Three 80-pound pigs used as human models were sealed inside 55-gallon black metal drums to monitor the rates and stages of decomposition of concealed, child-sized remains. Visual assessments of the anaerobic decomposition processes in each of the drums for Pigs A and B were possible through a Lexan window installed on each drums lid. The third pigPig Cwas placed inside a drum with four one-half-inch holes permitting insect access and oriented in north, south, east, and west positions around the drums upper perimeter. Visual assessments of Pig C were made by lifting the drums lid; these assessments revealed that the maggots inside were capable of surviving the intense Louisiana heat by moving in unison in the opposite direction of the sun. As expected, Pig C decomposed to a skeleton at an accelerated rate, while the liquefied remains in the barrel continued a series of dramatic changes over a six-month period. After 33 days, the lid was removed from Barrel B and blow flies immediately flocked to the recently unsealed drum. Despite the blow flies ability to colonize Pig B, the decompositional changes witnessed for Pig C were not seen. Pig A remained sealed in its barrel and stages of decomposition in an airtight container were assessed. All three pigs were monitored daily for six months. The only similarity in decomposition observed among Pigs A, B, and C was intestinal expulsion, which involved the intact organs resting on top of each pig outside the body. Additionally, when Barrel B was opened, two fetal pigs were placed on the ground to compare their faunal succession to that of Pig B. Insects associated with the barrel pigs and the fetal pigs were collected and identified. Chrysomya megacephala was documented, collected, and recorded as being established in Louisiana for the first time. Cochliomyia macellaria was the predominant species overall.

A criminal geographic profile is a tool used by law enforcement professionals for estimating the probable location of a serial offenders anchor point, or domicile. This estimate is constructed according to the distribution of linked crime scenes. While this approach can utilize a number of different modeling techniques, most fail to account for the inherent irregularities of the physical and cultural landscape. Contemporary methodologies have consistently adopted the a priori assumption that an offenders crime scenes and anchor point are located across an isotropic surface on which the opportunity to offend is equally distributed around the offenders residence. Simple introspection clearly reveals that this assumption is unrealistic. Landscapes are comprised of heterogeneous collections of physical and cultural features that, by their very nature, bias the location of human activities and the occurrence of phenomena. Accordingly, this research examines four alternative techniques for geographically profiling offender behavior in space using models that are capable of accounting for the intrinsic irregularities present within the surrounding landscapes. The first technique examines the efficacy of functional distance metrics for interpreting an offender's perceptions of travel cost. The second method estimates the serial offender's anchor point by modeling the spatial variability observed for the linked crime scenes using a dynamic standard deviational ellipse. The next method extends the premise of a non-uniform landscape by introducing land cover characteristics within a probability distribution strategy. Finally, a land cover enhanced profiling technique is proposed using an empirical Bayesian formulation. Comparative analyses of the four enhanced techniques validate the premise that landscapes impart a deterministic impact on a serial offender's behavior in space. Consequently, these factors can be incorporated within various analytical frameworks to produce an accurate and precise estimate of an offender's anchor point.

This paper examines the results of artificial cranial deformation on the human skull in relation to the human face and the use of three-dimensional printing in the making of skull casts. Forensic facial reconstructions, following the American Method, were performed on three Native American skulls from the Late-Mississippian period, excavated from the Humber Site and on loan from the University of Southern Mississippi, in order to see whether or not the artificial deformation radically changed the faces of the individuals. Skull casts were made out of ABS plastic using rapid prototyping technology, as the original skulls were too fragile for traditional methods. The reconstructions were completed at the LSU FACES Lab under the direction of Ms. Mary Manhein, Ms. Eileen Barrow, and Ms. Nicole Harris. The majority of changes in the facial region caused by the artificial deformation were found in the formation of bones adjacent to the cranial vault. This is the area where the deformational pressures would be the greatest. The superior border of the eye orbit was found to be less projecting than normal, with the consequence that the placement of the eyes for the facial reconstruction was too shallow. The American Method relies upon both the superior and inferior edges of the orbit for the placement. Changing the placement of the eyes in the American Method using only the inferior border of the orbit compensated for the changes in the bone structure and allowed for the correct positioning of the eye and a better depiction of the individual. Rapid prototyping skull casting has tremendous potential for damaged modern and ancient skulls. However, higher resolution scans and casts are needed for this technique to be accepted in both the academic and law enforcement communities.

