Data augmentation using background replacement for automated sorting of littered waste

The introduction of sophisticated waste treatment plants is making the process of trash sorting and recycling more and more effective and eco-friendly. Studies on Automated Waste Sorting (AWS) are greatly contributing to making the whole recycling process more efficient. However, a relevant issue, which remains unsolved, is how to deal with the large amount of waste that is littered in the environment instead of being collected properly. In this paper, we introduce BackRep: a method for building waste recognizers that can be used for identifying and sorting littered waste directly where it is found. BackRep consists of a data-augmentation procedure, which expands existing datasets by cropping solid waste in images taken on a uniform (white) background and superimposing it on more realistic backgrounds. For our purpose, realistic backgrounds are those representing places where solid waste is usually littered. To experiment with our data-augmentation procedure, we produced a new dataset in realistic settings. We observed that waste recognizers trained on augmented data actually outperform those trained on existing datasets. Hence, our data-augmentation procedure seems a viable approach to support the development of waste recognizers for urban and wild environments

Primary Cutaneous Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Leg Type, Localized on the Dorsum

Primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphoma, leg-type (PCLBCL-LT), is a large B-cell lymphoma primarily involving the skin. It is distinguished from the other 3 subsets of this lymphoproliferative disorder by its immunohistopathological features, configuring confluent sheets of medium-sized to large B lymphocytes with round nuclei provided with evident nucleoli, resembling centroblasts or immunoblasts, which express Bcl-6, Bcl-2. Prevalently appearing on the lower limbs, as a single or multicentric and frequently ulcerated skin nodule or plaque, PCLBCL-LT has a worse prognosis than the other large B-cell lymphomas. Moreover, the age of onset is delayed (7th decade) compared to those of the other 3 subtypes (6th decade); it presents a slight female predominance (2:1), and a higher percentage of positivity to Bcl-2. We present a 52-year-old man who showed a 2-year standing, non-ulcerated, round, 4 cm in diameter, red plaque, medially located on the dorsum. After biopsy the diagnosis of PCLBCL-LT was made on histopathological and immunohistochemical studies, the latter showing positivity to CD20, Bcl-2, and Bcl-6. After treatment with radiotherapy the patient has shown a 4.4-year follow-up free of disease

Drug intake and actinic keratosis: A case-control study

Background: Actinic keratosis (AK) is a form of premalignant keratinocyte dysplasia. Recently, the ABSTRACT role of photosensitizing drugs in the development of AK has been postulated. Objective: This study evaluated a possible association between the use of photosensitizing drugs and the development of AK. A secondary aim was to identify a possible association between any medication other than those primarily examined and AK. Methods: A single-center, case-control study assessed the cumulative drug exposure of 90 patients with AK and 90 controls visiting a dermatology service for other skin ailments. Before the visit, patients were interviewed to collect data on daily therapy and the lag-time of discontinued drugs within the last 2 years, and to record the drug's active ingredient, dosage, and duration of therapy. In addition, sociodemographic characteristics including age, sex, educational level, skin phototype, and cumulative sun exposure habits were gathered. Results: By logistic regression, exposures to angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and antiplatelet agents were identified as independent risk factors for the development of AK. ARB intake was associated with AK only at high exposure (OR = 13.6; 95% CI, 2.0-93.8). The use of antiplatelet drugs was borderline, yet not significant, at low exposure (OR = 3.31; 95% CI, 0.86-12.7), but increased in a dose-dependent manner. The strongest correlation was found at the highest cumulative dose (>1100 dose unit-years (OR = 4.38; 95% CI, 1.16-16.6). Conclusions: High exposure to ARBs and antiplatelet agents may promote AK carcinogenesis in at-risk patients

Blue toe syndrome: A challenging diagnosis

\u201cBlue toe syndrome\u201d (BTS) refers to the acute onset of purple painful digits in the absence of evident trauma, cold-associated injury or disorders that induce generalized cyanosis. The term was used for the first time in 1976 by Komody, who underlined the vascular etiology of the disease and its possible diagnostic confirmation through angiography.[1,2] Indeed, BTS may occur from end-arterial occlusion, impaired venous outflow, and/or abnormal blood circulation. Peripheral microembolism with distal arterial occlusion is one of the most frequent underlying mechanisms of the disease and consists of disrupted material from ulcerated atheromatous plaques (atheromatous or cholesterol crystal emboli). The case described by us assumes significance because of an atypical clinical presentation of a peripheral embolism from an abdominal aortic aneurysm, hence necessitating a high index of suspicion to achieve the correct diagnosis.

A suspicious dark lesion in a boy.

The presence of history of hyperpigmented crust in a patient with a history of adequate hygiene is typical of terra firma\u2010forme dermatosis. The treatment is the rubbing of the skin with isopropyl alcohol (removal of the hyperpigmented brown crust, confirming the diagnosis). Physicians should be aware because early diagnosis avoid unnecessary treatment

A tool for declarative Trace Alignment via automated planning

We present a tool, called TraceAligner, for solving Trace Alignment by first compiling into Planning and then solving it with any available cost-optimal planner. TraceAligner can produce different variants of the output Planning instance, each offering different degrees of readability and solution efficiency. The Planning instance is expressed in PDDL, the Planning Domain Definition Language. The tool can be easily extended and coupled with any planner taking PDDL as input language. A thorough experimental analysis has shown that the approach dramatically outperforms existing ad-hoc tools, thus making TraceAligner the best-performing tool for Trace Alignment with declarative specifications