Comparative odontometry of the permanent post-canine dentition of American Whites and Negroes

The permanent post-canine teeth of American Whites and American Negroes of the New York City area were studied odontometrically. The mesio-distal and bucco-lingual dimensions of the crowns were measured, as was the total tooth height and crown height. The individual root lengths of these teeth were also measured, in several ways, as was root width. The mean total root volumes of these teeth was measured by a unique mercury displacement method. In another aspect of this study the mean angular divergence of the roots from a mid-coronal vertical plane was determined, while the robustness of these roots was described as a ratio between root width and length. Finally, an extensive comparison was made between our data and those in the literature on a number of African Negro populations. American Negro tooth crown and root dimensions and volumes were significantly different from those of American Whites only sporadically, although the Negro teeth usually tended to be larger. Our comparative data gave some indication that the size of both the maxillary and mandibular American negro teeth, as well as the shape of the mandibular (but not the maxillary) American Negro teeth are roughly intermediate between those of American Whites and South African Negroes. This suggestion that a “hybrid” population may possess intermediate values of crown index and of crown module is supported by our analysis of Hottentot-South African Negro hybrids with their presumptive parental stocks.     

Glyoxalase I polymorphism and racial admixture in the Cuban population

Summary The polymorphism of glyoxalase I (GLO I) was demonstrated in the three main racial groups (Caucasian, Mulattoes, and Negroes) of the Cuban population. The GLO I gene frequencies were used to estimate the relative contribution of Negro and Caucasian genes to the genetic makeup of these three groups.Banco de Sangre Provincial     

Parasitic deuteromycetes from South Brazil

Summary This paper deals with four new fungi from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.Phaeseptoria stenocalycis Batista, Upadhyay &Da Costa Netto, collected on leaves ofStenocalyx dasyblastus Bert. from Grammado,Phoma jasmino-macrospora Batista, Upadhyay &Da Costa Netto, collected on leaves ofJasminum flexicaule Vahl. from Pôrto Alegre,Melanconium argutidentis Batista, Upadhyay &Da Costa Netto, collected on leaves ofSebastiana argutidens Pex &K. Hoff from Grammado andCercospora caleifoleii Batista, Upadhyay &Da Costa Netto, collected on leaves ofCalea pinnatifida Banks from Pôrto Alegre are described here.Symptoms on the hosts and morphological characters of the fruitings and spores are described and illustrated.Publicação no 456 of IMUFP.     

Electrophoretic salivary genetic variation and patterns of dispersion in a Brazilian population

A total of 434 White and 148 Black persons from the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre were studied in relation to the Pr, Db, Pa, Ps and amylase electrophoretic salivary systems. Concomitantly, individual migration, parent-offspring and marital distances were recorded for these individuals, their spouses and ancestors. As far as these dispersion measures are concerned, White/Black and intergeneration differences were generally higher in the present study than in earlier ones, although the averages found this time were consistently lower than those observed before. The correlations between these measures indicated a higher degree of independence between generations than was previously inferred. In the genetic studies, 21 comparisons between the Porto Alegre distributions and those found in North American, European and African surveys yelded 7 significant differences. In general the allele frequencies in Porto Alegre show intermediate values between those found elsewhere among Blacks and Whites, suggesting admixture in these two racial segments of that city. Using previous estimates of such admixture the gene frequencies of the putative Porto Alegre parental populations were estimated and compared with present European and African results. Relatively large differences were observed for the Db⁺ andAmy ₁ ^E markers only. No significant associations were detected between the salivary phenotypes and the prevalences of caried, extracted and filled teeth.     

Blood polymorphisms and racial admixture in two Brazilian populations

One thousand individuals from the southern population of Porto Alegre and 760 from the northeastern city of Natal were studied in relation to 12 and 8 genetic systems, respectively. The data thus gathered were used in different ways to estimate quantitatively the ethnic composition of individuals from these communities. More than half of the genes present in individuals classified as Black in Porto Alegre may be of White origin, while the Whites from this city have 8% of African alleles. The estimated degree of admixture in persons identified as White or Mixed in Natal is not much different among themselves. The ancestry of the total sample can be characterized as 58% White, 25% Black, and 17% Indian.     

