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Online monitoring of internal ground-wall insulation in permanent magnet synchronous machines
Get PDFFor inverter-driven permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs), the transient overvoltage phenomenon at the machine line-end has attracted widespread attention because of its potential to degrade the winding insulation, thereby causing premature failure. For this issue, various line-end ground-wall (GW) insulation monitoring methods have been proposed. However, recent research indicates that, in addition to the line-end, significant overvoltage also occurs inside the windings. In some cases, the internal overvoltage even exceeds the line-end overvoltage. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an online internal GW insulation monitoring method. This paper first establishes a high-frequency winding model, which can be used to study the effects of GW insulation aging at different positions. This study demonstrates that when the internal GW insulation degradation occurs, the common-mode (CM) impedance antiresonance frequency changes. It also shows that the natural frequency of the CM circuit is equal to the CM impedance antiresonance frequency. Therefore, this paper proposes an insulation monitoring method based on the system’s natural frequency. This method can quantitatively detect the internal GW insulation aging. To accurately extract the natural frequency of the system, a transfer function-based frequency extraction method is proposed. The performance of the proposed method is not affected by switching frequency and modulation index, demonstrating its strong robustness. Both distributed and concentrated winding PMSMs are employed for experimental validation
‘We should be focusing on why we eat, what we eat and how it makes us feel, not how many calories it has’: a photovoice study exploring young people’s views on the out-of-home calorie labelling policy in England and their priorities for changing the local food environment
Get PDFBackground
Obesity is a complex problem, a perpetual challenge for governments to address. In 2022 as part of a government obesity strategy, a mandatory calorie labelling policy for out-of-home food sectors was implemented in England. Little is known about the impact of this policy on young people; therefore, this study explored young people views on the policy and their priorities for change in their local food environments.
Methods
We conducted a participatory, qualitative study using Photovoice with 20 young people (12–17 years old) living in two communities in areas of high deprivation in England, a coastal town and an inner-city neighbourhood. Young people were involved in photography-led focus groups, a photo ‘walkabout’ in their local highstreets, and a local community photography exhibition. A textual-visual thematic analysis framework was used to analyse textual and visual data.
Results
Young people described challenges with navigating complex out-of-home food environments and reflected on whether the policy was effective in addressing these challenges. Three themes were identified: (1) Relevance of calories for informing healthy eating. Few found calories alone helpful to gauge whether something was healthy. However, some expressed surprise at the energy content of drinks and found calorie information useful for understanding ‘liquid calories’. (2) Commercial influences on food choices. Participants were aware of how commercial activities shaped their food environments, often in unequal ways, and how targeted marketing/advertising for young people can be more influential than calorie information on menus and food labels. (3) Value placed on the relational aspects of food. Young people recognised food as more than fuel, valuing its social and cultural significance and believing it should be produced and sold ethically and sustainably.
Conclusion
Young people viewed calorie labelling as unhelpful for making healthy eating choices, emphasising instead the need to address structural barriers and support for them to navigate increasingly complex and inequitable food systems. They demonstrated their role as informed food citizens by exercising social responsibility to shape their food environments. It is therefore vital to amplify their voices in public discourse and support their participation in shaping food policy and governance
British Society of Gastroenterology and Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland position on tranexamic acid in upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding
Get PDFPatient and caregiver attitudes to cognitive and behavioral testing in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Get PDFBackground
Cognitive and behavioral changes affect up to 50% of people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and are associated with worse outcomes, yet remain under-recognized in clinical care. Understanding patient and caregiver perspectives is important for engagement with cognitive screening.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 patients with ALS and 9 caregivers, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants were recruited via a multidisciplinary ALS clinic and the Motor Neurone Disease Association UK.
Results
Engagement with testing was shaped by emotional readiness, personal values, relational dynamics, practical barriers, and perceived value. Views ranged from seeing testing as an opportunity for preparedness and autonomy, to concerns it could undermine identity or add distress. Caregivers often valued testing to support planning but faced challenges balancing advocacy with respect for patient autonomy. Limited awareness of cognitive symptoms in ALS and unclear communication from clinicians reduced perceived relevance. Testing was most meaningful when tailored to personal priorities, introduced sensitively, and linked to actionable outcomes.
Conclusion
Cognitive screening in ALS requires a flexible, patient-centered approach that considers emotional readiness, relational contexts, and clear communication. Tailoring discussions and delivery to patient and caregiver needs may enhance acceptance and integration of cognitive assessment into holistic ALS care
Toxoplasma gondii infection induces extracellular vesicle miRNAs in synaptic plasticity and neural mechanisms
Get PDFAim: This study investigates the change in profiles of miRNAs in extracellular vesicles released during Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection. T. gondii has been implicated in host behavioural modifications and neuroinflammatory responses, yet the molecular mechanisms involved in these changes remain poorly understood. Extracellular vesicles, involved in intercellular communication, play an important role in host-pathogen interactions, particularly through the transfer of microRNAs (miRNAs); however, the impact of extracellular vesicle miRNAs in T. gondii infection remains largely unexplored.
Methods: Human BE(2)-M17 neuronal cells were infected with Toxoplasma gondii to investigate infection-induced changes in extracellular vesicle (EV) miRNA content. EVs from infected and control cultures were isolated, characterised, and subjected to miRNA extraction followed by next-generation sequencing and differential expression analysis using standard bioinformatic pipelines. Predicted miRNA targets were integrated across multiple databases and analysed for enriched pathways to identify neuronal regulatory networks.
