Morphological evolution Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

2025, Current Biology

Teleosts have an asymmetrical caudal fin skeleton formed by the upward bending of the caudal-most portion of the body axis, the ural region . This homocercal type of caudal fin ensures powerful and complex locomotion and is regarded as one of the most important innovations for teleosts during adaptive radiation in an aquatic environment . However, the mechanisms that create asymmetric caudal fin remain largely unknown. The spontaneous medaka (teleost fish) mutant, Double anal fin (Da), exhibits a unique symmetrical caudal skeleton that resembles the diphycercal type seen in Polypterus and Coelacanth. We performed a detailed analysis of the Da mutant to obtain molecular insight into caudal fin morphogenesis. We first demonstrate that a large transposon, inserted into the enhancer region of the zic1 and zic4 genes (zic1/zic4) in Da, is associated with the mesoderm-specific loss of their transcription. We then show that zic1/zic4 are strongly expressed in the dorsal

2025, Quaternary International

During the last decade new finds have increased our knowledge of the Middle Pleistocene mammal faunas of the Italian peninsula. We provide an updated framework, mainly based on the large mammals, highlighting some peculiarities of the Italian faunas. The early Middle Pleistocene faunas had been placed in a detailed scheme. These faunas are partially referred to the middle and late Galerian, and the validity of the different faunal units (FUs) is discussed. The main open questions arising from the recent discoveries are briefly pointed out.

2025, Science

The introduction and rapid spread of Drosophila subobscura in the New World two decades ago provide an opportunity to determine the predictability and rate of evolution of a geographic cline. In ancestral Old World populations, wing length increases clinally with latitude. In North American populations, no wing length cline was detected one decade after the introduction. After two decades, however, a cline has evolved and largely converged on the ancestral cline. The rate of morphological evolution on a continental scale is very fast, relative even to rates measured within local populations. Nevertheless, different wing sections dominate the New versus Old World clines. Thus, the evolution of geographic variation in wing length has been predictable, but the means by which the cline is achieved is contingent.

2025, Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages

Most research regarding Mauritian Creole future marking was carried out in the 1990s and assumed differences in 'certainty' dictated the choice of future marker (Baker 1993; Hazaël-Massieux 1993; Touchard & Véronique 1993). The consensus was that the two main markers, POU and VA, were used for 'definite' and 'indefinite' future events respectively. However, this distinction was inadequately defined, and although intuitively solid, it could not account for many naturally occurring instances. Davidson (2021) quantified a range of features relevant for future expression and a new obligation meaning of VA was mentioned by some speakers. In this paper, we explore in more detail the POU/VA opposition, considering contexts with different nuances of obligation/necessity and their compatibility with VA. Overall, VA is more acceptable in contexts which can be interpreted as obligation/necessity and it is now not only restricted to indefinite or 'less certain' contexts.

2025

The sternum is a highly modi ed breastbone. The two primary  ight muscles are the pectoralis major (largest muscle in the bird's body) and the supracoracoideus. The pectoralis major acts to depress the wing in downstroke whereas the supracoracoideus is the primary elevator of the wing in the upstroke and is most important for take-off Both these muscles originate from carina (keel) of the sternum. ln  ying birds, keel or carina is well developed for  ight muscle attachment (called a carinate sternum). Flightless birds have keelless or "ratite sternum". Thus, sternum is one of the important bones involved in night mechanism. Very little information is available on morphometry of some common  ight birds such as pigeon, crow and owl. Keeping this in view. the present study was conducted.

2025

A new Judomiidae species Gabriellus kierorum nov. sp., from the Rosella Formation, lower Cambrian (Series 2), Atan Group, of Dease River (Northern British Columbia, Canada) is described.

2025

Tecnoambiente S.L carried out two geophysical campaigns and oceanographic surveys in 2009 and 2011 for the purpose of the offshore gas pipeline construction as part of the national energetic infrastructures system of Spain; The Balearic Submarine Pipeline Project-Mallorca Landfall area and The Castor Project respectively. Accurate bathymetry, seabed morphology and stratigraphy results along the pipeline, guaranteed the safety and economical cost using the submarine plough process as part of bottom-towed pipeline process. Into Mallorca Landfall study area, there are clay and gravel seabed subtrata (73.3 % relative density; 0.2 mm particle size) and particularly presence of sea grass above of them, which differs from the seabed substrata encountered south of delta Ebro study area with silty sand and very soft clay (25 % relative density; 0.07 mm particle size). Consequently, these different sediment typologies required to plough at 1.5 times slower over coarse substrates than do it ov...

