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Managed retreat: A must in the war against climate change

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Climate change will shape the future of coastal communities, with flood walls, elevated structures and possibly even floating cities used to combat sea level rise. New research has found that managed retreat -- moving buildings, homes or communities off of the coast or away from floodplains -- must be part of any solution.
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Vaccination, previous infection, protect against gamma variant in animal model

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
In a new study using variant virus recovered from one of the original travelers, researchers in the US and Japan have found that vaccination with an mRNA vaccine induces antibody responses that would protect humans from infection with the gamma/P.1 variant.
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Controlling brain states with a ray of light

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
A study led by researchers from IBEC and IDIBAPS achieves, for the first time, the control of brain state transitions using a molecule responsive to light, named PAI. The results not only pave the way to act on the brain patterns activity and to understand their connection to cognition and behavior, but they also could lead to the development of photomodulated drugs for the treatment of brain lesions or diseases such as depression, bipolar disorders or Parkinson's or Alzheimer's diseases.
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Tug-of-war receptors for sour taste in fruit flies sheds light on human taste biology

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
His team, including authors Tingwei Mi, John Mack, and Christopher Lee from the Monell Center and University of Pennsylvania, found that flies use two distinct types of gustatory (taste) receptor neurons (GRNs), which are analogous to taste receptor cells in mammals, to discriminate slightly from highly sour foods. One group of GRNs are maximally activated by low acidity, while the other group displayed its best responses to high acidity.
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For the first time, researchers visualize metabolic process at the single-cell level

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Researchers at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Biological Sciences Division have developed a combined imaging and machine learning technique that can, for the first time, measure a metabolic process at both the cellular and sub-cellular levels.
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Tailored laser fields reveal properties of transparent crystals

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
The surface of a material often has properties that are very different from the properties within the material. An international research team from the University of Göttingen, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry Göttingen and the National Research Council Canada has now succeeded in investigating the surfaces of transparent crystals using powerful irradiation from lasers. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications.
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New analysis discusses role of managed retreat as a climate change response

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
MIAMI--In a new analysis on managed retreat--the climate adaptation response of moving people and property out of harm's way--researchers explore what it would take for managed retreat to be supportive of people and their priorities. A key starting point is considering retreat alongside other responses like coastal armoring and not just as an option of last resort.
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Altered microstructure improves organic-based, solid state lithium EV battery

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Researchers at the University of Houston, in collaboration with Rice University, published a paper detailing how to improve energy density in a novel electric vehicle battery - a step toward a more cost-effective, easily recycled battery that would allow EVs to travel farther and charge faster at a low cost.
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Incidents of serious parasitic disease on the rise in Alberta, Canada

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
A rare parasitic infection imported from Europe continues to take root in Alberta. The province is now the North American hotspot for human alveolar echinococcosis (AE), which takes the form of a growth in the liver, causing serious and potentially deadly health complications.
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Anti-science, partisan tweets could flag an outbreak

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Anti-science attitudes and political ideology often go hand in hand, a new USC study finds, which means machine-analyzed data on platforms such as Twitter could offer clues as to where diseases like COVID-19 might spread.
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Printable Purdue biosensor simultaneously records, makes images of tissues and organs

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Purdue innovators have created a biosensor that allows for simultaneous recording and imaging of tissues and organs during a surgical operation. Traditional methods to simultaneously record and image tissues and organs have proven difficult because other sensors used for recording typically interrupt the imaging process. The ultra-soft, thin and stretchable Purdue biosensor is capable of seamlessly interfacing with the curvilinear surface of organs even under large mechanical deformations.
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FDA advisory panelist outlines issues with aducanumab's approval for Alzheimer's disease

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Despite near unanimous objection from its advisory panel, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted aducanumab approval to treat Alzheimer's disease on June 7, 2021. In a commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine, a member and former Chair of the advisory panel and an aducanumab site investigator explain why this unprecedented "accelerated approval" is problematic for clinical research and patient care.
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Reduced-dose gadobutrol vs standard-dose gadoterate for contrast-enhanced brain MRI

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
In the international prospective multicenter crossover LEADER-75 trial, comparison of reduced-dose gadobutrol and standard-dose gadoterate versus unenhanced imaging demonstrated noninferiority using 20% margin for three primary efficacy measures; mean readings differed by less than 1%, supporting equivalence using a narrow ±5% margin. Various secondary variables also supported non-inferiority of reduced-dose gadobutrol.
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Algorithm uses mass spectrometry data to predict identity of molecules

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
An algorithm designed by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Computational Biology Department and St. Petersburg State University in Russia could help scientists identify unknown molecules. The algorithm, called MolDiscovery, uses mass spectrometry data from molecules to predict the identity of unknown substances, telling scientists early in their research whether they have stumbled on something new or merely rediscovered something already known. This development could save time and money in the search for new naturally occurring products that could be used in medicine.
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Most cancer cells grown in a dish have little in common with cancer cells in people

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
In a bid to find or refine laboratory research models for cancer that better compare with what happens in living people, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists report they have developed a new computer-based technique showing that human cancer cells grown in culture dishes are the least genetically similar to their human sources.
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How cells 'read' artificial ingredients tossed into genetic recipe

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers discovered that the enzyme RNA polymerase II recognizes and transcribes artificially added base pairs in genetic code, a new insight that could help advance the development of new vaccines and medicines.
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Mountain fires burning higher at unprecedented rates

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Forest fires have crept higher up mountains over the past few decades, scorching areas previously too wet to burn, according to researchers from McGill University. As wildfires advance uphill, a staggering 11% of all Western US forests are now at risk.
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Convalescent plasma improves survival in COVID-19 patients with blood cancers

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Patients with blood cancers who were hospitalized with COVID-19 fared better if they were given convalescent plasma, according to study findings from a consortium that included the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson.
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Quaise Inc. drilling technology could allow geothermal to power the world

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Geothermal energy systems have the potential to power the world and become the leading technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions if we can drill down far enough into the Earth to access the conditions necessary for economic viability and release the heat beneath our feet. Quaise Inc. is developing a potentially disruptive drilling technology to make that happen. Matt Houde of Quaise presented the approach at the World Geothermal Congress on June 15.
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Researchers propose methods for additive manufacturing quality control

Eurekalert - Jun 17 2021 - 00:06
Additive manufacturing offers an unprecedented level of design flexibility and expanded functionality, but the quality and process can drastically differ across production machines, according to Hui Yang, a professor of industrial engineering at Penn State. With applications in aerospace, health care and automotive industries with potential for mass customization, additive manufacturing needs quality management.
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