Sample records for eskimos

  1. Writing in the Eskimo Classroom. Cahiers linguistiques d'Ottawa (Ottawa Linguistics Papers), Vol. 7, No. 3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hofmann, T. R.

    There are several practical reasons for preferring syllabic writing in teaching the Eskimo language to non-Eskimos: (1) the use of syllabic writing avoids the Roman letters t, l, n, s, g, and r, which stimulate the pronunciation habits of French or English; (2) syllabic writing is well-suited to Eskimo because of its small number of vowels; (3)…

  2. Age, Gender, Biometry, Refractive Error, and the Anterior Chamber Angle among Alaskan Eskimos

    PubMed Central

    Wojciechowski, Robert; Congdon, Nathan; Anninger, William; Broman, Aimee Teo

    2011-01-01

    Background The prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) is greater for Eskimos/Inuit than it is for any other ethnic group in the world. Although it has been suggested that this prevalence may be due to a population tendency toward shallower anterior chamber angles, available evidence for other populations such as Chinese with high rates of ACG has not consistently demonstrated such a tendency. Methods A reticule, slit-lamp, and standard Goldmann one-mirror goniolens were used to make measurements in the anterior chamber (AC) angle according to a previously reported protocol for biometric gonioscopy (BG) (Ophthalmology 1999;106:2161–7). Measurements were made in all four quadrants of one eye among 133 phakic Alaskan Eskimos aged 40 years and older. Automatic refraction, dilated examination of the anterior segment and optic nerve, and A-scan measurements of AC depth, lens thickness, and axial length were also carried out for all subjects. Results Both central and peripheral AC measurements for the Eskimo subjects were significantly lower than those previously reported by us for Chinese, blacks, and whites under the identical protocol. Eskimos also seemed to have somewhat more hyperopia. There were no differences in biometric measurements between men and women in this Eskimo population. Angle measurements by BG seemed to decline more rapidly over life among Eskimos and Chinese than blacks or whites. Although there was a significant apparent decrease in AC depth, increase in lens thickness, and increase in hyperopia with age among Eskimos, all of these trends seemed to reverse in the seventh decade and beyond. Conclusions Eskimos do seem to have shallower ACs than do other racial groups. Measurements of the AC angle seem to decline more rapidly over life among Eskimos than among blacks or whites, a phenomenon also observed by us among Chinese, another group with high ACG prevalence. This apparent more rapid decline may be due to a cohort effect with higher prevalence of myopia and resulting wider angles among younger Eskimos and Chinese. PMID:12578783

  3. Equational Sentence Structure in Eskimo.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hofmann, Th. R.

    A comparison of the syntactic characteristics of mathematical equations and Eskimo syntax is made, and a proposal that Eskimo has a level of structure similar to that of equations is described. P:t performative contrast is reanalyzed. Questions and speculations on the formal treatment of this type of structure in transformational grammar, and its…

  4. Problems of Eskimo Relocation for Industrial Employment. A Preliminary Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevenson, D. S.

    A study was conducted to determine the reasons for variable success in relocating Eskimo families from rural areas of the northern territories of Canada to southern centers of industrial employment (railways, mining centers). The data were collected by interviewing 105 Eskimos, both male and female, married and single, who had migrated south. The…

  5. Metabolic Syndrome in Yup'ik Eskimos: The Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) Study

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its defining components among Yup’ik Eskimos. Research Methods and Procedures: A cross-sectional study design that included 710 adult Yup’ik Eskimos 18 years of age residing in 8 communities in Southwest Alaska. The prevale...

  6. Eskimo Boy Today.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fish, Byron

    "Eskimo Boy Today" provides the reader with an account of what it is like to be a young Eskimo boy living in Barrow, Alaska, today. Accounts of his life at school depict the typical curriculum and learning activities, while accounts of his home life depict typical foods, clothing, and housing. The natural resources and their relationship to the…

  7. The Development of Indian and Eskimo Art and Crafts in the Far North.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, R. A. J.; And Others

    The focus of the conference, "The Development of Indian and Eskimo Art and Crafts in the Far North," was the creation of a market for reputable Indian and Eskimo art work on an economically sound basis which would benefit both the native artists and the Canadian economy. Two governmental reports, "Northern Arts and Crafts" and…

  8. Teaching Eskimo Culture to Eskimo Students: A Special Program for Secondary Schools in Bristol Bay.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holthaus, Gary H.

    Eskimo youth in Bristol Bay, Alaska, caught between the clash of native and white cultures, have difficulty identifying with either culture. The curriculum in Indian schools in the area, geared primarily to white middle-class standards, is not relevant to the students, Textbooks and standardized tests, based on experiences common to a white…

  9. Comparative Eskimo Dictionary with Aleut Cognates.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fortescue, Michael, Ed.; And Others

    This dictionary covers 10 Eskimo dialects (Alutiiq, Central Alaskan Yupik, Naukan, Central Siberian Yupik, Sirenik, Seward Peninsula Inuit, North Alaskan Inuit, Western Canadian Inuit, Eastern Canadian Inuit, Greenlandic Inuit). An introductory section details the classification of languages and dialects and their phonologies, and discusses the…

  10. Eskimo Word Order Variation and Its Contact-Induced Perturbation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fortescue, Michael

    1993-01-01

    Although Eskimo languages are commonly characterized as displaying rather "free" word order compared to major western European languages, West Greenlandic (WG) has a clearly dominant, pragmatically neutral ordering pattern. It is argued that WG behaves more like Slavic languages. (Contains 36 references.) (LB)

  11. Prevalence and Correlates of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Alaskan Eskimos

    PubMed Central

    Cutchins, Alexis; Roman, Mary J.; Devereux, Richard B.; Ebbesson, Sven O.E.; Umans, Jason G.; Zhu, Jianhui; Weissman, Neil J.; Howard, Barbara V.

    2009-01-01

    Background and Purpose The recent increase in clinical cardiovascular disease in Alaska Eskimos suggests that changes in traditional lifestyle may have adverse public health consequences. This study examines the prevalence of subclinical vascular disease and its relation to risk factors in Alaska Eskimos. Methods Participants in the population-based Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) Study underwent evaluation of cardiovascular disease risk factors and carotid ultrasound. Outcome variables were carotid intimal-medial thickness and presence and extent of atherosclerosis. Results In multivariate analyses, intimal-medial thickness and presence and extent of atherosclerosis were all associated with traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors but not dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Rates of carotid atherosclerosis were higher than those reported in 2 large population-based US studies. Conclusions Alaska Eskimos have similar traditional risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis as other ethnic and racial populations but have higher prevalences of atherosclerosis, possibly attributable to higher rates of smoking. PMID:18617652

  12. Indians and Eskimos of Canada: A Student's Guide to Reference Resources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slavin, Suzy M.

    Emphasizing reference resources for ethnological research on Canadian American Indians and Eskimos, this guide constitutes a revised and expanded edition of an earlier student's guide entitled "Canadian Ethnology" and includes both reference sources and annotated bibliographic references for the following: (1) Handbooks (8 references);…

  13. Eskimo Medicine Man.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    George, Otto

    "Eskimo Medicine Man" is a record of primitive Alaskan life in the 1930's. It records the experiences in Alaska's remote areas of Dr. Otto George, the last "traveling physician" for the Department of Interior's Indian Service, when in all the territory (an area one-fifth that of the contiguous United States) there were fewer…

  14. Marine Subsistence--Case of the Bowhead Whale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Camerino, Vicki

    1977-01-01

    The International Whaling Commission (IWC) voted to impose a moratorium on Eskimo bowhead whale hunting. Since the U.S. did not exercise its option to object, had previously avowed support for Alaskan subsistence lifestyles, and had previously maintained legal exemption for the Eskimo, there is currently great Alaskan resentment. (JC)

  15. Yupik Eskimo Folklore and Children's Play Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suskind, Diane; Phillip, Anna

    Yaaruilta stories are told by children of all ages in Yupik-speaking Eskimo villages in Alaska. These stories are illustrated by figures sketched in mud with a ceremonial knife. The sustained involvement and effort of the children engaged in Yaaruilta may aid cognitive development by encouraging the learning of culturally related geometrical…

  16. Siberian Yupik Eskimo: The Language and Its Contacts with Chukchi.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Reuse, Willem Joseph

    The study provides a description of the verbal derivational suffixation, postinflectional derivation, enclitics, and particles of the Central Siberian Yupik Eskimo language as spoken on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska and on the coast of Chukotka, in the Soviet Union. It also shows how these elements participate in a network of four tightly-knit…

  17. Meaning in Mud: Yup'ik Eskimo Girls at Play.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    deMarrais, Kathleen Bennett; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Describes storyknifing, a traditional way of storytelling illustrated through pictures traced in mud, by young girls in a Yup'ik Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River (Alaska). Storyknifing provides a forum in which young girls learn cultural and cognitive knowledge. Storyknifing maintains a link with traditional society in this village. (SLD)

  18. Long-Term Effects of Otitis Media a Ten-Year Cohort Study of Alaskan Eskimo Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaplan, Gary J.; And Others

    1973-01-01

    Histories of ear disease, otoscopic examinations, and audiologic, intelligence, and achievement tests were obtained from a cohort of 489 Alaskan Eskimo children, followed through the first 10 years of life, to determine whether otitis media (middle ear inflammation) deleteriously affected intellectual functioning and achievement in school.…

  19. The Economic and Social Impact of the Arctic Co-operative Movement on the Canadian Eskimo.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jensen, Kenneth D.

    Canada's Arctic co-operatives are designed to provide a means of encouraging Eskimos to participate directly in the economic development of the Arctic through the promotion of cooperative ownership and enterprise. They also seek to provide a method of maximizing economic returns in Arctic communities from local businesses and enterprise. Backed by…

  20. Living with the Eskimos. Young Discovery Library Series: 12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Planche, Bernard

    Part of an international series of amply illustrated, colorful, small size books for children ages 5 to 10, this volume describes daily Eskimo life in Greenland: hunting, fishing, what they eat, how they combat the cold, their dogs, and igloos. The book also talks about the animals of the Arctic area: polar bears, seals, and birds. The document…

  1. Ugiuvangmiut Quliapyuit = King Island Tales. Eskimo History and Legends from Bering Strait.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaplan, Lawrence D., Ed.

    The collection of native tales from King Island, Alaska, contains tales told originally in Inupiaq Eskimo by seven native elders. Introductory sections provide background information on the storytellers, King Island Village and its people, traditional life there, and the language of the King Islanders. The 25 tales are divided into groups:…

  2. Economic Development of American Indians and Eskimos, 1930 Through 1967: A Bibliography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snodgrass, Marjorie P.

    Some 1,595 documents are listed in this bibliography in an attempt to bring together, from all areas of the Federal Government and throughout the United States, valuable information on the economic development of American Indians and Eskimos. In the document, "economic development" is considered to mean individual and collective efforts (both on…

  3. Yupik Eskimo Prosodic Systems: Descriptive and Comparative Studies. Alaska Native Language Center Research Papers No. 7.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krauss, Michael, Ed.

    Nine papers on Yupik Eskimo prosody systems are presented. An introductory section gives background information on the Yupik language and dialects, defines prosody, and provides notes on orthography. The papers include: "A History of the Study of Yupik Prosody" (Michael Krauss); "Siberian Yupik and Central Yupik Prosody"…

  4. Teaching from Objects and Stories: Learning about the Bering Sea Eskimo People. Smithsonian in Your Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smigielski, Alan

    The three lesson plans in this issue feature the Eskimos of the Bering Sea and their culture. The lesson plans are: (1) "Learning about a Culture from Its Objects"; (2) "Learning about a Culture from a Story"; and (3) "Everyday Objects." Each lesson cites student objectives; lists materials needed; gives subjects…

  5. Ungipaghaghlanga: Quutmiit Yupigita Ungipaghaatangit = Let Me Tell a Story: Legends of the Siberian Eskimos.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koonooka, Christopher

    The language of these stories, Siberian Yupik, in this book were first written down by Russian educator and linguist, Gregoriy A. Menovshchikov, during his 30 years of teaching and working with Eskimo languages in Chukotka, Russian, beginning in the 1930s. Siberian Yupik is the ancestral language of more than 2,000 people equally divided between…

  6. Yuut Qanemciit, Yupiit Cayaraita Qanrutkumallrit = Yupik Lore, Oral Traditions of an Eskimo People.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tennant, Edward A., Ed.; Bitar, Joseph N., Ed.

    A collection of 49 Eskimo narrations forming part of the authentic oral traditions formerly passed on by village elders to succeeding generations are presented in a bilingual format of Yupik and English. These stories and teachings are by and about the Central Yupik people of southwestern Alaska, the largest cultural group native to the state. For…

  7. Film Evaluations of Eskimo Education. The National Study of American Indian Education, Series III, No. 4, Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collier, John, Jr.

    As a part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, the educational environments of schools in 2 Alaskan tundra villages, in a state-consolidated school in Bethel, and in Anchorage public schools were filmed to provide empirical evidence for the evaluation of Eskimo education. This film study was pointed toward…

  8. Alaskan Eskimo Children's Games and Their Relationship to Cultural Values and Role Structure in a Nelson Island Community. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ager, Lynn Price

    The village of Tununak on Nelson Island in southwestern Alaska was the site of this field investigation into Eskimo children's games. The focus of investigation was the relationship between role structure in the community and player organization in games; the expressive nature of games as defined by specific values reflected in games and game…

  9. Eskimo and American Indian Studies Curriculum Development Regarding American Native Oral Tradition: Legal Safeguards and Public Domain--A Discussion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bland, Laurel L.

    The United States Attorney General ruled in 1968 that all U.S. citzens 1/4 or more genetic descent of the aboriginal people of North America are, for administrative purposes, titled American Indians even though they may be known as Eskimos or Aleuts. The U.S. recognizes tribal groups as sovereign bodies and conducts business and civil affairs with…

  10. Generation time and effective population size in Polar Eskimos.

    PubMed

    Matsumura, Shuichi; Forster, Peter

    2008-07-07

    North Greenland Polar Eskimos are the only hunter-gatherer population, to our knowledge, who can offer precise genealogical records spanning several generations. This is the first report from Eskimos on two key parameters in population genetics, namely, generation time (T) and effective population size (Ne). The average mother-daughter and father-son intervals were 27 and 32 years, respectively, roughly similar to the previously published generation times obtained from recent agricultural societies across the world. To gain an insight for the generation time in our distant ancestors, we calculated maternal generation time for two wild chimpanzee populations. We also provide the first comparison among three distinct approaches (genealogy, variance and life table methods) for calculating Ne, which resulted in slightly differing values for the Eskimos. The ratio of the effective to the census population size is estimated as 0.6-0.7 for autosomal and X-chromosomal DNA, 0.7-0.9 for mitochondrial DNA and 0.5 for Y-chromosomal DNA. A simulation of alleles along the genealogy suggested that Y-chromosomal DNA may drift a little faster than mitochondrial DNA in this population, in contrast to agricultural Icelanders. Our values will be useful not only in prehistoric population inference but also in understanding the shaping of our genome today.

  11. [Characteristics of fatty acid composition of phosphatidyl cholines and sphingomyelins of low-density lipoproteins in the plasma of native inhabitants of Chukotka].

    PubMed

    Gerasimova, E N; Levachev, M M; Perova, N V; Nikitin, Iu P; Ozerova, I N

    1986-01-01

    Contents of cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol as well as phospholipid and fatty acid compositions of phosphatidyl cholines and sphingomyelins in low density lipoproteins (LDL) were studied in blood plasma of Chukot aborigenes--Eskimos as compared with Moscow inhabitants. In Eskimos content of HDL cholesterol was higher but concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides was lower in blood plasma. In LDL concentration of sphingomyelins was increased and fatty acid composition of phosphatidyl cholines and sphingomyelins was altered where amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids was elevated (20:5 + 22:5 + 22:6). The specific characteristics of the LDL phospholipids observed in Eskimos might be responsible for the higher liquid properties of the surface monolayer in the lipoproteins; this alteration might be important for the lipoprotein properties and transformation as well as for the properties of membrane-bound enzymes, for synthesis of thromboxane and prostacyclins.

  12. The genetic prehistory of the New World Arctic.

    PubMed

    Raghavan, Maanasa; DeGiorgio, Michael; Albrechtsen, Anders; Moltke, Ida; Skoglund, Pontus; Korneliussen, Thorfinn S; Grønnow, Bjarne; Appelt, Martin; Gulløv, Hans Christian; Friesen, T Max; Fitzhugh, William; Malmström, Helena; Rasmussen, Simon; Olsen, Jesper; Melchior, Linea; Fuller, Benjamin T; Fahrni, Simon M; Stafford, Thomas; Grimes, Vaughan; Renouf, M A Priscilla; Cybulski, Jerome; Lynnerup, Niels; Lahr, Marta Mirazon; Britton, Kate; Knecht, Rick; Arneborg, Jette; Metspalu, Mait; Cornejo, Omar E; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo; Wang, Yong; Rasmussen, Morten; Raghavan, Vibha; Hansen, Thomas V O; Khusnutdinova, Elza; Pierre, Tracey; Dneprovsky, Kirill; Andreasen, Claus; Lange, Hans; Hayes, M Geoffrey; Coltrain, Joan; Spitsyn, Victor A; Götherström, Anders; Orlando, Ludovic; Kivisild, Toomas; Villems, Richard; Crawford, Michael H; Nielsen, Finn C; Dissing, Jørgen; Heinemeier, Jan; Meldgaard, Morten; Bustamante, Carlos; O'Rourke, Dennis H; Jakobsson, Mattias; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Nielsen, Rasmus; Willerslev, Eske

    2014-08-29

    The New World Arctic, the last region of the Americas to be populated by humans, has a relatively well-researched archaeology, but an understanding of its genetic history is lacking. We present genome-wide sequence data from ancient and present-day humans from Greenland, Arctic Canada, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and Siberia. We show that Paleo-Eskimos (~3000 BCE to 1300 CE) represent a migration pulse into the Americas independent of both Native American and Inuit expansions. Furthermore, the genetic continuity characterizing the Paleo-Eskimo period was interrupted by the arrival of a new population, representing the ancestors of present-day Inuit, with evidence of past gene flow between these lineages. Despite periodic abandonment of major Arctic regions, a single Paleo-Eskimo metapopulation likely survived in near-isolation for more than 4000 years, only to vanish around 700 years ago. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pastor-Soler, N.M.; Hu, D.; Schertz, E.

    Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal disorder caused by defective catabolism of sulfatide, an important sphingolipid in myelin. Late infantile (LI), juvenile and adult patients with MLD are found throughout the world. Mutational analysis of the ARSA gene in patients with MLD has resulted in the identification of about 30 mutations. Recently we identified a mutation in the ARSA gene that was present in all Navajo Indian patients tested with LIMLD. All of the patients were homozygous for the G to A change at position 1 of intron 4 which causes aberrant splicing and a low level ofmore » ARSA mRNA. This mutation had not been found in any non-Navajo population. However, recently we were sent samples from two Alaskan Eskimo siblings with LIMLD. Sequencing of amplified genomic DNA showed that the affected siblings were homozygous for the above mutation. A simple DNA-based test will permit accurate patient and carrier identification in both the Eskimo and Navajo populations. Many studies have focused on the migrations of the Amerindian, Athapaskan and Eskimo from eastern Asia to the new world and the intermingling of these peoples. While it is clear that Na-Dene speaking Navajo split from other Athapaskan tribes and migrated from western Canada and Alaska to the southwest area of the United States, a direct genetic connection between the Western Eskimo and the Navajo has not been made. The presence of the same unique mutation causing a fatal inherited disease in both populations may point to interaction between these peoples prior to the migration of the Navajos south about 1000 years ago.« less

  14. Canadian Eskimo permanent tooth emergence timing.

    PubMed

    Mayhall, J T; Belier, P L; Mayhall, M F

    1978-08-01

    To identify the times of emergence of the permanent teeth of Canadian Eskimos (Inuit), 368 children and adolescents were examined. The presence or absence of all permanent teeth except the third molars was recorded and these data subjected to probit analysis. Female emergence times were advanced over males. Generally, the Inuit of both sexes showed statistically significant earlier emergence times than Montreal children, except for the incisors. The present results do not support hypotheses indicating that premature extraction of the deciduous teeth advances the emergence of their succedaneous counterparts. There is some indication the controls of deciduous tooth emergence continue to play some part in emergence of the permanent dentition, especially the first permanent teeth that emerge.

  15. Prevalence and persistence of antibodies to herpes viruses, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori in Alaskan Eskimos: the GOCADAN Study.

    PubMed

    Zhu, J; Davidson, M; Leinonen, M; Saikku, P; Gaydos, C A; Canos, D A; Gutman, K A; Howard, B V; Epstein, S E

    2006-02-01

    The prevalence and persistence of antibodies against cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV1) and 2 (HSV2), Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae were determined in Alaskan Eskimos. The study included 610 individuals (mean age 43 +/- 15 years; 45% males) participating in the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) study. Archived serum samples and those collected during the GOCADAN study were analysed for antibodies against the above pathogens by ELISA. The current prevalence of antibody seropositivity was 94% to CMV, 90% to HSV1, 38% to HSV2, 80% to H. pylori, and 42% to C. pneumoniae. The persistence of antibodies (in both archived and current samples) against CMV, HSV1 and H. pylori was high (83%, 84% and 67%, respectively) compared with those against HSV2 (26%) and C. pneumoniae (29%). Moreover, the seroconversion rates to these organisms were low. Most individuals acquired CMV, HSV1 and H. pylori antibodies by the age of 24 years (94%, 90% and 72%, respectively), and >50% carried HSV2 and C. pneumoniae antibodies by the age of 45 years. There were gender differences in antibody seropositivity rates. Over 70% of individuals had antibodies to at least three of the five pathogens tested. The study demonstrated the high prevalence and lifelong persistence of multiple antibodies, suggesting chronic infections among Alaskan Eskimos.

  16. An anthropological perspective on the evolution and lateralization of the brain.

    PubMed

    Dawson, J L

    1977-09-30

    The purpose of this paper is to review the anthropological evidence relating to the cultural determinants of the right-hand first postaulted by Hertz in his classic study. Also a genetic/cultural conformity model of handedness is presented that postulates that the incidence of handedness in a society is held to result both from the genetic expression of handedness interacting with cultural pressures towards conformity. The evolutionary basis for the hemispheric functional organization into cognitive and perceptual hemispheric functions is discussed in terms of "right-handed dominant homozygotes, DD," "heterozygotes, DR," mixed-handers, and "left-handed recessive homozygotes, RR." The cross-cultural distribution of handedness provides support for this model since the more conforming agriculturalists as measured by the Asch Test have a significantly lower incidence of left-handedness (0.59%, 1.5% and 3.4%), while the more permissively socialized Eskimo and Arunta hunters, who are seen to be more independent on the Asch Test, have 11.3% and 10.5% left-handers, respectively. Also, due to the greater pressures for females to conform in agricultural societies, the incidence of female left-handedness in agricultural societies is 0% out of 330 female Ss, with 3.8%, 0.79%, and 2.5% in agricultural males, as contrasted with the Eskimo hunters who have 12.5% left-handed males and 10.3% left-handed females, showing no significant sex difference. A further Hong Kong-English study also supports the genetic/cultural conformity model with a significantly lower incidence of Hong Kong Chinese left-handers (RR: male = 2.7%, and female = 4.2%). The next section, concerned with the neonatal sex-hormone differentiation and lateralization processes, provides a neuropsychologic theory relating to spatial and linguistic skills that is relevant to the following section, which deals with relationships between laterality and cognitive style. The results are also presented for the Alaskan Eskimo in relation to hand, eye, auditory dominance and cognitive style. The analysis of Eskimo fixed-versus mixed-laterality data also confirms, as predicted, that both within and across a modality (e.g., right hand/right eye/right ear) fixed right-dominance Eskimo Ss are more field-independent than mixed-dominance Ss, while the fixed left-dominance Ss are the most field-dependent and have lower spatial skills. The discussion section reviews the papers relating to the genetic/conformity model of handedness, as well as laterality and cognitive style. The evolutionary adaptive significance of sex differences in gonadal differentiation and lateralization of the brain on spatial and linguistic skills are also reviewed. The conclusions are concerned with the implications for biosocial theory and the rapidly changing incidence of left-handedness due to accompanying changes in cultural pressures both within and across cultures.

  17. Elastic Geometry and Storyknifing: A Yup'ik Eskimo Example.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lipka, Jerry; Wildfeuer, Sandra; Wahlberg, Nastasia; George, Mary; Ezran, Dafna R.

    2001-01-01

    Introduces elastic geometry, or topology, into the elementary classroom through the study of connecting the intuitive, visual, and spatial components of storyknifing as well as other everyday and ethnomathematical activities. (ASK)

  18. 42 CFR 136.41 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... of any Indian reservation; (c) All others of one-half or more Indian blood of tribes indigenous to the United States; (d) Eskimos and other aboriginal people of Alaska; or (e) Until January 4, 1990, or...

  19. Cugtun Alngautat: the history and development of a picture text among the Nuniwarmiut Eskimo, Nunivak Island, Alaska.

    PubMed

    Griffin, Dennis G

    2010-01-01

    Native Americans have long relied on the oral transmission of their ideas rather than developing an alphabet and a reliance on written records. While the use of pictures to communicate basic concepts is found throughout Alaska during the historic contact period, the development of an alphabet or pictorial text among Natives in Alaska is extremely limited with examples found only in the Kuskokwim Delta (ca. 1901) and Seward Peninsula (ca. 1914). The later appearance of a pictorial text on Nunivak Island (ca. 1940) is believed to have derived from the Seward Peninsula style. Each of these texts is believed to have originated from the influence of missionaries. This paper traces the appearance and development of a picture text among the Nuniwarmiut Eskimo on Nunivak Island and its current status in the Mekoryuk community.

  20. 42 CFR 136a.41 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... of any Indian reservation; (c) All others of one-half or more Indian blood of tribes indigenous to the United States; (d) Eskimos and other aboriginal people of Alaska; or (e) Until January 4, 1990 or...

  1. The EJ Curriculum Catalog: A Directory of Units and Electives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koch, Susan, comp.

    1977-01-01

    Describes fourteen innovative high school English units dealing with such subjects as literature (e.g., "Nobel Prize Winning World Literature,""The Eskimo and His Literature," and "Women's Literature"), the mass media, and Greek mythology. (DD)

  2. 7 CFR 3100.41 - Authorities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... administrative and other facilities in central business districts. (l) American Indian Religious Freedom Act of... for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise the traditional religions of the American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, and Native Hawaiians. ...

  3. Thawing Out Some Magic

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hippler, Arthur E.

    1975-01-01

    Psychiatrists have learned that delivering mental health services in a culture long dominated by magical thinking is not easy. Article discussed the problem of bringing the Eskimo into the care of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute and contemporary society. (Editor/RK)

  4. Dietary intakes vary with age among Eskimo adults of Northwest Alaska in the GOCADAN study, 2000-2003.

    PubMed

    Nobmann, Elizabeth D; Ponce, Rafael; Mattil, Claudia; Devereux, Richard; Dyke, Bennett; Ebbesson, Sven O E; Laston, Sandra; MacCluer, Jean; Robbins, David; Romenesko, Terry; Ruotolo, Giacomo; Wenger, Charlotte R; Howard, Barbara V

    2005-04-01

    Dietary factors influence the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The diet of Alaskan Eskimos differs from that of other populations. We surveyed Eskimo adults in Northwest Alaska to document their usual dietary intakes, differences based on gender and age, and sources of selected nutrients, and to generate appropriate dietary advice to reduce CVD. Interviewers surveyed 850 men and women 17-92 y old, using a quantitative food-frequency instrument. We observed many significant (chi(2) analysis P < 0.05) differences in nutrient intakes among 3 age-groups. Energy intake from carbohydrate was negatively related to participant age-group (P < or = 0.01). Energy intake from all fats (P < 0.001) and polyunsaturated fat (P < or = 0.01) was positively related to age-group among both men and women in contrast to other studies in which age differences were either not observed or decreased with age. Native foods were major sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, including 56% of (n-3) fatty acids primarily from seal oil and salmon. However, Native foods contributed significantly less to the diets of young adults than to those of elders, especially among women. Store-bought foods were the main sources of energy, carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat, and fiber for all adults. Based on their nutrient density and potential to inhibit CVD, continued consumption of traditional foods is recommended. Variations in intake by age may portend changing eating patterns that will influence CVD as participants age. These data will contribute to understanding dietary risk factors for cardiovascular disease in this population.

  5. Sexual dimorphism in relation to big-game hunting and economy in modern human populations.

    PubMed

    Collier, S

    1993-08-01

    Postcranial skeletal data from two recent Eskimo populations are used to test David Frayer's model of sexual dimorphism reduction in Europe between the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic. Frayer argued that a change from big-game hunting and adoption of new technology in the Mesolithic reduced selection for large body size in males and led to a reduction in skeletal sexual dimorphism. Though aspects of Frayer's work have been criticized in the literature, the association of big-game hunting and high sexual dimorphism is untested. This study employs univariate and multivariate analysis to test that association by examining sexual dimorphism of cranial and postcranial bones of two recent Alaskan Eskimo populations, one being big-game (whale and other large marine mammal) hunting people, and the second being salmon fishing, riverine people. While big-game hunting influences skeletal robusticity, it cannot be said to lead to greater sexual dimorphism generally. The two populations had different relative sexual dimorphism levels for different parts of the body. Notably, the big-game hunting (whaling) Eskimos had the lower multivariate dimorphism in the humerus, which could be expected to be the structure under greatest exertion by such hunting in males. While the exertions of the whale hunting economic activities led to high skeletal robusticity, as predicted by Frayer's model, this was true of the females as well as the males, resulting in low sexual dimorphism in some features. Females are half the sexual dimorphism equation, and they cannot be seen as constants in any model of economic behavior.

  6. Milk Intolerance and the American Indian

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Indian Historian, 1973

    1973-01-01

    The intolerance of milk by American Indians and other groups (Thais, Chinese, Filipinos, Melonesians of New Guinea, Australian Aborigines, Black groups of Africa, American Blacks, and Eskimos) due to the lack of the lactose enzyme is discussed in this article. (FF)

  7. 45 CFR 1336.10 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... their own economic and social goals. Indian tribe means a distinct political community of Indians which... Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES... et seq.). Alaskan Native means a person who is an Alaskan Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut, or any...

  8. Quantitative complete tooth variation among east Asians and Native Americans: developmental biology as a tool for the assessment of human divergence.

    PubMed

    Shields, E D

    1996-01-01

    The quantification of total tooth structure derived from X-rays of Vietnamese, Southern Chinese, Mongolians, Western Eskimos, and Peruvian pre-Inca (Huari Empire) populations was used to examine dental divergence and the morphogenetics of change. Multivariate derived distances between the samples helped identify a quasicontinuous web of ethnic groups with two binary clusters ensconced within the web. One cluster was composed of Mongolians, Western Eskimos, and pre-Inca, and the other group consisted of the Southern Chinese and Vietnamese. Mongolians entered the quasicontinuum from a divergent angle (externally influenced) from that of the Southeast Asians. The Chinese and pre-Inca formed the polar samples of the distance superstructure. The pre-Inca sample was the most isolated, its closest neighbor being the Western Eskimos. Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that the pre-Inca, whose ancestors arrived in America perhaps approximately 30,000 years ago, was the least derived sample. Clearly, microevolutionary change occurred among the samples, but the dental phenotype was resistant to environmental developmental perturbations. An assessment of dental divergence and developmental biology suggested that the overall dental phenotype is a complex multigenic morphological character, and that the observed variation evolved through total genomic drift. The quantified dental phenotype is greater than its highly multigenic algorithm and its development homeostasis is tightly controlled, or canalized, by the deterministic organization of a complex nonlinear epigenetic milieu. The overall dental phenotype quantified here was selectively neutral and a good character to help reconstruct the sequence of human evolution, but if the outlying homeostatic threshold was or will be exceeded in antecedents and descendants, respectively, evolutionary saltation occurs.

  9. Reconciling migration models to the Americas with the variation of North American native mitogenomes.

    PubMed

    Achilli, Alessandro; Perego, Ugo A; Lancioni, Hovirag; Olivieri, Anna; Gandini, Francesca; Hooshiar Kashani, Baharak; Battaglia, Vincenza; Grugni, Viola; Angerhofer, Norman; Rogers, Mary P; Herrera, Rene J; Woodward, Scott R; Labuda, Damian; Smith, David Glenn; Cybulski, Jerome S; Semino, Ornella; Malhi, Ripan S; Torroni, Antonio

    2013-08-27

    In this study we evaluated migration models to the Americas by using the information contained in native mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from North America. Molecular and phylogeographic analyses of B2a mitogenomes, which are absent in Eskimo-Aleut and northern Na-Dene speakers, revealed that this haplogroup arose in North America ∼11-13 ka from one of the founder Paleo-Indian B2 mitogenomes. In contrast, haplogroup A2a, which is typical of Eskimo-Aleuts and Na-Dene, but also present in the easternmost Siberian groups, originated only 4-7 ka in Alaska, led to the first Paleo-Eskimo settlement of northern Canada and Greenland, and contributed to the formation of the Na-Dene gene pool. However, mitogenomes also show that Amerindians from northern North America, without any distinction between Na-Dene and non-Na-Dene, were heavily affected by an additional and distinctive Beringian genetic input. In conclusion, most mtDNA variation (along the double-continent) stems from the first wave from Beringia, which followed the Pacific coastal route. This was accompanied or followed by a second inland migratory event, marked by haplogroups X2a and C4c, which affected all Amerindian groups of Northern North America. Much later, the ancestral A2a carriers spread from Alaska, undertaking both a westward migration to Asia and an eastward expansion into the circumpolar regions of Canada. Thus, the first American founders left the greatest genetic mark but the original maternal makeup of North American Natives was subsequently reshaped by additional streams of gene flow and local population dynamics, making a three-wave view too simplistic.

  10. Culture: From the Igloo to the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oakes, Jill

    1988-01-01

    Describes differences between Inuit indigenous cultural education and classroom education. Describes changes in Inuit education from 1930s to present day. Examines differences between school and home education. Examines education as method of meeting Inuit cultural demands and gaining employment. Recommends combining elements of Eskimo education…

  11. Pioneers in Alaskan Adult Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niemi, John A.

    Serious problems were posed by North American pioneer efforts to force their traditions on Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts. Fortunately, other pioneers, such as home economists and district agents with the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service, responded to villagers' home and community needs. The University of Alaska also pioneered in…

  12. 75 FR 10223 - Whaling Provisions; Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Quotas

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-05

    ... whales. SUMMARY: NMFS provides notification of the aboriginal subsistence whaling quota for bowhead whales that it has assigned to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), and other limitations...). For 2010, the quota is 75 bowhead whales struck. This quota and other limitations govern the harvest...

  13. 76 FR 16388 - Whaling Provisions; Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Quotas

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-23

    ... whales. SUMMARY: NMFS provides notification of the aboriginal subsistence whaling quota for bowhead whales that it has assigned to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), and other limitations...). For 2011, the quota is 75 bowhead whales struck. This quota and other limitations govern the harvest...

  14. Community Development in Canada. Document 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lloyd, Antony John

    This first survey of community development in Canada attempts to give a conspectus of activities past, in progress, and planned, in the communities of the socially and economically deprived Indians, Negroes, and Eskimos. It examines the extent of commitment of federal and provincial governments to community programs and projects, and comments on…

  15. Studies in Inuktitut Grammar

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beach, Matthew David

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation addresses a number of issues about the grammar of Eastern Canadian Inuktitut. Inuktitut is a dialect within the Inuit dialect continuum which is a group of languages/dialects within the Eskimo-Aleut language family. (Eastern Canadian Inuktitut has an ISO 693-3 language code of "ike".) Typologically, it is an ergative…

  16. Winter Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tarbuth, Lawson, Comp.

    Educators may find activities for indoor and outdoor winter programs in the games of the traditional Eskimo. These games are dominated by few-step operations and low level structural organization. For the most part they are quickly organized, begun, terminated, and ready to be recommenced. All types of games can be found, including quiet ones,…

  17. American Indian Languages: Classifications and List.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zisa, Charles A.

    This document lists the indigenous languages of North and South America, with the exception of the Eskimo-Aleut languages, the European-based Creoles, and languages which represent Post-Columbian intrusions. Section I consists of genetic classification of the languages included (948 language-level entries). Section II is an alphabetic list of all…

  18. Sivuqam Ungipaghaatangi (St. Lawrence Island Legends).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slwooko, Grace

    Transmitted orally for generations until the Eskimo language became a written one, the eleven St. Lawrence Island legends compiled in this volume for high school students tell of feats that were accomplished through supernatural power. Meant for both entertainment and instruction, the tales convey wise council indirectly through the conversations…

  19. A Grammar of Inupiaq Morphosyntax

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lanz, Linda A.

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation is a reference grammar of the Malimiut Coastal dialect of Inupiaq (ISO: ESI, ESK, IPK), an Eskimo-Aleut language of northwestern Alaska spoken by the Inupiat people. It complements existing descriptions of Inupiaq by filling gaps in documentation. With approximately 2000 speakers, mainly above 50 years of age, Inupiaq is…

  20. 25 CFR 310.3 - Conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Conditions. 310.3 Section 310.3 Indians INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR USE OF GOVERNMENT MARKS OF GENUINENESS FOR ALASKAN INDIAN AND ALASKAN ESKIMO HAND-MADE PRODUCTS Alaskan Indian § 310.3 Conditions. No article may carry the Government...

  1. 25 CFR 310.6 - Conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Conditions. 310.6 Section 310.6 Indians INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR USE OF GOVERNMENT MARKS OF GENUINENESS FOR ALASKAN INDIAN AND ALASKAN ESKIMO HAND-MADE PRODUCTS Alaskan Indian § 310.6 Conditions. No article may carry the Government...

  2. 48 CFR 952.226-72 - Energy Policy Act subcontracting goals and reporting requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... Americans, i.e., American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians, or any combination thereof; (2....S.C. 637(d)) or by a woman or women. (b) Goals. The Contractor, in performance of this contract... business concerns controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or by women...

  3. 48 CFR 952.226-72 - Energy Policy Act subcontracting goals and reporting requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... Americans, i.e., American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians, or any combination thereof; (2....S.C. 637(d)) or by a woman or women. (b) Goals. The Contractor, in performance of this contract... business concerns controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or by women...

  4. 48 CFR 952.226-72 - Energy Policy Act subcontracting goals and reporting requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... Americans, i.e., American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians, or any combination thereof; (2....S.C. 637(d)) or by a woman or women. (b) Goals. The Contractor, in performance of this contract... business concerns controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or by women...

  5. 48 CFR 952.226-72 - Energy Policy Act subcontracting goals and reporting requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Americans, i.e., American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians, or any combination thereof; (2....S.C. 637(d)) or by a woman or women. (b) Goals. The Contractor, in performance of this contract... business concerns controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or by women...

  6. Teaching in the Fourth World.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    New, Douglas A.

    1992-01-01

    The Alaskan Eskimos are an indigenous people beset by underemployment, economic dependency, low self-esteem, and feelings of inferiority in the face of the dominant white culture. Although a well-financed bilingual program is offered, students at Brevig Mission School speak Village English, a combination of English and Inupiaq. Often, test content…

  7. Mythology, Archaeology, Architecture. Learning Works Enrichment Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sylvester, Diane; Wiemann, Mary

    The activities in this book have been selected especially for gifted students in grades 4 through 8. They are designed to challenge and help students develop and apply higher-level thinking skills. The activities have been grouped by subject matter into mythology, archaeology, and architecture. The mythology section includes Chinese, Eskimo,…

  8. Current Ethnomusicology in Alaska.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnston, Thomas F.

    The systematic study of Eskimo, Indian, and Aleut musical sound and behavior in Alaska, though conceded to be an important part of white efforts to foster understanding between different cultural groups and to maintain the native cultural heritage, has received little attention from Alaskan educators. Most existing ethnomusical studies lack one or…

  9. Language: The Great Barrier.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenzie, Keith S.

    1969-01-01

    The author comments on the lack of sufficient interest in the education of Indians and Eskimos in Canada. Although he feels that the process of the acculturation of the Indian into white society is "ongoing, irreversible, and destined to continue no matter what anyone desires," it is "neither the task nor the prerogative of the…

  10. 76 FR 37274 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Alaska

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-27

    ... and prevents EPA from making substantive changes to the requirements it incorporates. As a result, EPA... narrative discussing how EPA made the decision to include or exclude rules. The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission expressed specific concern with EPA's decision to exclude administrative and procedural rules and...

  11. 50 CFR 18.3 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ...), Eskimo, or Aleut blood, or combination thereof. The term includes any Native, as so defined, either or... blood quantum, any citizen of the United States who is regarded as an Alaska Native by the Native... formation of traditional native groups, such as cooperatives, is permitted so long as no large-scale mass...

  12. Canada's Indians. Revised Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, James

    Over a half million people in Canada today are identifiably of Native ancestry, legally categorized as Inuit (Eskimos), status Indians, or nonstatus Indians. Status Indians comprise 573 bands with total membership of about 300,000 people, most of whom live on 2,242 reserves. They are the direct responsibility of the federal government and have…

  13. DOING Physics--Physics Activities for Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Glenn; Insley, Peter

    1985-01-01

    Explains two activities: (1) a "rotator demonstration" (a turntable, pendulum, chalk, and other materials), which can be used in many activities to demonstrate rotational concepts; and (2) an "Eskimo yo-yo," consisting of two balls (plus long strings and a glass tube) which rotate in opposite directions to show centripetal force. (JN)

  14. Monster Figures and Unhappy Endings in Inuit Literature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGrath, Robin

    1988-01-01

    Examines the incidence of frightening figures and unhappy endings in traditional and modern Inuit stories and identifies purpose for these elements. Monsters and unhappy endings apparently are tools to help children come to terms with Eskimo environment and values. Studies the conclusions and implications for Indian education. (TES)

  15. Understanding Historical Human Migration Patterns and Interbreeding (JGI Seventh Annual User Meeting 2012: Genomics of Energy and Environment)

    ScienceCinema

    Willerslev, Eske

    2018-02-14

    Eske Willerslev from the University of Copenhagen on Understanding Historical Human Migration Patterns and Interbreeding Using the Ancient Genomes of a Palaeo-Eskimo and an Aboriginal Australian at the 7th Annual Genomics of Energy & Environment Meeting on March 21, 2012 in Walnut Creek, California.

  16. CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND DRAMATIC RITUAL.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    SALISBURY, LEE H.

    THE AUTHOR'S PROGRAM, COLLEGE ORIENTATION PROGRAM FOR ALASKAN NATIVES (COPAN), WAS DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE A SMOOTH TRANSITION FOR NATIVE ALASKAN STUDENTS INTO THE AREA OF WESTERN CULTURE, IN COLLEGE. THE FINE ARTS WERE UTILIZED AS A COMMUNICATION BRIDGE BETWEEN THE ESKIMO AND WESTERN CULTURES. THE MEDIA OF THE DANCE AND DRAMA WERE THE BASES FOR…

  17. Aleut Dictionary (Unangam Tunudgusii). An Unabridged Lexicon of the Aleutian, Pribilof, and Commander Islands Aleut Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bergsland, Knut, Comp.

    This comprehensive dictionary draws on ethnographic and linguistic work of the Aleut language and culture dating to 1745. An introductory section explains the dictionary's format, offers a brief historical survey, and contains notes on Aleut phonology and orthography, dialectal differences and developments, Eskimo-Aleut phonological…

  18. 25 CFR 310.5 - Certificates of genuineness, authority to affix.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Certificates of genuineness, authority to affix. 310.5 Section 310.5 Indians INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR USE OF GOVERNMENT MARKS OF GENUINENESS FOR ALASKAN INDIAN AND ALASKAN ESKIMO HAND-MADE PRODUCTS Alaskan Indian § 310.5 Certificates of...

  19. 25 CFR 310.2 - Certificates of genuineness, authority to affix.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Certificates of genuineness, authority to affix. 310.2 Section 310.2 Indians INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR USE OF GOVERNMENT MARKS OF GENUINENESS FOR ALASKAN INDIAN AND ALASKAN ESKIMO HAND-MADE PRODUCTS Alaskan Indian § 310.2 Certificates of...

  20. The Inuit (Eskimo) of Canada.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Creery, Ian

    This report examines the history of the colonization of Arctic Canada and the efforts of its 25,000 Inuit residents to decolonize themselves. Initial sections outline the origins and early history of the Inuit; characteristics of Inuit culture, family life, and spirituality; the effects of whaling and the fur trade; and the movement of the Inuit…

  1. Getting It Together in Teacher Education: A "Problem-Centered" Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleinfeld, Judith; Noordhoff, Karen

    1988-01-01

    This article describes the Teachers for Alaska program, University of Alaska. This fifth-year certification program is a response to the teacher education reform movement and is designed to prepare high quality secondary teachers. The program emphasizes preparation of teachers for small high schools in remote Eskimo and Indian villages. (IAH)

  2. Form, Content, and Cultural Values in Three Inuit (Eskimo) Survival Stories.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stott, Jon C.

    1986-01-01

    Examines three survival stories involving Inuits: Harpoon of the Hunter (Markoosie), Tikta'Liktak (Houston), and Julie of the Wolves (Craighead). Focuses on the difficulties involved in using a literary form of Anglo-American-European culture to deal with events and attitudes from a culture as different as the Inuit. (JHZ)

  3. Rural Alaska Mentoring Project (RAMP)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cash, Terry

    2011-01-01

    For over two years the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) at Clemson University has been supporting the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) in NW Alaska with their efforts to reduce high school dropout in 23 remote Yup'ik Eskimo villages. The Rural Alaska Mentoring Project (RAMP) provides school-based E-mentoring services to 164…

  4. The American Ornithologists' Union and bird conservation: recommitment to the revolution

    Treesearch

    John W. Fitzpatrick

    2005-01-01

    Exactly one hundred years ago, with North America in full-fledged environmental crisis, prominent members of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) participated in major political and social upheaval. A century of unrestrained exploitation had reached catastrophic proportions, with Passenger Pigeons and Eskimo Curlews representing only the tip of an iceberg....

  5. Botulism Type E Outbreak Associated with Eating a Beached Whale, Alaska

    PubMed Central

    Sobel, Jeremy; Lynn, Tracey; Funk, Elizabeth; Middaugh, John P.

    2004-01-01

    We report an outbreak of botulism that occurred in July 2002 in a group of 12 Alaskan Yu'pik Eskimos who ate blubber and skin from a beached beluga whale. Botulism death rates among Alaska Natives have declined in the last 20 years, yet incidence has increased. PMID:15498179

  6. Anayuqaagiich Savagaqtut Inimi (Work Around Home).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pulu, Tupou L.; And Others

    This first level social studies text, designed for children in bilingual Inupiat-English programs in the Alaskan villages of Ambler, Kobuk, Kiana, Noorvik, Selawik, and Shungnak, is a story about the domestic and food- and fuel-gathering activities of an Eskimo family. Each page of text is illustrated with a black-and-white drawing. The English…

  7. The Indian Health Program of the U.S. Public Health Service.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Public Health Service (DHEW), Arlington, VA.

    As reported in this publication, about 410,000 Alaskan Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts receive a full range of curative, preventive, and rehabilitative health services--including hospitalization, outpatient medical care, public health nursing, maternal and child health care, dental and nutrition services, and health education. The U.S. Public Health…

  8. 36 CFR 51.83 - Sale of Native Handicrafts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... in the Metalakatla Indian Community), Eskimo, or Aleut blood, or combination thereof. The term... includes, in the absence of a minimum blood quantum, any citizen of the United States who is regarded as an Alaska Native by the Alaska native village or native groups of which he or she claims to be a member and...

  9. Racial and ethnic group comparisons, national surveys of drinking and driving attitudes and behavior--1993, 1995 and 1997. Volume 1, Findings

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-08-01

    Differences in drinking and driving attitudes and behaviors among diverse groups of persons, i.e., White, Black, Asian, American Indian/Eskimo and Hispanic, were examined by polling data from the 1993, 1995, and 1997 administrations of the National H...

  10. Racial and ethnic group comparisons, national surveys of drinking and driving attitudes and behavior--1993, 1995 and 1997. Volume 2, Methods report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-08-01

    Differences in drinking and driving attitudes and behaviors among diverse groups of persons, i.e., White, Black, Asian, American Indian/Eskimo and Hispanic, were examined by pooling data from the 1993, 1995, and 1997 administrations of the National H...

  11. Out in the Cold: The Legacy of Canada's Inuit Relocation Experiment in the High Arctic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marcus, Alan R.

