@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={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}, 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} }