Comparison between RGB and RGB-D cameras for supporting low-cost GNSS urban navigation

A pure GNSS navigation is often unreliable in urban areas because of the presence of obstructions, thus preventing a correct reception of the satellite signal. The bridging between GNSS outages, as well as the vehicle attitude reconstruction, can be recovered by using complementary information, such as visual data acquired by RGB-D or RGB cameras. In this work, the possibility of integrating low-cost GNSS and visual data by means of an extended Kalman filter has been investigated. The focus is on the comparison between the use of RGB-D or RGB cameras. In particular, a Microsoft Kinect device (second generation) and a mirrorless Canon EOS M RGB camera have been compared. The former is an interesting RGB-D camera because of its low-cost, easiness of use and raw data accessibility. The latter has been selected for the high-quality of the acquired images and for the possibility of mounting fixed focal length lenses with a lower weight and cost with respect to a reflex camera. The designed extended Kalman filter takes as input the GNSS-only trajectory and the relative orientation between subsequent pairs of images. Depending on the visual data acquisition system, the filter is different because RGB-D cameras acquire both RGB and depth data, allowing to solve the scale problem, which is instead typical of image-only solutions. The two systems and filtering approaches were assessed by ad-hoc experimental tests, showing that the use of a Kinect device for supporting a u-blox low-cost receiver led to a trajectory with a decimeter accuracy, that is 15% better than the one obtained when using the Canon EOS M camera

CULTURAL HERITAGE MONITORING BY LOW-COST GNSS RECEIVERS: A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR SAN GAUDENZIO’S CUPOLA, NOVARA

In this study the cupola of San Gaudenzio’s Basilica in Novara, Italy, has been monitored by using two low-cost GNSS receivers located on the East and West side of the spire. Time series of daily solutions for an observation period of about one year have been collected and interpolated by cubic splines. The minimum description length criterion has been used to optimize this interpolation. The results show that the building had an uplift with a maximum amplitude of about 2 cm during summer. Moreover, from a joint analysis of the two points, one can realize that the uplift is not homogeneous, but the structure made some oscillations (with an amplitude at most of 4 mm) when rising up. As for the planimetric coordinates, the two antennas had a slightly different behaviour. The West point showed displacements at most of 1 cm and solutions with a very high repeatability of the order of few millimeters. The East point had a similar repeatability until a sudden jump occurred, followed by more noisy solutions in all the three directions. This noise degradation slowly dampened, till almost disappearing at the end of the recorded time series. This anomalous behaviour could be attributed to some structural movements. The test was successful in the sense that (1) it was proved that the millimeter accuracy can be reached by using GNSS low-cost receivers installed at San Gaudenzio’s cupola, even with a non-perfect sky visibility; (2) such an accuracy is able to show interesting movements of the cupola that can provide information about its stability

Compositional variability in a cold-water scleractinian, Lophelia pertusa : new insights into “vital effects”

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 7 (2006): Q12004, doi:10.1029/2006GC001354.We analyzed Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios in the thecal wall of Lophelia pertusa, a cold-water coral, using SIMS ion microprobe techniques. The wall grows by simultaneous upward extension and outward thickening. Compositional variability displays similar trends along the upward and outward growth axes. Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios oscillate systematically and inversely. The sensitivity of Lophelia Sr/Ca ratios to the annual temperature cycle (−0.18 mmol · mol−1/°C) is twice as strong as that exhibited by tropical reef corals, and four times as strong as the temperature dependence of Sr/Ca ratios of abiogenic aragonites precipitated experimentally from seawater. A comparison of the skeletal composition of Lophelia with results from precipitation calculations carried out using experimentally determined partition coefficients suggests that both temperature-dependent element partitioning and seasonal changes in the mass fraction of aragonite precipitated from the calcifying fluid influence the composition of Lophelia skeleton. Results from calculations that combine these effects reproduce both the exaggerated amplitude of the Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca oscillations and the inverse relationship between Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios.This study was supported in part by a WHOI Ocean Life Institute fellowship to ALC, by NSF grant OCE-0527350 to G.A.G. and A.L.C., and by the EU 6FP project HERMES, EC contract GOCE-CT-2005-511234 to T.L

Impact of the Guinea coast upwelling on atmospheric dynamics, precipitation and pollutant transport over southern West Africa

