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Shaken, not stirred: Reshuffling skyrmions ultrafast
Scientists of Max Born Institute together with colleagues from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and further research institutions now investigated in detail how laser-based creation and annihilation of skyrmions can be controlled to promote application of the process in devices. To image the magnetic skyrmions, the team of researchers used holography-based x-ray microscopy, which can make the tiny magnetization swirls with a diameter of 100 nanometer and less visible.
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Oleoyl-LPE exerts neurite stimulation and neuroprotection
Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) is a type of lysophospholipid that are reportedly present in the brain. The latest studies in animal models have reported elevated levels of LPE in the brain after traumatic brain injury and cerebral ischemia. Fluctuations in LPE concentration have also been reported in the plasma of patients with major depression and Alzheimer's disease. Although these reports suggest the involvement of LPE in brain function, the role in the brain has remained unclear.
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Health status of vulnerable gopher tortoises revealed in Southeastern Florida
In previously unstudied gopher tortoise aggregations, researchers found that overall, 42.9 percent had circulating antibodies to an infectious bacterium that causes upper respiratory tract disease. Physical examination showed that 19.8 percent had clinical signs consistent with upper respiratory tract disease and 13.2 percent had some form of physical abnormality. None of the tortoises tested positive for Ranavirus or Herpesvirus, which represents important baseline data, since these viruses are thought to be emerging pathogens of other tortoise and turtle species.
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How smartphones can help detect ecological change
Mobile apps like Flora Incognita that allow automated identification of wild plants cannot only identify plant species, but also uncover large-scale ecological patterns. This opens up new perspectives for rapid detection of biodiversity changes.
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New algorithm to ensure more accuracy in studying the interior of the Earth
St Petersburg University's geophysicists have developed an algorithm of joint interpretation of two approaches to exploration of the Earth's subsurface. The developed algorithm ensures more accuracy in engineering investigations.
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Drexel study: Parks not only safe, but essential during the pandemic
Parks played an important role for people seeking respite from the toll of social isolation during the pandemic, and according to new research from Drexel University, they did so without increasing the spread of COVID-19. The study looked at how people used 22 parks in Philadelphia and New York during the height of the pandemic and it found no strong correlation between park use and the number of confirmed cases in surrounding neighborhoods.
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What does your voice say about you?
Everyone has at some point been charmed by the sound of a person's voice: but can we believe our ears? What can a voice really reveal about our character? Now an international research team led by the University of Göttingen has shown that people seem to express at least some aspects of their personality with their voice. The results were published in the Journal of Research in Personality.
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Pandemic screen time tops 6 hours a day for some kindergartners
Kindergartners from low-income families spent more than six hours a day in front of screens during two early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a small Ohio study suggests.That is nearly double the screen time found before the pandemic in similar children, according to other research.
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Residential coal use in China results in many premature deaths, models indicate
Coal combustion by power plants and industry pollutes the air, causing many governments to implement mitigation actions and encourage cleaner forms of energy. Now, a new study in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology indicates that in China, indoor air pollution from residential coal burning causes a disproportionate number of premature deaths from exposure to tiny, inhalable pollutants known as PM2.5.
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Earthworms could help reduce antibiotic resistance genes in soil
Earthworms improve the soil by aerating it, breaking down organic matter and mineralizing nutrients. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology have dug up another possible role: reducing the number and relative abundance of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in soils from diverse ecosystems. These results imply that earthworms could be a natural, sustainable solution to addressing the global issue of antibiotic resistance, the researchers say.
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Gold leaf could help diagnose viral infections in low-resource settings
Gold leaf -- gold metal hammered into thin sheets -- is used by artists and crafters to gild picture frames, artwork and clothing. Despite its luxurious appearance, the material is affordable and available at most craft stores. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed gold leaf electrodes that, in combination with a CRISPR-based assay, could sensitively detect human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in human samples. The method also could be modified to diagnose other viral infections.
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CNIO researchers discover the cause of neuronal death in a large proportion of familial ALS patients
The researchers attribute the loss of motor neurons in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) to a new mechanism that blocks any cellular reaction that involves nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)Many cellular processes involving nucleic acids fail in the motor neurons of ALS patients; the mechanism discovered by the CNIO group finally explains these widespread problems that have been reported for yearsThe paper is published this week in 'The EMBO Journal'
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Brand new physics of superconducting metals refuted by Lancaster physicists
Lancaster University scientists have demonstrated that other physicists' recent "discovery" of the field effect in superconductors is nothing but hot electrons after all.A team of scientists in the Lancaster Physics Department have found new and compelling evidence that the observation of the field effect in superconducting metals by another group can be explained by a simple mechanism involving the injection of the electrons, without the need for novel physics.
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Ancestors may have created 'iconic' sounds as bridge to first languages
The 'missing link' that helped our ancestors to begin communicating with each other through language may have been iconic sounds, rather than charades-like gestures - giving rise to the unique human power to coin new words describing the world around us, a new study reveals.
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Artificial intelligence tool uses chest X-ray to differentiate worst cases of COVID-19
Trained to see patterns by analyzing thousands of chest X-rays, a computer program predicted with up to 80 percent accuracy which COVID-19 patients would develop life-threatening complications.
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Harnessing the hum of fluorescent lights for more efficient computing
The property that makes fluorescent lights buzz could power a new generation of more efficient computing devices that store data with magnetic fields, rather than electricity.
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AI learns to type on a phone like humans
To really understand how people type on touchscreens, researchers at Aalto University and the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI) have created the first artificial intelligence model that predicts how people move their eyes and fingers while typing. The AI model can simulate how a human user would type any sentence on any keyboard design. It makes errors, detects and corrects them, and also predicts how people adapt to a new auto-correction system or keyboard design.
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Fatigue, mood disorders associated with post-COVID-19 syndrome
Patients diagnosed with post-COVID-19 syndrome, also known as "PCS," "COVID-19 long-haul syndrome" and "Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS COV-2," experience symptoms such as mood disorders, fatigue and perceived cognitive impairment that can negatively affect returning to work and resuming normal activities, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Defining climate-smart pathways towards tree crop yield intensification
A global team of researchers recently released the results of a 'data-rich' modeling approach designed to illustrate a range of what-if scenarios for future oil palm plantation development in Indonesia. The study provides new insight into crop production strategies available to an industry facing increasing scrutiny.
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Eliminating bias from healthcare AI critical to improve health equity
Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven healthcare has potential to transform medical decision-making and treatment, but AI algorithms must be thoroughly tested and continuously monitored to avoid unintended consequences to patients. In JAMA Network Open, Regenstrief Institute President Peter Embí calls for algorithmovigilance (a term he coined for scientific methods and activities relating to evaluation, monitoring, understanding and prevention of adverse effects of algorithms in healthcare) to address inherent biases in healthcare algorithms and their deployment.
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