@article{mckenney_hale_anderson_larsen_grant_dunn_2023, title={Hidden diversity: comparative functional morphology of humans and other species}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2167-8359"]}, DOI={10.7717/peerj.15148}, abstractNote={Gastrointestinal (GI) morphology plays an important role in nutrition, health, and epidemiology; yet limited data on GI variation have been collected since 1885. Here we demonstrate that students can collect reliable data sets on gut morphology; when they do, they reveal greater morphological variation for some structures in the GI tract than has been documented in the published literature. We discuss trait variability both within and among species, and the implications of that variability for evolution and epidemiology. Our results show that morphological variation in the GI tract is associated with each organ’s role in food processing. For example, the length of many structures was found to vary significantly with feeding strategy. Within species, the variability illustrated by the coefficients of variation suggests that selective constraints may vary with function. Within humans, we detected significant Pearson correlations between the volume of the liver and the length of the appendix (t-value = 2.5278, df = 28, p = 0.0174, corr = 0.4311) and colon (t-value = 2.0991, df = 19, p = 0.0494, corr = 0.4339), as well as between the lengths of the small intestine and colon (t-value = 2.1699, df = 17, p = 0.0445, corr = 0.4657), which are arguably the most vital organs in the gut for nutrient absorption. Notably, intraspecific variation in the small intestine can be associated with life history traits. In humans, females demonstrated consistently and significantly longer small intestines than males (t-value15 = 2.245, p = 0.0403). This finding supports the female canalization hypothesis, specifically, increased female investment in the digestion and absorption of lipids.}, journal={PEERJ}, author={McKenney, Erin A. and Hale, Amanda R. and Anderson, Janiaya and Larsen, Roxanne and Grant, Colleen and Dunn, Robert R.}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{hale_ross_2023, title={Investigating the Timing and Extent of Juvenile and Fetal Bone Diagenesis in a Temperate Environment}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2079-7737"]}, DOI={10.3390/biology12030403}, abstractNote={Simple Summary Understanding bone diagenesis, or alteration, in juvenile and fetal remains has important implications for forensic science. First, it can suggest information about the deposition of the remains and a possible postmortem interval (PMI). Second, it can assist in evaluating bone integrity and the potential for molecular testing of these remains for forensic purposes. This study investigates how early bone diagenesis is observed in fetal and juvenile mammalian remains as well as differences in degradation based on the deposition of the remains (e.g., blanket wrapping, shallow burial, etc.). We found that there were differences in the extent of bone diagenesis between depositions, with bagged remains exhibiting relatively less degradation over time than the other three depositions, while buried remains exhibited the greatest extent of degradation over time. However, all the remains showed bone diagenesis regardless of time of interment or deposition, with all remains exhibiting alteration as early as three months. This is consistent with adult remains, although the presentation of alteration differs and is likely related to developmental differences between subadult and adult bone. Abstract It is well understood that intrinsic factors of bone contribute to bone diagenesis, including bone porosity, crystallinity, and the ratio of organic to mineral components. However, histological analyses have largely been limited to adult bones, although with some exceptions. Considering that many of these properties are different between juvenile and adult bone, the purpose of this study is to investigate if these differences may result in increased degradation observed histologically in fetal and juvenile bone. Thirty-two fetal (n = 16) and juvenile (n = 16) Sus scrofa domesticus femora subject to different depositions over a period of two years were sectioned for histological observation. Degradation was scored using an adapted tunneling index. Results showed degradation related to microbial activity in both fetal and juvenile remains across depositions as early as three months. Buried juvenile remains consistently showed the greatest degradation over time, while the blanket fetal remains showed more minimal degradation. This is likely related to the buried remains’ greater contact with surrounding soil and groundwater during deposition. Further, most of the degradation was seen in the subendosteal region, followed by the subperiosteal region, which may suggest the initial microbial attack is from endogenous sources.}, number={3}, journal={BIOLOGY-BASEL}, author={Hale, Amanda R. and Ross, Ann H.}, year={2023}, month={Mar} }