In North America, those who are descended from "old world" immigrant groupsfor example Germans, Greeks, Italians, Poles, and Irishare thought to be assimilated or acculturated into the mainstream American culture. Since the late 1970s, however, sociologists have observed how a number of white ethnics, particularly those descended from third- and fourth-generation (and beyond) immigrants, continue to maintain a link to an ethnic group. This phenomenonlabeled symbolic or optional ethnicityis now seen as a latter-stage development in the larger process of assimilation and ethnic-group identification. In this dissertation I show how the meaning of Irish identity has evolved in North America from a group of immigrants, to an ethnic community, and finally, a contemporary symbolic ethnicity which is positively influenced by commercialized forms of Irish culture, and is constructed from personal narratives and imagined geographies of Ireland. To study this phenomenon in more detail, this dissertation employs a multisited and autoethnographic qualitative study to focus on Irish-language enthusiasts at fifteen intensive Irish-language instructional events that took place at scattered sites in the U.S. and Canada. In this work I demonstrate how attendees at these events design, construct, and perform Irish identities for themselves by establishing parameters of what they perceive of as traditional and authentic Irishness, parameters that include ancestry, musical practice, dance, and most importantly language learning. Finally, I argue that the constructedness of their identities is part of the contemporary idea of diasporaa concept developed by cultural theoriststhat emphasizes how culture, identity, and place is a dynamic rather than static phenomenon.

As a sign of beauty or status, the ancient Maya shaped the skulls of their infants, resulting in what modern researchers see as several forms of cranial modification. My project consists of the study of cranial modification of the coastal Maya from two trading ports, including an Early Classic (A.D. 300-600) sample Moho Cay, Belize, and a Postclassic (A.D. 900-1300) sample from Wild Cane Cay, Belize. Using the classification set forth by Dembo and Imbelloni, I calculate the type of cranial modification found at each site. I then create gender, temporal, and spatial distributions and compare the results to other established cranial modification distributions for the Maya area.

Research at the King George Island Mounds site (16LV22) consisted of shovel testing the island on which the site is located and placing test units in two recently discovered mounds in Area B on the south side of the site (Mounds F and G). The shovel test pits were placed on the western half of the island in an attempt to locate habitational features related to the earthworks on the eastern half of the island. All shovel tests done on King George Island during this investigation were negative showing no signs of occupation near the site proper. Units were placed in Mounds F and G in order to determine their age and ultimately their relationship (if any) to the rest of the earthworks. The presence of an argillic horizon in Mounds F and G comparable in depth to the ones in Mounds A and B done by Vasbinder (2005) suggest a similar age in construction, thereby indicating a direct relation between Areas A and B of the King George Island Mounds site.

This thesis is an analysis of the clavicles from a pre-contact (1550 A.D. ±50 years) native ossuary burial from Ontario, Canada. The Poole-Rose ossuary clavicles were analyzed for demography, pathological processes, trauma, and cultural modifications. Demographic markers on the clavicles are derived from the minimum number of individuals (MNI) estimation, medial epiphyseal age, and sex. Pathological processes are indicated by the presence of degenerative joint disease (DJD), periosteal reactions, and lytic lesions. Trauma includes healed fractures and cuts from defleshing of the clavicles. The presence of pre-burial cut marks is an indication of cultural modifications that were likely part of a ritual ceremony similar to the Huron Feast of the Dead. An MNI of 196 individuals was determined based on the right lateral epiphysis of the clavicle. A very significant amount of DJD was present in the acromioclavicular joint as compared to the sternoclavicular joint. Active periosteal reactions of the clavicle were more frequent than healed reactions. Clavicular lesions were significantly associated with adult individuals, but tended to affect the side and joint of the bone to similar degrees. Healed fractures of the clavicle were rare in the ossuary population. Cut marks tended to consist of fewer than 10 cuts on major muscle attachment sites. A very significant association existed between the presence of a rhomboid fossa and age of the individual. The metric analysis of the Poole-Rose ossuary clavicles includes similar correlations between length and robusticity of both left and right bones. However, right bones were more variable in curvature than left bones, possibly owing to general right-handedness. Size differences between mean metric values of left and right clavicles were not significant. Based on the clavicle, the population seems to have been in general good health, with unusually low rates of antemortem injury. However, the existence of clavicular lesions suggests some instance of disease in a few individuals. Variable right curvatures of the clavicle could indicate a preference for right-handedness in the population. Future research of other Poole-Rose ossuary bones may yield insight into the clavicular traits brought to light in this study.

Hurricane Katrina tested the disaster resiliency of communities throughout the city of New Orleans. More than four years after breaches in levees led to the flooding of one hundred forty square miles of the Crescent City, some residents are still struggling to reclaim their neighborhoods one block at a time. Eastern Orleans Parish is a portion of the local landscape whose long-term sustainability remains uncertain. Rebuilding is extremely slow with only a fraction of residents returning to the area. Development in New Orleans East began after World War II as a result of urban sprawl. Many New Orleanians desired a more suburban lifestyle away from the hustle and bustle of the central city. Financial gains from the oil boom of the 1970s led to the construction of dozens of neighborhoods in Eastern Orleans Parish, fueling a mass expansion eastward. Consensus over whether to continue to spend federal aid dollars rebuilding the eastern portion of the city is tenuous at best. A number of New Orleanians are reluctant to reconstruct an area that some regard as being too far gone to fully recover, with others adding that the land should be returned to its natural state as a swamp, creating a buffer that would lessen the impact of future storm surge on the historic center. The uncertainty that surrounds the fate of New Orleans East influences the decision of the local population to return and rebuild. However, there are many residents who chose to ignore the naysayers, striving to revitalize their suburban dream against all odds. This research offers a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exploration of the human impact of a disaster event. The text sheds light on the complexities that surround the dual concepts of disaster resilience and vulnerability by revealing the disaster experiences and community recovery processes of Vietnamese and African-American populations living in New Orleans East.

Ancestry estimation is a crucial part of the biological profile creation in forensic anthropology. Without proper classification of ancestry, other aspects of the biological profile, such as stature, can be affected. Several techniques are used by forensic anthropologists to determine ancestry of unidentified remains. Some anthropologists believe the cranium to be an excellent indicator of ancestry (Rhine 1990). The focus of this research was to determine the utility of the foramen magnum region on the cranial base as a positive indicator of ancestry. Previous studies have explored the effectiveness of using the cranial bases occipital condyles for ancestry assignment of an individual. Holland (1986a) studied the Terry Collection, housed at the Smithsonian, to develop five multiple-regression equations. Using the same measurements as Holland (1986a) for the current research, four modern skeletal collections consisting principally of whites, blacks, and Hispanics were documented and measured. A total of 465 cranial bases comprised the sample. The hypothesis of this research stated correlations exist between the shape of the foramen magnum and ancestry of an individual. The null hypothesis stated ancestral groups are not visually and metrically different from each other. Localized changes on the cranial base have occurred. The Maximum Distance between Occipital Condyles increased in length and the Maximum Interior Distance between Occipital Condyles decreased in length. Five different foramen magnum shape categories were defined to classify each foramen magnum: Arrowhead, Circle, Diamond, Egg, and Oval. No correlations were found between foramen magnum shapes and positive assignment of ancestry or sex. However, the Egg shaped foramen magnum has the potential to be used as an eliminating non-metric characteristic for Hispanics; no individuals of presumed Hispanic ancestry possessed an Egg shaped foramen magnum. A Pearsons chi-square showed a significant relationship between blacks, whites, and Hispanics, and foramen magnum shape (p = 0.05). Metric variation of the foramen magnum width among blacks, whites, and Hispanics is significant (p = 0.05). Also, variation between sexes was significant in eight of the 12 measurements (p = 0.05). Ultimately, the null hypothesis for shape variation could not be rejected, while the null hypothesis for metric variation could be accepted.

The North American Monsoon System (NAMS) is an important climate phenomenon that affects the southwestern United States during the warm season, most significantly in July and August. Climatic variability associated with the NAMS impacts a wide range of both physical and socio-economic systems in this region, with a broad range of stakeholders concentrated in the Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB) that includes portions of five southwestern states. This study examines variations in synoptic circulation patterns associated with the NAMS with respect to the LCRB. Using a manual classification, daily 500-mb geopotential height patterns were classified for monsoon seasons (July 1-September 15) from 1948 -2008. Ten synoptic types were identified and their frequency and variability assessed. Rainfall patterns at four key sites within the LCRB were also examined for trends in both total seasonal rainfall and the frequency of extreme events, and average daily rainfall at each site was linked to each of the ten synoptic types. Results of this study show that the occurrence of synoptic-scale circulation patterns during the NAMS season has not been constant over time. In addition, the frequency of heavy precipitation events is increasing within the LCRB, and the occurrence of NAMS-related rainfall is not consistent among each of the synoptic types. The findings presented here may be used to reduce vulnerability within the LCRB, through an improved understanding of inter-annual and intra-annual variability of the NAMS that can inform forecasting applications and vulnerability assessments.