Revisiting historical Khoe-San skeletal remains in European collections: A search for identity through craniometric analysis

As the identity of a large number of Khoe-San skeletal material in European collections recently came into question during its documentation, a re-evaluation of the remains by employing a non-invasive method such as craniometrics was done to investigate the biological affinity. For this purpose, gene flow and population diversity present within the group, as well as between the study sample (N = 63) and other modern and historic population groups from southern, central and east Africa were explored. Available comparative groups included the historic Khoe-San from Riet River (N = 31), the Sotho-Tswana from southern Africa (N = 61), the Basuku from central Africa (N = 66) and the Bahutu (N = 53) and Teita (N = 24) from east Africa. Ten craniometric variables were selected and used to perform population structure analysis based on model bound quantitative genetics and multiple discriminant function analysis (MDA). Quantitative genetic distances revealed that the Khoe-San sample was closest to the Riet River group. Residual variance analysis performed on two-sample subsets of the Khoe-San group (Cape KS and Various KS) showed a higher level of heterogeneity in the Cape KS than seen in the Khoe-San from various other areas in southern Africa. MDA revealed that Khoe-San intra-sample variance is relatively high, with 44% of the sample (sexes pooled) classified into the Riet River group. The remaining individuals were classified (in decreasing order) into Bahutu (24%), Basuku (24%) and Sotho-Tswana (8%). Although the Khoe-San specimens are closest to the Riet River group, they are clearly not homogenous. Their high level of phenotypic diversity most likely originated from a complex population history involving many group interactions driven by social and political marginalization.     

中国东北地带性顶极植被类型及其预测判别模型——动态地植物学说的继承与发展(Ⅰ)

本文根据刘慎谔的动态地植物学说原理,采用主成分分析法(PCA)和多组判别分析法(MGDA)研究了东北地区地带性顶极植被类型与气候指标的关系:1)以东北地区210个气象站的7个气象因子为变量,组成210×7矩阵,用PCA方法进行分类和排序,其结果明显划分7个地带性顶极植被类型,2)影响地带性顶极植被类型的形成和分布的气候因子,主要是热量和水分条件以及二者的组合状况;3)确定了7个地带性顶极植被类型的水热指数分布范围和特征;4)采用MGDA法建立了判别函数模型,预测了东北地区地带性顶极植被类型,其准确率可达90.32％。     

Temporal variation in prehistoric Nubian crania

Much of the earlier work on the prehistory of Sudanese Nubia has emphasized discontinuity between early Nubian populations. However, recent investigations suggest the converse - that a remarkable degree of cultural and biological continuity exists among indigenous Nubian groups, perhaps as far back as the Paleolithic. Thus, cultural and biological differences between Nubian populations can be most effectively perceived as the result of in situ evolutionary development. The present analysis has two major purposes: (1) to describe the morphological differences in the craniofacial complex between indigenous Nubian populations extending from the A-Group (c. 3,400 B.C.) through the Christian (c. 1,500 A.D.) horizons; and (2) to account for these differences within an evolutionary framework. The multiple discriminant analysis of radiographically derived variables revealed a trend from a substantially lower and more elongated cranial vault to a shorter and taller vault throughout the almost 5,000 year time span. Associated with this pattern was a tendency for the face to become more inferiorly-posteriorly located with respect to the vault in the latter groups. Finally, the masseter and temporalis muscles underwent a reduction and slight relocation through time. We speculate that this trend may be associated with behavioral changes associated with transition from a hunting and gathering to a totally agricultural subsistence pattern.     

Prediction of macrofungal occurrence in Swedish beech forests from soil and litter variable models

The spatial distribution of 49 macrofungal species in Swedish beech forests was related to the statistical variation in 31 edaphic variables. In order to reduce the multicollinearity problem, the variables were transformed into eight principal components, PCs, which are used in two-group discriminant analysis (on absence/presence patterns) and multiple regression analysis (on number of fruit-bodies). The results suggested that base saturation and organic matter content are of outstanding importance. However, significant relationships were also found with other variables, i.e. Cd or Zn in soil and litter, soil nitrogen mineralization rate, and Na or S in litter. One interesting interpretation of the results is that fungi do not only respond to the main variables of a gradient (soil pH, organic mater, base saturation) but also to other variables. Attempts were made to interpret the PCs to characterize fungal occurrence from the models they formed.     

