Nutritional, functional and rheological properties of bunya nut flour as a versatile gluten-free option.

Bunya nuts are a starch-rich food that has been consumed by Indigenous communities for thousands of years. In addition to consuming fresh nuts, they were commonly processed into flour. However, their properties as a gluten-free flour are still unknown.

Macroevolutionary changes in gene expression response to an immune stimulus across the diversity of fishes.

Our understanding of the vertebrate immune system is dominated by a few model organisms such as mice. This use of a few model systems is reasonable if major features of the immune systems evolve slowly and are conserved across most vertebrates, but may be problematic if there is substantial macroevolutionary change in immune responses. Here, we present a test of the macroevolutionary stability, across 15 species of jawed fishes, of the transcriptomic response to a standardized immune challenge.

Mitonuclear effects on sex ratio persist across generations in interpopulation hybrids.

Eukaryotic energy production requires tight coordination between nuclear and mitochondrial gene products. Because males and females often have different energetic strategies, optimal mitonuclear coordination may be sex-specific. Previous work found evidence for sex-specific mitonuclear effects in the copepod Tigriopus californicus by comparing two parental lines and their reciprocal F1 crosses.

Out-of-hospital birth training, experience and confidence of Australian rural volunteer ambulance officers.

Introduction: Unplanned out-of-hospital births represent less than 1% of ambulance requests for assistance. However, these call-outs have a high risk of life-threatening complications, which are particularly complex in rural or remote settings with limited accessibility to specialist care support. Many community hospitals no longer provide obstetrics care, so birth parents must travel to larger regional or metropolitan hospitals for assistance.

The role of mitochondria in sex- and age-specific gene expression in a species without sex chromosomes.

Mitochondria perform an array of functions, many of which involve interactions with gene products encoded by the nucleus. These mitochondrial functions, particularly those involving energy production, can be expected to differ between sexes and across ages. Here, we measured mitochondrial effects on sex- and age-specific gene expression in parental and reciprocal F1 hybrids between allopatric populations of with over 20% mitochondrial DNA divergence.

Differential effects of pectin-based dietary fibre type and gut microbiota composition on in vitro fermentation outcomes.

Interactions between human gut microbiota and dietary fibres (DF) are influenced by the complexity and diversity of both individual microbiota and sources of DF. Based on 480 in vitro fermentations, a full factorial experiment was performed with six faecal inocula representing two enterotypes and three DF sources with nanometer, micrometer, and millimeter length-scales (apple pectin, apple cell walls and apple particles) at two concentrations. Increasing DF size reduced substrate disappearance and fermentation rates but not biomass growth.

Biomass attachment and microbiota shifts during porcine faecal fermentation of almond and macadamia nuts differing in particle sizes.

Nuts are highly nutritious and good sources of dietary fibre, when consumed as part of a healthy human diet. Upon consumption, nut particles of various sizes containing lipids entrapped by the plant cell walls enter the large intestine where they are fermented by the resident microbiota. This study investigated the microbial community shifts during fermentation of almond and macadamia substrates, of two particle sizes including fine particles (F = 250-500 μm) and cell clusters (CC = 710-1000 μm).

The role of mitochondria in sex- and age-specific gene expression in a species without sex chromosomes.

Mitochondria perform an array of functions, many of which involve interactions with gene products encoded by the nucleus. These mitochondrial functions, particularly those involving energy production, can be expected to differ between sexes and across ages. Here we measured mitochondrial effects on sex- and age-specific gene expression in parental and reciprocal F1 hybrids between allopatric populations of with over 20% mitochondrial DNA divergence.

Bringing back a forgotten legume-Sensory profiles of Australian native wattleseeds reveal potential for novel food applications.

Documented as one of the oldest living civilizations, there is now evidence that Indigenous communities in Australia followed a sustainable lifestyle with well-designed agricultural practices and adequate physical activity. Commonly known as wattleseeds in Australia, unique cultivars of Acacia have been consumed by Indigenous Australians for over 60,000 years. This research used descriptive sensory profiling to develop a lexicon for the aroma and flavor profiles of four wattleseed species before and after being subjected to different processing techniques.

Near infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics as tool to monitor starch hydrolysis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression to monitor the in vitro hydrolysis of different starch substrates. Potato and rice starches, and pre-gelatinised corn starch were used, where samples collected at different time points (5 to 120 min) during the in vitro hydrolysis and analysed using a Fourier transform NIR instrument with a gold-coated integrating sphere (diffuse reflection). PLS regression models between the spectra and reference data yield a coefficient of determination in cross validation (R) and standard error in cross validation (SECV) of 0.

Barriers to the success of COVID-19 immunisation programs in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea.

Introduction: Although guidance exists for the public health activities recommended for the management of COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea (PNG), community vaccine hesitancy has been identified as a major challenge. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, people living in rural and remote communities, the socioeconomically disadvantaged and those with certain pre-existing medical conditions are disproportionally affected by COVID-19. This project aimed to address the reasons for community vaccine hesitancy in New Ireland Province, PNG.

Ultrasound skills teaching in UK medical education: A systematic review.

Background: Sonography is increasingly integrated into medical curricula to prepare students for clinical practice. In 2022, we conducted a systematic review to explore the degree to which ultrasound skill acquisition is incorporated into undergraduate medial education in the United Kingdom.

Methods: A search of Medline and Embase databases from 2003 to 2022 identified 15 relevant articles.

Plant cell wall composition modulates the gut microbiota and metabolites in in-vitro fermentation.

This research investigated the effect of different types of plant cell wall fibres, including cereal (i.e., barley, sorghum, and rice), legume (i.

