Tech

How is it possible to move in the desired direction without a brain or nervous system? Single-celled organisms apparently manage this feat without any problems: for example, they can swim towards food with the help of small flagellar tails.

How these extremely simply built creatures manage to do this was not entirely clear until now. However, a research team at TU Wien (Vienna) has now been able to simulate this process on the computer: They calculated the physical interaction between a very simple model organism and its environment. This environment is a liquid with a non-uniform chemical composition, it contains food sources that are unevenly distributed.

The simulated organism was equipped with the ability to process information about food in its environment in a very simple way. With the help of a machine learning algorithm, the information processing of the virtual being was then modified and optimised in many evolutionary steps. The result was a computer organism that moves in its search for food in a very similar way to its biological counterparts.

Chemotaxis: Always going where the chemistry is right

"At first glance, it is surprising that such a simple model can solve such a difficult task," says Andras Zöttl, who led the research project, which was carried out in the "Theory of Soft Matter" group (led by Gerhard Kahl) at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at TU Wien. "Bacteria can use receptors to determine in which direction, for example, the oxygen or nutrient concentration is increasing, and this information then triggers a movement into the desired direction. This is called chemotaxis."

The behaviour of other, multicellular organisms can be explained by the interconnection of nerve cells. But a single-celled organism has no nerve cells - in this case, only extremely simple processing steps are possible within the cell. Until now, it was not clear how such a low degree of complexity could be sufficient to connect simple sensory impressions - for example from chemical sensors - with targeted motor activity.

"To be able to explain this, you need a realistic, physical model for the movement of these unicellular organisms," says Andreas Zöttl. "We have chosen the simplest possible model that physically allows independent movement in a fluid in the first place. Our single-celled organism consists of three masses connected by simplified muscles. The question now arises: can these muscles be coordinated in such a way that the entire organism moves in the desired direction? And above all: can this process be realised in a simple way, or does it require complicated control?"

A small network of signals and commands

"Even if the unicellular organism does not have a network of nerve cells - the logical steps that link its 'sensory impressions' with its movement can be described mathematically in a similar way to a neuronal network," says Benedikt Hartl, who used his expertise in artificial intelligence to implement the model on the computer. In the single-celled organism, too, there are logical connections between different elements of the cell. Chemical signals are triggered and ultimately lead to a certain movement of the organism.

"These elements and the way they influence each other were simulated on the computer and adjusted with a genetic algorithm: Generation after generation, the movement strategy of the virtual unicellular organisms was changed slightly," reports Maximilian Hübl, who did many of the calculations on this topic as part of his Master's thesis. Those unicellular organisms that succeeded best in directing their movement to where the desired chemicals were located were allowed to "reproduce", while the less successful variants "died out". In this way, after many generations, a control network emerged - very similar to biological evolution - that allows a virtual unicellular organism to convert chemical perceptions into targeted movement in an extremely simple way and with very basic circuits.

Random wobbling movement - but with a concrete goal

"You shouldn't think of it as a highly developed animal that consciously perceives something and then runs towards it," says Andreas Zöttl. "It's more like a random wobbling movement. But one that ultimately leads in the right direction on average. And that's exactly what you observe with single-celled organisms in nature."

The computer simulations and algorithmic concepts recently published in the renowned journal PNAS prove that a minimal degree of complexity of the control network is indeed sufficient to implement relatively complex-looking movement patterns. If the physical conditions are correctly taken into account, then a remarkably simple internal machinery is sufficient to reproduce in the model exactly those movements that are known from nature.

Bamboo cricket bats are stronger, offer a better 'sweet spot' and deliver more energy to the ball than those made from traditional willow, tests conducted by the University of Cambridge show. Bamboo could, the study argues, help cricket to expand faster in poorer parts of the world and make the sport more environmentally friendly.

"The sound of leather on willow" may have delighted cricket lovers for generations but the sport should now consider making the blades of its bats with bamboo, say researchers from Cambridge's Centre for Natural Material Innovation.

Dr Darshil Shah and Ben Tinkler-Davies compared the performance of specially made prototype laminated bamboo cricket bats, the first of their kind, with that of typical willow bats. Their investigations included microscopic analysis, video capture technology, computer modelling, compression testing, measuring how knocking-in improved surface hardness, and testing for vibrations.

The study, published today in The Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, shows that bamboo is significantly stronger - with a strain at failure more than three times greater - than willow and able to hold much higher loads, meaning that bats made with bamboo could be thinner while remaining as strong as willow. This would help batsmen as lighter blades can be swung faster to transfer more energy to the ball. The researchers also found that bamboo is 22% stiffer than willow which also increases the speed at which the ball leaves the bat.

During manufacture, the surface of cricket bats is compressed to create a hardened layer. When the team compared the effect of this 'knock-in' process on both materials, they found that after 5 hours bamboo's surface hardness had increased to twice that of pressed willow.

Perhaps most excitingly, they found that the sweet-spot on their prototype bamboo blade performed 19% better than that on a traditional willow bat. This sweet-spot was about 20 mm wide and 40 mm long, significantly larger than on a typical willow bat, and better still, was positioned closer to the toe (12.5 cm from the toe at its sweetest point).

Co-author, Dr Darshil Shah, a former member of Thailand's under-19 national cricket team, said: "This is a batsman's dream. The sweet-spot on a bamboo bat makes it much easier to hit a four off a Yorker for starters, but it's exciting for all kinds of strokes. We'd just need to adjust our technique to make the most of it, and the bat's design requires a little optimisation too."

