Flattened Form Research Articles

Our Life Together: Collective Homemaking in the Films of Ella Bergmann-Michel

‘Persil – for all washing’. Consider a photograph of a painted advertisement for laundry detergent, emblazoned on the side of a multi-storey building and caught in the late afternoon light (Fig. 1). The brightest highlights come from the white lettering for the product and its slogan, as if to testify to the very power of the powder. The asymmetrical design enlivens the flat expanse of its architectural support and makes the rendering of the Persil packaging pop out in high relief. The kinship between these abstract forms and the blocky typeface show that the same angular units, differently configured, can serve as both text and image, field and vector. The grey vertical that bisects the advertisement works against the directionality of the text, and as our eyes follow it from top to bottom, these flattened forms start to move in and out of spatial depth, appearing adjacent on the same plane in one glance, and stacked and floating in another. Of course, the entire wall supporting this advertisement is itself canted against the picture plane of the photograph. This difference exaggerates the animation of the design, but as we look from left to right, it also encourages the photographic image to echo and reinforce the play between flatness and depth. Through it, we see how the modernity of the new typography belies the stubborn persistence of existing architectural form. This is not an architecture of glass transparency and intersecting planes, but instead an expression of bourgeois solidity held over from the previous century. Once the sun sets, a gas light will still illuminate the streets.

Compression Behavior of Ti Foams with Spherical and Polyhedral Pores

This paper investigates the microstructure of Ti foams and their mechanical behavior under compression load during a μCT scan. Metal foams (70% of designed porosity) are created using Ti powder (average diameter of 0.15 mm) and saccharose particles of different shapes and an average size of 0.8 mm. The analysis of the μCT results show that the pore volume is almost linearly deformed during compression. The eccentricity of the pores is also evaluated, as well as their orientation during compression. The pore shapes are deformed into more flattened forms and their major axes are rotated into the horizontal plane. The interconnection area has an initial value of 0.244 mm2 for spherical pores and 0.193 mm2 for polyhedral pores.

板状機能体の研究

Historically, many mobile robots for terrestrial use have either been wheeled, tracked or legged. However, some robots can locomote using body motions; not wheels, tracks or legs. These robots have been developed based on locomotor mechanism of limbless animals such as snakes. Prior work of snake robots reveals several serpentine locomotor efforts. On the other hand, there is a flatworm having flattened form and soft body such as a planarian, a polyclad and a trichoplax. The motivation for this work is the design and control of limbless robots inspired by flatworms. In this report, we propose configuration of the mechanical model of flat-formed robot. Then, we report the result of the dynamics simulation on biological or non-biological locomotion and the design of joint mechanism.

Holistic morphometric analysis of growth of the sand dollar Echinarachnius parma (Echinodermata:Echinoidea:Clypeasteroida).

Holistic morphometrics is a term implying complete shape characterization of all of the structural parts of an organism. The skeleton of an echinoid is comprised of hundreds of individual plates arranged in a closed 3-dimensional mosaic forming the test. GIS software and techniques were used to generate topologically correct digital models of an ontogenetic series of specimens of the sand dollar echinoid Echinarachnius parma. Plate growth can be considered in proportion to overall skeleton growth, resulting in a linear model of relative growth. Alternatively, separate logistic equations can be fit to the ontogenetic series of homologous plate areas using nonlinear least squares regression to result in a model for instantaneous growth. The linear and logistic parameters of the models describe the allometric growth of plates from different viewpoints. Growth is shown to fall into characteristic patterns defining distinct plate growth domains associated with development of the imago (larval) skeleton just prior to metamorphosis, early growth associated with expansion of the corona and fold-over (forming the flattened body form), juvenile growth and formation of petals, and adult growth. Functions of growth, plate translocation, plate juxtaposition between aboral and oral surfaces, and relationships with internal buttressing are quantified. Results offer explanations for general skeletal symmetry, distinction between ambulacral and interambulacral growth, the relationship of growth to internal buttressing, existence of a distinct petalodium, and anterior-posterior asymmetry during development. The parametric values of growth functions derived from the results are a basis for computational modeling of growth and development in sand dollars.

