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Scientists synthesize 3D graphene films with high-energy E-beam
Recently, Prof. WANG Zhenyang's research group from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has prepared macroscopic thick three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene films.
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Tiny tweaks to sparkle: Editing light-emitting organic molecules via surface modification
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of polymers with a plethora of potential applications thanks to their crystallinity, stability, and porosity. In a recent study, researchers from the National University of Singapore and Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology report a strategy to tune the emission properties of COFs by introducing atoms or small molecular groups as surface perturbations. Their findings provide a platform to further functionalize COFs for light-emitting and sensing applications.
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AID/APOBECs among important factors in body's defence against SARS-CoV-2
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) and so-called APOBEC proteins are important factors in the body's immune response and offer fast and effective protection against a large number of DNA and RNA viruses. A MedUni Vienna research team has now addressed the potential interrelations between AID/APOBECs and the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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Aryl radical formation by aryl halide bond cleavage by N-heterocyclic carbene catalyst
We have developed a groundbreaking chemical reaction using an N-heterocyclic carbene catalyst that has a low environmental impact to cleave the bond between the benzene ring of an aryl halide and a halogen atom to generate an aryl radical. Since aryl radicals can thus be easily generated from aryl halides that are widely used in organic synthesis, this is expected to be a powerful technology for precisely synthesizing medical and agricultural drugs and chemical materials.
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More and more older people suffer a traumatic brain injury due to falls
About 270,000 people suffer a traumatic brain injury in Germany every year. The over-65s are increasingly affected. This is the result of a study conducted by researchers from the BG Kliniken chain of hospitals under the direction of the Neurological Clinic of the Ruhr Universität Bochum (RUB) of the BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil. Falls are often the cause. The researchers advise more preventative measures, such as removing tripping hazards in the home or training the use of walking aids.
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Singlet oxygen selectively degrades oxytetracycline in fenton-like oxidation
Recently, Prof. WANG Zhenyang's research group from Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has made new progress in the large-area preparation of macroscopic thick three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene films.
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Why does Mercury have a big iron core?
Scientists from Tohoku University and the University of Maryland have pinpointed the strong magnetic field of the early sun as the reason behind the radial variation of rock and metal in rocky planets' cores. This magnetic field, which pulled small iron grains inward, explains Mercury's big iron core and why Mars has so little iron in its core.
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Wallonia as an international reference for the timeline
In 2016, researchers from the University of Liège (Belgium) proposed a new definition of the geological boundary between the Devonian and Carboniferous periods (359 million years). This new definition has been tested by hundreds of researchers around the world and the results are now compiled in a special issue of the journal Palaeodiversity & Palaeoenvironments.
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Counting sheep and still awake? Mindfulness therapy may help bring on the zzz's
Researchers from the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine found mindfulness-based therapy to be more effective than an active sleep hygiene programme in improving sleep quality. This study is the first preregistered and adequately powered trial to test sleep-targeted mindfulness-based therapy as a treatment for insomnia.
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Non-stop signal achieved in high-power Er3+-doped mid-infrared lasers
The Mid-infrared lasers (MIR) with high peak power and high repetition rate operating in the range of 2.7~3 μm have important application in laser surgery and optical parametric oscillator (OPO).
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Sodium solid electrolyte combining high conductivity with electrochemical stability
Toyohashi University of Technology developed a chlorine (Cl) substituted Na3SbS4 solid electrolyte for use in all-solid-state sodium (Na) ion batteries. The ionic conductivity of the Na3SbS4 solid electrolyte where sulfur (S) was partially substituted with Cl improved by up to three times. The team also demonstrated that the Cl-substituted Na3SbS4 has a crystal structure framework that allows Na ions to move easier in three dimensions, and they discovered that the Cl substitution showed superior stability.
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Muscles retain positional memory from fetal life
Muscles and the resident stem cells (satellite cells) responsible for muscle regeneration retain memory of their location in the body. This positional memory was found to be based on the expression pattern of the homeobox (Hox) gene cluster, which is responsible for shaping the body during fetal life. These findings are expected to provide clues to elucidate the pathogenesis of muscle diseases like muscular dystrophy, and help develop regenerative treatments based on positional memory.
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Sexual reproduction without mating
The fungi studied by a team of biologists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) for their sexual reproduction strategies are commonly known as Sword-belt Mushrooms. In addition to the European Sword-belt Mushroom (Cyclocybe aegerita), its Pacific relative, the so-called Tawaka (Cyclocybe parasitica), also possesses the unusual ability for agarics to single-handedly form complex multicellular structures for sexual reproduction. These fruiting bodies are normally produced as a collaborative effort between two sexual partners.
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Kepler telescope glimpses population of free-floating planets
Tantalising evidence has been uncovered for a mysterious population of "free-floating" planets, planets that may be alone in deep space, unbound to any host star. The results include four new discoveries that are consistent with planets of similar masses to Earth, published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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New approach to school transition
The change from early years services into formal educational settings has long been considered an integral transition point for young people. New research from Flinders University now asks, "Is service integration actually important to the children?"
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Microwave radiation features and lunar regolith parameters inversion of the Rümker region
Chang'e-5 (CE-5), the first sample return satellite of China, is expected to land and sample in the Rümker region, north of the Oceanus Procellarum. To select optimal sampling points, researchers analyzed the microwave radiation features in this mare unit, and retrieved the dielectric constant and thickness of lunar regolith based on Chang'e lunar microwave sounder (CELMS) data.
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Making sense of antisense gene silencing
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) identified proteins that bind to Toc-HDOs, double-stranded molecules combining RNA and DNA linked to a form of vitamin E, tocopherol, that have applications in gene silencing therapies. The team showed that Toc-HDOs work through a different mechanism to other DNA/RNA-based gene silencing approaches and identified four proteins involved in regulating their function. A greater understanding of Toc-HDO function could help with development of more effective gene silencing therapies.
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Study shows the mechanism how loss of de-N-glycosylation enzyme causes ill effect
Loss-of-mutations in NGLY1, an enzyme that removes sugar chains, cause a multisystem developmental disorder called NGLY1 deficiency. Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science (TMiMS), Kyoto University, RIKEN, and T-CiRA in Japan have elucidated the pathogenesis of NGLY1 deficiency. They found that when NGLY1 is deficient, an overwhelming amount of glycoproteins, ubiquitinated by a sugar-recognizing ubiquitin ligase, causes proteasome dysfunction that leads to cytotoxicity. The report is being published in PNAS.
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Memory making involves extensive DNA breaking
To quickly express genes needed for learning and memory, brain cells snap both strands of DNA in many more places and cell types than previously realized, a new study shows
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Autistic children can benefit from attention training - new study
Attention training in young people with autism can lead to significant improvements in academic performance, according to a new study.
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