Asymmetric Form Research Articles

Relative Paleointensity Record of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1396 in the Caribbean Sea: Geomagnetic and Chronostratigraphic Observations in the Pliocene

AbstractContinuous sedimentary records of paleomagnetic directional variability and relative paleointensity (RPI) provide valuable information on the evolution of the geodynamo while also facilitating stratigraphic correlation and age control. While the Quaternary RPI record has received much attention, Pliocene records are relatively rare. Here, a u‐channel paleomagnetic study from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1396 in the Caribbean Sea refines the shipboard‐derived polarity stratigraphy and generates an RPI and directional record extending back 4.5 Ma. Rock magnetic data reveal changes in magnetic coercivity around 2.1 Ma that influences the quality of the paleomagnetic record; while the older record is well‐resolved and passes RPI quality criteria, much of the younger section does not. To facilitate the development of the RPI record, spike noise associated with discrete intervals of volcanogenic sediments are filtered from the data set. The resulting record passes RPI reliability criteria between 0–0.6 Ma and 2.1–4.5 Ma and represents the highest resolution RPI record extending into the early Pliocene. We use this record to refine the existing benthic δ18O chronology and open the door to high‐resolution RPI chronostratigraphies during the Pliocene. Although we find no evidence for a previously observed increase in magnetic field intensity after ∼4 million years ago, we do observe an asymmetrical form to RPI in the normal polarity intervals of the Gauss chron. We also find a polarity bias in inclination that cannot be simply explained by a drill string overprint, suggesting polarity‐driven field asymmetries that are particularly pronounced during the Pliocene.

Incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type: screw and edge dislocations

The fundamental problem of dislocations in incompatible isotropic strain gradient elasticity theory of Mindlin type, unsolved for more than half a century, is solved in this work. Incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type is the generalization of Mindlin’s compatible strain gradient elasticity including plastic fields providing in this way a proper eigenstrain framework for the study of defects like dislocations. Exact analytical solutions for the displacement fields, elastic distortions, Cauchy stresses, plastic distortions and dislocation densities of screw and edge dislocations are derived. For the numerical analysis of the dislocation fields, elastic constants and gradient elastic constants have been used taken from ab initio DFT calculations. The displacement, elastic distortion, plastic distortion and Cauchy stress fields of screw and edge dislocations are non-singular, finite, and smooth. The dislocation fields of a screw dislocation depend on one characteristic length, whereas the dislocation fields of an edge dislocation depend on up to three characteristic lengths. For a screw dislocation, the dislocation fields obtained in incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type agree with the corresponding ones in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity. In the case of an edge dislocation, the dislocation fields obtained in incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type are depicted more realistic than the corresponding ones in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity. Among others, the Cauchy stress of an edge dislocation obtained in incompatible isotropic strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type looks more physical in the dislocation core region than the Cauchy stress obtained in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity and is in good agreement with the stress fields of an edge dislocation computed in atomistic simulations. Moreover, it is shown that the shape of the dislocation core of an edge dislocation has a more realistic asymmetric form due to its inherent asymmetry in incompatible isotropic strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type than the dislocation core possessing a cylindrical symmetry in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity. It is revealed that the considered theory with the incorporation of three characteristic lengths offers a more realistic description of an edge dislocation than the simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity with only one characteristic length.

Adaptation of metabolite leakiness leads to symbiotic chemical exchange and to a resilient microbial ecosystem.

Microbial communities display remarkable diversity, facilitated by the secretion of chemicals that can create new niches. However, it is unclear why cells often secrete even essential metabolites after evolution. Based on theoretical results indicating that cells can enhance their own growth rate by leaking even essential metabolites, we show that such "leaker" cells can establish an asymmetric form of mutualism with "consumer" cells that consume the leaked chemicals: the consumer cells benefit from the uptake of the secreted metabolites, while the leaker cells also benefit from such consumption, as it reduces the metabolite accumulation in the environment and thereby enables further secretion, resulting in frequency-dependent coexistence of multiple microbial species. As supported by extensive simulations, such symbiotic relationships generally evolve when each species has a complex reaction network and adapts its leakiness to optimize its own growth rate under crowded conditions and nutrient limitations. Accordingly, symbiotic ecosystems with diverse cell species that leak and exchange many metabolites with each other are shaped by cell-level adaptation of leakiness of metabolites. Moreover, the resultant ecosystems with entangled metabolite exchange are resilient against structural and environmental perturbations. Thus, we present a theory for the origin of resilient ecosystems with diverse microbes mediated by secretion and exchange of essential chemicals.

