Bluetooth 5.0 Suitability Assessment for Emergency Response within Fire Environments

Natural disasters, such as wildfires, can cause widespread devastation. Future-proofing infrastructure, such as buildings and bridges, through technological advancements is crucial to minimize their impact. Fires in disasters often stem from damaged fuel lines and electrical equipment, such as the 2018 California wildfire caused by a power line fault. To enhance safety, IoT applications can continuously monitor the health of emergency personnel. Using Bluetooth 5.0 and wearables in mesh networks, these apps can alert others about an individual’s location during emergencies. However, fire can disrupt wireless networks. This study assesses Bluetooth 5.0’s performance in transmitting signals in fire conditions. It examined received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values in a front open-fire chamber using both Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and mesh networks. The experiment considered three transmission heights of 0.61, 1.22, and 1.83 m and two distances of 11.13 m and 1.52 m. The study demonstrated successful signal transmission with a maximum loss of only 2 dB when transmitting through the fire. This research underscores the potential for reliable communication in fire-prone environments, improving safety during natural disasters

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO ACCOMPANY MAP MF-1411-C MINERAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL OF THE LAUREL-MCGEE ROADLESS AREA, MONO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA SUMMARY REPORT

SUMMARY Geologic and geochemical investigations and a survey of mines and prospects, conducted to evaluate the mineral resource potential of the Laurel-McGee Roadless Area, Mono County, Calif, ( Identified mineral resources in or near the Laurel-McGee Roadless Area occur at the Lucky Strike prospect where there are small resources (table 1, map sheet) of zinc, silver, copper, and lead. The Hard Point mine about 0.5 mi outside the roadless area, contains some tungsten resources and tungsten production has been recorded there and from the nearby Morhardt mine. On the basis of these occurrences, an area around and including these mines and prospects has a moderate potential for tungsten resource with low potential for silver, copper, zinc, and lead resources. The north edge of the roadless area lies within the Long Valley caldera. Parts of this volcanic structure have geothermal resource potential. Present and past exploration for geothermal resources indicate that areas with enough heat to be a possible geothermal resource are far removed from the roadless area

Returning home: heritage work among the Stl'atl'imx of the Lower Lillooet River Valley

This article focusses on heritage practices in the tensioned landscape of the Stl’atl’imx (pronounced Stat-lee-um) people of the Lower Lillooet River Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Displaced from their traditional territories and cultural traditions through the colonial encounter, they are enacting, challenging and remaking their heritage as part of their long term goal to reclaim their land and return ‘home’. I draw on three examples of their heritage work: graveyard cleaning, the shifting ‘official’/‘unofficial’ heritage of a wagon road, and marshalling of the mountain named Nsvq’ts (pronounced In-SHUCK-ch) in order to illustrate how the past is strategically mobilised in order to substantiate positions in the present. While this paper focusses on heritage in an Indigenous and postcolonial context, I contend that the dynamics of heritage practices outlined here are applicable to all heritage practices

Fire Retardant Action of Layered Double Hydroxides and Zirconium Phosphate Nanocomposites Fillers in Polyisocyanurate Foams

Modern day energy codes are driving the design and multi-layered configuration of exterior wall systems with a significant emphasis on achieving high performance insulation towards improving energy performance of building envelopes. Use of highly insulating polyisocyanurate (PIR) based materials enhanced with eco-friendly lamellar inorganic fillers reinforces energy performance requirements, environmental challenges and cost reduction without compromising the overall building fire safety. The current work assessed the fire behaviour of PIR modified with three layered fillers, namely MgAlCO3 (PIR-LDH1), MgAl Stearate (PIR-LDH2) and Zirconium Phosphate octadecylamine (PIR-ZrP3). For each of the fillers, three loadings (2, 4 and 6% by weight) were used. Optical analysis by X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), cone calorimeter (CC), thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis, post-burning morphological evaluation using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT) analysis, were performed. The results indicated that fire reaction properties and thermal stability of foam samples were enhanced with all three different lamellar inorganic smart fillers. The initial degradation temperature of PIR-layered filler samples was increased, demonstrating that incorporation of flame retardants decelerated the degradation of the PIR foam and contributed to significant char formation, from 19.5% in pure PIR samples to 33% in PIR-6%LDH1 samples. Increasing the filler content also resulted in improved char properties and decreased peak Heat Release Rates (HRR) in the cone calorimeter. Due to the development of a stable char layer, samples containing 6% of ZrP3 did not ignite at 20 kW/m2 and a reduction of up to 40% in the peak HRR was achieved in PIR-2%ZrP3 samples

Behavioural and Developmental Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Systematic Review

Background: Much controversy exists regarding the clinical efficacy of behavioural and developmental interventions for improving the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We conducted a systematic review to summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of behavioural and developmental interventions for ASD. Methods and Findings: Comprehensive searches were conducted in 22 electronic databases through May 2007. Further information was obtained through hand searching journals, searching reference lists, databases of theses and dissertations, and contacting experts in the field. Experimental and observational analytic studies were included if they were written in English and reported the efficacy of any behavioural or developmental intervention for individuals with ASD. Two independent reviewers made the final study selection, extracted data, and reached consensus on study quality. Results were summarized descriptively and, where possible, meta-analyses of the study results were conducted. One-hundred-and-one studies at predominantly high risk of bias that reported inconsistent results across various interventions were included in the review. Meta-analyses of three controlled clinical trials showed that Lovaas treatment was superior to special education on measures of adaptive behaviour, communication and interaction, comprehensive language, daily living skills, expressive language, overall intellectual functioning and socialization. High-intensity Lovaas was superior to low-intensity Lovaas on measures of intellectual functioning in two retrospective cohort studies. Pooling the results of two randomized controlle