The history of Coast Salish “woolly dogs” revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge

Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance

The History of Coast Salish ‘Woolly Dogs’ Revealed by Ancient Genomics and Indigenous Knowledge

Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired “woolly” dogs that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. Here, we analyze genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt, “Mutton”, collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant pre-colonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identify candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their unique woolly phenotype. We integrate these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance

The history of Coast Salish “woolly dogs” revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge

Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired “woolly dogs” that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool–weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from “Mutton,” collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance

Accumulated Lead Exposure and Risk of Age-Related Cataract in Men

Context Low-level lead exposure may increase the risk for a number of chronic age-related diseases. Several studies have documented the presence of lead in lenses with cataract. The intrusion of lead into the lens may alter lens redox status and cause protein conformational changes that decrease lens transparency. Objective To determine the relationship of cumulative lead exposure with the development of cataract. Design, Setting, and Participants Tibial (cortical) and patellar (trabecular) bone lead levels were measured by K x-ray fluorescence between 1991 and 1999 in a subset of participants in the Normative Aging Study (NAS), a Boston-based longitudinal study of aging in men. Among the first 795 NAS participants to have bone lead levels measured, we reviewed eye examination data (collected routinely every 3-5 years) for the period after the bone lead measurements were taken. We limited the population to men aged 60 years and older who had sufficient eye examination information available (n = 642). Blood lead levels were also measured. Main Outcome Measures Cataract assessment was done while masked to the lead level results. A participant was considered to have cataract if there was documentation for either eye of cataract surgery or a cataract graded clinically as 3+ or higher on a 4-point scale. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated as estimates of the magnitude and significance of the relationship of lead exposure with cataract, in logistic regression models. Results The mean age of the study participants was 69 years and cataract was identified in 122 men. The age-adjusted OR (95% CI) for cataract for men in the highest vs lowest quintile of tibia lead level was 2.68 (1.31-5.50). Further adjustment for pack-years of cigarette smoking, diabetes, blood lead levels, and intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, and carotenoids resulted in an OR of 3.19 (95% CI, 1.48-6.90). For patella lead level, there was an increased risk of cataract in the highest vs lowest quintile (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 0.88-4.02), but the trend was not significant (P = .16). Blood lead levels, more indicative of short-term exposure levels, were not significantly associated with cataract (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.46-1.72; P = .73). Conclusions These epidemiological data suggest that accumulated lead exposure, such as that commonly experienced by adults in the United States, may be an important unrecognized risk factor for cataract. This research suggests that reduction of lead exposure could help decrease the global burden of cataract

Rethinking the idea of late autism spectrum disorder onset

A common theory of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptom onset includes toddlers who do not display symptoms until well after age 2, which are termed late-onset ASD cases. Objectives were to analyze differences in clinical phenotype between toddlers identified as ASD at initial evaluations (early diagnosed) versus those initially considered nonspectrum, then later identified as ASD (late diagnosed). Two hundred seventy-three toddlers recruited from the general population based on a failed developmental screening form or parent or physician concerns were followed longitudinally from 12 months and identified as early- and late-diagnosed cases of ASD, language delayed, or typically developing. Toddlers completed common standardized assessments and experimental eye-tracking and observational measures every 9-12 months until age 3. Longitudinal performance on standardized assessments and experimental tests from initial evaluations were compared. Delay in social communication skills was seen in both ASD groups at early-age initial assessment, including increased preference for nonsocial stimuli, increased stereotypic play, reduced exploration, and use of gestures. On standardized psychometric assessments, early-diagnosed toddlers showed more impairment initially while late-diagnosed toddlers showed a slowing in language acquisition. Similar social communication impairments were present at very early ages in both early-detected ASD and so-called late-onset ASD. Data indicate ASD is present whether detected or not by current methods, and development of more sensitive tools is needed

Material Matters : The Art and Culture of Contemporary Textiles

This anthology presents critical and theoretical texts by sixteen writers concerned with the presence of textile materials, practices and metaphors within contemporary art and discourse. The following issues are considered within the frameworks of feminism, structuralism and postmodernism: material and process; gender and identity; cloth, colonialism and resistance; history and tradition. Biographical notes on contributors. Circa 310 bibl. ref

Topographies : Aspects of Recent B.C. Art

This major catalogue for an exhibition composed of approximately ninety works by forty-one contemporary artists from British Columbia, contains essays by each member of the three person curatorial team. Arnold situates "Topographies..." within the context of other large-scale exhibitions organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery, drawing attention to themes addressed within the works he selected (themes considered include: counter-history, the destabilization of painting, and relations between the body/subjectivity). Gagnon's descriptive analysis of works she selected focuses on how the subjects of travel narrative, cultural migration, nature and landscape relate to the notions of "home" and "transitional space". Jensen's interpretation of the carvings and weavings by First Nations artists is centered on how the concept of metamorphosis relates to time, space, place and being. The destruction of the forest in building Vancouver, and distinctions between culture/environment and art/craft are also discussed. Includes artists' statements. Bibliography. List of works. Biographical notes. Circa 76 bibl. ref

Typical Levels of Eye-Region Fixation in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder Across Multiple Contexts

Objective: Unusual eye contact is a common clinical feature in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet eye-tracking studies that quantify eye fixation report inconsistent results, possibly because of small samples, varied stimuli, and considerable heterogeneity of eye-region fixation even within typical development. Goals were to examine eye-region fixation levels in a large, very young cohort; the degree to which the presence of speech, hand gestures, and a geometric distractor influence eye-region fixation; and possible developmental changes across time. Method: In experiment 1, 385 toddlers (143 with ASD, 242 without ASD, 11???47 months old) watched an actress engaging in child-directed speech with hand gestures against a plain background. Ninety-one toddlers participated approximately 8 months later. In experiment 2, another 231 toddlers (74 with ASD, 157 without ASD, 12???47 months old) watched the same video, but with embedded geometric distractors. Total fixation duration on facial and body regions (eg, eyes, hands) and geometric distractor regions (experiment 2 only) while the actress was speaking or silent, with or without gesturing, was examined, as were relations with clinical traits. Results: Overall, across the 2 experiments and the 2 cross-sectional and longitudinal samples, eye-region fixation duration did not differ between toddlers with and without ASD, although fixation toward the face overall was decreased in toddlers with ASD. This decrease became more apparent with the presence of geometric distractors (experiment 2) as indexed by a geometric preference score, and this score was associated with autism severity. Conclusion: Within the context of viewing child-friendly vignettes, decreased eye-region fixation does not reliably characterize toddlers with ASD. An index of competition between faces and external distractors might be a more robust measure. ?? 2019 The Author