Dynamic Shape Research Articles

Exploring the Adaptability of 4D Printed Shape Memory Polymer Featuring Dynamic Covalent Bonds.

4D printing (4DP) of high-performance shape memory polymers (SMPs), particularly using digital light processing (DLP), has garnered intense global attention due to its capability for rapid and high-precision fabrication of complex configurations, meeting diverse application requirements. However, the development of high-performance dynamic shape memory polymers (DSMPs) for DLP printing remains a significant challenge due to the inherent incompatibilities between the photopolymerization process and the curing/polymerization of high-strength polymers. Here, a mechanically robust DSMP compatible is developed with DLP printing, which incorporates dynamic covalent bonds of imine linking polyimide rigid segments, exhibiting remarkable mechanical performance (tensile strength ≈41.7MPa, modulus ≈1.63GPa) and thermal stability (Tg ∼ 113°C, Td ∼ 208°C). More importantly, benefiting from the solid-state plasticity conferred by dynamic covalent bonds, 4D printed structures demonstrate rapid network adaptiveness, enabling effortless realization of reconfiguration, self-healing, and recycling. Meanwhile, the extensive π-π conjugated structures bestow DSMP with an intrinsic photothermal effect, allowing controllable morphing of the 4D configuration through dual-mode triggering. This work not only greatly enriches the application scope of high-performance personalized configurations but also provides a reliable approach to addressing environmental pollution and energy crises.

Trajectories of Public Islam: Public Religious Expressions among American Muslim Advocates

Abstract In American mainstream cultural discourse, Islam is often constructed as undemocratic, violent, and un-American. How do American Muslim advocates react to these tarnished representations of their religion? This paper examines the ways in which Muslim advocates construct public discourse around Islam by exploring the possibilities for and recognizing the constraints on their public religious expressions in U.S. civic life as advocates navigate cultural templates infused with de-sacralized Christian meanings. Based on participant observation in two Muslim advocacy organizations, the article demonstrates that advocates map Islam differently, depending on whether the imagined audience of their public discourse is other Muslims or non-Muslims. When advocates imagine addressing non-Muslims, the public discourse of both groups similarly emphasizes Islamic compatibility of Muslim with American values. Among both groups, there is a process of filtering certain religious expressions for more expansive social maps that uncovers the unequal power dynamics shaping trajectories of public religion in civic life for one of the most stigmatized ethno-religious groups in the United States today. This paper contributes to expanding our understanding of how civic culture enables and constrains historically marginalized groups’ attempts at redefining belonging.

Unveiling deep Earth's hidden potential: insights from a new high-pressure phase discovered in a shocked meteorite

In this study, we report the discovery of a novel high-pressure phase within the Suizhou shocked meteorite, shedding light on the extreme conditions encountered during meteorite impacts. Utilizing advanced analytical techniques including electron microprobe and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, we identified a previously unknown crystalline structure formed under high pressures and temperatures. The new mineral, ideally Mg3(Si0.5[]0.5)Si2O8 (the symbol [] stands for structural vacancy), was approved by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA 2024–012) and named ohtaniite in honour of Eiji Ohtani. The phase, a new mineral with the pyroxene chemistry but with wadsleyite structure, was characterized by its distinct crystal lattice and unique physical properties, suggesting a transformation induced by shock compression. This finding expands our understanding of shock-induced mineralogical transformations in extraterrestrial materials and offers insights into the dynamic processes shaping meteorite evolution. Further investigations into these high-pressure phases are crucial for unraveling the geological history of meteorites and their significance in planetary science.

Temporal Genomic Dynamics Shape Clinical Trajectory in Multiple Myeloma.

To comprehensively unravel the temporal relationship between initiating and driver events and its impact on clinical outcomes, we analyzed 421 whole-genome sequencing profiles from 382 patients. Using clock-like mutational signatures, we estimated a time lag of 2-4 decades between initiating events and diagnosis. In patients with hyperdiploidy, we demonstrate that trisomies of odd-numbered chromosomes can be acquired simultaneously with other chromosomal gains, such as 1q gain. We provide evidence that hyperdiploidy is acquired after canonical IGH translocation when both events are present. Finally, patients with early 1q gain had adverse outcomes similar to those with 1q amplification (>1 extra-copies), but faring worse than those with late 1q gain. This underscores that the prognostic impact of 1q gain/amp depends more on the timing of acquisition than on the number of extra copies gained. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the life history of MM and may have prognostic implications.

