Classification of Contaminated Insulators Using k-Nearest Neighbors Based on Computer Vision

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JANUS: an FPGA-based System for High Performance Scientific Computing

This paper describes JANUS, a modular massively parallel and reconfigurable FPGA-based computing system. Each JANUS module has a computational core and a host. The computational core is a 4x4 array of FPGA-based processing elements with nearest-neighbor data links. Processors are also directly connected to an I/O node attached to the JANUS host, a conventional PC. JANUS is tailored for, but not limited to, the requirements of a class of hard scientific applications characterized by regular code structure, unconventional data manipulation instructions and not too large data-base size. We discuss the architecture of this configurable machine, and focus on its use on Monte Carlo simulations of statistical mechanics. On this class of application JANUS achieves impressive performances: in some cases one JANUS processing element outperfoms high-end PCs by a factor ~ 1000. We also discuss the role of JANUS on other classes of scientific applications.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures. Improved version, largely rewritten, submitted to Computing in Science & Engineerin

GREENET - An Early Stage Training Network in Enabling Technologies for Green Radio

International audienceIn this paper, we describe GREENET (an early stage training network in enabling technologies for green radio), which is a new project recently funded by the European Commission under the auspices of the 2010 Marie Curie People Programme. Through the recruitment and personalized training of 17 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), in GREENET we are committed to the development of new disruptive technologies to address all aspects of energy efficiency in wireless networks, from the user devices to the core network infrastructure, along with the ways the devices and equipment interact with one another. Novel techniques at the physical, link, and network layers to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of 4G devices will be investigated, such as Spatial Modulation (SM) for Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems, Cooperative Automatic Repeat reQuest (C-ARQ) protocols, and Network Coding (NC) for lossy networks. Furthermore, cooperation and cognition paradigms will be exploited as additional assets to improve the energy efficiency of wireless networks with the challenging but indispensable constraint of optimizing the system capacity without degrading the user's Quality-of-Service (QoS)

Deformidad de Gibbus no tuberculosa tratada con implante cubierto con nanopartículas de plata. Presentación de un caso

Se conoce como enfermedad de Gibbus al colapso de la porción anterior de uno o más cuerpos vertebrales que provoca una cifosis segmentaria de ángulo agudo. En general, este tipo de deformidades son producto de infecciones tuberculosas. Uno de los principales problemas que trae apareado esta deformidad es la compresión medular. En el caso presentado, el paciente sufrió esta enfermedad como consecuencia de una infección no tuberculosa, con cifosis angular pososteomielitis, tratado con doble vía de abordaje, utilizando implantes recubiertos con nanopartículas de plata. Los resultados clínico-radiológicos fueron muy satisfactorios. Este caso presenta la conjugación de dos temas poco frecuentes en la medicina actual; por un lado, un tipo de deformidad de la columna que, rara vez, se debe a una infección no tuberculosa y, por otro lado, el implante utilizado, recubierto con nanopartículas de plata que, pese a las controversias, ofrece una nueva posibilidad de tratamiento para pacientes con un riesgo aumentado de infección asociada a implantes, y resulta de interés que sea reconocido por los cirujanos ortopedistas, puesto que existe evidencia suficiente para afirmar su capacidad para reducir la formación de biopelículas

Multipathogen infections and multifactorial pathogenesis involved in noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) mass mortality events: Background and current pathologic approaches

Disease outbreaks in several ecologically or commercially important invertebrate marine species have been reported in recent years all over the world. Mass mortality events (MMEs) have affected the noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis), causing its near extinction. Our knowledge of the dynamics of diseases affecting this species is still unclear. Early studies investigating the causative etiological agent focused on a novel protozoan parasite, Haplosporidium pinnae, although further investigations suggested that concurrent polymicrobial infections could have been pivotal in some MMEs, even in the absence of H. pinnae. Indeed, moribund specimens collected during MMEs in Italy, Greece, and Spain demonstrated the presence of a bacteria from within the Mycobacterium simiae complex and, in some cases, species similar to Vibrio mediterranei. The diagnostic processes used for investigation of MMEs are still not standardized and require the expertise of veterinary and para-veterinary pathologists, who could simultaneously evaluate a variety of factors, from clinical signs to environmental conditions. Here, we review the available literature on mortality events in P. nobilis and discuss approaches to define MMEs in P. nobilis. The proposed consensus approach should form the basis for establishing a foundation for future studies aimed at preserving populations in the wild.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Classification of insulators using neural network based on computer vision

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Characteristics and age-related injury patterns of maxillofacial fractures in children and adolescents:A multicentric and prospective study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Paediatric maxillofacial trauma accounts for 15% of all maxillofacial trauma but remains a leading cause of mortality. The aim of this prospective, multicentric epidemiological study was to analyse the characteristics of maxillofacial fractures in paediatric patients managed in 14 maxillofacial surgery departments on five continents over a 1‐year period. METHODS: The following data were collected: age (preschool [0–6 years], school age [7–12 years], and adolescent [13–18 years]), cause and mechanism of the maxillofacial fracture, alcohol and/or drug abuse at the time of trauma, fracture site, Facial Injury Severity Scale score, associated injuries, day of the maxillofacial trauma, timing and type of treatment, and length of hospitalization. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: Between 30 September 2019 and 4 October 2020, 322 patients (male:female ratio, 2.3:1) aged 0–18 years (median age, 15 years) were hospitalized with maxillofacial trauma. The most frequent causes of the trauma were road traffic accidents (36%; median age, 15 years), followed by falls (24%; median age, 8 years) and sports (21%; median age, 14 years). Alcohol and/or drug abuse was significantly associated with males (p < .001) and older age (p < .001). Overall, 474 fractures were observed (1.47 per capita). The most affected site was the mandibular condyle in children <13 years old and the nose in adolescents. The proportion of patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation increased with age (p < .001). CONCLUSION: The main cause of paediatric maxillofacial fractures was road traffic accidents, with the highest rates seen in African and Asian centres, and the frequency of such fractures increased with age. Falls showed an inverse association with age and were the leading cause of trauma in children 0–6 years of age. The choice of treatment varies with age, reflecting anatomical and etiological changes towards patterns more similar to those seen in adulthood

