Analysis Of Spatial Arrangement Research Articles

Unleashing the Potential of High-Capacity Anodes through an Interfacial Prelithiation Strategy.

The scalable development of an environmentally adaptive and homogeneous Li+ supplementary route remains a formidable challenge for the existing prelithiation technologies, restricting the full potential of high-capacity anodes. In this study, we present a moisture-tolerant interfacial prelithiation approach through casting a hydrophobic poly(vinylidene-co-hexafluoropropylene) membrane blended with a deep-lithiated alloy (Li22Si5@C/PVDF-HFP) onto Si based anodes. This strategy could not only extend to various high-capacity anode systems (SiOx@C, hard carbon) but also align with industrial roll-to-roll assembly processes. By carefully adjusting the thickness of the prelithiation layer, the densely packed Si@C electrode (4.5 mAh cm-2) exhibits significantly improved initial Coulombic efficiency until a close-to-unit value, as well as extreme moisture tolerance (60% relative humidity). Furthermore, it achieves more than 10-fold enhancement of ionic conductivity across the electrode. As pairing the prelithiated Si@C anode with the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode, the 2 Ah pouch-format prototype balances an energy density of ∼371 Wh kg-1 and an extreme power output of 2450 W kg-1 as well as 83.8% capacity retention for 1000 cycles. The combined operando phase tracking and spatial arrangement analysis of the intermediate alloy elucidate that the enhanced Li utilization derives from the gradient stress dissipation model upon a spontaneous Li+ redistribution process.

Analysis of spatial arrangement of fractures in two dimensions using point process statistics

Here we present a methodology that quantifies fracture arrangement in space as a function of position (barycenters), size (trace length in 2D), and orientation (variation in strike). We use point process statistics to analyze distances between barycenters and estimate a confidence interval for randomness that is compared with input data. The methodology can discriminate at least four types of spatial arrangements and identifies preferential associations of distances with fracture length and orientation. We apply our method to two naturally fractured formations and show that it can determine fracture arrangements under a significant statistical confidence.

Pharma 4.0 Continuous mRNA Drug Products Manufacturing.

Continuous mRNA drugs manufacturing is perceived to nurture flow processes featuring quality by design, controlled automation, real time validation, robustness, and reproducibility, pertaining to regulatory harmonization. However, the actual adaptation of the latter remains elusive, hence batch-to-continuous transition would a priori necessitate holistic process understanding. In addition, the cost related to experimental, pilot manufacturing lines development and operations thereof renders such venture prohibitive. Systems-based Pharmaceutics 4.0 digital design enabling tools, i.e., converging mass and energy balance simulations, Monte-Carlo machine learning iterations, and spatial arrangement analysis were recruited herein to overcome the aforementioned barriers. The primary objective of this work is to hierarchically design the related bioprocesses, embedded in scalable devices, compatible with continuous operation. Our secondary objective is to harvest the obtained technological data and conduct resource commitment analysis. We herein demonstrate for first time the feasibility of the continuous, end-to-end production of sterile mRNA formulated into lipid nanocarriers, defining the equipment specifications and the desired operational space. Moreover, we find that the cell lysis modules and the linearization enzymes ascend as the principal resource-intensive model factors, accounting for 40% and 42% of the equipment and raw material, respectively. We calculate MSPD 1.30–1.45 €, demonstrating low margin lifecycle fluctuation.

