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Scheme for Investigating Cases of Explosions
Published in Paul T. Jayaprakash, Crime Scene Investigation and Reconstruction, 2023
‘Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution’ stated the biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky (1973). Evolution, a theory devoid of proof, is accepted to be foundational for biology because of the increasing evidence supporting that theory. Similarly, nothing in forensic science makes sense except in the light of uniqueness. Uniqueness as a theory remains unprovable; but yet with increasing evidence supporting it. Individualization, a tenet of forensic science and a fallout of the theory of uniqueness, has remained robust in its value orientations during crime investigation during the past for more than a century (Jayaprakash, 2013). However, there has been some debate on individualization—chiefly that the theory of uniqueness is unprovable (Saks and Koehler, 2008; Cole, 2009; Kaye, 2009; Page et al., 2011) and that, in the absence of probabilistic quantification, the evaluational conclusion during individualization is not acceptable (Cole, 2006; Page et al., 2011). For scholastic sake, the grounds that annul these criticisms deserve a brief discussion [an elaborate discussion is available in Jayaprakash (2013)].
Ethics Biology: Are There Ethical Genomes?
Published in Howard Winet, Ethics for Bioengineering Scientists, 2021
It is tempting to view all social behavior in nonhuman animals (and pre-civilization humans) as products of natural selection. To do so is to claim that one can find the environmental pressures that drove each behavior’s evolution. Darwin would agree with this approach, which has come to be called “adaptationism”. Our understanding of genes has complicated his simple model. In addition to natural selection, mutation, recombination, and genetic drift are mechanisms of evolution. There is currently a polemic in biology between adaptationists (mostly evolutionary psychologists) and geneticists. The latter note that any gene may survive without being adaptive as long as it does not debilitate its host (Gould and Lewontin 1979; Gould 1997).
Population aspects of genetic counselling and genetic screening
Published in Angus Clarke, Alex Murray, Julian Sampson, Harper's Practical Genetic Counselling, 2019
Finally, it should be borne in mind that variation is the basis of life and of evolution, for humans as for all other organisms, and that genetic characteristics today considered harmful may not always remain so. The ‘thrifty genotype’ of the diabetic patient may once have been associated with advantageous factors and may yet be again in a world with shrinking food resources. The evolutionary impact of copy number variants detected by chromosomal microarray, some of which have an adverse but reduced penetrance impact on development or mental health, is likely to reduce fertility. The phenylketonuric genotype, genetically lethal until very recently, is now almost of neutral effect, at least for males. The advent of successful treatment will undoubtedly ameliorate many other genetic diseases. However, while some evolutionary pressures and influences may appear to be waning, other factors will be shaping the direction of the continuing journey of human evolution. All we can know with confidence is that there will be differential reproductive success, so that human evolution will continue although we can only speculate as to how it will modify our successors.
Controlling the error probabilities of model selection information criteria using bootstrapping
Published in Journal of Applied Statistics, 2020
Michael Cullan, Scott Lidgard, Beckett Sterner
In a groundbreaking series of studies, Hunt [16–19], provided the first large-scale quantitative assessment of different modes of evolution in the fossil record. The substantial corpus of empirical fossil studies was harvested as time series describing morphological traits of single fossil species over some time duration, stretching from tens to hundreds of thousands of years. Example traits include the curvature of sea shells and the length of molars. In trait time series, each value represents the average of a sample of multiple specimens dated to approximately the same time (see [16] for more details). Hunt's approach allowed for simultaneous comparison of all three canonical models of evolutionary mode–stasis, gradualism, and random walk–against one another in a common statistical framework of penalized likelihood using the AICc, with the best-fit model [40] selected for a given fossil trait sequence. Most previous analyses compared models for evolutionary modes in pairwise tests and were typically based on a simple null model, hypothesizing either gradualism or stasis against a null expectation of a random walk (e.g. [3,29]).
The Gravitational Pull of Identity: Professional Growth in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychologists
Published in Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 2020
David Tod, Hayley McEwan, Charlotte Chandler, Martin Eubank, Moira Lafferty
Professional evolution may be a more suitable label. Evolution does not imply a single path or endpoint. Instead, evolution focuses on the fit between practitioners and their current professional niches. Individuals ensure sustainable careers when they acquire behaviors and practices that match the demands of the environments they are currently in, or hope to inhabit. Entrepreneurial consultants may create niches to suit their skills. Practitioners wishing to work in the performing arts, for example, benefit from learning the language and cultures associated with musicians, dancers, actors, etc. Evolution is dynamic and ongoing because people and environments continually change. The existing practitioner-setting fit may become obsolete, rendering consultants less effective or able to sustain their careers.
Drug-induced retroperitoneal fibrosis: a case/non-case study in the French PharmacoVigilance Database
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 2020
Diana Brasselet, Laurent Chouchana, Thierry Vial, Marlène Damin-Pernik, Bénédicte Lebrun-Vignes
The French Pharmacovigilance system consists of a network of 31 regional pharmacovigilance centers [11]. The FPVD was created in 1985 to record any reports of ADR spontaneously notified by health professionals and since 2011 also by patients. For each report, information about patient (age, gender, medical history) and drug intake are recorded in the FPVD. ADRs are coded according to the Medical Dictionary for Drug Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) [14]. A causality assessment for each drug is performed using the French method (‘Begaud’ method) [15]. Clinical details are summarized at the end of each report. Evolution can be updated later, after further investigations. Seriousness was defined as an ADR leading to death, hospitalization (or prolongation of hospitalization), persistent or significant disability or incapacity, being life-threatening or other medical justification [16].