(1817,'New human reference genome opens unexplored regions','new-human-reference-genome-opens-unexplored-regions','2022-03-31 22:50:20.124763',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A complete sequence of the human genome has finally been published by an international consortium of scientists. The new reference genome fills in many gaps that were left by earlier drafts, especially in the centromeres at the middle of chromosomes and large-scale duplications.</p><p>The work is described in a series of papers published April 1 in <em>Science</em> by the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium. A number of University of California, Davis investigators contributed to the studies, including Megan Dennis, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and MIND Institute, with Integrative Genetics and Genomics graduate students Daniela Soto and Colin Shew, as well as Charles Langley, distinguished professor of evolution and ecology at the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences along with his daughter Sasha Langley, a project scientist at UC Berkeley.</p><p>The original human genome sequence, published in 2001, left out about eight percent of the DNA, Dennis said. The areas left out included nearly-identical duplications containing functional genes as well as centromeres and telomeres in the middle and at the tip of chromosomes respectively. These areas contain long runs of repeated sequences.</p><p>\"These are important regions but difficult to sequence,\" Dennis said.</p><p>Sequencing a genome is rather like slicing up a book into snippets of text then trying to reconstruct the book by piecing them together again. Stretches of text that contain a lot of common or repeated words and phrases would be harder to put in their correct place than more unique pieces of text.</p><p>Earlier DNA sequencing technology could only read relatively short runs of sequence.</p><p>\"A major leap in technology has been long-read sequencing,\" Dennis said. Newer generation sequencers can decode much longer pieces, as much as a million base-pairs or \"letters\" of DNA. That means the chunks are much larger and easier to assemble back into the original sequence.</p><p>\"It\'s a game changer,\" Dennis said.</p><p>UC Davis researchers contributed to the project by carrying out some of the long-read sequencing with machines at the Genome Center, and by analyzing variants and duplicated sequences.</p><p>The new reference genome comes from a single human sample, although not exactly a person. The DNA came from a cell line derived from a bundle of cells called a hydatidiform mole. These form when an egg in the uterus loses its own genome but gets fertilized by a sperm. The resulting cell ends up with two identical copies of each chromosome, unlike most human cells, which carry two slightly different copies. Despite its odd origin, there\'s nothing to suggest anything out of the ordinary with the cell line\'s genome, Dennis said.</p><p>The sperm came from a person of European descent. In contrast, the original human reference genome was stitched together from several people, creating some errors and artifacts.</p><p><strong>Exploring the centromere</strong></p><p>About 90 percent of the new sequence actually comes from the centromeres of chromosomes, Langley said. Structurally distinct and containing long stretches of repetitive DNA, these regions are notoriously difficult to study.</p><p>\"We used to say that you would warn young geneticists not to venture into the centromere because you\'ll never get out,\" Langley said.</p><p>But these days centromeres are a hot topic in biology. This is where the machinery that separates paired chromosomes during meiosis -- formation of sperm and eggs -- attaches, a fundamental step in inheritance. It contains large amounts of heterochromatin, or areas where DNA and proteins seem to be more condensed and compact.</p><p>Geneticists have known about heterochromatin, seen as dark spots in chromosomes, for decades. Recent thinking suggests that heterochromatin plays an important role in how genes are turned on and off by shifting parts of the DNA into a different phase from the rest of the chromosome, like blobs of oil in water. This would effectively create compartments in the nucleus where specific genes could be turned on or off.</p><p>Another mystery of centromeres is how and why they consistently form in the same place, because there is no specific genetic code for them to do so. They are determined \"epigenetically,\" or outside the genome. Basically, your centromeres are where they are because that\'s where they were in the sperm and egg from which you were conceived.</p><p>The Langleys and their coauthors were able to compare the centromere sequences from the new reference genome with other published sequences, providing evidence that human centromeres can in fact move around a bit. This has been found in other animal species.</p><p>\"Now we will be better able to understand how these things happen,\" Langley said.</p><p><strong>Applications</strong></p><p>Having the original human genome sequence has been a powerful tool for discovery in biomedical sciences over the past 20 years. The new reference will help researchers better understand variation, especially in those areas that were not well covered before or with mistakes and artifacts, Dennis said.</p><p>\"It\'s already being used to reanalyze genomes collected by the 1000 Genomes Project, discovering and verifying thousands of new variants,\" she said. The 1000 Genomes Project is an international collaboration to create a catalogue of human genetic variation.</p><p>Those new, confirmed genetic variants can then, for example, be associated with disease states and clinical outcomes using sequencing data from patients, such as autistic individuals, Dennis said.</p><p>The work of the T2T Consortium is supported in part by the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Standards and Technology. The consortium includes 114 scientists at 33 institutions and is co-chaired by Adam Phillippy, NHGRI and Karen Miga, UC Santa Cruz.</p>','2022-03-31 22:50:20.124763','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - Davis','A complete sequence of the human genome has finally been published by an international consortium of scientists. The new reference genome fills in many gaps that were left by earlier drafts, especially in the centromeres at the middle of chromosomes and large-scale duplications. A number of UC Davis investigators contributed to the studies, published April 1 in Science by the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium.\n',1,36,'<li>Sergey Aganezov, Stephanie M. Yan, Daniela C. Soto, Melanie Kirsche, Samantha Zarate, Pavel Avdeyev, Dylan J. Taylor, Kishwar Shafin, Alaina Shumate, Chunlin Xiao, Justin Wagner, Jennifer McDaniel, Nathan D. Olson, Michael E. G. Sauria, Mitchell R. Vollger, Arang Rhie, Melissa Meredith, Skylar Martin, Joyce Lee, Sergey Koren, Jeffrey A. Rosenfeld, Benedict Paten, Ryan Layer, Chen-Shan Chin, Fritz J. Sedlazeck, Nancy F. Hansen, Danny E. Miller, Adam M. Phillippy, Karen H. Miga, Rajiv C. McCoy, Megan Y. Dennis, Justin M. Zook, Michael C. Schatz. <strong>A complete reference genome improves analysis of human genetic variation</strong>. <em>Science</em>, 2022; 376 (6588) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abl3533\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/science.abl3533</a>\n</li>'),(1818,'Now fully complete, human genome reveals new secrets','now-fully-complete,-human-genome-reveals-new-secrets','2022-03-31 22:50:22.562244',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">When scientists announced the complete sequence of the human genome in 2003, they were fudging a bit.</p><p>In fact, nearly 20 years later, about 8% of the genome has never been fully sequenced, largely because it consists of highly repetitive chunks of DNA that are hard to align with the rest.</p><p>But a three-year-old consortium has finally filled in that remaining DNA, providing the first complete, gapless genome sequence for scientists and physicians to refer to.</p><p>The newly completed genome, dubbed T2T-CHM13, represents a major upgrade from the current reference genome, called GRCh38, which is used by doctors when searching for mutations linked to disease, as well as by scientists looking at the evolution of human genetic variation.</p><p>Among other things, the new DNA sequences reveal never-before-seen detail about the region around the centromere, which is where chromosomes are grabbed and pulled apart when cells divide, ensuring that each \"daughter\" cell inherits the correct number of chromosomes. Variability within this region may also provide new evidence of how our human ancestors evolved in Africa.</p><p>\"Uncovering the complete sequence of these formerly missing regions of the genome told us so much about how they\'re organized, which was totally unknown for many chromosomes,\" said Nicolas Altemose, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and a co-author of four new papers about the completed genome. \"Before, we just had the blurriest picture of what was there, and now it\'s crystal clear down to single base pair resolution.\"</p><p>Altemose is first author of one paper that describes the base pair sequences around the centromere. A paper explaining how the sequencing was done will appear in the April 1 print edition of the journal <em>Science</em>, while Altemose\'s centromere paper and four others describing what the new sequences tell us are summarized in the journal with the full papers posted online. Four companion papers, including one for which Altemose is co-first author, also will appear online April 1 in the journal <em>Nature Methods</em>.</p><p>The sequencing and analysis were performed by a team of more than 100 people, the so-called Telemere-to-Telomere Consortium, or T2T, named for the telomeres that cap the ends of all chromosomes. The consortium\'s gapless version of all 22 autosomes and the X sex chromosome is composed of 3.055 billion base pairs, the units from which chromosomes and our genes are built, and 19,969 protein-coding genes. Of the protein-coding genes, the T2T team found about 2,000 new ones, most of them disabled, but 115 of which may still be expressed. They also found about 2 million additional variants in the human genome, 622 of which occur in medically relevant genes.</p><p>\"In the future, when someone has their genome sequenced, we will be able to identify all of the variants in their DNA and use that information to better guide their health care,\" said Adam Phillippy, one of the leaders of T2T and a senior investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health. \"Truly finishing the human genome sequence was like putting on a new pair of glasses. Now that we can clearly see everything, we are one step closer to understanding what it all means.\"</p><p><strong>The evolving centromere</strong></p><p>The new DNA sequences in and around the centromere total about 6.2% of the entire genome, or nearly 190 million base pairs, or nucleotides. Of the remaining newly added sequences, most are found around the telomeres at the end of each chromosome and in the regions surrounding ribosomal genes. The entire genome is made of just four types of nucleotides, which, in groups of three, code for the amino acids used to build proteins. Altemose\'s main research involves finding and exploring areas of the chromosomes where proteins interact with DNA.</p><p>\"Without proteins, DNA is nothing,\" said Altemose, who earned a Ph.D. in bioengineering jointly from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco in 2021 after having received a D.Phil. in statistics from Oxford University. \"DNA is a set of instructions with no one to read it if it doesn\'t have proteins around to organize it, regulate it, repair it when it\'s damaged and replicate it. Protein-DNA interactions are really where all the action is happening for genome regulation, and being able to map where certain proteins bind to the genome is really important for understanding their function.\"</p><p>After the T2T consortium sequenced the missing DNA, Altemose and his team used new techniques to find the place within the centromere where a big protein complex called the kinetochore solidly grips the chromosome so that other machines inside the nucleus can pull chromosome pairs apart.</p><p>\"When this goes wrong, you end up with missegregated chromosomes, and that leads to all kinds of problems,\" he said. \"If that happens in meiosis, that means you can have chromosomal anomalies leading to spontaneous miscarriage or congenital diseases. If it happens in somatic cells, you can end up with cancer -- basically, cells that have massive misregulation.\"</p><p>What they found in and around the centromeres were layers of new sequences overlaying layers of older sequences, as if through evolution new centromere regions have been laid down repeatedly to bind to the kinetochore. The older regions are characterized by more random mutations and deletions, indicating they\'re no longer used by the cell. The newer sequences where the kinetochore binds are much less variable, and also less methylated. The addition of a methyl group is an epigenetic tag that tends to silence genes.</p><p>All of the layers in and around the centromere are composed of repetitive lengths of DNA, based on a unit about 171 base pairs long, which is roughly the length of DNA that wraps around a group of proteins to form a nucleosome, keeping the DNA packaged and compact. These 171 base pair units form even larger repeat structures that are duplicated many times in tandem, building up a large region of repetitive sequences around the centromere.</p><p>The T2T team focused on only one human genome, obtained from a non-cancerous tumor called a hydatidiform mole, which is essentially a human embryo that rejected the maternal DNA and duplicated its paternal DNA instead. Such embryos die and transform into tumors. But the fact that this mole had two identical copies of the paternal DNA -- both with the father\'s X chromosome, instead of different DNA from both mother and father -- made it easier to sequence.</p><p>The researchers also released this week the complete sequence of a Y chromosome from a different source, which took nearly as long to assemble as the rest of the genome combined, Altemose said. The analysis of this new Y chromosome sequence will appear in a future publication.</p><p>Altemose and his team, which included UC Berkeley project scientist Sasha Langley, also used the new reference genome as a scaffold to compare the centromeric DNA of 1,600 individuals from around the world, revealing major differences in both the sequence and copy number of repetitive DNA around the centromere. Previous studies have shown that when groups of ancient humans migrated out of Africa to the rest of the world, they took only a small sample of genetic variants with them. Altemose and his team confirmed that this pattern extends into centromeres.</p><p>\"What we found is that in individuals with recent ancestry outside the African continent, their centromeres, at least on chromosome X, tend to fall into two big clusters, while most of the interesting variation is in individuals who have recent African ancestry,\" Altemose said. \"This isn\'t entirely a surprise, given what we know about the rest of the genome. But what it suggests is that if we want to look at the interesting variation in these centromeric regions, we really need to have a focused effort to sequence more African genomes and do complete telomere-to-telomere sequence assembly.\"</p><p>DNA sequences around the centromere could also be used to trace human lineages back to our common ape ancestors, he noted.</p><p>\"As you move away from the site of the active centromere, you get more and more degraded sequence, to the point where if you go out to the furthest shores of this sea of repetitive sequences, you start to see the ancient centromere that, perhaps, our distant primate ancestors used to bind to the kinetochore,\" Altemose said. \"It\'s almost like layers of fossils.\"</p><p><strong>Long-read sequencing a game changer</strong></p><p>The T2T\'s success is due to improved techniques for sequencing long stretches of DNA at once, which helps when determining the order of highly repetitive stretches of DNA. Among these are PacBio\'s HiFi sequencing, which can read lengths of more than 20,000 base pairs with high accuracy. Technology developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd., on the other hand, can read up to several million base pairs in sequence, though with less fidelity. For comparison, so-called next-generation sequencing by Illumina Inc. is limited to hundreds of base pairs.</p><p>\"These new long-read DNA sequencing technologies are just incredible; they\'re such game changers, not only for this repetitive DNA world, but because they allow you to sequence single long molecules of DNA,\" Altemose said. \"You can begin to ask questions at a level of resolution that just wasn\'t possible before, not even with short-read sequencing methods.\"</p><p>Altemose plans to explore the centromeric regions further, using an improved technique he and colleagues at Stanford developed to pinpoint the sites on the chromosome that are bound by proteins, similar to how the kinetochore binds to the centromere. This technique, too, uses long-read sequencing technology. He and his group described the technique, called Directed Methylation with Long-read sequencing (DiMeLo-seq), in a paper that appeared this week in the journal <em>Nature Methods</em>.</p><p>Meanwhile, the T2T consortium is partnering with the Human PanGenome Reference Consortium to work toward a reference genome that represents all of humanity.</p><p>\"Instead of just having one reference from one human individual or one hydatidiform mole, which isn\'t even a real human individual, we should have a reference that represents everybody,\" Altemose said. \"There are various ideas about how to accomplish that. But what we need first is a grasp of what that variation looks like, and we need lots of high-quality individual genome sequences to accomplish that.\"</p><p>His work on the centromeric regions, which he called \"a passion project,\" was funded by postdoctoral fellowships. The leaders of the T2T project were Karen Miga of UC Santa Cruz, Evan Eichler of the University of Washington, and Adam Phillippy of NHGRI, which provided much of the funding. Other UC Berkeley co-authors of the centromere paper are Aaron Streets, assistant professor of bioengineering; Abby Dernburg and Gary Karpen, professors of molecular and cell biology; project scientist Sasha Langley; and former postdoctoral fellow Gina Caldas.</p>','2022-03-31 22:50:22.562244','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - Berkeley','A research team has finally completed the sequence of the human genome, filling in the last 8 percent of the genome\'s 3 billion nucleotides. These regions were hard to place on chromosomes because they are very repetitive. Around the centromere, the newly added sequences reveal layers of repetitive DNA added over time, which could help reveal details of human evolution in Africa. The centromeric regions, critical to chromosome segregation, could give clues to disorders of segregation.\n',1,36,'<li>Nicolas Altemose, Glennis A. Logsdon, Andrey V. Bzikadze, Pragya Sidhwani, Sasha A. Langley, Gina V. Caldas, Savannah J. Hoyt, Lev Uralsky, Fedor D. Ryabov, Colin J. Shew, Michael E. G. Sauria, Matthew Borchers, Ariel Gershman, Alla Mikheenko, Valery A. Shepelev, Tatiana Dvorkina, Olga Kunyavskaya, Mitchell R. Vollger, Arang Rhie, Ann M. McCartney, Mobin Asri, Ryan Lorig-Roach, Kishwar Shafin, Julian K. Lucas, Sergey Aganezov, Daniel Olson, Leonardo Gomes de Lima, Tamara Potapova, Gabrielle A. Hartley, Marina Haukness, Peter Kerpedjiev, Fedor Gusev, Kristof Tigyi, Shelise Brooks, Alice Young, Sergey Nurk, Sergey Koren, Sofie R. Salama, Benedict Paten, Evgeny I. Rogaev, Aaron Streets, Gary H. Karpen, Abby F. Dernburg, Beth A. Sullivan, Aaron F. Straight, Travis J. Wheeler, Jennifer L. Gerton, Evan E. Eichler, Adam M. Phillippy, Winston Timp, Megan Y. Dennis, Rachel J. O’Neill, Justin M. Zook, Michael C. Schatz, Pavel A. Pevzner, Mark Diekhans, Charles H. Langley, Ivan A. Alexandrov, Karen H. Miga. <strong>Complete genomic and epigenetic maps of human centromeres</strong>. <em>Science</em>, 2022; 376 (6588) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abl4178\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/science.abl4178</a>\n</li>'),(1819,'First complete, gapless sequence of a human genome reveals hidden regions','first-complete,-gapless-sequence-of-a-human-genome-reveals-hidden-regions','2022-03-31 22:50:25.171548',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The first truly complete sequence of a human genome, covering each chromosome from end to end with no gaps and unprecedented accuracy, is now accessible through the UCSC Genome Browser and is described in six papers published March 31 in <em>Science</em>.</p><p>Since the first working draft of a human genome sequence was assembled at UC Santa Cruz in 2000, genomics research has led to enormous advances in our understanding of human biology and disease. Nevertheless, crucial regions accounting for some 8% of the human genome have remained hidden from scientists for over 20 years due to the limitations of DNA sequencing technologies.</p><p>Karen Miga, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at UC Santa Cruz, and Adam Phillippy at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) organized an international team of scientists -- the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium -- to fill in the missing pieces. Their efforts have now paid off.</p><p>The new reference genome, called T2T-CHM13, adds nearly 200 million base pairs of novel DNA sequences, including 99 genes likely to code for proteins and nearly 2,000 candidate genes that need further study. It also corrects thousands of structural errors in the current reference sequence.</p><p>The gaps now filled by the new sequence include the entire short arms of five human chromosomes and cover some of the most complex regions of the genome. These include highly repetitive DNA sequences found in and around important chromosomal structures such as the telomeres at the ends of chromosomes and the centromeres that coordinate the separation of replicated chromosomes during cell division. The new sequence also reveals previously undetected segmental duplications, long stretches of DNA that are duplicated in the genome and are known to play important roles in evolution and disease.</p><p>\"These parts of the human genome that we haven\'t been able to study for 20-plus years are important to our understanding of how the genome works, genetic diseases, and human diversity and evolution,\" Miga said.</p><p>Many of the newly revealed regions have important functions in the genome even if they do not include active genes.</p><p>\"There is a profound advantage to seeing the whole genome as a complete system. It puts us in a position to unravel how that system works,\" said David Haussler, director of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute. \"We\'ve gotten an enormous understanding of human biology and disease from having roughly 90 percent of the human genome, but there were many important aspects that lay hidden, out of view of science, because we did not have the technology to read those portions of the genome. Now we can stand at the top of the mountain and see all of the landscape below and get a complete picture of our human genetic heritage.\"</p><p>The T2T genome sequence, representing the finished CHM13 genome plus the recently finished T2T Y chromosome (CHM13 includes an X but not a Y chromosome), is now a new reference genome in the UCSC Genome Browser. The T2T sequence is fully annotated in the browser, providing an efficient way for scientists to access and visualize a wealth of information associated with genes and other elements of the genome.</p><p>\"We wanted to put the information out in a way that is accessible and familiar to researchers so they can begin to build on it and use all the tools and resources the browser provides,\" Miga explained.</p><p>The new T2T reference genome will complement the standard human reference genome, known as Genome Reference Consortium build 38 (GRCh38), which had its origins in the publicly funded Human Genome Project and has been continually updated since the first draft in 2000.</p><p>\"We\'re adding a second complete genome, and then there will be more,\" explained Haussler. \"The next phase is to think about the reference for humanity\'s genome as not being a single genome sequence. This is a profound transition, the harbinger of a new era in which we will eventually capture human diversity in an unbiased way.\"</p><p>The T2T Consortium has now joined with the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium, which aims to create a new \"human pangenome reference\" based on the complete genome sequences of 350 individuals.</p><p>\"Pangenomics is about capturing the diversity of the human population, and it\'s also about ensuring we\'ve captured the whole genome properly,\" said Benedict Paten, associate professor of biomolecular engineering at UCSC, a coauthor of the T2T papers, and a leader of the pangenomics effort. \"Without having a map of these difficult-to-sequence regions of the genome across multiple individuals, then we\'re missing a huge amount of the variation present in our population. T2T sets us up to look across hundreds of genomes from telomere to telomere. It\'s going to be great!\"</p><p>The standard reference genome (GRCh38) does not represent any one individual but was assembled from multiple donors. Merging them into one linear sequence created artificial structures in the sequence. The Human Pangenome Project will make it possible to compare newly sequenced genomes to multiple complete genomes representing a range of human ancestries.</p><p>An important outcome of the new T2T sequence is enabling more accurate assessments of genetic variants. When human genomes are sequenced for clinical studies to understand the role of genetic variants in disease or to study genetic diversity within and between human populations, they are nearly always analyzed by aligning the sequencing results with the reference genome for comparison. The T2T variant team documented major improvements in identifying and interpreting genetic variants using the new T2T sequence compared to the standard human reference genome.</p><p>\"The new human genome is incredibly accurate at the base level, allowing us to flag hundreds of thousands of variants that had been misinterpreted by mapping them to the standard reference. Many of these new variants are in genes known to contribute to disease. We can now spot those because we have a more complete and accurate reference genome,\" Miga said.</p><p>Miga\'s research has focused on satellite DNA, the long stretches of repetitive DNA sequences found mostly in and around telomeres and centromeres. The centromeres separate each chromosome into a short arm and a long arm and hold duplicated chromosomes together prior to cell division.</p><p>\"The centromeres play a critical role in how chromosomes segregate properly during cell division, and we\'ve known for some time now that they are misregulated in all kinds of human diseases. But we\'ve never been able to study them at the sequence level,\" Miga said. \"By far the largest portion of new sequences added to the reference are centromere satellite DNAs. For the first time, we can study \'base-by-base\' the sequences that define the centromere and can start to understand how it works.\"</p><p>\"Long-read\" DNA sequencing technologies, such as the nanopore sequencing pioneered at UC Santa Cruz, were essential tools for the T2T Consortium. Two long-read sequencing datasets -- high fidelity reads (HiFi data from PacBio systems) and extremely long reads that routinely reach lengths greater than 100,000 base pairs (ultra-long data from Oxford Nanopore devices) -- enabled T2T researchers to span repetitive regions and develop strategies to ensure that the assembly was highly accurate. Miten Jain and other UCSC Genomics Institute researchers helped establish the ultra-long read protocol.</p><p>UC Santa Cruz has a long history of leadership in genomics, starting with a seminal meeting in 1985 to discuss the sequencing of the human genome organized at UCSC by then-Chancellor Robert Sinsheimer. Haussler was invited to join the public Human Genome Project in 1999, and his team played a crucial role in its completion. At the time, James Kent, now a research scientist at the Genomics Institute and director of the UCSC Genome Browser project, was a UCSC graduate student. He wrote the code that assembled the first working draft of the human genome from data obtained by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium, and UCSC posted the draft online for the whole world to access. Kent then created the UCSC Genome Browser, still the most widely used platform to access the human genome.</p><p>The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute has continued to be at the forefront of genomics research and plays a leading role in the T2T and pangenomics efforts.</p><p>\"The T2T work reflects the sustained and dedicated efforts of many people at UC Santa Cruz and elsewhere. Karen Miga has been working hard to get real centromere sequences into the human genome assemblies for a decade, and this has finally come to fruition!\" said Kent. \"I\'m very excited to see this work combined with efforts to get telomere-to-telomere sequences from other human ancestries. We are moving quickly towards a truly complete representation of the human genome.\"</p><p>Miga is a co-corresponding author of the main <em>Science</em> paper, \"The complete sequence of a human genome,\" along with Adam Phillippy at NHGRI and Evan Eichler at the University of Washington. She is also a co-corresponding author of the papers on \"Complete genomic and epigenetic maps of human centromeres\" and \"Epigenetic patterns in a complete human genome,\" and a coauthor of the papers on \"Segmental duplications and their variation in a complete human genome,\" \"A complete reference genome improves analysis of human genetic variation,\" and \"From telomere to telomere: the transcriptional and epigenetic state of human repeat elements.\"</p><p>Other researchers at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute who are coauthors of the papers include Benedict Paten, Mark Diekhans, Erik Garrison (now at University of Tennessee Health Science Center), Marina Haukness, Miten Jain, and Kishwar Shafin. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.</p>','2022-03-31 22:50:25.171548','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - Santa Cruz','The first truly complete sequence of a human genome, covering each chromosome from end to end with no gaps and unprecedented accuracy, is now accessible through the UCSC Genome Browser and is described in six papers published March 31 in Science.