Pattern Analysis of Visible Faulty Fruits in Capitula: A Case in Cultivated Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The analysis of spatial arrangement of incompletely developed fruits (IDF) in capitula could be used to understand the nature and the relative arrangement of these fruits at maturity, previously unexplained by current models. The objective of this work was to quantify and define the distribution pattern of visible IDF (IDFvis) at physiological maturity in the capitulum of the cultivated sunflower, in two genotypes with different self-compatibility expression grown in three different environments. Spatial characteristics and the possibility of randomness of IDFvis pattern generation were also evaluated. We were able to define four IDFvis patterns: Type I, where the distribution of the IDFvis was located mainly at the capitulum center, Type II, where the distribution remained grouped at its center but spreads towards the periphery, Type III, where the distribution was more homogeneous over the entire capitulum surface and Type IV with a homogeneous but very dispersed distribution over the entire capitulum surface. Second order spatial point pattern analysis techniques for a plane (Ripley’s K) were applied to the distribution of IDFvis in the four predefined IDFvis patterns. Using the ADE-4 software, spatial distribution patterns contained in a circular surface and corrected for edge effects were analyzed. By grouping the different types of IDFvis patterns by environment and genotype, a tendency was observed to generate preferably two types of patterns, Type I and Type IV, directly related to the genotype and not to the environment. The K index obtained for each type of pattern showed that, for the scales analyzed, Types I, II and III can be defined as grouped, since they laid outside the Poisson confidence limits. The Type IV pattern presented results consistent with a completely randomized distribution. It was observed a low-frequency appearance of the IV (random) pattern and only for one genotype in the different environments studied, while in the rest of the genotype x environment combinations there was always a greater degree of grouping (non random; Type; I, II and III patterns). Proved that mostly of the IDFvis patterns presented in the sunflower capitulum were mainly non random, the results shown here suggest that, to the intrinsic characteristics of the plant to express this character, mainly physiological, intra-receptacle physical factors could be added in the post-pollination stage, capable of altering the normal development of the embryos.

Area-Averaged Surface Moisture Flux over Fragmented Sea Ice: Floe Size Distribution Effects and the Associated Convection Structure within the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Sea ice fragmentation results in the transformation of the surface from relatively homogeneous to highly heterogeneous. Atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) rapidly responds to those changes through a range of processes which are poorly understood and not parametrized in numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. The aim of this work is to increase our understanding and develop parametrization of the ABL response to different floe size distributions (FSD). The analysis is based on the results of simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting model. Results show that FSD determines the distribution and intensity of convection within the ABL through its influence on the atmospheric circulation. Substantial differences between various FSDs are found in the analysis of spatial arrangement and strength of ABL convection. To incorporate those sub-grid effects in the NWP models, a correction factor for the calculation of surface moisture heat flux is developed. It is expressed as a function of floe size, sea ice concentration and wind speed, and enables a correction of the flux computed from area-averaged quantities, as is typically done in NWP models. In general, the presented study sheds some more light on the sea ice–atmosphere interactions and provides the first attempt to parametrize the influence of FSD on the ABL.

In silico mutational studies of Hsp70 disclose sites with distinct functional attributes.

The Mutation-Minimization Method (MuMi) to study the local response of proteins to point mutations has been introduced here. The heat shock protein Hsp70 as the test system since it displays features that have been studied in great detail has been used here. It has many conserved residues, serves several different functions on each of its domains, and displays interdomain allostery. For the analysis of spatial arrangement of residues within the protein, the network properties of the wild type (WT) protein as well as its all single alanine residue mutants using MuMi has been investigated. The measures to express the amount of change from the WT structure upon mutation and compare these deviations to find potential critical sites have been proposed. The functional significance of the potential sites to the parameter that uncovers them has been mapped. It was found that sites directly involved in binding were sensitive to mutations and were characterized by large displacements. On the other hand, sites that steer large conformational changes typically had increased reachability upon alanine mutations occurring elsewhere in the protein. Finally, residues that control communication within and between domains reside on the largest number of paths connecting pairs of residues in the protein.

