| 释义 |
adaptation
ad·ap·ta·tion A0078200 (ăd′ăp-tā′shən)n.1. a. The act or process of adapting.b. The state of being adapted.2. a. Something, such as a device or mechanism, that is changed or changes so as to become suitable to a new or special application or situation.b. A composition that has been recast into a new form: The play is an adaptation of a short novel.3. Biology a. Change or adjustment in structure or habits by which a species becomes better able to function in its environment, occurring through the course of evolution by means of natural selection.b. A structure or habit that results from this process.4. Physiology The responsive adjustment of a sense organ, such as the eye, to varying conditions, such as light intensity.5. Change in behavior of a person or group in response to new or modified surroundings.
ad′ap·ta′tion·al adj.ad′ap·ta′tion·al·ly adv.adaptation (ˌædəpˈteɪʃən; ˌædæp-) n1. the act or process of adapting or the state of being adapted; adjustment2. something that is produced by adapting something else3. something that is changed or modified to suit new conditions or needs4. (Biology) biology an inherited or acquired modification in organisms that makes them better suited to survive and reproduce in a particular environment5. (Physiology) physiol the decreased response of a sense organ to a repeated or sustained stimulus6. (Psychology) psychol (in learning theory) the weakening of a response to a stimulus with repeated presentation of the stimulus without reinforcement; applied mainly to innate responses7. (Social Welfare) social welfare alteration to a dwelling to make it suitable for a disabled person, as by replacing steps with rampsad•ap•ta•tion (ˌæd əpˈteɪ ʃən)
n. 1. the act of adapting or the state of being adapted. 2. something produced by adapting: an adaptation of a play for television. 3. a. any beneficial alteration in an organism resulting from natural selection by which the organism survives and multiplies in its environment. b. a form or structure modified to fit a changed environment. c. the ability of a species to survive in a particular ecological niche, esp. because of alterations of form or behavior brought about through natural selection. 4. the decrease in response of sensory receptor organs, as those of vision or touch, to changed, constantly applied environmental conditions. 5. the regulating by the pupil of the quantity of light entering the eye. 6. a slow, usu. unconscious modification of individual or collective behavior in adjusting to cultural surroundings. [1600–10; < Medieval Latin adaptātiō < Latin adaptā(re) to adapt] ad`ap•ta′tion•al, adj. ad`ap•ta′tion•al•ly, adv. ad·ap·ta·tion (ăd′ăp-tā′shən) A change or adjustment in an animal or plant that increases its chance of survival in a specific environment. Adaptation can involve changes in a body part or in behavior: Wings are an adaptation of the forelimbs of a bird for flight.Did You Know? The gazelle is extremely fast, and the cheetah is even faster. These traits are adaptations—characteristics or behaviors that give an organism an edge in the struggle for survival. Darwinian theory holds that adaptations are the result of a two-stage process: random variation and natural selection. Random variation results from slight genetic differences. For example, one cheetah in a group may be slightly faster than the others and thus have a better chance of catching a gazelle. The faster cheetah therefore has a better chance of being well-fed and living long enough to produce offspring. Since the cheetah's young have the same genes that made this parent fast, they are more likely to be fast than the young of slower cheetahs. The process is repeated in each generation, and thereby great speed becomes an adaptation common to cheetahs. This same process of natural selection also favors the fastest gazelles.Adaptation cut the coat according to the cloth To live within one’s means; to adapt one-self to a situation. The implication is that given only enough cloth to make a waistcoat or vest, one cannot make a full-length coat. Thus, someone with limited funds should be prudent about expenses and not attempt to live beyond his means. Though first cited in the 16th century, the expression was already in common use at the time. I shall cut my coat after the cloth. (John Hey wood, Dialogue Containing Proverbs and Epigrams, 1562) stretch one’s legs according to the coverlet To live within one’s means; to adjust to a situation, especially a financial one. This uncommon expression alludes to the way in which one must conform to an undersized bed, being sure not to extend himself beyond the bounds of his coverlet, or bedspread. Figuratively, the expression implies that one must be certain not to overextend himself beyond his resources. trim one’s sails To reshape or alter one’s opinion, position, or policy to fit the situation; to adapt one-self to the circumstances or the times. To trim the sails was originally a nautical expression meaning to adjust the sails of a ship according to the direction of the wind and the course of the vessel in order to gain the greatest possible advantage. adaptationAn inherited feature that increases an organism’s chances of survival.Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  adaptation - a written work (as a novel) that has been recast in a new form; "the play is an adaptation of a short novel"versionpiece of writing, written material, writing - the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); "the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing"modernization - a modernized version (as of a play)versification - a metrical adaptation of something (e.g., of a prose text) | | 2. |  adaptation - the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions)adaption, adjustmentacclimation, acclimatisation, acclimatization - adaptation to a new climate (a new temperature or altitude or environment)dedifferentiation - the loss of specialization in form or functiondomestication - adaptation to intimate association with human beingsbiological process, organic process - a process occurring in living organismsspecialisation, specialization, differentiation - (biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function; "cell differentiation in the developing embryo" | | 3. |  adaptation - (physiology) the responsive adjustment of a sense organ (as the eye) to varying conditions (as of light)dark adaptation - the process of adjusting the eyes to low levels of illumination; cones adapt first; rods continue to adapt for up to four hourslight adaptation - the process of adjusting the eyes to relatively high levels of illumination; the pupil constricts and the cones system is operativemodification, adjustment, alteration - the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)physiology - the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms |
adaptationnoun1. acclimatization, naturalization, habituation, familiarization, accustomedness Most creatures are capable of adaptation when necessary.2. conversion, change, shift, variation, adjustment, transformation, modification, alteration, remodelling, reworking, refitting He won two awards for his screen adaptation of the play.adaptationnoun1. The act of making suitable to an end or the condition of being made suitable to an end:accommodation, adaption, adjustment, conformation.2. Biology. Adjustment to a changing environment:acclimation, acclimatization.Translationsadapt (əˈdӕpt) verb to change or alter (so as to fit a different situation etc). She always adapted easily to new circumstances; He has adapted the play for television. 使適應，改編 使适应，改编 ˌadapˈtation (ӕ-) noun 適應，改編本 适应，改编本 aˈdaptable adjective willing or able to change to fit in with different circumstances. Children are usually very adaptable. 能適應的 能适应的aˌdaptaˈbility noun 適應性 适应性aˈdaptor noun a device which enables an electrical plug of one type to be used in a socket of another type, or several plugs to be used in the same socket at the same time. 轉接器 接续器adaptation
adaptation, in biology, has several meanings. It can mean the adjustment of living matter to environmental conditions and to other living things either in an organism's lifetime (physiological adaptation) or in a population over many many generations (evolutionary adaptation). The word can also refer to a trait that is considered an adaptation. The ability to adapt is a fundamental property of life and constitutes a basic difference between living and nonliving matter. Most living things require free oxygen from the air or from water, but yeasts, many bacteria, and some other simple forms obtain the oxygen required for oxidation from molecules of substances that contain the element. Various animals and plants are adapted for securing their food and for surviving the extremes of temperature and of water supply in desert, tropical, and polar regions. For most organisms the optimum temperature is between about 20°C; (68°F;) and 40°C; (104°F;). Some algaealgae
[plural of Lat. alga=seaweed], a large and diverse group of primarily aquatic plantlike organisms. These organisms were previously classified as a primitive subkingdom of the plant kingdom, the thallophytes (plants that lack true roots, stems, leaves, and flowers).
..... Click the link for more information. and protozoansprotozoan
, informal term for the unicellular heterotrophs of the kingdom Protista. Protozoans comprise a large, diverse assortment of microscopic or near-microscopic organisms that live as single cells or in simple colonies and that show no differentiation into tissues.
..... Click the link for more information. live in hot springs, and some bacteriabacteria
[pl. of bacterium], microscopic unicellular prokaryotic organisms characterized by the lack of a membrane-bound nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Once considered a part of the plant kingdom, bacteria were eventually placed in a separate kingdom, Monera.
