ALART: A novel lidar system for vegetation height retrieval from space

We propose a multi-kHz Single-Photon Counting (SPC) space LIDAR, exploiting low energy pulses with high repetition frequency (PRF). The high PRF allows one to overcome the low signal limitations, as many return shots can be collected from nearly the same scattering area. The ALART space instrument exhibits a multi-beam design, providing height retrieval over a wide area and terrain slope measurements. This novel technique, working with low SNRs, allows multiple beam generation with a single laser, limiting mass and power consumption. As the receiver has a certain probability to detect multiple photons from different levels of canopy, a histogram is constructed and used to retrieve the properties of the target tree, by means of a modal decomposition of the reconstructed waveform. A field demonstrator of the ALART space instrument is currently being developed by a European consortium led by cosine | measurement systems and funded by ESA under the TRP program. The demonstrator requirements have been derived to be representative of the target instrument and it will be tested in an equipped tower in woodland areas in the Netherlands. The employed detectors are state-of-the-art CMOS Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) matrices with 1024 pixels. Each pixel is independently equipped with an integrated Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC), achieving a timing accuracy that is much lower than the SPAD dead time, resulting in a distance resolution in the centimeter range. The instrument emits nanosecond laser pulses with energy on the order of several J, at a PRF of ~ 10 kHz, and projects on ground a three-beams pattern. An extensive field measurement campaign will validate the employed technologies and algorithms for vegetation height retrieval

Why laparoscopists may opt for three-dimensional view: a summary of the full HTA report on 3D versus 2D laparoscopy by S.I.C.E. (Società Italiana di Chirurgia Endoscopica e Nuove Tecnologie)

Background: Three-dimensional view in laparoscopic general, gynaecologic and urologic surgery is an efficient, safe and sustainable innovation. The present paper is an extract taken from a full health technology assessment report on three-dimensional vision technology compared with standard two-dimensional laparoscopic systems. Methods: A health technology assessment approach was implemented in order to investigate all the economic, social, ethical and organisational implications related to the adoption of the innovative three-dimensional view. With the support of a multi-disciplinary team, composed of eight experts working in Italian hospitals and Universities, qualitative and quantitative data were collected, by means of literature evidence, validated questionnaire and self-reported interviews, applying a final MCDA quantitative approach, and considering the dimensions resulting from the EUnetHTA Core Model. Results: From systematic search of literature, we retrieved the following studies: 9 on general surgery, 35 on gynaecology and urology, both concerning clinical setting. Considering simulated setting we included: 8 studies regarding pitfalls and drawbacks, 44 on teaching, 12 on surgeons’ confidence and comfort and 34 on surgeons’ performances. Three-dimensional laparoscopy was shown to have advantages for both the patients and the surgeons, and is confirmed to be a safe, efficacious and sustainable vision technology. Conclusions: The objective of the present paper, under the patronage of Italian Society of Endoscopic Surgery, was achieved in that there has now been produced a scientific report, based on a HTA approach, that may be placed in the hands of surgeons and used to support the decision-making process of the health providers

Adaptive Detection of Point-like Targets in Spectrally Symmetric Interference

We address adaptive radar detection of targets embedded in ground clutter dominated environments characterized by a symmetrically structured power spectral density. At the design stage, we leverage on the spectrum symmetry for the interference to come up with decision schemes capable of capitalizing the a-priori information on the covariance structure. To this end, we prove that the detection problem at hand can be formulated in terms of real variables and, then, we apply design procedures relying on the GLRT, the Rao test, and the Wald test. Specifically, the estimates of the unknown parameters under the target presence hypothesis are obtained through an iterative optimization algorithm whose convergence and quality guarantee is thoroughly proved. The performance analysis, both on simulated and on real radar data, confirms the superiority of the considered architectures over their conventional counterparts which do not take advantage of the clutter spectral symmetry

Including vibrational effects in magnetic circular dichroism spectrum calculations in the framework of excited state dynamics

