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Extreme cold events, which have become more frequent, can revert the direction of long-term responses to climate change. In 2021, record snowstorms swept the United States, causing wildlife die-offs that may have been associated with rapid natural selection. Our objective was to determine whether the snowstorms caused natural selection in Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). To test which mechanism most influenced their survival, we measured the morphology and coloration of fatalities and survivors at three sites. Survival was associated with a longer tarsus and with a wider, longer, and deeper beak, in support of the starvation and thermal endurance hypotheses. Additionally, bluebirds with more-ornamented plumage were less likely to have survived, perhaps because of an early energy investment in mate and site acquisition. As bluebirds encounter increasingly warm summer conditions, the longer extremities favored during the snowstorms may continue to be favored through their thermoregulatory benefits. However, the dull plumage coloration favored by natural selection during the snowstorms may be opposed by sexual selection benefits of more-ornamented plumage. Overall, responses to extreme events are difficult to predict from responses to long-term climate change, and responses to one event, such as the 2021 snowstorms, may not predict responses to a future extreme event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report and describe a new assemblage of Thylacocephala (Crustacea) from the Early Ladinian Buchenstein Fm. (Middle Triassic) of Grigna, Northern Italy. The assemblage consists of at least four species from three different genera: Ankitokazocaris lariensis sp. n., Ankitokazocaris sp., Austriocaris sp., Stoppanicaris grignaensis gen. et sp. n. This thylacocephalan assemblage is rather diverse compared to the others of the Triassic. The largest size and ornamentation type of thylacocephalan species is compared among different periods of the Triassic and indicates that taxa with ridges on the carapace are generally smaller than those with smooth carapaces. This may be related to their different modes of life, such as inside or above the sediment with low oxygen levels. Large and smooth taxa were possibly more adapted to a life above sandy bottoms in shallow waters, under a somewhat high wave energy, while small, ornamented taxa are better suited for deeper environments with muddy bottoms, inside which they could move freely. The EDS analysis of Austriocaris sp. reveals that the cuticle mainly consists of apatite, which is in accordance with previous interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to characterize the particular ways in which design beauty arises and is assessed, distinguishing design appreciation on a number of grounds, including the 'functional style' of design, which integrates form and function in ways unique to designed objects. Making four central distinctions--between notions of design vs art; aesthetic vs instrumental judgements; function vs use; and ornamentation vs mere decoration--the paper suggests that aesthetic judgements of design require recognition and assessment of the play of form and function in the design decisions that achieve the creation of an object within acknowledged functional constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual signals such as colour ornamentation and birdsong evolve independently of each other in some clades, and in others they evolve positively or negatively correlated. We rarely know why correlated evolution does or does not occur. Here, we show positively correlated evolution between plumage colour and song motor performance among canaries, goldfinches and allies, associated with species differences in body size. When controlling for body size, the pattern of correlated evolution between song performance and colour disappeared. Syllable diversity was not as strongly associated with size, and did not evolve in a correlated manner with colour. We argue that correlated evolution between song and colour was mediated by large size limiting song motor performance, likely due to constraints on the speed of moving heavier bills, and by larger species having less saturated plumage colour, possibly due to life-history traits of larger birds (e.g. longevity, stable pairs) contributing to weaker sexual selection. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that correlated evolution between sexual signals is influenced by how, in a clade, selective pressures and constraints affecting each type of signal happen to be co-distributed across species. Such contingency helps explain the diversity in clade-specific patterns of correlated evolution between sexual signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1980s, groundbreaking theoretical studies showed that ornaments displayed during courtship can coevolve with preferences for such ornaments, leading to extreme exaggeration of both traits. Later models cast doubt on such "runaway" sexual selection, showing that even a small cost of preferences can prevent exaggerated ornaments from persisting long-term. It was subsequently shown that if mutations acting on the ornament are biased—tending to produce smaller rather than larger ornaments—then exaggeration can persist even in the presence of preference costs, seemingly vindicating the original models. Here, we unpack an implicit assumption of these "biased mutation" models: Mutations are assumed to lead, on average, to both smaller and less costly ornaments. Biased mutation consequently generates both a fitness cost (due to reduced mating success) and a fitness benefit (due to increased survival). We lift this assumption by separating an individual's investment in an ornament from their efficiency in converting such investment into ornament size. We assume that biased mutation acts only on efficiency but not on investment, and discuss the plausibility of this alternative assumption. Our model predicts that exaggerated ornaments and preferences can persist stably once they arise, but that strong initial preferences are needed to kick-start the runaway process. Consequently, biased mutation alone may not always be sufficient to save runaway sexual selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Silk Road, one of the most ancient trade routes in history, connected China with the West, traversing Central Asia, India, Persia, and extending into Europe. This network facilitated a rich cultural exchange, as reflected in the art