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The skeletal remains of nearly 100 Indigenous Bahamians, called Lucayans, have been recovered in the Bahama archipelago (Lucayan Islands). Until now, virtually, all were recovered from wet and dry caves, caverns, and blue holes, most of which lacked specific evidence for mortuary practices. In the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin in October 2015, two human crania were found on Lowe's Beach, Long Island, The Bahamas. In addition, two burial areas were identified in the face of the adjacent, north‐facing, Atlantic coast sand dune. The human remains were identified as Indigenous Lucayans based on the intentional fronto‐occipital modification of the crania. These are the first open‐air, sand dune burials to be excavated systematically in The Bahamas, and they provide new insights regarding Lucayan burial practices and lifeways. This article describes the unique environmental and cultural contexts of Lucayan individuals who were buried at the Rolling Heads site. The local geomorphology reflects long‐term processes of dune erosion and remodeling that suggest that an unknowable number of additional individuals were buried at the site. The physical characteristics and mortuary practices are different from those observed elsewhere in the Caribbean, highlighting regional diversity and local practices. They raise the question of why different portals were used to transmit the dead to their afterlife. Finally, these individuals are contributing to regional studies assessing biological and cultural identities through genome‐wide DNA, phenotypic morphometrics, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope reconstruction of diet, strontium isotope assessment of origins, and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating to evaluate the timing of human dispersal across the Bahama archipelago. The Lucayans did not survive the Spanish invasion, but there is much to be learned from their remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1992, Norm Sauer called for a language shift in which practitioners would move away from the socially loaded term "race" and replace it with the less provocative term "ancestry." While many heeded the call and moved towards ancestry in their research and reports, the actual approach to research and analysis did not change. In response to this change, there was a large growth in ancestry estimation method development in the early decade of the 2000s. However, the practice of ancestry estimation did not adequately incorporate evolutionary theory in interpretation or trait selection and continued with little critical reflection. In the past decade, there has been an increase in ancestry validation methods with little critique of the "race" concept or discussion of modern human variation or reference samples. To advance, forensic anthropologists need to reckon with the practice of ancestry estimation as it is currently practiced. We are calling for another reform in the axiom focusing on evolutionary theory, population history, trait selection, and population‐level reference samples. The practice needs to abandon the terms ancestry and race completely and recalibrate to an analysis of population affinity. Population affinity is a statistical approach based on the underlying population structure that would allow the understanding of how microevolutionary forces act in concert with historical events (e.g., colonization, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, etc.) to shape modern human variation. This is not to be confused with geographic ancestry that all too often can be perceived as interchangeable with social race and as an affirmation of the biological concept of race. It is time to critically evaluate the social and scientific implications of the current practice of ancestry estimation, and re‐frame our approach to studying and analyzing modern human variation through a population structure approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new FIFO (first‐in first‐out) architecture for both synchronous and asynchronous communication for high‐speed and low‐power operation. Our FIFO design is reconfigurable and scalable using a separate datapath with an 8T‐Cell SRAM and control circuits, which enables specialization for different application requirements. The datapath uses a two‐phase clock system of nonoverlapping signals such that one signal increments the address pointer, while the other signal activates the memory decoder for data reading and writing. This structure halves the critical path delay and simplifies the timing operations between the memory decoder and address pointer while maintaining robustness against process‐voltage‐temperature (PVT) variations. Our design uses two alternative control circuits to manage separate synchronous and asynchronous operations by generating nonoverlapping control signals that drive the datapath circuit. The empty‐full flag circuitry records only the state of the address pointers' rollover independent of the memory size, and, thus, improves scalability and reconfigurability. Compared to prior works, our design