bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Isonymy, inbreeding, and demographic variation in historical massachusetts
Authors: Relethford John H. , Jaquish Cashell E.
Published: February 2006

Random isonymy and inbreeding in a population may be affected by demographic variation, particularly population size and migration. Total levels of isonymy and inbreeding are also affected by cultural behaviors, which may themselves be affected by demographic factors. This paper investigates the relationship of demographic variation and inbreeding components (total, random, nonrandom) in five towns in north‐central historical Massachusetts, 1741–1849. Estimates of exogamy rates (the proportion of individuals who are migrants) were derived from 6,038 marriage records, and population sizes were obtained from census data. Inbreeding components were computed using the surnames of 5,791 marriages. A total of 72 marriages are isonymous, giving an estimated total inbreeding coefficient of 0.0031. Demographic and inbreeding measures were computed for 33 samples defined on the basis of town and marriage cohort. The interrelationship between demographic variation and inbreeding was tested using rank order correlation over all 33 samples. Total inbreeding within samples shows no significant correlation with any of the demographic variables. Random inbreeding within samples shows a significant negative correlation with population size, and nonrandom inbreeding shows a positive correlation with population size. Various explanations for these correlations are offered. The opposite influences on random and nonrandom inbreeding cancel one another. These results demonstrate the complex interaction between cultural factors, demographic variation, and genetic structure in human populations.
North American Indian population size, A.D. 1500 to 1985
Authors: Ubelaker Douglas H.
Published: February 2006

Production of the Smithsonian's Handbook of North American Indians has enabled new tribe‐by‐tribe estimates of North American Indian population size. Collectively these data suggest that population numbered about 1,894,350 at about A.D. 1500. Epidemics and other factors reduced this number to only 530,000 by 1900. Modern data suggest that by 1985 population size has increased to over 2.5 million.
Founder effect and genetic disease in Sottunga, Finland
Authors: O'Brien Elizabeth , Jorde L. B. , Rönnlöf Björn , Fellman Johan O. , Eriksson Aldur W.
Published: February 2006

Pedigree data are analyzed in order to determine the factors responsible for the high frequencies of certain genetic disorders in an isolated Swedish‐speaking population of Finland's Å land archipelago. The founders of Sottunga are identified, and the genetic contributions of each founder to descending birth cohorts are estimated. Founders born before 1700 have far more descendants in the contemporary gene pool than do more recent founders. However, because of migration and depopulation since 1900, the expected genetic contributions of the early founders to the present‐day population are similar to those of later founders.

A descendant in the contemporary population has a 2% chance of having inherited a particular gene from the founder who makes the largest single contribution to the gene pool. This corresponds approximately to a 2% probability of inheriting an autosomal dominant disease gene from this founder. Given an average inbreeding coefficient of 0.0016, the probability of inheriting two recessive disease genes from this founder is 0.000032. The incidence of autosomal dominant von Willebrand disease in Sottunga is greater than 10% while that of autosomal recessive tapetoretinal disease is 1.5%. We conclude, therefore, that the high frequencies of these diseases are not due to the disproportionate genetic contribution of one or a few particular founders. It is more likely that these disease genes occurred in high frequency in the initial population or were introduced repeatedly through time.
Cultural ecology of prehistoric parasitism on the Colorado Plateau as evidenced by coprology
Authors: Reinhard Karl J.
Published: February 2006

The study of coprolites (desiccated feces) is recognized as a viable method for analyzing parasitism of prehistoric peoples. Eight species of helminth parasites, including nematodes, cestodes, and acanthocephalans, have been recovered from archaeological sites on the Colorado Plateau. The comparative analysis of parasitological findings illustrates the effects of changing subsistence strategies and varying life‐style on prehistoric human parasitism. This comparative study is based on the analysis of coprolites recovered from one Archaic hunter‐gatherer site and two Anasazi agricultural villages. Hunter‐gatherers are represented by coprolites from Dust Devil Cave in southeastern Utah. Coprolites of prehistoric agriculturalists from Antelope House in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, and from Salmon Ruin in northwestern New Mexico were studied. The results demonstrate that helminth parasitism increased with the advent of agriculture. Between the agricultural sites, differences in patterns of excreta disposal, foraging behavior, and local ecology resulted in pronounced variations in both percentage of coprolites containing parasite remains and the number of parasite species represented.
Sociometrics of Macaca mulatta: II. Decoupling centrality and dominance in rhesus monkey social networks
Authors: Sade Donald Stone , Altmann Michael , Loy James , Hausfater Glenn , Breuggeman Judith A.
Published: February 2006

