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Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involve assigning patients at random to different treatments. Because of the random assignment, patient factors (such as age, sex, and disease stage) will, on average, be the same between treatment groups, meaning that any differences in outcomes (such as mortality) between the groups will likely be due to the treatment. Because of this, RCTs are considered the gold standard for generating high-quality evidence on whether new treatments are safe and effective. However, during most RCTs patients will experience unplanned events which mean they have to stop treatment early, switch from one treatment to another, or receive additional treatments outside of the trial. This can complicate the interpretation of results, as it is not always clear how such unplanned events are handled in the calculation of the treatment effect. For instance, the effect of starting a patient on the treatment, regardless of whether they continue taking treatment or switch to something else, could be calculated. Alternatively, the effect of actually completing a course of treatment could also be calculated. Most trials do not explicitly state which treatment effect they have calculated, which can lead to misinterpretations. New international guidelines have recently been developed by drug regulators and the pharmaceutical industry to highlight the importance of clear reporting of the treatment effect's interpretation. However, the guidance does not provide the statistical methods for calculating these treatment effects. Whilst some statistical methods have been proposed for calculating different treatment effects, these are often written in an overly technical manner, are published in academic journals unfamiliar to those running trials, and do not provide the computer code required to implement such methods. Thus, many trials use inappropriate methods to calculate treatment effects. As such, there is urgent need for guidance on appropriate, accessible, statistical methods to calculate treatment effects in RCTs.

Algae protein and plant protein are considered as novel and primary source of protein for the human being in future as it is now crucial to reduce our dependence on animal-based protein, notably to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, among varied food structure, the powder matrix of the algae-plant-based formula will reduce transportation and storage costs due to lower water content, which is interesting for food industry. Moreover, the algae-plant-based powder can be a replacer to traditional dairy powder, which is namely milk-analogue powder. However, the formula of algae-plant-based solution and its powder has not been studied yet. This project therefore aims to 1/investigate the powder matrix of algae-plant based formula influenced by drying protocol, 2/demonstrate the rehydration profile of the powder matrix, and 3/improve the sustainable production of this powder. Technological and health potentiality of plant and algae protein for the production of functional food powders by spray drying will be investigated focusing on milk-analogue powder as a model. To achieve the sustainability of the process, mass and energy transfer will be modelled to identify optimal conditions for greener production. The physical characteristics of algae-plant-based initial liquid feed and final powder will be investigated. Both are linked and are of great significance on the development of powder structure during drying and on the final powder functional properties. Especially, the rehydration of algae-plant-based powder will be studied stepwise in comparison with the characteristics of feed solution and spray drying conditions, which can enlighten the smart design of powder matrix for instant breakage during rehydration. Lastly, the digestion of algae-plant-based powder and nutrition analysis pave path to alternate the real milk. As a fresh researcher, my career can be facilitated by this advanced research at AgroParisTech, internationally recognized institute on future food.

The project will use the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) to identify a class of intermolecular interactions known as o-hole interactions in crystal structures. These interactions will be classified geometrically and their geometric trends assessed. These studies will be complemented with computational studies of the interaction energies, using a methodology in which computationally inexpensive calculations can be conducted after benchmarking against higher level calculations. We aim to establish a new database within the CSD that contains crystal structures with these interactions and enable information on interaction energies to be available alongside the geometries. The aim would then be to make this database accessible as a future resource for researchers. The project is jointly funded and supervised by the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

The projected rise in the demand of high-quality steel could be met by recycling steel. However, steel scrap is often contaminated with pervasive metals and other impurities which cannot normally be completely extracted from melts. The concentrations of copper, phosphorus and sulphur are known to limit the applicability of recycled steels as they cause embrittlement, may exacerbate hot shortness leading to surface cracking and cause a reduction to properties like corrosion resistance, ductility and impact resistance. For this reason, there should be careful consideration of the levels of impurities in the alloys so that recycled steel alloys too can be used in more challenging and high-value applications. Alloying for impurity tolerance can be applied to different areas of power plants and the aim of this project is to test the suitability of designed alloys for application in simulated service conditions. By carrying out wear, corrosion resistance and fatigue tests, the effects of these impurities, heat treatment methods and coatings on the microstructural and mechanical properties of the designed alloys will be investigated.