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R S Corruccini

Publications and source records attributed to R S Corruccini.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Metrical reconsideration of the Skhul IV and IX and Border Cave 1 crania in the context of modern human origins.

The "out-of-Africa" models for origins of modern Homo sapiens incorporate Skhul as one site documenting that early origination. However, only Skhul V is usually considered in the comparative craniology of the question, neglecting the other substantial crania, Skhul IV and IX. Craniometric comparison demonstrates that IV and IX amplify the picture of continuous gradations of Neandertal-to-modern variations throughout the Levant; much variation is thus represented within this one site, raising serious questions about Neandertals and moderns being discrete and long-separated species. Qafzeh 6 too is craniophenetically closer to Neandertals than to the true anatomically modern people of the European Upper Paleolithic. Proper distance analysis of Border Cave 1 cranium shows it is actually far removed from modern African populations. References to Qafzeh, Skhul, and Border Cave as "fully anatomically modern" require reconsideration.

Africa↗
PubMed1992

Congenital syphilis in the past: slaves at Newton Plantation, Barbados, West Indies.

Hutchinson's incisors and Moon's molars are specific lesions of congenital syphilis. The extensive but fragmentary clinical literature on these conditions describes reduced dimensions and thin enamel in the permanent incisors and first molars, crowding and infolding of the first molar cusps, notching of the upper incisors, and apical hypoplasias of the permanent canines. A Barbados slave cemetery (ca. 1660-1820 AD) includes three individuals with these features, suggesting a frequency at birth of congenital syphilis in the population approaching 10%. These three cases show triple the frequency of all hypoplasias and more than seven times the frequency of pitting hypoplasia present in the remainder of the series. The recognizable congenital syphilis cases account for much of the remarkably high frequency of hypoplasias in the series as a whole. We infer that syphilis contributed substantially to morbidity, infant mortality, and infertility in this population. Presence or absence of congenital syphilis may account for much of the variability in health and mortality seen among nineteenth century African-American populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Genetic epidemiology of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in north India: preliminary analyses of some genetic markers in Punjabis.

Studies on monozygotic (MZ) twins and admixed populations show that the predisposition to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus has a large genetic component. We have examined the distribution of some genetic polymorphisms (ABO, GLO, ESD, AK, ACPA, and GPI) in control and diabetic Punjabis from north India. The distribution of various genetic markers indicate that the differences between the control and diabetic samples are statistically not significant. Moreover, a contingency chi-square analysis over all loci suggests nonsignificant genetic differentiation (p = 0.50) between the Punjabi samples.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Occlusal variation in Australian aboriginals.

Variation of dental occlusion around established norms has frequently been related to industrialized or modernized life habits. This tendency has been tested among samples (n = 48) of older (originally nomadic) and younger (settled and rationed) Australian Aboriginals. Although significant differences are found in incisor relation traits, tooth malalignment, and relative arch breadth, these are slight compared to some other studies of peoples undergoing one-generation dietary westernization. Reasons for this might relate to concomitantly subtle differences in diet or masticatory habits, genetic buffering, attrition gradient, tooth size, biased sampling according to tooth retention, or fluoride in water supplies.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Australian aboriginal tooth succession, interproximal attrition, and Begg's theory.

In 1954, P.R. Begg analyzed interproximal attrition as a prehistorically universal mechanism to reduce tooth size. With modern processed diets and the virtual disappearance of constant interproximal attrition, Begg asserted, teeth remain too large for the arches and become crowded. Later investigators have questioned Begg's estimate of attritional tooth-size reduction, as well as aspects of his theory relating the succession sequence of permanent teeth to different malocclusions. The present paper examines the theory using longitudinal casts and records of modern Australian aborigines who are among the first generation lacking notable interproximal attrition thanks to a "modernized" diet. Deciduous and permanent tooth size, arch size, and occlusal relational variables were analyzed with respect to the expected occlusal outcomes in the absence of attritional tooth reduction. Permanent incisor overjet correlated with crowding status, as predicted by Begg. On the other hand, longer teeth did not relate to crowding in general nor to crowding in relevant local areas or during developmental stages. Unfavorable leeway space did not relate clearly to crowding or other malocclusions. Lowered correlations among structures and narrowness of the maxilla related more significantly to malocclusion. These results are in keeping with recent thinking that small jaws rather than large teeth underlie tooth/arch discrepancy.

Australia↗
PubMed1990

Genetic and environmental determinants of dental occlusal variation in twins of different nationalities.

We have compared 10 occlusal traits in 358 monozygous and dizygous twin pairs in 4 different samples and estimated genetic variances for these features. Variable and frequently nonsignificant genetic variance was noted across samples for incisal overbite and overjet, sagittal molar relationship, posterior crossbite, and rotations and displacements of anterior teeth. Heritability estimates (when appropriately calculated) were low in magnitude (0-40%) and erratic, emphasizing the importance of environmental influences on occlusal variation and the variability of apparent genetic determinants with respect to the environment or population in which they are measured.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Odontometric asymmetry in Punjabi twins with special reference to methods for detecting spurious genetic variance.

Bilateral human odontometric asymmetry generally shows very little genetic variance. In Indian twins, using the simplest methods, unusual levels of disproportionate monozygous similarity and/or dizygous dissimilarity for asymmetry, giving the appearance of significant genetic determinance, were found. Thus this dental asymmetry constituted an interesting test case for the application of more exact methods for the detection of zygosity bias; these invalidated the spuriously significant genetic variance ratios. Therefore the predominantly environmental influences on bilateral dental asymmetry are confirmed.

