49,655 research outputs found
Problemas do discurso de Deepak Chopra: uma análise metalinguística de “A cura quântica”
No full textIn this article, our objective is to make some contributions to the debate around the “quantum mysticism” phenomenon, exploring discursive aspects that permeate an utterance with this kind of theme. To this end, we bring forth an analysis of the book Quantum healing by Deepak Chopra, based on the philosophy of the Bakhtin Circle. We investigate not only the author's argumentative strategies, but we also connect the constituent elements of this utterance (theme, structure and style) with its context of publication, production and reception. We end our arguments recognizing the incoherence that Chopra demonstrates with his intertwining of mystical and alternative conceptions with a scientific worldview, while uttering inconsistent metaphors and serious contradictions, but we also highlight that the author was able to influence the way in which concepts related to Quantum Physics circulate outside the academia.Neste artigo, nosso objetivo é contribuir para o debate sobre o misticismo quântico, explorando aspectos discursivos que permeiam um enunciado com tal tema. Para tanto, realizamos uma análise metalinguística do livro A cura quântica de Deepak Chopra, com base na filosofia da linguagem do Círculo de Bakhtin. Investigamos não apenas as estratégias argumentativas do autor, mas também conectamos os elementos constitutivos desse enunciado (tema, estrutura e estilo) com seu contexto de produção e publicação. A partir da análise reconhecemos a incoerência de Chopra ao sintetizar visões de mundo místicas e alternativas e uma visão de mundo científica repleta de metáforas inconsistentes e graves contradições, mas destacando como o autor conseguiu influenciar o modo como conceitos relacionados à Física Quântica são mobilizados fora do contexto acadêmico
N-Cadherin Regulates Cytoskeletally Associated IQGAP1/ERK Signaling and Memory Formation
No full textSummaryCadherin-mediated interactions are integral to synapse formation and potentiation. Here we show that N-cadherin is required for memory formation and regulation of a subset of underlying biochemical processes. N-cadherin antagonistic peptide containing the His-Ala-Val motif (HAV-N) transiently disrupted hippocampal N-cadherin dimerization and impaired the formation of long-term contextual fear memory while sparing short-term memory, retrieval, and extinction. HAV-N impaired the learning-induced phosphorylation of a distinctive, cytoskeletally associated fraction of hippocampal Erk-1/2 and altered the distribution of IQGAP1, a scaffold protein linking cadherin-mediated cell adhesion to the cytoskeleton. This effect was accompanied by reduction of N-cadherin/IQGAP1/Erk-2 interactions. Similarly, in primary neuronal cultures, HAV-N prevented NMDA-induced dendritic Erk-1/2 phosphorylation and caused relocation of IQGAP1 from dendritic spines into the shafts. The data suggest that the newly identified role of hippocampal N-cadherin in memory consolidation may be mediated, at least in part, by cytoskeletal IQGAP1/Erk signaling
p-n Junction Formation in i-Ge Crystal by Laser Radiation
No full textP-n junction is the main component of many semiconductor devices. Thermodiffusion, ion implantation and molecular beam epitaxy are only a few methods to form a p-n junction. The main drawback for these methods is high cost per p-n junction since the equipment for these methods is expensive. A possibility of p-n junction formation by laser radiation was shown in several p- and n-type semiconductors: p-Si[1,2], p-CdTe[3], p-InSb[4,5], p-InAs[6], p-PbSe[7] and p-Ge[8] due to inversion of conductivity type. Unfortunately, the mechanism of p-n junction formation by laser radiation is not clear until now.
In the present research rectification effect of current-voltage characteristic in pure intrinsic Ge crystal after irradiation by Nd:YAG laser was observed. The effect is characterised by threshold intensity of the laser radiation. Increase of rectification ratio of current-voltage characteristics and barrier height with intensity of the laser radiation, energy of laser radiation quanta and number of pulses was observed in this experiment. The mechanism of this phenomenon is explained by generation and redistribution of intrinsic point defects in temperature gradient field, which causes strongly absorbed laser radiation. The redistribution of defects takes place because interstitial atoms drift towards the irradiated surface, but vacancies drift in the opposite direction – in the bulk of semiconductor according to Thermogradient effect. Since interstitials in Ge crystal are of n-type and vacancies are known to be of p-type, a p-n junction is formed.
[1] Y. Mada et al. Appl. Phys. Lett., 48, pp. 1205 (1986).
