171 articles from FRIDAY 28.8.2020

Nurses burned out and want to quit

A survey of nurses caring for children with heart problems has revealed that more than half are emotionally exhausted. The analysis also found that good working environments were linked with less burnout.

Which OCD treatment works best? New brain study could lead to more personalized choices

New research could improve the odds that people with obsessive-compulsive disorder will receive a therapy that really works for them - something that eludes more than a third of those who currently get OCD treatment. The study suggests the possibility of predicting which of two types of therapy will help people with OCD: One that exposes them to the subject of their obsessive thoughts and...

Making brain cancers in children respond better to treatment

Research has identified a small molecule compound that can activate the Wnt pathway in non-Wnt subtypes of medulloblastoma, making these aggressive forms of cancer more responsive to therapies. The work also found the Wnt pathway, which has historically been considered cancer-promoting, to function as a cancer inhibitor in certain contexts.

Amateur drone videos could aid in natural disaster damage assessment

It wasn't long after Hurricane Laura hit the Gulf Coast Thursday that people began flying drones to record the damage and posting videos on social media. Those videos are a precious resource, say researchers who are working on ways to use them for rapid damage assessment. By using artificial intelligence, the researchers are developing a system that can automatically identify buildings and make an...

UK to give emergency approval to any Covid vaccine breakthrough

Legal change will enable population to be immunised as quickly as possibleCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAny new and effective Covid vaccine will be given emergency approval for use in the UK and an expanded workforce will be trained to give the injections to immunise as much of the population as possible quickly, the government has said.A change in the law will...

Fidelity of El Nino simulation matters for predicting future climate

A new study led by University of Hawai'i at Mānoa researchers, published in the journal Nature Communications this week, revealed that correctly simulating ocean current variations hundreds of feet below the ocean surface—the so-called Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent—during El Niño events is key in reducing the uncertainty of predictions of future warming in the eastern tropical Pacific.

Grant Shapps says it is safe to return to work in offices in England

UK transport minister attempts to reassure public amid warnings for future of high streetCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK transport secretary, Grant Shapps has said it is safe to go back to work in England, as the government prepares to launch a publicity drive to persuade the public to return to the office.Ministers are concerned about the prospects for city...

UK coronavirus live: Shapps insists return to office is safe amid push to save town and city centres

Transport secretary urges people to go back to the office; researchers say risk of severe illness or death very small for children Push to get staff back to offices amid warning of ‘ghost towns’‘Vanishingly small’ risk of severe illness or death for childrenGlobal coronavirus updates - live UK registers highest number of Covid infections since mid-June 8.42am BST More from Shapps, who is...

"Jumping" DNA regulates human neurons

"Jumping" sequences of DNA, known as transposable elements, partner up with evolutionarily recent proteins to influence the differentiation and physiological functioning of human neurons.

A novel salvinia-like slippery surface

Inspired by the hydrophobic leaves of Salvinia molesta and the slippery Nepenthes pitcher plants, a Salvinia-like slippery surface (SSS) consisting of protrusions with slippery heads was designed. Compared to a control surface, the SSS exhibits increased stability against pressure and impact, the enhanced lateral mobility of water drops as well as the reduced hydrodynamic drag.

A review of ridge subduction, magmatism and metallogenesis

Ridge subduction events are very common and important geodynamic processes in modern oceanic plate tectonics (Figure 1), and play an important role in the generation of arc magmatism, material recycling, growth and evolution of continental crust, deformation and modification of overlying plates and metallogenesis. Many issues concerning ridge subductions remain controversial. Recently, researchers...

A surprising protein player in diabetes

Conducted by researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University and Riken Center of Integrative Medical Sciences, a study looking at pancreatic beta cells has found a link between a commonly found protein, a subset of switched-off genes and the development of diabetes.