2025

Neredeyse tüm alaşımlar katılaşma esnasında dendritik yapıları bünyelerinde gösterirler.Birçok katılaşma modelinde katılaşma boyunca ikinci dendrit kollarının sabit olduğukabul edilmiştir. Aslında katılaşma boyunca ikinci dendrit kolları kabalaşmakta veyüksek sıcaklık gradyanı altında da göç edebilmektedir. Bu göç fenomeni sıcaklıkgradyanı bölgesel ergimesi adıyla anılmaktadır.Bu tezde, iki numerik modek geliştirilmiştir. Bunlar; parabolik büyüme için Brody-Flemmings numerik modeli ve sabit soğuma hızları için Allen-Hunt sıcaklık gradyanıbölgesel ergimesi modelidir. MatLAB yazılım programı kullanılarak, bahsedilen numerikmodeler için hesaplamalar yapılmış, sonuçları bu tezde sunulmuştur.Birçok katılaşma parametrelerinin mikrosegregasyona ve bileşim profiline etkileriaraştırılacak ve karşılaştırılacaktır. Bunlar:Soğuma hızı, katılaşma hızı, sıcaklık gradyanı, Çözelti dağılım katsayısı--------------------Nearly all alloys solidify with a dendritic structure in existence. In many solid...

2025, Biology Letters

Water impoundment imposes fundamental changes on natural landscapes by transforming rivers into reservoirs. The dramatic shift in physical conditions accompanying the loss of flow creates novel ecological and evolutionary challenges for native species. In this study, we compared the body shape of Cyprinella venusta collected from eight pairs of river and reservoir sites across the Mobile River Basin (USA). Geometric morphometric analysis of the body shape showed that river populations differ from reservoir populations. Individuals inhabiting reservoirs are deep-bodied and have a smaller head, a more anterior dorsal fin, a shorter dorsal fin base and a more ventral position of the eye than C. venusta in streams. The direction of shape divergence within reservoir–river pairs was consistent among pairs of sites, and the shape of C. venusta in reservoirs is strongly correlated with reservoir size. These findings show that physical characteristics of reservoirs drive changes in the morph...

2025

Scalloped pits are typical erosion features of the mid-latitude mantle of Mars, possibly related to ground ice sublimation or to thermokarstic processes. HiRISE images provide a new insight into the small-scale features of these landforms.

2025

Metabolism and replication are generally considered essential features of biological life. Workers in the field of the origin of life are mostly split into two groups, depending on which of these two functions is postulated to have occurred first. Because of difficulties encountered by the replication-first (or genetics-first) approach, some workers have postulated that a highly developed metabolism must have originated before replication and the formation of a genetic apparatus. However, as supporters of a replication-first approach have pointed out, and as is discussed in this article, the alternative metabolism-first approach has fundamental problems that have not been sufficiently addressed.

2025

Coastal areas are experiencing an increase in human population and activities. This change in coastal areas necessitates their safety and reliability to prevent the risk of human lives and economic values being compromised. The Iraqi coast is considered one of these areas that is considered vulnerable because of its low elevation related to mean sea level. The Because of their gentle slope and low elevation, storm events have the potential to inundate it. Therefore, it becomes imperative to study the hydrodynamic processes and their impact on the coast using numerical models. Many numerical modelling tools are developed to simulate the coastal engineering problems. This study investigates the possibility of modelling hydrodynamics and spectral waves in the Iraqi coastal area. The Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) developed the MIKE21 FM coupled model system, which has been used in this research along with observational data of water levels, waves and winds in the study area. Time series data of water levels, wind and waves were utilized as inputs at the model domain's open boundaries, while the model got calibrated by statistical measures based on in situ measurements. The model's simulation period spanned from March 3 to March 31, 2019, including successive high waves. The acceptable agreement between the simulated findings from the hydrodynamic and wave models and the in-situ observations validated the model's appropriateness for coastal area problems. The model results show that wind forcing has a significant effect on wave characteristics. Without wind force, the significant wave height is estimated to be 46.8% lower than the observed value, but the wave period was more accurate, with a Nash efficiency factor of 0.92. Including water level variations into the model only slightly affects the wave parameters.

2025, Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America

Mauritian Creole is known to form polar questions in two ways: by using the utterance-initial particle eski, derived from French est-ce que 'is it the case that', or by applying a rising intonation to the declarative sentence. This paper asks the question whether both question forms are syntactically interrogative sentences or instead have different underlying structures. The question is relevant if we consider that a number of languages use declarative sentences to ask (biased) polar questions, a question type known as "declarative questions" in the literature (also: "rising declaratives" in English). We evaluate the possibility of intonation questions being the equivalents of declarative questions. Using a battery of tests originally designed for European French, we present native speaker judgments from the third author of the paper. While we found that not all our tests point to the conclusion that intonation questions are declarative sentences, the test results provide significantly more support to intonation questions being declarative questions rather than syntactic interrogatives.

2025, Physical Review B

Morphology of the fivefold symmetric quasicrystal surface of AlPdMn was investigated by x-ray reflectivity and by x-ray diffraction. X-ray experiments revealed two different morphologies depending on the surface preparation. Sputtering and annealing up to 900 K, under UHV conditions, produced a rough and facetted quasicrystal surface. These features were confirmed by atomic force microscopy and scanning tunnel microscopy measurements. We also observed that an annealing above 900 K induces a rapid and irreversible transition toward a flat surface.

2025

We present our first results from study of the interior deposits of western Candor Chasma. Using high-resolution DEMs, we mapped four major units to separate intact wall rock, landslide materials, other floor materials, and the interior deposits. We then evaluated a possible northwest-trending fault to determine if the continuity of the interior deposits is disrupted primarily by faulting or, most likely, by erosional processes. We plan to identify the stratigraphy and response to deformation (including faults and folds) in order to (a) establish plausible material properties and (b) reconstruct the emplacement and subsequent history of the interior deposits in western Candor Chasma. Introduction and Background: Western Candor Chasma is a northwest-southeast trending trough in the Valles Marineris system. Within the chasma, there is a series of deposits that appear to be friable, of medium to high porosity, and form both massive and stratified sequences. Why look at the interior dep...

2025

Incident wave conditions and morphological beach response in the region of West and Central Africa are investigated using data collected with a regional network of permanent video cameras systems. Daily beach profiles were computed combining video shoreline detection at different tide levels and bathymetric estimate from wave celerity at three specific sites: Grand Popo (Benin), Mbour (Senegal) and Kribi (Cameroon). Results show that the low tide terrace of the intermediate-reflective beach of Grand Popo affects shoreline response at the event and seasonal time scales by modulating wave energy at the beach face. Based on this preliminary study and in the framework of a sustainable video station deployment, this paper highlights the potential of a video station network to address waves and coastal response on the time scales from hours to decade(s) in tropical coastal environments where data are lacking.

2025, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

New records of nautiloid beak elements conventionally classified as "Rhyncholithes hirundo (Biguet, 1819)" and "Conchorhynchus avirostris (von Schlotheim, 1820)" with carbonised (originally chitinous) three-dimensionally preserved appendages from the Upper Muschelkalk (Middle Triassic) of northern Württemberg (Southwest Germany) enable restoration of the complete beak of Germanonautilus. In three specimens, the lower mandible is embedded within the living chamber of Germanonautilus conchs. Beak elements of Germanonautilus differ from those of Recent Nautilus in the more elongate appendages of the fossil lower mandibles and the weaker sculpture on the originally chitinous parts. Furthermore, the dorsal sculpture of the fossil conchorhynchs consists of ridges rather than denticles and the ventral sculpture of the fossil rhyncholiths displays ridges in places where the Recent rhyncholiths have a smooth surface. Additionally, the fossil beak elements attained a larger size than their Recent counterparts. During transport of "Rhyncholithes hirundo", the light chitinous parts served as a sail and the heavier conchorhynch anchored in the sediment causing alignment. In contrast to the irregularly embedded isolated rhyncholiths, the conchorhynchs usually settled with their ventral side up. From the study of 407 fossil nautiloid beak-elements, a significant variability of the hard parts is evident. Consequently, the assignment of specific morphologies to the species of Germanonautilus is impossible.

2025, Fossil Record

A late Vise ´an section of clastic and carbonatic rocks is described from the eastern part of the Anti-Atlas (Morocco). The sedimentary succession is a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic system influenced by sea-level fluctuations. The sedimentology of the section is interpreted with respect to transgressive-regressive cycles and systems tracts. Highstand sediments yielded ammonoid assemblages from six horizons; a total of 1,040 specimens separated into 20 species are described in the palaeontological section. The genus Itimaites is new, together with the 16 new species Itimaites parabolicus n.

2025, Lethaia

Several soft-tissue imprints and attachment sites have been discovered on the inside of the shell wall and on the apertural side of the septum of various fossil and Recent ectocochleate cephalopods. In addition to the scars of the cephalic retractors, steinkerns of the body chambers of bactritoids and some ammonoids from the Moroccan and the German Emsian (Early Devonian) display various kinds of striations; some of these striations are restricted to the mural part of the septum, some start at the suture and terminate at the anterior limit of the annular elevation. Several of these features were also discovered in specimens of Mesozoic and Recent nautilids. These structures are here interpreted as imprints of muscle fibre bundles of the posterior and especially the septal mantle, blood vessels as well as the septal furrow. Most of these structures were not found in ammonoids younger than Middle Devonian. We suggest that newly formed, not yet mineralized (or only slightly), septa were more tightly stayed between the more numerous lobes and saddles in more strongly folded septa of more derived ammonoids and that the higher tension in these septa did not permit soft-parts to leave imprints on the organic preseptum. It is conceivable that this permitted more derived ammonoids to replace the chamber liquid faster by gas and consequently, new chambers could be used earlier than in other ectocochleate cephalopods, perhaps this process began even prior to mineralization. This would have allowed faster growth rates in derived ammonoids. ᮀ Ammonoidea , Arteries , Bactritoidea , Early Devonian , growth , Nautiloidea , soft-tissue attachment.

