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Role of women highlighted in study focused on the benefits of good farmer seed production
The CABI-led research - which sought to assess the benefits of good farmer seed production through a case study of the Good Seed Initiative in Tanzania - reveals that while around 70% of the labour to grow African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) is provided by women only 10 to 30% are contract farmers who own the fields, make decisions on sales and control revenues.
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Tipping elements can destabilize each other, leading to climate domino effects
Under global warming, tipping elements in the Earth system can destabilize each other and eventually lead to climate domino effects. The ice sheets on Greenland and West Antarctica are potential starting points for tipping cascades, a novel network analysis reveals. The Atlantic overturning circulation would then act as a transmitter, and eventually elements like the Amazon rainforest would be impacted. The consequences for people would reach from sea-level rise to biosphere degradation.
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The DNA of three aurochs found next to the Elba shepherdess opens up a new enigma for palaeontology
Research involving scientists from the University of A Coruña has succeeded in sequencing the oldest mitochondrial genome of the immediate ancestor of modern cows that has been analysed to date. The remains, some 9,000 years old, were found next to a woman. Why were they with her if cattle had not yet been domesticated? Do they belong to ancestors of today's Iberian cows?
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Wearable accelerometer and vibrator 'thimble' could reduce falls amongst seniors
Japanese researchers have developed and tested a prototype device -- wearable on the fingertips -- that incorporates the concept of 'light touch' to enhance the sense of balance. If widely implemented, the device should significantly reduce incidence of falls amongst seniors. The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports on April 1.
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You're more likely to fight misinformation if you think others are being duped
People in both the United States and China who think others are being duped by online misinformation about COVID-19 are also more likely to support corporate and political efforts to address that misinformation, according to a new study. They are also more likely to take action themselves.
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Filter membrane renders viruses harmless
Researchers at ETH Zurich are developing a new filter membrane that is highly efficient at filtering and inactivating a wide variety of air-borne and water-borne viruses. Made from ecologically sound materials, the membrane has an appropriately good environmental footprint.
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COVID-19: Seroprevalence and vaccine responses in UK dental care professionals
Dental care professionals are thought to be at enhanced risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, but robust data to support this is lacking. The study 'COVID-19: Seroprevalence and Vaccine Responses in UK Dental Care Professionals,' published in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR), provides a longitudinal analysis of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, including early analysis of the impact of vaccination on the immune response.
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Researchers discover potential new approach to treating psoriatic joint inflammation
An international team of researchers, led by UC Davis Health, developed a new therapeutic approach to treating psoriatic arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the joints.
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Is elevated level of lung protein an early predictor for COPD?
UNC School of Medicine researchers led by mucin expert Mehmet Kesimer, PhD, had previously discovered that the total mucin concentrations in the lungs are associated with COPD disease progression and could be used as diagnostic markers of chronic bronchitis, a hallmark condition for patients with COPD. Kesimer and colleagues now report that one of these mucins, MUC5AC, is more closely and reliably associated with the development of COPD than is its brother, MUC5B.
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Preclinical research reveals that new IgM antibodies administered intranasally to fight COVID-19 more potent than commonly used ones
A nasal therapy, built upon on the application of a new engineered IgM antibody therapy for COVID-19, was more effective than commonly used IgG antibodies at neutralizing the COVID-19 virus in animal models, according to research recently published by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB Health), the University of Houston, and IGM Biosciences, Inc.
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New study further advances the treatment of chronic pain
Scientists from the Immuno-Pharmacology and Interactomics group at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), in collaboration with the Center for Drug Discovery at RTI International (RTI), have demonstrated that conolidine, a natural painkiller derived from the pinwheel flower and traditionally used in Chinese medicine, interacts with the newly identified opioid receptor ACKR3/CXCR7 that regulates opioid peptides naturally produced in the brain. The researchers also developed a synthetic analogue of conolidine, RTI-5152-12, which displays an even greater activity on the receptor.
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Extreme rainfall: More accurate predictions in a changing climate
High resolution climate models can improve predictions of extreme rainfall events. An international study involving CMCC scientists presents the first multi-model ensemble of high-resolution regional climate models and offers a promising prospect for studies on climate and climate change at local and regional scales.
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Study sheds new light on link between COVID pressures and suicidal thoughts
There has been concern at how the pandemic has not only hit physical health and the economy but has also impacted our mental health with the possibility of increased rates of suicide.
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Skoltech researchers unveil complex defect structure of Li-ion cathode material
Skoltech scientists have studied the hydroxyl defects in LiFePO4, a widely used cathode material in commercial lithium-ion batteries, contributing to the overall understanding of the chemistry of this material. This work will help improve the LiFePO4 manufacturing process to avoid formation of adverse intrinsic structural defects which deteriorate its performance.
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Samara Polytech has summarized all data on methods of synthesis of chromanes and chromene
Samara Polytech chemists have prepared a large review of methods for producing chromanes and chromenes, developed by both leading Russian scientists and world-class experts.
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How to obtain immune bovine milk to strengthen the body against COVID-19
The Infectious Diseases group at the University of Cordoba's Department of Animal Health is conducting research into a cow's milk preparation that could be effective in controlling the coronavirus
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Protect the sea, neglect the people? Social impact of marine conservation schemes revealed
Governments and international organizations are expanding targets to conserve marine spaces to stem the depletion of biodiversity and fish stocks around the globe. A new study demonstrates the wide range of unintended impacts that such conservation efforts have on affected communities.Published today in World Development, the research presents a ground-breaking case study of the Cambodian Koh Sdach Archipelago combined with a cross-country statistical analysis of the impacts of marine conservation across Southeast Asian communities.
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Stone Age raves to the beat of elk tooth rattles?
In the Stone Age, some 8,000 years ago, people danced often and in a psychedelic way. This is a conclusion drawn from elk teeth discovered in the Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov burial site in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, whose wear marks and location in the graves indicate that the objects were used as rattlers.
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RUDN mathematician boosted domain decomposition method for asynchronous parallel computing
RUDN University mathematician and his colleagues from France and Hungary developed an algorithm for parallel computing, which allows solving applied problems, such as electrodynamics or hydrodynamics. The gain in time is up to 50%.
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Novel antibody drug wakes up the body's defense system in advanced-stage cancer
Researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, showed that the antibody treatment reactivates the immune defense in patients with advanced-stage cancer. The treatment alters the function of the body's phagocytes and facilitates extensive activation of the immune system.
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