Learning Complex Morphological Patterns: The Role of Syncretism and Markedness

Diversity in leaf morphological traits was assessed in 38 Greek Fagus sylvatica populations, covering the distribution of the species in the country. The relationship between the post-glacial origin of these populations and leaf morphology was investigated. The results showed a complex and geographically continuous morphological diversity pattern, influenced mainly by traits expressing leaf size, leaf shape and petiole length. Two simultaneous trends appeared to be responsible for the existing diversity pattern. One was geographical, with leaf types resembling F. sylvatica subsp. sylvatica occurring in the western part of the distribution of beech in Greece and types resembling F. sylvatica subsp. orientalis being dominant in the eastern part. A second trend seemed to be connected with the post-glacial origin of the populations, as described by previous plastid DNA haplotype studies of the same trees. The genetic background and the possible adaptation of beech populations to different environmental conditions have resulted in a complex morphological pattern, especially in areas in which different post-glacial lineages appear to meet. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 165, 422–436.

In multi-agent systems, local interactions among system components following relatively simple rules often result in complex overall systemic behavior. Complex behavioral and morphological patterns have been used to generate and organize audiovisual systems with artistic purposes. In this work, we propose to use the Actor model of social interactions to drive a concatenative synthesis engine called earGram in real time. The Actor model was originally developed to explore the emergence of complex visual patterns. On the other hand, earGram was originally developed to facilitate the creative exploration of concatenative sound synthesis. The integrated audiovisual system allows a human performer to interact with the system dynamics while receiving visual and auditory feedback. The interaction happens indirectly by disturbing the rules governing the social relationships amongst the actors, which results in a wide range of dynamic spatiotemporal patterns. A performer thus improvises within the behavioural scope of the system while evaluating the apparent connections between parameter values and actual complexity of the system output.

Objective: We will research how short (ns) and ultrashort (fs) laser pulses interact with the surfaces of various materials to create complex color layers and morphological patterns. Method: We are investigating the site-specific, formation of microcolor features. Also, research includes a fundamental study of the physics underlying periodic ripple formation during femtosecond laser irradiation. Status of effort: Laser induced color markings were demonstrated on an increased number of materials (including metal thin films) and investigated for optical properties and microstructure. Technology that allows for marking curved surfaces (and large areas) has been implemented. We have used electro-magnetic solvers to model light-solid interactions leading to periodic surface ripple patterns. This includes identifying the roles of surface plasmon polaritons. Goals/Milestones: Research corrosion resistance of oxide color markings (salt spray, fog, polarization tests); Through modeling, investigate effects of multi-source scattering and interference on ripple patterns; Investigate microspectrophotometry for mapping color; and Investigate new methods for laser color marking curved surfaces and large areas.

Simple SummaryPlant species complexes with hybridization and asexual reproduction often exhibit complex morphological patterns, which is problematic for classifications. Here, we analyze geometric morphometric, genomic, and ecological data with comprehensive statistics to evaluate phenotypic variation in the Eurasian Ranunculus auricomus complex. Genomic clusters correspond largely to morphological groupings, but most described asexual hybrid taxa cannot be discriminated from each other. Phenotypic variation is more influenced by genomic composition than by climatic conditions, and the phenotypic variation of asexual hybrids resembles a mosaic of intermediate and transgressive phenotypes. Our results support a taxonomic revision of the complex.Plant species complexes represent a particularly interesting example of taxonomically complex groups (TCGs), linking hybridization, apomixis, and polyploidy with complex morphological patterns. In such TCGs, mosaic-like character combinations and conflicts of morphological data with molecular phylogenies present a major problem for species classification. Here, we used the large polyploid apomictic European Ranunculus auricomus complex to study relationships among five diploid sexual progenitor species and 75 polyploid apomictic derivate taxa, based on geometric morphometrics using 11,690 landmarked objects (basal and stem leaves, receptacles), genomic data (97,312 RAD-Seq loci, 48 phased target enrichment genes, 71 plastid regions) from 220 populations. We showed that (1) observed genomic clusters correspond to morphological groupings based on basal leaves and concatenated traits, and morphological groups were best resolved with RAD-Seq data; (2) described apomictic taxa usually overlap within trait morphospace except for those taxa at the space edges; (3) apomictic phenotypes are highly influenced by parental subgenome composition and to a lesser extent by climatic factors; and (4) allopolyploid apomictic taxa, compared to their sexual progenitor, resemble a mosaic of ecological and morphological intermediate to transgressive biotypes. The joint evaluation of phylogenomic, phenotypic, reproductive, and ecological data supports a revision of purely descriptive, subjective traditional morphological classifications.

