Breastfeeding offers significant benefits to the breastfed infant as well as the breastfeeding woman. The World Health Organization now recommends exclusive breastfeeding until six months, followed by supplementation and continued breastfeeding to two years or more. Around the world, public health programs endeavour to promote breastfeeding through educational programs. In Brazil, such programming is widespread, and yet less than 30% of women in São Paulo breastfeeding exclusively even to four months post-partum. This study uses a qualitative-quantitative bio-experiential approach to explore the way that stressful experiences and circumstances in the lives of low-income women from the Eastern Zone of São Paulo, Brazil, influence their decision to wean or supplement their infant before 12 weeks post-partum. Sixty-five first-time mothers participated in a 12-week longitudinal study of life stressors and breastfeeding practice. Participants were asked to complete one pre-partum and six post-partum interviews. Narrative and biological data were collected from each participant at each interview. Statistical analysis revealed that among these participants the breastfeeding hormone oxytocin did not mediate breastfeeding duration. Oxytocin appeared to act as a biomarker of stressful experience, while Epstein-Barr Virus antibody titre, a commonly used biological measure of psychosocial stress, did not. Unplanned pregnancy, older age and higher mean oxytocin level were statistically associated with weaned outcome at 12 weeks. Unplanned pregnancy, older age, higher mean oxytocin level, higher mean satisfaction score regarding financial situation and lower mean satisfaction score regarding interpersonal factors were associated with decreased duration of any breastfeeding. Unplanned pregnancy, older age and lower mean satisfaction score regarding interpersonal factors were associated with decreased duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Ethnographic analysis revealed that the effect of unplanned pregnancy may be connected to the discourse of the self-sacrificial, child-centric “good mother.” Exclusive breastfeeding was seen as a hallmark of this idealised maternal type. Single women with unplanned pregnancies expressed a great deal of ambivalence towards their own maternity and toward the somewhat unobtainable good mother ideal, especially with relation to the physical and psychological challenges breastfeeding. Women’s ambivalence appeared to influence their decisions to supplement or wean their infants by or before 12 weeks post-partum.

Human remains enter marine environments in a number of ways ranging from homicides, suicides, accidental drownings, shipwrecks, to burials at sea. Once the remains are discovered, a legal and forensic investigation begins. A key component to this investigation is the postmortem submergence interval (PMSI). Determining this range on skeletonized remains is a complicated process in which there is no accurate test; although barnacle growth data was previously used to determine PMSI, there are still limitations with that method. Therefore, a more reliable component of bone needs to be used as a potential PMSI indicator, such as its elemental composition. Diagenesis starts affecting bones immediately and continues for thousands of years. Although diagenesis is a slow process, an exchange of elements between bone and the marine environment continually occurs. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether an increase in marine elements is found within the composition of bone after being submerged in a marine environment for up to 20 months. The present study will also determine whether bones submerged in different aquatic environments have significantly different elemental concentrations. For the time trials, pig femora were submerged in lobster cages off the coast of the University of Massachusetts Boston for 2-20 months. For the salinity trials, pig femora were submerged in a freshwater pond (Holliston, MA), the Inner Boston Harbor, and an ocean inlet near Woods Hole, MA for 18 months. All bone samples were dried, milled, homogenized, and analyzed by ED-XRF under He purge. The initially produced mass percentages of the identified elements were corrected with certified values of standard reference materials (NIST 1486, 1646a, and 2702). A Pearson’s correlation test determined that the concentrations for K, Fe, Zn, Sr, Si, S, Cr, Mn, Cl, Br, Ta, and