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Seismic vulnerability evaluation of various public structures, especially school buildings, is very crucial for designing hazard mitigation initiatives in seismic prone areas. The city of Mymensingh is at great risk of earthquake because of its geographical location, geological structure and proximity to active faults. The city is famous for its ancient and renowned educational institutes that need to be evaluated for understanding the seismic performance of the building during an earthquake. This study aims to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of educational buildings of Mymensingh city using rapid visual screening (RVS) and index based approach.

RVS procedure includes field survey and secondary source assessment for evaluating structural vulnerability attributes. Analytical hierarchy process is applied to develop an index focusing on systematic attributes of vulnerability based on expert opinions. Then, a composite vulnerability map is developed combining both structural and systematic vulnerability score providing an equal weight.

This study evaluates the seismic vulnerability of 458 educational buildings of Mymensingh city and the result shows that 23.14% educational building has high, 46.29% has moderate and 26.86% has moderately low and only 3.71% buildings has the low seismic vulnerability. This study expected to be helpful in resource targeting and prioritizing seismic hazard mitigation activities for education buildings of Mymensingh city.

This study endeavors to present a comprehensive vulnerability assessment method by integrating RVS and index based approach that incorporates both structural and systematic dimensions of vulnerability. The result is expected to be helpful in the formulation of disaster prevention policy for vulnerable educational buildings and development of the earthquake-resistant building codes for the new building construction in Mymensingh city.

The purpose of this study is to estimate the cost of seismic resilience of identified vulnerable lifeline public buildings in earthquake-prone Himalayan province of Uttarakhand in India.

Built area of the identified vulnerable lifeline buildings together with prevalent rate of construction has been considered for assessing the cost of seismic resilience while improvised rapid visual screening (RVS) technique, better suited to the built environment in the region, has been used for assessing seismic vulnerability.

Investment of US$250.08m is assessed as being required for ensuring seismic safety of 56.3, 62.1, 52.9, 64.6, 71.9 and 61.7% surveyed buildings, respectively, of fire and emergency services, police, health, education, local administration and other departments that are to become non-functional after an earthquake and result in a major socio-political turmoil. A total amount of US$467.71m is estimated as being required for making all the buildings of these departments seismically resilient.

Actual investment estimates and reconstruction/retrofitting plans have to be prepared after detailed investigations as RVS technique only provides a preliminary estimate and helps in prioritising buildings for detailed investigations.

This study is intended to provide a snapshot of the state of seismic vulnerability together with the financial resources required for corrective measures. This is to help the authorities in planning phased mobilisation of financial and technical resources for making the built environment seismically resilient.

This study is to bring forth awareness on this important issue and consequent public opinion in favour of safety of public facilities to ensure allocation of appropriate financial resources together with changes in techno-legal regime for the cause of earthquake safety. At the same time, this study is to motivate masses to voluntarily assess safety of their neighbourhood and undertake corrective measures.

This study is based on primary data collected by the authors.

In the event of a disaster, educational institutions like schools serve as lifeline buildings. Hence, it is crucial to safeguard these buildings for the communities that may depend on the school as a disaster shelter and aid center. Thus, this paper aims to conduct a multihazard risk assessment survey at 50 schools (with 246 building blocks) in Dehradun.

The past few decades have witnessed the impact of multihazard frequency in Uttarakhand, India, due to the geographical features of the Himalayas and its neo-tectonic mountain-building process. Dehradun is the capital of Uttarakhand state and comes under seismic zone IV, which is highly prone to earthquakes.

The hazard assessment is divided into two types of surveys: first, building-level surveys that include rapid visual screening, nonstructural risk assessment and fire safety audit, and second, campus-level surveys that include vulnerability analysis for earthquake, flood, industrial hazard, landslide and wind.

This paper will list several gaps and unrecognized practices in the region that increase the schools’ multihazard risk. The study’s outcome will help prioritize the planning of disaster awareness, retrofitting execution, future construction practices and decision-making to minimize the risk and prepare the school for the upcoming disasters.

