A scalable system for microcalcification cluster automated detection in a distributed mammographic database

A computer-aided detection (CADe) system for microcalcification cluster identification in mammograms has been developed in the framework of the EU-founded MammoGrid project. The CADe software is mainly based on wavelet transforms and artificial neural networks. It is able to identify microcalcifications in different datasets of mammograms (i.e. acquired with different machines and settings, digitized with different pitch and bit depth or direct digital ones). The CADe can be remotely run from GRID-connected acquisition and annotation stations, supporting clinicians from geographically distant locations in the interpretation of mammographic data. We report and discuss the system performances on different datasets of mammograms and the status of the GRID-enabled CADe analysis.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; Proceedings of the IEEE NNS and MIC Conference, October 23-29, 2005, Puerto Ric

RISK ASSESSMENT OF MALICIOUS ATTACKS AGAINST POWER SYSTEMS

The new scenarios of malicious attack prompt for their deeper consideration and mainly when critical systems are at stake. In this framework, infrastructural systems, including power systems, represent a possible target due to the huge impact they can have on society. Malicious attacks are different in their nature from other more traditional cause of threats to power system, since they embed a strategic interaction between the attacker and the defender (characteristics that cannot be found in natural events or systemic failures). This difference has not been systematically analyzed by the existent literature. In this respect, new approaches and tools are needed. This paper presents a mixed-strategy game-theory model able to capture the strategic interactions between malicious agents that may be willing to attack power systems and the system operators, with its related bodies, that are in charge of defending them. At the game equilibrium, the different strategies of the two players, in terms of attacking/protecting the critical elements of the systems, can be obtained. The information about the attack probability to various elements can be used to assess the risk associated with each of them, and the efficiency of defense resource allocation is evidenced in terms of the corresponding risk. Reference defense plans related to the online defense action and the defense action with a time delay can be obtained according to their respective various time constraints. Moreover, risk sensitivity to the defense/attack-resource variation is also analyzed. The model is applied to a standard IEEE RTS-96 test system for illustrative purpose and, on the basis of that system, some peculiar aspects of the malicious attacks are pointed ou

Motion of an impurity in a two-leg ladder

We study the motion of an impurity in a two-leg ladder interacting with two fermionic baths along each leg, a simple model bridging cold atom quantum simulators with an idealized description of the basic transport processes in a layered heterostructure. Using the linked-cluster expansion, we obtain exact analytical results for the single-particle Green's function and find that the long-time behavior is dominated by an intrinsic orthogonality catastrophe associated to the motion of the impurity in each one-dimensional chain. We explore both the case of two identical legs as well as the case where the legs are characterized by different interaction strengths: In the latter case, we observe a subleading correction which can be relevant for intermediate-time transport at an interface between different materials. In all the cases, we do not find significant differences between the intra- and interleg Green's functions in the long-time limit

Temporal Rainbow Scattering at Boundary-Induced Time Interfaces

Since the dawn of modern optics and electromagnetics, optical prism is one of the most fascinating optical elements for refracting light. Exploiting its frequency dispersive behaviour, a prism is able to refract different frequencies in different directions, realizing polychromatic light rainbows. Recently, thanks to their engineerable electromagnetic response, metamaterials have been exploited for achieving novel refractive scattering processes, going beyond the classical prism effects. In this Manuscript, we report on a novel rainbow-like scattering process taking place at the interface of a boundary-induced temporal metamaterial realized by instantaneously opening the boundary conditions of a parallel plate waveguide. Changing abruptly the conductivity of one of the two metallic plates, we demonstrate that an equivalent temporal interface between two different media is realized, and the monochromatic wave propagating into the waveguide gets scattered into a polychromatic rainbow in free-space. We derive the relationships between the waveguide mode and the raising rainbow in terms of scattered amplitude and frequencies as a function of the elevation angle with respect to the waveguide axis. We apply the underlying physics to control the temporal rainbow by imposing a principal direction of scattering by design. Full-wave numerical simulations are performed for computing the rainbow temporal scattering and verifying the design guidelines for achieving controlled temporal rainbow scattering.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, Appendi

Feeding behaviour of dairy cows in forced or free cow traffic in Automatic Milking System (AMS)

AbstractSeveral options have been suggested in the literature for "inviting" the lactating cows to a milking unit, minimizing the interference with the activities of the cows during the day (eating, drinking, resting) and optimizing the welfare of the animals. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of forced and free cow traffic on feeding behaviour in primiparous (PR) and pluriparous (PL) cows. The trial was carried out in the experimental free stall barn "V. Tadini" equipped with a single box automatic milking system (Galaxy, Milkline) and with a 40 lactating cows group. Cows were fed once a day (at 07:30 a.m.) the same Total Mixed Ration (TMR). During the trial two different cow traffic situations combined with different feeds management were tested. In the 1st period forced cow traffic (FC) was used; in the 2nd period free cow traffic (FR) but with an increase of the concentrate fed in the milking unit (+1.5 kg/head/day) and a reduction of the concentrate percentage in TMR (from 44.5 to ..

A systems biology approach to dissection of the effects of small bicyclic peptidomimetics on a panel of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants

In recent years, an approach called “chemical genetics” has been adopted in drug research to discover and validate new targets and to identify and optimize leads by high throughput screening. In this work, we tested the ability of a library of small peptidomimetics to induce phenotypic effects with functional implications on a panel of strains of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, both wild type and mutants, for respiratory function and multidrug resistance. Further elucidation of the function of these peptidomimetics was assessed by testing the effects of the compound with the most prominent inhibitory activity, 089, on gene expression using DNA microarrays. Pathway analysis showed the involvement of such a molecule in inducing oxidative damage through alterations in mitochondrial functions. Transcriptional experiments were confirmed by increased levels of ROS and activation of mitochondrial membrane potential. Our results demonstrate the influence of a functional HAP1 gene in the performance of S. cerevisiae as a model system