Indicators for urban quality evaluation at district scale and relationships with health and wellness perception

The paper is related with a research that was aimed to better define urban quality and sustainability at a district scale (4000-10000 inhabitants), specifically referred to European towns and settlements. An innovative set of indicators (72) has been developed, starting from and taking into consideration also existing literature, both in terms of indicators and sets of indicators (OECD, UN, Agenda 21, and existing European databases as CRISP), four “thematic” areas have been defined dealing with architectural quality, accessibility, environment and services. Within each of these areas some macroindicators and micro-indicators have been defined. The aim is to translate something that is usually considered subjective into something “objective” and finally defined with a number (0-100). Microindicators and macro-indicators are weighted thanks to a mathematical method based on symmetrical matrixes, so that there is a correct balance between different areas. Indicators are both qualitative and quantitative, so they are not just referred to urban planning procedures. The research has been already successfully applied to some Italian districts in towns as Lodi, Genova and Milano. The set of indicators was needed also to work within a multi disciplinary team that has already included engineers, architects, planners as well as doctors and physicians. As a matter of fact the results in terms of urban quality have been compared with medical results concerning health and wellness perception (using SF-36 international recognized questionnaires) by users (inhabitants), finding (non linear) relationships between urban quality and well being perception by inhabitants. The results of this research can be used to: better define design strategies (by designers) accordingly to users wellness, or evaluate ex-post the results of design activities (by municipalities or public authorities)

Proposals for OrderingKey DS instantiation in MPEG-7 description

This document identifies some solutions to the problem stated in the Editor’s Note in clause 7.7.1.1 of the MDS Study of CD, document ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 11/N3816. Therefore this document is intended as a contribution to the MDS group. Presently there is no way to instantiate an Ordering Key DS within a “valid” MPEG-7 description. To solve this problem three proposals are here considered and their respective implication are discussed. The first proposal is to derive the OrderingKeyType as an extension of the HeaderType allowing the instantiation, at the header level, of any MPEG-7 Complete/Unit Description and DSType instances. The second solution is to include the OrderingKey DS as a component of the BasicDescriptionType. This allows to apply the ordering tool only in an MPEG-7 Complete Description, but no Unit Description. The third solution is to adopt both the first and second proposals. In Section 2 the three solutions are detailed and the required modification in terms of syntax and usage are discussed. In Section 3 the three solutions are compared

Validation Experiment on the Ordering Key DS and an Unified Syntax for the Weight DS

This document presents the experimental results for validating the Ordering Key DS (DS5) in the context of the core experiment of the Weight DS [6]. At the Melbourne MPEG meeting, in October 1999, the aforementioned core/validation experiment was planned in order to show the validity of a set of proposals (Weight DS [5], Descriptor Usage DS [8], Fidelity DS [9], Pointofview DS [4] and Ordering Key DS [7]). In a few words, all these DSs play the role of highlighting, by means of some kinds of weights, description information (DSs or Ds) relevant to user queries. They can provide, for example, confidence measure, priority, fidelity, relevance feedback, information for ordering etc. in order to facilitate user queries and browsing. As we said, the document focuses on the VE of the Ordering Key DS. Besides it presents an unified DS, in MPEG-7 DDL syntax, that addresses all the different functionalities proposed by the several DSs involved in the CE. In our case, the provided functionality deals with the concept of ordering, as we consider the need of providing users with ordering mechanisms a very relevant issue for MPEG-7. Such ordering mechanisms are derivable from descriptors (e.g. a set of key – frames ordered on the basis a color descriptor or a set of sounds ordered by means of an audio loudness D). However a possible large variety in the types of descriptors composing a description could lead to a consequent high number of ordering criteria to arrange description items. Therefore we propose that the description provider (it could be different from the content provider) should also select a reduced set of descriptors allowing to order a subset of description elements (e.g. key frames, events etc.) pertinent to the MM document being described [7]. This contribution is organized as follows. In Section 2, the motivations for introducing Ordering Key DS in the Generic AV DS are given. Section 3 briefly presents the structure of the Ordering Key DS by means of UML notation and MPEG-7 DDL as well. Moreover the section discusses about the possible locations of the DS within the Generic AV DS. In Section 4 is shown the output of the experiment: a smart browsing of ordered elements belonging to the test set of MPEG-7 video material. Finally, in Section 5, is proposed a unified DDL structure for the DSs involved in the CE

Low Level Processing of Audio and Video Information for Extracting the Semantics of Content

The problem of semantic indexing of multimedia documents is actually of great interest due to the wide diffusion of large audio-video databases. We first briefly describe some techniques used to extract low-level features (e.g., shot change detection, dominant color extraction, audio classification etc.). Then the ToCAI (table of contents and analytical index) framework for content description of multimedia material is presented, together with an application which implements it. Finally we propose two algorithms suitable for extracting the high level semantics of a multimedia document. The first is based on finite-state machines and low-level motion indices, whereas the second uses hidden Markov models

The ToCAI DS for audio-visual documents. Structure and concepts

This document complements the description of the audio-visual (AV) description scheme (DS) called Table of Content-Analytical Index (TOCAI) proposed in MPEG-7 CFP that was evaluated in Lancaster (February 1999). This DS provides a hierarchical description of the time sequential structure of a multimedia document (suitable for browsing) together with an “analytical index” of AV objects of the document (suitable for retrieval). The TOCAI purposes and general characteristics are explained. The detailed structure of the DS is presented by means of UML notation as well, to clarify some issues that were not included in the original proposal. Some examples of XML instantiation are enclosed as well. Then an application example is shown. For an indication on how the TOCAI DS matches MPEG-7 requirements and evaluation criteria, refer to the original proposal submission

