Review of Ancestry & Ethnicity in America, 2013 : A Comparative Guide to over 200 Ethnic Backgrounds 2nd Ed. Grey House. 2012. 2v, 1592379974, $295.00

When unidentified skeletal remains are found, researchers utilize a number of methods to apportion details for a biological profile. While these practices are used and professed through generations of students, they also require a reevaluation of the methods. This project estimates the ancestry and sex of nine unknown skeletal individuals through two different mechanisms. Modified biological profiles were completed through two different methodologies: anthroscopic traits (Buikstra and Ubelaker 1994; White et al. 2012) and geometric morphometrics using 3D-ID (Slice and Ross 2009). The results serve two purposes: (1) to provide ancestry and sex (2) to compare two methodologies through outcomes and repeatability of results. Intra-observer error testing was conducted on both methods. All outputs resulted in low intra-rater reliability, highlighting the repeatability error in one observer’s collection methods. These results conclude and encourage the reevaluation and standardization of the procedures and comparison groups used to assess ancestry and sex. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Today, groups considered Hispanic in the United States consist of populations whose complex genetic structures reflect intermixed diverse groups of people who came in contact during Spanish colonization in Latin America. After coming in contact and wiping out most of the Native Americans who occupied North and Latin America, the Spanish also introduced West African individuals for labor to begin developing crops to be shipped back to Europe, resulting in the Trans-Atlantic African slave trade. These migration events and differential gene flow among males and females that occurred throughout Latin America have led to populations that have been genetically transformed from what they were prior to Spanish arrival (Madrigal, 2006). Genetic research commonly refers to individuals considered Hispanic as "tri-hybrids" of Native American, European, and African ancestry (Bertoni et al., 2003; Gonz[aacute]lez-Andrade et al., 2007). This research focuses on populations from present-day Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, all of whom experienced various population histories as these three ancestral groups came in contact. Published genetic research demonstrates that individuals from Mexico tend to have the highest mean proportion of Native American ancestry, while Puerto Rican individuals have the highest mean proportion of European ancestry, and Cuban individuals have the highest mean proportion of African ancestry (Bonilla et al., 2005; Lisker et al., 1990; Mendizabal et al., 2008; Tang et al., 2007; Via et al., 2011). The present research utilizes craniometric data from these three groups to determine whether the cranial morphology reflects similar population relationships and mean ancestry proportions as found in genetic research through Mahalanobis distance (D2), canonical discriminant function, and normal mixture cluster analyses. Sex-biased ancestry asymmetry was also tested by separating each group by sex and running the same analyses. The results show that all three groups considered Hispanic (Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba) are significantly different from each other; however, when proxy ancestral groups are included (Guatemalan Mayan, Indigenous Caribbean, Spanish, and West African), the Mexican and Guatemalan Mayan samples are the most similar, followed by the Mexican and Indigenous Caribbean samples and the Puerto Rican and Cuban samples. The results of the normal mixture analyses indicate that Mexico has the highest mean ancestry proportion of Native American (Guatemalan Mayan) (72.9%), while the Puerto Rican and Cuban samples both have a higher mean European ancestry proportion, with 81.34% and 73.6% respectively. While the Cuban sample is not reflective of the genetic research in regards to ancestry proportion results, with the highest proportion of African ancestry over European and Native American ancestry, it does have the highest proportion of African ancestry among the three groups (18.4%). When separated by sex, the results indicate that the Mexican and Puerto Rican samples may show some evidence in sex-biased ancestry proportions, with the male individuals having a larger proportion of European ancestry and the female individuals having a larger proportion of Native American or African ancestry. Cuba, on the other hand, does not follow this trend and instead displays a higher proportion of European ancestry in females and a higher proportion of Native American and African ancestry in the males. Techniques in the field of forensic anthropology in the United States are constantly being reanalyzed and restructured based on the changing demographics of the population, especially with the arrival of individuals from Latin America (Ennis et al., 2011). Recent samples of American Black and White individuals were included in the Mahalanobis distance (D2) and canonical discriminant function analyses in place of the ancestral proxy groups to determine the craniometric relationship of the groups within the United States. The results show that the Mexico and Guatemala samples are the most similar (D2=2.624), followed by the Cuba and American Black samples (D2=3.296) and the Puerto Rico and American White samples (D2=4.317), which each cluster together in pairs. These results reflect the population histories that took place during colonialism, with the largest amount of slave trade occurring in Cuba over the other two countries. From an applied perspective, clarification is needed in the biological definition of Hispanic and the degree of heterogeneity in each social group, as well as the relationship among groups, in order to accurately develop techniques in forensic anthropology for human identification.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed Feb. 22, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-107).

Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone metabolism and many cellular and immunological processes, and low vitamin D levels have been associated with several chronic and infectious diseases. Previous studies have reported that many otherwise healthy adults of European ancestry living in Canada have low vitamin D concentrations during the wintertime. However, individuals of non-European ancestry are at a higher risk of having low vitamin D levels. This thesis examined vitamin D status in a sample of young adults of diverse ancestry living in the Greater Toronto Area. In my research I found that: 1) vitamin D levels (measured as 25(OH)D concentrations) are low in Canadian young adults, particularly in those of non-European ancestry; 2) vitamin D intakes, which were estimated to be on average higher than current Health Canada recommendations of 200 International Units (IU) per day, were inadequate to maintain optimal vitamin D levels year-round; 3) vitamin D levels undergo large seasonal changes. Winter 25(OH)D concentrations are substantially lower than those observed during the fall; 4) vitamin D intake is an important year-round predictor of 25(OH)D concentrations, but skin pigmentation and sun exposure are also important predictors during the times when UVB is adequate for cutaneous synthesis; and 5) vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) polymorphisms are significant predictors of 25(OH)D concentrations, but their effects vary by ancestry and season, indicating gene-environment interaction effects. My research shows that higher vitamin D intakes are needed to offset the seasonal drop in vitamin D levels and to ensure adequate vitamin D levels year-round for those at higher risk of insufficiency.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone metabolism and many cellular and immunological processes, and low vitamin D levels have been associated with several chronic and infectious diseases. Previous studies have reported that many otherwise healthy adults of European ancestry living in Canada have low vitamin D concentrations during the wintertime. However, individuals of non-European ancestry are at a higher risk of having low vitamin D levels. This thesis examined vitamin D status in a sample of young adults of diverse ancestry living in the Greater Toronto Area. In my research I found that: 1) vitamin D levels (measured as 25(OH)D concentrations) are low in Canadian young adults, particularly in those of non-European ancestry; 2) vitamin D intakes, which were estimated to be on average higher than current Health Canada recommendations of 200 International Units (IU) per day, were inadequate to maintain optimal vitamin D levels year-round; 3) vitamin D levels undergo large seasonal changes. Winter 25(OH)D concentrations are substantially lower than those observed during the fall; 4) vitamin D intake is an important year-round predictor of 25(OH)D concentrations, but skin pigmentation and sun exposure are also important predictors during the times when UVB is adequate for cutaneous synthesis; and 5) vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) polymorphisms are significant predictors of 25(OH)D concentrations, but their effects vary by ancestry and season, indicating gene-environment interaction effects. My research shows that higher vitamin D intakes are needed to offset the seasonal drop in vitamin D levels and to ensure adequate vitamin D levels year-round for those at higher risk of insufficiency.

Because the ancestry of extant amphibians remains highly controversial, under traditional perspectives, amphibians and amniotes often are distinguished by differences in developmental mode rather than their evolutionary relationships. Resolution of relationships is important, however, because phylogeny affects interpretations of biology, including the evolution of development. To address those issues, I documented the growth and development of two extinct lepospondyls, Microbrachis pelikani and Hyloplesion longicostatum, and compared the patterns in those taxa to data from other tetrapods. I quantified allometry in the skeleton using both measurement-based and geometric morphometric analyses. I applied Ontogenetic Sequence Analysis (OSA), a size-independent method, to the reconstruction of ossification sequences based on fossils. I also documented skeletal morphogenesis and used Parsimov Analysis and Parsimov-based Genetic Inference of ossification sequence data to evaluate the three hypotheses of extant amphibian ancestry, the Lepospondyl (LH), Temnospondyl (TH), and Polyphyletic (PH) hypotheses. Skeletal growth in Microbrachis pelikani and Hyloplesion longicostatum is primarily isometric. Comparisons with data from other Paleozoic taxa suggest that isometry was the ancestral pattern of growth in tetrapods. All regression analyses had a linear fit indicating lack of an abrupt metamorphosis. Absence of metamorphosis is also supported by the possession of lateral lines in both taxa throughout ontogeny, and Microbrachis pelikani additionally retained gills. However, ossification of the skeleton was completed at small body size. The greatest resolution in ossification sequence reconstruction was achieved with OSA, but results from all reconstruction methods indicated advanced ossification of the pubis and delayed ossification of the scapula in the lepospondyls. In terms of total number of sequence shifts optimized across each hypothesis of amphibian relationships, the TH had the shortest tree length. However, the values for the three hypotheses did not differ significantly, demonstrating that none was supported strongly. Based on my synthesis of new developmental data, I propose that Microbrachis pelikani and Hyloplesion longicostatum expressed a mosaic pattern of skeletal development. That pattern included a gradual transition to an adult morphology, and a lack of an amphibian-like metamorphosis. A similar pattern is common to most early tetrapods and Eusthenopteron, supporting the hypothesis that metamorphosis is not ancestral for Tetrapoda. / text

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Paraoxonase (PON) 1 is a high density lipoprotein (HDL) - bound antioxidant enzyme that was originally discovered and better known for its role in protecting against organophosphate (OP) - induced neurotoxicity. In the past two decades, the enzyme has gained prominence as a protective agent against atherosclerosis on account of increasing evidence that it accounts for many of the anti-atherogenic roles attributed to HDL. PON1 is a polymorphic enzyme displaying a high variability in human populations which is associated with a considerable degree of inter-individual differences in enzyme phenotype that translates to differential risk for OP toxicity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a series of studies and analyses, this thesis describes investigations regarding the possible involvement of PON 1 in the risk for CVD in a mixed ancestry population from Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa. This was done by evaluating the distribution of PON1 coding region polymorphisms (Q192R and L55M) and their influence on PON1 phenotype as well as the latter‟s relation to CVD risk factors (oxidative stress, inflammation and atherogenic dyslipidemia) and possible involvement in early CVD assessed by measuring intima media thickness of the carotid artery (CIMT). Since PON1 is increasingly measured in samples that have been stored for varied periods of time, the main study was preceded by a pilot study evaluating the influence of baseline conditions on the stability of PON 1 activity and antioxidant status in human sera stored for up to 12 months. It was shown that baseline glycemic status enhances the degradation of antioxidants in stored samples with indications of also accelerating the decline of PON1 levels and activity. Thus baseline glycemic status should be a factor to be considered in analyses involving stored samples. The Q192R polymorphism was found to be the functional variant influencing both concentration and activity of plasma PON1. Contrary to expectation, the L55M was nonfunctional, possibly due to its unusual distribution in this population