Unfolding Method of Non-Developable Surface for Sheet-Metal Design

The organized vertex coordination of the triangular surfaces is obtained by the meshing method in the 3D kernel based developing environment. To optimize the flattened form, the energy method is used to find the reasonable unfolding scheme, which seeks the solution to minimize the deforming energy generated when flattening the triangular surfaces. This algorithm is not the fastest one, but the versatile one especially for the non-developable surface with a large bending degree. With the unfolding method and the 3D kernel environment, the 3D unfolding system for the arbitrary surface satisfying the requirements is constructed.

Experimental and theoretical determination of transition dipole moments of ethyl 5-(4-aminophenyl)- and 5-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-amino-2,4-dicyanobenzoate

The absorption and fluorescence transition dipole moments ( $$\hat M_{ge}$$ and $$\hat M_{eg}$$ ) for ethyl 5-(4-aminophenyl)-3-amino-2, 4-dicyanobenzoate (EAADCy) and ethyl 5-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-amino-2, 4-dicyanobenzoate (EDMAADCy) have been determined on the basis of the steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements and semiempirical quantum-chemical calculations. The values of the transition dipole moments of perpendicular and flattened forms of the investigated molecules were estimated as a function of the solvent polarity. Noted differences between the absorption and emission transition dipole moments (i.e., $${{\hat M_{ge} } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\hat M_{ge} } {\hat M_{eg} }}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\hat M_{eg} }} \ne 1$$ ) confirm that the change of the electronic and molecular structure take place in the excited state.

The flat menagerie [News

"Flat land" has never looked so good. A little less than a decade ago, physicists showed they could pull away loosely bound layers of graphite to reveal graphene, a 2-D carbon structure. The material was shown to have very promising electronic properties. But graphene isn't the only game in town. A whole host of 2-D structures are attracting attention. Many can be formed just as graphene is, from layered 3-D materials; one such material, molybdenum disulfide, has been used in recent months to form flexible, transparent transistors and some of the basic building blocks of logic chips. Others are flattened forms of naturally 3-D structures. In April, for example, a team based at Ohio State University reported they had wrangled germanium, a mainstay of the semiconductor industry, into a 2-D structure that transports electrons faster than its 3-D counterpart does.

Molecular phylogeny of the genus Dichotomaria (Galaxauraceae, Rhodophyta) from the Indo-Pacific region, including a new species D. hommersandii from South Africa

Members of the Galaxauraceae are all calcified and have a wide distribution from tropical to temperate regions. Of the four genera of Galaxauraceae, only Dichotomaria contains two distinct thallus forms, which are (1) a flattened form with either narrow (e.g. D. marginata) or wide (e.g. D. diesingiana) branches, and (2) a terete form with either slender (e.g. D. papillata) or robust (e.g. D. obtusata) branches. In this study, we present a molecular phylogeny of new Dichotomaria samples from the Indo-Pacific region and describe a new species, D. hommersandii S.L. Liu & S.M. Lin, from South Africa, based on rbcL sequence analysis and morphological evidence. Dichotomaria hommersandii is characterized by a thallus consisting of terete smooth branches (0.5–1.5 mm in diameter), a moniliform branching pattern with constrictions at the nodes, ramification of young branches derived from the damaged terminal regions of the old branches, and cystocarps containing a conspicuous fusion cell. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that the terete thallus morphology could be the ancestral character state in Dichotomaria.

Phylogenetic analysis of threatened and range-restricted limestone specialists in the land snail genus Anguispira

Conservation laws often apply at the level of “species,” yet species designations in many taxa were made using qualitative descriptions of a small number of morphological characters. This makes management of these groups challenging, especially when new taxonomically ambiguous populations are discovered. We used mtDNA sequence data (portions of 16S and cytb) to assess phylogenetic patterns within the limestone specialists in the land snail genus Anguispira, a group that includes highly range-restricted endemics and a newly discovered population of unclear affinities. Limestone mining is increasing in the Cumberland Plateau region (USA) where these snails live; the lack of phylogenetic information makes conservation management around these mines problematic. We found support for some aspects of traditional taxonomies: Anguispira picta, cumberlandiana, and alabama appear to be monophyletic groups, with the possible exception of one disjunct population of alabama. However, A. cumberlandiana columba appears to be more closely related to the widespread generalist A. alternata, a species than our data suggest is not monophyletic. In addition, the carinate shell (a highly flattened form with pinched edges, an adaptation to life in rock crevices) appears to have evolved just once in the genus. Last, both mtDNA data and quantification of shell morphology indicate that a newly discovered population appears to form a diagnosable monophyletic group. If corroborated by further analyses, this group may warrant elevation to the status of species.

