Lightning Strike Injuries.

Lightning is a common environmental hazard, and is a significant cause of global injury and death. Care and evaluation should follow general trauma guidelines, but several unique aspects of lightning injuries necessitate deviations from standard care that can improve survival and overall outcomes. When evaluating lightning strike patients, some common injury patterns are pathognomonic for lightning strikes and easy to recognize, while others are subtle and require heightened awareness. While most lightning-related injuries resolve spontaneously, some may have significant long-term symptoms. Anticipatory guidance and specialty referral may be needed for appropriate follow-up, evaluation, and treatment.

NaTech triggered by lightning: Novel insights from past events in the process industry.

Lightning strikes, a prominent meteorological event, pose a significant risk of triggering technological disruptions within the process industry. To better understand this phenomenon, an analysis focused on past lightning-triggered events was carried out, examining open-source industrial-accident databases to compile a new NaTech-driven dataset of 689 records. First, an overall quantitative analysis revealed that over 80 % of these events involved incidents or loss of containment. Notably, 83.3 % of them occurred during the spring and summer, indicating a seasonal pattern. Based on the frequency of functional attributes, the chemical and petrochemical macro-sector was the most vulnerable, followed by storage and warehousing. About 40 % of all classifiable events happened on storage equipment, while 21 % happened on electric and electronic devices. Given the lack of valuable information for the principal source of data (NRC), the technological scenarios triggered were characterized using a refined subset of 127 observations, obtained considering the "other sources" of data. Fire scenarios predominated at 56 %; coincidentally, roughly 70 % of all scenarios involved hazardous substances classified as physical hazards. Estimated losses for the available information underscored the adverse consequences of lightning-triggered NaTech events, highlighting their major impact on both safety and the environment. An analysis of the event tree showed the logical path from the lightning strike to the final ignition scenarios (considering a subset of 107 records). This path accounted for 36 % of the classifiable records that directly affected the structure, while more than 50 % of them did not. Bayesian network structures made it possible to get conditional probabilities from the event tree and improved the model by adding attributes for vulnerable equipment and macro-sectors. In order to deal with the uncertain data, algorithms were used to generalize the models that were obtained from smaller subsets of data with more accurate information to the whole dataset. It provides an important additional view of unclassifiable data that otherwise remained in the dark. This novel insight contributes to increase the vulnerability awareness of industrial assets against lightning strikes.

Highly conductive and durable nanocomposite hard coatings of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites against lightning strikes.

The growing use of thermoplastic composites (TPCs) like low-melting polyaryletherketone (LM-PAEK) matrices reinforced with unidirectional carbon fiber (CF) in aircraft structures presents a significant challenge in terms of lightning strikes and electromagnetic interference shielding during aircraft operations. This is due to the weak electrical conductivity of TPC structures, which results in widespread damage when struck by lightning. The repair and maintenance of these extended damaged sites can increase operational costs and loss of flights. Several lightning strike protection (LSP) systems have been developed and implemented to address these concerns. This study evaluated a highly conductive coating with a low filler rate for its effectiveness as an LSP solution for TPCs on exterior aircraft surfaces. The TPC panel without any coatings was first studied. Subsequently, the level of conductivity was increased by incorporating the nanoscale conductive fillers, silver-coated copper (Ag/Cu) nanoflakes, with a silver content of 20 wt.% (Ag20/Cu) and 30 wt.% (Ag30/Cu), correspondingly, into the coating at two loadings of 55 wt.% and 70 wt.% in an epoxy carrier for the surface coatings. The behavior of electrical and surface conductivity was thoroughly examined to understand the impact of Ag/Cu with a high aspect ratio and the effectiveness of the LSP solution. In addition, the spray-coated TPC panels underwent rigorous Zone 2A lightning strike testing using simulated lightning current, in agreement with the industry standard of Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) 5412B. Despite the higher resistance due to the lower conductive coating weight, the TPC panels with Ag30/Cu at loading of 70 wt.% achieved better results than those with Ag30/Cu at loading of 55 wt.%. This is evidenced by the minor structural delamination and CF breakage on the front surface, which proposes a new economic route for a sustainable post-processed LSP system in the aviation industry.

