Effects of Varying Levels of Soil pH on the Preservation and Appearance of Gallus gallus domesticus

Results from past studies noted that the carnivore digestion process results in the enlargement of foramina and expansion of Haversian canals within bones. However, it is not known whether acid erosion from soil produces similar signatures. Although bones are oftentimes found within soil matrices, some at highly acidic levels, and the time spent therein undoubtedly affects the preservation and appearance of the remains, these taphonomic effects are still poorly understood. Most studies on bone surface modification focused on how soil affects bone, particularly the diagenic processes involved, such as root and insect activity. The processes studied included root activity, insect movement, and geologic processes, while mostly ignoring the effects of the actual soil itself. Studies of soil erosion on bones have mainly focused on gastric erosion from carnivore ingestion, but the effects of acidity from soil pH levels is still a poorly-studied area within archaeology. The present study aimed to help elucidate this process by examining the effects of erosion due to soil acidity in a controlled environment. Gallus gallus domestics bones (n=24) were placed in containers filled with soil, whose pH values ranged from 4.5-12.6 for five weeks. This study has far-reaching implications within the field of anthropology, expanding upon previous comparative work on taphonomic signatures from hominid-modified and gastrically-modified remains recovered from fossil assemblages. The results of this study added to the literature base on the ways in which soil acidity affects the appearance of skeletal remains. Results from this study indicated that soil acidity expanded the grooves for biceps brachii muscle attachment like previously observed expansion of foramina from effects of gastric erosion, thus highlighting the need for further research into this process

Modelling Health Impacts of Air Pollution and Their Valuation: An Application to Santiago, Chile

not available

Bilateral Asymmetry in the First Metacarpal: The Influence of Handedness in Humans and Non-Human Primates

Muscle attachment sites (entheses) are often used to infer soft tissue anatomy and reconstruct behaviors within skeletal populations, but there remains a significant debate about whether and to what degree muscle use is accurately reflected in bony morphology. One of the most difficult problems in establishing the relationship between variation in muscle use and entheseal development is the inability to exclude a variety of external factors thought to influence enthesis development, including age, sex, body mass, and activity patterns. One way around this is to take advantage of the fact that humans are handed (preferentially using one hand over another, regardless of task), therefore showing asymmetrical patterns of muscle recruitment in the hands. If a direct relationship between bony morphology and muscle recruitment does exist, one would expect to find strong asymmetry in entheseal development within human hands. Conversely, non-human primates do not exhibit handedness and should not show asymmetrical manual entheseal development. The m. opponens pollicis is heavily used in many key grips employed during precision manipulation and is active during flexion, abduction, and adduction during thumb opposition. As such, the muscle insertion on the radial aspect of the first metacarpal is an ideal site for testing if enthesis development is reflective of repetitive muscle recruitment. This study examines if lifetime activity patterns influence bony morphology by comparing opponens pollicis muscle enthesis asymmetry between handed (Homo sapiens) and non-handed (Hylobates lar, Gorilla spp., Macaca fascicularis) primates to identify if differences exist between dominant and non-dominant hands. Additionally, since thumb flexion and opposition span all three joints, the functional signal from precision pinch and grasps should not be confined to a single bony region. Enthesis asymmetry is therefore hypothesized to serve as a predictor for asymmetry in the proximal and distal ends due to their role in flexion and stabilization during key grips. This study measured enthesis size between the right and left first metacarpals in a sample (n=197 pairs) of adult modern humans and catarrhine primates using both measurements obtained from calipers and from distance-based heat maps generated from 3-D renderings. Results demonstrated right-directional asymmetry in the opponens pollicis enthesis in modern humans and symmetry for non-human primates for enthesis size. However, it demonstrated that increased muscle recruitment alone is not sufficient to induce significant differences between sides; rather, this study established there is a threshold for enthesis size that most individuals do not exceed, and that, to infer muscle use based on enthesis size, the individual must exceed this threshold. Further, this study found that asymmetry in the opponens pollicis enthesis can predict a moderate amount of asymmetry within the proximal and distal ends of the metacarpal, but also found that ligamentous recruitment contributes to asymmetry within those areas. Overall, this study found support for inferring muscle use based on enthesis size but cautions against making large generalizations based on size alone, as further research is needed to better understand the roles that both muscle recruitment frequency and intensity play in enthesis development

Letter from R. Bowland to James B. Finley

Mr. Bowland regrets that he may have violated prison rules by writing lengthy letters to his son, Robert. He felt that the letters would prevent Robert from becoming bitter and morbid concerning his own fate. He thanks Rev. Finley for writing him, and asks him to see Robert as often as possible and soothe his wounded pride. He still hopes that Robert will be pardoned. Abstract Number - 1070https://digitalcommons.owu.edu/finley-letters/2054/thumbnail.jp

Robust estimates of value of a statistical life for developing economies

Environmental economists use the value-of-statistical-life (VSL) approach to value mortality changes resulting from environmental improvement. Because of scarce data, VSL estimates are unavailable for most developing countries. Using robust regression techniques, we conduct a meta-analysis of VSL studies in industrialized countries to derive a VSL prediction function for developing economies accounting for differences in risk, income, human capital levels, and other demographic characteristics of these economies. We apply our estimated VSL to assess the willingness to pay for reduction in mortality linked to air pollution in Santiago, Chile. We find willingness-to-pay estimates in the range of 1992 purchasing power parity (PPP) $519,000–675,000 per life

Diet of serval Felis serval in a highland region of Natal

Serval Felis serval diet was determined using faecal analysis. A combination of quantification techniques best illustrated the relative importance of various prey species. Small mammals (Rodentia and Insectívora) accounted for 94% of prey item occurrences. Otomys irroratus was the most important prey species in terms of biomass and number. There was no evidence for servals eating lambs or other medium-sized mammals in the study area

Exploration of Hair Cortisol Concentrations and Implications of Stress in Hunting Dogs on the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, Nicaragua

This thesis examines the relationships between physiological factors of hair color, sex, nutritional health, and body size (mass) with measures of hair cortisol in domesticated Nicaraguan hunting dogs on the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve. Prior research on cortisol in dogs has been relatively limited to small, homogenous population samples under restricted environmental conditions. This leaves a gap in current knowledge, and a need for larger-scale studies to assess whether current understandings of how cortisol acts in dogs is applicable to dogs within dynamic and heterogeneous environments. The population of hunting dogs examined in this study live in an unpredictable environment in which disease, malnutrition, and mortality rates are high. Physical examinations were performed on each dog by a veterinarian during which a body condition score (BCS) was assigned, and measurements of size were taken, and medical and familial history were recorded. Hair samples were also taken to determine basal hair cortisol concentrations (HCC), and fur color was noted as light, dark, or agouti/mixed. Results showed that light HCC was on average significantly higher than dark and mixed HCC (p<.001). In addition, BCS scores and chest width were found to be negative effect on HCC (p<.001). In contrast with findings from prior studies, female dogs had significantly higher average cortisol levels than males (p=.016), suggesting sex differences in cortisol are present in domesticated dogs. The results of this study suggest a relationship between cortisol levels and BCS and body size, confirming previous findings and adding to the current understanding of physiological and nutritional variables of stress within dogs under varying environmental conditions. The results of this study are also relevant to current discussions within biology, ecology, and biological anthropology regarding the physiological effects of cortisol and evolutionary fitness