Tech
New findings about critical cellular structures have upended common assumptions about their formation and composition and provided new insight how molecular machines are built in living cells.
Researchers at the universities of Jyvaskyla (Finland) and Xiamen (China) have discovered a novel way to make functional macroscopic crystalline materials out of nanometer-size 34-atom silver-gold intermetallic clusters. The cluster material has a highly anisotropic electrical conductivity, being a semiconductor in one direction and an electrical insulator in other directions. Synthesis of the material and its electrical properties were investigated in Xiamen and the theoretical characterization of the material was carried out in Jyvaskyla.
Fly ash generated by coal-fired power stations is an environmental headache, creating groundwater and air pollution from vast landfills and ash dams. Some of the waste product can be repurposed into geopolymer concrete, such as pre-cast heat-cured elements for structures.
However, a critical durability problem has been low resistance to extreme alkali attack. Researchers at the University of Johannesburg have found that high temperature heat-treatment (HTHT) can reduce this harmful mechanism in fly ash geopolymer concrete by half.
In his latest line of research, Cun-Zheng Ning, a professor of electrical engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, and his peers explored the intricate balance of physics that governs how electrons, holes, excitons and trions coexist and mutually convert into each other to produce optical gain.
When a government agency considers tightening a standard on a pollutant, it often considers the proportion of firms that can meet the new standard, because a higher proportion suggests a more feasible standard. A new study developed a model of regulation in which the probability of a stricter standard being enacted increased with the proportion of firms in an industry that could meet the standard.
An innovative statewide alcohol-monitoring program that requires drunk drivers to be tested frequently for alcohol use significantly lowers the likelihood that participants will be rearrested or have probation revoked, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
The study analyzed results from South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Program, a public safety effort that imposes very frequent alcohol testing along with swift but modest sanctions for those testing positive or missing a test -- typically a night or two in jail.
The role that atmospheric water vapor plays in weather is complex and not clearly understood. However, University of Arizona researchers have started to tease out the relationship between morning soil moisture and afternoon rainfall under different atmospheric conditions in a new study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Spending time in the garden is linked to similar benefits for health and wellbeing as living in wealthy areas, according to a new large-scale study.
Hexavalent chromium continues to contaminate water sources around the world, with one US company fined just this February for having put employees at risk. Hexavalent chromium is considered to be extremely toxic, especially when inhaled or ingested, and its use is regulated in Europe and in many countries around the world. It is thought to be genotoxic, leading to DNA damage and the formation of cancerous tumors.
Research on the Great Barrier Reef has found severe coral loss to be associated with substantial increases in the size of large, long-living herbivorous fish. However, decreased recycling of this fish biomass could leave the ecosystem vulnerable to crashing. The research is published in the British Ecological Society journal Functional Ecology.
New research revealed a consistent and direct link between posting edited photos on Instagram and risk factors for eating disorders. Specifically, digitally editing pictures to improve personal appearance before posting photos to Instagram increased weight and shape concerns in college students.
Cognitive behavioural therapy and other psychosocial interventions are effective for treating anxiety in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder, according to an analysis of all relevant studies published in 2005-2018. The findings are published in Campbell Systematic Reviews.
Bottom Line: Combining intratumoral electroporation of interleukin-12 (IL-12) DNA (tavokinogene telseplasmid, or TAVO) with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) led to clinical responses in patients with immunologically quiescent advanced melanoma, according to results from a phase II trial.
Journal in Which the Study was Published: Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
Computational imaging (CI) techniques exploit optical device and calculation algorithms to reconstruct object information. A key goal of CI is to develop more advanced algorithms in order to simplify hardware equipment and improve imaging quality.
A Korean research team has developed a large-scale stretchable and transparent electrode for the stretchable display. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that a research team, led by Dr. Sang-Soo Lee and Dr.