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•The physicochemical properties of hydrogels determine their application potential.•Hydrogels for biomedical applications should be biocompatible and biodegradable.•IPNs and semi-IPNS ...combine the properties of each polymer to the formulation.
Hydrogels are three-dimensional hydrophilic polymeric networks, capable of absorbing large quantities of water and biological fluids and simulating biological tissue when swollen. Hydrogels are frequently explored for use in numerous biological and biomedical applications due to their desirable properties. Hydrogels are characterized as either synthetic, natural or hybrid, based on the nature of their constituent polymers. The use of natural polymers in hydrogels for biomedical applications is advantageous due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and non-toxicity, whereas, synthetic polymers are hydrophobic, possessing strong covalent bonds within their matrix, which improves the mechanical strength, service life and absorbability of the gels. Their polymeric crosslinking structure defines their physical or chemical nature, while their polymeric composition indicates whether they are homopolymeric, copolymeric or multipolymeric. All the classifying properties of hydrogels affect their applicability and types of areas in which they can be incorporated. In this review, we critically detail the most common natural and synthetic hydrogel formulations, their designs and their most significant and current biomedical applications.
Purpose
Team formulation, used to understand patient problems and plan care, is a growing practice in adult mental health and learning disability services. The purpose of this paper is to explore ...definitions applied to team formulation (as distinct to therapy formulation), its underpinning theories, and the inter-relationship between the team and the process of formulation.
Design/methodology/approach
A database search (main search term of team formulation) of peer-reviewed studies was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. A main and second reviewer conducted quality appraisals and thematic analysis. Data were analysed by convergent qualitative synthesis design using thematic analysis to transform evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies into qualitative findings.
Findings
Initial searching produced 4,532 papers, 10 of which were eligible for inclusion. Team formulation has no distinct definition. Theories underpinning the practice of therapy formulation emanating from general psychological theory underpin team formulation. Seven studies applied psychological theories to the examination of team formulation. No studies examined the impact of the team on the formulation. Six themes were generated regarding the impact of team formulation on the team; “increased knowledge and understanding”, “altered perceptions, leading to altered relationships, feelings and behaviours”, “space to reflect”, “useful when stuck or challenged”, “perceived increase in effectiveness” and “improved team working”.
Research limitations/implications
Limited evidence and variable quality compromised the availability of review evidence.
Originality/value
This is the first review to examine team formulation through the context of the team. The authors argue that a conceptual framework to encompass team inputs, processes and outputs in team formulation practice should guide future research.
Lipid nanoparticles are innovative delivery systems, which are similar to the prevalently used emulsions, with the differences in size and structure in which the water-insoluble core is dispersed in ...a combination of solid and liquid lipids stabilized by surfactants. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) plus nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are novel and promising nano-vehicles, which are of great interest to be applied in the food sector owing to their exclusive properties, as investigated in this revision.
LNs and NLCs are produced to unite the advantages of structures like liposomes and emulsions and they can be formulated to achieve desirable protection and release of food bioactive ingredients. This review highlights the pros and cons of using SLNs and NLCs in the food industry. Furthermore, the commonly applied production methods and formulations along with the recently conducted studies in the field of food science and technology are underlined.
These nano-vehicles have the potential to be employed in the food industrial applications in regard to their beneficial properties like simple production technology, low cost and scale up ability. These nanocarriers have been mostly applied in the pharmaceutical industries and are recently being utilized in the food sector, which seems to have great impacts on this industry as well as their commercialization in the near future.
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•Solid lipid nano-structures (SLNs) and nano structured lipid carriers (NLCs) are green nanovehicles.•Formulation and preparation methods for loading bioactive compounds into SLNs and NLCs are summarized and listed.•Recent studies on application of SLNs and NLCs in the food industry are reviewed.
Superconducting devices are an interesting technological option for improvement of efficiency of energy systems. High-temperature superconducting tapes are among the best choices for power ...applications. Because of their high non-linearity, the design of devices with superconducting tape requires specific simulation models and methods to correctly represent the superconducting behavior. The J-A formulation has been investigated as an efficient tool to represent the electromagnetic behavior of such devices. It is based on the current density (J) and magnetic vector potential (A), and able to represent both superconducting materials and ferromagnetic materials. With regards to the tapes, the use of thin-film approximation can be successful with the J-A formulation. Usually, only representations considering the superconducting layer of tapes have been investigated. This becomes a problem for operations where the current in the superconductor surpasses the critical current, for example in transient analysis. This paper presents an analysis of the effects the inclusion of all of the tapes’ layers have on simulations with the J-A formulation with thin-film approximations. By considering all layers of the tape, one represents the transition between superconducting and high-loss states of the tape. A simple system, consisting of a single tape with applied current, has been studied as benchmark and simulated with J-A and the more established T-A formulation in two cases: considering all layers; and only the superconducting layers. Results show that results for the J-A and T-A formulations are compatible and the inclusion of all layers improves the stability of the simulation and provides correct assessment of the electric field in the tapes.
