Detection of Earthflow Using a GPS and LiDAR Integrated Survey: A Case Study from the Slumgullion Landslide, Lake City, Colorado

The Slumgullion landslide in the San Juan Mountains near Lake City, Colorado has been a natural laboratory for landslide and environmental studies since the early 1900s. The landslide site covers 4.6 square kilometers and consists of an active part which has been moving continuously for about 300 years over an older, much larger, inactive part. We conducted an integrated GPS and LiDAR survey at the landslide site in one-week period from July 3rd to July 10th, 2015, with the primary purpose of delineating short-term ground deformation associated with the earthflow using advanced GPS and LiDAR techniques. A GPS network with twelve semi-permanent stations was set up, including seven stations on the sliding mass and five stations outside the sliding mass. A RIEGL VZ-2000 terrestrial laser scanner was used to collect data in the field. Airborne laser scanning data were collected by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping. We compared different registration methods for datasets acquired by the terrestrial laser scanner. A rapid workflow for field surveying and data processing was developed to generate high-resolution digital terrain models. The movement of the Slumgullion landslide was derived from semi-permanent GPS observations, and two repeated terrestrial laser scanning surveys conducted during the one-week period. A 1.47 cm horizontal daily movement was detected from the GPS observations. We compared different change detection strategies for the LiDAR point clouds measurements. Lateral landslide movements were detected from cloud-to-cloud comparison using the data from terrestrial laser scanning; the accumulated motion ranged from 3 cm to 10 cm during the survey week. The movement measurements derived from GPS and the terrestrial laser scanner agreed well. Our study demonstrates a method of identifying slow earth mass movement using the integration of GPS, terrestrial, and airborne laser scanning datasets. We developed a workflow for terrestrial laser-scanning data processing. Our method could be applied to study landslides in other regions. It is expected that our results will promote the application of GPS and LiDAR techniques in the practice of landslide hazards mitigation.Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department o

Swertiamarin exerts anticancer effects on human cervical cancer cells via induction of apoptosis, inhibition of cell migration and targeting of MEK-ERK pathway

Purpose: To investigate the anticancer effects of swertiamarin against taxol- resistant human cervical cancer cells.Method: Cell viability was investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5–diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay while colony survival was evaluated by clonogenic assay. Apoptotic cell death was assessed by AO/ETBR staining and western blotting techniques. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured using 2,7, dicholoro dihydrofluoresceindiacetate (H2DCFDA) staining.Cell migration and invasion were monitored with Transwell chamber assay. Western blotting assay was used to determine the expression levels of proteins of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway.Results: Swertiamarin induced dose- and time-dependent inhibition of proliferation of HeLa cervical cancer cells (p < 0.05). It also suppressed the colony formation potential of HeLa cells, and induced various structural modifications in HeLa cells. Swertiamarin exposure resulted in the formation of earlyapoptotic, late-apoptotic and necrotic cells, and significant modulation of apoptosis-allied proteins. It was observed that the migration and invasion of HeLa cells were potentially suppressed in dose-reliant fashion by swertiamarin. Western blotting results showed that the expressions of p-MEK and p-ERK were markedly reduced, while those of MEK and ERK were unaffected (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Swertiamarin exerts in vitro anticancer activity against cervical cancer cells (HeLa). Thus, it is promising for use in cervical cancer chemotherapy. However, there is need for confirmation of these findings through further in vivo and in vitro investigations. Keywords: Swertiamarin, Gentianaceae, Triterpene Sapogenin, Cervical canc

The Optimal Strategy against Hedge Algorithm in Repeated Games

This paper aims to solve the optimal strategy against a well-known adaptive algorithm, the Hedge algorithm, in a finitely repeated $2\times 2$ zero-sum game. In the literature, related theoretical results are very rare. To this end, we make the evolution analysis for the resulting dynamical game system and build the action recurrence relation based on the Bellman optimality equation. First, we define the state and the State Transition Triangle Graph (STTG); then, we prove that the game system will behave in a periodic-like way when the opponent adopts the myopic best response. Further, based on the myopic path and the recurrence relation between the optimal actions at time-adjacent states, we can solve the optimal strategy of the opponent, which is proved to be periodic on the time interval truncated by a tiny segment and has the same period as the myopic path. Results in this paper are rigorous and inspiring, and the method might help solve the optimal strategy for general games and general algorithms

Chinese Teachers’ Perceptions on Implementation of CLT in College Business English Class

This qualitative study investigates teachers’ perceptions and challenges of the implementation of Communicative Language Teaching. The participants were nine Business English teachers at a private college in Chengdu, China. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the majority of participants have favourable perceptions of CLT. However, participants mentioned teacher-related challenges, student-related challenges, and policy-related challenges that hinder their implementation of CLT in Business English classes. The findings of this study are beneficial to the field of CLT in China, especially in the English for Specific Purpose context. The recommendations for future studies are discussed

Diplomatic immunities ratione materiae under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations: towards a coherent interpretation

Rules of diplomatic immunity, which nowadays are enshrined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, play an important role in interstate diplomacy because they ensure the efficient performance of diplomatic functions. This thesis investigates a particular form of diplomatic immunity — diplomatic immunity ratione materiae. Unlike diplomatic immunity ratione personae, which pertains to the personal status of a diplomatic agent, diplomatic immunity ratione materiae depends in essence on the official nature of a particular act In practice, however, the determination of diplomatic immunity ratione materiae may meet with many conceptual and practical difficulties. For one, it is not always easy to distinguish the official acts of a diplomatic agent, who represents the sending State in the receiving State, from his or her private acts. In case of disagreement between the two States, questions may also arise as to who has the authority to make a final determination. The Vienna Convention does not offer much guidance on these issues; on the contrary, the Convention complicates them by employing, without adequate explanation, distinct formulas for different kinds of diplomatic immunity ratione materiae. This thesis examines these formulas in detail. On a general level, it is submitted that diplomatic immunity ratione materiae for certain types of activity constitutes not only a procedural bar to court proceedings but also a substantive exemption of individual responsibility. More specifically, it is argued that each formula must be understood in the light of the rationale behind immunity, the type of immunity concerned, and the specific functions or duties performed. In case of controversy, weight should be given to the opinion of the sending State, although the authority to make a decision lies ultimately with the court of the receiving State

The Method of Particular Solutions Using Trigonometric Basis Functions

In this paper, the method of particular solutions (MPS) using trigonometric functions as the basis functions is proposed to solve two-dimensional elliptic partial differential equations. The inhomogeneous term of the governing equation is approximated by Fourier series and the closed-form particular solutions of trigonometric functions are derived using the method of undetermined coefficients. Once the particular solutions for the trigonometric basis functions are derived, the standard MPS can be applied for solving partial differential equations. In comparing with the use of radial basis functions and polynomials in the MPS, our proposed approach provides another simple approach to effectively solving two-dimensional elliptic partial differential equations. Five numerical examples are provided in this paper to validate the merits of the proposed meshless method

Examining the Phenomenon of Juveniles Digital Addiction in Rural China

Digital addiction among China's rural juveniles escalates and hampers the harmony and stability of families and society. This paper investigates digital addiction among rural juveniles in China. Semi-structured interviews selected six relevant respondents in rural Shaanxi Province as samples. The study explores the degree, characteristics, causes, effects, and prevention and control of rural juveniles' digital addiction. The findings reveal the importance of digital literacy education, parent-child cognitive dislocation, and the complexity of rural juveniles' digital addiction. The study has limitations, including its limited research perspective and the need for more typical cases for analysis and discussion. Keywords: Digital addiction; Rural juveniles; Social work; Digital literacy eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER & cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia DOI