Blue Blanket Island (39WW9) an Historic Contact Site in the Oahe Reservoir Near Mobridge,South Dakota

Abstract

The Blue Blanket Island site (39WW9), a small, fortified, proto-historic Indian village on an island in the Missouri River, in Walworth County, South Dakota, was partially excavated by a River Basin Surveys crew in August 1961. One centrally located earthlodge, sections of the fortification, storage pits, and middens were excavated. Artifacts were scanty but architectural details were informative. The lodge was 18 sided with a short entry wayto the south (river side) and leaner posts of split cedar. The palisade was of split posts and the ditch was wide and shallow. The site appears to have been an Arikara village of short duration, probably occupied during the 1780’s and 1790’s. The abandoned remains of this village were noted by Lewis and Clark in 1804.     

An Analaysis Of Obsidian Debit Age And Protohistoric Exchange Systems In The Southern Plains As Viewed From The Edwards I Site (34BK2)

Abstract

Obsidian is the third most abundant lithic material in the protohistoric assemblage from the Edwards I (34Bk2)site in southwest Oklahoma. Chemical analysis of this material has identified the Jemez Mountains in northern New Mexico and the San Francisco Mountains in northern Arizona as the primary and secondary sources, respectivel.

These materials as well as various pottery types and other goods were probably obtained through the pueblos o Pecos and Picuris. Because more specific information concerning this protohistoric exchange system may be linke with specific obsidian source localities in the Jemez Mountains, some of the more important elements for charac erizing this source system are presented. Iron (Fe), cerium (Ce), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), yttrium (Y). an possibly rubidium (Rb) may be the most useful for defining specific source localities in this system. Rather the using absolute concentrations to define these localities, we advocate the use of ratios. In addition, future studies of the Jemez Mountains obsidian sources must utilize a regional approach to better characterize the different localities.     

Archaeology of the Mcclure Site (39Hu7) and the Protohistoric Period in the Big Bend Region of South Dakota

Abstract

The McClure site is an Arikara village in central South Dakota dating from the Protohistoric period at the end of the 17th Century. The settlement consisted of at least 35 earth lodges, was unfortified, and was located below the bluffs on the Missouri River bottoms a few feet above the floodplain. Excavations in two houses, one of them a specialized small lodge, produced artifacts typical of the Felicia phase of the Big Bend region, including ceramics largely assignable to the lona and Talking Crow ware categories, but with a small element of Stanley ware. Because of the location of McClure in the Bad River district around the decade A.D. 1690-1700 and other factors, it is thought to have played some role in the emerging Bad River Phase     

Intercemetery morphological variation in Arikara crania from the mobridge site (39WW1)

Multivariate analysis is used to examine intrasite variation in cranial morphology in the Mobridge Arikara skeletal collection. The site included three spatially distinct burial areas. The burial areas (features) are defined according to geographic location. Feature 1 is a small hill west of the village. Feature 2 is a large, long hill 200–300 yards south of the village. Feature 3 is a small knoll 100 yards south of Feature 1. The internal chronology of Mobridge has not been established with precision, but order has been postulated based on archeological data. Previous researchers have considered area 2 to be later than areas 1 and 3. Significant morphological heterogeneity exists between areas. Sample differences indicate that specific features were used by temporally distinct populations. The archaeologically proposed temporal ordering of the cemeteries is supported by osteological evidence.     

Ankylosing Spondylitis (Marie Strumpel Disease)In Historic and Prehistoric Northern Plains Indians

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis, a form of chronic, progressive spinalarthritis, occurs in about 0.05% of the population of England today. Sporadic reports of this abnormality have appeared in literature pertaining to paleopathology, but to date there has been little opportunity to identify and study this process in large, well documented populations of all ages and.both sexes. In the study of over 2600 Indian burials from North and South Dakota (at least 1415 of which were over 16years of age at death) representing several periods in time, but primarily of Arikara origin, and showing many representative demonstrations of arthritis, we have observed only one specimen with definite Marie-Strumpel Disease (0.07%). Thisincidence compares closely with that found in modern England (0.05%).     

