Culture
Washington, DC - The average cost of childbirth varies widely from state to state, according to new national analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute, which also found that spending on postpartum care extended across the full year after delivery. The research drew on HCCI's database of medical claims from approximately 40 million U.S. individuals with employer-sponsored insurance.
MADISON, Wis. -- In a study published today (May 13, 2020) in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists in the U.S. and Japan report that in the laboratory, cats can readily become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and may be able to pass the virus to other cats.
The final results of the randomized phase two trial E3311 will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, to occur virtually from May 29-31. The trial, conducted in patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery (TORS), tested reduced postoperative radiation therapy in patients with human papillomavirus-associated oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma at intermediate risk for recurrence. ASCO is highlighting the importance of the positive results by making it the first presentation in its Head and Neck Oral Abstract Session (Abstract 6500).
Allowing users to create objects from simple toys to custom prosthetic parts, plastics are a popular 3D printing material. But these printed parts are mechanically weak -- a flaw caused by the imperfect bonding between the individual printed layers that make up the 3D part.
MIAMI--Researchers at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science have uncovered a new connection between tropical weather events and U.S. rainfall during El Niño years. The results can help explain why California received significantly less rainfall than predicted during the 2015 El Niño event while massive flooding occurred in the Mississippi River basin.
This ingredient is an essential component of the malaria parasite, a protein known as RPL6, which makes the parasite "visible" to a type of immune cells, the T cells, in the liver. The researchers added the protein to their existing vaccine strategy, known as 'prime and trap', and tested their discovery in mice, finding the combination offered complete protection against malaria.
Earth-based experiments on iron-sulfur alloys thought to comprise the core of Mars reveal details about the planet's seismic properties for the first time. This information will be compared to observations made by Martian space probes in the near future. Whether the results between experiment and observation coincide or not will either confirm existing theories about Mars' composition or call into question the story of its origin.
Amsterdam, May 13, 2020- While history shows us that power tends to corrupt, a team of Swiss and German researchers have recently examined historical examples of large-scale business fraud and misconduct at the highest-levels of government in order to highlight how leaders sometimes lose all sense of morality. Inflicting serious harm on their company or society in the process.
At a glance
Researchers have discovered the reason why the excessive amounts of mucus produced by patients with respiratory illnesses is thicker than usual.
Mucus viscosity is driven by proteins called 'trefoil factors' that bind to 'mucin glycoproteins' which are very long protein strands coated with unique sugar molecules.
Understanding these mechanisms could help to significantly improve airway-clearing treatments for patients with chronic respiratory diseases.
Scientists have revealed the critical role that the chemical composition of bedrock plays in limiting vegetation growth in some of the world's most barren and rocky terrains.
A team of international scientists, including Professor Tim Quine from the University of Exeter, has conducted pioneering new research into vegetation productivity in a karst region of Southwest China.
Scientists at Japan's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) are leading efforts to synthesize stronger and efficient materials for hydrogen fuel cell membranes. Most fuel cells currently on the market employ liquid membranes. A new coordination polymer glass membrane, reported in the journal Chemical Science, works just as well as its liquid counterparts with added strength and flexibility.
Japanese researchers have succeeded in catalytic asymmetric iodoesterification from simple alkene substrates and carboxylic acids. Published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on April 27, this new research, was accomplished by precisely controlling multiple interactions in a single catalytic reaction. This synthetic reaction is expected to contribute to the simplification of industrial processes and greater efficiency in optical active drug production.
It's "hammerhead" time according aerial drone footage of blacktip sharks fleeing to shallow waters when confronted by a huge predator along the coast of southeast Florida. Footage from the drone provides the first evidence of adult blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) using shallow waters as a refuge from the great hammerhead shark, (Sphyrna mokarran) - proving you "can't touch this."
SASKATOON - An innovative radiation treatment that could one day be a valuable addition to conventional radiation therapy for inoperable brain and spinal tumors is a step closer, thanks to new research led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers at the Canadian Light Source (CLS).
Air pollution in China has received great attention due to its effects on climate and human health. A recent study showed the contrasting variation of air pollutants in China using long-term comprehensive data sets from 2013 to 2017, during which Chinese government took major efforts to reduce anthropogenic emission in polluted regions. A significant decreasing trend in the PM2.5 concentration in heavily polluted regions of the eastern China was happening. As a consequence, the heavily polluted days decreased in corresponded regions.