The analysis of a large sample of skeletons from a number of Sudanese Nubian cemeteries demonstrates the usefulness of this material in the study of bone growth and development.A skeletal series from the Meroitic (B.C. 350-A.D. 350), X-Group (A.D. 350-5501, and Christian (A.D. 550-1400) period were utilized in determining the rate of bone development and age related changes in the internal structure of the femur. Specifically, we have been able to demonstrate the following: (i) The growth velocity determined from the long bones in the Nubian sample was similar but somewhat more irregular than the growth velocity of long bones in American boys studied longitudinally.(2) Growth symmetry of long bones determined by the ratio of lengths shows a greater stability than that which occurs in American boys.(3) Decrease in femoral cortical thickness with age was significant in Nubian females (P < O.OOl), while the decrease in males was not significant. The loss of cortical bone tissue in Nubian females appears to begin earlier than similar changes in modem females. (4) The density of femoral head trabecular bone organ volume decreases with age at similar rates in both males and females, but the females lose a larger percentage of density since they enter the age period (17 years) with a lower density. (5) The average thickness of femoral head trabeculae decrease with age in males, while in females there is an increase in thickness. It appears that as cross-members decrease in thickness with age, struts increase in thickness. (6) Microradiographic analysis of archeological material may provide an additional dimension to the study of bone turnover rates.
The Finnish gene pool derives primarily from a relatively homogeneous Finno-Ugric population established during the Iron Age (100 B.C.-800 A.D.) in the southwest and southeast of Finland. Gene flow from Sweden to the southwest coastal areas, dating from prehistoric times, as well as the patterns of settlement and migration throughout Finland during the past 1000 years, appear to have been the major biosocial factors underlying the genetic structure of the contemporary population. Analysis of genetic variation and covariation at nine polymorphic loci in a large random sample of rural Finns, partitioned into either 8 countries or 27 geographic districts, showed that all of the essential features of the genetic structure suggested by the archaeological and historical data could be distinguished. Procedures for obtaining inference on the genetic structure of such a population are reviewed, including coefficients of similarity and (genetic) distance among subpopulations, the relation between linear or planar geographic structure and genetic covariation, and the methods for describing allelic differentiation. Bias resulting from the inappropriate assumption of a simple phylogenetic model can be substantial, expecially for the analysis of isolation by distance; procedures for avoiding misleading inference on the genetic structure are demonstrated.
We analyze a 140-year series of smallpox deaths in the Aland Islands, Finland. Vaccination, introduced in 1805, dramatically reduced the annual number of smallpox deaths. It also influenced the age distribution of smallpox deaths, changing smallpox from a childhood disease before 1805 to one which affected both adults and children after 1805. This appears to be due to the fact that Alanders were usually vaccinated only once during childhood and often lost their immunity during adulthood. Spectral analysis of the prevaccination time series of smallpox deaths demonstrates a strong seven-year periodicity, reflecting the amount of time necessary to build up a cohort of nonimmune individuals. After the introduction of vaccination, the periodicity changes to eight years. The probability that a parish in Aland was affected by a smallpox epidemic is shown to be highly correlated with migration patterns and parish population sizes.
Genetic data consisting of 14 red cell antigen groups and 11 serum and erythrocytic protein marker systems from four Eskimo populations of the Norton Sound area of Alaska are reported. The population structure of these four groups in analyzed both separately and within the larger context by comparison to 15 other circumpolar groups. These analyses reveal a good fit between genetic structure, geographic distribution, linguistic affiliation, and the ethnohistory of the region.
This study reports on an analysis of marital migration among 12 communities in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts during the years 1790–1849. Genetic inferences are drawn, and the requisite assumptions considered. The effect of geographic distance on genetic kinship is predicted using Malécot's isolation‐by‐distance model. The resulting estimates are discussed in terms of geographic and historical factors. The configuration of communities as predicted by kinship values approximates closely their actual geographic locations. Estimated genetic heterogeneity was low for the historical Connecticut Valley population, and community isolation breaks down rapidly over time. The region thus assumes its place among a number of sedentary, agricultural populations for which the isolation‐by‐distance model provides an adequate representation. A regression analysis which includes variables in addition to distance indicates that historical and economic factors contribute some additional explanatory power to the distribution of mating frequencies.
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