Five years of observations of ozone profiles over Lauder, New Zealand

Altitude profiles of ozone (O3) over Lauder (45°S, 170°E) performed using a lidar, ozonesondes, and the satellite-borne Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE II) instrument are presented. These data form one of the few long-term sets of O3 profiles at a Southern Hemisphere location. In the 5 years of data presented, the dominant variation is the annual cycle, the phase and amplitude of which differ below and above 27.5 km. Superposed are irregular episodic variations, caused by various processes. The first process studied is stratosphere-troposphere exchange, characterized by dry and O3-rich air residing in the troposphere, which was found in 21% of the measurements. The second relates to the positioning of the higher polar vortex over Lauder, often in combination with the exchange of air between midlatitude and subtropical stratospheric regions. We present examples of this which were observed over Lauder during the 1997 winter. This winter was selected for further study because of the record-low O3 amounts measured. The third process is mixing of O3-depleted vortex air with midlatitude air after the vortex breakup. We present one example, which shows that a filament originating from the depleted Antarctic vortex significantly lowers O3 amounts over Lauder around 27 November 1997. There is thus a connection between Antarctic O3 depletion and later decrease of O3 amounts at a Southern Hemisphere midlatitude location, namely Lauder

Chewing on the trees: Constraintsand adaptation in the evolution of the primate mandible

Chewing on different food types is a demanding biological function. The classic assumption in studying the shape of feeding apparatuses is that animals are what they eat, meaning that adaptation to different food items accounts for most of their interspecific variation. Yet, a growing body of evidence points against this concept. We use the primate mandible as a model structure to investigate the complex interplay among shape, size, diet, and phylogeny. We find a weak but significant impact of diet on mandible shape variation in primates as a whole but not in anthropoids and catarrhines as tested in isolation. These clades mainly exhibit allometric shape changes, which are unrelated to diet. Diet is an important factor in the diversification of strepsirrhines and platyrrhines and a phylogenetic signal is detected in all primate clades. Peaks in morphological disparity occurduring the Oligocene (between 37 and 25 Ma) supporting the notion that an adaptive radiation characterized the evolution of South American monkeys. In all primate clades, the evolution of mandible size is faster than its shape pointing to a strong effect of allometry on ecomorphological diversification in this group

The southernmost record of a Neuryurini Hoffstetter, 1958 (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Glyptodontidae)

Fil: González Ruiz, Laureano Raúl. Universidad Nacional de La Patagonia; ArgentinaFil: Zurita, Alfredo Eduardo. Centro de Ecologia Aplicada del Litoral (CECOAL). Universidad Nacional del Nordeste; CorrientesFil: Fleagle, John G.. Stony Brook University State University of New York. Department of Anatomical Sciences. Stony Brook United States; ArgentinaFil: Scillato-Yané, Gustavo Juan. División Paleontología Vertebrados. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Dozo, María Teresa. Laboratorio de Paleontología, Centro Nacional Patagónico CONICET, Blvd. Alte. Guillermo Browns/n, 9120 Puerto Madryn, Chubut, ArgentinaFil: Zamorano, Martín. División Paleontología Vertebrados. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentin

Predictors of orbital convergence in primates: A test of the snake detection hypothesis of primate evolution

Traditional explanations for the evolution of high orbital convergence and stereoscopic vision in primates have focused on how stereopsis might have aided early primates in foraging or locomoting in an arboreal environment. It has recently been suggested that predation risk by constricting snakes was the selective force that favored the evolution of orbital convergence in early primates, and that later exposure to venomous snakes favored further degrees of convergence in anthropoid primates. Our study tests this snake detection hypothesis (SDH) by examining whether orbital convergence among extant primates is indeed associated with the shared evolutionary history with snakes or the risk that snakes pose for a given species. We predicted that orbital convergence would be higher in species that: 1) have a longer history of sympatry with venomous snakes, 2) are likely to encounter snakes more frequently, 3) are less able to detect or deter snakes due to group size effects, and 4) are more likely to be preyed upon by snakes. Results based on phylogenetically independent contrasts do not support the SDH. Orbital convergence shows no relationship to the shared history with venomous snakes, likelihood of encountering snakes, or group size. Moreover, those species less likely to be targeted as prey by snakes show significantly higher values of orbital convergence. Although an improved ability to detect camouflaged snakes, along with other cryptic stimuli, is likely a consequence of increased orbital convergence, this was unlikely to have been the primary selective force favoring the evolution of stereoscopic vision in primates

