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Introduction. Canonical discriminant analysis, based on the mean values of the traits, is widely used by anthropologists. These analyses use standard deviation means, as well as standard correlation coefficients. The question of the comparability of the results of such analysis with the results based on individual values remains open. Moreover, the existing intergroup variability in correlation coefficients can lead to altered analysis results when applying the correlation matrix calculated for the specific under analysis groups.

This study compares the results of three variants of the canonical discriminant analysis: based on individual data, based on average values and a generalized (species-specific) correlation matrix, and based on average values and a regional (calculated for a certain region) correlation matrix.

Materials and methods. Data from 48 ethno-territorial groups from the Old World were used. The series are dated close to modern times, from the 16th to the 20th century. Twenty-five craniometric linear features have been measured. For canonical analysis on individual data we used the R language package, and for average data analysis the MultiCan software was used.

Results. The results of the two analyses performed on individual data and on average data turned out to be quite similar.

A comparison of the results of a series of discriminant analyses carried out on samples of the three major races using different correlation matrices reveals some small differences in the mutual arrangement of groups. In general, the distribution of samples in the scatter plots, as well as the standardized coefficients of discriminant functions coincide, regardless of the type of initial data.

Conclusion. In general, it may be concluded that the use of both individual values and sample averages in most cases leads to the same results. When individual values are used, the results may be distorted as a result of a strong reduction in the number of samples. Also, sample differentiation in this case is strongly influenced by a higher real intra-group variability. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Childhood and adolescent obesity are associated with impairment of motor skills. However, studies assessing effect of underweight on motor skills as well as the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and motor skills are limited. The purpose of the study was to evaluate relationship between motor skills and BMI in the group of school-aged boys (7–12 years).

Material and methods. The data were collected fr om 7–12-year-old boys (1–5th grade) in the 38 Russia's federal constituent entities of eight federal districts. Height and weight were measured, BMI was calculated. Physical education teachers conducted the testing: endurance 6-minute run test (meters), 3x10 m shuttle run test (seconds), long standing jump (centimeters), forward bend test (centimeters), and 30-m sprint run test (seconds). The dataset contained 54 381 observations. The linear, quadratic and general additive models were built to check relationships between the motor skills and BMI.

Results. It was identified that high values of BMI are associated with impaired results of endurance and speed-strength abilities. Male children with a low and normal BMI values did not differ in motor skills. Despite a low level of explained variation of proportion of motor skills, a significant relationship between of motor development and BMI are noted. In the group of 7-year-old male children, the relationship was not identified. Whereas in the group of 8–12-year-old children it has a curvilinear relationship.

Conclusion. The relationship between motor skills and BMI is curvilinear (quadratic) in the group of 8–12-year-old boys. Hereafter, the modeling of non-linear relationship between motor development and BMI with other predictors might help identifying the optimum zone of body composition wh ere the adaptation potential will be the highest. It is also allowed to compare this zone in the groups of different ages and sexes. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Adolescence period requires special supervision as these years link the impact of generational and early childhood factors to adult outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines 10-19 years as adolescence period, an important stage of growth and development in the lifespan of an individual. The present study assessed nutritional status among adolescents of two villages of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India.

Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study of 443 (208 boys; 235 girls) rural high school students aged 10–15 years of Ajaya and Deulpota villages, Khejuri- I block, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to evaluate their growth pattern and nutritional status. Anthropometric measurements, including height (cm), weight (kg), mid-upper arm circumference (cm), were measured following standard techniques. Stunting, underweight and thinness were used as indicators of nutritional status.

Results. The overall prevalence of stunting, underweight and thinness were 20.32%, 1.81% and 46.95%, respectively. The prevalence of stunting was similar in both sexes (20.67% in boys; 20.0% in girls). The prevalence of thinness was very high among the studied participants (46.63% in boys; 47.23% in girls). According to the WHO classification for assessing severity of malnutrition, the rate of stunting and under-weight were medium and low in both sexes, respectively. However, they had very high prevalence of thinness thus indicating a critical situation of undernutrition.