..... Click the link for more information. can survive freezing or survive on chemicals, without light, in the ocean depths. Cacti can survive heat and drought. Certain fish and other aquatic animals live in deep water and are so specialized to withstand the great pressure that they burst if lifted to sea level. Animals show anatomical adaptations—e.g., the body of the fish is suited to life in the water; the body of the bird is adapted for flight; and the land mammals show a wide variation in the structure of limbs and body that enables some to run swiftly, some to climb, some to swing from tree to tree, some to glide through the air, and others to jump. The whale, an aquatic mammal, can adjust to great pressure changes at different levels in the water. The beaks of birds vary in shape and size according to what they feed on—e.g., on seeds, on insects, on aquatic animals, or on small mammals. The feet and legs of birds also show modifications that fit them for perching, for wading, or for paddling through the water. Adaptive coloration is observed in many animals (see protective colorationprotective coloration,
coloration or color pattern of an animal that affords it protection from observation either by its predators or by its prey. The most widespread form of protective coloration is called cryptic resemblance, in which various effects that supplement the
..... Click the link for more information. ). Among communal insects, such as ants and honeybees, the individuals are highly adapted to perform their functions in the community. It is believed by many scientists that life originated in the sea and that through gradual evolutionary changes some forms became adapted to life on land. Variations may arise as a result of mutationmutation,
in biology, a sudden, random change in a gene, or unit of hereditary material, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any change in the delicate balance of an organism having a high level of adaptation to its environment
..... Click the link for more information. , or of recombinations of the genes in the germ cells. Such variations are inherited (see geneticsgenetics,
scientific study of the mechanism of heredity. While Gregor Mendel first presented his findings on the statistical laws governing the transmission of certain traits from generation to generation in 1856, it was not until the discovery and detailed study of the
..... Click the link for more information. ). Those that aid the organism to meet the conditions of a changing environment or help it in its competition with other living things enable it to survive and reproduce, the changes thus being passed on from one generation to another and in this way perhaps producing a new species. See ecologyecology,
study of the relationships of organisms to their physical environment and to one another. The study of an individual organism or a single species is termed autecology; the study of groups of organisms is called synecology.
..... Click the link for more information. ; evolutionevolution,
concept that embodies the belief that existing animals and plants developed by a process of gradual, continuous change from previously existing forms. This theory, also known as descent with modification, constitutes organic evolution.
..... Click the link for more information. ; selectionselection.
In Darwinism, the mechanism of natural selection is considered of major importance in the process of evolution. Popular formulations sometimes envisage a struggle for existence in which direct competition for mates or for various factors in the environment (e.g.
..... Click the link for more information. . Adaptation (biology) A characteristic of an organism that makes it fit for its environment or for its particular way of life. For example, the Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) is well adapted for living in a very cold climate. Appropriately, it has much thicker fur than similar-sized mammals from warmer places; measurement of heat flow through fur samples demonstrates that the Arctic fox and other arctic mammals have much better heat insulation than tropical species. Consequently, Arctic foxes do not have to raise their metabolic rates as much as tropical mammals do at low temperatures. The insulation is so effective that Arctic foxes can maintain their normal deep body temperatures of 100°F (38°C) even when the temperature of the environment falls to -112°F (-80°C). Thus, thick fur is obviously an adaptation to life in a cold environment. See Thermoregulation In contrast to that clear example, it is often hard to be sure of the effectiveness of what seems to be an adaptation. For example, the scombrid fishes (tunnies and mackerel) seem to be adapted to fast, economical swimming. The body has an almost ideal streamlined shape. However, some other less streamlined-looking fishes are equally fast for their sizes. There are no measurements of the energy cost of scombrid swimming, but measurements on other species show no clear relationship between energy cost and streamlining. Evolution by natural selection tends to increase fitness, making organisms better adapted to their environment and way of life. It might be inferred that this would ultimately lead to perfect adaptation, but this is not so. It must be remembered that evolution proceeds by