Evaluating the accuracy and precision of cranial morphological traits for sex determination

Sex determination is a key analysis that forensic anthropologists perform in order to construct a biological profile of human remains. The techniques used in forensic investigations must meet the Mohan or Daubert criteria, for admissibility in a court of law. In this study, the precision and accuracy of 21 morphological characteristics of the skull were tested on a modern sample of 50 adult crania of European White ancestry. The following craniofacial features are identified as high-quality traits, defined by intraobserver error or=80%: mastoid size, supraorbital ridge size, general size and architecture, rugosity of the zygomatic extension, size and shape of the nasal aperture, and gonial angle. Ninety-six percent accuracy and 92% precision were achieved using 20 traits in combination. Fisher's exact probability tests revealed no significant differences (p=0.05) in the levels of precision or accuracy between age categories. Sex-related bias in accuracy was found for the following cranial features: ramus symphysis (p=0.009), zygomatic extension (p=0.0016), and occipital markings (p=0.0013). These traits demonstrated a greater tendency to be scored male than female.     

Metric assessment of the "mastoid triangle" for sex determination: a validation study

Recently, a metric approach to skeletal sex determination was published by Paiva and Segre which is based on the summation of two triangular areas defined by three distinct craniometric landmarks: Porion, Mastoidale, and Asterion. According to the authors, values for the total triangle > or =1447.40 mm(2) are characteristic for male crania, while values < or =1260.36 mm(2) are indicative of female skulls (95% confidence). In order to evaluate the method's validity, two sex- and age-documented samples of different provenience were analyzed (N=197). The results show that while the indicated measurements display significant sex differences, the technique is of little practical meaning where a single individual must be independently classified. It is hypothesized that differences in the expression of sexual dimorphism as well as a population-specific variability of the asterion location undermine the value of the mastoid triangle as a sex determinant.     

Morphometrics of the hyoid bone for human sex determination from digital photographs

The identification of unknown remains is very important. When unknown remains are found, anthropologists first determine their sex and age. The sex of most skeletons is determined by their shape. In the hyoid bone, the shape is sex related, so it can be used forensically to determine the sex. This study focused on sex-based morphometry of the hyoid bone in Koreans using digital photographs. Hyoid bones from 52 males and 33 females were examined. For each subject, we took 34 measurements from photographs using a computer program, and the data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 11.0. Twenty-one of 34 measurements had significant sex differences (p<0.05). The discriminant functions based on three measurements (X(1)-X(3)) were as follows: The accuracy of discriminant functions is 88.2% in both groups, so these can be used to distinguish males from females in a statistically significant manner.     

当前高校学生工作队伍建设问题探析

高校学生工作队伍应适应培养全面发展的大学生的要求和新形势、新情况变化的需要,要提高政治素质,加强理论修养,探索新的工作方法和途径。高校学生工作者在政治方向等六个方面要坚定和清醒,帮助大学生坚定政治使命,明确理想信念;要成为专家学者型人才,逐渐从单一“政工角色”向复合型的“教工角色”转变;要以正己为基础,成为学生的表率。     

Evaluation of Purkait's triangle method for determining sexual dimorphism

The identification of sex from the skeleton is an important demographic assessment in medicolegal investigations. Rama Purkait developed a method for estimating sex using measurements from a triangle defined by three points on the proximal end of the femur using skeletal material from Bhopal, India. This method was tested with measurements on 200 Indo-European and African American adult femora from the Terry collection using discriminant function analysis to determine if Purkait's method was valuable for determining sex in Americans. A side-by-side analysis was conducted of Purkait's "triangle method" and the maximum diameter of the femoral head to determine their relative value in assessing sexual dimorphism. In the study sample a single variable from Purkait's method provided 85.5% prediction accuracy, similar to 87% for the head diameter. Combining threshold values for a single variable from Purkait's method and the femoral head diameter raised the predictability to greater than 90% for both sexes.     

浅论媒介与女性形象的互动关系

对女性问题研究的主要目的,是消除性别误解,树立正确的性别印象。这就需要用"性别误解"这一概念取代"性别歧视",目的在于变性别等级为性别差异。广告和影视作品中流露的"性别误解",强化或改变了受众的性别印象,而受众的性别印象又是媒介表达的动力和来源。在这个过程中,媒介起了强大的作用,因此也承担着主要的责任。性别误解不仅仅是女性自身发展的障碍,也阻碍了整个人类社会的发展。大众传媒可以作为一支独立的力量,促进女性性别误解的改变,进而促进社会的和谐发展。     

和谐社会视野下少数民族地区现代化战略探析

党的十六届四中全会《决定》提出了"坚持最广泛最充分地调动一切积极因素,不断提高构建社会主义和谐社会的能力"。我国发展经济、构建社会主义和谐社会的重心之一就是大力发展少数民族地区现代化,所以积极探索少数民族地区发展的现代化战略,不仅有利于地区自身发展,在构建社会主义和谐社会进程中也起着重要的作用。     

人文主义传统中的青年角色

在欧洲从中世纪进入近现代的文艺复兴、宗教改革、启蒙运动这三大思想革命中,青年都扮演了重要角色,这是青年在人类历史上首次登上变革历史的舞台。当时的社会变革与青年成长形成水乳相融的互动关系,改变了历史中青年的社会存在与对青年的认识。青年日益被社会期待成为创造新价值观的承担者,历史也证明青年是创新人文主义和社会变革的生力军。     

Judiciaries as crucial actors in Southern regulatory systems: A case study of Indian telecom regulation

This article addresses regulatory reforms in the Indian telecommunications sector and emphasizes the role of the Indian judiciary. Our claim is that when confronted with a series of disputes relating to the nascent telecom regulatory landscape, the Supreme Court of India sought to make a constructive contribution to both the actual disputes as well as the overall regulatory framework. Our reading of these cases suggests that in the sphere of telecom, the Supreme Court has been less interested in stamping its own authority on issues, and has instead sought to bolster the authority and legitimacy of the recently constituted telecom regulatory institutions. We seek to draw attention to the role of the Indian judiciary as marking an exceptional feature of evolving regulatory systems in the Global South. Conventional wisdom in the regulatory jurisprudence that has evolved in the Global North suggests that judiciaries should have little or no role to play in regulatory systems. We suggest that to overcome the special challenges that regulatory systems in the Global South confront, more established institutions and actors might have to lend credibility and legitimacy to enable nascent regulatory actors to develop over time. At least in the Indian case, this is one way to understand the Indian judiciary's interventionist actions in the sphere of telecom regulation.     

浅谈视频监控技术在现场勘查中的作用

视频监控技术是公安机关打击和防控违法犯罪常用的一种技术手段,在刑事现场勘查中也有着举足轻重的作用。正确运用视频监控技术,可以明确现场勘查取证重点,可以有效采取现场紧急措施,可以快速甄别现场痕迹物证,可以提高侦查实验结果的可靠性。