Traditional Description Research Articles

Modeling the relaxation and crystallization kinetics of glass without fictive temperature: Toy landscape approach

AbstractRelaxation and crystallization are key kinetic processes that must be understood to build a comprehensive understanding of the supercooled liquid and glassy states. Traditional approaches have been unable to capture the underlying physics accurately due to assumptions about phenomenological order parameters such as fictive temperature. In this work, we show that glass relaxation can be accurately modeled through a simplified “toy” enthalpy landscape approach, bypassing the use of fictive temperature. Moreover, the same simplified enthalpy landscape provides insights into the thermodynamics and kinetics of crystallization. The toy landscape approach recovers key predictions from the traditional fictive temperature description, but it is based on a more accurate physical framework, giving fundamental knowledge of the glass relaxation and crystallization processes.

Portolankarten \u2013 Aufnahme und Abbildung

ZusammenfassungKarten sind ebene Abbildungen der Erdoberfläche. Grundlage und Voraussetzung für ihre Herstellung ist die relative räumliche Festlegung des Karteninhaltes auf der Erdoberfläche und diese erfolgt in aller Regel im Rahmen vermessungstechnischer Aufnahmeverfahren. Die besondere Genauigkeit der seit dem 13. Jahrhundert überlieferten Portolankarten lässt vermuten, dass auch diese auf der Grundlage konkreter Messungen entstanden sind, allerdings sind Einzelheiten ihrer Entstehung bis heute nicht geklärt. Fragen zur Datenbasis und insbesondere auch zur Abbildung der Karten sind seit über 100 Jahren (Kretschmer 1909; Campbell 2021) Gegenstand wissenschaftlicher Forschung. Hier soll nun erstmals ein Verfahren vorgestellt werden, das es ermöglicht, Karten des Mittelmeeres mit einfachen Hilfsmitteln (Zirkel und Maßstab) so zu konstruieren, dass sie der Genauigkeit und den sonstigen Eigenschaften der Portolankarten entsprechen. Zur Anwendung kommt dabei ein Verebnungsverfahren, für das es keine Abbildungsgleichungen gibt, sondern allenfalls eine Abbildungsbeschreibung. Als vermessungstechnische Grundlage für die Kartierung kommen dabei Strecken in Ansatz, die mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit bereits seit der Antike ermittelt wurden. Aus diesen Strecken werden Dreiecke konstruiert und ohne Abbildungsreduktion direkt in die Ebene übertragen. Im Ergebnis entsteht ein geometrisch eindeutiges Stützpunktfeld für bekannte Häfen. Die noch fehlenden Küstenstrukturen können nach der Konstruktion des Stützpunktfeldes auf der Grundlage tradierter Küstenbeschreibungen (Portolani/Periploi) ergänzt werden.

Партиципиални и/или глаголни морфеми

This study deals with an issue that is significant in view of the buildup of word morphological structure, something frequently neglected by investigators, viz., morphemes encoding specific grammatical meanings of Bulgarian participles, which indicate in a specific way why participial forms belong to a separate lexeme class. Of course, there are authors who have discussed participial morphostructure (Pashov 1976, Vatov 1992, Kutsarov 2012, Kutsarov, I. 2007, Aleksova 2012, etc.). However, almost all of them (save Kutsarov, K. 2012, 2019) interpret the grammatical function of participial morphemes through the prism of the verb, i.e., if the participle is part of the verb form composed. Thus the study sets two basic goals: to describe the morphemic classification of Bulgarian participles according to their traditional description in the verb paradigm; to analyze relational and classification morphemes that belong to participles – morphemes that differentiate participles from adjectives and verbs.

Gender and expletives as discourse markers: Some uses of joder in young women’s interactions in Spanish and Galician

This paper approaches young women’s speaking style by analysing the ways in which the interjection joder is employed in interactions in Spanish and Galician among young females. The analysis identifies several uses of this form at the interactional and discursive level: reinforcement of speech acts, marker of disagreement, marker of complaints, expression of minimal emotional assessments, correcting and stalling. It is concluded that joder has developed multiple functions in interaction as a discursive marker, in contrast to arguments against the inclusion of interjections in this pragmatic category. The findings also suggest that this expletive fulfils a sociolinguistic function as a marker of ‘young femininities’, since it demonstrates how it has been integrated into young women’s speaking style, in contrast to traditional gender rules and broader descriptions of ‘women’s talk’ in Language and Gender studies.

Systematic derivation of hydrodynamic equations for viscoelastic phase separation

We present a detailed derivation of a simple hydrodynamic two-fluid model, which aims at the description of the phase separation of non-entangled polymer solutions, where viscoelastic effects play a role. It is directly based upon the coarse-graining of a well-defined molecular model, such that all degrees of freedom have a clear and unambiguous molecular interpretation. The considerations are based upon a free-energy functional, and the dynamics is split into a conservative and a dissipative part, where the latter satisfies the Onsager relations and the second law of thermodynamics. The model is therefore fully consistent with both equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The derivation proceeds in two steps: firstly, we derive an extended model comprising two scalar and four vector fields, such that inertial dynamics of the macromolecules and of the relative motion of the two fluids is taken into account. In the second step, we eliminate these inertial contributions and, as a replacement, introduce phenomenological dissipative terms, which can be modeled easily by taking into account the principles of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The final simplified model comprises the momentum conservation equation, which includes both interfacial and elastic stresses, a convection–diffusion equation where interfacial and elastic contributions occur as well, and a suitably convected relaxation equation for the end-to-end vector field. In contrast to the traditional two-scale description that is used to derive rheological equations of motion, we here treat the hydrodynamic and the macromolecular degrees of freedom on the same basis. Nevertheless, the resulting model is fairly similar, though not fully identical, to models that have been discussed previously. Notably, we find a rheological constitutive equation that differs from the standard Oldroyd-B model. Within the framework of kinetic theory, this difference may be traced back to a different underlying statistical-mechanical ensemble that is used for averaging the stress. To what extent the model is able to reproduce the full phenomenology of viscoelastic phase separation is presently an open question, which shall be investigated in the future.

The Nominal Group in Khorchin Mongolian: A Systemic Functional Perspective

The main focus on nominals in traditional descriptions of Mongolian is in terms of word class. Their combinations are described either with respect to their role as clause constituents or in terms of a simple modifier-modified relationship. This paper, on the other hand, recognizes the Khorchin Mongolian nominal group as a unit, whose structural configuration is realized mainly through nominals, as well as embedded nominal groups and clauses. The paper describes the relationship between nominal group systems and structures, focusing on the major systems of thing type, classification, title, experiential marking, determination, orientation, qualification, theme marking, numeration, and epithesis. These systems are interpreted in terms of the division of labor between textual, interpersonal, and experiential meaning in SFL. The systemic functional description presented in this paper provides a functionally motivated interpretation of the ordering of elements in Khorchin Mongolian nominal group and the interactions between systems.

Explaining the Methodological Components in Seyed Jafar Shahidi Religious Historiography

Historiography in contemporary Iran, faced significant advances affected by methodolgy developments of recent centuries in the West. However, the circle of these changes influence in the Islamic history and the religions developments did not expand so much. Nevertheless, a limited number of historians in academic assemblies tried to make religious historiography, scientific and methodical in their work such as Seyed Jafar Shahidi.The present study aims to explain the methodological components of Shahidi’s historiography to answer the question of whether his religious historiography can be considered methodical and based on scientific principles. Influenced by his theological and religious origins, Shahidi had concerns such as the scientific study of the history of Islam and the life history of the Shiite Imams (as) and trying to explain historically and methodically some ideological ideas. Based on these principles, influenced by his methodological knowledge and modern requirements, Shahidi’s historiography has basic components such as the scientific and critical editing of narratives, the use of other sciences in historical analysis, and critique of the views of contemporary Muslim and Orientalist authors. Since Shahidi tried to use these components methodically and with expressive literature based on interrogative dialogue with historical subjects, his works can be considered as a kind of religious historiography based on scientific principles, although in some subjects they do not go beyond traditional descriptions or influenced by religious interpretations. Hence, he can be considered a neo-traditionalist historiographer.

