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A novel method to estimate the magnitude of bedrock landslide volumes with the index of rock resistance to weathering and erosion
Get PDFAbstract presented at the EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria and online, Integrating Imaging Geodesy and Artificial Intelligence for Natural Hazard Resilience and Disaster Management.
Convener: Zhenhong Li | Co-conveners: Raffaele Albano, Chen YuECS, Roberto Tomás Jover, Paraskevas Tsangaratos, Teodosio Lacava, Ioanna Ilia.
Orals | Wed, 30 Apr, 08:30–10:15 (CEST).
Posters on site | Attendance Wed, 30 Apr, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) | Display Wed, 30 Apr, 08:30–12:30.Landslide volume, as a principal factor in assessing the disaster-causing capacity of potential landslides, needs to be estimated accurately and quickly. At present, volume estimation of landslides is still dominated by traditional field surveys, and the method of using power-law correlations between landslide area and volume to estimate landslide volume is also imperfect. Scholars often ignored the crucial factor of the index of rock resistance to weathering and erosion (IRWE) of landslide bedrocks, leading to the uncertainty in index coefficients (γ), the applicable range of this method also needs to be further researched. In this paper, firstly, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Transportation Corridor (QTPTC) was divided into five sections based on IRWE of stratigraphic lithology, 183 landslides were selected from the landslide inventory along five sections. The power-law correlation between landslide area and volume in each section was fitted based on robust estimation. Secondly, power-law correlations were validated using cross validation and typical landslides in each section, and compared with γ values fitted in other literature. Through analyzing IRWE in the area where 183 landslides are located, γ values were found to be proportional to IRWE. Thirdly, the volume of 1928 landslides along QTPTC were estimated and River Blocking Coefficient (RBC) I_b was introduced to quickly screen out 88 active major disaster bodies along great rivers. Finally, we proposed a universal framework for volume estimation of landslides. The study will greatly save time in screening potential landslides, laying a solid foundation for early warning and achieving the purpose of landslide prevention and mitigation
Vascular risk factor associations with subjective cognitive decline and mild behavioral impairment
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Due to the confidential nature of participant demographic health data, CAN-PROTECT study data is not publicly available on a data repository. However, individual access to the data may be provided upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. No specialized in-house scripts or programmes were used for this study.Supplementary data are available online at: https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/7/3/fcaf163/8121185#supplementary-data .Subjective cognitive decline and mild behavioral impairment identify older persons more likely to have early Alzheimer’s disease. Vascular co-pathologies may also contribute to new onset and persistent cognitive and behavioural symptoms later in life. We investigated vascular risk factor associations with subjective cognitive decline and mild behavioral impairment.
Cross-sectional data for 1285 (81.0% female) participants without mild cognitive impairment or dementia enrolled in the Canadian Platform for Research Online to Investigate Health, Quality of Life, Cognition, Behaviour, Function, and Caregiving in Aging were analyzed. Vascular risk factors included body mass index class, self-reported clinician diagnoses of hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, self-reported smoking, and the cumulative number of vascular risk factors. Outcomes were the Everyday Cognition scale and Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist. Logistic and negative binomial regressions were used to model odds and severity of subjective cognitive decline and mild behavioral impairment as a function of individual or cumulative vascular risk factors.
Having three or more vascular risk factors (odds ratio=1.23, 95% confidence interval [1.04−1.47]), actively smoking (odds ratio=1.54, 95% confidence interval [1.29−1.82]), being overweight (odds ratio=1.46, 95% confidence interval [1.22−1.74]), and having diabetes (odds ratio=1.29, 95% confidence interval [1.09−1.53]) were associated with higher odds of subjective cognitive decline. Having any number of vascular risk factors was dose-dependently associated with higher odds of mild behavioral impairment, as were all five vascular risk factors individually; active smokers (odds ratio=2.67, 95% confidence interval [2.25−3.18]) and obese persons (odds ratio=2.29, 95% confidence interval [1.91−2.75]) had over twice the odds of mild behavioral impairment. Vascular risk factors associations with subjective cognitive decline were stronger in participants with mild behavioral impairment. All vascular risk factors were linked to higher Everyday Cognition and Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist total scores, indicating greater subjective cognitive decline and mild behavioral impairment symptom severity. Overweight body mass index, hypertension, and high cholesterol associations with subjective cognitive decline and mild behavioral impairment were stronger in middle-aged adults than older adults, but diabetes and active smoking had greater effects in older adults.
