ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2605-1343
Current Organisation
University of Western Australia
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In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Maritime Archaeology | Curatorial and Related Studies | Computer Graphics | Archaeology | Anthropology | Analytical Chemistry Not Elsewhere Classified | Museum Studies | Biological (Physical) Anthropology | European History (excl. British, Classical Greek and Roman)
Understanding Europe's Past | Understanding Australia's Past | Law enforcement | Other | Computer software and services not elsewhere classified | Conserving Collections and Movable Cultural Heritage | Expanding Knowledge in History and Archaeology |
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-07-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2018.10.022
Abstract: For medico-legal forensic practitioners the identification of unknown remains is an important part of any investigation, often predicated on having accurate estimations of age and sex. In considering the specific skeletal elements available to facilitate such biological information, the cranium is frequently targeted for analysis, as it exhibits marked traits of sexual dimorphism, and also has a predictable pattern of growth. There are, however, instances where it may not be possible to estimate skeletal sex, especially in the juvenile skeleton. There is still considerable uncertainty surrounding the age at which the human cranium is quantifiably dimorphic. The aim of the present study is to explore age and sex variation in three-dimensionally reconstructed MDCT scans of the juvenile cranium. The study s le comprises 152 juvenile crania from a Western Australian population a total of 52 three-dimensional landmarks are acquired and analyzed using Procrustean geometric morphometrics. Group discrimination is assessed between sexes and across age classes. Results demonstrate that sexual dimorphism and age variation is discernible through geometric morphometric analysis of form, size and shape. Relative to sex and age, size is found to be generally equivalent to, or even more accurate than, shape data. There is little quantifiable sexual dimorphism in in iduals younger than 12years of age with most variation related to age discrimination improves with increasing age, with average hit rate (HR) values increasing from just over 50% (52-58%) to more than 90% (93-94%) accuracy at 18years. In contrast, differences between contiguous age classes follow the opposite trend and tend to be larger in prepubertal groups, while becoming progressively smaller in older age classes. This study demonstrates that simple linear interlandmark distances describing overall cranial size may provide a simple option for preliminary classifications of age and sex in skeletal remains of forensic interest. However, although recombining size and shape to perform analyses using form generally does not appreciably improve predictive accuracy, it potentially contributes to increased confidence in group assessment (especially for sex) and thus offers a promising, albeit complex, type of information to discriminate groups based on cranial size and/or shape.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-07-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ARCM.12801
Abstract: When bones are found within archaeological contexts it is important for site interpretation that they are identified by species, or at the very least as human or non‐human. However, key landmarks and characteristics typically used for such an assessment are often destroyed when bones are highly fragmented thus methods including DNA or histology are amongst the few remaining options. Histological analysis of cortical tissue can be performed to discriminate human from non‐human origin. A set of 40 bone fragments recovered during excavation of the C osanto cemetery on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo (Venice, Italy), used to accommodate mass plague deaths from 1468 ce , were histologically determined to be of non‐human origin. Histomorphometric analysis of secondary osteons and Haversian canals, and non‐metric assessment of plexiform, osteonal and non‐plexiform fibrolamellar tissue, were applied to determine the most probable species origin. Discriminant function analysis established by Martiniaková and co‐workers in 2006, was applied, resulting in 36 s les classified as pig and four as cattle. This is consistent with the island’s use as a quarantine station during this period when imported cattle were housed to avoid the spread of disease. These results further enhance the understanding of the Lazzaretto Nuovo site.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2016.06.032
Abstract: According to Recommendation N°196 of the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC), the age at which a child reaches adulthood for the purposes of criminal law should be 18 years in all Australian jurisdictions. With specific reference to age at majority, the only tooth with development spanning adolescence (and thus the legally relevant 18 years of age) is the third molar, which limits the number of methods that can be applied from those available in the published literature. The aim of the present study is to test the accuracy of the third molar index (I3M=0.08), based on the correlation between chronological age and normalized measures of the open apices and height of the third mandibular molar, in order to assess the legal adult age of 18 years. Digital orthopantomographs of 143 living Australian subjects (72 boys and 71 girls) are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the sensitivity is 0.90 in boys and 0.90 in girls associated specificity values are 0.85 and 0.87 respectively. We conclude that the cut-off value of I3M=0.08 is statistically robust and thus valid for forensic application in an Australian population.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-03-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-04-2016
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 24-10-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2012.04.017
Abstract: A number of recent studies have demonstrated that sex can be estimated with a high degree of expected accuracy through the analysis of anthropometric measurements of the hand. Presently, however, the majority of previous related research has been focused on a limited range of global populations. The aim of the present study, therefore, is to evaluate the accuracy of using anthropometric hand measurements for the estimation of sex in a contemporary adult Western Australian population we also assess if sex can be accurately estimated from the measurement of handprints. The study s le comprises a total of 91 male and 110 female in iduals documented mean age for the males is 38 years (range 19-68) and for the female s le it is 36 years (range 18-63). A total of six linear measurements are taken from each hand and its corresponding print. Measurement data is analysed using basic univariate statistics and a series of direct and stepwise discriminant function analyses are performed to assess the sex classification potential of the hand and handprint variables. All six hand and handprint measurements are sexually dimorphic and sex explains 28.4-61.7% of the s le variance. The breadth and length of the hand contribute most significantly to sex discrimination cross-validated sex classification accuracies range between 82.6 and 96.5% with a sex bias of ≤5%. We conclude that anthropometric measurements of the hand and handprint can be used to classify sex with a high degree of expected accuracy in a Western Australian population.
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 29-08-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2010
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2015.06.021
Abstract: Age estimation in the juvenile skeleton primarily relies on the assessment of the degree of dental and skeletal development relative to full maturity. The timing of the mineralization and eruption of the teeth is a sequential process that, compared to skeletal growth and development, is less affected by extrinsic influences such as nutrition and/or chronic illness. Accordingly, radiographic visualization and analysis of different tooth formation stages are the foundation for a number of widely applied age estimation standards. Presently, however, there is a relative paucity of contemporary dental age estimation standards for a Western Australian population. To that end, the aim of the present study is to develop statistically quantified radiographic age estimation standards for a Western Australian juvenile population. A total of 392 digital orthopantomograms (202 male and 190 female) of Western Australian in iduals are analyzed. Following, Moorrees et al. (J. Dent. Res. 42 (1963a) 490-502 Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 21 (1963) 205-213), dental development and root resorption was assessed. Alveolar eruption was analyzed following Bengston (Northwest Univ. Bull. 35 (1935) 3-9). Stages of dental development were used to formulate a series of age estimation polynomial regression models prediction accuracy (±0.998 to 2.183 years) is further validated using a cross-validation (holdout) s le of 30 film orthopantomograms. A visual atlas of dental development and eruption was subsequently designed for the pooled sex s le. The standards presented here represent a non-invasive and statistically quantified approach for accurate dental age estimation in Western Australian juvenile in iduals.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 15-03-2023
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0281904
Abstract: Since the 1970s, monumental stone structures now called mustatil have been documented across Saudi Arabia. However, it was not until 2017 that the first intensive and systematic study of this structure type was undertaken, although this study could not determine the precise function of these features. Recent excavations in AlUla have now determined that these structures fulfilled a ritual purpose, with specifically selected elements of both wild and domestic taxa deposited around a betyl. This paper outlines the results of the University of Western Australia’s work at site IDIHA-0008222, a 140 m long mustatil (IDIHA-F-0011081), located 55 km east of AlUla. Work at this site sheds new and important light on the cult, herding and ‘pilgrimage’ in the Late Neolithic of north-west Arabia, with the site revealing one of the earliest chronometrically dated betyls in the Arabian Peninsula and some of the earliest evidence for domestic cattle in northern Arabia.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-09-2021
DOI: 10.1002/WFS2.1442
Abstract: The modern practice of forensic anthropology is focused on the quantification of skeletal variation based upon a qualitative prowess developed according to theory and method in the parent discipline of biological anthropology. Such morphological variances allow estimates of biological attributes, for ex le, age, sex, population affinity, stature, pathology of disease processes—among others, that collectively may resolve the identification of unknown forensic human remains. The latter is a basic human right under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) afforded to descendants who go missing in armed conflicts and other violence‐base situations. The specific traditional methods applied by the forensic anthropologist are well established in the published literature and routinely supported by global research that guides graduate programs designed to train the next generation of practitioners. Important in that cornerstone literature and graduate training regimen are aspects of our practice that are increasingly cross‐disciplinary, especially those grounded in the molecular, chemical, and histological sciences. These upper‐tier endeavors supplement and many times, validate, the traditional approaches as dictated by case context. This review focuses on evolving cross‐disciplinary developments and novel research trends in the analysis of human remains that involve the specific expertise of the forensic anthropologist. This article is categorized under: Forensic Anthropology Age Assessment Forensic Anthropology Anthropology in Mass Disaster & War Crime Contexts
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-09-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-07-2019
Abstract: Forensic age estimation methods are biased to sex and population in general, accuracy is reduced when applied to foreign populations. This study assessed the accuracy of the Suchey-Brooks method in contemporary Malaysian in iduals and aimed to formulate population-specific standards. Multi-detector computed tomography scans of 355 in iduals (165 male 190 female) of 15-83 years of age were reconstructed using 3D-volumetric rendering in RadiAnt. Pubic symphyseal phase, bias, inaccuracy, and percentage correct age classifications are examined. Transition analysis was used to develop age estimation standards. High observer agreement (κ = 0.763-0.832) and a positive relationship between age and pubic symphyseal phase (r = 0.884-0.90) were demonstrated. Mean inaccuracies were 8.62 and 8.95 years for males and females, respectively overall correct classification was 97.8%. Transition ages between phases in males were 18.79, 23.29, 28.85, 43.64, and 61.15 years in females, the corresponding data were 19.77, 22.53, 32.62, 41.85, and 57.39 years.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2011.09.010
Abstract: As part of the formulation of a biological profile, the estimation of stature is an important element that provides useful data towards narrowing the pool of potentially matching identities. Recent literature has demonstrated that anthropometry of the hand has considerable promise for the accurate estimation of stature although the technique has only been tested in a relatively limited range of populations. The aim of the present study, therefore, is to assess the reliability and accuracy of using anthropometric hand measurements for the estimation of stature in a contemporary Western Australian population we also evaluate whether stature can be accurately estimated from the measurement of handprints. The study s le comprises 91 male and 110 female adult in iduals. Following the measurement of stature, seven measurements are taken on each hand and its corresponding print. To establish the reliability of acquiring these measurements, a precision study was performed prior to primary data collection. Measurements data are analysed using basic univariate statistics and simple and multiple regression analyses. Our results show that the degree of measurement error and reliability are well within accepted standards. Stature prediction accuracy using hand and handprint measurements ranges from ±4.74 to 6.53cm, which is comparable to established skeletal standards for the hand. This study provides new forensic standards for the estimation of stature in a Western Australian population and also demonstrates that the measurement and analysis of handprints affords a novel source of profiling data that is statistically quantified.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S41636-023-00396-1
Abstract: The loss of the Dutch East India Company ship Batavia in 1629 on the Houtman Abrolhos off the west coast of Australia and subsequent mutiny is one of the most dramatic events in the history of European encounters with Australia, and was widely popularized in 17th-century publications. The archaeological remains surpass that of a shipwreck with its consequent jetsam and flotsam, and are the silent witnesses to a cultural landscape of survival created within a few months by a horrible sequence of events. Here we present archaeological evidence collected from 2014 to 2019 in a new research project that informs on these historical events. We discovered 12 victims in single and multiple graves, as well as evidence for survivors’ resistance to a band of mutineers and remains of the possible gallows site where 7 mutineers were executed. Together these sites contribute to the understanding of the survival landscape at one of the earliest European sites in Australia.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2004.08.001
Abstract: This study aimed to examine sexual dimorphism in, and to produce a practical discriminant function for determining the sex of indigenous, Bantu-speaking, South African crania. The types of data to be used were a small number of traditional, or mathematically transformed three-dimensional, linear measurements, comparable to those in use by most physical and forensic anthropologists. The s les to be examined, separately and pooled, were of the Cape Nguni, Natal Nguni and Sotho subgroups. In addition, three local populations ('tribes'--Zulu, Xhosa and Southern Sotho) within these subgroups were also studied. Univariate male/female ratios indicate significant sexual dimorphism in the pooled South African crania. Canonical variates analysis of the pooled s le showed that facial width is the strongest discriminating morphometric variable cranial length and basi-bregmatic height are the next most significant features. Eight measurements derived from the three-dimensional data were used to produce a series of discriminant functions for sex determination in the pooled s le, for which an accuracy of 77-80% was attained. Analysis of the calvaria and face, separately, has shown that the sex of damaged material can be diagnosed with a reasonable degree of accuracy (75-76%). The new functions for the pooled indigenous South African s le provide improved sex discrimination accuracy compared to those obtained by employing the commonly utilised statistics of Giles & Elliot (1963), even when a modified sectioning point is used. Functions calculated for the separate local populations gave variable and fairly low improvements in sexing accuracy. As the sub isions at all levels are at present quite rapidly disappearing in South Africa, for most purposes it is now best to simply apply the pooled data functions for sexing crania.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2009
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-09-2023
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2019.109950
Abstract: Histological methods can be used forensically to estimate age-at-death based on patterns of change in osteon shape, size, and population density, all of which result from the continuous process of bone remodelling. The present study examines the applicability of three existing histological age-at-death estimation methods as applied to an Australian population of known age and sex. Microradiographs from 50 mid-shaft femora thin sections, equally ided by sex, were obtained from the Melbourne Femur Reference Collection (MFRC) stated chronological age-at-death is 18 to 88 years. Osteon shape metrics are measured using ImageJ and the age-at-death prediction formulae of i) Singh and Gunberg, ii) Keough et al., and iii) Goliath et al. are applied. The relationship between estimated and actual age-at-death is then statistically quantified. All three formulae demonstrate pooled and sex-specific SEE values in excess of 20 years: i) pooled ±22.92 (♂±20.91, ♀±25.20) ii) ±20.79 (♂±20.96, ♀±21.05) and iii) ±35.43 (♂±32.68, ♀±38.66). When in iduals under 40 years of age were excluded from the analysis, only two of the methods demonstrated increased accuracy: i) pooled ±20.87 (♂ ±17.47, ♀ ±23.70) ii) pooled ±18.21 (♂±16.51, ♀±19.90) and iii) pooled ±41.18 (♂ ±40.12, ♀ 43.05). The present study represents a preliminary investigation of the accuracy of existing histological age-at-death standards applied in an Australian population of known age.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2013.04.004
