significantly with both SCL-90-R symptom scores and NEO-PI-R personality scales (primarily Neuroticism and Extraversion). Coefficient alpha was highest...

Community vulnerability to health impacts of wildland fire ...

Science.gov (United States)

Identifying communities vulnerable to adverse health effects from exposure to wildfire smoke may help prepare responses, increase the resilience to smoke and improve public health outcomes during smoke days. We developed a Community Health-Vulnerability Index (CHVI) based on factors known to increase the risks of health effects from air pollution and wildfire smoke exposures. These factors included county prevalence rates for asthma in children and adults, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, percent of population 65 years of age and older, and indicators of socioeconomic status including poverty, education, income and unemployment. Using air quality simulated for the period between 2008 and 2012 over the continental U.S. we also characterized the population size at risk with respect to the level and duration of exposure to fire-originated fine particulate matter (fire-PM2.5) and CHVI. We estimate that 10% of the population (30.5 million) lived in the areas where the contribution of fire-PM2.5 to annual average ambient PM2.5 was high (>1.5 µg m3) and that 10.3 million individuals experienced unhealthy air quality levels for more than 10 days due to smoke. Using CHVI we identified the most vulnerable counties and determined that these communities experience more smoke exposures in comparison to less vulnerable communities. We describe the development of an index of community vulnerability for the health effects of smoke based o

Climate change vulnerability for species-Assessing the assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheatley, Christopher J; Beale, Colin M; Bradbury, Richard B; Pearce-Higgins, James W; Critchlow, Rob; Thomas, Chris D

2017-09-01

Climate change vulnerability assessments are commonly used to identify species at risk from global climate change, but the wide range of methodologies available makes it difficult for end users, such as conservation practitioners or policymakers, to decide which method to use as a basis for decision-making. In this study, we evaluate whether different assessments consistently assign species to the same risk categories and whether any of the existing methodologies perform well at identifying climate-threatened species. We compare the outputs of 12 climate change vulnerability assessment methodologies, using both real and simulated species, and validate the methods using historic data for British birds and butterflies (i.e. using historical data to assign risks and more recent data for validation). Our results show that the different vulnerability assessment methods are not consistent with one another; different risk categories are assigned for both the real and simulated sets of species. Validation of the different vulnerability assessments suggests that methods incorporating historic trend data into the assessment perform best at predicting distribution trends in subsequent time periods. This study demonstrates that climate change vulnerability assessments should not be used interchangeably due to the poor overall agreement between methods when considering the same species. The results of our validation provide more support for the use of trend-based rather than purely trait-based approaches, although further validation will be required as data become available. © 2017 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Atmospheric Environment Vulnerability Cause Analysis for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yang; Shen, Jing; Li, Yu

2018-01-13

Assessing and quantifying atmospheric vulnerability is a key issue in urban environmental protection and management. This paper integrated the Analytical hierarchy process (AHP), fuzzy synthesis evaluation and Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis into an Exposure-Sensitivity-Adaptive capacity (ESA) framework to quantitatively assess atmospheric environment vulnerability in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region with spatial and temporal comparisons. The elaboration of the relationships between atmospheric environment vulnerability and indices of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity supports enable analysis of the atmospheric environment vulnerability. Our findings indicate that the atmospheric environment vulnerability of 13 cities in the BTH region exhibits obvious spatial heterogeneity, which is caused by regional diversity in exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indices. The results of atmospheric environment vulnerability assessment and the cause analysis can provide guidance to pick out key control regions and recognize vulnerable indicators for study sites. The framework developed in this paper can also be replicated at different spatial and temporal scales using context-specific datasets to support environmental management.

Coastal vulnerability index for the Tabasco State coast, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Carlos Nuñez Gómez

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Sea level rise is one of the most serious events that will impact low-lying lands, as is the case of most of Tabasco State. Historically, the State of Tabasco has been repeatedly impacted by extreme floods, the most recent one occurring in 2007. However, recent studies have shown that coastal erosion is the effect that most directly has impacted the Tabasco’s coastline, as this has even modified soil strata; this is also related to extreme hydrometeorological events associated with environmental changes and changes in the salinity gradient off the coast. In such a situation, future changes in the coastline are almost certain. Tabasco’s coastline has been recognized as one of the most vulnerable zones in the country since Mexico’s first national communication to the UNFCCC in 1997. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the vulnerability of this zone. The purpose of this study was to estimate the vulnerability of the Tabasco’s coastline by applying the coastal vulnerability index method (IVM using a geographic information system (GIS. This method has been successfully applied in several different places around the world including Canada, the United State, Spain and Indonesia. This model is suitable for the local conditions of Tabasco coast, as the input variables it requires (including waves, tides, sea level, coastal slope, erosion rates and geomorphology are available for the study area, thus allowing the possibility of estimating the coast’s vulnerability based on local data. Results from map algebra operations showed that the zones of very high or high vulnerability encompass a six-kilometer stretch around the Sánchez Magallanes community, near the del Carmen lagoon in the municipality of H. Cárdenas, Tabasco. This is due to the high-waves regime and other conditions associated to the coastal dune geomorphology as well as the unconsolidated fine sediments prevailing therein. Other high vulnerability zones are found just in front

SOCIAL COMPETENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF FLOURISHING.

Science.gov (United States)

Uysal, Recep

2015-10-01

This study examined whether flourishing mediated the social competence and psychological vulnerability. Participants were 259 university students (147 women, 112 men; M age = 21.3 yr., SD = 1.7) who completed the Turkish versions of the Perceived Social Competence Scale, the Flourishing Scale, and the Psychological Vulnerability Scale. Mediation models were tested using the bootstrapping method to examine indirect effects. Consistent with the hypotheses, the results indicated a positive relationship between social competence and flourishing, and a negative relationship between social competence and psychological vulnerability. Results of the bootstrapping method revealed that flourishing significantly mediated the relationship between social competence and psychological vulnerability. The significance and limitations of the results were discussed.

Declining vulnerability to river floods and the global benefits of adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jongman, Brenden; Winsemius, Hessel C; Aerts, Jeroen C J H; Coughlan de Perez, Erin; van Aalst, Maarten K; Kron, Wolfgang; Ward, Philip J

2015-05-05

The global impacts of river floods are substantial and rising. Effective adaptation to the increasing risks requires an in-depth understanding of the physical and socioeconomic drivers of risk. Whereas the modeling of flood hazard and exposure has improved greatly, compelling evidence on spatiotemporal patterns in vulnerability of societies around the world is still lacking. Due to this knowledge gap, the effects of vulnerability on global flood risk are not fully understood, and future projections of fatalities and losses available today are based on simplistic assumptions or do not include vulnerability. We show for the first time (to our knowledge) that trends and fluctuations in vulnerability to river floods around the world can be estimated by dynamic high-resolution modeling of flood hazard and exposure. We find that rising per-capita income coincided with a global decline in vulnerability between 1980 and 2010, which is reflected in decreasing mortality and losses as a share of the people and gross domestic product exposed to inundation. The results also demonstrate that vulnerability levels in low- and high-income countries have been converging, due to a relatively strong trend of vulnerability reduction in developing countries. Finally, we present projections of flood losses and fatalities under 100 individual scenario and model combinations, and three possible global vulnerability scenarios. The projections emphasize that materialized flood risk largely results from human behavior and that future risk increases can be largely contained using effective disaster risk reduction strategies.

CALTRANS CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

The following report was developed for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to summarize a vulnerability assessment conducted for assets in Caltrans District 4. The assessment was developed to specifically identify the potential eff...

Maintaining dignity in vulnerability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høy, Bente

2016-01-01

to understand the meaning of the narrated text. Results. The meaning of maintaining dignity was constituted in a sense of vulnerability to the self, and elucidated in three major interrelated themes: Being involved as a human being, being involved as the person one is and strives to become, and being involved...

Assessment of food fraud vulnerability in the spices chain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Silvis, I.C.J.; Ruth, van S.M.; Fels, van der Ine; Luning, P.A.

