bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Volumetric and asymmetry determinations on recent hominid endocasts: Spy I and II, Djebel Ihroud I, and the salè Homo erectus specimens, with some notes on neandertal brain size
Authors: Holloway Ralph L.
Published: February 2006

Full brain endocast reconstructions of the Neandertals, Spy I and II, Djebel Ihroud I, and the Homo erectus specimen from Salè, Morocco have yielded accurate volumes. Spy I = 1,305 ml; Spy II = 1,553 ml; Djebel Ihroud I = 1,305 ml; Salè = 880 ml. While there are no remarkable gyral and sulcal patterns one can delineate, the brain endocasts do show evidence of left‐occipital, right‐frontal petalias, suggesting right‐handedness, and possibly human cognitive specialization, involving symbol processing and visuospatial integration. Some speculations regarding Neandertal brain size are also offered, in which it is suggested that their possibly larger brain sizes were related to greater muscularity than in modern Homo sapiens.
Postmortem absorption of lead by the skeleton
Authors: Waldron H. A.
Published: February 2006

In a study of bones recovered from lead coffins at two sites in the United Kingdom, the lead concentration was so high that postmortem absorption seemed the most likely explanation. Electron probe analysis showed that in one bone from a lead coffin, the lead was concentrated on the surfaces of the bone, as would be expected if absorption had occurred after death. It is suggested that in any further study of the lead content of bones from archaeological sites, steps must be taken to assess environmental lead levels and if these are unusually high, the results of the analyses should be viewed with suspicion.
Dentin apposition rates as markers of primate growth
Authors: Molnar S. , Przybeck T. R. , Gantt D. G. , Elizondo R. S. , Wilkerson J. E.
Published: February 2006

The incremental lines of von Ebner frequently have been described as ultradian markers of dentin calcification. To determine the relationship between these lines and the quantity of dentin formed, reference was made to an in vivo marker of calcification, tetracycline. These markers were produced by injecting four juvenile rhesus monkeys periodically over a period of 175 days. These animals had been subjects in a heat stress study and were exposed to a series of heat stresses and cortisone injections. At the end of the study, undecalcified thin sections of premolars and second molars were prepared by standard histological techniques.

We found that linear apposition rates increased in a gradient toward the pulp chamber. These rates varied within each tooth but not in corresponding parts of different teeth. Also, we determined that dentin apposition can be temporarily depressed by certain metabolic stresses. Heat load and cortisone significantly slowed dentin formation. Each depression, however, was followed by a “catch‐up” period. Incremental line distances also increased as a function of the distance from the dentoenamel junction. There was, however, no systematic relationship between apposition rates and incremental line distance; these distances did not deviate from the observed trends during periods of slowed apposition. Incremental lines may be interpreted, not as natural growth markers, but as structural phenomena which are a function of dentin geometry and tubule bending.
Dermatoglyphic assessment of the genetic relationships of native American populations
Authors: Hoff C. , Plato C. C. , Garruto R. M. , Dutt J.
Published: February 2006

Genetic distance techniques and cluster analysis were used to determine which dermatoglyphic parameters were most useful in assessing genetic relationships between native American populations. The dermatoglyphic parameters used for this analysis were those most completely reported in the papers examined in a literature survey we had carried out previously, and include digital patterns, modal types of the C‐line and D‐line terminations, and palmar patterns in the hypothenar, thenar/I, and interdigital areas. The populations examined were separated by sex and divided into seven major geographical groups: Eskimo; North American Indian; Maya and non‐Maya (Central America); Amazonian; Quechua, and Aymara (South America). Mean frequencies of dermatoglyphic traits were computed for each group and pairwise “genetic” distances calculated using Cavalli‐Sforza and Edward's D‐test. Dendrograms were then generated from these D‐values using Q‐mode cluster analysis. Using the hypothenar, thenar/I and III and IV interdigital areas, the results of this analysis demonstrated a good fit to an expected phylogenetic tree. When digital patterns, patterns in the II interdigital area, and the modal types of the C‐line were included in the analysis, the same phylogenetic relationships were observed. However, inclusion of the modal types of the D‐line with the other parameters tended to introduce some distortion and a greater separation between sexes within the same populations.
The dentition of the Lengua Indians of Paraguay
Authors: Kieser Julius A. , Preston Charles B.
Published: February 2006

The crown morphology of 202 dental casts from living Lengua Indians is described and compared with other Amerind, Melanesian, and Caucasoid samples. The Lengua dentition shows a high Mongoloid component with little effects of possible European admixture, thus supporting the theory that despite early Franciscan and Jesuit attempts at missionization, much of the Paraguayan Chaco has remained genetically and culturally relatively intact well into the present century.

A finding of note was the apparent sexual dimorphism of the Carabelli cusp, which questions earlier assumptions that no correction for sex need be made in population studies when dealing with this trait.

