Search

Some flow-like landslides tend to lose materials while moving on a relatively dry sliding surface. This phenomenon is called bed deposition. In contrast to the bed entrainment phenomenon, bed deposition is relatively poorly understood. Therefore, an improved depth-averaged model is proposed to quantify this phenomenon. The deposition depth is calculated according to the momentum conservation of the deposited mass, and the rheological property of the sliding mass on the bottom is modified considering an abrupt increase in the depth of the sliding surface after deposition. Utilizing the proposed model, the Gaolou andslide, a typical flowlike landside occurring on October 6th, 2006 with an obvious bed deposition phenomenon in Shaanxi Province of China, is simulated to investigate the influence of bed deposition on its propagation process. The results indicate that the proposed model can effectively depict the bed deposition phenomenon in the Gaolou landslide. Bed deposition dissipates part of the kinetic energy of this lndslide; thus, the simulated debris inundation area would likely be overestimated when this effect is neglected. On the other hand, the thin liquefied layer formed by the bed deposition process reduces the friction energy dissipation, contributing to the high mobility of this landslide.

Complete and accurate DNA replication requires the progression of replication forks through DNA damage, actively transcribed regions, structured DNA and compact chromatin. Recent studies have revealed a remarkable plasticity of the replication process in dealing with these obstacles, which includes modulation of replication origin firing, of the architecture of replication forks, and of the functional organization of the replication machinery in response to replication stress. However, these specialized mechanisms also expose cells to potentially dangerous transactions while replicating DNA. In this Review, we discuss how replication forks are actively stalled, remodelled, processed, protected and restarted in response to specific types of stress. We also discuss adaptations of the replication machinery and the role of chromatin modifications during these transactions. Finally, we discuss interesting recent data on the relevance of replication fork plasticity to human health, covering its role in tumorigenesis, its crosstalk with innate immunity responses and its potential as an effective cancer therapy target.

The importance of soil moisture conditions in the initiation of landslides has been widely recognized. This study takes advantage of the distributed hydrological model to derive the soil wetness index. The derived soil wetness index is then used to determine soil wetness thresholds for landslide occurrences. In order to predict landslides based on alert zones, a zone threshold is introduced together with the soil wetness threshold to constitute the integrated threshold. We evaluate the prediction performance of the integrated thresholds with the use of skill scores and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. This study is carried out in a sub-region of the Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy. Results show that the derived soil wetness index could account for the hydrological process that is controlled by meteorological conditions and topographic properties. The proposed integrated threshold shows a better predictive capability than the rainfall threshold, demonstrating the effectiveness of applying the soil wetness index in landslide predictions. The optimal threshold is also determined by compromising the correct predictions and incorrect predictions, it is found that the optimal integrated threshold is more advantageous in reducing false alarms compared with the optimal rainfall threshold. This study highlights the potential of applying hydrological simulations in landslide prediction studies and provides a new way to make use of high-resolution data in zone-based landslide predictions.

Debris flow events, generated by surface runoff, occur with great frequency in the Dolomites (Northeastern Italian Alps) during the summer season. Summer thunderstorms, which are common in the region, can quickly generate runoff at the base of rocky cliffs, which then entrains and propagates downstream the underlying unconsolidated material. In the past, the main atmospheric feature considered in evaluating the initiation of debris flow events was rainfall. Observations led to the development of rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for sediment mobilization, which compared incoming severe rainfalls with the potential for triggering debris flows. This study works toward the examination of another characteristic of the atmosphere, the atmospheric electric field. In particular, the behavior of the electric field prior to convective rainfall is investigated as an indicator of rainfall intensities capable of triggering debris flows, in a basin near Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy). Results suggest that prior to bursts of intense rainfall, the electric field derivative frequency distribution exhibits a recurrent pattern roughly half the time. When it occurs, the amplitude of derivative frequency distribution intersects the zero axis twice before rainfall reaches maximum intensity. A regression model is designed which considers the amplitude maximum and the difference in time between the crossings of the zero axis. The validation of this model suggests a mild relationship between electric field and rainfall intensity in an alpine environment.

Open fractures management has always been one of the main challenges in traumatologic surgery: definition of the most appropriate therapeutic protocol is a research and debate topic. Infectious risk minimisation, soft-tissue damage resolution, fracture reduction and fixation are the main objectives in order to recover anatomical and functional integrity of the involved district. Management protocols are characterized by the contrast between an early total care approach and a gradual damage control approach. Gustilo-Anderson classification is still the most widely used in order to set open fractures management, but its limitations have led to the development of other important classifications. This article, through a literature review, aims at summarising main classifications and state of the art on open fractures treatment and at highlighting latest protocols and technical solutions adopted: negative wound pression therapy, antibacterial coated nails and other innovative devices.

Landslide is one of the repeated geological hazards during rainy season, which causes fatalities, damage to property and economic losses in Korea. Landslides are responsible for at least 17% of all fatalities from natural hazards worldwide, and nearly 25% of annual casualties caused by natural hazards in Korea. Due to global climate change, the frequency of landslide occurrence has been increased and subsequently, the losses and damages associated with landslides also have been increased. Therefore, accurate prediction of landslide occurrence, and monitoring and early warning for ground movements are very important tasks to reduce the damages and losses caused by landslides. Various studies on landslide prediction and reduction in landslide damage have been performed and consequently, much of the recent progress has been in these areas. In particular, the application of information and geospatial technologies such as remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) has greatly contributed to landslide hazard assessment studies over recent years. In this paper, the recent advances and the state-of-the-art in the essential components of the landslide hazard assessment, such as landslide susceptibility analysis, runout modeling, landslide monitoring and early warning, were reviewed. Especially, this paper focused on the evaluation of the landslide susceptibility using probabilistic approach and physically based method, runout evaluation using volume based model and dynamic model, in situ ground based monitoring techniques, remote sensing techniques for landslide monitoring, and landslide early warning using rainfall and physical thresholds.

Statistical and deterministic methods are widely used in geographic information system based landslide susceptibility mapping. This paper compares the predictive capability of three different models, namely the Weight of Evidence, the Fuzzy Logic and SHALSTAB, for producing shallow earth slide susceptibility maps, to be included as informative layers in land use planning at a local level. The test site is an area of about 450 km2 in the northern Apennines of Italy where, in April 2004, rainfall combined with snowmelt triggered hundreds of shallow earth slides that damaged roads and other infrastructure. An inventory of the landslides triggered by the event was obtained from interpretation of aerial photos dating back to May 2004. The pre-existence of mapped landslides was then checked using earlier aerial photo coverage. All the predictive models were run on the same set of geo-environmental causal factors: soil type, soil thickness, land cover, possibility of deep drainage through the bedrock, slope angle, and upslope contributing area. Model performance was assessed using a threshold-independent approach (the ROC plot). Results show that global accuracy is as high as 0.77 for both statistical models, while it is only 0.56 for SHALSTAB. Besides the limited quality of input data over large areas, the relatively poorer performance of the deterministic model maybe also due to the simplified assumptions behind the hydrological component (steady-state slope parallel flow), which can be considered unsuitable for describing the hydrologic behavior of clay slopes, that are widespread in the study area.