The spread of drug-resistant microbes has become a global health concern that threatens our ability to treat infections. The widespread use of antimicrobials in livestock, such as swine farms, exacerbates this problem. Therefore, we need surveillance systems to monitor these microbes to support the public health authorities. To this end, researchers have tracked the antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from swine. Antimicrobials are essential for preventing and treating infections in humans and animals. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, 70% of all antibiotic ...

In the context of increasing energy demands and environmental concerns, renewable energy solutions are crucial for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Microbial electrochemical technologies, such as SMFCs, are cost-effective and environmentally friendly, making them an attractive option for green energy systems. SMFCs utilize endogenous microorganisms present in soil to convert organic matter into electricity, offering a sustainable energy source and a self-powered in situ bioremediation strategy for contaminated soils. Cathode materials play a significant role in the performance of microbial fuel cells. In this study, researchers compared the performance ...

Ruminants like cows have developed an unusual way of digesting their food: they ingest plants, give them a rough chewing and then swallow the half-chewed mash before regurgitating it repeatedly and continuing to chew. This has clear advantages, as a research team including the University of Göttingen has shown: the regurgitated mushy food contains much less hard grit, sand and dust than the food that they first ingested. This protects the teeth from being ground down during the chewing process. This ...

“We recently unveiled a new interesting role for SASP: its ability to induce neuroendocrine transdifferentiation (NED) in breast cancer epithelial cells [3].” BUFFALO, NY- May 12, 2023 – A new editorial paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 8, entitled, “The senescence-associated secretory phenotype induces neuroendocrine transdifferentiation.” In this editorial, researchers Anda Huna, Nadine Martin and David Bernard from the Université de Lyon discuss the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). SASP, ...

Larry Steckel, row crop weed specialist and professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, has been named a Fellow of the Southern Weed Science Society (SWSS).  The award was given to honor Steckel’s years of research and contributions to weed prevention in row crop agriculture. Steckel was among only a small group of esteemed researchers to receive the honor, presented to him during the annual meeting of the SWSS. Steckel says he is proud to be named a Fellow, and that he knows the research and extension work conducted by weed specialists across the ...

Manufacturing and metrology considerations are key when designing with freeform optics Close communication between optics designers and manufacturers can help prevent problems Québec City, Canada -- Although optical components such as lenses are traditionally spherical in shape, freeform optical components, which have little to no symmetry around the optical axis, are becoming more common. Freeform optical components are attractive because they can be designed to behave in ways traditional optics cannot, offering optical design flexibility ...

A team of scientists from the Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory have developed a way to collect terahertz imaging data on materials under extreme magnetic and cryogenic conditions. They accomplished their work with a new scanning probe microscope. This microscope was recently developed at Ames Lab. The team used the ultralow temperature terahertz microscope to take measurements on superconductors and topological semimetals. These materials were were exposed to high magnetic fields and temperatures below liquid helium (below 4.2 ...

A new study led by physicist Sascha Kempf at the University of Colorado Boulder has delivered the strongest evidence yet that Saturn’s rings are remarkably young—potentially answering a question that has boggled scientists for well over a century.  The research, to be published May 12 in the journal Science Advances, pegs the age of Saturn’s rings at no more than 400 million years old. That makes the rings much younger than Saturn itself, which is about 4.5 billion years old. “In ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 12, 2023 Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu Researchers Identify a Brain Marker Indicating Future Suicide Risk Changing the connectivity in this brain circuit with stimulation or pharmacotherapies could represent new treatments to reduce suicide risk. (Boston)—Identifying people at high risk for suicide is critical for applying lifesaving interventions and treatments. However, it is very difficult to identify who is at greatest risk and only modest improvements has been made in identifying high risk people over the last 50 years. One novel way to identify people at high risk of suicide is by investigating and identifying brain markers. VA ...

The spiral-shaped bacteria Helicobacter pylori are common and troublesome. More than 13 percent of Americans have an H. pylori infection, although rates vary with age, race and socioeconomic status. The microorganism uses its corkscrew-like tail to power forward through viscous fluids such as stomach mucus. When it arrives at the epithelium of the stomach wall, it can cause everything from ulcers to cancer. In a new study published by Physical Review Letters, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers created a 3D model of this bacteria to better understand its movement, hoping to crack the code governing the organism’s motility ...

Meeting the world’s energy demands is reaching a critical point. Powering the technological age has caused issues globally. It is increasingly important to create superconductors that can operate at ambient pressure and temperature. This would go a long way toward solving the energy crisis.  Advancements with superconductivity hinge on advances in quantum materials.  When electrons inside of quantum materials undergo a phase transition, the electrons can form intricate patterns, such as fractals. A fractal is a never-ending pattern. When zooming in on a fractal, the image looks the same. Commonly seen fractals can be a tree or frost on a windowpane ...

The plastic era has begun, and for sure, it will last for decades or even longer. Polymer-based materials are almost everywhere, reaching even the deepest regions of the oceans, and their global production is larger than recycling, leading to the generation of tremendous amounts of water pollution with microplastics. These tiny polymer particles not only release chemicals but also reduce the number of bacteriophages. Recently, researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, led by Prof. Jan Paczesny, explored ...

Researchers from the Organoid group (Hubrecht Institute) and UMC Utrecht have developed a biobank with organoids derived from patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). They used this biobank to validate known HNC biomarkers and found that treatment responses in the organoids matched those seen in patients. The results of the study will be published in Med on 12 May 2023 and could aid treatment decisions and discovery of novel therapies for HCN patients in the future. Head and neck cancer (HNC) is an overarching term used for several types of cancer, including the most ...

The bacteria present in the intestine provide information about the quantities of fungi of the potentially disease-causing Candida genus. Among them, and surprisingly, are lactic acid bacteria that are known for their protective effect against fungal infections. The findings of researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) and their collaborative partners from Denmark and Hungary add another piece to the puzzle of understanding the human gut microbiome. The ...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting tens of millions of people worldwide, and it is the most common cause of dementia. Early-onset AD is typically associated with mutations in the genes APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2, leading to a more aggressive form of the disease with atypical symptoms. In contrast, the newly discovered "Shanghai APP" mutation has been linked to LOAD, which affects a larger population of AD patients. In a study published in Genes & ...

The adverse effects of excess nitrate in water on human productivity and lives have received increasing attention due to the discharge of industrial wastewater and the overuse of farmland fertilizers. An international team of researchers has conducted an in-depth study of the significant need and challenge of efficient nitrate removal. Several techniques have been used to eliminate nitrate from water, such as biological denitrification is technologically mature, cost-effective, and widely used. However, biological processes are often sluggish and ...

□ DGIST (President Yang Kook) (the following three science and technology institutions) will establish a "Semiconductor Contracting Department" with Samsung Electronics for fostering technical staff specialized in semiconductor manufacturing processes.   □ DGIST closed a business agreement on the 27th (Mon) at DGIST University Center Convention Hall for establishing and operating the Semiconductor Contracting Department, which was attended by Samsung Electronics President Seokwoo Nam and Wanpyo Kim, DGIST President Yang Kook, and other major stakeholders.   □ Owing to the recently increasing global semiconductor demand, safeguarding national competitiveness ...

□ DGIST (President Yang Kook) Professor Minseok Kim of the Department of Neurobiology and his team developed lossless immunocytochemistry technology, which facilitates analysis of rare cells that present in trace amounts in clinical specimens. The corresponding technology developed together with CTCELLS, Inc. involves the use of an ultra-thin film hydrogel to facilitate fluid exchange while inhibiting cell loss, and a higher preservation rate and reproducibility were achieved compared to existing cell ...

Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST; President Kuk Young) and Seoul National University (President Ryu Hong-lim) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday, April 26 to develop an open innovation business model. Under this MOU, Senior Researcher Yun Jin-hyo at the Division of Electronics & Information Systems, DGIST provides consulting services required to develop an open business model to students in the Engineering Project Management Program at the Graduate School of Engineering Practice, Seoul National University. The first seminar was held on the day of the MOU.   □ Senior Researcher ...

A research team from the University of Lisbon and University of Oporto (Portugal) participate in the development of METIS (Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph). This powerful instrument will equip the largest telescope in the world - the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) - under construction by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Armazones, Chile. At this critical acceptance stage of the complete and final METIS design, ESO is presenting an illustrative film demonstrating the exceptional capabilities of the instrument. The presentation will take place on May 12, at 4:00pm (CEST). METIS will detect ...

About The Study: Among 14,400 febrile infants ages 8 to 60 days, the prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI), bacteremia, and bacterial meningitis was lower for infants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, particularly infants ages 29 to 60 days and those with normal inflammatory markers. These findings may help inform management of certain febrile infants who test positive for SARS-CoV-2.  Authors: Paul L. Aronson, M.D., M.H.S., of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13354) Editor’s ...

About The Study: The findings of this study of 2,165 adolescents from the Netherlands general population suggest that global brain volumetric measures did not differ between adolescents who reported gender diversity and those who did not. However, these findings further suggest that gender diversity in the general population correlates with specific brain morphologic features in the inferior temporal gyrus among youths who are assigned male at birth. Replication of these findings is necessary to elucidate ...

About The Study: In this study of 307,000 neonates with very low birth weight, adoption of routine use of probiotics in neonatal intensive care units increased slowly from 2012 to 2019 and was associated with lower necrotizing enterocolitis risk but not with sepsis or mortality rates.  Authors: Leila Agha, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School in Boston, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.0960) Editor’s Note: Please ...

Organelles – the bits and pieces of RNA and protein within a cell – play important roles in human health and disease, such as maintaining homeostasis, regulating growth and aging, and generating energy. Organelle diversity in cells not only exists between cell types but also individual cells. Studying these differences helps researchers better understand cell function, leading to improved therapeutics to treat various diseases. In two papers out of the lab of Ahmet F. Coskun, a Bernie Marcus Early Career professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, researchers examined a specific ...

All cells in an organism contain identical DNA sequence. What determines the identity and function of individual cells and tissues, is the set of genes that will be active in a given place, at a given time. These active genes are transcribed from the DNA template into distinct messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules and will encode the proteins the cell needs to function. At specific places called promoters, a complex molecular machinery starts transcribing DNA sequences into mRNA. Interestingly, most genes contain multiple possible sites where transcription ...