186 research outputs found
Metrological analysis of a procedure for the automatic 3D modeling of dental plaster casts
No full textAs well known, in the reconstruction of the 3D models through optical systems, the errors are due to the single-view acquisition error and to the 3D modeling procedure. The latter can be ascribed to the various phases of the 3D modeling pipeline: pairwise registration, global registration, surface integration. This work examines the acquisition error as well as the errors due to an automatic procedure recently proposed for the 3D modeling of dental plaster casts. This contribution derives a simple error propagation model, rather useful for practical simulation purposes. From a general viewpoint, this contribution proposes a useful simulation of error propagation in 3D modeling, it shows the quality of an automatic 3D modeling procedure recently proposed and it shows the accuracy of 3D modeling dental plaster casts by current commercial range cameras and the considered automatic method
A system for 3D modeling frescoed historical buildings with multispectral texture information
No full textThis work proposes a system for the automatic construction of multi-spectral three-dimensional (3D) models of architecture. Besides the specific application, which concerns the interactive visualization and the restoration of historical buildings, the interest of the proposed system lies in the instrumental gap it fills in the multi-spectral nature of the textures, in general needed for rendering with faithful colors, and in the automatism of the 3D model construction. The paper presents a robust procedure for matching 3D points of architecture scenes and a new multiresolution method for texture generation. The proposed system is an effective tool for producing 3D content amenable to a great number of usages
Metrological validation for 3D modeling of dental plaster casts
No full textThe contribution of this paper is twofold: (1) it presents an automatic 3D modeling technique and (2) it advances a procedure for its metrological evaluation in the context of a medical application, the 3D modeling of dental plaster casts. The motivation for this work is the creation of a "virtual gypsotheque" where cumbersome dental plaster casts can be replaced by numerical 3D models, thereby alleviating storage and access problems and allowing dentists and orthodontists the use of novel and unprecedented software tools for their medical evaluations. Modeling free-form surfaces of anatomical interest is an intriguing mixture of open issues concerning 3D modeling, geometrical metrology. and medicine. Of general interest is both the fact that a widespread use of 3D modeling in non-engineering applications requires automatic procedures of the kind presented in this work and the adopted validation paradigm for free-form surfaces, rather useful for practical purposes. In this latter respect, the metrological analysis we advance is the first seminal attempt in the field of 3D modeling and can be readily extended to contexts other than the medical one discussed in this paper
The Officina Emilia Initiative:Innovative Local Actions to Support Education and Training Systems
No full textThe issue of the regeneration of skills, in particular in the light engineering industry, is addressed by Officina Emilia (henceforth OE) as a crucial one in order to re-examine the interweaving of education, innovation and local development in the SMEs production systems. The project, aimed at the education and training systems, is designed to enhance the industrial culture in order to strengthen technical and scientific education. First sponsored in 2000 by the University of Modena & Reggio Emilia (Italy), over the last years OE has gathered the support of local actors dealing with the themes of training, culture, and local development. In 2009 it opened its museolaboratorio (“workshop-museum”) in which teaching activities promote an interest in the themes of work, technologies and the socio-economic development of the territory among the students and teachers of schools of all types and levels. The involvement of class groups, of teachers and other visitors takes place through active learning practices that foster motivation and develop a sense of belonging which is likely to lead to a more profitable educational experience, both secondary and tertiary, as well as to contribute to improving career prospects. Officina Emilia proposes innovative action on a local level, allowing for the implementation of effective teaching practices as well as the broadening and consolidation of best practices which might support a society-wide trend towards maintaining a high demand for a better quality of education and the ability to provide it. Ten years after the beginning of the initiative, with this paper we intend to open up the discussion on the various research issues and on the actions undertaken, focusing on the analytical tools and the main critical areas in the further implementation of the Officina Emilia initiative.Analysis of Education; Education Policy; Regional Development Policies; Innovation
A syndromic extreme insulin resistance caused by biallelic POC1A mutations in exon 10
No full textPOC1A encodes a protein with a role in centriole assembly and stability, and in ciliogenesis. Biallelic loss-of-function mutations affecting POC1A cause SOFT syndrome, an ultra-rare condition characterized by short stature, onychodysplasia, facial dysmorphism and hypotrichosis. Using exome sequencing, we identified a homozygous frameshift mutation (c.1047_1048dupC; p.G337Rfs*25) in a patient presenting with short stature, facial hirsutism, alopecia, dyslipidemia and extreme insulin resistance. The truncating variant affected exon 10, which is retained in only two of the three POC1A-mature RNAs, due to alternative processing of the transcript. Clinical discrepancies with SOFT syndrome support the hypothesis that POC1A mutations affecting exon 10 are associated with a distinct condition, corroborating a previous hypothesis based on a similar case. Furthermore, this report provides an additional example of a genetic condition presenting with clinical heterogeneity due to alternative transcript processing. In conclusion, POC1A mutations in exon 10 should be taken into account in patients with extreme insulin resistance and short stature.</jats:p
The role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy.
No full textAutosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) is a focal epilepsy with attacks typically arising in the frontal lobe during non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. It is characterized by clusters of complex and stereotyped hypermotor seizures, frequently accompanied by sudden arousals. Cognitive and psychiatric symptoms may be also observed. Approximately 12% of the ADNFLE families carry mutations on genes coding for subunits of the heteromeric neuronal nicotinic receptors (nAChRs). This is consistent with the widespread expression of these receptors, particularly the α4β2* subtype, in the neocortex and thalamus. However, understanding how mutant nAChRs lead to partial frontal epilepsy is far from being straightforward because of the complexity of the cholinergic regulation in both developing and mature brains. The relation with the sleep-waking cycle must be also explained. We discuss some possible pathogenetic mechanisms in the light of recent advances about the nAChR role in prefrontal regions as well as the studies carried out in murine models of ADNFLE. Functional evidence points to alterations in prefrontal GABA release, and the synaptic unbalance probably arises during the cortical circuit maturation. Although most of the available functional evidence concerns mutations on nAChR subunit genes, other genes have been recently implicated in the disease, such as KCNT1 (coding for a Na+-dependent K+ channel), DEPD5 (Dishevelled, Egl-10 and Pleckstrin Domain-containing protein 5), and CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone). Overall, the uncertainties about both the etiology and the pathogenesis of ADNFLE point to the current gaps in our knowledge the regulation of neuronal networks in the cerebral cortex
Experimental investigations on the vortex-shedding from a highly tapered circular cylinder in smooth flow
No full textThis paper presents the results of a wind tunnel test campaign conducted to investigate the aeroelastic and aerodynamic behaviour of a tapered circular cylinder in smooth flow conditions. The model under investigation is a single-mode aeroelastic one, whose taper ratio (in terms of diameter) is 8 %. Its global dynamic response was measured through the use of an internally-mounted piezo-electric accelerometer. The sensitivity of the vortex-induced response to different levels of structural damping was explored. The harmonic content of the wake was also measured through a hot-wire anemometer positioned downstream of the wind tunnel model at different heights: this allowed the detection of the portion of the model whose local resonance was accountable for the highest vortex-induced structural response. To further expand the findings of the wake measurements, four 'rings' of surface-mounted pressure sensors were installed on the wind tunnel model. The Reynolds number that was covered during the experiments ranged between 9.3 x 10(3) and 3.2 x 10(4).The experimental investigations revealed that the tapering has a beneficial effect with respect to vortex-induced oscillations, reducing their magnitudes when compared against the ones of a parallel-sided circular cylinder. On the other hand, the lock-in region was found to be wider, exhibiting three distinct peak regions for the lowest level of structural damping. The combined results from the accelerometer, the hot-wire anemometer and the pressure measurements, and the application of tailored time-frequency analyses based on the continuous wavelet transform, revealed that the maximum dynamic response is linked to the local resonance between the fundamental frequency and the bottom portion of the structure. Furthermore, the magnitudes of the local mean aerodynamic drag coefficient and the local standard deviation of the (vortex-induced) lift coefficient were found to be considerably lower than those of a parallel-sided circular cylinder.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd
Housing policy toward the rental sector in Italy: a distributive assessment
No full textWe study the distributive effects on Italian households of the three most relevant housing subsidies targeted to renters: a national rent supplement scheme introduced in the context of the reform that liberalised the rental market in the late 1990s, a tax credit for renters that has been recently strengthened, and the implicit economic support given to tenants in the social housing sector, through below-market rents. The analysis is performed on data from the Eu-Silc survey for Italy and, in the case of the housing allowances, also on register data from some of the largest Italian towns. We consider in particular the ability of these schemes to target low income households and their effects on the overall levels of poverty and inequality. Results from our analysis show a good targeting but very limited effect on social protection, with the partial exception of social housing.housing policy, housing benefits, social housing, tax credit, poverty, Italy.
Agricultural Institutions, Industrialization and Growth: the Case of New Zealand and Uruguay in 1870-1940
No full textAbstract In this paper we apply a model of early industrialization to the case of New Zealand and Uruguay in 1870-1940. We show how di_erences in agricultural institutions may have produced di_erent development paths in two countries which were similar under many respects. While in New Zealand the active role of the Crown in regulating the land market facilitated access to land, in Uruguay land was seized by a small group of large landowners. Our model shows that land concentration may have negatively inuenced industrialization and growth by impeding the formation of a large group of middle-income landowners and, as a consequence, the development of a domestic demand for basic manufactures. We support this view with a comparative analysis of agricultural institutions and industrial development in New Zealand and Uruguaygricultural Institutions; Industrialization; Growth; New Zealand; Uruguay; Functional Distribution; Agricultural surplus;
A Novel CSF1R Mutation in a Patient with Clinical and Neuroradiological Features of Hereditary Diffuse Leukoencephalopathy with Axonal Spheroids
No full textHereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids (HDLS) is an autosomal dominant cerebral white matter degeneration leading to progressive cognitive and motor dysfunction. The peripheral nervous system is generally spared. Recently, mutations in the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF1R) gene have been shown to be associated with HDLS. Here we report a new case of HDLS, carrying a mutation in CSF1R and manifesting rapidly progressive dementia and peripheral neuropathy
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