In the last years, a new inversion method has been adapted to JET diagnostics. It is based on the Maximum Likelihood (ML) approach and has been applied to most systems of interest: the neutron, gamma ray and bolometric tomographies. In addition to its accuracy and reliability, the main competitive advantage of the ML inversion method is the fact that it can provide reliable estimates of the uncertainties in the reconstructions. The potential of this approach to analyse all the main emissivity types encountered on JET during the flat top phase of the discharges has been verified with both synthetic data and experimental measurements. Recently the same approach has been applied to the investigation of the current quench. Of course, during this phase an additional difficulty is posed by the errors in the magnetic topology; indeed given the ill-pose character of the tomographies on JET, a good reconstruction of the equilibrium is an essential input to any tomographic inversion on JET. In this perspective, particular attention has been devoted to producing good quality, high time resolution equilibria. Moreover, the effects of the uncertainties of the magnetic topologies on the ML tomographic inversions have been assessed. Application of the ML inversion technique to the signals of the hard X rays and the bolometric diagnostics has given very good results for example for the investigation of the runaways beam of electrons. The developed routines constitute a good complement to the other diagnostics, such as the cameras, typically used to investigate the current quench phase of the discharge. The ML tomographic technique is therefore becoming an important additional tool to investigate disruptions on JET, particularly the shatter pellet injector experiments, a crucial programme in support to ITER.

The use of remote sensed images in many applications of environmental monitoring, change detection, risks analysis, damage prevention, etc. is continuously growing. Classification of remote sensed images, exploited for the production of land cover maps, involves continuous efforts in the refinement of the employed methodologies. The pixel- wise approach, which considers the spectral information associated to each pixel in the image, is the standard classification methodology. The continuous improving of spatial resolution in remote sensors requires the focus on what is around a single pixel with the integration of "contextual" information. In order to produce more reliable land cover maps from the classification of high resolution images, this paper analyzes the effectiveness of the integration of contextual information comparing two different pixel-wise techniques for its extraction: 1) the post-classification filtering with a Majority filter applied to the map produced by the standard Maximum Likelihood algorithm; 2) the segmentation algorithm SMAP. The results were compared. A GeoEye-1 image, exploited in the framework of the Asi-Morfeo project, was considered.

Molecular characterisation of four Schistonchus caprifici populations (two from Spain and two from Italy), using the partial 18S, the D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the partial mitochondrial gene for cytochrome c oxidase I (mtCOI), is provided. Amplicons from partial mtCOI were analysed using ‘Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism’ (SSCP) analysis in order to rapidly screen for genetic (haplotypic) variability. SSCP analysis of mtCOI revealed a close relationship between the Spanish and Italian populations with low intra-population variability and only two haplotypes were detected.Mitochondrial COI and ribosomal genes were analysed using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within S. caprifici and other members of the family Aphelenchoididae. The phylogenetic analysis based on mtCOI showed no geographic variability among Italian, Spanish and Turkish populations. The results of phylogenetic analyses based on the D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rDNA region and the partial 18S rDNA genes revealed a closer phylogenetic relationship between S. aureus, S. laevigatus, S. virens and S. centerae, whilst S. caprifici and S. guangzhouensis clustered separately. The phylogeny of the genus Schistonchus was well related to some morphological characters, such as position of excretory pore, presence/absence of labial disc and number and position of caudal papillae. The monophyly of the genus Schistonchus was rejected by the Shimodaira-Hasegawa test based on tree topologies