bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epiphyseal union of the anterior iliac crest and medial clavicle in a modern multiracial sample of American males and females
Authors: Webb Patricia A. Owings , Suchey Judy Myers
Published: February 2006

Epiphyseal union of the anterior iliac crest and the medial clavicle is examined in 605 males and 254 females in a sample of modern Americans aged 11–40 years. The sample includes American whites, American blacks, Latin‐Americans, and Orientals. This is the first skeletal investigation using a large sample of individuals of known age since the McKern and Stewart study of 1957. Epiphyseal union is analyzed in terms of four stages: (1) nonunion with no epiphyses, (2) nonunion with separate epiphyses, (3) partial union, and (4) complete union. The results provide broader age ranges for the stages of union than previousstudies. Age ranges for males and females are similar or vary by only 1–2 years. Racially, no major distinguishing patterns are found except for greater variability in age distributions appearing to exist among American black females. The study furnishes valuable data on epiphyseal timing in the teenage years.
Chagas' disease in pre‐Columbian South America
Authors: Rothhammer Francisco , Allison Marvin J. , Núñez Lautaro , Standen Vivien , Arriaza Bernardo
Published: February 2006

The quest for the origin and dispersion of Chagas' disease, the second most important vector‐borne disease in Latin America, has epidemiological, immunological, and genetical implications.

Conjectures based on accounts of chroniclers, reviews of the archaeological literature and the present distribution of triatomine bugs, the vectors of the disease, held that the origin of the adaptation of Triatoma infestans (aspecies of the subfamily Triatominae) to human dwellings occurred in prehistoric times.

The autopsy of 35 mummies exhumed in the Chilean desert, dated between 470 B.C. and 600 A.D., revealed the presence of clinical manifestations of Chagas' disease and put earlier speculations on a factual basis.
Forelimb anatomy of new world monkeys: Myology and the interpretation of primitive anthropoid models
Authors: Dunlap S. S. , Thorington R. W. , Aziz M. A.
Published: February 2006

The forelimbs of 12 genera of New World monkeys, two genera of Old World monkeys, and a gibbon were dissected. Of the 54 muscles examined, 19 exhibited significant intergeneric variation. We present arguments for which morphologies are primitive and which are derived within platyrrhines and within anthropoids. We conclude that the forelimbs ofCebus apellaandCallicebus molochrepresent good models of the ancestral anthropoid morphology. Thus among living anthropoids they are most appropriate for comparisons with early fossil anthropoids. They are also useful for determining whether myological anomalies of human aneuploids are atavistic. Wagner tree analyses were conducted to assess the value of these myological characters in phylogenetic studies ofplatyrrhines. In most respects the Wagner trees were consonant with phylogenies previously proposed, although some hypothesized trees are less parsimonious than others in explaining our data. There is an unexpected number of derived features shared byAotusand the Atelines. There are marked dissimilarities in forelimb musculature betweenAotusandCallicebus.
Distribution of immunoglobulin allotypes among local populations of Kenya olive baboons
Authors: Olivier T. J. , Coppenhaver D. H. , Steinberg A. G.
Published: February 2006

In this paper we report on the distributions of immunoglobulin allotypes among 564 olive baboons collected at six localities in Kenya. The sample localities and sizes are 1) Lake Magadi, N = 107; 2) Nanyuki, N = 77; 3) Lake Baringo, N = 55; 4) Mosiro, N = 132; 5) Isiolo, N = 36; 6) Gilgil, N = 157. Gm allotypes 1, 10, 13, 15, and 17 are polymorphic among these samples. Gm(11) and Km(3) were present in all samples, and Gm(2,3,5,6,14,16,21,24,26) and Km(1) were absent from all samples. The proportions of individuals positive for polymorphic allotypes varied substantially between different local samples, as did the arrays and estimated frequencies of haplotypes. Allotype frequencies in local samples do not appear to be simply related to either geographic location or habitat characteristics of the localities. Our data suggest that much of the geographic variability in Kenya olive baboon populations occurs between populations separated by small geographic distances.
The microstructure of dentine in taxonomic and phylogenetic studies
Authors: Hildebolt Charles F. , Bate Geoff , McKee Jeffrey K. , Conroy Glenn C.
Published: February 2006

Traditionally, physical anthropologists have focused their dental studies on features of teeth that can be observed with the unaided eye, measured with calipers, or observed with light microscopes. With the advent of the scanning electron microscope, there has been renewed interest in the use of the microstructure of enamel in phylogenetic reconstruction and taxonomic classification. The microstructure of dentine has received far less research attention than has enamel although several investigators have proposed that dentine has taxon specificity.

