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Effective macroscopic equations for biological fluid and nutrients' transport in vascularized tumors growing via proliferation and chemotaxis
Get PDFThis paper presents a system of partial differential equations designed to model fluid and nutrient transport within the growing tumor microenvironment. The fluid phase, representing both cells and extracellular fluids flowing within the interstitial space, is assumed to be intrinsically incompressible, so that growth can be modeled as a source, generally defined by volumetric growth terms and nonconvective mass fluxes. Specifically, we consider the volumetric growth term proportional to the nutrient concentration and the nonconvective mass flux driven by the nutrient gradient. By exploiting the scale separation between the microscopic vascular structures and the larger tumor tissue, we employ asymptotic homogenization to derive effective macroscopic equations that integrate detailed microscale characteristics. The resulting model operates as a double porous medium framework, where fluid dynamics are driven by both pressure and concentration gradient, which reduces to a more standard Darcy's law when microscale variations of the convective mass flux are neglected. Nutrient transport is captured through a coupled advection–diffusion–reaction system. Permeability and diffusivity tensors, which encapsulate the influence of microvascular geometry, are computed via cell-problem analysis to accurately reflect the microscale structure within the macroscopic model. Given that the tissue model includes a fluid phase that continually exchanges with the surrounding vasculature, along with nutrients, the Kedem–Katchalsky formulation is employed to represent fluid and nutrient transport across the capillary walls. This approach provides valuable insights into the interactions between vascular architecture and tumor growth. Although certain limitations remain, such as the static tumor domain and assumptions regarding cell proliferation, the framework offers a foundation for further development. It is adaptable for numerical simulations based on real tumor geometries, with promising potential to inform and improve anticancer treatment strategies through the integration of patient-specific clinical data
Piloting a Minimum Data Set (MDS) in English care homes: a qualitative study of professional perspectives on implementation and data use
Get PDFBackground:
Digitalisation within English care homes offers potential to make more effective use of substantial data collected by staff during care planning and recording. A pilot minimum data set was co-designed with stakeholders based on two digital care records with additional structured measures. Our objectives were to explore (1) care home staff opinions and experiences of collecting structured measures of quality of life, cognition and function for residents and (2) how a minimum data set data might be used by staff and other professionals interested in care homes.
Methods:
Between June and October 2023 focus groups and interviews involving care home staff and Integrated Care System participants from three regions of England were undertaken. Integrated Care System staff work externally from care homes and support commissioning of services for care homes and reviewing data. We used a semi-structured topic guide. Two waves of care home focus groups were conducted after each wave of minimum data set data capture. A single wave of focus groups/interviews were undertaken with Integrated Care System participants. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop themes.
Results:
Twenty-four staff from 22 care homes and 16 staff from 15 care homes participated in five wave one and four wave two focus groups respectively. Ten Integrated Care System participants from two of three study regions participated in one focus group (seven participants) and three individual interviews. Three themes were developed: the care home context and the importance of a minimum data set for care, appropriateness and relevance of quality of life measures to resident care, and data quality and purpose.
Conclusions:
Care home staff can collect structured measures on resident quality of life, function and cognition using digital care records to contribute to a minimum data set. The data generated can inform and enhance resident care. However, implementation is an evolving process requiring support, trust-building and confidence among those collecting and interpreting data and incorporation as part of routine care
Empowering Faculty Through Leadership: a Collaborative Approach to Blended Learning Adoption in Higher Education
No full textThe integration of blended learning into higher education presents significant challenges for faculty, requiring new pedagogical strategies, digital competencies, and institutional support to effectively engage students in hybrid environments. While blended learning has the potential to enhance flexibility, interactivity, and learning outcomes, its successful implementation demands faculty training, resource accessibility, and leadership-driven change. This study examines the impact and influence of a faculty development initiative—Online Sharing Sessions of Teaching Innovation for Blended Learning—designed to enhance Course Content Mapping (CCM) and multimedia content creation skills among academic staff. The initiative was structured around transformational, distributed, and lateral leadership models, fostering a culture of sustainable faculty engagement, peer mentorship, and collaborative learning across disciplines.
Drawing on survey data from 21 faculty members across interdisciplines in the University of Glasgow Singapore, this study highlights the effectiveness of peer-led training, interdisciplinary knowledge-sharing, and structured mentorship in fostering institutional change and pedagogical innovation. Findings indicate that 80% of participants reported increased confidence in CCM, while 58% felt comfortable creating digital content, reinforcing the long-term impact of professional development programs in digital education. The results also emphasize the importance of distributed leadership structures, where faculty take ownership of their learning through peer collaboration and mentorship rather than relying on hierarchical directives.