Physical data were collected by the author to determine the multihazard risk analysis in 50 schools in the Dehradun District of Uttarakhand, India. The building- and campus-level surveys have been used to generate a database for the retrofit and renovation process for each individual school to use their budget fruitfully and in a planned way. The survey conducted is more effort and a more detailed risk evaluation which necessitates effectively mitigating and ensuring the potential safety of the region’s schools.

Finding an appropriate place for temporary housing after an earthquake is one of the main challenges of disaster risk management, especially in developing countries. Therefore, it is necessary to create pre-disaster location plans for the homeless population. This study aims to systematically find safe places and select suitable sites according to influential factors.

The research methodology used is a descriptive–analytical method. A field survey with a quantitative–qualitative approach is applied to recognize physical vulnerabilities and select suitable sites for temporary settlements. Due to the occurrence of several earthquakes in recent decades around the city of Isfahan, Iran, this area has been studied. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, geographic information system and rapid visual screening have been used for data analysis.

According to the site selection and vulnerability criteria and their prioritization, the findings indicate that 60% of the study area is vulnerable. Moreover, vacant lots, stadiums and public green spaces that can be used as multi-purpose sites are the most appropriate options for the temporary settlement.

The research criteria are generalizable and can be used for decision-making, concerning urban fabric vulnerability and site selection of temporary housing in cities exposed to earthquake risk.

Cultural features, accessibility, land conditions, the slope and type of land, availability and construction materials were addressed in locating temporary settlements. In addition to vacant lots and open spaces, safe buildings were also identified for temporary housing, and religious minorities and similar communities were considered.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the vulnerable factors in the neighborhood and vulnerability assessment of residential, medical center, school buildings, the road networks and the green spaces as vital and critical land uses to get general estimation of the situation for risk reduction planning.

Seismic vulnerability assessment of buildings was performed using the rapid visual screening data collection form of FEMA P 154 (2015). The assessment of the road was carried out using an empirical model, and the condition of the green spaces was assessed complying with standards using GIS.

The results of research indicated that about 37 percent of selected residential buildings, 81.08 percent of schools and two health care centers are likely to be vulnerable to earthquake.

Based on the results of this study, many of the structures should be further evaluated. Strengthening of poor-resistant elements of the roads is recommended and must be in order. Although the green spaces are well distributed in the neighborhood, they are ill-equipped of necessary facilities and their development is also recommended.

This paper aims to identify the specific parameters in developing a framework to assess the structural vulnerability of hospital buildings in Sri Lanka against tsunami. Along with that, the adaptability and suitability of the existing global frameworks in the Sri Lankan context are to be assessed.

In this study, Papathoma tsunami vulnerability assessment (PTVA)-4 model was used as the base in developing the abovementioned framework. Its adaptability and suitability in assessing hospital buildings in the country were considered under the case studies conducted in six selected hospitals in the Southern coastal belt of Sri Lanka. Under these case studies, data collection was done using the Rapid Visual Screening method where assessments were carried out through visual observations. The collected data were analyzed according to the aforementioned model for its suitability in evaluating the structural vulnerability of hospitals in Sri Lanka, against tsunami hazard.

From these case studies, it was identified that the use of the PTVA-4 model alone was insufficient to assess the structural vulnerability of the hospital buildings against the tsunami. Therefore, the model must be further improved with more relevant assessing attributes related to hospitals, suitable for the Sri Lankan context.

This paper identifies the specific structural assessment parameters required in assessing hospitals in the coastal belt of Sri Lanka, considering tsunami as the main hazard condition.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to assess the seismic vulnerability of the built environment in the Himalayan township of Mussoorie in the state of Uttarakhand (India), paying specific attention to hospitals. Also an attempt is made to assess the magnitude of minimum economic losses, so as to design and undertake measures for reducing human misery in the event of a major disaster.

Seismic vulnerability of the building stock is evaluated using FEMA technique rapid visual screening and the likely earthquake induced damage is depicted as a function of the damage grades of the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS‐98). In total, 3,344 buildings, including 14 hospitals, are surveyed. In the field the structures are mapped using IKONOS satellite imagery while the collected data are analysed under geographic information system environment.