[2] J. Blums et al. Physics Status Solidi (a), K91, (1995).
[3] A. Medvid’ et al., Radiat. Meas., 33, 725 (2001).
[4] I. Fujisawa, Jap., J. Appl. Phys, 19, 2137 (1980).
[5] A. Medvid‘ et al. Vacuum, 51, 245 (1998).
[6] L. Kurbatov et al. Reports of Acad. Sc.USSR, 268, 594 (1983)
[7] K.D. Tovstyuk et al. Ukrainian Journal of Physics, 21, 1918 (1984).
[8] S.G. Kiyak et al. Physics and Technics of Semiconductors, 18, 1958 (1984).
Acknowledgments.
The author gratefully acknowledges financial support in part by Europe Project in the Framework of MATERA+ project, European Regional Development Fund within the project “Sol-gel and laser technologies for the development of nanostructures and barrier structures”, the ESF Projects No. 1DP/1.1.1.2.0/09/ APIA/VIAA/142 and «Support for the implementation of doctoral studies at Riga Technical University»
Experimental investigation into the effect of substrate clamping on the piezoelectric behaviour of thick-film PZT elements
No full textThis paper details an experimental investigation of the clamping effect associated with thick-film piezoelectric elements printed on a substrate. The clamping effect reduces the measured piezoelectric coefficient, d33, of the film. This reduction is due to the influence of the d31 component in the film when a deformation of the structure occurs, by either the direct or indirect piezoelectric effect. Theoretical analysis shows a reduction in the measured d33 of 62%, i.e. a standard bulk lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-5H sample with a manufacturer specified d33 of 593pC/N would fall to 227.8pC/N. To confirm this effect, the d33 coefficients of five thin bulk PZT-5H samples of 220µm thickness were measured before and after their attachment to a metallized 96% alumina substrate. The experimental results show a reduction in d33 of 74% from 529pC/N to 139pC/N. The theoretical analysis was then applied to existing University of Southampton thick-film devices. It is estimated that the measured d33 value of 131pC/N of the thick-film devices is the equivalent of an unconstrained d33 of 345pC/N
Sphaerotheca bengaluru Deepak & Dinesh & Ohler & Shanker & Channakeshavamurthy & Ashadevi 2020, sp. nov.
No full textSphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. (Table 1, 2; Figure 1–5) Holotype: ZSI / WRC /A/2284, an adult male (SVL 47.3 mm) collected by Deepak and team on 14th July 2019 from a disturbed semi-urbanized agricultural site around Budumanahalli, (N 13.1876; E 77.5253, 850 msl), Bengaluru, Karnataka. Paratypes: ZSI / WRC /A/2285, an adult male (SVL 50.1 mm) collected by Deepak and team on 19th September 2019 from a disturbed semi urbanized agricultural site around Budumanahalli, (N 13.1973; E 77.5328, 850 msl), Bengaluru, Karnataka. ZSI / WRC /A/2286, an adult female (SVL 55.5 mm) collected by Deepak and team on 18th September 2018 from a disturbed semi urbanized agricultural site around Budumanahalli, (N 13.1937; E 77.5299, 850 msl), Bengaluru, Karnataka. Lineage diagnosis. Sphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. can be recognized phylogenetically as a member of the Sphaerotheca clade (Fig. 2), showing a sister relationship to S. pashchima Padhye, Dahanukar, Sulakhe, Dandekar, Limaye & Jamdade, 2017 with which it is allopatric in distribution and has a high level of genetic divergence (4.8 % for the 16S rRNA fragment studied). Morphological diagnosis. In the field Sphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. is sympatric with S. breviceps and can be distinguished in having a larger adult male size of SVL 48.9 mm (47.3 mm to 50.7mm), n=5 (vs. smaller adult male size SVL 30.4 mm (27.8 mm to 31.7mm), n=5); lower HL/ SVL ratio of 0.301 to 0.316, n=5 (vs. higher HL/ SVL ratio of 0.329 to 0.392, n=5); lower HW/ SVL ratio of 0.371 to 0.413, n=5 (vs. higher HW / SVL ratio of 0.421 to 0.466, n=5); lower IN/ SVL ratio of 0.060 to 0.078, n=5 (vs. higher IN / SVL ratio of 0.090 to 0.098, n=5); lower NE/ SVL ratio of 0.052 to 0.072, n=5 (vs. higher NE/ SVL ratio of 0.074 to 0.084, n=5); lower SL/ SVL ratio of 0.114 to 0.122, n=5 (vs. higher SL/ SVL ratio of 0.145 to 0.162, n=5); lower IUE / SVL ratio of 0.062 to 0.077, n=5 (vs. higher IUE / SVL ratio of 0.087 to 0.108, n=5); higher TYD / SVL ratio of 0.069 to 0.084, n=5 (vs. lower TYD / SVL ratio of 0.048 to 0.060, n=5); lower TE/ SVL ratio of 0.023 to 0.033, n=5 (vs. higher TE / SVL ratio of 0.041 to 0.058, n=5); lower FLL / SVL ratio of 0.177 to 0.218, n=5 (vs. higher FLL / SVL ratio of 0.219 to 0.274, n=5); lower FL/ SVL ratio of 0.386 to 0.428, n=5 (vs. higher FL / SVL ratio of 0.438 to 0.486, n=5); lower TiL/ SVL ratio of 0.360 to 0.394, n=5 (vs. higher TiL/ SVL ratio of 0.396 to 0.437, n=5); moderate webbing (I 0–1 II 1–1½ III 1–2 IV 2½–1 V) (vs. rudimentary webbing (I 1–2 II 1½–2½ III 2–3½ IV 4–2 V)); dorsum with specific banded colour pattern (vs. without specific banded pattern on the dorsum). Sphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. can be distinguished from its probable phylogenetic sister species S. pashchima, in having a relatively larger adult male size of SVL 48.9 mm (47.3 mm to 50.7 mm) n=5 (vs. relatively smaller adult male size SVL 44.5 mm (40.8 mm to 55.7 mm) n=7); lower HL/ SVL ratio of 0.301 to 0.316, n=5 (vs. higher HL/ SVL ratio of 0.317 to 0.353, n=7); lower IN/ SVL ratio of 0.060 to 0.078, n=5 (vs. higher IN / SVL ratio of 0.088 to 0.112, n=7); lower SL/ SVL ratio of 0.114 to 0.122, n=5 (vs. higher SL/ SVL ratio of 0.135 to 0.158, n=7); tympanum about ½ the diameter of eye (vs. tympanum about ¾rd the diameter of eye); lower FLL / SVL ratio of 0.177 to 0.218, n=5 (vs. higher FLL / SVL ratio of 0.223 to 0.289, n=7); lower IMT / SVL ratio of 0.081 to 0.095, n=5 (vs. higher IMT / SVL ratio of 0.099 to 0.108, n=7); moderate webbing (I 0-1 II 1-1½ III 1-2 IV 2½-1 V) (vs. rudimentary webbing (I 1-2 II 1-3 III 2-3½ IV 3½-2 V)); type locality predominantly a disturbed urban habitat around Bengaluru (vs. type locality from Western Ghats and predominant distribution in the mid elevations of Western Ghats to Uttaranchal). Additionally, see the comparison section below for an updated morphological key to the ‘ breviceps group’ (after Dahanukar et al. 2017). Occurrence and habitat. The new species is known from the mid-elevations of semi-urban agricultural lands of Budumanahalli, Arkere grama panchayath of Bengaluru which falls in the Deccan plateau region of India. This species is 700 km (aerial distance) from the type locality of its sister species S. pashchima which is one of the most widespread (from the Western Ghats to the foothills of Himalaya through Rajasthan) species of Sphaerotheca known from South Asia. In the field, Sphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. is sympatric with S. breviceps (type locality Tharangambadi, Tamil Nadu, India). Description of holotype ( ZSI/WRC/A/2284 ) (Fig. 3A). A moderate sized burrowing frog (SVL, 47.3 mm) with well built robust and stumpy body; head width more than head length (HW, 18.9 mm; HL, 14.2 mm); snout obtusely rounded (SL, 5.6 mm) sub-equal to eye diameter (EL, 6.4 mm); canthus rostralis bluntly angled, loreal region concave (caved in between the two raised eye balls), inter orbital space concave (IUE, 2.9 mm) less than upper eye lid (UEW, 4.8 mm) but equal to internarial distance (IN, 2.9 mm); distance between the back of eyes twice the distance in front of eyes (IFE, 6.7 mm; IBE, 14.0 mm); nostrils oval, nearer to the tip of snout than to eyes; tympanum distinct, almost half of the eye diameter visible below the sharply angled supratympanic fold (TYD, 3.3 mm) and close to the eye (TE, 1.1 mm); symphysial knob weak; vomerine ridges are closed place, left with 3 and right with 4 spiny tooth; tongue bifid without a papilla. Fore arm robust and short (FLL, 10.3 mm) slightly shorter than the hand (HAL, 11.2 mm); finger short and thin without any dermal fringes, first finger (FL1, 4.8 mm) longer than the second (FL2, 3.1 mm) and subequal to the third finger (TFL, 5.5 mm), tips blunt without any enlarged discs, webbing between fingers absent; subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded and pre-pollex tubercle distinct, supernumerary tubercles absent. Hind limbs short, just touching when folded at right angles to the body and tibio-tarsal articulation reaches the front of shoulders; femur length longer than tibia length (FL, 20.3 mm; TiL, 17.6 mm); foot length twice the length of tarsus (FOL, 20.7 mm; TAL, 8.5 mm), relative toe length I<II<V<III<IV (FTL, 10.7 mm); inner toe minute (ITL, 1.0 mm), webbing moderate (I 0–1 II 1–1½ III 1–2 IV 2½–1 V); inner metatarsal tubercle (IMT, 4.3 mm) distinct and sharp shovel shaped, outer metatarsal tubercle and supernumerary tubercles absent, tarsal tubercle prominent. In preservative, entire dorsum slightly granulated with striped and blotched colour patterns. Head dorsally with a light cream triangle, forming the spear-shaped head of a light cream band extending from