938 research outputs found
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Large deformation of food gels: Influencing factors, theories, models, and applications—A review
No full textGels possess remarkable properties, and they hold particular importance in food science. After consumption, food gels undergo large deformation, which impacts the overall texture of the food. This process is influenced by various factors, including temperature, pressure, and presence of crosslinking agents. Comprehensive insights into the interplay among these factors and gel texture, combined with the theoretical exploration of gel deformation, enable the development of foods to meet consumer preferences. To bolster the development of food gels, in this review, we summarize the factors affecting the large deformation of gels Moreover, we discuss various mathematical models established by food scientists to explore the large deformation of food gels and explore applications thereof. We expect that these insights into the large deformation of gels can lead to their increased utilization in the food industry
Promoting Care and Caregiving in Live Immersive Performance Installations
No full textThis video essay will discuss and analyse how live immersive performance installations can promote the concept of care, inspire caring from an audience, and give a platform for those who deliver care work. The essay will detail and analyse the 2018 production and we are young again…by WordForWord Arts, an immersive performance installation focused on dementia and the effect on those living with it. The essay will use this case study to discuss broader topics such as audience immersion and spatial relationships to art, the ethics of using verbatim materials and the responsibility of the theatre maker, and how a consideration of the audience’s participation and interaction with the production can help promote care
Hydrophobic derivatization of sodium alginate for use in fucoxanthin delivery
No full textThe present study successfully devised an innovative pH-sensitive system for encapsulating fucoxanthin, which effectively shielded RAW 264.7 cells from H2O2-induced damage. The formulation requires modification of sodium alginate with octanoyl chloride (C8) via esterification to provide amphiphilic self-assembly capacity of the system and loading of fucoxanthin via sonication. The hydration diameter (193.9–167.9 nm) and critical aggregation concentration of the micellar-like aggregates (1.4–0.5 mg/mL) gradually decreased with the increasing degree of substitution (1.54 %–60.20 %). The encapsulation efficiency (46.11 %–88.54 %) and loading capacity (4.61 %–8.85 %) showed a positive correlation with the increasing degree of substitution. The TEM confirmed complete fucoxanthin encapsulation in micellar-like aggregates, forming smooth-surfaced spherical particles. In vitro simulated digestion assays demonstrated that micellar-like aggregates effectively shielded fucoxanthin from premature gastric release, while significantly improving its release efficiency during the intestinal phase. Fucoxanthin-loaded micellar-like aggregates endocytosed by RAW 264.7 cells alleviated cellular oxidative stress damage by reducing ROS levels. The study demonstrates the potential of self-assembled sodium alginate nanoparticles as a novel carrier for efficient delivery of hydrophobic substances, thereby establishing an innovative formulation for alleviating oxidative stress
Targeting NRF2 and FSP1 to Overcome Ferroptosis Resistance in TSC2-Deficient and Cancer Cells
No full textBackground/Objectives: Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation and holds promise as a therapeutic strategy against cancers with elevated iron metabolism. However, many tumors evade ferroptosis through the upregulation of specialized antioxidant defense mechanisms. Here, we investigated ferroptosis susceptibility and resistance mechanisms in TSC models and in ovarian and breast cancer cell lines, aiming to identify potential therapeutic targets. Methods: Ferroptosis sensitivity was assessed using RSL3 and erastin. We explored the contribution of ferroptosis defense pathways using inhibitors of NRF2 (ML385) and FSP1 (iFSP1). RNA sequencing was performed to evaluate the expression of ferroptosis resistance genes and to explore NRF2-regulated transcriptional programs. Results: TSC2-deficient cells were resistant to RSL3- and erastin-induced ferroptosis. This resistance correlated with upregulation of ferroptosis defense genes, including NRF2 and its downstream targets. Pharmacological inhibition of NRF2 resensitized TSC2-deficient cells to ferroptosis, confirming a protective role for NRF2. However, FSP1 inhibition did not restore ferroptosis sensitivity in TSC2-deficient angiomyolipoma cells. In contrast, FSP1 knockdown significantly enhanced ferroptosis sensitivity in ovarian (PEO1, PEO4, OVCAR3) and breast (MDA-MB-436) cancer cells. Notably, in MDA-MB-436 cells, FSP1 knockdown was more effective than NRF2 inhibition to enhance ferroptosis sensitivity. FSP1 expression was not regulated by NRF2, suggesting that NRF2-targeted therapies alone may be insufficient to overcome ferroptosis resistance in certain cancer contexts. Conclusions: TSC2-deficient cells resist ferroptosis via an adaptive antioxidant response that protects against elevated iron-mediated lipid peroxidation. Our findings identify NRF2 and FSP1 as key, but mechanistically distinct, regulators of ferroptosis resistance. The differential efficacy of targeting these pathways across cancer types highlights the potential need for patient stratification. Dual targeting of NRF2 and FSP1 may offer an effective therapeutic strategy for iron-dependent, ferroptosis-resistant cancers
"You’re not informed unless you make it your business”: Insights from a Scottish national study exploring attitudes towards residential rehabilitation
No full textBackground
Despite Scotland’s commitment to patient-centred substance use care, little is known about how individuals learn of residential rehabilitation. This study explores whether national policy goals of informed decision-making translate into on-the-ground practice.
Methods
This paper presents a secondary analysis of data generated during a larger mixed-methods evaluation of residential rehabilitation. Participants (n = 197 people who reported a drug problem in the previous 12 months) were recruited from 29 Scottish Local Authority areas and completed structured face-to-face interviews. Peer researchers with lived experience conducted interviews. Qualitative data were thematically examined according to macro-level (systemic), meso-level (community), and micro-level (individual) influences.
Results
Many participants reported never being informed of residential rehabilitation by healthcare providers. In response, peers, family, and community support groups filled information gaps, though their accounts were inconsistent or contradictory. Consequently, individuals resorted to micro-level strategies, such as internet searches and repeated questioning of key workers, to piece together essential details. Participants frequently expressed frustration with missed opportunities to explore alternative treatment pathways, compounding a sense of systemic neglect and disempowerment. This dynamic interplay between macro, meso, and micro factors often hindered genuinely informed decision-making and undermined policy ambitions for accessible, rights-based care.
Conclusions
Findings highlight pervasive communication gaps, echoing other contexts where new or less-familiar treatment options remain poorly signposted. Mandated communication protocols, formal peer collaboration, and reduced burdens on individuals could strengthen the alignment between practice and Scotland’s National Mission. By closing these knowledge gaps, services can better support people with problem substance use to make truly informed decisions about residential rehabilitation and broader treatment pathways
Dual perspectives on peptide–zinc complexation: highlighting aquatic sources while contextualizing other natural origins
No full textZinc is an essential mineral for the body, with chelated zinc valued for its superior absorption efficiency and bioavailability. This review systematically examines peptide–zinc interactions, covering fundamental concepts, historical evolution, current insights, clinical relevance, technological innovations, and future outlooks. It delves into chelation mechanisms and structural theories, summarizes historical milestones in bioavailability research—particularly aquatic protein–zinc interactions—and details current studies on chelation efficacy and interaction dynamics. Clinical applications in nutritional supplements, therapeutic potential, and trial progress are discussed, alongside advances in analytical techniques, complex synthesis, and computational modeling. Future directions highlight emerging trends, application prospects, and challenges in bioavailability research, offering a comprehensive framework for subsequent investigations and practical implementations
A Hybrid Framework for the Sensitivity Analysis of Software-Defined Networking Performance Metrics Using Design of Experiments and Machine Learning Techniques
No full textSoftware-defined networking (SDN) is a transformative approach for managing modern network architectures, particularly in Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications. However, ensuring the optimal SDN performance and security often needs a robust sensitivity analysis (SA). To complement existing SA methods, this study proposes a new SA framework that integrates design of experiments (DOE) and machine-learning (ML) techniques. Although existing SA methods have been shown to be effective and scalable, most of these methods have yet to hybridize anomaly detection and classification (ADC) and data augmentation into a single, unified framework. To fill this gap, a targeted application of well-established existing techniques is proposed. This is achieved by hybridizing these existing techniques to undertake a more robust SA of a typified SDN-reliant IoT network. The proposed hybrid framework combines Latin hypercube sampling (LHS)-based DOE and generative adversarial network (GAN)-driven data augmentation to improve SA and support ADC in SDN-reliant IoT networks. Hence, it is called DOE-GAN-SA. In DOE-GAN-SA, LHS is used to ensure uniform parameter sampling, while GAN is used to generate synthetic data to augment data derived from typified real-world SDN-reliant IoT network scenarios. DOE-GAN-SA also employs a classification and regression tree (CART) to validate the GAN-generated synthetic dataset. Through the proposed framework, ADC is implemented, and an artificial neural network (ANN)-driven SA on an SDN-reliant IoT network is carried out. The performance of the SDN-reliant IoT network is analyzed under two conditions: namely, a normal operating scenario and a distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) flooding attack scenario, using throughput, jitter, and response time as performance metrics. To statistically validate the experimental findings, hypothesis tests are conducted to confirm the significance of all the inferences. The results demonstrate that integrating LHS and GAN significantly enhances SA, enabling the identification of critical SDN parameters affecting the modeled SDN-reliant IoT network performance. Additionally, ADC is also better supported, achieving higher DDoS flooding attack detection accuracy through the incorporation of synthetic network observations that emulate real-time traffic. Overall, this work highlights the potential of hybridizing LHS-based DOE, GAN-driven data augmentation, and ANN-assisted SA for robust network behavioral analysis and characterization in a new hybrid framework