We report the first results of a study in which we investigated the taxon specificity of dentine. In our study, we exposed the dentinal tubules on the mesial root surfaces of 12 Canis, 11 Papio, and 12 Homo mandibular first molars and compared tubule density and pattern among the three taxa. Based on these parameters, 91.43% of the teeth were correctly identified as being dog, baboon, or human, respectively. We conclude that dentine has taxonspecific structural characteristics, which can be used in anthropological investigations. To our knowledge, this is the first comparative study of the micro‐structure of teeth utilizing statistical analysis.
Effect of parental consanguinity on anthropometric measurements among the Sheikh Sunni Muslim boys of Delhi
Authors: Krishan Gopal
Published: February 2006

The study of consanguineous marriage is an efficient way to elucidate the genetic structure of human populations. Such matings give an opportunity for recessive genes to manifest themselves by becoming homozygous. The present attempt examines the effects of parental consanguinity on various anthropometric measurements among the Sheikh Sunni Muslim boys of old Delhi between the ages of 11 and 16 years. A slight inbreeding depression has been observed for all eight anthropometric measurements, i.e., stature, span, sitting height, head length, head circumference, chest girth, and calf circumference. The results support earlier studies in regard to the effect of consanguinity on anthropometric measurements.
Asymmetry of the mandibular condyle in Haida Indians
Authors: Costa Raymond L.
Published: February 2006

The condyles of 72 aged and sexed Haida Indians were measured for anteroposterior and mediolateral diameter and their approximate areas calculated. Dental wear was assessed for the same individuals. Asymmetry of condyle size did not appear to change with age. In a pair‐wise analysis, no relationship was found between the largest of a pair of condyles and the most worn side of the dentition. The difference in size between each pair of condyles (normalized for individual size) was plotted as a histogram and found to have a normal distribution with a mean of 0 and no skewness. Condyle asymmetry does not appear to be related to differential chewing forces but more closely fits the model of fluctuating asymmetry.
Easter Islander palmar dermatoglyphics: Sexual dimorphism, bilateral asymmetry, and family polymorphism
Authors: Goodson Cheryl Sorenson , Meier Robert J.
Published: February 2006

The palmar prints of 297 male and female Easter Islanders were analyzed according to the Penrose and Loesch topological classification system. While the frequencies of most pattern elements were not found to differ significantly between the sexes, the placement of the axial triradius was found to be highly significant (P < 0.01). Both males and females were found to exhibit considerable bilateral asymmetry in the a–b count and in the atd angle, but there was no significant difference between the sexes in the amount of asymmetry expressed. Family data for a small subset of the sample (51 individuals) were subjected to further statistical analysis, from which significant results (P < 0.05) were obtained both on chi‐square tests for frequency of pattern elements and ANOVA tests for a‐b counts, atd angle, and A‐line exit.

The implications of these results are considered from a developmental perspective. It is suggested that a particular pattern combination (termed a formula) could be used to represent a default value and that other formulae might then be considered as deviations from this default value. Such variation, theoretically at least, might be traced to genetic influences or to the embryological environment present during the time of dermatoglyphic formation.
Structural aspects of arboreality in titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch)
Authors: Menzel Charles R.
Published: February 2006

In nature titi monkeys spend virtually all of their time in trees. Preferences for certain heights above the ground or for trees per se are probably not, however, the immediate causes of this behavior, for animals housed in a large field cage containing many trees spend most of their time on a low‐altitude artificial runway system. Further, the animals are not necessarily reluctant to touch the ground. To investigate the importance of perceived substrate structure as a determinant of arboreality, individuals were given opportunities to descend from their home runway and travel to food placed nearby on the ground. The animals travelled along a schematic model of a tree branch rather than across open ground when given a choice of these substrates, but they readily crossed the open ground when it was their only travel option. When the schematic model increased substantially in length and no longer provided a short route to food, it was still the preferred substrate. The results suggest that an abstract representation of a tree branch attracts and guides locomotion in titis, and that responsiveness to substrate characteristics contributes to arboreality in this species.
Comparative genetic variance and heritability of dental occlusal variables in U.S. and Northwest Indian twins
Authors: Corruccini Robert S. , Sharma Krishan , Potter Rosario H. Yap
Published: February 2006

Genetic variance analysis of 15 dental occlusal and arch variables is based on cross‐cultural comparison of twin variances (U.S. Whites and Northwest Indian Punjabis). Both samples exhibit high genetic versus environmental partition of variance. However, monozygotes and dizygotes have unequal variance, which invalidates conventional genetic variance ratios. The pattern of environmental biases on the zygosities is quite different in the two groups. Revised estimates that acknowledge zygosity heterogeneity (hence unequal environmental influences) are generally much lower for occlusal traits, whereas arch size measurements are unaffected.
Age at death of the Neanderthal child from Devil's Tower, Gibraltar and the implications for studies of general growth and development in Neanderthals
Authors: Dean MC , Stringer CB , Bromage TG
Published: February 2006

This study combines traditional methods of assessing dental developmental status based upon modern human standards with new techniques based upon histological observations in order to reassess the age at death of the Gibraltar child from Devil's Tower. The results indicate that the most likely age of this individual at death was 3 years of age. This result is in agreement with an independent assessment of the age of the temporal bone of this specimen (Tillier, AM [1982] Z. Morphol. Anthropol. 73:125–148) and is concordant with dental developmental ages given for modern humans. Moreover, the fact that this specimen appears at the low end of the age scale for calcification stages in modern humans is also supportive of the findings of Legoux (Legoux, P [1970] Arch. Inst. Paleontol. Hum. Mem. 33:53–87) and Wolpoff (Wolpoff, MH [1979] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 50:67–114) that dental eruption schedules in Neanderthals were also accelerated. If the cranial bones from Devil's Tower are associated with the dental material, as we believe, they indicate a remarkably precocious brain growth in this individual, which is consistent with what is known about general growth and development in Neanderthals.
Evolution of cranial blood drainage in hominids: Enlarged occipital/marginal sinuses and emissary foramina
Authors: Falk Dean
Published: February 2006

