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Why do some neurons degenerate and die in Alzheimer's disease, but not others?
Researchers at Gladstone Institutes have uncovered molecular clues that help explain what makes some neurons more susceptible than others in Alzheimer's disease. In a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the scientists present evidence that neurons with high levels of the protein apolipoprotein E (apoE) are more sensitive to degeneration, and that this susceptibility is linked to apoE's regulation of immune-response molecules within neurons.
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Pandemic-driven telehealth proves popular at safety net health system
As state and federal authorities decide whether to continue reimbursing for telehealth services that were suddenly adopted last spring in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a new study out of UC San Francisco has found that clinicians in the San Francisco Health Network (SFHN) overwhelmingly support using these services for outpatient primary care and specialty care visits.
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Researchers develop mathematical model predicting disease spread patterns
A team of environmental engineers, alerted by the unusual wealth of data published regularly by county health agencies throughout the pandemic, began researching new methods to describe what was happening on the ground in a way that does not require obtaining information on individuals' movements or contacts. In a recently published paper, they presented their results: a model that predicts where the disease will spread from an outbreak, in what patterns and how quickly.
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Story tip from Johns Hopkins experts on COVID-19
Story tip from Johns Hopkins experts on COVID-19.
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Physicists unveil the condensation of liquid light in a semiconductor one-atom-thick
An international team of physicists has shown experimentally for the first time how a Bose-Einstein condensate - tens of thousands of quanta of 'liquid light' - is formed in the thinnest monatomic film of a semiconductor crystal. The team includes the head of the Spin Optics Laboratory at St Petersburg University, Professor Alexey Kavokin. This discovery will help create new types of lasers capable of producing qubits - the main integral parts of quantum computers of the future.
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Researchers develop new metal-free, recyclable polypeptide battery that degrades on demand
The introduction of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries has revolutionized technology as a whole, leading to major advances in consumer goods across nearly all sectors. Battery-powered devices have become ubiquitous across the world. While the availability of technology is generally a good thing, the rapid growth has led directly to several key ethical and environmental issues surrounding the use of Li-ion batteries.
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Skin and immune cells coordinate defenses against assault
As the human body's largest organ, the skin is responsible for protecting against a wide range of possible infections on all fleshy surfaces, from head to toe. So how exactly does the skin organize its defenses against such an array of threats?
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In graphene process, resistance is useful
Rice scientists adapt laser-induced graphene to make conductive patterns from standard photoresist material for consumer electronics and other applications.
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Surprising sand fly find yields new species of bacteria
Researchers made a surprising finding while examining areas where sand flies rear their young: a new species of bacteria that is highly attractive to pregnant sand flies. The findings could advance the production of ecologically safe baits or traps to reduce sand fly populations.
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Cancer patients lonely and depressed during COVID
Loneliness and social isolation have been significant problems for the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, but for cancer patients these issues were particularly acute, likely due to isolation and social distancing, according to a new UCSF study.
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Organ transplant recipients remain vulnerable to COVID-19 even after second vaccine dose
In a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers show that although two doses of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID 19 -- confers some protection for people who have received solid organ transplants, it's still not enough to enable them to dispense with masks, physical distancing and other safety measures.
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Online learning doesn't improve student sleep habits, research suggests
New research from Simon Fraser University suggests that students learning remotely become night owls but do not sleep more despite the time saved commuting, working or attending social events.
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'Natural disasters' increase triggers for violence against women and girls
'Natural disasters,' sparked by climate change and other natural hazards, increase the triggers for violence against women and girls by boosting the means, opportunity, and underlying drivers, finds a review of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Global Health.As these disasters are increasing in frequency, severity, and duration worldwide, this consequence must now be formally recognised in public health, violence prevention, and disaster management strategies, urge the researchers.
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Kidney cancer risks higher for Hispanic, Native Americans in Arizona
Dr. Ken Batai,has documented an increased risk of mortality among Arizona's Hispanic American and Native American kidney cancer patients.
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Hollings researchers study SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in asymptomatic & symptomatic individuals
MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers screened more than 60,000 blood samples from symptomless individuals in the Southeastern U.S., finding that approximately 3% of the population is asymptomatic. These individuals had stronger antibody responses to COVID-19 versus symptomatic patients.
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'Molecular glue' makes perovskite solar cells dramatically more reliable over time
In a study that could help to bring inexpensive, efficient perovskite solar cells one step closer to commercial use, researchers found a way to strengthen a key weak point in the cells' internal structure, dramatically increasing their functional life.
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Review: Most human origins stories are not compatible with known fossils
In the 150 years since Charles Darwin speculated that humans originated in Africa, the number of species in the human family tree has exploded, but so has the level of dispute concerning early human evolution. A new review looks at the major discoveries in hominin origins since Darwin's works and argues that fossil apes can inform us about essential aspects of ape and human evolution, including the nature of our last common ancestor.
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Evading the uncertainty principle in quantum physics
In quantum mechanics, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the position and speed of an object cannot both be known fully precisely at the same time. In a study published this week in Science, researchers show that two vibrating drumheads, the size of a human hair, can be prepared in a quantum state which evades the uncertainty principle for the first time.
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Rooted tree key to understanding bacterial evolution, new study suggests
An international team of researchers led by Dr Tom Williams from the University of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences have found a new way to interpret the evolution of Bacteria.
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What can a dinosaur's inner ear tell us? Just listen
New Haven, Conn. -- If paleontologists had a wish list, it would almost certainly include insights into two particular phenomena: how dinosaurs interacted with each other and how they began to fly.
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