The concept of the linear dominance hierarchy and a much less precise notion of a central/peripheral ordering of individuals have been prominent among the ideas about social organization of monkey groups. Although the latter has seldom been quantified, the ranks of individuals in the two orders are usually assumed to be correlated. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of a free‐ranging group of rhesus monkeys. The individual histories of progression of dominance rank and an independently determined measure of centrality in the social grooming network are compared among a set of males. Centrality is not a static correlate of dominance rank as implied by the findings of short‐term studies. Rather, centrality is a more sensitive indicator of status than is dominance rank, to which it is related in a dynamic fashion. Small changes in dominance rank may be followed by large changes in centrality. An increase in centrality may facilitate rise in dominance rank. These findings suggest a complex psychology of status, rather than a simple causative relation between the two variables.
Population structure, spite, and the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
Authors: Pollock Gregory B.
Published: February 2006

Evolutionary stability (sensu Maynard Smith: Evolution and the Theory of Games, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982) of TIT FOR TAT (TFT) under the social ecology of the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma is a function of the number of pure TFT groups (dyads) in the population, relative to the social position of a focal invading defector. Defecting against TFT always raises the defector's relative intragroup fitness; when Axelrod's (Am. Polit. Sci. Rev. 75:306–318, 1981; The Evolution of Cooperation. New York: Basic Books, 1984) Evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) conditions are met, defection also lowers the absolute fitness of the defector. Here the retaliatory (punishing) character of TFT converts defection into spite, permitting pure TFT groups to sufficiently outproduce the defector for the latter's evolutionary suppression. Increasing the relative impact of spiteful defection on a population lowers the range of evolutionary stability for TFT. When individuals participate in multiple dyads, those participating in the greatest number of dyads are most likely to provide a vehicle for the successful invasion of defection. Within social networks, ESS conditions for TFT are thus individual specific. This logic is generalized to the context of an interated n‐person Prisoner's Dilemma, providing a cooperative solution conceptually identical with TFT in the two‐person game.
Spread and maintenance of a disease in a structured population
Authors: Sattenspiel Lisa
Published: February 2006

The patterns of interactions among different groups of individuals in a structured population is an important factor affecting the ease of establishment of a disease and the rate of spread of the disease in a population. A model for the spread of a disease in such a population is described. The model considers two levels of interaction: interactions between individuals within a subpopulation because of geographic proximity, and interactions between individuals of the same or different sub‐populations because of attendance at common social functions. Analysis of the model leads to sufficient conditions which determine maximum subpopulation sizes in order to guarantee extinction, as well as minimum subpopulation sizes which allow the disease to be maintained in the population. These conditions are inequalities relating the removal rate of infectives to the infection rate of susceptibles. Results are discussed for both idealized movement patterns and for the spread of hepatitis A among day care centers in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, the basic structures of the contact matrices necessary to extend the model to deal with vector‐borne diseases and with sexually transmitted diseases are discussed.
Cranial morphology of Aegyptopithecus and Tarsius and the question of the tarsier‐anthropoidean clade
Authors: Simons Elwyn L. , Rasmussen D. Tab
Published: February 2006

New crania of the Oligocene anthropoidean Aegyptopithecus provide a test of the hypothesized tarsier‐anthropoidean clade. Three cranial characters shared by Tarsius and some modern anthropoideans (apical interorbital septum, postorbital septum, “perbullar” carotid pathway) were examined. 1) An apical interorbital septum is absent in Aegyptopithecus. A septum does occur in Galago senegalensis (Lorisidae) and Microcebus murinus (Cheirogaleidae), so the presence of a septum is not strong evidence favoring a tarsiiform‐anthropoidean clade. 2) In Aegyptopithecus and other anthropoideans, the postorbital septum is formed mainly by a periorbital flange of the zygomatic that extends medially from the lateral orbital margin onto or near the braincase. The postorbital plate of Tarsius is formed by frontal and alisphenoid flanges that extend laterally from the braincase to the zygomatic's frontal process, which is not broader than the postorbital bars of other prosimians. Periorbital flanges evolved in Tarsius for support or protection of the enormous eyes, as suggested by the occurrence of maxillary and frontal flanges that cup portions of the eye but do not separate it from temporal muscles. 3) The internal carotid artery of Aegyptopithecus enters the bulla posteriorly and crosses the anteroventral part of the promontorium. The tympanic cavity was probably separated from the anteromedial cavity by a septum stretching from the carotid channel to the ventrolateral bullar wall. In Tarsius, the carotid pathway is prepromontorial, and a septum stretches from the carotid channel to the posteromedial bullar wall. Quantitative analyses indicate that anterior carotid position has evolved because of erect head posture. The cranium of Oligocene anthropoideans thus provides no support for the hypothesized tarsier‐anthropoidean clade.
Model life table fitting by maximum likelihood estimation: A procedure to reconstruct paleodemographic characteristics from skeletal age distributions
Authors: Paine Richard R.
Published: February 2006

A procedure is presented that uses the regression coefficients for the Coale and Demeny west model life tables to model selected demographic characteristics from skeletal age‐at‐death distributions. Model death distributions were constructed and compared to a given skeletal distribution, using methods of maximum likelihood estimation to determine the best fit. Two chisquare tests are employed to evaluate the degree of fit. The resulting model includes estimates of demographic characteristics including gross reproductive rate, crude birth rate and life expectancy. The procedure is applied to three archaeological skeletal samples as test cases: two from eastern North America and one from Mexico. These display a range of correspondence (between the best fitting model and the data) from good to poor. The proposed procedure is a potentially powerful tool for both reconstructing paleodemographic rates and illuminating differences between typical human patterns and those found in archaeological populations.
Reliability of anthropometric methods and replicate measurements
Authors: Himes John H.
Published: February 2006

