A user-oriented methodology for DInSAR time series analysis and interpretation: landslides and subsidence case studies

Recent advances in multi-temporal Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Interferometry (DInSAR) have greatly improved our capability to monitor geological processes. Ground motion studies using DInSAR require both the availability of good quality input data and rigorous approaches to exploit the retrieved Time Series (TS) at their full potential. In this work we present a methodology for DInSAR TS analysis, with particular focus on landslides and subsidence phenomena. The proposed methodology consists of three main steps: (1) pre-processing, i.e., assessment of a SAR Dataset Quality Index (SDQI) (2) post-processing, i.e., application of empirical/stochastic methods to improve the TS quality, and (3) trend analysis, i.e., comparative implementation of methodologies for automatic TS analysis. Tests were carried out on TS datasets retrieved from processing of SAR imagery acquired by different radar sensors (i.e., ERS-1/2 SAR, RADARSAT-1, ENVISAT ASAR, ALOS PALSAR, TerraSAR-X, COSMO-SkyMed) using advanced DInSAR techniques (i.e., SqueeSAR™, PSInSAR™, SPN and SBAS). The obtained values of SDQI are discussed against the technical parameters of each data stack (e.g., radar band, number of SAR scenes, temporal coverage, revisiting time), the retrieved coverage of the DInSAR results, and the constraints related to the characterization of the investigated geological processes. Empirical and stochastic approaches were used to demonstrate how the quality of the TS can be improved after the SAR processing, and examples are discussed to mitigate phase unwrapping errors, and remove regional trends, noise and anomalies. Performance assessment of recently developed methods of trend analysis (i.e., PS-Time, Deviation Index and velocity TS) was conducted on two selected study areas in Northern Italy affected by land subsidence and landslides. Results show that the automatic detection of motion trends enhances the interpretation of DInSAR data, since it provides an objective picture of the deformation behaviour recorded through TS and therefore contributes to the understanding of the on-going geological processes

A 3000-year-old copper mask: archaeometalurgical analysis and regional comparisons

En este artículo presentamos una máscara del noroeste de Argentina que es uno de los objetos de cobre más antiguos de la región andina. Damos a conocer sus particulares condiciones de hallazgo y los fechados radiocarbónicos asociados. Informamos también los resultados de los análisis arqueometalúrgicos efectuados sobre ella. Este hallazgo se enmarca en el contexto de las evidencias tempranas de metalurgia de cobre en el área andina. Debido a que se trata del único caso conocido en la literatura especializada de una máscara de cobre tan antigua, la comparamos con ejemplares de máscaras arqueológicas confeccionadas en otros materiales del Noroeste Argentino.In this article we present one of the earliest copper objects known in the Andes, a mask recovered in Northwestern Argentina. We report the particular conditions of find, radiocarbon datings, and the results of the archaeometalurgical analyses performed. This find is framed within the context of early copper metallurgy in the Andean region. Owing to the fact that it is the only known case of a copper mask, we compare it with other archaeological masks made from different raw materials found in Northwestern Argentina.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Pequeños mundos: hábitat, maneras de hacer y afinidades en aldeas del valle del Cajón, Catamarca

Entendiendo el paisaje como resultado de las tareas cotidianas del habitar, las investigaciones llevadas a cabo en los sitios de Cardonal y Bordo Marcial permiten pensar el mundo de relaciones que dio sentido a las maneras de hacer en la vida cotidiana durante los primeros siglos de la Era Cristiana en el valle del Cajón (Catamarca, Argentina). Se discuten las evidencias recuperadas a partir de la excavación de áreas de vivienda en uno de estos sitios, y su articulación con aquellos otros lugares dedicados a tareas productivas y funerarias que, en conjunto, conforman el paisaje habitado y una trama de relaciones histórica y localmente significativa. Los resultados hasta ahora obtenidos avalan una imagen compleja de los inicios del primer milenio d.C., de comunidades aldeanas insertas en una red de relaciones y referencias a otros lugares y tiempos relevantes.If landscape is understood as the result of the daily tasks of living, the research carried out in the sites of Cardonal and Bordo Marcial allows to start thinking about the world of relations that gave sense to the ways of doing in the daily life of those who inhabited the Cajón valley (Catamarca, Argentina) during the first centuries of the Christian Era. Evidences recovered during the excavation of dwelling areas in one of these sites are discussed in relation to other places destined towards productive and funerary actions that altogether gave form to the inhabited landscape and to a plot of relations of local and historical significance. Current results sustain a complex image of the beginning of the first millennium AD, one of village communities inserted in a network of relations and references to other relevant places and times.Sociedad Argentina de Antropologí

