scholarly journals Non-Invasive Methodological Approach to Detect and Characterize High-Risk Sinkholes in Urban Cover Evaporite Karst: Integrated Reflection Seismics, PS-InSAR, Leveling, 3D-GPR and Ancillary Data. A NE Italian Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 3814
Author(s):  
Alice Busetti ◽  
Chiara Calligaris ◽  
Emanuele Forte ◽  
Giulia Areggi ◽  
Arianna Mocnik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Ancillary Data ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Evaporite Karst ◽  
Ne Italy ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Reflection Seismics ◽  
3D Gpr

Sinkholes linked to cover evaporite karst in urban environments still represent a challenge in terms of their clear identification and mapping considering the rehash and man-made structures. In the present research, we have proposed and tested a methodology to identify the subsiding features through an integrated and non-invasive multi-scale approach combining seismic reflection, PS-InSAR (PSI), leveling and full 3D Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), and thus overpassing the limits of each method. The analysis was conducted in a small village in the Alta Val Tagliamento Valley (Friuli Venezia Giulia region, NE Italy). Here, sinkholes have been reported for a long time as well as the hazards linked to their presence. Within past years, several houses have been demolished and at present many of them are damaged. The PSI investigation allowed the identification of an area with higher vertical velocities; seismic reflection imagined the covered karst bedrock, identifying three depocenters; leveling data presented a downward displacement comparable with PSI results; 3D GPR, applied here for the first time in the study and characterization of sinkholes, defined shallow sinking features. Combining all the obtained results with accurate field observations, we identified and mapped the highest vulnerable zone.

Integrated reflection seismics, 3D-GPR, leveling, DInSAR to detect and characterize high-risk sinkholes in urban cover evaporite karst. A NE Italian case study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Busetti ◽  
Chiara Calligaris ◽  
Emanuele Forte ◽  
Giulia Areggi ◽  
Arianna Mocnik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Karst Environment ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Evaporite Karst ◽  
Ne Italy ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Reflection Seismics ◽  
3D Gpr ◽  
Covered Karst

<p>Sinkholes linked to cover evaporite karst in urban environments still represent a challenge in terms of clear identification and mapping considering the anthropic rehash and the presence of man-made structures.</p><p>We propose and tested a methodology to identify the subsiding features in an urban area within a cover evaporite karst environment, through an integrated and non-invasive multi-scale approach combining seismic reflection, DInSAR, leveling and full 3D GPR.</p><p>The analysis was conducted in a small village in the Tagliamento valley (Friuli Venezia Giulia region, NE Italy) named Quinis, where sinkholes are reported since a long time as well as the hazard linked to their presence: within the years, several houses have been demolished and at present many of them are damaged.</p><p>First we applied each methodology independently and after we compared, combined and integrated them to obtain more coherent and cross-validates results. Seismic reflection imagined the covered karst bedrock identifying three depocenters; DInSAR investigation allowed to identify an area with higher vertical velocities; leveling data presented a downward displacement comparable with DInSAR results; 3D GPR, applied here for the first time in the study and characterization of sinkholes, clearly defined shallow sinking features imaging also under a shallow dense pipe network. Combining all the obtained results with accurate field observations we identified and map the highest vulnerable zones.</p><p>The final result is the combining of the geophysical, DInSAR and leveling information, while also locating the damaged buildings, the local asphalt pavement breaks or renovation and the buildings which are nowadays demolished, by using vintage photographs and historical maps. The data are consistent, being the most relevant present damages and the demolished building within the zones with higher sinking velocity on the base of both leveling and DInSAR. Geophysically imaged depocenters lie within the most critical area and perfectly correlate with the local pavement damages.</p><p>In a complex geological and hydrological framework, as in the study area, a multidisciplinary and multi-scale approach is mandatory to identify and map the zone most affected by sinking phenomena. While punctual data such as borehole stratigraphy, local groundwater level variations with time, extensometers measurements and geotechnical parameters are useful to highlight local hazard due to occurring deformation, the proposed integrated methodology addresses a complete and quantitative assessment of the vulnerability of the area. It’s fundamental, especially in anthropized environments, using different integrated techniques, without forgetting the role of the fieldwork of the geologists who can detect the precursors or already occurred, even elusive, signs of the ongoing or incipient sinking.</p>

scholarly journals Two Reliable Methodical Approaches for Non-Invasive RHD Genotyping of a Fetus from Maternal Plasma

Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 564
Author(s):  
Jana Bohmova ◽  
Marek Lubusky ◽  
Iva Holuskova ◽  
Martina Studnickova ◽  
Romana Kratochvilova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Maternal Plasma ◽  
Buccal Swab ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Pcr Method ◽  
Parallel Reactions

