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Informative Priors Produce Precision–Accuracy Trade-off in Dental Developmental Age Estimation
No full textInformative priors in Bayesian analyses improve estimates of adult age, but effects in developmental age estimation are unknown. Accounting for residual correlations between developing teeth is supported, but how characteristics of the correlation matrix might affect estimates of age is unknown. Bayesian priors and correlation matrices are systematically tested for their effects on dental developmental age estimates. Nine cumulative probit models were fit to training samples from 880 dental score sets of London dental patients: the full sample, half samples split by sex or ancestry (Bangladeshi or European), and quarter samples split by sex and ancestry. A target sample of dental development scores from computed tomography images in the New Mexico Decedent Image Database was randomly divided into validation (n = 381) and test samples (n = 188) before analysis. All age ranges were 3 to 21 years. Four priors were tested: uniform and kernel densities derived from all-cause mortality, homicides, and NamUs missing persons data. Thirty-six rounds of age estimation were performed using nine correlation matrices from training sample splits and four priors. Correlation matrices with lower variability measures produced higher age interval success rates. Informative priors produced larger residual error and narrower age intervals without a corresponding decrease in success rate relative to the uninformative prior. Model correlation matrices can and should be evaluated for suitability before estimating ages. The choice of an informative or uninformative prior depends on practitioner priorities of age interval precision versus point estimate accuracy. The model discussed here is published as an R package
Invisible Conquest: Medical-Military Topoi and the Yellow Fever Vector
No full textAt the turn of the 20th century, the United States was at war with two seemingly different enemies: the first was Spanish colonial rule in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. The second enemy was the yellow fever virus which wreaked havoc on the physical and economic welfare of the U.S. In this essay, I conduct a rhetorical history about how the discovery of the mosquito vector for yellow fever was memorialized as a triumph of U.S. medicine, and how medical-military topoi are deployed to describe “conquest” over the virus. I argue that the nonhuman mosquito vector enables retroactive discussion of victory over an invisible enemy, creating rhetorical space between the realities of U.S imperialism and medical violence. This rhetorical history has consequences for how medical-military topoi continue to influence ways that the U.S. uses border control in response to pandemics, particularly those with nonhuman vectors or origins
Rural Librarians as Health Information Intermediaries: How Librarians Complicate “Rural,” Leverage Kairotic Opportunities, and Communicate through Health Ideographs
No full textRural librarians are intermediaries between individuals and our health system. Librarians direct their patrons to health resources, assist with online tasks such as insurance enrollment, lend health equipment, and more. And yet, rural libraries and librarians are largely absent from rhetoric of health and medicine (RHM) scholarship. Drawing from interviews with 11 rural librarians in nine states, we discovered that librarians leverage two kairotic openings for health communication: response and invitation. They succeed via three kairotic strategies: appropriateness, propriety, and opportunity. Librarians serving rural areas eschew simplistic ideographs around digital access and urge us to consider the meaning of mental health in rural America. Librarians are powerful intermediaries because they build trust through repeated conversations and a willingness to help patrons solve their problems. Our health system should recognize, celebrate, and utilize the rural library system to better serve patients.
Review of PCOS Discourses, Symbolic Impacts, and Feminist Rhetorical Disruptions of Institutional Hegemonies. Marissa C. McKinley, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2023. 162 pages, 45.00 ebook. Publisher’s webpage:
No full textPCOS Discourses, Symbolic Impacts, and Feminist Rhetorical Disruptions of Institutional Hegemonies. Marissa C. McKinley, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2023. 162 pages, 45.00 ebook. Publisher’s webpage: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666905519/PCOS-Discourses-Symbolic-Impacts-and-Feminist-Rhetorical-Disruptions-of-Institutional-Hegemonies
The Biomechanics of a Physically Impaired Individual from Early Medieval Ranelagh, Ireland
No full textThis research describes the methods used to re-create the biomechanics of a physically impaired middle-aged male, SK67, dated 893–1023 C.E., from the early medieval cemetery at Ranelagh, Co. Roscommon, Ireland, who experienced an antemortem femoral head fracture. A gap in research exists between the osteological evidence and the nature of the true biomechanical gait. Computer simulation of musculoskeletal models is an emerging engineering approach to estimate true gait patterns from geometric measurements of skeletal anatomy. This study paves the way for bridging the gap between osteological evidence and true biomechanics by obtaining information from SK67 and using it to build a three-dimensional musculoskeletal model of SK67 using OpenSim. Gait was then simulated using SCONE software (a musculoskeletal simulation optimization system to predict task-specificmotion), thereby revealing SK67’s likely limb function post-impairment. The patterns of habitual biomechanical stress are reflected in the quantity and distribution of cortical bone; based on this approach, the individual’s limbs were compared for signs of weight-bearing by analyzing cortical bone thickness from radiographs. The upper limbs were also examined for entheseal changes that might indicate the use of walking aids. The results of these interdisciplinary methods enabled the biomechanics of SK67 to be revealed and assessed how SK67 would have used walking aids to regain mobility and independence in the wake of their major trauma. The lack of arms on the musculoskeletal models may provide a limitation to this study, as well as the errors/learning curve in altering inputfiles to simulate the gait. This method opens new avenues for future research into reconstructing the biomechanics of individuals with physical impairments within archaeological contexts, across both time and location
Foreigner(?) in a Foreign Land: Multimethod Exploration of the First Decorative Dental Inlay Identified in a Pre-Hispanic Peruvian Context
No full textThis work documents the first unambiguous case of a pre-Hispanic Peruvian with dental inlays—an adult bearing two labially drilled maxillary canines, one of which retains an electrum inlay in situ. Intentional dental modification, occurring in a wide variety of forms, is a geographically and temporally wide-ranging cultural practice. Most commonly identified in Mesoamerica, intentional dental modification has also been reported both ethnohistorically and archaeologically in South America. Most definitive archaeological cases are Ecuadorian, and thus this individual, recovered from a primary ritual center of the Southern Moche State, located in north coastal Peru, presents a unique case. This work employs a microhistorical osteobiographical approach to documenting this individual. To characterize aspects of their life history and the nature of the inlay, enamel was analyzed for carbonate δ13C, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, and 206,7,8Pb/204Pb characterization and dentin for collagen δ13C and δ15N characterization and accelerator mass spectrometry dating. Inlay composition was analyzed using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Together, these data suggest that the inlaid individual likely migrated to the Moche Valley from Ecuador. The burial context of the skeletal individual’s remains and the cultural context of Moche society imply that their unique presentation and connection to Ecuador were important status markers.
Este trabajo documenta el primer caso inequívoco de un peruano prehispánico con incrustaciones dentales: un adulto con dos caninos maxilares perforados en los labios, uno de los cuales conserva una incrustación de electrum in situ. La modificación dental intencional, que se presenta en una amplia variedad de formas, es una práctica cultural de amplio alcance geográfico y temporal. Si bien se identifica con mayor frecuencia en Mesoamérica, también se ha reportado etnohistórica y arqueológicamente en Sudamérica. Dado que la mayoría de los casos arqueológicos definitivos son ecuatorianos, este individuo, recuperado de un centro ritual primario del Estado Moche del Sur, ubicado en la costa norte de Perú, presenta un caso único. Este trabajo emplea un enfoque osteobiográfico microhistórico para documentar a este individuo. Con el propósito de caracterizar aspectos de su historia de vida y la naturaleza de la incrustación, se analizó el esmalte para la caracterización de carbonatos δ13C, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, y 206,7,8Pb/204Pb, y la dentina para la caracterización de colágenos δ13C y δ15N, y la datación por espectrometría de masas con acelerador. La composición de la incrustación se analizó mediante espectrometría de fluorescencia de rayos × de alta resolución. En conjunto, estos datos sugieren que el individuo con incrustación probablemente migró al valle de Moche desde Ecuador. El contexto funerario de los restos esqueléticos del individuo y el contexto cultural de la sociedad Moche implican que su singular presentación y conexión con Ecuador fueron importantes indicadores de estatus.
Non-Adult Morbidity and Mortality at Tell Abraq, United Arab Emirates (2197–2036 cal. B.C.)
No full textA large number of commingled non-adult human remains were recovered from a Bronze Age tomb (2197–2036 cal. B.C.) at the site of Tell Abraq in the United Arab Emirates. Non-adult age representation was assessed from femora in the tomb, which were subsequently analyzed for periosteal reactions and cortical thickness. Among the 127 non-adults, approximately 32% (n = 40) were aged as preterm or neonate. Evidence of periostosis among 41% of the observable femora suggests the possibility of infections or other diseases among some infants, but the deaths of the remaining non-adults are less clear in origin. Cortical bone maintenance was generally good, but older non-adults were more variable in percent cortical area scores. These results suggest that morbidity and mortality among Tell Abraq non-adults may be best understood through a more thorough examination of environmental and cultural factors
Correction
No full textREFERENCE: Gagnon, Celeste, Bethany L. Turner, Branden Cesare Rizzuto, and Scott E. Burnett. 2025. Foreigner(?) in a foreign land: Multimethod exploration of the first decorative dental inlay identified in a pre-Hispanic Peruvian context. Bioarchaeology International 9(1):27–51. DOI: 10.5744/bi.2024.0032
Exploring a World of Tranquility and Freedom: Translation of Proper Names in “Uneg the Fool Disappeared” by Lan Du
No full textLan Du, an emerging novelist from Inner Mongolia in northern China, is known for her magical realism, modern narrative, and imaginative style. “Uneg the Fool Disappeared” is a short story first published in Harvest (2019), the premier literary journal in China. The tale blends poetic language and vivid imagination, weaving together elements of vitality and languor to create a unique narrative tapestry. Set against the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, a place teeming with untamed beauty and natural vigor, the story centers on Uneg, an alienated protagonist. Born with an inherent wildness and primal force, Uneg encounters hostility from townsfolk who fear change and nature. The narrative follows a destiny marked by the theme of “alienation-conflict-return to nature.