Development of a land use extraction expert system through morphological and spatial arrangement analysis

Land use (LU) information is of significant value for various urban studies and is needed for a wide variety of decision-making initiatives in the range of global, regional and urban areas. A challenge that researchers and practitioners have been facing in urban modeling/planning is the lack of detailed information regarding how cities are structured and how urban development evolves. This study aims to develop a hierarchical rule-based LU extraction framework using geographic vector and remotely sensed (RS) data, in order to extract detailed subzonal LU information. The LU extraction system, which considers both morphological and spatial arrangement analyses at a fine spatial level – parcel, is developed to understand association/correlation rules between different urban features and their corresponding LU structures. In this study, structures and patterns of residential and commercial LUs are scrutinized. Residential and commercial LUs are first extracted by examining the morphological properties of individual parcels using a stepwise binary logistic models, which results in an overall accuracy of 97.5% and 92.4% respectively. A spatial arrangement analysis is then carried out through Gabriel Graph to identify structural patterns of residential and commercial parcels in order to cluster and separate them from other LUs. Extracting residential and commercial clusters helps to correct misclassifications arising from morphological analysis. The post-correction process results in improving the overall LU extraction accuracy by 1.6% for residential and 4.8% for commercial LU. The above exercises show that the LU classification framework developed can classify and then divide large zones with mixed LUs into single-LU subzones with a high accuracy.

A hierarchical rule-based land use extraction system using geographic and remotely sensed data: A case study for residential uses

Lack of detailed land use (LU) information and of efficient data gathering methods have made modeling of urban systems difficult. This study aims to develop a hierarchical rule-based LU extraction system using very high resolution (VHR) remotely sensed imagery and geographic vector data. Land cover information extracted from remote sensing and several types of geographic data from the study area, City of Fredericton, Canada, are fused into a comprehensive database, in order to develop a sophisticated LU Extraction Expert System (LUEES). This paper illustrates how the proposed LUEES though a case study for residential uses in the study area. Morphological (individual-based) analysis at the building-level is carried out through a step-wise binary logistic regression model, which differentiates residential and non-residential buildings and results in an overall accuracy of 93.1%. The results derived from morphological analysis are then subject to a post-correction process using a spatial arrangement analysis, in order to further mitigate the misclassification issues arising from the morphological analysis. In this regard, Gabriel Graph connectivity examines the spatial structure and arrangements of urban features concerning different LU types. It is found that the spatial arrangement analysis further enhances the residential LU classification accuracy, which gives rise to an overall accuracy of 97.4%. It is believed that, equipped with such a powerful LU data collection tool and resulting detailed/accurate LU data, urban planners/modelers should be able to more reliably and precisely represent/predict economic interactions, activity locations, space and housing developments, business expansion, and trip patterns.

Extracting Urban Subzonal Land Uses through Morphological and Spatial Arrangement Analyses Using Geographic Data and Remotely Sensed Imagery

Land use (LU) information is of significant value for various urban studies and is needed for a wide variety of decision-making initiatives in the range of global, regional, and urban areas. However, it has been difficult to collect LU information in an efficient and cost-effective way in the past, which forces planners and engineers to use other information (e.g., population and employment) as proxy in their modeling practice. This paper intends to establish a hybrid geographic information and remote sensing (GI/RS) expert system to extract LU at a very detailed subzonal level. Three LU classification algorithms including fuzzy-decision tree (FDT), logistic-decision tree (LDT), and artificial neural network (ANN) are designed to classify urban subzones, dissemination blocks (DBs), the smallest census zone, into single LUs using very high resolution (VHR) aerial imagery and geographic vector data. A novel, hybrid pixel- and object-based land-cover classification system is developed to extract the information of parking lot, bare soil, and vegetation from aerial imagery. Morphological properties at the zonal level are derived from the geographic data and the land-cover classification results. Statistical analyses, such as scatter graph and nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test, are used to examine the separability of each pair LUs with respect to the derived DB properties. Selected morphological properties are then used as either independent or input variables of the designed FDT, LDT, and ANN classification algorithms. FDT and LDT are used in a five-level decision tree system and ANN is used directly for LU recognition. The performances of the three designed classification systems are then compared through accuracy assessments; the logistic-decision tree has the best performance with an overall accuracy of 97.05%. In addition, spatial arrangement analysis is used to study the interrelationships of buildings within zones (DB) based on nearest neighbor and Gabriel graph analysis, which show a significant potential of extracting different LUs from mixed-LU zones.