Physiological studies of cranial blood flow in humans in reclining vs. upright postures suggest that selection for bipedalism was correlated with the establishment of epigenetic adaptations for delivering blood preferentially to the vertebral plexus of veins, depending upon momentary respiratory and postural constraints. The frequencies of vascular/osteological channels used to deliver blood to the vertebral plexus of veins were determined for samples of African pongids, various taxa of fossil hominids, and extant Homo sapiens. These channels include an enlarged occipital/marginal (O/M) sinus system, multiple hypoglossal canals, and foramina that conduct emissary veins: posterior condyloid, mastoid, occipital, and parietal. The African pongid, and therefore presumably the ancestral prebipedal hominoid, condition is characterized by low frequencies of all of these routes except multiple hypoglossal canals. The earliest Known bipeds (Australopithecus afarensis) and robust australopithecines are characterized by fixation of enlarged O/M sinus systems. Robust australopithecines are also characterized by apparently low frequencies of mastoid and parietal foramina, and high frequencies of multiple hypoglossal canals and posterior condyloid foramina. In gracile australopithecines and subsequently living hominids, trends towards increased frequencies of mastoid and (later) parietal emissary foramina coincide with a trend towards decreased frequencies of an enlarged O/M sinus system and multiple hypoglossal canals. These findings suggest that selection for bipedalism initially resulted in epigenetic adaptations for routes to deliver blood to the vertebral plexus including an enlarged O/M sinus system and hypoglossal canals, but that the pressures underlying these adaptations relaxed as bipedalism became established, and other routes for delivering blood to the vertebral plexus of veins were either directly or indirectly selected for, perhaps in conjunction with a changing architecture of the skull. A systematic implication of this study is that robust australopithecines are descendants of A. afarensis rather than of A. africanus.
Dental reduction in post‐pleistocene Nubia
Authors: Calcagno James M.
Published: February 2006

Tooth size changes among Nubian archaeological populations dating from the Mesolithic through the Christian era, a period of approximately 12,000 years, are analyzed. Standard length and breadth dimensions of all permanent teeth from several cultural horizons are combined to form three large samples: Mesolithic, 10000–7000 B.C.; Agriculturalist, 3300–1100 B.C. (A‐group, C‐group, Pharaonic); and Intensive Agriculturalist, A.D. 0–1400 (Meroitic, X‐Group, Christian). Such information not only fills a void in the knowledge of Nubian skeletal biology, but also provides a much needed African reference point for the comparison of tooth size data among anatomically modern Homo sapiens from various regions of the world.

Changes in mean tooth size and associated t‐tests reveal strong and significant reduction in dental size between the Mesolithic and Agriculturalist samples, followed by a continued although diminished trend of reduction for only the molar teeth between the two Agriculturalist groups. These patterns are best observed by examining tooth breadths, which are considered as the most reliable indicator of tooth size. Previously published odontometrics of the Nubian Mesolithic are briefly compared to the findings of this diachronic analysis of Nubian dental change.
Bone chemistry and prehistoric diet: Strontium studies of laboratory rats
Authors: Price T. Douglas , Swick Robert W. , Chase Elizabeth P.
Published: February 2006

Strontium analysis of prehistoric human bone for the reconstruction of past diets is a relatively new technique in anthropology. In order to evaluate certain assumptions of the method, diets with low and high levels of strontium were fed to male, virgin female, and pregnant female laboratory rats. Analysis of the femurs of these rats by inductively coupled plasma/atomic emission spectrometry indicates that dietary intake is directly reflected in levels of strontium in bone ash. When dietary strontium levels were low, the observed ratio for bone:diet in the laboratory rats averaged 0.26, a value similar to that observed by other investigators. Among the groups fed high levels of strontium, pregnant females accumulated the most and virgin females accumulated the least strontium in bone. Males were intermediate. Gender differences in bone strontium among prehistoric human populations are considered in these terms.
Correlations between the cross‐sectional area of the jaw muscles and craniofacial size and shape
Authors: Weijs W. A. , Hillen B.
Published: February 2006

