Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons^™

Analyzing Lower Extremity Injury Profiles Of Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities According To Vehicle Type, Jacqulyn M. Scheer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Skeletal trauma analysis of motor vehicle collisions has the potential to support or contradict reported collision circumstances. This project analyzed the skeletal injuries that pedestrians sustain in fatal collisions according to vehicle types (car, truck, SUV, van, bus, semi, etc.). Data were collected from reports and databases related to cases that occurred in King County, Washington. The pelvis and lower extremities of the body were analyzed for the frequency of skeletal fractures, grouped by pelvis, femora, patellae, tibiae, and fibulae skeletal groups. A Kruskal-Wallis test showed an overall no significant difference (P<0.05) in fracture quantity in skeletal regions between different vehicle groups. A multiple pairwise comparison using Dunn’s procedure also found no significant differences between vehicle type groups. A Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis showed an overall success rate of 37.29% when classifying injury profiles to vehicle type. The findings of this project can be applied to further research into the skeletal analysis of automobile versus pedestrian collisions. Low classification rates suggest that fracture frequency alone should not be used to assist in associating injuries with potential vehicle types in medicolegal investigations. Rather, the findings of this project lead the researcher to recommend that investigators and forensic practitioners move towards standardization in the quality and type of collected data—specific recommendations being the collection of actual speed and inclusion of full-body imaging in postmortem examinations to enable more detailed analyses.

Assessing Methods For Estimating Biological Sex From Subadult Skeletal Elements, Dorota Zabnicka

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

While methods for estimating the sex of adult skeletons are relatively accurate, these methods are often inconclusive when applied to subadults (non-adults), especially when many secondary sexual characteristics have not fully developed. Furthermore, existing methods for subadults are often tested on samples with relatively homogenous ancestries, calling into question their reliability in more diverse populations. This thesis reviewed techniques for estimating sex in subadult skeletal remains, and the most promising methods were retested on individuals of known sex between ages 3 and 17 years (n=39, 14 males, 25 females) from the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection. Data collection included measurements of the …

Assessing Craniofacial Variation And Sexual Dimorphism In A Skeletal Sample From Medieval Prussia, Carrisa Sue Pritchard

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The objective of this study is to assess the degree of craniofacial variation and sexual dimorphism exhibited by a skeletal sample of 32 adult (14 probable female, 16 probable male, 2 indeterminate) crania from Bezławki, a medieval (14th-15th century) Prussian cemetery site located in modern northeastern Poland. Christian Crusaders were actively colonizing the region during this time period; therefore, the cemetery is likely to include both indigenous Prussians and settlers. It is currently unknown whether the skeletal sample at Bezławki represents a morphologically homogenous or heterogeneous group.

To address this question, three-dimensional cranial landmark data were collected using a Microscribe. …

Sniffing Out Decomposition: Investigating The Reliability Of Human Remains Detection Dogs, Kristen Marie Nawn

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of trained Human Remains Detection (HRD) dogs in the field. HRD dogs are trained to locate deceased individuals, typically in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, by using their enhanced olfactory systems to detect scents that humans cannot. Limited research has been conducted on both the strengths and weaknesses of these dogs and their abilities to locate human remains. This study focused on one North Carolina based organization that trains HRD dogs. Data were collected by distributing surveys and by observing regularly scheduled training exercises conducted by the organization. The collected …

United States-Mexico Border: Rights Of The Dead, Forensic Anthropologists, And Families Of The Victims, Diana A. Newberry

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

From 1998-2018, over 6,000 migrants have been found dead after attempting to cross into the United States through its southern border; most of the deaths are due to harsh environmental conditions found through the crossing areas. Migrant remains are often found with no belongings or evidence to use to identify the deceased. Forensic anthropologists, medicolegal examiners, and non-governmental organizations such as Humane Borders, Águilas del Desierto [Eagles of the Desert], and the Colibrí Center for Human Rights have worked to recover, identify, and repatriate these remains. To understand the many facets of this process, this thesis explored the relationships between …

Stress And Frailty In Medieval Prussia: Interpretations From Skeletal Remains At Bezławki, Katherine E. Gaddis

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Health is routinely studied in living populations using quantifiable measurements such as allostatic load and frailty. In recent years, particularly since the introduction of the osteological paradox, there has been increased interest among bioarchaeologists in how these concepts can be applied to the study of health in past populations. Although health is not directly observable in skeletal remains, assessment of frailty can be useful for understanding the implications of long-term exposures to stress on well-being and mortality. This study builds upon past research in this area by incorporating commonly observed indicators of physiological stress, such as dental disease and osteoarthritis, …

Juvenile Remains: Predicting Body Mass And Stature In Modern American Populations, Erin F E Pinkston

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

There are increasing numbers of unidentified persons in the U.S. and abroad. To generate positive identifications, forensic anthropologists and others working in the medicolegal field employ a variety of methods to produce biological profiles to match to case files and missing persons databases. Body mass, and stature are two important components of a biological profile, and both can be estimated using regression formulae derived from skeletal metrics. In cases of unidentified juvenile remains, these are particularly important metrics, as it is difficult or impossible to determine sex in prepubescent remains, and the quality of ancestry estimation is currently under debate …