Alaska Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Historically, communities persisted in remote, isolated areas of Alaska in large part because of the abundance of marine and terrestrial resources, as well as the ability of local people to opportunistically access those resources as they became available. Species switching and the ability to shift effort away from fisheries during poor years allowed local residents to diversify their livelihoods in the face of uncertainties and ecological change. The advent of modern fisheries management, which views Alaskan fisheries as the property of all citizens of the United States, has fundamentally altered the relationship of place-based communities to fishery resources. Local access to fisheries has been particularly affected by the development of transferable fishing privileges, making it possible for fishing rights to leave place-based communities through the choices of individual community members to sell or to move away. When fishing communities in Alaska lose active fishing businesses, over time the loss of various types of community capital will follow, including human, social, cultural, technical, and financial capital. In some cases, communities are able to adapt or transform through diversification of their local economies. In other cases, no alternatives to a fishery-based economy are accessible. We have used resilience theory to explore drivers of change affecting Alaskan fishing communities. Emphasis was placed on two primary change drivers, the regulatory environment and rural out-migration, as well as their interconnections and their impacts on individuals, communities, and the larger social-ecological system. We summarized several government programs that have been implemented to support the continued participation of communities in Alaskan fisheries. In addition, we reviewed informal and private-sector efforts to generate resilience strategies that can facilitate new entry into fisheries or retain fishing businesses and fishing rights within communities, as well as respond to increasing uncertainty related to the global market and climate changes.

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- Community Resilience, Fisheries Management, Multidisciplinary, Well Being

The purpose of the study was to determine whether a change in the treatment program at Akeela House Incorporated, a therapeutic community in Anchorage, Alaska, significantly increased the time in treatment for Alaska Native residents. The change in treatment involved implementation of culturally sensitive approaches that incorporated and reinforced Native lifestyles. Data were obtained from the Alaska Management Information System on all treatment admissions from January 1988 to January 1995. Prior to implementation, Alaska Native residents had significantly shorter times in treatment than Black or White residents. After implementation of the change in the treatment program, Alaska Native residents' times in treatment were no longer significantly different from those of Black or White residents, and all three ethnic groups had significantly longer times in treatment than before the intervention.

- by Dennis Fisher
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- Psychology, Treatment, Survival Analysis, Native American

With the ending of the Cold War, the US Department of Energy is responsible for the remediation of

- by Lawrence Duffy and +1
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- Geology, Science Policy, Cold War, Environmental Management

This paper presents cost-outcome analyses of four transportation injury prevention efforts in Native American jurisdictions. Pre- and post-intervention data were analyzed to estimate projects' impact on injury reduction. Projects' costs were amortized over the time period covered by the evaluation or over the useful life of physical capital invested. Projects' savings were calculated based on estimated reduction in medical and public program expenses, on estimated decrease in lost productivity, and on estimated quality adjusted life years saved. All four projects yielded positive benefit-cost ratios. The net cost per quality adjusted life years was less than zero for all the projects.

- by Ted Miller
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- Quality of life, Safety, United States, Risk factors
- by Madonna Moss
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- Ancient History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Environmental Archaeology

Background Effective teamwork contributes to patient safety in the operating room (OR). For the busy rural surgeon, enhancing OR teamwork can be difficult. This manuscript describes results from the initial implementation of a preoperative briefing protocol at a rural community hospital. Methods From July 2006 to February 2007, teamwork among OR staff working with a single general surgeon at a rural hospital in Alaska was evaluated before and after introduction of a preoperative briefing protocol. After each case, participants completed a questionnaire applying a 6-point Likert-type scale targeting effectiveness of both the preoperative briefing and OR team interaction. Mean values were calculated from 20 cases before introduction of the preoperative briefing and from another 16 cases after its introduction. Statistical analysis of the difference between pre- and post-protocol team performance was conducted with Student’s t test. Mean procedure times were calculated for matched cases pre- and post-intervention and were compared with Wilcoxon’s exact test. Results Ten members of the OR staff, including the general surgeon, completed both pre- and post-protocol questionnaires. Four additional members of the OR staff completed only pre-protocol questionnaires, and three additional members of the OR staff completed only post-protocol questionnaires. After implementation of the preoperative briefing protocol, the mean score of overall preoperative briefing was 1.01 units higher than before (p p p = 0.057). Conclusions Implementation of a preoperative briefing protocol improved overall preoperative briefing and OR team interaction in the study setting. These findings are encouraging for enhancing teamwork and patient safety through implementation of a systematic protocol.

