bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecological factors in skin color variation among Papua New Guineans
Authors: Harvey Robin G.
Published: August 2005

An EEL reflectance spectrophotometer was used to measure the skin color of the inner upper arm and the forearm of 913 Karkar Islanders (Madang District) and 684 Lufa villagers (Eastern Highlands District). The samples were subdivided to study sex, age, and population variation against a background of ecological observations, including sunlight exposure, clothing, and erythemally effective wavelengths of ultraviolet light (Robertson, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, 1974). Population differences in sex and age variation in upper arm skin color may largely be attributable to the effects of culturally associated clothing differences. Not only do the Lufa villagers wear substantially less clothing than the Karkars, but also their arms are exposed more frequently to ultraviolet light during heavy manual work in unshaded gardens. For the melanin content of the forearm skin there are similar patterns of age variation in both populations; however, the populations differ in mean percentage of reflectance throughout most of the age span. These between‐population differences are interpreted as a consequence of greater average daily exposure to sunlight and the higher intensity of ultraviolet light in the highland environment. On the forearm the percentage of reflectance at 685 nm decreases more rapidly with age in the prepubertal and adult age groups, a result attributed to endocrine changes superimposed on cumulative changes in the melanin pigmentary mechanism.
Monkey locomotion during gait transitions: How do interlimb time intervals, step sequences, and kinematics change?
Authors: Hurov Jack R.
Published: August 2005

Cine film documenting unrestrained locomotion of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) ranging in age from 6 to greater than 48 months was analyzed to provide information on gait transitions from walking to loping. Changes in the duration of time between reciprocal footfalls were measured to determine how alternate limb movements, which occurred during walking, were converted to synchronous limb coordination characteristic of loping. Footfall pattern changes were also determined, and walk‐lope transition speeds were plotted on logarithmic coordinates, as a function of body mass.

Conversion from alternate to synchronous limb movement during vervet walk‐lope transitions was effected by systematic decreases in the duration of time between successive footfalls. These decreases primarily affected contralateral limb pairs, RH‐LH and RF‐LF. Synchronous contralateral limb movement was considered to be mechanically advantageous because, when coupled with increased ranges of back motion, it provided a mechanism for increasing hindlimb step length.

Intraspecific scaling of walk‐lope transition speed in vervets provided support for McMahon's (1975) elastic similarity principle.
Markers of genetic variation among the Waorani Indians of the Ecuadorian Amazon headwaters
Authors: Larrick James W. , Yost James , Gourley C. , Buckley C. E. , Plato C. C. , Pandey J. P. , Burck K. B. , Kaplan Jon
Published: August 2005

Until recently, the Waorani Indians of Ecuador's Amazon headwaters maintained a fierce resistance to all intruders into their territory, and as a result of their actions and reputations a population of 600 people controlled a very large territory (about 8,000 square miles). The isolation of the Waorani has resulted in a large linguistic and genetic distance from their neighbors. Our survey of red cell enzymes, immunoglobulin allotypes, and dermatoglyphics demonstrates that the Waorani are a highly inbred and homogenous population. Of 18 red cell enzymes studied, the Waorani have a limited polymorphism, for only 6. Only two Gm haplotypes (Gm1,2,17,21, Gm1,17,21) were found and 60% of those tested were homozygous for the Gm1,17,21 haplotype. All individuals were A2m (1) and 95% of these were homozygous. The Waorani's dermatoglyphic traits fell within the wide range found among other South American Indians with close affinity to the Ecuadorian Jivaro group. Despite the limitations of these genetic systems, they demonstrate that the Waorani share limited genetic traits with the neighboring Jivaro Indians and are isolated from other tribal populations in South America.
Simian crease incidence and the correlation with thenar and hypothenar pattern types in Swedish patients with trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome)
Authors: Rignell Anders
Published: August 2005

In the present study the frequency of the simian crease among 57 Down patients is compared to the corresponding figures of related and unrelated individuals. A study of the correlation with the dermatoglyphic patterns of the thenar and hypothenar areas is presented, the palm print classification being carried out according to a Swedish method.
Loading patterns and jaw movements during mastication inMacaca fascicularis: A bone‐strain, electromyographic, and cineradiographic analysis
Authors: Hylander William L. , Johnson Kirk R. , Crompton A. W.
Published: August 2005

Rosette strain gage, electromyography (EMG), and cineradiographic techniques were used to analyze loading patterns and jaw movements during mastication inMacaca fascicularis.The cineradiographic data indicate that macaques generally swallow frequently throughout a chewing sequence, and these swallows are intercalated into a chewing cycle towards the end of a power stroke. The bone strain and jaw movement data indicate that during vigorous mastication the transition between fast close and the power stroke is correlated with a sharp increase in masticatory force, and they also show that in most instances the jaws of macaques are maximally loaded prior to maximum intercuspation, i.e. during phase I (buccal phase) occlusal movements. Moreover, these data indicate that loads during phase II (lingual phase) occlusal movements are ordinarily relatively small. The bone strain data also suggest that the duration of unloading of the jaw during the power stroke of mastication is largely a function of the relaxation time of the jaw adductors. This interpretation is based on the finding that the duration from 100% peak strain to 50% peak strain during unloading closely approximates the halfrelaxation time of whole adductor jaw muscles of macaques.

