137 articles from FRIDAY 22.10.2021

Seamless wayfinding by a deafblind adult on an urban college campus: A case study

Portland State University researchers Martin Swobodzinski and Amy Parker, with student co-authors Julie Wright, Kyrsten Hansen and Becky Morton, have published a new article in Frontiers in Education: "Seamless Wayfinding by a Deafblind Adult on an Urban College Campus: A Case Study on Wayfinding Performance, Information Preferences, and Technology Requirements."

Astronomers discover infant planet

One of the youngest planets ever found around a distant infant star has been discovered by an international team of scientists led by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa faculty, students, and alumni.

A diet of essential amino acids could keep dementia at bay

Protein intake is known to be vital for maintaining brain function in older individuals. Now, using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, researchers have shown that the intake of a specific set of amino acids can inhibit the death of brain cells, protect the connections between them, and reduce inflammation, preserving brain function. Their research suggests that this amino acid combination...

Machine learning predicts antibiotic resistance spread

Genes aren't only inherited through birth. Bacteria have the ability to pass genes to each other, or pick them up from their environment, through a process called horizonal gene transfer, which is a major culprit in the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Mechanism behind ineffective psoriasis drugs identified

Interleukin-12 -- a messenger molecule of immune cells -- was long considered to trigger the development of psoriasis. Now, researchers have shown that interleukin-12 does not actually cause the skin disease but protects against it. This also explains why common psoriasis drugs that block the messenger show insufficient treatment efficacy.

A national network examining Earth's planetary limits

University of California San Diego Physics Professor Tom Murphy is among five authors of an essay, appearing in the November 2021 issue of the journal Energy Research & Social Science, that cautions current levels of worldwide economic growth, energy use and resource consumption will overshoot Earth's finite limits.

Bringing new life to ATLAS data

The ATLAS collaboration is breathing new life into its LHC Run 2 dataset, recorded from 2015 to 2018. Physicists will be reprocessing the entire dataset—nearly 18 PB of collision data—using an updated version of the ATLAS offline analysis software (Athena). Not only will this improve ATLAS physics measurements and searches, it will also position the collaboration well for the upcoming...

Novel eremophilane sesquiterpenoids with immunosuppressive activity isolated from Parasenecio albus

Plants of the genus Parasenecio have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for invigorating the circulation of blood, relieving rheumatic ache, and for the treatment of injures from falls. Previous phytochemical investigations on Parasenecio species demonstrate that sesquiterpenes, especially the eremophilanes, are their characteristic components. Parasenecio albus (P. albus), mainly...

NASA completes mega-moon rocket stacking

NASA has completed stacking of the agency's mega-Moon rocket and spacecraft that will launch the next generation of deep space operations, including Artemis missions on and around the Moon. Engineers and technicians successfully secured the Orion spacecraft atop the fully assembled Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before midnight Oct. 21.

Stronger than spider silk: Bagworm silk enables strong conducting fibers

Researchers have harnessed the strength of bagworm silk to produce a strong conductive fiber. To obtain this novel fiber, the research team combined bagworm silk with polyaniline as a conducting polymer. The composite fibers act as an optical waveguide and are suitable for use in textile transistors. This production of a bagworm silk/polyaniline composite will enable the use of biocompatible...

Traces of an ancient road in a lake

Eight hundred years of settlement history with land reforms, epidemics and repeated wars are preserved in the sediments of Lake Czechowskie in Poland. The key role was played by the so-called Margrave's Road, the 'Via Marchionis', between the Prussian heartland and the Teutonic Order's castle Marienburg (today Malbork in Poland). The road remained significant for centuries.

Quantum battles in attoscience: Following three debates

The field of attoscience has been kickstarted by new advances in laser technology. Research began with studies of three particular processes. First, 'above-threshold ionization' (ATI), describing atoms which are ionized by more than the required number of photons. Second, 'high harmonic generation' (HHG) occurs when a target is illuminated by an intense laser pulse, causing it to emit...

Historical analysis finds no precedent for the rate of coal and gas power decline needed to limit climate change to 1.5°C

Limiting climate change to the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Climate Agreement will likely require coal and gas power use to decline at rates that are unprecedented for any large country, finds an analysis of decadal episodes of fossil fuel decline in 105 countries between 1960 and 2018. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the most rapid historical cases of fossil fuel decline occurred when...

Fighting multiple sclerosis with cold

In evolutionary biology, the 'Life History Theory,' first proposed in the 1950s, postulates that when the environment is favorable, the resources used by any organism are devoted for growth and reproduction. Conversely, in a hostile environment, resources are transferred to so-called maintenance programs, such as energy conservation and defense against external attacks. Scientists developed this...

Mechanism underlying the emergence of virus variants unraveled

Scientists have probed the molecular origins of recombination in RNA viruses. Hiccups during the copying process of viruses cause recombination to take place: the exchange of segments of viral RNA. While this can lead to the emergence of new virus variants, the mechanism can also be exploited to induce non-viable defective viruses

Massachusetts gun-control legislation has had no effect on violent crime

Although many Americans favor expanding background checks for gun purchases, gun-control measures in Congress have failed to garner enough votes to pass. In contrast, some state legislatures have enacted measures to reduce gun violence in their communities. A new study examined the impact changes to background checks and licensing policies has made on different types of violent crime in...

Experiences in prison reduce perceptions of corrections officers' fairness, regardless of time served

Numerous studies have examined the coercive nature of prisons, but few have considered the role of in-prison experiences (e.g., confinement in restrictive housing) and time served in prison in incarcerated people's perceptions of corrections officers' fairness. A new study examined whether in-prison experiences among a nationally representative sample of inmates varied in their effect across...

Stretchy, bendy, flexible LEDs

Sure, you could attach two screens with a hinge and call a cell phone "foldable," but what if you could roll it up and put it in your wallet? Or stretch it around your wrist to wear it as a watch?