Theses and Dissertations, Capstones, and Directed Research
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Electronic theses and dissertations, and graduate and undergraduate Capstones and Directed Research.
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Browsing Theses and Dissertations, Capstones, and Directed Research by Department "Anthropology"
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Item A Classification of Day Signs in the Mixtec Codices: Interpretations of Flint Motifs(2013-11) Macias, David R.; Reilly, Frank K.; Williams, Robert L.; King, AdamNo abstract prepared.Item A Comparative Analysis of Serrated and Non-Serrated Sharp Force Trauma to Bone(2012-05) Tegtmeyer, Caryn; Hamilton, Michelle D.; Spradley, M. Katherine; Fenton, Todd W.Understanding patterns of trauma is important in order to assist in identifying and distinguishing between different weapon classes. Sharp force trauma is the second most common form of armed violence in the United States, however, research into establishing class characteristics that may help distinguish serrated from non-serrated blades in sparse in the forensic literature. This study addresses this gap in the literature. Using two sets of 4.5 inch steak knives, one serrated and one non-serrated, 200 cuts were made to 100 porcine ribs. Subsequent examination of the trauma left behind in the bone was examined at several levels: macroscopic examination of the bone, microscopic examination of the bone, and microscopic examination of casts made of each cut. This study set out to answer whether or not it was possible to distinguish between these two classes of knives by examining the trauma that they left behind in the bone. In addition, it examines the unique nature of width, kerf shape, and presence or absence of striations. Results indicate that it is possible to distinguish between serrated and non-serrated knives based on the characteristics of trauma left behind in bone. Descriptive statistics, as well as an ANOVA statistic were run on the width measurements, showing a highly significant difference between the two knife classes. Serrated widths all fell above .60mm (average width .910mm), while those cuts made from non-serrated blades falling below .50mm (average width .306). A Y-shaped kerf occurred in approximately 78% of serrated cut marks viewed macroscopically, and 82% when viewed microscopically. A Funnel-shaped kerf occurred in approximately 86% of all non-serrated cut marks when viewed macroscopically, and 87% when viewed microscopically. Striations appeared in 72% of serrated cut marks when viewed microscopically, and 76% when viewed from the casts of the cut mark. Additionally, striations only appeared 4% of the time in non-serrated cut marks when viewed from casts, but not at all when viewed microscopically. Results of this study indicate that the identification of width, kerf shape, and presence of striations are useful for distinguishing between serrated and non-serrated knife classes. As such, these characteristics may be useful for assisting in the exclusion or inclusion of suspects and weapons in a forensic context.Item A Comparison of Craniometric Population Affinity Estimations to Self-Reported Identity(2022-08) Nesbitt, Heather; Spradley, M. Katherine; McKeown, Ashley H.; Stull, Kyra E.No abstract prepared.Item A D-Shaped Enigma: Landscape and Astronomical Orientations of Wari D-Shaped Temples and Their Role in State Expansion(2023-08) Moore, James W. R.; Conlee, Christina A.; Reilly, Frank K.; Ahlman, ToddNo abstract prepared.Item A Functional Analysis of Archaic Foreshafts and Other Wooden Dart Components from the Northern Chihuahuan Desert(2008-05) LaBudde, Gregory J.; Bousman, Britt; Conlee, Christina; Tomka, SteveNo abstract prepared.Item A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Navicular Bone in Humans, Chimpanzees, Baboons, and Homo Habilis (OH 8)(2013-07) Turner, Jaydee Janelle; Erhart, Elizabeth M.; Spradley, M. Katherine; Cunningham, Deborah L.This is the first thesis based on geometric morphometric comparison of the navicular bone across different primate species. The navicular bone is involved in three important functions in the modern human foot related to human obligate bipedalism. Obligate bipedalism is a distinguishing feature of humans and by comparing how the overall size and shape of the navicular bone differ among modern humans, chimpanzees, baboons, and fossil Olduvai Hominid 8 (Homo habilis), paleoanthropologists will be able to better describe the evolution of bipedalism in our lineage. I found that the OH 8 navicular is more similar in shape to that of modern humans and more similar in size to chimpanzees. Bones of the foot, such as the navicular, can therefore be used to assess the mode of locomotion in a fossil species and can aid in the placement of new fossils within the hominin lineage.Item A Longitudinal Study on the Outdoor Human Decomposition Sequence in Central Texas(2011-05) Suckling, Joanna K.; Spradley, Katherine; Hamilton, Michelle D.; Graham, Kerrie LewisEstimating the postmortem interval (PMI), or how much time has passed since an individual died, is an important aspect of investigating a death. Traditionally, forensic anthropologists have relied on non-standardized decomposition stages, anecdotal evidence, and personal experience to make an estimation of the PMI (Love and Marks 2003). Decomposition sequences have been proposed for specific geographic