305 articles from THURSDAY 10.6.2021

New method to measure milk components has potential to improve dairy sustainability

Since the 1990s, mid-infrared testing of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) has been the most efficient and least invasive way to measure nitrogen use by dairy cows in large numbers. In a recent article in the Journal of Dairy Science, researchers from Cornell University report the development of a robust new set of MUN calibration reference samples to improve accuracy of MUN measurement.

New study gives clue to the cause, and possible treatment of Parkinson's Disease

This study will benefit scientists and experts in brain research where new discoveries of biomarkers are needed to form part of routine clinical practice protocols. The study relies on zebrafish Parkinson's Disease model, showing how cytosolic dsDNA of mitochondrial origin can accumulate in brains cells thereby contributing to PD pathogenesis. The evidence presented in this manuscript illustrates...

Nicotinamide can 'immunize' plants to protect from fungal disease

A team led by Kanazawa University, Japan, discovered that applying the vitamin nicotinamide (NIM) to plants prevents development of fungal disease. Pre-treatment with NIM activates the plant immune response and increases amounts of antimicrobial compounds that suppress the growth of the fungus. The results could lead to novel approaches to tackling crop diseases, potentially replacing toxic...

Novel liquid crystal metalens offers electric zoom

Researchers from Cornell University's School of Applied and Engineering Physics and Samsung's Advanced Institute of Technology have created a first-of-its-kind metalens - a metamaterial lens - that can be focused using voltage instead of mechanically moving its components.

Novel materials: Sound waves traveling backwards

Acoustic waves in gases, liquids, and solids usually travel at an almost constant speed of sound. Rotons are an exception: their speed of sound changes significantly with the wavelength, it is also possible that the waves travel backwards. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology are studying the possibilities of using rotons in artificial materials. These metamaterials might be used in...

Novel SERS sensor helps to detect aldehyde gases

Prof. HUANG Qing's group from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) gas sensor to detect aldehyde with high sensitivity and selectivity, which provided a new detection method for studying the adsorption of gas molecules on porous materials. The relevant research results have been published in Analytical Chemistry.

NUS engineers devise novel approach to wirelessly power wearable devices

Researchers from NUS have come up with a way to use one single device - such as a mobile phone or smart watch - to wirelessly power up to 10 wearables on a user. This novel method uses the human body as a medium for transmitting power. Their system can also harvest unused energy from electronics in a typical home or office environment to power the wearables.

Observing quantum coherence from photons scattered in free-space

Sending photons encoded with quantum information through free-space for applications like quantum communication and imaging are currently limited to channels with direct line-of-sight and low-noise. Researchers at University of Waterloo, Canada, have demonstrated a technique to encode quantum information in photons that will survive scattering from diffuse objects, while recording an image. This...

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine protective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is protective against several SARS-CoV-2 variants that have emerged, according to new research presented this week in the journal mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. While this is good news, the study also found that the only approved monoclonal antibody therapy for SARS-CoV-2 might be less effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants in...

Pinpointing how cancer cells turn aggressive

As deadly as it is, cancer metastasis is a poorly understood process. A new study led by Penn's Kamen Simeonov and Christopher Lengner describes a cutting-edge tool for tracing the lineage and gene expression of thousands of individual metastatic cancer cells. Their findings open new angles for investigating the processes that drive metastasis.

Printing flexible wearable electronics for smart device applications

With the increase in demand for flexible wearable electronics, researchers have explored flexible energy storage devices, such as flexible supercapacitators, that are lightweight and safe and easily integrate with other devices. Printing electronics has proved to be an economical, simple, and scalable strategy for fabricating FSCs. In Applied Physics Reviews, researchers provide a review of...

Prostate cancer linked to obesity

Abdominal obesity appears to be associated with a greater risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. This link was demonstrated in a study led by Professor Marie-Élise Parent of Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and published in the journal Cancer Causes & Control.

Queqiao: The bridge between Earth and the far side of the moon

China's Chang'e-4 probe marked the first soft-landing of a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, which always faces away from Earth. To communicate with ground stations, Chang'e-4 relies on Queqiao, a relay communication satellite that orbits a point behind the Moon and bridges Earth and Chang'e-4. In a recent review, researchers explain the design of Queqiao and depict the future of lunar relay...

Researchers turned transparent calcite into artificial gold

? Researchers from Tel Aviv University developed a new platform that can serve as a basis for innovative medications.? Applying processes of nanotechnology, the researchers were able to turn transparent calcite into artificial gold that can be used in thermotherapy for various types of cancer.

Researchers' algorithm to make CRISPR gene editing more precise

Researchers from Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen have developed a new method, which makes CRISPR gene editing more precise than conventional methods. The method selects the molecules best suited for helping the CRISPR-Cas9 protein with high-precision editing at the correct location in our DNA, the researchers explain.