Results: Pathway network analysis identified key neurobiological pathways, including neuroplasticity, neurotransmission, and neuroinflammation in high-confidence miRNA targets with gene enrichment of neurotrophin and long-term depression and long-term potentiation, which may underlie parasite-induced alterations in neural function. Bioinformatic analysis of extracellular vesicle miRNA profiles from infected and uninfected neuronal cells revealed a set of miRNAs including hsa-miR-4645-3p with significant upregulation in response to infection.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that T. gondii modulates host neuronal processes through extracellular vesicle-mediated miRNA transfer, providing a potential mechanistic link between infection and parasite-associated cognitive and neuropsychiatric disturbances
Promises past and future - Gene therapy and the actualisation of future expectations
Get PDFThe advent of gene therapies such as Zolgensma, Libmeldy, and Luxturna has given rise to new treatment options for several rare conditions, drastically changing the expectations of affected patients. It has also significantly influenced hopes of medical treatment in general, with an emerging vision of widespread targeted personalised treatment of increasingly segmented conditions. Looking at a newspaper sample from the latest wave of developments in the field (from January 01, 2020 until April 30, 2023), our analysis of current media coverage however finds that this narrative of paradigmatic change operates mostly without regard to the present and its challenges, such as the prohibitive price tag of these treatments and unresolved questions about their accessibility and long-term effects. Drawing on expectations raised in the context of the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2000, the article compares these to current hopes of gene therapy's safety and effectiveness; profitability; and accessibility. Areas of tension are then interpreted as a guide to an emerging ‘real-life’ understanding of gene therapy's promise, which is, however, mostly visible in discussions of problems with gene therapy's accessibility. Similarly marginalised issues include for instance assumptions of effectiveness that do not acknowledge the long-term uncertainty of treatment outcomes; and assumptions of profitability that run counter to real-life examples of business failure. As a revolutionary future becomes reality for some patients, such questions are becoming harder to ignore – but are crucially often omitted from discussion about projected change
Are health gains to children and adolescents more important than health gains to adults? A person trade-off study
Get PDFPURPOSE: Healthcare decision-making often assumes equal value for quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) across patient groups, yet societal preferences suggest that the value of a QALY may vary with characteristics such as age. Evidence indicates some willingness to prioritise child health gains, though findings are inconsistent. This study used person trade-off (PTO) to estimate the relative social value of different types of health gains for children and adolescents (aged 0-24 years) compared with adults.
METHODS: A representative Australian sample aged 16 years and above (n = 2098) completed an online survey comparing life extension and quality-of-life improvements for different ages. A 'chaining' approach tested response consistency, and logistic regression explored associations between PTO choices and respondent characteristics. Attitudinal questions and open text responses provided additional insights.
RESULTS: PTO responses show that health gains for children and adolescents (4-24 years) are generally valued more highly than those for adults (age 40 or 55 years), with weights ranging from 1 to 1.3. For very young children, findings vary by health gain type: life extensions for infants (1 month or 2 years) are weighted lower, but pain alleviation is higher (weights ≥ 1.2). Qualitative and attitudinal data reveal diverse views, with many opposing age-weighting. Younger respondents and those with young children prioritise children more, while older and female participants preferred equal treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: The relative value of child QALY gains varies by age of the child, by health gain type, and by adult comparison age. While alleviating children's pain is strongly supported (weights ≥ 1.2), overall views are polarised, highlighting the complexity of age-based prioritisation
A set of genetic tools for use in Clostridioides difficile and related species
Get PDFThe Clostridia are a phylogenetically diverse group of anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria that include species of medical, veterinary and industrial importance. The last two decades have seen major advances in our understanding of Clostridial biology despite the difficulties of anaerobic microbiology and the challenges associated with limited genetic tools. Effort has largely focused on the human pathogen Clostridioides difficile, but many of the methods developed have also proven useful in other species. Here, we present a collection of new genetic tools, including an array of promoters of varying strength, that we have characterized in C. difficile, the food spoilage bacterium Clostridium sporogenes and industrially important Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum. We also present a set of modular plasmids that allow expression of proteins with a variety of tags, including for protein purification and fluorescence microscopy and a method for genetic barcoding of C. difficile to facilitate competitive index experiments. We make these tools available in the hope that they will prove useful to the community in support of our growing understanding of these important bacteria
Examining the structure of visual analogue scales to capture motivation to eat in fasting and post-meal conditions
Get PDFThe visual analogue scale (VAS) methodology for tracking hunger, fullness, desire to eat and prospective consumption attempts to capture conceptually distinct but related dimensions of motivation to eat. It is the most commonly used methodology to measure subjective motivation to eat in human appetite and energy balance research.
The current paper examined the underlying factor structure of the 4 motivation to eat VAS: 1) in 552 participants from 13 studies at the Human Appetite Research Unit (HARU) at the University of Leeds through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in fasting and post-meal conditions; 2) in 151 participants of the multi-center DiOGenes study through CFA in fasting and post-meal conditions before and after weight loss.
EFA results indicated that >60 % of the variance between the VAS variables was explained by one underlying factor. The CFAs confirmed that the one-dimensional structure presented an overall good model fit. The 4 VAS questions presented high factor loadings. The one-dimensional structure also revealed high construct reliability and convergent validity across the 13 studies. A second analysis further confirmed a one-factor structure in fasting and post-meal conditions before and after weight loss. Measurement invariance testing was conducted across sex and fasted vs non-fasted conditions. Results indicated model invariance across sex at the configural, metric, and scalar levels, and partial metric invariance across conditions.
This current analysis indicates that hunger, fullness, desire to eat and prospective consumption VAS questions contribute to a single latent factor that should be used as a composite measure of the underlying process of motivation to eat. Additionally, this work suggests new methods should be developed to identify and measure different dimensions of motivation to eat states
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