W were significantly correlated to the amount of time submerged in the water. An ANCOVA analysis was applied to the significant elements noted above. After adjusting for the amount of time submerged, the concentrations of K, Fe, Sr, Si, S, Cl, Br, and Ta were determined to be significantly different between the control samples (never submerged) and the submerged samples (submerged for 2-20 months). K was the only element that had greater concentrations in the control samples than the submerged samples, most likely because of the decrease in mass percent as other environmental elements were incorporated into the bone. S and W were significantly related to the number of months submerged, with S being positively influenced and W being negatively. A multivariable linear regression was run in order to identify a means of predicting the amount of time submerged from the elemental concentrations of an unknown bone from a marine environment. The regression produced an equation that used the concentrations for K, Sr, Si, S, Cr, Cl, and Br to predict the PMSI in months. For the salinity trials, a one-way ANOVA was performed on all the elemental concentrations from the different salinity environments. Post hoc tests determined significant differences in elemental concentrations for K, Fe, Si, S, Al, Ti, Cr, Ni, Mn, Cl and Br among the different submergence locations; elemental concentrations of S, Fe, Mn, Cl, K, and Br were either significantly different between the fresh, brackish, and saltwaters or the freshwater and some form of marine water (brackish and salt). The trends in the other elemental concentrations were less obvious due to the impact of pollution within the surrounding environments. The linear regression equation created in the present study accounted for the majority of the variance in the outcome (R2 = 80.2%); however, this equation should not currently be applied in forensic investigations. The study needs to be repeated a number of times with other bone samples from the same and different submergence locations, in order to determine the accuracy and usefulness of the equation. Although not verified, this regression equation may be useful in analyzing samples from brackish and saltwater environments, because the majority of the variables within the equation (K, Sr, S, Cl, Br) were consistent among the fresh, brackish, and saltwater samples. Time constraints, small sample sizes, and variance among samples were the major limitations of the present study. Even with limitations, significant results were produced by the ED-XRF analysis. Future research should expand upon the methodologies of XRF analyses of bones, especially those from marine environments. Because of their relevance to forensic investigations and PMSI, future research should include longer experimental periods, more salinity locations, more information on the surrounding water components, and more comparisons among instrumentation.

When remains are found in a fragmentary state, skeletal reconstruction aids forensic anthropologists in recreating general traits of the biological profile such as age, sex, ancestry and stature, reveals trauma, and reproduces visual facial likenesses. Previously an ignored area of forensic anthropology, the present study explored the error present when fragmentary skeletal remains are measured and those measurements are applied to statistical programs such as FORDISC 3.1 (Jantz and Ousley 2005) for classification. The study utilized 72 tibiae of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), fragmented into varying states to find the difference in measurements before and after fragmentation. The study found that, while there was a difference in measurements after reconstruction, the difference was on average less than 2 mm for all dimensions of the bone and less than the generally accepted level of interobserver error in osteometrics. On average, the bones decreased in size, partially due to the effects of maceration and drying, and the total change due to fragmentation was considered minimal compared to other sources of error. When applied to FORDISC 3.1 (Jantz and Ousley 2005), this difference in measurements did not result in the misclassification of a previously identified individual. The recommendation therefore is to utilize fragmentary skeletal remains, when an accurate reconstruction can be determined, to maximize the information potential of those remains.

