ABSTRACT
High‐resolution monthly precipitation climatologies for Italy are presented. They are based on 1961–1990 precipitation normals obtained from a quality‐controlled dataset of 6134 stations ...covering the Italian territory and part of the Northern neighbouring regions. The climatologies are computed by means of two interpolation methods modelling the precipitation‐elevation relationship at a local level, more precisely a local weighted linear regression (LWLR) and a local regression kriging (RK) are performed. For both methods, local optimisations are also applied in order to improve model performance. Model results are compared with those provided by two other widely used interpolation methods which do not consider elevation in modelling precipitation distribution: ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting. Even though all the four models produce quite reasonable results, LWLR and RK show the best agreement with the observed station normals and leave‐one‐out‐estimated mean absolute errors ranging from 5.1 mm (July) to 11 mm (November) for both models. Their better performances are even clearer when specific clusters of stations (e.g. high‐elevation sites) are considered. Even though LWLR and RK provide very similar results both at station and at grid point level, they show some peculiar features. In particular, LWLR is found to have a better extrapolation ability at high‐elevation sites when data density is high enough, while RK is more robust in performing extrapolation over areas with complex orography and scarce data coverage, where LWLR may provide unrealistic precipitation values. However, by means of prediction intervals, LWLR provides a more straightforward approach to quantify the model uncertainty at any point of the study domain, which helps to identify the areas mainly affected by model instability. LWLR and RK high‐resolution climatologies exhibit a very heterogeneous and seasonal‐dependent precipitation distribution throughout the domain and allow to identify the main climatic zones of Italy.
The paper presents high‐resolution monthly precipitation climatologies for Italy. They are computed by means of two interpolation methods modelling the precipitation‐elevation relationship at a local level: local weighted linear regression (LWLR) and regression kriging (RK). The monthly errors turn out to range from 5 mm to 11 mm for both models. LWLR shows a better extrapolation ability at high‐elevated sites, while RK is preferable over areas with complex orography and scarce data coverage, where LWLR may provide unrealistic precipitation values.
An important problem in the control of locomotion of robots with multiple degrees of freedom (e.g., biomimetic robots) is to adapt the locomotor patterns to the properties of the environment. This ...article addresses this problem for the locomotion of an amphibious snake robot, and aims at identifying fast swimming and crawling gaits for a variety of environments. Our approach uses a locomotion controller based on the biological concept of central pattern generators (CPGs) together with a gradient-free optimization method, Powell's method. A key aspect of our approach is that the gaits are optimized online, i.e., while moving, rather than as an off-line optimization process. We present various experiments with the real robot and in simulation: swimming, crawling on horizontal ground, and crawling on slopes. For each of these different situations, the optimized gaits are compared with the results of systematic explorations of the parameter space. The main outcomes of the experiments are: 1) optimal gaits are significantly different from one medium to the other; 2) the optimums are usually peaked, i.e., speed rapidly becomes suboptimal when the parameters are moved away from the optimal values; 3) our approach finds optimal gaits in much fewer iterations than the systematic search; and 4) the CPG has no problem dealing with the abrupt parameter changes during the optimization process. The relevance for robotic locomotion control is discussed.
We realize a photonic analog simulator of the quantum Rabi model, based on light transport in femtosecond-laser-written waveguide superlattices, which provides an experimentally accessible test bed ...to explore the physics of light-matter interaction in the deep strong coupling regime. Our optical setting enables us to visualize dynamical regimes not yet accessible in cavity or circuit quantum electrodynamics, such as the bouncing of photon number wave packets in parity chains of Hilbert space.
In this paper, we present Salamandra robotica II: an amphibious salamander robot that is able to walk and swim. The robot has four legs and an actuated spine that allow it to perform anguilliform ...swimming in water and walking on the ground. The paper first presents the new robot hardware design, which is an improved version of Salamandra robotica I. We then address several questions related to body-limb coordination in robots and animals that have a sprawling posture like salamanders and lizards, as opposed to the erect posture of mammals (e.g., in cats and dogs). In particular, we investigate how the speed of locomotion and curvature of turning motions depend on various gait parameters such as the body-limb coordination, the type of body undulation (offset, amplitude, and phase lag of body oscillations), and the frequency. Comparisons with animal data are presented, and our results show striking similarities with the gaits observed with real salamanders, in particular concerning the timing of the body's and limbs' movements and the relative speed of locomotion.