Genetic Techniques↗
PubMed1989

"Orthodontistry" and dental occlusion in Etruscans.

Specimens dating back to the VIII Century B.C. indicate Etruscans may have been the first people to employ orthodontic bands to improve tooth alignment. A survey of dental occlusion in Etruscan cranial remains, however, shows very good typical occlusion and almost no crowding. Thus, these people do not represent the earliest development of epidemiologically high prevalence of malocclusion, a feature instead reserved for the later industrial world.

Ethnicity↗
PubMed1979

Primate facial allometry and interpretations of australopithecine variation.

Pilbeam and Gould have discussed African Plio-Pleistocene hominid evolution in the context of allometry (size-dependent morphological change). These authors demonstrate that some general aspects of australopithecine morphology (tooth, brain and body size) support the hypothesis that certain early African hominids were merely scaled variations of each other at different sizes. They also speculate that the methods applied to these very broad anatomical categories can be extended to more specific and detailed traits, especially in the face and cranium. Such traits underlie most taxonomic and phylogenetic discussions of the early African Hominidae, so it is useful to follow Pilbeam and Gould's lead, as we do here, and investigate the structural differences in the australopithecine face and cranimum in a quantificiable fashion.

Africa↗
PubMed1979

Morphological affinities of Pan paniscus.

Although the pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) is more similar to man than is the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) in some traits, the resemblance is due primarily to the smaller size and concomitant allometric generalization of the former. The two species of chimpanzees are equally good models for the common ancestry of African apes and man.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Determination of sex by discriminant function analysis of postcranial skeletal measurements.

Thieme and Schull [16] took measurements of seven postcranial traits from black skeletons of known sex to devise a method for accurately sexing human remains. With a linear discriminant function analysis of the data they obtained a 98.5% accuracy. The research reported here was designed to assess the accuracy of their method in the hands of other investigators using a sample of the same black population and its applicability to other populations of the same and different races. None of the samples used in this study were sexed with the same rate of accuracy either achieved or predicted by Thieme and Schull. However, two samples did reach 91% or better. Such results suggest that the methods employed have considerable value if used with appropriate precautions. Our multiple discriminant function analysis strongly indicates that neither side nor observer techniques affected the results. Sex accounts for a predominant fraction of the total variation among samples and race accounts for most of that remaining.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1978

Multivariate dental allometry in primates.

Disagreement is current over the question of whether relatively large teeth in some large primates are a natural outcome of growth trends instead of an indication of intrinsic differences. A cross-primate survey of dental scaling relative to skull (and inferred body) size is given in this study, using a principal component technique to measure the multivariate growth relation between two sets of data: dental size and cranial size. Cheek teeth are strongly positively allometric in restriced taxonomic groups, especially in cercopithecoids. Conversely, the allometry drops to an almost linear proportional growth relation when variation in diet is controlled.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Analysis of the hominoid os coxae by Cartesian coordinates.

This study is based upon 48 3-dimensional coordinates taken on 4 fossil hominid and 127 extant hominoid coxal bones. The follis include Sts 14, SK 3155, MLD 7, and MLD 25. The comparative sample consists of 42 Homo sapiens, 27 Pan troglodytes, 29 Gorilla gorilla and 29 Pongo pygmaeus. The coordinates improve the metrical representation of the bone beyond what can be done with linear measurements because the shape complexity of the os coxae is so great. The coordinates are rotated and translated so that all bones are in a standard position. The coordinates are then standardized for each specimen by dividing all coordinates by the pooled standard deviation of X, Y, and Z coordinates. These data are treated to standard statistical analyses including analysis of variance, Penrose size and shape statistics, principal coordinates and components, and canonical variates analysis. The data are then further altered by using some specimen as a standard and rotating each specimen until the total squared distance between its coordinates and those of the standard are minimized. The same statistics are applied to these "best fit" data. The results show a high degree of agreement between the methods. The hominid os coxae are dundamentally different from the other hominoids and the fossil hominids share the basic hominid configuration but with some unique differences.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Morphoclinal variation in the anthropoid shoulder.

A morphocline in the organization of the shoulder joint is demonstrated among anthropoid primates. This metrical test supports the view that hominoid distinctions are monophyletic in origin. The primates that are behaviorally and functionally convergent on hominoids are only partially convergent or are not convergent in shoulder morphology.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Relative femoral head size in early hominids.

Relative growth of the human femur head is studied by a logarithmic principal components method. Growth rates differ according to the population sampled and the other body dimensions being compared, and especially according to sex. The results do not support biomechanical assumptions of strongly positive allometry of the femur head, which have been used to argue that the australopithecine hip joint was not relatively small.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

The femur in early human evolution.

Uni- and multivariate analyses of 5 fossil and 215 extant hominoid femora show that two morphological patterns of hominid femora existed about two million years ago. Femora classified as Homo sp. indet. (KNMER 1472 and 1481) are more like Homo sapiens although not identical. Those classified as Australopithecus robustus (SK 82 and 97) and A. boisei (KNM-ER 1503) are similar to one another but uniquely different from any living hominoid. The strong mophological constrasts imply biomechanical and possible locomotor differences, although these are as yet unknown.

Animals↗