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BACKGROUND: Underlying disorders of the maxillary sinus (MS), including a history of sinus surgeries, chronic sinusitis, or congenital anomalies can potentially impact sinus function and structure, necessitating careful evaluation and management. Moreover, intact sinuses are crucial in gender determination in forensic anthropology. The present study was undertaken to check the accuracy and reliability of MS in gender determination using morphometric parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out on 74 lateral cephalograms (37 males and 37 females) aged between 18 to 50 years from the North Indian population. The MS area was measured using a NewTom CBCT machine (NewTom, Imola, Italy) with slicer software. The anatomical landmarks for the sinus were identified, and the area was calculated in square millimeters (mm2). RESULTS: In terms of surface area, females had a mean of 13,210.40 mm2 with a standard error of 713.46. Males, however, exhibited a higher mean surface area of 18,713.82 mm2, but with a significantly larger standard error of 3,371.70. The difference in MS area between males and females was statistically significant (p<0.01). In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.77, suggesting good discriminative ability. CONCLUSION: The MS area on lateral cephalograms shows significant sexual dimorphism. Overall, the findings suggest that the MS surface area can be a useful anatomical feature for distinguishing between male and female North Indian subjects, given the statistically significant difference and the good discriminative performance indicated by the ROC curve analysis.

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A central goal of biological anthropology is connecting environmental variation to differences in host physiology, biology, health, and evolution. The microbiome represents a valuable pathway for studying how variation in host environments impacts health outcomes. While there are many resources for learning about methods related to microbiome sample collection, laboratory analyses, and genetic sequencing, there are fewer dedicated to helping researchers navigate the dense portfolio of bioinformatics and statistical approaches for analyzing microbiome data. Those that do exist are rarely related to questions in biological anthropology and instead are often focused on human biomedicine. To address this gap, we expand on existing tutorials and provide a "road map" to aid biological anthropologists in understanding, selecting, and deploying the data analysis and visualization methods that are most appropriate for their specific research questions. Leveraging an existing dataset of fecal samples and survey data collected from wild geladas living in Simien Mountains National Park in Ethiopia (Baniel et al., 2021), this paper guides researchers toward answering three questions related to variation in the gut microbiome across host and environmental factors. By providing explanations, examples, and a reproducible workflow for different analytic methods, we move beyond the theoretical benefits of considering the microbiome within anthropological research and instead present researchers with a guide for applying microbiome science to their work. This paper makes microbiome science more accessible to biological anthropologists and paves the way for continued research into the microbiome's role in the ecology, evolution, and health of human and non-human primates.

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As a living being that was passed down the role of storytelling, I describe the conditions under which individuals find themselves. Science, and specifically public health research, affords me the opportunity to deploy my storytelling skills toward advocacy and intervention for communities that disproportionately bear the burden of poor health. Although neither role makes space for the emotional toll of this work. Neither allows me to rest long enough to move through the emotional mist of what it means to be perceived as a queer, Black, cisgender woman, and storytelling scientist in a stratified and hateful world where I am so much more. This poem pools from various worlds within me for each stanza. The poem seeks to reconcile for my whole self, and others who experience marginality, why our colleagues, countrypersons, and community members see it fit to perpetuate notions of human difference along racialized, socioeconomic, sexualized, gendered, able-bodied, and other stratified lines-to the detriment of our lives. How can my colleagues, countrypersons, and community members be willing to receive the privileges of a democratic society but discard the lives from which that society was built? How can my colleagues, countrypersons, and community members be willing to receive our science but discard our health? This poem brings together multidisciplinary discourse from the humanities and the social and biological sciences to state plainly what many others have academically. May this poem be paired with existing literature on the falsity of biologized race, reparations, and methodologies of reflexivity in science.To view the original version of this poem, see the Supplemental Material section of this article online.

