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Optimizing power grids: A valley-filling heuristic for energy-efficient electric vehicle charging

The expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) challenges electricity grids by increasing charging demand, thereby making Demand-Side Management (DSM) strategies essential to maintaining balance between supply and demand. Among these strategies, the Valley-Filling approach has emerged as a promising method to optimize renewable energy utilization and alleviate grid stress. This study introduces a novel heuristic, Load Conservation Valley-Filling (LCVF), which builds on the Classical and Optimistic Valley-Filling approaches by incorporating dynamic load conservation principles, enabling better alignment of EV charging with grid capacity. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the heuristic across five EV charging scenarios. In both the Original and Flexible scenarios, LCVF reduced energy demand by up to 10.65%, demonstrating its adaptability and effectiveness. Notably, in the 24-hour Availability scenario, LCVF achieved a reduction of over 20% in energy demand compared to CVF. These findings indicate that LCVF could play a crucial role in enhancing real-world EV charging infrastructure, boosting energy efficiency and grid stability. By integrating DSM strategies like LCVF, energy grids can better accommodate renewable energy sources, promoting more sustainable operations.

Qualitative comparison of decalcifiers for mouse bone cryosections for subsequent biophotonic analysis

AbstractBone tissue, with its complex structure, often necessitates decalcification of the hard tissue for ex vivo morphological studies. The choice of a suitable decalcification method plays a crucial role in preserving desired features and ensuring compatibility with diverse imaging techniques. The search for a universal decalcification method that is suitable for a range of biophotonic analyses remains an ongoing challenge. In this study, we systematically assessed five standard bone decalcification protocols, encompassing strong mineralic acids (3% and 5% nitric acid), a commercially available formulation of hydrochloric and formic acid), as well as weak organic acids (5% trichloroacetic acid and 8% formic acid), and a chelating agent (25% ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid) with varying decalcification durations, using mouse long bones as our experimental model. Our imaging analysis panel included classical histological staining (Hematoxylin and Eosin, H&E), immunofluorescence staining, and label-free Raman microspectroscopic imaging. We used cryosections instead of paraffin sections since paraffin interferes with tissue Raman signals. This approach is not as commonly used as it is more prone to handling artifacts, but is the preferred method for subsequent Raman analysis. Decalcification efficacy was evaluated based on various qualitative and some quantitative imaging parameters by 2–3 independent observers. Our systematic approach revealed that the chelating agent, when used for 24 h, optimally preserved bone features and, thus, would be the ideal decalcifying agent for comprehensive subsequent analysis. However, the choice of decalcifier and the ideal decalcification duration may vary depending on the type and thickness of bone, necessitating tailored adjustments to meet specific experimental requirements.

Effectiveness of menstrual hygiene management training to enhance knowledge, attitude, and practice among adolescents in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal

Background Menstrual Health (MH) knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) are highly affected by access to information regarding menstruation. Despite being included in the school curriculum, Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) education is often not delivered in practice. School-based educational interventions have been shown to be effective in promoting MH. Methods A school-based study was conducted in Indrawati rural municipality of Sindhupalchowk district in Nepal. 427 participants (175 boys and 252 girls), aged 11–13, completed a questionnaire evaluating MH KAP before receiving a structured training module on MH provided by experienced trainers from Putali Nepal using the Menstrupedia tool. The questionnaire was repeated one month after the training. Pre and post intervention scores were compared to determine the effect of the intervention. Focus group discussions were also conducted to understand the perceptions of participants toward SRH teaching. Association of independent socio-demographic with dependent variables knowledge and attitude towards menstrual health were analyzed using MANOVA test. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the median outcome of the pre and post-test attitude and knowledge. The maximum possible score was 6 for MH knowledge. The total attitude score ranged 14 to 70. Results The median knowledge score increased by 1 point (p = <0.001) and the median attitude score by 5 points (p = <0.001), one month after delivery of the intervention. Higher knowledge scores were significantly associated with Hindu religion, female gender, higher father’s literacy, and mothers in an informal occupation on multivariate analysis. Higher attitude scores were significantly associated with Hindu religion while lower attitude scores were associated with a mother in an informal occupation. Conclusion The Menstrupedia comic educational intervention improved knowledge and attitude towards menstruation among Nepali adolescents. A scale-up of the Menstrupedia based intervention would significantly change knowledge and attitude towards menstruation in Nepali adolescents.

