Symmetric Morphology Research Articles

Immediate fat grafting in primary cleft lip repair

Successful cleft lip repair creates symmetric nasolabial morphology with minimal scar. Fat grafting is used in cosmetic and reconstructive settings to provide contour, condition tissue and aid healing. This study employs immediate fat grafting concurrent with primary cleft nasolabial repair. We hypothesize that simultaneous fat transfer is safe and may optimize the result. This retrospective analysis included a series of consecutive infants who underwent primary cleft lip repair with immediate fat grafting. Demographic and peri-operative details were recorded. Post-operative photographs were analyzed by three blinded reviewers (Al-Omari et al. and Asher-McDade et al.). Kappa statistics were employed to assess inter-rater reliability (Randolph and Watkins MW). 30 children, 37 sides (13 left, 10 right, 7 bilateral; 62% complete, 38% incomplete) who underwent cleft lip repair at Yale were included. 20 underwent nasolabial repair with simultaneous fat grafting. Mean age of repair was 3.5 mo (range 1.5-6.4). Fat was hand suctioned from the thighs (15 left; 2 right; 3 both) with mean yield of 2.1 cc (range 1-5 cc). An average of 1.4 cc (range 0.5-2.5 cc) was injected to the philtrum, vermillion, piriform and ala. No complications were experienced with lip repair, fat harvest or graft injection. Mean follow-up was 24.7 months (range 12.4-60.2 months). Postoperative photographic assessment revealed minimal residual cleft stigmata with inter-rater reliability. Each ordinal score was statistically significant compared fat grafted repairs to those without fat grafting (p < 0.05). Simultaneous fat grafting and cleft lip repair can be performed safely. The augmentation and modulation of scar formation may optimize results. Prospective comparison is necessary to further corroborate our findings. Therapeutic (Level IV).

Influence of voltage magnitude on the dynamic behavior of a stable helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Effects of voltage magnitude on the development of a stable helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet are investigated by current measurements and high temporal-resolution streak images. Generated by a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge structure, the entire discharge can be classified into three regions: discharges in the tube gap, downstream jet, and up-streamer. The discharge morphologies of each region are analyzed. In the positive discharge phase, there are two discharges in the tube gap between the electrodes; the first one is ignited as corona and then developed into streamer corona, and the second one is similar with positive glow. The downstream jet is ignited independently from the discharge in the tube gap. Referred as “plasma bullet,” the dynamic behavior of the jet can be well described as a positive streamer. Under specific applied voltage, the jet is found to be composed by double bullets in which case the jet length decreases since that less charge is carried by the first bullet. The up-streamer can be captured as long as the discharge in the tube gap is activated. Propagating with velocity of ∼4 km/s, the up-streamer can be regarded as the extension of the first discharge in the tube gap. In the negative discharge phase, the discharge is confined in the tube gap with nearly symmetrical morphology with the positive one. Besides, with the rising of voltage, the negative discharge is initially intensified and then turns weaker after surpassing certain voltage, which may provide suitable condition for the occurrence of double-bullet phenomenon.

The influence of microbial mats on the formation of sand volcanoes and mounds in the Red Sea coastal plain, south Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Extensive areas covered by microbial mats have been found in the upper intertidal flats and supratidal pools in the Red Sea coastal plain of south Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Numerous microbially controlled sediment-surface morphologies are evident, such as flat cohesive mats that commonly pass into mats with wrinkles, reticulates, and tufts, together with erosion pockets and mat chips. These microbial mats form cohesive surface layers that lead to biostabilization of the sediment surface. Fluidization of the underlying sediments is due to tidal influences and pressurized gas escape from decay and photosynthesis of microbial mats and causes deformation and rupture of the cohesive surface mat layer via vertical and sub-vertical pipes. Extrusion of fluidized sediments and water through these pipes leads to redeposition of sediment grains above the surface mat layer to form sand volcanoes and mounds. Most of the sand volcanoes present in the intertidal flats and supratidal pools show a symmetrical morphology, whereas in tidal channels asymmetrical forms are more common. Extrusion of underlying sediments through several adjacent vents leads to coalescence of sand volcanoes to form sand mounds. In this study sand volcanoes are also compared with other cone-like features from the Red Sea, such as gas domes and crab mounds. This comparison should help in differentiating similar cone-like features associated with microbial mats in the rock record.

