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                            Funding & Awards
 MODELING SURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF THE PUBIC SYMPHYSIS: Quantitative Methods and Computational Tools for the Objective Estimation of Age-at-Death for Modern Populations
Award Information
Awardee
              Florida State University
Award #
              2015-DN-BX-K010
Funding Category
              Competitive
Location
                    Tallahasssee, FL
Congressional District
              2
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2015
Total funding (to date)
              $610,111
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 15 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2015, $610,111)
As submitted by the proposer: 
The pubic symphysis is widely used to estimate age from the adult skeleton. Standard practice requires the visual comparison of its surface morphology against a set of population-specific criteria representing pre-defined phases. The case-specific age-at-death is estimated from the age-range previously associated with the assigned phase. While this approach is appealing for its simplicity, the process of bone-to-phase-matching is conditional upon the variation in the comparative samples and driven by the user; as such it is methodologically subjective. The efficacy of this kind of approach is, therefore, dependent upon the experience of the practitioner and the typicality of the skeletal element under analysis. The problems of method and observer error suggest that there is an immediate need to develop alternative tools for the rigorous quantification of age-related change in skeletal morphology that better approximate true chronological age, regardless of sample source and level of training, and better meet medico-legal standards of scientific evidence.

This project seeks to improve age-estimation in forensic anthropology by developing objective, quantitative methods that merge skeletal analysis and scientific computing. Preliminary work has involved the use of a variance-based and thin-plate splines scores of surface complexity computed from vertices obtained from a scanner sampling the pubic symphyseal surface. Both scores are significantly associated with known age-at-death. For further method refinement, laser scan data on multiple, established age indicators from approximately 3200 available modern American, Japanese and Thai skeletons will be collected. The new data will be used to assess the role of grid density and surface sample resolution. Improvements will also be sought by developing partitioning schemes to objectively identify which, if any, geometrically defined subregions of the indicator are most useful  a point of interest for fragmentary remains. Extension of methods will also involve outline analysis, two-dimensional Fourier analysis, wavelet parameterization, regression models and Bayesian analysis.

Using the additional data, this project will also determine the effects of sample diversity and asymmetry on estimation, test the applicability of the proposed methods to multiple skeletal age indicators (pubic symphysis, auricular surface, sternal rib ends, medial clavicle) when treated independently and combined, and compare our approach against traditional skeletal aging methods. Project results will be disseminated at forensic science meetings and in high-visibility journals. Free access software, a reference sample data base, and training workshops will be delivered to ensure the easy and consistent implementation of our methods by a wide variety of forensic caseworkers.


This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law.

ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Age-at-death patterns and transition analysis trends for three Asian populations: Implications for paleo demography
                  A computational framework for estimating ancestry and adult age-at-death from shape measures of the pubic symphysis
                  Modeling Surface Morphology of the Pubic Symphysis
                  A Study on the Asymmetry of the Human Left and Right Pubic Symphyseal Surfaces Using High-Definition Data Capture and Computational Shape Methods
                  Inferring Age at Death for Japanese and Thai Skeletal Samples under a Bayesian Framework of Analysis: A Test of Priors and Their Effects on Estimation
                  Testing Reliability of the Computational Age-At-Death Estimation Methods between Five Observers Using Three-Dimensional Image Data of the Pubic Symphysis
                  Testing the Applicability of Shape-based Computational Age-at-Death Estimation Methods Using Pubic Symphyseal Surface scans of Asian Origin
                  Age-at-Death Estimation for Modern Populations in Mexico and Puerto Rico through the Use of 3D Laser Scans of the Pubic Symphysis
                  The Development and Use of Computational Tools in Forensic Science
                  Thinking Computationally about Forensics: Anthropological Perspectives on Advancements in Technologies, Data and Algorithms
                  Computational Framework for Age-at-Death Estimation from the Skeleton: Surface and Outline Analysis of 3D Laser Scans of the Adult Pubic Symphysis
                  A Computational Framework for Age-at-Death Estimation from the Skeleton: Surface and Outline Analysis of 3D Laser Scans of the Adult Pubic Symphysis

  
Date Created: September 16, 2015
    
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