Pequeños mundos: hábitat, maneras de hacer y afinidades en aldeas del valle del Cajón, Catamarca

Entendiendo el paisaje como resultado de las tareas cotidianas del habitar, las investigaciones llevadas a cabo en los sitios de Cardonal y Bordo Marcial permiten pensar el mundo de relaciones que dio sentido a las maneras de hacer en la vida cotidiana durante los primeros siglos de la Era Cristiana en el valle del Cajón (Catamarca, Argentina). Se discuten las evidencias recuperadas a partir de la excavación de áreas de vivienda en uno de estos sitios, y su articulación con aquellos otros lugares dedicados a tareas productivas y funerarias que, en conjunto, conforman el paisaje habitado y una trama de relaciones histórica y localmente significativa. Los resultados hasta ahora obtenidos avalan una imagen compleja de los inicios del primer milenio d.C., de comunidades aldeanas insertas en una red de relaciones y referencias a otros lugares y tiempos relevantes.If landscape is understood as the result of the daily tasks of living, the research carried out in the sites of Cardonal and Bordo Marcial allows to start thinking about the world of relations that gave sense to the ways of doing in the daily life of those who inhabited the Cajón valley (Catamarca, Argentina) during the first centuries of the Christian Era. Evidences recovered during the excavation of dwelling areas in one of these sites are discussed in relation to other places destined towards productive and funerary actions that altogether gave form to the inhabited landscape and to a plot of relations of local and historical significance. Current results sustain a complex image of the beginning of the first millennium AD, one of village communities inserted in a network of relations and references to other relevant places and times.Sociedad Argentina de Antropologí

High prevalence of papillary thyroid carcinoma in nodular Hashimoto's thyroiditis at the first diagnosis and during the follow-up

Background: The association between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains to be elucidated. Materials and methods: A total of 484 HT patients were retrospectively subdivided into two groups: 243 without thyroid nodules, TNs (HTN−) and 241 with TNs (HTN+). Fine-needle aspiration cytology was available in 152 HTN+ patients. This group was compared to a group of 161 patients with nodular goiter (NG) without HT. Finally, 70 HTN+ and 37 NG patients underwent surgery. Results: A very high prevalence of suspicious/malignant cytology (Thy 4–5) at the first diagnosis (38/124; 31%) and during the follow-up (6/28; 22%) was found in HTN+ group. In HTN- group, 22/130 (17%) patients developed TN, but none showed malignant features during the follow-up. HTN+ patients had higher prevalence of Thy 4–5 (44/152 = 28.9%) compared to NG patients (12/161 = 7.4%, p 1.0 μUI/ml, [OR 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.41–2.64, p < 0.0001], male sex (OR 3.44, CI 1.48–8.02, p = 0.004) and HT (OR 3.14; CI 1.08–9.31, p < 0.05). Malignant histology (mostly PTC) was confirmed higher in HTN+ (48/70, 68.6%) compared to NG (15/37, 40.5%; p < 0.05). Higher prevalence of extrathyroidal infiltration (24/48, 50%) and vascular invasion (25/48, 52%) was found in HTN+ vs NG (2/15, 1.3% p < 0.01), (3/16, 1.8% p < 0.05), respectively. Conclusions: This study confirms higher prevalence of suspicious/malignant cytology and PTC at histology in nodular HT compared to NG, without evidence of malignancy in non-nodular HT patients during the follow-up

UNA MÁSCARA DE COBRE DE TRES MIL AÑOS: ESTUDIOS ARQUEOMETALÚRGICOS Y COMPARACIONES REGIONALES A 3000-YEAR-OLD COPPER MASK: ARCHAEOMETALURGICAL ANALYSIS AND REGIONAL COMPARISONS

