Chemosteometric regression models of heat exposed human bones to determine their pre‐burnt metric dimensions
Bibliographic Data
Objectives Heat exposure can lead to apparently random osteometric changes that hinder the application of metric methods used for biological profiling. The impracticality of using objective and burn‐specific osteometric methods reduces the chances of establishing the biological profiles of unknown individuals based on their skeletal remains. We investigated the potential of chemometry analysis based on infrared spectroscopy to predict the amount of heat‐induced osteometric changes and how this reflected into sex estimation. Material and methods Bones from 41 identified adult skeletons (24 females and 17 males with ages between 62 and 90 years old) were experimentally burnt to maximum temperatures ranging from 450°C to 1,100°C (attained after 65 to 240 min). Measurements were taken both before and after each experiment and powder samples were analyzed through FTIR‐ATR. Correlations among heat‐induced metric changes and chemometric indices (crystallinity index; B‐type carbonates; carbonate [A + B] to carbonate B ratio; hydroxyl to phosphate ratio; 630 cm −1 , 1450 cm −1 , 3572 cm −1 , and 3642 cm −1 ) were tested. Significant variables were used to build regression models to predict heat‐induced metric change which were then tested on an independent set of samples. Agreement in sex estimation between the pre‐ and post‐burnt samples was also evaluated. Results All indices were significantly correlated to heat‐induced metric changes ( α = .01) and the highest correlations were obtained for the 630 cm −1 , 3572 cm −1 , and crystallinity index. We confirmed that regression models based on chemometrics obtained from infrared spectra through FTIR‐ATR are better at estimating heat‐induced metric changes affecting bone and at sexing remains than other osteometric methods such as those based on correction factors or on metric references specific to calcined bones. Discussion Regression models avoid the subjectivity associated with the application of other methods. While the latter can be applied only to calcined bones, which is difficult to assess sometimes, regression models can be applied to all bones regardless of their condition. Also, regression models have the advantage of allowing to infer about heat‐induced metric change on a case‐by‐case basis
Analytical Chemistry (journal) · Carbonate · Composite material · Crystallinity · Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy · Linear regression · Metric (unit) · Mineralogy · Physics · Regression analysis · Statistics · Chemistry · Environmental Chemistry · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Forensic Entomology and Diptera Studies · Materials Science · Mathematics · Organic Chemistry · Paleopathology and ancient diseases
Diagenesis of prehistoric human burned bones in a sandy burial environment
The Effect of Soft Tissues in Burnt Human Skeletal Remains
Is it hot enough? A multi-proxy approach shows variations in cremation conditions during the Metal Ages in Belgium
The Roman way
Burial customs and cultural change. A case study from Central Germany during the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age
Revisiting metric sex estimation of burnt human remains via supervised learning using a reference collection of modern identified cremated individuals (Knoxville, USA )
Analysis of the sexual dimorphism of metric variables of the cranial base
Being "elite" among Goths
Estimating temperature exposure of burnt bone — A methodological review
From bone to ash
Burning and boiling of modern deer bone
Forensic Cremation Recovery and Analysis
Death on the frontier
Burnt bones and teeth
States of preservation of bones from prehistoric sites in the Near East
Standardizing Infra-red Measures of Bone Mineral Crystallinity
A new calibration of the XRD technique for the study of archaeological burned human remains
A new statistical approach for determining the crystallinity of heat-altered bone mineral from FTIR spectra
The application of a new method of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to the analysis of burned bone
Differential Burning, Recrystallization, and Fragmentation of Archaeological Bone
Alteration of Enamel Carbonate Environments during Fossilization
New parameters for the characterization of diagenetic alterations and heat-induced changes of fossil bone mineral using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry
Determination of adult stature from metatarsal length
The estimation of adult stature from metacarpal bone length
Crystal clear
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,6 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |