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Kralick AE, Canington SL, Eller AR, McGrath K. Specimens as individuals: Four interventions and recommendations for great ape skeletal collections research and curation. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:336-355. [PMID: 37750542 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Extensive discourse surrounds the ethics of human skeletal research and curation, but there has yet to be a similar discussion of the treatment of great ape skeletal remains, despite the clear interest in their ethical treatment when alive. Here we trace the history of apes who were killed and collected for natural history museums during the early 20th century and showcase how the guiding research questions of the colonial era continue to influence scholarship. We discuss best practices for improving industry and academic standards of research on, and the curation of, ape remains. The suggested interventions involve restoring individual identity and narrative to great apes while engaging with contextual reflexivity and decolonial theory. The resulting recommendations include contextualizing the individual, piecing individuals back together, challenging/questioning the captive-wild dichotomy, and collaborative international conversations. Our objective is to encourage a conversation regarding ethical and theoretical considerations in great ape skeletal remains research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Kralick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephanie L Canington
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrea R Eller
- Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Kate McGrath
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, New York, USA
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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2
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Morse PE, Pampush JD, Kay RF. Dental topography of the Oligocene anthropoids Aegyptopithecus zeuxis and Apidium phiomense: Paleodietary insights from analysis of wear series. J Hum Evol 2023; 180:103387. [PMID: 37245335 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Fossil primate dietary inference is enhanced when ascertained through multiple, distinct proxies. Dental topography can be used to assess changes in occlusal morphology with macrowear, providing insight on tooth use and function across the lifespans of individuals. We measured convex Dirichlet normal energy-a dental topography metric reflecting occlusal sharpness of features such as cusps and crests-in macrowear series of the second mandibular molars of two African anthropoid taxa from ∼30 Ma (Aegyptopithecus zeuxis and Apidium phiomense). Wear was quantified via three proxies: occlusal dentine exposure, inverse relief index, and inverse occlusal relief. The same measurements were calculated on macrowear series of four extant platyrrhine taxa (Alouatta, Ateles, Plecturocebus, and Sapajus apella) to provide an analogical framework for dietary inference in the fossil taxa. We predicted that Ae. zeuxis and Ap. phiomense would show similar patterns in topographic change with wear to one another and to extant platyrrhine frugivores like Ateles and Plecturocebus. The fossil taxa have similar distributions of convex Dirichlet normal energy to one another, and high amounts of concave Dirichlet normal energy 'noise' in unworn molars-a pattern shared with extant hominids that may distort dietary interpretations. Inverse relief index was the most useful wear proxy for comparison among the taxa in this study which possess disparate enamel thicknesses. Contrary to expectations, Ae. zeuxis and Ap. phiomense both resemble S. apella in exhibiting an initial decline in convex Dirichlet normal energy followed by an increase at the latest stages of wear as measured by inverse relief index, lending support to previous suggestions that hard-object feeding played a role in their dietary ecology. Based on these results and previous analyses of molar shearing quotients, microwear, and enamel microstructure, we suggest that Ae. zeuxis had a pitheciine-like strategy of seed predation, whereas Ap. phiomense potentially consumed berry-like compound fruits with hard seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Morse
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
| | - James D Pampush
- Department of Exercise Science, High Point University, High Point, NC 27260, USA; Department of Physician Assistant Studies, High Point University, High Point, NC 27260, USA
| | - Richard F Kay
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Division of Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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3
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Hagen EH, Blackwell AD, Lightner AD, Sullivan RJ. Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:589-617. [PMID: 36815505 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The human lineage transitioned to a more carnivorous niche 2.6 mya and evolved a large body size and slower life history, which likely increased zoonotic pathogen pressure. Evidence for this increase includes increased zoonotic infections in modern hunter-gatherers and bushmeat hunters, exceptionally low stomach pH compared to other primates, and divergence in immune-related genes. These all point to change, and probably intensification, in the infectious disease environment of Homo compared to earlier hominins and other apes. At the same time, the brain, an organ in which immune responses are constrained, began to triple in size. We propose that the combination of increased zoonotic pathogen pressure and the challenges of defending a large brain and body from pathogens in a long-lived mammal, selected for intensification of the plant-based self-medication strategies already in place in apes and other primates. In support, there is evidence of medicinal plant use by hominins in the middle Paleolithic, and all cultures today have sophisticated, plant-based medical systems, add spices to food, and regularly consume psychoactive plant substances that are harmful to helminths and other pathogens. We propose that the computational challenges of discovering effective plant-based treatments, the consequent ability to consume more energy-rich animal foods, and the reduced reliance on energetically-costly immune responses helped select for increased cognitive abilities and unique exchange relationships in Homo. In the story of human evolution, which has long emphasized hunting skills, medical skills had an equal role to play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward H Hagen