The Spearman‐Brown Prophesy formula, derived from psychometrics, may be used in anthropometric studies to describe the relationship between the intraclass reliability coefficient for a single measurement and the reliability resulting from the mean of replicate measurements. This theory may be applied to determine expected reliabilities of anthropometric protocols using replicate measurements and to determine the numbers of replicate measurements necessary to achieve desired levels of reliability.
Consanguinity avoidance and mate choice in Sottunga, Finland
Authors: O'Brien Elizabeth , Jorde L. B. , Rönnlöf Björn , Fellman Johan O. , Eriksson Aldur W.
Published: February 2006

Potential mates analysis is used to determine some of the social and demographic characteristics that influence mate choice in a small island population. Potential mate pools are defined for males in this population; characteristics such as population size and composition with respect to consanguinity are specified. Determinants of mate choice are examined in light of mate availability and potential mate pool characteristics for endogamous maters, exogamous maters, nonmaters, and males of various occupations. Random kinship is assessed from potential mate pools and compared to kinship between actual mates.

The island community approximated a random mating population from 1700 to 1900 with some evidence for consanguinity avoidance intensifying in the period 1900–1950. Despite the island's small population size, kinship coefficients between random mates and actual mates are not high because of relatively high immigration rates. Having considered the contributions of various factors that influence mate choice, the significance of the island mating structure for genetic variation and the distributions of certain genetic disorders is discussed.
Intentional cranial vault deformation and induced changes of the cranial base and face
Authors: Anton Susan C.
Published: February 2006

Three morphologically distinct populations of Peruvian crania (n = 130) were metrically analysed to quantify changes resulting from intentional artificial vault deformation. Two of these samples are artificially deformed (anteroposterior [AP] and circumferential [C] types). Measurements taken from lateral radiographs demonstrated that alternative forms of the cranial base angle (N‐S‐Ba, planum angle, planum sphenoidale to plane of the clivus and PANG angle, planum sphenoidale to basion‐sella plane) and the orbital and OANG angles (orbital roof to plane of the clivus and basion‐sella plane, respectively) of both deformed groups increased while the angle S‐Ba‐O decreased significantly with respect to the undeformed (N) sample. Changes in the AP group are largely due to anteroinferior displacement of the basion‐sella plane. Similar changes in group C are amplified by this group's posterosuperior frontal migration. This migration results in a relatively shallow orbit at the orbital plate/frontal squama interface. Unlike the deformation experienced by the external vault plates, the basion‐sella plane orientation remains stable with respect to the Frankfort Horizontal. Additionally, nasal region measurements such as maximum nasal aperture breadth and nasal height were largely stable between each deformed group and the undeformed group. However, facial (bimaxillary and bizygomatic), basicranial, cranial, and frontal breadths decreased significantly from group AP to group N to group C. Thus, gross morphological facial changes between each undeformed group and the control group are largely accounted for by dimensional changes in peripheral structures. These results stress the importance of the dynamic interrelationship between the cranial vault and base in the development of the craniofacial complex.
Determination of adult stature from metatarsal length
Authors: Byers Steve , Akoshima Kaoru , Curran Bryan
Published: February 2006

The results of a study to determine the value of foot bones in reconstructing stature are presented. The data consist of length measurements taken on all ten metatarsals as well as on cadaver length from a sample of 130 adults of documented race, sex, stature, and, in most cases, age. Significant correlation coefficients (.58–.89) are shown between known stature and foot bone lengths. Simple and multiple regression equations computed from the length of each of these bones result in standard errors of estimated stature ranging from 40–76 mm. These errors are larger than those for stature calculated from complete long bones, but are approximately the same magnitude for stature calculated from metacarpals and fragmentary long bones. Given that metatarsals are more likely to be preserved unbroken than are long bones and given the ease with which they are accurately measured, the formulae presented here should prove useful in the study of historic and even prehistoric populations.
Early‐life background and the development of non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus
Authors: Leonetti Donna L. , Fujimoto Wilfred Y. , Wahl Patricia W.
Published: February 2006

