pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
The use of non-adult vertebral dimensions as indicators of growth disruption and non-specific health stress in skeletal populations.

Objective:\ud
Traditional methods of detecting growth disruption have focused on deficiencies in the diaphyseal length of the long bones. This study proposes the implementation of vertebral measurements (body height and transverse diameter of the neural canal) from non-adults (0–17 years) as a new methodology for the identification of growth disruption.\ud
\ud
Methods:\ud
Measurements of vertebral body height and transverse diameter were taken from 96 non-adult skeletons and 40 adult skeletons from two post-medieval sites in England (Bow Baptist, London and Coronation Street, South Shields). Non-adult measurements were plotted against dental age to construct vertebral growth profiles through which inter-population comparisons could be made.\ud
\ud
Results:\ud
Results demonstrated that both sites experienced some growth retardation in infancy, evident as deficiencies in transverse diameter. However, analysis of vertebral body height revealed different chronologies of growth disruption between the sites, with a later age of attainment of skeletal maturity recorded in the Bow Baptist sample.\ud
\ud
Discussion:\ud
These vertebral dimensions undergo cessation of growth at different ages, with transverse diameter being “locked-in” by ∼1–2 years of age, while vertebral body height may continue to grow into early adulthood. These measurements can therefore provide complementary information regarding the timing of growth disruption within archaeological populations. Non-adult vertebral measurements can increase our osteobiographical understanding of the timings of episodes of health stress, and allow for the analysis of growth when other skeletal elements are fragmentary
Virtual reconstruction of the Neanderthal Amud 1 cranium

OBJECTIVES: We describe a new computer reconstruction to obtain complete anatomical information of the ecto- and endocranium from the imperfectly preserved skull of the Neanderthal Amud 1.\ud
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were obtained from computed tomography scans of the fossil cranium. Adhesive and plaster were then virtually removed from the original specimen, and the fragments comprising the fossil cranium were separated. These fragments were then mathematically reassembled based on the smoothness of the joints. Both sides of the cranium were reassembled separately, and then aligned based on bilateral symmetry and the distance between the mandibular fossae obtained from the associated mandible. The position of the isolated maxilla was determined based on the position of the mandible that was anatomically articulated to the mandibular fossae. To restore missing basicranial and damaged endocranial regions, the cranium of Forbes' Quarry 1 was warped onto that of La Chapelle-aux-Saints 1, and the resulting composite Neanderthal cranium was then warped onto the reconstructed Amud 1 by an iterative thin-plate spline deformation.\ud
RESULTS: Comparison of the computer reconstruction with the original indicated that the newly reconstructed Amud 1 cranium was slightly shorter and wider in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions, respectively, suggesting that it was relatively more brachycephalic. The endocranial volume was estimated to be 1,736 cm3 , which was quite similar to the original estimated value of 1,740 cm3 .\ud
DISCUSSION: This new computer reconstruction enables not only measurement of new cranial metrics, but also inclusion of the Amud 1 specimen in three-dimensional geometric morphometric analyses that were previously difficult due to its incompleteness
Entangled lives : implications of the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis for bioarchaeology and the life course.

Epidemiological research since the 1980s has highlighted the consequences of early life adversity, particularly during gestation and early infancy, for adult health (the “Barker hypothesis”). The fast-evolving field of molecular epigenetics is providing explanatory mechanisms concerning phenotypic plasticity in response to developmental stressors and the accumulation of disease risk throughout life. In addition, there is now evidence for the heritability of poor health across generations via epigenetic modifications. This research has the potential to invoke a paradigmatic shift in how we interpret factors such as growth insults and immune response in past skeletal remains. It demonstrates that health cannot be understood in terms of immediate environmental circumstances alone. Furthermore, it requires both a theoretical and practical re-evaluation of disease biographies and the life course more generally. Individual life courses can no longer be regarded as discrete, bounded, life histories, with clearly defined beginning and end points. If socioeconomic circumstances can have intergenerational effects, including disease susceptibility and growth stunting, then individual biographies should be viewed as nested or “embedded” within the lives of others. This commingling of life courses may prove problematic to unravel; nevertheless, this review aims to consider the potential consequences for bioarchaeological interpretations. These include a greater consideration of: the temporal power of human skeletons and a life course approach to past health; infant health and the implications for maternal well-being; and the impact of non-proximate stressors (e.g., early life and ancestral environments) on the presence of health indicators
Phenotypic plasticity and constraint along the upper and lower limb diaphyses of Homo sapiens.

Objectives: Morphological variation along the human limb reflects complex structural trade-offs between bone strength and mass. Here we assess how varying levels of plasticity and constraint affect this structure and influence the response to habitual loading along the diaphysis. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional geometric properties including total area, cortical area, and rigidity\ud
were compared from the upper (humerus: 50% of length, radius: 66%, 50%, 4%) and lower (tibia: 50%, 38%, 4%) limbs of male varsity-level athletes and matched controls with distinct habitual loading histories. Results: Geometric properties among cricketers and swimmers were significantly greater at the humeral mid-\ud
shaft, mid-proximal radius, and radial midshaft compared to controls. By contrast, no significant differences were found among athletes or controls at the distal radius. The tibial midshafts of hockey players and runners also dis- played greater area and rigidity compared to controls. Differences in geometry among the three groups became less pronounced distally, where structure was comparable among athletes and controls at 4% of tibial length. Addition- ally, coefficients of variation revealed that variation among athletes of the same sport was highest distally in both the upper and lower limb and lowest at midshaft, where structure most closely reflected the activity pattern of each loading group. Discussion: These results support previous research suggesting that distal limb sections are more tightly con- strained by safety factors compared to midshafts and proximal sections. Overall, it appears that plasticity and con- straint vary not only between limb segments in correspondence to known activity patterns, but also along specific sections of the diaphysis
Sexual selection and the differences between the sexes in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx).

Sexual selection has become a major focus in evolutionary and behavioral ecology. It is also a popular research topic in primatology. I use studies of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), a classic example of extravagant armaments and ornaments in animals, to exemplify how a long-term, multidisciplinary approach that integrates field observations with laboratory methods can contribute to on-going theoretical debates in the field of sexual selection. I begin with a brief summary of the main concepts of sexual selection theory and the differences between the sexes. I then introduce mandrills and the study population and review mandrill life history, the ontogeny of sex differences, and maternal effects. Next, I focus on male-male competition and female choice, followed by the less well-studied questions of female-female competition and male choice. This review shows how different reproductive priorities lead to very different life histories and divergent adaptations in males and females. It demonstrates how broadening traditional perspectives on sexual selection beyond the ostentatious results of intense sexual selection on males leads to an understanding of more subtle and cryptic forms of competition and choice in both sexes and opens many productive avenues in the study of primate reproductive strategies. These include the potential for studies of postcopulatory selection, female intrasexual competition, and male choice. These studies of mandrills provide comparison and, I hope, inspiration for studies of both other polygynandrous species and species with mating systems less traditionally associated with sexual selection
Neutron microtomography-based virtual extraction and analysis of a cercopithecoid partial cranium (STS 1039) embedded in a breccia fragment from Sterkfontein member 4 (South Africa)

The Plio-Pleistocene karstic sedimentary deposits of Sterkfontein Cave, South Africa, yielded numerous fossil primate
 specimens embedded in blocks of indurated breccia, including the partial cercopithecoid cranium labelled STS
 1039. Because the surrounding matrix masks most of its morphology, the specimen remains taxonomically undetermined.
 While the use of X-ray microtomography did not allow extracting any structural information about the specimen,
 we experimented a new investigative technique based on neutron microtomography. Using this innovative
 approach, we successfully virtually extracted, reconstructed in 3D and quantitatively assessed the preserved dentognathic
 structural morphology of STS 1039, including details of its postcanine maxillary dentition. Following comparative
 analyses with a number of Plio-Pleistocene and extant cercopithecoid taxa, we tentatively propose a taxonomic
 attribution to the taxon Cercopithecoides williamsi. Our experience highlights the remarkable potential of this novel
 imaging method to extract diagnostic information and to identify the fossil remains embedded in hard breccia from
 the South African hominin-bearing cave sites.Center of Research and Higher Education (PRES) of Toulouse, the Midi-Pyr en ees Region and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1096-86442017-04-30hb2016Anatom
Coming of age in Roman Britain : osteological evidence for pubertal timing.

Objectives:\ud
Puberty is a key transitional phase of the human life course, with important biological and social connotations. Novel methods for the identification of the pubertal growth spurt and menarche in skeletal remains have recently been proposed (Shapland and Lewis, 2013, 2014). In this study we applied the methods to two Romano-British cemetery samples (1st-early 5th centuries AD) in order to investigate the timing of puberty during this period and further assess the veracity of the methods.\ud
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Materials and Methods:\ud
Shapland and Lewis' methods (2013, 2014) were applied to 38 adolescents (aged 8–20 years) from the British cemetery sites of Roman London (1st-early 5th centuries AD) and Queenford Farm, Oxfordshire (4th-early 5th centuries AD).\ud
\ud
Results:\ud
Overall, the Romano-British males and females experienced the onset of puberty at similar ages to modern European adolescents, but subsequently experienced a longer period of pubertal development. Menarche occurred between the ages of 15 and 17 years for these Romano-British females, around 2 to 4 years later than for present-day European females.\ud
\ud
Discussion:\ud
The observed Romano-British pattern of pubertal timing has various possible explanations, including exposure to environmental stressors in early urban environments. The pattern of pubertal timing is largely congruent with social age transitions alluded to in ancient texts and funerary evidence for this period. While there are limitations to the application of these techniques to archaeological samples, they were successfully applied in this study, and may have important implications for understandings of past life courses, as well as providing a long-term perspective on pubertal timing and biocultural interactions
Successful enrichment and recovery of whole mitochondrial genomes from ancient human dental calculus

OBJECTIVES: Archaeological dental calculus is a rich source of host-associated biomolecules. Importantly, however, dental calculus is more accurately described as a calcified microbial biofilm than a host tissue. As such, concerns regarding destructive analysis of human remains may not apply as strongly to dental calculus, opening the possibility of obtaining human health and ancestry information from dental calculus in cases where destructive analysis of conventional skeletal remains is not permitted. Here we investigate the preservation of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in archaeological dental calculus and its potential for full mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) reconstruction in maternal lineage ancestry analysis.\ud
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Extracted DNA from six individuals at the 700-year-old Norris Farms #36 cemetery in Illinois was enriched for mtDNA using in-solution capture techniques, followed by Illumina high-throughput sequencing.\ud
RESULTS: Full mitogenomes (7-34×) were successfully reconstructed from dental calculus for all six individuals, including three individuals who had previously tested negative for DNA preservation in bone using conventional PCR techniques. Mitochondrial haplogroup assignments were consistent with previously published findings, and additional comparative analysis of paired dental calculus and dentine from two individuals yielded equivalent haplotype results. All dental calculus samples exhibited damage patterns consistent with ancient DNA, and mitochondrial sequences were estimated to be 92-100% endogenous. DNA polymerase choice was found to impact error rates in downstream sequence analysis, but these effects can be mitigated by greater sequencing depth.\ud
DISCUSSION: Dental calculus is a viable alternative source of human DNA that can be used to reconstruct full mitogenomes from archaeological remains
Hot flash report and measurement among Bangladeshi migrants, their London neighbors, and their community of origin.

1 Objectives\ud
To examine hot flashes in relation to climate and activity patterns, and to compare subjective and objective hot flashes among Bangladeshi immigrants to London, their white London neighbors, and women still living in their community of origin, Sylhet, Bangladesh (“sedentees”).\ud
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2 Methods\ud
Ninety-five women, aged 40–55, wore the Biolog ambulatory hot flash monitor. Objective measurements and subjective hot flash reports were examined in relation to demographic, reproductive, anthropometric, and lifestyle variables; temperature and humidity at 12:00 and 18:00; and time spent on housework and cooking. Concordance of objective and subjective hot flashes was assessed by Kappa statistics and by sensitivity of hot flash classification.\ud
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3 Results\ud
During the study period, Bangladeshi sedentees reported more subjective hot flashes (p < .05), but there was no difference in number of objective hot flashes. White Londoners were more likely to describe hot flashes on their face and neck compared to Bangladeshis (p < .05). Sedentees were more likely to describe hot flashes on their feet (p < .05). Postmenopausal status, increasing parity, and high levels of housework were significant determinants of subjective hot flashes, while ambient temperature and humidity were not. Measures of subjective/objective concordance were low but similar across groups (10–20%). The proportion of objective hot flashes that were also self-reported was lowest among immigrants.\ud
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4 Discussion\ud
Hot flashes were not associated with warmer temperatures, but were associated with housework and with site-specific patterns of cooking. The number of objective hot flash measures did not differ, but differences in subjective experience suggest the influence of culture
A multi-isotope investigation of diet and subsistence amongst island and mainland populations from early medieval western Britain

