SAR Interferometry Data Exploitation for Infrastructure Monitoring Using GIS Application

Monitoring structural stability in urban areas and infrastructure networks is emerging as one of the dominant socio-economic issues for population security. The problem is accentuated by the age of the infrastructure because of increasing risks due to material deterioration and loss of load capacity. In this case, SAR satellite data are crucial to identify and assess the deteriorating conditions of civil infrastructures. The large amount of data available from SAR satellite sensors leads to the exploitation and development of new GIS-based procedures for rapid responses and decision making. In recent decades, the DInSAR technique has been used efficiently for the monitoring of structures, providing measurement points located on structures with millimeter precision. Our study has analyzed the behavior of structures in settlements, attempting to discuss the interactions of soil and structures, and examining the behavior of different types of structures, such as roads and buildings. The method used is based on long-term SAR interferometry data and a semi-automatic procedure to measure the displacement (mm/year) of structures, through a GIS-based application performed in the “Implemented MOnitoring DIsplacement” I.MODI platform. The analysis provides extensive information on long-term spatial and temporal continuity of up to 25 years of record, using satellite SAR multi-sensors from ERS, Envisat, and COSMO-SkyMed. The interpretation uses time series spatial analysis, supported by orthophotos, and layers of the DBTR (regional topographic database), Digital Surface model (DSM), and hydrogeological map to show anomalous areas with a high displacement rate and to observe the correlation of settlements in the sediments. With the satellite information and Geographic Information System (GIS), we were able to observe relevant parameters, such as the velocity of advance in the direction of the slope (deformation profiles), the cumulative displacement, and the trend changes in structures. The results illustrate an innovative procedure that allows the management of DInSAR data to facilitate the effective management of structures in which a monitoring protocol was developed at different spatial scales, integrating the information into a GIS

The use of ultrasound in the clinical re-staging of the axilla after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).

Introduction Ultrasound (US) is the imaging modality of choice for staging the axilla prior to surgery in patients with breast cancer (BC). High pathological complete response rates in the axilla after NACT mean a more conservative approach to surgery can be considered. Radiological re-staging is important in this decision making. After the presentation of results from ACOSOG Z1071 in December 2012, formal ultrasound re-assessment of the axilla after primary therapy was specifically requested in our institution. We report on the accuracy of axillary US (aUS) for identifying residual axillary disease post-NACT.Methods Data were collected on patients who had proven axillary disease prior to NACT and underwent axillary lymph node dissection after NACT between January 2013 and December 2015. Post-chemotherapy aUS reports and axillary pathology reports were classified as positive or negative for abnormal lymph nodes and for residual disease (cCR and pCR respectively).Results The sensitivity and specificity of aUS was 71% and 88% respectively. The negative predictive value (NPV) was 83%. The false negative rate was 29%.Conclusions Axillary ultrasound provides clinically useful information post-NACT, which will guide surgical decision-making. Patients with aUS-negative axillae are likely to have a lower false negative rate of SLNB after NACT (Boughey et al.). However, aUS does not replace the need to identify and biopsy the nodes which were proven to be positive prior to NACT

Remnants of an ancient forest provide ecological context for Early Miocene fossil apes

The lineage of apes and humans (Hominoidea) evolved and radiated across Afro-Arabia in the early Neogene during a time of global climatic changes and ongoing tectonic processes that formed the East African Rift. These changes probably created highly variable environments and introduced selective pressures influencing the diversification of early apes. However, interpreting the connection between environmental dynamics and adaptive evolution is hampered by difficulties in locating taxa within specific ecological contexts: time-averaged or reworked deposits may not faithfully represent individual palaeohabitats. Here we present multiproxy evidence from Early Miocene deposits on Rusinga Island, Kenya, which directly ties the early ape Proconsul to a widespread, dense, multistoried, closed-canopy tropical seasonal forest set in a warm and relatively wet, local climate. These results underscore the importance of forested environments in the evolution of early apes

