bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
3Dpublish: A Web-Based Solution for Building Dynamic 3D Virtual Museums
Authors: Sillaurren S. , Aguirrezabal P.
Published: October 2012

Today museums around the world offer their content through two basic methods: a simple view of their artworks through a content viewer, or through a custom designed 2D or 3D virtual exhibition in which the pieces and the scene are static. This paper describes a 3DPublish tool which represents an alternative to these two static solutions thereby giving the possibility to dynamically manage a 3D virtual scenario (real or imaginary) and the artwork that composes it. This gives the user a most realistic experience through different exhibitions, using various added value methods like storytelling or virtual tours. 3DPublish will facilitate the museum curator's daily tasks and will improve the final results for 3D virtual museum exhibitions. This application was created as part of the Tourspheres project, whose challenge is to explore new measurement systems to reach a more valuable tourist behavior comprehension. But after the experience (presented in this paper as a case study) of creating a custom development for an exhibition for the Kubo Gallery in San Sebastian (SPAIN), the work focused on abstracting all processes to package the 3DPublish tool with the aim that it becomes a commercial solution.
The “Terme Del Corallo” in Livorno, Italy, a Contribution to Try Going beyond the Abandon
Authors: Verdiani G. , Fantini V.
Published: October 2012

In Livorno, along the Mediterranean sea, in Italy, there is a terrific case of abandon, a historical monument made of fine art elements left to complete decay. The name of the place is “Terme del Corallo” and at its beginning it was a bath area exploiting the salt waters. After its first abandon, no serious efforts were done in years to come behind this situation, the poor and slow moves towards the restoration were stopped and slowed down by inefficiencies and infinite political considerations. The monument is now on the edge of collapse, showing a full failure of cultural preservation. According to this visible shame, a compact, almost viral, approach was started one year ago, entering the area in official (and less official) moments, a photogrammetric, photographical and direct survey was taken to document the condition of this monument. Further research was aimed to integrate and enhance the existing (poor) survey drawings and developing a restoration hypothesis recover to a solid, realistic and effective life to the whole monument. This paper will present the work made and the procedures, processing and results came out from this direct approach to this badly abandoned monument. The aim is to put in evidence this wrong situation, and to promote a sensitization about the correct choice to be taken for this monument before this rare artistic place from the XX Century will get completely lost.
Medieval Grave Frescoes in the Southern Netherlands and Brugge
Authors: Williams C. L.
Published: October 2012

Written to accompany a longer study, this short paper firstly highlights the uniqueness of medieval grave wall paintings in the south of The Netherlands and Brugge, Belgium; and secondly suggests mostly preventative conservation methods to aid the ongoing protection of these frescoes. Though graves are scattered, this study focuses on graves from three nearby but very different locations, Brugge, Aardenburg, and Middelburg. Graves share stylistic and motif similarities that result in the need for scholars to group these graves together as a type, in a way that was not done previously, as one by one the graves were accidentally found since the 1950s. Despite how these graves have been subjected to drastically different environments in previous decades, the problem of their conservation needs to be addressed using co-operation between the various regions rather than individually. The Saint Salvator Church in Brugge has already taken action recently, securing protection for the four painted graves with regulated air-conditioning under air-tight glass floor displays. The time is right to encourage appropriate action for other comparable graves nearby.
Investigations on a Bull's Head from Pyrgos/Mavroraki (LM) to Design the Biodiversity of Cyprus in Early-Middle Bronze Age
Authors: Lentini A. , Belgiorno M.R.
Published: October 2012

The site of Pyrgos-Mavroraki near Limassol in Cyprus, destroyed by an earthquake in 1900–1850 B.C., is situated in an elevated position in the center of a vast settlement of the ancient and Middle Bronze Age before the Calcolitic period. The unchanged position of the structures and the finds, that remained unknown for 4000 years near the homonym village, offers a unique opportunity to carry out sedimentological, paleopalinolocical and archeobotanic investigations on totally uncontaminated materials. The results of the sedimentological and paleopalynology investigations and the characterization of other plants micro remains found in the samples from the bull's head SL (PY 09 D.10 B) make it possible to formulate some considerations on the vegetation in the ancient landscape.
Mpm Gis Project Report 2010–12 and Archaeometric Protocols
Authors: Mancini M.C. , Menozzi O.
Published: October 2012

The project is mainly focused on the study of the landscape assessment in the area of Moni, Pyrgos and Monagroulli (Limassol-Cyprus), which represents a very interesting topographical and archaeological area. A large team, including scholars and students coming from different Italian and Spanish institutions, is using the traditional methodologies for studies of landscape archaeology (intensive and judgmental survey, GIS mapping, DGPS location of the sites, studies on typologies, distribution and statistics of pottery finds), in combination with methodologies and technologies integrating information, such as Remote Sensing on aerial photos and on high definition panchromatic satellite photos, geo-morphological reconstruction of the context, archaeometric analysis of the finds and of the building materials, non invasive geo-archaeological prospecting. The project started in 2010 and already at the preliminary stages is giving interesting results. The aim of this paper is the presentation of the project, concentrating here mainly on the archaeometric protocols, analysis and preliminary results.
Easing the Creation of Mappings between Metadata Formats
Authors: Majcen Kurt , Bailer Werner , Höffernig Martin , Preininger Werner , Russegger Silvia
Published: October 2012

