bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Observations of dental diseases among prehistoric populations of Hungary
Authors: Molnar Stephen , Molnar Iva 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe incidence of dental disease among people in developing countries today raises questions about the variation in the oral health of prehistoric populations. Considering these questions, we offer observations describing several types of dental disease which occurred among certain prehistoric populations of Hungary. The dental remains of 162 individuals recovered from seven sites of the Neolithic, Copper, and Bronze Age periods were examined for evidence of caries, hypoplasia, and periodontal disease. Appropriate methods were used to describe and record these dental lesions.The incidence of dental caries was low by comparison to other prehistoric agriculturists except for two forms of root caries: cervical and cemental. These types accounted for 68% of all the carious teeth recorded. Enamel hypoplasia was also lower than expected, occurring on only 4% of the total number of teeth. Periodontal abscesses were rare but other milder forms of periodontal lesions were frequent. Alveolar bone resorption occurred in varying degrees and followed the expected age distribution. The few exceptions were children or adolescents whose crania had other lesions suggesting a mineral metabolic disturbance. The lower incidence of enamel caries is likely due to high fluoride ingestion which also may have influenced the expression of enamel hypoplasia. No clear population trends were seen in dental disease incidence except for cemental caries which were found among Copper and Bronze Age remains.
Torus palatinus in Icelandic schoolchildren
Authors: Axelsson Gudjón , Hedegaard Björn 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThree populations in South‐ and North‐Thingeyjarsýslas, Northeast Iceland, were surveyed for the presence of torus palatinus. A total of 987 schoolchildren (489 ♂ and 487 ♀) were examined. A statistically significant difference was noted between the prevalence in South‐Thingeyjarsýsla (33.3%) and North‐Thingeyjarsýsla (14.6%). Prevalence and size were affected by age and population but not by sex. An association between torus palatinus and torus mandibularis was not found. Secular changes in the occurrence of torus palatinus in Icelanders emphasize the importance of environmental etiological factors and diminish the value of torus palatinus as a racial trait.
An anthropometric assessment of Huntington's disease patients and families
Authors: Farrer Lindsay A. , Meaney F. John 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAn anthropometric investigation was designed to evaluate patterns of physical deterioration in Huntington's disease (HD). In this study a comprehensive set of measurements was taken including height, weight, body circumferences, skinfold thickness, and craniofacial, linear, and breadth components of the body, on 44 normal, 26 affected, and 70 at‐risk individuals between 14 and 88 years of age.The anthropometric data were converted to z‐scores using standards to adjust for age and sex differences. These scores were then adjusted for inter‐family variation. There were significant differences among normal and affected individuals for all dimensions of body mass, as well as for several craniofacial and linear components of the body. Several significant differences were also found between normals and particular age cohorts of at‐risk persons. HD gene carrier status was further assessed by factor analysis of the adjusted scores.
Genetic variation in North Amerindian populations: Association with sociocultural complexity
Authors: Suarez Brian K. , O'Rourke Dennis H. , Crouse Jill D. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractA survey of nine polymorphic loci for 82 North Amerindian populations was undertaken to test the hypothesis that increasing levels of sociocultural complexity are ineluctably accompanied by increased heterozygosity. The data reveal a significant relationship in the predicted direction. Moreover, the significant correlation between average heterozygosity and sociocultural complexity is substantially increased by the removal of 19 highly admixed samples. However, this relationship, at least among North Amerindian populations, may be more apparent than real since both mean heterozygosity and the level of sociocultural organization are significantly negatively correlated with latitude. When this latter variable is controlled for, all correlations between heterozygosity and sociocultural complexity are rendered nonsignificant.