and decorative elements that flourished along its path. The study of folk patterns along the Silk Road serves multiple purposes, depending on the researcher's focus. Key research objectives include examining the significance of ornamentation within the traditional cultural and artistic expressions of the peoples along this historic route, as well as reconstructing historical narratives and processes through the analysis of these decorative elements. This paper aims to undertake a cross-cultural study of ornamentation in the Great Steppe along the Silk Road, with particular attention to Kazakh baskur—a decorative woven band used to secure the felt covering to the wooden frame of traditional nomadic dwellings. The study explores the key aspects of the centuries-old, unaltered handcrafting techniques of baskur, as well as the unity and symbolism embedded within the various types of ornamentation. The utilitarian and decorative functions of baskur are characteristic not only of the Kazakhs but also of other nomadic peoples along the Silk Road, underscoring the relevance of cross-cultural research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While numerous studies have confirmed sexual selection for ornamental traits in animals, it remains unclear about how animals exaggerate ornamentation across traits. I found that some Asian barn swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis possessed "pseudo‐tail spots" on their undertail coverts adjacent to a well‐known sexual signal, the white tail spots. A close inspection showed their remarkable resemblance, and, as a consequence, pseudo‐tail spots appear to add white spots to the uniformly black central tail feathers, increasing the total number and area of white spots when spread tails are viewed from below. Pseudo‐tail spots on the undertail covers do not incur any flight cost, unlike the white tail spots on the tail itself, and thus presence of pseudo‐tail spots can represent an initial stage of a deceptive elaboration as predicted by sexual selection theory (i.e., males can elaborate traits with no additional flight cost, uncoupling flight cost and trait expression). The frequency of pseudo‐tail spots in the study population remained low even a decade after the first observation (ca. 7%), but was higher compared to other populations (e.g., 1% in another Japanese population). The slow progress of evolution, perhaps due to the low detectability of the trait, provides a unique opportunity to observe contemporary evolution of ornament exaggeration across traits. Further research with wider spatial and temporal coverage is needed to better understand the evolutionary and ecological importance of the trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was carried out to record the color, size, and ornamentation of megaspores in 18 species of the family Selaginellaceae from Arunachal Pradesh using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and light microscope (LM). Electron microscopic study of the spore features revealed the type of ornamentation and microsculptural detail. SEM study on megaspore of Selaginella pentagona (S. pentagona), Selaginella tenuifolia, Selaginella semicordata, and Selaginella chrysorrhizos is presented for the first time. Variation in the megaspore ornamentation is noted at the interspecific level and intraspecific level in some cases. Examination of the megaspores under study found all the megaspores as trilete, with a size ranging from 116 to 560 μm in diameter. Taxonomic key is prepared to differentiate the species. Short descriptions of megaspores are provided and supported by photo plates. New features are recorded for seven species. The study contributes to the separation of species within the genus Selaginella based on the spore feature and brings forward the use of spore as a diagnostic tool in the taxonomy of the genus. These works contribute to the systematic of the family Selaginellaceae and provide useful information in the field of palynology. Research Highlights: Study on megaspore features of Selaginella species collected from Arunachal Pradesh, using SEM and LM.Taxonomic key is provided for each species based on megaspores features.New megaspore features are recorded for the seven species.The study brings forward the use of spore as a diagnostic tool in the taxonomy of the genus.These works provide useful information in the field of systematic and palynology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an ornamented iron stirrup from a rich and noble early Medieval burial in the Balyk-Sook area in the central part of the Russian Altai. This burial is unique not only for South Siberia, but also for neighborring regions, as within it, with the warrior, four horses and protective armour were found. During the course of restoration work, it was established that the arcs and the plate loop of the stirrup were originally gilded and engraved with complex floral ornamentation, the stirrup foot was decorated with gold wire inlay in the form of floral curls. This is the first find of such type in Altai. The burial containing the stirrup was radiocarbon dated to the second half of the 7th — third quarter of the 8th c. The author provides a wide range of similarities among the “status” or “ceremonial” stirrups from funerary and memorial sites of nomadic nobility, including the Kagans from South Siberia, Central Asia, and Eastern and Central Europe, including the such sites of Kagan status as Shoroon Bumbagar in Central Mongolia and Yeleke sazy in Eastern Kazakhstan, Uibat and Tashebinsk Chaatases in the Minusinsk Basin, the Pereshchepinsk hoard and the Voznesenka memorial complex in Eastern Europe, rich Avar burials in Central Europe, and others. Massive and high stirrups with a plate loop were specifically considered during the Medieval period as “status” stirrups, and in some cases they were additionally decorated with ornamentation. They could be cast in gold or silver, covered with gold or silver leaf, decorated with complex ornamentation in various techniques, or decorated with shaped cuts in the stirrup foot. While Avar stirrups, based on Byzantine coins in burials, are dated to the late 6th — early 7th c., radiocarbon dating and analogies show that Central Asian stirrups belong to a later period — second half of the 7th — 8th c., and in some cases to the 9th c. Highly ornamented stirrups from the monuments of South Siberia and Central Asia were probably made on order by Chinese masters for the Turkic-speaking nobility, or may have been received as diplomatic gifts from Tang China.

