163 articles from FRIDAY 17.7.2020
Predicting the biodiversity of rivers
Biodiversity and thus the state of river ecosystems can now be predicted by combining environmental DNA with hydrological methods, researchers from the University of Zurich and Eawag have found. Using the river Thur as an example, the approach allows areas requiring conservation to be identified in order to initiate protective measures.
Pressure suppresses carrier trapping in 2D halide perovskite
Here, we show a remarkable PL enhancement by 12 folds using pressure to modulate the structure of a recently developed 2D perovskite (HA)2(GA)Pb2I7 (HA = n?hexylammonium, GA = guanidinium). This structure features an extremely large cage previously unattainable, affording us a rare opportunity to understand the structure?property relationship and explore emergent phenomena in halide perovskites.
Psychology: The most personal device
Everyone who uses a smartphone unavoidably generates masses of digital data that are accessible to others, and these data provide clues to the user's personality. Psychologists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich (LMU) are studying how revealing these clues are.
Radiology practices struggle to survive amid COVID-19
Private radiology practices have been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the steps they take to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their practice will shape the future of radiology, according to a special report from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) COVID-19 Task Force.
Reduction in commercial flights due to COVID-19 leading to less accurate weather forecasts
Weather forecasts have become less accurate during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the reduction in commercial flights, according to new research. A new study in AGU's journal Geophysical Research Letters finds the world lost 50-75% of its aircraft weather observations between March and May of this year, when many flights were grounded due to the pandemic.
Research underscores importance of global surveillance of plant pathogens
First spotted in the United States in 2014, bacterial leaf streak of corn is an emerging disease of corn that has now spread to ten states, including the top three corn-producing states of Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Researchers create a roadmap to better multivalent batteries
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from mobile phones to laptop computers and electric vehicles, but demand is growing for less expensive and more readily available alternatives. The top candidates all hold promise, but researchers report that steep challenges remain.
Researchers discover hybrid fungus involved in lung infections
This is the first time Aspergillus latus has been found in a hospital. The species is more drug-resistant than its two parents and highly dangerous. The researchers will now investigate the role of fungi in COVID-19.
Researchers realize nanoscale electrometry based on magnetic-field-resistant spin sensor
USTC researchers proposed a robust electrometric method utilizing continuous dynamic decoupling (CDD) technique, where the continuous driving fields provide a magnetic-field-resistant dressed frame.
River plants counter both flooding and drought to protect biodiversity
'Water plants are a nuisance in streams, blocking the flow. You should remove them'. This notion has for many years determined how streams were managed to prevent flooding during high rainfall events. Research by NIOZ scientist Loreta Cornacchia, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, in cooperation with Utrecht University and British and Belgian partners, shows how...
Scientists achieve major breakthrough in preserving integrity of sound waves
In a breakthrough experiment, physicist and engineers at the CUNY ASRC have shown that it is possible to limit the movement of sound to a single direction without interruption even when there are deformations along the pathway. The findings pave the way for technologies with more robust sound wave integrity and advances in ultrasound imaging, sonar, and electronic systems that use surface acoustic...
Separating gamma-ray bursts: Students make critical breakthrough
By applying a machine-learning algorithm, scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, have developed a method to classify all gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), rapid highly energetic explosions in distant galaxies, without needing to find an afterglow - by which GRBs are presently categorized. This breakthrough, initiated by first-year B.Sc. students, may prove key in finally...
St Petersburg University scientists count all the tiny snails in the Arctic
St Petersburg University Scientists have summarised all the known information about Arctic snails that have dimensions less than five millimetres. The information gathered will help to learn more about marine ecosystem pollution and climate change.
Study identifies missing piece needed for lower-cost, high-quality MRI
Researchers identify the missing piece needed to generate high-quality imaging using low-cost MRI scanners.
Study reveals intricate details about Huntington's disease protein
The research focuses on axonal transport --Â the way in which vital materials travel along pathways called axons inside nerve cells, or neurons. Scientists found that HTT sometimes journeys along these roadways in cellular vehicles (called vesicles) that also carry freight including a protein called Rab4. The research also identified other materials that may be present in these shipments.
Study shows how traumatic experiences can leave their mark on a person's eyes
New research by Welsh academics shows that a patient's pupils can reveal if they have suffered a traumatic experience in the past. The study examined how an individual's eyes responded when shown threatening images.
Supplements with potential to prevent Alzheimer's affect blood, but less so the brain
A small clinical trial from USC suggests that higher doses of omega-3 supplements may be needed in order to prevent or slow cognitive decline from Alzheimer's disease, because dramatic increases in blood levels of omega-3s are accompanied by far smaller increases within the brain. Among participants who carry a specific mutation that heightens risk for Alzheimer's, taking the supplements raised...
Synapse-saving proteins discovered, opening possibilities in Alzheimer's, schizophrenia
Loss of synapses is a contributing factor to Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Researchers from the Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio discovered a class of proteins that inhibit synapse elimination, opening possibilities for novel therapies for the two diseases.
The Lancet Global Health: Benefits of routine childhood vaccines far outweigh risks of additional COVID-19 transmission in Africa, modelling study suggests
The health benefits of maintaining routine childhood vaccination programmes in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic far outweigh the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission that might be associated with clinic visits, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet Global Health journal.
The secret to renewable solar fuels is an off-and-on again relationship
Copper that was once bound with oxygen is better at converting CO2 into renewable fuels than copper that was never bound to oxygen, according to Berkeley Lab and Caltech scientists.
Turmeric could have antiviral properties
Curcumin, a natural compound found in the spice turmeric, could help eliminate certain viruses, research has found. A study published in the Journal of General Virology showed that curcumin can prevent Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) - an alpha-group coronavirus that infects pigs - from infecting cells. At higher doses, the compound was also found to kill virus particles.
Type 1 interferon deficiency: Biomarker of patients at risk of severe COVID
Which patients are more likely to develop a severe form of Covid-19? This is a key question that needs to be answered to improve the individual management and prognosis of patients. In a study published in Science on July 13, teams from AP-HP, Inserm, Université of Paris, Institut Pasteur and Institut Imagine describe a unique and unexpected immunological phenotype in severe and critical...
UNH scientists find faster way to count animal sperm using DNA
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified a quicker and less expensive way to count sperm in lobsters that could help scientists looking at any animal better understand mating, a key aspect of species survival.
Uplifting of Columbia River basalts opens window on how region was sculpted
Information drawn from analyses of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of materials from exposed Columbia River basalts has provided insights about how magma from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago shaped the region and why those eruptions did not trigger a global extinction event.
USTC achieves million core parallel first-principles computing simulation on Sunway TaihuLight
USTC researchers have realized first-principles computing simulation of the large-scale solid system with tens of thousands of atoms and molecules based on DGDFT with the help of super large-scale millions of cores parallel computation on the supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight.