Ancestry-independent osteometric sex estimation from selected postcranial skeletal elements of South Africans: a machine learning approach

Sex estimation, as part of a biological profile, has the power to halve the number of possible identities of unidentified skeletal remains. Postcranial elements have been studied in South Africa (SA) for the purpose of sex estimation and have often proven to be more accurate than the cranium. Estimation techniques using postcranial elements in SA almost exclusively utilise discriminant analysis to evaluate sex, but international publications have shown success using alternative machine learning (ML) algorithms. SA methods and standards are often restricted by limited sample size, lack of robust statistical techniques in older publications and, the prerequisite of known or estimated ancestry. Most methods are specific to SA African, European or, more recently, Mixed ancestry groups and are unreliable when ancestry is unknown. The aim of this study was to apply a series of ML algorithms to train ancestry independent sex classification models using postcranial osteometric measurements from the cadaveric skeletal remains of modern South Africans, focussing on long bone joints. The study consisted of a roughly demographically representative, pooled sample, of 650 South Africans (325 male, 325 female). 12 osteometric measurements were taken from available left- and, or right-sided bones for each individual. All 12 mensurations were sexually dimorphic and differences between left- and right-sided bones were negligible. The dataset was subjected to ML algorithm training using univariate and multivariate predictor combinations. The best performing ML algorithm, given the sample size and available predictors was discriminant function analysis. Univariate model accuracies ranged from 80.5-89.1% and multivariate model accuracies ranged from 84.5%, using 2 predictors, to 92.8%, using 12 predictors. An optimised 3-predictor model was able to predict sex with 92.7% accuracy. Results from this study were comparable to those using ancestry-specific models and non-ancestry-specific models, where available. Findings from this study suggest that the inclusion of ancestry, when predicting sex using the elements examined, is not necessary as it does not significantly improve prediction accuracy

Framing Collaboration: Archives, IRs, and General Collections

Collaborative collecting highlights the opportunity for liaison librarians and archivists in academic libraries to develop an integrated and holistic approach to the successful collection of library materials. Yet as academic libraries become the central location for general collections, institutional repositories, university archives, manuscript collections, and other special collections, the world of collecting in academic libraries becomes more siloed. The profession stands to benefit from a stronger realization of shared collecting practices. Liaison librarians have the potential to provide critical information to archivists in support of faculty collecting and research. Archivists have the opportunity to provide liaison librarians with context about university units and the organization’s broader history. Shared information can result in more robust collecting policies and practices across the library

Looking Through A Glass Darkly: Applying The Lens Of Social Cubism To The Police-Minority Group Conflict In America

In recent years, there has been a steady stream of growing concern in nations throughout the world about police officers\u27 use of excessive, brutal, and sometimes deadly force where circumstances do not warrant such actions

A Modular Low-clearance Wrist Orthosis for Improving Wrist Motion in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) often exhibit impairments in the coordination of the grip and lift phases of arm movements that directly impact their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). The application of assistive robotic therapy to children with spastic hemiplegic CP has shown that augmented movement training can lead to improved functional outcomes and improved arm kinematics. Assistive robotic therapy of the wrist has been shown to help improve motor skills in stroke patients, but the devices employed are often large and obtrusive, focusing on a repeated motion rather than a task-based itinerary. Here, we propose a lightweight low clearance wrist orthosis for use in children with Cerebral Palsy that actuates pronation/supination and flexion/extension of the wrist

Mirando A Traves De un Cristal Oscuramente: Aplicando Los Lentes Del Cubism Social Al Conflicto De Policia-Minoria En America

En los tiltimos afios, ha habido una corriente continua de preocupaci6n e inter6s creciente en las naciones del mundo sobre el empleo por parte de las autoridades de fuerza excesiva y brutal, a veces mortal donde las circumstancias no garantizan tales acciones

Effect of 405 nm high-intensity narrow-spectrum light on osteoblast function

A significant portion of medical devices fail due to acquired infection, with infection rates after arthroplasty surgery between 1-4%, and considerably higher after revision surgery. To reduce the associated costs of infection, a new preventative method is required. High intensity narrow spectrum (HINS) 405 nm light is a new technology shown to have bactericidal effects on a range of medically important bacteria[1]. The effect of HINS-light on osteoblasts and bacteria were investigated to determine the potential of this technology to contribute to infection prevention in operating theatres, during surgery and postoperative dressing changes

Explication of moral disgust: assessing physiological and behavioral responses to disgust eliciting videos

Results indicate a significant self-reported disgust response among core animal reminder and contamination domains whereas the moral domains elicited both anger and disgust. Physiologically no change was measured in skin conductance; heart rate decrease in response to animal reminder contamination community and autonomy video clips. Significant behavioral avoidance was demonstrated when presented with the core and animal reminder video clips. Further when measuring facial muscle activation the levator labii was significantly activated in response to the core video clip but no others. The current study highlights the difficulty in establishing characteristic responses to disgust stimuli especially within the moral domain. However it is evident that the moral domain video clips do elicit a mixed emotional response primarily anger and disgust. This finding further establishes the complexity of the domain and supports future research focusing on the incorporation of additional physiological measures as well as parsing out additional emotional responses. The emotion disgust consists of four domains: core animal reminder contamination and moral. Moral disgust is a relatively new concept and characterized by moral violations of community autonomy and divinity. The CAD triad hypothesis proposes that the moral emotions of contempt anger and disgust correspond with the aforementioned violations respectively. Disgust like all emotions is comprised of three components: cognitive physiological and behavioral. The current study examined individuals’ cognitive (self-report) physiological (skin conductance; heart rate) and behavioral (avoidance; facial muscle activation) responses when exposed to disgust eliciting videos specifically to explicate the moral domain. Participants were 108 undergraduate students (62% female) who participated in exchange for research or course credit. The sample consisted of 70.4% Caucasian 13.9% African-American 13% Asian 2.8% Hispanic and 2% multiracial individuals. Ages ranged from 18-26 years (M = 19.04; SD = 1.33). Individuals presented to the lab completed self-report measures and engaged in a behavioral task that entailed watching six 2:00 minute disgust eliciting video clips. Each video clip was associated with a specific domain of disgust including core animal reminder contamination moral - community moral - autonomy and moral - divinity