Conclusion. The nutritional status of these rural school going adolescents was not satisfactory. The existing prevalence of stunting and thinness among the studied population indicates chronic nutritional deficiency while the low prevalence of underweight reflects that the chronic food deprivation they have undergone was during childhood, not in recent period. Follow up studies and intervention of government schemes are required to ameliorate this problem. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The knowledge about the prevalence of hand osteoarthritis (OA) in different populations, the pattern of joint involvement, and the association with age, sex, and weight might be helpful in the understanding of the etiology and in developing the prevention strategy of hand OA. It can be important from a public health perspective. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of radiographic hand OA in the Turkmen community-based sample and its association with age, sex, and body mass index.

Materials and methods. The study population was comprised of Turkmens (277 males and 427 females, aged 19–90 years). Radiographic hand OA was evaluated for 14 joints of each hand according to the Kellgren and Lawrence grading scheme. Statistical analyses included prevalence estimation, linear regression, and χ2 tests.

Results. 13.8% of individuals before age 36 had at least one joint with OA, and the prevalence reached 100% after age 65. After adjustment for age, we found that females with severe obesity have a higher risk of development of radiographic hand OA than those with normal weight (OR(95%CI): 3.88 (1.20-12.60)).

Conclusion. In the present study, after adjusting for age, we found that in men there was no association between the prevalence of hand OA and BMI. However, women with severe obesity are almost four times more likely to develop hand OA than women of normal weight. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Morphofunctional (MF) status of school children of Nizhny Novgorod region is analysed in connection with the degree of urbanization and the level of anthropogenic pressure in contrastive ecological clusters with satisfactory (1), comparatively tense (2), tense (3) and critical ecological situation.

Material and methods. Over 5 thousand of school children aged 7–17 years, examined in 2010–12, are under discussion. The program includes height, weight, BMI, chest girth, lung vital capacity (VC), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, somatotype according to Shtefko-Ostrovskiy method. Each cluster is characterized by absolute and standardized values of MF indices; significance of differences between means of parameters with continuous variability for separate ecological groups is estimated by using of analysis of variance and Scheffe-tests. Frequency of somatotypes (%) is calculated for each ecological group, Pearson's chi-square criterion is used. Comparative estimation of total somatic dimensions of rural and urban (literary data) children is held.

Results. The accelerating influence of modern level of anthropogenic stress (clusters 2 and 3) on indices of transversal body development (weight, BMI, chest girth) and VC of prepubertal (9 years) children irrespective of sex is shown. Decelerating influence of critical stress level (cluster 4) on indices of transversal body development of pubertal children aged 13 years is revealed. No significant differences in frequency of somatotypes in contrastive ecological clusters are fixed. Some gracilization of urban prepubertal boys compared to rural boys is shown. Some macrosomization (height and weight) of urban girls aged 7–13 years combined with modest decrease of chest girth as compared to rural girls is fixed. Up to 16–17 years all described differences are obviously smoothed.

Conclusion. The effect of anthropoecological correlations depends on the level of anthropogenic stress, sex and age of examined population and the system of MF indices. Height in our case is less sensitive to the increase of the level of anthropogenic stress. Ecosensitivity of girls is presumably less than boys. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The present study is of a complex nature and is devoted to the assessment of the main directions of the development of auxology in Russian anthropology. To a large extent, this work is a continuation of the review of the activities of the laboratory of auxology of the Anuchin Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University [Godina, 2010]. At the same time, the main directions of work are considered and described in more detail not only directly by the auxology laboratory, but also by other working groups of the same Institute, the Department of Anthropology of the Faculty of Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as other academic institutions.

Materials and methods. Specifically, in this part of the work, articles devoted to the comprehensive assessment of the processes of growth and development of children from birth to 3 years old, which were published in the «Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin» from 2009 to 2022, were used as a source of information.

