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In this study, we present ongoing research documenting the diversity of European and Hispanic populations. A sample of 1199 crania representing two large geographically and demographically heterogeneous regions (Central and Southern Europe and Brazil) was tested against a sizable database incorporated in the previous version of 3D-ID software. Craniofacial morphology was described by 3-D spatial data processed by methods of geometric morphometrics. The results illustrate morphological complexity and specificity of the examined geographic regions. They also support the need to reevaluate traditional classification systems used in the assessment of ancestry.

The accurate determination of the sex of human skeletal remains is a critical challenge in forensic pathology and skeletal anthropology. The pelvis and the skull are the most commonly used skeletal sites for determining the sex of skeletons. In the skull, the supraorbital region, which includes the supraorbital margin, is considered a specific sexually dimorphic trait. In the traditional approach, sex is determined through visual and tactile assessment. This paper introduces a methodology for the objective quantification of sexually dimorphic features using wavelet transform, which is a multiscale mathematical tool that allows for the measurement of shape variations that are hidden at different scales of resolution. The method was successfully applied for the sex determination of a pilot sample of 3D meshes—digital records of supraorbital morphology. This information can be used by experts to improve the accuracy of biologic profile assessment of a human skeleton, and to describe the geographic and temporal variations within and among populations.

Hodnocení mezipohlavních rozdílů v utváření dolní čelisti je jednou z mála možností, jak lze u nedospělých skeletů morfologicky odhadovat pohlaví. V této průřezové studii jsme se pokusili morfometricky prostudovat věkové rozdíly a ověřit existenci pohlavního dimorfismu ve velikosti a tvaru zubního oblouku dolní čelisti u nedospělých jedinců recentní české populace. Vzorek tvořilo 163 sádrových modelů dolních čelistí ortodontických pacientů, vybraných z Brněnské sbírky sádrových ortodontických modelů chrupu na základě stupně prořezání a nepřítomnosti zjevných patologií v rozsahu I(i)1-M1. Mladší kategorie od 7,5 let včetně do 9,5 let sestávala ze 77 případů (35 mužů a 42 žen), starší kategorie od 14 let včetně do 20 let z 86 případů (36 mužů a 50 žen). Velikost a tvar zubního oblouku jsme na standardizovaných fotografiích okluzní roviny hodnotili morfometricky pomocí jedenácti rozměrů, definovaných význačnými body na předních řezácích, špičácích a prvních trvalých stoličkách. Tvar jsme hodnotili pomocí šesti indexů. Ženy měly celkově menší rozměry zubního oblouku než muži stejné věkové kategorie, ve vyšší věkové kategorii byl velikostní dimorfismus mírně vyšší, ve většině rozměrů však nepřesahoval 5%. Rozdíly mezi věkovými kategoriemi nejsou jen odrazem prostého zvětšování čelisti v průběhu postnatálního růstu. Délka distální části zubního oblouku (C-M1) je ve vyšším věku u obou pohlaví menší. To může být způsobeno stěsnáváním mesiálnějších zubů s tím, jak se postupně prořezávají zuby distálnější. Ve většině hodnocených indexů se pohlaví výrazně nelišila, výjimkou byl Index vystupování špičáku v mladší věkové kategorii. Špičák vystupoval z oblouku bukálním směrem výrazněji ženám než mužům. Diskuse je věnována srovnání zjištěného dimorfismu s předchozími studiemi a možným vlivům, prostřednictvím kterých mohl klinický charakter sbírky a způsob výběru vzorku ovlivnit zjištěné mezipohlavní rozdíly.