Analyzing the association of critical illness and cardioversion success in patients with atrial fibrillation at the emergency department

Hypermethylation at 45S rDNA promoter in cancers

The ribosomal genes (rDNA genes) encode 47S rRNA which accounts for up to 80% of all cellular RNA. At any given time, no more than 50% of rDNA genes are actively transcribed, and the other half is silent by forming heterochromatin structures through DNA methylation. In cancer cells, upregulation of ribosome biogenesis has been recognized as a hallmark feature, thus, the reduced methylation of rDNA promoter has been thought to support conformational changes of chromatin accessibility and the subsequent increase in rDNA transcription. However, an increase in the heterochromatin state through rDNA hypermethylation can be a protective mechanism teetering on the brink of a threshold where cancer cells rarely successfully proliferate. Hence, clarifying hypo- or hypermethylation of rDNA will unravel its additional cellular functions, including organization of genome architecture and regulation of gene expression, in response to growth signaling, cellular stressors, and carcinogenesis. Using the bisulfite-based quantitative real-time methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) method after ensuring unbiased amplification and complete bisulfite conversion of the minuscule DNA amount of 1 ng, we established that the rDNA promoter was significantly hypermethylated in 107 breast, 65 lung, and 135 colon tumour tissue samples (46.81%, 51.02% and 96.60%, respectively) as compared with their corresponding adjacent normal samples (26.84%, 38.26% and 77.52%, respectively; p < 0.0001). An excessive DNA input of 1 μg resulted in double-stranded rDNA remaining unconverted even after bisulfite conversion, hence the dramatic drop in the single-stranded DNA that strictly required for bisulfite conversion, and leading to an underestimation of rDNA promoter methylation, in other words, a faulty hypomethylation status of the rDNA promoter. Our results are in line with the hypothesis that an increase in rDNA methylation is a natural pathway protecting rDNA repeats that are extremely sensitive to DNA damage in cancer cells.

Mechanical properties and mechanisms of soda residue and fly ash stabilized soil

Affinity maturation endows potent activity onto class 6 SARS-CoV-2 broadly neutralizing antibodies

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has greatly diminished the neutralizing activity of previously FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including that of antibody cocktails and of first-generation broadly neutralizing antibodies such as S309 (Sotrovimab). In contrast, antibodies targeting cryptic conformational epitopes of the receptor binding domain (RBD) have demonstrated broad activity against emerging variants, but exert only moderate neutralizing activity, which has so far hindered clinical development. Here, we utilize in vitro display technology to identify and affinity-mature antibodies targeting the cryptic class 6 epitope, accessible only in the “up” conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer. Increasing antibody affinity into the low picomolar range endowed potent neutralization of VOCs and protection of hACE2 mice from viral challenge. Cryoelectron microscopy and crystal structures of two affinity-matured antibodies (4C12-B12 and 4G1-C2) in complex with RBD highlighted binding modes and epitopes distal from mutational hotspots commonly overserved in VOCs, providing direct structural insights into the observed mutational resistance. Moreover, we further demonstrate that antibodies targeting the class 6 epitope, rather than being an artifact of in vitro selection, are common in the IgG1 + memory B cell repertoire of convalescent patients and can be induced in human antibody V-gene transgenic mice through immunization. Our results highlight the importance of very high (picomolar) affinity in the development of neutralizing antibodies and vaccines and suggest an affinity threshold in the provision of broad and long-lasting immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