    This study analyses reasons given by the Canadian government for undertaking and administering relocations of Inuit (Eskimos) in 1953-55. The study, based on interviews and a review of government files, corroborates oral testimony by surviving Inuit, who said they suffered years of neglect following their resettlement from Quebec to the High…

  12. Landscape Unbounded: Space, Place, and Orientation in [palatal click]Akhoe Hai//om and Beyond

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Widlok, Thomas

    2008-01-01

    Even before it became a common place to assume that "the Eskimo have a hundred words for snow" the languages of hunting and gathering people have played an important role in debates about linguistic relativity concerning geographical ontologies. Evidence from languages of hunter-gatherers has been used in radical relativist challenges to…

  13. Closing the Gap: Education and Change in New Stuyahok. Case Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lipka, Jerry

    As part of a larger study of systemic educational reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines reform efforts underway in New Stuyahok, a community of 440 people in southwestern Alaska. The population is almost entirely Yup'ik Eskimo. The K-12 school enrolls about 150 students. In 1992, Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) established district…

  14. American Native Oral Tradition: Legal Safeguards and Public Domain--A Discussion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bland, Laurel LeMieux

    Demonstrating the fact that the United States recognizes tribal groups (American Indians, Eskimos, and/or Aleuts) as sovereign bodies and conducts business and civil affairs with them accordingly, this paper examines an area in U.S. Law that is either unclear or entirely lacking--the treatment of tribal right to ownership or control of the…

  15. Emotional Lessons: Out on the Tundra, Kids Learn To Better Understand Their Own and Others' Feelings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherman, Lee

    1999-01-01

    A nationally acclaimed antiviolence program, Second Step teaches three basic skills needed for living peacefully in society: empathy, impulse control, and anger management. In Bethel (Alaska), where student gunfire killed a student and principal in 1997, Second Step is used enthusiastically, having been modified to fit Yupik Eskimo culture and…

  16. Suicide, Homicide, and Alcoholism Among American Indians: Guidelines for Help.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frederick, Calvin J., Comp.; And Others

    Designed to help alleviate some of the health problems among American Indians and Eskimos, this booklet covers suicide, homicide, and alcoholism. It can be used to provide: (1) "how-to" guidelines which describe ways for recognizing, handling, and preventing possible suicides among American Indians; and (2) survey data and literature for use as a…

  17. The Sky Clears; Poetry of the American Indians.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Day, A. Grove

    More than 200 authentic poems and lyrics of North American Indians are compiled in this anthology. The poetry was translated from tribal languages into English over the past 100 years by students of Indian language, lore, and life. The poems, taken from about 40 North American tribes, include songs of Eskimos of the Arctic coasts, totem-pole…

  18. Getting To Know You. A Guide for Boarding Home Parents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleinfeld, Judith; Christian, Jennifer

    Successful boarding home parents seem to have two qualities in common: they express their affection for their student openly and often, and they respect their student's desire to be treated as a mature person. Many cultural differences exist between the Indian and Eskimo students, coming from villages without high schools, and the boarding home…

  19. Bibliography of Health Issues Affecting North American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts: 1950-1988.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owens, Mitchell V., Comp.; And Others

    This bibliography of 2,414 journal articles provides health professionals and others with quick references on health and related issues of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The citations cover articles published in U.S. and Canadian medical and health-related journals between 1950 and 1988. Five sections deal with major health categories and…

  20. The Native American Factor, with a Photo Essay.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meredith, Howard L.

    The text describes the American Indian and Eskimo of the United States as a people that are no longer prepared to accept an inferior position in their homeland. History shows that the majority of Indian peoples wanted to share not only in the material advances made by modern society but also in the basic European scientific outlook--an outlook…

  1. The Future of Inuktitut in the Face of Majority Languages: Bilingualism or Language Shift?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Shanley

    2007-01-01

    Inuktitut, the Eskimo language spoken in Eastern Canada, is one of the few Canadian indigenous languages with a strong chance of long-term survival because over 90% of Inuit children still learn Inuktitut from birth. In this paper I review existing literature on bilingual Inuit children to explore the prospects for the survival of Inuktitut given…

  2. Yup'ik Women's Ways of Knowing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bennett, Kathleen; And Others

    This paper describes storyknifing activities practiced by a small group of young girls in a Yup'ik Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River in Alaska. Storyknifing is a form of play in which girls tell stories to one another, while making drawings and designs in mud or snow. The girls will sit in a circle for hours at a time, taking turns telling…

  3. Symmetrical Measuring: An Approach to Teaching Elementary School Mathematics Informed by Yup'ik Elders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Monica; Lipka, Jerry; Andrew-Ihrke, Dora

    2014-01-01

    What would the curriculum look like if it were developed from the perspective of measuring? Without formal tools, the Yup'ik Eskimos of Alaska used their body as a measuring device and employed ratios extensively in their daily practices. "Math in a Cultural Context" is developing curriculum materials based on Yup'ik Elders use of…

  4. A Prototype of a Receptive Lexical Test for a Polysynthetic Heritage Language: The Case of Inuttitut in Labrador

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherkina-Lieber, Marina; Helms-Park, Rena

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes the process of designing, administering, and assessing a language-sensitive and culture-specific lexical test of Labrador Inuttitut (a dialect of Inuktitut, an Eskimo-Aleut language). This process presented numerous challenges, from choosing citation forms in a polysynthetic language to dealing with a lack of word frequency…

  5. Privacy-Enhancing Technologies for the Internet

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-01-01

    http://www.communities.com/paper/swamp.html 7 David Chaum , ``Untraceable Electronic Mail, Return addresses, and Digital Pseudonyms,’’ Communications of...the ACM, February 1981, vol. 24 no. 2. http://www.eskimo.com/~weidai/mix-net.txt 8 David Chaum , ``Blind Signatures for Untraceable Payments...Privacy-enhancing technologies for the Internet Ian Goldberg David Wagner Eric Brewer University of California, Berkeley {iang,daw,brewer

  6. The Cup'ik People of the Western Tundra: A Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pingayak, John

    The Cup'ik people are a group of Yup'ik Eskimos who live in southwest Alaska. This curriculum aims to enhance Cup'ik students' interest in their own culture by making that culture a part of their daily activities; to teach students to practice the traditional Cup'ik respect for elders, fellow students, and others in the community; and to teach…

  7. Nunaput Negeqlirmi (Our Village of St. Mary's).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alaska State Dept. of Education, Juneau.

    Yup'ik Eskimo children from the fifth and sixth grades of St. Mary's Public School, St. Mary's, Alaska, wrote this collection of 28 short stories. The 55 page book is printed in both Yup'ik and English. It features large type and illustrations drawn by the children and is intended for use in a bilingual education program. Some of the stories deal…

  8. A Catalogue of Data in the Statistical Information Centre, March 1976. (Catalogue de donnees du Centre d'information statistique, Mars 1976.)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Ottawa (Ontario).

    Over 189 materials which cover aspects of the Administration, Parks Canada, Indian and Eskimo Affairs, and Northern Development Programs are cited in this bilingual catalogue (English and French). Information given for each entry is: reference number, statistics available, years covered, and whether the statistics are available by area, region,…

  9. Raising Young Children in an Alaskan Inupiaq Village: The Family, Cultural, and Village Environment of Rearing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sprott, Julie Winkler

    Drawing on the developmental niche framework of Super and Harkness, this book examines child rearing in an Inupiaq (Eskimo) village in northwest Alaska. Approximately 2 years of fieldwork was carried out in Noorvik, a remote village in the Northwest Arctic Borough. The study involved 22 parents of young children and 22 extended family members in…

  10. Understanding the Complex Dimensions of the Digital Divide: Lessons Learned in the Alaskan Arctic

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Subramony, Deepak Prem

    2007-01-01

    An ethnographic case study of Inupiat Eskimo in the Alaskan Arctic has provided insights into the complex nature of the sociological issues surrounding equitable access to technology tools and skills, which are referred to as the digital divide. These people can overcome the digital divide if they get the basic ready access to hardware and…

  11. The Effects of Environmental Change on an Arctic Native Community: Evaluation Using Local Cultural Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McBeath, Jerry; Shepro, Carl E.

    2007-01-01

    This article presents the research conducted by the authors in an Inupiat Eskimo village on the Alaska North Slope and describes the research in two substantive parts. In the first section, the authors present what subsistence hunters and fishers observed concerning changes to seas, lands, and inland lakes and rivers. Then, they mention changes of…

  12. Alaska Native Languages: Past, Present, and Future. Alaska Native Language Center Research Papers No. 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krauss, Michael E.

    Three papers (1978-80) written for the non-linguistic public about Alaska Native languages are combined here. The first is an introduction to the prehistory, history, present status, and future prospects of all Alaska Native languages, both Eskimo-Aleut and Athabaskan Indian. The second and third, presented as appendixes to the first, deal in…

  13. Uric acid, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease among Alaska Eskimos: the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) study.

    PubMed

    Jolly, Stacey E; Mete, Mihriye; Wang, Hong; Zhu, Jianhui; Ebbesson, Sven O E; Voruganti, V Saroja; Comuzzie, Anthony G; Howard, Barbara V; Umans, Jason G

    2012-02-01

    It is unknown what role uric acid (UA) may play in the increasing rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Alaska Eskimos. UA is associated with both hypertension (HTN) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The authors analyzed 1078 Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) participants. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated from serum creatinine measures using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. CKD was defined by an eGFR of <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) . The authors adjusted for age, sex, education, diabetes, hypertension (or eGFR), obesity, lipids, and smoking status; 7% (n=75) had prevalent CKD. eGFR decreased with increasing tertiles of serum UA (P<.001). UA was independently associated with prevalent CKD (adjusted odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval [CI] of 2.04 (1.62-2.56), respectively). Twenty-one percent (n=230) had prevalent HTN and UA was independently associated with prevalent HTN (adjusted OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5). UA is independently associated with prevalent CKD and HTN in this population. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. INTERNAL PROPER MOTIONS IN THE ESKIMO NEBULA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    García-Díaz, Ma. T.; Gutiérrez, L.; Steffen, W.

    We present measurements of internal proper motions at more than 500 positions of NGC 2392, the Eskimo Nebula, based on images acquired with WFPC2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope at two epochs separated by 7.695 yr. Comparisons of the two observations clearly show the expansion of the nebula. We measured the amplitude and direction of the motion of local structures in the nebula by determining their relative shift during that interval. In order to assess the potential uncertainties in the determination of proper motions in this object, in general, the measurements were performed using two different methods, used previously in themore » literature. We compare the results from the two methods, and to perform the scientific analysis of the results we choose one, the cross-correlation method, because it is more reliable. We go on to perform a ''criss-cross'' mapping analysis on the proper motion vectors, which helps in the interpretation of the velocity pattern. By combining our results of the proper motions with radial velocity measurements obtained from high resolution spectroscopic observations, and employing an existing 3D model, we estimate the distance to the nebula to be 1.3 kpc.« less

  15. 76 FR 36491 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Eskimo Curlew; Initiation of 5-Year Status Review

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-22

    ... endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We conduct 5-year reviews to ensure... finding on whether this species is properly classified under the Act. DATES: To allow us adequate time to... Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 on March 11, 1967 (32 FR 4001). No information on the biology of...

  16. Life in Alaska: The Reminiscences of a Kansas Woman, 1916-1919.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamb, May Wynne; Zimmerman, Dorothy Wynne, Ed.

    In 1916, May Wynne, a 27-year-old teacher, traveled from Seattle, Washington, to Akiak, Alaska, to teach in a government native school. This book presents her account of the 3 years she spent in Akiak, which consisted of an Eskimo village on one side of the Kuskokwim River and a white settlement of miners, trappers, and traders on the other. Her…

  17. Making the Best of Two Worlds: An Anthropological Approach to the Development of Bilingual Education Materials in Southwestern Alaska.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrow, Phyllis

    For the Yupik Eskimos of southwestern Alaska, a primary goal of bilingual-bicultural education is to forge a society that represents the "best of two worlds." While this is an expressed ideal, educational programs have focused on first and second language learning and have not dealt with the relationship between Yupik and non-Yupik…

  18. Racial Minority Groups in North Dakota, 1970-1980: A Statistical Portrait. North Dakota Census Data Center Report Series No. 6.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daul, Jennifer; And Others

    Demographic and economic characteristics of racial minorities (American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, Black, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian or other) in North Dakota in 1980 are presented, using U.S. Bureau of the Census data. Between 1970 and 1980, the number of racial minority residents increased by 8,900 (48.6%), with…

  19. A Report and Basic Proposal to Provide Alaskan Manpower Entry into the Pipeline and Related Construction Skills via Technical Training, Immediate and Intermediate.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bland, Laurel L.

    To make policy makers and others more aware of possibilities for utilizing Alaskan manpower, information has been gathered on the manpower demand to construct the proposed 800 mile Alaska oil pipeline and its supporting system. The recruitment and training of chronically unemployed or underemployed workers (largely Eskimos and Indians) is being…

  20. Work of the Bureau of Education for the Natives of Alaska, 1917-18. Bulletin, 1919, No. 40

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior, 1919

    1919-01-01

    During the year the field force of the Bureau of Education in Alaska consisted of 5 superintendents, 1 assistant superintendent, 116 teachers, 9 physicians, and 11 nurses. Sixty-nine schools were maintained with an enrollment of 3,635. School buildings were erected at White Mountain, whither the Eskimos had migrated from Council; at Elim, within a…

  1. Inferred Propositions and the Expression of the Evidence Relation in Natural Language Evidentiality in Central Alaskan Yup'ik Eskimo and English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krawczyk, Elizabeth A.

    2012-01-01

    Evidentiality has usually been defined as the grammaticalized expression of a speaker's evidence source for a proposition, where "evidence" is conceptualized as a speaker's source-type for a particular proposition (Aikhenvald 2004). How this evidence source-type and the evidential are related has yet to be formally modeled in…

  2. A Study of Selected Socio-Economic Characteristics of Ethnic Minorities Based on the 1970 Census. Volume 3: American Indians.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    RJ Associates, Inc., Arlington, VA.

    Today, there are 827,000 American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the United States. Although found throughout the U.S., nearly two-thirds live in the states of Oklahoma, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Alaska (including Eskimos and Aleuts), North Carolina, South Dakota, and Washington. While in 1930 only 10 percent of the Indians lived in urban…

  3. The Way of the Human Being: Supporting Alaska Native Families Who Have a Child with a Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Susan; Murphy, Blanche; Harvey, Sandra; Nygren, Kristin; Kinavey, Erin; Ongtooguk, Paul

    2006-01-01

    Alaska Native peoples refer to themselves and their way of life as the "way of the human being" (Napolean, 1991). This term, referred to as "Yuuyaraq" by the Yup'ik Eskimo, speaks to the value the Yup'ik and other Alaskan Natives place on being fully human. Within the context of the "way of the human life," how can…

  4. Strategy for Enlisting Lateral Entrants Via Computer Technology (SELECT): An Automated System for Determining Rating and Pay Grade Qualification for Potential Navy Lateral Entry Accessions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-09-01

    Filipino (6- ) Mexican American/Chicano (7: ) Eskimo (8- ) Aleut (9: ) Cuban American (D- ) India (E’ ) Malaysian (G ) Chinese (J" 1...INTERNSHIP PHOTOGRAPHY/ CINEMA (2,2,3,3); FILM PRODUCTION (0,2,3,3); PORTRAITURE (0,1,1,1); TECH PHOTOGRAPHY (0,0,1,2); PERSNNEL SUPERVISION (0,0,1,3

  5. Analysis of 30 Genes (355 SNPS) Related to Energy Homeostasis for Association with Adiposity in European-American and Yup'ik Eskimo Populations

    PubMed Central

    Chung, Wendy K.; Patki, Amit; Matsuoka, Naoki; Boyer, Bert B.; Liu, Nianjun; Musani, Solomon K.; Goropashnaya, Anna V.; Tan, Perciliz L.; Katsanis, Nicholas; Johnson, Stephen B.; Gregersen, Peter K.; Allison, David B.; Leibel, Rudolph L.; Tiwari, Hemant K.

    2009-01-01

    Objective Human adiposity is highly heritable, but few of the genes that predispose to obesity in most humans are known. We tested candidate genes in pathways related to food intake and energy expenditure for association with measures of adiposity. Methods We studied 355 genetic variants in 30 candidate genes in 7 molecular pathways related to obesity in two groups of adult subjects: 1,982 unrelated European Americans living in the New York metropolitan area drawn from the extremes of their body mass index (BMI) distribution and 593 related Yup'ik Eskimos living in rural Alaska characterized for BMI, body composition, waist circumference, and skin fold thicknesses. Data were analyzed by using a mixed model in conjunction with a false discovery rate (FDR) procedure to correct for multiple testing. Results After correcting for multiple testing, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Ghrelin (GHRL) (rs35682 and rs35683) were associated with BMI in the New York European Americans. This association was not replicated in the Yup'ik participants. There was no evidence for gene × gene interactions among genes within the same molecular pathway after adjusting for multiple testing via FDR control procedure. Conclusion Genetic variation in GHRL may have a modest impact on BMI in European Americans. PMID:19077438

  6. Analysis of 30 genes (355 SNPS) related to energy homeostasis for association with adiposity in European-American and Yup'ik Eskimo populations.

    PubMed

    Chung, Wendy K; Patki, Amit; Matsuoka, Naoki; Boyer, Bert B; Liu, Nianjun; Musani, Solomon K; Goropashnaya, Anna V; Tan, Perciliz L; Katsanis, Nicholas; Johnson, Stephen B; Gregersen, Peter K; Allison, David B; Leibel, Rudolph L; Tiwari, Hemant K

    2009-01-01

    Human adiposity is highly heritable, but few of the genes that predispose to obesity in most humans are known. We tested candidate genes in pathways related to food intake and energy expenditure for association with measures of adiposity. We studied 355 genetic variants in 30 candidate genes in 7 molecular pathways related to obesity in two groups of adult subjects: 1,982 unrelated European Americans living in the New York metropolitan area drawn from the extremes of their body mass index (BMI) distribution and 593 related Yup'ik Eskimos living in rural Alaska characterized for BMI, body composition, waist circumference, and skin fold thicknesses. Data were analyzed by using a mixed model in conjunction with a false discovery rate (FDR) procedure to correct for multiple testing. After correcting for multiple testing, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Ghrelin (GHRL) (rs35682 and rs35683) were associated with BMI in the New York European Americans. This association was not replicated in the Yup'ik participants. There was no evidence for gene x gene interactions among genes within the same molecular pathway after adjusting for multiple testing via FDR control procedure. Genetic variation in GHRL may have a modest impact on BMI in European Americans.

  7. Visual Perception and Recall of School-Age Navajo, Hopi, Jicarilla Apache, and Caucasian Children of the Southwest including Results from a Pilot Study Among Eskimos and Athabascan School-Age Children of North Alaska. Monograph #5.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bland, Laurel LeMieux

    The study determined if a significant difference was demonstrated between American Indians and Caucasians on visual perception and recall tasks associated with cognitive function. It was hypothesized that a significant difference existed between scores obtained by Indian children enrolled in reservation schools and that of Caucasian children…

  8. Discriminatory Analysis. 1. Survey Of Discriminatory Analysis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1950-10-01

    Biomt, 18, 56-98, MORANT, G. M., 1926b. Studies of Palaeolithic man. I. The Chancelade skull and its relation to the modern 103 ............ Eskimo...study of the Hokien and the Tamil skull." Biom., 180 1)47 1927a. Studies of Palaeolithic man. II. A biometric study of Neanderthaloid skulls and of their...Studies of Palaeolithic man. III. The Rhodesian skull and its relations to Neanderthaloid and modern types. Ann. Eugen., 3, 337-360. 1929a. A

  9. Ford Foundation Fellowships

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Applications are available for Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships for Minorities. About 35 fellowships will be awarded in 1986 to citizens or nationals of the United States who are American Indians, Alaskan Natives (Eskimo or Aleut), Black Americans, Mexican Americans I Chicanos, or Puerto Ricans. These 1-year, nonrenewable fellowships are intended for persons preparing for or already engaged in college or university teaching or research. Some will also be awarded to “senior teacher-scholars” to provide an opportunity for professional enrichment and research.

  10. Genetic polymorphisms in carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A gene are associated with variation in body composition and fasting lipid traits in Yup'ik Eskimos[S

    PubMed Central

    Lemas, Dominick J.; Wiener, Howard W.; O'Brien, Diane M.; Hopkins, Scarlett; Stanhope, Kimber L.; Havel, Peter J.; Allison, David B.; Fernandez, Jose R.; Tiwari, Hemant K.; Boyer, Bert B.

    2012-01-01

    Variants of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A), a key hepatic lipid oxidation enzyme, may influence how fatty acid oxidation contributes to obesity and metabolic outcomes. CPT1A is regulated by diet, suggesting interactions between gene variants and diet may influence outcomes. The objective of this study was to test the association of CPT1A variants with body composition and lipids, mediated by consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Obesity phenotypes and fasting lipids were measured in a cross-sectional sample of Yup'ik Eskimo individuals (n = 1141) from the Center of Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) study. Twenty-eight tagging CPT1A SNPs were evaluated with outcomes of interest in regression models accounting for family structure. Several CPT1A polymorphisms were associated with HDL-cholesterol and obesity phenotypes. The P479L (rs80356779) variant was associated with all obesity-related traits and fasting HDL-cholesterol. Interestingly, the association of P479L with HDL-cholesterol was still significant after correcting for body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat (PBF), or waist circumference (WC). Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the L479 allele of the CPT1A P479L variant confers a selective advantage that is both cardioprotective (through increased HDL-cholesterol) and associated with reduced adiposity. PMID:22045927

  11. ESKIMO II. Magazine Separation Test

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1974-09-01

    were supported against blast loading at the hinges and at the top and bottom. Further door support was provided by bearings on stops welded to the...head of the door and by a round steel rod projecting rnwad and bearing on the steel beam. During the test the doors were dislodged and thrown to the...cOAcnlt projection abova door opining to It if fan haaowali. C 133 3180 • 75 153 Stoaf dowat to nmtt door movmint at top; »aas affactwa than door

  12. Military Power in Operations Other Than War

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-06-03

    of a Shiite state in the south, a Kurdish state in the north, and a Sunni Arab Mesopotamian state in the center, all at war with each other. While...made an excursion into a culture as different from America’s as an African Negro’s is different from that of an Eskimo. No man could hope to span the ...differences in American and Vietnamese culture and heritage in the short time of his appointment in our land. How could I explain . . that while an

  13. Installation Restoration Program. Stage 1. King Salmon Airport , King Salmon, Alaska

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-08-29

    DESCRIPTION SOILS, SEDIMENTS , SLU_ SOLIDS TREATMENT ] CONSTITUENTS OR CON., SOLIDO /F/CATION, FIXATION" - STABILIZATION AND FIX/ STABILIZATION FORM...are consistently present in site media _il, sediment , surface, and ground-I waters), and are potentially toxic to humans and the eni--ent. Suggested...Seep IV-76 4.1.5.2.3 North Barrel Bluff IV-76 4.1.5.2.4 South Barrel Bluff IV-94 4.1.6 Sediment Investigation IV-94 4.1.6.1 Eskimo Creek Seep IV-94

  14. Changes in food and nutrient intake of 6- to 17-year-old Germans between the 1980s and 2006.

    PubMed

    Stahl, Anna; Vohmann, Claudia; Richter, Almut; Heseker, Helmut; Mensink, Gert B M

    2009-10-01

    To compare the food consumption and nutrient intakes of German children and adolescents in the 1980s with present dietary habits. Two cross-sectional representative surveys, the German National Food Consumption Study (Nationale Verzehrsstudie, NVS) from 1985-8 and the nutrition module 'EsKiMo' of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) from 2006, were analysed for differences in food and nutrient intakes stratified by age and sex groups. Secondary analyses of data from representative observational studies. Children and adolescents aged 6-17 years living in Germany in the 1980s (n 2265) and in 2006 (n 2506). Food consumption was characterised by higher amounts of vegetables/pulses, fruits/nuts and beverages and less meat products/sausages, butter, fats/oils, potatoes/potato products and bread/pastries in 2006 than in 1985-8. The overall changes in food intake were reflected in improvements of macronutrient composition, increased water intake and lower energy density of the diet. Intake of most vitamins and minerals increased in relation to energy intake, but the nutrient density of the diet for vitamins B12 and D decreased. The most critical nutrients observed in NVS and EsKiMo were folate, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, Ca and Fe. In addition, dietary fibre intake was relatively low and fatty acid and carbohydrate compositions were not favourable. Further efforts will be necessary to improve dietary habits among children and adolescents.

  15. Vitamin E status of Alaskan Eskimos.

    PubMed

    Wei Wo, C K; Draper, H H

    1975-08-01

    A survey was conducted during 1971-1973 on the vitamin E status of Alaskan Eskomos. The subjects were 315 residents of the northern coastal villages of Wainwright and Point Hope and the southwestern inland villages of Kasigluk and Nunapitchuk. Plasma vitamin E levels for the 6- to 17-year-old subjects at Wainwright, Point Hope, and Nunapitchuk were 0.81 plus or minus 0.26, 0.90 plus or minus 0.20, and 0.84 plus or minus 0.25 mg/100 ml (mean and standard deviation), respectively. The values for adults at Wainwright, Point Hope, and Kasigluk were 1.23 plus or minus 0.27, 1.23 plus or minus 0.27, and 1.27 plus or minus 0.33 mg/100 ml, respectively. No value less than 0.30 mg/100 ml was observed. Alpha-tocopherol was the only isomer present in significant amounts. Plasma vitamin E levels did not change significantly between 6 and 17 years of age; however, a steady increase with age was observed in the 18- to 69-year-old groups. Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations were significantly lower in children than in adults but there were no differences attributable to sex or geographic location. Vitamin E concentration in the blood plasma was linearly correlated with cholesterol concentration. Values are reported for the vitamin E content of some native foods. This study indicates that plasma vitamin E levels in Alaskan Eskimos consuming a high meat or fish diet are comparable to those in adults of the United States consuming a mixed diet.