Improvement in aqueous solubility of achiral symmetric cyclofenil by modification to a chiral asymmetric analog

Decreasing the partition coefficient (LogP) by the introduction of a hydrophilic group is the conventional approach for improving the aqueous solubility of drug candidates, but is not always effective. Since melting point is related to aqueous solubility, we and other groups have developed alternative strategies to improve solubility by means of chemical modification to weaken intermolecular interaction in the solid state, thereby lowering the melting point and increasing the solubility. Here, we show that converting the symmetrical molecular structure of the clinically used estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist cyclofenil (1) into asymmetrical form by introducing an alkyl group enhances the aqueous solubility. Among the synthesized analogs, the chiral methylated analog (R)-4c shows the highest solubility, being 3.6-fold more soluble than 1 even though its hydrophobicity is increased by the methylation. Furthermore, (R)-4c also showed higher membrane permeability than 1, while retaining a comparable metabolic rate, and equivalent biological activity of the active forms (R)-13a to 2. Further validation of this strategy using lead compounds having symmetric structures is expected.

Current account sustainability and nonlinear adjustment

ABSTRACT The existence of mean reversion in current account is examined for 28 countries, using linear and nonlinear unit root tests. The adjustment in current account to GDP ratio could take an asymmetric form depending on the size and sign of the deviation from the equilibrium. The results indicate mean-reversion for three-quarters of the sample. For nine countries, only non-linear tests suggest mean reversion. These results imply that the tests should take into account possible asymmetries in the adjustment behaviour.

Dependence of the frequency distribution around a sphere on the voxel orientation

Microscopically small magnetic field inhomogeneities within an external static magnetic field cause a free induction decay in magnetic resonance imaging that generally exhibits two transverse components that are usually summarized to a complex entity. The Fourier transform of the complex-valued free induction decay is the purely real and positive-valued frequency distribution which allows an easy interpretation of the underlying dephasing mechanism. Typically, the frequency distribution inside a cubic voxel as caused by a spherical magnetic field inhomogeneity is determined by a histogram technique in terms of subdivision of the whole voxel into smaller subvoxels. A faster and more accurate computation is achieved by analytical expressions for the frequency distribution that are derived in this work. In contrast to the usually assumed simplified case of a spherical voxel, we also consider the tilt angles of the cubic voxel to the external magnetic field. The typical asymmetric form of the frequency distribution is reproduced and analyzed for the more realistic case of a cubic voxel. We observe a splitting of frequency distribution peaks for increasing tilt of the cubic voxel against the direction of the external magnetic field in analogy to the case for dephasing around cylindrical, vessel-like objects inside cubic voxels. These results are of value, e.g., for the analysis of susceptibility-weighted images or in quantitative susceptibility imaging since the reconstruction of these images is performed in cubic-shaped voxels.

The distribution and nature of star dunes: A global analysis

Abstract Star dunes, which occur on Mars and Titan and are also evident in Earth’s stratigraphic record, are widespread in the world’s drylands and 25 provinces have been identified and characterised based on an analysis of Google Earth images. They occur in East Asia, Western Asia, the Americas, southern Africa and northern Africa. Star dunes are absent in inland Australian, Kalahari and Indian sand seas and in the southern Sahara. Morphometric measurements across a wide range of sites reveal star dune densities of 7 to 81 per 100 km2 (mean 30 per km2), dune widths of 125–3071 m (mean 895 m) and heights of 4–291 m (mean 75 m). Star dunes have a great diversity of forms, which include simple pyramids, complex features, checkerboard patterns, symmetrical and asymmetrical forms, stars along linear dunes and stars along transverse dunes. In some areas star dunes show an association with mega-domes. In this paper they are classified into 10 types, though it is clear that some dunes may show characteristics of more than one type. Star dunes develop in areas with low rainfall, variable wind directions and in association with topographic barriers. They are a more widespread and varied phenomenon than has previously been recognised.

Broadband ventilated metamaterial silencer for high reflection based on Fano-like interference

Conventional sound shielding structures is difficult to meet the requirements of low-to-middle frequency broadband sound insulation and free ventilation. In this paper, we propose a ventilated metamaterial silencer based on Fano-like interference, which can achieve the sound transmission loss (STL) of more than 10 dB in the range of 516–970 Hz with subwavelength thickness (0.11 [Formula: see text]) while remains an opening area ratio of 23%. The designed silencer is composed of a large central orifice and four surrounding coiling channels, making the sound waves passing through the two areas generate Fano-like asymmetric transmission spectrum and form efficient reflection to insulate sound coming from various directions. The parametric studies are also carried out to investigate the tunable acoustic performance. Experiment measurement matches well with the simulation results. In the future, the proposed silencer may have potential applications in practical environments requiring broadband sound insulation and free air flows.

