Optimum onset period for training based on maximum peak velocity of height by wavelet interpolation method in Japanese high school athletes

The Wavelet Interpolation Method (WIM) was applied to the longitudinal records of individuals' heights and weights from 6 to 17 years of age (1983 to 1994) in an athlete group (male: 45, female: 50) and a control group (male: 85, female: 85). The criterion of maturity was derived from age at Maximum Peak Velocity (MPV) of height in the control group. Ages at MPV of height and weight were compared between the athletes and control subjects. The WIM was also applied to mean heights from 6.5 to 17.5 years of all the subjects classified by maturation rate in order to derive a model of growth velocity types.Among the athletes, the males were early-maturing and the females tended to be late-maturing. The difference between the ages at MPV of height and weight in males and females was less in the athletes group than in the control group. For the growth velocity model, in the athlete group, three types could be confirmed among the males, and five among the females. By making use of the type models, it was possible to clarify the spans of adolescence as classified by maturation rates, and it was concluded that the period following the age at MPV seems appropriate for the introduction of regular athletic training for each level of maturity.     

Changes in the sexual dimorphism of the human mandible during the last 1200 years in Central Europe

According to many investigations, changes in mandibular morphology can occur synchronously with changes in the environment, and sexual dimorphism of the mandible can be influenced by the environment. Sexual dimorphism during the last 1200 years was evaluated using geometric morphometric analysis of virtual cranial models. The method of geometric morphometrics allows differences in size and shape to be assessed separately. We analyzed groups of adult individuals dating to Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, Early Modern Ages and from a modern Czech population (21st century). Significant sexual dimorphism in mandibular size was found in all populations. A trend in the sexual dimorphism of size was seen, with differences between the sexes increasing gradually over time. Size changes in female mandibles were a better reflection of environmental conditions and climate than size changes in male mandibles. Regarding changes in the sexual dimorphism of shape, significant dimorphism was found in all four samples. However, the pattern of mandibular shape dimorphism was different and varied considerably between samples. There was only one stable shape trait showing sexual dimorphism across all four samples in our study: the gonion lies more laterally in male than in female mandibles and male mandibles are relatively wider than female mandibles. Sexual dimorphism of shape is not influenced by the climate; instead sexual selection might play a role. This research supports earlier studies that have found that the degree and pattern of sexual dimorphism is population-specific and the factors regulating sexual dimorphism today may not be the same as those in the past.     

Harris lines in the prehispanic population of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands)

Harris lines were assessed in 194 right tibiae of prehispanic inhabitants of Gran Canaria, belonging to 52 adult females and 123 adult males. No Harris lines were detected in 45 (23%) of the adult individuals (13 females (25%) and 26 males (21%), these differences being not statistically significant. Female tibiae showed a slightly lower mean number of Harris lines at the distal end than male ones (1,692±1.681 in females vs 1.91±1.825 in males). Ages at which Harris lines were formed showed two peaks, a major one at the age of 1 year, and another between 15 and 16 years in males and between 11–12 and 14–15 years in females. Harris lines were more frequently observed at the distal than at the proximal end of the bone. The relative low number of lines detected in our population when compared with the high prevalence of osteoporosis among the adult population of this island is striking.     

Demographic trends and biological status of historic populations from Central Poland: the Ostrów Lednicki microregion

The microregion of Ostrów Lednicki in the province of Wielkopolska was the center of the formation of the Polish State in Early Middle Ages. The analysis of skeletal remains and parish records from the region documented the biological status of inhabitants and its changes over a millennium. The study material comprised 424 human skeletons from an Early Medieval burial ground on Lake Lednica, records of 2,704 deaths from the registers of the Roman Catholic parish of Dziekanowice, made between 1818-1903, data on the deaths of 929,192 inhabitants of rural areas all over the province Wielkopolska obtained from Prussian statistical materials for the years 1865-1900, and comparative data from the literature. Assuming both a stationary population model and a stable population model with nonzero natural increase, parameters of life tables and measures of opportunity for natural selection (Crow's index I(m), potential gross reproductive rate R(pot), and the biological state index I(bs)) were calculated for the Early Middle Ages and for the two periods of the 19th century which were characterized by different laws of land ownership and thus different rural economies. In the first period, peasants were tenants, whereas in the second, they were given freehold of the land they cultivated. Causes of death were also analyzed. A distinct increase in longevity from the early Middle Ages to the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century was found. This was related to a higher level of demographic development in the parish of Dziekanowice during the 19th century, which was achieved earlier than in other areas of Poland. This was confirmed by genetic measures: coefficients of exogamy and coefficients of kinship. The reasons were related to the historical prominence of this region and to its proximity to the first two capitals of the Polish state, Gniezno and Poznań.     