Abstract: Age estimation is a vital aspect in creating a biological profile and aids investigators by narrowing down potentially matching identities from the available pool. In addition to routine casework, in the present global political scenario, age estimation in living in iduals is required in cases of refugees, asylum seekers, human trafficking and to ascertain age of criminal responsibility. Thus robust methods that are simple, non-invasive and ethically viable are required. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to test the reliability and applicability of the coronal pulp cavity index method, for the purpose of developing age estimation standards for an adult Western Australian population. A total of 450 orthopantomograms (220 females and 230 males) of Australian in iduals were analyzed. Crown and coronal pulp chamber heights were measured in the mandibular left and right premolars, and the first and second molars. These measurements were then used to calculate the tooth coronal index. Data was analyzed using paired s le t-tests to assess bilateral asymmetry followed by simple linear and multiple regressions to develop age estimation models. The most accurate age estimation based on simple linear regression model was with mandibular right first molar (SEE ±8.271 years). Multiple regression models improved age prediction accuracy considerably and the most accurate model was with bilateral first and second molars (SEE ±6.692 years). This study represents the first investigation of this method in a Western Australian population and our results indicate that the method is suitable for forensic application.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2010.05.009
Abstract: Forensic anthropologists are frequently required to verify the human origin of complete and partial skeletal remains. This determination, however, can be difficult for bone fragments with few or no distinctive morphological markers. Current methods of distinguishing human from non-human bone fragments include microscopic, immunological and DNA testing, which are each limited to some degree (e.g. time consuming and expensive). The purpose of this study is to investigate an alternative morphometric approach to quantify the external structure of human long bones (humeri, femora, and tibiae) compared to quadrupedal (sheep, dog, and pig) and bipedal (kangaroo and emu) animals common to Australia. Eight traditional measurements were taken on a s le of 50 human and at least 10 of each of the five animal species measurements were then analysed using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The results expectedly indicate enough variation between species to correctly assign an unknown bone as that of a human or non-human, with cross-validated classification accuracy of 95% or better. More importantly, however, the technique also proved to be accurate if only a fragment of the diaphysis is analysed classification accuracy 63-99%. The results of this study, therefore, outline a forensically useful non-invasive method to distinguish human from animal bones.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2004.07.004
Abstract: In order to compare linear dimensions made by traditional anthropometric techniques, and those obtained from three-dimensional coordinates, s les of four indigenous southern African populations were analysed. Linear measurements were obtained using mathematically transformed, three-dimensional landmark data on 207 male crania of Cape Nguni, Natal Nguni, Sotho and Shangaan. Univariate comparisons for accuracy of the transformed linear data were made with those in a traditional linear study by de Villiers (The Skull of the South African Negro: A Biometrical and Morphological Study. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg) on similar s les and equivalent landmarks. Comparisons were not made with her Penrose (Ann Eugenics 18 (1954) 337) analysis as an apparently anomalous 'shape'-'size' statistic was found. The univariate comparisons demonstrated that accurate linear measurements could be derived from three-dimensional data, showing that it is possible to simultaneously obtain data for three-dimensional geometric 'shape' and linear interlandmark analyses. Using Penrose and canonical variates analyses of the transformed three-dimensional interlandmark measurements, similar population distances were found for the four indigenous southern African populations. The inter-population distance relationships took the form of three separated pairs of distances, with the within-pair distances very similar in size. The cranial features of the four populations were found to be overall very similar morphometrically. However the populations were each shown by CVA to have population specific features, and using discriminant analyses 50% or more of the in idual crania (with the exception of the Sotho) could be referred to their correct populations.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2015
DOI: 10.2147/RRFMS.S75140
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2013.12.008
Abstract: In the present global socio-political scenario, an increasing demand exists for age estimation in living persons, such as refugees and asylum seekers, who seldom have any documentation for proof of identity. Age estimation in the living poses significant challenges because the methods need to be non-invasive, accurate and ethically viable. Methods based on the analysis of the pulp chamber are recommended for age estimation in living adults. There is, however, a paucity of studies of this nature and population specific standards in Western Australia. The aim of the present study is therefore, to test the reliability and applicability of the method developed by Kvaal et al. (1995) for the purpose of developing age estimation standards for an adult Western Australian population. A total of 279 digital orthopantomograms (143 female and 136 male) of Australian in iduals were analysed. A subset of the total s le (50) was removed as a cross-validation (holdout) s le. Following the method described in Kvaal et al. (1995), length and width measurements of the tooth and pulp chamber were acquired in maxillary central and lateral incisors second premolars, mandibular lateral incisors canines and first premolars. Those measurements were then used to calculate a series of ratios (length and width), which were subsequently used to formulate age estimation regression models. The most accurate model based on a single tooth was for the maxillary central incisor (SEE ±9.367 years), followed by the maxillary second premolar (SEE ±9.525 years). Regression models based on the measurement of multiple teeth improved age prediction accuracy (SEE ±7.963 years). The regression models presented here have expected accuracy rates comparable (if not higher than) to established skeletal morphoscopic methods. This method, therefore, offers a statistically quantified methodological approach for forensic age estimation in Western Australian adults.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-03-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-02-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-01-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-01-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-11-2018
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 05-08-2020
Abstract: Extant histomorphometric aging methods based on the analysis of the femoral cortex generally report small s les ( N ) and highly variable standard error of the estimate (SEE) values (±1.51‒16.98 years). The present paper reviews the published literature on femoral histomorphometry for age-at-death estimation in order to examine the relationship between s le size and SEE values, and makes recommendations for minimum reporting requirements for age-at-death studies based on statistical data. The SEE from a total of 33 studies are analysed. S le size and confidence intervals are explored using Hennig and Cooper’s simulation modelling. Analysis of effect size through a fixed-effect model is performed on 5/33 studies to examine the relationship between s le size and effect size. The pooled sex formulae from Nor et al., Martrille et al. and Thompson and the two sex-specific formulae of Pfeiffer are examined, as they report mean and standard deviation values for both chronological and estimated ages. The results of these analyses support s ling theory, specifically wide variation in SEE when N , narrowing as the s le size increases, and lower effect sizes in the larger of the five studies examined. The findings provide some support for a minimum threshold of 100‒150 in iduals for histomorphometric age-at-death estimation. Analysis of effect size is suggested for future investigation in meta-analyses of forensic anthropological age-estimation studies. To ensure increased precision and meaningful comparison, large s les should be used for histomorphometry, and authors should report SEE and discrete statistics (e.g. n, mean, standard deviation) for both chronological age and estimated age.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-08-2007
DOI: 10.1111/J.1556-4029.2007.00522.X
Abstract: The dentition is widely recognized as the set of developmental markers that appear to show the least variability against chronological age these markers are thus widely used in forensic anthropological investigations. As a possible alternative, we investigate here the potential of mandibular morphology as a developmental marker for estimating age at death in subadults. The s le analyzed comprises 79 known age and sex subadult in iduals of South African Bantu and African American origin. Linear measurements of ramus height were obtained from the mathematical conversion of three-dimensional landmark data. A series of regression analyses were then performed to predict age by using the measurement of ramus height results were cross-validated using a jackknife procedure. Our results show that ramus height can be used to predict age in the subadult skeleton with accuracy, closely approaching that of standards based on the dentition (standard error rates are between +/-1.1 years and +/-2.4 years).
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2008.03.014
Abstract: South Africa currently has a high homicide rate. This results in a large number of unidentified bodies being recovered each year, many of which are referred to the forensic examiner. This situation has resulted in considerable growth of forensic anthropological research devoted to devising standards for specific application in South African medico-legal investigations. The standards suitable for Black South Africans now encompass a wide variety of skeletal elements (e.g. cranium, humerus, pelvis, femur, patella, talus, calcaneus), each with differing degrees of accuracy. Apart from a preliminary investigation of the Zulu local population, however, we note that there appears to be no established metric mandible discriminant function standards for sex determination in this population. The purpose of the present study is to undertake a comprehensive analysis of sexual dimorphism in the mandible of Black South Africans, incorporating in iduals from a selection of the larger local population groupings the primary aim is to produce a series of metrical standards for the determination of sex. The s le analyzed comprises 225 non-pathological mandibles of Black South African in iduals drawn from the R.A. Dart Collection. Nine linear measurements, obtained from mathematically transformed three-dimensional landmark data, are analyzed using basic univariate statistics and discriminant function analyses. All of the measurements examined are found to be sexually dimorphic the dimensions of the ramus and corpus lengths are most dimorphic. The sex classification accuracy of the discriminant functions ranged from 70.7 to 77.3% for the univariate method, 81.8% for the stepwise method, and 63.6 to 84% for the direct method. We conclude that the mandible is a very useful element for sex determination in this population.
