Culture
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, experimenting with a small number of human cell samples, report that the "hook" of cells used by SARS-CoV-2 to latch onto and infect cells is up to 700 times more prevalent in the olfactory supporting cells lining the inside of the upper part of the nose than in the lining cells of the rest of the nose and windpipe that leads to the lungs. These supporting cells are necessary for the function/development of odor-sensing cells.
"This particular work not only gives information about stimulating aquathermolysis in the process of steam injection, but also is a theoretical insight into chemical reactions taking places in oil reservoirs under high temperatures," says co-author Yuan Chengdong, Senior Research Associate of the Rheological and Thermochemical Research Lab.
So far, the KFU team has proven copper compounds are the most effective in producing catalysts for heavy oil extraction.
Cells send signals through enzyme cascades, where one enzyme passes the signal to the next. In such cascades, it is crucial that the enzyme recognizes the right substrates to ensure that, for example, a hormone activates the right cellular activities. Protein kinases, the enzymes in such cascades, are usually not sufficiently specific on their own, and therefore they rely on other proteins to physically connect them to the right substrates.
As Web services, cloud storage, and big-data services continue expanding and finding their way into our lives, the gigantic hardware infrastructures they rely on--known as data centers--need to be improved to keep up with the current demand. One promising solution for improving the performance and reducing the energy load associated with reading and writing large amounts of data is to confer storage devices with some computational capabilities and offload part of the data read/write process from CPUs.
School-based dementia education could deliver much needed empathy and understanding for older generations as new research from the University of South Australia shows it can significantly improve dementia knowledge and awareness among younger generations.
It's an important and timely finding, particularly given the world's ageing population and the prevalence of dementia among older people.
Globally, around 50 million people have dementia. By 2030 this figure is expected to reach 82 million, and by 2050, it could exceed 152 million.
Orange, Calif. - Research from Chapman University provides new insight into the characteristics of crucial proteins within the ciliary membrane that play vital roles in human genetic diseases and cardiovascular functions.
Recently, primary cilium, an organelle that exist on the surface of almost every cell type in the body, is shown to have membrane swelling. This is referred to as ciliary bulbs, and their structure and physiological relevance remains unknown.
Leipzig/New Delhi. The airborne transmission of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 via aerosol particles in indoor environment seems to be strongly influenced by relative humidity. This is the conclusion drawn by researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig and the CSIR National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi from the analysis of 10 most relevant international studies on the subject. Therefore, they recommend controlling the indoor air in addition to the usual measures such as social distancing and masks.
It is no secret that people underlie social influences. For example, at the lunch counter of a new company, when we are unsure which dish would taste good, we monitor other peoples' choices to obtain some guidance for our own menu selection. This phenomenon, which is referred to as social influence, was demonstrated experimentally starting in the 1950s by social psychologist Solomon Asch.
Imagine that the size of a bacterium is measured from a distance of about 4500 light-years. This would be an incredible measurement, considering that a bacterium is so small that a microscope is required to see it, and what an enormous distance light can travel in 4500 years, given that it can round the Earth more than seven times in just one second. But a small deformation of the size of a bacterium, that is an extra height of a few micrometres in one direction, has now been inferred for a neutron star at a distance of about 4500 light-years, from a research by Prof.
Losing your balance and falling does not just happen during icy Boston winters. The slip resistance of your shoes can determine how well you walk on different surfaces without losing balance. Shoe grips increase friction by engaging with the walking surface, helping to increase stability. In a recently published study, investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presented a bioinspired assistive shoe grip based on kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting.
New research from The Business School (formerly Cass) has shed light on how Mirandola, a small town in the North East of Italy, became a major hub for the production of medical devices and sets a roadmap for the origins of industrialisation in small, quiet communities.
Chronic constipation (CC) remains a serious medical and social problem because the complexity of diagnosis, the lack of a single approach to treatment, and unsatisfactory treatment results. The causes of constipation are varied - from the abnormal anatomical structure of the large intestine and its location in the abdominal cavity to impaired neurohumoral regulation of its motility, endocrine pathology, psychogenic factors, poor nutrition, as well as a combination of these factors.
Contract tracing apps used to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are unlikely to be effective without proper uptake and support from concurrent control measures, finds a new study by UCL researchers.
Since COVID-19 emerged late last year, there's been an enormous amount of research produced on this novel coronavirus disease. But the content publicly available for this data and the format in which it's presented lack consistency across different countries' national public health institutes, greatly limiting its usefulness, Children's National Hospital scientists report in a new study.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and University of Washington found a statistical relationship between the number of hospital beds (ICU and non-ICU) occupied by COVID-19 patients in a state and reported mortality. Published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, this research is believed to be the first to use actual, state-level data to examine this association.