Surface uplift and time-dependent seismic hazard due to fluid injection in eastern Texas

Observations that unequivocally link seismicity and wastewater injection are scarce. Here we show that wastewater injection in eastern Texas causes uplift, detectable in radar interferometric data up to >8 kilometers from the wells. Using measurements of uplift, reported injection data, and a poroelastic model, we computed the crustal strain and pore pressure. We infer that an increase of >1 megapascal in pore pressure in rocks with low compressibility triggers earthquakes, including the 4.8–moment magnitude event that occurred on 17 May 2012, the largest earthquake recorded in eastern Texas. Seismic activity increased even while injection rates declined, owing to diffusion of pore pressure from earlier periods with higher injection rates. Induced seismicity potential is suppressed where tight confining formations prevent pore pressure from propagating into crystalline basement rocks

Software modelling languages: A wish list

© 2015 IEEE. Contemporary software engineering modelling tends to rely on general-purpose languages, such as the Unified Modeling Language. However, such languages are practice-based and seldom underpinned with a solid theory-be it mathematical, ontological or concomitant with language use. The future of software modelling deserves research to evaluate whether a language base that is compatible with these various elements as well as being philosophically coherent offers practical advantages to software developers

Evaluation of the Multilook Size in Polarimetric Optimization of Differential SAR Interferograms

The interferometric coherence is a measure of the correlation between two SAR images and constitutes a commonly used estimator of the phase quality. Its estimation requires a spatial average within a 2-D window, usually named as multilook. The multilook processing allows reducing noise at the expenses of a resolution loss. In this letter, we analyze the influence of the multilook size while applying a polarimetric optimization of the coherence. The same optimization algorithm has been carried out with different multilook sizes and also with the nonlocal SAR filter filter, which has the advantage of preserving the original resolution of the interferogram. Our experiments have been carried out with a single pair of quad-polarimetric RADARSAT-2 images mapping the Mount Etna's volcanic eruption of May 2008. Results obtained with this particular data set show that the coherence is increased notably with respect to conventional channels when small multilook sizes are employed, especially over low-vegetated areas. Conversely, very decorrelated areas benefit from larger multilook sizes but do not exhibit an additional improvement with the polarimetric optimization

SIGMAR1 mutation associated with autosomal recessive Silver-like syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To describe the genetic and clinical features of a simplex patient with distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN) and lower limb spasticity (Silver-like syndrome) due to a mutation in the sigma nonopioid intracellular receptor-1 gene (SIGMAR1) and review the phenotypic spectrum of mutations in this gene. METHODS: We used whole-exome sequencing to investigate the proband. The variants of interest were investigated for segregation in the family using Sanger sequencing. Subsequently, a larger cohort of 16 unrelated dHMN patients was specifically screened for SIGMAR1 mutations. RESULTS: In the proband, we identified a homozygous missense variant (c.194T>A, p.Leu65Gln) in exon 2 of SIGMAR1 as the probable causative mutation. Pathogenicity is supported by evolutionary conservation, in silico analyses, and the strong phenotypic similarities with previously reported cases carrying coding sequence mutations in SIGMAR1. No other mutations were identified in 16 additional patients with dHMN. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that coding sequence mutations in SIGMAR1 present clinically with a combination of dHMN and pyramidal tract signs, with or without spasticity, in the lower limbs. Preferential involvement of extensor muscles of the upper limbs may be a distinctive feature of the disease. These observations should be confirmed in future studies

Multimodal analysis of ocular inflammation using the endotoxin-induced uveitis mouse model

Endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in rodents is a model of acute Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated organ inflammation, and has been used to model human anterior uveitis, examine leukocyte trafficking and test novel anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Wider adoption has been limited by the requirement for manual, non-specific, cell-count scoring of histological sections from each eye as a measure of disease severity. Here, we describe a comprehensive and efficient technique that uses ocular dissection and multimodal tissue analysis. This allows matched disease scoring by multicolour flow cytometric analysis of the inflammatory infiltrate, protein analysis on ocular supernatants and qPCR on remnant tissues of the same eye. Dynamic changes in cell populations could be identified and mapped to chemokine and cytokine changes over the course of the model. To validate the technique, dose-responsive suppression of leukocyte infiltration by recombinant interleukin-10 was demonstrated, as well as selective suppression of the monocyte (CD11b+Ly6C+) infiltrate, in mice deficient for eitherCcl2orCcr2 Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used for the first time in this model to allowin vivoimaging of infiltrating vitreous cells, and correlated with CD11b+Ly6G+ counts to provide another unique measure of cell populations in the ocular tissue. Multimodal tissue analysis of EIU is proposed as a new standard to improve and broaden the application of this model

Concept of an Effective Sentinel-1 Satellite SAR Interferometry System

This brief study introduces a partially working concept being developed at IT4Innovations supercomputer (HPC) facility. This concept consists of several modules that form a whole body of an efficient system for observation of terrain or objects displacements using satellite SAR interferometry (InSAR). A metadata database helps to locate data stored in various storages and to perform basic analyzes. A special database has been designed to describe Sentinel-1 data, on its burst level. Custom Sentinel-1 TOPS processing algorithms allow an injection of coregistered bursts into the database. Once the area of interest is set and basic processing parameters are given, the selected data are merged and processed by the Persistent Scatterers (PS) InSAR method or an optimized Small Baselines (SB) InSAR derivative. Depending on the expected deliverables, the processing results can be post-analyzed using a custom approach, in order to achieve a set of reliable measurement points. Final results can be post-processed and visualized using a custom GIS toolbox, consisting in open-source GIS functionality. The GIS post-processing is enforced by HPC power as well. To demonstrate the practical applicability of the described system, a subsidence area in Konya city, Turkey is used as the study area for Sentinel-1 InSAR evaluation

Hemorrhagic Shock Caused by Rupture of an Intra-Abdominal Leydig Cell Tumour: Case Report

The rupture of an intra-abdominal testicular neoplasm is a rare cause of acute abdomen and massive intra-abdominal haemorrhage. We report the case of a 70-year-old male presenting a massive intra-abdominal bleeding caused by a Leydig cell tumour in an undescended testis. The clinical details and pathology of this rare testicular tumour are discussed