Concept of an Effective Sentinel-1 Satellite SAR Interferometry System

This brief study introduces a partially working concept being developed at IT4Innovations supercomputer (HPC) facility. This concept consists of several modules that form a whole body of an efficient system for observation of terrain or objects displacements using satellite SAR interferometry (InSAR). A metadata database helps to locate data stored in various storages and to perform basic analyzes. A special database has been designed to describe Sentinel-1 data, on its burst level. Custom Sentinel-1 TOPS processing algorithms allow an injection of coregistered bursts into the database. Once the area of interest is set and basic processing parameters are given, the selected data are merged and processed by the Persistent Scatterers (PS) InSAR method or an optimized Small Baselines (SB) InSAR derivative. Depending on the expected deliverables, the processing results can be post-analyzed using a custom approach, in order to achieve a set of reliable measurement points. Final results can be post-processed and visualized using a custom GIS toolbox, consisting in open-source GIS functionality. The GIS post-processing is enforced by HPC power as well. To demonstrate the practical applicability of the described system, a subsidence area in Konya city, Turkey is used as the study area for Sentinel-1 InSAR evaluation

Molecular Analysis of Repeated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Children

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major pathogen that causes severe morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. It is unclear whether repeated MRSA infections in pediatric patients are caused by relapse of previous infecting strains or by acquiring new strains from extrinsic sources. The study aimed to define the genetic relatedness of MRSA isolates from children with repeated infections. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Children with multiple MRSA infections during 2004-2006 were identified in a teaching hospital. Repeated infections were confirmed by chart review and the responsible isolates were genotyped and screened for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes. Two consecutive episodes comprised an infection pair, and strain relatedness was defined for each pair as indistinguishable, highly related, or distinct if the isolates were of the same subtype, the same genotype, or different genotype, respectively. A total of 114 episodes comprising 66 infection pairs were identified in 48 children. The interval of infection pairs ranged from 15 days to 346 days, with a median duration of 57.5 days. Genotypings classified all isolates into 7 genotypes and 31 subtypes. Of 66 pairs, 46 (69.7%), 13 (19.7%) and 7 (10.6%) pairs were caused by indistinguishable, highly related and distinct strains, respectively. Subsequent infections caused by indistinguishable strains were more common for PVL-positive strains (17/18, 94.4%) than for PVL-negative strains (29/48, 60.4%, P = 0.007). The strain relatedness was not affected by the durations of interval between infections. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Most repeated MRSA infections in children are caused by indistinguishable strains even after a long period of interval, suggesting that persistent carriage and relapse of initial infecting strains were responsible for the majority of recurrent MRSA infections

Grau de comprometimento psicológico ao exercício e comparação da insatisfação corporal de atletas participantes do panamericano escolar

INTRODUÇÃO: O esporte de rendimento parece ser um agente potencializador para o surgimento de transtornos psicopatológicos, sendo, portanto, pertinente avaliar o grau de comprometimento psicológico ao exercício e aspectos da imagem corporal em atletas adolescentes de elite, já que estas variáveis são fatores de risco para desencadeamento de transtornos alimentares. OBJETIVO: Comparar a insatisfação corporal entre diferentes modalidades esportivas e verificar a influência da mesma sobre o grau de comprometimento psicológico ao exercício em atletas adolescentes competitivos. MÉTODOS: A amostra do estudo foi constituída por 65 atletas adolescentes de diversas modalidades esportivas de ambos os sexos. Para avaliar a insatisfação corporal foi aplicado o body shape questionnaire (BSQ) e o grau de comprometimento psicológico com o hábito de se exercitar foi avaliado pela escala de dedicação ao exercício (EDE). RESULTADOS: A insatisfação com a própria imagem foi observada em 21,5% dos participantes com diferença entre as modalidades (p 0,05). Além disso, a insatisfação influenciou 12% na modulação do grau de comprometimento psicológico ao exercício (p < 0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Dessa forma, conclui-se que, para esta amostra, a taxa de satisfação corporal foi alta e pouco relacionada ao grau de comprometimento ao exercício