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The role of mergers and rejuvenation in the buildup of the quiescent population at cosmic noon
No full textWe investigate the quenching of galaxies using a mock observational light-cone generated from the Semi-Analytic Model (SAM) L-Galaxies, closely matched to observations from the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey (UDS). The sample is used to study merging, rejuvenation, and visibility times for star-forming, quiescent, and post-starburst (PSB) galaxies, to assess the impact on the build-up of the passive galaxy mass functions. We find, for example, that a typical PSB (í µí± * ∼ 10 10 M ⊙) at í µí± § ≈ 1 has a 15 per cent likelihood of merging and around a 25 per cent likelihood of rejuvenating within 1 Gyr of being identified. Applying these rates and timescales to the observational data, we estimate the fraction of quiescent galaxies that passed through a PSB phase. We find that 18 − 28 per cent of the build-up in the massive end (í µí± * > 10 10 M ⊙) of the passive mass function at 1 < í µí± § < 2 can be explained by PSBs, with the contribution declining to ∼ 5 per cent by í µí± § ≃ 0.5. Accounting for mergers and rejuvenation reduces the inferred PSB contribution by approximately a factor of two. At lower stellar masses (í µí± * < 10 10 M ⊙), rapid quenching through a PSB phase explains a significantly larger fraction of the growth in the passive mass function. With a visibility time of ∼ 0.75 Gyr, we find that around 60 − 80 per cent of low-mass passive galaxies underwent a PSB phase. Our findings provide further evidence that low-and high-mass galaxies follow different quenching pathways
Reduction of Computational Complexity in Modulated Model-Predictive Control for Synchronous Reluctance Motor Drives
Full text linkThis paper introduces a novel geometric approach to significantly reduce the computational burden of modulated predictive controllers while maintaining the same steady-state performance and satisfactory dynamic behavior. The proposed geometric method leverages the symmetric properties of the active vectors with respect to the zero vectors in two-level inverters. In addition, the structure of the controller is designed to include the integral of error terms, ensuring zero steadystate tracking error. Several operating points are considered and compared with respect to standard modulated model-predictive control approaches, showing similar steady-state performance with a reduced computational effort (about 50% of the classical implementation execution time). This enables the use of more complex power electronics conversion system, which requires higher number of predictions, or to increase the switching frequency in traditional two level inverters, without compromising the steady state performance of the proposed controller. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated with a synchronous reluctance motor drive application
Preclinical Ischemic Stroke Multicenter (PRISM) Trials Collective Statement: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations for a New Era
Full text linkPreclinical stroke research faces a critical translational gap, with animal studies failing to reliably predict clinical efficacy. To address this, the field is moving toward rigorous, multicenter preclinical randomized controlled trials (mpRCTs) that mimic phase 3 clinical trials in several key components. This collective statement, derived from experts involved in mpRCTs, outlines considerations for designing and executing such trials. mpRCTs offer advantages such as increased sample sizes, robust statistical design, incorporation of heterogeneity, and standardized protocols, but they face challenges in finding the right balance between standardization and heterogeneity, appropriate stroke model selection, and outcome measures, as well as the implementation of complex network infrastructure. We discuss the importance of rigorous study design, including appropriate stroke models, representation of biological variables and comorbidities, functional outcome readouts, and handling of attrition and mortality. Statistical considerations such as adaptive sequential designs, covariate adjustments, and appropriate handling of missing data are also addressed. The integration of machine learning, the implementation of common data elements, and the selection of appropriate therapeutic candidates are crucial for maximizing the efficiency and utility of mpRCTs. Furthermore, the transition toward mpRCT platforms, akin to clinical trial platforms, holds promise for facilitating continuous evaluation of therapies. Finally, we discuss data-sharing practices and the collateral benefits of mpRCTs, emphasizing their potential to improve preclinical stroke research and bridge the translational gap. Altogether, we hope that this article will serve as a starting point for a lasting debate on the future of stroke mpRCTs and their evolution toward a universally accepted set of principles
Exocentric-to-Egocentric Adaptation for Temporal Action Segmentation with Unlabeled Synchronized Video Pairs
