Tech

In a study published online by JAMA Cardiology, Pierluigi Tricoci, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S., of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, N.C., and colleagues assessed the cumulative incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) during long-term follow-up after non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE ACS; a type of heart attack or unstable angina with certain findings on an electrocardiogram), and developed a risk model and risk score for SCD after NSTE ACS.

HANOVER, N.H. - Warmer, wetter conditions in the Arctic are accelerating the loss of carbon stored in tundra and permafrost soils, creating a potential positive feedback that further boosts global temperatures, a Dartmouth College study finds.

The findings appear in the journal Climate Change Responses.

The antimicrobial arsenal that we count on to save millions of lives each year is alarmingly thin--and these microbes are rapidly evolving resistance to our weapons. But help may be on the way: In a study posted in the AMB Express, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) show that automated techniques commonly used to screen new drugs for mammalian cell toxicity could also dramatically speed up the challenging task of antimicrobial discovery.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and MIT have combined an innovative microscopy technique with a methodology for building inexpensive mini-microscopes, allowing them to capture images at a resolution that, until now, has only been possible with benchtop microscopes that are orders of magnitude higher in cost. Details about the hybrid technique, known as Expansion Mini-Microscopy (ExMM), are published this week in Scientific Reports.

Amsterdam, March 16, 2016 - A new kind of fuel cell that can turn urine into electricity could revolutionize the way we produce bioenergy, particularly in developing countries. The research, published in Electrochimica Acta, describes a new design of microbial fuel cell that's smaller, cheaper and more powerful than traditional ones.

The world's supply of fossil fuels is being depleted, and there is increasing pressure to develop new renewable sources of energy. Bioenergy is one such source, and microbial fuel cells can produce it.

The saint's legend speaks of a king who died a dramatic death in battle outside the church in Uppsala, Sweden, where he had just celebrated mass. But what can modern science tell us about his remains? A joint research project headed by Uppsala University now reveals more of the health condition of Saint Erik, what he looked like, where he lived and what the circumstances of his death were.

A University of Queensland (UQ)-led study is among the first in the world to systematically assess the amount of carbon stored in tropical forests recovering after controversial land-clearing practices in the Philippines.

Mr Sharif Mukul of UQ's School of Agriculture and Food Sciences said the study addressed gaps in knowledge on carbon changes following a traditional agricultural practice known as shifting cultivation or "slash-and-burn agriculture".

Ceramic capacitors are used in a wide variety of electronics, ranging from computers and mobile phones to telecommunications transmitter stations and high voltage laser power supplies. Capacitors act, in a way, like batteries. They are "dielectric" - they act as an electronic insulator in which an electric field can be sustained with minimum loss of power. Their dielectric properties allow them to store electricity and then release it. One of the most widely used ceramics in capacitors is lead zirconate titanate, but it is hazardous to the health and the environment once it's disposed.

SAN DIEGO, March 16, 2016 -- A team of scientists is exploring an unusual source of electricity -- damaged tomatoes that are unsuitable for sale at the grocery store. Their pilot project involves a biological-based fuel cell that uses tomato waste left over from harvests in Florida.

The researchers present their work today at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS, the world's largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features more than 12,500 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass - Road vehicles are a key part of the climate change challenge, representing both an important source of petroleum demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. Changes to our transportation system--how much we travel, the vehicles we use, and the fuels that power them--offer the potential for substantial reductions in GHG emissions, and are necessary to mitigate climate change. Likewise, changes in policy, driving behavior, and the development of alternative fuels and energy sources are required to meet this challenge.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 15, 2016 - Measurement and data analysis techniques developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could provide new insight into performance-robbing flaws in crystalline structures, ultimately improving the performance of solar cells.

Regulation of commercial speech about pharmaceuticals should require informative content based on scientific evidence, not just formalistic truth.

Regulation of commercial speech about pharmaceuticals should be informed by the state of scientific evidence rather than mere formalistic truth, according to a Policy Forum article authored by Spencer Hey and Aaron Kesselheim from Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, in this week's PLOS Medicine.

"Most people know we are frying the planet," says MIT economist Daron Acemoglu, referring to the effects of climate change.

After all, 2015 was the hottest year on record, portending drastic long-term problems involving agriculture, rising sea levels, drought, and much more.

"What is probably less clear is how to resolve that," Acemoglu adds.

U.S. government nanotechnology researchers have demonstrated a new window to view what are now mostly clandestine operations occurring in soggy, inhospitable realms of the nanoworld--technologically and medically important processes that occur at boundaries between liquids and solids, such as in batteries or along cell membranes.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass - Road vehicles are a key part of the climate change challenge, representing both an important source of petroleum demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. Changes to our transportation system--how much we travel, the vehicles we use, and the fuels that power them--offer the potential for substantial reductions in GHG emissions, and are necessary to mitigate climate change. Likewise, changes in policy, driving behavior, and the development of alternative fuels and energy sources are required to meet this challenge.