Algorithmic modelling processes in scan-to-BIM workflows

The benefits brought by the application of the BIM philosophy to built heritage are now widely recognised, so much so that a closely related methodology, Heritage BIM borned. The HBIM finds practical confirmation in the so-called Scan-to-BIM processes; the data of architectural organisms, in the form of point clouds, are the basis on which the modelling of information is developed, to arrive at geometric models within which all the information necessary for the reading and interpretation of the architectural artefact as well as for its preservation and management is collected. In the paper some of the problems that arise from the application of the Scan-to-BIM processes to complex historical elements are analysed, particularly related to the phases of creation of three-dimensional models. In addition, a reasoning is made about how such problems can be solved or at least mitigated, thanks to the use of algorithmic modelling; the aim is to parameterise the generative process of the models, when the model itself cannot be parametric. In order to do this, a classic typology of historical architecture was examined: late-gothic vaulted systems

High thermoelectric figure of merit and thermopower in layered perovskite oxides

We predict high thermoelectric efficiency in the layered perovskite La$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$, based on calculations (mostly ab-initio) of the electronic structure, transport coefficients, and thermal conductivity in a wide temperature range. The figure of merit $ZT$ computed with a temperature-dependent relaxation time increases monotonically from just above 1 at room temperature to over 2.5 at 1200 K, at an optimal carrier density of around 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-3}$. The Seebeck thermopower coefficient is between 200 and 300 $\mu$V/K at optimal doping, but can reach nearly 1 mV/K at low doping. Much of the potential of this material is due to its lattice thermal conductivity of order 1 W/(K m); using a model based on ab initio anharmonic calculations, we interpret this low value as due to effective phonon confinement within the layered-structure blocks.Comment: 18 preprint pages, 9 figures, accepted on PR Material

Oxytocin, Erectile Function and Sexual Behavior: Last Discoveries and Possible Advances

A continuously increasing amount of research shows that oxytocin is involved in numerous central functions. Among the functions in which oxytocin is thought to be involved are those that play a role in social and sexual behaviors, and the involvement of central oxytocin in erectile function and sexual behavior was indeed one of the first to be discovered in laboratory animals in the 1980s. The first part of this review summarizes the results of studies done in laboratory animals that support a facilitatory role of oxytocin in male and female sexual behavior and reveal mechanisms through which this ancient neuropeptide participates in concert with other neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in this complex function, which is fundamental for the species reproduction. The second part summarizes the results of studies done mainly with intranasal oxytocin in men and women with the aim to translate the results found in laboratory animals to humans. Unexpectedly, the results of these studies do not appear to confirm the facilitatory role of oxytocin found in male and female sexual behavior in animals, both in men and women. Possible explanations for the failure of oxytocin to improve sexual behavior in men and women and strategies to attempt to overcome this impasse are considered

Determinants of the value of houses: a case study concerning the city of Cagliari, Italy

The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between housing values and a set of determinants, related both to the urban environment and to the structural characteristics of the housing market, in the metropolitan area of Cagliari. In order to achieve this aim, a sample of residential properties spread across the urban context was taken into account. For every single residential unit we study the value of houses, identified as their estimated value, cadastral value, rent value, value supplied by the National Observatory on Real Estate Market, and finally sale value as related to factors which are identified as relevant variables in several studies concerning the real estate market. The adopted approach implies data collection concerning value and characteristics of houses. The resulting dataset is geocoded and spatially analyzed, in order to identify spatial autocorrelation of the value of houses and its correlations with respect to the characteristics of houses through the hedonic approach. The methodological approach relates to the first four of the six conceptual features of smartness, that is economy, environment, governance, living standard, mobility and people, that characterize the theoretical framework which defines smart cities (Vanolo, 2014). Moreover, it can be easily replicated and exported with reference to other Italian and European urban contexts and results could be straightforwardly comparable. Policy implications of the findings could be a point of reference for future Italian and European planning policies concerning housing markets and the improvement of the quality of urban life

Outside, Around, Inside. New Paths to Discover San Michele Castle (Cagliari, Sardinia)

In the framework of conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage, accessibility plays a crucial role. Architectural heritage peculiarities call for specific approaches: the same care must be adopted to improve accessibility to historic architecture, designing actions case by case. Starting from these considerations, the contribution is aimed to discuss the accessibility of fortified architecture, a not easily accessible heritage, to make it accessible both in a physical meaning as well as in cognitive, cultural and social. Particularly, the authors propose some reflections about alternative ways of usability for inaccessible architectures due to their typological configuration and as a consequence of previous conservation design. The case study is the medieval castle of San Michele in Cagliari (Sardinia), which was transformed several times during its life and restored at the end of the 20th century. The contribution analyses how a multidisciplinary approach is necessary for the formulation of effective accessibility solutions, especially in complex cases such as fortified architecture. This multidisciplinary approach must be accompanied by the widest possible consideration of the causes limiting accessibility, whether they are physical or related to motor, perceptive or cognitive disabilities

