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Dual Direct Matrix Converter-Based Drives With Enhanced Input Power Factor Control and Common-Mode Voltage Elimination
Get PDFThe demand for high-efficiency, compact, and power-dense ac–ac conversion is driving renewed interest in matrix converters for industrial and renewable energy applications. This article introduces a novel input power factor (IPF) control strategy for a dual direct matrix converter (DMC)-based drive, enabling independent control of IPF while mitigating common-mode voltage (CMV) without additional hardware. Unlike conventional approaches that inherently constrain the reactive power control range, the proposed method extends IPF control to absolute maximum ratings, unlocking unprecedented flexibility in grid-interfacing applications. A fully decoupled approach to output voltage synthesis and IPF control is demonstrated by leveraging a generalized complex-domain model, ensuring optimal control across varying load conditions. Experimental validation is conducted on a dual DMC prototype, verifying the superior performance of the proposed method. The results highlight an expanded IPF control range and elimination of high-frequency CMV, positioning this methodology as a disruptive advancement in matrix converter technology
Evidence of cancer: a systematic review of metabolomics in extracellular vesicles for cancer biomarker detection
Get PDFBackground: The early detection of cancer remains a critical challenge in clinical oncology, with significant implications for patient survival rates and treatment outcomes. Research focus has shifted to developing minimally invasive diagnostic approaches for cancer detection and prognosis, such as metabolomic analysis of biological fluids and tumour-derived components, including extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs carry molecular cargo, including metabolites, that reflect the pathophysiological state of their cell of origin. Analysis and characterisation of these metabolites may offer novel insights into cancer biology and facilitate the identification of potential biomarkers. Aim of review: This review systematically examines existing literature on the metabolomic analysis of EVs in the context of cancer to obtain a deeper understanding of potential metabolite biomarkers associated with cancer. Key scientific concepts of review: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted using a defined strategy to identify studies analysing EV-derived metabolites in cancer. Twelve eligible studies were included, collectively reporting 1,602 identified metabolites across various cancer types, sample sources, EV isolation methods, and metabolomic techniques. Of these, 333 metabolites were reported to be differentially regulated in EVs derived from patients with cancer, or conditioned medium from cancerous cell lines and their respective healthy controls. The review highlights the potential of EV metabolomics to detect cancer biomarkers but also underscores methodological variability as a major limitation. Differences in isolation and analytical techniques likely contribute to inconsistent findings, emphasising the need for standardised protocols in future research
Effectiveness of mandated approaches to increasing board independence in achieving intended governance outcomes: Professional investors' perspective
No full textDrawing on interviews with 27 professional investors and proceeding from a resource dependence theoretical lens, this study investigates how professional investors perceive the effectiveness of mandated approaches to increasing board independence in achieving intended governance goals in the Nigerian banking sector. We inductively identify three distinct effectiveness categories for board independence approaches: quixotic, symbolic, and practical. We further unpack seven contextual factors that influence these perceptions, namely person-specific utility; board cronyism; loss of independence over time; disconnection with business realities despite their technical competence; non-executive directors’ (NEDs’) concern for business survival; NEDs’ subservience to the major shareholder; and NEDs’ reputational standing. We provide insights that demonstrate that the mandated approaches to increasing board independence are not universally effective in achieving intended governance goals and must instead be evaluated within their institutional and contextual realities
Investigation of hybrid desiccant microencapsulated phase change material (HYB-D-MPCM) for dehumidification and cooling
Get PDFIn desiccant cooling systems, the dehumidification component plays a vital role, as its performance directly affects the overall coefficient of performance (COP). However, the moisture adsorption process is inherently exothermic, releasing heat that increases the sensible load and reduces the cooling efficiency, particularly in hot and humid climates. Conventional desiccant cooling systems often face this limitation because the heat released during moisture removal raises the air temperature, adding to the sensible cooling demand and lowering the effectiveness of the system. This study investigates a novel composite material, a hybrid solid desiccant with microencapsulated phase change material (HYB-D-MPCM) which is designed to enhance moisture removal while mitigating heat build-up through latent heat absorption. The composite was prepared via wet physical mixing with varying MPCM content and evaluated through preliminary screening of the adsorption–desorption performance, supported by statistical analysis, followed by the investigation of two air filter configurations, namely the HYB-D-MPCM block and the HYB-D-MPCM granules. The best configuration was then selected and TRNSYS simulations were performed to assess performance in an office building under hot and humid climate conditions. From preliminary investigation, the results showed that the HYB-D-MPCM granules achieved superior dehumidification, with an absolute humidity reduction of 2.86 g/m3 and the lowest total enthalpy of 0.187 kW, outperforming both the block form and the traditional silica gel due to increased heat and mass transfer. TRNSYS simulations further demonstrated that the HYB-D-MPCM granules can reduce latent loads by up to 40% without the typical sensible heat penalty associated with conventional desiccant cooling systems. Although this study focusses on dehumidification performance, future work should explore regeneration and discharge behaviour under real operating conditions. These findings provide a strong foundation for the continued development of efficient desiccant-PCM materials tailored for hot and humid climates