Being able to exchange metadata is the key to ensuring access to collections, establishing interoperability among collections, and between different types of cultural heritage institutions, such as across libraries, museums and audiovisual archives. Motivated by two use cases, one for audiovisual archives and one for museums and general archives, we present an approach for automating mapping between different metadata formats. The mapping approach uses an intermediate ontology and formalises the relations to each of the metadata formats supported. An intuitive web-based configuration user interface is provided in order to build and customise mappings. Based on the two use cases, we discuss two ways of applying the mapping approach: as a web service, which can be included in processes of an audiovisual archive's preservation system and integrating of the generated mapping instructions into collection management applications for museums and archives. The proposed approach reduces the effort for defining metadata conversions. It thus allows overcoming interoperability issues between cultural heritage institutions and facilitates content provision to portals like Europeana and Archives Portal Europe.
Diversity and Taxonomy in Cultural Heritage
Authors: Myridis N.E.
Published: October 2012

The discipline of Cultural Heritage is nowadays developing very well. Moreover, the field of Cultural Heritage Preservation is also developing well. The necessity of well-organized taxonomy and classification now seems to be an outstanding significant topic. The scope of this paper regards such taxonomy; more precisely, it proposes this kind of taxonomy. The final products of this paper are the Diagram of Cultural Heritage & its Preservation and the Universal Cultural Heritage & Preservation Classification ( UCH&PC). The Cultural Taxonomy proposed here is expected to offer additive features of significant value (as for instance order, efficacy, clarification, simplicity, supervision etc.) distributed all over the individual fields of Cultural Heritage. The products of this paper are the innovative outcomes of a multifaceted research endeavor.
How to Build a Dam and Save Cultural Heritage
Authors: Cunliffe E.L. , de Gruchy M.W. , Stammitti E.
Published: October 2012

The impact of each dam on cultural heritage is enormous, affecting hundreds or even thousands of sites. Dams are required, however, to offset water shortages and provide electricity for a rising global population. This short paper describes the initial outcomes of a new project, the aim of which is the production of a practical set of guidelines for cultural heritage management before and after dam construction, aimed at developers, foreign contractors, and policy-makers.
Quang Tri Old Citadel in Vietnam on the Path to Sustainable Tourism: Historical Memory as an Instrument for a Requalification Project
Authors: Pugnaloni F. , Carlorosi C. , Le Ngoc V.A.
Published: October 2012

The aim of this study is searching and forming about the innovative solutions in preservation of the culture heritage and historical sites. The restoration of damaged heritage represents a fundamental theme in the architectural debate to provide answers at an international level. The history of civilisation reveals that the great cities of the past were destroyed by war. These destructive forces threaten the structural heritage of our great cities, putting the entire political and religious system in jeopardy.

The research concentrates on the case study of Quang Tri Citadel where the culture and history experienced two wars, the French and the American one.

The methodology of this study is based on the field survey, oral history, and social participation. Therefore it is appropriate to include a historical perspective in the project, assuming it unfolds on three levels within the defensive belt represents a constant and integral element of the scheme: the technical recovery of the walls, the functional transformation of the existing foundation in order to improve sociological topics, the level of architectural studies and proposals. The result of this research illustrates a new approach of the scientific debate to the cultural and historical values of the sites.
Gothic Tie Rod Anchor Design: Representation and Structural Efficiency of Northern European Elements
Authors: Titomanlio I.
Published: October 2012

This paper aims to provide knowledge and help discover types of Baltic buildings, by recognizing and understanding their structural elements. The presented approach allows generating a recognizable spatial configuration of the structural ornamental elements that are traces of the past and re-presentation of the same line today. Tie rod anchors contemporaneously have a historical, aesthetic, formal and structural role. Their structural behavior is analyzed producing digital models. Results show the high quality of the element Gothic design, of essential historic importance, and their more structural efficiency than traditional Italian bar shaped tie rod ends. It is shown how, maintaining their formal, historical, representative value, the tie rod anchor structural functionality is increased due to the particular northern European local craft manufacture. The results presented in this paper are based on work developed with Giuseppe Faella, Full Professor of Structural Engineering at the Second University of Naples.
Documenting a Unesco Wh Site in Cyprus with Complementary Techniques
Authors: Bariami G. , Faka M. , Georgopoulos A. , Ioannides M. , Skarlatos D.
Published: October 2012

According to UNESCO directives, the documentation of monuments is a complex task, which both terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and photogrammetry can decisively support. Today, these techniques are considered complementary, as they demonstrate clear advantages and disadvantages to each other, with regard to representation, texture application, data gathering, acquisition and processing time, practicality, accuracy, data density, surface reflectivity and absorption. In an effort to clarify which part should be acquired with which technique, as well as to understand whether one technique has a clear advantage over the other in some specific task of the documentation process, the Church of the Holy Cross in Pelendri, Cyprus, which is a UNESCO World Heritage monument, was selected as a test site. The deliverables are orthophotos, sections, plots and a complete and accurate 3D model of the monument. The whole documentation process has been carried out independently using an image based technique with Menci's ZScan and terrestrial laser scanning Leica's ScanStation 2, supported by high resolution digital images. Data acquisition has been carried out in parallel while the final products have been created independently by each one. It is clear that the processing phase of photogrammetry is more time consuming than the equivalent in TLS, but high quality texturing and the orthophoto production process are included within the processing, hence image based techniques present an advantage. As for their final accuracy, both techniques deliver satisfactory results within the required scale tolerances. Their individual merits are also presented, discussed and evaluated in this paper.
Influence of Environmental Conditions and Application of Cleaning Methods against Biodeterioration of Marble Monuments
Authors: Spathis P. , Pantazidou A. , Mavromati M. , Papastergiadis E.
Published: October 2012

The aim of this paper is the study of the effect of environmental factors on the deterioration of marble monuments and the selection of a suitable and effective cleaning method. One of the main deterioration problems of the monuments is biodeterioration. It was obvious the presence of thick layers of biological patina, covering all almost surfaces of these. The growth of microorganisms, bacteria and plants is enhanced from the particular environmental conditions, that combine increased moisture, insolation and temperature, an area full of plants and trees and can cause extensive chemical and mechanical decay of the monuments. The growth of microorganisms, bacteria, plants and lichens was observed and determined. The influence of specific weathering agents and factors to the behavior of the materials was examined. The chemical composition of bulk precipitation and also the physicochemical characteristics of the surface and underground water were investigated. The environmental conditions and the growth of physical microorgamisms on the surface of the materials led to loss of the structural cohesion and the surface instability of the building materials. A series of various mechanical and chemical cleaning methods were tested in the laboratory containing the use of distilled water, microsandblast, organic solvents, absorbing clays, NH4HCO3 solution, biocides (desogen, hydrogen peroxide). In situ tests were carried out with satisfactory results in the monuments when a method of combination of hydrogen peroxide solutions, EDTA, NH4HCO3 solution and organic solvent was applied in various steps on the monument surface.
Damage Assessment and Chemical Charecterization of Glass Objects Excavated from Gadara, Northern Jordan
Authors: Abd-Allah Ramadan
Published: October 2012

During the excavation works carried out by the Department of Antiquities, at the archaeological site of Umm Qais/Gadara, Northern Jordan, from January 6 to February19, 2009, a considerable collection of glass objects of different typologies and colors were uncovered in a Roman cemetery. These glasses were characterized chemically by using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that these glasses are of soda-lime-silica type and correspond to the previously defined Levantine I glass group, and dated back to the Roman period (1st-4th Century AD). Furthermore, SEM investigation revealed that those glasses are completely corroded, and subjected to intensive deterioration. Therefore the preservation of those deteriorated glasses was important because of their archaeological and technological interests.
Historical and Material Approach to the Paintings at the Portugal National Library: Contributions to the History of Conservation and Restoration of Easel Painting in the 19th Century
Authors: Soares C. M. , Rodrigues R. M. , Cruz A. J. , Rêgo C.
Published: October 2012

There are in the National Library of Portugal (BNP) about fifty paintings from former convents, mainly portraits executed between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, which are hung in rooms and along corridors, far from the eyes of the public and simultaneously protected by recent conservation and restoration interventions. These paintings, of little artistic interest, are, however, individual cases for the study of conservation and restoration interventions made in the nineteenth century. The data obtained will contribute to the history of paintings restoration, in terms of its practical aspects (about materials and techniques used), that is still to be written in Portugal.

Our research, which began in January 2011 and is predicted to end in December 2013, has been oriented by three complementary lines of action, with an interdisciplinary methodological base: the exploitation of the BNP's precious and unpublished documental archive; the assessment to the conservation status of the paintings and identification of restoration works; and the material study of the works, from physical and chemical methods of examination and analysis, in order to deepen our technical knowledge about the restoration of easel painting in the nineteenth century.