  16. Pre-Columbian origins of Native American dog breeds, with only limited replacement by European dogs, confirmed by mtDNA analysis.

    PubMed

    van Asch, Barbara; Zhang, Ai-bing; Oskarsson, Mattias C R; Klütsch, Cornelya F C; Amorim, António; Savolainen, Peter

    2013-09-07

    Dogs were present in pre-Columbian America, presumably brought by early human migrants from Asia. Studies of free-ranging village/street dogs have indicated almost total replacement of these original dogs by European dogs, but the extent to which Arctic, North and South American breeds are descendants of the original population remains to be assessed. Using a comprehensive phylogeographic analysis, we traced the origin of the mitochondrial DNA lineages for Inuit, Eskimo and Greenland dogs, Alaskan Malamute, Chihuahua, xoloitzcuintli and perro sín pelo del Peru, by comparing to extensive samples of East Asian (n = 984) and European dogs (n = 639), and previously published pre-Columbian sequences. Evidence for a pre-Columbian origin was found for all these breeds, except Alaskan Malamute for which results were ambigous. No European influence was indicated for the Arctic breeds Inuit, Eskimo and Greenland dog, and North/South American breeds had at most 30% European female lineages, suggesting marginal replacement by European dogs. Genetic continuity through time was shown by the sharing of a unique haplotype between the Mexican breed Chihuahua and ancient Mexican samples. We also analysed free-ranging dogs, confirming limited pre-Columbian ancestry overall, but also identifying pockets of remaining populations with high proportion of indigenous ancestry, and we provide the first DNA-based evidence that the Carolina dog, a free-ranging population in the USA, may have an ancient Asian origin.

  17. Medial orbital wall landmarks in three different North American populations.

    PubMed

    Mehta, Milap P; Perry, Julian D

    2015-04-01

    We sought to measure the medial orbital wall foramina distances in two previously unstudied populations, to describe a new bony medial wall feature, and to validate the accuracy of a new coordinate measurement device within the orbit. Dried, well-preserved, complete human skulls without orbital defects were studied. Age, gender, birthplace, ethnicity, and laterality of the orbit were recorded for each skull. Supranumerary ethmoidal foramina were recorded, and the fronto-ethmoidal groove depth was measured. The distances between the anterior lacrimal crest (ALC) - anterior ethmoidal foramen (AEF), AEF - posterior ethmoidal foramen (PEF), and PEF - optic canal (OC) were measured first by surgical ruler and wire and then by the Microscribe coordinate measurement device. One hundred and forty-six orbits were studied. Fifty-seven orbits were of European or Caucasian descent, 68 orbits of African American descent, 2 orbits of West African descent, 11 orbits of Eskimo descent, and 8 orbits of unknown origin. No significant differences existed between the manual and Microscribe measurements for the ALC-AEF, AEF-PEF, and PEF-OF distances (p < 0.0001). A significant frontoethmoidal groove was observed in 27/146 (19%) orbits, in 6/57 (11%) Caucasian orbits, in 17/70 (24%) African American orbits, and in 4/11 (36%) Eskimo orbits. Supranumerary ethmoidal foramina were found in 50/146 orbits (34.2%) and in 17/27 (63%) orbits with a significant frontoethmoidal grooves. No significant differences in medial wall foramina distances exist between African American and Caucasian orbits; however, a frontoethmoidal groove occurs more commonly in African American orbits. This groove often occurs in the presence of supernumerary ethmoidal foramina. The Microscribe coordinate measurement system represents a valid tool to measure distances within the orbit.

  18. SRXFA in the studies of the correlation between the element composition of human blood and environment objects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koutzenogii, K. P.; Savchenko, T. I.; Chankina, O. V.; Popova, S. A.

    2009-05-01

    High correlation has been revealed both between the content of chemical elements in human blood and atmospheric aerosols and between blood elements and food components. The element compositions of blood and hair have been established to be strongly related to each other. These biosubstrates can be used to estimate the health of the population of the northern hemisphere. Variability of the multielement composition of the blood and hair of the inhabitants of Novosibirsk, the Tundra Nenetz, Yakuts, Chukchi and the Eskimos, food components and aerosols in the regions where they live was determined by the SRXFA method.

  19. Thymic cystic degeneration, pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, and hemorrhage in a dog with brodifacoum toxicosis.

    PubMed

    Rickman, B H; Gurfield, N

    2009-05-01

    Thymic cysts with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia are described in a 7-month-old female American Eskimo Dog that died of complications from brodifacoum poisoning. Grossly, there was hemothorax with marked cranial mediastinal hemorrhage. Histologically, thymic lobules were expanded and distorted by irregular cysts, lined by single to multiple layers of plump to slightly attenuated polygonal squamous epithelial cells supported by a basement membrane (pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia). The thymus had a paucity of lymphocytes and lacked corticomedullary differentiation. Extensive hemorrhage within the cysts and thymic parenchyma extended into the adjacent adipose tissue. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of cystic thymic degeneration with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia in a nonhuman species.

  20. Variants in CPT1A, FADS1, and FADS2 are Associated with Higher Levels of Estimated Plasma and Erythrocyte Delta-5 Desaturases in Alaskan Eskimos.

    PubMed

    Voruganti, V Saroja; Higgins, Paul B; Ebbesson, Sven O E; Kennish, John; Göring, Harald H H; Haack, Karin; Laston, Sandra; Drigalenko, Eugene; Wenger, Charlotte R; Harris, William S; Fabsitz, Richard R; Devereux, Richard B; Maccluer, Jean W; Curran, Joanne E; Carless, Melanie A; Johnson, Matthew P; Moses, Eric K; Blangero, John; Umans, Jason G; Howard, Barbara V; Cole, Shelley A; Comuzzie, Anthony Gean

    2012-01-01

    The delta-5 and delta-6 desaturases (D5D and D6D), encoded by fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) and 2 (FADS2) genes, respectively, are rate-limiting enzymes in the metabolism of ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids. The objective of this study was to identify genes influencing variation in estimated D5D and D6D activities in plasma and erythrocytes in Alaskan Eskimos (n = 761) participating in the genetics of coronary artery disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) study. Desaturase activity was estimated by product: precursor ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids. We found evidence of linkage for estimated erythrocyte D5D (eD5D) on chromosome 11q12-q13 (logarithm of odds score = 3.5). The confidence interval contains candidate genes FADS1, FADS2, 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7), and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1A, liver (CPT1A). Measured genotype analysis found association between CPT1A, FADS1, and FADS2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and estimated eD5D activity (p-values between 10(-28) and 10(-5)). A Bayesian quantitative trait nucleotide analysis showed that rs3019594 in CPT1A, rs174541 in FADS1, and rs174568 in FADS2 had posterior probabilities > 0.8, thereby demonstrating significant statistical support for a functional effect on eD5D activity. Highly significant associations of FADS1, FADS2, and CPT1A transcripts with their respective SNPs (p-values between 10(-75) and 10(-7)) in Mexican Americans of the San Antonio Family Heart Study corroborated our results. These findings strongly suggest a functional role for FADS1, FADS2, and CPT1A SNPs in the variation in eD5D activity.

  1. Dictionary of Alaska place names

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Orth, Donald J.

    1971-01-01

    This work is an alphabetical list of the geographic names that are now applied and have been applied to places and features of the Alaska landscape. Principal names, compiled from modem maps and charts and printed in boldface type, generally reflect present-day local usage. They conform to the principles of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for establishing standard names for use on Government maps and in other Government publications. Each name entry gives the present-day spelling along with variant spellings and names; identifies the feature named; presents the origin and history of the name; and, where possible, gives the meaning of an Eskimo, Aleut, Indian, or foreign name. Variant, obsolete, and doubtful names are alphabetically listed and are cross referenced, where necessary, to the principal entries.

  2. Living in utility scarcity: energy and water insecurity in Northwest Alaska.

    PubMed

    Eichelberger, Laura Palen

    2010-06-01

    This study explored the links between energy and water insecurity in rural Iñupiaq Eskimo villages in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough. High energy costs and the need for fuel-based transportation are 2 significant factors in domestic water access for these communities. Dramatic increases in the costs of energy have led to decreased domestic water access, with adverse effects on household hygiene practices. I traced the ways in which the high costs of energy determine water consumption from production to household acquisition and use. Improving sanitation and access to domestic water requires considering the water-energy nexus: the amount and cost of energy required to treat and distribute water as well as manage waste. I use the term utility scarcity to underscore the relationship between domestic water, energy, and health.

  3. Oral focal epithelial hyperplasia: report of three cases.

    PubMed

    Ghalayani, Parichehr; Tavakoli, Payam; Eftekhari, Mehdi; Haghighi, Mohammad Akhondzadeh

    2015-01-01

    Focal epithelial hyperplasia or Heck's disease is an infrequent asymptomatic condition caused by human papillomavirus types 13 or 32 affecting the mucous membrane of the mouth and is commonly seen in young individuals. Firstly, it was described in Indians and Eskimos, but it exists in various populations. We present three cases of Heck's disease in an Afghan immigrant family group living in Iran that seem to have familial predominance. The disease was identified as oral focal epithelial hyperplasia on the basis of histopathologic and clinical findings. The lesions were reduced significantly after 4 months of good oral hygiene. Dentists should be familiar with the clinical manifestations of these types of lesions that affect the oral cavity. In fact, histopathologic assessment and clinical observation are necessary to establish the diagnosis.

  4. Living in Utility Scarcity: Energy and Water Insecurity in Northwest Alaska

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    This study explored the links between energy and water insecurity in rural Iñupiaq Eskimo villages in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough. High energy costs and the need for fuel-based transportation are 2 significant factors in domestic water access for these communities. Dramatic increases in the costs of energy have led to decreased domestic water access, with adverse effects on household hygiene practices. I traced the ways in which the high costs of energy determine water consumption from production to household acquisition and use. Improving sanitation and access to domestic water requires considering the water–energy nexus: the amount and cost of energy required to treat and distribute water as well as manage waste. I use the term utility scarcity to underscore the relationship between domestic water, energy, and health. PMID:20403886

  5. Fallout strontium-90 and cesium-137 in northern Alaskan ecosystems during 1959--1970

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hanson, Wayne C.

    1973-05-01

    Cycling routes, rates of transport, and resultant concentrations of the fallout radionuclides 90Sr and 137Cs in northern Alaskan ecosystems were defined during the period 1959 to 1970. Radiochemical analysis of extensive samples of biota and whole-body counting of 137Cs in Eskimo and Indian ethnic groups were related to ecological principles, especially the concept of trophic niche, which elucidated the observed patterns of radionuclide concentrations. Experiments involving Sr and Cs radioisotopes applied to natural Cladonia-- Cetraria lichen carpets yielded effective half-times of 1.O to 1.6 years for Sr and more than 10 years for Cs. Direct and indirect estimates of 131Csmore » half-times in Eskimos on a caribou meat diet were made by dietary manipulation and by relating dietary 137Cs intake and resultant change between periodic whole body counts. Effective half- times of 70 days for adults (more than 21 years old) and minors (14 to 20 years old) and of 45 days for children (less than 14 years old) were found. Suitable mathematical models were used to compute lichen forage ingestion rates of free- ranging adult caribou (4.5 to 5.0 kg dry weight per day), caribou meat ingestion rates of Anaktuvuk Pass residents (up to 2 kg wet weight per day for men), and 90Sr body burdens of Anaktuvuk Pass residents during the period 1952 to 1968 (maximum value of 8 nCi in adult males during late 1966 to early 1967). Special emphasis was made of cultural influences upon the food-gathering patterns of the native peoples studied. Culture change, especially in the form of food stamps, welfare payments, acquisition of snowmobiles, and improved housing was documented throughout the study and noticeably reduced the radionuclide accumulations. Total radiation dose rates to the Anaktuvuk Pass adult population were estimated to be about 100 mrad/year from natural sources, 60 to 140 mrad/year from 137Cs body burdens, and 20 to 130 mrad/year from 90Sr body burdens.« less

  6. Long-term bowhead whale abundance data collected near Point Barrow Alaska (1978-2011) and postmortem examination data (1974-2012)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    George, J.; Suydam, R.

    2012-12-01

    Primarily in response to concerns about the sustainability of the subsistence bowhead whale harvest along the Alaskan coast, population surveys were initiated by NOAA in 1978, and were conducted by the North Slope Borough from 1981 to present. The surveys of migrating bowhead whales were made from pressure ridges on the landfast sea ice margin in the vicinity of Point Barrow, Alaska. Surveys were conducted 24 hr/day from about 15 April and 1 June depending on weather and ice conditions. Specific observation data include: (for each whale sighting) date, time, location, whale group size, species, migration speed and direction, (every 2 hrs) ice floe speed and direction (surrogate for current data), weather, pressure ridge height, bird observations and other data. Full-time acoustic surveillance during the survey has been conducted from 1984 to present. A statistically significant positive trend (3.5% year; 95% CI=2.2-4.8%) in bowhead whale population size is evident over this time period. The more recent abundance estimate was 12,631 (CV 0.2442) whales for year 2004. Over a more extensive time period, postmortem examinations of bowhead whales landed by Inupiat Eskimos have been made at Barrow and other whale hunting villages. We have detailed whale examination data from 1974-present with sporadic harvest data dating to the 1800s. The older records lack the detail of current examinations. These "harvest data" are connected with estimates of Yankee commercial whaling takes from 1848 to 1915 compiled by other researchers. Together they provide a continuous record of anthropogenic takes of bowhead whales for more than 150 years. These datasets have been essential in estimating sustainable harvest levels by the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, NOAA and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. The records are also used for modeling environmental effects on bowheads, oil and gas leasing decisions, and many other scientific projects and policy matters. The postmortem examinations provide an important means to monitor the general health condition of bowhead whales regarding long-term trends in body condition, parasite loads, contaminate loads and many other health parameters.

  7. Arctic passages: liminality, Iñupiat Eskimo mothers and NW Alaska communities in transition

    PubMed Central

    Schwarzburg, Lisa Llewellyn

    2013-01-01

    Background While the primary goal of the NW Alaska Native maternal transport is safe deliveries for mothers from remote villages, little has been done to question the impact of transport on the mothers and communities involved. This study explores how presence of Iñupiat values influences the desire of indigenous women of differing eras and NW Alaska villages to participate in biomedical birth, largely made available by a tribal health-sponsored transport system. Objective This paper portrays how important it is (and why) for Alaska Native families and women of different generations from various areas of Iñupiat villages of NW Alaska to get to the hospital to give birth. This research asks: How does a community's presence of Iñupiat values influence women of different eras and locations to participate in a more biomedical mode of birth? Design Theoretical frameworks of medical anthropology and maternal identity work are used to track the differences in regard to the maternal transport operation for Iñupiat mothers of the area. Presence of Iñupiat values in each of the communities is compared by birth era and location for each village. Content analysis is conducted to determine common themes in an inductive, recursive fashion. Results A connection is shown between a community's manifestation of Iñupiat cultural expression and mothers’ acceptance of maternal transport in this study. For this group of Iñupiat Eskimo mothers, there is interplay between community expression of Iñupiat values and desire and lengths gone to by women of different eras and locations. Conclusions The more openly manifested the Iñupiat values of the community, the more likely alternative birthing practices sought, lessening the reliance on the existing transport policy. Conversely, the more openly western values are manifested in the village of origin, the less likely alternative measures are sought. For this study group, mothers from study villages with openly manifested western values are more likely to easily acquiesce to policy, and “make the best” of their prenatal travel. PMID:23986891

  8. Polyunsaturated fatty acids effect on serum triglycerides concentration in presence of metabolic syndrome components. The Alaska-Siberia Project

    PubMed Central

    Lopez-Alvarenga, Juan C.; Ebbesson, Sven O E; Ebbesson, Lars O E; Tejero, M Elizabeth; Voruganti, V. Saroja; Comuzzie, Anthony G

    2009-01-01

    Serum fatty acids (FA) have wide effects on metabolism: Serum saturated fatty acids (SFA) increase triglyceride (TG) levels in plasma while polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) reduce them. Traditionally, Eskimos have a high consumption of omega -3 fatty acids (ω–3 FA), but the westernization of their food habits have increased their dietary SFAs, partly reflected in their serum concentrations. We studied the joint effect of serum SFAs and PUFAs on circulating levels of TG in the presence of metabolic syndrome components. We included 212 men and 240 women (age 47.9±15.7 y, BMI 26.9±5.3) from four villages located in Alaska for a cross sectional study. Generalized linear models were employed to build surface responses of TG as in functions of SFAs and PUFAs measured in blood samples adjusting by sex, BMI and village. The effects of individual FAs were assessed by multiple linear regression analysis and partial correlations (r) were calculated. The most important predictors for TG levels were glucose tolerance (r = 0.116, p = 0.018) and BMI (r = 0.42, p<0.001). TG concentration showed negative associations with 20:3ω-6 (r =− 0.16, p = 0.001), 20:4ω-6 (r = −0.14, p=0.005), 20:5ω-3 (r = −0.17, p<0.001) and 22:5ω-3 (r = −0.26, p<0.001), and positive associations with palmitic acid (r = 0.16, p<0.001) and 18:3ω-3 (r = 0.15, p<0.001). The surface response analysis suggested that the effect of palmitic acid on TG is blunted in different degrees according to the PUFA chemical structure. The long chain ω-3, even in presence of high levels of SF, was associated with lower triglyceride levels. Eicosapentanoic acid (20:5ω3) had the strongest effect against palmitic acid on TG. The total FA showed moderate association with levels of TG, while SFA was positively associated, and large chain PUFA negatively. The westernized dietary habits among Eskimos are likely to change their metabolic profile and increase comorbidities related to metabolic disease. PMID:19766268

  9. Multicultural Mastery Scale for youth: multidimensional assessment of culturally mediated coping strategies.

    PubMed

    Fok, Carlotta Ching Ting; Allen, James; Henry, David; Mohatt, Gerald V

    2012-06-01

    Self-mastery refers to problem-focused coping facilitated through personal agency. Communal mastery describes problem solving through an interwoven social network. This study investigates an adaptation of self- and communal mastery measures for youth. Given the important distinction between family and peers in the lives of youth, these adaptation efforts produced Mastery-Family and Mastery-Friends subscales, along with a Mastery-Self subscale. We tested these measures for psychometric properties and internal structure with 284 predominately Yup'ik Eskimo Alaska Native adolescents (12- to 18-year-olds) from rural, remote communities-a non-Western culturally distinct group hypothesized to display higher levels of collectivism and communal mastery. Results demonstrate a subset of items adapted for youth function satisfactorily, a 3-response alternative format provided meaningful information, and the subscale's underlying structure is best described through 3 distinct first-order factors organized under 1 higher order mastery factor. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

  10. Multicultural Mastery Scale for Youth: Multidimensional Assessment of Culturally Mediated Coping Strategies

    PubMed Central

    Fok, Carlotta Ching Ting; Allen, James; Henry, David; Mohatt, Gerald V.

    2012-01-01

    Self-mastery refers to problem-focused coping facilitated through personal agency. Communal mastery describes problem solving through an interwoven social network. This study investigates an adaptation of self- and communal mastery measures for youth. Given the important distinction between family and peers in the lives of youth, these adaptation efforts produced Mastery-Family and Mastery-Friends subscales, along with a Mastery-Self subscale. We tested these measures for psychometric properties and internal structure with 284 12 to 18-year-old predominately Yup’ik Eskimo Alaska Native adolescents from rural, remote communities — a non-Western culturally distinct group hypothesized to display higher levels of collectivism and communal mastery. Results demonstrate a subset of items adapted for youth function satisfactorily, a three-response alternative format provided meaningful information, and the subscale’s underlying structure is best described through three distinct first-order factors organized under one higher order mastery factor. PMID:21928912

  11. Energy development and the Religious Freedom Act

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Arnold, H.

    The possible impact of energy development on the freedom to practice religion led to the passage of the Religious Freedom Act of 1978, which established a federal policy of noninterference. Except for the Tellico Dam controversy, most of the challenges to DOE projects have been related to geothermal sites. Public Law 95-341 recognizes the significance of religious practices to Indian culture and identity and as an inherent First Amendment right. DOE's response to the law was to set up an Office of Indian Affairs and to plan conformance with the policy. Native Americans are identified as American Indians, Native Hawaiians,more » Aleuts, and Eskimos whose religious practices frequently involve the elements. The true religious leaders must be identified and dealt with in each situation. Early identification of potential religious impacts is important to the future success of many projects. (DCK)« less

  12. Calcium diacylglycerol guanine nucleotide exchange factor I (CalDAG-GEFI) gene mutations in a thrombopathic Simmental calf.

    PubMed

    Boudreaux, M K; Schmutz, S M; French, P S

    2007-11-01

    Simmental thrombopathia is an inherited platelet disorder that closely resembles the platelet disorders described in Basset Hounds and Eskimo Spitz dogs. Recently, two different mutations in the gene encoding calcium diacylglycerol guanine nucleotide exchange factor I (CalDAG-GEFI) were described to be associated with the Basset Hound and Spitz thrombopathia disorders, and a third distinct mutation was identified in CalDAG-GEFI in thrombopathic Landseers of European Continental Type. The gene encoding CalDAG-GEFI was sequenced using DNA obtained from normal cattle and from a thrombopathic calf studied in Canada. The affected calf was found to have a nucleotide change (c.701 T>C), which would result in the substitution of a proline for a leucine within structurally conserved region two (SCR2) of the catalytic domain of the protein. This change is likely responsible for the thrombopathic phenotype observed in Simmental cattle and underscores the critical nature of this signal transduction protein in platelets.

  13. The brief family relationship scale: a brief measure of the relationship dimension in family functioning.

    PubMed

    Fok, Carlotta Ching Ting; Allen, James; Henry, David

    2014-02-01

    The Relationship dimension of the Family Environment Scale, which consists of the Cohesion, Expressiveness, and Conflict subscales, measures a person's perception of the quality of his or her family relationship functioning. This study investigates an adaptation of the Relationship dimension of the Family Environment Scale for Alaska Native youth. The authors tested the adapted measure, the Brief Family Relationship Scale, for psychometric properties and internal structure with 284 12- to 18-year-old predominately Yup'ik Eskimo Alaska Native adolescents from rural, remote communities. This non-Western cultural group is hypothesized to display higher levels of collectivism traditionally organized around an extended kinship family structure. Results demonstrate a subset of the adapted items function satisfactorily, a three-response alternative format provided meaningful information, and the subscale's underlying structure is best described through three distinct first-order factors, organized under one higher order factor. Convergent and discriminant validity of the Brief Family Relationship Scale was assessed through correlational analysis.

  14. Genetic Variation among Major Human Geographic Groups Supports a Peculiar Evolutionary Trend in PAX9

    PubMed Central

    Paixão-Côrtes, Vanessa R.; Meyer, Diogo; Pereira, Tiago V.; Mazières, Stéphane; Elion, Jacques; Krishnamoorthy, Rajagopal; Zago, Marco A.; Silva, Wilson A.; Salzano, Francisco M.; Bortolini, Maria Cátira

    2011-01-01

    A total of 172 persons from nine South Amerindian, three African and one Eskimo populations were studied in relation to the Paired box gene 9 (PAX9) exon 3 (138 base pairs) as well as its 5′and 3′flanking intronic segments (232 bp and 220 bp, respectively) and integrated with the information available for the same genetic region from individuals of different geographical origins. Nine mutations were scored in exon 3 and six in its flanking regions; four of them are new South American tribe-specific singletons. Exon3 nucleotide diversity is several orders of magnitude higher than its intronic regions. Additionally, a set of variants in the PAX9 and 101 other genes related with dentition can define at least some dental morphological differences between Sub-Saharan Africans and non-Africans, probably associated with adaptations after the modern human exodus from Africa. Exon 3 of PAX9 could be a good molecular example of how evolvability works. PMID:21298044

  15. The distribution of alcohol among the natives of Russian America.

    PubMed

    Grinëv, Andrei V

    2010-01-01

    The study of archival materials and published historical and ethnographic sources shows that alcohol played an insignificant role in contacts with the aboriginal population during the Russian colonization of Alaska. The Russian-American Company (RAC) tried to fight alcoholism and limited access of spirits to the natives of the Russian colonies partially for moral and partially for economic reasons. The only Alaskan natives to whom agents of the RAC supplied rum in large quantities were the Tlingit and Kaigani Haida in 1830–1842, and among them excessive drinking became a widespread problem. The chief suppliers of alcohol for these Native Americans were the British and American traders at the end of the eighteenth century. In the mid-nineteenth century traders and whalers began to supply it to the Bering Sea Eskimos as well. Russian colonization was marked by efforts to limit drunkenness in the native populations. In that sense, Russian colonization was favorable in comparison with subsequent American colonization of Alaska.

