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The bony labyrinth is an inner ear structure located inside the pyramid of the temporal bone. In skeletal or skeletonized human remains, the region exhibits a remarkably high resistance against a variety of taphonomic factors. A substantial amount of work has been carried out in many scientific domains assessing morphological variations of the bony labyrinth. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent with each other, so researchers remain unable to definitively confirm or reject size and shape dependencies of the bony labyrinth on factors such sex or age. Inadequate methodology and the invasiveness of existing approaches are frequently cited as reasons for these ambiguous results. This paper proposes a new semiautomatic PC-aided approach for quantifying the semicircular canals of the bony labyrinth using CT-generated three-dimensional digital models. A new measurement protocol was established on a sample of 163 bony labyrinths using a step-wise elimination procedure and semi-automatic computerassisted tools. The procedure finally selected as most effective included 39 measurements, which were employed to explore age, sex or side-to-side differences in the shape and size of the semicircular canals. The results exhibit very few sex-related and body-side-specific differences. However, statistically significant differences were observed between subadults and adults, particularly in the canal lumens of the lateral and posterior semicircular canals, where larger values were detected for the adults. This paper presents a novel innovative approach for quantifying the semicircular canals of the bony labyrinth, with the aim of regularizing the methodological pool in this line of research.

Dating lime mortar shows great potential for establishing the chronology of a construction. The basic premise of mortar dating by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) is that quartz in the sand used for making mortar has been optically zeroed during the preparation process (optical bleaching). The moment to be dated is the last exposure of sand grains to light, before being embedded within the masonry and hidden from light. However, the main problem is the frequent partial and heterogeneous bleaching of grains, and this led us to use the single grain technique (SG-OSL) systematically. Some theoretical and experimental aspects of a new statistical treatment (the EED model, as exponential exposure distribution) are detailed and discussed. Our experience shows that SG-OSL dating of mortars is successful in a majority of situations. In a minority of cases (around 15%) difficulties originate when there is inappropriate OSL behavior of grains, and thus OSL dating is not possible. In the other cases, good agreement was obtained between OSL ages and the reference ones for a series of samples from a variety of ages and situations, even in the case of poorly bleached material. Anyway, the present situation of OSL dating methodology justifies the systematic use of SG-OSL in the dating of masonry today.

The aim of this study was to identify relationships in children between responses to specific questions of interest in a clinical questionnaire concerning swallowing-related difficulties and pathological signs on a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS). A prospective data analysis was made of children evaluated with swallowing disorder between January 2018 and April 2021 at a tertiary care centre. Each child enrolled in the study underwent a subjective evaluation (targeted questions) and instrumental examination (VFSS). In total, 51 children suffering from swallowing problems (32 with a neurological disorder and 19 without neurological disorder) were included into the study. Our results showed there was a correlation between the occurrence of specific symptoms (wet voice, wet breathing, recurrent respiratory infections, chronic mucus) and other pathological signs on a VFSS (laryngeal penetration, residua, nasal regurgitation). The evaluation of these specific questions is a reliable and useful method for the management of dysphagia in neonates and infants. It can help us in selecting those patients for which it is appropriate to perform a VFSS.

For the contemporary Czech population, the recent-most dataset available to serve as a reference to furniture designers originated in anthropometric examinations performed during the Czechoslovak spartakiad which took place in 1985. Currently valid technological design standards are based on anthropometric data collected in the 1960's. To provide background for an update of furniture functional dimensions, 37 somatic characteristics were measured in a sample of 463 adult participants. The collected data were used as a background for a design standard update proposal as a statistically significant difference was found in somatic characteristics between the current Czech population and the reference sample. Post-hoc testing was employed to verify the concept of utilizing S, M, L sizes (similarly to the clothing industry) in furniture design. For the seat height and length, the S, M, L categories for both males and females would be plausible (there is little overlap in size categories), but for seat width, armrest width and height sizes based on body height can't be defined clearly. Our results suggest that no clear recommendation can be provided to furniture designers (based on our data) in terms of creating size categories for seating furniture.

Statistical analysis has become increasingly important in the field of OSL dating since it has become possible to measure signals at the single grain scale. The accuracy of large chronological datasets can benefit from the inclusion, in chronological modelling, of stratigraphic constraints and shared systematic errors. Recently, a number of Bayesian models have been developed for OSL age calculation; the R package BayLum allows implementing different such models, in particular for samples in stratigraphic order which share systematic errors. We first show how to introduce stratigraphic constraints in BayLum; then, we focus on the construction, based on measurement uncertainties, of dose covariance matrices to account for systematic errors specific to OSL dating. The nature (systematic versus random) of errors affecting OSL ages is discussed, based – as an example – on the dose rate determination procedure at the IRAMAT-CRP2A laboratory (Bordeaux). The effects of the stratigraphic constraints and dose covariance matrices are illustrated on example datasets. In particular, the interest of combining the modelling of systematic errors with independent ages, unaffected by these errors, is demonstrated. Finally, we discuss other common ways of estimating dose rates and how they may be taken into account in the covariance matrix by other potential users and laboratories. Test datasets are provided as supplementary material to the reader, together with an R Markdown tutorial allowing to reproduce all calculations and figures presented in this study.

Three-dimensional facial images are becoming more and more widespread. As such images provide more information about facial morphology than 2D imagery, they show great promise for use in future forensic applications, including age estimation and verification. This paper proposes an approach using random forests, a machine learning method, to develop and test models for classification of legal age thresholds (15 years and 18 years) using 3D facial landmarks. Our approach was developed on a set of 3D facial scans from 394 Czech individuals (194 males and 200 females) aged between 10 and 25 years. The dataset was retrieved from a sizable database of Central European faces - The FIDENTIS 3D Face Database. Three main types of input variables were processed using random forests: I) shape (size-invariant) coordinates of 3D landmarks, II) size and shape coordinates of 3D landmarks, and III) inter-landmark distances, angles and indices. The performance rates for the combinations of variables and age threshold were expressed in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The overall accuracy rates varied from 71.4%-91.5% (when the male and female samples were pooled). In general, higher accuracy was achieved for the age limit of 18 years than for 15 years. Whereas size-variant variables showed a better performance rate for the age limit of 15 years, the size-invariant variables (i.e., shape variables) were better for classifying individuals under 18 years. The verification models grounded on traditional variables (distances, angles, indices) yielded consistently higher performance rates on females than on males, whereas the inverse trend was observed for the models built on 3D coordinates. The results indicate that age verification based on 3D facial data with processing by the random forests method has high potential for further forensic or biometric applications.

We present an approach for the human face reconstruction from a single frontal image for the use in forensic anthropology when the subject’s age and gender is known. In our approach we build a database of several depth images per each age and gender group pair, marked with facial landmarks. To reconstruct a 3D facial model from an unknown frontal image we search the most similar face in the depth database based on the automatically detected landmarks and assign its depth to the model. In the evaluation part, we compared our approach to a recent automatic convolutional neural network based algorithm and a semi-automatic approach, where landmarks are required to be detected manually. In contrast to other tested approaches our algorithm can estimate all major components, such as eyes, nose and mouth, evenly. Thanks to the external depth database, it can also reconstruct human faces from images with partial facial occlusions and uneven lighting. Additionally, we have found that a single depth image provides a good approximation of the human face and a combination of multiple precomputed depth images has a little impact on the final 3D face reconstruction result. Speed measurements show that our algorithm provides a quick and a fully automatic way to reconstruct a human face from a single frontal image for the use in forensic anthropology.

Postmortem facial identification is one of the most common techniques for establishing a deceased person's identity. In victims suffering from devastating cranial injuries, the feasibility of facial identification tasks can be compromised by damage to or disfigurement of the identifying cranial features. Although there are several reconstructive approaches, which help experts to restore the essence of person's physical appearance, thus enhancing the chances of recognition, only a few of them involve restoring the fractured cranial bones as the foundation for the reconstructed soft tissues. Here, we propose a technique based on replacement of heavily damaged hard tissues with generic prosthetics manufactured by 3D printing. Our approach does not require medical imaging technologies or other costly lab equipment. It is simple, affordable and relatively labor-efficient. The deceased's reconstructed craniofacial features can be subsequently assessed, photographed, drawn or otherwise reproduced in order to help determine his or her identity. In addition, the imagery can be displayed, published or broadcasted in media without concerns of being overly graphic.

Face databases have assumed an important role in a variety of clinical and applied research domains. However, the number of datasets accessible to the scientific community is limited and the knowledge of their existence may be concealed from a wider range of specialists. In the present paper we introduce a sizeable dataset of 3D facial scans – FIDENTIS 3D Face Database (F3D-FD or FIDENTIS Database), which is accompanied by basic demographic and descriptive data. The database is structured according to recorded subjects, and comprises single-scan entries as well as a smaller number of multiscan entries. The multi-scan entries vary in the time passed between recording sessions and in the devices employed to collect the 3D data. The total number of 2476 individuals puts our database within the category of large-scale databases. The 3D scans are accessible through a web-based interface at www.fidentis.cz. A licensed version of the database is available to interested parties upon signing a license agreement. Because of its varied composition, and low target-specificity the database has capacity to be of great assistance for the worldwide research community.

Throughout the long history of the Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture in the region of modern Poland (4100–3100 BCE) we can observe how local farming communities interacted with the wild world and how deer species became an important ideological resource for the TRB people. Biomolecular and histomorphometric evidence from two archaeological sites in central Poland add new information for a better understanding of these multi-layered interactions. Our findings fuel a discussion of deer valorisation during the TRB era in Poland, showing that the dagger from Slawecinek was made from the bone of a red deer or elk and may have served as a clan accessory. Furthermore, the results indicate that a likely candidate for the bone used to temper the ceramic vessel from Kaldus is red deer, which allowed us to speculate that the utilisation of bone-tempered pottery by the local TRB farmers may possibly reflect the magical domestication of cervids.

