Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Emergency shelter with modular retractable structure
Technical Field
[0001] This invention is regarding post-disaster shelter relating to the field
of architectural engineering,
majoring in architectural technology, and minoring in post-disaster crisis
management.
Background Art
[0002] Under emergency conditions, providing shelters to support and protect
people against the
natural environment and providing them with privacy shall be mandatory
(Ashmore, 2004, UNHCR,
2000). This is so important that it is recommended that required measures and
preparations are
taken, and needed equipment is provided in advance at disaster-prone areas to
expedite rescuing
and accommodating those affected by relevant disasters. Certain measures have
been taken
concerning post-incident shelter. In a study conducted by Barakat (1993),
Yemen Earthquake,
which occurred in 1982, was focused on. In restoration plans, residential
units have been made
through establishing an early core of residence by contractors and enabling
future development, or
in other words, through the core house development method. The early housing
cores were
established by taking benefit from reinforced concrete frames in all units and
through partial
variation in wall materials from brick to a cement block. Generally speaking,
concerning the
evaluation of residential units established using core house development by
the contractors, certain
changes and extensions made by the residents in the early housing cores have
been mentioned,
which failed due to a variety of reasons (Barakat, 1993). Dr. Ruhit Jigyasu
(2002, 2004) has studied
the consequences of the Marathwada, India earthquake and the type of its post-
incident
accommodation. In most moved villages, people have made certain early changes,
e.g., adding to
initial developments; however, the main change was regarding the materials.
Generally speaking,
earthquake-resistant construction technology was not performed correctly, and
in most cases,
water or moisture penetration through porous concrete blocks without proper
jointing occurred
(Jigyasu, 2002, 2004). A report prepared by the Swiss Red Cross (2003) refers
to a quake that
occurred in 2001, which destroyed extensive parts of Gujarat Province in
Western India. Presenting
technical guidance and providing needed materials to construct earthquake-
resistant residential
units have been the policies of the Indian Government to reconstruct the quake-
affected areas.
Additionally, the Indian Government prepared 20 various plans to enable people
to choose a unit
proper for their family needs out them. The purpose of this measure has been
to prevent the
unification of residential units in reconstructed areas and assists in growing
the residence premises
organically with visual and formal variety. Core house development in this
project encompasses an
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extensive concept of flexibility in variable aspects of cost, time, an area
established as a core, and
structures to be used. The possibility of variable development throughout the
residential unit area
is considered in establishing early constructed areas as original shelter
core. In order to decrease
the costs and training on the manner of implementing a resistant building,
original shelter cores
were established themselves by the survivors (Swiss Red Cross, 2003). In
another instance, two
British engineers reached a fully different approach in constructing a
transitional shelter, namely
"Concrete Tent." It is a concrete building in a package of roughly 225 Kg, and
when this bag is filled
and inflated, the building starts forming within a process that roughly lasts
for 40 minutes. After 12
hours, this shelter, which roughly measures 16m2 in area, is ready to be used
for ten years (Caplan,
2005). Another model has been developed by an American company, which was
extensively used
in several voluntary camps in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The shelter
is made from wavy
plastic panels, which may be flattened upon shipment, and no certain details
are required for
assembling. This shelter has positive features such as rapid and easy
development. However, its
geometry needs transporting using vehicles, and it suffers from terrible
stability issues due to its
lightness.
In other samples of shelter provision, a humanistic help agency offers
transitional shelter packages,
including wavy galvanized iron sheets. These packages have no certain design
for transitional
shelter, i.e., they may be used by any families who are able to construct a
certain type of container
using sheets equipped with rubbles (Corps, 2006). Another type of shelter is a
vaulted winter
transitional shelter, designed by Catholic Rescue Services. This model is made
from plastic cloth
sheets, placed on plastic tubes. Principally speaking, this is a vaulted form
tent designed to be used
for a year. Although the shelter is sealed on the floor and also has two
lining layers of cloth and
plastic, this combination insulation quality is roughly insufficient to
confront the Alps winter cold.