The Meander Site (39Lm20L) In Fort Randall Reservoir,South Dakota

Abstract

The Meander Site (39LM20l) is located on the left bank of the White River in Lyman County, South Dakota, about eight miles above the junction of the White and Missouri rivers. Test excavations at the site were conducted in 1953 by Harold A. Hus cher of the Smithsonian Institution, River BasinSurveys. Though few in number, the artifacts recovered indicate the occupation belongs to the Chouteau Aspect. Ceramic analysis suggests the site was occupied at a time somewhat prior to the occupation of the Crazy Bull Site (Frantz 1962).     

A demographic analysis of skeletons from the Larson site (39WW2) Walworth County,South Dakota: Vital statistics

A life table methodology was used for paleodemographic analysis of skeletons from the Larson site (39WW2), an Arikara village and cemetery dated to circa A.D. 1750–1785. Vital statistics on mortality, survivorship, age-specific probability of death, life expectancy and crude mortality rate were derived from skeletal data. The population had an extremely high infant mortality rate and high rates of childhood mortality. The lowest probability of death was for adolescents. Mortality increased for young adults, ages 15–19. This increase was especially marked for females, the actual peak of adult female mortality was during ages 15–19. A second mode in the female mortality curve occurred at ages 35–39. The greatest percentage of male deaths was observed in the fourth decade, ages 30–34. Only 4.0% of the population attained the age of 50. The population crude death rate was 76 per thousand per year. This estimate, although high, is congruent with archaeological and historical sources which report a rapid Arikara population decline during the Post-Contact period. Causes of specific deaths appear to be linked to childbirth (affecting mother and infant), starvation, diseases especially tuberculosis, and intertribal warfare.     

High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) Participates in the Pathogenesis of Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD)

Growing clinical and experimental evidence suggests that sterile inflammation contributes to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is highly induced during liver injury; however, a link between this alarmin and ALD has not been established. Thus, the aim of this work was to determine whether HMGB1 contributes to the pathogenesis of ALD. Liver biopsies from patients with ALD showed a robust increase in HMGB1 expression and translocation, which correlated with disease stage, compared with healthy explants. Similar findings were observed in chronic ethanol-fed wild-type (WT) mice. Using primary cell culture, we validated the ability of hepatocytes from ethanol-fed mice to secrete a large amount of HMGB1. Secretion was time- and dose-dependent and responsive to prooxidants and antioxidants. Selective ablation of Hmgb1 in hepatocytes protected mice from alcohol-induced liver injury due to increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1, phosphorylated 5′AMP-activated protein kinase-α, and phosphorylated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α expression along with elevated LDL plus VLDL export. Native and post-translationally modified HMGB1 were detected in humans and mice with ALD. In liver and serum from control mice and in serum from healthy volunteers, the lysine residues within the peptides containing nuclear localization signals (NLSs) 1 and 2 were non-acetylated, and all cysteine residues were reduced. However, in livers from ethanol-fed mice, in addition to all thiol/non-acetylated isoforms of HMGB1, we observed acetylated NLS1 and NLS2, a unique phosphorylation site in serine 35, and an increase in oxidation of HMGB1 to the disulfide isoform. In serum from ethanol-fed mice and from patients with ALD, there was disulfide-bonded hyperacetylated HMGB1, disulfide-bonded non-acetylated HMGB1, and HMGB1 phosphorylated in serine 35. Hepatocytes appeared to be a major source of these HMGB1 isoforms. Thus, hepatocyte HMGB1 participates in the pathogenesis of ALD and undergoes post-translational modifications (PTMs) that could condition its toxic effects.     

The Peterson Site (39Lm215) An Earth Lodge Village In The Big Bend Reservoir,South Dakota

Abstract

One circular earth lodge and an interhouse test trench were excavated at the Peterson Site by the Smithsonian Institution, Missouri Basin Projec;t in 1958 prior to the flooding of the area by the Big Bend Reservoir. Surface features indicated that the site was an unfortified village of about 40 lodges. The artifact inventory suggests that the village, which has been tentatively assigned to the Fort Thompson Focus, was probably occupied during the mid-18th century.     

Changes In Actual And Perceived Physical Abilities In Clinically Obese Children: A 9-Month Multi-Component Intervention Study

Objectives

(1) To examine relationships among changes in physical activity, physical fitness and some psychosocial determinants of activity behavior in a clinical sample of obese children involved in a multi-component program; (2) to investigate the causal relationship over time between physical activity and one of its strongest correlates (i.e. perceived physical ability).