Factors influencing the value of houses: Estimates for the city of Cagliari, Italy

The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between housing values and a set of determinants, related both to the urban environment and to the structural characteristics of the housing market, in the metropolitan area of Cagliari. In order to achieve this aim, a sample of residential properties spread across the urban context was taken into account. For every single residential unit we study the value of houses, identified as their estimated value, cadastral value, rent value, value supplied by the National Observatory on Real Estate Market, and finally sale value as related to factors which are identified as relevant variables in several studies concerning the real estate market. The adopted approach implies data collection concerning value and characteristics of houses. The resulting dataset is geocoded and spatially analyzed, in order to identify spatial autocorrelation of the value of houses and its correlations with respect to the characteristics of houses through the hedonic approach. The methodological approach can be easily replicated and exported with reference to other Italian and European urban contexts and results could be straightforwardly comparable. Policy implications of the findings could be a point of reference for future Italian and European planning policies concerning housing markets and the improvement of the quality of urban life

Dopamine, erectile function and male sexual behavior from the past to the present: a review

Early and recent studies show that dopamine through its neuronal systems and receptor subtypes plays different roles in the control of male sexual behavior. These studies show that (i) themmesolimbic/mesocortical dopaminergic system plays a key role in the preparatory phase of sexual behavior, e.g., in sexual arousal, motivation and reward, whereas the nigrostriatal system controls the sensory-motor coordination necessary for copulation, (ii) the incertohypothalamic system is involved in the consummatory aspects of sexual behavior (penile erection and copulation), but evidence for its role in sexual motivation is also available, (iii) the pro-sexual effects of dopamine occur in concertnwith neural systems interconnecting the hypothalamus and preoptic area with the spinal cord, ventral tegmental area and other limbic brain areas and (iv) D2 and D4 receptors play a major role in the pro-sexual effects of dopamine. Despite some controversy, increases or decreases, respectively, of brain dopamine activity induced by drugs or that occur physiologically, usually improves or worsens, respectively, sexual activity. These findings suggest that an altered central dopaminergic tone plays a role in mental pathologies characterized by aberrant sexual behavior, and that pro-erectile D4 receptor agonists may be considered a new strategy for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men

Digital gypsotheque. Online features as inclusive educational tool

The paper deals with the first results of an ongoing research on the issues of digitization of CH for educational and museum purposes. The research starts from the study of the small plaster casts collection kept inside the Santa Croce complex at the University of Cagliari. The workflow aims to investigate the potential of advanced technologies by reconciling the needs strictly related to the two principles of measurement and visualization. The construction of an information system will facilitate not only the classification and management of the digital plaster collection but also communication for scientific and didatic purposes. Two different possible applications are considered: the first for the construction of a web platform for the remote interactive query of the database, the second for the virtual visit of the rooms that host some of the casts through the delivery platform for point & click games developed in the PAC-PAC research project

Dopamine, Noradrenaline and Differences in Sexual Behavior between Roman High and Low Avoidance Male Rats: A Microdialysis Study in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Roman High- (RHA) and Low-Avoidance (RLA) outbred rats, which differ for a respectively rapid vs. poor acquisition of the active avoidance response in the shuttle-box, display differences in sexual activity when put in the presence of a sexually receptive female rat. Indeed RHA rats show higher levels of sexual motivation and copulatory performance than RLA rats, which persist also after repeated sexual activity. These differences have been correlated to a higher tone of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system of RHA rats vs. RLA rats, revealed by the higher increase of dopamine found in the dialysate obtained from the nucleus accumbens of RHA than RLA rats during sexual activity. This work shows that extracellular dopamine and noradrenaline (NA) also, increase in the dialysate from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male RHA and RLA rats put in the presence of an inaccessible female rat and more markedly during direct sexual interaction. Such increases in dopamine (and its main metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, DOPAC) and NA were found in both sexually naïve and experienced animals, but they were higher: (i) in RHA than in RLA rats; and (ii) in sexually experienced RHA and RLA rats than in their naïve counterparts. Finally, the differences in dopamine and NA in the mPFC occurred concomitantly to those in sexual activity, as RHA rats displayed higher levels of sexual motivation and copulatory performance than RLA rats in both the sexually naïve and experienced conditions. These results suggest that a higher dopaminergic tone also occurs in the mPFC, together with an increased noradrenergic tone, which may be involved in the different copulatory patterns found in RHA and RLA rats, as suggested for the mesolimbic dopaminergic system