Parametric Surfaces for Augmented Architecture representation

Augmented Reality (AR) represents a growing communication channel, responding to the need to expand reality with additional information, offering easy and engaging access to digital data. AR for architectural representation allows a simple interaction with 3D models, facilitating spatial understanding of complex volumes and topological relationships between parts, overcoming some limitations related to Virtual Reality. In the last decade different developments in the pipeline process have seen a significant advancement in technological and algorithmic aspects, paying less attention to 3D modeling generation. For this, the article explores the construction of basic geometries for 3D model’s generation, highlighting the relationship between geometry and topology, basic for a consistent normal distribution. Moreover, a critical evaluation about corrective paths of existing 3D models is presented, analysing a complex architectural case study, the virtual model of Villa del Verginese, an emblematic example for topological emerged problems. The final aim of the paper is to refocus attention on 3D model construction, suggesting some "good practices" useful for preventing, minimizing or correcting topological problems, extending the accessibility of AR to people engaged in architectural representation

Beyond Rentiership: Standardisation, Intangibles and Value Capture in Global Production

We examine corporate rentiership in the contemporary economy and suggest that the idea we are in a moment of step-change within capitalism may be premature. Implicit in arguments for a step-change is the claim that the present-day economy emphasises unproductive or rentier forms rather than the more productive and entrepreneurial forms of the past. In contrast, we argue that to understand our current situation we need to focus on the division of labour and most especially on processes of standardisation and the rise of intangible assets. Moving from Marx’s understanding of rent as a class relation, we re-embed rent within the circuit of capital and the realm of value distribution to investigate the class dynamics (among labour, capital and the state) through which giant firms seem to generate value out of rentierism. We argue that these class dynamics include the crucial and unexplored relation between standardisation and intangibles. We suggest standardisation within the division of labour renders people, places, and things interchangeable and that, in contrast, intangible assets differentiate them. When intangible assets emerge as new forms of property, they enable owners to generate scarcity and exert direct and/or indirect control over the wider division of labour. Through examining the combined rise of standardisation and intangible assets within the technical division of labour, we demonstrate how hierarchy within the social division of labour empowers some corporations to capture value produced elsewhere within the circuit of capital

Examination of sex as an independent risk factor for adverse events after carotid endarterectomy

BackgroundThe incidence of adverse events after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for women compared with men is controversial. This report compares the incidence of perioperative stroke and death in men and women by examining the effect of comorbidities and hospital setting on CEA outcomes.MethodsAll CEAs performed in non-Federal acute-care Virginia hospitals between 1997 and 2001 were reviewed. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics were compared for possible relationships to perioperative adverse events.ResultsA total of 14,095 CEAs were performed in 34 urban and 28 rural hospitals (9 high-volume and 53 low-volume hospitals); 42% were performed on women, and 58% were performed on men. Women experienced a significantly higher stroke rate (1.23%) than men (0.87%; P = .04) with bivariate analysis. However, logistic regression analysis of comorbidities and hospital settings demonstrated that sex was actually not independently related to adverse outcomes in CEA (P = .08). Preoperative neurologic symptoms could not be evaluated as risk factors for adverse events. Acute coronary ischemia, history of arrhythmia, end-stage renal disease, nonwhite race, advanced age, and low hospital volume were all significantly related to mortality. History of arrhythmia was the only factor that was significantly related to the incidence of stroke.ConclusionsLogistic regression analysis of comorbidities and hospital setting indicated that female sex is not independently associated with higher mortality or a higher stroke rate during CEA. These data indicate that patients with carotid stenosis frequently have multiple medical problems that need to be carefully examined and controlled before any single patient or hospital factor is designated as significantly related to adverse outcomes

