On Cannon cone types and vector-valued multiplicative functions for genus-two-surface-group

We consider Cannon cone types for a surface group of genus $g$, and we give algebraic criteria for establishing the cone type of a given cone and of all its sub-cones. We also re-prove that the number of cone types is exactly $8g(2g - 1)+1.$ In the genus $2$ case, we explicitly provide the $48\times 48$ matrix of cone types, $M,$ and we prove that $M$ is primitive, hence Perron-Frobenius. Finally we define vector-valued multiplicative functions and we show how to compute their values by means of $M$

Linear independence of translates implies linear independence of affine Parseval frames on LCA groups

Motivated by Bownik and Speegle's result on linear independence of wavelet Parseval frames, we consider affine systems (analogous to wavelet systems) defined on a second countable, locally compact abelian group $G$, where the translations are replaced by the action of a countable, discrete subgroup $\Gamma$ of $G$ acting as a group of unitary operators on $L^2(G)$. The dilation operation in the wavelet setting is replaced by integer powers of a unitary operator $\delta$ onto $L^2(G)$. We show that, under some compatibility conditions between $\delta$ and the action of the group $\Gamma$, the linear independence of the translates of any function in $L^2(G)$ by elements of $\Gamma$ implies the linear independence of affine Parseval frames in $L^2(G)$.Comment: A new revised and correct versio

Free Group Representations from Vector-Valued Multiplicative Functions, II

Let $\Gamma$ be a non-commutative free group on finitely many generators. In a previous work two of the authors have constructed the class of multiplicative representations of $\Gamma$ and proved them irreducible as representation of $\Gamma\ltimes_\lambda C(\Omega)$. In this paper we analyze multiplicative representations as representations of $\Gamma$ and we prove a criterium for irreducibility based on the growth of their matrix coefficients

KENAKALAN REMAJA DI SMP KRISTEN BOMBANO

Penelitian ini menuliskan tentang penyebab-penyebab dari kenakalan remaja. Tujuan dari penelitian untuk mengurangi tingkat kenakalan remaja serta dapat merumuskan rekomendasi yang tepat. Jenis penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Penelitian ini berjenis penelitian studi kasus dengan subjek tunggal. Studi kasus adalah suatu studi yang mendalam tentang individu dan berjangka waktu relatif lama, terus menerus, artinya kasus dialami oleh satu orang. Subjek penelitian ini adalah remaja yang memenuhi kriteria kenakalan remaja. Jumlah subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah 1 orang, alasan hanya menggunakan 1 orang subjek, yaitu agar dapat melakukan penelitian secara mendalam serta fokus penelitian tidak terbagi oleh subjek lain. Metode penelitian yang diutamakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode wawancara, observasi. Hasil penelitian ini menghasilkan beberapa penyebab dari kenakalan remaja yaitu kondisi keluarga yang berantakan membuat subjek menjadi remaja yang kurang diperhatikan oleh orang tuanya, status sosio ekonomi keluarga menjadi peyebab kenakalan subjek, pengaruh teman bermain juga berpengaruh terhadap kenakalan remaja, sering keluar rumah pada malam hari,  serta pola pemikiran subjek pada saat dan setelah melakukan kenakalan remaja adalah kepuasan dan kebanggaan baginya

The Solution of a Problem of Coifman, Meyer, and Wickerhauser on Wavelet Packets.

Wavelet packets provide an algorithm with many applications in signal processing together with a large class of orthonormal bases of L^2(R), each one corresponding to a different splitting of L^2(R) into a direct sum of its closed subspaces. The definition of wavelet packets is due to the work of Coifman, Meyer, and Wickerhauser, as a generalization of the Walsh system. A question has been posed since then: one asks if a (general) wavelet packet system can be an orthonormal basis for L2(R) whenever a certain set linked to the system, called the “exceptional set” has zero Lebesgue measure. This question is reflected in the quality of wavelet packet approximation. In this paper we show that the answer to this question is negative by providing an explicit example. In the proof we make use of the “local trace function” by Dutkay and the generalized shift-invariant system machinery developed by Ron and Shen

Dysfunctional eating behaviours, anxiety and depression in Italian boys and girls: the role of mass media