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INTRODUCTION: Stature contributes as a crucial element of an individual's physical appearance and can be instrumental in establishing their identity. In cases where the body is extensively mutilated, decomposed, or reduced to skeletal remains, stature becomes an essential component in identifying the unknown by means of measuring the skeletal remains. Its estimation relies on the principle that an individual's height has a definite and linear relationship with specific body parts and long bones. This process, together with assessing age, sex, and race constitutes the essential components of the anthropological protocol. Stature estimation can be accomplished through both anatomical and mathematical approaches. The present study clearly defines regression models for height estimation from finger lengths. The formula derived can prove particularly valuable in Medico-legal scenarios, as it can be applied effectively even when only a portion of the body is accessible. AIM: The purpose of the present study is to estimate the stature of individuals by measuring the length of the index and ring fingers. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The current study acquired three measurements, such as stature, right/left index finger length (RIFL/LIFL), and ring finger length (RFL), from 220 samples, including 110 males and 110 females, respectively, between the age groups of 20 and 60 years. RESULT: The application of the length of the index and ring finger in forensic investigations holds significance due to their potential as reliable predictors of an individual's height. According to the findings of the study, males showed significantly higher stature than females. A statistically significant correlation was also observed (p-value = 0) between stature and finger lengths (IFL, RFL) in both hands. The highest correlation coefficients were found for the left RFL (r = 0.688) in females and the LIFL (r = 0.552) in males. Additionally, males showed significantly longer index and RFL than females. Linear regression models for the estimation of stature from ring and index finger length were also derived successfully. CONCLUSION:  The results obtained from the present study exhibit potential use to evaluate the utility of measuring index and RFLs for determining stature and predicting the precision of regression models by employing those parameters. The models derived from this study can serve as corroborative evidence for identifying mutilated body parts or unknown remains.

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If there is a category of war victims for whom the identification process has been and still remains an extremely challenging issue, it is the soldiers of World War One. There are various reasons for this, including unreliable identity tags, the unprecedented number of casualties, and the level of destruction caused by the massive use of "new" weapons. In Italy, this phenomenon was so severe and well-known that a monument was erected in Rome specifically in memory of those unknown soldiers ("Tomba del Milite Ignoto"). However, modern techniques in forensic archaeology and anthropology can facilitate identification even in this extreme context. In the casework described here, the presence of human remains was reported to the judicial authorities, which were subsequently located and excavated in a remote region of the Italian Alps using a range of techniques, including drone imagery, GPR, and micromorphological surveying. During the archaeological excavation of the human remains, a World War One zinc identification tag in very poor condition was found adjacent to the body. The biological profile was estimated (male, 20-30 years old, 166 cm±3.27 cm), and a trauma survey was performed. Thanks to the restoration of the ID tag, parts of the name and enrolment number were found and cross-referenced with the anthropological data of the subject, matching the information in the available military records. The victim had no siblings or offspring, making it impossible to identify descendants. However, the operation led to a contextual/presumptive identification of the soldier and the discovery of his story. He was a native of Tuscany, who died during the "Punitive Expedition" (1916) and was buried, probably by his comrades, in a small flat area hidden from enemy lines. In investigations like this, the involvement of local communities, whether groups or individuals, is crucial. In this case report, it will be shown how multidisciplinary approaches and collective actions can play a pivotal role in resolving highly intricate scenarios, such as those pertaining to armed conflicts.

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To investigate the potential of computed tomography (CT) images of median palatine suture (MP) for adult age estimation in the Northern and Southwestern Chinese populations. A total of 1110 cranial CT scans from individuals aged 10-79 years, including 557 northern Chinese and 553 southwestern Chinese, were collected for analysis. After volume reformation and multiplanar reconstruction, a total of 20 slices of median palatine suture were selected from each individual. The closure of sutures was analyzed into four stages, and the cumulative scores of 20 slices were recorded as the suture closure score (SCS). The correlations between SCS and age were compared among the two Chinese populations residing in diverse geographic regions. Regression models were established for age estimation. The estimation accuracy was evaluated based on the test set. The mean absolute error (MAE) and the correlation between predicted age and chronological age were calculated to evaluate estimation accuracy. The SCS of MP exhibited a significant correlation with age (0.613, northern male; 0.678, southwestern male; 0.730, northern female; 0.704, Southwestern female; 0.662, total). Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in SCS among different regions and sex groups (p < 0.001). The cubic regression model had the highest R2 value in all subjects, especially among Northern females and Southwestern males, while the power and quadratic regression models showed the highest R2 value in Northern males and Southwestern females, respectively. In the test set, the Northern cohort demonstrated a lower MAE (9.06 ± 7.32 years, males; 9.17 ± 5.28 years, females) compared to the Southwestern cohort (9.19 ± 7.49 years, male; 10.61 ± 6.83 years, female). Additionally, it was observed that males exhibited a lower MAE than females in both regional groups. This study demonstrated the potential utility of CT images of the MP for age estimation in Chinese populations, emphasizing the significance of incorporating regional and sex factors within this context.