The pair also tested for comfort and found that bamboo had a similar 'damping ratio' to willow meaning that a similar amount of force is transferred to a player's hands when they strike the ball. In other words, players using bamboo bats wouldn't feel any more vibration than if they tried out a willow bat.

The study points out that there is a shortage of good-quality willow, which takes up to 15 years to mature - mostly in England - to the point where the wood can be used to make cricket bats. Even then, bat makers often have to throw away a large quantity (up to 30%) of the wood they source.

By contrast, Moso and Guadua, the two most suitable types of structural bamboo, grow abundantly in China, across Southeast Asia and South America. These bamboos mature twice as fast as willow and because the cell structure in the laminated material is more regular, less raw material is wasted during manufacture. The researchers believe that high performance, low-cost production and increased sustainability could make bamboo cricket bats a viable and ethical alternative to willow.

Co-author Ben Tinkler-Davies said: "Cricket brings you really close to nature, you spend hours out in the field, but I think the sport can do a lot more for the environment by promoting sustainability. We've identified a golden opportunity to achieve that while also helping lower income countries to produce bats at lower cost."

In the nineteenth century, cricket bat makers experimented with various types of wood but from the 1890s, they settled on the sapwood of Salix Alba, a light coloured willow, for the blade as it offered high stiffness, low density and visual appeal. The use of cane in cricket has been limited to bat handles and pads.

Working with local a cricket bat manufacturer Garrard & Flack, the researchers made a full-size bamboo bat prototype. They first had to split the bamboo culms into lengths (about 2.5 metres long), plane them flat and then stack, glue and laminate them into solid planks ready to be cut into different sizes. While this sounds laborious, using laminated bamboo avoids the rolling processes needed to harden willow. The cell structure of bamboo naturally has a higher density than willow.

The materials used to make cricket bats are regulated by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the sport's governing body, and Law 5.3.2 states that "The blade shall consist solely of wood".

Shah said: "Bamboo is a grass not a wood so there would need to be discussions with the MCC but we think playing with a bamboo bat would be within the spirit of the game because it's a plant-based material and cane, a type of grass, is already used in the handle."

But what about that iconic sound of leather on willow? "We tested that too", Tinkler-Davies said. "The frequency when willow strikes the ball is very similar - whether you're playing or spectating, you wouldn't notice much of a difference."

To those left feeling "It's just not cricket", Dr Shah said: "Tradition is really important but think about how much cricket bats, pads, gloves and helmets have already evolved. The width and thickness of bats have changed dramatically over the decades. So if we can go back to having thinner blades but made from bamboo, while improving performance, outreach and sustainability, then why not?"

The researchers now hope to enter into discussions with the MCC and leading bat manufacturers.

Tinkler-Davies said: "Our first prototype bat is 40% heavier than most full-size willow cricket bats so we now need to work out the optimum design to reduce that. Because laminated bamboo is so strong, we're very confident we can make a bamboo bat light enough, even for today's fast-scoring, short forms of the game."

A group of UK academics are calling for targets for mental health in order to meet the healthcare challenges of the next decade.

Published today in Journal of Mental Health researchers set out four overarching goals that will speed up implementation of mental health research and give a clear direction for researchers and funders to focus their efforts when it comes to better understanding the treatment of mental health.

The treatment of mental illness currently brings substantial costs to not only the NHS, but also to the individual and wider society, and the need for innovation to promote good mental health has never been greater. In an effort to catalyse this innovation, the researchers have set out four ambitious targets:

1. Halve the number of children and young people experiencing persistent mental health problems

2. Improve our understanding of the links between physical and mental health, and eliminate the mortality gap

3. Increase the number of new and improved treatments, interventions and supports for mental health problems

4. Improve the availability of choices and access to mental health care, treatment and support in hospital and community settings

The number of goals was limited to four in an effort to easily promote cross-sector partnerships, and to track their impacts.

Professor Dame Til Wykes, Corresponding author from King's College London's Institute for Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) said "While there is a wealth of research taking place to better understand the treatment of mental illness, we must have a clear idea in our heads where we are heading. Without clear targets and goals for mental health we will be amassing information without any clear trajectory, or worse, no clear understanding of achievements or the expected timescale.

"The four goals that we have set out are in response to this problem, providing a roadmap forwards for all researchers, funders, and policymakers. We have undoubtedly set ourselves a high bar, but they have been designed to give us all a clear sense of purpose."

The research comes at a particularly pertinent time. At least 1 in 6 adults in the UK are likely to experience mental health difficulties in any given week, and the British Medical Association has recently warned that the mental health consequences of covid will be "considerable".
The research has been welcomed by several sector voices, including funders, researchers, and NHS Trusts.

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer and co-lead of the National Institute for Health Research, said: "Few could disagree that mental health research is crucial in driving innovation in current mental health care and in bringing hope for the future. Working with clinicians, academics, major mental health research funders, mental health research charities and representatives from service users groups, as well as representatives from Public Health England and NHS England has been key to identifying those areas of most concern and transforming them into four distinct research goals which the mental health community can sign up to."

Professor Elaine Fox of the University of Oxford said that "National high-level goals that focus our research efforts are an important part of ensuring that good will and good intentions are translated into genuine innovations and impact."

Professor Peter Jones of the University of Cambridge said, "It's been a pleasure supporting the development of these important mental health research goals. Involving a wide range of stakeholders, they provide us all with focus, direction and challenge. The goals will galvanise mental health science while holding it to account."