\n',1,36,'<li>Sergey Nurk, Sergey Koren, Arang Rhie, Mikko Rautiainen, Andrey V. Bzikadze, Alla Mikheenko, Mitchell R. Vollger, Nicolas Altemose, Lev Uralsky, Ariel Gershman, Sergey Aganezov, Savannah J. Hoyt, Mark Diekhans, Glennis A. Logsdon, Michael Alonge, Stylianos E. Antonarakis, Matthew Borchers, Gerard G. Bouffard, Shelise Y. Brooks, Gina V. Caldas, Nae-Chyun Chen, Haoyu Cheng, Chen-Shan Chin, William Chow, Leonardo G. de Lima, Philip C. Dishuck, Richard Durbin, Tatiana Dvorkina, Ian T. Fiddes, Giulio Formenti, Robert S. Fulton, Arkarachai Fungtammasan, Erik Garrison, Patrick G. S. Grady, Tina A. Graves-Lindsay, Ira M. Hall, Nancy F. Hansen, Gabrielle A. Hartley, Marina Haukness, Kerstin Howe, Michael W. Hunkapiller, Chirag Jain, Miten Jain, Erich D. Jarvis, Peter Kerpedjiev, Melanie Kirsche, Mikhail Kolmogorov, Jonas Korlach, Milinn Kremitzki, Heng Li, Valerie V. Maduro, Tobias Marschall, Ann M. McCartney, Jennifer McDaniel, Danny E. Miller, James C. Mullikin, Eugene W. Myers, Nathan D. Olson, Benedict Paten, Paul Peluso, Pavel A. Pevzner, David Porubsky, Tamara Potapova, Evgeny I. Rogaev, Jeffrey A. Rosenfeld, Steven L. Salzberg, Valerie A. Schneider, Fritz J. Sedlazeck, Kishwar Shafin, Colin J. Shew, Alaina Shumate, Ying Sims, Arian F. A. Smit, Daniela C. Soto, Ivan Sović, Jessica M. Storer, Aaron Streets, Beth A. Sullivan, Françoise Thibaud-Nissen, James Torrance, Justin Wagner, Brian P. Walenz, Aaron Wenger, Jonathan M. D. Wood, Chunlin Xiao, Stephanie M. Yan, Alice C. Young, Samantha Zarate, Urvashi Surti, Rajiv C. McCoy, Megan Y. Dennis, Ivan A. Alexandrov, Jennifer L. Gerton, Rachel J. O’Neill, Winston Timp, Justin M. Zook, Michael C. Schatz, Evan E. Eichler, Karen H. Miga, Adam M. Phillippy. <strong>The complete sequence of a human genome</strong>. <em>Science</em>, 2022; 376 (6588): 44 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abj6987\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/science.abj6987</a>\n</li>'),(1820,'Complete human genome deciphered for the first time','complete-human-genome-deciphered-for-the-first-time','2022-03-31 22:50:29.108934',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Evan Eichler has always been drawn to the most complex regions of humanity\'s genome -- those with bizarrely long stretches of repeated DNA or with extra copies of genes. He suspected these regions might play crucial roles in evolution and disease. That\'s why, more than 20 years ago, he became part of the Human Genome Project, the $3 billion effort to read every letter of a person\'s DNA.</p><p>But after the project claimed victory in 2003, Eichler was only a little closer to his scientific goal. The sequencing effort had failed to read many big chunks of DNA -- more than eight percent of the genome. Scientists knew these missing chunks contained highly repetitive sequences, and largely dismissed them as junk. Not so, says Eichler, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator at the University of Washington. \"It turned out that many of the regions I was interested in were in the gaps.\" He became committed to finishing the job -- reading the entire genome, tricky bits and all.</p><p>Now he and a team of about 100 scientists, led by Adam Phillippy of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and Karen Miga of the University of California, Santa Cruz, (UCSC) have finally gotten it right. In new work first posted as a preprint on <a href=\"http://bioRxiv.org\">bioRxiv.org</a> and now published March 31, 2022, in the journal<em> Science</em>, they describe the first ever sequencing of an entire human genome, adding a whole chromosome\'s worth of previously hidden DNA - the missing eight percent. In the genetic manuscript for life, \"we are seeing chapters that were never read before,\" says Eichler.</p><p>Or as University of Washington geneticist Robert Waterston puts it: \"There are no longer any hidden or unknown bits.\"</p><p>\"I think that is psychologically a big thing,\" adds Waterson, a leader in the original Human Genome Project who was not involved in the new effort. \"I just admire these scientists for sticking with it.\"</p><p><strong>An intricate puzzle</strong></p><p>The human genome is made up of just over six billion individual letters of DNA -- about the same number as other primates like chimps -- spread among 23 pairs of chromosomes. To read a genome, scientists first chop up all that DNA into pieces hundreds to thousands of letters long. Sequencing machines then read the individual letters in each piece, and scientists try to assemble the pieces in the right order, like putting together an intricate puzzle.</p><p>One challenge is that some regions of the genome repeat the same letters over and over again. Repetitive regions include the centromeres, the parts that hold the two strands of chromosomes together and that play crucial roles in cell division, and ribosomal DNA, which provides instructions for the cell\'s protein factories. Still other repetitive parts include new genes that may help species adapt. In the past, all that repetition made it impossible to assemble some chopped-up pieces in the correct order. It\'s like having identical puzzle pieces -- scientists didn\'t know which went where, leaving big gaps in the genomic picture.</p><p>Another snag: most cells contain two genomes - one from the father and one from the mother. When researchers try to assemble all the pieces, sequences from each parent can mix together, obscuring the actual variation within each individual genome.</p><p>In the mid-2000s, as scientists tried to figure out how to overcome the barriers, \"we came up with the idea of getting a complete genome by sequencing just one of the genomes instead of solving two at the same time,\" recalls Eichler. He knew just where to find it -- from a set of cell lines being studied by University of Pittsburgh reproductive geneticist Urvashi Surti. Because of a rare glitch in normal development, the cells end up with two copies of the father\'s DNA and none of the mother\'s.</p><p>Such a cell line, with only one genome, \"is what made this genome assembly possible,\" says HHMI Investigator Erich Jarvis, a Rockefeller University neurogeneticist who collaborated on the new work.</p><p><strong>Fired up</strong></p><p>Other key advances included rapid improvements in the gene sequencing machines made by Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Pacific Biosciences. By 2017, NHGRI\'s Phillippy and UCSC\'s Miga realized that a new Nanopore machine\'s ability to accurately read a million letters of DNA at a time had opened the door to finally tackling the genome\'s hard bits. They created the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) consortium to sequence each chromosome from one end, or telomere, to the other. Around the same time Eichler\'s team had shown the value of using Pacific Biosciences technology to resolve more complex forms of genetic variation.</p><p>There was no guarantee of success. But \"we had the benefit of youthful optimism and we were fired up by the promise of these new technologies,\" recalls Phillippy. The team ran their Nanopore machines nonstop for six months and brought in scores of scientists to assemble the pieces and analyze the results. At the same time, sequencing data were being generated by other team members and Pacific Biosciences using their long-read sequencing platform<strong>. </strong> In particular, the project got a boost when Pacific Biosciences introduced a new sequencing machine which generated long-read sequencing reads that were greater than 99 percent accurate. \"It was the last piece of the puzzle - like putting on a new pair of glasses,\" says Phillippy. The Pacific Biosciences technology couldn\'t cover all parts of the genome equally well, but the scientists realized that by combining the long-read sequencing with the Oxford Nanopore data, they could fill all the gaps.</p><p>By summer 2020, the consortium had assembled two chromosomes and planned what Phillippy calls a hackathon to get the other 21, working remotely over Zoom and Slack during the pandemic. One key aha moment came when the team tried to assemble the most difficult regions of the genome - the highly repetitive DNA in the centromeres. The researchers realized that the algorithms for assembling the pieces couldn\'t handle the repetition, but the human eye could. On the computer screen, the scientists saw where the different repetitive sequences had become tangled together. Then, they untangled it manually, \"like untangling a string in your yo-yo,\" Jarvis says. By summer\'s end, the team had sequenced every chromosome.</p><p><strong>Earthquake of genetic changes</strong></p><p>As each new chapter in our genetic book of life emerged, researchers dove in to look for biological meaning. Their results appear in six papers in <em>Science</em> and more than a dozen papers elsewhere. For example, the team discovered unexpectedly high levels of genetic variation in centromeres and other regions -- \"a whole new treasure chest of variants that we can study to see if they have functional significance,\" says Phillippy.</p><p>The data offer \"the foundation for a new era\" in studying centromeres, says Miga, who co-led the T2T centromere satellite working group. Scientists will now be able to explore how this newly discovered variation contributes to disease, and how centromere DNA changes over time, she says.</p><p>The T2T results also point to more complex patterns of variation in genes that may have helped create the human species -- and could explain our rapid evolution. The full genome sequence reveals that some genes associated with bigger brains are highly variable, Eichler explains. One person might have 10 copies of a particular gene, while others might have only one or two. This variation can spell trouble during fertilization, when chromosomes from mom and dad line up and swap pieces. The mismatched genes can lead to \"an earthquake\" of gene alterations, Eichler explains. As a result, \"these regions become a crucible for both rapid evolutionary changes and disease susceptibility, both within and between species,\" he says.</p><p>The successful completion of a single genome is hardly the last word. Consortium members are already working to sequence a genome with different chromosomes inherited from each parent. They\'re also beginning a pan-genome effort to read the entire DNA sequences of hundreds of people from around the world. \"The goal is to create as complete a human genome as possible, representing much more of human diversity,\" explains Jarvis, co-leader of the pan-genome effort.</p><p>But the new sequence is the indispensable first step, says Eichler. \"Now we have a Rosetta stone for looking at complete variation in hundreds of thousands of other genomes going forward.\"</p>','2022-03-31 22:50:29.108934','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Howard Hughes Medical Institute','Twenty years after scientists first reported reading the human genome, the Telomere-to-Telomere consortium has now unveiled a complete version. Their work uncovered hundreds of new genes and opens the door to new insights into evolution and disease.\n',1,123,'<li>Sergey Nurk, Sergey Koren, Arang Rhie, Mikko Rautiainen, Andrey V. Bzikadze, Alla Mikheenko, Mitchell R. Vollger, Nicolas Altemose, Lev Uralsky, Ariel Gershman, Sergey Aganezov, Savannah J. Hoyt, Mark Diekhans, Glennis A. Logsdon, Michael Alonge, Stylianos E. Antonarakis, Matthew Borchers, Gerard G. Bouffard, Shelise Y. Brooks, Gina V. Caldas, Nae-Chyun Chen, Haoyu Cheng, Chen-Shan Chin, William Chow, Leonardo G. de Lima, Philip C. Dishuck, Richard Durbin, Tatiana Dvorkina, Ian T. Fiddes, Giulio Formenti, Robert S. Fulton, Arkarachai Fungtammasan, Erik Garrison, Patrick G. S. Grady, Tina A. Graves-Lindsay, Ira M. Hall, Nancy F. Hansen, Gabrielle A. Hartley, Marina Haukness, Kerstin Howe, Michael W. Hunkapiller, Chirag Jain, Miten Jain, Erich D. Jarvis, Peter Kerpedjiev, Melanie Kirsche, Mikhail Kolmogorov, Jonas Korlach, Milinn Kremitzki, Heng Li, Valerie V. Maduro, Tobias Marschall, Ann M. McCartney, Jennifer McDaniel, Danny E. Miller, James C. Mullikin, Eugene W. Myers, Nathan D. Olson, Benedict Paten, Paul Peluso, Pavel A. Pevzner, David Porubsky, Tamara Potapova, Evgeny I. Rogaev, Jeffrey A. Rosenfeld, Steven L. Salzberg, Valerie A. Schneider, Fritz J. Sedlazeck, Kishwar Shafin, Colin J. Shew, Alaina Shumate, Ying Sims, Arian F. A. Smit, Daniela C. Soto, Ivan Sović, Jessica M. Storer, Aaron Streets, Beth A. Sullivan, Françoise Thibaud-Nissen, James Torrance, Justin Wagner, Brian P. Walenz, Aaron Wenger, Jonathan M. D. Wood, Chunlin Xiao, Stephanie M. Yan, Alice C. Young, Samantha Zarate, Urvashi Surti, Rajiv C. McCoy, Megan Y. Dennis, Ivan A. Alexandrov, Jennifer L. Gerton, Rachel J. O’Neill, Winston Timp, Justin M. Zook, Michael C. Schatz, Evan E. Eichler, Karen H. Miga, Adam M. Phillippy. <strong>The complete sequence of a human genome</strong>. <em>Science</em>, 2022; 376 (6588): 44 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abj6987\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/science.abj6987</a>\n</li>'),(1821,'German and Austrian deer thus far spared SARS-CoV-2 infections, unlike in North America','german-and-austrian-deer-thus-far-spared-sars-cov-2-infections,-unlike-in-north-america','2022-03-31 22:50:49.499121',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">In North America, SARS-CoV-2 has spread from humans to white-tailed deer. The deer are now considered SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs and may even spill virus back to humans. A science team headed by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and the Charité have now shown that in Germany and Austria this has not happened as all deer tested were negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The research is reported in the journal <em>Microorganisms</em> in a special issue on Viruses of Wild Mammals.</p><p>SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2) is a virus identified in 2020 as the causative agent of COVID-19 disease. White-tailed deer in North America have been shown to be infected with human derived SARS-CoV-2 variants at very high prevalence in many cases. There is preliminary evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can then spill back to humans from deer. This is a cause of concern as novel variants could evolve in their new deer host and eventually spill back to humans, with unforeseeable consequences. While white-tailed deer are a North American species, deer occur worldwide and in central Europe like North America, are heavily hunted and managed.</p><p>A team of scientists from the German Leibniz-IZW, the Institute of Virology of the Charité, the Austrian Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology (FIWI) and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) examined sera from 433 roe, red and fallow deer, both pre-pandemic and pandemic collected for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using an assay that previously confirmed antibody titres in North American deer. None of the deer from Germany or Austria were positive. The team also compared the ACE2 gene, the cellular receptor of hosts for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, among the different deer species. With the exception of one change which might potentially make red deer somewhat more resistant to infection, no changes were found in the receptor in the European species that could account for the drastic difference in results between central European and North American deer exposure.</p><p>A likely explanation for the differences in exposure are how deer are distributed and managed in North America and central Europe. In North America, deer are often peri-urban and urban with high potential levels of contact with humans and human waste. Deer are managed principally by the federal government. In Germany and Austria, deer are generally not peri-urban or present in urban settings and an allocation of hunting licenses for a specific area (the \"Revier\") is predominant where deer in a specific area are locally managed. The Revier structure likely prevents human-deer contact and also hinders the spread of pathogens among deer populations.</p><p>\"Every effort should be made to maintain barriers to human-deer contact in central Europe to prevent the establishment of deer as a SARS-CoV-2 reservoir,\" says Prof Alex D Greenwood, Head of the Department of Wildlife Diseases at the Leibniz IZW.</p>','2022-03-31 22:50:49.499121','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)','In North America, SARS-CoV-2 has spread from humans to white-tailed deer. The deer are now considered SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs and may even spill virus back to humans. Scientists have now shown that in Germany and Austria this has not happened as all deer tested were negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.\n',1,27,'<li>Andres Moreira-Soto, Christian Walzer, Gábor Á. Czirják, Martin H. Richter, Stephen F. Marino, Annika Posautz, Pau De Yebra Rodo, Gayle K. McEwen, Jan Felix Drexler, Alex D. Greenwood. <strong>Serological Evidence That SARS-CoV-2 Has Not Emerged in Deer in Germany or Austria during the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong>. <em>Microorganisms</em>, 2022; 10 (4): 748 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040748\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.3390/microorganisms10040748</a>\n</li>'),(1822,'\'We\'re more alike than we might think\'','\'we\'re-more-alike-than-we-might-think\'','2022-04-01 00:43:07.421334',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Findings published in advance of World Autism Day (Saturday 2 April) reveal there are fundamental similarities between autistic and non-autistic people in mental processing.</p><p>The brain processes information using two systems: System 1 for quicker intuitive judgements, and System 2 for slower rational thinking. These systems are thought to work differently in autistic people, underlying the difficulties they may experience in everyday life and the workplace.</p><p>Yet, a landmark study from the universities of Bath, Cardiff, Manchester, and King\'s College London reports that these fundamental psychological systems are not impaired in autistic people as once thought. In the largest study of its kind, which involved over 1000 people, the researchers tested the link between autism and \'quick\' intuitive and \'slow\' rational thinking.</p><p>In three experiments, they analysed the link between autistic personality traits and thinking style. In the fourth, they compared 200 autistic and over 200 non-autistic people. Overall, their results showed that autistic people think as quickly and as rationally as non-autistic people.</p><p>The researchers conclude that certain, fundamental mental processes are more similar between autistic and non-autistic people than previously thought. In light of these findings, they call for a shift in the way that society thinks about autism as a mental processing disorder.</p><p>They also recommend that it might be important to redesign educational, clinical, and workplace support for autistic people and their families. Support should be much more targeted, instead of assuming that autistic people all have mental processing difficulties, they say.</p><p>The research team argue that the requirement to make \'reasonable adjustments\' in education and commercial organisations, underpinned by the Equality Act, such as allowing extra time in exams and extending deadlines, is not an evidence-based way to support neurodivergent people.</p><p>Instead, more fundamental changes might be required, such as changing social and sensory environments and making them more equitable for autistic people to thrive.</p><p>Dr Punit Shah, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Bath and the GW4 Neurodevelopmental Neurodiversity Network, explained: \"There is a tradition of investigating mental difficulties in autism. While this can be important for developing clinical interventions, there is also a need to understand psychological similarities between different groups.</p><p>\"The University of Bath is doing ground-breaking work on this, showing that there is often more that unites than divides us, and our new neurodiversity research is another step in this direction.</p><p>\"Many employers and organisations assume that neurodiversity is simply about celebrating differences between people. But a comprehensive approach to neurodiversity must understand and celebrate similarities between \'neurodivergent\' and \'neurotypical\' people, too. Not only will our research feed into and improve the design of clinical and educational interventions for autism, it may help to break down stereotypes about how autistic people think and behave, moving us closer towards an evidence-based approach to neurodiversity.\"</p><p>Dr Shah added: \"If we continue telling autistic people and wider society that autistic people \'think differently\' -- however well-intentioned it might be -- that will lead to stereotyping and self-stereotyping, such that autistic people become restricted to thinking in certain ways and therefore doing certain jobs. Our research doesn\'t support this idea and, instead, indicates that autistic people often think in a way that is very similar to non-autistic people and they should not be constrained to certain tasks in educational and workplace settings.\"</p><p>Commenting on the research, Charlotte Valuer, Chair of the Institute of Neurodiversity, said: \"This is very interesting research which aligns with much of our work at the Institute of Neurodiversity (ION). We are indeed more alike than different and having research to show that is important. There are so many misconceptions out there and they are best addressed through research which will also help and underpin the work autism self advocates do. ION\'s purpose is to help us prosper equally to everyone else. Part of that is helping and supporting all of us in our self advocacy so we grow our global voice and agency.\"</p>','2022-04-01 00:43:07.421334','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Bath','A study published in advance of World Autism Day suggests we need a more evidence-based approach to neurodiversity.\n',1,27,'<li>Emily C. Taylor, George D. Farmer, Lucy A. Livingston, Mitchell J. Callan, Punit Shah. <strong>Rethinking fast and slow processing in autism.</strong>. <em>Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/abn0000734\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1037/abn0000734</a>\n</li>'),(1823,'Polynesian Island yields \'treasure trove\' of fungal biodiversity','polynesian-island-yields-\'treasure-trove\'-of-fungal-biodiversity','2022-04-01 00:43:12.561858',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The islands of the South Pacific are a hot spot for biodiversity, but their jagged peaks, hot and humid conditions, and remote locations have limited scientists\' ability to document the many fantastic forms of life in the region.</p><p>In a new study published this week in the <em>Journal of Biogeography</em>, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, provide the first detailed description of the stunning array of fungi that make their home on the Polynesian island of Mo\'orea. The collection includes more than 200 species of macrofungi -- that is, fungi producing visible, fruiting bodies -- many of which may be new to science.</p><p>\"It\'s like a treasure trove,\" said study lead author Matteo Garbelotto, cooperative extension specialist and adjunct professor of environmental science, policy and management at UC Berkeley. \"It\'s truly uncharted territory in evolutionary biology and biodiversity of the fungal kingdom, and this is one the first attempts to generate baseline information on fungal diversity,<em> not just for Mo\'orea, but for the entire and vast Insular Oceania region.\"</em></p><p>As part of the Mo\'orea Biocode Project, the study team spent months trekking across the island in search of new species of fungi, ultimately gathering a total of 553 fungal specimens and sequencing the DNA of 433 of them. Because only a handful of the sequenced specimens have exact genetic matches with other known species, the Mo\'orea collections are likely to contain completely new species.</p><p>By comparing the DNA sequences of these fungi to those of other species around the world, the team was also able to piece together where the fungal biodiversity on the remote island may have originated. The findings suggest that the majority of the species, or their ancestors, were carried by easterly winds from Australia or other South Pacific islands, though a small number may have been brought to Mo\'orea by humans from far-flung locations like East Asia, Europe and South America.</p><p>\"We were really interested in the biodiversity of the island,\" said study first author Todd Osmundson, who completed the work as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. \"Mo\'orea is an island in the middle of the ocean, and it\'s a geologically young volcanic island. It\'s never touched another piece of land. How did fungi get there, and where did they come from?\"</p><p>Understanding both the biodiversity of fungi on the island and how different species have traveled around the world to arrive at this remote location can help as scientists grapple with the ongoing impacts of global travel and trade on biodiversity.</p><p>\"The Mo\'orea BioCode project was the first all-taxa-survey of a tropical island to include DNA vouchers and other associated information. It included all organisms from marine and terrestrial habitats and everything larger than bacteria,\" said George Roderick, William Muriece Hoskins Professor of environmental science, policy and management at UC Berkeley. \"Since, the data has proven to be enormously valuable in monitoring the impacts of global change on Mo\'orea but also on other tropical Pacific Islands.\"</p><p><strong>\'Every day we had a different challenge\'</strong></p><p>The Mo\'orea Biocode Project was led by Neil Davies, executive director of UC Berkeley\'s Gump South Pacific Research Station, and ran from 2007 to 2010. One of the motivations for the project was to create a model ecosystem that could be used to answer fundamental questions about how ecosystems work.</p><p>\"Fungi are really important parts of ecosystems,\" said Osmundson, who is currently a professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. \"They act as primary decomposers, and in some cases (as) pathogens that break down decaying organic matter and recycle the nutrients into forms that other organisms can use. They\'re also really important as symbionts. They live with other organisms and benefit that organism in exchange for other things. For instance, some fungi will attach to the roots of plants and exchange nutrients with them.\"</p><p>To collect the specimens, the research team spent months on Mo\'orea, beginning before dawn each day to gather samples of fungi from all corners of the ecosystem, including the soil, the roots and leaves of plants, and even the air.</p><p>As the heat and humidity rose throughout the day, the outdoor conditions would often become inhospitable to both the scientists and the delicate fruiting bodies of the fungi they had collected. By early afternoon, they would take their samples back to the lab and begin the process of documenting and culturing the specimens they had found, often staying up late into the night to complete their work.</p><p>\"The terrain on the island is incredibly steep, and when it rains it becomes incredibly muddy, and a lot of areas are not managed. So, every day we had a different challenge,\" Garbelotto said. \"There are some slopes that you can only really explore on ropes. I remember being attached to a rope with my hands sticking out on the precipice, trying to collect a mushroom that was growing on a little outcrop where you couldn\'t possibly walk.<em>\"</em></p><p>Each of the specimens was photographed and dried for storage in the University Herbarium and compared to databases of known species. As part of the biocode project, the research team also obtained DNA sequences of a specific gene that can be used as a unique \"barcode\" to differentiate one species from another.</p><p>\"In many ways, Mo\'orea is not a pristine island, and that actually makes it more interesting to me,\" Garbelotto said. \"The island has completely pristine areas and also has areas that have been inhabited and deeply changed by humans, starting with the arrival of Polynesians 3,000 years ago and continuing until relatively recently with the arrival of the French, the English and the Americans. Compared to places that are completely pristine, Mo\'orea is more interesting to me because it\'s more representative of what the world actually is.\"</p><p>Additional co-authors of the paper are Sarah E. Bergemann of Middle Tennessee State University and Rikke Rasmussen, who worked on DNA sequencing as a volunteer at UC Berkeley. The Moorea Biocode Project was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-01 00:43:12.561858','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - Berkeley','Researchers have provided a detailed description of the stunning array of fungi that make their home on the Polynesian island of Mo\'orea. The collection includes more than 200 species of macrofungi -- that is, fungi producing visible, fruiting bodies -- many of which may be new to science.\n',1,27,'<li>Todd W. Osmundson, Sarah E. Bergemann, Rikke Rasmussen, Matteo M. Garbelotto. <strong>Using point data to assess biogeographical signal, endemicity and factors associated with macrofungal diversity in the data‐poor Pacific oceanic island bioregion</strong>. <em>Journal of Biogeography</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14354\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1111/jbi.14354</a>\n</li>'),(1824,'Scientists develop environmentally safe, frost-resistant coatings','scientists-develop-environmentally-safe,-frost-resistant-coatings','2022-04-01 02:28:54.043573',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Airports are busy, especially during the winter. As passengers wait to board, delays get longer when airplanes need to be dowsed with thousands of gallons of deicing fluids that help them fight the frigid winter. But as soon as the plane takes off, most of the liquid is gone from the surface of the aircraft and ends up polluting freshwater streams and lakes.</p><p>In an endeavor to make a more efficient product immune to ice for such demanding industries and consumers, Sushant Anand, UIC assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Rukmava Chatterjee, a UIC Ph.D. student, have developed a longer-lasting alternative to conventional deicers. They say it could also benefit other industries.</p><p>\"We questioned the lifetime of the cryoprotectants and looked at new ways to increase their effectivity,\" Anand said. \"Glycols dissolve very fast in the water and get washed away before the plane takes off, and it\'s a serious problem that costs hundreds of millions of dollars -- most of which literally ends up in the drain. We thought, why not improve such chemicals themselves, and make alternatives that can last longer while being more biofriendly. And that is what we ended up doing.\"</p><p>To accomplish their goal, the researchers developed an extensive family of more than 80 anti-freezing coatings, which can be classified as polymeric solutions, emulsions, creams and gels. The formulations can be easily applied to aluminum, steel, copper, glass, plastic or any industrial surface without preconditioning or expensive surface treatments.</p><p>\"Our coatings are an all-in-one package which can delay formation of frost for extended hours and simultaneously cause any ice formed on its surface to easily shed off by a gentle breeze or simple substrate tilting,\" Chatterjee said.</p><p>Their work is reported in an <em>Advanced Materials</em> article titled \"A family of frost-resistant and icephobic coatings.\"</p><p>The coatings are a family of phase change material-based formulations and multifunctional coatings which can tailor solid foulant adhesion on functional surfaces, ranging from ice to bacteria, irrespective of their inherent material structure and chemistry. This was engineered by regulating how chemicals leach out of the material system and by creating a lubricating surface layer that is both slippery and non-freezing in nature.</p><p>The anti-freezing gels are also transparent, which is critical for applications like traffic signals, runway lights that assist pilots during landings, automotive windshields or building windows.