Publisher: Brill
Date: 08-02-2008
DOI: 10.1159/000151356
Abstract: Humans alone among primates lack a superficial head of the temporalis muscle, although a complete superficial muscle is present in 1% of humans and an incomplete one in 8%. Yet the temporal fascia of normal humans contains all the fascial sheets associated with that head even though it is absent. The implication is that humans have lost the superficial temporal muscle, that this is evident from the retention of the fascial sheets, and that the muscular variations represent situations where the muscle has persisted to some degree. Molecular factors in the head domain that are responsible for the development of the muscles of mastication (myosin heavy chain 16) are likewise different in humans than in all non-human species and seem to be responsible for the reduction of those muscles in humans. Could the loss of the superficial portion of the temporalis muscle be a component of this reduction? Could the uncommon muscular variations result from some slight persistence of the prior molecular situation? Could the persistence of the fascial sheets, even when the muscle is absent, be because the molecular factors responsible for connective tissues are not the same as those responsible for muscles? How much of all this can be visualised in the fossil record? Skeletal dimensions of the temporal fossa, partly related to the temporal muscle size, imply that it may be possible to determine in which fossils temporal muscle reduction has occurred. Likewise, surface features of the bone in modern humans without a superficial muscular component but with a strong complex fibrous element suggest that it might be possible to determine, in any fossil in which the surface preservation is good enough, how far back this situation may have persisted. It is already known that myosin heavy chain molecular dating suggests that the muscle reduction may have occurred about 2.4 million years ago.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-07-2020
DOI: 10.1093/JME/TJAA142
Abstract: Forensic entomology relies on insect development data generated within a laboratory setting in the estimation of minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). The methodologies used to produce these data vary considerably within the field and there is no accepted standard approach to laboratory rearing of forensically relevant species. A wide range of rearing media are used across published studies, including different species of animal and types of tissue (e.g., muscle and liver). Differing methodologies, particularly rearing diet, can introduce considerable variation into the baseline data upon which forensic estimates of the mPMI are calculated. Consequently, research establishing a widely available, standard and/or optimal, rearing medium for blow fly development for forensic application is desirable. This study examined dietary effects on the development of two forensically relevant blow fly species: Calliphora dubia Macquart, 1855, and Chrysomya rufifacies Macquart 1842 (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Larvae of both species were reared on pork liver, pork mince, pork loin, beef liver, beef mince, and guinea pig carcass under two constant temperature regimes (24 ± 1°C and 30 ± 1°C 70 ± 10% humidity 12-h/12-h photoperiod) to assess the influence of temperature on developmental response to diet. Fundamental developmental data pertaining to both species are reported. Developmental response to diet was species-specific and influenced by temperature with indication that the optimal temperature for C. dubia development is below 30°C. Pork mince was the most appropriate dietary standard of the rearing media investigated for the formulation of forensic development data for both species investigated.
Publisher: Brill
Date: 08-02-2008
DOI: 10.1159/000151357
Abstract: Many forelimb muscles (e.g. coracobrachialis, rhomboids, serratus sheet) are much less complex and much smaller in humans than in other primates. Yet human muscular variations and persistent fascial sheets indicate that increased size and complexity were once the norm. These muscular reductions are associated with equivalent skeletal gracilisation. Is it possible that molecular phenomena, not unlike those producing reduction of the jaw muscles and associated with gracilisation of the skull in species with reduced need for powerful mastication, may also have reduced forelimb muscles with gracilisation of its skeleton in species no longer using a forelimb for powerful locomotion? Could such molecular and skeletal changes be dated (as for the masticatory muscles) thus giving the time of origination of prehuman forelimb reduction and true bipedalism?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-03-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.JFLM.2012.12.008
Abstract: The aim of the study is to develop accurate stature estimation models for a contemporary Western Australian population from measurements of the feet and footprints. The s le comprises 200 adults (90 males, 110 females). A stature measurement, three linear measurements from each foot and bilateral footprints were collected from each subject. Seven linear measurements were then extracted from each print. Prior to data collection, a precision test was conducted to determine the repeatability of measurement acquisition. The primary data were then analysed using a range of parametric statistical tests. Results show that all foot and footprint measurements were significantly (P < 0.01-0.001) correlated with stature and estimation models were formulated with a prediction accuracy of ± 4.673 cm to ± 6.926 cm. Left foot length was the most accurate single variable in the simple linear regressions (males: ± 5.065 cm females: ± 4.777 cm). This study provides viable alternatives for estimating stature in a Western Australian population that are equivalent to established standards developed from foot bones.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.LEGALMED.2009.09.001
Abstract: Skeletal identification has a long tradition in both physical and forensic anthropology. The process generally begins with formulation of a biological profile (osteobiography) specifically, estimation of sex, age, ethnicity and stature. The present paper briefly reviews a selection of the principal methods used for one aspect of the identification process the estimation of personal age. It is well-documented that variability in the morphological features used to assess age in the human skeleton progressively increases from birth to old age. Thus choice of method is inherently related to whether unidentified remains are those of a juvenile or an adult. This review, therefore, considers methods appropriate for age estimation in both juvenile and adult remains the former being primarily based on developmental, and the latter degenerative, morphological features. Such a review is timely as new methods are constantly being developed, concurrent with refinements to those already well established in mainstream anthropology.