•J-A formulation.•HTS tape second generation.
A lack of global political will to mobilise resource to fight tuberculosis is major challenge in ending tuberculosis. The polyherbal formulations are best alternative, as they are economic, ...environmentally friendly and easily available than modern drugs. In present study, a polyherbal suspension with extracts of C. longa, A. indica and O. sanctum was developed and characterized. The developed suspension was found satisfactory with respect to odour, colour, taste, pourability, pH, viscosity, zero microbial count, particle size, percentage ease of disposability, aesthetic characteristic, sedimentation, zeta potential and does not show the crystal growth, polyherbal formulation exhibited significantly inhibited the growth of H37Rv and MIC is also comparable to those of standard agents.
Pathogen surface antigens are at the forefront of the viral strategy when invading host organisms. These antigens, including membrane proteins (MPs), are broadly targeted by the host immune response. ...Obtaining these MPs in a soluble and stable form constitutes a real challenge, regardless of the application purposes (e.g. quantification/characterization assays, diagnosis, and preventive and curative strategies). A rapid process to obtain a native‐like antigen by solubilization of a full‐length MP directly from a pathogen is reported herein. Rabies virus (RABV) was used as a model for this demonstration and its full‐length G glycoprotein (RABV‐G) was stabilized with amphipathic polymers, named amphipols (APols). The stability of RABV‐G trapped in APol A8‐35 (RABV‐G/A8‐35) was evaluated under different stress conditions (temperature, agitation, and light exposure). RABV‐G/A8‐35 in liquid form exhibited higher unfolding temperature (+6°C) than in detergent and was demonstrated to be antigenically stable over 1 month at 5°C and 25°C. Kinetic modeling of antigenicity data predicted antigenic stability of RABV‐G/A8‐35 in a solution of up to 1 year at 5°C. The RABV‐G/A8‐35 complex formulated in an optimized buffer composition and subsequently freeze‐dried displayed long‐term stability for 2‐years at 5, 25, and 37°C. This study reports for the first time that a natural full‐length MP extracted from a virus, complexed to APols and subsequently freeze‐dried, displayed long‐term antigenic stability, without requiring storage under refrigerated conditions.
A rapid process to obtain a native‐like antigen by solubilization of a full‐length membrane protein (MP) directly from a pathogen is reported herein, using rabies virus (RABV) as a model. Its full‐length G glycoprotein (RABV‐G) was stabilized with amphipols (APols), confirming the ability of such amphipathic polymers to stabilize pathogen surface MPs. RABV‐G/APol exhibited a high thermal stability of G specific antigenicity in a defined freeze‐dried formulation for at least 2 years under storage conditions from 5°C to 37°C.
In continuum mechanics the deformation rate is a crucial tensor that drives deformation evolution. It plays an important role in the formulation of elastic and plastic deformations, and makes a ...distinction between Lagrangian and Eulerian formulations. Furthermore, because plastic deformation measure is not uniquely determined, the modeling method adopted has a bearing on topology optimization and structural design. However, research on this aspect has been scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the formulation method chosen for the plastic deformation rate on topology optimization by considering both Lagrangian and Eulerian formulations. In this work, the Lagrangian framework adopted both phenomenological and crystal plasticity, while the Eulerian framework used microstructural vector theory. For the sake of brevity, the phenomenological plasticity in the Lagrangian framework has been denoted as classical plasticity in this work. The Eulerian formulation was the first to be implemented for topology optimization in this study. The plastic deformation rates from the three models were applied to the topology optimization with the finite element (FE) method. The Messerschmitt–Bölkow–Blohm beam problem, a widely known example in this regard, was considered in this study for comparison purposes. While classical and crystal plasticity models exhibited similar overall trends in terms of optimization, the Eulerian deformation rate presented distinctly different optimization results compared with the other two approaches. All the three models aimed to minimize free energy in the topology optimization loop. However, ultimately, differences in the constitutive equations affected the resultant values of the free energy leading to different optimization outcomes. The results of this study were validated through comparisons between experimental and FE analysis results for each design. The results clearly demonstrate that the plastic deformation rate significantly affects the topology optimization, and hence needs to be appropriately adapted based on the design objectives.
•Study on the effect of plastic deformation rate on topology optimization.•Classical plasticity, crystal plasticity, and Eulerian formulation were considered.•The Eulerian formulation was the first to be implemented for topology optimization.•Topology optimization results vary significantly depending on the type of model.•Appropriate model selection is necessary considering the design objectives.
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