Through historical documents we could identify periods of restoration, restorers and materials used. The observation of paintings allowed selecting a set of twenty-seven pieces that showed old restorations, made in the nineteenth or early twentieth century. In addition it's very important to use examination methods and laboratory analysis to characterise the restoration works and the materials used.
Colonization of Maltese Catacombs by Phototrophic Biofilms. How Much Does Light Matter?
Authors: Llop E. , Alvaro I. , Hernández-Mariné M. , Sammut S. , Gómez-Bolea A.
Published: October 2012

The study of phototrophic biofilms from Maltese catacombs has shown that their distribution within catacombs does not show a significant dependence on orientation of catacomb and their location inside the catacombs. A decrease on species richness is observed when light availability diminishes, but the composition of biofilms does not change significantly. The proportion of green algae has a slight increase in darker areas, while cyanobacteria remain stable and diatoms decrease. Diatoms are almost not present in deeper areas inside catacombs. However, light is not the only key factor driving the colonization by phototrophic biofilms.
Jordan Conservation of Cultural Heritage in ERA
Authors: Bawab A. Al , Abdallah R. , Bozeya A. , Odeh F. , Ashqar H. Al
Published: October 2012

The Jordan Conservation of Cultural Heritage in ERA – JOCHERA project is aiming at overall reinforcement of University of Jordan (UJ), Hamdi Mango Center for Scientific Research (HMCSR) in Jordan cooperation capacities for cultural heritage protection research in the context of the European Research Area and development to the Conservation centre of excellence to respond to Jordan's socio-economic needs. The JOCHERA impact will be increased capacities of the UJ in terms of (i) better research and innovation management, (ii) improved international Science & Technology cooperation and participation in FP7, (iii) enhanced cultural heritage protection research capacities, and (v) defined strategic development framework in order to increase UJ visibility and scope. Likewise, JOCHERA will increase research and innovation linkages within Jordan in particular with SMEs, enable better opportunities to young researchers and enhance EU-JO RTD cooperation landscape. The project duration is 24 months, started in 1st December 2011 and will end in 31 November 2013.
Green Infrastructure Embody an Exceptional Spiritual Relationship of People with Nature: Cultural Landscape, Implication for Sustainable Development
Authors: Habib Fereshteh
Published: October 2012

The major thrust of this study is to identify a way to improve the physical condition of greenway corridors in urban areas to better serve the multi-objectives of greenways for sustainable communities, based on a literature review and case study. Pdios River has been introduced, because of several factors; it is geographically representative of the region and one of the main natural land marks in Lefkosa, capital city of Cyprus. This paper demonstrates that cultural landscapes are part of the city's wealth and producing healthy ecosystem as city's brand, with a proper designed green infrastructure planning, conservation and preservation, promote place identity in identified markets. Nearly all major cities have been built along river corridors. River corridors are being focused on as important natural networks as well as cultural and recreational resources. Lefkosa Creek passes through the historical old city of Lefkosa and another historic site so it provides historical heritage and protects cultural values. It can work as a recreational, educational corridor with attraction of the cultural, historical fabrics as well as ecologically significant corridors. This research paper presents the guidance report on how to develop the methodological work linked with green infrastructure to promote place identity by emphasis on conservation and preservation green infrastructure as cultural landscape as implications for sustainable development.
Nanomatch: A European Project to Develop Consolidants through the Synthesis of New Inorganic Nanomaterials for the Conservation of Built Heritage
Authors: Bernardi A. , Favaro M. , Nijland T. , García O. , Detalle V. , Wittstadt K. , Sanchez M.D. Romero , Pockelé L. , Kunday B. , Verhey B. , Brinkmann U. , de Micheli G. , Labouré M. , Möller B. , Olteanu I.D.
Published: October 2012

The problem of deterioration of historical building materials, namely stone, wood and glass has become more and more urgent. Climate changes have increased the impact of natural decay whilst socio-economic requirements claim a more sustainable use of existing built heritage. The EU project NANOMATCH addresses this problem through the development of a family of innovative materials. These are specifically designed for the consolidation requirements of historical substrates and for the production of high performance products to fill the gap in the market dedicated to the conservation of built heritage.

Metal-alkoxide precursors will be synthesized and their properties will be tuned based on the substrate characteristics of respectively stone, wood, glass to fulfil specific functionalities. The consolidation effects will be first evaluated through lab experimentation and subsequently the most suitable metal alkoxides will be tested in different European sites to evaluate also the environmental effects on their performance This will lead to a new generation of nano-products specifically tailored for historic materials in a context of climate change, emerging from the most recent and advanced research in the fields of conservation science and nanotechnologies. The development of suitable products for the treatment of historical materials will finally stop the inappropriate use of several commercial products, especially polymers. These have shown in recent years detrimental effects due to their fast deterioration and have also hampered the treated material as well.

