This thesis presents a primarily descriptive account of the structural and meaning properties of verb and numeral reduplication in Paraguayan Guaraní, a Tupí-Guaraní language spoken by about four million people mainly in Paraguay. Based on data collected through elicitation sessions with three consultants, I demonstrate that Guaraní exhibits both patterns of total (root) and partial (disyllabic) reduplication. I will also show that this disyllabic pattern of copying is in fact due to the presence of a prosodic constraint of disyllabicity which applies to the entire reduplication system of Guaraní. In terms of their meaning properties, Guaraní reduplicative forms are mostly associated with such iconic notions as iterativity, continuity, multiplicity and distributivity. Despite the semantic regularity of Guaraní reduplicated structures from a crosslinguistic perspective, there are aspects of their form which pose challenges to templatic accounts of reduplication. A brief discussion of some of these issues concludes this work.

Previously published descriptions of the pollen morphology of the Palmae are reviewed and discussed. The earliest macro fossil records for palms are summarised, while a more detailed review is given of the fossil records of palmlike pollen. Selected literature relating to pollen sharing some similarities to palm pollen in other monocotyledonous families are briefly reviewed, and the fossil pollen records for these families are examined. A brief chronological account of earlier systematic treatments of the palms is provided, as well as an outline of the systematic treatment of the family used in the present account. The pollen morphology of 1150 collections, representing 765 species of palms,f rom all but seveno f the currentlyr ecognisedg enera,h asb eene xamýined, as well as dispersedp alm-likef ossil pollen from the middle Eoceneo f the Isle of Wight, and of Java. Iii silit pollen of fossil palm flowers from the Messel oil shales (Germany)a re describedP. ost meiotic tetrad stageh asb eens tudiedf or representatives peciesin all subfamiliese xceptingt he PhytelephantoideaeP.o llen morphologyo f both recenta nd fossil pollen is describedf rom light, scanning electrona nd, selectivelyf rom transmissione lectronm icroscopy,w hile tetrad resultsa re from light and scanninge lectronm icroscopy.F ull detailso f preparation methods,t erminologya nd databaseus sedf or pollen morphological,f ossil and tetrad studies are given. Seventeena perturet ypes,p lus numerouss ubtypesa, nd twelve exine types with numerous subtypes are identified. The aperture types are shown to be broadly separablein to two groupsw hich are associatedw ith either simultaneous (tetrahedralt etrads)o r successive(t etragonalt etrads)m icros porogenessi. In generalt heset wo groups supportp resents ystematico pinion regardingt he subfamilies.S uccessivem eiosisi s dominanti n subfamiliesC alamoideaea nd Nypoideaew hile, with somer are exceptionss, imultaneousm eiosisp redominates in the remainingf our subfamiliesC: oryphoideaeC, eroxyloideaeA, recoideaea nd PhytelephantoideaeP.o llenu ltrastructurei s treatedi n detail only for simple tectate exines where it is important for further definition. Six types and a number of subtypesa re described.T he systematicd istributionso f aperturea nd exine types are summarisedA. trend towardsl arger pollen is noted, with the smallest pollen occurring in the least specialised subfamily, the Coryphoideae, while very large-sized pollen are characteristic of subfamily Phytelephantoideae. Monosulcate, disulcate and zonosulcate pollen are described from fossil material and closest affinities with recent palms suggested. Pollen morphology of recent palms is summarised and discussed, and compared with pollen of selected monocotyledonous families. The bearing of pollen data on recent palm systematics is considered at various levels from subfamily to species. Angiosperm pollen evolution is re-considered and evolutionary pathways for palm pollen aperture types and exine types are suggested. In the light of recent pollen morphology for the family the fossil record of palm pollen is re-evaluated. Some widely accepted affinities are challenged while previously unconsidered affinities are suggested, particularly for the mid- Cretaceous. The need is emphasized for future fossil pollen studies to look critically for pre Late Cretaceous palm-like monosulcates, which would be more informative of the early history of the family than the apparently highly evolved, easily recognisable Spini. -onocolpiles of the Late Cretaceous. Palaeogeography, environment and distribution of fossil records and depositional environment are discussed. Probable evolutionary pathways of pollen morphology, including pollen tetrad data which suggests imultaneousra thert han successivem eiosisa s the plesiomorphics tate,o ffer further evidencet hat the palmsa re indeeda n ancient group, and support the hypothesis that the palms may have originated in South America and Africa (West Gondwana)in the Late Jurassic or early Cretaceous, prior to the complete separation of these continents.