In current forensic practice, there are few standards for outdoor crime scene documentation, despite the need for such documentation to be accurate and precise in order to preserve evidence. A potential solution to this is the implementation of image-based photogrammetry. Applied Structure from Motion (SfM) reconstructs models through image point comparisons. A 3D model is produced from a reference photoset that captures a 360-degree view of the subject and the software employs triangulation to match specific points, datums, across individual photos. The datums are arranged into a point-cloud that is then transformed into the final model. Modifying the point-cloud into a final product requires algorithms that adjust the points by building a textured mesh from them. One of the disadvantages of SfM is that the point-cloud can be “noisy,” meaning that the program is unable to distinguish the features of one datum from another due to similarities, creating coverage gaps within the meshed images. To compensate for this, the software can smooth portions of the model in a best-guess process during meshing. As commercial software does not disclose the adjustment algorithms, this documentation technique, while very useful in other disciplines that regularly apply SfM such as archaeology, would fail to meet the standards of the Daubert and Kumho criteria in a forensic setting. A potential solution to this problem is to use open-source software, which discloses the adjustment algorithms to the user. It was hypothesized that the output of open-sourced software solutions would as accurate as the models produced with commercial software and with total station mapping techniques. To evaluate this hypothesis, a series of mock outdoor crime scenes were documented using SfM and traditional mapping techniques. The scenes included larger surface scatter and small surface scatter scenes. The large surface scatter scenes contained a dispersed set of plastic human remains, and various objects that might reasonably be associated with a crime scene. Ten of these scenes were laid out in 10 x 10 m units in a New England forested environment, each grid with a slightly different composition, and then documented using an electronic total station, data logger and digital camera. The small surface scatter scenes consisted of a pig mandible placed in different environments across two days of data collection. The resulting models were built using PhotoScan by AgiSoft, the commercial software, and MicMac for Mac OSX as the open-source comparison software. Accuracy is only part of the concern however; the full utility of any one of the workflows is defined additionally by the overall cost-effectiveness (affordability and accessibility) and the visual quality of the final model. Accuracy was measured by the amount of variance in fixed-datum measurements that remained consistent across scenes, whereas visual quality of the photogrammetric models were determined by cloud comparison histograms, which allows for comparison of models between software types and across different days of data collection. Histograms were generated using CloudCompare. Not all models that were rendered were useable—90% of large surface scatter models and 87.5% of small surface scatter models were useable. While there was variance in the metric outputs between the total station and photogrammetric models, the average total variance in fixed-datum lengths for individual scenes was below 0.635 cm for six of the ten scenes. However, only one of the large surface scatter scenes produced measurement that were significantly different between the total station measurements and the software measurement. The maximum differences in measurement between the total station and software measurements were 0.0917 m (PhotoScan) and 0.178 m (MicMac). The minimum difference that was found for either software was 0.000 m, indicating exact measurement. The histograms for the large scatter scenes were comparable, with the commercial and open-source software-derived models having low standard deviations and mean distances between points. For the small surface scatter scenes, the histograms between software types varied depending on the environment and the lighting conditions on the day of data collection. Conditions such as light, ground foliage and topography affect model quality significantly, as well as the amount of available computing power. No such issues of losing objects or limitations of computing power were encountered when mapping by total station and processing the data in AutoCAD. This research shows that SfM has the potential to be a rapid, accurate and low-cost resource for forensic investigation. SfM methodology for outdoor crime scene documentation can be adapted to fit within evidentiary criteria through the use of open-source software and transparent processing, but there are limitations that must be taken into consideration.

In contexts such as natural disasters, humanitarian efforts, and other forensic investigations, the timely and accurate development of the biological profile (sex, age, ancestry, and stature of skeletonized remains) is vital to the identification of decedents. At present, the term “Hispanic” is a socio-linguistic classifier that includes all persons of South or Central American, Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, or other Latino and Spanish-speaking persons into a single category; the term is also the current designator used by forensic anthropologists—in ancestry estimation—to identify anyone from a Latin American country. From a biological standpoint, the term is ineffective in describing these individuals because the human biological variation within and among different Hispanic populations cannot be encompassed by a single category. With regards to the development of the biological profile, ancestry estimations for these individuals are tenuous at best. This is due to the poor nature of the single reference sample used to create the current methods in ancestry and sex estimation—a common trend in forensic anthropology. The untested assumption that all Hispanic individuals are skeletally homogenous results in haphazard identifications and hinders effective forensic investigation. The primary objective of this research is to examine geometric morphometric variability in 547 documented individuals from three contemporaneous Latin American groups represented by Colombian, Mexican, and Migrant (U.S./Mexico border crossers) samples in order to ascertain whether it is possible to distinguish specific Hispanic populations. Using geometric morphometric (GM) analyses, the effects of shape-related variation independent of size can be implemented to isolate where on the cranium differences between groups are expressed. The results suggest that GM-derived population-specific criteria for Hispanic individuals possess the discriminatory power that is necessary towards improving the underdeveloped methods of identification for diverse Hispanic individuals living in the U.S. and abroad. Canonical variate analyses of the three samples separates the groups distinctly along both axes (CV1 and CV2). The morphological differences are predominantly seen in cranial height and sagittal vault shape, with Colombians having taller cranial vaults than the Mexican samples. The final results of this study demonstrate the utility that GM approaches have in forensic anthropology with respect to ancestry estimation and can be used to update various techniques required to develop the biological profile. Without constantly updating, refining, and re-validating the techniques, forensic anthropologists fail to provide the caliber of service required to approach the various forensic contexts.

