Ancient ships transported not only goods around the eastern Mediterranean, but the people and the diseases they carried. The diseases to which people adapted often lived long enough for their effects to appear in bone. The focus of this dissertation is to discern the comparative health from paleopathological analysis of the human skeletal remains dating to the Hellenistic and Roman periods from Paphos, Cyprus and Corinth, Greece. The samples are comprised of minimally 275 individuals from 31 tombs at Paphos and 94 individuals from 32 bone lots at Corinth. Analytical techniques include gross morphological and metrical examination and radiography of select samples while using the Skeletal Database Committee Recommendations (Rose et al. 1991) as a guide. Limited molecular analysis is also employed. In addition to the identification of paleopathologies, the minimum number of individuals, age, sex, reconstructed stature, and anomalies are determined. The results of both sites are compared and the evolutionary implications of the identified paleopathologies are discussed. Six chapters are presented in this dissertation, including: an introduction; materials and methods; results from Paphos; results from Corinth; comparative results between the two sites; and the conclusions of this research. Results indicate that there was a greater prevalence of infant mortality at Corinth when compared to Paphos. Of those adults that could be aged, however, adults at Corinth lived longer. Stress, as evidenced by enamel hypoplasias, was more prevalent at Corinth, but dental caries were more prevalent at Paphos. Although cribra orbitalia, indicative of anemia, was present at both sites, porotic hyperostosis was identified only at Paphos, perhaps suggesting a different type of anemia at Paphos. Malaria and the thalassemias have been identified in modern times at both locales, but based upon the paleopathological results herein, there is no gross evidence of congenital hemolytic anemias at ancient Corinth. Assuming that the city was repopulated by local Greeks during the Roman period, it is hypothesized that at least up to this time, thalassemia was not a serious problem at Corinth as it likely was at ancient Paphos. Further molecular analyses could test this hypothesis.

A dental study of the adult human skeletal series (N = 225) from Grasshopper Pueblo in east-central Arizona is undertaken to address archaeological inferences on diet and stress. An intra-site research design is implemented to evaluate hypotheses on (1) dietary differences over time, between sexes and across space, and (2) differences in physiological stress over time, between sexes and across space at the pueblo. The dentitions are analyzed to collect data on caries, antemortem tooth loss, tooth wear, wear plane angles, alveolar recession and enamel hypoplasia. The teeth are partitioned along biological variables of sex and age, and dimensional variables of time period (early and late) and room block (RB1, RB2 and RB3). The diet/tooth usage results suggest that the diet during the late period at Grasshopper Pueblo was different than the diet during the early period. This is consistent with the inferred intensification of maize agriculture in the late period. In addition, female diets were different than male diets when placed in a temporal context. This is possibly associated with the inferred overexploitation of wild game that may have forced males to hunt farther from home during the late period. The childhood stress data indicate three key findings. First, males exhibited greater enamel hypoplasia frequencies than females. This is possibly associated with an inferred matrilineal-matrilocal social organization at Grasshopper in which female children may have been given preferential treatment. Second, Room Block 2 inhabitants exhibited the lowest frequencies of enamel hypoplasia. This is consistent with the inference that residents of Room Block 2 represent the founding population. Finally, late period inhabitants of Grasshopper Pueblo exhibited significantly greater enamel hypoplasia frequencies than the early period inhabitants. These results are consistent with the inference that life during the late period at Grasshopper was more stressful. The changes in diet and increases in physiological stress that are suggested by this dental study are most likely associated with the dynamics that ultimately led to the abandonment of this 14th-century 500 room pueblo.

This study examines several methodological issues pertaining to the application of isonymy techniques to a historical population located on the island of Guam in Micronesia. Since European contact the indigenous Chamorro population of Guam has undergone a series of precipitous population declines. The Spanish colonial administration imposed a dual surname system on the Chamorro. The surname information was compiled into a demographic database representing approximately 39,000 persons traced from late 19th century vital records. Analysis using the methods of isonymy was conducted on lineages established from the four parental surnames. Values were calculated from the progeny in the database, in effect focusing on the effective breeding population. Comparisons were made with inbreeding values obtained using other methods of surname analysis both for single and dual surname systems. In contrast to the paternal lineage, the values for the other lineages were influenced by their shallow temporal depth. The non-paternal lineages showed patterns of assortative mating reflecting choices of mate selection that have the potential to influence levels of inbreeding in the population.

The aim of this research was to investigate whether gastrointestinal parasite infections in colobus monkeys were more severe on humanized forest edges compared to non-humanized forest edges. I examined gastrointestinal parasites and fecal cortisol in red and black-and-white colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus; Colobus guereza) found in four habitat types in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Three parasite types were identified: Trichuris sp., stongyles, and Strongyloides sp. Results did not correspond to the expectation that humanized forest edges increase parasite infection; only two measures of parasite infection in the red colobus corresponded to this expectation. Results also did not correspond to the expectation that edge habitat causes an increase in parasite infection. Factors that may contribute to parasite infections are discussed and I concluded that broad classifications (e.g. “humanized”) may be too general to identify consistent differences in infections, as factors specific to each habitat and/or group may influence parasite infection. / Cette thèse a pour but d’examiner si les infections gastro-intestinales causées par des parasites chez les singes colobus sont plus sévères chez des individus à la frontière de la forêt près d’endroits habités ou à la frontière de la forêt loin des êtres humains. J’ai examiné des parasites gastro-intestinaux et le taux de cortisol dans les excréments de deux espèces de singes colobus, le colobus rouge (Procolobus rufomitratus) et le colobus noir et blanc (Colobus guereza), dans quatre types d’habitats différents au sein du Parc National de Kibale, en Ouganda, Afrique de l’est. Trois catégories de parasites furent identifiés: Trichuris sp., stongyles, et Strongyloides sp. Mes résultats ne supportent pas l’hypothèse de départ que la frontière de la forêt ayant une présence humaine plus élevée augmente le taux d’infection chez les singes colobus. En effet, deux mesure d’infection chez le colobus rouge confirme cette prédiction. De plus, l’hypothèse que les singes habitant la frontière de la forêt ont un taux d’infection plus élevé que les singes habitant l’intérieur de la forêt n’est pas supportée par cette étude. Il existe une énorme variété de facteurs qui influence les infections parasitaires dont je discute dans cette thèse. Je conclue que certaines classifications générales d’habitat comme « près des êtres humains » ne sont pas assez spécifiques afin de pouvoir identifier des différences constantes du taux d’infection parce que des facteurs spécifiques à chaque habitat ou groupe d’habitats peuvent influencer les infections parasitaires.

