The M7.8 earthquake of 25th April, 2015 caused widespread damage in the Nepal region by destroying many residential, public, religious and cultural heritage buildings and roads due to intense shaking, surface fissures and landslides. This earthquake provided an opportunity to study the vulnerability of the built environment and reassessment of the risk exposure of the region. The reconnaissance trip was aimed at surveying the Kathmandu valley region in Nepal and adjoining districts of Bihar state in India due to their high population density and rapid urbanization. The observed damage in Kathmandu and the northern districts of Bihar were consistent with the intensity reported in these regions. Complete collapse was observed in RC buildings and old unreinforced masonry buildings due to inherent structural defects in regions of MM intensity VIII and IX. Significant number of cultural heritage structures suffered partial to complete collapse. These observations provide a perspective on the widespread lack of preparedness even when the seismic hazard of the Himalayan region is well established. This letter cites some of the poor construction practices that are followed in the Kathmandu valley region which make the built environment vulnerable to unacceptable levels of damage under expected design levels of shaking.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs‐Conseils (FIDIC) White Book standard form of building contract. It tracks the changes to this contract over its four editions, and seeks to identify their underlying causes.Design/methodology/approachThe changes made to the White Book are quantified using a specific type of quantitative content analysis. The amended clauses are then examined to understand the nature of the changes made.FindingsThe length of the contract increased by 34 per cent between 1990 and 2006. A large proportion of the overall increase can be attributed to the clauses dealing with “conflict of interest/corruption” and “dispute resolution”. In both instances, the FIDIC drafting committees have responded to international developments to discourage corruption, and to encourage the use of alternative dispute resolution. Between 1998 and 2006, the average length of the sentences increased slightly, raising the question of whether long sentences are easily understood by users of contracts.Research limitations/implicationsQuantification of text appears to be particularly useful for the analysis of documents which are regularly updated because changes can be clearly identified and the length of sentences can be determined, leading to conclusions about the readability of the text. However, caution is needed because changes of great relevance can be made to contract clauses without actually affecting their length.Practical implicationsThe paper will be instructive for contract drafters and informative for users of FIDIC's White Book.Originality/valueQuantifying text has been rarely used regarding standard‐form contracts in the field of construction.
Primary adrenal insufficiency (AI) in children usually presents with non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. Here, we report an unusual case of a 15 year old girl who presented with acute mental status change and was ultimately diagnosed with AI due to autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type II (APS2). Central nervous system imaging revealed a cerebral infarction. To our knowledge, the constellation of APS2, stroke and acute mental status change has not been previously reported. We review the literature with regard to the presentation of AI as well as the association between vasculitis and APS2.
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