Cette étude illustre les résultats d’une activité expérimentale basée sur des couples d’images ERS et ENVISAT, appliquée en Calabre (Italie du sud) pour la période 1998-2007. L’objectif de ce travail a été la détection de subsidences, de glissements de terrain et de l’évaluation des conditions du risque pour une zone stratégiquement très importante tel que la « Piana di Lamzia » avec l’utilisation de données dérivées de l’interféromètre SAR et leur intégration dans un SIG. Après avoir présenté les principes des techniques utilisées et l’illustration de certaines approches originales dans leur implémentation, on a montré quelques résultats de leurs applications. En particulier nous avons focalisé l’attention sur les zones urbaines et l’environnement des villes de Vibo Valentia et Lamezia Terme et sur le réseau des infrastructures présentes. Le travail a porté sur la standardisation d’une procédure opérationnelle avec l’intégration d’un logiciel expérimental. Les apports de la technique concernent à la fois la localisation, la caractérisation et la quantification des phénomènes affectant la surface topographique. L’ensemble des informations obtenues fournit des indications inédites et précieuses à la compréhension de certains phénomènes et à leur modélisation. Pour ce qui concerne l’apport direct de la technique au contrôle des infrastructures, elle semble résulter adaptée que pour une étude indirecte. Une analyse plus fine ne serait possible qu’avec l’utilisation de la technique des Permanent Scatterers / The work shows the experimental results based on ERS and ENVISAT data, developed in the central area of Calabria since 1998 up to 2007 (Envisat).The objective is to use SAR derived elevation data to improve subsidence prediction, landslides, earth motion and damage assessment for a important regional area such as "Piana of Lamezia". After a synthetic presentation of the technique and the illustration of an original approaches in it implementation, we have showed the thematic results. In particular, we have dealt with the urban areas of Vibo Valentia and Lamezia Terme cities, their surroundings, and the network of infrastructures. Works carried to the standardization of an operational procedure with the integration of experimental software. The contributions of the technique relate at the same time the localization, characterization and quantification of the phenomena affecting topographic surface. The obtained information provides new and important indications to the comprehension of different phenomena and their modelling. Concerning the direct contribution of the DInSAR technique to the control of the infrastructures it seems to still result adapts for a indirect study. Currently, not being completely operative new satellites SAR with metric and sub-metric resolution, a finer analysis would be possible only with the use of the Permanent Scatterers technique

La tomographie SAR exploite plusieurs acquisitions d'une même zone acquises d'un point de vue légerement différent pour reconstruire la densité complexe de réflectivité au sol. Cette technique d'imagerie s'appuyant sur l'émission et la réception d'ondes électromagnétiques cohérentes, les données analysées sont complexes et l'information spatiale manquante (selon la verticale) est codée dans la phase. De nombreuse méthodes ont pu être proposées pour retrouver cette information. L'utilisation des redondances naturelles à certains milieux n'est toutefois généralement pas exploitée pour améliorer l'estimation tomographique. Cette thèse propose d'utiliser l'information structurelle propre aux structures urbaines pour régulariser les densités de réflecteurs obtenues par cette technique. / SAR tomography consists in exploiting multiple images from the same area acquired from a slightly different angle to retrieve the 3-D distribution of the complex reflectivity on the ground. As the transmitted waves are coherent, the desired spatial information (along with the vertical axis) is coded in the phase of the pixels. Many methods have been proposed to retrieve this information in the past years. However, the natural redundancies of the scene are generally not exploited to improve the tomographic estimation step. This Ph.D. presents new approaches to regularize the estimated reflectivity density obtained through SAR tomography by exploiting the urban geometrical structures.