Methods

Self-reported physical activity and health-related fitness tests were administered before and after a 9-month intervention in 24 boys and 20 girls aged 8 to 11 years. Individuals’ perceptions of strength, speed and agility were assessed using the Perceived Physical Ability Scale, while body image was measured using Collins’ Child Figure Drawings.

Results

Findings showed that body mass index, physical activity, performances on throwing and weight-bearing tasks, perceived physical ability and body image significantly improved after treatment among obese children. Gender differences were found in the correlational analyses, showing a link between actual and perceived physical abilities in boys, but not in girls. For the specific measurement interval of this study, perception of physical ability was an antecedent and not a potential consequence of physical activity.

Conclusions

Results indicate that a multi-component activity program not based merely on a dose-effect approach enhances adherence of the participants and has the potential to increase the lifelong exercise skills of obese children. Rather than focusing entirely on diet and weight loss, findings support the inclusion of interventions directed toward improving perceived physical ability that is predictive of subsequent physical activity.     

A Novel Use of Camera Traps to Study Demography and Life History in Wild Animals: A Case Study of Spider Monkeys (Ateles belzebuth)

Demographic and life history data from wild populations of long-lived primate species are difficult to acquire but are critical for evaluating population viability and the success of conservation efforts. Camera trapping provides an opportunity for researchers to monitor wild animal populations indirectly and could help provide demographic and life history data in a way that demands fewer person-hours in the field, is less disruptive to the study population because it requires less direct contact, and may be cost effective. Using data on group composition collected concurrently though both direct observation and camera trap monitoring, we evaluate whether camera traps can provide reliable information on population dynamics (births, disappearances, interbirth intervals, and other demographic variables) for a wild population of white-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth), an Endangered species. We placed camera traps focused on the sole access point used by the monkeys to visit a geophagy site located roughly in the center of one group’s home range, and we reviewed all of the photos collected at that site over a roughly 3-yr period to identify the individual monkeys recorded in the pictures. Group composition based on 2947 photos containing 3977 individual monkey images matched perfectly data collected concurrently through direct observation. The camera traps also provided estimates of the dates when individuals disappeared from the study group, and of infant births during the study. We conclude that long-term camera trap monitoring of wild populations of white-bellied spider monkeys—and other animals that are individually recognizable and that regularly visit predictable resources—can be a useful tool for monitoring their population dynamics indirectly.     

hZip1 (hSLC39A1) regulates zinc homoeostasis in gut epithelial cells

Zinc is an essential trace element required for enzyme catalysis, gene regulation and signal transduction. Zinc absorption takes place in the small intestine; however, the mechanisms by which cells accumulate zinc are not entirely clear. Zip1 (SLC39A1) is a predicted transmembrane protein that is postulated, but not conclusively proven to mediate zinc influx in gut cells. The aim of this study was to investigate a role for hZip1 in mediating zinc uptake in human enterocytes. Both hZip1 mRNA and protein were detected in human intestinal tissue. In non-differentiated Caco-2 human gut cells, hZip1 was partially localised to the endoplasmic reticulum. In contrast, in differentiated Caco-2 cells cultured in extracellular matrix, the hZip1 protein was located in proximity to the apical microvilli. Lack of surface antibody binding and internalisation indicated that hZip1 was not present on the plasma membrane. Functional studies to establish a role for hZip1 in cellular zinc accumulation were carried out using ⁶⁵Zn. In Caco-2 cells harbouring an hZip1 overexpression construct, cellular zinc accumulation was enhanced relative to the control. Conversely, Caco-2 cells with an hZip1 siRNA construct showed reduced zinc accumulation. In summary, we show that the Caco-2 cell differentiation endorses targeting of hZip1 to a region near the apical domain. Given the absence of hZip1 at the apical plasma membrane, we propose that hZip1 may act as an intracellular sensor to regulate zinc homoeostasis in human gut cells.     

Cell surface antigens on erythroid cells: A comparison of normal and anemic (WW) mice

Cell surface antigens of normal and anemic ($\text{W}\text{W}$) mouse erythroid cells have been examined in cytotoxicity assays with two rat antisera. When tested on fetal liver cells, a rat anti-erythroblast serum recognized antigen(s) present on erythroid cells early in development, while rat anti-adult red blood cell serum recognized antigen(s) present on mature erythroid cells. Each of these sera had different activity on normal (+/+ or $\text{W}\text{+}$) as compared to anemic ($\text{W}\text{W}$) erythroid cells.