A GCV based Arnoldi-Tikhonov regularization method

For the solution of linear discrete ill-posed problems, in this paper we consider the Arnoldi-Tikhonov method coupled with the Generalized Cross Validation for the computation of the regularization parameter at each iteration. We study the convergence behavior of the Arnoldi method and its properties for the approximation of the (generalized) singular values, under the hypothesis that Picard condition is satisfied. Numerical experiments on classical test problems and on image restoration are presented

Urban fashion policies: lessons from the Barcelona catwalks

Since at least a decade, Barcelona is on the world map of fashion: Antonio Mirò, Mango, Desigual, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada are famous Barcelona-based stylists teaming up with other large Spanish fashion firms, like Zara, and commercial outlets, like El Corte Ingles, to attract a large interest on local fashion and fashion-based events. Thus, Barcelona has become a straightforward “shopping destination” for millions of international visitors, developing a shopping-related image, various specialised “fashion clusters” for different market targets, and a number of fashion-related events attracting both professionals and a dedicated general audience, like the 080 Barcelona and Bread & Butter. Barcelona’s liberal and leisure-related image can be easily associated with fashion, so if the national capital Madrid retains its role of business capital of the country even in relation to fashion, Barcelona could be considered the emergent “catwalk” of the Mediterranean, challenging other fashion capitals of Europe like Milan and Paris. The article analyses the urban strategy to foster the fashion industry in Barcelona through a redefinition of the “soft” factors establishing the substance of a fashion capital: image, place qualities, events, connectedness and social embeddedness. Tourism, unsurprisingly, is an important component of such strategy. The growth of Barcelona to the stardom of international leisure and cultural tourism is mostly about the “liminal” nature and the symbolically-charged activities of visitors that can be easily extended to fashion and fashion buying behaviour. Through a number of interviews and the analysis of strategy documents and reports, the authors unravel this relationship and assess the effectiveness of this strategy face to other factors playing against a more enduring rooting of fashion industries in the city, like the volatility of the sector, the insufficient international connectedness of the city and its business orientation, and the reorientation of the tourist supply towards low-cost visitors segments.

Embedded techniques for choosing the parameter in Tikhonov regularization

This paper introduces a new strategy for setting the regularization parameter when solving large-scale discrete ill-posed linear problems by means of the Arnoldi-Tikhonov method. This new rule is essentially based on the discrepancy principle, although no initial knowledge of the norm of the error that affects the right-hand side is assumed; an increasingly more accurate approximation of this quantity is recovered during the Arnoldi algorithm. Some theoretical estimates are derived in order to motivate our approach. Many numerical experiments, performed on classical test problems as well as image deblurring are presented

Long-term outcomes of direct acting antivirals in post-transplant advanced hepatitis C virus recurrence and fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis.

Long-term functional outcomes of sofosbuvir-based antiviral treatment were evaluated in a cohort study involving 16 Italian centres within the international compassionate use programme for post-transplant hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence. Seventy-three patients with cirrhosis (n=52) or fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (FCH, n=21) received 24-week sofosbuvir with ribavirin\ub1pegylated interferon or interferon-free sofosbuvir-based regimen with daclatasvir/simeprevir+ribavirin. The patients were observed for a median time of 103 (82-112) weeks. Twelve of 73 (16.4%) died (10 non-FCH, 2 FCH) and two underwent re-LT. Sustained virological response was achieved in 46 of 66 (69.7%): 31 of 47 (66%) non-FCH and 15 of 19 (79%) FCH patients. All relapsers were successfully retreated. Comparing the data of baseline with last follow-up, MELD and Child-Turcotte-Pugh scores improved both in non-FCH (15.3\ub16.5 vs 10.5\ub13.8, P<.0001 and 8.4\ub12.1 vs 5.7\ub11.3, P<.0001, respectively) and FCH (17.3\ub15.9 vs 10.1\ub12.8, P=.001 and 8.2\ub11.6 vs 5.5\ub11, P=.001, respectively). Short-treatment mortality was higher in patients with baseline MELD 6525 than in those with MELD<25 (42.9% vs 4.8%, P=.011). Long-term mortality was 53.3% among patients with baseline MELD 6520 and 7.5% among those with MELD<20 (P<.0001). Among deceased patients 75% were Child-Turcotte-Pugh class C at baseline, while among survivors 83.9% were class A or B (P<.0001). Direct acting antivirals-based treatments for severe post-transplant hepatitis C recurrence, comprising fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis, significantly improve liver function, even without viral clearance and permit an excellent long-term survival. The setting of severe HCV recurrence may require the identification of "too-sick-to-treat patients" to avoid futile treatments

Timing for treatment of HCV recurrence after liver transplantation: the earlier the better.

