In the race to achieve a net-zero future based on clean energy, renewable energy sources like solar and wind power have emerged as potential champions in the battle against climate change. However, as traditional synchronous generators are replaced by inverter-based renewable energy resources, the transition creates a low-inertia challenge within the existing power grids leading to stability and reliability concerns. Xingpeng Li, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston, is working on a solution that will allow seamless integration of renewable energy ...

Trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services constitutes an important topic in ecosystem management. The value of each service is substantially influenced by human activities, and changes will affect human decisions. Given the variability in trade-offs and synergies, the simultaneous optimization of multiple ecosystem services presents a considerable challenge. In a study published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, a team from the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, which has completed ...

“[...] our findings support the hypothesis that the intrauterine environment, particularly essential and non-essential metals, affect epigenetic aging biomarkers across the life course.” BUFFALO, NY- March 12, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 4, entitled, “Associations of prenatal one-carbon metabolism nutrients and metals with epigenetic aging biomarkers at birth and in childhood in a US cohort.” Epigenetic gestational age acceleration (EGAA) at birth and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in childhood may be biomarkers of ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Gun manufacturers are appealing to women as “serious students” of firearms in their advertising – a shift in strategy over the last two decades that may be contributing to increased gun sales, a new study shows. From 2007 through 2022, women’s gun ownership rose from 16% to 22%, while the rate for men stayed roughly steady at 43%. And more than half of new gun owners in the United States between 2019 and 2021 were women. “Those trends in gun ownership ...

Adults 65 and older, who were hospitalized for a variety of medical conditions, had highly satisfying conversations about whether they wanted CPR, regardless of whether doctors used the terms “allow a natural death” or “do not resuscitate” for indicating no CPR, according to a pilot study by Rutgers Health researchers. The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, sought to determine the best language doctors could use when discussing a patient’s code ...

Building on its more than 70 years pioneering the study of fusion energy, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has added a new field to its research portfolio — quantum information science. On March 11, PPPL opened its new Quantum Diamond Lab (QDL), a space devoted to studying and refining the processes involved in using plasma, the electrically charged fourth state of matter, to create high-quality diamond material for quantum information science applications. Scientists around the ...

People with depression face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, more women experience CVD following a depression diagnosis than men, according to a new study published today in JACC: Asia. The study investigates the connection between depression and CVD, shedding light on potential mechanisms that contribute to its sex-based differences and underscoring the importance of tailoring CVD prevention and management strategies according to sex-specific factors.   Depression is the third leading cause of morbidity worldwide. Prior research shows that it is associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular events, ...

Oak Brook, IL (March 12, 2024) – The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) is pleased to announce Lan Mi, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, Massachusetts, USA), as the 2024 SLAS Graduate Education Fellowship Grant recipient. The SLAS grant will support Mi's research regarding the synthesis and applications of fluorogenic RNA aptamers for extensive in vitro and in vivo investigations. It will also support her work in developing and assessing fluorogenic RNA-based sensors, employing high-throughput ...

A Texas A&M AgriLife animal nutritionist believes precision livestock management — utilizing an extra set of eyes and ears and a little artificial intelligence — can go a long way toward making today’s livestock operations more efficient. Computer monitors and cameras, along with artificial intelligence, are part of a precision livestock management system being researched by Luis Tedeschi, Ph.D., in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science. (Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife) Luis Tedeschi, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research Fellow and Chancellor EDGES Fellow in the Texas A&M ...

(Toronto, March 12, 2024) JMIR Publications is pleased to announce a new theme issue titled “Diversity in Dermatology” in JMIR Dermatology. The premier, peer-reviewed journal is indexed in Sherpa Romeo, Scopus, DOAJ, CABI, and PubMed Central/PubMed and is the official journal of the International Society of Digital Health in Dermatology (ISDHD).  Diversity plays a significant role in dermatology, influencing various aspects of health care delivery in community health. Current research consistently highlights the advantages of diversity in the health care sector in patient outcomes and dermatological research. JMIR Dermatology places a special emphasis on exchanging ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- More than 20 million Americans undergo colonoscopy screenings every year, and in many of those cases, doctors end up removing polyps that are 2 cm or larger and require additional care. This procedure has greatly reduced the overall incidence of colon cancer, but not without complications, as patients may experience gastrointestinal bleeding both during and after the procedure. In hopes of preventing those complications from occurring, researchers at MIT have developed a new gel, GastroShield, that can be sprayed onto the surgical sites through an endoscope. This gel forms a tough but flexible protective layer that ...

New study identifies ten key components that will promote the development and implementation of sustainable, equitable, climate-smart ocean planning initiatives around the globe. In a paper published March 12 in npj Ocean Sustainability, the researchers outlined guidelines to support marine managers and planners on how to develop climate-smart ocean plans and put them into action. Led by Catarina Frazão Santos, researcher and professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa) and honorary research associate at the University of Oxford, the team ...