Noninvasive fetal RHD genotyping is an important tool for predicting RhD incompatibility between a pregnant woman and a fetus. This study aimed to assess a methodological approach other than the commonly used one for noninvasive fetal RHD genotyping on a representative set of RhD-negative pregnant women. The methodology must be accurate, reliable, and broadly available for implementation into routine clinical practice. A total of 337 RhD-negative pregnant women from the Czech Republic region were tested in this study. The fetal RHD genotype was assessed using two methods: real-time PCR and endpoint quantitative fluorescent (QF) PCR. We used exon-7-specific primers from the RHD gene, along with internal controls. Plasma samples were analyzed and measured in four/two parallel reactions to determine the accuracy of the RHD genotyping. The RHD genotype was verified using DNA analysis from a newborn buccal swab. Both methods showed an excellent ability to predict the RHD genotype. Real-time PCR achieved its greatest accuracy of 98.6% (97.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity (95% CI)) if all four PCRs were positive/negative. The QF PCR method also achieved its greatest accuracy of 99.4% (100% sensitivity and 98.6% specificity (95% CI)) if all the measurements were positive/negative. Both real-time PCR and QF PCR were reliable methods for precisely assessing the fetal RHD allele from the plasma of RhD-negative pregnant women.

scholarly journals A Methodological Approach for the Assessment of Potentially Buildable Land for Tax Purposes: The Italian Case Study

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Battisti ◽  
Orazio Campo ◽  
Fabiana Forte
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Actual Condition ◽  
Real Property ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Virtual Qualification

According to Italian legislation for a particular type of real property—lands/areas subject to buildability, but not yet currently buildable—there is a problem related to their “qualification”, or whether or not they must be considered buildable for the purposes of their recurrent taxation. These potentially buildable (POBU) areas, that were previously zoned as “agricultural”, have been rezoned as “general urban planning instruments/regulations” (the General Urban Development Plans or variances, which regulate land governance), whose approval path has yet to be concluded. Their value—the taxable base underpinning their taxation—clearly depends on their qualification (whether or not they are considered buildable). This has produced, in recent years, several disputes between owners and local governments; the law did not give univocal solutions: Today (2019), there is a conflict of case law in relation to considering these areas as being building areas, as it is not clear what estimating procedures should be used. This article is thus based on the assumption that responding to the problems connected with taxing POBU areas must be considered separately from (overcoming, in this way, conflicting case law) the “virtual” qualification of agricultural or buildable area, but must instead, and more simply, be considered as the actual condition it is found in (likelihood of having building potential in the future), and therefore its limitations (present at the time of taxation) and the time necessary for the building to actually be built and not just “potential”. The approach proposed in this article thus offers a solution to the problem that has been raised, by modifying the current de jure approach (defining the moment when the building right is manifested) towards an assessment/appraisal approach (defining the value of the potentially buildable (POBU) area, in relation to its actual conditions). To implement this approach, a methodology—proposing an upgrade of the traditional analytic procedure for the assessment of transformation value has been structured in a way such that consideration may be made of the components characterizing the potentially buildable areas by means of appropriate assessment parameters that go towards forming these areas’ value: These are the market value discount rate of the POBU area in relation to the uncertainty and risk of reaching effective and concrete buildability, and the estimated time needed to complete the procedural path for making the area actually buildable.

scholarly journals Advances in portable sensing for urban environments: Understanding cities from a mobility perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Birenboim ◽  
Marco Helbich ◽  
Mei-Po Kwan
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Mobile Sensors ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Study Designs

Portable sensing, in which lightweight mobile sensors are used to measure stimuli, events, and human behavior, is a new and disruptive data collection paradigm. It has several methodological advantages compared to traditional methods and is suitable for investigating the dynamism of increasingly mobile and urban societies. In this article, we discuss the motivations behind the use of portable sensing and reflect upon the advances, limitations, and future of the field. Although portable sensing is still in its infancy, we foresee that its utilization will grow in the coming years. For portable sensing to become a prevalent and legitimate methodological approach, it is essential to have conceptually strong study designs that are grounded in suitable ethical procedures and comply with data protection regulations.

scholarly journals Morphological Stability of Rural Populations Confirms Their Use As Controls in Urban Ecology Studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Regacho ◽  
Javier delBarco-Trillo
Keyword(s):  
Urban Ecology ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Rodent Species ◽  
Rural Populations ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Urban Populations ◽  
Morphological Asymmetry