  16. Pros and cons of methylation-based enrichment methods for ancient DNA.

    PubMed

    Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Gamba, Cristina; Der Sarkissian, Clio; Ermini, Luca; Louvel, Guillaume; Boulygina, Eugenia; Sokolov, Alexey; Nedoluzhko, Artem; Lorenzen, Eline D; Lopez, Patricio; McDonald, H Gregory; Scott, Eric; Tikhonov, Alexei; Stafford, Thomas W; Alfarhan, Ahmed H; Alquraishi, Saleh A; Al-Rasheid, Khaled A S; Shapiro, Beth; Willerslev, Eske; Prokhortchouk, Egor; Orlando, Ludovic

    2015-07-02

    The recent discovery that DNA methylation survives in fossil material provides an opportunity for novel molecular approaches in palaeogenomics. Here, we apply to ancient DNA extracts the probe-independent Methylated Binding Domains (MBD)-based enrichment method, which targets DNA molecules containing methylated CpGs. Using remains of a Palaeo-Eskimo Saqqaq individual, woolly mammoths, polar bears and two equine species, we confirm that DNA methylation survives in a variety of tissues, environmental contexts and over a large temporal range (4,000 to over 45,000 years before present). MBD enrichment, however, appears principally biased towards the recovery of CpG-rich and long DNA templates and is limited by the fast post-mortem cytosine deamination rates of methylated epialleles. This method, thus, appears only appropriate for the analysis of ancient methylomes from very well preserved samples, where both DNA fragmentation and deamination have been limited. This work represents an essential step toward the characterization of ancient methylation signatures, which will help understanding the role of epigenetic changes in past environmental and cultural transitions.

  17. Oil development and conservation in Arctic America

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reed, J.C.

    1972-01-01

    As in his earlier article to which reference is made, the author stresses the need for more background information and a much greater research effort before problems of environmental protection from oil developments in northern Alaska can be effectively tackled. Meanwhile, there are indications that the earlier estimates of around ten thousand million barrels should be raised-perhaps to about five times as much. There has moreover been a great increate also in the known and probable gas reserves in northern Canada-particularly in the Arctic Archipelago. In spite of planned automation, people will be needed for development-including Eskimos and Indians, whose interests will be widely protected under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of December 1971. The International Biological Programme 'Tundra Biome' projects have accumulated much new information, including the results to be expected from disturbing the tundra seriously, and means of preventing or repairing damage to it. There is much interest in Alaska and Canada in protection of the northern environment, and in the former the US National Environmental Policy Act is already leading to stricter control of some developments. ?? 1972.

  18. C-Reactive protein, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in a population with a high burden of subclinical infection: insights from the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) study.

    PubMed

    Howard, Barbara V; Best, Lyle; Comuzzie, Anthony; Ebbesson, Sven O E; Epstein, Stephen E; Fabsitz, Richard R; Howard, Wm James; Silverman, Angela; Wang, Hong; Zhu, Jianhui; Umans, Jason

    2008-12-01

    To explore relationships between C-reactive protein (CRP), subclinical infection, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. Data from 1,174 Eskimos, aged >/=18 years, from the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) study were analyzed; 40 participants with diabetes were eliminated. Baseline assessment included interviews, physical exam, and blood and urine sampling. Metabolic syndrome was assessed using Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. CRP and antibodies to common pathogens were measured. Although CRP was related in univariate analyses to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, relations were attenuated or eliminated after adjustment for relevant covariates. CRP was not higher among those with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and pathogen burden was not related to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or IFG. Pathogen burden and inflammation do not seem to be related to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or IFG in this population. The inflammatory process may reflect insulin resistance or its correlates but most likely is not causative.

  19. Pros and cons of methylation-based enrichment methods for ancient DNA

    PubMed Central

    Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Gamba, Cristina; Sarkissian, Clio Der; Ermini, Luca; Louvel, Guillaume; Boulygina, Eugenia; Sokolov, Alexey; Nedoluzhko, Artem; Lorenzen, Eline D.; Lopez, Patricio; McDonald, H. Gregory; Scott, Eric; Tikhonov, Alexei; Stafford,, Thomas W.; Alfarhan, Ahmed H.; Alquraishi, Saleh A.; Al-Rasheid, Khaled A. S.; Shapiro, Beth; Willerslev, Eske; Prokhortchouk, Egor; Orlando, Ludovic

    2015-01-01

    The recent discovery that DNA methylation survives in fossil material provides an opportunity for novel molecular approaches in palaeogenomics. Here, we apply to ancient DNA extracts the probe-independent Methylated Binding Domains (MBD)-based enrichment method, which targets DNA molecules containing methylated CpGs. Using remains of a Palaeo-Eskimo Saqqaq individual, woolly mammoths, polar bears and two equine species, we confirm that DNA methylation survives in a variety of tissues, environmental contexts and over a large temporal range (4,000 to over 45,000 years before present). MBD enrichment, however, appears principally biased towards the recovery of CpG-rich and long DNA templates and is limited by the fast post-mortem cytosine deamination rates of methylated epialleles. This method, thus, appears only appropriate for the analysis of ancient methylomes from very well preserved samples, where both DNA fragmentation and deamination have been limited. This work represents an essential step toward the characterization of ancient methylation signatures, which will help understanding the role of epigenetic changes in past environmental and cultural transitions. PMID:26134828

  20. Reconstructing Native American population history.

    PubMed

    Reich, David; Patterson, Nick; Campbell, Desmond; Tandon, Arti; Mazieres, Stéphane; Ray, Nicolas; Parra, Maria V; Rojas, Winston; Duque, Constanza; Mesa, Natalia; García, Luis F; Triana, Omar; Blair, Silvia; Maestre, Amanda; Dib, Juan C; Bravi, Claudio M; Bailliet, Graciela; Corach, Daniel; Hünemeier, Tábita; Bortolini, Maria Cátira; Salzano, Francisco M; Petzl-Erler, María Luiza; Acuña-Alonzo, Victor; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Tusié-Luna, Teresa; Riba, Laura; Rodríguez-Cruz, Maricela; Lopez-Alarcón, Mardia; Coral-Vazquez, Ramón; Canto-Cetina, Thelma; Silva-Zolezzi, Irma; Fernandez-Lopez, Juan Carlos; Contreras, Alejandra V; Jimenez-Sanchez, Gerardo; Gómez-Vázquez, Maria José; Molina, Julio; Carracedo, Angel; Salas, Antonio; Gallo, Carla; Poletti, Giovanni; Witonsky, David B; Alkorta-Aranburu, Gorka; Sukernik, Rem I; Osipova, Ludmila; Fedorova, Sardana A; Vasquez, René; Villena, Mercedes; Moreau, Claudia; Barrantes, Ramiro; Pauls, David; Excoffier, Laurent; Bedoya, Gabriel; Rothhammer, Francisco; Dugoujon, Jean-Michel; Larrouy, Georges; Klitz, William; Labuda, Damian; Kidd, Judith; Kidd, Kenneth; Di Rienzo, Anna; Freimer, Nelson B; Price, Alkes L; Ruiz-Linares, Andrés

    2012-08-16

    The peopling of the Americas has been the subject of extensive genetic, archaeological and linguistic research; however, central questions remain unresolved. One contentious issue is whether the settlement occurred by means of a single migration or multiple streams of migration from Siberia. The pattern of dispersals within the Americas is also poorly understood. To address these questions at a higher resolution than was previously possible, we assembled data from 52 Native American and 17 Siberian groups genotyped at 364,470 single nucleotide polymorphisms. Here we show that Native Americans descend from at least three streams of Asian gene flow. Most descend entirely from a single ancestral population that we call 'First American'. However, speakers of Eskimo-Aleut languages from the Arctic inherit almost half their ancestry from a second stream of Asian gene flow, and the Na-Dene-speaking Chipewyan from Canada inherit roughly one-tenth of their ancestry from a third stream. We show that the initial peopling followed a southward expansion facilitated by the coast, with sequential population splits and little gene flow after divergence, especially in South America. A major exception is in Chibchan speakers on both sides of the Panama isthmus, who have ancestry from both North and South America.

  1. Multifocal epithelial hyperplasia: A potentially precancerous disease? (Review)

    PubMed Central

    BASCONES-MARTÍNEZ, A.; COK, S.; BASCONES-ILUNDÁIN, C.; ARIAS-HERRERA, S.; GOMEZ-FONT, R.; BASCONES-ILUNDÁIN, J.

    2012-01-01

    Multifocal epithelial hyperplasia (MEH), also known as Heck’s disease, manifests as a papulonodular lesion in the oral mucosa and has been associated with the human papillomavirus, a virus related to various precancerous diseases in the oral cavity. It has a predisposition for the female gender and for children. Although the majority of reported cases have been among American Indians and Eskimos, it has been described in multiple ethnic groups in various geographical locations. The objective of this review was to report on the clinical characteristics and epidemiology of MEH and its possible correlation with oral cancer. It is based on a search of articles in international journals published prior to April 2011, using the PubMed database and selecting articles related to the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of MEH. The review revealed a higher number of cases in individuals of American Indian origin and a predilection of the disease for the female gender and for patients between the 1st and 2nd decades of life. The most frequent lesion site was the lower lip. The disease has been associated with socio-economic and genetic factors, among others. No cases of malignant transformation have been reported. PMID:22740890

  2. A kinematic determination of the structure of the double ring planetary nebula NGC 2392, the Eskimo

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    O'dell, C.R.; Weiner, L.D.; Chu, Yoyhua

    Slit spectra and existing velocity cube data have been used to determine the structure of the double ring PN NGC 2392. The inner shell is a stellar wind-sculpted prolate spheroid with a ratio of axes of 2:1 and the approaching end of the long axis pointed 20 deg from the line of sight in P.A. = 200 deg. The outer ring is caused by an outer disk with density dropping off with distance from the central star and with distance from its plane, which is the same as the equatorial band of high density in the inner shell. The outermore » disk contains a ring of higher density knots at a distance of 16 arcsec and is losing material through free expansion, forming an outer envelope of increasing velocity. Forbidden S II spectra are used to determine the densities in all of the major regions of the nebula. It is argued that the filamentary cores at the centers of the knots seen in the outer ring originate in the sublimation of bodies formed at the same time as the parent star. 26 refs.« less

  3. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for cardiovascular diseases: present, past and future.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Yasuhiro; Tatsuno, Ichiro

    2017-08-01

    Large-scale epidemiological studies on Greenlandic, Canadian and Alaskan Eskimos have examined the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids consumed as part of the diet, and found statistically significant relative reduction in cardiovascular risk in people consuming omega-3 fatty acids. Areas covered: This article reviews studies on omega-3 fatty acids during the last 50 years, and identifies issues relevant to future studies on cardiovascular (CV) risk. Expert commentary: Although a meta-analysis of large-scale prospective cohort studies and randomized studies reported that fish and fish oil consumption reduced coronary heart disease-related mortality and sudden cardiac death, omega-3 fatty acids have not yet been shown to be effective in secondary prevention trials on patients with multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The ongoing long-term CV interventional outcome studies investigate high-dose, prescription-strength omega-3 fatty acids. The results are expected to clarify the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in reducing CV risk. The anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids are also important. Future clinical trials should also focus on the role of these anti-inflammatory mediators in human arteriosclerotic diseases as well as inflammatory diseases.

  4. A private sector view of health, surveillance, and communities of color.

    PubMed Central

    Rabin, S A

    1994-01-01

    The U.S. population is fast evolving into a patchwork of health behaviors, incomes, and ethnic backgrounds. Simple cultural labeling will not do. A growing number of Americans, now numbering about 10 million, cannot or will not describe their race in any one of the Census Bureau's standard categories--white, black, American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, Asian Pacific, or Hispanic. They group themselves as a multicultural population rather than a single racial or ethnic category. To guide health interventions, the private sector now relies more on statistical clusters based on geography, lifestyle, behavior, financial status, and attitudes instead of on race. In marketing, the challenge is to reach diverse markets without stereotyping the product as one designed for only a certain ethnic group. The emphasis on athletics instead of on race is one example of how some marketers solve this problem of reaching minorities without giving the impression that specific products are only for blacks, or Hispanics, or Asians. Surveillance professionals can expand the way data are collected and publicized. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans should not be categorized simply by race; other variables of health, such as income and age, should be given careful attention. PMID:8303013

  5. Revisiting the Diego Blood Group System in Amerindians: Evidence for Gene-Culture Comigration.

    PubMed

    Bégat, Christophe; Bailly, Pascal; Chiaroni, Jacques; Mazières, Stéphane

    2015-01-01

    Six decades ago the DI*A allele of the Diego blood group system was instrumental in proving Native American populations originated from Siberia. Since then, it has received scant attention. The present study was undertaken to reappraise distribution of the DI*A allele in 144 Native American populations based on current knowledge. Using analysis of variance tests, frequency distribution was studied according to geographical, environmental, and cultural parameters. Frequencies were highest in Amazonian populations. In contrast, DI*A was undetectable in subarctic, Fuegian, Panamanian, Chaco and Yanomama populations. Closer study revealed a correlation that this unequal distribution was correlated with language, suggesting that linguistic divergence was a driving force in the expansion of DI*A among Native Americans. The absence of DI*A in circumpolar Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene speakers was consistent with a late migratory event confined to North America. Distribution of DI*A in subtropical areas indicated that gene and culture exchanges were more intense within than between ecozones. Bolstering the utility of classical genetic markers in biological anthropology, the present study of the expansion of Diego blood group genetic polymorphism in Native Americans shows strong evidence of gene-culture comigration.

  6. Chapter 50 Geology and tectonic development of the Amerasia and Canada Basins, Arctic Ocean

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grantz, Arthur; Hart, Patrick E.; Childers, Vicki A

    2011-01-01

    Amerasia Basin is the product of two phases of counterclockwise rotational opening about a pole in the lower Mackenzie Valley of NW Canada. Phase 1 opening brought ocean–continent transition crust (serpentinized peridotite?) to near the seafloor of the proto-Amerasia Basin, created detachment on the Eskimo Lakes Fault Zone of the Canadian Arctic margin and thinned the continental crust between the fault zone and the proto-Amerasia Basin to the west, beginning about 195 Ma and ending prior to perhaps about 160 Ma. The symmetry of the proto-Amerasia Basin was disrupted by clockwise rotation of the Chukchi Microcontinent into the basin from an original position along the Eurasia margin about a pole near 72°N, 165 W about 145.5–140 Ma. Phase 2 opening enlarged the proto-Amerasia Basin by intrusion of mid-ocean ridge basalt along its axis between about 131 and 127.5 Ma. Following intrusion of the Phase 2 crust an oceanic volcanic plateau, the Alpha–Mendeleev Ridge LIP (large igneous province), was extruded over the northern Amerasia Basin from about 127 to 89–75 Ma. Emplacement of the LIP halved the area of the Amerasia Basin, and the area lying south of the LIP became the Canada Basin.

  7. Chapter 50: Geology and tectonic development of the Amerasia and Canada Basins, Arctic Ocean

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grantz, A.; Hart, P.E.; Childers, V.A.

    2011-01-01

    Amerasia Basin is the product of two phases of counterclockwise rotational opening about a pole in the lower Mackenzie Valley of NW Canada. Phase 1 opening brought ocean-continent transition crust (serpentinized peridotite?) to near the seafloor of the proto-Amerasia Basin, created detachment on the Eskimo Lakes Fault Zone of the Canadian Arctic margin and thinned the continental crust between the fault zone and the proto-Amerasia Basin to the west, beginning about 195 Ma and ending prior to perhaps about 160 Ma. The symmetry of the proto-Amerasia Basin was disrupted by clockwise rotation of the Chukchi Microcontinent into the basin from an original position along the Eurasia margin about a pole near 72??N, 165 Wabout 145.5-140 Ma. Phase 2 opening enlarged the proto-Amerasia Basin by intrusion of mid-ocean ridge basalt along its axis between about 131 and 127.5 Ma. Following intrusion of the Phase 2 crust an oceanic volcanic plateau, the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge LIP (large igneous province), was extruded over the northern Amerasia Basin from about 127 to 89-75 Ma. Emplacement of the LIP halved the area of the Amerasia Basin, and the area lying south of the LIP became the Canada Basin. ?? 2011 The Geological Society of London.

  8. Reconstructing Native American Population History

    PubMed Central

    Reich, David; Patterson, Nick; Campbell, Desmond; Tandon, Arti; Mazieres, Stéphane; Ray, Nicolas; Parra, Maria V.; Rojas, Winston; Duque, Constanza; Mesa, Natalia; García, Luis F.; Triana, Omar; Blair, Silvia; Maestre, Amanda; Dib, Juan C.; Bravi, Claudio M.; Bailliet, Graciela; Corach, Daniel; Hünemeier, Tábita; Bortolini, Maria-Cátira; Salzano, Francisco M.; Petzl-Erler, María Luiza; Acuña-Alonzo, Victor; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Tusié-Luna, Teresa; Riba, Laura; Rodríguez-Cruz, Maricela; Lopez-Alarcón, Mardia; Coral-Vazquez, Ramón; Canto-Cetina, Thelma; Silva-Zolezzi, Irma; Fernandez-Lopez, Juan Carlos; Contreras, Alejandra V.; Jimenez-Sanchez, Gerardo; Gómez-Vázquez, María José; Molina, Julio; Carracedo, Ángel; Salas, Antonio; Gallo, Carla; Poletti, Giovanni; Witonsky, David B.; Alkorta-Aranburu, Gorka; Sukernik, Rem I.; Osipova, Ludmila; Fedorova, Sardana; Vasquez, René; Villena, Mercedes; Moreau, Claudia; Barrantes, Ramiro; Pauls, David; Excoffier, Laurent; Bedoya, Gabriel; Rothhammer, Francisco; Dugoujon, Jean Michel; Larrouy, Georges; Klitz, William; Labuda, Damian; Kidd, Judith; Kidd, Kenneth; Rienzo, Anna Di; Freimer, Nelson B.; Price, Alkes L.; Ruiz-Linares, Andrés

    2013-01-01

    The peopling of the Americas has been the subject of extensive genetic, archaeological and linguistic research; however, central questions remain unresolved1–5. One contentious issue is whether the settlement occurred via a single6–8 or multiple streams of migration from Siberia9–15. The pattern of dispersals within the Americas is also poorly understood. To address these questions at higher resolution than was previously possible, we assembled data from 52 Native American and 17 Siberian groups genotyped at 364,470 single nucleotide polymorphisms. We show that Native Americans descend from at least three streams of Asian gene flow. Most descend entirely from a single ancestral population that we call “First American”. However, speakers of Eskimo-Aleut languages from the Arctic inherit almost half their ancestry from a second stream of Asian gene flow, and the Na-Dene-speaking Chipewyan from Canada inherit roughly one-tenth of their ancestry from a third stream. We show that the initial peopling followed a southward expansion facilitated by the coast, with sequential population splits and little gene flow after divergence, especially in South America. A major exception is in Chibchan-speakers on both sides of the Panama Isthmus, who have ancestry from both North and South America. PMID:22801491

  9. [Genetic diversity and relationships of northern eurasia populations for polymorphic Alu-insertions].

    PubMed

    Khitrinskaia, I Iu; Khar'kov, V N; Voevoda, M I; Stepanova, V A

    2014-01-01

    We for the first time have examined the autosomal gene pool of the Siberia, Central Asian and the Far East populations (27 populations of 12 ethnic groups) using a set of polymorphic Alu insertions in the human genome. The results of the analysis testify (i) to a significant level of genetic diversity in the Northern Eurasian populations and (ii) to a considerable differentiation of gene pool in the population of this region. It has been shown that at the CD4 locus, the frequency of Alu (-) is inversely related to the Mongoloid component of the population, the lowest and highest frequencies of the Alu deletion at locus CD4 were recorded respectively in Eskimo (0.012) and Russian and Ukrainian (0.35). The analysis of gene flow proved Caucasoid populations (Russian, Tajik and Uzbek), as well as those of Turkic ethnic groups from the Southern Siberia (Altaians and Tuvinians) and Khanty and Mansy populations to be the recipients of a considerable gene flow from the outside of the concerned population system, as compared with the East Siberian and the Far East ethnic groups. The results of the correlation analysis received with use polymorphic Alu insertion testify to the greatest correlation of genetic distances with anthropological characteristics of populations.

  10. Languages Support Efficient Communication about the Environment: Words for Snow Revisited

    PubMed Central

    Carstensen, Alexandra

    2016-01-01

    The claim that Eskimo languages have words for different types of snow is well-known among the public, but has been greatly exaggerated through popularization and is therefore viewed with skepticism by many scholars of language. Despite the prominence of this claim, to our knowledge the line of reasoning behind it has not been tested broadly across languages. Here, we note that this reasoning is a special case of the more general view that language is shaped by the need for efficient communication, and we empirically test a variant of it against multiple sources of data, including library reference works, Twitter, and large digital collections of linguistic and meteorological data. Consistent with the hypothesis of efficient communication, we find that languages that use the same linguistic form for snow and ice tend to be spoken in warmer climates, and that this association appears to be mediated by lower communicative need to talk about snow and ice. Our results confirm that variation in semantic categories across languages may be traceable in part to local communicative needs. They suggest moreover that despite its awkward history, the topic of “words for snow” may play a useful role as an accessible instance of the principle that language supports efficient communication. PMID:27073981

  11. Genome-wide nucleosome map and cytosine methylation levels of an ancient human genome.

    PubMed

    Pedersen, Jakob Skou; Valen, Eivind; Velazquez, Amhed M Vargas; Parker, Brian J; Rasmussen, Morten; Lindgreen, Stinus; Lilje, Berit; Tobin, Desmond J; Kelly, Theresa K; Vang, Søren; Andersson, Robin; Jones, Peter A; Hoover, Cindi A; Tikhonov, Alexei; Prokhortchouk, Egor; Rubin, Edward M; Sandelin, Albin; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Krogh, Anders; Willerslev, Eske; Orlando, Ludovic

    2014-03-01

    Epigenetic information is available from contemporary organisms, but is difficult to track back in evolutionary time. Here, we show that genome-wide epigenetic information can be gathered directly from next-generation sequence reads of DNA isolated from ancient remains. Using the genome sequence data generated from hair shafts of a 4000-yr-old Paleo-Eskimo belonging to the Saqqaq culture, we generate the first ancient nucleosome map coupled with a genome-wide survey of cytosine methylation levels. The validity of both nucleosome map and methylation levels were confirmed by the recovery of the expected signals at promoter regions, exon/intron boundaries, and CTCF sites. The top-scoring nucleosome calls revealed distinct DNA positioning biases, attesting to nucleotide-level accuracy. The ancient methylation levels exhibited high conservation over time, clustering closely with modern hair tissues. Using ancient methylation information, we estimated the age at death of the Saqqaq individual and illustrate how epigenetic information can be used to infer ancient gene expression. Similar epigenetic signatures were found in other fossil material, such as 110,000- to 130,000-yr-old bones, supporting the contention that ancient epigenomic information can be reconstructed from a deep past. Our findings lay the foundation for extracting epigenomic information from ancient samples, allowing shifts in epialleles to be tracked through evolutionary time, as well as providing an original window into modern epigenomics.