Objectives: This is the first investigation of dietary practices amongst multiple early medieval populations\ud
(AD 500–1000) from Wales and the Isle of Man using carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur\ud
isotope analysis. The analysis will illuminate similarities or differences between the diets and subsistence\ud
strategies of populations occupying different geographical regions, specifically those living\ud
in marginal coastal regions in comparison to inland populations well-connected to ecclesiastical\ud
centres and high-status settlements.\ud
Materials and Methods: One hundred and two human skeletons were sampled for carbon and\ud
nitrogen isotope analysis, and 69 human skeletons were sampled for sulphur isotope analysis from\ud
nine cemetery sites from western Britain (Isle of Man53, southwest Wales54, southeast\ud
Wales52). Thirteen faunal skeletons from St Patrick’s Chapel (southwest Wales) were sampled\ud
for carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analysis.\ud
Results: Human d13C values range from 219.4& to 221.2& (d13C mean5220.4 60.4&, 1r,\ud
n586), and d15N values range from 9.1& to 13.8& (d15Nmean 5 10.860.9&, 1r, n586). d34S\ud
values range from 1.2& to 18.4& (d34S mean 5 11.664.5&, 1r, n566). Significant differences\ud
were noted between the mean d13C, d15N and d34S values according to geographic region: Isle of\ud
Man (d13C5220.7 6 0.4&, d15N511.4 60.6&, n513/86; d34S mean517.1 60.6, n54/66),\ud
southwest Wales (d13C5220.5 6 0.4&, d15N511.0 61&, n532/86; d34S516.1 6 2.1,\ud
n521/66), and southeast Wales (d13C 5220.3 60.4&, d15N510.4 60.7&, n541/86; d34S5\ud
8.8 63&, n541/66). Faunal d13C values range from 223.1& to 221.2& (d13C mean5 222.1\ud
60.5&, 1r, n513), and d15N values range from 6.3& to 9.8& (d15N mean 5 7.361.1&, 1r,\ud
n513). d34S values range from 4.7& to 18.4& (d34S mean5 16.363.6&, 1r, n513).\ud
Conclusions: The data reveal a reliance on terrestrial protein, however differences are observed\ud
between the resource consumption of populations from southwest Wales and the Isle of Man in\ud
comparison to the populations from southeast Wales. Populations from the west coast have a\ud
marine sulphur signature that reflects their coastal proximity and may also include a reliance on\ud
seaweed as a fertiliser/food source. Populations in the southeast were connected to ecclesiastical\ud
centres and high-status settlements and had access to inland-grown produce. The data add support\ud
to the suggestion that d34S can be used as a mobility indicator
Biomechanical implications of walking with indigenous footwear

Objectives: This study investigates biomechanical implications of walking with indigenous "Kolhapuri" footwear compared to barefoot walking among a population of South Indians. 
Materials and methods: Ten healthy adults from South India walked barefoot and indigenously shod at voluntary speed on an artificial substrate. The experiment was repeated outside, on a natural substrate. Data were collected from (1) a heel-mounted 3D-accelerometer recording peak impact at heel contact, (2) an ankle-mounted 3D-goniometer (plantar/dorsiflexion and inversion/ eversion), and (3) sEMG electrodes at the m. tibialis anterior and the m. gastrocnemius medialis. 
Results: Data show that the effect of indigenous footwear on the measured variables, compared to barefoot walking, is relatively small and consistent between substrates (even though subjects walked faster on the natural substrate). Walking barefoot, compared to shod walking yields higher impact accelerations, but the differences are small and only significant for the artificial substrate. The main rotations of the ankle joint are mostly similar between conditions. Only the shod condition shows a faster ankle rotation over the rapid eversion motion on the natural substrate. Maximal dorsiflexion in late stance differs between the footwear conditions on an artificial substrate, with the shod condition involving a less dorsiflexed ankle, and the plantar flexion at toe-off is more extreme when shod. Overall the activity pattern of the external foot muscles is similar. 
Discussion: The indigenous footwear studied (Kolhapuri) seems to alter foot biomechanics only in a subtle way. While offering some degree of protection, walking in this type of footwear resembles barefoot gait and this type of indigenous footwear might be considered " minimal"
Stable and fluctuating social preferences and implications for cooperation among female bonobos at LuiKotale, Salonga National Park, DRC

Objectives\ud
\ud
Female bonobos (Pan paniscus) are characterized as highly affiliative and cooperative, but few studies have quantified the strength and stability of female intra-sexual relationships or explored how variation in social relationships influences cooperation. We measure female social preferences, identify causes of variation in preferences, and test whether variation in social preferences predicts food sharing or coalitionary support.\ud
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Methods\ud
\ud
Data were collected over 3 years from females in the Bompusa community at LuiKotale, DRC. We measured genetic relatedness and constructed social preference indices for party association, proximity, grooming, GG-rubbing and aggression. We identified preferred social partners based on permutation tests and measured stability using Mantel tests. We used factor analysis to identify inter-relationships between preference indices and used LMMs to test whether variation in social preferences was explained by relatedness, rank differences, having dependent young or co-residency time. We used GLMMs to test whether variation in social preferences predicted food sharing or coalitionary support.\ud
\ud
Results\ud
\ud
All females had preferred non-kin partners for proximity, grooming or GG-rubbing, but only grooming preferences were stable across years. Association indices were higher among lactating females, and aggression was lower among females with longer co-residency times. The factor analysis identified one factor, representing proximity and GG-rubbing preferences, labeled behavioral coordination. Dyads with higher levels of behavioral coordination were more likely to share food.\ud
\ud
Conclusions\ud
\ud
Female bonobos exhibit stable, differentiated grooming relationships outside of kinship and philopatry. Females also exhibit flexible proximity and GG-rubbing preferences that may facilitate cooperation with a wider range of social partners