is 5X faster with a 2.3X lower power consumption and has a throughput of 1 Giga‐Word/s. For a 64‐bit word size with a free latency cycle. Additionally, our design functions clocklessly with the synthesizable structure for asynchronous communication that leverages Internet of Things (IoT) and Networks on Chip (NoCs) applications. The presented FIFO design is reconfigurable and scalable using separate datapath and synchronous/asynchronous control circuits, which enables specialization for different application requirements. The datapath uses a two‐phase clock system of nonoverlapping signals with 8T‐Cell memory. Our design operates 5X faster with a 2.3X lower total power consumption with a throughput of 1 Giga‐Word/s. For a 64‐bit word size with a free latency cycle for the synchronous communication, and it serves for asynchronous Internet of Things (IoT) and Networks on Chip (NoCs) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a consequence of an inability to disassociate their preconceived notions of Code "rules" from what it is we in fact wrote [1], Dr. Albanese and Dr. Cardoso inadvertently entangle themselves in multiple and often contradictory nonissues with regards to the Code. As a disclosure tool, which is I voluntary i and I nonenforceable i , Dr. Albanese and Dr. Cardoso have seemingly little to fear - our Code amounts on paper to nothing more than a suggestion and one that collection managers are free to ignore if they so choose. The Code was never intended to represent the "be-all and end-all" of skeleton curation practice as Dr. Albanese and Dr. Cardoso [13] emotionally project. If collection managers are unable to maintain individual privacy when addressing the Code, as Dr. Albanese and Dr. Cardoso suggest, then this in itself raises substantial red flags to curation practices. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: The femoral remains recovered from the Lesedi Chamber are among the most complete South African fossil hominin femora discovered to date and offer new and valuable insights into the anatomy and variation of the bone in Homo naledi. While the femur is one of the best represented postcranial elements in the H. naledi assemblage from the Dinaledi Chamber, the fragmentary and commingled nature of the Dinaledi femoral remains has impeded the assessment of this element in its complete state. Materials and methods: Here we analyze and provide descriptions of three new relatively well‐preserved femoral specimens of H. naledi from the Lesedi Chamber: U.W. 102a‐001, U.W. 102a‐003, and U.W. 102a‐004. These femora are quantitatively and qualitatively compared to multiple extinct hominin femoral specimens, extant hominid taxa, and, where possible, each other. Results: The Lesedi femora are morphologically similar to the Dinaledi femora for all overlapping regions, with differences limited to few traits of presently unknown significance. The Lesedi distal femur and mid‐diaphysis preserve anatomy previously unidentified or unconfirmed in the species, including an anteroposteriorly expanded midshaft and anteriorly expanded patellar surface. The hypothesis that the Lesedi femoral sample may represent two individuals is supported. Discussion: The Lesedi femora increase the range of variation of femoral morphology in H. naledi. Newly described features of the diaphysis and distal femur are either taxonomically uninformative or Homo‐like. Overall, these three new femora are consistent with previous functional interpretations of the H. naledi lower limb as belonging to a species adapted for long distance walking and, possibly, running. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the goals of the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) is to map the existing education and practice opportunities in the field of forensic anthropology in order to support the development of the discipline and to optimize the training courses provided by the Society. To address this goal, an online questionnaire was sent to European and South African practitioners of forensic anthropology and related disciplines in 2016. The results of the questionnaire showed that the status and roles of forensic anthropologists vary depending on the national legal systems, education, and employment status of the practitioners. Despite the fact that the expertise of forensic anthropologists has been increasingly requested in a variety of investigations and the spectrum of tasks has become broader, including identification of living persons, specialized education in forensic anthropology is still restricted to a few graduate and postgraduate programs in European countries and to annual FASE courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating age‐at‐death of individuals represented only by skeletonized human remains is a fundamental aspect of forensic anthropological casework. Recently, several researchers have proposed that bone mineral density (BMD) is a useful predictor of age‐at‐death in forensic contexts. Navega et al. (JFS 63(2):497–503) developed an online application called DXAGE for calculating age‐at‐death from BMD parameters. This study tests the utility of