 @article{go_keyes_doman_grow_hale_nagengast-stevens_new_williams_jin_2023, title={The Korean War Identification Project: 30 years of expanding scope and complexity in the accounting of American war dead}, ISSN={["2573-9468"]}, DOI={10.1002/wfs2.1485}, abstractNote={Abstract The Korean War claimed approximately 36,500 American service member casualties in its 3 years, of which nearly 7600 are still unaccounted for. The Korea 208 (K208) Project began in 2011 to more strategically address the highly commingled nature of 208 boxes of human remains that were repatriated from North Korea to the United Nations Command in the early 1990s and subsequently turned over to the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (now Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency [DPAA]) for analysis and identification. The K208 was further expanded by the recovery of remains from Joint Recovery Operations (JROs) in North Korea between 1996 and 2005, which revealed, among other issues, the presence of non‐U.S. casualties and crossover of elements between these two assemblages. More recently, 55 boxes of human remains (known as the K55) were repatriated from North Korea in 2018 with many of the same commingling and assemblage crossover issues originally presented by the K208. Additionally, there has been an increased push to disinter more than 800 unknown Korean War service members buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (also known as the Punchbowl) in Honolulu, which represent casualties recovered from both North and South Korea that had undergone prior analysis in the 1950s and 1960s. Subsequent examination has revealed that many Punchbowl remains are commingled despite being thought to have been originally buried as discrete individuals. Because of these developments, the K208 Project has grown in complexity and scope, thus changing its name to the Korean War Identification Project (KWIP) in 2017. Now under its purview are the original accessions from the K208 and JROs as well as the K55 and Punchbowl, representing the largest identification project within the DPAA. A robust and defensible identification process begins with an initial triage of the remains, followed by a systematic process of segregation, consolidation, and corroboration leading to identification. This unique case of highly commingled human remains, involving thousands of missing persons from varied proveniences, highlights the challenges and successes of a multi‐disciplinary approach involving historians, anthropologists, odontologists, and DNA and isotope specialists at the forefront, while also working with family members towards resolution. As of December 31, 2020, the KWIP has identified a total of 591 service members and continues to seek ways to innovate and improve both the quantity and quality of its work. This article is categorized under: Forensic Anthropology > Anthropology in Mass Disaster & War Crime Contexts Forensic Biology > Forensic DNA Technologies Forensic Medicine > Historical Perspectives}, journal={WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS: FORENSIC SCIENCE}, author={Go, Matthew C. and Keyes, Veronica A. and Doman, Jessamy H. and Grow, Kristen M. and Hale, Amanda R. and Nagengast-Stevens, Elizabeth and New, Briana T. and Williams, Devin N. and Jin, Jennie J. H.}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{hale_ross_2018, title={Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts}, ISSN={["1940-087X"]}, DOI={10.3791/56713}, abstractNote={The purpose of this paper is to introduce a promising, novel method to aid in the assessment of bone quality in forensically relevant skeletal remains. BMD is an important component of bone's nutritional status and in skeletal remains of both juveniles and adults, and it can provide information about bone quality. For adults remains, it can provide information on pathological conditions or when bone insufficiency may have occurred. In juveniles, it provides a useful metric to elucidate cases of fatal starvation or neglect, which are generally difficult to identify. This paper provides a protocol for the anatomical orientation and analysis of skeletal remains for scanning via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Three case studies are presented to illustrate when DXA scans can be informative to the forensic practitioner. The first case study presents an individual with observed longitudinal fractures in the weight bearing bones and DXA is used to assess bone insufficiency. BMD is found to be normal suggesting another etiology for the fracture pattern present. The second case study employed DXA to investigate suspected chronic malnutrition. The BMD results are consistent with results from long bone lengths and suggest the juvenile had suffered from chronic malnutrition. The final case study provides an example where fatal starvation in a fourteen-month infant is suspected, which supports autopsy findings of fatal starvation. DXA scans showed low bone mineral density for chronological age and is substantiated by traditional assessments of infant health. However, when dealing with skeletal remains taphonomic alterations should be considered before applying this method.}, number={131}, journal={JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS}, author={Hale, Amanda R. and Ross, Ann H.}, year={2018}, month={Jan} }
 @article{hale_ross_2017, title={The Impact of Freezing on Bone Mineral Density: Implications for Forensic Research}, volume={62}, ISSN={["1556-4029"]}, DOI={10.1111/1556-4029.13273}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES}, author={Hale, Amanda R. and Ross, Ann H.}, year={2017}, month={Mar}, pages={399–404} }