Heritage University

The possibility of collecting new archaeological elements useful in reconstructing the dynamics of population, production and commercial activities in the Bronze Age at the edge of the central-southern Venice Lagoon was provided between 2023 and 2024 thanks to an intervention of rescue archaeology planned during some water restoration works in the Giare–Mira area. Three small excavations revealed, approximately one meter below the current surface and covered by alluvial sediments, a rather complex palimpsest dated to the late Recent and the early Final Bronze Age. Three large circular pits containing exclusively purified grey/blue clay and very rare inclusions of vegetable fibres, and many large, fired clay vessels’ bases, walls and rims clustered in concentrated assemblages and random deposits point to potential on-site production. Two pyro-technological structures, one characterised by a sub-circular combustion chamber and a long inlet channel/praefurnium, and the second one with a sub-rectangular shape with arched niches along its southern side, complete the exceptional context here discovered. To analyse the relationship between the site and the natural sedimentary succession and to evaluate the possible extension of this site, three electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and low-frequency electromagnetic (FDEM) measurements were collected. Several manual core drillings associated with remote sensing integrated the geophysical data in the analysis of the geomorphological evolution of this area, clearly related to different phases of fluvial activity, in a framework of continuous relative sea level rise. The typology and chronology of the archaeological structures and materials, currently undergoing further analyses, support the interpretation of the site as a late Recent/early Final Bronze Age productive site. Geophysical and geomorphological data provide information on the palaeoenvironmental setting, suggesting that the site was located on a fine-grained, stable alluvial plain at a distance of a few kilometres from the lagoon shore to the south-east and the course of the Brenta River to the north. The archaeological site was buried by fine-grained floodplain deposits attributed to the Brenta River. The good preservation of the archaeological structures buried by fluvial sediments suggests that the site was abandoned soon before sedimentation started.

This research reviews the potential of metro advertising as a medium for showcasing urban culture and facilitating cultural exchange. First, it introduces the significance of metro advertising as a carrier of cultural communication, emphasizing the practical value of exploring the use of cultural symbols, regional characteristics, and city branding strategies. Subsequently, the theoretical frameworks are systematically reviewed, focusing on the design challenges in multicultural contexts, particularly the effective use of cultural symbols to ensure clear communication and avoid cultural misunderstandings. Based on an analysis of domestic and international research, this study further examines the role of metro advertising in promoting intangible cultural heritage, enriching cultural experiences, and enhancing cultural identity. Finally, integrating advancements in digital technology and interactive formats, the study proposes future trends and innovative approaches for metro advertising to foster urban cultural identity. This research aims to provide a reference for metro advertising design and cultural communication studies, offering new insights into strengthening urban cultural identity.

This study presents a prototype for visualizing artifact information, allowing museum professionals to manage and utilize it without needing computer science expertise. The proposed prototype enables users to enter and manage data pertaining to artifacts and visualize the information in various methods using the entered data. Therefore, museum professionals can use it in various practical settings, such as discovering new relationships between artifacts, deriving research and exhibition topics, and developing content. This study utilized data from approximately 270 traditional paintings and 70 painters from the Joseon Dynasty of Korea to implement the visualization. Users can identify the association between the works using the patterns depicted in the paintings and their implied meanings based on the network graphs. The region of activity, period of activity, and frequency of pattern usage can be visualized by artists by combining maps, timelines, and word clouds, depending on the characteristics of the data. The developed prototype was compared with Gephi and Neo4j, commercial network graph generation tools, to determine whether it had sufficient functions for visualizing artifact information. The main process of data visualization was divided into data management, data visualization, and data exploration, while the necessary details for each step were determined as the criteria of the comparative analysis. They were compared after entering the same data into each software. The comparative evaluation was conducted in the process of creating and exploring network graphs.

ABSTRACT The prevalence of numerous Renaissance buildings displaying signs of damage underscores the urgent necessity for prompt detection and implementation of appropriate protective measures. However, interpreting a large number of damages in Renaissance walls manually is a time-intensive process, and the outcomes are highly reliant on the practitioner’s expertise. This paper presents an automatic segmentation algorithm designed to segment damage in images of Renaissance walls. Firstly, an imaging dataset containing seven damages to communal and Renaissance walls, including plants, micro-organisms, crack, spalling, efflorescence, erosion, and crush, is created. Secondly, a GridMask algorithm is employed for data augmentation to improve the robustness of the segmentation model. Finally, the established dataset, comprising 2,303 images (70%) for training, 658 images (20%) for validation, and 329 images (10%) for testing, is used to train the deep learning model and evaluate its precision in segmenting damage in images of Renaissance walls. The testing results indicate that the damage segmentation algorithm trained on Renaissance walls achieves an average accuracy of 0.749 and requires only 0.27s to process a single image. A case study conducted on a Renaissance wall in Padova, Italy, confirms the effectiveness of the trained algorithm, and all the damage can be segmented on the wall.

