Osaka, Japan – The way that water molecules behave in proton conducting materials is very important for understanding—and making the most of—their properties. This means being able to look at very rapid snapshots to catch changes in the water motion. Researchers from Osaka University have taken a close look at semiclathrate hydrate crystals using quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS). Their findings are published in Applied Physics Letters. Semiclathrate hydrates have water molecule frameworks that house other molecules or ions as ‘guests’ in their structures. The overall properties of the framework can therefore be controlled and tailored to particular ...

The near-infrared (NIR) spectrum contains characteristic vibrational absorption bands of numerous organic functional groups. NIR phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) have gathered increasing interests in fields including non-destructive testing and night vision. In 2016, Osram reported the first NIR pc-LED, SFH4735, while with low output power (16 mW @ 350 mA) and limited wavelengths. Furthermore, luminescent contrast agents operating within the second biological imaging window (1000-1800 nm) exhibit lower tissue absorption and scattering coefficients in contrast to the traditional first window (750-950 nm), thereby ...

Results of an innovative clinical trial led by Perth researchers have shown that the drug interferon could help reduce the spread of COVID-19 from a positive person to their household contacts, with the study helping to inform treatment options for a future pandemic. The trial - CONCORD-19 - tracked 1,172 participants in 341 households in Santiago, Chile where there was a positive COVID-19 case between December 2020 and June 2021. Researchers tested the effectiveness of treating the infected people and their uninfected household contacts with interferon, with the aim of evaluating whether this drug reduces the severity of the disease and the spread of COVID-19 within ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Over the last several years, the residents of Santa Monica, a coastal city on the edge of Los Angeles, saw something neither they, their parents, or perhaps even their grandparents had ever seen before: a three-foot-tall dune system rising gently from the flat, groomed expanse of one of the world’s most famous urban beaches. It’s a six year alliance between sand, wind and vegetation, and, according to UC Santa Barbara researchers, it’s one way to enlist nature to help protect the coast from the impacts of climate change. “The project was really to assess whether we could naturally grow dunes on a heavily ...

Sophia Antipolis, 26 July 2023:  Childhood is a window of opportunity to tackle obesity before the damage it causes is irreversible, according to a scientific statement by experts on heart disease and childhood obesity published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The document was produced by the Task Force for Childhood Health of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) of the ESC and the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG). Childhood obesity is on the rise. According to the World Health Organization, while less than 1% of children and adolescents aged 5-19 were obese in 1975, ...

Static isometric exercises—the sort that involve engaging muscles without movement, such as wall sits and planks—are best for lowering blood pressure, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence from clinical trials, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. But ‘cardio’ (aerobic exercise); dynamic resistance training, such as squats, press-ups, and weights; high intensity interval training or HIIT for short (episodic short bouts of high intensity exercise ...

The cumulative health and economic consequences of the premature loss of a parent may be greater for boys than for girls, suggest the findings of a large long term study published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Experiencing the death of a parent before the age of 21, however, is strongly linked to poor mental health and lower earnings/unemployment in adulthood for both sexes, the data indicate. Previously published research has pointed to a link between premature parental death and the child’s subsequent health and prosperity. But no studies have drawn ...

More than half of patients with auto-immune conditions experience mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, yet the majority are rarely or never asked in clinic about mental health symptoms, according to new research from the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. In a study published today in Rheumatology, researchers found that over half of the patients had rarely or never reported their mental health symptoms to a clinician, and that the range of possible mental health and neurological symptoms is much wider than has been previously reported. The team surveyed neurological and psychiatric symptoms amongst 1,853 patients with systemic auto-immune ...

Images and paper available at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1mPYnFKIEArlXUAaFk5H7YTepezntqerj?usp=sharing African cuckoos may have met their match with the fork-tailed drongo, which scientists predict can detect and reject cuckoo eggs from their nest on almost every occasion, despite them on average looking almost identical to drongo eggs. Fork-tailed drongos, belligerent birds from sub-Saharan Africa, lay eggs with a staggering diversity of colours and patterns. All these colours and patterns are forged by the African cuckoo. African cuckoos lay their eggs in drongos’ nests to avoid rearing their chick themselves (an example of so-called ...

Dr. Amir Asadi, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University, is making groundbreaking strides in the field of composite materials. His research explores embedding patterned nanostructures composed of multiple materials into high-performance composites to achieve the desired multifunctionality without sacrificing any other properties. This could lead to advancements in various fields, including electronics, energy storage, transportation and consumer products.   Asadi's work has significant implications, as it addresses the challenge of simultaneously enhancing two properties — multifunctionality ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Shifting from a high-pressure mindset to a curious one improves people’s memory. New research from Duke found that people who imagined being a thief scouting a virtual art museum in preparation for a heist were better at remembering the paintings they saw, compared to people who played the same computer game while imagining that they were executing the heist in-the-moment. These subtle differences in motivation — urgent, immediate goal-seeking versus curious exploration for a future goal — have big potential for framing real-world challenges such as encouraging people ...

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a $13.7 million, five-year grant to a team of researchers to investigate multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs) in nursing homes throughout the United States. The multidisciplinary research team includes CUNY Graduate School of Public Health (CUNY SPH) Professor Bruce Y. Lee and is led by University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine infectious diseases expert Dr. Susan Huang. Using one of the world’s largest compilations of specimens from healthcare facilities, the team will study six antibiotic-resistant organisms deemed as serious and urgent ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Associated with poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life, obesity is on the rise in the United States. Currently, more than 30% of American adults are classified as obese. A risk factor for several diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and COVID-19, obesity is an important and growing public health concern. Using a mouse model of high fat diet-induced obesity, a team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has found that, compared to males, female mice are protected against obesity and inflammation because they secrete more of an immune protein called RELMalpha. “Our ...

Precise control of light is a crucial requirement in optical imaging, sensing, and communication. Traditional lenses employed for the purpose have limitations, necessitating more precise and compact solutions. To address this need, researchers have developed metalenses, ultrathin lenses constructed from nanomaterials that are smaller in size than the wavelength of light. These sub-wavelength elements provide the means to manipulate light waves with exceptional precision, facilitating a precise control of the amplitude, phase, polarization, and direction of light waves. Moreover, compared to bulky lenses, metalenses are ...

SAN ANTONIO (July 25, 2023) — Alcohol consumption is a major cause of chronic liver disease. The disease, which has devastating consequences, progresses through stages of hepatitis (inflammation), fibrosis (scarring) and cirrhosis (severe scarring). Advanced disease increases the risk of developing liver cancer, and some individuals may require a liver transplant to live. Despite a tremendous need for new treatments, the specific biological factors that determine when and how rapidly liver cells deteriorate remain largely unknown. In a study published May 3 in the journal Hepatology, a research team at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San ...

Many girls in low- and middle-income countries struggle to buy products to manage their periods, which can cause them to skip school. So, ensuring they have access to menstrual products is critical.  A new Kenya-based study from University of Illinois Chicago researchers shows that the benefits of one kind of menstrual product — a menstrual cup — extend well beyond educational access. Teenage girls who were given menstrual cups were less likely to acquire certain kinds of vaginal infections and were more likely to have a healthy vaginal microbiome, the study found. The findings are published ...

An injectable biomaterial activated by pulses of low-energy blue light has tremendous potential for on-the-spot repair to the domed outer layer of the eye, a team of University of Ottawa researchers and their collaborators have revealed. Guided by biomimetic design—innovation inspired by nature—the multidisciplinary researchers’ compelling results show that a novel light-activated material can be used to effectively reshape and thicken damaged corneal tissue, promoting healing and recovery. This technology is a potential game-changer in corneal repair; tens of millions of people ...

Researchers have developed a new way to accurately count and objectively analyze close encounters between drones and airplanes — without depending solely on pilot sightings. In a peer-reviewed study published by the Society of Automotive Engineers in the “SAE International Journal of Aerospace,” researchers looked at more than 1.8 million piloted aircraft operations and nearly 460,000 flights by small-uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) around Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, a major hub. Between August 2018 and July 2021, researchers with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Unmanned Robotic Systems Analysis (URSA) identified 24 near-midair collisions (NMACs) in which ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $4.6 million in funding for 18 projects at national laboratories and U.S. universities. The awards are provided through the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy, or INFUSE, program, which was established in 2019. The program is sponsored by the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program office within DOE’s Office of Science and is focused on accelerating fusion energy development through public-private research partnerships. “The latest round of INFUSE selections demonstrates the growing interest from private industry in partnering with national laboratories and U.S. universities,” said Jean ...

The Children’s Cancer Foundation, Inc. (CCF), a 501(c)3 non-profit committed to funding locally-based researchers, programs and facilities until every child is assured a healthy cancer-free future, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 CCF Research Awards. The eleven pediatric oncology researchers, each conducting work in the Baltimore-Washington region, will be presented with their grants at the 39th Annual Gala to be held November 4, 2023 at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD. The 2023 CCF Research Awards, combined with funding for local programs for children fighting cancer, total $1M. The 2023 ...

East Hanover, July 25, 2023 — In a recent study conducted by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) concerning COVID-19 vaccination patterns among “essential” workers, some notable trends have emerged. During the peak of the pandemic, workers with disabilities were less likely to be vaccinated if working in the U.S. Postal Service, food and beverage stores, and correctional facilities. That’s according to experts speaking during last Friday’s nTIDE Deeper Dive Lunch & Learn Webinar. This ...

“We show that MSK1 retains its importance in converting positive experience into tangible synaptic and cognitive benefits well into old age [...]” BUFFALO, NY- July 25, 2023 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 13, entitled, “MSK1 is required for the beneficial synaptic and cognitive effects of enriched experience across the lifespan.” Positive experiences, such as social interaction, cognitive training and physical exercise, have been shown to ameliorate some of the harms to cognition associated with aging. Animal models ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Immune system researchers have designed a computational tool to boost pandemic preparedness. Scientists can use this new algorithm to compare data from vastly different experiments and better predict how individuals may respond to disease. “We’re trying to understand how individuals fight off different viruses, but the beauty of our method is you can apply it generally in other biological settings, such as comparisons of different drugs or different cancer cell lines,” says Tal Einav, Ph.D., ...

Bacterial biofilms are clusters of microorganisms that form on wetted surfaces virtually everywhere. They harbor pathogens that compromise water quality, and they can disrupt the operation of many different engineered systems through the corrosion, fouling and clogging of tanks, pipes and valves. In some settings, they could even be deadly. Space suits that enable crew operations outside of the International Space Station use recirculating water to regulate body temperatures in the orbital extremes of full sun (250 F) and full shade (-250 F). But biofilms blooming in those water lines have nearly compromised astronaut safety during ...

AURORA, Colo. (July 25, 2023) – Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered what they believe to be the central mechanism behind cognitive decline associated with normal aging. “The mechanism involves the mis-regulation of a brain protein known as CaMKII which is crucial for memory and learning,” said the study’s co-senior author Ulli Bayer, PhD, professor of pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “This study directly suggests specific pharmacological treatment strategies.” The study was published today in the journal `Science Signaling.’ Researchers using ...