Neurotrophic keratitis caused by lightning injury: a case report.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to report a case of neurotrophic keratitis caused by lightning. CASE PRESENTATION: A 38-year-old man was hit by lightning and suffered eye injury. He eventually developed neurotrophic keratitis. RESULTS: The patient's injury history and burn site were analyzed, and it was judged that lightning directly damaged his cornea, eventually resulting in neurotrophic keratitis. Fortunately, the patient's vision improved after treatment. CONCLUSION: Lightning can cause eye damage, and the clinical manifestations are diverse. Lightning currents cause corneal nerve loss, resulting in neurotrophic keratitis. To maintain corneal integrity and prevent disease progression, early assessment and appropriate treatment are necessary.

Lightning deaths in three outdoor dogs: A case study.

This case report presents findings in three German Shepherd placed outdoor, dead after a night of thunderstorm.

The Silent Threat of Hypokalemia after High Voltage Electrical Injuries: A Case Study and Review of the Literature.

High-voltage electrical injuries, especially from lightning strikes, can cause life-threatening complications due to extreme temperature and voltage exposure. While burns and cardiac complications have been widely described, the documentation of metabolic imbalances, particularly hypokalemia, has not been as prevalent. This report focuses on a patient with profound transient hypokalemia following a lightning strike, alongside a review of three similar cases of transient hypokalemia from the literature. Our patient, a previously healthy young man, was struck by lightning and subsequently suffered transient hypokalemia with lower extremity sensory changes, which resolved after the normalization of serum potassium levels. While the exact underlying mechanisms of transient hypokalemia following high-voltage electrical injuries are unknown, we propose a multifactorial mechanism, which includes massive intracellular shifts of potassium due to elevated epinephrine levels and the prevention of potassium efflux through the electrical disruption of voltage-gated potassium channels. Our report underscores the importance of recognizing hypokalemia in patients with high-voltage electrical injuries and contributes to the understanding of the complex mechanisms involved. Further research is necessary to understand the connection between cellular changes induced by high-voltage exposure and their effects on metabolism, particularly in relation to hypokalemia.

GIS-based spatial analysis for lightning scenario in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has witnessed alarmingly rising lightning frequency, particularly during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. This has resulted in significant annual death tolls from lightning strikes over the past decade. Recognizing this crisis, the country officially declared lightning casualties a natural disaster in 2016. This study delves deeper into the landscape of lightning fatalities and causalities in Bangladesh. Utilizing secondary data sources, this research introduces a unique approach by integrating Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) data and NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) data from the International Space Station's (ISS) Near-real Time (NRT) mission. This combined dataset allows for a more comprehensive analysis. Furthermore, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was employed to analyze spatial distributions and generate maps. The Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation tool was used to create detailed spatial distribution maps of lightning fatalities, thunderstorm days (TSDs), and lightning flash frequency (LFF) across Bangladesh. The analysis revealed that farmers and fishermen were the most vulnerable populations, with the northeastern regions experiencing the highest impact. Sylhet division emerged as the area with the most fatalities, highlighting the northeastern zone's susceptibility. The study also identified monsoons as the period with the highest occurrences of lightning deaths and injuries. By combining innovative data integration and spatial analysis, this study offers valuable insights into the alarming trend of lightning fatalities in Bangladesh. These findings can inform targeted prevention strategies and interventions to safeguard vulnerable populations and communities.

Challenges and Future Recommendations for Lightning Strike Damage Assessments of Composites: Laboratory Testing and Predictive Modeling.

