DTM ASSESMENT IN SLOPE INSTABILITY MODELING

Uma parte dos métodos de previsão de escorregamentos na paisagem tem como base principal a topografia, que pode ser gerada sob diferentes formas e ferramentas. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência de dois Modelos Digitais de Terreno (MDT’s) baseados nos pontos LiDAR e em curvas de nível em um mapeamento de áreas suscetíveis a escorregamentos rasos. Para avaliar os MDT’s, fez-se uso do modelo em base física SHALSTAB. Os testes foram realizados em uma bacia hidrográfica afetada por escorregamentos rasos deflagrados após intensa precipitação, em março de 2011, na área urbana do município de Antonina (PR), na parte Sul da Serra do Mar. Os dados das propriedades físicas do solo necessários foram obtidos no interior de uma das cicatrizes de escorregamento de 2011. No intuito de avaliar o mapa de suscetibilidade, foram comparados os padrões espaciais das classes de instabilidade previstas pelo SHALSTAB com o mapa de cicatrizes. Dentre os resultados foi verificado que um dos índices de validação apresentou melhor performance do MDT derivado do LiDAR, enquanto que no segundo foi constatado uma reduzida diferença entre os MDT’s, sendo que ambos demostraram uma similar distribuição na frequência de classes.Part of the landslide prediction methods in the landscape is mainly based on the topography, which can be generated in different forms and tools. Thus, tis paper aimed to assess the efficiency of two sets of Digital Terrain Model (DTM), based on LiDAR data, and on traditional contour lines in a mapping of areas susceptible to shallow landslides. To evaluate the DTMs, we used the physically based model, SHALSTAB. The tests were carried out in a watershed affected by shallow landslides caused by intensive rainfall during March 2011, in the urban area of Antonina municipality (Parana State), the southern part of the Serra do Mar mountain range. The physical soil properties data needed for the model consisted of two sets of values (literature) measured from 2011 landslide scars. In order to validate the landslide susceptibility maps, we compared the spatial pattern of instability classes predicted by SHALSTAB with the mapped landslide scars. To evaluate the susceptibility map, we compared the spatial patterns of instability classes provided by SHALSTAB with the maps of scars. Among the results, it was verified that in one of the validation indexes presented a better performance of LiDAR-derived DTM, whereas, the second index was identified a small difference between DTMs, also both demonstrated a similar distribution of class frequency

Socio-economic variation in CT scanning in Northern England, 1990-2002

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Socio-economic status is known to influence health throughout life. In childhood, studies have shown increased injury rates in more deprived settings. Socio-economic status may therefore be related to rates of certain medical procedures, such as computed tomography (CT) scans. This study aimed to assess socio-economic variation among young people having CT scans in Northern England between 1990 and 2002 inclusive.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Electronic data were obtained from Radiology Information Systems of all nine National Health Service hospital Trusts in the region. CT scan data, including sex, date of scan, age at scan, number and type of scans were assessed in relation to quintiles of Townsend deprivation scores, obtained from linkage of postcodes with census data, using χ²tests and Spearman rank correlations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the study period, 39,676 scans were recorded on 21,089 patients, with 38,007 scans and 19,485 patients (11344 male and 8132 female) linkable to Townsend scores. The overall distributions of both scans and patients by quintile of Townsend deprivation scores were significantly different to the distributions of Townsend scores from the census wards included in the study (p < 0.0001). There was a significant association between type of scan and deprivation quintile (p < 0.0001), primarily due to the higher proportions of head scans in the three most deprived quintiles, and slightly higher proportions of chest scans and abdomen and pelvis scans in the least deprived groups. There was also a significant association (p < 0.0001) between the patient's age at the time of the CT scan and Townsend deprivation quintiles, with slightly increasing proportions of younger children with increasing deprivation. A similar association with age (p < 0.0001) was seen when restricting the data to include only the first scan of each patient. The number of scans per patient was also associated with Townsend deprivation quintiles (p = 0.014).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Social inequalities exist in the numbers of young people undergoing CT scans with those from deprived areas more likely to do so. This may reflect the rates of injuries in these individuals and implies that certain groups within the population may receive higher radiation doses than others due to medical procedures.</p

Neuroscience of apathy and anhedonia: a transdiagnostic approach

Apathy and anhedonia are common syndromes of motivation that are associated with a wide range of brain disorders and have no established therapies. Research using animal models suggests that a useful framework for understanding motivated behaviour lies in effort-based decision making for reward. The neurobiological mechanisms underpinning such decisions have now begun to be determined in individuals with apathy or anhedonia, providing an important foundation for developing new treatments. The findings suggest that there might be some shared mechanisms between both syndromes. A transdiagnostic approach that cuts across traditional disease boundaries provides a potentially useful means for understanding these conditions

Combination of probiotics and coccidiosis vaccine enhances protection against an Eimeria challenge

Coccidiosis is endemic in the commercial broiler industry capable of inflicting devastating economic losses to poultry operations. Vaccines are relatively effective in controlling the disease; their efficacy could potentially be improved with concurrent use of probiotics as evaluated in this study using an Eimeria challenge. Day of hatch 400 Cobb-500 male broilers were assigned to one of four treatment groups including control (CON), vaccine-only gel application (VNC), probiotic-only gel application (NPC), and vaccine-plus-probiotic gel application (VPC). Birds were placed in floor pens (6 replicate pens/treatment, 16–17 birds/pen). NPC and VPC birds received the probiotics in the water on days 2–4, 8, 14–20, 22, 29, and 34–36. On day 15, birds were mildly challenged with 0.5 mL of a mixed oral inoculum of Eimeria sp. prepared with the coccidiosis vaccine at 10× the vaccination dose. Performance measurements were recorded on first day and weekly afterwards, and lesion scores were evaluated 6 days post-challenge. Overall, the probiotics and coccidiosis vaccine resulted in an enhanced protective effect against the challenge, with VPC birds exhibiting lower lesion scores in the duodenum than VNC or NPC birds. Birds in the VPC treatment also demonstrated higher weight gains during days 1–15, days 7–15, and days 21–28 when compared to the VNC birds. These results suggest that the combination of probiotics and coccidiosis vaccines could enhance performance and provide an additional protective effect against a mixed Eimeria challenge

Review of Remediation Approaches Implemented in Radioactively Contaminated Areas

The chapter aims to summarize different remediation approaches of radionuclide pollutants in water and soil media carried out after decommissioning of nuclear installations worldwide. The attention was focused on different methods of remediation, e.g. natural attenuation, bioremediation, excavating and removing contaminated soil and in situ treatments. The results of radiological assessments of the influence of nuclear cycle facilities in the environment using different modelling approach of the radionuclides transport through the environmental medium are adopted as a useful tool in decision making process applied in remediation of contaminated areas. The current trend in development strategy to support the environmental decision systems for optimization of remediation actions is to use databases on environmental and managerial parameters and radioecological models for the prediction of the effectiveness of remediation measures