Lea Milligan, CEO of MQ Mental Health Research said "MQ's vision is to create a world where mental illnesses are understood, effectively treated and one day preventable. The research goals that came from an extensive consultation are an opportunity for us bring the mental health research community together in a united and impactful way like never before."

Dr Nev Jones of One Mind, as US-based non-profit organisation, said "the paper sets the stage for organizations to "all pull in the same direction". Collaboration has been a cornerstone of One Mind's strategy to accelerate research, and this framework will be helpful moving forward."

Professor Dame Til Wykes said, "The pandemic has and will produce a double whammy - the effects of lockdown and the effects of economic slowdown that exacerbate existing socio-economic inequalities.

"With so many people facing an increased risk, it's vital that we act now to proactively meet the challenges of the next 10 to 20 years head on."

"The spread of COVID-19 has demonstrated that widespread changes can be implemented rapidly when everyone is working to the same goal. If we can emulate our response to the pandemic in the care of mental illness, we would see positive impacts very quickly."

The four goals were produced following a consultation process that was organised by the Department of Health and Social Care and convened by the Chief Medical Officer. The views of service users and service user organisations supported this activity, as well as research support from the National Institute for Health Research's Clinical Research Network.

A new micro-light-emitting diode (micro-LED) developed at KAUST can efficiently emit pure red light and may help in the quest to develop full-color displays based on just a single semiconductor.

Micro-LEDs are a promising technology for the next generation of displays. They have the advantage of being energy efficient and very small. But each LED can only emit light over a narrow range of colors. A clever solution is to create devices that combine many different LEDs, each emitting a different color. Full-color micro-displays can be created by combining red, green and blue (RGB) micro-LEDs. Now, a KAUST team of Zhe Zhuang, Daisuke Iida and Kazuhiro Ohkawa have worked to develop a more efficient red LED.

The emission color of an LED is determined by the material properties of the semiconductor. For example, nitride semiconductors can be used to make blue and green micro-LEDs, whereas phosphide semiconductors are used for red light. But combining different semiconductors in this way makes construction of RGB micro-LEDs more difficult and expensive. Besides, the efficiency of phosphide micro-LEDs reduces significantly with shrinking chip size.

Red-light emitting indium gallium nitride can be created by increasing the materials' indium content. But this tends to lower the efficiency of the resulting LED because there is a mismatch between the separation of atoms in the GaN and InGaN, which causes atomic-level imperfections. Moreover, damage to the sidewalls of an InGaN micro-LED induced during the fabrication process makes the new device less efficient. "But we have a chemical treatment to remove the damage and retain the high crystal quality of the InGaN and GaN sidewall interface," explains Zhuang.

Zhang's team created and characterized a series of square devices with a side-length of 98 or 47 micrometers. Their 47-micrometer-long devices emitting light at a peak wavelength of 626 nanometers were shown to have an external quantum efficiency -- the number of photons emitted from the LED per electron injected into the device -- of up to around 0.87 percent. Also, the color purity of the red micro-LED is optimum because it is very close to the primary red color defined by the industrial standard known as Rec. 2020.

"The next step is to increase the efficiency of the red micro-LED with even smaller chip sizes, maybe below 20 micrometers," says Zhuang. "Then we hope to integrate RGB nitride-based LEDs for full-color displays."

Induced bank filtration is a key and well-established approach to provide drinking water supply to populated areas located along rivers or lakes and with limited access to groundwater resources. It is employed in several countries worldwide, with notable examples in Europe, the United States, and parts of Africa. Contamination of surface waters poses a serious threat to attaining drinking water standards. In this context, human pathogenic microorganisms such as some viruses and bacteria, originating from the discharge of wastewater treatment plants, form a major contaminant group. A detailed study at an induced bank filtration site along the Rhine river in Germany has now linked transport of bacteria to seasonal dynamics. Key results of the study show that floods should be considered as particular threats, because they can reduce the purification capacity of bank filtration, thus leading to an increase in the concentrations of bacteria in groundwater. Changes in properties of the riverbed sediments over the course of a year can markedly influence the purification capacity of bank filtration and these dynamics may need to be considered in risk assessment practices.

Toolbox for Waterworks Operators

A project led by Prof. Dr Irina Engelhardt, who teaches hydrogeology at the TU Berlin, aims to enhance our understanding of bank filtration processes and to improve predictive capabilities of models describing transport of microorganisms in bank filtration. Model-based tools are developed to enable waterworks operators to assess more accurately the purification potential of their bank filtration plants with regard to microorganisms. Partners collaborating to the research include Prof. Dr. Alberto Guadagnini and Prof. Dr. Monica Riva from the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale of the Politecnico di Milano.

First results of the cooperation were recently published in the article "Uncertainty analysis and identification of key parameters controlling bacteria transport within a riverbank filtration scenario" in the international journal Water Resources Research.

Uses in Germany and in Italy

More than 100 bank filtration plants are spread across Europe, mostly located in Northern and Central European countries (particularly in Germany, The Netherlands, France, and Finland). In Germany, drinking water production by induced bank filtration is regionally significant. For example, about half of the drinking water in Berlin is obtained by this method. In contrast, induced bank filtration is not widespread in Mediterranean countries. In Italy, an example can be found in Lucca (Tuscany) along the Serchio river. But pressure on water resources in the Mediterranean is increasing due to climate change. Induced bank filtration, as a resource efficient drinking water production method, could become a tool to combat increasing water scarcity in the region.