Ticks parasitizing reptiles in the Bahamas

Two species of reptile ticks, Amblyomma dissimile Koch and Amblyomma torrei Pérez Vigueras (Acari: Ixodidae), are reported from the Bahama Islands for the first time. The widespread neotropical (including the Caribbean and southern Florida) A. dissimile was recovered on Andros Island from three species of reptiles all for the first time: the Andros iguana Cyclura cychlura cychlura Cuvier, the Andros curly tail lizard Leiocephalus carinatus coryi Schmidt, and the Andros boa Epicrates striatus fowleri Sheplan and Schwartz. The iguana tick A. torrei, previously known only from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Cayman Islands, was recovered in the Exuma Islands from the Exuma iguana Cyclura cychlura figginsi Barbour. Mean numbers of ticks per host were as high as 36.6 on Mangrove Cay, Andros Island, and 25.8 on Pasture Cay in the Exuma Islands.     

Anterior femoral curvature: Its probable basis and utility as a criterion of racial assessment

Stewart ('62) and Walensky ('65) indicated that while the metrical expression of anterior femoral curvature alone will not always differentiate between Whites, American Negroes, and North American Indians, it was very useful as a racial criterion in combination with observed traits such as torsion, pilastry, and cross-sectional shape. Seven additional North American Indian groups reported here, representing both pre-Columbian and post-contact times, upheld the observation that anterior femoral curvature is a useful feature of racial assessment for Negroes, Whites and North American Indians. However, two South American groups studied (Ecuador and Peru) were only slightly more curved than American Negroes, and were less curved than Whites and North American Indians. The metrical expression of anterior femoral curvature therefore is not a useful feature of racial assessment for separating these two South American Indian groups from Whites and American Negroes. Femora of American Negro and White individuals with low ponderal indices were found to be less bowed than the norms for their race; individuals with high ponderal indices were more bowed than the norm for their race. The assumed genetic basis for expression of anterior femoral curvature suggested by Stewart ('62) and Walensky ('65) seems to be a feature of human plastic response to body weight rather than to temporal, clinal, postural or equestrian influences.     

Third molar agenesis in a trihybrid Brazilian population

The frequency of missing third molars is about eight per cent per quadrant in a sample of 490 males of the mixed White/Negro/Indian population of Natal, Brazil. Absence of the four third molars appears in two per cent of the individuals of the sample. The degree of asymmetry for the trait was not marked. No differences were observed when the persons were separated on morphological grounds as Whites or Negroids suggesting that these segregants may be genetically homogeneous in relation to this and other characteristics.     

Anatomical factors relative to the racial selectivity of femoral neck fracture

A comparative racial study of 200 femora from 50 American White and 50 American Negro female skeletons was carried out to determine whether any anatomical differences in femoral from exist between these groups which might account for the racial selectivity of hip fracture, Significant racial differences were found in neck-shaft angle, angle of inclination and oblique length. Negro females have longer femora, larger neck-shaft angles and a smaller angle of inclination than have White females. These differences in femoral morphology may, in some measure, contribute to the greater incidence of hip fracture in female Whites.     

Assessing conservation attitudes and behaviors of Congolese children neighboring the world's first bonobo (Pan paniscus) release site

Poaching and habitat destruction in the Congo Basin threaten African great apes including the bonobo (Pan paniscus), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and gorillas (Gorilla spp.) with extinction. One way to combat extinction is to reintroduce rescued and rehabilitated apes and repopulate native habitats. Reintroduction programs are only successful if they are supported by local populations. Ekolo ya Bonobo, located in Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is the world's only reintroduction site for rehabilitated bonobos. Here we assess whether children, of the Ilonga‐Pôo, living adjacent to Ekolo ya Bonobo demonstrate more pro‐ape conservation attitudes than children living in, Kinshasa, the capital city. We examined children's attitudes toward great apes because children are typically the focus of conservation education programs. We used the Great Ape Attitude Questionnaire to test the Contact Hypothesis, which posits that proximity to great ape habitat influences pro‐conservation attitudes toward great apes. Ilonga‐Pôo children who live in closer contact with wild bonobos felt greater responsibility to protect great apes compared to those in Kinshasa who live outside the natural habitat of great apes. These results suggest that among participants in the DRC, spatial proximity to a species fosters a greater sense of responsibility to protect and conserve. These results have implications for the successful implementation of great ape reintroduction programs in the Congo Basin. The data analyzed in this study were collected in 2010 and therefore provide a baseline for longitudinal study of this reintroduction site.     

