Culture
Fast facts:
Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a new technique that allows a type of filter paper (comparable to coffee filter paper) to store cells for long periods of time, more efficiently
This new method, featured in Advanced Biosystems, requires less storage space than traditional methods of using vials, and provides advantages over management and distribution of cells
The papers can be rolled or folded during storage and cut into small pieces during the retrieval of cells without the need to thaw the entire platform
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin, and Columbia University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines the changing role and management of brands in a hyperconnected world.
The study forthcoming in the March issue of the Journal of Marketing is titled "Branding in a Hyperconnected World: Refocusing Theories and Rethinking Boundaries" is authored by Vanitha Swaminathan, Alina Sorescu, Jan-Benedict Steenkamp, Thomas O'Guinn, and Bernd Schmitt.
SAN FRANCISCO, January 29, 2020 -- Bluestar Genomics, a company developing innovative, data-driven, epigenomic approaches to comprehensive disease analysis and diagnostics, today announced the publication of a new study demonstrating the efficacy of their 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) signal detection technology for its use in breast, lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - As genetics and genomics knowledge expands rapidly throughout research, medicine, and society, Americans are excited and optimistic about this area of research and its emerging health applications, according to a new survey released today by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) in partnership with Research!America.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability in the United States. More than 87 percent are ischemic strokes, caused by obstruction of one or more cerebral arteries. With limited progress in developing treatments, there is a critical need for neuroprotective agents to effectively treat stroke.
A team of researchers led by Yale-NUS College Professor of Science (Environmental Studies) Stephen Pointing has discovered a link between two different ecosystems, continental Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, due to airborne microbes that travel from the former to the latter. The finding showed that the health of these two ecosystems are more interconnected than previously believed, hence holistic conservation efforts need to span different ecosystems.
Regular consumers of popular caffeinated energy drinks may need help kicking the habit.
New research at Flinders University in Australia, published in the international journal PLOS One, put a form of cognitive incentive retraining - a form of computer-based training aimed at reducing decision-making biases in purchasing energy drinks - to the test on more than 200 regular consumers of energy drinks aged between 18 and 25.
Urinary tract infections (UTI's) are painful and usually short lived - but for millions of people this is simply not the case.
Low levels of infection can be found long after it's thought to have cleared, and research suggests this could be an unknown, but leading cause of chronic bladder dysfunction.
But the fight against pain, discomfort and a constant urge to urinate has taken a step forward with scientists identifying how the immune systems defence against bladder infection causes nerves to magnify the sensations felt by patients.
Hokkaido University scientists are getting closer to understanding how a rare hereditary disease impairs the skin's barrier function, which determines how well the skin is protected.
The gene mutation that causes ichthyosis prematurity syndrome--characterized by premature birth; difficulty breathing shortly after birth; and very dry, thick and scaly skin--dramatically reduces the synthesis of acylceramide, a key skin lipid in forming the skin barrier. The discovery provides us with a better understanding of the condition, which is currently untreatable.
Why do BMW and Audi owners often seem to drive like idiots? Is it the car that makes them behave aggressively behind the wheel, or are specific types of people drawn to such cars as well being more likely to break traffic regulations? New research at the University of Helsinki provides some answers.
Jan-Erik Lönnqvist (link), professor of social psychology, had made the same observation in traffic as many others: Audi and BMW drivers seemed much more likely to ignore traffic regulations and drive recklessly.
The new mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variant drastically speeds up the disease progression in a mouse model of GRACILE syndrome. This discovery provides a new tool for studies of mitochondrial diseases.
GRACILE syndrome, a member of the Finnish disease heritage, is a severe neonatal metabolic disease caused by a point mutation in the nuclear BCS1L gene.
Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan and colleagues at Osaka University have found genetic variations in humans related to specific dietary habits. Published in Nature Human Behaviour, the genome-wide association study found 9 gene locations associated with eating and drinking foods like meat, tofu, cheese, tea, and coffee. Among them, three were also related to having particular diseases such as cancer or diabetes.
The reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel could become safer and more efficient in future after researchers found a way to modify the structure of molecules to remove radioactive materials.
The research is published in a recent edition of the influential Chemistry - A European Journal (7th January 2020) and is described by the editors of the journal as being of great significance.
The reprocessing operation
Workers in many industries inadvertently bring home toxic contaminants, endangering the health of their families. Those at greatest risk are the least likely to benefit from current regulations.
A new review by researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health calls for recognition of "take-home" exposures--exposures to toxic contaminants inadvertently brought home from a family member's work--as a public health hazard. The review was published in Annals of Work Exposures and Health.
Despite the immense progress in the field of AI in recent years, we are still very far from human intelligence. Indeed, if current AI techniques allow to train computer agents to perform certain tasks better than humans when they are trained specifically for them, the performance of these same agents is often very disappointing when they are put in conditions (even slightly) different from those experienced during training.