Uncertainty in numerical model predictions

For drinking water production by induced bank filtration, groundwater extraction wells are placed near rivers or lakes. These wells mainly yield so-called bank filtrate, corresponding to water that flows from the surface water body to the well which is naturally purified by the underground migration. Human pathogens are affected by a complex system of processes during their migration through the aquifer and their concentrations tend to decrease in time because these are partially retained on the sediment grains and can also naturally lose their infectivity. A critical operational question for waterworks operators is: how strong is the purification effect of bank filtration, or, in other words, how much can nature reduce the concentration of microorganisms? The research has highlighted the role of the main factors influencing these effects. These include, for example, groundwater flow velocity, temperature, and the mineralogical composition of the subsurface. Furthermore, it is shown that the transport behavior depends on the microorganism species considered. As a result, predictions about migration of microorganisms in groundwater are subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The research offers a powerful and flexible tool to quantify and possibly control such uncertainty to increase confidence in the purification effect of bank filtration.

The research project is funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Federal Environmental Foundation). The University of Vienna as well as the Stadtwerke Düsseldorf and the company VisDat from Dresden are involved in the research together with the TU Berlin and the Politecnico di Milano.

Boston, Mass. – Sleep disorders are associated with significantly higher rates of health care utilization, conservatively placing an additional $94.9 billion in costs each year to the United States health care system, according to a new study from researchers at Mass Eye and Ear, a member hospital of Mass General Brigham.

In their new analysis, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the researchers found the number of medical visits and prescriptions filled were nearly doubled in people with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia, compared to similar people without. Affected patients were also more likely to visit the emergency department and have more comorbid medical conditions.

Costly medical care for sleep disorder patients

The researchers sought out to determine the true diagnostic prevalence of sleep disorders and how expensive these conditions were to the health care system. They examined differences in health expenditures in similar patients with and without a sleep disorder diagnosis, as determined by their ICD-10 diagnosis code. The study included data from a nationally-representative survey of more than 22,000 Americans called the 2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

They found 5.6 percent of respondents had at least one sleep disorder, which translated to an estimated 13.6 million U.S. adults. This likely represents a significant underestimate, according to the authors, as insomnia alone is felt to conservatively affect 10 to 20 percent of the population. These individuals accumulated approximately $7,000 more in overall health care expenses per year compared to those without a sleep disorder – about 60 percent more in annual costs. This equates to a conservative estimate of $94.9 billion in health care costs per year attributable to sleep disorders.

The analysis revealed that patients with sleep disorders attended more than 16 office visits and nearly 40 medication prescriptions per year, compared to nearly 9 visits and 22 prescriptions for those without a sleep disorder. The study did not quantify non-health care related costs, but the authors noted it can be assumed that more doctors’ appointments means more time off from work, school or other social obligations, not to mention decreased productivity associated with symptoms, only exacerbating costs to society.

Sleep disorders raise risk for other conditions

Sleep disorders can take a toll on health and quality of life in numerous ways. Individuals with certain sleep disorders experience decrease daytime functionality related to sleepiness, mental fog and an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, for instance. Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders and if untreated, can increase risk for neurocognitive issues, such as difficulty concentrating and mood disorders, as well as cardiovascular conditions including heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms.

Getting a proper diagnosis at the sign of asleep problem can lead to an effective treatment for a sleep disorder.

“Fortunately, studies have demonstrated that treating certain sleep disorders effectively reduces health care utilization and costs. Therefore, sleep issues should not be ignored. Greater recognition of sleep disorders and an early referral to a sleep specialist are essential,” said Dr. Huyett. “Your sleep is important, and if there’s an issue with your sleep, seek help for it.”

About Mass Eye and Ear

Massachusetts Eye and Ear, founded in 1824, is an international center for treatment and research and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. A member of Mass General Brigham, Mass Eye and Ear specializes in ophthalmology (eye care) and otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ear, nose and throat care). Mass Eye and Ear clinicians provide care ranging from the routine to the very complex. Also home to the world's largest community of hearing and vision researchers, Mass Eye and Ear scientists are driven by a mission to discover the basic biology underlying conditions affecting the eyes, ears, nose, throat, head and neck and to develop new treatments and cures. In the 2020–2021 “Best Hospitals Survey,” U.S. News & World Report ranked Mass Eye and Ear #4 in the nation for eye care and #6 for ear, nose and throat care. For more information about life-changing care and research at Mass Eye and Ear, visit our blog, Focus, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 

Even the humble fruit fly craves a dose of the happy hormone, according to a new study from the University of Sussex which shows how they may use dopamine to learn in a similar manner to humans.

Informatics experts at the University of Sussex have developed a new computational model that demonstrates a long sought after link between insect and mammalian learning, as detailed in a new paper published today in Nature Communications.

Incorporating anatomical and functional data from recent experiments, Dr James Bennett and colleagues modelled how the anatomy and physiology of the fruit fly's brain can support learning according to the reward prediction error (RPE) hypothesis.

The computational model indicates how dopamine neurons in an area of a fruit fly's brain, known as the mushroom body, can produce similar signals to dopamine neurons in mammals, and how these dopamine signals can reliably instruct learning.

The academics believe that establishing whether flies also use prediction errors to learn could lead to more humane animal research allowing researchers to replace animals with more simple insect species for future studies into the mechanisms of learning.

By opening up new opportunities to study neural mechanisms of learning, the researchers hope the model could also be helpful in illuminating greater understanding of mental health issues such as depression or addiction which are underpinned by the RPE hypothesis.

Dr Bennett, research fellow in the University of Sussex's School of Engineering and Informatics, said: "Using our computational model, we were able to show that data from insect experiments did not necessarily conflict with predictions from the RPE hypothesis, as had been thought previously.

"Establishing a bridge between insect and mammal studies on learning may open up the possibility to exploit the powerful genetic tools available for performing experiments in insects, and the smaller scale of their brains, to make sense of brain function and disease in mammals, including humans."

Understanding of how mammals learn has come a long way thanks to the RPE hypothesis, which suggests that associative memories are learned in proportion to how inaccurate they are.

The hypothesis has had considerable success explaining experimental data about learning in mammals, and has been extensively applied to decision-making and mental health illnesses such as addiction and depression. But scientists have encountered difficulties when applying the hypothesis to learning in insects due to conflicting results from different experiments.

The University of Sussex research team created a computational model to show how the major features of mushroom body anatomy and physiology can implement learning according to the RPE hypothesis.

The model simulates a simplification of the mushroom body, including different neuron types and the connections between them, and how the activity of those neurons promote learning and influence the decisions a fly makes when certain choices are rewarded.

To further understanding of learning in fly brains, the research team used their model to make five novel predictions about the influence different neurons in the mushroom body have on learning and decision-making, in the hope that they promote future experimental work.

Dr Bennett said: "While other models of the mushroom body have been created, to the best of our knowledge no other model until now has included connections between dopamine neurons and another set of neurons that predict and drive behaviour towards rewards. For example, when the reward is the sugar content of food, these connections would allow the predicted sugar availability to be compared with the actual sugar ingested, allowing more accurate predictions and appropriate sugar-seeking behaviours to be learned.

"The model can explain a large array of behaviours exhibited by fruit flies when the activity of particular neurons in their brains are either silenced or activated artificially in experiments. We also propose connections between dopamine neurons and other neurons in the mushroom body, which have not yet been reported in experiments, but would help to explain even more experimental data."

Thomas Nowotny, Professor of Informatics at the University of Sussex, said: "The model brings together learning theory and experimental knowledge in a way that allows us to think systematically how fly brains actually work. The results show how learning in simple flies might be more similar to how we learn than previously thought."

LUGANO, 6 May, 2021- The dermatological impact of COVID-19 is a burning topic at EADV's 2021 Spring Symposium. New research presented today highlights the effect that stringent hand hygiene during the pandemic has had on hand skin health.1

Researchers at Father Muller Medical College, India, analysed transepidermal water loss (TEWL - an essential parameter for measuring skin barrier function) from 582 people (291 healthcare professionals (HCPs) and 291 healthy individuals from the general population). Results indicated that hand dermatitis was now present among 92.6% of HCPs and 68.7% of the general population, despite only ~3% of HCPs and 2.4% of the general public in the study having reported a prior history of hand dermatitis (obtained through medical history and self-reported history). Higher mean TEWL (dryer skin) was also noted in females (65.4 g/m2h) and intensive care professionals (58.2 g/m2h), which was associated with high frequency of hand washing and use of alcohol-based hand rubs.

Both the HCPs and participants from the general public in this study stated that skin irritation and dryness was the main barrier to the consistent practice of hand hygiene (as reported by 72.1% of HCPs, and 50.8% of healthy volunteers).

Dr Monisha Madhumita, Father Muller Medical College, India explains: "This research truly demonstrates the impact of increased hand washing and uptake of alcohol-based rubs on the hand skin health of HCPs and the general public. Moreover, we now know that using TEWL to measure skin barrier function can help us compare the efficacy of various barrier protective measures, and discover suitable modifications of hand hygiene practices and products to help prevent hand eczema. Finding suitable modifications to practices and products that may increase the accessibility of proper hand hygiene is something of vital importance to many in our community."

Marie-Aleth Richard, EADV Board Member and Professor at the University Hospital of La Timone, Marseille, adds: "This research shows there is now a skin-disease epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic. It is promising to see this problem being recognised, and I am excited to see how the dermatology community goes about finding potential solutions to this issue."

To observe the swift neuronal signals in a fish brain, scientists have started to use a technique called light-field microscopy, which makes it possible to image such fast biological processes in 3D. But the images are often lacking in quality, and it takes hours or days for massive amounts of data to be converted into 3D volumes and movies.

Now, EMBL scientists have combined artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms with two cutting-edge microscopy techniques - an advance that shortens the time for image processing from days to mere seconds, while ensuring that the resulting images are crisp and accurate. The findings are published in Nature Methods.

"Ultimately, we were able to take 'the best of both worlds' in this approach," says Nils Wagner, one of the paper's two lead authors and now a PhD student at the Technical University of Munich. "AI enabled us to combine different microscopy techniques, so that we could image as fast as light-field microscopy allows and get close to the image resolution of light-sheet microscopy."

Although light-sheet microscopy and light-field microscopy sound similar, these techniques have different advantages and challenges. Light-field microscopy captures large 3D images that allow researchers to track and measure remarkably fine movements, such as a fish larva's beating heart, at very high speeds. But this technique produces massive amounts of data, which can take days to process, and the final images usually lack resolution.

Light-sheet microscopy homes in on a single 2D plane of a given sample at one time, so researchers can image samples at higher resolution. Compared with light-field microscopy, light-sheet microscopy produces images that are quicker to process, but the data are not as comprehensive, since they only capture information from a single 2D plane at a time.

