Culture
Photonic systems consisting of multiple plasmonic/dielectric resonators coupled in different ways attracted immense research interests. Compared to simple photonic systems containing only one resonator, Such coupled systems exhibit more fascinating near-field (NF) properties (e.g., local field enhancement) and far-field (FF) responses manifested by unusual line-shapes dictated ultimately by how the involved resonators are coupled together, making them particularly useful in real applications.
Lithuanian researchers from Kaunas University of Technology and Vilnius University synthesised and tested a bio-based resin for optical 3D printing (O3DP). The bio-based resin made from renewable raw materials proved to be universal for both table-top 3D printers and state-of-the-art ultrafast laser, suitable for O3DP in the scales from nano- to macro- dimensions. This, according to the researchers, is a unique property for a single photo-resin.
(Vienna, 08 September 2020) Polycythaemia vera is a chronic malignant disease of the haematopoietic system and is treated with interferon-alpha-based drugs, in most cases with long-lasting success. However, in some cases this therapy is unsuccessful for reasons that are not yet understood. A research group led by Robert Kralovics from MedUni Vienna's Department of Laboratory Medicine and from CeMM has now conducted genetic association studies, which show that patients with certain DNA variants commonly found in the population do not respond sufficiently to the treatment.
Over the long-term, what one partner in a two-person relationship wishes to avoid, so too does the other partner - and what one wants to achieve, so does the other. These effects can be observed regardless of gender, age and length of the relationship, as researchers from the University of Basel report in a study of more than 450 couples.
Scientists review macrophage activation syndrome -- a feature of the cytokine storm that kills patients with severe cases of COVID-19, as well as possible treatments.
For the brain to work efficiently, it is important that a nerve impulse arrives at its destination as quickly and as precisely as possible. It has been long been known that the nerve fibres - also known as axons - pass on these impulses. In the course of evolution, an insulating sheath - myelin - developed around the axons which increases the speed of conduction. This insulating sheath is formed by the second type of cell in the nervous system - the glial cells, which are one of the main components of the brain.
In photosynthesis, solar energy is converted into chemical energy, which is then used in nature to produce organic molecules from carbon dioxide. In plants, algae and cyanobacteria, the key photosynthesis reactions take place in two complex structures known as photosystems. These are located in a special membrane system, the thylakoids. However, many details of their molecular structure and the way the proteins are incorporated into the membranes have yet to be explored.
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory used quantum optics to advance state-of-the-art microscopy and illuminate a path to detecting material properties with greater sensitivity than is possible with traditional tools.
For more than a decade, scientists have accepted that cholesterol - a key component of cell membranes - did not uniformly affect membranes of different types. But a new study led by Assistant Professor Rana Ashkar of the Virginia Tech Department of Physics finds that cholesterol actually does adhere to biophysical principles.
Panthasaurus maleriensis lived about 225 million years ago in what is now India. It is an ancestor of today's amphibians and has been considered the most puzzling representative of the Metoposauridae. Paleontologists from the universities of Bonn (Germany) and Opole (Poland) examined the fossil's bone tissue and compared it with other representatives of the family also dating from the Triassic. They discovered phases of slower and faster growth in the bone, which apparently depended on the climate. The results have now been published in the journal PeerJ.
From wildfires in California to hurricanes battering the Gulf, the United States has been assailed by natural disasters from coast to coast. But how can the United States address, mitigate, and adapt to the widespread destruction from wildfires and floods as they intensify from unchecked climate change?
According to a new survey by researchers at Stanford University, Resources for the Future, and ReconMR, Americans overwhelmingly want leaders at the federal and state levels to enact policies to adapt to wildfires and floods.
Besides providing healthcare to millions, Medicaid helps recipients make healthier food choices according to UConn research published in the journal Health Economics. UConn Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Rigoberto Lopez, Rebecca Boehm now an economist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Xi He now a post-doctoral researcher at the Iowa State were interested in investigating the impact of Medicaid on food choices.
September 8, 2020 - High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) - a technology used to treat localized prostate cancer - has shown adequate control of prostate cancer while avoiding major side effects of surgery or radiation therapy, according to a new study in The Journal of Urology®, Official Journal of the American U
Robust and widespread antibody testing has emerged as a key strategy in the fight against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. However current testing methods are too inaccurate or too expensive to be feasible on a global scale. But now, scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have developed a rapid, reliable and low-cost antibody test.
In years to come, our personal memories of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be etched in our minds with precision and clarity, distinct from other memories of 2020. The process which makes this possible has eluded scientists for many decades, but research led by the University of Bristol has made a breakthrough in understanding how memories can be so distinct and long-lasting without getting muddled up.