Urbanisation creates novel environments, not only through (abiotic) microhabitat alterations, but also due to changes in (biotic) inter- and intraspecific interactions. Where sheltering sites in urban habitats are limited, intra or interspecific interactions may increase, resulting in increased competition and changes in predation risk in urban areas compared to natural habitats. The Knysna Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion damaranum) occurs in both urban and natural settings, is extremely ornamented, and individuals have been observed with multiple wounds and scars. We therefore hypothesised that urban populations may have adapted to the physical features of urban habitats, and that this would be detectable through ornament size and bite force, as well as the presence of scarring. We quantified these traits from urban and natural populations from two separate localities (the towns of George and Knysna, South Africa). Our results showed that female and male B. damaranum from urban populations had a higher number of injuries and that urban males were more likely to be injured than males from natural habitats. Bite force was only recorded at one locality (Knysna), but both sexes in urban habitats had higher bite force when accounting for casque height as compared to those from the natural habitats. Urban chameleons also had less developed ornamentation but wider and/or higher heads compared to populations in natural habitats. Urban habitats had significantly lower tree density than natural habitats, and this may be a factor in driving the morphological differences between populations, whereby reduced ornamentation confers an advantage for remaining cryptic to predators in the open habitat but compromises the ability for signalling conspecifics with encounters escalating to physical contests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches / İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract While numerous studies have confirmed sexual selection for ornamental traits in animals, it remains unclear about how animals exaggerate ornamentation across traits. I found that some Asian barn swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis possessed “pseudo‐tail spots” on their undertail coverts adjacent to a well‐known sexual signal, the white tail spots. A close inspection showed their remarkable resemblance, and, as a consequence, pseudo‐tail spots appear to add white spots to the uniformly black central tail feathers, increasing the total number and area of white spots when spread tails are viewed from below. Pseudo‐tail spots on the undertail covers do not incur any flight cost, unlike the white tail spots on the tail itself, and thus presence of pseudo‐tail spots can represent an initial stage of a deceptive elaboration as predicted by sexual selection theory (i.e., males can elaborate traits with no additional flight cost, uncoupling flight cost and trait expression). The frequency of pseudo‐tail spots in the study population remained low even a decade after the first observation (ca. 7%), but was higher compared to other populations (e.g., 1% in another Japanese population). The slow progress of evolution, perhaps due to the low detectability of the trait, provides a unique opportunity to observe contemporary evolution of ornament exaggeration across traits. Further research with wider spatial and temporal coverage is needed to better understand the evolutionary and ecological importance of the trait.

Here we report and describe a new assemblage of Thylacocephala (Crustacea) from the Early Ladinian Buchenstein Fm. (Middle Triassic) of Grigna, Northern Italy. The assemblage consists of at least four species from three different genera: Ankitokazocaris lariensis sp. n., Ankitokazocaris sp., Austriocaris sp., Stoppanicaris grignaensis gen. et sp. n. This thylacocephalan assemblage is rather diverse compared to the others of the Triassic. The largest size and ornamentation type of thylacocephalan species is compared among different periods of the Triassic and indicates that taxa with ridges on the carapace are generally smaller than those with smooth carapaces. This may be related to their different modes of life, such as inside or above the sediment with low oxygen levels. Large and smooth taxa were possibly more adapted to a life above sandy bottoms in shallow waters, under a somewhat high wave energy, while small, ornamented taxa are better suited for deeper environments with muddy bottoms, inside which they could move freely. The EDS analysis of Austriocaris sp. reveals that the cuticle mainly consists of apatite, which is in accordance with previous interpretations.

The finale of Mahler's Ninth Symphony is saturated with turn figures. More than a traditional Baroque embellishment, in this movement the turn establishes a densely motivic role while simultaneously, on three occasions, functioning as an allusion to the Heilandsklage motive (the "Savior's Lament") of Wagner's Parsifal. Yet despite the wealth of literature on Mahler's Ninth Symphony, the turn figure has been almost entirely overlooked in Mahler studies, both as motivic device and intertextual reference. This article fills this gap and provides a detailed investigation into the role of the turn in the finale of Mahler's Ninth Symphony as both a motive and allusion to Wagner's Heilandsklage. It begins by exploring Mahler's relationship with Wagner's last drama before examining the appearance of the Heilandsklage motive in Mahler's songs and symphonies more broadly. Following this, it embarks on a detailed investigation into the turn in the finale of the Ninth Symphony and offers a fundamental rethinking of the turn, not simply as a musical ornament, but as a tool for musical and intertextual meaning in Mahler's and Wagner's works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprus with its rich cultural heritage has been the showcase of ornamentation throughout history with a rich variety of materials, details, and narratives. Integrating ornamentation with its body architecture can be seen as one of the storytellers of these narratives through design elements. After the mid-1990s when casinos had been banned in Turkey, five-star casino hotels became one of the main investment areas in North Cyprus. Together with this new building type and new users' expectations with a new understanding of holidays, the 21st century brought the changing use of ornamentation in hotel interiors and, hence, decoration came to the fore more than before. Hotel lobbies welcoming the users to their second homes and introducing the hotels' identities have always been seen as the most important area of hotels by investors, designers, and hotel managers. Sometimes the reception areas were perceived as the living room of the hotel customers where they feel attached culturally, socially, or economically, and sometimes it could be a place where they can feel themselves as one of the characters of ancient history, a king or a queen for a while. Hence, hotel interiors, in general, and hotel lobbies, in particular, acted as a cultural representative, a social status symbol, and a political image of the story told. The aim of this paper is to examine five-star hotel lobbies within the framework of ornamentation through a reading model created with the concepts used by theoreticians. Together with the site visits and visual recordings, the analysis conducted in this paper is based on qualitative data incorporated by a rich theoretical background on ornamentation. The paper tries to highlight the representational value of ornamentation that can help to understand and interpret the spatial transformation of hotel interiors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Stratum Plus Journal is the property of P.P. Stratum plus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Dioscoreaceae is characterised by wide morphological variability, including hermaphrodite genera such as Tacca J.R.Forst. et G.Forst, Trichopus Gaertn., and Stenomeris Planch. and some dioecious species in the genus Dioscorea L. This study aimed to describe the pollen characters of 81 species of Dioscorea occurring in Brazil, contributing to a broader knowledge of Dioscoreaceae by investigating the possibility of using pollen attributes in taxonomic classification. Pollen grains were treated by lactic acetolysis, measured, described, and photomicrographed. The results were subjected to statistical analysis. Unacetolysed pollen grains were mounted on stubs with carbon tape for scanning electron microscopy. Our results showed that the studied species have heteropolar pollen grains, ranging from small to medium, with mainly elliptical, circular, and triangular ambs. Pollen grains with 1, 2, or 1 ‒ 2 apertures were recorded in most species, as well as nine types of sexine ornamentation (perforate in 23 species, striate in 23 species, microreticulate in 15 species, reticulate in eight species, rugulate in seven species, bireticulate in two species, rugulate-verrucate in one species, cristate in one species, and gemmate in one species). The sexine had striae in different shapes and directions. Micromorphological results of pollen characters were of great importance for species delimitation. The findings reported herein demonstrate that palynological analysis can provide valuable information to improve taxonomic classification and contribute to a more robust phylogenetic representation of the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the work is to outline the peculiarities of transcribing the French lute tablature into modern notation and to develop recommendations for arrangements of lute music of the Baroque period for modern academic instruments, due to the growing interest of performers and listeners in the instrument itself and in expanding its semantic, stylistic, and interpretive possibilities. Research methodology. The problems associated with transcribing the French lute tablature into modern notation require a multidisciplinary approach that combines historical scholarship, practical performance experience, and theoretical knowledge. The main methods used in the article are historical, theoretical, and musical-textual. Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian musicology, the historical background and evolution of transcription of French lute tablature into modern notation are considered. The conditions of transcription of lute music are examined in detail according to the following parameters: the peculiarities of the structure of the lute of that time are first outlined; the issues of the structure - Renaissance vieil-ton and Baroque nouveau-ton - are considered; the peculiarities of deciphering rhythmic notation are analysed, highlighting the specifics of notation of different rhythmic durations, fingering for the right and left hands and the peculiarities of ornamentation, in particular apogiatura and achaccature. It is noted that all of the above notations are deciphered quite freely, based on the composer's intention and talent and the performer's skill. Conclusions. The present study outlines the concept of tablature, considers the issue of the structure of instruments for which musical works were recorded using the French tablature, and provides a brief description of rhythmic notation and ornamentation. When translating, it is important to rely on primary sources, musicological research, and performance practice. Summing up the observations made, it should be noted that the French lute tablature goes beyond notation in the modern sense (a way of writing notes) - it serves rather as a guide to interpretation, inviting the performer to the process of creating music, using the composer's "sketch". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of 28 manuscripts of Gregorius IX Decretales kept in Spain that were identified in the catalogues of manuscripts kept in I.R.H.T. and at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. These reports deal with the origin and the dating, the recipients, the texts, the ornamentation, the pecia, the owners, and the bibliography. The graphics inform us about the distribution of the data. These manuscripts were produced in Italy and France, and date from the XIIIth to the XIVth centuries. The recipients are Bologna and Paris. The explicits inform us about artisans. These manuscripts have especially a painted ornamentation. Three manuscripts have pecia’s mentions. The owners are students, jurists, ecclesiastics and religious houses.

ABSTRACTThe present study focused on the examination of the seed and pollen morphology of nine native Chinese species of the genus Sorbus L. using Light Microscope (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The crucial features investigated for seeds include color, shape, epidermal cell size, and seeds coat ornamentation. On the other hand, the pollen grains are analyzed based on quantitative traits as well as the following quantitative traits: polar and equatorial view, shape, apertures and exine ornamentation. Pollens of the studied taxa were monad and trizonocolporate. The most important pollen features include exine ornamentation based on traits of striae and grooves (length and width) and perforations (number and diameter). The variability of the observed morphological features for both seeds and pollen provide important characteristics to differentiate the studied Sorbus species.

