Gill

A gill (ⁱ/ɡɪl/) is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water and excretes carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist. The microscopic structure of a gill presents a large surface area to the external environment.

Many microscopic aquatic animals, and some larger but inactive ones, can absorb adequate oxygen through the entire surface of their bodies, and so can respire adequately without a gill. However, more complex or more active aquatic organisms usually require a gill or gills.

Gills usually consist of thin filaments of tissue, branches, or slender, tufted processes that have a highly folded surface to increase surface area. A high surface area is crucial to the gas exchange of aquatic organisms, as water contains only a small fraction of the dissolved oxygen that air does. A cubic meter of air contains about 250 grams of oxygen at STP. The concentration of oxygen in water is lower than air and it diffuses more slowly. In fresh water, the dissolved oxygen content is approximately 8 cm³/L compared to that of air which is 210 cm³/L. Water is 777 times more dense than air and is 100 times more viscous. Oxygen has a diffusion rate in air 10,000 times greater than in water. The use of sac-like lungs to remove oxygen from water would not be efficient enough to sustain life. Rather than using lungs, "[g]asesous exchange takes place across the surface of highly vascularised gills over which a one-way current of water is kept flowing by a specialised pumping mechanism. The density of the water prevents the gills from collapsing and lying on top of each other, which is what happens when a fish is taken out of water."

Gill (name)

Gill may be a surname or given name, derived from a number of unrelated sources;

People with the surname Gill

List of Kim Possible characters

This is a list of characters appearing in the animated series Kim Possible.

Team Possible

Kim Possible

Kimberly Ann "Kim" Possible is a crime fighter and high school cheerleading captain who saves the world on a regular basis while dealing with the normal challenges of a teenager, such as winning cheer competitions, turning in her homework on time, and maintaining a love life. Her name is a play on the word "impossible." Kim has known Ron Stoppable, her sidekick for most missions, since preschool. She has also completed missions with Wade, Monique, her brothers, and even her mother. Kim and Ron end up developing romantic feelings for each other and begin dating during their senior year, in Season 4. She famously adopts untypical teen slang such as "So not the drama", "No big" ("no big deal"), as well as the series' catch phrase, "What's the sitch?" (slang for "situation") in her speech. At Middleton High School, she is popular and charismatic, as well as an excellent student. She has an irritable and demanding personality that often affects her work, yet she fulfills the role of a protagonist by using her intelligence and sensibility to 'save the day'. Though she struggles with embarrassment, her rivalry with Bonnie, and her shyness around her crushes, she usually displays extreme maturity, going so far as to act as Ron's conscience at times. She has a good relationship with her family members, though she is often annoyed by her brothers (whom she calls "Tweebs", for "Twin Dweebs"), and embarrassed by her parents' antics.

Ryan (film)

Ryan is a 2004 animated documentary created and directed by Chris Landreth about Canadian animator Ryan Larkin, who had lived on skid row in Montreal as a result of drug and alcohol abuse. Landreth's chance meeting with Larkin in 2000 inspired him to develop the film, which took 18 months to complete. It was co-produced by Copper Heart Entertainment and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and its creation and development is the subject of the NFB documentary Alter Egos. The film incorporated material from archive sources, particularly Larkin's works at the NFB.

The film is an animated interpretation of an interview of Larkin by Landreth, and includes interviews with Larkin's previous partner and coworkers, as well as Landreth. Development of the characters was partially inspired by the plastinated human bodies of the Body Worlds exhibition. The distorted and disembodied appearance of the film's characters is based on Landreth's use of psychological realism to portray emotion visually, and expression is modelled by use of straight ahead animation. The animation was created at the Animation Arts Centre of Seneca College in Toronto. Some of the animation was based on cords, mathematical equations modelling the physical properties of curves and used to animate filamentous objects in the film. The visual effects of the film has been described by reviewers and film critics as difficult to describe and having a distinctive visceral style.

Ryan (surname)

Ryan is a common Irish surname, as well as being a common given name.

There are several possible origins for the surname. In certain cases it can be a simplified form of Mulryan. In some cases the surname may be derived from the Irish Gaelic Ó Riagháin (modern Irish Ó Riain), meaning "descendant of Rían"; or Ó Maoilriain "descendant of Maoilriaghain", or Ó Ruaidhín "descendant of the little red one". The old Gaelic personal name Rían is of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the Gaelic rí, meaning "king".

The surname Ryan has been confused with the surname Regan, which is derived from Ó Ríagáin, meaning "descendant of Riagán".

List of persons with the surname Ryan

A–D

Smallville (season 2)

Season two of Smallville, an American television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, began airing on September 24, 2002, on The WB television network. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The second season comprises 23 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 20, 2003. Regular cast members during season two include Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, Annette O'Toole and John Schneider. John Glover who was a recurring guest in season one was promoted to regular for season two. At the end of season one, Eric Johnson, who portrayed Whitney Fordman, had left the show.

Season two picks up directly where season one ended, with Clark (Welling) dealing with the aftermath of the tornadoes that hit Smallville. This season, Clark finally learns who he is and where he comes from, but must also acknowledge a potential destiny set into motion by his biological father that could change his life and the lives of those around him forever. Clark's relationship with Lana Lang (Kreuk) becomes increasingly closer, straining his friendship with Chloe Sullivan (Mack). Clark's best friend, Pete Ross (Jones III), learns Clark's secret this season.