Search results for "Processes"
showing 10 items of 3831 documents
Millstone coastal quarries of the Mediterranean: A new class of sea level indicator
2014
The coasts of Italy still preserve several remnants of coastal quarries built in antiquity, that now provide insights into the intervening sea-level changes occurred during the last millennia. In this paper, we show and discuss a new class of sea level indicator consisting of millstones carved along the rocky coast of southern Italy since 2500 BP, that are currently submerged. They were extracted from beachrocks, sandstones or similar sedimentary rocks, easier for carving by ancient carving tools. Our study focuses on 10 coastal sites located at Capo d'Orlando, Avola, and Letojanni, in Sicily; Soverato, Tropea, and Capo dell'Armi, in Calabria; Castellabate, Palinuro, and Scario, in Campania…
A modified applicative criterion of the physical model concept for evaluating plot soil erosion predictions
2015
Abstract In this paper, the physical model concept by Nearing (1998. Catena 32: 15–22) was assessed. Soil loss data collected on plots of different widths (2–8 m), lengths (11–44 m) and steepnesses (14.9–26.0%), equipped in south and central Italy, were used. Differences in width between plots of given length and steepness determined a lower data correlation and more deviation of the fitted regression line from the identity one. A coefficient of determination between measured, M , and predicted, P , soil losses of 0.77 was representative of the best-case prediction scenario, according to Nearing (1998). The relative differences, Rdiff = ( P − M ) / ( P + M ), decreased in absolute value a…
Out of fuzzy chemistry: from prebiotic chemistry to metabolic networks
2012
The origin of life on Earth was a chemical affair. So how did primitive biochemical systems originate from geochemical and cosmochemical processes on the young planet? Contemporary research into the origins of life subscribes to the Darwinian principle of material causes operating in an evolutionary context, as advocated by A. I. Oparin and J. B. S. Haldane in the 1920s. In its simplest form (e.g., a bacterial cell) extant biological complexity relies on the functional integration of metabolic networks and replicative genomes inside a lipid boundary. Different research programmes have explored the prebiotic plausibility of each of these autocatalytic subsystems and combinations thereof: sel…
A Formalism Supplementing Cognitive Semantics Based on Mereology
2007
ABSTRACT This paper is motivated by and aims to supplement Cognitive Semantics. Details of this latter prominent approach within contemporary linguistic research will not be discussed here. Rather, we focus on a formalization of the concept of Gestalt and provide a formal semantics that can be used to interpret a certain formal language (LM 0) with respect to a universe of structured wholes (Gestalts). Since a great deal of the analyses of linguistic organization that has been provided by Cognitive Semantics since the mid-1970s is based on the concept of Gestalt, the semantics unfolded in the following may be viewed as an attempt to provide a starting point for supplementing the yet informa…
Modeling Developmental Processes in Psychology
2013
In the present article I suggest first that modeling in psychology can be described as an interactive process between a phenomenon under study (reality) and different levels of theoretical conceptualizations that vary in respect to how directly they can be related to empirical observations and at what level of generalization they operate. Then, I give three examples of my own work concerning building theories and testing models. Next, I discuss some caveats scientists face when building theories and models on the basis of their observations. Finally, I make a few conclusions on the basis of the article. peerReviewed
How complex is the evolution of small mammal communities during the Late Glacial in southwest France?
2016
11 pages; International audience; The Late Glacial was a slow gradual warming associated with short, cold events that occurred between 18.0 and 11.7 ka cal. BP. Pollen analyses from deep-sea and lacustrine cores have well documented the evolution of floral communities in western Europe and suggest that climatic fluctuations influenced the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the exact impact of these climate changes on small faunal communities in southwest France is still poorly documented. Peyrazet Cave is an archaeological site located in the Lot (France) that has been excavated since 2008 and has yielded a Late Glacial sequence dated between 15.5 and 11.1 ka cal. BP. Thousands o…
Proliferation state and polo-like kinase1 dependence of tumorigenic colon cancer cells.
2012
Abstract Tumor-initiating cells are responsible for tumor maintenance and relapse in solid and hematologic cancers. Although tumor-initiating cells were initially believed to be mainly quiescent, rapidly proliferating tumorigenic cells were found in breast cancer. In colon cancer, the proliferative activity of the tumorigenic population has not been defined, although it represents an essential parameter for the development of more effective therapeutic strategies. Here, we show that tumorigenic colon cancer cells can be found in a rapidly proliferating state in vitro and in vivo, both in human tumors and mouse xenografts. Inhibitors of polo-like kinase1 (Plk1), a mitotic kinase essential fo…
Tonically Active Neurons in the Monkey Striatum are Sensitive to Sensory Events in a Manner that Reflects their Predictability in Time
2002
It is now well established that tonically active neurons (TANs) in the monkey striatum respond to motivationally relevant sensory events, such as conditioned stimuli to which the animal had to react correctly to obtain reward. Recent findings obtained in our laboratory suggested that stimulus prediction may influence the responsiveness of the TANs. In the present study we specifically investigated the effects of temporal aspects of prediction on the responses of single TANs recorded both in the caudate nucleus and putamen of two macaque monkeys. Three different behavioral situations were employed: (1) an instrumental task, in which a visual stimulus triggering a rewarded movement was preced…
Early development of filial preferences in the rabbit: implications of nursing- and pheromone-induced odour learning?
2008
Newborn rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, discriminate between different categories of adult conspecifics on the basis of their abdominal odour cues. Whether these cues can support the development of filial preferences has not been adequately tested. Using a two-choice paradigm, we assessed the ability of 3–8-day-old pups to orient selectively to the mother versus an unfamiliar female, either spontaneously or after odour conditioning. In experiment 1, nonconditioned pups roamed indifferently over the mother and an unfamiliar female. In experiment 2, pups conditioned to a neutral odorant while nursing or with the mammary pheromone became attracted by the odorant. In experiment 3, pups that had…
Costly punishment prevails in intergroup conflict.
2011
Understanding how societies resolve conflicts between individual and common interests remains one of the most fundamental issues across disciplines. The observation that humans readily incur costs to sanction uncooperative individuals without tangible individual benefits has attracted considerable attention as a proximate cause as to why cooperative behaviours might evolve. However, the proliferation of individually costly punishment has been difficult to explain. Several studies over the last decade employing experimental designs with isolated groups have found clear evidence that the costs of punishment often nullify the benefits of increased cooperation, rendering the strong human tenden…