scholarly journals The neural selection and the emergence of ‘beauty canons’ as signaling codes in co-evolving species

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Formenti
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Fast Recognition ◽  
History Of ◽  
Flower Evolution ◽  
Sexual Traits ◽  
Neural Selection

Widespread opinion wants beauty to be pleasant and aimless, this assumption biased Darwin's explanation of sexual selection. Conversely, Wallace hypothesized that showy and symmetric sexual traits correlate with vigor and health and he placed ‘aesthetic’ preferences within the natural selection. The controversy has continued until today. To understand the role of beauty canons in communication, the focus was on the flower-pollinator cooperative system as a model, were flower evolution embodies the natural history of pollinators' preferences.Optimum for a signal requires energy efficiency, high signal-to-noise ratio, and intelligibility. It involves pollinator perception mechanisms that, in turn, induce co-evolutionary feedback on signal traits. In fact, the flowers physical and hedonic properties correlate with the basic perceptual, motivational, emotional, and learning mechanisms of pollinators. It is proposed that pollinator behavior, unmasking a preference, reveals the ability to evaluate an expected benefit. Features such as a relative simplicity, redundancy, and regularity of stimuli facilitate perception and memorization and are essential elements for communication between co-evolving species. They improve signaling to satisfy the need for easy and fast recognition. With these properties, a stimulus is adaptive and rewarding per se and may be an ideal conditioned stimulus in associative learning. Among the most conspicuous signals, pollinators learn to recognize and choose those associated with nectar, thus favoring the evolution of flowers that are not only ‘beautiful’ but also ‘honest’ in reporting a reward. Beauty is an emergent property, and studying communication and perception we may understand the origin of some beauty canons.

Flexoelectricity in Bulk and Nanoscale Polar and Non-Polar Dielectrics

2015 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 213-233
Author(s):  
Ashok Kumar ◽  
Hitesh Borkar
Keyword(s):  
Strain Gradient ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Basic Mechanism ◽  
Dielectric Materials ◽  
Device Fabrication ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Nanoscale Materials ◽  
Epitaxial Thin Films ◽  
History Of

Piezoelectricity (PE) is defined as the polarization under homogeneous application of stress on polar/non-centrosymmetry/no-inversion symmetry dielectrics, whereas it has been commonly accepted that flexoelectricity (FLX) is the induced polarization due to strain gradient in any polar/nonpolar dielectrics, the latter effect is universal and can be generated in any materials under inhomogeneous stress. Flexoelectricity is inversely proportional to the size of materials and devices which further suggests that giant FLX effects may develop in nanoscale materials. Flexoelectricity represents the polarization due to strain gradient and have significant effects on the functional properties of nanoscale materials, epitaxial thin films, one-dimensional structure with various shape and size, liquid crystals, polymers, nanobio-hybrid materials, etc. Till late sixties, very few works on flexoelectricity have been reported due to very weak magnitude compared to piezoelectricity. Advancement in nanoscale materials and device fabrication process and highly sophisticated electronics with detection of data with high signal to noise ratio lead the scientists/researchers to get several orders of higher flexoelectric coefficients compared to the proposed theoretical limits. Recently, giant FLX have been observed in nanoscale materials and their magnitudes are six to seven orders larger than the theoretical limits. In this review article, we describe the basic mechanism of flexoelectricity, brief history of discovery, theoretical modeling, experimental procedures, and results reported by several authors for bulk and nanoscale ferroelectric and dielectric materials.

scholarly journals The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. A227 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Abia ◽  
H. M. Tabernero ◽  
S. A. Korotin ◽  
D. Montes ◽  
E. Marfil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Heavy Elements ◽  
High Signal ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Near Infrared Spectra ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

Due to their ubiquity and very long main-sequence lifetimes, abundance determinations in M dwarfs provide a powerful and alternative tool to GK dwarfs to study the formation and chemical enrichment history of our Galaxy. In this study, abundances of the neutron-capture elements Rb, Sr, and Zr are derived, for the first time, in a sample of nearby M dwarfs. We focus on stars in the metallicity range − 0.5 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ +0.3, an interval poorly explored for Rb abundances in previous analyses. To do this we use high-resolution, high-signal-to-noise-ratio, optical and near-infrared spectra of 57 M dwarfs observed with CARMENES. The resulting [Sr/Fe] and [Zr/Fe] ratios for most M dwarfs are almost constant at about the solar value, and are identical to those found in GK dwarfs of the same metallicity. However, for Rb we find systematic underabundances ([Rb/Fe] < 0.0) by a factor two on average. Furthermore, a tendency is found for Rb – but not for other heavy elements (Sr, Zr) – to increase with increasing metallicity such that [Rb/Fe] ≳ 0.0 is attained at metallicities higher than solar. These are surprising results, never seen for any other heavy element, and are difficult to understand within the formulation of the s- and r-processes, both contributing sources to the Galactic Rb abundance. We discuss the reliability of these findings for Rb in terms of non-LTE (local thermodynamic equilibrium) effects, stellar activity, or an anomalous Rb abundance in the Solar System, but no explanation is found. We then interpret the full observed [Rb/Fe] versus [Fe/H] trend within the framework of theoretical predictions from state-of-the-art chemical evolution models for heavy elements, but a simple interpretation is not found either. In particular, the possible secondary behaviour of the [Rb/Fe] ratio at super-solar metallicities would require a much larger production of Rb than currently predicted in AGB stars through the s-process without overproducing Sr and Zr.