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This article critically explores the complex realities faced by street-working children (SWC) in Latin America, highlighting historical and structural inequalities-such as coloniality, heteropatriarchy, and neoliberal capitalism-that perpetuate their marginalisation. Hegemonic public policies tend to focus narrowly on control, normalisation, and short-term relief, often neglecting the deeper systemic issues that sustain these vulnerabilities. This study calls for a shift towards alternative frameworks of public policy analysis that permit addressing the socio-political and cultural specificities of Latin America from a decolonial perspective. By incorporating affective, semiotic, and material dimensions, the Affective Interstice Theory provides analytical tools to understand how policy discourses not only shape the emotional and material experiences of those involved but also reinforce existing power structures. These insights reveal critical opportunities for resistance and transformative change, urging the development of policies that do more than address immediate needs-policies that actively dismantle the structural dynamics underpinning the marginalisation of SWC. The article underscores the need for contextualised approaches that engage with the complexity of local realities, offering a path towards more equitable and just policy outcomes across the region.

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Age estimations are relevant for pre-trial detention, sentencing in criminal cases and as part of the evaluation in asylum processes to protect the rights and privileges of minors. No current method can determine an exact chronological age due to individual variations in biological development. This study seeks to develop a validated statistical model for estimating an age relative to key legal thresholds (15, 18, and 21 years) based on a skeletal (CT-clavicle, radiography-hand/wrist or MR-knee) and tooth (radiography-third molar) developmental stages. The whole model is based on 34 scientific studies, divided into examinations of the hand/wrist (15 studies), clavicle (5 studies), distal femur (4 studies), and third molars (10 studies). In total, data from approximately 27,000 individuals have been incorporated and the model has subsequently been validated with data from 5,000 individuals. The core framework of the model is built upon transition analysis and is further developed by a combination of a type of parametric bootstrapping and Bayesian theory. Validation of the model includes testing the models on independent datasets of individuals with known ages and shows a high precision with separate populations aligning closely with the model's predictions. The practical use of the complex statistical model requires a user-friendly tool to provide probabilities together with the margin of error. The assessment based on the model forms the medical component for the overall evaluation of an individual's age.

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In the poignant words of a 12-year-old indigenous girl from the Pijao ethnicity (Tolima, Colombia), who shared her perspective before succumbing to leukaemia, we gain a profound understanding of health from her unique cultural viewpoint. Growing up in El Escobal, indigenus community, with her sister, she experienced the spiritual strength and unity that their culture attributes to twins. For her, health was deeply intertwined with the traditions and rituals of her people, emphasising the healing powers of plants and spiritual harmonisation.She observed a stark contrast between indigenous and Western perspectives on medicine and spirituality. In her reflection, the young girl highlighted the universal language of mutual learning and support that transcends cultural differences. Her message underscores the importance of cultural harmony and the healing power of shared human experiences, advocating for a world where diverse beliefs and practices contribute to collective strength and understanding.This text was her response to the question, "What is health?" as part of one of the methodological exercises in the doctoral research of Pinzón-Segura MC. Teoría del Intersticio Afectivo: Un nuevo enfoque feminista decolonial de análisis de políticas públicas [Internet]. Bogotá: Repositorio virtual de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia; 2024. The thesis, awarded with the distinction of summa cum laude, included various methods such as participant observation, sociological interviews, and discourse analysis of government documents. The question "What is health?" specifically guided 40 creative narrative workshops, which were an integral component of the ethnography and arts-based research design.