<p> The chin, or mentum osseum, is regarded as one of the most unique traits that differentiate modern humans from our earlier hominin ancestors and has received intense scrutiny by scholars for well over a century. Several hypotheses are currently being investigated by researchers in attempts to elucidate the nature of the origin and function of the chin, but none of these have been satisfactorily upheld. Additionally, there are debates about what defines the chin and whether it is variable amongst extant modern humans. In an attempt to study this problem in a novel way, the current study examines whether the chin is part of a morphologically integrated set of facial and cranial characteristics, as well as whether it is variable in a diverse sample of modern human skeletal remains. </p><p> The morphological integration of the mandible with the cranium has been scrutinized in recent investigations, and results have indicated that some morphological aspects of the mandible covary with the cranium. However, these studies do not evaluate the mentum osseum itself. The chin may be independent of integration with the rest of the skull, indicating that it is a feature that evolved in response to other pressures, such as sexual selection or biomechanical constraints. Conversely, if the mentum osseum is correlated to other measurements of the skull, the appearance of the chin in modern humans may have been a pleiotropic effect of selective forces acting to reduce facial prognathism. </p><p> A diverse modern human sample was analyzed in order to test the degree of correlation and variation found in the mentum osseum. Results indicate that the mentum osseum is not statistically correlated with the majority of measurements from the mandible and cranium and may be independent of any morphological integration. Additionally, the results further demonstrate that the mentum osseum is highly variable in modern human populations.</p>

<p> The study of teeth has been a central tenet in biological anthropology since the inception of the field. Teeth have been previously shown to have a high genetic component. The high heritability of teeth has allowed researchers to use them to answer a myriad of anthropological questions ranging from human origins to modern variation due to microevolution. Traditionally, teeth have been studied either morphologically, through the assignment of nonmetric character states, or metrically, through mesiodistal and buccolingual crown measures. Increasingly, geometric morphometric techniques are being used to answer anthropological questions, especially dentally. However, regardless of analytical technique utilized, the biological affinity of modern U.S. individuals has often been limited to examination under a forensic lens (classification of either American Asian, black, Hispanic, or white) without consideration of parent populations. The current study uses geometric morphometric techniques on human molars for two main goals: 1) to examine biological affinity of each of the four largest population groups in regard to population history; and 2) examine the variation within and among the four modern groups as a means of classification. </p><p> A total of 1,225 dentitions were digitized. Each of the four modern U.S. groups was compared to possible parental groups via discriminant function analysis (DFA). Additionally affinity was examined using Mahalanobis generalized distances (D²) wherein significance of distances between groups was calculated via permutation tests. Furthermore, the D² values were subjected to principal coordinate analysis, or classical multidimensional scaling, to visualize group similarity and dissimilarity. Each group demonstrated affinity with potential parental groups and geographically similar groups as expected given population histories; however, each was also significantly unique from the comparison groups. The four modern U.S. groups were then compared to one another using the same statistical tests. Total among-group correct classifications ranged from 33.9-55.5%, indicating a greater classification than random chance (25%). These classifications were negatively correlated with the reported intermarriage rates for each group: American whites and blacks have the lowest intermarriage rates, which resulted in the highest correct classifications. Conversely, American Asians and Hispanics have the highest intermarriage rates, which resulted in the lowest total correct classifications. Still, the DFA model created from the modern U.S. sample was able to accurately classify a holdout sample. Lastly, a comparison of the three most abundant groups in the U.S. (black, Hispanic, and white), achieved a total correct classification of 72.3%, which is comparable to other studies focusing on the same populations. Restricted gene flow through sociologically constructed barriers and positive assortative mating are the likely factors in the observed variation.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--The University of New Mexico, 2006. / (UMI)AAI3249841. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-01, Section: A, page: 0243. Adviser: Osbjorn M. Pearson.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Anthropology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 23, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4390. Adviser: Della C. Cook.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Anthropology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 23, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4390. Adviser: Frederika A. Kaestle.

An intervention designed to develop mental imagery skills was implemented in a primary school setting for children from grades 1 to 6. Children were separated into control and experimental groups and pre- and post-test measures were taken to determine the effects of the intervention on mental imagery ability. A self-report inventory, Kids Imagery Scale (KIS), and objective performance task, Ski Run Assessment Tool (Ski Run), were designed and administered to measure these effects. In addition, qualitative data collection was obtained from logging procedures during the intervention phase and questionnaires in post-test. Results showed significant improvement from experimental group children on the Ski Run scores but not on KIS scores. Qualitative analysis showed some indication of improved imagery ability of experimental group children. A secondary focus of the study examined the effects of the intervention on the mood and self-esteem of the children. The KISS Self-esteem Scale was designed and administered to measure change between groups and within groups. Though no significant improvement was realized, a significant correlation between self-esteem scores and KIS scores were found.