DNA Structure and the Golden Ratio Revisited

B-DNA, the informational molecule for life on earth, appears to contain ratios structured around the irrational number 1.618…, often known as the “golden ratio”. This occurs in the ratio of the length:width of one turn of the helix; the ratio of the spacing of the two helices; and in the axial structure of the molecule which has ten-fold rotational symmetry. That this occurs in the information-carrying molecule for life is unexpected, and suggests the action of some process. What this process might be is unclear, but it is central to any understanding of the formation of DNA, and so life.

Morphological variability and state of Delphinium pubiflorum (Ranunculaceae) populations in the Saratov region

The article presents the results of studying the morphological state of three populations of Delphinium pubiflorum on the basis of quantitative traits measured over four years during the period of mass flowering of plants. The greatest difference in quantitative characteristics was shown by the populations from the Krasnoarmeisky and Tatishchevsky districts of the Saratov region. The differences between the populations are mainly associated with the overall size of the leaves and the quantitative indicators of the axial structure, in particular the length of the generative shoot, as well as the generative sphere – the length of the inflorescence and the number of flowers associated with the latter. In the field, with a visual assessment of the state of the populations, it was noted that plants in the best condition, were those from the Tatishchevsky district. As for the population from the Krasnoarmeisky district, the state of its individuals was the worst.

Fe-N-C single-atom catalyst with axial structure prepared by a new design and synthesis method for ORR

Fe-N-C single-atom catalyst usually exhibits poor ORR activity due to its unsatisfactory O2 adsorption and activation. Here, a new design ideas and tailored self-assembly synthesis method is reported to improve...

Development of stochastic model of particulate coal fluidized bed expansion and axial structure

Particulate solids are in the state of fluidization at many stages of preparation and treatment of solid fuels. An effective drag force coefficient Cd is used to describe a mechanical contact between gas stream and an individual particle. The evaluation of the effective drag force coefficient is not limited by the force of hydraulic resistance but also includes a set of different forces. This set of forces is rather indeterminate, and a lot of empirical equations for effective drag force coefficient calculations can be found in the scientific papers. Choosing the applicable formula for calculation is often difficult. In addition, it requires taking into account the flow patterns around an individual particle. Thus, a comparative study to examine the most well-known drag force models with a uniform approach to account the flow patterns around an individual particle is important. The Markov chain approach is used as a mathematical basis for modeling of the flow patterns in a fluidized bed. The identification of the model parameters is completed and the complementation of transition matrices with the current physical properties of substances involved into the flow makes the model non-linear. The comparative study of the results obtained with using of the two correlations for drag force coefficient is performed. The stochastic model of fluidized bed expansion and axial structure has been proposed. The comparative analysis of two different scenarios of fluidized bed expansion using different drag force models has been performed. The authors developed and tested the model to describe fluidized bed expansion and axial structure on the basis of the Markov chain approach. The low certainty of physical drag coefficients models under conditions of flow patterns around an individual particle has been shown. The conducted research proves that consistent description of structure inhomogeneity of fluidized bed is possible using the nonlinear mathematical models based on mesoscale level of the object decomposition. Predictive efficiency of similar models is limited by low reliability of formula for calculation of drag force coefficient. Thus, it is possible to state the importance of further comparative research to check different formulas for calculation of gas-particle drag force coefficient in order to provide a reliable forecast of the fluidized bed height.

In Vitro Autonomous Construction of the Flagellar Axial Structure in Inverted Membrane Vesicles

The bacterial flagellum is a filamentous organelle extending from the cell surface. The axial structure of the flagellum consists of the rod, hook, junction, filament, and cap. The axial structure is formed by axial component proteins exported via a specific protein export apparatus in a well-regulated manner. Although previous studies have revealed the outline of the flagellar construction process, the mechanism of axial structure formation, including axial protein export, is still obscure due to difficulties in direct observation of protein export and assembly in vivo. We recently developed an in vitro flagellar protein transport assay system using inverted membrane vesicles (IMVs) and succeeded in reproducing the early stage of flagellar assembly. However, the late stage of the flagellar formation process remained to be examined in the IMVs. In this study, we showed that the filament-type proteins are transported into the IMVs to produce the filament on the hook inside the IMVs. Furthermore, we provide direct evidence that coordinated flagellar protein export and assembly can occur at the post-translational level. These results indicate that the ordered construction of the entire flagellar structure can be regulated by only the interactions between the protein export apparatus, the export substrate proteins, and their cognate chaperones.

The Compass of Beauty: A Search for the Middle

In his chapter, Lars Spuybroek criticises the doctrine of emergence for hindering the reversal that allows wholes to connect to parts of other wholes and only done with beauty; beauty as inherent of things without which they cannot exist make a claim on their environment only by being beautiful. The chapter tries to deal with the question of how beauty constructs this intersection between the two states. He calls this intersection the middle and goes on to sketching its historical transformations and its subsequent variations, combining the two main agents of variability, smoothness and roughness. Things and feelings are both constructed in the same system. That forces subjectivism out of the scene and materialism prevailing as matter is simply what matters. For Whitehead beauty is about both mutual adaptation and patterned contrasts, about massiveness and intensity, about smoothness and roughness. These things have a consciousness of their own, a nonhuman thought. The essay develops a bi-axial structure into a genuine fourfold, and from there into a circular system where aesthetic feelings are equated with material objects.