- by Sheila Chauvin
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- Surgery, Research Design, Patient Safety, Health Care

Amanita muscaria sensu lato has a wide geographic distribution, occurring in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and North, Central and South America. Previous phylogenetic work by others indicates three geographic clades (i.e. 'Eurasian', 'Eurasian-alpine' and 'North American' groups) within A. muscaria . However, the historical dispersal patterns of A. muscaria remained unclear. In our project, we collected specimens from arctic, boreal and humid temperate regions in Alaska, and generated DNA sequence data from the protein-coding beta-tubulin gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) regions of the ribosomal DNA repeat. Homologous sequences from additional A. muscaria isolates were downloaded from GenBank. We conducted phylogenetic and nested clade analyses (NCA) to reveal the phylogeographic history of the species complex. Although phylogenetic analyses confirmed the existence of the three above-mentioned clades, representatives of all three groups were found to occur sympatrically in Alaska, suggesting that they represent cryptic phylogenetic species with partially overlapping geographic distributions rather than being allopatric populations. All phylogenetic species share at least two morphological varieties with other species, suggesting ancestral polymorphism in pileus and wart colour pre-dating their speciations. The ancestral population of A. muscaria likely evolved in the Siberian-Beringian region and underwent fragmentation as inferred from NCA and the coalescent analyses. The data suggest that these populations later evolved into species, expanded their range in North America and Eurasia. In addition to range expansions, populations of all three species remained in Beringia and adapted to the cooling climate.

- by József Geml and +1
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- Geography, Demography, Computational Biology, Molecular Evolution

The subspecies composition of migratory sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) which stage and winter along the Lower Columbia River in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington is uncertain, but may include all 3 using the Pacific Flyway: lesser (G. c. canadensis), Canadian (G. c. rowani), and greater (G. c. tabida). However, the status of rowani has been debated. During 2001-02, we captured and marked 8 cranes using a noose line trapping technique, and attached Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) to 6 to ascertain locations of their breeding areas, migration corridors and winter sites. Morphometric data were collected for subspecies determination. From measurements and their summer distribution, we conclude that they are likely the intermediate rowani form. Because of their limited numbers, distinct coastal migration path, and habitat issues at breeding, staging, and wintering areas, we recommend that conservation efforts be increased and that they be managed as a unique population. ...

- by Gary L Ivey
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- Environmental Education, Conservation Biology, Biodiversity, California

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adolescents use tobacco at earlier ages and in larger quantities compared to non-AIAN peers. Regular tobacco use was examined against live protective factors (peer networks supportive of not using... more

- by Mary Larimer and +1
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- Psychology, Life Style, Tobacco, Adolescent

We have previously shown that responses against a broad set of nine CD4 ؉ T-cell epitopes were present in the setting of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) Armstrong infection in the context of H-2 d . This is quite disparate to the H-2 b setting, where only two epitopes have been identified. We were interested in determining whether a broad set of responses was unique to H-2 d or whether additional CD4 ؉ T-cell epitopes could be identified in the setting of the H-2 b background. To pursue this question, we infected C57BL/6 mice with LCMV Armstrong and determined the repertoire of CD4 ؉ T-cell responses using overlapping 15-mer peptides corresponding to the LCMV Armstrong sequence. We confirmed positive responses by intracellular cytokine staining and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-peptide binding assays. A broad repertoire of responses was identified, consisting of six epitopes. These epitopes originate from the nucleoprotein (NP) and glycoprotein (GP). Out of the six newly identified CD4 ؉ epitopes, four of them also stimulate CD8 ؉ T cells in a statistically significant manner. Furthermore, we assessed these CD4 ؉ T-cell responses during the memory phase of LCMV Armstrong infection and after infection with a chronic strain of LCMV and determined that a subset of the responses could be detected under these different conditions. This is the first example of a broad repertoire of shared epitopes between CD4 ؉ and CD8 ؉ T cells in the context of viral infection. These findings demonstrate that immunodominance is a complex phenomenon in the context of helper responses.

- by George Korch
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- Microbiology, Immune response, Aging, Medical Microbiology

Prenatal and early life risk factors are associated with childhood obesity. Alaska Native children have one of the highest prevalences of childhood obesity of all US racial/ethnic groups. Using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and the follow-up survey at 3 years of age (CUBS), we evaluated health, behavioral, lifestyle and nutritional variables in relation to obesity (95th percentile for body mass index (BMI)) at 3 years of age. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was conducted using Stata 12.0 to evaluate independent risk factors for obesity in non-Native and Alaska Native children. We found an obesity prevalence of 24.9% in all Alaskan and 42.2% in Alaska Native 3 year olds. Among Alaska Native children, obesity prevalence was highest in the Northern/Southwest part of the state (51.6%, 95%CI (42.6-60.5)). Independent predictive factors for obesity at age 3 years in Alaska non-Native children were low income (<$10,000 in the year before the child was...

