307 articles from TUESDAY 19.5.2020
Scientists use light to accelerate supercurrents, access forbidden light, quantum world
Iowa State's Jigang Wang continues to explore using light waves to accelerate supercurrents to access the unique and potentially useful properties of the quantum world. His latest findings have just been published by the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.
Self-isolating? Get fit faster with multi-ghost racing
Eager to ramp up your fitness while stuck at home? A new generation of virtual reality (VR) exergames nudges home-based cyclists to perform a lot better by immersing them in a crowd of cyclists. And as all cyclists participating in the race are versions of the flesh-and-blood player, the Covid-19 norms of social distancing are maintained even in the parallel universe of VR.
Seven at one pulse
Higher frequencies mean faster data transfer and more powerful processors. Technically, however, it is anything but easy to keep increasing clock rates and radio frequencies. New materials could solve the problem. Experiments at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have now produced a promising result: Researchers were able to get a novel material to increase the frequency of a terahertz...
Six feet not far enough to stop virus transmission in light winds
Airborne transmission of viruses, like the virus causing COVID-19, is not well understood, but a good baseline for study is a deeper understanding of how particles travel through the air when people cough. In Physics of Fluids, researchers discuss a simulation they created that examines saliva droplets moving through the air in front of a coughing person. The work shows that with a slight breeze...
Six-month follow-up appropriate for BI-RADS 3 findings on mammography
Women with mammographically detected breast lesions that are probably benign should have follow-up surveillance imaging at six months due to the small but not insignificant risk that the lesions are malignant, according to a new study.
Stanford researcher envisions energy and environment landscape after COVID-19
Global carbon dioxide emissions are down dramatically in the wake of COVID-19. A new study pinpoints where energy demand has dropped the most, estimates the impact on annual emissions and points the way to a less polluted future.
Statistical approach to COVID-19 clinical trials aims to accelerate drug approval process
MIT researchers develop analytics focused on accelerating COVID-19 therapeutics clinical trials and attracting more funding for vaccines and anti-infectives.
Study finds some reductions in community antibiotic resistant infections and dispensing
A study by academics at the University of Bristol has found reductions in overall and individual antibiotic dispensing between 2013 and 2016 after evaluating, for the first time, national primary care prescribing policy on community antibiotic resistant infection.
Study reveals mental health of medical personnel working with COVID-19 patients
Medical personnel treating coronavirus cases in China have higher rates of anxiety and other mental health symptoms than the general population, according to a new study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Ning Sun of Ningbo College of Health Science in Ningbo China, and colleagues.
Study suggests aggressive carbon taxation could help US meet targets in Paris agreement
A new study looked at US tax policy as it relates to carbon dioxide (CO2), from 2015 through 2030. The study found only limited short-term opportunities for decarbonization (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) outside the electricity sector. The result is substantial CO2 tax revenue. The findings shed light on future tax policy decisions.
Subcellular chatter regulates longevity
As people get older, they often feel less energetic, mobile or active. This may be due in part to a decline in mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside of our cells, which provide energy and regulate metabolism. In fact, mitochondria decline with age not only in humans, but in many species. Why they do so is not well understood. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in...
Sustainable palm oil? How environmental protection and poverty reduction can be reconciled
Palm oil is often associated with tropical deforestation above all else. However, this is only one side of the story, as agricultural scientists from the University of Göttingen and the IPB University Bogor (Indonesia) show in a new study. The rapid expansion of oil palm has also contributed considerably to economic growth and poverty reduction in local communities, particularly in Asia. The...
SUTD scientists led development of novel acoustofluidic technology that isolates submicron particles
SUTD researchers and their collaborators developed a novel nanoacoustic trapping device that manipulates particles within submicron ranges by applying a structured elastic layer at the interface between a microfluidic channel and a travelling surface acoustic wave (SAW). This novel acoustofluidic device provides a promising solution for sorting and size-selective capture of nanoscale objects that...
Texas A&M lab engineers 3D-functional bone tissues
Dr. Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, associate professor, has developed a highly printable bioink as a platform to generate anatomical-scale functional tissues.
The Lancet: First prospective study of critically ill COVID-19 patients from New York City sheds light on how virus affects adult patients in USA
A detailed report from 257 COVID-19 patients admitted to two hospitals in New York City, USA from 2 March to 1 April 2020, and followed for at least 28 days, is published today in The Lancet, offering a snapshot of how the virus affects adults requiring hospital care.
Thousands of lives could be lost to delays in cancer surgery during COVID-19 pandemic
Delays to cancer surgery and other treatment caused by the COVID-19 crisis could result in thousands of additional deaths linked to the pandemic in England, a major new study reports.New modelling has revealed the extent of the impact that disruption to the cancer care and diagnosis pathway could have on the survival of cancer patients.
Three-dimensional chessboards
Scientists at Osaka University develop a liquid-phase method for 3D-printing nanocellulose fibers aligned in multiple directions. This work may help with the development of new smartphone screens or electronics printed on paper.
UMD researchers tap CRISPR technology to connect biology, electronics
In an effort to create first-of-kind microelectronic devices that connect with biological systems, University of Maryland (UMD) researchers are utilizing CRISPR technology in a novel way to electronically turn 'on' and 'off' several genes simultaneously. Their technique, published in Nature Communications, has the potential to further bridge the gap between the electronic and biological worlds,...
Uncovering Alzheimer's disease
Characterized by a buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, Alzheimer's is an irreversible disease that leads to memory loss and a decrease in cognitive function. More than 5 million Americans suffer with the brain condition, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While the causes of Alzheimer's are not fully understood, scientists believe genetic, lifestyle and...
VR and AR devices at 1/100 the cost and 1/10,000 the thickness in the works
Professor Junsuk Rho of the departments of mechanical engineering and chemical engineering and doctoral student in mechanical engineering Gwanho Yoon at POSTECH with the research team at Korea University have jointly developed moldable nanomaterials and a printing technology using metamaterials, allowing the commercialization of inexpensive and thin VR and AR devices.
Walking or cycling to work associated with reduced risk of early death and illness
People who walk, cycle and travel by train to work are at reduced risk of early death or illness compared with those who commute by car.
What if we could design powerful drugs without unwanted side effects?
The paper describes how to minimize or eliminate side effects in drugs that target G protein-coupled receptors. GPCRs are proteins found in all human cells. LSD and other psychedelics are molecules that attach to GPCRs, as are about a third of prescription drugs, including antihistamines, beta blockers and opioids. 'Armed with our results, researchers can begin to imagine new and better ways to...
Why pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is so lethal
Pancreatic ductal carcinoma is a fast growing and invasive cancer, and now scientists understand the molecular dance that makes it so deadly. CSHL researchers discovered factors that allow a pancreatic cell to lose its identity, turn into an aggressive cancer cell, and recruit surrounding cells to help it invade more effectively.
Women in criminal justice system less likely to receive treatment for opioid use
Pregnant women involved in the criminal justice system are disproportionately not receiving medications for opioid use disorder, as compared to their peers, according to a Vanderbilt-led study published today in PLOS Medicine.
Women told more white lies in evaluations than men: Study
Women are more likely to be given inaccurate performance feedback, according to new research by Lily Jampol, Ph.D. '14, and Vivian Zayas, associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.