Monitoring opencast mine restorations using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) imagery

Altres ajuts: Joan-Cristian Padró is a recipient of the FI-DGR scholarship grant (2016B_00410). Xavier Pons is a recipient of the ICREA Academia Excellence in Research Grant (2016-2020).Open-pit mine is still an unavoidable activity but can become unsustainable without the restoration of degraded sites. Monitoring the restoration after extractive activities is a legal requirement for mine companies and public administrations in many countries, involving financial provisions for environmental liabilities. The objective of this contribution is to present a rigorous, low-cost and easy-to-use application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for supporting opencast mining and restoration monitoring, complementing the inspections with very high (<10 cm) spatial resolution multispectral imagery, and improving any restoration documentation with detailed land cover maps. The potential of UAS as a tool to control restoration works is presented in a calcareous quarry that has undergone different post-mining restoration actions in the last 20 years, representing 4 reclaimed stages. We used a small (<2 kg) drone equipped with a multispectral sensor, along with field spectroradiometer measurements that were used to radiometrically correct the UAS sensor data. Imagery was processed with photogrammetric and Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems software, resulting in spectral information, vegetation and soil indices, structural information and land cover maps. Spectral data and land cover classification, which were validated through ground-truth plots, aided in the detection and quantification of mine waste dumping, bare soil and other land cover extension. Moreover, plant formations and vegetation development were evaluated, allowing a quantitative, but at the same time visual and intuitive comparison with the surrounding reference systems. The protocol resulting from this research constitutes a pipeline solution intended for the implementation by public administrations and privates companies for precisely evaluating restoration dynamics in an expedient manner at a very affordable budget. Furthermore, the proposed solution prevents subjective interpretations by providing objective data, which integrate new technologies at the service of scientists, environmental managers and decision makers

Exploració preliminar del forn d'àmfores de Tivissa (Ribera d'Ebre)

>. Amb aquestes paraules, que hem cregut convenient reproduir al peu de la lletra, descrivia el benemèrit tivissà, mestre d'escola de professió, Màrius Bru i Borràs, el forn d'àmfores que ell havia descobert

Drone-Based Identification of Erosive Processes in Open-Pit Mining Restored Areas

Altres ajuts: European Union LIFE20 PRE/IT/000007Unmanned Aerial Systems, or drones, are very helpful tools for managing open-pit mining operations and developing ecological restoration activities. This article presents a method for identifying water erosion processes in active quarries by means of drone imagery remote sensing, in the absence of pre-existing imagery or mapping for comparison. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a spatial resolution (SR) >10 cm and an orthophoto with an SR >2.5 cm were generated from images captured with a drone and their subsequent photogrammetric processing. By using Geographical Information Systems tools to process the DEM, a detailed drainage network was obtained, the areas of detected water erosion were separated, and the watersheds in the gullies identified. Subsequently, an estimated DEM before the erosive processes was reconstructed by interpolating the gully ridges; this DEM serves as a reference for the relief before the erosion. To calculate the volume of eroded material, the DEM of Differences was calculated, which estimates the volume difference between the previously estimated DEM and the current DEM. Additionally, we calculated the material necessary for the geomorphological adaptation of the quarry and the slope map, which are two valuable factors closely related to the monitoring of erosive processes. The results obtained allowed us to identify the erosion factors quickly and accurately in this type of mining. In the case of water-filled quarries, it would be important to characterize the subsurface relief. Essentially, the presented method can be applied with affordable and non-invasive materials to create digital grid maps at 10 cm resolution, obtaining data ready for 3D metrics, being a very practical landscape modelling tool for characterizing the restoration evolution of open-pit mining spaces

La victimización sexual de menores de edad : un estudio de sentencias

Este trabajo se ha realizado en el seno del Grupo de investigación sobre el Sistema de Justicia penal, con el apoyo del proyecto de investigación "La victimización sexual de menores y su protección penal" del Ministerio de Ciencia y Competitividad (2013-2015,Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, IP Josep M. Tamarit).El artículo, tras una revisión de las publicaciones existentes en el ámbito internacional sobre la respuesta del sistema de justicia penal a la victimización sexual de menores de edad, presenta los resultados de un estudio cuantitativo de sentencias judiciales dictadas por diversas Audiencias Provinciales españolas en 2011 y 2012, en el que se examina en qué modo diversas variables referidas a la víctima, al ofensor y a las características del hecho inciden en las decisiones adoptadas por los Tribunales. El estudio, basado en 420 casos, establece la relevancia de aspectos como la relación previa entre autor y víctima o la edad de ésta y valida la declaración anticipada como medio probatorio eficaz.After reviewing the literature on how the criminal justice system deals with sexual victimization of children, the article presents the results of a quantitative study of judgments rendered by several Spanish courts in 2011 and 2012. We evaluated the influence of different variables related to the victim, the offender and the offence on the courts' decisions. The study, based on 420 cases, proves that previous relationship between victim and perpetrator and victims' age are relevant predictors of judicial decisions. The results also validate the early statement of victims in the criminal proceeding as effective evidence

