213 articles from FRIDAY 26.2.2021
From microsaws to nanodrills: laser pulses act as subtle machining tools
In "Structured light for ultrafast laser micro- and nanoprocessing" by Daniel Flamm et al., various concepts are presented for manipulating the spatial distribution of laser light at the focus in such a way that particularly efficient and, thus, industrially suitable processing strategies can be applied.
Genes identified that increase the risk of obesity but also protect against disease
An international team of scientists, including researchers at the University of Copenhagen, have identified 62 genes that lead to both higher levels of body fat but a lower risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. These genes may help to keep body fat healthy, and open a new avenue for developing drugs that lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease
Genomic Data Commons provides unprecedented cancer data resource
The National Cancer Institute's Genomic Data Commons (GDC), launched in 2016 by then-Vice President Joseph Biden and hosted at the University of Chicago, has become one of the largest and most widely used resources in cancer genomics, with more than 3.3 petabytes of data from more than 65 projects and over 84,000 anonymized patient cases, serving more than 50,000 unique users each month.
Household transmission of SARS-CoV-2
Researchers investigated whether home addresses recorded in the electronic medical record could be used to accurately estimate transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 and identify risk factors for transmission.
How housing discrimination affects environmental inequality
Economists and urban planners generally agree that local pollution sources disproportionally impact racial minorities in the U.S. The reasons for this are largely unclear, but a University of Illinois study provides new insights into the issue.
How photoblueing disturbs microscopy
An undesirable effect can occur in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy: photoblueing. A new publication in Nature Methods shows how it can be prevented or made useful for research.
Improving water quality could help conserve insectivorous birds -- study
A new study shows for the first time that the alarming decline in insectivorous birds across the USA may be due to a decline of emergent insects in lakes and streams with poor water quality. These findings highlight the need for holistic conservation across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Investigating dense plasmas with positron waves
A new study published in EPJ D by Garston Tiofack, Faculty of Sciences, University of Marousa, Cameroon, and colleagues, assesses the dynamics of positron acoustic waves (PAWS) in EPI plasmas whilst under the influence of magnetic fields, or magnetoplasmas.
KIMM develops all-round grippers for contact-free society
The Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM) successfully developed all-round gripper technology, enabling robots to hold objects of various shapes and stiffnesses. With the new technology, a single gripper can be used to handle different objects such as screwdrivers, bulbs, and coffee pots, and even food with delicate surfaces such as tofu, strawberries, and raw chicken. It is expected to...
Light-emitting tattoo engineered for the first time
The technology, which uses organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), is applied in the same way as water transfer tattoos. That is, the OLEDs are fabricated on to temporary tattoo paper and transferred to a new surface by being pressed on to it and dabbed with water.
Maternal instincts lead to social life of bees
The maternal care of offspring is one of the behavioural drivers that has led some bee species to have an ever-expanding social life over the history of evolution, new research out of York University has found.By virtue of being in a social group the genome itself may respond by selecting more social, rather than non-social genes. The behaviour and social environment come first setting the stage...
Measuring the tRNA world
Researchers have developed a method to quantify transfer RNAs
Meteorites remember conditions of stellar explosions
A team of international researchers went back to the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago to gain new insights into the cosmic origin of the heaviest elements on the periodic table.
MicroRNA testing of healthy kids could provide a window on future heart and kidney health
Molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) that are measurable in urine have been identified by researchers at Mount Sinai as predictors of both heart and kidney health in children without disease. The epidemiological study of Mexican children was published in February in the journal Epigenomics.
Nanoparticles help untangle Alzheimer's disease amyloid beta plaques
Scientists are still a long way from being able to treat Alzheimer's Disease, in part because the protein aggregates that can become brain plaques, a hallmark of the disease, are hard to study.
New catalyst makes styrene manufacturing cheaper, greener
Chemical engineering researchers have developed a new catalyst that significantly increases yield in styrene manufacturing, while simultaneously reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
New insights into an ancient protein complex
Extensive collaboration between five VIB groups resulted in a better understanding of the machinery that plants use to regulate the protein composition of their outer membrane. This discovery, published in Science Advances, enhances our basic knowledge of how the plasma membrane composition can be adapted based on external stimuli, an essential process for life on earth.
New open-source platform accelerates research into the treatment of heart arrhythmia's
An open-source platform, OpenEP co-developed by researchers from the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences at King's College London has been made available to advance research on atrial fibrillation, a condition characterised by an irregular
New research finds exercise may help slow memory loss for people living with Alzheimer's dementia
Promising new research shows aerobic exercise may help slow memory loss for older adults living with Alzheimer's dementia.
New study highlights importance of context to physical theories
A Swansea University scientist's research into the geometrical characteristics of a physical theories is highlighted in a new paper. Physicist Dr Farid Shahandeh examines what structural property of a theory like quantum mechanics makes it prone to contextuality.
New tools find COVID patients at highest risk of mechanical ventilation and death
By inputting clinical and laboratory factors at the time of admission into a novel online calculator, physicians can determine with high accuracy which COVID-19 patients will require the most intense care.Age is not a significant predictor of whether a hospitalized patient will need mechanical ventilation, nor does it predict the duration of ventilation. Over half of all patients on mechanical...
Not all "good" cholesterol is healthy
A study led by IMIM examines whether all so-called good cholesterol (HDL) particles have a cardiovascular protective effect. Traditionally, HDL cholesterol has been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, but there are doubts as to whether all the particles have a protective effect. The work shows that people with large HDL particles have an increased risk of myocardial infarction, while...
Novel catalysts improve efficiency of urea synthesis at ambient conditions
A research team led by Prof. ZHANG Guangjin from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences fabricated Bi-BiVO4 Mott-Schottky heterostructure catalysts for efficient urea synthesis at ambient conditions.
Oahu marine protected areas offer limited protection of coral reef herbivorous fishes
Marine protected areas around O?ahu do not adequately protect populations of herbivorous reef fishes that eat algae on coral reefs. That is the primary conclusion of a study published in Coral Reefs by researchers from the University of Hawai?i at Mānoa.
Pesticide imidacloprid threatens future for key pollinator
An insecticide used to control pest infestations on squash and pumpkins significantly hinders the reproduction of ground-nesting bees -- valuable pollinators for many food crops, new research has revealed.