Lightning strike events pose significant challenges to the structural integrity and performance of composite materials, particularly in aerospace, wind turbine blade, and infrastructure applications. Through a meticulous examination of the state-of-the-art methodologies of laboratory testing and damage predictive modeling, this review elucidates the role of simulated lightning strike tests in providing inputs required for damage modeling and experimental data for model validations. In addition, this review provides a holistic understanding of what is there, what are current issues, and what is still missing in both lightning strike testing and modeling to enable a robust and high-fidelity predictive capability, and challenges and future recommendations are also presented. The insights gleaned from this review are poised to catalyze advancements in the safety, reliability, and durability of composite materials under lightning strike conditions, as well as to facilitate the development of innovative lightning damage mitigation strategies.

Simulating lightning effects on carbon fiber composite shielded with carbon nanotube sheets using numerical methods.

The demand for lightweight aircraft structures has shifted from traditional metals like aluminum to composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) to achieve weight reduction. However, this transition has led to decreased lightning strike protection efficiency due to the dielectric nature of CFRP. To address this problem, two CFRP samples-one unprotected and the other shielded with carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets-were subjected to artificial lightning strike testing. The research employed a coupled thermal-electrical finite element analysis method to investigate the lightning strike's impact and damage mechanisms on both samples. The numerical results closely aligned with published experimental data, validating the simulation. Unprotected CFRP sustained damage through the thickness direction up to 8 composite plies and in-plane direction over a length of 110 mm. In contrast, the sample protected with CNT sheets exhibited damage limited to the surface of the first 4 plies, with in-plane damage reduced to 24 mm. Notably, the damage area in the CFRP protected with CNT sheets showed a substantial 78.1 % reduction compared to the unprotected CFRP sample. This suggests that CNT can enhance the electrical conductivity of CFRP when incorporated between interlayers in both in-plane and thickness directions. The study enhances understanding of CFRP damage behavior and failure modes under lightning strike conditions, emphasizing CNT sheets as an improved and viable lightning strike protection system for aerospace applications, warranting further investigation.

Lightning strike­induced cauda equina syndrome: a case report.

Peripheral nerve injuries after being struck by lightning have been documented. Here, we report a case of cauda equina syndrome induced by lightning. A 27-year-old man presented with numbness, a burning sensation in the saddle region, and increased urinary urgency after being struck by lightning. He had absent Achilles reflexes and paresthesia in the saddle region upon neurological examination, and magnetic resonance imaging of the spine was normal. Electrophysiological studies indicated involvement of bilateral L5, S1, and S2 myotomes and revealed cauda equina lesions. 
Peripheral nerve injury induced by lightning is rare, and the evaluation of people with neurological complaints using electromyography will help determine the true incidence.

Illuminating patterns of firefly abundance using citizen science data and machine learning models.

As insect populations decline in many regions, conservation biologists are increasingly tasked with identifying factors that threaten insect species and developing effective strategies for their conservation. One insect group of global conservation concern are fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae). Although quantitative data on firefly populations are lacking for most species, anecdotal reports suggest that some firefly populations have declined in recent decades. Researchers have hypothesized that North American firefly populations are most threatened by habitat loss, pesticide use, and light pollution, but the importance of these factors in shaping firefly populations has not been rigorously examined at broad spatial scales. Using data from >24,000 surveys (spanning 2008-16) from the citizen science program Firefly Watch, we trained machine learning models to evaluate the relative importance of a variety of factors on bioluminescent firefly populations: pesticides, artificial lights at night, land cover, soil/topography, short-term weather, and long-term climate. Our analyses revealed that firefly abundance was driven by complex interactions among soil conditions (e.g., percent sand composition), climate/weather (e.g., growing degree days), and land cover characteristics (e.g., percent agriculture and impervious cover). Given the significant impact that climactic and weather conditions have on firefly abundance, there is a strong likelihood that firefly populations will be influenced by climate change, with some regions becoming higher quality and supporting larger firefly populations, and others potentially losing populations altogether. Collectively, our results support hypotheses related to factors threatening firefly populations, especially habitat loss, and suggest that climate change may pose a greater threat than appreciated in previous assessments. Thus, future conservation of North American firefly populations will depend upon 1) consistent and continued monitoring of populations via programs like Firefly Watch, 2) efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and 3) insect-friendly conservation practices.

