Intermittent SBAS (ISBAS) InSAR with COSMO-SkyMed X-band high resolution SAR data for landslide inventory mapping in Piana degli Albanesi (Italy)

In the context of recent advances in InSAR processing techniques to retrieve higher persistent scatterer and coherent target densities over unfavourable land cover classes, this study tests the Intermittent Small Baseline Subset (ISBAS) approach to update the landslide inventory around the town of Piana degli Albanesi (Italy), an area where only 2% of the land appears suitable to generate radar scatterers based on a pre-survey feasibility assessment. ISBAS processing of 38 ascending mode and 36 descending mode COSMO-SkyMed StripMap HIMAGE SAR scenes at 3m resolution allows identification of ~726,000 and ~893,000 coherent and intermittently coherent pixels for the ascending and descending data stacks respectively. Observed improvements in the number of ISBAS solutions for the ascending mode are greater than 40 times compared to the conventional SBAS approach, not only for urban and rocky terrains, but also rural and vegetated land covers. Line of sight ground motion rates range between -6.4 and +5.5 mm/yr in 2008-2011, although the majority of the processed area shows general stability, with average rates of -0.6 mm/yr in the ascending and -0.1 mm/yr in the descending mode results. Interpretation of the ISBAS deformation rates, integrated with targeted field surveys and aerial photo-interpretation, provides a new and more complete picture of landslide distribution, state of activity and intensity in the test area, and allows depiction of very slow and extremely slow landslide processes even in areas difficult to access, with unprecedented coverage of results. © (2014) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only

Post-failure evolution analysis of a rainfall-triggered landslide by multi-temporal interferometry SAR approaches integrated with geotechnical analysis

Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI) represents one of the most powerful techniques for Earth's surface deformation processes' monitoring, especially for long-term evolution phenomena. In this work, a dataset of 34 TerraSAR-X StripMap images (October 2013–October 2014) has been processed by two PSI techniques - Coherent Pixel Technique-Temporal Sublook Coherence (CPT-TSC) and Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) - in order to study the evolution of a slow-moving landslide which occurred on February 23, 2012 in the Papanice hamlet (Crotone municipality, southern Italy) and induced by a significant rainfall event (185 mm in three days). The mass movement caused structural damage (buildings' collapse), and destruction of utility lines (gas, water and electricity) and roads. The results showed analogous displacement rates (30–40 mm/yr along the Line of Sight – LOS-of the satellite) with respect to the pre-failure phase (2008–2010) analyzed in previous works. Both approaches allowed detect the landslide-affected area, however the higher density of targets identified by means of CPT-TSC enabled to analyze in detail the slope behavior in order to design possible mitigation interventions. For this aim, a slope stability analysis has been carried out, considering the comparison between groundwater oscillations and time-series of displacement. Hence, the crucial role of the interaction between rainfall and groundwater level has been inferred for the landslide triggering. In conclusion, we showed that the integration of geotechnical and remote sensing approaches can be seen as the best practice to support stakeholders to design remedial works.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Verification of the electromagnetic deep-penetration effect in the real world

The deep penetration of electromagnetic waves into lossy media can be obtained by properly generating inhomogeneous waves. In this work, for the very first time, we demonstrate the physical implementation and the practical relevance of this phenomenon. A thorough numerical investigation of the deep-penetration effects has been performed by designing and comparing three distinct practical radiators, emitting either homogeneous or inhomogeneous waves. As concerns the latter kind, a typical Menzel microstrip antenna is first used to radiate improper leaky waves. Then, a completely new approach based on an optimized 3-D horn TEM antenna applied to a lossy prism is described, which may find applications even at optical frequencies. The effectiveness of the proposed radiators is measured using different algorithms to consider distinct aspects of the propagation in lossy media. We finally demonstrate that the deep penetration is possible, by extending the ideal and theoretical evidence to practical relevance, and discuss both achievements and limits obtained through numerical simulations on the designed antennas

Monitoring of remedial works performance on landslide-affected areas through ground- and satellite-based techniques

Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) techniques have repeatedly proved to be an effective tool for built environments monitoring in areas affected by geological hazards. This paper describes how the Coherent Pixel Technique (CPT) approach has been successfully applied to assess the response of an unstable slope to the different phases of remedial works following a landslide event. The CPT technique was performed on 59 COSMO-SkyMed images obtained between May 2011 and August 2016 and centred on the Quercianella settlement (a small hamlet of Livorno municipality, Tuscany, Italy), where the reactivation of a dormant shallow slide had occurred in March 2011 and, hereafter, a geotechnical intervention, designed with the aim of mitigating the risks, has been conducted from August 2013, lasting thirteen months. The time series of CPT results show a deformation pattern with sudden accelerations (up to 21 mm in few months) corresponding to the beginning of the interventions, during which the area has been excavated to install a drainage well, followed by mild decelerations resulting from the stabilization of the area after the conclusion of the works. In particular, the integration of ground-based subsurface monitoring (inclinometers and piezometers) and DInSAR superficial data has provided consistent results for landslide characterization and helped defining the state of activity and the areal distribution of the sliding surface. Moreover, the performance of remedial works in the landslide-affected area has been observed, showing stabilization in the upper part of the hamlet and the ongoing movement in the lower part. The combined monitoring system also led the geotechnical company in charge of remedial works to design further stabilization works in order to preserve buildings and roads in the moving area. Therefore, the integration of remote sensing techniques and in situ instruments represents a timely and cost-efficient solution for intervention works monitoring, opening new perspectives on designing engineering solutions for the stabilization of unstable slopes

The expansion of adaptive-like NK cells following BNT162b2 vaccination contributes to the vaccine-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines are revolutionizing the field of vaccinology thank to their safety, efficacy, rapid development and low-cost manufacture. Specifically, formulations such as the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Comirnaty) can stimulate a robust antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and can confer great protection against the natural infection. However, despite its high immunogenicity, the memory responses and the antibody-mediated protection induced upon this mRNA vaccine administration wan already 6 months after the second dose administration. Still, vaccinated subjects have a reduced infection risk and a lower probability to develop severe COVID-19 disease, probably due to other protective immune mechanisms. Among immune cells, Natural Killer (NK) cells are a group of cytotoxic lymphocytes which are pivotal in controlling viral infections thanks to their ability to target infected cells. Despite they have always been considered innate lymphocytes, NK cells stimulation can induce their maturation toward adaptive or ”memory-like” subsets endowed with greater functional abilities against a second challenge. Therefore, they can play an important role in the vaccine-induced protection against viral infections. To investigate the impact of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 administration on the NK cell compartment, we employed a longitudinal computational profiling by single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of six SARS-CoV2-naïve individuals. We identified six phenotypically distinct NK cell clusters which all harbor an activated profile following the vaccine infusion. However, despite being stimulated soon after the first dose infusion, these cells respond better following a second vaccine injection, as this additional administration induces greater differential gene expression compared to the first one. Interestingly, pseudotime analysis showed how a second vaccine challenge induces a potent NK cell maturation toward a more adaptive phenotype. Accordingly, we performed a pathway enrichment assay to better understand the contribution of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) to the observed NK cell activation and maturation processes. In line with previous findings on SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects, type I and II IFNs, Toll-like receptors cascade and pro-inflammatory cytokine pathways are engaged upon these cells’ recognition of the mRNA-vaccine and, thus, they contribute to the protective anti-viral response mounted by these innate immune cells. Collectively, our data highlights the importance of a second dose administration of the BNT162b2 (Comirnaty) vaccine to stimulate a stronger immune response against the SARS-CoV2 infection and highlights a central role of the non-conventional NK cell “memory” for the vaccine-induced protection against the virus. Further investigation is warranted to disclose the real involvement of these adaptive NK cells in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection

An untargeted lipidomic analysis reveals depletion of several phospholipid classes in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia on treatment with Evolocumab

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is caused by mutations in genes involved in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) metabolism, including those for pro-protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK-9). The effect of PCSK-9 inhibition on the plasma lipidome has been poorly explored. Objective: Using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry method, the plasma lipidome of FH subjects before and at different time intervals during treatment with the PCSK-9 inhibitor Evolocumab was explored. Methods and Results: In 25 FH subjects, heterozygotes or compound heterozygotes for different LDL receptor mutations, untargeted lipidomic revealed significant reductions in 26 lipid classes belonging to phosphatidylcholine (PC), sphingomyelin (SM), ceramide (CER), cholesteryl ester (CE), triacylglycerol (TG) and phosphatidylinositol (PI). Lipid changes were graded between baseline and 4- and 12-week treatment. At 12-week treatment, five polyunsaturated diacyl PC, accounting for 38.6 to 49.2% of total PC at baseline; two ether/vinyl ether forms; seven SM; five CER and glucosyl/galactosyl-ceramide (HEX-CER) were reduced, as was the unsaturation index of HEX-CER and lactosyl—CER (LAC-CER). Although non quantitative modifications were observed in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) during treatment with Evolocumab, shorter and more saturated fatty acyl chains were documented. Conclusions: Depletion of several phospholipid classes occurs in plasma of FH patients during treatment with the PCSK-9 inhibitor Evolocumab. The mechanism underlying these changes likely involves the de novo synthesis of SM and CER through the activation of the key enzyme sphingomyelin synthase by oxidized LDL and argues for a multifaceted system leading to vascular improvement in users of PCSK-9 inhibitor

