Sex determination by 3DGM of the cranium in modern Greek population

Doctoral Dissertation uoadl:1308666 550 Read counter

Unit:
Τομέας Φυσιολογίας Ζώων και Ανθρώπου
Library of the School of Science
Deposit date:
2014-07-11
Year:
2014
Author:
Χοβαλοπούλου Μαρία - Ελένη
Dissertation committee:
Ε. Βαλάκος Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής ΕΚΠΑ (επιβλέπων), Π. Παπαζαφείρη Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια ΕΚΠΑ, Π. Παυλάκης Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Ανάπτυξη μεθοδολογίας φυλετικού προσδιορισμού με εφαρμογή τριδιάστατης γεωμετρικής μορφομετρικής ανάλυσης (3DGM) σε κρανία σύγχρονου ελληνικού πληθυσμού
Languages:
Greek
Translated title:
Sex determination by 3DGM of the cranium in modern Greek population
Summary:
The aim of this study is to determine the regions of the cranium where sexual
dimorphism is
most pronounced by using three-dimensional geometric morphometric methods and
to investigate
the effectiveness of this method in determining sex from the shape of the
cranium. The study sample consisted of 176 crania of known sex (94 males, 82
females) belonging to individuals who
lived in Greece during the 20th century. The three-dimensional coordinates of
80 ecto-cranial
landmarks and 30 semi-landmarks were digitized using a Microscribe 3DX contact
digitizer.
Goodall's F-test was performed in order to compare statistical differences in
shape between males and females. Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA) was used
to obtain the size and shape variables for statistical analysis. Shape, size
and form analyses were carried out by logistic regression and discriminant
function analysis. Results indicate that there are statistically significant
shape differences between the sexes in all regions except for the nasal. For
instance, the orbit aperture of males is parallel to the frontal plane while in
females it is positioned in a slightly sagittal direction. The jugale points
are relatively
further apart in males. In addition, nasospinale and nasion shift more
anteriorly in males. Females in the region of the temporal bones are narrower
and the axis forming the frontal and occipital bone is more elongated; the
frontal bone is more vertical. In males, the palate is deepest and more
elongated; the cranial base is shortened. The highest shape classification rate
was obtained from the craniofacial region while the lowest from the palate. In
particular, the accuracy of sexing for the skull as a whole was 78.4%; the
cranial base 79%; the palate 68.9 %; the upper-face 83.1%; the orbits 72.7%;
the vault 79%; and the midsagittal curve of the neurocranium 70.2%. In all
cases the centroid size was smaller in females than males. Moreover, it was
found that sexual dimorphism is mainly contributed by size differences in the
skull as a whole, the base, the upper face and the vault region. As
anticipated, in all regions, the classification accuracy improves when both
size and shape are combined. The findings presented here constitute a firm
basis upon which further research can be conducted.
Keywords:
3DGM, Sexual dimorphism, Cranium, Modern greek population, Procrustes analysis
Index:
Yes
Number of index pages:
3
Contains images:
Yes
Number of references:
175
Number of pages:
138
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