Multidimensional image selection and classification system based on visual feature extraction and scaling

Sorting and searching operations used for the selection of test images strongly affect the results of image quality investigations and require a high level of versatility. This paper describes the way that inherent image properties, which are known to have a visual impact on the observer, can be used to provide support and an innovative answer to image selection and classification. The selected image properties are intended to be comprehensive and to correlate with our perception. Results from this work aim to lead to the definition of a set of universal scales of perceived image properties that are relevant to image quality assessments. The initial prototype built towards these objectives relies on global analysis of low-level image features. A multidimensional system is built, based upon the global image features of: lightness, contrast, colorfulness, color contrast, dominant hue(s) and busyness. The resulting feature metric values are compared against outcomes from relevant psychophysical investigations to evaluate the success of the employed algorithms in deriving image features that affect the perceived impression of the images

Life cycle assessment and feasibility analysis of a combined chemical looping combustion and power-to-methane system for CO2 capture and utilization

The ability to store effectively excess of electrical energy from peaks of production is key to the development of renewable energies. Power-To-Gas, and specifically Power-To-Methane represents one of the most promising option. This works presents an innovative process layout that integrates Chemical Looping Combustion of solid fuels and a Power-to-Methane system. The core of the proposed layout is a multiple interconnected fluidized bed system (MFB) equipped with a two-stage fuel reactor (t-FR). Performances of the system were evaluated by considering a coal as fuel and CuO supported on zirconia as oxygen carrier. A kinetic scheme comprising both heterogeneous and homogeneous reactions occurring in the MFB was considered. The methanation unit was modelled developing a thermodynamic calculation method based on minimization of the free Gibbs energy. The performance of the system was evaluated by considering that the CO/CO2 stream coming from the t-FR reacts over Ni supported on alumina catalyst with a pure H2 stream generated by an array of electrolysis cells. The number of cells to be stacked in the array was evaluated by considering that a constant H2 production able to convert the whole CO/CO2 stream produced by the CLC process should be attained. The environmental performance of the proposed process was quantified using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The analysis shows i) that the majority originate from the production and disposal of the oxygen carrier used in the t-FR, and ii) that reusing part of the oxygen produced by the electrolysis cells improves significantly the environmental performance of the proposed process

Flood scenario spatio-temporal mapping via hydrological and hydrodynamic modelling and a remote sensing dataset: A case study of the Basento river (Southern Italy)

Today, hydrological and hydraulic modelling are essential tools for flood risk management, although these models are still affected by elements of uncertainty that needs to be reduced by optimizing their results. The present research aims to implement an operational mechanism on the Basento river basin in Southern Italy based on the cascading use of a physically based concentrated-parameter hydrological model for the estimation of flood hydrographs, and a two-dimensional hydraulic model for flood mapping. The calibration of the hydrological model uses physical information to reduce the initial range of the set parameter values, and an automated optimisation procedure based on a genetic algorithm to find optimal values of the model parameters by comparing simulated and observed data for the 2013 flood event. To calibrate the hydraulic model, a series of flood maps extracted from multi-temporal SAR images was used. In addition, validation of the hydrological and hydraulic models was carried out on March 2011 flood event. The results show the reliability of the models during both calibration and validation, with the hydrological model achieving a Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency coefficient between 0.86 and 0.91, and the hydraulic model leading to results with an accuracy close to 70 %. Considering the significance of the results, the developed modelling chain was used to simulate future event scenarios for risk management assessment and could operate as an early warning system

Life cycle assessment and feasibility analysis of a combined chemical looping combustion and power-to-methane system for CO2 capture and utilization

The ability to store effectively excess of electrical energy from peaks of production is key to the development of renewable energies. Power-To-Gas, and specifically Power-To-Methane represents one of the most promising option. This works presents an innovative process layout that integrates Chemical Looping Combustion of solid fuels and a Power-to-Methane system. The core of the proposed layout is a multiple interconnected fluidized bed system (MFB) equipped with a two-stage fuel reactor (t-FR). Performances of the system were evaluated by considering a coal as fuel and CuO supported on zirconia as oxygen carrier. A kinetic scheme comprising both heterogeneous and homogeneous reactions occurring in the MFB was considered. The methanation unit was modelled developing a thermodynamic calculation method based on minimization of the free Gibbs energy. The performance of the system was evaluated by considering that the CO/CO2 stream coming from the t-FR reacts over Ni supported on alumina catalyst with a pure H2 stream generated by an array of electrolysis cells. The number of cells to be stacked in the array was evaluated by considering that a constant H2 production able to convert the whole CO/CO2 stream produced by the CLC process should be attained. The environmental performance of the proposed process was quantified using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The analysis shows i) that the majority originate from the production and disposal of the oxygen carrier used in the t-FR, and ii) that reusing part of the oxygen produced by the electrolysis cells improves significantly the environmental performance of the proposed process

Prevalenza della fibrillazione atriale, eleggibilità al trattamento e consumo di anticoagulanti orali nelle Aziende Sanitarie italiane: impatto dei nuovi anticoagulanti

