Browsing by Author "Coelho, Catarina"
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- A method for sex estimation using the proximal femurPublication . Curate, Francisco; Coelho, João; Gonçalves, David; Coelho, Catarina; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Navega, David; Cunha, EugéniaThe assessment of sex is crucial to the establishment of a biological profile of an unidentified skeletal individual. The best methods currently available for the sexual diagnosis of human skeletal remains generally rely on the presence of well-preserved pelvic bones, which is not always the case. Postcranial elements, including the femur, have been used to accurately estimate sex in skeletal remains from forensic and bioarcheological settings. In this study, we present an approach to estimate sex using two measurements (femoral neck width [FNW] and femoral neck axis length [FNAL]) of the proximal femur. FNW and FNAL were obtained in a training sample (114 females and 138 males) from the Luis Lopes Collection (National History Museum of Lisbon). Logistic regression and the C4.5 algorithm were used to develop models to predict sex in unknown individuals. Proposed cross-validated models correctly predicted sex in 82.5-85.7% of the cases. The models were also evaluated in a test sample (96 females and 96 males) from the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection (University of Coimbra), resulting in a sex allocation accuracy of 80.1-86.2%. This study supports the relative value of the proximal femur to estimate sex in skeletal remains, especially when other exceedingly dimorphic skeletal elements are not accessible for analysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
- An open source geophysical software for studying speleothem growth bands and comparing with a reference curve: MironePublication . Veiga-Pires, C.; Coelho, Catarina; Moura, Delminda; Luis, JoaquimSpeleothem growth bands are commonly referred as one of the parameters that are used for paleoclimate reconstructions. Accordingly, this work presents a new tool for detecting these bands based on the gray-scale image of the speleothem using the Mirone open source geophysical software. This program has initially been developed for working on georeferenciated images for geophysical studies, as for instance for recognizing paleomagnetic inversions from deep-sea sediments. This recognition based on gridded images is very similar to what is needed for the recognition and detection of speleothem growth bands.
- One for all and all for one: Linear regression from the mass of individual bones to assess human skeletal mass completenessPublication . Gonçalves, David; Coelho, João d'Oliveira; Acosta, Maria A.; Coelho, Catarina; Curate, Francisco; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Gouveia, Márcia; Makhoul, Calil; Pinto, Débora; Oliveira-Santos, Inês; Vassalo, Ana R.; Navega, David; Cunha, EugéniaObjectivesComplete and accurate human skeletal inventory is seldom possible in archaeological and forensic cases involving severe fragmentation. In such cases, skeletal mass comparisons with published references may be used as an alternative to assess skeletal completeness but they are too general for a case-by-case routine analysis. The objective is to solve this issue by creating linear regression equations to estimate the total mass of a skeleton based on the mass of individual bones.Materials and MethodsTotal adult skeletal mass and individual mass of the clavicle, humerus, femur, patella, carpal, metacarpal, tarsal, and metatarsal bones were recorded in a sample of 60 skeletons from the 21st century identified skeletal collection (University of Coimbra). The sample included 32 females and 28 males with ages ranging from 31 to 96 years (mean=76.4; sd=14.8). Skeletal mass linear regression equations were calculated based on this sample.ResultsThe mass of individual bones was successfully used to predict the approximate total mass of the adult skeleton. The femur, humerus, and second metacarpal were the best predictors of total skeletal mass with root mean squared errors ranging from 292.9 to 346.1 g.DiscussionLinear regression was relatively successful at estimating adult skeletal mass. The non-normal distribution of the sample in terms of mass may have reduced the predictive power of the equations. These results have clear impact for bioanthropology, especially forensic anthropology, since this method may provide better estimates of the completeness of the skeleton or the minimum number of individuals. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:427-432, 2016. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- Pulmonary and gastrointestinal parasitic infections in small ruminant autochthonous breeds from centre region of Portugal—a cross sectional studyPublication . Pereira, Maria; Vila-Viçosa, Maria; Coelho, Catarina; Santos, Carla; Esteves, António Carlos; Cruz, Rita; Gomes, Liliana; Henriques, Diogo; Vala, Helena; Nóbrega, Carmen; Mega, Ana; Melo, Carolina; Malva, Madalena; Braguez, Joana Rita Cerieira; Mateus, TeresaThe production of small ruminant autochthonous breeds in the Centre region of Portugal is practiced in a semi-extensive husbandry system, exposing animals to parasitic infections. The main objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of lungworm infection and identify risk factors. Fecal samples of 203 goats and 208 sheep from 30 herds were collected per rectum and subjected to the modified Baermann test. The overall prevalence of infection was 57.7%, significantly higher in goats (95.6%) than in sheep (20.7%) (p < 0.001). According to the binary logistic regression model, sheep dewormed with albendazole, mebendazole plus closantel, or ivermectin plus clorsulon presented a risk of Protostrongylidae infection 29.702, 7.426, or 8.720 times higher, respectively, than those dewormed with eprinomectin. Additionally, the presence of gastrointestinal parasites was investigated in 307 fecal samples using Mini-FLOTAC (R). The overall prevalence of infection was 86.3%, also significantly higher in goats (93.2%) than in sheep (79.9%) (p < 0.001). Strongyle-type eggs were the most frequently identified, both in sheep (69.8%) and goats (87.8%), followed by Eimeria oocysts (40.3% in sheep and 68.9% in goats). Considering the high prevalence and the burden of lungworm parasitic infection, it is urgent to determine its economic impact and the repercussions in animal health in the Centre region of Portugal to establish appropriate therapeutic guidelines.
- The unidentified skeletal collection of Capuchos cemetery (Santarém) housed at the University of CoimbraPublication . José, Andreia; Tomé, Laura; Coelho, Catarina; Cunha, Eugénia; Umbelino, Cláudia; Ferreira, Maria TeresaThe aim of this article is to present to the scientific and academic community a new osteological collection housed at the Department of Life Sciences from the University of Coimbra (Portugal), the Unidentified Skeletal Collection of the Capuchos Cemetery. The skeletons were collected from the same cemetery as those of the 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection, however their identity is unknown. The collection is comprised of 73 individuals, of which 68 are adults of both sexes (34 females, 33 males, and one individual of unknown sex) and five are non-adult individuals. It is estimated that the majority of adult individuals have a European ancestry.