Extracellular-Matrix-Based Materials from Decellularized Tissue: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions in Regenerative Medicine
Get PDFExtracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterials have been used as inductive scaffolds to promote tissue regeneration in a variety of clinical applications. ECM biomaterials derived from decellularized tissue (dECM) can retain essential bioactive components of the native ECM that can guide cellular processes; however, the composition and bioactivity of the dECM is highly dependent on the decellularization and postprocessing methods. This intrinsic regenerative potential underpins the clinical success of dECM biomaterials in applications including soft tissue repair, cardiac reconstruction, and urological interventions. Here, clinical use of current dECM biomaterials, advances in the fabrication of dECM biomaterials, and hurdles to clinical translation of dECM products are discussed. Clinical use to date has mostly been limited to native dECM sheets or milling to generate powder dECM. Recent advances in fabrication methods from electrospinning to 3D printing have expanded the potential clinical applications of dECM biomaterials by increasing the structural and compositional complexity available to researchers. Despite significant progress, challenges remain in standardizing decellularization processes, optimizing dECM bioactivity retention, and ensuring mechanical compatibility with native tissues. Future research should focus on refining fabrication techniques and establishing standardized criteria for dECM characterization and translational pathways
pyRootHair: Machine learning accelerated software for high-throughput phenotyping of plant root hair traits
Get PDFBackgroundRoot hairs play a key role in plant nutrient and water uptake. Historically, root hair traits have largely been quantified manually. As such, this process has been laborious and low-throughput. However, given their importance for plant health and development, high-throughput quantification of root hair morphology could help underpin rapid advances in the genetic understanding of these traits. With recent increases in the accessibility and availability of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques, the development of tools to automate plant phenotyping processes has been greatly accelerated.ResultsWe present pyRootHair, a high-throughput, AI-powered software application to automate root hair trait extraction from microscope images of plant roots grown on agar plates. pyRootHair is capable of batch processing over 600 images per hour without manual input from the end user. In this study, we deploy pyRootHair on a panel of 24 diverse wheat (Triticum aestivum and Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) cultivars and uncover a large, previously unresolved amount of variation in many root hair traits. We show that the overall root hair profile falls under 2 distinct shape categories and that different root hair traits often correlate with each other. We also demonstrate that pyRootHair can be deployed on a range of plant species, including oat (Avena sativa), rice (Oryza sativa), teff (Eragrostis tef), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).ConclusionsThe application of pyRootHair enables users to rapidly screen a large number of plant germplasm resources for variation in root hair morphology, supporting high-resolution measurements and high-throughput data analysis. This facilitates downstream investigation of the impacts of root hair genetic control and morphological variation on plant performance. pyRootHair is installable via PyPI (https://pypi.org/project/pyRootHair/) and can be accessed on GitHub at https://github.com/iantsang779/pyRootHair
The Nottingham recovery from COVID-19 research platform (NoRCoRP): Functional, clinical and patient-reported outcomes in adults referred to a post-COVID respiratory service
Get PDFAimsTo characterise symptoms, function and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and identify associated factors in adults with persisting respiratory symptoms post-COVID.MethodsCross-sectional analysis of 210 non-hospitalised adults referred to a post-COVID respiratory clinic (December 2020-July 2024) who consented to research. Assessments included demographics, symptoms, lung function, chest CT, and several PROMs: MRC dyspnoea score, Nijmegen Questionnaire score (NQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Chalder Fatigue Scale, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Fried Frailty Index. Multivariate logistic regression examined key exposure-outcome associations.ResultsAmong participants (mean age 49.4 years; 68% female; median 13.3 months since COVID-19 diagnosis), 95% reported shortness of breath, 54% had clinically significant breathlessness (MRC ≥ 3), 68% had an NQ score (>23) consistent with dysregulated breathing, 32% had a low SPPB score (<10), and 77% were classed as frail/pre-frail, despite the majority being of working age. Nearly half (47%) of those employed pre-infection had not returned to previous hours. Spirometry and CT abnormalities were not common. Higher body mass index (odds ratio = 1.10, 95% confidence interval = 1.05–1.16, n in model = 190) and depression (2.25, 1.13–4.56, n = 164) were associated with MRC ≥ 3. Dysregulated breathing was associated with female sex (3.63, 1.77–7.60, n = 186), current/ex-smoker (2.56, 1.25–5.47, n = 186), fatigue (8.87, 2.59–37.0, n = 162), anxiety (3.57, 1.70–7.69, n = 162) and depression (5.70, 2.59–13.40, n = 162). A low SPPB score was associated with female sex, current smoking, depression, clinically significant breathlessness, dysregulated breathing, and greater deprivation.ConclusionIn non-hospitalised patients with persistent respiratory symptoms post-COVID, dysregulated breathing, deconditioning and psychological distress were key factors linked with symptom burden. These findings suggest a multidisciplinary approach should be considered to optimise recovery
