The Future of Food Processing—A Food Science and Technology Perspective. Proceedings of a Roundtable Event

Rising interest in the links between processed food consumption and poor health outcomes often overlooks the perspectives of those working in food technology and innovation. To address this, a virtual roundtable was held in October 2024 to provide a setting for a technical discussion among those working in food processing, technology and engineering and related fields. The aims were to explore whether (a) the concept of ultra‐processed foods (UPF) as a whole (or any elements thereof) may be useful to consider in the development of healthier and more sustainable foods, including its strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and barriers; and (b) where there might be opportunities for food technologists to improve current approaches to food processing for human health in the future. Presentations focussed on reformulation and included a critique of the evidence and proposed mechanisms linking UPF consumption to food intake and health. Areas of discussion included use and replacement of ingredients deemed to be ‘UPF’; material properties of foods; advances in food production; consumer communication; practicalities of consuming a healthy, sustainable diet; food systems considerations; environmental sustainability in food processing and the role of meat alternatives. Looking ahead, participants identified opportunities for improvements centred around four themes: target areas and considerations for innovation and reformulation that can be suggested based on current or future capability; potential definitions/targets that industry can work towards to improve the healthiness of products and related evidence needs; greater transdisciplinary working (cross‐sector, food systems approaches); consumer‐related issues and potential policy/regulatory changes. Caution was expressed around both ‘overprocessing’ and misplaced reformulation efforts to the detriment of health. However, a potential role for consumer education around food processing techniques and ingredients was identified and the importance of continued advancements in food processing and technology in the production of healthier, sustainable food was highlighted

Child-Friendly Pre-trial Gaming Systems: Turning Law, Practice, Theory and Professionals’ Experiences into Psychoeducational Tools

The EU and UK are calling for child-friendly justice. Yet existing adult-oriented practices disrupt justice and increase children’s trauma. We developed a psychoeducational template of a child-friendly gaming system designed for children’s court preparation. We reviewed: (a) guidelines for psychometrics tests, (b) international, Cypriot, English and Scottish law, (c) psychoeducational programmes in the US, and, (d) the Gestalt Play Therapy, Child Centred Play Therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and incorporated them into practical legal approaches. Then, we conducted in-depth interviews with multinational experts discussing professionals’ and children’s needs. Building on the Polyvagal Theory and past issues, our data also support reforming children’s court preparation. Effective common cross-national practices were applied. But inconsistent support led to children’s problematic unequal court preparation. Experts’ feedback contributed to having a user-centred gaming context. We summarise our review and experts’ input into an Open-Adapt Pre-trial Gaming Template for pre-trial gaming systems, adaptable to various legal contexts

Associations between diseases of the mouth and mental disorders: A scoping review of longitudinal studies

Background Mental disorders and oral health conditions frequently co-occur. We mapped and critically reviewed the literature on longitudinal associations between oral health conditions and mental disorders. Method MEDLINE, Embase and PsycInfo were searched for longitudinal studies published during the last 25 years. Two reviewers independently screened, reviewed full-text and extracted data before synthesizing the evidence. Associations between oral and mental disorders were illustrated as Sankey diagrams. The review protocol was pre-registered (https://osf.io/vrpu9). Findings From 165 included studies, we identified 118 studies investigating 35 independent associations between 16 oral exposures and 12 mental disorder outcomes. Another 42 studies investigated 32 associations between 17 mental disorder exposures and 14 oral outcomes. Five studies reported bidirectional associations. Most reports linked tooth loss to Alzheimer's disease/other dementias (18 studies) and cognitive impairment (15 studies), with periodontitis linked to Alzheimer's disease/other dementias (16 studies). Conversely, depression (10 studies), dementia (6 studies) and sleep disorder (5 studies) were attributed to temporomandibular disorders (TMD; 10 studies), periodontitis (8 studies) and caries (7 studies) outcomes. Depressive and anxiety disorders were linked bidirectionally with TMD and eating disorders. Interpretation Prevention and early management of oral and mental disorders may mitigate their reciprocal risk, thereby lowering the overall disease burden

The influence of reward qualifying conditions on participation in online referral programs.