Notches in the non-epiphyseal ends of the metacarpals and phalanges in children of four South African populations

The incidence of notches in the non-epiphyseal ends of the shafts of the metacarpals and phalanges was determined from radiographs of the left hand of 1,303 Pretoria school-children aged 6 to 11 years. The group included White, Negro, Coloured and Indian children. The notches represent vestiges of supernumerary epiphyses or pseudo-epiphyses. Notching of one or more of the metacarpals or phalanges was found in 88.9% of White children, 77.1% of Negro children, 84.3% of Coloured children and 78.8% of Indian children. Notches were most common in metacarpal I followed in declining order of frequency by metacarpal II, metacarpal V, middle phalanx V and proximal phalanx I. Notches were rare in other sites. The mean number of notches per subject was significantly higher in males than in females in all four population groups. However, the sex differences appear to be due mainly to earlier obliteration of notches in females. The findings in White children suggest that there is no significant relationship between metacarpal and phalangeal notching and skeletal maturation rate. Notches are significantly more common in Pretoria Whites than in relatively poorly nourished Pretoria Negro children. It is concluded that the occurrence of notches is a normal phenomenon accompanying the ossification of the hand skeleton and that notching is related neither to retardation in skeletal development nor to undernutrition.     

The secular trend in the diameter of the femur of American Whites and Negroes

The transverse diameter of the adult femur at the level of its mid-bicondylar length is related to length, age and year of birth in American White and Negro skeletons of both sexes of the Terry Collection. The coefficients of correlation between age at death and birth year are significant in all four sex-race groups, as are also the regression coefficients of transverse diameter on length and on age. The regression of length on age is negative and on birth year positive, although statistically significant only in the Negro male group. The partial regression coefficients of transverse diameter on length, on age, and on birth year, each eliminating the effects of the other two variables, are significant for length, not significant for age except in the Negro male group, and significant for birth year except in the Negro male group. Thus, the statistics of three of the sex-race groups do not support the hypothesis that transverse diameter of the femur increases with age, but rather suggest a negative secular trend; the apparent inconsistency in these findings of the Negro male group can, however, be considered insignificant from a statistical point of view.     

Sex and race differences in finger ridge-count correlations

Correlations between ridge-counts on the ten fingers were compared by race and sex in 11 samples representing Negroes and Caucasians: five from subsaharan Africa, one American Black, three European, one American White and one from India. The samples of European ancestry showed no consistent sex difference in mean correlation, although female American Whites significantly exceeded males. In three of the six Negro samples and in the Parsis of India males showed significantly higher average correlations than females. The pattern of sex and race differences suggests that the sex chromosomes, particularly the Y chromosome, play a role in dermal ridge development.     

Temporal patterns of citrus greasy spot‐induced defoliation of sweet orange cultivars in Brazil

Recôncavo Baiano is an area favourable for the occurrence of citrus greasy spot (CGS) (Mycosphaerella citri), but there has been no study of this pathosystem in Brazil. This work aimed to characterise the temporal patterns of CGS‐induced defoliation in sweet orange cultivars ‘Bahia’ (Washington Navel) and ‘Pêra’. Temperature, rainfall and relative humidity were recorded, as well as weekly defoliation (fallen leaves/canopy m² or m³). Considering the mean of fallen leaves per canopy m², and mean canopy area, the total annual defoliation was estimated to be around 32 000 leaves per plant for ‘Bahia’ and 18 500 for ‘Pêra’ sweet orange. Spectral density analysis showed that defoliation has a 5‐week‐long main cycle for both cultivars. The proportion of symptomatic fallen leaves was never below 0.97. The monthly number of fallen leaves per canopy area was positively correlated with the mean CGS incidence on leaves. Defoliation was significant, resulting in a low leaf density throughout the year. Many defoliation cycles and the very high proportion of symptomatic fallen leaves assure a constant inoculum supply. Based on these results, CGS cannot be considered a minor disease, at least in Recôncavo Baiano.     

