Quantifying the effectiveness of silver ring splints to correct swan-neck deformity

Swan-neck deformity is a common symptom of rheumatoid arthritis affecting the fingers. It can be classified by hyperextension of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and flexion of the distal interphalangeal joint [1]. Methods to correct hyperextension of the PIP joint range from surgery to splinting techniques [2]. Silver ring splints (SRSs) were recently identified as a possible alternative to surgery and traditional thermoplastic splints because patient adherence was improved by their appearance [3]. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the SRSs restrict PIP joint hyperextension during a fine dexterity task

Weak lensing of the Lyman-alpha forest

The angular positions of quasars are deflected by the gravitational lensing effect of foreground matter. The Lyman-alpha forest seen in the spectra of these quasars is therefore also lensed. We propose that the signature of weak gravitational lensing of the forest could be measured using similar techniques that have been applied to the lensed Cosmic Microwave Background, and which have also been proposed for application to spectral data from 21cm radio telescopes. As with 21cm data, the forest has the advantage of spectral information, potentially yielding many lensed "slices" at different redshifts. We perform an illustrative idealized test, generating a high resolution angular grid of quasars (of order arcminute separation), and lensing the Lyman-alphaforest spectra at redshifts z=2-3 using a foreground density field. We find that standard quadratic estimators can be used to reconstruct images of the foreground mass distribution at z~1. There currently exists a wealth of Lya forest data from quasar and galaxy spectral surveys, with smaller sightline separations expected in the future. Lyman-alpha forest lensing is sensitive to the foreground mass distribution at redshifts intermediate between CMB lensing and galaxy shear, and avoids the difficulties of shape measurement associated with the latter. With further refinement and application of mass reconstruction techniques, weak gravitational lensing of the high redshift Lya forest may become a useful new cosmological probe.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, submitted to MNRA

Noise Estimates for Measurements of Weak Lensing from the Lyman-alpha Forest

We have proposed a method for measuring weak lensing using the Lyman-alpha forest. Here we estimate the noise expected in weak lensing maps and power spectra for different sets of observational parameters. We find that surveys of the size and quality of the ones being done today and ones planned for the future will be able to measure the lensing power spectrum at a source redshift of z~2.5 with high precision and even be able to image the distribution of foreground matter with high fidelity on degree scales. For example, we predict that Lyman-alpha forest lensing measurement from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument survey should yield the mass fluctuation amplitude with statistical errors of 1.5%. By dividing the redshift range into multiple bins some tomographic lensing information should be accessible as well. This would allow for cosmological lensing measurements at higher redshift than are accessible with galaxy shear surveys and correspondingly better constraints on the evolution of dark energy at relatively early times.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, submitted to MNRA

Human Dimensions of Migratory Wildlife in Greater Yellowstone

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Who Cares Who Made the Map? La Carta del Cantino and its anonymous maker

This paper explores the authorship of the anonymous La Carta del Cantino through an analysis of design signatures. Using high resolution digital copies of charts in ArcGIS, La Carta del Cantino is compared to contemporaneous charts. The long-held assumption that La Carta del Cantino was a surreptitious copy of the Portuguese king’s royal pattern chart is rejected in favor of a more simple explanation: Alberto Cantino commissioned the world chart from a chartmaker in Lisbon, and that chartmaker was Pedro Reinel

Water and Social Space: Using georeferenced maps and geocoded images to enrich the history of Rio de Janeiro's fountains

Water infrastructure is essential to any city, but especially so in the history of Rio de Janeiro. Historically, Rio de Janeiro lacked easy access to fresh water. Not only was it not situated along a river but it was impractical to dig wells over much of the original city because of marshes and a high water table. A single aqueduct completed in the eighteenth century supplied the city with water until the nineteenth century when additional aqueducts began to be built. By necessity, public fountains were vital for the city. The public spaces around fountains were frequented by many residents, the majority of whom were slaves responsible for the delivery of water. Using a geospatial database with georeferenced historical maps and geocoded historical images, this article explores the waterworks of the city of Rio de Janeiro in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, paying particular attention to the functional, monumental, and social aspects of fountain