  12. Genome-wide nucleosome map and cytosine methylation levels of an ancient human genome

    PubMed Central

    Pedersen, Jakob Skou; Valen, Eivind; Velazquez, Amhed M. Vargas; Parker, Brian J.; Rasmussen, Morten; Lindgreen, Stinus; Lilje, Berit; Tobin, Desmond J.; Kelly, Theresa K.; Vang, Søren; Andersson, Robin; Jones, Peter A.; Hoover, Cindi A.; Tikhonov, Alexei; Prokhortchouk, Egor; Rubin, Edward M.; Sandelin, Albin; Gilbert, M. Thomas P.; Krogh, Anders; Willerslev, Eske; Orlando, Ludovic

    2014-01-01

    Epigenetic information is available from contemporary organisms, but is difficult to track back in evolutionary time. Here, we show that genome-wide epigenetic information can be gathered directly from next-generation sequence reads of DNA isolated from ancient remains. Using the genome sequence data generated from hair shafts of a 4000-yr-old Paleo-Eskimo belonging to the Saqqaq culture, we generate the first ancient nucleosome map coupled with a genome-wide survey of cytosine methylation levels. The validity of both nucleosome map and methylation levels were confirmed by the recovery of the expected signals at promoter regions, exon/intron boundaries, and CTCF sites. The top-scoring nucleosome calls revealed distinct DNA positioning biases, attesting to nucleotide-level accuracy. The ancient methylation levels exhibited high conservation over time, clustering closely with modern hair tissues. Using ancient methylation information, we estimated the age at death of the Saqqaq individual and illustrate how epigenetic information can be used to infer ancient gene expression. Similar epigenetic signatures were found in other fossil material, such as 110,000- to 130,000-yr-old bones, supporting the contention that ancient epigenomic information can be reconstructed from a deep past. Our findings lay the foundation for extracting epigenomic information from ancient samples, allowing shifts in epialleles to be tracked through evolutionary time, as well as providing an original window into modern epigenomics. PMID:24299735

  13. Otitis media in Greenland. Studies on historical, epidemiological, microbiological, and immunological aspects.

    PubMed

    Homøe, P

    2001-01-01

    This thesis describes the different aspects of otitis media (OM) in the population of Greenland viewed in a historical and modern clinical perspective. Chapter 1 outlines the addressed problems and aims while chapters 2 and 3 deal with historical studies and an evaluation of the present knowledge based on the literature. Physical anthropological studies, using skeletal samples of adult Eskimo crania from before and after the colonization of Greenland in 1721 and information about modern living Eskimos (Inuit), have shown that OM sequelae of the temporal bones were significantly less common in pre-colonization Eskimos and that the mean area size of the pneumatized cell system in the temporal bone was significantly larger in pre-colonization Eskimos. These findings indicated an increase in OM after the colonization most likely caused by the social, cultural, habitary, and dietary changes due to increased contact with the outside world. Historical reports after the colonization confirm a high prevalence of OM especially in children. Modern epidemiological studies from the 1960's to 1980's in the Arctic region of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland along with reports from visiting consultant otologists in Greenland almost uniformly mention prevalent OM problems in children as well as in adults. The aim was therefore to further describe the epidemiological pattern of the different OM disease entities (acute OM (AOM), chronic OM (COM), COM with suppuration (CSOM), secretory OM (SOM), and cholesteatoma) and investigate the potentially associated risk factors in especially Greenlandic children because these diseases are primarily established and problematical in childhood. Chapter 4 describes the definitions used in the thesis and chapter 5 describes the studies included. Section 5.1 describes a study of cholesteatoma in Greenlanders. The study revealed an almost similar incidence of hospital treated children with cholesteatoma (6.6 per 100,000) as seen in comparable studies from other parts of the world. Furthermore, childhood cholesteatomas were the most aggressive. The frequency of residuals or recurrences after otosurgical treatment was high with a trend for better results when using the extensive canal wall-down procedure. It could be concluded that these patients urgently need close follow-up for at least five years postoperatively, if not lifelong. Section 5.2 describes a hearing screening survey of 167 school children using school registration charts. A high prevalence of hearing loss (HL) was found. A total of 43% of the children had hearing thresholds exceeding 20 dB at one or more frequencies between 250-8000 Hz in one or both ears, and 19% had the same type of HL in the frequencies 500-2000 Hz. HL was significantly associated with episodes of OM. These findings were in accordance with reports from Alaska and Canada. It is therefore concluded that a hearing screening programme of school children is important and that OM seems to have an impact on hearing in school children in Greenland. In section 5.3 an epidemiological survey is described concerning the prevalence of the different OM disease entities. The survey was carried out in Nuuk and Sisimiut and involved 740 children aged 3, 4, 5, and 8 years. A total of 591 children participated and selection bias was not found when controlling for age, sex, and episodes of AOM. The survey revealed that 52% of children in Nuuk and 54% in Sisimiut had some kind of pathological affection of their middle ear. COM and CSOM were found in 9%, but more prevalent among children in Sisimiut (12%) than in Nuuk (7%). Middle ear effusion (MEE) diagnosed by tympanometry was found in 23% in Nuuk and 28% in Sisimiut while simple tubal dysfunction (STD) was found in 13% and 8%, respectively. MEE and STD were associated with young age. Sequelae of OM was apparent in 11% in both towns. When comparing the results with a 10-year-older, almost similar survey of 142 children, it was evident that the OM situation had not changed in the period between the studies. The survey underlines the need for increased focus on the different OM entities in Greenlandic children. Section 5.4 deals with microbiological aspects. The nasopharyngeal microflora and ear discharge microflora of potential pathogens were evaluated in 54 children with AOM and in 201 control children without AOM. Very high carriage rates expressed qualitatively and semiquantitatively of potentially pathogenio bacteria were found in the nasopharynx of children with AOM (98%) but also in that of the control children (91%) and even in children denoted as being very healthy (94%). However, the same bacterial species were cultured from the nasopharynx and ear discharge as in comparable studies world-wide. Only S. pneumoniae was carried significantly more often in the nasopharynx of AOM children compared with age matched control children. Chlamydiae, M. pneumoniae, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza- type 1, 2, and 3 virus, and influenza- type A and B virus were not major pathogens. In contrast, entero- and rhinoviruses were detected significantly more frequent in nasopharyngeal specimens from AOM children (59%) compared with age matched controls (33%) and also in 29% of the examined ear discharge specimens. It is therefore concluded that the potentially pathogenic bacterial load is early and massive. This alone or in interplay with entero- and rhinovirus infection and occasionally with other viruses may play an important role in the high prevalence of OM among children in Greenland. Section 5.5 deals with an examination of potential risk factors for AOM, recurrent AOM (rAOM), and COM in the same 591 children as studied in section 5.3. Early age at first AOM episode was associated with rAOM episodes (> or = 5 episodes since birth). Thus, the relative risk of developing rAOM was eight times higher if the first episode of AOM occurred before 7 months of age than after 24 months of age. Furthermore, compared with studies elsewhere in the world, a high proportion (40%) of the children in this survey had their first AOM episode during their first year of life and 41% of these children developed rAOM. It was also found that children had an increased risk of AOM, rAOM, or COM when both parents were born in Greenland, when parents also have had OM, when living in very crowded households, and when having experienced a long period of exclusive breast feeding, or when recalling of breast feeding was not possible. Gender, type, and size of housing, insulation standard of housing, daycare, exposure to passive cigarette smoking, and dietary habits were not associated with AOM, rAOM, or COM in the surveyed children. It is concluded that early onset of AOM occurs frequently in Greenlandic children and that a high proportion of these children develop rAOM. The study confirms that AOM is a highly multifactorial disease determined by a number of genetic and environmental factors. Finally, section 5.6 is a hypothesis generating study attempting to explain the high prevalence of early episodes of AOM in community-based children in Nuuk. The hypothesis is based on a possible association between findings of mannose-binding lectin genotypes, early Epstein-Barr virus infections and episodes of AOM, rAOM, or nasopharyngeal colonization with potentially pathogenic bacteria. However, the study does not support any of this hypothesis. In chapter 6, future studies are suggested and chapter 7 presents concluding remarks.

  14. Arabidopsis ESK1 encodes a novel regulator of freezing tolerance.

    PubMed

    Xin, Zhanguo; Mandaokar, Ajin; Chen, Junping; Last, Robert L; Browse, John

    2007-03-01

    The eskimo1 (esk1) mutation of Arabidopsis resulted in a 5.5 degrees C improvement in freezing tolerance in the absence of cold acclimation. Here we show that the increase in freezing tolerance is not associated with any increase in the ability to survive drought or salt stresses, which are similar to freezing in their induction of cellular dehydration. Genome-wide comparisons of gene expression between esk1-1 and wild type indicate that mutations at esk1 result in altered expression of transcription factors and signaling components and of a set of stress-responsive genes. Interestingly, the list of 312 genes regulated by ESK1 shows greater overlap with sets of genes regulated by salt, osmotic and abscisic acid treatments than with genes regulated by cold acclimation or by the transcription factors CBF3 and ICE1, which have been shown to control genetic pathways for freezing tolerance. Map-based cloning identified the esk1 locus as At3g55990. The wild-type ESK1 gene encodes a 57-kDa protein and is a member of a large gene family of DUF231 domain proteins whose members encode a total of 45 proteins of unknown function. Our results indicate that ESK1 is a novel negative regulator of cold acclimation. Mutations in the ESK1 gene provide strong freezing tolerance through genetic regulation that is apparently very different from previously described genetic mechanisms of cold acclimation.

  15. Pacific Northwest Laboratory Annual Report for 1978 to the DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment Part 2. Ecological Sciences.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hanson, W.C.; Eberhardt, L.E.

    1979-07-01

    The objective of this research is to provide an integrated program of investigation for the definition of the ecological consequences of resource developments in northern Alaska. Qualitative and quantitative results are obtained that describe environmental costs incurred by petroleum resource extraction and transportation, including interaction of industrial activities with arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus), small mammals, and tundra-nesting birds in the Prudhoe Bay field and along the Trans-Alaska pipeline and haul road; similar information from the Colville River delta for comparative purposes; baseline information on moose (Alces alces) populations, caribou (Rangifer tarandus) range quality and use, and lichen communities that aremore » or will be impacted by resource developments; field experiments to determine lichen sensitivities to sulfur oxide concentrations likely to be encountered near pipeline pumping stations; food chain transfers of stable and radioactive elements that utilize a data base of some 19 years for comparative purposes; and evaluation of oil field development activities on rabies and other physiological phenomena in foxes. A significant fraction of the research is coordinated through university contracts that utilize academic researchers in specific areas of expertise. During 1978 research continued to emphasize investigations on the ecological consequences of petroleum resource development in northern Alaska. Studies were conducted this year on arctic foxes, tundra-nesting birds, small mammals, caribou, lichens, and fallout radionuclides in the lichen-caribou-Eskimo food web.« less

  16. Discrepancies between patient recall and the medical record. Potential impact on diagnosis and clinical assessment of chronic disease.

    PubMed

    Boyer, G S; Templin, D W; Goring, W P; Cornoni-Huntley, J C; Everett, D F; Lawrence, R C; Heyse, S P; Bowler, A

    1995-09-25

    During a case-control study, data necessary for fulfilling diagnostic and classification criteria for spondyloarthropathy were collected from 121 patients. To study the potential impact of differences between patient recall and the medical record on diagnosis and clinical characterization of spondyloarthropathy as a model of chronic disease. The study was conducted among four Alaskan Eskimo populations served by the Alaska Native Health Service. Two sets of historical data were compiled for each subject, one acquired during the interview and the other derived from the medical record. Paired items from the interview and the medical record were analyzed to determine discrepancies and consequent effects on diagnosis, classification, and disease characterization. Significant differences were observed in the reporting of genitourinary or diarrheal illnesses preceding or associated with arthritis, the occurrence of eye inflammation in association with joint pain, the occurrence of joint pain and back pain together, and the age at onset of back pain all of which are important to the diagnosis and classification of spondyloarthropathy. In contrast, for information needed to establish the probable inflammatory nature of back pain, patient interview was more helpful than the medical records, which did not provide adequate details to differentiate inflammatory from mechanical back pain. Patient recall bias can substantially affect diagnosis and clinical assessment of chronic disease, as exemplified by spondyloarthropathy. Reliance on records alone, however, may lead to underestimation of features that require subjective appraisal by the patient.

  17. Cancer mortality in the indigenous population of coastal Chukotka, 1961-1990.

    PubMed

    Dudarev, Alexey A; Chupakhin, Valery S; Odland, Jon Øyvind

    2013-01-01

    The general aim was to assess the pattern and trend in cancer mortality among the indigenous people of coastal Chukotka during the period 1961-1990. All cases of cancer deaths of indigenous residents of the Chukotsky district in the north-easternmost coast of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug were copied from personal death certificates. There were a total of 219 cancer deaths during the study period. The average annual number of cases, percent, crude, and age-standardized cancer mortality rates (ASMR) per 100,000 among men and women for all sites combined and selected sites were calculated. Data were aggregated into six 5-year periods to assess temporal trends. Direct age-standardization was performed with the Segi-Doll world standard population used by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The indigenous Chukchi and Eskimo people living in Chukotsky district were at higher risk of death from cancer during the 30-year period between 1961 and 1990, with ASMR among men twice that of Russia, and among women 3.5 times higher. The excess can be attributed to the extremely high mortality from oesophageal cancer and lung cancer. The indigenous people of coastal Chukotka were at very high risk of death from cancer relative to the Russian population nationally. The mortality data from this study correspond to the pattern of incidence reported among other indigenous people of the Russian Arctic. Little information is available since 1990, and the feasibility of ethnic-specific health data is now severely limited.

  18. Simple Anthropometrics Are More Correlated with Health Variables than Are Estimates of Body Composition in Yup’ik People

    PubMed Central

    Bray, Maria; Pomeroy, Jeremy; Knowler, William C.; Bersamin, Andrea; Hopkins, Scarlett; Brage, Søren; Stanhope, Kimber; Havel, Peter J.; Boyer, Bert B.

    2012-01-01

    We aimed to: 1) evaluate the relationships between several indices of obesity with obesity-related risk factors; 2) compare the accuracy of body composition estimates derived from anthropometry and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) to estimates of body composition assessed by doubly-labeled water (DLW); and 3) establish equations for estimating fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and percent body fat (PBF) in Yup’ik Eskimo people. Participants included 1056 adult Yup’ik People from 11 communities in Southwestern Alaska. In a substudy of 30 participants, we developed population-specific linear regression models for estimating FM, FFM, and PBF from anthropometrics, age, sex, and BIA against criterion measures derived from total body water assessed with DLW. These models were then used with the population cohort and we analyzed the relationships between obesity indices and several health-related and disease status variables: 1. fasting plasma lipids, 2. glucose, 3. HbA1c, 4. adiponectin, 5. blood pressure, 6) diabetes (DM), and 7) cerebrocoronary vascular disease (CCVD) which includes stroke and heart disease. The best model for estimating FM in the substudy used only three variables – sex, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference and had multiple R2=0.9730. FFM and PBF were calculated from FM and body weight. WC and other anthropometrics were more highly correlated with a number of obesity-related risk factors than were direct estimates of body composition. We conclude that body composition in Yup’ik People can be accurately estimated from simple anthropometrics. PMID:23666898

  19. The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook: A collaboration between scientific and Indigenous communities to support safety and food security in a changing Arctic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheffield Guy, L.; Wiggins, H. V.; Schreck, M. B.; Metcalf, V. K.

    2017-12-01

    The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) provides Alaskan Native subsistence walrus hunters and Bering Strait coastal communities with weekly reports on spring sea ice and weather conditions to promote hunter safety, food security, and preservation of cultural heritage. These reports integrate scientific and Indigenous knowledge into a co-produced tool that is used by both local and scientific communities. SIWO is a team effort led by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS, with funding from NSF Arctic Sciences Section), with the Eskimo Walrus Commission, National Weather Service - Alaska Sea Ice Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks - International Arctic Research Center, and local observers. For each weekly outlook, the National Weather Service provides location-specific weather and sea ice forecasts and regional satellite imagery. Local observations of sea ice, weather, and hunting conditions are provided by observers from five Alaskan communities in the Bering Strait region: Wales, Shishmaref, Nome, Gambell, and Savoonga. These observations typically include a written description of conditions accompanied by photographs of sea ice or subsistence activities. Outlooks are easily accessible and provide a platform for sharing of knowledge among hunters in neighboring communities. The opportunity to contribute is open, and Indigenous language and terms are encouraged. These observations from local hunters and community members also provide a valuable tool for validation of weather forecasts, satellite products, and other information for scientists. This presentation will discuss the process, products, and mutually beneficial outcomes of the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook.

  20. Greenland elders and high school students offer perspectives on climate change and science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Showstack, Randy

    2011-08-01

    KANGERLUSSUAQ, GREENLAND—This small town in central western Greenland, which has a population of about 650 and a major airstrip dating from World War II, is a center for scientific research and a starting point for scientists working in the region and on Greenland's ice sheet to study climate change and other issues. The town, just north of the Arctic Circle, sits at the edge of the 190-kilometer-long Kangerlussuaq Fjord and straddles the Qinnguata Kuussua River estuary, whose source water is the Russell Glacier, about 20 kilometers to the east. Between Kanger—as some refer to the town—and the glacier, some Eskimo-Kalaallit elders held a traditional gathering last month and also offered their perspectives on climate change during an impromptu 14 July meeting with high school students and other visitors. The evening before that meeting, Ole Olsvig, Kurt Olsen, Avaruna Mathaeussen, and other high schoolers from Greenland were in a makeshift classroom at the back of a renovated former U.S. Army barracks in Kanger, which had served as a U.S. military base. The students, who said they care deeply about their traditional culture and also are very aware of recent changes in climate, were helping to make presentations about their summer science projects. A total of 16 high schoolers from Greenland, 3 from Denmark, and 5 from the United States were there, participating in Joint Science Education Project (JSEP) activities; JSEP is an international collaborative polar science education effort between Greenland, Denmark, and the United States that receives support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).

  1. Detection of Ancestry Informative HLA Alleles Confirms the Admixed Origins of Japanese Population

    PubMed Central

    Nakaoka, Hirofumi; Mitsunaga, Shigeki; Hosomichi, Kazuyoshi; Shyh-Yuh, Liou; Sawamoto, Taiji; Fujiwara, Tsutomu; Tsutsui, Naohisa; Suematsu, Koji; Shinagawa, Akira; Inoko, Hidetoshi; Inoue, Ituro

    2013-01-01

    The polymorphisms in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region are powerful tool for studying human evolutionary processes. We investigated genetic structure of Japanese by using five-locus HLA genotypes (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DPB1) of 2,005 individuals from 10 regions of Japan. We found a significant level of population substructure in Japanese; particularly the differentiation between Okinawa Island and mainland Japanese. By using a plot of the principal component scores, we identified ancestry informative alleles associated with the underlying population substructure. We examined extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between pairs of HLA alleles on the haplotypes that were differentiated among regions. The LDs were strong and weak for pairs of HLA alleles characterized by low and high frequencies in Okinawa Island, respectively. The five-locus haplotypes whose alleles exhibit strong LD were unique to Japanese and South Korean, suggesting that these haplotypes had been recently derived from the Korean Peninsula. The alleles characterized by high frequency in Japanese compared to South Korean formed segmented three-locus haplotype that was commonly found in Aleuts, Eskimos, and North- and Meso-Americans but not observed in Korean and Chinese. The serologically equivalent haplotype was found in Orchid Island in Taiwan, Mongol, Siberia, and Arctic regions. It suggests that early Japanese who existed prior to the migration wave from the Korean Peninsula shared ancestry with northern Asian who moved to the New World via the Bering Strait land bridge. These results may support the admixture model for peopling of Japanese Archipelago. PMID:23577161

  2. Detection of ancestry informative HLA alleles confirms the admixed origins of Japanese population.

    PubMed

    Nakaoka, Hirofumi; Mitsunaga, Shigeki; Hosomichi, Kazuyoshi; Shyh-Yuh, Liou; Sawamoto, Taiji; Fujiwara, Tsutomu; Tsutsui, Naohisa; Suematsu, Koji; Shinagawa, Akira; Inoko, Hidetoshi; Inoue, Ituro

    2013-01-01

    The polymorphisms in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region are powerful tool for studying human evolutionary processes. We investigated genetic structure of Japanese by using five-locus HLA genotypes (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DPB1) of 2,005 individuals from 10 regions of Japan. We found a significant level of population substructure in Japanese; particularly the differentiation between Okinawa Island and mainland Japanese. By using a plot of the principal component scores, we identified ancestry informative alleles associated with the underlying population substructure. We examined extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between pairs of HLA alleles on the haplotypes that were differentiated among regions. The LDs were strong and weak for pairs of HLA alleles characterized by low and high frequencies in Okinawa Island, respectively. The five-locus haplotypes whose alleles exhibit strong LD were unique to Japanese and South Korean, suggesting that these haplotypes had been recently derived from the Korean Peninsula. The alleles characterized by high frequency in Japanese compared to South Korean formed segmented three-locus haplotype that was commonly found in Aleuts, Eskimos, and North- and Meso-Americans but not observed in Korean and Chinese. The serologically equivalent haplotype was found in Orchid Island in Taiwan, Mongol, Siberia, and Arctic regions. It suggests that early Japanese who existed prior to the migration wave from the Korean Peninsula shared ancestry with northern Asian who moved to the New World via the Bering Strait land bridge. These results may support the admixture model for peopling of Japanese Archipelago.

  3. Cancer mortality in the indigenous population of coastal Chukotka, 1961–1990

    PubMed Central

    Dudarev, Alexey A.; Chupakhin, Valery S.; Odland, Jon Øyvind

    2013-01-01

    Objectives The general aim was to assess the pattern and trend in cancer mortality among the indigenous people of coastal Chukotka during the period 1961–1990. Methods All cases of cancer deaths of indigenous residents of the Chukotsky district in the north-easternmost coast of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug were copied from personal death certificates. There were a total of 219 cancer deaths during the study period. The average annual number of cases, percent, crude, and age-standardized cancer mortality rates (ASMR) per 100,000 among men and women for all sites combined and selected sites were calculated. Data were aggregated into six 5-year periods to assess temporal trends. Direct age-standardization was performed with the Segi-Doll world standard population used by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Results The indigenous Chukchi and Eskimo people living in Chukotsky district were at higher risk of death from cancer during the 30-year period between 1961 and 1990, with ASMR among men twice that of Russia, and among women 3.5 times higher. The excess can be attributed to the extremely high mortality from oesophageal cancer and lung cancer. Conclusions The indigenous people of coastal Chukotka were at very high risk of death from cancer relative to the Russian population nationally. The mortality data from this study correspond to the pattern of incidence reported among other indigenous people of the Russian Arctic. Little information is available since 1990, and the feasibility of ethnic-specific health data is now severely limited. PMID:23519821

  4. American Indian Religious Freedom Act: guidance for compliance by federal agencies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sharples, F.E.; Salk, M.S.

    The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (AIRFA) requires federal agencies to ensure that none of their actions interfere with the inherent right of individual Native Americans (including American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians) to believe, express, and exercise their traditional religions. These rights include access to religious sites, use and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through traditional ceremonials and rites. Since regulations have not been developed to implement the law, many federal agencies have integrated consultation under AIRFA with the existing environmental assessment process required for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Actmore » of 1969 (NEPA). Background information on Native American religions, the relationship of AIRFA to the First Amendment, and resources belonging to Native Americans is provided in this document to assist project managers in understanding the concerns of Native Americans with regard to federal developments. Since many native religious leaders are unwilling to discuss their religion with outsiders, consultation through intermediaries, such as tribal political leaders and/or private Indian organizations, may often be needed to ensure that appropriate input is received from the religious leaders. It is this consultation with the traditional religious leaders, either directly or through surrogates, that is the ultimate objective in complying with AIRFA. When a federal agency finds, upon consultation, that its proposed action would deny the free exercise of religion and yet determines that there is a compelling need for the action, the decision to proceed may be made, but appropriate mitigation measures to reduce religious interference to the lowest possible level must be included. 28 refs.« less

  5. Y-chromosome analysis reveals genetic divergence and new founding native lineages in Athapaskan- and Eskimoan-speaking populations

    PubMed Central

    Dulik, Matthew C.; Owings, Amanda C.; Gaieski, Jill B.; Vilar, Miguel G.; Andre, Alestine; Lennie, Crystal; Mackenzie, Mary Adele; Kritsch, Ingrid; Snowshoe, Sharon; Wright, Ruth; Martin, James; Gibson, Nancy; Andrews, Thomas D.; Schurr, Theodore G.; Adhikarla, Syama; Adler, Christina J.; Balanovska, Elena; Balanovsky, Oleg; Bertranpetit, Jaume; Clarke, Andrew C.; Comas, David; Cooper, Alan; Der Sarkissian, Clio S. I.; GaneshPrasad, ArunKumar; Haak, Wolfgang; Haber, Marc; Hobbs, Angela; Javed, Asif; Jin, Li; Kaplan, Matthew E.; Li, Shilin; Martínez-Cruz, Begoña; Matisoo-Smith, Elizabeth A.; Melé, Marta; Merchant, Nirav C.; Mitchell, R. John; Parida, Laxmi; Pitchappan, Ramasamy; Platt, Daniel E.; Quintana-Murci, Lluis; Renfrew, Colin; Lacerda, Daniela R.; Royyuru, Ajay K.; Santos, Fabrício R.; Soodyall, Himla; Soria Hernanz, David F.; Swamikrishnan, Pandikumar; Tyler-Smith, Chris; Santhakumari, Arun Varatharajan; Vieira, Pedro Paulo; Wells, R. Spencer; Zalloua, Pierre A.; Ziegle, Janet S.

