New Haven, Conn. — The U.S. prison population plummeted during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic but the percentage of incarcerated Black people rose, according to a new analysis of prison data published April 19 in the journal Nature. The higher percentage of incarcerated Black people by mid-2020 was found in almost all states, and temporarily reversed a decades-long decrease in the percentage of Black people in the national prison population, researchers from Yale and Northeastern Universities and the Santa Fe Institute found. While several factors contributed to the increase in percentage of incarcerated Black people during the height of the pandemic, researchers ...

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Suspected suicidal cannabis exposures have increased 17% annually, over a period of 12 years, according to a Washington State University-led analysis of U.S. poison center data. The vast majority of the attempts, more than 92%, involved other substances in addition to cannabis, and the data cannot show a direct causal link between cannabis and suicide attempts. Still, the findings are cause for concern, the researchers said, especially since the increase was more pronounced among children and women ...

Calm body, calm mind, say the practitioners of mindfulness. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that the idea that the body and mind are inextricably intertwined is more than just an abstraction. The study shows that parts of the brain area that control movement are plugged into networks involved in thinking and planning, and in control of involuntary bodily functions such as blood pressure and heartbeat. The findings represent a literal linkage of body and mind ...

About The Study: This study of 415,000 breast cancer deaths in female patients in the U.S. from 2011 to 2020 provides evidence-based race-adapted starting ages for breast cancer screening. The findings suggest that health policy makers and clinicians could consider an alternative, race and ethnicity–adapted approach in which Black female patients start screening earlier.  Authors: Mahdi Fallah, M.D., Ph.D., of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany, and Tianhui Chen, M.D., Ph.D., of the Zhejiang Cancer Hospital in Hangzhou, China, are the corresponding authors.  To access the embargoed study: ...

About The Study: Depression in prior generations was associated with lower cognitive performance in offspring, whether assessed by family history or genetic data. There are opportunities to generate hypotheses about how this arises through genetic and environmental determinants, moderators of brain development and brain aging, and potentially modifiable social and lifestyle factors across the life span. Authors: Breda Cullen, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, United Kingdom, is the corresponding author. To ...

1 Cohesin loops DNA It has been known for more than a century that the long DNA strands in cell nuclei are neatly folded into the characteristic shape of chromosomes, resembling bottlebrushes , in preparation for cell division. And also between divisions, chromosomes are organised into loops that are important for regulating the processing genetic information. In 2018, Dekker and his group were the first to visualise how SMC protein complexes such as condensin and cohesin extrude loops in DNA. #2 CTCF flags have a direction and determine where a ...

A hitherto unknown mechanism for DNA folding is described in a study in Nature published by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics. Their findings provide new insights into chromosomal processes that are vital to both normal development and to prevent disease. The DNA in our cells is organised into chromosomes, which are highly dynamic structures that are altered when genes are transcribed, when DNA damage is repaired or when chromosomes are compacte in preparation for cell division. These processes are affected by so called SMC protein complexes (SMC, Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes), which by mediating chromosomal interactions ...

Due to the recent improvements in the efficiency with which solar cells made from organic (carbon-based) semiconductors can convert sunlight into electricity, improving the long-term stability of these photovoltaic devices is becoming an increasingly important topic.  Real-world applications of the technology demand that the efficiency of the photovoltaic device be maintained for many years. To address this key problem, researchers have studied the degradation mechanisms for the two components used in the light-absorbing layer of organic solar cells: the ‘electron donor’ and ‘electron ...

Lignin depolymerization is playing a pivotal role in transforming the second most abundant biopolymers in nature into many valuable chemicals/fuels. This route could directly replace their petrol-based equivalents and therefore a great pathway to fight climate change and contribute to future sustainability. Interpretation of the reaction pathways is always desired to gain an insightful mechanic view in understanding the depolymerization chemistry and also paving new paths for lignin valorization at the industrial scale. However, such interpretation heavily relies on the state-of-art analytical capability since ...

The University of Virginia School of Medicine has launched a new Center for Health Equity and Precision Public Health to improve the health and well-being of rural residents, the economically challenged and minority groups across Virginia and beyond.  The center will bring to bear expertise from across UVA to tackle many of today’s greatest public health issues. The goal: reduce health disparities and promote health equity to help people live longer, healthier lives.  “The pandemic has really taught us that, one, our public health infrastructure is not nearly as strong as it should be. And, two, we can't ...

Scientists in Melbourne have designed a new type of oral capsule that could mean pain-free delivery of insulin and other protein drugs. Co-lead researcher Professor Charlotte Conn, a biophysical chemist from RMIT University, said protein drugs had proven challenging to deliver orally as the drugs degrade very quickly in the stomach – until now. “These types of drugs are typically administered with an injection – thousands of diabetics in Australia need insulin injections up to several times a day, which can be unpleasant for the patient and results in high healthcare costs,” said Conn, from RMIT’s School of Science. She said the new technology could also be ...

Cargo spacecraft is robotic spacecraft designed to support space station operation by transporting food, propellant and other supplies. Tianzhou cargo spacecraft (The abbreviation is TZ) is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, as part of China's manned space Station program. The China Academy of Space Technology began to design TZ in 2010. Its main tasks are transporting and storing supplies for the space station, storing and descending waste materials for the space ...

