A Full-Scale Evaluation of Lightweight Personal Protective Ensembles for Demining in Providing Protection Against Blast-Type Anti-Personnel Mines

A wide range of equipment, in the form of helmets, vests, aprons and trousers, is currently in use around the world to protect deminers against the effects of AP mines. Significant variations exist in terms of the level of protection afforded, operational usefulness, quality of manufacturing and cost of each of these components. To date, there have been limited studies undertaken to systematically and quantitatively assess the effectiveness of the different protective components applied to both the civilian and military demining theaters. This study summarizes the efforts of numerous full-scale test series carried out in 1999, with particular emphasis on quantifying the protective performance against blast AP mines of selected concepts of humanitarian demining ensembles. It was also possible to assess aspects of the blast and related fragmentation resistance of individual components

The Spider Boot: An Effective Foot Protection System Against Anti-Personnel Mine Blasts

It is estimated that about 70 million AP landmines are deployed worldwide, slowing down the economic recovery of war torn countries and causing indiscriminate injuries to returning civilian populations long after the end of a conflict. Several military and non-military organizations are currently engaged in mine clearance, either in support of peacekeeping operations or for humanitarian demining

The Effectiveness of Different Personal Protective Ensembles in Preventing Injury to the Thorax from Blast-Type Anti-Personnel Mines

It is well established from numerous documented cases of bomb blasts that, under certain conditions (determined by the amount and proximity of explosive), the transmitted shock wave and associated overpressure generated by the detonation of an explosive device can cause critical and fatal injuries to the thorax, e.g., “blast lung.” As such injuries tend to be internal and thus difficult to detect, there has been considerable debate in recent years on the significance of the blast overpressure injury in the context of demining/mine clearance compared to more visible injuries, such as, amputation of extremities, fragmentation wounds and blindness. A wide range of personal protective ensembles are currently deployed in the field, incorporating disparate stackings of materials over the thoracic region

PPE: Effective Protection for Deminers

This article briefly explains the work that Med-Eng Systems, Inc., has done on personal protective equipment (PPE) over the past few years

Comparative Study of Different Lightweight Head Protection Systems with Full-Face Visors for Humanitarian Deminers

A key component of any Personal Protective Ensemble (PPE) for demining is the helmet and/or face shield. For obvious reasons, protecting the face of a deminer is of utmost importance in case of an accidental detonation of a mine. Currently, a wide range of head and face protective devices are available for the deminer, and this study attempts to evaluate these devices from several perspectives

Body Protection Systems for Use in Humanitarian Demining: Applying Hard Science and End-User Feedback to Improve Personal Protection for Deminers

Somewhere between the tightening budgets of program managers, myriad of demining activities, and fatigue among donors, lies a life-threatening issue which receives limited attention within the hierarchy of themes defining humanitarian demining. According to a large cross-section of deminers around the world, personal protection for deminers is considered a poor second cousin to such themes as mine awareness and victim assistance. They say the issue of improving personal protection needs to be pushed higher up the demining agenda

PERFORMANCE OF CROWD MANAGEMENT SHIN GUARDS SUBJECTED TO BALL AND BASEBALL BAT IMPACTS

Two impact apparatuses simulating projectile and baton blows were used to evaluate the blunt impact attenuation performance of shin guards used in Crowd Management Interventions (CMI). These guards are strapped to the lower leg similarly to the baseball and hockey counterparts. Transmitted forces were measured through the use of piezoelectric force transducers and an accelerometer. Force attenuation factors as high as 81% were obtained when compared to impacts generated directly on a human shin surrogate. The results of an injury analysis based 001 bone fracture thresholds confirm the importance of wearing protective equipment in CMI. Large deviations were observed when comparing the results from the two threat simulators, baseball bat impacts yielding higher transmitted force than ball impacts for the same energy level. This indicates that the impact energy alone is not sufficient to fully describe the impact profile. When testing protective equipment, it is important to select impact generators that appropriately replicate the type of threats that the equipment must protect against

How Deminer Position Contributes to Injury

Research shows injury risks to deminers can vary depending on their body positioning. Here, the authors present the preliminary results of a study testing the effects of body position on deminer injury using mannequins. They hope to refine further their methodology and continue to learn information that will benefit the demining community

Cabbage and fermented vegetables : From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19

Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage have been associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-CoV-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT(1)R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistance as well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block in particular the AT(1)R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are: kimchi in Korea, westernized foods, and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects, helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.Peer reviewe