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Igniting plasmas in liquids

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Physicists of Ruhr-Universität Bochum have taken spectacular pictures that allow the ignition process of plasma under water to be viewed and tracked in real time. They have provided the first data sets with ultra-high temporal resolution, supporting a new hypothesis on the ignition of these plasmas: In the nanosecond range, there is not enough time to form a gas environment. Electrons generated by field effects lead to the propagation of the plasma.
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Mucus and mucins may become the medicine of the future

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
The body is filled with mucus that keeps track of the bacteria. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen present the first method for producing artificial mucus. They hope that the artificial mucus, which consists of sugary molecules, may help to develop completely new, medical treatments.
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AI predicts diabetes risk by measuring fat around the heart

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
A team led by researchers from Queen Mary University of London has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that is able to automatically measure the amount of fat around the heart from MRI scan images.
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CNIO researchers help to decipher the structure of the large molecular machine that activates mTOR

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Every organism is a universe that lives thanks to the activities of tens of thousands of nanomachines, whose functions depend on their forms. Now, a group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has helped determine the structure of a nanomachine essential for the functioning of another, mTOR, which plays fundamental roles in cancer and nutrition, ageing and other vital processes in the body.
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How seeds know it's a good time to germinate

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Dehydrated plant seeds can lay dormant for long periods--over 1,000 years in some species--before the availability of water can trigger germination. This protects the embryonic plant inside from a variety of environmental stresses until conditions are favorable for growth and survival. However, the mechanism by which the baby plant senses water and reactivates cellular activity has remained a mystery until now.
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Researchers clarify reasons for low rate of employment among people with disabilities

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Researchers analyzed responses to an open-ended question about employment in the 2015 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey, focusing on 1,254 respondents with disabilities who self-identified as unemployed. The most common reasons related to their perceptions about their medical conditions, functional limitations, or disability, which contributed to concerns about being able to work. Countering negative perceptions, which are often associated with diverse demographic and sociodemographic characteristics, is essential to developing successful return-to-work interventions.
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Wolbachia and the paradox of growth regulation

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
The findings, described in a study published in PLOS Genetics, expand on the complex role of a region of the genome of Wolbachia called Octomom, which is known to regulate its growth inside the host. And bring to light a paradox. If Octomom is deleted, Wolbachia grows uncontrolled inside the host. If amplified, with extra copies, it also grows uncontrolled. Both absence and excess lead to the same observable characteristic.
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Study: Oil spill impact on Canadian arctic, the environment and indigenous peoples

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
The growing rate of ice melt in the Arctic due to rising global temperatures has opened up the Northwest Passage (NWP) to more ship traffic, increasing the potential risk of an oil spill and other environmental disasters. A new study published in the journal Risk Analysis suggests that an oil spill in the Canadian Arctic could be devastating--especially for vulnerable indigenous communities.
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A universal approach to tailoring soft robots

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
An integrated design optimisation and fabrication workflow opens new opportunities for tailoring the mechanical properties of soft machines.
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Changes in Earth's orbit enabled the emergence of complex life

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
"Snowball Earth" is the most extreme climate event in Earth's history, when it was completely engulfed in ice.The theory of its existence has faced two challenges - how life survived and variations in rock formations from the time implying changes to the climate cycle.New study shows that changes to Earth's orbit caused the ice sheets to advance and retreat, providing ice-free 'oases' for animal life and explaining variations in rock formations.
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Identified an early neuronal dysfunction in Parkinson's that could help early diagnosis

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Researchers from IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona have described that neurons derived from Parkinson's patients show impairments in their transmission before neurodegeneration.For this study, it has been used dopaminergic neurons differentiated from patient stem cells as a model.
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Beyond 5G: Wireless communications may get a boost from ultra-short collimating metalens

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Screens may be larger on smartphones now, but nearly every other component is designed to be thinner, flatter and tinier than ever before. The engineering requires a shift from shapely, and bulky lenses to the development of miniaturized, two-dimensional metalenses. They might look better, but do they work better? A team of Japan-based researchers says yes, thanks to a solution they published on July 7th in Applied Physics Express, a journal of the Japan Society of Applied Physics.
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International team aims to make musculoskeletal health a global priority

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
An international research team has found that despite being the world's leading cause of pain, disability and healthcare expenditure, the prevention and management of musculoskeletal health, including conditions such as low back pain, fractures, arthritis and osteoporosis, is globally under-prioritised and have devised an action plan to address this gap.
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Metabolic enzyme promotes neuroblastoma aggressiveness

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
High-risk neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer with poor treatment outcomes. Despite intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, less than 50 percent of these children survive for five years. While the genetics of human neuroblastoma have been extensively studied, actionable therapeutics are limited.
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Study explores opioid prescribing preferences and practices among residents and faculty

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Opioid prescribing preferences and practices among surgical residents and faculty differ, according to a new study published in the journal Surgery by CU Department of Surgery researchers.
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Aging-related conditions increase treatment burden in older cancer patients

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Having multiple chronic health conditions and living in a rural area were the top two factors affecting increased healthcare system contact among older patients with bladder cancer, a research team has found.
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New composites with magnetolectrical properties will help treat neurodegenerative diseases

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
When an external magnetic field or mechanical voltage is applied, the resulting material can create an electric charge on the surface. For instance, these properties can be used in biomedicine in order to create controlled interfaces that have the potential to increase the number and change stem cells into neurons or such. In the future, researchers will be able to use this technology in tissue engineering.
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Study reveals how our immune system reacts to COVID-19 variants

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Australian scientists researching how our immune system responds to COVID-19 have revealed that those infected by early variants in 2020 produced sustained antibodies, however, these antibodies are not as effective against contemporary variants of the virus.
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Quantum laser turns energy loss into gain?

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
Scientists at KAIST have fabricated a laser system that generates highly interactive quantum particles at room temperature. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Photonics, could lead to a single microcavity laser system that requires lower threshold energy as its energy loss increases.
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Studies explore links between stress, choline deficiency, preterm births, and mental health

Eurekalert - Jul 07 2021 - 00:07
In two recent articles published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, Sharon Hunter, PhD, an associate professor in the CU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and M. Camille Hoffman, MD, MSc, an associate professor in the CU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, have uncovered a potential link between choline deficiency in Black pregnant women in the United States and increased risk of developmental issues that can evolve into mental illness later in children's lives.
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