In this thesis, an analysis of the various parameters derivable from polarimetric SAR measurements is reported. The theory related to polarimetry and the state of the art of its application to remote sensing of the Earth by means of SAR systems are thoroughly discussed. The experimental part of this work pursues the task of analyzing all the relevant polarimetric parameters. In the first part of the thesis, a systematic study of the different ways of examining polarimetric data has been performed. The main aim was to evaluate possible differences among the various polarimetric observables and the amount and usefulness of the information they contain. In this context, these observables have been compared by means of the accuracy estimates resulting from classification tests of real polarimetric SAR data. In the analysis proposed here, such accuracy estimates act as an objective measure of the “utility” of the observables. In the second part, some of the aforementioned polarimetric observables have been used for interferometric applications. The main objective was to determine if a characterization of volume scattering, one of the terms affecting the interferometric coherence, is possible. Once again a comparison of the selected parameters has been done in terms of their capability to reduce the effects of volume scattering in interferometric coherence images. Since this work is intended as a general survey of polarimetric observables, completeness has been an important goal, which the author hopes to have achieved. The twofold view of the investigations reported here, oriented both to classification and interferometry, contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the parameters under study. Keywords: Radar imaging, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), SAR polarimetry, SAR interferometry, polarimetric SAR interferometry, image classification. / In dieser Arbeit wird über die Analyse von unterschiedlichen Parametern, ermittelt vom polarimetrischen SAR, berichtet. Die Theorie der Polarimetrie und der Stand der Technik in der Radarfernerkundung der Erdoberfläche, die auf SAR-Systemen beruhe, ist gründlich dargestellt. Der experimentelle Anteil dieser Arbeit beinhaltet die Analyse von allen relevanten polarimetrischen Parametern. Der erste Teil ist eine systematische Untersuchung von polarimetrischen Daten, wobei unterschiedliche Wege analysiert werden. Die Hauptaufgabe besteht darin, sowohl die möglichen Unterschiede zwischen den verschiedenen Eingangsparametern als auch die Anzahl von Parametern und deren Nutzen zur Informationsgewinnung zu untersuchen. Demzufolge wurden die Eingangsparameter hinsichtlich ihrer Klassifikationsgenauigkeit auf vorhandene SAR Daten verglichen. In der vorgeschlagenen Untersuchung stellen die Genauigkeitsanalysen ein objektives Kriterium für den sogenannten “Nutzen” der Eingangsparameter dar. Im zweiten Teil wurden die zuvor genannten polarimetrischen Eingangsparameter für die interferometrische Anwendung eingesetzt. Im Vordergrund stand die Bestimmung der Volumenstreuung und deren Einfluss auf eines der Elemente der interferometrischen Kohärenz. Auch hier fand ein Vergleich der ausgesuchten Parameter in Bezug auf ihre Fähigkeit, den Effekt der Volumenstreuung in der interferonmetrischen Kohärenz zu reduzieren, statt. Diese Arbeit möchte eine allgemeine Erfassung von polarimetrischen Eingangsparametern geben, wobei ein wichtiger Punkt, vom Autor hoffentlich erreicht, die Vollständigkeit ist. Die doppelte Sicht der vorgestellten Untersuchungen, angelehnt an die Polarimetrie und Interferometrie, trägt zu einem umfassenden Verständnis der Parameter in dieser Arbeit bei. Stichworte: Abbildendes Radar, Synthetisches Apertur Radar (SAR), SAR-Polarimetrie, SAR-Interferometrie, Polarimetrische SAR-Interferometrie, Klassifikation.

Dehydroabietinal (DA), an abietane diterpenoid, was previously demonstrated to be a potent activator of systemic acquired resistance (SAR). DA also promotes flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana by repressing expression of the flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) while simultaneously upregulating expression of FLOWERING LOCUS D (FLD), FLOWERING LOCUS VE (FVE) and RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 (REF6), a set of flowering time promoters. To further understand the mechanism underlying signaling by abietane diterpenoids, Arabidopsis mutants exhibiting reduced responsiveness to abietane diterpenoids were identified. One such mutant plant, ems2/7, exhibited SAR-deficiency and delayed flowering, which were found to be associated with two independent, but linked loci. The gene responsible for the SAR defect in ems2/7 was identified as DEFECTIVE IN SYSTEMIC DEFENSE INDUCED BY ABIETANE DITERPENOID 1 (DSA1). Similar to the missense mutant dsa1-1 identified in the mutant screen, the T-DNA insertion bearing null allele dsa1-2 exhibited SAR deficiency that could be complemented by a genomic copy of DSA1. The gene responsible for the delayed flowering phenotype of ems2/7 remains to be identified. DSA1 encodes a protein that is homologous to human protein O-fucosyltransferase 2. DSA1 is required for long-distance transport of the SAR signal. It is hypothesized that DSA1 is involved in the O-fucosylation-facilitated channeling through the ER/Golgi network of a protein involved in long distance SAR signaling. In a yeast two-hybrid screen, all the DSA1-interacting proteins identified are chloroplast-localized proteins, thus raising the interesting possibility of ER interaction with chloroplast and its potential role in SAR signaling.

To determine whether spaceborne C-band SAR data could be used alone, or in conjunction with optical data, for accurately mapping mangrove forests of the Mexican Pacific, four scenes of dual-polarized ENVISAT ASAR data, at two incidence angles, were collected for the Teacapán-Agua Brava-Las Haciendas estuarine-mangrove complex. Several combinations of these ASAR data were classified to determine the most optimal arrangement for mangrove mapping. In addition, corresponding Landsat TM data were classified using the same training sites. The overall accuracy in mapping these mangroves did improve when more than one polarization mode was employed. In general, the higher incidence angle data (∼41° vs ∼23°) provided better results. In all circumstances, the optical data alone provided higher classification accuracies. When contained as one mangrove class, the highest overall accuracy achieved using the ASAR data was 54% as compared to 76% for the optical data. When considering four separate mangrove classes, representing the four conditions typical of this system (dead, poor condition, healthy, tall healthy), overall accuracies dropped to 45% and 63%, respectively. With the limited penetration of C-band into canopies, it was difficult to separate healthy and tall healthy mangrove from palm and other terrestrial forests using the ASAR data. In addition to confusion amongst the four mangrove classes, the dead mangrove stands created considerable misclassification as they were readily misidentified with water and saltpan areas in the optical data and with agricultural lands in the ASAR data procedure. Given the advantage of ASAR for identifying dead stands from open water and saltpan, these data were then used in conjunction with the optical data to reduce the misclassification of these areas.

