Muscularity and attractiveness as predictors of human egalitarianism

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Personality and Individual Differences. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2010 Elsevier B.V.In ancestral human environments, muscularity and height (in males) and physical attractiveness (in both sexes) would theoretically have correlated positively with one’s social status, and thus with one’s ability to benefit from social inequality. We therefore hypothesized that individuals who are more characterized by these traits would be less egalitarian (i.e., less likely to believe that resources should be distributed equally in social groups). We used a white-light 3D body scanner to extract anthropometric measurements from 118 participants, and our four egalitarianism measures included social dominance orientation and social value orientation. We found that as hypothesized, muscularity and waist–chest ratio in males, and self-perceived attractiveness in both sexes, tended to associate significantly in the predicted directions with the four egalitarianism measures; most of these correlations were of medium size. Neither height, nor two anthropometrically-assessed attractiveness measures (volume height index and waist–hip ratio), associated significantly with any egalitarianism measure in either sex. Egalitarianism has crucial social repercussions (e.g., taxes, welfare and civil rights), and results from the current study shed light on its origins

Mathematical modelling in animal nutrition: a centenary review

A centenary review presents an opportunity to ponder over the processes of concept development and give thought to future directions. The current review aims to ascertain the ontogeny of current concepts, underline the connection between ideas and people and pay tribute to those pioneers who have contributed significantly to modelling in animal nutrition. Firstly, the paper draws a brief portrait of the use of mathematics in agriculture and animal nutrition prior to 1925. Thereafter, attention turns towards the historical development of growth modelling, feed evaluation systems and animal response models. Introduction of the factorial and compartmental approaches into animal nutrition is noted along with the particular branches of mathematics encountered in various models. Furthermore, certain concepts, especially bioenergetics or the heat doctrine, are challenged and alternatives are reviewed. The current state of knowledge of animal nutrition modelling results mostly from the discernment and unceasing efforts of our predecessors rather than serendipitous discoveries. The current review may stimulate those who wish for greater understanding and appreciation

Measurements of Differential Reflectivity in Snowstorms and Warm Season Stratiform Systems

The organized behavior of differential radar reflectivity (ZDR) is documented in the cold regions of a wide variety of stratiform precipitation types occurring in both winter and summer. The radar targets and attendant cloud microphysical conditions are interpreted within the context of measurements of ice crystal types in laboratory diffusion chambers in which humidity and temperature are both stringently controlled. The overriding operational interest here is in the identification of regions prone to icing hazards with long horizontal paths. Two predominant regimes are identified: category A, which is typified by moderate reflectivity (from 10 to 30 dBZ) and modest +ZDR values (from 0 to +3 dB) in which both supercooled water and dendritic ice crystals (and oriented aggregates of ice crystals) are present at a mean temperature of −13°C, and category B, which is typified by small reflectivity (from −10 to +10 dBZ) and the largest +ZDR values (from +3 to +7 dB), in which supercooled water is dilute or absent and both flat-plate and dendritic crystals are likely. The predominant positive values for ZDR in many case studies suggest that the role of an electric field on ice particle orientation is small in comparison with gravity. The absence of robust +ZDR signatures in the trailing stratiform regions of vigorous summer squall lines may be due both to the infusion of noncrystalline ice particles (i.e., graupel and rimed aggregates) from the leading deep convection and to the effects of the stronger electric fields expected in these situations. These polarimetric measurements and their interpretations underscore the need for the accurate calibration of ZDR.United States. Federal Aviation Administration (Air Force Contract FA8721-05-C-0002

Designing difficult office space allocation problem instances with mathematical programming

Office space allocation (OSA) refers to the assignment of room space to a set of entities (people, machines, roles, etc.), with the goal of optimising the space utilisation while satisfying a set of additional constraints. In this paper, a mathematical programming approach is developed to model and generate test instances for this difficult and important combinatorial optimisation problem. Systematic experimentation is then carried out to study the difficulty of the generated test instances when the parameters for adjusting space misuse (overuse and underuse) and constraint violations are subject to variation. The results show that the difficulty of solving OSA problem instances can be greatly affected by the value of these parameters

Intra-individual metameric variation expressed at the enamel-dentine junction of lower post-canine dentition of South African fossil hominins and modern humans

Objectives The aim of this study is to compare the degree and patterning of inter‐ and intra‐individual metameric variation in South African australopiths, early Homo and modern humans. Metameric variation likely reflects developmental and taxonomical issues, and could also be used to infer ecological and functional adaptations. However, its patterning along the early hominin postcanine dentition, particularly among South African fossil hominins, remains unexplored. Materials and Methods Using microfocus X‐ray computed tomography (µXCT) and geometric morphometric tools, we studied the enamel‐dentine junction (EDJ) morphology and we investigated the intra‐ and inter‐individual EDJ metameric variation among eight australopiths and two early Homo specimens from South Africa, as well as 32 modern humans. Results Along post‐canine dentition, shape changes between metameres represented by relative positions and height of dentine horns, outlines of the EDJ occlusal table are reported in modern and fossil taxa. Comparisons of EDJ mean shapes and multivariate analyses reveal substantial variation in the direction and magnitude of metameric shape changes among taxa, but some common trends can be found. In modern humans, both the direction and magnitude of metameric shape change show increased variability in M2‐M3 compared to M1‐M2. Fossil specimens are clustered together showing similar magnitudes of shape change. Along M2‐M3, the lengths of their metameric vectors are not as variable as those of modern humans, but they display considerable variability in the direction of shape change. Conclusion The distalward increase of metameric variation along the modern human molar row is consistent with the odontogenetic models of molar row structure (inhibitory cascade model). Though much remains to be tested, the variable trends and magnitudes in metamerism in fossil hominins reported here, together with differences in the scale of shape change between modern humans and fossil hominins may provide valuable information regarding functional morphology and developmental processes in fossil species