Results and discussion. The studies conducted in this area affect a large number of aspects of physical development in infancy and early childhood – for example, factors influencing these processes (evolutionary, climatic, geographical, ethnic and genetic factors, constitutional features of mothers, circumstances of intrauterine growth) are analyzed on representative samples. Special attention should be paid to the work on the evaluation in comparative and secular aspects of growth processes and indicators of sexual dimorphism of children under 3 years of age in the countries of the former USSR.

Conclusion. Despite the difficulties in working with a rather specific contingent, the fact that these works, together with the results obtained, lead us to conclude that this stage of ontogenesis is represented to a large extent in the works of domestic anthropologists, which allows us to use these data both in the field of interdisciplinary and interdepartmental research. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

 Introduction. The Nubian expedition of the Lomonosov MSU carried out survey in the Onib Depression in December 2022. The survey revealed several surface scatters and two stone age sites Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop.

Materials and methods. The materials for the article were artifacts (stone tools and debitage, fragments of ceramics) discovered at the surface scatters and sites as well as samples for OSL dating, loss-on-ignition and pollen analysis taken from sites. For comparison, we used stone tools discovered by the Nubian expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1961-1963. The artifacts found at the sites were documented (marked on a map, photographed and described). Several samples for OSL dating were taken at both sites. Sample preparation and gamma spectrometry, as well as OSL measurements, were conducted by standard methods. Analysis of the decoration of ceramic fragments found at the Onib-1 site was carried out. Also, based on the prepared thin sections, a technological and petroglyphic analyses of the obtained fragments were carried out. Samples were taken from different layers of the sites Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop to determine the content of organic residues and spore-pollen analysis. Sample preparation and analysis were carried out following the standard procedures.

Results and Discussion. Analysis of the finds made at the sites indicates that the entire Wadi al-Allaqi region from the Red Sea Mountains to the Nile Valley was inhabited during the Neolithic period. OSL dating for Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop sites indicates that the sedimentary deposits were formed during the Neolithic Subpluvial. These data are also confirmed by the results of ceramic analysis. The layers in which the ceramic fragments were found can be dated back to the 3^rd millennium BC. Petrographic analysis of thin sections of ceramics from Onib-1 site indicates the use of local material for the manufacturing of ceramics. The results of loss on ignition analysis did not reveal a sufficient content of organic residues for a comprehensive paleoecological study that overall indicates unfavorable conditions for the accumulation of organic matter in the studied deposits.

Conclusion. The results obtained indicate high prospects of continuing field research in the Onib Depression aimed at discovering and excavating Neolithic sites. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Osteometric data of adult individuals of the anthropological series fr om the burial ground of the Golden Horde time "Natukhaevskoe 5" are presented for the first time in this work. Based on the standard measurements, patterns of the skeletal constitution of the buried are discussed. As part of this study, we tested the hypothesis about the difference in the morphological appearance of two samples, combined according to the type of funeral rite - stone boxes and burial grounds.

Materials and methods. The anthropological collection consists of the remains of 124 adult individuals, including 67 males and 57 females. Measurements of the postcranial skeleton were carried out according to the program of R. Martin (in version by V.P. Alekseev) according to 55 features. The degree of homogeneity of the male and female samples was determined using an intragroup analysis with the method of principal components for 10 features. The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the statistical significance of differences.

Results. The male population was rather tall with a shortened robust humerus and an elongated forearm bones, the lower limbs were long and massive. Among the female group, there is also a tendency to lengthen the lower limbs, relative to the upper ones, mainly due to the lower leg. The conducted intragroup analysis did not reveal statistically significant differences between the two groups, united according to the type of funeral rite, neither among men nor among women. However, a large range of linear size variations was found among men buried in stone boxes. Compared to them, the sample from the ground pit is more homogeneous. A different picture is observed in the female sample, wh ere higher morphological diversity can be traced among those buried in the pits. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. This article is a publication of the first results of the work under the grant of the Russian Sciences Foundation "Scientific research of the Nubian Archaeological Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences 1961–1963…" related to the study of petroglyphs found during the work of the Nubian Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences, organized in 1961.

