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Billions of embedded processors are being attached to everyday objects and houseware equipment to enhance daily activities and enable smart living. These embedded processors have enough processing capabilities to process sensor data to produce smart insights, and are designed to operate for months without the need of physical interventions. Despite the compelling features of Internet of Things (IoT), applied at several home-oriented use cases (e.g., lighting, security, heating, comfort), due to the lack of a physical flow of information (e.g., absence of switches and cable-based gateways), the security of such networks is impeding their rapid deployment. In this work we look into IPv6 based IoT deployments, since it is the leading standard for interconnecting the wireless devices with the Internet and we propose a data-driven anomaly detection system that operates at the transport-layer of 6LoWPAN deployments. We present a comprehensive experimental evaluation carried out using both simulated and real-world experimentation facilities that demonstrates the accuracy of our system against well-known network attacks against 6LoWPAN networks. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

Nella definizione di incidente rilevante presente nelle Direttive Seveso, come pure nel loro recepimento nella legislazione italiana, rientrano eventi incidentali che abbiano conseguenze gravi per il bersaglio “ambiente”, sia in concomitanza sia in assenza di effetti dannosi per l’uomo. Tuttavia, a fronte di questa attenzione al bersaglio “ambiente” citata dalle norme, si constata la mancanza di indici quantitativi per la stima del rischio di contaminazione per i diversi comparti ambientali e, conseguentemente, anche di metodologie per il loro calcolo. Questo studio vuole rappresentare un contributo per colmare in parte questa lacuna, con riferimento al comparto delle acque superficiali ed agli sversamenti di liquidi oleosi. Sono stati infatti definiti alcuni indici di rischio specifici ed e si è messa a punto una procedura per il loro calcolo. Al fine di validare la procedura sviluppata, ne è stata effettuata l’applicazione ad un caso di studio. I risultati ottenuti hanno pienamente confermato la validità degli indici proposti al fine di ottenere una stima previsionale del rischio di contaminazione dei corsi d’acqua superficiali.

Storia di una cellula

Production of microalgae biomass as an alternative feedstock for biodiesel is a promising technology. The reduction in energy consumption of traditional algae cultivation systems is today one of the most important issues towards sustainable biofuel production. In the MAMBO project an innovative pond has been designed and realized to investigate the possibility of reducing energy consumption of the cultivation phase as well as the use of water. The aim of this project is in fact to demonstrate the possibility of using algae as an alternative and cost­effective feedstock for the biodiesel industry. The innovation is based on the reduction of the mean fluid velocity in the pond and the reduction of the water head, while maintaining sufficient turbulence and recirculation of the culture. The typical energy demand for mixing in a traditional raceway pond, operated at 20 cm depth and 20 cm/s speed, is estimated in 0.034 W/m2. The reduction in fluid velocity has a large impact on the energy demand of the cultivation phase (essential in view of biofuel production), nevertheless the major drawback is that it also reduces the effectiveness of mixing, which is a key factor to obtain high productivity per unit area. A reduced culture depth also offers the advantage of a lower amount of water needed per square meter of pond maintaining the same area for solar energy input and leads to higher algae concentration in the fluid medium. Injection and solubilisation of carbon dioxide in the fluid stream also deserve attention. Systems have been developed in the innovative pond to avoid or reduce uneconomical CO2 losses. The real flow field in both the traditional and the innovative ponds was evaluated by velocimetry measurement under actual operation conditions. The methodology adopted in this research work was based on a combination of numerical and experimental activities. A numerical tool was designed to estimate the effect of the reduction in fluid velocity and culture depth on energy consumption and mixing. The results obtained from numerical simulations were then used in designing the innovative pond and defining the main operational parameters and characteristics. Tests on the traditional raceway pond and on the innovative one were carried out during summer 2010 in Florence (Italy). The on­field collected data were elaborated linking microalgae productivity to solar input and energy consumption. The preliminary results obtained during the first year of experimentation showed that the innovative pond has a slightly lower productivity compared to the traditional pond, but needs significantly less energy and water. The solutions tested in this research is already interesting in all the country where water is a precious resource and land is often not yet profitably used., Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-10 June 2011, Berlin, Germany, pp. 90-93

This book provides an introduction to the study of the senses and the arts.

Nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL) is an indolent B-cell lymphoma that originates from the marginal zone of B-cell follicles. The tumour is rather uncommon, and shares some morphologic and immunophenotypic similarities with the extranodal form of marginal zone lymphomas. However, diagnosis of NMZL implies the exclusion of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and lymph node involvement by extra nodal or splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma In addition, its distinction from reactive conditions, including T-zone hyperplasia, are sometimes problematic based on morphologic grounds. We describe a patient who presented with cervical and inguinal lymphadenopathies and high inflammation indexes. Bone marrow and lymph node biopsies were performed for definitive diagnosis. Bone marrow histological and immunophenotypic examinations were normal and excluded haematological disease. In contrast, lymph node evaluation showed some features compatible with a possible lymphoproliferative disorder, even though no definite diagnosis could be made based on morphologic and immunohistochemical investigation. In particular, the problem of a differential diagnosis between NMZL and a florid hyperplasia of monocytoid B-elements was posed. Thus, in order to assess the nature (neoplastic vs. reactive) of the lesion, molecular analysis of the immunoglobulin genes was performed by PCR. Notably, although no clonal rearrangements were revealed by IGHV@ analysis, further evaluation of the immunoglobulin light chain (IGKV@) confirmed the presence of a clonal B-cell population. Accordingly, a final diagnosis of NMZL was made. In conclusion, this case is a good example of the crucial role of complete molecular analysis in the diagnostic work up of lymphoproliferative disorders.

Clinico-pathologic, epidemiologic and molecular analytic studies have shown that: i) the squamous cancer of the uterine cervix derives from intraepithelial lesions with different degrees of atypia; ii) human papillomavirus (HPV) can play a fundamental role in the progression of these lesions. We have examined 219 uterine cervix biopsies by means of the in situ hybridization technique (ISH) using biotinylated probes for 6/11, 16/18 and 31/35/51 HPV strains. The histologic lesions were as follows: 104 (49.7%) focal koilocytotic lesions 26 (11.8%) low grade intraepithelial lesions (SIL) 45 (20.5%) high grade intraepithelial lesions (SIL) 18 (8.2%) condylomata acuminata 21 (9.8%) invasive cancers. The percentage of the positivity found in the whole material examined is 14.1%. In particular, none of the 109 cases of focal koilocytotic lesions was positive, whereas the 28.1% of the remaining 110 biopsies turned out to contain HPV. We hypothesize that our small percentage of positivity in preinvasive and invasive lesions of the uterine cervix can be due to the fact that the HPV is not the only cancerogenic factor involved, although the possibility of a low sensitivity of the technique cannot completely be excluded.