2025, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

Internal moulds of the relatively small-to moderate-size shells of Early Devonian ectocochleate cephalopods (typically <150 mm diameter) occasionally display traces of repaired shell damage. Presumably, these animals with their highly specialized buoyancy device, the phragmocone, lived in the water column. It is uncertain as to how the shells of these animals were damaged; one likely cause would be predatory attacks but the identity of the perpetrator remains uncertain. So far, no remains of arthropods capable of breaking or cutting shells have been found in the fossiliferous outcrops of this age in the Anti-Atlas (Morocco). The only macrovertebrate remains of this age are of acanthodian and placoderm fish which probably lived a more or less benthonic life style. Additionally, a fish attack on these cephalopods would probably have destroyed most of the thin-shelled conch and killed the animal. Most of the repaired shell breaks are triangular in shape which is characteristic for cephalopod bite marks. Additionally, the paired arrangement of the fractures in over 70 bactritoids supports the hypothesis that it was a cephalopod attacking another cephalopod. It cannot be excluded with certainty that occasional vertebrate attacks left traces on their shells. Fossil evidence indicates that the development of tightly coiled conchs was a rapid evolutionary event in the Ammonoidea in the Early Devonian; however, the evolution of coiling is probably not directly related to predation pressures because the ratio of injured to healthy specimens is roughly the same in Zlíchovian bactritoids with orthoconic and ammonoids with coiled shells.

2025

An early Late Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous/Mississippian) ammonoid fauna is described from the Tafilalt of south-eastern Morocco. Twelve genera, four of which are new, and eleven new species are represented: Becanites africanus sp. nov., Triimitoceras epiwocklumeriforme gen. et sp. nov., Irinoceras minutum sp. nov., Muensteroceras quadriconstrictum sp. nov., Eurites bouhamedensis sp. nov., Ouaoufilalites ouaoufilalensis gen. et sp. nov., Helicocyclus fuscus sp. nov., Pericyclus mercatorius sp. nov., Orthocyclus(?) sp., Bouhamedites enigmaticus gen. et sp. nov., Winchelloceras antiatlanteum sp. nov., and Progoniatites maghribensis gen. et sp. nov. Palaeogeographic analysis of Late Tournaisian ammonoid assemblages shows strong endemism at the species-level, but genera and families had a nearly global distribution in the equatorial seas. The new fauna contains the stratigraphically oldest known representatives of the important Carboniferous goniatite families Girtyoceratidae and Goniatitidae.

2025, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

Evolution of the coiled ammonoid conch from the uncoiled bactritid conch was probably coupled with changes in manoeuvrability and swimming velocity. The gradual transformation of uncoiled to coiled ammonoid conchs has essential functional consequences. The radical change in conch geometry during phylogeny but also in ontogeny of early ammonoids implies a shift of the aperture from an original roughly downward, via a downward oblique and an upward oblique to an upward orientation, presuming a neutrally buoyant condition of the ammonoid animal. Similar trends were reconstructed for the three main ammonoid lineages in the Middle Devonian, the agoniatitid, the anarcestid, and the tornoceratid lineages. This allowed an increase in manoeuvrability and in the maximum horizontal swimming speed.

2025, CO-VI

The literary debate between Desiderius Erasmus (1439-1536) and Martin Luther (1483-1546) in the mid-1520s is of interest at a colloquium devoted to Origen of Alexandria (185-254) and the Bible because all three persons have had enormous influence on the history and interpretation of the Bible. Their paths cross by way of a variant understanding of biblical teaching, especially the apostle Paul's, on the role of the human will in salvation.

2025, Journal of Materials Science

The acoustic analysis of the morphological evolution, from the surface to the bulk, of a vinylester resin cured in contact with two types of surfaces, i.e. aluminium and air, has been studied. The analysis was also performed as a function of styrene monomer content of the uncured resin. The existence of a thick layer, in which the vinylester network is

2025, Tectonophysics

The growth of relief in active tectonic areas is mainly controlled by the interactions between tectonics and surface processes (erosion and sedimentation). The study of long-lived morphologic markers formed by these interactions can help in quantifying the competing effects of tectonics, erosion and sedimentation. In regions experiencing active extension, river-long profiles and faceted spurs (triangular facets) can help in understanding the development of mountainous topography along normal fault scarps. In this study, we developed analogue experiments that simulate the morphologic evolution of a mountain range bounded by a normal fault. This paper focuses on the effect of the fault slip rate on the morphologic evolution of the footwall by performing three analogue experiments with different fault slip rates under a constant rainfall rate. A morphometric analysis of the modelled catchments allows comparing with a natural case (Tunka halfgraben, Siberia). After a certain amount of fault slip, the modelled footwall topographies of our models reaches a dynamic equilibrium (i.e., erosion balances tectonic uplift relative to the base level) close to the fault, whereas the topography farther from the fault is still being dissected due to regressive erosion. We show that the rates of vertical erosion in the area where dynamic equilibrium is reached and the rate of regressive erosion are linearly correlated with the fault throw rate. Facet morphology seems to depend on the fault slip rate except for the fastest experiment where faceted spurs are degraded due to mass wasting. A stream-power law is computed for the area wherein rivers reach a topographic equilibrium. We show that the erosional capacity of the system depends on the fault slip rate. Finally, our results demonstrate the possibility of preserving convex river-long profiles on the long-term under steady external (tectonic uplift and rainfall) conditions.