To take advantage of the benefits of each technique, EMBL researchers developed an approach that uses light-field microscopy to image large 3D samples and light-sheet microscopy to train the AI algorithms, which then create an accurate 3D picture of the sample.

"If you build algorithms that produce an image, you need to check that these algorithms are constructing the right image," explains Anna Kreshuk, the EMBL group leader whose team brought machine learning expertise to the project. In the new study, the researchers used light-sheet microscopy to make sure the AI algorithms were working, Anna says. "This makes our research stand out from what has been done in the past."

Robert Prevedel, the EMBL group leader whose group contributed the novel hybrid microscopy platform, notes that the real bottleneck in building better microscopes often isn't optics technology, but computation. That's why, back in 2018, he and Anna decided to join forces. "Our method will be really key for people who want to study how brains compute. Our method can image an entire brain of a fish larva, in real time," Robert says.

He and Anna say this approach could potentially be modified to work with different types of microscopes too, eventually allowing biologists to look at dozens of different specimens and see much more, much faster. For example, it could help to find genes that are involved in heart development, or could measure the activity of thousands of neurons at the same time.

Next, the researchers plan to explore whether the method can be applied to larger species, including mammals.

INDIANAPOLIS - As electronic medical records (EMRs) are increasingly used across the United States, the next generation of physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists and other clinicians need to acquire new knowledge and competencies related to use of EMRs early in their clinical education. But training is not routinely provided.

A new study presents the functions and application of the novel, scalable Regenstrief teaching electronic medical record (tEMR) platform which contains a unique, large, anonymized patient database enabling health professions students to learn how to use health information technology (HIT) to best manage the complex issues presented by real-world patients.

"HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996] has restricted access to EMRs so, ironically, the more EMRs are used, the less access students have to patient data, but the more they need to know," said Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Debra Litzelman, M.D., M.A., corresponding author of the new study and a professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. "Regenstrief tEMR offers detailed, anonymized data on complex patients as well as unique real-world functionality including patient sharing among care team members."

"Medical, nursing, social work and other clinical trainees who have early exposure to EMRs will think differently about patient care and about future EMR development because of that early exposure. It creates a different mindset."

Regenstrief tEMR offers a realistic virtual patient care experience, which the study noted was especially helpful during the early months of the COVID pandemic when students' access to patients in health care settings was limited. The tEMR platform also enables and encourages interprofessional collaboration between learners pursuing different careers at diverse locations working at the same or different times.

Professional schools often have simulation centers teaching various skills such as CPR, intubation or robotic surgery procedures which trainees need to learn before they are on the job. Similarly, Regenstrief tEMR provides real-life simulation which prepares individuals for the real-world health IT environments they will enter.

The Regenstrief tEMR was created by the Regenstrief Institute along with IU School of Medicine, Eskenazi Health and the American Medical Association (AMA). Since 2013, the Regenstrief tEMR has been used at 12 health profession educational institutions. More than 11,800 students have accessed the system.

"Regenstrief teaching electronic medical record (tEMR) platform: a novel tool for teaching and evaluating applied health information technology" is published in JAMIA Open. Co-authors in addition to Dr. Litzelman are Blaine Y. Takesue, M.D., of IU School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute; William M. Tierney, M.D., of IU Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI and IU School of Medicine; Peter J. Embí, M.D., and Burke W. Mamlin, M.D., of Regenstrief Institute and IU School of Medicine and Jeff Warvel of Regenstrief Institute.

"With the exponential growth of health-related data and the impact of health information technology (HIT) on work-life balance, it is critical for students to get early EHR skills practice and understand how EHRs work. The ultimate tEMR project aim is to create tools through which our students -- future educators, administrators, practice leaders, and front-line physicians -- can develop enough HIT savvy to influence how HIT should be used in health care rather than HIT dictating how health care is delivered," the study authors concluded.

Tsukuba, Japan - Scientists from the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences at the University of Tsukuba used aerodynamics experiments to empirically test the flight properties of a new four-panel soccer ball adopted by the English Premier League this year. Based on projectile and wind-tunnel data, they computed the drag and side forces and found that the new ball was marginally more stable than previous versions but may not fly as far. This work may help improve the design of future sports equipment.

Sports players know that millions of dollars in salary and potential endorsement deals can be at stake during each match. Soccer players often complain about the aerodynamic properties of the ball because a random flutter in flight can turn a harmless shot into a goal. Old-school soccer balls have 32 panels, with a mix of hexagons and pentagons. More recently, top soccer leagues have experimented with 6-panel versions with strips similar to a volleyball. For the new season, the English Premier League has introduced the Flight 2020 Soccer Ball by Nike, which is advertised as having molded grooves that provide consistent flight.

Now, researchers at Tsukuba University have tested these claims with wind tunnel experiments. They measured the drag coefficient for the ball, along with two previous models, as a function of the Reynolds number. The Reynolds number, an important parameter in fluid dynamics, controls the transition from smooth to turbulent flow. According to author Professor Takeshi Asai, "at low Reynolds numbers, smooth flow occurs, because viscosity can damp out turbulence. At high Reynolds numbers, chaotic air vortices can lead to unstable and unpredictable flight patterns."

The team found increased drag at high Reynolds numbers for the new ball. This led to reduced flight range but may have also reduced lateral forces that can destabilize the trajectory. This was especially true in the "asymmetric" orientation of the ball, when one of the grooves was facing forward. "The smaller fluctuations in the side and lift forces of the Flight 2020 indicates that it is less likely to experience irregular changes in trajectory, thereby possibly leading to greater stability during flight," says Professor Asai.

