Agent-based simulation of pedestrians' earthquake evacuation; application to Beirut, Lebanon

Most seismic risk assessment methods focus on estimating the damages to the built environment and the consequent socioeconomic losses without fully taking into account the social aspect of risk. Yet, human behaviour is a key element in predicting the human impact of an earthquake, therefore, it is important to include it in quantitative risk assessment studies. In this study, an interdisciplinary approach simulating pedestrians' evacuation during earthquakes at the city scale is developed using an agent-based model. The model integrates the seismic hazard, the physical vulnerability as well as individuals' behaviours and mobility. The simulator is applied to the case of Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon is at the heart of the Levant fault system that has generated several Mw>7 earthquakes, the latest being in 1759. It is one of the countries with the highest seismic risk in the Mediterranean region. This is due to the high seismic vulnerability of the buildings due to the absence of mandatory seismic regulation until 2012, the high level of urbanization, and the lack of adequate spatial planning and risk prevention policies. Beirut as the main residential, economic and institutional hub of Lebanon is densely populated. To accommodate the growing need for urban development, constructions have almost taken over all of the green areas of the city; squares and gardens are disappearing to give place to skyscrapers. However, open spaces are safe places to shelter, away from debris, and therefore play an essential role in earthquake evacuation. Despite the massive urbanization, there are a few open spaces but locked gates and other types of anthropogenic barriers often limit their access. To simulate this complex context, pedestrians' evacuation simulations are run in a highly realistic spatial environment implemented in GAMA [1]. Previous data concerning soil and buildings in Beirut [2, 3] are complemented by new geographic data extracted from high-resolution Pleiades satellite images. The seismic loading is defined as a peak ground acceleration of 0.3g, as stated in Lebanese seismic regulations. Building damages are estimated using an artificial neural network trained to predict the mean damage [4] based on the seismic loading as well as the soil and building vibrational properties [5]. Moreover, the quantity and the footprint of the generated debris around each building are also estimated and included in the model. We simulate how topography, buildings, debris, and access to open spaces, affect individuals' mobility. Two city configurations are implemented: 1. Open spaces are accessible without any barriers; 2. Access to some open spaces is blocked. The first simulation results show that while 52% of the population is able to arrive to an open space within 5 minutes after an earthquake, this number is reduced to 39% when one of the open spaces is locked. These results show that the presence of accessible open spaces in a city and their proximity to the residential buildings is a crucial factor for ensuring people's safety when an earthquake occurs

Bambusurils : new platforms for nuclear medicine

Les bambusurils, BU[4] et BU[6], sont des macrocycles synthétiques, formés respectivement de 4 ou 6 motifs glycolurils disubstitués. Les BU[6] ont la propriété de chélater un anion à l'intérieur de leur cavité et sont les meilleurs complexants connus des iodures (I⁻). Au laboratoire, deux familles de bambusurils fonctionnalisables ont été développées : les Allyl₈BU[4] et Allyl₁₂BU[6], substitués par des groupements allyles, qui peuvent réagir par réaction de type thiol-ène click pour introduire 8 à 12 thiols d'intérêt, et les Propargyl₈BU[4] et Propargyl₁₂BU[6], possédant des groupements propargyles qui par cycloaddition de type CuAAC peuvent permettre de greffer 8 à 12 triazoles disubstitués. La monofonctionnalisation des Allyl₁₂BU[6] a été développée pour greffer sélectivement un seul groupement sur les 12 fonctions allyles du bambusuril BU[6]. Nous avons montré par titration calorimétrique isotherme que les BU[6] hydrosolubles, en particulier ceux portant des fonctions thioéthers, (RS)₁₂BU[6], sont très affins pour les I⁻. L'étude de la complexation des BU[6] avec des radiohalogènures, notamment (¹²⁵I), prouve la formation de complexes pouvant être stables plusieurs jours en milieu biologique. Des iminosucres linéaires ou trivalents de la famille de la 1 déoxynojirimycine (DNJ), ont également été greffés sur les Propargyl₈BU[4] et Propargyl₁₂BU[6] et conduisent à de nouveaux puissants inhibiteurs de mannosidases (Kᵢ ≈ 0,024 µM) par comparaison aux glycosides monovalents (Kᵢ ≈ 3 µM). Les anions (Br⁻ ou I⁻) complexés dans les BU[6] ne modifient pas leurs pouvoirs d'inhibition. Les bambusurils sont donc des plateformes multivalentes efficaces, notamment les BU[4] qui n'avaient jusqu'à présent aucune application connue. Ces travaux ouvrent la voie vers des agents thérapeutiques ayant un fort pouvoir d'inhibition pour les glycosidases et capables de complexer les anions.Bambusurils, BU[4] and BU[6], are synthetic macrocycles, made respectively by 4 or 6 disubstituted glycolurils units. BU[6] are able to bind anions inside their cavity with high affinity and are the best iodide (I⁻) complexes known. In our laboratory, two functionalizable bambusurils families were developed: bambusurils substituted with allyls moieties (Allyl₈BU[4] and Allyl₁₂BU[6]) that can react by thiol-ene click reaction to introduce 8 to 12 thiols of interest, and bambusurils substituted by propargyls moieties (Propargyl₈BU[4] and Propargyl₁₂BU[6]) that can react by CuAAC reaction to introduce 8 to 12 disubstituted triazoles units. Monofunctionalization of Allyl₁₂BU[6] was also developped, allowing to introduce selectively only 1 functional group among the 12 functions of BU[6]. We showed thanks to isothermal titration calorimetry that hydrosoluble (RS)₁₂BU[6] have a very high affinity for I⁻. Complexation of radioactive halides, including ¹²⁵I, were also carried and showed multi-days stabilities in biological media for some of the complexes. Linears and trivalents iminosugars from the 1 déoxynojirimycine (DNJ) family, were also graffed on Propargyl₈BU[4] and Propargyl₁₂BU[6] to afford new powerful mannosidases inhibitors (Kᵢ ≈ 0,024 µM) compared to monovalent glycosides (Kᵢ 3 ≈ µM). Anions (Br⁻ or I⁻) chelated in BU[6] do not modify their inhibition potency.Bambusurils are therefore effective multivalent platforms, in particular BU[4] which until now had no known application. This work opens the way to therapeutic agents with a strong inhibition potency for glycosidases and able to complex anions

Développement de la coeliochirurgie viscérale au centre hospitalier d'Armentières (choix et évaluation économique des dispositifs médicaux stériles)

LILLE2-BU Santé-Recherche (593502101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Comportements de mobilité en cas de crise sismique à Beyrouth (Liban)

National audienc

Les représentations du risque sismique à Beyrouth et Bourj Hammoud

International audienceThe It seems that the readiness of a given population to sismical risk is correlated to the level of knowledge people have on the seismical phenomenon and building control, according to the conception of resilient urbanism. Considering anarchical re-building in Lebanon and the absence of any urbanist vision, the awareness about seismical risk appear to be imperative. Growing urbanization of human populations provokes statistical increasing of seismical catastrophes. The goal of this study is to address both knowledge and safety issues through a fieldwork conducted in parthernship between Lebanese National CEntre for Scientific Researc and Université Saint Joseph, with suppor of french institutions (IFPO, CNRS, IRD). Fieldwork was conducted in Arabic, French and Western Armenian.La préparation d’une population au risque sismique dépend semble-t-il de sa connaissance du phénomène, du contrôle des constructions, dans la conception d’un urbanisme résilient aux catastrophes. Face à la re-construction anarchique et à l’absence de vision en matière d’urbanisme, la prise de conscience de risques sismiques nous paraît impérative au Liban. La croissance de l’urbanisation des populations humaines provoque l’augmentation statistique des catastrophes sismiques. L’objectif de cette sérieuse étude est d’associer la connaissance et la prévoyance par le biais d’un travail de terrain mené en partenariat entre le CNRS libanais et l’équipe des sciences sociales de l’Université Saint Joseph, en plus du soutien d’institutions françaises (IFPO, CNRS, IRD). Le travail de terrain a été conduit en arabe,français et arménien occidental