Improving the RST-OIL algorithm for oil spill detection under severe sun glint conditions

In recent years, the risk related to oil spill accidents has significantly increased due to a global growth in offshore extraction and oil maritime transport. To ensure sea safety, the implementation of a monitoring system able to provide real-time coverage of large areas and a timely alarm in case of accidents is of major importance. Satellite remote sensing, thanks to its inherent peculiarities, has become an essential component in such a system. Recently, the general Robust Satellite Technique (RST) approach has been successfully applied to oil spill detection (RST-OIL) using optical band satellite data. In this paper, an advanced configuration of RST-OIL is presented, and we aim to extend its applicability to a larger set of observation conditions, referring, in particular, to those in the presence of severe sun glint effects that generate some detection limits to the RST-OIL standard algorithm. To test such a configuration, the DeepWater Horizon platform accident from April 2010 was selected as a test case. We analyzed a time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images that are usually significantly affected by sun glint in the Gulf of Mexico area. The accuracy of the achieved results was evaluated for comparison with a well-established satellite methodology based on microwave data, which confirms the potential of the proposed approach in identifying the oil presence on the scene with good accuracy and reliability, even in these severe conditions

Lymph node fine needle cytology, Epstein Barr virus infection and Hodgkin Lymphoma

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a double-strand DNA virus of the herpes family; it is one of the most common human viruses and it is associated with a wide spectrum of benign and malignant conditions. EBV is related to the development of several neoplasms, globally 1% of tumours, including lymphoproliferative, epithelial and mesenchymal neoplasm. Lymphoproliferative disorders include Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and B and T cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. HL is one of the most common lymphoma in the developed world, affecting both young people and adults. HL pathogenesis is complex and includes various and partially unknown mechanisms. EBV has been detected in some HL neoplastic cells and expresses genes with a potential oncogenic function, therefore many studies suggest that viral infections have a causative role in neoplastic transformation. Fine Needle Cytology (FNC) is extensively used in the first diagnosis of any lymph-nodal enlargement, including reactive lymphadeno - pathies and lymphoproliferative processes; therefore cytopathologists are likely to encounter EBVassociated malignancies in cytology samples, mainly HL, which is one of the most common lymphoma. This study focuses on the cytological features and ancillary studies required to diagnose EBV-related HL

Revisiting causality, coalgebraically

In this paper we recast the classical Darondeau–Degano’s causal semantics of concurrency in a coalgebraic setting, where we derive a compact model. Our construction is inspired by the one of Montanari and Pistore yielding causal automata, but we show that it is instance of an existing categorical framework for modeling the semantics of nominal calculi, whose relevance is further demonstrated. The key idea is to represent events as names, and the occurrence of a new event as name generation. We model causal semantics as a coalgebra over a presheaf, along the lines of the Fiore–Turi approach to the semantics of nominal calculi. More specifically, we take a suitable category of finite posets, representing causal relations over events, and we equip it with an endofunctor that allocates new events and relates them to their causes. Presheaves over this category express the relationship between processes and causal relations among the processes’ events. We use the allocation operator to define a category of well-behaved coalgebras: it models the occurrence of a new event along each transition. Then we turn the causal transition relation into a coalgebra in this category, where labels only exhibit maximal events with respect to the source states’ poset, and we show that its bisimilarity is essentially Darondeau–Degano’s strong causal bisimilarity. This coalgebra is still infinite-state, but we exploit the equivalence between coalgebras over a class of presheaves and History Dependent automata to derive a compact representation, where states only retain the poset of the most recent events for each atomic subprocess, and are isomorphic up to order-preserving permutations. Remarkably, this reduction of states is automatically performed along the equivalence

A Class of Automata for the Verification of Infinite, Resource-Allocating Behaviours

Process calculi for service-oriented computing often feature generation of fresh resources. So-called nominal automata have been studied both as semantic models for such calculi, and as acceptors of languages of finite words over infinite alphabets. In this paper we investi-gate nominal automata that accept infinite words. These automata are a generalisation of deterministic Muller automata to the setting of nominal sets. We prove decidability of complement, union, intersection, emptiness and equivalence, and determinacy by ultimately periodic words. The key to obtain such results is to use finite representations of the (otherwise infinite-state) defined class of automata. The definition of such operations enables model checking of process calculi featuring infinite behaviours, and resource allocation, to be implemented using classical automata-theoretic methods

High number of circulating CD34+ cells in patients with myelophthisis.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells High number of circulating CD34+ cells in patients with myelophthisis Six patients with bone marrow micrometastases from solid cancers presented with increased numbers of circulating CD34+ cells; the CD34+ cell counts were very high in some cases. By contrast, no patient with metastatic cancer without bone marrow involvement showed raised numbers of circulating hemopoietic progenitors. haematologica 2005; 90:976-977 (http:/

VoxLogicA : A Spatial Model Checker for Declarative Image Analysis

Spatial and spatio-temporal model checking techniques have a wide range of application domains, among which large scale distributed systems and signal and image analysis.We explore a new domain, namely (semi-)automatic contouring in Medical Imaging, introducing the tool VoxLogicA which merges the state-of-the-art library of computational imaging algorithms ITK with the unique combination of declarative specification and optimised execution provided by spatial logic model checking. The result is a rapid, logic based analysis development methodology. The analysis of an existing benchmark of medical images for segmentation of brain tumours shows that simple VoxLogicA analysis can reach state-of-the-art accuracy, competing with best-in-class algorithms, with the advantage of explainability and easy replicability. Furthermore, due to a two-orders-of-magnitude speedup compared to the existing generalpurpose spatio-temporal model checker topochecker, VoxLogicA enables interactive development of analysis of 3D medical images, which can greatly facilitate the work of professionals in this domain

Randomized comparison of power Doppler ultrasound-directed excisional biopsy with standard excisional biopsy for the characterization of lymphadenopathies in patients with suspected lymphoma.

PURPOSE: The sensitivity of lymph node excisional biopsy requires validation. Power Doppler ultrasound (US) helps predict the malignant status of lymphadenopathies. We used power Doppler US to select for biopsy the lymph node most suspected of malignancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty-two patients having lymphadenopathies with clinical suspicion of lymphoma were divided into two well-matched groups and randomly assigned to undergo either standard or power Doppler US-directed lymph node excisional biopsy. RESULTS: Histology showed a malignancy in 64% of patients in the standard group (lymphoma, 49 patients; carcinoma, two patients) and in 87% of patients in the US-assisted group (lymphoma, 62 patients; carcinoma, one patient). There were significantly fewer biopsy-related complications in the assisted group than in the standard group. During the follow-up of the patients with lymph nodes reported as being reactive, 14 of 29 patients in the standard group were rebiopsied and were found to have lymphoma (13 patients) or carcinoma at the subsequent lymph node histology, whereas none of the patients in the assisted group (nine patients) required a second biopsy. Thus, biopsy provided false-negative results for malignancy in 21% of patients affected by lymphoma in the standard group and ever in the assisted group (P <.01). CONCLUSION: Power Doppler US is an accurate tool for screening lymphadenopathies to be removed by excisional biopsy in patients with suspected lymphoma

Choreography Rehearsal ⋆

Abstract. We propose a methodology for statically predicting the possible interaction patterns of services within a given choreography. We focus on choreographies exploiting the event notification paradigm to manage service interactions. Control Flow Analysis techniques statically approximate which events can be delivered to match the choreography constraints and how the multicast groups can be optimised to handle event notification within the service choreography.

Modeling and multi-temporal characterization of total suspended matter by the combined use of sentinel 2-MSI and landsat 8-OLI Data: The Pertusillo lake case study (Italy)

The total suspended matter (TSM) variability plays a crucial role in a lake's ecological functioning and its biogeochemical cycle. Sentinel-2A MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) and Landsat 8 Operational Land Instrument (OLI) data offer unique opportunities for investigating certain in-water constituents (e.g., TSM and chlorophyll-a) owing to their spatial resolution (10-60 m). In this framework, we assessed the potential of MSI-OLI combined data in characterizing the multi-temporal (2014-2018) TSM variability in Pertusillo Lake (Basilicata region, Southern Italy). We developed and validated a customized MSI-based TSM model (R2 = 0.81) by exploiting ground measurements acquired during specific measurement campaigns. The model was then exported as OLI data through an intercalibration procedure (R2 = 0.87), allowing for the generation of a TSM multi-temporal MSI-OLI merged dataset. The analysis of the derived multi-year TSM monthly maps showed the influence of hydrological factors on the TSM seasonal dynamics over two sub-regions of the lake, the west and east areas. The western side is more influenced by inflowing rivers and water level fluctuations, the effects of which tend to longitudinally decrease, leading to less sediment within the eastern sub-area. The achieved results can be exploited by regional authorities for better management of inland water quality and monitoring systems