A multi-tier semantics for Hop

Hop is a multi-tier programming language where the behavior of interacting servers and clients are expressed by a single program. Hop adheres to the standard web programming style where servers elaborate HTML pages containing JavaScript code. This JavaScript code responds locally to user’s interactions but also (following the so-called Ajax style) requests services from remote servers. These services bring back new HTML fragments containing additional JavaScript code replacing or modifying the state of the client. This paper presents a continuation-based denotational semantics for a sequential subset of Hop. Though restricted to a single server and a single client, this semantics takes into account the key feature of Hop namely that the server elaborates client code to be run in the client’s browser. This new client-code dynamically requests services from the server which, again, elaborate new client code to be run in the client’s browser. This semantics details the programming model advocated by Hop and provides a sound basis for future studies such as security of web applications and web continuations.     

Pattern analysis of dermoscopic images based on Markov random fields

In this paper a method for detecting different patterns in dermoscopic images is presented. In order to diagnose a possible skin cancer, physicians assess the lesion based on different rules. While the most famous one is the ABCD rule (asymmetry, border, colour, diameter), the new tendency in dermatology is to classify the lesion performing a pattern analysis. Due to the colour textured appearance of these patterns, this paper presents a novel method based on Markov random field (MRF) extended for colour images that classifies images representing different dermatologic patterns. First, each image plane in L^*a^*b^* colour space is modelled as a MRF following a finite symmetric conditional model (FSCM). Coupling of colour components is taken into account by supposing that features of the MRF in the three colour planes follow a multivariate Normal distribution. Performance is analysed in different colour spaces. The best classification rate is 86% on average.     

Convolutional Sparse Coding for High Dynamic Range Imaging

Current HDR acquisition techniques are based on either (i) fusing multibracketed, low dynamic range (LDR) images, (ii) modifying existing hardware and capturing different exposures simultaneously with multiple sensors, or (iii) reconstructing a single image with spatially‐varying pixel exposures. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to recover high‐quality HDRI images from a single, coded exposure. The proposed reconstruction method builds on recently‐introduced ideas of convolutional sparse coding (CSC); this paper demonstrates how to make CSC practical for HDR imaging. We demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves higher‐quality reconstructions than alternative methods, we evaluate optical coding schemes, analyze algorithmic parameters, and build a prototype coded HDR camera that demonstrates the utility of convolutional sparse HDRI coding with a custom hardware platform.     

Integrated Data Management for a Fleet of Search‐and‐rescue Robots

Search‐and‐rescue operations have recently been confronted with the introduction of robotic tools that assist the human search‐and‐rescue workers in their dangerous but life‐saving job of searching for human survivors after major catastrophes. However, the world of search and rescue is highly reliant on strict procedures for the transfer of messages, alarms, data, and command and control over the deployed assets. The introduction of robotic tools into this world causes an important structural change in this procedural toolchain. Moreover, the introduction of search‐and‐rescue robots acting as data gatherers could potentially lead to an information overload toward the human search‐and‐rescue workers, if the data acquired by these robotic tools are not managed in an intelligent way. With that in mind, we present in this paper an integrated data combination and data management architecture that is able to accommodate real‐time data gathered by a fleet of robotic vehicles on a crisis site, and we present and publish these data in a way that is easy to understand by end‐users. In the scope of this paper, a fleet of unmanned ground and aerial search‐and‐rescue vehicles is considered, developed within the scope of the European ICARUS project. As a first step toward the integrated data‐management methodology, the different robotic systems require an interoperable framework in order to pass data from one to another and toward the unified command and control station. As a second step, a data fusion methodology will be presented, combining the data acquired by the different heterogenic robotic systems. The computation needed for this process is done in a novel mobile data center and then (as a third step) published in a software as a service (SaaS) model. The SaaS model helps in providing access to robotic data over ubiquitous Ethernet connections. As a final step, we show how the presented data‐management architecture allows for reusing recorded exercises with real robots and rescue teams for training purposes and teaching search‐and‐rescue personnel how to handle the different robotic tools. The system was validated in two experiments. First, in the controlled environment of a military testing base, a fleet of unmanned ground and aerial vehicles was deployed in an earthquake‐response scenario. The data gathered by the different interoperable robotic systems were combined by a novel mobile data center and presented to the end‐user public. Second, an unmanned aerial system was deployed on an actual mission with an international relief team to help with the relief operations after major flooding in Bosnia in the spring of 2014. Due to the nature of the event (floods), no ground vehicles were deployed here, but all data acquired by the aerial system (mainly three‐dimensional maps) were stored in the ICARUS data center, where they were securely published for authorized personnel all over the world. This mission (which is, to our knowledge, the first recorded deployment of an unmanned aerial system by an official governmental international search‐and‐rescue team in another country) proved also the concept of the procedural integration of the ICARUS data management system into the existing procedural toolchain of the search and rescue workers, and this in an international context (deployment from Belgium to Bosnia). The feedback received from the search‐and‐rescue personnel on both validation exercises was highly positive, proving that the ICARUS data management system can efficiently increase the situational awareness of the search‐and‐rescue personnel.     