Abstract The expansion of urban environments and how animals may be affected by them are being increasingly investigated, leading to a surge in urban ecology studies. Many urban ecology studies involve a direct comparison between rural and urban populations, or the use of urban gradients along a continuum from rural to urban areas. The implicit, although not properly investigated, assumption in these rural vs urban comparisons is that the rural populations offer a control that represents a lack of the anthropogenic stressors affecting the urban populations. Here we used museum skulls from 14 rodent species to conduct two separate studies, measuring fluctuating asymmetry (FA) as a proxy of developmental stress to assess the effect of anthropogenic disturbance. First, we compared urban and rural specimens of house mice (Mus musculus) to validate our methodological approach. Second, we compared rural specimens from 14 rodent species collected during the last two centuries across Austria. We hypothesised that FA in rural populations has not increased over the last two centuries, which would support the use of rural populations as a proper control in rural vs urban comparisons. We found higher morphological asymmetry in urban populations of Mus musculus compared to rural populations, which is consistent with similar studies in other species. However, we did not find any significant increase in FA over time in rural populations for any of the studied species. This supports the common practice of using rural populations as a control in rural vs urban comparisons when assessing the effects of urbanisation.

scholarly journals Omics-based Biomarkers for the Early Alzheimer Disease Diagnosis and Reliable Therapeutic Targets Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 630-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Peña-Bautista ◽  
Miguel Baquero ◽  
Máximo Vento ◽  
Consuelo Cháfer-Pericás
Keyword(s):  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Cholesterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Symptomatic Relief ◽  
Disease Diagnosis ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Micro Rnas ◽  
Potential Biomarkers

Background:Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in adulthood, has great medical, social, and economic impact worldwide. Available treatments result in symptomatic relief, and most of them are indicated from the early stages of the disease. Therefore, there is an increasing body of research developing accurate and early diagnoses, as well as diseasemodifying therapies.Objective:Advancing the knowledge of AD physiopathological mechanisms, improving early diagnosis and developing effective treatments from omics-based biomarkers.Methods:Studies using omics technologies to detect early AD, were reviewed with a particular focus on the metabolites/lipids, micro-RNAs and proteins, which are identified as potential biomarkers in non-invasive samples.Results:This review summarizes recent research on metabolomics/lipidomics, epigenomics and proteomics, applied to early AD detection. Main research lines are the study of metabolites from pathways, such as lipid, amino acid and neurotransmitter metabolisms, cholesterol biosynthesis, and Krebs and urea cycles. In addition, some microRNAs and proteins (microglobulins, interleukins), related to a common network with amyloid precursor protein and tau, have been also identified as potential biomarkers. Nevertheless, the reproducibility of results among studies is not good enough and a standard methodological approach is needed in order to obtain accurate information.Conclusion:The assessment of metabolomic/lipidomic, epigenomic and proteomic changes associated with AD to identify early biomarkers in non-invasive samples from well-defined participants groups will potentially allow the advancement in the early diagnosis and improvement of therapeutic interventions.

scholarly journals DIVERSITY MEASURES AND QUALITY OF BANKS’ BOARDS: THE ITALIAN CASE

2018 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
pp. 1850009
Author(s):  
ROSSELLA LOCATELLI ◽  
CRISTIANA SCHENA ◽  
ALESSANDRA TANDA ◽  
ANDREA USELLI
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Improve Quality ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Qualitative Level ◽  
Regulatory Approach ◽  
Mutual Banks ◽  
The Relationship

Most of the studies in corporate governance in banks and other types of firms investigate board diversity and quality separately, without considering the possible relationship between these two. To fill this gap, this study investigates through a new methodological approach the level of quality and diversity of the boards of a sample of Italian banks using a proprietary hand-collected database; in addition, it examines the relationship between diversity and quality of boards to verify whether more diversity consistently relates to higher quality, in accordance with the regulatory approach. Evidence shows that especially small and mutual banks need to improve quality and diversity, as they probably suffer from their limited attractiveness to top profile directors. Moreover, on analyzing interrelations we find evidence of a positive association between board diversity and quality. In particular, financial skills and experience of directors improve the qualitative level of banking boards.

Governing Patients' Mobility to Pursue Public Value

2018 ◽  
pp. 276-299
Author(s):  
Francesca Costanza
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Causal Structure ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Public Value ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
And Performance

This chapter combines traditional performance management and system dynamics simulation modelling to address patients' mobility issues and pursue public value. The Italian case study is a first illustration of travelling flows' causal structure; however, the perspective is to introduce such methodological approach also at European level. After a literature review about the main factors inducing healthcare mobility, the phenomenon is explored in light of public management theories. Then, a model portrays the causal structure of the phenomenon in terms of system dynamics and performance management items. There follows a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications of the study, as well as ideas and issues for next research steps.

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