regions (Mann et al. 1990; Galloway 1997; Komar 1998; Rhine and Dawson 1998; Love and Marks 2003), but these stages may not be applicable to different climates and most were developed from cross-sectional data (Galloway et al. 1989; Komar 1998; Rhine and Dawson 1998). Recently, Megyesi et al. (2005) developed a quantitative method of estimating the PMI using accumulated degree-days (ADD), temperature data, and total body score (TBS), a system of numerically ranked qualitative observations of decomposition. This method was developed from cross-sectional data and has never been tested in a longitudinal experimental study using human cadavers. In addition, scavenging and its effect on using ADD to estimate the PMI has not been addressed (Simmons et al. 2010a). The present study tested Megyesi et al.'s (2005) model of scoring decomposition and its relationship to ADD using human cadavers. The goals of this study were to test the system outlined by Megyesi et al. (2005) using longitudinal data and examining the decomposition process directly. This study examined the assumption that all of the stages and decomposition characteristics used by Megyesi et al. (2005) and based on Galloway et al.'s (1989) decomposition stages follow a sequential order. The degree in which scavenging animals in this environment affect the decomposition rate and the estimation of ADD from TBS was incorporated. From November 2009 to July 2010, 10 donated human cadavers were placed outdoors at the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) at Texas State University-San Marcos. Decomposition was ranked using the TBS system for each day of observation over time. Observations support the general decomposition stages found in high temperature and high humidity environments (Galloway et al. 1989; Galloway 1997) with accelerated autolysis, high rates of maggot activity when scavengers are controlled for, and rapid skeletonization. TBS, however, is not linear, with changes in certain decomposition characteristics able to influence the observer's recorded TBS. Statistically significant differences were found between the estimated ADD and the actual mean ADD for each major decomposition stage. The differences were still significant after cadavers that were scavenged were removed from analysis, meaning that these differences were not caused by scavengers alone. In this study, longitudinal data collection allowed for a comparison between scavenged and non-scavenged human bodies. Scavenged bodies had significantly lower ADD (i.e. faster rates) to reach major decomposition stages than protected cadavers. This study shows in a quantitative manner that scavenging animals can have a significant impact on the estimation of the PMI from ADD. Exact binomial tests tested the rate of the equation produced by Megyesi et al. (2005) to successfully predict ADD against an expected success rate. The method had 100% accuracy rates for decomposition scores less than 22, but this was found to be indicative of a lack of precision stemming from a large standard error. Bodies skeletonized much faster than what was estimated with the equation, and the low success rates for scores 22 and above make the equation not recommended for severely decomposed remains. Only score 23 effectively predicted ADD from TBS (~90%), but all successes were recorded from one donation. The results of this study demonstrate that different environments may contain significant variables that the Megyesi et al. (2005) decomposition scoring system does not specifically address. In addition, low success rates for the Megyesi et al. (2005) equation to predict ADD from TBS above 22 and the wide standard error ranges provided demonstrate the need to reevaluate the equation for PMI estimation from TBS.Item A Look at Bush Medicine in a Pharmaceutical World: Three Traditional Healers in Belize Face Globalization(2008-05) Dickerson, Candice Michelle; Warms, Richard L.; McGee, R. Jon; Strelitz, Philippa J.No abstract prepared.Item A Metric Analysis of the Postcranial Skeleton of Hispanic Individuals to Improve the Estimation of Sex(2010-05) Tise, Meredith L.; Spradley, M. Katherine; Lewis, Kerrie; Anderson, Bruce E.Forensic anthropologists are impacted by the growing Hispanic population in the United States. When estimating the sex of Hispanic skeletal remains, initial observations cause male individuals to frequently be misclassified as female. Hispanic individuals have been described as smaller and more gracile than the groups to which they are compared, including American Blacks, Whites, and sometimes Native Americans (Spradley et al. 2008). To help forensic anthropologists more accurately estimate the sex of individuals considered Hispanic, this research took standard postcranial measurements from border crossing fatalities from the United States-Mexico border, at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Tucson, Arizona. In addition, Hispanic individuals from the Forensic Anthropology Data Bank were used to increase the sample size, which created a total sample of 114 males and 28 females. The standard postcranial measurements were statistically analyzed, and it was determined that the radius and humerus are the best elements for sex estimation in Hispanic individuals. Sex estimation rates from these elements are higher than when using metric methods derived from American Black and White individuals (Spradley et al. 2008). These results highlight that individuals