</p><p>\"Imagine coating your smartwatch with our gel that can inhibit ice accretion in the chilly negatives while simultaneously preventing any bacterial contamination,\" Chatterjee said.</p><p>\"Since our anti-icing sprays are bio-friendly and anti-bacterial, we even think there is a potential to use them in agriculture to prevent crops from being ruined by severe frost,\" Anand said. \"But that is a pipe dream, and we need to do more studies to see if there will be any long-term adverse effect on the plants.\"</p><p>A worldwide patent application titled \"Compositions and Methods for Inhibiting Ice Formation on Surfaces\" has been filed by UIC\'s Office of Technology Management.</p><p>\"There is great potential in these materials for many applications, and I think the day when commercial versions of our materials come out just got closer,\" Anand said.</p><p>Anand Research Group members Hassan Bararnia and Umesh Chaudhuri collaborated with Chatterjee on the experiments.</p>','2022-04-01 02:28:54.043573','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Illinois Chicago','Engineers have developed a longer-lasting alternative to conventional deicers.\n',1,45,'<li>Rukmava Chatterjee, Hassan Bararnia, Sushant Anand. <strong>A family of frost‐resistant and icephobic coatings</strong>. <em>Advanced Materials</em>, 2022; 2109930 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202109930\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1002/adma.202109930</a>\n</li>'),(1825,'Burst of accumulated zinc shows how the mineral boosts immune function, suggesting ways to improve health','burst-of-accumulated-zinc-shows-how-the-mineral-boosts-immune-function,-suggesting-ways-to-improve-health','2022-04-01 02:28:59.965334',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Zinc\'s immune-boosting properties are well-established, but scientists haven\'t known exactly how it works. In a new study published online March 25 in the journal <em>Blood,</em> Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists reveal two ways the mineral supports immunity and suggest how it could be used to improve health.</p><p>Using mice, the team discovered that zinc is needed for the development of disease-fighting immune cells called T cells and prompts regeneration of the thymus, the immune organ that produces T cells.</p><p>\"This study adds to our knowledge of what zinc is actually doing in the immune system and suggests a new therapeutic strategy for improving recovery of the immune system,\" said senior author Dr. Jarrod Dudakov, an immunologist at Fred Hutch.</p><p>The study also revealed that an experimental compound that mimics zinc\'s action in this organ works even better than the natural mineral to promote immune recovery.</p><p>\"We are now looking into how zinc may fit in with our other discoveries of how the immune system repairs itself and could eventually lead to therapies to improve immune function for people who receive a blood stem cell transplant for a blood cancer or people with chronic immune decline that accompanies aging,\" Dudakov said.</p><p><strong>Thymic regeneration and immune function, and zinc</strong></p><p>Previously, Dudakov and his team have outlined the molecular pathways and cell types that govern how the immune system\'s thymus repairs itself after injury. Such treatments could improve vaccine efficacy and hasten thymic regeneration after stressors like chemotherapy, blood stem cell transplant and radiation exposure.</p><p>Dudakov began studying zinc a few years ago when Dr. Lorenzo Iovino, the study\'s first author and a research associate at Fred Hutch, joined Dudakov\'s lab. Since the scientists knew that low levels of zinc are linked to fewer infection fighting T cells and a shrunken thymus, where T cells develop, Dudakov and Iovino explored how to supplement with zinc in mouse models where the immune system is damaged.</p><p>Iovino, who\'s also a blood stem cell transplant physician, had shown in a previous study that zinc could boost immune recovery in patients undergoing stem-cell transplants for the blood cancer multiple myeloma.</p><p>But the study didn\'t explain why zinc was helping.</p><p><strong>Zinc is critical for T-cell development and thymic regeneration</strong></p><p>As in humans, Iovino and Dudakov found that the thymuses of mice deprived of dietary zinc shrink and produce notably fewer mature T cells, even after as little as three weeks of a no-zinc diet. Iovino was able to show that without zinc, T cells cannot fully mature.</p><p>He also found that zinc deficiency slows recovery of T-cell numbers after mice receive immune-destroying treatments akin to those given to patients about to receive a blood stem cell transplant.</p><p>Conversely, extra zinc speeds this process, and T cells recover faster than normal. The team saw a similar result in a mouse model of blood stem cell transplant.</p><p>\"So we had a consistent result of a better reconstitution of the thymus and also a better reconstitution of T cells in the peripheral blood after zinc supplementation,\" Iovino said. \"But we still didn\'t know how exactly zinc was working.\"</p><p>Iovino discovered that it was the change in zinc levels <em>around</em> cells that release a key regenerative factor that seemed to kick off the thymus\' renewal processes. T cells accumulate zinc as they develop, but release it after a damaging event -- like a burst of radiation -- kills them off.</p><p>Cells use a molecule called GPR39 to sense a change in external zinc, and Iovino found that an experimental compound that mimics rising external zinc levels by stimulating GPR39 could also promote renewal factor release and thymic regeneration.</p><p>\"What we think is going on is, as you give zinc supplementation, that gets accumulated within the developing T cells. It gets stored and stored and stored, then the damage comes along and the zinc is released,\" Dudakov said. \"Now you have more zinc than you normally would, and it can instigate this regenerative pathway. With the experimental compound we can just directly target GPR39 and basically get the same effect without any of that pretreatment.\"</p><p><strong>Getting to the clinic</strong></p><p>There\'s still a lot to learn before they can turn their findings to therapeutic strategies, the scientists said.</p><p>Transplant patients already receive mineral supplements, so if extra zinc were to be incorporated into their treatment regimens, it would be important to make sure that anyone receiving it is truly zinc-deficient. Iovino thinks many patients might be, but right now there isn\'t a good test to assess this. He\'s currently working on developing one, which would first be used to help researchers determine whether patients\' zinc status correlates with immune recovery after blood stem cell transplant.</p><p>Dudakov will pursue GPR39-stimulating compounds as therapies to improve thymic recovery after acute injuries like pre-transplant radiation. The team is currently screening similar compounds to find any that may be more effective.</p><p>He and Iovino are also working to determine whether such compounds could help with thymic regeneration in other settings. Unfortunately, our thymuses also slowly shrink and reduce their T-cell output as we age. Dudakov and Iovino would also like to know whether this chronic degeneration could be slowed by boosting the organ\'s regenerative processes.</p><p>\"Our lab is continuing to piece together the molecular players that contribute to thymus regrowth,\" Dudakov said. \"Ultimately, we aim to develop therapies that trigger natural regeneration and restore immune health.\"</p><p>The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Society of Hematology and The Rotary Foundation.</p>','2022-04-01 02:28:59.965334','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center','Zinc\'s immune-boosting properties are well-established, but scientists haven\'t known exactly how it works. Scientists now reveal two ways the mineral supports immunity and suggest how it could be used to improve health. Using mice, the team discovered that zinc is needed for the development of disease-fighting immune cells called T cells and prompts regeneration of the thymus, the immune organ that produces T cells.\n',1,91,'<li>Lorenzo Iovino, Kirsten Cooper, Paul deRoos, Sinead Kinsella, Cindy Anggelica Evandy, Tamas Ugrai, Francesco Mazziotta, Kathleen S. Ensbey, David Granadier, Kayla Hopwo, Colton W Smith, Alex Gagnon, Sara Galimberti, Mario Petrini, Geoffrey R Hill, Jarrod A Dudakov. <strong>Activation of the Zinc-sensing receptor GPR39 promotes T cell reconstitution after hematopoietic cell transplant in mice</strong>. <em>Blood</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.2021013950\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1182/blood.2021013950</a>\n</li>'),(1826,'Viral transformations in the female genital tract can spell trouble for women’s health','viral-transformations-in-the-female-genital-tract-can-spell-trouble-for-women’s-health','2022-04-01 02:38:30.622863',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a known risk factor for cervical cancer. Researchers at Arizona State University are hoping to better understand the factors leading to persistent HPV infection and the progression to cancer, by studying the complex communities of microbes in the female reproductive tract, known as the vaginal microbiome.</p><p>In a new study, Efrem Lim and his colleagues examine an often-overlooked subset of the vaginal microbiome -- the viruses. Lim is a researcher with the ASU Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, and an assistant professor at the ASU School of Life Sciences. The research demonstrates that crucial changes in the vast community of viruses or virome may enable persistent HPV infection and progression to cancer. The viral alterations appear to be associated with changes in bacterial composition and genital inflammation.</p><p>\"Microbes maintain a delicate balance in our body to promote health,\" Lim says. \"Viruses can tip the scale towards a worse health outcome.\"</p><p>The research appears in the current issue of the journal <em>mSystems.</em></p><p>Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women. In 2020, more than 600,000 cases and 340,000 deaths were reported worldwide. In addition to infection with the HPV virus, known risk factors for cervical cancer include immunodeficiency, smoking and oral contraceptive use.</p><p>Recent studies have explored the relationship of the vaginal microbiome to cervical cancer, though the viral component has often been neglected. Viruses interact with both human cells and the vast profusion of bacteria present in the genital tract. The new study uses next-generation gene sequencing to get a clearer read on the community of viruses present in vaginal microbiome samples from women in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area.</p><p>The results highlight an association between genital inflammation and low abundance of the bacterial species Lactobacillus with reduction in virome diversity. Lactobacillus bacteria are known to be important mediators of genital health. Further, conditions conducive to persistent HPV infection were also associated with the abundance of a group of viruses that infect bacteria -- known as bacteriophages. The findings further emphasize the importance of studies of the virome and its complex interactions with other constituents of the human microbiome.</p>','2022-04-01 02:38:30.622863','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Arizona State University','A new study uses next-generation gene sequencing to get a clearer read on the community of viruses present in vaginal microbiome samples and its implication for the development of cervical cancer.\n',1,7,'<li>Emily A. Kaelin, Peter T. Skidmore, Paweł Łaniewski, LaRinda A. Holland, Dana M. Chase, Melissa M. Herbst-Kralovetz, Efrem S. Lim. <strong>Cervicovaginal DNA Virome Alterations Are Associated with Genital Inflammation and Microbiota Composition</strong>. <em>mSystems</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00064-22\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1128/msystems.00064-22</a>\n</li>'),(1827,'Technology has the potential to change the patient-provider relationship','technology-has-the-potential-to-change-the-patient-provider-relationship','2022-04-01 02:38:33.122811',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Healthcare technology continues to evolve and has the potential to significantly change the relationship between providers and their patients. A study from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine analyzed perspectives on personal health records.</p><p>Personal health records are different from electronic health records because they are used by the patient as opposed to the provider. They are sometimes referred to as patient portals and allow the patient to see test results, medications and other health information.</p><p>The research team interviewed providers, patients and caregivers associated with the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center about their thoughts on personal health records and how they could be used.</p><p>\"During the interviews, patients expressed the potential for personal health records to deepen their relationship with their provider and to allow them to be more understood. Physicians were interested in having more clinical information sharing to facilitate better care,\" said study author David Haggstrom, M.D., MAS, director of the Regenstrief Institute Center for Health Services Research, core investigator at the VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&amp;D) Center for Health Information and Communication (CHIC) and associate professor of medicine at IU School of Medicine. \"These different visions of the value of these records show the need for discussions between physicians and patients to set expectations about the uses of PHRs.\"</p><p>Both doctors and patients raised concerns about workflow.</p><p>\"Patient portals have already created an additional strain on medical staff, and patients are sensitive to that. Careful thought needs to be given to how health systems and teams deploy PHRs to still provide patient-centered care,\" said Dr. Haggstrom.</p><p>The next steps for personal health records involve implementing them more widely, tailoring them for specific conditions and making them more user-friendly.</p><p>Dr. Haggstrom is currently leading a five-year clinical trial using a personal health record created specifically for cancer patients. The research team will be looking at both the quality of care and the impact on the patient-provider relationship.</p><p>In addition to Dr. Haggstrom, Thomas Carr, M.D. of VA CHIC is an author. The study was supported in part by VA HSR&amp;D CDA 07-016, the VA Advanced Medical Informatics Fellowship Program and the Livestrong Foundation.</p>','2022-04-01 02:38:33.122811','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Regenstrief Institute','As personal health records (AKA patient portals) allowing patients to see test results, medications and other health information gain in popularity, scientists studied cancer patients\' and doctors\' differing perceptions of this tool. Patients cited potential for personal health records to deepen their relationship with their healthcare provider and to allow them to be more understood. Physicians were interested in having more clinical information sharing to facilitate better patient care.\n',1,27,'<li>David A Haggstrom, Thomas Carr. <strong>Uses of Personal Health Records for Communication Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Caregivers, and Providers: Interview and Observational Study in a Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory</strong>. <em>JMIR Human Factors</em>, 2022; 9 (1): e16447 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/16447\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.2196/16447</a>\n</li>'),(1828,'Quantum \'shock absorbers\' allow perovskite to exhibit superfluorescence at room temperature','quantum-\'shock-absorbers\'-allow-perovskite-to-exhibit-superfluorescence-at-room-temperature','2022-04-01 02:38:35.575890',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Semiconducting perovskites that exhibit superfluorescence at room temperature do so due to built-in thermal \"shock absorbers\" which protect dipoles within the material from thermal interference. A new study from North Carolina State University explores the mechanism involved in this macroscopic quantum phase transition and explains how and why materials like perovskites exhibit macroscopic quantum coherence at high temperatures.</p><p>Picture a school of fish swimming in unison or the synchronized flashing of fireflies -- examples of collective behavior in nature. When similar collective behavior happens in the quantum world -- a phenomenon known as macroscopic quantum phase transition -- it leads to exotic processes such as superconductivity, superfluidity, or superfluorescenece. In all of these processes a group of quantum particles forms a macroscopically coherent system that acts like a giant quantum particle.</p><p>Superfluorescence is a macroscopic quantum phase transition in which a population of tiny light emitting units known as dipoles form a giant quantum dipole and simultaneously radiate a burst of photons. Similar to superconductivity and superfluidity, superfluorescence normally requires cryogenic temperatures to be observed, because the dipoles move out of phase too quickly to form a collectively coherent state.</p><p>Recently, a team led by Kenan Gundogdu, professor of physics at NC State and corresponding author of a paper describing the work, had observed superfluorescence at room temperature in hybrid perovskites.</p><p>\"Our initial observations indicated that something was protecting these atoms from thermal disturbances at higher temperatures,\" Gundogdu says.</p><p>The team analyzed the structure and optical properties of a common lead-halide hybrid perovskite. They noticed the formation of polarons in these materials -- quasiparticles made of bound lattice motion and electrons. Lattice motion refers to a group of atoms that are collectively oscillating. When an electron binds to these oscillating atoms, a polaron forms.</p><p>\"Our analysis showed that formation of large polarons creates a thermal vibrational noise filter mechanism that we call, \'Quantum Analog of Vibration Isolation,\' or QAVI,\" Gundogdu says.</p><p>According to Franky So, Walter and Ida Freeman Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State, \"In layman\'s terms, QAVI is a shock absorber. Once the dipoles are protected by the shock absorbers, they can synchronize and exhibit superfluorescence.\" So is co-author of the research.</p><p>According to the researchers, QAVI is an intrinsic property that exists in certain materials, like hybrid perovskites. However, understanding how this mechanism works could lead to quantum devices that could operate at room temperature.</p><p>\"Understanding this mechanism not only solves a major physics puzzle, it may help us identify, select and also tailor materials with properties that allow extended quantum coherence and macroscopic quantum phase transitions\" Gundogdu says.</p><p>The research appears in <em>Nature Photonics</em> and is supported by the National Science Foundation (grant 1729383) and NC State\'s Research and Innovation Seed Funding. NC State graduate students Melike Biliroglu and Gamze Findik are co-first authors.</p>','2022-04-01 02:38:35.575890','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'North Carolina State University','Semiconducting perovskites that exhibit superfluorescence at room temperature do so due to built-in thermal \'shock absorbers\' which protect dipoles within the material from thermal interference.\n',1,27,'<li>Biliroglu, M., Findik, G., Mendes, J. et al. <strong>Room-temperature superfluorescence in hybrid perovskites and its origins</strong>. <em>Nat. Photon.</em>, 2022 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41566-022-00974-4\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41566-022-00974-4</a>\n</li>'),(1829,'Graphene gets enhanced by flashing','graphene-gets-enhanced-by-flashing','2022-04-01 02:38:38.497671',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Flashing graphene into existence from waste was merely a good start. Now Rice University researchers are customizing it.</p><p>The Rice lab of chemist James Tour has modified its flash Joule heating process to produce doped graphene that tailors the atom-thick material\'s structures and electronic states to make them more suitable for optical and electronic nanodevices. The doping process adds other elements to graphene\'s 2D carbon matrix.</p><p>The process reported in the American Chemical Society journal <em>ACS Nano</em> shows how graphene can be doped with a single element or with pairs or trios of elements. The process was demonstrated with single elements boron, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur, a two-element combination of boron and nitrogen, and a three-element mix of boron, nitrogen and sulfur.</p><p>The process takes about one second, is both catalyst- and solvent-free, and is entirely dependent on \"flashing\" a powder that combines the dopant elements with carbon black.</p><p>Doping graphene is possible through bottom-up approaches like chemical vapor deposition or synthetic organic processes, but these usually yield products in trace amounts or produce defects in the graphene. The Rice process is a promising route to produce large quantities of \"heteroatom-doped\" graphene quickly and without solvents, catalysts or water.</p><p>\"This opens up a new realm of possibilities for flash graphene,\" Tour said. \"Once we learned to make the original product, we knew the ability to directly synthesize doped turbostratic graphene would lead to many more options for useful products. These new atoms added to the graphene matrix will permit stronger composites to be made since the new atoms will bind better to the host material, such as concrete, asphalt or plastic. The added atoms will also modify the electronic properties, making them better-suited for specific electronic and optical devices.\"</p><p>Graphene is turbostratic when stacks of the 2D honeycomblike lattices don\'t align with one another. This makes it easier to disperse the nanoscale sheets in a solution, producing soluble graphene that is much simpler to incorporate into other materials, Tour said.</p><p>The lab tested various doped graphenes in two scenarios: electrochemical oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) that are key to catalytic devices like fuel cells, and as part of an electrode in lithium metal batteries that represent the next generation of rechargeable batteries with high energy densities.</p><p>Sulfur-doped graphene proved best for ORR, while nitrogen-doped graphene proved able to reduce nucleation overpotential during the electrodeposition of metallic lithium. That should facilitate more uniform deposition and improved stability in next-generation rechargeable metal batteries, the lab reported.</p><p>Rice graduate students Weiyin Chen and Chang Ge are co-lead authors of the paper. Co-authors are alumnus John Tianci Li, graduate students Jacob Beckham, Kevin Wyss, Paul Advincula, Lucas Eddy and Jinhang Chen, undergraduate Robert Carter, postdoctoral researcher Zhe Yuan, research scientist Carter Kittrell and alumnus Duy Xuan Luong.</p><p>The research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-19-1-0296), the Department of Energy-National Energy Technology Laboratory (DE-FE0031794) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers\' Engineer Research and Development Center (W912HZ-21-2-0050).</p>','2022-04-01 02:38:38.497671','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Rice University','Scientists who developed the flash Joule heating process to make graphene have found a way to produce doped graphene to customize it for applications.\n',1,27,'<li>Weiyin Chen, Chang Ge, John Tianci Li, Jacob L. Beckham, Zhe Yuan, Kevin M. Wyss, Paul A. Advincula, Lucas Eddy, Carter Kittrell, Jinhang Chen, Duy Xuan Luong, Robert A. Carter, James M. Tour. <strong>Heteroatom-Doped Flash Graphene</strong>. <em>ACS Nano</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c01136\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1021/acsnano.2c01136</a>\n</li>'),(1830,'How giant viruses mature: New evidence from the medusavirus sheds light','how-giant-viruses-mature:-new-evidence-from-the-medusavirus-sheds-light','2022-04-01 02:38:42.732658',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Giant viruses represent a unique group of viruses that are similar in size to small bacteria. Medusavirus -- a special type of giant virus -- was first isolated from a hot spring in Japan. Interestingly, genetic studies showed that medusavirus was more closely related to mature organisms called eukaryotes than to other giant viruses, suggesting that it may hold the key to understanding eukaryotic evolution. Although the details of medusavirus morphology and maturation in infected cells have so far remained elusive, the researchers behind its initial discovery now have some answers.</p><p>In a recent study published in <em>Journal of Virology</em>, a team of Japanese scientists led by Prof. Kazuyoshi Murata from the National Institutes of Natural Sciences and Prof. Masaharu Takemura from Tokyo University of Science has revealed, for the first time, a unique four-stage maturation process that the medusavirus undergoes within host cells. Prof. Takemura comments, \"<em>From an evolutionary perspective, the medusavirus is extremely interesting, as its replication process and genome are different from those of other viruses. Interestingly, medusavirus also has a unique particle structure. In this study, we wanted to make additional inroads towards elucidating the biology of this virus by characterizing its morphology and maturation process.\"</em></p><p>To do this, the researchers used two techniques that allow the high-resolution visualization of viral infection -- conventional transmission electron microscopy (C-TEM) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Using these techniques, they observed the detailed particle morphology of medusavirus in infected amoeba cells.</p><p>Their first and rather surprising discovery was the presence of four types of medusavirus particles both within and outside the infected host cells. Based on their features, these particles were named pseudo-DNA-empty (p-Empty, i.e., filled with spongy material but no DNA), DNA-empty (Empty, i.e., no spongy material or DNA), semi-DNA-full (s-Full, i.e., half-filled with DNA), and DNA-full (Full, i.e., completely filled with DNA) particles.</p><p>Subsequently, they performed time-course analysis, in which the gene expression was measured at several time points during maturation, and discovered that the four types of particles represented four consecutive stages of viral maturation. They found that unlike in other viruses, the viral capsid or shell of medusavirus was produced independently in the host cell\'s cytoplasm, while the viral DNA was produced in the nucleus. Further, only empty capsids present near the host nucleus could incorporate viral DNA and become s-Full or DNA-full particles. These findings suggested that the medusavirus had a unique maturation process.</p><p>To observe the detailed structure of the four types of medusavirus particles, the team used the cryo-EM technique. They found that all the different particle types had a comparable outer structure, with the presence of three different spikes. The configuration of the capsid shell was also consistent with the structure of the membrane layer within the capsid. However, while s-Full and Full particles showed a complete internal membrane, p-Empty and Empty particles had \"open membrane structures,\" meaning the membrane had a gap at one end.</p><p>\"<em>Viruses are smart and can replicate and mature in various ways. Our findings reveal the unique way in which the medusavirus matures. The open membranes we observed in p-Empty and Empty particles were particularly interesting. We believe that the membrane gaps indicate an incompleteness and represent a state in which viral particles have not yet matured. The gaps are likely used to exchange DNA and proteins required for medusavirus maturation and disappear as the virus reaches its final stage,\" </em>explains Prof. Takemura.</p><p>These new insights not only demonstrate a novel mechanism of particle formation and maturation in medusavirus but also shed light on the great structural and behavioral diversity of giant viruses. They represent a \"giant\" leap in our knowledge of virus biology and call for further research into giant viruses, which could help answer numerous questions about evolution and infection.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-01 02:38:42.732658','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Tokyo University of Science','Medusavirus, a giant virus, is more closely related to eukaryotic cells than other giant viruses are. In an exciting new study, scientists have used electron microscopy and time-course analysis to discover four different types of medusavirus particles within and outside infected amoeba cells, representing four different stages of virus maturation. Their results indicate that the medusavirus has a unique maturation process, providing new insights into the structural and behavioral diversity of giant viruses.\n',1,27,'<li>Ryoto Watanabe, Chihong Song, Yoko Kayama, Masaharu Takemura, Kazuyoshi Murata. <strong>Particle Morphology of Medusavirus Inside and Outside the Cells Reveals a New Maturation Process of Giant Viruses</strong>. <em>Journal of Virology</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01853-21\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1128/jvi.01853-21</a>\n</li>'),(1831,'MARATHON measures mirror nuclei','marathon-measures-mirror-nuclei','2022-04-01 02:38:56.549904',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Scientists are holding up a \'mirror\' to protons and neutrons to learn more about the particles that build our visible universe. The MARATHON experiment, carried out at the U.S. Department of Energy\'s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, has accessed new details about these particles\' structures by comparing the so-called mirror nuclei, helium-3 and triton. The results were recently published in <em>Physical Review Letters</em>.</p><p>The fundamental particles that form most of the matter we see in the universe -- quarks and gluons -- are buried deep inside the protons and neutrons, the nucleons that make up atomic nuclei. The existence of quarks and gluons was first confirmed a half-century ago in Nobel Prize-winning experiments conducted at DOE\'s Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (now known as SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory).</p><p>These first-of-their-kind experiments introduced the era of deep inelastic scattering. This experimental method uses high-energy electrons that travel deep inside protons and neutrons to probe the quarks and gluons there.</p><p>\"When we say deep inelastic scattering, what we mean is that nuclei bombarded with electrons in the beam break up instantly thereby revealing the nucleons inside them when the scattered electrons are captured with state-of-the art particle detection systems,\" said Gerassimos (Makis) Petratos, a professor at Kent State University and the spokesperson and contact person for the MARATHON experiment.</p><p>The huge particle detector systems that collect the electrons that emerge from these collisions measure their momenta -- a quantity that includes the electrons\' mass and velocity.