Association between self-reported and proxy informant Health Quality of life of older adults with the use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes. A cross-sectional study

Introduction Antipsychotic prescriptions are frequent in nursing homes due to the challenging management of symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. This study aimed to assess the association between Health-related Quality Of Life (HrQOL) and antipsychotic use in nursing homes. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of the KASEHPAD (Karukera Study of Ageing in Nursing Homes) study conducted in six nursing homes in Guadeloupe and Martinique (French West Indies). The EuroQol 5-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) was used to measure HRQoL. Clinical characteristics and use of antipsychotic drugs of 194 older adults with both self-reported and proxy informant HrQOL index were extracted. Other outcomes measures included the frequency and severity of delusions, hallucinations and agitation using the reduced Neuropsychiatric Inventory Nursing Home (NPI-R) score, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Results The mean age of participants was 81.3 years and 63.6% had major cognitive impairment (MMSE score ≤18). The prevalence of delusions (39.7%), hallucinations (27.8%) and agitation (40.7%) was high. Antipsychotic medication was prescribed to 37.1% of the participants. The self-reported HrQOL Index of older adults was higher than the proxy HrQOL Index (0.54 ± 0.43 versus 0.40 ± 0.43) with a correlation coefficient of 0.63 (p<0.001). The use of antipsychotic medication was associated with a higher self-reported HrQOL index, after controlling for the frequency (β = 0.144, p = 0.024) or severity (β = 0.159, p = 0.009) of delusions, hallucinations and agitation symptoms. Conversely, antipsychotic use was not associated with proxy HrQOL Index. Conclusion Despite the adverse effects of long-term use of antipsychotic drugs in older adults, it is associated with better-perceived HrQOL among nursing home residents. However, this association was not observed when HrQOL was assessed by proxy informants. This finding may explain the challenges in reducing the use of this therapeutic class in nursing homes.

UF-5000 urinary erythrocyte parameters versus urinary aberrant erythrocytes and acanthocytes for diagnosing IgA glomerular hematuria

Effect of short inter-pregnancy interval on perinatal and maternal outcomes among pregnant women in SSA 2023: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background After a live birth, the recommended interval before attempting the next pregnancy is at least 24 months (birth to pregnancy interval) in order to reduce the risk of adverse maternal, perinatal and infant outcomes. Short inter pregnancy interval associated with adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes. Objective The objective of this review was to determine the effect of short inter pregnancy interval on perinatal and maternal outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa 2023. Methods A systematic and a comprehensive literature searching mechanism were used without any restriction, through Google scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and Grey literature databases for reporting the effect of short inter pregnancy interval. The JBI approach to critical appraisal, study selection, data extraction, and data synthesis was used for this review. All statistical analyses were done using STATA version17 software for windows, and meta-analysis was used with a random-effects method. The results are presented using texts, tables and forest plots with measures of effect and 95% confidence interval. Results Thirteen studies were included in this review and most of the studies level of heterogeneity across the study was considerable, mainly due to methodological variations, Statistical heterogeneity, and population and intervention variations of included studies. The effect of short inter pregnancy interval on perinatal and maternal outcome were low birth weight(RR (RR (95% CI) 1.98 (1.48, 2.47); I2:62.97%, preterm birth (RR (95% CI) 1.67 (1.31, 2.03); I2:51%, intra uterine growth retardation(RR (95% CI) 3.78 (2.07, 5.49); I2: 8.52%, low APGAR score(RR (95% CI) 3.49 (1.41, 5.57)); I2: 71.11%, premature rapture of membrane(RR (95% CI) 2.87 (1.22, 4.51)); I2: 49.22%, perinatal mortality(RR (95% CI) 2.95 (1.10, 4.81)); I2: 54.37% and maternal anemia(RR (95% CI) 3.06 (2.12, 3.99)); I2: 74.74%. Conclusions As per our review the main effect of short inter pregnancy interval is low birth weight, preterm birth, intra uterine growth retardation, low APGAR score, premature rapture of membrane, perinatal mortality and maternal anemia. This might be very useful for healthcare policymakers and NGOs to emphasize on it.

Explainable AI-based suicidal and non-suicidal ideations detection from social media text with enhanced ensemble technique

Correction: The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and food choice motives in the Iranian population

Histopathological effects of hypervitaminosis-D and the protective role of fetuin-A in renal, hepatic, and cardiac tissues in a murine model

Aberrant neuronal hyperactivation causes an age-dependent behavioral decline in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

Age-dependent sensory impairment, memory loss, and cognitive decline are generally attributed to neuron loss, synaptic dysfunction, and decreased neuronal activities over time. Concurrently, increased neuronal activity is reported in humans and other organisms during aging. However, it is unclear whether neuronal hyperactivity is the cause of cognitive impairment or a compensatory mechanism of circuit dysfunction. The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits age-dependent declines in an associative learning behavior called thermotaxis, in which its temperature preference on a thermal gradient is contingent on food availability during its cultivation. Cell ablation and calcium imaging demonstrate that the major thermosensory circuit consisting of AFD thermosensory neuron and AIY interneuron is relatively intact in aged animals. On the other hand, ablation of either AWC sensory neurons or AIA interneurons ameliorates the age-dependent thermotaxis decline. Both neurons showed spontaneous and stochastic hyperactivity in aged animals, enhanced by reciprocal communication between AWC and AIA via neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Our findings suggest that AWC and AIA hyperactivity mediates thermotaxis decline in aged animals. Furthermore, dietary modulation could ameliorate age-dependent thermotaxis decline by suppressing neuronal hyperactivity. We propose that aberrantly enhanced, not diminished, neuronal activities can impair the behavior of aged animals.

The Bimanual Observation of The Hands (BOTH): Development, reliability, and validity for stroke rehabilitation

Importance To efficiently perform bimanual daily tasks, bimanual coordination is needed. Bimanual coordination is the interaction between an individual’s hands, which may be impaired post-stroke, however clinical and functional assessments are lacking and research is limited. Objectives To develop a valid and reliable observation tool to assess bimanual coordination of individuals post-stroke. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting Rehabilitation settings. Participants Occupational therapists (OTs) with stroke rehabilitation experience and individuals post stroke. Outcomes and measures The development and content validity of BOTH included a literature review, review of existing tools and followed a 10-step process. The conceptual and operational definitions of bimanual coordination were defined as well as scoring criteria. Then multiple rounds of feedback from expert OTs were performed. OTs reviewed BOTH using the ‘Template for assessing content validity through expert judgement’ questionnaire. Then, BOTH was administered to 51 participants post-stroke. Cronbach’s alpha was used to verify internal reliability of BOTH and construct validity of BOTH was assessed by correlating it to the bimanual subtests of The Purdue Pegboard Test. Results Expert validity was established in two-rounds with 11 OTs. Cronbach’s alpha was α = 0.923 for the asymmetrical items, 0.897 for the symmetrical items and 0.949 for all eight items. The item-total correlations of BOTH were also strong and significant. The total score of BOTH was strongly significantly correlated with The Purdue–Both hands placement (r = .787, p &lt; .001) and Assembly (r = .730, p &lt; .001) subtests. Conclusions and relevance BOTH is a new observation tool to assess bimanual coordination post-stroke. Expert validity of BOTH was established, excellent internal reliability and construct validity were demonstrated. Further research is needed, so in the future, BOTH can be used for clinical and research purposes to address bimanual coordination post-stroke.