tip of snout to vent on mid-dorsum. On the head, on either side of canthus rostralis a cream band from the lower surface of eye to upper lip, a cream band from the back of eye towards the front of forearm through the anterior corner of tympanum and the mouth commissural region. On either side of the body, a cream band from the back of the eye above the supratympanic fold to the region of groin. On the dorsum, dark blackish brown blotches on the light brown background. Both the fore arm and hind limbs barred, front and back of thighs with cream reticulation pattern on dark brown ground. Ventral surface granular, region of throat light brown, belly and under surface of thighs cream white (Fig. 4). In life, entire dorsum dark brown with shades of orange and ornamented blotches with a clear pattern. A triangle, spear head shaped light orange band from tip of snout extending its tail to vent with a dorsolateral streak. On the head, on either side of canthus rostralis an orange cream band from the lower surface of eye to upper lip, an orange cream band from the back of eye towards the front of forearm through the anterior corner of tympanum and the mouth commissural region. On either side of the body, a bright cream orange band from the back of the eye above the supratympanic fold to the region of groin. On the dorsum, dark blackish brown blotches on the light brown background with light cream borders. Both the fore arm and hind limbs barred, front and back of thighs with yellow reticulation pattern on dark brown ground. Eye, diamond shaped pupil black, iris light golden yellow with fine blackish reticulations (Fig. 3A). Secondary sexual characters. Among the amplected pairs, males are smaller than females (Table 1) with light grey external vocal sac on throat (Fig. 4B) and glandular nuptial pad on the inner side of the first finger (Fig. 4B). # holotype; $ paratypes; & other referred specimens Additional information from paratypes, reference collections and variations. Paratypes and reference collections ranging for male SVL from 48.1 mm to 50.7 mm and female SVL from 50.1 mm to 55.5 mm. All the specimens were similar in other morphological characters and colour pattern; morphological data are given in Table 1. Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the name ‘Bengaluru’, the type locality for the species and the species epithet is treated as a noun in apposition to the generic name. Suggested common name: “Bengaluru burrowing frog”. Distribution and natural history. Sphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. is now known only from Budumanahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru with S. breviceps as its sympatric congener. During one of our visits in July 2019, only a few female individuals were seen emerging at night and feeding actively; during August 2019, both males and females were seen showing feeding activity at night with stray calls by males during light rain; during September 2019, male and females of Sphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. and S. breviceps were seen breeding actively next to temporary mud pools (Fig. 5) during the northeast monsoon showers. Overall observations suggest that populations of both species are very limited around the type locality. Around temporary water bodies, 30 individuals were sighted in five visits. The absence of permanent water bodies and the burrowing nature of the species could explain their rarity around the type locality. The vegetation surrounding the type locality is primarily dominated by agroecosystems mixed with dry deciduous vegetation. Ponds and other water resources are seasonal and the area is under the influence of urban developmental activities. Additional sampling in the Deccan plateau is necessary to understand the range of distribution of the new species. Comparisons. The distinct morphological characters like relative large size, robust body, head wider than long, rounded snout, inter orbital space less than upper eyelid, nostrils close to snout tip, distinct tympanum half of the eye diameter, sharply angled supratympanic fold, first finger longer than the second and sub equal to third finger, tibio-tarsal articulation reaches front of shoulders, moderate webbing, distinct inner metatarsal tubercle more than twice the inner to length and dorsum with a specific colour pattern, makes the identity of Sphaerotheca bengaluru sp. nov. unique from its 10 known congeners. The new species is compared in detail only with the