Design and Optimization of Stacked Wideband On-Body Antenna with Parasitic Elements and Defected Ground Structure for Biomedical Applications Using SB-SADEA Method
No full textThe ability to measure vital signs using electromagnetic waves has been extensively investigated as a less intrusive method capable of assessing different biosignal sources while using a single device. On-body antennas, when directly coupled to the human body, offer a comfortable and effective alternative for daily monitoring. Nonetheless, on-body antennas are challenging to design primarily due to the high dielectric constant of body tissues. While the simulation process may often include a body model, a unique model cannot account for inter-individual variability, leading to discrepancies in measured antenna parameters. A potential solution is to increase the antenna’s bandwidth, guaranteeing the antenna’s impedance matching and robustness for all users. This work describes a new on-body microstrip antenna having a stacked structure with parasitic elements, designed and optimized using artificial intelligence (AI). By using an AI-driven design approach, a self-adaptive Bayesian neural network surrogate-model-assisted differential evolution for antenna optimization (SB-SADEA) method to be specific, and a stacked structure having parasitic elements and a defected ground structure with 27 tuneable design parameters, the simulated impedance bandwidth of the on-body antenna was successfully enhanced from 150 MHz to 1.3 GHz, while employing a single and simplified body model in the simulation process. Furthermore, the impact of inter-individual variability on the measured S-parameters was analyzed. The measured results relative to ten subjects revealed that for certain subjects, the SB-SADEA-optimized antenna’s bandwidth reached 1.6 GHz
Effects of milk protein concentrate decalcification on casein micelles as carriers for lutein
No full textThe effects of partial calcium depletion of milk protein concentrates (MPC) on the dissociation of casein micelles were investigated. MPC after decalcification with varying calcium content (0.93, 0.80, 0.69, 0.53, 0.41 and 0.39 mmol/L) were produced by ion-exchange treatment. The compositions and structural properties of the concentrates were analyzed using SDS-PAGE, UV–Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and measurement of surface hydrophobicity. Although the decalcification treatment had no effect on the protein composition of MPC, it was found to influence the micellar micromorphology of the casein micelles, as shown by transmission electron microscopy. Decreases in calcium content from 0.93 to 0.41 mmol/L were associated with reductions in the sizes of the micelles which were spherical in shape. The micelles delete changed shape at 0.39 mmol/L (calcium content). The zeta potential of MPC and decalcified MPC micelles changed as calcium concentration decreased. Decalcified MPC with the lowest calcium content had the highest surface charge, with differences in surface charge likely influencing micelle dissociation. The decalcification of MPC significantly influenced the loading and release of lutein by the micelles. At 0.69 mmol/L calcium content, MPC micelles had well-dispersed spherical shapes with markedly smaller particle size, together with the highest loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency. Simulated digestion showed that the micelles of moderately decalcified milk protein concentrates promoted lutein stability and its release in the intestine. These findings open up the possibility of fabricating MPC with customized functionality, especially in the delivery of fat-soluble pigments in food industry
Advanced Practice Nurse Perceptions of Spirituality: A Global Quantitative Perspective in Everyday Life and Practice Settings
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this study was to explore Advanced Practice Nurses’ (APN) perceptions of spirituality globally, in both clinical practice and in everyday life, and to evaluate the usefulness of Spiritually Competent Practice as a relevant framework for holistic APN care. Design/Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Respondents were recruited via convenience (snowballing) sampling. Spirituality in Everyday Life (SEDL) and Spirituality in Practice (SIP) were measured, as well as the importance of spiritual care competencies and Spiritually Competent Practice. Data was analyzed using Multiple Regression Analysis and Univariate Screening Analysis. Findings: A total of n = 641 APNs from 55 countries participated in the study. Participant responses yielded mean SEDL, SIP, and CONCEPT scores above the mid-point of the associated range for each measure, representing an overall positive perception of SEDL and SIP, and a similar positive perception of personal experience of Spiritually Competent Practice. This study offers further insight into perceptions and use of spirituality to ensure holistic care by APNs’ globally and how APNs’ view spirituality both within and outside of their work. Conclusion: Spirituality is pivotal in advanced practice and holistic nursing, fostering comprehensive and whole-person care and providing patients and practitioners with a sense of hope, meaning, and purpose. The results from this study highlight the need to ensure spirituality is fully understood by APNs’ and how APN education and continuing professional development should consider how best to integrate spirituality into holistic practice