The art of calligraphy emerged by using writing and painting together. Despite the fact that there is no prohibition of depiction in the Qur'an, the attitude of the Islamic faith towards painting was effective in the emergence of this art Hurufism and Mevlevi-Bektashis also had an impact on its development. Calligraphy, which is a folk art, is done within the framework of master-apprentice relationship. It is grouped as calligraphies with religious content and mystical content. There are examples of the stork in the form of Basmala, Ali's (R.A.) camel, Ali's (R.A.) human face with the writing of Ali (R.A.), ewer, oil lamp, Ashab-i Kahf, Amentu prayer in the form of a ship. The letters waw in the Amentu ship ornament reflect people rowing. There are examples of the Amentu ship depicted with and without a deckhouse. There the letters waw are used in the sense of "and" and express the believer's belief in Allah, his angels, books, prophets, the Last Day, the good, and the evil. Between the letters waw, the names of the Seven Sleepers are written. Meanings are attributed to some calligraphic ornaments. There are beliefs that it will bring prosperity, luck and provide protection against fire and plague. For this reason, Ashab-i Kahf and Amentu ship decorations are encountered in mosques, houses, coffee houses, and shops In our research, examples of ornaments in which the Amentu prayer is handled in the form of a ship were identified. This form, which is applied to hand drawings, stone, paper, and wood materials, has found a place in Turkish Islamic ornamentation art in several ways. The form was evaluated within the scope of decorative arts and Art History in particular, and its contribution to 19th century ornamentation arts was discussed.

Outstanding representative of the classical music composed in the transition period from XVIIIth to XIXth centuries, Ludwig van Beethoven remains memorable in the history of music through the strength, audacity, and remarkable rhetoric of his musical discourse. With the mastery of a demiurge, he coalesces in the texture of his thematic ideas’ heroic, pathetic or pastoral configurations, making the most of the technical-expressive possibilities of the epoch’s instruments into a authentic instrumental-interpretative manner. Advocate of a prevailingly monumental interpretation, Beethoven will perfect his instrumental style through authentic details which are the subject of the varied attack modes, of ornamentation, articulation, pedaling, etc., which are the personalized elements of a challenging technique. Approaching the aspect of Beethoven’s ornamentation, the present article will bring into focus the identification of the dominant ornamental components and their treatment from an interpretative viewpoint with emphasis on the authenticity of the artistic representation.

Aim: Geographic variation in metabolic resources necessary for functional trait expression can set limits on species distributions. For species that need to produce and maintain biomineralized traits for survival, spatial variation in mineral macronutrients may constrain species distributions by limiting the expression of biomineralized traits. Here, we examine whether Oreohelix land snails that express heavily biomineralized shell ornaments are restricted to CaCO3 rock regions, if they incorporate greater amounts of CaCO3 rock carbon in their shell than less biomineralized smooth forms, and if ornamentation increases shell strength. Location: Western United States. Taxon: Oreohelix land snails. Methods: We used random forest classification models at multiple spatial resolutions to evaluate the contribution of topographic, vegetation, climate, and geologic variables in predicting the presence of heavily biomineralized shell ornaments across the range of Oreohelix. We then measured and compared shell biometric variables, 14C/12C ratios, and peak force for fracture for ornamented and smooth forms from calcareous and non‐calcareous substrates. Results: Distance to CaCO3 rock was the most important variable in all models and closer proximity to CaCO3 rock was associated with greater probability of local ornamentation classification. Pairwise comparisons of 14C/12C ratios in closely occurring ornamented vs. smooth population pairs revealed ornamented forms incorporate greater CaCO3 rock carbon than smooth forms. Ornamented types measured in this study were generally heavier and required greater peak force for fracture than smooth forms, except when comparing ornamented forms to smooth forms sampled from CaCO3 rock. Main Conclusions: Biomineralization expression, species distribution, and trait function appear to be constrained by mineral supply in a highly diverse group of land snails. This trait‐environment relationship provides a basis for future investigations of CaCO3 macronutrient constraints on shell form and species distribution in other terrestrial molluscs and has a direct impact on the management of Oreohelix species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even as numerous studies have documented that the red and yellow coloration resulting from the deposition of carotenoids serves as an honest signal of condition, the evolution of condition dependency is contentious. The resource trade‐off hypothesis proposes that condition‐dependent honest signalling relies on a trade‐off of resources between ornamental display and body maintenance. By this model, condition dependency can evolve through selection for a re‐allocation of resources to promote ornament expression. By contrast, the index hypothesis proposes that selection focuses mate choice on carotenoid coloration that is inherently condition dependent because production of such coloration is inexorably tied to vital cellular processes. These hypotheses for the origins of condition dependency make strongly contrasting and testable predictions about ornamental traits. To assess these two models, we review the mechanisms of production of carotenoids, patterns of condition dependency involving different classes of carotenoids, and patterns of behavioural responses to carotenoid coloration. We review evidence that traits can be condition dependent without the influence of sexual selection and that novel traits can show condition‐dependent expression as soon as they appear in a population, without the possibility of sexual selection. We conclude by highlighting new opportunities for studying condition‐dependent signalling made possible by genetic manipulation and expression of ornamental traits in synthetic biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pierre Lebouteux Traité de couverture traditionnelle Editions Vial, 2021