In adult human subjects, the correlations were determined between the cross‐sectional areas of the jaw muscles (measured in CT scans) and a number of facial angles and dimensions (measured from lateral radiographs). Multivariate statistical analysis of the skeletal variables in a group of 50 subjects led to the recognition of six independent factors determining facial shape, i.e, 1) cranial base length, 2) lower facial height, 3) cranial base flexure and prognathism, 4) facial width, 5) mandibular length, and 6) upper facial height. In 29 of these subjects, the cross‐sectional areas of the jaw muscles were determined, and correlations between these areas and the scores on the above‐mentioned factors were calculated. It appeared that the cross‐sectional areas of temporalis and masseter muscles correlated positively with facial width, whereas the areas of masseter and both pterygoid muscles did so with mandibular length. It has been shown experimentally that a decrease in jaw muscle size in various animals likewise has an effect on facial width and mandibular length. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that in man too the jaw muscles affect facial growth and partly determine the final facial dimensions. They also hint that the role of each muscle is different.
Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in bone collagen as indices of prehistoric dietary dependence on marine and terrestrial resources in Southern California
Authors: Walker Phillip L. , Deniro Michael J.
Published: February 2006

The ratios of15N to 14N and 13C to 12C tend to be higher in marine than in terrestrial organisms. The concentrations of these isotopes in human bone collagen consequently can be used to make inferences about the contribution of marine and terrestrial resources to prehistoric diets. The utility of studying 15N/14N and 13C/12C ratios in conjunction with each other is illustrated by our analysis of 40 human burials from archaeological sites in the Santa Barbara Channel area of southern California. The mean δ13C and δ15N values (in per mil) of collagen from these skeletons decrease progressively from the Channel Islands (δ13C = −14.0, δ15N = +16.3) to the mainland coast (δ13C = −14.5, δ15N = +14.9) to the interior (δ13C = −17.2, δ15N = +10.9). These data suggest that Indians living on the Channel Islands during the late prehistoric period were heavily dependent on marine resources. The inhabitants of the mainland interior, in contrast, had a diet composed largely of terrestrial foods. From their isotope ratios, it appears that the Indians who lived on the mainland coast consumed a mixed diet containing substantial quantities of both marine and terrestrial resources. Differences in 15N/14N and 13C/12C ratios of individuals from mainland sites dating from the early and late prehistoric periods show that the marine component of the diet increased substantially through time. These isotopic data are consistent with pathological, faunal, and artifactual evidence of increased marine resource exploitation during the late prehistoric period.
Association between stress and blood pressure variation in a Caribbean population
Authors: Hutchinson Janis
Published: February 2006

Based on the work of Selye (The Stress of Life, New York: McGraw‐Hill, 1976) it is hypothesized that stress can produce physiological abnormalities, i.e., elevated blood pressure, and that social variables can be used as indicators or risk factors for disease. It is theorized that deviations from acceptable social patterns or traditional life‐styles can produce stressful conditions that are associated with disease and that these situations can be demonstrated by examination of certain social characteristics. This association is examined among the Black Caribs of St. Vincent, West Indies. The social variables included in this analysis are marital status (single, married, widowed, or separated), frequency of church attendance (frequently, sometimes, seldom, or never), years of education, and number of children (for women only). The findings show that single individuals have higher pressures than married subjects and that males who never attend church have higher pressures than men who frequently attend church; a relationship was not demonstrated for females. Among males, as the years of education increased, blood pressure also increased, but for females, increased education was associated with lowerpressures. Family size was not associated with systolic or diastolic pressure. The analysis of these selected social variables suggests that these variables influence male systolic and diastolic pressures, but only female diastolic pressure.
PGM1 subtype polymorphism in 14 endogamous Dravidian‐speaking populations of South India
Authors: Reddy A. P. , Mukherjee B. N. , Vijayakumar M. , Malhotra K. C.
Published: February 2006

Red cell hemolysates from 1, 004 persons belonging to 14 population groups drawn from four South Indian states, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala, were tested for PGM1 subtypes. The groups are characterized by ahigh frequency of phenotype 1+1+ (range 36.98–71.64%) and the allele 1+(range 60–79%). The groups exhibit marked heterogeneity for PGM1 locus. The results show a clear demarcation between tribes and Brahmin groups.
Distribution of enamel on the incisors of old world monkeys
Authors: Shellis R. P. , Hiiemae Karen M.
Published: February 2006

Longitudinal ground sections of 29 Old World monkey central lower incisors were studied histologically and metrically. Labiolingual incisor width tended to scale isometrically with body weight but with important deviations in relative incisor size, which appeared to be correlated with diet in accord with work by Hylander. Lower incisors of the predominantly folivorous colobine monkeys had a substantial layer of enamel on both lingual and labial aspects and consequently had blunt incisal edges. These teeth in both cercopi‐thecins and papionins, which are omnivorous or frugivorous, had little or no enamel on the lingual aspect, resulting in sharp incisal edges. It is suggested that colobine incisors are used mainly in gripping and tearing leaves, whereas cercopithecine incisors are better adapted to cutting and scraping. Crown height showed a positive allometric relationship with overall incisor height, so that the tall incisors of papionins, especially Papio and Mandrillus, were more hypsodont than the shorter incisors of colobines and cercopithecins. This appears to be related to differences in the rates of incisor wear between the groups.
An archaic character in the Broken Hill innominate E. 719
Authors: Stringer Christopher B.
Published: February 2006

