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The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, micro-nano manufacturing, and flexible electronics technology have unleashed unprecedented innovation and opportunities for applying flexible sensors in healthcare, wearable devices, and human-computer interaction. The human body's tactile perception involves physical parameters such as pressure, temperature, and humidity, all of which play an essential role in maintaining human health. Inspired by the sensory function of human skin, many bionic sensors have been developed to simulate human skin's perception to various stimuli and are widely applied in health monitoring. Given the urgent requirements for sensing performance and integration of flexible sensors in the field of wearable devices and health monitoring, here is a timely overview of recent advances in pressure, humidity, temperature, and multi-functional sensors for human health monitoring. It covers the fundamental components of flexible sensors and categorizes them based on different response mechanisms, including resistive, capacitive, voltage, and other types. Specifically, the application of these flexible tactile sensors in the area of human health monitoring is highlighted. Based on this, an extended overview of recent advances in dual/triple-mode flexible sensors integrating pressure, humidity, and temperature tactile sensing is presented. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of flexible sensors are discussed.

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This study evaluated the effects of simulated gastrointestinal conditions (SGIC) on combined potentially probiotic Limosilactobacillus fermentum 296 (~ 10 log CFU/mL), quercetin (QUE, 160 mg), and/or resveratrol (RES, 150 mg) as the bioactive components of novel nutraceuticals. Four different nutraceuticals were evaluated during exposure to SGIC and analyzed the plate counts and physiological status of L. fermentum 296, contents and bioaccessibility of QUE and RES, and antioxidant capacity. Nutraceuticals with QUE and RES had the highest plate counts (4.94 ± 0.32 log CFU/mL) and sizes of live cell subpopulations (28.40 ± 0.28%) of L. fermentum 296 after SGIC exposure. An index of injured cells (Gmean index, arbitrary unit defined as above 0.5) indicated that part of L. fermentum 296 cells could be entered the viable but nonculturable state when the nutraceuticals were exposed to gastric and intestinal conditions while maintaining vitality. The nutraceuticals maintained high contents (QUE ~ 29.17 ± 0.62 and RES ~ 23.05 mg/100 g) and bioaccessibility (QUE ~ 41.0 ± 0.09% and RES ~ 67.4 ± 0.17%) of QUE and RES, as well as high antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay ~ 88.18 ± 1.16% and DPPH assay 75.54 ± 0.65%) during SGIC exposure, which could be linked to the protective effects on L. fermentum 296 cells. The developed nutraceuticals could cross along the gastrointestinal tract with high concentrations of functioning potentially probiotic cells and bioavailable phenolic compounds to exert their beneficial impacts on consumer health, being an innovative strategy for the co-ingestion of these bioactive components.

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The measurement and analysis of vital signs are a subject of significant research interest, particularly for monitoring the driver's physiological state, which is of crucial importance for road safety. Various approaches have been proposed using contact techniques to measure vital signs. However, all of these methods are invasive and cumbersome for the driver. This paper proposes using a non-contact sensor based on continuous wave (CW) radar at 24 GHz to measure vital signs. We associate these measurements with distinct temporal neural networks to analyze the signals to detect and extract heart and respiration rates as well as classify the physiological state of the driver. This approach offers robust performance in estimating the exact values of heart and respiration rates and in classifying the driver's physiological state. It is non-invasive and requires no physical contact with the driver, making it particularly practical and safe. The results presented in this paper, derived from the use of a 1D Convolutional Neural Network (1D-CNN), a Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN), a Recurrent Neural Network particularly the Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM), and a Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (CRNN). Among these, the CRNN emerged as the most effective Deep Learning approach for vital signal analysis.