Synopsis Among starfishes, fascinating life cycles and complex morphological patterns have evolved within a familiar but unusual basic body plan. In spite of these rich complexities, available phylogenetic interpretations conflict, and the history of this important group remains uncertain. The symposium brought together current perspectives on phylogeny, the implications of certain poorly known aspects of asteroid morphology, and consideration of significant events that preceded the diversification of extant asteroid groups in the Mesozoic. It has become axiomatic in modern organismal biology that strongly supported phylogenetic reconstructions are crucial to the understanding of biological pattern and progress. Although asteroids exhibit complex morphologies, life cycles, and behaviors that indicate their status as ideal model organisms in the study of marine invertebrates, their evolutionary history remains obscure. This is in part due to a lack of treatment by researchers but also in part due to inhere...

Chapter 11 - Scalable High Performance Image Registration Framework by Unsupervised Deep Feature Representations Learning

Alcoholic hepatitis is a disease of still increasing importance in the Western societies and, by producing liver cell necroses, it is an important link between reversible fatty liver and irreversible cirrhosis of the alcoholic (for review see French 1981, 1983; French and Burbige 1979; Denk et al. 1979a). Despite considerable efforts toward elucidation of its pathogenesis the questions still open by far outnumber those resolved. Alcoholic hepatitis has a complex morphological pattern with Mallory bodies (MBs, alcoholic hyalin) as the most prominent features (Mallory 1911). Correlated clinical and pathologic studies have revealed that MBs are quantitatively related to the severity of hepatic parenchymal injury and duration and extent of alcohol abuse (Gregory and Levi 1972; Harinasuta and Zimmerman 1971; Birschbach et al. 1974; Christoffersen et al. 1973; see also Denk et al. 1979a for review and further references). MBs, however, are not alcohol specific, and a diversity of different disorders has been described which are also associated with MB formation, including hepatocellular neoplasia and hyperplasia, primary biliary cirrhosis, Wilson’s disease, a-β-lipoproteinemia, Indian childhood cirrhosis, diabetes, fatty liver of various origin, intestinal bypass operation for morbid obesity, Weber-Christian disease, glucocorticoid administration, toxic liver injury, but also asbestosis, and radiation damage in pneumocytes (for review see Denk et al. 1981b; French 1983; Capron et al. 1982; see also Popper et al. 1979). Consequently, the advent of MBs may not only be characteristic of metabolic disturbances related to chronic ethanol intoxication but may also indicate a specific pathway of liver cell injury.

Synopsis Among starfishes, fascinating life cycles and complex morphological patterns have evolved within a familiar but unusual basic body plan. In spite of these rich complexities, available phylogenetic interpretations conflict, and the history of this important group remains uncertain. The symposium brought together current perspectives on phylogeny, the implications of certain poorly known aspects of asteroid morphology, and consideration of significant events that preceded the diversification of extant asteroid groups in the Mesozoic. It has become axiomatic in modern organismal biology that strongly supported phylogenetic reconstructions are crucial to the understanding of biological pattern and progress. Although asteroids exhibit complex morphologies, life cycles, and behaviors that indicate their status as ideal model organisms in the study of marine invertebrates, their evolutionary history remains obscure. This is in part due to a lack of treatment by researchers but also in part due to inhere...

Accurately identifying the spatial differentiation mechanisms of rural homesteads in ecologically fragile mountainous areas is essential for implementing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11—building inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable human settlements—and for advancing differentiated rural revitalization strategies. Taking Zhaotong City in Yunnan Province as a case study, this study innovatively couples the binary logistic regression model with the geographic detector model to systematically analyze the spatial patterns and driving mechanisms of rural homesteads from the dual perspectives of “occurrence probability” and “agglomeration intensity.” The results show that: (1) Spatial pattern analysis reveals a macro-level distribution characterized by “higher density in the east than the west, and higher elevation in the south than the north.” At the local level, high-density small-scale clusters coexist with low-density large-scale clusters. The landscape is highly fragmented and morphologically complex, and can be classified into two regional types: “regular-dense” and “complex-expansive.” (2) The driving mechanism analysis reveals that the spatial differentiation of rural homesteads is closely linked to rigid topographic constraints, elastic responses to accessibility for both production and daily life, and adaptive adjustments to climatic conditions. Geodetector analysis further identifies widespread nonlinearly enhanced interactions among these factors, reflecting the synergistic interplay between natural and human elements. Building on these findings, this study proposes a three-tiered analytical framework—“rigid constraints–elastic responses–coupled amplification”—to characterize the multidimensional driving logic underlying homestead spatial differentiation in mountainous regions. This framework advances empirical understanding of mountain settlement dynamics in ecologically fragile developing countries and yields actionable governance insights: in areas exhibiting high landscape fragmentation, complex morphological patterns, and low agglomeration intensity, priority should be given to remediation strategies such as voluntary homestead withdrawal and ecological relocation. The findings provide a scientific basis for revitalizing existing homestead land, spatial restructuring, and refined governance in Southwest China’s mountainous regions. Furthermore, this research offers a transferable analytical framework and practical reference for sustainable human settlement development in similar contexts, including the Qinba and Hengduan Mountains, as well as ecologically fragile zones globally.

