Lab 19. Forensic Anthropology: Determination of Stature

2017 ◽  
pp. 120-123
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Anthropology

scholarly journals The Difficulty of Sexing Skeletons from Unknown Populations

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Sierp ◽  
Maciej Henneberg
Keyword(s):  
Morphometric Analysis ◽  
Forensic Anthropology ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Biological Anthropology ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Geometric Morphometric ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Geometric Morphometric Analysis ◽  
Forensic Setting

Determination of sex from skeletal remains is performed using a number of methods developed by biological anthropology. They must be evaluated for consistency and for their performance in a forensic setting. Twenty skeletons of varied provenance had their sex determined by 15 existing methods of forensic anthropology (7 metric and 8 morphological). The methods were evaluated for their consistency in determination of sex. No single individual was identified as belonging to one sex exclusively. Ambiguous results were obtained by metric methods for fourteen individuals (70%) and by morphological methods for only five individuals (25%) (Chi-squared = 4.3, df = 1, P<0.05). Methods which use the size of bones as an indicator of sex perform poorly on skeletal remains of individuals of unknown provenance. Methods which combine morphologic and metric techniques, that is, geometric morphometric analysis, may result in greater levels of consistency.

scholarly journals Can ancestry be consistently determined from the skeleton?

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Sierp ◽  
Maciej Henneberg
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Anthropology ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Ethnic Origin ◽  
Biological Anthropology ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Discriminant Functions ◽  
Specific Population ◽  
Geographic Population ◽  
Linear Discriminant

Abstract Although the concept of race has been thoroughly criticised in biological anthropology, forensic anthropology still uses a number of methods to determine the ‘race’ of a skeleton. The methods must be evaluated to see how effective they are given large individual variation. This study used 20 cases of skeletons of varied provenance to test whether the nine published methods of ‘race’ determination, using a range of various approaches, were able to consistently identify the ethnic origin. No one individual was identified as belonging to just one ‘major racial class’, e.g. European, meaning that complete consistency across all nine methods was not observed. In 14 cases (70%), various methods identified the same individual as belonging to all three racial classes. This suggests that the existing methods for the determination of ‘race’ are compromised. The very concept of ‘race’ is inapplicable to variation that occurs between populations only in small ways and the methods are limited by the geographic population from which their discriminant functions or observations of morphological traits were derived. Methods of multivariate linear discriminant analysis, e.g. CRANID, are supposed to allocate an individual skull to a specific population rather than a ‘major race’. In our analysis CRANID did not produce convincing allocations of individual skeletons to specific populations. The findings of this study show that great caution must be taken when attempting to ascertain the ‘race’ of a skeleton, as the outcome is not only dependent on which skeletal sites are available for assessment, but also the degree to which the unknown skeleton’s population of origin has been investigated.

scholarly journals A Study for Determination of Sex by Multidetector Computed Tomography of Sternum using Discriminant Function and Logistic Regression

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (10) ◽  
pp. 1444-1453
Author(s):  
Soumeek Chowdhuri ◽  
Priyam Roy ◽  
Arkadeep Dey ◽  
Saikat Das ◽  
Ritwik Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Discriminant Function ◽  
Forensic Anthropology ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Cadaver Dissection ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Computed Tomography Scans ◽  
Gender Based

Post-mortem investigations of skeletal remains as well as radiographs from living individuals provide useful information for the discrimination of sex. Our study aimed to find out a mathematical model to differentiate gender based on greater degree of accuracy than the anthropological measures taken from the sternum obtained from cadaver dissection. The study was performed on 108 adults who were brought for examination of chest due to various medical reasons. Their age ranged between 18 and 80 years. The cases were selected randomly after considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sternal measurements were taken by studying CT (Computed Tomography) scans. Of these cases, 73 were males and 35 were females. The discriminant function equation (Df) = 0.071 Manubrial Length +0.075 Manubrio-Sternal Length +0.036 Width at S1 +0.037 Width at S3 -11.367 (Constant). Overall 80.6% of the sample was correctly classified into their group. This study revealed that measurements from CT scan of sternum can be used to differentiate between sex of individuals which adds to a great advantage in forensic anthropology.