Online referral reward programs (RRPs) incentivize customers to promote products within their digital social networks by offering rewards, yet these programs often face persistently low participation. This research examines how online RRP qualifying conditions—specifically, whether rewards depend solely on the referrer's own actions or require assistance from others—shape customers' willingness to engage. Drawing on psychological reactance theory, the study investigates both the direct impact of assistance-based conditions and the mediating role of psychological reactance, as well as whether the timing of the reward offer (pre-vs. post-consumption) moderates these effects. Three scenario-based online RRP experiments conducted in gym, meal-kit, and coffee-shop contexts show that assistance-based conditions heighten reactance and reduce engagement, while post-consumption timing attenuates this reactance-driven decline. The findings advance understanding of consumer responses to online RRPs and provide actionable guidance for designing more effective digital referral strategies

Migration and Caesarean section birth in the United Kingdom: a secondary analysis of Born in Bradford data

Background Caesarean section (C-section) rates in the United Kingdom continue to increase and are a concern. Births to migrants account for 30.3% of live births in England and Wales. Other international studies have observed varying rates of C-section for migrant populations in comparison to women born within the country itself. Comparison of incidence rates of Caesarean section birth between migrant populations and women born in the United Kingdom (UK) was undertaken to inform the UK context and address an existing dearth of data. Methods This study included analysis of 11,361 records from the Born in Bradford cohort study. Binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate crude and adjusted odd ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the incidence of total, elective, and emergency C-section births between migrant populations and UK-born women. Results Women from “South Asia” and “Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia” demonstrate lower incidences of total C-section with a significantly lower elective C-section. Women from Sub-Saharan Africa demonstrate significantly high rates of total C-section (38% increased odds). Discussion High variation in the incidence of C-section amongst migrant populations was observed, replicating findings from the few other international studies. Further in-depth exploration is required to understand the impact of this variation on maternal and neonatal health disparities, and to assess the contribution of potential pathophysiological and sociocultural factors on related decision-making processes

Comparison of the vertical compliance and rotational stiffness of natural, hybrid and artificial football surfaces

The playing surface in football plays a pivotal role in player performance, safety, and overall game quality. With evolving regulations and continuous technological advances in football surfaces (natural, hybrid, and artificial turf), understanding their performance characteristics is essential. This study evaluated the vertical compliance and rotational stiffness of football surfaces using two test devices adopted by the FIFA Quality Programme: the Advanced Artificial Athlete and the Rotational Traction Athlete. Measurements were taken from 126 football pitches and turf samples, assessed in-situ and in the laboratory, respectively, which encompassed various natural, hybrid, and artificial turf systems. Results indicated significant differences in vertical compliance, with artificial turfs exhibiting higher peak shock absorption, greater peak deformation, and increased energy return compared to natural and hybrid turfs, suggesting that artificial turfs are more compressible and more elastic. Rotational stiffness measurements revealed that while peak torque values were similar across most surface types, natural and hybrid turfs demonstrated significantly higher resistive torque at 10 degrees of rotation than artificial systems. The findings of this study informed revisions of the performance thresholds adopted within the FIFA Quality Programme, which specify the global quality requirements for football playing surfaces

The effects of sport participation on physical and cognitive function in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Physical activity has a positive impact on the ageing process, but little is known about the benefits of sport for older adults. Aim The aim of this study was to review and synthesise the available literature regarding the effect of sport participation on physical and cognitive function in older adults. Methods After searching databases, 2422 studies were screened and a total of 16 studies met the eligibility criteria. Quality assessment was undertaken. Results The selected studies assessed either physical function, cognitive function or both. From the studies that assessed physical function (n = 13), 9 (70%) reported significant improvements in timed up and go, repeated sit to stand, static balance postural sway or walking performance (p < 0.05). Of the studies that assessed cognitive function (n = 5), 5 (100%) reported significant improvements in attention and memory (p < 0.05). The sport participation significantly improved physical function but not cognitive function. The physical benefits of sport participation could be explained through the quantity and quality of training. Conclusion Sport participation can increase physical function in older adults and should be promoted alongside other modes of physical activity

