England’s girls and other underrepresented groups are at risk of being failed by the current computing curriculum, which excludes their interests, according to new research published recently. A study by University of Reading, in partnership with Kings College London, published in the International Journal of Science Education, found the current school system creates a gender imbalance in computer science that is reflected in the workplace. The solution, they say, could ...

A study led by VA Puget Sound Health Care System researchers has shown that prazosin, a drug used to treat high blood pressure, can prevent posttraumatic headaches. Senior study author Dr. Murray Raskind, director of the VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center in Seattle, Washington, explained that few treatment options exist for this type of headache. “Persistent posttraumatic headaches are the most common long-term consequence of mild traumatic brain injuries (concussions) in Veterans and active-duty service members, causing substantial distress ...

Hamilton, ON, June 21, 2023 – Kinesiologists at McMaster University have found ketone supplements, used by some athletes hoping to cross the finish line faster, may in fact worsen performance. The new study, published in the latest print edition of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, tackles contradictory research findings related to the effectiveness of ketone supplements, which have gained popularity among athletes seeking a competitive advantage.  Some previously published studies had shown the supplements improve performance, while others have reported they had no effect or even worsened performance. Natural ketones can ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving that mystery. “Super-Earth” LP 890-9c (also named SPECULOOS-2c) is providing important insights about conditions at the inner edge of a star’s habitable zone and why Earth and Venus developed so differently, according to new research led by Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor of astronomy at Cornell University. Her team found LP 890-9c, which orbits close to the inner ...

“This technology is not alive,” says Laia Mogas-Soldevila. “It is living-like.” The distinction is an important one for the assistant professor at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, for reasons both scientific and artistic. With a doctorate in biomedical engineering, several degrees in architecture, and a devotion to sustainable design, Mogas-Soldevila brings biology to everyday life, creating materials for a future built halfway between nature and artifice. The architectural technology she describes is unassuming ...

AUSTIN, Texas – Social influence from phone communications is significant, reaching as far as four degrees of separation from the original caller, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, who developed a new framework to more precisely study the phenomenon. The researchers created a framework that distinguishes between people behaving in similar ways because of peer influence or because they’ve sought out friends with similar behaviors and beliefs. It’s an important distinction to make for marketing and public health agencies looking to effectively ...

In an eight-year study of more than 600 community-dwelling older adults, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have further linked levels of cell-free DNA (DNA fragments resulting from cell death) circulating in the blood to chronic inflammation and frailty. The study is novel and expands on previous work, the investigators say, because it focused on mitochondrial DNA rather than solely genomic DNA, as previously reported in October 2022.   The new findings, published May 23 in Immunity ...

Engineers in Melbourne have developed a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to remove heavy metals, including copper and zinc, from biosolids. The team’s work, led by RMIT University in collaboration with South East Water and Manipal University in India, advances other methods for heavy-metal removal by recycling the acidic liquid waste that is produced during the recovery phase, instead of throwing it away. Lead senior researcher Professor Kalpit Shah from RMIT said the heavy metals found in biosolids ...

A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology have made significant progress in developing multi-valent mRNA vaccines against monkeypox virus (MPV), the agent that can cause smallpox-like disease in humans. Their study showed the multi-valent mRNA vaccines with different combinations of monkeypox enveloped viron (EV) or mature viron (MV) surface antigens induced dynamic immune responses with a robust IgG response and correlating neutralizing activities. The ...

People who develop diabetes following pregnancy were significantly less likely to be able to bring it under control if they had experienced gestational diabetes during their pregnancy, especially if they were Black or Hispanic, according to a Mount Sinai study published on June 21 in the journal Diabetes Care. The study also found that people who experienced gestational diabetes were more than 11 times as likely as those whose pregnancies did not involve gestational diabetes to develop diabetes within nine years after delivery. The researchers, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, found that the ...

Probiotics can help maintain a healthy gut microbiome or restore populations of “good bacteria” after a heavy course of antibiotics. But now, they could also be used as an effective treatment strategy for certain intestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease. Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a microgel delivery system for probiotics that keeps “good” bacteria safe while actively clearing out “bad” ones. In mice, the system treated intestinal inflammation without side effects. In the digestive system, there’s a delicate balance of bacterial populations. ...

FAIRFIELD, NJ—Parker Laboratories Inc., a worldwide leader in ultrasound supplies and accessories, has announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance for a unique disinfecting foam, called Tristel ULT, as a high-level disinfectant for ultrasound probes used within body cavities and for skin-surface transducers. Tristel ULT is manufactured and distributed for US markets by Parker Laboratories under an exclusive commercial partnership with UK-based Tristel plc (AIM: TSTL). Tristel ULT is a high-level disinfectant using a proprietary ...

Nearly a decade ago, researchers from Brigham Young University, Utah State University and Rutgers published a disheartening study revealing how discrimination in bank loan services was tainting the American Dream for minority entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, even in 2023, not much has changed. A newly published paper from this core group of authors finds banks still offer Black customers inferior loan products and service, even when those Black customers have objectively stronger financial profiles and FICO ...

EL PASO, Texas (June 21, 2023) — In 2021, agricultural activities contributed to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Now, researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso will help reduce these emissions by training farmers across the nation on climate-friendly agricultural practices. The project is supported by a new $2 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The team behind the Carbon SMART (Soil Monitoring, Assessment, Research and Training) project includes soil scientists and geochemists from UTEP as well as geomorphologists, landscape ecologists, sociologists, and environmental anthropologists from ...

Citrus cultivation holds significant importance in Japan and has recently attracted both domestic and global attention. With an agricultural production value of approximately 201 billion yen, citrus is the third most important agricultural product in Japan. The success of the Japanese citrus industry is attributed to the development of new cultivars that are free of pests and diseases, climate-resilient, and exhibit superior fruit quality. Notable examples include 'Asumi', 'Asuki', 'Ehimekashidai28go', 'Ehimekashidai48go', 'Himekoharu', 'Kanpei', 'Rinoka', and 'Mihaya', all of which display improved agricultural ...

Alexandria, VA, USA – A study seeking to understand the perspectives of decision-makers (DMs) working within health fields in First Nations (FNs) communities in Canada regarding the use of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as an early childhood caries (ECC) management strategy will be presented at the 101st General Session of the IADR, which will be held in conjunction with the 9th Meeting of the Latin American Region and the 12th World Congress on Preventive Dentistry on June 21-24, 2023, in Bogotá, ...

IOP Publishing (IOPP) is rolling-out a new co-review policy across its entire owned journal portfolio as part of its commitment to ensuring an inclusive and supportive review process.   Early career researchers (ECRs) often support more experienced academics by contributing ideas or comments to peer review reports. Yet, according to a survey, 70% of ECRs say that their name was withheld from the editorial staff after they served as a reviewer or co-reviewer on a report, and they received no official recognition for their work.   IOPP’s ...

New research published in the Journal of Internal Medicine demonstrates that optogenetics—which uses light-sensitive proteins to control the activity of targeted cells—is a promising shock-free approach to treating atrial fibrillation (AF), or an irregular, often rapid heart rate, for immediate restoration of regular rhythm. Current treatments for AF—including medications and shocks to restore a regular heart rhythm—come with low success rates and/or serious side effects. ...

An analysis of published studies suggests that humor therapy may lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety. For the analysis, which is published in Brain and Behavior, investigators identified 29 relevant studies that included a total of 2,964 participants and were conducted in nine different countries. Participants had depression or anxiety and included children undergoing surgery or anesthesia; older people in nursing homes; patients with Parkinson's disease, cancer, mental illness, or receiving dialysis; retired women; and college ...

An article in GCB Bioenergy describes why bamboo may be an attractive resource in efforts to develop environmentally friendly renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. The authors note that bamboo grows rapidly, absorbs carbon dioxide, and releases large amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere. They describe various processes—such as fermentation and pyrolysis—that can be performed to convert its raw material into bioethanol, biogas, and other bioenergy products. A tool with limitations is currently available for selecting the most appropriate bamboo species ...

The global burden of disease associated with water insecurity has traditionally focused on diarrheal disease as the most significant driver of infant and child mortality. However, a review in WIREs Water notes that there are many other ways that water insecurity can have adverse health and social consequences for children. Inadequate or unsafe household water can have a range of health effects in children from infancy to late adolescence. Household water insecurity can spread disease, cause interruptions to growth and development, lead to school absenteeism and interpersonal violence, and contribute to other aspects of children’s mental and physical health. “Because ...

A review in Clinical & Experimental Allergy highlights a problematic relationship between the infant formula industry and allergy health professionals. The authors express concern that this could undermine breastfeeding in countries such as India, whose allergy management practices are often extrapolated from guidance developed in high-income countries with low breastfeeding rates. The article by international experts in infant nutrition and allergy health documents the high rate of breastfeeding in India, where one-quarter ...

Higher testosterone levels during adolescence are associated with increased involvement of the brain’s anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) in emotion control, but the opposite effect occurs during adulthood. In a study published in Developmental Science, researchers investigated this switch by conducting brain imaging scans in the same individuals during middle adolescence, late adolescence, and young adulthood. The study, which included 71 participants, demonstrated that the positive effect of testosterone ...

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- New species continue to evolve the world over, as different groups of organisms separate and take divergent paths. What happens when you add climate change to the mix? That’s the question Thomas H.Q. Powell, assistant professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and his lab seek to answer in “Contrasting effects of warming in diverging insects,” recently published in Ecology Letters. In the 1850s, the apple maggot fly — a major agricultural pest ...

In a new study, researchers from North Carolina State University detected elevated PFAS levels in the blood of pet dogs and horses from Gray’s Creek, N.C. – including dogs that only drank bottled water. The work establishes horses as an important sentinel species and is a step toward investigating connections between PFAS exposure and liver and kidney function in dogs and horses. The study included 31 dogs and 32 horses from the community, and was conducted at the behest of community members concerned about their pets’ well-being. All of the households in the ...