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Risk factors for a severe course of COVID-19 in people with diabetes

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing a severe course of COVID-19 compared to people without diabetes. The question to be answered is whether all people with diabetes have an increased risk of severe COVID-19, or whether specific risk factors can also be identified within this group. A new study by DZD researchers has now focused precisely on this question and gained relevant insights.
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How does the brain flexibly process complex information?

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Human decision-making depends on the flexible processing of complex information, but how the brain may adapt processing to momentary task demands has remained unclear. In a new article published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development have now outlined several crucial neural processes revealing that our brain networks may rapidly and flexibly shift from a rhythmic to a "noisy" state when the need to process information increases.
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More than 25% of infants not getting common childhood vaccinations, study finds

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
The researchers identified troubling disparities along race, income and education lines.
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When does the green monster of jealousy wake up in people?

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Women and men are often jealous for completely different reasons. This gender difference occurs so early that it surprised the researchers.
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Mantis shrimp larvae punch just like Ma and Pa

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Mantis shrimp pack one of the most powerful punches on the planet, splitting water with their explosive blows, but when do their larvae begin letting fly with their ballistic appendages and how fast? The 4.2mm long larvae begin flicking their limbs as early as 9 days after hatching, around when they begin feeding, letting lose accelerations of 22 million deg/s2 and moving at ~0.385m/s, 5-10 times faster than the larval snacks they dine on.
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Study finds US Twitter users have strongly supported face coverings amid the pandemic

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
An analysis of Twitter activity between March 1 and Aug. 1, 2020, found strong support by U.S. users for wearing face coverings and that a media focus on anti-mask opinions fueled the rhetoric of those opposed, report University of Oregon researchers.
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Diseases affect brain's networks selectively, BrainMap analysis affirms

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio studied 43 brain disorders and strongly affirmed a theory called the "network degeneration hypothesis." This theory holds that disease-related structural damage invades functional networks used in human behavior and often repeats in "co-alteration networks."
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Unlocking herbaria biodiversity using a QR code sampling-to-sequencing workflow

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
With the advent of next-generation sequencing technology, biologists are closer than ever to achieving the goal of constructing the phylogenetic tree of life. Large genetic studies with hundreds to thousands of specimens, however, are still bottlenecked at the specimen transcription stage, in which information from museum specimens is transcribed and copied into spreadsheets. Here, researchers present an automated collection process that utilizes a combination of unique object identifiers and QR codes.
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Mammals evolved big brains after big disasters

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Largest study of its kind reveals the way relative brain size of mammals changed over the last 150 million years
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Meteorite amino acids derived from substrates more widely available in the early solar system

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Scientists have recreated the reaction by which carbon isotopes made their way into different organic compounds, challenging the notion that organic compounds, such as amino acids, were formed by isotopically enriched substrates. Their discovery suggests that the building blocks of life in meteorites were derived from widely available substrates in the early solar system.
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Simple device improves care after kidney transplantation

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
A research team from Lawson Health Research Institute has found that a simple device can reduce swelling after kidney transplantation.
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Shorter headed dogs, visually cooperative breeds, younger and playful dogs form eye contact faster

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Eye contact plays a fundamental role in human communication and relationships. When we look into each other's eyes, we show that we are paying attention to each other. However, we do not only look at each other but also at our four-legged companions. According to new research by Hungarian ethologists, at least four independent traits affect dogs' ability to establish eye contact with humans. Short-headed, cooperative, young, and playful dogs are the most likely to look into the human eye.
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If slightly high blood pressure doesn't respond to lifestyle change, medication can help

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Healthy lifestyle changes are the recommended treatment for people with stage 1 high blood pressure (130-139/80-89 mm Hg).If lifestyle changes alone are not successful to lower blood pressure within six months, a new American Heart Association scientific statement suggests continuing those healthy habits and to consider adding blood pressure-lowering medication.
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Study: New York City nurses experienced anxiety, depression during first wave of COVID-19

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
New York nurses caring for COVID-19 patients during the first wave of the pandemic experienced anxiety, depression, and illness--but steps their hospitals took to protect them and support from their coworkers helped buffer against the stressful conditions, according to a study led by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.
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Expressing variety of emotions earns entrepreneurs funding

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Despite perceptions that entrepreneurs should always be positive about their ventures, a study found that entrepreneurs whose facial expressions moved through a mix of happiness, anger and fear during funding pitches were more successful. Researchers analyzed nearly 500 pitch videos from the online crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Those who varied their emotional expressions had more success on meeting their goal, total amount raised and number of contributors.
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Social media and science show how ship's plastic cargo dispersed from Florida to Norway

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Researchers from the University of Plymouth and the Lost at Sea Project combined sightings data reported by members of the public and oceanographic modelling tools to show how the cartridges reached their resting place.
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KICT's solution for monitoring massive infrastructures

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) has announced the development of an effective structural monitoring technique to monitor massive infrastructures, such as long-span bridge. The method provides accurate and precise responses over whole structural system densely by fusing advantages of multi-fidelity data.
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Treating dental pain with opioids linked to higher risk of overdose in patients & families

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Patients whose dental procedure pain was treated with opioids were more likely to have an overdose within 90 days, as were their family members, a new study of records from millions of people with private and Medicaid dental coverage shows.
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Team builds better tool for assessing infant brain health

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Researchers have created a new, open-access tool that allows doctors and scientists to evaluate infant brain health by assessing the concentration of various chemical markers, called metabolites, in the brain. The tool compiled data from 140 infants to determine normal ranges for these metabolites.
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Kratom use rare, but more common among people with opioid use disorder

Eurekalert - Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Less than one percent of people in the United States use kratom, a plant-based substance commonly used to manage pain and opioid withdrawal, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. However, the use of kratom--which is legal but carries the risk of addiction and harmful side effects--is more prevalent among people who use other drugs, particularly those with opioid use disorder.
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