No full textWe address the challenge of adapting a temporal action segmentation model originally developed for exocentric (fixed) cameras to an egocentric setting, where wearable cameras capture the video data. Standard supervised methods require extensive, manually labeled egocentric videos for model adaptation, which are costly and labor-intensive to obtain. In contrast, we introduce a novel approach that leverages available labeled exocentric videos alongside a set of synchronized exocentric-egocentric video pairs that do not require new temporal action segmentation labels. Our method is based on knowledge distillation, which we explore at both the feature level and the Temporal Action Segmentation model level. Experiments on the Assembly101, Ego-Exo4D and CMU-MMAC datasets validate the effectiveness of our approach which outperforms traditional unsupervised domain adaptation and temporal alignment techniques. Our best model matches the performance of fully supervised models trained on labeled egocentric data, without using any egocentric labels. On the Assembly101 dataset, our method improves the edit score by +15.99 (28.59 vs. 12.60) compared to a baseline trained only on exocentric data. Similarly, we observe a +3.32 improvement on the challenging Ego-Exo4D benchmark and a +12.89 improvement on the CMU-MMAC dataset. Code is available at the following link: https://github.com/fpv-iplab/synchronization-is-all-you-need
Optimization of pyrolysis temperature and Fe-doped K-feldspar catalysis for enhancing sp²-carbon network and soil CO₂ capture of biochar
No full textThis study investigated the synergistic effects of pyrolysis temperature and in situ Fe-doped K-feldspar catalysis on the physicochemical properties and soil CO₂ adsorption kinetics of lignocellulose-derived biochar. The objective was to identify process conditions that optimize biochar yield, enhance CO₂ uptake, and improve carbon stability. Biochars were synthesized at 400–1200 °C with catalyst loadings of 0–2 wt% and characterized using elemental analysis, solid-state ¹³C NMR, XPS, N₂-BET, and CO₂ adsorption isotherm and kinetic models. At 400–600 °C, oxygen-rich biochars displayed chemisorption-dominated pseudo-second-order kinetics with multilayer binding (Freundlich/Sips). At 600–800 °C, Fe catalysis pruned polar groups, enhanced sp²-carbon domains, and shifted kinetics to pseudo-first-order physisorption, consistent with dual-site Langmuir or Toth behavior. At 1000–1200 °C, Fe-induced graphitization and micropore generation led to intraparticle diffusion-controlled uptake, captured by Weber–Morris modeling and equilibrium fitting with Langmuir and Dubinin–Astakhov equations. Mechanistically, Fe³⁺ Lewis acid sites promoted aldol-type condensation, water-gas shift reaction, and dehydration to α,β-unsaturated carbonyls, while Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox cycling enabled single-electron transfer that cleaved C–O bonds in alcohols and ethers, accelerating deoxygenation and aromatization. The resulting sp²-carbon frameworks, enriched with pyridinic, pyrrolic, and phenolic groups, strengthened CO₂ binding via π–quadrupole and acid–base interactions. Multi-response optimization identified 400 °C with 2 wt% catalyst as the best trade-off, producing 43.6 wt% biochar with 108 mg g⁻¹ CO₂ uptake, 49.1 % sp²-carbon, and low O/C (0.23) and H/C (0.54) ratios, alongside co-production of biocrude oil and syngas. This work provides a mechanistic and statistical framework for engineering multifunctional biochars for CO₂ capture and sustainable energy applications
Comparing CKD populations with T1D and T2D: a perspective based on the FINE-ONE and FIDELITY populations
Full text linkChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common comorbidity of both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) and is associated with increased mortality, end-stage kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease risk. Despite standard-of-care treatment with renin–angiotensin system inhibitors added to blood pressure and glycaemic control, people with CKD and T1D have a residual risk of CKD progression. Advances in therapeutic management have been limited over the past three decades, especially compared with CKD in T2D, for which new treatment options have emerged in the last 5 years. In this review article, we discuss similarities and differences between T1D and T2D populations with CKD, including epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical findings. Additionally, we explore the use of albuminuria as a potential bridging biomarker to extrapolate clinical evidence from one population to the other. This concept could offer a promising strategy to narrow the gap in treatment availability between these populations and address the unmet therapeutic need in people with CKD and T1D. The FINE-ONE trial is investigating the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone in a population with CKD and T1D using change in urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio from baseline (ratio to baseline) over 6 months as its primary endpoint and bridging biomarker. Similarities between the populations from FINE-ONE and FIDELITY (a pooled dataset of individuals with CKD and T2D included in two large phase 3 clinical trials of finerenone) may inform the translation of clinical evidence on finerenone from people with CKD and T2D to those with CKD and T1D
Gendering the safety net: Social protection policy and the limits to Decent Work in Cambodia's garment sector
