Browse Articles

Optimized cascaded regulation strategy for robust automatic generation control in renewable-integrated power networks

Abstract Ensuring stability of both voltage and frequency in linked power networks (LPNs) is a critical challenge, primarily due to their nonlinear dynamics and load variability. Due to the high penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources, traditional Load Frequency Control (LFC) and Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) schemes often struggle to ensure fast, robust, and coordinated regulation in modern multi-area hybrid grids. To address these limitations, this research introduces a novel cascaded control architecture developed for Load Frequency Control (LFC) and Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) within a three-area hybrid LPN comprising thermal, wind, hydro, photovoltaic, and diesel generation sources. The proposed framework integrates three cascaded regulators: FOPI, TIDμ, and PIDA. Combining strengths of the three controllers provides better transient response, higher robustness against system uncertainties, and Improved steady-state accuracy. Also, for better performance, the parameters of the proposed controller are optimally selected using a recent developed optimization algorithm called Differential Creative Search (DCS). All simulations were carried out in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The obtained results are comprehensively compared to results obtained by utilizing other algorithms, Artificial Ecosystem-based Optimization (AEO), Dandelion Optimizer (DO), and the Runge–Kutta Optimization (RUN) algorithm. Results indicate that the DCS algorithm achieved the superior outcome, attaining the lowest objective function value of 0.0507, surpassing AEO, DO, and RUN with values of 0.0706, 0.0789, and 0.0649, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed controller was benchmarked against advanced control strategies such as FOPI–PI, TFOIDFF, and FOPI–PIDD2, yielding improvements in objective function values by 28.89%, 54.89%, and 26.42%, respectively. The simulation findings demonstrate that the FOPI–TIDμ–PIDA controller ensures significantly reduced overshoot by less than 0.12 Hz, faster settling times by less than 9.4 s, and enhanced voltage–frequency regulation even under ±25% variations in system parameters. Collectively, these results Proves the robustness, adaptability, and effectiveness of the proposed controller in advancing the stability and resilience of sustainable hybrid linked power networks.

Exercise ameliorates stanozolol and cannabis co-abuse testicular damage in rats evidenced by biochemical and histological regulation of SIRT1 and STS

Abstract Polydrug use among teenagers is widespread and emergent either among athletes or non-athletes. It is reported that stanzolol (Stanz) is commonly abused with cannabis (Cann), this combination probably affects the testicular functions negatively. Aim The present study aimed to evaluate the toxic effects of Stanz and or Cann on reproductive hormones and testicular enzymes. Male Wistar rats were administered Stanz (5 mg/kg, s.c., once per week) and Cann (20 mg/kg, i.p., daily) either alone or in combination for two months, in exercise or sedentary conditions. Swimming exercise protocol was applied. Administration of both Stanz and Cann induced testicular damage, as evidenced by altered hormones, oxidative stress, and testicular enzymes. The testis tissue was significantly injured by the combined administration. In serum, levels of free testosterone, follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), lutenizing hormone (LH) were markedly reduced, while sorbitol dehydrogenase level increased. Moreover, tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly increased, glutathione (GSH) content decreased, testicular N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (NAG) and Myeloperoxidase (MPO) were increased. SIRT1 and STS mRNA expression were downregulated. Besides, distinct histopathological changes were detected in testis of Stanz and Cann injected rats. Nevertheless, Stanz, Cann or combined treatment showed a considerable up-regulation of immunoexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and caspase-3 in testes tissue. Oxidative stress and inflammation played a significant role in the observed pathological changes. Training was partially ameliorating for the observed effects. Use of the drugs in sedentary rats had more detrimental effects on testes. Although exercise could palliate the damage partially, it was not fully protective.