By linking these findings to leadership theories (Bass & Avolio, 1994; Bolden et al., 2009; Cohen & Bradford, 2011), this study argues that effective faculty development is not solely dependent on administrative initiatives but flourishes in a collaborative, faculty-driven learning culture. The study concludes by proposing a scalable faculty mentorship model that leverages interdisciplinary expertise, peer-led learning, and leadership development pathways to sustain blended learning adoption and digital pedagogy innovations in higher education.
Keywords
Analysis of Project-Based Learning (PBL) Characteristics in Civil Engineering Education
No full textThis paper evaluates students' learning experiences throughout a project-based learning (PBL) activity in the context of civil engineering education. The primary focus of the investigation was to understand how students perceived PBL and whether their expected learning outcomes were met, with a particular emphasis on practical skills and real-world applications. Additionally, students ranked the PBL characteristics they encountered, highlighting their achievements, challenges, and overall satisfaction with the approach. Results indicated that students enjoyed the interactive and collaborative nature of PBL, especially the discussion-based activities, which were found to be more engaging than traditional passive learning methods such as lectures.However, despite these positive perceptions, the need for additional support in structuring learning processes and facilitating team discussions emerged as a critical factor. This support would help bridge the gap between classroom learning and the skills required in professional practice, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating real-world applications into the learning process to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. The methodology included structured project activities, regular group discussions, and hands-on tasks that allowed students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.The analysis further revealed that while students appreciated the PBL approach, some challenges remained, particularly in research skills and problem-solving confidence. By addressing these challenges through additional scaffolding, resources, and improved support systems, educators can better optimize the PBL experience for future iterations. This research highlights the potential of PBL to not only improve engagement but also develop essential professional skills. The findings offer valuable insights into how PBL can be refined to better prepare civil engineering students for the complexities of the engineering profession, where adaptability and real-world problem-solving are key
Englishization beyond the global north: dependency, struggle, and resistance in Brazilian management research
No full textThis paper advances understanding of Englishization in management research by addressing a key limitation in the existing literature: its predominant focus on the Global North, especially Europe. Drawing on dependency theory and postcolonial theory, we examine how management academics experience and navigate Englishization in Brazil. Based on qualitative research, we found that Brazilian academics, like their European counterparts, faced growing pressures to publish in international journals, effectively compelling publication in English, though such expectations were largely concentrated in elite institutions. We also found that Brazilian journals themselves increasingly adopted English in pursuit of international visibility, thereby intensifying pressure to publish in English and extending Englishization beyond the elite. One consequence was the publication of “Frankenstein” papers—the result of limited English proficiency and financial constraints—which paradoxically risked undermining the visibility Brazilian journals sought to enhance. Yet Englishization was not passively accepted: it was actively negotiated through strategic compliance, postcolonial ambivalence, and counter-hegemonic resistance. These findings contribute to a more nuanced, context-sensitive, and theoretically-informed understanding of Englishization by applying postcolonial and dependency perspectives to highlight its uneven trajectory across and within national contexts and to show how it is entangled with enduring Global North–South inequalities
Fast-recovery superconducting fault current limiter based on a novel skeleton topology for future cryo-electric aircraft: reclosing and repetitive fault cases
Get PDFRecovery characteristic of Superconducting Fault Current Limiters (SFCLs) is a critical factor during their design process. After a low impedance fault, SFCL cannot return to the superconducting state abruptly, due to the large heat generation during fault and the resultant high temperature above critical temperature Tc. Fast recovery of SFCL will ensure fast reclosing and continuation of power supply in the power distribution network of an e-aircraft. In this work, a skeleton-based design of helical bifilar SFCL was proposed to achieve fast-recovery. The new structure ensures a larger cooling surface area between the high temperature superconducting (HTS) tape and the coolant, thus enhancing recovery performance and reducing the recovery time of the SFCL. Multiple fault current limitation characterization profiles including limited current, voltage drop across the SFCL, resistance and temperature of the SFCL were analysed and compared with that of the classic helical bifilar SFCL. Studies were conducted on different initial operating temperatures, different HTS tape length usages, and different reclosing time ranges. The results show that the recovery time has been shortened from 2.2 to 0.49 seconds by the proposed new SFCL, as compared to the classic helical bifilar SFCL. This skeleton-based fast-recovery SFCL provides new ideas for fault management in future cryo-electric aircraft