No description available.

No description available.

At the base of the hair follicle epidermal matrix is a population of germinative epidermal (GE) cells that is in close communication with the dermal papilla. These GE cells are at the core of activities that comprise the fundamental processes of cell signalling and differentiation in the hair follicle. Since it is in the germinative region that the signals that produce hair are being received and transcribed, identification of genes expressed in the GE cells will be important for our understanding of hair growth control and the molecular mechanisms operating at the site of epidermal proliferation and differentiation. This study describes the production of a series of cDNA libraries, both by conventional means from rat vibrissa follicles and follicle end bulbs, and by PGR from the GE cells and the tissues of the upper end bulb. These libraries were then used for a variety of screening approaches to isolate cDNA clones, firstly for molecules which are known to be involved in the control of hair growth, and secondly for molecules which are differentially expressed in the follicular germinative epidermis. In order to identify such preferentially expressed genes, a dual labelling differential screen of the vibrissa follicle end bulb cDNA library was performed, using probes derived from the germinative epidermal and upper end bulb PGR generated libraries. Nine putative differentially expressed clones were isolated and sequenced. RNase protection analysis and non radioactive in situ hybridisation was then performed to confirm that these clones were expressed in the germinative epidermis of rat vibrissa follicles. Further characterisation by northern blotting revealed that several of the clones were expressed in multiple tissues. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that six of the clones had a concensus BG1 repeat sequence at the end of their 3'UTR. This has been implicated in post-transcriptional control of intracellular mRNA localisation. Three of these clones were related to genes implicated in induction and vesicle trafficking. These clones may therefore be involved in the signal transduction pathways operating in the germinative epidermis in response to primary signalling molecules received from the dermal papilla.

No description available.

Although tidal channel networks are a near-ubiquitous feature of saltmarsh environments developed on the marine sedimentary shores of Britain, only limited progress has been made towards achieving a scientific understanding of their morphological characteristics and the physical functions that they perform. Based on data acquired from a combination of high resolution aerial photography and field survey, a range of descriptive indices and morphometric measures are used to characterise planimetric, longitudinal and cross-sectional adjustment in saltmarsh channel networks from 29 localities around England and Wales. In accordance with the extensive methodological approach employed during this exploratory phase of the study, regularities and distinguishing features of the selected formations are interpreted in terms of broad-scale environmental controls, which represent the relative intensity of erosional versus resistive forces. While statistical analyses suggest that creek morphology reflects a multiplicity of influences, the strongest bivariate associations, between tidal prism and cross-sectional geometry, are consistent with the finding of earlier process studies that creek morphology is principally adapted to perform a conveyance function. Theoretically-based mathematical models are employed to more fully elucidate relations of causality between creek morphology and function. This intensive investigation utilises Brancaster Marsh, Norfolk as an illustrative case study. The availability of airborne laser altimetry (lidar) for this site facilitates the evaluation of alternative models of channel function. Optimality models of angular geometry are implemented at a network-scale, and cross-sectional adjustments are modelled with reference to the concept of stability shear stress. While of interest from a geomorphological perspective, the insights offered into creek morphology and function are also relevant to the field of coastal engineering. Here, they provide an empirical basis for post-project appraisal, and may lead to theoretical guidelines for the design of tidal channel networks, as an integral component of saltmarsh restoration and flood defence realignment schemes.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis work presents the analysis of Oscillometric blood pressure pulse waveform under different pressure points (Systolic, Mean Arterial, and Diastolic Pressures). Pulse waveforms' characteristics were determined from the waveforms at three different pressures and are compared for subjects at three different age groups. Estimation of blood pressure using a morphology based approach was done by using the change of pulse waveform characteristics at different pressure points. Pulse waveforms' characteristics that were obtained from pulse waveforms are utilized to estimate SBP, MAP, and DBP. The estimates obtained with pulse morphology based technique are compared with a BP measurement device and Maximum Amplitude Algorithm. Maximum slope of the pulse was also used for blood pressure estimation. The effect of movement and breathing on proposed method and MAA were compared and it was observed that breathing artifacts affect less the proposed method.