considered Hispanic may exhibit sexual dimorphism differently than American Blacks and Whites, and thus require different methods of sex estimation. The results of this research provide forensic anthropologists with sectioning points and classification functions to use when estimating the sex of Hispanic individuals. Forensic anthropologists are impacted by the growing Hispanic population in the United States. Studies, such as this one, are important to the growing field of forensic anthropology, in accordance with the changing population dynamics of the United States.Item A Microstratigraphic Approach to Evaluating Site Formation Processes at Eagle Cave (41VV167)(2017-08) Nielsen, Christina; Black, Stephen L.; Bousman, C. Britt; Hanselka, Kevin; Frederick, CharlesDry rockshelters in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands (LPC) provide a unique setting for archaeological research, preserving otherwise perishable artifacts and organic materials within the site deposits. However, many of the excavations done in the LPC were conducted during the 1930s and 1960s when the focus was recovering unique prehistoric items and/or chronology. The excavation methods during these times were unrefined, data was not reported in great detail, and little effort was made to discuss or interpret site formation processes. My thesis research focused on the northern sector of Eagle Cave, which was first sampled during the 1963 excavations by the University of Texas at Austin. The goal of my thesis research was to use a “microstratigraphic” approach to evaluate the natural and cultural processes that led to the accumulation of the strata in this sector of Eagle Cave, focusing on the source of sediments in each stratigraphic layer, methods of transport of the sediments, and the specific natural and cultural processes responsible for forming and/or reorganizing the deposits. The microstratigraphic approach included recording stratigraphy in high resolution (i.e., “splitting” rather than “lumping” strata) and the collection and analysis of micromorph samples to examine in situ stratigraphy. Multiple lines of evidence, including data derived from the stratigraphic documentation, geoarchaeological sampling, macrobotanical and faunal identification, constituent size distribution, and radiocarbon dating, were used to evaluate the various formation processes. The 75 stratigraphic layers defined, recorded, and sampled in UT North were categorized into general strat types such as discrete ash lenses, thick ash deposits, refuse midden, earth oven heating element remnants, and limestone spall deposits. The results of the analyses revealed that some of our initial impressions of the deposits were incorrect, the most significant being that the “thick ash deposits” contained far less wood ash than what was initially though. The results of the analyses indicate that the deposits in UT North are comprised of natural sediments derived from both inside and outside the shelter (e.g., limestone spall, aeolian silt- and sand-sized grains), biogenic deposits derived from animals (e.g., feces), and anthropogenic materials brought in to the shelter by humans for plant processing and baking (e.g., rock, fuel, foodstuffs, alluvium to cap earth oven), animal butchering, consumption, and tool manufacture (i.e., faunal remains), and stone tool production (i.e., lithics debris and tools). The reorganization of deposits through time in this portion of the rockshelter is primarily a result of prehistoric cleanout activities and pit digging, although bioturbation from animal burrowing also contributed a substantial amount of reorganization. This thesis provides an initial evaluation of the formation processes that led to the accumulation of the strata in Eagle Cave. However, my research focused on one small area of the shelter and additional analyses need to be completed on the samples from the central portion of the shelter to get a better picture of the various formation processes at play. Subsequent 2015–2016 Eagle Cave investigations have done just this and have benefited from my hard-won lessons.Item A Preliminary Assessment of the Population, Potential Food Resources, and Habitat Connectivity of Alouatta Pigra in the Natural Protected Area of Métzabok, Chiapas, Mexico(2010-08) Hurst, Ashley L.; Erhart, Elizabeth; Currit, Nathan; Lewis, KerrieBlack howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) are limited to only a few sites in Central America and are considered to be endangered and threatened with extinction by the IUCN. The leading causes of their status are deforestation and forest fragmentation, both of which can result in isolated breeding populations, reduced fecundity, and local extinctions (Crocket 1998; Pavelka and Chapman 2006; Strier 2007; Van Belle and Estrada 2006). In collaboration with CONANP (Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas), we collected preliminary data regarding the population, potential food resources, and habitat connectivity of A. pigra in the Natural Protected Area (NPA) of Métzabok, Chiapas, Mexico between 4 June and 4 August 2009. We observed calls from at least 14 exclusive groups, 7 of which were located during transect census. Population trends revealed 2-5 group members with single male, multiple female compositions. We assessed a representative sample of 1/5 ha of forest for resource potential throughout the NPA. We collected 102 botanical samples from 