KINGSTON, R.I. —Dec. 7, 2023—A new report that grades all the countries of the world on their respect for human rights paints a grim picture of human rights practices in the 21st century. Produced by the Global RIghts Project (GRIP), a research team based in the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, the report draws on a vast quantitative human rights dataset to grade each country’s human rights practices on a 100-point scale. The report found that 60% of the world’s countries get an ‘F’ (a ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, affects more than 1 million people in Europe and an estimated 2.8 million worldwide. MS is characterized by an inflammation-related loss and damage of the myelin layer in the brain and spinal cord, which insulates the nerves – potentially leading to serious consequences such as paralysis or severe visual impairment.   The cause of this damage is not known. Viral infections, particularly with the Epstein-Barr virus, have been suspected for years. However, ...

Designing new compounds or alloys whose surfaces can be used as catalysts in chemical reactions can be a complex process relying heavily on the intuition of experienced chemists. A team of researchers at MIT has devised a new approach using machine learning, that removes the need for intuition and provides more detailed information than conventional methods can practically achieve. For example, applying the new system to a material that has already been studied for 30 years by conventional means, the team found the compound’s surface could form two new atomic configurations that had not previously been identified, and that one other configuration ...

SYDNEY, Dec. 7, 2023 – Song mashups are a staple of many DJs, who mix the vocals and instrumentals from two or more tracks into a seamless blend, creating a new and exciting final product. While the result is fun to listen to, the creation process can often be challenging, requiring knowledge and expertise to select the right tracks and mash them together perfectly. Xinyang Wu from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology took a different approach, designing a computer algorithm to intelligently create mashups using the drum tracks from one song and the vocals and instrumentals from another. He will present his work Dec. 7 at 4:20 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time, ...

Trees planted in urban areas can provide shade and contribute to a lower air temperature. For these services to be optimal, it is important to let asphalt give way to trees, according to research from the University of Gothenburg. The role of trees in the urban climate is an issue that has grown in importance in the wake of climate change, where average temperatures are expected to rise. Trees provide shade and lower the air temperature. To get most benefits from your trees, you need to give them the right conditions. “Our research shows that an important ...

Sleep is critical for daytime and neurocognitive functioning, as well as physical and mental health. When people work shifts – in 2015, 21% of workers in the European Union did – their circadian sleep-wake rhythms are commonly disrupted. Now, researchers in the Netherlands have investigated the relationship between different shift working patterns, sociodemographic factors, and sleep disorders. “We showed that compared to working regular shifts during daytime hours, working other shift types is associated with a ...

It sounds like something from a science fiction film. Assessing the best treatment for a patient with a cerebral infarction or cerebral haemorrhage by performing the procedure on their digital twin. If it's up to researchers at Amsterdam UMC, this will be reality in six years. They've received a Horizon grant worth 10 million euros from the European Commission to to lead 19 partners in making this a reality.  For years, researchers have been using computers to simulate card designs and airplane flights. Max Verstappen steps into a simulator before he enters his real Formula 1 car and Henk Marquering, Professor of Translational Artificial ...

Investments in Africa’s infrastructure can make people and communities far more resilient to the threats posed by climate change, a new report says. Traditionally, financiers and developers have focused on risks to infrastructure such as transport, water and energy systems when considering climate resilience (being able to cope with threats such as extreme heat and storms). However, a new report launched today at COP28 – produced by the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and the University of Exeter – calls for an expanded focus.   Specifically, ...

Arlington, Va. — December 7, 2023 — A new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), based on a survey of healthcare professionals conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests that new efforts may be needed to strengthen infection prevention precautions and protect staff members at the highest risk of exposure to dangerous pathogens. This is believed to be the first study of pandemic-era infection precautions to include a broad variety of healthcare jobs. Researchers found that workers who ...

Researchers at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research (SVI) in Melbourne have shown that a commonly prescribed rheumatoid arthritis drug can suppress the progression of type 1 diabetes.   The world-first human trial, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and led by SVI’s Professor Thomas Kay, showed that a drug called baricitinib can safely and effectively preserve the body’s own insulin production and suppress the progression of type 1 diabetes in people who initiated treatment within 100 days of diagnosis.     “When type 1 diabetes is first diagnosed there is a substantial ...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), manufactured chemicals used in products such as food packaging and cosmetics, can lead to reproductive problems, increased cancer risk and other health issues. A growing body of research has also linked the chemicals to lower bone mineral density, which can lead to osteoporosis and other bone diseases. But most of those studies have focused on older, non-Hispanic white participants and only collected data at a single point in time. Now, researchers from the Keck School of Medicine ...

Baboons were raised in captivity before being mummified in Ancient Egyptian sites, according to a study published December 6, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Wim Van Neer of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium and colleagues. For over a millennium, from the 9th Century BC to the 4th Century AD, ancient Egyptians venerated and mummified various animal species for religious purposes. Included among these animals were baboons, notably species not native to ancient Egypt, and not much is ...