SAN ANTONIO – 4.19.23 —Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) will host the inaugural Global Decarbonized Mobility Summit (GDMS) on Nov. 13-17. The multi-day summit will bring together key stakeholders in the transportation industry to discuss technology challenges associated with sustainable decarbonized mobility solutions for on-and-off-road applications. The GDMS will assemble industry members from SwRI’s many automotive-related consortia and joint industry projects at its San Antonio headquarters. Throughout the summit, SwRI staff experts will hold sessions on the latest research and development advancements, pathways ...

Researchers are beginning to better understand the toll of polarized politics on mental and physical health, and a new study suggests that Americans’ political anxiety crescendos before a major election. Led by University of Nebraska–Lincoln political scientist Kevin Smith, with Aaron Weinschenk of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay and Costas Panagopoulos of Northeastern University, the study is the first to examine anxiety tethered to a specific political event — the 2020 presidential election, touted by both sides as the ...

A recent study using mice has revealed a way to turn back the clock after heart attack. The researchers behind the work used RNAs to instruct cells in an injured heart to eliminate scar tissue and recreate cardiac muscle, allowing the heart to function like new again. Cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, is the leading cause of death worldwide. “Adult human hearts are not very good at repairing themselves,” said Conrad Hodgkinson, an associate professor of medicine and pathology at Duke University School of Medicine who oversaw the study. “Once they have a heart attack or any type of damage, ...

Does a commitment to one’s God facilitate altruistic behavior that benefits only members of the same religious group? Or does it extend to helping members of a different religion? University of Illinois Chicago social psychologist Michael Pasek and colleagues examined this question through field and online experiments involving more than 4,700 people from diverse ethnoreligious populations in three political and cultural contexts. Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jews in the Middle East, Fiji and the United ...

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University published a new Journal of Marketing article that examines how receiving negative medical results might affect how people choose between generic and brand name drugs. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “Does Bad Medical News Reduce Preferences for Generic Drugs?” and is authored by Manuel Hermosilla and Andrew T. Ching. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Manuel Hermosilla received a call from a family friend in Chile who had been recently diagnosed with cancer. The friend needed help tracking down Hydroxychloroquine to treat ...

The Japanese island Okinawa is known for its high number of centenarians, healthy diet and lifestyle. Due to this it is one of the few areas in the world that is called “blue zone”. During May 12-13, leading international scientists and inspiring speakers will meet on Okinawa for two full days of talks about the latest research on longevity and healthy ageing – and what we can learn from so called “blue zones”. “It is a perfect place to interact, update and develop the research ...

Plants that glow under ultraviolet (UV) light aren’t only a figment of science fiction TV and movies. Roots of a traditional medicine plant called the orange climber, or Toddalia asiatica, can fluoresce an ethereal blue hue. And now, researchers in ACS Central Science have identified two coumarin molecules that could be responsible. These natural coumarins have unique fluorescent properties, and one of the compounds could someday be used for medical imaging. Fluorescent substances take in UV light that’s directed ...

In a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed poly(styrenesulfonic acid)-based PEMs with a high density of sulfonic acid groups.     One of the key components of environmentally friendly polymer electrolyte fuel cells is a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). It generates electrical energy through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen gases. Examples of practical fuel cells include fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and fuel cell combined heat and power (CHP) systems.     The best-known PEM is a membrane based on a ...

An artificial pancreas developed at the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology improves blood sugar control for people ages 2 to 72 with type 1 diabetes, according to a new combined analysis of three clinical trials. Across the three trials, participants using the artificial pancreas spent an average of 2.8 more hours per dayin their target blood sugar range compared with participants in control groups who used standard methods for managing their blood sugar. Manufactured by Tandem Diabetes Care and sold as the Control-IQ system, the artificial pancreas is ...

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a promising solution to the contemporary problem of the impending global energy crisis. SOFCs show high efficiency, lower emissions, and have low operating costs, making them an ideal power source for a fossil fuel-free society. Conventional SOFCs with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes have high operating temperatures (700–1000°C), and their widespread adoption has been limited by their degradation issues and high cost. Therefore, there is a need ...

A team of UCR electrical engineers and material scientists demonstrated a research breakthrough that may result in wide-ranging advancements in electrical, optical, and computer technologies. The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering research group, led by distinguished professor Alexander Balandin, has shown in the laboratory the unique and practical function of newly created materials, which they called quantum composites. These composites consist of small crystals of called “charge density wave quantum materials” incorporated within a polymer (large molecules with repeating structures) matrix. Upon heating or light exposure, charge density wave material ...

A Michigan Medicine study finds that Black and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients with a common vascular disease have more severe symptoms before bypass surgery – and are at greater risk for amputation and other complications after the procedure. The analysis zeroed in on more than 7,000 patients with peripheral arterial disease, when the vessels carrying blood from the heart to the legs are blocked by plaque, who underwent lower extremity bypass to improve circulation. The data was available through the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium database. Investigators found ...

Research Highlights: A study of more than 100,000 people in the U.S. has found an association between individuals’ psychological well-being during pregnancy and their risk of developing cardiovascular disease within two years of delivery. The most significant association was between depression and ischemic heart disease, with individuals with depression having an 83% higher risk of developing the condition than those without a depression diagnosis. The increased risk of cardiovascular disease was found even among individuals without high blood pressure ...