The additional hominid material from Broken Hill, Kabwe, Zambia, is only dubiously associated with the hominid cranium from the site and is often considered to be anatomically modern in morphology. This study identifies an archaic feature, previously recognised in Pliocene and earlier Pleistocene innominates, in the Broken Hill innominate E. 719. An acetabulo‐cristal buttress of cortical bone 10 mm thick is present, and this can be clearly distinguished from the morphology present in a comparative sample of large recent Homo sapiens innominates. This observation increases the likelihood that some of the additional specimens from Broken Hill are indeed of comparable antiquity to the hominid cranium and extends the range of hominids in which the feature has been recognised.
Gene frequencies and admixture estimates in a Mexico City population
Authors: Lisker Rubén , Perez‐Briceño Rocio , Granados Julio , Babinsky Victoria , de Rubens Jesus , Armendares Salvador , Buentello Leonora
Published: February 2006

Five hundred and ten students of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México were tested to determine the distribution of ABO, MN, Rr‐Hr blood groups, and serum haptoglobin, albumin, and Factor Bf types. Based on the results we found that the proportion of Indian and White genes are of 56.16 and 43.84%, respectively in the dihybrid model and 2.93, 56.22, and 40.85% for Blacks, Indians, and Whites in the trihybrid one. The present study reveals a higher proportion of Indian genes in the Mexico City population than estimated in previous publications. Reasons why the present results apply to a much larger group of Mexico City mestizos than the previous ones are given.
New fossil anthropoids from the middle miocene of East Africa and their bearing on the origin of the oreopithecidae
Authors: Harrison Terry
Published: February 2006

Recent paleontological collections at the middle Miocene locality of Maboko Island in Kenya, dated at 15–16 million years, have yielded numerous new specimens belonging to at least five species of fossil anthropoids. The most common species of ape at the site, a medium‐sized primate with a very distinctive dental morphology, clearly represents a previously undescribed taxon. When compared with other Miocene anthropoids from East Africa, it has its closest affinities with the poorly known species Rangwapithecus vancouveringi from the early Miocene locality of Rusinga Island. The species from Maboko Island is described here as belonging to a new genus of fossil anthropoid, to which “Rangwapithecus” vancouveringi is also referred. The new genus has a highly distinctive suite of derived characters of its molars and premolars, which it shares with Oreopithecus bambolii from the late Miocene of Europe. These synapomorphies indicate a close phyletic relationship between the East African species and Oreopithecus and form the basis for the inclusion of these taxa in a single family, the Oreopithecidae Schwalbe, 1915. In many respects, however, the East African forms are more conservative than Oreopithecus, and in a general sense they can be regarded as an intermediate grade between Oreopithecus and the more generalized early Miocene catarrhines, the proconsuloids. There is, therefore, good fossil evidence to indicate that the origins of the Oreopithecidae can be traced back to the early Miocene of Africa.
Ultrasonic measurements of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness in man
Authors: Jones P. R. M. , Davies P. S. W. , Norgan N. G.
Published: February 2006

Subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness (SCATT) has for many years been measured using skinfold calipers, but calipers have several disadvantages, not least that they compress the skinfold. Measuring SCATT using ultrasound was validated by comparing thicknesses at 12 sites with soft‐tissue radiographs in 24 adults and with depth gauge measurements on a cadaver. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.87 to 0.99, and the regression statistics showed no significant difference between ultrasound and the other procedures. The standard errors of estimate of body density from SCATT measured by calipers and ultrasound in 63 young men was ± 7.8 and 7.3 kg·m−3, respectively. Although problems in the identification of the adipose tissue‐muscle interface can arise, ultrasound is a viable alternative to skinfold calipers and is to be preferred when measuring uncompressed SCATT.
Tubular hand bone growth during the latter half of the prenatal period: An allometric analysis
Authors: Hattori Komei
Published: February 2006

The growth of the 19 tubular hand bones from fetal months 5 to 9 was studied by the allometric method. The hand bones were carefully dissected under a low power stereoscopic microscope. The length and breadth of all bones was found to be monophasic in relation to crown‐rump length. In general, maximum bone and ossified shaft lengths in the same row group demonstrate similar allometric coefficients. The specific growth rate of ossified shaft length for all fetal hand bones is greater than the growth rate of maximum length. The highest allometric coefficients for both maximum length and ossified shaft length were obtained from the middle phalanges. The shape of the metacarpals and distal phalanges becomes thinner, while the other bones become thicker or maintain their length‐breadth ratio. The relative growth pattern of the first proximal phalanx differed from the middle phalangeal group of the other digits. This suggests that current nomenclatures for the three bones of the pollex is appropriate.
The contribution of adrenal and gonadal androgens to the growth in height of adolescent males
Authors: Zemel Babette S. , Katz Solomon H.
Published: February 2006

Gonadal androgens are known to regulate the rate of growth in height during adolescence, particularly in males, but little is known of the role of adrenal androgens in this process. In a prospective multiple regression model we show that both adrenal and gonadal androgens contribute to the increasing rate of growth in height prior to peak height velocity and the decreasing rate of height growth in later adolescence. Since adrenal androgen secretion begins in mid‐childhood, long before gonadal maturation and the secretion of testicular androgens, these findings may prove helpful in explaining population variation in adolescent growth.
Some blood genetic markers of the Nuba and Hawazma tribes of Western Sudan
Authors: Bayoumi R. A. , Saha N.
Published: February 2006

Two hundred eighty subjects comprising 112 Nuba and 168 Hawazma of the Sudan were tested for the distribution of hemoglobins, eight red cell enzymes, and four serum proteins. The Nuba, the indigenous negroid tribe, had no HbS, HbO‐Arab, or GdB(Khartoum) compared to the Hawazme tribe of Negro‐Arab descent. The gene frequencies of the above polymorphic systems in the latter were as follows: HbS, 0.13; HbO‐Arab, 0.01; GdB(Khartoum), 0.03. The frequency of GdA was higher in the Hawazma than in the Nuba. A high frequency of glucose 6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and HpO was present in both the tribes. Essentially similar gene frequencies of Hp1, TfD, PGDC, pC, and PGM1 were observed in both Nuba and Hawazma. The average heterozygosity at five polymorphic loci was the same (0.23) in both the tribes. The above results agree with the social practice whereby people of mixed Hawazma and Nuba descent are considered members of the Hawazma tribe and confirm that racial admixture between the two groups can be seen as a process of gene flow from the Nuba to the Hawazma, even though the Nuba are the indigenous group, while the Hawazma are the new settlers.
Variation in nutrient intake of infants and its implications for collecting reliable dietary intake data
Authors: Quant Sara A.
Published: February 2006

Sources of variance in dietary intake data for infants in the fourth to sixth months of life were examined. Twenty‐eight mothers of infants in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children gave 24‐hr recall information on their infants' diets on 4 random days over approximately 1 month. ANOVA found no day of the week or sequence effects on nutrient variation. Variance was partitioned into between‐ and within‐subject (residual) components. Interindividual variation exceeded intraindividual variation for all nutrients except vitamin C. Variance ratios ranged from 0.3 to 1.3. Calculations of 95% confidence limits for group and individual mean intakes indicated that, whereas a single recall would estimate the group mean within 20% for most nutrients, five recalls would be necessary for the same accuracy in individual means. Magnitude and patterning of variance components differ substantially from those found in studies of adults, suggesting that infant data collection strategies should be tailored to the unique nature of the infant diet.
Life stresses of the free Black community as represented by the First African Baptist Church, Philadelphia, 1823–1841
Authors: Angel J. Lawrence , Kelley Jennifer Olsen , Parrington Michael , Pinter Stephanie
Published: February 2006

The congregation of the Reverend Henry Simmons (First African Baptist Church at 8th & Vine, Philadelphia) from 1823 to 1841 used a cemetery rediscovered through subway expansion which was carefully excavated by M. Parrington and S. Pinter in 1983–1984; currently 75 adults were available for study. As an overall health indicator, longevity at 38.9 years (N=39) female and 44.8 (N=36) male indicates more stress on females. Probable causes of stress are inadequate nutrition for the performance of arduous labor, pregnancy, and childrearing, unsanitary living conditions, limited exposure to sun, and extensive exposure to infectious diseases. Nutritional indicators of stature, dental lesions, skull base height, and pelvic brim index scarcely advance over 1790–1820 Catoctin Furnace, Maryland, slaves' indicators. Disease evidence includes limb‐distorting rickets in one child who died at age 8, anemia, and arthritis; but the incidence of arthritis was less than at Catoctin. Genetic traits are chiefly. African. Family links show in details: os acromiale in about 30%. This plus less violence (fewer fractures) suggests community strength developing.
Paleopathology in Australopithecus africanus: A suggested case of a 3‐million‐year‐old prepubertal periodontitis
Authors: Ripamonti Ugo
Published: February 2006

The fossil remains of a juvenile Australopithecus africanus specimen from Sterkfontein Member 4 temporally confined on faunal grounds to 2.5–3.0 million years before the present (Myr B.P.) show pathological alterations of the periodontal alveolar process consistent with a case of prepubertal periodontitis. This diagnosis is based on macroscopic features of alveolar bone loss distribution, pattern of periodontal bone destruction, migration of the affected deciduous molars, and on stereomicroscopic and scanning electron microscopic evidence of alveolar bone destruction. Differential diagnoses and pathological exclusions are discussed in terms of localized patterns of periodontal bone destruction and presumptive survival rate. The reported case appears to be the first detailed description of a recognized disease in early hominid evolution.
Evidence for a dual pattern of cranial venous sinuses on the endocranial cast of taung (Australopithecus africanus)
Authors: Tobias Phillip V. , Falk Dean
Published: February 2006