Light therapy leads to significant improvements in sleep and psycho-behavioral symptoms for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Qinghui Meng of Weifang Medical University, China, and colleagues. The cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease is often accompanied by sleep disturbances and psycho-behavioral symptoms including apathetic and depressive behavior, agitation and aggression. Photobiomodulation is a non-pharmacological therapy that uses light energy to stimulate the suprachiasmic nucleus (SCN), a sleep modulator in the brain. ...

In a new study of more than 50,000 Korean adolescents, those who used a smartphone for more than 4 hours per day had higher rates of adverse mental health and substance use. Jin-Hwa Moon and Jong Ho Cha of Hanyang University Medical Center, Korea, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on December 6, 2023. Prior research has shown that smartphone use among adolescents has increased in recent years, and that this usage may be associated with higher risk of adverse health—such as psychiatric disorders, sleep issues, eye-related problems, and musculoskeletal disorders. However, growing evidence suggests that at least some daily internet usage ...

While Eurasian jays and New Caledonian crows can practice delayed gratification by waiting for access to higher-quality food, jays adjust this self-control behavior depending on the social context. The study by Dr. Rachael Miller at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, James Davies at the University of Cambridge, UK, and colleagues is publishing December 6 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Self-control helps animals to plan and achieve long-term goals. For example, the ability to resist a small, immediate reward and ...

A Southeast Asian sea cucumber species features bioactive compounds, including terpenoid glycosides and saponins which have reported anti-cancer benefits ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294535 Article Title: Comprehensive metabolomics of Philippine Stichopus cf. horrens reveals diverse classes of valuable small molecules for biomedical applications Author Countries: Philippines Funding: ETY received funding for the study from the Department ...

Meat-free burgers could be made tastier, juicier and more digestible by protein-glutaminase treatment ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294637 Article Title: Protein-glutaminase improves water-/oil-holding capacity and beany off-flavor profiles of plant-based meat analogs Author Countries: Japan Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. END ...

Fear of falls is associated with less physical activity for people in their nineties, who averaged around 3,000 daily steps per activity tracker data ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294817 Article Title: Accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in nonagenarians: Associations with self-reported physical activity, anthropometric, sociodemographic, health and cognitive characteristics Author Countries: Finland Funding: The NONAGINTA – Memory and Health in 90-year-olds – study was supported by the ...

A woman with hopes to conceive was diagnosed with severe vasospastic angina (VSA); however, she was able to carry a healthy baby to full term without angina attacks after starting treatment of a calcium channel blocker, according to a case published in a special Cardio-Obstetrics issue of JACC: Case Reports. Vasospastic angina is an abnormality of the coronary artery. It presents as chest pain that is caused by coronary artery spasm. It can result in recurrent episodes of angina, including at rest, and can progress into coronary microvascular ...

New research has found that two similar species of birds – both capable of displaying self-control through delayed gratification – behave very differently around their favourite food when they have company. Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the study was led by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, UK, and the University of Cambridge, who compared the behaviour of two species of corvids: Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) and New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides). Although both are highly intelligent birds ...

New research could one day pave the way for the treatment of vaginal yeast infections,  by shedding new light on how microbes in the body absorb zinc. Around three quarters of women develop vaginal yeast infections at least once in their lifetime, and approximately 140 million women globally suffer from recurrent infections. Recurrent yeast infections can have an enormous impact of quality of life. Existing anti-fungal treatments are not always effective and resistance against these treatments is developing. Thrush is caused by a yeast called Candida. There are a number of species of Candida, but the one that causes most ...

A protein in the immune system programmed to protect the body from fungal infections is also responsible for exacerbating the severity of certain autoimmune diseases such as irritable bowel disease (IBS), type 1 diabetes, eczema and other chronic disorders, new research from The Australian National University (ANU) has found.  The discovery could pave the way for new and more effective drugs, without the nasty side effects of existing treatments. In addition to helping to manage severe autoimmune conditions, the breakthrough could also help treat all types of cancer.   The scientists have discovered ...

December 6, 2023   UMass Amherst Researchers Develop Grassroots Framework for Managing Environmental Commons New tool relies on a foundation of local traditional ecological and social knowledge for more      just, sustainable and resilient conservation strategy AMHERST, Mass. – A team of sustainability scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced in the journal PLOS ONE that they have developed a community-based framework, founded on extensive local and traditional knowledge, to help assess and respond to the kinds of ecological threats ...

The ocean's capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is some 20% greater than the estimates contained in the latest IPCC report1. These are the findings of a study to be published in the journal Nature on December 6, 2023, led by an international team including a biologist from the CNRS2. The scientists looked at the role played by plankton in the natural transport of carbon from surface waters down to the seabed. Plankton gobble up carbon dioxide and, as they grow, convert it into organic tissue via photosynthesis. When they die, part of ...

Researchers have discovered that misreading of therapeutic mRNAs by the cell’s decoding machinery can cause an unintended immune response in the body. They have identified the sequence within the mRNA that causes this to occur and found a way to prevent ‘off-target’ immune responses to enable the safer design of future mRNA therapeutics. mRNA - or ‘messenger ribonucleic acid’ - is the genetic material that tells cells in the body how to make a specific protein. Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit have discovered that the cellular ...