However, plastic sheet enables penetration of light during the day as well as
easy repairing
damaged sheets, if any (Lee, 2006). On the other hand, Shigeruban implemented
his idea in Japan,
Turkey, and India, which is thick paper tubes to establish shelter walls
(Shigeruban, 2006). In this
idea, shelter foundation is made by rubbles or coke cans full of sand and
gravel, while supplying
these items required time and cost. On the other hand, a large number of
people is needed to
establish such shelters. Meanwhile, several shelters have been established in
Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Pakistan, and the Philippines by the Red Cross and
Red Crescent after
a variety of natural disasters between 2007 and 2011 (IFRC, 2013) while in all
such cases a certain
part of materials was supplied locally and some other were imported from other
areas, which all
resulted in supplying needed materials to construct shelters to be time-
consuming. On the other
hand, each shelter needs a couple of days to be completed. Roudbar-Manjil
Earthquake (1990) is
one of the disastrous incidents throughout Iranian history, resulted in huge
damages in these areas.
Regarding the reconstruction experience of this region in Bareh Sar Village,
several buildings were
built on one floor using Zegali wooden structure, which is a local wooden
structure and remain intact
and free from any destruction considering their good and flexible performance
against quake
vibrations (Moeinfar, 1990). Welcoming Zegali structure by the survivors, easy
establishing method
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of this building, the possibility of supply materials locally and knowledge of
the locals on the method
of constructing buildings using this method and in general, possibility of
attracting survivors
participation in establishing provisional accommodation units caused that they
were established at
Bareh Sar Village using rooms made by wooden skeleton and walls covered with
Zegal (i.e., coal)
and mud (Bahreini & Akhoundi, 2000). Although certain issues such as ignoring
rural society
residential model, weakness in supervision and controlling aspects regarding
constructing
residential units as well as acting too radical in assigning all the
responsibilities of constructing
residential units to villagers made this reconstruction experience not to be
free from weaknesses.
Reconstruction speed, limited budget as well as the quake panic all result in
constructing single-
floor houses with weak foundations (Aslani, 2017). In an earthquake that
occurred in Shanbeh
Township, 25Km from Boushehr, in April 2013 and two other villages in Zaveh
Township, 20Km
from Torbat Heidarieh, Khorasan Razavi, in December 2010, the field
observation results showed
that whereas Shanbeh Township is tropical, using rescue tents and living under
such conditions is
more tolerable in comparison to cold areas. However, problems are seen in the
area generally
include improper tents, lack of privacy, disturbing hot/cold weather, failure
by rescue teams to come
in time, and food problems. Regarding the other two villages, considering the
cold climate of the
Torbat area and the fact that the earthquake happened in the winter, the
survivors had more difficult
times prior to having permanent accommodation. It was found out through
analyzing the conditions
that due to the special mental conditions after the incident in the first
week, tolerating to live in 12
m2 accommodation has been quite disturbing, and they tried to pass their time
there only for rest
and night sleep purposes. Concerning the questions posed on the type of
connection with the
accommodation tents, the respondents addressed their dissatisfaction from the
very first question,
i.e., that the tents were far from their needs, both physically and mentally.
Certain problems have
been addressed by experts and users regarding emergency tents provided to the
survivors under
critical conditions and early hours after the incident, including but not
limited to non-standard size,
lack of needed safety for living purposes, lack of privacy, and lack of
hot/cold insulation (Khorram,
2014). During Ahar Earthquake (August 2012), provisional housing was provided
in Sarand Village,
Hens Township, as a tent and shelter building for those affected by the
earthquake. According to
study findings, the survivors had limited satisfaction in terms of cultural-
social components of post-
earthquake provisional housing, while "safety", "respecting human dignity and
privacy," and
"environmental perception" components were the least satisfied, and the
"participation" component
was the most satisfied (Asefi, 2016).
On the other hand, the invention with Patent No. US010227791B2 (2019) refers
to the plan of a
mobile shelter structure, fully retractable during transportation, and
therefore, enables stacking high
numbers of them for transportation purposes. The fact a single person may
retract the shelter is a
strong point of this plan. In another patent No. US201440083023A1 (2014),
portable tunnel shelter
has been suggested. It is claimed that the said shelter is able to protect the
users against harsh
climatic conditions, e.g., storms, hurricanes, and hail. Another invention No.
