A Survey of "The Sala degli Stucchi, an ornate baroque hall"

The "Sala degli stucchi" is a heavely decorated baroque hall, as the Italian name itself suggests, in the Royal Palace in Turin. The present work describes a survey of this historic object. This work is a part of a wider project on the study of Architectural Patrimony carried out for the La Soprintendenza per il Patrimonio storico, artistico ed etnoantropologico per il Piemonte. It is a chance to test the modern survey techniques of photogrammetry and LIDAR. This article focuses on the integrated use of digital photogrammetry and LIDAR in a demanding environment, in order to take best advantages of both techniques. Different survey products were obtained, ranging from 3D and photogrammetric models to orthophotos. The adopted techniques, the problems and difficulties that arose during the survey process are shown in the paper. The obtained and stored results were also used to make a complete 3D model of the whole hal

A Survey of "The Sala degli Stucchi, an ornate baroque hall"

The “Sala degli stucchi” is a heavely decorated baroque hall, as the Italian name itself suggests, in the Royal Palace in Turin. The present work describes a survey of this historic object. This work is a part of a wider project on the study of Architectural Patrimony carried out for the La Soprintendenza per il Patrimonio storico, artistico ed etnoantropologico per il Piemonte. It is a chance to test the modern survey techniques of photogrammetry and LIDAR. This article focuses on the integrated use of digital photogrammetry and LIDAR in a demanding environment, in order to take best advantages of both techniques. Different survey products were obtained, ranging from 3D and photogrammetric models to orthophotos. The adopted techniques, the problems and difficulties that arose during the survey process are shown in the paper. The obtained and stored results were also used to make a complete 3D model of the whole hall

Soil nutrient cycles as a nonlinear dynamical system

International audienceAn analytical model for the soil carbon and nitrogen cycles is studied from the dynamical system point of view. Its main nonlinearities and feedbacks are analyzed by considering the steady state solution under deterministic hydro-climatic conditions. It is shown that, changing hydro-climatic conditions, the system undergoes dynamical bifurcations, shifting from a stable focus to a stable node and back to a stable focus when going from dry, to well-watered, and then to saturated conditions, respectively. An alternative degenerate solution is also found in cases when the system can not sustain decomposition under steady external conditions. Different basins of attraction for "normal" and "degenerate" solutions are investigated as a function of the system initial conditions. Although preliminary and limited to the specific form of the model, the present analysis points out the importance of nonlinear dynamics in the soil nutrient cycles and their possible complex response to hydro-climatic forcing

Ovarian Cancer Cells in Ascites Form Aggregates That Display a Hybrid Epithelial-Mesenchymal Phenotype and Allows Survival and Proliferation of Metastasizing Cells

Peritoneal metastases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in ovarian cancer. Cancer cells float in peritoneal fluid, named ascites, together with a definitely higher number of non neo-neoplastic cells, as single cells or multicellular aggregates. The aim of this work is to uncover the features that make these aggregates the metastasizing units. Immunofluorescence revealed that aggregates are made almost exclusively of ovarian cancer cells expressing the specific nuclear PAX8 protein. The same cells expressed epithelial and mesenchymal markers, such as EPCAM and αSMA, respectively. Expression of fibronectin further supported a hybrid epithelia-mesenchymal phenotype, that is maintained when aggregates are cultivated and proliferate. Hematopoietic cells as well as macrophages are negligible in the aggregates, while abundant in the ascitic fluid confirming their prominent role in establishing an eco-system necessary for the survival of ovarian cancer cells. Using ovarian cancer cell lines, we show that cells forming 3D structures neo-expressed thoroughly fibronectin and αSMA. Functional assays showed that αSMA and fibronectin are necessary for the compaction and survival of 3D structures. Altogether these data show that metastasizing units display a hybrid phenotype that allows maintenance of the 3D structures and the plasticity necessary for implant and seeding into peritoneal lining

Treatment with class a CpG oligodeoxynucleotides in cats with naturally occurring feline parvovirus infection: A prospective study

Feline parvovirus (FPV) causes severe gastroenteritis and leukopenia in cats; the outcome is poor. Information regarding specific treatments is lacking. Class A CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-A) are short single-stranded DNAs, stimulating type I interferon production. In cats, CpG-A induced an antiviral response in vivo and inhibited FPV replication in vitro. The aim was to prospectively investigate the effects of CpG-A on survival, clinical score, hematological findings, antiviral response (cytokines), viremia, and fecal shedding (real-time qPCR) in cats naturally infected with FPV. Forty-two FPV-infected cats were randomized to receive 100 g/kg of CpG-A (n = 22) or placebo (n = 20) subcutaneously, on admission and after 48 h. Blood and fecal samples were collected on admission, after 1, 3, and 7 days. All 22 cats showed short duration pain during CpG-A injections. The survival rate, clinical score, leukocyte and erythrocyte counts, viremia, and fecal shedding at any time-point did not differ between cats treated with CpG-A (50%) and placebo (40%). Antiviral myxovirus resistance (Mx) gene transcription increased in both groups from day 1 to 3 (p = 0.005). Antibodies against FPV on admission were associated with survival in cats (p = 0.002). In conclusion, CpG-A treatment did not improve the outcome in cats with FPV infection. FPV infection produced an antiviral response