Central to the project is the synthesis of molecular precursors, nano-coating deposition and assessment of their conservation properties leading to the production of innovative products for the market of conservation in replacement of unfit traditional ones. The basis for their production and market introduction will be developed within the project.
Memori Project: Evaluation of Damage to Exposed Organic-Based Heritage Materials and Nanoforart: Evaluation of Nanoparticle-Based Conservation Treatment
Authors: Odlyha M. , Bozec L. , Dahlin E. , Grøntoft T. , Chelazzi D. , Baglioni P. , Bonaduce I. , Colombini M. P. , Larsen R. , Scharff M. , Hackney S. , Thickett D.
Published: October 2012

This paper presents preliminary studies and work in progress in the framework of two FP7 projects: MEMORI (Measurement, Effect Assessment and Mitigation of Pollutant Impact on Movable Cultural Assets – Innovative Research for Market Transfer) and NANOFORART (Nano-materials for the conservation and preservation of movable and immovable artworks). One of the aims of the MEMORI project is the determination of threshold levels of damage to exposed organic-based heritage objects as little is known about the impact of organic compounds, especially volatile organic acids, on organic-based cultural objects. In the previous PROPAINT project (Protection of Paintings during Exhibition, Storage Transit) it was recently demonstrated that levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were often much higher in the micro-climate frames used to protect paintings than recommended levels. In this paper, examples will be given of changes observed in varnished strips exposed at selected sites. Studies on the effect on collagen-based materials will also be presented. Techniques used in both projects include Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), micro-thermal analysis (-TA), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The NANOFORART project explores the effects of using nanoparticle-based conservation treatment on cellulosic and collagen-based cultural materials. It builds on previous work performed on deacidification of canvas paintings using conventional materials. For collagen-based materials, no previous conservation treatment using nanoparticles has been performed on historical parchment or leather objects. Preliminary work is directed at understanding the type of nanoparticles to use to improve the physicochemical state of collagen-based objects.
The Choise of Parameters for the Monitoring and the Maintenance of Architectural Stone Surfaces
Authors: Zendri E. , Balliana E. , Izzo F.Caterina , Di Crescenzo M. Melchiorre , Falchi L. , Sgobbi M. , Biscontin G.
Published: October 2012

The maintenance of stone buildings aims to preserve artefacts, to reduce the economic management costs and to extend the lifetime of the restoration interventions. Up to now, there are no clear regulations regarding useful parameters which can be used for evaluating the efficiency of surface treatments for the consolidation and protection of stone. The main goal of this work is to identify possible important “chemical-physical parameters” and their threshold limit values. In this context, the determination of the surface water absorption and colour variation may be important tools for the control and the monitoring over time of the state of conservation of the architecture stone surfaces. These parameters are strongly related not only to the surface conservation state but also to products efficiency. Moreover, they can be easily measured at low cost by specifically trained personnel.
Complex Comparative Tests on Historic Stone
Authors: Drdáck Milo , Hasníková Hana , Valach Jaroslav
Published: October 2012

This paper presents an abbreviated review of the potential capacities of the project on Non-destructive and Considerately (Medium) Destructive Methods for Testing Historic Stone, developed within the 7th EC FP STONECORE project. These methods include ultrasonic tests, peeling tests, drilling resistance and water uptake by various approaches. The material characteristics acquired by means of these methods are compared with the characteristics measured by destructive standard tests, and the observed correlations are discussed.
A Comparison between Synthetic Space Analysis and Intangible Heritage Investigation in Urban Conservation
Authors: Alkymakchy N.T. , Ismaeel E. H. , Alsoofe H. H.
Published: October 2012

The conservation of intangible heritage in historical regions has recently become a progressively important topic in the international level. Till recently, in the protection process of historical cities, the concentration has been on the tangible cultural heritage, built environment and historical buildings in old districts; while safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage has been generally neglected. This paper aims at highlighting the significant role of the intangible heritage in the urban renewal policies of old historical districts. It undertakes the conservation and urban renewal activities of Mosul Old City (MOC) as a case study, and it explains that there are broad distinctions in various aspects between space structural analysis and intangible elements investigation, which designates that the intangible elements do not correlate to material or synthetic items within the urban fabric in the same high grade that is associated with the inhabitants memory of the historical area. It emphasizes the importance of the preservation of intangible heritage besides the tangible one in the urban renewal policies.
An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Preservation of the Gaiola Archaeological Underwater Park and the Posillipo Coastline, Bay of Naples (Southern Italy)
Authors: Simeone M. , De Vivo C. , Masucci P.
Published: October 2012

The aim of this paper is to present ten years of underwater archaeology investigations in the Marine Protected Area “Gaiola Underwater Park” in Naples, Southern Italy since its institution in 2002. These results are at the basis of a development plan that is now the starting point for new research aimed to create a model of enhancement for the underwater archaeological heritage in the Mediterranean context. The project is developed by an interdisciplinary group of young researchers so that all the issues correlated with the marine environment can be taken into account.
Preliminary Ideas for a Project on Cultural Heritage: “Heva”-Digital Resources Optimization for the Enhancement of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Martín J.J. Fernández , Fernández J. García , del Hoyo F.J. Delgado , Codes J. Finat
Published: October 2012

Cultural Heritage documentation by itself is meaningless if it does not help to create wealth and provide values to society. In recent years, the number of digital contents related to cultural heritage resources is growing in a way that it very difficult to discover reliable information. Thanks to the Internet they can be easily published and distributed but there are three main problems: 1) the quality of the resources is not well evaluated or tagged; 2) the resources are fragmented across several non-linked repositories; 3) most of the resources are not adapted to different kinds of devices and users. These problems are more remarkable in point clouds and three dimensional models digitalized at high resolution, to achieve a higher level of detail because they are too heavy for visualization, transmission and representation.

