Epidemiological Assessment of Fires in the Philippines, 2010-2012

Fires are the most costly preventable emergency in the Philippines but are relatively unstudied. A 2012 study done by the Department of Health - Health Emergency Management Staff (DOH-HEMS) revealed that fires constituted 39 percent of all events reported to the Health Emergency Alert Reporting System (HEARS) from 2005 to 2009 and caused 263 deaths and 749 injuries. The epidemiology of fires and fire-related casualties in the Philippines from 2010 to 2012 was assessed.All fires reported in the HEARS of the DOH-HEMS during that period were included in the study. Fires were a greater problem from 2010 to 2012 and affected the same geographic locations. A total of 883 fires and 824 fire-related casualties were reported, majority of which occurred in Metro Manila. Fires occurred throughout November to March, were more frequent from midnight to 3 a.m., and most often involved residential areas. No improvement in the fire situation was noted for 2010 to 2012. There is a need to review present local and national efforts at fire prevention and control. Further research and analysis of causes and determinants of fires would provide more useful information for fire prevention policy and planning in the Philippines

Novel strain-induced low dimensional confinement structures

We propose new confinement structures similar to heterostructures and superlattices. The new heteostructures can be obtained by applying strain to a single material in a periodic or aperiodic way. The conversion of an indirect gap into an optical active direct or quasi-direct gap problem has also been investigated together with the role of zone folding in this phenomenon.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Public management, private management and collective action in the Portoviejo river basin: Visions and conflicts

Producción CientíficaAgricultural policies show an orientation in the management of natural resources, such as water, towards specialized production for world markets. This is promoting models of private use against those of common use. The objective of this research is to evaluate the transformations in the institutional framework associated with the change of vision of water and the pressures created on peasant communities that culturally maintain socio-ecological systems. Based on Ostrom’s methodological proposals for the governance of common goods, a case study of the Rio Portoviejo Basin (Ecuador) was carried out. The three developed management models are analyzed: public, private and community. Evidence is provided that the community model is more equitable, efficient and sustainable. The way in which the extension of the market model, which conditions agricultural activity to profitability, is weakening the networks of peasant communities is also studied. In this context, the correlation between the loss of the traditional agrarian culture and the environmental degradation of the area is observed