Since mandibular canines show proportionately less wear in the canine distal accessory ridge area than maxillary canines, the value of the incidence of this trait in population and microevolutionary studies is questioned.
Serum androgens and sex hormone binding globulin in obese Pima Indian females
Authors: Purifoy Frances E. , Koopmans Lambert H. , Tatum Ronald W. , Mayes Darrel M.
Published: February 2006

Levels of serum androgens and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured in 20 obese Pima Indian females aged 19–44 and compared with those of normal‐weight Caucasians aged 20–46. The Pima exhibited significantly decreased SHBG compared to Caucasians, but a strong effect of age on androgen levels rendered mean comparisons useless. Androstenedione (A) and dehydroepiandrosterone‐sulfate (DHEA‐S) decreased significantly, and testosterone (T) declined slightly with age in the Pima, whereas these androgens showed no significant decreases in Caucasians for this age range. A possible relationship of androgens to the Pima female's propensity for android obesity as well as possible effects of obesity on SHBG, androgens, and aging is discussed.
The Indonesian Homo erectus brain endocasts revisited
Authors: Holloway Ralph L.
Published: February 2006

New brain endocast reconstructions of Homo erectus discoveries from Indonesia since 1963 (H. erectus VI, 1963; VII, 1965; VIII, 1969) have been made and their volumes determined. In addition, older discoveries (H. erectus I, 1891; II, 1937; IV, 1937–38) have been reendocast and reconstructed, and have yielded volumes considerably different from those previously published. This is particularly so in the case of Dubois's original discovery, which yields a volume of 940 ml rather than the widely quoted volume of 750 ml. In addition, a number of morphological observations regarding hemispheric asymmetries (petalias) are provided, which suggest a condition similar to modern Homo sapiens.
The analysis of fractures in skeletal populations with an example from the Libben site, Ottowa County, Ohio
Authors: Lovejoy C. Owen , Heiple Kingsbury G.
Published: February 2006

A quantitative approach to the analysis of long‐bone fractures in skeletal populations is presented. These kinds of data are shown to be valuable in interpreting various behavioral aspects of the population. An example of application is provided for the Libben population. Data from this group show that the overall fracture rate was high (there is a 45% chance of a long‐bone fracture in any single individual) but lower than the rates observed in nonhuman primates by almost an order of magnitude when data are adjusted for years of risk. The data for Libben also suggest that traumatic child abuse was not practiced, that most fractures occur as a consequence of accident, that fracture risk was highest in the 10–25 and 45 + age categories, that care of patients was enlightened and skillful in this group, and that chance of fracture is largely determined by accumulated years of risk in the population (r = 0.97).
Body composition and nutritional status of urban Guatemalan children of high and low socioeconomic class
Authors: Bogin Barry , Macvean Robert B.
Published: February 2006

The effects of socioeconomic differences on the nutritional status of two groups of urban living children are considered via an anthropometric assessment of body composition. The sample consists of 981 Guatemala City children, 7.00 to 13.99 years old, of high and low socioeconomic status (SES). High SES children have larger median values for triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, arm circumference, and estimated mid‐arm muscle and fat areas than low SES children. Compared with children of a US reference sample, the high SES children generally have larger values for all variables and the low SES children have smaller values. However, the differences between the low SES children and the children of the other two samples are greater for arm fat area than for arm muscle area. The analysis suggests that low SES Guatemalan children suffer to a greater extent from chronic energy, rather than protein, undernutrition. A similar pattern of energy malnutrition has been observed for rural Guatemalan children. These combined data suggest that estimates of fat reserves of the arm provide a useful indication of nutritional status for Third‐World children. Results from rural Costa Rican and Honduran studies have been taken to mean that muscle reserves are better than fat reserves as indicators of nutritional status in developing countries. But, those studies did not estimate cross‐sectional muscle and fat areas and only considered the extremes of the population distribution for muscle and fat.
Anatomy of the temporal bone in early anthropoids, with remarks on the problem of anthropoid origins
Authors: Cartmill M. , MacPhee R. D. E. , Simons E. L.
Published: February 2006

New and previously undescribed specimens of the petrous, squamous, and tympanic parts of the temporal bones of anthropoid primates from the Oligocene of Egypt display a general morphological resemblance to the equivalent parts of Recent ceboid skulls. Like that of ceboids, the ectotympanic bone of Fayum anthropoids is a simple anulus, fused to the squamosal at both its extremities. The petrosal's bullar contribution appears to bear transverse septa running laterally from promontory to ectotympanic; similar septa are seen in callitrichids and some prosimians. The definitive stylomastoid foramen is in a position characteristic for ceboids but not found among adult catarrhines. As far as can currently be determined, pneumatization of the petrous and squamous temporal is specifically anthropoid‐like in pattern and extent, but exhibits no special resemblances to that found in any particular anthropoid taxon. On the other hand, Fayum anthropoids appear to resemble other catarrhines and to differ from most extant ceboids in lacking a vascular canal leading from the subarcuate fossa to the sigmoid venous sinus. Vascular impressions on a squamosal fragment tentatively assigned to Aegyptopithecus zeuxis show that the petrosquamous and cranio‐orbital venous sinuses were persistently large, as in prosimians. A squamosal fragment previously attributed to Apidium phiomense, and adduced as evidence for a lemuriform ancestry of Anthropoidea, is probably that of a hyaenodontid creodont. It is certainly not that of a primate. The ceboid like morphology of the early catarrhine ear region is probably primitive for anthropoids, and in any case it does not argue for an Old World origin of ceboids–but it emphatically suggests that Anthropoidea is a strictly monophyletic taxon.
Polyarticular inflammatory arthritis in a pre‐Columbian skeleton from Kodiak Island, Alaska, U.S.A.
Authors: Ortner Donald J. , Utermohle Charles J.
Published: February 2006