Co-Localized or Randomly Distributed? Pair Cross Correlation of In Vivo Grown Subgingival Biofilm Bacteria Quantified by Digital Image Analysis

The polymicrobial nature of periodontal diseases is reflected by the diversity of phylotypes detected in subgingival plaque and the finding that consortia of suspected pathogens rather than single species are associated with disease development. A number of these microorganisms have been demonstrated in vitro to interact and enhance biofilm integration, survival or even pathogenic features. To examine the in vivo relevance of these proposed interactions, we extended the spatial arrangement analysis tool of the software daime (digital image analysis in microbial ecology). This modification enabled the quantitative analysis of microbial co-localization in images of subgingival biofilm species, where the biomass was confined to fractions of the whole-image area, a situation common for medical samples. Selected representatives of the disease-associated red and orange complexes that were previously suggested to interact with each other in vitro (Tannerella forsythia with Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis with Prevotella intermedia) were chosen for analysis and labeled with specific fluorescent probes via fluorescence in situ hybridization. Pair cross-correlation analysis of in vivo grown biofilms revealed tight clustering of F. nucleatum/periodonticum and T. forsythia at short distances (up to 6 µm) with a pronounced peak at 1.5 µm. While these results confirmed previous in vitro observations for F. nucleatum and T. forsythia, random spatial distribution was detected between P. gingivalis and P. intermedia in the in vivo samples. In conclusion, we successfully employed spatial arrangement analysis on the single cell level in clinically relevant medical samples and demonstrated the utility of this approach for the in vivo validation of in vitro observations by analyzing statistically relevant numbers of different patients. More importantly, the culture-independent nature of this approach enables similar quantitative analyses for “as-yet-uncultured” phylotypes which cannot be characterized in vitro.

Network Environ Analysis of Spatial Arrangement for Reserves in Wuyishan Nature Reserve, China

The spatial arrangement of reserves within a network is critical to the long-term persistence of dispersing species. In this paper, based on network environ analysis, an approach is presented to explicitly measure such ecological function, in which the dispersal-based interactions between reserves are considered from a holistic view by exploring not only species’ direct dispersals but also their indirect ones. The proposed method first defines the ecological function of spatial arrangement of reserves as the probability that a species will survive for long time in a reserve network, and then expands this function by taking the reserve loss into account when evaluating a species’ extinction probability at each reserve. A case study for L. nycthemera and M. thibetana from Wuyishan Nature Reserve, Fujian Province, China, is further conducted. The highest probabilities of long-term survival are identified for both species in the reserve networks that contain several migrations with high successful dispersal probability. In addition, the path number of each common reserve under neighboring scenarios is found to be influenced by the changes of direct dispersal, from which the criteria for protecting and optimizing the spatial configuration of reserves in a nature reserve are derived. For Wuyishan Nature Reserve, these criteria may act as important bases to restrict and guide the development of tourism of surrounding cities and the socio-economic activities of local residents. It is concluded that the proposed method can provide an effective way to examine the ecological function of spatial arrangement of reserve network and contribute to species’ long-term persistence in nature reserves.

四子孔径光学合成孔径成像系统空间排布性能分析

四子孔径光学合成孔径成像系统空间排布性能分析

Functional connectivity defined through cost-distance and genetic analyses: a case study for the rock-dwelling mountain vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia) in Patagonia, Argentina

