Perceptions of journal editors on the use of eponyms in anatomical publishing: the need for compromise.

While arguments have been made both for and against the value of anatomical eponyms, limited research exists regarding their use by anatomists. As the editors of the principal international anatomy journals have purview and control of terminology in anatomical journals, their perceptions regarding the relevance, ethics and inclusivity of eponym use in anatomy and in publishing in anatomical journals were investigated. A validated, confidential and anonymized self-administered questionnaire which included open-ended questions was distributed to the 22 Editor-in-Chiefs/Senior Editors of anatomical journals. Of the 16 (73%) editors who responded to the survey, only 56% were aware that eponyms had been censured since the time of the 1895 Nomina Anatomica. The majority of responding editors found the use of Latin- and Greek-derived terms more valuable when communicating with students and peers, but also thought eponyms were acceptable in manuscripts submitted to their journals. Thirteen (81%) of the responding editors agreed that eponyms play a vital role in the history of anatomy, and some thought they were important for discussing bioethics concepts. However, 62.5% felt that there were valid reasons for their discontinuation. Half of the respondents did not consider the continued use of eponyms an ethical concern. Responding editors of anatomical journals prefer the use of Latin- and Greek- derived terms when interacting with other anatomists and students. However, the continued use of eponyms was seen as an important opportunity for discussion on the history and ethics of anatomy.

Osteon shape variation in the femoral diaphysis: A geometric-morphometric approach on human cortical bone microstructure in an elderly sample.

Geometric morphometrics (GMM) have been applied to understand morphological variation in biological structures. However, research studying cortical bone through geometric histomorphometrics (GHMM) is scarce. This research aims to develop a landmark-based GHMM protocol to depict osteonal shape variation in the femoral diaphysis, exploring the role of age and biomechanics in bone microstructure. Proximal, midshaft, and distal anatomical segments from the femoral diaphysis of six individuals were assessed, with 864 secondary intact osteons from eight periosteal sampling areas being manually landmarked. Observer error was tested using Procrustes ANOVA. Average osteonal shape and anatomical segment-specific variation were explored using principal component analysis. Osteon shape differences between segments were examined using canonical variate analysis (CVA). Sex differences were assessed through Procrustes ANOVA and discriminant function analysis (DFA). The impact of osteonal size on osteonal shape was investigated. High repeatability and reproducibility in osteon shape landmarking were reported. The average osteon shape captured was an elliptical structure, with PC1 reflecting more circular osteons. Significant differences in osteon shape were observed between proximal and distal segments according to CVA. Osteon shape differed between males and females, with DFA showing 52% cross-validation accuracies. No effect of size on shape was reported. Osteonal shape variation observed in this study might be explained by the elderly nature of the sample as well as biomechanical and physiological mechanisms playing different roles along the femoral diaphysis. Although a larger sample is needed to corroborate these findings, this study contributes to the best of our knowledge on human microanatomy, proposing a novel GHMM approach.

Prioritising quality: investigating the influence of image quality on forensic facial comparison.

Morphological analysis in forensic facial comparison was recently validated for judicial use. However, no image quality assurance systems exist for this purpose, despite image triage being considered the best practice approach. Hence, this study aimed at testing a semi-quantitative scoring method to assess image quality and investigated facial image resolution and lighting quality quantitatively in a context of forensic facial comparison. For this purpose, 400 facial comparison photographic and CCTV image pools developed from the Wits Face Database were used. These facial images were analysed in prior studies that investigated the validity of morphological analysis. A semi-quantitative image quality scoring system was adapted and tested on the above sample and compared across correct and incorrect matches obtained as part of previous studies using a logistic regression model. In addition, facial images were cropped to the closest pixel comprising the face, head and neck areas; then, a face-to-image pixel proportion was calculated as an estimator of resolution quality; and pixel exposure qualities were obtained to be compared to facial comparison outcomes. Ideal and high image quality scores were related to correctness of matches, while low-quality scores were related to incorrect matches. High pixel proportions were related to true matches and low exposure was related to false positives, while high exposure was related to false negatives. These results suggest that an easy method for image triage could be employed by scoring image quality. Quantitative measures should be investigated further for thresholding quality suitability for confidence of facial comparisons.

Forensic Facial Comparison: Current Status, Limitations, and Future Directions.