2025, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

Research in evolutionary developmental (evo-devo) biology is making an increasingly important contribution to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment of complex morphological traits. Deciphering the ontogenetic trajectories leading to the differentiation of sister species (and the existence of hybrids) is a new challenge in our understanding of speciation processes. In the present study, we characterized the ontogenetic trajectory of lower lip morphology in two cyprinid species and their hybrids. Chondrostoma toxostoma has an arched lower lip and a generalist diet. Chondrostoma nasus has a straight lower lip and a specialist diet. An analysis of 99 C. toxostoma, 99 C. nasus and 25 first-generation (F1) hybrid individuals demonstrated that the difference between arched and straight lip morphology was found to depend strongly on the height/width ratio of the lower lip. A comparison of the ontogenetic trajectories of these morphometric traits showed that the height of the lower lip was isometric to body length in both species, whereas developmental changes involving an acceleration and a hypermorphosis of the widening of the lower lip led to a straight lip morphology in C. nasus. F1 hybrids were characterized by an extreme phenotype resulting from a rate of lower lip widening slower than that in the two parent species. Therefore, we rejected a codominance hypothesis and concluded that the first stage of hybridization provides the foundations of evolutionary novelty. These results have important evolutionary implications because lower lip shape is linked to dietary behaviour in many fish species.

2025, International Journal of Statistics and Data Analysis

This paper explores statistical methods for analyzing bivariate measurement data, focusing on the relationships between two quantitative variables. The study demonstrates how bivariate techniques can reveal trends, associations, and potential predictive insights in datasets drawn from real-world scenarios through correlation and regression analyses. The findings contribute to the understanding of data-driven decision-making in fields like healthcare, social sciences, and engineering.

2025

In this study, we present preliminary data derived from MOC imagery comparing the volumetric capacity of ejecta-based depressions with the volumetric dimensions of nearby crater-rim gullies.

2025, Water and Society

This work aims at integrating the understanding of the river geomorphic dynamic into the planning of reservoir operation rules. The case study is a 112 km long reach of the Po river in Italy, from Piacenza to Boretto. The Isola Serafini (IS) gate has served a large run-of-the-river hydroelectricity plant since 1962. The dam blocks a relevant amount of sediments and is the cause, together with intense sand mining, for the river bed incision immediately downstream that has made several navigation and irrigation devices unusable during low flow periods, leading to expensive and recurrent works to restore their functionality. The operational rule of the IS gate was modelled using 4 parameters and a number of experiments were simulated adopting alternative operating policies over a 10year period. A 1D hydraulic numerical model with mobile bed has been used to estimate bed degradation trends. The results show that there is space for a meaningful trade-off between the conflicting objectives of hydropower production and reduction of river bed degradation. The analysis provides operative rules able to effectively tackle river bed incision with moderate loss in hydropower production.

2025, International Journal of Earth Sciences

In this paper, we analyze the morphology of the Andes of Peru and its evolution based on the geometry of river channels, their bedrock profiles, stream gradient indices and the relation between thrust faults and morphology. The rivers of the Pacific Basin incised Mesozoic sediments of the Maran ˜on thrust belt, Cenozoic volcanics and the granitic rocks of the Coastal Batholith. They are mainly bedrock channels with convex upward shapes and show signs of active ongoing incision. The changes in lithology do not correlate with breaks in slope of the channels (or knick points) such that the high gradient indices (K) with values between 2,000-3,000 and higher than 3,000 suggest that incision is controlled by tectonic activity. Our analysis reveals that many of the ranges of the Western Cordillera were uplifted to the actual elevations where peaks reach to 6,000 m above sea level by thrusting along steeply dipping faults. We correlate this uplift with the Quechua Phase of Neogene age documented for the Subandean thrust belt. The rivers of the Amazonas Basin have steep slopes and high gradient indices of 2,000-3,000 and locally more than 3,000 in those segments where the rivers flow over the crystalline basement of the Eastern Cordillera affected by vertical faulting. Gradient indices decrease to 1,000-2,000 within the east-vergent thrust belt of the Subandean Zone. Here a correlation between breaks in river channel slopes and location of thrust faults can be established, suggesting that the young, Quechua Phase thrust faults of the Subandean thrust belt, which involve Neogene sediments, influenced the channel geometry. In the eastern lowlands, these rivers become meandering and flow parallel to anticlines that formed in the hanging wall of Quechua Phase thrust faults, suggesting that the river courses were actively displaced outward into the foreland.

2025, Journal Of Geophysical Research: Oceans

The interactions between waves, tidal currents, and bathymetry near New River Inlet, NC, USA are investigated to understand the effects on the resulting hydrodynamics and sediment transport. A quasi-3-D nearshore community model, NearCoM-TVD, is used in this integrated observational and modeling study. The model is validated with observations of waves and currents at 30 locations, including in a recently dredged navigation channel and a shallower channel, and on the ebb tidal delta, for a range of flow and offshore wave conditions during May 2012. In the channels, model skills for flow velocity and wave height are high. Near the ebb tidal delta, the model reproduces the observed rapid onshore (offshore) decay of wave heights (current velocities). Model results reveal that this sharp transition coincides with the location of the breaker zone over the ebb tidal delta, which is modulated by semidiurnal tides and by wave intensity. The modulation of wave heights is primarily owing to depth changes rather than direct wavecurrent interaction. The modeled tidally averaged residual flow patterns show that waves play an important role in generating vortices and landward-directed currents near the inlet entrance. Numerical experiments suggest that these flow patterns are associated with the channel-shoal bathymetry near the inlet, similar to the generation of rip currents. Consistent with other inlet studies, model results suggest that tidal currents drive sediment fluxes in the channels, but that sediment fluxes on the ebb tidal delta are driven primarily by waves.

2025, … and-Engineering. Proceedings of the 4th …

A set of coupled models is applied to this situation. The set consists of an atmospheric model giving the spatial wind distribution, a spectral wave model (SWAN), and a 2D-current and morphodynamic model. The model results show that... more

2025

In this paper, a CFD code developed to model turbulent flow across the surface-subsurface interface of a high-conductivity permeable bed is validated by using experimental data collected at the scale of the individual pore space. High-resolution endoscopic PIV data are compared with numerical results for the simple model of a permeable bed comprising uniform size spheres (D = 4 cm) packed in a cubic arrangement. We present here details of both the numerical and experimental techniques combined for investigating such turbulent interstitial flow, and highlight the major issues involved in both the numerical and physical modelling.

2025, arXiv (Cornell University)

Understanding the role of solute diffusivities in equilibrium tie-line selection during growth of a second phase in ternary and higher multicomponent two phase alloys is an important problem due to the strong dependence of mechanical properties on compositions. In this paper, we derive analytical expressions for predicting tie-lines and composition profiles in the matrix during growth of planar and cylindrical precipitates with the assumption of diagonal diffusivity matrices. We confirm our calculations by sharp interface and phase field simulations. The numerical techniques are in turn utilized for investigating the role of off-diagonal entries in the diffusivity matrix. In addition, the sharp interface methods allow for the tracking of the tie-line compositions during growth of 2D precipitates which contribute to an understanding of the change in equilibrium tie-lines chosen by the system during growth.

2025, Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

The highly specialized trap glands of carnivorous plant are responsible for the digestion and absorption of the prey; however, there are few studies on their systematics and evolution. In this study, the gland morphology of six carnivorous plant species of the genus Utricularia (Lentibulariaceae) in Taiwan, including U. aurea Lour., U. australis R. Br., U. bifida L., U. caerulea L., U. gibba L. and U. striatula Sm., was examined with a scanning electron microscope. The glands on both the outer and inner surfaces of the traps were examined. We found that the external glands had little diagnostic value, but the internal glands could be used in the identification of Taiwan species. Evolutionary trends of gland characteristics are discussed, analyzing morphology of the internal glands, based on previous work. A new hypothesis for the evolution of internal gland structure in Utricularia is also proposed.

2025, physica status solidi (a)

Different homo epitaxial 4H-SiC commercial wafers were undergone hydrogen etching process that was developed in the reaction chamber of a Hot Wall Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) reactor. We have studied the effects of physical desorption to point out the morphology and the structural changes of epitaxial surfaces. An optical microscopy inspection was made to trace out a map of defect areas before and after etching treatments. We have analysed the morphological evolution of the surface in every etching process step by means of marked area on the defect map. We also achieved some other important information, concerning structural and morphological changing, by performing Atomic Force Microscopy and Micro Raman spectroscopy analysis on the same defect marked area. The etched epilayers showed a significant reduction of defects density and a good surface morphology. On investigated samples we fabricated Schottky diodes, their electrical behaviour compared to the devices fabricated on not etched epitaxial layer highlights the surface quality improvement and the increasing of SBD working yield.

2025, Actas de las XXXII Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología, 2016, ISBN 978-84-9138-016-0, págs. 479-483

La interpretación funcional del replegamiento periférico de los septos de los ammonoideos constituye todo un reto dada la inexistencia de representantes actuales del grupo y, por consiguiente, la imposibilidad de experimentación directa. Por tal motivo las líneas de evidencia se han de basar en gran medida en comparaciones con otros cefalópodos camerados actuales. En este trabajo se comparan las alometrías ontogenéticas que siguen el área septal respecto al volumen del fragmocono en cefalópodos con concha espiral (interna o externa) con las obtenidas para ammonoideos adultos del Jurásico tardío. Las similitudes entre los coeficientes alométricos indican que el aumento de superficie que supone replegar los septos no aparenta ser muy diferente en las primeras etapas del crecimiento de los ammonoideos del de otros cefalópodos con concha espiral. Por el contrario, las discrepancias con los coeficientes alométricos para los ammonoideos adultos parecen apuntar a que la complejidad septal no se alcanza por una mera extrapolación de la ontogenia.