Direct observations of X-rays produced by upward positive lightning.

X-rays have been observed in natural downward cloud-to-ground lightning for over 20 years and in rocket-triggered lightning for slightly less. In both cases, this energetic radiation has been detected during the stepped and dart leader phases of downward negative flashes. More recently, X-rays have also been reported during the dart leader phase of upward negative flashes. In this study, we present the observations of four upward positive lightning flashes from the Säntis Tower (2.5 km ASL) in Switzerland. These consist of the simultaneous records of electric current passing through the tower, and electric field strength and X-ray flux 20 m from the tower base. One of the flashes was captured by a high-speed camera operating at 24,000 frames per second, stills from which are also presented. We detected X-rays during the initial phase of upward negative leader propagation, which can be associated with the leader-stepping process from electric field and current waveforms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such measurements are reported in the literature. The obtained time-synchronised data confirm that the X-ray emissions detected are associated with the initial steps of the upward negative leader. The frequency and energy of X-ray pulses appear to decrease as functions of time, with pulses disappearing altogether within the first millisecond of the leader initiation. X-ray emission also appears to be correlated with the maximum current-derivative and the electric field change of leader steps, consistent with cold electron runaway. These observations contribute to improving our understanding of upward lightning, which is a primary source of damage to tall structures such as wind turbines and telecommunications towers, as well as aircraft during takeoff and landing.

Upward Lightning at Wind Turbines: Risk Assessment From Larger-Scale Meteorology.

Upward lightning (UL) has become a major threat to the growing number of wind turbines producing renewable electricity. It can be much more destructive than downward lightning due to the large charge transfer involved in the discharge process. Ground-truth lightning current measurements indicate that less than 50% of UL could be detected by lightning location systems (LLS). UL is expected to be the dominant lightning type during the cold season. However, current standards for assessing the risk of lightning at wind turbines mainly consider summer lightning, which is derived from LLS. This study assesses the risk of LLS-detectable and LLS-undetectable UL at wind turbines using direct UL measurements at instrumented towers. These are linked to meteorological data using random forests. The meteorological drivers for the absence/occurrence of UL are found from these models. In a second step, the results of the tower-trained models are extended to a larger study area (central and northern Germany). The tower-trained models for LLS-detectable lightning are independently verified at wind turbine sites in this area and found to reliably diagnose this type of UL. Risk maps based on cold season case study events show that high probabilities in the study area coincide with actual UL flashes. This lends credibility to the application of the model to all UL types, increasing both risk and affected areas.

Combined effect of an agro-industrial compost and light spectra composition on yield and phytochemical profile in mizuna and pak choi microgreens.

This work aimed to evaluate the growth of two species of microgreens (mizuna and pak choi), using agro-industrial compost as growing media in two different mixes versus one hundred percent peat, under two different LED illumination spectra (LED 1 and LED 2) in a 14 h photoperiod. The experiment was carried-out for two times. Biomass yield, glucosinolates, and phenolic compounds, and nitrate (NO3-) content were analysed in leaf tissues. In both species, the highest fresh and dry biomass production was in compost:peat (50:50%) and LED 2 (Blue/Red/Far Red). In general, compost had a greater influence on nitrate content than light, but in the microgreen pak choi, the anthocyanin content was inhibited by the compost treatment. In the other hand both LED illumination had a positive effect on mizuna for glucosinolates and anthocyanins, and LED 2 also showed a positive effect on pak choi for anthocyanin. Therefore, the use of agri-food compost: peat (50:50%) with LED 2 (blue/red) lighting treatment to obtain microgreens in indoor crops is a plausible technology that provides nutritionally and phytochemically rich crops.

