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Visualizing a city's energy use
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering and the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation used the City of Pittsburgh to create a model built upon the design, materials and purpose of commercial buildings to estimate their energy usage and emissions.
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3D imaging reveals neural 'vicious cycle' in fatty liver disease
With the application of a novel three-dimensional imaging technology, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that one portion of the autonomic nervous system in the liver undergoes severe degeneration in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The study, which is conducted in mice and human liver tissue, shows that the degeneration of nerves is correlated with the severity of liver pathology. The results are being published in the journal Science Advances.
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NTU Singapore scientists develop tougher, safer bicycle helmets using new plastic material
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), in collaboration with French specialty materials leader Arkema, have developed a tougher, safer bicycle helmet using a combination of materials. The new helmet prototype has higher energy absorption, reducing the amount of energy transferred to a cyclist's head in the event of an accident and lowering the chances of serious injury.
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HKU scientists harness the naturally abundant CRISPR-Cas system to edit superbugs with the hope of treating infections caused by drug resistant pathogens
A joint research team from the University of Hong Kong reported the development of a transferrable and integrative type I CRISPR-based platform that can efficiently edit the diverse clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a superbug capable of infecting various tissues and organs and a major source of nosocomial infections. The technique can accelerate the identification of resistance determinants of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens and the development of novel anti-resistance strategies.
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Alzheimer-linked enzyme complex 'buckles up' for safe trip through the cell
A research team led by Wim Annaert (VIB-KU Leuven) uncovered the early assembly of gamma-secretase, a protein complex linked to numerous cellular processes including the development of Alzheimer's disease. In a first step, two dimeric subcomplexes are formed, which independently exit the ER and only afterwards assemble into a four-subunit complex. This 'buckle up' mechanism is thought to prevent premature assembly and activity.
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Infrared held in a pincer
Many applications, from fiber-optic telecommunications to biomedical imaging processes require substances that emit light in the near-infrared range (NIR). A research team in Switzerland has now developed the first chromium complex that emits light in the coveted, longer wavelength NIR-II range. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, the team has introduced the underlying concept: a drastic change in the electronic structure of the chromium caused by the specially tailored ligands that envelop it.
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Scientists come up with new method for simultaneous processing of different types of waste
An international research team has come up with an innovative method for metal recovery from industrial waste. The new method allows the simultaneous recovery of multiple metals from waste oxides in a single process. This novel route will lower the burden on waste storage facilities with significant contributions to the economic and environmental sustainability of industrial waste management. The study was published in Journal of Environmental Management.
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Defect engineering assisting in high-level anion doping towards fast charge transfer kinetic
Titanium dioxide, promising anode materials for sodium ion batteries, nonetheless, suffers from its inferior charge transfer kinetics owing to low diffusion coefficient and electronic conductivity, which will result in unsatisfactory high-rate capability. Here, an oxygen vacancy (OV) engineering assisted in high-content anion (S/Se/P) doping strategy to enhance its charge transfer kinetics for ultrafast sodium-storage performance is proposed to address these issues and expectative results have been obtained.
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Llama 'nanobodies' could hold key to preventing deadly post-transplant infection
Scientists have developed a 'nanobody' - a small fragment of a llama antibody - that is capable of chasing out human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) as it hides away from the immune system. This then enables immune cells to seek out and destroy this potentially deadly virus.
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Researchers automate brain MRI image labelling, more than 100,000 exams labelled in under 30 minutes
Researchers from the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences at King's College London have automated brain MRI image labelling, needed to teach machine learning image recognition models, by deriving important labels from radiology reports and accurately assigning them to the corresponding MRI examinations. Now, more than 100,00 MRI examinations can be labelled in less than half an hour.
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Longer stays in refugee camps increase cases of acute mental illness
A new quantitative study suggests people seeking asylum are more likely to experience mental health deterioration as they spend more time living in refugee camps, backing up qualitative evidence from aid organisations.
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Journey from smoking to vaping variable - Otago academics
Persistence may be the key when quitting smoking using an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), commonly known as vaping, a University of Otago study found.
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New map shows where millions of UK residents struggle to access food
In one out of every six local authorities, rates of hunger are more than 150 per cent the national average. Shockingly, in one in 10 local authorities, the rate is almost double, according to new research by the University of Sheffield.
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Structural biology provides long-sought solution to innate immunity puzzle
DALLAS - July 20, 2021 - UT Southwestern researchers report the first structural confirmation that endogenous - or self-made - molecules can set off innate immunity in mammals via a pair of immune cell proteins called the TLR4?MD-2 receptor complex. The work has wide-ranging implications for finding ways to treat and possibly prevent autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and antiphospholipid syndrome.
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Largest-ever type 1 diabetes genetic study IDs potential treatment targets
Scientists have completed the largest and most diverse genetic study of type 1 diabetes ever undertaken, identifying new drug targets to treat a condition that affects 1.3 million American adults.
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MRI, clear cell likelihood score correlate with renal mass growth rate
According to ARRS' American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), the standardized non-invasive clear cell likelihood score (ccLS)--derived from MRI--correlates with the growth rate of small renal masses (cT1a, <4 cm) and may help guide personalized management.
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Spotted: An exoplanet with the potential to form moons
New high-resolution observations clearly show a moon-forming region around exoplanet PDS 70c. The observations have allowed astronomers to determine the ring-shaped region's size and mass for the first time.
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Astronomers make first clear detection of a moon-forming disc around an exoplanet
Using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, astronomers have unambiguously detected the presence of a disc around a planet outside our Solar System for the first time. The observations will shed new light on how moons and planets form in young stellar systems.
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Professional rugby may be associated with changes in brain structure
Participation in elite adult rugby may be associated with changes in brain structure.
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COVID-19: Patients with malnutrition may be more likely to have severe outcomes
Adults and children with COVID-19 who have a history of malnutrition may have an increased likelihood of death and the need for mechanical ventilation, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.
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