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In rural Crete, Greece, a mummified body was discovered inside a screw-top plastic barrel next to a dry riverbed. Local authorities conducted a field investigation along with a forensic pathologist, and the body was transferred inside the barrel to the Forensic Medicine Unit of the University of Crete for further investigation. Forensic examination included radiographs taken using a portable X-ray machine in situ followed by extraction of the remains, a full-body postmortem computed tomography scan, autopsy, DNA extraction, tissue and biofluid sampling, and histological and toxicological analyses. Two butane camping gases were recovered from inside the barrel. The remains were determined to belong to a middle-aged adult male. The postmortem interval was estimated to be over 4 months. DNA comparison revealed that the body belonged to a 58-year-old man who was reported missing 28 months prior to discovery. Examinations showed no evidence of skeletal or other trauma, and death was attributed to asphyxia due to oxygen deprivation. Careful examination of the barrel, which bore several peculiar modifications, in conjunction with contextual information pertaining to the deceased's personal life, led to successful case resolution. Key points: Advanced decomposition and taphonomic alterations present challenges for forensic practitioners.A case of a set of mummified remains discovered inside a plastic screw-top barrel is reported.A multidisciplinary approach, including examination of the barrel and contextual information regarding the deceased, led to case resolution.

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When human remains are inadvertently located, case-related circumstantial information is used to generate an identification hypothesis, and the preservation of the remains typically informs which identification methods may then be used to validate that hypothesis. What happens, however, when there is no contextual information to generate an identification hypothesis? This paper presents the case of a near-complete human skeleton discovered at Sandy Point in Victoria, Australia. The circumstances of the case did not facilitate an identification hypothesis, and with no hypothesis to triage the identification process, all possible identification methods were employed. Preservation of the individual meant neither a visual nor a fingerprint identification was possible, and the lack of an identification hypothesis meant there was no antemortem reference data to compare with the postmortem DNA or dental information. Consequently, in addition to historical research, novel methods, such as radiocarbon dating and genetic intelligence, were utilized to complement information provided by the forensic anthropology and odontology analyses, which ultimately resulted in the identification. This example highlights the complexity of cases of unidentified skeletal remains and emphasizes the fact that identification is a process that necessarily requires a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach. Key points: Human skeletal remains were recovered from Sandy Point, Victoria.The absence of circumstantial information and the poor preservation (i.e. skeletonized) of the remains precluded the formation of an identification hypothesis, rendering the identification process complex.Only through the integration of anthropology, odontology, molecular biology, radiocarbon dating, historical research, and genealogy were the remains able to be identified as Mr. Christopher Luke Moore, who drowned in 1928.Human identification is a process that necessarily requires a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach.

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BACKGROUND: Forensic age estimation is a procedure which utilises many methods to estimate the age of both living and deceased individuals, including those who have died in natural disasters or man-made catastrophes. The pattern and closure of spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS) fusion, along with subchondral ossification of the mandibular condyle, can be used to estimate age. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to estimate age using computed tomographic (CT) images of spheno-occipital synchondrosis fusion (SOS) and mandibular condylar cortication (MCC), and to correlate these findings with chronological age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study included 435 CT images of individuals aged 10-25 years. SOS fusion was assessed using a four-stage system, and MCC was assessed bilaterally using a three-stage system on the sagittal plane. Data on fusion stages and cortication types were entered along with chronological age, and then statistically analysed. RESULTS: SOS fusion stage 2 occurred at similar age in males (19.82 ± 2.67 years) and females (19.23 ± 2.93 years). Earlier fusion of other stages was observed in females by a mean age of 2 years. MCC was completed 1 year earlier in females, with statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.001). When comparing cortication types and different fusion stages, only type II cortication showed statistically significant differences compared to different fusion stages (p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: Mandibular condylar cortication (MCC) and spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS) fusion were positively correlated with chronological age, suggesting that these parameters can be used as an adjunct method for age estimation.

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Identification of unidentified human remains (UHRs) is crucial yet challenging, especially with traditional forensic techniques. Forensic anthropological examinations can yield ancestry estimations; however, the utility of these estimates is limited by the data points that can be collected from partial remains, complexities of admixture, and variation of phenotypic expression due to environmental effects. While it is generally known that anthropological estimates can be imprecise, the performance of these methods has not been studied at scale. Genome-wide SNP testing is an orthogonal approach for estimating ancestry and offers a unique opportunity to measure the magnitude of anthropological ancestry misattribution. Genomic ancestry inference leverages principal component analysis (PCA) and model-based clustering approaches. This study compares anthropologically determined ancestry with those estimated using genome-wide SNP markers. A dataset of 611 UHR samples with publicly available ancestry assessments from National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) was analyzed. The genetic ancestry approach, validated against reference population samples, offers robust ancestry calculations for major population groups. Inconsistency between anthropological and genomic ancestry assignments were observed, particularly for admixed populations. Although forensic anthropological examinations remain valuable, their limitations emphasize the need for refinement and enhancement through the augmentation of SNP-based analyses. Further validation studies are crucial to define the uncertainty associated with both anthropological and genome-based ancestry estimates to resolve cases and aid law enforcement investigations. Additionally, current policy and practices for reporting ancestry for UHRs should be revisited to reduce potential misinformation.

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The introduction to this special issue, Contesting Transitions: New Directions in the Anthropology of Energy, Climate Justice, and Resource Imaginaries, takes stock of the current state of debate within anthropology and allied fields over the contradictions, slippages, and inequalities at the centre of the global energy transition. Across a wide range of critical case studies, the contributions underscore the importance of attending to what is being elided by dominant discourses and forms of production, such as alternatives to socio-material understandings of energy and resistance to the inevitability of extractivism as the basis for new ways of living. Even more, the collection takes up and problematizes the concept of 'transition' itself on historical, ethnographic, and epistemological grounds. After describing the themes that emerge from the special issue, and explaining how these themes point toward new configurations of research, theory-building, and critical intervention, the introduction concludes with a broader argument about the indispensable place of a critical anthropology in debates over energy and Anthropocenic harm.

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Although they are not often in explicit conversation with each other, several scholarly contributions about the otherwise and grace, respectively, echo each other in striking ways. In this article, the author explores some of these echoes. Assembling theoretically various approaches to the otherwise and grace allows him to show that they both tread on similar theopolitical paths, and to identify three points on which they converge: excess, incarnation and turbulence. The article is structured around these three confluences. Each section begins with a description of a particular way of approaching the otherwise, which is then compared with a similar way of approaching grace. Each section concludes with reflections on the spaces of convergence thus identified, and it is argued that they constitute promising sites for the deployment of a 'theopolitical analytics' in anthropology.

Bien qu'elles ne soient pas souvent mises en conversation les unes avec les autres, de nombreuses contributions académiques traitant respectivement de l'autrement et de la grâce se font écho de façons surprenantes. Dans cet article, j'explore quelques-uns de ces échos. Ce rapprochement théorique de diverses façons de concevoir l'autrement et la grâce me permet de montrer qu'ils suivent tous deux des chemins théopolitiques similaires et d'identifier trois points vers lesquels ils convergent: l'excès, l'incarnation et la turbulence. L'article est structuré autour de ces trois confluences. Chaque section débute avec la description d'une façon particulière d'approcher l'autrement qui est par le suite comparée avec une approche similaire de la grâce. Je conclue chaque section avec des réflexions sur les espaces de convergence ainsi identifiés et soutiens qu'ils constituent des sites prometteurs pour le développement d'une analytique théopolitique en anthropologie.

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The negative portrayal of ageing as a human decline burdening society has prompted Ageing Technology industries (AgeTech) to foresee solutions rooted in the Ageing in Place paradigm. These ostensibly neutral future interventions are intertwined with socio-technical dynamics. While Science and Technology Studies (STS) and anthropology scholars have questioned these AgeTech practices, limited literature explores industry's predictions of future AgeTech. Drawing on STS and futures-anthropology literature, I interrogate AgeTech industry visions of future assemblages involving older people, smart home technology, and socio-material discourses rooted in their own discrepancies and dilemmas. To unpack AgeTech futures, my methods include a review of 49 industry reports and 29 interviews with industry experts. Based on the reports, I designed comics to be used in interviews with experts spanning CEOs and managers of companies designing technology for older people, consultants, and aged-care workers based in 12 countries. Ageing futures are far from being neutral or a chronological process, instead they are non-consensual and fragmented. In the review and interviews, I captured future assemblages of a fragmented AgeTech industry in relationships with governments and industry giants. The fragmentation continues unfolding in participants from diverse countries and professions contesting dominant AgeTech narratives. In dissecting future assemblages, I also unpack non-consensual futures based on diverging experts' values (e.g. safety versus activity) and humans' values like control and improvisation challenging predictive and surveillance technology. AgeTech Futures transcend physical matters or assemblages of technologies and humans. They encompass future normativities, tensions, divergent values, and ideological concepts. I propose not only alternatives to the visions found in industry narratives, but also encourage scholars to understand the AgeTech industry's dilemmas.

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SUMMARY: This study aims to examine the hand morphometry of healthy young individuals from different countries and investigate the differences between countries in typing of hand based on the morphometric values obtained. In the study, 16 different parameters, including two surface areas and 14 lengths, were measured from the right hand of 579 volunteers (250 females, 329 males) from 7 different countries (Turkey, Chad, Morocco, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Syria). Factor analysis was performed on the parameters, cluster analysis was performed according to the factor score obtained, and the hand types in the study were determined. As a result of the study, four different hand types were defined, and the distribution of these types according to countries was analyzed. All parameters showed significant differences between countries in both genders (p<0.05). According to the results of the study, there was a difference between male and female hand types between countries. In females, the type 1 hand type was found only in Gabon, the type 2 hand type was found only in Senegal, the type 3 hand type was found in Turkey, Morocco and Kazakhstan, while the type 4 hand type was significantly distributed in Senegal and Gabon (X2 =104.62; df=18, p<0.05). In males, type 1 hand type was found in Turkey, type 2 hand type in Senegal and Gabon, type 3 hand type in Turkey, while type 4 hand type was significantly distributed in Morocco and Kazakhstan (X2 =76.964; df=18, p<0.05).

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo examinar la morfometría de la mano de individuos jóvenes sanos de diferentes países e investigar las diferencias en la mecanografía de la mano entre países en función de los valores morfométricos obtenidos. En el estudio, se midieron 16 parámetros diferentes, incluidas dos superficies y 14 longitudes, de la mano derecha de 579 voluntarios (250 mujeres, 329 hombres) de 7 países diferentes (Turquía, Chad, Marruecos, Gabón, Kazajstán, Senegal y Siria). Se realizó un análisis factorial de los parámetros, un análisis de conglomerados según la puntuación factorial obtenida y se determinaron los tipos de manos en el estudio. Como resultado, se definieron cuatro tipos diferentes de manos y se analizó la distribución de estos tipos según países. Todos los parámetros mostraron diferencias significativas entre países en ambos sexos (p<0,05). Según los resultados del estudio, hubo una diferencia entre los tipos de manos de los hombres y de las mujeres entre países. En las mujeres, el tipo de mano tipo 1 se encontró solo en Gabón, el tipo de mano tipo 2 se encontró solo en Senegal, el tipo de mano tipo 3 se encontró en Turquía, Marruecos y Kazajstán, mientras que la mano tipo 4 se distribuyó significativamente en Senegal y Gabón (X2=104,62; gl=18, p<0,05). En los hombres, el tipo de mano tipo 1 se encontró en Turquía, el tipo de mano tipo 2 en Senegal y Gabón, el tipo de mano tipo 3 en Turquía, mientras que la mano tipo 4 se distribuyó significativamente en Marruecos y Kazajstán (X2=76,964; gl=18, p <0,05).

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SUMMARY: The aim of this study was to derive the equations for sex determination and to test the accuracy of discrimination between sexes using measurements of the patella in the Thai population. The sample comprised 254 Thai skeletons (134 males and 120 females) aged between 22 and 97 years, with an average age of 63.3years, obtained from the Osteology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai. Six variables were measured in 254 pairs of normal patellae. The mean values of patellar measurements in males were significantly greater than those in females for all variables (P<0.05). Statistical analysis further showed that all variables were useful in sex determination. Stepwise discriminant function analysis yielded an accuracy of 83.2 % (83.8 % male, 82.5 % female) and 85.5 % (85.3 % male, 85.8 % female) for the left and right patellae, respectively. These results suggested that measurement of the right patella is preferable for skeletal sexing. If this is not available, the forensic specialist can use the left patella instead, with an average accuracy of more than 80.0 % in giving a correct classification. The findings of this study demonstrate that the patella is an important bone in sex determination. They suggest that either the left or right patella can be used for sex determination, especially in the Northern Thai population.

