Oil spill detection using optical sensors: a multi-temporal approach

Oil pollution is one of the most destructive consequences due to human activities in the marine environment. Oil wastes come from many sources and take decades to be disposed of. Satellite based remote sensing systems can be implemented into a surveillance and monitoring network. In this study, a multi-temporal approach to the oil spill detection problem is investigated. Change Detection (CD) analysis was applied to MODIS/Terra and Aqua and OLI/Landsat 8 images of several reported oil spill events, characterized by different geographic location, sea conditions, source and extension of the spill. Toward the development of an automatic detection algorithm, a Change Vector Analysis (CVA) technique was implemented to carry out the comparison between the current image of the area of interest and a dataset of reference image, statistically analyzed to reduce the sea spectral variability between different dates. The proposed approach highlights the optical sensors’ capabilities in detecting oil spills at sea. The effectiveness of different sensors’ resolution towards the detection of spills of different size, and the relevance of the sensors’ revisiting time to track and monitor the evolution of the event is also investigated

Clinical Outcome of Benign Cardiac Tumors in Infants During A 13 Years' Experience: Impact of Prenatal Diagnosis

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La scena degli specchi in Between the Acts di Virginia Woolf

Nella scena degli specchi del pageant di Between the Acts della Woolf si ripropone il rapporto del teatro, e della letteratura in generale, con il presente, e dell'autore con il pubblico. La scena ricorda Bartholomew Fair di Jonson e si inserisce in quella riflessione quasi sovversiva sulla letteratura caratteristica degli ultimi anni della Woolf

Changes in total choline concentration in the breast of healthy fertile young women in relation to menstrual cycle or use of oral contraceptives: a 3-T 1H-MRS study

BACKGROUND: To evaluate changes in total choline (tCho) absolute concentration ([tCho]) in the breast of healthy fertile women in relation to menstrual cycle (MC) or use of oral contraceptives (OC). METHODS: After institutional review board approval, we prospectively evaluated 40 healthy fertile volunteers: 20 with physiological MC, aged 28 ± 3 years (mean ± standard deviation; nOC group); 20 using OC, aged 26 ± 3 years (OC group). Hormonal assays and water-suppressed single-voxel 3-T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) were performed on MC days 7, 14, and 21 in the nOC group and only on MC day 14 in the OC group. [tCho] was measured versus an external phantom. Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman coefficient were used; data are given as median and interquartile interval. RESULTS: All spectra had good quality. In the nOC group, [tCho] (mM) did not change significantly during MC: 0.8 (0.3-2.4) on day 7, 0.9 (0.4-1.2) on day 14, and 0.4 (0.2-0.8) on day 21 (p = 0.963). In the OC group, [tCho] was 0.7 (0.2-1.7) mM. The between-groups difference was not significant on all days (p ≥ 0.411). All hormones except prolactin changed during MC (p ≤ 0.024). In the OC group, [tCho] showed a borderline correlation with estradiol (r = 0.458, p = 0.056), but no correlation with other hormones (p ≥ 0.128). In the nOC group, [tCho] negatively correlated with prolactin (r = -0.587, p = 0.006) on day 7; positive correlation was found with estradiol on day 14 (r = 0.679, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A tCho peak can be detected in the normal mammary gland using 3-T 1H-MRS. The [tCho] in healthy volunteers was 0.4-0.9 mM, constant over the MC and independent of OC use

Stu­dio e programmazione di un sistema di ac­quisizione e control­lo per gallerie del vento

Il seguente elaborato si colloca all'interno dello studio del moto turbolento, in cui è specializzato il laboratorio CICLoPE (Center for International Cooperation in Long Pipe Experiments). Il principale obiettivo è stato creare un programma in grado di misurare la pressione e di controllarne l'acquisizione tramite l'utilizzo di una particolare strumentazione che consentisse di ottenere risultati affetti da incertezze di entità sempre minore. Questa necessità è dovuta al forte legame che ha la caduta di pressione, lungo un condotto, con le grandezze caratteristiche della turbolenza, quali velocità ed attrito, per esempio. Gli strumenti utilizzati finora presentavano errori variabili per ogni punto lungo il pipe, riconducendo il tutto ad un'alta inesattezza nella misurazione della pressione. E' stato dunque necessario sviluppare un programma da adattare ad un nuovo sistema di acquisizione, che comprendesse anche la movimentazione di un connettore circolare (Scanivalve). In questo modo è possibile ottenere dei valori di pressione viziati da un'imprecisione minore ma, soprattutto, costante. Una volta implementato lo schema base del programma sul software LabVIEW sono state individuate diverse ipotesi per effettuare l'acquisizione e per imprimere la rotazione alla Scanivalve. Sono state, quindi, specificate le modalità che potrebbero essere utilizzate al centro CICLoPE per testare il programma in maniera sperimentale. Altre modalità sono state descritte per casi più generali, in modo da poter adattare lo schema in base alle necessità ed alla strumentazione del singolo caso