Exploring the affordances of smart toys and connected play in practice

What does children’s play look like in the smart toy era? What conceptual frameworks help make sense of the changing practices of children’s connected play worlds? Responding to these questions, this article re-frames discussions about children’s smart toy play within wider theoretical debates about the affordances of new digital materialities. To understand recent transformations of children’s play practices, we propose it is necessary to think of toys as increasingly media-like in their affordances and as connected to wider digital material ecosystems. To demonstrate the potential of this conceptual approach, we explore illustrative examples of two popular smart ‘care toys’. Our analysis identifies three examples of affordances that smart care toys share with other forms of mobile and robotic media: liveliness, affective stickiness and portability. We argue that locating discussions of smart toys within wider conceptual debates about digital materialities can provide new insights into the changing landscape of children’s play

Terrestrial laser scanning survey in support of unstable slopes analysis. The case of Vulcano Island (Italy)

The capability to measure at distance dense cloud of 3D point has improved the relevance of geomatic techniques to support risk assessment analysis related to slope instability. This work focuses on quantitative analyses carried out to evaluate the effects of potential failures in the Vulcano Island (Italy). Terrestrial laser scanning was adopted to reconstruct the geometry of investigated slopes that is required for the implementation of numerical modeling adopted to simulate runout areas. Structural and morphological elements, which influenced past instabilities or may be linked to new events, were identified on surface models based on ground surveying. Terrestrial laser scanning was adopted to generate detailed 3D models of subvertical slopes allowing to characterize the distribution and orientation of the rock discontinuities that affect instability mechanism caused by critical geometry. Methods for obtaining and analyzing 3D topographic data and to implement simulation analyses contributing to hazard and risk assessment are discussed for two case studies (Forgia Vecchia slope and Lentia rock walls)

On impact and volcanism across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

The cause of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction is vigorously debated, owing to the occurrence of a very large bolide impact and flood basalt volcanism near the boundary. Disentangling their relative importance is complicated by uncertainty regarding kill mechanisms and the relative timing of volcanogenic outgassing, impact, and extinction. We used carbon cycle modeling and paleotemperature records to constrain the timing of volcanogenic outgassing. We found support for major outgassing beginning and ending distinctly before the impact, with only the impact coinciding with mass extinction and biologically amplified carbon cycle change. Our models show that these extinction-related carbon cycle changes would have allowed the ocean to absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide, thus limiting the global warming otherwise expected from postextinction volcanism

A spatiotemporal analysis of gait freezing and the impact of pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation

Gait freezing is an episodic arrest of locomotion due to an inability to take normal steps. Pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation is an emerging therapy proposed to improve gait freezing, even where refractory to medication. However, the efficacy and precise effects of pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation on Parkinsonian gait disturbance are not established. The clinical application of this new therapy is controversial and it is unknown if bilateral stimulation is more effective than unilateral. Here, in a double-blinded study using objective spatiotemporal gait analysis, we assessed the impact of unilateral and bilateral pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation on triggered episodes of gait freezing and on background deficits of unconstrained gait in Parkinson’s disease. Under experimental conditions, while OFF medication, Parkinsonian patients with severe gait freezing implanted with pedunculopontine nucleus stimulators below the pontomesencephalic junction were assessed during three conditions; off stimulation, unilateral stimulation and bilateral stimulation. Results were compared to Parkinsonian patients without gait freezing matched for disease severity and healthy controls. Pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation improved objective measures of gait freezing, with bilateral stimulation more effective than unilateral. During unconstrained walking, Parkinsonian patients who experience gait freezing had reduced step length and increased step length variability compared to patients without gait freezing; however, these deficits were unchanged by pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation. Chronic pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation improved Freezing of Gait Questionnaire scores, reflecting a reduction of the freezing encountered in patients’ usual environments and medication states. This study provides objective, double-blinded evidence that in a specific subgroup of Parkinsonian patients, stimulation of a caudal pedunculopontine nucleus region selectively improves gait freezing but not background deficits in step length. Bilateral stimulation was more effective than unilateral