178 articles from MONDAY 2.12.2019

Percentage of African ancestry affects gene expression

The percentage of African ancestry in a person's genome determines the level that certain genes are expressed, called mRNA, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. The discovery could offer insight into the different risk of diseases as well as a different response to medications in African Americans. This is the first study to compare gene production between African Americans. Previous...

Protein defect leaves sperm chasing their tails

A team led by researchers from Osaka University have characterized a protein, called VSP, that keeps sperm swimming in straight lines. Deletion of the protein caused sperm to swim in circles, significantly reducing fertilization rates. VSP also controlled the influx of calcium ions into the flagellum, which is necessary for propulsion of the sperm towards the egg. The researchers hope that their...

Reflecting on photos helps young cancer survivors regain confidence

Young cancer survivors face unique medical and psychosocial challenges that can hinder their ability to move on mentally and socially, even years after their final treatment. Lingering feelings of isolation and loss can contribute to a lack of confidence and self-efficacy, or the sense that they will be able to handle whatever arises in the future. But new research suggests survivors who retell...

Researchers at IRB Barcelona study how altered protein degradation contributes to the development of tumors

Published in the journal Nature Cancer, the study analyses how genetic alterations in tumour cells prevent the correct degradation of the proteins involved in tumour development and growth, thereby leading to abnormal cell behaviour.A machine-learning model has allowed the scientists to obtain the most extensive annotation of the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation system.The analysis proposes...

Researchers compare nutritional value of infant and toddler foods

Infant and toddler foods sold in pouches have lower nutritional value than foods sold in jars and other packaging, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The findings of the study are published in the current issue of the journal Nutrition Today.

Researchers investigate the effects of eye movements when reading texts in different languages

The existence of language universality has been a key issue in psychology and linguistics, since the understanding of universals is crucial for the development of information perception models. In the course of their in-depth study of linguistic universality, Lobachevsky University researchers studied readers' eye movements when reading texts in different languages. The research was aimed at...

Researchers may have discovered where HIV takes refuge during antiretroviral treatment

An international team led by Professor Jerome Estaquier from Universite Laval's Faculty of Medicine may have discovered where in the body HIV takes refuge during antiretroviral treatment. Research conducted using an animal model indicates that the virus may hide in lymph nodes in the spleen and gut. The researchers believe those lymph nodes are the staging ground from which the virus prepares to...

Significant developments in gamut mapping for the film industry

Presented in an article published on Nov. 14 in the journal IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence by Syed Waqas Zamir, a researcher at the Inception Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Abu Dhabi (UAE); along with Javier Vázquez-Corral and Marcelo-Bertalmío, researchers at the Department of Information and Communication Technologies.

Smarter strategies

Though small and somewhat nondescript, quagga and zebra mussels pose a huge threat to local rivers, lakes and estuaries. Thanks to aggressive measures to prevent contamination, Santa Barbara County's waters have so far been clear of the invasive mollusks, but stewards of local waterways, reservoirs and water recreation areas remain vigilant to the possibility of infestation by these and other...

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, December 2019

ORNL story tips: An additively manufactured polymer layer applied to specialized plastic proved effective to protect aircraft from lightning strikes in lab test; injecting shattered argon pellets into a super-hot plasma, when needed, could protect a fusion reactor's interior wall from runaway electrons; ORNL will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Liane Russell on December 20.