Longitudinal Corridor Research Articles

Architectural Landscape. A New Interpretation of the Sloping Ceiling of Rekhmire’s Tomb Chapel (TT 100)

The tomb TT 100, belonging to the vizier Rekhmire, in the Theban necropolis (Luxor, Egypt), one of the best examples of funerary architecture of the Egyptian New Kingdom, has been widely studied since the beginning of the 20th century from the iconographic, historical and archaeological points of view. However, it has an anomalous structural feature for the classic Theban tomb typology of this period: a longitudinal corridor with a sloping ceiling ending in a combination of false stela and niche for a funerary statue. The anomaly, widely noted in classical literature, has been vaguely explained and often forgotten due to the celebrated decorative program that occupies the tomb.This study aims to offer a reinterpretation of this architectural feature of the tomb based on a landscape archaeology approach. According to this methodology, the ancestral landscape of the necropolis, and the architectural and artistic features of the tomb of his relative and predecessor in the vizierate Useramun are significant elements for the interpretation of this element. The main result is Rekhmire’s clear intention to emulate and replicate Useramun’s double funerary structure, not only from the artistic point of view (already demonstrated in previous studies) but also from the spatial point of view, copying the phenomenological experience of space and landscape in the architectural development of his tomb. An example of how landscape archaeology can be useful in the study of the art of this ancient culture.

Spatio-temporal microsatellite data suggest a multidirectional connectivity pattern in the Trachurus picturatus metapopulation from the Northeast Atlantic

The sustainable management of fisheries requires knowledge on their spatio-temporal delineation as well as on the connectivity pattern within metapopulations. The blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus is an important fishery in South Western Europe but its population structure and connectivity patterns remain controversial. This study is the first one employing microsatellite markers on T. picturatus to unravel the population structure and migration dynamics among fishing grounds sampled in 2013 and 2016 in the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Microsatellites show high spatio-temporal conservation of gene diversity (HE = 0.851 ± 0.011) and the absence of genetic differentiation among samples (FST = 0.0013 ± 0.0020) in the whole range. Current genetic data suggest that T. picturatus fishery consists of a metapopulation exhibiting high gene flow among the fishing grounds tested so far. These results are consistent with the scenario recently reported with mtDNA genes. Moreover, the Bayesian-computed migration rates and common ancestry suggest a large multidirectional migration (m ≥ 0.30) across a Northeast Atlantic longitudinal corridor. A directional property of the connectivity pattern is that migration proceeds from Macaronesia to Portugal mainland in autumn-winter while the way back seems to occur in spring-summer. The information retrieved from life-cycle markers (otoliths, morphometrics, etc.) is also discussed in the light of the new molecular data. Upcoming scientific challenges for the sustainability of this fishery should focus on the full characterization of the remaining properties of its connectivity patterns and on the contribution of each local recruitment area to the adult fishing grounds.

Опыт реконструктивных рубок в лесных полосах Каменной Степи

In the last decade in forest-agrarian landscapes areas and territories of Russia all the more urgent becomes the problem of deterioration and preservation of protective forests, loss of effective ecological-reclamation impact on agro-ecosystems. For forest strips that are in the age stage of maturity and overrun, the most common processes of their degradation are the growth of forest edges, thinning of the upper tier and inner rows of the stand, the presence of a large number of dry and diseased trees. In the overwhelming majority, it is impossible to correct such plantations by thinning, and urgent work is needed to reconstruct them. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the methods of reconstructive logging in forest belts of unsatisfactory composition and condition for growth indicators and the pathology of pedunculate oak cultures. Studies conducted in 1986–2018 on the territory of the Stone Steppe (Talovsky district of the Voronezh region). The object of research was the reconstructed unsatisfactory in composition and state of the stand 9-row forest shelter strip No. 206 with the creation of pedunculate oak cultures. The plantation was created in 1948 according to the tree-shrub type of mixing: Kya – Kya– (D + Azh) – Kya– (D + Azh) –Kya– (D + Azh) – Kya – Kya, where Kya – maple american, D – English oak, Azh – acacia yellow. Its direction is from north to south. Row spacing – 2.3 m, the distance between the trees in a row – 0.7 m. Experience laid in three versions: 1 – control, forest strip in the initial state – 0.46 ha; 2 – arrangement of longitudinal corridors in the forest belt – 0.50 ha; 3 – device diagonal corridors at an angle of 30° to the longitudinal axis of the forest belt – 0.38 ha. It was established that a more thorough soil preparation and favorable light conditions in diagonal corridors ensured the best growth of pedunculate oak cultures during the study period and by the age of 40,the elevation above the longitudinal corridors (western and eastern) was 18.1 and 3, 8%, and the diameter of the trunk – 40.2 and 14.8%. The maximum increments in height and diameter are observed 17–20 years. Characteristic is the lag development trees in extreme ranks relatively central series. Compliance with thinning regimes in experimental variants of pedunculate oak contributed to the presence of 76.6...93.0% viable specimens of the total number of trees. The highest value is observed in a more favorable light exposure – diagonal corridors, where their average excess, compared with the longitudinal corridors (western and eastern), is 9.4 and 5.7%. The absence of thinning (thinning) of forest crops led to an increase in the share of forest mortality in the options of experience by 5.9...7.7% of non-viable trees and partially viable, respectively, by 10.3...13.0% and 10.9...9,4%, while reducing viable trees by 26.7...31.6%.For citation: Turusov V.I., Chekanyshkin A.S., Lepyokhin A.A., Experience Reconstructive Felling in the Forest Belts of Kamennaya Steppe. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Forestry Journal], 2019, no. 5, pp. 48–56. DOI: 10.17238/issn0536-1036.2019.5.48

Stock structure of Trachurus picturatus from the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea using microsatellite DNA markers

Stock structure of Trachurus picturatus from the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea using microsatellite DNA markers

Comparison of Sound Pressure Level and Speech Intelligibility of Emergency Broadcasting System at Longitudinal Corridor

Comparison of Sound Pressure Level and Speech Intelligibility of Emergency Broadcasting System at Longitudinal Corridor

Mesospheric CO2 ice clouds on Mars observed by Planetary Fourier Spectrometer onboard Mars Express

We have investigated mesospheric CO2 ice clouds on Mars through analysis of near-infrared spectra acquired by Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) onboard the Mars Express (MEx) from MY 27 to MY 32. With the highest spectral resolution achieved thus far in the relevant spectral range among remote-sensing experiments orbiting Mars, PFS enables precise identification of the scattering peak of CO2 ice at the bottom of the 4.3 μm CO2 band. A total of 111 occurrences of CO2 ice cloud features have been detected over the period investigated. Data from the OMEGA imaging spectrometer onboard MEx confirm all of PFS detections from times when OMEGA operated simultaneously with PFS. The spatial and seasonal distributions of the CO2 ice clouds detected by PFS are consistent with previous observations by other instruments. We find CO2 ice clouds between Ls = 0° and 140° in distinct longitudinal corridors around the equatorial region (± 20°N). Moreover, CO2 ice clouds were preferentially detected at the observational LT range between 15–16 h in MY 29. However, observational biases prevent from distinguishing local time dependency from inter-annual variation. PFS also enables us to investigate the shape of mesospheric CO2 ice cloud spectral features in detail. In all cases, peaks were found between 4.240 and 4.265 μm. Relatively small secondary peaks were occasionally observed around 4.28 μm (8 occurrences). These spectral features cannot be reproduced using our radiative transfer model, which may be because the available CO2 ice refractive indices are inappropriate for the mesospheric temperatures of Mars, or because of the assumption in our model that the CO2 ice crystals are spherical and composed by pure CO2 ice.

Favorable fragmentation: river reservoirs can impede downstream expansion of riparian weeds

River valleys represent biologically rich corridors characterized by natural disturbances that create moist and barren sites suitable for colonization by native riparian plants, and also by weeds. Dams and reservoirs interrupt the longitudinal corridors and we hypothesized that this could restrict downstream weed expansion. To consider this "reservoir impediment" hypothesis we assessed the occurrences and abundances of weeds along a 315-km river valley corridor that commenced with an unimpounded reach of the Snake River and extended through Brownlee, Oxbow, and Hells Canyon reservoirs and dams, and downstream along the Snake River. Sampling along 206 belt transects with 3610 quadrats revealed 16 noxious and four invasive weed species. Ten weeds were upland plants, with Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) restricted to the upstream reaches, where field morning glory (Convolvulus arvensis) was also more common. In contrast, St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) was more abundant below the dams, and medusahead wildrye (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) occurred primarily along the reservoirs. All seven riparian species were abundant in the upstream zones but sparse or absent below the dams. This pattern was observed for the facultative riparian species, poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium), the obligate riparian, yellow nut sedge (Cyperus esculentus), the invasive perennial, reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), and three invasive riparian trees, Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa), and tamarisk (Tamarix spp.). The hydrophyte purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was also restricted to the upstream zone. These longitudinal patterns indicate that the reservoirs have impeded the downstream expansion of riparian weeds, and this may especially result from the repetitive draw-down and refilling of Brownlee Reservoir that imposes a lethal combination of drought and flood stress. The dams and reservoirs may also interrupt hydrochory, the downstream flow of seeds and clonal fragments. We thus conclude that with some operational patterns, dams and reservoirs can impede the downstream expansion of riparian weeds.

Mapping the mesospheric CO 2 clouds on Mars: MEx/OMEGA and MEx/HRSC observations and challenges for atmospheric models

This study presents the latest results on the mesospheric CO 2 clouds in the martian atmosphere based on observations by OMEGA and HRSC onboard Mars Express. We have mapped the mesospheric CO 2 clouds during nearly three martian years of OMEGA data yielding a cloud dataset of ∼60 occurrences. The global mapping shows that the equatorial clouds are mainly observed in a distinct longitudinal corridor, at seasons L s = 0–60° and again at and after L s = 90°. A recent observation shows that the equatorial CO 2 cloud season may start as early as at L s = 330°. Three cases of mesospheric midlatitude autumn clouds have been observed. Two cloud shadow observations enabled the mapping of the cloud optical depth ( τ = 0.01–0.6 with median values of 0.13–0.2 at λ = 1 μm) and the effective radii (mainly 1–3 μm with median values of 2.0–2.3 μm) of the cloud crystals. The HRSC dataset of 28 high-altitude cloud observations shows that the observed clouds reside mainly in the altitude range ∼60–85 km and their east–west speeds range from 15 to 107 m/s. Two clouds at southern midlatitudes were observed at an altitude range of 53–62 km. The speed of one of these southern midlatitude clouds was measured, and it exhibited west–east oriented speeds between 5 and 42 m/s. The seasonal and geographical distribution as well as the observed altitudes are mostly in line with previous work. The LMD Mars Global Climate Model shows that at the cloud altitude range (65–85 km) the temperatures exhibit significant daily variability (caused by the thermal tides) with the coldest temperatures towards the end of the afternoon. The GCM predicts the coldest temperatures of this altitude range and the season L s = 0–30° in the longitudinal corridor where most of the cloud observations have been made. However, the model does not predict supersaturation, but the GCM-predicted winds are in fair agreement with the HRSC-measured cloud speeds. The clouds exhibit variable morphologies, but mainly cirrus-type, filamented clouds are observed (nearly all HRSC observations and most of OMEGA observations). In ∼15% of OMEGA observations, clumpy, round cloud structures are observed, but very few clouds in the HRSC dataset show similar morphology. These observations of clumpy, cumuliform-type clouds raise questions on the possibility of mesospheric convection on Mars, and we discuss this hypothesis based on Convective Available Potential Energy calculations.

Extension of atmospheric dust loading to high altitudes during the 2001 Mars dust storm: MGS TES limb observations

Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) visible (solarband bolometer) and thermal infrared (IR) spectral limb observations from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) support quantitative profile retrievals for dust opacity and particle sizes during the 2001 global dust event on Mars. The current analysis considers the behavior of dust lifted to altitudes above 30 km during the course of this storm; in terms of dust vertical mixing, particle sizes, and global distribution. TES global maps of visible (solarband) limb brightness at 60 km altitude indicate a global-scale, seasonally evolving (over 190–240° solar longitudes, L S ) longitudinal corridor of vertically extended dust loading (which may be associated with a retrograde propagating, wavenumber 1 Rossby wave). Spherical radiative transfer analysis of selected limb profiles for TES visible and thermal IR radiances provide quantitative vertical profiles of dust opacity, indicating regional conditions of altitude-increasing dust mixing ratios. Observed infrared spectral ( λ = 5 – 40 μ m ) dependences and visible-to-infrared opacity ratios of dust scattering over 30–60 km altitudes indicate particle sizes characteristic of lower altitudes (cross-section weighted effective radius, r eff = 1.5 – 2.0 μ m ), during conditions of significant dust transport to these altitudes. Conditions of reduced dust loading at 30–60 km altitudes present smaller dust particle sizes ( r eff ∼ 0.5 – 1.0 μ m ) . These observations suggest rapid meridional transport at 30–80 km altitudes, with substantial longitudinal variation, of dust lifted to these altitudes over southern hemisphere atmospheric regions characterized by extraordinary (m/s) vertical advection velocities. By L S = 230 ° dust loading above 50 km altitudes decreased markedly at southern latitudes, with a high altitude (60–80 km) haze of fine (likely) water ice particles appearing over 10°S–40°N latitudes.

PFS/MEX observations of the condensing CO 2 south polar cap of Mars

The condensing CO 2 south polar cap of Mars and the mechanisms of the CO 2 ice accumulation have been studied through the analysis of spectra acquired by the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) during the first two years of ESA's Mars Express (MEX) mission. This dataset spans more than half a martian year, from Ls ∼ 330 ° to Ls ∼ 194 ° , and includes the southern fall season which is found to be extremely important for the study of the residual south polar cap asymmetry. The cap expands symmetrically and with constant speed during the fall season. The maximum extension occurs sometime in the 80°–90° Ls range, when the cap edges are as low as −40° latitude. Inside Hellas and Argyre basins, frost can be stable at lower latitudes due to the higher pressure values, causing the seasonal cap to be asymmetric. Within the seasonal range considered in this paper, the cap edge recession rate is approximately half the rate at which the cap edge expanded. The longitudinal asymmetries reduce during the cap retreat, and disappear around Ls ∼ 145 ° . Two different mechanisms are responsible for CO 2 ice accumulation during the fall season, especially in the 50°–70° Ls range. Here, CO 2 condensation in the atmosphere, and thus precipitation, is allowed exclusively in the western hemisphere, and particularly in the longitudinal corridor of the perennial cap. In the eastern hemisphere, the cap consists mainly of CO 2 frost deposits, as a consequence of direct vapor deposition. The differences in the nature of the surface ice deposits are the main cause for the residual south polar cap asymmetry. Results from selected PFS orbits have also been compared with the results provided by the martian general circulation model (GCM) of the Laboratoire de Météorologie dynamique (LMD) in Paris, with the aim of putting the observations in the context of the global circulation. This first attempt of cross-validation between PFS measurements and the LMD GCM on the one hand confirms the interpretation of the observations, and on the other hand shows that the climate modeling during the southern polar night on Mars is extremely sensitive to the dynamical forcing.

Spatio-temporal analysis of the relationship between WNV dissemination and environmental variables in Indianapolis, USA

BackgroundThis study developed a multi-temporal analysis on the relationship between West Nile Virus (WNV) dissemination and environmental variables by using an integrated approach of remote sensing, GIS, and statistical techniques. WNV mosquito cases in seven months (April-October) of the six years (2002–2007) were collected in Indianapolis, USA. Epidemic curves were plotted to identify the temporal outbreaks of WNV. Spatial-temporal analysis and k-mean cluster analysis were further applied to determine the high-risk areas. Finally, the relationship between environmental variables and WNV outbreaks were examined by using Discriminant Analysis.ResultsThe results show that the WNV epidemic curve reached its peak in August for all years in the study area except in 2007, where the peak was reached in July. WNV dissemination started from the central longitudinal corridor of the city and spread out to the east and west. Different years and seasons had different high-risk areas, but the southwest and southeast corners show the highest risk for WNV infection due to their high percentages of agriculture and water sources.ConclusionMajor environmental factors contributing to the outbreak of WNV in Indianapolis were the percentages of agriculture and water, total length of streams, and total size of wetlands. This study provides important information for urban public health prevention and management. It also contributes to the optimization of mosquito control and arrangement of future sampling efforts.

Use of Stable Isotope Methodology to Determine Natal Origins of Mallards at a Fine Scale Within the Upper Midwest

Abstract: Waterfowl managers often attempt to protect local breeding stocks of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from hunting pressure, but presently they cannot identify natal origins of birds shot during fall hunting seasons with certainty, unless recovered birds are banded before fledging. Accordingly, we examined whether stable isotope methodology could accurately delineate natal origins of mallards at a fine scale within the upper Midwest (USA). We determined δ13C, δD, and δ15N values from feather samples of 102 flightless mallard ducklings collected in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, USA, from 7 July to 9 September 2002. We detected inverse relationships between latitude and δ13C(R2 = 0.223) and δD(R2 = 0.210). We also detected a weak positive relationship between easterly shifts in longitude and δ13C(R2 = 0.067) and a weak negative relationship between easterly shifts in longitude and δ15N(R2 = 0.076). The 13C and deuterium values differed (P < 0.02) among states: North Dakota was most depleted in 13C, and South Dakota was least depleted in deuterium. Discriminant function analysis delineated natal origins of mallard ducklings in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin with low‐to‐moderate accuracy (47%), whereas we predicted natal origins of ducklings among subregions (Prairie [ND, SD] vs. Great Lakes [MN, WI] states) with moderate accuracy (72%). We conclude that stable isotope methodology has a limited ability to determine natal origins of migratory birds along a longitudinal corridor at fine scales but that it improves across ecoregions. However, the ability of deuterium to determine natal origins of migratory birds may vary as hydrological conditions, within and among areas, change throughout time. Researchers should account for annual variation in deuterium found in surface waters when investigating natal origins of migratory birds that use food derived primarily from these waters.

Determining the absolute orientation in a corridor using projective geometry and active vision

The capability of a mobile robot to determine its position in the environment (self-localization) is a prerequisite for achieving autonomous navigation. An approach is proposed for determining the absolute orientation of an autonomous robot in a system of corridors, based on the projective geometry and active computer vision. In the proposed approach, the common direction of longitudinal corridor edges is inferred by detecting the vanishing point of the corresponding straight line segments in the image. It is assumed that the knowledge about the vertical direction in the scene is available, so that the image coordinates of these vanishing points are considerably constrained. However, longitudinal corridor edges are not visible in images acquired for many viewing directions, so that the processing in a localization procedure has to be performed on a sequence of images acquired from the given position, for regularly arranged orientations of the camera. Extensive experimentation was performed on real scenes and the obtained results are provided.

Habitat integrity of running waters - assessment criteria and their biological relevance

Based upon well-known relations between abiotic and biotic components of river systems, habitat assessment can serve as an indirect procedure to evaluate the ecological integrity by demonstrating the degree of man-induced alterations of the physical environment. Detailed habitat analysis has been an integral part of aut- or synecological investigations in aquatic environments. In many countries, however, the assessment of the physical environment on a larger spatial scale has become a regular part of watershed management programmes. A primary methodological aspect of large-scale habitat assessment is the selection and definition of evaluation criteria specifically designed to identify key functions and processes of intact river systems. Therefore, special emphasis has to be given to integrative parameters, that reflect the spatial and temporal dynamics of running waters as well as the interactions between rivers and their wetlands. Four groups of evaluation criteria are discussed within the framework of their relevance for aquatic biocoenoses and their validity to identify severe human impacts on running water ecosystems: (1) discharge regime; (2) morphological character; (3) lateral connectivity and (4) longitudinal corridor.

Functional metabolic mapping during forelimb movement in rat. I. Stimulation of motor cortex

The quantitative 14C-deoxyglucose (DG) autoradiographic technique has been used to study changes in cerebral metabolism during forelimb movements induced by graded stimulation of motor cortex. Experiments were directed at studying basic physiologic and anatomic aspects of the metabolic changes. Single shocks caused movement without metabolic change, whereas low-frequency trains caused seizures. Repetitive high-frequency train stimuli of short duration (500 Hz for 20 msec) caused jerk movements coupled with DG uptake in pathways. With stimulation of the forelimb motor zone at frequencies of 15-30/min there was prominent activation of cortical columns and strips in ipsilateral SI, SII, and MII, and contralateral MI and SI. Higher frequencies (120/min) were required to cause significant changes in DG in subcortical circuits. The most prominent changes occurred within a longitudinal corridor in dorsal thalamus and a ventral corridor in second-order sites in basal ganglia. Metabolic activation also occurred in contralateral cerebellum, the cuneate nucleus, and dorsal horn of the cervical spinal cord. Changes in these latter two sites were largely eliminated by removing feedback sensory activity. Stimulation of the forelimb sensory zone activated different sites in caudatoputamen and thalamus but similar zones in midbrain and cerebellum. The magnitude of the metabolic response in distant sites depended on the frequency of cortical stimulation. Different frequency-response relationships in different sites seemed to reflect the nature of the cortical input as well as differential effects of anesthesia. The pattern of the metabolic response was studied by comparing sites of activation with sites of the anatomic projections from motor and sensory cortical zones. 3H- and 14C-labeled amino acids were used to map the site and relative strength of pathways. Results revealed good correlation between the site of anatomic projection and the site of DG uptake but no consistent relationship between the relative strength of a projection and the magnitude of metabolic change within its field. Changes in glucose utilization with metabolic mapping experiments depend on the nature, strength, and frequency of stimulation; the site and nature of anatomic projection; the effects of anesthesia; and the strength of sensory feedback associated with the induced behavior.

Spatial Innovations in the Chevet of Saint-Germain-des-Prés

The recent renovations on the interior and exterior of the chevet of Saint-Germain-des-Prés have revealed one of the more important and successful spatial experiments in early Gothic architecture. Identification of the original elements and precise analysis of their visual role in the chevet design reveal a pattern of progressive decorative enrichment culminating in the main vessel and clerestory, as well as a systematic definition of three different architectural spaces. Each chapel is articulated as a separate, centrally focused, individual unit of space, and the ambulatory is simultaneously a series of repeating units and a continuous longitudinal corridor of space. In the main vessel the individual architectural members are subordinated to the unity of this principal liturgical space. Finally, analysis confirms that the flying buttresses on the chevet exterior are later additions and not part of the original conception.