Radiopharmacology of inhaled 133Xe in skeletal sites containing deposits of Gaucher cells

Gaucher's disease is a lysosomal storage disease in which cells of the reticuloendothelial system accumulate the lipid glucocerebroside. It is characterized by slowly progressive visceral and osseous involvement. One of the latter manifestations includes lipid infiltration of bone marrow. We monitored the rate of inhaled 133Xe uptake and wash-out over diseased and normal metaphyseal and epiphyseal areas of the knee. Twenty-two patients (15 adults, 7 children) with various degrees of previously diagnosed Gaucher's disease were positioned supine under a gamma-camera interfaced to a computer system. All patients rebreathed 133Xe gas from a closed system for 10 min followed by 14 min of wash-out. Digitized images of the lung, liver, spleen, bony sites and soft tissue were obtained at 1 min intervals during the wash-in and wash-out phases. Counts for each ROI were normalized per 100 pixels and plotted as a function (time). Maximum uptake was also calculated by relating the counts/ROI/100 pixels to the 10 min integrated lung count during equilibrium (the administered "dose"). There was essentially no 133Xe uptake in liver and spleen involved with Gaucher's disease. Monophasic uptake and biphasic wash-out curves were observed in the limited investigative population. Skeletal Gaucher deposits released the 133Xe at a greater rate relative to soft tissue.     

Nitrous oxide "analgesia": resemblance to opiate action

Nitrous oxide produced a dose-related "analgesia" in mice (median effective dose, 55 percent). The analgesia was evaluated by means of a phenylquinone writhing test. Narcotic antagonists or chronic morphinization reduced nitrous oxide analgesia. Either nitrous oxide releases an endogenous analgesic or narcotic antagonists have analgesic antagonist properties heretofore unappreciated.     

A cost-effective heuristic to schedule local and remote memory in cluster computers

Cluster computers represent a cost-effective alternative solution to supercomputers. In these systems, it is common to constrain the memory address space of a given processor to the local motherboard. Constraining the system in this way is much cheaper than using a full-fledged shared memory implementation among motherboards. However, memory usage among motherboards can be unfairly balanced.     

Synthesis of Nickel Phosphide Nanorods as Catalyst for the Hydrotreating of Methyl Oleate

Arrays of nickel phosphide nanorods were successfully synthesized by nanocasting using mesostructured silica SBA-15 as a hard template (HT-Ni₂P). After temperature-programmed reduction of the phosphate precursor infiltrated within the pore walls of SBA-15, the unsupported material was obtained by removing the silica matrix with diluted HF. The pore channel of the SBA-15 template stabilizes the Ni₂P particles, preventing sintering after the high reduction temperature and shaping their elongated morphology. Moreover, HT-Ni₂P catalyst shows an improvement in the textural properties with a significantly higher surface area than the reference sample synthesized in the absence of template. X-ray diffraction revealed that the only crystalline phase present in this material was Ni₂P. On the other hand, transmission electron microscopy shows that the catalyst is mainly constituted by agglomerates of nanorods. Through EDX microanalysis the efficient removal of silicon was confirmed. Under hydrotreating conditions, nanorods of Ni₂P show a fourfold enhancement in the conversion of methyl oleate with respect to conventional Ni₂P synthesized in absence of hard template. Nevertheless, when these data are normalized to surface area, the specific activity of HT-Ni₂P nanorods is significantly lower than that of the conventionally prepared sample. Differences in selectivity were also observed as Ni₂P nanorods favored the decarboxylation reaction leading to a higher yield of n-heptadecane.     

Effect of lactic acid on nucleation morphology and surface roughness of electroless Ni–P deposition in nanoscale

The present work aims to study effect of lactic acid concentration as complexing agent on surface roughness and nucleation morphology of electroless N?CP deposition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to study nucleation morphology and surface roughness of deposition. Deposition process started at some initial priority growing centres independently distributed on the substrate. We found that the morphology and surface roughness of deposition strongly depends on the complexing agent concentration. Morphology of initial deposited centres with no concentration of lactic acid was in coniform structure. By increasing the complexing agent concentration, the structure of initial growing centres changed from coniform to nodular shape and the surface roughness of depositions decreased.