GOLPH3 Bridges Phosphatidylinositol-4- Phosphate and Actomyosin to Stretch and Shape the Golgi to Promote Budding

Golgi membranes, from yeast to humans, are uniquely enriched in phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P), although the role of this lipid remains poorly understood. Using a proteomic lipid-binding screen, we identify the Golgi protein GOLPH3 (also called GPP34, GMx33, MIDAS, or yeast Vps74p) as a PtdIns(4)P-binding protein that depends on PtdIns(4)P for its Golgi localization. We further show that GOLPH3 binds the unconventional myosin MYO18A, thus connecting the Golgi to F-actin. We demonstrate that this linkage is necessary for normal Golgi trafficking and morphology. The evidence suggests that GOLPH3 binds to PtdIns(4)P-rich trans-Golgi membranes and MYO18A conveying a tensile force required for efficient tubule and vesicle formation. Consequently, this tensile force stretches the Golgi into the extended ribbon observed by fluorescence microscopy and the familiar flattened form observed by electron microscopy.

Computer simulation of plain woven fabric appearance from yarn photographs

This article proposes a method for simulating plain woven fabric appearance based on photographs taken by still camera of actual yarns along their lengths. The survey mathematically models the transformation of yarns from a straight circular cylinder to a flattened and crimped form in the fabric structure. The simulation is performed by yarn images that are obtained by image processing techniques and resized according to mathematical models developed by means of the software prepared. Transforming circular yarn cross-section to elliptical one for simulating yarn flattening and modelling the crimped shape of yarn by an elastica curve are both convenient and realistic. The simulation of plain woven fabric can be performed by a method based on raster graphics. This article provides a model for yarn shape in fabric structure as well as a method for simulating plain woven fabric appearance. This method may be used in textile industry for design and quality control.

Reconstruction of a burned breast with vertical mammaplasty: a case report

The right upper extremity, axilla, and right anterior hemithorax of a 25-year-old female had been burned with milk when she was 4. Breast tissue developed in a flattened form because of the burn to the entire anterior hemithorax; the nipple–areolar complex was far lower than it should have been; no inframammary fold had developed and the appearance was highly asymmetrical. A vertical mammaplasty was used to restore the nipple–areolar complex to its normal position, and a full-thickness skin graft taken from the groin was used to form an inframammary fold. In this way, the two asymmetrical breasts were given an acceptable symmetry.

Developmental and Functional Ultrastructure of Ornithodiplostomum ptychocheilus Diplostomula (Trematoda: Strigeoidea) during Invasion of the Brain of the Fish Intermediate Host, Pimephales promelas

We examined tegumental development of the diplostomulum of Ornithodiplostomum ptychocheilus, with respect to structural transformations that have functional relevance to the invasion, migration, and site establishment processes in the brain of the fish second-intermediate host, Pimephales promelas. Using a combination of brightfield, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and confocal microscopy (CM), we demonstrated that the diplostomula become established in the outer region of the optic lobes within 24-48 hr of penetration and continue to grow and transform over a period of 4-14 days. During this period, the J-shaped body consists of 2 distinct regions: (1) a highly motile prosoma with distinctive tegumental spines and (2) an opisthosoma, the tegument of which is elaborated into a dense uniform layer of long, thin microvilli. The prosoma is alternately invaginated into and everted from the opisthosoma, thus constituting a protrusible proboscis. By day 14 postinfection (PI), the body has lost this bipartite structure and has taken on the uniformly flattened form characteristic of metacercariae. The transitory complex structure of the diplostomula appears to be well suited to burrowing through host tissues (primarily by action of the prosoma), followed by rapid dissociation of host tissue and nutrient accumulation (primarily by action of the opisthosoma) in preparation for metacercaria encystment.

TRPV6 Is a Ca2+ Entry Channel Essential for Ca2+-induced Differentiation of Human Keratinocytes

Ca(2+) is an essential factor inducing keratinocyte differentiation due to the natural Ca(2+) gradient in the skin. However, the membrane mechanisms that mediate calcium entry and trigger keratinocyte differentiation had not previously been elucidated. In this study we demonstrate that Ca(2+)-induced differentiation up-regulates both mRNA and protein expression of a transient receptor potential highly Ca(2+)-selective channel, TRPV6. The latter mediates Ca(2+) uptake and accounts for the basal [Ca(2+)](i) in human keratinocytes. Our results show that TRPV6 is a prerequisite for keratinocyte entry into differentiation, because the silencing of TRPV6 in human primary keratinocytes led to the development of impaired differentiated phenotype triggered by Ca(2+). The expression of such differentiation markers as involucrin, transglutaminase-1, and cytokeratin-10 was significantly inhibited by small interfering RNA-TRPV6 as compared with differentiated control cells. TRPV6 silencing affected cell morphology and the development of intercellular contacts, as well as the ability of cells to stratify. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3, a cofactor of differentiation, dose-dependently increased TRPV6 mRNA and protein expression in human keratinocytes. This TRPV6 up-regulation led to a significant increase in Ca(2+) uptake in both undifferentiated and differentiated keratinocytes. We conclude that TRPV6 mediates, at least in part, the pro-differentiating effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 by increasing Ca(2+) entry, thereby promoting differentiation. Taken together, these data suggest that the TRPV6 channel is a key element in Ca(2+)/1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced differentiation of human keratinocytes.

Transformable optical dipole trap using a phase-modulated standing wave

We demonstrate a new type of a cavity-enhanced optical trap whose standing-wave potential well can be transformed by using phase modulation. When the modulation frequency is matched to the free spectral range of the cavity, the potential well can be changed continuously from a corrugated form of a standing wave to a flattened form of a traveling wave depending on the modulation index. With the phase modulation, more atoms are trapped due to the increase in the trap volume, and there is a pronounced increase by a factor of 1.9 when an optimal modulation is applied. From the increase in number of trapped atoms we also infer that the temperature associated with longitudinal motion is strongly affected by the transformation of the potential well. This technique can be used to study collective behavior of trapped atoms and to manipulate atomic distribution for quantum information processing.

Evidence for matrotrophy in the viviparous sea cucumber Leptosynapta clarki: A role for the genital haemal sinus?

Summary Viviparity, where the embryos develop in the female reproductive system, is a rare form of reproduction in marine invertebrates, being described in only 14 species of echinoderm. In the intraovarian brooding sea cucumber, Leptosynapta clarki Heding 1928 (cf., Sewell et al. 1995), we used direct evidence (changes in energetic content) to show that significant additional nutrients are provided to the embryos during viviparous development (matrotrophy). In the transition from a structure used to produce gametes to a long-term brooding structure there are visual, histological and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) changes in the structure of the ovarian wall. Changes occur primarily in the cells of the visceral peritoneum and involve an increase in size of the connective tissue/genital haemal sinus (CT/GHS). In the latter part of the brooding period the visceral peritoneum returns to a flattened form, and new oocytes develop along the tubule wall. Similar changes in the intraovarian brooding sea cucumber Oneirophanta mutabilis affinis lead us to suggest that there is a role for the genital haemal sinus in providing nutrition during the brooding period in viviparous echinoderms. Future research is suggested to focus on changes in the ovarian wall structure during the different phases of reproduction (gamete production/brooding) in these species.

Development of a biologically active dacron vascular graft surface

Introduction: Prosthetic arterial graft failure is, in part, a consequence of incomplete healing at the blood/biomaterial interface. Our previous work demonstrated that human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation was enhanced on the novel bifunctionalized Dacron surface, created by exposure to ethylenediamine (EDA). The goal of this study was to covalently bind basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a mitogen for HUVECs, to our bifunctionalized Dacron surface and examine proliferation of HUVECs on this biologically active Dacron surface. Methods: Mylar discs (1.5 cm diameter), a flattened form of Dacron, were exposed to EDA. Mylar discs were then divided into three groups: untreated (CTRL), control-EDA (C-EDA) and Tr-EDA (EDA treated mylar reacted with Traut’s reagent). bFGF was radiolabeled with 125I and reacted with the heterobifunctioal crosslinker sulfo-SMCC. After incubation with 125I-bFGF-SMCC for 3 hours, all segments were then washed and gamma counted. The amount of 125I-bFGF (ng) per Mylar segment weight (mg) was calculated using specific activity. HUVEC growth was evaluated on CTRL, C-EDA and bFGF-EDA (non-radiolabeled) surfaces. Mylar discs were placed in a 24-well culture plate, seeded with 20,000 HUVECs and assessed for cellular proliferation over time using an Alamar blue assay. Results:125I-bFGF binding, which was either non-specific or covalent, occurred on all of our surfaces. 125I-bFGF binding to the Tr-EDA segments (32 ± 2.8 ng/mg) was 8.1 fold greater than the CTRL segments (3.9 ± 0.6 ng/mg, p = 1.1 × 10–6) and 1.5 fold greater than the C-EDA group (22 ± 2.4 ng/mg, p = 1.5 × 10–3). HUVEC proliferation occurred on all of our surfaces throughout the four-day time course. Segments with covalently bound bFGF demonstrated significantly greater proliferation (27 ± 7.0) as compared to HUVEC proliferation on CTRL surfaces (12 ± 4.1, p = 2.7 × 10−6) and C-EDA surfaces (13 ± 7.3, p = 2.5 × 10–4). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that growth factors such as bFGF can be covalently bound to Dacron and maintain its biologic activity in vitro. Immobilization of biologically active proteins may potentially aid in avoiding some of the complications that occur following prosthetic arterial grafting.

On the Construction of Some Type II Codes over Z 4 ×Z 4

We consider here the construction of Type II codes over the abelian group Z4×Z4. The definition of Type II codes here is based on the definitions introduced by Bannai [2]. The emphasis is given on the construction of these types of codes over the abelian group Z4×Z4 and in particular, the methods applied by Gaborit [7] in the construction of codes over Z4 was extended to four different dualities with their corresponding weight functions (maps assigning weights to the alphabets of the code). In order to do this, we use the flattened form of the codes and construct binary codes analogous to the ones applied to Z4 codes. Since each duality generates more than one weight function, we focus on those weights satisfying the squareness property. Here, by the squareness property, we mean that the weight function wt assigns the weight 0 to the Z4×Z4 elements (0, 0),(2, 2) and the weight 4 to the elements (0, 2) and (2, 0). The main results of this paper are focused on the characterization of these codes and provide a method of construction that can be applied in the generation of such codes whose weight functions satisfy the squareness property.

Finite element method for developing arbitrary surfaces to flattened forms

In this paper the principle for developing 3D mesh of flat triangles on arbitrary surfaces to its closest flattened 2D mesh is proposed. Such principle is proved equivalent to the condition that the finite element method (FEM) residual forces of the 2D-mesh member structure are equal to zero. The incremental FEM method and iterative procedures are derived for eliminating such residual forces. For developable 3D mesh of flat triangles, the method of this paper will give the accurate flattened 2D mesh, and for non-developable 3D mesh, this paper can lead to the closest flattened 2D mesh. The obtained 2D mesh can also be taken as the flattened form of the curved surface, which is described by the 3D mesh of flat triangles. Numerical examples show that the method of this paper has stable convergence and high efficiency.

Environmentally influenced variability in the morphology of Cinachyrella australiensis (Carter 1886) (Porifera : Spirophorida : Tetillidae)

The influence of environmental variability on body form and tissue structure of Cinachyrella australiensis is reported for populations from three sites within Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia, that varied considerably in hydrological conditions. External morphology of these sponges differed among sites ranging from typical spherical shapes to flattened forms. A large proportion of dry weight consisted of inorganic matter, i.e. silica spicules, varying between 62.9% and 78.2%. Sites with highest water velocity and sediment size were significantly correlated with sponge populations having the greatest inorganic content and lowest organic cellular content and the thickest oxea. Thicker oxea may in part account for the higher structural content of sponges at these sites. There was no significant difference in oxea length among sites. It is concluded that sponges subjected to highly perturbed environs with large water flow and sedimentation regimes may devote more energy to spicule reinforcement relative to organic content. These robust sponges have the potential to make an important structural contribution to their habitats.