</p><p>Since those first experiments five decades ago, deep inelastic scattering experiments have been performed around the world at various laboratories. These experiments have fueled nuclear physicists\' understanding of the role of quarks and gluons in the structures of protons and neutrons. Today, experiments continue to fine-tune this process to tease out ever more detailed information.</p><p>In the recently completed MARATHON experiment, nuclear physicists compared the results of deep inelastic scattering experiments for the first time in two mirror nuclei to learn about their structures. The physicists chose to focus on the nuclei of helium-3 and tritium, which is an isotope of hydrogen. While helium-3 has two protons and one neutron, tritium has two neutrons and one proton. If you could \'mirror\' transform helium-3 by converting all protons into neutrons and neutrons into protons, the result would be tritium. This is why they are known as mirror nuclei.</p><p>\"We used the simplest mirror nuclei system that exists, tritium and helium-3, and that\'s why this system is so interesting,\" said David Meekins, a Jefferson Lab staff scientist and a co-spokesperson of the MARATHON experiment.</p><p>\"It turns out that if we measure the ratio of cross sections in these two nuclei, we can access the structure functions of protons relative to neutrons. These two quantities may be related to the distribution of up and down quarks inside the nuclei,\" Petratos said.</p><p>First conceived in a summer workshop in 1999, the MARATHON experiment was finally carried out in 2018 in Jefferson Lab\'s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, a DOE user facility. The more than 130 members of the MARATHON experimental collaboration overcame many hurdles to carry out the experiment.</p><p>For instance, MARATHON required the high-energy electrons that were made possible by the 12 GeV CEBAF Upgrade Project that was completed in 2017, as well as a specialized target system for tritium.</p><p>\"For this individual experiment, clearly the biggest challenge was the target. Tritium being a radioactive gas, we needed to ensure safety above everything,\" Meekins explained. \"That\'s part of the mission of the lab: There\'s nothing so important that we can sacrifice safety.\"</p><p>The experiment sent 10.59 GeV (billion electron-volt) electrons into four different targets in Experimental Hall A. The targets included helium-3 and three isotopes of hydrogen, including tritium. The outgoing electrons were collected and measured with the hall\'s left and right High Resolution Spectrometers.</p><p>Once data taking was complete, the collaboration worked to carefully analyze the data. The final publication included the original data to allow other groups to use the model-free data in their own analyses. It also offered an analysis led by Petratos that is based on a theoretical model with minimal corrections.</p><p>\"The thing that we wanted to make clear is that this is the measurement we made, this is how we did it, this is the scientific extraction from the measurement and this is how we did that,\" Meekins explains. \"We don\'t have to worry about favoring any model over another -- anyone can take the data and apply it.\"</p><p>In addition to providing a precise determination of the ratio of the proton/neutron structure function ratios, the data also include higher electron momenta measurements of these mirror nuclei than were available before. This high-quality data set also opens a door to additional detailed analyses for answering other questions in nuclear physics, such as why quarks are distributed differently inside nuclei as compared to free protons and neutrons (a phenomenon called the EMC Effect) and other studies of the structures of particles in nuclei.</p><p>In discussing the results, the MARATHON spokespeople were quick to credit the hard work of collaboration members for the final results.</p><p>\"The success of this experiment is due to the outstanding group of people who participated in the experiment and also the support we had from Jefferson Lab,\" said Mina Katramatou, a professor at Kent State University and a co-spokesperson of the MARATHON experiment. \"We also had a fantastic group of young physicists working on this experiment, including early career postdoctoral researchers and graduate students.\"</p><p>\"There were five graduate students who got their theses research from this data,\" Meekins confirmed. \"And it\'s good data, we did a good job, and it was hard to do.\"</p>','2022-04-01 02:38:56.549904','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'DOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility','Scientists are holding up a \'mirror\' to protons and neutrons to learn more about the particles that build our visible universe. The MARATHON experiment has accessed new details about these particles\' structures by comparing the so-called mirror nuclei, helium-3 and triton.\n',1,94,'<li>D. Abrams, H. Albataineh, B. S. Aljawrneh, S. Alsalmi, D. Androic, K. Aniol, W. Armstrong, J. Arrington, H. Atac, T. Averett, C. Ayerbe Gayoso, X. Bai, J. Bane, S. Barcus, A. Beck, V. Bellini, H. Bhatt, D. Bhetuwal, D. Biswas, D. Blyth, W. Boeglin, D. Bulumulla, J. Butler, A. Camsonne, M. Carmignotto, J. Castellanos, J.-P. Chen, E. O. Cohen, S. Covrig, K. Craycraft, R. Cruz-Torres, B. Dongwi, B. Duran, D. Dutta, E. Fuchey, C. Gal, T. N. Gautam, S. Gilad, K. Gnanvo, T. Gogami, J. Gomez, C. Gu, A. Habarakada, T. Hague, J.-O. Hansen, M. Hattawy, F. Hauenstein, D. W. Higinbotham, R. J. Holt, E. W. Hughes, C. Hyde, H. Ibrahim, S. Jian, S. Joosten, A. Karki, B. Karki, A. T. Katramatou, C. Keith, C. Keppel, M. Khachatryan, V. Khachatryan, A. Khanal, A. Kievsky, D. King, P. M. King, I. Korover, S. A. Kulagin, K. S. Kumar, T. Kutz, N. Lashley-Colthirst, S. Li, W. Li, H. Liu, S. Liuti, N. Liyanage, P. Markowitz, R. E. McClellan, D. Meekins, S. Mey-Tal Beck, Z.-E. Meziani, R. Michaels, M. Mihovilovic, V. Nelyubin, D. Nguyen,  Nuruzzaman, M. Nycz, R. Obrecht, M. Olson, V. F. Owen, E. Pace, B. Pandey, V. Pandey, M. Paolone, A. Papadopoulou, S. Park, S. Paul, G. G. Petratos, R. Petti, E. Piasetzky, R. Pomatsalyuk, S. Premathilake, A. J. R. Puckett, V. Punjabi, R. D. Ransome, M. N. H. Rashad, P. E. Reimer, S. Riordan, J. Roche, G. Salmè, N. Santiesteban, B. Sawatzky, S. Scopetta, A. Schmidt, B. Schmookler, J. Segal, E. P. Segarra, A. Shahinyan, S. Širca, N. Sparveris, T. Su, R. Suleiman, H. Szumila-Vance, A. S. Tadepalli, L. Tang, W. Tireman, F. Tortorici, G. M. Urciuoli, B. Wojtsekhowski, S. Wood, Z. H. Ye, Z. Y. Ye, J. Zhang. <strong>Measurement of the Nucleon F2n/F2p Structure Function Ratio by the Jefferson Lab MARATHON Tritium/Helium-3 Deep Inelastic Scattering Experiment</strong>. <em>Physical Review Letters</em>, 2022; 128 (13) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.132003\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.132003</a>\n</li>'),(1832,'Easy test can see if breeding bulls have the right stuff','easy-test-can-see-if-breeding-bulls-have-the-right-stuff','2022-04-01 02:38:59.174827',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Forget sending bull semen out for complicated laboratory tests to learn whether the agricultural animal is highly virile. Soon, a quick and easy method -- reminiscent of a home pregnancy test -- can tell if a breeding bull has the right stuff.</p><p>By borrowing from nature, Cornell University food scientists and chemists have developed a system -- they call it RHEOLEX -- that can accurately indicate the fertility level of bulls. Their research published March 14 in the journal Lab on a Chip.</p><p>\"With this new RHEOLEX method, you can conduct better selection and breeding for bulls and cows, which can translate into higher quality and quantity products like improved milk and meat,\" said Alireza Abbaspourrad, the Youngkeun Joh Assistant Professor of Food Chemistry and Ingredient Technology in the Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. \"This saves breeders and producers time.\"</p><p>Nature uses a biological process called rheotaxis, in which the bull\'s sperm swim upstream in the reproductive tract of cows. Traditionally, sperm quality is evaluated using computer-assisted sperm analysis, which measures swimming speed and concentration. However, the computer-assisted analysis ignores rheotaxis, the strenuous process of sperm moving against the female\'s biological stream.</p><p>In this scientific effort led by doctoral student Mohammad \"M.J.\" Yaghoobi, the group mimicked the cow\'s the female reproductive tract dimensions and hydrodynamic features in a microfluidic model, to quantify the sperm\'s rheotaxis ability.</p><p>Working with the Cornell NanoScale Facility, the scientists fabricated a microfluidic device (with tracts a little larger than human hair) into what looks like a home pregnancy test. The platform measured the number of sperm -- during the rheotaxis route -- at varied flow rates.</p><p>The stronger the rheotaxis power, the better the semen\'s reproductive quality.</p><p>\"This combination, along with the motile (fast speed) sperm concentration determination, can quickly predict fertility levels in artificial insemination,\" Yaghoobi said. \"We can predict the bull\'s in vivo sperm fertility level within five minutes.\"</p><p>Thawed bull semen samples were tested in the device and the results showed a higher rheotaxis quality -- indicating a higher fertility level.</p><p>Unlike conventional semen quality parameters, which fail to provide statistically significant predictions, the RHEOLEX is an easy biomarker for determining in vivo male fertility, Yaghoobi said.</p><p>\"We are essentially taking rheotaxis results and translating that into signals that tells us the bull fertility level,\" Abbaspourrad said, \"which is great, because it can save companies a lot of money by selecting the best bulls. We are using nature\'s selection process and that\'s a huge difference.\"</p><p>In addition to Abbaspourrad and Yaghoobi, other co-authors on the research, \"Rheotaxis Quality Index: A New Parameter That Reveals Male Mammalian In Vivo Fertility and Low Sperm DNA Fragmentation,\" are Morteza Azizi, and doctoral students Amir Mokhtare and Farhad Javi.</p><p>The Cornell NanoScale Facility is a member of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), which is supported by the National Science Foundation. Abbaspourrad is a faculty fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.</p>','2022-04-01 02:38:59.174827','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Cornell University','Forget sending bull semen out for complicated laboratory tests to learn whether the agricultural animal is virile. Scientists have developed a faster, easier microfluidics method.\n',1,59,'<li>Mohammad Yaghoobi, Morteza Azizi, Amir Mokhtare, Farhad Javi, Alireza Abbaspourrad. <strong>Rheotaxis quality index: a new parameter that reveals male mammalian in vivo fertility and low sperm DNA fragmentation</strong>. <em>Lab on a Chip</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D2LC00150K\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1039/D2LC00150K</a>\n</li>'),(1833,'Study shows COVID-19\'s lingering impacts on the brain','study-shows-covid-19\'s-lingering-impacts-on-the-brain','2022-04-01 17:23:32.069388',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">COVID-19 patients commonly report having headaches, confusion and other neurological symptoms, but doctors don\'t fully understand how the disease targets the brain during infection.</p><p>Now, researchers at Tulane University have shown in detail how COVID-19 affects the central nervous system, according to a new study published in <em>Nature Communications.</em></p><p>The findings are the first comprehensive assessment of neuropathology associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a nonhuman primate model.</p><p>The team of researchers found severe brain inflammation and injury consistent with reduced blood flow or oxygen to the brain, including neuron damage and death. They also found small bleeds in the brain.</p><p>Surprisingly, these findings were present in subjects that did not experience severe respiratory disease from the virus.</p><p>Tracy Fischer, PhD, lead investigator and associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center, has been studying brains for decades. Soon after the primate center launched its COVID-19 pilot program in the spring of 2020, she began studying the brain tissue of several subjects that had been infected.</p><p>Fischer\'s initial findings documenting the extent of damage seen in the brain due to SARS-CoV-2 infection were so striking that she spent the next year further refining the study controls to ensure that the results were clearly attributable to the infection.</p><p>\"Because the subjects didn\'t experience significant respiratory symptoms, no one expected them to have the severity of disease that we found in the brain,\" Fischer said. \"But the findings were distinct and profound, and undeniably a result of the infection.\"</p><p>The findings are also consistent with autopsy studies of people who have died of COVID-19, suggesting that nonhuman primates may serve as an appropriate model, or proxy, for how humans experience the disease.</p><p>Neurological complications are often among the first symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and can be the most severe and persistent. They also affect people indiscriminately -- all ages, with and without comorbidities, and with varying degrees of disease severity.</p><p>Fischer hopes that this and future studies that investigate how SARS-CoV-2 affects the brain will contribute to the understanding and treatment of patients suffering from the neurological consequences of COVID-19 and long COVID.</p><p>The COVID-19 pilot research program at the Tulane National Primate Research Center was supported by funds made possible by the National Institutes of Health Office of Research Infrastructure Program, Tulane University and Fast Grants.</p>','2022-04-01 17:23:32.069388','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Tulane University','Researchers have shown in detail how COVID-19 affects the central nervous system, according to a new study. The findings are the first comprehensive assessment of neuropathology associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a nonhuman primate model.\n',1,124,'<li>Ibolya Rutkai, Meredith G. Mayer, Linh M. Hellmers, Bo Ning, Zhen Huang, Christopher J. Monjure, Carol Coyne, Rachel Silvestri, Nadia Golden, Krystle Hensley, Kristin Chandler, Gabrielle Lehmicke, Gregory J. Bix, Nicholas J. Maness, Kasi Russell-Lodrigue, Tony Y. Hu, Chad J. Roy, Robert V. Blair, Rudolf Bohm, Lara A. Doyle-Meyers, Jay Rappaport, Tracy Fischer. <strong>Neuropathology and virus in brain of SARS-CoV-2 infected non-human primates</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29440-z\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29440-z</a>\n</li>'),(1834,'Periodic volcanism triggered multiple Jurassic extinctions','periodic-volcanism-triggered-multiple-jurassic-extinctions','2022-04-01 17:23:43.192408',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A group of Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian geologists provide critical new evidence for the timing of volcanic activity in the Karoo province, the largest of the Jurassic magma systems. The remnants of the province are widespread in southern Africa and Antarctica.</p><p>Severe environmental crises led to a series of large-scale extinction events in the Jurassic period 178-186 million years (myr) ago. The turmoil has been ascribed to the abundant release of volcanic gases, but the temporal link between volcanism and extinctions has remained controversial.</p><p>\"Our results provide strong support for the view that episodic magmatism in the Karoo province may have been the culprit of repeated Jurassic environmental and biological crises,\" says Arto Luttinen from the Finnish Museum of Natural History, the leading author of the article published in <em>Gondwana Research</em>.</p><p>\"Previous dating of volcanism in the Karoo province has indicated a short duration of activity 182-183 myr ago. While this age coincides with the largest Jurassic extinction, it cannot explain the recurrent environmental crises that began millions of years earlier and continued long afterwards,\" says Luttinen, and explains that the indications of longer duration and periodicity of volcanism have mostly been regarded as unreliable due to potential methodological issues.</p><p><strong>Uranium-lead method needed to unveil the historic events</strong></p><p>The new ages were measured at the Nordsim Laboratory in Stockholm using the so-called uranium-lead method on sub-millimetre-sized zircon crystals in volcanic rocks. The production of lead from the radioactive decay of uranium provides the most reliable chronometer for dating ancient geological processes.</p><p>At the Nordsim Laboratory, the studied crystals are drilled with a narrow beam of ionized particles and the ages of the tiny zircons are defined by mass spectroscopic measurements of the uranium and lead abundances.</p><p>\"This approach enabled us to date individual crystals formed at various evolutionary stages of long-lived magma systems,\" explain co-authors Matti Kurhila, Geological Survey of Finland, and Martin Whitehouse, Swedish Museum of Natural History.</p><p>The examination of samples collected across an over 1000 kilometre long magmatic zone in Mozambique shows the previously established peak of activity 182-183 myr ago was preceded by volcanism 185-190 myr ago, and was followed by another major magmatic stage 178-181 myr ago, and waning activity during the subsequent several million years.</p><p>\"These results pave the way for further research on age dating and magmatic degassing in order to better understand the coincidence between Karoo volcanism and global biosphere crises,\" concludes Luttinen.</p>','2022-04-01 17:23:43.192408','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Helsinki','Geologists have provided critical new evidence for the timing of volcanic activity in the Karoo province, the largest of the Jurassic magma systems. The remnants of the province are widespread in southern Africa and Antarctica.\n',1,55,'<li>Arto Luttinen, Matti Kurhila, Riina Puttonen, Martin Whitehouse, Tom Andersen. <strong>Periodicity of Karoo rift zone magmatism inferred from zircon ages of silicic rocks: Implications for the origin and environmental impact of the large igneous province</strong>. <em>Gondwana Research</em>, 2022; 107: 107 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2022.03.005\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.gr.2022.03.005</a>\n</li>'),(1835,'Lost bioscapes window into Polynesian settlement circa 12th century','lost-bioscapes-window-into-polynesian-settlement-circa-12th-century','2022-04-01 17:23:48.473534',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Polynesian explorers discovered a treasure trove of unique plants and animals when they arrived in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, according to new research.</p><p>In a unique transdisciplinary study of the Marquesan past, University of Auckland archaeologist Professor Melinda Allen, paleoentomologist Dr Nick Porch and paleobotanist Tara Lewis of Deakin University\'s School of Life and Environmental Sciences investigated plant and arthropod (insects, spiders, mites) remains, along with indicators of early Polynesian activity, at Ho\'oumi Beach on the island of Nuku Hiva.</p><p>The team hoped to build a picture of what Indigenous Polynesians, arriving in the 12th century AD from islands to the west, first encountered. In an organic-rich, water-saturated deposit on the eastern coast of the island, Dr Porch recovered more than 100 distinct taxa (types of organisms) including at least nine major groups and more than 39 families.</p><p>Professor Allen says radiocarbon dating of coconut shell and pandanus fruit fragments reveal the deposit formed around the mid-12<sup>th</sup> century AD, with discoveries of fine charcoal and an adzed timber pointing to a human presence, along with supporting evidence from the arthropod records. \"The sheer variety is impressive, with a remarkable array of beetles, along with ants, flies, spiders, several types of mites, a fig wasp, and other arthropods,\" she says.</p><p>The team\'s analysis suggests the strong possibility there are extinct species among the finds, as well as vulnerable native species that quickly disappeared on other East Polynesian islands soon after human arrival. The team also discovered anthropophilic\' or \'people-loving\' insects, which probably hitch-hiked on the rootstocks of taro, yams and other plants brought to the islands by Polynesian colonists.</p><p>Their presence is further evidence that people were on the island and beginning to explore Nuku Hiva\'s many valleys, says Professor Allen. \"A distinctive beetle, two to three ant species, and a type of earwig can confidently be identified as \'Polynesian associates\'. Two of these, the short-horned flat beetle and earwig, were also known to M?ori, (Indigenous people of New Zealand) having recently been discovered in early garden sites on Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island) by my archaeological colleagues.\"</p><p>Remains of plants previously unknown for the island are further evidence of its impressive biodiversity in previous centuries, she says. \"Fragments of fruit from a native fan palm, <em>Pritchardia</em>, may represent a unique Nuku Hiva species. Marquesan <em>Pritchardia</em> were seen by early European visitors, but today all are extinct in the wild. Marquesans used the leaves as thatch for chiefly houses and in fine weaving.\"</p><p>She says the understory (beneath the forest canopy) was rich in smaller ferns and herbaceous flowering plants, and at least four look to be new species, but this unique forest has now essentially disappeared from Marquesan lowlands. By pulling these records together a lush and nearly intact native forest begins to take shape, dominated by pandanus, palms, tree ferns, and a few native hardwoods like <em>Pterophylla</em>, a relation of the New Zealand k<em>?</em>mahi.</p><p>Still thickly forested and uninhabited, many valleys of the Marquesas Islands might look relatively undisturbed but from the early 19<sup>th</sup> century onward, introduced goats, cattle, rats and cats have wreaked havoc on the native lowland flora and fauna, says Professor Allen. \"Nonetheless recent studies show that more than 53 percent of Marquesan arthropods and 48 percent of the plants are found nowhere else in the world (endemics), with even some of the inshore fish being unique to the Marquesas.\"</p><p>She says these islands\' rugged topography and remote setting have fostered high levels of endemism in many groups, similar to the better known Galapagos Islands. \"These endemics, with their differing ecological specialisations, evolved from a common ancestor over millennia.\"</p><p>While they don\'t yet have the whole story, the team feel they\'ve gained a much deeper perspective of the island\'s pre-western flora and fauna, and established a baseline for modern conservation efforts. \"Weaving these different lines of evidence together has refined the timing of Indigenous Polynesian arrival on Nuku Hiva. It\'s also given us a richly textured view of the unique environments they discovered in this remote island chain,\" says Professor Allen.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-01 17:23:48.473534','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Auckland','Polynesian explorers discovered a treasure trove of unique plants and animals when they arrived in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, according to new research.\n',1,132,'<li>Melinda S. Allen, Tara Lewis, Nick Porch. <strong>Lost bioscapes: Floristic and arthropod diversity coincident with 12th century Polynesian settlement, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands</strong>. <em>PLOS ONE</em>, 2022; 17 (3): e0265224 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265224\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1371/journal.pone.0265224</a>\n</li>'),(1836,'Pandemic lockdowns had severe mental health consequences for women in the developing world','pandemic-lockdowns-had-severe-mental-health-consequences-for-women-in-the-developing-world','2022-04-01 17:23:55.254622',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">While potentially crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19, lockdowns are associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety as well as food insecurity among women in India and other parts of the developing world, according to a new research.</p><p>The study from the University of California San Diego\'s School of Global Policy and Strategy finds that women whose social position may make them more vulnerable -- those with daughters and those living in female-headed households -- experienced even larger declines in mental health as a result of lockdowns.</p><p>The paper, to be published in a forthcoming issue of the <em>Journal of Economic Development</em>, surveyed 1,545 households over the phone in various rural regions throughout Northern India. The surveys took place in fall 2019, before the pandemic and in August 2020, near the height of the first COVID-19 wave in India. Certain villages and districts had varying containment policies, which allowed the researchers to compare health outcomes of women who experienced lockdowns for several months to those who experienced zero levels of lockdowns.</p><p>The authors took many factors into consideration in their analysis including COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the novel coronavirus.</p><p>For surveyed women, moving from zero to average levels of lockdowns is associated with a 38 percent increase in depression, a 44 percent increase in anxiety and a 73 percent increase in exhaustion.</p><p>\"Not having access to access to work and socialization outside the home can be very detrimental for women\'s mental health in developing countries,\" said study co-author Gaurav Khanna, assistant professor of economics at the School of Global Policy and Strategy.</p><p>The pandemic resulted in dramatic losses of income for women. In the survey, roughly 25 percent of households reduced the number of meals consumed, compared to a normal month. However, these declines primarily impacted women because in many cultures throughout the developing world, women\'s food intake is the first be limited when food is scarce.</p><p>\"We wanted to know the impact lockdown policies have on women in lower-income countries where there may be limited social safety nets to absorb these shocks,\" Khanna added. \"As we found in our study, the consequences of lockdown policies are exacerbated for women. We hope policymakers in developing countries and beyond know what the implications are for these policies, especially for those in vulnerable positions because if there is another wave, communities could be faced with similar lockdowns.\"</p><p>The paper outlines policy recommendations that could help address the mental and physical health consequences experienced by women during the pandemic.</p><p>\"Policymakers should consider what supportive measures are necessary to limit economic devastation from lockdowns and they should target aid, particularly access to food, to vulnerable households and women,\" the authors note.</p><p>For example, in certain parts of India, the government did distribute food to rural areas, which helped prevent malnutrition and food insecurity.</p><p>Counseling and helpline services offered over-the-phone can also help address the pandemic\'s mental health impacts, the authors noted.</p><p>While the findings focus on the developing world, they have implications for women all over the world who experience lockdowns.</p><p>\"We suspect the impact in the U.S. on women and mothers in particular was also exacerbated,\" Khanna said. \"When kids are not in school, or daycare, the burden usually falls on women because of traditional gender roles with child care. Policymakers should be cognizant of the fact that women are going to be impacted differently by these policies.\"</p>','2022-04-01 17:23:55.254622','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - San Diego','While potentially crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19, lockdowns are associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety as well as food insecurity among women in India and other parts of the developing world, according to a new research.\n',1,27,'<li>Natalie Bau, Gaurav Khanna, Corinne Low, Manisha Shah, Sreyashi Sharmin, Alessandra Voena. <strong>Women’s well-being during a pandemic and its containment</strong>. <em>Journal of Development Economics</em>, 2022; 156: 102839 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102839\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102839</a>\n</li>'),(1837,'Researchers roll out data on COVID vaccine distribution and waste','researchers-roll-out-data-on-covid-vaccine-distribution-and-waste','2022-04-01 19:56:36.087349',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Researchers are rolling out a data set that provides detailed information on COVID-19 vaccine shipments and wastage across the United States, with the goal of spurring new data analysis to improve vaccination efforts in the future. The work stems from a collaboration between researchers at North Carolina State University and BuzzFeed News.</p><p>\"The development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been a monumental undertaking,\" says Ali Hajbabaie, corresponding author of the paper and an assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at NC State. \"And while it\'s been a remarkable accomplishment, there are also opportunities for us to learn how to improve the vaccine supply chain. What are the logistical challenges associated with transportation and distribution of vaccines for COVID-19? How can we study this? What can we learn from it?\"</p><p>\"For this work, we focused on collecting data regarding vaccine shipment and wastage,\" says Leila Hajibabai, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor in NC State\'s Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. \"And we\'re making that data publicly available to encourage the broader research community to analyze the data so that we can learn as much from it as possible. We also want to inspire other researchers to make their data publicly available in a timely manner.\"</p><p>\"We did some simple analyses in this paper to highlight the potential of the data, but we think there is much more to be done, and we want to tap into the expertise of other researchers to make the most of this information,\" says Hajbabaie.</p><p>The researchers collected vaccine shipment data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This data includes the type of vaccine, the amount of vaccine, and the date that each specific shipment was sent to each of 47,188 specific vaccination sites, such as clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and doctor\'s offices.</p><p>The researchers also collected data from the CDC on the amount of vaccine that was spoiled and had to be disposed of by awardees. This could be because a vial was broken, because it was stored at an improper temperature, because it was past its expiration date, and so on. Awardees are large-scale entities that are responsible for overseeing specific vaccination sites. There were 92 awardees nationally, and the researchers have wastage data from 58 of them. Examples of awardees include individual states, federal entities such as the Department of Defense, federal programs such as the Veterans Health Administration, and large-scale retailers such as CVS and Walgreens. Wastage data was reported on a semi-regular basis -- often daily, but not always.