The team partially attributed this tradeoff in stability at the expense of range to increased surface roughness. This finding may be useful for designing other sports equipment to increase the importance of skill and reduce the impact of luck.

Despite their extremely small size, submicron atmospheric aerosols are critical pollutants with climate change, air quality, and human health implications. Of these particles, secondary organic aerosols (SOA) form when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) oxidize to lower volatility products that bond with and increase aerosol particle size, or in some cases, they may simply exist by themselves. SOA constitutes a significant fraction of the global aerosol mass. Scientists are attempting to improve future aerosol modeling, but several discrepancies still exist between model-simulated and field-observed SOA budgets.

''Large uncertainties in model assessments of SOA budgets and correspondingly, its climate effects, motivated extensive research to find out why these exist.'' said Prof. Lin Du from the Environmental Research Institute, Shandong University. ''Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) produced by terrestrial vegetation are globally major SOA precursors, and their SOA formation potential can be modified by anthropogenic emissions."

Prof. Du's research group systematically summarized the field evidence and chemical processes behind SOA formation through anthropogenic-biogenic interactions. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences published their review work titled ''Anthropogenic Effects on Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation.''

The predominant anthropogenic pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), aerosol particles, sulfur dioxide (SO2), ammonia (NH3), and other amines mediate SOA formation through both gas- and particle-phase reactions. The extent of these interactions is highly related to the BVOC precursors, pollutant levels, oxidants, and other atmospheric conditions.

''The nonlinear interactions between human and natural systems are far more complex than their current representation in atmospheric models.'' said Prof. Du. "Meanwhile, the complexity and variability of the atmospheric environment itself makes the exploration of these interactions more challenging.''

Researchers have observed strong correlations between biogenic SOA formation and anthropogenic pollutants in many regions influenced by both anthropogenic and biogenic sources. Though BVOCs emitted from natural sources cannot be controlled directly, humans can mitigate a fraction of biogenic SOA by limiting anthropogenic pollutants. Shedding light on anthropogenic-biogenic interactions is necessary to improve estimates of how and to what extent anthropogenic emissions could modify global aerosol concentrations. These studies should help shape more effective pollution control measures as well as reduce uncertainties in the SOA budget and its associated climate effects.

''Based on comprehensive review of fundamental insights, future efforts, such as laboratory studies under more relevant atmospheric conditions, development of more authentic standards, field observations of the temporal and spatial distribution of both BVOCs, and anthropogenic pollutants, are recommended.'' said Prof. Du. "With increasing studies on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of anthropogenic-biogenic interactions through laboratory explorations and field observations, better reproduction of SOA concentrations by atmospheric models would be expected.''

(Toronto, Friday, May 7, 2021) -- Probing the unique biology of human pancreatic cancer cells in a laboratory has yielded unexpected insights of a weakness that can be used against the cells to kill them.

Led by Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM) Scientist Dr. Marianne Koritzinsky, researchers showed that about half of patient-derived pancreatic cancer cell lines are highly dependent or "addicted" to the protein peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4), as a result of the altered metabolic state of the cancer cell.

This addiction is vital for the cancer cell's survival, thereby also making it a precise, potential target against the cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with an overall five-year survival of only eight per cent. Moreover, 36% to 46% of patients who undergo surgery with curative intent develop a recurrence of pancreatic cancer, despite adjuvant chemotherapy.

Research results are published on May 7, 2021 in Science Advances, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

It's been known for decades that cancer cells acquire key changes in their metabolism to support their continuous need for building blocks from nutrients to divide and grow faster, explains Dr. Koritzinsky, who is the senior author of the study, and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Radiation Oncology, Medical Biophysics and the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto.

This latest research reveals that the same metabolic deregulation that fuels cell growth, can create novel vulnerabilities in cancer.

It was previously known that pancreatic cancer cells increased levels of a key metabolite known as NADPH which acts to fuel uncontrolled levels of cell growth. Dr. Koritzinsky discovered that high levels of NADPH in the pancreatic cancer cells created a novel form of oxidative stress and a corresponding requirement for PRDX4 to survive.

Essentially, cancer cells need PRDX4, an antioxidant protein, to destroy the toxic byproducts resulting from the uncontrolled metabolism.

Dr. Koritzinsky showed that targeting PRDX4 in patient-derived cancer cells lines led to toxic accumulation of oxidative stress, resulting in DNA damage, and cell death, and impaired tumour growth in preclinical models. Equally important, loss of PRDX4 had no measurable effect on normal cells.

Taken together, this body of work reveals the potential of targeted therapies to exploit unique metabolic features of cancer cells that are far more specific than, for example, chemotherapy which affects both cancer and normal cells.

"It's not hard to kill cancer cells," says Dr. Koritzinsky, "It's hard to kill cancer cells without harming the cancer patient."

She goes on to explain that targeting a specific protein that is needed by a cancer cell, but not a normal one, opens up a wider therapeutic window, with potentially less toxicity to normal tissue.

For this research, Dr. Koritzinsky teamed up with Dr. Jason Moffat, Professor, Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto and PM Senior Scientist/Staff Physician Dr. David Hedley to mine large functional genomics data sets and validate findings in patient-derived tumour cells, including recent samples from Princess Margaret patients.

Through this data set mining, they were able to assess about 20,000 different proteins for a comprehensive picture of which ones are important in helping cancer cells survive. PRDX4 turned out to be key.

Based on these discoveries, Dr. Koritzinsky would like to develop new drugs against PRDX4 that could be tested in preclinical models, and eventually translated to the clinic.