Dynamic three-dimensional reconstruction with phase shift coding division multiplexing

Fringe projection profilometry with temporal phase unwrapping (FPP-TPU) has been gotten more and more attention in reconstructing the object with complex surfaces. However, a general contradiction in the existing FPP-TPUs is that more auxiliary coded patterns may limit sampling rate in dynamic three-dimensional (3D) measurement. In this paper, inheriting the single-frame auxiliary pattern of the phase-shifting temporal phase unwrapping (PS-TPU), an improved phase shift coding temporal phase unwrapping with higher robustness is proposed. And new projection stratagem with phase shift coding division multiplexing (PSC-DM) is also proposed to enhance the reconstructing rate in dynamic 3D scene. Firstly, six codewords instead of the traditional eight codewords are embedded into the single-frame auxiliary coding pattern, which guarantees the decoding robustness and provides a faster decoding process with single-step direction unifying. Then, the new projection sequence stratagem is designed with every two sets of 3-step phase-shifting patterns projection followed by the single-frame phase-shifting coding pattern projection. During phase unwrapping, every adjacent three frames of phase-shifting pattern sequentially resolving a wrapped phase and a highly robust 3D reconstruction can be achieved by using the closest phase-shifting coding pattern so as to achieve phase-shifting coding division multiplexing. It can obtain higher reconstructing rate. In addition, a phase shift segmentation is used to correct mismatched errors of fringe order. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can increase the reconstructing rate from the rate of 30 fps in traditional PS-TPU method to 68.57 fps at the digital light projector (DLP) projection rate of 120 fps, which shows its potential prospective in dynamic 3D shape reconstruction.

The fate of airborne microfibers in the human respiratory tract in different microenvironments

Αirborne microplastics (MPs) are considered an important exposure hazard to humans, especially in the indoor environment. Deposition and clearance of MPs in the human respiratory tract (HRT) was investigated using the ExDoM2 dosimetry model, modified to incorporate the deposition and clearance of MPs fibers. Fiber deposition was calculated via the fiber equivalent aerodynamic diameter determined using their properties such as size, density and dynamic shape factor. Scenario simulations were performed for elongated particles of cylindrical (base) diameters 1 μm and 10 μm and aspect ratios (ratio of fiber length to base diameter) 3, 10 and 100. Modelling results showed that the highest fiber deposition occurred in the extra-thoracic region due to large particles (fiber cylindrical diameter dp > 0.1 μm), whereas particle length (via the aspect ratio) had an influence mainly on smaller base-diameter fibers (dp < 0.1 μm) that deposited predominantly in the alveolar region. The ExDoM2 dosimetry model was also used to calculate fiber deposition in the HRT using experimental data for microplastic fiber and fragment concentrations in different microenvironments. The highest deposited number dose (220 fibers) after a 24-hour exposure was calculated in the microenvironment (bus) that had the highest fiber concentration (17.3 ± 2.4 fibers/m3). After clearance, the majority (66.4 %) of the average deposited fiber mass was transferred from the respiratory tract to the esophagus via mucociliary clearance, 32.6 % was retained in the respiratory tract, 1 % passed into the blood, and a very small amount (0.0004 %) was transferred to the lymph nodes.

