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Periosteal new bone formation (PNBF) is a common finding in a large spectrum of diseases. In clinical practice, the morphology and location of periosteal lesions are frequently used to assist in the differential diagnosis of distinct bone conditions. Less commonly reported is the presence of PNBF on the ribs. This contrasts with the data retrieved from the study of skeletonized human remains that shows a high frequency of cases and a strong, albeit not specific, association between periosteal rib lesions and pulmonary conditions (e.g. tuberculosis). Despite that, an overall disagreement regarding the specificity and non‐specificity of periosteal reactions exists in the study of dry bone remains. The insufficient number of clinical models exploring the morphology and the pathophysiology of PNBF's and the lack of systematic studies of pathological samples with a known diagnosis are claimed as major reasons for the disagreements. This study aimed to describe and compare the macroscopic and the histomorphologic appearance of periosteal rib lesions and to discuss their usefulness as diagnostic indicators. To pursue this goal, an assemblage of 13 rib samples (males = 11, females = 2, mean age‐at‐death = 36.6 years old) was collected from the Luis Lopes Skeletal Collection (Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal). The assemblage belongs to individuals who died from pulmonary‐TB (group 1), non‐TB pulmonary infections (group 2) and other conditions (group 3). Prior to sample preparation, the ribs were visually inspected and the PNBF described according to its thickness, the degree of cortical integration and the type of new bone formed (e.g. woven, lamellar or both). After sampling, each bone sample was prepared for histological analysis under plane and polarized light microscopy. Macroscopically, the results showed no differences in the new bone composition between cause‐of‐death groups. Only slight differences in the degree of cortical integration, which was most frequently classified as mild to high in the pulmonary‐TB group, were observed. Histologically, no distinguishing features were identified by pathological group. However, new bone microarchitectures were observed compatible with (1) acute, fast‐growing processes (e.g. spiculated reactions), (2) long‐standing processes with a rapid bone formation (e.g. appositional layering of bone) and/or (3) chronic, slow‐growing processes (e.g. layers of compact lamellae). To some extent, these distinct rates of disease progression resonate with the cause‐of‐death listed for some individuals. Despite the small sample size, the results of this investigation are in agreement with previous studies, according to which the macroscopic and histological appearance of periosteal formations are not specific for a particular pathological conditions. Nevertheless, the results support the conclusion that the morphology of periosteal lesions is a good biological indicator for inferring the rate of progression and duration of pathological processes. This study provides important reference data regarding the histomorphology of periosteal lesions that can be used for comparative purposes, as well as to narrow down the differential diagnosis in unidentified skeletal remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subadult age estimation should rely on sampling and statistical protocols capturing development variability for more accurate age estimates. In this perspective, measurements were taken on the fifth lumbar vertebrae and/or clavicles of 534 French males and females aged 0–19 years and the ilia of 244 males and females aged 0–12 years. These variables were fitted in nonparametric multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) models with 95% prediction intervals (PIs) of age. The models were tested on two independent samples from Marseille and the Luis Lopes reference collection from Lisbon. Models using ilium width and module, maximum clavicle length, and lateral vertebral body heights were more than 92% accurate. Precision was lower for postpubertal individuals. Integrating punctual nonlinearities of the relationship between age and the variables and dynamic prediction intervals incorporated the normal increase in interindividual growth variability (heteroscedasticity of variance) with age for more biologically accurate predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In studies of growth in the past, low percentage of cortical area (%CA) is commonly attributed to poor general health, due to factors including poor nutrition, low socioeconomic status, or other physiological stressors. What constitutes low relative cortical dimensions has not been established across a diverse range of human skeletal samples. This study examines %CA in a large immature skeletal sample to establish typical variation in humans with consideration of both body mass and subsistence strategy. Materials and Methods: Percentage of cortical area was calculated at the midshaft of the humerus, femur, and tibia in seven skeletal samples. Age at death was estimated from dental development, and body mass from bone dimensions. Patterns of %CA with age and log‐transformed body mass were examined in the pooled sample and compared among samples using LOESS regression, Welch's ANOVA, and Kruskal‐Wallis tests. Results: Across all samples, %CA displays