known sympatric species S. breviceps and the probable phylogenetic sister species S. pashchima (see morphological diagnosis section above). Additionally, the new species falls under the morphological ‘ breviceps group’ proposed by Dahanukar et al. (2017) and within the group, the new species can be identified morphologically using the following modified key of the ‘ breviceps group’. * species included in the phylogenetic analysisPublished as part of Deepak, P., Dinesh, K. P., Ohler, Annemarie, Shanker, Kartik, Channakeshavamurthy, B. H. & Ashadevi, J. S., 2020, A new species of Sphaerotheca Günther, 1859 (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from the degraded urban ecosystems of Bengaluru, Deccan Plateau, India, pp. 423-436 in Zootaxa 4885 (3) on pages 425-430, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4885.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/429681
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
NMN adenylyltransferase and poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase in bovine tissues and characterization of NMN adenylyltransferase from bull testis
No full textGreen synthesis of a redox-active riboflavin-integrated Ni-MOF and its versatile electrocatalytic applications towards oxygen evolution and reduction, and HMF oxidation reactions
No full textThe post-synthetic modification (PSM) of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with redox-active molecules under mild conditions is a highly challenging approach to modify the inherent properties of MOFs without altering their crystallinity and other characteristics. Here, we prepared a single crystal Ni-MOF with a two-dimensional rod-like morphology. Furthermore, we utilized the PSM technique to incorporate redox-active riboflavin (Rbf) in the Ni-MOF using a green and facile mechanochemical method under solvent-free conditions. The Rbf-doped Ni-MOF (Rbf-Ni-MOF) showed a 4-fold increase in conductivity compared to the pristine Ni-MOF. We employed the Rbf-Ni-MOF as a multifunctional electrocatalyst towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). As an OER electrocatalyst, the Rbf-Ni-MOF delivered a high current density of 580 mA cm−2, which is around 26-fold greater than those of Rbf and the pristine Ni-MOF. The prep..
A note on the countable extensions of separable p\sp {\omega+n}-projective abelian -groups
No full textsummary:It is proved that if is a pure -projective subgroup of the separable abelian -group for such that , then is -projective as well. This generalizes results due to Irwin-Snabb-Cutler (CommentṀathU̇nivṠtṖauli, 1986) and the author (Arch. Math. (Brno), 2005)
Sitana gokakensis Deepak & Khandekar & Chaitanya & Karanth 2018, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Sitana gokakensis</i> sp. nov. <p>Fig. 7–9 & 11; Table 3 & 4; Appendix 7 & 8</p> <p> <b>Holotype.</b> BNHS 2490, adult male (Fig. 7 & 8A) from Gokak plateau, Belagavi district, Karnataka, India (16.18618°N, 74.75952°E), 255 m elevation, collected on 0 8.08.2013 by V. Deepak and Aparna Lajmi.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes.</b> BNHS 2491, adult female (Fig. 9b; Appendix 7b) collected by V. Deepak and Aparna Lajmi; CES 141136, an adult male (Appendix 7a) collected by V. Deepak and Kunal Arekar on 12.5.15; both same collection data as holotype.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> A large sized <i>Sitana</i> with a maximum SVL of 53.1 mm, distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: 1) dewlap feebly serrated without bright orange patches in breeding males (vs well serrated with bright orange patches in breeding males in <i>S. ponticeriana</i>, <i>S. visiri</i>, <i>S. marudhamneydhal</i> and <i>S. devakai</i>); 2) dewlap extending beyond forearm insertion (vs not extending in <i>S. sivalensis, S. schleichi</i> and <i>S. fusca</i>); 3) four prominent enlarged non spine like scales bordering occipital region (vs enlarged spine like scales in <i>S. spinaecephalus</i>); 4) dewlap large sized extending up to 55% of trunk (vs up to 44 % of trunk in <i>S. laticeps</i> in southern most population which appears to be an outlier for the species; up to 29% of trunk in remaining population (Fig. 10) and vs up to 42% of trunk in <i>Sitana</i> sp1 (Fig. 10); 5) body size (male & females averaged) relatively large (SVL: mean 48.8 +/- 3.6 SE; range 42.4–53.1; n=14) vs (body size relatively small in <i>S. laticeps</i> SVL: mean 47.8 +/- 3.2 SE; range 40.7– 54.6; n=63 and in <i>S.