LLPS droplet size estimation via UV–Vis spectroscopy using a microplate reader

Abstract Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is critical to the formation of membraneless organelles within cells. Monitoring the size and dynamics of LLPS droplets is essential to understanding their function. However, conventional methods, such as microscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS), have limitations, including low throughput and complex setups. Here, we present a simple, label-free, high-throughput method for estimating droplet size using ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectra obtained using a standard microplate reader. This method is theoretically supported by Mie scattering theory. By analyzing the spectral shape and comparing it to that of glass beads of known sizes, our method enables the quantitative estimation of LLPS droplet size in a minimally invasive manner. We validated our approach using peptide droplets of known sizes, then applied it to monitor the growth of protein condensates formed by vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B (VAPB). This technique offers a convenient, scalable alternative for screening LLPS dynamics in various biomolecular systems.

A bio-inspired swarm UAV framework integrating thermal sensing and optimization-based coordination for efficient search and rescue operations

Abstract Search and rescue (SAR) operations demand rapid, reliable detection of survivors in disaster-stricken environments where time, terrain, and responder safety are critical constraints. While Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with thermal imaging offer a promising aerial solution, current approaches often struggle to balance large-area coverage, responsiveness to thermal cues, and avoidance of redundant search paths. This paper proposes a modular, bio-inspired swarm UAV framework that enables real-time thermal-based SAR through autonomous, cooperative exploration of a discretized search grid. Each UAV operates as an intelligent agent, leveraging bio-inspired optimization algorithms to determine its next target location, with decision-making grounded in a shared thermal confidence map. A novel Exploration Score metric is introduced to quantitatively assess search efficiency by integrating area coverage, redundancy minimization, and spatial dispersion of the swarm. The system is implemented in a high-fidelity PX4 + Gazebo simulation environment, featuring real-time thermal detection and multi-drone coordination. Ten bio-inspired algorithms are evaluated under identical conditions, with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) achieving the highest exploration score of 0.67, outperforming Grey Wolf Optimizer (0.62) and Ant Colony Optimization (0.59). PSO also achieved 80% area coverage within 60% of the mission time while maintaining a low redundancy ratio (~ 0.25) and balanced inter-drone separation (15–20 m). These results confirm the framework’s effectiveness in enabling fast, adaptive, and energy-efficient thermal search missions, significantly enhancing the probability of early survivor detection. The proposed architecture serves as a benchmarking platform for UAV swarm coordination, and the exploration score metric offers a unified performance measure for future SAR algorithm comparisons.

Photocontrolled trimethoprim PROTACs targeting the eDHFR protein tag

Printable polymer nanocomposites for scalable and architected radiative cooling

Coupling nitrate electrochemical reduction and nitrite oxidation of ethanol for acetamide synthesis

Abstract Electrochemical acetamide synthesis under ambient conditions offers a sustainable route for converting waste nitrate into valuable chemicals. Conventional methods, limited to standalone reduction or oxidation processes, typically achieve low Faradaic efficiencies (<40%) and yields (<0.2 mmol h⁻¹ cm⁻²). Here, we present a tandem reaction system coupling cathodic reduction and anodic oxidation in a full-cell electrolyzer to enhance acetamide production. At the cathode, nitrate is first reduced to nitrite, which subsequently oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde. This acetaldehyde reacts in situ with electrogenerated ammonia to form α-aminoethanol. The intermediate is then transported to the anode, where it undergoes oxidation to yield acetamide. The reaction pathway is confirmed through proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, revealing efficient acetamide synthesis with a yield of 7.2 ± 0.3 mmol h⁻¹ (0.45 ± 0.02 mmol h⁻¹ cm⁻²) at a cell voltage of 2.4 V. Furthermore, the strategy extends to other amides, such as formamide and butyramide, underscoring its versatility. Techno-economic analysis highlights the viability of this route, with estimated production costs competitive against conventional thermal processes.