small steps. For example, squids do not swim as well as fish. The squid would be better adapted for swimming if it evolved a fishlike tail instead of its jet propulsion mechanism, but evolution cannot make that change because it would involve moving down from the lesser adaptive summit before climbing the higher one. AdaptationIn lighting design, the process by which the human visual system becomes accustomed to more or less light, resulting from a change in the sensitivity of the eye to light.adaptation the way in which social systems of any kind (e.g. a family group, a business firm, a nation state) ‘manage’ or respond to their environment. According to Talcott PARSONS,‘adaptation’ is one of four FUNCTIONAL PREREQUISITES which all social systems must satisfy if they are to survive. He argues that in industrial societies the need for adaptation is satisfied through the development of a specialized subsystem, the economy. See also NEOEVOLUTIONISM.Adaptation the process of accommodation of the structure and functions of organisms (individuals, populations, and species) and their organs to the conditions of the environment. At the same time, any adaptation is also a result—that is, a concrete historical stage of adaptogenesis, the adaptive process occurring in specific habitats (biotopes) and their corresponding complexes of animal and plant species (biocenoses). The existence of adaptation in living nature was known to biologists of the past. In the 18th century, deistic biologists developed a concept according to which the phenomenon of adaptation indicates that there is in living nature a certain primordial purposefulness, in the sense of an immanent property of forms of life. This meant a rejection of the materialistic, causative, and deterministic explanation of the phenomenon of adaptation. The theory of primordial purposefulness was refuted only in the second half of the 19th century by Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwin established in 1859 that the evolution of forms of life (primarily, of species) is brought about by the evolution of their adaptations to the environment. Since that time, the view has become established in biology that adaptation is not something inherent in organisms and imparted to them beforehand but, rather, that it always arises and develops under the influence of the three basic factors of organic evolution—variability, heredity, and natural selection (as well as artificial selection—that is, selection carried out by man). Related to the evolutionary historical aspect of adaptation are nonhereditary adaptive reactions of the organism (modifications) in response to changes in the conditions of life. The adaptiveness of its organization ensures the survival of any organism, increases its rate of reproduction, and lowers its mortality rate. Adaptation is most clearly manifested in the dynamic correspondence of the morphophysiologic organization and adaptive reactions of an animal or plant to the typical and most important conditions of the environment in which this organism has developed. The form and function of all organs, as well as of their sum total in an organism, are always correlated and coadapted—that is, they correspond to each other. For example, in many cases the protective coloration of insects matches the typical “resting posture” assumed by the insect when it settles on the surface that conceals it. Analysis of the organization of any animal or plant always reveals an amazing correspondence of the form and functions of the organism to the conditions of its environment. Thus, among marine mammals, dolphins possess the most perfect adaptations to rapid movement in an aqueous medium: they are torpedo-shaped and have a special structure of the skin and subcutaneous cellular tissue that increases the body’s streamlining and, consequently, the speed of sliding through the water. The investigation of the mechanisms of adaptation of various forms of life for the purpose of using them as models for the development of various technological devices is the main goal of bionics. Within each group of organisms, a more thorough study of adaptations and their classification is possible. For example, adaptations in mammals can be grouped according to type of habitat (terrestrial forms, or chthonobionts; soil-inhabiting forms, or edaphobionts; arboreal forms, or dendrobionts; aquatic forms, or hydrobionts; aerial forms, or aviabionts; and so on), according to form of nutrition (granivores, herbivores, carnivores, and so on), or according to means of locomotion (leaping, running, climbing, and burrowing forms), among others. The organization of mammals is characterized by adaptations that correspond strictly to their ecologic features—that is, it is comprehensively adapted to all the principal conditions of life. Thus, the European mole (Talpa europaea ) has a cylindrical body, powerful forelegs with strongly developed claws, whose position fully corresponds to their burrowing function, and a vertical orientation of the hairs (the spines of the hairs do not curve back at the top, as in chthonobionts), which permits the mole to move easily both forward and backward through a narrow subterranean passage. Strict adaptation to the principal environmental conditions is very typical and widespread in all groups