Genomsläpplig beläggning

Problematik kring hantering av dagvatten har inom VA- och landskapsbranschen under årtionden varit ett centralt ämne. Övervägande fokus har tidigare legat på att lösa problem med stora mängder dagvatten genom att hastigt transportera bort vattnet i underjordiska ledningssystem. På senare tid har man insett värdet och vikten av att hindra uppkomst av dagvatten, att bromsa upp avrinningsprocesser och att se vattnets naturliga kretslopp som förebild för dagvattenhantering. Täta markbeläggningar är direkta källor till uppkomst av dagvatten. Genom att skärma av möjligheter för infiltration finns risk att negativa följder uppstår, exempelvis i form av översvämningar, sänkning av grundvattennivå och överbelastning hos reningsverk. I detta kandidatarbete undersöks genom litteraturstudie olika versioner av den öppna dagvattenlösningen genomsläpplig beläggning. Målet var att ta fram ett konkret underlag till yrkesverksamma och privatpersoner som står inför val av genomsläpplig beläggningstyp. Ett underlag där man kan utläsa vilka alternativ som finns, vilka egenskaper de har och vilka faktorer som är relevanta att ha i åtanke inför valet. Under resan till färdigt kandidatarbete ville jag också utveckla mina kunskaper inom hydrologi och dagvattenhantering. Arbetet ger en inblick i Sveriges historia kring hantering av dagvatten, hur vattnets naturliga kretslopp fungerar och vad urbanisering och tätning av mark kan ge för effekter på vattnets naturliga processer och på vår omgivning. Vidare beskrivs genomsläpplig beläggning först översiktligt, där fokus ligger på att redogöra för vad genomsläpplig beläggning är, dess primära syfte och att beskriva de allmänna egenskaper som de olika beläggningstyperna delar med varandra. Nästa del i detta arbete zoomar in och redogör för åtta specifika beläggningstyper, närmare bestämt gräsytor, grovkornigt material, förstärkningsnät av plast, Cast Iron Græsarmering, beläggning med genomsläppliga fogar, beläggning av hålsten, genomsläpplig betong och genomsläpplig asfalt. Resultatet visar att det finns flera anledningar att arbeta för att minska uppkomst av dagvatten och att samtidigt arbeta med problematik kring det vatten som inte går att reducera. Studien visar att det både finns situationer då genomsläppliga beläggningar är lämpliga att använda och situationer då de inte är lämpliga att använda. Vidare konstateras att dagvattenlösningen besitter flertalet egenskaper intressanta för fortsatt arbete mot hållbar dagvattenhantering. Dessutom skiljer sig egenskaperna flera gånger mellan de undersökta beläggningstyperna, vilket delas in och sammanställs under 13 stycken karaktärsgrupper. Slutligen analyseras ur resultatet 17 stycken faktorer relevanta att ta hänsyn till vid val av genomsläpplig beläggningstyp

Research of the New Hampshire Experiment Station in animal breeding and nutrition, Bulletin, no. 331

The Bulletin is a publication of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

Cost of raising beef cattle in New Hampshire, Bulletin, no. 182

The Bulletin is a publication of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

Evaluating Product-Centric Continuous Improvements: Impact on Competitive Capabilities and Business Performance

Product-centric continuous improvements (CIs) are actions via which firms modify the design of a product after the start of its production and release into the market. Product-centric CIs are initiated to help build competitive capabilities and sustain competitive advantage throughout the product life cycle. This study complements the perspective pervasive in the extant literature that actions related to product-centric CIs can be disruptive to firms and be associated with negative performance consequences. It investigates a topic that is relatively much less researched, namely the upside potential of product-centric CIs. The empirical analysis is based on data collected from 144 plants in the United States representing process and discrete part manufacturing industries. Specifically, the study analyzes the impact of product-centric CIs on competitive capabilities and business performance. The results of the empirical analysis indicate the following: First, there exist two categories of product-centric CIs: (1) actions for quality improvement and (2) actions for cost reduction. Second, while there is a positive association between each type of CI and the intended competitive capability, there also is a trade-off—i.e., actions for quality improvement increase quality capability but reduce cost capability, and vice versa. Third, there is a strong linkage between business performance and quality capability, but not cost capability. All in all, the study presents empirical evidence that product-centric CIs have a significant impact on competitive capabilities related to quality and cost, and, in turn, have an impact on business performance. From the standpoint of practice, the study suggests that product-centric CIs should be managed to develop competitive capabilities and improve business performance