It was found that 18 percent of surveyed structures fall in high probability of Grade 5 damage and very high probability of Grade 4 damage class. This is estimated to result in economic loss of US$52.47 million. Almost, 80 percent of the hospitals of Mussoorie are thus likely to be non‐functional in the post‐earthquake phase due to varying degrees of structural and non‐structural damage.

The study does not account for the cost of demolition or ground clearance cost for reconstruction, or losses likely to be incurred by public infrastructure. Thus, it is implied that retrofitting and replacement of vulnerable healthcare infrastructure should be facilitated on a priority basis along with development of suitable plans for mitigating losses in an earthquake event.

The study brings forth the importance of corrective actions (retrofitting/replacement) and detailed vulnerability assessment of all lifeline structures on priority basis.

The results are intended to reduce seismic vulnerability and human toll in the event of any earthquake in the area.

The work is based upon the original data generated by the authors through rigorous fieldwork in the area and the results are totally based on these.

In manufacturing, dedicated machine tools and flexible machine tools are failing to satisfy the ever-changing manufacturing demands of short life cycles and dynamic nature of products. These machines are limited when new product designs are introduced. The solution lies in developing responsive machines that can be adjusted or be changed functionally when these change requirements arise. These machines are reconfigurable machines which are becoming the new focus, as they rapidly respond to product variety and volume changes. A sheet metal working machine known as a reconfigurable guillotine shear and bending press machine (RGS&BPM) has been developed. The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology, function-oriented design approach (FODA), which was developed for the design of the RGS&BPM.

The design of the machine is based on the six principles of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs), namely, modularity, scalability integrability, convertibility, diagnosability and customisability. The methodology seeks to optimise the design process of the RGS&BPM through a design of modules that make up the machine, enable its conversion and reconfiguration. The FODA is focussed on function identification to select the operational function required. Two main functions are recognised for the machine, these being cutting and bending; hence, the design revolves around these two and reconfigurability.

The developed design methodology was tested in the design of a prototype for the reconfigurable guillotine shear and bending press machine. The prototype is currently being manufactured and will be subjected to functional tests once completed. This paper is being presented not only to present the methodology by to show and highlight its practical applicability, as the prototype manufacturers have been enthusiastic about this new approach.

The research was limited to the design methodology for the RGS&BPM, the machine which has been designed to completion using this methodology, with prototype being manufactured.

This study presents critical steps and considerations in the development of reconfigurable machines. The main thrust being to explore the best possibility of developing the machines with dual functionality that will assist in availing the technology to manufacturer. As the machine has been development, the success of the design can be directly attributed to the FODA methodology, among other contributing factors. It also highlights the significance of the principles of RMS in reconfigurable machine design.

The RGS&BM machine is an answer for the small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), as the machine replaces two machines with one, and the methodology ensures its affordable design. It contributes immensely to the machine availability by eliminating trial and error approaches.

This study presents a new approach to the design of reconfigurable dual machines using principles of RMS. As the targeted market is the SME, it is not limited to that as any entrepreneur may use the machine to their advantage. The design methodology presented contributes to the body of knowledge in dual reconfigurable machine tool design.

A proliferation of articles surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is calling for new insights through review. This paper aims to bibliometrically analyze the current progress of research around hospitality and tourism to define the research directions on herd immunity and the prevention of disease under the “new normal.”

This paper analyzed 326 articles regarding COVID-19 published in SSCI hospitality, leisure and tourism journals in 2020 and 2021 by combining manual analysis and bibliometrics to reveal research topics and to gain insight into research structures.

The results of this paper summarized topics related to stakeholders’ mentality and behavior, responses of travel suppliers to the COVID-19 pandemic, economic impact and demand forecasting, social issues of human rights and racism and reflection on tourism and transformation of the industry. More research is called for in the future to focus on a better response to the crisis, including crisis management education and training and the improving the resilience of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

A three-dimensional consideration was proposed to promote the sustainable development of hospitality and tourism.

In the “new normal” phase of herd immunity and disease prevention, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that provides an up-to-date systematic overview of the evolution of COVID-19 research in tourism and hospitality and encourages more conceptual, practical and futuristic studies.