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Gradual Transformation (gradual + transformation)
Selected AbstractsThe humerus of Panderichthys in three dimensions and its significance in the context of the fish,tetrapod transitionACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 2009Catherine A. Boisvert Abstract The humerus of Panderichthys has been considered to represent a transitional form between that of tetrapodomorph fish such as Eusthenopteron and tetrapods such as Acanthostega. The previous description was based on flattened material and was analysed in the context of the few fossils known at the time. Since then, several new forms have been described such as Gogonasus, Tiktaalik and an isolated humerus from the Catskill Formation. The humeral morphology of Panderichthys rhombolepis and its interpretation in this new context are therefore reassessed with the help of a three-dimensional model produced with the mimics software based on a computed tomography scan of an unflattened specimen as well as comparisons with the originally described material. The humerus of Panderichthys displays a combination of primitive, derived, intermediate and unique characteristics. It is very similar to the morphology of Tiktaalik but when it differs from it, it is most often more derived despite the more basal phylogenetic position that Panderichthys occupies. What emerges from this study is a much more gradual transformation of the humerus morphology from fish to tetrapods and the ability to distinguish autapomorphies more easily. The picture is more complex than previously believed, with many morphological specializations probably reflecting the breadth of ecological specializations already present at the time. [source] Morphology of the gular valve of the Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus (Laurenti, 1768)JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 8 2006J.F. Putterill Abstract The morphology of the gular valve of the Nile crocodile was studied on the heads of eight 2.5,3-year-old commercially raised Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus). A description of the macroscopic and microscopic features of the gular valve is presented and the results are compared with published information on this species and other Crocodylia. The histological features are supplemented by information supplied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Anatomically, the dorsal and ventral components of the gular valve in the Nile crocodile form an efficient seal that effectively separates the oral and pharyngeal cavities consistent with the natural behavior and feeding habits of this animal. The gular valve is more complex in nature than superficial observations would suggest, with the dorsal and ventral folds being complemented by a series of smaller folds, particularly at the lateral fringes of the valve. Histologically, the surface epithelium of the valve demonstrates a transition from the typical stratified squamous epithelium of the oral cavity to that of the respiratory epithelium lining the pharyngeal cavity. The respiratory epithelium is characterized by the presence of ciliated cells and goblet cells and is accompanied by the appearance of large mucus-secreting glands in the underlying connective tissue. The transition between the two epithelial types is marked by the presence of a relatively prominent region where the stratified squamous epithelial cells undergo a gradual transformation into the typical elements of a respiratory epithelium. SEM graphically illustrated the extent of ciliation on both components of the gular valve as well as clearly defining the transition zones between the various types of surface epithelium present. No structures resembling taste receptors were observed in the mucosa of the gular valve. J. Morphol. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] NiO-induced crystallization and optical characteristics of Li2O,CaF2,P2O5 glass systemPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008G. Murali Krishna Abstract Li2O,CaF2,P2O5 glasses mixed with different concentrations of NiO (ranging from 0 mol% to 2.0 mol%) were crystallized. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis. Studies were extended to optical absorption and magnetic susceptibility of these glass ceramic samples. The XRD and SEM studies reveal the presence of lithium phosphate, calcium phosphate and nickel phosphate crystal phases. The optical absorption studies together with magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate a gradual transformation of nickel ions from tetrahedral sites to octahedral sites (lasing sites) as the concentration of NiO is increased beyond 0.8 mol%. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Analytic impasse and the third: Clinical implications of intersubjectivity theoryTHE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 2 2006LEWIS ARON The author examines the notion of the third within contemporary intersubjectivity theory. He utilizes a variety of metaphors (the triangle, the seesaw, strange attractors, and the compass) in an effort to explain this often misunderstood concept in a clear and readily usable manner. An argument is made to the effect that intersubjectivity theory has direct implications for clinical practice, and that the notion of the third is particularly useful in understanding what happens in and in resolving clinical impasses and stalemates. Specifi cally, the author suggests that certain forms of self-disclosure are best understood as attempts to create a third point of reference, thus opening up psychic space for self-refl ection and mentalization. He provides a clinical case as well as a number of briefer vignettes to illustrate the theoretical concepts and to suggest specifi c modifi cations of the psychoanalyst's stance that give the patient greater access to the inner workings of the analyst's mind. This introduces a third that facilitates the gradual transformation from relations of complementarity to relations of mutuality. [source] Kinetic, Thermodynamic, and Mechanistic Patterns for Free (Unbound) Cytochrome c at Au/SAM Junctions: Impact of Electronic Coupling, Hydrostatic Pressure, and Stabilizing/Denaturing AdditivesCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 27 2006Dimitri E. Khoshtariya Prof. Dr. Abstract Combined kinetic (electrochemical) and thermodynamic (calorimetric) investigations were performed for an unbound (intact native-like) cytochrome c (CytC) freely diffusing to and from gold electrodes modified by hydroxyl-terminated self-assembled monolayer films (SAMs), under a unique broad range of experimental conditions. Our approach included: 1) fine-tuning of the charge-transfer (CT) distance by using the extended set of Au-deposited hydroxyl-terminated alkanethiol SAMs [-S-(CH2)n -OH] of variable thickness (n=2, 3, 4, 6, 11); 2) application of a high-pressure (up to 150,MPa) kinetic strategy toward the representative Au/SAM/CytC assemblies (n=3, 4, 6); 3) complementary electrochemical and microcalorimetric studies on the impact of some stabilizing and denaturing additives. We report for the first time a mechanistic changeover detected for "free" CytC by three independent kinetic methods, manifested through 1) the abrupt change in the dependence of the shape of the electron exchange standard rate constant (ko) versus the SAM thickness (resulting in a variation of estimated actual CT range within ca. 15 to 25 Å including ca. 11 Å of an "effective" heme-to-,-hydroxyl distance). The corresponding values of the electronic coupling matrix element vary within the range from ca. 3 to 0.02 cm,1; 2) the change in activation volume from +6.7 (n=3), to ,0 (n=4), and ,5.5 (n=6) cm3,mol,1 (disclosing at n=3 a direct pressure effect on the protein's internal viscosity); 3) a "full" Kramers-type viscosity dependence for ko at n=2 and 3 (demonstrating control of an intraglobular friction through the external dynamic properties), and its gradual transformation to the viscosity independent (nonadiabatic) regime at n=6 and 11. Multilateral cross-testing of "free" CytC in a native-like, glucose-stabilized and urea-destabilized (molten-globule-like) states revealed novel intrinsic links between local/global structural and functional characteristics. Importantly, our results on the high-pressure and solution-viscosity effects, together with matching literature data, strongly support the concept of "dynamic slaving", which implies that fluctuations involving "small" solution components control the proteins' intrinsic dynamics and function in a highly cooperative manner as far as CT processes under adiabatic conditions are concerned. [source] | ||||||||||