Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Thesis (doctoral)--Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-125).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 2007. / Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow, 2007. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.

Thesis--Paris. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / The ability to recognize and identify skeletal material is a fundamental skill in forensic and physical anthropology. Understanding the process that remains have undergone when they have been exposed to a fire environment necessitates further study and specialization as the basic structure of a bone may be altered from the microscopic level to the overall morphology. Analysis of burnt bone goes beyond understanding how the normal taphonomic processes may affect skeletal remains to the specifics of heat and fire related changes. Additionally, the study of how heat or fire alteration affects trauma determinations can be important for determining the forensic significance of a case. The procedures of a fire investigation play a very important role in the recognition, preservation and analysis of skeletal remains especially considering site recovery techniques and perimortem trauma interpretation determination. This study utilized whole pigs to document changes to trauma from exposure to a compartment fire. The results were compared to previous studies done on individual skeletal elements to show that trauma was still recognizable and often protected in the postcranial body.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University. / A significant portion of the research in the field of forensic anthropology involves examining cadaveric remains that have undergone some degree of decomposition. There have been many studies published focusing on a multitude of variables that affect the decomposition process, such as temperature, carcass size, insect access, animal scavenging, and weather patterns. There are however, very few studies which focus on the rate of decomposition in remains that have experienced significant trauma and/or blood loss. Accordingly, this study will assess the effects of exsanguination on the rate of the decomposition process in a northeastern United States environment. Four porcine cadavers (Sus scrota domesticus) were used to model human decomposition. Based upon prior unpublished observations, the intent of the present study was to evaluate the hypothesis that exsanguination of remains would delay the onset and progression of the decomposition process. Observed delay of the arrival of insects will likely be linked to the lack of blood as an attractant. The three porcine carcasses utilized as the experimental group for this study were exsanguinated by captive-bolt sacrifice and use of a large-gauge syringe to remove blood directly from the heart. Each individual carcass was placed in a cage to isolate them from the effects of larger scavengers and were allowed to completely decompose to the point of only dry skeletal material over a period of two months. Although the small sample size limits any definitive statistical analysis, the results generated by this study depict a trend towards the exsanguinated individuals decomposing at a faster rate than the unaltered control group.

Sex estimation is important in both forensic and bioarchaeological contexts for the construction of a biological profile, which might aid in the identification process in forensic cases or answer demographic questions in archaeological contexts. The os coxa is generally considered the best indicator of sex, given its reproductive functionality in females, although it is not always available for analysis, thus presenting a need for alternative methods of sex estimation. The present research aims to validate the previous study by Albanese (2013), which examined the use of the clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna. Albanese (2013) applied logistic regression analysis to the osteometric data and achieved allocation accuracies between 87.4% and 97.5%. A sample size of 400, comprised of American Whites and American Blacks from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, was utilized in the present study. The present study applies both discriminant function analysis and logistic regression analysis to a total of 20 measurements collected from the clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna, including three variant measurements that were proposed by Albanese (2013), and a set discriminant functions and logistic regression equations were produced to classify individuals as male or female. Allocation accuracies as high as 100% were produced by the logistic regression equation that utilized all measurements. Discriminant analysis was applied to each of the bones individually, and the results indicated that the humerus exhibited the most sexual dimorphism and had the highest allocation accuracies (95.0% for males and 97.0% for females). Measurements that exhibited the greatest degree of sexual dimorphism were those representative of joint size such as the maximum diameter of the radial head, the vertical diameter of the humeral head, and the epicondylar breadth of the humerus. A set of equations were produced through discriminant function analysis, which are representative of various recovery scenarios and are meant to provide the examiner with sets of equations that might be applicable to a particular case. Because of its high allocation accuracies and its applicability to contemporary American White and Black populations, the methodology should be useful in forensic contexts within the United States. Sex estimation is important in both forensic and bioarchaeological contexts for the construction of a biological profile, which might aid in the identification process in forensic cases or answer demographic questions in archaeological contexts. The os coxa is generally considered the best indicator of sex, given its reproductive functionality in females, although it is not always available for analysis, thus presenting a need for alternative methods of sex estimation. The present research aims to validate the previous study by Albanese (2013), which examined the use of the clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna. Albanese (2013) applied logistic regression analysis to the osteometric data and achieved allocation accuracies between 87.4% and 97.5%. A sample size of 400, comprised of American Whites and American Blacks from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, was utilized in the present study. The present study applies both discriminant function analysis and logistic regression analysis to a total of 20 measurements collected from the clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna, including three variant measurements that were proposed by Albanese (2013), and a set discriminant functions and logistic regression equations were produced to classify individuals as male or female. Allocation accuracies as high as 100% were produced by the logistic regression equation that utilized all measurements. Discriminant analysis was applied to each of the bones individually, and the results indicated that the humerus exhibited the most sexual dimorphism and had the highest allocation accuracies (95.0% for males and 97.0% for females). Measurements that exhibited the greatest degree of sexual dimorphism were those representative of joint size such as the maximum diameter of the radial head, the vertical diameter of the humeral head, and the epicondylar breadth of the humerus. A set of equations were produced through discriminant function analysis, which are representative of various recovery scenarios and are meant to provide the examiner with sets of equations that might be applicable to a particular case. Because of its high allocation accuracies and its applicability to contemporary American White and Black populations, the methodology should be useful in forensic contexts within the United States.