Divergence in Male and Female Manipulative Behaviors with the Intensification of Metallurgy in Central Europe

Humeral morphology has been shown to reflect, in part, habitual manipulative behaviors in humans. Among Central European agricultural populations, long-term social change, increasing task specialization, and technological innovation all had the potential to impact patterns of habitual activity and upper limb asymmetry. However, systematic temporal change in the skeletal morphology of agricultural populations in this region has not been well-characterized. This study investigates diachronic patterns in humeral biomechanical properties and lengths among 174 adult Central European agriculturalists through the first ∼5400 years of farming in the region. Greater asymmetry in biomechanical properties was expected to accompany the introduction of metallurgy, particularly in males, while upper limb loading patterns were expected to be more similar between the Bronze and Iron Ages. Results revealed a divergence in the lateralization of upper limb biomechanical properties by sex between the Early/Middle Neolithic and Early/Middle Bronze Age. Neolithic females had significantly more variable properties than males in both humeri, while Bronze Age female properties became homogeneous and very symmetrical relative to the right-biased lateralization of contemporaneous males. The Bronze Age to Iron Age transition was associated with morphological change among females, with a significant increase in right-biased asymmetry and a concomitant reduction in sexual dimorphism. Relative to biomechanical properties, humeral length variation and asymmetry were low though some significant sexual dimorphism and temporal change was found. It was among females that the lateralization of humeral biomechanical properties, and variation within them, changed most profoundly through time. This suggests that the introduction of the ard and plow, metallurgical innovation, task specialization, and socioeconomic change through ∼5400 years of agriculture impacted upper limb loading in Central European women to a greater extent than men.     

Dermatoglyphic characteristics of a population from the central Rhodopes (south Bulgaria)

The finger and palmar prints of a total of 386 individuals (182 males and 204 females) at an age between 10 and 18 years from the region of the villages Petkovo and Banite, situated along the river Malka Arda in the Central Rhodopes, were studied. The following dermatoglyphic traits were analyzed: pattern intensity index (PII), the main line or Cummin's index (MLI), the frequencies of the proximal palmar triradius (t), the true hypothenar patterns (Hy) and the accessory interdigital triradii (AIT). The specific dermatoglyphic complexes after Heet were also determined for the population under study. A peculiarity of this population is the appearance of a clearly expressed Eastern Complex (EC), which accounts for 53.1% in the males and for 48.8% in the females. These values of EC and the calculated dermatoglyphic distances (DD) after Heet show a similarity between the examined population and a number of populations from the Volga region, Northern Caucasus, Middle Asia and Siberia. This similarity could be explained with the preservation of the genetic heritage of the proto-Bulgarians, one of the three main components of the modern Bulgarians.     

A skeletochronological study of age, growth and longevity in a population of the frog Rana ridibunda from southern Europe

Age at sexual maturity and longevity in a population of Rana ridibunda from north-eastern Greece were studied by skeletochronology performed on the phalanges. Analysis of the age structure was based on counting the lines of arrested growth (LAGs). Sexual maturity for both sexes arises during the first year or after the first hibernation. Ages ranged from 1 to 5 years (mean=2.96) among 52 males and from 1 to 5 years (mean=3.73) among 56 females. The mean snout-vent length was 69.03+/-12.6mm in males and 82.38+/-13.27 mm in females. The difference between the sexes in age and size was significant. Growth of individuals was fitted on? The von Bertalanffy model. The growth coefficient (K) was 0.57 in males and 0.54 in females, mainly due to faster male growth between metamorphosis and maturation.     