Organizational Form and Excess Burden of Taxation in Multiproduct Mixed Duopoly

By introducing the excess burden of taxation, we analyze endogenous choice of organizational form between U-form and M-form in the multiproduct mixed duopoly. With managerial delegation in public and private firms, we find that choosing M-form (U-form) for the public and private firms is a dominant strategy under mixed duopoly if the degree of excess burden of taxation is low (high). Furthermore, in the intermediate range of excess burden of taxation, there exist asymmetric organizational form (i.e., the public (private) firm chooses U-form (M-form)) or multiple organizational form. In equilibrium under mixed duopoly, consumer surplus with M-form is always greater than that with U-form, while social welfare crucially depends on whether the excess burden of taxation is larger than a certain threshold. Finally, regardless of the degree of the excess burden of taxation, social welfare and consumer surplus under mixed duopoly are greater than those under privatization.

Effects of rebinding rate and asymmetry in unbinding rate on cargo transport by multiple kinesin motors

Many intracellular transports are performed by multiple molecular motors in a cooperative manner. Here, we use stochastic simulations to study the cooperative transport by multiple kinesin motors, focusing mainly on effects of the form of unbinding rate versus force and the rebinding rate of single motors on the cooperative transport. We consider two forms of the unbinding rate. One is the symmetric form with respect to the force direction, which is obtained according to Kramers theory. The other is the asymmetric form, which is obtained from the prior studies for the single kinesin motor. With the asymmetric form the simulated results of both velocity and run length of the cooperative transport by two identical motors and those by a kinesin-1 motor and a kinesin-2 motor are in quantitative agreement with the available experimental data, whereas with the symmetric form the simulated results are inconsistent with the experimental data. For the cooperative transport by a faster motor and a much slower motor, the asymmetric form can give both larger velocity and longer run length than the symmetric form, giving an explanation for why kinesin adopts the asymmetric form of the unbinding rate rather than the symmetric form. For the cooperative transport by two identical motors, while the velocity is nearly independent of the rebinding rate, the run length increases linearly with the rebinding rate. For the cooperative transport by two different motors, the increase of the rebinding rate of one motor also enhances the run length of the cooperative transport. The dynamics of transport by N (N = 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8) motors is also studied.

Numerical Prediction of the Bending Fatigue Crack Propagation Behaviour in Asymmetric Spur Gears

The damage tolerance of a component is crucial for achieving a reliable and smooth operation. The crack propagation in a spur gear critically affects the performance of the transmission system. Asymmetric gears are used for enhancing the load-carrying capacity by increasing the pressure angle of a flank beyond the conventional limits. In this study, the effect of initial crack inclination angle and length in the tooth fillet region on the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) and the crack path of an asymmetric gear (34°/20°) were studied using numerical simulations. Quasi-static analyses were performed in FRANC2D. The crack propagation life was calculated using Paris law. Results revealed that tooth asymmetry has no effect on the crack path. However, asymmetric tooth form caused a reduction in the SIF value and increased the critical crack length, leading to an increased crack propagation life and damage tolerance.

Evaluation of Axial loading capacity of ball screw having asymmetric thread groove form

Evaluation of Axial loading capacity of ball screw having asymmetric thread groove form

Asymmetric form of pigmentary retinopathy (case study)

Unilateral pigmentary retinopathy (PR) is a rare, atypical form of hereditary retinal pathology. Different types of secondary retinopathy associated with various non-hereditary diseases, trauma or intoxication can imitate unilateral PR. Therefore, it is important to determine the cause of visual disorders and differentiate between unilateral and asymmetric PR. The article presents an example of using modern structural and functional diagnostic methods that helped diagnose the asymmetric form of the disease in a patient with suspected unilateral PR.