International audience; Dating archaeological mortar by OSL is one of the challenging that allows to date the construction of ancient masonries. Amongst building materials, mortar is more convenient to date masonries than bricks, since the latter can be reused, salvaged from older buildings or structures. The event to be dated is the preparation of mortar when grains of sand (including quartz) were extracted, possibly sieved and added to lime and mixed together. In many cases, an incomplete bleaching of grains is reported in the literature and the only way to overcome this difficulty is to use the single grain technique (Jain et al., 2004; Urbanova et al., 2015…). Nevertheless, despite its potential, this technique needs to develop non-standard statistical tools in order to understand and describe the EDs distribution of poorly bleached materials.The first step of this study is, to model the bleaching process of sand grains during their movement while being mixed with lime and water, in the view of obtaining a residual dose distribution. To do so, we base our calculation upon simple assumptions about the statistical behaviour of grains, and particularly the fact that individual grains can move independently during the making process. Assuming that the probability for a grain to be exposed to the light is memoryless, then we deduced that the time of exposition of a grain follows an exponential distribution. Coupling this exposition with both a bleaching equation of grains which is assumed to be exponential, and a growth function of OSL with dose, chosen in our case as a saturating exponential, we obtain the distribution of residual dose. This distribution is convoluted with the burial dose one (distribution of dose integrated since the mortar manufacture) to simulate distributions of EDs of archaeological materials.The second step consists in checking the suitability of this simulation approach by comparing calculated and experimental distributions of EDs of mortar samples. The principle is to evaluate the parameters involved in the simulation process that best fits the experimental distribution of individual EDs and finally compare the Single Grain -OSL ages with the known ones. As the samples studied here are of known ages, that were determined according to archaeological or other physical dating approaches, it is then possible to evaluate the consistency of this data processing. A very satisfactory agreement is obtained with the known samples studied. We actually experience tens of SG studies that indicate the suitability of the procedure that, in a certain extent, could be generalized to other bleaching processes involving a mobility of grains as a major source of random exposition of grains to the light.Jain, M., Thomsen, K. J., Bøtter-Jensen, L., Murray, A. S., 2004. Thermal transfer and apparent-dose distributions in poorly bleached mortar samples: results from single grains and small aliquots of quartz. Radiation Measurements, 38: 101-109.Urbanova, P., Hourcade, D., Ney, C., Guibert, P., 2015. Sources of uncertainties in OSL dating of archaeological mortars: the case study of the Roman amphitheatre Palais-Gallien in Bordeaux. Radiation Measurements, 72: 100-110.

While assessing skeletal injuries in human skeletal remains, forensic anthropologists are frequently presented with fractured, fragmented, or otherwise modified skeletal remains. The examination of evidence and the mechanisms of skeletal injuries often require that separate osseous elements be permanently or temporarily reassembled or reconstructed. If not dealt with properly, such reconstructions may impede accurate interpretation of the evidence. Nowadays, routine forensic examinations increasingly incorporate digital imaging technologies. As a result, a variety of PC-assisted imaging techniques, collectively referred to as the virtual approach, have been made available to treat fragmentary skeletal remains. The present study employs a 3D virtual approach to assess mechanisms of skeletal injuries, and provides an expert opinion of causative tools in three forensic cases involving human skeletal remains where integrity was compromised by multiple peri- or postmortem alterations resulting in fragmentation and/or incompleteness. Three fragmentary skulls and an incomplete set of foot bones with evidence of perimortem fractures (gunshot wounds) and sharp force trauma (saw marks) were digitized using a desktop laser scanner. The digitized skeletal elements were reassembled in the virtual workspace using functionalities incorporated in AMIRA ® version 5.0 software, and simultaneously in real physical space by traditional reconstructive approaches. For this study, the original skeletal fragments were substituted by replicas built by 3D printing. Inter-method differences were quantified by mesh-based comparison after the physically reassembled elements had been re-digitized. Observed differences were further reinforced by visualizing local variations using colormaps and other advanced 3D visualization techniques. In addition, intra-operator and inter-operator error was computed. The results demonstrate that the importance of incorporating the virtual approach into the assessment of skeletal injuries increases with the complexity and state of preservation of a forensic case. While in relatively simple cases the virtual approach is a welcome extension to a traditional approach, which merely facilitates the analysis, in more complex and extensively fragmentary cases such as multiple gunshot wounds or dismemberment, the virtual approach can be a crucial step in applying the principles of gunshot wounds or sharp force traumatic mechanisms. The unrestricted manipulation with digital elements enabling limitless repairs and adjustments to a “best-case scenario” also produced smaller inter-operator variation in comparison to the traditional approach.

Experts in forensic anthropology and medicine have become gradually accustomed to examining components of the human body in the virtual workspace. While the computer-assisted approach offers numerous benefits, the interactions with digital three-dimensional biological objects are often problematic, particularly if conducted with mouse, keyboard and flat-panel screen. The study focusses on feasibility of a virtual reality (VR) system for virtual restoration of fragmentary skeletal remains. The VR system was confronted with three cases of fragmentary remains. The cases were reassembled manually by twenty participants using a HTC Vive headset combined with an in-house application A.R.T. The same task was performed using a CloudCompare software in conjunction with a desktop peripheral. The two systems were compared in terms of time efficiency, the geometric properties of the resulting restorations, and convenience of use. Restoration using the VR system took approximately half the time the desktop set-up did. The VR system also yielded a lower error rate when a severely fragmented skull was reassembled. Ultimately, although the efficiency of the reassembling was shown to be strongly dependent on the operator's experience, the use of the VR system balanced out the uneven levels of proficiency in computer graphics. The current generation of virtual reality headsets has a strong potential to facilitate and improve tasks relating to the virtual restoration of fragmented skeletal remains. A VR system offers an intuitive digital working environment which is less affected by an operator's computer skills and practical understanding of the technology than the desktop systems are.