Materials and methods. After construction of the Aswan dam, the territories where the Soviet expedition worked as well as many other foreign scientific organizations, were flooded. Thus, the negatives of black-and-white photographs of petroglyphs preserved in the archives, along with some previously published data, are the only source of our information. Individual petroglyphs and groups of petroglyphs have never been outlined properly. This became our task at the first stage, when the drawings of individual signs were made in the Photoshop program (Adobe Photoshop CC version 10.1.2 ×64).

Results and discussion. In recent decades the study of petroglyphs of the Eastern and Nubian deserts has become one of the main areas of archaeologists’ work. It seems relevant to us to re-study the petroglyphs discovered by the Nubian Soviet expedition, analysis of some subjects and images, development of the main approaches to study.

The study of the approaches existing in the scientific literature to the dating and classification of petroglyphs of the Eastern and Nubian deserts gives an idea of the disputable nature of the most chronologies. The study of petroglyphs of Hukab-Karar is complicated by the limitations of the source – the quality of the photo does not always allow us to draw conclusions about the technique of execution of a particular sign. Nevertheless, a number of these petroglyphs can be dated by analogy with the petroglyphs from the well-known sites, as well as using published and handwritten descriptions of the participants of the Nubian expedition.

Conclusion. About 200 petroglyphs discovered by the Nubian Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences in a place called Umm-Aghaib (Huqab-Karar) have been published. Among them are numerous images of African fauna are presented. There are also images of hunting scenes, animals and birds, boats, tribal signs, anthropomorphic images dating to the widest historical period. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Natural science museum collections are an important source of materials for scientific research. The Museum of Anthropology has a collection of casts from paleontological finds of primates. This catalog has never been published before. This work contains information about the composition and history of the formation of the collection.

Materials and methods. Documents from the Archive of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University and articles in journals became the basis for writing this work. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study.

Results and discussion. The section "Brief information on the history of the formation of the collection" contains information about the sources of replenishment of the paleoprimatological collection, the names of the scientists who transferred the items, the geography of receipts are given. The items were combined into collections on the grounds that they came from the same source at the same time.

The "Collection catalog" is represented by a table. The finds are divided by geological periods, listed in alphabetical order within the period.

Conclusion. A catalog of casts of finds of representatives of the order Primates (excluding the genus Homo) is presented in the article. In the course of working with the documents, we discovered that not all the accompanying papers were preserved. Work on reconstructing the history of the receipt of paleontological casts of primates will continue. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. In this paper, we compared patterns of longitudinal long bone growths of the Late Bronze Age population from Southern Urals, representing pastoral communities, predominantly cattle breeders, and the relatively synchronous agricultural population from Central Asia using standardized z-scores.

Materials and methods. The analyzed sample comes from two cemeteries of the Srubnaya culture in Pre-Urals (Karanayevsky and Chumarovo-1), and two cemeteries of the Srubnaya-Alakul cultural type in Trans-Urals (Nepluyevsky and Yulaly-8). The comparative sample represents data from Gonur Depe, a Bronze Age proto-urban center in Southeastern Turkmenistan. The sample sizes were 32 and 56 individuals respectively, aged between 2 and 12 years old. The measurements of all six long bones and updated reference Maresh standards (mid-20th century, USA) were used to calculate z-scores. The obtained z-scores were analyzed using both parametric methods and nonparametric statistics.

