Image Based Modeling from Spherical Photogrammetry and Structure for Motion. The Case of the Treasury, Nabatean Architecture in Petra

This research deals with an efficient and low cost methodology to obtain a metric and photorealstic survey of a complex architecture. Photomodeling is an already tested interactive approach to produce a detailed and quick 3D model reconstruction. Photomodeling goes along with the creation of a rough surface over which oriented images can be back-projected in real time. Lastly the model can be enhanced checking the coincidence between the surface and the projected texture. The challenge of this research is to combine the advantages of two technologies already set up and used in many projects: spherical photogrammetry (Fangi, 2007,2008,2009,2010) and structure for motion (Photosynth web service and Bundler + CMVS2 + PMVS2). The input images are taken from the same points of view to form the set of panoramic photos paying attention to use well-suited projections: equirectangular for spherical photogrammetry and rectilinear for Photosynth web service. The performance of the spherical photogrammetry is already known in terms of its metric accuracy and acquisition quickness but time is required in the restitution step because of the manual homologous point recognition from different panoramas. In Photosynth instead the restitution is quick and automated: the provided point clouds are useful benchmarks to start with the model reconstruction even if lacking in details and scale. The proposed workflow needs of ad-hoc tools to capture high resolution rectilinear panoramic images and visualize Photosynth point clouds and orientation camera parameters. All of them are developed in VVVV programming environment. 3DStudio Max environment is then chosen because of its performance in terms of interactive modeling, UV mapping parameters handling and real time visualization of projected texture on the model surface. Experimental results show how is possible to obtain a 3D photorealistic model using the scale of the spherical photogrammetry restitution to orient web provided point clouds. Moreover the proposed research highlights how is possible to speed up the model reconstruction without losing metric and photometric accuracy. In the same time, using the same panorama dataset, it picks out a useful chance to compare the orientations coming from the two mentioned technologies (Spherical Photogrammetry and Structure for Motion)

Comparison of the heat transfer efficiency of nanofluids

The continuously increasing power involved in many applications, coupled with the very small size of a number of component devices, is pushing the technical community to look for more efficient heat transfer systems, to remove the heat generated and keep the system under controlled operating conditions. In particular, significant interest has been devoted to the use of the so-called nanofluids, obtained by suspending nano-sized particles in conventional heat transfer liquids. According to some literature, these suspensions present enhanced heat transfer capabilities, without the inconveniencies of particles settlement and clogging of the channels encountered using larger particles. However, other results show that the actual improvement in the heat transfer efficiency may depend on the adopted working conditions and on the reference parameters (fluid velocity, Reynolds number, pressure drop, etc.) assumed to compare the performances of the nanoparticles suspensions with those of the clear thermal fluid. In the present work heat transfer experiments were carried out on a number of nanofluids systems, varying the type and the concentration of the nanoparticles, and the fluid dynamic regime. The investigated suspensions gave rise to heat transfer coefficients different from those of their respective clear thermal fluid, the thermal efficiency being higher or lower, depending on the fluid dynamic parameter used as a base for comparing the systems. Generally speaking, in most cases nanofluids may give an advantage from the heat transfer point of view only when the conditions are unfavorable for the traditional thermal fluid

Flexural-Torsional Flutter and Buckling of Braced Foil Beams under a Follower Force

The flutter and buckling behavior of a cantilever foil beam, loaded at the tip by a follower force, are addressed in this paper. The beam is internally and externally damped and braced at the tip by a linear spring-damper device, which is located in an eccentric position with respect to beam axis, thus coupling the flexural and torsional behaviors. An exact linear stability analysis is carried out, and the linear stability diagram of the trivial rectilinear configuration is built up in the space of the follower load and spring’s stiffness parameters. The effects of the flexural-torsional coupling, as well as of the damping, on the flutter and buckling critical loads are discussed

Screening, isolation, and characterization of glycosyl-hydrolase-producing fungi from desert halophyte plants

Fungal strains naturally occurring on the wood and leaves of the salt-excreting desert tree Tamarix were isolated and characterized for their ability to produce cellulose- and starch- degrading enzymes. Of the 100 isolates, six fungal species were identified by ITS1 sequence analysis. No significant differences were observed among taxa isolated from wood samples of different Tamarix species, while highly salt-tolerant forms related to the genus Scopulariopsis (an anamorphic ascomycete) occurred only on the phylloplane of T. aphylla. All strains had cellulase and amylase activities, but the production of these enzymes was highest in strain D, a Schizophyllum-commune- related form. This strain, when grown on pretreated Tamarix biomass, produced an enzymatic complex containing levels of filter paperase (414 ± 16 IU/ml) that were higher than those of other S. commune strains. The enzyme complex was used to hydrolyze different lignocellulosic substrates, resulting in a saccharification rate of pretreated milk thistle (73.5 ± 1.2 %) that was only 10 % lower than that obtained with commercial cellulases. Our results support the use of Tamarix biomass as a useful source of cellulolytic and amylolytic fungi and as a good feedstock for the economical production of commercially relevant cellulases and amylases. [Int Microbiol 2014; 17(1):41-48]Keywords: Schizophyllum commune · Tamarix ssp. · cellulase activity · amylase activit

Contracepção Em Adolescentes Antes E Depois Do Parto: Escolhas E Desafios Para O Futuro

To determine methods of contraception used by adolescents before and after pregnancy. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed, and data were collected from medical records of all teens in puerperal consultation at the Hospital da Mulher - José Aristodemo Pinotti (Caism), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (CAISM), São Paulo, Brazil, between July 2011 and September 2013. The inclusion criterionwas being 10 to 19 years old, and the exclusion criterion was having a first consultation 90 days after childbirth. Statistical analyseswere performed with averages, standard deviations, percentages, correlations and Fisher’s exact tests using the SAS program, version 9.4. Results A total of 196 adolescents in postpartum consultation were included (44 days after childbirth on average). The majority was older than 14 years (89%), with an average age of 16.2 years, and the most were exclusively breast-feeding (70%). Before pregnancy, the use of any contraceptive methods was mentioned by 74% adolescents; the most frequent use was combined oral contraceptive followed by condom. The main reason for abandoning the use of contraception was the occurrence of an unintended pregnancy (41%), followed by reports of side effects (22%), behavior issues (18%) and desire for pregnancy (16%). A positive correlation was found between the age of the adolescent at the moment of childbirth, the age of menarche (r 1/4 0.3), and the first sexual intercourse (r 1/4 0.419). Vaginal delivery occurred in 76% of the cases. After birth, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) was the contraception method most frequently used (71%), followed by oral contraceptives (11.8%) and intrauterine devices (IUDs, 11.2%). Conclusions The most prescribed contraceptive method before pregnancy in adolescents who had childbirth was combined oral contraceptives. Many of the study participants had an unintended pregnancy. After childbirth, the most used contraceptive method was DMPA. To improve contraception and reduce the chance of unintended pregnancies among adolescents, we should promote the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCS). © 2016 by Thieme-Revinter Publicações Ltda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.381154555

Synthesis, structure, and characterization of 4,4′-(Anthracene-9,10-diylbis(ethyne-2,1-diyl))bis(1-methyl-1-pyridinium) Bismuth Iodide (C30H22N2)3Bi4I18, an air, water, and thermally stable 0D hybrid Perovskite with high photoluminescence ffficiency

4,4'-(Anthracene-9,10-diylbis(ethyne-2,1-diyl))bis(1-methyl-1-pyridinium) bismuth iodide (C30H22N2)3Bi4I18 (AEPyBiI) was obtained as a black powder by a very simple route by mixing an acetone solution of BiI3 and an aqueous solution of C30H22N2I2. This novel perovskite is air and water stable and displays a remarkable thermal stability up to nearly 300 °C. The highly conjugated cation C30H22N2 2+ is hydrolytically stable, being nitrogen atoms quaternarized, and this accounts for the insensitivity of the perovskite toward water and atmospheric oxygen under ambient conditions. The cation in aqueous solution is highly fluorescent under UV irradiation (emitting yellow-orange light). AEPyBiI as well is intensely luminescent, its photoluminescence emission being more than 1 order of magnitude greater than that of high-quality InP epilayers. The crystal structure of AEPyBiI was determined using synchrotron radiation single-crystal X-ray diffraction. AEPyBiI was extensively characterized using a wide range of techniques, such as X-ray powder diffraction, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies, thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), elemental analysis, electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy. AEPyBiI displays a zero-dimensional (0D) perovskite structure in which the inorganic part is constituted by binuclear units consisting of two face-sharing BiI6 octahedra (Bi2I9 3- units). The C30H22N2 2+ cations are stacked along the a-axis direction in a complex motif. Considering its noteworthy light-emitting properties coupled with an easy synthesis and environmental stability, and its composition that does not contain toxic lead or easily oxidable Sn(II), AEPyBiI is a promising candidate for environmentally friendly light-emitting devices

Quantum dot-doped silica nanoparticles as probes for targeting of T-lymphocytes

To enhance diagnostic or therapeutic efficacy, novel nanomaterials must be engineered to function in biologically relevant environments, be visible by conventional fluorescent microscopy, and have multivalent loading capacity for easy detection or effective drug delivery. Here we report the fabrication of silica nanoparticles doped with quantum dots and superficially functionalized with amino and phosphonate groups. The amino groups were acylated with a water-soluble biotin-labeling reagent. The biotinylated nanoparticles were subsequently decorated with neutravidin by exploiting the strong affinity between neutravidin and biotin. The resultant neutravidin-decorated fluorescent silica nanoparticles stably dispersed under physiological conditions, were visible by conventional optical and confocal fluorescent microscopy, and could be further functionalized with macromolecules, nucleic acids, and polymers. We also coated the surface of the nanoparticles with biotinylated mouse anti-human CD3 (αCD3). The resultant fluorescent nanoassembly was taken up by Jurkat T cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis and was partially released to lysosomes. Thus, quantum dot-doped silica nanoparticles decorated with neutravidin represent a potentially excellent scaffold for constructing specific intracellular nanoprobes and transporters

Early life adversity and serotonin transporter gene variation interact at the level of the adrenal gland to affect the adult hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis

The short allelic variant of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) promoter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been associated with the etiology of major depression by interaction with early life stress (ELS). Furthermore, 5-HTTLPR has been associated with abnormal functioning of the stress-responsive hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Here, we examined if, and at what level, the HPA-axis is affected in an animal model for ELS × 5-HTTLPR interactions. Heterozygous and homozygous 5-HTT knockout rats and their wild-type littermates were exposed daily at postnatal days 2–14 to 3 h of maternal separation. When grown to adulthood, plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and the major rat glucocorticoid, corticosterone (CORT), were measured. Furthermore, the gene expression of key HPA-axis players at the level of the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands was assessed. No 5-HTT genotype × ELS interaction effects on gene expression were observed at the level of the hypothalamus or pituitary. However, we found significant 5-HTT genotype × ELS interaction effects for plasma CORT levels and adrenal mRNA levels of the ACTH receptor, such that 5-HTT deficiency was associated under control conditions with increased, but after ELS with decreased basal HPA-axis activity. With the use of an in vitro adrenal assay, naïve 5-HTT knockout rats were furthermore shown to display increased adrenal ACTH sensitivity. Therefore, we conclude that basal HPA-axis activity is affected by the interaction of 5- HTT genotype and ELS, and is programmed, within the axis itself, predominantly at the level of the adrenal gland. This study therefore emphasizes the importance of the adrenal gland for HPA-related psychiatric disorders

Synthesis of spiroacetals using functionalised titanium carbenoids

Alkylidenation of lactones with functionalised titanium carbenoid reagents (Schrock carbenes) followed by acid-induced cyclisation of the resulting enol ethers constitutes a new method for the preparation of [4.4], [4.5] and [5.5] spiroacetals (1,6-dioxaspiro[4.4]nonanes, 1,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decanes and 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecanes, respectively, sometimes termed 5,5-, 5,6- and 6,6-spiroketals). The titanium carbenoids are easily generated from readily available thioacetals