Dr. James Earnest, an assistant professor at UCF's Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, is leading two new research projects to examine how humans build an immune response to dengue and the Zika viruses over time, in pursuit of creating better preventative measures. Dr. Earnest’s research is backed by subcontracts to the Uganda Virus Research Institute through Wellcome and Emory University in partnership with the National Institutes of Health totaling more than $1 million.

Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and other partner institutions of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have now identified a previously unknown function of the PICALM protein in skeletal muscle: The protein responds sensitively to physical activity and intermittent fasting. It also plays a decisive role in the formation of new muscle fibers. The team’s report has been published in the journal Molecular Metabolism.

Researchers have developed an integrated framework for estimating battery state of health, or SOH, by combining incremental capacity analysis with image feature transformation and a hybrid machine-learning pipeline. The new approach is designed to improve both estimation accuracy and generalization across different operating conditions, a goal that is increasingly important as lithium-ion batteries are used in electric vehicles, stationary storage systems, and other applications where reliable health assessment directly affects safety, maintenance, and economic value.