- by Peter de Schweinitz
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- Demography, Obesity, Life Style, Diet

Despite a lack of evidence that needle exchange programs (NEPs) cause an increase in injection drug use, there are still concerns over fostering increased injection behavior with NEPs. The design was a randomized controlled trial conducted from May 1997 to June 2000 comparing injection drug users (IDUs) who are randomly assigned to have access to an NEP versus training in how to purchase needles and syringes (NS) at pharmacies. Of 653 IDUs recruited into the study, 600 were randomized: 426 were followed-up at 6 months, and 369 were followed-up at 12 months. Four hundred ninety were followed up at least once. There was no difference in the number of injections over time between the NEP and the Pharmacy Sales arms of the study or in the percentage of positive urine test results over time between the NEP and the Pharmacy Sales arms of the study for morphine and amphetamine. The decrease in the presence of cocaine was marginally greater between the arms of the study. The results do not support the hypothesis of NEPs causing an increase in injection drug use. This clinical trial provides the strongest evidence to date that needle exchanges do not produce this negative effect.

- by Dennis Fisher
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- Program Evaluation, Algorithms, Cocaine, Amphetamine

Alcohol research in Alaska Native communities has a contentious history. This project has attempted to address a critical need for research to guide alcohol abuse prevention and treatment with Alaska Natives using culturally anchored participatory action research. The process of grounding the research methodology in the culture and community is described, along with its contribution to community psychology's understanding of the importance of cultural factors. Tensions between indigenous values and ways of knowing, and Western research methodologies are delineated, along with how these tensions were resolved. Important issues that arose in doing culturally anchored participatory action research are described. These included the development of a community of inquiry, key methodological decisions, the empowerment of participants as coresearchers, and flexibility in research implementation.

- by Robert Fath
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- Psychology, Participatory Research, Participatory Action Research, Action Research

Understanding the extent of commitment to and identifi cation with traditional cultural experiences is essential for working with American Indian people . The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of a practical measure of enculturation for AI people by examining its reliability and validity within the context of three previous studies.

- by Carrie Winterowd and +1
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- Sociology, Psychology, Psychometrics, Spirituality
- by Kelly Acton
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- Native American, Diabetes mellitus, United States, Aged

- by Judith Ramos
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- Ancient History, Evolutionary Biology, Archaeology, Anthropology

The ecosystem response to the 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez into Prince William Sound, Alaska, shows that current practices for assessing ecological risks of oil in the oceans and, by extension, other toxic sources should be changed. Previously, it was assumed that impacts to populations derive almost exclusively from acute mortality. However, in the Alaskan coastal ecosystem, unexpected persistence of toxic subsurface oil and chronic exposures, even at sublethal levels, have continued to affect wildlife. Delayed population reductions and cascades of indirect effects postponed recovery. Development of ecosystem-based toxicology is required to understand and ultimately predict chronic, delayed, and indirect long-term risks and impacts.

- by James Bodkin
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- Reproduction, Petroleum, Science, Water Pollution

Two new species of aquatic hyphomycetes in the genus Tricladium are described from streams in Alaska, USA. Both species were isolated from submerged decaying sedges. Tricladium kelleri has blackish colonies and typical tricladioid conidia formed on sympodial conidiogenous cells. Tricladium alaskense has conidia with fine elements and 0-4 lateral branches; conidia are formed on sympodial conidiogenous cells. The two species are compared to other species in the genus and related genera using morphological characters and/or rDNA sequencing data (ITS and 28S). Molecular phylogenetic analysis placed both species in the Helotiales.

- by Ludmila Marvanová
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- Microbiology, Plant Biology, Rivers, Phylogeny

As newly formed landscapes evolve, physical and biological changes occur that are collectively known as primary succession. Although succession is a fundamental concept in ecology, it is poorly understood in the context of aquatic... more

- by Stephen Juggins
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- Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology

The work of Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto is both influential and controversial. His 2000 bestseller The Mystery of Capital posits that to solve poverty in the developing world, the poor need to transition from the extralegal sector to the official economy through formal property rights and incorporated businesses. In 2009, following the 2009 bloody clashes of indigenous peoples and law enforcement agents in the Peruvian Amazon, DeSoto suggested the extrapolation of The Mystery of Capital to the Amazon as a solution for their underdevelopment. He contended that the Amazon natives could only progress if granted formal title to land and allowed to create limited liability corporations. This paper argues, however, that the purported extrapolation of The Mystery of Capital’s propositions is problematic. It aims to show that economic integration of the Amazon natives may further expose their land resources to appropriation and, in actuality, trigger their cultural, social and environmental disintegration.