Visualizing cancer heterogeneity at the molecular and cellular levels: lessons from Rosetta
No full textUnderstanding tumor heterogeneity is a major challenge that was recognized as one of the first Cancer Grand Challenges, with a call to provide solutions to visualize tumor heterogeneity. The Rosetta team took on this challenge, exploiting advances in spatial-omics approaches centered around mass spectrometry imaging to map tumor heterogeneity at the cellular and molecular scales with different levels of resolution. See related article by Bressan et al., p. 16 See related article by Stratton et al., p. 22 See related article by Bhattacharjee et al., p. 28
Sensitivity of resonant tunneling diodes to barrier variation and quantum well variation: a NEGF study
Get PDFA Non-Equilibrium Green’s Function (NEGF) simulation study on the impact of varying barriers and quantum well (QW) for a double barrier GaAs/Al0.3
Ga0.7
As Resonant Tunneling Diode (RTD) was carried out. This includes both variation of section thicknesses and the inclusion of interface roughness (IR) at different GaAs/Al0.3
Ga0.7
As interfaces. Narrower QWs and thinner symmetric barriers both resulted in a perturbation of Negative Differential Region (NDR) of the current–voltage (I-V) characteristic to greater bias. Asymmetric variation of the barriers controlled the perturbation of the resonant peak bias Vr, with a thinner first barrier resulting in a perturbation to greater bias and a thinner second barrier resulting in the inverse. Both barrier thicknesses inversely impacted the current, with the first barrier having a greater impact. The impact of IR was studied using the average of 25 device I-V characteristics for a given configuration of IR, as well as the I-V characteristic and charge density of specific devices. It was found that IR along the QW reduced the effective QW width and IR along the barriers increased their effective thickness, which together explained the effects of IR along all Al0.3
Ga0.7
As interfaces
Using formative evaluation to adapt a co-creation process within and between workplace contexts: a Health CASCADE study
Get PDFObjectives:
Co-creation offers a promising approach to developing tailored health promotion interventions, but it requires adaptable processes responsive to contextual needs. Formative evaluation supports this adaptability through continuous reflection and informed adaptations. This study examines adaptations through formative evaluation in co-creation processes within and between different workplace contexts to advance the evaluation, transferability, and public health impact of co-creation.
Study design:
A qualitative study examining adaptations to co-creation processes through thematic analysis.
Methods:
A co-creation process to develop a context-specific solution to reduce workplace sedentary behaviour was implemented in three small-to-medium-sized enterprises (6–8 sessions per company). Data from a pilot session, project meetings, co-creator feedback, and facilitator reflections were systematically linked to the resulting adaptations they informed. Reasons for adaptations were derived through thematic analysis.
Results:
Adaptations occurred at two stages: planned adaptations, made before implementing the co-creation process, based on pilot data and project meeting logs, and responsive adaptations, made during implementation, informed by co-creator evaluations and facilitator reflections. Three main reasons for adaptations emerged: tailoring to context, enhancing process effectiveness, and fostering engagement.
Conclusion:
Formative evaluation is crucial in evaluating co-creation processes. It ensures that these processes remain relevant, effective, and engaging, with skilled facilitators and end-user input being key. Replicating co-creation processes in new contexts requires the documentation of previous adaptations to identify core elements while allowing flexibility. These insights support the design of adaptable, evidence-based co-creation processes and help advance their evaluation and implementation in diverse contexts to develop effective and tailored solutions
The role of the overriding plate and mantle viscosity structure on deep slab morphology
Get PDFUsing 2D numerical subduction models, we compare the morphology of deep slabs in the presence of an oceanic or continental overriding plate and viscosity jumps at either 660 km or 1,000 km depth as suggested by the latest geoid inversions. We demonstrate that a continental plate, combined with a 1,000 km depth viscosity increase, promotes slab penetration into the lower mantle. The same slab will deflect at 660 km depth if it subducts under an oceanic plate into a mantle where the viscosity increases at 660 km depth. To quantify these dynamics, we introduce a slab-bending ratio, dividing the angle of the deepest tip of the slab (slab tip angle) by its dip angle below the plate interface (shallow slab angle), reflecting the overall steepness, and sinking history of the slab. Ocean-ocean convergence models with a viscosity increase coincident with the phase transition at 660 km depth have low ratios and flattened slabs comparable to ocean-ocean cases in nature (e.g., Izu-Bonin). Coupling a continental overriding plate with a 1,000 km depth viscosity increase separate from the endothermic phase change results in slabs with high ratio values, and stepped morphologies similar to those observed for the Nazca plate beneath Southern Peru. Our results highlight that slab morphologies ultimately express the interaction between the type of overriding plate, slab-induced flow, and phase transitions, modulated by the viscosity structure of the top of the lower mantle and transition zone, complementing studies of slab folding, buckling, and other deformation in the upper mantle
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