Sample specific sex estimation method using parameters around dominant nutrient foramina in unknown femur bones collection of contemporary Egyptians

• Published in: International journal of osteoarchaeology Vol. 30; no. 5; pp. 583 - 593
• Main Authors: Attia, MennattAllah Hassan, Badr El‐Dine, Fatma Mohamed Magdy, Attia, Mohammed Hassan, El‐Sekily, Nancy Mohamed Aly
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Anthropology; Archaeology; dominant nutrient foramina; Egyptian femur sex estimation; Forensic osteology; fragmentary femora; Gender; Nutrients; physical anthropology; undocumented osteological collections
• ISSN: 1047-482X; 1099-1212
• DOI: 10.1002/oa.2883

Because there is no widely accepted sexing method of fragmented femoral diaphyses, we argue that the diaphyseal diameters and circumference around nutrient foramina (NF) have comparable sex discrimination capacity to their mid‐shaft counterparts. Construction of reliable reference sample (n = 61, 29 males and 32 females) using the undocumented Alexandria University Osteological Collection was contingent upon consistent sex estimation of the epiphyses using population and sample specific methods. Statistically significant size differences were found between the males and females diaphyseal measurements around NF. Low intraobserver measurements error and high sexual dimorphism indices were observed in the new measurements at NF level. The logistic regression analysis revealed that combinations of anteroposterior diameter and circumference at both levels were the optimal models for sex classification. Testing in the holdout sample showed complete agreement in the results between both models. The best model at the level of NF achieved consistent total sex allocation of 81.1% with high probability >0.80 of correct estimates in approximately 60% of the reference sample. A great applicability pertinent to sex estimation of a tubular fragment of femur bearing a single NF using the diaphyseal measurements around it because the maximal length is not required to determine the location of the mid‐shaft measurements.