20 families and 29 genera. Of these species, 14 were directly observed as feeding trees and 2 were confirmed as food resources by seed collection from feces. Using remote imagery, we analyzed forest connectivity and revealed isolated loss in the structural connectivity of the forest canopy bordering Métzabok. With the aid of the information regarding howler densities, available food resources, and the degree of fragmentation of potential howler habitats presented in this study, government management programs can make informed decisions to prevent localized extinctions.Item A Preliminary Study on Vocal Communication in the Gray's Bald-faced Saki Monkey, Pithecia irrorata(2009-12) Adams, Dara Bethany; Erhart, Elizabeth; Lewis, Kerrie; Macedonia, JosephNo abstract prepared.Item A Recalibrated Chronological Framework for Texas Archaeology-Geoarchaeology(2010-12) Lawrence, Kenneth L.; Bousman, C. Britt; Black, Stephen L.; Frederick, Charles D.Radiocarbon assays from select archaeological-geoarchaeological research projects within Texas river basins were compiled and recalibrated using the same calibration curve (i.e., INTCAL09). Chronometric data from investigations within the Nueces, San Antonio, Colorado, Brazos, and Trinity River basins were uniformly calibrated to construct a consistent chronological framework. Once calibrated, the analogous chronometric data were then used to compare drainage basins, paleoenvironmental data, and cultural chronologies across Texas and the region. These comparisons revealed four periods (Synchronous Events I–IV) in the Holocene that occurred simultaneously within all of the examined drainage basins. Synchronous Event I dating to 8,750–8,250 cal yr BP (~6800–6300 BC), Synchronous Event II dating to 7,000–6,250 cal yr BP (~5050–4300 BC), and Synchronous Event III 5,250–5,000 cal yr BP (~3300–3050 BC) are apparent periods of instability. While Synchronous Event IV occurs at 1,000–750 cal yr BP (~AD 950–1200) represents a period of stability. These events may be attributed to previously identified widespread climatic changes and seemingly coincide with several transitions in the archaeological record.Item A Settlement History of Okeeheepkee: Community Organization at the Lake Jackson Site in Florida(2017-05) Nowak, Jesse Colin; Reilly, F. Kent; Seinfeld, Daniel M.; King, Adam; Garber, James F.This thesis presents the results from archival analyses, remote sensing, and excavation surveys at the Lake Jackson Mounds State Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Lake Jackson (8LE1), is a seven mound site that has been associated with the Fort Walton Period (A.D. 1200–1600) and the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex via ornate funerary objects. This thesis addressed problems of a lack of data outside the site core by surveying previously unexplored areas of the site and consolidating previous published and unpublished archaeological work to provide a more comprehensive report of site design traits. Results include the first off–mound remote sensing data, new digital maps, a revised site boundary, and an expanded sequence of site development beyond the mound precinct. These results allowed a comparison of the major design elements from Lake Jackson to older Floridian cultures and to traits associated with cultures labeled Mississippian. Results show that Lake Jackson exhibited traits categorized as Mississippian beyond exotic trade goods and enforced theories that Lake Jackson was a Mississippian–style variant that incorporated local environmental factors and the long earthwork tradition of prehistoric Florida.Item A Study of Growth and Resilience Among Historic African American Populations at the Turn of the Twentieth Century(2017-12) Wolfe, Christopher A.; Herrmann, Nicholas P.; Spradley, M. Katherine; Hamilton, Michelle D.A child’s growth rate is perhaps the best means to gauge a population’s health and nutritional status. The growth and development of human populations is a direct result of genetic and non-genetic factors acting in conjunction to alter growth trajectories and developmental timing. The purpose of this study is to address the non-genetic factors of human growth and to examine the effect of structural violence in the form of environmental instability and economic disparity on human growth patterns. To do so, this study examines the growth rates of historical African American subadults from Freedman’s Cemetery in Dallas, Texas, Cedar Grove Cemetery in Cedar Grove, Arkansas, and a series of two cemeteries in Chatham County, Georgia, for evidence of growth stunting compared to modern population standards. This thesis addresses the historical circumstance of these populations in relation to its biological consequence on growth and discusses these results in light of literature within structural violence, developmental health, and resilience theory. Results indicate populations of historic African Americans at the turn of the 20th Century underwent episodes of stunting early in life, followed by a stabilization of growth shortly after the weaning period, and catch-up growth that leads to adolescent and terminal adult stature similar to modern comparative populations. Given the immense burden of racism, structural violence, and demographic change, it is surprising that these populations of historic African Americans do not show increased levels of stunting throughout the growth period. These results corroborate recent