Results. Z-scores for the diaphyseal lengths differed significantly between the two analyzed samples. The distribution of z-scores for the Gonur Depe sample was more noticeably shifted towards lower values. In the Southern Ural sample, 6.7% of children had z-scores no lower than those in the reference group, while in the Gonur Depe sample this value constituted only 0.6%. Z-scores for the upper limb bones in both groups were significantly higher than those for the lower limb bones. In the Southern Ural sample, children under 6 years of age had significantly higher z-scores compared to 9–12-year old children. No such differences were found in the Gonur Depe sample.

Discussion. The pooled Bronze Age sample from Southern Urals showed overall less stunting from the reference group compared to the Gonur Depe sample. This is consistent with the hypothesis of a smaller long bone lengths and shorter stature in agricultural compared to pastoral populations. In both groups, the lower limb bones had lower z-scores compared to the upper limb bones, indicating that growth stunting relative to the reference values is more expressed for the lower limbs.© 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. There are no fewer than two hundred algorithms for sex estimation based on cranial morphology, relying on statistical analysis of non-metric, linear, angular traits, and their combinations. Nevertheless, many physical anthropologists prefer to rely on visual observations. The objectives of this research encompass exploring potential reasons behind the preference for a visual approach and conducting an analysis of the comparative effectiveness of visual and statistical methods for sex estimation.

Materials and methods. The study is grounded in an analysis of publications related to methods of sex estimation based on cranial traits, spanning the past 70 years. Comparison of accuracy estimates was conducted using non-parametric tests, considering differences in statistical methods, validation approaches (no validation, cross-validation, independent test), and variable types (non-metric traits, craniometry, geometric morphometrics).

Results. General reasons for skepticism towards algorithms include unrealistic expectations regarding their capabilities, greater susceptibility to errors by models compared to humans, lack of control over classification. However, algorithms generally surpass experts in predicting the target variable. The average accuracy of visual sex estimations based on cranial traits is slightly lower than the estimates of statistical models and exhibits noticeable variability. The accuracy of estimations made by experienced anthropologists is comparable to the average performance of models. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of algorithms significantly diminishes when applied to datasets originating from sources other than the training set, particularly when dealing with craniometric traits. In a substantial portion of studies, the size of the training datasets is insufficient for a reliable assessment of model effectiveness, and the sex distribution is skewed towards male skulls, leading to some inflation of the accuracy of their estimates. Model effectiveness can also decline due to errors in the evaluation of non-metric traits, and the assessment of inter-researcher discrepancies does not allow for an evaluation of their impact on model accuracy.

Conclusion. Despite an extensive bibliography, there remains a lack of data on both the accuracy of the visual approach to sex estimation and the reliability of models with claimed high effectiveness. The adoption of flexible methodologies enabling researchers to independently control both variable selection and the composition of the training set will help overcome algorithm aversion and enhance the quality of estimates. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. An assessment of the currently known data on intergroup variability of papillary patterns of fingers' middle phalanges suggests the possibility of using these characteristics to differentiate Eurasian populations.

Material and methods. The study conducted on the prints of fingers' middle phalanges of 1178 men from 12 ethno-territorial groups of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. These are mainly archival materials represented by impressions of the entire palmar surface of the hand. Therefore, we applied а classification that unites morphologically similar variants to eliminate possible errors in determining the types of skin patterns.

Results. Statistically significant differences revealed when comparing the proportions of dermatoglyphic features in Caucasian populations, on the one hand, and mixed Caucasian-Mongoloid or Mongoloid populations, on the other. The occurrence frequencies of straight and hook patterns increase, and the frequencies of distal arc and complex double patterns decrease in the presence of a Mongoloid (or Uralic) component.

The results of cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling confirmed the division of populations depending on the presence of a Mongoloid, including Ural, component in their racial composition. Within the main clusters, groups were differentiated according to anthropological similarity and territorial proximity.