Flow induced vibration with forced convection of a stationary and oscillating filleted bluff bodies in a staggered position

Flow induced vibration (FIV) and forced convection heat transfer from staggered cylinders are numerically investigated with Re = 150 and Pr = 0.7. Cylinders are arranged in a staggered manner with three different stagger angles (α) = 15°, 30°, and 45°. The upstream cylinder (UC) is kept fixed while the downstream cylinder (DC) is mounted. The cross section of the bluff body is altered by parameter (r*) = 0 (square cylinder), 0.5, 0.75, and 1 (circular cylinder). For every stagger angle and r*, the reduced velocity is varied from 2 to 10. The mass ratio (m*) of the DC is kept at 10 and damping constant set to zero for maximum vibrational amplitude. The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are coupled with Newton's equation for the mass-damper system of the vibrating cylinder. Flow induced vibration was studied with the help of frequency characteristics, dynamics response of cylinders, and instantaneous phase plots of lift and amplitude. Generally, in the case of square cylinders a delayed response can be observed as compared to other configurations. For α=15°, the DC is fully submerged into the wake of static UC. P + S (P: pair; S: singlet)-type vortices can be observed for r* = 0. For other configurations of filleted cylinders, such as r* = 0.5, 0.75, and 1 at Ur=4, 2 parallel row formation is formed due to negative sign vortices while the other one was a combination of positive and negative vortices in pseudo-P formation. At higher Ur=6 and 8, coalesced and irregular wakes can be noticed. As the stagger angle is increased to higher than 30°, the wake of both cylinders becomes more pronounced. Due to the change in stagger angle, fs (vortex shedding frequency) of UC and DC forces decouples. 2P-type vortex shedding can be observed at Ur=4 for r* = 0.75 and 1. Pairs of vortices are coupled from each cylinder in a row where negative vortices coalesce while losing energy. For lower r* = 0 and 0.5, there is a tendency for three row formation. Further increase in angle pushed the DC completely out of the wake of the UC although vortices from both cylinders are still found to interact and exhibit three row formation and 2P-type vortex shedding. Heat transfer from the DC is highly dependent on the stagger angle. For r* = 1 and 0.5 at Ur=2, the change in Nuavg is 15% and 14.7%, respectively, when the angle changed from 15° to 45°. Heat transfer from any FIV system can be directly influenced by dynamic response, position, shape, and flow topology. The generated results are provide insight for understanding the vibrational modes and heat transfer from two bluff bodies involving fluid–structure interactions.

Challenging Voices: Listening to Australian Women Writers across Time to Understand the Dynamics Shaping Creative Expression for Women Writing Today

This article argues for the critical need to value the voices and creative work of contemporary women writers in Australia. Historically, women writing in Australia have endured erasure, dismissal, and suppression. I argue that there is still, in the modern period, a continued lack of awareness, recognition and education on Australian women’s writing despite targeted awards and the achievements of the feminist movement. This piece reflects back across time, drawing on interviews I conducted and PhD thesis research with women writers in Australia at the turn of the twenty-first century, and maps how the legacies of gendered notions of writers impacted women at this pivotal era to consider what this may mean for women writing today. It also explores how feminist theories such as écriture féminine are helpful for framing and understanding the responses of Australian women writers to the shifting notions of sexual difference and agency in writing. This article aims to provide insights into the complexities of liberation for women from the past to modern times, and the impact of gender on creative expression in Australia across changing social periods.

Motion planning in underactuated systems with impulsive phenomenon via dynamic shaping of virtual holonomic constraints

Rhythmic motions are traditionally achieved by developing predetermined paths for the states of the space system to follow. Since these paths are obtained offline, the dynamic behavior fails to adapt to changes in environmental conditions or user command desires. The solution we propose is a new strategy called dynamic shaping, in which the paths are formed online to allow the system to create an orbit with the characteristics we need. Hereupon, this paper focuses on applying this strategy to Dynamics with One Degree of Under-actuation and Impulsive Phenomenon (DSODUIP) to adapt the characteristics of outcomes to be in line with the demands.This research was conducted by leveraging the advantages of virtual holonomic constraints (VHCs) to establish these paths. Therefore, a novel two-level hierarchical control method is designed considering a stability criterion to avoid divergence. At the Low-Level, the controllers stabilize the output of system to follow the VHCs on the system. At the High-Level, the VHCs are modified to shape an orbit with our desired characteristic in the motion. As an illustrative example, the algorithm is implemented to adjust the average angular velocity of a devil stick and the hip velocity of a Three-Link biped robot. Their results vividly demonstrate smooth adjustments and efficient performance in achieving our desired outcomes.