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Aaron D Blackwell
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Aaron D Lightner
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
- Department of the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Roger J Sullivan
- Department of Anthropology, California State University, Sacramento, California, USA
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4
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Stuhlträger J, Kullmer O, Wittig RM, Kupczik K, Schulz-Kornas E. Variability in molar crown morphology and cusp wear in two Western chimpanzee populations. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 181:29-44. [PMID: 36807569 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) possess a relatively generalized molar morphology allowing them to access a wide range of foods. Comparisons of crown and cusp morphology among the four subspecies have suggested relatively large intraspecific variability. Here, we compare molar crown traits and cusp wear of two geographically close populations of Western chimpanzees, P. t. verus, to provide further information on intraspecific dental variability. MATERIALS AND METHODS Micro-CT reconstructions of high-resolution replicas of first and second molars of two Western chimpanzee populations from Ivory Coast (Taï National Park) and Liberia, respectively were used for this study. First, we analyzed projected tooth and cusp 2D areas as well as the occurrence of cusp six (C6) on lower molars. Second, we quantified the molar cusp wear three-dimensionally to infer how the individual cusps alter with advancing wear. RESULTS Both populations are similar in their molar crown morphology, except for a higher appearance rate of a C6 in Taï chimpanzees. In Taï chimpanzees, lingual cusps of upper molars and buccal cusps of lower molars possess an advanced wear pattern compared to the remaining cusps, while in Liberian chimpanzees this wear gradient is less pronounced. DISCUSSION The similar crown morphology between both populations fits with previous descriptions for Western chimpanzees and provides additional data on dental variation within this subspecies. The wear pattern of the Taï chimpanzees are in concordance with their observed tool rather than tooth use to open nuts/seeds, while the Liberian chimpanzees may have consumed hard food items crushed between their molars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Stuhlträger
- Former Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Group Animal Husbandry and Ecology, Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Division of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Paleobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, CSRS, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- Institute for Cognitive Sciences, CNRS UMR5229 University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bron, France
| | - Kornelius Kupczik
- Former Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - Ellen Schulz-Kornas
- Former Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Cariology, Endodontics and Periodontology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Section Mammalogy and Palaeoanthropology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change and University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Avià Y, Romero A, Estebaranz-Sánchez F, Pérez-Pérez A, Cuesta-Torralvo E, Martínez LM. Dental topography and dietary specialization in Papionini primates. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.969007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of primate adaptive evolution depends on appreciating the way in which dental functional morphology affects food processing. The Papionini tribe of Cercopithecoidea primates shows great dietary versatility and ecological adaptations to resource seasonality across the African and Asian ecosystems, however, there are few studies focusing on the occlusal topography of the bilophodont teeth and the effect of tooth wear in the crown shape. Here, we explore the relationship between wear-related dental functional morphology and dietary ecological constraints within the Papionini. Three-dimensional (3D) polygonal meshes of the upper permanent molar row (M1-3) were obtained in a large papionine sample (838 specimens) of known dietary preferences including species from six genera (Cercocebus, Lophocebus, Macaca, Mandrillus, Papio, and Theropithecus). All the sample was classified in four diet categories and four topographic metrics (orientation patch count rotated, OPCR; Dirichlet normal energy, DNE; occlusal relief, OR; and ambient occlusion, portion de ciel visible, PCV) were measured for each tooth-type according to wear stage (lightly and moderately worn) to determine diet-related interspecific morphological changes with long-term functionality. The results indicate that hard-object feeders (Cercocebus and Lophocebus) and grass eaters (Theropithecus gelada) exhibit a pattern of occlusal complexity (OPCR), surface curvature (DNE), relief (OR), and morphological wear resistance (PCV) that is significantly different from the omnivores and folivore-frugivore species (Mandrillus and Macaca) despite the overall homogeneity of the bilophodont dentition. A multifactorial ANOVA showed that the topographic metrics were sensitive to tooth wear as expected. The results also indicate that the interspecific variability of dental topography of the upper molars reflects dietary specializations rather than phylogenetic proximity. These findings support the hypothesis that evolutionary convergence processes could have affected the Papionini, clustering the hard-object feeders (Lophocebus and Cercocebus) together in the morphospace, and clearly discriminating this group from the graminivorous and frugivores-folivores.