Forensic dental identification has employed traditionally 2D digital radiological imaging techniques. More recently, 3D cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) data, widely applied in clinical dentistry, have been gradually used. The purpose of this study was to compare the precision and quality of 2D digital orthopantomogram (OPG) and 2D OPG images generated from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The study sample consisted of 50 patients with archived conventional 2D OPG and 3D CBCT images. Patients signed an informed consent form to take part in our study. Measurements of the mandible, teeth and dental restorations were taken by two observers on calibrated 2D OPG and 3D CBCT-to-OPG images using measurement functionalities of DOPLHIN software. Acquired dimensions were compared side by side and images of fillings were superimposed. For better visual comparison and more efficient image registration, the methods of spline interpolation were used. The pairs of absolute measurements obtained from conventional OPG and CBCT-to-OPG-converted images were highly correlated (p 0.05). However, larger, and horizontally measured distances were revealed to be more affected than shorter vertically taken measurements. In relative terms, CBCT-generated width/length indices of the canines and the first molars ranged from 84% to 99.8% of those acquired from traditional OPGs. In addition, corresponding points on the teeth and fillings were compared side by side and in superimposition. The average coincidence of images was 6.1%. The results revealed that for selected metric variables 2D OPGs and 3D CBCT-generated OPGs were complementary and could be used for forensic comparisons.

Background and aim: The effect of socio-economic factors (living conditions) and parental smoking habits on development of facial morphology and body measurements was studied on a longitudinal Czech sample of 25 girls and 25 boys. Subjects and methods: A set of studied digitalized photographs taken from 0.5 to 18 years in intervals of 6 months originated in the Brno Longitudinal Study. Facial shape changes of sub-adult participants were described using a configuration of 27 landmarks and further studied by using methods of geometric morphometric and multivariate statistics. In order to localize growth-related shape changes within the face, the studied region was divided into upper, middle and lower facial units and analyzed separately. Results and conclusion: The results show that in the course of ontogenesis there is a strong correlation between facial shape change and body measurements, height included (r=0.10 and r=0.24 in boys and in girls, respectively). The pubertal spurt of the facial shape change rate was revealed at 10.5 years in girls and at 11.5 years in boys. The earlier onset of the pubertal rate increase in facial shape changes in boys was associated with records of poor living conditions. In addition, the mother’s smoking habits were linked to a noticeable facial shape change.

Generating large human crowds of distinguishable individuals is one of the challenges in the gaming industry. When the scene contains many characters, it becomes impracticable to create all the individual characters manually. However, the requirement for the different appearances of individuals in a crowd, namely their faces, is now in greater demand. Therefore, this paper describes our solution to the automatic generation of human faces that are created as a composite of facial parts of 3D scans of real human faces. However, the user has the possibility to further adjust the composite by designing replacements, leading to a desired appearance. The final composite can be exported and attached to a given avatar. To evaluate the usability of our solution, we performed two case studies. The conducted perception study performed with 104 participants aimed to confirm the decreasing human ability to recognize morphologically modified faces. The morphological study focused on the quantification of the extent of facial modifications. Both studies were performed by domain experts from psychology and anthropology.

Restaurace a rekonstrukce fragmentarnich kosternich nalezů v digitalnim prostředi pocitace snižuje miru poskozeni nebo naruseni původni podstaty nalezu oproti tradicnim metodam rekonstrukce. Cilem tohoto přispěvku je optimalizovat metodiku virtualni anatomicke restaurace fragmentar-nich lebek do celistveho trojrozměrneho digitalniho modelu a prozkoumat vliv virtualnich postupů na urceni pohlavi na lebce. Prostřednictvim 3D laseroveho skeneru bylo do pocitace převedeno 268 zlomků lidských lebek. Pro urceni pohlavi na vytvořených 3D modelech byly zvoleny tradicni morfoskopicke metody a osteometricke metody s pocitacovou podporou. Testovany byly programy FORDISC 3.0, 3D-ID a COLIPR 1.0. Spolehlivost pohlavni diagnozy na lebce byla hodnocena ve vztahu k urceni pohlavi podle panve. Bylo zjistěno, že morfoskopicke metody vykazuji vyssi shodu s urcenim pohlavi na panvi než osteometricke metody. Tento rozdil je patrnějsi u lebek re-staurovaných, kde je spolehlivost urceni pohlavi snižovana nejenom využitim populacně specifických metod, ale take nekompletnosti zachovaleho materialu a mirou poskozeni původniho nalezu.

International audience; This paper deals with new strategies for dating the construction of ancient monuments, one of the most topical issues in archaeology. Our approach is demonstrated by the study of an emblematic early medieval Basilica Saint Seurin in Bordeaux whose oldest building phases have never been well-understood and dated before due to the lack of written sources and archaeological findings. We mainly focus on the analyses of mortar as an omnipresent and non-recyclable material whose making is undoubtedly contemporary to the building process. For the first time, we integrated a novel, recently validated protocol for dating historical mortar through optically stimulated luminescence using the « single grain technique » (SG-OSL) into archaeological research. The present work arises from close and continuous collaboration between archaeologists and archaeometers both in situ and during post-excavation analyses. SG-OSL dating of mortar, as the most innovative aspect of the study, was combined with mortar characterization, radiocarbon dating of charcoals and partly also with ar-chaeomagnetic and thermoluminescence dating of bricks for a cross-check of chronological data. We identified and dated several independent building phases in the crypt of the present church where mortar was the only building material preserved. By combining physical dating methods with stratigraphic constraints based on archaeological interpretations, all the findings were used to construct a chronological model that proves continuity in occupation of the site between the 5th and the 12th centuries, reflecting its high cultural and symbolic value. By the inter-connection of mortar dating by SG-OSL with archaeology and other fields of archaeometry, we set up a renewed interdisciplinary working model for building archaeology that opens interesting perspectives for the future of this research field.

Objectives Family represents the closest social environment that immediately affects human ontogeny from an early prenatal period. This study aimed to assess sibship influences on the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D ratio). Methods The source sample represented 329 children aged 6.5 to 15.8 years (Czech Republic), including a subsample of 75 sibling pairs. A combination of (a) between-family design (cross-sectional sample) and (b) within-family design (pairs of siblings) was used to study the effect of family variables and interbirth interval (IBI) on the 2D:4D ratio. Results Birth order, number of siblings (except for younger sisters), and sex ratio in siblings were significantly related to the 2D:4D ratio on the right, left, or both hands. At the same time, the relationships were opposite in males and females for birth order, number of older brothers and number of children in the family-increasing values in these variables increased digit ratio in males but decreased digit ratio in females. Mean difference in 2D:4D ratio (DIFF) within pairs (older minus younger sibling) differed from zero only in the “older sister-younger brother” group, where DIFF did not depend on IBI. On the contrary, in remaining pair types the DIFF tended to change with IBI, the strongest in the “older brother-younger sister” pairs. Conclusions Family variables, especially number of older brothers, should be considered as important confounding factors in 2D:4D ratio studies. However, the effect of these variables might be modified by IBI.

Laryngohyoid fractures in hanging victims are one of the most studied and paradoxically contradictory topics in forensic pathology. According to literary sources, the incidence of laryngohyoid fractures in hanging varies significantly, from 0% to 100%. To verify the diagnostic significance of these injuries in hanging, we prospectively and consecutively analyzed the occurrence of laryngohyoid fractures in a group of 178 suicidal hanging victims (M/F=150/28, aged 14-94years, mean age=50, complete suspension=111 cases, partial suspension=67 cases) in relation to selected variables (age, sex, weight, the completeness of body suspension, and ligature knot location). Altogether, we identified the following types of laryngohyoid fractures in 129 of 178 cases (72.5%): isolated fracture(s) to the thyroid cartilage in 60 cases (33.7%), combined thyrohyoid fractures in 41 cases (23.0%), isolated fracture(s) to the hyoid bone in 28 cases (15.7%), and no fractures to the cricoid cartilage or the cervical vertebrae. The highest frequency of laryngohyoid fractures was found in lateral hangings (right lateral: 26/34, 76.5%; left lateral: 31/37, 83.8%), whereas the lowest rate was found in anterior hangings (4/11, 36.4%). In lateral hangings, fractures more often occurred contralaterally to the suspension point. Statistical analysis revealed significant associations of the occurrence of laryngohyoid fractures with the age of the victim (p=0.028), with the position of the ligature knot on the neck (p=0.019) and with the age-corrected weight of the victim (p=0.026). In addition, we performed a systematic updated review and critical appraisal of relevant literary sources to report the incidence, fracture patterns, and contributing variables of laryngohyoid injuries in hanging. Both the results of our study and the provided literary synthesis show that if evaluated properly, laryngohyoid fractures in hanging may diagnostically offer far more than just evidence that injury to the neck occurred and may also present research opportunities regarding several issues that should be further analyzed and explained.

La troisieme campagne de fouille programmee du site de Martinscica (ile de Cres) s’est deroulee entre le 29 mai et le 18 juin. L’operation archeologique a porte plus particulierement sur la chapelle (Martinscica 1bis-Esp. II) adossee contre le flanc sud de la grande eglise paleochretienne, sur le bras sud du transept (Esp. Id) et sur une nouvelle annexe laterale (Esp. VIIIb) le long de la chapelle sud (fig. 1). L’operation a ete prolongee entre les 11 et 16 septembre par une premiere tranche ...

International audience

Despite increasing accessibility of the 3D scanning devices, acquisition of the 2D photographs is still more widely used method to capture human faces. However, many virtual scenarios require 3D representation of the human face. We present an automatic method of the human face reconstruction from a single frontal photograph. Our approach utilizes a database of the precomputed depth images, which we generated from the FIDENTIS Database. This allows us to the avoid lighting constraints, that are often posed on the input data for 2D reconstruction of the human faces. We assume the input image comes annotated with a set of landmarks and we then proceed to reconstruct a 3D representation of the input image by choosing the most appropriate depth image from the database. While the precision of the landmark localization influences the reconstruction, we show, that using the automatic landmark detection methods we can reconstruct a recognizable 3D human face. We further show, that despite a small number of the depth images, the generated meshes are morphologically diverse to a degree, which is suitable for virtual simulations and computer games.

L’article présente une approche archéométrique novatrice pour identifier le phénomène de réemploi dans l’architecture. Celle-ci consiste en la datation du mortier par luminescence optiquement stimulée en utilisant une technique « single grain » (SG-OSL) qui permet de dater la dernière exposition de la charge quartzeuse du mortier à la lumière. On exploite le fait que le mortier a été optiquement remis à zéro lors du processus de sa fabrication. Cette nouvelle méthodologie a été mise en œuvre pour la première fois dans le cadre des études archéologiques concernant la crypte de la basilique Saint-Seurin de Bordeaux. Le site comprend une séquence constructive s’étendant de l’Antiquité tardive au XIXe siècle et témoigne les réemplois successifs de structures maçonnées sans aucun élément chronologique disponible. La datation OSL des mortiers provenant de ces différentes phases de construction a permis de dater les états les plus anciens et prouve la continuité d’occupation du site dans la période du Haut Moyen Âge. On explique et propose ici un nouvel outil aux spécialistes du bâti pour dater l’édification des monuments et des différentes phases de leur construction. The paper presents a novel archaeometric approach to identify the re-use phenomena in architecture. It is based on dating of mortar by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) which allows determining the last exposure of quartz aggregate in mortar to daylight. We exploit the fact that the mortar was optically zeroed during its fabrication. This new methodology was employed for the first time during the archeological research in the crypt of Saint-Seurin basilica in Bordeaux. The monument comprises a chronological sequence going from the Late Antiquity period to the XIXth century and attests consecutive re-use of masonries without any chronological evidence available. The OSL dating of mortars originating from the different building phases allowed dating the oldest levels and proofs continuity of occupation of the monument in the Early Medieval period. We explain and suggest here a new tool to date the erection of monuments and of their different building phases.

Human face is a dynamic system where facial expressions can rapidly modify geometry of facial features. Facial expressions are believed to be universal across world populations, but only a few studies have explored whether grimacing is sexually dimorphic and if so to what extent. The present paper explores inter- and intra-individual variation of human facial expressions with respect to individual’s sex based on a set of neutral and expression-varying 3D facial scans. The study sample composed of 20 individuals (10 males and 10 females) for whom 120 scans featuring grimaces associated with disgust, surprise, “u” sound, smile and wide smile were collected by an optical scanner Vectra XT. In order to quantify the dissimilarity among 3D images, surface comparison approach based on aligned 3D meshes and closest point-to-point distances was carried out in Fidentis Analyst application. The study revealed that sexual dimorphism was indeed one of the factors which determined the extent and characteristics of facial deformations recorded for the studied expressions. In order to produce a grimace, males showed a tendency towards extending their facial movements while females were generally more restrained. Furthermore, the facial movements linked to the wide smile and “u” sound were revealed as the most extensive relative to the other expressions, while the smile and surprise were shown indistinguishable from the neutral face.

Seven radiocarbon laboratories: Åbo/Aarhus, CIRCE, CIRCe, ETHZ, Poznań, RICH, and Milano-Bicocca performed separation of carbonaceous fractions suitable for14C dating of four mortar samples selected for the MOrtar Dating Inter-comparison Study (MODIS). In addition, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analyses were completed by Milano-Bicocca and IRAMAT-CRP2A Bordeaux. Each laboratory performed separation according to laboratory protocol. Results of this first intercomparison show that even though consistent14C ages were obtained by different laboratories, two mortars yielded ages different than expected from the archaeological context.

Luminescence ages are calculated by dividing an absorbed dose by the dose rate to which the natural dosimeter has been exposed. In practice, one measures an equivalent dose, De; in the absence of an alpha dose contribution, this should be indistinguishable from the dose absorbed in nature. Here we first review the relationship between absorbed dose, equivalent dose and dose rate, and the measurements that lead to their estimation; we restate that, in contrast to recent suggestions, an equivalent dose is not a physically different quantity from a beta or gamma dose absorbed by quartz grains. Statistical analysis of OSL data is of great importance when dealing with single grain data, since such data commonly exhibit significant scatter. However, dose rate measurements provide an arithmetic mean of dose rates absorbed by individual grains; in this article, we propose a new model to estimate the average dose absorbed by the grains. We thus introduce a new model for OSL age estimates: the Average Dose Model (ADM). We argue that ADM ages should be more accurate than Central Age Model (CAM) based ages, and we provide experimental evidence supporting this expectation. We also argue that the use of the Finite Mixture Model should be avoided. Finally, we discuss the implications for multi-grain age estimates derived from well-bleached samples.

The paper focuses on single grain OSL dating of quartz extracted from known age archaeological mortars, potentially representing a new tool for dating the construction of historical buildings. Apart from SG-OSL measurements and annual dose rate determination, the samples are systematically studied by means of optical microscopy, EDX-SEM cartography and beta autoradiography in order to evaluate the possible microdosimetric heterogeneity of each sample, arising principally from local variations of potassium content. Besides the practical aspects concerning sampling, preparation and appropriate choice of measurement conditions, the paper aims at the differences in microstructure and in elementary composition between different mortars and attempts to evaluate the impact of these aspects on the dispersion of equivalent dose distributions. Finally, archaeological doses (paleodoses) are calculated by using central age model (CAM), minimum age model (MAM) and internal-external consistency criterion (IEU). The appropriateness of these models for the exploitation of the measured SG-OSL data as well as for a hypothesis on the estimation of the input parameter needed to run these models are discussed. Three categories of mortars were identified: samples without any exploitable SG-OSL signal, samples that could have been reliably dated and poorly bleached samples affected by microdosimetric variations whose dating still remains complicated. Finally, the hypothesis on distinguishing between reliable and questionable dating results is raised and the potentials of the method for dating mortars are pointed out.

Absolute dating of mortars is crucial when trying to pin down construction phases of archaeological sites and historic stone buildings to a certain point in time or to confirm, but possibly also challenge, existing chronologies. To evaluate various sample preparation methods for radiocarbon (14C) dating of mortars as well as to compare different dating methods, i.e.14C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), a mortar dating intercomparison study (MODIS) was set up, exploring existing limits and needs for further research. Four mortar samples were selected and distributed among the participating laboratories: one of which was expected not to present any problem related to the sample preparation methodologies for anthropogenic lime extraction, whereas all others addressed specific known sample preparation issues. Data obtained from the various mortar dating approaches are evaluated relative to the historical framework of the mortar samples and any deviation observed is contextualized to the composition and specific mineralogy of the sampled material.

In the framework of forensic anthropology osteometric techniques are generally preferred over visual examinations due to a higher level of reproducibility and repeatability; qualities that are crucial within a legal context. The use of osteometric methods has been further reinforced by incorporating statistically-based algorithms and large reference samples in a variety of user-friendly software applications. However, the continued increase in admixture of human populations have made the use of osteometric methods for estimation of ancestry much more complex, which confounds one of major requirements of ancestry assessment - intra-population homogeneity. The present paper tests the accuracy of ancestry and sex assessment using four identification software tools, specifically FORDISC 2.0, FORDISC 3.1.293, COLIPR 1.5.2 and 3D-ID 1.0. Software accuracy was tested in a sample of 174 documented human crania of Brazilian origin composed of different ancestral groups (i.e., European Brazilians, Afro-Brazilians, and Japanese Brazilians and of admixed ancestry). The results show that regardless of the software algorithm employed and composition of the reference database, all methods were able to allocate approximately 50% of Brazilian specimens to an appropriate major reference group. Of the three ancestral groups, Afro-Brazilians were especially prone to misclassification. Japanese Brazilians, by contrast, were shown to be relatively easily recognizable as being of Asian descent but at the same time showed a strong affinity towards Hispanic crania, in particularly when the classification based on FDB was carried out in FORDISC. For crania of admixed origin all of the algorithms showed a considerable higher rate of inconsistency with a tendency for misclassification into Asian and American Hispanic groups. Sex assessments revealed an overall modest to poor reliability (60-71% of correctly classified specimens) using the tested software programs with unbalanced individual rates for males and females. The highest and atypically balanced rate of classification for sex assessment was provided by COLIPR software, which reached 78% of correctly assessed crania.

Tradičně se lidská ruka studuje prostřednictvím měření a srovnávání jednotlivých segmentů (prstů, článků prstů, záprstních kostí) bez zohlednění jejich vzájemných prostorových souvislostí. Cílem této studie je výzkum vnitro-populační variability formy lidské ruky jako celku v oblasti tříčlánkových prstů se zvláštním zaměřením na sexuální dimorfismus a vztah mezi velikostí a tvarem ruky. Pravé ruce 99 žen a 70 mužů, převážně vysokoškolských studentů, byly ve standardizované poloze z palmární strany zaznamenány běžným stolním skenerem. Na každém dvourozměrném snímku bylo umístěno 16 význačných bodů a byla studována variabilita mezi těmito konfiguracemi prostřednictvím metod geometrické morfometrie. Pro lepší pochopení vnitřních vzorců variability tvaru byl tvarový prostor rozložen na afinní a neafinní podprostor, které byly dále analyzovány samostatně. Převážná část celkové variability byla spojena s afinními tvarovými rozdíly, které jsou identické v celé studované oblasti ruky. Jejich větší část představovala střižnou změnu v proximodistálním směru, menší část pak napínání odpovídající změnám v šířce ruky. Toto napínání také silně korelovalo s velikostí ruky. Mezipohlavní rozdíly představovala afinní změna, ve které byla proximodistální střižná změna neoddělitelně spojena se změnami v relativní šířce ruky. Lokální neafinní pohlavní rozdíly byly zaznamenány v určitých článcích prstů a mohou souviset s rozdíly v poměrech délek prstů. Domníváme se, že oddělení globálních a lokálních sexuálně dimorfních znaků ruky může pomoci blíže ozřejmit původ/počátek jejich dimorfismu v rané ontogenezi – čím lokálnější znak, tím později se v ontogenezi zakládá. Dimorfní znaky lokální a globální by proto mohly být ovlivněny odlišnými ontogenetickými faktory.

Clanek se zabýva studiem tafonomicke deformace pohřbených lebek vlivem tlaku, kterým na lebky působi hrobový zasyp. Vztah mezi tvarovou variabilitou a polohou uloženi v hrobove jamě je studovan za pomoci geometricke morfometrie.