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2023
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2023
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-02-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-01-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-018-01992-0
Abstract: The transposition of traditional biological profiling methods to virtual skeletal reconstructions represents a relatively novel practice that is proving to be versatile in a variety of forensic contexts. Widespread acknowledgement of the disadvantages associated with archaeological and/or other non-contemporary skeletal collections has prompted an increase in the use of medical imaging modalities for the purposes of formulating population-specific reference standards used to estimate characteristics such as chronological age. The primary aim of the present study is to statistically evaluate the reproducibility of assessment and thereafter develop age estimation standards based on the morphoscopic evaluation of the fourth right sternal rib following the phase ageing method developed as reported by İşcan et al. (J Forensic Sci 29:1094-1104, 1984, J Forensic Sci 30:853-863, 1985) in clinical multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) scans. A total of 335 MSCT scans representing Western Australian in iduals between 10 and 80 years of age (179 male and 156 female) were retrospectively reconstructed and analysed in OsiriX following the İşcan et al. sex-specific standards (J Forensic Sci 29:1094-1104, 1984, J Forensic Sci 30:853-863, 1985) for the fourth right rib. Regression and transition analyses are employed to generate standards for the estimation of chronological age and modelling of thoracic senescence, respectively. The method was also applied to right ribs three and five to evaluate intercostal variance in age-related metamorphosis. Intra- and inter-observer accordance is 'substantial' (K = 0.76) and 'almost perfect' (K = 0.825), respectively. Intercostal variances between ribs three to five were observed in the male s le only. Multiple regression using phase scores from all three ribs produced models with the highest predictive accuracy (± 10.04 years for males and ± 9.81 years for females). The transition analyses demonstrate comparable levels of age-related morphological change across ribs and male and female s les. This study presents a novel set of reference standards for a contemporary Australian population and further demonstrates the utility of virtual analysis in forensic anthropology.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2017.10.010
Abstract: The accurate and precise estimation of skeletal age by a forensic anthropologist is both a professional and judicial requirement. When unknown skeletal remains are referred to the anthropologist, the estimation of the requisite biological attributes (e.g., age and sex) should accordingly be based on the application of population-specific standards (statistical data). Deviations from the latter practice may result in reduced accuracy and compromised identification. Towards informing appropriate forensic practice, the aim of the present study is to develop statistically quantified age estimation models for a contemporary sub-adult Western Australian population based on the timing of fusion in the os coxa and proximal femur. The study s le comprises 562 known age and sex MDCT scans (292 male, 270 female) representing contemporary Western Australian in iduals birth through 30 years of age. Scans are viewed in multi-planar reconstructed (MPR) and/or three-dimensionally reconstructed images using OsiriX
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2014.08.019
Abstract: The forensic anthropologist is responsible for contributing to the identification of an unknown by constructing a biological profile from their skeletal remains. Towards achieving this goal, anthropologists can apply population and temporally specific standards with known error margins to morphometric data collected from a decedent. Recent research relating to the formulation of sex estimation standards has focussed on the assessment of bones other than the traditionally favoured pelvis and cranium, such as long bones of the appendicular skeleton. In particular, sex estimation standards based on morphometric data from metacarpals and phalanges have reported classification accuracy rates of 80% (and above) based on a narrow range of populations. The purpose of this study is to provide population-specific hand bone sex-estimation standards for a contemporary Western Australian population. The present study examines digital right hand radiographs of 300 adults of known age, equally represented by sex. A total of 40 measurements were taken in each hand (metacarpals and proximal phalanges) the measurements were then analysed using univariate statistics and cross-validated direct and stepwise discriminant function analysis. All hand bone measurements were significantly sexually dimorphic, with a tendency for the width measurements to express a higher degree of dimorphism than the length measurements. A maximum cross-validated classification accuracy of 91% was achieved with a sex bias of -6%. The standards presented here can be used in future forensic investigations that require sex estimation of hand bones in a Western Australian population.
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-05-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-014-0999-8
Abstract: Requisite to routine casework involving unidentified skeletal remains is the formulation of an accurate biological profile, including sex estimation. Choice of method(s) is invariably related to preservation and by association, available bones. It is vital that the method applied affords statistical quantification of accuracy rates and predictive confidence so that evidentiary requirements for legal submission are satisfied. Achieving the latter necessitates the application of contemporary population-specific standards. This study examines skeletal pelvic dimorphism in contemporary Western Australian in iduals to quantify the accuracy of using pelvic measurements to estimate sex and to formulate a series of morphometric standards. The s le comprises pelvic multi-slice computer tomography (MSCT) scans from 200 male and 200 female adults. Following 3D rendering, the 3D coordinates of 24 landmarks are acquired using OsiriX® (v.4.1.1) with 12 inter-landmark linear measurements and two angles acquired using MorphDb. Measurements are analysed using basic descriptive statistics and discriminant functions analyses employing jackknife validation of classification results. All except two linear measurements are dimorphic with sex differences explaining up to 65 % of s le variance. Transverse pelvic outlet and subpubic angle contribute most significantly to sex discrimination with accuracy rates between 100 % (complete pelvis-10 variables) and 81.2 % (ischial length). This study represents the initial forensic research into pelvic sexual dimorphism in a Western Australian population. Given these methods, we conclude that this highly dimorphic bone can be used to classify sex with a high degree of expected accuracy.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2016.03.042
Abstract: Various age estimation techniques have been utilised in Australia to evaluate the age of in iduals who do not have documentation to determine legal majority/culpability. These age estimation techniques rely on the assessment of skeletal development as visualised in radiographs, CT scans, MRI or ultrasound modalities, and subsequent comparison to reference standards. These standards are not always population specific and are thus known to be less accurate when applied outside of the original reference s le, leading to potential ethical implications. Therefore, the present study aims to: (i) explore the variation in developmental trajectories between the established Tanner-Whitehouse (TW) age estimation standards and a Western Australian population and (ii) develop specific hand-wrist age estimation standards for the latter population. The present study examines digital anterior-posterior hand-wrist radiographs of 360 in iduals 0 to 24.9 years of age, equally represented by sex. Each radiograph was assessed using the RUS, Carpal and 20-bone methods of Tanner et al. The standard error of the estimate (SEE) was calculated for each method (range: ♀ SEE ±0.4-11.5 years ♂ SEE ±0.9-10.1 years). The most accurate method was TW3 RUS for females and the TW2 Carpal system for males. The 50th centile skeletal maturity scores for each year age group were plotted against average chronological age to produce polynomial regression standards with a demonstrated accuracy of (♀ SEE ±0.09-3.46 years ♂ SEE ±0.02-3.42 years) for females and males, respectively. The standards presented here can be used in future forensic investigations that require age estimation of hand-wrist bones in a Western Australian population, however, they are not appropriate for establishing age of majority (18 years), as skeletal maturity was attained on average earlier than 15 years of age in both sexes for all three systems examined.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2011.11.008
Abstract: In Australia, particularly Western Australia, there is a relative paucity of contemporary population-specific morphometric standards for the estimation of sex from unknown skeletal remains. This is largely a historical artefact from lacking, or poorly documented, repositories of human skeletons available for study. However, medical scans, e.g. MSCT (multislice spiral computed tomography) are an ingenious and practical alternative source for contemporary data. To that end, this study is a comprehensive analysis of sternal sexual dimorphism in a s le of modern Western Australian (WA) in iduals with a main purpose to develop a series of statistically robust standards for the estimation of sex. The s le comprises thoracic MSCT scans, with a mean of 0.9 millimeter (mm) slice thickness, on 187 non-pathological sterna. Following 3D volume rendering, 10 anatomical landmarks were acquired using OsiriX(®) (version 3.9) and a total of 8 inter landmark linear measurements were calculated using Morph Db (an in-house developed database application). Measurements were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics and discriminant function analyses, with statistical analyses performed using SPSS 19.0. All measurements are sexually dimorphic and sex differences explain 9.8-47.4% of s le variance. The combined length of the manubrium and body, sternal body length, manubrium width, and corpus sterni width at first sternebra contribute significantly to sex discrimination and yield the smallest sex-biases. Cross-validated classification accuracies, i.e., univariate, stepwise and direct function, are 72.2-84.5%, with a sex bias of less than 5%. We conclude that the sternum is a reliable element for sex estimation among Western Australians.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-06-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-04-2021
