A Field Comes of Age: Geometric Morphometrics in the 21st Century

Twenty years ago, Rohlf and Marcus proclaimed that a revolution in morphometrics was underway, where classic analyses based on sets of linear distances were being supplanted by geometric approaches making use of the coordinates of anatomical landmarks. Since that time the field of geometric morphometrics has matured into a rich and cohesive discipline for the study of shape variation and covariation. The development of the field is identified with the Procrustes paradigm, a methodological approach to shape analysis arising from the intersection of the statistical shape theory and analytical procedures for obtaining shape variables from landmark data. In this review we describe the Procrustes paradigm and the current methodological toolkit of geometric morphometrics. We highlight some of the theoretical advances that have occurred over the past ten years since our prior review (Adams et al., 2004), what types of anatomical structures are amenable to these approaches, and how they extend the reach of geometric morphometrics to more specialized applications for addressing particular biological hypotheses. We end with a discussion of some possible areas that are fertile ground for future development in the field

Observation of the production of three massive gauge bosons at √s=13 TeV

The first observation is reported of the combined production of three massive gauge bosons (VVV with V=W, Z) in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The analysis is based on a data sample recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137  fb^−1. The searches for individual WWW, WWZ, WZZ, and ZZZ production are performed in final states with three, four, five, and six leptons (electrons or muons), or with two same-sign leptons plus one or two jets. The observed (expected) significance of the combined VVV production signal is 5.7 (5.9) standard deviations and the corresponding measured cross section relative to the standard model prediction is 1.02^+0.26_−0.23. The significances of the individual WWW and WWZ production are 3.3 and 3.4 standard deviations, respectively. Measured production cross sections for the individual triboson processes are also reported.Published versio

Analysis of temporal and spatial phytoplankton variability in a Long Island salt marsh

A study of phytoplankton and related variables in a Long Island salt marsh was designed to incorporate three major sources of variation in the sampling regime: spatial, short-term temporal, and long-term temporal. The combination of multivariate (MANOVA and factor analysis) and univariate (ANOVA) data analyses was used to examine the relative importance of each source of variation in 11 variables and to aid in the ecological interpretation of the data. MANOVA confirmed that all three sources of variation were significant with temporal variation (weekly sampling and at different times of the day) more important than spatial variation (sampling at different stations). The analyses also indicated that sampling a dynamic, tidally-driven system, such as a small salt marsh, cannot be carried out on a once-per-day basis; tidal flushing and diurnal changes in primary production induce a large amount of variation into the concentrations of phytoplankton and related variables within the salt marsh.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24393/1/0000663.pd

Ecological and evolutionary factors in the morphological diversification of South American spiny rats

Understanding the processes underlying morphological diversification is a central goal in ecology and evolutionary biology and requires the integration of information about phylogenetic divergence and ecological niche diversity. In the present study, we use geometric morphometrics and comparative methods to investigate morphological diversification in Neotropical spiny rats of the family Echimyidae. Morphological diversification is studied as shape variation in the skull, comprising a structure composed of four distinct units: vault, base, orognathofacial complex, and mandible. We demonstrate association among patterns of variation in shape in different cranial units, levels of phylogenetic divergence, and ecological niche diversification. At the lower level of phylogenetic divergence, there is significant and positive concordance between patterns of phylogenetic divergence and cranial shape variation in all cranial units. This concordance may be attributable to the phylogenetic and shape distances being calculated between species that occupy the same niche. At higher phylogenetic levels of divergence and with ecological niche diversity, there is significant concordance between shape variation in all four cranial units and the ecological niches. In particular, the orognathofacial complex revealed the most significant association between shape variation and ecological niche diversity. This association may be explained by the great functional importance of the orognathofacial complex.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Ecological and evolutionary factors in the morphological diversification of South American spiny rats

Understanding the processes underlying morphological diversification is a central goal in ecology and evolutionary biology and requires the integration of information about phylogenetic divergence and ecological niche diversity. In the present study, we use geometric morphometrics and comparative methods to investigate morphological diversification in Neotropical spiny rats of the family Echimyidae. Morphological diversification is studied as shape variation in the skull, comprising a structure composed of four distinct units: vault, base, orognathofacial complex, and mandible. We demonstrate association among patterns of variation in shape in different cranial units, levels of phylogenetic divergence, and ecological niche diversification. At the lower level of phylogenetic divergence, there is significant and positive concordance between patterns of phylogenetic divergence and cranial shape variation in all cranial units. This concordance may be attributable to the phylogenetic and shape distances being calculated between species that occupy the same niche. At higher phylogenetic levels of divergence and with ecological niche diversity, there is significant concordance between shape variation in all four cranial units and the ecological niches. In particular, the orognathofacial complex revealed the most significant association between shape variation and ecological niche diversity. This association may be explained by the great functional importance of the orognathofacial complex.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Measurements of production cross sections of WZ and same-sign WW boson pairs in association with two jets in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

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MSU Xtreme: Minnesota State University, Mankato\u27s Entry into the Clean Snowmobile Challenge 2001

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Automotive Engineering Technology program formed a team to enter the Clean Snowmobile Challenge 2001. Selections for the organization’s machine included a 2001 Polaris Edge Chassis specially outfitted with a 2000 500 cc two-stroke Polaris engine. Modifications to the snowmobile were made specifically for Clean Snowmobile Challenge 2001 events. Acceleration, emissions, cold start, noise, fuel economy/range, handling/drivability, hill climb, and static display made up the list of events featured in the competition. MSU Xtreme has modified the snowmobile in every area with special emphasis on emissions and handling. Testing and analysis of the sled’s systems brought the team to its resulting design. The technical paper describes the results of those tests, explains the team design procedures, and presents all modifications made to the snowmobile

Ecological and evolutionary factors in the morphological diversification of South American spiny rats

Understanding the processes underlying morphological diversification is a central goal in ecology and evolutionary biology and requires the integration of information about phylogenetic divergence and ecological niche diversity. In the present study, we use geometric morphometrics and comparative methods to investigate morphological diversification in Neotropical spiny rats of the family Echimyidae. Morphological diversification is studied as shape variation in the skull, comprising a structure composed of four distinct units: vault, base, orognathofacial complex, and mandible. We demonstrate association among patterns of variation in shape in different cranial units, levels of phylogenetic divergence, and ecological niche diversification. At the lower level of phylogenetic divergence, there is significant and positive concordance between patterns of phylogenetic divergence and cranial shape variation in all cranial units. This concordance may be attributable to the phylogenetic and shape distances being calculated between species that occupy the same niche. At higher phylogenetic levels of divergence and with ecological niche diversity, there is significant concordance between shape variation in all four cranial units and the ecological niches. In particular, the orognathofacial complex revealed the most significant association between shape variation and ecological niche diversity. This association may be explained by the great functional importance of the orognathofacial complex.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

The Apollo ATCA platform

We have developed a novel and generic open-source platform - Apollo - which simplifies the design of custom Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) blades by factoring the design into generic infrastructure and application-specific parts. The Apollo "Service Module" provides the required ATCA Intelligent Platform Management Controller, power entry and conditioning, a powerful system-on-module (SoM) computer, and flexible clock and communications infrastructure. The Apollo "Command Module" is customized for each application and typically includes two large field-programmable gate arrays, several hundred optical fiber interfaces operating at speeds up to 28 Gbps, memories, and other supporting infrastructure. The command and service module boards can be operated together or independently on the bench without need for an ATCA shelf.Published versio