How Family Dynamics Shape Income Inequality Between Families With Young Children: The Case of Sweden, 1995–2018

How Family Dynamics Shape Income Inequality Between Families With Young Children: The Case of Sweden, 1995–2018

From Parliament to Party: The Gender‐Sensitive Parliamentary Group

Gender-sensitive parliaments are an emergent international norm. Research primarily focused on parliaments as gendered workplaces functioning with formal and informal rules and routines that either constrain or promote gender equality. We shift the focus to parliamentary groups and parties in public office as key actors in achieving a gender-sensitive parliament. We argue that they play a crucial role in many parliamentary systems and can actively contribute to gender-sensitive transformations. Building on the gender-sensitive parliament literature, we first explore the potential of parliamentary groups to improve parliamentary functioning across four aspects: representation, policy-making, engagement with societal interests, and groups as gender-sensitive workplaces. Secondly, we delve into the broader parliamentary and party contexts, recognizing how factors such as the diversity of parliamentary systems, organizational structures, parties in central office, and political dynamics shape parliamentary groups’ room for manoeuvre. We conclude by calling for further empirical, but especially conceptual, research to develop intersectionality-sensitive parliaments which we suggest are crucial for dismantling existing power hierarchies based on social markers.

Lactic and propionic acid bacteria starter cultures for improved nutritional properties of pea, faba bean and lentil

Increasing plant-based food consumption as a sustainable and health-oriented alternative to meat is pivotal. Pulses are rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins; however, they also contain antinutritional compounds, impairing their nutritional value. This study addresses this challenge through the development and application of four distinct microbial consortia in pulse-based fermentations, featuring lactic acid bacteria or a combination of lactic and propionic acid bacteria. Microbial starters significantly reduced galacto-oligosaccharides in all pulse materials, concurrently degrading vicine and convicine in faba beans, while the impact on tannins in faba beans and lentil was moderate. Fermentation with lactic acid and propionic acid bacteria consortia exhibited notable vitamin B12 production, and the effect on the content of phenolic compounds of the studied pulses was also evidenced. Additionally, genomic analyses discerned distinctive profiles among the samples, elucidating the microbial community dynamics shaping fermentation outcomes. The results of this study proved how fermentation can advance the development of pulse-based products with improved nutritional and sustainability attributes.

Near‐Surface Wind Convergence Along the Sea Ice Edge in the Greenland Sea: Its Mean State and Shaping Process

AbstractAt mid‐latitudes, a narrow band of near‐surface wind convergence (NSWC) overlies the western boundary currents in long‐term climatology as a response to steep sea surface temperature gradients. The underlying dynamics shaping mean convergence in the mid‐latitude region have been investigated in detail. In polar regions, surface temperature gradients are intense along the sea ice edges. However, literature concerning NSWC near sea ice edges is limited. This study investigates time‐mean NSWC along sea ice edges and its shaping processes, focusing on the Greenland Sea, based on atmospheric reanalysis. In cold‐season climatology, positive NSWC overlies the sea ice edge, resulting in a localized upward motion reaching the free atmosphere. The mean NSWC was insensitive to sea ice thickness and surface roughness in the regional model. This study suggests that, in addition to local atmospheric boundary processes, extreme NSWC events play a vital role in shaping the mean distribution. Although these features are similar to those along the Gulf Stream, atmospheric fronts appear to play a relatively minor role in the Greenland Sea. Instead, the frequent cyclone generation near the sea ice edge and the anticyclonic circulation over Greenland in conjunction with the transient synoptic circulation seem essential. In the warm season, positive NSWC was virtually missing in the Greenland Sea, unlike in the Gulf Stream region, reflecting the shallow virtual temperature response to the surface thermal forcing. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms by which sea ice variability affects large‐scale atmospheric circulation in remote regions.

Institutional influences on healthcare service innovation: Lessons from German rehabilitation clinics.