DXAGE by utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). BMD data from a female subsample (n = 470) of the NHANES 2007–2008 dataset were analyzed, and the relationship between predicted age and real age was examined. Inaccuracy was 14.25 years, and bias was −7.20 years. Results show that there is a weak correlation between predicted and actual age (r = 0.47) using the DXAGE application. While BMD data are potentially useful for predicting age age‐at‐death, the DXAGE application should be used cautiously in forensic anthropological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is common for researchers using animal or human remains for scientific study to freeze samples prior to use. However, effects of freezing on bone macro- or microstructure are relatively unknown. The research objective of this study was to determine whether freezing could potentially bias experimental results by analyzing changes in bone mineral density ( BMD) with the freezing of remains over time. Eight fetal pigs were scanned to determine their initial BMD before freezing. Three piglets underwent a freeze-thaw cycle to assess the effects of the freezing process. Four piglets were frozen and scanned weekly for 20 weeks to assess freezing over time. The overall average between the fresh initial scan and final frozen scan was significantly different ( p < 0.001). Per contra, the final thawed BMD scans did not differ from the initial fresh scan ( p = 0.418). Thus, completely thawed remains are recommended for experimental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objectives The majority of anthropological studies on dermatoglyphics examine the heritability and inter-population variation of Level 1 detail (e.g., pattern type, total ridge count), while forensic scientists concentrate on individual uniqueness of Level 2 and 3 detail (e.g., minutiae and pores, respectively) used for positive identification. The present study bridges the gap between researcher-practitioner by examining sex, ancestral, and pattern type variation of Level 2 detail (e.g., minutiae). Materials and Methods Bifurcations, ending ridges, short ridges, dots, and enclosures on the right index finger of 243 individuals ( n = 61 African American ♀; n = 61 African American ♂; n = 61 European American ♀; n = 60 European American ♂) were analyzed. The overall effect of sex, ancestry, and pattern type on minutiae variation was assessed using a MANCOVA. ANOVA was used to identify Level 2 detail variables responsible for the variation. Logistic regression was used to classify individuals into groups. Results The effect of sex is insignificant. Ancestry is significant (Wilks' λ = 0.053 F value = 2.98, DF = 4,224, P value = 0.02), as is pattern type (Wilks' λ = 0.874 F value = 2.57, DF = 12,592.94, P value = 0.003). The ANOVA reveals that bifurcations are responsible for the variation between ancestral groups, while bifurcations and ending ridges vary between patterns. Logistic regression results suggest that total bifurcations can predict the ancestry of an individual (ChiSq = 6.55, df = 1, Prob > ChiSq = 0.01). Discussion Significant minutiae variation between ancestral groups yields information that is valuable in both a forensic and anthropological setting. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:625-632, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A standard method for positive identification is the use of antemortem and postmortem radiographic comparisons. The purpose of this research is to test the visual accuracy of antemortem and postmortem radiographic comparisons of cranial vault outlines and to evaluate their uniqueness using geometric morphometric methods. A sample of 106 individuals with varying levels of education and forensic case experience participated in a visual accuracy test. Of the 106 individuals, only 42% correctly assigned all of the radiographs, with accuracy rates ranging from 70 to 93% for each radiographic comparison. Vault shape was further examined using elliptic Fourier analysis, and paired t-tests were computed on the first 10 principal components accounting for 100% of the variance, which found no significant differences. The visual accuracy test and elliptic Fourier analysis shows that vault outlines may not be unique enough for positive identifications when used as a sole indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed whether obesity significantly affects femoral shape. Femora of 121 white men were divided into two weight classes based on body mass index (BMI) of the deceased. Five external anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) measurements were taken at consistent percentages of diaphyseal length. These were then subject to statistical tests. After controlling for age, multivariate statistics show a significant ( p < 0.05) effect of BMI on the femur, with the greatest significance in ML measurements. T-tests confirm these dimensions are significantly larger in the overweight ( p < 0.05). The effect of BMI on size-transformed and shape-transformed variables was also evaluated, with ANOVA results showing a significant BMI effect on ML size ( p < 0.05), but not shape. Significant size-transformed ML variables were then subject to discriminate function analyses with a cross-validation correction. Results show a correct classification rate of 88% in normal weight and 77% in overweight individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex determination of the human skeleton is best assessed from the os coxa. The present study explored the possibility of using three-dimensional landmark coordinate data collected from various landmarks located over the entire bone to determine whether there were significant sex differences local to the landmarks. Thirty-six landmarks were digitized on 200 African American and European American male and female adult human os coxae. MANCOVA results show that sex and size have a significant effect on shape for both European Americans (Sex, F = 17.50, d.f. = 36, 63, p > F = 0.0001; Size, F = 2.56, d.f. = 36, 63, p > F = 0.0022) and African Americans (Sex, F = 21.18, d.f. = 36, 63, p > F = 0.0001; Size, F = 2.59, d.f. = 36, 63, p > F = 0.0005). The discriminant analysis shows that sexing accuracy for European Americans is 98% for both males and females, 98% for African American females, and 100% for African American males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Craniofacial Development and Disorders estimates that 1 in 3,000 children born in the United States is diagnosed with a rare form of craniosynostosis. Although the medical literature has documented numerous descriptions of craniofacial disorders from an anthropometric or genetic perspective, considerably fewer reports of these anomalies have been documented in the context of forensic anthropology. Similar genetic origins of many craniofacial anomalies generate ranges of phenotypic variation between and even within documented cases, producing difficulties in acquiring correct diagnoses. Identical physical characteristics manifested in different disorders create further complications in identifying a craniofacial syndrome in skeletal remains. Reported here is an unusual case of a possibly undiagnosed craniofacial abnormality in a set of identified skeletal remains from a North Carolina homicide case. Traditional metric and geometric morphometric approaches were utilized to further investigate morphological shape differences between the case study and a reference sample. Results show significant differences suggesting a nonsyndromic form of craniosynostosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To demonstrate that in comparison to implantable O2 microelectrodes, capillary blood gas measurements represent a reliable, accessible, and easy method of identifying failing free flaps. Study Design: Groin fasciocutaneous flaps were elevated in 10 rats and following venous occlusion, O2 microelectrode measurements (pO2 and flow), and capillary blood gas measurements (pO2, pCO2, pH, HCO3) were obtained at 10-minute intervals. Results: Measurements with capillary blood gas paralleled measurements with O2 microelectrodes. Average capillary blood gas pO2 fell from 42.71 to 31.57 mm Hg at 10 minutes and then to 28.67 mm Hg at 20 minutes. Average pH fell from 7.38 to 7.33 at 10 minutes and to 7.30 at 20 minutes. Results were statistically significant with both the paired Student''s t test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Conclusion: While providing users an ability to simultaneously monitor accepted modalities of flap surveillance, pH and pO2, capillary blood gas is a reliable, accessible, and reproducible marker of flap health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study evaluates issues of precision, repeatability, and validation in three-dimensional (3D) landmark coordinates. Two observers collected 19 homologous cranial landmarks from three skulls during three separate digitizing sessions. Statistical analysis was conducted on the 171 interlandmark distances (ILDs) derived from the original coordinate data. A mixed model ANOVA detected significant within-subject error in 54 of the 171 ILDs (i.e., 32%). A GLM procedure revealed significant between-observer variation in 14 ILDs and significant observer-by-session differences in 13 ILDs. The majority of these differences involved ILDs with type 3 landmarks as endpoints, such as euryon and alare. Unlike type 1 and 2 landmarks which are biologically informative in all directions, type 3 landmarks contain a substantial arbitrary component. Thus, it is not surprising type 3 landmarks displayed significant digitizing error. Given these results, we caution researchers to be mindful of type 3 landmarks measurement discrepancies when selecting landmarks for coordinate data evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the four pillars of the anthropological protocol is the estimation of sex. The protocol generally consists of linear metric analysis or visually assessing individual skeletal traits on the skull and pelvis based on an ordinal scale of 1–5, ranging from very masculine to very feminine. The morphologic traits are then some how averaged by the investigator to estimate sex. Some skulls may be misclassified because of apparent morphologic