DOI: 10.1002/AR.24626
Abstract: The quantification of cranial sexual dimorphism (CSD) among modern humans is relevant in evolutionary studies of morphological variation and in a forensic context. Despite the abundance of quantitative studies of CSD, few have specifically examined intra‐sex variability. Here we quantify CSD in a geographically homogeneous s le of adult crania, which includes Italian in iduals from the 19th and 20th centuries. Cranial morphology is described with 92 3D landmarks analyzed using Procrustean geometric morphometrics (PGMM). Size and shape variables are used to compare morphological variance between sexes in the whole cranium and four in idual regions. The same variables, plus Procrustes form, are used to quantify average sex differences and explore classification accuracy. Our results indicate that: (a) as predicted by Wainer's rule, males present overall more variance in size and shape, albeit this is statistically significant only for total cranial size (b) differences between sexes are dominated by size and to a lesser extent by Procrustes form (c) shape only accounts for a minor proportion of variance (d) the cranial base shows almost no dimorphism for shape and (e) facial Procrustes form is the most accurate predictor of skeletal sex. Overall, this study suggests developmental factors underlying differences in CSD among cranial regions stresses the need for population‐specific models that describe craniofacial variation as the basis for models that facilitate the estimation of sex in unidentified skeletal remains and provides one of the first confirmations of “Wainer's rule” in relation to sexual dimorphism in mammals specific to the human cranium.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JFLM.2016.10.013
Abstract: Different non-invasive methods have been proposed for dental age estimation in adults, with the Kvaal et al. method as one of the more frequently tested in different populations. The purpose of this study was to apply the Kvaal et al. method for dental age estimation on modern volumetric data from 3D digital systems. To this end, 101 CBCT images from a Malaysian population were used. Fifty-five per cent were female (n = 55), and forty-five percent were male (n = 46), with a median age of 31 years for both sexes. As tomographs allow the observer to obtain a sagittal and coronal view of the teeth, the Kvaal pulp/root width measurements and ratios were calculated in the bucco-lingual and mesio-distal aspects of the tooth. From these data different linear regression models and formulae were built. The most accurate models for estimating age were obtained from a erse combination of measurements (SEE ±10.58 years), and for the mesio-distal measurements of the central incisor at level A (SEE ±12.84 years). This accuracy, however is outside an acceptable range in for forensic application (SEE ±10.00 years), and is also more time consuming than the original approach based on dental radiographs.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-08-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 17-01-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-02-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2013.05.029
Abstract: An important component of forensic investigation is the identification of deceased (and increasingly living) in iduals, which is often the role of the forensic anthropologist. One of the most valuable steps towards identification is via a biological profile, developed through the application of population specific standards. In disaster victim identification scenarios, fleshed feet are often recovered in footwear footprints are another potential source of trace evidence found at crime scenes. In medico-legal investigations, feet and footprints can be useful for extrapolating living height, it is thus expedient to determine whether sex can be estimated from the same anthropometric data. The aim of the present study is to develop accurate sex estimation standards for a contemporary Western Australian population from measurements of the feet and footprints. The s le comprises 200 adults (90 males, 110 females). Three bilateral linear measurements were taken from each foot and seven bilateral measurements were acquired from static footprints obtained using a Podograph. A precision test was first conducted to assess data accuracy and reliability. Measurement data are then analysed using a range of parametric statistical tests. Results show that males were significantly (P ±5%), this study provides viable alternatives for estimating sex in Western Australian in iduals with accuracy equivalent to established standards developed from foot bones.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1002/AJHB.20908
Abstract: We report here on new data examining cranial variation in 18 modern human sub-Saharan African populations. Previously, we investigated variation within southern Africa we now extend our analyses to include a series of Central, East, and West African crania, to further knowledge of the relationships between, and variation and regional morphological patterning in, those populations. The s le comprises 377 male in iduals the three-dimensional coordinates of 96 landmarks are analyzed using Procrustes-based methods. Interpopulation variation is examined by calculating shape distances between groups, which are compared using res ling statistics and parametric tests. Phenotypic variance, as a proxy for genetic variance, is measured and compared across populations. Principal components and cluster analyses are employed to explore relationships between the populations. Shape differences are visualized using three-dimensional rendered models. Observed disparity patterns imply a mix of differences and similarities across populations, with no apparent support for genetic bottlenecks, which is likely a consequence of migrations that may have influenced differences in cranial form supporting data are found in recent molecular studies. The Pygmy s le had the most distinctive cranial morphology characteristically small in size with marked prognathism. These features characterized, although less strongly, the neighboring Bateke, and are possibly related to similar selective pressures in conjunction with interbreeding. Small cranial size is also involved in the considerable distinctiveness of the San and Khoikhoi. The statistical procedures applied in this study afford a powerful and robust means of quantifying and visualizing the magnitude and pattern of cranial variation between sub-Saharan African populations.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-04-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-023-02988-1
Abstract: Sex estimation is an integral aspect of a forensic biological profile. The pelvis, being the most dimorphic part of the skeleton, has been studied in considerable detail relative to morphological and metric variation. However, empirical data on the effect of age on pelvic morphology relative to sex-specific morphological variation is limited, especially in regard to the estimation of skeletal sex. This study assesses whether there are age-related differences in the distribution of the Walker (2005) morphological scores for the greater sciatic notch (GSN) in an Australian population. Three-dimensional volumetric reconstructions derived from multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of 567 pelves of 258 females and 309 males aged 18 to 96 years were scored following Walker (2005). Differences in score distributions and means by sex and age group were tested using Pearson’s chi-squared test and ANOVA, respectively. The accuracy of sex estimates derived from logistic regression equations was explored using leave-one-out cross-validation. Significant differences were found in score distribution and means among age groups in females, but not in males. There was a tendency toward higher scores in older females. The overall sex estimation accuracy was 87.5%. When comparing age groups 18–49 and 70 + years, estimation accuracy decreased in females (99% vs. 91%), while the opposite was found for males (79% vs. 87%). These findings suggest that age affects GSN morphology. Higher mean scores in older females imply that, on average, the GSN becomes narrower with increasing age. It is thus recommended due consideration of estimated age when assessing sex based on the GSN in unidentified human remains.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-12-2006
DOI: 10.1111/J.1556-4029.2006.00311.X
Abstract: There have been numerous attempts, with varying degrees of success, to differentiate males from females on the basis of the immature skeleton. We investigate here whether the mandible can discriminate immature in iduals by sex the techniques we apply are from the field of geometric morphometrics. The application of these methods in forensic anthropology is still relatively new thus, an important aspect of this research is that it demonstrates potential applications in this discipline. The s le comprises 96 known age and sex subadult in iduals the three-dimensional coordinates of 38 landmarks are analyzed using the shape analysis software morphologika. Multivariate regressions indicated no significant sexual dimorphism in the subadult s le this result is supported by poor cross-validated classification accuracy (59%). Our results suggest that the subadult mandible is not dimorphic (to the extent that dimorphism is not evident within the s le we studied) thus, sex determination using previously described criteria is likely to yield poor results.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-06-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-023-03031-Z
