CBCD Based on Color Features and Landmark MDS-Assisted Distance Estimation

Content-Based Copy Detection (CBCD) of digital videos is an important research field that aims at the identification of modified copies of an original clip, e.g., on the Internet. In this application, the video content is uniquely identified by the content itself, by extracting some compact features that are robust to a certain set of video transformations. Given the huge amount of data present in online video databases, the computational complexity of the feature extraction and comparison is a very important issue. In this paper, a landmark based multi-dimensional scaling technique is proposed to speed up the detection procedure which is based on exhaustive search and the MPEG-7 Dominant Color Descriptor. The method is evaluated under the MPEG Video Signature Core Experiment conditions, and simulation results show impressive time savings at the cost of a slightly reduced detection performance

Steel sieves filter and stripping for the quality of extra virgin olive oil

Filtration is a widely spread procedure adopted after the olive oil extraction process to remove the suspended solids and to eliminate humidity, making the oil more brilliant and more stable. In Tuscany, the most common filtration equipment are filter-presses. Those devices are able to reach the aims of filtration but they show some disadvantages. First of all, filter-presses consume not re-generable filter sheets. These represents a direct purchasing cost as well as an indirect cost due to the trapping of a relevant oil amount. Furthermore, the use of filter sheets implies complications for their disposal. To partially overcome these issues a new filtration equipment able to reduce the filter sheets consumption has been designed. The main idea is the addition of steel sieves before the filter-press capable to retain the suspended solids. In this way, the filter sheets only have to hold the humidity of oil. The addition of the sieves increases the amount of processed olive oil up to about five times before the filter sheets has to be substituted. In addition, the opportunity of performing the stripping techniques to remove the dissolved oxygen from the olive oil is provided. The dissolved oxygen is shortly consumed by the oil in a few days and seems to act as a starter for the subsequent autoxidation reactions. This was confirmed by the faster quality decay kinetics during shelf-life of the oils with higher dissolved oxygen concentration, according to previous researches. In the presented device, the adoption of the stripping technique was able to halve the dissolved oxygen concentration in the treated extra virgin olive oils. Thus, the innovative filter should be able to considerably reduce the filter sheets consumption, and to improve the olive oil shelf-life through the reduction of the dissolved oxygen amounts. However, before the adoption of this kind of devices at the industrial scale, further investigations are necessar

Antimicrobial activity of supramolecular salts of gallium(III) and proflavine and the intriguing case of a trioxalate complex

The use of the gallium oxalate complex [Ga(ox)(3)](3-) as a building block in the formation of a drug-drug salt with the antimicrobial agent proflavine (PF) as its proflavinium cation (HPF+), namely [HPF](3)[Ga(ox)(3)]center dot 4H(2)O, is reported together with the preparation of the potassium salt K-3[Ga(ox)(3)] and the novel dimeric gallium(III) salt K-4[Ga-2(ox)(4)(mu-OH)(2)]center dot 2H(2)O. All compounds have been characterized by solid state methods, and their performance as antimicrobial agents has been evaluated by disk diffusion assay against the bacteria strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, and Escherichia coli ATCC25922. While the [HPF](3)[Ga(ox)(3)]center dot 4H(2)O drug-drug salt is effective against all three strains, the gallium oxalate salt K-3[Ga(ox)(3)] showed impressive selectivity towards P. aeruginosa, with little to no antimicrobial activity against the other two organisms. This work presents novel breakthroughs towards Ga based antimicrobial agents

What kind of coffee do you drink? An investigation on effects of eight different extraction methods

The chemical composition of brewed coffee depends on numerous factors: the beans, post-harvest processing and, finally, the extraction method. In recent decades, numerous coffee-based beverages, obtained using different extraction techniques have entered the market. This study characterizes and compares eight extraction coffee methods from a chemical-physical point of view, starting from the same raw material. Specifically, three types of Espresso, Moka, French Press, and 3 filter coffee that for the first time are reported in the scientific literature Cold Brew, V60, and Aeropress are compared. Physical measurements included the quantification of total dissolved solids, density, pH, conductivity, and viscosity. Chemical analyses identified 15 chlorogenic acids (CGAs): six caffeoylquinic acids, one p-Coumaroylquinic acid, one Feruloylquinic Acid, four Caffeoylquinic lactones, and three Dicaffeoylquinic acids. Maximum caffeine and CGA concentrations were found in Espresso coffees, while Moka and filtered coffees were three to six times less concentrated. The classic Espresso method was most efficient for caffeine and CGA recovery, with a yield almost double that of other methods. Per-cup caffeine and CGAs were higher in Cold Brew than Espresso coffees, as a function of the volume of beverage, which ranged from 30\u202fmL (for espresso) to 120\u202fmL (for filtered coffees). In light of these results, it is not possible to establish how many cups of coffee can be consumed per day without exceeding the recommended doses, since according to the applied brewing method, the content of the bioactive substances varies considerably