US20130276846A1
(2013) offered provisional shelter, including several walls and supporting
bars that protect the walls.
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The internal part of this plan is retractable, and the walls cover may be flat
or vaulted. Structural
materials may include cloth, plastic, canvas, rubber, and other flexible
materials. In an invention No.
GB2465330A (2010), a portable shelter has been suggested, which is boxed and
may be stacked
when closed. Also, when opened and extended, it provides a safe and enclosed
container with
respect to the outside, considering its flexible cover. Eventually, in
invention No. GB2443821A
(2008), a vaulted shelter is offered using a frame structure filled with air
to provide sufficient strength
for the structure.
Summary of Invention
[0003] This invention, which is concerning post-incident emergency shelter, is
suggested to respond
to the crisis of shelter provision for those affected by the incident in
different areas. When people
are suddenly homeless, providing them with an area for their rapid
accommodation may be useful
in reducing the pressures caused by the disasters. This may be achieved
through an easily
retractable and light structure, which may be transported to the relevant
location easily and
established there using minimum manpower and within the minimum period of
time. Such structure
which may meet the needs of a variable number of people is both environment-
friendly, and its
parts may further be demobilized, collected, and taken out of the site without
even a single harm to
the surrounding environment, may be considered as a proper solution for the
trend of establishing
emergency shelters. The major advantages of this system include the
integration of the entire
structure and being free from complexities of assembling parts, in a way that
by developing the
structure, solely the members connecting cables shall be placed at the
determined locations for
structural stability.
Technical Problem
[0004] Focusing on temporary accommodation to support those affected by
incidents is not only
unavoidable but also essential under current conditions. Usually, several
various incidents are
reported all across the globe on a daily basis, resulting in losing
residential areas for certain groups
of people; therefore, the proper area shall be provided for such people as
soon as possible through
taking effective measures accordingly. Notwithstanding all the efforts made in
this concern, still,
several problems are seen regarding the post-incident suggested final
solutions. In case a proper
model and plan are suggested regarding emergency and temporary shelter prior
to the incident, in
which various aspects thereof are considered, then the problems caused by
delays in providing
shelters on a timely basis may be overcome, which is quite effective in
decreasing stress and
pressure imposed to the relevant users. The experience resulted from the
incidents that occurred
in the past demonstrates that shelters provided under emergency conditions
used to be tents in
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high quantity, which provides shelters for a big group of people at first,
while causes an improper
status in terms of climate; also there are big shelter buildings which faced
the problem of being
provided and transported on a timely basis at the very beginning and further,
their users declare
their dissatisfaction after establishment and using such shelters due to their
lack of comfort. The
main target thereof is to diminish mental pressure caused by the occurred
disasters by taking
benefit from an effective shelter for those affected by such disasters. If
people are free from
concerns about homelessness and losing their basic living conditions, they
will be able to manage
themselves to control their stresses to some extent, and in turn, enable
rescue teams to help them
through objective planning. Considering the foregoing target, a light,
modular, and retractable
structure is planned to be provided to the people to enable them to have
emergency
accommodation as soon as possible.
Solution to Problem
[0005] Following any natural disasters and homelessness of several people, the
need to provide
shelter in the first place is essential and unavoidable, as the survivors
shall be accommodated in a
proper place to enable proper management of further measures for justified
distribution of other
needed items. For the time being, the items used as shelter by incident
survivors include either tent
announced non-satisfactory since ages ago, or shelter building; although it
has certain advantages
in comparison to the tent, it cannot be provided to all because it is of big
size and heavy, and this
issue results in injustice faced by survivors during the early measures after
the incident, which in
turn intensifies the basis for unrest and further tensions under critical
conditions of the relevant
region.