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6
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Fiorenza L, Harty T, Janocha MM, Kullmer O, Nguyen HN, Bortolini E, Benazzi S. Understanding dietary ecology in great apes from dental macrowear analysis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [PMCID: PMC9544277 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Dietary diversity in primates is reflected in their dental morphology, with differences in size and shape of teeth. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between molar morphology and macrowear patterns in Pongo, Gorilla, and Pan to obtain dietary information. Methods We have examined 68 second lower molars using the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method including 18 chimpanzees, 28 gorillas, and 22 orangutans. We selected only molars from wildshot specimens characterized by a moderate degree of wear. High‐resolution digital models of teeth were created using a white scanning light system with a resolution of 45 μm. Results The macrowear patterns of Pan were significantly different from those of Gorilla and of Pongo, differences that are mostly due to shearing wear. Gorilla and Pongo macrowear patterns are dominated by phase II areas, followed by lingual phase I facets, while in Pan we observe a significant increase in buccal phase I facets. The latter group also displays the highest macrowear variation across the sample examined in this study. Conclusions The molar macrowear patterns of the great apes analyzed in this study did not confirm our initial hypothesis of finding larger crushing and grinding areas in Pongo and more shearing wear in Gorilla. Pan shows the most variable macrowear, which is probably associated with their more flexible diet. The similarity between Pongo and Gorilla macrowear patterns may be due to a larger intake of mechanically challenging foods that could obfuscate dietary wear signals generated by softer foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Fiorenza
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Teagan Harty
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Marcel M. Janocha
- Division of Palaeoanthropology Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Department of Palaeobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt Germany
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Division of Palaeoanthropology Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Department of Palaeobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt Germany
| | - Huynh N. Nguyen
- School of Mechanical Engineering Hanoi University of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Eugenio Bortolini
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Institución Milá y Fontanals de investigación en Humanidades Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IMF – CSIC) Barcelona Spain
- Culture and Socio‐Ecological Dynamics, Department of Humanities Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Cultural Heritage University of Bologna Ravenna Italy
- Department of Human Evolution Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
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7
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López-Aguirre C, Lang MM, Silcox MT. Diet drove brain and dental morphological coevolution in strepsirrhine primates. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269041. [PMID: 35666739 PMCID: PMC9170099 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of the remarkably complex primate brain has been a topic of great interest for decades. Multiple factors have been proposed to explain the comparatively larger primate brain (relative to body mass), with recent studies indicating diet has the greatest explanatory power. Dietary specialisations also correlate with dental adaptations, providing a potential evolutionary link between brain and dental morphological evolution. However, unambiguous evidence of association between brain and dental phenotypes in primates remains elusive. Here we investigate the effect of diet on variation in primate brain and dental morphology and test whether the two anatomical systems coevolved. We focused on the primate suborder Strepsirrhini, a living primate group that occupies a very wide range of dietary niches. By making use of both geometric morphometrics and dental topographic analysis, we extend the study of brain-dental ecomorphological evolution beyond measures of size. After controlling for allometry and evolutionary relatedness, differences in brain and dental morphology were found between dietary groups, and brain and dental morphologies were found to covary. Historical trajectories of morphological diversification revealed a strong integration in the rates of brain and dental evolution and similarities in their modes of evolution. Combined, our results reveal an interplay between brain and dental ecomorphological adaptations throughout strepsirrhine evolution that can be linked to diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López-Aguirre
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Madlen M. Lang
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mary T. Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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8