LIVER STIFFNESS EVALUATION USING ACOUSTIC RADIATION FORCE IMPULSE ELASTOGRAPHY IN PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PATIENTS WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

Background: Hepatic complications are common in patients with congenital heart disease as a consequence of the primary cardiac defect or as a result of surgical palliation (e.g. Fontan procedure). Liver involvement represents a significant challenge and an adequate hepatic surveillance is fundamental. Liver biopsy represents the gold standard for diagnosis and staging of hepatic fibrosis but it’s an invasive procedure not suitable for a routine setting. Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography is a recently developed technique that allows to assess hepatic stiffness in a non-invasive and reproducible way. The usefulness of ARFI imaging has been described in adult Fontan patients but only few studies have been reported in the pediatric Fontan population and no one in CHD others than Fontan. Aim: The aims of this study were to assess liver stiffness, using ElastPQTM acoustic radiation force impulse elastography, in pediatric and adult patients with CHD, to compare liver stiffness values with healthy controls and to analyze possible associations between ARFI values and clinical, biochemical, cardiac and hepatic parameters. Materials and methods: Pediatric and adult patients that underwent heart surgery for CHD and were followed at the Cardiology Unit of the “Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata” of Verona between October 2018 and October 2020 were prospectively enrolled. Controls subjects without any liver or cardiac disease matched for age and sex to the case group were also included. The latest laboratory tests and echocardiogram available were collected. Liver ultrasound and ARFI measurement of liver stiffness were performed by a specifically trained single expert radiologist using the Philips Healtcare® ultrasound with ElastPQTM software. Results: A total of 50 subjects were enrolled for the study: 20 Fontan patients (13 males, median age at ARFI 8.4 years), 13 non-Fontan (9 males, median age at ARFI 4.8 years) and 17 controls (6 males, median age at ARFI 10 years). The median values of ARFI elastography were significantly higher in patients with CHDs (Fontan and non-Fontan patients) compared to control subjects (p<0.01). Patients with morphological right ventricle overload showed significantly higher results (p=0.02). The cut-off of 5.7 kPa at elastography was used to discriminate between normal liver and liver with signs of congestion or fibrosis. All controls subjects showed ARFI values <5.7 kPa whereas only 25% of Fontan patients and 46% of non-Fontan were below that threshold. Liver stiffness values were positively correlated with time from surgery and age at liver evaluation (p<0.01). The number of platelets and white blood cells were inversely related to liver stiffness measurements (p=0.04 and p=0.05 respectively). The AST to platelet ratio index positively correlated with ARFI elastography results (p<0.03). No significant correlations between ARFI results and other biochemical or cardiac parameters were found. Conclusions: Our data showed that the median values of liver stiffness measured with ElastPQTM pSWE were significantly higher in patients with CHDs compared to control subjects and, in particular, in those with morphological right ventricle overload. Liver stiffness values were also correlated with time from surgery and age at liver evaluation. The number of platelets and white blood cells were inversely related to liver stiffness measurements supporting the need of a screening for portal hypertension and splenomegaly in these patients. The AST to platelet ratio index was also correlated to ARFI elastography results suggesting that liver stiffness may reflect the evolution of liver fibrosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrated, for the first time in literature, that acoustic radiation force impulse elastography (pSWE) with ElastPQTM software can be a useful tool to assess liver stiffness in patients with Fontan circulation and other congenital heart disease

Correction Procedures for Temperature and Irradiance of Photovoltaic Modules: Determination of Series Resistance and Temperature Coefficients by Means of an Indoor Solar Flash Test Device

none5openLuciani, Silvia; Coccia, Gianluca; Tomassetti, Sebastiano; Pierantozzi, Mariano; Di Nicola, GiovanniLuciani, Silvia; Coccia, Gianluca; Tomassetti, Sebastiano; Pierantozzi, Mariano; Di Nicola, Giovann

Familial fetal-type rhabdomyoma of the tricuspid valve in the neonate: Malignant course for a benign disease

Familial fetal-type rhabdomyoma of the tricuspid valve in the neonate: malignant course for a benign disease