Transferring from an acute care setting to a sub-acute rehabilitation (SAR) setting can be challenging for both patients and providers because communication errors may occur. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 2017 quality improvement (QI) initiative that was implemented to reduce 30-day rehospitalization in a SAR setting serving older patients. The project involved an evaluation of the implementation of the Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR) tool for patient rounding to decrease the incidence of 30-day re-hospitalizations. Aristotle's linear model of communication, which emphasizes the impact of message delivery on audience response, provided the framework for this project. The evaluation project was conducted using the project organization's internal database to determine if the 2017 QI initiative reduced 30-day readmissions to the hospital. Data were evaluated 3 months before the implementation of the 2017 QI initiative and 3 months after the start of the project. Components reviewed included the length of stay, clinician authorizing the transfer, day of the week, time of transfer, reason, and outcome of the transfer. There was a significant decrease in return-to-hospital for Monday through Friday, but an increase was seen on the weekend (Saturday-Sunday), mainly in the morning and evening. Full-time staff who had participated in the education program worked Monday through Friday. Weekend staff were part-time staff who had not participated in the SBAR training. There was no consistency in the reason for transfer to hospital. The introduction of the SBAR education program had a positive effect on the quality of life of patients readmitting to the hospital.

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RNase P is a bacterial ribozyme that catalyzes the maturation of tRNA and is conserved across Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). RNase P consists of a RNA component and a protein component, RnpA. In Gram-positive bacteria, RnpA itself possesses ribonuclease activity. The Dunman group demonstrated that inhibition of RnpA activity alone or as part of the RNase P complex was sufficient to inhibit RNA degradation and exert antimicrobial activity in MRSA. Because of its low amino acid homology to mammalian homologs, RnpA may represent a novel, selective antimicrobial target for MRSA. A high throughput screen by the Dunman group identified a number of compounds which inhibit RnpA activity, including RNPA1000. However, RNPA1000 demonstrated cytotoxic effects at higher concentrations and required a high dose to achieve efficacy in a murine model of MRSA infection. We therefore selected another “hit” from the screen (RNPA2000), which contains metabotoxic hydrazide, thiourea and furan moieties, as the starting point for hit to lead activities. We sought to replace these groups, as well as the isopropylphenoxy group, to provide enhanced inhibitory potency against RNase P and RnpA, as well as lowered MIC values against MRSA1000. We designed and synthesized analogs posessing bioisosteres for these moieties and evaluated their effects in an RNase P assay as well as a RNA degradation assay. Compounds with acceptable results in both assays were tested for their antimicrobial effects in MRSA cultures. As a result of this work, several compounds with improved potency for RnpA inhibition were identified, although improved MIC was not seen. Two compounds demonstrated synergy with mupirocin, an isoleucyl-tRNA synthase inhibitor, which may represent a potential way to re-sensitize resistant bacteria to mupirocin. / Pharmaceutical Sciences

Yes / Employing electromagnetic fields EMFs) in new wireless communication and sensing technologies has substantially increased the level of human exposure to EMF waves. This paper presents a useful insight into the interaction of electromagnetic fields with biological media that is defined by the heat generation due to induced currents and dielectric loss. The specific absorption rate (SAR) defines the heating amount in a biological medium that is irradiated by an electromagnetic field value. The paper reviews the radio frequency hazards due to the SAR based on various safety standards and organisations, including a detailed investigation of previously published work in terms of modelling and measurements. It also summarises the most common techniques utilised between 1978 and 2021, in terms of the operational frequency spectrum, bandwidth, and SAR values. / The European Union’s Horizon 2020 innovation programme under grant agreement H2020- MSCA-ITN-2016 SECRET-722424 and the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant EP/E022936/1 supported this research. This study is also sponsored by the FCT/MEC through national funds and, where applicable, co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement under the UID/EEA/50008/2020 project. This study is part of the POSITIONII project, which is funded by the European Commission’s Joint Undertaking under the grant number Ecsel-7831132-Postitio-II-2017-IA. Moreover, this paper is also partially funded by British Council “2019 UK-China-BRI Countries Partnership Initiative” programme, with project titled “Adapting to Industry 4.0 oriented International Education and Research Collaboration”. In addition, this project has received funding from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant 801538.