According to published accounts, an enlarged occipital‐marginal sinus system is absent in Australopithecus africanus, although it occurs in high frequencies in A. robustus, A. Boisei, and Hadar hominids commonly designated A. afarensis. In this report, we describe, for the first time, an enlarged occipital‐marginal sinus system on the endocranial cast of the Taung specimen, which is part of the holotype of A. africanus. In addition, well‐developed right transverse and sigmoid sinuses are represented on the Taung endocast. The various components of the dual venous sinus system on the Taung endocast are measured, and the system is compared to those of other fossil hominids. The compresence of a lateral sinus system and enlarged occipital and marginal sinuses occurs in two Hadar specimens, 2 specimens of A. robustus crassidens, 1 A. boisei specimen, and several early H. sapiens crania. Hence, the presence of strong transverse sinus impressions in a fragmentary specimen may not be interpreted as an indication that an enlarged occipital‐marginal sinus system was not present in the original specimen. Conversely, lack of transverse sinus grooves in a fragmentary specimen does provide indirect evidence than an enlarged occipital‐marginal system would probably have been present in the whole specimen, as in 2 specimens of A. boisei. Including Taung, enlarged occipital and marginal sinuses occur in 1 out of 5, or 20%, of A. africanus specimens. This figure compares well with the range of mean frequencies in modern human cranial series (1.5 to 28%), but is much lower than are the frequencies for A. boisei, A. robustus, and the Hadar hominids. Although sample sizes for ancient hominids remain small, it appears that we are dealing with a genetic polymorphism that expresses itself in widely varying frequencies in populations of different hominids.
Genetic changes across language boundaries in Europe
Authors: Sokal Robert R. , Oden Neal L. , Thomson Barbara A.
Published: February 2006

By means of three different methods we investigated whether 59 allele frequencies and ten cranial variables show increased change at 29 language‐family boundaries in Europe. The quadrat‐variance method compares variances of map quadrats crossed by language‐family boundaries to variances of quadrats that are not crossed. The rate‐of‐change method examines the directional derivative of surfaces of the variables perpendicular to a language‐family boundary and compares these derivatives to the same quantities obtained by randomly placing the language boundaries on the map of Europe. The difference method tests whether these variables differ more across language‐family boundaries than across randomly placed boundaries. These special data‐analytic techniques had to be developed to avoid the problem of spatial autocorrelation of both language and biological data. All three methods indicate increased genetic change at language‐family boundaries. Clearer and more pronounced results are obtained by the first two methods than by the difference method. Thirteen language‐family boundaries show significant gene frequency change by at least one of the methods. Changes are more marked in gene frequencies than in cranial variables. Different allele frequencies mark the increased change at different language boundaries. A model, based on the known history of each language‐family boundary, was constructed to predict whether given boundaries should exhibit increased genetic change. The model is in good agreement with the observed results.
Contours of maxillary molars studied in Australian Aboriginals
Authors: Yamada Hiroyuki , Brown Tasman
Published: February 2006

Distances from the central pit to the perimeter of the crown of permanent upper molars were measured on standardized occlusal photographs of dental casts representing 210 male and 181 female Aboriginals from Yuen‐dumu in the Northern Territory of Australia. In both males and females the first molar was the largest tooth but it showed least variability. Variabilities of the distances tended to be greater for radii constructed in the buccolingual direction than for the transverse mesiodistal radii. The most marked size reduction in the molar series from first to third related to the distolingual part of the crown, which was also the most variable region. Size differences between molars in the mesial contour radii were not marked. Sexual dimorphism was evident in most crown radii, being most marked for the second molar.
Osteometry at muscle origin and insertion in sex determination
Authors: France Diane L.
Published: February 2006

Multivariate statistical analyses were performed on 22 size measurements of the humerus from five sample populations: Sudanese Nubians, Arikara, Pecos Pueblos, American blacks, and American whites. The effects of muscle use (“occupational” differences) on identification of sex in this long bone are examined, particularly at points of muscle origins and insertions. The ramifications of the results of this research on sexual dimorphism studies of other bones are discussed.
Browridge development in cercopithecidae: A test of two models
Authors: Ravosa Matthew J.
Published: February 2006

Theoretical discussions of primate browridge formation have resulted in several interpretations of its form and function. Lateral radiographs of adult Old World monkeys, representing most cercopithecine and colobine genera, were examined to address whether both biomechanical and spatial factors influence the development of a supraorbital torus.

A linear measurement of browridge size was compared with a series of measures related to each model. Partial correlations were used to ascertain the relative independence of biomechanical (model I or II) and spatial effects upon torus formation. Allometric (size‐related) shape changes were evaluated with log‐linear bivariate regression analysis; subfamily differences in scaling patterns, with an analysis of covariance. When spatial and biomechanical (I or II) factors were both significantly related to brow size, additive and interactive multiple regression models were used to further assess the manner by which each set mutually affects variation in browridge dimensions. Correlation analyses were repeated with size‐corrected antilogged residuals to eliminate a potentially spurious effect of skull size.

Old World monkeys provide support of the spatial model. Also of interest is that skull size emerges as a primary influence on torus formation. Several alternative explanations are also put forward to account for browridge development in each subfamily.
Changes in body proportions of Japanese medical students between 1961 and 1986
Authors: Takamura Kazuyuki , Ohyama Shiro , Yamada Teruki , Ishinishi Noburu
Published: February 2006

Since 1945, the Japanese physique has changed a great deal. Physical examinations of medical students at Kyushu University have been carried out on an annual basis since 1939. We investigated changes in body proportions using data on 813 medical students examined from 1961 to 1986. During these 26 years, standing height has increased by 4.69 cm, arm length by 2.58 cm, and sitting height by 0.79 cm. Thus, the Japanese have grown taller and their extremities are longer, yet the trunk has not changed significantly. This study also shows a 10‐year delay in increase in length of the upper extremities.
Intersex differences in craniocervical morphology and posture in southern Chinese and British Caucasians
Authors: Cooke Michael S. , Wei Stephen H. Y.
Published: February 2006

The aim of this study was to compare intersex differences in the angular relationships of the head, the cervical column, and the true vertical in natural head posture (the “postural variables”) for unselected samples of southern Chinese (n = 240) and British Caucasian (n = 80) 12‐year‐old children in Hong Kong.