SCRIPTING CARTOGRAPHIC METHODS OF GMT FOR MAPPING THE NEW BRITAIN AND SAN CRISTOBAL TRENCHES, SOLOMON SEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The study present a case study of the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) applied for cartographic modelling, mapping and comparative analysis of the deep-sea trenches located in southwest Pacific Ocean: the New Britain Trench (NBT) and the San Cristobal Trench (SCT). The aim was to evaluate their geomorphic variation using scripting cartographic approach of GMT. The data was processed using a sequence of the GMT modules with the main module 'grdtrack' used to visualize cross-section profiles along the trenches for their geomorphological modelling. The main grid used for topographic mapping is the SRTM DEM with 15-arc second resolution. The statistical analysis shown variability in depths of both trenches by samples in two transects. The cartographic analysis demonstrated following results. The SCT is generally deeper reaching -9,000 m, while the median for the NBT less then 7,000 m. The gradient slope of SCT is more symmetric with accurate 'V' form. In a cross-section graph, the NBT landward slope is markedly asymmetric U-shaped form and has a crescent form in the east. The NBT slope dips westwards with 35° eastward, and 41° westward, while the SCT slope has 33° oceanwards and 33,69° landwards. The difference between the geomorphology of the trenches is explained by the effects of the geotectonic evolution and actual sedimentary processes affected their formation and sculptured their structure. The marine free-air gravity anomaly illustrated density anomalies at the bathymetry in the region of NBT and SCT with range <-60.0 mGal. The geoid values are 56-66 mGal. The study contributed to the submarine geomorphic mapping and presents technical application of the cartographic functionality of GMT used for geomorphological modelling.

THE IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ON THE FORMS AND STRUCTURE OF EMPLOYMENT

The coronavirus pandemic almost immediately led to a global narrowing of the global economy, a sharp reduction in aggregate supply and demand. The decline in production was especially felt in the second quarter of 2020, when the recession in most countries of the world had a double-digit value. According to IMF forecasts, in general, the economy in developed countries, even in 2021, will not reach the level of 2019. The global economic downturn is accompanied by a massive reduction in jobs, rising unemployment, especially in industries that are focused on foreign markets and serving foreign consumers (export production, reception and service of foreign tourists, international transportation, etc.). The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus also hit global economic and technological ties, led to their widespread fail in many geographical points of the planet, and increased the risk of fragmentation and regionalization of the global market. All this was adequately reflected in change of global demand for labor, in a significant transformation of the structure, size and location of employment, and the state of the labor market as a whole. At the same time, the global crisis did not equally affect the level of employment in different types of activity, the formation of demand for labor, the labor market as a whole; the structure of jobs and employment in individual professions, instead of a proportional change, was uneven - mainly in an asymmetric form.

Creeping Crimmigration in CEAS Reform: Detention of Asylum-Seekers and Restrictions on Their Movement under EU Law

Abstract This article analyses freedom-restricting measures set forth in the Reception Conditions Directive and its proposed recast; it does so through the lens of the concept of crimmigration, understood as convergence between criminal and (administrative) immigration and asylum law. To tackle “secondary movements” within the European Union (EU), the proposed amendment of the Directive establishes a broad understanding of the risk of absconding, which can justify detention, and expands the restrictions on asylum-seekers’ freedom of movement. The article argues that asylum detention under EU law pursues penal law objectives, such as deterrence and retribution. Restriction on freedom of movement, on its part, may amount to systematic surveillance. This observed crimmigration phenomenon is detrimental to migrants and refugees because the incorporation of criminal law objectives into asylum law has an asymmetric form. Although states subject non-citizens to increasingly punitive measures, the administrative label of immigration detention and restrictions on movement allows them to evade due process guarantees, which typically accompany criminal law proceedings. As the article proposes, appropriate interpretation and application of the principles of lawfulness and proportionality with respect to detention and restrictions on freedom of movement will help circumscribe the scope of the phenomenon of crimmigration under the EU asylum legislation.

An innovative technique for electronic transport model of group-III nitrides

An optimized empirical pseudopotential method (EPM) in conjunction with virtual crystal approximation (VCA) and the compositional disorder effect is used for simulation to extract the electronic material parameters of wurtzite nitride alloys to ensure excellent agreement with the experiments. The proposed direct bandgap results of group-III nitride alloys are also compared with the different density functional theories (DFT) based theoretical results. The model developed in current work, significantly improves the accuracy of calculated band gaps as compared to the ab-initio method based results. The physics of carrier transport in binary and ternary nitride materials is investigated with the help of in-house developed Monte Carlo algorithms for solution of Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) including nonlinear scattering mechanisms. Carrier–carrier scattering mechanisms defined through Coulomb-, piezoelectric-, ionized impurity-, surface roughness-scattering with acoustic and intervalley scatterings, all have been given due consideration in present model. The direct and indirect energy bandgap results have been calibrated with the experimental data and use of symmetric and asymmetric form factors associated with respective materials. The electron mobility results of each binary nitride material have been compared and contrasted with experimental results under appropriate conditions and good agreement has been found between simulated and experimental results.

Multivariate Statistical Modeling of Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography.

In this paper a new statistical multivariate model for retinal Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) B-scans is proposed. Due to the layered structure of OCT images, there is a horizontal dependency between adjacent pixels at specific distances, which led us to propose a more accurate multivariate statistical model to be employed in OCT processing applications such as denoising. Due to the asymmetric form of the probability density function (pdf) in each retinal layer, a generalized version of multivariate Gaussian Scale Mixture (GSM) model, which we refer to as GM-GSM model, is proposed for each retinal layer. In this model, the pixel intensities in each retinal layer are modeled with an asymmetric Bessel K Form (BKF) distribution as a specific form of the GM-GSM model. Then, by combining some layers together, a mixture of GM-GSM model with eight components is proposed. The proposed model is then easily converted to a multivariate Gaussian Mixture model (GMM) to be employed in the spatially constrained GMM denoising algorithm. The Q-Q plot is utilized to evaluate goodness of fit of each component of the final mixture model. The improvement in the noise reduction results based on the GM-GSM model, indicates that the proposed statistical model describes the OCT data more accurately than other competing methods that do not consider spatial dependencies between neighboring pixels.

The influence of π-linkers configuration on properties of 10-hexylphenoxazine donor-based sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cell application – Theoretical approach

10-Hexylphenoxazine based dyes with A-(π)n-D-(π)n-A architecture is designed and investigated systematically for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) application by Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time-dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT). The designed sensitizers consist of 10-Hexylphenoxazine as electron donor and cyanoacrylic acid as an acceptor, connected by the Thiophene and Cyanovinyl π-spacers configurations with symmetrical and asymmetrical form. The effect of π-spacers configurations on the electronic and optical properties of the dyes is also investigated. The optimized structure, electronic properties and absorption characteristics of A-(π)n-D-(π)n-A dyes were investigated. The charge separation and polarization properties are analyzed by co-planarity, natural bond orbital (NBO), dipole moment and linear polarizability studies. The free energy change of electron injection and dye regeneration of the sensitizers are also calculated. The addition of a greater number of π-spacers improves the electronic, spectroscopic, optical, and free energy properties of the designed sensitizer. The DFT studies also reveal that the position of the π-spacers plays an important role in the electronic and spectroscopic properties.

Characterization of intra- and inter-species hybrid tetramers of pyruvate carboxylase: Biotin and the BCCP domain play a crucial role in determination of the kinetics and thermodynamics of catalysis

The formation, kinetics and thermodynamic activation parameters of hybrid tetramers of pyruvate carboxylase (PC) formed between wild-type Rhizobium etli pyruvate carboxylase (WTRePC) and mutant forms of this enzyme, as well as between Aspergillus nidulans PC and mutant forms of RePC have been characterized in a previous study. In this current work, we aim to extend the previous study by forming hybrid tetramers between WTRePC or chicken liver PC (CLPC) with single or double mutant RePCs. By forming hybrid tetramers between WTRePC with either K1119A or ΔBCCP RePC, the biotin moiety and BCCP (biotin carboxyl carrier protein) domain appear to play a crucial role in determination of thermodynamic activation parameters, especially the activation entropy, and the order of tetrameric structure. Using E218A:K1119A hybrid tetramers, an alternative pathway of biotin carboxylation occurred only in the absence of acetyl CoA. In this pathway, the biotin of the E218A subunits is carboxylated in the BC domain of the K1119A subunits, since the E218A mutation destroys the catalytic activity of the BC domain. Transfer of the carboxyl group to pyruvate could then occur in the CT domain of either E218A or K1119A. Part of the reduction of activity in hybrid tetramers of WTRePC and double mutant, E218A.K1119A could result from the loss of this pathway. Previously, D1018A mutant RePC homotetramers exhibited a 12-fold increase in the rate constant for catalysis in the absence of acetyl CoA. This was taken to indicate that inter-residue interactions involving D1018 inhibit the interconversion between the symmetrical and asymmetrical forms of the tetramer in the absence of acetyl CoA. The mutation, D1018A, in hybrid tetramers of WTRePC:D1018A.K1119A (D1018A.K1119A is a double mutant form of RePC) had no such effect on the rate constant, suggesting that in hybrid tetramers obligatory oscillation between asymmetrical and symmetrical conformers of the tetramer is not required to drive the catalytic cycle. Finally, K1119A or E218A RePC mutant can form hybrid tetramers with PC subunits from an evolutionarily distant species, chicken, that have stability characteristics that lie between those of the homotetramers of the two enzymes. This work provides insights into the how the PC tetramer functions to perform catalysis and is regulated by acetyl CoA. The ability to form hybrid tetrameric PCs composed of PC subunits from widely varying species that have a mixture of characteristics of the two source enzymes may also provide ways of developing novel PCs for biotechnological purposes.