A three-thousand-year history of vegetation and human impact in Burgundy (France) reconstructed from pollen and non-pollen palynomophs analysis

This article presents a 241 cm long sediment record documenting the vegetation history using pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs recovered from the Fénay marsh in Burgundy (Dijon area - France). The pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) record largely reflects intensive human influence (clearing, cultivation and grazing) on the surrounding area from the Late Bronze Age and Hallstatt period. La Tène period is marked by drier conditions and a substantial increase in Alnus. During the Gallo-Roman period, high values of Alnus decrease to the benefit of Quercus. In the Early Middle Ages (5th-10th C), the swamp becomes a temporary pond and Cerealia type and Secale are cultivated in this very open landscape. During the Late Middle Ages (13th-15th C), the temporary pond is transformed into a larger and deeper pond, used by the Cistercians for hydraulic power and perhaps as a hemp-retting pit. By the end of the 16th C, the pond had dried out and was used for the cultivation of cereal.     

Seroepidemiologic study of herpes simplex virus type 2 and cytomegalovirus among young adults in northern Jordan

Blood samples were randomly collected from 360 males and 390 females among apparently healthy university students aged 18-24 years and tested for herpes virus type 2 (HSV-2) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies. The prevalence of HSV-2 seropositivity was 52.8% for males and 41.5% for females as detected by ELISA. On the other hand, the prevalence of CMV seropositivity was 75.6% in males and 77.2% in females. The high percentage of seropositivity in our study is most probably due to the crowded living and low socioeconomic status of the Jordan population. The higher prevalence in males could be due to the way of life in the Middle East that gives males the freedom to play outdoors more than females.     

Results of osteologic studies of medieval pediatric skeletons with special reference to the population of Anatolia

Causes and frequency of diseases during childhood in populations of the Middle Ages were studied. The infant skeletons of ten populations from Central Europe and Anatolia were examined by macroscopical, radiological, endoscopical, histological, and scanning-electron microscopical techniques. Because only little is known about Anatolian populations, more attention was paid to the Byzantine populations. The infant skeletons are very well preserved. Therefore, the morbidity and the mortality could be studied in detail. The following disorders were diagnosed: anemia, C-avitaminosis, D-avitaminosis, osteomyelitis, meningitis-meningoencephalitis, otitis media and mastoiditis, perisinusitis, inflammation of the cavum nasi, inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, stomatitis, periodontal diseases, caries, pleuritis, trauma, and malformations. The frequency of diseases and the mortality depended on the type and the intensity of particular external life conditions. These may have been quite different in several social groups of the same population. In summary, these studies provide new information on the etiology and the epidemiology of diseases during childhood in the Middle Ages.     

Difference in age,growth, and sexual demography of black‐spot tuskfish,Choerodon schoenleinii (Valenciennes, 1839), in two adjacent populations,Ryukyu Archipelago,southern Japan

To better understand the plasticity of life history traits in the blackspot tuskfish, Choerodon schoenleinii (Valenciennes, 1839), the characteristics of the population around the Yaeyama Islands (24°N, 124E) were examined and compared to those around Okinawajima Island (26°N, 128E) that had been investigated in a previous study. Age and growth of the Yaeyama population were examined based on 103 specimens collected at fish markets between 2006 and 2016. Specimens included 83 females (25.2–69.0 cm total length [TL]), and 20 males (43.1–71.8 cm TL). Ages determined from sectioned otoliths ranged from 1–9 for females, and 4–15 for males. Values for von Bertalanffy growth functions were L_t = 74.2 {1?exp[?0.23 (t + 0.38)]}, and the growth of the Yaeyama population was significantly faster than that of the previously studied population. Sexual demography of the two populations was compared using body length data on landings measured at the fish markets. In the Yaeyama population, females and males ranged from 24–65 cm TL and 39–75 cm TL, respectively; length at 50% individual sex change size was estimated at 54.7 ± 0.56 cm (±95% C.I.). In contrast, in the Okinawajima population, females and males ranged from 16–65 cm TL and 30–75 cm TL, respectively; meanwhile, 50% sex change size was estimated to be 50.0 ± 0.25 cm. There were thus significant differences in the size at sex change between the two populations. This difference may be related to the difference in population density between the sites.     

