First direct evidence of conservative foraging ecology of early Gigantopithecus blacki (~2 Ma) in Guangxi, southern China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quyi Jiang ◽  
Lingxia Zhao ◽  
Lin Guo ◽  
Yaowu Hu
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Southern China

scholarly journals Fossil eggshell cuticle elucidates dinosaur nesting ecology

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tzu-Ruei Yang ◽  
Ying-Hsuan Chen ◽  
Jasmina Wiemann ◽  
Beate Spiering ◽  
P. Martin Sander
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Southern China ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Nesting Ecology ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Chemical Studies ◽  
Micro Analysis ◽  
Cretaceous Deposits ◽  
Chemical Evidence

The cuticle layer consisting mainly of lipids and hydroxyapatite (HAp) atop the mineralized avian eggshell is a protective structure that prevents the egg from dehydration and microbial invasions. Previous ornithological studies have revealed that the cuticle layer is also involved in modulating the reflectance of eggshells in addition to pigments (protoporphyrin and biliverdin). Thus, the cuticle layer represents a crucial trait that delivers ecological signals. While present in most modern birds, direct evidence for cuticle preservation in stem birds and non-avian dinosaurs is yet missing. Here we present the first direct and chemical evidence for the preservation of the cuticle layer on dinosaur eggshells. We analyze several theropod eggshells from various localities, including oviraptorid Macroolithus yaotunensis eggshells from the Late Cretaceous deposits of Henan, Jiangxi, and Guangdong in China and alvarezsaurid Triprismatoolithus eggshell from the Two Medicine Formation of Montana, United States, with the scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The elemental analysis with EPMA shows high concentration of phosphorus at the boundary between the eggshell and sediment, representing the hydroxyapatitic cuticle layer (HAp). Depletion of phosphorus in sediment excludes the allochthonous origin of the phosphorus in these eggshells. The chemometric analysis of Raman spectra collected from fossil and extant eggs provides further supportive evidence for the cuticle preservation in oviraptorid and probable alvarezsaurid eggshells. In accordance with our previous discovery of pigments preserved in Cretaceous oviraptorid dinosaur eggshells, we validate the cuticle preservation on dinosaur eggshells through deep time and offer a yet unexplored resource for chemical studies targeting the evolution of dinosaur nesting ecology. Our study also suggests that the cuticle structure can be traced far back to maniraptoran dinosaurs and enhance their reproductive success in a warm and mesic habitat such as Montana and southern China during the Late Cretaceous.

The Immuno-Electron Microscopic Localization of the Mo-Fe Protein Component of Nitrogenase in Cells of Azotobacter Vinelandii

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 574-575
Author(s):  
J. T. Stasny ◽  
R. C. Burns ◽  
R. W. F. Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Cellular Localization ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Azotobacter Vinelandii ◽  
Intracellular Localization ◽  
Protein Component ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Fe Protein ◽  
Intracytoplasmic Membranes

Structure-functlon studies of biological N2-fixation have correlated the presence of the enzyme nitrogenase with increased numbers of intracytoplasmic membranes in Azotobacter. However no direct evidence has been provided for the internal cellular localization of any nitrogenase. Recent advances concerned with the crystallizatiorTand the electron microscopic characterization of the Mo-Fe protein component of Azotobacter nitrogenase, prompted the use of this purified protein to obtain antibodies (Ab) to be conjugated to electron dense markers for the intracellular localization of the protein by electron microscopy. The present study describes the use of ferritin conjugated to goat antitMo-Fe protein immunoglobulin (IgG) and the observations following its topical application to thin sections of N2-grown Azotobacter.

Structural similarity of ribosomes from E. coli and A. salina

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-243
Author(s):  
M. Boublik ◽  
R.M. Wydro ◽  
W. Hellmann ◽  
F. Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Ribosomal Proteins ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Carbon Support ◽  
Artemia Salina ◽  
Uranyl Acetate ◽  
Biological Assays ◽  
E Coli ◽  
And Function ◽  
Fine Carbon

Ribosomes are ribonucleoprotein particles necessary for processing the genetic information of mRNA into proteins. Analogy in composition and function of ribosomes from diverse species, established by biochemical and biological assays, implies their structural similarity. Direct evidence obtained by electron microscopy seems to be of increasing relevance in understanding the structure of ribosomes and the mechanism of their role in protein synthesis.The extent of the structural homology between prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosomes has been studied on ribosomes of Escherichia coli (E.c.) and Artemia salina (A.s.). Despite the established differences in size and in the amount and proportion of ribosomal proteins and RNAs both types of ribosomes show an overall similarity. The monosomes (stained with 0.5% aqueous uranyl acetate and deposited on a fine carbon support) appear in the electron micrographs as round particles with a diameter of approximately 225Å for the 70S E.c. (Fig. 1) and 260Å for the 80S A.s. monosome (Fig. 2).

Stress Relaxation and the Formation of Silicides in the Process of the Crystallization of NI-NB Films on SI

1991 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 898-899
Author(s):  
N. Rozhanski ◽  
V. Lifshitz
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Stress Relaxation ◽  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Alloy Film ◽  
Diffusion Barriers ◽  
Effective Barrier

Thin films of amorphous Ni-Nb alloys are of interest since they can be used as diffusion barriers for integrated circuits on Si. A native SiO2 layer is an effective barrier for Ni diffusion but it deformation during the crystallization of the alloy film lead to the appearence of diffusion fluxes through it and the following formation of silicides. This study concerns the direct evidence of the action of stresses in the process of the crystallization of Ni-Nb films on Si and the structure of forming NiSi2 islands.

