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1. Polystyrene‐Silica Colloidal Janus Particles with Uniform Shapes and Complex Structures

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ppsc.202200085  

   Xu, Jianchang; Qiu, Jichuan; Zhang, Haohui; Hu, Yuhang; Xia, Younan (June 2022, Particle & Particle Systems Characterization)

   Abstract Colloidal Janus particles with well‐controlled parameters are sought for a range of applications in mesoscale self‐assembly, stabilization of Pickering emulsion, and development of multifunctional devices, among others. Herein, a versatile method for fabricating polystyrene‐silica (PS‐SiO₂) Janus particles featuring complex shapes and structures is developed by swelling PS@SiO₂core–shell spheroids. When the PS encapsulated in a rigid SiO₂shell is swollen by a good solvent for PS, the swelling‐induced pressure will result in an uneven distribution of stress acting on the SiO₂shell, as determined by the intrinsic symmetry of a spheroid. When the stress reaches a threshold value, the swollen PS will preferentially poke out from equatorial sites on the SiO₂shell to form T‐shaped Janus particles comprised of PS and SiO₂compartments. The size of the PS portion can be controlled by varying the extent of swelling, while the size, shape, and shell thickness of the SiO₂portion are determined by the original PS spheroids and the SiO₂coating. This solution‐phase method holds promise to produce Janus particles with diverse shapes, structures, and compositions for various applications. The T‐shaped Janus particles can serve as an emulsifier to effectively stabilize an oil‐in‐water (O/W) Pickering emulsion for at least 35 days. 

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2. Predicting the Geometry of Core–Shell Structures: How a Shape Changes with Constant Added Thickness

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c07652  

   Gale, Christopher D; Levinger, Nancy E (January 2024, The Journal of Physical Chemistry B)

   The core−shell assembly motif is ubiquitous in chemistry. While the most obvious examples are core/shell-type nanoparticles, many other examples exist. The shape of the core/shell constructs is poorly understood, making it impossible to separate chemical effects from geometric effects. Here, we create a model for the core/shell construct and develop proof for how the eccentricity is expected to change as a function of the shell. We find that the addition of a constant thickness shell always creates a relatively more spherical shape for all shapes covered by our model unless the shape is already spherical or has some underlying radial symmetry. We apply this work to simulated AOT reverse micelles and demonstrate that it is remarkably successful at explaining the observed shapes of the chemical systems. We identify the three specific cases where the model breaks down and how this impacts eccentricity. 

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3. Size And Locomotor Ecology Have Differing Effects on the External and Internal Morphologies of Squirrel (Rodentia: Sciuridae) Limb Bones

   https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obad017  

   Rickman, J.; Burtner, A. E.; Linden, T. J.; Santana, S. E.; Law, C. J. (May 2023, Integrative Organismal Biology)

   Synopsis Mammals exhibit a diverse range of limb morphologies that are associated with different locomotor ecologies and structural mechanics. Much remains to be investigated, however, about the combined effects of locomotor modes and scaling on the external shape and structural properties of limb bones. Here, we used squirrels (Sciuridae) as a model clade to examine the effects of locomotor mode and scaling on the external shape and structure of the two major limb bones, the humerus and femur. We quantified humeral and femoral morphologies using 3D geometric morphometrics and bone structure analyses on a sample of 76 squirrel species across their four major ecotypes. We then used phylogenetic generalized linear models to test how locomotor ecology, size, and their interaction influenced morphological traits. We found that size and locomotor mode exhibit different relationships with the external shape and structure of the limb bones, and that these relationships differ between the humerus and femur. External shapes of the humerus and, to a lesser extent, the femur are best explained by locomotor ecology rather than by size, whereas structures of both bones are best explained by interactions between locomotor ecology and scaling. Interestingly, the statistical relationships between limb morphologies and ecotype were lost when accounting for phylogenetic relationships among species under Brownian motion. That assuming Brownian motion confounded these relationships is not surprising considering squirrel ecotypes are phylogenetically clustered; our results suggest that humeral and femoral variation partitioned early between clades and their ecomorphologies were maintained to the present. Overall, our results show how mechanical constraints, locomotor ecology, and evolutionary history may enact different pressures on the shape and structure of limb bones in mammals. 

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4. Specimen alignment with limited point-based homology: 3D morphometrics of disparate bivalve shells (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

   https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13617  

   Edie, Stewart M.; Collins, Katie S.; Jablonski, David (January 2022, PeerJ)

   Background Comparative morphology fundamentally relies on the orientation and alignment of specimens. In the era of geometric morphometrics, point-based homologies are commonly deployed to register specimens and their landmarks in a shared coordinate system. However, the number of point-based homologies commonly diminishes with increasing phylogenetic breadth. These situations invite alternative, often conflicting, approaches to alignment. The bivalve shell (Mollusca: Bivalvia) exemplifies a homologous structure with few universally homologous points—only one can be identified across the Class, the shell ‘beak’. Here, we develop an axis-based framework, grounded in the homology of shell features, to orient shells for landmark-based, comparative morphology. Methods Using 3D scans of species that span the disparity of shell morphology across the Class, multiple modes of scaling, translation, and rotation were applied to test for differences in shell shape. Point-based homologies were used to define body axes, which were then standardized to facilitate specimen alignment via rotation. Resulting alignments were compared using pairwise distances between specimen shapes as defined by surface semilandmarks. Results Analysis of 45 possible alignment schemes finds general conformity among the shape differences of ‘typical’ equilateral shells, but the shape differences among atypical shells can change considerably, particularly those with distinctive modes of growth. Each alignment corresponds to a hypothesis about the ecological, developmental, or evolutionary basis of morphological differences, but we suggest orientation via the hinge line for many analyses of shell shape across the Class, a formalization of the most common approach to morphometrics of shell form. This axis-based approach to aligning specimens facilitates the comparison of approximately continuous differences in shape among phylogenetically broad and morphologically disparate samples, not only within bivalves but across many other clades. 

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5. Frustration propagation in tubular foldable mechanisms

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2023.1296661  

   Reddy, A.; Karami, A.; Nassar, H. (December 2023, Frontiers in Physics)

   Shell mechanisms are patterned surface-like structures with compliant deformation modes that allow them to change shape drastically. Examples include many origami and kirigami tessellations as well as other periodic truss mechanisms. The deployment paths of a shell mechanism are greatly constrained by the inextensibility of the constitutive material locally and by the compatibility requirements of surface geometry globally. With notable exceptions (e.g., Miura-ori), the deployment of a shell mechanism often couples in-plane stretching and out-of-plane bending. Here, we investigate the repercussions of this kinematic coupling in the presence of geometric confinement, specifically in tubular states. We demonstrate that the confinement in the hoop direction leads to a frustration that propagates axially, as if by buckling. We fully characterize this phenomenon in terms of amplitude, wavelength, and mode shape in the asymptotic regime, where the size of the unit cell of the mechanismris small compared to the typical radius of curvatureρ. In particular, we conclude that the amplitude and wavelength of the frustration are of order $\sqrt{r/\rho }$and that the mode shape is an elastica solution. Derivations are carried out for a particular pyramidal truss mechanism. The findings are supported by numerical solutions of the exact kinematics. 

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