En este artículo presentamos una máscara del noroeste de Argentina que es uno de los objetos de cobre más antiguos de la región andina. Damos a conocer sus particulares condiciones de hallazgo y los fechados radiocarbónicos asociados. Informamos también los resultados de los análisis arqueometalúrgicos efectuados sobre ella. Este hallazgo se enmarca en el contexto de las evidencias tempranas de metalurgia de cobre en el área andina. Debido a que se trata del único caso conocido en la literatura especializada de una máscara de cobre tan antigua, la comparamos con ejemplares de máscaras arqueológicas confeccionadas en otros materiales del Noroeste Argentino.In the article we present one of the earliest copper objects known in the Andes, a mask recovered in Northwestern Argentina. We report the particular conditions of find, radiocarbon dating, and the results of the archaeometalurgical analyses performed. This find is framed within the context of early copper metallurgy in the Andean region. Owing to the fact that it is the only known case of a copper mask, we compare it with other archaeological masks made from different raw materials found in Northwestern Argentina

An application of the SBAS-DInSAR technique for the assessment of structural damage in the city of Rome

The remote sensing technique known as Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Interferometry (DInSAR) allows the detection and monitoring of ground settlements, by generating deformation velocity maps and displacement time-series having centimeter to millimeter accuracy. These measurements can contribute to the evaluation of the structural conditions of the constructions. Given the settlements, different approaches exist for the assessment of the structural damage, ranging from empirical estimates to detailed finite element calculations. In this work, we integrate the results of a DInSAR analysis with an intermediate semi-empirical model to investigate three buildings located in the southern part of the city of Rome. The model, originally proposed by Finno et al. [(2005). ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 131(10), 1199–1210], considers each building as an equivalent laminated beam, where the layers represent the floors and the core material reproduces the infill walls. The results obtained by the model have been compared to the damages observed on the buildings, showing a good agreement and demonstrating that the proposed approach represents an effective and, at the same time, simple assessment tool for rapidly evaluating the conditions of several structures

Universal determination of microsatellite instability using BAT26 as a single marker in an Argentine colorectal cancer cohort

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a hallmark tool for Lynch syndrome (LS) screening and a prognostic marker for sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). In regions with limited resources and scarce CRC molecular characterization as South America, the implementation of universal MSI screening is under debate for both its purposes. We sought to estimate the frequency of BAT26 in colorectal adenocarcinomas and to determine associated clinical and histological features. Consecutive patients from a CRC registry were included. BAT26 determination was performed in all cases; if instability was found, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and BRAF mutation analyses were done, as appropriate. Differences were assessed by chi-squared or Fisher’s exact test, or by T test or Mann–Whitney. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with BAT26-unstable tumors. We included 155 patients; mean age was 65.6 (SD 14.4) and 56.1% were male. The frequency of BAT26-unstable tumors was 22% (95% CI 15.7–29.3). Factors independently associated with BAT26-unstable tumors were right colon localization (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.3–8.7), histological MSI features (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.9–13.6) and Amsterdam criteria (OR 23.2, 95% CI 1.9–286.7). IHC was altered in 85.3% BAT26-unstable tumors and 70.6% lacked MLH1 expression; 47.8% of these harbored BRAF V600E mutation. We provide evidence to link the frequency of BAT26 to an increased diagnostic yield (up to 1.4-folds) of suspected LS cases in comparison to the revised Bethesda guidelines alone. In regions with limited resources, clinical and histological features associated with BAT26-unstable status could be useful to direct MSI screening in sporadic CRCs and may help guide clinical care and future research.Fil: González, María Laura. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Causada Calo, Natalia. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. McMaster University; CanadáFil: Santino, Juan Pablo. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Dominguez Valentin, Mev. The Norwegian Radium Hospital; NoruegaFil: Ferro, Fabiana Alejandra. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Sammartino, Inés. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Kalfayan, Pablo Germán. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Verzura, Maria Alicia. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Piñero, Tamara Lejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Cajal, Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Pavicic, Walter Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Vaccaro, Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Hospital Italiano; Argentin