The invention hereof commences with the following hypothesis: Whereas the
climate of areas
affected by incidents differs, therefore, any effort to develop a certain type
of shelter to be provided
under all different conditions resulting in satisfaction of users will not be
fruitful. Therefore, this
invention intends to suggest light and retractable structure as a unit module
to enable any single
person to establish his/her shelter, and its covering is selected and applied
suitable for the relevant
region considering the local climate and in terms of proper thermal
performance.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0006] As mentioned earlier, the currently used shelters are either tent or
shelter buildings, which are
improper in terms of performance according to their users, or prefabricated
buildings, of which their
materials may be incompatible with the regional and local culture and
conditions, whereas they are
solely assembled at the location. The people make intentional changes to them
and sometimes
leave them. Additionally, such shelters are usually of big size and heavy, and
providing people with
them is usually time-consuming.
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This invention plans to exclusively present a structure which is (i) light;
and (ii) established fast and
by the minimum number of people and finally, its covering is placed onto the
structure as per the
discretion of its users considering local materials, which are useful for
their climate according to the
local culture. These measures may be taken in advance through training and
making arrangements,
and/or people creatively provide a suitable covering for the structure.
Whereas people's
participation in the shelter provision process is one of the strongest points
of these conditions,
therefore, the other advantage of the shelter is the easiness of its
establishment, which requires no
special training, and people themselves may establish their own shelter
accordingly.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0007] The suggested invention in Figure No. 1 shows the full extended status
of the shelter. This
structure is composed of two light cylinders given in Figure No. 3, of which
the external layer 1 is
fixed onto the ground, and the second cylinder together with members Nos. 7,
9, 4, and 13 have
been placed inside the external layer. Selecting circular cross-section for
these structures is due to
a high moment of inertia of such forms in all directions for structure lateral
stability. Regarding
internal layer upward motion and reaching desirable height for shelter, Figure
No. 2 shows that the
internal cylinder moves upward integrated and connected to the fixed element
15 at the base, by
cable 16 and through turning the handle 3. Handle 3 is fixed to the structure
at the upper part of an
external layer of structure 1 using an axis 18 for cable rotation together
with washer 17. By turning
handle 3 and cable 16 upward motion, the entire and integrated structure
internal layer moves
upwardly. When it is placed at the end of the desired height, then the
projections 2 provided at the
lower part of the internal structure layer are placed in the relevant
desirable height, and by the
movement of each of them 2 and is placed at the provided trench, the entire
structure is fixed at its
position.
According to Figure No. 4, when the internal layer 4 reaches a desirable
height and is fixed, then
the internal members 4 are tended outward. Certain cables 5 have been provided
at the tip of these
members 4, which are connected to a globe 12 at the central part, which causes
these cables to
allow members 4 to deviate to a certain level. Structure upper cables 5 and
central globe 12 are
connected and fixed to the internal structure tip part. By fixing the members
4, its internal members
9 are rotated at the upper part in comparison to the members 4 and enable
rotation of members 9
inside members 4 and may exit outwardly. In Figure No. 5, exiting members 7
from inside members
9 is shown, where they rotate at the lower part of members 9 by the bolt 20
and nut 21 with respect
to structure 6 and enable rotation and exiting outwardly. Evidently, if all
these members are to rotate
unlimitedly, then fixing members at the relevant location will not be
possible, and the permanent
movement of these members will nullify the final performance. Therefore,
according to Detail No.
1-1, Axis 23 has been provided at the back of the lower part of Member 7 so
that such member is
tangential to this axis in the final rotation and cannot rotate anymore.
Eventually, in order to enable
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members to reach the ground (Figure No. 6), the last member 13 exits from
inside member 7 as
rail (Point 8 of Figure 1) and stands onto the ground at the end of the path
with a little rotation.
Detail No. 3 shows the manner of movement and exit of members 13 from inside
members 7. In
order to do so, a sliding rail 24, formed from a metal strip, with a pulley 25
thereon, and all connected
to a member 13 are considered. Also, rail 26 and pulley 27 are connected to
the inside part of
member 7, which enable member 13 exit member 7 easily and again slide into the
member 7 upon
retracting shelter. After the final extension of shelter (Figure No. 01), the
members shall fully be
integrated and fastened together tightly to keep lateral stability and static
structure. In Detail No. 1,
small holes are provided on members 9 while hook 19 and cable 5 connected to
that are placed
inside these holes, and also the other cable ending is connected to adjacent
members using a hook,
which eventually results in the connection of all members together and the
entire structure shall
remain integrated and static. Also, at the upper part of members 9, the same
holes have been
provided on the members in Detail No. 2, where again are connected to other
parts of structure by
hook 19 and cables 5 connected to that. On the other hand, Detail No. 4 shows
members 13 placed
onto the ground, where cables 5 are connected to the base of these members 13
for cross bracing.
However, at the shelter entrance span, the cable connected to the member 13 is
placed solely
horizontally beneath and above the member, and no cross bracing is applied in
this span.
Whereas it is planned in this invention that in case one of the family members
survive in an incident
and no rescue team arrive to help him, he should be able to establish the
shelter on his own.
Therefore, the retracted entire structure is placed inside a container 27 as
per Figure No. 7, where
wheels 30 beneath such container enables easy handling of the structure, and
in order to establish
the structure onto the ground, the container 27 is fully tilted and the
container floor mobile plane 31
slides outwardly, and the structure is placed onto the ground by raising the
entire container 27.
Eventually, by unfastening belts 29 at the front of the container and its
backward movement, the
shelter structure is placed onto the ground, and the entire extension process
of the structure can
be completed within a couple of minutes. Evidently, besides the container 27,
a box 28 has been
considered to store cables 5 used to connect the members.
Whereas these structures are considered to be modular, therefore, according to
Figure No. 8, in
case the number of family member survivors is high and/or in case of a need to
keep neighborhood
society together, then they may put these structures besides each other and
eventually take benefit
from bigger space.
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Figures
[0008] [fig.01] Shows the extended status of the shelter without connecting
structure stabilizing
cables.
[0009] [fig.1] Shows a perspective of the final status of emergency shelter
structure under static
conditions.
[0010] [fig.2] Shows the base structure and mobile members inside the external
fixed structure,
where the internal members move upward in an integrated manner using a cable
through turning
the handle, and the structure is developed.
[0011] [fig.3] Shows internal cylinder, including members inside base
structure after exiting and
reaching the relevant final height.
[0012] [fig.4] It shows a perspective of shelter structure extension trend,
where the layers inside the
structure are stretched gradually.
[0013] [fig.5] Shows a perspective of the shelter structure extension process.
[0014] [fig.6] Shows the extension trend till one of the members touching the
ground.
[0015] [fig.7] Shows the manner of the entire structure exit under retracted
state out of its container,
to be established even by a single person.
[0016] [fig.8] Shows a plan of modular shelter structure, which may be useful
for several people to
provide them with sufficient area.
[0017] [fig.9] Shows a perspective of the final status of the essential
structure with the covering
thereon.
[0018] [Detail No.1] Shows the method of connection between members and
rotation of member
possibility around the rotation axis, as well as cables holding the entire
structure to members.
[0019] [Detail 1.11 Shows the method of member rotation in Detail No. 1 till
reaching the desirable
value.
[0020] [Detail No.2] Shows a perspective of the method of rotation of two
members above the
shelter structure together with holding cables.
[0021] [Detail No.3] Shows a perspective of longitudinal movement of two
structure members from
inside each other together with the sliding rail between them, while upon full
exiting of these two
members from each other, the members are eventually and fully placed on the
ground.
[0022] [Detail No.4] Shows the final base established onto the ground plus
hook connected to the
base to hold the cables to keep structure lateral stability.
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Industrial Applicability
[0023] This invention may be used in the fields of building industries,
construction technology, and
advanced structural systems as well as crisis management organization and may
be useful in all
instances of a need for rapid accommodation, whether for critical conditions
or tourism purposes.