HCV is the leading cause of death from liver disease and is the most common indication for a liver transplantation. Although HCV is a widespread health problem, disease management is particularly challenging in several key subpopulations, including liver transplant recipients. HCV recurrence after liver transplantation constituted a major challenge for the physicians during the last years. The recommended standard of care before the advent of new regimen was the treatment of confirmed recurrent disease, based either on persistent, unexplained elevated alanine aminotransferase levels or on histologically confirmed fibrosis, once rejection, biliary obstruction, and vascular damage have been ruled out. Moreover, early therapy (including interferon) has been associated with high rates of adverse effects, an increased risk of graft rejection, and higher proportions of patients requiring dose reductions. We are now facing a "new era" of direct antiviral agents that is already changing the approach to HCV burden in the post liver transplantation setting. Available data on treatment of HCV recurrence with the new antiviral drugs showed sustained virological response that ranges between 60 to 100%. In this comment we have focused on both the utility of non invasive test to evaluate the fibrosis progression and on timing of antiviral therapy for HCV recurrence. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

A deep representation for depth images from synthetic data

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) trained on large scale RGB databases have become the secret sauce in the majority of recent approaches for object categorization from RGB-D data. Thanks to colorization techniques, these methods exploit the filters learned from 2D images to extract meaningful representations in 2.5D. Still, the perceptual signature of these two kind of images is very different, with the first usually strongly characterized by textures, and the second mostly by silhouettes of objects. Ideally, one would like to have two CNNs, one for RGB and one for depth, each trained on a suitable data collection, able to capture the perceptual properties of each channel for the task at hand. This has not been possible so far, due to the lack of a suitable depth database. This paper addresses this issue, proposing to opt for synthetically generated images rather than collecting by hand a 2.5D large scale database. While being clearly a proxy for real data, synthetic images allow to trade quality for quantity, making it possible to generate a virtually infinite amount of data. We show that the filters learned from such data collection, using the very same architecture typically used on visual data, learns very different filters, resulting in depth features (a) able to better characterize the different facets of depth images, and (b) complementary with respect to those derived from CNNs pre-trained on 2D datasets. Experiments on two publicly available databases show the power of our approach

‘Does political scare you?’ and other ideological questions

This article offers a short metacritical overview of the discourse on ideology and political cinema as it has evolved and has been received by critics, with particular reference to Italian cinema. An update of the debate over ideology is pertinent in terms of its currency. Firstly, because of the recent trend of films that treat the political as their subject matter: ACAB – All Cops Are Bastards (Stefano Sollima, 2012), Diaz – Non pulire questo sangue (Daniele Vicari, 2012), Cosimo e Nicole (Fransceco Amato, 2012), Viva l’Italia (Massimiliano Bruno, 2012), L’ultima ruota del carro (Giovanni Veronesi, currently in production), to cite just a few among the most recent titles. Secondly, because the debate itself faces the historical contingencies of a now global world dominated by the pervasive ideology of neo-liberalism and inscribed in an intermedial technoscape that, while exhibiting similar drivers for change, is profoundly different from the context of the post-1968 season that functioned as the accelerator of a theoretical and critical overhaul. I will first outline what I consider a few blind spots concerning critical approaches, definitions and ungrounded common places that are still widespread in commentaries on Italian cinema; I then suggest a few points for further discussion with particular regard to modes of reality and genres

The Student City. Strategic Planning for Student Communities in EU Cities

Students are the citizens and the high-skilled working class of tomorrow. They keep cities lively and diverse. They are the main consumers of cultural and recreational facilities. They have a distinct expenditure pattern that in some cases is crucial to support the economy of whole cities or specific neighborhoods. Increased international students' mobility is a major vector of socio-economic integration between regions of Europe. However, the conditions for a full integration of student communities in local communities are not always met. Students are still an "invisible population", with little space in local policy, no decision power, and an ambiguous role in social development. The importance of human capital as a determinant of the competitiveness of cities demands pro-active, integral city policies targeting this community. Whereas education programs are generally carried out at the national or regional level, they often neglect the "urban" dimension of the issue, forgetting that human capital is highly mobile, and that it needs to be attracted, welcomed and managed locally. A new EURICUR study intends to contribute to the elaboration of a framework for comprehensive strategic action aiming at the integration of student communities in urban development. To this aim, the essential characteristics of the relationship of students with host communities in European cities have been analysed, as well as the role of higher education institutions and other actors in building the "student-friendly" city. This framework has been tested in nine European cities: Rotterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven (NL), München (D), Lyon and Lille (F), Venice (I), Birmingham (GB) and Helsinki (SF). A wide typology of situations and problems has been found, with some common points that are clear indications for policymakers. To name a few, the importance that firms today attach to flexible, locally-oriented education curricula, which puts increased pressure on HEIs to work together with local governments in the definition of their supply; and the importance of diverse, versatile student communities in building the creative city, which underscores the role of campus planning but also solicits a socially responsible attitude of firms in enhancing the quality of education facilities.