A~ 12 kpc H i extension and other H i asymmetries in the isolated galaxy CIG 340 (IC 2487)

HI kinematic asymmetries are common in late-type galaxies irrespective of environment, although the amplitudes are strikingly low in isolated galaxies. As part of our studies of the HI morphology and kinematics in isolated late-type galaxies we have chosen several very isolated galaxies from the AMIGA sample for HI mapping. Here we present GMRT 21-cm HI line mapping of CIG 340 which was selected because its integrated HI spectrum has a very symmetric profile, Aflux = 1.03. Optical images of the galaxy hinted at a warped disk in contrast to the symmetric integrated HI spectrum profile. Our aim is to determine the extent to which the optical asymmetry is reflected in the resolved HI morphology and kinematics. GMRT observations reveal significant HI morphological asymmetries in CIG 340 despite it's overall symmetric optical form and highly symmetric HI spectrum. The most notable HI features are: 1) a warp in the HI disk (with an optical counterpart), 2) the HI north/south flux ratio = 1.32 is much larger than expected from the integrated HI spectrum profile and 3) a ~ 45" (12 kpc) HI extension, containing ~ 6% of the detected HI mass on the northern side of the disk. We conclude that in isolated galaxies a highly symmetric HI spectrum can mask significant HI morphological asymmetries. The northern HI extension appears to be the result of a recent perturbation (10^8 yr), possibly by a satellite which is now disrupted or projected within the disk. This study provides an important step in our ongoing program to determine the predominant source of HI asymmetries in isolated galaxies. For CIG 340 the isolation from major companions, symmetric HI spectrum, optical morphology and interaction timescales have allowed us to narrow the possible causes the HI asymmetries and identify tests to further constrain the source of the asymmetries.

Phase diagrams and morphological evolution in wrapping of rod-shaped elastic nanoparticles by cell membrane: a two-dimensional study.

A fundamental understanding of cell-nanomaterial interaction is essential for biomedical diagnostics, therapeutics, and nanotoxicity. Here, we perform a theoretical analysis to investigate the phase diagram and morphological evolution of an elastic rod-shaped nanoparticle wrapped by a lipid membrane in two dimensions. We show that there exist five possible wrapping phases based on the stability of full wrapping, partial wrapping, and no wrapping states. The wrapping phases depend on the shape and size of the particle, adhesion energy, membrane tension, and bending rigidity ratio between the particle and membrane. While symmetric morphologies are observed in the early and late stages of wrapping, in between a soft rod-shaped nanoparticle undergoes a dramatic symmetry breaking morphological change while stiff and rigid nanoparticles experience a sharp reorientation. These results are of interest to the study of a range of phenomena including viral budding, exocytosis, as well as endocytosis or phagocytosis of elastic particles into cells.

MItral Valve Three-dimensional Echocardiography: Friend or Foe?

Three-dimensional echocardiography has widely transformed the world of cardiac imaging over the last decade. One of the most outstanding changes is that cardiologists have stopped believing dogmatically in formulas which, based on linear parameters, are able to calculate the area of different cardiac structures assuming a regular and symmetrical morphology and a single plane spatial arrangement. Multiple scientific evidence has been published against this method, since calculations based on this type of formulas can be quite different from real measurements. (1) Calculation of the left ventricular outflow tract for the assessment of patients with severe aortic stenosis is currently the most controversial example. Many discrepancies between parameters disappear with the use of threedimensional echocardiography. (2, 3) The mitral valve annulus is a fibrous ellipticallyshaped region which becomes more circular in diastole than in systole (4) and serves as attachment of the mitral leaflets. The annulus has a saddle-like contour and is not located in a single plane, but has portions called trigones which are closer to the ventricular apex, and middle parts of the anterior and posterior leaflets which are closer to the left atrial roof, the middle part of the anterior leaflet being slightly higher. Its normal average area is 7 cm2 and is modified during the cardiac cycle, increasing at end-systole and reaching its maximal dimension at end-diastole, (5) with an average 25% change in mitral valve area. Area reduction starts with atrial contraction, and is minimal during mid-systole. It is also important to know that the mitral annulus is displaced towards the atrium in diastole and towards the ventricle in systole. Once the mitral annulus characteristics are known, it is easy to understand the limitations of calculating the mitral annulus area by measuring its diameter in a single plane, a method usually employed to estimate the blood volume passing through it for further quantification of mitral or aortic regurgitant volumes. Three-dimensional echocardiography allows direct quantification of the area of any cardiac structure without using mathematical formulas. Therefore, we may say that the measurement is “more real” as it is not based on a geometrical approach. The technique is not free from limitations (1) and cannot replace twodimensional echocardiography in all cases; yet, it af-