From fashion sketches of smartly dressed Shanghai dandies in the 1920s, to multipanel drawings of refugee urbanites during the war against Japan, to panoramic pictures of anti-American propaganda ...rallies in the early 1950s, the polymorphic cartoon-style art known as manhua helped define China's modern experience. Manhua Modernity offers a richly illustrated, deeply contextualized analysis of these illustrations across the lively pages of popular pictorial magazines that entertained, informed, and mobilized a nation through a half century of political and cultural transformation. In this compelling media history, John Crespi argues that manhua must be understood in the context of the pictorial magazines that hosted them, and in turn these magazines must be seen as important mediators of the modern urban experience. Even as times changed—from interwar-era consumerism to war-time mobilization to Mao-style propaganda—the art form adapted to stay on the cutting edge of both politics and style.
We introduce and experimentally demonstrate a class of surface bound states with algebraic decay in a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice. Such states have an energy embedded in the spectrum of ...scattered states and are structurally stable against perturbations of lattice parameters. Experimental demonstration of surface states with algebraic localization is presented in an array of evanescently coupled optical waveguides with tailored coupling rates.
Solanezumab and Crenezumab are two humanized antibodies targeting Amyloid-β (Aβ) which are currently tested in multiple clinical trials for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is a ...scientific discussion ongoing about the target engagement of these antibodies. Here, we report the immunohistochemical staining profiles of biosimilar antibodies of Solanezumab, Crenezumab and Bapineuzumab in human formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and human fresh frozen tissue. Furthermore, we performed a direct comparative immunohistochemistry analysis of the biosimilar versions of the humanized antibodies in different mouse models including 5XFAD, Tg4-42, TBA42, APP/PS1KI, 3xTg. The staining pattern with these humanized antibodies revealed a surprisingly similar profile. All three antibodies detected plaques, cerebral amyloid angiopathy and intraneuronal Aβ in a similar fashion. Remarkably, Solanezumab showed a strong binding affinity to plaques. We also reaffirmed that Bapineuzumab does not recognize N-truncated or modified Aβ, while Solanezumab and Crenezumab do detect N-terminally modified Aβ peptides Aβ4–42 and pyroglutamate Aβ3–42. In addition, we compared the results with the staining pattern of the mouse NT4X antibody that recognizes specifically Aβ4–42 and pyroglutamate Aβ3–42, but not full-length Aβ1–42. In contrast to the biosimilar antibodies of Solanezumab, Crenezumab and Bapineuzumab, the murine NT4X antibody shows a unique target engagement. NT4X does barely cross-react with amyloid plaques in human tissue. It does, however, detect cerebral amyloid angiopathy in human tissue. In Alzheimer mouse models, NT4X detects intraneuronal Aβ and plaques comparable to the humanized antibodies. In conclusion, the biosimilar antibodies Solanezumab, Crenezumab and Bapineuzumab strongly react with amyloid plaques, which are in contrast to the NT4X antibody that hardly recognizes plaques in human tissue. Therefore, NT4X is the first of a new class of therapeutic antibodies.
Bapineuzumab is a humanized antibody developed by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson targeting the amyloid (Aβ) plaques that underlie Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. Here we report the crystal ...structure of a Fab-Aβ peptide complex that reveals Bapineuzumab surprisingly captures Aβ in a monomeric helical conformation at the N-terminus. Microscale thermophoresis suggests that the Fab binds soluble Aβ(1-40) with a K(D) of 89 (±9) nM. The structure explains the antibody's exquisite selectivity for particular Aβ species and why it cannot recognize N-terminally modified or truncated Aβ peptides.
This paper presents the results of an econometric approach to examine the determinants of scientific production at cross-country level. The paper aims not to provide accurate and robust estimates of ...investment elasticities (a doubtful task given the poor quality of the data sources and the modelling problems), but to develop and critically assess the validity of an empirical approach for characterising the production of science and its impact, from a comparative perspective. We employ and discuss the limitations of a production function approach to relate investment inputs to scientific outputs using a sample of 14 countries for which we have information on higher education research and development (HERD). The outputs are taken from the Thomson ISI
® national science indicators (2002) database on published papers and citations. The inputs and outputs for this sample of countries have been recorded for a period of 21
years (1981–2002). A thorough discussion of the data shortcomings is provided. On the basis of this panel dataset we investigate the profile of the time lag between investment in HERD and research output and returns to national investment in science. We devote particular attention to analysing the presence of cross-country spillovers. We show their relevance and underline the international effect of the US system.
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