2025, Scientific reports in life sciences

An overview description of the taxonomical feature of the Upper Pliocene turtle's remains from the Wölfersheim brown coal deposit in the Wetterau, Hesse, Germany is given here. The original material came from the former "Natural Science Collections" in Meiningen (1950-1960) as an exchange sample and is now preserved as a holotype "MSB IB k 314" in the "Museum of Natural History" Schleußingen, Thuringia, Germany. The material was scientifically described previously as a member of the genus Geoemyda and is reviewed again here. This taxon is reassessed and re-identified as being in close relationship with the European taxon of Melanochely mossoczyi (Previously referred to as Geoemyda mossoczyi).

2025, Geomorphology

A quantitative geomorphological study has been made on 27 river basins in Tahiti-Nui volcanic island (French Polynesia) to reconstruct the erosional evolution of a young oceanic island subjected to heavy tropical rainfall. Tahiti-Nui is composed of a main shield volcano cut by two huge landslides on each side of a main E-W rift zone. The northern landslide depression was rapidly buried by the construction of a second shield, the late activity of which overflowed the crest and then filled the southern landslide depression. The island is now volcanically inactive and is deeply dissected by erosion. The present geometries of the river basins are first compared using dimensionless parameters derived from a digital elevation model. The original volcanic surfaces are then reconstructed to estimate the volumes removed by erosion and determine the average rates of long-term erosion. The basins developed on the flanks of the main shield are wider, shallower, and gentler than the basins incising the post-landslide second shield, indicating a higher degree of evolution. Rainfall concentration on the windward (eastern) side of the island also contributed to increase the vertical lowering of the volcanic relief and the enlargement of the valleys. The magnitude of erosion, however, is neither directly linked with the age of the units incised nor with the differential amounts of rainfall. Erosion rates determined over the last 1 Myr range between 10 -3 km 3 kyr -1 and 0.25 km 3 kyr -1 . The highest values occur in the basins incising the main E-W rift zone and/or the lateral rims of the northern and southern landslide depressions. Long-term dissection has thus been enhanced along the geological discontinuities of the eruptive system. Deep erosion was first constrained along the axis of the main E-W rift zone, where numerous dykes compartmentalize the volcanic structure into large unstable blocks. Dykes most probably acted as mechanical discontinuities along which shallow gravitational landslides recurrently occurred. Such mass-wasting episodes produced significant amounts of debris, partly preserved as highly indurated sedimentary breccias of various ages exposed at various locations. Subsequent dissection of Tahiti-Nui was enhanced to the north and to the south, leading to the rapid evolution of the Papenoo and Taharuu drainage systems over the last 500 kyr. Long-term dissection on Tahiti-Nui has been responsible for the removal of at least 350 km 3 of volcanic material from the surface, and for the partial exhumation of a shallow intrusive complex partly composed of coarse-grained plutonic rocks (gabbros and syenites) in the central part of the eruptive system. Structurally controlled erosion is thus a key component of landscape evolution on such high-relief oceanic tropical islands.

2025, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences

Apart from within the Arumbera Sandstone that spans the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary, the entire Neoproterozoic succession of the Amadeus Basin has been generally believed to be devoid of metazoan fossils, despite features of possible biogenic origin having been described in the earliest geological mapping reports. Herein are described a suite of curious, rounded impressions preserved upon the surface of a sandstone bed from the basal Neoproterozoic unit, the quartzitic Heavitree Formation that dates to ca 850 Ma. Compared with rounded structures of both organic and inorganic origin, these features resemble fossils of stranded medusae, both modern and ancient, and thereby add a potentially pelagic lifeform to previously described burrowing and sessile forms of likely metazoans, which are preserved as fossils/trace fossils within the Tonian period of the Neoproterozoic elsewhere in the basin. An organic origin for these features would support the contention that the Amadeus Basin harbours the earliest evidence that macroscopic life flourished, albeit briefly, some 215 million years prior to the start of the Ediacaran period and 250 million years before metazoans successfully colonised the late Ediacaran seas. KEY POINTS 1. Curious rounded impressions upon a scree sample of Heavitree Formation (ca 850 Ma) are best compared with fossils of stranded jellyfish, both modern and ancient. 2. Such impressions add to the phyla seemingly extant within the Amadeus Basin during the Tonian Period (early Neoproterozoic). 3. Such phyla suggest that metazoan life evolved some 250 Ma earlier than generally believed, although became extinct locally some 10 Ma later. 4. Extinction occurred at ca 840 Ma when changing climate caused the enclosed Amadeus Basin to evolve from conducive shallow aquatic conditions to a harsh evaporitic salt pan. 5. Two later forays into metazoan evolution within the basin are evidenced by burrow-like tubular structures at ca 720 Ma and the Arumberia fossils at ca 560 Ma.

