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New material could create 'neurons' and 'synapses' for new computers

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Classic computers use binary values (0/1) to perform. By contrast, our brain cells can use more values to operate, making them more energy-efficient than computers. This is why scientists are interested in neuromorphic (brain-like) computing. Physicists from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) have used a complex oxide to create elements comparable to the neurons and synapses in the brain using spins, a magnetic property of electrons.
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New testing platform for COVID-19 is an efficient and accurate alternative to gold-standard RT-qPCR tests

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain shortages of reagents and test kits have limited the rapid expansion of clinical testing needed to contain the virus. Investigators have developed and validated a new microchip real-time technology platform that uses 10-fold less reagents compared to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-approved tube-based RT-PCR tests, and reports results in as little as 30 minutes. Its accuracy was 100 percent predictive in clinical samples, investigators explain in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
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Conn. medication-assisted opioid treatment programs retain patients at higher rates

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
According to a new study, Connecticut's MAT programs have higher-than-average patient retention rates - more people who enter Connecticut's programs stay in the program to completion. But the study also found that younger patients and patients who reported cocaine or crack use in addition to opioid dependence had a harder time sticking with the MAT treatment program.
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How Russia can protect its rights in the Artic

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Climate change-induced ice melting in the Arctic has led to contradictions in the assessment of Russia's rights in the region. As ice cover diminishes, Russia may be losing its influence on the territories that it has historically developed. There are alternative legally valid ways to establish fair borders, which are described by researchers of the HSE Institute of Ecology in their paper 'Prospects for the evolution of the system of baselines in the Arctic'.
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Iran's groundwater depletion is reaching crisis levels, warn Concordia researchers

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
More than three quarters of Iran's land is under extreme groundwater overdraft, where the rate of human uptake is higher than the rate of natural recharge. This is according to a new study led by Concordia researchers published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. Mismanagement by the country's authorities is exacerbating existing strains on the semi-arid country's aquifers by an inefficient agriculture industry. Without urgent action, they note, the country faces multiple national crises.
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Socioeconomic status non-factor in worse COVID-19 for racial, ethnic groups in Twin Cities

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
A research team, led by the University of Minnesota Medical School, found that regardless of socioeconomic status, Twin Cities residents of underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds endure worse COVID-19 outcomes compared to people who are white.
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How a virtual program may help kids get ready for kindergarten

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
With pandemic lockdowns still in place last summer, The Ohio State University couldn't host its in-person Summer Success Program to help preschoolers from low-income families prepare for kindergarten.Staff and teachers quickly pivoted to a fully virtual program, but they were worried: Could this really work with 4- and 5-year-olds who had no previous experience with preschool?A new study suggested it did.
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People who have had dengue are twice as likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
This is the main finding of a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.The authors analyzed blood samples collected in a town in the Brazilian Amazon before and after the first wave of the pandemic to detect the presence of antibodies against dengue virus and SARS-CoV-2.
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Peatlands pose complex, poorly understood risk for similar fires, researchers warn

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Five years after a disastrous wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, researchers are warning that the complex role of peatlands, a factor critical to projecting the risk and behaviour of future fires, is missing from the forecasting model.
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Time to capitalize on COVID-19 disruptions to lock-in greener behaviors

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
New analysis suggests that as lockdown measures ease there is a small window of opportunity in which to shift people's habits towards pro-environmental choices.
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White roofs and more green areas would mitigate the effects of heat waves in cities

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
A study by the ICTA-UAB evaluates the effectiveness of different urban solutions to reduce the temperature in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
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Preventive interventions can improve mental health outcomes in children, teens and young adults

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Offering interventions to young people in the general community can prevent the emergence of certain mental health disorders, according to the first comprehensive systematic review to address this question. The results appear in the May/June issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry, which is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
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Hygiene rules are also effective against new coronavirus variants

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
The mutant Sars Cov-2 viruses B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are classified as "variants of concern", because they are more easily transmitted than the wild type virus or because our immune system does not recognise them as easily. A research team from Bochum, Jena, Nuremberg and Duisburg-Essen studied how the so-called British and South African variants react to disinfection and cleaning and how long they remain infectious on different surfaces.
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Primary school children have long-term mental health benefit from counselling in school

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Researchers analysed data on 740 children who took up one-to-one counselling. The research, published in European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, used data from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by teachers and parents. One year later, this data showed that the children who spoke to counsellors had considerably better mental health than a comparative group of children who had poor mental health yet had not seen a counsellor.
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Management study examines fine line between lobbying, bribery

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Dr. Seung-Hyun Lee found that companies based in developed countries are more likely to influence the institutional environment of host countries through lobbying, even when bribery is expected to be a more prevalent way of doing business.
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Of mice and men: Mutation linked to autism impairs oxytocin-mediated social behavior

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
A rare mutation in the Caps2 gene, which encodes a protein that regulates the release of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, has also been linked with autism spectrum disorders. Now, researchers at the Tokyo University of Science report that Caps2 mutations in mice limit the release of oxytocin (a hormone that regulates social behavior), causing diminished sociality in these animals. These findings may help researchers understand the neurobiology of autism and develop effective treatments for it.
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Few women in sub-Saharan Africa undergo cervical cancer screenings

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
A team of researchers, including those from Penn State College of Medicine, took a closer look at cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to determine the prevalence and key factors that influence cancer screenings. The group found that despite high mortality rates, cancer screenings are substantially low, and there are multiple reasons why.
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Study shows optimized multi-scale structure and chemical gradients in exoskeletons of mantis shrimps

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
A research group led by Prof. LUO Tianzhi from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Prof. WANG Zhengzhi's team from Wuhan University, explored the natural defenses in the tail spike of mantis shrimps and left chela of hermit crabs.
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New model helps predict heart attacks in high-risk patients

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Analysing the forces at work behind the obstructions that cause heart attacks is crucial for identifying patients at risk of these events.
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Scientists to take a new step in the microelectronics' development

Eurekalert - May 18 2021 - 00:05
Researchers of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) developed a new approach to determine the best electrode materials composition for Solid-state lithium-ion batteries. The research group of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University developed a method to determine the electrochemical capacity of each component of the "nickel-cobalt oxide" system.
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