Talks by Kate Rusk
The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate that new two-dimensional (2D) linear measurements... more The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate that new two-dimensional (2D) linear measurements are more powerful than previous “Standards” measurements (Buikstra and Ubelaker 1994) for estimating sex or sex-specific ancestry from the innominate or sacrum. The accurate estimation of biological parameters is critical in physical anthropology and with the advent of new technology and statistical methods it may be time to re-evaluate what we consider necessary standard measurements in our data collection protocol.
A sample of 136 innominates and 163 sacra of European and African American males and females from the Hamann-Todd Collection were utilized to capture three-dimensional landmark data which was then used to extract 2D inter-landmark distances. These new linear measurements were subjected to a forward stepwise discriminant function analysis (FSDFA) to determine the measurements needed for the highest level of accuracy possible for the estimation of sex (2 groups) and ancestry/sex (4 groups).
The FSDFA selected seven innominate measurements producing a 99% cross-validated accuracy (CVA) for sex, and five measurements with an 83% CVA for ancestry/sex estimation. Using only the “Standards” measurements we were able to produce a 93% CVA for sex estimation and a 61.3% CVA for sex/ancestry estimation.
The FSDFA selected six new sacral measurements producing an 89% CVA for sex estimation, and eight measurements with a 65.6% CVA for ancestry/sex estimation. The data collected were unable to reproduce all three sacral “Standards” measurements however, utilizing only anterior length and anterior superior breadth, sex was estimated at 53.4% CVA and 38% CVA for ancestry/sex.
Papers by Kate Rusk
Pages: text (15), plus bibliography (2), figures (9), tables (4) Abbreviated title: Sex-and ances... more Pages: text (15), plus bibliography (2), figures (9), tables (4) Abbreviated title: Sex-and ancestry-specific sacral form variation ABSTRACT Objectives Sex estimation using the human sacrum has primarily been limited to the use of nonstatistical, visual observations of sacral size and shape with no quantifiable measure of certainty.
Poster Presentations by Kate Rusk
88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 2019
Allostatic load (AL), a cumulative measure of exposure to repeated external and internal stressor... more Allostatic load (AL), a cumulative measure of exposure to repeated external and internal stressors, is often used to identify the social, demographic, and biological factors that contribute to racial differences in health risk. However, AL has yet to be widely used to explore causes of poorer health outcomes in U.S. populations of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (HLS). Here, we examine the association of AL with six chronic health conditions (abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and gallbladder disease) in a sample of 439 New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent. Summary AL scores were calculated from nine biomarkers across physiological systems relevant to disease risk. AL scores were then grouped into five categories (0+1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥5). Using logistic regression models fitted to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals, we evaluated the association of each health condition with AL, controlling for age, sex, and current smoking status.
AL scores of 3 (4.17) and ≥5 (8.42) were significantly associated (p≤0.05) with gallbladder disease compared to participants with 0 or 1 AL scores (reference group). Individuals with AL scores of 2 (2.24), 3 (3.13), 4 (5.19) and ≥5 (4.59) were significantly more likely to have abdominal obesity than those in the reference group. AL score was not significantly associated with any other chronic conditions. This is one of few studies to demonstrate a direct relationship between AL and chronic disease.
National Science Foundation (BCS 0962825) and the University of New Mexico Graduate Research Development Grant.
Conference Presentations by Kate Rusk
88th Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 2019
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), the deviation in symmetry between bilateral features, is a widely use... more Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), the deviation in symmetry between bilateral features, is a widely used indicator of developmental instability (DI). It reflects an organism’s ability to buffer itself against environmental insult and is a marker of developmental stress. Porotic hyperostosis (PH), cribra orbitalia (CO), and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) are non-specific indicators of developmental stress often associated with frailty. We used a composite measure of FA from bilateral dental metrics to predict status of stress markers in a sample of 200 Ancestral Puebloans (adults: n = 111; juveniles: n = 89) from New Mexico dating to approximately AD 1000-1400. PH/CO lesions were coded as active, healed, or absent. LEH was coded as present or absent. We hypothesize that higher FA will predict active or no lesions due to higher frailty. We found no significant differences in composite FA calculated from deciduous or permanent teeth (p = 0.941), so samples were pooled to create a composite FA score for all available teeth. Logistic regression odds-ratios were used to examine FA’s relationship to lesion status and LEH. We found no relationship between FA and CO lesion status or FA and LEH presence/absence. However, people with higher FA are more likely to have no PH lesions (OR=3.4, p=0.05) and less likely to have healed lesions (OR 0.185, p=0.009). FA was not a significant predictor of active PH lesions (OR=1.5, p=0.8). These findings suggest that individuals with higher DI were less likely to survive severe insults long enough for healing to occur.
