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28 pages, 11283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Planning Strategies for Urban Ecology and Heritage Conservation in Macau: An Investigation of Ultra-High-Density Cities

by Jitai Li, Fan Lin, Shuai Yang and Yile Chen

Information 2024, 15(12), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15120799 - 11 Dec 2024

Viewed by 114

Abstract

Urban ecology and heritage-protection space are important parts of urban land and should be highly emphasized in urban planning. Improving and upgrading the level of urban ecological and heritage-conservation space will directly affect the level of spatial quality of the built environment of [...] Read more.

Urban ecology and heritage-protection space are important parts of urban land and should be highly emphasized in urban planning. Improving and upgrading the level of urban ecological and heritage-conservation space will directly affect the level of spatial quality of the built environment of the city. As a high-density city, Macau suffers from “urban diseases” such as a low per capita green space rate and poor quality of the human environment. Therefore, in order to solve this kind of urban disease, the green environment quality of Macau’s heritage space should be improved and more leisure and recreational space should be provided for urban residents. This paper examines the layout of cultural heritage open spaces in Macau and suggests strategies for planning the preservation and use of these critical resources. This study investigated the current status of open space resources in Macau’s offshore islands, cultural heritage space resources, eight Largo spaces (“Largo” is a unique term for urban public open space in Macau) in Macau’s historic city, site-based cultural heritage open spaces, and the current status of rural walking trails in the offshore islands’ ecological reserves, and used GIS technology to visualize the survey results. Last, this paper investigates the planning strategy for the sustainable use of Macau’s outlying island ecological reserves and proposes a “green network” to connect the main mountains, green areas, and coastal wetlands in Coloane with the natural space. In view of the heritage-conservation space of the Macau Peninsula, this paper proposes the planning strategy of constructing linear landscape and cultural routes and planning characteristic heritage streets and alleys. Through using cultural heritage buildings as nodes and connecting pedestrian streets and alleys, the planning mode of combining heritage attractions and streets and alleys is realized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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26 pages, 6156 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Analysis of the Bayesian Regularization and Levenberg–Marquardt Training Algorithms in Neural Networks for Small Datasets: A Metrics Prediction of Neolithic Laminar Artefacts

by Maurizio Troiano, Eugenio Nobile, Fabio Mangini, Marco Mastrogiuseppe, Cecilia Conati Barbaro and Fabrizio Frezza

Information 2024, 15(5), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15050270 - 10 May 2024

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1639

Abstract

This study aims to present a comparative analysis of the Bayesian regularization backpropagation and Levenberg–Marquardt training algorithms in neural networks for the metrics prediction of damaged archaeological artifacts, of which the state of conservation is often fragmented due to different reasons, such as [...] Read more.

This study aims to present a comparative analysis of the Bayesian regularization backpropagation and Levenberg–Marquardt training algorithms in neural networks for the metrics prediction of damaged archaeological artifacts, of which the state of conservation is often fragmented due to different reasons, such as ritual, use wear, or post-depositional processes. The archaeological artifacts, specifically laminar blanks (so-called blades), come from different sites located in the Southern Levant that belong to the Pre-Pottery B Neolithic (PPNB) (10,100/9500–400 cal B.P.). This paper shows the entire procedure of the analysis, from its normalization of the dataset to its comparative analysis and overfitting problem resolution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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18 pages, 601 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing Public Opinions Regarding Virtual Tourism in the Context of COVID-19: Unidirectional vs. 360-Degree Videos

by Hoc Huynh Thai, Petr Silhavy, Sandeep Kumar Dey, Sinh Duc Hoang, Zdenka Prokopova and Radek Silhavy

Information 2023, 14(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/info14010011 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2811

Abstract

Over the last few years, more and more people have been using YouTube videos to experience virtual reality travel. Many individuals utilize comments to voice their ideas or criticize a subject on YouTube. The number of replies to 360-degree and unidirectional videos is [...] Read more.

Over the last few years, more and more people have been using YouTube videos to experience virtual reality travel. Many individuals utilize comments to voice their ideas or criticize a subject on YouTube. The number of replies to 360-degree and unidirectional videos is enormous and might differ between the two kinds of videos. This presents the problem of efficiently evaluating user opinions with respect to which type of video will be more appealing to viewers, positive comments, or interest. This paper aims to study SentiStrength-SE and SenticNet7 techniques for sentiment analysis. The findings demonstrate that the sentiment analysis obtained from SenticNet7 outperforms that from SentiStrength-SE. It is revealed through the sentiment analysis that sentiment disparity among the viewers of 360-degree and unidirectional videos is low and insignificant. Furthermore, the study shows that unidirectional videos garnered the most traffic during COVID-19 induced global travel bans. The study elaborates on the capacity of unidirectional videos on travel and the implications for industry and academia. The second aim of this paper also employs a Convolutional Neural Network and Random Forest for sentiment analysis of YouTube viewers’ comments, where the sentiment analysis output by SenticNet7 is used as actual values. Cross-validation with 10-folds is employed in the proposed models. The findings demonstrate that the max-voting technique outperforms compared with an individual fold. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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22 pages, 1878 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Examination of Classical Art Impact and Popularity through Social Media Emotion Analysis of Art Memes and Museum Posts

by Sofia Vlachou and Michail Panagopoulos

Information 2022, 13(10), 468; https://doi.org/10.3390/info13100468 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4928