No full textThe adoption of the Social Protection Floors Recommendation (SPFR) by the International Labour Conference in 2012 is widely recognised as an “historic” (Deacon 2013) and “radical” (Cichon 2013) reorientation of social protection, promising a new “universal and comprehensive” approach. Despite the SPFR's bold ambitions, however, the implementation of social protection floors at global- and national-level has proven uneven. In practice, the social protection floors initiative has generally been “subordinate” (Seekings, 2019) to the Decent Work agenda. Particularly in many lower-income settings in the global South, for instance, vertical expansion of benefits to waged workers through social insurance has taken precedence over the SPFR's more radical promise to horizontally expand the frontiers of social assistance. In Cambodia, for example, entrenched norms of fiscal and social conservativism have focused policy attention on expanding benefits provided to the 700,000 workers in the country's largest formal industry – the garment sector – rather than expanding the scope of social protection to include the yet more numerous informal or agricultural sector workforce. In this paper, we examine the consequences of this lopsided social protection strategy for its apparent beneficiaries: women working within the garment industry. We argue that the focus on extending support for formal workers, at the exclusion of informal workers is, in fact, detrimental to both groups. To illustrate these arguments, we draw on original data from the GCRF-funded ReFashion project, a longitudinal study tracing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on a cohort of 200 garment workers in Cambodia over 24 months. We use this rich and grounded data to develop an emic perspective on social protection programming that shows how, in the absence of a robust social protection floor, gendered norms in Cambodia compel women to fill the gaps in social protection programming by the state. Women workers in the garment sector effectively fund a social safety net for family members through remittance transfers. However, garment sector salaries alone are insufficient for this task, leading to a “debtfare” (Soederberg 2014) model, in which workers finance these costs through increasing resort to personal debt. The result is a crisis of over-indebtedness among workers in the garment industry that undermines the achievement of Decent Work in the sector. We suggest that Covid-19 offers a moment for reflection, like that which followed the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and inspired the SPRF itself, to learn from the vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic and recentre a radical vision of social protection that delivers for all
Bioinstructive polymer fibre mats to reduce bacterial pathogen colonisation
Full text linkHealthcare associated infections are widely reported to cost the European economy alone over £20 billion per year and cause an estimated extra 25 million hospital days considerably increasing patient morbidity and mortality. Implanted medical devices have previously been developed without the consideration of their potential to harbour pathogens at their surface, and this has resulted in many devices that suffer from bacterial biofilm colonisation and fibrotic foreign body responses that cause inflammation and inhibit wound healing. Here we report the development of a fibrous bioinstructive co-polymer mat that reduces biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus by 84% and 59% respectively compared to poly(lactic acid) fibres. The fibres also promote proliferation of fibroblast cells by 2.2-fold over 3 days compared to 1.2-fold for poly(lactic acid) samples, showing that the fibres promote a wound healing environment. Through the development of new materials for bioinstructive meshes, this work aims to develop new materials that can be used for surgical meshes that can prevent infections without the need for antimicrobials or toxic leaching compounds
Molecular Biointerface Characterisation for an Implanted Medical Device Using Cryogenic Orbitrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (Cryo-OrbiSIMS)
Full text linkImplanted medical devices often fail due to foreign body reaction (FBR), a process still not fully understood. This work presents a depth profiling approach to provide insight into the spatial metabolomics of the biointerface of implants, revealing biomolecular strata representative of the host response. This study examines silicone rubber poly(dimethyl siloxane) catheters implanted in mice for 1 and 28 days. Cryo-OrbiSIMS was used in combination with ToF-SIMS to identify metabolite profiles from the biological deposit found on the implants after removal from the tissue which were previously unattainable using tissue sectioning. Machine learning and statistical analysis of the profiles were used to help identify early biointerface responses to the implant, including at 1 day of implantation the observation of elevated sugars and itaconate an immunomodulatory metabolite that modulates FBR. At day 28 inflammation associated markers were observed such as urate and palmitic acid (FA 16:0). Depth profiling revealed two distinct molecular layers in the deposits: amino acids, and nucleic acids were preferentially seen towards the host tissue, consistent with the observation of a cell monolayer in the tissue sections, whereas certain lipids and fatty acids where either at the catheter-deposit interface or towards the host tissue after 28 days. The stratification was less well developed at 1-day implantation, but common lipids were seen at the deposit-implant interface across both time points. These insights advance understanding of FBR and support the development of improved implant materials
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