of organisms, including plants. The structure and form of the root system, the stem, the leaves, and especially the reproductive organs are characterized by a marked adaptation. The study of the organs of sexual reproduction of phanerogams provides the most striking examples of morphological and functional adaptation. The blossoms of many plants are adapted to pollination by definite species of insects or birds. If there is a change in the conditions of life, adaptation may lose its adaptive value. In such cases, the relative nature of adaptation becomes clearly apparent. Thus, the incisors of a hare maintained for a long time on a soft diet grow excessively. Partridges who have not yet replaced their summer plumage by winter plumage are easily visible in an early snow. Animal behavior also does not always correspond to the concrete conditions of life. The sources of evolutionary historic adaptation are hereditary or genetic changes, mutations, which are characterized by an enormous diversity, just as the diversity of changes in the material basis of heredity—deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)—is inexhaustible. However, the accumulation over generations of even minor mutational changes does not lead to adaptation but, on the contrary, has a disintegrating effect: it disrupts the adaptive organization that has become established in the history of any animal or plant species. I. I. Shmal’gauzen (1942, 1946) used this fact as evidence in favor of the proposition that adaptation cannot be reduced to a mutational process and regarded as an elementary consequence of rearrangements of DNA. A dialectical contradiction thus arises between mutations and adaptation (as a historical process); this contradiction can be resolved only by selection, which transforms the mutational shifts and changes into adaptation. Since the crossing of individuals of every animal and plant species (including the self-pollinators) results in genetic combinations, selection proceeds not according to mutant characteristics but according to combinational forms. A natural heterozygosis becomes established in populations, under whose conditions the adaptive morphophysiological organization bases itself not on mutations but, rather, on combinations. The heterozygosis of populations characterizes their morphophysiological unity, the community of their species characteristics. This principle of the interrelations between mutations and adaptation (including the adaptation of domestic forms of animals and plants under conditions of artificial selection) has also been accepted in agriculture: the more heterozygous a breed is, the more stable it is. Thus, mutations and their combination under the control of selection become the source of adaptation, while selection takes on the significance of the leading creative factor in the adaptive organization of the forms of life. REFERENCESKislovskii, D. “Problema porody i ee uluchsheniia.” Trudy Moskovskogo zootekhnicheskogo instituta, vol. 2, 1935.
Shmal’gauzen, I. I. Organizm kak tseloe v individual’nom i is toricheskom razvitii. Moscow-Leningrad, 1942.
Shmal’gauzen, I.I. Faktory evoliutsii. Moscow-Leningrad, 1968.
Cott, H. Prisposobitel’naia okraska zhivotnykh. Moscow, 1950. (Translated from English.)
Darwin, C. “Proiskhozhdenie vidov. . . .” Works, vol. 3. Moscow-Leningrad, 1939.
Zelikman, A. L. “Organicheskaia tselesoobraznost’ i estestvennyi otbor.” In the collection Sovremennye problemy evoliutsionnoi teorii. Leningrad, 1967.
Paramonov, A. A. “Puti i zakonomernosti evoliutsionnogo protsessa.” Sovremennye problemy evoliutsionnoi teorii. Leningrad, 1967.A. A. PARAMONOV adaptation[‚a‚dap′tā·shən] (genetics) Adjustment to new or altered environmental conditions by changes in genotype (natural selection) or phenotype. (physiology) The occurrence of physiological changes in an individual exposed to changed conditions; for example, tanning of the skin in sunshine, or increased red blood cell counts at high altitudes. adaptationThe process by which the eye changes sensitivity and becomes accustomed to more or less light than it was exposed to during an immediately preceding period.adaptation1. Biology an inherited or acquired modification in organisms that makes them better suited to survive and reproduce in a particular environment 2. Physiol the decreased response of a sense organ to a repeated or sustained stimulus 3. Psychol (in learning theory) the weakening of a response to a stimulus with repeated presentation of the stimulus without reinforcement; applied mainly to innate responses 4. Social welfare alteration to a dwelling to make it suitable for a disabled person, as by replacing steps with ramps
See adaptationadaptation