A human skeleton of a 30–35‐year‐old female from Kodiak Island, Alaska, U.S.A. exhibits skeletal lesions which strongly suggest polyarticular inflammatory arthritis. Skeletal lesions associated with the joints include porosity and destruction of joint surfaces, periarticular cystic erosion, and hypertrophic bone formation. Severe manifestations occur in the knee, ankle, and elbow. Hand and foot bones are also involved. However there is minimal involvement of the spine. The age and sex of the skeleton and the pattern of arthritic change are compatible with a diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Since the specimen is probably dated to before A.D. 1200 it represents an important case in trying to clarify the history of polyarticular inflammatory arthritis.
Growth of the functional components of the rat skull and its alteration by nutritional effects. A multivariate analysis
Authors: Pucciarelli Héctor M.
Published: February 2006

Weanling male Holtzman rats were subjected to each of the following nutritional treatments: malnutrition; malnutrition–recuperation; undernutrition; and undernutrition–recuperation. The rats were sacrificed when they were 49 days old, and dimensions of each one of the neurocranial, respiratory, and masticatory components were measured. Each component was compared with its counterpart in control rats (21, 28, 35, 42, and 49 day‐old) by means of Mahalanobis D2 distances. The same functional components of 49 day‐old control skulls were compared with their counterparts in younger control skulls. The means of the chosen cranial dimensions were compared by Tukey tests. Two periods of craniofacial development were identified. In the first, both facial components showed a similar growth that was greater than the neurocranial growth. In teh second period, the growth of the masticatory component was greater than that of the respiratory component, which in turn, was greater than that of the neurocranial component. Nutritional deficiencies delayed the growth of the masticatory component more than that of the neurocranial component, which, in turn, was delayed more than that of the respiratory one. About 7% of the dimensions measured were insensitive to both growth and nutrition; 31% were insensitive to nutrition; and 62% were modified by nutrition. Craniofacial development in the rat seems to be a process more complex than what has been generally accepted. A nutritional stress may alter the relative growth between the facial functional components to a greater extent than that between the major functional components; viz. the neurocranium and the splanchnocranium. The cranial dimensions studied were classified according to their sensitivity to growth and/or nutrition into invariable, nutritionally stable, and nutritionally unstable traits.
Revisiting the South African Taung australopithecine endocast: The position of the lunate sulcus as determined by the stereoplotting technique
Authors: Holloway Ralph L.
Published: February 2006

Falk's (1980a) claims regarding the pongid‐like disposition of convolutional patterns on the South African australopithecine endocasts are critically examined. Using a stereoplotter apparatus and a small sample of chimpanzee brain casts, the angular coordinates of the lunate sulcus are recorded, and placed as such on the Taung and SK 1585 endocasts. The resulting location of such pongid‐oriented lunate sulci violates the gross morphology of the australopithecine endocasts. Relative brain: body weight ratios for Australopithecus are shown to be advanced over any of the pongids. In addition, evidence is provided from LeGros Clark's (1947) paper that controverts certain of Falk's claims regarding his methods. It is concluded that the secondary sulci and gyri on the now available australopithecine endocasts are not clear enough to warrant unambiguous demonstration; with regard to the lunate sulcus, the Taung endocast does not show a pongid pattern.
On the expression of sex dimorphism
Authors: Bennett Kenneth A.
Published: February 2006

A procedure is developed and presented for the calculation of sex dimorphism in quantitative variates. Instead of expressing sex dimorphism by the male X̄/female X¯ ratio, it deletes the area of overlap of the two curves and provides the proportion of males and females in terms of the areas under each curve. Examination of anthropometric variates among Eskimos from northwestern Alaska and the Hadza from Tanzania indicates that extremity measurements might be of special value for assessing the magnitude of sex dimorphism.
Prediction of age at menarche from annual height increments
Authors: Ellison Peter T.
Published: February 2006

The divergence in height velocity of early and late maturing girls in early adolescence is exploited to predict menarcheal age from a year's growth in height. Simple prediction equations are generated based on data from the Berkely Guidance Study, and are subsequently tested against an independent sample from the Stuart Growth Study. The success of this prediction method compares favorably with others based on x‐ray determinations of bone age; it is much more successful than a proposed method that utilizes estimations of body fat. The height increment method is recommended both by its simplicity and by the relative accessability of the information involved.
Path analysis of total palmar pattern ridge counts
Authors: Malhotra K. C. , Rao D. C.
Published: February 2006