Relating new information to a previous vegetation classification: a case of discriminant coordinates analysis

Discriminant coordinates analysis is an adequate technique for analyzing the linear relationships between a number of new variates (i.e. environmental or functional attributes) and a set of vegetational attributes already summarized in the form of a classification. It displays the principal differences among classes in relation to the new variates considered. The procedure and its rationale are equivalent to a special case of principal components analysis.A case study on radiometer satellite data is presented. Two discriminant coordinates displayed the main differences in the seasonal dynamics of the NDVI (an index of standing green biomass) among broad phytogeo-graphic units in the Patagonia region. The first coordinate can be interpreted as an index of height and convexity of the NDVI seasonal curve. It suggests that the principal difference among regions was the total seasonal growth. The second coordinate represents a contrast that discriminated between two already detected patterns of seasonal NDVI curve.Abbreviations DC Discriminant Coordinate - NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index     

Correlation between soil characters and forest types: a study in multiple discriminant analysis

Multiple discriminant analysis is a useful multivariate technique in vegetation studies that can be employed for several purposes, even if the underlying statistical assumptions are not satisfied. An example of application of this method is discussed: multiple discriminant analysis was successfully used for evaluating the predictivity of forest types defined by numerical classification of vegetation data with respect to soil variables.Species nomenclature follows Pignatti (1982) for vascular plants and Augier (1966) for mosses.The research has been supported by the IDROSER (Bologna, Italy) and by the Italian C. N. R. (Grant no. 83.02548.04, resp. Prof. A. Pirola). We wish to thank Prof. E. Feoli, Prof. E. van der Maarel, Prof. L. Orlóci and Prof. A. Pirola for suggestions. We are also indebted to Dr N. Filippi who analyzed the soil samples.     

Two-Group Classification when Both Groups are Mixtures of Normals

In this paper we consider a two-group discriminant analysis problem where each group is a mixture of two subgroups. Based upon data from a clinical study of alcohol involvement and diseases, simulation experiments were performed for three different configurations of means and covariance matrices. Expected actual non-error rates are estimated for the linear, quadratic, and kernel discriminant functions for sample sizes 30, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200. A conclusion of the article is that the kernel discriminant function performs as well as or better than quadratic discriminant function. However, the linear discriminant function was clearly inferior to either the quadratic or kernel discriminant functions.     

Two classification methods for developing and interpreting productivity zones using site properties

Crop performance is often shown as areas of differing grain yield. Many producers utilize simple GIS color ramping techniques to produce visual yield maps with delineated clusters. However, a more quantitative approach such as an unsupervised clustering procedure is generally used by scientists since it is much less arbitrary. Intuitively the yield clusters are due to soil and terrain properties, but there is no clear criterion for the delineation. We compared the effectiveness of two delineation or classification procedures: quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) and k-nearest neighbor discriminant analysis (k-NN) for the study of how yield temporal patterns relate to site properties. This study used three production fields, one in Monticello, IL, and two in Centralia, MO. Clusters were defined using maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) yield from three seasons. The k-NN had greater and more consistent successful classification rates than did QDA. Classification success rate varied from 0.465 to 0.790 for QDA while the k-NN classification rate varied from 0.794 to 0.874. This shows that areas of certain temporal yield patterns correspond to areas of specific site properties. Although profiles of site properties differ by crop and production field, areas of consistent low maize yield had greater shallow electrical conductivity (EC_shallow), than those of consistent high maize yield. Furthermore, areas of consistent high soybean yield had lower soil reflectance than those areas of consistent low yields.     

Contribution to the taxonomic status of the Chinese rats Niviventer confucianus and N. fulvescens

The status of Niviventer confucianus and N. fulvescens as separate species or color variants of the same species has been debated for a long time. A detailed study of 157 specimens (119 N. confucianus and 34 N. fulvescens) collected 1937/1938 in Fukien, South East China, was conducted in order to shed more light on the taxonomic status of the two taxa. Because all measured skull parameters strongly correlate with age, age classes were formed on the basis of tooth wear. Student's t-tests for differences between N. confucianus and N. fulvescens were performed using age-independent unstandardized residuals. These were derived from linear regressions of each measured parameter against age class. Statistical significant differences between the taxa were revealed in residuals based on interorbital constriction, length and width of incisive foramen, length of bulla, diastema, width of rostrum and width of nasal. Discriminant analysis using the unstandardized residuals shows a clear separation between N. confucianus and N. fulvescens on the basis of the first discriminant function mainly influenced by interorbital width and length of incisive foramen. Additionally, qualitative morphological differences in the skulls are described, concerning the anterior rim of the zygomatic plate, the mandible and the maxillary teeth. The differences in outer morphology including the brighter, more reddish and more shiny pelage of N. fulvescens, white tail tip occurring in N. confucianus only, the relatively longer tail in N. confucianus, and the higher frequency of a fulvous marking on the chest in N. confucianus are supported.     

