Colourgrams GUI: A graphical user-friendly interface for the analysis of large datasets of RGB images

Colourgrams GUI is a graphical user-friendly interface developed in order to facilitate the analysis of large datasets of RGB images through the colourgrams approach. Briefly, the colourgrams approach consists in converting a dataset of RGB images into a matrix of one-dimensional signals, the colourgrams, each one codifying the colour content of the corresponding original image. This matrix of signals can be in turn analysed by means of common multivariate statistical methods, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for exploratory analysis of the image dataset, or Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression for the quantification of colour-related properties of interest. Colourgrams GUI allows to easily convert the dataset of RGB images into the colourgrams matrix, to interactively visualize the signals coloured according to qualitative and/or quantitative properties of the corresponding samples and to visualize the colour features corresponding to selected colourgram regions into the image domain. In addition, the software also allows to analyse the colourgrams matrix by means of PCA and PLS

Mixture design and multivariate image analysis to monitor the colour of strawberry yoghurt purée

Food colour is a commercial added value, since it represents the first appealing factor for consumers. In this context, this study was aimed at evaluating the effect of strawberry yoghurt purée (SYP) formulation on the corresponding colour and on its variation over time, which is mainly due to degradation and browning phenomena. To this aim, a combined approach was used that included mixture design and multivariate analysis of RGB images. Strawberry purée, sugar, lemon juice and two types of thickener were mixed in different proportions by I-optimal mixture design to obtain 44 SYP formulations. The samples were subjected to light and temperature stress conditions for five weeks; during this time the RGB images of the samples were acquired using a flatbed scanner, along with the images of the corresponding control samples. The dimensionality of the acquired images was reduced by two different approaches: i) the conversion of images into signals, namely colourgrams, which can be seen as the colour fingerprint of the imaged samples, and ii) the calculation of the median values of various colour-related parameters. The colourgrams dataset was then subjected to exploratory data analysis using Principal Component Analysis, while the median values of colour-related parameters were analysed using Response Surface Methodology and Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis. The aim of data analysis was both to find the best colour parameters to describe colour variability over time, and to investigate the cause-effect relationship between mixture proportions and colour response. The results highlighted that, among the considered colour parameters, relative green (i.e., the ratio of green to lightness) and red could be used to monitor colour changes. Colour variation due to stress conditions was more pronounced for samples with a high percentage of strawberry purée, and the type of thickener also affected the colour degradation kinetics

Exploring the potential of NIR hyperspectral imaging for automated quantification of rind amount in grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Parmigiano Reggiano (P-R) is one of the most important Italian food products labelled with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The PDO denomination is applied also to grated P-R cheese products meeting the requirements regulated by the Specifications of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese. Different quality parameters are monitored, including the percentage of rind, which is edible and should not exceed the limit of 18% (w/w). The present study aims at evaluating the possibility of using near infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) to quantify the rind percentage in grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese samples in a fast and non-destructive manner. Indeed, NIR-HSI allows the simultaneous acquisition of both spatial and spectral information from a sample, which is more suitable than classical single-point spectroscopy for the analysis of heterogeneous samples like grated cheese. Hyperspectral images of grated P-R cheese samples containing increasing levels of rind were acquired in the 900–1700 nm spectral range. Each hyperspectral image was firstly converted into a one-dimensional signal, named hyperspectrogram, which codifies the relevant information contained in the image. Then, the matrix of hyperspectrograms was used to calculate a calibration model for the prediction of the rind percentage using Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. The calibration model was validated considering two external test sets of samples, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Evaluation of the effect of factors related to preparation and composition of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese using NIR hyperspectral imaging

The present study is focused on the evaluation of the effect of grater type and fat content of the pulp on the spectral response obtained by near infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI), when this technique is used to determine the rind percentage in Parmigiano Reggiano (P-R) cheese. To this aim, grated P-R cheese samples were prepared considering all the possible combinations between three levels of rind amount (8%, 18% and 28%), two levels of fat content of the pulp and two different grater types, and the corresponding hyperspectral images were acquired in the 900–1700 nm spectral range. In a first step, the average spectrum (AS) was calculated from each hyperspectral image, and the corresponding dataset was analysed by means of Analysis of Variance Simultaneous Component Analysis (ASCA) to assess the effect of the three considered factors and their two-way interactions on the spectral response. Then, the hyperspectral images were converted into Common Space Hyperspectrograms (CSH), which are signals obtained by merging in sequence the frequency distribution curves of quantities calculated from a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) model common to the whole hyperspectral image dataset. ASCA was also applied to the CSH dataset, in order to evaluate the effect of the considered factors on this kind of signals. Generally, all the three factors resulted to have a significant effect, but with a different extent according to the method used to analyse the hyperspectral images. Indeed, while fat content of the pulp and rind percentage showed a comparable effect on the spectral response of AS dataset, in the case of CSH signals rind percentage had a greater effect compared to the other main factors. However, CSH were also more sensitive to differences ascribable to the natural variability between diverse Parmigiano Reggiano cheese samples

Status of a DEPFET pixel system for the ILC vertex detector

We have developed a prototype system for the ILC vertex detector based on DEPFET pixels. The system operates a 128x64 matrix (with ~35x25 square micron large pixels) and uses two dedicated microchips, the SWITCHER II chip for matrix steering and the CURO II chip for readout. The system development has been driven by the final ILC requirements which above all demand a detector thinned to 50 micron and a row wise read out with line rates of 20MHz and more. The targeted noise performance for the DEPFET technology is in the range of ENC=100 e-. The functionality of the system has been demonstrated using different radioactive sources in an energy range from 6 to 40keV. In recent test beam experiments using 6GeV electrons, a signal-to-noise ratio of S/N~120 has been achieved with present sensors being 450 micron thick. For improved DEPFET systems using 50 micron thin sensors in future, a signal-to-noise of 40 is expected.Comment: Invited poster at the International Symposium on the Development of Detectors for Particle, AstroParticle and Synchrotron Radiation Experiments, Stanford CA (SNIC06) 6 pages, 12 eps figure