</i> sp1 SVL: mean 46.2 +/- 3.2 SE; range 38.9–54.1; n=31 and <i>S. spinaecephalus</i> SVL: mean 47.3 +/- 3.7 SE; range 39.5– 56.6; n=25). It has to be noted here that the southernmost population of <i>S. laticeps</i> appears to have some relatively large bodied individuals (SVL: mean 50.1 +/- 4.2 SE; range 45.2–54.6; n=6) but need a larger sample size to further confirm.</p> <p> <b>Description of holotype.</b> The holotype is in good condition; hemipenis partially everted, exposed and seen on both sides when viewed dorsally (Fig. 7a). Tail entire, curved slightly towards the right; loose folds of skin on the dorsum and a small incision of 4mm to extricate tissue, are artefacts of preservation. An adult male, SVL 51.2 mm. Head relatively long (HL/SVL ratio 0.29), wide (HW/HL ratio 0.70), not depressed (HH/HL ratio 0.51), distinct from neck. Snout short (SE/HL ratio 0.39), longer than diameter of orbit (OD/SE ratio 0.73), obtusely pointed in profile when viewed dorsally (Fig. 7c); rostral much wider than high, contacted laterally on either side by first supralabial, a prenasal and dorsally by two smaller, keeled scales (Fig. 7e). Canthus rostralis and supraciliary edge, sharp. Nostril roughly circular, laterally positioned and placed in the centre of a large, undivided nasal. Nasal scale bordered by eight scales on either side: one supranasal, three postnasals, one prenasal, the last two scales form a series of enlarged scales bordering the supralabials and a small scale separates them from the first supralabial. Ten supralabials on the right side (11 on left side), first slightly higher than others, broader than long, roughly rectangular, rest more elongate, weakly keeled, bordered above by a row of slightly smaller, rectangular, weakly keeled scales, which start at posterior margin of first supralabial, decreasing in size posteriorly and terminating after the posterior margin of orbit. Twelve infralabials on the right side (13 on left), first slightly smaller, the rest elongate, keeled increasing in size posteriorly. Loreal region concave, with scales of heterogeneous shape and size. Canthals enlarged, overlapping, slightly protruding on supraorbital ridge laterally. Eye large (ED/HL ratio 0.27); pupil rounded, covered under the eyelids; eyelids covered with scales that are heterogeneous in shape and size; larger scales on the upper eyelids, keeled, elongate and bluntly pointed, rest smooth; supraciliaries longer than broad. Orbital scales small but not granular. Scales on postorbital and temporal region, heterogeneous, sub- imbricate, strongly keeled, directed backward and upwards. Tympanum naked. Scales on dorsal surface of snout, forehead, interorbital and occipital region highly heterogeneous in size, shape, mostly elongate, strongly keeled longitudinally (Fig. 7c); scales on snout large in size, those on forehead slightly larger, interorbital region largest; occipital region with much smaller imbricate scales relative to other dorsal head scales; four relatively enlarged scales on a transverse row in the occiput region; nine scales anterior and 14 scales posterior of eyelids in the interorbital region; supraorbital scales along the supraciliary edge elongate, keeled, decreasing in size posteriorly, following curvature of orbit. Parietals larger than surrounding scales, longer than broad, tricarinate, separated from each other by two inter-parietal scales; anterior large, roughly triangular, tricarinate; posterior roughly pentagonal, bicarinate, with distinctly visible pineal eye. Parietals and the posterior inter-parietal part of a series of nine large, strongly keeled scales traversing the forehead. Mental shield narrower than rostral, roughly pentagonal, pointed posteriorly, a pair of roughly hexagonal postmentals, slightly shorter than mental, completely divided by a smaller gular scale (Fig. 7d); scales on the gular region homogenous in shape, those behind mental smooth, increasing in size and carination posteriorly. Dewlap large (DEWL/SVL ratio 0.69), extends posteriorly over 55% of trunk, extending much beyond axilla (Fig. 7b); about nine rows of anterior dewlap scales smaller, elongate, pointed, keeled; remainder of scales much enlarged, keeled, pointed, gradually increasing in size towards margin; single marginal row largest with lanceolate scales. Enlarged scales on dewlap in 23 rows. Nuchal and dorsal crest absent (Fig. 7a). Scales on nuchal region smaller, less than half the size of those on interorbital region, imbricate, strongly