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1. Spiers Memorial Lecture: From cold to hot, the structure and structural dynamics of dense ionic fluids

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D4FD00086B  

   Emerson, Matthew S; Ogbodo, Raphael; Margulis, Claudio J (June 2024, Faraday Discussions)

   This article presents a perspective on what we think are key topics related to the structure and structural dynamics of ILs and to some extent high-temperature molten salts. 

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2. Structural diversity as a predictor of ecosystem function

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab49bb  

   LaRue, Elizabeth A.; Hardiman, Brady S.; Elliott, Jessica M.; Fei, Songlin (October 2019, Environmental Research Letters)

   Abstract Biodiversity is believed to be closely related to ecosystem functions. However, the ability of existing biodiversity measures, such as species richness and phylogenetic diversity, to predict ecosystem functions remains elusive. Here, we propose a new vector of diversity metrics, structural diversity, which directly incorporates niche space in measuring ecosystem structure. We hypothesize that structural diversity will provide better predictive ability of key ecosystem functions than traditional biodiversity measures. Using the new lidar-derived canopy structural diversity metrics on 19 National Ecological Observation Network forested sites across the USA, we show that structural diversity is a better predictor of key ecosystem functions, such as productivity, energy, and nutrient dynamics than existing biodiversity measures (i.e. species richness and phylogenetic diversity). Similar to existing biodiversity measures, we found that the relationships between structural diversity and ecosystem functions are sensitive to environmental context. Our study indicates that structural diversity may be as good or a better predictor of ecosystem functions than species richness and phylogenetic diversity. 

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3. High nuclearity structurally – related Mn supertetrahedral T4 aggregates

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d1cc01815a  

   Skordi, Katerina; Anastassiades, Antonis; Fournet, Adeline D.; Kumar, Rahul; Schulze, Michael; Wernsdorfer, Wolfgang; Christou, George; Nastopoulos, Vassilios; Perlepes, Spyros P.; Papatriantafyllopoulou, Constantina; et al (November 2021, Chemical Communications)

   The simultaneous employment of 1,3-propanediol and di-2-pyridyl ketone in Mn carboxylate chemistry has provided access to three new, structurally-related [Mn 24 ] and [Mn 23 ] clusters. They are based on nanosized supertetrahedal T4 Mn/O structural cores and exhibit slow relaxation of magnetization below 3.5 K. 

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4. A Review on Low-Cost Microwave Doppler Radar Systems for Structural Health Monitoring

   https://doi.org/10.3390/s21082612  

   Rodrigues, Davi V.; Li, Changzhi (April 2021, Sensors)

   null (Ed.)

   Portable, low-cost, microwave radars have attracted researchers’ attention for being an alternative noncontact solution for structural condition monitoring. In addition, by leveraging their capability of providing the target velocity information, the radar-based remote monitoring of complex rotating structures can also be accomplished. Modern radar systems are compact, able to be easily integrated in sensor networks, and can deliver high accuracy measurements. This paper reviews the recent technical advances in low-cost Doppler radar systems for phase-demodulated displacement measurements and time-Doppler analysis for structural health information, including digital signal processing and emerging applications related to radar sensor networks. 

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5. Feather Gene Expression Elucidates the Developmental Basis of Plumage Iridescence in African Starlings

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esab014  

   Rubenstein, Dustin R; Corvelo, André; MacManes, Matthew D; Maia, Rafael; Narzisi, Giuseppe; Rousaki, Anastasia; Vandenabeele, Peter; Shawkey, Matthew D; Solomon, Joseph (April 2021, Journal of Heredity)

   vonHoldt, Bridgett (Ed.)

   Abstract Iridescence is widespread in the living world, occurring in organisms as diverse as bacteria, plants, and animals. Yet, compared to pigment-based forms of coloration, we know surprisingly little about the developmental and molecular bases of the structural colors that give rise to iridescence. Birds display a rich diversity of iridescent structural colors that are produced in feathers by the arrangement of melanin-containing organelles called melanosomes into nanoscale configurations, but how these often unusually shaped melanosomes form, or how they are arranged into highly organized nanostructures, remains largely unknown. Here, we use functional genomics to explore the developmental basis of iridescent plumage using superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus), which produce both iridescent blue and non-iridescent red feathers. Through morphological and chemical analyses, we confirm that hollow, flattened melanosomes in iridescent feathers are eumelanin-based, whereas melanosomes in non-iridescent feathers are solid and amorphous, suggesting that high pheomelanin content underlies red coloration. Intriguingly, the nanoscale arrangement of melanosomes within the barbules was surprisingly similar between feather types. After creating a new genome assembly, we use transcriptomics to show that non-iridescent feather development is associated with genes related to pigmentation, metabolism, and mitochondrial function, suggesting non-iridescent feathers are more energetically expensive to produce than iridescent feathers. However, iridescent feather development is associated with genes related to structural and cellular organization, suggesting that, while nanostructures themselves may passively assemble, barbules and melanosomes may require active organization to give them their shape. Together, our analyses suggest that iridescent feathers form through a combination of passive self-assembly and active processes. 

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