Recently a new dermatoglyphic measure was defined called the Total Palmar Pattern Ridge Count (TPPRC), which is the sum of the ten single counts (Malhotra et al., 1981). Malhotra and associates presented estimates of five familial correlations, including twins, which are analyzed here using the models and methods of path analysis. It is concluded that about one‐third of the variation in the TPPRC is accounted for by additive genetic factors (h2 = .37 ± .06). However, the observed MZ twin correlation (.8) cannot be explained in terms of h2 alone, requiring either intrauterine environment specific to MZ twins or dominance deviations. This second source of family resemblance cannot be resolved in this material.
Migration and genetic infrastructure of the central american guaymi and their affinities with other tribal groups
Authors: Barrantes Ramiro , Smouse Peter E. , Neel James V. , Mohrenweiser Harvey W. , Gershowitz Henry
Published: February 2006

New genetic data on 40 red cell enzymes, antigenic blood groups, and serum proteins representing 42 separate loci, are reported for two Guaymi communities in Southeastern Costa Rica. These two settlements, Limoncito and Abrojo, are of recent origin, having been established by Panamanian migrants in the last 50 years. Detailed data on the provenance of these migrants permits an analysis of how these settlement patterns differ from those typical of less acculturated Amerindians from the lowlands of South America. The genetic compositions of these two communities are compared with those of previous Panamanian Guaymi samples, and several points are established: (1) One of the localities, Limoncito, contains families from both Guaymi dialect groups (eastern and western), and the allelic frequencies are intermediate between those of the dialect groups. (2) The other settlement, Abrojo, is quite similar to the western Guaymi, as expected from historical reconstruction of its antecedents. (3) In general, the degree of infratribal genetic diversity is less than that found in lowland South American tribes, and the difference may be due to a diffuse settlement pattern among the Guaymi. (4) The Guaymi are also compared genetically with other tribes in lower Central America and northern South America, and appear to be similar to their immediate Chibcha neighbors to the east and west. The implications of a pair of “private polymorphisms” are discussed in the context of the time of dialectic and tribal divergence in this zone.
Unusual osteolytic defects in ancient South Dakota skulls
Authors: Gregg John B. , Bass William M. , Steele James P.
Published: February 2006

Unusual osteolytic defects in eight skulls culled from over 4000 ancient South Dakota burials are presented, discussed briefly, and assigned to what we think is their most likely cause. Because these are collection skeletons, histological and microbiological confirmation of interpretations concerning specific lesions are not possible. Corroboration of our opinions has been sought through radiographs and by expert consultation elsewhere. Although our opinions are interpretative and subject to rebuttal, they can serve as a base for future research if and when similar specimens are discovered elsewhere. In addition, these specimens are indicators of other than usual ancient skull pathology from a limited geographic area, representing people who lived there during a known time frame.
A factor analysis of cranial base and vault dimensions in children
Authors: Ohtsuki Fumio , Mukherjee Debabrata , Lewis Arthur B. , Roche Alex F.
Published: February 2006

Lengths within the cranial base and vault were measured in cephalometric radiographs of 220 boys and 177 girls ranging in age from 0 to 15 years; all these children are participants in The Fels Longitudinal Growth Study. The present study is based on mixed longitudinal data derived from 1640 radiographs for boys and 1260 radiographs for girls. Factor analysis was applied separately for boys and girls for each age group; i.e., 0–3, 4–6, 7–9, 10–12, and 13–15 years. For the 0–3 year age group, two factors were extracted in each sex, whereas four factors were extracted in the rest of the age groups. The factor structures are similar in the three older age groups of boys (7–9, 10–12, and 13–15 years). The first four factors for these groups are labelled, respectively: cranial vault size, posterior cranial base length, presphenoid length, and basisphenoid length. The order of the third and fourth factors is reversed in the 7–9 year olds. For girls, the factors extracted were also the same in both the 7–9 and 10–12 year age groups, even though the order of factors was different between age groups; i.e., anterior cranial base length, cranial vault size, basisphenoid length, and basioccipital length. Differential growth rates among cranial base dimensions probably cause changes in factor patterns. Obliteration of the spheno‐occipital synchondrosis is suggested as the mechanism responsible for the change of factor pattern in the girls. Closure of this synchondrosis would have occurred too late to affect the patterns in boys.
A new measure of growth efficiency: Skull base height
Authors: Angel J. Lawrence
Published: February 2006

Skull base height increases significantly with better nutrition and health conditions, as seen in comparing 163 nineteenth to twentieth century dissecting‐room skeletons (Terry Collection) with 237 modern American middle‐class adults (forensic and willed skeletons). The increase parallels the change in pelvic inlet depth index, known to respond sensitively to nutrition, and in stature, and is over six times greater than the general skull size change. Skull base height (porion‐basion) is easy to measure with depth gauge and sliding caliper, or by subtraction, and is in adults a sensitive indicator of childhood growth stress.
Comparison of ultrasound and skinfold measurements in assessment of subcutaneous and total fatness
Authors: Borkan Gary A. , Hults David E. , Cardarelli John , Burrows Belton A.
Published: February 2006

