Equivalent Structures Research Articles

Antiphase domain growth: Correlation functions and structure factors in the scaling regime

We study the coarsening of three-dimensional antiphase domain structures via Monte Carlo simulations. Linear lattice dimensions of $N=1024$ enable us to reach a scaling regime covering about 2.5 orders of magnitude of linear scale. With short-range interactions on cubic lattices at temperatures of $0.75\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{T}_{\text{c}}$, the resulting antiphase domain structures are isotropic, which allows us to describe the real-space correlation functions by a common function scaled by a time-dependent parameter. We compare abstract Potts models and realistic models of atomic order in compounds and show that those with same ground-state degeneracy $q$ lead to equivalent antiphase domain structures, while the scaling functions for different $q$ show slight but significant deviations. Finally, we quantitatively discuss notions of real-space scale (specific interface area) and reciprocal-space scale (superstructure peak width) and thus give numerically exact values for the corresponding parameter $K$ of the Scherrer equation.

Measurement equivalence testing of the American Identity Questionnaire across Black, Latino, and White adolescents.

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the American Identity Questionnaire (Phinney & Devich-Navarro, Journal of Research on Adolescence, 1997, 7, 3). American identity has been associated with societal and personal benefits for ethno-racially diverse populations, but limited research has assessed whether American identity measures function equivalently across members of different groups. Thus, the current study examined the measurement equivalence and construct validity of the American Identity Questionnaire among Black, Latino, and White adolescents. Using a cross-sectional design, adolescents completed self-administered surveys during regular school time. The current study included U.S.-born adolescents (N = 1,326; M age = 16.16 years; SD = 1.12; 53% female) who self-identified as either Black (n = 315), Latino (n = 345), or White (n = 666). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using ethnic-racial group membership as the grouping variable. Findings suggested that the American Identity Questionnaire demonstrated configural (equivalent factor structures) and metric (equivalent factor loadings) invariance across the three groups. Partial scalar invariance was supported after allowing one item intercept to be freely estimated among Latino youth. Regarding construct validity, American identity was positively associated with self-esteem and personal identity, and negatively associated with depressive symptoms across the three groups. Findings suggest that the American Identity Questionnaire can be used to assess associations between American identity and other constructs with samples of Black, Latino, and White adolescents. Mean-level comparisons across the three groups may also be possible. Construct validity results indicated that American identity was positively associated with adolescents' psychosocial adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Plants have neither synapses nor a nervous system

The alleged existence of so-called synapses or equivalent structures in plants provided the basis for the concept of Plant Neurobiology (Baluska et al., 2005; Brenner et al., 2006). More recently, supporters of this controversial theory have even speculated that the phloem acts as a kind of nerve system serving long distance electrical signaling (Mediano et al., 2021; Baluska and Mancuso, 2021). In this review we have critically examined the literature cited by these authors and arrive at a completely different conclusion. Plants do not have any structures resembling animal synapses (neither chemical nor electrical). While they certainly do have complex cell contacts and signaling mechanisms, none of these structures provides a basis for neuronal-like synaptic transmission. Likewise, the phloem is undoubtedly a conduit for the propagation of electrical signaling, but the characteristics of this process are in no way comparable to the events underlying information processing in neuronal networks. This has obvious implications in regard to far-going speculations into the realms of cognition, sentience and consciousness.

Intramolecular H-Bond Dynamics of Catechol Investigated by THz High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Its Low-Frequency Modes.

Catechol is an oxygenated aromatic volatile organic compound and a biogenic precursor of secondary organic aerosols. Monitoring this compound in the gas phase is desirable due to its appreciable reactivity with tropospheric ozone. From a molecular point of view, this molecule is attractive since the two adjacent hydroxy groups can interchangeably act as donor and acceptor in an intramolecular hydrogen bonding due to the tunnelling between two symmetrically equivalent structures. Using synchrotron radiation, we recorded a rotationally-resolved Fourier Transform far-infrared (IR) spectrum of the torsional modes of the free and bonded -OH groups forming the intramolecular hydrogen bond. Additionally, the room temperature, pure rotational spectrum was measured in the 70–220 frequency range using a millimeter-wave spectrometer. The assignment of these molecular transitions was assisted by anharmonic high-level quantum-chemical calculations. In particular, pure rotational lines belonging to the ground and the four lowest energy, vibrationally excited states were assigned. Splitting due to the tunnelling was resolved for the free -OH torsional state. A global fit combining the far-IR and millimeter-wave data provided the spectroscopic parameters of the low-energy far-IR modes, in particular those characterizing the intramolecular hydrogen bond dynamics.

Morita Equivalence of Formal Poisson Structures

Abstract We extend the notion of Morita equivalence of Poisson manifolds to the setting of formal Poisson structures, that is, formal power series of bivector fields $\pi =\pi _0 + \lambda \pi _1 +\cdots $ satisfying the Poisson integrability condition $[\pi ,\pi ]=0$. Our main result gives a complete description of Morita equivalent formal Poisson structures deforming the zero structure ($\pi _0=0$) in terms of $B$-field transformations, relying on a general study of formal deformations of Poisson morphisms and dual pairs. Combined with previous work on Morita equivalence of star products [ 5], our results link the notions of Morita equivalence in Poisson geometry and noncommutative algebra via deformation quantization.

Asymptotic Analytical Solution on Lamb Waves in Functionally Graded Nano Copper Layered Wafer

In this study, the feasibility of using Lamb waves in functionally graded (FG) nano copper layered wafers in nondestructive evaluation is evaluated. The elastic parameters and mass densities of these wafers vary with thickness due to the variation in grain size. The power series technique is used to solve the governing equations with variable coefficients. To analyze multilayered structures, of which the material parameters are continuous but underivable, a modified transfer matrix method is proposed and combined with the power series method. Results show that multiple modes of Lamb waves exist in FG nano copper wafers. Moreover, the gradient property leads to a decrease in phase velocity, and the absolute value of the phase velocity variation is positively correlated with the gradient coefficient. The phase velocity variation and variation rate in Mode 2 are smaller than those in other modes. The findings indicate that Mode 4 is recommended for nondestructive evaluation. However, if the number of layers is greater than four, the dispersion curves of the Lamb waves in the multilayer structures tend to coincide with those in the equivalent uniform structures. The results of this study provide theoretical guidance for the nondestructive evaluation of FG nanomaterial layered structures.

The time-course of competition from the L1 grammar in L2 sentence processing: Evidence from cross-linguistic structural priming

In two visual-world eye-tracking experiments, we explore the extent to which conflicting first-language (L1) based grammatical parses influence second-language (L2) learners’ on-line and off-line interpretation of sentences in the L2. We used cross-linguistic structural priming to potentially boost competition from the L1 grammar during the processing of wh-questions in English. For L1-German learners (Experiment 1), sentence-final interpretations showed effects of conflicting L1 parses in the greater number of misinterpretations of English subject as object wh-questions than vice versa. In a follow-up experiment with a comparison group of L1-Japanese learners (Experiment 2), we found the reverse pattern in sentence-final interpretations, with lower accuracy on English object than subject wh-questions. The asymmetry in comprehension accuracy between Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that the effect observed among L1-German learners reflected grammar competition from the L1 rather than general L2 effects. In both experiments, we observed cross-linguistic priming from L1 object questions to L2 object questions in on-line processing. Yet, cross-linguistic priming did not enhance competition from L1 object questions on L2 subject questions in Experiment 1 as reflected in comprehension accuracy or eye-gaze during processing. Together, these findings present evidence of cross-linguistic structural priming for equivalent interpretations (object–object), but indicate that priming does not extend to competing L1 interpretations of word-order equivalent structures cross-linguistically (object–subject). We suggest that interference from conflicting L1-based grammatical parses is narrowly delimited in intermediate to advanced L2 sentence processing.

Validation of the Patient-Doctor Relationship and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire for An Arabic Adult Population in an Egyptian Sample

Background: Patient-doctor relationship and patient satisfaction are important engines that improve patient compliance and hence the health outcome. There are widely used instruments to measure patient-doctor relationship and patient satisfaction for primary health care purposes. Researchers lack a validated Arabic instrument that is tailored to the Arab population. So, it is important to translate and validate Patient-Doctor Relationship (PDRQ9) and patient satisfaction (PSQ 18) questionnaires into the Arabic language. Objectives: Is therefore to develop, evaluate, and validate a self-reported measure of Patient-Doctor Relationship (PDRQ9) and patient satisfaction (PSQ 18). Subject and Method: The Arabic version of PDRQ-9 and the PSQ-18 was translated from the English one with back to back translation. They were pilot tested statistically to ensure the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) and the appropriateness for the adult participants in the Arab countries. The Arabic questionnaires were administered to 434 adult participant attending primary health care facilities and hospitals in Suez Governorate, Egypt. Results: Exploratory factor analysis suggested two factors, comprising of 27 items in total. Good model fit was demonstrated through confirmatory factor analysis, with measurement invariance analyses demonstrating equivalent factor structures across. Internal consistency for the PDRQ-9 ranged between (α= 0.981-0.975) for the total scores and that for PSQ-18 ranged between (α = 0.986-0.984). Conclusion: Initial testing of the Arabic versions of the PDRQ-9 and PSQ-18 suggests that these questionnaires have satisfactory psychometric properties.

An Archaeoacoustics Analysis of Cistercian Architecture: The Case of the Beaulieu Abbey

The Cistercian order is of acoustic interest because previous research has hypothesized that Cistercian architectural structures were designed for longer reverberation times in order to reinforce Gregorian chants. The presented study focused on an archaeoacacoustics analysis of the Cistercian Beaulieu Abbey (Hampshire, England, UK), using Geometrical Acoustics (GA) to recreate and investigate the acoustical properties of the original structure. To construct an acoustic model of the Abbey, the building’s dimensions and layout were retrieved from published archaeology research and comparison with equivalent structures. Absorption and scattering coefficients were assigned to emulate the original room surface materials’ acoustics properties. CATT-Acoustics was then used to perform the acoustics analysis of the simplified building structure. Shorter reverberation time (RTs) was generally observed at higher frequencies for all the simulated scenarios. Low speech intelligibility index (STI) and speech clarity (C50) values were observed across Abbey’s nave section. Despite limitations given by the impossibility to calibrate the model according to in situ measurements conducted in the original structure, the simulated acoustics performance suggested how the Abbey could have been designed to promote sacral music and chants, rather than preserve high speech intelligibility.

Molecular characterization of the conoid complex in Toxoplasma reveals its conservation in all apicomplexans, including Plasmodium species.

The apical complex is the instrument of invasion used by apicomplexan parasites, and the conoid is a conspicuous feature of this apparatus found throughout this phylum. The conoid, however, is believed to be heavily reduced or missing from Plasmodium species and other members of the class Aconoidasida. Relatively few conoid proteins have previously been identified, making it difficult to address how conserved this feature is throughout the phylum, and whether it is genuinely missing from some major groups. Moreover, parasites such as Plasmodium species cycle through 3 invasive forms, and there is the possibility of differential presence of the conoid between these stages. We have applied spatial proteomics and high-resolution microscopy to develop a more complete molecular inventory and understanding of the organisation of conoid-associated proteins in the model apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. These data revealed molecular conservation of all conoid substructures throughout Apicomplexa, including Plasmodium, and even in allied Myzozoa such as Chromera and dinoflagellates. We reporter-tagged and observed the expression and location of several conoid complex proteins in the malaria model P. berghei and revealed equivalent structures in all of its zoite forms, as well as evidence of molecular differentiation between blood-stage merozoites and the ookinetes and sporozoites of the mosquito vector. Collectively, we show that the conoid is a conserved apicomplexan element at the heart of the invasion mechanisms of these highly successful and often devastating parasites.

Comparative response of rocking-wall systems with cast-in-place and precast floor systems in buildings

Two large-scale structural assemblages, which had equivalent PreWEC (Precast Wall with End Columns) rocking-wall systems but different surrounding structures, were tested under quasi-static cyclic loading to study the impact of wall-floor interaction on the performance of rocking-wall buildings. The first specimen (PFS1) included cast-in-place (CIP) edge columns and a CIP unbonded post-tensioned slab with rigid wall-floor connections, which maximized wall-floor interaction. The second specimen (PFS2) included precast edge columns and a precast slab with special vertical-isolation wall-floor connectors, which minimized wall-floor interaction. Test results showed that both structural assemblages demonstrated great seismic performance with limited damage and self-centering behavior. The strength of PFS1 was more than twice that of PFS2; PFS2 encountered less damage and had better self-centering performance than PFS1, but it possessed less energy-dissipation capacity. The difference in the performance of the two assemblages was mainly attributed to the different gravity load transfer paths and constraint effects of the surrounding structures. Contributions to the strength and the self-centering behavior of the two assemblages from different structural elements were quantified and compared.

Chronic non-medical prescription opioid use and empathy for pain: Does pain make the difference?

Non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) is at the heart of the opioid epidemic in the United States. Although chronic opioid use is commonly accompanied by deficits in social functioning, little is known about the impact of chronic NMPOU on social cognitive functions. Social neuroscience models suggest that empathy activates similar or even equivalent neural structures as those underpinning the first-hand experience in that emotional state (e.g., pain). Therefore, we measured subjective and psychophysiological responses during an empathy-for-pain task in 23 individuals with NMPOU, objectively confirmed by hair and urine testing, and compared them with 29 opioid-naïve healthy controls. NMPOU individuals showed lower other-related and self-related unpleasantness ratings when seeing others in pain than controls. No differences between the control and NMPOU group were found in skin conductance responses and heart rate variability (HRV) assessed by root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) in response to the task. However, RMSSD-HRV was strongly negatively correlated with self-related unpleasantness and craving in the NMPOU group. A subsequent mediation analysis showed a total effect of RMSSD-HRV on self-related unpleasantness with no mediation of craving. This indicates that stronger emotion regulation indexed by high RMSSD-HRV might have downregulating effects on sharing others' pain in NMPOU individuals but not in healthy controls, which was further accompanied by decreased ratings of personal distress and empathetic concern. These results contribute to a better understanding of social functioning in chronic opioid users, suggesting adequate emotion regulation and empathy trainings as therapeutic targets for future interventions of opioid use disorders and long-term pain treatment with opioids.

Forward–Backward Smoothers With Finite Impulse Response Structure

State estimation is an important component for advance control and fault detection. This paper addresses the problem of smoother design for state estimation based on a finite number of measurements collected in a finite estimation horizon. Three different finite impulse response (FIR) smoothing algorithms are proposed using the maximum likelihood FIR estimation, which is robust against uncertain noise statistics and model parameters, and also independent of the initial states of each finite horizon. Moreover, we provide equivalent but iterative Kalman-like structures of these algorithms for practical implementation. The applications of the proposed smoothing algorithms to an object tracking and image processing examples are demonstrated, and it shows that they have better robustness against model uncertainties than traditional smoothing approaches.

Research on micro-leverage in monolithic quartz resonant accelerometer.

In this study, the application of micro-leverage in the monolithically all-quartz resonant accelerometer is proposed. The magnification of the micro-leverage structure used for a large size double-ended tuning fork (DETF) was analyzed. The effect of DETF's dimension both on its own force-frequency sensitivity and micro-leverage's magnification was investigated. Through the study of the relationship between DETF's force-frequency sensitivity and micro-leverage's magnification, the effect of micro-leverage and the DETF system on the sensitivity of the accelerometer was obtained. The problem of big error in theoretical calculation of micro-leverage magnification was solved because the structural arrangement of the output beam was ignored in the derivation process. The correctness of the analysis was verified by theoretical calculation, simulation, and the experiment. The equivalent structures of tension (compression) stiffness and flexural stiffness of the micro-leverage output beam were obtained by analyzing and simplifying the composite structure of the link beam and DETF. By simplifying the mechanical model of micro-leverage, the amplification factor K of micro-leverage is deduced to be 23. Therefore, the theoretical sensitivity of the sensor is 15.6 Hz/g. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the accelerometer with the micro-leverage is 16.1 Hz/g, which is close to the theoretical analysis results.

The influence of inhomogeneous hydrate formation on permeability anisotropy of porous media

Hydrate formation is an inhomogeneous process, which results in permeability anisotropy, i.e., permeability differs in different directions. Permeability anisotropy of hydrate-bearing sands is analyzed based on CT (computed tomography) scanning and pore network modeling in this study. A digital sample is divided into eight different parts based on hydrate distribution. Eight equivalent micropore structures are extracted by the maximum ball method. The absolute and relative permeabilities of each part in three different directions (x, y, and z) are calculated by a permeability simulator. Before hydrate formation, the sand pack permeability in the different directions is nearly the same. After hydrate formation, the sample pore structures become more complex. Both the absolute and relative permeabilities vary in the different directions. When hydrate saturation exceeds a threshold, the degree of permeability anisotropy is weakened. Hydrate formation induces a more significant relative gas permeability anisotropy compared to relative water permeability anisotropy. The degree of relative water permeability anisotropy increases at high water saturations.

Electronic properties and stability of 4–8 BxCyNz monolayers

We have investigated the stability and electronic structure of several 4–8 BxCyNz compounds via first-principle calculations. We have done calculations for structures that vary in configuration and stoichiometry (BCN2 and BC2N). We have compared our results, for 4–8 structures, with that obtained for the equivalent hexagonal structures. We have found that 4–8 BCN2 structures present an overall wider band gap and higher stability than their hexagonal counterparts. Our results indicate that the 4–8 geometry might be an alternative form of stabilizing and band gap tuning some BxCyNz stoichiometries.

Comparison of the Performance of “Unit Area Cost Method” (UACM) and “Unit Price Method” (UPM) Used in Estimating the Costs of the Reinforced Concrete Multi-Storey Housing Buildings

Unit Price Method (UPM) and Unit Area Cost Method (UACM) are widely used in the cost of reinforced concrete multistorey housing buildings. In this study, it is aimed to determine the cost estimation method with high performance (its use will provide advantage to the estimator over the other) by comparing the cost estimates in the modeling by making “Regression Analysis” (RA), with the data of such struction. In the literature review, studies of equivalent and different structures were evaluated. In modeling; Number of rooms, floor area, total area, number of floors, floor height, facade area, facade void area, Bathroom/wc areas, balcony areas, building height are parameters. UPM and UACM based costs which were created with the data of 2020 of 41 similar structures (38 for modeling, 3 for tests) were used as independent variables, and cost models were created with linear regression analysis. The results were randomly selected and compared with test groups that were not used in these models, and the error rates and performances of the methods were tested. According to the comparison, in the UACM analysis, there was a high R2 value in 6 data and a low error rate in 8 predictions.

The unified quantum mechanical structure of tubular molecular rotors with multiple equivalent global minimum structures: the 18*C2h → D9d case of La-[B2@B18]-La.

La-[B2@B18]-La demonstrates decisive changes of the properties of molecular rotors, from multiple (here 18) equivalent individual global minimum structures to a quantum mechanical unified structure. This affects their geometries, their symmetries (18*C2h → D9d), the generation of energy bands, and high-resolution spectroscopy.

Cycling model for a NiTi Shape Memory Alloy

Shape memory alloys are more and more used in many fields of mechanics and medicine. The reason of the success is the ability to recover the initial shape also after high values of deformation. During the deformation, the SMA are able to change the structure from an initial structure, often named as austenite, to a final structure named martensite. Neither austenite and martensite are the same of the equivalent structures of iron alloy, bit it is only a convention. That transformation takes place a low temperature, and no recrystallization occurs, but the bulk of grains is interested by the structure changing. For that, this phenomenon can’t be qualified as a traditional structure transformation, but it is much more correct talk about the transition of phase. The transition Austenite-Martensite is reversible allowing a perfect recover of the shape shown in the austenite phase. In this work a model able to describe the microstructure evolution related to the mechanical behaviour of a SMA has been proposed. Results of FEM simulations have been compared with experimental results both in terms of microstructure modifications and in terms of mechanical behaviour

Generation and robustness of quantum entanglement in spin graphs

Entanglement is a crucial resource for quantum information processing, and so protocols to generate high-fidelity entangled states on various hardware platforms are in demand. While spin chains have been extensively studied to generate entanglement, graph structures also have such potential; however, only a few classes of graphs have been explored for this specific task. In this paper, we apply a particular coupling scheme involving two different coupling strengths to a graph of two interconnected 3times 3 square graphs such that it effectively contains three defects. We show how this structure allows generation of a Bell state whose fidelity depends on the chosen coupling ratio. We apply partitioned graph theory in order to reduce the dimension of the graph and show that, using a reduced graph or a reduced chain, we can still simulate the same protocol with identical dynamics. Finally, we investigate how fabrication errors affect the entanglement generation protocol and how the different equivalent structures are affected, finding that for some specific coupling ratios they are extremely robust.