El objetivo de este estudio fue derivar las ecuaciones para la determinación del sexo y probar la precisión de la discriminación entre sexos utilizando mediciones de la patela en la población tailandesa. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 254 esqueletos tailandeses (134 hombres y 120 mujeres) con edades comprendidas entre 22 y 97 años, con una edad promedio de 63,3 años, del Centro de Investigación y Capacitación en Osteología de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai. Se midieron seis variables en 254 pares de patelas normales. Los valores medios de las mediciones patelares en los hombres fueron significativamente mayores que los de las mujeres, para todas las variables (P <0,05). Además, el análisis estadístico mostró que todas las variables fueron útiles para la determinación del sexo. El análisis de la función discriminante por pasos arrojó una precisión del 83,2 % (83,8 % hombres, 82,5 % mujeres) y 85,5 % (85,3 % hombres, 85,8 % mujeres) para las patelas izquierda y derecha, respectivamente. Estos resultados sugieren que la medición de la patela derecha es preferible para la determinación del sexo en esqueletos. En caso de no estar disponible y para dar una clasificación correcta, el especialista forense puede utilizar la patela izquierda, con una precisión promedio de más del 80,0 %. Los hallazgos de este estudio demuestran que la patela es un hueso importante en la determinación del sexo. Se sugiere que se pueda utilizar la patela izquierda o derecha para determinar el sexo, especialmente en la población del norte de Tailandia.

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SUMMARY: The present study aimed to investigate the utility of the proximal femur in the forensic age estimation by assessing changes in bone densities through radiographs. Using Otsu's threshold, bone density was quantified by counting all white pixel values within selected regions of interest, which include femoral head (FH), femoral neck (FN), Ward's triangle (WT), and greater trochanter (GT) from 354 left femora of Northern Thai descent. The pixel width of medullary cavity (MC) was also estimated. Furthermore, the study evaluated the performance of linear regression (LR) models for age estimation from radiographic images of proximal femora. Negative correlations were observed between FH, FN, WT, and GT pixel intensity with the age-at-death of the samples, with females exhibiting stronger correlations than males. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between age and MC width in female samples, while male MC widths did not show any relationship with increasing age. The results showed a slight difference between the LR model applied to both sexes, which integrated all variables, and the alternative configuration that only utilized relevant attributes. Both models exhibited similar performance, with a narrow range of root mean square error (RMSE) values, ranging from 12.67 to 12.71 years, and a correlation coefficient range of 0.51 to 0.52. For females, the LR model with FN and WT as selected attributes (RMSE = 11.85 years, correlation coefficient = 0.65) performed decently, while for males, the LR model with all variables showed RMSE of 12.52 years and correlation coefficient of 0.46. This study showcased the potential application of pixel intensity in predicting age.

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar la utilidad del fémur proximal en la estimación forense de la edad mediante la evaluación de cambios en las densidades óseas a través de radiografías. Utilizando el umbral de Otsu, la densidad ósea se cuantificó contando todos los valores de pixeles blancos dentro de regiones de interés seleccionadas, que incluyen la cabeza femoral (CF), el cuello femoral (CF), el triángulo de Ward (WT) y el trocánter mayor (TM) de 354 fémures izquierdos de ascendencia del norte de Tailandia. También se estimó el ancho de pixeles de la cavidad medular (CM). Además, el estudio evaluó el rendimiento de modelos de regresión lineal (RL) para la estimación de la edad a partir de imágenes radiográficas de fémur proximal. Se observaron correlaciones negativas entre la intensidad de los pixeles CF, CF, WT y TM con la edad de muerte, y las mujeres exhibieron correlaciones más fuertes que los hombres. Además, se encontró una correlación positiva entre la edad y el ancho del CM en muestras de mujeres, mientras que el ancho del CM del hombre no mostró ninguna relación con el aumento de la edad. Los resultados mostraron una ligera diferencia entre el modelo RL aplicado a ambos sexos, que integraba todas las variables, y la configuración alternativa que sólo utilizaba atributos relevantes. Ambos modelos mostraron un rendimiento similar, con un rango estrecho de valores del error cuadrático medio (RMSE), que oscilaba entre 12,67 y 12,71 años, y un rango de coeficiente de correlación de 0,51 a 0,52. Para las mujeres, el modelo RL con CF y WT como atributos seleccionados (RMSE = 11,85 años, coeficiente de correlación = 0,65) tuvo un desempeño satisfactorio, mientras que para los hombres, el modelo RL con todas las variables mostró un RMSE de 12,52 años y un coeficiente de correlación de 0,46. Este estudio mostró la posible aplicación de la intensidad de los pixeles en la predicción de la edad.

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