bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low-rank coal upgrading to optimize its utilization as fuel
Authors: Fatia Umar Datin , Zulfahmi  , Madiutomo Nendaryono , Monika Ika , Setiawan Liston , Wijaya Truman , Akhdiat Daranin Edwin , Gunawan
Published: August 2024

Indonesia’s coal resources and reserves are mostly categorized as low-rank coal, lignite and sub-bituminous coals. Most of them have a high content of moisture, a low calorific value, and a high tendency to low-temperature oxidation and self-combustion, making them difficult to transport over long distances. To increase the utilization of the low-rank coals, a drying treatment was carried out by heating the coal at a temperature and pressure of 160°C and 3.5 Bar respectively for about 15 minutes. Two low-rank coal samples, from South Sumatra (A coal) and South Kalimantan (B coal) were used in this research. The result indicates that the degree of dewatering of A coal is 89.00% while B coal is 95.5%. B Coal has a higher inherent moisture content which generally has more capillary water which is relatively easier to remove. The higher the degree of dewatering the higher the calorific value degree of improvement. The calorific value of the A coal increased by 27.16% and the B coal increased by 40.65%. The combustion characteristic obtained from the thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis shows that the A and B upgraded coals have a lower tendency to spontaneous combustion than that of the raw coals.
Introduction
Authors: Karim Sabrina , Hill, Jr. Daniel W
Published: August 2024

This introductory chapter introduces the main arguments in the book. It starts out by describing the rising trend of backlash against advances in women’s status globally and explains that this trend could have consequences for political violence as well. In doing so, it highlights the importance of studying the connection between women’s status and political violence. However, in order to study this connection, the chapter argues, problems in the existing literature must be overcome: concept stretching and measurement invalidity. The solution to these problems includes differentiating through careful conceptualization, particularly differentiating women’s status from gender equality, as well as separating out different aspects of women’s status. The solution also includes careful measurement of these differentiated concepts and delineation of specific theories about how women’s inclusion, women’s rights, harm to women, and beliefs about women’s gender roles each affect political violence. The chapter concludes with a section on contributions and the book outline.
Solving the Concept Stretching Problem
Authors: Karim Sabrina , Hill, Jr. Daniel W
Published: August 2024

Chapter 1 reviews the problem of concept stretching in depth and demonstrates how existing scholarship and policymaking suffer from conflating gender equality with women’s status. The chapter begins by providing specific examples of this conflation in the literature and the policymaking world, as well as identifying the problems that result from this conflation. It then goes on to explain these problems and, using the language of concept stretching, the chapter engages in a step-by-step process of developing the concepts of gender equality and women’s status to show how they are different concepts all together. The goal is to show how this concept stretching can limit, even harm, the women, peace, and security policy agenda.
Pharmacokinetics
Authors: Boarder Michael , Dixon Jane , Newby David , Navti Phyllis , Zetterström Tyra
Published: August 2024

This chapter focuses on pharmacokinetics. While pharmacology is the science of the interaction of a drug with the body, the pharmacokinetics of a drug can dictate everything from the route of administration to how long its effect will last, side effects, and precautions with its use. The four key aspects of pharmacokinetics revolve around absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. The chapter explains that a basic understanding of the principles of pharmacokinetics is essential when considering the pharmacology of a drug. It also looks into the plasma half-life of a drug, which is the time it takes for its concentration to be halved.
Upper gastrointestinal tract disorders
Authors: Boarder Michael , Dixon Jane , Newby David , Navti Phyllis , Zetterström Tyra
Published: August 2024

This chapter focuses on upper gastrointestinal tract disorders. The commonly experienced symptoms of heartburn, acid regurgitation, and indigestion (dyspepsia) arise from disturbances of acid secretion in the stomach and the consequent damage to the mucosal lining of the oesophagus, stomach, or duodenum. Conditions affecting the upper gastrointestinal tract, like gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease, are among the most prevalent illnesses in Western countries. The chapter discusses the causes and significance of nausea and vomiting. It cites that the main targets for antiemetic therapy are receptors in the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) and those involved in the pathways to the emesis centre.
Disorders of the lower gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Boarder Michael , Dixon Jane , Newby David , Navti Phyllis , Zetterström Tyra
Published: August 2024

This chapter looks at the disorders of the lower gastrointestinal tract. It cites that the lower gastrointestinal tract refers to the are from the small intestine through to the anus of the digestive system. Diarrhoea and constipation, the most commonly encountered disorders arising from lower gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, are familiar to more or less everybody at some point in their lives and commonly contribute to feelings of poor health. Meanwhile, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional abnormality in gastrointestinal function and is typically diagnosed when other causes for presenting symptoms have been excluded. The chapter then discusses the treatment for diarrhoea, IBS, and constipation, which include changes in diet and exercise.
Women’s Health Study (WENDY)—a protocol of a population-based study assessing gynecological and metabolic health in women in their mid-30s
Authors: Piltonen Terhi T , Ohtamaa Maria , Arffman Riikka K , Vuokila Lotta , Hurskainen Elisa , Männikkö Minna , Huilaja Laura , Sinikumpu Suvi-Päivikki , Rautio Tero , Kilpivaara Katariina , Jokelainen Jari , Kiviniemi Eetu , Pinola Pekka , Törnävä Minna , Komsi Elina , Kangasniemi Marika H , Rajecki Maria , Luiro Kaisu , Kinnunen Jenni , Savukoski Susanna M
Published: August 2024