2017-01-01

Recent scandals have increased the need to strengthen companies’ ability to combat fraud within their own organizations and across their supply chain. Vulnerability assessments are a first step towards the inventory of fraud vulnerability and fraud mitigation plans. Spices are reported frequently

Relating plant height to demographic rates and extinction vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonge, de Melinda M.J.; Hilbers, Jelle P.; Jongejans, Eelke; Ozinga, Wim A.; Hendriks, A.J.; Huijbregts, Mark A.J.

2018-01-01

To prioritize conservation efforts, it is important to know which plant species are most vulnerable to extinction. Intrinsic extinction vulnerabilities depend on demographic parameters, but for many species these demographic parameters are lacking. Body size has been successfully used as proxy of

[Chapter 1. Beyond the reification of vulnerability, thinking vulnerability as the subject capability

Science.gov (United States)

Botbol-Baum, Mylène

2016-12-29

In this introduction I will draw an overview of theories associated with the notion of care from feminist studies to clinical theory by articulating the concept of vulnerability to that of capability in Amartya Sen and showing the roots of capability theory in Aristotle and anti-utilitarian theories.

[The social vulnerability index regarding Medellín's disabled population].

Science.gov (United States)

Cardona-Arango, Doris; Agudelo-Martínez, Alejandra; Restrepo-Molina, Lucas; Segura-Cardona, Angela M

2014-01-01

Constructing a social vulnerability index (SVI) for Medellín's disabled population during 2008 aimed at determining areas which were reducing opportunities for this population to use their tangible and intangible assets, thus impairing their quality of life. This descriptive cross-sectional study drew on a source of secondary information regarding people having some kind of limitation recorded in the Quality of Life Survey, 2008. Physical, human and social variables were grouped when constructing the SVI; the models were run in principal component analysis to determine their degree of vulnerability, defined by the number of negative factors identified (high category=4 or 5, medium=2 or 3 and low=1 or none). Such classification led to identifying non-causal relationships with demographic variables through Mann-Whitney, Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests (5.0 % statistical significance level); multinomial logistic regression was used for calculating adjusted measures for epidemiological measurement, such as opportunity ratios and confidence intervals. A degree of medium vulnerability predominated in disabled people living in Medellín (60.3 %) followed by low vulnerability (28.7 %) and high vulnerability populations (11.0 %). The proposed ISV classified the city's communes according to high, medium or low vulnerability, supported by the use of statistical and spatial location techniques.

Structural vulnerability in transmission systems: Cases of Colombia and Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correa, Gabriel J.; Yusta, José M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Vulnerability analysis of transmission electric systems in Colombia and Spain. • Based on scale-free graph statistic indexes. • Evaluating both current conditions and expansion plans of infrastructures. • Comparison of random error and deliberate attack tolerance evaluation. - Abstract: In this paper the authors apply methodological strategies for the structural vulnerability assessment in high voltage power networks based upon the combination of power flow models and scale-free graph statistic indexes. Thus, it is possible to study risk scenarios based on events that may trigger cascading failures within a power system. The usefulness of graph theory techniques has been validated on previous works of the authors, and may be applied in analysis of the vulnerability of different power electric networks. A case study for vulnerability analysis is carried out through methodologies that allow comparison on random error and deliberate attack tolerance evaluation in transmission electric systems from countries like Colombia and Spain. Such vulnerability assessment methodology takes into account the current conditions of the power networks (base case), as well as the impact of expansion plans into infrastructures as defined by their governments. Consequently, the authors show the advantage on the use of graph theory based techniques for vulnerability analysis of electrical power systems

The changing climate and human vulnerability in north-central Namibia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret N. Angula

2016-01-01

Full Text Available North-central Namibia is more vulnerable to effects of climate change and variability. Combined effects of environmental degradation, social vulnerability to poverty and a changing climate will compromise subsistence farming in north-central Namibia (NCN. This will make subsistence and small-scale farmers in the region more vulnerable to projected changes in the climate system. Thus, the aim of this article was to examine factors contributing to subsistence farmers’ vulnerability to impacts of climate change. The article further discusses different aspects of human vulnerability and existing adaptation strategies in response to impacts of climate related disasters experienced over the past three to four decades in NCN. Qualitative and quantitative research approaches and methodology were employed to obtain information from subsistence farmers in north-central Namibia. The sociodemographic characteristics of Ohangwena, Oshana and Omusati Region reveals high levels of unemployment, high adult and elderly population and high dependency on agricultural livelihood system. These indicators help understand levels of household vulnerability. The study concludes that households interviewed revealed low levels of adaptive capacity due to exposure to climate risks and combined effects of social, political and cultural factors. This article provided an understanding that is required to inform the adaptation pathways relevant for NCN.

Landslide Vulnerability Assessment (LVAs: A Case Study from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodeano Roslee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available DOI: 10.17014/ijog.4.1.49-59The topic on Landslide Vulnerability Assessment (LVAs in Malaysia is relatively new and received little attention from geoscientists and engineers. This research paper tries to formulate the concept of LVAs by taking into account the science and socio-economic aspects. A new approach in vulnerability concept is also introduced herein. To achieve this goal, a framework was designed for assessing the LVAs. The framework was formulated semiquantitatively through the development of database for the risk elements (human and properties based on information from secondary data (technical reports, extensive review of literature, and field observations. The vulnerability parameters included in assessing LVAs are 1 physical implication (building structures, internal materials, property damage, infrastructural facilities, and stabilization actions, 2 social status (injury, fatalities, safety, loss of accommodation, and public awareness, and 3 interference on environment (affected period, daily operation, and diversity. Each considered parameter in the vulnerability assessment is allocated with a certain index value ranges from 0 (0 % damage/victims/period, 0.25 (1 - 25% damage/victims/period, 0.50 (26 - 50% damage/victims/period, 0.75 (51 - 75% damage/victims/period, and 1.00 (75 - 100% damage/victims/period. All of these parameters are compiled and analyzed with “Landslide Distribution Map” (LDM to generate a “Landslide Vulnerability Degree map (LVD”. The LDM was produced based on field studies and satellite image interpretations in order to locate the landslide locations in the studied area. Finally, three types of physical, human, and environment vulnerabilities were then classified into five classes of vulnerabilities, namely: Class 1 (< 0.20: Very Low Vulnerability; Class 2 (0.21 - 0.40: Low Vulnerability; Class 3 (0.41 - 0.60: Medium Vulnerability; Class 4 (0.61 - 0.80: High Vulnerability; and Class 5 (> 0.81: Very

Vulnerability of roads and associated structures to the effects of climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arisz, H.; Therrien, M.; Burrell, B.C.; LeBlanc, M.M.

2009-01-01

The vulnerability of roads and associated structures in the City of Greater Sudbury to the effects of climate change was evaluated using the Public Infrastructure Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) Engineering Protocol for Climate Change Infrastructure Assessment. Study objectives were to evaluate the vulnerability of road-related infrastructure in Greater Sudbury to climate change, and to identify potential impediments to the application of the protocol in other municipalities. Based on the experience gained during this study, recommendations were provided with respect to the vulnerabilities of roads and associated structures to the predicted effects of climate change and the performance of vulnerability assessments. (author)

Socio-economic vulnerability to natural hazards - proposal for an indicator-based model

Science.gov (United States)

Eidsvig, U.; McLean, A.; Vangelsten, B. V.; Kalsnes, B.; Ciurean, R. L.; Argyroudis, S.; Winter, M.; Corominas, J.; Mavrouli, O. C.; Fotopoulou, S.; Pitilakis, K.; Baills, A.; Malet, J. P.

2012-04-01

Vulnerability assessment, with respect to natural hazards, is a complex process that must consider multiple dimensions of vulnerability, including both physical and social factors. Physical vulnerability refers to conditions of physical assets, and may be modeled by the intensity and magnitude of the hazard, the degree of physical protection provided by the natural and built environment, and the physical robustness of the exposed elements. Social vulnerability refers to the underlying factors leading to the inability of people, organizations, and societies to withstand impacts from the natural hazards. Social vulnerability models can be used in combination with physical vulnerability models to estimate both direct losses, i.e. losses that occur during and immediately after the impact, as well as indirect losses, i.e. long-term effects of the event. Direct impact of a landslide typically includes casualties and damages to buildings and infrastructure while indirect losses may e.g. include business closures or limitations in public services. The direct losses are often assessed using physical vulnerability indicators (e.g. construction material, height of buildings), while indirect losses are mainly assessed using social indicators (e.g. economical resources, demographic conditions). Within the EC-FP7 SafeLand research project, an indicator-based method was proposed to assess relative socio-economic vulnerability to landslides. The indicators represent the underlying factors which influence a community's ability to prepare for, deal with, and recover from the damage associated with landslides. The proposed model includes indicators representing demographic, economic and social characteristics as well as indicators representing the degree of preparedness and recovery capacity. Although the model focuses primarily on the indirect losses, it could easily be extended to include more physical indicators which account for the direct losses. Each indicator is individually

Index-based groundwater vulnerability mapping models using hydrogeological settings: A critical evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Prashant; Bansod, Baban K.S.; Debnath, Sanjit K.; Thakur, Praveen Kumar; Ghanshyam, C.

2015-01-01

Groundwater vulnerability maps are useful for decision making in land use planning and water resource management. This paper reviews the various groundwater vulnerability assessment models developed across the world. Each model has been evaluated in terms of its pros and cons and the environmental conditions of its application. The paper further discusses the validation techniques used for the generated vulnerability maps by various models. Implicit challenges associated with the development of the groundwater vulnerability assessment models have also been identified with scientific considerations to the parameter relations and their selections. - Highlights: • Various index-based groundwater vulnerability assessment models have been discussed. • A comparative analysis of the models and its applicability in different hydrogeological settings has been discussed. • Research problems of underlying vulnerability assessment models are also reported in this review paper

Index-based groundwater vulnerability mapping models using hydrogeological settings: A critical evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Prashant, E-mail: prashantkumar@csio.res.in [CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research—CSIO, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Bansod, Baban K.S.; Debnath, Sanjit K. [CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research—CSIO, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Thakur, Praveen Kumar [Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (ISRO), Dehradun 248001 (India); Ghanshyam, C. [CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research—CSIO, Chandigarh 160030 (India)

2015-02-15

Groundwater vulnerability maps are useful for decision making in land use planning and water resource management. This paper reviews the various groundwater vulnerability assessment models developed across the world. Each model has been evaluated in terms of its pros and cons and the environmental conditions of its application. The paper further discusses the validation techniques used for the generated vulnerability maps by various models. Implicit challenges associated with the development of the groundwater vulnerability assessment models have also been identified with scientific considerations to the parameter relations and their selections. - Highlights: • Various index-based groundwater vulnerability assessment models have been discussed. • A comparative analysis of the models and its applicability in different hydrogeological settings has been discussed. • Research problems of underlying vulnerability assessment models are also reported in this review paper.

Overactive bladder in the vulnerable elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolff GF

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Gillian F Wolff,1 George A Kuchel,2 Phillip P Smith1,21Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, 2UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USAAbstract: Overactive bladder (OAB is a common problem that may occur in individuals of all ages. It has a considerable impact on patient quality of life, and although moderately effective management strategies do exist, this condition often remains undiagnosed and untreated. OAB needs to be viewed as a symptom complex. Its presentation and management are complicated in the vulnerable elderly by the presence of baseline frailty and multiple coexisting chronic conditions. Furthermore, and beyond a simple understanding of symptomatology, providers must address patient goals and motivations as well as the expectations of caretakers. These multiple levels of perception, function, expectations, and treatment efficacy/risks must be tailored to the individual patient. While the vulnerable elderly patient may often have evidence of urinary tract dysfunction, OAB and urge urinary incontinence in this population must be understood as a multifactorial geriatric syndrome and viewed in the context of medical and functional baseline and precipitating risk factors. Expectations and goals must be tailored to the resources of vulnerable elderly patients and their caregivers, and care must be coordinated with other medical care providers. The management of OAB in the vulnerable elderly often poses significant management challenges. Nonetheless, with a thoughtful approach and an aim towards future research specifically for this population, significant reductions in morbidity and mortality long with enhancement in health-related quality of life are possible.Keywords: urinary incontinence, urgency, antispasmodics, aging, frailty

