Affective Recommendation of Movies Based on Selected Connotative Features

The apparent difficulty in assessing emotions elicited by movies and the undeniable high variability in subjects emotional responses to filmic content have been recently tackled by exploring film connotative properties: the set of shooting and editing conventions that help in transmitting meaning to the audience. Connotation provides an intermediate representation which exploits the objectivity of audiovisual descriptors to predict the subjective emotional reaction of single users. This is done without the need of registering users physiological signals neither by employing other people highly variable emotional rates, but just relying on the inter-subjectivity of connotative concepts and on the knowledge of users reactions to similar stimuli. This work extends previous by extracting audiovisual and film grammar descriptors and, driven by users rates on connotative properties, creates a shared framework where movie scenes are placed, compared and recommended according to connotation. We evaluate the potential of the proposed system by asking users to assess the ability of connotation in suggesting filmic content able to target their affective requests

Multimodal Space for Rushes Representation and Retrieval

In video content analysis, growing research effort aims at characterising a specific type of unedited content, called rushes. This raw material, used by broadcasters and film studios for editing video programmes, usually lies un-annotated in a huge database. In this work we aim at retrieving a desired type of rush by representing the whole database content in a multimodal space. Each rush content is mapped into a trajectory whose coordinates are connected to multimodal features and filming techniques used by cameramen while shooting. The trajectory evolution over time provides a strong characterisation of the video, so that different types of rushes are located into different regions of the multimodal space. The ability of the proposed method has been tested by retrieving similar rushes from a large database provided by EiTB, the Basque Country main broadcaster

Emotional Identity of Movies

4noIn the field of multimedia analysis, attempts that lead to an emotional characterization of content have been proposed. In this work we aim at defining the emotional identity of a feature movie by positioning it into an emotional space, as if it was a piece of art. The multimedia content is mapped into a trajectory whose coordinates are connected to filming and cinematographic techniques used by directors to convey emotions. The trajectory evolution over time provides a strong characterization of the movie, by locating different movies into different regions of the emotional space. The ability of this tool in characterizing content has been tested by retrieving emotionally similar movies from a large database, using IMDb genre classification for the evaluation of results.partially_openpartially_openL. CANINI; S. BENINI; P. MIGLIORATI; R. LEONARDICanini, Luca; Benini, Sergio; Migliorati, Pierangelo; Leonardi, Riccard

Interactive storytelling via video content recombination

In the paper we present a prototype of video-based storytelling that is able to generate multiple story variants from a baseline video. The video content for the system is generated by an adaptation of forefront video summarisation techniques that decompose the video into a number of Logical Story Units (LSU) representing sequences of contiguous and interconnected shots sharing a common semantic thread. Alternative storylines are generated using AI Planning techniques and these are used to direct the combination of elementary LSU for output. We report early results from experiments with the prototype in which the reordering of video shots on the basis of their high-level semantics produces trailers giving the illusion of different storylines

3D Microfluidic model for evaluating immunotherapy efficacy by tracking dendritic cell behaviour toward tumor cells

Immunotherapy efficacy relies on the crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment between cancer and dendritic cells (DCs) resulting in the induction of a potent and effective antitumor response. DCs have the specific role of recognizing cancer cells, taking up tumor antigens (Ags) and then migrating to lymph nodes for Ag (cross)-presentation to naïve T cells. Interferon-α-conditioned DCs (IFN-DCs) exhibit marked phagocytic activity and the special ability of inducing Ag-specific T-cell response. Here, we have developed a novel microfluidic platform recreating tightly interconnected cancer and immune systems with specific 3D environmental properties, for tracking human DC behaviour toward tumor cells. By combining our microfluidic platform with advanced microscopy and a revised cell tracking analysis algorithm, it was possible to evaluate the guided efficient motion of IFN-DCs toward drug-treated cancer cells and the succeeding phagocytosis events. Overall, this platform allowed the dissection of IFN-DC-cancer cell interactions within 3D tumor spaces, with the discovery of major underlying factors such as CXCR4 involvement and underscored its potential as an innovative tool to assess the efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches

Who were the miners of Allumiere? A multidisciplinary approach to reconstruct the osteobiography of an Italian worker community

This research presents an in-depth study of the skeletal remains collected from the archaeological site of Allumiere (15th-16th centuries CE; Rome, Italy). A multidisciplinary approach was used, combining skeletal biology, molecular anthropology and archaeobotany with the aim of reconstructing the osteobiography of the alum miners buried at the site. Since 1460, the area of the Tolfa Mountains was significant for the exploitation of alum which was used for a wide range of purposes in the Middle Ages, ranging from woven production to medical practice. A total of 70 individuals (63 adults and 7 juveniles) were studied. The sex ratio of the community indicated a higher prevalence of males with respect to females. Morphological examination indicated occupational musculoskeletal stress markers, which might reflect the specific phase of alum production that each individual was occupied in. Dietary reconstruction was primarily performed through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis with integration of the results obtained by microscopic, genetic and GC-MS investigations on dental calculus. The diet was omnivorous, indicating a reliance on C3-terrestrial protein and evidence for limited C4 consumption by some individuals. Herbivores, such as sheep and cattle, appear to have contributed to the diet more than pigs and chickens. Consumption of Fagaceae and Poaceae species was predominant; moreover, indicators of Brassicaceae and milk and its derivatives were abundantly recurrent in the population, followed by plant oils and theophylline. Furthermore, the detection of pharmacological alkaloids indicated the knowledge and application of medicinal plants by the community. The novel use of multiple techniques based on cutting-edge technologies has provided a unique window on the lifestyles of individuals from one of the first Italian settlements of alum workers

Emergency hernia repair in the elderly. multivariate analysis of morbidity and mortality from an Italian registry

Purpose The incidence of inguinal hernia is higher in elderly because of aging-related diseases like prostatism, bronchitis, collagen laxity. A conservative management is common in elderly to reduce surgery-related risks, however watchful waiting can expose to obstruction and strangulation. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of emergency surgery in a large series of elderly with complicated groin hernia and to identify the independent risk factors for postoperative morbidity and mortality. The predictive performance of prognostic risk scores has been also assessed. Methods This is a prospective observational study carried out between January 2017 and June 2018 in elderly patients who underwent emergency surgery for complicated hernia in 38 Italian hospitals. Pre-operative, surgical and postoperative data were recorded for each patient. ASA score, Charlson's comorbidity index, P-POSSUM and CR-POSSUM were assessed. Results 259 patients were recruited, mean age was 80 years. A direct repair without mesh was performed in 62 (23.9%) patients. Explorative laparotomy was performed in 56 (21.6%) patients and bowel resection was necessary in 44 (17%). Mortality occurred in seven (2.8%) patients. Fifty-five (21.2%) patients developed complications, 12 of whom had a major one. At univariate and multivariate analyses, Charlson's comorbidity index >= 6, altered mental status, and need for laparotomy were associated with major complications and mortality Conclusion Emergency surgery for complicated hernia is burdened by high morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. Preoperative comorbidity played a pivotal role in predicting complications and mortality and therefore Charlson's comorbidity index could be adopted to select patients for elective operation

Perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) treatment: an Italian nationwide propensity score-matched cohort study investigating laparoscopic vs open approach

BackgroundPerforated peptic ulcer (PPU) remain a surgical emergency accounting for 37% of all peptic ulcer-related deaths. Surgery remains the standard of care. The benefits of laparoscopic approach have been well-established even in the elderly. However, because of inconsistent results with specific regard to some technical aspects of such technique surgeons questioned the adoption of laparoscopic approach. This leads to choose the type of approach based on personal experience. The aim of our study was to critically appraise the use of the laparoscopic approach in PPU treatment comparing it with open procedure.MethodsA retrospective study with propensity score matching analysis of patients underwent surgical procedure for PPU was performed. Patients undergoing PPU repair were divided into: Laparoscopic approach (LapA) and Open approach (OpenA) groups and clinical-pathological features of patients in the both groups were compared.ResultsA total of 453 patients underwent PPU simple repair. Among these, a LapA was adopted in 49% (222/453 patients). After propensity score matching, 172 patients were included in each group (the LapA and the OpenA). Analysis demonstrated increased operative times in the OpenA [OpenA: 96.4 +/- 37.2 vs LapA 88.47 +/- 33 min, p = 0.035], with shorter overall length of stay in the LapA group [OpenA 13 +/- 12 vs LapA 10.3 +/- 11.4 days p = 0.038]. There was no statistically significant difference in mortality [OpenA 26 (15.1%) vs LapA 18 (10.5%), p = 0.258]. Focusing on morbidity, the overall rate of 30-day postoperative morbidity was significantly lower in the LapA group [OpenA 67 patients (39.0%) vs LapA 37 patients (21.5%) p = 0.002]. When stratified using the Clavien-Dindo classification, the severity of postoperative complications was statistically different only for C-D 1-2.ConclusionsBased on the present study, we can support that laparoscopic suturing of perforated peptic ulcers, apart from being a safe technique, could provide significant advantages in terms of postoperative complications and hospital stay

Affective Analysis on Patterns of Shot Types in Movies

3noIn film-making, the distance from the camera to the subject greatly affects the narrative power of a shot. By the alternate use of Long shots, Medium and Close-ups the director is able to provide emphasis on key passages of the filmed scene, thus boosting the process of identification of viewers with the film characters. On this basis, we here investigate the use of camera distance in famous movie scenes, highlighting the relations between the employed shot types and the affective responses by a large audience. Results obtained by using statistical classifiers suggest that patterns of shot types constitute a key element in inducing affective reactions in the audience, with strong evidences especially on the arousal dimension. Findings are applicable to support systems for media affective analysis, and to better define emotional models for video content understanding.openopenCanini L.; Benini S.; Leonardi R.Canini, Luca; Benini, Sergio; Leonardi, Riccard

A systematic review of psychological interventions to improve sleep quality in healthy older adults.

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