Exploring the data of blockchain-based metaverses

In recent years the concept of metaverse has evolved in the attempt of defining richer immersive and interactive environments supporting various types of virtual experiences and interactions among users. This has led to the emergence of various different metaverse platforms that utilize blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to establish ownership of metaverse elements and attach features and information to it. This article will delve into the heterogeneity of the data involved in these metaverse platforms, as well as highlight some dynamics and features of them. Moreover, the paper introduces a metaverse analysis tool developed by the authors, which leverages machine learning techniques to collect and analyze daily data, including blockchain transactions, platform-specific metadata, and social media trends. Experimental results are reported are presented with a use-case scenario focused on the trading of digital parcels, commonly referred to as metaverse real estate.Comment: In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Metaverse Computing, Networking and Applications (IEEE METACOM 2023), June 26--28, 2023, Japa

Execution Trace Graph Based Multi-criteria Partitioning of Stream Programs

AbstractOne of the problems proven to be NP-hard in the field of many-core architectures is the Partitioning of stream programs. In order to maximize the execution parallelism and obtain the maximal data throughput for a streaming application it is essential to find an appropriate actors assignment. The paper proposes a novel approach for finding a close-to-optimal partitioning configuration which is based on the execution trace graph of a dataflow network and its anal- ysis. We present some aspects of dataflow programming that make the partitioning problem different in this paradigm and build the heuristic methodology on them. Our optimization cri- teria include: balancing the total processing workload with regards to data dependencies, actors idle time minimization and reduction of data exchanges between processing units. Finally, we validate our approach with experimental results for a video decoder design case and compare them with some state-of-the-art solutions

Mitochondrial DNA reveals regional and interregional importance of the central Mediterranean African shelf for loggerhead sea turtles (<em>Caretta caretta</em>)

The wide north African continental shelf in the central Mediterranean is known to be one of the few important areas in the basin for loggerhead turtles in the neritic stage. In order to assess the origin of these turtles, sequences of the mtDNA control region were obtained from 70 turtles caught by bottom trawlers in the area, and compared with known sequences from turtles from Mediterranean and Atlantic nesting sites. Five haplotypes were identified (Haplotype diversity = 0.262; nucleotide diversity = 5.4×10-3). Specific haplotypes indicate contributions from distant rookeries such as Turkey and the Atlantic, which shows that Atlantic turtles entering the Mediterranean while in the oceanic phase use at least one Mediterranean continental shelf as a neritic foraging ground. A new haplotype and another one previously found only in foraging areas, highlight the genetic information gaps for nesting sites, which undermine powerful mixed stock analyses. Despite these limitations, the results reveal the regional importance of the study area as a neritic foraging ground for turtles that are probably from most of the Mediterranean nesting aggregates. Therefore, reducing turtle mortality resulting from the high fishing effort in the area should be regarded as key for Mediterranean turtle conservation and is also possibly important for Atlantic populations

DNA mitocondrial revela la importancia regional e interregional de la plataforma continental mediterránea africana para la tortuga boba (Caretta caretta)

The wide north African continental shelf in the central Mediterranean is known to be one of the few important areas in the basin for loggerhead turtles in the neritic stage. In order to assess the origin of these turtles, sequences of the mtDNA control region were obtained from 70 turtles caught by bottom trawlers in the area, and compared with known sequences from turtles from Mediterranean and Atlantic nesting sites. Five haplotypes were identified (Haplotype diversity = 0.262; nucleotide diversity = 5.4×10-3). Specific haplotypes indicate contributions from distant rookeries such as Turkey and the Atlantic, which shows that Atlantic turtles entering the Mediterranean while in the oceanic phase use at least one Mediterranean continental shelf as a neritic foraging ground. A new haplotype and another one previously found only in foraging areas, highlight the genetic information gaps for nesting sites, which undermine powerful mixed stock analyses. Despite these limitations, the results reveal the regional importance of the study area as a neritic foraging ground for turtles that are probably from most of the Mediterranean nesting aggregates. Therefore, reducing turtle mortality resulting from the high fishing effort in the area should be regarded as key for Mediterranean turtle conservation and is also possibly important for Atlantic populations.La amplia plataforma continental africana en el Mediterráneo se reconoce como una de las pocas áreas importantes en la cuenca para la tortuga boba en su estadio nerítico. Para evaluar el origen de estas tortugas se obtuvieron secuencias de mtDNA de la región control de 70 tortugas capturadas en el área por arrastreros y se compararon con las conocidas de localidades de anidación en el Mediterráneo y el Atlántico. Se identificaron cinco haplotipos (diversidad de haplotipos = 0.262; diversidad de nucleótidos = 5.4×10-3). Los haplotipos específicos indican contribución de localidades alejadas como Turquía y el Atlántico, mostrando que las tortugas atlánticas que entran en el Mediterráneo en la fase oceánica usan, al menos, una plataforma continental mediterránea como territorio de anidación y alimentación. Un nuevo haplotipo y otro más, previamente encontrado sólo en áreas de alimentación, destacan el vacío de información genética de los sitios de anidación, lo que socava el poder de los análisis de stocks mixtos. A pesar de estas limitaciones, los resultados revelan la importancia regional del área de estudio como área de alimentación para las tortugas de, probablemente, la mayor parte de los agregados de anidación mediterráneos. Por tanto, la reducción de la mortalidad de tortugas debida al alto esfuerzo de pesca en el área debería ser considerado clave para la conservación de la tortuga mediterránea y, posiblemente, importante también para la poblaciones atlánticas

