Robustness Analysis of Texture Features with Different Beamforming Techniques

Texture features are often used on ultrasound images in various applications to give forth important clinical information. Recently, many beamforming techniques have been developed to provide better resolution and contrast in the final image. It is currently unknown, however, how these different techniques may also alter pixel intensity spatial distribution, known as texture. We provide here a robustness analysis of first and second order texture features using six beamforming techniques, on both phantom and in vivo musculoskeletal images. We show that second order texture features are more robust compared to first order features, especially when considering in vivo musculoskeletal images

The Development of a 2D/3D BIM-GIS Web Platform for Planned Maintenance of Built and Cultural Heritage: the Main10ance Project

The integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM), or Historic BIM (HBIM), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has assumed a crucial role not only in the management of smart cities or urban districts, as well as in the construction sector or infrastructures but also in the management, conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage. This integration opens up new opportunities for decision-makers to assess the impact of interventions on heritage sites, evaluate preservation strategies, and facilitate informed decision-making processes. This contribution presents and describes the open-source web platform developed within the Interreg MAIN10ANCE project. The project aims to promote a common methodology for the cooperation and collaboration of the various stakeholders involved in the restoration, management and maintenance activities of built and cultural heritage sites. This objective has been pursued by creating a BIM-GIS database, focused on the definition of planned maintenance activities, whose data has been made available to professionals and management bodies by means of a shared web platform, usable directly in situ on a tablet or portable devices. The paper highlights the key components of the web platform, including the BIM, GIS, and artifact Viewers, the Planner, and the overall Dashboard. The platform's multiscale and multi-source approach makes it extensible to various cultural assets, whether environmental, architectural, or movable. By integrating historical and geometric information and planning maintenance activities, the web platform thus supports public administrations and professionals, amending existing state-of-the-art solutions

Electric Vehicles Charging Sessions Classification Technique for Optimized Battery Charge Based on Machine Learning

The fast increase in electric vehicle (EV) usage in the last 10 years has raised the need to properly forecast their energy consumption during charge. Lithium-ion batteries have become the major storage component for electric vehicles, avoiding their overcharge can preserve their health and prolong their lifetime. This paper proposes a Machine Learning model based on the K-Nearest Neighbors classification algorithm for EV charging session duration forecast. The model forecasts the duration of the charge by assigning the event to its correct class. Each class contains the charging events whose duration is comprised of a certain interval. The only information used by the algorithm is the one available at the beginning of the charging event (arrival time, starting SOC, calendar data). The model is validated on a real-world dataset containing records of charging sessions from more than 100 users, a sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the impact of different information given as input. The effectiveness of the model with respect to the benchmark models is demonstrated with an increase in performance

Putting cells in motion: Advantages of endogenous boosting of BDNF production

Motor exercise, such as sport or musical activities, helps with a plethora of diseases by modulating brain functions in neocortical and subcortical regions, resulting in behavioural changes related to mood regulation, well-being, memory, and even cognitive preservation in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Although evidence is accumulating on the systemic neural mechanisms mediating these brain effects, the specific mechanisms by which exercise acts upon the cellular level are still under investigation. This is particularly the case for music training, a much less studied instance of motor exercise than sport. With regards to sport, consistent neurobiological research has focused on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), an essential player in the central nervous system. BDNF stimulates the growth and differentiation of neurons and synapses. It thrives in the hippocampus, the cortex, and the basal forebrain, which are the areas vital for memory, learning, and higher cognitive functions. Animal models and neurocognitive experiments on human athletes converge in demonstrating that physical exercise reliably boosts BDNF levels. In this review, we highlight comparable early findings obtained with animal models and elderly humans exposed to musical stimulation, showing how perceptual exposure to music might affect BDNF release, similar to what has been observed for sport. We subsequently propose a novel hypothesis that relates the neuroplastic changes in the human brains after musical training to genetically-and exercise-driven BDNF levels

LASER-VISUAL-INERTIAL ODOMETRY BASED SOLUTION FOR 3D HERITAGE MODELING: THE SANCTUARY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN OF TROMPONE

Abstract. The advent of new mobile mapping systems that integrate different sensors has made it easier to acquire multiple 3D information with high speed. Today, technological development has allowed the creation of portable systems particularly suitable for indoor surveys, which mainly integrating LiDAR devices, chambers and inertial platforms, make it possible to create in a fast and easy way, full 3D model of the environment. However, the performance of these instruments differs depending on the acquisition context (indoor and outdoor), the characteristics of the scene (for example lighting, the presence of objects and people, reflecting surfaces, textures) and, above all, the mapping and localization algorithms implemented in devices. The purpose of this study is to analyse the results, and their accuracy, deriving from a survey conducted with the KAARTA Stencil 2 handheld system. This instrument, composed of a 3D LiDAR Velodyne VLP-16, a MEMS inertial platform and a feature tracker camera, it is able to realize the temporal 3D map of the environment. Specifically, the acquisition tests were carried out in a context of metrical documentation of an architectural heritage, in order extract architectural detail for the future reconstruction of virtual and augmented reality environments and for Historical Building Information Modeling purposes. The achieved results were analysed and the discrepancies from some reference LiDAR data are computed for a final evaluation. The system was tested in the church and cloister of the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del Trompone in Moncrivello (VC) (Italy).</p

