261 articles from WEDNESDAY 11.3.2020
Scientists visualize the structure of a key enzyme that makes triglycerides
The first structure of a lipin enzyme, which carries out an important step in the production of triglycerides, the main reservoir for long-term energy storage, will help scientists to better understand how lipins regulate the production of triglycerides.
Sensing infection, suppressing regeneration
UIC researchers describe an enzyme that blocks the ability of blood vessel cells to self-heal. By studying mice with sepsis they found that removal of the enzyme allows cells to fully regenerate.
Single biological factor predicts distinct cortical organizations across mammalian species
Researchers have explained how visual cortexes develop uniquely across the brains of different mammalian species. A KAIST research team led by Professor Se-Bum Paik from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering has identified a single biological factor, the retino-cortical mapping ratio, that predicts distinct cortical organizations across mammalian species.
Smaller tropical forest fragments vanish faster than larger forest blocks
In one of the first studies to explicitly account for fragmentation in tropical forests, researchers report that smaller fragments of old-growth forests and protected areas experienced greater losses than larger fragments, between 2001 and 2018. The results suggest tropical forests are likely to continue shrinking if large-scale efforts to protect blocks of natural forest are not swiftly...
Sorry, Einstein: Hard workers may make better role models than geniuses
Role models are important for aspiring scientists, but new research suggests that scientists who are known for their hard work -- like Thomas Edison -- are more motivating than scientists who are viewed as naturally brilliant, like Albert Einstein.
Stanford scientists discover the mathematical rules underpinning brain growth
'How do cells with complementary functions arrange themselves to construct a functioning tissue?' said study co-author Bo Wang, an assistant professor of Bioengineering. 'We chose to answer that question by studying a brain because it had been commonly assumed that the brain was too complex to have a simple patterning rule. We surprised ourselves when we discovered there was, in fact, such a...
Study unveils striking disparities in health outcomes among 2 populations
In a new study published today in JAMA, a team of researchers at BIDMC evaluated how health outcomes for low-income older adults who are dually enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid have changed since the early 2000s, and whether disparities have narrowed or widened over time compared with more affluent older adults who are solely enrolled in Medicare.
Study: Layoffs lead to higher rates of violent offenses and property crimes
Displaced workers experienced a 20% increase in criminal charges the year after being laid off
Submersible sensors rapidly detect bacterial pollution in water
Environmental engineers from San Diego State University tested sensors that can very quickly detect bacteria in the water, with the potential to relay data immediately to decision makers. This research has broad applications for identifying the presence of bacteria in water bodies everywhere, and can be easily and effectively used by water monitoring agencies as well as city and county...
Sugar tax has more public support than expected
The increase in diet-related illness has led to a high burden of costs for society. However, German policymakers, in comparison with their international counterparts, have so far been reluctant to make political interventions that support healthy eating. The concern is that interventions, such as imposing taxes, will be unpopular. Researchers at the University of Göttingen have now shown that...
Survey shows emergency physicians may benefit from training on safely handling firearms
Emergency physicians may benefit from training on safely handling firearms, according to the findings of a survey to be published in the March 2020 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), a journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).
The inactivated human receptor will help to create effective drugs
Scientists from China and Russia found a new way of searching for new drug candidates by inactivating the molecular structure of the human muscarinic receptor and applying screening to find drugs that it responds to.
The Lancet: Triple therapies to treat malaria are effective and safe
The first clinical trial of two triple artemisinin-based combination therapies for malaria finds that the combinations are highly efficacious with no safety concerns. Published in The Lancet, the study of 1,100 people with uncomplicated falciparum malaria from eight countries compared people receiving the current national first-line treatment combining two drugs, with two forms of triple therapy...
The naming of the shrew
Researchers at Louisiana State University have discovered a new species of shrew, which they have named the hairy-tailed shrew, or Crocidura caudipilosa.
The status of women
What drives people seek to high social status? A common evolutionary explanation suggests men do so because, in the past, they were able to leverage their social position into producing more children and propagating their genes.
Two-pronged attack on DNA repair could kill drug-resistant cancers
Launching a two-pronged attack on cancer's ability to safeguard its DNA could offer an effective new way of treating the disease, a new study reports.
Understanding how monomer sequence affects conductance in 'molecular wires'
A new study from the Schroeder and Moore groups at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides an unprecedented look at how monomer sequence affects charge transport in precisely defined chain molecules.
University of Minnesota first to prove new method to grow human blood vessels
A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School recently proved the ability to grow human-derived blood vessels in a pig -- a novel approach that has the potential for providing unlimited human vessels for transplant purposes.
Updated guidelines for exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic fields published in Health Physics
A set of updated, evidence-based guidelines defining safe levels of exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) has been published in Health Physics, official journal of the Health Physics Society. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Validating a better way to stratify BPD risk in vulnerable newborns
Factoring in the total number of days that extremely preterm infants require supplemental oxygen and tracking this metric for weeks longer than usual improves clinicians' ability to predict respiratory outcomes according to bronchopulmonary dysplasia severity, finds research led by Children's National Hospital.
Virtual reality shows promise for early detection of MS balance problems
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often have a greatly increased risk of falling and injuring themselves even when they feel they're able to walk normally. Now a team led by scientists from the UNC School of Medicine has demonstrated what could be a relatively easy method for the early detection of such problems, using virtual reality.
Warming mountaintops put snake at risk of extinction
Climate change is a key factor contributing to the likely extinction of the Greek meadow viper, a new study has found.
Why are workers getting smaller pieces of the pie?
Market concentration in the form of 'superstar' firms has been lowering labor's share of GDP in recent decades, a new study finds.
Wireless, skin-mounted sensors monitor babies, pregnant women in the developing world
Researchers have developed a new wireless, battery-charged, affordable monitoring system for newborn babies that can easily be implemented to provide clinical-grade care in nearly any setting.
World's first experimental observation of a Kondo cloud
Physicists have been trying to observe the quantum phenomenon Kondo cloud for many decades. A research team comprising a scientist from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently developed a novel device which successfully measures the length of the Kondo cloud and even allows for controlling the Kondo cloud. This can be regarded as a milestone in condensed matter physics, and may provide...