Population structure reverses selection of variants with proportionally scaled birth and death rates

Abstract A widespread biological phenomenon is that higher reproduction rates are often accompanied by higher mortality. During tumor progression, variants can both reproduce and die faster; rapidly replicating viruses decay more quickly; arthropods with faster reproduction have shorter lifespans; and in ecological systems, more frequent reproduction can increase predation risk. Variants with proportionally scaled birth and death rates are termed quasi-neutral mutants . Although their lifetime reproductive success is unchanged, such mutants have fixation probabilities slightly lower (or higher) than neutral mutants if birth and death rates are proportionally larger (or smaller). Previous studies, limited to well-mixed populations, showed that quasi-neutral mutants deviate from neutrality but still exhibit fixation probabilities scaling with their initial frequencies. Here, we show that in deme- or spatially structured populations, variants with proportionally increased (decreased) birth and death rates become genuinely disadvantageous (advantageous). We calculate their effective fitness and further demonstrate that even when mutants have higher lifetime reproductive output, proportional increases in both birth and death rates can render them strongly disadvantageous—and vice versa. This effect intensifies in larger populations. These findings revise the relationship between lifetime reproductive success and selection, with implications for evolutionary dynamics across biological systems.

Surface halogenation engineering for reversible silicon-based solid-state batteries

Highly efficient heterogeneous thermal catalysis for noble-metal-free hydrogen production from formic acid

Advancing quantum imaging through learning theory

Abstract We study quantum imaging by applying the resolvable expressive capacity (REC) formalism developed for physical neural networks (PNNs). In this paradigm of quantum learning, the imaging system functions as a physical learning device that maps input parameters to measurable features, while complex practical tasks are handled by training only the output weights, enabled by the systematic identification of well-estimated features (eigentasks) and their corresponding sample thresholds. Using this framework, we analyze both direct imaging and superresolution strategies for compact sources, defined as sources with sizes bounded below the Rayleigh limit. In particular, we introduce the orthogonalized SPADE method—a nontrivial generalization of existing superresolution techniques—that achieves superior performance when multiple compact sources are closely spaced. This method relaxes the earlier superresolution studies’ strong assumption that the entire source must lie within the Rayleigh limit, marking an important step toward developing more general and practically applicable approaches. Using the example of face recognition, which involve complex structured sources, we demonstrate the superior performance of our orthogonalized SPADE method and highlight key advantages of the quantum learning approach—its ability to tackle complex imaging tasks and enhance performance by selectively extracting well-estimated features.

Increased interannual variability of Sahel rainfall under greenhouse warming

Ribosome biogenesis as a potential therapeutic target in KRAS mutant colorectal cancer

Abstract Molecular targeted therapies targeting KRAS signaling have significantly improved patient outcomes, but they have not achieved sufficient therapeutic efficacy in colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we demonstrate that a subset of KRAS-mutant CRC cells transitions to a cellular state characterized by enhanced ribosome biogenesis upon KRAS signaling inhibition. The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor, trametinib, and AMG510 induce a cellular state characterized by a gene expression profile highly enriched for ribosome biogenesis. We find that they are vulnerable to the inhibition of RNA polymerase I, and they exhibit synergistic anti-tumor effects with trametinib in an autochthonous mouse model of intestinal tumors and human patient-derived organoids (PDOs). These observations demonstrate that high ribosome biogenesis induced by KRAS inhibition is indispensable to maintain this cellular state and is a potential therapeutic target. Overall, this study reveals novel mechanisms of drug tolerance to KRAS inhibition, thereby facilitating the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Circumferential actomyosin bundles anchored by CCM1 drive endothelial cell contraction and vessel constriction

Abstract Blood vessels undergo extensive remodelling to acquire appropriate diameters, yet how endothelial cells coordinate changes in their number and shape to achieve this remains unclear. Here we show that endothelial cell contraction and rearrangements underlie the inverse relationship between cell number and vessel diameter during development. Using high-resolution imaging and manipulation of actin cytoskeleton organisation, in vivo laser ablation experiments and mathematical simulations, we reveal that tension-bearing, circumferential actomyosin bundles form in the endothelial cortex to drive endothelial cell contraction and vessel constriction. The anchorage of circumferential actin bundles to cell-cell junctions is mediated by Ccm1/Krit1 protein. Importantly, the loss of circumferential actin bundles in ccm1 -deficient endothelial cells causes cell enlargement and impaired vessel constriction, culminating in vessel dilation characteristic of cerebral cavernous malformations. Our multiscale study demonstrates how circumferential actomyosin-driven endothelial cell contractions regulate vessel diameter and provides insights into mechanisms of both normal vascular development and disease pathogenesis.