Numerical Evaluation of Electromagnetic-wave Penetration at Normal Incidence through an Inhomogeneous-wave Approach, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2018, nr 2

This paper presents numerical scenarios concerning penetration in a lossy medium that can be obtained by radiating inhomogeneous electromagnetic waves. Former papers approached this problem, both analytically and numerically, finding requirements and limits of the so-called “deeppenetration” condition, which consists of a wave transmitted in a lossy medium having an attenuation vector whose direction forms the angle of ninety degrees with the normal to the separation surface. The deep-penetration condition always requires an oblique incidence, therefore is not practical in many applications. For this reason, we are interested here in finding whether an inhomogeneous wave guarantees larger penetration than the one obtainable with homogeneous waves, even when the incident wave is normal to the separation surface between two media, i.e. when the deep-penetration condition is not satisfied. We are also interested in verifying numerically whether the lossy-prism structure may achieve larger penetration than the one obtainable through traditional leakywave antennas, and we also wish to propose a lossy-prism design more realistic than the one previously presented in the literature

Portal Hypertension in Childhood Bilateral Wilms' Tumor Survivor: An Excellent Indication for TIPS

Introduction. Increased pressure in portal venous system is relatively a rare complication after chemoradiotherapy for Wilms' tumor (WT). In paediatric population, feasibility and efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in portal hypertension nonresponsive to medical or endoscopic treatment have been recently advocated. We report a case of TIPS positioning in a 15-year-old girl with portal hypertension as a long-term sequel of multimodality therapy in bilateral WT. Case Report. Two-year-old girl was diagnosed for bilateral WT. Right nephrectomy with left heminephrectomy and chemoradiotherapy were performed. At 7 years of age, the first gastrointestinal bleeding appeared, followed by another episode two years later, both were treated successfully with beta-blockers. At 15 years of age, severe unresponsive life-threatening gastroesophageal bleeding without hepatosplenomegaly was managed by TIPS. Reduction of the portosystemic pressure gradient was obtained. Conclusion. TIPS positioning for portal hypertension in long-term tumors' sequel is feasible and could be considered as an additional indication in paediatric patients

Measurement of ISR-FSR interference in the processes e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma and e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma

Charge asymmetry in processes e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma and e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma is measured using 232 fb-1 of data collected with the BABAR detector at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV. An observable is introduced and shown to be very robust against detector asymmetries while keeping a large sensitivity to the physical charge asymmetry that results from the interference between initial and final state radiation. The asymmetry is determined as afunction of the invariant mass of the final-state tracks from production threshold to a few GeV/c2. It is compared to the expectation from QED for e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma and from theoretical models for e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma. A clear interference pattern is observed in e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma, particularly in the vicinity of the f_2(1270) resonance. The inferred rate of lowest order FSR production is consistent with the QED expectation for e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma, and is negligibly small for e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma.Comment: 32 pages,29 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.

Cerebral baseline optical and hemodynamic properties in pediatric population: a large cohort time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy study

Significance: Reference cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) data on the pediatric population are scarce, and in most cases, only cerebral oxygen saturation ( SO2 ) measured by continuous wave spatially resolved spectroscopy NIRS is reported. Absolute data for baseline optical and hemodynamic parameters are missing. Aim: We aimed at collecting baseline cerebral optical parameters [absorption coefficient, μa ; reduced scattering coefficient, μs' ; differential pathlength factor (DPF)] and hemodynamic parameters [oxy-hemoglobin content ( HbO2 ), deoxyhemoglobin content (HHb), total hemoglobin content (tHB), SO2 ] in a large cohort of pediatric patients. The objectives are to establish reference optical values in this population and evaluate the reproducibility of a commercial time domain (TD) NIRS tissue oximeter. Approach: TD NIRS measurements were performed in the prefrontal cortex at 686 and 830 nm with a 2.5-cm source-detector distance and 1-Hz acquisition rate. Five independent measurements (after probe replacement) were taken for every subject. TD NIRS data were fitted to a photon diffusion model to estimate the optical parameters. From the absorption coefficients, the hemodynamic parameters were derived by Beer's law. Auxological and physiological information was also collected to explore the potential correlations with NIRS data. Results: We measured 305 patients in the age range of 2 to 18 years. Absolute values for baseline optical and hemodynamic parameters were shown as a function of age and auxological variables. From the analysis of the repositioning after probe replacement, the time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy device exhibited an average precision (intended as coefficient of variation) of <5% for μs' , DPF, HbO2 , HHb, and tHb, whereas precision was <2% for SO2 . Conclusions: We provided baseline values for optical and hemodynamic parameters in a large cohort of healthy pediatric subjects with good precision, providing a foundation for future investigations into clinically relevant deviations in these parameters