scholarly journals A New Method for Measuring the Detailed Chemical Composition of Globular Clusters from High-Resolution, Integrated-Light Spectra

2002 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 739-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Bernstein ◽  
Andrew McWilliam
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Individual Stars ◽  
Light Spectra ◽  
History Of ◽  
Detailed Chemical

We are developing a method for measuring the detailed chemical composition and evolutionary history of extragalactic star clusters from high resolution spectra of their integrated light as one would from spectra of individual stars. In this paper, we show high signal-to-noise ratio echelle spectra of the integrated light of two Galactic globular clusters and equivalent-quality spectra of individual stars in those clusters in order to briefly illustrate some subtleties of the analysis method.

scholarly journals Essence and Specifics of the Magistrate’s Court and Conciliation Proceedings

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 68-82
Author(s):  
Mihail Mateev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Essential Elements ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Judicial Practice ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Republic

Introduction. The article is an attempt at a theoretical understanding of the following con- cepts: conciliation procedures, magistrate’s courts and magistrate’s justice. The research aims to analyse the genesis and nature of the models of magistrate’s justice that have de- veloped in the practice of national legal systems, and in particular in the judicial practice of the Republic of Bulgaria. Theoretical Basis. Methods. The article provides a brief historical and comparative legal analysis of well-known models of magistrate’s justice. These include foreign legislations, and countries belonging to the continental legal family and the countries of the Anglo-Saxon legal family. This made it possible to assess the diversity of the essential elements of the institute of magistrate’s justice, and highlight their main models. Results. Based on the study of the place and role of justices of the peace in the judicial sys- tem, the author concluded that there is an emergence of justice according to the principles established during the thousand-year history of the development of justice in Europe. The classification of the types of magistrate’s justice has been carried out. Alternative methods of dispute resolution, conciliation and litigation in the resolution of disputes are also con- sidered. Discussion and Conclusion. Scientific conclusions are formulated concerning the legal na- ture of the analyzed institution, and its place in the justice system.

scholarly journals Ionization-driven intrinsic absorption line variability of BAL quasars in the Stripe 82 region

2019 ◽  
Vol 486 (2) ◽  
pp. 2379-2396 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Vivek
Keyword(s):  
Absorption Line ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Sloan Digital Sky Survey ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Broad Absorption Line ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
Saturation Effects ◽  
The Continuum

Abstract We investigate the connection between the intrinsic C iv absorption line variability and the continuum flux changes of broad absorption line (BAL) quasars using a sample of 78 sources in the Stripe 82 region. The absorption trough variability parameters are measured using the archival multi-epoch spectroscopic data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and the continuum flux variability parameters are estimated from the photometric light curves obtained by the SDSS and the Catalina Real-Time Survey surveys. We find evidence for weak correlations (ρs ∼ 0.3) between the intrinsic C iv absorption line variability and the quasar continuum variability for the final sample of 78 BAL quasars. The correlation strengths improve (ρs ∼ 0.5) for the ‘high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)’ sample sources that have higher spectral SNR. Using two subsets of the high-SNR sample differing on the absorption trough depth, we find that the shallow-trough subset shows an even stronger correlation (ρs ∼ 0.6), whereas the deep-trough subset does not show any correlation between the absorption line variability and the continuum variability. These results point to the important role of saturation effects in the correlation between the absorption line variability and the continuum variability of BAL quasars. Considering other effects that can also smear the correlation, we conclude that the actual correlation between the absorption line and continuum variability is even stronger.

scholarly journals Democratic Practice and Good Governance In Nepal

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 18-35
Author(s):  
Girdhari Dahal
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Democratic Movement ◽  
Independent Judiciary ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of

Nepal was declared Federal Democratic Republic after the mass movement of 2006, which was institutionalized by the Constitution of Nepal promulgated through Constitutional Assembly (CA) in 2015. The Constitution of Nepal is the people’s constitution. It was a dream of people to draft their constitution from CA since 1951. Nepal has a long history of democratic movements. Democratic movements in Nepal started from the period of autocratic Rana regime back in 1940s. Nepal Praja Parisad (the first political party of Nepal) had started organized democratic movement in Nepal. Thereafter many democratic movements and revolutions took place for the establishment of federal democratic republic Nepal. Democracy and good governance are closely interrelated to one another. Democracy is called the rule of law. Legitimate government, transparent rule, accountability to the people, free and fair election, independent judiciary, and fundamental rights and duties of the people are the essential elements of good governance as well as democracy. The main objective of this paper is to explore democratic movements and the concept of good governance in Nepal. The paper also tries to analyze the role of democratic movements for democracy and the relation between democracy and good governance in Nepal.Journal of Political Science. Vol. 17, 2017, Page: 18-35

Ashkenazi Pentateuchal Chant: A Sixteenth-Century German-Christian Interpretation

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-69
Author(s):  
Alexander Knapp
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Live Performance ◽  
Written Form ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Made In

Abstract Much attention has been given to the pioneering achievements of the Christian Hebraists of the sixteenth century in transcribing the essential elements of traditional Torah chant into Western musical notation. One of these transcriptions, however, is unique. Johannes Reuchlin’s De Accentibus et Orthographia Linguae Hebraicae of 1518 contains not only the ‘accents of biblical recitation’ themselves, but also a complete four-part harmonization of these tropes by one of Reuchlin’s students, Christoph Schilling, in the German choral style of the period. Although Schilling’s arrangement of the individual accents has been mentioned in passing by numerous scholars, it has never been published in a modern edition, nor applied to the actual practice of chanting biblical texts. In this article, I discuss some of the general background to cantillation, accentuation, and the role of the German Humanists in preserving this oral tradition in written form. Comparisons between sixteenth-century and twentieth-century biblical chant are made in relation to the melodic and harmonic characteristics of Schilling’s notation, and this leads to an assessment of some of the problems concerning the realization of these raw materials for ‘live’ performance. Three short extracts from the Pentateuch are then presented as working examples based upon Schilling’s arrangement. In conclusion, the possible motives and intentions behind this intercultural phenomenon will be considered, as will its significance in the long history of Judeo-Christian syncretism in music.

scholarly journals O mistério do chamado. Questões sobre a formação do candidato ao presbiterado

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (286) ◽  
pp. 330
Author(s):  
João Da Silva Mendonça Filho
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Constructive Dialogue ◽  
Monitoring Process ◽  
History Of ◽  
Affective Experiences

O autor apresenta os elementos essenciais das Diretrizes sobre a formação dos presbíteros da Igreja no Brasil, a partir do amadurecimento do candidato. Trata-se de uma leitura sincrônica, na busca do diálogo construtivo entre Teologia, Sociologia, Antropologia, Psicologia e Pastoral, sempre na consideração de que o protagonismo do candidato ao presbiterado não pode ser atropelado pela ânsia de atender a seus desejos, que devem ser cultivados como âncora para seu discernimento. O processo decisional tem sua base na pessoa e desenvolve-se com elementos estruturais da história do candidato, das vivências humanoafetivo-sexuais, das experiências eclesiais e das mediações do chamado, formando assim a base do acompanhamento.Abstract: The author presents the essential elements of the Guidelines for the training of priests in the Brazilian Church, beginning with the process that will lead to the candidate’s maturity. This is a synchronic reading that seeks a constructive dialogue between Theology, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Pastoral, always having in mind that the importance of the role of the candidate to priesthood must not be damaged by the urge to meet his desires; on the contrary, these must be cultivated as an anchor for his learning. The decision-making process has its basis on the person and is developed using the structural elements of the candidate’s history, of his human-sexual-affective experiences, of the ecclesial experiences and those of the mediations of the calling that together will form the basis for the monitoring process.

Elaborating the role of reflection and individual differences in the study of folk-economic beliefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Arceneaux
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
History Of ◽  
Economic Beliefs

AbstractIntuitions guide decision-making, and looking to the evolutionary history of humans illuminates why some behavioral responses are more intuitive than others. Yet a place remains for cognitive processes to second-guess intuitive responses – that is, to be reflective – and individual differences abound in automatic, intuitive processing as well.

The role of a family history of adenocarcinomas in patients with Barrett oesophagus

2001 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. A442-A442
Author(s):  
P TSIBOURIS ◽  
M HENDRICKSE ◽  
P ISAACS
Keyword(s):  
Family History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Barrett Oesophagus
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