Copyright of Turkish Culture & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly is the property of Turkish Cultur & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Outstanding representative of the classical music composed in the transition period from XVIIIth to XIXth centuries, Ludwig van Beethoven remains memorable in the history of music through the strength, audacity, and remarkable rhetoric of his musical discourse. With the mastery of a demiurge, he coalesces in the texture of his thematic ideas’ heroic, pathetic or pastoral configurations, making the most of the technical-expressive possibilities of the epoch’s instruments into a authentic instrumental-interpretative manner. Advocate of a prevailingly monumental interpretation, Beethoven will perfect his instrumental style through authentic details which are the subject of the varied attack modes, of ornamentation, articulation, pedaling, etc., which are the personalized elements of a challenging technique. Approaching the aspect of Beethoven’s ornamentation, the present article will bring into focus the identification of the dominant ornamental components and their treatment from an interpretative viewpoint with emphasis on the authenticity of the artistic representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (CONICET and ANCEFyN) was founded by the end of 1910 in the San Martín district by Cristóbal María Hicken as his private botanical research laboratory. Its name honors Charles Darwin for his brilliant theory of biological evolution. In 1924, Cristóbal M. Hicken made public his desire to bequeath the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion to the National State, a fact that only materialized in 1934. But in the early '30s, he decided to move the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion to a new building located in the San Isidro district, built especially to contain the institute and also his retirement home. After 87 years of existence and five building extensions, the historic building of the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion of San Isidro maintains its integrity and attracts the attention of both the public and architecture and design professionals. Based on the study of building characteristics and the thought of Cristóbal M. Hicken, the main objective of this work is to evaluate whether the external and internal structure of the historic Darwinion building in San Isidro, together with the ornamentation and distribution of original functions of each room, respond only to an aesthetic and functional design or if, in addition, they have a symbolic meaning, a vision of the world, a silent message for those who want (and know how) to understand. With this central purpose as a guide, we carried out a multidisciplinary investigation to reconstruct Cristóbal M. Hicken's vision in the design of the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion of San Isidro. We started from the analysis of the original building in the San Martín district in search of any possible design background, to then focus the attention entirely on the building in San Isidro. Plans, public documents, correspondence, historical photographs, academic and dissemination articles of the time, pre-Hispanic South American ethnographic information, Argentine historical information between 1860 and 1930, and interviews with relatives and historians were studied. In short, the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion in San Isidro was created as a museum and a laboratory plus a home. The design of the museum agrees with the concept of "temple of Botany" manifested by Cristóbal M. Hicken himself, and whose first sign is observed in the etymology of the name of the institute. Its ornamentation is eclectic, since it combines symbols of Andean pre-Hispanic cultures with symbols of Western civilization, and it is structured according to each room (portal, front rooms, herbarium, library) and orientation (towards the street or towards the inner garden). This ornamentation works like a discourse in symbolic key with multiple messages for the visitor: it reflects an original, foundational, and ancient Argentine identity, which in turn communicates that the Darwinion is a place where a silent and fertile unveiling of the knowledge, of the secrets of evolution, takes place protected from evils and misfortunes by Nature itself. The design plan of the institute, the portal, the access terrace, and the internal garden convey desirable masonic values through the symbolic language, typical and traditional of Freemasonry. Likewise, we show evidence of Dr. Cristóbal M. Hicken's great interest in Andean pre-Hispanic cultures, of his refined knowledge of Greco-Roman mythology, his belonging to Argentine Freemasonry and consequent ability to symbolic language, and his knowledge of construction, cosmology, and analytic geometry. For these reasons, and considering his participation in the supervision of the building work declared by the newspapers of his time, the probable direct intervention of Cristóbal M. Hicken is proposed both in the design of the building of the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion of San Isidro, as well as in the design of its ornamentation. In addition, evidence is provided of the possible intervention of Arturo Prins and Fernando de Estrada in the project of the building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article sums up the results of our study on shell ornamentation of 13 conchostracan species. Their fossil remains were sampled from the Middle and Upper Permian, Induan, and Olenekian (Lower Triassic) deposits of different zoogeographical provinces. Careful examination of the samples revealed different ornamentation patterns of the outer and middle shell layers: the linear elements of the two layers are set in different directions and together create an intersected structure stiffening the shell. Considering the differences in the number and arrangement of ornamental elements on the growth bands and the shells, three types of ornamentation were singled out: simple (one ornamental element), transitional (two ornamental elements alternating on the shell surface), and complex (more than two ornamental elements arranged in a complex pattern). It was concluded that the combination and arrangement of ornamental elements should be regarded as a valid diagnostic feature of fossil conchostracans at the species and genus ranks. Interestingly, the ornamentation patterns of conchostracans tend to become more complex with time: the shells of Late Permian conchostracans have more twisted ornamentation than Middle Permian ones, but it is less complex than that of Olenekian conchostracans; accordingly, the ornamentation of Early Induan conchostracans is simpler than that of Late Permian and Olenekian ones. This can be explained by the fact that the most opportunistic eurytopic species were more likely to survive in the early phases of the biota recovery after the Great Permian Extinction.