The Women’s Health Study (WENDY) was conducted to improve insights into women’s health and health burden. It provides a unique, comprehensive data source that can be broadly utilized to understand gynecological symptoms, diseases, and their relation to metabolic and overall health more deeply in a population-based setting. The study was conducted in Finland from May 2020 to October 2022. It included 1918 women (33-37 years old) who were born in northern Finland between July 1985 and December 1987. Data collection comprised one 3- to 4-hour study visit that included clinical measurements, biological samples, ultrasound examinations and an extensive questionnaire on gynecological and reproductive history, physical and mental health, quality of life, lifestyles, current life situations, health awareness, and opinions. The study also included a menstrual cycle follow-up and cognitive testing up to 3 months via a mobile application. Given that all participants’ data can be linked to all Finnish national registers, and the Northern Finland Birth Cohort participants’ data can be linked to the birth cohort data set collected from gestational week 24 onward, WENDY study forms one of the largest data sets worldwide to investigate gynecological and metabolic health burden in women.
Invited commentary: improving spatial exposure data for everyone—life-course social context and ascertaining residential history
Authors: Sims Kendra D , Glymour M Maria , Ncube Collette N , Willis Mary D
Published: August 2024

Measuring age-specific, contextual exposures is crucial for life-course epidemiology research. Longitudinal residential data offer a “golden ticket” to cumulative exposure metrics and can enhance our understanding of health disparities. Residential history can be linked to myriad spatiotemporal databases to characterize environmental, socioeconomic, and policy contexts that a person has experienced throughout life. However, obtaining accurate residential history is challenging in the United States due to the limitations of administrative registries and self-reports. In a recent article, Xu et al (Am J Epidemiol. 2024;193(2):348-359) detailed an approach to linking residential history sourced from LexisNexis Accurint to a Wisconsin-based research cohort, offering insights into challenges with collection of residential history data. Researchers must analyze the magnitude of selection and misclassification biases inherent to ascertaining residential history from cohort data. A life-course framework can provide insights into why the frequency and distance of moves is patterned by age, birth cohort, racial/ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, and urbanicity. Historical and contemporary migration patterns of marginalized people seeking economic and political opportunities must guide interpretations of residential history data. In this commentary, we outline methodological priorities for use of residential history in health disparities research, including contextualizing residential history data with determinants of residential moves, triangulating spatial exposure assessment methods, and transparently quantifying measurement error.
Breast density and risk of breast cancer: masking and detection bias
Authors: Lange Jane M , Gard Charlotte C , O’Meara Ellen S , Miglioretti Diana L , Etzioni Ruth
Published: August 2024

Breast density is associated with risk of breast cancer (BC) diagnosis, affecting risk prediction tools and patient notification policies. Density affects mammography sensitivity and may influence screening intensity. Therefore, the observed association between density and BC diagnosis may not reflect the relationship between density and disease risk. We investigated the association between breast density and BC risk using data sourced from 33 542 women in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, 2000-2018. We estimated mammogram sensitivity and rates of screening mammography among dense (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System [BI-RADS] breast density categories C and D) and nondense (BI-RADS categories A and B) breasts. We used Kaplan-Meier estimates to summarize the relative risks of BC diagnosis (RRdx) by density and fit a natural history model to estimate the relative risks of BC onset (RRonset) given density-specific sensitivities. The RRdx for dense vs nondense breasts was 1.80 (95% CI, 1.46-2.57). Based on estimated screening sensitivities of 0.88 and 0.78 for nondense and dense breasts, respectively, RRonset was 1.73 (95% CI, 1.43-2.25). Sensitivity analyses suggested higher breast density is robustly associated with increased risk of BC onset, similar in magnitude to the increased risk of BC diagnosis. These findings support laws requiring notifications to women with dense breasts of their increased BC risk.
Comparative risk of opioid overdose in patients who initiated antibiotics for urinary tract infection while on long-term opioid therapy
Authors: Khan Nazleen F , Bykov Katsiaryna , Glynn Robert J , Vine Seanna M , Gagne Joshua J
Published: August 2024

Sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, a commonly used antibiotic, has been associated with opioid overdose in patients with long-term opioid use, based on a prior drug-drug interaction screening study. To evaluate whether this finding represents a false-positive signal due to potential confounding, we assessed the safety of sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim relative to 2 comparable antibiotic treatments in patients receiving long-term opioid therapy. We used data from 4 large administrative claims databases spanning 2000-2019. The study population was restricted to patients aged 18 years or older with urinary tract infection and at least 90 days of continuous prescription opioid use who initiated sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, nitrofurantoin, or fluoroquinolone therapy. We used propensity score matching weights to adjust for confounding and Cox proportional hazards models to estimate weighted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs in a 30-day intention-to-treat analysis. Cumulative 30-day opioid overdose risk ranged between 0.04% and 0.12% across databases and did not differ between antibiotics. Relative to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, the weighted HR of opioid overdose was 1.09 (95% CI, 0.79-1.50) for nitrofurantoin and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.68-1.31) for fluoroquinolones. Potential safety signals identified in high-throughput screening studies, especially for medication combinations with limited biologic plausibility of drug-drug interaction and high frequency of use, should be interpreted with caution.

This article is part of a Special Collection on Pharmacoepidemiology.
DiffPROTACs is a deep learning-based generator for proteolysis targeting chimeras
Authors: Li Fenglei , Hu Qiaoyu , Zhou Yongqi , Yang Hao , Bai Fang
Published: August 2024

PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) has recently emerged as a promising technology. However, the design of rational PROTACs, especially the linker component, remains challenging due to the absence of structure–activity relationships and experimental data. Leveraging the structural characteristics of PROTACs, fragment-based drug design (FBDD) provides a feasible approach for PROTAC research. Concurrently, artificial intelligence–generated content has attracted considerable attention, with diffusion models and Transformers emerging as indispensable tools in this field. In response, we present a new diffusion model, DiffPROTACs, harnessing the power of Transformers to learn and generate new PROTAC linkers based on given ligands. To introduce the essential inductive biases required for molecular generation, we propose the O(3) equivariant graph Transformer module, which augments Transformers with graph neural networks (GNNs), using Transformers to update nodes and GNNs to update the coordinates of PROTAC atoms. DiffPROTACs effectively competes with existing models and achieves comparable performance on two traditional FBDD datasets, ZINC and GEOM. To differentiate the molecular characteristics between PROTACs and traditional small molecules, we fine-tuned the model on our self-built PROTACs dataset, achieving a 93.86% validity rate for generated PROTACs. Additionally, we provide a generated PROTAC database for further research, which can be accessed at https://bailab.siais.shanghaitech.edu.cn/service/DiffPROTACs-generated.tgz. The corresponding code is available at https://github.com/Fenglei104/DiffPROTACs and the server is at https://bailab.siais.shanghaitech.edu.cn/services/diffprotacs.
Trust me if you can: a survey on reliability and interpretability of machine learning approaches for drug sensitivity prediction in cancer
Authors: Lenhof Kerstin , Eckhart Lea , Rolli Lisa-Marie , Lenhof Hans-Peter
Published: August 2024

With the ever-increasing number of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, mitigating risks associated with their use has become one of the most urgent scientific and societal issues. To this end, the European Union passed the EU AI Act, proposing solution strategies that can be summarized under the umbrella term trustworthiness. In anti-cancer drug sensitivity prediction, machine learning (ML) methods are developed for application in medical decision support systems, which require an extraordinary level of trustworthiness. This review offers an overview of the ML landscape of methods for anti-cancer drug sensitivity prediction, including a brief introduction to the four major ML realms (supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and reinforcement learning). In particular, we address the question to what extent trustworthiness-related properties, more specifically, interpretability and reliability, have been incorporated into anti-cancer drug sensitivity prediction methods over the previous decade. In total, we analyzed 36 papers with approaches for anti-cancer drug sensitivity prediction. Our results indicate that the need for reliability has hardly been addressed so far. Interpretability, on the other hand, has often been considered for model development. However, the concept is rather used intuitively, lacking clear definitions. Thus, we propose an easily extensible taxonomy for interpretability, unifying all prevalent connotations explicitly or implicitly used within the field.
A dual-scale fused hypergraph convolution-based hyperedge prediction model for predicting missing reactions in genome-scale metabolic networks
Authors: Huang Weihong , Yang Feng , Zhang Qiang , Liu Juan
Published: August 2024

Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are powerful tools for predicting cellular metabolic and physiological states. However, there are still missing reactions in GEMs due to incomplete knowledge. Recent gaps filling methods suggest directly predicting missing responses without relying on phenotypic data. However, they do not differentiate between substrates and products when constructing the prediction models, which affects the predictive performance of the models. In this paper, we propose a hyperedge prediction model that distinguishes substrates and products based on dual-scale fused hypergraph convolution, DSHCNet, for inferring the missing reactions to effectively fill gaps in the GEM. First, we model each hyperedge as a heterogeneous complete graph and then decompose it into three subgraphs at both homogeneous and heterogeneous scales. Then we design two graph convolution-based models to, respectively, extract features of the vertices in two scales, which are then fused via the attention mechanism. Finally, the features of all vertices are further pooled to generate the representative feature of the hyperedge. The strategy of graph decomposition in DSHCNet enables the vertices to engage in message passing independently at both scales, thereby enhancing the capability of information propagation and making the obtained product and substrate features more distinguishable. The experimental results show that the average recovery rate of missing reactions obtained by DSHCNet is at least 11.7% higher than that of the state-of-the-art methods, and that the gap-filled GEMs based on our DSHCNet model achieve the best prediction performance, demonstrating the superiority of our method.
GA-GBLUP: leveraging the genetic algorithm to improve the predictability of genomic selection
Authors: Xu Yang , Zhang Yuxiang , Cui Yanru , Zhou Kai , Yu Guangning , Yang Wenyan , Wang Xin , Li Furong , Guan Xiusheng , Zhang Xuecai , Yang Zefeng , Xu Shizhong , Xu Chenwu
Published: August 2024

Genomic selection (GS) has emerged as an effective technology to accelerate crop hybrid breeding by enabling early selection prior to phenotype collection. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) is a robust method that has been routinely used in GS breeding programs. However, GBLUP assumes that markers contribute equally to the total genetic variance, which may not be the case. In this study, we developed a novel GS method called GA-GBLUP that leverages the genetic algorithm (GA) to select markers related to the target trait. We defined four fitness functions for optimization, including AIC, BIC, R2, and HAT, to improve the predictability and bin adjacent markers based on the principle of linkage disequilibrium to reduce model dimension. The results demonstrate that the GA-GBLUP model, equipped with R2 and HAT fitness function, produces much higher predictability than GBLUP for most traits in rice and maize datasets, particularly for traits with low heritability. Moreover, we have developed a user-friendly R package, GAGBLUP, for GS, and the package is freely available on CRAN (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=GAGBLUP).
Fish-oil supplementation protects skin from yellowness induced by fine particulate matter through an anti-inflammatory mechanism: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Authors: Fang Ying , Qi Jingyi , Jiang Yixuan , Lin Zhijing , Chen Renjie , Kan Haidong , Niu Yue
Published: August 2024

Evidence of the effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure on skin colour and its potential preventive intervention is scarce. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 65 healthy college students suggested that short-term PM2.5 exposure may lead to darkening and yellowing of skin tone. The yellowness may be modulated by inflammatory responses and alleviated by fish-oil supplementation.
Exploring the impact of somatic variant burden on seizures in focal cortical dysplasia
Authors: Gade Meethila , Heinzen Erin L
Published: August 2024

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Threshold of somatic mosaicism leading to brain dysfunction with focal epilepsy’ by Kim et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae190).
Exploring the link between dystrophic microglia and the spread of Alzheimer's neuropathology
Authors: Shahidehpour Ryan K , Nelson Peter T , Katsumata Yuriko , Bachstetter Adam D
Published: August 2024

Genetics and other data modalities indicate that microglia play a critical role in Alzheimer's disease progression, but details of the disease-driving influence of microglia are poorly understood. Microglial cells can be parsed into subtypes based on their histological appearance. One subtype of microglia, termed dystrophic microglia, is characterized structurally by fragmented processes and cytoplasmic decay, and their presence has been associated with ageing and neurodegeneration. Recent studies suggest that the interaction between tau proteins and amyloid-β might induce dystrophic changes in microglia, potentially linking amyloid-β and tau pathologies to their effects on these microglia.

We developed a study of human brains to test the hypothesis that dystrophic microglia are involved in Alzheimer's disease progression. We speculated that if their presence is unique to Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change, they would be substantially more common in Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change than in neurodegenerative diseases characterized by other proteinopathies, e.g. α-synuclein or transactive response (TAR) DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) pathology. Our analyses used histologically stained sections from five human brain regions of 64 individuals across six disease states, from healthy controls to advanced Alzheimer's disease stages, including comparative conditions such as Lewy body disease and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathological change. Using stereological sampling and digital pathology, we assessed populations of ramified, hypertrophic and dystrophic microglia. We found a significant increase in dystrophic microglia in areas affected early by Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change, suggesting a disease-specific role in neuropathology. Mediation analysis and structural equation modelling suggest that dystrophic microglia might impact the regional spread of Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change. In the mediation model, tau was found to be the initiating factor leading to the development of dystrophic microglia, which was then associated with the spread of amyloid-β and tau.

These results suggest that a loss of the protective role of microglia could contribute to the spread of Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change and indicate that further research into preserving microglial function might be warranted.
Intravenous low-dose cyclophosphamide pulses followed by rituximab for ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid
Authors: Viedma-Martínez Myriam , Roman-Cheuque Ricardo Patricio , Claudio-Oliva Alejandro , Duran-Romero Antonio Jose , Millan-Cayetano Jose Francisco , Jimenez-Gallo David , Linares-Barrios Mario
Published: August 2024

Cyclophosphamide (CyP) is the immunosuppressive agent of choice in ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP). However, guidelines do not specify the regimen modality of CyP treatment. We introduce our practical management protocol for ocular MMP using fixed low-dose intravenous (IV) pulses of CyP followed by IV rituximab, accompanied by case studies of two elderly patients who achieved complete and enduring remissions without adverse effects.
Laboratory Testing for Celiac Disease: Clinical and Methodological Considerations
Authors: Husby Steffen , Choung Rok Seon , Crawley Cæcilie , Lillevang Søren T , Murray Joseph A
Published: August 2024

Background

Celiac disease (CeD) has an estimated prevalence of 1%–3%. The classical clinical presentation is malabsorption, but now patients may present with more subtle symptoms such as constipation, osteoporosis, or iron deficiency anemia. Children may also present with poor growth.

CeD has a strong genetic component, and high-risk groups include first-degree relatives with CeD, patients with co-existing autoimmune diseases, and patients with chromosomal aberrations.

Content

Diagnostic tests for CeD include duodenal histology, serology, and genetic testing. Duodenal histology has traditionally been the gold standard of diagnosis. However, serological tests, especially IgA tissue transglutaminase antibodies (TTG-IgA), are widely used and diagnostic algorithms are based primarily on TTG-IgA as a starting point. Human leukocyte antigen typing may also be incorporated to determine genetic risk for CeD. Guidelines for children endorse biopsy avoidance provided high levels of TTG-IgA, with diagnostic accuracy being comparable to duodenal biopsy. Confirmation may be achieved by identifying IgA endomysial antibodies in a separate blood sample. Subjects with low positive TTG-IgA levels and subjects with IgA deficiency need a biopsy to establish a diagnosis of CeD. The clinical follow-up of CeD usually includes a repeat TTG-IgA examination. In adults, healing may be delayed or incomplete, and a rare consequence of refractory celiac disease is transformation to enteric T-cell lymphoma.

Laboratory testing, in particular TTG-IgA, plays a central role in the diagnosis and has an accuracy comparable to histology. Diagnostic algorithms utilizing laboratory testing are critical for the development of novel strategies to improve diagnosis.
A high-quality genome assembly reveals adaptations underlying glossy, wax-coated leaves in the heat-tolerant wild raspberry Rubus leucanthus
Authors: Wu Wei , Wang Longyuan , Huang Weicheng , Zhang Xianzhi , Li Yongquan , Guo Wei
Published: August 2024

With glossy, wax-coated leaves, Rubus leucanthus is one of the few heat-tolerant wild raspberry trees. To ascertain the underlying mechanism of heat tolerance, we generated a high-quality genome assembly with a genome size of 230.9 Mb and 24,918 protein-coding genes. Significantly expanded gene families were enriched in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway and the circadian rhythm-plant pathway, enabling survival in subtropical areas by accumulating protective flavonoids and modifying photoperiodic responses. In contrast, plant–pathogen interaction and MAPK signaling involved in response to pathogens were significantly contracted. The well-known heat response elements (HSP70, HSP90, and HSFs) were reduced in R. leucanthus compared to two other heat-intolerant species, R. chingii and R. occidentalis, with transcriptome profiles further demonstrating their dispensable roles in heat stress response. At the same time, three significantly positively selected genes in the pathway of cuticular wax biosynthesis were identified, and may contribute to the glossy, wax-coated leaves of R. leucanthus. The thick, leathery, waxy leaves protect R. leucanthus against pathogens and herbivores, supported by the reduced R gene repertoire in R. leucanthus (355) compared to R. chingii (376) and R. occidentalis (449). Our study provides some insights into adaptive divergence between R. leucanthus and other raspberry species on heat tolerance.
Digest: Evaluating sexual conflict in the genome
Authors: Chakraborty Avishikta , Brandt Débora Y C
Published: August 2024

Audet et al. (2024) investigate the genomic basis of sexual conflict in response to sexually discordant size selection in Drosophila melanogaster. They report interesting morphological changes in sexual dimorphism and multivariate allometry. Although they do not find any genetic variants that individually show a strong effect on these traits, as expected for a polygenic trait such as body size, they do find a region on chromosome 3L showing signs of sexually discordant selection (i.e., conflict between males and females). This study highlights potential genomic regions involved in sexual conflict, offering insights into sex-specific adaptations.
Test of the minimum supero-inferior femoral neck diameter as a sex predictor in a contemporary documented osteological collection from Portugal
Authors: Luna Leandro H
Published: August 2024

Adult sex estimation is one of the first and most important steps in forensic examination. While dealing with disturbed burials, the most dimorphic anatomic areas of the skeleton (such as the coxae, the skull and the head of femur and humerus) may be deteriorated or fragmented. In contrast, the minimum supero-inferior femoral neck diameter (SID) is generally much better preserved. The aim of the present research is to identify the discriminatory potential of SID for sex estimation and to test different formulae and mathematical procedures currently available in the forensic literature, on a sample of 295 contemporary individuals from the 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection (University of Coimbra, Portugal), in order to identify its relevance for application in Portuguese forensic cases. Results showed that SID is a dimorphic variable, with high frequencies and probabilities of cases correctly estimated (0.82 and 0.83, respectively); statistically significant differences between females and males, and a high association between the metrics and sex, were identified. Posterior probabilities allow reliable estimations for all the measurements, excepting those between 31.0 and 31.5 mm, and the procedures that show the highest accuracy are those proposed by Seidemann et al. (1998), Curate et al. (2016) and Luna et al. (2021), with frequencies and probabilities between 0.82 and 0.83 for both sexes. The validation procedures implemented in this study highlight both the need to test quantitative models generated from diverse contemporary human populations, and the value of SID for obtaining reliable adult sex estimates, as they improve the quality of the biological profiles obtained in forensic contexts.

Key points
Advances in the management of complications from cirrhosis
Authors: Singh Jasleen , Ebaid Mark , Saab Sammy
Published: August 2024

Cirrhosis with complications of liver decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitute a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Portal hypertension is central to the progression of liver disease and decompensation. The most recent Baveno VII guidance included revision of the nomenclature for chronic liver disease, termed compensated advanced chronic liver disease, and leveraged the use of liver stiffness measurement to categorize the degree of portal hypertension. Additionally, non-selective beta blockers, especially carvedilol, can improve portal hypertension and may even have a survival benefit. Procedural techniques with interventional radiology have become more advanced in the management of refractory ascites and variceal bleeding, leading to improved prognosis in patients with decompensated liver disease. While lactulose and rifaximin are the preferred treatments for hepatic encephalopathy, many alternative treatment options may be used in refractory cases and even procedural interventions such as shunt embolization may be of benefit. The approval of terlipressin for the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) in the USA has improved the way in which HRS is managed and will be discussed in detail. Malnutrition, frailty, and sarcopenia lead to poorer outcomes in patients with decompensated liver disease and should be addressed in this patient population. Palliative care interventions can lead to improved quality of life and clinical outcomes. Lastly, the investigation of systemic therapies, in particular immunotherapy, has revolutionized the management of HCC. These topics will be discussed in detail in this review.
A trade-off in evolution: the adaptive landscape of spiders without venom glands
Authors: Zhang Yiming , Shen Yunxiao , Jin Pengyu , Zhu Bingyue , Lin Yejie , Jiang Tongyao , Huang Xianting , Wang Yang , Zhao Zhe , Li Shuqiang
Published: August 2024

Background

Venom glands play a key role in the predation and defense strategies of almost all spider groups. However, the spider family Uloboridae lacks venom glands and has evolved an adaptive strategy: they excessively wrap their prey directly with spider silk instead of paralyzing it first with toxins. This shift in survival strategy is very fascinating, but the genetic underpinnings behind it are poorly understood.

Results

Spanning multiple spider groups, we conducted multiomics analyses on Octonoba sinensis and described the adaptive evolution of the Uloboridae family at the genome level. We observed the coding genes of myosin and twitchin in muscles are under positive selection, energy metabolism functions are enhanced, and gene families related to tracheal development and tissue mechanical strength are expanded or emerged, all of which are related to the unique anatomical structure and predatory behavior of spiders in the family Uloboridae. In addition, we also scanned the elements that are absent or under relaxed purifying selection, as well as toxin gene homologs in the genomes of 2 species in this family. The results show that the absence of regions and regions under relaxed selection in these spiders’ genomes are concentrated in areas related to development and neurosystem. The search for toxin homologs reveals possible gene function shift between toxins and nontoxins and confirms that there are no reliable toxin genes in the genome of this group.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the trade-off between different predation strategies in spiders, using either chemical or physical strategy, and provides insights into the possible mechanism underlying this trade-off. Venomless spiders need to mobilize multiple developmental and metabolic pathways related to motor function and limb mechanical strength to cover the decline in adaptability caused by the absence of venom glands.
Relevant costs, marginal costing and short-term decision making
Authors: Scott Peter
Published: August 2024

This chapter expands the analysis of costs to demonstrate how costing information is used in making decisions that will be valid in the short-term (a period of one year or less). This analysis is used to show which costs are relevant in short-term decision-making situations and which costs are not. The chapter begins with the definition of contribution. It shows the distinction between fixed and variable costs to determine the costs that are relevant and those that are irrelevant in making short-term decisions. It also illustrates break-even analysis and the determination of the margin of safety. Lastly, it shows the use of marginal costing and contribution analysis to make a range of decisions aimed at maximizing short-term profitability.
Standard costing and variance analysis
Authors: Scott Peter
Published: August 2024

