Evaluation of subsidence induced by long-lasting buildings load using InSAR technique and geotechnical data: The case study of a Freight Terminal (Tuscany, Italy)

This paper shows the results of the comparison between Multi-temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar (MTInSAR) products derived from different sensors (C-band ERS 1/2, Envisat, Sentinel-1 and X-band COSMO-SkyMed) and geotechnical data to investigate the driving factors of subsidence which affect a freight terminal located along the a coastal plain of Tuscany (central Italy). MTInSAR data have been acquired in a very long period, between 1992 and 2018 and were analyzed in terms of subsidence rates and deformation time series at building scale. The obtained results show that the oldest buildings are still affected by a deformation rate close to −5 mm/yr, whereas recent buildings register rates around −40 mm/yr. Time series of deformation suggest that the deformation rates decrease over time following time-dependent trend that approximates the typical consolidation curve for compressible soils. The geotechnical and stratigraphical analysis of the subsurface data (boreholes, cone penetration tests and dilatometer tests) highlights the presence of a 15 m thick layer formed of clay characterized by poor geotechnical characteristics. The comparison among InSAR data, subsurface geological framework and geotechnical reconstruction suggests a possible evaluation of the timing of the primary and secondary consolidation processes

Building Fuzzy Elevation Maps from a Ground-based 3D Laser Scan for Outdoor Mobile Robots

Mandow, A; Cantador, T.J.; Reina, A.J.; Martínez, J.L.; Morales, J.; García-Cerezo, A. "Building Fuzzy Elevation Maps from a Ground-based 3D Laser Scan for Outdoor Mobile Robots," Robot2015: Second Iberian Robotics Conference, Advances in Robotics, (2016) Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol. 418. This is a self-archiving copy of the author’s accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-27149-1.The paper addresses terrain modeling for mobile robots with fuzzy elevation maps by improving computational speed and performance over previous work on fuzzy terrain identification from a three-dimensional (3D) scan. To this end, spherical sub-sampling of the raw scan is proposed to select training data that does not filter out salient obstacles. Besides, rule structure is systematically defined by considering triangular sets with an unevenly distributed standard fuzzy partition and zero order Sugeno-type consequents. This structure, which favors a faster training time and reduces the number of rule parameters, also serves to compute a fuzzy reliability mask for the continuous fuzzy surface. The paper offers a case study using a Hokuyo-based 3D rangefinder to model terrain with and without outstanding obstacles. Performance regarding error and model size is compared favorably with respect to a solution that uses quadric-based surface simplification (QSlim).This work was partially supported by the Spanish CICYT project DPI 2011-22443, the Andalusian project PE-2010 TEP-6101, and Universidad de Málaga-Andalucía Tech

Use of PSInSAR data to map highly compressible soil layers

A new approach to the use of Persistent Scatterers (PS) Interferometry data in the reconstruction of the extension of compressible geological bodies is presented. The methodology was applied in the test area of the Tiber River delta (Italy), characterized by the presence of two large marshy zones, known as the Maccarese and Ostia Antica ponds. PSInSARâ\u84¢ data, derived from ERS1/2, ENVISAT and RADARSAT-1 images, and spanning a time interval between 1992 and 2006 were used to verify the possibility to reconstruct the spatial distribution of the peat levels inside the Maccarese and Ostia Antica ponds. Borehole information was analyzed to calibrate the InSAR data and the deformation rates were used to hypothesize the presence of a thick compressible layer where geological information is lacking. Variations in deformation rates registered by the single PS were assumed to be representative of a variation in the stratigraphic asset. The obtained results demonstrate that this approach could be satisfactorily used to investigate wide areas in a short time, reducing the number of boreholes to drill, and it could be a complementary technique to obtain information about the 2D geometry of specific geological levels

INNODIA Master Protocol for the evaluation of investigational medicinal products in children, adolescents and adults with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes

Background The INNODIA consortium has established a pan-European infrastructure using validated centres to prospectively evaluate clinical data from individuals with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes combined with centralised collection of clinical samples to determine rates of decline in beta-cell function and identify novel biomarkers, which could be used for future stratification of phase 2 clinical trials. Methods In this context, we have developed a Master Protocol, based on the “backbone” of the INNODIA natural history study, which we believe could improve the delivery of phase 2 studies exploring the use of single or combinations of Investigational Medicinal Products (IMPs), designed to prevent or reverse declines in beta-cell function in individuals with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. Although many IMPs have demonstrated potential efficacy in phase 2 studies, few subsequent phase 3 studies have confirmed these benefits. Currently, phase 2 drug development for this indication is limited by poor evaluation of drug dosage and lack of mechanistic data to understand variable responses to the IMPs. Identification of biomarkers which might permit more robust stratification of participants at baseline has been slow. Discussion The Master Protocol provides (1) standardised assessment of efficacy and safety, (2) comparable collection of mechanistic data, (3) the opportunity to include adaptive designs and the use of shared control groups in the evaluation of combination therapies, and (4) benefits of greater understanding of endpoint variation to ensure more robust sample size calculations and future baseline stratification using existing and novel biomarkers

AMS 800\uae artificial sphincter: An unusual case of circumscribed peritonitis due to prosthethic reservoir infection

OBJECTIVES: Male urinary incontinence is nowadays a rare event in patients submitted to radical prostatectomy. In these cases, insertion on a hydraulic prosthesis is often the only therapeutical solution. Complications following this type of surgery are rare and when they occur, generally depend on the bacterial contamination of the device which will be "rejected". The cuff is generally the first cause of infection and its prompt removal should solve the problem in the majority of the cases. METHODS: Herein we report the case of a patient submitted to cuff removal three years earlier who consulted for a symptomless circumscribed peritonitis due to bacterial contamination of the intraperitoneal reservoir. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: This report emphasizes the need to re-examine the indications for intraperitoneal implantation of the reservoir. Moreover, in case of a three-component prosthetic device, the external components (pump, cylinders and/or cuff) should be removed in a single step, at the same time, in order to avoid future contamination of the internal components

LandSoil : a model for analysing the impact of erosion on agricultural landscape evolution

The purpose of this research was to develop a model for the analysis of agricultural landscape evolution at a fine spatial resolution scale (1-10m) and a medium-term temporal scale (10-100 years). The model (LandSoil: landscape design for soil conservation under Land use and climate change) works at a catchment scale and it is based on the STREAM soil erosion model. It is spatially distributed, event-based, and considers interrill, rill and tillage erosion as the main processes acting in soil redistribution. The specificities of the model include the use of a detailed representation of the agricultural landscape through parameters such as soil surface properties, hydrologic pathways and considering a climate component based directly on rainfall events. In this paper, we present the characteristics of the model and its application to a Mediterranean study area. The model was subjected to a calibration/validation procedure at two different spatial scales (field and catchment) with a medium-term data series of runoff and sediment concentration measurements. A number of medium-term field and catchment simulations were carried out, allowing us to observe landscape evolution under recent and actual agricultural practices and to formulate hypotheses based on changes related to different agricultural patterns and soil uses. Modelling at a field scale using rill, interrill and tillage erosion simulations on reconstructed prior topographic surfaces showed a relationship between observed and simulated topography with a prediction error<15% and a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.605. A catchment scale analysis of a degraded scenario, maximising hillslope runoff with the removal of all the grass strips between fields, indicated a global increase of the soil erosion rate (+29%), with spatial variability depending on the specific soil use type