adaptation [ad″ap-ta´shun] 1. a dynamic, ongoing, life-sustaining process by which living organisms adjust to environmental changes.2. adjustment of the pupil to light.biological adaptation the adaptation of living things to environmental factors for the ultimate purpose of survival, reproduction, and an optimal level of functioning.color adaptation 1. changes in visual perception of color with prolonged stimulation.2. adjustment of vision to degree of brightness or color tone of illumination.dark adaptation adaptation of the eye to vision in the dark or in reduced illumination.light adaptation adaptation of the eye to vision in the sunlight or in bright illumination (photopia), with reduction in the concentration of the photosensitive pigments of the eye.physiological adaptation the ongoing process by which internal body functions are regulated and adjusted to maintain homeostasis in the internal environment.psychological adaptation the ongoing process, anchored in the emotions and intellect, by which humans sustain a balance in their mental and emotional states of being and in their interactions with their social and cultural environments.social adaptation adjustment and adaptation of humans to other individuals and community groups working together for a common purpose.ad·ap·ta·tion (ad'ap-tā'shŭn), Avoid the incorrect form adaption.1. Preferential survival of members of a species because of a phenotype that enhances their capacity to withstand the environment, including the ecology. 2. An advantageous change in function or constitution of an organ or tissue to meet new conditions. 3. Adjustment of the sensitivity of the retina to light intensity. 4. A property of certain sensory receptors that modifies the response to repeated or continued stimuli at constant intensity. 5. The fitting, condensing, or contouring of a restorative material, foil, or shell to a tooth or cast to ensure close contact. 6. The dynamic process by which the thoughts, feelings, behavior, and biophysiologic mechanisms of the person continually adjust to a constantly changing environment. Synonym(s): adjustment (2) 7. A homeostatic response. [L. ad-apto, pp. -atus, to adjust] adaptation (ăd′ăp-tā′shən)n.1. a. The act or process of adapting.b. The state of being adapted.2. Biology a. The alteration or adjustment in structure or habits, often occurring through natural selection, by which a species or individual becomes better able to function in its environment.b. A structure or habit that results from this process.3. Physiology The responsive adjustment of a sense organ, such as the eye, to varying conditions, such as light intensity.4. Change in behavior of a person or group in response to new or modified surroundings.
ad′ap·ta′tion·al adj.ad′ap·ta′tion·al·ly adv.adaptation Cell biology
The constellation of processes by which an organism adjusts to a new or altered environment in response to stress and increased physiologic demands.
Dentistry
(1) The proper fitting of a denture.
(2) The degree of proximity and interlocking of restorative material to a tooth ‘prep’.
Evolutionary biology
A phenotypic feature which improves the reproductive success of a species.
Microbiology
The adjustment of bacteria to a new or altered environment.
Molecular biology
The change in the response of a subcellular system over time; functional or structural changes that allow an organism to respond to changes in the environment; the ability to physiologically adjust to a new environment—typically, cells de-adapt when transferred to different growth conditions.
Ophthalmology
The ability of the eye to adjust to variations in light intensity.
Orthodontics
An adjustment of corrective bands resulting in a shifting of the teeth.
Physiology
A reduction in the frequency of neuronal firing under conditions of constant stimulation.adaptation Opthalmology The ability of the eye to adjust to variations in light intensity Psychology The fitting of behavior to the environment by modifying one's impulses, emotions, or attitudes. See Social adaptation. ad·ap·ta·tion (ad'ap-tā'shŭn) 1. Preferential survival of members of a species because of a phenotype that gives them an enhanced capacity to withstand the environment. 2. An advantageous change in function or constitution of an organ or tissue to meet new conditions. 3. Adjustment of the sensitivity of the retina to light intensity. 4. A property of certain sensory receptors that modifies the response to repeated or continued stimuli at constant intensity. 5. dentistry The fitting, condensing, or contouring of a restorative material, foil, or shell to a tooth or cast so as to ensure close contact. 6. The dynamic process wherein the thoughts, feelings, behavior, and biophysiologic mechanisms of a person continually change to adjust to a constantly changing environment. 7. A homeostatic response. 8. occupational therapy the ability to anticipate, correct for, and benefit by learning from the consquences of errors that arise during task performances. [L. ad-apto, pp. -atus, to adjust]adaptation 1. Adjustment of sensitivity, usually in the direction of reduction, as a result of repeated stimulation. 2. The adjustment of an organism, including man, in part or in whole, to changes in environment or to external stress. Adaptation is an essential feature of all living things and the likelihood of survival often depends on how effectively it operates. adaptation 1. Process by which a sensory organ (e.g. the eye) adjusts to its environment (e.g. to luminance, colour or contact lens wear). 2. The reduction in sensitivity to continuous sensory stimulation. The neurophysiological correlate corresponds to a decrease in the frequency of action potentials fired by a neuron, despite a stimulus of constant magnitude. Visual adaptation is prevented from occurring by the continuous involuntary movements of the eyes. See fixation movements; action potential; stabilized retinal image.