The EMG data of the masseter and medial pterygoid muscles have important implications for understanding both the biomechanics of the power stroke and the external forces responsible for the “wishboning” effect that takes place along the mandibular symphysis and corpus during the power stroke of mastication. Although both medial pterygoid muscles reach maximum EMG activity during the power stroke, the activity of the working‐side medial pterygoid peaksafterthe balancing‐side medial pterygoid. Associated with the simultaneous increase of force of the working‐side medial pterygoid and decrease of force of the balancing‐side medial pterygoid is the persistently high level of EMG activity of the balancing‐side deep masseter (posterior portion). This pattern is of considerable significance because the direction of force of both the working‐side medial pterygoid and the balancing‐side deep masseter is well aligned to aid in driving the workingside lower molars across the upper molars in the medial direction during unilateral mastication. Moreover, the persistent activity of the balancing‐side deep masseter associated with the gradual relaxation of the remaining balancing‐side muscles indicates that although vertical force along the balancing side is decreasing, there is a relative increase in laterally directed force, and this results in relatively high strains and an increase in lateral transverse bending of the balancingside mandibular corpus (and symphysis) throughout the power stroke.
Evolution of the lumbosacral angle
Authors: Maurice Abitbol M.
Published: August 2005

The lumbosacral angle (LSA) was studied in 131 chidren ranging in age from birth to 5 years. This angle increases form an average of 20 degrees at birth to an average of 70 degrees at the age of 5 years; it remains at that level thereafter. This study demonstrates that the formation of the LSA is not related to increasing age, height, of weight. Nor do obstetrical requirements seem to play any major role in the formation of the lumbosacral angle. Rather, it appears that the development of the LSA is related to the progressive acquisition of erect posture and the ontogeny of bipedal locomotion. This angle is almost nil in the nonprimate mammals (who only infrequently stand erect). It is minimal in monkeys who occasionally assume bipedal postures and increases somewhat in living apes who engage in facultative bipedal positional behavior. In the early australopithecines, the LSA is increased over that in apes, and it reaches its maximum in Homo sapiens. Deviations from normal and healthy erect posture in Homo sapiens result in corresponding changes in the lumbosacral angle.

Lumbar and sacral angles (both forming the lumbosacral angle) are almost equal in all mammalian species. Since the sacral angle of Australopithecus afarensis is approximately 15 degrees, it can be implied that its lumbosacral angle was small, thus attestiong to its “imperfect” erect posture and “primitive” form of bipedal locomotion.
Bone breakage in the Krapina hominid collection
Authors: Russell Mary D.
Published: August 2005

The fragmentary condition of the Krapina Neandertal remains has been offered as one line of evidence for the hypothesis that these hominids were the victims of cannibals seeking marrow and brains. Two other hypotheses regarding the causes of the framentation have been raised: 1) a substantial portion of the breakage in the Krapina collection is attributable to excavation damage; and 2) the rest of the breakage is attributable to sedimentary pressure and to natural rock falls that occurred during the site's prehistory. The purpose of this paper is report on tests of these three hypotheses concerning the cause of breakage in the Krapina material. Microscopic inspection of all Krapina hominid specimens showed that 23% of the material was inadvertantly broken during excavation or during quarrying that took place at the end of the last century. The morphology of the prehistoric breakage is inconsistent with the cannibalism hypothesis and supports the hypothesis that prehistoric breakage was caused by sedimentary pressure and/or roof falls.
Lack of secular change in male adult stature in rural Mali (West Africa)
Authors: Prazuck T. , Fisch A. , Pichard E. , Sidibe Y.
Published: August 2005

A study has been carried out on a sample of 2,158 male subjects between 20 and 50 years old representative of the rural Malian population (West Africa), and the results are compared with historic data obtained since 1885. This comparison suggests that there has been no modification in stature during this century. The analysis of each ethnic group does not show any disparity. Our results are in agreement with the theory that certain factors lead to the secular increase of stature in developed countries. These etiologic factors are not found in our West African population.
Social policy, economics, and demographic change in Nanticoke‐Moor ethnohistory
Authors: Blakey Michael L.
Published: August 2005

The Nanticoke‐Moors of Delaware are an ethnic group of Native American, Afro‐American, and Euro‐American descent. Their physiognomic and ethnic marginality has subjected them to a limited range of social and economic options under the influence of American racial policies. This article concerns their ethnic formation in the colonial period and the demographic effects (changes in fertility, mortality, and structure) of their 19th‐ and 20th‐century social history.

The demographic sample consists of 406 headstones from three community cemeteries. Each cemetery represents a socially and economically distinct unit, including a group that identifies with its traditional Indian heritage, an Afro‐American acculturated group, and a migrant community of marginal ethnic affiliation. Variation and change in life expectancy is shown. Relationships between the political and economic processes affecting Nanticoke‐Moor social affiliation, and those affecting color caste‐class formation among mainstream Afro‐Americans, are discussed.
Calcaneus secundarius: Description and frequency in six skeletal samples
Authors: Mann Robert W.
Published: August 2005

The calcaneus secundarius (CS) is a small accessory ossicle of the anterior calcaneal facet. A sample of 1,367 calcanei including early 20th century U.S. blacks and whites, XIIth Dynasty Egyptians, Islamic Period Bahrainis, and protohistoric American Indians from two states were examined to determine the frequency of this nonmetric trait. Statistical testing of the correlation of the trait with sex could only be performed on the blacks and whites, a documented cadaver collection. Tests of χ2indicated that, although sex differences were insignificant, significant group (not necessarily racial or geographical) differences existed at the .05 level. There was no correlation of side dominance in the overall sample, although significant population differences existed. The trait frequencies of the black and white samples were more similar to one another than to the nonindustrial groups who, in turn, were more similar to each other than to the Terry sample. The findings suggest that a CS is of genetic or congenital origin resulting in a secondary center of ossification in the anterior calcaneal facet.
Deciduous enamel defects and caries susceptibility in a prehistoric ohio population
Authors: Duray Stephen M.
Published: August 2005

Clinical studies of the relationship between developmental enamel defects and caries susceptibility have often produced conflicting results. This has been due in part to a failure to distinguish between different types of defects. Studies of this association in prehistoric populations have been rare. The complete deciduous dentitions of 57 subadults from the Libben site, a large Late Woodland cemetery in Ottawa County, Ohio, were selected for analysis. Defects were classified as either hypoplasias (deficiencies in matrix apposition) or hypocalcifications (deficiencies in mineralization) and were graded for severity. The presence or absence of carious lesions was recorded for each tooth. Result indicate a strong positive relationship between hypocalcifications and caries susceptibility. The elevated caries susceptibility of hypocalcified teeth may be related to high levels of magnesium or altered enamel microcrystallite orientation within these teeth. Variations in the frequency of hypocalcification may partially explain defferences in caries rates that have been observed in different prehistoric populations.
Size, space, and adaptation in some subfossil lemurs from Madagascar
Authors: Godfrey Laurie R. , Sutherland Michael R. , Petto Andrew J. , Boy Donald S.
Published: August 2005

We examine several explanations for the geographic pattern of body size variation exhibited by the subfossil lemur Archaeolemur. Part and partial correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis are applied in a stepwise, hierarchical fashion to help to determine variables interdependencies. Variance in site menas for body size is best explained by the richness of the plant community and by several correlated climatic variables (bioclimatic zone and mean annual rainfall). Body size differentiation in Archaeolemur roughly mirrors patterns observed among many other Malagasy lemur species and subspecies groups. This consistency alone suggests that common ecological factor have strongly affected size differentiation in lemurs, most probably (as suggested by our correlation analyses) by uniformly influencing the productivity of their niches. Smaller individuals tend to inhabit arid regions, and larger individuals tend to inhabit wetter regions. The interplay between selective differentiation and allopatric speciation appears to have yielded the concordant pattern of size variation observed in Malagasy lemurs.
Inbreeding Effects on Bilateral Asymmetry of Dermatoglyphic Patterns
Authors: Mukherjee Arindam
Published: August 2005

Bilateral correlations are higher and bilateral variances within indiciduals smaller in the samples of inbred individuals than in matched control groups of the same sex for pattern intensities on fingers in four series of data and also for pattern intensities on palms, toes, and soles and the palmer main line indices in the data collected from a Muslim population of West Bengal. This trend is not apparent in two series of data from the Yanadi tribe, in which the inbred and noninbred samples are not controlled for random variation of genes and environment. Increased variances between individuals and changes in means and distributions of the traits in the inbred samples of the matched data indicate some influence of homozygosity of genes for the traits on their asymmetry. The reduced variability of asymmetry of the traits in the inbred cannot be explained by homozygosity of genes for either directional or absolute asymmetry. One possible explanation is that heterozygotes for these dermatoglyphic traits are more responsive to environmental stress than homozygotes and/or increased selection in the homozygotes against genetic disorders associated with dermatoglyphic asymmetry may reduce the variability of such asymmetry.
Prehistoric eye disease (trachoma?) in Australian Aborigines
Authors: Webb Stephen G.
Published: August 2005

This paper discusses an as yet undescribed lesion of the orbit in Australian Aboriginal skeletal populations. The rather high frequency and geographical distribution of the lesion suggests an association with a common, chronic eye infection. Using differential diagnosis to eleminate a variety of ophthalmic conditions, it is proposed that chronic trachoma may be a possible causative agent. Distribution of the lesion follows that of trachoma among contemporary Aboriginal people, with the highest frequencies occurring in the hotter, arid portions of the Australian continent. It is positively correlated with age, with higher frequencies in older people; it is almost completely absent among sub‐adults. The antiquity of the lesion is demonstrated by its appearance among late Pleistocene human remains.
The Solomon Islands Project: An introduction
Authors: Friedlaender Jonathan S.
Published: August 2005