The skin patterns’ complex of digital middle phalanges is very sensitive to the presence of a Mongoloid (or Uralic) component in Caucasian populations, as well as the main dermatoglyphic features of the hand. The differentiation of samples according to the patterns of the middle phalanges largely corresponds to the division based on classical racial and key dermatoglyphic characteristics. However, as a result of multidimensional scaling, the Volga-Kama populations were located further from the Caucasoid than both Mongoloid samples. Therefore, shares’ distribution of united dermatoglyphic signs in Mongoloid populations requires clarification using additional data.

Conclusion. The results of various statistical analyzes allow us to conclude that it is possible to use dermatoglyphic characteristics of digital middle phalanges to differentiate Caucasoid samples and groups with a Mongoloid (or Ural) component. The presence of the Mongoloid component in the groups is accompanied by a decrease in the complexity of the papillary patterns on the middle phalanges. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. There are a number of genes, individual alleles of which or their combinations make the carrier susceptible to the disease. In the case of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, the hypothesis of a “thrifty genotype” was put forward as a combination of gene alleles that provided their carriers with advantages in the prehistoric and historical past, but provoked morbidity now. Such a genotype should have previously been under the positive selection, whereas in the modern world it may play a negative role. It is also obvious that the expression of the thrifty genotype as well as the genes that form it and their alleles, should depend on anthropological and ecological conditions: the ecology of the region where the human population lives and their traditional subsistence and farming systems.

The aim of the proposed review is to systematize modern views on the problem of thrifty genotype with special attention to the evolutionary anthropological, and ecological aspects of the problem.

Materials and methods. Herein we represent a review of current data regarding the thrifty genotype hypothesis. The paper reviews the main theses of the hypothesis, its basis, and the arguments of supporters and critics. The evolutionary, anthropological, and ecological aspects of the thrifty genotype hypothesis are discussed.

Results. A significant number of experimental studies and reviews give an idea of the distribution of thrifty genotypes in populations of different origins and anthropological affiliations. However, the coverage of material and inclusion of population data in the analysis is uneven. The genetic geography of thrifty genotypes remains poor and, commonly, insufficiently studied. The most complete and methodologically correct systematization of primary materials on the prevalence of thrifty genotypes, their connection with the ecological conditions of the natural environment, and anthropogenic factors, including traditional subsistence and farming systems and the nature of nutrition, remains still relevant.

Conclusion. We consider the integrated ecological approach to be the most promising direction of theoretical research on the problem of “thrifty genotype”. The approach from the standpoint of the concept of “niche construction” removes the seeming contradictions between the main hypotheses considered in our review – the thrifty genotype, the drifty genotype and the thrifty phenotype. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The study of adiposity in children and adolescents is an important issue in the era of the global epidemic of obesity. Body mass index is the most common, but not the only body fat index. There are also indexes based on waist and hip circumferences. The purpose of this work is to analyze the age variability and correlation between various anthropometric indices and bioimpedance estimates of the percentage of body fat in children and adolescents.

Materials and methods. We analyzed the data of children and adolescents of both sexes 7-17 years old, 1885 boys and 1453 girls, collected in the course of cross-sectional anthropological surveys of schoolchildren in Moscow, Arkhangelsk and the Arkhangelsk region. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), hip-to-height ratio (HHtR) were calculated. The percentage of fat mass (% FM) was obtained by bioimpedance with the ABC-01 “Medas” device. Correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between indices and %FM.

Results and discussion. The paper analyzes the age-related variability of height and weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, WHR, WHtR, HHtR and % FM in children and adolescents of both sexes. Age-related changes in % FM have clear sex differences. In girls, during puberty, there is an accumulation of fat mass, while in boys – its decrease. Body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, HHtR increase in the process of growth, WHR and WHtR decrease. For all indicators, except for WHR, in boys and girls in younger age groups, correlations with % FM are high and decrease with age, reaching average values. While the correlations of WHR with %FM are weak in all studied age groups.

Conclusion. Based on the analysis performed, it is shown that body mass, waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI, WHtR, HHtR are good predictors of relative body fat mass, they significantly correlate with % FM, while WHR correlates very weakly. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.