Chelonoidis Dcarbonaria and C. denticulata are two tortoises which are widely distributed Brazil. Although they occur sympatrically in different areas, C. carbonaria prefers open areas, while C. denticulata chooses forest areas. Significant morphological variations can be observed in these species due to the fact that they occupy a vast and environmentally diverse area. Data on shell shape of c...

Temporal bone shape has been shown to reflect molecular phylogenetic relationships among hominoids and offers significant morphological detail for distinguishing taxa. Although it is generally accepted that temporal bone shape, like other aspects of morphology, has an underlying genetic component, the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors is unclear. To determine the impact of...

The genitalia of internally fertilizing taxa represent a striking example of rapid morphological evolution. Although sexual selection can shape variation in genital morphology, it has been difficult to test whether multiple sexual selection pressures combine to drive the rapid evolution of individual genital structures. Here, we test the hypothesis that both pre- and postcopulatory sexual selec...

Bees and wasps could exhibit shape and size sexual dimorphism, and most of their morphological variation could depend on phenotypic responses due to environmental pressure during ontogenetic development. More complex measurement techniques related to size and shape rather than simply to mass and length should be required to analyze such a complex sexual dimorphism. In this study, differences re...

The knowledge of processes involved in morphological variation requires the integrated analysis of evolutionary and ecological factors. Here, we investigate the factors responsible for dental variation among human populations from southern South America. The aim of this work is to test the correspondence of dental size and shape variation with geographical, molecular (i.e. mtDNA) and ecological...

This paper describes a method of combining two approaches to modelling flexible objects. Modal Analysis using Finite Element Methods (FEMs) generates a set of vibrational modes for a single shape. Point Distribution Models (PDMs) generate a statistical model of shape and shape variation from a set of example shapes. A new approach is described which generates vibrational modes when few example ...

  Introduction: Using beta emitter radionuclide is a useful therapeutic modality in the treatment of skin cancers in areas which are difficult to cure by other methods. The aim of this research is to evaluate the tissue response to beta rays of 166Ho and determine the feasibility of beta emitting radionuclide for treatment of skin cancers. Methods: In this...

Virtually all fibers exhibit some dimensional and structural irregularities. These include the conventional textile fibers, the high-performance brittle fibers and even the newly developed nano-fibers. In recent years, we have systematically examined the effect of fiber dimensional irregularities on the mechanical behavior of the irregular fibers. This paper extends our research to include the ...