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Natural whey starter cultures are undefined microbial communities mainly consisting of thermophilic lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The technological pressure that shapes the natural whey starter community before and during the back-slopping procedure can impact the amount and viability of the different thermophilic LAB. Traditional culture-dependent analytical methods are useful for evaluating natural whey cultures based on plate enumeration with various culture media and are commonly used as self-control procedures in dairy items. These methods have high variability and require days to obtain results. As the dairy industry has been searching for a solution to this problem for a long time, researchers must explore alternative methods for the technological evaluation of natural whey and assessment of the health status of the thermophilic acidifying bacteria community in the cheesemaking process. The flow cytometry approach has been considered an alternative to classical methods in this work sector. This study compared bacterial enumeration by plate counting and flow cytometry on natural whey samples. Flow cytometry results showed positive agreement with a tendency to overestimate, linearity, and correlation with plate counting. Other parameters have also been introduced for evaluating a natural whey starter, measuring the physiological state of the cells. Specifically, cell-wall damage and metabolic activity were also evaluated, allowing us to quantify the number of cells even in sub-optimal physiological conditions.

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For industrial processes, a fast, precise, and reliable method of determining the physiological state of yeast cells, especially viability, is essential. However, an increasing number of processes use magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for yeast cell manipulation, but their impact on yeast cell viability and the assay itself is unclear. This study tested the viability of Saccharomyces pastorianus ssp. carlsbergensis and Pichia pastoris by comparing traditional colourimetric, high-throughput, and growth assays with membrane fluidity. Results showed that methylene blue staining is only reliable for S. pastorianus cells with good viability, being erroneous in low viability (R2 = 0.945; [Formula: see text] = 5.78%). In comparison, the fluorescence microscopy-based assay of S. pastorianus demonstrated a coefficient of determination of R2 = 0.991 at [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] = 2.50%) and flow cytometric viability determination using carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA), enabling high-throughput analysis of representative cell numbers; R2 = 0.972 ([Formula: see text]; [Formula: see text] = 3.89%). Membrane fluidity resulted in a non-linear relationship with the viability of the yeast cells ([Formula: see text]). We also determined similar results using P. pastoris yeast. In addition, we demonstrated that MNPs affected methylene blue staining by overestimating viability. The random forest model has been shown to be a precise method for classifying nanoparticles and yeast cells and viability differentiation in flow cytometry by using CFDA. Moreover, CFDA and membrane fluidity revealed precise results for both yeasts, also in the presence of nanoparticles, enabling fast and reliable determination of viability in many experiments using MNPs for yeast cell manipulation or separation.

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Despite the fact that yeast is a widely used microorganism in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, the impact of viability and age distribution on cultivation performance has yet to be fully understood. For a detailed analysis of fermentation performance and physiological state, we introduced a method of magnetic batch separation to isolate daughter and mother cells from a heterogeneous culture. By binding functionalised iron oxide nanoparticles, it is possible to separate the chitin-enriched bud scars by way of a linker protein. This reveals that low viability cultures with a high daughter cell content perform similarly to a high viability culture with a low daughter cell content. Magnetic separation results in the daughter cell fraction (>95%) showing a 21% higher growth rate in aerobic conditions than mother cells and a 52% higher rate under anaerobic conditions. These findings emphasise the importance of viability and age during cultivation and are the first step towards improving the efficiency of yeast-based processes.

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AIM: We explored the performance of demographic characteristics, physiological state, cognitive function, sensory function, and biomarkers when used as predictors of frailty for patients with schizophrenia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was adopted. METHODS: Demographic data and data on physiological state, cognitive function, sensory function, biochemical indices, and frailty status of patients with schizophrenia were collected. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, a chi-square test, one-factor analysis of variance, and logistic regression. RESULTS: The results revealed that frailty was prevalent among patients with lower educational attainment, longer hospital stay, higher skeletal muscle mass, higher basal metabolic rate, lower cognitive function, the use of tranquillisers and sleeping pills, and the use of assistive equipment as well as having fallen in the past year. In addition, cognitive function (p < 0.05), use of a wheelchair (p < 0.05), and use of an assistive walker (p < 0.001) were used as predictors of frailty condition of patients with schizophrenia. PATIENT CONTRIBUTION: Patients with schizophrenia have higher risk of having complications than patients with other chronic illnesses. Therefore, medical staff should regularly assess the levels of frailty risk to help patients with schizophrenia.