Vascular risk factors are strongly related to experiences of cognitive and behavioural changes in later life, even in the absence of objective cognitive impairment. Furthermore, vascular associations with subjective cognitive decline symptoms may be more pronounced in persons with concomitant behavioural decline. Vascular pathologies may contribute to both cognitive and behavioural markers traditionally linked to Alzheimer’s disease in older persons, prior to mild cognitive impairment and dementia.The CAN-PROTECT study was supported by Gordie Howe CARES and the Evans Family fund via the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. DXG is supported by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at University of Calgary, Killam Trust, Alzheimer Society of Canada, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. ZI is supported by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research Exeter Biomedical Research Centre
A criminally violent turn
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis thesis delves into the evolving patterns and representation of female transgression and deviance in contemporary Chinese-language cinema, specifically productions from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong. By analysing case studies from big heroine dramas, horror and new magic films, and crime narratives, it explores how depictions of imperial women, female ghosts and spirits, and criminal characters challenge traditional norms, offering evolving insights into gender dynamics and societal shifts.
The study principally draws on the concept of ‘post-feminist masquerade’, which has its origins in feminist film studies. This concept suggests that although powerful, independent female protagonists appear to oppose patriarchal structures, they paradoxically reinforce traditional gender roles through their agency and autonomy. Moreover, it regards femininity as a reactionary construct, complicating the portrayal of women’s empowerment in Chinese cinema. The concept of ‘post-feminist masquerade’ subtly manifests in emerging film genres, delving deeper into the intricate connections among female portrayals, gender norms, and social transformation within Chinese-language movies
Cut out: collaging against the invisibility of women in print climbing magazines
Get PDFClimbing magazines from the 1970s to the 2000s, originating as a product of male-dominated climbing cultures, provide a rich illustrative source for embracing visual methodology. Working as a multidisciplinary collective of four across history, art, sociology, we are using photomontage methods to interrogate the photographic representations, absences and stark invisibility of women and women climbers held within our climbing magazine collection. We engage collage as our means of working with the magazine imagery and representations therein. Situating art making at the kitchen table, Dada artist Hannah Höch (1889-1978) invites us to trespass towards a collective, resistant leisure activity. We do so by workshopping to deconstruct, disassemble and reassemble our visual artefacts to speak back and through the ways women’s bodies are objectified, and materially and discursively play out against exclusive leisure. Identifiable representations of women appear in the magazines, which chime with the complexities of absence, sexualization, and conditional inclusion. We chat and discuss and unobtrusively transcribe our emergent commentaries. Our visual methodology therefore invigorates the examination of women’s status within climbing culture past and present, across climbing and non-climbing audiences, revealing resonances between past and present attitudes to women, suggesting that representational strategies continue to impact discriminated groups
Modeling Visibility and Surface Deformation in Helicopter Rotor Generated Particle-Fluid Flow Fields
Get PDFAs a helicopter descends toward a bed of sand, a high-velocity particle-laden cloud can form around the helicopter body, a phenomenon known as brownout, a consequence of which can potentially be a significant deterioration in visibility for the helicopter pilot. This paper considers a physically based rational mathematical model for the generation of wind-driven particle flow fields from otherwise static particle beds, one application of which is this scenario. The authors introduce a directional opacity measure, defined for each observation angle from the helicopter cockpit, and show how visibility may vary in the model as certain parameters (the height of the helicopter, ratio of swirl velocity to downdraft velocity, and balance between lift and gravity in the interfacial layer between the sand bed and the fluidized region) vary, demonstrating a counterintuitive result suggesting that there exist potentially realistic parameter regimes for which pilot visibility may be improved in some viewing directions if the helicopter were hovering at a lower altitude. The paper also calculates the associated deformation of the upper surface of the particle bed and show how certain surface deformation features, including vertical depth and horizontal extent of the deformation, may be sensitive to variation of key parameters
Assessing Mulsemedia Authoring Application Based on Events With STEVE 2.0
Get PDFThe concept of Multiple Sensorial Media (mulsemedia) has been explored to enhance user experiences by engaging different senses beyond sight and hearing. The growing demand for developing such applications has led to various studies focusing on the mulsemedia authoring process. However, there remains a significant gap in accessible methods for developing these applications. This article addresses this issue by assessing an event-based approach to mulsemedia creation. We implemented this approach in the graphical authoring tool STEVE 2.0, which enables users to develop mulsemedia applications by defining event-based temporal relationships that synchronize traditional media with sensory effects. Additionally, STEVE 2.0 allows for the configuration of media presentation and sensory effect rendering properties. To assess the usability, features, and user experience of the tool, we conducted experiments with 44 participants. The results show that STEVE 2.0 effectively empowers users to create mulsemedia applications. Furthermore, we discuss the integration of STEVE 2.0 with other multimedia technologies used for interactive digital TV, underscoring the importance of comprehensive platforms that support the entire life cycle of these applications, from production to distribution and rendering.Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ);
Agency for Studies and Projects (FINEP)
Commodification of photogenic sites and rise of ‘selfie parks’ as tourist enclaves
Get PDFThe spatial practices of tourists have been reshaped by the rise of smartphones and social media, prompting new geographies of tourism that respond to the visual imperatives of the digital era. This paper explores the emergence of ‘selfie parks’ as purpose-built, enclavic spaces designed to accommodate social media-induced tourists. Positioned at the intersection of visual culture and spatial production, selfie parks represent a novel form of place-making driven by the aesthetics and performativity of Instagrammability. Drawing on empirical fieldwork in Bali, this study examines how these photographic enclaves reconfigure tourism space by concentrating visual consumption into managed, commodified zones. Contrary to earlier critiques of tourist enclaves, which highlight issues such as socio-spatial segregation and high economic leakages, this research demonstrates how selfie parks can enable local communities to effectively manage the economic opportunity that social media-induced visitors may offer, as well as providing a safe and convenient atmosphere. Furthermore, it considers how spatial interventions such as controlled entry schemes can help mitigate the pressures of overtourism in destinations experiencing high demand from social media-induced tourists. This study is the first to consider selfie parks as tourism enclaves, while contributing to literature on visual production and management of tourists
Investigating the effects of biomarkers CHRDL2 and POLD3 on colorectal cancer risk
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonColorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer globally. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several loci with single nucleotide polymorphisms that may increase CRC risk, including adjacent regions near the POLD3 and CHRDL2 genes. This thesis investigates the functional role these genes and their encoded proteins play in CRC development.
Our research utilized cancer cell lines grown as 2D cultures engineered to overexpress CHRDL2 and knockdown POLD3 expression, alongside 3D organoid models treated with CHRDL2, supplemented by RNA sequencing.
Chordin-like-2 (CHRDL2) is a secreted BMP antagonist with overexpression linked to poor CRC prognosis. However, its functional role remains unclear. BMP signalling promotes differentiation and counters WNT signalling, which sustains stem-cell maintenance in the intestinal epithelium. Reduced BMP and elevated WNT signalling leads to an increased stem-cell phenotype, a hallmark of CRC. We have found that CHRDL2 overexpression reduces BMP signalling and elevates WNT signalling, enhancing cancer cell survival during chemotherapy and irradiation by activation of DNA damage response pathways. Treated cells showed increased stem-cell markers and reduced differentiation, suggesting CHRDL2's potential to intensify the cancer stem-cell phenotype and influence therapy response.
The second gene investigated, POLD3, is the third subunit of Pol δ and plays a critical role in DNA synthesis and repair, which are vital for cancer cells. Knock-down of POLD3 in CRC cells reduced their proliferative ability, causing cell cycle arrest in S phase, leading to apoptosis and cell death. Furthermore, POLD3 was shown to be essential for ALT telomere maintenance, with knockdown of POLD3 reducing telomere length, a key factor affecting cancer cell longevity. Additionally, POLD3 knockdown induced DNA damage and instability, and increased sensitivity to chemotherapy and irradiation.
This research highlights the roles of POLD3 and CHRDL2 dysregulation in CRC, offering new insights into their potential as therapeutic targets and CRC biomarkers
Relational Commitment and Brand Loyalty in Member Initiated Online Brand Communities: The Trust-Commitment Theory Perspective
No full text......This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2023S1A5A2A03084147)
International human rights law and legal principles of procedural protection of students’ rights in university administrative disputes: A study in the GCC region
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis thesis examines the overlap between international human rights law and the legal concepts that govern the procedural protection of students' rights in university administrative disputes, in the GCC region with particular focus on the State of Qatar. Within modern academia, universities function within a dual structure consisting of external legal duties and internal restrictions. Adhering to both legislative regulations and institutional bylaws is crucial for guaranteeing academic integrity, protecting student rights, and maintaining financial accountability. The changing nature of university governance has seen a shift towards judicial oversight and the formalisation of the student-university relationship, highlighting the importance of fair procedures and the protection of human rights.
The study problem examines the sufficiency of legal channels for contesting university decisions and the degree to which human rights are upheld in university hearings. This raises concerns about the accessibility of judicial review and the extent to which due process rules are followed in administrative actions that impact students. This thesis analyses the legal framework in Qatar to evaluate how international human rights standards, principles of Islamic law, and constitutional requirements are used to protect students' rights in university settings.
This study seeks to find opportunities for enhancement in procedural fairness and justice at Qatar University by thoroughly investigating its laws, regulations, and policies. The research intends to provide recommendations for improving transparency and accountability in university decision-making processes by comparing them to international norms. The study aims to contribute to the establishment of a just and impartial academic environment that promotes the comprehensive growth of students at Qatar University and within the GCC countries
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