Several techniques for estimating adult age-at-death are used in biological and forensic anthropology, including morphological changes of the ribs. However, due to human variation and taphonomic damage, it remains difficult to produce accurate and meaningful age-at-death estimations based on skeletal remains. This research further explores morphological changes to the first rib, which is easily identifiable and relatively robust, including the costal face and tubercle facet identified by Kunos’ (1999) and modified by DiGangi et al. (2009). A total of 400 European American individuals (f=200; m=200) from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, were observed using modified descriptions for Kunos’ (1999) five traits of the costal face and tubercle facet, on an ordinal scale of 1-8. Additionally, bone quality was assessed on an ordinal scale of 1-3 and was incorporated as a variable in order to improve estimations. Exploratory statistical analysis demonstrates that all eleven traits correlate with age at a statistically significant level, with bone quality being the most significant feature for both sexes. Female and male differences were found, and cross-validated ordinal logistic regression equations are presented for each. The resulting AIC table estimates 100% of the male and female sample correctly, though the produced ranges are too large to be forensically relevant. The results of this research underscore the importance of developing age estimation methods on skeletal regions that are under researched and for those that are more resistant to taphonomic damage.

Latent prints can be used as evidence in crime scenes to connect individuals to the location of a potential crime. In some cases, perpetrators may handle partially eaten fruits at the scene of a crime and leave latent fingerprints on the surface of the fruit. Plant leaves of common household ornamental plants and regional shrubs may also be a potential source of latent prints. Fruits, vegetables, and plant leaves have not been extensively studied as substrates for fingerprint development. In order to assess the feasibility of developing and visualizing latent prints on fruits, vegetable, and plant leaf surfaces, black and white fingerprint powder, bi-chromatic magnetic powder, and LumicyanoTM superglue fuming were utilized on tomato, zucchini, cucumber, acorn squash, carrot, mango, plum, pear, orange, pepper, banana, watermelon, Rhododendron leaf, Philodendron leaf, and Jasmine leaf. An aging study up to sixteen days was also conducted on eight of the fifteen substrates to determine the effects of aging on latent fingerprint impression development. Latent prints were recovered from all surfaces with the three techniques. Using a scoring system of 0-2, in which 2 represents the presence of six or more minutiae and 0 represents the lack of minutiae, impressions developed with fingerprint powder scored the highest average across all substrates. The aging study revealed a general decline in the quality of the latent prints over time with LumicyanoTM fuming performing the best.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that is a leading cause of disability among aging adults. In the U.S., many individuals living with total hip arthroplasties attribute OA as the cause. Because the majority of anthropological OA research excludes pathological individuals (i.e., individuals with systemic disease, traumatic injuries, or arthroplasties), little is known about how prostheses and pathologies impact OA. This project adds to the research surrounding OA by investigating its relationship with age, disease, and prostheses. The proximal femora of 186 African- and European-American individuals (21-95 years old) from the Edmonds Orthopedic Pathology Collection (National Museum of Health and Medicine; Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) were analyzed. These individuals were grouped into three cohorts: non-disease; disease; and previous injury/prosthesis. Jurmain’s (1990) method was used to score OA, using an ordinal fourpoint scale to categorize OA changes as: none/slight; moderate; severe; and ankylosis. Results show that osteoarthritic hip changes are positively correlated with age and presence of a prosthesis, and that systemic diseases, such as cancer, increase the likelihood of OA in an individual. Results from Chi-square tests, exploratory data analysis, and ordinal logistic regression show that there is a statistically significant relationship (p<0.000) between degree of OA, age, recorded disease, and evidence of previous injury or prostheses. In contrast with the expectation that different populations would exhibit different patterns of OA, no sex or ancestry effects are observed. These results will help researchers better understand the etiology and contemporary risk factors of OA, as well as contribute data to OA research on an underrepresented sample.

From the years of 1956 through 1977, Archaeologist Robert H. Dyson, Jr., directed the excavations of the archaeological site of Tepe Hasanlu, located in the West Azerbaijan region of Iran. Several archaeological reports of the finds include the overview of over 400 skeletons discovered in Hasanlu’s Lower Mound cemetery, though only 97 were ever retained for osteological analysis. Totaling 113 burials examined, 88-individuals were derived from the Low Mound and 25 individuals were from the High Mound. The excavated artifacts and skeletons are now split between The Pennsylvania Museum and The National Museum of Iran in Tehran. The Upper and Lower Mound burials of Tepe Hasanlu were examined through bioarchaeological, osteological, and archaeological (burial connotations) methodologies in an attempt to reveal the lifestyle, burial practices, and economy of the famous ancient city. It was hypothesized that there is a correlation between pathological conditions, sex, and the perceived economic/social status of the Bronze through Seluco-Parthian burials based on the associated grave goods and sociocultural characteristics viewed and examined within the burial space. This hypothesis was tested through skeletal and archaeological analysis, and it was found that individual pathological conditions correlate with the burial goods classified in Levels 1 and 2, however, Level 0 is more variable. The variations found among the level classifications and the frequencies of their individual pathological conditions reveal a high rate among Level 1 and a low rate among Level 2 burials. Additionally, it is possible that the different associated economic classes at Hasanlu exhibited dissimilar biological susceptibilities, nutrition, health, and lifestyles relating to their pathological conditions. However, this could also be a result of differential sampling, or the burials were excavated from a class-based cemetery. Age was found to be a major factor in the presentation of age-related degenerative pathological conditions, which was especially evident in the dentition of the sampled Hasanlu population. Furthermore, the High and Low Mounds appear to be drastically different in the associated economic class of their burials, as the LM appeared to contain individuals of higher classes (Level 2), and the HM exhibited a preference for burials with little (Level 1) to no grave goods (Level 0). As a result of such, it is theorized that the LM and HM were exhibiting different social structures and values, possibly representing separate societal class structures (egalitarian/non-egalitarian) influenced by economic opportunities or Hasanlu’s influence on the region. From the data examined, it appears that the social preferences exhibited by the Hasanlu peoples was evident in nearly every aspect of the burial space dictated by age, sex, and perceived economic class (Levels 0-2) through the burial characteristics of side, position, goods location, grave construction, interments, and possibly orientation. It is with this data that there are proven differences in the various subjects of archaeology and osteological features within the sampled burial population likely influenced by wealth, lifestyles, and/or various burial preferences.

In order to examine the feasibility of assessing blast event conditions from bone and to distinguish blast trauma from aircraft crash trauma, this study attempts to determine if the observations made in clinical research are mirrored in skeletal remains of individuals who died in blast events. Research was conducted by assessing the frequency of different forms of trauma and their comparison to aircraft crash trauma, the directionality of trauma, and open-air versus enclosed blast trauma. Data consisted of historic and forensic anthropology reports of individuals who died from blast events and aircraft crashes from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). The results indicate a difference in the projectile/comminuted trauma between aircraft crash trauma and blast events, and that directionality is present in blast event fractures but should be used judiciously to determine blast direction. A sample of one open-air blast individual precluded assessment of enclosed versus open-air blast events.