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Lightweight bearing fault diagnosis via decoupled distillation and low rank adaptation
Multiport bidirectional converters for off board charging stations of electric vehicles
Abstract In this paper, two multi-port bi-directional converters are proposed to be utilized as off-board Electric Vehicles (EVs) charging station. Both converters are designed to integrate renewable energy along with grid power. High gain, three ports, and four modes of operation are the main advantages of these converters. The first mode is Photovoltaic-to-Vehicle (PV2V), the second is Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V). In addition, both converters support Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) mode (third mode) among with PV-to-Grid (PV2G) mode which is the fourth mode. Theoretical analysis and simulation are done in continuous current mode. Theoretical analysis and simulations show that both converters have the same gain in all four modes, however Boost-Boost-Buckboost (BBB) converter has higher efficiency and lower number of components than that of the Boost-Boost-SEPIC (BBS) converter. Theoretical Border Conduction Mode (BCM) and Discontinues Conduction Mode (DCM) is also conducted for BBB-MPB. A prototype is implemented for the BBB converter. The prototype is tested for all operating modes as the operating voltage is 56.5 V, the output voltage is measured to be 17.7 V in G2V, and PV2V, 158.3 V in V2G, and for the last mode PV2G the output is 102.83 V. The maximum efficiency is calculated to be 94.3%. Compared to latest converters, the proposed BBB converter has higher number of ports, higher number of operating modes and also higher efficiency. Small signal analysis and dynamic load response is studied for the proposed converter and show that the converter has a marginal stability. According to this analysis the converter needs a control algorithm to overcome the marginal stability.
Introducing the University of California, Irvine Corneal Cystine Crystal Score: A Novel Tool for Assessing Corneal Crystal Deposition in Cystinosis Patients
Abstract This study aimed to develop and validate the University of California Irvine Corneal Cystine Crystal Score (UCI CCCS), a novel grading system for objectively assessing corneal crystal deposition in cystinosis patients using a slit lamp biomicroscope. This tool provides a standardized method for monitoring disease progression and evaluating treatment efficacy. This retrospective study analyzed clinical records from 36 cystinosis patients examined at the Day of Hope conference, all with the infantile nephropathic form. The records included evaluations from slit-lamp examinations and Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA). After evaluation, the UCI CCCS was developed by experts in pediatric ophthalmology and cornea specialty; this system differentiates cystine crystal density, iris visibility, and corneal haze on a scale from 0 to 5. For validation, 107 slit-lamp images were assessed by masked graders. Statistical analysis using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Cohen’s kappa was performed to confirm the tool’s ability to produce consistent, reproducible results across and within graders. The cohort included 23 males and 13 females (mean age: 15.64 years, range: 0–60). A total of 72 eyes were evaluated. In the validation phase, the UCI CCCS demonstrated high inter-rater agreement (κ = 0.869, P < 0.001) and excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.922, P < 0.001). The UCI CCCS is a validated, reliable, and reproducible tool for assessing corneal crystal involvement in cystinosis, supporting its clinical and research applications.
A music source separation method integrating time–frequency decoupling and mamba-based state space modeling
Distinguishing tuberculosis from non-tuberculous mycobacteria and other respiratory conditions by microbiome patterns
Path planning for autonomous vehicles based on the improved ant colony algorithm
Multimodal predictors of disability progression and processing speed decline in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis
Abstract The underlying mechanisms for neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis are complex and incompletely understood. Multivariate and multimodal investigations integrating demographic, clinical, multi-omics, and neuroimaging data provide opportunities for nuanced analyses, aimed to define disease progression markers. We used data from a 12-year longitudinal multicenter cohort of 88 people with multiple sclerosis, to test the predictive value of multi-omics, T1-weighted MRI (lesion count and volume, lesion-filled brain-predicted age), clinical examinations, self-reports on quality of life, demographics, and general health-related variables for future functional and cognitive disability. Systematic increases in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were used to stratify a progressive disability group (PDG) from relatively stabile disability. A processing speed decline group (PSDG) was defined by a ≥ 20% decrease of Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test score from previous timepoints. We used a multiverse approach to identify which baseline variables were most predictive for PDG and PSDG memberships, considering multiple analysis paths. Future disability (median area under the curve: mAUC = 0.83 ± 0.04, median Brier score: mBS = 0.16 ± 0.02) and the loss of processing speed (mAUC = 0.89 ± 0.05, mBS = 0.10 ± 0.03) could be successfully classified across models. Varibles significantly (median p-values < 0.05) predicting stable disability included receiving disease modifying treatment at 12-year follow-up (median Odds Ratio: mORPDG = 7.44 ± 4.07, pmedian = 0.013, proportion of the OR’s directionality: PORSD = 100%), lower baseline EDSS for each 1-unit (mORPDG = 0.25 ± 0.11, pmedian = 0.013, PORSD = 100%), and counter-intuitively every year increase in baseline age (mORPDG = 1.12 ± 0.04, pmedian = 0.020, PORSD = 100%), and lower vitamin A per 1 umol/L (mORPDG = 0.10 ± 0.05, pmedian = 0.016, PORSD = 99.7%) and D levels per 1 nmol/L (mORPDG = 0.95 ± 0.02, pmedian = 0.025, PORSD = 100%). Variables significantly predicting stable processing speed were receiving disease modifying treatment at 12-year follow-up (mORPSDG = 0.10 ± 0.08, pmedian = 0.013, PORSD = 100%) and baseline PASAT score (mORPSDG = 0.86 ± 0.03, pmedian = 0.005, PORSD = 99.73%). These findings were supported by an additional simulation study. Concordant with the literature, disease modifying treatments influence disability progression, as well as a higher EDSS and PASAT scores at measurement start. Experimental and counterintuitive findings on vitamin A and D levels require further validation. The large variability across models suggests a strong influence of analytic flexibility, such as the selection of covariates.
