Effective hyperelastic material parameters from microstructures constructed using the planar Boolean model

The effective behavior of composite materials is of great interest in materials science. The properties of such a material at the macroscale can be directly coupled to the properties of the material at the microscale. The random distribution of microscopic phases can be simulated using models of stochastic geometry. Random, two-dimensional, two-phase microstructures were constructed by stochastic simulation using the planar Boolean model. An extensive study was conducted to relate the effective hyperelastic material behavior to the stochastic parameters of the Boolean model and the physical parameters of the microstructure. Well-known approaches to determine the size of the representative volume element were adapted for this context and their results were compared

Tuning the Swelling Properties of Smart Multiresponsive Core-Shell Microgels by Copolymerization

Brändel T, Dirksen M, Hellweg T. Tuning the Swelling Properties of Smart Multiresponsive Core-Shell Microgels by Copolymerization. Polymers. 2019;11(8): 1269.The present study focuses on the development of multiresponsive core-shell microgels and the manipulation of their swelling properties by copolymerization of different acrylamides—especially N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), N-isopropylmethacrylamide (NIPMAM), and NNPAM—and acrylic acid. We use atomic force microscopy for the dry-state characterization of the microgel particles and photon correlation spectroscopy to investigate the swelling behavior at neutral (pH 7) and acidic (pH 4) conditions. A transition between an interpenetrating network structure for microgels with a pure poly-N,-n-propylacrylamide (PNNPAM) shell and a distinct core-shell morphology for microgels with a pure poly-N-isopropylmethacrylamide (PNIPMAM) shell is observable. The PNIPMAM molfraction of the shell also has an important influence on the particle rigidity because of the decreasing degree of interpenetration. Furthermore, the swelling behavior of the microgels is tunable by adjustment of the pH-value between a single-step volume phase transition and a linear swelling region at temperatures corresponding to the copolymer ratios of the shell. This flexibility makes the multiresponsive copolymer microgels interesting candidates for many applications, e.g., as membrane material with tunable permeability

The Path of Internet Law: An Annotated Guide to Legal Landmarks

The evolution of the Internet has forever changed the legal landscape. The Internet is the world’s largest marketplace, copy machine, and instrumentality for committing crimes, torts, and infringing intellectual property. Justice Holmes’s classic essay on the path of the law drew upon six centuries of case reports and statutes. In less than twenty-five years, Internet law has created new legal dilemmas and challenges in accommodating new information technologies. Part I is a brief timeline of Internet case law and statutory developments for Internet-related intellectual property (IP) law. Part II describes some of the ways in which the Internet is redirecting the path of IP in a globalized information-based economy. Our broader point is that every branch of substantive and procedural law is adapting to the digital world. Part III is the functional equivalent of a GPS for locating the latest U.S. and foreign law resources to help lawyers, policymakers, academics and law students lost in cyberspace

Phylogeny- and Abundance-Based Metrics Allow for the Consistent Comparison of Core Gut Microbiome Diversity Indices Across Host Species

The filtering of gut microbial datasets to retain high prevalence taxa is often performed to identify a common core gut microbiome that may be important for host biological functions. However, prevalence thresholds used to identify a common core are highly variable, and it remains unclear how they affect diversity estimates and whether insights stemming from core microbiomes are comparable across studies. We hypothesized that if macroecological patterns in gut microbiome prevalence and abundance are similar across host species, then we would expect that increasing prevalence thresholds would yield similar changes to alpha diversity and beta dissimilarity scores across host species datasets. We analyzed eight gut microbiome datasets based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and collected from different host species to (1) compare macroecological patterns across datasets, including amplicon sequence variant (ASV) detection rate with sequencing depth and sample size, occupancy-abundance curves, and rank-abundance curves; (2) test whether increasing prevalence thresholds generate universal or host-species specific effects on alpha and beta diversity scores; and (3) test whether diversity scores from prevalence-filtered core communities correlate with unfiltered data. We found that gut microbiomes collected from diverse hosts demonstrated similar ASV detection rates with sequencing depth, yet required different sample sizes to sufficiently capture rare ASVs across the host population. This suggests that sample size rather than sequencing depth tends to limit the ability of studies to detect rare ASVs across the host population. Despite differences in the distribution and detection of rare ASVs, microbiomes exhibited similar occupancy-abundance and rank-abundance curves. Consequently, increasing prevalence thresholds generated remarkably similar trends in standardized alpha diversity and beta dissimilarity across species datasets until high thresholds above 70%. At this point, diversity scores tended to become unpredictable for some diversity measures. Moreover, high prevalence thresholds tended to generate diversity scores that correlated poorly with the original unfiltered data. Overall, we recommend that high prevalence thresholds over 70% are avoided, and promote the use of diversity measures that account for phylogeny and abundance (Balance-weighted phylogenetic diversity and Weighted Unifrac for alpha and beta diversity, respectively), because we show that these measures are insensitive to prevalence filtering and therefore allow for the consistent comparison of core gut microbiomes across studies without the need for prevalence filtering

Phylogeny-and abundance-based metrics allow for the consistent comparison of core gut microbiome diversity indices across host species

