Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Anthropology

Doctoral Dissertations

Theses/Dissertations

Forensic Anthropology

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Accuracy Of The Biological Profile In Casework: An Analysis Of Forensic Anthropology Reports In Three Medical Examiners’ Offices, Hillary Renee Parsons May 2017

The Accuracy Of The Biological Profile In Casework: An Analysis Of Forensic Anthropology Reports In Three Medical Examiners’ Offices, Hillary Renee Parsons

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the accuracy of the biological profile from forensic anthropology reports among 204 resolved and 284 unresolved skeletal cases at the medical examiners’ offices in New York City, NY; Harris County, TX; and Pima County, AZ. Current forensic anthropological methods used to estimate the biological profile are developed from skeletal reference collections conferring variable degrees of accuracy. Evolving standards for evidence and expert witness testimony have ushered in an era of robust statistical validation for forensic methods, yet accuracy rates are unknown in anthropological casework. Considering 40,000 sets of unidentified human remains persist in medical examiner’s offices in …


A Biologically Informed Structure To Accuracy In Osteometric Reassociation, Kyle Mccormick May 2016

A Biologically Informed Structure To Accuracy In Osteometric Reassociation, Kyle Mccormick

Doctoral Dissertations

Commingled assemblages present a common situation in osteological analysis where discrete sets of remains are not readily apparent, thereby hindering biological profile construction and the identification process. Of the methods available for resolving commingling, osteometric reassociation is considered a reliable and relatively objective technique. Traditional osteometric sorting methodologies is a decision-making, error-mitigation approach, where possible matches are eliminated if the calculated pvalue exceeds an analyst-defined threshold. This approach implicitly assumes that all bone comparisons are equally accurate as long as the threshold is attained. This assumption, however, is not based in biological reality. This study tests a hypothetical structure of …


An Investigation Of Diabetes Mellitus In Postmortem Human Remains, Shannon Elizabeth May Aug 2014

An Investigation Of Diabetes Mellitus In Postmortem Human Remains, Shannon Elizabeth May

Doctoral Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalent and significant metabolic diseases impacting modern human populations. The goal of this research is to explore several analytical methods to better appreciate how diabetes impacts the skeleton, and to determine if this effect can be recognized in postmortem remains. Anthropologists are tasked with elucidating the relationship between nutrition, metabolism, growth, development, and skeletal health. Diabetes represents a crucial point of interface between these factors. Furthermore, as the percentage of diabetics increases in the general population, so will their representation in forensic cases. This study will provide tools for identifying characteristics of diabetes …