中国克木人的体质特征

本文调查了我国克木人285例(男为141例,女为144例)的体质特征,计算出9项观察项目的出现率,58项测量项目的均数和标准差、31项指数值和分型情况,并与我国31个群体的体质特征进行了比较,得出我国克木人的体质特征为:蒙古褶出现率低,男为31.21%,女为32.64%;上眼睑皱褶出现率高,男为90.33%,女为93.75%;鼻根高度中等型出现率最高,男为65.96%,女为47.22%;鼻翼高度多为中等;耳垂多为三角型;上唇皮肤部高度多为中等型;发色多为黑色;眼色多为褐色;肤色多为黄色;圆头型、高头型、阔头型、狭鼻型、中躯干型、中胸型出现率最高;男性狭面型、亚长腿型、宽肩型、中骨盆型出现率最高;女性的阔面型、中腿型、中肩型、宽骨盆型出现率最高;男性身高均数为160.2cm,女身高均数为151.5cm,属亚中等身材;克木人男性与女性均具有生活在我国南方的人群的体质特征。     

On reconstructing the (once) living population from osteological age data

It is shown how the sex and age distribution of the (once) living population can be calculated from estimated mortalities. Fertility calculations and estimations of the number of children per woman are provided as well. The method is applied to two materials from the Middle Ages: Westerhus and Helgeandsholmen.     

Hypothyroidism in reproductively inhibited prairie deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdi) from laboratory populations

Several thyroid function parameters were compared between reproductively inhibited prairie deer mice of both sexes taken from laboratory populations and corresponding reproductively capable controls. The results of these experiments indicated the following: 1) prairie deer mice females had a statistically significant daily variation in mean serum thyroxine concentration and males displayed a similar trend; 2) total serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine were significantly lower in both male and female reproductively inhibited population animals compared with reproductively capable controls; 3) several morphometric characteristics of the thyroid of male and female population prairie deer mice were significantly different from that of control males and females, suggesting functional hypothyroidism in both sexes; 4) thyroid histology of male population deer mice was different from that of female population animals. In males, the data suggested that thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulation was deficient due to some undetermined secondary hypothyroidism. In females, reduced serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations were observed due to primary hypothyroidism of unknown origin. The interrelationship between thyroid and adrenal function is discussed here and it is concluded that each of the systems may contribute to the observed reproductive inhibition. In particular, it was noted that the mechanism of response between population males and females may be quite different. No conclusive data are available to suggest whether one or the other system is the primary controller of the reproductive inhibition.     

Bio-cultural effects in medieval populations

Male skeletons from medieval archaeological sites are analysed to assess differences in stature and body proportions related to the bio-cultural environment, such as social, economic, and health factors. Environmental factors, such as climate change in the course of the Middle Ages, did not have statistically significant effect on body proportions in these samples. The results show a relationship between bio-cultural factors and physique in the analysed populations that indicate stunted growth in height and weight in a leprosarium population with a low socio-economic and health status. A high-status monastic population is characterised by a stocky build, i.e., increased weight for height and relatively shorter limbs, while a medieval parish population has a linear build, i.e., relatively long limbs for height and decreased weight for height. These characteristics, relative weight for height and relative limb length, changed during the course of the Middle Ages, as did stature.     

Antennal sensilla and sexual dimorphism of the adult ladybird beetle Semiadalia undecimnotata Schn. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

The antennal receptors of the adult male and female ladybird beetle, Semiadalia undecimnotata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Twelve types of receptors were characterized and grouped into 5 morphological classes: Böhm, trichoid, coeloconic, basiconic, and chetiform sensilla. Sensory function was determined on the basis of sensillar ultrastructure and electrophysiological response. Olfactory sensilla are confined in both sexes to the 2 terminal antennal segments. In contrast, gustatory and mechanosensitive organs are present along the entire length of the antennae. Sexual dimorphism of antennal receptors is limited to the latter 2 functional classes. The principal characteristics of this dimorphism are the following: a) males possess 540 sensilla (all types), while females possess only 500; b) males exhibit 2 types of taste receptors not present in females; c) females exhibit one type of mechanoreceptor absent in males; d) the 3 sex-specific types of sensilla, which occupy the same position in males and females, are confined to the inner side of the antennae. The possible role of male-specific sensilla in intersexual communication is discussed.     

The influence of urine from asymptotic laboratory populations on sexual maturation in prairie deermice

Male and female prairie deermice housed singly from weaning (21 days) until 40 days of age had urine from one of the following sources applied daily to their nostrils: sexually mature laboratory population males or females, and sexually mature breeder males or females from our laboratory colony. Other males and females were treated with water. Records were obtained of the weights of the tests, seminal vesicles and bacula of males and the ovaries and uteri of females at 40 days of age. The major results of this study were as follow: Female urine from sexually mature and inhibited population or isolated mice stimulated the development of the male reproductive organs significantly more than water or male urine. Male urine applied to young males did not differentially affect the weights of their reproductive organs compared with water and thus showed no inhibition effects. The reproductive organs of females treated with male urine did not differ significantly in weight from those of females treated with female urine. Females treated with water developed significantly larger uteri than those treated with urine from sexually mature population females (P≤0.02), inhibited population females (P<0.001) and inhibited population males (P<0.007).     

Os trigonum syndrome in ancient Anatolian settlements

An os trigonum is a small, round bone situated just behind the ankle joint. Clinical research shows that the os trigonum is present in about 5-15 % of normal feet. It occurs when one part of the bone does not fuse with the rest of the talus during growth. The present study is made on the skeletons, which were found in the Karagündiiz, Dilkaya and Van Kalesi-Eski Van Sehri settlements, Van province, Anatolia, dated in the Middle Ages. In this study 228 skeletons were examined, 120 males and 108 females. 376 tall were studied: 227 from Karagiindtiz, 93 from Dilkaya, and 56 from Van Kalesi-Eski Van Sehri. The percentage of the os trigonum syndrome was recorded as 6.6 %.     

Sperm competition games: sperm selection by females

We analyse a co-evolutionary sexual conflict game, in which males compete for fertilizations (sperm competition) and females operate sperm selection against unfavourable ejaculates (cryptic female choice). For simplicity, each female mates with two males per reproductive event, and the competing ejaculates are of two types, favourable (having high viability or success) or unfavourable (where progeny are less successful). Over evolutionary time, females can increase their level of sperm selection (measured as the proportion of unfavourable sperm eliminated) by paying a fecundity cost. Males can regulate sperm allocations depending on whether they will be favoured or disfavoured, but increasing sperm allocation reduces their mating rate. The resolution of this game depends on whether males are equal, or unequal. Males could be equal: each is favoured with probability, p, reflecting the proportion of females in the population that favour his ejaculate (the 'random-roles' model); different males are favoured by different sets of females. Alternatively, males could be unequal: given males are perceived consistently by all females as two distinct types, favoured and disfavoured, where p is now the frequency of the favoured male type in the population (the 'constant-types' model). In both cases, the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) is for females initially to increase sperm selection from zero as the viability of offspring from unfavourable ejaculates falls below that of favourable ejaculates. But in the random-roles model, sperm selection decreases again towards zero as the unfavourable ejaculates become disastrous (i.e. as their progeny viability decreases towards zero). This occurs because males avoid expenditure in unfavourable matings, to conserve sperm for matings in the favoured role where their offspring have high viability, thus allowing females to relax sperm selection. If sperm selection is costly to females, ESS sperm selection is high across a region of intermediate viabilities. If it is uncostly, there is no ESS in this region unless sperm limitation (i.e. some eggs fail to be fertilized because sperm numbers are too low) is included into the model. In the constant-types model, no relaxation of sperm selection occurs at very low viabilities of disfavoured male progeny. If sperm selection is sufficiently costly, ESS sperm selection increases as progeny viability decreases down towards zero; but if it is uncostly, there is no ESS at the lowest viabilities, and unlike the random-roles model, this cannot be stabilized by including sperm limitation. Sperm allocations in the ESS regions differ between the two models. With random roles, males always allocate more sperm in the favoured role. With constant types, the male type that is favoured allocates less sperm than the disfavoured type. These results suggests that empiricists studying cryptic female choice and sperm allocation patterns need to determine whether sperm selection is applied differently, or consistently, on given males by different females in the same population.     

Reproduction, growth and bionomics of Dynamene bidentata (Crustacea: Isopoda)

Laboratory and field investigations show that there are five distinct marsupial stages and eight post-marsupial stages in the development of the isopod Dynamene bidentata (Adams). Extensive sexual dimorphism is apparent, beginning at stage 6, and females undergo extensive tissue reduction at the moult to the eighth stage. Young stages inhabit and feed on intertidal algae, and the non-feeding adults (stage 7 and 8 females, and stage 8 males) shelter in crevices or empty barnacle tests. Average brood numbers are fairly high (c. 90) and the average marsupial mortality rate is about 36%. Release of young takes place in May/June, after which the females die, and a resident population of males remains in the crevices to be joined by newly maturing females and males from August onwards each year. The occurrence of two breeding seasons in males, but not in females, explains how the sex ratio of males to females as they leave the algal habitat (1:9) is about half the ratio of males to females in the reproductive habitat (1:4).