Forensic Anthropology

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Ubelaker ◽  
Julia A. Grossman
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Anthropology ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Physical Anthropology ◽  
Postmortem Interval ◽  
Age At Death ◽  
Academic Fields ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Evaluation Of Evidence

Traditionally, methodology within forensic anthropology has involved very basic techniques of measurement, observation and interpretation. Rooted in the academic fields of anatomy and physical anthropology, forensic anthropology has grown to address problems of recovery, determination of species, estimation of age at death, sex, ancestry, stature, postmortem interval, and the evaluation of evidence relating to foul play and identification. Growth and expansion of the field into new areas of application have revealed new problems needing new methodological solutions. Striving to resolve these problems, anthropologists have turned to new technology, or approaches utilized in related academic areas that would be new to anthropology. This chapter explores aspects of those technological developments and how they have found a home in the practice of forensic anthropology.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the mandibular notch angle in three-dimensional virtual models as a parameter for determining age and sexual dimorphism

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 424
Author(s):  
Ana Amélia Barbieri ◽  
Daniela Bonfiette ◽  
Jeferson Lopes Campos Borges ◽  
Eurico C Oliveira ◽  
Afonso Celso Souza Assis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Anthropology ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Notch Angle ◽  
Angular Measurements ◽  
X Ray Computed ◽  
Three Dimensional Models ◽  
Mandibular Notch ◽  
3D Software

<p><strong>Objective</strong>: The objective of this study was to analyze the opening of the mandibular notch angle (MNA) as a possible tool for predicting sex and estimating age so as to contribute to forensic anthropological studies. <strong>Material and Methods</strong>:  For this, 60 cone beam computed tomographs (CBCT) belonging to the UNESP ICT Radiology archive, were selected: 5 female and 5 male for each decade of life, beginning on twenties until there seventies, totalizing 30 female and 30 male. Three-dimensional models were generated for each exam and measurements were performed with three-dimensional angular measuring tools using OnDemand 3D software (Cybermed Inc., Tustin, CA, USA) on the MNA. The MNA was measured considering the posteriormost portion of the coronoid process, the lowest point of the mandibular notch, and the anteriormost point of the condylar process of the mandible. The Mann-Whitney test was performed with the intention of establishing the possible comparative relationships between the values of angular measurements and sex. <strong>Results</strong>: No statistically significant differences were found between mandibular incision measurements in both sexes, as well as when comparing the angular measurements of the mandibular incisions and the different age groups studied, when a Kruskall-Wallis test was performed. <strong>Conclusion</strong>: It was concluded that the structure being evaluated did not appear to be an instrument capable of contributing to forensic anthropology evaluations.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>:</p><p> X-ray computed tomography; Forensic anthropology; Legal dentistry; Determination of age by skeleton; Analysis for determination of sex.</p>

Galactic orbits of stars

1966 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 93-97
Author(s):  
Richard Woolley
Keyword(s):  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Potential Field ◽  
High Velocity ◽  
Velocity Vector ◽  
Variable Stars ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Rr Lyrae ◽  
The Galaxy

It is now possible to determine proper motions of high-velocity objects in such a way as to obtain with some accuracy the velocity vector relevant to the Sun. If a potential field of the Galaxy is assumed, one can compute an actual orbit. A determination of the velocity of the globular clusterωCentauri has recently been completed at Greenwich, and it is found that the orbit is strongly retrograde in the Galaxy. Similar calculations may be made, though with less certainty, in the case of RR Lyrae variable stars.

Distance to SN 1987A and the LMC

1999 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 549-554
Author(s):  
Nino Panagia
Keyword(s):  
Angular Size ◽  
Large Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Light Curves ◽  
Distance Modulus ◽  
Absolute Size ◽  
Sn 1987A

Using the new reductions of the IUE light curves by Sonneborn et al. (1997) and an extensive set of HST images of SN 1987A we have repeated and improved Panagia et al. (1991) analysis to obtain a better determination of the distance to the supernova. In this way we have derived an absolute size of the ringRabs= (6.23 ± 0.08) x 1017cm and an angular sizeR″ = 808 ± 17 mas, which give a distance to the supernovad(SN1987A) = 51.4 ± 1.2 kpc and a distance modulusm–M(SN1987A) = 18.55 ± 0.05. Allowing for a displacement of SN 1987A position relative to the LMC center, the distance to the barycenter of the Large Magellanic Cloud is also estimated to bed(LMC) = 52.0±1.3 kpc, which corresponds to a distance modulus ofm–M(LMC) = 18.58±0.05.

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