High total mercury concentrations in western Aleutian Island Steller sea lions • Some pups exceeded thresholds for adverse neurological and reproductive effects. • Fetal exposure to mercury during a vulnerable stage of neurological development • Mercury concentrations in hair were highly correlated with circulating blood levels. • High mercury levels in pups related to dams feeding on high trophic level prey

- by Lucero Correa
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- Mass Spectrometry, Biology, Diet, Population Dynamics

To assess the impact of a voluntary, paraprofessional home visiting program on promoting child health and development and maternal parenting knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Methods: This collaborative, experimental study of 6 Healthy Families Alaska (HFAK) programs enrolled 325 families from 1/00 to 7/01, randomly assigned them to HFAK and control groups, interviewed mothers at baseline, and followed families until children were 2 years old (85% follow-up). Child outcomes included health care use, development and behavior. Parent outcomes included knowledge of infant development, parenting attitudes, quality of the home environment, and parent-child interaction. HFAK records were reviewed to measure home visiting services. Home visitors were surveyed to measure knowledge, perceived effectiveness and perceived training adequacy. Results: There was no overall impact on child health, but HFAK group children had more favorable developmental and behavioral outcomes. HFAK and control mothers had similar parenting outcomes except that HFAK mothers had greater parenting self-efficacy (35.1 vs. 34.6 based on the Teti Self-Efficacy Scale, p < .05). Fewer HFAK families had a poor home environment for learning (20% vs. 31%, p < .001). HFAK families were more likely to use center-based parenting services (48% vs. 39%, p < .05). The impact was greater for families with lower baseline risk (Family Stress Checklist scores < 45). There was little evidence of efficacy for families with a higher dose of service.

- by Anne Duggan and +1
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- Program Evaluation, Psychology, Education, Social Work

Substance abuse has had profoundly devastating effects on the health and well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives. A wide variety of intervention methods has been used to prevent or stem the development of alcohol and drug problems in Indian youth, but there is little empirical research evaluating these efforts. This article is an overview of the published literature on substance use prevention among Indian adolescents, providing background epidemiological information, a review of programs developed specifically for Indian adolescents, and recommendations for the most promising prevention strategies currently in practice.

- by Christopher Zepp
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- Marketing, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Culture
- by Nathaniel Mohatt and +3
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- Item Response Theory, Culture, Suicide, Native American

Mitochondrial DNA sequences isolated from ancient dog remains from Latin America and Alaska showed that native American dogs originated from multiple Old World lineages of dogs that accompanied late Pleistocene humans across the Bering Strait. One clade of dog sequences was unique to the New World, which is consistent with a period of geographic isolation. This unique clade was absent from a large sample of modern dogs, which implies that European colonists systematically discouraged the breeding of native American dogs.

- by Raul Valadez
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- Science, Taxonomy, Breeding, Bolivia

- by Joseph P . Gone
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- Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Violence, Mental Health

Zoonotic parasites are important causes of endemic and emerging human disease in northern North America and Greenland (the North), where prevalence of some parasites is higher than in the general North American population. The North today is in transition, facing increased resource extraction, globalisation of trade and travel, and rapid and accelerating environmental change. This comprehensive review addresses the diversity, distribution, ecology, epidemiology, and significance of nine zoonotic parasites in animal and human populations in the North. Based on a qualitative risk assessment with criteria heavily weighted for human health, these zoonotic parasites are ranked, in the order of decreasing importance, as follows: Echinococcus multilocularis, Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella and Giardia, Echinococcus granulosus/canadensis and Cryptosporidium, Toxocara, anisakid nematodes, and diphyllobothriid cestodes. Recent and future trends in the importance of these parasites for human health in the North are explored. For example, the incidence of human exposure to endemic helminth zoonoses (e.g. Diphyllobothrium, Trichinella, and Echinococcus) appears to be declining, while water-borne protozoans such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Toxoplasma may be emerging causes of human disease in a warming North. Parasites that undergo temperature-dependent development in the environment (such as Toxoplasma, ascarid and anisakid nematodes, and diphyllobothriid cestodes) will likely undergo

- by Karen Gesy
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- Microbiology, Parasitology, Medical Microbiology, Zoonoses

Historical, economic, and political influences on Aleut demography and social organization are considered in relation to an apparent deficit of Aleut males in the early 20th century. Ethnohistoric records detail persistent waves of explorers, fur hunters, missionaries, bureaucrats, and foreign fishermen coming to the Aleutian region for economic exploitation, with some making it their home. The first major wave consisted of Russian and Siberian crews in pursuit of sea otters and fur seals. These entrepreneurs moved Aleut men to hunting grounds and replaced a large portion of them in the villages. The second wave consisted of Scandinavian and other European immigrants who followed cod, halibut, and herring fisheries and who married into eastern Aleut villages. These movements resulted in two genealogical deficits of Aleut men with concomitant shifts in social organization and economic emphases that contribute to the modern diversity of Aleut society. Aleut evacuation during World War II exacerbated these sex imbalances in the villages of the western Aleutian and Pribilof islands.