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Our aim was to find the optimal efflux inhibitor concentration of a natural component, carvacrol, as a function of the physiological state of Escherichia coli. Using fluorescence-based measurements with two strains of E. coli, the effect of carvacrol was assessed at 17 sub-inhibitory concentrations, at which the bacterial efflux mechanism was compromised. The efficacy of carvacrol, as an efflux inhibitor, was compared to synthetic inhibitors and we found carvacrol the most efficient one. We considered the accumulation of Ethidium Bromide (EtBr) as a proxy for drugs spreading in the cell, thus measuring the efflux activity indirectly. The change in membrane integrity caused by the exposure to carvacrol was monitored using the LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability kit. To find the optimal inhibitory concentration of carvacrol, we used predictive microbiology methods. This optimum varied with the bacterial physiological state, as non-growing cultures were less susceptible to the effect of carvacrol than growing cultures were. Moreover, we point out, for the first time, that the efflux-mediated resistance of untreated cultures was also stronger in the non-growing than in the growing phase at population level.

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@#Congenital cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is a common malformation of maxillofacial development. At present, it is believed that the etiology of congenital cleft lip and palate mainly results from genetic factors and environmental factors. Epigenetic changes induced by environmental factors may be the key factor in the occurrence of fetal congenital malformations. As one of the important epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation has been widely and deeply studied in many fields, but as a link between the individual and the environment, its application in CL/P is limited. Existing studies have shown that DNA methylation is closely related to the occurrence of cleft lip and palate. Stimulation of folate deficiency, smoking, pollutant exposure and other environmental factors can induce changes in the state of DNA methylation, thus affecting gene expression in the development of lip and palate and leading to the occurrence of deformities.

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Most nutrition models and some nutritionists view ration formulation as accounting transactions to match nutrient supplies with nutrient requirements. However, diet and stage of lactation interact to alter the partitioning of nutrients toward milk and body reserves, which, in turn, alters requirements. Fermentation and digestion of diet components determine feeding behavior and the temporal pattern and profile of absorbed nutrients. The pattern and profile, in turn, alter hormonal signals, tissue responsiveness to hormones, and mammary metabolism to affect milk synthesis and energy partitioning differently depending on the physiological state of the cow. In the fresh period (first 2 to 3 wk postpartum), plasma insulin concentration and insulin sensitivity of tissues are low, so absorbed nutrients and body reserves are partitioned toward milk synthesis. As lactation progresses, insulin secretion and sensitivity increase, favoring deposition instead of mobilization of body reserves. High-starch diets increase ruminal propionate production, the flow of gluconeogenic precursors to the liver, and blood insulin concentrations. During early lactation, the glucose produced will preferentially be used by the mammary gland for milk production. As lactation progresses and milk yield decreases, glucose will increasingly stimulate repletion of body reserves. Diets with less starch and more digestible fiber increase ruminal production of acetate relative to propionate and, because acetate is less insulinogenic than propionate, these diets can minimize body weight gain. High dietary starch concentration and fermentability can also induce milk fat depression by increasing the production of biohydrogenation intermediates that inhibit milk fat synthesis and thus favor energy partitioning away from the mammary gland. Supplemental fatty acids also impact energy partitioning by affecting insulin concentration and insulin sensitivity of tissues. Depending on profile, physiological state, and interactions with other nutrients, supplemental fatty acids might increase milk yield at the expense of body reserves or partition energy to body reserves at the expense of milk yield. Supplemental protein or AA also can increase milk production but there is little evidence that dietary protein directly alters whole-body partitioning. Understanding the biology of these interactions can help nutritionists better formulate diets for cows at various stages of lactation.

