From Site Survey to HBIM Model for the Documentation of Historic Buildings: the Case Study of Hexinwu Village in China

Architectural heritage surveying plays a fundamental role in the preservation of historic buildings for scientific research, education and tourism. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Terrestrial Laser Scanning techniques are essential for architectural heritage surveying and mapping. In recent years, the combination of Building Information Modelling (BIM) with heritage studies has been presented as Historic BIM (HBIM) which, integrated with UVA and TLS, is a technique that is able to deal more efficiently with the management and protection of historic buildings. This paper focuses on the integration of UVA images and point clouds from laser scanning to build a 3D architectural model for the documentation of Chinese historic buildings. In particular, the method, tested in the case study of the traditional village, Hexinwu, China, can contribute further to the analysis, evaluation and heritage planning of this remarkable architectural structure, thus increasing its historical significance for the future.Il rilievo del patrimonio architettonico è fondamentale nella conservazione degli edifici storici per la ricerca scientifica, l'istruzione e il turismo. L'uso dei veicoli aerei senza pilota e le tecniche di scansione laser terrestre sono essenziali per il rilevamento e la mappatura del patrimonio architettonico. Negli ultimi anni l'abbinamento del Building Information Modeling (BIM) con gli studi sul patrimonio è stato presentato come Historic BIM (HBIM) che, integrato con UVA e TLS, permette di affrontare in modo più efficiente la gestione e la tutela edifici. Questo documento tratta l'integrazione di immagini UVA con l’insieme punti scansionati con laser per costruire un modello architettonico 3D per la documentazione di edifici storici cinesi. In particolare, il metodo testato nel caso di studio del villaggio tradizionale, Hexinwu, Cina, può contribuire ulteriormente all'analisi, valutazione e pianificazione del patrimonio di questa straordinaria struttura architettonica, aumentando così la sua importanza storica per il futuro

Scenic Railway Mapping: An Analysis of Spatial Patterns in France Based on Historical GIS

Scenic railway refers to the trains that operate for tourism purposes, which are mainly maintained for facilitating leisure activities, scenic tours, and heritage experiences. As both an extension of railway heritage and an important redevelopment method, this concept is meaningful for the touristic development of historical railways but has received less attention in academia. To understand the tourism and landscape values of scenic railways from a geo-historical perspective and discuss the recent techniques and methods for railway tourism, this article first introduces the relationship between railway and landscape and the concept of scenic railway in French literature. Secondly, it analyzes the current distribution of French scenic railways based on geographic information system (GIS) tools. Through georeferencing, mapping, data relating and joining, calculating, and classifying, different groups of scenic railways are systemized and published online. Following statistical treatment, the pattern of distribution of scenic railways in comparison with the standard-gauge railway system in France is revealed. Based on the discussions on scenic railways, further study should focus more on the landscape evaluation of scenic railways and its integration with other spatial technologies for deeper geo-analysis. Moreover, the research results can serve as a reference for the development of relative railway heritage and tourist activities

APPLICATION OF UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY TECHNOLOGY IN THE PROCESS OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE PRESERVATION

This paper introduces the application of UAV photogrammetry in different stages of architectural heritage protection, such as the investigation of the current situation around the architectural heritage, the acquisition of site information, and the architectural heritage revitalization design. The collected data is processed not only to provide reference data support for cultural relics conservation projects, but also as a reference for long-term heritage monitoring in archives. With continuous development of the field of UAV technology, the working methods and ideas introduced in this paper will become an important scientific and technological protection means in the protection of architectural heritage

Assessment of the Exterior Quality of Traditional Residences: A Genetic Algorithm–Backpropagation Approach

The visual aesthetics of villages are remarkably affected by the exterior quality of traditional residences, influencing the impression and assessment of local culture. A proper scientific assessment of exterior quality can protect traditional cultures and improve the development of villages. This research was conducted in a village consisting of 115 residences (Mengjinglai village, which is on the border between China and Myanmar). The backpropagation (BP) neural network model with genetic algorithm (GA) was applied to evaluate the quality of the dwellings. All the evaluation values of the dwellings were defined by scores. Meanwhile, the score of each residence was affected by three main factors: architectural spatial elements, architectural construction elements, and historical and cultural elements. The results show that the village’s dwellings are well preserved and clearly express the traditional Dai style. Moreover, the GA–BP approach is more suitable than the traditional BP method for the assessment of the exterior quality. The quantitative machine learning model would be useful for other aspects of the assessment of similar villages in the future

Application of UAV photogrammetry technology in the process of architectural heritage preservation

This paper introduces the application of UAV photogrammetry in different stages of architectural heritage protection, such as the investigation of the current situation around architectural heritage, the acquisition of site information, and the architectural heritage revitalization design. The collected data is processed not only to provide reference data support for cultural relics conservation projects, but also as a reference for long- term heritage monitoring in archives. With the continuous development of the field of UAV technology, the working methods and ideas introduced in this paper will become an important scientific and technological protection means in the protection of architectural heritage

Table_1_Higher blood cotinine level is associated with worse cognitive functioning in non-smoking older adults.DOCX

IntroductionSecondhand smoke (SHS) is common in older adults; however, its cognitive effect is unclear. We aimed to examine the association between serum cotinine level and cognitive functioning among non-smoking older adults.Materials and methodsA total of 2,703 older adults aged 60 and above from the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) Survey 2011–2014 were included. Serum cotinine level was analyzed in the laboratory. A level ≤10 ng/ml and a response of “no” to the question “Do you currently smoke?” were used to select non-smokers. Cognitive functioning was measured using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease Word Learning subtest (CERAD-WL) immediate and delayed recall tests, the Animal Fluency test (AFT), and the Digit Symbol Substitution test (DSST). Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to examine the association between serum cotinine level quartile and test-specific and global cognition z scores adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, depressive symptoms, body mass index, alcohol use, smoking history, prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and systolic blood pressure.ResultsAbout half of the participants (mean age 70.5 years) were female (53.6%), non-Hispanic White (48.3%), and completed some college and above (50.2%). Multivariate linear regressions with a reference group being those in the 1st quantile (lowest) showed that participants in the 4th quartile (highest) of serum cotinine level had lower immediate recall [β = −0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.29, −0.03], AFT (β = −0.19, 95% CI = −0.33, −0.05), DSST (β = −0.27, 95% CI = −0.39, −0.15), and global cognition (β = −0.26, 95% CI = −0.39, −0.14) z scores. Participants in the 3rd quartile had lower immediate recall (β = −0.16, 95% CI = −0.30, −0.02) and global cognition (β = −0.16, 95% CI = −0.29, −0.02) z scores. Participants in the 2nd quartile had lower delayed recall z scores (β = −0.16, 95% CI = −0.29, −0.02).ConclusionHigher serum cotinine level was associated with worse cognitive functioning in non-smoking older adults. Prevention and reduction of SHS in older adults may help protect their cognitive functioning.</p