This chapter considers the use of the technique of standard costing and how the analysis of divergences from the standard can be used to identify problems requiring management's attention. It begins with the definition of standard costing and variance analysis. Then it progresses to the calculation of the standard cost for a product or service. It also presents the calculation of various variances including usage variances, rate variances and price variances, among others. There is also a discussion of the function of standard costing as an accounting control device. In addition, the chapter notes that variances are merely an indication of a problem that requires further management investigation to establish and rectify the causes of these differences.
Understanding Management
Authors: Ivory Sarah Birrell , Macdonald Emma
Published: August 2024

This chapter aruges for the importance of understanding and studying management. It starts by defining management. Management refers to the social and operational process of bringing people and other resources together in order to achieve results. Moreover, a manager's decisions, behaviours, and attitudes have impacts at the level of the individual, the organization, as well as wider society. The chapter highlights the complexity of studying management as it is not a simple ‘how-to’ learning experience but rather it requires introspection on being effective. It then looks into the emergence of management as a practice and discipline of study before enumerating the functions and processes of management.
Leading and Influencing
Authors: Woolley Sarah , Macdonald Emma
Published: August 2024

This chapter cites that leadership and influence are key dimensions of management across all types of organizations. It provides an overview of the perspectives of trait-based leadership, behaviour-based leadership, context-based leadership, and collective leadership. These all define leadership in different ways. However, not a single perspective provides an absolute understanding of leadership, but each provides a useful lens to help people appreciate the different elements that contribute to the complex activities involved in leading. From a leadership perspective, ethics focuses on the virtuousness of leadership behaviours in line with responsibility, business, and management. The chapter also considers the extent of influence without leadership.
Introduction to business
Authors: Gillespie Andrew
Published: August 2024

This chapter focuses on a broad definition of business. It explains that business involves people, organized activities, and the creation and selling of goods and services. Moreover, managers are the people who manage the transformation process of a business and try to ensure it adds as much value as possible. The chapter then provides an overview of the different forms of business ownership, such as sole proprietorship, partnerships, and company, and the differences between income tax and corporation tax. It also looks into the significance of shareholders, which are the people who own a share of the company with limited liability.
Entrepreneurs and start-up planning
Authors: Gillespie Andrew
Published: August 2024

This chapter starts off by defining entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are individuals who identify a business opportunity and start up a business for themselves. It explains that, to be successful, entrepreneurs need to master the skills of entrepreneurship which can be defined as the capability to successfully exploit innovative ideas and make them commercially successful. Entrepreneurs are advised to develop a business plan when they are setting up their business to ensure a chance of success. The chapter then discusses the extent and significance of the protection of intellectual property rights through patents and copyrights before looking into the notion of intrapreneurship. It also details how to compute a break-even output.
Business strategy
Authors: Gillespie Andrew
Published: August 2024

This chapter looks into the process of deciding on business strategies. It defines business strategy as a set of guiding principles that, when communicated and adopted in the organization, generates a desired pattern of decision-making. Essentially, a business strategy determines where a business is headed and how it is getting there. Moreover, strategic management is the process of developing, implementing, and reviewing a strategy that involves managing major decisions in a business such as new product development, expanding overseas or acquisitions. The chapter also considers the notion of scenario planning, which tries to build possible pictures of how the world and the industry might look in the future.
Sugars, Nucleobases, and RNA: Prebiotic Ribonucleotide Synthesis
Authors: Fahrenbach Albert C. , Cleaves Henderson J.
Published: August 2024

This chapter marks the beginning of a deeper dive into organic chemistry. The prebiotic and organic chemistry of sugars, nucleobases, and nucleotides is discussed. We begin by explaining the nomenclature of sugar chemistry. Important stereochemical concepts are discussed, including the notion of enantiomers, diastereomers, and...
Assimilation of Inorganic Nutrients
Authors: Taiz Lincoln , Møller Ian Max , Murphy Angus , Peer Wendy A.
Published: August 2024

This chapter focuses on nutrient assimilation, which is the incorporation of inorganic nutrients into organic substances such as pigments, enzyme cofactors, lipids, nucleic acids, and amino acids. Assimilation of some nutrients,particularly nitrogen and sulfur, involves a complex series of biochemical reactions that are among the most energy-consuming reactions in living organisms. Assimilation of other nutrients, especially the macronutrient and micronutrient cations, involves the formation of complexes with organic compounds. The chapter outlines the primary reactions through which the major nutrients (nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphate) are assimilated and discusses the organic products of these reactions. The chapter discusses the importance of oxygen assimilation in plant metabolism. It emphasizes the physiological implications of the required energy expenditures and introduces the topic of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Plants serve as the major conduit through which nutrients pass from slower geophysical domains into faster biological ones; the chapter thus highlights the vital role of plant nutrient assimilation in the human diet.
Solute Transport
Authors: Taiz Lincoln , Møller Ian Max , Murphy Angus , Peer Wendy A.
Published: August 2024