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Freshwater grazers are suitable organisms to investigate the fate of environmental pollutants, such as weathered multi-walled carbon nanotubes (wMWCNTs). One key process is the uptake of ingested materials into digestive or absorptive cells. To address this, we investigated the localization of wMWCNTs in the intestinal tracts of the mud snail Lymnaea stagnalis (L. stagnalis) and the mayfly Rhithrogena semicolorata (R. semicolorata). In L. stagnalis, bundles of wMWCNTs could be detected in the midgut lumen, whereas only single wMWCNTs could be detected in the lumina of the digestive gland. Intracellular uptake of wMWCNTs was detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) but was restricted to the cells of the digestive gland. In larvae of R. semicolorata, irritations of the microvilli and damages in the apical parts of the epithelial gut cells were detected after feeding with 1 to 10 mg/L wMWCNTs. In both models, we detected fibrillar structures in close association with the epithelial cells that formed peritrophic membranes (PMs). The PM may cause a reduced transmission of wMWCNT bundles into the epithelium by forming a filter barrier and potentially protecting the cells from the wMWCNTs. As a result, the uptake of wMWCNTs into cells is rare in mud snails and may not occur at all in mayfly larvae. In addition, we monitor physiological markers such as levels of glycogen or triglycerides and the RNA/DNA ratio. This ratio was significantly affected in L. stagnalis after 24 days with 10 mg/L wMWCNTs, but not in R. semicolorata after 28 days and 10 mg/L wMWCNTs. However, significant effects on the energy status of R. semicolorata were analysed after 28 days of exposure to 1 mg/L wMWCNTs. Furthermore, we observed a significant reduction of phagosomes per enterocyte cell in mayfly larvae at a concentration of 10 mg/L wMWCNTs (p < 0.01).

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Chemical communication is very important in herbivorous insects, with many species being important agricultural pests. They often use olfactory cues to find their host plants at a distance and evaluate their suitability upon contact with non-volatile cues. Responses to such cues are modulated through interactions between various stimuli of biotic and abiotic origin. In addition, the response to the same stimulus can vary as a function of, for example, previous experience, age, mating state, sex, and morph. Here we summarize recent advances in the understanding of plant localization and recognition in herbivorous insects with a focus on the interplay between long- and short-range signals in a complex environment. We then describe recent findings illustrating different types of plasticity in insect plant choice behavior and the underlying neuronal mechanisms at different levels of the chemosensory pathway. In the context of strong efforts to replace synthetic insecticides with alternative pest control methods, understanding combined effects between long- and close-range chemical cues in herbivore-plant interactions and their complex environment in host choice are crucial to develop effective plant protection methods. Furthermore, plasticity of behavioral and neuronal responses to chemical cues needs to be taken into account to develop effective sustainable pest insect control through behavioral manipulation.

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Physiological samples are beneficial in assessing the health and welfare of cats. However, most studies have been conducted in specialized environments, such as shelters or laboratories, and have not focused on cats living in domestic settings. In addition, most studies have assessed physiological stress states in cats based on cortisol, and none have quantified positive indicators, such as oxytocin. Here, we collected urine samples from 49 domestic cats and quantified urinary cortisol, oxytocin, and creatinine using ELISA. To identify factors influencing hormone levels, owners responded to questionnaires regarding their housing environment, individual cat information, and the frequency of daily interactions with their cats. Using principal component analysis, principal component scores for daily interactions were extracted. These results showed that the frequency of tactile and auditory signal-based communication by owners was positively correlated with the mean concentration of oxytocin in the urine. Additionally, this communication was more frequent in younger cats or cats that had experienced a shorter length of cohabitation with the owner. However, no factors associated with urinary cortisol concentration were identified. Our study indicates that interactions and relationships with the owner influence the physiological status of cats and suggests that oxytocin is a valuable parameter for assessing their health and welfare.