- by Katherine Reedy
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- Ancient History, Genetics, Demography, Siberia

We summarize the results of a field and laboratory research program (1999-2006) in the Aleutian Islands on the origins of the inhabitants of the archipelago and the genetic structure of these populations. The Aleuts show closest genetic affinity to the contemporary Siberian Eskimos and Chukchi of Chukotka and differ significantly from the populations of Kamchatka (the terminus of the archipelago) and Alaskan Eskimos. Our findings support the hypothesis that the ancestors of the Aleuts crossed Beringia and expanded westerly into the islands approximately 9,000 years ago. The Monmonier algorithm indicates genetic discontinuity between contemporary Kamchatkan populations and western Aleut populations, suggesting that island hopping from Kamchatka into the western Aleutian Islands was highly unlikely. The primary determinant of the distribution of genes throughout the archipelago is geography. The most intimate relationship exists between the genetics (based on mtDNA sequences and inter...

- by Michael H. Crawford
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- Ancient History, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Phylogeography

The linguistically distinctive Haida and Tlingit tribes of Southeast Alaska are known for their rich material culture, complex social organization, and elaborate ritual practices. However, much less is known about these tribes from a population genetic perspective. For this reason, we analyzed mtDNA and Y-chromosome variation in Haida and Tlingit populations to elucidate several key issues pertaining to the history of this region. These included the genetic relationships of Haida and Tlingit to other indigenous groups in Alaska and Canada; the relationship between linguistic and genetic data for populations assigned to the Na-Dene linguistic family, specifically, the inclusion of Haida with Athapaskan, Eyak, and Tlingit in the language family; the possible influence of matrilineal clan structure on patterns of genetic variation in Haida and Tlingit populations; and the impact of European entry into the region on the genetic diversity of these indigenous communities. Our analysis indicates that, while sharing a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;northern&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; genetic profile, the Haida and the Tlingit are genetically distinctive from each other. In addition, Tlingit groups themselves differ across their geographic range, in part due to interactions of Tlingit tribes with Athapaskan and Eyak groups to the north. The data also reveal a strong influence of maternal clan identity on mtDNA variation in these groups, as well as the significant influence of non-native males on Y-chromosome diversity. These results yield new details about the histories of the Haida and Tlingit tribes in this region.

- by Miguel Vilar
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- Ancient History, Evolutionary Biology, Archaeology, Anthropology

In 1921, New Zealand began training school dental nurses, subsequently deploying them throughout the country in school-based clinics providing basic dental care for children. The concept of training dental nurses, later to be designated dental therapists, was adopted by other countries as a means of improving access to care, particularly for children. This paper profiles six countries that utilise dental therapists, with a description of the training that therapists receive in these countries, and the context in which they practice. Based on available demographic information, it also updates the number of dental therapists practising globally, as well as the countries in which they practice. In several countries, dental therapy is now being integrated with dental hygiene in training and practice to create a new type of professional complementary to a dentist. Increasingly, dental therapists are permitted to treat adults as well as children. The paper also describes the status of a c...

- by Eli Schwarz and +2
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- Dentistry, Australia, Malaysia, Tanzania

During the 1970s, two Danish investigators, Bang and Dyerberg, upon being informed that the Greenland Eskimos had a low prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) set out to study the diet of this population. Bang and Dyerberg described the "Eskimo diet" as consisting of large amounts of seal and whale blubber (i.e. fats of animal origin) and suggested that this diet was a key factor in the alleged low incidence of CAD. This was the beginning of a proliferation of studies that focused on the cardioprotective effects of the "Eskimo diet". In view of data, which accumulated on this topic during the past 40 years, we conducted a review of published literature to examine whether mortality and morbidity due to CAD are indeed lower in Eskimo/Inuit populations compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Most studies found that the Greenland Eskimos as well as the Canadian and Alaskan Inuit have CAD as often as the non-Eskimo populations. Notably, Bang and Dyerberg's studies from the 1970sdid not investigate the prevalence of CAD in this population; however, their reports are still routinely cited as evidence for the cardioprotective effect of the "Eskimo diet". We discuss the possible motives leading to the misinterpretation of these seminal studies.

- by George Fodor
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- Diet, Medicine, Canada, Omega-3 fatty acids

Mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA were analyzed from 10,300-year-old human remains excavated from On Your Knees Cave on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska (Site 49-PET-408). This individual's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) represents the founder haplotype of an additional subhaplogroup of haplogroup D that was brought to the Americas, demonstrating that widely held assumptions about the genetic composition of the earliest Americans are incorrect. The amount of diversity that has accumulated in the subhaplogroup over the past 10,300 years suggests that previous calibrations of the mtDNA clock may have underestimated the rate of molecular evolution. If substantiated, the dates of events based on these previous estimates are too old, which may explain the discordance between inferences based on genetic and archaeological evidence regarding the timing of the settlement of the Americas. In addition, this individual's Y-chromosome belongs to haplogroup Q-M3*, placing a minimum date of 10,300 years ago for the emergence of this haplogroup. Am J Phys Anthropol 132:000-000, 2007.