Irvine, Calif., March 12, 2024 — Scientists know relatively little about particles released into the air when a vehicle driver brakes, though evidence suggests those particles may be more harmful to health than particles exiting the tailpipe.   In a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of California, Irvine researchers show how most of these particles emitted during light braking carry an electric charge – something that could potentially be ...

Consortium led by the University is to receive almost £11 million to open doctoral training centre Will focus on use of biomass to replace fossil fuels and removal of CO2 “…part of the UK’s biggest-ever investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral skills”. Aston University is to train the next generation of scientists tasked to remove greenhouse gases from the environment. A consortium led by the University is to receive almost £11 million to open a doctoral ...

Giraffes are a beautiful and powerful example of what adaptive evolution can achieve. However, in recent years they have attained notoriety for a completely different reason: it has been suggested that instead of one giraffe species, there might be no fewer than four different species. Such dramatic taxonomic reappraisals in highly conspicuous and well-known “flagship” taxa are very unusual. The suggestion caused some uproar in the scientific community and received a lot of media attention. Much is at stake, because the way that most nature conservation works is focused on species, meaning that each species must receive its own dedicated conservation action plan and must ...

Epigenetic processes allow different cell types to emerge from a single genome. Throughout development, cells differentiate and acquire distinct characteristics by expressing the same genome in different ways. However, a less-known aspect of this process is how cells maintain their unique identities over time. A study led by the Transcriptional and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Neuronal Plasticity laboratory, headed by Angel Barco at the Institute for Neurosciences, a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche, has determined that the protein Kdm1a plays ...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has awarded a prestigious fellowship aimed at encouraging women to study nuclear-related subjects to a University of Texas at Arlington graduate student researching isotope hydrology. Suprina Shrestha, a master’s student in earth and environmental sciences, received a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship (MSCF) from the IAEA. She studies tracer hydrology, which is the use of natural and artificial tracers to examine hydrological processes, under the mentorship of Ricardo Sanchez-Murillo, associate professor of ...

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are taking cleaner transportation to the skies by creating and evaluating new batteries for airborne electric vehicles that take off and land vertically. These aircraft, commonly called eVTOLs, range from delivery drones to urban air taxis. They are designed to rise into the air like a helicopter and fly using wing-borne lift like an airplane. Compared with helicopters, eVTOLs generally use more rotors spinning at a lower speed, making them both safer and quieter. The ...

Announced today, a new Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) has been funded by a grant of over £9 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to help train the next, diverse generation of research leaders in data visualization. A collaboration between City, University of London and the University of Warwick, the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity in Data Visualization (DIVERSE CDT) will train 60 PhD students, in cohorts of 12 students, beginning in October 2025. The set-up phase will begin in July 2024. The funding announcement is part of a wider UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) announcement of ...

WHAT: Studies of interactions between two lab-generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and an essential Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein have uncovered targets that could be exploited in designing treatments and vaccines for this extremely common virus. The research was led by Jeffrey I. Cohen, M.D., and colleagues from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Study findings were published in the journal Immunity. Approximately 95% of the world’s population is infected with EBV, which remains in the body permanently, typically ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- It might look like a roll of chicken wire, but this tiny cylinder of carbon atoms -- too small to see with the naked eye -- could one day be used for making electronic devices ranging from night vision goggles and motion detectors to more efficient solar cells, thanks to techniques developed by researchers at Duke University. First discovered in the early 1990s, carbon nanotubes are made from single sheets of carbon atoms rolled up like a straw. Carbon isn’t exactly a newfangled material. All life on Earth is based on carbon. ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Poor sleep habits are strongly associated with long-term chronic health conditions, according to decades of research. To better understand this relationship, a team led by researchers in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development identified four distinct patterns that characterize how most people sleep. These patterns are also predictive of long-term health, the researchers said. Soomi Lee, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, ...

This year, City of Hope doctors and scientists will also present data during AACR’s Press Program and a clinical trials plenary session: Monday, April 8, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. Research by Ajay Goel, Ph.D., M.S., City of Hope professor and chair, Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, and Caiming Xu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Goel’s lab, will be presented at an AACR press conference. The abstract is titled “An exosome-based liquid biopsy for non-invasive, early detection of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A multicenter ...

Extracytoplasmic function sigma factors (ECFs) have been successfully used for constructing predictable artificial gene circuits bacteria like Escherichia coli, but their transferability between species within the same phylum remained unknown. Now, a recent study by a group of researchers from Germany and Australia explored the bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti and identified ECF switches with cross-species functionality, constructed genetic circuits, and provided a toolbox for universal synthetic biology applications. In the field of synthetic biology, creating artificial gene circuits with predictable outcomes is both a challenge and a necessity. Extracytoplasmic function sigma factors ...

Background and objectives Cannabis is a commonly used recreational and therapeutic substance in our society. There are a variety of established physical, social, and mental health impacts associated with cannabis use. However, there is no overview of the impact cannabis use has on the genitourinary system. Thus, this scoping review aims to present data on the impact of cannabis on the genitourinary system.   Methods A scoping review search was undertaken on Embase, Medline, and Web of Science. There were no date restrictions ...