Estimating the minimum time since death (minimum Post Mortem Interval, minPMI) is a necessary part of a forensic investigation. Besides the coroner’s assessment of the typical signs of death, minPMI can be estimated using forensic entomology, the scientific discipline that considers insects and other arthropods that colonize the remains. In an aquatic environment, insects, as well as crustaceans, have the potential to provide data regarding the time spent in water of the remains (FT, floating time and PMSI, Post Mortem Submersion Interval), and this can also assist in determining the minPMI. Barnacles (Crustacea: Cirripedia) are common crustaceans that colonize hard substrates in marine environments and they can often be found in association with human and animal remains floating in the sea. The scientific literature reports that barnacles are typically found colonizing shoes. Barnacles can colonize both floating remains and submerged remains and their growth rate is dependent on the water temperature. Despite their potential to be indicative of the FT and/or PMSI, at present research is deplete and only a few case studies have considered it for this purpose. The present research is focused on the barnacle colonization of different type of shoes (sport vs patent leather) placed in the sea (Boston Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts). The objectives of this study are 1) identification of the species of barnacles that colonize shoes; 2) identification of the settlement preferences of the barnacles associated with the shoes; 3) determination of the growth rate of the barnacles associated with the shoes. This research as initially conducted in early March 2016, with 64 sport and 64 patent leather shoes placed in the Boston Harbor at -8/-10 meters below the sea level. Four of each shoe type were collected every two weeks from April 2016 to November 2016 inclusive. Each shoe was photographed and the barnacles and other sea life colonization was documented. Individual barnacles from each shoe were sampled and measured to determine species, age as well as the overall colonization density and settlement preference. Data loggers were placed with the shoes to record temperature throughout the course of the study. Results show that Amphibalanus improvisus (Darwin) (Crustacea: Cirripedia: Sessilia) colonized the vast majority of shoes. Colonization occurred quickly and continued throughout the study period. A significant difference in colonization densities was found between the sport and patent leather shoes, with the patent leather seeing higher densities. Barnacles also showed preferential colonization of specific sections on both shoe types. Overall, higher quantities of barnacles were found on the exterior and bottom of shoes and low quantities of colonization on the inside, tongue, and laces. Barnacle growth was found to be significantly affected by water temperature. Statistical analysis of the effect of water temperature, time in the water, and shoe type on the size of the largest barnacle revealed a highly significant effect of temperature and shoe type but no significant effect of time. As well, time and shoe type had a highly significant effect on the total number of barnacles per shoe, whereas water temperature did not.

Estimating age at death from the sacrum is largely understudied (Passalacqua 2009; Colarusso 2015). The present study aims to expand on existing research of both developmental and degenerative changes of the sacrum that occur in adulthood. Observations were made at the W.M. Bass Collection located in Knoxville, TN (n=326). Features of the sacral auricular surface studied include micro- and macroporosity, coarse granularity, dense bone, and lipping at apices. These traits were scored and resulted in the development of composite scoring system. Fusion of the sacral vertebral bodies at the first and second anterior junction and the incorporation of the sacral vertebral ring were also observed and scored on ordinal scales. Spearman rank correlation tests demonstrated positive correlation between chronological age and the observed skeletal traits. The research presented here demonstrates that the sacrum exhibits age-related changes, although the age intervals presented are not useful in a forensic setting.