where the 55M (83%) allele overwhelmingly predominated over the L55 allele. The R allele was the more frequent (60.4%) of the 192 polymorphism. The R allele has previously been associated with less efficient breakdown of lipid peroxides and a subsequent higher risk for atherosclerotic heart disease while the 55M is recognized as a “low concentration/activity” variant. Thus the predominant PON1 genotype distribution in this population constitutes a risk profile that may relate to increased risk for CVD. The risk for CVD was confirmed to be very high in this population indicated by high prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (48%) and its key components (and CVD risk factors) diabetes (28%), obesity (53%) and high blood pressure (57%). Paraoxonase activity associated inversely with indices of inflammation (high sensitive C- reactive protein [hs-CRP] and leptin) and oxidative stress (oxidized low density lipoprotein [LDL]) and directly with adiponectin and markers of systemic antioxidant status. These findings suggest that low paraoxonase-I activity contributes to increased cardiovascular risk possibly via involvement in early atherogenesis. However, only a modest inverse relation was observed between PON1 phenotype and CIMT thus suggesting that PON1 may not play a major role in early atherosclerosis. Taken together, the findings presented in this thesis demonstrate the presence of a risk PON1 genotypic profile and indication that the enzyme may play a role in the enhanced CVD risk in this population possibly via interactions with inflammation and oxidative stress. However, conclusive evidence for the involvement of PON1 in early CVD was not demonstrated indicating a need to explore the participation of PON1 in later stages of CVD. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Paraoksonase (PON) 1 is 'n antioksidant ensiem wat aan HDL gebind is. Oorspronklik is dit ontdek en het bekend geword as 'n beskermer teen organofosfaat (OF)-gedrewe neurotoksisiteit. In die afgelope twee dekades het die ensiem belangrik geraak as 'n beskermer teen arterosklerose as gevolg van toenemende bewyse dat dit 'n belangrike rol speel in die beskermende effekte van HDL teen arterosklerose. PON1 is 'n polimorfiese ensiem wat groot variasie toon in verskillende populasies. Daar is ook inter-individuele verskille in ensiem fenotipe wat uitloop op 'n differensiele risiko vir OF toksisiteit en kardiovaskulêre hartsiekte (KVH). Hierdie tesis beskryf 'n reeks analises en ondersoeke betreffende die moontlike betrokkenheid van PON1 in die risiko vir KVH in 'n gemengdeafkoms populasie van Bellville, Wes-Kaap, Suid Afrika. Dit was gedoen deur die evaluering van die verspreiding van die PON-1 koderende omgewing polimorfismes (Q192R en L55M), hulle invloed op PON1 fenotipe en laasgenoemde se verhouding tot KVH risikofaktore (oksidatiewe stress, inflammasie en arterogeniese dislipedimie) en moontlike voorkoms in vroeë kardiovaskulêre siekte bepaal deur die meting van die intima media dikte van die karotied slagaar. Aangesien PON1 al hoe meer gemeet word in monsters wat vir verskeie tydperke gestoor word, was die hoofstudie voorafgegaan deur 'n loodsstudie wat die invloed van basislyn kondisies op die stabiliteit van PON1 aktiwiteit en antioksidant status in menslike sera wat vir tot 12 maande gestoor was, bepaal het. Dis is duidelik aangetoon dat basislyn glisemiese status die afbraak van antioksidante in gestoorde monsters verhoog het, asook aanduidings van die afname van PON1 vlakke en aktiwitetit. Basislyn glisemiese status behoort dus ook as 'n faktor ingereken te word in analises van gestoorde monsters. Die Q192R polimorfisme is aangetoon om 'n funksionele variant te wees wat beide die konsentrasie asook die aktiwiteit van PON1 beïnvloed het. Anders as wat verwag is, was die L55M polimorfisme nie-funksioneel, moontlik as gevolg van sy ongewone distribusie in hiedie populasie waar die voorkoms van die 55M (83%) alleel die L55 alleel oorheers het. Die R alleel was die mees algemene (60.4%) van die 192 polimorfisme. Die R alleel is voorheen reeds geassosieer met minder effektiewe afbraak van lipied peroksides en gevolglike hoër voorkoms van arteriosklerotiese hartsiekte, terwyl die 55M erken word as 'n “lae konsentrasie/aktiwiteit” variant. Die oorheersende PON1 genotipe distribusie in hierdie populasie behels dus 'n risikoprofiel wat betrekkking mag hê op verhoogde KVH. Die risiko vir KVH was bevestig om baie hoog te wees in hierdie populasie, soos aangedui deur 'n hoë voorkoms van die metaboliese sindroom (48%) en die sleutelkomponente daarvan (insluitend KVH risikofaktore), diabetes (28%), obesiteit (53%) en hipertensie (57%). Paraoksinase aktiwiteit was omgekeerd geassosieer met indekse