This chapter assesses the physical and chemical principles that govern the movements of molecules in solution. It shows how these principles apply to membranes and biological systems. The chapter then discusses the molecular mechanisms of transport in living cells and the great variety of membrane transport proteins that are responsible for the particular transport properties of plant cells. It also describes a specialized cell type, the guard cells regulating stomatal opening, where transmembrane ion transport play a vital role. Finally, the chapter examines the pathways that ions take when they enter the root as well as the mechanism of xylem loading, the process whereby ions are released into the tracheary elements of the stele. Because transported substances, including carbohydrates, amino acids, and metals such as iron and zinc, are vital for human nutrition, understanding and manipulating solute transport in plants can contribute solutions to sustainable food production.
Signals from Sunlight
Authors: Taiz Lincoln , Møller Ian Max , Murphy Angus , Peer Wendy A.
Published: August 2024

This chapter discusses how sunlight also serves as a signal that regulates various developmental processes, from seed germination to fruit development and senescence. In addition, sunlight provides directional cues for plant growth as well as non-directional cues for plant movements. The receptor molecules that plants use to detect sunlight are termed photoreceptors, which undergo a conformational change when irradiated by a particular wavelength of light (perceived by the eye as colour) to initiate signaling reactions that typically involve second messengers and phosphorylation cascades collectively referred to as photoresponses. The chapter then looks at the signaling mechanisms involved in light-regulated growth and development, focusing primarily on the receptors for red light, far-red light, blue light, and UV-B radiation. It considers phytochromes, cryptochromes, and phototropins.
Seed Dormancy, Germination, and Seedling Establishment
Authors: Taiz Lincoln , Møller Ian Max , Murphy Angus , Peer Wendy A.
Published: August 2024

This chapter evaluates the processes of seed germination, hypocotyl and coleoptile growth, and seedling establishment. The seed tissues surrounding the embryo form a barrier that protects the embryo from the environment. In addition, the seed tissues provide stored foods that nourish the embryo throughout embryogenesis and early seedling development. Because germination is tightly coupled to the mobilization of these food reserves, the chapter begins with a description of seed structure and composition. It then considers various types of seed dormancy, which in some cases must be overcome before germination can take place. The chapter also discusses the mobilization of stored food reserves in different types of seeds, as well as the role of hormones in coordinating the processes of seedling growth and food mobilization. Finally, it looks at phototropism and gravitropism, the processes by which plants orient themselves to light and gravity.
Biotic Interactions
Authors: Taiz Lincoln , Møller Ian Max , Murphy Angus , Peer Wendy A.
Published: August 2024

This chapter addresses biotic interactions, starting with examples of beneficial associations between plants and microorganisms. Such mutually beneficial biotic interactions are termed mutualisms. The chapter then considers various types of harmful interactions between plants, herbivores, and pathogens and the defensive mechanisms used by plants against them. It surveys the wide range of constitutive and inducible defenses that plants deploy to fend off insect herbivores. Constitutive defenses are always present, whereas inducible defenses are triggered in response to attack. Unlike constitutive defenses, inducible defenses require specific detection systems and signal transduction pathways that can sense the presence of an herbivore or pathogen and alter gene expression and metabolism accordingly. Finally, the chapter notes the important roles that volatile organic compounds play in repelling herbivores, attracting insect predators, and acting as distress signals between different parts of plants and between neighboring plants.
The Science and Methods of Animal Behavior
Authors: Nordell Shawn E. , Valone Thomas J.
Published: August 2024

This chapter introduces the science of animal behavior and the methods used to study it. Animal behavior refers to any internally coordinated, externally visible pattern of activity that responds to changing external or internal conditions. The chapter highlights the importance of animals and their behavior for human society as millions of people work with animals or own them for companionship. Thus, ethograms are vital to record animal behavior in terms of frequency, duration, rate, and intensity. The chapter summarises Dutch biologist Niko Tinbergen’s framework to study behavior through observing proximate explanations and ultimate explanations; it goes on to explain Darwin’s study of behavioural adaptation. Comparative psychologists look into animal behavior to understand the behavior of humans better. After a discussion of observational, experimental, and comparative methods of study, the chapter highlights the requirements for ethical animal use in research.
Communication
Authors: Nordell Shawn E. , Valone Thomas J.
Published: August 2024

This chapter tackles the science behind animal communication, which involves an individual's use of signals to influence the behavior of others. Signals are generally believed to be accurate indicators of conditions such as courtship displays. The evolution and accuracy of signals depends on the benefits and costs of signal production and the fitness interests of those involved. Alarm calls are unique vocalizations produced when predators are close. The chapter also explains how the environment affects the evolution of signals. Chemical, morphological, and mechanical signals differ in their physical properties. Additionally, signals often accurately indicate signaller phenotype and environmental conditions.