The impact of NFT profile pictures within social network communities

This paper presents an analysis of the role of social media, specifically Twitter, in the context of non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs. Such emerging technology framing the creation and exchange of digital object, started years ago with early projects such as ”CryptoPunks” and since early 2021, has received an increasing interest by a community of people creating, buying, selling NFTs and by the media reporting to the general public. In this work it is shown how the landscape of one class of projects, specifically those used as social media profile pictures, has become mainstream with leading projects such as ”Bored Ape Yacht Club”, ”Cool Cats” and ”Doodles”. This work illustrates how heterogeneous data was collected from the Ethereum blockchain and Twitter and then analysed using algorithms and state-of-art metrics related to graphs. The initial results show that from a social network perspective, the collections of most popular NFTs can be considered as a single community around NFTs. Thus, while each project has its own value and volume of exchange, on a social level all of them are primarily influenced by the evolution of values and trades of ”Bored Ape Yacht Club” collection

The impact of NFT profile pictures within social network communities

This paper presents an analysis of the role of social media, specifically Twitter, in the context of non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs. Such emerging technology framing the creation and exchange of digital object, started years ago with early projects such as "CryptoPunks" and since early 2021, has received an increasing interest by a community of people creating, buying, selling NFT's and by the media reporting to the general public. In this work it is shown how the landscape of one class of projects, specifically those used as social media profile pictures, has become mainstream with leading projects such as "Bored Ape Yacht Club", "Cool Cats" and "Doodles". This work illustrates how heterogeneous data was collected from the Ethereum blockchain and Twitter and then analysed using algorithms and state-of-art metrics related to graphs. The initial results show that from a social network perspective, the collections of most popular NFTs can be considered as a single community around NFTs. Thus, while each project has its own value and volume of exchange, on a social level all of them are primarily influenced by the evolution of values and trades of "Bored Ape Yacht Club" collection.Comment: In Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Information Technology for Social Good (GoodIT'22), September 07--09, 2022, Cypru

Quality of life and personality traits in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and their first-degree caregivers

Antonella Granieri,1 Stella Tamburello,2 Antonino Tamburello,2 Silvia Casale,3 Chiara Cont,1 Fanny Guglielmucci,1 Marco Innamorati21Universit&agrave; degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy; 2Universit&agrave; Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; 3Universit&agrave; di Firenze, Firenze, ItalyAbstract: Asbestos exposure causes significant pleural diseases, including malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Taking into account the impact of MPM on emotional functioning and wellbeing, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and personality traits in patients with MPM and their first-degree caregivers through the World Health Organization Quality of Life&ndash;BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). The sample was composed of 27 MPM patients, 55 first-degree relatives enrolled in Casale Monferrato and Monfalcone (Italy), and 40 healthy controls (HC). Patients and relatives reported poorer physical health than the HC. Patients had a higher overall sense of physical debilitation and poorer health than relatives and the HC, more numerous complaints of memory problems and difficulties in concentrating, and a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, while often claiming that they were more indecisive and inefficacious than the HC. First-degree relatives reported lower opinions of others, a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, support for the notion that they are indecisive and inefficacious, and were more likely to suffer from fear that significantly inhibited normal activities than were HC. In multinomial regression analyses, partial models indicated that sex, physical comorbidities, and the True Response Inconsistency (TRIN-r), Malaise (MLS), and Behavior-Restricting Fears (BRF) dimensions of the MMPI-2-RF had significant effects on group differences. In conclusion, health care providers should assess the ongoing adjustment and emotional wellbeing of people with MPM and their relatives, and provide support to reduce emotional distress.Keywords: asbestos, cancer, MMPI-2-RF, Casale Monferrato, Monfalcone, Ital

Gli uccelli della provincia di Novara (Piemonte, Italia): distribuzione, abbondanza e stato di conservazione

In questo lavoro viene riportato un elenco commentato degli uccelli noti per la provincia di Novara (1.340 km2) aggiornato al 31/12/2016 e vengono forniti dati di sintesi relativi alle attività di monitoraggio condotte in anni recenti (2009-2016). I dati sono stati raccolti sia attraverso revisione bibliografica sia attraverso attività di ricerca diretta sul campo. L'avifauna della provincia di Novara annovera o ha annoverato (dal 1860 al 2016) 304 specie delle quali 135 nidificanti certe o probabili in tempi recenti (dopo il 2000), 85 di interesse comunitario (Allegato I della Direttiva "Uccelli"), 116 SPEC - Species of European Conservation Concern secondo BirdLife International e 53 inserite nella European Red List of Birds. L'area è di importanza europea e/o nazionale per la nidificazione di specie di interesse conservazionistico quali Egretta garzetta (650-1.100 nidi), Nycticorax nycticorax (200-300 nidi), Botaurus stellaris (5-7 maschi cantori), Ciconia nigra (1-2 coppie), Ciconia ciconia (4-6 coppie), Himantopus himantopus (300-500 coppie), Vanellus vanellus (500-600 coppie), Columba oenas (20-30 coppie), nonché per la migrazione di Philomachus pugnax (5.000-7.000 ind.) e Tringa glareola (500-1.500 ind.). Negli ultimi anni (2009-2016) si segnalano in particolare: la nidificazione accertata per la prima volta nel Novarese di Ardea alba, Galerida cristata e Lullula arborea; il ritorno di Burhinus oedicnemus e Chlidonias niger in periodo riproduttivo dopo decenni di assenza; la colonizzazione da parte di Dryocopus martius degli ambienti forestali di collina e di pianura.</p