Two-dimensional Wavelet Analysis of Supraorbital Margins of the Human Skull for Characterizing Sexual Dimorphism
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TIFS.2016.2541611 |
| Field | Archaeology, anthropology, ethnology |
| Keywords | Sex determination; sexual dimorphism; skeletal remains; supraorbital margin; shape analysis; wavelet transform |
| Description | The accurate determination of the sex of human skeletal remains is a critical challenge in forensic pathology and skeletal anthropology. The pelvis and skull are the most commonly used skeletal sites for determining the sex of skeletons. In the skull, the supraorbital region, which includes the supraorbital margin, is considered a specific sexually dimorphic trait. In the traditional approach, sex is determined through visual and tactile assessment. The present paper introduces a methodology for the objective quantification of sexually dimorphic features using Wavelet Transform, which is a multi-scale mathematical tool that allows for measurement of shape variations that are hidden at different scales of resolution. The method was successfully applied for sex determination of a pilot sample of 3D meshes – digital records of supraorbital morphology. This information can be used by experts to improve the accuracy of biologic profile assessment of a human skeleton, and to describe the geographic and temporal variations within and among populations. |
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