Whereas various regions are considered disaster-prone, these suggested
structures may be
provided throughout the cities. Making arrangements with and taking benefit
from the support of
the municipality and crisis management organizations as safe centers enables
each of the centers
to provide services to those in need under critical conditions to a certain
distance. Also, under
normal conditions, these shelters may be offered to tourists and nature
tourists to generate income
out of these products under non-critical conditions throughout the year. On
the other hand, the
developers may be urged through housing construction regulation to provide a
safe area in the
courtyards equal to the number of units to store these shelters, so that under
critical conditions, and
in case of a need to evacuate the houses, people may easily access these
shelters.
Reference
[0024] Asefi, Maziar; Farokhi, Shahin (2016). Evaluation of Post-Earthquake
Provisional
Accommodation and its Quality Improvement Solutions in Proportion to Needs of
those affected by
the Quake, Case Study: Sarand Village, Hens. Rural Studies, 7th Series, Vol.
1.
[0025] Ashmore, J. (2004). "Tents: A Guide to the Use and Logistics of Family
Tentsin Humanitarian
Relief", United Nations Publication, OCHA
Ref NrOCHA/ESB/2004/19.
http://josephashmore.orci/publications/tents.pdf.
[0026] Aslani, Fereshteh; Hosseinzadeh, Samira; Mousavian, Fatemehsadat,
(2017). Evaluation
of Bareh Sar Village Housing Reconstruction after Roudbar 1990 Earthquake,
Crisis Prevention
and Management Knowledge Quarterly Magazine, 7th Series. Vol. 2.
[0027] Bahreini, Abbas; Akhoundi, Seyedhassan (2000). Reconstruction
Management of Regions
affected by Natural Disasters (Experience of Housing Reconstruction in Gilan
and Zanjan
Earthquake-affected Regions). Tehran: Tehran University Press.
[0028] Barakat, S. (1993). Rebuilding and Resettelment 9 years later. London:
University of York.
[0029] Caplan, Jeremy, (2005)." Building in a bag", Time magazine.
[0030] Corps, Mercy. (2006). "Amid Snow and Rain in Pakistan, Mercy Corps
Rushes Shelter and
Medical Supplies to Earthquake Survivors," January, http://www.mercycorps.org.
[0031] IFRC, (2013). Post-Disaster Shelter: Ten Designs, International
Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies, www.ifrc.orci.
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[0032] Jigyasu, Rohit (2002). Reducing Disaster Vulnerability through Local
knowledge and capacity
¨ The case of Earthquake-prone Rural Communities in India and Nepal. Dr.ing
thesis, Norwegian
University of Science ane Technology, Trondheim.
[0033] Jigyasu, Rohit (2004). Disaster¨ A 'Reality' or 'Construct'?
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published in Perry, R. & Quarantelli, E.(ed.), "what is the disaster?
Perspectives on the Question",
Second Edition, Xlibris.
[0034] Khorram, Mehdi et al., (2014). Earthquake Approach Provisional Shelter
Design Criteria (Case
Study: Khorasan Razavi). Scientific-Research Magazine of Iranian Architecture
& Urban
Development Scientific Association, Vol. 7.
[0035] Lee. W. V. (2006). "Picking Up the Pieces: Transitional Shelters for
Disaster Relief in the
Northern Mountainous Regions of Pakistan", Bachelor of Science in Art and
Design, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
[0036] Moeinfar, Aliakbar; Naderzadeh, Ahmad (1990). Technical and Preliminary
Report on Manjil
Earthquake, occurred on June 21, 1990. Tehran, Road, Housing and Urban
Development Research
Center. http://vista.ir/book/646530/
[0037] Shigeruban, (2006). Paper Tube Structures, "Paper Log Houses - Kobe,
Japn, 1994/Kaynasli,
Turkey, 2000/Bhuj, India, 2001," Shigeru Ban
Associates,
<http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com/SBAWORKS/SBAPAPER/SBAPAPER 6/SBA-paper
6.html> (7 May 2006).
[0038] Swiss Red Cross. (2003). Earthquake Rehabilitation Project Gujurat,
India.
[0039] UNHCR, (2000). Handbook for Emergencies, United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees,
Geneva, pp.401
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