chromatic adaptation Apparent changes in hue and saturation after prolonged exposure to a field of a specific colour.
dark adaptation Adjustment of the eye (particularly regeneration of visual pigments and dilatation of the pupil), such that, after observation in the dark, the sensitivity to light is greatly increased, i.e. the threshold response to light is decreased. This is a much slower process than light adaptation. Older people usually take longer to adapt to darkness and only reach a higher threshold than young people. See adaptometer; hemeralopia; visual pigment; duplicity theory.
light adaptation Adjustment of the eye (particularly bleaching of visual pigments and constriction of the pupil), such that, after observation of a bright field, the sensitivity to light is diminished, i.e. the threshold of luminance is increased. See duplicity theory.
prism adaptation See vergence adaptation.
sensory adaptation Mechanism by which the visual system adjusts to avoid confusion and diplopia of the perceptual impression due to an abnormal motor condition (e.g. strabismus).
vergence adaptation A process by which the eyes return to their condition of habitual heterophoria or orthophoria after a heterophoria has been induced by prisms (prism adaptation) in front of one or both eyes (as, for example, when lens centration does not coincide with the interpupillary distance), or by spherical lenses, or due to changes in the orbital contents with increasing age. This adaptation process may be related to the phenomenon of orthophorization. People who have symptomatic binocular vision anomalies do not, or only partially, show vergence adaptation to prisms. Vergence adaptation decreases with increasing age.ad·ap·ta·tion (ad'ap-tā'shŭn) Avoid the incorrect form adaption.1. The fitting, condensing, or contouring of a restorative material, foil, or shell to a tooth or cast to ensure close contact. 2. Alignment of an instrument against a tooth before activation of an exploratory or working stroke. 3. An advantageous change in function or constitution of an organ or tissue to meet new conditions. 4. A homeostatic response. [L. ad-apto, pp. -atus, to adjust]Adaptation
AdaptationThe act or process of modifying an object to render it suitable for a particular or new purpose or situation. In the law of patents—grants by the government to inventors for the exclusive right to manufacture, use, or market inventions for a term of years—adaptation denotes a category of patentable inventions, which entails the application of an existing product or process to a new use, accompanied by the exercise of inventive faculties. Federal law provides: "Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefore, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title." 35 U.S.C.A. §101. The adaptation of a device to a different field can constitute an invention if inventiveness exists in the conception of new use and with modifications necessary to render the device applicable in the new field. The progressive adaptation of well-known devices to new, but similar, uses is merely a display of an expected technical proficiency, which involves only the exercise of common reasoning abilities upon materials furnished by special knowledge ensuing from continual practice. It, therefore, does not represent a patentable invention. Ingenuity beyond the mere adaptation of teachings as could be done by a skilled mechanic is required to achieve a patentable invention; inventive talent, rather than skill in adaptation, must be manifested. To entitle a party to the benefit of the patent statute, the device must not only be new; it must be inventively new. The readaptation of old forms to new roles does not constitute invention where there is no significant alteration in the method of applying it or in the nature of the result obtained. No invention will be recognized if the new form of the result has not previously been contemplated and, irrespective of the remoteness of the new use from the old, if no modifications in the old device are necessary to adapt it to the new use. Invention is generally not involved where an old process, device, or method is applied to a new subject or use that is analogous to the old or to a new use or the production of a new result in the same or analogous field. If the new use is so comparable to the old that the concept of adapting the device to the new use would occur to a person proficient in the art and interested in devising a method of changing the intended function, there is no invention even though significant alterations have been made. The application of an old device to a new use is normally patentable only if the new use is in a different field or involves a completely novel function. In addition, the physical modifications need not be extensive, as long as they are essential to the objective. In the law of copyrights the exclusive right of the author of a literary project to reproduce, publish, and sell his or her work, which is granted by statute, adaptation refers to the creation of a derivative work, which is protected by federal Copyright laws. A derivative work involves a recasting or translation process that incorporates preexisting material capable of protection by copyright. An adaptation is copyrighted if it meets the requirement of originality, in the sense that the