117 articles from TUESDAY 7.9.2021

Scientists unravel the mysteries of irreversibility in electrochromic thin films

Tungsten oxide, an electrochromic (EC) material with immense potential for technical applications such as in smart windows, has attracted much interest for its energy-saving qualities. However, after multiple cycles, such EC devices exhibit degradation in optical modulation and reversibility owing to lithium-ion trapping. Now, scientists have adopted a quantitative approach to understand the...

Emoji are proposed as a powerful way for patients and doctors to communicate

Emoji could particularly enhance interaction with young children, people with disabilities, and patients who speak other languages, a physician and others argue in a new commentary. The opportunity exists for medical societies and physician committees to proactively shape emoji that best represent their fields, then work with the standards-setting body for emoji to get them approved and put into...

How do pathogens evolve novel virulence activities, and why does it matter?

Understanding how pathogens evolve is a fundamental component of learning how to protect ourselves and our world from pests and diseases. Yet we are constantly underestimating pathogen evolution, such as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, which some believed had been conquered until the arrival of the Delta variant. Similarly, we are often a step or two behind plant pathogens, which is why the...

Scientists develop films with tunable elongation and fracture for various uses

Elastic polymers, or 'elastomers,' have various applications, including in car tires and shock absorbers, and their properties are governed by the density of cross-linked polymer chains. However, these properties are usually not modifiable, leading to excessive synthesis requirements. Now, scientists have come up with a novel elastomer film whose elasticity can be 'tuned' in a post-preparation...

New study puts focus on early symptoms of Huntington’s disease

Psychiatric and cognitive symptoms emerge at an early stage in Huntington's disease. However, research so far has mainly focused on movement impairment, a symptom associated with the more advanced stages of the disease. A new study now shows that the emotional brain - the limbic system - is affected earlier in the course of the disease, and should therefore be given more attention in the...

Officials leading hurricane response need ‘risk literacy’

New research shows that the most numerate officials were almost twice as likely as less numerate ones to provide additional evacuation times to their coastal communities during a hurricane. Less numerate ones, on the other hand, gave their communities less advance warning, and when they finally did issue evacuations, over-evacuated tens of thousands more people.

Under loading ceramics self-heal cracks by forming kink-bands

Ceramics are resilient to heat and extreme environments but they are fragile and crack easily. Researchers have discovered a self-healing mechanism within a type of ceramics, called MAX phases. They have shown that these engineered ceramics form natural faults or kink-bands during loading that can not only effectively stop cracks from growing, but can also close and heal them, thereby preventing...

Water-repellent nanomaterial inspired by nature

Researchers have created a new nanomaterial that repels water and can stay dry even when submerged underwater. The discovery could open the door to the development of more efficient water-repellent surfaces, fuel cells and electronic sensors to detect toxins.

Research delves into role of turkeys to Ancestral Pueblo peoples

Research recently published by adjunct assistant professor Cyler Conrad from the Department of Archaeology at The University of New Mexico examines the importance of turkeys to the Ancestral Pueblo people and how they have managed the birds for more than 1,600 years. Evidence of turkeys and various methods of enclosing them is evident in the ancient pueblos all over New Mexico and surrounding...

New data gained on double perovskite oxides

The Journal of Alloys and Compounds has published an article coauthored by the Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry (the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), the Donostia International Physics Centre, and the HSE Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics on the characteristics of cubic double perovskite oxides. To date, experimental measurements of the...

Natural archive reveals Atlantic tempests through time

Atlantic hurricanes don't just come and go. They leave clues to their passage through the landscape that last centuries or more. Rice University scientists are using these natural archives to find signs of storms hundreds of years before satellites allowed us to watch them in real time.

Coyotes studied as stand-ins for endangered ferrets

By testing easier-to-study coyotes, researchers from the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab at the College of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, have identified a range of lethal diseases threatening black-footed ferrets—one of the most endangered animals in North America.

New powerful laser passes field test

A powerful experimental laser developed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), TOPTICA Projects and other industry partners passed a key test last month at the Allgaeuer Volkssternwarte Ottobeuren observatory in Germany. The adaptive-optics laser has important additional capabilities compared to existing systems. It is to be installed at the European Space Agency's (ESA) Optical Ground...

Scientists develop AI to predict the success of startup companies

A study in which machine-learning models were trained to assess over 1 million companies has shown that artificial intelligence (AI) can accurately determine whether a startup firm will fail or become successful. The outcome is a tool, Venhound, that has the potential to help investors identify the next unicorn.

Scientists simulate step in hepatitis B viral infection to help develop therapies targeted at capsid disassembly

With up to 2.4 million U.S. cases and over 250 million chronic cases globally, hepatitis B infection persists despite the availability of a vaccine. Vaccines work by immunizing the body against a virus to prevent infection; however, there is no cure for individuals who do become infected (for example, at birth). Hepatitis B infection can lead to liver damage and even cancer, posing a threat to...

Educational workshops may bolster women's empowerment

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, led a randomized control trial in Ibadan, Nigeria, to evaluate educational programs to empower women by working with couples in three critical areas: Spousal relations, and financial and reproductive decision-making.