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Skeletal Material (skeletal + material)
Selected AbstractsNew Method for Predicting the Lumbar Lordosis Angle in Skeletal MaterialTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2007Ella Been Abstract Reconstructing the lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine in humans is essential for understanding their posture and locomotion. To date there is still no reliable method for predicting the lordotic curvature of disarticulated spines (in the absence of intervertebral disks). This article examines two possible methods for predicting the lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine. The first,the traditional method,is based on the degree of wedging of the vertebral bodies, and the second,the suggested new method,is based on a lateral view of the orientation of the inferior articular processes. We propose a linear regression model for predicting the lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine (lordosis angle) in disarticulated human spines. This model, derived directly from our new method, is a more reliable predictor of the lumbar lordosis angle in disarticulated spines. Anat Rec, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis in Late Jomon Hokkaido, JapanINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2006M. F. Oxenham Abstract The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the evidence for diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in samples of human skeletal material recovered from Late Jomon (ca. 1500,300 BCE) and Okhotsk (CE 500,900) cultural period sites, northwestern Hokkaido, Japan. Two individuals from the Jomon period assemblage (n,=,14) exhibited lesions consistent with DISH, while the larger Okhotsk sample (n,=,39) was free of this condition. The aetiology of this condition is reviewed with reference to the clinical and bioarchaeological literature, in addition to behavioural and environmental considerations specific to this region and these time periods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On the accuracy of estimating living stature from skeletal length in the grave and by linear regressionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2005H. C. Petersen Abstract This study evaluates a method for obtaining stature estimates for populations represented by skeletal material, with individuals buried in a supine position. During the excavation of a Danish mediaeval cemetery, in situ skeletal length in the grave was measured from a point above the cranial point farthest from the body to the most distal point of the talus. The measurement was made with a folding rule placed on the sagittal midline of the skeleton, allowed to follow any curvature of the skeleton in situ. In the laboratory, stature was reconstructed anatomically, and this stature was regarded as an accurate estimate of living stature. Stature was also reconstructed from femur length by two linear regression procedures: 1) by sample and sex specific formulae, employing a leave-one-out approach, and 2) by sex wise formulae for Euro-Americans from Trotter & Gleser (1952, American Journal of Physical Anthropology10: 463,514). Skeletal length in the grave and the two stature estimates based on linear regression were compared to anatomically reconstructed stature. Skeletal length in the grave estimated anatomically reconstructed stature with practically no bias (95% CI: ,1.3,1.5,cm). Sample specific regression formulae estimated anatomically reconstructed stature also with no bias (95% CI: ,1.2,1.1,cm). In contrast, statures calculated from Trotter & Gleser's regression formulae estimated anatomically reconstructed stature with a bias of about 4,cm (95% CI: 3.3,5.0,cm). Estimates of stature variance were biased for all three estimation procedures. However, for samples of adults, an adjusted variance estimate can be obtained by subtracting 8.7,cm2 from the variance obtained from skeletal lengths in the grave. It is recommended to measure skeletal length in the grave whenever possible, and use this measurement for estimating statures for prehistoric and early historic populations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Analysis and interpretation of flint toolmarks found on bones from West Tump long barrow, GloucestershireINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2004M. J. Smith Abstract West Tump is a Neolithic chambered tomb originally excavated in 1880. The mound was found to contain a mixed skeletal assemblage, the majority of which was disarticulated. Between 2000 and 2001 material from the site including human bone was re-examined with a portion of this project focused on taphonomic evidence observed on the human skeletal material. Amongst the factors selected for investigation were deliberate toolmarks. Three specimens were identified as exhibiting toolmarks. Analysis demonstrated that the observed features were cutmarks, consistent with the use of flint tools. However those on two of the specimens were found to be both post-mortem and recent. The cutmarks observed on the remaining specimen, a right clavicle, were identified as having been inflicted during the peri-mortem period and consistent with decapitation. British Neolithic mortuary practice has been the subject of ongoing debate since the earliest excavations of relevant sites, but until very recently few assemblages from such contexts have been re-examined and much of the data in use has derived from sources of considerable age and questionable reliability. The selective removal of specific skeletal elements (particularly skulls) has repeatedly been described in the literature regarding the collective funerary monuments of this period. It has often been assumed that such practices took place after the soft tissues had decayed. One of the examples discussed, suggests this may not always have been the case and the potential significance of this finding is discussed in addition to a possible interpretation of the cutmarks seen on the remaining specimens. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A geometric morphometric study of regional differences in the ontogeny of the modern human facial skeleton,JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 3 2002Una Strand Viğarsdóttir Abstract This study examines interpopulation variations in the facial skeleton of 10 modern human populations and places these in an ontogenetic perspective. It aims to establish the extent to which the distinctive features of adult representatives of these populations are present in the early post natal period and to what extent population differences in ontogenetic scaling and allometric trajectories contribute to distinct facial forms. The analyses utilize configurations of facial landmarks and are carried out using geometric morphometric methods. The results of this study show that modern human populations can be distinguished based on facial shape alone, irrespective of age or sex, indicating the early presence of differences. Additionally, some populations have statistically distinct facial ontogenetic trajectories that lead to the development of further differences later in ontogeny. We conclude that population-specific facial morphologies develop principally through distinctions in facial shape probably already present at birth and further accentuated and modified to variable degrees during growth. These findings raise interesting questions regarding the plasticity of facial growth patterns in modern humans. Further, they have important implications in relation to the study of growth in the face of fossil hominins and in relation to the possibility of developing effective discriminant functions for the identification of population affinities of immature facial skeletal material. Such tools would be of value in archaeological, forensic and anthropological applications. The findings of this study underline the need to examine more deeply, and in more detail, the ontogenetic basis of other causes of craniometric variation, such as sexual dimorphism and hominin species differentiation. [source] The Correlation Between Skeletal Weathering and DNA Quality and Quantity,JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 4 2009Lisa M. Misner M.S. Abstract:, Mitochondrial DNA analysis of skeletal material is invaluable in forensic identification, although results can vary widely among remains. Previous studies have included bones of different ages, burial conditions, and even species. In the research presented, a collection of human remains that lacked major confounders such as burial age, interment style, and gross environmental conditions, while displaying a very broad range of skeletal degradation, were examined for both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) quality and quantity. Overall skeletal weathering, individual bone weathering, and bone variety were considered. Neither skeletal nor bone weathering influenced DNA quality or quantity, indicating that factors that degrade bone do not have the same effect on DNA. In contrast, bone variety, regardless of weathering level, was a significant element in DNA amplification success. Taken together, the results indicate that neither skeletal nor individual bone appearance are reliable indicators of subsequent mtDNA typing outcomes, while the type of bone assayed is. [source] Ossification of Laryngeal Structures as Indicators of Age,JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 5 2008Heather M. Garvin M.S. Abstract:, As the role of forensic anthropologists expands to the medical examiner setting, their expertise is being applied beyond the traditional dry skeletal material. In such scenarios radiographic techniques can be applied when maceration is not appropriate. This study explores the use of radiographic analysis of laryngeal structures for age-at-death determination. Isolated human laryngeal structures (n = 104) from individuals between the ages of 15 and 89 were removed at autopsy and radiographically examined. The cricoid and individual regions of the thyroid cartilage were scored according to degree of ossification, and the relationship between age and degree of ossification statistically examined. A previously published study on age-determination from thyroid ossification by ,ernı was assessed for accuracy. The results of the study indicate that although a consistent sequence in the ossification of laryngeal structures exists, variations in timing does not permit narrow age range estimates. Consequently the method presented by ,ernı is inaccurate and should not be used in the forensic setting. [source] Brief communication: Minimally invasive bone sampling method for DNA analysisAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Victoria E. Gibbon Abstract Obtaining a bone sample for DNA analysis has traditionally been a destructive practice, which has resulted in reluctance on behalf of curators for skeletal collections to allow invasive testing. A novel minimally invasive bone sampling method for DNA analysis is presented here. This method uses a conventional hand drill wherein the bone sample is extracted from the intercondylar fossa of the femur; it does not interfere with any known anthropometric landmarks and only leaves a small hole on the surface of the bone. The temperature of the drill is documented and it was established due to the minor increase in temperature, that this should not affect the molecular integrity of the sample. This method is easily replicated and is suitable for both human and other animal skeletal material and can be applied to rare specimens with little risk. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||