a generally non‐linear pattern, but variation in %CA with age was high, particularly in samples with lower levels of %CA. There was no relationship between %CA and age‐adjusted body mass. Discussion: The lack of a relationship between %CA and body mass suggests that %CA should not be used as an indicator of mechanical loading. The variation present across samples implies that appositional bone growth is affected by physiological stress in varying ways. Without a deeper understanding of what is "typical" for long bone development, it is impossible to draw conclusions about individual or population level health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Declination in femoral neck-shaft angle (NSA) is commonly linked to an increased level of physical activity during life. More recently, however, research suggests that lower NSA might also be explained, in part, as the mechanical consequence of differences in ecogeographic body proportions. This study tests the proposed link between NSA and climatic-induced body proportions, using relative body mass (RBM), throughout the course of development. Materials and Methods NSA and RBM were collected for 445 immature remains from five geographic locations. NSA and RBM were standardized for age-effects. ANOVA was used to examine when population differences emerged in both NSA and RBM. Regression analyses were used to examine the pattern of relationship between NSA and RBM. Results Populations differ significantly in NSA and RBM before skeletal maturity, and these differences occur early in life. While both NSA and RBM change over the course of development, no significant relationship was found between NSA and RBM for any sample, or any age category ( p = .244). Discussion Individuals who have relatively greater relative body mass do not necessarily have lower NSA. Population differences in NSA were found to be variable, while differences in RBM remained consistent across the developmental span. Taken together, these results suggest that regardless of body proportions, the degree of declination of NSA is presumed to be similar among individuals with similar gait and ambulatory behaviors. Conversely, populations differ in RBM from birth, and these differences are consistent throughout development. These two measures likely are responsive to diffing stimuli, and any potential relationship is likely complex and multifactorial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cayo Santiago rhesus macaque colony is a renowned primate population that has experienced significant natural and anthropogenic ecological variation in their 85-year history. Demographic and familial information is also tracked and collated for the majority of monkeys. Thus, the health history of rhesus macaques at Cayo Santiago should reflect the impacts of both environmental and genetic factors. In this study, we utilized a sample of skeletal remains comprised of 2787 individuals (1571 females, 1091 males), born between 1938 and 2017 from the derived skeletal collection of the primate colony to assess variation in survivorship, pathology, bone mineral density (BMD), and dental eruption status, in the context of hurricane impacts, nutritional fluctuations, and matriline genealogy. Results demonstrated that rhesus macaques at Cayo Santiago exhibit a range of skeletal pathologies that encompass biomedical and archaeological significance, multiple etiologies, severities, locations, and types, in addition to a secular trend of declining BMD that is hypothesized to reflect decreasing physical activity levels under increasing population densities. Specifically, hurricane impacts were found to increase the rate of systemic disease, decrease BMD in young adults, and delay eruption of the primary dentition. Certain matrilines exhibited heightened levels of systemic disease at early ages while others exhibited greater rates of congenital disease. Early-life adversity, through the experience of major hurricanes, may enhance inflammatory pathways, heightening the risk of disease and accelerating the aging process leading to reduced BMD. Such impacts may underly greater levels of observed infection post-hurricane through intensification of pathogen transmission and disease rates brought on by hurricane-adaptive social strategies that favor closer proximity. Familial susceptibility to disease indicates heritable host genetic factors are likely influencing disease patterning in the population. A cluster of congenital diseases may most convincingly illustrate this, or alternatively reflects low levels of genetic diversity in the population., (© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is a widely‐used method for characterizing individual protein structures in solutions, membranes, films and macromolecular complexes, as well as for probing macromolecular interactions, conformational changes associated with binding substrates, and in different functionally‐related environments. This paper describes a series of related computational and display tools that have been developed over many years to aid in those characterizations and functional interpretations. The new DichroPipeline described herein links a series of format‐compatible data processing, analysis, and display tools to enable users to facilely produce the spectra, which can then be made available in the Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank (https://pcddb.