Nanomaterials for the cleaning and pH adjustment of vegetable tanned leather

Leather artifacts in historical collections and archives are often contaminated by physical changes such as soiling, which alter their appearance and readability, and by chemical changes which occur on ageing and give rise to excessive proportion of acids that promote hydrolysis of collagen, eventually leading to gelatinization and loss of mechanical properties. However, both cleaning and pH adjustment of vegetable tanned leather pose a great challenge for conservators, owing to the sensitivity of these materials to the action of solvents, especially water-based formulations and alkaline chemicals. In this study the cleaning of historical leather samples was optimized by confining an oil-in-water (o/w) nanostructured fluid in a highly retentive chemical hydrogel, which allows the controlled release of the cleaning fluid on sensitive surfaces. The chemical gel exhibits optimal viscoelasticity, which facilitates its removal after the application without leaving residues on the object. Nanoparticles of calcium hydroxide and lactate, dispersed in 2-propanol, were used to adjust the pH up to the natural value of leather, preventing too high alkalinity which causes swelling of fibers and denaturation of the collagen. The treated samples were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE SEM), controlled environment dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA-RH), and infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The analytical assessment validated the use of tools derived from colloid and materials science for the preservation of collagen-based artifacts

Observation of Fragile-to-Strong Dynamic Crossover in Protein Hydration Water

At low temperatures proteins exist in a glassy state, a state which has no conformational flexibility and shows no biological functions. In a hydrated protein, at and above 220 K, this flexibility is restored and the protein is able to sample more conformational sub-states, thus becomes biologically functional. This 'dynamical' transition of protein is believed to be triggered by its strong coupling with the hydration water, which also shows a similar dynamic transition. Here we demonstrate experimentally that this sudden switch in dynamic behavior of the hydration water on lysozyme occurs precisely at 220 K and can be described as a Fragile-to-Strong dynamic crossover (FSC). At FSC, the structure of hydration water makes a transition from predominantly high-density (more fluid state) to low-density (less fluid state) forms derived from existence of the second critical point at an elevated pressure.Comment: 6 pages (Latex), 4 figures (Postscript

A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating the evidence base of melatonin, light exposure, exercise, and complementary and alternative medicine for patients with insomnia disorder

Insomnia is a prevalent disorder and it leads to relevant impairment in health-related quality of life. Recent clinical guidelines pointed out that Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) should be considered as first-line intervention. Nevertheless, many other interventions are commonly used by patients or have been proposed as effective for insomnia. These include melatonin, light exposure, exercise, and complementary and alternative medicine. Evaluation of comparable effectiveness of these interventions with first-line intervention for insomnia is however still lacking. We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis on the effects of these interventions. PubMed, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, MEDLINE, and CINAHL were systematically searched and 40 studies were included in the systematic review, while 36 were entered into the meta-analysis. Eight network meta-analyses were conducted. Findings support effectiveness of melatonin in improving sleep-onset difficulties and of meditative movement therapies for self-report sleep efficiency and severity of the insomnia disorder. Some support was observed for exercise, hypnotherapy, and transcranial magnetic resonance, but the number of studies for these interventions is still too small. None of the considered interventions received superior evidence to CBT-I, which should be more widely disseminated in primary care

Potential effect of chloroquine and propranolol combination to treat colorectal and triple-negative breast cancers

Drug repositioning explores the reuse of non-cancer drugs to treat tumors. In this work, we evaluated the effect of the combination of chloroquine and propranolol on colorectal and triple-negative breast cancers. Using as in vitro models the colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116, HT29, and CT26, and as triple-negative breast cancer models the 4T1, M-406, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, we evaluated the effect of the drugs combination on the viability, apoptosis, clonogenicity, and cellular migratory capacity. To explore the in vivo effects of the combination on tumor growth and metastasis development we employed graft models in BALB/c, nude, and CBi mice. In vitro studies showed that combined treatment decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner and increased apoptosis. Also, we demonstrated that these drugs act synergically and that it affects clonogenicity and migration. In vivo studies indicated that this drug combination was effective on colorectal models but only partially on breast cancer. These results contributed to the search for new and safe treatments for colorectal and triple-negative carcinomas.Fil: Anselmino, L. E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Inmunología Clinica y Experimental de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Inmunología Clinica y Experimental de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Baglioni, María Virginia. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Medicas. Instituto de Genetica Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Reynoso, G.. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Medicas. Instituto de Genetica Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Rozados, Viviana Rosa. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Medicas. Instituto de Genetica Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Scharovsky, Olga Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Medicas. Instituto de Genetica Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Rico, Maria Jose. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Medicas. Instituto de Genetica Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Menacho Márquez, Mauricio Ariel. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Inmunología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; Argentin