The seed micromorphological characters of 15 taxa of Iranian Pyrus comprising 22 individuals were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Digital Microscopy (DM) for the first time in this survey. For the assessment of probable ecological effects, several individuals of some widespread species were studied. After collecting several samples of each wild taxa of Pyrus from different localities in a ten-year period, the specimens were identified by means of the examination of type specimens and different Floras. After the examination of the seeds surface, qualitative (e.g., shape and ornamentation of seeds including areolate, foveate, reticulate, colliculate, striate and undulate types) and quantitative characters (e.g., size of seeds, size of surface cells and thickness of cell walls) were assessed. Statistical analyses were performed on the data using SPSS software. According to these observations, seed morphological characters showed to have a considerable variation even among the different individuals of the same species, verifying complexity of the genus as revealed by the different approaches which were previously reported. However, some descriptive characters of seeds such as shape, size, surface ornamentation type, cell size and cell wall thickness are presented for the first time for the genus.

Copyright of Palíndromo is the property of Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The microspores morphology of 18 species of Selaginellaceae found in Arunachal Pradesh, North East India, is studied using light microscopy and electron microscopy. Of the 18 taxa examined here, the study of five taxa is attempted for the first time using an electron microscope. The species studied exhibit variation in size, shape, color and ornamentation of the microscpores. The equatorial diameter ranges from 11 to 57 µm. The tetrad form of the microscpores is recorded in four species. The variations in the microscpores ornamentation within the species of the family are useful in identification, classification and taxonomic distinction of the species. An identification key is provided for the species under study. This research is beneficial for the enumeration of basic information of microspores of the family and for the precise identification of Selaginella species. Statistical analysis of the distal and proximal surface ornamentation of the microspores is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coussareeae is a neotropical tribe with a complex taxonomic history. Several authors considered it very close to the tribe Psychotrieae owing to similarities in their morphological characteristics, such as solitary ovules. The tribe Coussareeae constitutes the largest basal clade of the subfamily Rubioideae, and most of its genera are well represented in Brazil. The tribe is resolved into three suprageneric clades, including the Coccocypselum and Coussarea-Faramea clades, whose representatives are found in Brazil. This study aimed to ascertain whether pollen attributes corroborate the currently proposed phylogeny and systematics of the tribe. For this, pollen grains of 33 species belonging to the Coccocypselum and Coussarea-Faramea clades were analyzed. Specimens were obtained from herbaria, treated by the acetolysis method, measured, photographed, and described using light and scanning electron microscopy. Morphological analysis showed that pollen grains were medium (25–50 µm) or large (50–100 µm) in size; isopolar or apolar; 2-porate, 3-porate, or 3-colporate; and oblate spheroidal, suboblate, prolate spheroidal, or subprolate. Ornamentation varied among clade representatives. Multivariate analysis of quantitative data revealed that pollen diameter, apocolpium side, pore diameter, colpus length, and endoaperture width were the most significant characters. It can be seen from the results that the studied clades are formed by palynologically distinct genera in terms of polarity, aperture type, and ornamentation. Palynology confirms the proposed taxonomic classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprus with its rich cultural heritage has been the showcase of ornamentation throughout history with a rich variety of materials, details, and narratives. Integrating ornamentation with its body architecture can be seen as one of the storytellers of these narratives through design elements. After the mid-1990s when casinos had been banned in Turkey, five-star casino hotels became one of the main investment areas in North Cyprus. Together with this new building type and new users’ expectations with a new understanding of holidays, the 21st century brought the changing use of ornamentation in hotel interiors and, hence, decoration came to the fore more than before. Hotel lobbies welcoming the users to their second homes and introducing the hotels’ identities have always been seen as the most important area of hotels by investors, designers, and hotel managers. Sometimes the reception areas were perceived as the living room of the hotel customers where they feel attached culturally, socially, or economically, and sometimes it could be a place where they can feel themselves as one of the characters of ancient history, a king or a queen for a while. Hence, hotel interiors, in general, and hotel lobbies, in particular, acted as a cultural representative, a social status symbol, and a political image of the story told. The aim of this paper is to examine five-star hotel lobbies within the framework of ornamentation through a reading model created with the concepts used by theoreticians. Together with the site visits and visual recordings, the analysis conducted in this paper is based on qualitative data incorporated by a rich theoretical background on ornamentation. The paper tries to highlight the representational value of ornamentation that can help to understand and interpret the spatial transformation of hotel interiors.

Reliably quantifying the strength of visual sexual signals, such as iridescence, has been challenging across the field of evolutionary biology, but is critically important for studying biologically relevant trait variation. To address this issue, we present the Iridescence Detection and Isolation Algorithm (IDIA), which was designed to isolate the iridescent signal from photographs for quantification of ornamentation. The Gulf pipefish, Syngnathus scovelli, served as a model system for testing the limits of the algorithm, and was an ideal test case due to their female-specific iridescent bands on their abdomens with a large degree of among-individual variation. Specifically, we tested the repeatability of iridescence estimates in a variety of settings, including manual versus automated measurements, a gradient of lighting intensities, observational data from multiple populations, and in detecting exposure to synthetic estrogen. Using the IDIA, female iridescence was quantified in two ways with results indicating a manual measurement of each individual band may be more reliable than the automated measurement taken by drawing a polygon around all bands. However, the intensity of the lighting the photographs were taken in did not significantly affect repeatability of the measurement of iridescence no matter how it was taken. The IDIA was able to detect geographical variation in female ornamentation of S. scovelli, demonstrating that our automated approach can potentially replicate previously-described population-level variation. Differences in the iridescent signal were significant when comparing female pipefish from the Florida coast to females collected from the Texas coast, indicating the possibility that external factors, such as differing environmental conditions, could affect the strength of female visual signals. Lastly, the IDIA was applied in an ecotoxicology application to detect the development of iridescence in male pipefish exposed to synthetic estrogen. Exposed males began expressing banding patterns with iridescence levels within the range of females. The results from this study confirm the feasibility of using the IDIA for measuring iridescence in fish across a variety of applications.