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/) resource, in which the CD spectral and associated metadata for each entry are linked to other structural and functional data bases including the Protein Data Bank (PDB), and the UniProt sequence data base, amongst others. These tools and resources thus provide the basis for a wide range of traceable structural characterizations of soluble, membrane and intrinsically‐disordered proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Vertebral neural canal (VNC) dimensions are considered a reliable indicator of childhood stress. However, no study has characterized variation in VNC size or shape or the impact of extrinsic or intrinsic factors on their range of variation. The present study explores VNC dimensions of subadult samples varying in chronology, population of origin, geography, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Materials and Methods: Antero‐posterior (AP) and transverse (TR) diameters were measured on the tenth thoracic to the fifth lumbar vertebrae of 1404 contemporary individuals aged between birth and 22 years from Colombia (N = 28), France (N = 484), the Netherlands (N = 23), Taiwan (N = 31), and the United States (N = 838), and compared to lumbar diameters of subadults from the Spitalfields collection (N = 84) and the East Smithfield cemetery (N = 65). VNC variation was evaluated with skeletal growth profiles, principal component analyses (PCA), MANOVAs and ANOVAs. Results: AP diameter growth ends during childhood, while TR diameter growth progressively slows before ending in adolescence. The Colombian sample presented the smallest VNC diameters compared to the other contemporary and historic samples. VNC shape (AP/TR ratio) was similar in contemporary samples. MANOVAs and ANOVAs revealed significant differences in VNC size according to country of origin and socio‐economic status, primarily differentiating the Colombian sample. Discussion: The overall consistency in size and shape among groups is remarkable. While physiological stress may contribute to variability in VNC size, intrinsic ontogenetic processes and other individual and environmental factors also influence variability in VNC size. Research Highlights: Contemporary and historic samples have consistent VNC growth trajectories.Factors like socio‐economic status and population of origin influence VNC size, but developmental plasticity and canalization likely influence the magnitude of variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CP reviews hospitalized patient's medication record, Lab investigations, ensures proper medication reconciliation along with communication with healthcare providers in daily rounds, to optimize patient's pharmacotherapy plan. If the patient had been experiencing issues with the medication in question, or if there was a strong probability of the medication causing issues in the future, the pharmacist contacted the provider that prescribed the medication in question via EHR direct message. In 2021, clinical pharmacists at HJAHC developed a program to collaborate with pharmacy students to identify and intervene on those patients who were omitted treatment for the following quality measures: 1) use of antithrombotic drugs in patients 18 years or older with ischemic vascular disease (IVD) and/or, 2) use of statins for the prevention of cardiovascular events in patients 21 years or older with, or at risk for developing, cardiovascular disease. Upon review of eligible patients for empagliflozin in 2021, only 18 patients with HF and 5 patients with ischemic stroke were identified. Two clinical pharmacists determined patient eligibility for empagliflozin, performed medication reconciliation, provided medication and disease state education, obtained prior authorizations, and phoned patients to follow up on day-7 and day-21 post-discharge. [Extracted from the article]

Accurate determination of the sex of immature skeletal remains is difficult in the absence of DNA, due to the fact that most sexually dimorphic features of the human skeleton develop as secondary sex characteristics during adolescence. Methods of assessment of adult skeletons cannot reliably be applied to adolescent skeletons because of the transitional nature of the skeleton at puberty and the variability of the adolescent growth spurt. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of Rogers's method of morphological sex determination using the distal humerus (Rogers: J Forensic Sci 44 (1999) 55-59) to assess the sex of adolescent skeletons. The sample consists of 7 documented adolescent skeletons from the Christ Church Spitalfields collection at the British Museum of Natural History and 35 from the Luis Lopes skeletal collection housed in the National History Museum (Museu Bocage) of the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Ages range from 11 to 20 years. The technique achieved an accuracy of 81% on the combined sample of 42. This method can be applied to adolescent skeletons once the trochlea begins fusing to the humeral diaphysis, which occurred by age 11 years in the test samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on 91 annual meeting of the American association of Biological Anthropologists which will be held from March 23 - April 1, 2022 at Denver, Colorado; and mentions the members of the committee which includes Kent Johnson , Erin Kane, and Susanne Cote.