Landscape connectivity can have profound consequences for distribution and persistence of populations and metapopulations. Evaluating functional connectivity of a landscape for a species requires a measure of dispersal rates through landscape elements at a spatial scale sufficient to encompass movement capabilities of individuals over the entire landscape. We evaluated functional connectivity for a rock-dwelling mammal, the mountain vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia), in northern Patagonia. Because of the strict association of mountain vizcachas with rocks, we hypothesized that connectivity for this species would be influenced by geology. We used molecular genetic estimates of gene flow to test spatially explicit models of connectivity created with GIS cost-distance analysis of landscape resistance to movement. We analyzed the spatial arrangement of cliffs with join counts and local k-function analyses. We did not capture and genotype individuals, but sampled at the population level through non-invasive collection of feces of mountain vizcachas. The model of landscape connectivity for mountain vizcachas based on geology was corroborated by the pattern of genetic structure, supporting the hypothesis that functional connectivity for mountain vizcachas is influenced by geology, particularly by the distribution of appropriate volcanic rocks. Analysis of spatial arrangement of cliffs indicated that occupied cliffs are clustered and confirmed that rivers act as barriers to dispersal for mountain vizcachas. Our methods could be used, within certain constraints, to study functional landscape connectivity in other organisms, and may be particularly useful for cryptic or endangered species, or those that are difficult or expensive to capture.

Microstructural differences between single-species and dual-species biofilms of Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella parvula, before and after exposure to chlorhexidine

Dual-species biofilms of Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella parvula are less susceptible to antimicrobials than single-species biofilms of the same microorganisms. The microstructure of single and dual-species biofilms of S. mutans and/or V. parvula was visualized to find out whether the spatial arrangement of bacteria in biofilms is related to survival strategies against antimicrobials. Biofilms were grown in glass-bottomed 96-well microtiter plates and exposed to chlorhexidine at 48 h. Fluorescent probes were used for staining. The microstructure of biofilms was analyzed by confocal scanning laser microscopy at 48, 96, 192, and 264 h. Spatial arrangement analysis was performed using DAIME software for 48 h biofilms. A decrease in the viability and thickness in all types of biofilms was detected after chlorhexidine treatment in time. In untreated biofilms, clustering was observed. In chlorhexidine-treated single-species biofilms, bacteria were dispersed. However, the most prominent clustering was observed in chlorhexidine-treated dual-species biofilm bacteria, which had a higher survival rate compared with chlorhexidine-treated single-species biofilms. Bacteria in dual-species biofilms establish a specific spatial arrangement, forming clusters within distances below 1.2 microm as a survival strategy against antimicrobials while the same bacteria lack this defensive construction in a single-species biofilm.

Analysis of spatial arrangement of particles in thin foil of Al-Al4C3 material

TEM images of thin foils with quasi-globular particles are examined by means of two methods of spatial statistics. The spatial arrangement of particle reference points is described by means of quadrat count statistics and by polygonal method (the analysis of the Voronoi mosaic generated by patterns of particle reference points). A good agreement between the both approaches is found, the polygonal method is more sensitive and its results are more conclusive.

Three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy for the analysis of spatial arrangement of chromosomes.

We have developed optical sectioning microscopy techniques to record and analyze three-dimensional image data. Using these techniques, we examined the three-dimensional arrangement and dynamics of chromosomes in fixed and living embryos of Drosophila melanogaster. High-resolution optical sectioning in fixed embryos has revealed the spatial arrangement of chromosomes within a nucleus. Time-lapse in vivo optical sectioning has revealed the dynamic behavior of chromosomes throughout the mitotic cycle. Combination of these obervations has provided insights into the dynamic aspects of three-dimensional chromosome organization.

Spatial arrangement analysis of wheat and rye genomes in triticale interphase nuclei by gamma-radiation induced chromosomal interchanges

Gamma-radiation chromosomal interchanges are induced in the “Cachirulo” hexaploid triticale to analyze the spatial arrangement of wheat and rye genomes in the somatic nuclei. The frequencies of wheat–wheat, wheat–rye and rye–rye dicentric chromosomes observed fit a random distribution. While the centromeres of different genomes may be separate in space, the arms of the wheat and rye chromosomes are, in general, randomly disposed within the nucleus.