The relationship of early‐life background factors to type 2, or non‐insulin‐dependent, diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) was examined with reference to family history of diabetes in two groups of Nisei (U.S. born/raised Japanese American) men from King County, Washington with identical mean (±S.E.M.) ages: 78 with NIDDM, 61.6 (±0.7) years of age; and 79 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 61.6 (±0.6) years of age. The early‐life variables were birthplace, parents' education, father's occupation and mother's employment status during subject's childhood, sibship size, son birth order, physical activity and weight assessed for ages 15–20 years, and educational achievement. Mul‐tivariate logistic regression models were used to test for the effect of each variable on the risk for diabetes in the presence of other variables. Results are presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Significantly higher risk for NIDDM was found with urban birthplace (vs. rural, OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.37–3.19), parents' education above primary level (vs. primary level or less, OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.08–2.50), mother being employed (vs. housewife, OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.43–3.45), subject being less active‐lean as a youth (vs. more active‐lean, OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.11–2.63), and subject's not attaining a college degree (vs. college degree, OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.41–3.33). In separate analyses of the early‐life variables by family history of diabetes, the interplay of environmental influences with familial predisposition to NIDDM is evident. The developmental background of NIDDM is discussed with reference to the concept of phenotype amplification within the context of the effects of westernization.
Functional analysis of the biceps femoris muscle during locomotor behavior in some primates
Authors: Kumakura Hiroo
Published: February 2006

In order to investigate a correlation between morphological variations of the biceps femoris muscle and its homologues in four primate species (Japanese macaque, spider monkey, white‐handed gibbon, and chimpanzee) and each type of species‐specific locomotor behavior, I carried out both morphological and functional analyses of these muscles. The description of the level of insertion reveals interspecific variation is in the level of crural attachment, especially in species with a bicipital biceps femoris muscle. Electromyo‐grams (EMGs) were induced from both the long and short head of the biceps femoris muscle during four kinds of locomotor behavior (horizontal quadrupedal walking, climbing on an inclined pole, vertical climbing, and bipedal walking). In the case of the monoceptual ischiocruralis lateralis muscle of the Japanese macaque, EMGs were induced from both the one‐joint femoral part and the two‐joint crural part. Though during horizontal quadrupedal locomotion the crural part of the monocipital‐type muscle functioned to maintain the knee joint angle, it functioned to gain propulsive force when the kinematic load became larger, as in vertical climbing and bipedal walking. On the other hand, the long heads of the biceps femoris muscles were active in propulsion regardless of the kinematic load. But in bipedal walking, the long head muscle also acted with the short head muscle to maintain the knee joint angle. These functional features of various biceps femoris muscles of primates correlated with their species‐specific locomotor behavior.
Deciduous teeth of the Neandertal mandible from Molare Shelter, near Scario (Salerno, Italy)
Authors: Mallegni F. , Ronchitelli A. T.
Published: February 2006

Excavations at hearth levels at the Molare Shelter in 1985 yielded the mandible of a 3–4‐year‐old child. The associated lithic artifacts recovered with it are Mousterian. Its features, although quite archaic, are within the known range of variation of Neandertals. Four deciduous molars are still preserved in the mandible. They were compared with other known specimens, which date to the Middle and Upper Pleistocene. The metrical characteristics are surprisingly primitive, within the range of variation of Homo erectus, or at least within that of European Pre‐Neandertals, more so than within the variability of typical Neandertal specimens. On the other hand, the morphological characteristics, except for a few that are decidedly plesio‐morph, are predominantly Neandertal.
Hunting activity and aging among the gidra papuans: A biobehavioral analysis
Authors: Ohtsuka Ryutaro
Published: February 2006

From the individual‐based records of hunting practice for 1,633 hr in total and from the hunters' visual acuity and grip strength observed among the Gidra Papuans in lowland Papua New Guinea, this paper aims to analyze the relationship between the hunting activity and aging. The sensorimotor functions determine the range of age in which the individuals act as active or productive hunters: determined to be from the late teen‐age years to about 45 years among the present subjects. In this age range, hunting efficiency increases with age. In terms of weight of animals killed per hunting time, the efficiency of the elder married (aged about 35 to 45 years) was almost four times higher than that of the unmarried (16–17 to late 20s). This aging effect is judged to depend on behavioral abilities that increase in accordance with experience and cumulative knowledge. Simultaneously, the comparison of individual hunters' records in 1971–72 and in 1981 reveals that hunting efficiency is associated with the individualities of the hunters.
Stereophotogrammetric analysis of occlusal morphology of extant hominoid molars: Phenetics and function
Authors: Hartman Steve E.
Published: February 2006

Because teeth are commonly preserved in the fossil record, dental remains have often been employed in estimating evolutionary relationships among fossil hominoids. This is appropriate, however, only to the extent that dental morphology is phylogenetically informative. I have used phenetic analytic techniques to assess whether hominoid molars are likely to be useful for phylogenetic inference. Thirty‐four occlusal landmarks for first and second molars were chosen; seven on each maxillary and ten on each mandibular tooth. Three‐dimensional locations of these points were determined from stereophotographs of dental arcades of more than 260 specimens from six taxa (gorilla, chimpanzee, human, orangutan, siamang, and gibbon). Analytic emphasis was on canonical variates analyses of landmark coordinates for mandibular and maxillary second molars, adjusted for intergroup size differences. There is little correspondence between the systematic implications of hominoid molar morphometrics and reliable estimates of evolutionary propinquity based on interhominoid biomolecular similarities. The former seem to have been determined largely by dietary constraints. Although this suggests the possibility of using the protocol employed here to infer diets of fossil hominoids, molar crown measurements seem unlikely to serve well as phylogenetic indicators in the Hominoidea.
Cranial thickening in an Australian hominid as a possible palaeoepidemiological indicator
Authors: Webb Stephen
Published: February 2006