She adds that there may be other ways to take advantage of these new biological insights, including combining this targeted approach with other DNA damaging treatments such as radiotherapy, and establishing biomarkers that can identify the patients who will benefit from PRDX4 targeting.

The applied nitrogen in crop production is easily lost through ammonia emission and nitrogen leaching. Therefore, many attempts have been made on the development of novel slow-release fertilizers to reduce nitrogen loss and improve crop production.

A research team led by Prof. WU Yuejin from the Institute of Intelligent Machines of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science developed a novel matrix-based slow-release urea (MSU) recently to improve nitrogen use efficiency in rice production, and they assessed the performances of it.

"MSU is a promising fertilizer for rice production," said WU, "as less nitrogen loss and greater soil nitrogen availability can improve rice growth traits and physiological parameters in MSU."

In this research, the researchers combined the organic and inorganic matrix-materials to improve the performance of MSU. These matrix-materials showed high adsorption and flocculation capacity, leading to the good slow-release performance of the MSU. Additionally, the matrix-materials contained available iron and sulfur, which promoted the nutritional balance of rice.

Consequently, application of the MSU increased agronomic nitrogen efficiency by 58%-64% and rice yield by 18%-21%.

"We have trust on a broad prospect for environment-friendly and efficient rice production of MSU," said YANG Yang, a researcher in the team.

Physicists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have for the first time been able to prove a long-predicted but as yet unconfirmed fundamental effect. In Faraday chiral anisotropy, the propagation characteristics of light waves are changed simultaneously by the natural and magnetic-field induced material properties of the medium through which the light travels. The researchers obtained proof that this is the case by conducting experiments using nickel helices at the nanometre scale. Their findings have now been published in the academic journal 'Physical Review Letters'.

Light is transmitted as sine waves consisting of crossed electric and magnetic fields and interacts with matter. This interaction can be influenced, in particular, by external magnetic fields. One of the most well-known examples of this magneto-optical activity is the Faraday effect: if light is directed through a magnetic medium, such as a crystal, the polarisation plane of the light waves tilts at a certain angle. This phenomenon is caused purely due to the magnetic field and becomes more pronounced if the light passes through the medium again in the opposite direction. The rotation effect can only be neutralised if the direction of the magnetic field is changed as well.

The opposite effect is seen in the natural optical activity of chiral mediums without a magnetic field, in which the rotation of the polarisation plane is cancelled out when the light passes through the medium once more in the opposite direction. Chiral means that molecules or figures have a mirror image which cannot be superimposed onto it simply by rotation. Examples are a human's left and right hands or snail shells with spirals running in opposite directions. Sugar molecules are also chiral. The way they interact with light can be used, for example, to determine the concentration of sugar in grapes.

Following in the footsteps of Louis Pasteur

Scientists have been aware of both phenomena - natural and magnetic optical activity - for more than one hundred and fifty years, and for almost the same time, scientists have been sure that a combination of the two must exist. 'Even Louis Pasteur, the famous French scientist, tried to prove a correlation using various different experiments,' explains Vojislav Krsti?, Professor of Applied Physics at FAU. 'Of course, Pasteur didn't have the sensitive instruments for measuring frequency which we have today. But even using this technology, proof has still remained elusive, largely due to the fact that no-one has designed a suitable experiment set-up.'

An international collaboration led by Vojislav Krsti? has now succeeded where Pasteur and many other researchers have failed. They have become the first to confirm 'Faraday chiral anisotropy' in an experiment, providing one of the last missing pieces in fundamental magneto-optical theory. Their success was due to a unique experiment set-up based on nickel helices. The researchers produced spirals spiralling in a clockwise and and in an anticlockwise direction, similar in form to Italian fusilli pasta, at the nanometre scale by vaporizing nickel and bringing atoms back together on a revolving disk. 'The rotation of the disk means that the nanostructures take on a screw shape instead of forming into pillars as is usually the case,' explains Krsti?.

A 'forest' of helices as a chiral medium

For the experiment itself, a 'forest' of magnetic nickel helices was set up on a layer of silver. In one part of the experiment, only anti-clockwise spirals were used, and in the second only clockwise ones. The helices acted as a chiral medium, and the layer of silver reflected the beam of light directed at it. 'The fact that we reflected the light instead of simply directing it through the medium was a deciding factor,' says Vojislav Krsti?.

The idea behind the experiment was that if the light passes through the helices both on the outward and the return journey, and if the direction of the magnetic field is changed with a great degree of precision, then in theory the two fundamental effects should cancel each other out, no matter whether the helices are clockwise or anti-clockwise. If both phenomena influence each other, however, then a net signal should be left over which behaves in the opposite fashion for clockwise and anti-clockwise helices. Krsti?: 'We did indeed measure a net signal just like this, thereby proving the correlation of the chiral and magnetic effect. It was one of those eureka moments every researcher dreams of.'

Astro research in the laboratory and impulses for quantum electronics

With their research, the researchers led by Vojislav Krsti? have not only succeeded in providing experimental proof of a magneto-optics theory which has long been predicted. Their approach also means that researchers will be able to research certain astrophysical phenomena on Earth. It is thought, for example, that Faraday chiral anisotropy takes place in magnetised gas clouds in which certain astroparticles modify the light spectrum radiated out by galactic and intergalactic media. The findings could also give new impulses for further study of quantum technologies for electronic switches, as the described optomagnetic process is also found analogously during electronic excitation in solid bodies.