literature in human biology, economics, and skeletal biology, and expound the need for continued research into the disentanglement of the genetic, cultural, and environmental components of human growth.Item A Study of the Predictability of Rib Fracture Patterns Based on Three Different Modes of Trauma(2014-08) Zywicki, Margaret N.; Wescott, Daniel; Hamilton, Michelle; Erhart, ElizabethNo abstract prepared.Item Abstinence Discourses, Practices and Sexual Literacy at a Small, Christian Church in Central Texas(2018-12) Shackelford, Katherine Grace; Juarez, Ana; Brunson, Emily; Taylor, NicoleNo abstract prepared.Item Activity-Related Variation in Pathologies of the Patella among Native American Groups(2013-05) McClain, Maggie L.; Hamilton, Michelle D.; Bousman, C. Britt; Spradley, M. K.; Lohse, Jon C.; Mathews, JenniferThis study explores pathologies affecting the patella among skeletal collections from six North American archaeological groups. Given the location of the patella in the knee joint and attachment sites of the quadriceps femoralis tendon (QFT) and the patellar ligament (PL), changes in this bone may reflect muscle development and joint degeneration from activities involving the lower extremities. The archaeological groups examined were Archaic through Historic hunter-gatherers, Middle and Late Mississippian agriculturalists, and Historic horticulturalists. The groups spanned the Eastern Woodlands, Great Plains, and Texas regions. For each patella examined, the frequency of moderate to severe expressions of QFT and PL entheses on the anterior surface of the patella and of lipping on the margins of the articular surface was recorded, as was the presence of coalesced porosity, surface osteophytes, and eburnation on the articular surface. The following five research questions were explored: Do individuals within an archaeological group exhibit variation in patellar pathologies? Do patellar pathologies exhibit variation within a group by factors such as sex, age, or temporal component? Do patellar pathologies vary between groups? If individual, within-group, or between-group variation exists, what causes it? Can examination of this variation be used to identify subsistence practices or division of labor in prehistoric groups? Significant variation in patellar pathologies was found within all six archaeological groups. Furthermore, patterning of these pathologies was found to vary by sex, age, and temporal component. Division of labor was implicated as an underlying factor of significant sex differences. While geographical region could not account for the differences between groups, subsistence regime did correspond to the patterning in coalesced porosity between groups. Coalesced porosity was extremely high in agricultural groups. This degenerative condition, is caused by a prolonged, habitual kneeling posture, which is commonly adopted by agriculturalists while processing maize. While not accounted for in this study, variation among horticulturalists and hunter-gatherers may be more reflective of mobility than of subsistence regime. The ability to identify activity patterns via a single skeletal element may prove useful in archaeological cases of commingled, unprovenienced, or poorly preserved/highly fragmented remains. The results of this analysis indicate that unique signatures of entheses and articular surface and margin changes are found both within and between groups. Differences in activity can account for some of this variation, and analysis of this type can provide valuable information on prehistoric lifeways.Item Age Assessment from Cranial Suture Closure(2011-05) Millard, Alexandra; Spradley, Kate; Hamilton, Michelle D.; Baker, LoriCranial suture closure is a controversial method of age assessment which can be useful in forensic cases with a cranium and no sexable postcrania, which amount to 45% of the cases submitted to the FDB (Shirley 2011). The goals of this study are to determine if significant sex or ancestry differences exist in the rate of cranial suture closure, to test the rates of intra-observer and inter-observer error associated with cranial suture closure as a method of age assessment, and to compare the age distribution of a sample from the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner derived from cranial suture closure to the known age distribution of a separate sample from the same location published by Anderson (2008). A modern, representative sample of individuals from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, Forensic Anthropology Data Bank, Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, and the Texas State Donated Skeletal Collection are used for the statistical analyses, which include independent samples t-tests and analysis of covariance. The results indicate that sex and ancestry differences are not significant for this sample. Rates of intra-observer error are high for individual suture locations, however rates for the vault and lateral-anterior systems are only 10% and 20%, respectively. The results of the PCOME test suggest a tendency of cranial suture closure to overage. These findings indicate a need for improvement of this method, which may begin with basic definitions as well as the application of more robust statistical methods.Item Age estimation of subadults from a forensic context using the Denver Longitudinal Study diaphyseal long bone length standards(2009-12) Kitowski, Katherine AnneNo abstract prepared.