This paper describes the cranial thickening of a late Pleistocene hominid (Willandra Lakes Hominid 50) from Australia. The unusual development of the vault structures in this individual has few, if any, equals among other hominids or more recent populations from around the world. The vault morphology is, therefore, described in terms of a pathologically related condition associated with the modern haemolytic blood dyscrasias, typical of sickle cell anamia and thalassemia. A possible palaeoepidemiology for these genetic adaptations among early Australasian populations is proposed together with a discussion of similar changes observed in the vault of the Singa calvarium from the Sudan. It is tentatively suggested that the cranial thickening of the Australian hominid has its origins in some form of genetic blood disease and that if this diagnosis is correct, this individual provides a rare glimpse of human biological adaptation in the late Upper Pleistocene.
A quantitative investigation of irregular cuspules in human maxillary permanent molars
Authors: Kanazawa Eisaku , Sekikawa Mitsuo , Ozaki Tadashi
Published: February 2006

The frequency of occurrence of anomalous cusps or tubercles on human upper first molars was investigated in seven racial populations using moiré contourography, which permits the three‐dimensional measurement of minute cusps. Tubercles on the mesial marginal ridge were more frequently found in Mongoloid populations (Japanese and Eskimo) than in others. The frequency of the protoconule was high in Eskimos and Negroids (Bantu and San). The lingual paracone tubercle (mesial cusp) showed a particularly high frequency in Australian aborigines. The metaconule was rare or absent in all of the populations. Caucasoid groups (Dutch White and Asiatic Indian) showed generally low frequencies of all these abnormal tubercles, especially the distal accessory cusp (C5). Racial differences in the frequencies of occurrence may offer a key to understanding the adaptive significance of these traits and human microevolution. Confusion in nomenclature for upper molar tubercles is also discussed.
Sleep and arousal patterns of co‐sleeping human mother/infant pairs: A preliminary physiological study with implications for the study of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Authors: McKenna James J. , Mosko Sarah , Dungy Claibourne , McAninch Jan
Published: February 2006

The prevailing research design for studying infant sleep erroneously assumes the species‐wide normalcy of solitary nocturnal sleep rather than a social sleeping environment. In fact, current clinical perspectives on infant sleep, which are based exclusively on studies of solitary sleeping infants, may partly reflect culturally induced rather than species‐typical infant sleep patterns which can only be gleaned, we contend here, from infants sleeping with their parents—the context within which, and for well over 4 million years, the hominid infant's sleep, breathing, and arousal patterns evolved. Our physiological study of five co‐sleeping mother‐infant pairs in a sleep lab is the first study of its kind to document the unfolding sleep patterns of mothers and infants sleeping in physical contact. Our data show that co‐sleeping mothers and infants exhibit synchronous arousals, which, because of the suspected relationship between arousal and breathing stability in infants, have important implications for how we study environmental factors possibly related to some forms of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). While our data show that co‐sleeping mothers and infants also experience many moments of physiological independence from each other, it is clear that the temporal unfolding of particular sleep stages and awake periods of the mother and infant become entwined and that on a minute‐to‐minute basis, throughout the night, much sensory communication is occurring between them. Our research acknowledges the human infant's evolutionary past and considers the implications that nocturnal separation (a historically novel and alien experience for them) has for maternal and infant well‐being in general and SIDS research strategies in particular.
Species attribution of the Swartkrans member 1 first metacarpals: SK 84 and SKX 5020
Authors: Trinkaus Erik , Long Jeffrey C.
Published: February 2006

Susman (Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 75:277–278, 79:451–474; Science 240:781–784; In FE Grine (ed): Evolutionary History of the “Robust” Australopithecines. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, pp. 149–172) has attributed the morphologically similar SK 84 and SKX 5020 hominid first metacarpals to Homo erectus and Australopithecus robustus, respectively, and has inferred that both species exhibited derived pollical morphologies, indicating refined precision grips. Consideration of the structure of his taphonomic arguments indicates that there are no adequate nonmorphological reasons to attribute these specimens securely to one or the other of the craniodentally represented species at Swartkrans. His morphological arguments fail to note any significant differences between the two specimens. Only the contrast in size between the small SK 84 and large SKX 5020 bones might warrant a species distinction; yet comparison of their length ratio to distributions of modern human first metacarpal length ratios indicates that it is not possible to reject conclusively the null hypothesis that they are conspecific. Therefore, early hominid adaptive scenarios based on a derived Homo‐like manual functional morphology in A. robustus remain without a secure paleontological basis.
Bilateral absence of the lesser trochanter in a Late Epigravettian skeleton from Arene Candide (Italy)
Authors: Formicola Vincenzo , Frayer David W. , Heller Julie A.
Published: February 2006

A virtually complete skeleton recovered from excavations in a Late Upper Paleolithic context by Cardini between 1940 and 1942 at the Arene Candide cave (NW Italy) lacks the normal development of the left and right lesser trochanters. The specimen is a short‐statured male about 25 years old and shows no other especially peculiar skeletal irregularities, except for high negative angles of femoral torsion. We discuss a number of possible etiologies for the anomalous absence of the lesser trochanters. The condition is most likely a result of an epigenetic effect or a traumatic avulsion of both lesser trochanters. If the absence of normal development of the lesser trochanters involves a congenital condition, it is an extremely rare, previously undescribed trait. If the condition results from bilateral traumatic avulsion, it is probably the result of excessive muscular stress on the proximal femur and provides further evidence of hardship of life in Paleolithic populations and of the ability of these people to survive debilitating trauma.
On the squamosal suture of KNM‐WT 17000
Authors: Rak Yoel , Kimbel William H.
Published: February 2006

The extensive overlap of the temporal squama on the parietal in KNM‐WT 17000 is restricted to a narrow segment of the arc of the squamosal suture. It appears as a long, narrow, posterosuperior extension onto the calvarial wall. The long axis of this extended strip is aligned with what appears to be the most hypertrophied section of the temporalis muscle fan. The substantial differences between the squamosal suture and associated masticatory elements of KNM‐WT 17000 and those of Australopithecus boisei provide an opportunity to evaluate the various forces molding the anatomy of the squamosal suture of A. boisei. It is suggested that the extreme flare of the zygomatic arches in the latter accounts for these differences.
Enamel structure and microwear: An experimental study of the response of enamel to shearing force
Authors: Maas Mary C.
Published: February 2006

The anisotropic fracturing and differential wear properties of enamel microstructure represent factors that can obscure the predictive relationship between dental microwear and diet. To assess the impact of enamel structure on microwear, this in vitro experimental study examines the relative contributions to wear of three factors: 1) species differences in microstructure, 2) direction of shearing force relative to enamel prisms and crystallites, and 3) size of abrasive particles. Teeth of Lemur, Ovis, Homo, and Crocodylus, representing, respectively, the structural categories of prismatic patterns 1, 2, and 3 and nonprismatic enamel, were abraded by shearing forces (forces having a component directed parallel to abraded surfaces) and examined by scanning electron microscopy. Striation width increased with particle size for nonprismatic, but not for prismatic, specimens. Direction of shear relative to prism and crystallite orientation had a significant influence on striation width in only some prismatic enamels. The different responses of prismatic and nonprismatic enamels to abrasion reflect the influence of structure, but at the level of organization of crystallites rather than prisms per se. Such interactions explain in part the inability of striation width to discriminate among animals with different dietary habits. Heteroscedasticity and deviations from normality also may confound parametric analyses of microwear variables. Variation in crystallite orientation in prismatic enamels may contribute to optimal dental function through the property of differential wear in functionally distinct regions of teeth.
Blood genetic systems in four Amazonian tribes
Authors: Salzano F. M. , Black F. L. , Callegari‐Jacques S. M. , Santos S. E. B. , Weimer T. A. , Mestriner M. A. , Kubo R. R. , Pandey J. P. , Hutz M. H.
Published: February 2006

Data on 31 genetic systems were obtained for 421 individuals belonging to the Arara, Arawete, Mundurucu, and Jamamadi tribes of northern Brazil. The Jamamadi depart farthest, and the Mundurucu least, from South American Indian averages. These data are analyzed together with those of 24 other Amazonian groups. Genetic distances and corresponding dendrograms indicate a cluster of 14 related tribes living north of the Amazon river. These genetic results show only a modest correlation with linguistic and geographic relationships among these groups.
EMG of serratus anterior and trapezius in the chimpanzee: Scapular rotators revisited
Authors: Larson Susan G. , Stern Jack T. , Jungers William L.
Published: February 2006

The importance of arm‐raising has been a major consideration in the functional interpretation of differences in shoulder morphology among species of nonhuman primates. Among the characters that have been associated with enhancement of the arm‐raising mechanism in hominoid primates are the relative enlargement of cranial trapezius and caudal serratus anterior, as the main scapular rotators, as well as changes in scapular morphology associated with their improved leverage for scapular rotation. Yet in an EMG study of cranial trapezius and caudal serratus anterior function in the great apes, Tuttle and Basmajian (Yrbk. Phys. Anthropol. 20:491–497, 1977) found these muscles to be essentially inactive during arm‐raising. Although Tuttle and Basmajian suggest that the cranial orientation of the glenoid fossa in apes has reduced the demand for scapular rotation during arm‐raising, subsequent EMG studies on other primate species suggest that these muscles do play a significant role in arm motion during active locomotion. This paper presents a reexamination of muscle recruitment patterns for trapezius and caudal serratus anterior in the chimpanzee. All but the lowest parts of caudal serratus anterior were found to be highly active during arm‐raising motions, justifying earlier morphological interpretations of differences in caudal serratus anterior development. The lowest digitations of this muscle, while inactive during arm‐raising, displayed significant activity during suspensory postures and locomotion, presumably to control the tendency of the scapula to shift cranially relative to the rib cage. Cranial trapezius did not appear to be involved in arm‐raising; instead, its recruitment was closely tied to head position.
Behavior‐induced auditory exostoses in imperial Roman society: Evidence from coeval urban and rural communities near Rome
Authors: Manzi Giorgio , Sperduti Alessandra , Passarello Pietro
Published: February 2006

Presence and features of auditory exostoses were investigated in two cranial samples of Roman imperial age (1st‐3rd century A.D.). The skeletal material comes from the necropolises of Portus (Isola Sacra) and Lucus Feroniae (Via Capenate), two towns along the Tevere River, in close relation with the social and economic life of Rome. Deep‐rooted differences between the human communities represented by the skeletal samples (83 and 71 individuals, respectively, in this study) are documented both historically and archaeologically. The results show lack of exostoses in the female sex, a negligible incidence among the males of Lucus Feroniae, but a high frequency in the male sample from Isola Sacra (31.3%). Auditory exostoses are commonly recognised as localized hyperplastic growths of predominantly acquired origin. Features of the exostoses found in the male crania from Isola Sacra (particularly in relation to the age at death of the affected individuals) support this view. Furthermore, several clinical and anthropological studies have pointed out close links between the occurrence of auditory exostoses and prolonged cold water exposure, generally due to the practice of aquatic sports, or to working activities involving water contact or diving. In this perspective, the differences observed between the two Roman populations and between the sexes (in Isola Sacra) appear to result from different social habits: the middle class population of Portus habitually used thermal baths, whereas it is probable that thermae were seldom frequented (if at all) by the Lucus Feroniae population represented in the necropolis (mostly composed by slaves or freedmen farm laborers). As regards the relation with sex observed in Isola Sacra, the paleopathological data presented here seem to indicate some differences in thermae attendance and utilization between men and women, which has not been clearly documented so far by historical and archaeological sources.
Continuous tooth eruption in Australian aboriginal skulls
Authors: Danenberg P. J. , Hirsch R. S. , Clarke N. G. , Leppard P. I. , Richards L. C.
Published: February 2006

Increases in the distance from the cemento‐enamel junction to the alveolar crest (CEJ‐AC) have often been attributed to senile atrophy of the bone or to the effects of periodontitis, without reference to the condition of the alveolar crest. This study investigated the relationship between CEJ‐AC distance, tooth wear, gender, site of the CEJ‐AC measurements, and age in 161 pre‐white‐contact Australian aboriginal skulls. Individual teeth were included in the study when there was no evidence of dehiscence, periodontitis, or abscess cavity formation in the supporting alveolar bone. The CEJ‐AC distances increased as the severity of attrition increased; in male skulls, CEJ‐AC distances were greater than in female skulls for all categories of tooth wear. In general, CEJ‐AC distances measured on the mesial aspects of teeth were greater than those recorded distally; lingual distances generally exceeded buccal recordings. The best explanation of these findings and similar reports in the anthropological literature is that continuous tooth eruption occurred without the concomitant coronal movement of alveolar bone. This conclusion has significant ramifications for anthropological, epidemiological, and clinical studies which use the CEJ and AC as reference points when measuring periodontal attachment loss (periodontitis).
Dental microwear in live, wild‐trapped Alouatta palliata from Costa Rica
Authors: Teaford Mark F. , Glander Kenneth E.
Published: February 2006

One problem with dental microwear analyses of museum material is that investigators can never be sure of the diets of the animals in question. An obvious solution to this problem is to work with live animals. Recent work with laboratory primates has shown that high resolution dental impressions can be obtained from live animals. The purpose of this study was to use similar methods to begin to document rates and patterns of dental microwear for primates in the wild.

Thirty‐three Alouatta palliata were captured during the wet season at Hacienda La Pacifica near Canas, Costa Rica. Dental impressions were taken and epoxy casts of the teeth were prepared using the methods of Teaford and Oyen (1989a). Scanning electron micrographs were taken of the left mandibular second molars at magnifications of 200× and 500×. Lower magnification images were used to calculate rates of wear, and higher magnification images were used to measure the size and shape of microwear features.

