GIS and Paleoanthropology: Incorporating New Approaches from the Geospatial Sciences in the Analysis of Primate and Human Evolution.

The incorporation of research tools and analytical approaches from the geospatial sciences is a welcome trend for the study of primate and human evolution. The use of remote sensing (RS) imagery and geographic information systems (GIS) allows vertebrate paleontologists, paleoanthropologists, and functional morphologists to study fossil localities, landscapes, and individual specimens in new and innovative ways that recognize and analyze the spatial nature of much paleoanthropological data. Whether one is interested in locating and mapping fossiliferous rock units in the field, creating a searchable and georeferenced database to catalog fossil localities and specimens, or studying the functional morphology of fossil teeth, bones, or artifacts, the new geospatial sciences provide an essential element in modern paleoanthropological inquiry. In this article we review recent successful applications of RS and GIS within paleoanthropology and related fields and argue for the importance of these methods for the study of human evolution in the twenty first century. We argue that the time has come for inclusion of geospatial specialists in all interdisciplinary field research in paleoanthropology, and suggest some promising areas of development and application of the methods of geospatial science to the science of human evolution

The Development And Application Of A Statistical Shape Model Of The Human Craniofacial Skeleton

Biomechanical investigations involving the characterization of biomaterials or improvement of implant design often employ finite element (FE) analysis. However, the contemporary method of developing a FE mesh from computed tomography scans involves much manual intervention and can be a tedious process. Researchers will often focus their efforts on creating a single highly validated FE model at the expense of incorporating variability of anatomical geometry and material properties, thus limiting the applicability of their findings. The goal of this thesis was to address this issue through the use of a statistical shape model (SSM). A SSM is a probabilistic description of the variation in the shape of a given class of object. (Additional scalar data, such as an elastic constant, can also be incorporated into the model.) By discretizing a sample (i.e. training set) of unique objects of the same class using a set of corresponding nodes, the main modes of shape variation within that shape class are discovered via principal component analysis. By combining the principal components using different linear combinations, new shape instances are created, each with its own unique geometry while retaining the characteristics of its shape class. In this thesis, FE models of the human craniofacial skeleton (CFS) were first validated to establish their viability. A mesh morphing procedure was then developed to map one mesh onto the geometry of 22 other CFS models forming a training set for a SSM of the CFS. After verifying that FE results derived from morphed meshes were no different from those obtained using meshes created with contemporary methods, a SSM of the human CFS was created, and 1000 CFS FE meshes produced. It was found that these meshes accurately described the geometric variation in human population, and were used in a Monte Carlo analysis of facial fracture, finding past studies attempting to characterize the fracture probability of the zygomatic bone are overly conservative

Properties of the Anterior and Posterior Click Closures in N|uu

In this dissertation, the phonetic and phonological system of N|uu is described and analyzed. The dissertation is based on original fieldwork by the author. As is shown at the outset in Chapter 2, N|uu is a Tuu (formerly 'Southern Khoisan') language of the Kalahari region of South Africa. It is a severely endangered language on the verge of extinction, spoken at the time of writing by less than ten elderly speakers. At the same time, it is a phonetically and phonologically highly complex language, most notably including a large number of phonologically contrastive click consonants. In Chapter 3, an overview of the entire phoneme inventory is presented for the first time, including not only the click subsystem (here, the terms simultaneous release vs. sequential release are introduced), but also the non-click consonants and vowels, as well as the as yet unanalyzed lexical tone system. Then, in Chapter 4, the phonological structure of N|uu is analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, and the foot is for the first time identified as a fundamental organizing unit in the prosodic system of the language. Also, the complexity of phonological words in N|uu is shown to be considerably greater than previously thought. Chapter 5 presents two detailed experimental case studies (one on the anterior click closure, one on the posterior click closure) that help to shed some light on our understanding of the underlying representation of clicks. In the first of these studies, the so-called Back Vowel Constraint (BVC; a constraint that states that certain click types only occur before back vowels, while other click types co-occur freely with all vowels) in N|uu is analyzed in terms of differences in tongue shape in the different categories of clicks. In the second study, stiffness is identified as an articulatory parameter in N|uu. Finally, in Chapter 6, a synthesis of the new insights gained in the previous chapters is attempted in the form of a novel scheme for categorizing and transcribing clicks. In this context, the categorical terms deep concave vs. shallow concave are introduced for the systematic tongue shape differences in clicks, and the terms tense vs. lax are proposed to capture the categorical effect of articulatory stiffness in clicks

Speech articulation in children with Williams syndrome or 7q11.23 duplication syndrome.

Williams syndrome (WS) and 7q11.23 duplication syndrome (Dup7) are associated with communication disorders (Huffman et al., 2013). However, articulatory accuracy has not been systematically examined in these populations. The dissertation involved two studies. Using standardized citation assessment, Study 1 addressed articulatory accuracy with regard to age norms and differences between groups. Results indicated that for both groups, (a) consonant accuracy was significantly below expectations, (b) older children pronounced consonants with significantly better accuracy than younger children, (c) children with IQs at or above 70 earned significantly higher articulation standard scores, and (d) for particular groups of consonant sounds, arranged as a function of features of articulation, significant differences were found across consonant groups for (c.1) expected period of acquisition in development, (c.2) articulatory place of production, (c.3) articulatory manner of production, and (c.4) movement transition across consonants within clusters. Study 2 addressed variance relations among speech articulatory accuracy, phonological processing, and particular cognitive and linguistic measures. Articulatory accuracy was shown moderately, to strongly, related to each study variable. For the children with WS, articulatory accuracy contributed unique variance to phonological processing beyond that contributed by verbal short-term memory, spatial ability, and the combined factor of lexical understanding and use. Overall, the results showed children in both groups were significant delayed in consonantal development. Patterns of articulatory accuracy did not differ greatly from those of younger, typically developing children. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated positive relations among articulatory accuracy, phonological processing, intellectual abilities, and vocabulary abilities for children with these syndromes

Book of Abstracts 15th International Symposium on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering and 3rd Conference on Imaging and Visualization

In this edition, the two events will run together as a single conference, highlighting the strong connection with the Taylor & Francis journals: Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering (John Middleton and Christopher Jacobs, Eds.) and Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging and Visualization (JoãoManuel R.S. Tavares, Ed.). The conference has become a major international meeting on computational biomechanics, imaging andvisualization. In this edition, the main program includes 212 presentations. In addition, sixteen renowned researchers will give plenary keynotes, addressing current challenges in computational biomechanics and biomedical imaging. In Lisbon, for the first time, a session dedicated to award the winner of the Best Paper in CMBBE Journal will take place. We believe that CMBBE2018 will have a strong impact on the development of computational biomechanics and biomedical imaging and visualization, identifying emerging areas of research and promoting the collaboration and networking between participants. This impact is evidenced through the well-known research groups, commercial companies and scientific organizations, who continue to support and sponsor the CMBBE meeting series. In fact, the conference is enriched with five workshops on specific scientific topics and commercial software.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Embodied Interactions for Spatial Design Ideation: Symbolic, Geometric, and Tangible Approaches

Computer interfaces are evolving from mere aids for number crunching into active partners in creative processes such as art and design. This is, to a great extent, the result of mass availability of new interaction technology such as depth sensing, sensor integration in mobile devices, and increasing computational power. We are now witnessing the emergence of maker culture that can elevate art and design beyond the purview of enterprises and professionals such as trained engineers and artists. Materializing this transformation is not trivial; everyone has ideas but only a select few can bring them to reality. The challenge is the recognition and the subsequent interpretation of human actions into design intent