贺兰山马鹿冬春季生境的选择

2007年12月～2008年1月和2008年4～5月,在贺兰山利用痕迹检验法和直接观察法对马鹿阿拉善亚种冬春季生境选择进行研究.通过在选定的15条沟段里进行调查,冬春季各测定了131个和181个样方的18种生态因子.结果表明,冬春季贺兰山马鹿在植被类型、优势乔木、灌木密度、灌木高度、灌木距离、坡向、坡位、海拔高度、距裸岩距离和隐蔽级10种生态因子上差异极显著(P ＜ 0.001),其余生态因子无显著差异(P ＜ 0.05),相对于冬季生境而言,马鹿春季更偏爱选择以油松和青海云杉为优势乔木的山地针叶林带,灌木密度大、高度高、距离近,半阴半阳坡的中坡位,海拔较高,距裸岩较近,隐蔽程度高的生境.典则判别系数显示冬春季马鹿在生境选择上存在一定程度的重叠,但春季马鹿的分布范围要比冬季更广一些,Wilk's λ值显示冬春季马鹿的生境选择具有较高的差异性(Wilk's λ = 0.683,x2 = 116.995,df = 13,P ＜ 0.001).逐步判别分析表明在区分冬春季马鹿生境方面有一系列生态因子发挥作用,依照贡献值的大小依次为:乔木密度、灌木距离、坡度、海拔高度、距水源距离、距裸岩距离和隐蔽级,由这7个变量构成的方程对冬春季马鹿生境的正确区分率达到79.9%,其中对春季的误判率为22.1%,对冬季的误判率为20.6%.     

凡纳滨对虾各月龄性状的主成分与判别分析

为了研究凡纳滨对虾各性状增长规律和判定最佳生长季节凡纳滨对虾的体格与月龄的关系,选择1～6月龄凡纳滨对虾各1000只,选择全长、体长、第一腹节背高、第三腹节背高、第一腹节背宽、头胸甲长和体重共7个性状,进行主成分与判别分析.结果表明:各月龄凡纳滨对虾性状之间均呈现显著的正相关(P<0.01), 其中以全长与体长的相关性最为明显,1月龄凡纳滨对虾体重与形态性状的相关系数较小.各月龄凡纳滨对虾的主成分有所不同,1～2月龄凡纳滨对虾的第一主成分为长度因子,第二主成分为宽度因子,第三主成分为高度因子;3月龄凡纳滨对虾的第一主成分与1～2月龄凡纳滨对虾一致,但第二主成分为高度因子,第三主成分为体重因子;4～6月龄凡纳滨对虾的第一主成分为体重因子,第二主成分为高度因子,第三主成分为宽度因子.1～3月龄凡纳滨对虾形态性状的增长优先于体重, 4～6月龄凡纳滨对虾体重优先于形态性状的增长.错过最佳生长季节的凡纳滨对虾的与体格大小相符的月龄可通过建立的判别式来判断,总的判别准确率为98.98%,其中2～4月龄凡纳滨对虾的判别准确率为100%.     

The influence of phytoplankton composition on the relative effectiveness of grinding and sonification for chlorophyll extraction

The chlorophyll recovery efficiency was compared between control, ground, and sonified samples. The results showed significant improvement between control and ground samples but not between control and sonified samples. Neither prolonging time of sonification nor using an ice bath during filter grinding improved efficiency. Higher chlorophyll a recovery was obtained from ground samples than from sonified ones, when the water samples contained centric diatoms and filamentous blue-green algae. When total phytoplankton numbers were high, there was a distinct advantage in using grinding rather than sonification for chlorophyll c recovery.Contribution no. 313 of the Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan.Contribution no. 313 of the Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan.     

马麝年龄指标的判别分析

利用马麝(Moschus chrysogaster)头骨度量的28项指标,通过判别分析建立其种群年龄结构的判别函数,为保护其种群提供了理论依据。