In view of the growing need for rehabilitation worldwide due to demographic changes and health trends, healthcare organizations are facing increasing pressure to innovate. This study focuses on the institutional dynamics shaping service innovation in orthopedic rehabilitation settings in Germany. Using Scott's framework of institutional pillars and carriers, we conduct a multiple case study analysis. Based on interviews with physicians and managers from six different clinics, conducted in two rounds and supplemented by secondary data analysis, we investigate the influence of regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive institutions on healthcare service innovation. By distinguishing between the various institutional barriers and facilitators, our research provides valuable insights for healthcare practitioners and managers, equipping them with the necessary knowledge to effectively navigate and utilize the institutional environment.

Sustainable cotton farming trends: Leveraging natural resource survey insights for U.S. cotton production

Cotton cultivation in the United States is relevant globally, with the nation ranking among the top producers and exporters. This study examines conservation practice adoption trends and technological advancements in U.S. cotton production, focusing on sustainability and productivity. Efforts to improve cotton farming practices have reduced its environmental impacts, including decreased soil loss, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. Precision agriculture technologies have been instrumental in enhancing efficiency and reducing input costs, albeit with varying degrees of success. To gain deeper insights into cotton grower challenges and needs, a Natural Resource Survey was conducted in 2023 with 753 respondents. As a follow-up to the 2008 and 2015 surveys, the insights from this survey provide valuable data on grower practices and priorities, highlighting the increasing influence of climate change on cotton production. The findings underscore the importance of conservation agriculture and ongoing research to address grower concerns while improving production efficiency. Particularly noteworthy are the outcomes indicating an increase in cover crop adoption and a decrease in tillage practices, reflecting the industry’s commitment to sustainability. This study contributes to understanding the dynamics shaping the U.S. cotton industry and offers insights into the challenges and opportunities for continual improvement in U.S. cotton cultivation.

Multiplicities of Socialist Spaces: Subjectivity Construction and Spatial Configuration in 1950s Shanghai Urban Films

ABSTRACT Drawing from Henri Lefebvre’s influential theory, the triad of space production, this article analyzes three urban films released during the early years of the People’s Republic of China: Husband and Wife on the March (1951), Spring is Splendid Color (1959), and Today, I Rest (1959). These films explore the daily lives of Shanghai residents in changing everyday living spaces, from single-room apartments to traditional alleyway neighbourhoods and the expansive community system of Workers’ New Village. The changing spatial configurations serve as the backdrop for the unfolding cinematic narratives, fostering new forms of socialist relationships and interactions. Moreover, a new type of socialist communal life, seamlessly integrated with socialist production, emerged, catalysing the revolutionary reshaping of women’s identities and roles. A socialist community founded on mutual assistance and collective cooperation emerged as a model for social development and bureaucratic governance in the 1950s. This article argues that these three films provide compelling examples of Shanghai’s socialist urban transformation, exploring changes in the daily living spaces of socialist individuals in Shanghai and reflecting the dynamic shaping of socialist subjectivity in the new era.

Mimosa-Inspired Body Temperature-Responsive Shape Memory Polymer Networks: High Energy Densities and Multi-Recyclability.

Inspired by the Mimosa plant, this study herein develops a unique dynamic shape memory polymer (SMP) network capable of transitioning from hard to pliable with heat, featuring reversible actuation, self-healing, recyclability, and degradability. This material is adept at simulating the functionalities of artificial muscles for a variety of tasks, with a remarkable specific energy density of 1.8 J g-1-≈46 times higher than that of human skeletal muscle. As an intelligent manipulator, it demonstrates remarkable proficiency in identifying and handling items at high temperatures. Its suitable rate of shape recovery around human body temperature indicates its promising utility as an implant material for addressing acute obstructions. The dynamic covalent bonding within the network structure not only provides excellent resistance to solvents but also bestows remarkable abilities for self-healing, reprocessing, and degradation. These attributes significantly boost its practicality and environmental sustainability. Anticipated to promote advancements in the sectors of biomedical devices, soft robotics, and smart actuators, this SMP network represents a forward leap in simulating artificial muscles, marking a stride toward the future of adaptive and sustainable technology.

RobotSDF: Implicit Morphology Modeling for the Robotic Arm.

The expression of robot arm morphology is a critical foundation for achieving effective motion planning and collision avoidance in robotic systems. Traditional geometry-based approaches usually suffer from the contradiction between the high demand for computing resources for fine expression and the insufficient detail expression caused by the pursuit of efficiency. The signed distance function addresses these drawbacks due to its ability to handle complex and arbitrary shapes and lower computational requirements. However, conventional robotic morphology methods based on the signed distance function often face challenges when the robot moves dynamically, since robots with different postures are modeled as independent individuals but the postures of robots are infinite. In this paper, we introduce RobotSDF, an implicit morphology modeling approach that can express the robot shape of arbitrary posture precisely. Instead of depicting a whole model of the robot arm, RobotSDF models the robot morphology as integrated implicit joint models driven by joint configurations. In this approach, the dynamic shape change process of the robot is converted into the coordinate transformations of query points within each joint's coordinate system. Experimental results with the Elfin robot demonstrate that RobotSDF can accurately depict robot shapes across different postures up to the millimeter level, which exhibits 38.65% and 66.24% improvement over the Neural-JSDF and configuration space distance field algorithms, respectively, in representing robot morphology. We further verified the efficiency of RobotSDF through collision avoidance in both simulation and actual human-robot collaboration experiments.

Interplay Between Infant Nutrition and Malaria Susceptibility in West Africa: Socioeconomic, Environmental, and Cultural Perspectives

In West Africa, infant nutrition plays a pivotal role in determining susceptibility to malaria, a disease that remains a leading cause of child mortality in the region. This review explores the intricate interplay between malnutrition and malaria susceptibility among infants, emphasizing the influence of socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural factors. Malnutrition, particularly protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, compromises immune function, rendering infants more vulnerable to malaria infections. Conversely, malaria exacerbates nutritional deficiencies, creating a vicious cycle that severely impacts infant health and development. This review examines how traditional beliefs, maternal education, and family dynamics shape infant feeding practices, thereby influencing nutritional status and malaria risk. It also highlights the significance of breastfeeding, the timing of complementary feeding, and the quality of complementary foods in protecting infants against malaria. The review underscores the need for targeted nutritional interventions, such as micronutrient supplementation, fortified foods, and community-based nutrition programs, which are essential in reducing the dual burden of malnutrition and malaria. These interventions must be culturally sensitive and context-specific to effectively improve health outcomes for infants in West Africa. Further, this review illuminates the complex relationship between infant nutrition and malaria susceptibility, advocating for integrated public health strategies that address both malnutrition and malaria within the unique socio-cultural and economic landscape of West Africa. Keywords: Infant Nutrition, Malaria Susceptibility, West Africa, Socioeconomic.

Media representation of ethnic minorities in Pakistani newspapers

AbstractPakistani is a diverse society, and media are vital in highlighting their identity, presence, and contributions. Newspapers play a pivotal role in shaping perceptions of ethnic minorities, highlighting the need for impartial and responsible journalism. This study examines the role of newspapers in this context, focusing on the portrayal of ethnic minorities through a content analysis of 84 news articles from leading Pakistani Urdu‐language newspapers (Daily Jang, Daily Express and Daily Khabrain) to scrutinise the portrayal of ethnic minorities. The study aims to uncover the patterns and themes in the portrayal of these communities. Findings reveal that patterns in coverage allocation, with Christians dominating news coverage compared to other religious groups. The portrayal of non‐Muslim groups is predominantly positive, yet the articles featured anti‐Ahmadi content, reflecting complexity. The findings emphasise the well‐being of minorities, showcasing a positive trend. The news articles accentuated the positive contributions of non‐Muslims, and a significant majority (85.7%) covered religious events of minority groups. Positive representation aligns with societal discourse acknowledging diverse contributions and cultural expressions. Critical inquiry is prompted by editorial decisions, journalistic priorities, and societal dynamics shaping media narratives.