The present statement of intentions aims to develop a project –HEVA: HEritage VAlue– for creating an effective methodology to simplify and improve the exploitation and transmission of cultural heritage documentation in the three most relevant fields: culture, education and economy. The main goal of the project is to reformulate the objective of cultural heritage documentation from a sustainable perspective, linking the efforts to the achievements and optimizing the processes. At the same time, the project will create synergies between multiple agents involved in documentation, allowing an intelligent diffusion of cultural heritage such that heritage can reach interested people, people who really want to be reached.
Neolithic Settlement in Bylany: Taking a New Look at Old Digs
Authors: Kvčtina P. , Končelová M. , Brzobohatá H. , Čumberová R. , Čídkč J. , Pavlč I.
Published: October 2012

The aim of the project is to apply 3D scanning technology to create a virtual museum providing a picture of the Neolithic culture, based on the example of the settlement in Bylany (Czech Republic), dating from the 6th – 5th millennium B.C. The main parameter of the applied research is to set up a methodology for recording and presenting archaeological finds digitally. The basic technology is optical 3D scanning of artefacts that exactly reflect the 3D surface geometry and will bring new presentation possibilities. Acquired digital records can also serve as well as for research and educational purposes on all academic levels. The project's most important output consists in a virtual museum on the web of the Neolithic settlement area. Moreover, the open library of 3D scans will integrate a thematic GIS map of the Bylany site and its virtual model showing different forms of the immovable heritage (i.e., houses, circle enclosures and villages).
How Does Digital Programs Help to Understand Urban Evolution the Study Case of a Portuguese Mediterranean Village
Authors: Pacheco M. , Heitor T.
Published: October 2012

The cultural heritage of the fisherman's town of Fuseta, on the southern Portugal, is an interesting example of Mediterranean vernacular architecture. Totally built in just one-step at the turn and the 19th to 20th centuries, the historic centre presents a homogeneous urban fabric characterized by a typology of house covered by vaults' terraces, and pyramidal roofs, strategically located. Nowadays, the urban network extrapolates the original historic centre to the involving areas, with a demarcated rural structure.

This paper aims to reflect on the contribution of space syntax descriptive model, an alpha numeric's calculation software (Depthmap Software), based on visual and spatial networks' analysis, to the study of the urban evolution.

The almost non-existence of bibliography related to the urban history of this territory, enforces the use of alternative methods to increase the architectural morphology's theories and other theoretical approaches focused on the reading of urban territories.

The Depthmap modelling of the town's digital cartographics allowed the production of maps that expresses parameters and urban concepts universally defined. The main question consists in how deep this new urban modelling information is and how useful are these maps or they just descriptive.

In conclusion, the appliance of the Depthmap Software on the study of the Fuseta's urbanism made it possible to draw a reliable parallel between the unknown urban characteristics of the 20th century beginning with the well-known structure of today, at same level of measurements, detailing, information and parameterization.
Geographical Information System for the Cultural Heritage and Protected Landscape of Regione Toscana
Authors: Costantini R. , Angeli L. , Ferrari R. , Innocenti L. , Del Buono M.
Published: October 2012

LaMMA Consortium, with collaboration of Regione Toscana and Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MiBAC), has created the web Geographical Information System for Cultural Heritage and Protected Landscape of Regione Toscana. This system now makes it possible to access the digital maps and the digital archives of archaeological, architectural and landscape related restrictions over the entire region. In order to continuously update the realized system for maintaining its utility and validity, Regione Toscana together with MiBAC signed a protocol agreement (2004), according to which every new restriction measure issued is sent as a copy also to the regional offices and then to LaMMA Consortium, that attends to update the digital archives and the digital maps. Thanks to this agreement, the system counts today over 18,000 measures, with an average yearly increase of almost 250 measures, that determine restrictions for 9.000 areas.
Comparing Benefits and Total Compensation between Similar Federal and Private-Sector Workers
Authors: Falk Justin R.
Published: October 2012

I integrate Current Population Survey data from 2005 through 2010 with data on a wide range of employee benefits to compare the cost of those benefits for federal employees and for workers in the private sector who have similar observable characteristics. Federal benefits were about 48 percent higher, on average, than the benefits received by similar private-sector workers, which led to roughly a 16 percent difference in total compensation (the sum of benefits and wages). Much of the higher cost of federal benefits stems from differences in retirement benefits. The government provides employees defined-benefits pensions and subsidized health insurance in retirement; arrangements that have become uncommon in the private sector. The distribution of compensation also differed between the sectors, such that less-educated federal workers tended to earn much more than their private-sector counterparts, whereas highly-educated workers tended to receive higher compensation in the private sector.
Recent Trends in Men's Earnings Volatility: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1985-2009
Authors: Shin Donggyun
Published: October 2012

Evidence on recent trends in men’s earnings volatility from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) has been found to be at odds with evidence from some other sources. This study adds evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which turns out to be more consistent with the PSID.
Verfolgung und Vertreibung von
SprachwissenschaftlerInnen
im Nationalsozialismus – ein Fenster auf die
Fachgeschichte
Authors: Maas Utz
Published: October 2012

The paper presents a survey of the consequences of persecution and emigration
of language scholars during fascism in Germany. As the professionalisation
of linguistics was not very advanced at the time, the broader concept
of language scholars is used. Thus, the destiny of 275 persecuted persons
can be documented, 210 of them victims of racist persecution. Most of
those who survived escaped in emigration (the biography of 220 emigrants
is documented). Consequences for scholarly development must be differentiated
for various disciplines (differing for smaller disciplines, e.g. Oriental
philologies, as compared to the larger philologies: Germanic, English,
Romance). Although most of those who escaped could continue their scholarly
development, some of them even as prominent protagonists – what
was specific to the contemporary scientific debates in Germany, that is, the
critical reflexion on the state of the art, was not developed further. Thus
the investigation of personal fates is embedded in the larger perspective of
the development of linguistics from the late 19th to early 20th century.
The hypothalamus–adipose axis is a key target of developmental programming by maternal nutritional manipulation
Authors: Breton Christophe
Published: October 2012

Epidemiological studies initially demonstrated that maternal undernutrition leading to low birth weight may predispose for energy balance disorders throughout life. High birth weight due to maternal obesity or diabetes, inappropriate early post-natal nutrition and rapid catch-up growth may also sensitise to increased risk of obesity. As stated by the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease concept, the perinatal perturbation of foetus/neonate nutrient supply might be a crucial determinant of individual programming of body weight set point. The hypothalamus–adipose axis plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of energy homoeostasis controlling the nutritional status and energy storage level. The perinatal period largely corresponds to the period of brain maturation, neuronal differentiation and active adipogenesis in rodents. Numerous dams and/or foetus/neonate dietary manipulation models were developed to investigate the mechanisms underlying perinatal programming in rodents. These models showed several common offspring hypothalamic consequences such as impaired neurogenesis, neuronal functionality, nuclei structural organisation and feeding circuitry hardwiring. These alterations led to a persistent reprogrammed appetite system that favoured the orexigenic pathways, leptin/insulin resistance and hyperphagia. Impaired hypothalamic sympathetic outflow to adipose tissue and/or reduced innervation may also account for modified fat cell metabolism. Thus, enhanced adipogenesis and/or lipogenesis capacities may predispose the offspring to fat accumulation. Abnormal hypothalamus–adipose axis circadian rhythms were also evidenced. This review mainly focuses on studies in rodents. It highlights hormonal and epigenetic mechanisms responsible for long-lasting programming of energy balance in the offspring. Dietary supplementation may provide a therapeutic option using a specific regimen for reversing adverse programming outcomes in humans.
Oocyte developmental failure in response to elevated nonesterified fatty acid concentrations: mechanistic insights
Authors: Van Hoeck V , Leroy J L M R , Arias Alvarez M , Rizos D , Gutierrez-Adan A , Schnorbusch K , Bols P E J , Leese H J , Sturmey R G
Published: October 2012

Elevated plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations are associated with negative energy balance and metabolic disorders such as obesity and type II diabetes. Such increased plasma NEFA concentrations induce changes in the microenvironment of the ovarian follicle, which can compromise oocyte competence. Exposing oocytes to elevated NEFA concentrations during maturation affects the gene expression and phenotype of the subsequent embryo, notably prompting a disrupted oxidative metabolism. We hypothesized that these changes in the embryo are a consequence of modified energy metabolism in the oocyte. To investigate this, bovine cumulus oocyte complexes were matured under elevated NEFA conditions, and energy metabolism-related gene expression, mitochondrial function, and ultrastructure evaluated. It was found that expression of genes related to REDOX maintenance was modified in NEFA-exposed oocytes, cumulus cells, and resultant blastocysts. Moreover, the expression of genes related to fatty acid synthesis in embryos that developed from NEFA-exposed oocytes was upregulated. From a functional perspective, inhibition of fatty acid β-oxidation in maturing oocytes exposed to elevated NEFA concentrations restored developmental competence. There were no clear differences in mitochondrial morphology or oxygen consumption between treatments, although there was a trend for a higher mitochondrial membrane potential in zygotes derived from NEFA-exposed oocytes. These data show that the degree of mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation has a decisive impact on the development of NEFA-exposed oocytes. Furthermore, the gene expression data suggest that the resulting embryos adapt through altered metabolic strategies, which might explain the aberrant energy metabolism previously observed in these embryos originating from NEFA-exposed maturing oocytes.
Diagnostic Value of Procalcitonin in Well-Appearing Young Febrile Infants
Authors: Gomez Borja , Bressan Silvia , Mintegi Santiago , Da Dalt Liviana , Blazquez Daniel , Olaciregui Izaskun , de la Torre Mercedes , Palacios Miriam , Berlese Paola , Ruano Aitor
Published: October 2012

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Procalcitonin (PCT) has been introduced in many European protocols for the management of febrile children. Its value among young, well-appearing infants, however, is not completely defined. Our objective was to assess its performance in diagnosing serious bacterial infections and specifically invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) in well-appearing infants aged <3 months with fever without source (FWS).

METHODS:

Well-appearing infants aged <3 months with FWS admitted to 7 European pediatric emergency departments were retrospectively included. IBI was defined as the isolation of a bacterial pathogen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture.

RESULTS:

We included 1112 infants who had PCT measured and a blood culture performed. IBI was diagnosed in 23 cases (2.1%). In the multivariate analysis including clinical and laboratory data, PCT was the only independent risk factor for IBI (odds ratio 21.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.93–59.28 for PCT ≥0.5 ng/mL). Positive likelihood ratios for PCT ≥2 ng/mL and C-reactive protein (CRP) >40 mg/L were 11.14 (95% CI 7.81–15.89) and 3.45 (95% CI 2.20–5.42), respectively. Negative likelihood ratios for PCT <0.5 ng/mL and CRP <20 mg/L were 0.25 (95% CI 0.12–0.55) and 0.41 (95% CI 0.22–0.76). Among patients with normal urine dipstick results and fever of recent onset, areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve for PCT and CRP were 0.819 and 0.563, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:

Among well-appearing young infants with FWS, PCT performs better than CRP in identifying patients with IBIs and seems to be the best marker for ruling out IBIs. Among patients with normal urine dipstick results and fever of recent onset, PCT remains the most accurate blood test.
Growth and Fat-Free Mass Gain in Preterm Infants After Discharge: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Roggero Paola , Giannì Maria L. , Amato Orsola , Liotto Nadia , Morlacchi Laura , Orsi Anna , Piemontese Pasqua , Taroni Francesca , Morniroli Daniela , Bracco Beatrice , Mosca Fabio
Published: October 2012

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate whether the consumption of a nutrient-enriched formula after hospital discharge determines different growth and weight gain composition in preterm infants according to intra- and extrauterine growth pattern.

METHODS:

Two hundred seven preterm infants were randomized at term-corrected age to receive treatment A (term formula) or B (nutrient-enriched formula) up to 6 months of corrected age, using 2 computer-generated randomization lists, 1 for adequate for gestational age (AGA) and 1 for small for gestational age (SGA) infants. Infants were weaned according to our clinical practice after 6 months’ corrected age. Anthropometric parameters and body composition by an air displacement plethysmography system were assessed at term and 1, 3, and 6 months’ corrected age. Anthropometric parameters were also assessed at 12 months.

RESULTS:

Protein intakes were higher in infants receiving treatment B than in infants receiving treatment A at each study point. There were no differences between the feeding groups in weight and length SD scores in either the AGA and SGA group through the study. The mean head circumference values were higher in AGA infants receiving treatment B than in AGA infants receiving treatment A at 6 and 12 months, whereas at 6 months, the percentage of fat mass was lower. No difference in body composition was detected among SGA infants through the study.

CONCLUSIONS:

This randomized controlled trial demonstrates the beneficial effect of the consumption of a nutrient-enriched formula after hospital discharge by AGA infants both in terms of head circumference growth and fat-free mass gain.
Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) and Human Embryo Research
Authors:   COMMITTEE FOR PEDIATRIC RESEARCH and COMMITTEE ON BIOETHICS, Shand Jessica , Berg Jessica , Bogue Clifford , Denne Scott C. , Bauer Andrew J. , Cabana Michael D. , Cheng Tina L. , Notterman Daniel A. , Scheindlin Ben , Bergman Jeffrey J. , Fallat Mary E. , Katz Aviva L. , Mercurio Mark R. , Moon Margaret R. , Okun Alexander L. , Webb Sally A. , Weise Kathryn L.
Published: October 2012

Human embryonic stem cell research has emerged as an important platform for the understanding and treatment of pediatric diseases. From its inception, however, it has raised ethical concerns based not on the use of stem cells themselves but on objections to the source of the cells—specifically, the destruction of preimplantation human embryos. Despite differences in public opinion on this issue, a large majority of the public supports continued research using embryonic stem cells. Given the possible substantial benefit of stem cell research on child health and development, the American Academy of Pediatrics believes that funding and oversight for human embryo and embryonic stem cell research should continue.