Objective: Extensive research has implicated identification with characters in mass media in the emergence of disordered eating behavior in adolescents. We explored the possible influence of the models offered by television (TV) on adolescents’ body image, body uneasiness, eating-disordered behavior, depression, and anxiety. Methods: Three hundred and one adolescents (aged 14-19) from southern Italy participated. They completed a questionnaire on media exposure and body dissatisfaction, the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Body Uneasiness Test, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – Form Y. Results: The main factors contributing to females’ eating-disordered behaviors were their own desires to be similar to TV characters, the amount of reality and entertainment TV they watched, and the discrepancy between their perceptions of their bodies and those of TV characters. Friends’ desire to be similar to TV characters contributed most to depression, anxiety, body uneasiness, and eating disorders for both males and females. Conclusion: Our data confirm that extensive watching of reality and entertainment TV correlates with eating-disordered behavior among females. Moreover, the well-known negative effects of the media on adolescents’ eating-disordered behaviors may also be indirectly transmitted by friends who share identification with TV characters

MAT-756: INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF RAP GRADATION ON THE EFFECTIVE BINDER CONTENT IN HOT MIX ASPHALT

Nowadays, it is common to add a little amount of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in asphalt mixes without changing too much properties such as modulus and low temperature cracking resistance. Not only will those mixes be able to make roads last longer, but they will be a greener alternative to usual mixes. In order to make a flexible pavement design, the mixture behavior is usually characterized with the complex modulus. To have a high modulus mix, you need to control the gradation precisely even when RAP is added. When performing a mix design to incorporate RAP, it is desirable to know the RAP binder characteristics and content and its gradation. In the literature, there is no clear vision of the RAP gradation impacts on the mixture properties and field performance. The objective of this study, performed at the Pavements and Bituminous Materials Laboratory (LCMB), is to evaluate the impact of RAP gradation on Hot Mix Asphalt. This is needed to understand how much binder can be transferred during mix from RAP to virgin aggregate. In this study, a single source of RAP was separated into different sizes and mixed with a specific group of virgin aggregates. Then, according to their size, the mixes were separated again into the RAP group and virgin aggregate. While these were mixed, active RAP binder transferred to virgin aggregate. Then ignition test (ASTM D6307) was adapted to separate RAP binder from virgin aggregate. With this procedure, it was possible to see that, for a given temperature and mixing time, activated binder amount of coarse RAP particles and fine RAP particles. The Ignition test result showed that coarse RAP particles have more active binder in mix but ITS test indicated that fine RAP particles have higher strength

Construction d’un atlas de la microstructure de la matière blanche de la moelle épinière chez le rat à partir d’acquisitions histologiques