A Cross-Country Analysis of Energy Efficient Development

Maximizing energy efficiency, producing as much as possible with as little energy as possible, is something every country should be working toward. This study measures the efficiency of specific countries by examining the interrelationships that exist among each country’s energy consumption and such measures of development as health, education, income, access to essentials and CO2 emissions. It then analyses why certain countries are more efficient than others and how these inefficient countries can improve. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to generate a cross country comparison of energy efficiency scores over multiple dimensions of development. Pairs of inefficient countries and their efficient role models are examined in detail to understand which factors contribute to their relative efficiencies. The paper hypothesizes that countries which have made significant commitments to renewable energy sources will have higher levels of sustainable development than those that have not. Furthermore those countries which have invested in health, education, jobs and access to essential services such as water and sanitation will have higher efficiency scores than those that have not. This study’s ultimate goal is to provide policy recommendations for improving energy efficiency

Playing a New Tune: Breathing Life into Winthrop University’s Academy of Music

Since the Academy of Music was founded in 1975, the organization has provided music lessons to pre-college students in the York County, SC area. It is the objective of the Academy of Music to rebuild its music program, and eventually expand to once again include instruction in the other artistic areas lost since 2008. To help achieve this goal, the Academy of Music will need a strategic plan to act as a compass to help guide the organization as it navigates the challenges it will face along the way. By following the method outlined in this thesis, organizations similar to the Academy of Music will be able to develop their own strategic plans

Identifying faculty motivations to increase technology use in pedagogy at a midwestern university

The purpose of this qualitative study was to make meaning of the experiences of six faculty members at Midwestern University and how they make sense of the combined use of technology, pedagogy, and content within the classroom. One way this study expanded the available knowledge base and filled the gap in the literature was to provide a voice for the six faculty members. Through interviews and document analysis, meaning was connected for the six faculty members. The focus during data analysis was the phenomenon of the use of technology in pedagogy practices of the faculty members. Focusing on the phenomenon supported the process of making meaning of the combined experiences of the six faculty members interviewed. Listening to the faculty members make meaning of how the benefits and barriers of using technology in the classroom drive their decision making about technology integration provided needed insight into the following themes that emerged; technology and pedagogy are inseparable, pedagogy and technology, benefits and barriers of using technology and support. Suggestions for practice would be to have faculty meet with a learning technology specialist to determine individual technology needs of faculty using the TPACK Technology Tool first. Learning technology specialists then need to select faculty who are lone rangers to begin teaching technology-by-design projects in their classes so other faculty would see successful technology adoption across campus by their colleagues that could spread a diffusion of innovation

Selfish or altruistic? An analysis of alarm call function in wild capuchin monkeys, Cebus apella nigritus

Alarm calls facilitate some antipredatory benefits of group living but may endanger the caller by attracting the predator's attention. A number of hypotheses invoking kin selection and individual selection have been proposed to explain how such behaviour could evolve. This study tests eight hypotheses for alarm call evolution by examining the responses of tufted capuchin monkeys to models of felids, perched raptors and vipers. Specifically, this study examines: (1) differences between individuals in their propensity to call in response to different threat types, (2) whether there is an audience effect for alarm calling and (3) the response of conspecifics to alarms. Results indicate that the benefits likely to be afforded to the caller vary with stimulus type. Alarm calling in response to felids is most likely selfish, with calls apparently directed towards both the predator and potential conspecific mobbers. Alarm calling in response to vipers attracts additional mobbers as well, but also appears to be driven by kin selection in the case of males and parental care benefits in the case of females. Alarm responses to perched raptors are rare, but seem to be selfish, with callers benefiting by recruiting additional mobbers

A theory of fog formation

It is shown that just above a cold black-body surface the effect of radiation is to warm the air, whereas just above a warm surface the effect of radiation is to cool the air. Above a height of the order of one meter the signs of the radiative temperature change are reversed. Since, as Emmons and Montgomery (1947) have pointed out, fog formation usually requires net radiation from the air, it follows that, above a cold surface, fog forms only above a certain critical height whereas above a warm surface fog forms below a critical height. Other processes which produce condensation appear to be less important...

Blood Flow Restriction Training in the Early Phase of Nonoperative Management of Achilles Tendon Rupture in an Older Adult: A Case Report

Background: Achilles tendon ruptures are common musculoskeletal injuries. Treatment options include surgical repair and non-operative rehabilitation with outcomes being similar between both options. Despite extensive rehabilitation during both treatment options, functional impairments can persist for years following the injury. This suggests that current rehabilitation protocols could be improved. Case Description: The patient was a 68 y.o male who presented to physical therapy 7 weeks following a full thickness Achilles tendon rupture that was managed non-operatively. Intervention: The patient was seen once a week. During weeks 8 through 13 following the injury blood flow restriction (BFR) training was utilized. Starting week 14 treatment consisted of progressive closed kinetic chain (CKC) strengthening. Outcomes: Ultrasound measurements of the medial gastrocnemius bilaterally was used to determine the effect of the BFR training. Conclusion: This case describes the use of BFR training during the early stages of non-operative treatment of an older adult with an Achilles tendon rupture. In this case BFR was well tolerated and safe. Furthermore, this case highlights the potential for BFR training to decrease disuse atrophy during the early management of Achilles tendon ruptures