A multicentric, prospective study on oral and maxillofacial trauma in the female population around the world

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Approximately 20% of patients with maxillofacial trauma are women, but few articles have analysed this. The aim of this multicentric, prospective, epidemiological study was to analyse the characteristics of maxillofacial fractures in the female population managed in 14 maxillofacial surgery departments on five continents over a 1‐year period. METHODS: The following data were collected: age (0–18, 19–64, or ≥65 years), cause and mechanism of the maxillofacial fracture, alcohol and/or drug abuse at the time of trauma, fracture site, Facial Injury Severity Scale score, associated injury, day of trauma, timing and type of treatment, and length of hospitalization. RESULTS: Between 30 September 2019 and 4 October 2020, 562 of 2387 patients hospitalized with maxillofacial trauma were females (24%; M: F ratio, 3.2:1) aged between 1 and 96 years (median age, 37 years). Most fractures occurred in patients aged 20–39 years. The main causes were falls (43% [median age, 60.5 years]), which were more common in Australian, European and American units (p < .001). They were followed by road traffic accidents (35% [median age, 29.5 years]). Assaults (15% [median age, 31.5 years]) were statistically associated with alcohol and/or drug abuse (p < .001). Of all patients, 39% underwent open reduction and internal fixation, 36% did not receive surgical treatment, and 25% underwent closed reduction. CONCLUSION: Falls were the main cause of maxillofacial injury in the female population in countries with ageing populations, while road traffic accidents were the main cause in African and some Asian centres, especially in patients ≤65 years. Assaults remain a significant cause of trauma, primarily in patients aged 19–64 years, and they are related to alcohol use

Quality control of B-lines analysis in stress Echo 2020

Background The effectiveness trial “Stress echo (SE) 2020” evaluates novel applications of SE in and beyond coronary artery disease. The core protocol also includes 4-site simplified scan of B-lines by lung ultrasound, useful to assess pulmonary congestion. Purpose To provide web-based upstream quality control and harmonization of B-lines reading criteria. Methods 60 readers (all previously accredited for regional wall motion, 53 B-lines naive) from 52 centers of 16 countries of SE 2020 network read a set of 20 lung ultrasound video-clips selected by the Pisa lab serving as reference standard, after taking an obligatory web-based learning 2-h module ( http://se2020.altervista.org ). Each test clip was scored for B-lines from 0 (black lung, A-lines, no B-lines) to 10 (white lung, coalescing B-lines). The diagnostic gold standard was the concordant assessment of two experienced readers of the Pisa lab. The answer of the reader was considered correct if concordant with reference standard reading ±1 (for instance, reference standard reading of 5 B-lines; correct answer 4, 5, or 6). The a priori determined pass threshold was 18/20 (≥ 90%) with R value (intra-class correlation coefficient) between reference standard and recruiting center) > 0.90. Inter-observer agreement was assessed with intra-class correlation coefficient statistics. Results All 60 readers were successfully accredited: 26 (43%) on first, 24 (40%) on second, and 10 (17%) on third attempt. The average diagnostic accuracy of the 60 accredited readers was 95%, with R value of 0.95 compared to reference standard reading. The 53 B-lines naive scored similarly to the 7 B-lines expert on first attempt (90 versus 95%, p = NS). Compared to the step-1 of quality control for regional wall motion abnormalities, the mean reading time per attempt was shorter (17 ± 3 vs 29 ± 12 min, p < .01), the first attempt success rate was higher (43 vs 28%, p < 0.01), and the drop-out of readers smaller (0 vs 28%, p < .01). Conclusions Web-based learning is highly effective for teaching and harmonizing B-lines reading. Echocardiographers without previous experience with B-lines learn quickly.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts (Abernethy malformation): An international observational study

Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (CEPS) or Abernethy malformation is a rare condition in which splanchnic venous blood bypasses the liver draining directly into systemic circulation through a congenital shunt. Patients may develop hepatic encephalopathy (HE), pulmonary hypertension (PaHT), or liver tumors, among other complications. However, the actual incidence of such complications is unknown, mainly because of the lack of a protocolized approach to these patients. This study characterizes the clinical manifestations and outcome of a large cohort of CEPS patients with the aim of proposing a guide for their management. This is an observational, multicenter, international study. Sixty-six patients were included; median age at the end of follow-up was 30 years. Nineteen patients (28%) presented HE. Ten-, 20-, and 30-year HE incidence rates were 13%, 24%, and 28%, respectively. No clinical factors predicted HE. Twenty-five patients had benign nodular lesions. Ten patients developed adenomas (median age, 18 years), and another 8 developed HCC (median age, 39 years). Of 10 patients with dyspnea, PaHT was diagnosed in 8 and hepatopulmonary syndrome in 2. Pulmonary complications were only screened for in 19 asymptomatic patients, and PaHT was identified in 2. Six patients underwent liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma or adenoma. Shunt closure was performed in 15 patients with improvement/stability/cure of CEPS manifestations. Conclusion: CEPS patients may develop severe complications. Screening for asymptomatic complications and close surveillance is needed. Shunt closure should be considered both as a therapeutic and prophylactic approach