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Study of Sexual Dimorphism in Metatarsal Bones: Geometric and Inertial Analysis of the Three-Dimensional Reconstructed Models

ABSTRACT: The aim of the present paper is to determine the sex of the individual using three-dimensional geometric and inertial analyses of metatarsal bones. Metatarsals of 60 adult Chinese subjects of both sexes were scanned using Aquilion One 320 Slice CT Scanner. The three-dimensional models of the metatarsals were reconstructed, and thereafter, a novel software using the center of mass set as the origin and the three principal axes of inertia was employed for model alignment. Eight geometric and inertial variables were assessed: the bone length, bone width, bone height, surface-area-to-volume ratio, bone density, and principal moments of inertia around the x, y, and z axes. Furthermore, the discriminant functions were established using stepwise discriminant function analysis. A cross-validation procedure was performed to evaluate the discriminant accuracy of functions. The results indicated that inertial variables exhibit significant sexual dimorphism, especially principal moments of inertia around the z axis. The highest dimorphic values were found in the surface-area-to-volume ratio, principal moments of inertia around the z axis, and bone height. The accuracy rate of the discriminant functions for sex determination ranged from 88.3% to 98.3% (88.3%–98.3% cross-validated). The highest accuracy of function was established based on the third metatarsal bone. This study showed for the first time that the principal moment of inertia of the human bone may be successfully implemented for sex estimation. In conclusion, the sex of the individual can be accurately estimated using a combination of geometric and inertial variables of the metatarsal bones. The accuracy should be further confirmed in a larger sample size and be tested or independently developed for distinct population/age groups before the functions are widely applied in unidentified skeletons in forensic and bioarcheological contexts.

SUBMITTER: Liu Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8551807 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:This paper proposes a new methodology to quantify patterns of egg shape variation using geometric morphometrics of three-dimensional landmarks captured on digitally reconstructed eggshells and demonstrates its performance in capturing shape variation at multiple biological levels. This methodology offers unique benefits to complement established linear measurement or two-dimensional (2D) contour profiling techniques by (i) providing a more precise representation of eggshell curvature by accounting for variation across the entire surface of the egg; (ii) avoids the occurrence of correlations from combining multiple egg shape features; (iii) avoids error stemming from projecting a highly-curved three-dimensional (3D) object into 2D space; and (iv) enables integration into 3D workflows such as finite elements analysis. To demonstrate, we quantify patterns of egg shape variation and estimate morphological disparity at multiple biological levels, within and between clutches and among species of four passerine species of different lineages, using volumetric dataset obtained from micro computed tomography. The results indicate that species broadly have differently shaped eggs, but with extensive within-species variation so that all four-focal species occupy a range of shapes. Within-species variation is attributed to between-clutch differences in egg shape; within-clutch variation is surprisingly substantial. Recent comparative analyses that aim to explain shape variation among avian taxa have largely ignored potential biases due to within-species variation, or use methods limited to a narrow range of egg shapes. Through our approach, we suggest that there is appreciable variation in egg shape across clutches and that this variation needs to be accounted for in future research. The approach developed in this study to assess variation in shape is freely accessible and can be applied to any spherical-to-conical shaped object, including eggs of non-avian dinosaurs and reptiles through to other extant taxa such as poultry.

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Study of Sexual Dimorphism in Metatarsal Bones: Geometric and Inertial Analysis of the Three-Dimensional Reconstructed Models

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