Testing the Reliability of Software Tools in Sex and Ancestry
Estimation in a Multi-Ancestral Brazilian Sample

J 2014

Testing the Reliability of Software Tools in Sex and Ancestry Estimation in a Multi-Ancestral Brazilian Sample

URBANOVÁ, Petra, Ann H. ROSS, Mikoláš JURDA and Maria-Ines NOGUEIRA

Basic information

Original name

Testing the Reliability of Software Tools in Sex and Ancestry Estimation in a Multi-Ancestral Brazilian Sample

Name in Czech

Testování spolehlivosti počítačových aplikací pro určení pohlaví a populační afinity na lebce člověka u brazilské populace

Authors

URBANOVÁ, Petra (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Ann H. ROSS (840 United States of America), Mikoláš JURDA (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Maria-Ines NOGUEIRA (76 Brazil)

Edition

Legal Medicine, Elsevier, 2014, 1344-6223

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

30501 Forensic science

Country of publisher

Ireland

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 1.238

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14310/14:00075676

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2014.06.002

UT WoS

000341124200005

Keywords (in Czech)

Brazilské lebky, Určení pohlavní, Odhad populační afinity, FORDISC, 3D-ID

Keywords in English

Brazilian crania; Ancestry assessment; Sex assessment; FORDISC; 3D-ID

Abstract

ORIG CZ

V originále

In the framework of forensic anthropology osteometric techniques are generally preferred over visual examinations due to a higher level of reproducibility and repeatability; qualities that are crucial within a legal context. The use of osteometric methods has been further reinforced by incorporating statistically-based algorithms and large reference samples in a variety of user-friendly software applications. However, the continued increase in admixture of human populations have made the use of osteometric methods for estimation of ancestry much more complex, which confounds one of major requirements of ancestry assessment – intra-population homogeneity. The present paper tests the accuracy of ancestry and sex assessment using four identification software tools, specifically FORDISC 2.0, FORDISC 3.1.293, COLIPR 1.5.2 and 3D-ID 1.0. Software accuracy was tested in a sample of 174 documented human crania of Brazilian origin composed of different ancestral groups (i.e., European Brazilians, Afro-Brazilians, and Japanese Brazilians and of admixed ancestry). The results show that regardless of the software algorithm employed and composition of the reference database, all methods were able to allocate approximately 50 percent of Brazilian specimens to an appropriate major reference group. Of the three ancestral groups, Afro-Brazilians were especially prone to misclassification. Japanese Brazilians, by contrast, were shown to be relatively easily recognizable as being of Asian descent but at the same time showed a strong affinity towards Hispanic crania, in particularly when the classification based on FDB was carried out in FORDISC. For crania of admixed origin all of the algorithms showed a considerable higher rate of inconsistency with a tendency for misclassification into Asian and American Hispanic groups. Sex assessments revealed an overall modest to poor reliability (60% to 71% of correctly classified specimens) using the tested software programs with unbalanced individual rates for males and females. The highest and atypically balanced rate of classification for sex assessment was provided by COLIPR software, which reached 78% of correctly assessed crania.

In Czech

Článek řeší spolehlivost počítačových aplikací pro určení pohlaví a populační afinity u souboru dokumentovaných kosterních sbírek z Brazílie.

Citovat

URBANOVÁ, Petra, Ann H. ROSS, Mikoláš JURDA and Maria-Ines NOGUEIRA. Testing the Reliability of Software Tools in Sex and Ancestry Estimation in a Multi-Ancestral Brazilian Sample. Legal Medicine. Elsevier, 2014, vol. 16, No 5, p. 264-273. ISSN 1344-6223. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2014.06.002.

@article{1185484,
   author = {Urbanová, Petra and Ross, Ann H. and Jurda, Mikoláš and Nogueira, MariaandInes},
   article_number = {5},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2014.06.002},
   keywords = {Brazilian crania; Ancestry assessment; Sex assessment; FORDISC; 3D-ID},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {1344-6223},
   journal = {Legal Medicine},
   title = {Testing the Reliability of Software Tools in Sex and Ancestry Estimation in a Multi-Ancestral Brazilian Sample},
   url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1344622314000881#},
   volume = {16},
   year = {2014}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1185484
AU  - Urbanová, Petra - Ross, Ann H. - Jurda, Mikoláš - Nogueira, Maria-Ines
PY  - 2014
TI  - Testing the Reliability of Software Tools in Sex and Ancestry Estimation in a Multi-Ancestral Brazilian Sample
JF  - Legal Medicine
VL  - 16
IS  - 5
SP  - 264-273
EP  - 264-273
PB  - Elsevier
SN  - 13446223
KW  - Brazilian crania
KW  - Ancestry assessment
KW  - Sex assessment
KW  - FORDISC
KW  - 3D-ID
UR  - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1344622314000881#
L2  - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1344622314000881#
N2  - In the framework of forensic anthropology osteometric techniques are generally preferred over visual examinations due to a higher level of reproducibility and repeatability; qualities that are crucial within a legal context. The use of osteometric methods has been further reinforced by incorporating statistically-based algorithms and large reference samples in a variety of user-friendly software applications. However, the continued increase in admixture of human populations have made the use of osteometric methods for estimation of ancestry much more complex, which confounds one of major requirements of ancestry assessment – intra-population homogeneity. The present paper tests the accuracy of ancestry and sex assessment using four identification software tools, specifically FORDISC 2.0, FORDISC 3.1.293, COLIPR 1.5.2 and 3D-ID 1.0. Software accuracy was tested in a sample of 174 documented human crania of Brazilian origin composed of different ancestral groups (i.e., European Brazilians, Afro-Brazilians, and Japanese Brazilians and of admixed ancestry). The results show that regardless of the software algorithm employed and composition of the reference database, all methods were able to allocate approximately 50 percent of Brazilian specimens to an appropriate major reference group. Of the three ancestral groups, Afro-Brazilians were especially prone to misclassification. Japanese Brazilians, by contrast, were shown to be relatively easily recognizable as being of Asian descent but at the same time showed a strong affinity towards Hispanic crania, in particularly when the classification based on FDB was carried out in FORDISC. For crania of admixed origin all of the algorithms showed a considerable higher rate of inconsistency with a tendency for misclassification into Asian and American Hispanic groups. Sex assessments revealed an overall modest to poor reliability (60% to 71% of correctly classified specimens) using the tested software programs with unbalanced individual rates for males and females. The highest and atypically balanced rate of classification for sex assessment was provided by COLIPR software, which reached 78% of correctly assessed crania.
ER  -

URBANOVÁ, Petra, Ann H. ROSS, Mikoláš JURDA and Maria-Ines NOGUEIRA. Testing the Reliability of Software Tools in Sex and Ancestry Estimation in a Multi-Ancestral Brazilian Sample. \textit{Legal Medicine}. Elsevier, 2014, vol.~16, No~5, p.~264-273. ISSN~1344-6223. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2014.06.002.

Detailed Information on Publication Record