Multimedia documents description by ordered hierarchies: the ToCAIdescription scheme

The authors present the ToCAI (Table of Content Analytical Index) framework, a description scheme (DS) for content description of audio-visual (AV) documents. The idea for such a description scheme comes from the structures used for indexing technical books (table of content and analytical index). This description scheme provides therefore a hierarchical description of the time sequential structure of a multimedia document (ToC), suitable for browsing, together with an “Analytical Index” (AI) of the key items of the document, suitable for retrieval. The AI allows one to represent in a ordered way the items of the AV document which are most relevant from the semantic point of view. The ordering criteria are therefore selected according to the application context. The detailed structure of the DS is presented by means of UML notation and an application example is also shown

Describing multimedia documents in natural and semantic-driven ordered hierarchies

In this work we present the ToCAI (Table of Content-Analytical Index) framework, a description scheme (DS) for content description of audio-visual (AV) documents. The idea for such a description scheme comes out from the structures used for indexing technical books (table of content and analytical index). This description scheme provides therefore a hierarchical description of the time sequential structure of a multimedia document (ToC), suitable for browsing, together with an analytical index (AI) of the key items of the document, suitable for retrieval. The AI allows to represent in an ordered way the items of the AV document which are most relevant from the semantic point of view. The ordering criteria are therefore selected according to the application context. The detailed structure of the DS is presented by means of UML notation as well and an application example is shown

Chemoselective surface immbolization of proteins through a cleavable peptide

Surface immobilization of biomolecules is a fundamental step in several experimental techniques such as surface plasmon resonance analysis and microarrays. Oxime ligation allows reaching chemoselective protein immobilization with the retention of native-like conformation by proteins. Beside the need for chemoselective ligation of molecules to surface/particle, equally important is the controlled release of the immobilized molecules, even after a specific binding event. For this purpose, we have designed and assessed in an SPR experiment a peptide linker able to (i) anchor a given protein (enzymes, receptors, or antibodies) to a surface in a precise orientation and (ii) release the immobilized protein after selective enzymatic cleavage. These results open up the possibility to anchor to a surface a protein probe leaving bioactive sites free for interaction with substrates, ligands, antigens, or drugs and successively remove the probe-ligand complex by enzymatic cleavage. This peptide linker can be considered both an improvement of SPR analysis for macromolecular interaction and a novel strategy for drug delivery and biomaterial developments

ToCAI: A Framework for Indexing and Retrieval of Multimedia Documents

This paper presents the ToCAI (table of content-analytical index) description scheme (DS) for content description of audio-visual documents. The original idea comes from the structure used for technical books. One may easily understand a book's sequential organization by looking at its table of contents while quickly retrieving elements of interest by means of the analytical index. This description scheme provides therefore a hierarchical description of the time sequential structure of a multimedia document (thanks to the ToC), suitable for browsing, together with an “analytical index” (AI) of audio-visual objects of the document, suitable for effective retrieval. Besides, two sub-description schemes for information about description generation and about the metadata associated with the document are also enclosed in the general DS. The detailed structure of the DS is also presented by means of UML (unified modelling language) notation and an application example is shown. Finally, some considerations concerning the adopted visual interface are made

Nebivolol: haemodynamic effects and clinical significance of combined beta-blockade and nitric oxide release.

Nebivolol is a third-generation beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist (beta-blocker) with high selectivity for beta(1)-adrenergic receptors. In addition, it causes vasodilatation via interaction with the endothelial L-arginine/nitric oxide (NO) pathway. This dual mechanism of action underlies many of the haemodynamic properties of nebivolol, which include reductions in heart rate and blood pressure (BP), and improvements in systolic and diastolic function. With respect to BP lowering, the NO-mediated effects cause a reduction in peripheral vascular resistance and an increase in stroke volume with preservation of cardiac output. Flow-mediated dilatation and coronary flow reserve are also increased during nebivolol administration. Other haemodynamic effects include beneficial effects on pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary wedge pressure, exercise capacity and left ventricular ejection fraction. In addition, nebivolol does not appear to have adverse effects on lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity like traditional beta-blockers. The documented beneficial haemodynamic effects of nebivolol are translated into improved clinical outcomes in patients with hypertension or heart failure. In patients with hypertension, the incidence of bradycardia with nebivolol is often lower than that with other currently available beta-blockers. This, along with peripheral vasodilatation and NO-induced benefits such as antioxidant activity and reversal of endothelial dysfunction, should facilitate better protection from cardiovascular events. In addition, nebivolol has shown an improved tolerability profile, particularly with respect to events commonly associated with beta-blockers, such as fatigue and sexual dysfunction. Data from SENIORS (Study of the Effects of Nebivolol Intervention on Outcomes and Rehospitalization in Seniors with Heart Failure) showed that significantly fewer nebivolol versus placebo recipients experienced the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular hospitalization. The benefits of nebivolol therapy were shown to be cost effective. Thus, nebivolol is an effective and well tolerated agent with benefits over and above those of traditional beta-blockade because of its effects on NO release, which give it unique haemodynamic effects, cardioprotective activity and a good tolerability profile