Cranial anatomical variations, such as biparietal thinning, offer critical insights into the health and living conditions of ancient populations. Despite the presence of extensive archaeological records, biparietal thinning remains a relatively rare and understudied condition. This review aims to synthesize existing bioarchaeological literature on biparietal thinning, addressing its historical prevalence, geographical distribution, and potential etiologies. This study integrates data from previous bioarchaeological research supplemented with a new case from skeletal remains excavated at the hypogeal cemetery of Santa Maria Maggiore in Vercelli, Northern Italy. The analysis included macroscopic examination, radiological imaging, and comparative analysis with clinical and paleopathological cases to identify and assess the characteristic features of biparietal thinning. Our analysis of the skeletal remains of an old adult female individual revealed clear indicators of biparietal thinning. Notably, the thinning was bilateral, with the absence of diploe in the affected areas while maintaining the inner and outer tables of the cranial vault. These findings align with documented cases in the literature and contribute new data to the limited corpus of biparietal thinning cases. This study underscores the importance of integrating paleopathological findings with modern medical knowledge to enhance the understanding of ancient diseases. The case from Vercelli provides an opportunity to explore the multifactorial origins of biparietal thinning and highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach, combining archaeological, anthropological, and medical perspectives. By presenting this new case, we aim to stimulate further research into biparietal thinning and similar cranial pathologies, enriching the broader narrative of human health evolution.

Abstract Among the eight forms of marriage described by the Dharmaśāstric texts, two are strictly interrelated with each other, i.e., Ārṣa and Āsura, both linked to a metaphorical (by giving one or two pairs of oxen to the maiden’s father) or actual purchase of the bride (by exchanging wealth) and respectively considered legitimate (Ārṣa) and illegitimate (Āsura). This paper analyses the formation process of these two marriage forms, which derive from a previous – single and legitimate – marriage by bride price (śulka). The Dharmaśāstric theorisation of marriage rites represents a frame that does not correspond to what can be reconstructed of marriage from earlier Vedic texts, where marriage by purchase is described in positive terms. The split into Ārṣa and Āsura marriages, which took place in the Late Vedic period, can be interpreted as a Brahmanical attempt to orthodoxise marriage by purchase by substituting the bride price with a ritual gift (Ārṣa) and, at the same time, to condemn its oldest form by declaring it as illegitimate (Āsura). However, there is evidence from Dharmaśāstric and non-Dharmaśāstric (i.e., epic and Purāṇic) texts as well as – even though with minor relevance – from Megasthenes’ account of Ancient Indian marriage that the sale of daughters continued to be a practised custom and, despite the hermeneutical efforts of some passages (e.g., ĀpDh II, 13, 11), the Ārṣa marriage was actually felt as a purchase.

ABSTRACT We review the contributions of archaeologists studying the Pleistocene and Early Holocene records in the American Southeast. Researchers have made great efforts in finding paleoenvironmental proxies for the past, discovering underwater sites, and embracing a record of isolated point finds. With a renewed interest in technological organization and behavioral ecology, researchers study landscape use as adaptive responses and consider the role of social interaction and cultural connections to those landscapes. Applying middle-range theory and actualistic experiments helps Paleoamerican archaeologists move beyond tool typologies. We track cultural change in the transmission of ideas and spread of practices with methods like geometric morphometrics and use theoretical approaches of cultural transmission theory. We seek to better understand the lifeways of hunter-gatherer communities, including the important roles of women and children in this early record. Finally, Paleoamerican archaeologists are dedicated to conducting research with an ethos of respect for and collaboration with Tribal communities.

This comprehensive meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of digital interventions in improving developmental skills for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We conducted a systematic literature search based on three databases. A pre-test adjusted between-group standardized effect size was computed for effect size synthesis. We utilized a robust variance estimation model to analyze overall treatment effect. Moderator analyses and publication bias were also addressed. Twenty-eight studies (150 effect sizes) using randomized control trials (RCT; n = 22) or quasi-experimental designs (QED; n = 6) were included. Most studies (n = 22) included social-emotional skills as primary outcomes. The meta-analysis revealed a medium to large overall effect size, with Hedges' g = 0.62, 95% CI [0.36, 0.88], p < 0.001. We found that digital interventions have a statistically significantly large effect on enhancing social-emotional skills compared with language and communication skills, cognitive skills, daily living skills, and physical skills. The results of moderator analyses indicated that computer-based interventions have larger effect sizes in comparison to tablet/smartphone-based interventions. No statistically significant differences were observed between studies utilizing RCT and those using QED. We recommended the integration of digital interventions as supplemental resources in behavioral and educational interventions. Further research needs to focus on more females, young children, and adolescents with ASD in digital intervention research.

In this study, we develop and present an innovative approach that integrates Mixed Reality (MR) technologies with neural network algorithms, aiming to revolutionize molecular structure visualization in bioinformatics through the application of mathematical methods. The development includes the creation of a mathematical framework aimed at optimizing drug discovery processes, utilizing the potential of MR to facilitate detailed and interactive exploration of molecules in three-dimensional space. Our approach is based on the use of Unreal Engine for the realization of a simulation environment and the application of Python and PyTorch for the development of complex neural network models. These models are capable of efficiently processing and analyzing molecular data, enabling scientifically grounded manipulation of molecular structures. This approach facilitates the identification of potential active sites for interaction with pharmaceutical agents, improving the efficiency and speed of the drug discovery process. A key aspect of our work is the development of a comprehensive mathematical framework that effectively simplifies and optimizes molecular design and analysis, while simultaneously increasing the accuracy of predictions for interactions between potential drug molecules and their targets. This approach not only enriches our understanding of the molecular basis of diseases but also offers a more rational and economical path to pharmacological development. In conclusion, we propose a new approach that we hope will be considered and applied by the scientific community. This method presents a promising opportunity for advancement in research and development in bioinformatics and pharmacology, providing a solid foundation for further exploration of molecular dynamics and drug discovery through the application of mathematical and computer sciences.