FEW SHOT PHOTOGRAMETRY: A COMPARISON BETWEEN NERF AND MVS-SFM FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

3D documentation methods for Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH) domain is a field that becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, breaking down boundaries that have long separated experts from different domains. In the past, there has been an ambiguous claim for ownership of skills, methodologies, and expertise in the heritage sciences. This study aims to contribute to the dialogue between these different disciplines by presenting a novel approach for 3D documentation of an ancient statue. The method combines TLS acquisition and MVS pipeline using images from a DJI Mavic 2 drone. Additionally, the study compares the accuracy and final product of the Deep Points (DP) and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) methods, using the TLS acquisition as validation ground truth. Firstly, a TLS acquisition was performed on an ancient statue using a Faro Focus 2 scanner. Next, a multi-view stereo (MVS) pipeline was adopted using 2D images captured by a Mini-2 DJI Mavic 2 drone from a distance of approximately 1 meter around the statue. Finally, the same images were used to train and run the NeRF network after being reduced by 90%. The main contribution of this paper is to improve our understanding of this method and compare the accuracy and final product of two different approaches - direct projection (DP) and NeRF - by exploiting a TLS acquisition as the validation ground truth. Results show that the NeRF approach outperforms DP in terms of accuracy and produces a more realistic final product. This paper has important implications for the field of CH preservation, as it offers a new and effective method for generating 3D models of ancient statues. This technology can help to document and preserve important cultural artifacts for future generations, while also providing new insights into the history and culture of different civilizations. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate the potential of combining TLS and NeRF for generating accurate and realistic 3D models of ancient statues

Glutamine-Derived Aspartate Biosynthesis in Cancer Cells: Role of Mitochondrial Transporters and New Therapeutic Perspectives

Aspartate has a central role in cancer cell metabolism. Aspartate cytosolic availability is crucial for protein and nucleotide biosynthesis as well as for redox homeostasis. Since tumor cells display poor aspartate uptake from the external environment, most of the cellular pool of aspar-tate derives from mitochondrial catabolism of glutamine. At least four transporters are involved in this metabolic pathway: the glutamine (SLC1A5_var), the aspartate/glutamate (AGC), the as-partate/phosphate (uncoupling protein 2, UCP2), and the glutamate (GC) carriers, the last three belonging to the mitochondrial carrier family (MCF). The loss of one of these transporters causes a paucity of cytosolic aspartate and an arrest of cell proliferation in many different cancer types. The aim of this review is to clarify why different cancers have varying dependencies on metabolite transporters to support cytosolic glutamine-derived aspartate availability. Dissecting the precise metabolic routes that glutamine undergoes in specific tumor types is of upmost importance as it promises to unveil the best metabolic target for therapeutic intervention

CHALLENGING ARCHITECTURES: AN INTEGRATED AND MULTIPURPOSE SURVEY FOR THE COMPLETE MAPPING OF THE EMIR PALACE IN KOGON (UZBEKISTAN)

The documentation of Cultural Heritage, and in particular architecture, is nowadays conducted with a combination of several geomatic techniques. Most of them relies on the exploitation of 3D point cloud, which is the state of art data to produce almost every output. The starting point of each recovery intervention is the survey, which enable a multidisciplinary approach for the knowledge of a building and, consequently, to preserve it for future generation. When it comes with complex architectures, however, the surveying approach is more compelling and challenging at the same time. The definition of the final accuracy requires a tidy design process that should be done a priori, and a set of strict rules need to be respected. With the advent of new automatic procedures, the number of data collected increases, but this doesn’t mean that well established method, like topography, can be neglected. This work is the demonstration of how old and new method must coexist. The present work describes the work carried out to the complete 3D reconstruction of a complex building, namely the Emir’s Palace place in Kogon, Uzbekistan. Given its dimension and decorative apparatus, maintaining a high standard of definition without losing metrological accuracy was the main challenge. The work was carried out with a combination of both Terrestrial Laser Scanner and Aerial Photogrammetry for the 3D reconstruction, and on a very accurate topographic network for the combination of produced point clouds. The result of this first phase of the work was a polygonal network with a millimetric accuracy. Besides, another important contribution of the paper lies on the exploitation of the panoramic images coming from the TLS within a photogrammetric software. Indeed, by exploiting the depth map, it was possible to produce very detailed orthophotos for the production of 1:10 scale drawings. The work, performed in a joint venture between Academia and SMEs, is an excellent example (useful to be shared within the research community dealing with 3D representation and optimization) of innovative methodologies developed to produce reliable drawings and 3D representation for different purposes, being the starting point for each kind of project

Build-Up/Wash-Off Monitoring and Assessment for Sustainable Management of First Flush in an Urban Area

The characterization of stormwater runoff on urbanized surfaces by means of comparison between experimental data and simulations is a strict requirement for a sustainable management of urban sewer systems. A monitoring campaign was carried out within a residential area in Puglia (Southern Italy) in order to collect and evaluate quantity and quality data. A strong correlation was observed between COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and TSS (Total Suspended Solid) concentrations, whose values exceed water quality standards. TSS was used for calibration of Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) which was then validated with reference to the pollutograph’s shape and the peak-time. The first flush phenomenon occurrence was also investigated by looking at the distribution of pollutant mass vs. volume in stormwater discharges, using the so-called “M(V) curves”. Results show that on average the first 30% of that washed off carries 60% of TSS and provides important information for the design of efficient systems for first flush treatment

Drosophila melanogaster Uncoupling Protein-4A (UCP4A) Catalyzes a Unidirectional Transport of Aspartate

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) form a distinct subfamily of the mitochondrial carrier family (MCF) SLC25. Four UCPs, DmUCP4A-C and DmUCP5, have been identified in Drosophila melanogaster on the basis of their sequence homology with mammalian UCP4 and UCP5. In a Parkinson’s disease model, DmUCP4A showed a protective role against mitochondrial dysfunction, by increasing mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP synthesis. To date, DmUCP4A is still an orphan of a biochemical function, although its possible involvement in mitochondrial uncoupling has been ruled out. Here, we show that DmUCP4A expressed in bacteria and reconstituted in phospholipid vesicles catalyzes a unidirectional transport of aspartate, which is saturable and inhibited by mercurials and other mitochondrial carrier inhibitors to various degrees. Swelling experiments carried out in yeast mitochondria have demonstrated that the unidirectional transport of aspartate catalyzed by DmUCP4 is not proton-coupled. The biochemical function of DmUCP4A has been further confirmed in a yeast cell model, in which growth has required an efflux of aspartate from mitochondria. Notably, DmUCP4A is the first UCP4 homolog from any species to be biochemically characterized. In Drosophila melanogaster, DmUCP4A could be involved in the transport of aspartate from mitochondria to the cytosol, in which it could be used for protein and nucleotide synthesis, as well as in the biosynthesis of ß-alanine and N-acetylaspartate, which play key roles in signal transmission in the central nervous system

Fish Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS): Gene Discovery, Modulation of Expression and Function

The intracellular suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family members, including CISH and SOCS1 to 7 in mammals, are important regulators of cytokine signaling pathways. So far, the orthologues of all the eight mammalian SOCS members have been identified in fish, with several of them having multiple copies. Whilst fish CISH, SOCS3, and SOCS5 paralogues are possibly the result of the fish-specific whole genome duplication event, gene duplication or lineage-specific genome duplication may also contribute to some paralogues, as with the three trout SOCS2s and three zebrafish SOCS5s. Fish SOCS genes are broadly expressed and also show species-specific expression patterns. They can be upregulated by cytokines, such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-21, by immune stimulants such as LPS, poly I:C, and PMA, as well as by viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections in member- and species-dependent manners. Initial functional studies demonstrate conserved mechanisms of fish SOCS action via JAK/STAT pathways

Extracting actionable knowledge to increase business utility in sport services

The increase in retention of customer in gyms and health clubs is nowadays a challenge that requires concrete and personalized actions. Traditional data mining studies focused essentially on predictive analytics, neglecting the business domain. This work presents an actionable knowledge discovery system which uses the following pipeline (data collection, predictive model, loyalty actions). In the first step, it extracts and transforms existing real data from databases of the sports facilities. In a second step, predictive models are applied to identify user profiles more susceptible to dropout. Actionable rules are generated based on actionable attributes that should be avoided, in order to increase retention. Finally, in the third step, based on the previous actionable knowledge, experimental planning is carried out, with test and control groups, in order to find the best loyalty actions for customer retention. This document presents a simulation and the measure of the business utility of an actions sequence to avoid dropout.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New Insight on the Bioactivity of Solanum aethiopicum Linn. Growing in Basilicata Region (Italy): Phytochemical Characterization, Liposomal Incorporation, and Antioxidant Effects

Food extract’s biological effect and its improvement using nanotechnologies is one of the challenges of the last and the future decades; for this reason, the antioxidant effect of scarlet eggplant extract liposomal incorporation was investigated. Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) is a member of the Solanaceae family, and it is one of the most consumed vegetables in tropical Africa and south of Italy. This study investigated the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical composition of S. aethiopicum grown in the Basilicata Region for the first time. The whole fruit, peel, and pulp were subjected to ethanolic exhaustive maceration extraction, and all extracts were investigated. The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the presence of ten phenolic compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanones, flavanols, and four carotenoids (one xanthophyll and three carotenes). The peel extract was the most promising, active, and the richest in specialized metabolites; hence, it was tested on HepG2 cell lines and incorporated into liposomes. The nanoincorporation enhanced the peel extract’s antioxidant activity, resulting in a reduction of the concentration used. Furthermore, the extract improved the expression of endogenous antioxidants, such as ABCG2, CAT, and NQO1, presumably through the Nrf2 pathway

Co-infections and multiple stressors in fish

Fish are typically exposed to multiple physical, chemical and biological stressors. The cumulative impact of co-infections between parasites, bacteria, viruses and (a)biotic environmental pressures may trigger complex interactions, eliciting different pathological and immunological outcomes than those classically assessed. New cross-disciplinary studies attempt to measure the impact of environmental stressors in modulating the host response to pathogens. Scientific advances are needed to reduce pressure on natural populations, improve fish stock management, and to design more efficient diagnostic tools or vaccination strategies. An EAFP-promoted workshop, held on 10th September 2019 in Porto, Portugal, was dedicated to sharing research experiences on the interaction between heterogenous pathogens and multiple stressors in fish. The workshop involved around 200 attendants, opened by a keynote talk (Fast), and followed by a further twelve oral presentations, including three in the format of lash poster presentations. Contributions illustrated cross-disciplinary approaches to study complex host-pathogen and stressors interactions

An actionable knowledge discovery system in regular sports services

This work presents an actionable knowledge discovery system for real user needs with three steps. In the first step, it extracts and transforms existing data in the databases of the ERP and CRM systems of the sports facilities and loads them into a Data Warehouse. In a second phase, predictive models are applied to identify profiles more susceptible to abandonment. Finally, in the third phase, based on the previous models, experimental planning is carried out, with test and control groups, in order to find concrete actions for customer retention.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio