We present a method for the semi-automatic recognition and mapping of recent rainfall induced shallow landslides. The method exploits VHR panchromatic and HR multispectral satellite images, and was ...tested in a 9.4
km
2 area in Sicily, Italy, where on 1 October 2009 a high intensity rainfall event caused shallow landslides, soil erosion, and inundation. Pre-event and post-event images of the study area taken by the QuickBird satellite, and information on the location and type of landslides obtained in the field and through the interpretation of post-event aerial photographs, were used to construct and validate a set of terrain classification models. The models classify each image element (pixel) based on the probability that the pixel contains (or does not contain) a new rainfall induced landslide. To construct and validate the models, a procedure in five steps was adopted. First, the pre-event and the post-event images were pan-sharpened, ortho-rectified, co-registered, and corrected for atmospheric disturbance. Next, variables describing changes between the pre-event and the post-event images attributed to landslide occurrence were selected. Next, three classification models were calibrated in a training area using different multivariate statistical techniques. The calibrated models were then applied in a validation area using the same set of independent variables, and the same statistical techniques. Lastly, combined terrain classification models were prepared for the training and the validation areas. The performances of the models were evaluated using four-fold plots and receiver operating characteristic curves. The method proved capable of detecting and mapping the new rainfall induced landslides in the study area. We expect the method to be capable of detecting analogous shallow landslides caused by similar (rainfall) or different (e.g. earthquake) triggers, provided that the event slope failures leave discernable features captured by the post-event satellite images, and that the terrain information and satellite images are of adequate quality. The proposed method can facilitate the rapid production of accurate landslide event-inventory maps, and we expect that it will improve our ability to map landslides consistently over large areas. Application of the method will advance our ability to evaluate landslide hazards, and will foster our understanding of the evolution of landscapes shaped by mass-wasting processes.
► We present a method, based on satellite images, for landslide semi-automatic mapping. ► Change detection methods are combined to detect different changes in the images. ► Classification models are applied to the change detection results to map landslides. ► The performance of the classification models are measured in a validation area.
In this study nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC)/graphene oxide (GO) composite films were prepared by drop casting water dispersion of GO in the presence of CNC and their nanostructures, surface and ...electrical properties were investigated. It was found that pristine hydrophilic GO presents a good dispersion when mixed with CNC along with a decrease of the composite electrical resistivity. The surface properties of the composite film indicated a poorer wettability with respect to that measured for separated materials. By applying an electric current through the CNC/GO composite a transition from an electrically insulating material to a conductive one was observed along with an improved wettability. The obtained results open an easy route for paper electronic based on the integration of nanocrystalline cellulose onto graphene devices.
Display omitted
•Integration of nanocrystalline cellulose onto graphene based electronic devices.•Change of morphology and wettablity from separated to aggregated cellulose nanocrystals.•Change of conductivity when an electric current passes through the NCC/GO composite.
We propose a probabilistic model to determine landslide hazard at the basin scale. The model predicts where landslides will occur, how frequently they will occur, and how large they will be. We test ...the model in the Staffora River basin, in the northern Apennines, Italy. For the study area, we prepare a multi-temporal inventory map through the interpretation of multiple sets of aerial photographs taken between 1955 and 1999. We partition the basin into 2243 geo-morpho-hydrological units, and obtain the probability of spatial occurrence of landslides by discriminant analysis of thematic variables, including morphological, lithological, structural and land use. For each mapping unit, we obtain the landslide recurrence by dividing the total number of landslide events inventoried in the unit by the time span of the investigated period. Assuming that landslide recurrence will remain the same in the future, and adopting a Poisson probability model, we determine the exceedance probability of having one or more landslides in each mapping unit, for different periods. We obtain the probability of landslide size by analysing the frequency–area statistics of landslides, obtained from the multi-temporal inventory map. Assuming independence, we obtain a quantitative estimate of landslide hazard for each mapping unit as the joint probability of landslide size, of landslide temporal occurrence and of landslide spatial occurrence.
Bone has a sophisticated architecture characterized by a hierarchical organization, starting at the sub-micrometre level. Thus, the analysis of the mechanical and structural properties of bone at ...this scale is essential to understand the relationship between its physiology, physical properties and chemical composition. Here, we unveil the potential of Brillouin-Raman microspectroscopy (BRaMS), an emerging correlative optical approach that can simultaneously assess bone mechanics and chemistry with micrometric resolution. Correlative hyperspectral imaging, performed on a human diaphyseal ring, reveals a complex microarchitecture that is reflected in extremely rich and informative spectra. An innovative method for mechanical properties analysis is proposed, mapping the intermixing of soft and hard tissue areas and revealing the coexistence of regions involved in remodelling processes, nutrient transportation and structural support. The mineralized regions appear elastically inhomogeneous, resembling the pattern of the osteons' lamellae, while Raman and energy-dispersive X-ray images through scanning electron microscopy show an overall uniform distribution of the mineral content, suggesting that other structural factors are responsible for lamellar micromechanical heterogeneity. These results, besides giving an important insight into cortical bone tissue properties, highlight the potential of BRaMS to access the origin of anisotropic mechanical properties, which are almost ubiquitous in other biological tissues.
We tested the possibility of using digital, color aerial ortho-photographs and monoscopic, panchromatic satellite images of comparable spatial and radiometric resolution, to map recent landslides in ...Italy and to update existing measures of landslide mobilization. In a 90-km
2 area in Umbria, central Apennines, rainfall resulted in abundant landslides in the period from September 2004 to June 2005. Analysis of the rainfall record determined the approximate dates of landslide occurrence and revealed that the slope failures occurred in response to moderately wet rainfall periods. The slope failures occurred primarily in cultivated terrain and left subtle morphological and land cover signatures, making the recognition and mapping of the individual landslides problematic. Despite the difficulty with the identification of the landslides without the use of stereoscopic visualization, visual analysis of the aerial and satellite images allowed mapping 457 new landslides, ranging in area 3.0
×
10
1
<
A
L
<
2.5
×
10
4 m
2, for a total landslide area
A
LT
=
6.92
×
10
5 m
2. To identify the landslides, the investigators adopted the interpretation criteria commonly used to identify and map landslides on aerial photography. The result confirms that monoscopic, very high resolution images taken by airborne and satellite sensors can be used to prepare landslide maps even where slope failures are difficult to detect, provided the imagery has sufficient geometric and radiometric resolutions. The different dates of the aerial (March 2005) and the satellite (June–July 2005) images allowed the temporal segmentation of the landslide information, and studying the statistics of landslide area and volume for different periods. Compared to pre-existing information on the abundance and size of the landslides in the area, the inventory obtained by studying the aerial and satellite images proved more complete. The new mapping showed 145% more landslides and 85% more landslide area than a pre-existing reconnaissance inventory. As a result of the improved mapping, the rate of landslide mobilization for the 2004–2005 landslide season was determined to be
φ
L
=
27.1
mm year
−
1
, 30% higher than a previous estimate for the same period. This seasonal rate of landslide mobilization is significantly larger than the long-term regional erosion rate in the central Apennines. The accelerated rate is attributed to agricultural practices that favor slope instability.
Landslide inventory maps (LIMs) show where landslides have occurred in an area, and provide information useful to different types of landslide studies, including susceptibility and hazard modelling ...and validation, risk assessment, erosion analyses, and to evaluate relationships between landslides and geological settings. Despite recent technological advancements, visual interpretation of aerial photographs (API) remains the most common method to prepare LIMs. In this work, we present a new semi-automatic procedure that makes use of GIS technology for the digitization of landslide data obtained through API. To test the procedure, and to compare it to a consolidated landslide mapping method, we prepared two LIMs starting from the same set of landslide API data, which were digitized (a) manually adopting a consolidated visual transfer method, and (b) adopting our new semi-automatic procedure. Results indicate that the new semi-automatic procedure (a) increases the interpreter's overall efficiency by a factor of 2, (b) reduces significantly the subjectivity introduced by the visual (manual) transfer of the landslide information to the digital database, resulting in more accurate LIMs. With the new procedure, the landslide positional error decreases with increasing landslide size, following a power-law. We expect that our work will help adopt standards for transferring landslide information from the aerial photographs to a digital landslide map, contributing to the production of accurate landslide maps.
To achieve the UN 2030 Agenda Goals, and considering their complexity and multidisciplinary, Multi-criteria analysis appears to be a suitable approach to give a true support to public decision makers ...in defining policy lines. This study focuses on the application of the Multiple Reference Point Weak-Strong Composite Indicators (MRP-WSCI) and its partially compensatory version (MRP-PCI), to assess, in the framework of the UN 2030 Agenda, the sustainability of the 28 members of the European Union (pre-Brexit). Countries were analyzed and compared according to their conditions and progress against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, considering three reference years: 2007, 2012 and 2017. The analysis shows that Nordic countries reach a good level of global sustainability, with values of the indicators, W-W-W and S-W-W, between 2 and 3; while the States of east Europe, in particular Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, stay at the worst levels, having overall indicators values less than 1.5. Furthermore, the results highlight how countries in the lower group have difficulties especially in social and economic sustainability. On the other hand, states with a good overall condition record the worst results in the environmental dimension, such as the Netherlands, which shows, for the year 2017, a value for this sphere less than 2, while in the other two show a good value (over 2.5).
Mechanical mapping with chemical specificity of biological samples is now made possible by joint micro-Brillouin and micro-Raman measurements. In this work, thanks to the unprecedented contrast of a ...new tandem Fabry-Perot interferometer, we demonstrate simultaneous detection of Brillouin and Raman spectra from different Candida biofilms. Our proof-of-concept study reveals the potential of this label-free joint micro-spectroscopy technique in challenging microbiological issues. In particular, heterogeneous chemo-mechanical maps of Candida biofilms are obtained, without the need for staining or touching the sample. The correlative Raman and Brillouin investigation evidences the role of both extracellular polymeric substances and of hydration water in inducing a marked local softening of the biofilm.
Display omitted
•We present the potential of a new Brillouin-Raman spectroscopic setup to study the chemico-mechanical properties of biofilms•Variations of viscoelasticity between cells and species can be studied and related to molecular specificity•Local softening is found, corresponding to residual hydration water and to the presence of extracellular polymeric substance
Brillouin-Raman microspectroscopy is presented as an innovative label-free all-optical investigation approachable to characterize the chemical composition and the mechanical properties of human ...tissues at micrometric resolution. Brillouin maps unveil mechanical heterogeneities in a human femoral diaphysis, showing a ubiquitous co-existence of hard and soft components, even in the most compact sections. The novel correlative analysis of Brillouin and Raman maps shows that the relative intensity of Brillouin peaks is a good proxy for the fraction of mineralized fibers and that the stiffness (longitudinal elastic modulus) of the hard component is linearly dependent on the hydroxyapatite concentration. For the soft component, a gradient of composition is found, ranging from an abundance of proteins in the more compact, external, bone to abundance of lipids, carotenoids, and heme groups approaching the trabecular, inner, part of the diaphysis. This work unveils the strong potential of correlative mechano-chemical characterization of human tissues at a micrometric resolution for both fundamental and translational research.
PDF
