An inference system for relationships between spatio-temporal granularities

Temporal, spatial, and spatio-temporal granularities allow one to qualify classical data locating them in time and space. In order to compare data qualified with different granularities and associate data to different granularities, it is necessary to know how the involved granularities are related. However, the explicit calculation of these relationships may be heavy from a computational point of view. Thus, in this paper, we propose an inference system for inferring definitely valid relationships starting from a set of already known valid relationships without to calculate them explicitly. We will prove the soundness and completeness of the system

Tracking the evolution of riverbed morphology on the basis of uav photogrammetry

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry has recently become a widespread technique to investigate and monitor the evolution of different types of natural processes. Fluvial geomorphology is one of such fields of application where UAV potentially assumes a key role, since it allows for overcoming the intrinsic limits of satellite and airborne-based optical imagery on one side, and in situ traditional investigations on the other. The main purpose of this paper was to obtain extensive products (digital terrain models (DTMs), orthophotos, and 3D models) in a short time, with low costs and at a high resolution, in order to verify the capability of this technique to analyze the active geomorphic processes on a 12 km long stretch of the French–Italian Roia River at both large and small scales. Two surveys, one year apart from each other, were carried out over the study area and a change detection analysis was performed on the basis of the comparison of the obtained DTMs to point out and characterize both the possible morphologic variations related to fluvial dynamics and modifications in vegetation coverage. The results highlight how the understanding of different fluvial processes may be improved by appropriately exploiting UAV-based products, which can thus represent a low-cost and non-invasive tool to crucially support decisionmakers involved in land management practices

On the semantics of ST4SQL, a multidimensional spatio-temporal query language

Pozzani and Combi proposed ST4SQL, an SQL-based query language extending SQL with new constructs for querying spatio-temporal data. In particular, ST4SQL deals with different temporal and spatial semantics, allowing one to specify how the system has to manage temporal and spatial dimensions for evaluating queries. Moreover, the query language introduces new constructs for grouping data with respect to temporal and spatial dimensions. All proposed constructs take into account data qualified with granularities. In this paper we briefly present ST4SQL and we present, also through some examples, its semantics with respect to the standard SQL one

An inference system for relationships between spatial granularities

Spatial granularities allow one to qualify classical data adding them space locations. In order to compare data qualified with different granularities and to associate data to different granularities (e.g., in analysis similar to drill-down and roll-up operations), it is neces- sary to know how the involved granularities are related. However, the explicit evaluation of these relationships may be heavy from a computational point of view. Moreover, the explicit evaluation of these relationships could not be requested, as relationships can be derived from already established ones. Thus, in this paper, we propose an inference system for deriving spatial relationships that definitely hold, starting from a given set of relationships between spatial granularities, without evaluating them explicitly

ST4SQL: a spatio-temporal query language dealing with granularities

In many different application fields the amount and importance of spatio-temporal data (i.e., temporally and/or spatially qualified data) is increasing in last years and users need new solutions for their management. In a previous work a framework for modeling spatio-temporal data in relational databases has been proposed. The model is based on the notions of temporal, spatial, and spatio-temporal granularities. Once data have been modeled, they must be queried through query languages that are also able to exploit their spatio-temporal components. In this paper we propose a spatio-temporal query language, called ST4SQL. The proposed language extends the well-known SQL syntax and the T4SQL temporal query language. The proposed query language deals with different temporal, spatial and spatio-temporal semantics. These semantics allow one to specify how the system must manage temporal and spatial dimensions for evaluating the queries. Moreover, the query language introduces new constructs for grouping data with respect to temporal and spatial dimensions. Both semantics and grouping constructs take into account and exploit data qualified with granularities

Towards a Formal Framework for Spatio-Temporal Granularities

n the spatial context, the research community has not reached yet a widely accepted definition of granularity. There are relatively few papers about "spatial granularities " and many of them give different definitions and often refer to different interpretations of the term "spatial granularity". In this work we propose a formal definition of "spatial granularity" and other related terms involved in the spatial context, as happened for the temporal one. After that, we will merge together our framework for spatial granularity with the usual framework for temporal granularity, giving a definition of spatio-temporal granularity able to manage information about spatial granularities changing over time

Oral health care in patient with Williams Syndrome

William Syndrome is characterized by multiple anomalies including peculiar facial and oral features. A precocious maxillofacial and dental examination is mandatory in order to follow facial development and tooth eruption. The clinical examination often reveals dental anomalies in the form of amelogenesis imperfecta, morphology (microdontia) and number anomalies (dental agenesis). The risk of Early Childhood Caries is increased by gastroesophageous reflux, a frequent finding in the first year of life of this children. Orthopaedic-orthodontic treatment is often required to address bone growth and to correct the position of the teeth both for function and for aesthetic reasons. The cooperation level and the presence of systemic diseases have to be considered before the treatment planning. A correct psychological approach can ameliorate the compliance even in the patient with mental delay, but a certain degree of collaboration is required for positioning orthodontic devices. A careful analysis of the general health of the patient is necessary before dental therapy: antimicrobial prophylaxis, to prevent infective endocarditis is needed in patient with congenital heart diseases (75%); renal function and blood pressure have to be monitorized before administrating drugs (antibiotics, antiflogistics and sedative). A strict collaboration with the paediatrist and other specialists is needed to plan a safe and successful therapy. Parents must be involved in the planning of dental treatment and correctly informed and motivated about oral hygiene technique, as their collaboration is necessary to maintain oral health of their child after the treatment. In this presentation, the authors report their experience in dental treatment in children with Williams Syndrome describing their clinical approach from a complete anamnesis to the treatment plan, in order to propose guidelines for oral health care in this patients. References: Axelsson S., Bjornland T., Kjaer I., Heidberg A., Storhaug K., Dental characteristics in Williams syndrome: a clinical and radiographic evaluation, Acta Odontol Scand. 2003 Jun;61(3):129-36 Hertzberg J, Nakisbendi L, Needleman HL, Pober B Williams syndrome-oral presentation of 45 cases Pediatr Dent. 1994 Jul-Aug;16(4):262-7 Mass E, Belostoky L., Craniofacial morphology of children with Williams syndrome, Cleft Palate Craniofac J, 1993 May;30(3):343-9. Oncag V., Gumbay S., Parlar A., Williams Syndrome, J Clin Ped Dent, 1995; 19(4): 301-

Dealing with multigranular spatio-temporal databases to manage psychiatric epidemiology data

In epidemiology spatio-temporal data may represent surveillance data and origins of diseases. In order to better exploit these data, temporal and spatial dimensions could be managed considering them as meta-data useful to retrieve classical data. In this paper, we propose to use a framework for spatio-temporal granularities with the aim to improve the querying of clinical spatio-temporal data. We show how granularities can be used to enrich a psychiatric case register. We exemplify our approach reporting spatio-temporal queries, based on granularities, useful for epidemiological studies

Outpatients electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: 8 years' experience. Analysis of shock-related arrhythmias.

Background: Outpatient electrical cardioversion (EC) of atrial fibrillation is currently the standard of care. Shock-related arrhythmias may be particularly deleterious in this setting. Preoperative identification of high-risk patients may be very useful. Methods: A retrospective analysis was made of 543 consecutive elective EC procedures in 457 outpatients over an 8-year period in a university cardiological institute. The protocol included adequate anticoagulation, intravenous anesthesia, direct current shock, and a direct observation after a shock to detect procedure-related complications. No patients were excluded due to severity of pathology or comorbidities. Clinical characteristics, energy delivered, medications, arrhythmic phenomena, and predictors of success and complications were analyzed. Results: Of 543 ECs performed, 88.2% restored sinus rhythm, which persisted at discharge in 83.2%. No anesthesia-related complications were detected. No thromboembolic complications were detected. Use of a biphasic cardioverter was the only predictor of success (P = 0.0001). The bradyarrhythmic complication rate was 1.5%. No ventricular arrhythmic events were detected. Atrial flutter was present in five of eight patients who developed complications versus 44 of 535 patients who had no complications (P < 0.0005), and prosthetic heart valves in four of eight complicated versus 40 of 535 uncomplicated cases (P = 0.0044). The combination of atrial flutter and prosthetic heart valve was found in four of eight complicated versus 11 of 535 uncomplicated cases (P < 0.0005). Conclusion: Shock-related arrhythmias are essentially bradyarrhythmias. Atrial flutter and previous cardiac surgery identify a subgroup of patients at high risk of postshock bradyarrhythmic complications