Factors impacting the complexity of the leporid intracranial joint.

Leporid lagomorphs, the rabbits and hares, exhibit unique cranial traits that distinguish them from their closest relatives, the Ochotonidae (pikas), and all other mammals. Among these features, the intracranial joint stands out as the only example of cranial kinesis in mammals and is hypothesised to dissipate kinetic energy during high-speed locomotion. Despite its potential functional importance, the morphology of the joint remains understudied. High complexity in other cranial sutures has been associated with behavioural traits such as feeding and head butting. In this study, we quantified the complexity of the intracranial joint using two independent metrics and explored its relationships with overall cranial shape, locomotor mode, cranial size and body mass, burrowing habit, and facial tilt angle. We found significant correlations between complexity and locomotor mode as well as with facial tilt angle, indicating that cursorial species have less complex sutures and highlighting a potential link between the complexity of suture interdigitation and facial tilting. However, complexity did not correlate with size or burrowing habit. Our findings shed more light on the functional anatomy of the leporid cranium and emphasise the need for further research on ontogenetic development, biomechanics, and behaviour to fully understand the evolutionary and functional significance of these unique cranial traits

Developing a Food and Nutrition Curriculum: An Ethnographic Study of Secondary Education Teachers

Background: High rates of obesity, diabetes, and malnutrition in United Arab Emirates (UAE) adolescents highlight the need for culturally tailored School Food and Nutrition Education (SFNE) programs to improve nutritional knowledge and promote healthy lifestyles. Purpose: This study examined the challenges teachers face when helping students with non-examination assessments, and the systemic and individual factors that affect their preparedness to the Abu Dhabi SFNE curriculum. Methods: An ethnographic study consisted of interviews with and observations of 29 teachers, complemented by document reviews. Results: Limited time, resources, diverse student learning needs, minimal parental involvement, and socioeconomic disparities are among the challenges teachers face in implementing SFNE. Discussion: We propose strategies for curriculum integration, professional development, and resource allocation. Translation to Health Education Practice: Integrating elements of diverse cuisines and dietary practices from various cultures represented in the UAE will enrich the SFNE curriculum to promote cultural awareness among students

Outcomes for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in Three Decades: A Report From a UK Surgical Centre.

AimsCongenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is associated with lung hypoplasia, pulmonary hypertension and high mortality. Three decades experience from a UK centre is reported.MethodsMedical records of CDH newborns between February 1990 and November 2021 and attending a multidisciplinary clinic were examined. Survival and health outcomes are recorded.ResultsOf 220 CDH newborns, left-sided defects were 177 (80%) cases. Diaphragm patch was required in 91 (41%) patients and 42 (19%) additionally required abdominal wall prosthesis. Materials deployed included Gore-Tex biological Surgisis patches all had early recurrences. Diaphragmatic patch was significantly associated with fundoplication (p 0.005). Overall survival rate was 85%-(90% survival primary defect vs. 79% patch) (p 0.035). Comparing decades, the post-2010 CDH study cohort was a sicker patient group comprising more index cases with cardiac malformations (69% vs. 28%, p ConclusionWhile a modestly excellent 85% survival rate is reported over three decades, CDH management at this UK university surgical centre witnessed a growing complexity of patients with mixed severity phenotype(s). Future challenges remain to be solved to improve survival for the most complex vulnerable patients

Flash Profile method, is it suitable for complex multi-layered products? Application to strawberry-filled biscuits: a “SWEET project”

