Local and global gestalt laws: A neurally based spectral approach

A mathematical model of figure-ground articulation is presented, taking into account both local and global gestalt laws. The model is compatible with the functional architecture of the primary visual cortex (V1). Particularly the local gestalt law of good continuity is described by means of suitable connectivity kernels, that are derived from Lie group theory and are neurally implemented in long range connectivity in V1. Different kernels are compatible with the geometric structure of cortical connectivity and they are derived as the fundamental solutions of the Fokker Planck, the Sub-Riemannian Laplacian and the isotropic Laplacian equations. The kernels are used to construct matrices of connectivity among the features present in a visual stimulus. Global gestalt constraints are then introduced in terms of spectral analysis of the connectivity matrix, showing that this processing can be cortically implemented in V1 by mean field neural equations. This analysis performs grouping of local features and individuates perceptual units with the highest saliency. Numerical simulations are performed and results are obtained applying the technique to a number of stimuli.Comment: submitted to Neural Computatio

European Multidisciplinary and Water-Column Observatory - European Research Infrastructure Consortium (EMSO ERIC): Challenges and opportunities for Strategic European Marine Sciences

EMSO (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory, www.emso-eu.org) is a large-scale European Research Infrastructure I. It is a distributed infrastructure of strategically placed, deep-sea seafloor and water column observatory nodes with the essential scientific objective of real-time, long-term observation of environmental processes related to the interaction between the geosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere. The geographic locations of the EMSO observatory nodes represent key sites in European waters, from the Arctic, through the Atlantic and Mediterranean, to the Black Sea (Figure 1), as defined through previous studies performed in FP6 and FP7 EC projects such as ESONET-CA, ESONET-NoE, EMSO-PP (Person et al., 2015).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Noninvasive evaluation of coronary artery stents patency after PTCA: role of Multislice Computed Tomography.

Restenosis of a coronary artery treated with stent implantation is a well-known process that can compromise over time the success of a coronary angioplasty and, accordingly, treated patients must undergo periodic controls. We have recently witnessed a shift towards a greater use of Multi-slice CT (msCT) in the study of coronary disease without its precise indications and limits having yet been underlined. The purpose of our study is to assess the role of msCT in the follow-up of patients treated with coronary angioplasty.Forty-eight patients, for a total of 72 lesions, who underwent treatment with a slotted tube stent implant, had an msCT examination 1 week before scheduled coronary angiography, and the results were compared. 34 stents/72 (47.2\%) were inserted on the left anterior descending; 21/72 (29.2\%) on the right coronary; 17/72 (23.6\%) on the circumflex artery or obtuse marginal branches.The observation of the opacification of the vessel located distally to treated segments allowed us to assess the patency of all stents. Coronary angiography identified a significant intrastent restenosis or a stent occlusion in 12 of the 72 stents analysed (16.7\%). msCT enabled easier visualization of the lumen of the treated artery and its differentiation from the stent struts in the ones located on the left anterior descending artery than those on the circumflex (28 stents out of 34 [82.4\%] vs 13/17 [76.5\%]; p3.5 mm (OR 2.97 [IC 95\%: from 1.67 to 4.86]; p<0.01).The msCT technology available at present makes the study of smaller stents and those positioned on the right coronary artery and circumflex rather complex; on the other hand msCT appears a promising study method for stents greater then 3.5 mm and for those positioned on the proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery

European Multidisciplinary and Water-Column Observatory - European Research Infrastructure Consortium (EMSO ERIC): challenges and opportunities for strategic European marine sciences

Favali, Paolo ... et al.-- 7th International Workshop on Marine Technology – Martech Workshop 2016, 26-28 October 2016, Barcelona.-- 2 pages, 2 figuresEMSO (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory, www.emso-eu.org) is a large‐scale European Research Infrastructure I. It is a distributed infrastructure of strategically placed, deep‐sea seafloor and water column observatory nodes with the essential scientific objective of real‐time, longterm observation of environmental processes related to the interaction between the geosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere. The geographic locations of the EMSO observatory nodes represent key sites in European waters, from the Arctic, through the Atlantic and Mediterranean, to the Black Sea (Figure 1), as defined through previous studies performed in FP6 and FP7 EC projects such as ESONET‐CA, ESONET‐NoE, EMSO-PP (Person et al., 2015)This study benefit from H2020 INFRADEV‐‐‐‐3‐‐‐‐ 2015 EMSODEV Project n°676555Peer Reviewe