A Chandra study of the massive, distant galaxy cluster SDSS J0150–1005

We present a study of a fossil cluster, SDSS J0150–1005 (z ≃ 0.364), with high spatial resolution based on the imaging spectroscopic analysis of Chandra observations. The Chandra X-ray image shows a relaxed and symmetric morphology, which indicates that SDSS J0150–1005 is a well-developed galaxy cluster with no sign of a recent merger. According to the isothermal model, its global gas temperature is 5.73 ± 0.80 keV, and the virial mass is 6.23 ± 1.34 × 1014 M⊙. Compared with the polytropic temperature model, the mass calculated based on the isothermal model is overestimated by 49% ± 11. The central gas entropy, S0.1 r200 = 143.9 ± 18.3 keV cm2, is significantly lower than the average value of normal galaxy clusters with similar temperatures. Our results indicate that SDSS J0150–1005 formed during an early epoch.

Structural Motifs of Bimetallic Pt101–xAux Nanoclusters

The evolution of the structure of bimetallic Pt101–xAux (x = 0–101) clusters is theoretically studied as a function of composition. The basin hopping method using the Gupta empirical potential (EP) is used to perform an exhaustive sampling of the potential energy surface (PES). Several highly symmetric morphologies such as Marks decahedra, incomplete icosahedra, two types of anti-Mackay-covered 5-fold structures, Leary tetrahedra and close-packed structures are identified and reoptimized at the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) level to take into account electronic effects. Alloyed configurations at very low Pt content and ubiquitous Pt(core)Au(shell) segregated motifs with different morphology and core shape are found as the lowest energy structural motifs at the empirical potential level, with an appreciable influence of Pt concentration on the nanocluster structure and a strong competition between different structural motifs, especially in the region of the lowest values of mixing energy...

Structural and optical properties of epitaxially laterally overgrown a-plane GaN epilayer on SiO2 stripe patterned r-plane sapphire

We have studied the structural anisotropic characteristics of epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELOG) a-plane GaN epilayer on r-plane sapphire substrate with two different SiO2-stripe orientations using metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The SiO2 stipe patterns were made along [0001] and \(\left[ {1\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{1} 00} \right]\) crystographilic orientations of GaN which correspond to \(\left[ {\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{1} 101} \right]\) and \(\left[ {11\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{2} 0} \right]\) directions of r-plane sapphire, respectively. The ELOG a-plane GaN on [0001]-stripe orientation reveals symmetric morphology in the extent of lateral overgrowth compared to that grown on \(\left[ {1\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{1} 00} \right]\)-oriented stripe. Threading dislocation and basal stacking fault densities in wing region were ∼8 × 107 cm−2 and ∼5.2 × 104 cm−1, respectively. Raman measurement of the fully coalesced a-plane GaN indicated a compressive strain of about 0.39 Gpa in the window region.

Functional copolymer/organo-MMT nanoarchitectures: self-assembled core-shell morphology of poly(maleic anhydride-alt-α-olefin)/organo-MMT nanocomposites

This work describes the TEM morphology analysis of amphiphilic alternating copolymers of maleic anhydride (MA) with different α-olefins (1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-dodecene) synthesized by radical-initiated intercalative copolymerization of preintercalated MA···organoclay complexes in the presence of two types of organoclay such as reactive octadecyl amine-montmorillonite (ODA-MMT) and nonreactive dimethyldidodecyl ammonium-MMT (DMDA-MMT). TEM analyses of all the nanocomposites indicate the formation of symmetric or non-symmetric core-shell morphologies. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses were used to study the occurrence of the element in the poly(MA-alt-α-olefin)/organo-montmorillonite nanocomposites. A role of surfactant in these nanosystems insists on alternating copolymer segments with given hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance and surface organo-modifiers of MMT clays. Highly organized self-assembly with symmetric core-shell morphology were formed in nanosystems prepared in the presence of DMDA-MMT clay as compared with ODA-MMT clay-containing nanosystems. The relatively long branched olefin fragments significantly improve image parameters of core-shell morphology where some of the core structures contain accumulated and finely dispersed silicate particles at nano level around 2–25 nm. This observed phenomenon has brought a new approach for future utilization of these nanosystems in controlled drug delivery and anticancer applications with essentially prolonged activity.

A facile preparation of hyperbranched copper phthalocyanine microspheres and their wideband microwave absorption properties

Abstract

Monolithic nanoporous alumina membranes for ultrafiltration applications: Characterization, selectivity–permeability analysis and fouling studies

Tubular alumina membranes exhibiting symmetric and asymmetric morphology were fabricated via electrochemical anodization of aluminium and studied for ultrafiltration application. By controlling the anodization conditions, the pore structure can be precisely controlled at the nanometre scale. Via reduction of the anodization voltage in a sudden or gradual manner, two types of asymmetric cross-section morphologies were obtained. The membranes were characterized by MWCO, pure water permeability, bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection and fouling tests. The breakdown of linear relationship between anodization voltage and pore diameter was observed for anodization below 10V. The selectivity-permeability analysis was compared to the framework developed by Metha and Zydney (JMS, 2005). The analysis shows the asymmetric membranes still suffering from low permeability despite providing good rejection properties. Most of the resistance to water permeability is, however, contributed by the thickness of the support layer of the membranes. The flux decline during BSA filtration can be modelled using combined complete pore blocking–cake filtration model. Although the membranes show good rejection performance and potential for scale-up application by fabrication in tubular form, further improvement in permeability and fouling mitigation could be achieved by developing a more porous support layer and surface modification.

Methods and applications for mesenchymal stem cells

Objective The aim of this work is to study neurogenesis using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a model of stem cells and then follow them as they form neurons. Background MSCs are multipotent adult stem cells present in all tissues. They are present in the bone marrow, and can differentiate in vitro into neurons, glial cells, and myofibroblasts. MSCs have been proposed as sources of stem cells for regeneration of the central nervous system. Thus, one of the goals of regenerative medicine is to ameliorate irreversible destruction of brain tissue and spinal cord by harnessing the power of stem cells to initiate neurogenesis in damaged areas of the brain. Materials and methods MSCs were cultured from bone marrow aspirate and detected morphologically and by flow cytometric analysis of surface markers CD44 and Oct3/4, then differentiated into neural cells using neural induction media, which consisted of a cocktail of retinoic acid dissolved in DEMSO, recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor, recombinant human epidermal growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor I, and detected by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Results The results of this study showed that MSCs could be isolated from the bone marrow and assumed the typical fibroblastoid morphology and reached 80-90% confluence at about 9 days. They expressed CD44 with a mean ± SD of 81.54 ± 11.58 and CD Oct3/4 with a mean ± SD of 56.12 ± 17.37. MSCs showed positive expression for double expression of CD44-OCT3/4, with a mean ± SD of 54.03 ± 17.42. A highly significant statistical correlation (P 0.05) was found between MNCs and double expression of CD44-OCT3/4. MSCs induced with neural induction media show morphological changes consistent with neurogenesis as compared with the symmetric morphologies of the uninduced cells, as shown by an inverted microscope. Induced cells showed positive staining with GFAP whereas uninduced cells showed negative staining. Conclusion MSCs can be isolated successfully from bone marrow aspirate and can be differentiated into GFAP-positive neural cells.

Bilaterally symmetric facial morphology simulated by diffusion-controlled chemical precipitation in gel

Reactions controlled by diffusion create self-organizing periodic patterns in chemical systems and play a key role in biological pattern formation through diffusion-generated morphogen gradients. To better understand the organizing ability of diffusion-controlled assembly, we investigated the formation of bilaterally symmetric morphologies by simple inorganic precipitation reactions in neutral agarose gel. Our results reveal that bilaterally symmetric ‘face-like’ deposits of insoluble products reproducibly form in gel, by reactions governed by the properties and concentrations of soluble reactants placed symmetrically relative to a midline and by the temporal and spatial distributions arising by diffusion from initial times and positions of reactant placement.

Ab-initio design of nanophotonic waveguides for tunable, bidirectional optical forces

We propose a set of principles to tailor and enhance optical forces between parallel, periodic dielectric waveguides by molding the eigen-mode field distribution via the combined effects of highly symmetric slow light modes and waveguide morphology. The geometries here considered are amenable to standard lithographic techniques and possess strong repulsive and attractive optical forces that can be enhanced via slow-light band edge modes. This new methodology should enable the fabrication of optomechanical devices for applications in sensing, switching and nano-optomechanical systems.