author has created it by his or her own proficiency, labor, and judgment without directly copying or subtly imitating the preexisting material. Mere minor alterations will not suffice. In addition the adapter must procure the consent of the copyright owner of the underlying work if he or she wants to copy from such work. The copyright in a derivative work, however, extends only to the material contributed by the adapter and does not affect the copyright protection afforded to the preexisting material. The rise in the use of digital media has caused new dilemmas in the area of copyright law with respect to adaptations. Even average technology users may make copies and adapt the original works to their needs. Recent issues in this area have focused upon intellectual property rights in the context of the Internet and computer programs. Even average computer users are now capable of copying digital music files and modifying them through the use of software. The Internet now allows these users to prepare these modifications and distribute them to a wide audience using the Web, E-Mail, and other methods of distribution. The Copyright Act of 1976 continues to protect the copyright holders, generally requiring those who prepared derivative works to obtain permission from the copyright holder (17 U.S.C.A. § 114(b) [1996]). However, enforcement of these provisions has proven difficult and led to a number of efforts, including those by the Recording Industry Association of America, to find new methods for protecting the rights of the copyright holders. A second cause of concern among copyright owners is the ability of computer users to make copies of computer program and adopt these programs to serve the users' purposes. The Copyright Act provides an exclusive right to the copyright holders of computer programs and allows owners of copies of these programs to make additional copies only in limited circumstances (17 U.S.C.A. § 117 [1996]). Like sound recordings, protection of these copyrights has proven difficult, leading lawmakers to consider a number of new options to protect these rights. In the law of real property, with respect to fixtures (articles that were Personal Property but became part of the realty through annexation to the premises), adaptation is the relationship between the article and the use that is made of the realty to which the article is annexed. The prevailing view is that the adaptation or appropriation of an article affixed to real property for the purpose or use to which the premises are devoted is an important consideration in ascertaining its status as a fixture. According to this theory, if the article facilitates the realization of the purpose of the real property, the annexor presumably intends it to be a permanent Accession. Numerous other cases, however, allude to the adaptation of an item to the use to which the premises are designated, as merely one of the tests or factors that should or must be evaluated in determining that it constitutes real property. Other cases view the character of the use of the article annexed as significant. The special construction or fitting of an article for location and use on certain land or in a particular building, which mitigates against use in another location, indicates that is was intended to constitute a part of the land. The adaptability of an annexed article for use in another location is sometimes viewed as demonstrating the retention of its character as personalty (personal property), but this characteristic is not conclusive. Articles not designed to comprise the realty retain their character as personalty. Further readings Benn, Marvin N., and Richard J. Superfine. 1994. "§ 117—The Right to Adapt into the Fourth Generation and the Source Code Generator's Dilemma." John Marshall Journal of Computer and Information Law 537. Miller, Arthur R., and Michael H. Davis. 2000. Intellectual Property: Patents, Trademarks, and Copyright in a Nutshell. 3d ed. St. Paul, Minn.: West Group.Plotkin, Mark E., ed. 2003. E-Commerce Law & Business. New York: Aspen. adaptation
Synonyms for adaptationnoun acclimatizationSynonyms- acclimatization
- naturalization
- habituation
- familiarization
- accustomedness
noun conversionSynonyms- conversion
- change
- shift
- variation
- adjustment
- transformation
- modification
- alteration
- remodelling
- reworking
- refitting
Synonyms for adaptationnoun the act of making suitable to an end or the condition of being made suitable to an endSynonyms- accommodation
- adaption
- adjustment
- conformation
noun adjustment to a changing environmentSynonyms- acclimation
- acclimatization
Synonyms for adaptationnoun a written work (as a novel) that has been recast in a new formSynonymsRelated Words- piece of writing
- written material
- writing
- modernization
- versification
noun the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions)SynonymsRelated Words- acclimation
- acclimatisation
- acclimatization
- dedifferentiation
- domestication
- biological process
- organic process
- specialisation
- specialization
- differentiation
noun (physiology) the responsive adjustment of a sense organ (as the eye) to varying conditions (as of light)Related Words- dark adaptation
- light adaptation
- modification
- adjustment
- alteration
- physiology
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