Objectives: Changes in the joints are believed to result from "wear and tear," a consequence of activity, as entheseal changes (EC) result from muscle use. However, clinical data showed that activity does not necessarily increase the likelihood of degenerative joint changes (DJC) and that exercise results in healthier joints. We tested whether individuals with continuous repetitive biomechanical efforts (Group 1) were more likely to exhibit EC and if occupations known to exert strenuous but discontinued efforts (Group 2) would more likely cause DJC. Materials and Methods: Eighty‐nine males with known occupations from Portuguese identified collections were used: shoemakers and carpenters (Group 1), workers (Group 2), and civil servants, and shop assistants as a control group. Major upper and lower limb joints and entheses sites were used. DJC and EC were tested between occupations – while controlling for age (overall approach) – and within occupation (occupation‐specific approach). Results: The overall approach showed that age – as a covariant – had a significant impact on DJC and EC development (p < 0.05), with occupation being non‐significant (p > 0.05) despite the variability in the mean‐values of lesions. The occupation‐specific approach showed a significant variability of DJC and EC correlations, within and between occupations, with no clear trend of DJC and EC development according to occupation. Discussion: The results showed that exploring overall patterns might conceal occupation‐specific joint and muscle use, emphasizing age as a major contributor of changes; and that the occupation‐specific approach highlighted particular aspects associated with occupations, allowing for a more informative assessment of strenuous repetitive or discontinuous activity‐related technical gestures and their impact on skeletal biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A new simulation method for the vibro‐acoustic simulation of poro‐elastic shells is presented. The proposed methods can be used to investigate arbitrary curved layered panels, as well as their interaction with the surrounding air. We employ a high‐order finite element method (FEM) for the discretization of the shell structure. We assume that the shell geometry is given parametrically or implicitly. For both cases the exact geometry is used in the simulation. In order to discretize the fluid surrounding the structure, a variational variant of the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) is developed. Thus, the meshing of the fluid domain can be avoided and in the case of unbounded domains the Sommerfeld radiation condition is fulfilled. In order to simulate coupled fluid‐structure interaction problems, the FEM and the MFS are combined to a coupled method. The implementation of the uncoupled FEM for the shell and the uncoupled MFS is verified against numerical examples based on the method of manufactured solutions. For the verification of the coupled method an example with a known exact solution is considered. In order to show the potential of the method sound transmission from cavities to exterior half‐spaces is simulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/Research Question: Distinguishing bone surface alterations from normal longitudinal striations and its semantic characterization are challenging. One classification divides periosteal reaction into woven (interpreted as active disease) and sclerotic (indicative of healing). Another classification "scored" healing if the plaque had rounded edges, seemingly ignoring non‐applicée alterations. Population prevalence and skeletal distribution of periosteal reaction has documented diagnostic significance, in contrast to isolated lesions. Specificity of different forms of periosteal reaction for specific diseases has been controversial. Materials and Methods: Surface microscopy was performed on tibia of healthy individuals and those with in vivo diagnoses of trauma, infection, and metabolic and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Triceratops scapula, Mammut metapodial, and Zalophus vertebrae were examined to assess trans‐phylogenetic reproducibility of findings. Results: Periosteal reaction was present in 216 individuals with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy with tuberculosis, 84 with nontubercular pulmonary disease, 15 with cancer, and three with endocarditis, 49 with syphilis, 51 with chronic renal insufficiency, 171 with infection, and 621 with fractures. A longitudinal pattern of ridges was observed trans‐phylogenetically in individuals lacking macroscopically perceived cortical alteration. Periosteal reaction predominantly took two forms, an "appliquée" form and an "integrated surface" form. The former appeared as if new bone had been physically pasted on the original surface, whereas the latter appeared to be an integral part of the surface. Both appearances were distinct from normal bone's linear pattern. Both forms were observed in hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (independent of cause), syphilis, trauma, and chronic renal insufficiency. Subperiosteal reaction, in the form of surface erosions often accompanied the periosteal reaction in the presence of chronic renal insufficiency. Filigree reaction was unique to individuals with direct osseous infection. Conclusions: The character of the periosteal reaction is clearly distinguishable from normal bone but is otherwise nonspecific, with the exception of distinguishing direct pyogenic bone infection and those not directly related to infection and perhaps allowing identification of renal disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: One of the biggest challenges for biological anthropologists is determining the minimum number of individuals in commingled skeletal samples in forensic or bioarcheological contexts. The fusion sequence of primary and secondary ossification centers is a promising, yet under‐explored, process to improve identification of associated remains of subadults and young adults, but is limited by the lack of understanding of population variation in this aspect of human development. While prior studies show within‐population variation in fusion sequence, possible geographic variation has not been systematically explored. Materials and methods: To explore potential variation in fusion sequence in different populations, we analyzed eight skeletal samples of East Asian, North American, African, and European ancestry. Forty‐three epiphyses were cross tabulated to determine the order of beginning and completing fusion for each geographic group. Results were distilled into modal sequence (most common order) trajectories, including the variation around the modal sequence. Results: Population variation occurs within and across all geographic groups, especially in later fusing sites. Some sites, such as the acromion and sacral elements, consistently exhibit greater variability. Among outliers from the modal sequence, it is more common for early‐fusing sites to fuse late than for later‐fusing sites to fuse early. The completing fusion trajectories vary less than the beginning fusion trajectories. Discussion: Despite considerable variation within and among different geographic groups, there are shared commonalities across different samples that can facilitate differentiation of multiple individuals. With fewer outliers, the completing fusion trajectories are potentially of greater practical use in forensic and bioarcheological practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Available data on the associations between motor competence (MC) and flexibility are limited and result inconclusive. This study aims to examine the relationship between flexibility and MC in children. The sample comprised 596 Portuguese children (47.1% girls) aged 9.7 ± 0.6 years. Motor competence was evaluated with the body coordination test, Körperkoordination Test für Kinder. Cardiorespiratory fitness (20-m shuttle run), muscular strength (curl-up and push-up tests), and flexibility (back-saver sit and reach and trunk-lift tests) were evaluated using the Fitnessgram Test Battery. Z-scores by age and gender for the physical fitness tests were constructed. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were performed. Participants in the healthy zone groups of both flexibility tests exhibited significantly better scores of MC than the participants under the healthy zone ( P < 0.001). Back-saver sit and reach and trunk-lift Z-scores, either individually or as a sum, were significant predictors of MC ( P < 0.05 for all) after adjustments for the other physical fitness components, age, body mass index, and socioeconomic status, in both genders. Our findings highlight the importance of promoting and developing flexibility, as well as the other health-related physical fitness components in schoolchildren to reach adequate levels of MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We explore variations in body and limb proportions of the Jomon hunter-gatherers (14,000-2500 BP), the Yayoi agriculturalists (2500-1700 BP) of Japan, and the Kumejima Islanders of the Ryukyus (1600-1800 AD) with 11 geographically diverse skeletal postcranial samples from Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America using brachial-crural indices, femur head-breadth-to-femur length ratio, femur head-breadth-to-lower-limb-length ratio, and body mass as indicators of phenotypic climatic adaptation. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that variation in limb proportions seen in Jomon, Yayoi, and Kumejima is a complex interaction of genetic adaptation; development and allometric constraints; selection, gene flow and genetic drift with changing cultural factors (i.e., nutrition) and climate. METHODS The skeletal data (1127 individuals) were subjected to principle components analysis, Manly's permutation multiple regression tests, and Relethford-Blangero analysis. RESULTS The results of Manly's tests indicate that body proportions and body mass are significantly correlated with latitude, and minimum and maximum temperatures while limb proportions were not significantly correlated with these climatic variables. Principal components plots separated 'climatic zones:' tropical, temperate, and arctic populations. The indigenous Jomon showed cold-adapted body proportions and warm-adapted limb proportions. Kumejima showed cold-adapted body proportions and limbs. The Yayoi adhered to the Allen-Bergmann expectation of cold-adapted body and limb proportions. Relethford-Blangero analysis showed that Kumejima experienced gene flow indicated by high observed variances while Jomon experienced genetic drift indicated by low observed variances. CONCLUSIONS The complex interaction of evolutionary forces and development/nutritional constraints are implicated in the mismatch of limb and body proportions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contrasts the ontogeny of the iliac crest apophysis using conventional radiography and multislice computed tomography ( MSCT), providing probabilistic information for age estimation of modern Australian subadults. Retrospective abdominopelvic MSCT data acquired from 524 Australian individuals aged 7-25 and surveillance radiographs of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients included in the Paediatric Spine Research Group Progression Study ( n = 531) were assessed. Ossification scoring of pseudo-radiographs and three-dimensional (3D) volume-rendered reconstructions using Risser (1958) quantitative descriptors indicate discrepancies in age estimates, stage allocation, and conflicting morphological progression. To mitigate visualization limitations associated with two-dimensional radiographs, we provide and validate a modified 3D- MSCT scoring tier of ossification, demonstrating complete fusion between 