Tech
The functions and physical properties of solid materials, such as magnetic order and unconventional superconductivity, are greatly influenced by the orbital state of the outermost electrons (valence electrons) of the constituent atoms. In other words, it could be said that the minimal unit that determines a solid material's physical properties consists of the orbitals occupied by the valence electrons.
A molecular switch is a molecule that can be reversibly shifted between two or more stable states in response to external stimuli, such as a change on pH, light or electric current. These molecules are of interest in the field of nanotechnology for application in molecular computers or responsive drug delivery systems. If in one of the two states (on/off) the molecule is fluorescent, the compounds are then called fluorescent molecular switches, and their applications are even more interesting in the field of life sciences, especially if they can operate in small spaces.
PHILADELPHIA -- Lung cancer continues to be the most deadly solid cancer in the world, despite the fact that survival rates have been improving over the past decade. However, African American patients have worse outcomes and shorter lifespans after being diagnosed with lung cancer. A new study examines more recent data, and shows that although Black patients are now more likely to receive the most effective treatment than a decade ago, the disparity persists.
UPDATE: After publication, data input errors were discovered in the 2020 Cost of Voting Index (COVI), affecting the state rankings. The corrected COVI values (and rankings) for each presidential election year from 1996 through 2020 can be found here – scroll down to download the file titled, “COVI Values 1996-2020old and new (xlsx).”
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects a significant proportion of the older population worldwide. It causes irreparable damage to the brain and severely impairs the quality of life in patients. Unfortunately, AD cannot be cured, but early detection can allow medication to manage symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
Berkeley -- Spintronic devices are attractive alternatives to conventional computer chips, providing digital information storage that is highly energy efficient and also relatively easy to manufacture on a large scale. However, these devices, which rely on magnetic memory, are still hindered by their relatively slow speeds, compared to conventional electronic chips.
Bots and conspiracy theorists have infested the Twitter chatter around the upcoming U.S. presidential election, USC researchers have found.
Looking at more than 240 million election-related tweets, the study found that thousands of automated accounts, known as bots, had posted tweets about President Donald Trump, his Democratic opponent former Vice President Joe Biden and both their campaigns.
Boulder, Colo., USA: Marine bivalves are an important component of our global fishery, with over 500 species harvested for food and other uses. Our understanding of their potential vulnerability to extinction lags behind evaluation of freshwater bivalves or marine vertebrates, and so Shan Huang and colleagues, in analyses presented at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, used insights and data from the fossil record to assess extinction risk in this economically and ecologically important group.
A liquid nanofoam liner undergoing testing could prolong the safe use of football helmets, says a Michigan State University researcher.
When a helmet withstands an impact severe enough to cause a concussion to the player wearing it, the safety features of the helmet are compromised, rendering equipment unsafe for further use, said MSU's Weiyi Lu, an MSU assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.
Graphene and other single-atom-thick substances are a category of wonder materials, with researchers the world over investigating their electronic properties for potential applications in technologies as diverse as solar cells, novel semiconductors, sensors, and energy storage.
The greatest challenge for the design of these single-layer or 2D materials into all their myriad potential uses is the need for an atom-by-atom perfection and uniformity that can be difficult and painstaking to achieve at such small scales, and difficult to assess as well.
Smartwatches offer people a private method for getting notifications about their surroundings -- such as a phone call, health alerts or an upcoming package delivery.
Now University of Washington researchers have developed SoundWatch, a smartwatch app for deaf, Deaf and hard-of-hearing people who want to be aware of nearby sounds. When the smartwatch picks up a sound the user is interested in -- examples include a siren, a microwave beeping or a bird chirping -- SoundWatch will identify it and send the user a friendly buzz along with information about the sound.
Nearly 75% of the world's coral reefs are under threat from global stressors such as climate change and local stressors such as overfishing and coastal development. Those working to understand and protect coral reefs are building the know-how to mitigate the damage but doing so requires first knowing where reefs are located.
Bottom Line: Prostate cancer tumors from African American men had higher frequencies of certain genetic alterations that may be associated with aggressive disease, compared with prostate cancer tumors from white men.
Journal in Which the Study was Published: Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
Author: Jianfeng Xu, DrPH, Vice President of Translational Research at NorthShore University HealthSystem and senior author of the study
Fuel cells that create energy using chemical reactions in soil-based organisms in successful field test in North-East Brazil
They can be used to produce energy to filter enough water for a person's daily needs, with potential to increase scale
"This project shows that SMFCs have true potential as a sustainable, low-energy energy source", says project lead Dr Mirella Di Lorenzo
Engineers at the University of Bath have shown that it's possible to capture and use energy created by the natural reactions occurring in microorganisms within soil.