Structure and breakup history of the rifted margin of West Antarctica in relation to Cretaceous separation from Zealandia and Bellingshausen plate motion

Geophysical data acquired using R/V Polarstern constrain the structure and age of the rifted oceanic margin of West Antarctica. West of the Antipodes Fracture Zone, the 145 km wide continent–ocean transition zone (COTZ) of the Marie Byrd Land sector resembles a typical magma‐poor margin. New gravity and seismic reflection data indicates initial continental crust of thickness 24 km, that was stretched 90 km. Farther east, the Bellingshausen sector is broad and complex with abundant evidence for volcanism, the COTZ is ∼670 km wide, and the nature of crust within the COTZ is uncertain. Margin extension is estimated to be 106–304 km in this sector. Seafloor magnetic anomalies adjacent to Marie Byrd Land near the Pahemo Fracture Zone indicate full‐spreading rate during c33–c31 (80–68 Myr) of 60 mm yr−1, increasing to 74 mm yr−1 at c27 (62 Myr), and then dropping to 22 mm yr−1 by c22 (50 Myr). Spreading rates were lower to the west. Extrapolation towards the continental margin indicates initial oceanic crust formation at around c34y (84 Myr). Subsequent motion of the Bellingshausen plate relative to Antarctica (84–62 Myr) took place east of the Antipodes Fracture Zone at rates &lt;40 mm yr−1, typically 5–20 mm yr−1. The high extension rate of 30–60 mm yr−1 during initial margin formation is consistent with steep and symmetrical margin morphology, but subsequent motion of the Bellingshausen plate was slow and complex, and modified rift morphology through migrating deformation and volcanic centers to create a broad and complex COTZ.

Simple Reductant Concentration-Dependent Shape Control of Polyhedral Gold Nanoparticles and Their Plasmonic Properties

We report a facile seed-mediated method for the synthesis of monodisperse polyhedral gold nanoparticles, with systematic shape evolution from octahedral to trisoctahedral structures. The control over the particle growth process was achieved simply by changing the concentration of the reductant in the growth solution, in the presence of small spherical seed nanoparticles. By progressively increasing the concentration of the reductant used in the growth solution (ascorbic acid), while keeping the amount and type of added surfactant constant, the morphology of the gold nanoparticles was varied from octahedral to truncated octahedral, cuboctahedral, truncated cubic, cubic, and finally trisoctahedral structures. These nanoparticles were monodisperse in size, possessed similar volumes, and were naturally oriented so that their larger crystal planes were face down on quartz substrates when deposited from the solution. By adjusting the volume of gold seed nanoparticle solution added to a growth solution, the size of the simplest gold nanoparticles (with a highly symmetric cubic morphology) could be tuned from 50 ± 2.1 to 112 ± 11 nm. When other seed nanoparticles were used, the size of the cubic Au nanoparticles reached 169 ± 7.0 nm. The nanoparticle growth mechanism and the plasmonic properties of the resulting polyhedral nanoparticles are discussed in this paper.

The radio core and jet in the broad absorption-line quasar PG 1700+518

Abstract The blueshifted broad absorption lines (BAL) or troughs are observed in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) when our line of sight is intercepted by a high-speed outflow (wind), likely originating in the accretion disc. The outflow or wind can shed light on the internal structure obscured by the AGN torus. Recently, it has been shown that this outflow is rotating in the BAL quasar PG 1700+518, further supporting the accretion disc origin of the wind. With the purpose of giving independent constraints on the wind geometry, we performed high-resolution European very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) Network (EVN) observations at 1.6 GHz in 2010. Combining the results with the Very Large Array (VLA) archival data at 8.4 GHz, we present its jet structure on scales of parsec (pc) to kiloparsec (kpc) for the first time. The source shows two distinct jet features in east–west direction with a separation of around 4 kpc. The eastern feature, which has so far been assumed to hide the core, is a kpc-scale hotspot, which is completely resolved out in the EVN image. In the western jet feature, we find a compact jet component, which pinpoints the position of the central black hole in the galaxy. Jet components on both sides of the core are additionally detected in the north-west–south-east direction, and they show a symmetric morphology on scale of &amp;lt;1 kpc. This two-sided jet feature is not common in the known BAL quasars and indicates that the jet axis is far away from the line of sight. Furthermore, it is nearly parallel to the scattering plane revealed earlier by optical polarimetry. By analogy to polar-scattered Seyfert 1 galaxies, we conclude that the jet likely has a viewing angle around 45°. The analogy is further supported by the recent report of significant cold absorption in the soft X-rays, a nearly unique feature to polar-scattered Seyfert galaxies. Finally, our observations have confirmed the earlier finding that the majority of radio emission in this galaxy arises from AGN activity rather than star formation.