Abstract: The ability to differentiate in iduals based on their biological sex is essential for the creation of an accurate anthropological assessment it is therefore crucial that the standards that facilitate this are likewise accurate. Given the relative paucity of population-specific anthropological standards formulated specifically for application in the contemporary Australian population, forensic anthropological assessments have historically relied on the application of established methods developed using population geographically and/or temporally disparate. The aim of the present paper is, therefore, to assess the accuracy and reliability of established cranial sex estimation methods, developed from geographically distinct populations, as applied to the contemporary Australian population. Comparison between the original stated accuracy and sex bias values (where applicable) and those achieved after application to the Australian population provides insight into the importance of having anthropological standards optimised for application in specific jurisdictions. The s le analysed comprised computed tomographic (CT) cranial scans of 771 (385 female and 386 male) in iduals collected from five Australian states/territories. Cranial CT scans were visualised as three-dimensional volume-rendered reconstructions using OsiriX ®. On each cranium, 76 cranial landmarks were acquired, and 36 linear inter-landmark measurements were calculated using MorphDB . A total of 35 predictive models taken from Giles and Elliot (1963), Iscan et al. (1995), Ogawa et al. (2013), Steyn and İşcan (1998) and Kranioti et al. (2008) were tested. Application to the Australian population resulted in an average decrease in accuracy of 21.2%, with an associated sex bias range between − 64.0 and 99.7% (average sex bias value of 29.6%), relative to the original studies. The present investigation has highlighted the inherent inaccuracies of applying models derived from geographically and/or temporally disparate populations. It is, therefore, imperative that statistical models developed from a population consistent with the decedent be used for the estimation of sex in forensic casework.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2022
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-10-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 21-05-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.JFLM.2013.07.002
Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of Demirjian's four dental development methods for forensic age assessment in a South Australian population. The s le comprised orthopantomograms (OPGs) of 408 sub-adult in iduals (211 male 197 female) with an age range of 4.9-14.5 years. The OPGs were obtained from various dental schools and clinics in urban Adelaide. The following Demirjian methods were evaluated: the original 7-tooth technique the revised 7-tooth system the 4-tooth method and the alternate 4-tooth approach. The left mandibular teeth in each OPG were assessed and rated according to the eight stages (A-H) defined and illustrated in Demirjian et al.(5) Differences between chronological and estimated ages were calculated for males and females separately 95% confidence intervals of mean age differences were calculated and ANOVA used to assess the significance of mean differences. When comparing all four methods there were significant differences overall (and in in idual age groups) between mean chronological and estimated age in both sexes. In addition, each method consistently overestimated chronological age. We also demonstrate that the accuracy of the dental age methods evaluated varies in different subsets of an Australian population, a finding that parallels previous research in other global populations. Based on our analyses we conclude that population-specific standards based on dental maturity curves, as opposed to estimated ages, would provide more accurate and statistically robust age estimations.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-10-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-01-2011
DOI: 10.1002/OA.1235
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-10-2013
DOI: 10.1002/AJPA.22399
Abstract: The spheno-occipital synchondrosis is a craniofacial growth centre between the occipital and sphenoid bones-its ossification persists into adolescence, which for the skeletal biologist, means it has potential application for estimating subadult age. Based on previous research the timing of spheno-occipital fusion is widely variable between and within populations, with reports of complete fusion in in iduals as young as 11 years of age and nonfusion in adults. The aim of this study is, therefore, to examine this structure in a mixed sex s le of Western Australian in iduals that developmentally span late childhood to adulthood. The objective is to develop statistically quantified age estimation standards based on scoring the degree of spheno-occipital fusion. The s le comprises multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of 312 in iduals (169 male 143 female) between 5 and 25 years of age. Each MDCT scan is visualized in a standardized sagittal plane using three-dimensional oblique multiplanar reformatting. Fusion status is scored according to a four-stage system. Transition analysis is used to calculate age ranges for each defined stage and determine the mean age for transition between an unfused, fusing and fused status. The maximum likelihood estimates for the transition from open to fusing in the endocranial half is 14.44 years (male) and 11.42 years (female) transition from fusion in the ectocranial half to complete fusion is 16.16 years (male) and 13.62 years (female). This study affirms the potential value of assessing the degree of fusion in the spheno-occipital synchondrosis as an indicator of skeletal age.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-11-2016
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-07-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-03-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-012-0684-8
Abstract: A current limitation of forensic practice in Western Australia is a lack of contemporary population-specific standards for biological profiling this directly relates to the unavailability of documented human skeletal collections. With rapidly advancing technology, however, it is now possible to acquire accurate skeletal measurements from 3D scans contained in medical databases. The purpose of the present study, therefore, is to explore the accuracy of using cranial form to predict sex in adult Australians. Both traditional and geometric morphometric methods are applied to data derived from 3D landmarks acquired in CT-reconstructed crania. The s le comprises multi-detector computed tomography scans of 200 adult in iduals following 3D volume rendering, 46 anatomical landmarks are acquired using OsiriX (version 3.9). Centroid size and shape (first 20 PCs of the Procrustes coordinates) and the inter-landmark (ILD) distances between all possible pairs of landmarks are then calculated. Sex classification effectiveness of the 3D multivariate descriptors of size and shape and selected ILD measurements are assessed and compared robustness of findings is explored using res ling statistics. Cranial shape and size and the ILD measurements are sexually dimorphic and explain 3.2 to 54.3 % of s le variance sex classification accuracy is 83.5-88.0 %. Sex estimation using 3D shape appears to have some advantages compared to approaches using size measurements. We have, however, identified a simple and biologically meaningful single non-traditional linear measurement (glabella-zygion) that classifies Western Australian in iduals according to sex with a high degree of expected accuracy (87.5-88 %).
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-05-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-11-2007
DOI: 10.1007/S12024-007-9015-7
Abstract: Methods for skeletal identification have a long history in physical and forensic anthropology. Recent literature demonstrates that new methods are constantly being developed, concurrent with refinements to those already commonly employed. The present study concerns the application of geometric morphometrics to assess the potential of mandibular morphology as a developmental marker for estimating age at death in subadult human skeletal remains. The s le comprises 79 known age and sex subadult in iduals of South African Bantu and African American origin 38 bilateral three-dimensional landmarks were designed and acquired using a portable digitizer. Linear regression was used to predict age using the multivariate descriptors of mandible size and shape based on configurations of three-dimensional landmarks. Our results show that the mandible can be used to predict age in the subadult skeleton with accuracy comparable to standards based on the dentition (standard error rates are between +/-1.3 and +/-3.0 years). These results closely parallel our previous study using the linear measurement of ramus height, but suggest that geometric morphometrics may be slightly more accurate when adolescents are included in the s le.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2013.03.005
Abstract: It is widely accepted that the most accurate statistical estimations of biological attributes in the human skeleton (e.g., sex, age and stature) are produced using population-specific standards. As we previously demonstrated that the application of foreign standards to Western Australian in iduals results in an unacceptably large sex bias (females frequently misclassified), the need for population-specific standards is duly required and greatly overdue. We report here on the first morphometric cranial sexing standards formulated specifically for application in, and based on the statistical analysis of, contemporary Western Australian in iduals. The primary aim is to investigate the nature of cranial sexual dimorphism in this population and outline a series of statistically robust standards suitable for estimating sex in the complete bone and/or associated diagnostic fragments. The s le analysed comprised multi-detector computed tomography cranial scans of 400 in iduals equally distributed by sex. Following 3D volume rendering, 31 landmarks were acquired using OsiriX, from which a total of 18 linear inter-landmark measurements were calculated. Measurements were analysed using basic descriptive statistics and discriminant function analyses employing jackknife validations of classification results. All measurements (except frontal breadth and orbital height - Bonferroni corrected) are sexually dimorphic with sex differences explaining 3.5-48.9% of s le variance. Bizygomatic breadth and maximum length of the cranium and the cranial base contribute most significantly to sex discrimination the maximum classification accuracy was 90%, with a -2.1% sex-bias. We conclude that the cranium is both highly dimorphic and a reliable bone for estimating sex in Western Australian in iduals.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2017.12.046