Results indicate that, while basic patterns of dental microwear are similar in museum samples and samples of live, wild‐trapped animals of the same species, ecological differences between collection locales may lead to significant intraspecific differences in dental microwear. More importantly, rates of microwear provide the first direct evidence of differences in molar use between monkeys and humans.
Calculation of age at formation of radiopaque transverse lines
Authors: Byers Steve
Published: February 2006

A simple method for determining the age of an individual at the time of radiopaque transverse (Harris) line formation is presented. To use this method, only two measurements are required: total bone length and distance of line to nearest bone end; these are put into formulae that calculate the percent of total bone growth when the line appeared. The result of this calculation is compared with tables of percent bone growth per year (one to 16 years in females and one to 18 years in males) to arrive at estimations of age at line formation. Since these tables are presented for the femur, tibia, humerus, and radius, this technique can be used on any one of the major long bones exhibiting lines.
Variation in human nasal height and breadth
Authors: Franciscus Robert G. , Long Jeffrey C.
Published: February 2006

It has been suggested that the long‐standing association of variability in the human nasal index [100 × (nasal breadth)/(nasal height)] with climatic variation is spurious evidence for natural selection in humans (Hoyme, 1965; St. Hoyme and Iscan, 1989). The argument is based principally on the observation that nasal height is globally more variable than nasal breadth, with nasal breadth thus contributing little to variation in the index. This argument does not take into account the confounding effect of absolute size of these variables on their variances. In this study we compare the intrinsic variation in skeletal nasal height and breadth within and among 26 mixed‐sex populations (N = 2,408) at globally diverse localities (Howells, 1989), using 2 × 2 variance‐covariance matrices of the logarithmically transformed variates. Hypothesis tests for homogeneity of matrices and equalvariance/equal‐covariance indicate that the intrinsic variation in nasal breadth is greater than that for nasal height within populations, and that nasal breadth and nasal height exhibit equivalent intrinsic variation among populations. The argument that nasal breadth contributes little to the worldwide variation in the human nasal index is rejected. Given our present understanding of nasal physiological morpho‐function, these results support, but do not demonstrate, an adaptive role for human nasal index variation. Promising methods for elucidating natural selection on human nasal form are suggested.
Qualitative dermatoglyphic traits as measures of population distance
Authors: Kamali M. Sharif , Mavalwala Jamshed , Khaneqah A. Askari , Bhanu B. V.
Published: February 2006

Thirteen Iranian populations of diverse origin have been analyzed for qualitative dermatoglyphic features utilizing bilateral finger and palmar prints of 3,158 individuals. Bimanual differences were significant for some of the features examined, whereas sex differences were frequently nonsignificant. Interpopulational variation displayed significant heterogeneity for all of the features studied. Distance analysis and constructed dendrograms provided separation between populations in agreement with known ethnohistoric records for hypothenar triradii, and for palmar and finger patterns, but not for the terminations of the D‐Line.
Coracoclavicular joint in northwest Indians
Authors: Kaur Habbir , Jit Indar
Published: February 2006

The incidence of an articular facet on the conoid tubercle of the clavicle indicating the presence of a coracoclavicular joint was studied in paired clavicles obtained from 1,000 adult subjects aged 18 to 95 years (748 males, 252 females), and 75 children (45 males, 30 females) of known age on whom a medicolegal postmortem had been performed by the second author during 1972–90. The subjects were inhabitants of northwest India. In addition, paired clavicles from 50 neonates and 35 fetuses were also examined. The facet was absent in the fetuses, neonates, and young children. The youngest clavicle showing the facet was from a girl of 13 years, in which it was present bilaterally. In adults the incidence of the facet was 10.1% (bilateral 5.7%, unilateral 4.4%) in males and 8.3% (bilateral 3.6%, unilateral 4.8%) in females. Absence of the facet in the fetuses, neonates, and young children shows that it is not a congenital anomaly.
Serum and saliva sex hormone levels in !Kung San men
Authors: Christiansen Kerrin H.
Published: February 2006

Serum concentrations of testosterone (Tser), 5αL‐dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estradiol 17β (E2), and free testosterone in saliva (Tsal) were determined by means of the radioimmunoassay method in 114 !Kung San men living in the Bushmanland district of Namibia. The healthy men (mean age 26.4 years) were asked about their dietary habits over the last two months and their acute alcohol intake during the 24 hours preceding the blood and saliva sampling. Although the sex hormone status of the !Kung lies within the range of normal men reported for Caucasoid samples, both Tser and Tsal exhibit relatively low concentrations in comparison to the great majority of published mean values. On the other hand, comparatively high DHT levels point to an elevated 5αL‐reduction of testosterone to DHT in our sample. Estradiol concentrations show no deviation from normal values reported elsewhere for healthy young men. Different dietary habits of the !Kung lead to significant differences in their sex hormone status: both levels of Tsal and the androgen ratio Tsal/Tser decrease with increasing supplement of the traditional hunter‐gatherer diet with domestic and Western food products. The amount of alcohol consumed during the day before the blood and saliva sampling shows a significant effect on the DHT metabolism, and the shorter the time after drinking, the greater decrease of DHT and DHT/E2 can be observed.
Cytogenetic study of Hapalemur aureus
Authors: Rumpler Y. , Warter S. , Hauwy M. , Randrianasolo V. , Dutrillaux B.
Published: February 2006

The karyotype of Hapalemur aureus was compared with those of other Hapalemur species, allowing us to determine the phylogenetic position of this species on the evolutionary tree of the Lemuridae.