(Press-News.org) LA JOLLA, CA--As new COVID-19 variants begin to throw vaccine efficacy in question, two leading scientists are calling for health agencies to invest in the development of vaccines that would be broadly effective against many different variants and strains of potential pandemic viruses.
In a END
Scientists urge for investment now in highly potent vaccines to prevent the next pandemic
Warning that the next fast-spreading virus may not be as accommodating as the coronavirus driving COVID-19, they call for a new approach to pandemic preparedness
2021-02-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Scientists create flexible biocompatible cilia that can be controlled by a magnet
2021-02-09
Researchers at the University of Campinas's Chemistry Institute (IQ-UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, have developed a template-free technique to fabricate cilia of different sizes that mimic biological functions and have multiple applications, from directing fluids in microchannels to loading material into a cell, for example. The highly flexible cilia are based on polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles, and their motion can be controlled by a magnet.
In nature, cilia are microscopic hairlike structures found in large numbers on the surface of certain cells, causing currents ...
Can current smartphone technology tell you when a pandemic might come calling?
2021-02-09
Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a simple optical technique used to detect volumetric changes in peripheral blood circulation. It's used in smart watches, for example, to monitor pulse and heart rate, but PPG biosensors are also found in millions of smartphones, but without any current clinical applications.
In a study published online in the February 2021 issue of Chest, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with industry collaborators, found that already embedded PPG in smartphones, in tandem with application software, could be used for remote clinical pulse oximetry to manage chronic cardiopulmonary disease and perhaps initial treatment and monitoring of persons affected in respiratory viral pandemics, such as COVID-19.
"Pulse oximetry monitoring ...
Design and deployment of COVID-19 technology responses and finding ways to make things
2021-02-09
As governments try to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, many are turning to contact tracing, including apps that track your location and electronic check-in QR codes. But with that technology come questions of personal safety, privacy, trust, control and collective action. So what can be done to improve these large-scale technological system roll-outs without infringing on a citizen's right to privacy?
"These systems are logging your physical social network," said Katina Michael, an Arizona State University professor at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society in the College of Global Futures and the School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. "The physical has become more ...
Shining a light on the true value of solar power
2021-02-09
Beyond the environmental benefits and lower electric bills, it turns out installing solar panels on your house actually benefits your whole community. Value estimations for grid-tied photovoltaic systems prove solar panels are beneficial for utility companies and consumers alike.
For years some utility companies have worried that solar panels drive up electric costs for people without panels. Joshua Pearce, Richard Witte Endowed Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Michigan Technological University, has shown the opposite is true -- grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) owners are actually subsidizing their non-PV ...
Super-Earth atmospheres probed at Sandia's Z machine
2021-02-09
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The huge forces generated by the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories are being used to replicate the gravitational pressures on so-called "super-Earths" to determine which might maintain atmospheres that could support life.
Astronomers believe that super-Earths -- collections of rocks up to eight times larger than Earth -- exist in the millions in our galaxy. "The question before us is whether any of these super planets are actually Earthlike, with active geological processes, atmospheres and magnetic fields," said Sandia physicist Joshua Townsend.
The current ...
Low carbon transport at sea: Ferries voyage optimization in the Adriatic
2021-02-09
Energy efficiency or carbon intensity (defined as CO2 emissions per transport work, ed.) is a possible point of convergence between the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and EU regulations to cut GHG emissions and decarbonize shipping. Short term measures to increase energy efficiency and achieve carbon intensity savings include voyage optimization.
A new study led by the CMCC Foundation, realized in the framework of the Interreg Italy-Croatia END ...
Racism and anti-gay discrimination heighten risk for arrest and incarceration
2021-02-09
New research by Morgan Philbin, PhD, at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues looks at why Black young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are disproportionately subject to high rates of arrest and incarceration. They find that perceived racial discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and HIV-status discrimination are all associated with risk for criminal justice involvement in this population.
The research appears in the journal Stigma and Health.
Various studies have shown that Black men are imprisoned at nearly seven times the rate of white men; sexual minority young adults are nearly three times more likely to report being criminally sanctioned compared to their heterosexual ...