Ultrasound (A‐scan mode) and skinfold methods were evaluated in the measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness and prediction of total fat weight (by whole body potassium counting). Based on intraobserver correlations on 39 men at 15 body sites, skinfold caliper measurements were more reproducible than ones obtained by ultrasound. Measurements made with the two techniques at the same site typically produced different mean estimates of fat thickness. However, scores were often highly correlated with each other, indicating similar relative rankings of subjects by each technique. Skinfolds were more highly correlated with total fat weight than were ultrasound measurements, but body weight and anthropometric measures had even higher correlations with total fat weight. Anthropometric measurements were highly correlated with fatness because of their association with body weight, and when this relationship was statistically controlled for, they typically lost their predictive effectiveness. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the best predictors of fat weight were body weight along with skinfold and ultrasound measurements. These results suggest that skinfolds are a more effective means of assessing subcutaneous fat than ultrasound, especially when the large difference in cost of equipment is considered.
A reexamination of the effects of high rearing temperature on the nonolfactory turbinates of rats
Authors: Hill Richard W.
Published: February 2006

The nasoturbinates and maxilloturbinates have previously been reported to be completely resorbed in Wistar rats reared at 32–33°C from 3 weeks to 6 months of age. The phenomenon was reinvestigated for the first time in the experiments reported here, with dramatically different results. Rats reared at 33°C and 53% relative humidity proved to have naso‐ and maxilloturbinates of almost the same size as rats reared at 21°C. After effects of skull and rostral size on turbinate size had been statistically removed, rearing temperature proved not to be important in explaining differences in turbinate widths or turbinate separation, but temperature and sex had significant interactive effects on turbinate lengths. Reasons why the turbinates were completely lost in the previous study but largely retained in the present study are unclear and probably subtle, given that procedures in the two studies were closely similar. Loss of the nonolfactory turbinates is demonstrably not a consistent response—adaptive or otherwise—to rearing under hot conditions, and probably factors in addition to temperature are critical to turbinate development.
A method of analyzing density‐dependent vital rates with an application to the Gainj of Papua New Guinea
Authors: Wood James W. , Smouse Peter E.
Published: February 2006

A method of estimating age‐specific coefficients of density‐dependent variation in fertility and mortality is developed; the method is applicable to longitudinal data on population size and the number of births and deaths classified by age. Given a sufficiently large data set, it is possible to estimate both the sensitivity of each age class to density‐dependent damping and the density effect of each age class on every age class in the population. Application of the method to government census data on the Gainj, a small tribal population from highland Papua New Guinea, shows that fertility is density‐independent, but that mortality is at least partially density‐dependent. This finding suggests that the size of the population is regulated by mortality rather than fertility. Individuals aged less than five years and greater than 50 years are particularly sensitive to density‐dependent survival damping; individuals of adolescent and early reproductive age are not themselves damped, but appear to be responsible for the observed damping.
Inbreeding in three captive groups of rhesus monkeys
Authors: Smith David Glenn
Published: February 2006

Using electrophoretic and serological genetic markers each of 17 potentially inbred matings in three groups of rhesus monkeys could be classified as either inbred or noninbred matings. Although nine of these 17 matings involved either father‐daughter or paternal half‐sib matings, only 7.4 were expected by chance alone. At least two, and possibly as many as three, of the nine cases of inbreeding involved father‐daughter matings. Thus, no evidence of avoidance of inbreeding was observed in the closed captive groups of rhesus monkeys studied. Colony management policies must be developed to minimize the opportunity for or the deleterious effects of both father‐daughter and half‐sib matings. Furthermore, kin selection theory should consider why kin recognition, if it occurs, does not lead to avoidance of inbreeding.
The functional morphology of caudal vertebrae in new world monkeys
Authors: German Rebecca Z.
Published: February 2006

New World monkeys vary considerably in the manner and degree to which they use their tails. There ought to arise a corresponding variation in the stresses on caudal vertebrae. Consequently, different behavior types will have contrasting caudal morphologies. This study investigates caudal morphology of several New World monkeys representing the large range of ability from totally nonprehensile tails to the dexterous fifth limb of spider monkeys. One largebodied, nonprehensile‐tailed Old World monkey is included to offset the correlation between size and degree of prehensility in New World monkeys. These monkeys vary both within and between species as to the number of caudal vertebrae and the length of individual vertebrae. Despite this variation, the length of caudal vertebrae within a given tail decreases at a constant rate across species. The width of the vertebrae at two points, midbone and the proximal end, separates the monkeys with prehensile tails from those with nonprehensile tails. The middle of the vertebrae is wider and more robust in prehensile‐tailed forms. This is associated with stronger bones in tails subject to greater stress. The proximal width of each bone is also greater in the prehensile‐tailed monkeys. This measure reflects the lateral development of the proximal transverse process. This provides a larger lever arm for M. caudalis lateralis, implying greater rotational ability.
Variability and evolutionary trends in tooth size of Gigantopithecus blacki
Authors: Yinyun Zhang
Published: February 2006

The measurements of Gigantopithecus blacki teeth from Liucheng are summarized and comparative statistics are calculated. Compared to the variability of tooth size in living nonhuman primates, emphasizing Pongo because of close ecological and genetic relationships, the hypothesis of a single species for Liucheng specimens is acceptable. The Liucheng sample pattern of variability in tooth size, as well as the South African robust australopithecines, differs from living nonhuman primates in the same way; the first molar is not the least variable of the molars, and the molars are relatively variable compared with the other teeth. Sexual dimorphism may be responsible for this pattern in both cases. Later G. blacki cheek teeth are significantly larger than early G. blacki. From early G. blacki to later, the expansion ratio in tooth breadth is more than in tooth length. The pattern of expansion is like that seen in South African australopithecines. Both G. blacki and South African robust Australopithecus seem to show continued adaptation to more powerful and efficient chewing. The diet of G. blacki is not known, and its reconstruction depends on estimates of body size that differ greatly.
Craniocervical morphology and posture in Australian aboriginals
Authors: Solow B. , Barrett M. J. , Brown T.
Published: February 2006

The length of the spinal column as a percentage of stature is smaller in the Australian aboriginal than in most other ethnic groups (Abbie, 1957). It is conceivable that relative lengths of the cervical column might influence population differences in craniocervical posture and craniofacial morphology. The present study aimed to elucidate this relationship by comparing head posture and craniofacial morphology in Australian aboriginals to the same features in a previously studied sample of 120 Danish students (Solow and Tallgren, 1976).

The aboriginal sample consisted of 42 young male adults from the Yuendumu settlement, Northern Territory, Australia. Cephalometric films of the natural head position were taken during a field trip to the settlement. The comparison comprised 18 postural and 61 morphological variables.

In the aboriginals, the cervical column was shorter and had a less pronounced lordosis. The head was held about 3° lower, and the upper cervical column was 81/2° more forward inclined. As a consequence, the craniocervical angle was about 6° larger.

Comparison of the craniofacial morphology in the two groups showed in the aboriginals a shorter upper facial height, a larger anterior lower facial height, and a larger vertical jaw relationship (NL/ML). The length of the posterior cranial base, s‐ba, was 4 mm shorter (P <0.001) in the aboriginals, possibly developmentally related to the generally shorter spinal column in Australian aboriginals.
Intervertebral osteochondrosis in ancient and modern populations
Authors: Kelley Marc A.
Published: February 2006

Skeletal collections are often useful for determining the frequency and distribution of lesions that would otherwise go unnoticed in the living. This study examines a rather common spinal lesion for which there is little clinical or paleopathologic literature available. In such cases, the anterior aspect of the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebral plates display crescent‐shaped lesions suggestive of a form of degeneration known as intervertebral osteochondrosis.

A total of 2,628 skeletons from three early American Indian sites and one 20th‐century medical‐school cadaver population are examined for this lesion. Variables such as age, sex, weight, race, activity patterns, and other biocultural information are considered in relation to the frequency of this lesion. It is suggested that physical stress during the second and third decades of life is largely responsible for this condition. With advancing age the lesions are obliterated and, in effect, become indistinguishable from spondylosis deformans. Familiarity with this condition is necessary in order to better understand degenerative spinal disease and avoid confusion with other spinal diseases such as tuberculosis.
The morphogenetic triangle: A new conceptual tool for application to problems in dental morphogenesis
Authors: Keene Harris J.
Published: February 2006

A hypothetical mathematical model of human dental crown height attainment during morphogenesis was developed. The model is based on well‐known histologic stages of tooth development from initiation to crown completion, with special emphasis on the dynamics and life‐cycle of the cells of the inner enamel epithelium. From three temporal events (P, initiation of proliferation; D, initiation of differentiation; C, crown completion), and crown height (H) measured at the dentino‐enamel junction, a morphogenetic triangle PDZ can be constructed where Z = coordinates of H and C at the time of crown completion. The slope of lines PZ and DZ represent average proliferation rate (Rp) and average differentiation rate (Rd) of the inner enamel epithelium, respectively, during crown formation. From data available in the literature, and based on morphogenetic triangle principles, Rp and Rd were calculated for the deciduous and succedaneous dentitions. A strong positive correlation between Rp and Rd was observed throughout the 20‐tooth series (r = 0.996); however, Rp and Rd showed moderately strong negative associations with H, P, D, C, and the intervals between PD, PC, and DC. The smaller deciduous tooth in each deciduous:permanent pair was associated with faster Rp and Rd, and shorter intervals between initiation of proliferation, initiation of differentiation, and crown completion. The data generated in this analysis of a hypothetical dentition, while not definitive, provide new insights and a theoretical basis for a broader understanding of the basic mechanisms involved in the attainment of certain tooth dimensions during morphogenesis.
Incidence of Carabelli's trait in Kenyan Africans and Asians
Authors: Hassanali Jameela
Published: February 2006

Examination for incidence of Carabelli's trait was done on 1267 Africans and 781 Asian school children, 298 dental plaster casts and 248 skulls of Africans. The African sample is composed of 80% Bantu, 20% Nilote, and Nilo‐Hamitic people. When observed intraorally, the trait is present in 31–35% of Africans and 26–27% of Asians. In the dental casts and skull sample of Africans, the trait is present as pit in 23–28%, groove in 20%, and as tubercle and cusp in 22%. The total trait frequency in Africans is 68%.
How “representative” is the Terry collection? Evidence from the proximal femur
Authors: Ericksen M. F.
Published: February 2006

The work reported here is the beginning of an attempt to determine whether data on skeletal aging changes derived from the Terry collection (Smithsonian Institution) can safely be applied to present‐day clinical and forensic problems. Measurements made on radiographs of the proximal third of the right femur below the greater trochanter were compared in three groups of American white females: Terry collection “regulars,” Terry collection willed, and GW (George Washington University Medical Center) willed. Mean birth year for the Terry regulars was 1883, whereas the mean birth year for Terry and GW willed was 1910.

Terry willed femora are longer than those of Terry regulars, but not more robust. The two groups show opposing secular trends in femoral length, and in this respect the Terry regulars appear closer to the general U.S. population. In two indices of relative medullary cavity size (which reflect changes in cortical thickness as well as internal and external diameters) all three groups agree in showing age‐related increase of medullary diameters, greater increase in the anterior–posterior dimension, and greatest amount of increase at diaphyseal levels. The major difference between groups is in timing, with medullary cavity expansion becoming evident at least a decade earlier and leading to greater eventual loss of cortical thickness in the willed groups.
Taxonomic identification of human fat patterns
Authors: Bailey Stephen M. , Garn Stanley M. , Katch Victor L. , Guire Kenneth E.
Published: February 2006

The utility of taxonomic approaches in identification of fat patterning was evaluated using hierarchial cluster analysis on a sample of 64 female and 31 male subjects from 18 to 29 years of age. Four clusters, each composed of subjects with similar distributions of 17 skinfold thicknesses corrected for sex, size and total body fat, showed mean pattern profiles that variously contrasted fatness of the trunk and extremities. Average anthropometric differences between clusters corroborated differences in pattern profile. For comparison, principal‐components analysis was carried out on these same data. The results suggest that a taxonomic approach offers advantages in initial interpretation and in design flexibility.
Red cell enzyme polymorphism: Gene differentiation in three populations of Maharashtra, India
Authors: Mukherjee B. N. , Roychoudhury A. K. , Blake N. M. , Kate S. L.
Published: February 2006

Blood samples of 1,266 individuals were collected from three caste populations; Nava Budha (Mahar), Maratha, and a mixed group of Scheduled castes from each of three districts of Maharashtra, Nagpur, Akola, and Thane. The samples were tested for 12 enzyme systems, viz., AcPh, AK, CA‐I, CA‐II, Est‐D, LDH, MDH, Oxidase, PGM‐1, PGM‐2, 6‐PGD, and PHI. The gene frequencies of these loci are within the ranges observed among the Indian populations so far studied. The total differences in gene frequencies for each polymorphic locus was partitioned into three components, i.e., the differences between caste populations, the differences between regions, and the differences due to interaction between caste populations and regions. The results show that besides caste variation for two loci, Est‐D and PGM‐1, the gene frequencies for AK, Est‐D, and G‐6PD loci have different geographical distributions.
Fatness and skeletal maturity of Belgian boys 12 through 17 years of age
Authors: Beunen G. , Malina R. M. , Ostyn M. , Renson R. , Simons J. , Van Gerven D.
Published: February 2006

Relationships between fatness and skeletal maturity are considered in a nationwide sample of 14,259 Belgian boys 12 through 17 years of age (The Leuven Growth Study of Belgian Boys). Absolute fatness was estimated from four skinfolds using the Drinkwater and Ross technique and from the sum of four skinfolds, and was related to skeletal maturity assessed by the Tanner‐Whitehouse method (I and II). In addition, comparisons were made between the fattest 5% and leanest 5% of the boys at each age level. Correlations between the indices of fatness and skeletal age and relative skeletal age (the difference between skeletal and chronological ages) are positive and generally low, ranging from 0.12 to 0.39. They tend to decrease with age from 12 to 17 years. Comparisons between the extreme groups indicate that the leanest boys are more delayed in skeletal maturity, by about 0.8 years, than the fattest boys are advanced, by about 0.5 years. Stature data for the same boys are consistent with the skeletal maturity data and thus suggest that the size differences between the extreme groups are due in part to maturity differences. Over the age span 12 through 20 years, the leanest boys are reduced in stature by about – 1.2 standard deviations, while the fattest boys are larger in stature by about +0.6 standard deviation units. The size differences, however, persist after skeletal maturity is attained so that there may be a specific role for fatness in influencing statural growth.
Ethnic and secular influences on the size and maturity of seven year old children living in Guatemala City
Authors: Bogin Barry , Macvean Robert B.
Published: February 2006

Three groups of children, those of European parentage, those of Guatemalan parentage, and those of mixed European‐Guatemalan parentage were measured for height, weight, and skeletal maturity. The children were born between 1945 and 1965, they were all of high socioeconomic status, and they all attended the same private school in Guatemala City. At 7 years, the boys of the European group were significantly taller than boys of the Guatemalan group. European and mixed European‐Guatemalan girls were significantly taller than Guatemalan girls. These results are maturity independent. The influence of skeletal age was removed statistically by analysis of covariance. Girls of the mixed group were significantly heavier than girls of European and Guatemalan groups. Mixed group girls also had more significantly advanced skeletal ages than European girls. When the patterns of size and maturity status are analyzed by sex, there is evidence for a relatively greater environmental influence on the boys and a relatively greater genetic influence on the girls. Dividing the data into two birth year cohorts, 1945 to 1955, and 1956 to 1965, does not provide evidence for secular trends in growth or maturation. These results are similar to those from studies in developed nations that report an end to the secular trend for the “well off” population of those countries.
Patterns of genetic variability in the serum proteins of the Kenyan vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops)
Authors: Dracopoli N. C. , Brett F. L. , Turner T. R. , Jolly C. J.
Published: February 2006

An electrophoretic survey of 13 serum proteins was carried out on samples drawn from 340 vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) living in 30 troops from four different localities in central and southern Kenya. The proportion of polymorphic loci is 0.17 and the average heterozygosity is 0.05. The group specific component, prealbumin carboxylesterase, and transferrin are all polymorphic. The analysis of the patterns of gene diversity show that a large part of the genic variation exists within individual troops and among neighboring troops from the same trapping locality. Only a small proportion of the overall genetic variability occurs between the populations at the different trapping localities which are separated by between 80 and 380 km. The migration of young males from their natal troops is a likely mechanism of gene flow among the vervet populations. Gene flow appears to be sufficient to prevent high levels of geographic variation in the gene frequencies at these loci, but is insufficient to prevent the occasional fixation of alleles in some local populations.
Electromyography of brachial muscles in Pan troglodytes and Pongo pygmaeus
Authors: Tuttle Russell H. , Velte Margaret J. , Basmajian John V.
Published: February 2006

Electromyographic recordings were taken from all heads of the triceps brachii and biceps brachii muscles and from the anconeus, brachialis, and brachioradialis muscles in a chimpanzee and an orangutan as they stood still and walked quadrupedally on horizontal and inclined surfaces, engaged in suspensory behavior, reached overhead, and manipulated a variety of foods and artifacts.

Like the gorilla (Tuttle and Basmajian, 1974a), the chimpanzee and orangutan possess special close‐packed positioning mechanisms that allow the bulky muscles that cross their elbow joints to remain silent during quiet pendant suspension.

We found no major myological features that would dramatically separate the arms of knuckle‐walking African apes from those of the orangutan. With a few exceptions, which could as well be attributed to individual variation as to interspecific differences, the brachial muscles acted similarly during quadrupedal positional behaviors, irrespective of whether the hands of the subjects were knuckled (African apes), fisted (chimpanzee and orangutan), or placed in modified palmigrade postures (orangutan).

Evolutionary transformations, from brachial and elbow complexes like those of Pongo to ones like Pan, or vice versa, would probably be achieved quite readily as the species changed its substrate preferences and positional habits.
Multiple observers, humidity, and choice of precision statistics: Factors influencing craniometric data quality
Authors: Utermohle Charles J. , Zegura Stephen L. , Heathcote Gary M.
Published: February 2006

This study investigates three topics: (1) interobserver measurement error in craniometry, (2) the effects of humidity on craniometric measurements, and (3) the current status of estimators of measurement precision in craniometry and anthropometry. The results of the three‐observer error analysis based on 24 linear measurements taken on 47 crania indicate that minor idiosyncratic variations in measurement technique can lead to high levels of statistical discrimination among the data produced by the different observers. The results of the humidity experiment substantiate the contention that increasing levels of relative humidity are associated with cranial expansion. The results of the comparison of 11 univariate precision estimators suggest that the combination of percentage agreement, the mean absolute difference, and Fisher's nonparametric sign test can give an instructive picture of the frequency, magnitude, and directionality of measurement imprecision. Information on the comparability of technique and measurement precision can then be used in the variable selection process prior to the application of multivariate statistical procedures to strengthen the substantive interpretation of craniometric data.
A new dental wear pattern and evidence for high carbohydrate consumption in a Brazilian Archaic skeletal population
Authors: Turner Christy G. , Machado Lilia M. Cheuiche
Published: February 2006

An apparently new type of dental wear pattern, lingual surface attrition of the maxillary anterior teeth (LSAMAT), has been found in 85% of 46 adult crania from a 3000–4200 BP Archaic site called Corondó near the Atlantic Ocean coast of Brazil. LSAMAT is associated with a high caries rate (60% of 77 adults; 11% of 1,219 permanent teeth) in what on archeologica grounds alone would be considered a mainly meat‐eating population. It is suggested that both LSAMAT and caries resulted from eating some starchy plant like manioc.