Culture
From making a small calculator work to generating energy to produce the entire output of an important brewery, solar energy has been undergoing significant growth in recent years, taking the place of nonrenewable energy resources that negatively affect the environment.
The results of the first theorical-experimental tests are conclusive: compared to diesel, the technology proposed by the CMT-Thermal Engines researchers of the UPV decreases the levels of NOx and soot by 92% and 88% respectively, and CO2 emissions from the exhaust pipe by 15% - down to 52 g/tkm (gram per tonne and kilometre) -, thus getting ahead of the demanding anti-contamination regulation approved for 2025. These results have been published in the journal Energy Conversion and Management.
Osaka, Japan - Power electronics regulate and modify electric power. They are in computers, power steering systems, solar cells, and many other technologies. Researchers are seeking to enhance power electronics by using silicon carbide semiconductors. However, wear-out failures such as cracks remain problematic. To help researchers improve future device designs, early damage detection in power electronics before complete failure is required.
In situ sequencing enables gene activity inside body tissues to be depicted in microscope images. To facilitate interpretation of the vast quantities of information generated, Uppsala University researchers have now developed an entirely new method of image analysis. Based on algorithms used in artificial intelligence, the method was originally devised to enhance understanding of social networks. The researchers' study is published in The FEBS Journal.
Bacteria in the small intestine can deaminate levodopa, the main drug that is used to treat Parkinson's disease. Bacterial processing of the unabsorbed fractions of the drug results in a metabolite that reduces gut motility. These findings were described in the journal BMC Biology on 20 October by scientists from the University of Groningen. Since the disease is already associated with constipation, processing of the drug by gut bacteria may worsen gastrointestinal complications.
(Philadelphia, PA) - Like a cold front that moves in, setting the stage for severe weather, coronavirus infection triggers showers of infection-fighting immune molecules - showers that sometimes escalate into a chaotic immune response known as a cytokine storm. About 20 to 30 percent of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 develop severe immune manifestations, in some instances leading to cytokine storm, with life-threatening organ damage and high risk of death.
They call it artificial intelligence -- not because the intelligence is somehow fake. It's real intelligence, but it's still made by humans. That means AI -- a power tool that can add speed, efficiency, insight and accuracy to a researcher's work -- has many limitations.
New Orleans, LA - A review of heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products from the laboratory of Dr. Jason Gardner, Professor of Physiology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, reports an association with elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, cell death, and circulatory dysfunction shown by early studies. Additionally, chemicals found in the vapor produced by HNB devices have previously been shown to impair lung function, put users at risk of heart attack and stroke, cause cancers, increase circulating low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol") and more.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Knowing you have developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus after recovering from COVID-19 doesn't tell you everything about your immunity. The levels and even types of antibodies can differ among patients, and those differences can influence whether a person is protected against being reinfected.
Situated at the threshold of the South Asian monsoon, the Thar Desert is an important region for understanding how past environmental change impacted patterns of human migration and adaptation to new habitats (Figure 1). Recent research highlighting the role of the Thar Desert in human prehistory has indicated that humans spread eastwards into the region starting from 114 thousand years ago during a phase of enhanced monsoonal rainfall, when the desert was transformed into lush grasslands.
October 19, 2020
JUPITER, FL--Human cells are encased by a membrane coated with diverse sugar molecules known as glycans. These glycans play many roles in health and disease, making them important to understand. Due to their unique properties, however, scientists have had limited tools to study them and their interactions in the body.
HERSHEY, Pa. -- Certain oral antiseptics and mouthwashes may have the ability to inactivate human coronaviruses, according to a Penn State College of Medicine research study. The results indicate that some of these products might be useful for reducing the viral load, or amount of virus, in the mouth after infection and may help to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Transfers from the nursing home to the emergency department (ED) or the hospital can have negative longer-term impact on the health of older adults. A new study from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine looked at which residents were most likely to be admitted to the hospital after a trip to the ED with the hope of identifying areas to improve care and reduce unnecessary transfers.
Life on Earth has a long, but also an extremely turbulent history. On more than one occasion, the majority of all species became extinct and an already highly developed biodiversity shrank to a minimum again, changing the course of evolution each time. The most extensive mass extinction took place about 252 million years ago. It marked the end of the Permian Epoch and the beginning of the Triassic Epoch. About three quarters of all land life and about 95 percent of life in the ocean disappeared within a few thousands of years only.
The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 have battered small- and medium-sized enterprises, putting millions of jobs in the U.S. at risk. And a year rife with natural disasters has not done many struggling businesses any favors.