Image recovery from exponential blurring

We study the following type of filtering problem: consider an image on ², that is, a nonnegative function on the vertices of a grid, which represents the brightness at each of these points. We assume that there is, however, a smudging effect. That is, what ought to be a point of light becomes the point together with a halo about it, visualized by a distribution of light which is greatest at the point itself and decreases with the distance. So what we actually see is a blurry image. In this article we investigate methods for clearing up the image, i.e. reconstructing the original function from the blurry haloed image when the halo decays exponentially, and also for some haloes with small finite support. This task is usually performed by inverting the convolution operator induced by the halo (that is, by Fourier analysis). We introduce a different recovery procedure, based upon a family of filtering operators that change from point to point. For the finitely supported haloes, this procedure compares favorably with the Fourier methods. Moreover, in principle it is more general, because it does not require assumptions of invariance under translation. In full generality, however, we are able to recover images not on grids, but only on trees.     

35 years of Multilateral Environmental Agreements ratifications: a network analysis

With the ratification of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) the countries of the international community or of intentional communities—be they political, economic, financial, securitarian or strategic—endow these instruments of international cooperation with significant autonomy. From the 3550 dates of ratification of these MEAs recorded from 1979 to mid-September 2014, we produce a graph whose vertices are the 48 MEAs (ratified at least once) and whose links are induced by the succession of ratifications in time. On this basis we propose a diagnosis on the international acceptance of this type of legal instruments and their vulnerability in a global context that builds on the change in the balance of powers as a result of globalization, the break of the bipolar and then unipolar system, and the rise of new powers. Thus, it appears that a global environmental order has been promoted and implemented with some success in the 90s mainly by liberal Western countries who were then able to lead other countries less likely to bind to the fulfillment of environmental obligations. However, the expansion of this global environmental order now seems frozen, due to the current crisis of multilateralism. The rise of many countries, particularly in the South, whose environmental, political and economic weight grew, confronted with the “stable community” formed in the past 35 years suggests that there is a real power shift in the international arena and consequently, multilateralism needs to reflect this new reality. In other terms, the global environmental order is being slowly reformed. As a consequence, the treaties formed clusters in the past but they did not follow the same pattern since the twenty-first century began.     

LW-CoEdge: a lightweight virtualization model and collaboration process for edge computing

World Wide Web - Edge Computing is a novel paradigm that extends Cloud Computing by moving the computation closer to the end users and/or data sources. When considering Edge Computing, it is...     

BIPV in the Refurbishment of Minor Historical Centres： The Project of Integrability between Standard and Customized Technology

The proposed research is aimed to define some BIPV （building integrated photovoltaics） paradigms for the refurbishment of historical contexts, by defining strategic criteria related to linguistic-architectural and technological-constructive aspects of solar systems （including case-studies in specific application contexts）. This research could, once perfected and shared, be used within operative tools （guidelines, case studies, etc.） really applicable to common scale, e.g., in today＇s post-earthquake reconstruction in L＇Aquila, for defining possible solar implementation possibilities in sensitive areas according to an innovative and sustainable method of intervention.     

Judge selection for hard and semi-hard cheese sensory evaluation

During a five month period, 34 potential panellists were subjected to 21 selection tests (triangular test, threshold evaluation, ranking test and stimulus recognition test) based on taste, aroma and textural characteristics of cheese. Standardised available ricotta cheese was used as a substrate in taste and aroma tests, while commercially available cheese was utilised to evaluate candidate performance in textural characteristic tests. A combination of procedures (binomial, sequential and bi-plot) allowed the definition of homogeneous subsets of candidates suitable for different analysis. The binomial approach allowed the last performing candidates to be identified while the sequential procedure enhanced our understanding of their skills. To make the selection criteria more coherent the performance parameters were objectively derived from the array of tests. Candidates were classified into three groups, depending on their capabilities, and the different discrimination power of the tests was highlighted through bi-plots.     

Technological and safety characterization of coagulase-negative staphylococci from traditionally fermented sausages of Basilicata region (Southern Italy)

Thirty-seven strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci, isolated from traditional fermented sausages of Basilicata region, were screened on the basis of their technological properties (nitrate reductase, proteolytic, lipolytic, amino acid-decarboxylase and antimicrobial activities) and for their ability to grow in the presence of different salt concentrations, temperatures and pH values, to elucidate their possible role during meat fermentation process.     

Effect of sea water on biochemical properties of fruit of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) genotypes differing for ethylene production

BACKGROUND: Three near‐isogenic lines of cv. Gimar differing in ethylene production were used to evaluate the influence of salinity on fruit quality. Plants were grown in rockwool culture and were irrigated with nutrient solution with electrical conductivities (ECs) of 3 and 8 mS cm^?1, which corresponded to 0 and 10% of sea water. For fruits picked at ‘red‐turning’ and ‘red‐ripe’ stages physico‐chemical parameters, ethylene, ascorbate and organic acid content, and cell reductive power were analysed. RESULTS: The same response was observed in all genotypes: the higher salinity growth solution increased dry matter content, total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity but reduced crop yield. Ascorbic acid and also organic acid contents showed a greater accumulation with ripening in the mutant genotypes: this might be due to a slowing of ripening. Our data confirm the lack of any relationship between the larger accumulation of TSS and ethylene production in the fruits of salt‐treated plants. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that although salinity (10% sea water) reduces fruit yield, it does not have a negative effect on quality. So, it seems possible that controlled use of diluted sea water, combined with suitable tomato genotypes might represent a valid alternative to fresh irrigation water. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Research productivity: Are higher academic ranks more productive than lower ones?

This work analyses the links between individual research performance and academic rank. A typical bibliometric methodology is used to study the performance of all Italian university researchers active in the hard sciences, for the period 2004–2008. The objective is to characterize the performance of the ranks of full (FPs), associate and assistant professors (APs), along various dimensions, in order to verify the existence of performance differences among the ranks in general and for single disciplines.