The twin themes of the Solomon Islands Biomedical Project remain 1) the remarkable genetic heterogeneity of the groups in the Solomons; and 2) the differential responses to these groups to rapid modernization/acculturation over the past two decades of this long term study. This introduction summarizes the historical and ethnic relationships of the survey groups, their established genetic distances and their rankings with regard to acculturation at the times of their first survey, and changes occurring up to 1985–86. Relevant features of diet, life style, and epidemiology are described.
Prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance in six Solomon Islands populations
Authors: Beizer Ruth A.
Published: August 2005

A survey of blood glucose levels in six Solomon Islands populations may support the hypothesis that susceptibility to diabetes is almost absent among non‐Austronesian‐speaking Melanesians regardless of their level of modernization. Among Austronesian‐speaking Melanesians, however, diabetes is emerging. Differences in prevalence rates of diabetes between Austronesians and non‐Austronesian speakers in this survey are significant (P < .0001).
Diversity of C‐line terminations in Iranian populations
Authors: Sharif Kamali M. , Mavalwala Jamshed , Bhanu B. V.
Published: August 2005

Thirteen Iranian populations of diverse origins have been analyzed for C‐line terminations, utilizing bilateral palmar prints of 3,158 individuals. Significant bimanual and male/female differences were frequently found in these populations. Interpopulational variation displayed significant heterogeneity. Distance analysis and constructed dendrograms provided separation between the populations, but the dendrograms are not in agreement with the ethnohistoric records of the populations studied.
Changes in skull components of the squirrel monkey evoked by growth and nutrition: An experimental study
Authors: Pucciarelli Héctor M. , Dressino Vicente , Niveiro Mario H.
Published: August 2005

Twenty weanling 6‐month‐old male squirrel monkeys were allotted to the following treatments: 1) first control animals were killed at weaning; 2) second control animals were killed when 24 months old; and 3) malnourished animals were fed on a low‐protein diet and killed at age 24 months. Lateral and vertical teleradiographies were taken. Growth of the neurocranial and splanchnocranial components were measured by volumetric (size estimators) and morphometric (shape estimators) indices. All facial components grew. The neurocranial components showed a heterogeneous behavior: The anteroneural component remained stable, and the increase of the midneural component was compensated by a decrease in the posteroneural component. Malnutrition affected the growths of 1) the craniofacial complex, 2) the splanchnocranium, and 3) the respiratory and midneural components. Growth influenced skull shape through 1) increases of the splanchnocranium and the midneural component relative to the neurocranium; 2) decreases of the masticatory and optic components relative to the splanchnocranium, and 3) decreases of the anteroneural and posteroneural components relative to the neurocranium. Malnutrition influenced skull shape through the relationship between the anteroneural component and the neurocranium. These results confirmed the existence of functional interrelationships among the cranial components. A new approach to craniological studies is suggested.
Genetic variation at the immunoglobulin allotype loci in Creoles of Trinidad
Authors: McGowan V. M. , Reed T. E. , Schanfield M. S. , Goliah S. , Poon‐King T.
Published: August 2005

The sera of a sample of 204 Croeoles from Trinidad were tested for the presence of polymorphic gene complexes occurring on immunoglobulin ligh‐ and heavy‐chain molecules including the allotypic markers IGKC 1, IGHA2 1 and 2, IGHG1 A, X, F, and Z, and IGHG3 G, G5, BO, B1, B3, B4, B5, C3, C5, S, and T. Nine IGHG (GM) haplotypes occur in polymorphic frequencies (>0.1) in this population, including known African, Asian, Caucasian, and Amerindian marker haplotypes. Significant differences (P <.01) were found in the frequency distributions of three IGHG (GM) haplotypes and the frequency of IGKC*1 in these data and data from Creole populations of Belize and St. Vincent. The Creoles of Trinidad and St. Vincent are more similar in IGHG (GM) haplotype distibutions than are Trinidad and Belize populations. Previous testing has revealed no significant difference between St. Vincent and Belize Creoles at the Ig allotypic loci. Analysis of migration patterns in the Caribbean suggests that different rates of Asian migration have maintained regional diversity at these loci, while continuous gene flow from the eastern Caribbean to Trinidad has had a ralative homogenizing effect on the gene pools of this area.
Genetic epidemiological study of blood pressure in sedentary rural agriculture population of West Bengal, India
Authors: Majumder Partha P. , Bhattacharya S. K. , Mukherjee B. N. , Rao D. C.
Published: August 2005

To study the genetic epidmiology of blood pressure (BP), data on 78 families were collected from a sedentary agriculture population of eastern India. The general levels of both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures are found to be low (mean SBP = 106.41 mm Hg; means DBP = 63.94 mm Hg). Trends of blood pressures with age are similar to those reported earlier (e.g., in the Framingham study). Environmental variables—e.g., occupation and tobacco use—do not have any direct significant efffect on blood pressure variability in this population. Path analysis of familay data shows a highly significant familial aggregation and yields a gentic heritability (maximum) estimate of 0.3 for both SBP and DBP. Sib–sib and mother–child correlation estimates are, respectively, 0.3 and 0.25. Father–child correlation estimates are 0.13 for SBP and near zero for DBP. A pseudopolygenic model yields the best fit to the data on SBP, while for DBP a proper resolution of various models considered could not be obtained.
George Gaylord Simpson as mentor and apologist for paleoanthropology
Authors: Laporte Léo F.
Published: August 2005

The influence of George Gaylord Simpson (1902–1984) on paleoanthropology provides a well‐documented, historical example of how one scientific discipline can impact upon another, bringing the latter quickly “up to speed” without having to retrace ground covered by the former. Paleoanthropologists were bystanders during the formulation of the evolutionary synthesis (1936–1947). After World War II, the younger paleoanthropologists looked to George Gaylord Simpson as one of several mentors regarding the implications of the synthesis for their own discipline. But why Simpson? Having earlier defined the superfamily Hominoidea (1931) as holding the Pongidae and Hominidae and monographed lower primate fossils (e.g., “Studies on the earliest primates,” 1940), Simpson's “Principles of classification and a classification of mammals” (1945) further solidified his reputation as a mammalian systematist. Simpson's Meaning of Evolution (1949) was widely read as an introduction to the synthesis, and his Tempo and Mode in Evolution (1944) made accessible the more complex aspects. Consequently, in the 1950s and 1960s paleoanthropologists invited Simpson to participate in their symposia (e.g., “Some principles of historical biology bearing on human origins,” 1951; “The meaning of taxonomic statements,” 1964), used his books as classroom texts, and cited his publications to support claims for their own work. Later in the 1960s, Simpson moved from mentor to apologist, as the paleoanthropologists were by then familiar with the synthesis and incorporated its theoretical concepts in their interpretations of the many newly discovered hominoid fossils. Simpson now took special care to celebrate these results in his more general, less technical writings, acting as a forceful apologist for the materialistic view of human origins (e.g., “The biological nature of man,” 1966; “The evolutionary concept of man,” 1972). During the 1970s, Simpson's influence waned, and he became just another practitioner at the margin of the discipline. However, anthropologists acknowledged Simpson's earlier impact, for example, when he was invited, yet again, to address them at the 50th anniversary celebration of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in 1981.
Polymorphic aspects of male anthropoid canines
Authors: Greenfield Leonard O. , Washburn Arthur
Published: August 2005

Interspecific variation in the architecture of male anthropoid maxillary canines is documented. Extant taxa are polymorphic, and most can be sorted into two major groupings based on quantitative measures of shape, distal edge sharpness, and interspecific changes in their linear dimensions (projection, mesiodistal length, and buccolingual breadth) relative to each other and to body mass (scaling). One group includes the great apes and ceboids; the other includes cercopithecoids and hylobatids. Statistically significant differences between these groups were found for canine shape, for trajectories of regressions for canine projection on canine length and canine breadth, and for canine projection and canine breadth relative to body mass. The data indicate that explanations of canine variation in male anthropoids must include a mechanical interpretation of form in addition to assessments of habitus, heritage, and body mass.
Reconstruction of molecular phylogeny of extant hominoids from DNA sequence data
Authors: Saitou Naruya
Published: August 2005

Evolutionary distance matrices of the extant hominoids are computed from DNA sequence data, and hominoid DNA phylogenies are reconstructed by applying the neighbor‐joining method to these distance matrices. The chimpanzee is clustered with the human in most of the phylogenetic trees thus obtained. The proportion of the distance between human and chimpanzee to that between human/chimpanzee and orangutan is estimated. Both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA show a similar value (0.44), which is close to values derived from DNA‐DNA hybridization data.
Mechanical advantages of the Neandertal thumb in flexion: A test of an hypothesis
Authors: Trinkaus Erik , Villemeur Isabelle
Published: August 2005

It has been proposed that the pollical phalangeal length proportions of the Neandertals provided them with a greater mechanical advantage relative to recent humans for their pollical flexor muscles in power grips across the interphalangeal (IP) joint at the expense of the mechanical advantage of those pollical flexor muscles in precision grips at the finger tip. To test these related hypotheses, we compared the pollical load arm dimensions (phalanx lengths) to power arm dimensions (dorsopalmar articular heights) for the European and Near Eastern Neandertals and for European and Amerindian samples of recent humans. It was found, initially, that the proximal articular height of the pollical distal phalanx is a poor predictor of the power arm at the IP articulation, even though the proximal articular height of the pollical proximal phalanx was an adequate indicator of the power arm size at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint. In addition, differences in distal pollical ulnar deviation at the IP joint appeared to make little difference in the mechanical advantage comparisons. More importantly, the relative shortness of Neandertal proximal pollical phalanges and the relative lengthening of their distal pollical phalanges was confirmed, and it was determined that, despite some minor differences in articular dimensions between Neandertals and recent humans, these pollical phalangeal length contrasts translated into significant differences in mechanical advantages for the flexor muscles across the MCP and IP articulations.
Kinematics of the cercopithecine foot on arboreal and terrestrial substrates with implications for the interpretation of hominid terrestrial adaptations
Authors: Meldrum D. Jeffrey
Published: August 2005

The stereotyped characterizations of quadrupedal foot postures were tested by examining the kinematics of the cercopithecine foot on arboreal and terrestrial supports. Strictly arboreal species were compared with semi‐terrestrial species for Cercopithecus, Cercocebus, Lophocebus, and Papio, in semi‐natural or experimental settings. Results indicate that the kinematics of the cercopithecine arboreal quadruped differ in degree from stereotypical expectations for an arboreal quadruped. The relatively extended, adducted limb movements of the cercopithecines and the emphasis on the central digit as the functional axis of the foot suggest convergence with terrestrial mammalian cursors, and differ from the platyrrhine or colobine arboreal quadruped. The characteristics of the quadrupedal terrestrial primate foot contrast with the very unique pattern seen in the hominid foot. These contrasts provide a new perspective from which to interpret the hominid adaptation, in which the functional axis has remained fixed between the first and second digits. This pattern differs from virtually all other terrestrial mammals. The influence of bipedalism on this functional pattern is examined.
Demography of Propithecus verreauxi at Beza Mahafaly, Madagascar: Sex ratio, survival, and fertility, 1984–1988
Authors: Richard Alison F. , Rakotomanga Pothin , Schwartz Marion
Published: August 2005

Eighty‐five sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) have been captured, marked, released, and monitored between September 1984 and August 1988 at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve in southwest Madagascar. Estimates are presented of the age and sex structure of this population and of age‐specific fertility and survival. Using data from this and other studies, it is shown that sifaka tertiary sex ratios do not depart significantly from 50:50, but that they do differ significantly from those of haplorhine primates, which have strongly female‐biased tertiary sex ratios. Two demographic mechanisms that could give rise to this distinction are considered: 1) intermittently male‐biased birth cohorts among sifakas and 2) different patterns of survivorship in haplorhines and sifakas.
ROC analysis of observer‐response subjective rating data—application to periodontal radiograph assessment
Authors: Hildebolt Charles F. , Vannier Michael W. , Shrout Michael K. , Pilgram Thomas K.
Published: August 2005

Many physical anthropological studies require that an observer or device discriminate between states that can be easily confused. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis currently offers the best method for determining the accuracy of such choices, particularly for small sample sizes. Although ROC analysis is widely accepted in psychophysical and biomedical testing, its use in anthropological studies has not been reported. ROC analysis is used here to determine the usefulness of enhanced dental radiographs to assess vertical alveolar bone defects for quantitative studies of human variation with regard to periodontal disease. The presence or absence of vertical‐bony defects (truth) for 75 human skulls was established by the consensus of two trained observers. Dental bitewing‐radiographs were taken of the alveolar processes, the radiographs digitized, and the brightness and contrast of the digital images enhanced. The two observers who established truth then rated 1) plain bitewing radiographs, 2) unenhanced digital images of bitewings, and 3) enhanced digital images of bitewings for vertical bony defects. The rating scale varied from 1 (vertical defect definitely or almost definitely present) to 5 (definitely or almost definitely absent). ROC analysis was used to compare the diagnostic value of the 3 imaging modalities. All modalities had nearly identical diagnostic performance, measured as Az values (areas beneath ROC curves) that were less than 0.80, which indicates only moderate usefulness. It is concluded that enhancement does not increase success in vertical‐bony‐defect diagnosis from digital dental radiographs processed in this manner. Moreover, it is suggested that conventional bitewing radiographs may be unsuitable for accurate quantification of such defects.
Femoral lengths and stature in Plio‐Pleistocene hominids
Authors: McHenry Henry M.
Published: August 2005

This study reports the femoral lengths of 31 Plio‐Pleistocene hominids dated between 3.1 and 0.7 million years ago, and uses those lengths to estimate stature by way of the femur‐stature ratio reported by Feldesman et al. (Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 78:219–220, 1989). By this method the average female Australopithecus afarensis is 105 cm and the average male is 151 cm. The respective values are 115 and 138 cm for A. africanus. As defined by Howell (In VJ Maglio and HBS Cooke (eds): The Evolution of African Mammals. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1978) and Johanson et al. (Kirtlandia 28:1–14, 1978), Homo habilis is a sexually dimorphic species, with females standing 118 cm and males 157 cm. Such apparently strong dimorphism may be due to the possibility that there are actually two species of nonrobust hominids between 2 and 1.7 m.y.a. The estimate for the female Austratopithecus boisei is 124 cm and for the male, 137 cm, but these estimates are especially difficult to be certain of because there are no femora that can be positively identified as male A. boisei. Australopithecus robustus is estimated to be 110 cm (female) and 132 cm (male). African Homo erectus stood 160 cm (female) and 180 cm (male).

From these estimates several generalizations are apparent. First, there is apparently strong sexual dimorphism in stature in A. afarensis and H. habitis, but less in the other species. Second, the “robust” australopithecines were relatively small statured. Third, it is apparently not true that humans have been getting progressively taller throughout their evolutionary history. Some individuals were as tall as modern humans 3 m.y.a., by 2 m.y.a. one individual stood about 173 cm, and by 1.7 m.y.a. a stature of 180+ cm was not uncommon.
Detection of significant demographic differences between subpopulations of prehispanic Maya from Copan, Honduras, by survival analysis
Authors: Whittington Stephen L
Published: August 2005

Heterogeneity and small sample size are problems that affect many paleodemographic studies. The former can cause the overall distribution of age at death to be an amalgam that does not accurately reflect the distributions of any of the groups composing the heterogeneous population. The latter can make it difficult to separate significant from nonsignificant demographic differences between groups. Survival analysis, a methodology that involves the survival distribution function and various regression models, can be applied to distributions of age at death in order to reveal statistically significant demographic differences and to control for heterogeneity. Survival analysis was used on demographic data from a heterogeneous sample of skeletons of low status Maya who lived in and around Copan, Honduras, between A.D. 400 and 1200. Results contribute to understanding the collapse of Classic Maya civilization.
Craniofacial configuration and postcranial development of a hydrocephalic child (ca. 2500 B.C.–500 A.D.): With a review of cases and comment on diagnostic criteria
Authors: Richards Gary D. , Anton Susan C.
Published: August 2005

Hydrocephalus is a severe disorder of the central nervous system characterized by absorption blockage of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). The archaeological record of the condition ranges in time from 10,000 B.C. to 1670 A.D. and consists of 30 possible cases worldwide. A review of this material reveals that diagnostic criteria which fully delineate the condition have not been established. Previously, no attempt has been made to differentiate the two major categories of hydrocephalus and their subgroupings, or to identify other conditions which might result in similar morphologies. A partial child's skeleton from the Middle Period (ca. 2500 B.C. to 500 A.D.) of Central California Prehistory is described in light of an extensive clinical literature. Examination of this individual reveals a unique craniofacial configuration and malformed postcrania. Bony criteria for a differential diagnosis of hydrocephalus are established and applied to this individual. Based on these criteria, the individual is diagnosed as having a chronic form of noncommunicating hydrocephalus. Blockage of the CSF pathway most likely occurred in the aqueduct of Sylvius with a partial occlusion of the foramen of Monro or a frontal cyst. In addition, femoral development is suggestive of partial paralysis.
Differences in physical growth of Aymara and Quechua children living at high altitude in Peru
Authors: de Meer K. , Bergman R. , Kusner J. S. , Voorhoeve H. W. A.
Published: August 2005

Physical growth of Amerindian children living in two Aymara and three Quechua peasant communities in the Andean highlands of southern Peru (altitude 3,810–3,840 m) was studied, taking into account differences in the microclimate, agronomic situation, and sociodemographic variables. Anthropometric measurements were taken in 395 children aged under 14 years of age in a sample of 151 families in these communities, who were surveyed for sociodemographic variables as well. Data on the land system were available for 77 families. In comparison with reference populations from the United States (NCHS) and The Netherlands, stature, weight, head circumference, and midupper arm circumference (but not weight for stature) in the sample children were reduced. Growth retardation increased after the age of 1 year. Stature and weight in the present sample were very similar compared with previously published data on growth of rural Aymara children living near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Head circumference, midupper arm circumference, and weight for stature were significantly larger in Aymara children compared with Quechua children. Land was significantly more fragmented in Aymara compared with Quechua families, but amount of land owned was not different. Perinatal and infant mortality was elevated in Aymara vs. Quechua communities. Most families in Aymara communities used protected drinking water. One Quechua community had a severe microclimate, grim economic outlook, and weak social cohesion. Children in this community showed significant reductions in weight and midupper arm circumference compared with their peers in the other communities. We conclude that (presumably nutritionally mediated) intervillage and Aymara‐Quechua differences in childhood physical growth existed in this rural high‐altitude population in Peru and were associated with microclimate and the village economy, sociodemographic factors, and differences in the land system. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Geographic variation of six dermatoglyphic traits in Eurasia
Authors: Sokal Robert , Livshits Gregory
Published: August 2005

We describe the geographic variation patterns of six dermatoglyphic traits from 144 samples in Eurasia. The methods of analysis include computation of interpolated surfaces, one‐dimensional and directional correlograms, correlations between all pairs of surfaces, and distances between correlograms. There are at least two, probably three, distinct and significant patterns of variation. 1) A general NW‐SE trend for pattern intensity, the main line index, and frequency of hypothenar patterns. 2) A trend from the Middle East to the north and east for frequency of axial triradius and of accessory interdigital triradii. 3) A patchy pattern for frequency of the thenar‐interdigital 1. The results are compatible with a diffusion process between Europe and the peoples of Northern Asia, and possibly with a radiation of populations from the Middle East. The hypothesis of diffusion processes is supported by substantial interpopulation correlations between dermatoglyphic traits that contrast sharply with largely negligible intralocality correlations. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gm haplotype distribution in Amerindians: Relationship with geography and language
Authors: Callegari‐Jacques Sidia M. , Salzano Francisco M. , Constans Jacques , Maurieres Pierre
Published: August 2005

A review is made of the Gm haplotype distribution in 60 groups of Eskimos, North, Central and South American Indians, totaling 22,808 individuals. Differences were observed in the shapes of the distribution of Gm*ag and the other markers. Nearly identical values for FST and average heterozygosities were obtained in the North+Central/South comparisons. North‐South and Southwest/Northeast clinal differences were observed in the Americas using correspondence factorial analysis. The two haplotypes mainly responsible for these differences are Gm*axg and Gm*abOst. When the populations are classified by language groups, besides the recognized differences between Eskimos and Athabaskan (Na‐Dene) speakers compared with Amerinds, others are found. For instance, Uto‐Aztecan speakers of the United States and Mexico differ in Gm frequencies from the Nuclear Chibchan, Macro‐Arawak, and Carib speakers of Central and South America. The notion of a homogeneous Amerind genetic pool does not conform with these and other results. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Human dental arch shape evaluated by Euclidean‐distance matrix analysis
Authors: Ferrario Virgilio F. , Sforza Chiarella , Miani Alessandro , Tartaglia Gianluca
Published: August 2005

Form differences between biological structures can be evaluated using several approaches. When landmark data are available, a recently proposed method (euclidean‐distance matrix analysis) seems to be able to differentiate between size and shape differences. This method also localizes those areas which differ most between the two structures. We have applied it to analyze the sexual dimorphism in dental arch form in a sample of 50 men and 45 women. Subjects ranged in age between 20 and 27 years, and had sound dentitions. Fourteen landmarks, corresponding to the centers of gravity (centroids) of the occlusal surfaces of all permanent teeth (right second molar to left second molar), were individualized on the dental casts of subjects. All the possible linear distances between pairs of teeth were computed, thus creating four mean form matrices (one for each arch within sex). Gender differences were tested by using euclidean‐distance matrix analysis. No significant differences were demonstrated in the shape of arches, while male arches proved to be slightly bigger than female arches. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Spinal arthritis and physical stress at Bronze Age Harappa
Authors: Lovell Nancy C.
Published: August 2005

This study examines joint changes in the vertebral skeleton in human remains excavated in 1987 and 1988 at Bronze Age Harappa, an urban center of the Indus Valley civilization. The sample consists of 23 complete skeletons from primary burial context, the partial remains of more than 69 other individuals, and hundreds of skeletal elements from secondary context, totalling 3,084 vertebral joint margins and articular surfaces. Marginal bone proliferation, pitting of articular surfaces, eburnation, and ankylosis were scored macroscopically for vertebral body margins and surfaces and posterior apophyseal facet joints. Marginal lipping is far more prevalent on the vertebral bodies than on the apophyseal facets and surface pitting is also more frequent on vertebral bodies although its expression is relatively low overall. Cervical vertebrae in this sample exhibit the same amount of marginal new bone and much more surface pitting of the vertebral bodies than do either thoracic or lumbar vertebrae; the cervical segment also exhibits the most severe expressions of both types of lesions. In addition, although the frequencies of cervical and lumbar posterior facet involvement are similar, the cervical facets exhibit much more severe lipping as well as the only cases of eburnation and ankylosis. Pitting of the posterior facets is most common in the lumbar segment, but the cervical examples are the only severe cases. It is proposed that the severe joint changes in the cervical spine result from trauma, perhaps accumulated microtrauma from activity stresses. There are no age or sex associated patterns in the frequency of arthritis although this result may be influenced by the small proportions of the total sample for which age and sex could be determined. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Principal component analysis of gene frequencies and the origin of Basques
Authors: Calafell Francesc , Bertranpetit Jaume
Published: August 2005

The genetic peculiarity of the Basque population has long been noted. We aim to describe Basque distinctiveness in space and assess the internal Basque heterogeneity. All these aspects are relevant to the question of the origin of Basques.

After a thorough literature search, a data base was created containing all the available data on gene frequencies in the Iberian Peninsula and France. Twenty‐nine systems, comprising 71 alleles, were used to carry out a principal component (PC) analysis. The results show a sharp peak in the first PC in the Basque area, which remains even when the geographic scope is widened to include western Europe. As demonstrated by “wombling” analysis, the steeper slope in the first PC is found to the east of the Basque area, along the Pyrenees. Measures of genetic heterogeneity (such as FST values) within the Basque country, as compared to those for non‐Basques, do not show a particular internal substructuration in the Basque population.

The genetic results support a scenario in which the Basques are the product of in situ differentiation around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum (18,000 B.P.), in agreement with archaeological and linguistic data. Isolation from the surrounding populations has allowed the differentiation to last for millennia, but has erased the differences existing among Basques. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.