    2012-01-01

    For decades, the peopling of the Americas has been explored through the analysis of uniparentally inherited genetic systems in Native American populations and the comparison of these genetic data with current linguistic groupings. In northern North America, two language families predominate: Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene. Although the genetic evidence from nuclear and mtDNA loci suggest that speakers of these language families share a distinct biological origin, this model has not been examined using data from paternally inherited Y chromosomes. To test this hypothesis and elucidate the migration histories of Eskimoan- and Athapaskan-speaking populations, we analyzed Y-chromosomal data from Inuvialuit, Gwich’in, and Tłįchǫ populations living in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Over 100 biallelic markers and 19 chromosome short tandem repeats (STRs) were genotyped to produce a high-resolution dataset of Y chromosomes from these groups. Among these markers is an SNP discovered in the Inuvialuit that differentiates them from other Aboriginal and Native American populations. The data suggest that Canadian Eskimoan- and Athapaskan-speaking populations are genetically distinct from one another and that the formation of these groups was the result of two population expansions that occurred after the initial movement of people into the Americas. In addition, the population history of Athapaskan speakers is complex, with the Tłįchǫ being distinct from other Athapaskan groups. The high-resolution biallelic data also make clear that Y-chromosomal diversity among the first Native Americans was greater than previously recognized. PMID:22586127

  6. Sleep problems across development: a pathway to adolescent risk taking through working memory.

    PubMed

    Thomas, April Gile; Monahan, Kathryn C; Lukowski, Angela F; Cauffman, Elizabeth

    2015-02-01

    Problematic sleep can be detrimental to the development of important cognitive functions, such as working memory, and may have the potential for negative behavioral consequences, such as risk-taking. In this way, sleep problems may be particularly harmful for youth-whose cognitive abilities are still developing and who are more susceptible to risky behavior. Using data from a large, national, longitudinal study, continuity and change in sleep problems were examined from 2 to 15 years of age and associated with deficits in working memory at age 15 and risk taking behaviors at age 18. Participants (N = 1,364 children; 48.3% female) were assessed for sleep problems (parent-report), working memory (behavioral task), and risk taking behavior (youth self-report). The sample was predominantly White (80.4%); additional races represented in the sample included Black/African American (12.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%), American Indian/Eskimo/Aleut (.4%), and Other (4.7%). The findings suggest that sleep problems are likely to cascade across development, with sleep problems demonstrating continuity from infancy to early childhood, early childhood to middle childhood, and middle childhood to adolescence. Although sleep problems in infancy, early childhood, and middle childhood were not directly related to adolescent working memory, sleep problems during adolescence were associated with poorer adolescent working memory. In turn, these deficits in working memory were related to greater risk taking in late adolescence. In summary, the present results suggest that sleep problems in earlier periods are indicative of risk for sleep problems later in development, but that sleep problems in adolescence contribute uniquely to deficits in working memory that, in turn, lead to risky behavior during late adolescence.

  7. Mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome diversity and the peopling of the Americas: evolutionary and demographic evidence.

    PubMed

    Schurr, Theodore G; Sherry, Stephen T

    2004-01-01

    A number of important insights into the peopling of the New World have been gained through molecular genetic studies of Siberian and Native American populations. While there is no complete agreement on the interpretation of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (NRY) data from these groups, several generalizations can be made. To begin with, the primary migration of ancestral Asians expanded from south-central Siberia into the New World and gave rise to ancestral Amerindians. The initial migration seems to have occurred between 20,000-15,000 calendar years before present (cal BP), i.e., before the emergence of Clovis lithic sites (13,350-12,895 cal BP) in North America. Because an interior route through northern North America was unavailable for human passage until 12,550 cal BP, after the last glacial maximum (LGM), these ancestral groups must have used a coastal route to reach South America by 14,675 cal BP, the date of the Monte Verde site in southern Chile. The initial migration appears to have brought mtDNA haplogroups A-D and NRY haplogroups P-M45a and Q-242/Q-M3 to the New World, with these genetic lineages becoming widespread in the Americas. A second expansion that perhaps coincided with the opening of the ice-free corridor probably brought mtDNA haplogroup X and NRY haplogroups P-M45b, C-M130, and R1a1-M17 to North and Central America. Finally, populations that formerly inhabited Beringia expanded into northern North America after the LGM, and gave rise to Eskimo-Aleuts and Na-Dené Indians. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  8. Modern diet and metabolic variance – a recipe for disaster?

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Objective Recently, a positive correlation between alanine transaminase activity and body mass was established among healthy young individuals of normal weight. Here we explore further this relationship and propose a physiological rationale for this link. Design Cross-sectional statistical analysis of adiposity across large samples of adults differing by age, diet and lifestyle. Subjects 46,684 19–20 years old Swiss male conscripts and published data on 1000 Eskimos, 518 Toronto residents and 97,000 North American Adventists. Measurements Serum concentrations of the alanine transaminase, post-prandial glucose levels, cholesterol, body height and weight, blood pressure and routine blood analysis (thrombocytes and leukocytes) for Swiss conscripts. Adiposity measures and dietary information for other groups were also obtained. Results Stepwise multiple regression after correction for random errors of physiological tests showed that 28% of the total variance in body mass is associated with ALT concentrations. This relationship remained significant when only metabolically healthy (as defined by the American Heart Association) Swiss conscripts were selected. The data indicated that high protein only or high carbohydrate only diets are associated with lower levels of obesity than a diet combining proteins and carbohydrates. Conclusion Elevated levels of alanine transaminase, and likely other transaminases, may result in overactivity of the alanine cycle that produces pyruvate from protein. When a mixed meal of protein, carbohydrate and fat is consumed, carbohydrates and fats are digested faster and metabolised to satisfy body’s energetic needs while slower digested protein is ultimately converted to malonyl CoA and stored as fat. Chronicity of this sequence is proposed to cause accumulation of somatic fat stores and thus obesity. PMID:24502225

  9. Reconciling migration models to the Americas with the variation of North American native mitogenomes

    PubMed Central

    Achilli, Alessandro; Perego, Ugo A.; Lancioni, Hovirag; Olivieri, Anna; Gandini, Francesca; Hooshiar Kashani, Baharak; Battaglia, Vincenza; Grugni, Viola; Angerhofer, Norman; Rogers, Mary P.; Herrera, Rene J.; Woodward, Scott R.; Labuda, Damian; Smith, David Glenn; Cybulski, Jerome S.; Semino, Ornella; Malhi, Ripan S.; Torroni, Antonio

    2013-01-01

    In this study we evaluated migration models to the Americas by using the information contained in native mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from North America. Molecular and phylogeographic analyses of B2a mitogenomes, which are absent in Eskimo–Aleut and northern Na-Dene speakers, revealed that this haplogroup arose in North America ∼11–13 ka from one of the founder Paleo-Indian B2 mitogenomes. In contrast, haplogroup A2a, which is typical of Eskimo–Aleuts and Na-Dene, but also present in the easternmost Siberian groups, originated only 4–7 ka in Alaska, led to the first Paleo-Eskimo settlement of northern Canada and Greenland, and contributed to the formation of the Na-Dene gene pool. However, mitogenomes also show that Amerindians from northern North America, without any distinction between Na-Dene and non–Na-Dene, were heavily affected by an additional and distinctive Beringian genetic input. In conclusion, most mtDNA variation (along the double-continent) stems from the first wave from Beringia, which followed the Pacific coastal route. This was accompanied or followed by a second inland migratory event, marked by haplogroups X2a and C4c, which affected all Amerindian groups of Northern North America. Much later, the ancestral A2a carriers spread from Alaska, undertaking both a westward migration to Asia and an eastward expansion into the circumpolar regions of Canada. Thus, the first American founders left the greatest genetic mark but the original maternal makeup of North American Natives was subsequently reshaped by additional streams of gene flow and local population dynamics, making a three-wave view too simplistic. PMID:23940335

  10. Place in History and Astrophysics as the Pole Star and the Nearest Cepheid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guinan, Edward F.

    2012-05-01

    Over ten centuries ago years, precession moved the Earth's North Celestial Pole (NCP) near the direction of alpha Ursae Minoris - now known as Polaris. Since that time Polaris has served as an important navigation star. By 2100 (at closest approach) Polaris moves within 0.5 deg of the NCP. Because of its brightness ( 2nd mag) and fixed place in the sky, Polaris is frequently referenced in literature, folklore, and pop culture. For example, in the Arctic, Polaris is known to the Inuit (among other names) as Nuuttuittuq ("never moves"), while the Yup'ik Eskimo refer to Polaris as Agyarrlak ("major star"). But Polaris, as the nearest Classical Cepheid (and also member of a multiple star system) is astrophysically important and interesting in its own right. Primarily this is because Polaris' physical properties can be precisely determined. Its distance provides a luminosity, pulsation mode and calibration for the Leavitt Law (Period-Luminosity relation). But, Polaris has been found to be full of surprises and puzzles. Over the last century Polaris has been undergoing rapid, large changes in its pulsation period (increasing at over 4 sec/yr.) as well as in its light and radial velocity variations. Noteworthy, during the early-1990s, Polaris nearly stopped pulsating and thus almost ceased being a Cepheid! Surprisingly Polaris (and other Cepheids) recently have been discovered to have significant mass-loss, and to display X-ray and FUV-line emission variations in phase with their pulsations. In this introductory talk Polaris' place in history and in the field of astronomy will be briefly discussed along with the important role it plays in the broader understanding of Cepheid structure and evolution. This research is, in part, supported by NASA Grants HST-GO11726.01 and NNX08AX37G, which we gratefully acknowledge.

  11. Alteration of cell wall xylan acetylation triggers defense responses that counterbalance the immune deficiencies of plants impaired in the β-subunit of the heterotrimeric G-protein.

    PubMed

    Escudero, Viviana; Jordá, Lucía; Sopeña-Torres, Sara; Mélida, Hugo; Miedes, Eva; Muñoz-Barrios, Antonio; Swami, Sanjay; Alexander, Danny; McKee, Lauren S; Sánchez-Vallet, Andrea; Bulone, Vincent; Jones, Alan M; Molina, Antonio

    2017-11-01

    Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G-protein complex modulates pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and disease resistance responses to different types of pathogens. It also plays a role in plant cell wall integrity as mutants impaired in the Gβ- (agb1-2) or Gγ-subunits have an altered wall composition compared with wild-type plants. Here we performed a mutant screen to identify suppressors of agb1-2 (sgb) that restore susceptibility to pathogens to wild-type levels. Out of the four sgb mutants (sgb10-sgb13) identified, sgb11 is a new mutant allele of ESKIMO1 (ESK1), which encodes a plant-specific polysaccharide O-acetyltransferase involved in xylan acetylation. Null alleles (sgb11/esk1-7) of ESK1 restore to wild-type levels the enhanced susceptibility of agb1-2 to the necrotrophic fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina BMM (PcBMM), but not to the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 or to the oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. The enhanced resistance to PcBMM of the agb1-2 esk1-7 double mutant was not the result of the re-activation of deficient PTI responses in agb1-2. Alteration of cell wall xylan acetylation caused by ESK1 impairment was accompanied by an enhanced accumulation of abscisic acid, the constitutive expression of genes encoding antibiotic peptides and enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of tryptophan-derived metabolites, and the accumulation of disease resistance-related secondary metabolites and different osmolites. These esk1-mediated responses counterbalance the defective PTI and PcBMM susceptibility of agb1-2 plants, and explain the enhanced drought resistance of esk1 plants. These results suggest that a deficient PTI-mediated resistance is partially compensated by the activation of specific cell-wall-triggered immune responses. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Experimental Biology.

  12. Sleep Paralysis in Brazilian Folklore and Other Cultures: A Brief Review

    PubMed Central

    de Sá, José F. R.; Mota-Rolim, Sérgio A.

    2016-01-01

    Sleep paralysis (SP) is a dissociative state that occurs mainly during awakening. SP is characterized by altered motor, perceptual, emotional and cognitive functions, such as inability to perform voluntary movements, visual hallucinations, feelings of chest pressure, delusions about a frightening presence and, in some cases, fear of impending death. Most people experience SP rarely, but typically when sleeping in supine position; however, SP is considered a disease (parasomnia) when recurrent and/or associated to emotional burden. Interestingly, throughout human history, different peoples interpreted SP under a supernatural view. For example, Canadian Eskimos attribute SP to spells of shamans, who hinder the ability to move, and provoke hallucinations of a shapeless presence. In the Japanese tradition, SP is due to a vengeful spirit who suffocates his enemies while sleeping. In Nigerian culture, a female demon attacks during dreaming and provokes paralysis. A modern manifestation of SP is the report of “alien abductions”, experienced as inability to move during awakening associated with visual hallucinations of aliens. In all, SP is a significant example of how a specific biological phenomenon can be interpreted and shaped by different cultural contexts. In order to further explore the ethnopsychology of SP, in this review we present the “Pisadeira”, a character of Brazilian folklore originated in the country’s Southeast, but also found in other regions with variant names. Pisadeira is described as a crone with long fingernails who lurks on roofs at night and tramples on the chest of those who sleep on a full stomach with the belly up. This legend is mentioned in many anthropological accounts; however, we found no comprehensive reference on the Pisadeira from the perspective of sleep science. Here, we aim to fill this gap. We first review the neuropsychological aspects of SP, and then present the folk tale of the Pisadeira. Finally, we summarize the many historical and artistic manifestations of SP in different cultures, emphasizing the similarities and differences with the Pisadeira. PMID:27656151

  13. Polar Gateways Arctic Circle Sunrise Conference 2008, Barrow, Alaska: IHY-IPY Outreach on Exploration of Polar and Icy Worlds in The Solar System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cooper, John F.; Kauristie, K.; Weatherwax, A. T.; Sheehan, G. W.; Smith, R. W.; Sandahl, I.; Østgaard, N.; Chernouss, S.; Moore, M. H.; Peticolas, L. M.; Senske, D. A.; Thompson, B. J.; Tamppari, L. K.; Lewis, E. M.

    2008-09-01

    Polar, heliophysical, and planetary science topics related to the International Heliophysical and Polar Years 2007-2009 were addressed during this circumpolar video conference hosted January 23-29, 2008 at the new Barrow Arctic Research Center of the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium in Barrow, Alaska. This conference was planned as an IHY-IPY event science outreach event bringing together scientists and educational specialists for the first week of sunrise at subzero Arctic temperatures in Barrow. Science presentations spanned the solar system from the polar Sun to Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Kuiper Belt. On-site participants experienced look and feel of icy worlds like Europa and Titan by being in the Barrow tundra and sea ice environment and by going "on the ice" during snowmobile expeditions to the near-shore sea ice environment and to Point Barrow, closest geographic point in the U.S. to the North Pole. Many science presentations were made remotely via video conference or teleconference from Sweden, Norway, Russia, Canada, Antarctica, and the United States, spanning up to thirteen time zones (Alaska to Russia) at various times. Extensive educational outreach activities were conducted with the local Barrow and Alaska North Slope communities and through the NASA Digital Learning Network live from the "top of the world" at Barrow. The Sun-Earth Day team from Goddard, and a videographer from the Passport to Knowledge project, carried out extensive educational interviews with many participants and native Inupiaq Eskimo residents of Barrow. Video and podcast recordings of selected interviews are available at http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2008/multimedia/podcasts.php. Excerpts from these and other interviews will be included in a new high definition video documentary called "From the Sun to the Stars: The New Science of Heliophysics" from Passport to Knowledge that will later broadcast on NASA TV and other educational networks. Full conference proceedings are accessible at http://polargateways2008.org/.

  14. Dietary exposure to persistent organic pollutants and metals among Inuit and Chukchi in Russian Arctic Chukotka

    PubMed Central

    Dudarev, Alexey A.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives The general aim was to assess dietary exposure to selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals among Eskimo (Inuit) and Chukchi of the Chukotka Peninsula of the Russian Arctic, and to establish recommendations for exposure risk reduction. Study design A cross-sectional evaluation of nutritional patterns of coastal and inland indigenous peoples of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (in 2001–2003); assessment of the levels of persistent toxic substances (PTSs) in traditional foods and their comparison to Russian food safety limits; the identification of local sources of food contamination; and the recommendation and implementation of risk management measures. Methods Community-based dietary survey of self reported food frequencies (453 persons), chemical analyses (POPs and metals) of local foods and indoor matters (397 samples), substantiation of recommendations for daily (weekly, monthly) intakes of traditional food. Results POPs in traditional food items are generally below the Russian food safety limits except marine mammal fat, while Hg and Cd are high mainly in mammal viscera. Lead is relatively low in tissues of all animals studied. For the Chukotka coastal communities, seals constitute the principal source of the whole suite of PTSs considered. Consumption restrictions are recommended for marine and freshwater fish, some wild meats (waterfowl and seal), fats (whale and seal), liver (most animals) and kidney (reindeer, walrus and seal). Evidence is presented that contamination of foodstuffs may be significantly increased during storing/processing/cooking of food due to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions. Conclusions Based on the analytical findings and the local PTSs sources identified, guidelines on food safety are suggested, as well as measures to reduce food contamination and domestic and local sources. Important and urgent remedial actions are recommended to minimize PTSs environmental and domestic contamination. Waste clean-up activities started in coastal Chukotka in 2007. PMID:22789517

  15. Coastal Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise and Erosion in Northwest Alaska (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gorokhovich, Y.; Leiserowitz, A.

    2009-12-01

    Northwest Alaska is experiencing significant climate change and human impacts. The study area includes the coastal zone of Kotzebue Sound and the Chukchi Sea and provides the local population (predominantly Inupiaq Eskimo) with critical subsistence resources of meat, fish, berries, herbs, and wood. The geomorphology of the coast includes barrier islands, inlets, estuaries, deltas, cliffs, bluffs, and beaches that host modern settlements and infrastructure. Coastal dynamics and sea-level rise are contributing to erosion, intermittent erosion/accretion patterns, landslides, slumps and coastal retreat. These factors are causing the sedimentation of deltas and lagoons, and changing local bathymetry, morphological parameters of beaches and underwater slopes, rates of coastal dynamics, and turbidity and nutrient cycling in coastal waters. This study is constructing vulnerability maps to help local people and federal officials understand the potential consequences of sea-level rise and coastal erosion on local infrastructure, subsistence resources, and culturally important sites. A lack of complete and uniform data (in terms of methods of collection, geographic scale and spatial resolution) creates an additional level of uncertainty that complicates geographic analysis. These difficulties were overcome by spatial modeling with selected spatial resolution using extrapolation methods. Data include subsistence resource maps obtained using Participatory GIS with local hunters and elders, geological and geographic data on coastal dynamics from satellite imagery, aerial photos, bathymetry and topographic maps, and digital elevation models. These data were classified and ranked according to the level of coastal vulnerability (Figure 1). The resulting qualitative multicriteria model helps to identify the coastal areas with the greatest vulnerability to coastal erosion and of the potential loss of subsistence resources. Acknowldgements: Dr. Ron Abileah (private consultant, jOmegak) helped in preliminary analysis of Landsat imagery, Mr. Alex Whiting provided valuable information on subsistence resources in Kotzebue region, hunters and elders of villages in Kivalina, Kotzebue, Selawik and Deering provided input in GIS database on subsistence resources.

  16. Peopling of the North Circumpolar Region--insights from Y chromosome STR and SNP typing of Greenlanders.

    PubMed

    Olofsson, Jill Katharina; Pereira, Vania; Børsting, Claus; Morling, Niels

    2015-01-01

    The human population in Greenland is characterized by migration events of Paleo- and Neo-Eskimos, as well as admixture with Europeans. In this study, the Y-chromosomal variation in male Greenlanders was investigated in detail by typing 73 Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) and 17 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs). Approximately 40% of the analyzed Greenlandic Y chromosomes were of European origin (I-M170, R1a-M513 and R1b-M343). Y chromosomes of European origin were mainly found in individuals from the west and south coasts of Greenland, which is in agreement with the historic records of the geographic placements of European settlements in Greenland. Two Inuit Y-chromosomal lineages, Q-M3 (xM19, M194, L663, SA01 and L766) and Q-NWT01 (xM265) were found in 23% and 31% of the male Greenlanders, respectively. The time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of the Q-M3 lineage of the Greenlanders was estimated to be between 4,400 and 10,900 years ago (y. a.) using two different methods. This is in agreement with the theory that the North Circumpolar Region was populated via a second expansion of humans in the North American continent. The TMRCA of the Q-NWT01 (xM265) lineage in Greenland was estimated to be between 7,000 and 14,300 y. a. using two different methods, which is older than the previously reported TMRCA of this lineage in other Inuit populations. Our results indicate that Inuit individuals carrying the Q-NWT01 (xM265) lineage may have their origin in the northeastern parts of North America and could be descendants of the Dorset culture. This in turn points to the possibility that the current Inuit population in Greenland is comprised of individuals of both Thule and Dorset descent.

  17. Collaborations for Arctic Sea Ice Information and Tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheffield Guy, L.; Wiggins, H. V.; Turner-Bogren, E. J.; Rich, R. H.

    2017-12-01

    The dramatic and rapid changes in Arctic sea ice require collaboration across boundaries, including between disciplines, sectors, institutions, and between scientists and decision-makers. This poster will highlight several projects that provide knowledge to advance the development and use of sea ice knowledge. Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO: https://www.arcus.org/search-program/siwo) - SIWO is a resource for Alaskan Native subsistence hunters and other interested stakeholders. SIWO provides weekly reports, during April-June, of sea ice conditions relevant to walrus in the northern Bering and southern Chukchi seas. Collaboration among scientists, Alaskan Native sea-ice experts, and the Eskimo Walrus Commission is fundamental to this project's success. Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN: https://www.arcus.org/sipn) - A collaborative, multi-agency-funded project focused on seasonal Arctic sea ice predictions. The goals of SIPN include: coordinate and evaluate Arctic sea ice predictions; integrate, assess, and guide observations; synthesize predictions and observations; and disseminate predictions and engage key stakeholders. The Sea Ice Outlook—a key activity of SIPN—is an open process to share and synthesize predictions of the September minimum Arctic sea ice extent and other variables. Other SIPN activities include workshops, webinars, and communications across the network. Directory of Sea Ice Experts (https://www.arcus.org/researchers) - ARCUS has undertaken a pilot project to develop a web-based directory of sea ice experts across institutions, countries, and sectors. The goal of the project is to catalyze networking between individual investigators, institutions, funding agencies, and other stakeholders interested in Arctic sea ice. Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH: https://www.arcus.org/search-program) - SEARCH is a collaborative program that advances research, synthesizes research findings, and broadly communicates the results to support informed decision-making. One of SEARCH's primary science topics is focused on Arctic sea ice; the SEARCH Sea Ice Action Team is leading efforts to advance understanding and awareness of the impacts of Arctic sea-ice loss.

  18. Polar Gateways Arctic Circle Sunrise Conference 2008, Barrow, Alaska: IHY-IPY Outreach on Exploration of Polar and Icy Worlds in the Solar System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, John F.; Kauristie, Kirsti; Weatherwax, Allan T.; Sheehan, Glenn W.; Smith, Roger W.; Sandahl, Ingrid; Ostgaard, Nikolai; Chernouss, Sergey; Thompson, Barbara J.; Peticolas, Laura; hide

    2008-01-01

    Polar, heliophysical, and planetary science topics related to the International Heliophysical and Polar Years 2007-2009 were addressed during this circumpolar video conference hosted January 23-29, 2808 at the new Barrow Arctic Research Center of the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium in Barrow, Alaska. This conference was planned as an IHY-IPY event science outreach event bringing together scientists and educational specialists for the first week of sunrise at subzero Arctic temperatures in Barrow. Science presentations spanned the solar system from the polar Sun to Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Kuiper Belt. On-site participants experienced look and feel of icy worlds like Europa and Titan by being in the Barrow tundra and sea ice environment and by going "on the ice" during snowmobile expeditions to the near-shore sea ice environment and to Point Barrow, closest geographic point in the U.S. to the North Pole. Many science presentations were made remotely via video conference or teleconference from Sweden, Norway, Russia, Canada, Antarctica, and the United States, spanning up to thirteen time zones (Alaska to Russia) at various times. Extensive educational outreach activities were conducted with the local Barrow and Alaska North Slope communities and through the NASA Digital Learning Network live from the "top of the world" at Barrow. The Sun- Earth Day team from Goddard, and a videographer from the Passport to Knowledge project, carried out extensive educational interviews with many participants and native Inupiaq Eskimo residents of Barrow. Video and podcast recordings of selected interviews are available at http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2008/multimedidpodcasts.php. Excerpts from these and other interviews will be included in a new high definition video documentary called "From the Sun to the Stars: The New Science of Heliophysics" from Passport to Knowledge that will later broadcast on NASA TV and other educational networks. Full conference proceedings are accessible at http://polargateways2008.org/.

