Inflation of the Aira Caldera (Japan) detected over Kokubu urban area using SAR interferometry ERS data

International audienceNine ERS-1 and ERS-2 descending orbit data acquired over Aira Caldera between June 1995 and November 1998 were used to create 36 differential interferograms. Although the interferograms exhibit a relatively low level of coherence, even for couples sampling short time intervals (6 months), Synthetique Aperture Radar (SAR) observations reveal a distinct range change pattern over Kokubu urban area whose amplitude increases with the time separation between SAR images. The analysis of the ground deformation time series relative to the earliest ERS images showed a maximum uplift of about 20 mm between the north and the south of the urban area during the period covered by our satellite observations. Taking the reduced surface of the coherent area into account, we performed a simple modeling of the deformation field assuming an inflating spherical source within an elastic half-space medium located beneath the centre of the Aira Caldera. This simple model predicts a maximum volume increase of 20–30×106 m3 between 1995 and 1998, which would produce an inflation of about 70 mm at the centre of the Aira Caldera and 40 mm in the Kokubu south urban area. These results are in good agreement with other geophysical observations carried out on the Aira caldera during this period. Despite the limited spatial extent of the coherent areas around the Aira Caldera, this study shows that DinSAR method using data collected in C band can be successfully used to detect subtle ground displacement changes of the volcanic complex and thus provides complementary information to ground-based geodetic monitoring of dynamic processes of the Aira Caldera and Sakurajima volcano

Clear Cell Sarcoma (Malignant Melanoma) of Soft Parts: A Clinicopathologic Study of 52 Cases

Clear cell sarcomas are aggressive, rare soft tissue tumors and their classification among melanoma or sarcoma is still undetermined due to their clinical, pathologic, and molecular properties found in both types of tumors. This is a retrospective study of 52 patients with CCS seen between April 1979 and April 2005 in two institutions. The EWS-ATF-1 fusion transcript was studied in 31 patients and an activating mutation of the BRAF or NRAS gene was researched in 22 patients. 30 men and 22 women, with a mean age of 33 were studied. Forty-three tumors (82.69%) were located in the extremities, specially the foot (19 tumors). Median initial tumor size was 4.8 cm (1 to 15 cm). Necrosis involving more than 50% of the tumor cells was found in 14 cases (26.92%). High mitotic rate (>10) was found in 25 cases (48.07%). The EWS/ATF-1 translocation was found in 28 (53.84%) of 31 patients studied, and mutation of BRAF or NRAS was found in only 2 of 22 patients analyzed cases (3.84%). Among the tumor-associated parameters, only tumor size (>4 cm) emerged as a significant prognostic factor. Forty-nine patients had a localized disease at diagnosis (94.23%) and underwent surgical resection immediately (90%) or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT) (10%). Various CT regimens were used in 37 patients (71.15%) with no significant efficacy. The 5- and 10-year OS rates were 59% and 41%, respectively. Tumor size was the only emerging prognosis factor in our series. Complete surgical resection remains the optimal treatment for this aggressive chemoresistant tumor

p53 status correlates with histopathological response in patients with soft tissue sarcomas treated using isolated limb perfusion with TNF-α and melphalan

Background: Recombinant tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) combined to melphalan is clinically administered through isolated limb perfusion (ILP) for regionally advanced soft tissue sarcomas of the limbs. In preclinical studies, wild-type p53 gene is involved in the regulation of cytotoxic action of TNF-α and loss of p53 function contributes to the resistance of tumour cells to TNF-α. The relationship between p53 status and response to TNF-α and melphalan in patients undergoing ILP is unknown. Patients and methods: We studied 110 cases of unresectable limbs sarcomas treated by ILP. Immunohistochemistry was carried out using DO7mAb, which reacts with an antigenic determinant from the N-terminal region of both the wild-type and mutant forms of the p53 protein, and PAb1620mAb, which reacts with the 1620 epitope characteristic of the wild-type native conformation of the p53 protein. The immunohistochemistry data were then correlated with various clinical parameters. Results: P53DO7 was found expressed at high levels in 28 patients, whereas PAb1620 was negative in 20. The tumours with poor histological response to ILP with TNF-α and melphalan showed significantly higher levels of p53-mutated protein. Conclusions: Our results might be a clue to a role of p53 protein status in TNF-α and melphalan response in clinical us

Red Argentina de Gravedad Absoluta (RAGA)

En el año 2015, el Instituto Geográfico Nacional oficializó la Red Argentina de Gravedad Absoluta (RAGA) medida en el año 2014 por el mencionado instituto en conjunto con la Universidad de San Pablo, las Universidades Nacionales de La Plata, Rosario y San Juan, el IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) y el BGI (Bureau Gravimétrique International) de Francia con un total de 35 puntos de gravedad absoluta distribuidos a lo largo de todo el Territorio Nacional y uno en la República Oriental del Uruguay.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Red Argentina de Gravedad Absoluta (RAGA)

En el año 2015, el Instituto Geográfico Nacional oficializó la Red Argentina de Gravedad Absoluta (RAGA) medida en el año 2014 por el mencionado instituto en conjunto con la Universidad de San Pablo, las Universidades Nacionales de La Plata, Rosario y San Juan, el IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) y el BGI (Bureau Gravimétrique International) de Francia con un total de 35 puntos de gravedad absoluta distribuidos a lo largo de todo el Territorio Nacional y uno en la República Oriental del Uruguay.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Red Argentina de Gravedad Absoluta (RAGA)

En el año 2015, el Instituto Geográfico Nacional oficializó la Red Argentina de Gravedad Absoluta (RAGA) medida en el año 2014 por el mencionado instituto en conjunto con la Universidad de San Pablo, las Universidades Nacionales de La Plata, Rosario y San Juan, el IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) y el BGI (Bureau Gravimétrique International) de Francia con un total de 35 puntos de gravedad absoluta distribuidos a lo largo de todo el Territorio Nacional y uno en la República Oriental del Uruguay.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

How to think about health promotion ethics

Health promotion ethics is moral deliberation about health promotion and its prac­ tice. Although academics and practitioners have been writing about ethics, and especially values, in health promotion for decades, health promotion ethics is now regaining attention within the broader literature on public health ethics. Health promotion is difficult to define, and this has implications for health promotion ethics. Health promotion can be approached in two complementary ways: as a normative ideal, and as a practice. We consider the normative ideal of health promotion to be that aspect of public health practice that is particularly concerned with the equity of social arrangements: it imagines that social arrangements can be altered to make things better for everyone, whatever their health risks, and seeks to achieve this in collaboration with citizens.This raises two main ethical questions. First: what is a good society? And then: what should health promotion contribute to a good society? The practice of health promotion varies widely. Discussion of its ethical implications has addressed four main issues: the potential for health promotion to limit or increase the freedom of individuals; health promotion as a source of collective benefit; the possibility that health promotion strategies might “blame the victim” or stigmatise those who are disabled, sick or at higher risk of disease; and the importance of distributing the benefits of health promotion fairly. Different people will make different moral evaluations on each of these issues in a way that is informed by, and informs, their vision of a good society and their understanding of the ends of health promotion. We conclude that future work in health promotion ethics will require thoughtfully connecting social and political philosophy with an applied, empirically informed ethics of practice. Key Words:Ethics, health education, health promotion, moral philosophy, political philosophy, public healthNHMR