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Say goodbye to your camera bump: uOttawa researchers miniaturize optics by discovering counterpart to lens
Can you imagine one day using a telescope as thin as a sheet of paper, or a much smaller and lighter high-performance camera? Or no longer having that camera bump behind your smartphone? In a paper published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Ottawa have proposed a new optical element that could turn these ideas into reality by dramatically miniaturizing optical devices, potentially impacting many of the applications in our lives.
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Losing nature impacts Black, Hispanic, and low-income Americans most
When nature vanishes, people of color and low-income Americans disproportionally lose critical environmental and health benefits--including air quality, crop productivity and disease control--a new study in Nature Communications finds. The research is the first national study to explore the unequal impacts on American society--by race and income--of projected declines in nature and its benefits.Researchers find multiple natural benefits will drop for people of color by an average of 224%-111% between 2020-2100, as white communities see gains.
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Lodgers on manganese nodules: Sponges promote a high diversity
Deep down in the ocean, valuable raw materials are stored, such as nodules of manganese. These resources could help meeting our increasing demand for rare metals. In addition to the nodules, there is another treasure down there: A complex ecosystem we barely understand. Researchers from Bremen and the Netherlands have discovered that sponges settling on the nodules provide a home for many other animals. Without nodules, diversity in these deep-sea regions would be significantly lower.
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Rural residents, American Indians travel farthest for certified stroke care
Race, age, income and health insurance status are factors in the distance patients must travel to reach the nearest certified stroke care, according to a nationwide analysis of US census data and road maps.The greatest distances were for those in rural areas and for American Indians.
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New twist on DNA data storage lets users preview stored files
Researchers have turned a longstanding challenge in DNA data storage into a tool, using it to offer users previews of stored data files -- such as thumbnail versions of image files.
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'Vegan spider silk' provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
Researchers have created a plant-based, sustainable, scalable material that could replace single-use plastics in many consumer products.
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New dipping solution turns the whole fish into valuable food
When herring are filleted, more than half their weight becomes a low-value 'side stream' that never reaches our plates. Now, scientists from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a special dipping solution which can significantly extend the side streams' shelf life, and increase the opportunities to use them as food.
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Monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 safe, effective for transplant patients
Treating transplant patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies is safe and helps prevent serious illness, according to a Mayo Clinic study recently published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. These results are especially important because transplant patients who are infected with COVID-19 have a higher risk of severe illness and death.
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Alcohol companies earned billions from underage drinking in 2016
Underage youth consumed $17.5 billion worth, or 8.6 percent, of the alcoholic drinks sold in 2016. Products from three alcohol companies - AB Inbev, MillerCoors and Diageo - accounted for nearly half of youth consumption, according to a new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins and Boston University.
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New research shows link between politics, boredom and breaking public-health rules
People who are more prone to boredom and who are socially conservative are more likely to break public-health rules, according to new psychology research.
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Flickering screens may help children with reading and writing difficulties
Children with reading and writing difficulties who are presented with text on screens with flickering white noise both read better and remember what they have read better, according to a Swedish-Norwegian study.
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Patient-provider discussions about bariatric surgery play pivotal role in weight loss outcomes
Investigators find that eligible patients who discuss bariatric surgery options with their primary care providers or specialists from disciplines ranging from cardiology to urology are more likely to undergo surgery and lose more weight than those who do not have such discussions.
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Molecular changes in white blood cells can help diagnose 'the bends' earlier in divers
Despite knowing about decompression sickness - or 'the bends' - for more than a century, researchers are still mystified about how this condition occurs. A new study published by the open access journal Frontiers is the first to explore the genetic changes that occur in humans with the bends. It reveals that genes involved in white blood cell activation and inflammation are upregulated in divers with this condition. The results may pave the way for tests that allow doctors to diagnose decompression sickness more easily.
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Machines can help wine grape industry survive labor shortage
Wine grape growers in California and elsewhere face increasing labor costs and severe labor shortages, making it difficult to manage and harvest a vineyard while maintaining profitability. Growers are increasingly turning to machines for pruning, canopy management and harvesting, but how well these practices are executed can substantially affect yield and quality. A new review by researchers at the University of California, Davis provides guidelines for growers to make the best use of machines.
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How to beat the heat: Memory mechanism allows plants to adapt to heat stress
Researchers from Nara Institute of Science and Technology have found that plants adapt to heat stress via a specific 'memory' mechanism. The JUMONJI family of proteins can control small heat shock genes, allowing plants to become heat tolerant for better adaptation to future heat stress. This research is applicable to a broad range of scientific fields and understanding this mechanism could contribute to maintaining the food supply under global warming conditions.
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Scientists develop integrated electrodes for high-energy-density flexible supercapacitors
Recently, a research team led by Professor ZHAO Bangchuan from the Institute of Solid Materials of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) synthesized 3D porous honeycomb-like CoN-Ni3N/N-C nanosheets and vanadium nitride (VN) nanobelt arrays via in-situ growth method, respectively, and constructed a high-energy-density flexible supercapacitor device. The result has been published in Advanced Functional Materials.
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Over 500 new FRBs detected in single year due to CHIME telescope
In the decade following their discovery in 2007, only 140 FRBs had been seen. Now, thanks to the launch of a large stationary telescope in the interior of British Columbia in 2018, the number of new FRBs detected has almost quadrupled -- for a total of 535. A McGill-led inter-university collaboration, has now put together the first CHIME/FRB catalogue.
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Researchers link ancient wooden structure to water ritual
A Cornell University team led by Sturt Manning, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Classics and director of the Tree-Ring Laboratory, used dendrochronology and a form of radiocarbon dating called 'wiggle-matching' to pinpoint, with 95% probability, the years in which an ancient wooden structure's two main components were created: a lower tank in 1444 B.C., and an upper tank in 1432 B.C. Each date has a margin of error of four years.
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Treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy is associated with lower risk of heart problems
Findings from a recent study show that patients with untreated, moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea had a higher risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event, but the risk of incident heart problems was decreased in those who used CPAP therapy.
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Breakthrough study shows defining traits are forged the moment we're born
A new study published by the open access publisher Frontiers is the first to research the link between functional brain network connectivity and behavioral temperament in newborns and one-month-old babies. The findings, which show that functional brain connectivity networks with behavioral relevance are already present in young infants, help further bridge the research gap between the human brain and our behavior.
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