Abstract: Timing of fusion of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS) is correlated with age. Previous research, however, has demonstrated variation in the timing of closure among different global populations. The present study aims to quantify the timing of SOS fusion in Malaysian in iduals as visualised in multi-detector computed tomography (CT) scans and to thereafter formulate age estimation models based on fusion status. Anonymised cranial CT scans of 336 males and 164 females, aged 5-25 years, were acquired from the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital Sultanah Aminah. The scans were received in DICOM format and reconstructed into three-dimensional images using OsiriX. The SOS is scored as open, fusing endocranially, fusing ectocranially or completely fused. Statistical analyses are performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24. Transition analysis (Nphases2) is then utilised to calculate age ranges for each stage. To assess the reliability of an observation, intra- and inter-observer agreement is quantified using Fleiss Kappa and was found to be excellent (κ=0.785-0.907 and 0.812). The mean (SD) age for complete fusion is 20.84 (2.84) years in males and 19.78 (3.35) years in females. Transition ages between Stages 0 and 1, 1 and 2, and 2 and 3 in males are 12.52, 13.98 and 15.52 years, respectively (SD 1.37) in females, the corresponding data are 10.47, 12.26 and 13.80 years (SD 1.72). Complete fusion of the SOS was observed in all in iduals above the age of 18 years. SOS fusion status provides upper and lower age boundaries for forensic age estimation in the Malaysian s le.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1002/AJHB.20569
Abstract: Much of our understanding of population variation in southern Africa is derived from traditional morphometric research. In the search for new perspectives, this paper reports on new geometric morphometric data examining cranial variation in 12 modern human populations from southern Africa. In total, 298 male Bantu-speaking in iduals were studied. In addition, a small Khoisan (Khoikhoi and San) series was also examined. The purpose of this study was to investigate Khoisan-Bantu morphological similarities and differences, and to examine variation within both the Bantu-speaking and Khoisan populations. The three-dimensional coordinates of 96 landmarks were analyzed, using the shape-analysis software morphologika. Interpopulation variation was examined by calculating Procrustes distances between groups a cluster analysis was then used to summarize phenetic relationships. A principal components analysis explored the relationships between populations shape differences were visualized and explored using three-dimensional rendered models, and further interpreted using thin-plate splines. Morphological differences are present within and between the crania of Bantu-speaking and Khoisan in iduals. The Khoisan demonstrate features (e.g., a pentagonoid vault, more rounded forehead contour, and a small and less prognathic face) that clearly distinguish them from Bantu-speaking populations. Although southern African Bantu-speaking populations are clearly closely related, they show population-specific features (e.g., the crania of more southerly populations (Xhosa, Southern Sotho, and Zulu) are characteristically more brachycephalic and less prognathic). This study suggests that differential admixture with adjacent Khoisan peoples has contributed to ersity within southern African Bantu-speaking populations.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-11-2015
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-014-1116-8
Abstract: The clavicle is the first bone to ossify in the developing embryo and the last to complete epiphyseal union. It is the latter sustained period of growth that has attracted the interest of skeletal biologists and forensic practitioners alike, who collectively recognize the important opportunity this bone affords to estimate skeletal age across the prenatal to early adult lifespan. Current research is largely directed towards evaluating the applicability of assessing fusion in the medial epiphysis, specifically for determining age of majority in the living. This study aims to contribute further insights, and inform medicolegal practice, by evaluating the Schmeling five-stage system for the assessment of clavicular development in a Western Australian population. We retrospectively evaluated high-resolution multiple detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of 388 in iduals (210 male 178 female) between 10 and 35 years of age. Scans are viewed in axial and multiplanar reconstructed (MPR) images using OsiriX®. Fusion status is scored according to a five-stage system. Transition analysis is used to calculate age ranges and determine the mean age for transition between an unfused, fusing and fused status. The maximum likelihood estimates (in years) for transition from unfused to fusing is 20.60 (male) and 19.19 (female) transition from fusing to complete fusion is 21.92 (male) and 21.47 (female). Results of the present study confirm the reliability of the assessed method and demonstrate remarkable consistency to data reported for other global populations.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-09-2013
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-012-0772-9
Abstract: The statistical quantification of error and uncertainty is inherently intertwined with ascertaining the admissibility of forensic evidence in a court of law. In the forensic anthropological discipline, the robustness of any given standard should not only be evaluated according to its stated error but by the accuracy and precision of the raw data (measurements) from which they are derived. In the absence of Australian contemporary documented skeletal collections, medical scans (e.g. multislice computed tomography-MSCT) offer a source of contemporary population-specific data for the formulation of skeletal standards. As the acquisition of morphometric data from clinical MSCT scans is still relatively novel, the purpose of this study is to assess validity of the raw data that is being used to formulate Australian forensic standards. Six human crania were subjected to clinical MSCT at a slice thickness of 0.9 mm. Each cranium and its corresponding volume-rendered three-dimensional MSCT image were measured multiple times. Whether differences between MSCT and dry bone interlandmark measurements are negligible is statistically quantified intra- and inter-observer measurement error is also assessed. We found that traditional bone measurements are more precise than their MSCT counterparts, although overall differences between the two data acquisition methods are negligible compared to s le variance. Cranial variation accounted on average for more than 20× the variance explained by MSCT vs. bone measurements. Similarly, although differences between operators were sometimes significant compared to intra-operator variance, they were negligible when compared to s le variance, which was on average 12× larger than that due to inter-operator differences.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-12-2019
Publisher: Mark Allen Group
Date: 02-07-2015
DOI: 10.12968/BJOM.2015.23.7.490
Abstract: The objective of this study was to re-evaluate the Caldwell-Moloy (1933) classification of female pelvic shape, which has been traditionally, and still is currently, taught to students of midwifery and medicine. Using modern pelvimetric methodologies and geometric morphometric (GM) analysis techniques, we aim to elucidate whether these classic female pelvic types are an accurate reflection of the real morphometric variation present in the female human pelvis. GM analysis was carried out on sets of pelvic landmarks from scans of women living in a contemporary Western Australian population. Sixty-four anonymous female multi-detector computer tomography (MDCT) scans were used for most of the study and 51 male scans were also examined for comparison. Principle component analysis (PCA) found that there was no obvious clustering into the four distinct types of pelvis (gynaecoid, anthropoid, android and platypelloid) in the Caldwell-Moloy classification, but rather an amorphous, cloudy continuum of shape variation. Until more data is collected to confirm or deny the statistical significance of this shape variation, it is recommended that teachers and authors of midwifery, obstetrics and gynaecological texts be more cautious about continuing to promote the Caldwell-Moloy classification, as our results show no support for the long taught ‘four types’ of pelvis.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.48350/155990
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-05-2023
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Date: 30-01-2020
DOI: 10.5744/FA.2020.1003
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-02-2019
Publisher: Western Australian Museum
Date: 2010
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2018.05.028
Abstract: This study investigated the potential of aircraft mounted thermal imaging (AMTI) to locate surficial decomposing remains (clothed and unclothed) through detection of heat generated by larval aggregations of carrion feeding insects. Two trials were carried out, each utilising four pig cadavers (40-45kg) as human analogues and exposing them to insect activity in autumn and winter on the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia. The Western Australia Police Air Wing helicopter, fitted with a forward looking infrared radiometer (FLIR) camera, was utilised to obtain the AMTI footage of carcasses over time. The helicopter obtained footage on six occasions during Trial 1 and 22 times during Trial 2. The carcasses were visited daily to record temperature data, insect activity and the state of decay. Activity of blow fly larval aggregations and corresponding heat generation was greatest during the active decay stage in this period surficial remains were strongly detectable by AMTI at distances of up to one kilometre away. The average ambient daytime temperature during autumn was 27.6±3.4°C and AMTI was most effective 3-8days after death. During winter the average daytime temperature was 14.2±2.6°C and AMTI was most effective 10-23days after death. As the timing of larval aggregation activity varied significantly in different seasons, climatic conditions must be considered when assessing the window of opportunity for AMTI as a viable search technique. Despite climatic variation, the temperature difference between larval aggregations and surrounding soil was remarkably consistent across both seasons (8.9±1.0°C). AMTI was determined to be most effective between 9 pm and 5 am. A predictive tool for determining the window of opportunity for the successful detection of larval aggregations under Western Australian environmental conditions is provided.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-05-2022
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-05-2023
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-08-2020
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2023
Start Date: 2013
End Date: 2016
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2010
End Date: 12-2013
Amount: $410,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 07-2022
End Date: 06-2026
Amount: $798,869.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 03-2014
End Date: 12-2019
Amount: $489,367.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity