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Technology24 Jul 2024

Guideline on management of central airway obstruction released by CHEST

Glenview, Illinois – The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) recently released a new clinical guideline on central airway obstruction (CAO). Published in the journal CHEST®, the guideline contains 12 evidence-based recommendations to guide the management of both malignant and nonmalignant CAO. “Central airway obstruction is associated with a poor prognosis, and the management of CAO is highly variable dependent on the provider expertise and local resources. By releasing this guideline, the panel hopes to standardize the definition ...

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Social Science24 Jul 2024

Same-sex marriage recognition helps countries attract, retain highly skilled workers

PULLMAN, Wash. – Marriage equality appears to have a major economic benefit for countries. Washington State University researchers found that European countries that recognized same-sex marriages kept more of their highly skilled workers from emigrating to the U.S. The researchers analyzed 20 years of data on HB1 visas, which are reserved for immigrants to the U.S. with advanced degrees and specialized skills. From 2000-2019, a total of 13 European Union countries legalized same-sex marriage—and ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

Mixed approach to reforestation better than planting or regeneration alone

DURHAM, NC – Reforestation in low- and middle-income countries can remove up to 10 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at lower cost than previously estimated, making this a potentially more important option to fight climate change, according to a study in Nature Climate Change. Reforestation regrows trees on degraded lands where human activities removed original forests. Most current reforestation programs focus on tree planting alone, but the study estimates that nearly half of all suitable reforestation locations would be more effective at sequestering carbon if forests were allowed to grow back ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

Warehousing industry increases health-harming pollutants

WASHINGTON (July 24, 2024)--America's demand for products delivered to the doorstep has led to a dramatic increase in e-commerce and the warehousing industry. A first-of-a-kind study now shows that people living in communities located next to these large warehouses are exposed to 20% more of a traffic-related air pollutant that can lead to asthma and other life-threatening health conditions. “Increased truck traffic to and from these recently built large warehouses means people living downwind are inhaling an increased amount of harmful nitrogen dioxide pollution,” said Gaige Kerr, lead author of the study and an assistant research ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

Variants in the genome affect DNA methylation

A new study by scientists at deCODE Genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, shows that sequence variants drive the correlation between DNA methylation and gene expression. The same variants are linked to various diseases and other human traits. The research was published today in the scientific journal Nature Genetics under the title: The correlation between CpG methylation and gene expression is driven by sequence variants. Nanopore sequencing is a new technology developed by ONT (Oxford Nanopore Technology), that enables us to ...

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Environment24 Jul 2024

How well does tree planting work in climate change fight? It depends, OSU research shows

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Using trees as a cost-effective tool against climate change is more complicated than simply planting large numbers of them, an international collaboration that includes an Oregon State University scientist has shown. Jacob Bukoski of the OSU College of Forestry and seven other researchers synthesized data from thousands of reforestation sites in 130 countries and found that roughly half the time it’s better just to let nature take its course. Findings of the study led by Conservation International were published today in Nature ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey

Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons’ teeth are tipped with iron. Led by researchers from King’s College London, the study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey. Native to Indonesia, Komodo dragons are the largest living species of monitor lizard, averaging around 80kg. Deadly predators, Komodos have sharp, curved teeth similar to many carnivorous dinosaurs. They eat almost any kind of meat, from smaller reptiles and birds to deer, horses or ...

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Physics24 Jul 2024

Nanoscale device simultaneously steers and shifts frequency of optical light, pointing the way to future wireless communication channels

It is a scene many of us are familiar with: You're working on your laptop at the local coffee shop with maybe a half dozen other laptop users—each of you is trying to load websites or stream high-definition videos, and all are craving more bandwidth. Now imagine that each of you had a dedicated wireless channel for communication that was hundreds of times faster than the Wi-Fi we use today, with hundreds of times more bandwidth. That dream may not be far off thanks to the development of metasurfaces—tiny engineered sheets that can reflect and otherwise direct light in desired ways. In ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

African research to benefit from new open data management course

Open data practices in African research institutions will be bolstered thanks to a new online course for librarians to coincide with International Open Access Week (21-27 October 2024). The Open Data Management Foundational Course – to be offered entirely free over four weeks by open data experts – is a direct response to calls to strengthen the research data management capacity of librarians in Africa. The course will be facilitated by AfLIA, the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions, as part of an ongoing collaboration ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

IOP Publishing extends scope of Progress in Energy as part of prestigious new journal series

IOP Publishing (IOPP) is extending the remit of its journal Progress in Energy by accepting high-impact original research articles alongside its well-recognised review programme. Progress in Energy is part of a developing new Progress In series™, that builds on the reputation of IOPP’s prestigious journal Reports on Progress in Physics and is designed to unite communities looking to advance and explore progressive research across the physical sciences. Progress in Energy is a highly selective, multidisciplinary journal with a mission to publish groundbreaking ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

NEWPORT, Ore. – Hours after tagging an endangered basking shark off the coast of Ireland in April, researchers captured what they believe is the first ever video of a shark or any large marine animal being struck by a boat. The data, collected by an activity measurement device similar to a FitBit and a connected camera, provided scientists a unique opportunity to learn more about the impact of vessel strikes on large marine animals, which is a rising concern around the globe, said Taylor Chapple, a shark researcher at Oregon State University’s Hatfield ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

Can anxiety increase the risk of developing dementia?

In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, both chronic and new anxiety were associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, where anxiety had resolved, there was no association with dementia risk. The study included 2,132 individuals with an average age of 76 years who were participating in the Hunter Community Study in Australia and who were followed for an average of 10 years. The presence of chronic anxiety and new onset anxiety were associated with 2.8- and 3.2-times higher risks of having dementia, respectively. Even ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

Could Botox make walking easier in children with cerebral palsy?

A recent randomized clinical trial published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology assessed whether injections of botulinumtoxin-A in calf muscles benefit children with cerebral palsy. “We hypothesized that injections with botulinumtoxin-A in the calf muscles would make walking easier, caused by improved ankle joint functioning following spasticity reduction,” the authors wrote. In the trial, one botulinumtoxin-A treatment was not superior to placebo in making walking easier (measured as a reduction in energy cost or improved walking capacity); however, there was some evidence of a delayed improvement in energy cost. Moreover, there was some evidence of a decrease ...

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Environment24 Jul 2024

How is biodiversity changing in one of the world’s most productive ocean ecosystems?

In research published in Global Change Biology, investigators examined DNA within ocean bottom sediment cores to assess changes in living organisms within one of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems: the Atacama Trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which is located about 100 miles off the coast of Peru and Chile and lies at a depth of up to 5 miles below the surface. The study is important because ecosystems around the Atacama Trench have been intensively fished and are affected by climate change. Analyses showed a severe drop in biodiversity from 1970 to 1985 that aligns with one of the strongest known El Niño events, as well as extensive fishing efforts in the ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

How does a common skin bacterium cause chronic infections after orthopedic surgeries?

In individuals who have undergone knee or hip replacement surgery, clinicians are noticing increasing numbers of chronic bone infections linked to a bacterial strain commonly found on the skin. A new study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research provides insights into the mechanisms involved. Utilizing mouse models of bone infection and systematic electron microscopy studies, scientists found that the common skin bacteria Cutibacterium acnes can persist as layers of biofilms for weeks on contaminated titanium or stainless-steel implants. It can also invade ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

Have the burdens of childhood mental health conditions changed over time in England?

Surveys conducted in England in 1999, 2004, and 2017 have revealed that children with a psychiatric disorder in 2017 experienced more severe difficulties and greater impacts on functioning at school, home, and in their daily lives, compared with children with a disorder in earlier decades. The findings come from a study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study used data from interviews and questionnaires completed by parents, children (if they were aged ≥ 11 years), and teachers across all 3 surveys. The increased difficulties found in the study were ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

How to eliminate racial disparities in colon cancer

A new paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published by Oxford University Press, finds that eliminating the race disparity in colon cancer testing in the United States would reduce colon cancer, and colon cancer death rates, dramatically among Black people. Colorectal cancer rates and deaths from the disease have decreased over time, but racial disparities remain and are significant. Compared to White Americans, Black Americans experience higher rates of colorectal cancer incidence and lower survival rates. Black adults are approximately 23% more likely to receive a colorectal cancer diagnosis than White adults. They are also about 31% more likely to ...

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Social Science24 Jul 2024

Cook like a Neanderthal: Scientists try to replicate ancient butchering methods to learn how Neanderthals ate birds

It's hard to know what Neanderthals ate: food preparation, especially when it comes to smaller items like birds, can leave few archaeological traces. But understanding their diets is critical to understanding these incredibly adaptable hominins, who thrived for hundreds of thousands of years in wildly varied environments. To learn what food preparation could look like in the archaeological record, scientists tried cooking like Neanderthals. “Using a flint flake for butchering required significant precision and effort, which we had not fully valued before this experiment,” said Dr Mariana Nabais of the Institut ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

New study finds alarming rise in persistent ‘forever chemicals’ in pesticides

WASHINGTON — A peer-reviewed study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has found that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” are increasingly being added to U.S. pesticide products, contaminating waterways and posing potential threats to human health. The study, Forever Pesticides: A Growing Source of PFAS Contamination in the Environment, is the first-ever comprehensive review of the many ways PFAS are introduced into U.S. pesticide products. Pesticides containing PFAS are used throughout the country on staple ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

At what age do Olympic athletes peak?

There’s a lot that goes into an Olympic athlete’s quest for gold – years of training and rigour – but also, an athlete’s age. A team of University of Waterloo students used statistics to figure out when an Olympic track-and-field athletes’ peak performance will be. Track-and-field encompasses running, jumping, throwing, and combined event disciplines. Most athletes’ career performance progressions can typically be visualized as a bell curve, in which they train over several years to reach their best performance, or “peak,” at a ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

Link found between kneecap shape and debilitating joint disease

The shape of a person’s kneecap could be an indicator of whether they’re more at risk of developing osteoarthritis, according to a new study from The Australian National University (ANU). According to lead author of the study, Associate Professor Laura Wilson, women who develop knee osteoarthritis often experience more severe symptoms than men, but the reason for this is not well understood. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is a debilitating joint disease that causes pain, stiffness and swelling. The research team set out to investigate whether kneecap shape might be a contributing factor. “We wanted to focus on ...

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Technology24 Jul 2024

Generative AI tools like Pix2Pix–BicycleGAN are revolutionizing landscape design by enhancing masterplan generation and rendering

In recent years, the rapid development and enhancement of image generation technologies and mapping tools driven by generative artificial intelligence (AI) have significantly impacted the traditional landscape design industry. Thus, it is pressing for landscape architects to delineate the relationship between image generation and landscape design and explore potential opportunities of practice and research. Research on masterplan generation primarily focuses on “image-to-image” generative adversarial network (GAN). The application of these tools has developed from the generation of architectural floor ...

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Medicine24 Jul 2024

Expanding APAC presence, Insilico Medicine seals strategic collaboration on AI-driven mash therapy development with Korean Biotech Therasid Bioscience

Insilico Medicine(“Insilico”), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, recently announces that the company has entered a strategic collaboration with Therasid Bioscience, an innovative biotechnology company founded in South Korea, to utilize advanced AI technology to co-develop novel therapies for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH). MASH, previously known as Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is a severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by liver inflammation and damage caused by a buildup of fat. Potentially progressing ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

When it comes to butterflies, people prefer pretty ones. That’s a problem for scientists.

Research shows humans often perceive attractive people as more intelligent, healthier, better leaders and more trustworthy. It turns out this bias extends to the insect world. A new study by scientists at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences reveals that data reported on a popular community science platform is biased. On iNaturalist, butterflies with captivating markings, easily identifiable features or those that are familiar species are reported more frequently than obscure species with no distinct qualities. Why it matters: Online ...

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Science24 Jul 2024

UBC Okanagan study raises concerns about partner violence in queer relationships

When people think of a concussion or a traumatic brain injury caused by intimate partner violence (IPV), they might picture people in a heterosexual relationship, or a man hurting a woman. But a UBC Okanagan researcher points out that IPV, and its repercussions, is an issue in all relationships. Doctoral student Tori Stranges recently published a paper examining the prevalence and damage done by violence in Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer (or Questioning), Intersex and Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) relationships. “It’s very common for people to think that violence doesn’t ...

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