Art Innovation (Netherlands)

The NCLEX® is used by boards of nursing to assess minimal competence of licensed entry-level nurses, and nursing graduates need to pass it to practice. The purpose of the Comprehensive Predictor examination is to provide nursing students with a probability of passing the NCLEX licensure examination. Examination scores from more than 75,000 nursing students were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis to test the hypothesized structure of the NCLEX blueprint and evaluate relationships among its categories and subcategories. The Comprehensive Predictor assessment data fits the NCLEX blueprint and suggests that nursing competence, as reflected in test performance, aligns with all domains, including clinical judgment. The factors included in the Comprehensive Predictor assessment are congruent with the NCLEX-RN test plan. Educational strategies and assessment practices can be further developed from the results.

The evaluation of research in higher education emerges as a means of assessing its performance, promoting its quality, and detecting its niches of excellence. The aim of this paper is to set out a general conceptual framework that can be used to instrument research performance assessment in higher education. Indeed, the performance of scientific research remains complex and difficult to circumvent, essentially due to its contingent, relative, multidimensional, all-encompassing, and integrating aspects. Our methodology is based on an exploratory approach, based essentially on an in-depth reading of a rich theoretical corpus questioning the performance of scientific research and its various facets, which has enabled us to create anastomoses between a number of academic writings. We tried to remove the ambiguity surrounding the meaning of search performance under its multidimensional character. As a result, ten facets of research performance are put forward namely, Research outputs quantity, Quality and satisfaction of academics, Sustainability and Social impact, Economic and financial facet, Technological facet, Organizational facet, Ethical facet, Internationalization, Partnership and effectiveness of the doctoral cycle.

BackgroundMore research is needed to clarify the health effects of dietary carotenoid intakes, and this requires the use of high-quality assessments of habitual dietary intake. Cohort studies from the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization included a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (TMM-FFQ) for community-dwelling adults. This study evaluated the validity of carotenoid intakes derived from the TMM-FFQ using serum carotenoid concentrations as the gold standard.MethodsIn Miyagi Prefecture, 88 men and 124 women aged ≥20 years voluntarily agreed to participate in the study and provided completed TMM-FFQs and blood samples in 2019 and 2021. Carotenoids examined included α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and lycopene. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess correlations between serum concentrations in 2019 and 2021. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the correlations between energy-adjusted dietary carotenoid intakes from the TMM-FFQ in 2021 and the average serum carotenoid concentrations in 2019 and 2021, with correction for the attenuating effect of random within-individual variation.ResultsThe ICCs between serum concentrations over the 2 years were >0.50 for all carotenoids. Among men, correlation coefficients were 0.33 for α-carotene, 0.42 for β-carotene, 0.50 for β-cryptoxanthin, and −0.09 for lycopene. Among women, the coefficients were lower than those for men, except for lycopene: 0.11 for α-carotene, 0.23 for β-carotene, 0.21 for β-cryptoxanthin, and 0.28 for lycopene.ConclusionThe TMM-FFQ demonstrated reasonable validity for assessing intakes of α-carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin among men, but not among women, in the TMM cohort studies when using serum concentrations as the gold standard.

The intrinsic microenvironments of biomolecular condensates play decisive roles in applications spanning synthetic cell construction, targeted drug delivery systems, cell engineering, bioreactor development, and precision disease interventions. Recent studies highlight that divalent cations play a central role in modulating the internal condensate microenvironments. However, the complex multivalent interaction networks within condensates create significant challenges in unraveling the molecular mechanisms. This study employs model systems of cationic peptides (arginine decamer (R10), lysine decamer (K10)) and polyanionic polymers (polyadenylic acid (PolyA), polyinosinic acid (PolyI), polyglutamic acid (PolyE), polyaspartic acid (PolyD)) to systematically investigate Mg2+-mediated modulation of condensate properties. Mg2+ enrichment dynamically controls ionic microenvironments through competitive interactions with polyelectrolytes. When interpolyelectrolyte affinity dominates (e.g., R10/PolyA), weakly bound Mg2+ enhances the surface potential, promoting small-molecule enrichment and ribozyme catalytic efficiency. Conversely, when Mg2+-polyelectrolyte binding prevails (e.g., R10/PolyE), stable ion-polyelectrolyte complexes reduce the system polarity and amplify dye accumulation but compromise phase stability. Macrophage coculture experiments demonstrate that R10/PolyA@Mg condensates enable targeted magnesium delivery, significantly boosting TNF-α secretion and immune regulation. These findings establish a mechanistic framework for ion-mediated control of condensate microenvironments, offering theoretical insights into the intracellular ionic regulation of phase separation. This work suggests a Mg2+-responsive condensate design strategy for modulating macrophage responses, providing a foundation for the design of biomaterials with a tunable immunostimulatory potential.