UAS remote sensing products for supporting extraction management and restoration monitoring in open-pit mines

Accurate mapping of open-pit mine areas is a prerequisite for the efficient resource management of extractive companies, but also detailed mapping is a requirement for public administrations, especially regarding the monitoring of restored areas. In previous works, our team has contributed to a better knowledge of the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technologies for soil/vegetation restoration monitoring purposes, and in this work, we present a novel protocol to support combined interests of both private companies and governmental agencies. We introduce a case study in which we show the capability of multispectral sensors onboard of a low-weight multicopter to describe land cover typologies in restored areas (such as grass, scrubs, trees, topsoil and mine spoils) by applying remote sensing and GIS techniques. Moreover, we assess the capability of digital terrain models (Digital Elevation Model, Digital Surface Model, Digital Slope Model) derived from photogrammetric techniques, to provide useful and fast topographic information for the proper management of open-pit mine exploitation and restoration. By applying these techniques, we present a cost-effective workflow adequate to monitor land cover dynamics in restored areas, but also volumetric changes in stockpiles, waste dumps and extraction faces. This combined approach, supporting both environmental and industrial needs, aims to enhance the collaboration between sectors, establishing synergies, reducing costs by sharing knowledge, and adding transparency to their relation

Efficacy of augmented immunosuppressive therapy for early vasculopathy in heart transplantation

AbstractObjectives. The present study was undertaken to prospectively and comparatively evaluate the role of serial myocardial perfusion imaging and coronary angiography for the detection of early vasculopathy in a large patient population and also to determine the short- and long-term efficacy of augmented immunosuppressive therapy in the potential reversal of the early vasculopathy.Background. Allograft vasculopathy is the commonest cause of death after the first year of heart transplantation. Anecdotal studies have reported the efficacy of augmented immunosuppressive therapy after early detection of vascular involvement. However, no prospective study has evaluated the feasibility of early detection and treatment of allograft vasculopathy.Methods. In 76 cardiac allograft recipients, 230 coronary angiographic and 376 scintigraphic studies were performed in a follow-up period of 8 years. Angiography was performed at 1 month and every year after transplantation, and thallium-201 scintigraphy at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after transplantation and twice a year thereafter. Prospective follow-up of 76 patients showed that 18 developed either angiographic or scintigraphic evidence of coronary vasculopathy. All episodes were treated with 3-day methylprednisolone pulse and antithymocyte globulin.Results. Twenty-two episodes of vasculopathy were diagnosed and treated in these 18 patients. Of these 22 episodes, two were detected only by angiography, seven by both angiography and scintigraphy, four by scintigraphy and histologic evidence of vasculitis and nine episodes only by thallium-201 scintigraphy studies. Angiographic and/or scintigraphic resolution was observed in 15 of the 22 episodes (68%) with augmented immunosuppression. The likelihood of regression was higher when treatment was instituted within the first year of transplantation (92%) than after the first year (40%) (p = 0.033). Eighty percent of patients who responded to follow-up.Conclusions. The present study suggests that early detection of allograft coronary vasculopathy is feasible with surveillance myocardial perfusion or coronary angiographic studies. When identified early after transplantation, immunosuppressive treatment may result in regression of coronary disease

Data on genotypic distribution and linkage disequilibrium of several ANRIL polymorphisms in hemodialysis patients

A long non-coding RNA called ANRIL located on chromosome 9p21.3 has been identified as a novel genetic factor associated with cardiovascular disease. Investigation of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Noncoding Antisense RNA in the INK4 Locus (ANRIL) gene are of particular interest. This article reports data related to the research article entitled: "Association of ANRIL gene polymorphisms with major adverse cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients" (Arbiol-Roca et al. [1]). Data presented show the genotypic distribution of four selected ANRIL SNPs: rs10757278, rs4977574, rs10757274 and rs6475606 in a cohort constituted by 284 hemodialysis patients. This article analyzes the Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium of each studied SNP, and the linkage disequilibrium between them