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Feeding ecology of the last European colobine monkey, Dolichopithecus ruscinensis. J Hum Evol 2022; 168:103199. [PMID: 35667203 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Currently, very little is known about the ecology of extinct Eurasian cercopithecids. Dietary information is crucial in understanding the ecological adaptations and diversity of extinct cercopithecids and the evolution of this family. For example, the colobine genus Dolichopithecus is represented by multiple large-bodied species that inhabited Eurasia during the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. The available evidence, though limited, suggests semiterrestrial locomotion, which contrasts with most extant African and Asian colobines that exhibit morphological and physiological adaptations for arboreality and folivory. These differences raise questions regarding the dietary specialization of early colobine taxa and how/if that influenced their dispersion out of Africa and into Eurasia. To further our understanding of the ecology of Plio-Pleistocene cercopithecids, we characterized the dental capabilities and potential dietary adaptations of Dolichopithecus ruscinensis through dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses on an M1 from the locality of Serrat d'en Vacquer, Perpignan (France). We also assessed the feeding behavior of D. ruscinensis through dental microwear texture analysis on a broad sample of fossil molars from fossil sites in France, Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. Dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses suggest that D. ruscinensis could efficiently process a wide range of foods. Results of the dental microwear texture analysis suggest that its diet ranged from folivory to the consumption of more mechanically challenging foods. Collectively, this suggests a more opportunistic feeding behavior for Dolichopithecus than characteristic of most extant colobines.
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9
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Harty T, Berthaume MA, Bortolini E, Evans AR, Galbany J, Guy F, Kullmer O, Lazzari V, Romero A, Fiorenza L. Dental macrowear reveals ecological diversity of Gorilla spp. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9203. [PMID: 35655071 PMCID: PMC9163330 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12488-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Size and shape variation of molar crowns in primates plays an important role in understanding how species adapted to their environment. Gorillas are commonly considered to be folivorous primates because they possess sharp cusped molars which are adapted to process fibrous leafy foods. However, the proportion of fruit in their diet can vary significantly depending on their habitats. While tooth morphology can tell us what a tooth is capable of processing, tooth wear can help us to understand how teeth have been used during mastication. The objective of this study is to explore if differences in diet at the subspecies level can be detected by the analysis of molar macrowear. We analysed a large sample of second lower molars of Grauer’s, mountain and western lowland gorilla by combining the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method with other dental measurements. We found that Grauer’s and western lowland gorillas are characterised by a macrowear pattern indicating a larger intake of fruit in their diet, while mountain gorilla’s macrowear is associated with the consumption of more folivorous foods. We also found that the consumption of herbaceous foods is generally associated with an increase in dentine and enamel wear, confirming the results of previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teagan Harty
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael A Berthaume
- Division Mechanical Engineering and Design, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Eugenio Bortolini
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Institución Milá y Fontanals de Investigación en Humanidades, Barcelona, Spain.,Culture and Socio-Ecological Dynamics, Department of Humanities, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Ramon Trias Fargas, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alistair R Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jordi Galbany
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.,Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Franck Guy
- Laboratory PALEVOPRIM, UMR CNRS 7262, University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.,Department of Paleobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Vincent Lazzari
- Laboratory PALEVOPRIM, UMR CNRS 7262, University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Alejandro Romero
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690, Alicante, Spain.,Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico (INAPH), Universidad de Alicante, 03690, Alicante, Spain
| | - Luca Fiorenza
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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10
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Lang AJ, Engler T, Martin T. Dental topographic and three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of carnassialization in different clades of carnivorous mammals (Dasyuromorphia, Carnivora, Hyaenodonta). J Morphol 2021; 283:91-108. [PMID: 34775616 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of carnassial teeth in mammals, especially in the Carnivora, has been subject of many morphometric and some dental topographic studies. Here, we use a combination of dental topographic analysis (Dirichlet normal energy) and 3D geometric morphometrics of less and high carnassialized lower teeth of carnivoran, dasyuromorph and hyaenodont taxa. Carnassial crown curvature, as indicated by Dirichlet normal energy, is high in lesser carnassialized teeth and low in higher carnassialized teeth, where it is influenced by the reduction of crown features such as cusps and crests. PC1 of the geometric morphometric analysis is linked to enlargement of the carnassial