Global escalation of crime has necessitated the use of digital imagery to aid the identification of perpetrators. Forensic facial comparison (FFC) is increasingly employed, often relying on poor-quality images. In the absence of standardized criteria, especially in terms of video recordings, verification of the methodology is needed. This paper addresses aspects of FFC, discussing relevant terminology, investigating the validity and reliability of the FISWG morphological feature list using a new South African database, and advising on standards for CCTV equipment. Suboptimal conditions, including poor resolution, unfavorable angle of incidence, color, and lighting, affected the accuracy of FFC. Morphological analysis of photographs, standard CCTV, and eye-level CCTV showed improved performance in a strict iteration analysis, but not when using analogue CCTV images. Therefore, both strict and lenient iterations should be conducted, but FFC must be abandoned when a strict iteration performs worse than a lenient one. This threshold ought to be applied to the specific CCTV equipment to determine its utility. Chance-corrected accuracy was the most representative measure of accuracy, as opposed to the commonly used hit rate. While the use of automated systems is increasing, trained human observer-based morphological analysis, using the FISWG feature list and an Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, and Verification (ACE-V) approach, should be the primary method of facial comparison.

Performance of forensic facial comparison by morphological analysis across optimal and suboptimal CCTV settings.

Facial comparison is an important yet understudied discipline in forensics. The recommended method for facial comparison in a forensic setting involves morphological analysis (MA) with the use of a facial feature list. The performance of this approach has not been tested across various closed-circuit television (CCTV) conditions. This is of particular concern as video and image data available to law enforcement is often varied and of subpar conditions. The present study aimed at testing MA across two types of CCTV data, representing ideal and less than ideal settings, also assessing which particular shortcomings arose from less-than-ideal settings. The study was conducted on a subset of the Wits Face Database arranged in a total of 225 face pools. Each face pool consisted of a target image obtained from either a high-definition digital CCTV camera or a low-definition analogue CCTV camera in monochrome, contrasted to 10 possible matches. The face pools were analysed and scored using MA and confusion matrices were used to analyse the outcomes. A notably high chance corrected accuracy (CCA) (97.3%) and reliability (0.969) was identified across the digital CCTV sample, while in the analogue CCTV sample MA appeared to underperform both in accuracy (CCA: 33.1%) and reliability (0.529). The majority of the errors in scoring resulted in false negatives in the analogue sample (75.2%), while across both CCTV conditions false positives were low (digital: 0.3%; analogue: 1.2%). Even though hit rates appeared deceptively high in the analogue sample, the various measures of performance used and particularly the chance corrected accuracy highlighted its shortfalls. Overall, CCTV recording quality appears closely associated to MA performance, despite the favourable error rates when using the Facial Identification Scientific Working Group feature list.

Development of the Wits Face Database: an African database of high-resolution facial photographs and multimodal closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings.

Forensic facial comparison is a commonly used, yet under-evaluated method employed in medicolegal contexts across the world. Testing the accuracy and reliability of facial comparisons requires large scale controlled and matching facial image databases. Databases that contain images of individuals on closed-circuit television (CCTV), with matching formal and informal photographs are needed for this type of research. Although many databases are available, the majority if not all are developed in order to improve facial recognition and face detection algorithms through machine learning, with very limited if any measure of standardisation. This paper aims to review the available databases and describe the development of a high resolution, standardised facial photograph and CCTV recording database of male Africans. The database is composed of a total of 6220 standardised and uncontrolled suboptimal facial photographs of 622 matching individuals in five different views, as well as corresponding CCTV footage of 334 individuals recorded under different realistic conditions. A detailed description of the composition and acquisition process of the database as well as its subdivisions and possible uses are provided. The challenges and limitations of developing this database are also highlighted, particularly with regard to obtaining CCTV video recordings and ethics for a database of faces. The application process to access the database is also briefly described.

Assessing the effect of facial disguises on forensic facial comparison by morphological analysis.