Toward high-efficiency solid oxide fuel cells: A comprehensive review of hybrid integration techniques
No full textSolid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have emerged as highly effective and eco-friendly technologies for electricity generation, featuring high fuel flexibility and scalability. However, individual units of SOFCs face significant issues like high operating temperatures, degradation of materials, and slow transient response. To counter challenges and increase operational efficiencies, hybrid integration schemes have received considerable scholarly attentions. This review presents an exhaustive and critical assessment of advanced hybrid SOFC configurations and their implications in enhancing system performance, efficiency, and lifespan. The manuscript examines different hybrid approaches, such as SOFC-gas turbine (SOFC-GT) hybrid schemes, combination of heat and power (SOFC-CHP), double hybrid cycles (SOFC-CC), trigeneration (CCHP), and hybrid models of SOFC-battery. The integration strategy of each of these approaches is compared relative to design architecture, thermodynamic synergy, fuel utilization, waste heat recovery, and environmental aspects. The assessment is further extended to emerging energy ideas like CO2 capture, simultaneous hydrogen production, and biomass-based hybrid schemes with the goal of supporting long-term sustainability, enabling low-carbon energy transitions and decarbonization. The conclusions of this review outline considerable technological challenges, such as thermal management challenges, sealing problems, material interactions, and system control complexity. By synthesizing cutting-edge model studies, experimentation, and techno-economic studies, this manuscript outlines promising avenues to boost hybrid SOFC technologies. The results suggest outstanding enhancement of electrical efficiency (70 %) and overall system efficiency (90 %) attainable by hybridization. Finally, this review provides an essential source and guideline to promote transition to clean energy technologies of the future by maximizing advantages of hybrid SOFC platforms
Do remote clinical trials offer carbon savings while maintaining research quality? Experiences from the Eczema Bathing Study
No full textBackgroundTraditional clinical trials contribute significantly to the carbon footprint of healthcare. They are also expensive and take a long time to complete. Remote trials could offer part of the solution. They are a type of decentralized trial that use digital innovations to move all activities to participants’ homes or online. This gives them the potential to speed up recruitment, reduce overall trial duration, improve geographical inclusion and reduce the trial’s carbon footprint.ObjectivesTo assess whether a remote trial could reduce a trial’s carbon footprint, while maintaining the research quality needed to answer the scientific questions. The primary objective was to calculate the carbon footprint of a remote eczema trial and compare it with traditional and hybrid trials; the secondary objective was to assess quality indicators of remote, hybrid and traditional eczema trials in terms of speed of recruitment, retention and adherence to interventions.MethodsCarbon footprinting of the remote Eczema Bathing Study (n = 438, 4 weeks’ duration) was completed using the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded detailed guidance and method to calculate the carbon footprint of a clinical trial. This footprint was compared with footprints of previously published publicly funded trials. Recruitment, retention and adherence metrics were compared between the Eczema Bathing Study and eight other NIHR-funded eczema treatment trials.ResultsThe carbon footprint of the Eczema Bathing Study was 14 tonnes CO2e. The most carbon-intensive activity was staff commuting. The mean speed of recruitment for remote, hybrid and traditional trials was 52, 27 and 13 participants per month, respectively. Mean retention for remote, hybrid and traditional trials was 90%, 95% and 95%, respectively. Adherence was defined individually for each study, making comparison difficult.ConclusionsThe Eczema Bathing Study’s lower carbon footprint in comparison with the other clinical trials mentioned in this study was largely due to online recruitment methods, reduced need for patient and staff travel, and reduced overall trial duration. Adherence and retention were slightly lower than for traditional trials but remained within predefined limits for the study’s size calculations. In situations where remote assessment of diagnosis and outcomes is possible, and where advertising direct to participants is appropriate, running trials completely online has the potential to improve speed of recruitment, reduce overall trial duration and reduce carbon emissions
The human DDX52 protein is a nucleic acid helicase and strand annealase that promotes cell migration
Get PDFDExD-box (DDX) proteins are essential for RNA metabolism and are targets for treatment of cancers and neurodevelopmental disorders. The biochemical mechanisms of many DDX proteins remain unclear, including human DDX52. DDX52 is essential for cell survival and is an emerging biomarker for the onset of metastatic melanoma. In this work, we identified that human DDX52 is an ATP-dependent translocase with 3'-5' polarity, which can unwind DNA duplexes and DNA/RNA hybrids. Further, DDX52 is a nucleic acid annealase, an activity that requires an N-terminal intrinsically disordered protein region. DDX52 becomes hyperactive at DNA annealing if DDX52 helicase activity is inactivated by mutagenesis. Using CRISPR-Cas9 genetic editing, we generated U2OS cell lines heterozygous for DDX52 (DDX52+/-), which exhibit growth defects and impaired cell migration, providing direct support for previous suggestions that DDX52 may promote cancer cell metastasis and C-myc regulation
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