The Culture of Poverty: An Adjustive Dimension

The "Moynihan controversy" concerning the existence of a subculture of poverty among the Negro poor has been marked by polar positions. There are those who feel that much of the "deviant behavior" of this group is actually normative and transmitted in the socialization process. Others maintain that such behavior is not normative and represents merely situational responses to extreme poverty and other forms of deprivation. The data in this paper, derived from interviews with a sample of the Negro population of Philadelphia, indicate that Negroes living in poverty hold attitudes that can be characterized as a "subculture of poverty." On the other hand, the data also suggest that such attitudes represent but one segment of the total range of attitudes and reference values held by this population, many of which are shared by the larger society. Furthermore, the evidence indicates that these attitudes serve to maintain the mental health of those living in a severely disadvantaged social situation. [deviant behavior, Negro, poverty]     

The Seminole Indians of Florida: morphology and serology

The Seminole Indians of Florida were studied on their three reservations for blood types, red cell enzymes, serum proteins, physical measurements, and relationships. Both serologic and morphologic factors suggest their close similarity to other Indians and small amount of admixture. The Florida Seminoles are similar to Cherokee “full-bloods” in their absence of Rho and their incidence of O and M. In the presence of Di^a they are similar to other Indians, especially those of South America. While the presence of G-6-P-D A and the frequency of Hgb. S are indicative of Negro ancestry, the absence of Rho suggests that the Negro contribution must have been small. Physical traits give parallel results. Both serology and morphology further show that the Seminoles of the Dania and Big Cypress reservations are more similar to each other than to those of the Brighton reservation, in keeping with their history.     

An evaluation of race and sex identification from cranial measurements

A total of 104 adult human crania (95 American Indian and 9 Labrador Eskimo) are used in this evaluation of a discriminant functional analysis for determining race and sex from eight cranial measurements. The methods used are those given by Giles and Elliot ('62). The study shows that non-deformed American Indian crania are racially misclassified as American White and Negro in 35.6% of the cases when using this metrical method. Deformed Indian crania are racially misclassified 60.0% and 4.4% of the time as White and Negro respectively. The determination of sex on male crania, regardless of deformation, is as accurate as, or better than, the visual method of identification. The female crania, however, are shown to be incorrectly sexed in nearly 50% of the cases, with one non-deformed group (Palus) running as high as 80.0%. This evaluation suggests, therefore, that discriminant functional analyses for race and / or sex determinations are not applicable to problems of human identification unless the crania are from that population on which these functions were established.     

Shortened fifth medial phalanges

A radiographic study was made of the left fifth medial phalanges of 200 Philadelphia Negro and 96 Chinese children. Twelve cases of abnormal shortening of this bone (defined, for the present, as less than half the length of the fourth medial phalanx) were found in the Chinese sample, while none were found in the Negroes. This trait, brachymesophalangy 5, in general seems to be characterized by short but well proportioned diaphyses and cone-shaped epiphyses with very early union. Population surveys reported in the literature indicate that this trait is considerably more common in Mongoloid and American Indian populations than in Whites or Negroes. The mode of inheritance of this genetic trait is uncertain, but present evidence indicates that it may be a simple autosomal recessive.     

Niger-Congo speaking populations and the formation of the Brazilian gene pool: mtDNA and Y-chromosome data

We analyzed sequence variation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable segment I (HVS-I) from 201 Black individuals from two Brazilian cities (Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre), and compared these data with published information from 21 African populations. A subset of 187 males of the sample was also characterized for 30 Y-chromosome biallelic polymorphisms, and the data were compared with those from 48 African populations. The mtDNA data indicated that respectively 69% and 82% of the matrilineages found in Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre originated from West-Central/Southeast Africa. These estimates are in close agreement with historical records which indicated that most of the Brazilian slaves who arrived in Rio de Janeiro were from West-Central Africa. In contrast to mtDNA, Y-chromosome haplogroup analysis did not allow discrimination between places of origin in West or West-Central Africa. Thus, when comparing these two major African regions, there seems to be higher genetic structure with mtDNA than with Y-chromosome data.     

Color and morphological characteristics of the skin in people of different racial groups

A complex colorimetric, spectrometric and morphological research of race-dependent differences in skin colour and structure has been carried out. Certain regularities in the quantity, distribution and morphological composition of melanin-containing structures and Hb pigment have been revealed in the Russians, Vietnamese, Angolans and Mulattoes. The study has shown that sex differences in skin color depend on hemoglobin concentration--in people of the Caucasian race; both on melanin and hemoglobin concentration--in people of the Mongolian race and only on melanin concentration--in people of the Negroid race.