- by Cristina Martinez-Labarga
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- Ancient History, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Archaeology

The fishing community of Bering Island, located in the Russian Commander Islands off the Kamchatka Peninsula, was originally founded by a small number of Russian soldiers and merchants, along with Aleuts forcibly relocated from the western region of the Aleutian archipelago. The purpose of this study is to characterize the genetic variation of Bering Island inhabitants for autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y-chromosome DNA and classic genetic markers and to investigate the genetic impact of the 19th-century founding and subsequent demographic events on this heterogeneous community. Our results show a loss of diversity among maternal lineages in the Bering Aleut population, with fixation of mtDNA haplogroup D, as revealed by median-joining network analysis and mismatch differences. Conversely, paternal haplotypes exhibit an increase in diversity and the presence of a substantial number of non-Native lineages. Admixture results, based on autosomal STR data, indicate that parental contribu...

- by Michael H. Crawford
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- Ancient History, Genetics, Phylogeography, Genetic Drift

Causes of late Quaternary extinctions of large mammals (''megafauna'') continue to be debated, especially for continental losses, because spatial and temporal patterns of extinction are poorly known. Accurate latest appearance dates (LADs) for such taxa are critical for interpreting the process of extinction. The extinction of woolly mammoth and horse in northwestern North America is currently placed at 15,000 -13,000 calendar years before present (yr BP), based on LADs from dating surveys of macrofossils (bones and teeth). Advantages of using macrofossils to estimate when a species became extinct are offset, however, by the improbability of finding and dating the remains of the last-surviving members of populations that were restricted in numbers or confined to refugia. Here we report an alternative approach to detect 'ghost ranges' of dwindling populations, based on recovery of ancient DNA from perennially frozen and securely dated sediments (sedaDNA). In such contexts, sedaDNA can reveal the molecular presence of species that appear absent in the macrofossil record. We show that woolly mammoth and horse persisted in interior Alaska until at least 10,500 yr BP, several thousands of years later than indicated from macrofossil surveys. These results contradict claims that Holocene survival of mammoths in Beringia was restricted to ecologically isolated high-latitude islands. More importantly, our finding that mammoth and horse overlapped with humans for several millennia in the region where people initially entered the Americas challenges theories that megafaunal extinction occurred within centuries of human arrival or were due to an extraterrestrial impact in the late Pleistocene. extinction ͉ permafrost ͉ megafauna ͉ Beringia

- by Alberto Reyes
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- Ancient History, Multidisciplinary, DNA, Fossils
- by Teddy Warner
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- Psychology, Health Care, Urban Health, Rural Health

altitude mountaineering is a dangerous endeavor due to the hypoxic hypobaric environment, extreme weather, and technical skills required. One of the seven summits, Aconcagua (6962 m) is the highest mountain outside of Asia. Its most popular route is nontechnical, attracting > 3000 mountaineers annually. Utilizing data from the Servicio Médico Aconcagua (park medical service), we performed a retrospective descriptive analysis with the primary objective of deriving a fatality rate on Aconcagua from 2001 to 2012. The fatality rate on Aconcagua was then compared to other popular mountains. For climbers who died, we report all available demographic data, mechanisms of death, and circumstances surrounding the death. Between 2001 and 2012, 42,731 mountaineers attempted to summit Aconcagua. There were 33 fatalities. The fatality rate was 0.77 per 1000, or 0.077%. The fatality rate on Aconcagua is lower than that on Everest or Denali but higher than that on Rainier.

- by Jon Van Roo and +1
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- Argentina, Nepal, Mortality, Hypothermia
- by Ted Goebel
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- Ancient History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Migration

Alaska Natives view aging from a holistic perspective, an approach not typically found in the existing literature on successful aging. There is little research on Alaska Native (AN) Elders and how they subjectively define a successful older age. The lack of a culturally specific definition often results in the use of a generic definition that portrays AN Elders as aging less successfully than their non-Native counterparts. This research explores the concept of successful aging from an AN perspective and what it means to age well in AN communities.

- by Jordan Lewis, Ph.D.
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- Developmental Psychology, Gerontology, Aging, Culture

Focus group research was conducted to examine indigenous conceptions of wellness among the Yup'ik Eskimos of southwestern Alaska. The dialogue on wellness emphasized the importance of living a traditional lifestyle, seeking creative solutions to manage drastic cultural change, and fostering connection within the communities and the native landscape. These themes mesh well with existing characterizations of Alaska Native experiences and worldviews, and reflect substantial links between enculturation, acculturation and health. The data underscores the importance of comprehending local conceptions of wellness in order to effectively work toward promoting optimal health. This paper represents part of an ongoing dialogue in which researchers and native communities co-direct the investigation into healthy ways of being in the world.

- by Scarlett Lopez
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- Sociology, Cognitive Science, Health Promotion, Focus Groups
- by Douglas Dasher and +1
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- Soil, Nuclear Weapons, Mass Spectrometry, Biological Sciences

A large cluster of beak abnormalities among black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska raised concern about underlying environmental factors in this region. Metals and trace elements, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD-Fs) were analyzed in adults, nestlings, and eggs of the affected population; local bird seed was also tested for organochlorine pesticides. The results offered no support for the hypothesis that selenium or any other inorganic element was responsible for beak deformities among chickadees, but some evidence that organochlorine compounds may be contributing factors. Adults with beak deformities had an elevated level of chromosomal damage, which was correlated with lipid level and concentrations of several organochlorine compounds. Multivariate analyses of pesticides and PCBs did not distinguish abnormal from normal adults, but subsequent univariate analysis demonstrated higher concentrations of heptachlor epoxide and PCB-123 in abnormal adults. Concentrations of all organochlorine compounds were low, and none is known to cause beak or keratin abnormalities. Patterns of PCB congener concentrations differed between nestlings with normal and abnormal parents. Eggs from clutches with low hatchability had higher concentrations of hexachlorobenzene and PCDD-Fs than those with high hatching success, and hexachlorobenzene was found in seeds. Additional testing for PCDD-Fs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other emerging contaminants, including brominated compounds, is needed to rule out environmental contaminants as a cause of beak deformities in chickadees in Alaska.

- by Colleen Handel
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- Environmental Pollution, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Pesticides

A snow addition experiment in moist acidic tussock tundra at Toolik Lake, Alaska, increased winter snow depths 2–3 m, and resulted in a doubling of the summer active layer depth. We used radiocarbon (∆14C) to (1) determine the age of C respired in the deep soils under control and deepened active layer conditions (deep snow drifts), and (2) to determine the impact of increased snow and permafrost thawing on surface CO2 efflux by partitioning respiration into autotrophic and heterotrophic components. ∆14C signatures of surface respiration were higher in the deep snow areas, reflecting a decrease in the proportion of autotrophic respiration. The radiocarbon age of soil pore CO2 sampled near the maximum mid-July thaw depth was approximately 1,000 years in deep snow treatment plots (45–55 cm thaw depth), while CO2 from the ambient snow areas was ~100 years old (30-cm thaw depth). Heterotrophic respiration ∆14C signatures from incubations were similar between the two snow depths for the organic horizon and were extremely variable in the mineral horizon, resulting in no significant differences between treatments in either month. Radiocarbon ages of heterotrophically respired C ranged from <50 to 235 years BP in July mineral soil samples and from 1,525 to 8,300 years BP in August samples, suggesting that old soil C in permafrost soils may be metabolized upon thawing. In the surface fluxes, this old C signal is obscured by the organic horizon fluxes, which are significantly higher. Our results indicate that, as permafrost in tussock tundra ecosystems of arctic Alaska thaws, carbon buried up to several thousands of years ago will become an active component of the carbon cycle, potentially accelerating the rise of CO2 in the atmosphere.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00442-009-1556-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

- by Susan Trumbore
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- Soil, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon, Ecology

Climate change in the last century was associated with spectacular growth of many wild Pacific salmon stocks in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, apparently through bottom-up forcing linking meteorology to ocean physics, water temperature, and plankton production. One species in particular, pink salmon, became so numerous by the 1990s that they began to dominate other species of salmon for prey resources and to exert top-down control in the open ocean ecosystem. Information from long-term monitoring of seabirds in the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea reveals that the sphere of influence of pink salmon is much larger than previously known. Seabirds, pink salmon, other species of salmon, and by extension other higher-order predators, are tightly linked ecologically and must be included in international management and conservation policies for sustaining all species that compete for common, finite resource pools. These data further emphasize that the unique 2-y cycle in abundance of pink salmon drives interannual shifts between two alternate states of a complex marine ecosystem.

- by Gus van Vliet
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- Climate Change, Multidisciplinary, Birds, Salmon

Racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and contamination. This includes siting and location of point sources of pollution, legacies of contamination of drinking and recreational water, and mining, military and agricultural impacts. As a result, both quantity and quality of culturally important subsistence resources are diminished, contributing to poor nutrition and obesity, and overall reductions in quality of life and life expectancy. Climate change is adding to these impacts on Native American communities, variably causing drought, increased flooding and forced relocation affecting tribal water resources, traditional foods, forests and forest resources, and tribal health. This article will highlight several extramural research projects supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) tribal environmental research gr...

