Polysiloxanes, the scientific name for silicones, possess exceptional properties, and are used in numerous fields ranging from cosmetics to aerospace. They are absolutely everywhere! However, they have a major flaw, as small, cyclic oligosolixanes—toxic for the environment and identified as an endocrine disruptor—form during their synthesis. To correct this drawback, a team of scientists1 led by a CNRS researcher recently developed a new process for synthesising silicones in a cleaner and more environmentally-friendly manner by preventing the formation of these small cyclic oligosolixanes. The results will appear in Science on 1 September, and could have a considerable impact on the industrial sector.
From the Fundamental and Applied Heterochemistry Laboratory (CNRS/Université de Toulouse Paul Sabatier), the company Elkem Silicones, and the Chemistry Department of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. END
Developing silicones that are friendlier toward health and the environment
2023-08-31
(Press-News.org)
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study connects greenhouse gas emissions to polar bear population declines, enabling greater protections under Endangered Species Act
2023-08-31
New research from the University of Washington and Polar Bears International in Bozeman, Montana, quantifies the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and the survival of polar bear populations. The paper, published online Aug. 31 in Science, combines past research and new analysis to provide a quantitative link between greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear survival rates.
A warming Arctic is limiting polar bears’ access to sea ice, which the bears use as a hunting platform. In ice-free summer months the bears must fast. While in a worst-case scenario ...
Exciting the brain could be key to boosting maths learning, says new study
2023-08-31
Exciting a brain region using electrical noise stimulation can help improve mathematical learning in those who struggle with the subject, according to a new study from the Universities of Surrey and Oxford, Loughborough University, and Radboud University in The Netherlands.
During this unique study, researchers investigated the impact of neurostimulation on learning. Despite the growing interest in this non-invasive technique, little is known about the neurophysiological changes induced and the effect it has on learning.
Researchers found that electrical noise ...
How does “MAD” accretion form around a black hole?
2023-08-31
An international scientific team has revealed for the first time the magnetic field transport processes in the accretion flow of a black hole and the formation of a "MAD"—a magnetically arrested disk—in the vicinity of a black hole.
The researchers made the discovery while conducting multi-wavelength observational studies of an outburst event of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070, using Insight-HXMT, China's first X-ray astronomical satellite, as well as multiple telescopes.
Key to their discovery was the observation that the radio emission from the black hole jet and the optical emission from the outer ...
Mutation rates in whales are much higher than previously reported
2023-08-31
An international team of marine scientists, led by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the Center for Coastal Studies in the USA, has studied the DNA of family groups from four different whale species to estimate their mutation rates. The results revealed much higher mutation rates than previously thought, and which are similar to those of smaller mammals such as humans, apes, and dolphins. Using the newly determined rates, the group found that the number of humpback whales in the North Atlantic before whaling was 86 percent lower than earlier studies suggested. The study is the first proof that this method can be used to estimate mutation rates ...
Peering into nanofluidic mysteries one photon at a time
2023-08-31
Researchers at University of Manchester and the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, have revealed an innovative approach to track individual molecule dynamics within nanofluidic structures, illuminating their response to molecules in ways never before possible.
Nanofluidics, the study of fluids confined within ultra-small spaces, offers insights into the behaviour of liquids on a nanometer scale. However, exploring the movement of individual molecules in such confined environments has been challenging due to the limitations of conventional microscopy techniques. This obstacle prevented ...
Study demonstrates adding complex component of milk to infant formula confers long-term cognitive benefits
2023-08-31
LAWRENCE, KANSAS — Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most beneficial nutrition for infants, but many families face medical or logistical challenges in breastfeeding. In the U.S., just 45% of infants continue to be exclusively breastfed at 3 months of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
For decades, researchers have sought to create a viable complement or alternative to breast milk to give children their best start for healthy development. New research out of the University of Kansas has shown how a complex component of milk that can be added to infant ...
Do artificial roosts help bats? Illinois experts say more research needed
2023-08-31
URBANA, Ill. — Artificial roosts for bats come in many forms — bat boxes, condos, bark mimics, clay roosts, and cinder block structures, to name a few — but a new conservation practice and policy article from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests the structures haven’t been studied rigorously enough and may harm bats in some scenarios. The article, published in Conservation Biology, lays out potential dangers and encourages more research on the popular conservation practice.
“The major emphasis among conservation managers using artificial roosts is how to attract ...
JMIR Dermatology call for papers theme issue on AI and ChatGPT in dermatology
2023-08-31
JMIR Dermatology Editor-in-Chief: Robert Dellavalle, MD, PhD, MSPH and guest editors James A Solomon, MD, PhD, FAAD and Ian Brooks, PhD welcome submissions to a special theme issue examining "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT in Dermatology."
JMIR Dermatology welcomes all topics related to diseases of the skin, hair, and nails, with a wide breadth and depth of papers focusing on AI applications. All topics at the intersection of dermatology, AI, and ChatGPT are eligible for this theme issue.
The journal ...
An ‘introspective’ AI finds diversity improves performance
2023-08-31
An artificial intelligence with the ability to look inward and fine tune its own neural network performs better when it chooses diversity over lack of diversity, a new study finds. The resulting diverse neural networks were particularly effective at solving complex tasks.
“We created a test system with a non-human intelligence, an artificial intelligence (AI), to see if the AI would choose diversity over the lack of diversity and if its choice would improve the performance of the AI,” says William Ditto, professor of physics at North Carolina State University, director ...
Penn State professor to lead field campaign to study climate in Baltimore area
2023-08-31
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Kenneth Davis, professor of atmospheric and climate science at Penn State, will lead a team of 23 investigators from 13 research institutions in a new field campaign supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study surface-atmosphere interactions around Baltimore, Maryland, to see how they influence the city’s climate. The new campaign, called the Coast-Urban-Rural Atmospheric Gradient Experiment (CoURAGE), is expected to start in October 2024 and run through September 2025.
CoURAGE will contribute to the Baltimore Social-Environmental ...