Pansharpening techniques to detect mass monument damaging in Iraq

The recent mass destructions of monuments in Iraq cannot be monitored with the terrestrial survey methodologies, for obvious reasons of safety. For the same reasons, it’s not advisable the use of classical aerial photogrammetry, so it was obvious to think to the use of multispectral Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery. Nowadays VHR satellite images resolutions are very near airborne photogrammetrical images and usually they are acquired in multispectral mode. The combination of the various bands of the images is called pan-sharpening and it can be carried on using different algorithms and strategies. The correct pansharpening methodology, for a specific image, must be chosen considering the specific multispectral characteristics of the satellite used and the particular application. In this paper a first definition of guidelines for the use of VHR multispectral imagery to detect monument destruction in unsafe area, is reported. The proposed methodology, agreed with UNESCO and soon to be used in Libya for the coastal area, has produced a first report delivered to the Iraqi authorities. Some of the most evident examples are reported to show the possible capabilities of identification of damages using VHR images

Effect of mulching and plant density on out of season organic potato growth, yield and quality.

Research was carried out on potato (Solanum tuberosum L., cv. Spunta) growing in the fi eld in the Campania region (southern Italy) in 2007 and 2008, adopting organic farming practices, in order to evaluate the effects of two mulching treatments (black biodegradable fi lm and bare soil) and six plant densities (12.5, 10.0, 8.3, 7.1, 6.2 and, as a control, 5.3 plants per m2) on growth, yield and quality of “new potato” winter-spring and summer-autumn crops. Only in the case of the summer-autumn crop cycle, mulching resulted in a higher yield, plant dry matter and leaf area compared with the bare soil control, while in both crop cycles this latter treatment induced a delay in harvest. The winter-spring cycle gave a higher production of 40-70 mm tubers, while the summer-autumn cycle resulted in a higher vitamin C content. For the winter-spring crop cycle, the plant density of 8.3 plants·m-2 resulted in the highest yield for food-use tubers, whereas the highest production of seed tubers was obtained with a density of 12.5 plants·m-2. The plant density of 8.3 plants·m-2 also resulted in the highest plant dry matter and leaf area. For the summer-autumn crop cycle, the 10 plants·m-2 density gave the highest production of 40-70 mm calibre tubers, as well as the highest plant dry matter and leaf area. In this cycle, the 6.3 plants·m-2 density resulted in the highest production of 70-80 mm calibre tubers. In terms of cost effectiveness, the choice of biodegradable mulching could save the expense of manual weed control and, in the case of the summer-autumn crop cycle, it is also associated with a higher yield. Overall, tuber yield increased with plant density but the fi nal production was also affected by the crop cycle. This may depend on the different environmental conditions and duration which characterized each cultural cycle and, therefore, affected the vegetative development of organic new potatoes

The IkB kinase inhibitor nuclear factor-kB essential modulator–binding domain peptide for inhibition of balloon injury-induced neointimal formation

Objective—The activation of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) is a crucial step in the arterial wall’s response to injury. The identification and characterization of the NF-kB essential modulator– binding domain (NBD) peptide, which can block the activation of the IkB kinase complex, have provided an opportunity to selectively abrogate the inflammation-induced activation of NF-kB. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the NBD peptide on neointimal formation.<br></br> Methods and Results—In the rat carotid artery balloon angioplasty model, local treatment with the NBD peptide (300 microg/site) significantly reduced the number of proliferating cells at day 7 (by 40%; P<0.01) and reduced injury-induced neointimal formation (by 50%; P<0.001) at day 14. These effects were associated with a significant reduction of NF-kB activation and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression in the carotid arteries of rats treated with the peptide. In addition, the NBD peptide (0.01 to 1 micromol/L) reduced rat smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Similar results were observed in apolipoprotein E-/-, mice in which the NBD peptide (150 microg/site) reduced wire-induced neointimal formation at day 28 (by 47%; P<0.01).<br></br> Conclusion—The NBD peptide reduces neointimal formation and smooth muscle cell proliferation/migration, both effects associated with the inhibition of NF-kB activation

Central precocious puberty during COVID-19 pandemic and sleep disturbance: an exploratory study

Background: Increased incidence of central precocious puberty (CPP) after coronavirus infectious disease-19 lockdown has been reported. Our study aims in investigating changes in CPP rates and in sleep patterns in CPP and healthy controls. Methods: CPP were retrospectively evaluated from April 2020 to April 2021. Parents of girls diagnosed with CPP during lockdown and of matched healthy controls filled out a questionnaire about sleep disturbances (SDSC questionnaire) and sleep schedules. Results: Thirty-five CPP and 37 controls completed the survey. Incidence of new CPP cases significantly increased in 2020–2021 compared to 2017–2020 (5:100 vs 2:100, p = 0.02). Sleep disturbance rates did not differ between CPP and healthy controls before lockdown. During lockdown, CPP reported higher rates of sleep disturbs for total score (p = 0.005), excessive somnolence (p = 0.049), sleep breathing disorders (p = 0.049), and sleep–wake transition disorders (p = 0.005). Moreover, CPP group more frequently shifted toward later bedtime (p = 0.03) during lockdown compared to controls. Hours of sleep and smartphone exposure around bedtime did not differ between groups. Conclusions: Our study confirms the observation of increased incidence of CPP after lockdown measures. Additionally, CPP showed higher rates of sleep disturbances and later bedtime compared to controls. The causality link between sleep disturbances and CPP should be further investigated to gain knowledge in this association

Cross machine investigation of magnetic tokamak dust : Morphological and elemental analysis

The presence of magnetic dust can be an important issue for future fusion reactors where plasma breakdown is critical. Magnetic dust has been collected from contemporary fusion devices (FTU, Alcator C-Mod, COMPASS and DIII-D) that feature different plasma facing components. The results of morphological and elemental analysis are presented. Magnetic dust is based on steel or nickel alloys and its magnetism is generated by intense plasma-material interactions. In spite of the strong similarities in terms of morphology and composition, X-ray diffraction analysis revealed differences in the structural evolution that leads to non-trivial magnetic responses

Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Brain Endothelial Cells: Possible Role during Metastatic Extravasation

Cancer progression towards metastasis follows a defined sequence of events described as the metastatic cascade. For extravasation and transendothelial migration metastatic cells interact first with endothelial cells. Yet the role of endothelial cells during the process of metastasis formation and extravasation is still unclear, and the interaction between metastatic and endothelial cells during transendothelial migration is poorly understood. Since tumor cells are well known to express TGF-beta, and the compact endothelial layer undergoes a series of changes during metastatic extravasation (cell contact disruption, cytoskeletal reorganization, enhanced contractility), we hypothesized that an EndMT may be necessary for metastatic extravasation. We demonstrate that primary cultured rat brain endothelial cells (BEC) undergo EndMT upon TGF-beta 1 treatment, characterized by the loss of tight and adherens junction proteins, expression of fibronectin, beta 1-integrin, calponin and a-smooth muscle actin (SMA). B16/F10 cell line conditioned and activated medium (ACM) had similar effects: claudin-5 down-regulation, fibronectin and SMA expression. Inhibition of TGF-beta signaling during B16/F10 ACM stimulation using SB-431542 maintained claudin-5 levels and mitigated fibronectin and SMA expression. B16/F10 ACM stimulation of BECs led to phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. SB-431542 prevented SMA up-regulation upon stimulation of BECs with A2058, MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 ACM as well. Moreover, B16/F10 ACM caused a reduction in trans-endothelial electrical resistance, enhanced the number of melanoma cells adhering to and transmigrating through the endothelial layer, in a TGF-beta-dependent manner. These effects were not confined to BECs: HUVECs showed TGF-beta-dependent SMA expression when stimulated with breast cancer cell line ACM. Our results indicate that an EndMT may be necessary for metastatic transendothelial migration, and this transition may be one of the potential mechanisms occurring during the complex phenomenon known as metastatic extravasation

KLF4 is a key determinant in the development and progression of cerebral cavernous malformations

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular malformations located within the central nervous system often resulting in cerebral hemorrhage. Pharmacological treatment is needed, since current therapy is limited to neurosurgery. Familial CCM is caused by loss-of-function mutations in any of Ccm1, Ccm2, and Ccm3 genes. CCM cavernomas are lined by endothelial cells (ECs) undergoing endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). This switch in phenotype is due to the activation of the transforming growth factor beta/bone morphogenetic protein (TGF\u3b2/BMP) signaling. However, the mechanism linking Ccm gene inactivation and TGF\u3b2/BMP-dependent EndMT remains undefined. Here, we report that Ccm1 ablation leads to the activation of a MEKK3-MEK5-ERK5-MEF2 signaling axis that induces a strong increase in Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) in ECs in\ua0vivo. KLF4 transcriptional activity is responsible for the EndMT occurring in CCM1-null ECs. KLF4 promotes TGF\u3b2/BMP signaling through the production of BMP6. Importantly, in endothelial-specific Ccm1 and Klf4 double knockout mice, we observe a strong reduction in the development of CCM and mouse mortality. Our data unveil KLF4 as a therapeutic target for CCM