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Talks by Kate Rusk
A sample of 136 innominates and 163 sacra of European and African American males and females from the Hamann-Todd Collection were utilized to capture three-dimensional landmark data which was then used to extract 2D inter-landmark distances. These new linear measurements were subjected to a forward stepwise discriminant function analysis (FSDFA) to determine the measurements needed for the highest level of accuracy possible for the estimation of sex (2 groups) and ancestry/sex (4 groups).
The FSDFA selected seven innominate measurements producing a 99% cross-validated accuracy (CVA) for sex, and five measurements with an 83% CVA for ancestry/sex estimation. Using only the “Standards” measurements we were able to produce a 93% CVA for sex estimation and a 61.3% CVA for sex/ancestry estimation.
The FSDFA selected six new sacral measurements producing an 89% CVA for sex estimation, and eight measurements with a 65.6% CVA for ancestry/sex estimation. The data collected were unable to reproduce all three sacral “Standards” measurements however, utilizing only anterior length and anterior superior breadth, sex was estimated at 53.4% CVA and 38% CVA for ancestry/sex.
Papers by Kate Rusk
Poster Presentations by Kate Rusk
AL scores of 3 (4.17) and ≥5 (8.42) were significantly associated (p≤0.05) with gallbladder disease compared to participants with 0 or 1 AL scores (reference group). Individuals with AL scores of 2 (2.24), 3 (3.13), 4 (5.19) and ≥5 (4.59) were significantly more likely to have abdominal obesity than those in the reference group. AL score was not significantly associated with any other chronic conditions. This is one of few studies to demonstrate a direct relationship between AL and chronic disease.
National Science Foundation (BCS 0962825) and the University of New Mexico Graduate Research Development Grant.
Conference Presentations by Kate Rusk
A sample of 136 innominates and 163 sacra of European and African American males and females from the Hamann-Todd Collection were utilized to capture three-dimensional landmark data which was then used to extract 2D inter-landmark distances. These new linear measurements were subjected to a forward stepwise discriminant function analysis (FSDFA) to determine the measurements needed for the highest level of accuracy possible for the estimation of sex (2 groups) and ancestry/sex (4 groups).
The FSDFA selected seven innominate measurements producing a 99% cross-validated accuracy (CVA) for sex, and five measurements with an 83% CVA for ancestry/sex estimation. Using only the “Standards” measurements we were able to produce a 93% CVA for sex estimation and a 61.3% CVA for sex/ancestry estimation.
The FSDFA selected six new sacral measurements producing an 89% CVA for sex estimation, and eight measurements with a 65.6% CVA for ancestry/sex estimation. The data collected were unable to reproduce all three sacral “Standards” measurements however, utilizing only anterior length and anterior superior breadth, sex was estimated at 53.4% CVA and 38% CVA for ancestry/sex.
AL scores of 3 (4.17) and ≥5 (8.42) were significantly associated (p≤0.05) with gallbladder disease compared to participants with 0 or 1 AL scores (reference group). Individuals with AL scores of 2 (2.24), 3 (3.13), 4 (5.19) and ≥5 (4.59) were significantly more likely to have abdominal obesity than those in the reference group. AL score was not significantly associated with any other chronic conditions. This is one of few studies to demonstrate a direct relationship between AL and chronic disease.
National Science Foundation (BCS 0962825) and the University of New Mexico Graduate Research Development Grant.