Genetic Structure of the Goniopora lobata and G. djiboutiensis Species Complex Is Better Explained by Oceanography Than by Morphological Characteristics

Species delimitation of closely related corals is often challenging due to high intraspecies morphological variation and phenotypic plasticity with a lack of characteristic features and scarcity of relevant molecular markers. Goniopora spp. are one such coralline group, and the species status of Goniopora lobata and Goniopora djiboutiensis, an Indian and Pacific Ocean hermatypic coral species complex, has been questioned on the basis of previous molecular and morphological analyses. To further examine the species boundaries between G. lobata and G. djiboutiensis in Japan, specimens collected from areas spanning from Ryukyu Island to temperate Japanese regions were morphologically identified based on traditional morphological descriptions. Then, the genetic structure of the G. lobata and G. djiboutiensis species complex was examined using six newly developed microsatellite markers. The majority of the collected specimens had intermediate morphologies, and a STRUCTURE analysis using the LOCPRIOR model based on typical G. lobata and G. djiboutiensis morphology indicated that there were no genetic differences between these morphologies. On the other hand, STRUCTURE analysis based on oceanographic regions revealed that there was a genetic break between the temperate and subtropical regions. This weak genetic break corresponded with the Kuroshio-associated barrier, which prevents larval transport between subtropical and temperate regions. This study confirms that the current morphological identification criteria for G. lobata and G. djiboutiensis do not match the existing genetic boundaries and thus the two should be regarded as a species complex. This study also highlighted the robustness of using a multi-locus population genetic approach, including a geographic context, to confirm the species boundaries of closely related species.

Angular momentum without rotation: Turbocharging relationalism

Rotation is a challenging riddle for the relationalist. In early versions of the absolute-relational debate for example, Newton’s rotating bucket poured cold water on the relationalist position. While the parameters of the debate have changed, a more recent analysis in 1999 by Belot proclaimed rotation to be “the downfall of relationalism.”In this paper, we provide a relational response to the riddle of rotation. We present a theory that, contrary to orthodoxy, can account for all rotational effects without introducing, as the absolutist does, a fixed standard of rotation. Instead, our theory posits a universal SO(3) charge that plays the role of global angular momentum and couples to inter-particle relations via terms commonly seen in standard gauge theories such as electromagnetism and the Standard Model of particle physics.Our theory makes use of an enriched form of relationalism: it adds an SO(3) structure to the traditional relational description. Our construction is made possible by the modern tools of gauge theory, which reveal a simple relational law describing rotational effects. In this way, we can save all the phenomena of Newtonian mechanics using conserved charges and relationalism. In a second paper, we will further explore the ontological and explanatory implications of the theory developed here.

ANEUK MEUDAGANG TRADITION IN DAYAH: A STUDY ON SANTRIWATI MEUDAGANG AT DAYAH AL-IKHLAS

This article is about "Aneuk Meudagang Tradition in Dayah (A Study on Santriwati Meudagang at Dayah Al-Ikhlas). The purpose of this research is to examine how the general description of the meudagang tradition in Aceh and to know the aneuk meudagang tradition that takes place in Dayah Al Ikhlas. It applies qualitative approach with data collected through interviews, observation and documentation. The data obtained in the field were analysed through conclusions from existing results. The results of this research shows that Santri or often called Aneuk Meudagang in an important element of a Dayah. The practice of studying at Dayah is called meudagang (pursuing religious knowledge) which normally requires a long period of time. There is no set schedule to finish which means that a santri comes and leaves the dayah whenever he or she decides to. Some students study in several dayahs, moving from one dayah to another after several years of studies. The tradition of Santri/ Aneuk Meudagang is a practice needed to know further. Santriwati at the Al Ikhlas dayah are educated with a pattern of simplicity which aims to practice a simple life. Also, Qana’ah (accepting what it is) as reflected in the faces of the Dayah Al Ikhlas students. Unlike in the context of life in formal institutions, students' simplicity is manifested in all aspects of life, starting from the way they dress, behave, cook, and interact without discrepancy between the rich and the poor.

Creation of an Online Game to Simulate Countercurrent Multiplication in the Mammalian Kidney

Prior to the COVID pandemic, we designed and implemented a hands-on activity to help students understand how countercurrent multiplication (CCM) in the mammalian kidney produces concentrated urine. To supplement the traditional text descriptions, figures, and lecture material we had students play the role of glomerular filtrate, gaining and losing osmolarity while moving through a simulated Loop of Henle. Students were given three poker chips, each representing an osmotic pressure of 100 milliosmolar (mOsm). Each student took a position at one of six steps on each side of a table. For each round, 1) students on the “ascending” side conducted “active transport” to produce a maximum gradient of 200 mOsm between the lumen of the ascending loop and the interstitial space (difference of 2 chips); 2) after students “pumped” their ions, students on the “descending” side “equilibrated” with the interstitial space by collecting chips from a cup until they had the same quantity as in the interstitial space; 3) students then physically “flowed” through the loop. This learning tool, which was highly effective in a face-to-face classroom, did not translate well to a remote environment. Despite spending an entire online class explaining the activity, students remained confused. Unlike in the classroom where everyone participates simultaneously and sees the process “in real-time,” only one person could participate at any given time virtually, making it hard to visualize flow. To address this shortcoming we collaborated with two undergraduate students to develop a “flipped” version of the CCM activity. In the online version the player 1) actively participates in CCM in “freeplay” mode or 2) watches the process in “simulation” mode. During freeplay, the player drags and drops icons representing solutes or water from the loop of Henle into the interstitial fluid to build the osmotic gradient; a color gradient associated with solute concentrations highlights how the gradient forms. Modeled after the in-person activity, the loop of Henle is divided into boxes, six on the ascending limb and six on the descending limb, where each box represents the positions of students in the original activity. To maximize engagement by minimizing repetitive dragging and dropping, the player is confined to one box at a time and is only responsible for adjusting the concentration of this “home” box. If the player adjusts the concentration correctly, the player's home box moves one unit over to the adjacent box and thus ‘flows’ through the loop. Along the way, concentration shifts within other boxes are automated by the game engine. The freeplay game ends when the player's home box reaches the top of the ascending limb and exits the loop. In the simulation mode, the icons of solute and water move by themselves, and the osmotic gradient is created automatically. The player can watch the CCM process unimpeded and may pause or speed up the process as desired. We will pilot this interactive, online game in our Spring 2021 course and assess student learning with reflections, homework problems, and exam questions. We predict implementation of this game will enhance student understanding of the CCM mechanism in the mammalian kidney. All protocols were approved by Rice University IRB (Protocol FY2017-294).

Структурно-семантические и функционально-прагматические особенности репрезентации концепта «Мир» средствами прецедентных текстов в современном рекламном дискурсе

The article deals with the structural-semantic and functional-pragmatic features of the implementation of the basic general cultural concept “world” by means of precedent texts in the modern Russian advertising discourse. The purpose of the research is to identify the specifics of the implementation of the concept “world” by means of precedent texts in advertising texts. The article describes the concept of “world” and defines its role in the national language picture of the world of Russian people. The research highlights the main areas of precedent of the concept “world” in the modern Russian advertising discourse, determines the role of precedent texts in producing a pragmatic effect on the addressee of an advertising message. The article analyzes the transformations of case texts that represent the general cultural concept of “world” in modern advertising texts. The article considers the connection between the cognitive features of the concept “world” implemented in advertising discourse using case texts and the traditional paremiological and lexicographic descriptions of the concept in the language picture of the world of the Russian people. The conclusion is made about the high functional activity of the basic general cultural concept “world” in the modern Russian advertising discourse.

Testing the Reference of Biological Kind Terms.

Recent experimental work on "natural" kind terms has shown evidence of both descriptive and nondescriptive reference determination. This has led some to propose ambiguity or hybrid theories, as opposed to traditional description and causal-historical theories of reference. Many of those experiments tested theories against referential intuitions. We reject this method, urging that reference should be tested against usage, preferably by elicited production. Our tests of the usage of a biological kind term confirm that there are indeed both descriptive and causal-historical elements to the reference determination of some natural kind terms. We argue that to accommodate our results and earlier ones, we should abandon the common assumption that any one theory of reference fits all natural kind terms. Rather, it is likely that some terms are descriptive, some causal-historical, some ambiguous, and some hybrid. This substantive conclusion is accompanied by a methodological one. Our experiments, like some earlier ones, found participants contradicting both each other and themselves. We argue that these contradictions indicate a lack of linguistic competence with the term. We conclude that these experiments have been faulty, because they test terms that are novel to participants and/or use fantastical vignettes. We provide some suggestions for future research.

Multi-kernel Support Vector Data Description with boundary information

The One-Class Classification (OCC) exists in many real-world applications, such as novelty detection, outlier detection, facial verification, and anomaly detection. SVDD is an efficient method to solve the OCC problem. How to describe a hypersphere with minimized volume that encloses almost all the target class samples is the key point of the SVDD. However, the existing SVDD-based methods generally neglect the boundary information of samples in the construction of the classifier. To fully utilize the boundary information to guide the training process, this paper introduces Multi-Kernel Learning (MKL) into the traditional Support Vector Data Description (SVDD) based on the boundary information, proposes a novel method called MKL-SVDD. The proposed MKL-SVDD first determines the boundary samples based on the geometrical and statistical information, and assigns the special weight for the boundary samples to improve the effect of the boundary samples in the optimization process. Meanwhile, to enhance the feature expression capabilities, the proposed MKL-SVDD utilizes the location information of samples as the supervised signal to design the kernel weights for multiple kernels to obtain the optimal kernel combination. Extensive experiments on 11 UCI datasets and 7 KEEL datasets demonstrate the superiority of the MKL-SVDD over the other state-of-the-art methods. The Bayesian analysis of the experiment results theoretically prove that the MKL-SVDD is superior to other methods on UCI and KEEL datasets with 100% and over 96% probability respectively.

Arbuscular Mycorrhization in Colombian and Introduced Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) Genotypes Cultivated on Degraded Soils of the Amazon Region

Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis, (Willd. Ex Adr. de Juss) Muell. Arg, Euphorbiaceae) is an important commercial latex-producing plant. Commercially, rubber is reproduced from a limited number of grifting genotypes. New promising genotypes have been selected to replace traditional genotypes. In addition, rubber has been promoted to recuperate Amazon soils degraded by extensive cattle ranching. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is an important alternative for improving plant nutrition in rubber trees and recuperating degraded soils, but AM fungal communities on different plantations and in rubber genotypes are unknown. Spore abundance, root colonization and AM fungal community composition were evaluated in rubber roots of Colombian and introduced genotypes cultivated in degraded soils with different plantation types. Traditional (spore isolation and description; clearing and staining roots) and molecular techniques (Illumina sequencing) were used to assess AM fungi. Rubber roots hosted a diverse AM fungal community of 135 virtual taxa (VT) in 13 genera. The genus Glomus represented 66% of the total AM fungal community. Rubber genotype did not affect the arbuscular mycorrhization, hosting similar AM fungal communities. The composition of the AM fungal community on old and young rubber plantations was different. Diversity in AM fungi in rubber roots is an important characteristic for restoring degraded soils.

Understanding the structure of complex multidimensional wave functions. A case study of excited vibrational states of ammonia

Generalization of an earlier reduced-density-matrix-based vibrational assignment algorithm is given, applicable for systems exhibiting both large-amplitude motions, including tunneling, and degenerate vibrational modes. The algorithm developed is used to study the structure of the excited vibrational wave functions of the ammonia molecule, 14NH3. Characterization of the complex dynamics of systems with several degenerate vibrations requires reconsidering the traditional degenerate-mode description given by vibrational angular momentum quantum numbers and switching to a symmetry-based approach that directly predicts state degeneracy and uncovers relations between degenerate modes. Out of the 600 distinct vibrational eigenstates of ammonia obtained by a full-dimensional variational computation, the developed methodology allows for the assignment of about 500 with meaningful labels. This study confirms that vibrationally excited states truly have modal character recognizable up to very high energies even for the non-trivial case of ammonia, a molecule which exhibits a tunneling motion and has two two-dimensional normal modes. The modal characteristics of the excited states and the interplay of the vibrational modes can be easily visualized by the reduced-density matrices, giving an insight into the complex modal behavior directed by symmetry.

Neuroendocrine factors - predictors of the formation of alcohol dependence and human ecology in various ethnic populations, new approaches to therapy

IntroductionIntegrated clinical and biological approaches in the study of disorders caused by alcohol consumption in people of different ethnic groups, are important for determining effective treatment strategies.ObjectivesTo study the clinical and dynamic features and the role of neuroendocrine factors of the formation and course of alcohol dependence in individuals of Tuvan ethnicity.Methods68 Russian alcoholics and 67 Tuvans alcoholics only men and 20 healthy male were monitored. Clinical assessment of the condition of patients was carried out with the traditional clinical description. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to determine serum hormone levels in patients and volunteers.ResultsThe systematic consumption of alcoholic beverages develops among Tuvans in adulthood, in contrast to Russian men who begin to drink systematically young. Alcohol dependence in people of Tuvan nationality are formed several years later than in Russians: a symptom of loss of quantitative control over use was detected in Tuvans at 36.9±9.9 years, in Russian patients at 29,8±7.5 years; the formation of withdrawal syndrome in Tuvans occurs at the age of 37.7±8.4 years, unlike Russians, in whom the withdrawal syndrome develops on average at the age of 29.6±6.0 years. The index of the ratio cortisol/progesterone in the blood of examined Russian alcoholics is almost twice as high as the index of examined healthy donors; in patients of Tuvan ethnicity, index is almost five times higher.ConclusionsAlcohol dependence among representatives of the Tuvan ethnic group indicates a greater vulnerability to the effects of alcohol.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Wear detection of WC-Cu based impregnated diamond bit matrix based on SEM image and deep learning

The working efficiency and lifetime of impregnated diamond tools are closely related to their wear conditions, among which different wear modes of the metal matrix play an essential role. Since traditional qualitative description cannot meet the requirement of mathematical relationship establishment, a deep learning method, Mask R-CNN, was applied for the quantitative determination of the matrix wear based on scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. A series of WC-Cu based metal matrix composite (MMC) samples had been prepared by hot-pressed sintering, followed by a pin-on-disc wear test to obtain the wear surface images, and the datasets were established based on a normal wear classification principle where classification is of four basic types: abrasive wear, adhesive wear, fatigue wear and corrosion wear (corrosion wear is not involved in this study). After training, validation, and test based on the SEM wear image datasets, the wear segmentation results from the trained model indicated that Mask R-CNN could automatically identify the wear of metal matrices efficiently and accurately, which was in good agreement with the results obtained by manual labelling. By modifying the algorithm codes, the masks of abrasive, adhesive, and fatigue wear were extracted and counted for model effectiveness evaluation. Moreover, the wear condition values (i.e., wear region areas) obtained from extracted masks would be easily applied for correlation analysis between cutting tool qualities and drilling efficiencies in future research as well. In comparison with statistic results by artificial cognition, the three types of wear showed an average wear region mask IoU over 70%, and an average wear region area loss of less than 3%. In the process of wear detection on similar wear images in published work, the Mask R-CNN model also presented good performances. All related codes and SEM image datasets are available at https://github.com/sunwucheng/IDB_matrix_wear.

Areca catechu: A phytopharmacological legwork

AbstractArecacatechu, commonly known as supari, consists of dried ripe nuts that came under Arecaceae family, which is cultivated in the tropical region of India and Southeast Asia. It is a prevalent traditional herbal medicine that is chewed to separate collected fluid in the alimentary canal and for killing worms.Areca catechuseed contains alkaloids (arecoline, arecaine, arecaidine, guvacoline, guvacine, and choline), tannin, gallic acid, gum, and various minerals such as copper, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. The chemical constituents of this plant have been used as antidiabetic, stomatitis, bleeding gums, gingivitis, conjunctivitis, glaucoma, leucorrhoea, urinary disorders, anorexia, diarrhea, blood pressure regulating activity, antiulcerogenic, antioxidant activity, anticonvulsant activity, central nervous system stimulant activity, antifertility, oxytocic activity, antiviral activity, anthelmintic, and foul breath. It showed a dose‐dependent toxicity profile, and various research has been done regarding its safety analysis and it would be considered safe when administered in the prescribed dose. The purpose of the present paper is to make available an up‐to‐date review on the ethnic, traditional description, morphology, phytochemistry, and the pharmacological and toxicological profile of this plant. Furthermore, the possible advances, trends, and a perspective for forthcoming research of this plant have also conversed.

Investigating phase transitions from local crystallographic analysis based on statistical learning of atomic environments in 2D MoS2-ReS2

The mechanisms of phase transitions have been previously explored at various theoretical and experimental levels. For a wide variety of compounds, the majority of studies are limited by observations at fixed temperature and composition, in which case, relevant information can be determined only from the behaviors at topological and structural defects. All analyses to date utilize macroscopic descriptors derived from structural information such as polarization or octahedral tilts extracted from the atomic positions, ignoring the multiple degrees of freedom observable from atomically resolved images. In this article, we provide a solution, by exploring the mechanisms of a phase transition between the trigonal prismatic and distorted octahedral phases of layered chalcogenides in the 2D MoS2–ReS2 system from the observations of local degrees of freedom, namely atomic positions by scanning transmission electron microscopy. We employ local crystallographic analysis based on statistical learning of atomic environments to build a picture of the transition from the atomic level up and determine local and global variables controlling the local symmetry breaking. We highlight how the dependence of the average symmetry-breaking distortion amplitude on global and local concentration can be used to separate local chemical as well as global electronic effects on the transition. This approach allows for the exploring of atomic mechanisms beyond the traditional macroscopic descriptions, utilizing the imaging of compositional fluctuations in solids to explore phase transitions over a range of observed local stoichiometries and atomic configurations.