For both samples the cervical spine was angulated significantly more forwardly in the females (P ≦ 0.001) and the head held higher relative to the spine. Cervical lordosis was also greater in the females and the cervical column of greater relative length.

Our findings are in agreement with comparable data previously reported for a northern Finnish population.
A yellow‐stained human femur from tell esh‐Shuqafiya, Egypt: Evidence of ancient trauma
Authors: Jones Richard N.
Published: February 2006

Excavation at Tell esh‐Shuqafiya, Egypt, during the 1982 season exposed several Ptolemaic Period burials. One of these, a young adult male, showed a bright yellow stain on the right femur. Analysis of the stain demonstrated it to be hematoidin, a degradation compound derived from hemoglobin associated with old hemorrhage. The specific location of the stain on the skeleton suggests death a few weeks after a severe injury to the thigh.
Distribution of red cell phosphoglucomutase‐1 subtypes in several mongoloid populations of East Asia
Authors: Saha N.
Published: February 2006

The distribution of red cell phosphoglucomutase (PGM) subtypes was determined by starch‐gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing in a group of 2,484 unrelated individuals from ten Mongoloid populations of East Asia. The sample comprised 998 Chinese from various localities—Singapore, 325; Malaysia, 270; Taiwan, 276; Hong Kong, 67; Fouzhou, 60—as well as 342 Koreans; 252 Filipinos; 529 Thais; 336 Malays, and 27 Indonesians. Altogether 15 phenotypes controlled by four common and five rare alleles at the PGM1 locus were observed in these populations. The frequency of the most frequent allele (PGM1) varied from 0.56 to 0.74, with the highest frequency observed in the Singapore Chinese and the lowest in the Malays. Within the Chinese from different localities a significant degree of heterogeneity was observed at the PGM1 locus. The rare allele (PGM)6 was observed only among the Chinese, Thais, and Malays, while the PGM1 was lacking in the Filipinos. A new allele with ahigh pI (6.5) was observed in a low frequency in all the populations but the Malays.
Genetic blood markers in Arab Druze of Israel
Authors: Nevo Sarah
Published: February 2006

A sample of 153 individuals from a Druze village, in northern Israel, was typed for the following genetic markers—ABO, MNSs, Rh, P, Kell, and Duffy in the blood groups AcP, AK, ADA, EsD, GL01, ICD, LDH, G6PD, PGM 1 & 2, PHI, PGD and peptidases, A, B, C, and D in the red cell enzymes and for the serum proteins Hp and GC subtypes.

Rare variants were observed in the following systems: PGD, a new slow variant, PGM, type 8‐1; Pep A, types 2‐1 and 3‐1, Pep B, type 2‐1; Pep D, types 3‐1 and 3‐3; and type GC, 2‐V.

Significant deviations from Hardy‐Weinberg expectations were observed for MNSs and Duffy because of increased homozygosity, which was also observed in three other systems.

Gene frequencies compared well with those of Arab Druze and Moslems in Lebanon and of Israeli Moslems in most of the systems, except for the lower frequencies of blood group B, the NS chromosome, the cde haplotype, and the AcPA allele in the present sample.

A considerably lower frequency of the Fy allele was found in the Druze compared with Arab Moslems. It may be due to the Druze having been less exposed to inflow of African genes, to their being highlanders, and, therefore, less exposed to Plasmodium vivax malaria, or to both of the above.
Effect of posture and locomotion on energy expenditure
Authors: Maurice Abitbol M.
Published: February 2006

Energy expenditure for human adults and infants and for dogs was measured in resting (supine or lateral) posture, in bipedal posture and locomotion, and in quadrupedal posture and locomotion. Variations in respiratory and heart rate and in body temperature were utilized in this comparative study. Oxygen consumption was also measured in human adults. In human adults, bipedal posture and locomotion were shown to be much less energy‐consuming than corresponding quadrupedal posture and locomotion. The opposite was observed in adult dogs, where bipedalism was shown to be much more energy‐consuming than quadrupedalism. In addition, this study demonstrated, for human adults in their natural erect posture, an energy expenditure barely higher than in supine or lateral resting posture, while the dogs in their natural quadrupedal stance, the energy expenditure is much higher than in their resting posture. With respect to energy, therefore, humans are more adapted to bipedalism than dogs to quadrupedalism. Human children, at the transitional stage between quadrupedalism and bipedalism, have high and almost equal requirements for all postures and locomotions. This demonstrates, in term of energy, their incomplete adaptation to erect behavior.