Composite foods are consumed daily, but understanding their sensory properties is a major challenge. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of Flash Profile (FP) method to characterize strawberry-filled biscuits properties, in a context of sugar reduction. Investigations were carried out on fillings (with/without added sugar, with/without strawberry aroma), then biscuits (with sugar or maltitol or sorbitol, with/without vanilla aroma) and finally on the complex fruit-filled biscuits, corresponding to a progressive matrix complexification strategy. FP allowed a discrimination of the products for the 3 matrices according to their formulation and flavouring. Fruit fillings and biscuits were described with both flavour and texture attributes, whereas fruit-filled biscuits were mainly described with texture attributes. This texture predominance could result from complex changes of texture perceived during chewing. Panellists may also have focused on the first perceived characteristics or on the product's most distinguishing features to ease the task. FP was efficient to discriminate samples in each set of samples according to formulation. The characteristics allowing differentiation between samples varied depending on the matrix. Flavour attributes were mainly used for fluid matrices while texture was dominant for solid matrices. In our study, all panellists evaluated the 3 sets of products in the same order which could have influence their evaluation of complex products during the last session. Further investigations about the evaluation of complex solid products with FP may determine if texture is always dominant, even with a lower number of products

Optimizing outcomes in monochorionic pregnancies: screening, monitoring and management

Monochorionic pregnancies are high-risk due to the presence of shared placental circulation. They are associated with increased rates of perinatal morbidity and mortality, even in the absence of structural or chromosomal anomalies. Complications such as twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, selective fetal growth restriction, twin anaemia-polycythaemia sequence, and single twin demise require early recognition and expert management. Fortnightly ultrasound surveillance from 16 weeks is recommended. Screening strategies including nuchal translucency, amniotic fluid volume, Doppler velocimetry and fetal size assessment play a crucial role in risk stratification. Where selective feticide is indicated, procedures must avoid intertwin transfusion and use vascular occlusion methods such as radiofrequency ablation. Monoamnionicity, conjoined twins, and rare conditions such as TRAP sequence require additional expertise. Antenatal corticosteroids are used selectively for anticipated preterm birth. Effective management requires multidisciplinary planning, timely referral, and thoughtful counselling. This review provides an evidence-based of the screening, monitoring, and management of monochorionic pregnancies

BMJ Press Release: Mental trauma succeeds 1 in 7 dog related injuries, claims data suggest

BMP Press Release of dog bite journal article in Injury Preventio

A parametric approach to investigate the influence of Fengshui on traditional Chinese courtyard dwelling design

Siheyuan, a traditional Chinese courtyard dwelling, is the cultural heritage where Fengshui, the ancient Chinese superstitious geomancy, is embedded. This paper presents a novel parametric approach to interpret the Fengshui theory Li Qi computationally and develop its principles into an algorithm. We examined Fengshui Li Qi concepts like ‘eight trigrams’, ‘seven colours’, ‘five elements’, and ‘nine stars’ to develop computational rules and apply them to Siheyuan houses’ fortune status based on room orientation, size ratio, and dimensions. A Grasshopper script to turn the rules into an algorithm is created. Comparing computing results with other studies confirms that the algorithm captured Fengshui Li Qi principles. The algorithm proposes a parametric tool for examining Fengshui application in the Siheyuan historical precedents from an ancient Beijing map and measuring extant building surveys. The findings showed that most Siheyuan houses were auspicious despite other forces, demonstrating the impact of Fengshui culture on ancient Chinese society

Impacts of Substrate-Borne Vibration and Chemical Stressors on the Embryonic Development and Hatching of Marine Invertebrates

This is an Open Access Book

Frequency reliability analysis of large-scale high-dimensional stochastic structures

This article presents a numerical framework for frequency-based reliability analysis of series systems. Multiple failure modes are caused by different stochastic natural frequencies and excitation frequencies. The key of the proposed method relies on an efficient iterative solution algorithm for stochastic natural frequencies of structures, which provides stochastic frequency sample realizations cheaply and accurately. The failure probability of a series system can thus be calculated directly using these sample realizations. Furthermore, the Polynomial Chaos expansion is further used to represent the obtained sample realizations and generate a larger number of random samples to evaluate very small failure probabilities. More importantly, the proposed method only solves the original stochastic problem once and can be used to evaluate failure probabilities of different scenarios, which is different from existing methods that require recalculations for different limit state functions. Two engineering applications are given to show promising performance of the proposed method, even for very small failure probabilities of large-scale structures with high-dimensional random inputs