153 articles from FRIDAY 19.6.2020

Proteins expressed by viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti Mosquito

The female Aedes aegypti mosquito is a vector of several arthropodborne viruses, such as Mayaro, Dengue, Chikungunya, Yellow Fever, and Zika. The objective of the present study was to search for the regularities of the proteins expressed by these five viruses, at residues level, and obtain a "bioinformatic fingerprint" to select them.

Renewed hope for treatment of pain and depression

Researchers at the Department of Infection and Immunity of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) developed LIH383, a novel molecule that binds to and blocks a previously unknown opioid receptor in the brain, thereby modulating the levels of opioid peptides produced in the central nervous system (CNS) and potentiating their natural painkilling and antidepressant properties. These findings were...

Researchers attempt new treatment approach for blood cancer

In an effort to improve the survival of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, a type of leukemia, researchers inhibited a specific protein (alpha5beta1 integrin) to decrease the number of large bone marrow cells (megakaryocytes) in an experimental model. An increase in megakaryocyte numbers is thought to be the cause of many problems observed in this disease. This type of treatment approach...

Resounding yes to message on a bottle

A new study examining the levels of support of various alcohol control policies across seven countries including Australia, has found broad support for the proposition that alcohol products should carry pregnancy health warnings.

Simulating wind farm development

Engineers have devised a model to describe how, in the process of establishing wind farms, interactions between developers and landowners affect energy production costs.

Skyrmion dynamics and traverse mobility

In a study published in EPJ B authors N.P. Vizarim and C.J.O. Reichhardt from the Theoretical Division and Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA and their colleagues aim to understand how skyrmions behave in a substrate under dc and ac drives.

Study finds 'dark matter' DNA is vital for rice reproduction

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have shed light on the reproductive role of 'dark matter' DNA - non-coding DNA sequences that previously seemed to have no function.Their findings, published today in Nature Communications, have revealed that a specific non-coding genomic region is essential for the proper development of the male and female...

Synaptic variability provides adaptability for rhythmic motor pattern

From snail to man, one of the most common features in behavior is arguably the variability of motor acts—for example, a soccer player evading an opponent. By studying how the marine snail Aplysia produces variable feeding behavior, researchers have found that variable motor outputs stem from a complex interplay of synaptic variability and the strengths of the synaptic contacts between specific...

The Kerguelen oceanic plateau sheds light on the formation of continents

How did the continents form? Although to a certain extent this remains an open question, the oceanic plateau of the Kerguelen Islands may well provide part of the answer, according to a French-Australian team led by the Géosciences Environnement Toulouse laboratory (CNRS/Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier/IRD/CNES).

The rate we acquire genetic mutations could help predict lifespan, fertility

Differences in the rate that genetic mutations accumulate in healthy young adults could help predict remaining lifespan in both sexes and the remaining years of fertility in women, according to University of Utah Health scientists. Their study, believed to be the first of its kind, found that young adults who acquired fewer mutations over time lived about five years longer than those who acquired...

The relationship between looking/listening and human emotions

Toyohashi University of Technology has indicated that the relationship between attentional states in response to pictures and sounds and the emotions elicited by them may be different in visual perception and auditory perception. This result suggests visual perception elicits emotions in all attentional states, whereas auditory perception elicits emotions only when attention is paid to sounds,...

Two quantum cheshire cats exchange grins

Prof. LI Chuanfeng, XU Jinshi, and XU Xiaoye from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), collaborating with Prof. CHEN Jingling from Nankai University, realized the non-contacing exchange of the polarization of two photons, revealing the unique quantum characteristics of the "Quantum Cheshire Cat".