bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A unique hospital physician disaster response system for a nonemployed medical staff
Authors: Leo, MD, FCCP James D. , Thomas, RN, MSN, CCRN Desiree , Alhadeff, BA, RN, MA Ginger
Published: January 2019

Private hospitals with nonemployed, volunteer medical staffs face a special challenge in meeting the patient-care needs posed by a mass casualty incident (MCI). Although most disaster response systems focus on emergency department and trauma management, such systems often do not provide for the need to triage existing inpatients to create room for incoming casualties, for continuity of physician care for those patients, as well as for MCI victims in case of major disaster. Such systems must also provide a mechanism for ethical and appropriate rationing of limited resources during a MCI. Community hospitals without 24/7 in-house physicians must provide a mechanism for physician care for patients in situations in which access to the hospital may be limited by the disaster (eg, major earthquake or flood). This article describes a system established at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, a 740-bed not-for-profit hospital with a volunteer medical staff, to ensure continuity of physician care in a major disaster. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of such a system.
Why are older peoples’ health needs forgotten post-natural disaster relief in developing countries? A healthcare provider survey of 2005 Kashmir, Pakistan earthquake
Authors: Chan, BS, SM PIH, MBBS, DDM, DFM Emily Ying Yang
Published: January 2019

Although older people may be recognized as a vulnerable group post-natural disasters, their particular needs are rarely met by the providers of emergency services. Studies about older people’s health needs post disasters in the South East Asia Tsunami, Kashmir, Pakistan, China, and United States has revealed the lack of concern for older people’s health needs. Recent study of older people’s health needs post the Kashmir Pakistan earthquake (2005) found older peoples’ health needs were masked within the general population.This survey study examines the providers’ perceptions of older people’s vulnerabilities post-2005 Pakistan earthquake. It aims to understand the awareness of geriatric issues and issues related to current service provision/planning for older people’s health needs post disasters. Specifically, service delivery patterns will be compared among different relief agencies.Cross-sectional, structured stakeholder interviews were conducted within a 2 weeks period in February 2006, 4 months post-earthquake in Pakistan-administrated Kashmir. Health/medical relief agencies of three different types of organizational nature: international nongovernmental organization (INGO), national organization, and local/community group were solicited to participate in the study. Descriptive analysis was conducted.Important issues identified include the need to sensitize relief and health workers about older people’s health needs post disaster, the development of relevant clinical guidelines for chronic disease management postdisaster in developing countries and the advocacy of building in geriatric related components in natural disaster medical relief programs.To effectively address the vulnerability of older people, it is important for governments, relief agencies, and local partners to include and address these issues during their relief operations and policy planning.
An influenza pandemic exercise in a major urban setting, Part I: Hospital health systems lessons learned and implications for future planning
Authors: Lyons, RN, MSL Wendy H. , Burkle Jr, MD, MPH, DTM, FAAP, FACEP Frederick M. , Roepke, MPA Deborah L. , Bertz, MD, DDS, FACS James E.
Published: January 2019

A 2007 pandemic exercise in Maricopa County, Arizona, the 5th largest urban population in the United States, revealed major vulnerabilities in planning, response, resource utilization, and the decision-making process, which would be common to any large urban setting where multiple independent organizations exist and have not yet coordinated or shared their plans. Communication challenges are both prevalent and magnified in large urban settings.There must be tough, broad-based decision making by healthcare leadership with guidance and processes at every level to assure compliance to the primary goals of pandemic flu plans necessary to control the transmission rate of the disease. A unifying decision-making element such as a Healthrelated Emergency Operations Center is critical for the coordination, which serves all urban health systems. Education and training in pre-event protocols for triage management is crucial at every level where resources will be scant. This is especially true in admissions to intensive care units and priorities for ventilator use.
Lack of strategic insight: The “dirty bomb” effort
Authors: Goffman, MD, FACP Tom
Published: January 2019

Multiple countries including the United States and France are investing heavily in countermeasures to the threat of a “dirty bomb.” All of the machinery simply involves a variation on a Geiger counter that picks up excess photon irradiation. Classically, a “dirty bomb” is defined as a dangerous radioactive material mixed in a variety of ways with high explosive, so when detonated, radioactive material is dispersed. Solid radioactive material such as Cesium or Cobalt sends off very penetrating (‘hard’) photons from which one cannot simply be protected by sheet lead or a heavy door. For official occasions with dignitaries of State, such a bomb could prove a modest distraction, but simple radiation physics suggests such a bomb would be limited in the damage it could cause, would largely be a mess to be cleaned up by an appropriately trained crew, would involve a very confined area, and thoroughly fails to comprehend the mentality of al-Queda ‘central’ that wishes to follow 9/11 with an equal or greater show of terrorist force. The author would argue this sort of mind-think occurs when you have too few people in the hard sciences in your intelligence sections.
An algorithm for the evaluation and management of red, yellow, and green zone patients during a botulism mass casualty incident
Authors: Rega MD, FACEP Paul , Burkholder-Allen, RN, MSEd Kelly , Bork, PhD, PT, EMT-B, FASAHP Christopher
Published: January 2019

Botulinum toxin is one of the most toxic substances known to humankind. It is one among the six Category A agents in the CDC bioterrorism lexicon. This suggests that, while the possibility of a botulism mass casualty incident (MCI) is remote, its unique acute and long-term ramifications must be addressed and planned for. However, an in-depth knowledge of the disease and its tactical management in the acute MCI phase is inconsistent or superficial among healthcare personnel. Therefore, an algorithm has been developed to assist first receivers with the initial management of multiple probable and potential botulism patients when equipment resources are strained and when expert personnel are not readily available. The algorithm is specifically structured to assist with the identification and management of potential respiratory deterioration of suspected botulism patients.
Public health preparedness for the impact of global warming on human health
Authors: Wassel, MD, MHS(c) John J.
Published: January 2019

Objective: To assess the changes in weather and weather-associated disturbances related to global warming; the impact on human health of these changes; and the public health preparedness mandated by this impact.Design: Qualitative review of the literature. Articles will be obtained by searching PubMed database, Google, and Google Scholar search engines using terms such as “global warming,” “climate change,” “human health,” “public health,” and “preparedness.”Results: Sixty-seven journal articles were reviewed.Conclusions: The projections and signs of global environmental changes are worrisome, and there are reasons to believe that related information may have been conservatively interpreted and presented in the recent past. Although the challenges are great, there are many opportunities for devising beneficial solutions at individual, community, and global levels. It is essential for public health professionals to become involved in advocating for change at all of these levels, as well as through professional organizations.We must begin “greening” our own lives and clinical practice, and start talking about these issues with patients. As we build walkable neighborhoods, change methods of energy production, and make water use and food production and distribution more sustainable, the benefits to improved air quality, a stabilized climate, social support, and individual and community health will be dramatic.
Terrorist suicide bombings: Lessons learned in Metropolitan Haifa from September 2000 to January 2006
Authors: Mekel, MD Michal , Bumenfeld, MD Amir , Feigenberg, MD Zvi , Ben-Dov, MD Daniel , Kafka, MD Michael , Barzel, MD Oren , Michaelson, MD Moshe , Krausz, MD Michael M.
Published: January 2019

Background: The threat of suicide bombing attacks has become a worldwide problem. This special type of multiple casualty incidents (MCI) seriously challenges the most experienced medical facilities.Methods: The authors concluded a retrospective analysis of the medical management of victims from the six suicide bombing attacks that occurred in Metropolitan Haifa from 2000 to 2006.Results: The six terrorist suicide bombing attacks resulted in 411 victims with 69 dead (16.8 percent) and 342 injured. Of the 342 injured, there were 31 (9.1 percent) severely injured, seven (2.4 percent) moderately severely injured, and 304 (88.9 percent) mildly injured patients.Twenty four (77 percent) of the 31 severely injured victims were evacuated to the level I trauma center at Rambam Medical Center (RMC). Of the seven severely injured victims who were evacuated to the level II trauma centers (Bnai-Zion Medical Center and Carmel Medical Center) because of proximity to the detonation site, three were secondarily transferred to RMC after initial resuscitation. Eight of the 24 severely injured casualties, admitted to RMC, eventually died of their wounds.There was no in-hospital mortality in the level II trauma centers.Conclusions: A predetermined metropolitan triage system which directs trauma victims of a MCI to the appropriate medical center and prevents overcrowding of the level I facility with less severe injured patients will assure that critically injured patients of a suicide bombing attack will receive a level of care that is comparable with the care given to similar patients under normal circumstances. Severe blast injury victims without penetrating injuries but with significant pulmonary damage can be effectively managed in ICUs of level II trauma centers.
Resources and constraints for addressing ethical issues in medical humanitarian work: Experiences of expatriate healthcare professionals
Authors: Hunt, PT, PhD Matthew R.
Published: January 2019

Objective: International nongovernmental organizations frequently provide emergency assistance in settings where armed conflict or natural disaster overwhelm the capacity of local and national agencies to respond to health and related needs of affected communities. Healthcare practice in humanitarian settings presents distinct clinical, logistical, and ethical challenges for clinicians and differs in important ways from clinical practice in the home countries of expatriate healthcare professionals. The aim of this research was to examine the moral experience of healthcare professionals who participate in humanitarian relief work.Design: I conducted a qualitative research study using interpretive description methodology.Participants: Fifteen Canadian healthcare professionals and three human resource or field coordination officers for nongovernmental organizations were interviewed.Results: In this article, I present findings related to expatriate healthcare professionals’ experiences of resources and constraints for addressing ethical issues in humanitarian crises. Resources for ethics deliberation and reflection include the following: opportunities for discussion; accessing and understanding local perspectives; access to outside perspectives; attitudes, such as humility, open-mindedness, and reflexivity; and development of good moral “reflexes.” Constraints for deliberation and reflection relate to three domains: individual considerations, contextual features of humanitarian relief work, and local team and project factors.Conclusion: These findings illuminate the complex nature of ethical reflection, deliberation, and decision-making in humanitarian healthcare practice. Healthcare professionals and relief organizations should seek to build upon resources for addressing ethical issues. When possible, they should minimize the impact of features that function as constraints.
Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar: Lessons for public health preparedness for cyclones
Authors: Guha-Sapir, PhD Debarati , Vogt, BA Florian
Published: January 2019

Recent natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and the 2008 Myanmar cyclone have killed more than 100,000 people each. Mortality and morbidity associated with natural disasters are a growing concern, especially because extreme climate events are likely to get increasingly frequent.The authors comment on Cyclone Nargis, claiming an extraordinarily high death toll during its devastating track through the Irrawaddy delta in Myanmar on May 2, 2008 and analyze how and why its mortality pattern differs from other typical postdisaster situations. Underlying factors and preconditions are described and the specificity of the Myanmese context is presented.This leads to lessons how excess mortality can be reduced in future high-ranked cyclones, whose recurrence in this region will only be a matter of time.
Enhancing healthcare sector coordination through infrastructure and logistics support
Authors: Zoraster, MD, MPH Richard M.
Published: January 2019

The International Response to the 2004 Southeast Asia Tsunami was noted to have multiple areas of poor coordination, and in 2005, the “Health Cluster” approach to coordination was formulated. However, the 2010 Haiti response suggests that many of the same problems continue and that there are significant limitations to the cluster meetings.These limitations include the inconsistent attendance, poor dissemination of information, and perceived lack of benefit to providers. This article proposes that healthcare coordination would be greatly improved with logistical support, leading to improved efficiency and outcomes for those affected by disasters.
Considerations for the vertical evacuation of hospitalized patients under emergency conditions
Authors: Rega, MD, FACEP Paul P. , Locher, EMT-P Gregory , Shank, RN, BSN Heidi , Contreras, RN, BSN Kendra , Bork, PhD, EMT-B, FASAHP Christopher E.
Published: January 2019

Hospitals and other healthcare institutions in the twenty-first century face myriad challenges to their survival against a number of threats from many sources. A number of those threats, eg, internal, external, accidental, or intentional, may require the prompt evacuation of both patients and staff. Although rare, this possibility is becoming more frequent in the United States. Unfortunately, despite accrediting agencies’ mandates, there is a profound paucity of strategic and tactical guidelines in the medical literature. The purpose of this article is to present a strategic methodology for evacuation, particularly emergent evacuation, within the National Incident Command System/Hospital Incident Command System framework and to explore the tactics that should be considered when relocating multiple patients in various degrees of medical compromise.
Vaccine availability in the United States during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak
Authors: Finkelstein, MD Stan N. , Undergraduate Student Kallie J. , Hopkins, Undergraduate Student Julia A. , Hashmi, MD Sahar , Larson, PhD Richard C.
Published: January 2019

Objective: After initial flu cases are reported, months elapse before vaccine becomes available. The authors report the experience of US states during the fall of 2009 on H1N1 vaccine availability in relation to the occurrence of disease.Design: The authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention and state health departments to approximate second wave H1N1 epidemic curves. The authors compared these curves to two sources of vaccine distribution data—shipment and administration.Results: Ten states received their first shipments of vaccine after the epidemic peaked, four states during the week of the peak, and 10 states only 1 week prior to the peak. In nearly half of all states, the epidemic had already begun to decline before any individuals could have been protected.Conclusions: A sensible approach would be to highlight the importance of diligent hygienic behavior and to reduce the rate of human-to-human contacts before vaccine is available.
A framework for physician activity during disasters and surge events
Authors: Griffiths, RN, BAN, MHP Jane L. , Estipona, BSN Aurora , Waterson, RN, BA (Hons), MMed Ed James A.
Published: January 2019

Objectives: Delineation of the problem of physician role during disaster activations both for disaster responders and for general physicians in a Middle East state facility.Setting: The hospital described has 500 medicalsurgical beds, 59 intensive care unit beds, eight operating rooms (ORs), and 60 emergency room (ER) beds. Its ER sees 150,000 presentations per year and between 11 and 26 multitrauma cases per day. Most casualties are the result of industrial accidents (50.5 percent) and road traffic accidents (34 percent). It is the principle trauma center for Dubai, UAE. The hospital is also the designated primary regional responder for medical, chemical, and biological events. Its disaster plan has been activated 10 times in the past 3 years and it is consistently over its bed capacity.Interventions: A review of the activity of physicians during disaster activations revealed problems of role identification, conflict, and lack of training. Interventions included training nonacute teams in reverse triaging and responder teams in coordinated emergency care. Both actions were fostered and controlled by a Disaster Control Centre and its Committee.Results: Clear identification of medical leadership in disaster situations, introduction of a process of reverse triage to meet surge based on an ethical framework, and improvement of flow through the ER and OR.Conclusions: Reverse triage can be made to work in the Middle East despite its lack of primary healthcare infrastructure. Lessons from the restructuring of responder teams may be applicable to the deployment to prehospital environments of hospital teams, and further development of audit tools is required to measure improvement in these areas.
Disaster management mobile protocols: A technology that will save lives
Authors: Williamson, Major, USA, DNP, ACNP-BC, CCNS, CEN, NREMT Hope M.
Published: January 2019

Although training and education have long been accepted as integral to disaster preparedness, many currently taught practices are neither evidence based nor standardized.The need for effective evidence-based disaster education for healthcare workers at all levels in the multidisciplinary medical response to major events has been designated by the disaster response community as a high priority. This article describes a disaster management mobile application of systematic evidence-based practice. The application is interactive and comprises portable principles, algorithms, and emergency protocols that are agile, concise, comprehensive, and response relevant to all healthcare workers. Early recognition through clinical assessment versus laboratory and diagnostic procedures in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRNE) exposures grounded in an evidencebased skill set is especially important. During the immediate threat, the clinical diagnosis can get frustrating because CBRNE casualties can mimic everyday healthcare illnesses and initially present with nonspecific respiratory or flu-like symptoms. As there is minimal time in a catastrophic event for the medical provider to make accurate decisions, access to accurate, timely, and comprehensive information in these situations is critical. The CBRNE mobile application is intended to provide a credible source for treatment and management of numerous patients in an often intimidating environment with scarce resources and overwhelming tasks.
Impact of organizational structure on vaccination of first responders: A case study
Authors: McGuire-Wolfe, MPH, EMT-P (Doctoral Candidate) Christine
Published: January 2019

The experience of H1N1 vaccine delivery to public safety personnel in a suburban county in Florida suggests a relationship between the degree of hierarchy of an agency and successful implementation of a vaccination program for novel 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. This case study describes the structural organization of the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue in County X, provides timelines for vaccine program implementation and numbers of personnel vaccinated, and illustrates the impact of autonomy on the timeliness of vaccine implementation. An “emergency approval pathway” is recommended for organizations or departments that are likely to encounter delays in disaster or pandemic response due to organizational structure.
Fatalities of the 2008 Los Angeles train crash: Autopsy findings
Authors: Shackelford, MD Stacy , Nguyen, MD Lawrence , Noguchi, MD Thomas , Sathyavagiswaran, MD Lakshmanan , Inaba, MD Kenji , Demetriades, PhD, MD Demetrios
Published: January 2019

Introduction: Train crashes represent a devastating multicasualty event.The purpose of this study was to analyze the injury severity, specific organ injuries, and cause of death in the fatalities of the 2008 Chatsworth, Los Angeles train crash.Methods: This is a review of the medical examiner records of the 25 fatalities in the train crash.The Injury Severity (ISS) Score, body area with severe injuries (Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS] ≥ 4), specific organ injuries, and causes of death were recorded. The immediate cause of death was determined to be the most severe or most rapidly fatal injury in the opinion of the reviewers.Results: A total of 25 fatalities occurred, including 24 victims who were pronounced dead at the accident scene and one who died 4 days later in the hospital. One victim did not undergo full autopsy. All of the decedents were located in the locomotive or in the passenger car immediately behind the locomotive. Overall, 15/24 decedents (63 percent) sustained unsurvivable injuries to at least one body region rendering an ISS of 75. The chest was the most severely injured body area (AIS ≥ 4; 18/24, 75 percent), followed by the head (13/24, 54 percent), the extremities (11/24, 46 percent), and the abdomen (7/24, 29 percent). Spinal fractures were recorded in 17/24 (71 percent), and the cervical spine was the most commonly injured site. Thoracic aortic rupture was found in eight cases (33 percent) and cardiac ruptures in five cases (21 percent).Conclusions: The Metrolink train crash in 2008 in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, was the worst train crash in the history of California with 25 fatalities. The most common cause of death was due to chest injury (cardiac and aortic laceration) followed by head injury. This review could aid in improving passenger protection from head-on collision and in further development of head protection in train seats, as well as be useful in disaster planning and a benchmark for future rescue and triage operations.
Bioterrorism—A Health Emergency: Do physicians believe there is a threat and are they prepared for it?
Authors: Switala, MEd Claudia A. , Coren, DO, MBA Joshua , Filipetto, DO Frank A. , Gaughan, PhD John P. , Ciervo, DO Carman A.
Published: January 2019

Objective: To determine whether bioterrorism training provided increased awareness and understanding of bioterrorism and to assess physicians’ beliefs about the threat of bioterrorism and how it impacts on preparedness.Design: This is a retrospective review of data obtained from a bioterrorism training grant. Data were obtained from a postevaluation form completed by trainees with an 80 percent return rate. The Institutional Review Board approved this study. Informed consent was not required as data were deidentified and demographic information regarding study subjects was not used.Setting: The Department of Family Medicine within the University of Medicine and and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ, conducted the training and follow-up study.Participants: The bioterrorism preparedness training was targeted to physicians, residents, and third- and fourth-year medical students in New Jersey. There were 578 trainees; however, responses to each question were varied.Outcome measures: Trainees were asked to complete an evaluation form. Specific questions were selected from the form. Frequency statistics were used to describe responses to the questions.Results: Ninety-four percent of the respondents agreed that the bioterrorism training increased their awareness and/or understanding of bioterrorism; however, only 49 percent believe there is a high probability that a bioterrorism event or other health emergency will occur in the near future in New Jersey, and 42 percent considered themselves prepared to respond as a healthcare professional to a bioterrorism event.Conclusions: Physicians in New Jersey increased their awareness and understanding of bioterrorism through training. However, concerns remain that a physician’s belief in a low threat of bioterrorism translates into a low need for bioterrorism preparedness training.
November/December 2011
Authors: DeVito, Jr. Richard A.
Published: January 2019

Vol. 6, No. 6
One-month recovery experience of a disaster relief team functioning as an outpatient clinic following Super Typhoon Haiyan: Changes in distribution of trauma patients and required medical components
Authors: Kim, PhD Seongyup , Moon, MS Jin Sil , Kim, MD Yong Won
Published: January 2019

As the distribution of trauma and non-trauma patients changes with time following a large-scale disaster, the required medical resources change commensurately. An understanding of these changes is necessary to provide effective medical support. Super Typhoon Yolanda, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, struck the central area of the Republic of the Philippines on November 8, 2013. The current authors worked together on one of the disaster relief medical teams from the Republic of Korea. The authors investigated differences in medical components provided to trauma and non-trauma patients and analyzed changes in the distribution of trauma patients over time in the Tacloban area affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.The authors retrospectively reviewed patients admitted to an outpatient clinic established by our Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) located in Tacloban City, Republic of the Philippines, between November 16 and December 13, 2013. Medical records were reviewed to collect patient information, including date of admission, sex, age, patient categorization as trauma or non-trauma, types of medical resource provided to patients, and times at which patients were transferred to other hospitals or clinics.During the study period, 5,827 patients were admitted to the KDRT clinic. Of these, 1,378 (23.6 percent) were trauma patients and 4,449 (76.4 percent) were non-trauma patients. The total patient number per week increased from the second to third weeks (1,553 to 2,426) and rapidly decreased from the third to fifth weeks (2,426 to 757) following the disaster. Trauma patients were consistently present, and the proportion of trauma patients rapidly increased from the third to fifth weeks (18 to 39 percent) following the disaster.Certain patient factors were significantly related to trauma, including patient age [OR (95% CI): 1.01 (1.01-1.01)], male sex [OR (95% CI): 2.12 (11.88-2.40)], frequency of laboratory tests [OR (95% CI): 0.19 (0.12- 0.29)], required electrocardiography [OR (95% CI): 0.28 (0.14-0.50)], required ultrasound [OR (95% CI): 0.32 (0.21-0.47)], required invasive procedures [OR (95% CI): 53.50 (44.17-65.18)], required short-term monitoring [OR (95% CI): 1.25 (1.05-1.50)], and required prescriptions for medication [OR (95% CI): 0.33 (0.29-0.38)]. Other factors (eg, X-ray radiography and transfer from the clinic) were not associated with trauma. The proportions of trauma patients increased over time after disaster. The medical requirements for effective patient care were different between non-trauma and trauma patients.
Push-to-talk apps for disaster communications: Hurricane season brings technology adaptation
Authors: Chang, BA Alexander H. , Bega, MBBS Candidate Rabia , Hsu, MD, MPH Edbert B.
Published: January 2019

Effective communication during disasters is essential for emergency management, responders, and impacted populations. Recent hurricanes have drawn attention to the potential utility of push-to-talk (PTT) applications with some such as Zello, garnering over 6 million downloads during the week prior to Hurricane Irma. PTT technology integrates a two-way radio system to transmit and receive messages via point-to-point communication lines. With rapid implementation of newer technology and applications often driven by anecdotal reports and the media, the actual performance impact of such technology in the face of disasters is challenging to assess. This article attempts to characterize advantages and limitations of PTT in the context of hurricanes through primary news article sources.
The medical response to burn disasters in Europe: A scoping review
Authors: Relvas, MMed Luís Miguel , Pinto de Oliveira, PhD Candidate Ana
Published: January 2019

Introduction: A burn disaster is defined by a mass casualty involving a large number of severely burned victims. Several countries have been confronted with these mass casualties and have developed national burn practice guidelines. This study presents a comprehensive review of the literature related to the benefits and conditions required for the introduction of a burn plan and identify successful strategies in Europe to apply in Portugal.Methods: This study uses a scoping review approach, following the “five stages framework” suggested by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). A literature search strategy was designed to identify the relevant publications from three medical databases (PubMed/ Medline, ScienceDirect, Scopus). Studies meeting our inclusion criteria were analyzed in detail. Data analysis included a descriptive summary and a thematic analysis.Results: The research revealed that since 2000, 67 articles have been published on the subject. Of these 67 articles, only eight refer to burn plans in Europe. The papers which were included and reviewed were descriptive studies (N = 2), research paper (N = 2), reviews (N = 3), and an editorial (N = 1). Countries with published articles were Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.Conclusions: The research has shown a gap in the planning for major burn disasters in Europe. Although it is a very specific issue, and many times the approach to major disasters is carried out in a generalist way, the truth is that a burn disaster entails particularities that justify its unique approach. Since year 2000, only eight articles have been published in Europe and there are few publications showing intervention plans already tested and validated on the ground. In Portugal, there were no articles published that approaches this problem, making the rational of this work.
Analyzing the turbulent planetary boundary layer by remote sensing systems: the Doppler wind lidar, aerosol elastic lidar and microwave radiometer
Authors: de Arruda Moreira Gregori , Guerrero-Rascado Juan Luis , Benavent-Oltra Jose A. , Ortiz-Amezcua Pablo , Román Roberto , E. Bedoya-Velásquez Andrés , Bravo-Aranda Juan Antonio , Olmo Reyes Francisco Jose , Landulfo Eduardo , Alados-Arboledas Lucas
Published: January 2019

Abstract. The planetary boundary layer (PBL) is the lowermost region of troposphere
and is endowed with turbulent characteristics, which can have mechanical and/or
thermodynamic origins. This behavior gives this layer great importance,
mainly in studies about pollutant dispersion and weather forecasting.
However, the instruments usually applied in studies of turbulence in the
PBL have limitations in spatial resolution (anemometer towers) or temporal
resolution (instrumentation aboard an aircraft). Ground-based remote sensing,
both active and passive, offers an alternative for studying the PBL. In
this study we show the capabilities of combining different remote sensing
systems (microwave radiometer – MWR, Doppler lidar – DL – and elastic
lidar – EL) for retrieving a detailed picture on the PBL turbulent
features. The statistical moments of the high frequency distributions of the
vertical wind velocity, derived from DL, and of the backscattered
coefficient, derived from EL, are corrected by two methodologies, namely
first lag correction and -2/3 law correction. The corrected profiles, obtained from DL
data, present small differences when compared with the uncorrected
profiles, showing the low influence of noise and the viability of the
proposed methodology. Concerning EL, in addition to analyzing the influence
of noise, we explore the use of different wavelengths that usually include
EL systems operated in extended networks, like the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET), Latin American Lidar Network (LALINET), NASA Micro-Pulse Lidar Network
(MPLNET) or Skyradiometer Network (SKYNET). In this way we want to show the feasibility of extending the
capability of existing monitoring networks without strong investments or
changes in their measurements protocols. Two case studies were analyzed in
detail, one corresponding to a well-defined PBL and another
corresponding to a situation with presence of a Saharan dust lofted aerosol
layer and clouds. In both cases we discuss results provided by the different
instruments showing their complementarity and the precautions to be applied in
the data interpretation. Our study shows that the use of EL at 532 nm
requires a careful correction of the signal using the first lag time
correction in order to get reliable turbulence information on the PBL.
The control of anthropogenic emissions contributed to 80 % of the decrease in PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing from 2013 to 2017
Authors: Chen Ziyue , Chen Danlu , Kwan Meipo , Chen Bin , Cheng Nianliang , Gao Bingbo , Zhuang Yan , Li Ruiyuan , Xu Bing
Published: January 2019

Abstract. With the completion of the Beijing Five-year Clean Air Action Plan by the end of 2017, the annual mean PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing dropped dramatically to 58.0 μg/m3 in 2017 from 89.5 μg/m3 in 2013. However, controversies exist to argue that favorable meteorological conditions in 2017 that helped pollution dispersion were the major factor for such rapid decrease in PM2.5 concentrations. To comprehensively evaluate this five-year plan, we employed Kolmogorov-Zurbenko (KZ) filtering and a WRF-CMAQ model to quantify the relative contribution of meteorological conditions and the control of anthropogenic emissions to PM2.5 reduction in Beijing from 2013 to 2017. For these five years, the relative contribution of emission-reduction measures to the decrease of PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing calculated by KZ filtering and the WRF-CMAQ model was 80.6 % and 78.6 % respectively. The WRF-CMAQ model further revealed that local and regional emission-reduction measures contributed to 53.7 % and 24.9 % of the PM2.5 reduction respectively. For local emission-reduction measures, the regulation of coal boilers, increasing clean fuels for residential use, industrial restructuring, the regulation of raise dust and vehicle emissions contributed to 20.1 %, 17.4 %, 10.8 %, 3.0 % and 2.4 % of PM2.5 reduction respectively. Both models suggested that the control of anthropogenic emissions contributed to around 80 % of the total decrease in PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing, indicating that emission control was crucial for the notable improvement in air quality in Beijing from 2013 to 2017. Therefore, such long-term air quality clean plan should be continued for the future years to further reduce PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing. Considering that different emission-reduction measures exert distinct effects on PM2.5 reduction and existing emission-reduction measures work poorly to reduce ozone concentrations, future strategies for emission-reduction should be designed and implemented accordingly.
Extending the coverage area of regional ionosphere maps using a support vector machine algorithm
Authors: Kim Mingyu , Kim Jeongrae
Published: January 2019

Abstract. The coverage of regional ionosphere maps is determined by the
distribution of ground-based monitoring stations, e.g., GNSS receivers. Since
ionospheric delay has a high spatial correlation, ionosphere map coverage
can be extended using spatial extrapolation methods. This paper proposes a
support vector machine (SVM) to extrapolate the ionosphere map data with
solar and geomagnetic parameters. One year of IGS ionospheric delay map data
over South Korea is used to train the SVM algorithm. Subsequently, 1 month
of ionospheric delay data outside the input data region is estimated. In
addition to solar and geomagnetic environmental parameters, the ionospheric
delay data from the inner data region are used to estimate the ionospheric
delay data for the outside region. The accuracy evaluation is performed at
three levels of range −5, 10, and 15∘
outside the inner data regions. The extrapolation errors are 0.33 TECU (total electron content unit) for
the 5∘ region and 1.95 TECU for the 15∘ region. These
values are substantially lower than the GPS Klobuchar model error values.
Comparison with another machine learning extrapolation method, the neural
network, shows a substantial improvement of up to 26.7 %.
A conservation palaeobiological approach to assess faunal response of threatened
biota under natural and anthropogenic environmental change
Authors: van de Velde Sabrina , Jorissen Elisabeth L. , Neubauer Thomas A. , Radan Silviu , Pavel Ana Bianca , Stoica Marius , Van Baak Christiaan G. C. , Martínez Gándara Alberto , Popa Luis , de Stigter Henko , Abels Hemmo A. , Krijgsman Wout , Wesselingh Frank P.
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Palaeoecological records are required to test ecological hypotheses necessary for conservation strategies as short-term observations can be insufficiently to capture natural variability and identify drivers of biotic change. Here, we demonstrate the importance of an integrated conservation palaeobiology approach to make validated decisions for conservation and mitigating action. Our model system is the Razim-Sinoie Lake complex (RSL) in the Danube Delta (Black Sea coast, Romania), a dynamic coastal lake system hosting unique Pontocaspian mollusc species that are now severely under threat. The Pontocaspians refer to an endemic species group that evolved in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea basins under reduced salinity settings over the past few million years. The natural, pre-industrial RSL contained a salinity gradient from fresh to mesohaline (18 ppm), until human interventions reduced the inflow of mesohaline Black Sea water into the lake system. We reconstruct the evolution of the RSL over the past 2000 years from integrated sedimentary facies and faunal analyses based on 11 age-dated sediment cores and investigate the response of mollusc species and communities to those past environmental changes. Three species associations (marine, Pontocaspian, freshwater) exist and their spatiotemporal shifts through the system are documented. Variable salinity gradients developed, with marine settings (and faunas) dominating in the southern part of the system and freshwater conditions (and faunas) in the northern and western parts. Pontocaspian species have mostly occurred in the centre of the RSL within the marine–freshwater salinity gradient. Today, freshwater species dominate the entire system, and only a single Pontocaspian species (Monodacna colorata) is found alive. We show that the human-induced reduced marine influence in the system has been a major driver of the decline of the endemic Pontocaspian biota. It urges for improved conservation actions by re-establishing a salinity gradient in the lake system to preserve these unique species.
Using the Maximum Entropy Production approach to integrate
energy budget modeling in a hydrological model
Authors: Maheu Audrey , Hajji Islem , Anctil François , Nadeau Daniel F. , Therrien René
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Total terrestrial evaporation is a key process to understand the hydrological impacts of climate change given that warmer surface temperatures translate into an increase in the atmospheric evaporative demand. To simulate this flux, many hydrological models rely on the concept of potential evaporation (PET) although large differences have been observed in the response of PET models to climate change. The Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) model of land surface fluxes offers an alternative approach to simulate terrestrial evaporation in a simple and parsimonious way while fulfilling the physical constraint of energy budget closure and providing a distinct estimation of evaporation and transpiration. The objective of this work is to use the MEP model to integrate energy budget modeling within a hydrological model. We coupled the MEP model with HydroGeoSphere, an integrated surface and subsurface hydrologic model. As a proof-of-concept, we performed one-dimensional soil column simulations at three sites of the AmeriFlux network. The coupled HGS-MEP model produced realistic simulations of soil water content (RMSE between 0.03 and 0.05 m3 m−3, NSE between 0.30 and 0.92) and terrestrial evaporation (RMSE between 0.31 and 0.71 mm day−1, NSE between 0.65 and 0.88) under semiarid, Mediterranean and temperate climates. HGS-MEP outperformed the standalone HGS model where total terrestrial evaporation is derived from potential evaporation which we computed using the Penman-Monteith equation. This research demonstrated the potential of the MEP model to improve the simulation of total terrestrial evaporation in hydrological models, including for hydrological projections under climate change.
Monitoring snowpack outflow volumes and their isotopic
composition to better understand streamflow generation during
rain-on-snow events
Authors: Rücker Andrea , Boss Stefan , Kirchner James W. , von Freyberg Jana
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Rain-on-snow (ROS) events in mountainous catchments can cause enhanced snowmelt, leading to destructive winter floods. However, due to differences in topography and vegetation cover, the generation of snowpack outflow and its contribution to streamflow is spatially and temporally variable during ROS events. In order to adequately predict such flood events with hydrological models, an enhanced process understanding of the contribution of rainwater and snowmelt to stream water is needed. In this study, we monitored and sampled snowpack outflow with fully automated snowmelt lysimeter systems installed at three different locations in a pre-Alpine catchment in Central Switzerland. We measured snowpack outflow volumes during the winters of 2017 and 2018, as well as snowpack outflow isotopic compositions for winter 2017. Snowpack outflow volumes were highly variable in time and space reflecting differences in snow accumulation and melt. In winter 2017, around 815 mm snowpack outflow occurred at our reference site (grassland 1220 m above sea level, m asl), whereas snowpack outflow was 16 % less at the nearby forest site (1185 m asl), and 62 % greater at another grassland site located 200-meter higher (1420 m asl). A detailed analysis of ten ROS events showed that the snowpack outflow volumes could be explained mainly by rainfall volume and initial snow depth. The isotope signal of snowpack outflow was more damped than that of incoming rainfall at all three sites, with the most damped signal at the high-elevation site because its snowpack was the thickest and residence times of liquid water in the snowpack were the longest, thus enhancing isotopic mixing in the snowpack. The contribution of snowpack outflow to streamflow, estimated by isotope-based two-component end member mixing analysis, differed substantially among the three lysimeter sites. Because the study catchment vegetation is a mixture of grassland and forest and altitudes range from 1000 to 1500 m asl, the catchment-average contribution of snowpack outflow to stream discharge is likely to lie between the end member mixing estimates derived from the three site-specific datasets. Thus, our hydrograph separation estimates based on the measurements from the three lysimeter sites provide a range of snowpack outflow contributions to discharge from different parts of the study area. This information may be useful for improving hydrological models in snow-dominated catchments.
A parsimonious transport model of emerging contaminants at the river network scale
Authors: Diamantini Elena , Mallucci Stefano , Bellin Alberto
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Waters released from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent a relevant
source of pharmaceuticals and personal care products to the aquatic
environment, since many of them are not effectively removed by the treatment
systems. The consumption of these products increased in the last decades and
concerns have consequently risen about their possible adverse effects on the
freshwater ecosystem. In this study, we present a simple, yet effective,
analytical model of transport of contaminants released in surface waters by
WWTPs. Transport of dissolved species is modeled by solving the advection
dispersion reaction equation (ADRE) along the river network by using a
Lagrangian approach. We applied this model to concentration data of five
pharmaceuticals, diclofenac, ketoprofen, clarithromycin, sulfamethoxazole,
and irbesartan, collected during two field campaigns, conducted in February
and July 2015 in the Adige River, northeastern Italy. The model showed a good
agreement with measurements and the successive application at the monthly
timescale highlighted significant variations of the load due to the interplay
between streamflow seasonality and variation of the anthropogenic pressure,
chiefly due to the variability of touristic fluxes. Since the data required
by the model are widely available, our model is suitable for large-scale
applications.
PALAZZO DUCALE OF SABBIONETA ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY OF SOME DECORATED ROOMS
Authors: Bianchi A. , Belloni M.
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Sabbioneta is a small town situated in the province of Mantova, in northern Italy. Founded by Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna in the XVI century, it constituted the capital of the Sabbioneta Ducat. His specific historical background and renaissance urban fabric made it enter into the UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2008. Other than the economic and political consequences of this event, it shows the architectural importance of Sabbioneta and its great potential for future developments. Palazzo Ducale (Figure 1) was one of the first constructions of the new town. Acting as a ducal residence in its beginnings, its function has evolved over time until the current situation: an exposition space.