The effects of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway on the in vitro differentiation of rat BMSCs into leydig cells

Molecular basis of hemoglobin binding and heme removal in <i>Corynebacterium diphtheriae</i>

To successfully mount infections, nearly all bacterial pathogens must acquire iron, a key metal cofactor that primarily resides within human hemoglobin. Corynebacterium diphtheriae causes the life-threatening respiratory disease diphtheria and captures hemoglobin for iron scavenging using the surface-displayed receptor HbpA. Here, we show using X-ray crystallography, NMR, and in situ binding measurements that C. diphtheriae selectively captures iron-loaded hemoglobin by partially ensconcing the heme molecules of its α subunits. Quantitative growth and heme release measurements are compatible with C. diphtheriae acquiring heme passively released from hemoglobin’s β subunits. We propose a model in which HbpA and heme-binding receptors collectively function on the C. diphtheriae surface to capture hemoglobin and its spontaneously released heme. Acquisition mechanisms that exploit the propensity of hemoglobin’s β subunit to release heme likely represent a common strategy used by bacterial pathogens to obtain iron during infections.

Anomaly detection in virtual machine logs against irrelevant attribute interference

Virtual machine logs are generated in large quantities. Virtual machine logs may contain some abnormal logs that indicate security risks or system failures of the virtual machine platform. Therefore, using unsupervised anomaly detection methods to identify abnormal logs is a meaningful task. However, collecting accurate anomaly logs in the real world is often challenging, and there is inherent noise in the log information. Parsing logs and anomaly alerts can be time-consuming, making it important to improve their effectiveness and accuracy. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a method called LADSVM(Long Short-Term Memory + Autoencoder-Decoder + SVM). Firstly, the log parsing algorithm is used to parse the logs. Then, the feature extraction algorithm, which combines Long Short-Term Memory and Autoencoder-Decoder, is applied to extract features. Autoencoder-Decoder reduces the dimensionality of the data by mapping the high-dimensional input to a low-dimensional latent space. This helps eliminate redundant information and noise, extract key features, and increase robustness. Finally, the Support Vector Machine is utilized to detect different feature vector signals. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to traditional methods, this approach is capable of learning better features without any prior knowledge, while also exhibiting superior noise robustness and performance. The LADSVM approach excels at detecting anomalies in virtual machine logs characterized by strong sequential patterns and noise. However, its performance may vary when applied to disordered log data. This highlights the necessity of carefully selecting detection methods that align with the specific characteristics of different log data types.

Microscopy and spatial-metabolomics identify tissue-specific metabolic pathways uncovering salinity and drought tolerance mechanisms in Avicennia marina and Phoenix dactylifera roots

Tsg101 mimicry of canonical E2 enzymes underlies its role in ubiquitin signaling

Tsg101 is a highly conserved protein best known as an early-functioning component of cellular ESCRT machinery participating in recognition, sorting, and trafficking of cellular cargo to various intracellular destinations. It shares sequence and structural homology to canonical ubiquitin-conjugating (E2) enzymes and is linked to diverse events regulated by Ub signaling. How it might fulfill these roles is unclear. Here, we show that Tsg101 E2 mimicry permits interactions with diverse ubiquitin ligating (E3) enzymes and underlies its multifunctional capabilities. Coexpression of Tsg101 with the E3 ligase NNedd4-2s protected the enzyme from degradation and, remarkably, other widely divergent ligases as well. Structural alignment with UbcH5, a canonical E2 enzyme, revealed that recognition at the E2-E3 interface, a region broadly conserved despite sequence and structural differences in both E2 and E3 enzymes, was critical for protection. Nevertheless, UbcH5 failed to protect NNedd4-2s, indicating that the UEV chaperone function is unique to the variant. Studies using Cy5-Ub-VME showed that Tsg101-mediated protection reduced accessibility to Cys residues in the ligase. Access to Tsg101 Ub-binding sites was critical: Rabeprazole, which interferes with Tsg101 Ub-binding, diminished E3 ligase protection. Thus, E2 mimicry permitting control of E3 ligase ubiquitin signaling underlies Tsg101’s broad ability to participate in multiple cellular functions. The study provides mechanistic insight into how Tsg101, by partnering with diverse E3 ligases, can contribute to a broad range of cellular activities.