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are among the most common and disabling symptoms of schizophrenia. They involve the superior temporal sulcus (STS), which is associated with language processing; specific STS patterns may reflect vulnerability to auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. STS sulcal pits are the deepest points of the folds in this region and were investigated here as an anatomical landmark of AVHs. This study included 53 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and past or present AVHs, as well as 100 healthy control volunteers. All participants underwent a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging T1 brain scan, and sulcal pit differences were compared between the two groups. Compared with controls, patients with AVHs had a significantly different distributions for the number of sulcal pits in the left STS, indicating a less complex morphological pattern. The association of STS sulcal morphology with AVH suggests an early neurodevelopmental process in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia with AVHs.

The genus Eigenmannia (Teleostei: Gymnotiformes), a widely distributed fish genus from the Neotropical region, presents very complex morphological patterns and many taxonomic problems. It is suggested that this genus harbors a species complex that is hard to differentiate using only morphological characteristics. As a result, many species of Eigenmannia may be currently gathered under a common name. With the objective of providing new tools for species characterization in this group, an analysis of the polymorphism of DNA inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR), obtained by single primer amplification reaction (SPAR), combined with karyotype identification, was carried out in specimens sampled from populations of the Upper Paraná, São Francisco and Amazon river basins (Brazil). Specific ISSR patterns generated by primers (AAGC)(4) and (GGAC)(4) were found to characterize the ten cytotypes analyzed, even though the cytotypes 2n = 38 and 2n = 38 XX:XY, from the Upper Paraná basin, share some ISSR amplification patterns. The geographical distribution of all Eigenmannia specimens sampled was inferred, showing the cytotype 2n = 31/2n = 32 as the most frequent and largely distributed in the Upper Paraná basin. The cytotype 2n = 34 was reported for the first time in the genus Eigenmania, restricted to the São Francisco basin. Polymorphic ISSR patterns were also detected for each cytotype. Considering our results and the data reported previously in the literature, it is suggested that many of the forms of Eigenmannia herein analyzed might be regarded as different species. This work reinforces the importance of employing diverse approaches, such as molecular and cytogenetic characterization, to address taxonomic and evolutionary issues.

Antivibrating parts in automotives are often made of natural rubber reinforced by carbon black. This reinforcement, which comes from the filler–filler and filler–rubber interactions, leads to an increase in the elastic modulus, the tensile strength and the hysteresis. The aim of this work is to develop a micromechanical model within a generalised self-consistent scheme for filled rubber in the moderate elongation range (|ϵ|≤0·5). A complex morphological pattern, representative of the microstructure of the material, and which takes into account the occluded rubber, the bound rubber and a percolating network, is proposed and the effective elastic properties are compared with experimental results obtained in both uniaxial and oedometric compression. The influence of the specific surface of the filler is investigated, using N330 and N650 carbon blacks. The model is extended to the non-linear accommodation of the stress heterogeneities between the phases. Model predictions are compared with experimental values in compression and simple shear.

The pattern and process of mammoth evolution in Eurasia

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology of Neoproterozoic crustal granitoids (Southern Brazil): A case for discrimination of emplacement and inherited ages

Transbronchial cryobiopsy has been shown to provide samples large enough to identify also complex morphological patterns. Its diagnostic accuracy however is not yet well determined because there are not yet head-to-head studies comparing transbronchial cryobiopsy with what still now is considered the gold standard, surgical lung biopsy. However there are data documenting that this mini-invasive approach may increase significantly the diagnostic confidence in the setting of multidisciplinary discussion and may contribute to reach a final diagnosis.