Abstract

On Instagram, we have all seen memes. Honestly, what would you do if you encountered a meme in a museum? The purpose of the study is to evaluate the nexus between posts uploaded by museum visitors and emotions, as well as the popularity [...] Read more.

On Instagram, we have all seen memes. Honestly, what would you do if you encountered a meme in a museum? The purpose of the study is to evaluate the nexus between posts uploaded by museum visitors and emotions, as well as the popularity of artworks and memes. We gathered N = 4.526 (N = 1.222 for memes and N = 3.304 for museum posts) entire posts using API. We selected the total number of likes, comments, frequency, nwords, and text emotions as indicators for several supervised machine learning tasks. Moreover, we used a ranking algorithm to measure meme and artwork popularity. Our experiments revealed the most prevalent emotions in both the memes dataset and museum posts dataset. The ranking task showed the most popular meme and museum post, respectively, that can influence the aesthetic experience and its popularity. This study provided further insight into the social media sphere that has had a significant effect on the aesthetic experience of museums and artwork’s popularity. As a final point, we anticipate that our outcomes will serve as a springboard for future studies in social media, art, and cultural analytics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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14 pages, 3270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Neutron-Enhanced Information on the Laboratory Characterization of Ancient Egyptian Leathers: Hydration and Preservation Status

by Giovanni Romanelli, Carla Andreani, Enrico Ferraris, Christian Greco, Salima Ikram, Silvia Licoccia, Giuseppe Paladini, Stewart F. Parker, Enrico Preziosi, Roberto Senesi, Lucy Skinner, André J. Veldmeijer, Valentina Venuti and Valentina Turina

Information 2022, 13(10), 467; https://doi.org/10.3390/info13100467 - 29 Sep 2022

Viewed by 2009

Abstract

The Museo Egizio’s collection contains 200 precious and unique leather artifacts belonging to different historical periods. The materials used during the tanning and curing procedures affect the chemical and elemental composition of the surface of the samples as well as their preservation status, [...] Read more.

The Museo Egizio’s collection contains 200 precious and unique leather artifacts belonging to different historical periods. The materials used during the tanning and curing procedures affect the chemical and elemental composition of the surface of the samples as well as their preservation status, specifically through the hydration level within the bulk. Here we provide an experimental characterization of a series of samples from Museo Egizio that document an extensive denaturation phenomenon (gelatinization), by combining non-destructive techniques including surface probes (X-ray fluorescence, Raman scattering, and scanning electron microscopy enhanced by X-ray energy spectroscopy) and neutron-based bulk techniques (inelastic and deep-inelastic neutron scattering). Results show partial dehydration of the samples in the bulk, affecting the morphology of their surface, the presence of potassium alum, and iron oxides, as well as phosphates and hydroxides related to the tanning and curing procedures. Finally, we briefly discuss the need for a versatile and adaptable software package that is capable of combining quantitative analyses with complementary techniques including morphological, elemental, and chemical composition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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20 pages, 3012 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Temperature Effects on the Natural Linen Aging of the Turin Shroud

by Liberato De Caro, César Barta, Giulio Fanti, Emilio Matricciani, Teresa Sibillano and Cinzia Giannini

Information 2022, 13(10), 458; https://doi.org/10.3390/info13100458 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 7898

Abstract

In 2021, Wide-angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) was applied to a sample of the Turin Shroud as a new method for dating ancient linen threads by inspecting their structural degradation. The major result of the research was to estimate the natural aging of the [...] Read more.

In 2021, Wide-angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) was applied to a sample of the Turin Shroud as a new method for dating ancient linen threads by inspecting their structural degradation. The major result of the research was to estimate the natural aging of the linen of the Shroud, through which it was found to be compatible with the hypothesis of a 2000-year-old relic, and not a medieval fabric. The present work regards the theoretical natural aging of the linen versus different alleged historical–geographical paths of the Shroud through cities where the presence of icons of Jesus Christ is attested. The theoretical results of the natural aging of the Shroud, calculated for the year 2021, agree extremely well with the experimental results for at least one alleged path. The results also show that if the Shroud were medieval and kept in Europe for 7 centuries, natural aging that is one order of magnitude less than that measured by WAXS would have resulted. Today, the Shroud is kept in a reliquary with a controlled atmosphere, at 19~20 °C temperature, and 50% relative humidity. These values are shown to be unsuitable for maintaining the depolymerization of the cellulose at a level that is sufficiently low enough to preserve the image visible on the Shroud for a long time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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28 pages, 5743 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Linguistic Mathematical Relationships Saved or Lost in Translating Texts: Extension of the Statistical Theory of Translation and Its Application to the New Testament

by Emilio Matricciani

Information 2022, 13(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/info13010020 - 4 Jan 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2248

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to extend the general theory of translation to texts written in the same language and show some possible applications. The main result shows that the mutual mathematical relationships of texts in a language have been saved or [...] Read more.

The purpose of the paper is to extend the general theory of translation to texts written in the same language and show some possible applications. The main result shows that the mutual mathematical relationships of texts in a language have been saved or lost in translating them into another language and consequently texts have been mathematically distorted. To make objective comparisons, we have defined a “likeness index”—based on probability and communication theory of noisy binary digital channels-and have shown that it can reveal similarities and differences of texts. We have applied the extended theory to the New Testament translations and have assessed how much the mutual mathematical relationships present in the original Greek texts have been saved or lost in 36 languages. To avoid the inaccuracy, due to the small sample size from which the input data (regression lines) are calculated, we have adopted a “renormalization” based on Monte Carlo simulations whose results we consider as “experimental”. In general, we have found that in many languages/translations the original linguistic relationships have been lost and texts mathematically distorted. The theory can be applied to texts translated by machines. Because the theory deals with linear regression lines, the concepts of signal-to-noise-ratio and likenss index can be applied any time a scientific/technical problem involves two or more linear regression lines, therefore it is not limited to linguistic variables but it is universal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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19 pages, 6144 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Service Facilities in Heritage Tourism: Identification and Planning Based on Space Syntax

by Min Wang, Jianqiang Yang, Wei-Ling Hsu, Chunmei Zhang and Hsin-Lung Liu

Information 2021, 12(12), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/info12120504 - 5 Dec 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4340

Abstract

Improving the development level of tourism service facilities in historic areas of old cities and realizing the sustainable tourism are important strategies for urban historical protection, economic development, and cultural rejuvenation. Districts at different tourism development stages show different characteristics of tourism service [...] Read more.

Improving the development level of tourism service facilities in historic areas of old cities and realizing the sustainable tourism are important strategies for urban historical protection, economic development, and cultural rejuvenation. Districts at different tourism development stages show different characteristics of tourism service facilities. This study collects location-based service data and uses space syntax to identify the correlation between the distribution of tourism service facilities and street networks, which helps decision-makers to optimize the spatial layout of tourism facilities in the planning of historic areas. Taking the southern historic area of Nanjing, China, as an example, this is an area with a rich collection of cultural heritage and many historic districts, and the study reveals that the areas with strongest street agglomeration and best accessibility, as well as the districts with most mature tourism development, are the core of the tourism facilities. The agglomeration of transportation and accommodation facilities should be set at the traffic nodes as much as possible due to the highest correlation with the street network. Instead, the entertainment, catering, and shopping facilities can be set in the nontraffic node areas under the premise of ensuring good traffic accessibility owing to the insignificantly relationship with the street network. The research results can be used as an important reference for urban decision-makers regarding the planning of historic areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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13 pages, 4229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

GPR Investigation at the Archaeological Site of Le Cesine, Lecce, Italy

by Emanuele Colica, Antonella Antonazzo, Rita Auriemma, Luigi Coluccia, Ilaria Catapano, Giovanni Ludeno, Sebastiano D’Amico and Raffaele Persico

Information 2021, 12(10), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/info12100412 - 8 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2213

Abstract

In this contribution, we present some results achieved in the archaeological site of Le Cesine, close to Lecce, in southern Italy. The investigations have been performed in a site close to the Adriatic Sea, only slightly explored up to now, and where the [...] Read more.

In this contribution, we present some results achieved in the archaeological site of Le Cesine, close to Lecce, in southern Italy. The investigations have been performed in a site close to the Adriatic Sea, only slightly explored up to now, and where the presence of an ancient Roman harbour is alleged on the basis of remains visible above all under the current sea level. This measurement campaign has been performed in the framework of a short-term scientific mission (STSM) performed in the framework of the European Cost Action 17131 (acronym SAGA), and has been aimed to identify possible points where future localized excavation might and hopefully will be performed in the next few years. Both a traditional elaboration and an innovative data processing based on a linear inverse scattering model have been performed on the data. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Techniques and Data Analysis in Cultural Heritage)

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