Point and planar defects in the iron sulfide compounds Fe1-xS

1984 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 434-435
Author(s):  
Thao A. Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Iron Sulfide ◽  
Planar Defects ◽  
Selective Area ◽  
Vacancy Ordering ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Lattice Images ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Beam Lattice

It is well known that the large deviations from stoichiometry in iron sulfide compounds, Fe1-xS (0≤x≤0.125), are accommodated by iron vacancies which order and form superstructures at low temperatures. Although the ordering of the iron vacancies has been well established, the modes of vacancy ordering, hence superstructures, as a function of composition and temperature are still the subject of much controversy. This investigation gives direct evidence from many-beam lattice images of Fe1-xS that the 4C superstructure transforms into the 3C superstructure (Fig. 1) rather than the MC phase as previously suggested. Also observed are an intrinsic stacking fault in the sulfur sublattice and two different types of vacancy-ordering antiphase boundaries. Evidence from selective area optical diffractograms suggests that these planar defects complicate the diffraction pattern greatly.

Evidence for ordered Fe3Ni

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 216-217
Author(s):  
K.B. Reuter ◽  
D.B. Williams ◽  
J.I. Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Martensitic Transformation ◽  
Electron Diffraction ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Transformation Product ◽  
Iron Meteorites ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Ni Content ◽  
Temperature Transformation

In the Fe-Ni system, although ordered FeNi and ordered Ni3Fe are experimentally well established, direct evidence for ordered Fe3Ni is unconvincing. Little experimental data for Fe3Ni exists because diffusion is sluggish at temperatures below 400°C and because alloys containing less than 29 wt% Ni undergo a martensitic transformation at room temperature. Fe-Ni phases in iron meteorites were examined in this study because iron meteorites have cooled at slow rates of about 10°C/106 years, allowing phase transformations below 400°C to occur. One low temperature transformation product, called clear taenite 2 (CT2), was of particular interest because it contains less than 30 wtZ Ni and is not martensitic. Because CT2 is only a few microns in size, the structure and Ni content were determined through electron diffraction and x-ray microanalysis. A Philips EM400T operated at 120 kV, equipped with a Tracor Northern 2000 multichannel analyzer, was used.

Incommensurate modulated phases of the NbxTa1-xTe4 charge density wave system

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-59
Author(s):  
S. Ritchie ◽  
J. C. Bennett ◽  
A. Prodan ◽  
F.W. Boswell ◽  
J.M. Corbett
Keyword(s):  
Charge Density ◽  
Charge Density Wave ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Density Wave ◽  
Wave System ◽  
Modulated Phases ◽  
Metal Atoms ◽  
Incommensurate Modulation ◽  
End Members ◽  
Modulation Wave Vector

A continuous sequence of compounds having composition NbxTa1-xTe4; 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 have been studied by electron diffraction and microscopy. Previous studies have shown that the end members of the series, TaTε4 and NbTε4 possess a quasi-one-dimensional character and exhibit charge density wave (CDW) distortions. In these compounds, the subcell structure is tetragonal with axes (a × a × c) and consists of the metal atoms (Nb or Ta) centered within an extended antiprismatic cage of Te atoms. At room temperature, TaTε4 has a commensurate modulation structure with a 2a × 2a × 3c unit cell. In NbTε4, an incommensurate modulation with × ∼ 16c axes is observed. Preliminary studies of the mixed compounds NbxTα1-xTε4 showed a discontinuous jump of the modulation wave vector commensurate to incommensurate when the Nb dopant concentration x, exceeded x ≃ 0.3, In this paper, the nature of the compositional dependence of is studied in greater detail and evidence is presented for a stepwise variation of . This constitutes the first direct evidence for a Devil's staircase in CDW materials.

Electron holography of interfaces in electroceramics

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 1088-1089
Author(s):  
Vinayak P. Dravid ◽  
V. Ravikumar ◽  
Richard Plass
Keyword(s):  
Space Charge ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Electron Holography ◽  
Resolution Limit ◽  
Interference Phenomenon ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Electron Sources ◽  
Science Community

With the advent of coherent electron sources with cold field emission guns (cFEGs), it has become possible to utilize the coherent interference phenomenon and perform “practical” electron holography. Historically, holography was envisioned to extent the resolution limit by compensating coherent aberrations. Indeed such work has been done with reasonable success in a few laboratories around the world. However, it is the ability of electron holography to map electrical and magnetic fields which has caught considerable attention of materials science community.There has been considerable theoretical work on formation of space charge on surfaces and internal interfaces. In particular, formation and nature of space charge have important implications for the performance of numerous electroceramics which derive their useful properties from electrically active grain boundaries. Bonnell and coworkers, in their elegant STM experiments provided the direct evidence for GB space charge and its sign, while Chiang et al. used the indirect but powerful technique of x-ray microchemical profiling across GBs to infer the nature of space charge.

Maximum Interlabial Pressures in Normal Speakers

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 400-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia A. Hinton ◽  
Winston M. C. Arokiasamy
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Contact Pressure ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Jaw Movement ◽  
Contractile Forces ◽  
Contact Pressures ◽  
Muscle Contractile

It has been hypothesized that typical speech movements do not involve large muscular forces and that normal speakers use less than 20% of the maximum orofacial muscle contractile forces that are available (e.g., Amerman, 1993; Barlow & Abbs, 1984; Barlow & Netsell, 1986; DePaul & Brooks, 1993). However, no direct evidence for this hypothesis has been provided. This study investigated the percentage of maximum interlabial contact pressures (force per unit area) typically used during speech production. The primary conclusion of this study is that normal speakers typically use less than 20% of the available interlabial contact pressure, whether or not the jaw contributes to bilabial closure. Production of the phone [p] at conversational rate and intensity generated an average of 10.56% of maximum available interlabial pressure (MILP) when jaw movement was not restricted and 14.62% when jaw movement was eliminated.

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