A study presents an algorithm that automates electrocardiogram recordings
2021-02-09
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is an examination that records the electrical activity of the heart during the cardiac cycle. It is non-invasive and usually involves placing electrodes on the subject's skin. It is a most indicated type of examination when there is suspected heart disease and also in routine preventive health check-ups.
The cardiac cycle entails the emptying of blood from the atria to the ventricles ("P" wave, red in the image), the contraction of the ventricles to propel blood to the different tissues and organs of the body ("QRS" wave, green in the image), and ...
Drug is promising against pancreatic and breast cancers
2021-02-09
ATLANTA--ProAgio, a drug developed by Georgia State University biology professor Zhi-Ren Liu and his team, is effective at treating pancreatic cancer and prolonging survival in mice, according to a study published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
A second study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, shows the drug is also effective against triple-negative breast cancer, a fast-growing and hard-to-treat type of breast cancer that carries a poor prognosis.
ProAgio, created from a human protein, targets the cell surface receptor integrin αVβ?, which is expressed on cancer-associated fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are cells ...
'Defective' carbon simplifies hydrogen peroxide production
2021-02-09
HOUSTON - (Feb. 9, 2021) - Rice University researchers have created a "defective" catalyst that simplifies the generation of hydrogen peroxide from oxygen.
Rice scientists treated metal-free carbon black, the inexpensive, powdered product of petroleum production, with oxygen plasma. The process introduces defects and oxygen-containing groups into the structure of the carbon particles, exposing more surface area for interactions.
When used as a catalyst, the defective particles known as CB-Plasma reduce oxygen to hydrogen peroxide with 100% Faradaic efficiency, a measure of charge transfer in electrochemical reactions. The process shows promise to replace the complex anthraquinone-based production ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Black women hospitalised in USA with blood infection resistant to last-resort antibiotic at increased risk of death
NEC Society Statement on the Watson vs. Mead Johnson Verdict
Lemur’s lament: When one vulnerable species stalks another
Surf clams off the coast of Virginia reappear – and rebound
Studying optimization for neuromorphic imaging and digital twins
ORNL researchers win Best Paper award for nickel-based alloy tailoring
New beta-decay measurements in mirror nuclei pin down the weak nuclear force
Study uncovers neural mechanisms underlying foraging behavior in freely moving animals
Gene therapy is halting cancer. Can it work against brain tumors?
New copper-catalyzed C-H activation strategy from Scripps Research
New compound from blessed thistle promotes functional nerve regeneration
Auburn’s McCrary Institute, ORNL to partner on first regional cybersecurity center to protect the nation’s electricity grid
New UNC-Chapel Hill study examines the increased adoption of they/them pronouns
Groundbreaking study reveals potential diagnostic marker for multiple sclerosis years before symptom onset
Annals of Internal Medicine presents breaking scientific news at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2024
Scientists discover new way to extract cosmological information from galaxy surveys
Shoe technology reduces risk of diabetic foot ulcers
URI-led team finds direct evidence of ‘itinerant breeding’ in East Coast shorebird species
Wayne State researcher aims to improve coding peer review practices
Researchers develop a new way to safely boost immune cells to fight cancer
Compact quantum light processing
Toxic chemicals from microplastics can be absorbed through skin
New research defines specific genomic changes associated with the transmissibility of the monkeypox virus
Registration of biological pest control products exceeds that of agrochemicals in Brazil
How reflecting on gratitude received from family can make you a better leader
Wearable technology assesses surgeons’ posture during surgery
AATS and CRF® partner on New York Valves: The structural heart summit
Postpartum breast cancer and survival in women with germline BRCA pathogenic variants
Self-administered acupressure for probable knee osteoarthritis in middle-aged and older adults
2024 Communicator Award goes to “Cyber and the City” research team based in Tübingen
[Press-News.org] Scientists urge for investment now in highly potent vaccines to prevent the next pandemicWarning that the next fast-spreading virus may not be as accommodating as the coronavirus driving COVID-19, they call for a new approach to pandemic preparedness