Sediment waves on the South China Sea Slope off southwestern Taiwan: Implications for the intrusion of the Northern Pacific Deep Water into the South China Sea

Using an integrated multi-beam bathymetry, high-resolution seismic profile, piston core, and AMS 14C dating data set, the current study identified two sediment wave fields, fields 1 and 2, on the South China Sea Slope off southwestern Taiwan. Field 1 is located in the lower slope, and sediment waves within it are overall oriented perpendicular to the direction of down-slope gravity flows and canyon axis. Geometries, morphology, and internal seismic reflection configurations suggest that the sediment waves in field 1 underwent significant up-slope migration. Field 2, in contrast, is located more basinward, on the continental rise. Instead of having asymmetrical morphology and discontinuous reflections as observed in field 1, the sediment waves in field 2 show more symmetrical morphology and continuous reflections that can be traced from one wave to another, suggesting that vertical aggradation is more active and predominant than up-slope migration.Three sediment wave evolution stages, stage 1 through stage 3, are identified in both field 1 and field 2. During stage 1, the sediment waves are built upon a regional unconformity that separates the underlying mass-transport complexes from the overlying sediment waves. In both of these two fields, there is progressive development of the sediment waves and increase in wave dimensions from the oldest stage 1 to the youngest stage 3, even though up-slope migration is dominant in field 1 whereas vertical aggradation is predominant in field 2 throughout these three stages.The integrated data and the depositional model show that the upper slope of the study area is strongly dissected and eroded by down-slope gravity flows. The net result of strong erosion is that significant amounts of sediment are transported further basinward into the lower slope by gravity flows and/or turbidity currents. The interactions of these currents with bottom (contour) currents induced by the intrusion of the Northern Pacific Deep Water into the South China Sea and preexisting wavy topography in the lower slope result in the up-slope migrating sediment waves in field 1 and the contourites as observed from cores TS01 and TS02. Further basinward on the continental rise, turbidity currents are waned and diluted, whereas along-slope bottom (contour) currents are vigorous and most likely dominate over the diluted turbidity currents, resulting in the vertically aggraded sediment waves in field 2.The results from this study also provide the further evidence for the intrusion of the Northern Pacific Deep Water into the South China Sea and suggest that this intrusion has probably existed and been capable of affecting sedimentation in South China Sea at least since Quaternary.

Object agreement and ‘pro-drop’ in Kerinci Malay

Kerinci is a group of grammatically diverse Malayic varieties spoken in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. This article focuses on a previously undescribed dialect of Kerinci, spoken in the village of Tanjung Pauh Mudik (TPM). Many Kerinci dialects have developed a morphological alternation in root-final syllables as a result of stress-related diachronic changes. In TPM, as in Sungai Penuh Kerinci (described by Steinhauer and Usman (1978), inter alia), lexical roots surface in two forms, termed ‘absolute’ and ‘oblique’, which differ in the phonological shape of their final syllable. These forms exhibit a wide array of grammatical properties that differ considerably between dialects. We focus on the function of this unique marking in the verbal domain, and argue that the oblique form marks agreement with a nominal complement. Our analysis explains why TPM, a language that retains the morphological properties of the traditional Malay voice system, unexpectedly appears to permit the extraction of nonsubject arguments from active clauses, contradicting the predictions of theories that causally link symmetrical voice morphology and a ban on nonsubject extraction from vP (e.g. Keenan 1972, 1979, Rackowski &amp; Richards 2005, Cole et al. 2008).We argue that apparent cases of nonsubject extraction do not involve movement, but that the apparently moved argument is generated outside of vP and binds a phonologically null pronoun licensed by the oblique morphology; thus, we are able to relate TPM’s unexpected syntactic behavior to the availability of the absolute/oblique marking. This analysis has broader consequences for the theory of pro-drop. Neeleman and Szendrői’s (2007) theory of radical pro-drop is unable to differentiate between syntactically projected pronouns (like null objects in TPM) and nonobject pro-dropped arguments in TPM that lack the behavior of a syntactically projected argument. In light of this inadequacy, we put forward an alternative proposal regarding the universal typology of pro-drop.