Structural basis for childhood antibody recognition of the human metapneumovirus fusion protein

ALFA-K: Local adaptive mapping of karyotype fitness landscapes

Abstract Despite its critical role in tumor evolution, a detailed quantitative understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of aneuploidy remains elusive. Here we introduce ALFA-K (Adaptive Local Fitness landscapes for Aneuploid Karyotypes), a method that infers chromosome-level karyotype fitness landscapes from longitudinal single-cell data. ALFA-K estimates fitness of thousands of karyotypes closely related to observed populations, enabling robust prediction of emergent karyotypes not yet experimentally detected. We validate ALFA-K’s performance using synthetic data from an agent-based model and empirical data from in vitro and in vivo passaged cell lines. Analysis of fitted landscapes suggests several key insights: (1) Whole genome doubling facilitates aneuploidy evolution by narrowing the spectrum of deleterious copy-number changes; (2) Environmental context and cisplatin treatment significantly modulate the fitness impact of these changes; (3) Fitness effects of copy-number changes depend on parental karyotype; and (4) Chromosome mis-segregation rates strongly influence the predominant karyotypes in evolving populations.

General variation in the Fusarium wilt rhizosphere microbiome

Abstract The dominant bacteria enriched in the Fusarium wilt plants’ rhizosphere are of increasing interest, as they adapt well to the diseased rhizosphere. However, general information about these bacteria is still lacking. Here, we perform a meta-analysis of Fusarium wilt plants rhizosphere and comprehensive studies to obtain information about the robust variation in the rhizosphere microbiome of Fusarium wilt plants. We demonstrate that Fusarium infection reproducibly changes the rhizosphere bacterial community composition. The rhizosphere microbiomes of Fusarium wilt plants are characterized by the enrichment of Flavobacterium , gene cassettes involved in antioxidant functions related to sulfur metabolism and the root secreted tocopherol acetate. We further isolate antagonistic Flavobacterium anhuiense from the diseased tomato rhizosphere, and reveal that the growth of F. anhuiense and the expression of genes related to carbohydrate metabolism in this strain are significantly stimulated by tocopherol acetate. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of F. anhuiense against F. oxysporum and F. anhuiense population enhancement by tocopherol acetate are confirmed in planta . The robust variation in the rhizosphere microbiome elucidates key principles governing the general assembly mechanism of the microbiome in the Fusarium wilt plants’ rhizosphere.

Age-specific clinical performance of HPV-based vs. cytology-based cervical cancer screening in China

Shock compression of FeOOH and implications for iron-water interactions in super-earth magma oceans

O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation modifications on HtL1/FBA10 regulate wheat vernalization for flowering

Abstract Vernalization-regulated flowering is vital for wheat yield and geographical distribution, and the diversity of flowering time genes is essential for the breeding of climate-resilient varieties. Sugars have long been recognized in regulating flowering; however, the intrinsic connection between carbohydrate metabolism and vernalization response remains largely unexplored. Here, we identify a fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) encoding gene, HtL1/FBA10 , as a modulator of heading time variation based on a genome-wide association study utilizing wheat core germplasm collections. Evolutionary analysis shows a decrease in the proportion of haplotype-2 of HtL1 , which is linked to delayed flowering, in Chinese and American wheat varieties compared to landraces. Vernalization reduces HtL1/FBA10 phosphorylation levels and  increases  its O -GlcNAcylation, which in turn enhances its enzymatic activity and facilitates VERNALIZATION 1 ( VRN1 ) transcription by regulating histone acetylation at the VRN1 locus. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into the interplay between glucose metabolism and the epigenetic regulation of vernalization in winter wheat.