LASER-VISUAL-INERTIAL ODOMETRY BASED SOLUTION for 3D HERITAGE MODELING: The SANCTUARY of the BLESSED VIRGIN of TROMPONE

The advent of new mobile mapping systems that integrate different sensors has made it easier to acquire multiple 3D information with high speed. Today, technological development has allowed the creation of portable systems particularly suitable for indoor surveys, which mainly integrating LiDAR devices, chambers and inertial platforms, make it possible to create in a fast and easy way, full 3D model of the environment. However, the performance of these instruments differs depending on the acquisition context (indoor and outdoor), the characteristics of the scene (for example lighting, the presence of objects and people, reflecting surfaces, textures) and, above all, the mapping and localization algorithms implemented in devices. The purpose of this study is to analyse the results, and their accuracy, deriving from a survey conducted with the KAARTA Stencil 2 handheld system. This instrument, composed of a 3D LiDAR Velodyne VLP-16, a MEMS inertial platform and a feature tracker camera, it is able to realize the temporal 3D map of the environment. Specifically, the acquisition tests were carried out in a context of metrical documentation of an architectural heritage, in order extract architectural detail for the future reconstruction of virtual and augmented reality environments and for Historical Building Information Modeling purposes. The achieved results were analysed and the discrepancies from some reference LiDAR data are computed for a final evaluation. The system was tested in the church and cloister of the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del Trompone in Moncrivello (VC) (Italy)

Targeted therapy against chemoresistant colorectal cancers: Inhibition of p38α modulates the effect of cisplatin in vitro and in vivo through the tumor suppressor FoxO3A

Chemoresistance is a major obstacle to effective therapy against colorectal cancer (CRC) and may lead to deadly consequences. The metabolism of CRC cells depends highly on the p38 MAPK pathway, whose involvement in maintaining a chemoresistant behavior is currently being investigated. Our previous studies revealed that p38a is the main p38 isoform in CRC cells. Here we show that p38a pharmacolog- ical inhibition combined with cisplatin administration decreases colony formation and viability of cancer cells and strongly increases Bax-dependent apoptotic cell death by activating the tumor suppressor pro- tein FoxO3A. Our results indicate that FoxO3A activation up-regulates transcription of its target genes (p21, PTEN, Bim and GADD45), which forces both chemosensitive and chemoresistant CRC cells to undergo apoptosis. Additionally, we found that FoxO3A is required for apoptotic cell death induction, as confirmed by RNA interference experiments. In animal models xenografted with chemoresistant HT29 cells, we further confirmed that the p38-targeted dual therapy strategy produced an increase in apoptosis in cancer tissue leading to tumor regression. Our study uncovers a major role for the p38- FoxO3A axis in chemoresistance, thereby suggesting a new therapeutic approach for CRC treatment; moreover, our results indicate that Bax status may be used as a predictive biomarker

Does the term 'trophic' actually mean anti-amyloidogenic? The case of NGF.

The term trophic is widely used to indicate a general pro-survival action exerted on target cells by different classes of extracellular messengers, including neurotrophins (NTs), a family of low-molecular-weight proteins whose archetypal member is the nerve growth factor (NGF). The pro-survival action exerted by NTs results from a coordinated activation of multiple metabolic pathways, some of which have only recently come to light. NGF has been shown to exert a number of different, experimentally distinguishable effects on neurons, such as survival, differentiation of target neurons, growth of nerve fibers and their guidance (tropism) toward the source of its production. We have proposed a more complete definition of the NGF trophic action that should also include its newly discovered property of inhibiting the amyloidogenic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is among the first hypothesized primary trigger of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. This inhibitory action appears to be mediated by a complex series of molecular events and by interactions among NGF receptors (TrkA and p75), APP processing and tau metabolic fate and fun

Documenting cultural heritage in an INSPIRE-based 3D GIS for risk and vulnerability analysis

Purpose: The study, within the Increasing Resilience of Cultural Heritage (ResCult) project, aims to support civil protection to prevent, lessen and mitigate disasters impacts on cultural heritage using a unique standardised-3D geographical information system (GIS), including both heritage and risk and hazard information. Design/methodology/approach: A top-down approach, starting from existing standards (an INSPIRE extension integrated with other parts from the standardised and shared structure), was completed with a bottom-up integration according to current requirements for disaster prevention procedures and risk analyses. The results were validated and tested in case studies (differentiated concerning the hazard and type of protected heritage) and refined during user forums. Findings: Besides the ensuing reusable database structure, the filling with case studies data underlined the tough challenges and allowed proposing a sample of workflows and possible guidelines. The interfaces are provided to use the obtained knowledge base. Originality/value: The increasing number of natural disasters could severely damage the cultural heritage, causing permanent damage to movable and immovable assets and tangible and intangible heritage. The study provides an original tool properly relating the (spatial) information regarding cultural heritage and the risk factors in a unique archive as a standard-based European tool to cope with these frequent losses, preventing risk