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Galactose (Gal)-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) is involved in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) pathogenesis. To reflect racial differences in clinical characteristics, we assessed disease- and race-specific heterogeneity in the O-glycosylation of the IgA1 hinge region (HR). We determined serum Gd-IgA1 levels in Caucasians (healthy controls [HCs], n = 31; IgAN patients, n = 63) and Asians (HCs, n = 20; IgAN patients, n = 60) and analyzed profiles of serum IgA1 HR O-glycoforms. Elevated serum Gd-IgA1 levels and reduced number of Gal residues per HR were observed in Caucasians. Reduced number of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) residues per HR and elevated relative abundance of IgA1 with three HR O-glycans were common features in IgAN patients; these features were associated with elevated blood pressure and reduced renal function. We speculate that the mechanisms underlying the reduced GalNAc content in IgA1 HR may be relevant to IgAN pathogenesis.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS) on fatigue delay after medium-intensity training. Materials and Methods: Ninety healthy college athletes were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 45) and control group (n = 45). The experimental group received medium-intensity training for a week. After each training, the experimental group received true stimulation of tPCS (continuous 15 min 1.5 mA current intensity stimulation). The control group received sham stimulation. The physiological and biochemical indicators of participants were tested before and after the experiment, and finally 30 participants in each group were included for data analysis. Results: In the experimental group, creatine kinase (CK), cortisol (C), time-domain heart rate variability indices root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD), standard deviation of normal R-R intervals (SDNN), and frequency domain indicator low frequency (LF) all increased slowly after the intervention. Among these, CK, C, and SDNN values were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Testosterone (T), T/C, and heart rate variability frequency domain indicator high frequency (HF) in the experimental group decreased slowly after the intervention, and the HF value was significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The changes in all of the indicators in the experimental group were smaller than those in the control group. Conclusion: The application of tPCS after medium-intensity training enhanced the adaptability to training and had a significant effect on the maintenance of physiological state. The application of tPCS can significantly promote the recovery of autonomic nervous system function, enhance the regulation of parasympathetic nerves, and delay the occurrence of fatigue.

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The article deals with the problems of improving modern human-machine interaction systems. Such systems are called biocybernetic systems. It is shown that a significant increase in their efficiency can be achieved by stabilising their work according to the automation control theory. An analysis of the structural schemes of the systems showed that one of the most significantly influencing factors in these systems is a poor "digitization" of the human condition. "Digitization" here is the identification of a person as a participant in the interaction with a cybernetic or cyber-physical system. The main problem of a biocybernetic system construction is the non-stationarity of such human characteristics as time of the reaction to external disturbances, physical or nervous fatigue, the ability to perform the required amount of work, etc. At the same time, as a rule, there is no objective assessment of this non-stationarity. Under these conditions, ensuring the controllability and efficiency of biocybernetic systems is a very difficult task. It is proposed to solve this problem with the help of electrocardiogram signals: the most accessible and accurate information about a human's current state. Herein, several examples of such solutions and the results of theoretical studies and experiments are discussed.

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The stochastic growth of homogeneous bacterial populations in the wells of a microtiter plate was studied as a function of the random initial cell number and their random individual lag times. These significantly affected the population growth in the well, while the maximum specific growth rate of the population was constant (or its variance was negligible) for each well. We showed the advantages of the mathematical assumption that a transformation of the single cell lag time, called the single cell physiological state (or, more accurately, that of the sub-population generated by the single cell) follow the Beta distribution. Simulations demonstrated what patterns would such assumption generate for the distribution of the detection times observed in the wells. An estimation procedure was developed, based on the beta-assumption, that resulted in an explicit expression for the expected value of the single cell physiological state as a function of measured "time to detection" values using turbidity experiments. The method was illustrated using laboratory data with Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica strains. The results gave a basis to quantify the difference between the studied organisms in terms of their single-cell kinetics.