Background. Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases significantly the risk of comorbidities and premature death. This paper aims to estimate: 1) the current prevalence of AF in Italy as a whole and within individual local health authorities (LHA); 2) the proportion of strongly eligible patients receiving oral anticoagulants; 3) the impact of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Methods. The prevalence of AF and the proportion of patients strongly eligible for anticoagulant treatment (defined by a CHADS2 score ≥2) were obtained by applying the results of a systematic literature search to the Italian population stratified by gender, age and LHA. The consumption of oral anticoagulants in eligible patients within each LHA was derived from Intercontinental Marketing Services data. Results. Altogether, the detected prevalence of AF in Italy is 1.7%, i.e. 1 036 448 cases. Of these, 62.6%, i.e. 648 832 subjects, are estimated to have a CHADS2 ≥2 and therefore strongly eligible for anticoagulant treatment. The estimated percentage of eligible treated patients in 2015 was 43.7%, significantly greater compared to 2014 (31.3%), with local and regional variabilities. In 2015 the estimated use of NOACs for AF was 36.4% of all oral anticoagulants, with marked local and regional variabilities. NOAC prescription appears influenced by financial limitations and by factors related to the network of anticoagulation services. Conclusions. The present analysis shows a prevalence of AF in Italy of 1.7%. The overall rate of anticoagulant use is increasing, but is still insufficient, with marked regional and local variations. In 2015, approximately one third of oral anticoagulation in eligible patients was based on NOACs

Arterial hypertension in aortic valve stenosis: A critical update

Aortic stenosis (AS) is a very common valve disease and is associated with high mortality once it becomes symptomatic. Arterial hypertension (HT) has a high prevalence among patients with AS leading to worse left ventricle remodeling and faster degeneration of the valve. HT also interferes with the assessment of the severity of AS, leading to an underestimation of the real degree of stenosis. Treatment of HT in AS has not historically been pursued due to the fear of excess reduction in afterload without a possibility of increasing stroke volume due to the fixed aortic valve, but most recent evidence shows that several drugs are safe and effective in reducing BP in patients with HT and AS. RAAS inhibitors and beta‐blockers provide benefit in selected populations based on their profile of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Different drugs, on the other hand, have proved to be unsafe, such as calcium channel blockers, or simply not easy enough to handle to be recommended in clinical practice, such as PDE5i, MRA or sodium nitroprusside. The present review highlights all available studies on HT and AS to guide antihypertensive treatment

Comparative morphology of skeletal development in homo sapiens and raja asterias: divergent stiffening patterns due to different matrix calcification processes.

Before calcification begins, the early embryonic and fetal skeletal development of both mammalian Homo sapiens and the chondrichthyan fish Raja asterias consists exclusively of cartilage. This cartilage is formed and shaped through processes involving tissue segmentation and the frequency, distribution, and orientation of chondrocyte mitoses. In the subsequent developmental phase, mineral deposition in the cartilage matrix conditions the development further. The stiffness and structural layout of the mineralized cartilage have a significant impact on the shape of the anlagen (early formative structure of a tissue, a scaffold on which the new bone is formed) and the mechanical properties of the skeletal segments. The fundamental difference between the two studied species lies in how calcified cartilage serves as a scaffold for osteoblasts to deposit bone matrix, which is then remodeled. In contrast, chondrichthyans retain the calcified cartilage as the definitive skeletal structure. This study documents the distinct mineral deposition pattern in the cartilage of the chondrichthyan R. asterias, in which calcification progresses with the formation of focal calcification nuclei or “tesserae”. These are arranged on the flat surface of the endo-skeleton (crustal pattern) or aligned in columns (catenated pattern) in the radials of the appendicular skeleton. This anatomical structure is well adapted to meet the mechanical requirements of locomotion in the water column. Conversely, in terrestrial mammals, endochondral ossification (associated with the remodeling of the calcified matrix) provides limb bones with the necessary stiffness to withstand the strong bending and twisting stresses of terrestrial locomotion. In this study, radiographs of marine mammals (reproduced from previously published studies) document how the endochondral ossification in dolphin flippers adapts to the mechanical demands of aquatic locomotion. This adaptation includes the reduction in the length of the stylopodium and zeugopodium and an increase in the number of elements in the autopodium’s central rays

Preliminary assessment of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in tissues of Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) specimens stranded along the Italian coasts

Ecotoxicological and pathological research on Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812) (Risso's dolphins) is scarce both globally and in the Mediterranean Sea. This species has been classified as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the Mediterranean Sea.To evaluate the presence of "persistent organic pollutants" (POPs), especially organochlorine compounds (OCs), in the animals, chemical analyses were performed on tissues and organs of Risso's dolphin stranded along the Italian coasts between 1998 and 2021. Toxic contaminants such as hexachlorobenzene (HCB), poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) were examined in the blubber, liver, muscle, and brain of 20 animals, and data was correlated with sex, age, and stranding locations