Insomnia symptoms and their association with academic performance among respiratory therapy students in Saudi Arabia and the United States
Research assessment: a round-up for early-career researchers
Haematopoietic stem cell number is not solely defined by niche availability
The variational modulus density theory explains mechanical responses of cell membranes and membrane crosslinkers
Abstract Both classical mechanics and quantum mechanics explain Brownian motion. However, it remains unclear whether they are compatible with each other, as the physical and mathematical identity of the wavefunction in quantum mechanics has been elusive. In this work, a continuum theory using grammars in classical mechanics modeling, but potentially compatible with the quantum wavefunction, is introduced. The theory explains the confined Brownian motion of cell membrane inclusions interacting with extracellular matrices or cytoskeletons via elastic molecular crosslinkers. This crosslinker theory is integrated into the Canham-Helfrich-Evans model for fluid membranes. Calculations, based on a finite element method for the combined theory, reproduced measured data from adhesion molecular machineries and cell membranes. Overall, by providing physical and mathematical interpretations of the quantum wavefunction, the presented theoretical model provides improved capabilities for the realistic simulation of cell membranes and membrane linker proteins.
Parent-of-origin effects on complex traits in up to 236,781 individuals
Abstract Parent-of-origin effects (POEs) occur when the effect of a genetic variant depends on its parental origin 1 . Traditionally linked to genomic imprinting, POEs are believed to occur due to parental conflict over resource allocation to offspring, resulting in opposing parental influences 2 . Despite their importance, POEs remain underexplored in complex traits, owing to the lack of parental genomes. Here we present an approach to infer the parent of origin of alleles without parental genomes, leveraging interchromosomal phasing, mitochondrial and X chromosome data, and sex-specific crossover in siblings. Applied to the UK Biobank, this enabled parent-of-origin inference for up to 109,385 individuals. Genome-wide association study scans for 59 complex traits and over 14,000 protein quantitative trait loci contrasting maternal and paternal effects identified over 30 POEs and confirmed more than 50% of known associations. More than one third of these showed opposite parental influences, especially for traits related to growth (for example, IGF1 and height) and metabolism (for example, type 2 diabetes and triglyceride levels). Replication in up to 85,050 individuals from the Estonian Biobank and 42,346 offspring from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) validated 87% of testable associations. Overall, our findings highlight the contribution of POEs to complex traits and support the parental conflict hypothesis, providing compelling evidence for this understudied evolutionary phenomenon.
CRISPR screen reveals SOX2 as a critical regulator of CD133 and cellular stress response in glioblastoma
Exploring the relationship between somatosensory-evoked potentials, resting-state theta power, and acute balance performance
Abstract Balance represents a fundamental motor ability whose considerable inter-individual variability and susceptibility to prior experience and task specificity complicate its assessment. Neurophysiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG) and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) offer complementary windows into the sensorimotor mechanisms that underpin balance control and may be associated with individual differences in acute performance levels. In the present study, 25 healthy adults naïve to slacklining underwent tibial nerve SEP recordings using single-pulse and paired-pulse paradigms on both dominant and non-dominant legs to assess excitation and inhibition in the sensorimotor cortex. This was followed by five minutes of resting-state EEG. Participants then completed three balance tasks on a slackline: single leg stance with eyes open, single leg stance with eyes closed, and a successive steps task, on each leg. SEP amplitude and paired-pulse inhibition, as well as resting-state theta power were taken as neurophysiological measures. Analysis revealed a correlation between lower resting-state theta power and superior single leg stance performance with eyes-open on the non-dominant leg, while no significant relationships emerged for the eyes-closed or successive steps tasks. Furthermore, neither SEP amplitudes nor paired-pulse inhibition were significantly associated with any balance outcome. Collectively, the present findings indicate that resting-state theta power could be a non-invasive marker of acute balance performance. These results underscore the promise of spectral EEG measures for acute assessment of specific sensorimotor capacity and suggest that future research should explore their utility in clinical rehabilitation and performance monitoring.
Hydrophobic wavy tape to augment the parabolic trough solar collector performance
Innate spectral preferences and aversive visual learning reveal wavelength-dependent preferences and discrimination in Drosophila melanogaster
Mental health of university students: a cross-sectional study from Qatar
Abstract This study explored the prevalence, associated factors, and management strategies related to mental health among university students in Qatar. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among students aged 18 and older. Data were collected on self-reported mental health diagnoses, perceived stress, management strategies, and demographic factors utilizing a self-reported electronic questionnaire. Descriptive, bi-variable, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations and trends. Among 812 participants (mean age 21.4 years, 84.6% female), 45.5% reported a history of mental illness, with anxiety (38.2%) and depression (27.9%) being most common. A dose–response relationship with life events was observed, whereby students reporting multiple life events had higher odds of a mental illness diagnosis, ranging from OR 2.21 (95% CI 1.40–3.50) for two life events to OR 5.11 (95% CI 2.10–12.42) for five events or more. Despite this burden, only 7.6% of the participants reported that they were seeing a counselor at the time of the survey. The findings reveal a concerning prevalence of mental health conditions among university students in Qatar, particularly anxiety and depression and highlight the urgent need for strategies promoting resilience and mental wellbeing to improve students’ mental health and academic success.