The origin of the nodes on ostracod carapaces has been widely discussed in recent decades, and studies have shown that these characters can be produced as an individual response to changes in the environment which the specimens inhabit. Previous experiments with living ostracod species have shown that the variation in water salinity during the ecdysis phase, added to a deficiency in the regulation of internal osmotic pressure, may result in the formation of nodes on the new carapace. Based on this knowledge, a reassessment of fossil species may be necessary, especially in those in which the nodes were considered a diagnostic feature. The present work addresses a taxonomic review of the species Theriosynoecum pricei (Pinto and Sanguinetti, 1958), which is a marker for the Tithonian in the sedimentary basins of Northeast Brazil, adding an emendation to its description and bringing new information about the development of its nodes as ecophysiological and ecophenotypic response. Geochemical and lithological aspects are discussed, corroborating the palaeoenvironmental inferences presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on the examination of the seed and pollen morphology of nine native Chinese species of the genus Sorbus L. using Light Microscope (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The crucial features investigated for seeds include color, shape, epidermal cell size, and seeds coat ornamentation. On the other hand, the pollen grains are analyzed based on quantitative traits as well as the following quantitative traits: polar and equatorial view, shape, apertures and exine ornamentation. Pollens of the studied taxa were monad and trizonocolporate. The most important pollen features include exine ornamentation based on traits of striae and grooves (length and width) and perforations (number and diameter). The variability of the observed morphological features for both seeds and pollen provide important characteristics to differentiate the studied Sorbus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of History / Habaršy Tarihi Seriâsy is the property of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue Académique des Études Sociales et Humaines is the property of Hassif Benbouali University of Chlef and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Hipogrifo: revista de literatura y cultura del siglo de oro is the property of Hipogrifo: revista de literatura y cultura del siglo de oro and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The phylogenetic studies of clam shrimps (Branchiopoda, Crustacea) demonstrated that the significance of several morphological characters for classification of branchiopod shells should be critically re-evaluated. Such a venture is particularly important for integrating the taxonomy of fossil and extant branchiopods. One of the shell characters widely used in the branchiopod classification is the carapace ornamentation pattern. This character might, however, be significantly influenced by intraspecific variability and in particular the sexual dimorphism. In this study we investigate the pattern of ornamentation in extant branchiopods—including differences resulting from sexual dimorphism—in order to assess its value for branchiopod taxonomy. We examined 184 individuals representing 10 living species belonging to 7 genera, 5 families, and 2 suborders from China, and compared with the results of previous studies. Although some differences in ornamentation were related to reproductive modes, the basic ornamentation patterns or combinations were stable within each extant species. We found out that some taxa indeed display sexually dimorphic ornamentations, but their basic ornamentation patterns or combinations are stable within each species so they do not significantly influence the taxonomic identification. Integration of data on fossil and extant taxa indicates that similar ornamentation patterns can be observed on familial level of fossil spinicaudatan branchiopods and indicates therefore that characteristic ornamentation patterns can help to identify these taxa in the fossil record. In light of the new molecular phylogeny, we re-evaluated the phylogenetic relationship between fossil and extant spinicaudatan taxa. The resulting tree suggests: (i) paraphyly of the traditional Eosestherioidea, (ii) an affinity between Ozestheria and Triglypta, and (iii) an affinity between Cyzicus and Diestheria or Aquilonoglypta.

Archaeological materials and data from written sources indicate that Khorezm had recovered from the consequences of the Mongol conquest by the second half of the 13th century. The economic life of Khorezm, which became part of the new Mongol state, the Golden Horde, began to stabilize as early as the middle of the 13th century. The left bank part of Khorezm, which became a part of the Ulus of Jochi and was at the crossroads of the world trade, was mainly experiencing growth. The left bank of the Amu Darya River saw the revival of cities and unfortified settlements. Some right bank cities located near the Amu Darya River were also rising. During the Golden Horde period, pockets of sedentary farming culture also emerged in the south of Khorezm. Ceramics production of the entire Golden Horde state developed under the strong influence of Khorezm, which played a huge role in creating the Golden Horde culture. Pottery ornamentation also changed. A characteristic feature is abundant use of underglaze greenish-black or dark turquoise painting. Ornamental motifs of medieval Khorezm material culture completely differ from ceramics of the previous periods in terms of their artistic interpretation. It was enriched by new pictorial subjects and decorating techniques, and the originality of subject compositions. The ceramics of the period under study are divided into plant, geometric, zoomorphic and epigraphic types.