Predicted National, State and Educational Issues Derived from a Modified Delphi Study for the Formulation of Long-Range Educational Policies

Educational leaders must begin to look ahead (not just to next year, but into the future) and they must begin to plan accordingly

Aerodynamic reconstruction of the primitive fossil bat Onychonycteris finneyi (Mammalia: Chiroptera)

Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight. One of the oldest bats known from a complete skeleton is Onychonycteris finneyi from the Early Eocene (Green River Formation, Wyoming, 52.5 Ma). Estimated to weigh approximately 40 g, Onychonycteris exhibits the most primitive combination of characters thus far known for bats. Here, we reconstructed the aerofoil of the two known specimens, calculated basic aerodynamic variables and compared them with those of extant bats and gliding mammals. Onychonycteris appears in the edges of the morphospace for bats, underscoring the primitive conformation of its flight apparatus. Low aerodynamic efficiency is inferred for this extinct species as compared to any extant bat. When we estimated aerofoil variables in a model of Onychonycteris excluding the handwing, it closely approached the morphospace of extant gliding mammals. Addition of a handwing to the model lacking this structure results in a 2.3-fold increase in aspect ratio and a 28% decrease in wing loading, thus greatly enhancing aerodynamics. In the context of these models, the rapid evolution of the chiropteran handwing via genetically mediated developmental changes appears to have been a key transformation in the hypothesized transition from gliding to flapping in early bats.Fil: Amador, Lucila Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Simmons, Nancy B.. American Museum of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: Giannini, Norberto Pedro. American Museum of Natural History; Estados Unido

An Innovative Interprofessional Course: Cultural Humility and Competence

As we tackle the disproportionate burden of chronic illness and access to quality health care of an increasingly diverse population, it is critical to infuse cultural and linguistic competence in all sectors of health care training. To reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of eliminating health disparities, health and human services education must provide the knowledge and experience to understand the root causes of health disparities, as well as strategies to advance ongoing cultural and linguistic competence

Primitive Early Eocene bat from Wyoming and the evolution of flight and echolocation

Bats ( Chiroptera) represent one of the largest and most diverse radiations of mammals, accounting for one- fifth of extant species(1). Although recent studies unambiguously support bat monophyly(2-4) and consensus is rapidly emerging about evolutionary relationships among extant lineages(5-8), the fossil record of bats extends over 50 million years, and early evolution of the group remains poorly understood(5,7-9). Here we describe a new bat from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming, USA, with features that are more primitive than seen in any previously known bat. The evolutionary pathways that led to flapping flight and echolocation in bats have been in dispute(7-18), and until now fossils have been of limited use in documenting transitions involved in this marked change in lifestyle. Phylogenetically informed comparisons of the new taxon with other bats and non- flying mammals reveal that critical morphological and functional changes evolved incrementally. Forelimb anatomy indicates that the new bat was capable of powered flight like other Eocene bats, but ear morphology suggests that it lacked their echolocation abilities, supporting a 'flight first' hypothesis for chiropteran evolution. The shape of the wings suggests that an undulating gliding - fluttering flight style may be primitive for bats, and the presence of a long calcar indicates that a broad tail membrane evolved early in Chiroptera, probably functioning as an additional airfoil rather than as a prey-capture device. Limb proportions and retention of claws on all digits indicate that the new bat may have been an agile climber that employed quadrupedal locomotion and under- branch hanging behaviour.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62816/1/nature06549.pd