3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item A critical analysis of the Bantu pelvis, with special reference to the female.(1945) Heyns, O. S.The student of pelvic morphology is compelled sooner or later to consider the two main functions of the girdle, those of weight-bearing and parturition. These functions Inevitably guide his Investigations. Comparatively little work has been done on the pelvic mechanics of erect posture. The evolution of man's erect posture, on the other hand, has been considered by Friedenthal (1910), Weidenreich (1913), Keith (1923), Morton (1926), Westenhofer (1929), and Reynolds (1931)* The last author's disappointing paper succeeds only in demonstrating the difficulty of establishing the principles underlying the orthopaedist's approach to the mechanics of man's posture.Item Physiological differences in performance - matched male and female athletes.(1995-03-27) Speechly, David P.Our study comprised of a two fold investigation into i. the comparing of physiological function in a performance-matched (running 42.2km) group of females (n=10) and males (n=10), and ii. the analysis of the performance changes over four different distances. The female group ran an average of 3:36 ± 0:42 hours, and the male group an average of 3:39 ± 0:47 hours for a standard marathon. After matching the two groups we measured physical characteristics, maximal aerobic capacity (V02max), fitness level (lactate accumulation), energy cost of running (running economy), and muscle function (isokinetic dynamometry). The female group had a significantly lower (P<0.05) relative V02max (48.3 ± 2.8mlQ2• min'1 • kg"1 vs 51.3 ± 3.3ml02*min'1-kg'1) , lower absolute peak muscle torque for quadriceps at all angular velocities investigated (60-; 180-; and 240°-sec'1), but only at 240° • sec'1 for the hamstrings (29.0 ± 15.1Nm vs 46.6 ± 15.3Nm). However, females had lower (P<0.05) relative peak torques (expressed relative to the lean thigh volume) than males only for the quadriceps group of muscles at 180°-sec'1 (12.19 ± 4.75Nm-2'1 vs 18.87 ± 7.01Nm*l"1) The females had a greater (P<0.05) percentage body fat than the males (22.0 ± 3.2% vs 16.1 ± 3.0%).Item Stature estimation in South African juveniles and adult females(2016) Brits, Desire M.Research on stature estimation in sub-adult is often hampered by the general lack of modern skeletal collections with contextual data. To overcome this limitation the current study utilised magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of living participants to assess stature estimation methods. Firstly, the precision of osteometric data collected from MRI scans was evaluated by comparing measurements collected from MRI scans of 36 fleshed cadaver limbs to similar measurements collected from the same dry bones. Results showed no significant differences between MRI and dry bone measurements, except for the epicondylar breadth of the femur, and as such MRI can be used to accurately collect osteometric data. Studies have questioned the accuracy of the anatomical method, as this method continuously underestimates stature. This has been related to the use of a universal soft tissue correction which some suggest are sex- and population-specific. Total skeletal height was calculated from measurements collected from MRI scans of 30 Black South African adult females and living stature was estimated using the methods proposed by Fully, Raxter et al. and Bidmos & Manger. Results indicated that the anatomical method as described by Fully and Raxter et al. significantly underestimated stature while the method proposed by Bidmos & Manger significantly overestimated stature. A new soft tissue correction factor specific for Black South African females was calculated which improved the accuracy of stature estimates. Sub-adult skeletal remains are mainly evaluated for age estimation, but regrettably little information is available regarding the estimation of sub-adult stature. Various measurements of the femur and tibia as well as the total skeletal height were attained from MRI scans of 59 Black South African sub-adult males and females and used to describe sub-adult stature. Results indicated very strong statistically significant positive correlations between the measurements and living stature, with stature estimation regression equations characterized by small standard error of estimates, comparable to that reported for adults. Descriptions of stature are thus encouraged as it can add valuable information to the biological profile of sub-adult remains. This study is relevant to forensic applications where it is necessary to quantify stature from skeletal remains.