blade, reduction of the talonid crushing basin and an increasingly asymmetric cervix line with an enlarged mesial flexure in more carnassialized teeth. Distribution of PC1 values further indicates that along the tooth row of dasyuromorphs (m2-m4) and hyaenodonts (m1-m3) the most distal carnassial is the most carnassialized (principal carnassial), and in most taxa with overall higher carnassialized teeth, carnassialization successively increases from the anterior to the posterior tooth position along the tooth row. PC2 indicates that a longitudinal elongated carnassial is present in caniforms and in unspecialized feliforms, which separates these taxa in morphospace from all dasyuromorphs, hyaenodonts and specialized feliforms. An ancestral state reconstruction shows that this longitudinal elongation may be a plesiomorphic ancestral state for the Carnivora, which is different from the Dasyuromorphia and the Hyaenodonta. This elongation, enabling the presence of a longitudinally aligned carnassial blade as well as a complete talonid basin, might have provided the Carnivora with an advantage in terms of adaptive versatility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Johann Lang
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Engler
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Martin
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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11
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Berthaume MA, Kupczik K. Molar biomechanical function in South African hominins Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus. Interface Focus 2021; 11:20200085. [PMID: 34938434 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2020.0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet is a driving force in human evolution. Two species of Plio-Pleistocene hominins, Paranthropus robustus and Australopithecus africanus, have derived craniomandibular and dental morphologies which are often interpreted as P. robustus having a more biomechanically challenging diet. While dietary reconstructions based on dental microwear generally support this, they show extensive dietary overlap between species, and craniomandibular and dental biomechanical analyses can yield contradictory results. Using methods from anthropology and engineering (i.e. anthroengineering), we quantified the molar biomechanical performance of these hominins to investigate possible dietary differences between them. Thirty-one lower second molars were 3D printed and used to fracture gelatine blocks, and Bayesian generalized linear models were used to investigate the relationship between species and tooth wear, size and shape, and biomechanical performance. Our results demonstrate that P. robustus required more force and energy to fracture blocks but had a higher force transmission rate. Considering previous dietary reconstructions, we propose three evolutionary scenarios concerning the dietary ecologies of these hominins. These evolutionary scenarios cannot be reached by investigating morphological differences in isolation, but require combining several lines of evidence. This highlights the need for a holistic approach to reconstructing hominin dietary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Berthaume
- Division of Mechanical Engineering and Design, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK.,Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kornelius Kupczik
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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12
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Berthaume MA, Lazzari V, Guy F. The landscape of tooth shape: Over 20 years of dental topography in primates. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:245-262. [PMID: 32687672 PMCID: PMC7689778 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Diet plays an incontrovertible role in primate evolution, affecting anatomy, growth and development, behavior, and social structure. It should come as no surprise that a myriad of methods for reconstructing diet have developed, mostly utilizing the element that is not only most common in the fossil record but also most pertinent to diet: teeth. Twenty years ago, the union of traditional, anatomical analyses with emerging scanning and imaging technologies led to the development of a new method for quantifying tooth shape and reconstructing the diets of extinct primates. This method became known as dental topography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Berthaume
- Division of Mechanical Engineering and DesignLondon South Bank UniversityLondonUK
- Department of BioengineeringImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - Vincent Lazzari
- PALEVOPRIM—UMR 7262 CNRS INEE Laboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes PaléoprimatologieUniversité de PoitiersPoitiersFrance
| | - Franck Guy
- PALEVOPRIM—UMR 7262 CNRS INEE Laboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes PaléoprimatologieUniversité de PoitiersPoitiersFrance
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Szuma E, Germonpré M. Were ancient foxes far more carnivorous than recent ones?-Carnassial morphological evidence. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227001. [PMID: 31923224 PMCID: PMC6953794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Crown shape variation of the first lower molar in the arctic (Vulpes lagopus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was analyzed using five groups of morphotypes. Carnassial morphologies were compared between the species and between spatially and temporally distant populations: one Late Pleistocene (n = 45) and seven modern populations of the arctic fox (n = 259), and one Late Pleistocene (n = 35) and eight modern populations of the red fox (n = 606). The dentition of Holocene red foxes had larger morphotype variability than that of arctic foxes. The lower carnassials of the red fox kept have some primitive characters (additional cusps and stylids, complex shape of transverse cristid), whereas the first lower molars of the arctic fox have undergone crown shape simplification, with the occlusal part of the tooth undergoing a more pronounced adaptation to a more carnivorous diet. From the Late Pleistocene of Belgium to the present days, the arctic fox’s crown shape has been simplified and some primitive characters have disappeared. In the red fox chronological changes in the morphology of the lower carnassials were not clearly identified. The phyletic tree based on morphotype carnassial characteristics indicated the distinctiveness of both foxes: in the arctic fox line, the ancient population from Belgium and recent Greenland made separate branches, whereas in the red foxes the ancient population from Belgium was most similar to modern red foxes from Belgium and Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elwira Szuma
- Mammal Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
- * E-mail:
| | - Mietje Germonpré
- Operational Direction “Earth and History of Life”, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
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Selig KR, Sargis EJ, Silcox MT. The frugivorous insectivores? Functional morphological analysis of molar topography for inferring diet in extant treeshrews (Scandentia). J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe ecology, and particularly the diet, of treeshrews (order Scandentia) is poorly understood compared to that of their close relatives, the primates. This stems partially from treeshrews having fast food transit times through the gut, meaning fecal and stomach samples only represent a small portion of the foodstuffs consumed in a given day. Moreover, treeshrews are difficult to observe in the wild, leading to a lack of observational data in the literature. Although treeshrews are mixed feeders, consuming both insects and fruit, it is currently unknown how the relative importance of these food types varies across Scandentia. Previous study of functional dental morphology has provided an alternative means for understanding the diet of living euarchontans. We used dental topographic metrics to quantify aspects of functional dental morphology in a large sample of treeshrews (n = 58). We measured relief index, Dirichlet normal energy, and three-dimensional orientation patch count rotated, which quantify crown relief, occlusal curvature, and complexity, respectively. Our results suggest that treeshrews exhibit dental morphology consistent with high levels of insectivory relative to other euarchontans. They also suggest that taxa such as Dendrogale melanura and Tupaia belangeri appear to be best suited to insectivory, whereas taxa such as T. palawanensis and T. gracilis appear to be best adapted to frugivory. Our results suggest that Ptilocercus lowii is characterized by a dentition better adapted to insectivory than the early primate Purgatorius. If P. lowii represents a good modern analogue for primitive euarchontans, this contrast would support models of primate origins that include a shift to greater frugivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keegan R Selig
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Eric J Sargis
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Mary T Silcox
- Divisions of Vertebrate Zoology and Vertebrate Paleontology, Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT, USA
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Berthaume MA, Winchester J, Kupczik K. Effects of cropping, smoothing, triangle count, and mesh resolution on 6 dental topographic metrics. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216229. [PMID: 31059538 PMCID: PMC6502444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dental topography is a widely used method for quantifying dental morphology and inferring dietary ecology in animals. Differences in methodology have brought into question the comparability of different studies. Using primate mandibular second molars, we investigated the effects of mesh preparation parameters smoothing, cropping, and triangle count/mesh resolution (herein, resolution) on six topographic variables (Dirichlet normal energy, DNE; orientation patch count rotated, OPCR; relief index, RFI; ambient occlusion, portion de ciel visible, PCV; enamel surface area, SA; tooth size) to determine the effects of smoothing, cropping, and triangle count/resolution on topographic values and the relationship between these values and diet. All topographic metrics are sensitive to smoothing, cropping method, and triangle count/resolution. In general, smoothing decreased DNE, OPCR, RFI, and SA, increased PCV, and had no predictable effect on tooth size. Relative to the basin cut off (BCO) cropping method, the entire enamel cap (EEC) method increased RFI, SA, and size, and had no predictable effect on DNE and OPCR. Smoothing and cropping affected DNE/OPCR and surfaces with low triangle counts more than other metrics and surfaces with high triangle counts. There was a positive correlation between DNE/OPCR and triangle count/resolution, and the rate of increase was weakly correlated to diet. PCV tended to converge or decrease with increases in triangle count/resolution, and RFI, SA, and size converged. Finally, there appears to be no optimal triangle count or resolution for predicting diet from this sample, and constant triangle count appeared to perform better than constant resolution for predicting diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Berthaume
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Winchester
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kornelius Kupczik
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
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Ungar P. Inference of Diets of Early Hominins from Primate Molar Form and Microwear. J Dent Res 2019; 98:398-405. [DOI: 10.1177/0022034518822981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Paleontologists use fossil teeth to reconstruct the diets of early hominins and other extinct species. Some evidence is adaptive: nature selects for tooth size, shape, and structure best suited to specific food types. Other evidence includes traces left by actual foods eaten, such as microscopic tooth wear. This critical review considers how molars work, how they are used, and how occlusal topography and dental microwear can be used to infer diet and food preferences in the past, particularly for hominins of the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Understanding that cheek teeth function as guides for chewing and tools for fracturing allows us to characterize aspects of occlusal form that reflect mechanical properties of foods to which a species is adapted. Living primates that often eat leaves, for example, have longer crests and more sloping occlusal surfaces than those that prefer hard foods. Studies of feeding ecology have shown, however, that tooth shape does not always correspond to preferred food items. It often follows mechanically challenging foods whether eaten often or rarely. Other lines of evidence that reflect actual tooth use are required to work out food preferences. Microwear textures, for example, reflect foods eaten by individuals in the past such that hard seeds and bone tend to leave complex, pitted surface textures, whereas tough leaves and meat more often leave anisotropic ones covered in long, parallel scratches. The study of fossil hominin molars shows how these various attributes are combined to infer diet and food preference in the past. A trend in occlusal morphology suggests decreased dietary specialization from Australopithecus to early Homo, and increasing dispersion in microwear complexity values is consistent with this. On the other hand, occlusal morphology may suggest dietary specialization in Paranthropus, although different species of this genus have different microwear texture patterns despite similar craniodental adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- P.S. Ungar
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
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Pampush JD, Crowell J, Karme A, Macrae SA, Kay RF, Ungar PS. Technical note: Comparing dental topography software using platyrrhine molars. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:179-185. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James D. Pampush
- Department of Exercise ScienceHigh Point University High Point North Carolina
- Department of Physician Assistant StudiesHigh Point University High Point North Carolina
| | - Jordan Crowell
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of North Carolina Greensboro Greensboro North Carolina
- Department of Anthropology, Graduate CenterCity University of New York New York New York
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology New York New York
| | - Aleksis Karme
- Department of Geosciences and GeographyUniversity of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Scott A. Macrae
- Department of AnthropologyTrent University Peterborough Ontario
| | - Richard F. Kay
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyDuke University Durham North Carolina
- Division of Earth and Ocean SciencesNicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | - Peter S. Ungar
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville Arkansas
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Shan S, Kovalsky SZ, Winchester JM, Boyer DM, Daubechies I. ariaDNE: A robustly implemented algorithm for Dirichlet energy of the normal. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shan Shan
- Department of Mathematics Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | | | - Julie M. Winchester
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | - Doug M. Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina
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Hominin diversity and high environmental variability in the Okote Member, Koobi Fora Formation, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2019; 126:91-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Pampush JD, Spradley JP, Morse PE, Griffith D, Gladman JT, Gonzales LA, Kay RF. Adaptive wear-based changes in dental topography associated with atelid (Mammalia: Primates) diets. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James D Pampush
- Department of Exercise Science, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA
- Department of Physician Assistant Studies, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jackson P Spradley
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Paul E Morse
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Darbi Griffith
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Justin T Gladman
- Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF), Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lauren A Gonzales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Richard F Kay
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Dental topography and the diet of Homo naledi. J Hum Evol 2018; 118:14-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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