17.3-19.2 and 17.1-20.1 years in males and females. Legal demarcation for doli incapax presumption and age of majority (18 years) can be achieved using probability estimates from a fitted cumulative probit model for apophyseal fusion using the recalibrated standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Whereas variation of modern human adult body size and shape has been widely studied in the context of ecogeographical clines, little is known about the differential growth patterns of transverse and longitudinal dimensions among human populations. Our study explored the ontogenetic variation of those body proportions in modern humans. Methods We compared results from four different approaches to study cross-sectional skeletal samples of Africans ( n = 43), Amerindians ( n = 69) and Europeans ( n = 40) from 0 to 14 years of age. Clavicle, humerus, and femur intermetaphyseal lengths, and femoral distal metaphyseal breadth, were measured. Average ontogenetic trajectories were computed in order to compare the growth patterns of the three groups. Results Our findings demonstrated that the three geographical groups shared similar absolute and relative patterns of change with age for the four dimensions considered. Although interpopulation differences existed in transverse to longitudinal as well as in interlimb proportions, those differences did not seem to remain constant throughout ontogeny, similar to what has been shown for intralimb proportions. Growth rates of transverse shoulder proportions differed between populations from different regions after 10 years, whereas those for longitudinal proportions were very similar. Conclusions The ontogeny of transverse shoulder proportions is more complex than what is observed for bi-iliac breadth, suggesting that transverse shoulder to limb proportions are not solely influenced by ecogeographical conditions. Our analysis demonstrates that methodologies that incorporate critical dimensions of body form could shed new light on human adaptation in both paleontological and neontological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Analyses of entheseal changes (EC) in identified skeletal samples employ a common research strategy based on the comparison between occupations grouped on the basis of shared biomechanical and/or social characteristics. Results from this approach are often ambiguous, with some studies that point to differences in EC between occupational samples and others failing to provide evidence of behavioral effects on EC. Here we investigate patterns of EC among documented occupations by means of a multivariate analysis of robusticity scores in nine postcranial entheses from a large ( N = 372) contemporary skeletal sample including specimens from one Italian and two Portuguese identified collections. Data on entheseal robusticity, analyzed by pooled sides as well by separated sides and levels of asymmetry, are converted in binary scores and then analyzed through nonlinear principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results of these analyses are then used for the classification of occupations. Differences between occupational classes are tested by MANOVA and pairwise Hotelling's test. Results evidence three classes which separate occupations related to farming, physically demanding but generalized occupation, and physically undemanding occupations, with the more consistent differences between the first and the last classes. Our results are consistent with differences in biomechanical behavior between the occupations included in each class, and point to the physical and social specificity of farming activities. On the other hand, our study exemplifies the usefulness of alternative analytical protocols for the investigation of EC, and the value of research designs devoid of a priori assumptions for the test of biocultural hypotheses. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:215-223, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Variation in nasal floor topography has generated both neontological and paleontological interest. Three categories of nasal floor shape (Franciscus: J Hum Evol 44 (2003) 699-727) have been used when analyzing this trait in extant humans and fossil Homo: flat, sloped, and depressed (or 'bi-level'). Variation in the frequency of these configurations within and among extant and fossil humans has been well-documented (Franciscus: J Hum Evol 44 (2003) 699-727; Wu et al.: Anthropol Sci 120 (2012) 217-226). However, variation in this trait in Homo has been observed primarily in adults, with comparatively small subadult sample sizes and/or large age gradients that may not sufficiently track key ontogenetic changes. In this study, we investigate the ontogeny of nasal floor shape in a relatively large cross-sectional age sample of extant humans ( n = 382) ranging from 4.0 months fetal to 21 years post-natal. Results indicate that no fetal or young infant individuals possess a depressed nasal floor, and that a depressed nasal floor, when present (ca. 21% of the sample), does not occur until 3.0 years postnatal. A canonical variates analysis of maxillary shape revealed that individuals with depressed nasal floors were also characterized by relatively taller anterior alveolar regions. This suggests that palate remodeling at about 3.0-3.5 years after birth, under the influence of tooth development, strongly influences nasal floor variation, and that various aspects of dental development, including larger crown/root size, may contribute to the development of a depressed nasal floor. These results in extant humans may help explain the high frequency of this trait found in Neandertal and other archaic Homo maxillae. Am J Phys Anthropol 155:369-378, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Dental age estimation charts are frequently used to assess maturity and estimate age. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of estimating age of three dental development charts (Schour and Massler, Ubelaker, and the London Atlas). The test sample was skeletal remains and dental radiographs of known-age individuals ( N = 1,506, prenatal to 23.94 years). Dental age was estimated using charts of Schour and Massler, Ubelaker, and The London Atlas. Dental and chronological ages were compared using a paired t-test for the three methods. The absolute mean difference between dental and chronological age was calculated. Results show that all three methods under-estimated age but the London Atlas performed better than Schour and Massler and Ubelaker in all measures. The mean difference for Schour and Massler and Ubelaker was −0.76 and −0.80 years (SD 1.27 year, N = 1,227) respectively and for the London Atlas was −0.10 year (SD 0.97 year, N = 1,429). Further analysis by age category showed similar accuracy for all three methods for individuals younger than 1 year. For ages 1-18, the mean difference between dental and chronological ages was significant ( P < 0.05) for Schour and Massler and Ubelaker and not significant ( P > 0.05) for the London Atlas for most age categories. These findings show that the London Atlas performs better than Schour and Massler and Ubelaker and represents a substantial improvement in accuracy of dental age estimation from developing teeth. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:70-78, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Identified skeletal collections, that is, skeletons for which sex, age at death and occupation at death are known, have been used to test methods for recording entheseal changes (EC). By testing methods on identified collections, the sensitivity of EC for recording activity levels can be ascertained prior to applying the methods to test hypotheses in archaeological contexts. However, the definition of occupational categories used for this research may, in itself, be a source of bias. The aim in this study was to test how categorising occupation affected the interpretation of EC. Male skeletons ( n = 211) from two Portuguese identified skeletal collections were used. Three methods for categorising occupations, all of which have been previously published, were used each dividing occupations into five, three and two categories, respectively. Fibrocartilaginous entheses were recorded and EC scored as present/absent. Results showed that the method for categorising occupation affected the frequencies of EC found in occupational categories for specific entheses. Frequencies that were significantly different between occupational categories for one method were not necessarily significant for others. This demonstrates that the sensitivity of the occupational categorisation does affect the results. However, using logistic regression, we found age to have a greater effect than occupation. These results demonstrate the need for standardised occupational categories, as well as the importance of considering age. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Studies on identified skeletal collections yield discordant results about the association between osseous changes and activity. These dissonances can be ascribed to several factors: the variability of the osseous changes selected for observation, the inconsistency of their interpretative criteria and the inhomogeneous classification of occupation, here used as synonym of profession, within each study. The need to standardize the concept of occupation in its biomechanical and socio-cultural expression is currently addressed by the authors, as members of a working group created after the workshop ' Musculoskeletal Stress Markers (MSM): limitations and achievements in the reconstruction of past activity patterns' (Coimbra University, 2009). Within this framework, the authors reviewed the literature dedicated to entheseal changes and functional adaptation of long bones, focusing their research on studies based on European identified skeletal collections and on the criteria used in each study to classify occupations. The aim of this research was to (i) assess agreements and disagreements between authors with regard to the criteria used to categorize occupation, and (ii) highlight the steps needed to build a classification system permitting future comparisons between collections of different chronological and geographical contexts. Data from the literature were exported to a table including the assessment criteria used to classify the occupation for each profession and the assignment of specific occupations to occupational categories. Overall, our results revealed two main issues: an ambiguous historical interpretation of occupation and a marked influence of the researcher's perspective on the criteria used to classify occupations. Therefore, although the table allows basic comparisons between collections, further research is needed in order to obtain shared classifications based on each profession's specifics. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While ecogeographic variation in adult human body proportions has been extensively explored, relatively less attention has been paid to the effect of Bergmann's and Allen's rules on human body shape during growth. The relationship between climate and immature body form is particularly important, as immature mortality is high, mechanisms of thermoregulation differ between young and mature humans, and immature body proportions fluctuate due to basic parameters of growth. This study explores changes in immature ecogeographic body proportions via analyses of anthropometric data from children included in Eveleth and Tanner's (1976) Worldwide Variation in Human Growth, as well as limb proportion measurements in eight different skeletal samples. Moderate to strong correlations exist between climatic data and immature stature, weight, BMI, and bi-iliac breadth; these relationships are as strong, if not stronger, in immature individuals as they are in adults. Correlations between climate and trunk height relative to stature are weak or nonexistent. Altitude also has significant effects on immature body form, with children from higher altitudes displaying smaller statures and lower body weights. Brachial and crural indices remain constant over the course of growth and display consistent, moderate correlations with latitude across ontogeny that are just as high as those detected in adults. The results of this study suggest that while some features of immature body form, such as bi-iliac breadth and intralimb indices, are strongly dictated by ecogeographic principles, other characteristics of immature body proportions are influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as nutrition and basic constraints of growth. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Techniques that are currently available for estimating stature and body mass from European skeletal remains are all subject to various limitations. Here, we develop new prediction equations based on large skeletal samples representing much of the continent and temporal periods ranging from the Mesolithic to the 20th century. Anatomical reconstruction of stature is carried out for 501 individuals, and body mass is calculated from estimated stature and biiliac breadth in 1,145 individuals. These data are used to derive stature estimation formulae based on long bone lengths and body mass estimation formulae based on femoral head breadth. Prediction accuracy is superior to that of previously available methods. No systematic geographic or temporal variation in prediction errors is apparent, except in tibial estimation of stature, where northern and southern European formulae are necessary because of the presence of relatively longer tibiae in southern samples. Thus, these equations should bebroadly applicable to European Holocene skeletal samples. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chart is presented that outlines topics of poster session presentations at the Obesity 2011 meeting on October 3, 2011.

A list of the topics of poster session presentations at the Obesity 2011 meeting on October 2, 2011, is presented.

Objectives: Adult population differences in relative and absolute limb size often are explained as adaptations to different climates. Less is known about other aspects of limb bone form and their population-specific growth patterns. Methods: We study postnatal ontogenetic development of tibial and femoral form by a multivariate morphometric approach in a cross-sectional sample of South African ( N = 97) and European ( N = 81) modern humans from 0 to 20 years of age. Because the epiphyses ossify and fuse to the diaphysis in this time period, we separately analyze two sets of variables. Average ontogenetic trajectories are computed to compare the growth patterns of the African and the European groups. Results: For both the tibia and the femur, we could show that Africans and Europeans have a very similar average length and average shape until about 10 years of age. During adolescence Africans have a higher growth rate leading to longer adult bones with narrower epiphyses relative to the diaphysis. Despite substantial individual overlap, the average crural index is higher in Africans than in Europeans, from birth on through adulthood. Conclusions: The prenatal origin of population differences in the crural index indicates a genetic determination of these differences whereas limb length and relative epiphyseal width likely are both genetically and environmentally determined. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the hierarchical spatial patterns and the driving factors for change in benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Odelouca river, an intermittent Mediterranean river. The study investigated samples of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of the river and surveyed them using the River Habitat Survey in 2005. Parametric and non-parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) were also used in the study. The correspondence analyses showed that environmental variables contributed mostly over all spatial scales and pressure variables related to land-use.

An application of a new automated fish counting device – the Riverwatcher System (RW) – was used to monitor upstream fish movements in a pool-and-weir fish pass in the River Zêzere, Portugal, for 141 days from June 2002 to May 2003. Fish populations were also collected downstream using multimesh gillnets (5 different mesh sizes ranging from 30 mm to 85 mm knot to knot; ratio between mesh sizes of about 1.30) and electrofishing for comparison with fish records produced by the RW. More than 3000 individual Iberian nase Chondrostoma polylepis ascended the fish pass and moved through the RW during the study period. However, only 18% of the records produced by the RW contained silhouettes similar to fish; no individual smaller than 15 cm TL was recorded by the counter. Most seasonal movements (73.9%) occurred in spring and were associated with reproduction. Displacements seemed to occur independently of time of day. Water temperature (range: 12–22°C) was the only significant environmental variable (P < 0.01) influencing upstream movements of this species. Further development of hardware and software will be necessary to improve performance of the counter, particularly in Mediterranean rivers, where more turbid waters and a greater proportion of small-size species are present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructs the development of popular culture in the province of Maranhao in northern Brazil. Uniqueness and internal subdivisions of rural subculture; Genesis of the plantation and peasant economies; Social culture and ways of perception; Formation of regional subcultures and ethic variants; Elite policy towards popular culture; Popular representations in the independence period.