Disguises are commonly used to mask a person's facial appearance in areas under closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance. While many studies attempted to understand the effects of disguises, such as hats and glasses, on facial recognition, limited studies have looked at disguises in forensic facial comparison. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of forensic facial comparison by morphological analysis (MA) in a CCTV sample with sunglasses and brimmed caps. The sample was obtained from the Wits Face Database and organized into 81 face pools of one target facial image wearing a disguise (cap or sunglasses) and 10 potential matching images. MA was conducted across face pools, and confusion matrices were used to assess the outcomes. Surprisingly, sunglasses had limited effect on MA performance both in accuracy (90.4%) and in reliability (κ = 0.798), while caps markedly decreased both accuracy (68.1%) and reliability (κ = 0.639). Error rates were associated primarily with false negatives in both samples (caps: 42.4%; sunglasses: 16.1%) despite the sample distribution favoring false-positive errors, which were very low (caps: 0.6%; sunglasses: 0%). Similarly to other studies, hats and caps were more harmful to correct identification when compared to sunglasses, which actually resulted in better accuracy than regular CCTV recordings. The effect of brimmed caps on accuracy was attributed to the overall loss of facial information caused. On training analysts, it may be helpful to instruct purposefully avoiding overreliance on easily disguised facial features, as other regions of the face also contain substantial feature information.

Validation of forensic facial comparison by morphological analysis in photographic and CCTV samples.

Between the ever-increasing availability of surveillance evidence and expert-based forensic facial comparison being considered admissible in court, confirming its validity is paramount. Facial comparison is most commonly conducted using morphological analysis (MA), a largely untested feature-based approach. This study aimed at validating the current recommended practice of MA in both standardised and suboptimal surveillance samples. Face pools of 175 South African males were compiled with a series of facial photographs, using images from the Wits Face Database. The first 75 face pools consisted of wildtype (unstandardised) high-quality target photographs, while the remaining 100 face pools consisted of suboptimal closed-circuit television (CCTV) target images. Target images were compared to high-quality standardised photographs. Face pools were analysed using the Facial Identification Scientific Working Group's guidelines and feature list. Confusion matrices were used to determine the performance of MA in each cohort. MA was found highly accurate (chance-corrected accuracy (CCA): 99.1%) and reliable (κ = 0.921) in the photographic sample and less accurate (CCA: 82.6%) and reliable (κ = 0.743), in the CCTV sample. Higher false-positive and false-negative rates were noted for the CCTV sample, with the majority of errors resulting in false-negative outcomes. The decreased performance in the CCTV sample was attributed to various factors including image quality, angle of recording and lighting. Other studies testing facial comparison identified lower accuracies and reliability across various conditions. Better performance was found here and in other studies that included some form of facial feature list, reinforcing the importance of using a systematic facial feature list.

Harnessing Thor's Hammer: Experimentally induced lightning trauma to human bone by high impulse current.

Lightning fatality identification relies primarily on soft tissue traumatic pattern recognition, prohibiting cause of death identification in cases of full skeletonisation. This study explores the effects of high impulse currents on human bone, simulating lightning-level intensities and characterising electrically induced micro-trauma through conventional thin-section histology and micro-focus X-ray computed tomography (µXCT). An experimental system for high impulse current application was applied to bone extracted from donated cadaveric lower limbs (n = 22). µXCT was undertaken prior to and after current application. Histological sections were subsequently undertaken. µXCT poorly resolved micro-trauma compared to conventional histology which allowed for identification and classification of lightning-specific patterns of micro-trauma. Statistical analyses demonstrated correlation between current intensity, extent and damage typology suggesting a multifaceted mechanism of trauma propagation - a combination of electrically, thermally and pressure induced alterations. This study gives an overview of high impulse current trauma to human bone, providing expanded definitions of associated micro-trauma.

Patterning of fractures in a case of intimate partner homicide (IPH).

South Africa is a country overwhelmed by crime and violence, with very high incidences of abuse against women and children. It is not often that a case of intimate partner homicide is seen in a forensic anthropological context. Here, we report on such a case where the remains of the victim had been buried for some time. The victim was a middle-aged female, while the suspect was a younger adult male. The deceased had suffered massive, repeated trauma during her lifetime with healed fractures and evidence of soft tissue trauma to virtually all parts of her body. A partly healed rib fracture indicates that the abuse continued until shortly before her death. She ultimately succumbed after suffering trauma to her head and face after reportedly being hit by a brick, evidence of which can be seen as perimortem fractures of the face. It is important for forensic anthropologists to identify specific patterns and report on the presence of healed fractures, as they can raise suspicion as to the possibility of chronic abuse. In this case, the evidence suggests a very long period of extreme and repeated trauma, which were apparently not reported or noticed by family members or the medical fraternity.

