how far are we from the use of satellite rainfall products in landslide forecasting

Abstract Satellite rainfall products have been available for many years (since '90) with an increasing spatial/temporal resolution and accuracy. Their global scale coverage and near real-time products perfectly fit the need of an early warning landslide system. Notwithstanding these characteristics, the number of studies employing satellite rainfall estimates for predicting landslide events is quite limited. In this study, we propose a procedure that allows us to evaluate the capability of different rainfall products to forecast the spatial-temporal occurrence of rainfall-induced landslides using rainfall thresholds. Specifically, the assessment is carried out in terms of skill scores, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The procedure is applied to ground observations and four different satellite rainfall estimates: 1) the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, TMPA, real time product (3B42-RT), 2) the SM2RASC product obtained from the application of SM2RAIN algorithm to the Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT) derived satellite soil moisture (SM) data, 3) the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Network (PERSIANN), and 4) the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Morphing Technique (CMORPH). As case study, we consider the Italian territory for which a catalogue listing 1414 rainfall-induced landslides in the period 2008–2014 is available. Results show that satellite products underestimate rainfall with respect to ground observations. However, by adjusting the rainfall thresholds, satellite products are able to identify landslide occurrence, even though with less accuracy than ground-based rainfall observations. Among the four satellite rainfall products, CMORPH and SM2RASC are performing the best, even though differences are small. This result is to be attributed to the high spatial/temporal resolution of CMORPH, and the good accuracy of SM2RSC. Overall, we believe that satellite rainfall estimates might be an important additional data source for developing continental or global landslide warning systems

Response of resistant tomato to a population of Meloidogyne incognita (AN1)

International audienc

Response of resistant tomato to a population of Meloidogyne incognita (AN1)

National audienc

Cytological evaluation of pepper lines expressing the root-knot nematode resistance genes Me1 and Me3

International audienc

The TRK and RET tyrosine kinase oncogenes cooperate with ras in the neoplastic transformation of a rat thyroid epithelial cell line.

We have recently reported that about 50% of papillary thyroid carcinomas harbor an activated TRK or RET oncogene. Two retroviral vectors containing the activated TRK or RET/PTC oncogene have been used to infect a differentiated rat thyroid epithelial cell line, namely the PC Clone 3 cell line. Upon infection with the TRK virus, the PC Clone 3 cells lost only the ability to trap iodide and to express the thyroperoxidase gene. Conversely, when infected with the PTC virus, the PC Clone 3 cells completely lost all of their differentiated functions. However, both the PC-TRK and PC-PTC cell lines were unable to grow in soft agar, and they were not tumorigenic when injected into nude mice. A completely undifferentiated and malignant phenotype was obtained by the cooperation between the TRK or RET and the viral Ha-ras or Ki-ras oncogenes

The TRK and RET tyrosine kinase oncogenes cooperate with ras in the neoplastic transformation of a rat thyroid epithelial cell line.

We have recently reported that about 50% of papillary thyroid carcinomas harbor an activated TRK or RET oncogene. Two retroviral vectors containing the activated TRK or RET/PTC oncogene have been used to infect a differentiated rat thyroid epithelial cell line, namely the PC Clone 3 cell line. Upon infection with the TRK virus, the PC Clone 3 cells lost only the ability to trap iodide and to express the thyroperoxidase gene. Conversely, when infected with the PTC virus, the PC Clone 3 cells completely lost all of their differentiated functions. However, both the PC-TRK and PC-PTC cell lines were unable to grow in soft agar, and they were not tumorigenic when injected into nude mice. A completely undifferentiated and malignant phenotype was obtained by the cooperation between the TRK or RET and the viral Ha-ras or Ki-ras oncogenes

Yersinia enterocolitica in milk and dairy products: a review

Yersinia enterocolitica is a Gram-negative bacterium, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, has 19 species and is divided into six biotypes (1A, 1B, 2-5) with approximately 50 serotypes. It is a species of great importance in public health due to its capacity of growth in raw or inadequately processed milk and in thermal conditions of low temperatures for long periods. It is an emerging pathogen, already detected all over the world. This study aims to report on the occurrence of this microorganism in dairy products and its importance as a potential cause of disease in humans. The consequences of yersiniosis are severe and include severe acute infections, self-limited gastroenteritis and may result in sequelae such as reactive arthritis and erythema nodosum. Gastroenteritis can range from mild to evolving to mesenteric lymphadenitis, depending on the age and immune system of the host. The consumption of raw milk and its derivatives is cultural in some countries and, therefore, more studies must be carried out aiming at the detection and characterization of Yersinia enterocolitica in these products, since it is a microorganism that offers potential risk to consumer health.