A data-driven decision framework for selecting the best location to establish a manufacturing centre based on Industry 5.0 dimensions

The current study addresses one of the main strategic challenges of logistics managers relevant to selecting the best location for the establishment of the manufacturing sites using a data-driven approach. In this regard, by considering the elements of the recently introduced industrial revolution called Industry 5.0 (I5.0), this research first identifies the major criteria of the research problem based on experts and literature. Then, their importance is measured using the fuzzy Best-Worst Method (BWM). In the next step, the potential points to establish the manufacturing centers are evaluated based on the I5.0 dimensions applying the Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) method. The achieved results show that “Land Cost”, “Infrastructure for making facility smart”, “Impact on ecological landscape”, and “Easy commute for workers” are the most significant indicators among the criteria of the research problem

The causal dynamics between the domestic bond market and economic growth in Botswana

Purpose This study aims to scrutinise the causal relationship between the domestic bond market and the growth of the economy in Botswana from 2006 to 2020. Design/methodology/approach The Trivariate Granger causality model within an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)-bounds testing approach was employed on gross savings (SAV), economic growth, corporate bond market (CBM) and government bond market (GBM). Findings The empirical results revealed the neutrality hypothesis in the GBM. This implies that the GBM does not affect economic growth in Botswana, nor does economic growth impact the GBM. In the short run, a unidirectional causal link existed between the CBM and economic growth, running from economic growth to the CBM, which evidenced the demand hypothesis. Research limitations/implications The study used the bond market data from 2006 to 2020, despite the Botswana domestic bond market being established in 1997. It would be necessary to conduct another study that includes data from 1997 to 2005 once it’s availed to the public to ascertain whether the results would diverge from those of this study. Also, it would provide a full overview and trends about the Botswana domestic bond. Even though the years 1997–2005 were excluded, still the period under consideration provided sufficient data required by various regression models used in this study, resulting in robust results. Practical implications The Botswana Government and regulators of the financial markets should concentrate on fostering the growth of the corporate bond market by implementing favourable bond market listing requirements. Policymakers should decrease the market capitalisation of government bonds to encourage the growth of the corporate bond market. Originality/value This study provides new empirical evidence on the relationship between bond market development and economic growth in Botswana, a context that remains underexplored in the literature. By employing a trivariate Granger causality within an ARDL framework, the study addresses methodological limitations found in previous research. It provides a comprehensive insight into how domestic bond market Granger causes economic growth in a developing country context. It recommends valuable policy implications to policymakers in developing countries seeking to leverage domestic bond markets as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth

The Eurasian and North American ice sheets at the Last and Penultimate glacial maxima: coupled atmosphere–ice sheet model sensitivity and calibration

The configuration of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets during the Last and Penultimate Glacial Maxima (LGM; PGM) influenced millennial-scale climate changes, as well as solid Earth and sea level changes that occurred during the subsequent deglaciations, due to their effects on the atmosphere, ocean circulation, and the solid Earth. Thus, realistic simulations of these ice sheets are crucial for the initialisation of deglaciation experiments that can help improve our understanding of interactions between the climate, ice sheets and sea levels. Here, we produce the first large ensembles of complex coupled atmosphere–ice sheet model (FAMOUS-BISICLES) simulations of the PGM and LGM, varying 12 uncertain parameters that control the ice sheet albedo, ice dynamics and climate. We quantify the sensitivity to input parameters using Gaussian Process emulators to perform a Sobol sensitivity analysis. Albedo parameters have the largest influence on ice volumes for both ice sheets and time periods. Parameters controlling precipitation and sliding have a larger effect on Eurasian than North American ice sheet size due to the differences in geographical and climatic settings. Out of 120 parameter combinations, we find 4 that produce LGM and PGM ice volumes and extents compatible with palaeo-evidence. The resulting ice sheet configurations provide new and improved reconstructions of PGM Northern Hemisphere ice sheets for use as inputs in climate, ice sheet and sea level models