Comparison of the septal areas in New Guinean and European brains
Authors: Koch Friedrich , Schüz Almut , Kariks Jekabs 
Published: February 2006

AbstractIn 1966, septal nuclei of unusual size in brains of kuru‐diseased Fore people from the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea were reported (Beck and Gajdusek, 1966). Microscopic investigation which did not reveal any pathological changes in these nuclei led to the question of whether their large size could be a characteristic feature of the Fore (and perhaps also of other ethnic groups of New Guinea), rather than a consequence of the disease.We had at our disposal brains from patients of coastal areas of New Guinea who did not suffer from kuru. The septal areas of eight cases were investigated by serial sections and compared to those of nine European brains. No difference in size comparable to that reported in the earlier study could be detected. We conclude that a possible pecularity in the size of the septal nuclei of Fore people cannot be generalized to the entire population of New Guinea.
Apples, oranges, and the lunate sulcus
Authors: Falk Dean 
Published: February 2006

AbstractHolloway (1984) used a method of direct tape‐arc measurements of chimpanzee brain casts to reject the hypothesis that the lunate sulcus is located in an anterior position in the Taung endocast. However, Holloway neglected to measure the occipital pole‐lunate sulcus (OP‐LS) arc directly on the Taung endocast as he did on chimpanzee brain casts (a crucial part of his methodology); instead, he determined the relative position of Taung's lunate sulcus on the basis of a calculation that confounds direct measurements and measurements from photographs. When arc OP‐LS is measured directly on Taung according to Holloway's methods, the feature that has been identified as the medial end of the lunate sulcus is shown to be located within the range that Holloway determined for chimpanzees. Thus Holloway's methodology and data support rather than refute the claim that the lunate sulcus is located in a pongid‐like position in australopithecines.
Radiographic changes in the clavicle and proximal femur and their use in the determination of skeletal age at death
Authors: Walker Robert A. , Lovejoy C. Owen 
Published: February 2006

AbstractVisually seriated radiographs of the proximal femur, proximal humerus, clavicle, and calcaneus from 130 individuals from the Hamann‐Todd collection were examined as indicators of skeletal age at death. The clavicle demonstrated the most consistent relationship to age in both sexes. The same radiographs were also seriated by size‐normalized optical density as a means of establishing relative radiolucency. In this context, visual seriation proved superior. The four sites studied showed strong divergence in response to age. Since each was sampling bone response from the same individual, it is concluded that bone loss is highly site specific. This demonstrates the individual character of specific skeletal sites. Visual inspection of clavicular radiographs, seriated on a populational basis, provides age estimates that are comparable to anatomical age indicators and provides independent estimates of skeletal age when included in the summary age method (1985: Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 68:1–14).
Subcutaneous fat remodelling in Southeast Asian infants and children
Authors: Bailey Stephen M. , Gershoff Stanley N. , McGandy Robert B. , Nondasuta Amorn , Tantiwongse Puangtong 
Published: February 2006

AbstractLongitudinal data on 1,048 Thai children were evaluated for evidence of subcutaneous fat remodelling. Fat distribution, as defined by 100 (triceps/[triceps + subscapular]), was more pronounced, in the limbs during infancy but shifted toward the trunk thereafter. Subsequent stepwise regression analysis indicated that biological age–as measured by Gruelich‐Pyle bone age–and weight together explained between 0.8% and 14.5% of variance in fat distribution, with generally larger R2 values over age and for males. Relationships were curvilinear, with sex differences in slope. Path analysis supported the model that weight was a major causal agent primarily after infancy, whereas biological age had a small influence both in infancy and in late childhood. These findings indicate that trunk fat deposition is a normal feature of childhood. They also suggest that hypotheses which associate elevated trunk fatness with disorders of glucose metabolism are invalid for younger children.
Bilirubin binding by the fractionated alternate allelic components of heterozygous monkey albumin
Authors: Lorey Fred W. , Smith David G. , Ahlfors Charles E. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAnalysis of bilirubin‐binding parameters for purified albumin of nine rhesus monkeys heterozygous for albumin MacA and albumin MacB was performed after separating these two albumin forms by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). The binding capacity (n) for MacA‐enriched samples was lower than that for the MacB variant in eight of nine fraction pairs analyzed, while the affinity constant (K) was higher in all nine MacA‐enriched samples. The values for n × K were higher in MacA‐enriched samples in eight of nine pairs tested. These data, together with previous studies, geographic specificity of the MacB variant, and the presence of dietary competitors for the primary bilirubin binding site on the albumin molecule, suggest an evolutionary advantage for the MacB variant only in areas where the dietary competitors are present.
A linkage study of protein‐coding loci in Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis
Authors: Ferrell Robert E. , Majumder Partha P. , Smith David G. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractGenealogical and gene marker data from the closely related species Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis have been used to search for linkage between genes coding for the blood proteins albumin, carbonic anhydrase 1 and 2, diaphorase 1 and 2, group‐specific component, glucose phosphate isomerase, hemoglobin alpha chains, isocitrate dehydrogenase, prealbumin, and transferrin. The results are consistent with conservation of the linkage between the loci coding for albumin and group‐specific component and loci coding for the two carbonic anhydrase isozymes, as observed in other species. Among the 38 possible pairwise comparisons, no new linkage groups were identified. Tight linkage can be excluded for most pairs of loci.
Multimale mating and absence of canine tooth dimorphism in woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles arachnoides)
Authors: Milton Katharine 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe relatively low degree of canine tooth dimorphism in Australopithecus afarensis has been used as “primary evidence” to support the concept of a mating system of monogamous pair‐bonding and male provisioning. A recent field study of woolly spider monkeys shows that these large primates, which lack canine tooth (and body size) dimorphism, are characterized by apolygynous mating system. Male parental care of infants is absent in this species. These data support the view that a lack of canine tooth dimorphism in an anthropoid species does not necessarily imply either a monogamous, pair‐bonded mating system or male parental care.
Comment on the evolution of claw‐like nails in callitrichids (marmosets/tamarins)
Authors: Ford Susan M. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractA recently proposed scenario for the evolution of a unified complex of exudativory, vertical clinging, and claw‐like nails in callitrichids is examined. Consideration of behaviors and morphologies exhibited by Callimico goeldii leads to a decoupling of this “complex,” with the early occurrence of claws and vertical clinging in the callitrichid lineage and only later, in some descendents, the development of exudativory and possible related behaviors.
Subfossil platyrrhine tibia (Primates: Callitrichidae) from Hispaniola: A possible further example of Island gigantism
Authors: Ford Susan M. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractA distal right tibia described by G. S. Miller in 1929 (Smithsonian Misc. Coll. 82[5]:1–16) on the island of Hispaniola is shown to be that of a heretofore unknown extinct platyrrhine and is informally referred to as Ceboid M. Its affinities appear to be with the dwarfed callitrichids, especially Saguinus. It is suggested that Ceboid M represents yet another case of gigantism in the Antilles, in response to a lack of both competitors and predators. A reconsideration of the affinities of Xenothrix mcgregori from Jamaica is suggested.
Rhomboid fossa in the clavicles of North Indians
Authors: Jit Indar , Kaur Harbir 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe incidence and size of the rhomboid fossa were studied in paired clavicles of North Indians obtained from 20 neonates, 60 children, and 789 adult bodies of known age and sex on which postmortem examinations had been performed by the senior author (except in cases of neonates). The fossa was absent in the newborns but was present bilaterally in 44% of male and 54% of female children below 18 years of age and in 16.5% of male and 20.8% of female children unilaterally. Statistically the sexual differences were not significant (P > 0.05).In the adults, the incidence of bilateral fossa was 58.70% in males and 54.14% in females and a unilateral fossa was seen in 13.29% of males and 16.56% of females, but the sexual difference in both cases was insignificant (P > 0.05). However, in unilateral cases, the incidence of the fossa was greater on the right than on the left side in both male (P < 0.001) and female (P < 0.001) bones.Although racial differences cannot be ruled out, no sexual or side differences in the incidence of the fossa could be found. Factors responsible for creating a deep fossa unilaterally are not understood.