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Cultivability, viability, and vitality make it possible to characterize the behavior of a cellular population. Vitality was assessed using the kinetic parameters of specific metabolisms depending on whether the strains were used, for example, for the acidification of lactic acid bacteria or for CO2 production in fermenting yeasts. However, these methods are time-consuming. We developed a cytometric descriptor based on the energy-dependent extrusion of carboxyfluorescein from cells, subsequent to carboxyfluorescein diacetate staining, and compared it to the measurements of metabolic activities of various bacteria and yeasts. For all of the microorganisms tested, the cytometric descriptor ΔFI15 was well correlated with the results of the metabolic measurements and, moreover, has the advantage of being easier and faster to use than metabolic methods. It can be very useful for evaluating the vitality of the starters before inoculation in industrial processes.

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Although the development and application of nanomaterials is a growing industry, little data is available on the ecotoxicological effects on aquatic organisms. Therefore, we set up a workflow to address the potential uptake of weathered multi-walled carbon nanotubes (wMWCNTs) by a model organism, the pulmonary mud snail Lymnaea stagnalis (L. stagnalis), which plays an important role in the food web. It represents a suitable organism for this approach because as a grazer it potentially ingests large amounts of sedimented wMWCNTs. As food source for L. stagnalis, benthic biofilm was investigated by the use of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) after exposure with wMWCNTs. In addition, isotopic labeling was applied with 14C-wMWCNTs (0.1 mg/L) to quantify fate, behavior, and enrichment of 14C-wMWCNTs in benthic biofilm and in L. stagnalis. Enrichment in benthic biofilm amounted to 529.0 µg wMWCNTs/g dry weight and in L. stagnalis to 79.6 µg wMWCNTs/g dry weight. A bioconcentration factor (BCF) for L. stagnalis was calculated (3500 L/kg). We demonstrate the accumulation of wMWCNTs (10 mg/L) in the digestive tract of L. stagnalis in an effect study. Moreover, the physiological markers glycogen and triglycerides as indicators for the physiological state, as well as the RNA/DNA ratio as growth indicator, were examined. No significant differences between exposed and control animals were analyzed for glycogen and triglycerides after 24 days of exposure, but a decreasing trend is recognizable for triglycerides. In contrast, the significant reduction in the RNA/DNA ratio of L. stagnalis indicated an inhibition of growth with a following recovery after depuration. The described workflow enables a comprehensive determination of the fate and the behavior of wMWCNTs specifically and in general all kinds of CNTs in the aquatic environment and therefore contributes to a holistic risk assessment of wMWCNTs.

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This study evaluated the dynamics of the physiological responses of potentially probiotic fruit-derived Limosilactobacillus fermentum 139 and L. fermentum 263 in apple and orange juice during 28 days of refrigeration storage (4 °C) and when submitted to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Physiological responses were measured with multiparametric flow cytometry using propidium iodide (PI), carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and bis-1,3-dibutylbarbutiric acid (BOX). Viable counts were enumerated with plate count. L. fermentum strains had sizes of > 30% of cell subpopulations with non-permeabilized membrane and enzymatic activities (viable cells, PI-CFDA +) in apple and orange juices during storage and viable counts of > 6 log CFU ml-1. Sizes of cell subpopulations with permeabilized membrane without enzymatic activity (dead cells, PI + cFDA-) were low (< 15%) in apple and orange juices during storage. Sizes of cell subpopulations with non-permeabilized and depolarized membrane (PI-BOX +) were decreased (14%) on day 28 of storage. The sizes of permeabilized and depolarized membrane cell (PI + BOX-) subpopulations were variable among the examined strains in juices during storage. Both strains maintained high PI-cFDA + cell subpopulation sizes (> 35%) after exposure to ileum condition and viable counts of ≥ 5 log CFU/mL. PI-BOX + cell subpopulation sizes were low (< 13%) after exposure to ileum condition. L. fermentum 139 and L. fermentum 263 are capable of maintaining a high population of physiologically active and functional cells in apple and orange juice during 28 days of refrigeration storage and when exposed to gastrointestinal conditions.

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