A Multivariate Analysis of the Ontogeny of the Scapular Axillary Border

The axillary border of the scapula has long been a subject of interest to students of human evolution. The form of the axillary border varies in australopithecines, Homo erectus, Neandertals, and early modern humans. These differences may be the result of genetic discontinuities or of biomechanical differences. The ontogeny of the axillary border was examined in order to determine the similarities and differences between Neandertals and recent humans at early ages. These groups exhibit similarities in development, but there are also differences from an early age. Because various patterns of axillary border morphology are present in different groups, this feature may not be useful as taxonomic tool, but further study may reveal additional patterns

Wildfire Risk Management on a Landscape with Public and Private Ownership: Who Pays?

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Confined compression of collagen hydrogels

Reconstituted collagen hydrogels are often used for in vitro studies of cell-matrix interaction and as scaffolds for tissue engineering. Understanding the mechanical and transport behaviours of collagen hydrogels is therefore extremely important, albeit difficult due to their very high water content (typically > 99.5%). In the present study the mechanical behaviour of collagen hydrogels in confined compression was investigated using biphasic theory (J. Biomech. Eng. 102 (1980) 73), to ascertain whether the technique is sufficiently sensitive to determine differences in the characteristics of hydrogels of between 0.2% and 0.4% collagen. Peak stress, equilibrium stress, aggregate modulus and hydraulic permeability of the hydrogels exhibited sensitivity to collagen content, demonstrating that the technique is clearly able to discriminate between hydrogels with small differences in collagen content and may also be sensitive to factors that affect matrix remodelling. The results also offer additional insight into the deformation-dependent permeability of collagen hydrogels. This study suggests that confined compression, together with biphasic theory, is a suitable technique for assessing the mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels

The Ability of Grade 5 Students to Use Radarsat Satellite Images

This exploratory study examines the ability of grade 5 students to interpret selected elements of a Radarsat satellite radar image. The participants were provided with images of their neighborhood, downtown Edmonton, and the town of St. Albert for instruction. They were then tested with an image of Calgary similar to that of their own neighborhood. The participants were able to interpret successfully most elements of the image, but not as successfully as had as grade 6 students in an earlier study. Based on performance there is potential to use Radarsat satellite fine mode images for geography instruction at the grade 5 level. An attempt was also made to see if the grade 5 students were able to work directly with the Radarsat data CD-ROM. The CD-ROM proved difficult for the students to use, but the CD-ROM program tools allow teachers to produce hard copy images that can be customized for their students' use.Cette étude exploratoire a analysé la capacité d'élèves de 5^e année à interpréter quelques éléments choisis d'une image satellite Radarsat. On afourni aux participants des images de leur quartier - le centre ville d'Edmonton et la ville de St. Albert - pendant une session de formation. Par la suite, on leur a fait passer un test avec une image qui ressemblait à celles qu'ils avaient déjà vues mais qui représentait Calgary. Les participants ont réussi à identifier la plupart des éléments, mais pas aussi bien que les élèves de 6^e année qui avait participé à une étude préalable. En se basant sur ces performances, on affirme qu'il est possible de se servir d'images satellites Radarsat en mode haute definition pour enseigner la géographie en 5^e année. On a également tenté de voir si les élèves en 5^e année pouvaient travailler directement à partir du CD-ROM de données Radarsat. Мêmе si les élèves ont éprouvé de la difficulté avec le CD-ROM, les outils de celui-ci permettent aux enseignants d'imprimer des images qui peuvent être adaptées pour mieux répondre aux besoins de leurs élèves

Calculation of Precipitable Water for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy Aircraft (SOFIA): Airplane in the Night Sky

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, is the new generation airborne observatory station based at NASA s Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility, Palmdale, CA, to study the universe. Since the observatory detects infrared energy, water vapor is a concern in the atmosphere due to its known capacity to absorb infrared energy emitted by astronomical objects. Although SOFIA is hoping to fly above 99% of water vapor in the atmosphere it is still possible to affect astronomical observation. Water vapor is one of the toughest parameter to measure in the atmosphere, several atmosphere modeling are used to calculate water vapor loading. The water vapor loading, or Precipitable water, is being calculated by Matlab along the planned flight path. Over time, these results will help SOFIA to plan flights to regions of lower water vapor loading and hopefully improve the imagery collection of these astronomical features

Madrid: Literary Fiction and the Imaginary Urban Destination

This study selects novels from French and Spanish language traditions, which may not be available to English-speakers, in order to determine if specific aspects throw light on our understanding of Madrid as a destination. Marc Lambron's L'Impromptu de Madrid and Antonio Munoz Molina’s Mysteries of Madrid are taken as proof of the influence the narrative can exert on social daily life and consumption. Narrative foregrounds the fictions which are at stake in imagining the city as destination and also provides a vehicle for presenting the much broader social forces that converge in the author at the time of imagining and writing

A Multinational Analysis of Mutations and Heterogeneity in PZase, RpsA, and PanD Associated with Pyrazinamide Resistance in M/XDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important first-line drug in all existing and new tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. PZA-resistance in M. tuberculosis is increasing, especially among M/XDR cases. Noted issues with PZA Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST) have driven the search for alternative tests. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of PZA molecular diagnostics in M/XDR TB cases. A set of 296, mostly XDR, clinical M. tuberculosis isolates from four countries were subjected to DST for eight drugs, confirmatory Wayne's assay, and whole-genome sequencing. Three genes implicated in PZA resistance, pncA, rpsA, and panD were investigated. Assuming all non-synonymous mutations cause resistance, we report 90% sensitivity and 65% specificity for a pncA-based molecular test. The addition of rpsA and panD potentially provides 2% increase in sensitivity. Molecular heterogeneity in pncA was associated with resistance and should be evaluated as a diagnostic tool. Mutations near the N-terminus and C-terminus of PZase were associated with East-Asian and Euro-American lineages, respectively. Finally, Euro-American isolates are most likely to have a wild-type PZase and escape molecular detection. Overall, the 8-10% resistance without markers may point to alternative mechanisms of resistance. Confirmatory mutagenesis may improve the disconcertingly low specificity but reduce sensitivity since not all mutations may cause resistance