Review of works combining GNSS and insar in Europe

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) can be combined to achieve different goals, owing to their main principles. Both enable the collection of information about ground deformation due to the differences of two consequent acquisitions. Their variable applications, even if strictly related to ground deformation and water vapor determination, have encouraged the scientific community to combine GNSS and InSAR data and their derivable products. In this work, more than 190 scientific contributions were collected spanning the whole European continent. The spatial and temporal distribution of such studies, as well as the distinction in different fields of application, were analyzed. Research in Italy, as the most represented nation, with 47 scientific contributions, has been dedicated to the spatial and temporal distribution of its studied phenomena. The state-of-the-art of the various applications of these two combined techniques can improve the knowledge of the scientific community and help in the further development of new approaches or additional applications in different fields. The demonstrated usefulness and versability of the combination of GNSS and InSAR remote sensing techniques for different purposes, as well as the availability of free data, EUREF and GMS (Ground Motion Service), and the possibility of overcoming some limitations of these techniques through their combination suggest an increasingly widespread approach

Generating socially appropriate tutorial dialog

Analysis of student-tutor coaching dialogs suggest that good human tutors attend to and attempt to influence the motivational state of learners. Moreover, they are sensitive to the social face of the learner, and seek to mitigate the potential face threat of their comments. This paper describes a dialog generator for pedagogical agents that takes motivation and face threat factors into account. This enables the agent to interact with learners in a socially appropriate fashion, and foster intrinsic motivation on the part of the learner, which in turn may lead to more positive learner affective states

Multisource data integration to investigate one century of evolution for the Agnone landslide (Molise, southern Italy)

Landslides are one of the most relevant geohazards worldwide, causing direct and indirect costs and fatalities. Italy is one of the countries most affected by mass movements, and the Molise region, southern Italy, is known to be susceptible to erosional processes and landslides. In January 2003, a landslide in the municipality of Agnone, in the Colle Lapponi-Piano Ovetta (CL-PO) territory, occurred causing substantial damage to both structures and civil infrastructure. To investigate the evolution of the landslide-affected catchment over approximately one century, different data were taken into account: (i) literature information at the beginning of the twentieth century; (ii) historical sets of aerial optical photographs to analyse the geomorphological evolution from 1945 to 2003; (iii) SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data fromthe ERS1/2, ENVISATand COSMO-SkyMed satellites tomonitor the displacement from 1992 to 2015; (iv) traditional measurements carried out through geological and geomorphological surveys, inclinometers and GPS campaigns to characterize the geological setting of the area; and (v) recent optical photographs of the catchment area to determine the enlargement of the landslide. Using the structure from motion technique, a 3D reconstruction of each set of historical aerial photographs was made to investigate the geomorphological evolution and to trace the boundary of the mass movements. As a result, the combination of multitemporal and multitechnique analysis of the evolution of the CL-PO landslide enabled an assessment of the landslide expansion, which resulted in a maximum length of up to approximately 1500 m. A complete investigation of the past and present deformational sequences of the area was performed to potentially plan further mitigation and prevention strategies to avoid possible reactivations

H(2)S-Releasing Aspirin Protects against Aspirin-Induced Gastric Injury via Reducing Oxidative Stress

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ACS14, a hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S)-releasing derivative of aspirin (Asp), on Asp-induced gastric injury. Gastric hemorrhagic lesions were induced by intragastric administration of Asp (200 mg/kg, suspended in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose solutions) in a volume of 1 ml/100 g body weight. ACS14 (1, 5 or 10 mg/kg) was given 30 min before the Asp administration. The total area of gastric erosions, H(2)S concentration and oxidative stress in gastric tissues were measured three hours after administration of Asp. Treatment with Asp (200 mg/kg), but not ACS14 (430 mg/kg, at equimolar doses to 200 mg/kg Asp), for 3 h significantly increased gastric mucosal injury. The damage caused by Asp was reversed by ACS14 at 1-10 mg/kg in a concentration-dependent manner. ACS14 abrogated Asp-induced upregulation of COX-2 expression, but had no effect on the reduced PGE(2) level. ACS14 reversed the decreased H(2)S concentrations and blood flow in the gastric tissue in Asp-treated rats. Moreover, ACS14 attenuated Asp-suppressed superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1) expression and GSH activity, suggesting that ACS14 may stimulate antioxidants in the gastric tissue. ACS14 also obviously inhibited Asp-induced upregulation of protein expression of oxidases including XOD, p47(phox) and p67(phox). In conclusion, ACS14 protects Asp induced gastric mucosal injury by inhibiting oxidative stress in the gastric tissue

Analytic philosophy for biomedical research: the imperative of applying yesterday's timeless messages to today's impasses

The mantra that "the best way to predict the future is to invent it" (attributed to the computer scientist Alan Kay) exemplifies some of the expectations from the technical and innovative sides of biomedical research at present. However, for technical advancements to make real impacts both on patient health and genuine scientific understanding, quite a number of lingering challenges facing the entire spectrum from protein biology all the way to randomized controlled trials should start to be overcome. The proposal in this chapter is that philosophy is essential in this process. By reviewing select examples from the history of science and philosophy, disciplines which were indistinguishable until the mid-nineteenth century, I argue that progress toward the many impasses in biomedicine can be achieved by emphasizing theoretical work (in the true sense of the word 'theory') as a vital foundation for experimental biology. Furthermore, a philosophical biology program that could provide a framework for theoretical investigations is outlined