2025

Our prehistoric-human ancestors evolved from their tail-less ape group including chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas as a result of greater clash and cohesion experienced by the prehistoric-humans. “They were quite adept at running and jumping and could easily jump from one tree to another, just like the other creatures of the ape group,” explains Dharma guru Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. “Civilizations have been advancing through clash and cohesion. Human beings are racking their brains in the search for new ways to win battles, and thus their brain cells are developing.” “Where does the thought which causes evolutionary change originate? It originates in the nerve cells. The human mind has two functions – thinking and memorizing. The more the thinking capacity increases the more the power of memory develops. The nerve cells also change, leading to a corresponding change in the nerve fibers. These changes create a stir and a revolution in the world of thought. Human beings started thinking, ‘Who am I? Where have I come from? Where shall I go hereafter?’ No other creature thinks like this – only humans have the power of contemplation.” Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921-1990) was a spiritual teacher in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna, and founded the international socio-spiritual organization Ananda Marga (“the Path of Bliss”).

2025

SUMMARY: The name Lavatera columbretensis, recently proposed for a hybrid growing in the Columbretes Archipelago (Castellón, E of Spain), is transferred to Malva. Additional data on nomenclature of other related taxa of ‘L. sect. Anthema ’ and ‘L. sect. Axolopha’, are also reported. Key words: Lavatera, Malva, hybrids, Mediter-ranean islands, Spain. RESUMEN: Se transfiere al género Malva el nombre Lavatera columbretensis, recientemente descrito para un híbrido encontrado en el archipiélago de las Columbre-tes (Castellón). Además, se presentan datos complementarios sobre la nomenclatura de otros táxones de ‘L. sect. Anthema ’ y ‘L. sect. Axolopha’, con él relacionados. Pala-bras clave: Lavatera, Malva, híbridos, islas mediterráneas, España.

2025, Journal of Archaeological Science

Although the economic importance of sheep husbandry in the Middle Ages, especially during the development of the major cloth industries, and the speculation of animals for wool, is recognized, until now the evolution of sheep forms on the French mainland have not been the subject of major investigations. The purpose of our study, therefore, was to assess the morphological diversity of sheep across eleven centuries, and attempt to reconstruct the zootechnical practices used in husbandry and their effectiveness from the zooarchaeological remains. In addition, a database was created, with the help of numerous specialists, grouping 16,353 measured bones corresponding to 59,801 distributed measurements from the 9th to the 19th centuries in France. Our purpose was to describe the shape of animals bred for wool (through size or dimensions) across a wide territory using bone remains and the help of common methods and tool, such as shoulder height, the slenderness index, and the log size index. The work carried out within the framework of this study should be reproducible for any type of zooarchaeological study. The results reveal an evolution in sheep diversity and morphologies according to three stages, from the end of the Late Middle Ages to the industrial era. The first phase corresponds to fairly homogeneous sheep herds from the 9th-10th and the 12th-13th centuries, with a low diversity of forms: small and stunted. We then witness an important development in morphological variety from the 13th-14th centuries, in all dimensions, from the smallest to the largest. Many of the various forms emerged without impacting sheep dimensions in depth; overall, the herds remained composed of smaller individuals. Finally, from the 12th-13th and the 18th-19th centuries, there is a loss of diversity in sheep forms to the benefit of herds primarily consisting of larger dimensioned individuals. This zootechnical evolution can be compared to the effect of merinisation operating at the end of the modern period.

2025, Journal of Applied Physics

Morphological evolution of ZrO2 thin films deposited during pulsed laser deposition of Zr in O2 atmosphere has been experimentally studied at two different film deposition temperatures, 300 and 873 K. The roughness exponent, α, the growth exponent, β, the coarsening exponent, 1/z, and the exponent defining the evolution of the characteristic wavelength of the surface, p, for depositions at 300 K amounted to β=1.0±0.1, α=0.4±0.1, 1/z=0.34±0.03, and p=0.49±0.03, whereas for depositions carried out at 873 K amounted to β=0.3±0.3, α=0.4±0.2, and 1/z=0.0±0.2. Experimental error becomes important due to the flat morphology of the films inherent to the deposition technique. The change in the surface topography with the film temperature has been studied with the help of a simple Monte Carlo model which indicates the existence of two different growth regimes: a shadowing dominated growth, occurring at low temperatures, characterized by calculated values β=1.00±0.04, α=0.50±0.04, p=0.46±0.01,...

2025

In the last centuries, most Alpine rivers were rectified to improve hydraulic safety and land availability. This often led to the formation of free alternate bars, large scale bedforms that migrate downstream during flood events. Theoretical works (i.e. Colombini et al. (1987); Nelson (1990)) demonstrated that free alternate bars are growing because of a process of riverbed instability. Equilibrium bar characteristics (i.e. amplitude and wavelength) are governed by the width to depth ratio, which is not a constant parameter but is naturally varying with water discharge.

2025, Oceanography and Marine Biology

... LaBarbera (1978, 1984) tested the predictions of aerosol filtration models of direct interception efficiency against particle collection data for a ben-thic suspension-feeder. Because his work is often cited as the only quantitat-ive... more