Geological evidence of extensive N-fixation by volcanic lightning during very large explosive eruptions.

Most of the nitrogen (N) accessible for life is trapped in dinitrogen (N2), the most stable atmospheric molecule. In order to be metabolized by living organisms, N2 has to be converted into biologically assimilable forms, so-called fixed N. Nowadays, nearly all the N-fixation is achieved through biological and anthropogenic processes. However, in early prebiotic environments of the Earth, N-fixation must have occurred via natural abiotic processes. One of the most invoked processes is electrical discharges, including from thunderstorms and lightning associated with volcanic eruptions. Despite the frequent occurrence of volcanic lightning during explosive eruptions and convincing laboratory experimentation, no evidence of substantial N-fixation has been found in any geological archive. Here, we report on the discovery of a significant amount of nitrate in volcanic deposits from Neogene caldera-forming eruptions, which are well correlated with the concentrations of species directly emitted by volcanoes (sulfur, chlorine). The multi-isotopic composition (δ18O, Δ17O) of the nitrates reveals that they originate from the atmospheric oxidation of nitrogen oxides formed by volcanic lightning. According to these first geological volcanic nitrate archive, we estimate that, on average, about 60 Tg of N can be fixed during a large explosive event. Our findings hint at a unique role potentially played by subaerial explosive eruptions in supplying essential ingredients for the emergence of life on Earth.

Significant increase in graupel and lightning occurrence in a warmer climate simulated by prognostic graupel parameterization.

There is little consensus among global climate models (CGMs) regarding the response of lightning flash rates to past and future climate change, largely due to graupel not being included in models. Here a two-moment prognostic graupel scheme was incorporated into the MIROC6 GCM and applied in three experiments involving pre-industrial aerosol, present-day, and future warming simulations. The new microphysics scheme performed well in reproducing global distributions of graupel, convective available potential energy, and lightning flash rate against satellite retrievals and reanalysis datasets. The global mean lightning rate increased by 7.1% from the pre-industrial period to the present day, which was attributed to increased graupel occurrence. The impact of future warming on lightning activity was more evident, with the rate increasing by 18.4[Formula: see text] through synergistic contributions of destabilization and increased graupel. In the Arctic, the lightning rate depends strongly on the seasonality of graupel, emphasizing the need to incorporate graupel into GCMs for more accurate climate prediction.

Association of lightning with LCL, EL, humidity at 850 mb and at 200 mb during various CAPE, over northern India.

Association of lightning with Lifting Condensation Level (LCL), Equilibrium Level (EL), K Index, and humidity at 850 mb and 200 mb in 2019 and 2020 over National Capital Region (Delhi) (Lat: 27°N -29°N, Lon: 76°E-78°E) is investigated using in-situ observation data. Study shows high lightning activity during low LCL, and vice versa. This high lighting and low LCL is associated with high relative humidity at 850 mb, and high "K" index. Low LCL and high relative humidity (low dew point depression) at 850 mb helps in generating super cell thunderstorms with spinning/tornado updraft. It is seen that asymmetric LCL height and relative humidity at 850 mb is the prime causes for uneven seasonal lightning in 2019 and 2020 over the region, despite more or less same seasonal aerosol and relative humidity. Anvil clouds behave uneven with time, despite, unanimous cloud top glaciation.

The novel application of the Lightning Process to treat Long COVID in primary care - Case report.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Long COVID (LC) is now prevalent in many countries. Little evidence exists regarding how this chronic condition should be treated, but guidelines suggest for most people it can be managed symptomatically in primary care. The Lightning Process is a trademarked positive psychology focused self-management programme which has shown to be effective in reducing fatigue and accompanying symptoms in other chronic conditions including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Here we outline its novel application to two patients with LC who both reported improvements in fatigue and a range of physical and emotional symptoms post-treatment and at 3 months follow-up.