About

Wei Cui is an Extension Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also serves as the Director of the Animal Models Core Facility. His research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying mammalian oocyte meiosis, activation, and aging, as well as discovering novel genes, factors, and signaling pathways that are essential during mammalian preimplantation embryo development. His laboratory aims to create animal models of human genetic diseases using knock-out, knock-in, and transgenesis strategies, with particular emphasis on mammalian reproductive processes and early embryonic development. Wei Cui received his Ph.D. from Shandong Agricultural University in China in 2013 and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Kansas Medical Center from 2013 to 2014, followed by further postdoctoral work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2014 to 2017. His research investigates the processes of mammalian oocyte maturation, including the arrest at diplotene stage, the resumption of meiosis under hormonal control, and the mechanisms of postovulatory aging and spontaneous activation. Additionally, his work encompasses the study of preimplantation embryo development, focusing on the maternal-to-zygotic transition, embryo compaction, polarization, and cell fate determination. He employs advanced gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 to generate genetically modified animal models, including knock-out, knock-in, and transgenic animals, as well as patient-derived xenograft cancer models. His research aims to elucidate developmental networks and improve assisted reproductive technologies, contributing to the understanding of human reproduction and genetic disease modeling.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Geography
• Astronomy
• Optics
• Remote sensing
• Telecommunications
• Physics

Selected publications

• A Simple, Flexible Method for Timing Cross-calibration of Space Missions

  Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific · 2026-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The timing (cross-)calibration of astronomical instruments is often done by comparing pulsar times-of-arrival (TOAs) to a reference timing model. In high-energy astronomy, the choice of solar system ephemerides and source positions used to barycenter the photon arrival times has a significant impact on the procedure, requiring a full reprocessing of the data each time a new convention is used. Our method, developed as part of the activities of the International Astronomical Consortium for High Energy Calibration, adapts an existing pulsar solution to arbitrary JPL ephemerides and source positions by simulating geocentric TOAs and refitting timing models (implemented with PINT). We validate the procedure and apply it to thousands of observations of the Crab pulsar from 15 missions spanning 1996–2025, demonstrating inter-ephemeris TOA consistency at the ≲5 μ s level, using the DE200/FK5-based Jodrell Bank Monthly Ephemeris as a common reference. We release the TOAExtractor open-source tool and a TOA database to support future calibration and scientific studies. Instrument timing performance is broadly consistent with mission specifications; the X-ray-to-radio phase offset varies with energy and time at a level that is marginally consistent with the uncertainties of the radio ephemeris, motivating coordinated multiwavelength follow-up.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Elemental Sulfur Mediated One-Pot Synthesis of Poly(benzodifurandione) (PBFDO) with High Conductivity for Organic Electronics

  ChemRxiv · 2026-03-08

  articleOpen access

  Poly(benzodifurandione) (PBFDO) is a benchmark n-type conductive polymer that combines exceptional electrical conductivity with outstanding environmental stability, positioning it as a pivotal material for the future of organic electronics. However, its practical deployment has been severely limited by intrinsic synthetic constraints. All reported routes suffer from unavoidable trade-offs: the original method requires weeks of dialysis in large volumes of DMSO to remove unreacted monomers, while later approaches either depend on toxic catalysts or involve energy-intensive purification processes. Here we report a transformative, metal-free, sulfur-mediated synthetic strategy that overcomes these longstanding bottlenecks and represents a decisive advance in PBFDO fabrication. Elemental sulfur (S8), an abundant and non-toxic oxidant, drives polymerization through a highly efficient cascade mechanism while simultaneously generating reducing species (hydrogen sulfide, H2S, and dimethyl sulfide, DMS) that in situ dope PBFDO into its conductive state. Consequently, the 2 resulting reaction solution can be used directly as a conductive polymer ink, completely eliminating prolonged purification processes-a major barrier to scalable PBFDO synthesis across all existing methods. This approach yields PBFDO with electrical conductivities up to 2059 S cm-1 , matching the highest values reported to date. Crucially, the method exhibits excellent scalability, enabling synthesis at the 500 mL scale while maintaining high conductivity (>1300 S cm-1), effectively resolving the scalability limitations that have hampered previous routes. Devices based on the resulting PBFDO demonstrate outstanding performance in thermoelectric and organic electrochemical transistor applications. Overall, this sulfur-mediated strategy simultaneously eliminates toxic reagents, complex and energy-intensive purification, and poor scalability in PBFDO synthesis, paving the way for the much desired widespread adoption of this highly promising n-type conductive polymers in organic electronics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Cooperative Game Theoretical Approach for Designing Integrated Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Systems Shared Among Localized Users

  Systems · 2025-08-18 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  To address the increasing need for clean energy and efficient resource utilization, this paper aims to provide a cooperative framework and a fair profit allocation mechanism for integrated photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage systems that are shared among different types of users within a regional alliance, including industrial, commercial, and residential users. A cooperative game model is proposed and formulated by a two-level optimization problem: the upper level determines the optimal PV and storage capacities to maximize the alliance’s net profit, while the lower level allocates profits using an improved Nash bargaining approach based on Shapley value. The model simultaneously incorporates different real-world factors such as time-of-use electricity pricing, system life cycle cost, and load diversity. The results demonstrate that coordination between energy storage systems and PV systems can avoid 18% of solar curtailment losses. Compared to independent deployment by individual users, the cooperative sharing model increases the net present value by 8.41%, highlighting improvements in cost-effectiveness, renewable resource utilization, and operational flexibility. Users with higher demand or better load–generation matching gain greater economic returns, which can provide decision-making guidance for the government in formulating differentiated subsidy policies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Factors influencing mangrove biomass carbon and their relative contributions on Hainan Island

  Journal of Environmental Management · 2025-10-06 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei with madarosis: A novel presentation

  Medicine · 2025-12-12

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  RATIONALE: Lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei (LMDF) is a chronic, self-limiting inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology that can lead to disfiguring scars. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 51-year-old male presented with a 1-month history of facial papules and eyebrow exfoliation. DIAGNOSES: Skin biopsy confirmed that this case was LMDF. INTERVENTIONS: After the diagnosis was confirmed, the patient was treated with oral doxycycline (100 mg) and prednisone (12 mg) once daily. OUTCOMES: Follow-up at 1 month showed significant improvement in facial rash and regrowth of both eyebrows. LESSONS: This report describes an atypical case of LMDF complicated by eyebrow loss, providing insights into the rarity and pathogenesis of this condition.

  PublisherDOI

• Model based analysis of novel hydrogen gas-turbine cycles for power plants

  Applied Thermal Engineering · 2025-07-15 · 6 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• An innovative paradigm of intensive care: hot pot pattern

  Frontiers in Medicine · 2025-10-08

  articleOpen access

  This paper proposes the novel "Hot Pot Pattern" to conceptualize intensive care. The conventional treatment and monitoring methods form the foundational "Hot Pot Base," and individualized interventions form the "Hot Pot Ingredients." This model elucidates the integration of standardized care with personalized medicine inherent in intensive care management.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Design of the CCD imaging x-ray Focusing Telescope onboard eXTP

  2025-06-05

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Implementation of a Robust Penalty-Interior-Point Method for Optimal Power Flow Analysis

  2025-12-26

  article1st authorCorresponding

  With the continuous expansion of power system scale and the increasing requirements for safety, operational efficiency, and power quality, in-depth research on optimal power flow (OPF) algorithms has become increasingly important. In this paper, a mathematical model of the OPF problem is first established, including the objective function, equality constraints, and inequality constraints. Then, building upon the traditional interior-point method, a penalty parameter is introduced, and the theoretical foundation of the penalty-interior-point method is systematically derived. This derivation covers the principles for calculating the search direction and step size, termination conditions, and other related aspects. Subsequently, the overall algorithmic flow is outlined. Finally, a power flow program implementing the proposed method is developed in <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathrm{C}++$</tex> and validated on the Three-Machine Nine-Bus system. The results demonstrate that the solutions obtained are consistent with those of the well-established solver IPOPT, while achieving a significant reduction in generation costs, thereby demonstrating the soundness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

  PublisherDOI

• An <i>XMM–Newton</i> view of the ANdromeda Galaxy as explored in a Legacy Survey (New-ANGELS) – II: luminosity function of X-ray sources

  Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society · 2025-11-20

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT As part of the New-ANGELS programme, we systematically investigate the X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) of 4506 X-ray sources projected within a radius of 2.5 deg centring on M31. We construct XLFs for different regions in the disc and halo of M31, accounting for the incompleteness with an effective sensitivity map. Assuming that the halo regions contain (mostly) foreground stars and background active galactic nuclei, they are taken as ‘background’ for deriving the XLFs of the sources in the disc. Through modelling XLFs, we decompose the X-ray sources into distinct populations for each region. We find that low-mass X-ray binaries are the dominant X-ray population throughout the disc of M31. The XLFs of M31 reveal a consistently lower integrated LMXB luminosity per stellar mass ($\alpha _\mathrm{LMXB}$) compared to other galaxies, likely due to M31’s prolonged period of quiescent star formation. Variations in the XLF shape and $\alpha _\mathrm{LMXB}$ across different regions of M31 suggest that the relationship between integrated luminosity and stellar mass may vary within the galaxy. Additionally, the relatively low integrated luminosity observed in the inner-arm region provides crucial evidence for a rapid fading of M31’s LMXBs around 1 Gyr, a finding consistent with recent observations of other nearby galaxies.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Chengcheng Guo

  Wuhan University of Technology

  356 shared

• Yi-Jung Yang

  355 shared

• Y. P. Xu

  353 shared

• L. M. Song

  Institute of High Energy Physics

  321 shared

• Shuang‐Nan Zhang

  Institute of High Energy Physics

  307 shared

• Y. Nang

  Chinese Academy of Sciences

  304 shared

• Na Sai

  Southern Medical University

  298 shared

• G. Xiao

  288 shared

Labs

• Institute for Applied Life Sciences Administrative TeamPI

Education

• Ph.D., Department of Physics

  University of Wisconsin Madison

  1994

Awards & honors

• The Lalor Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015)