Scales and Scale-like Structures

Scales are a visually striking feature that grows on many animals. These small, rigid plates embedded in the skin form an integral part of our description of fish and reptiles, some plants, and many extinct animals. Scales exist in many shapes and sizes, and serve as protection, camouflage, and plumage for animals. The variety of scales and the animals they grow from pose an interesting problem in the field of Computer Graphics. This dissertation presents a method for generating scales and scale-like structures on a polygonal mesh through surface replacement. A triangular mesh was covered with scales and one or more proxy-models were used as the scales shape. A user began scale generation by drawing a lateral line on the model to control the distribution and orientation of scales on the surface. Next, a vector field was created over the surface to control an anisotropic Voronoi tessellation, which represents the region occupied by each scale. Then these regions were replaced by cutting the proxy model to match the boundary of the Voronoi region and deform the cut model onto the surface. The final result is a fully connected 2-manifold that is suitable for subsequent post-processing applications, like surface subdivision

Neanderthal Diets in Portugal: Small and Large Prey Consumption during the Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS-5)

Gruta da Figueira Brava and Gruta da Oliveira are two key-sites within the Middle Palaeolithic research in the Iberian Peninsula. They are located in Central Portugal, the former occupying a coastal position, whereas the latter is about 60 km inland. They were occupied during the MIS-5 and the retrieval of two important faunal collections are now vital to the reconstruction of the palaeoeconomic activities of the Last Interglacial Neanderthals, as well as to understanding their mobility patterns within the landscape. Both caves were within resource-rich landscapes with permanent water sources nearby. Gruta da Figueira Brava also profited from its proximity to the coast with access to an ecotonal environment. This results in the formation of faunal assemblages proliferous in ungulate remains, leporids, birds, tortoises, molluscs and crabs. After detailed taphonomical analyses, it was possible to ascertain that all faunal remains resulted from human activities with some contributions from other agents of accumulation. Neanderthals brought in complete carcasses of small prey, deer and ibex, whereas only the nutrient-rich parts of larger animals were brought home for further processing and consumption. All prey sizes were being evenly targeted, with systematic use of shellfish resources that led to the formation of deposits in Gruta da Figueira Brava comparable to those from nearby Mesolithic sites. Biometric analyses of limpets and tortoises hint at the systematic use and overexploitation of such resources. Quick moving small prey were targeted, with leporids and birds being used for food and maybe for pelts and feathers. The wide range of species exploited demonstrates that Neanderthals had consistent broad spectrum diets, which had implications on the type of site use, with a tendency for year-round occupations, which could have promoted the development of larger Neanderthal groups, and the consequent formation of more complex, more stratified and more organised social structures

Wild NYC: Building Biodiversity in Fresh Kills and City Parks

This dissertation is an anthropological field study of the work of urban ecological maintenance being conducted in New York City through the analysis of the reclamation and biotic restoration of the Fresh Kills landfill, located in the borough of Staten Island. This landfill was once the largest urban dump in the United States. Its 2,200 acres of trash buried in four mounds have polluted an area historically noted for its natural beauty as a collection of marshes and woodlands bordering the Kill Van Kull, a tidal strait that flows into the New York Harbor. The current plan for park and nature reserve introduces rolling grassland habitats otherwise extirpated in the region and re-introduces native plants to enhance the area\u27s biotic diversity. The site\u27s large acreage will also link up with and expand the Staten Island Greenbelt. Fresh Kills, once transformed, will become one of the largest urban nature preserves in the city. This dissertation also explores the essential maintenance work performed by researchers, city workers, and volunteers alike for creating and preserving wild spaces in New York City. Despite the ecological benefits envisioned in the Fresh Kills conversion, there are challenges ahead for implementing sustainability. Chief among them is the scarce funding for land reclamation in light of competing urban priorities. The substantial commitment to convert the world\u27s largest landfill into an urban park and nature preserve, however, holds important lessons for public and non-profit agencies interested in urban environmental improvement

Gatecliff Shelter

552 p. : ill., maps ; 26 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 530-552)