Myositis ossificans traumatica of the piriformis muscle: a rare mature case in an adult African male.

Myositis ossificans traumatica (MOT) is a common form of heterotopic ossification associated to trauma. Rare mature manifestations and topographically atypical presentations of MOT are often misdiagnosed as osteosarcoma. This case study discusses a rare, mature case of MOT of the piriformis muscle, potentially clinically associated with piriformis syndrome. The ossification was observed on a dry sacral bone of an adult skeleton belonging to a South African male during routine inventory of the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons, the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. The MOT was located on the anterior aspect of the sacrum at a site corresponding to the upper portion of the origin of the muscle and extended laterally towards the greater trochanter, beyond the greater sciatic notch. It was cylindrical in shape and measured approximately 52.70 mm in length and 12.10 mm in diameter. Micro-focus CT revealed an extensive and mature bony development of the piriformis muscle with distinct outer cortical and inner trabecular bone. In addition, the skeleton showed widespread healed skeletal trauma, suggesting a history of trauma. The MOT was completely fused to the sacral bone excluding the possibility of congenital anomalies. Information on the MOT of the piriformis muscle is vital to clinicians and radiographers to aid in successful diagnosis and management of the piriformis syndrome and sciatica in the gluteal region. This case also provides a rare example to biological anthropologists, paleoanthropologists and bioarchaeologists of the representation of pathologies like these on a dry bone sample.

Evidence of the sternalis muscle in two South African cadavers.

The sternalis muscle is an infrequent, non-pathological anatomical variant typically misrepresented in a clinical context. It presents with 3-8% prevalence, according to cadaveric studies. The muscles were identified during routine cadaver prosection at the School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand. Here, we report two cases of the sternalis muscle in two South African White cadavers. Analysis of the sternalis muscles revealed unilaterally present, distinctly defined muscle masses on the right (case number 1, female) and left (case number 2, male) hemithorax, lateral to the sternum. The muscles occurred with a prevalence of 2.25% within the cadaveric population examined. The prevalence of the sternalis muscle is generally low, especially in the European population. Their presence represents the remnants of the cutaneous muscles in the ventral thorax of lower animals. Clinically, the sternalis muscle may be misinterpreted as a pathological mass or lesion, thus accurate knowledge regarding its variations and prevalence is of importance.

Forensic age-at-death estimation from the sternum in a black South African population.

Age-at-death estimation is a crucial component of any forensic anthropological analysis. Despite a variety of research in this field, uncertainties still exist when estimating adult age. The sternum is an under-considered element in terms of adult age estimation. Previous research on an Indian population suggested that this may be a usable region of the skeleton, although results were ambivalent. This study observed the fusion phases of 461 sterna from a black South African population in an attempt to match true age of an individual with the different phases of synostosis of the manubrio-sternal and the sterno-xiphoidal junctions. The results demonstrated that the majority of sterna remain unfused throughout adult life, with complete fusion observed both in young (25 year-old) and old individuals. Significant differences were identified amongst male and female sterna, with males presenting no transitional fusion of the segments, while female sterna demonstrated fusion to a lesser extent. Overall, logistic regression results demonstrated low accuracies (62.5%) for age estimation even when the two sexes were considered separately (male=63.9%; female=61.8%). The synostosis of both junctions is hence considered highly variable and deemed unreliable for adult age-at-death estimation in the black South African population.

Supernumerary lumbar ribs: a rare occurrence on an adult African male skeleton.

Supernumerary lumbar ribs are usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally during routine diagnostic radiography. During a routine inventory of the research skeletal repository at the University of the Witwatersrand, a rare case of bilateral supernumerary ribs on the first lumbar vertebra was observed. The skeletal specimen belonged to a 70-year-old African male whose recorded cause of death was esophageal carcinoma. Plain radiography revealed bilateral joint cavities between the transverse processes of the first lumbar vertebra and the supernumerary ribs. Clinically, supernumerary lumbar ribs may present with pain of the renal angle, cause confusion during enumeration of the vertebral levels on radiographs, and may be misinterpreted as fractures, kissing osteophytes, and/or calcification of abdominal vasculature.