Les maladies neurodégénératives telles que la sclérose en plaques multiple affectent les axones de la matière blanche de la moelle épinière et plus précisément induisent une perte de la gaine de myéline qui entoure les axones. Pour pouvoir quantifier cette perte de myéline, il est nécessaire de réaliser des études histologiques de la matière blanche de la moelle épinière pour connaître, à chaque niveau vertébral, les informations sur la microstructure des différents tractus de la matière blanche telles que le diamètre axonal, la densité axonale, l’épaisseur de la gaine de myéline et le g-ratio (ratio du diamètre interne de la fibre myélinisée sur son diamètre externe). Les objectifs du projet de recherche sont de fournir le premier atlas de la matière blanche chez le rat construit à partir d’images histologiques ex vivo, à haute résolution, acquises le long de toutes les vertèbres et de les mettre en libre accès. Pour réaliser cette cartographie de la matière blanche de la moelle épinière chez le rat, nous avons optimisé les protocoles histologiques de routine de la matière blanche et utilisé une méthode d’acquisition au microscope électronique à balayage automatique pour pouvoir avoir les coupes de moelle complètes. Puis nous avons utilisé un logiciel de segmentation automatique AxonSeg pour avoir accès aux informations de chaque axone (diamètre, densité …) et développé une méthode pour moyenner les cartes histologiques entre chaque coupe histologique de même niveau vertébral et entre chaque rat et extraire ainsi les statistiques de ces cartes moyennées. Les résultats montrent un diamètre axonal moyen au niveau cervical pour les tracts fasciculus cuneatus, fasciculus gracilis, dorsal corticospinal, rubrospinal, réticulospinal, et vestibunal respectivement de 2.12±0.25 μm, 2.12±0.14 μm, 1.46±0.11 μm, 1,92±0.26 μm, 2.01±0.15 μm et 2.43±0.24 μm. Pour le niveau thoracique : 1.99±0.19 μm, 1.89±0.14 μm, 1.48±0.15 μm, 1.98±0.28 μm, 1.98±0.17 μm et 2.37±0.20 μm. Pour le niveau lombaire : 1.89±0.25 μm, 1.99±0.18 μm, 1.48±0.15 μm, 1.66±0.18 μm, 1.88±0.09 μm et 2.15±0.21 μm. Pour le niveau sacral : 1.88±0.29 μm, 1.87±0.20 μm, 1.41±0.07 μm, 1.53±0.15 μm, 1.84±0.10 μm et 2.09±0.22 μm. Ces valeurs sont similaires sur les moitiés droite et à gauche de la matière blanche. Cette étude montre pour la première fois une cartographie ex vivo du diamètre axonal (et d’autres métriques) de la matière blanche de la moelle épinière chez le rat le long des niveaux vertébraux, créant ainsi des opportunités pour des applications dans les maladies affectant la moelle épinière.----------ABSTRACT Target clinical applications multiple sclerosis and a range of other neurological conditions. Many neurological diseases have hallmark histopathology such as neuronal loss, axonal degeneration, which can affect image intensities in different ways potentially allowing microstructure imaging techniques to detect them and grade their severity. Indeed, the ability to characterize the white matter microstructure has important applications in the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. To quantify these hallmark histopathology, there is a need to know the white matter microstructural information such as axon diameter, axon density, myelin thickness, and g-ratio. This project proposes a method for a previously unaddressed problem, namely, mapping axon diameter (and other metrics) across vertebral levels, tracts and rats, using histology. We have develop a digital atlas of the adult rat spinal cords as a comprehensive framework for storing and accessing the myriad types of information about the rat spinal cord. This study shows for the first time ex vivo mapping of axon diameter, axon density, myelin thickness and g-ratio, in the white matter spinal cord across vertebral levels. In this study, (i) we acquire rat spinal cord (C1-S2) using scanning electron microscopy, (ii) measure microstructure metrics using axon and myelin segmentation, (iii) create maps of averaged metrics across rats, (iv) compute statistics within specific tracts and (v) Study the variability of axon morphology across rats, vertebral levels and tracts. Results show an average axon diameter for the fasciculus cuneatus, fasciculus gracilis, dorsal corticospinal, rubrospinal, reticulospinal, and vestibunal tracts respectively in cervical level of 2.12±0.25 μm, 2.12±0.14 μm, 1.46±0.11 μm, 1,92±0.26 μm, 2.01±0.15 μm and 2.43±0.24 μm. In thoracic level: 1.99±0.19 μm, 1.89±0.14 μm, 1.48±0.15 μm, 1.98±0.28 μm, 1.98±0.17 μm and 2.37±0.20 μm. In lumbar level: 1.89±0.25 μm, 1.99±0.18 μm, 1.48±0.15 μm, 1.66±0.18 μm, 1.88±0.09 μm and 2.15±0.21 μm. In sacral level: 1.88±0.29 μm, 1.87±0.20 μm, 1.41±0.07 μm, 1.53±0.15 μm, 1.84±0.10 μm and 2.09±0.22 μm. Values are similar across laterality (left-right). This atlas would create opportunities for applications in spinal cord diseases. Indeed, atlases are an invaluable aid in understanding the impact of such manipulations by providing a standard for comparison

Axon and myelin morphology in animal and human spinal cord

Characterizing precisely the microstructure of axons, their density, size and myelination is of interest for the neuroscientific community, for example to help maximize the outcome of studies on white matter (WM) pathologies of the spinal cord (SC). The existence of a comprehensive and structured database of axonal measurements in healthy and disease models could help the validation of results obtained by different researchers. The purpose of this article is to provide such a database of healthy SC WM, to discuss the potential sources of variability and to suggest avenues for robust and accurate quantification of axon morphometry based on novel acquisition and processing techniques. The article is organized in three sections. The first section reviews morphometric results across species according to range of densities and counts of myelinated axons, axon diameter and myelin thickness, and characteristics of unmyelinated axons in different regions. The second section discusses the sources of variability across studies, such as age, sex, spinal pathways, spinal levels, statistical power and terminology in regard to tracts and protocols. The third section presents new techniques and perspectives that could benefit histology studies. For example, coherent anti-stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) imaging can provide sub-micrometric resolution without the need for fixation and staining, while slide scanners and stitching algorithms can provide full cross-sectional area of SC. In combination with these acquisition techniques, automatic segmentation algorithms for delineating axons and myelin sheath can help provide large-scale statistics on axon morphometry