- by John Doyle and +1
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- Climate Change, Environmental Health, Quality of life, Multidisciplinary

As descendants of the indigenous peoples of the United States, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) have experienced a resurgence in population and prospects since the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, tribally affiliated individuals number over two million, distributed across 565 federally recognized tribal communities and countless metropolitan and nonreservation rural areas. Although relatively little evidence is available, the existing data suggest that AI/AN adults and youth suffer a disproportionate burden of mental health problems compared with other Americans. Specifically, clear disparities have emerged for AI/AN substance abuse, posttraumatic stress, violence, and suicide. The rapid expansion of mental health services to AI/AN communities has, however, frequently preceded careful consideration of a variety of questions about critical components of such care, such as the service delivery structure itself, clinical treatment processes, and preventive and rehabilitative program evaluation. As a consequence, the mental health needs of these communities have easily outpaced and overwhelmed the federally funded agency designed to serve these populations, with the Indian Health Service remaining chronically understaffed and underfunded such that elimination of AI/AN mental health disparities is only a distant dream. Although research published during the past decade has substantially improved knowledge about AI/AN mental health problems, far fewer investigations have explored treatment efficacy and outcomes among these culturally diverse peoples. In addition to routine calls for greater clinical and research resources, however, AI/AN community members themselves are increasingly advocating for culturally alternative approaches and opportunities to address their mental health needs on their own terms.

- by Teresa LaFromboise
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- Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Violence, Mental Health
- by Pascal Godefroit
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- Geography, Climate, Multidisciplinary, Russia

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in 179 Aleuts from five different islands (Atka, Unalaska, Umnak, St. Paul, and St. George) and Anchorage was analyzed to better understand the origins of Aleuts and their role in the peopling of the Americas. Mitochondrial DNA samples were characterized using polymerase chain reaction amplification, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and direct sequencing of the first hypervariable segment (HVS-I) of the control region. This study showed that Aleut mtDNAs belonged to two of the four haplogroups (A and D) common among Native Americans. Haplogroup D occurred at a very high frequency in Aleuts, and this, along with their unique HVS-I sequences, distinguished them from Eskimos, Athapaskan Indians, and other northern Amerindian populations. While sharing several control region sequences (CIR11, CHU14, CIR60, and CIR61) with other circumarctic populations, Aleuts lacked haplogroup A mtDNAs having the 16265G mutation that are specific to Eskimo populations. R-matrix and median network analyses indicated that Aleuts were closest genetically to Chukotkan (Chukchi and Siberian Eskimos) rather than to Native American or Kamchatkan populations (Koryaks and Itel'men). Dating of the Beringian branch of haplogroup A (16192T) suggested that populations ancestral to the Aleuts, Eskimos, and Athapaskan Indians emerged approximately 13,120 years ago, while Aleut-specific A and D sublineages were dated at 6539 ± 3511 and 6035 ± 2885 years, respectively. Our findings support the archaeologically based hypothesis that ancestral Aleuts crossed the Bering Land Bridge or Beringian platform and entered the Aleutian Islands from the east, rather than island hopping from Kamchatka into the western Aleutians. Furthermore, the Aleut migration most likely represents a separate event from those responsible for peopling the remainder of the Americas, meaning that the New World was colonized through multiple migrations.

- by Theodore Schurr
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- Genetics, Population Genetics, Siberia, Native American

Previous studies have indicated that body mass can be estimated from stature and bi-iliac (maximum pelvic) breadth with reasonable accuracy in modern humans, supporting the use of this method to estimate body mass in earlier human skeletal samples. However, to date the method has not been tested specifically on high latitude individuals, whose body form in some ways more closely approximates that of earlier higher latitude humans (i.e., large and broad-bodied). In this study, anthropometric data for 67 Alaskan Inupiat and 54 Finnish adults were used to test the stature/bi-iliac body mass estimation method. Both samples are very broad-bodied, and the Finnish sample is very tall as well. The method generally works well in these individuals, with average directional biases in body mass estimates of 3% or less, except in male Finns, whose body masses are systematically underestimated by an average of almost 9%. A majority of individuals in the total pooled sample have estimates to within G10% of their true body masses, and more than threequarters have estimates to within G15%. The major factor found to affect directional bias is shoulder to hip breadth (biacromial/bi-iliac breadth). Male Finns have particularly wide shoulders, which may in part explain their systematic underestimation. New body mass estimation equations are developed that include the new data from this study. When applied to a sample of earlier (late middle Pleistocene to early Upper Paleolithic) higher latitude skeletal specimens, differences between previous and new body estimates are small (less than 2%). However, because the Finns significantly extend the range of morphological variation beyond that represented in the original world-wide reference sample used Journal of Human Evolution 48 (2005) 381e392 in developing the method, thereby increasing its generality, it is recommended that these new formulas be used in subsequent body mass estimations.

- by Markku Niskanen
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- Evolutionary Biology, Geography, Archaeology, Anthropology