Archaeological mortars are more convenient and much more representative for the chronology of buildings than brick or wood constructions that can be re-used from older buildings. Before dating unknown samples of mortars, further investigation of OSL from mortars is required and the most efficient methodology needs to be established. In this study we compared the ages obtained by OSL dating of quartz extracted from mortars of the Roman amphitheatre Palais-Gallien in Bordeaux with independent age information. Resetting of the OSL signal occurred during the preparation of mortar when grains of sand (quartz) were extracted and mixed with lime and water. The mortar was subsequently hidden from light by embedding within the structure which is the event to be dated. Various factors contribute to uncertainties in the age determination. The frequency of measured equivalent doses reveals a large scattering. Optical bleaching of certain grains can be partial due to the short duration of the exposure to light. We worked with the single grain technique in order to find and select the grains that were sufficiently exposed to daylight. To determine the average equivalent dose, we tried three different approaches: a calculation of an arithmetic mean and one following either the central age model or the 3-parameter minimum age model, the latter turned out to be the only relevant way to evaluate the experimental data. The proportion of grains included in the calculation of the average equivalent dose represents 2.7–4.7 % of the overall analysed grains. The results obtained for the three out of four samples are approaching the expected age, however, the minimum doses and the corresponding ages are significantly over-estimated in case of two samples. The studied material is very coarse, which causes heterogeneity of irradiation at the single grain scale, and contributes to a dispersion of equivalent doses. Different analytical methods (scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy cartography, Beta-radiography imaging, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ) were employed to demonstrate the presence of this phenomenon. Despite the extremely large proportion of high equivalent doses in equivalent dose distributions, there is an apparent presence of well-bleached grains at the beginning of equivalent dose distributions. The study shows the potential of dating mortars by single grain OSL.

International audience; While reviews of comparisons between multi-grain OSL ages and independent chronological information are available in the literature, there is hardly any such performance test for single-grain OSL ages. And yet, this is all the more needed as the interpretation of single-grain dose distributions remains a difficult task, given the typically considerable dispersion in equivalent dose values measured by OSL – and the numerous sources of such dispersion in measurements. Here, we present the study of 19 samples for which independent age control is available, and whose ages range from 2 to 46 ka. Based on multi-grain OSL age estimates, these samples are presumed to have been both well-bleached at burial, and unaffected by mixing after deposition. Two ways of estimating single-grain ages are then compared: the standard approach on the one hand, consisting of applying the Central Age Model to De values determined with the Analyst software; on the other hand, the central dose model recently proposed by Combès et al. (Combès, B., Philippe, A., Lanos, P., Mercier, N., Tribolo, C., Guerin, G., Guibert, P., Lahaye, C., in press. Quaternary Geochronology). The median of the relative discrepancy between single-grain OSL and reference ages is about twice as large for the standard approach (12%) as with the Bayesian model (7%). Statistical tests show that, based on our (limited) dataset, the difference between the two models seems to be significant for samples in the age range 4–46 ka. Finally, the influence of various factors on the (in-)accuracy of single grain OSL ages is discussed; it appears that the accuracy of ages estimated in a standard way decreases when age is increased, while the Bayesian model seems more robust. This study also shows that (i) there is no 20% limit on the CAM overdispersion parameter for well-bleached samples; (ii) dose recovery experiments do not seem to be a very reliable tool to estimate the accuracy of a SAR measurement protocol for age determination.

The potential of passive air sampling devices (polyurethane foam disks) to assess the influence of local sources on the quality of the surrounding environment was investigated. DEZA Valasske Mezirici, a coal tar and mixed tar oils processing plant, and Spolana Neratovice, a chemical factory with the history of high production of organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), were selected as the point sources of PAHs, and OCPs, respectively. Levels of PCBs, OCPs and PAHs were determined for all sampling sites and sampling periods. The study brought useful data about the air concentrations of POPs in the investigated regions. More important, it provided information on the transport and fate of POPs in the vicinity of local sources of contamination useful for the estimation of their influence. Very good capability of passive samplers to reflect temporal and spatial fluctuation in concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in the ambient air was confirmed which makes them applicable for monitoring on the local scale.

It is important that forensic pathologists are familiar with variations in the size and shape of the laryngohyoid complex when interpreting injuries and pathology of the head and neck region. Accurate postmortem examination of the laryngohyoid structures may be difficult if anatomical variation in these structures is present. Agenesis of the upper horns of the thyroid cartilage has medicolegal significance because it may be mistaken for a fracture or other trauma-related conditions. We present 3 cases with different forms of agenesis of the superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage, namely, right unilateral, left unilateral, and bilateral agenesis.

Three-dimensional surface technologies particularly close range photogrammetry and optical surface scanning have recently advanced into affordable, flexible and accurate techniques. Forensic postmortem investigation as performed on a daily basis, however, has not yet fully benefited from their potentials. In the present paper, we tested two approaches to 3D external body documentation – digital camera-based photogrammetry combined with commercial Agisoft PhotoScan ® software and stereophotogrammetry-based Vectra H1 ® , a portable handheld surface scanner. In order to conduct the study three human subjects were selected, a living person, a 25-year-old female, and two forensic cases admitted for postmortem examination at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic (both 63-year-old males), one dead to traumatic, self-inflicted, injuries (suicide by hanging), the other diagnosed with the heart failure. All three cases were photographed in 360° manner with a Nikon 7000 digital camera and simultaneously documented with the handheld scanner. In addition to having recorded the pre-autopsy phase of the forensic cases, both techniques were employed in various stages of autopsy. The sets of collected digital images (approximately 100 per case) were further processed to generate point clouds and 3D meshes. Final 3D models (a pair per individual) were counted for numbers of points and polygons, then assessed visually and compared quantitatively using ICP alignment algorithm and a cloud point comparison technique based on closest point to point distances. Both techniques were proven to be easy to handle and equally laborious. While collecting the images at autopsy took around 20min, the post-processing was much more time-demanding and required up to 10h of computation time. Moreover, for the full-body scanning the post-processing of the handheld scanner required rather time-consuming manual image alignment. In all instances the applied approaches produced high-resolution photorealistic, real sized or easy to calibrate 3D surface models. Both methods equally failed when the scanned body surface was covered with body hair or reflective moist areas. Still, it can be concluded that single camera close range photogrammetry and optical surface scanning using Vectra H1 scanner represent relatively low-cost solutions which were shown to be beneficial for postmortem body documentation in forensic pathology.

X-ray is the most common, basic and essential imaging method used in forensic medicine. It serves to display and localize the foreign objects in the body and helps to detect various traumatic and pathological changes. X-ray imaging is valuable in anthropological assessment of an individual. X-ray allows non-invasive evaluation of important findings before the autopsy and thus selection of the optimal strategy for dissection. Basic indications for postmortem X-ray imaging in forensic medicine include gunshot and explosive fatalities (identification and localization of projectiles or other components of ammunition, visualization of secondary missiles), sharp force injuries (air embolism, identification of the weapon) and motor vehicle related deaths. The method is also helpful for complex injury evaluation in abused victims or in persons where abuse is suspected. Finally, X-ray imaging still remains the gold standard method for identification of unknown deceased. With time modern imaging methods, especially computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, are more and more applied in forensic medicine. Their application extends possibilities of the visualization the bony structures toward a more detailed imaging of soft tissues and internal organs. The application of modern imaging methods in postmortem body investigation is known as digital or virtual autopsy. At present digital postmortem imaging is considered as a bloodless alternative to the conventional autopsy.

Morphological variation is a result of interplay among multiple intervening factors. For hyoid bones, the shape and size differences have been scarcely covered in the literature and in majority limited to studies of sexual dimorphism or age dependency. To our knowledge, the human hyoid bone, in complete opposite to other cranial bones, has not been fully utilized to address developmental questions in terms of asymmetry or modularity. In the present paper, we used landmark-based methods of geometric morphometrics and multivariate statistical approach to study human hyoid morphology represented by the hyoid body and greater horns in a sample of 211 fused and non-fused bones. Within a sample variation analysis, we showed that the hyoid bone is, by nature, asymmetrical bone which exhibit both directional and fluctuating types of asymmetry and is composed of well-integrated anatomical elements for which the biomechanical load of attached muscles is the most determining factor of variation. Yet, the covariance and evidence of unequal amount of fluctuating asymmetry among modules suggests a certain degree of independence during early stages of development.

International audience

The hyoid bone is characterized by sexually dimorphic features, enabling it to occasionally be used in the sex determination aspect of establishing the biological profile in skeletal remains. Based on a sample of 298 fused and non-fused hyoid bones, the present paper compares several methodological approaches to sexing human hyoid bones in order to test the legitimacy of osteometrics-based linear discriminant equations and to explore the potentials of symbolic regression and methods of geometric morphometrics. In addition, two sets of published predictive models, one of which originated in an indigenous population, were validated on the studied sample. The results showed that the hyoid shape itself is a moderate sex predictor and a combination of linear measurements is a better representation of sex-related differences. The symbolic regression was shown to exceed the predictive powers of linear discriminant function analysis when two models based on a logistic and step regression reached 96% of correctly classified cases. There was a positive correlation between discriminant scores and an individual's age as the sex assessment was highly skewed in favour of males. This suggests that the human hyoid undergoes age-related modifications which facilitates determination of male bones and complicates determination of females in older individuals. The validation of discriminant equations by Komenda and Cerný (1990) and Kindschud et al. (2010) revealed that there are marked inter-population and inter-sample differences which lessened the power to correctly determine female hyoid bones.

We studied sexual dimorphism of the human clavicle in order to describe size variation and create population-specific discriminant tools for morphometric sex assessment. The studied sample consisted of 200 skeletons of adult individuals obtained from the University of Athens Human Skeletal Reference Collection, Athens, Greece. The specimens were well-documented and represented a modern population from cemeteries in the Athens area. Six dimensions typically used for clavicle measurements were recorded. For sexing clavicles, we used both traditional univariate (limiting, demarking and sectioning points) and multivariate discriminant function analysis. The accuracy of the best five classification equations/functions ranged from 91.62% to 92.55% of correctly assigned specimens. By testing new and previously published sexing functions (Greeks, Polynesians, Guatemalans) on four available population samples (English, Indians from Amritsar, Indians from Varanasi, and data from the present study) we found that, for some combinations of tested and reference samples, the accuracy of the sex assessment may decrease even below the probability given by random sex assignment. Therefore, measurements of the clavicle should not be used for sex assessment of individual cases (both forensic and archeological) whose population origin is unknown. However, significant metric differences were also recorded among three different Greek samples (i.e. within a population). As a consequence, application of a sexing method generated from one Greek sample and applied to another Greek sample led to negligible reduction in the success of sex assessment, despite general similarities in ethnic origin (Greeks), generation structure and presumed social background of the samples. Therefore, we believe that future studies should focus on understanding the nature of the differences among within-population reference samples.

Morphological aspects of the human hyoid bone are, like many other skeletal elements in human body, greatly affected by individual's sex, age and body proportions. Still, the known sex-dependent bimodality of a number of body size characteristics overshadows the true within-group patterns. Given the ambiguity of the causal effects of age, sex and body size upon hyoid morphology the present study puts the relationship between shape of human hyoid bone and body proportions (height and weight) under scrutiny of a morphological study. Using 211 hyoid bones and landmark-based methods of geometric morphometrics, it was shown that the size of hyoid bones correlated positively with measured body dimensions but showed no correlation if the individual's sex was controlled for. For shape variables, our results revealed that hyoid morphology is clearly related to body size as expressed in terms of the height and weight. Yet, the hyoid shape was shown to result primarily from the sex-related bimodal distribution of studied body size descriptors which, in the case of the height-dependent model, exhibited opposite trends for males and females. Apart from the global hyoid shape given by spatial arrangements of the greater horns, body size dependency was translated into size and position of the hyoid body. None of the body size characters had any impact on hyoid asymmetry. Ultimately, sexually dimorphic variation was revealed for age-dependent changes in both size and shape of hyoid bones as male hyoids tend to be more susceptible to modifications with age than female bones.

The shape of the orbital rim is one of the essential craniofacial features that play a crucial role in face perception, recognition, or personal identification. As a consequence, it continues to attract a large variety of researchers, e.g., skeletal or forensic anthropologists, anatomists, physicians, psychologists etc. Despite being a focus since the rise of traditional anthropometrics, the 3-D nature of the orbital rim has not been satisfactorily quantified. This paper presents an approach to numerically describe the withinand among-population shape variation of the orbital rim, its curviness and spatial orientation using elliptic Fourier analysis. The sample consisted of 336 crania from present-day skeletal collections (Czech Republic, Portugal). For each specimen, a pair of orbital outlines was recorded using the MicroScribe G2X, a portable digitizer. Regardless of the body side, the trace line started and ended at dacryon located on the inner margin of the orbital rim. Cartesian coordinates of three fixed points defining a 3-D Frankfurt Horizontal plane were also acquired. In order to align for spatial orientation of the orbits, each pair was rotated to the Frankfurt Horizontal. The outlines were divided into 150 evenly distributed points and subsequently processed using elliptic Fourier analysis with 20 harmonics. The results showed that the specimen’s population affinity, sex, age and body size are factors responsible for the shape of the orbital rim. In contrast to the generally assumed pattern of sex differences, the shape of frontallyviewed orbits failed to act as a good sex predictor. Sex-related differences, as described by 3D shape analysis, were linked mostly to a specific “curviness” and to spatial arrangement of orbits within the craniofacial skeleton. Whereas the male orbital outline is characteristically curved and placed in the frontal plane, the female outline is flat and diverged. The results demonstrate that elliptic Fourier analysis is a powerful methodological tool that can provide new insights into the structural relationships within biological objects.