Long-term hydrogeophysical monitoring of the internal conditions of river levees

To evaluate the vulnerability of the earthen levee of an irrigation canal in San Giacomo delle Segnate, Italy, a customized electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) monitoring system was installed in September 2015 and has been continuously operating since then. Thanks to a meteorological station deployed at the study site, we could investigate the relationship between the inverted resistivity values and different parameters, namely air temperature, rainfall and water level in the canal. Air temperature seems to have a minor but not negligible influence on resistivity variations, especially at shallow depth. A model of soil temperature versus depth was used to correct resistivity sections for air temperature variations through the different seasons. Changes of the water level in the canal and rainfall significantly affect measured resistivity values. At the study site, the most important variations of resistivity are related to saturation and dewatering processes in the irrigation periods. Although we explored the effect of drawdown procedures on resistivity data, this process, causing rapid variations of resistivity values, is still not completely understood because the canal is rapidly emptied during rainfall events. Therefore, the effect of variations of the water level in the canal on levee resistivity cannot be distinguished from the effect of rainfalls. To study the effect of water level variations alone, we considered the beginning of the irrigation period when the dry canal is gradually filled and we observed a smooth trend of resistivity changes. The effect of rainfall on the data was studied during different periods of the year and at different depths of the levee so that the resistivity variations could be evaluated under different conditions. To convert the inverted resistivity sections into water content maps, an empirical and site-dependent relationship between resistivity and water content was obtained using core samples. Water content data can then be used for the implementation of stability analysis using custom modeling. This study introduces an efficient technique to monitor earthen levees and to control the evolution of seepage and water saturation in pseudo-real time. Such a technique can be exploited by Public Administrations to reduce hydrogeological risks significantly

Dataset of immune responses induced in swine by an inactivated Porcine Circovirus 2b vaccine

A whole virus, inactivated, Porcine Circovirus 2b (PCV2b) vaccine was submitted to a quantal assay of potency, as explained in detail in our companion paper [1]. To this purpose, twenty, 45-day old piglets, checked for maternally-derived antibody (MDA), were allocated to four groups of 5 animals each; these were vaccinated with 800/266/88/0 nanograms, respectively, of an inactivated PCV2b strain, consisting of two distinct virion populations. Twenty-six days later, all the pigs were challenged intranasally with the homologous PCV2b strain. In the presence of a clear dose-dependent protection in terms of viremia, no such effect was observed in terms of weight gain after challenge. The 800 and 266-ng payloads were associated with neutralizing antibody titers above the MDA levels in oral fluids. Higher levels of viremia in control and 88-ng groups [1] coincided with a higher Natural Killer activity of tracheobronchial lymph node cells from PCV2-infected pigs. The PCV2 ORF2-specific ELISPOT assay for IFN-g– secreting cells showed very few (2–4) ORF2-specific cells/105 peripheral blood mononuclear cells beyond the basal levels under our experimental conditions (non-significant differences among groups). Also, no significant differences were observed in the degree of lymphoid tissue hyperplasia among the different groups

Geoelectrical characterization and monitoring of slopes on a rainfall-triggered landslide simulator

In this paper, we present the results of time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) monitoring of rainfall-triggered shallow landslides reproduced on a laboratory-scale physical model. The main objective of our experiments was to monitor rainwater infiltration through landslide body in order to improve our understanding of the precursors of failure. Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) data were also acquired to obtain the volumetric water content. Knowing the porosity, water saturation was calculated from the volumetric water content and we could calibrate Archie's equation to calculate water saturation maps from inverted resistivity values. Time-lapse ERT images proved to be effective in monitoring the hydrogeological conditions of the slope as well as in detecting the development of fracture zones before collapse. We performed eight laboratory tests and the results show that the landslide body becomes unstable at zones where the water saturation exceeds 45%. It was also observed that instability could occur at the boundaries between areas with different water saturations. Our study shows that time-lapse ERT technique can be employed to monitor the hydrogeological conditions of landslide bodies and the monitoring strategy could be extended to field-scale applications in areas prone to the development of shallow landslides

Generation of donor-specific T regulatory type 1 cells from patients on dialysis for cell therapy after kidney transplantation

Background. Tregulatory type 1 (Tr1) cell-mediated induction of tolerance in preclinicalmodels of transplantation is remarkably effective. The clinical application of such a therapy in patients on dialysis undergoing kidney transplantation should take into account the possible alterations of the immune systemobserved in these patients. Herein, we aimed at testing the ability to generate donor-specific Tr1 cell-enriched lymphocytes from patients on dialysis on the waiting list for kidney transplantation. Methods. The Tr1 cell-enriched lymphocytes were generated by coculturing interleukin-10-producing dendritic cells obtained from healthy donors with peripheral bloodmononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients on dialysis, following the same protocol used in a previous cell therapy clinical trial to prevent graft-versus-host disease. Alternatively, purified CD4+ Tcells were used instead of total PBMCs. The ability to generate clinical-grade Tr1 cell-enriched products was defined by testing the reduced response to restimulation withmature dendritic cells generated fromthe original donor (i.e., anergy assay). Results. The Tr1 cell-enrichedmedicinal products generated from PBMCs of patients on dialysis showed a low anergic phenotype, incompatible with their eventual clinical application. This was irrespective of HLA matching with the donor or the intrinsically reduced ability to proliferate in response to alloantigens. On the contrary, the use of purified CD4+ T cells isolated from patients on dialysis led to the generation of a highly anergic donor-specific medicinal product containing an average of 10% Tr1 cells. Conclusions. The Tr1 cell-enriched medicinal products can be efficiently generated from patients on dialysis by carefully tailoring the protocol on the patients' immunological characteristics

Neutron Tomography at INES: First experimental results

A neutron tomography apparatus has been designed and installed at the Italian neutron experimental station (INES) at ISIS (UK). The instrument has a double aim: an additional opportunity for the INES users and a “bench test” for an instrument component that will be proposed for installation on some of the new neutron scattering instruments of Target Station 2 (TS2) of ISIS. Here, we present the first experimental results achieved with this apparatus

Role of computed tomography coronary angiography in the management of coronary anomalies

Congenital abnormalities of coronary arteries are an uncommon cause of sudden cardiac death and are difficult to detect at coronary angiography. We describe two patients with acute coronary syndrome and non-occlusive coronary artery disease in which a 64-multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography showed the presence of a malignant coronary anomaly. Sixty-four-MDCT with the possibility of 3D reconstructions allows for easier diagnosis of coronary anomalies and provides essential details necessary for operative intervention

CT-MRI LI-RADS v2017: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deceases worldwide. Early diagnosis is essential for correct management and improvement of prognosis. Proposed for the first time in 2011 and updated for the last time in 2017, the Liver Imaging-Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) is a comprehensive system for standardized interpretation and reporting of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) liver examinations, endorsed by the American College of Radiology to achieve congruence with HCC diagnostic criteria in at-risk populations. Understanding its algorithm is fundamental to correctly apply LI-RADS in clinical practice. In this pictorial review, we provide a guide for beginners, explaining LI-RADS indications, describing major and ancillary features and eventually elucidating the diagnostic algorithm with the use of some clinical examples