291 articles from MONDAY 27.7.2020

Unparalleled inventory of the human gut ecosystem

Scientists gathered and published over 200 000 genomes from the human gut microbiome. The catalogue reveals that more than 70% of bacterial species in the human gut have never been grown in the lab. This new data resource could be extremely useful to investigate how the bacterial community in the human gut influences human health and disease.

Video camera in a public place knows the density of people or vehicle more accurately

Deep learning applied for image/video processing opened the door for the practical deployment for object detection and identification with acceptable accuracy. Crowd counting is another application of image/video processing. The scientists at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) designed a new DNN with backward connection, which achieved more accurate estimation of the...

Viral hepatitis: Europe needs to close the testing gap

Approximately four in five people living with hepatitis B and three out of four people with hepatitis C infection across the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and the UK have not yet been diagnosed. This is a major obstacle on the way towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for health in 2030 as highlighted by ECDC on occasion of World Hepatitis Day.

Water molecules are gold for nanocatalysis

Nanocatalysts made of gold nanoparticles dispersed on metal oxides are very promising for the industrial, selective oxidation of compounds, including alcohols, into valuable chemicals. They show high catalytic activity, particularly in aqueous solution. A team of researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum has been able to explain why: Water molecules play an active role in facilitating the oxygen...

What are the properties of the cryptocurrency market?

In terms of its structure and organization, the cryptocurrency market is a rather young and a very specific financial market. Due to its relatively short history, it is difficult to fully analyze the cryptocurrency market (it appeared only in 2009), which makes this task even more attractive for researchers.

Which bacteria truly qualify as probiotics?

Today, the word probiotic is used to describe all kinds of 'good' microorganisms in foods and supplements. Already, scientists have come up with a specific definition of probiotics, however, they have agreed that for a bacterial strain or strains to be called a probiotic, it should follow four simple criteria. Correct use of the term probiotic, per these criteria, will give consumers better...

Work absences in April highest on record, suggesting under-count of COVID cases: New study

In April, more than 2 million jobholders were out sick from work, the highest number since at least 1976, and more than double the rate from mid-April 2019, according to a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. The surge in absences was largest for immigrant workers, whose absence rate rose almost five-fold from 12 months earlier, when their absenteeism rate had been 37% lower than that...

X-rays recount origin of oddball meteorites

X-ray experiments at Berkeley Lab played a key role in resolving the origin of rare, odd meteorites that have puzzled scientists since their discovery a half-century ago. Known as type IIE iron meteorites, they appear to have originated from a parent body that had a composition featuring both fully melted and unmelted parts - other meteorite types display only one composition.

Yale to lead trial of potential COVID-19 treatment

Yale School of Medicine and the biopharmaceutical firm AI Therapeutics have launched a multi-institutional clinical trial of a drug for treating COVID-19. Known as LAM-002A (apilimod), the drug has a proven safety record. Preliminary research has shown it can block cellular entry and trafficking of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of COVID-19.

NASA's AIRS Sees Hurricane Douglas, Tropical Storm Hanna From Space

Portal origin URL: NASA's AIRS Sees Hurricane Douglas, Tropical Storm Hanna From Space Portal origin nid: 463078Published: Sunday, July 26, 2020 - 20:18Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Wild weather sweeping in from the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico is bringing flooding rains, high winds, and dangerous storm surges to Hawaii and Texas.Portal...

Coronavirus live news: US sees 5,000 deaths in five days as Dr Birx urges some states to close bars

Social distancing reintroduced to Vietnamese city of Danang; Spain’s Covid-19 deaths could be 60% higher; Global deaths near 650,000. Follow the latest updatesPacific Islanders in US hospitalised with Covid-19 at up to 10 times the rate of other groupsUK could impose more ‘handbrake restrictions’ on arrivals beyond SpainUS records more than 1,000 Covid deaths a day as Republicans mull...

Ease restrictions on medical psychedelics to aid research, experts say

Psilocybin may be safe for treating depression but research is stymied by government controlsPotential treatments for severe depression, addiction and other mental health disorders are being held up by excessive restrictions on psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, scientists and politicians have said.Clinical trials suggest that psilocybin may be a safe and effective medicine for...