  19. Associations of obesity with triglycerides and C-reactive protein are attenuated in adults with high red blood cell eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids

    PubMed Central

    Makhoul, Zeina; Kristal, Alan R.; Gulati, Roman; Luick, Bret; Bersamin, Andrea; O'Brien, Diane; Hopkins, Scarlett E.; Stephensen, Charles B.; Stanhope, Kimber L.; Havel, Peter J.; Boyer, Bert

    2011-01-01

    Background N-3 fatty acids are associated with favorable, and obesity with unfavorable, concentrations of chronic disease risk biomarkers. Objective We examined whether high eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid intakes, measured as percentages of total red blood cell (RBC) fatty acids, modify associations of obesity with chronic disease risk biomarkers. Methods In a cross-sectional study of 330 Yup'ik Eskimos, generalized additive models (GAM) and linear and quadratic regression models were used to examine associations of BMI with biomarkers across RBC EPA and DHA categories. Results Median (5th–95th percentile) RBC EPA and DHA were 2.6% (0.5–5.9%) and 7.3% (3.3–8.9%), respectively. In regression models, associations of BMI with triglycerides, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and leptin differed significantly by RBC EPA and DHA. The GAM confirmed regression results for triglycerides and CRP: At low RBC EPA and RBC DHA, the predicted increases in triglycerides and CRP concentrations associated with a BMI increase from 25 to 35 were 99.5±45.3 mg/dl (106%) and 137.8±71.0 mg/dl (156%), respectively, for triglycerides and 1.2±0.7 mg/l (61%) and 0.8±1.0 mg/l (35%), respectively, for CRP. At high RBC EPA and RBC DHA, these predicted increases were 13.9±8.1 mg/dl (23%) and 12.0±12.3 mg/dl (18%), respectively, for triglycerides and 0.5±0.5 mg/l (50%) and −0.5±0.6 mg/l (−34%), respectively, for CRP. Conclusions In this population, high RBC EPA and DHA were associated with attenuated dyslipidemia and low-grade systemic inflammation among overweight and obese persons. This may help inform recommendations for n-3 fatty acid intakes in the reduction of obesity-related disease risk. PMID:21427737

  20. Contemporary Inuit Traditional Beliefs Concerning Meteorites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mardon, A. A.; Mardon, E. G.; Williams, J. S.

    1992-07-01

    Inuit religious mythology and the importance of meteorites as "messages" from the Creator of all things is only now being recognized. Field investigations near Resolute, Cornwallis Island in the high Canadian Arctic in 1988 are the bases for this paper. Through interpreters, several elders of the local Inuit described in detail the Inuit belief, recognition, and wonder at the falling meteors & meteorites during the long Polar Night and Polar Day. Such events are passed on in the oral tradition from generation to generation by the elders and especially those elders who fulfill the shamanistic roles. The Inuit have come across rocks that they immediately recognize as not being "natural" and in the cases of a fall that was observed and the rock recovered the meteorite is kept either on the person or in some hidden niche known only to that person. In one story recounted a meteorite fell and was recovered at the birth of one very old elder and the belief was that if the rock was somehow damaged or taken from his possession he would die. Some indirect indication also was conveyed that the discovery and possession of meteorites allow shaman to have "supernatural" power. This belief in the supernatural power of meteorites can be seen historically in many societies, including Islam and the "black rock" (Kaaba) of Mecca. It should also be noted, however, that metallic meteorites were clearly once the major source of iron for Eskimo society as is indicated from the recovery of meteoritical iron arrow heads and harpoon heads from excavated pre-Viking contact sites. The one evident thing that became clear to the author is that the Inuit distinctly believe that these meteorites are religious objects of the highest order and it brings into question the current academic practice of sending meteorites south to research institutes. Any seeming conflict with the traditional use of meteoric iron is more apparent than real--the animals, the hunt, and the act of survival--all being bound up in the mystic patterns of animistic belief. "Nature red in tooth and claw," with Inuit man's sharpest claw being mystically derived meteoritc iron.

  1. Terminal Pleistocene Alaskan genome reveals first founding population of Native Americans.

    PubMed

    Moreno-Mayar, J Víctor; Potter, Ben A; Vinner, Lasse; Steinrücken, Matthias; Rasmussen, Simon; Terhorst, Jonathan; Kamm, John A; Albrechtsen, Anders; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo; Sikora, Martin; Reuther, Joshua D; Irish, Joel D; Malhi, Ripan S; Orlando, Ludovic; Song, Yun S; Nielsen, Rasmus; Meltzer, David J; Willerslev, Eske

    2018-01-11

    Despite broad agreement that the Americas were initially populated via Beringia, the land bridge that connected far northeast Asia with northwestern North America during the Pleistocene epoch, when and how the peopling of the Americas occurred remains unresolved. Analyses of human remains from Late Pleistocene Alaska are important to resolving the timing and dispersal of these populations. The remains of two infants were recovered at Upward Sun River (USR), and have been dated to around 11.5 thousand years ago (ka). Here, by sequencing the USR1 genome to an average coverage of approximately 17 times, we show that USR1 is most closely related to Native Americans, but falls basal to all previously sequenced contemporary and ancient Native Americans. As such, USR1 represents a distinct Ancient Beringian population. Using demographic modelling, we infer that the Ancient Beringian population and ancestors of other Native Americans descended from a single founding population that initially split from East Asians around 36 ± 1.5 ka, with gene flow persisting until around 25 ± 1.1 ka. Gene flow from ancient north Eurasians into all Native Americans took place 25-20 ka, with Ancient Beringians branching off around 22-18.1 ka. Our findings support a long-term genetic structure in ancestral Native Americans, consistent with the Beringian 'standstill model'. We show that the basal northern and southern Native American branches, to which all other Native Americans belong, diverged around 17.5-14.6 ka, and that this probably occurred south of the North American ice sheets. We also show that after 11.5 ka, some of the northern Native American populations received gene flow from a Siberian population most closely related to Koryaks, but not Palaeo-Eskimos, Inuits or Kets, and that Native American gene flow into Inuits was through northern and not southern Native American groups. Our findings further suggest that the far-northern North American presence of northern Native Americans is from a back migration that replaced or absorbed the initial founding population of Ancient Beringians.

  2. A group of Populus trichocarpa DUF231 proteins exhibit differential O-acetyltransferase activities toward xylan.

    PubMed

    Zhong, Ruiqin; Cui, Dongtao; Ye, Zheng-Hua

    2018-01-01

    Wood represents the most abundant biomass produced by plants and one of its major components is acetyl xylan. Acetylation in xylan can occur at O-2 or O-3 of a xylosyl residue, at both O-2 and O-3 of a xylosyl residue, and at O-3 of a xylosyl residue substituted at O-2 with glucuronic acid. Acetyltransferases responsible for the regiospecific acetylation of xylan in tree species have not yet been characterized. Here we report the biochemical characterization of twelve Populus trichocarpa DUF231-containing proteins, named PtrXOATs, for their roles in the regiospecific acetylation of xylan. The PtrXOAT genes were found to be differentially expressed in Populus organs and among them, PtrXOAT1, PtrXOAT2, PtrXOAT9 and PtrXOAT10 exhibited the highest level of expression in stems undergoing wood formation. Activity assays of recombinant proteins demonstrated that all twelve PtrXOAT proteins were able to transfer acetyl groups from acetyl CoA onto a xylohexaose acceptor with PtrXOAT1, PtrXOAT2, PtrXOAT3, PtrXOAT11 and PtrXOAT12 having the highest activity. Structural analysis of the PtrXOAT-catalyzed reaction products using 1H NMR spectroscopy revealed that PtrXOAT1, PtrXAOT2 and PtrXOAT3 mediated 2-O- and 3-O-monoacetylation and 2,3-di-O-acetylation of xylosyl residues and PtrXOAT11 and PtrXOAT12 only catalyzed 2-O- and 3-O-monoacetylation of xylosyl residues. Of the twelve PtrXOATs, only PtrXOAT9 and PtrXOAT10 were capable of transferring acetyl groups onto the O-3 position of 2-O-glucuronic acid-substituted xylosyl residues. Furthermore, when expressed in the Arabidopsis eskimo1 mutant, PtrXOAT1, PtrXAOT2 and PtrXOAT3 were able to rescue the defects in xylan acetylation. Together, these results demonstrate that the twelve PtrXOATs are acetyltransferases with different roles in xylan acetylation in P. trichocarpa.

  3. An old balancing act: resources v. population.

    PubMed

    Murphy, E

    1977-11-01

    Population concern is found not only among modern man, but among primitive peoples and animal groups. Although some researchers object to extrapolating from animal behavior to human behavior, it is still an oft-observed fact that crowding produces fighting, territorial aggression, or other behaviors which disperse the population and relieve the pressures on food and other resources. Female chimpanzees bear offspring at 5-year intervals although they come into estrus yearly. This may be due to the ovulation suppression effects of lactation, which is lengthy among chimps. A similar repression gives humans respite from childbearing. Among primitive peoples similar population control mechanisms are at work. The Rendille camel herders in Kenya tried to limit population by insisting on monogamy and late marriage and killing boys born on Wednesday or younger ones after circumcision of the eldest brother. Among 96 births observed to the Netsilik Eskimos, an anthropologist noted that 38 female babies were left to die from exposure before becoming "people" in a naming ceremony. Cheyenne Indians limited population by insisting a woman should not have another child until her 1st is 10-years old. This required rigorous abstinence. Anthropologist Mary Douglas suggests a group will often define optimal population by perceived scarcity of things that are important to their society. The Pacific islanders of Tikopia strongly disapprove of families with more than 2 or 3 children. This limitation seems due to the limitation of cocoanuts. The Rendille limit population because of their desire to assure enough camels to go around. Researchers have followed with interest the 1st demographic transition of the Kung tribe of Africa. When they were hunter-gathers, women had high status because they provided at least half the food and births were 4-5 years apart because the nourishment level was so low pregnancy did not occur during lactation. Now that they have become farmers women's status has dropped and birthrates have increased. It will be interesting to see if this group undergoes a 2nd transition and starts to limit its population.

  4. Using paleolimnology to track the impacts of early Arctic peoples on freshwater ecosystems from southern Baffin Island, Nunavut

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Michelutti, Neal; McCleary, Kathryn M.; Antoniades, Dermot; Sutherland, Patricia; Blais, Jules M.; Douglas, Marianne S. V.; Smol, John P.

    2013-09-01

    Paleolimnological approaches can be used to determine the ways in which past Arctic peoples have affected the ecosystems in which they live, and simultaneously to reconstruct the climate and other aspects of the environment that may have influenced local populations. Here we analyze sediment cores from seven ponds on the south-western coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, in order to assess the impacts of early Arctic peoples on freshwater ecosystems. Prior to the historic Inuit occupation, the study area was extensively inhabited by Thule culture Inuit (ca 1200-1600 AD) and by an earlier Arctic group, the Dorset culture Palaeo-Eskimos (ca 500 BC-1500 AD) and their predecessors from as early as 2500 BC. The study ponds were selected to cover a gradient of the intensity of human activity in their catchments. The ecological impacts of early hunting societies can be detected using paleolimnology because the butchering of marine mammals released nutrients that eutrophied nearby ponds and left distinct geochemical signals in the sediments. The degree of eutrophication in the small freshwater ponds depended on the length of the occupation, as well as the amount and type of marine mammals taken as primary prey items (eg, whales, walrus, or seals). All sediment cores were AMS 14C dated to establish their chronologies, and analyzed for diatoms and stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N). Both diatoms and sedimentary δ15N have been previously demonstrated to respond sensitively to nutrient enrichment from Inuit whalers. Our δ15N and diatom data record nutrient enrichment in lakes surrounded by either long-term Thule or Dorset settlements. The Dorset sites that were the locations of periodic seasonal gatherings did not register any evidence of eutrophication in the nearby ponds, reflecting the shorter, less intensive nature of these occupations. Similarly, nearby control ponds with no evidence of significant human activity in their catchments showed little-to-no changes in δ15N profiles and diatom assemblages. Due to slow rates of decomposition, nutrients from butchered marine animal bones continue to influence the freshwater sites into which they drain, as evidenced by higher than typical nutrient and production-related water chemistry variables.

  5. Blood pressure during pregnancy in Canadian Inuit: community differences related to diet.

    PubMed Central

    Popeski, D; Ebbeling, L R; Brown, P B; Hornstra, G; Gerrard, J M

    1991-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To assess a possible relation between the incidence of hypertension during pregnancy and the consumption of fatty acids found in fish and sea mammals. DESIGN: Retrospective survey of pregnancy-induced hypertension; prospective diet survey. SETTING: Inuit women from seven communities in the Keewatin region of the Northwest Territories. PATIENTS: All women from Arviat (formerly Eskimo Point), Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour, Repulse Bay, Sanikiluaq and Whale Cove who gave birth between Sept. 1, 1984, and Aug. 31, 1987. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All blood pressure measurements recorded during the pregnancy, incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension in the seven communities, harvest of country food (food obtained from the land or sea rather than bought in a store) for six of the communities, self-reported consumption of fish, sea mammals and terrestrial mammals by a subgroup of the subjects and levels of phospholipid fatty acids in cord serum samples from a subgroup of the infants. MAIN RESULTS: Significantly lower mean diastolic blood pressure values during the last 6 hours of pregnancy were noted for the women from the three communities with a higher consumption of fish and sea mammals (78.2 [95% confidence limits (CL) 76.6 and 79.9] mm Hg) than for those from the four communities with a lower consumption of such food (81.5 [95% CL 80.1 and 82.9] mm Hg) (p less than 0.005). The relation between community diet type and blood pressure was independent of other factors. Correspondingly, the women from communities with a lower consumption of marine food were 2.6 times more likely to be hypertensive during the pregnancy than those from communities with a higher consumption of marine food (p less than 0.007). Parity (p less than 0.05) and prepregnancy weight (p less than 0.005) were also significantly associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension; however, the relation between hypertension and community diet type remained significant in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 2.56, p = 0.03). The differences between the community groups were substantiated by the results of the diet survey, the levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the cord serum phospholipids and the harvest data. CONCLUSIONS: Increased consumption of fish may be beneficial for women at risk for hypertension during pregnancy. A prospective randomized trial of fish or EPA supplementation during pregnancy is warranted. PMID:1878826

  6. Blood pressure during pregnancy in Canadian Inuit: community differences related to diet.

    PubMed

    Popeski, D; Ebbeling, L R; Brown, P B; Hornstra, G; Gerrard, J M

    1991-09-01

    To assess a possible relation between the incidence of hypertension during pregnancy and the consumption of fatty acids found in fish and sea mammals. Retrospective survey of pregnancy-induced hypertension; prospective diet survey. Inuit women from seven communities in the Keewatin region of the Northwest Territories. All women from Arviat (formerly Eskimo Point), Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour, Repulse Bay, Sanikiluaq and Whale Cove who gave birth between Sept. 1, 1984, and Aug. 31, 1987. All blood pressure measurements recorded during the pregnancy, incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension in the seven communities, harvest of country food (food obtained from the land or sea rather than bought in a store) for six of the communities, self-reported consumption of fish, sea mammals and terrestrial mammals by a subgroup of the subjects and levels of phospholipid fatty acids in cord serum samples from a subgroup of the infants. Significantly lower mean diastolic blood pressure values during the last 6 hours of pregnancy were noted for the women from the three communities with a higher consumption of fish and sea mammals (78.2 [95% confidence limits (CL) 76.6 and 79.9] mm Hg) than for those from the four communities with a lower consumption of such food (81.5 [95% CL 80.1 and 82.9] mm Hg) (p less than 0.005). The relation between community diet type and blood pressure was independent of other factors. Correspondingly, the women from communities with a lower consumption of marine food were 2.6 times more likely to be hypertensive during the pregnancy than those from communities with a higher consumption of marine food (p less than 0.007). Parity (p less than 0.05) and prepregnancy weight (p less than 0.005) were also significantly associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension; however, the relation between hypertension and community diet type remained significant in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 2.56, p = 0.03). The differences between the community groups were substantiated by the results of the diet survey, the levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the cord serum phospholipids and the harvest data. Increased consumption of fish may be beneficial for women at risk for hypertension during pregnancy. A prospective randomized trial of fish or EPA supplementation during pregnancy is warranted.

  7. Polar Gateways Arctic Circle Sunrise 2008 Conference at the Top of the World

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cooper, J. F.; Kauristie, K.; Weatherwax, A. T.; Sheehan, G. W.; Smith, R. W.; Cline, T. D.; Lewis, E. M.; Haines-Stiles, G.

    2008-12-01

    The Polar Gateways conference was hosted during January 23-29, 2008, the first week of polar sunrise at Barrow, Alaska, at the new Barrow Arctic Research Center of the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC). The dawn week of polar day, the highly variable low temperatures, and the ice-covered shore tundra and adjacent sea ice conditions provided an appropriate locale for a conference dedicated in the spirit of the International Polar and Heliophysical Years 2007-2009 to the educational exploration of polar and icy world science of Earth and the solar system. The many scientific, educational, and cultural interactions with the local community of four thousand residents, sixty percent native Inupiat Eskimo, further provided an unforgettable experience of what life might be someday be like on other remote polar and icy worlds to be explored and eventually inhabited. Over one hundred active participants, more than half participating remotely, contributed science presentations and educational activities during this unique circumpolar and very "green" conference. Most remote contributions came via videoconference from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) at Kiruna, Sweden, the EISCAT Svalbard Radar Facility at Spitzbergen, Norway, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Arizona. A few contributors participated via teleconference, including one from the Polar Geophysical Institute at Apatity in Russia. These active contributions spanned up to thirteen time zones (Alaska to Russia) at various times during the conference. Primary videoconferencing support between Barrow and other sites was ably provided by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, and local operators at each remote site collectively made this conference possible. Science presentations spanned the solar system from the polar Sun and heliospheric environment to Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Kuiper Belt, and the solar wind termination shock now crossed by both Voyager spacecraft. Barrow participants experienced look and feel of icy worlds like Europa by going "on the ice" during snowmobile expeditions to the near-shore sea ice and Point Barrow. Extensive educational outreach activities were conducted with the local Barrow township and North Slope Borough communities, partly through several interviews with local host Earl Finkler on Barrow's KBRW Radio, and through the NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN) "live from the top of the world" at Barrow. The Goddard robotic rover "Nanuq of the North" became a local celebrity. The complete science program and photo library, eventually also including video recordings of all main presentations, will be available at the new polargateways2008.gsfc.nasa.gov web site (old version: polargateways2008.org) with links to educational materials from the conference already accessible at sunearthday.nasa.gov/polarsunrise.

  8. Polar Gateways Arctic Circle Sunrise 2008 Conference at the Top of the World

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, John F.; Kauristie, Kirsti; Weatherwax, Allan T.; Sandahl, Ingrid; Ostgaard, Nikolai; Sheehan, Glenn W.; Smith, Roger W.; Lewis, Elaine M.; Cline, Troy D.; Haines-Stiles, Geoff

    2008-01-01

    The Polar Gateways conference was hosted during January 23-29, 2008, the first week of polar sunrise at Barrow, Alaska, at the new Barrow Arctic Research Center of the Barrow Arctic Science consortium (BASC). The dawn week of polar day, the highly variable low temperatures, and the ice-covered shore tundra and adjacent sea ice conditions provided an appropriate locale for a conference dedicated in the spirit of the International Polar and Heliophysical Years 2007-2009 to the educational exploration of polar and icy world science of Earth and the solar system. The many scientific, educational, and cultural interactions with the local community of four thousand residents, sixty percent native Inupiat Eskimo, further provided an unforgettable experience of what life might be someday be like on other remote polar and icy worlds to be explored and eventually inhabited. Over one hundred active participants, more than half participating remotely, contributed science presentations and educational activities during this unique circumpolar and very "green" conference. Most remote contributions came via videoconference from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) at Kisuna, Sweden, the EISCAT Svalbard Radar Facility at Spitzbergen, Norway, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Arizona. A few contributors participated via teleconference, including one from the Polar Geophysical Institute at Apatity in Russia. These active contributions spanned up to thirteen time zones (Alaska to Russia) at various tirnes during the conference. Primary videoconferencing support between Barrow and other sites was ably provided by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, and local operators at each remote site collectively made this conference possible. Science presentations spanned the solar system from the polar Sun and heliospheric environment to Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Kuiper Belt, and the solar wind termination shock now crossed by both Voyager spacecraft. Barrow participants experienced look and feel of icy worlds like Europa by going "on the ice" during snowmobile expeditions to the near-shore sea ice and Point Barrow. Extensive educational outreach activities were conducted with the local Barrow township and North Slope Borough communities, partly through several interviews with local host Earl Finkler on Barrow's KBRW Radio, and through the NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN) "live from the top of the world" at Barrow. The Goddard robotic rover "Nunuq of the North" became a local celebrity. The complete science program and photo library, eventually also including video recordings of all main presentations, will be available at the new polargateways2008.gsfc.nasa.gov web site (old version: polargateways2008.org) with links to educational materials from the conference already accessible at sunearthday.nasa.gov/polarsunrise.

  9. Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus): A literature survey and status report

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reeves, Randall R.

    1978-01-01

    It is generally agreed that the genus Odobenus includes only one species, O. rosmarus. At least two subspecies are widely recognized: O. r. rosmarus, the Atlantic walrus, and O. r. divergens, the Pacific walrus. A third nominal subspecies, O. r. laptevi, the Laptev walrus, is designated by some Soviet researchers; and the taxonomic status of the Kara Sea walrus is undetermined. The range and abundance of nearly all walrus stocks have been seriously reduced by intensive human exploitation.The Atlantic walrus, the principal subject of this study, remains plentiful in only three known areas of concentration: northern Hudson Bay and northern Foxe Basin in the eastern Canadian Arctic, and the Thule district of northwest Greenland. This animal is no longer the object of large-scale commercial hunting, but is still subject to heavy subsistence hunting by native groups in some areas.The status of the walrus population in Canada was investigated in the 1950's and is believed to have changed little since that time. There are probably no more than about 10,000 walruses in Canadian waters, virtually all of them in the eastern arctic. The biology, ecology, and exploitation of walruses in the Thule district were studied during the 1940's, and some information is available concerning recent catch levels and hunting practices. The Polar Eskimos of north Greenland continue to organize much of their cultural and economic life around the hunting of walruses, and the species remains abundant in their area, numbering at least a few thousand. The walrus stocks off west Greenland and in the Greenland, Barents, and Kara seas are the most critically depleted. No systematic field investigations of walruses east of Greenland have been made since the Kara Sea and Franz Josef Land populations were studied in the mid-1930's. Opportunistic sighting records and compilations of historical catch information indicate that the herds of many tens of thousands that once inhabited Svalbard, Bear Island, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, and other parts of the Eurasian Arctic have been very nearly extirpated.Measures to curb the international trade in walrus ivory and skins may benefit the Atlantic subspecies in Canada and north Greenland. Enforcement of existing regulations pertaining to hunting by aborigines, and perhaps the imposition of further restrictions on such activities, are necessary if the subspecies is to approach full recovery. Field studies in the northeast Atlantic and off west Greenland would help determine the current status of walruses and provide a better understanding of the requirements for their recovery in these areas.The Laptev walrus seems to have been reduced by overexploitation, but available information, most of it translated from Russian, is inconclusive. This subspecies was thought to number around 4,000 to 5,000 in 1975, and Soviet scientists have remarked on the need for a reduction in hunting pressure and protection of its habitat.

  10. IPY to Mark Expansion of Research Facilities on the North Slope of Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zak, B. D.; Eicken, H.; Sheehan, G. W.; Glenn, R.

    2004-12-01

    The Barrow Global Climate Change Research Facility will open to researchers on the North Slope of Alaska during the 2007-08 anniversary of the first IPY. Between 1949 and 1980, arctic researchers were very active on the North Slope and in nearby waters largely because of the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL) at Barrow. NARL provided easy access, laboratories and logistical support. NARL was closed in 1981, but particularly during this past decade, Barrow-based arctic research projects have been back on the upswing. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) Barrow station was founded during the 1970s, and continues as part of NOAA's five station global network for monitoring atmospheric composition. The North Slope Borough's Department of Wildlife Management (DWM) has for the past 20 years conducted its own research. The DWM also served as logistical provider for growing numbers of arctic researchers without other logistical support. In the late 1990s, the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program (ARM: DOE's principal climate change research effort) created a Cloud and Radiation Testbed on the North Slope with atmospheric instrumentation at Barrow and Atqasuk. It is now part of the ARM Climate Research Facility, a National User Facility. In response to growing researcher needs, the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC) was formed in the late 1990s as a non-profit logistical support and community coordinating organization, and received the endorsement of Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC), NSB and the local community college. BASC provides logistical support to National Science Foundation (NSF) researchers through a cooperative agreement, and to others on a fee for service basis. UIC also dedicated 11 square miles of its land as the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), and charged BASC with management of the BEO. This land that has been used for research for more than 50 years, and now is available to the larger research community through BASC. It has been protected from development by the NSB Assembly as a Scientific Research District. Since 1981, the remains of the old NARL infrastructure sustained the scientific enterprise on the North Slope. But now, as a result of the rapid ongoing changes in the Arctic, these old inadequate facilities are about to be replaced. The new Barrow facility, although smaller than the old NARL, will serve the needs of modern researchers with first class laboratories, information technology and lodging. It is being designed by the arctic research community itself through a series of workshops held over this past year, and through ongoing feedback (http://scifac.arcticscience.org). Research on the North Slope capitalizes on the history of collaboration between the Native Inupiat Eskimo people and scientists going back to the first IPY. Local native people have served in many support capacities for scientists in the past, and currently serve as managers and technicians for projects like ARM. It is this history of collaboration with scientists that inspired the creation of BASC, of the BEO, and that made the new facility possible. This paper reviews the status of planning for the new Barrow facility. Feedback can be provided through the web site and through the authors, who serve BASC respectively as chairs of advisory committees, Executive Director and President.

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