features that appear more or less robust due to size differences among individuals. The question of misclassification may be further exemplified in light of comparisons across populations that may differ not only in cranial robusticity but also in stature and general physique. The purpose of this study is to further examine the effect of size and sex on craniofacial shape among American populations to better understand the allometric foundation of skeletal traits currently used for sex estimation. Three-dimensional coordinates of 16 standard craniofacial landmarks were collected using a Microscribe-3DX digitizer. Data were collected for 118 American White and Black males and females from the W.M. Bass Donated Collection and the Forensic Data Bank. The MANCOVA procedure tested shape differences as a function of sex and size. Sex had a significant influence on shape for both American Whites ( F = 2.90; d.f. = 19, 39; p > F = 0.0024) and Blacks ( F = 2.81; d.f. = 19, 37; p > F = 0.0035), whereas size did not have a significant influence on shape in either Whites ( F = 1.69; d.f. = 19, 39; p > F = 0.08) or Blacks ( F = 1.09; d.f. = 19, 37; p > F = 0.40). Therefore, for each sex, individuals of various sizes were statistically the same shape. In other words, while significant differences were present between the size of males and females (males on average were larger), there was no size effect beyond that accounted for by sex differences in size. Moreover, the consistency between American groups is interesting as it suggests that population differences in sexual dimorphism may result more from human variation in size than allometric variation in craniofacial morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have addressed sex estimation from the hands and feet with varying results. These studies have utilized multiple measurements to determine sex from the hands and feet, including measures of robusticity (e.g., base width and midshaft diameter). However, robusticity measurements are affected by activity, which can disguise underlying patterns of sexual dimorphism. The purpose of this study is to investigate the utility of length measurements of the hands and feet to estimate sex. The sample consists of white females ( n=123) and males ( n=136) from the Terry Collection. Discriminant function analysis was used to classify individuals by sex. The left hand outperformed both the right hand and foot producing correct classification rates exceeding 80%. Surprisingly, the phalanges were better sex discriminators than either the metacarpals or metatarsals. This study suggests that length measures are more appropriate than robusticity measures for sex estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological variation is investigated among contemporary Croatians, Bosnians, American whites, and other multitemporal Balkan populations (World War II Croatians, Macedonians, and Greeks) via multivariate statistics and distance measures of the craniofacial complex. This study demonstrates that there is considerable variation among groups of European ancestry. Bosnians and Croatians who are thought to be relatively homogenous and historically to originate from the same Slav ancestry show local variations. While environmental plasticity has been used to explain cranial changes among human groups, it does not adequately explain the variation observed between Bosnians and Croatians. It is an oversimplification to exclusively attribute the vast range of variability observed among local as well as geographic populations to environmental adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a pilot study of the among-sample morphological variation of modern 19th Cubans, Precontact Cubans, 17th Century Spanish and Terry Blacks using landmarks-based Procrustes analysis from geometric morphometrics. Biological variation of Cuban Americans which will facilitate the development of identification criteria specific for the U.S. hybrid Hispanic community; Conclusion that the application of available traditional craniometric and non-metric methods are not appropriate for the Latin population in South Florida.

Classification of all relevant factors is a prerequisite to the formulation of specific objectives to attain goals of prevention of retinal dystrophy (RD) and effective provision of services. National and international agreement on a classification is sought. This outline stresses the importance of a sound conceptual basis. The root meaning of dystrophy (difficult nourishment), and the concepts given in the World Organization's International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps are emphasized. The proposed classification is designed to be statistical as well as assisting diagnosis and case management. The scheme for RD entities takes into account special features, in contrast to most treatable eye diseases. Genetics is stressed because of the importance of genetic counselling and rapid research advances. Three appendices illustrate portions of a comprehensive classification already in operation at the Retinal Dystrophy Service of NSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]