The filtering of gut microbial datasets to retain high prevalence taxa is often performed to identify a common core gut microbiome that may be important for host biological functions. However, prevalence thresholds used to identify a common core are highly variable, and it remains unclear how they affect diversity estimates and whether insights stemming from core microbiomes are comparable across studies. We hypothesized that if macroecological patterns in gut microbiome prevalence and abundance are similar across host species, then we would expect that increasing prevalence thresholds would yield similar changes to alpha diversity and beta dissimilarity scores across host species datasets. We analyzed eight gut microbiome datasets based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and collected from different host species to (1) compare macroecological patterns across datasets, including amplicon sequence variant (ASV) detection rate with sequencing depth and sample size, occupancy-abundance curves, and rank-abundance curves; (2) test whether increasing prevalence thresholds generate universal or host-species specific effects on alpha and beta diversity scores; and (3) test whether diversity scores from prevalence-filtered core communities correlate with unfiltered data. We found that gut microbiomes collected from diverse hosts demonstrated similar ASV detection rates with sequencing depth, required different sample sizes to sufficiently capture rare ASVs across the host population. This suggests that sample size rather than sequencing depth tends to limit the ability of studies to detect rare ASVs across the host population. Despite differences in the distribution and detection of rare ASVs, microbiomes exhibited similar occupancy-abundance and rank-abundance curves. Consequently, increasing prevalence thresholds generated remarkably similar trends in standardized alpha diversity and beta dissimilarity across species datasets until high thresholds above 70%. At this point, diversity scores tended to become unpredictable for some diversity measures. Moreover, high prevalence Frontiers in Microbiology. Filtering Effects on Core Microbiome thresholds tended to generate diversity scores that correlated poorly with the original unfiltered data. Overall, we recommend that high prevalence thresholds over 70% are avoided, and promote the use of diversity measures that account for phylogeny and abundance (Balance-weighted phylogenetic diversity and Weighted Unifrac for alpha and beta diversity, respectively), because we show that these measures are insensitive to prevalence filtering and therefore allow for the consistent comparison of core gut microbiomes across studies without the need for prevalence filtering.publishedVersio

Seasonality effects on plant phenology and seed ecology in Oritrophium peruvianum (Asteraceae), a threatened tropical alpine species

Abstract Oritrophium peruvianum (Lam.) Cuatr. (Asteraceae) is a threatened perennial herb, endemic to the tropical alpine zone of the Andean paramos and used for medicinal purposes. In this study, its population structure, phenological patterns and seed viability and germination were analysed. In all of the three investigated populations, the proportion of flowering plants was smaller than that of non-flowering. Size structure differed among populations, with two following a normal and one a left-skewed distribution, with a higher percentage of young plants. Flowering was spread throughout the rainy season, with fruiting intensity highest at the end of the rainy season and at the beginning of the dry season. Seedling emergence was limited and appeared to be independent of the season, indicating opportunities for continuous seedling emergence and mortality throughout the year. Seed viability was higher in seeds collected at the end of the dry season compared with those harvested at the end of the rainy season. Laboratory studies suggest that under natural conditions, germination timing is likely to be independent from the season

Fostering phonological awareness in kindergarden children. Training effects and test of potential moderators

Phonologische Bewusstheit ist ein wichtiger Vorläufer für das Lesen lernen. Die Studie prüft die Wirkung des Programms \u27Hören, Lauschen, Lernen\u27 zur Förderung der phonologischen Bewusstheit bei Einsatz unter realitätsnahen Randbedingungen. Insgesamt 90 Vorschulkinder nahmen an dem Training teil und wurden 34 Kindern einer Wartekontrollgruppe gegenübergestellt. Prä-/ post-Vergleiche zeigten, dass das Programm vor allem in zentralen Zielbereichen die erwarteten Effekte hatte. Sie stellten sich bei Kindern mit sehr geringen Ausgangswerten in ähnlicher Weise ein wie in der Gesamttrainingsgruppe. Die Wirkung des Programms war unabhängig von der Anzahl der Fehltage der Kinder. Sie blieb auch bei Berücksichtigung verschiedener individueller und kontextueller Kontrollvariablen erhalten. (DIPF/Orig.)Phonological awareness is an important precursor of the acquisition of reading skills. This study examines effects of a training designed to foster phonological awareness when implemented under real-life conditions. A training group of 90 kindergarden children was compared with a control group of 34 children. Pre-/ post comparisons yielded the expected training effects particularly concerning crucial target variables. Training effects among children with low initial scores paralleled those observed in the overall training group. Effects were not related to the extent of children\u27s absences. Moreover, training effects held above and beyond the control of several individual and contextual variables. (DIPF/Orig.

Effective hyperelastic material parameters from microstructures constructed using the planar Boolean model

The effective behavior of composite materials is of great interest in materials science. The properties of such a material at the macroscale can be directly coupled to the properties of the material at the microscale. The random distribution of microscopic phases can be simulated using models of stochastic geometry. Random, two-dimensional, two-phase microstructures were constructed by stochastic simulation using the planar Boolean model. An extensive study was conducted to relate the effective hyperelastic material behavior to the stochastic parameters of the Boolean model and the physical parameters of the microstructure. Well-known approaches to determine the size of the representative volume element were adapted for this context and their results were compared

Effective hyperelastic material parameters from microstructures constructed using the planar Boolean model

The effective behavior of composite materials is of great interest in materials science. The properties of such a material at the macroscale can be directly coupled to the properties of the material at the microscale. The random distribution of microscopic phases can be simulated using models of stochastic geometry. Random, two-dimensional, two-phase microstructures were constructed by stochastic simulation using the planar Boolean model. An extensive study was conducted to relate the effective hyperelastic material behavior to the stochastic parameters of the Boolean model and the physical parameters of the microstructure. Well-known approaches to determine the size of the representative volume element were adapted for this context and their results were compared