Soluble dietary fibers (SDFs) are recognized for their health benefits through their fermentation and gut microbiota modulation. Previous studies focused on individual SDFs without sufficient structural information and a comparative analysis using different SDFs on microbiota composition and function is lacking. The present study aimed to determine key structural features of different SDFs, including soluble resistant starch (SRS), inulin (INU), four structurally diverse pectins (PS1 to PS4), one pectic derivative (PS5) and larch arabinogalactan (AG). Their effects on gut microbiota composition and function were investigated by 72h experiments in TIM-2 in vitro colon system with pooled feces, upon constant feeding (2.5mL/h, total of 7.5g/day) of test compounds. The tested SDFs were structurally different, inducing distinct effects on the relative abundance of specific bacterial genera and overall microbiota composition. AG, PS2, PS3, PS5, and SRS demonstrated marked changes compared to control in the overall community structure over time. SCFA production increased over time for all SDFs, but only PS1 to PS4 resulted in significantly higher SCFA levels compared to control. These findings demonstrate that structurally different SDFs exhibit different effects on the gut microbiota composition and function, however this could not be solely explained by Mw and monosaccharide composition.

Efficient drug delivery across biological barriers remains a fundamental challenge, particularly for rigid nanocarriers whose penetration mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that Laminin-332-functionalized solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNLam) overcome cellular barriers through receptor-mediated endocytosis and achieve substantial transdermal penetration. SLNLam particles, engineered via site-specific thiol-maleimide chemistry, maintain crystalline structural integrity while enabling precise surface modification at controlled peptide densities. Biolayer interferometry reveals that binding kinetics correlate directly with α3β1 integrin surface density, confirming molecular recognition as the primary interaction mechanism. Dissipative particle dynamics simulations elucidate interaction energetics, demonstrating adhesion-dependent membrane fusion behavior. Mechanistic studies in HaCaT keratinocytes establish lipid raft-mediated endocytosis as the predominant uptake pathway, with methyl-β-cyclodextrin treatment significantly attenuating internalization while ATP-dependent and clathrin-mediated pathways remain unaffected. Ex vivo analysis using porcine skin demonstrates concentration-dependent cargo delivery enhancement, with mathematical modeling revealing exponential decay kinetics (I(z) = I0e–kz) where penetration constants are proportional to Laminin-332 density. These findings establish that receptor-targeted surface engineering enables efficient barrier penetration through specific adhesion mechanisms, providing a robust framework for advancing rigid nanocarrier delivery systems with transformative implications for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.

ABSTRACTIntroductionLiving with a suicidal relative impacts multiple life aspects. However, it is not known how religious beliefs and meaning‐making influence relatives' experiences.AimThis study aimed to develop a theoretical framework to understand the role of religion in the experiences of Christian relatives living with a suicidal loved one.MethodsA constructivist grounded theory study was conducted, adhering to the COREQ checklist. Fifteen interviews were conducted with seventeen Christian relatives of suicidal individuals.ResultsFour themes emerged—acceptance of suicidality, seeking and experiencing God's help, surrendering to God, and religion's influence on relationships—forming a framework on how relatives' religious convictions about suicide and the intensity of their personal relationship with God influenced to what extent religion was helpful or harmful.DiscussionChristian faith provided peace of mind and support to relatives who had a personal relationship with God and believed their loved one would go to heaven. Relatives who believed their loved one would go to hell due to suicide and lacked a relationship with God experienced guilt and fear, making them vulnerable to harm from religion.Implications for PracticeEducational institutions and policymakers should specifically empower nurses to discuss spiritual issues when supporting relatives of suicidal individuals.Relevance StatementThis study offers valuable insight into the role of religious beliefs and meaning‐making influencing the experiences of Christian relatives living with a suicidal loved one. It highlights religion‘s role in their coping processes. The findings equip mental health nurses with a deeper understanding of religious coping strategies, enabling them to provide better support to relatives. Integrating spirituality/religion into support allows nurses to respond more holistically to relatives‘ needs, potentially improving their well‐being and resilience. Spiritual care is a part of nursing, but nurses feel unprepared. It is recommended that education and policy focus on nurses to better support relatives.