van inflammasie (hoë C-reaktiewe proteïen [hs-CRP] en leptien) en oksidatiewe stres (geoksideerde lae digtheid lipoproteïen [LDL], en direk geassosieer met adiponektien en merkers van sistemiese antioksidantstatus. Hierdie bevindings mag aandui dat lae paraoksonase-1 aktiwiteit bydra tot verhoogde kardiovaskulêre risiko, moontlik via betrokkenheid in vroeë arterogenese. Slegs 'n klein omgekeerde verhouding is egter waargeneem tussen die PON1 fenotipe en karotied intima media dikte, wat mag aandui dat PON1 nie 'n beduidende rol speel in vroeë arterosklerose nie. In geheel, die bevindinge voorgedra in hierdie tesis demonstreer die voorkoms van 'n risiko PON1 genotipiese profiel wat 'n aanduiding mag wees dat die ensiem 'n rol mag speel in die verhoogde KVH risiko in hierdie populasie, moontlik deur interaksies met inflammasie en oksidatiewe stress. Afdoende bewys van die betrokkenheid van PON1 in vroeë KVH was egter nie gedemonstreer nie, wat die nodigheid aandui om die deelname van PON1 in latere stadiums van KVH te ondersoek.

People telling stories of national identity, land and spirituality contribute to the local formation of the nation. I explore this view of nationhood in Aotearoa/New Zealand from Māori and Pākehā perspectives. Theorising this exploration, I form my own national identity concept for guiding analysis, that of locally narrated roots. Locally narrated roots is, essentially, a way of looking at national identity through the everyday narration of land, spirituality and history/ancestry by individuals. Supporting the production of this term is Smith’s (2003) theory of revised ethno-symbolism, which links religion, nationalism, land and history/ancestry, and Thompson’s (2001) grounded, everyday approach summed up as local production of national identity. Research methods draw upon Thompson’s people-focussed approach in conjunction with a narrative approach inspired by life story and Kaupapa Māori Research practices, which informed the conducting of twelve semi-structured interviews. From these interviews, six Māori and six Pākehā stories of history, ancestry, spirituality, land and identity were generated. These narratives revealed that colonial settler society, romanticism and whakapapa (genealogy) are central to this research and vital for further exploration on national identity. I close with the suggestion that participants’ stories enact a process of locally authenticating one’s national identity. I also suggest this local authentication is a secular spirituality, an idea that combines both patent secularism and spirituality, and is expressed through land, history and ancestry in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

The study of genetic variation in populations is of great interest for the study of the evolutionary history of humans and other species. Improvement in sequencing technology has resulted in the availability of many large datasets of genetic data. Computational methods have therefore become quite important in analyzing these data. Two important problems that have been studied using genetic data are population stratification (modeling individual ancestry with respect to ancestral populations) and genetic association (finding genetic polymorphisms that affect a trait). In this thesis, we develop methods to improve our understanding of these two problems. For the population stratification problem, we develop hierarchical Bayesian models that incorporate the evolutionary processes that are known to affect genetic variation. By developing mStruct, we show that modeling more evolutionary processes improves the accuracy of the recovered population structure. We demonstrate how nonparametric Bayesian processes can be used to address the question of choosing the optimal number of ancestral populations that describe the genetic diversity of a given sample of individuals. We also examine how sampling bias in genotyping study design can affect results of population structure analysis and propose a probabilistic framework for modeling and correcting sample selection bias. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have vastly improved our understanding of many diseases. However, such studies have failed to uncover much of the variation responsible for a number of common multi-factorial diseases and complex traits. We show how artificial selection experiments on model organisms can be used to better understand the nature of genetic associations. We demonstrate using simulations that using data from artificial selection experiments improves the performance of conventional methods of performing association. We also validate our approach using semi-simulated data from an artificial selection experiment on Drosophila Melanogaster.