In this work, we present a computational approach that is able to incorporate vibrational effects in the computations of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra. The method combines our previous implementations to model absorption as well as fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra in the framework of excited state dynamics with a new technique to calculate MCD intensities, where molecular orientational averages are treated via semi-numerical quadrature. The implementation relies on a path integral approach that is employed to compute nuclear dynamics under the harmonic oscillator approximation (accounting for the nuclear potential energy surface) together with quasi-degenerate perturbative theory (to include the perturbation of an external magnetic field). We evaluate our implementation with a selected molecular set consisting of five aromatic organic molecules, namely, 1,4-benzoquinone, naphthalene, 2-naphthylamine, 2-naphthaldehyde, and benzene; we also included the MnO4− and the [Co(NH3)6]3+ transition metal complexes. This set is used to validate the ability of the approach to compute MCD A- and B-terms in conjunction with time-dependent density functional theory. The computed intensities are discussed in terms of the overall quality of the electronic structure treatments, vibrational modes, and the quality of the nuclear Hessians. It is shown that in the cases in which the potential energy surface is accurately represented, electric dipole-forbidden transitions are vibrationally activated, producing intensities relative to the dipole-allowed transitions in the same order of magnitude as the experimental measurements

Pressure ulcers management: an economic evaluation

Introduction. Pressure ulcer management represents a growing problem for medical and social health care systems all over the world, particularly in European Union countries where the incidence of pressure ulcers in older persons (> 60 years of age) is predicted to rise. Objectives. The aim of this study was to provide evidence for the lower impact on economic resources of using advanced dressings for the treatment of pressure ulcers with respect to conventional simple dressings. Methods. Two different models of analysis, derived from Activity Based Costing and Health Technology Assessment, were used to measure, over a 30-day period, the direct costs incurred by pressure ulcer treatment for community-residing patients receiving integrated home care. Results. Although the mean cost per home care visit was higher in the advanced dressings patient group than in the simple dressings patient one (? 22.31 versus ? 16.03), analysis of the data revealed that the cost of using advanced dressings was lower due to fewer home care visits (22 versus 11). Conclusion. The results underline the fact that decision-makers need to improve their understanding of the advantages of taking a long-term view with regards to the purchase and use of materials. This could produce considerable savings of resources in addition to improving treatment efficacy for the benefit of patients and the health care system

Analisi multitemporale dell’uso del suolo della dorsale appenninica marchigiana nel XIX e XX secolo

Questo studio ha permesso di ricostruire, per la prima volta nell’Appennino Umbro-Marchigiano, l’evoluzione temporale dell’uso del suolo lungo un arco di tempo di 150 anni e su una superficie di vasta estensione (circa 8000 ettari). Il dato principale che emerge è la sostanziale discontinuità ecologica di tutti gli ecosistemi naturali e seminaturali, fatte salve alcune importanti patches pascolive e, in misura molto minore, boschive. In totale neanche il 20% del territorio dell’area considerata è rimasto stabile nel corso degli ultimi 150 anni; queste aree rappresentano, dal punto di vista floristico, dei potenziali siti di rifugio per le specie erbacee di prateria e per quelle sciafile di bosco. Si tratta quindi di siti estremamente importanti per la conservazione della biodiversità e serbatoi genetici da cui può ripartire la colonizzazione degli ambienti antropizzati e non più utilizzati come le aree agricole abbandonate. È interessante annotare, ad esempio, come proprio in corrispondenza della più ampia patch forestale stabile (Monte Fiegni) sia presente una delle più importanti stazioni dell’Appennino Umbro-Marchigiano di tasso (Taxus baccata) ed agrifoglio (Ilex aquifolium), all’interno di una faggeta basso-montana. Si evidenzia, inoltre, una tendenza alla semplificazione del mosaico ambientale di queste aree montane. Tale semplificazione risulta bene evidente per gli ecosistemi di prateria (stabili e neoformati) che tendono a conservarsi prioritariamente all’interno delle classi di pendenza minore. Questo fenomeno riassume in se il senso dei mutati input che l’economia contemporanea offre alle attività zootecniche; nel corso dei secoli, infatti, si è passati da forme di economia basate sulla transumanza ovina ad un’attività zootecnica di tipo stanziale e dedita soprattutto all’allevamento bovino. Questa differente tipologia zootecnica richiede habitat diversi e, in particolare per quanto concerne i bovini, sono assolutamente indispensabili praterie di elevata produttività e moderata stasi estiva, condizioni che nell’Appennino si verificano solo in corrispondenza delle aree caratterizzate da morfologie a bassa energia di rilievo e in cui si sono anche conservati suoli profondi. Permanendo queste tendenze socio-economiche, dunque, in futuro tenderanno sostanzialmente a scomparire gli ecosistemi di prateria aperta sostituiti da boschi. Questo, se da un lato rappresenta un aspetto che va nel senso della naturale dinamica degli ecosistemi, dall’altro potrebbe comportare dei problemi per la conservazione della biodiversità floristica e faunistica

Revealing the Hidden Details of Nanostructure in a Pharmaceutical Cream

Creams are multi-component semi-solid emulsions that find widespread utility across a wide range of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and personal care products, and they also feature prominently in veterinary preparations and processed foodstuffs. The internal architectures of these systems, however, have to date been inferred largely through macroscopic and/or indirect experimental observations and so they are not well-characterized at the molecular level. Moreover, while their long-term stability and shelf-life, and their aesthetics and functional utility are critically dependent upon their molecular structure, there is no real understanding yet of the structural mechanisms that underlie the potential destabilizing effects of additives like drugs, anti-oxidants or preservatives, and no structure-based rationale to guide product formulation. In the research reported here we sought to address these deficiencies, making particular use of small-angle neutron scattering and exploiting the device of H/D contrast variation, with complementary studies also performed using bright-field and polarised light microscopy, small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering, and steady-state shear rheology measurements. Through the convolved findings from these studies we have secured a finely detailed picture of the molecular structure of creams based on Aqueous Cream BP, and our findings reveal that the structure is quite different from the generic picture of cream structure that is widely accepted and reproduced in textbooks

Seropositivity rates for agents of canine vector-borne diseases in Spain : a multicentre study

Background: Controlling canine vector-borne diseases (CVBD) is a major concern, since some of these diseases are serious zoonoses. This study was designed to determine seropositivity rates in Spain for agents causing the following five CVBD: leishmaniosis (Leishmania infantum: Li), heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis: Di), ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis: Ec), anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum/Anaplasma platys: An) and Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi: Bb). Methods: Anti-An, -Bb, and -Ec antibodies and the Di antigen were determined using the 4DX SNAP® Test (IDEXX Laboratories) and anti-L. infantum (Li) antibodies using the Leishmania SNAP® Test (IDEXX Laboratories) in blood and/or serum samples. Results: Among 1100 dogs examined, overall seropositivity rates were: Li (15.7%), Ec (5%), An (3.1%), Di (1.25%) and Bb (0.4%). While seropositivity towards Bb and Di was similar in all geographic regions, rates were significantly higher in the east of Spain (8.3%) for An, significantly higher in the north (20%) for Ec, and significantly higher in the Southeast (46.6%) and South (27.4%), and significantly lower in the north (0%) for Li. No statistical associations were observed between sex and the CVBD analyzed (p ≥ 0.05) while the following associations with other variables were detected: a higher seropositivity to Ec (40%) and Bb (6.7%) in dogs under one year of age compared with adults (p < 0.05); and a higher seropositivity to An and Li in dogs that lived outdoors versus indoors (p = 0.01; p < 0.001, respectively). Seropositivity rates of 2.1%, 0%, 1.7%, 0.5% and 4.2% were recorded respectively for An, Bb, Ec, Di and Li in dogs with no clinical signs (n = 556) versus 3.8%, 0.6%, 7.5%, 1.8% and 25.9% for those with signs (n = 507) suggestive of a CVBD. Conclusion: The data obtained indicate a risk for dogs in Spain of acquiring any of the five CVBD examined. Veterinarians in the different regions should include these diseases in their differential diagnoses and recommend the use of repellents and other prophylactic measures to prevent disease transmission by arthropod vectors. Public health authorities also need to become more involved in the problem, since some of the CVBD examined here also affect humans