Nonlever action of the mandible
Authors: Taylor R. M. S. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThis study considers the current concept of the mandible as a lever of the third order. The concept requires a fulcrum, and this function has been ascribed to the condyle region, but it tends to be overlooked that the fulcrum of a third‐order lever in this case would sometimes have to bear a considerable stress. Certain changes, attributed to stress, have been observed in anatomical components of the articulation, but they cannot be explained in terms of the lever concept. They are accounted for by the changing anatomical relations in the working and contralateral sides during mandibular function. They arise from minor stress, especially when dental conditions indicate a period of abnormal function.
Diversity in palmar pattern ridge counts among 12 Iranian populations
Authors: Kamali M. Sharif , Malhotra Kailash C. , Chakraborty Ranajit 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBilateral palmar prints of 604 male individuals from 12 Iranian groups, six Mongoloid and six Caucasoid, have been analyzed for palmar pattern ridge counts (PPRC). Highly significant variation has been observed in the size of the palmar patterns in all the configurational areas among the Iranian groups. The distance analysis based on PPRCs differentiated the Iranian Mongoloid from the Iranian Caucasoid groups into distinct clusters. The pattern of differentiation based on PPRCs explained the ethnohistoric relationships between the Iranian groups as well as between the Iranian and the 20 Caucasoid groups from India much better than the palmar pattern frequencies. The results of this study demonstrate the existence of variation in the size of the palmar patterns across different populations within an ethnic group, as well as that among different ethnic groups, and seems to be a better indicator of interpopulational diversity than the palmar pattern frequencies.
Hominid‐pongid distinctiveness in the miocene‐pliocene fossil record: The lothagam mandible
Authors: Kramer Andrew 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe Lothagam mandibular fragment, found in 1967 west of Lake Turkana, Kenya, has been dated to 5.5 million years ago. This date is significant because it may lie within the suggested time range during which the hominid and pongid clades diverged. Because of its fragmentary condition and great age, this specimen has run the gamut of taxonomic assignations, from ramapithecine to pongid to hominid. These three nomenclatural categories serve as the basis for three hypotheses tested in this study. First, morphological and metric comparisons between Lothagam and a sample of Euroafrican ramapithecines address the hypothesis of “Lothagam as predi‐vergence hominoid.” Second, comparisons with a sample of Pan test the “Lothagam as postdivergence, African protopongid” hypothesis. Finally, samples of Australopithecus afarensis and A. africanus were utilized to evaluate the hypothesis of “Lothagam as postdivergence, early hominid.” Unlike previous studies attempting to ascertain the evolutionary affinities of this enigmatic fossil, this work benefits from the large sample of A. afarensis specimens now generally available for study. Metric and morphological comparisons demonstrate Lothagam's affinity to A. afarensis in sharing derived, hominid states in such features as the mental foramen vertical position, the ascending ramus origin, the breadth of the alveolar margin, the reduction of the hypoconulid, the dimensions of the M1 and the dimensions of the mandibular corpus. It is suggested that the dental/gnathic features enumerated in this study can be employed to distinguish ancestral hominid from pongid in future Mio/Pliocene paleontological discoveries.
Scapula form and locomotion in chimpanzee evolution
Authors: Shea Brian T. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractA number of primatologists have followed Coolidge (Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 18:1–57, 1933) in suggesting that 1) there are significant shape differences in scapula form between pygmy and common chimpanzees, 2) scapulae of P. paniscus resemble those of hylobatids more than do those of P. troglodytes, and 3) therefore pygmy chimpanzees may exhibit a greater component of arm‐swinging and other arboreal behaviors than common chimpanzees. In this paper I utilize a comparative analysis of ontogenetic allometries of linear dimensions to determine shape differences in the scapulae of adult pygmy and common chimpanzees and to clarify size‐related changes in shape resulting from ontogenetic scaling, i.e., the differential extension of common patterns of growth allometry. Results demonstrate that the scapulae of adult P. paniscus are relatively narrower (in a direction approximately perpendicular to the scapula spine) than those of P. troglodytes, supporting Coolidge's original claim. The allometric analysis further demonstrates, however, that the two chimpanzee species exhibit ontogenetic scaling for all proportions of the scapula examined. Thus, adult pygmy chimpanzees have the scapula proportions observed in small adult and subadult P. troglodytes of comparable scapula size. The implications of this finding for past claims concerning differences in locomotor behavior between the species are discussed. This work lends additional support to previous studies that have demonstrated a high frequency of ontogenetic scaling within the genus Pan and a pedomorphic or juvenilized morphology in the pygmy chimpanzee.
Differential mortality in Turkana agriculturalists and pastoralists
Authors: Brainard Jean 
Published: February 2006

AbstractNomadic pastoral populations appear to have much lower rates of growth than the otherwise very high growth rates now characteristic of populations in developing nations. Because dramatic declines in infant mortality have been a primary contributor to increased population growth rates in these countries, it has been assumed that nomadic pastoral populations are still characterized by high levels of mortality in the first few years of life. Few studies, however, have been undertaken to estimate demographic parameters for nomadic pastoral populations, and even fewer of a comparative nature have been undertaken to document the impact of subsistence strategy on demographic processes.This study compares indirect childhood mortality estimates for Turkana nomadic pastoralists with childhood mortality in a settled agricultural group within the same population and finds that pastoralists have substantially higher levels of mortality. Based on the childhood mortality estimates, model life tables are selected for pastoral and agricultural groups from which values for mean life expectancy and infant mortality are estimated and compared. Recent improvements in primary health care for the settled agricultural group are ruled out as being an important cause of their lower mortality levels, and some aspects of life‐style associated with subsistence strategy are discussed as likely determinants of the mortality differences.
Unusually low sexual dimorphism of endocranial capacity in a Zulu cranial series
Authors: Ricklan D. E. , Tobias P. V. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe mean cranial capacities of 50 male and 50 female Zulu crania were found to be 1373.3 ± 107.4 ml for males and 1251.2 ± 101.1 ml for females (x ± SD). The male value resembles that of other Negro groups, while the female value is somewhat higher than the value for Negro crania as a whole. The index of sexual dimorphism is 8.9%, which is low when compared with those of other Negroid series and other populations. The possible causes for this form of a low sexual dimorphism are as follows: a) A negative secular trend, with the assumption that the Zulu crania were larger than those of the reference populations of African Negroids before the start of the secular trend change. This would seem to be the most likely possibility, with some supporting evidence for both parts of the explanation. b) An absence of secular trend, with a demographic sampling aberration, in which large females and small males of the population are sampled. This possibility cannot be totally excluded. c) An absence of secular trend, with a genetic difference in sexual dimorphism for cranial capacity between the Zulu and the reference populations. While this possibility cannot be excluded, it would be the least preferable explanation.
Body weights in mixed species troops of Saguinus mystax mystax and Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons in Amazonian Peru
Authors: Garber P. A. , Teaford M. F. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAn investigation of body weights of members of mixed species troops of Saguinus mystax mystax and Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons was conducted at the Rio Blanco Research Station in northeastern Peru. A total of 107 adult and subadult tamarin monkeys were trapped, measured, and released. Data collected indicate that mean body weights for adult male and female moustached tamarins are 564 gm and 626 gm, respectively, whereas for adult saddle‐back tamarins these values are 412 gm and 411 gm. Subadults weighed 11–27% less than adults. Body weights recorded in this study are significantly greater than those previously reported for tamarins of the same species and age living in other areas of Amazonian Peru. We hypothesize that, in the case of moustached and saddle‐back tamarins, advantages associated with feeding and foraging in mixed species troops facilitate greater efficiency in resource monitoring and result in the maintenance of larger body weights.