News, intelligence and 'little lies' : rumours between the Cherokees and the British 1740-1785

Rumour and information are one of the most fundamental ways in which people engage with one another. Rumours can change the way that individuals and groups see each other and the actions that they take. Sociologists and anthropologists have long used rumour as a way to explore the experiences of their subjects. Historians of early America have, in recent years, begun to make use of rumour as a way of examining the, often hidden, world of interactions between American Indians and white Europeans. This thesis will expand upon this work by exploring the changing role of rumour within an intercultural relationship over several decades. This thesis will focus on rumour in the relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the colonists of the British Empire. It will explore the ways that rumour influenced these interactions and the impact of the rapidly changing backcountry environment of the latter eighteenth century, both on rumour and on the wider Cherokee- British relationship. This thesis will argue that rumour shifted in the course of the eighteenth century from being a diplomatic tool which could be used- either to create further panic and confusion or to calm and smooth over problems- to an uncontrollable force which would deepen and exacerbate the divisions between Cherokees and the British. Rumour played an important role in politics and society in the eighteenth century backcountry and its changing function offers a way to better understand the shifting currents of life in early America

Design and technology of DEPFET pixel sensors for linear collider applications

Abstract The performance requirements of vertex detectors for future linear collider experiments is very challenging, especially for the detector's innermost sensor layers. The DEPleted Field Effect Transistor (DEPFET), combining detector and amplifier operation, is capable to meet these requirements. A silicon technology is presented which allows production of large sensor arrays consisting of linear DEPFET detector structures. The envisaged pixel array offers low noise and low power operation. To ensure a high radiation length a thinning technology based on direct wafer bonding is proposed

Difficult tracheal intubation in neonates and infants. NEonate and Children audiT of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe (NECTARINE): a prospective European multicentre observational study

Background: Neonates and infants are susceptible to hypoxaemia in the perioperative period. The aim of this study was to analyse interventions related to anaesthesia tracheal intubations in this European cohort and identify their clinical consequences. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of tracheal intubations of the European multicentre observational trial (NEonate and Children audiT of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe [NECTARINE]) in neonates and small infants with difficult tracheal intubation. The primary endpoint was the incidence of difficult intubation and the related complications. The secondary endpoints were the risk factors for severe hypoxaemia attributed to difficult airway management, and 30 and 90 day outcomes. Results: Tracheal intubation was planned in 4683 procedures. Difficult tracheal intubation, defined as two failed attempts of direct laryngoscopy, occurred in 266 children (271 procedures) with an incidence (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 5.8% (95% CI, 5.1e6.5). Bradycardia occurred in 8% of the cases with difficult intubation, whereas a significant decrease in oxygen saturation (SpO2<90% for 60 s) was reported in 40%. No associated risk factors could be identified among comorbidities, surgical, or anaesthesia management. Using propensity scoring to adjust for confounders, difficult anaesthesia tracheal intubation did not lead to an increase in 30 and 90 day morbidity or mortality. Conclusions: The results of the present study demonstrate a high incidence of difficult tracheal intubation in children less than 60 weeks post-conceptual age commonly resulting in severe hypoxaemia. Reassuringly, the morbidity and mortality at 30 and 90 days was not increased by the occurrence of a difficult intubation event. Clinical trial registration: NCT02350348

Morbidity and mortality after anaesthesia in early life: results of the European prospective multicentre observational study, neonate and children audit of anaesthesia practice in Europe (NECTARINE)

Background: Neonates and infants requiring anaesthesia are at risk of physiological instability and complications, but triggers for peri-anaesthetic interventions and associations with subsequent outcome are unknown. Methods: This prospective, observational study recruited patients up to 60 weeks' postmenstrual age undergoing anaesthesia for surgical or diagnostic procedures from 165 centres in 31 European countries between March 2016 and January 2017. The primary aim was to identify thresholds of pre-determined physiological variables that triggered a medical intervention. The secondary aims were to evaluate morbidities, mortality at 30 and 90 days, or both, and associations with critical events. Results: Infants (n=5609) born at mean (standard deviation [SD]) 36.2 (4.4) weeks postmenstrual age (35.7% preterm) underwent 6542 procedures within 63 (48) days of birth. Critical event(s) requiring intervention occurred in 35.2% of cases, mainly hypotension (>30% decrease in blood pressure) or reduced oxygenation (SpO2 <85%). Postmenstrual age influenced the incidence and thresholds for intervention. Risk of critical events was increased by prior neonatal medical conditions, congenital anomalies, or both (relative risk [RR]=1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.28) and in those requiring preoperative intensive support (RR=1.27; 95% CI, 1.15–1.41). Additional complications occurred in 16.3% of patients by 30 days, and overall 90-day mortality was 3.2% (95% CI, 2.7–3.7%). Co-occurrence of intraoperative hypotension, hypoxaemia, and anaemia was associated with increased risk of morbidity (RR=3.56; 95% CI, 1.64–7.71) and mortality (RR=19.80; 95% CI, 5.87–66.7). Conclusions: Variability in physiological thresholds that triggered an intervention, and the impact of poor tissue oxygenation on patient's outcome, highlight the need for more standardised perioperative management guidelines for neonates and infants. Clinical trial registration: NCT02350348