In West Africa, the zonal band of precipitation is generally located around the southern coast in June before migrating northward towards the Sahel in late June/early July. This gives way to a relative dry season for coastal regions from Côte d'Ivoire to Benin called “little dry season”, which lasts until September–October. Previous studies have noted that the coastal rainfall cessation in early July seems to coincide with the emergence of an upwelling along the Guinea coast. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms by which this upwelling impacts precipitation, using a set of numerical simulations performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting regional atmospheric model (WRF v 3.7.1). Sensitivity experiments highlight the response of the atmospheric circulation to an intensification or reduction of the strength of the coastal upwelling. They clearly show that the coastal upwelling emergence is responsible for the cessation of coastal precipitation by weakening the northward humidity transport, thus decreasing the coastal convergence of the humidity transport and inhibiting the deep atmospheric convection. In addition, the diurnal cycle of the low-level circulation plays a critical role: the land breeze controls the seaward convergence of diurnal anomaly of humidity transport, explaining the late night–early morning peak observed in coastal precipitation. The emergence of the coastal upwelling strongly attenuates this peak because of a reduced land–sea temperature gradient in the night and a weaker land breeze. The impact on the inland transport of anthropogenic pollution is also shown with numerical simulations of aerosols using the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model: warmer (colder) sea surface temperature (SST) increases (decreases) the inland transport of pollutants, especially during the night, suggesting an influence of the upwelling intensity on the coastal low-level jet. The mechanisms described have important consequences for inland humidity transport and the predictability of the West African monsoon precipitation in summer.</p

Anxiety associated with palatable food withdrawal is reversed by the selective FAAH inhibitor PF-3845: A regional analysis of the contribution of endocannabinoid signaling machinery

Objective: Consumption of energy-dense palatable "comfort" food can alleviate stress and negative emotions, while abrupt withdrawal from a palatable diet can worsen these symptoms, causing difficulties with adherence to weight-loss diets. Currently, no pharmacological treatment is effective for obesity-related anxiety, so we investigated the endocannabinoid system (ECS), and specifically the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), as an interesting emerging target in this context because of its key role in the regulation of both energy homeostasis and emotional behavior. Methods: Rats were subjected to exposure and subsequent abstinence from a palatable cafeteria diet. During abstinence period, rats were treated with the selective FAAH inhibitor PF-3845 (10 mg/kg; intraperitoneal administration every other day). Results: Abstinent rats displayed an anxiogenic-like behavior and changes in the proteins of ECS signaling machinery in brain areas involved both in anxiety and food intake regulation. In particular, withdrawal caused a reduction of the expression of cannabinoid receptors in the nucleus accumbens and of enzymes diacylglycerol lipase alpha and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) in the amygdala. Pharmacological inhibition of FAAH exerted an anxiolytic-like effect in abstinent animals and increased both MAGL expression in amygdala and CB2 expression in prefrontal cortex. Discussion: Overall, our results suggest that emotional disturbances associated with dieting are coupled with region-specific alterations in the cerebral expression of the ECS and that the enhancement of the endocannabinoid signaling by FAAH inhibition might represent a novel pharmacological strategy for the treatment of anxiety related to abstinence from palatable food.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA European Regional DevelopmentFunds-European Union, Grant/Award Number:PI19/01577; Instituto de Salud Carlos III,Grant/Award Number: RETICS; Ministerio deCiencia e Innovaci on, Grant/Award Number:ERDF-EU RD16/0017/0001; Ministerodell'Università e della Ricerca, Grant/AwardNumber: 2012JTX3KL; PNRR-RomeTechnopole-FP

FORENSIC ENGINEERING SURVEYS WITH UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND LASER SCANNING TECHNIQUES

This work aims at presenting the use of new technologies in the field of forensic engineering. In particular, the use of UAV photogrammetry and laser scanning is compared with the traditional methods of surveying an accident site. In this framework, surveys must be carried out promptly, executed in a short time and performed so that the greatest possible amount of information is collected with sufficient accuracy to avoid the possibility of neglecting details once that the scene is no longer preserved. The combination of modern surveying techniques such UAV photogrammetry and laser scanning can properly fulfill these requirements. An experimental test has been arranged and instruments, procedures, settings, practical limits and results have been evaluated and compared with respect to the usual way of performing the survey for forensic purposes. In particular, both qualitative and quantitative considerations are given, assessing the completeness of the reconstructed model, the statistical evaluation of the errors and the accuracy achieved

Early intrathecal infusion of everolimus restores cognitive function and mood in a murine model of Alzheimer's disease