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

The influence of crusher speed on extra virgin olive oil characteristics

Milling is an aspect of olive oil production that has received very little attention, and there have been very few studies of the relationship between crusher speed and oil quality. This work compares the effect of three blade cutter crusher speeds used in an industrial plant on the main olive oil chemical and sensory parameters, at two points in time: immediately post-production, and after eight month of storage. The ANOVA results showed that faster crushing significantly increases chlorophyll and total biophenol content. Secoiridoids are particularly affected and concentrations of 3,4-DHPEA-EDA and p-DHPEA-EDA significantly varied in oils milled at different speeds. From the lowest to the highest speed a difference of roughly 50 mg/kg (on about 400 mg/kg) for total biophenols, and about 40 mg/kg of 3,4-DHPEA-EDA is found. Panel testing found higher bitterness and astringency scores in oils produced at the higher speed. These findings suggest that crushing speed can be used to characterize olive oils. Practical applications: Crushing speed is easy to change in olive mills, and could be used to control the sensory and nutraceutical profile of extra virgin olive oil through its effect on bitterness, astringency, and phenolic content parameters. Hence, it is very useful to have a better understanding of the relationship between crushing speed and olive oil characteristics. Crushing speed can be used to characterize olive oils. Faster crushing significantly increases chlorophyll, total biophenol, 3,4-DHPEA-EDA, and p-DHPEA-EDA. Panel testing found higher bitterness and astringency scores in oils produced at the higher speed

Changes in Olive Paste Composition During Decanter Feeding and Effects on Oil Yield

In olive oil production, olive paste is fed into a decanter in order to separate the oil from solids. The decanter is usually fed by a mohno or lobe pump. In this study, we analyze the composition of olive paste and pomace at the beginning, middle, and end of decanter feeding. The results show a change in paste composition with the two types of pumps. In both cases, olive paste contains a higher percentage of water and oil at the beginning of decanter feeding than at the end. This phenomenon is probably related to the different viscosity of the three components in the system. Furthermore, as the level for the recovery of olive oil is fixed, the change in the solid/liquid ratio causes product loss. This loss is demonstrated and quantified through the measurement of pomace oil content. Practical Applications: The paper quantifies the effect of the olive paste transport from malaxers to decanter on the olive oil yield. The transport causes a change in the relative composition among oil, water, and solids. The decanter centrifuge is not able to separate efficiently paste with different compositions. This causes marked product losses. The presented data could lead to the development of a control system able to limit the losses. In this study the ratio of solids, water and oil in the olive paste at the beginning, middle, and end of decanter feeding are tested. Change in paste composition with the two types of pumps. Olive paste contains a higher percentage of water and oil at the beginning of decanter feeding than at the end. The level for the recovery of oil is fixed and the change in the ratio causes product loss that is quantified through the measurement of pomace oil conten

Copy Detection of Immersed Content in Video Databases

5noContent-Based Copy Detection techniques aim at the identification of modified copies of an original clip in a given database or on the Internet. Usually, a digital fingerprint is computed from the media itself by extracting some features which are later used for the copy detection task. In this paper we propose a system for Video Copy Detection which makes use of several low-level features. In particular we investigate the problem of the detection of copies immersed in dummy multimedia contents. By analyzing the temporal evolution of the selected features, the proposed method detects the relevant part of the query useful for the detection of the original content the query has been extracted from. Experiments conducted on the data set provided by MPEG indicate that a combined use of different features can be useful for isolating immersed copies. Moreover we can see that the various features act differently with respect to the type of modification the video query suffered.restrictedrestrictedCorvaglia M.; Guerrini F.; Leonardi R.; Migliorati P.; Rossi E.Corvaglia, Marzia; Guerrini, Fabrizio; Leonardi, Riccardo; Migliorati, Pierangelo; Rossi, Elian

Toward a Multi-Feature Approach to Content-Based Copy Detection

Video Content-Based Copy Detection (CBCD) is an emergent research field which is targeted to the identification of modified copies of an original clip in a given dataset, e.g., on the Internet. As opposed to digital watermarking, the content itself is used to uniquely identify the video through the extraction of features that need to be robust against a certain set of predetermined video attacks. This paper advocates the use of multiple features together with detection performance estimation to construct a flexible video signature instead of a fixed, single feature based one. To combine diverse features, a normalized linear combination is also proposed. The system performance boost is evaluated through the MPEG Video Signature Core Experiment dataset and experimental results show how the proposed signature scheme can achieve impressive improvements with respect to the single feature approach