Current status of vulnerable plaque detection.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Sharif, Faisal

2012-02-01

Critical coronary stenoses have been shown to contribute to only a minority of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and sudden cardiac death. Autopsy studies have identified a subgroup of high-risk patients with disrupted vulnerable plaque and modest stenosis. Consequently, a clinical need exists to develop methods to identify these plaques prospectively before disruption and clinical expression of disease. Recent advances in invasive and noninvasive imaging techniques have shown the potential to identify these high-risk plaques. The anatomical characteristics of the vulnerable plaque such as thin cap fibroatheroma and lipid pool can be identified with angioscopy, high frequency intravascular ultrasound, intravascular MRI, and optical coherence tomography. Efforts have also been made to recognize active inflammation in high-risk plaques using intravascular thermography. Plaque chemical composition by measuring electromagnetic radiation using spectroscopy is also an emerging technology to detect vulnerable plaques. Noninvasive imaging with MRI, CT, and PET also holds the potential to differentiate between low and high-risk plaques. However, at present none of these imaging modalities are able to detect vulnerable plaque neither has been shown to definitively predict outcome. Nevertheless in contrast, there has been a parallel development in the physiological assessment of advanced atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Thus recent trials using fractional flow reserve in patients with modest non flow-limiting stenoses have shown that deferral of PCI with optimal medical therapy in these patients is superior to coronary intervention. Further trials are needed to provide more information regarding the natural history of high-risk but non flow-limiting plaque to establish patient-specific targeted therapy and to refine plaque stabilizing strategies in the future.

A new method for analysing socio-ecological patterns of vulnerability

OpenAIRE

Kok, M.; Lüdeke, M.; Lucas, P.; Sterzel, T.; Walther, C.; Janssen, P.; Sietz, D.; de Soysa, I.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a method for the analysis of socio-ecological patterns of vulnerability of people being at risk of losing their livelihoods as a consequence of global environmental change. This method fills a gap in methodologies for vulnerability analysis by providing generalizations of the factors that shape vulnerability in specific socio-ecological systems and showing their spatial occurrence. The proposed method consists of four steps that include both quantitative and qualitative an...

Selective neuronal vulnerability to oxidative stress in the brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinkun Wang

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Oxidative stress (OS, caused by the imbalance between the generation and detoxification of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS, plays an important role in brain aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and other related adverse conditions, such as ischemia. While ROS/RNS serve as signaling molecules at physiological levels, an excessive amount of these molecules leads to oxidative modification and, therefore, dysfunction of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. The response of neurons to this pervasive stress, however, is not uniform in the brain. While many brain neurons can cope with a rise in OS, there are select populations of neurons in the brain that are vulnerable. Because of their selective vulnerability, these neurons are usually the first to exhibit functional decline and cell death during normal aging, or in age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of selective neuronal vulnerability (SNV to OS is important in the development of future intervention approaches to protect such vulnerable neurons from the stresses of the aging process and the pathological states that lead to neurodegeneration. In this review, the currently known molecular and cellular factors that contribute to SNV to OS are summarized. Included among the major underlying factors are high intrinsic OS, high demand for ROS/RNS-based signaling, low ATP production, mitochondrial dysfunction, and high inflammatory response in vulnerable neurons. The contribution to the selective vulnerability of neurons to OS by other intrinsic or extrinsic factors, such as deficient DNA damage repair, low calcium-buffering capacity, and glutamate excitotoxicity, are also discussed.

Improving tag/seal technologies: the vulnerability assessment component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, J.L.

1996-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE), specifically the Office of Nonproliferation and National Security, has sponsored the development of numerous tag and seal technologies for high-security/high-valued applications. One important component in this technology development effort has been the continuous integration of vulnerability assessments. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has been the lead laboratory for vulnerability assessments of fiber-optic-based tag/seal technologies. This paper presents a brief historical overview and the current status of the DOE high-security tag/seal development program and discusses INEL's adversarial role and assessment philosophy. Verification testing criteria used to define ''successful'' tampering attempts/attacks are discussed. Finally, the advantages of integrating a vulnerability assessment into the development of commercial security tag/seals are presented

Vulnerability Management for an Enterprise Resource Planning System

Science.gov (United States)

Goel, Shivani; Kiran, Ravi; Garg, Deepak

2012-09-01

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are commonly used in technical educational institutions(TEIs). ERP systems should continue providing services to its users irrespective of the level of failure. There could be many types of failures in the ERP systems. There are different types of measures or characteristics that can be defined for ERP systems to handle the levels of failure. Here in this paper, various types of failure levels are identified along with various characteristics which are concerned with those failures. The relation between all these is summarized. The disruptions causing vulnerabilities in TEIs are identified .A vulnerability management cycle has been suggested along with many commercial and open source vulnerability management tools. The paper also highlights the importance of resiliency in ERP systems in TEIs.

Efectividad del cepillo iónico basado en dióxido de titanio en comparación con el cepillo vitis junior en la eliminación de placa bacteriana en niños de 8 a 10 años del Colegio Weberbauer Schule

OpenAIRE

Conte Pujalt, Giacomo; Olivares Espinoza, Jimmy

2011-01-01

Objetivo. Determinar la efectividad del cepillo iónico basado en dióxido de titanio comparándolo con el cepillo Vitis Junior en la remoción de placa bacteriana en niños de 8 a 10 años del colegio Weberbauer Schule. Material y método. El estudio se realizó en un grupo de 30 niños, los cuales se comportaron como grupo control y experimental, ya que se trabajó con ellos en dos oportunidades diferentes. En la primera se realizó el cepillado con el cepillo Vitis Junior mediante la técnica...

Vulnerability-attention analysis for space-related activities

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Donnie; Hays, Dan; Lee, Sung Yong; Wolfsberger, John

1988-01-01

Techniques for representing and analyzing trouble spots in structures and processes are discussed. Identification of vulnerable areas usually depends more on particular and often detailed knowledge than on algorithmic or mathematical procedures. In some cases, machine inference can facilitate the identification. The analysis scheme proposed first establishes the geometry of the process, then marks areas that are conditionally vulnerable. This provides a basis for advice on the kinds of human attention or machine sensing and control that can make the risks tolerable.

GIS BASED AQUIFER VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT IN HANGZHOU-JIAXINGHUZHOU PLAIN, CHINA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean de Dieu Bazimenyera

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou plain is among the regions which faces the shortage of water due to its increasing population, industrialization, agriculture and domestic use; hence the high dependence on groundwater. In China, the exploitation of aquifers has been historically undertaken without proper concern for environmental impacts or even the concept of sustainable yield. In order to maintain basin aquifer as a source of water for the area, it is necessary to find out whether certain locations in this groundwater basin are susceptible to receive and transmit pollution, this is why the main objective of this research is to find out the groundwater vulnerable zones using Geographical Information System (GIS model in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou plain. GIS was used to create groundwater vulnerability map by overlaying hydro-geological data. The input of the model was provided by the following seven data layers: Depth to water, net Recharge, Aquifer media, Soil media, Topography, Impact of vadose zone and hydraulic Conductivity. This study showed that Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area is grouped into three categories: High vulnerable zone with 27.4% of the total area, moderate vulnerable zone which occupy the great part of that area 60.5% and low vulnerable zone with 12.1%. This research suggests first the prioritization of high vulnerable areas in order to prevent the further pollution to already polluted areas; next the frequent monitoring of vulnerable zones to monitor the changing level of pollutants; and finally suggests that this model can be an effective tool for local authorities who are responsible for managing groundwater resources in that area.