keeled. Body slender, 60 rows of scales around midbody; vertebral scale row with 46 scales, vertebral scale row partially paired and alternating. Five enlarged dorsal scale rows, on either side of the vertebral scale row (except in 3 places the five rows on either side are in contact with each other), the 5 dorsal scale rows starts from back of neck until groin, sub equal in size and shape, imbricate, pointed, keeled, directed backwards forming regularly arranged longitudinal rows; scales on flanks heterogeneous in size, shape, smaller than those on back, pointed, keeled, upper rows directed backwards and upwards, lower rows backwards and downwards; ventral scales subimbricate, keeled, homogenous in size and shape, arranged in 101 rows. Fore and hindlimbs relatively slender, tibia short (CL/SVL ratio 0.33); digits moderately long, ending in strong, elongate, slightly recurved claw; inter-digital webbing absent; subdigital lamellae entire, bi-mucronate, 22 subdigital lamellae on toe IV including claw sheath; relative length of right fingers 3> 4> 2> 5> 1, right toes 4> 3> 2> 1. Fore and hindlimbs covered above and below with regularly arranged, enlarged, pointed, strongly keeled, scales. Tail long (TL/SVL ratio 2.35), entire, base swollen, uniformly covered with similar sized, keeled, pointed, regularly arranged, backwardly directed imbricate scales; subcaudal scales keeled, weakly pointed near base, becoming pointed posteriorly.</p> <p> <b>Colour of holotype in life.</b> Head darker than body, dorsum of the torso dark brown, darker compared to flank and tail (Fig. 7a). Neck region with blue and dark pink colouration. Iris yellow in colour, tympanum cream coloured. Dorsum with five black blotches the one on neck darker. Flank region brick red colour with mottled dark brown patches. Enlarged scales on the flank and thigh cream in colour. Belly off white in colour with brown speckles on most scales. Forelimbs and hindlimbs dark brown suffused with red on dorsal side, cream patch on the back of thigh extending to the saccaral region and pale on the ventral side. Lower jaws cream mostly, dark blue colouration starts from the mentum (on 7–8 horizontal scale rows (Fig. 7d) and extends along midline of dewlap. Dewlap white, each scale on dewlap with clustered brown speckles.</p> <p> <b>Colour of holotype in preservative.</b> Head dark brown, darker than the body—with scattered blue patches on the neck. Two broken black stripes start below the eye approximately in the middle directed downwards that broaden and end after the forearm insertion. Tympanum cream coloured, slightly lighter than the surrounding scales with small light brown speckles. Dorsum dark brown with two black blotches on the neck; 3 broad, dark brown bars at the tail base and multiple smaller bars found throughout the tail. The five enlarged rows of scales on the dorsum flanking the vertebral scale rows dark brown coloured, a pale brown broken white stripe starting from neck bordering enlarged scale row on the dorsum ends near the tail base, upper 3 /4th of the flanks dark brown with mixed light brown scales, the lower end of flanks paler. Venter mottled with brown on off white scales. Brown bars present on the dorsal side of limbs. Tail with dark brown bands throughout. Enlarged scales on dewlap with dark brown/black spots, mottled, with some scales having dark brown/black spots with a white spot in the center. Throat region on either side of the enlarged scale on dewlap off white with bluish dark gray /black speckles and the dark blue colouration on the throat is prominent 5 scales after the mentum and its surrounding scales, the rest are faint bluish gray.</p> <p> <b>Variation in paratypes.</b> The two paratypes agree with the holotype in overall scalation with some exceptions. CES 141136 has 101 ventral scales and 32 belly ventral scales, 58 mid-body scales, 49 dorsal scales, one less infralabial on each side and one additional supralabial on the left. The female BNHS 2491 agrees with the holotype in overall scalation except that it lacks a dewlap, and has 67 ventral scales, one less infralabial on each side. CES 141136 differs in colouration from the holotype in having a light brown dorsum (an artefact of preservation), four distinct dark brown patches on the dorsum the first one darker. No blue patches on the neck. The stripe below the eye, indistinguishable compared to the surrounding scale, only a short light brown stripe ends near the forearm insertion. Blue line on the dewlap/throat darker than the holotype. Broad bands are present throughout the tail. BNHS 2491 differs in colouration from the holotype in having head colouration similar to body, three rhomboidal/ oval patterns on the dorsum, pale white stripe on the dorsum absent. Head brown with patches of brick red and grey (likely due to shedding scales), no blue patches on the neck. Throat region pale white in colour with dark black spots and speckles. One rhomboidal marking on the dorsum of tail base.</p> <p> <b>Variation in live colouration.</b> Most of the male specimens collected during this study matched with the</p> <p>holotype in live colouration. There were some specimens which were different from the rest which we describe</p> <p>herein. Three out of the ten breeding males were found with blue colouration on the upper eyelids. Seven out of the ten males observed in-situ had mostly dark pink and tinge of blue on the nuchal region. The fifth scale on the enlarged scale rows flanking vertebral scales on the dorsum was bordered with continuous cream coloured/reddish stripe starting from neck till the vent (e.g, see Fig. 9 a,b,d), in some individuals these stripes were broken. The rhomboidal patch on the neck was single in many individuals but the 5 rhomboid patches on the dorsum were separated by a cream line on the vertebral region (e.g, see Fig. 9c). One of the adult males had blue colouration on the tail which became prominent immediately after euthanization (Appendix 8).</p> <p> <b>Hemipenial morphology.</b> Four samples were examined (CES 141136 – 141139). Hemipenis bilobed, relatively small, longer than wide and shallowly forked. Sulcus spermaticus bifurcated and the fork continues onto the apical lobes (Fig. 11a). Sulcal lips raised and papillate, sulcus smooth originating from the side of the base. Apex with small serrated row of calyces and the sulcal region of apex nude (Fig. 11d), medial projection absent. Ornamentation is differentiated and combination of flounces and calyces observed. Papillae present between the apical lobes. Apical regions on the lobes of sulcal side calyces are serrated and continuous; calyces are relatively larger and non-serrated at the base of the lobes (Fig. 11a,b). Calyces are deep regular pits on the asulcal side and become shallow at basal region (Fig. 11b). Ridges between the calyces are thin and show micro-ornamentation which are scalloped. Flounces present, eight to ten in number, all prominent on the asulcal side (Fig. 11B,C).</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet is an adjectival toponym and refers to the Gokak plateau of Belagavi district in Karnataka, to which this species is endemic.</p> <p> <b>Suggested common name.</b> Gokak fan-throated lizard.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> <i>Sitana gokakensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is endemic to Gokak plateau in Belagavi district, Karnataka (Fig. 1). The samples collected from north and south outside this plateau (Nipani, Ramdurga, Bagalkot) were of <i>S. laticeps</i>. The Ghataprabha is a rocky river and a potential geographical barrier for this species.</p> <p> <b>Habitat and natural history.</b> <i>Sitana gokakensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is only known from the open rocky habitat in Gokak plateau (Fig. 12). Gokak hills receives 820 mm of average annual rainfall. The habitat is xeric and is dominated by thorny and dwarf succulent species (Malpure <i>et al</i>. 2016). The recently described <i>Euphorbia gokakensis</i> Yadav,</p> <p> Malpure, Chandore, 2016 is endemic to this plateau which is found alongside other succulents such as <i>E. antiquorum</i> L., <i>E. caducifolia</i> Haines and <i>Opuntia elatior</i> Mill. and non-succulents like <i>Mundulea sericea</i> (Willd.) A.Chev. (Malpure <i>et al</i>. 2016). <i>Ophisops</i> sp and <i>Hemidactylus murrayi</i> Gleadow, 1887 are the two sympatric lizards found in this plateau. Breeding males were recorded during May and August months.</p>Published as part of <i>Deepak, V., Khandekar, Akshay, Chaitanya, R. & Karanth, Praveen, 2018, Descriptions of two new endemic and cryptic species of Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from peninsular India, pp. 327-365 in Zootaxa 4434 (2)</i> on pages 336-343, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4434.2.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1290584">http://zenodo.org/record/1290584</a>
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