Moral appraisals guide intuitive legal determinations.

Objectives: We sought to understand how basic competencies in moral reasoning influence the application of private, institutional, and legal rules.

Hypotheses: We predicted that moral appraisals, implicating both outcome-based and mental state reasoning, would shape participants' interpretation of rules and statutes-and asked whether these effects arise differentially under intuitive and reflective reasoning conditions.

Method: In six vignette-based experiments (total N = 2,473; 293 university law students [67% women; age bracket mode: 18-22 years] and 2,180 online workers [60% women; mean age = 31.

Tracking Changes in Mobility Before and After the First SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Using Global Positioning System Data in England and Wales (Virus Watch): Prospective Observational Community Cohort Study.

Background: Evidence suggests that individuals may change adherence to public health policies aimed at reducing the contact, transmission, and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus after they receive their first SARS-CoV-2 vaccination when they are not fully vaccinated.

Objective: We aimed to estimate changes in median daily travel distance of our cohort from their registered addresses before and after receiving a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Methods: Participants were recruited into Virus Watch starting in June 2020.

The influence of astrocytic leaflet motility on ionic signalling and homeostasis at active synapses.

Astrocytes display a highly complex, spongiform morphology, with their fine terminal processes (leaflets) exercising dynamic degrees of synaptic coverage, from touching and surrounding the synapse to being retracted from the synaptic region. In this paper, a computational model is used to reveal the effect of the astrocyte-synapse spatial relationship on ionic homeostasis. Specifically, our model predicts that varying degrees of astrocyte leaflet coverage influences concentrations of K, Na and Ca, and results show that leaflet motility strongly influences Ca uptake, as well as glutamate and K to a lesser extent.

Association between the expression of toll-like receptors, cytokines, and homeostatic chemokines in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity.

The recent identification of the involvement of the immune system response in the severity and mortality of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection highlights the importance of cytokines and chemokines as important factors in the clinical outcomes of COVID-19. However, the impact and roles of the BAFF/APRIL cytokine system, homeostatic chemokines (CXCL12, CXCL13, CCL19, and CCL21), as well as Toll-like receptor (TLR)-3/4 in COVID-19, have not been investigated. We sought to assess the expression levels and roles of TLR3/4, BAFF, APRIL, IFN-β, homeostatic chemokines (CXCL12, CXCL13, CCL19, and CCL21), SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies in patients with critical (ICU) and non-ICU (mild) COVID-19 and their association with mortality and disease severity.

Mitochondrial effects on fertility and longevity in contradict predictions of the mother's curse hypothesis.

Strict maternal inheritance of mitochondria favours the evolutionary accumulation of sex-biased fitness effects, as mitochondrial evolution occurs exclusively in female lineages. The 'mother's curse' hypothesis proposes that male-harming mutations should accumulate in mitochondrial genomes when they have neutral or beneficial effects on female fitness. Rigorous empirical tests have largely focused on , where support for the predictions of mother's curse has been mixed.

Evaluation of the CARES Skills Framework as a Peer Support Model in the Paramedic Undergraduate Curriculum: Facilitating Challenging Discussions in a Safe Environment.

Objective: Infant or child death is reported as being the most distressing type of case paramedics attend. Student paramedics also identify supporting bereaved families as an area associated with low confidence. This study evaluated the CARES skills framework (Connect to emotion, Attention training, Reflective listening, Empathy, Support help seeking) as a peer support model to encourage student paramedics to talk about grief and death related to infants and children.

Paramedic training, experience, and confidence with out-of-hospital childbirth (OOHB) in Australia.

Background: Out-of-hospital births (OOHBs) are rare representing ∼0.05% of prehospital callouts. OOHBs are at increased risk of complications including life-threatening conditions such as postpartum haemorrhage and neonate resuscitation.

Amorphous packing of amylose and elongated branches linked to the enzymatic resistance of high-amylose wheat starch granules.

To elucidate starch structural features underlying resistant starch formation, wheat starch granules with three (A-, B- and C- type) crystalline polymorphisms and a range of amylose contents were digested in vitro. The changes in multi-level structure of digestion residues were compared. In the residues of A- and C-type starches, the molecular fine structure (distributions of chain length and whole molecular size), as analyzed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), remained similar during digestion.

Exogenous oxidative stressors elicit differing age and sex effects in Tigriopus californicus.

As organisms age, cellular function declines in a time-dependent manner. Oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species damages cellular machinery and contributes to senescence which narrows the homeostatic window needed to maintain function and survive stress. Sex differences in longevity are apparent in many species and may be related to sex-specific homeostatic responses.

Out-of-hospital births and the experiences of emergency ambulance clinicians and birthing parents: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Emergency ambulance clinicians attend a wide range of prehospital emergencies, including out-of-hospital births (OOHBs). Intrapartum care comprises approximately 0.05% of emergency medical services' caseload, with only ~10% of intrapartum cases progressing to birth in emergency ambulance clinician care.

Developing a granular scale environmental burden index (EBI) for diverse land cover types across the contiguous United States.

Critical to identifying the risk of environmentally driven disease is an understanding of the cumulative impact of environmental conditions on human health. Here we describe the methodology used to develop an environmental burden index (EBI). The EBI is calculated at U.

Food deprivation exposes sex-specific trade-offs between stress tolerance and life span in the copepod .

Long life is standardly assumed to be associated with high stress tolerance. Previous work shows that the copepod breaks this rule, with longer life span under benign conditions found in males, the sex with lower stress tolerance. Here, we extended this previous work, raising animals from the same families in food-replete conditions until adulthood and then transferring them to food-limited conditions until all animals perished.