Drones in archaeology: Integrated data capture, processing, and dissemination in the al-ula valley, Saudi Arabia

In late 2013, a joint archaeological and computer vision project was initiated to digitally capture the archaeological remains in the al-Ula valley, Saudi Arabia. The goal of our team of archeologists and computer scientists is to integrate 3D scanning technologies to produce 3D reconstructions of archaeological sites. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) serve as the vehicle which makes this scanning possible. UAVs allow the acquisition of 3D data as easily from the air as from the ground. This project focuses on the recent excavations carried out in ancient Dedan by King Saud University and the country's conservation of the Lihyanite "lion tombs" carved into the ancient city's cliff faces. Over the next several years this site will be used as a test bed to validate the potential of this emerging technology for rapid cultural heritage documentation. We additionally scanned several areas in Mada'in Saleh, an ancient Nabatean city filled with monumental carved sandstone tomb facades, rivaled only by the capital of the Nabatean empire: Petra

Drones in archaeology: Integrated data capture, processing, and dissemination in the al-ula valley, Saudi Arabia

In late 2013, a joint archaeological and computer vision project was initiated to digitally capture the archaeological remains in the al-Ula valley, Saudi Arabia. The goal of our team of archeologists and computer scientists is to integrate 3D scanning technologies to produce 3D reconstructions of archaeological sites. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) serve as the vehicle which makes this scanning possible. UAVs allow the acquisition of 3D data as easily from the air as from the ground. This project focuses on the recent excavations carried out in ancient Dedan by King Saud University and the country's conservation of the Lihyanite "lion tombs" carved into the ancient city's cliff faces. Over the next several years this site will be used as a test bed to validate the potential of this emerging technology for rapid cultural heritage documentation. We additionally scanned several areas in Mada'in Saleh, an ancient Nabatean city filled with monumental carved sandstone tomb facades, rivaled only by the capital of the Nabatean empire: Petra

Antifeedant, horizontal transfer and repellent activities of free and microencapsulated food grade antioxidants against postharvest pest insects (Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797)) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae, Tenebrionidae) of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) (Fabaceae)

The aims of this work were to evaluate antifeedant, horizontal transfer and repellent activities of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), free and microencapsulated, at different doses against Oryzaephilus surinamensis and Tribolium castaneum on peanut kernels. In general, negative values for the percentage feeding deterrence index (FDI) were found for Oryzaephilus surinamensis in the presence of these chemical treatments, suggesting a phagostimulant activity. In addition, untreated individuals died within 20 days of coming into contact with insects previously exposed to both antioxidants (BHA and BHT) and formulations (F- BHA and F-BHT), regardless of the dose, while the insects in the controls died after this time. Since this work revealed evidence for the transfer of both free and microencapsulated antioxidants from treated to untreated individuals, we can confirm that horizontal transfer of these compounds takes place between treated and untreated insects. The evaluated compounds showed no repellent activity against O. surinamensis, which continued unaffected with its life cycle on both treated and untreated peanuts. On the other hand, Tribolium castaneum exhibited high FDI values, especially for the formulations, with mean values of 0.68 and 0.91 for F-BHA and F-BHT, respectively. No horizontal transfer was observed for this insect, but repellency was higher than 80% for free and encapsulated BHT. We can conclude that the mechanism of insecticidal action of antioxidants and their formulations was dependent on the type of insect evaluated. The insecticidal effect on Oryzaephilus surinamensis could have been due to the direct intake of the chemical compounds added, whereas the negative effect on Tribolium castaneum could have been caused by starvation

Non-anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma with neuroradiological evidences of leptomeningeal dissemination

CASE REPORT: A case of a non-anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) presenting with leptomeningeal dissemination (LMD) affecting a 9-year-old girl is presented. DISCUSSION: The neoplasia in this young girl had the otherwise classical clinical features of PXA: the relatively advanced paediatric age of the patient, the seizures as presenting sign; the primary site in the temporal lobe; and the MRI findings of the partially solid and cystic superficial lesion. Only the tumour involvement of the chiasma and the infundibulus was a relatively unusual finding. In a 5-year period, the tumour underwent malignant transformation, bringing the child to death because of the primary tumour progression. However, the leptomeningeal deposits remained unchanged throughout the clinical course. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case of a non-anaplastic PXA presenting with disseminated disease. Thus, it was thought important to describe this case in order to add further information regarding the spectrum of the presenting clinical features of this rare neoplasm and the phenomenon of LMD of non-malignant glioma