The discovery that mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition increases lifespan in mice and restores/delays many aging phenotypes has led to the identification of a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among mTOR inhibitors, everolimus, which has been developed to improve the pharmacokinetic characteristics of rapamycin, has been extensively profiled in preclinical and clinical studies as anticancer and immunosuppressive agent, but no information is available about its potential effects on neurodegenerative disorders. Using a reliable mouse model of AD (3 × Tg-AD mice), we explored whether short-term treatment with everolimus injected directly into the brain by osmotic pumps was able to modify AD-like pathology with low impact on peripheral organs. We first established in non-transgenic mice the stability of everolimus at 37 °C in comparison with rapamycin and, then, evaluated its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics profiles through either a single peripheral (i.p.) or central (i.c.v.) route of administration. Finally, 6-month-old (symptomatic phase) 3 × Tg-AD mice were treated with continuous infusion of either vehicle or everolimus (0.167 μg/μl/day, i.c.v.) using the osmotic pumps. Four weeks after the beginning of infusion, we tested our hypothesis following an integrated approach, including behavioral (tests for cognitive and depressive-like alterations), biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. Everolimus (i) showed higher stability than rapamycin at 37 °C, (ii) poorly crossed the blood-brain barrier after i.p. injection, (iii) was slowly metabolized in the brain due to a longer t 1/2 in the brain compared to blood, and (iv) was more effective in the CNS when administered centrally compared to a peripheral route. Moreover, the everolimus-induced mTOR inhibition reduced human APP/Aβ and human tau levels and improved cognitive function and depressive-like phenotype in the 3 × Tg-AD mice. The intrathecal infusion of everolimus may be effective to treat early stages of AD-pathology through a short and cyclic administration regimen, with short-term outcomes and a low impact on peripheral organs

Morphological and compositional changes in the skeletons of new coral recruits reared in acidified seawater : insights into the biomineralization response to ocean acidification

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2009. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 19 (2009): Q07005, doi:10.1029/2009GC002411.We reared primary polyps (new recruits) of the common Atlantic golf ball coral Favia fragum for 8 days at 25°C in seawater with aragonite saturation states ranging from ambient (Ω = 3.71) to strongly undersaturated (Ω = 0.22). Aragonite was accreted by all corals, even those reared in strongly undersaturated seawater. However, significant delays, in both the initiation of calcification and subsequent growth of the primary corallite, occurred in corals reared in treatment tanks relative to those grown at ambient conditions. In addition, we observed progressive changes in the size, shape, orientation, and composition of the aragonite crystals used to build the skeleton. With increasing acidification, densely packed bundles of fine aragonite needles gave way to a disordered aggregate of highly faceted rhombs. The Sr/Ca ratios of the crystals, measured by SIMS ion microprobe, increased by 13%, and Mg/Ca ratios decreased by 45%. By comparing these variations in elemental ratios with results from Rayleigh fractionation calculations, we show that the observed changes in crystal morphology and composition are consistent with a >80% decrease in the amount of aragonite precipitated by the corals from each “batch” of calcifying fluid. This suggests that the saturation state of fluid within the isolated calcifying compartment, while maintained by the coral at levels well above that of the external seawater, decreased systematically and significantly as the saturation state of the external seawater decreased. The inability of the corals in acidified treatments to achieve the levels of calcifying fluid supersaturation that drive rapid crystal growth could reflect a limit in the amount of energy available for the proton pumping required for calcification. If so, then the future impact of ocean acidification on tropical coral ecosystems may depend on the ability of individuals or species to overcome this limitation and achieve the levels of calcifying fluid supersaturation required to ensure rapid growth.This study was supported by NSF OCE-0648157 and NSF OCE-0823527 and the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences

Modulation of pain sensitivity by chronic consumption of highly palatable food followed by abstinence: emerging role of fatty acid amide hydrolase

There is a strong relationship between palatable diet and pain sensitivity, and the cannabinoid and opioid systems might play an important role in this correlation. The palatable diet used in many animal models of obesity is the cafeteria (CAF) diet, based on human food with high sugar, salt, and fat content. In this study, we investigated whether long-term exposure to a CAF diet could modify pain sensitivity and explored the role of the cannabinergic system in this modification. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into two groups: one fed with standard chow only (CO) and the other with extended access (EA) to a CAF diet. Hot plate and tail flick tests were used to evaluate pain sensitivity. At the end of a 40-day CAF exposure, EA rats showed a significant increase in the pain threshold compared to CO rats, finding probably due to up-regulation of CB1 and mu-opioid receptors. Instead, during abstinence from palatable foods, EA animals showed a significant increase in pain sensibility, which was ameliorated by repeated treatment with a fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor, PF-3845 (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), every other day for 28 days. Ex vivo analysis of the brains of these rats clearly showed that this effect was mediated by mu-opioid receptors, which were up-regulated following repeated treatment of PF-3845. Our data add to the knowledge about changes in pain perception in obese subjects, revealing a key role of CB1 and mu-opioid receptors and their possible pharmacological crosstalk and reinforcing the need to consider this modulation in planning effective pain management for obese patients

Measurement of CNGS muon neutrino speed with Borexino

We have measured the speed of muon neutrinos with the Borexino detector using short-bunch CNGS beams. The final result for the difference in time-of-flight between a =17 GeV muon neutrino and a particle moving at the speed of light in vacuum is {\delta}t = 0.8 \pm 0.7stat \pm 2.9sys ns, well consistent with zero.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure