Presence Of Crossings Research Articles

A predictive screening tool to evaluate the efficiency of Z/E photoisomerizable molecular switches

The evaluation of the Z/E photoisomerization efficiency is an essential task to design photoactive molecular devices. Nevertheless, this photoreactivity can be correctly described only by applying extensive and expensive computational methods. In this study, a predictive tool to screen the photoinduced Z/E isomerization efficiency of molecular switches is presented, based on three key properties: the structure of the ground state minimum, the nature of the electronic transition populating the optically bright state, and the presence of crossings between the optically bright state and the one lower in energy. Our methodology allows evaluating these properties by few and affordable calculations, potentially enabling the screening of large sets of photoswitches. After presenting the formal aspects, the tool is applied to model systems of paradigmatic classes of photoswitches (retinal, green fluorescent protein, hemithioindigo, chiroptical, and stilbene compounds) including derivatives. A comparison with the available experimental data is performed to validate our approach.

Religion upon the Mountains: From Christianisation to Social Actions against Summit Crosses in Italy

In Italy, the debate regarding the presence of crosses and crucifixes in public places is long-standing and involves their detractors, supporters and defenders. Over time, these conflicting positions have gained media resonance, becoming a sociopolitical controversy that has led to lawsuits at various levels, including the European Court of Human Rights. In the social sphere, the issue has oscillated between the recognition of the universal value of religious symbols and advocacy for secularism, even in open spaces such as mountaintops. During the last few decades, several initiatives have been undertaken in the Italian Alps, driven by ecological concerns and opposition to the presence of crosses on the mountains. These initiatives have resulted in collective actions against the positioning and erection of crosses, and there have even been attempts to diversify the Italian peaks. By providing a historical overview of the Christianisation of Italian mountaintops and focusing on the mobilisation against the presence of crosses, this article contributes to the understanding of the role of such symbols in Italian public opinion, which is intertwined with the vitality of the Catholic Church and the sociopolitical implications of these initiatives. The research questions will investigate the process of legitimisation and delegitimisation of Christian symbols. The cross on the mountaintop serves as an example of culturalised religion, where this cultural object can become a “passive religious symbol,” polarising claims for the defence of the natural environment and the sustainability of religion in the mountains.

Automatic tractography and segmentation using finsler geometry based on higher-order tensor fields

Background and objective: We focus on three-dimensional higher-order tensorial (HOT) images using Finsler geometry. In biomedical image analysis, these images are widely used, and they are based on the diffusion profiles inside the voxels. The diffusion information is stored in the so-called diffusion tensor D. Our objective is to present new methods revealing the architecture of neural fibers in presence of crossings and high curvatures. After tracking the fibers, we achieve direct 3D image segmentation to analyse the brain’s white matter structures. Methods: To deal with the construction of the underlying fibers, the inverse of the second-order diffusion tensor D, understood as the metric tensor D−1, is commonly used in DTI modality. For crossing and highly curved fibers, higher order tensors are more relevant, but it is challenging to find an analogue of such an inverse in the HOT case. We employ an innovative approach to metrics based on higher order tensors to track the fibers properly. We propose to feed the tracked fibers as the internal initial contours in an efficient version of 3D segmentation. Results: We propose a brand-new approach to the inversion of a diffusion HOT, and an effective way of fiber tracking in the Finsler setting, based on innovative classification of the individual voxels. Thus, we can handle complex structures with high curvatures and crossings, even in the presence of noise. Based on our novel tractography approach, we also introduce a new segmentation method. We feed the detected fibers as the initial position of the contour surfaces to segment the image using a relevant active contour method (i.e., initiating the segmentation from inside the structures). Conclusions: This is a pilot work, enhancing methods for fiber tracking and segmentation. The implemented algorithms were successfully tested on both synthetic and real data. The new features make our algorithms robust and fast, and they allow distinguishing individual objects in complex structures, even under noise.

CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF POLYACRYLONITRILE BY HYDROXYLAMINE TO OBTAIN ION EXCHANGE SORBENTS

. Anion exchange fiber materials were obtained by modification of polyacrylonitrile fiber “Nitron” from hydroxylamine. It was shown by potentiometric titration and using of IR spectroscopy that obtained polymers have an amidoxym- and hydroxamic groups in composition. Influence of different parameters on the modification process was investigated and conditions of obtain of ionites with high exchanging volume and chemostability were determined. For impart of chemostability to fibers their modification was carried out in the presence of cross - linking agent - hydrazine. It was determined that reaction kinetics was described by parameters typical to heterophase processes and the investigated reaction has a first order by hydroxylamine concentrations

Modal Tracking Based on Group Theory

Issues in modal tracking in the presence of crossings and crossing avoidances between eigenvalue traces are solved via the theory of point groups. The von Neumann-Wigner theorem is used as a key factor in predictively determining mode behavior over arbitrary frequency ranges. The implementation and capabilities of the proposed procedure are demonstrated using characteristic mode decomposition as a motivating example. The procedure is, nevertheless, general and can be applied to an arbitrarily parametrized eigenvalue problems. A treatment of modal degeneracies is included and several examples are presented to illustrate modal tracking improvements and the immediate consequences of improper modal tracking. An approach leveraging a symmetry-adapted basis to accelerate computation is also discussed. A relationship between geometrical and physical symmetries is demonstrated on a practical example.

On the Occurrence of Crossings between the Angular Distributions of Electron Neutrinos and Antineutrinos in the Supernova Core

Abstract Neutrino fast pairwise conversions have been postulated to occur in the dense core of a core-collapse supernova (SN), possibly having dramatic consequences on the SN mechanism and the observable neutrino signal. One crucial condition favoring pairwise conversions is the presence of crossings between the electron neutrino and antineutrino angular distributions (i.e., electron neutrino lepton number crossings, ELN crossings). A stationary and spherically symmetric SN toy model is constructed to reproduce the development of the neutrino angular distributions in the dense SN core in the absence of perturbations induced by hydrodynamical instabilities. By iteratively solving the neutrino Boltzmann equations including the collisional term, our model predicts that ELN crossings can develop only in the proximity of the decoupling region and for a sharp radial evolution of the baryon density, when the electron neutrino and antineutrino number densities are comparable. Such conditions are likely to occur only in the late SN stages. Interestingly, flavor instabilities induced by spatial or temporal perturbations are unlikely to generate ELN crossings dynamically within our simplified setup.

H∞Optimization-based robust decoupling control algorithm in linear parameter varying systems using Hadamard weighting

This article proposes a novel gain scheduled control technique for a class of linear parameter varying (LPV) systems with main emphasis on reducing the cross coupling interaction in dynamics using the Hadamard weight. By employing the Hadamard and the conventional [Formula: see text] performance weighting, an extended [Formula: see text] closed loop norm LPV theorem is derived that involves traditional [Formula: see text] weights for input output shaping control and Hadamard weight for decoupling control. Furthermore, a robust dynamic output feedback gain scheduled control law is designed to solve the control optimization problem in the proposed theorem using the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. It is shown that the proposed theorem is suitable for the multivariable control of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) coupled non-linear systems. In particular, in presence of cross coupled dynamics, external disturbances, changing operating conditions and time varying parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is demonstrated in simulation as well as validated with experiments.

Effect of integration of bicyclists and pedestrians with transit in New Delhi

Traditionally, transportation mode shares in cities have been calculated separately for walking, bicycling and transit. However, it is well known that all transit trips have an access and egress component which is mostly executed through walking or bicycling. Hence, the choice of whether to choose transit for a particular trip depends as much on the walking or bicycling component of the trip as the transit component itself. A major source of inaccuracy in traditional mode share estimation models is the failure to identify this inherent dependence of transit trips on bicycling and walking. In New Delhi, where almost all access and egress trips for buses are made by bicycle/walking, the inaccuracies in mode share estimation could be more significant. This research aims to study behavioral effects of integrating bicycling and walking infrastructure with transit and provide predictions for outcomes of policy implementations modifying bicycle-to-transit or walk-to-transit environment in New Delhi. Four policy variables each are selected that affect pedestrian access to transit (sidewalk width, lighting, crossings and surrounding hygiene) and bicycle access to transit (bicycle lane, bicycle parking, bicycle sharing and on-board vehicle capacity) respectively. To gauge user behavior for hypothetical situations, stated preference survey data is collected through intercept surveys. 90 respondents were interviewed with upto 10 choice scenarios per individual with a total of 897 scenario responses (461 Pedestrian Infrastructure Scenarios +436 Bicycle Infrastructure Scenarios). Choice modelling is performed through a simple Multinomial Logit (MNL) model (in case there is no significant heterogeneity among individual preferences) and Random-Taste Mixed Logit model (to incorporate significant heterogeneity among various types of individual preferences). Modelling results showed that among pedestrian infrastructure, only presence of crossings could affect transit use and there is possibly significant heterogeneity in the population regarding use of sidewalks. Among bicycle infrastructure variables, presence of bicycle lanes and bicycle sharing is expected to positively impact transit use with no significant heterogeneity among the population. Finally, based on modelling results, three policy implementation scenarios are tested – presence of pedestrian crossings near all transit stops, introduction of bicycle lanes throughout the city and introduction of bicycle sharing system throughout the city. The scenario analysis shows possibility of considerable rise in transit mode share and GHG emission savings. This motivates further research to corroborate these findings with a larger sample, evaluation of viability of the ideas and possibly investigating implementation details.

Orthodontic Treatment Need of Austrian Schoolchildren in the Mixed Dentition Stage.

Malocclusal traits can impair dental health and aesthetical appearance. The index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) identifies the patients who benefit the most from orthodontic treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the malocclusion frequencies and the orthodontic treatment need among Austrian children in the mixed dentition stage, since there is no pre-existing data from Austria. In the present study, 157 children aged between 8 and 10 years were examined. Following an anamnesis questionnaire, which included a question about the parents' perceived treatment need, the children were examined clinically and dental impressions were taken. The sagittal molar relationship, overjet, overbite and the presence of cross- or scissor bite were registered. The treatment need was assessed using the dental health component (DHC) of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN). 64.3% (95% CI [56.8, 71.8]) of the children showed Angle class I molar relation, 33.1% (95% CI [25.8, 40.5]) class II and 2.5% (95% CI [0.1, 5.0]) Angle class III relation. Crossbite was found in 36.3% (95% CI [28.8, 43.8]) of the participants. A treatment need for medical reasons (IOTN 4 or 5) was found in 30.6% (95% CI [23.4, 37.8]). There was no statistically significant relationship between objective treatment need and the parents' perception. The malocclusion frequencies and the treatment need assessed in the present study appeared to be comparable to those assessed in other countries. The data supports the opinion that orthodontic screening is important and necessary at this stage of dental development, also due to the discordance between objective and perceived treatment need.

Planting the “great cross”: The Life, and Death, of Crosses in English America

From a world of confessional rivalry and religious war, the cross—a contested symbol in post-Reformation Europe—was brought to North America by English adventurers (Protestant and Catholic) and planted in new ground. How did an object saturated with centuries of Christian theological and liturgical controversy function in a land filled with its own spiritual presences? What meanings did crosses convey to the earliest colonists and the native peoples they encountered? Beginning with an exploration of the politics of the cross in England from the Reformation to the Republic, this article surveys the archival and archaeological record of the exploration and colonization of English America to track the cross's presence in North America. Crosses appear in a variety of sources, sometimes as targets of iconoclastic violence, sometimes as agents of conversion, and sometimes as treasured objects of devotion. As a public monument to England's Christian heritage, the cross did the work of empire much as it did in New Spain and New France; but as an unwelcome reminder of England's own religious battles, the cross was a destabilizing figure for natives and newcomers alike.

Comment on “On the numerical simulation of particle dynamics in the radiation belt. Part I: Implicit and semi‐implicit schemes” and “On the numerical simulation of particle dynamics in the radiation belt. Part II: Procedure based on the diagonalization of the diffusion tensor” by E. Camporeale et al.

Comment on “On the numerical simulation of particle dynamics in the radiation belt. Part I: Implicit and semi‐implicit schemes” and “On the numerical simulation of particle dynamics in the radiation belt. Part II: Procedure based on the diagonalization of the diffusion tensor” by E. Camporeale et al.

Sex differences in spatial memory using serial and search tasks

The present study assessed the spatial abilities of male and female human participants using different versions of the non-navigational Corsi block-tapping test (CBT) and a search task. Males performed significantly better than females on the standard manual version of the CBT; however, the standard CBT does not allow discrimination between spatial memory span and the role of spatial organisational factors (structure, path length and presence of crossings) in the sequences to recall. These organisational factors were assessed, therefore, in an experiment in which 7-block-sequences had to be recalled in a computerised version of the CBT. No sex differences in performance were observed on the computerised CBT, indicating that males do not make better use of spatial organisational principles. Accordingly, sex differences observed in the manual CBT are likely to rely upon differences in memory span between males and females. In the search task, participants could locate a goal by reference to a Euclidian space (the geometry of a virtual enclose) or to proximal non-geometric cues. Both male and female participants showed a preference for the non-geometric cues, which overshadowed learning about the geometric cues when the two sets were available simultaneously during the training stage. These results indicate that sex differences do exist in those tests which are dependent on memory span. Sex differences were absent, however, in spatial organisational skills or in the usage of Euclidian and egocentric strategies to solve problems relying on spatial ability.

Immunolocalization of Axin2 and p-Smad3 in Developing Rat Molar Germ

Wnt is involved in odontoblast and ameloblast differentiation and matrix protein expression in dentin and enamel, but there have been only a few reports on Axin2 in the Wnt signaling pathway. Axin2 promotes Smad3 activation in the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-s) signaling pathway, and the presence of cross- talk between the Wnt and TGF-s signaling pathways has been reported, but there have been no reports on that in odontogenic cells. Thus, we examined immunohistochemically the factors in the 2 signaling pathways using serial sections of rat first molar germ at embryonic day 19 and 10 days after birth to investigate whether there is cross-talk between the 2 signaling pathways through Axin2 and Smad3. Factors in the Wnt signaling pathway: Wnt10, Dishevelled (Dvl), and Axin2, and those in the TGF-s signaling pathway: TGF-s receptor 1 (TGF-s- R1), Smad3, and its active type, phosphorylated Smad3 (p-Smad3), showed similar immunoreactions; in detail, odontoblasts possessing secretory function, rather than dental papilla cells and preodontoblasts, and secretory- stage ameloblasts, rather than inner enamel epithelium, showed stronger reactions, whereas the reaction of maturation-stage ameloblasts was very weak. In addition, the reaction of Axin2 was completely consistent with that of pSmad3, and odontoblasts and secretory ameloblasts showed the strongest positive reactions. Accordingly, it was suggested that the TGF-s signaling pathway as well as Dvl- and Axin2-mediated Wnt10 signaling pathway may are involved in odontoblast and ameloblast differentiation and the secretory function of these cells. In addition, the reaction of Axin2 was completely consistent with that of pSmad3, and odontoblasts and secretory ameloblasts showed the strongest positive reactions, suggesting that a cross-talk between the 2 signaling pathways through Axin2 and Smad3 may be involved in the odontoblast and ameloblast differentiation and secretory function of these cells.

Nuwe tendense buite-om die erediens van die 21ste eeu. ʼn Beskrywende liturgie-historiese en hedendaagse verkenning

The main aim of this article is a description of both ancient and nascent ritual-liturgical developments and to ask the question whether these descriptions can assist in identifying possible worship trends in years to come. In order to focus the inquiry the article looks at the presence of crosses within the context of worship settings, but mainly as these rituals are performed outside of the traditional spaces of Sunday morning worship and church buildings. The two settings which form the focus of this article are firstly the early Medieval period in the history of liturgy and secondly the current South African ritual landscape. These descriptions are valuable for liturgical studies in South Africa as an attempt at answering the basic practical theological question, namely “what is going on?” Only after an attempt at answering this first question can the second question be posed, namely “why is this going on?” The article concludes with some preliminary observations with regards to the latter question which could serve as a preliminary attempt at identifying future worship trends.

English

Polymer blends were prepared in the presence and absence of cross linking agent like glutaraldehyde. Ternary blends were prepared by mixing of carboxymethyl cellulose, chitosan and starch, in the various ratios in presence and absence of the cross linking agent like glutaraldehyde. The characterization of various polymeric blends were carried out by advanced analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained results of IR studies reveal the presence of cross linking between the polymers and cross linking agents. From the results of DSC and TGA it was concluded that the blend prepared with glutaraldehyde as a cross linking agent was found to be highly thermally stable. The present study reveals that the polymer blends are very strong in the presence of cross linking agent than in the absence of cross linking agent. The results are discussed.

Parameter condition for global asymptotic stability of FAST TCP in the presence of cross traffics

We consider the global asymptotic stability of FAST TCP in the presence of cross traffics as well as network feedback delays. Based on a continuous-time dynamic model that describes the FAST TCP source and the queuing delay dynamics with cross traffics, we achieve a sufficient condition for the global asymptotic stability. The sufficient condition is expressed in terms of the tuning parameter α independently of the update gain γ. The simulation results demonstrate the validity of the sufficient condition for the global asymptotic stability of FAST TCP.

Impacts of Road Crossings on Fish Movement and Community Structure

ABSTRACT We quantified the impact of four commonly used road crossings (bridge, arch culvert, box culvert, and pipe culvert) on stream fish community structure and movement in the Piedmont region of the Cape Fear River basin of North Carolina, USA during summer 2004. We focused on non-perched crossings, which did not present a physical barrier to fish movement. With the exception of species richness, all response variables (fish population size, species diversity, fish index of biotic integrity, and conditional percentage of movement) did not vary significantly with crossing type, position (upstream and downstream), or month. Streams with arch culverts contained significantly higher species richness than streams with bridges. The general lack of stream fish abundance and diversity responses to road crossings may be due to the insensitivity of stream fish community variables to anthropogenic effects, the insensitivity of fish communities to the presence of crossings, the overall resilience of fish communities, or the shifting baseline theory (fish communities having shifted to a different community prior to sampling). Triple-pass electrofishing results suggest that these road crossings had no detectable effect on fish abundance or diversity.

The Impact of Path Crossing on Visuo-Spatial Serial Memory: Encoding or Rehearsal Effect?

The determinants of visuo-spatial serial memory have been the object of little research, despite early evidence that not all sequences are equally remembered. Recently, empirical evidence was reported indicating that the complexity of the path formed by the to-be-remembered locations impacted on recall performance, defined for example by the presence of crossings in the path formed by successive locations (Parmentier, Elford, & Maybery, 2005). In this study, we examined whether this effect reflects rehearsal or encoding processes. We examined the effect of a retention interval and spatial interference on the ordered recall of spatial sequences with and without path crossings. Path crossings decreased recall performance, as did a retention interval. In line with the encoding hypothesis, but in contrast with the rehearsal hypothesis, the effect of crossing was not affected by the retention interval nor by tapping. The possible nature of the impact of path crossing on encoding mechanisms is discussed.

Determination of cross over effects in lattice models from the local height difference distribution

Growth of interfaces during vapor deposition is analyzed on a discrete lattice. It leads to finding distribution of local heights, measurable for any lattice model. Invariance in the change of this distribution in time is used to determine the cross over effects in various models. The analysis is applied to the discrete linear growth equation and Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation. A new model is devised that shows early convergence to the KPZ dynamics. Various known conservative and non conservative models are tested on a one dimensional substrate by comparing the growth results with the exact KPZ and linear growth equation results. The comparison helps in establishing the condition that determines the presence of cross over effect for the given model. The new model is used in (2+1) dimensions to predict close to the true value of roughness constant for KPZ equation.

32] In situ electron microscopy of amyloid deposits in tissues

Publisher Summary Amyloidosis is a widespread multiform disorder, and amyloids are proteinaceous usually extracellular tissue deposits characterized by positive Congo red staining, red–green birefringence of Congo red-stained tissues under polarized light, and the presence of cross β molecular conformation as detected by X-ray diffraction. Ultrastructurally they are composed mainly of assemblies of fibrils approximately 10 nm in diameter. Fibrils of various types of amyloid have been observed in the electron microscope both in situ in the tissue as well as after isolation. Although all amyloids have the same structural and tinctorial properties, they are quite diverse chemically, with each form of protein being associated with a specific disease or pathological process. More detailed examinations of the ultrastructure and composition of the fibrils in situ have been done in laboratories by means of high-resolution electron microscopy and ultrastructural immunohistochemical labeling. Because amyloid deposits are composed mainly of “amyloid fibrils,” high-resolution ultrastructural characterization of these fibrils in situ is the main subject of this chapter.