The foundations of Grimaldi castle in Antibes belonged originally to a vast monumental edifice of an unknown origin. No historical records that would allow establishing precise chronological framework of this building exist. Therefore, four approaches were combined in order to date its construction: relative chronology from archaeology with “physical” dating methods applied on building materials, e.g. archaeomagnetic dating of bricks and dating of mortars by optically stimulated luminescence using both the single grain and the multigrain technique. Whereas archaeomagnetic dating followed a well-established, reliable measurement protocol, dating of archaeological mortar by optically stimulated luminescence using the single grain technique represents quite new, exploratory approach that allows direct dating of the moment of edification. Luminescence dating showed that mortars were well bleached. Variations of the dose rate due to the heterogeneous distribution of radioelements in the matrix were observed. In the given context, none of the four approaches used would succeed to date the construction of the remains with certainty if they were used separately. Nevertheless, thanks to the mutual comparison of dating results, a reliable chronology have been established. The obtained results are in agreement and suggest the Grimaldi castle foundations were built between the second half of the first century and the second century A.D. Our interdisciplinary approach thus proves ancientness of the standing masonry and attests cultural and historical significance of the monument. Les soubassements du château Grimaldi à Antibes appartiennent aux vestiges d’un monument romain dont la nature n’est pas connue. Aussi, il n’existe aucune source historique qui permettrait d’établir la chronologie précise de ce bâtiment. Ainsi, quatre approches ont été combinées pour dater sa construction : chronologie relative de l’étude archéologique, datation des terres cuites par archéomagnétisme et datation des mortiers par luminescence optiquement stimulée en utilisant les techniques de monograin et de multigrain. La datation par archéomagnétisme a suivi un protocole de mesure bien établi et fiable. La datation des mortiers par luminescence optiquement stimulée monograin représente une approche nouvelle et exploratoire, permettant de dater directement le moment de l’édification de la maçonnerie. Ces analyses ont révélé un bon degré de blanchiment des mortiers étudiés. Quelques variations du débit de dose due à la distribution hétérogène des radioéléments dans la matrice des échantillons ont été observées. Dans un contexte comme celui du château Grimaldi, aucune des approches mentionnées n’aurait réussi de dater la construction des vestiges avec une certitude si elles avaient été utilisées séparément. Néanmoins, grâce aux comparaisons mutuelles des résultats de datation, nous avons pu établir une chronologie fiable. Les résultats obtenus par ces différentes approches sont cohérents et proposent la construction des soubassements du château Grimaldi entre la seconde moitié du premier et le deuxième siècle de notre ère. Notre travail interdisciplinaire confirme ainsi l’ancienneté de la maçonnerie en élévation et atteste l’importance patrimoniale et historique de ce monument.

Dans le cadre d’un programme archéologique dirigé par Eric Delaval sur les fondations du Château Grimaldi, l'IRAMAT-CRP2A est intervenu afin de dater les structures architecturales correspondantes par des méthodes physiques. Une intervention des membres de l'IRAMAT-CRP2A a eu lieu en décembre 2012. Elle a permis d'échantillonner des terres cuites (briques) et 5 échantillons de mortier de blocage et de jointoiement pour la datation par luminescence, ainsi que 92 échantillons de briques pour la datation par archéomagnétisme.Les objectofs de ce travail sont à la fois archéologiques et méthodologiques :- Dater la construction du mur de fondation grâce aux terres cuites architecturales dont on a envisagé de déterminer la datation de la production à partir des données d’archéomagnétisme et de luminescence.- Mettre en place la datation des mortiers par OSL monograin, en comparant les datations obtenues avec celles de terres cuites architecturales.Les résultats obtenus par le couplage entre l'archéomagnétisme des terres cuites et l'OSL des mortiers montrent que les fondations gallo-romaines du château Grimaldi (actuel Musée Picasso) ont été construites dans l'intervalle 30-220 AD (à 95% de probabilité) avec une médiane située vers 100 AD. Sur le plan méthodologique, il s'agit de la première datation de mortiers par OSL single grain véritablement aboutie.

The present paper aims to test performances of semi-automatic tools for mesh-to-mesh processing while assessing sex and ancestry in documented human crania. The studied sample of 80 human crania, which originated in two documented Brazilian collections (Sao Paulo, Brazil) was digitized using photogrammetry and laser scanning. 3D cranial morphology was quantified by computing inter-mesh dissimilarity measures using in-house freeware FIDENTIS Analyst (www.fidentis.com). Numerical outputs were further processed using Discriminant Function Analysis and Canonical Variant Analysis in order to classify models into sex and ancestry groups. In addition, cranial morphology was described by a set of 37 landmarks, processed by a Procrustes analysis and confronted with the inter-mesh comparison. Patterns of sexual dimorphism and ancestral group-specific variation were interpreted using average meshes and further emphasized by employing advanced visualization graphics. The mesh-to-mesh processing was capable to detect shape differences related to sex and ancestry. The highest accuracy levels for sex determination were obtained for meshes representing the facial skeleton and the supraorbital region. For both, analysis correctly assigned 82.5% of the crania. Ancestry-related differences were manifested primarily in the global cranial features (observed accuracy rates reaching 63%). The advanced visualization tools provided a highly informative insight into sexual dimorphism and ancestry-related variation. While in the current state the technique cannot be considered suitable for being implemented into the everyday forensic practice, the extent of automatization proved to be perspective, especially for assessing skeletal features that cannot be properly quantified using discrete variables.

The recent increase in the number of missing persons and unidentified dead in the U.S., which has resulted in the consequence of an increase in the total count of cold cases, has triggered multiple requests from medical examiner’s offices and law enforcement agencies to re-evaluate original biological profiles derived from these unsolved cases. General misconception that a positive DNA match can always be provided in conjunction with questionable, mostly outdated methodology used for profiling and incorrect understanding of geographic origins of deceased individuals has led to many erroneous assessments of biological parameters. This chapter illustrates how these cases can be solved by a complex multifactorial analysis relying on more than a single strategy. In the present study, a geometric morphometric landmark-based approach was combined with an analysis of strontium, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes and applied to North Carolina cold cases. Although official reports indicate that the geographic origin of Hispanics in North Carolina is approximately 61 % Mexican, the region of provenance for deceased immigrants found in these states is less straightforward. The analyzed indicators suggest that the re-examined cold cases are morphologically closer to samples from Panama and Guatemala rather than to Mexican individuals. The combined approach also shows that although the point of entry for the undocumented immigrants is likely the US-Mexico border other regions of origin such as South America (Peru, Chile), Honduras and El Salvador should be considered.