Francesco Vecchi

Sex Assessment from the Sacral Base by Means of Image Processing

Abstract:  To help improve sex assessment from skeletal remains, the present study considers the diagnostic value of the sacral base (basis osseus sacri) based on its planar image and related metric data. For this purpose, 114 adult sacra of known sex and age from two early 20th century Italian populations were examined, the first from Bologna, northern Italy (n = 76), and the second from Sassari, Sardinia (n = 38). Digital photos of the sacral base were taken with each bone in a standardized orientation. Technical drawing software was used to trace its profile and to measure related dimensions (area, perimeter, and breadth of S1 and total breadth of the sacrum). The measurements were subjected to discriminant and classification function analyses. The sex prediction success of 93.2% for the Bolognese sample, 81.6% for the Sassarese sample, and 88.3% for the pooled sample indicates that the first sacral vertebra is a good character for sex determination.

Age of onset of pubertal characteristics in boys aged 6-14 years of the Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo, Italy).

Background: Previous results on growth patterns of children from central-southern Italy (Abruzzo region) showed an increasing tendency to obesity and suggested that the secular trend was still in progress in this region. However, data on pubertal development was lacking. Objective: The objective of the study was to provide population data on pubertal development in a sample of 535 boys aged 6–14 years as a contribution to the ongoing debate on earlier onset of pubertal traits and on the slowing down of the secular trend. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used. Data for genital and pubic hair development (GD and PHD) were analysed by probit analysis. Results: The boys start developing sexual characteristics at age 9: 13.3% had entered stage 2 of GD and 8.9% showed PHD. At 13 years of age, 5% and 7.4% were still in stage 1 of GD and PHD, respectively, whereas almost one-third had attained stage 5 for both sexual characteristics. The median age for attainment of stage 2 was 11.2 years for GD, 11.5 years for PHD and 11 years for one or both of them. Conclusions: These results are in line with those for several European and industrialized countries and do not show a significantly earlier onset of sexual maturation.

Sex assessment from the acetabular rim by means of image analysis

Determining sex from skeletal remains is one of the most important steps in archaeological and forensic anthropology. The present study considers the diagnostic value of the acetabulum based on its planar image and related metric data. For this purpose, 83 adult os coxae of known age were examined. Digital photos of the acetabular area were taken, with each bone in a standardized orientation. Technical drawing software was used to trace the acetabular rim and to measure the related dimensions (area, perimeter, longitudinal and transverse maximum width). The measurements were subjected to SPSS discriminant and classification function analysis. There were significant differences (p<or=0.001) between the sexes, and 96.4% of the cases were correctly classified.

Morphologic variability of human African populations south of the Sahara

Abstract Morphologic relationships between 133 African populations from south of the Sahara are analysed on the basis of 7 anthropometric variables by means of correspondence analysis. As far as concerns the morphologic characteristic, the distribution of populations on the plane formed by the first two factorial axes, which account for 85% of the total variability of data, (1) shows a certain geographic pattern, (2) is continuous, without forming any particular easily circumscribed groupings, and (3) indicates an association with the habitat in which the populations live.