</p><p>\"This data was not made available outside of the CDC until we asked for it,\" Hajbabaie says. \"We were only able to get this data due to a collaboration with BuzzFeed, which obtained the data from CDC under a FOIA request.\"</p><p>This paper includes the shipment and wastage data from Jan. 1, 2021 to March 31, 2021.</p><p>\"However, we think it is possible that there will be significantly more data forthcoming,\" Hajbabaie says. \"For example, the CDC provided us with additional shipment data from December 2021. However, we received that too recently to include in this paper.\"</p><p>\"In the paper, we outline some directions for future work, such as how to account for vaccine hesitancy in order to optimize the supply chain and distribution network for vaccination moving forward,\" Hajibabai says. \"For example, we can estimate the demand and waste accordingly and make recommendations to seamlessly schedule patients and reduce wastage.</p><p>\"But it\'s not an exhaustive list. While we are continuing to work with this data set ourselves, we\'re sure there are things we haven\'t thought of. That\'s one of the reasons we think it is important for the research community to make its data publicly available in a timely manner -- it will allow all of us to make progress on real-world challenges more quickly.\"</p><p>The paper, \"Using COVID-19 Data on Vaccine Shipments and Wastage to Inform Modeling and Decision-making,\" is published open access in the journal <em>Transportation Science</em>. The paper was co-authored by Dan Vergano of BuzzFeed News and Julie Swann, the department head and A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State.</p><p>The work was done with support from the National Science Foundation under grant number 2124825, and under cooperative agreement number NU38OT000297 from the CDC and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.</p>','2022-04-01 19:56:36.087349','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'North Carolina State University','Researchers are rolling out a data set that provides detailed information on COVID-19 vaccine shipments and wastage across the United States, with the goal of spurring new data analysis to improve vaccination efforts in the future.\n',1,74,'<li>Leila Hajibabai, Ali Hajbabaie, Julie Swann, Dan Vergano. <strong>Using COVID-19 Data on Vaccine Shipments and Wastage to Inform Modeling and Decision-Making</strong>. <em>Transportation Science</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.1134\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1287/trsc.2022.1134</a>\n</li>'),(1838,'Perseverance records the first ever sounds from Mars','perseverance-records-the-first-ever-sounds-from-mars','2022-04-01 19:56:38.337312',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">NASA\'s Perseverance rover, which has been surveying the surface of Mars since February 2021, has for the first time recorded the acoustic environment of the Red Planet. An international team1 led by an academic at the University of Toulouse III -- Paul Sabatier and including scientists from the CNRS and ISAE-SUPAERO, carried out an analysis of these sounds, which were obtained using the SuperCam instrument built in France under the authority of the French space agency CNES. Their findings are published on 1<sup>st</sup> April 2022 in <em>Nature</em>.</p><p>For 50 years, interplanetary probes have returned thousands of striking images of the surface of Mars, but never a single sound. Now, NASA\'s Perseverance mission has put an end to this deafening silence by recording the first ever Martian sounds. The scientific team<sup>1</sup> for the French-US SuperCam<sup>2</sup> instrument installed on Perseverance was convinced that the study of the soundscape of Mars could advance our understanding of the planet. This scientific challenge led them to design a microphone dedicated to the exploration of Mars, at ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, France.</p><p>Perseverance first recorded sounds from the Red Planet on February 19, 2021, the day after its arrival. These sounds fall within the human audible spectrum, between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. First of all, they reveal that Mars is quiet, in fact so quiet that on several occasions the scientists thought the microphone was no longer working. It is obvious that, apart from the wind, natural sound sources are rare.</p><p>In addition to this investigation, the scientists focused on the sounds generated by the rover itself<sup>3</sup>, including the shock waves produced by the impact of the SuperCam laser on rocks, and flights by the Ingenuity helicopter. By studying the propagation on Mars of these sounds, whose behaviour is very well well understood on Earth, they were able to accurately characterise the acoustic properties of the Martian atmosphere.</p><p>The researchers show that the speed of sound is lower on Mars than on Earth: 240 m/s, as compared to 340 m/s on our planet. However, the most surprising thing is that it turns out that there are actually two speeds of sound on Mars, one for high-pitched sounds and one for low frequencies<sup>4</sup>. Sound attenuation is greater on Mars than on Earth, especially for high frequencies, which, unlike low frequencies, are attenuated very quickly, even at short distances. All these various factors would make it difficult for two people standing only five metres apart to have a conversation. They are due to the composition of the Martian atmosphere (96% CO<sub>2, </sub>compared to 0.04% on Earth) and the very low atmospheric surface pressure (170 times lower than on Earth).</p><p>After one year of the mission, a total of five hours of recordings of the acoustic environment have been obtained. In-depth analysis of these sounds has made the sound generated by the turbulence of the Martian atmosphere perceptible. The study of this turbulence, at scales 1000 times smaller than anything previously known, should enhance our knowledge of the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface of Mars. In the future, the use of other robots equipped with microphones could help us to better understand planetary atmospheres.</p><p><strong>Footnotes</strong></p><p><sup>1</sup> Scientists from the following laboratories also took part: Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (Université Toulouse III -- Paul Sabatier/CNRS/CNES), Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse (Université Toulouse III -- Paul Sabatier/CNRS/INP), Laboratoire d\'Etudes Spatiales et d\'Instrumentation en Astrophysique (Observatoire de Paris-PSL/CNRS/Sorbonne Université/Université Paris Cité), Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (CNRS/Sorbonne Université/Université de Versailles St Quentin-en-Yvelines), Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (CNRS/MNHN/Sorbonne Université), Laboratoire Planétologie et Géosciences (CNRS/Université Nantes/Université Angers), Institut de Planétologie et Astrophysique de Grenoble (CNRS/Université Grenoble Alpes), Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CNRS/CEA/Université de Bordeaux), Laboratoire d\'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (CNRS /Université de Bordeaux), Institut d\'Astrophysique Spatiale (CNRS/Université Paris Saclay), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon : Terre, Planètes, Environnement (CNRS/ENS Lyon/Université Claude Bernard), and Laboratoire GeoRessources (CNRS/Université de Lorraine).</p><p><sup>2</sup> SuperCam was jointly developed by LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA) and a consortium of laboratories affiliated to the CNRS and French universities and research institutions. The CNES is responsible to NASA for the French contribution to SuperCam.</p><p><sup>3</sup> The microphone also acts as a stethoscope for the rover since it provides an acoustic diagnosis of its health.</p><p><sup>4 </sup>Approximately 240 m/s for frequencies below 240 Hz, and 250 m/s above</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-01 19:56:38.337312','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'CNRS','NASA\'s Perseverance rover, which has been surveying the surface of Mars since February 2021, has for the first time recorded the acoustic environment of the Red Planet.\n',1,27,'<li>S. Maurice, B. Chide, N. Murdoch, R. D. Lorenz, D. Mimoun, R. C. Wiens, A. Stott, X. Jacob, T. Bertrand, F. Montmessin, N. L. Lanza, C. Alvarez-Llamas, S. M. Angel, M. Aung, J. Balaram, O. Beyssac, A. Cousin, G. Delory, O. Forni, T. Fouchet, O. Gasnault, H. Grip, M. Hecht, J. Hoffman, J. Laserna, J. Lasue, J. Maki, J. McClean, P.-Y. Meslin, S. Le Mouélic, A. Munguira, C. E. Newman, J. A. Rodríguez Manfredi, J. Moros, A. Ollila, P. Pilleri, S. Schröder, M. de la Torre Juárez, T. Tzanetos, K. M. Stack, K. Farley, K. Williford, R. C. Wiens, T. Acosta-Maeda, R. B. Anderson, D. M. Applin, G. Arana, M. Bassas-Portus, R. Beal, P. Beck, K. Benzerara, S. Bernard, P. Bernardi, T. Bosak, B. Bousquet, A. Brown, A. Cadu, P. Caïs, K. Castro, E. Clavé, S. M. Clegg, E. Cloutis, S. Connell, A. Debus, E. Dehouck, D. Delapp, C. Donny, A. Dorresoundiram, G. Dromart, B. Dubois, C. Fabre, A. Fau, W. Fischer, R. Francis, J. Frydenvang, T. Gabriel, E. Gibbons, I. Gontijo, J. R. Johnson, H. Kalucha, E. Kelly, E. W. Knutsen, G. Lacombe, S. Le Mouélic, C. Legett, R. Leveille, E. Lewin, G. Lopez-Reyes, E. Lorigny, J. M. Madariaga, M. Madsen, S. Madsen, L. Mandon, N. Mangold, M. Mann, J.-A. Manrique, J. Martinez-Frias, L. E. Mayhew, T. McConnochie, S. M. McLennan, N. Melikechi, F. Meunier, G. Montagnac, V. Mousset, T. Nelson, R. T. Newell, Y. Parot, C. Pilorget, P. Pinet, G. Pont, F. Poulet, C. Quantin-Nataf, B. Quertier, W. Rapin, A. Reyes-Newell, S. Robinson, L. Rochas, C. Royer, F. Rull, V. Sautter, S. Sharma, V. Shridar, A. Sournac, M. Toplis, I. Torre-Fdez, N. Turenne, A. Udry, M. Veneranda, D. Venhaus, D. Vogt, P. Willis. <strong>In situ recording of Mars soundscape</strong>. <em>Nature</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04679-0\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41586-022-04679-0</a>\n</li>'),(1839,'Origins of the Avars elucidated with ancient DNA','origins-of-the-avars-elucidated-with-ancient-dna','2022-04-01 19:56:59.169510',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Less known than Attila\'s Huns, the Avars were their more successful successors. They ruled much of Central and Eastern Europe for almost 250 years. We know that they came from Central Asia in the sixth century CE, but ancient authors and modern historians debated their provenance. Now, a multidisciplinary research team of geneticists, archaeologists and historians, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, obtained and studied the first ancient genomes from the most important Avar elite sites discovered in contemporary Hungary. This study traces the genetic origin of the Avar elite to a faraway region of East Central Asia. It provides direct genetic evidence for one of the largest and most rapid long-distance migrations in ancient human history.</p><p>In the 560s, the Avars established an empire that lasted more than 200 years, centered in the Carpathian Basin. Despite much scholarly debate their initial homeland and origin has remained unclear. They are primarily known from historical sources of their enemies, the Byzantines, who wondered about the origin of the fearsome Avar warriors after their sudden appearance in Europe. Had they come from the Rouran empire in the Mongolian steppe (which had just been destroyed by the Turks), or should one believe the Turks who strongly disputed such a prestigious legacy?</p><p>Historians have wondered whether that was a well-organised migrant group or a mixed band of fugitives. Archaeological research has pointed to many parallels between the Carpathian Basin and Eurasian nomadic artefacts (weapons, vessels, horse harnesses), for instance a lunula-shaped pectoral of gold used as a symbol of power. We also know that the Avars introduced the stirrup in Europe. Yet we have so far not been able to trace their origin in the wide Eurasian steppes.</p><p>In this study, a multidisciplinary team -- including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, the ELTE University and the Institute of Archaeogenomics of Budapest, Harvard Medical School in Boston, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton -- analysed 66 individuals from the Carpathian Basin. The study included the eight richest Avar graves ever discovered, overflowing with golden objects, as well as other individuals from the region prior to and during the Avar age. \"We address a question that has been a mystery for more than 1400 years: who were the Avar elites, mysterious founders of an empire that almost crushed Constantinople and for more than 200 years ruled the lands of modern-day Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia and Serbia?,\" explains Johannes Krause, senior author of the study.</p><p><strong>Fastest long-distance migration in human history</strong></p><p>The Avars did not leave written records about their history and these first genome-wide data provide robust clues about their origins. \"The historical contextualization of the archaeogenetic results allowed us to narrow down the timing of the proposed Avar migration. They covered more than 5000 kilometres in a few years from Mongolia to the Caucasus, and after ten more years settled in what is now Hungary. This is the fastest long-distance migration in human history that we can reconstruct up to this point,\" explains Choongwon Jeong, co-senior author of the study.</p><p>Guido Gnecchi-Ruscone, the lead author of the study, adds: \"Besides their clear affinity to Northeast Asia and their likely origin due to the fall of the Rouran Empire, we also see that the 7th-century Avar period elites show 20 to 30 percent of additional non-local ancestry, likely associated with the North Caucasus and the Western Asian Steppe, which could suggest further migration from the Steppe after their arrival in the 6th century.\" The East Asian ancestry is found in individuals from several sites in the core settlement area between the Danube and Tisza rivers in modern day central Hungary. However, outside the primary settlement region we find high variability in inter-individual levels of admixture, especially in the south-Hungarian site of Kölked. This suggests an immigrant Avars elite ruling a diverse population with the help of a heterogeneous local elite.</p><p>These exciting results show how much potential there is in the unprecedented collaboration between geneticists, archaeologists, historians and anthropologists for the research on the \'Migration period\' in the first millennium CE.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-01 19:56:59.169510','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology','Less known than Attila\'s Huns, the Avars were their more successful successors. They ruled much of Central and Eastern Europe for almost 250 years. We know that they came from Central Asia in the sixth century CE, but ancient authors and modern historians debated their provenance. Now, a multidisciplinary research team of geneticists, archaeologists and historians has obtained and studied the first ancient genomes from the most important Avar elite sites discovered in contemporary Hungary. This study traces the genetic origin of the Avar elite to a faraway region of East Central Asia. It provides direct genetic evidence for one of the largest and most rapid long-distance migrations in ancient human history.\n',1,27,'<li>Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone, Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, István Koncz, Gergely Csiky, Zsófia Rácz, A.B. Rohrlach, Guido Brandt, Nadin Rohland, Veronika Csáky, Olivia Cheronet, Bea Szeifert, Tibor Ákos Rácz, András Benedek, Zsolt Bernert, Norbert Berta, Szabolcs Czifra, János Dani, Zoltán Farkas, Tamara Hága, Tamás Hajdu, Mónika Jászberényi, Viktória Kisjuhász, Barbara Kolozsi, Péter Major, Antónia Marcsik, Bernadett Ny. Kovacsóczy, Csilla Balogh, Gabriella M. Lezsák, János Gábor Ódor, Márta Szelekovszky, Tamás Szeniczey, Judit Tárnoki, Zoltán Tóth, Eszter K. Tutkovics, Balázs G. Mende, Patrick Geary, Walter Pohl, Tivadar Vida, Ron Pinhasi, David Reich, Zuzana Hofmanová, Choongwon Jeong, Johannes Krause. <strong>Ancient genomes reveal origin and rapid trans-Eurasian migration of 7th century Avar elites</strong>. <em>Cell</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.007\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.007</a>\n</li>'),(1840,'Are COVID-19-linked arrhythmias caused by viral damage to the heart\'s pacemaker cells?','are-covid-19-linked-arrhythmias-caused-by-viral-damage-to-the-heart\'s-pacemaker-cells?','2022-04-01 19:57:30.654827',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect specialized pacemaker cells that maintain the heart\'s rhythmic beat, setting off a self-destruction process within the cells, according to a preclinical study co-led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian and NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The findings offer a possible explanation for the heart arrhythmias that are commonly observed in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.</p><p>In the study, reported Apr. 1 in Circulation Research, the researchers used an animal model as well as human stem cell-derived pacemaker cells to show that SARS-CoV-2 can readily infect pacemaker cells and trigger a process called ferroptosis, in which the cells self-destruct but also produce reactive oxygen molecules that can impact nearby cells.</p><p>\"This is a surprising and apparently unique vulnerability of these cells -- we looked at a variety of other human cell types that can be infected by SARS-CoV-2, including even heart muscle cells, but found signs of ferroptosis only in the pacemaker cells,\" said study co-senior author Dr. Shuibing Chen, the Kilts Family Professor of Surgery and a professor of chemical biology in surgery and of chemical biology in biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medicine.</p><p>Arrhythmias including too-quick (tachycardia) and too-slow (bradycardia) heart rhythms have been noted among many COVID-19 patients, and multiple studies have linked these abnormal rhythms to worse COVID-19 outcomes. How SARS-CoV-2 infection could cause such arrhythmias has been unclear, though.</p><p>In the new study, the researchers, including co-senior author Dr. Benjamin tenOever of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, examined golden hamsters -- one of the only lab animals that reliably develops COVID-19-like signs from SARS-CoV-2 infection -- and found evidence that following nasal exposure the virus can infect the cells of the natural cardiac pacemaker unit, known as the sinoatrial node.</p><p>To study SARS-CoV-2\'s effects on pacemaker cells in more detail and with human cells, the researchers used advanced stem cell techniques to induce human embryonic stem cells to mature into cells closely resembling sinoatrial node cells. They showed that these induced human pacemaker cells express the receptor ACE2 and other factors SARS-CoV-2 uses to get into cells and are readily infected by SARS-CoV-2. The researchers also observed large increases in inflammatory immune gene activity in the infected cells.</p><p>The team\'s most surprising finding, however, was that the pacemaker cells, in response to the stress of infection, showed clear signs of a cellular self-destruct process called ferroptosis, which involves accumulation of iron and the runaway production of cell-destroying reactive oxygen molecules. The scientists were able to reverse these signs in the cells using compounds that are known to bind iron and inhibit ferroptosis.</p><p>\"This finding suggests that some of the cardiac arrhythmias detected in COVID-19 patients could be caused by ferroptosis damage to the sinoatrial node,\" said co-senior author Dr. Robert Schwartz, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and a hepatologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.</p><p>Although in principle COVID-19 patients could be treated with ferroptosis inhibitors specifically to protect sinoatrial node cells, antiviral drugs that block the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in all cell types would be preferable, the researchers said.</p><p>The researchers plan to continue to use their cell and animal models to investigate sinoatrial node damage in COVID-19 -- and beyond.</p><p>\"There are other human sinoatrial arrhythmia syndromes we could model with our platform,\" said co-senior author Dr. Todd Evans, the Peter I. Pressman M.D. Professor of Surgery and associate dean for research at Weill Cornell Medicine. \"And, although physicians currently can use an artificial electronic pacemaker to replace the function of a damaged sinoatrial node, there\'s the potential here to use sinoatrial cells such as we\'ve developed as an alternative, cell-based pacemaker therapy.\"</p>','2022-04-01 19:57:30.654827','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Weill Cornell Medicine','The SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect specialized pacemaker cells that maintain the heart\'s rhythmic beat, setting off a self-destruction process within the cells, according to a preclinical study. The findings offer a possible explanation for the heart arrhythmias that are commonly observed in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.\n',1,29,'<li>Yuling Han, Jiajun Zhu, Liuliu Yang, Benjamin E. Nilsson-Payant, Romulo Hurtado, Lauretta A. Lacko, Xiaolu Sun, Aravind R. Gade, Christina A. Higgins, Whitney J. Sisso, Xue Dong, Maple Wang, Zhengming Chen, David D. Ho, Geoffrey S. Pitt, Robert E. Schwartz, Benjamin R. tenOever, Todd Evans, Shuibing Chen. <strong>SARS-CoV-2 Infection Induces Ferroptosis of Sinoatrial Node Pacemaker Cells</strong>. <em>Circulation Research</em>, 2022; 130 (7): 963 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.320518\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.320518</a>\n</li>'),(1841,'Polarized speech: A function of self-persuasion','polarized-speech:-a-function-of-self-persuasion','2022-04-01 19:57:33.061035',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A new study finds competitive debaters, randomly assigned a position, persuade themselves to the superiority of their side, even if it falls contrary to their own personal beliefs. This suggests self-persuasion is a significant and resilient contributor to polarization and disagreement on policy. The results are available in the April 1 issue of the journal <em>American Economic Review.</em></p><p>\"Politicians are in the business of persuasion,\" said Peter Schwardmann, assistant professor in social and decision sciences at Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and contributing author on the study. \"This work gives us a window into politics and how a politician\'s beliefs may evolve.\"</p><p>Polarization in society is on stark display in the U.S. Congress. No matter how much people communicate, we seem to be growing further and further apart.</p><p>While self-persuasion has been studied in the laboratory setting, Schwardmann and a team of researchers know that this phenomenon is not confined to the lab. They used data gathered during international debate competitions to explore how self-persuasion influences an individual\'s factual belief and confidence when defending a position.</p><p>\"We find that competitive debates lead to polarization, because people persuade themselves that their side is right even before the debate starts,\" said Joël van der Weele, associate professor at the Center for Research in Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making at the University of Amsterdam. Van der Weele is a contributing author on the study. \"The debate itself does not lead to convergence of opinions, so the initial polarization persists, even when we ask them a day after the debate.\"</p><p>Data collection took place at four competitions (2019, 2020 and 2021) that involved more than 400 participants from 58 countries. At the beginning of every debate, each team was presented with a topic and randomly assigned to either the supporting or opposing position. Teams received 15 minutes to prepare their defenses -- without time for research -- before engaging in an hour-long debate that followed the procedures of British Parliamentary debating rules.</p><p>Schwardmann and his colleagues gathered three types of surveys to evaluate participants\' thoughts on a topic throughout each competition. They took a baseline survey before the event, a second survey before each debate and a final survey after each debate. The surveys evaluated the participants\' factual beliefs in the motion being argued, confidence in the strength of their position and how personal attitudes aligned with the argued motion.</p><p>The researchers found self-persuasion occurs despite incentives for accuracy and persists even after exposure to opposing views. In addition, participants were inclined to believe a statement was true if it strengthened their argument for an assigned position.</p><p>\"We like to think that we are rational people who base [our] opinions on fact, but we often end up with the opinions that are \'convenient\' or strategically useful in a given context,\" said van der Weele. \"The apparent ease with which we do this, even in a setting where these opinions have been induced in an explicitly random manner, should lead us to question our own opinions much more, or simply take them less seriously.\"</p><p>Self-persuasion can drive political beliefs and limit the ability to resolve conflict. Schwardmann is interested in exploring this topic further, with a focus on whether greater confidence in a position actually helps with persuading others.</p><p>\"The exchange of ideas during a competitive debate does not lead people to reach consensus,\" said Schwardmann. \"A useful strategy to avoid self-persuasion may require a more collaborative approach to arrive at the truth.\"</p><p>Schwardmann and van der Weele were joined on the project, \"Self-Persuasion: Evidence from Field Experiments at International Debating Competitions,\" by Egon Tripodi at the University of Essex. The project received funding from the CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition, the Research Priority Area Behavioral Economics at the University of Amsterdam, the Dutch Science Foundation, the European University Institute and the Russell Sage Foundation.</p>','2022-04-01 19:57:33.061035','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Carnegie Mellon University','A new study finds competitive debaters, randomly assigned a position, persuade themselves to the superiority of their side, even if it falls contrary to their own personal beliefs.\n',1,27,'<li>Peter Schwardmann, Egon Tripodi, Joël J. van der Weele. <strong>Self-Persuasion: Evidence from Field Experiments at International Debating Competitions</strong>. <em>American Economic Review</em>, 2022; 112 (4): 1118 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/aer.20200372\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1257/aer.20200372</a>\n</li>');
INSERT INTO `news_news` VALUES (1842,'Can weekly prednisone treat obesity?','can-weekly-prednisone-treat-obesity?','2022-04-01 19:57:35.435975',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Obese mice that were fed a high-fat diet and that received prednisone one time per week had improved exercise endurance, got stronger, increased their lean body mass and lost weight, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. The mice also had increased muscle metabolism.</p><p>The once-weekly prednisone promoted nutrient uptake into the muscles.</p><p>Investigators also found these mice had increased adiponectin levels, a fat-derived hormone that appears to play an important role in protecting against diabetes and insulin resistance.</p><p>The scientists also showed mice that were already obese from eating a high-fat diet also had benefit after once-weekly prednisone, experiencing increased strength, running capacity and lower blood glucose.</p><p>\"These studies were done in mice. However, if these same pathways hold true in humans, then once-weekly prednisone could benefit obesity,\" said senior author Dr. Elizabeth McNally, director of the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.</p><p>McNally also is a Northwestern Medicine physician and the Elizabeth J. Ward Professor of Genetic Medicine.</p><p>\"Daily prednisone is known to promote obesity and even metabolic syndrome -- a disorder with elevated blood lipids and blood sugar and weight gain,\" McNally said. \"So, these results, in which we intermittently \'pulse\' the animals with once-weekly prednisone, are strikingly different. Obesity is a major problem, and the idea that once-weekly prednisone could promote nutrient uptake into muscle might be an approach to treating obesity.\"</p><p>The study will be published April 1 in the <em>Journal of Experimental Medicine.</em></p><p>Most of what we know about steroids like prednisone come from studies looking at what happens when prednisone, a glucocorticoid steroid, is taken every day.</p><p>\"We see a very different outcome when it is taken once a week,\" McNally said. \"We need to fine tune dosing to figure out the right amount to make this work in humans, but knowing adiponectin might be one marker could provide a hint at determining what the right human dose is.\"</p><p>McNally described the weekly dose as \"a bolus, or spike, of nutrients going into your muscle.\"</p><p>\"We think there is something special about promoting this spike of nutrients into muscle intermittently, and that it may be an efficient way to improve lean body mass,\" she added.</p><p>\"What is exciting to me about this work is the finding that a simple change in the dosing frequency can transform glucocorticoid drugs from inducers to preventers of obesity,\" said corresponding author Mattia Quattrocelli. \"Chronic once-daily intake of these drugs is known to promote obesity. Here we show that dosing the same type of drug intermittently -- in this case, once weekly -- reverses this effect, promotes muscle metabolism and energy expenditure, and curtails the metabolic stress induced by a fat-rich diet.\"</p><p>Quattrocelli, who initiated the research while at Northwestern, is now assistant professor at Cincinnati Children\'s Hospital Medical Center and department of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati.</p><p><strong>Can weekly dose still benefit patients with immune conditions?</strong></p><p>Many patients take prednisone daily for different immune conditions. Known side effects of daily prednisone include weight gain and even muscle atrophy with weakness. Investigators want to determine whether patients can get the same immune benefit with intermittent prednisone dosing, which could be much more beneficial to the muscle.</p><p><strong>Research began in muscular dystrophy</strong></p><p>In previously published research, McNally\'s team discovered giving prednisone intermittently was helpful for muscular dystrophy, showing once weekly prednisone improved strength.</p><p>The group also recently reported findings from a pilot trial in humans with muscular dystrophy in which one weekly dose of prednisone improved lean mass.</p><p><strong>Not one-size-fits-all for prednisone dosing </strong></p><p>People have different responses to prednisone dosing.</p><p>McNally wants to determine which biomarkers are most critical to mark having a beneficial response to prednisone.</p><p>\"If we can determine how to choose the right dose of prednisone that minimizes atrophy factors and maximizes positive markers like adiponectin, then we can really personalize the dosing of prednisone,\" she said.</p><p>The group also recently showed that weekly prednisone uses strikingly different molecular pathways to strengthening the muscle in male versus female mice, based on a new study just published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by Isabella Salamone, a graduate student in McNally\'s lab.</p><p><strong>The circadian connection</strong></p><p>The benefits of weekly prednisone are linked to circadian rhythms, reports another new study from Northwestern and University of Cincinnati published last month in Science Advances.</p><p>Human cortisol and steroid levels spike early in the morning before you wake up.</p><p>\"If you don\'t give the drug at the right time of day, you don\'t get the response,\" Quattrocelli said. \"In mice, we obtained good effects with intermittent prednisone in muscle mass and function when we dose them at the beginning of their daytime. Mice have a circadian rhythm inverted to us, as they generally sleep during the daytime and are active at night. This could mean that the optimal dosing time for humans during the day could be in the late afternoon/early evening, but this needs to be appropriately tested.\"</p><p><strong>Do stronger, leaner mice equal stronger, leaner humans?</strong></p><p>The major caveat is that these studies are conducted in mice, McNally said.</p><p>\"While we are encouraged by the pilot study in humans with muscular dystrophy, mouse muscles have more fast-twitch fibers than humans, and slow-twitch muscle could be different,\" McNally said. \"More studies are needed to try to better understand whether these same mechanisms work in human muscles.\"</p><p>The study was funded by National Institutes of Health grants DK121875, HL158531, AG049665, AR052646 and HL061322 and the CCHMC Heart Institute Translational Grant.</p>','2022-04-01 19:57:35.435975','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Northwestern University','Obese mice that were fed a high-fat diet and that received prednisone one time per week had improved exercise endurance, got stronger, increased their lean body mass and lost weight, reports a new study. The mice also had increased muscle metabolism. The once-weekly prednisone promoted nutrient uptake into the muscles.\n',1,139,'<li>Mattia Quattrocelli, Michelle Wintzinger, Karen Miz, Manoj Panta, Ashok D. Prabakaran, Grant D. Barish, Navdeep S. Chandel, Elizabeth M. McNally. <strong>Intermittent prednisone treatment in mice promotes exercise tolerance in obesity through adiponectin</strong>. <em>Journal of Experimental Medicine</em>, 2022 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1084/jem.20211906\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1084/jem.20211906</a>\n</li>'),(1843,'Study shows: Fish can calculate','study-shows:-fish-can-calculate','2022-04-01 19:57:40.373340',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Cichlids and stingrays can perform simple addition and subtraction in the number range of one to five. This has been shown in a recent study by the University of Bonn, which has now been published in the journal <em>Scientific Reports</em>. It is not known what the animals need their mathematical abilities for.</p><p>Suppose there are some coins on the table in front of you. If the number is small, you can tell right away exactly how many there are. You don\'t even have to count them -- a single glance is enough. Cichlids and stingrays are astonishingly similar to us in this respect: they can detect small quantities precisely -- and presumably without counting. For example, they can be trained to reliably distinguish quantities of three from quantities of four.</p><p>This fact has been known for some time. However, the research group led by Prof. Dr. Vera Schluessel from the Institute of Zoology at the University of Bonn has now shown that both species can even calculate. \"We trained the animals to perform simple additions and subtractions,\" Schluessel explains. \"In doing so, they had to increase or decrease an initial value by one.\"</p><p><strong>Blue means \"add one,\" yellow means \"subtract one\"</strong></p><p>But how do you ask a cichlid for the result of \"2+1\" or \"5-1\"? The researchers used a method that other research groups had already successfully used to test the mathematical abilities of bees: They showed the fish a collection of geometric shapes -- for example, four squares. If these objects were colored blue, this meant \"add one\" for the following discrimination. Yellow, on the other hand, meant \"subtract one.\"</p><p>After showing the original stimulus (e.g. four squares), the animals were shown two new pictures -- one with five and one with three squares. If they swam to the correct picture (i.e. to the five squares in the \"blue\" arithmetic task), they were rewarded with food. If they gave the wrong answer, they went away empty-handed. Over time, they learned to associate the blue color with an increase of one in the amount shown at the beginning, and the yellow number with a decrease.</p><p>But can the fish apply this knowledge to new tasks? Had they actually internalized the mathematical rule behind the colors? \"To check this, we deliberately omitted some calculations during training,\" Schluessel explains. \"Namely, 3+1 and 3-1. After the learning phase, the animals got to see these two tasks for the first time. But even in those tests, they significantly often chose the correct answer.\" This was true even when they had to decide between choosing four or five objects after being shown a blue 3 -- that is, two outcomes that were both greater than the initial value. In this case, the fish chose four over five, indicating they had not learned the rule \'chose the largest (or smallest) amount presented\' but the rule \'always add or subtract one\'.</p><p><strong>Computing without a cerebral cortex</strong></p><p>This achievement surprised the researchers themselves -- especially since the tasks were even more difficult in reality than just described. The fish were not shown objects of the same shape (e.g. four squares), but a combination of different shapes. A \"four,\" for example, could be represented by a small and a larger circle, a square and a triangle, whereas in another calculation it could be represented by three triangles of different sizes and a square.</p><p>\"So the animals had to recognize the number of objects depicted and at the same time infer the calculation rule from their color,\" Schluessel says. \"They had to keep both in working memory when the original picture was exchanged for the two result pictures. And they had to decide on the correct result afterwards. Overall, it\'s a feat that requires complex thinking skills.\"</p><p>To some it may be surprising because fish don\'t have a neocortex -- the part of the brain also known as the \"cerebral cortex\" that\'s responsible for complex cognitive tasks in mammals. Moreover, neither species of fish is known to require particularly good numerical abilities in the wild. Other species might pay attention to the strip count of their sexual partners or the amount of eggs in their clutches. \"However, this is not known from stingrays and cichlids,\" emphasizes the zoology professor at the University of Bonn.</p><p>She also sees the result of the experiments as confirmation that humans tend to underestimate other species -- especially those that do not belong to our immediate family or mammals in general. Moreover, fish are not particularly cute and do not have cuddly fur or plumage. \"Accordingly, they are quite far down in our favor -- and of little concern when dying in the brutal practices of the commercial fishing industry,\" says Vera Schluessel.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-01 19:57:40.373340','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Bonn','Cichlids and stingrays can perform simple addition and subtraction in the number range of one to five. This has been shown in a recent study by the University of Bonn, which has now been published in the journal Scientific Reports. It is not known what the animals need their mathematical abilities for.\n',1,116,'<li>V. Schluessel, N. Kreuter, I. M. Gosemann, E. Schmidt. <strong>Cichlids and stingrays can add and subtract ‘one’ in the number space from one to five</strong>. <em>Scientific Reports</em>, 2022; 12 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07552-2\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41598-022-07552-2</a>\n</li>'),(1844,'Higher blood fats more harmful than first thought','higher-blood-fats-more-harmful-than-first-thought','2022-04-01 21:11:24.602092',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Increased levels of blood fats in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity are more harmful than previously thought, a new study has found.</p><p>In patients with metabolic diseases, elevated fat levels in the blood create stress in muscle cells -- a reaction to changes outside the cell which damage their structure and function.</p><p>University of Leeds researchers have discovered that these stressed-out cells give off a signal which can be passed on to other cells.</p><p>The signals, known as ceramides, may have a protective benefit in the short-term, because they are part of a mechanism designed to reduce stress in the cell. But in metabolic diseases, which are long term conditions, the signals can kill the cells, make symptoms more severe, and worsen the illness.</p><p>Increased fat in the blood has long been known to damage tissues and organs, contributing to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes. The condition can be caused by obesity, rates of which have nearly tripled worldwide since 1975. In 2016, there were more than 650 million adults aged 18 and above with obesity.</p><p>Research supervisor Lee Roberts, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Metabolism in the University of Leeds\'s School of Medicine, said: \"Although this research is at an early stage, our discovery may form the basis of new therapies or therapeutic approaches to prevent the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as diabetes in people with elevated blood fats in obesity.\"</p><p>In the lab, the team replicated the blood fat levels observed in humans with metabolic disease by exposing skeletal muscle cells to a fatty acid called palmitate. The cells began to transmit the ceramide signal.</p><p>When these cells were mixed with others which had not been previously exposed to fats, the researchers found that they communicated with each other, transporting the signal in packages called extracellular vesicles.</p><p>The experiment was reproduced in human volunteers with metabolic diseases and gave comparable results. The findings provide a completely new angle on how cells respond to stress, with important consequences for our understanding of certain metabolic diseases including obesity.</p><p>Professor Roberts said: \"This research gives us a novel perspective on how stress develops in the cells of individuals with obesity, and provides new pathways to consider when looking to develop new treatments for metabolic diseases.</p><p>\"With obesity an ever-increasing epidemic, the burden of associated chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes necessitates new treatments. We hope the results of our research here open a new avenue for research to help address this growing concern.\"</p><p>The paper, titled \'Long-chain ceramides are cell non-autonomous signals linking lipotoxicity to endoplasmic reticulum stress in skeletal muscle\', is published today in <em>Nature Communications.</em></p><p>The international research team included colleagues from the University of Cambridge, the University of Bonn, University of Bari, Imperial College and AstraZeneca.</p>','2022-04-01 21:11:24.602092','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Leeds','The increased levels of blood fats in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity are more harmful than previously thought, a new study has found. The research shows they can kill cells, make symptoms more severe, and worsen the illness. Increased fat in the blood has long been known to damage tissues and organs, contributing to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes.\n',1,46,'<li>Ben D. McNally, Dean F. Ashley, Lea Hänschke, Hélène N. Daou, Nicole T. Watt, Steven A. Murfitt, Amanda D. V. MacCannell, Anna Whitehead, T. Scott Bowen, Francis W. B. Sanders, Michele Vacca, Klaus K. Witte, Graeme R. Davies, Reinhard Bauer, Julian L. Griffin, Lee D. Roberts. <strong>Long-chain ceramides are cell non-autonomous signals linking lipotoxicity to endoplasmic reticulum stress in skeletal muscle</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29363-9\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29363-9</a>\n</li>'),(1845,'Crowdsourcing campaign identifies drivers of tropical forest loss','crowdsourcing-campaign-identifies-drivers-of-tropical-forest-loss','2022-04-01 21:11:27.383304',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">To combat forest loss in the tropics, a new study uses crowdsourcing to identify the drivers of deforestation. The resulting dataset can be used to create high-resolution maps and help policymakers apply the best protection measures.</p><p>Every year, 10 million hectares of forest disappear worldwide, predominantly driven by human activities such as agriculture expansion, building of roads, or wood extraction. To combat this trend and apply effective conservation measures, it is crucial to understand the drivers behind forest loss.</p><p>In a new study published in <em>Nature Scientific Data, </em>an international team of researchers harnessed the power of the crowd and set up a crowdsourcing campaign in December 2020 on the Geo-Wiki platform to compile data on the drivers of tropical forest loss between 2008 and 2019. In the analysis, the researchers asked participants to identify the predominant and secondary tree loss driver visible in a randomly shown location between 30° North and South of the equator and to note if roads, trails, or buildings were present.</p><p>The campaign was designed as a competition, with prizes offered to those who contributed the most, based on a combination of quality and quantity. 58 participants from various countries entered and together they reviewed almost 115,000 locations in the tropics, resulting in a dataset that has higher spatial resolution than any other such dataset to date.</p><p>\"With the high resolution and dense spatial sample of this dataset we can create refined maps and get a better understanding of the drivers of forest loss during the past decade,\" says IIASA researcher Juan Carlos Laso Bayas, the lead author of the study. \"This is crucial to orient policymakers towards protecting remaining pristine forests, especially in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.\"</p><p>As well as being the first Geo-Wiki campaign focused on tropical deforestation, this campaign was also a step-up from previous efforts on Geo-Wiki, by providing participants with extensive training materials and tutorial videos, thereby ensuring high data quality. There was also an opportunity to talk \"face to face\" with IIASA experts via a chat service to solve any issues that would come up during the campaign.</p><p>The dataset is open-source and is available to use for researchers, policymakers, and the public. A recent study conducted by IIASA researchers has already made use of the data, analyzing deforestation in protected areas to gauge the effectiveness of the conservation measures and prompt management change where required.</p><p>\"Getting involved with scientists through crowdsourcing campaigns such as this one is easy, rewarding, and can be of utmost importance to generate real change of policies by providing validated data on global events,\" concludes IIASA researcher and study author Linda See.</p>','2022-04-01 21:11:27.383304','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis','To combat forest loss in the tropics, a new study uses crowdsourcing to identify the drivers of deforestation. The resulting dataset can be used to create high-resolution maps and help policymakers apply the best protection measures.\n',1,55,'<li>Juan Carlos Laso Bayas, Linda See, Ivelina Georgieva, Dmitry Schepaschenko, Olga Danylo, Martina Dürauer, Hedwig Bartl, Florian Hofhansl, Roman Zadorozhniuk, Maksym Burianchuk, Flavius Sirbu, Brigitte Magori, Kateryna Blyshchyk, Volodymyr Blyshchyk, Ahmed Harb Rabia, Chandra Kant Pawe, Yuan-Fong Su, Merajuddin Ahmed, Kripal Panging, Oleksandr Melnyk, Olesia Vasylyshyn, Roman Vasylyshyn, Andrii Bilous, Svitlana Bilous, Krishna Das, Reinhard Prestele, Ana Pérez-Hoyos, Khangsembou Bungnamei, Andrii Lashchenko, Maryna Lakyda, Ivan Lakyda, Oleksandr Serediuk, Galyna Domashovets, Yuriy Yurchuk, Michèle Koper, Steffen Fritz. <strong>Drivers of tropical forest loss between 2008 and 2019</strong>. <em>Scientific Data</em>, 2022; 9 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01227-3\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41597-022-01227-3</a>\n</li>'),(1846,'Estimates of the carbon cycle - vital to predicting climate change - are incorrect, new researchers show','estimates-of-the-carbon-cycle---vital-to-predicting-climate-change---are-incorrect,-new-researchers-show','2022-04-01 21:11:30.226990',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Virginia Tech researchers, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, have discovered that key parts of the global carbon cycle used to track movement of carbon dioxide in the environment are not correct, which could significantly alter conventional carbon cycle models.</p><p>The estimate of how much carbon dioxide plants pull from the atmosphere is critical to accurately monitor and predict the amount of climate-changing gasses in the atmosphere. This finding has the potential to change predictions for climate change, though it is unclear at this juncture if the mismatch will result in more or less carbon dioxide being accounted for in the environment.</p><p>\"Either the amount of carbon coming out of the atmosphere from the plants is wrong or the amount coming out of the soil is wrong,\" said Meredith Steele, an assistant professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, whose Ph.D. student at the time, Jinshi Jian, led the research team. The findings are to be published Friday in <em>Nature Communications</em>.</p><p>\"We are not challenging the well-established climate change science, but we should be able to account for all carbon in the ecosystem and currently cannot,\" she said. \"What we found is that the models of the ecosystem\'s response to climate change need updating.\"</p><p>Jian and Steele\'s work focuses on carbon cycling and how plants and soil remove and return carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.</p><p>To understand how carbon affects the ecosystems on Earth, it\'s important to know exactly where all the carbon is going. This process, called carbon accounting, says how much carbon is going where, how much is in each of Earth\'s carbon pools of the oceans, atmosphere, land, and living things.</p><p>For decades, researchers have been trying to get an accurate accounting of where our carbon is and where it is going. Virginia Tech and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers focused on the carbon dioxide that gets drawn out of the atmosphere by plants through photosynthesis.</p><p>When animals eat plants, the carbon moves into the terrestrial ecosystem. It then moves into the soil or to animals. And a large amount of carbon is also exhaled -- or respirated -- back into the atmosphere.</p><p>This carbon dioxide that\'s coming in and going out is essential for balancing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change and storing carbon long-term.</p><p>However, Virginia Tech researchers discovered that when using the accepted numbers for soil respiration, that number in the carbon cycling models is no longer balanced.</p><p>\"Photosynthesis and respiration are the driving forces of the carbon cycle, however the total annual sum of each of these at the global scale has been elusive to measure,\" said Lisa Welp, an associate professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences at Purdue University, who is familiar with the work but was not part of the research. \"The authors\' attempts to reconcile these global estimates from different communities show us that they are not entirely self-consistent and there is more to learn about these fundamental processes on the planet.\"</p><p>What Jian and Steele, along with the rest of the team, found is that by using the gross primary productivity of carbon dioxide\'s accepted number of 120 petagrams -- each petagram is a billion metric tons -- the amount of carbon coming out through soil respiration should be in the neighborhood of 65 petagrams.</p><p>By analyzing multiple fluxes, the amount of carbon exchanged between Earth\'s carbon pools of the oceans, atmosphere, land, and living things, the researchers discovered that the amount of carbon soil respiration coming out of the soil is about 95 petagrams. The gross primary productivity should be around 147. For scale, the difference between the currently accepted amount of 120 petagrams and this is estimate is about three times the global fossil fuel emissions each year.</p><p>According to the researchers, there are two possibilities for this. The first is that the remote sensing approach may be underestimating gross primary production. The other is the upscaling of soil respiration measurements, which could be overestimating the amount of carbon returned to the atmosphere. Whether this misestimate is a positive or negative thing for the scientifically proven challenge of climate change is what needs to be examined next, Steele said.</p><p>The next step for the research is to determine which part of the global carbon cycling model is being under or overestimated.</p><p>By having accurate accounting of the carbon and where it is in the ecosystem, better predictions and models will be possible to accurately judge these ecosystems\' response to climate change, said Jian, who began this research as a Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech and is now at Northwest A&amp;F University in China.</p><p>\"If we think back to how the world was when we were young, the climate has changed,\" Jian said. \"We have more extreme weather events. This study should improve the models we used for carbon cycling and provide better predictions of what the climate will look like in the future.\"</p><p>As Steele\'s first Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech, a portion of Steele\'s startup fund went to support Jian\'s graduate research. Jian, fascinated with data science, databases, and soil respiration, was working on another part of his dissertation when he stumbled across something that didn\'t quite add up.</p><p>Jian was researching how to take small, localized carbon measurements from across the globe. While researching this, Jian discovered that the best estimates didn\'t match up if all the fluxes of global carbon accounting were put together.</p><p>The research was funded by Steele\'s startup fund from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech and further supported by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.</p>','2022-04-01 21:11:30.226990','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Virginia Tech','Researchers have discovered that key parts of the global carbon cycle used to track movement of carbon dioxide in the environment are not correct, which could significantly alter conventional carbon cycle models. This finding has the potential to change predictions for climate change, though it is unclear at this juncture if the mismatch will result in more or less carbon dioxide being accounted for in the environment.\n',1,163,'<li>Jinshi Jian, Vanessa Bailey, Kalyn Dorheim, Alexandra G. Konings, Dalei Hao, Alexey N. Shiklomanov, Abigail Snyder, Meredith Steele, Munemasa Teramoto, Rodrigo Vargas, Ben Bond-Lamberty. <strong>Historically inconsistent productivity and respiration fluxes in the global terrestrial carbon cycle</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29391-5\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29391-5</a>\n</li>'),(1847,'Study sheds light on why immunodeficiency affects only one identical twin','study-sheds-light-on-why-immunodeficiency-affects-only-one-identical-twin','2022-04-01 21:11:35.508085',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Scientists have long queried the causes of immune disorders in only one of two identical twins with identical genes. New research from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Spain and their collaborators, has found the answer lies in both alterations in immune cell-cell communication and the epigenome, the host of biological processes that regulate how our genes function.</p><p>The study, published today (1 April 2022) in <em>Nature Communications</em>, is the first cell atlas to categorise common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) at the single-cell resolution. Researchers found that \'communication problems\' resulting from defects in B cells and other immune cell types impaired immune response, highlighting a number of pathways that are promising targets for epigenetic treatments. In addition, they also identified major defects in the epigenome.</p><p>Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) encompasses a range of immune disorders caused by a reduced ability to produce protective antibodies, which leaves the individual vulnerable to persistent or repeated infection. These individuals usually have low levels of immunoglobulin, more commonly known as antibodies,due to problems with the B cells that create them.</p><p>Though identical twins share the same genome, most will be born with a small number of genetic and epigenetic differences and the number of variations will increase over their lifetime. But where one twin experiences a health problem that their sibling does not, in most cases genetic differences alone cannot explain why this has occurred.</p><p>Around 20 per cent of CVID cases can be attributed to a defect in a gene associated with the condition. But with four in five cases remaining largely unexplained, scientists have predicted that other factors must be involved. This was confirmed by a recent study, which linked CVID to DNA methylation, an epigenetic process that turns the level of a particular gene up or down<sup>1</sup>.</p><p>In this new study, researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute generated single-cell data to investigate epigenetic factors involved in CVID. Samples were taken from a pair of identical twins, only one of whom suffered from CVID, as well as a wider group of CVID patients and healthy individuals.</p><p>Analysis of the identical twin participants found that not only did the sibling with CVID have fewer B cells, but that B cell defects resulted in epigenetic problems with DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility and transcriptional defects in memory B cells themselves<sup>2</sup>. In addition, researchers found massive defects in the cell-to-cell communication required for the immune system to function normally.</p><p>Dr Javier Rodríguez-Ubreva, a first author of the study from the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, said: \"The human immune system is not a static entity and communication between immune cells is vital for it to work effectively. We can see in healthy individuals how cells talk to each other and from there identify where communication breaks down in individuals with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). In the immune system this cell-to-cell communication is critical to define the ability of B cells to mature and produce antibodies.\"</p><p>The researchers compared the epigenetic changes and cell-to-cell communication problems found in the twin suffering from CVID against a wider CVID cohort and found that the problems were the same, providing a solid model for characterising the disease. The challenge now will be to use these insights to develop new treatments.</p><p>Dr Esteban Ballestar, a senior author of the study from the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, said: \"This is the first of many studies that will look at common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and other primary immunodeficiencies in the attempt to identify new therapies for treating these disorders. We already have viable options, such as immunoglobulin replacement therapy, which I would hope can be adapted to address the specific B cell defects that we have identified here.\"</p><p>As well as immunoglobulin replacement therapy, epigenetic drugs can also be used to treat immune disorders and the findings of this study highlight a number of biological pathways worthy of further investigation for new drug targets.</p><p>Dr Roser Vento-Tormo, a senior author of the study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: \"This is the first cell atlas to categorise common variable primary immunodeficiencies and will be a valuable contribution to the Human Cell Atlas initiative to map every cell type in the human body. What this study in particular shows is how quickly cell atlas data can be applied to better understand specific health challenges and open up new avenues of treatment.\"</p><p><strong> Notes: </strong></p><p><sup>1 </sup>This previous study is available here: <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms8335\">https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms8335</a></p><p><sup>2</sup> Chromatin is a complex of DNA and proteins. It forms the structure in which genetic information is packed.</p><p><strong>Funding:</strong></p><p>This research was supported by Wellcome; the Josep Carreras Foundation; the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Jeffrey Modell Foundation and the Medical Research Council.</p>','2022-04-01 21:11:35.508085','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute','Scientists have long queried the causes of immune disorders in only one of two identical twins with identical genes. New research has found the answer lies in both alterations in immune cell-cell communication and the epigenome, the host of biological processes that regulate how our genes function.\n',1,91,'<li>Javier Rodríguez-Ubreva, Anna Arutyunyan, Marc Jan Bonder, Lucía Del Pino-Molina, Stephen J. Clark, Carlos de la Calle-Fabregat, Luz Garcia-Alonso, Louis-François Handfield, Laura Ciudad, Eduardo Andrés-León, Felix Krueger, Francesc Català-Moll, Virginia C. Rodríguez-Cortez, Krzysztof Polanski, Lira Mamanova, Stijn van Dongen, Vladimir Yu. Kiselev, María T. Martínez-Saavedra, Holger Heyn, Javier Martín, Klaus Warnatz, Eduardo López-Granados, Carlos Rodríguez-Gallego, Oliver Stegle, Gavin Kelsey, Roser Vento-Tormo, Esteban Ballestar. <strong>Single-cell Atlas of common variable immunodeficiency shows germinal center-associated epigenetic dysregulation in B-cell responses</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29450-x\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29450-x</a>\n</li>'),(1848,'Wildfire smoke exposure in early pregnancy affects infant monkey behavior','wildfire-smoke-exposure-in-early-pregnancy-affects-infant-monkey-behavior','2022-04-01 21:11:37.742424',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Infant monkeys conceived while their mothers were naturally exposed to wildfire smoke show behavioral changes compared to animals conceived days later, according to a new study from researchers at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The work is published April 1 in <em>Nature Communications</em>.</p><p>The findings show the importance of timing in effects of smoke exposure on pregnancy and suggest a teratogenic, or developmental mechanism, said senior author Bill Lasley, professor emeritus of population health and reproduction at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and Center for Health and Environment.</p><p>\"I think this will have an effect on future studies of exposures in pregnancy, because we\'ll know when to look,\" Lasley said. Existing studies of environmental exposures during pregnancy in humans are mostly retrospective, and women may not even realize they are pregnant until weeks into the first trimester, he said.</p><p>The Camp Fire, which began Nov. 8, 2018, provided a natural experiment in smoke exposure. It blanketed the Davis area, some 100 miles away, with smoke at the peak of breeding season for rhesus macaques housed in outdoor corrals at the California National Primate Research Center.</p><p>The 89 animals conceived around that time were born about six months later. They divide between 52 animals conceived on or before Nov. 22, 2018 which were considered as \"exposed\" to wildfire smoke in their first trimester, and 37 conceived later which were not exposed.</p><p>John Capitanio, professor of psychology at UC Davis and a core scientist at the CNPRC, has been conducting standardized assessments on animals born at the Center for two decades. At about 3-4 months old, the young monkeys are assessed on a variety of cognitive and behavioral tests. While the number of animals conceived during the Camp Fire that were assessed was fairly small, they could be compared not only to each other (exposed vs. not exposed), but also to the historical data from hundreds of animals.</p><p>On assessment, the smoke-exposed infants showed increases in a marker of inflammation, a reduced cortisol response to stress, memory deficits and a more passive temperament than other animals, Capitanio said.</p><p>\"It\'s a mild effect across a variety of domains of psychological function,\" Capitanio said. The effects are consistent with those found in studies of prenatal exposure to air pollution, he said. Comparison between the groups and with animals born in other years shows that the results are not due to the timing of conception (earlier versus later in the breeding season).</p><p><strong>Effect on fetal development</strong></p><p>The findings suggest that some component of wildfire smoke can act as a teratogen, affecting fetal development, Lasley said. That component could be airborne hydrocarbons such as phthalates, which were found in the smoke plume from the Camp Fire.</p><p>Unlike other mammals, the placenta of primates such as humans and rhesus macaques produces hormones that support brain development through the adrenal system, he said.</p><p>\"Since fetal adrenal glands are the source of cortisol and other steroids for neurologic development, which determines behaviors, a scenario of a placenta-adrenal-brain axis could be the causal pathway,\" Lasley said.</p><p>Lasley is beginning a prospective study with women with implanted embryos as a result of in vitro fertilization, as the time of conception is exactly known if the women are incidentally exposed to wildfire smoke or other pollutants.</p><p>A previously published study on the same group of animals by Bryn Wilson, an OB/GYN resident at UC Davis Health in collaboration with Lasley and Professor Kent Pinkerton, UC Davis Center for Health and Environment, found a slight, but not statistically significant, decrease in the rate of live births in the affected cohort.</p><p>Additional authors on the paper are Laura Del Rosso, California National Primate Research Center and Nancy Gee, UC Davis Center for Health and Environment. The work was supported by grants from the NIH.</p>','2022-04-01 21:11:37.742424','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - Davis','Infant monkeys conceived while their mothers were naturally exposed to wildfire smoke show behavioral changes compared to animals conceived days later, according to a new study.\n',1,13,'<li>John P. Capitanio, Laura A. Del Rosso, Nancy Gee, Bill L. Lasley. <strong>Adverse biobehavioral effects in infants resulting from pregnant rhesus macaques’ exposure to wildfire smoke</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29436-9\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29436-9</a>\n</li>'),(1849,'Improving the targeted treatment of movement disorders','improving-the-targeted-treatment-of-movement-disorders','2022-04-01 21:11:40.539897',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Recent discoveries made by researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin may prove vital in improving the treatment of dystonia, a neurological movement disorder. Published in <em>PNAS</em>, their findings show that very specific networks in the brain must be stimulated in order to relieve the symptoms seen in different types of dystonia.</p><p>Dystonia is a rare neurological disorder, which is characterized by involuntary, twisting and distorting movements and postures. People with dystonia may be limited in their ability to perform activities of daily living, such as drinking, walking and speaking. In Germany, approximately 160,000 people have dystonia. The condition is subdivided into generalized dystonia, which affects the entire body, and focal dystonia, which is limited to specific parts of the body. The latter category includes cervical dystonia, which affects the neck. The condition’s underlying causes are not fully understood, but experts assume that symptoms are the result of faulty interactions between specific areas of the brain which lead to abnormal signal transmission. Depending on the form of dystonia involved, genetic defects may also play a role.</p><p>One treatment option available to patients with dystonia is a neurosurgical procedure involving the implantation of electrodes into specific areas of the brain. Once implanted, the electrodes emit weak electrical signals which help to restore normal brain function. Known as deep brain stimulation, the procedure involves the implantation of a pacemaker-like device and is often the only treatment capable of providing relief of symptoms.</p><p>“The precision with which this stimulation has to be adapted to the symptoms seen in different types of dystonia was not clear until now,” explains study lead Prof. Dr. Andrea Kühn, who is Head of the Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology’s Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation Section and Spokesperson of the ‘ReTune’ Transregional Collaborative Research Center (SFB/Transregio TRR 295), which helped to support the current study.</p><p>Prof. Kühn’s team examined a total of 80 patients who had received treatment for either generalized or cervical dystonia at one of five different hospitals in Germany and Austria. After analyzing the electrodes’ precise positions, the researchers were able to generate computer models showing which brain networks were being activated in each of the patients investigated. By mapping data on symptom improvements to their network models, the researchers were then able to determine which of the identified networks were crucial to treatment success.</p><p>One key finding was that the optimal target for stimulation depends on the type of dystonia being treated. This means that optimal treatment outcomes were associated with specific connections between the thalamus (the largest structure in the diencephalon, or ‘interbrain’) and the pallidum (a pale-colored structure at the core of the basal ganglia). The basal ganglia are deep-seated brain structures which play a part in movement control. In patients with cervical dystonia, the determining factor was electrical stimulation of a specific neural network which also activated the head and neck region of the primary motor cortex. As the brain’s motor command center, this area is responsible for planning and initiating movements as well as storing movement memory. In contrast, for patients with generalized dystonia, beneficial effects were elicited through the stimulation of a different network which projected to the entire primary motor cortex.</p><p>“Our study shows clear differences in optimal stimulation sites, which correspond to the somatotopic structure of the inner pallidum. This means that neural areas in the brain map to the areas of the body they represent,” says the study’s first author, Dr. Andreas Horn of the Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology. He adds: “Due to the paucity of alternative treatment options beyond deep brain stimulation, our findings make an important contribution to improving treatment for dystonia. In the future, we will be able to more deliberately treat specific types of the disorder.”</p>','2022-04-01 21:11:40.539897','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin','Recent discoveries may prove vital in improving the treatment of dystonia, a neurological movement disorder. Their findings show that very specific networks in the brain must be stimulated in order to relieve the symptoms seen in different types of dystonia.\n',1,14,'<li>Andreas Horn, Martin M. Reich, Siobhan Ewert, Ningfei Li, Bassam Al-Fatly, Florian Lange, Jonas Roothans, Simon Oxenford, Isabel Horn, Steffen Paschen, Joachim Runge, Fritz Wodarg, Karsten Witt, Robert C. Nickl, Matthias Wittstock, Gerd-Helge Schneider, Philipp Mahlknecht, Werner Poewe, Wilhelm Eisner, Ann-Kristin Helmers, Cordula Matthies, Joachim K. Krauss, Günther Deuschl, Jens Volkmann, Andrea A. Kühn. <strong>Optimal deep brain stimulation sites and networks for cervical vs. generalized dystonia</strong>. <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em>, 2022; 119 (14) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2114985119\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1073/pnas.2114985119</a>\n</li>'),(1850,'Shapeshifting volcano virus points to new ways to deliver drugs, vaccines','shapeshifting-volcano-virus-points-to-new-ways-to-deliver-drugs,-vaccines','2022-04-01 21:12:03.304980',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">From hot volcanic springs where the water is nearly boiling acid, scientists have discovered how lemon-shaped viruses got their form. And that discovery could lead to new and better ways to deliver drugs and vaccines.</p><p>While the vast majority of viruses are either rod-like or spherical (such as the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19), scientists have been puzzled by the unusual forms of viruses found in some of the harshest environments on Earth.</p><p>The researchers were studying one such virus when they discovered it has strange properties that let it alter its shape. While it normally resembles a lemon or spindle, the virus can grow tails. The structure that lets it do that, the scientists realized, likely explains how ancient rod-like viruses gave rise to all the spindle-shaped viruses seen today.</p><p>\"We can now understand a new principle in how proteins can form the shell that packages the DNA in a virus,\" said lead researcher Edward H. Egelman, PhD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. \"This has implications for not only understanding how certain viruses evolved but potentially can be used for new ways to deliver everything from drugs to vaccines.\"</p><p><strong>One Tough Virus</strong></p><p>The virus Egelman and his colleagues were studying, Sulfolobus monocaudavirus 1 (SMV1), has a protein shell surrounding the DNA that is spindle- or lemon-shaped. But it has been a puzzle for almost 20 years exactly how that many copies of the same protein can come together to form such a shape.</p><p>Egelman and his team were able to reveal the strange properties of SMV1 using high-tech cryo-electron microscopy and advanced image processing. (Egelman was elected to the  National Academy of Sciences for his pioneering work using cryo-electron microscopy and 3D modeling to map out the world that is far too small for even the most powerful light microscopes to see.)</p><p>SMV1, the researchers found, contains strands of proteins that that slip and slide past each other, due to the fact that they are \"greasy.\" These seven strands of proteins were found in both the body and tail of the virus, and they give the virus a remarkable ability to shapeshift. Rather than having a fixed shape, it can balloon up like a pufferfish to accommodate genetic material. At the same time, these strands form an impenetrable barrier to prevent the acid which surrounds them from destroying the DNA inside the virus.</p><p>The virus is a formidable threat to the single-celled organisms it infects. Once infected, the host organisms turn into giant factories churning out more virus. These host cells grow up to 20 times larger before a new army of viruses bursts forth.</p><p>Based on their findings, Egelman and his collaborators conclude that today\'s viruses shaped like spindles or lemons likely evolved from ancient rod-shaped ancestors. The rod-shaped viruses could only contain a limited amount of DNA, and the \"greasy\" properties that let SMV1 shapeshift would have let the ancestral viruses package more genetic material -- a useful trait for viruses, from an evolutionary perspective.</p><p>\"Viruses can pose great threats to human health, as we see from the COVID-19 pandemic,\" said Egelman, of UVA\'s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. \"It is thus crucial that we understand more about how viruses have evolved. But we can also learn from viruses, and create new technologies based upon the principles found in these very simple structures.\"</p><p>Findings Published</p><p>The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal <em>Cell</em>; the journal is featuring the discovery as the cover story. The research team, mainly a collaboration between scientists at UVA and the Institut Pasteur in Paris, consisted of Fengbin Wang, Virginija Cvirkaite-Krupovic, Matthijn Vos, Leticia C. Beltran, Mark A.B. Kreutzberger, Jean-Marie Winter, Zhangli Su, Jun Liu, Stefan Schouten, Mart Krupovic and Egelman.</p><p>The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health, grants GM122510 and K99GM138756; l\'Agence Nationale de la Recherche, grants ANR-17-CE15-401 0005-01, ANR-20-CE20-009-02 and ANR-21-CE11-0001-01; and Ville de Paris\' Emergence(s) project MEMREMA.</p>','2022-04-01 21:12:03.304980','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Virginia Health System','A discovery about a shapeshifting virus found in hot volcanic springs could have very useful implications.\n',1,21,'<li>Fengbin Wang, Virginija Cvirkaite-Krupovic, Matthijn Vos, Leticia C. Beltran, Mark A.B. Kreutzberger, Jean-Marie Winter, Zhangli Su, Jun Liu, Stefan Schouten, Mart Krupovic, Edward H. Egelman. <strong>Spindle-shaped archaeal viruses evolved from rod-shaped ancestors to package a larger genome</strong>. <em>Cell</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.02.019\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.cell.2022.02.019</a>\n</li>'),(1851,'Are \'person\' or \'people\' gender-neutral concepts? New study finds male tilt in analysis of billions of words','are-\'person\'-or-\'people\'-gender-neutral-concepts?-new-study-finds-male-tilt-in-analysis-of-billions-of-words','2022-04-01 21:48:38.315342',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The concept of a \"person\" or \"people\" is, despite its definition, not gender-neutral when it comes to how we use these terms. In fact, we tend to prioritize men when referring to people in general, shows a new study by a team of psychology and linguistics researchers.</p><p>The findings, which are reported in the journal <em>Science Advances</em>, are based on an analysis of more than 630 billion words drawn from internet web pages, using artificial intelligence tools to measure what words mean based on how they are used by millions of individuals.</p><p>\"Many forms of bias, such as the tendency to associate \'science\' with men more than women, have been studied in the past, but there has been much less work on how we view a \'person,\' \" says April Bailey, a postdoctoral researcher in New York University\'s Department of Psychology and the lead author of the paper.</p><p>\"Our findings show that even when using gender-neutral terms, we prioritize men over women,\" adds co-author Adina Williams, a research scientist at Meta AI and a graduate of NYU\'s doctoral program in linguistics.</p><p>Bias at such a foundational level -- our word choices -- is potentially consequential, the researchers note.</p><p>\"Conceptions of \'people\' form the basis of many societal decisions and policymaking,\" observes Andrei Cimpian, a professor in New York University\'s Department of Psychology and the senior author of the paper. \"Because men and women are each about half of the species, prioritizing men in our collective idea of a \'person\' creates inequity for women in decisions based on this idea.\"</p><p>The research team examined words\' meanings by considering how they are used by individuals. Specifically, the team studied how we use words expressing the concept of \"person\" and its gender-specific counterparts, \"woman\" and \"man.\"</p><p>To test whether we\'re likely to think of men more often than we are of women when writing about \"people,\" the team used artificial intelligence algorithms that learn the meaning of words based on how they are used, drawing from a language repository collected by the non-profit Common Crawl in May 2017. This repository included more than 630 billion mostly English-language words appearing on nearly three billion web pages.</p><p>The researchers considered how word meaning is related to word context and use. For example, if you hear, \"Each morning, Joe boiled water in the balak for tea,\" you might guess that \"balak\" means something similar to \"kettle,\" even though \"balak\" is unfamiliar, because the words alongside \"balak\" (\"tea,\" \"boiled,\" and \"water\") also frequently co-occur with \"kettle.\"</p><p>In the <em>Science Advances</em> paper, the researchers investigated, in three studies, the meaning of \"person\" and related words (e.g., \"people\") by taking into account adjacent words -- the linguistic context.</p><p>In the first study, they compared the similarity in meaning (inferred via linguistic context) between words for people (e.g., \"individual\") and words for men (e.g., \"he\" and \"male\") to the similarity in meaning between words for people and words for women (e.g., \"she\" and \"female\").</p><p>They found that words for people were used more similarly, and were thus more similar in their meaning, to words for men than to words for women -- and by a statistically significant margin. Put another way, the collective concept \"people\" overlapped more with the concept \"men\" than with the concept \"women\" in the studied words.</p><p>In the second study, instead of focusing on words for people, the team examined words denoting features central to this concept -- specifically, words for <em>traits</em> that commonly describe what people are like. They compared hundreds of trait words identified in past research as common descriptors of people (e.g., \"extroverted,\" \"analytical,\" and \"superstitious\") to the same lists of words for women and for men from the paper\'s initial study.</p><p>They found that the meaning of these descriptor words in the second study were, overall, more similar to the meaning of words for men than to the meaning of words for women, with a statistically significant difference between the two. That is, common words that describe what people are like (e.g., \"extroverted\") are <em>also</em> used more similarly to words for men than to words for women.</p><p>In a third study, the researchers studied the use of <em>verbs</em> -- a reasonable area for exploration given the initial findings. Specifically, if the collective concept \"people\" overlaps more with the concept \"men\" than with the concept \"women,\" then words that describe what people do and what is done to them (e.g., \"love,\" \"annoy\") may also be more likely to be similar in their contextual meaning to words denoting men than to words denoting women.</p><p>In this study, they compared the meaning similarities between more than 250 verbs that describe actions that people take (e.g., \"facilitate,\" \"smile,\" and \"threaten\") and words for men vs. words for women.</p><p>As with the second study, which focused on common words that describe what people are like, words that describe what people do (e.g., \"run\") were also used more similarly to words for men than to words for women -- a difference that was again statistically significant.</p>','2022-04-01 21:48:38.315342','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'New York University','The concept of a \'person\' or \'people\' is, despite its definition, not gender-neutral when it comes to how we use these terms. In fact, we tend to prioritize men when referring to people in general, shows a new study by a team of psychology and linguistics researchers.\n',1,166,'<li>April H. Bailey, Adina Williams, Andrei Cimpian. <strong>Based on billions of words on the internet,            people            =            men</strong>. <em>Science Advances</em>, 2022; 8 (13) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm2463\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/sciadv.abm2463</a>\n</li>'),(1852,'Pandemic\'s urgency drove new collaborative approaches worldwide','pandemic\'s-urgency-drove-new-collaborative-approaches-worldwide','2022-04-01 21:48:40.471536',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">In a paper in the journal Nature, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists Bette Korber, Hyejin Yoon, Will Fischer and James Theiler, among nearly 130 authors from institutions around the world, describe their groundbreaking collaborative work, \"Defining the risk of SARS-CoV-2 variants on immune protection.\"</p><p>Korber, Fischer, Yoon and Theiler are members of a rarified team that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases assembled in January 2021, drawing on experts from around the world who specialize in relevant research fields such as viruses, the immune system, vaccines, epidemiology, structural biology, bioinformatics, virus genetics, and evolution. The team is called SAVE, for SARS-CoV-2 Assessment of Viral Evolution.</p><p>As noted in the Nature paper, the authors state, \"This effort was designed to provide a real-time risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 variants potentially impacting transmission, virulence, and resistance to convalescent and vaccine-induced immunity. The SAVE program serves as a critical data-generating component of the United States Government SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group to assess implications of SARS-CoV-2 variants on diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics and for communicating public health risk.\"</p><p><strong>Broad model for rapid response</strong></p><p>SAVE focuses on mutations in SARS-CoV-2 and emerging virus variants. But its members say the global collaborative concept \"is a broad model for rapidly responding to evolving pathogens with pandemic potential.\"</p><p>\"Over the past two decades, we have witnessed the emergence/re-emergence of several RNA viruses, including West Nile virus, H1N1 influenza virus, chikungunya virus, Zika virus, SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV and Ebola virus, that have threatened global public health,\" the paper\'s summary states. \"Developing collaborative programs between academic, industry and commercial partners is essential to respond to rapidly evolving viruses,\" said Marciela DeGrace of NIAID, the paper\'s lead author.</p><p>SAVE members represent 58 different research sites located in the United States and around the world. Members participate within three sub-groups:</p><p><strong>Early detection methods</strong></p><p>Korber\'s team was part of the Early Detection and Analysis team, where such high-impact work as the initial identification of mutations in the virus made waves in the scientific community before its capacity for mutation had been clearly understood and accepted.</p><p>The Nature paper notes, \"The process is collaborative and iterative, with seven teams using independent models and methodologies to prioritize mutations and lineages as well as rank importance for downstream testing. While the focus is on human infections, the Early Detection group also monitors variants circulating in animal populations, such as mink and deer, since they represent a potential reservoir source.\"</p><p>On a weekly basis, the SAVE Early Detection and Analysis team reviews downloads of SARS-CoV-2 genomes from the international initiative for sequence sharing, GISAID. They search for variant and co-variant signatures in the genomes, then divide the work into two approaches:</p><p><strong>Highlights of Los Alamos impact</strong></p><p>At Los Alamos, the Korber team identifies emergent mutational patterns within the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to track newly emerging and expanding variants and determine transitions in global and regional sampling frequencies over time, which is the specialty area in which Los Alamos has made a huge impact.</p><p>They pay particular attention to mutations in parts of the spike protein known to be highly targeted by antibodies, or that might impact infectivity. They also systematically define the most commonly circulating form of each emerging variant of interest or concern against the backdrop of the continuously evolving virus.</p><p>\"Identifying the emerging variants, and obtaining accurate sequences for those variants, required continued wrangling of burgeoning data,\" said Theiler. \"There are now close to 10 million SARS-CoV-2 sequences in GISAID. These sequences, however, are non-uniformly sampled, are often partial and some contain errors, and of course it is the newest variants that give the sequencers the most trouble.\"</p><p>\"The tools we developed, along with our colleagues on the LANL COVID-19 Viral Genome Analysis Pipeline (<a href=\"http://cov.lanl.gov\">cov.lanl.gov</a>), provided the infrastructure that enabled us to follow this pandemic though its various waves,\" he added.</p><p>Korber noted that \"by working with the SAVE Early Detection team, we were able to be part of a synergistic collaborative effort, where our results in terms of early detection could be cross-checked with those of others.\"</p><p>She added, \"The real beauty of being part of the larger SAVE project was the knowledge that our analysis pipeline could provide foundational support for the many experimental teams in SAVE, and that we could help the scientific community get the best version of newly emergent variants into their laboratories as quickly and accurately as possible. In this way the science needed to understand the immunological and virological characteristics of new variants was rapidly obtained, in time to help inform public health decisions.\"</p>','2022-04-01 21:48:40.471536','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory','In a new paper, nearly 130 authors from institutions around the world describe their groundbreaking collaborative work, \'Defining the risk of SARS-CoV-2 variants on immune protection.\'\n',1,21,'<li>Marciela M. DeGrace, Elodie Ghedin, Matthew B. Frieman, Florian Krammer, Alba Grifoni, Arghavan Alisoltani, Galit Alter, Rama R. Amara, Ralph S. Baric, Dan H. Barouch, Jesse D. Bloom, Louis-Marie Bloyet, Gaston Bonenfant, Adrianus C. M. Boon, Eli A. Boritz, Debbie L. Bratt, Traci L. Bricker, Liliana Brown, William J. Buchser, Juan Manuel Carreño, Liel Cohen-Lavi, Tamarand L. Darling, Meredith E. Davis-Gardner, Bethany L. Dearlove, Han Di, Meike Dittmann, Nicole A. Doria-Rose, Daniel C. Douek, Christian Drosten, Venkata-Viswanadh Edara, Ali Ellebedy, Thomas P. Fabrizio, Guido Ferrari, William C. Florence, Ron A. M. Fouchier, John Franks, Adolfo García-Sastre, Adam Godzik, Ana Silvia Gonzalez-Reiche, Aubree Gordon, Bart L. Haagmans, Peter J. Halfmann, David D. Ho, Michael R. Holbrook, Yaoxing Huang, Sarah L. James, Lukasz Jaroszewski, Trushar Jeevan, Robert M. Johnson, Terry C. Jones, Astha Joshi, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Lisa Kercher, Marion P. G. Koopmans, Bette Korber, Eilay Koren, Richard A. Koup, Eric B. LeGresley, Jacob E. Lemieux, Mariel J. Liebeskind, Zhuoming Liu, Brandi Livingston, James P. Logue, Yang Luo, Adrian B. McDermott, Margaret J. McElrath, Victoria A. Meliopoulos, Vineet D. Menachery, David C. Montefiori, Barbara Mühlemann, Vincent J. Munster, Jenny E. Munt, Manoj S. Nair, Antonia Netzl, Anna M. Niewiadomska, Sijy O’Dell, Andrew Pekosz, Stanley Perlman, Marjorie C. Pontelli, Barry Rockx, Morgane Rolland, Paul W. Rothlauf, Sinai Sacharen, Richard H. Scheuermann, Stephen D. Schmidt, Michael Schotsaert, Stacey Schultz-Cherry, Robert A. Seder, Mayya Sedova, Alessandro Sette, Reed S. Shabman, Xiaoying Shen, Pei-Yong Shi, Maulik Shukla, Viviana Simon, Spencer Stumpf, Nancy J. Sullivan, Larissa B. Thackray, James Theiler, Paul G. Thomas, Sanja Trifkovic, Sina Türeli, Samuel A. Turner, Maria A. Vakaki, Harm van Bakel, Laura A. VanBlargan, Leah R. Vincent, Zachary S. Wallace, Li Wang, Maple Wang, Pengfei Wang, Wei Wang, Scott C. Weaver, Richard J. Webby, Carol D. Weiss, David E. Wentworth, Stuart M. Weston, Sean P. J. Whelan, Bradley M. Whitener, Samuel H. Wilks, Xuping Xie, Baoling Ying, Hyejin Yoon, Bin Zhou, Tomer Hertz, Derek J. Smith, Michael S. Diamond, Diane J. Post, Mehul S. Suthar. <strong>Defining the risk of SARS-CoV-2 variants on immune protection</strong>. <em>Nature</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04690-5\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41586-022-04690-5</a>\n</li>'),(1853,'Monkeys routinely consume fruit containing alcohol, shedding light on our own taste for booze','monkeys-routinely-consume-fruit-containing-alcohol,-shedding-light-on-our-own-taste-for-booze','2022-04-01 21:48:46.112051',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">For 25 years, UC Berkeley biologist Robert Dudley has been intrigued by humans\' love of alcohol. In 2014, he wrote a book proposing that our attraction to booze arose millions of years ago, when our ape and monkey ancestors discovered that the scent of alcohol led them to ripe, fermenting and nutritious fruit.</p><p>A new study now supports this idea, which Dudley calls the \"drunken monkey\" hypothesis.</p><p>The study was led by primatologist Christina Campbell of California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and her graduate student Victoria Weaver, who collected fruit eaten and discarded by black-handed spider monkeys (<em>Ateles geoffroyi</em>) in Panama. They found that the alcohol concentration in the fruit was typically between 1% and 2% by volume, a by-product of natural fermentation by yeasts that eat sugar in ripening fruit.</p><p>Moreover, the researchers collected urine from these free-ranging monkeys and found that the urine contained secondary metabolites of alcohol. This result shows that the animals were actually utilizing the alcohol for energy -- it wasn\'t just passing through their bodies.</p><p>\"For the first time, we have been able to show, without a shadow of a doubt, that wild primates, with no human interference, consume fruit-containing ethanol,\" said Campbell, a CUSN professor of anthropology who obtained her Ph.D. in anthropology from Berkeley in 2000. \"This is just one study, and more need to be done, but it looks like there may be some truth to that \'drunken monkey\' hypothesis -- that the proclivity of humans to consume alcohol stems from a deep-rooted affinity of frugivorous (fruit-eating) primates for naturally-occurring ethanol within ripe fruit.\"</p><p>Dudley laid out evidence for his idea eight years ago in the book, <em>The Drunken Monkey: Why We Drink and Abuse Alcohol</em>. Measurements showed that some fruits known to be eaten by primates have a naturally high alcohol content of up to 7%. But at the time, he did not have data showing that monkeys or apes preferentially sought out and ate fermented fruits, or that they digested the alcohol in the fruit.</p><p>For the newly reported study, the CSUN researchers teamed up with Dudley and UC Berkeley graduate student Aleksey Maro to analyze the alcohol content in the fruits. Maro is conducting a parallel study of the alcohol content in the fruit-based diet of chimpanzees in Uganda and the Ivory Coast.</p><p>\"It (the study) is a direct test of the drunken monkey hypothesis,\" said Dudley, UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology. \"Part one, there is ethanol in the food they\'re eating, and they\'re eating a lot of fruit. Then, part two, they\'re actually metabolizing alcohol -- secondary metabolites, ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate are coming out in the urine. What we don\'t know is how much of it they\'re eating and what the effects are behaviorally and physiologically. But it\'s confirmatory.\"</p><p>The study, which appeared this month in the journal <em>Royal Society Open Science</em>, was conducted at a field site, Barro Colorado Island in Panama, where Dudley has often conducted research and where he first began thinking about the role of ethanol in animal diets and how that might play into our enjoyment and abuse of alcohol.</p><p>The researchers found that the fruit that spider monkeys sniffed and took a bite out of routinely had alcohol concentrations of between 1% and 2%, about half the concentration of low-alcohol brews The ripe fruits they collected were from the jobo tree, <em>Spondias mombin</em>, and were a major component of the spider monkey diet. But the fruit also has been used for millennia by Indigenous human populations throughout Central and South America to make chicha, a fermented alcoholic beverage.</p><p>The researchers also collected urine from six spider monkeys. Five of the samples contained secondary metabolites of ethanol.</p><p>\"The monkeys were likely eating the fruit with ethanol for the calories,\" Campbell said. \"They would get more calories from fermented fruit than they would from unfermented fruit. The higher calories mean more energy.\"</p><p>Dudley said that he doubts that the monkeys feel the inebriating effects of alcohol that humans appreciate.</p><p>\"They\'re probably not getting drunk, because their guts are filling before they reach inebriating levels,\" he said. \"But it is providing some physiological benefit. Maybe, also, there\'s an anti-microbial benefit within the food that they\'re consuming, or the activity of the yeast and the microbes may be predigesting the fruit. You can\'t rule that out.\"</p><p>The need for the monkeys\' high caloric intake may similarly have influenced human ancestors\' decisions when choosing which fruit to eat, Campbell said.</p><p>\"Human ancestors may also have preferentially selected ethanol-laden fruit for consumption, given that it has more calories,\" she said. \"Psychoactive and hedonic effects of ethanol may similarly result in increased consumption rates and caloric gain.\"</p><p>Today, the availability of alcohol in liquid form, without the gut-filling pulp of fermenting fruit, means it\'s easy to overindulge. The idea that humans\' natural affinity for alcohol is inherited from our primate ancestors could help society deal with the adverse consequences of alcohol abuse.</p><p>\"Excessive consumption of alcohol, as with diabetes and obesity, can then be viewed conceptually as a disease of nutritional excess,\" Campbell said.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-01 21:48:46.112051','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - Berkeley','Scientists analyzed the ethanol content of fruit eaten by spider monkeys in Panama, and found that the fruit regularly contained alcohol: between 1% and 2%. The researchers also collected urine samples, most of which contained secondary metabolites of ethanol. The results provide further evidence that our primate ancestors preferentially sought out fermented, alcohol-containing fruit likely for its greater nutritional value, and that humans may have inherited this proclivity for ethanol.\n',1,27,'<li>Christina J. Campbell, Aleksey Maro, Victoria Weaver, Robert Dudley. <strong>Dietary ethanol ingestion by free-ranging spider monkeys            (Ateles geoffroyi            )</strong>. <em>Royal Society Open Science</em>, 2022; 9 (3) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211729\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1098/rsos.211729</a>\n</li>'),(1854,'\'Flash droughts\' coming on faster, global study shows','\'flash-droughts\'-coming-on-faster,-global-study-shows','2022-04-01 23:40:42.994569',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Just like flash floods, flash droughts come on fast -- drying out soil in a matter of days to weeks. These events can wipe out crops and cause huge economic losses. And according to scientists, the speed at which they dry out the landscape has increased.</p><p>Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Texas Tech University found that although the number of flash droughts has remained stable during the past two decades, more of them are coming on faster. Globally, the flash droughts that come on the fastest -- sending areas into drought conditions within just five days -- have increased by about 3%-19%. And in places that are especially prone to flash droughts -- such as South Asia, Southeast Asia and central North America -- that increase is about 22%-59%.</p><p>Rising global temperatures are probably behind the faster onset, said co-author and UT Jackson School Professor Zong-Liang Yang, who added that the study\'s results underscore the importance of understanding flash droughts and preparing for their effects.</p><p>\"Every year, we are seeing record-breaking warming episodes, and that is a good precursor to these flash droughts,\" he said. \"The hope and purpose [of this research] is to minimize the detrimental effects.\"</p><p>The research was published in <em>Nature Communications</em>. The study was led by doctoral student Yamin Qing and Professor Shuo Wang, both of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.</p><p>Flash droughts are relatively new to science, with the advancement of remote sensing technology during the past couple of decades helping reveal instances of soil rapidly drying out. This serves as the telltale sign of the onset of a flash drought and can make drought conditions appear seemingly out of the blue.</p><p>As the name suggests, flash droughts are short lived, usually lasting only a few weeks or months. But when they occur during critical growing periods, they can cause disasters. For example, in the summer of 2012, a flash drought in the central United States caused the corn crop to wither, leading to an estimated $35.7 billion in losses.</p><p>In this study, the scientists analyzed global hydroclimate data sets that use satellite soil moisture measurements to capture a global picture of flash drought and how it has changed during the past 21 years. The data showed that about 34%-46% of flash droughts came on in about five days. The rest emerge within a month, with more than 70% developing in half a month or less.</p><p>When they examined the droughts over time, they noticed the flash droughts happening more quickly.</p><p>The study also revealed the importance of humidity and variable weather patterns, with flash droughts becoming more likely when there\'s a shift from humid to arid conditions. That makes regions that undergo seasonal swings in humidity -- such as Southeast Asia, the Amazon Basin, and the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States -- flash drought hot spots.</p><p>\"We should pay close attention to the vulnerable regions with a high probability of concurrent soil drought and atmospheric aridity,\" said Wang.</p><p>Mark Svoboda, the director of the National Drought Mitigation Center and originator of the term \"flash drought,\" said the advancement in drought-detecting technology and modeling tools -- such as those used in this study -- has led to growing awareness of the influence and impact of flash droughts. He said the next big step is translating this knowledge into on-the-ground planning.</p><p>\"You can go back and watch that drought evolve in 2012 and then compare it to how that tool did,\" said Svoboda, who was not part of the study. \"We really have the stage well set to do a better job of tracking these droughts.\"</p><p>The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council.</p>','2022-04-01 23:40:42.994569','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Texas at Austin','Just like flash floods, flash droughts come on fast -- drying out soil in a matter of days to weeks. These events can wipe out crops and cause huge economic losses. And according to scientists, the speed at which they dry out the landscape has increased.\n',1,101,'<li>Yamin Qing, Shuo Wang, Brian C. Ancell, Zong-Liang Yang. <strong>Accelerating flash droughts induced by the joint influence of soil moisture depletion and atmospheric aridity</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28752-4\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-28752-4</a>\n</li>'),(1855,'New research shows what it takes to make society change for the better','new-research-shows-what-it-takes-to-make-society-change-for-the-better','2022-04-01 23:40:46.135124',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Many people try to make society change for the better. The real challenge is how to get good solutions to scale up for major change. New research suggests that social change may depend on the relationship between beneficial behaviors and policies.</p><p>The research, conducted by the University of Maine, University of Maine at Augusta, University of Vermont and Universite Laval in Quebec, Canada, attempted to understand how society can accomplish major, transformative social change, particularly the kind of social change necessary to tackle the growing problem of climate change.</p><p>The researchers studied a behavior that benefits groups, but does not spread without policy support, such as a costly measure to mitigate the effects of climate change. They created a mathematical model using an innovative combination of epidemiological and evolutionary techniques, which simulates a society where agents live in groups and adopt the beneficial behavior of peers -- behavior that, given the right conditions, can spread virally, but not if the institutional costs are too high.</p><p>The model considers factors like the prevalence of adopters and non-adopters in a group; the diffusion of behaviors, both within the group and globally; the strength of institutions supporting the behavior and facilitating its spread; and the cost of those institutions.</p><p>\"Our model is unique because it combines behavioral change and policy change in a single system, and encourages us to think about social change in a richer way. Large-scale social change is not just policy or behavior, but the emergence of a new self-reinforcing system that combines both. This allows us to ask new questions, such as \'how would a new pattern of behavior and policy spread?\'\" says Timothy Waring, associate professor of social-ecological systems modeling at the University of Maine and co-author of the study.</p><p>The results showed that both behavioral change and policy change are required to achieve large-scale social change -- and that they need to happen together. Though neither can get the job done on its own, policy change is especially critical.</p><p>The researchers found that sometimes the beneficial behavior can spread too far. In some cases, the spread of behavior beyond groups with supporting policy can reduce its perceived success and slow the spread of the policy, thereby limiting beneficial social change overall.</p><p>The simulation suggests that projects that involve both bottom-up viral spread of behavior and top-down policy change may be the best type of solution for large sustainability issues like climate change because they serve as an example and can spread between groups to influence major change.</p><p>\"For example, let\'s say a state wants to spread participation in a new organic composting law which would benefit towns,\" Waring says. \"To make the system work, the collected waste must be purely organic material. But contributing pure organic waste takes effort for households, so the behavior does not take off on its own. This is a common problem for policy implementation. But if towns experiment with systems to help support and spread the behavior, the successful town programs can spread between towns along with household contributions, resulting in effective, large-scale change.\"</p><p>Laurent Hébert-Dufresne, lead author on the study and associate professor at the University of Vermont, says, \"Our model can help figure out how to balance bottom-up and top-down effects so that new solutions can scale. For example, it can help determine when we should promote a behavior like composting all over the country to normalize it and when we should instead focus on a local well-funded pilot project to show the potential benefits of composting.\"</p><p>Waring said that in future research, the team aims to apply these types of models to all sorts of beneficial social change, particularly the challenge of tackling climate change.</p><p>The study was published in the <em>Royal Society Open Science</em> on March 23, 2022. The research is part of track 2 of UMaine\'s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) project.</p>','2022-04-01 23:40:46.135124','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Maine','New research suggests that social change may depend on the relationship between beneficial behaviors and policies. Using an innovative mathematical model, researchers studied a behavior that benefits groups, but does not spread without policy support, such as a costly measure to mitigate the effects of climate change. The results showed that both behavioral change and policy change are required to achieve large-scale social change, but policy change is especially critical.\n',1,27,'<li>Laurent Hébert-Dufresne, Timothy M. Waring, Guillaume St-Onge, Meredith T. Niles, Laura Kati Corlew, Matthew P. Dube, Stephanie J. Miller, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Brian J. McGill. <strong>Source-sink behavioural dynamics limit institutional evolution in a group-structured society</strong>. <em>Royal Society Open Science</em>, 2022; 9 (3) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211743\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1098/rsos.211743</a>\n</li>'),(1856,'New polymer membrane tech improves efficiency of CO2 capture','new-polymer-membrane-tech-improves-efficiency-of-co2-capture','2022-04-01 23:44:34.759808',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Researchers have developed a new membrane technology that allows for more efficient removal of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) from mixed gases, such as emissions from power plants.</p><p>\"To demonstrate the capability of our new membranes, we looked at mixtures of CO<sub>2</sub> and nitrogen, because CO<sub>2</sub>/nitrogen dioxide mixtures are particularly relevant in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants,\" says Rich Spontak, co-corresponding author of a paper on the work. \"And we\'ve demonstrated that we can vastly improve the selectivity of membranes to remove CO<sub>2</sub> while retaining relatively high CO<sub>2</sub> permeability.\"</p><p>\"We also looked at mixtures of CO<sub>2</sub> and methane, which is important to the natural gas industry,\" says Spontak, who is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Professor of Materials Science &amp; Engineering at North Carolina State University. \"In addition, these CO<sub>2</sub>-filtering membranes can be used in any situation in which one needs to remove CO<sub>2</sub> from mixed gases -- whether it\'s a biomedical application or scrubbing CO<sub>2</sub> from the air in a submarine.\"</p><p>Membranes are an attractive technology for removing CO<sub>2</sub> from mixed gases because they do not take up much physical space, they can be made in a wide variety of sizes, and they can be easily replaced. The other technology that is often used for CO<sub>2</sub> removal is chemical absorption, which involves bubbling mixed gases through a column that contains a liquid amine -- which removes CO<sub>2</sub> from the gas. However, absorption technologies have a significantly larger footprint, and liquid amines tend to be toxic and corrosive.</p><p>These membrane filters work by allowing CO<sub>2</sub> to pass through the membrane more quickly than the other constituents in the mixed gas. As a result, the gas passing out the other side of the membrane has a higher proportion of CO<sub>2</sub> than the gas entering the membrane. By capturing the gas passing out of the membrane, you capture more of the CO<sub>2</sub> than you do of the other constituent gases.</p><p>A longstanding challenge for such membranes has been a trade-off between permeability and selectivity. The higher the permeability, the more quickly you can move gas through the membrane. But when permeability goes up, selectivity goes down -- meaning that nitrogen, or other constituents, also pass through the membrane quickly -- reducing the ratio of CO<sub>2</sub> to other gases in the mixture. In other words, when selectivity goes down you capture relatively less CO<sub>2</sub>.</p><p>The research team, from the U.S. and Norway, addressed this problem by growing chemically active polymer chains that are both hydrophilic and CO<sub>2</sub>-philic on the surface of existing membranes. This increases CO<sub>2</sub> selectivity and causes relatively little reduction in permeability.</p><p>\"In short, with little change in permeability, we\'ve demonstrated that we can increase selectivity by as much as about 150 times,\" says Marius Sandru, co-corresponding author of the paper and senior research scientist at SINTEF Industry, an independent research organization in Norway. \"So we\'re capturing much more CO<sub>2</sub>, relative to the other species in gas mixtures.\"</p><p>Another challenge facing membrane CO<sub>2</sub> filters has been cost. The more effective previous membrane technologies were, the more expensive they tended to be.</p><p>\"Because we wanted to create a technology that is commercially viable, our technology started with membranes that are already in widespread use,\" says Spontak. \"We then engineered the surface of these membranes to improve selectivity. And while this does increase the cost, we think the modified membranes will still be cost effective.\"</p><p>\"Our next steps are to see the extent to which the techniques we developed here could be applied to other polymers to get comparable, or even superior, results; and to upscale the nanofabrication process,\" Sandru says. \"Honestly, even though the results here have been nothing short of exciting, we haven\'t tried to optimize this modification process yet. Our paper reports proof-of-concept results.\"</p><p>The researchers are also interested in exploring other applications, such as whether the new membrane technology could be used in biomedical ventilator devices or filtration devices in the aquaculture sector.</p><p>The researchers say they are open to working with industry partners in exploring any of these questions or opportunities to help mitigate global climate change and improve device function.</p><p>The paper is published in the journal <em>Science</em>. The paper was co-authored by Wade Ingram, a former Ph.D. student at NC State; Eugenia Sandru and Per Stenstad of SINTEF Industry; and Jing Deng and Liyuan Deng of the Norwegian University of Science &amp; Technology.</p><p>The work was done with support from the Research Council of Norway; UEFSCDI Romania; the National Science Foundation, under grant number ECCS-2025064; and Kraton Corporation.</p>','2022-04-01 23:44:34.759808','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'North Carolina State University','Researchers have developed a new membrane technology that allows for more efficient removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from mixed gases, such as emissions from power plants.\n',1,87,'<li>Marius Sandru, Eugenia M. Sandru, Wade F. Ingram, Jing Deng, Per M. Stenstad, Liyuan Deng, Richard J. Spontak. <strong>An integrated materials approach to ultrapermeable and ultraselective CO            2            polymer membranes</strong>. <em>Science</em>, 2022; 376 (6588): 90 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abj9351\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/science.abj9351</a>\n</li>'),(1857,'Learning from the single cell: A new technique to unravel gene regulation','learning-from-the-single-cell:-a-new-technique-to-unravel-gene-regulation','2022-04-01 23:45:00.918504',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">How is the activity of genes regulated by the packaging of DNA? To answer this question, a technique to measure both gene expression and DNA packaging at the same time was developed by Franka Rang and Kim de Luca, researchers from the group of Jop Kind (group leader at the Hubrecht Institute and Oncode Investigator). This method, EpiDamID, determines the location of modified proteins around which the DNA is wrapped. It is important to gather information about these modifications, because they influence the accessibility of DNA, thereby affecting the gene activity. EpiDamID is therefore valuable for research into the early development of organisms. The results of the study are published in<em> Molecular Cell</em> on April 1, 2022.</p><p>In order to fit DNA into the nucleus of a cell, it is tightly packed around nuclear proteins: histones. Depending on the tightness of this winding, the DNA can be (in)accessible to other proteins. This therefore determines whether the process of <em>gene expression</em>, translation of DNA into RNA and eventually into proteins, can take place.</p><p><strong>DNA packaging determine gene activity</strong></p><p>The tightness of DNA winding around histones is regulated by the addition of molecular groups, so-called <em>post-translational modifications</em> (PTMs), to the histones. For example, if certain molecules are added to the histones, the DNA winding is loosened. This makes the DNA more accessible for certain proteins and causes the genes in this part of the DNA to become active, or <em>expressed</em>. Furthermore, proteins that are crucial for gene expression can directly recognize and bind the PTMs. This enables <em>transcription</em>: the process of DNA copying.</p><p>The regulation of gene expression, for instance through PTMs, is also known as <em>epigenetic regulation</em>. Since all cells in a body have the same DNA, regulation of gene expression is needed to (de)activate specific functions in individual cells. For instance, heart muscle cells have different functions than skin cells, thus require different genes to be expressed.</p><p><strong>Analysis of single cells using EpiDamID</strong></p><p>To understand how PTMs affect gene expression, first authors Franka Rang and Kim de Luca designed a new method to determine the location of the modifications. Using this approach, called EpiDamID, researchers can analyze single cells, whereas previous methods were only able to measure a large group of cells. Analysis on such a small scale results in knowledge on how DNA winding differs per cell, rather than information on the average DNA winding of many cells.</p><p>EpiDamID is based on DamID, a technique which is used to determine the binding location of certain DNA-binding proteins. Using EpiDamID, the binding location of specific PTMs on histone proteins can be detected in single cells. Compared to others, a great advantage of this technique is that researchers need very limited material. Furthermore, EpiDamID can be used in combination with other methods, such as microscopy, to study regulation of gene expression on different levels.</p><p><strong>Future prospects</strong></p><p>Following the development of this technique, the Kind group will focus on the role of PTMs from the point of view of developmental biology. Because single cells are analyzed using EpiDamID, only a limited amount of material is needed to generate enough data. This allows researchers to study the early development of organisms from its first cell divisions, when the embryo consists of only a few cells.</p>','2022-04-01 23:45:00.918504','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Hubrecht Institute','How is the activity of genes regulated by the packaging of DNA? To answer this question, researchers developed a technique to measure both gene expression and DNA packaging at the same time.\n',1,36,'<li>Franka J. Rang, Kim L. de Luca, Sandra S. de Vries, Christian Valdes-Quezada, Ellen Boele, Phong D. Nguyen, Isabel Guerreiro, Yuko Sato, Hiroshi Kimura, Jeroen Bakkers, Jop Kind. <strong>Single-cell profiling of transcriptome and histone modifications with EpiDamID</strong>. <em>Molecular Cell</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2022.03.009\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.molcel.2022.03.009</a>\n</li>'),(1858,'Omicron \'less severe\' than Delta for children ages 4 and younger, study suggests','omicron-\'less-severe\'-than-delta-for-children-ages-4-and-younger,-study-suggests','2022-04-02 02:04:46.069515',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">New research from the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine suggests that the children younger than age 5 who are infected with the COVID-19 Omicron variant have less risk of severe health outcomes than those infected with the Delta variant.</p><p>The study, published Friday in <em>JAMA Pediatrics, </em>is the first large-scale research effort to compare the health outcomes of coronavirus infection from Omicron to Delta in children 4 and younger -- the age group not yet able to be vaccinated.</p><p>The findings show that the Omicron variant is 6-8 times more infectious than the Delta variant. The severe clinical outcomes ranged from a 16% lower risk for emergency room visits to 85% less risk for mechanical ventilation. And about 1.8% of children infected with Omicron were hospitalized, compared to 3.3% with Delta.</p><p>The Case Western Reserve-led team analyzed the electronic health records of more than 651,640 children in the United States who had medical encounter with healthcare organizations between 9/2021-1/2022-including more than 22,772 children infected with Omicron in late December and late January -- to more than 66,000 children infected when Delta was prevalent in the fall. The study also compared the records of more than 10,000 children immediately before the detection of Omicron in the U.S., but when Delta was still predominant.</p><p>Children younger than 5 are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines and have a low rate of previous SARS-CoV-2 infections, which also limits their pre-existing immunity.</p><p>The team examined clinical health outcomes for pediatric patients during a 14-day window following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among the factors they reviewed were: emergency room visits, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and mechanical ventilation use.</p><p>Further demographic data analysis found that children infected with Omicron were on average younger-1.5 years of age versus 1.7 years-and had fewer comorbidities.</p><p>\"The major conclusion to our research was that many more children were infected with Omicron when compared to Delta, but the children who are infected are not impacted as severely as were children infected with the Delta variant,\" said Pamela Davis, the Arline H. and Curtis F. Garvin Research Professor at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. \"However, because there are so many more children infected, our hospitals were affected over the winter months by an influx of young children.\"</p><p>\"We saw the number of hospitalizations within this age group skyrocket in January of this year because the infection rate of Omicron is about 10 to 15 times compared to that of the Delta variant,\" said Rong Xu, professor of biomedical infomatics and director of the Center for AI in Drug Discovery at the School of Medicine. \"Omicron is less severe than Delta, however, the reduction of the severity range in clinical outcomes is only 16 to 85%. Furthermore, since so many un-vaccinated children were infected, the long-term effects of COVID-19 infections on the brain, heart, immune systems and other organs of children remains unknown and worrisome. \"</p><p>The CDC recommends those age 5 and older receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and fully vaccinated people 12 and older receive a booster shot. According to updated guidance by the CDC, Americans no longer need to mask indoors in counties with low or medium \"Covid-19 Community Level.\"</p>','2022-04-02 02:04:46.069515','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Case Western Reserve University','New research suggests that the children younger than age 5 who are infected with the COVID-19 Omicron variant have less risk of severe health outcomes than those infected with the Delta variant.\n',1,105,'<li>Lindsey Wang, Nathan A. Berger, David C. Kaelber, Pamela B. Davis, Nora D. Volkow, Rong Xu. <strong>Incidence Rates and Clinical Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 Infection With the Omicron and Delta Variants in Children Younger Than 5 Years in the US</strong>. <em>JAMA Pediatrics</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.0945\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.0945</a>\n</li>'),(1859,'What\'s the skinny on those pandemic pounds?','what\'s-the-skinny-on-those-pandemic-pounds?','2022-04-04 16:04:05.363551',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">More Americans weighed in as obese during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than in the previous year. Anew study in the <em>American Journal of Preventive Medicine</em>, published by Elsevier, presents evidence from a large, nationally representative survey that documents this trend and helps to explain behavior changes that led to widespread weight gain in 2020.</p><p>\"Previous studies present evidence that intra-pandemic changes in risky dietary and other health-related behaviors likely contributed to the rapid rise in body weight during this period. Adults who reported weight gain also reported more frequent snacking and alcohol intake; increased eating in response to sight, smell, and stress; and decreased physical activity,\" explained lead investigator, Brandon J. Restrepo, PhD, US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Food Economics Division -- Diet, Safety and Health Economics Branch, Washington, DC, USA.</p><p>Adult obesity in the US was elevated and trending upward prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While several studies have reported on small and relatively homogenous online surveys that track weight gain in the US adult population during the initial pandemic period, this study is the first to use data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a larger, nationally representative survey of the US adult population. It contains data on health outcomes, health-related risk behaviors, preventive services, and chronic medical conditions.</p><p>To estimate the overall changes in adult obesity prevalence and four obesity-related risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis of the BRFSS data employed linear regression models that control for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, household income, marital status, number of children, survey year indicators, and state of residence indicators.</p><p>According to the analysis of more than 3.5 million US adults (aged 20 and older) from the 2011-2020 BRFSS, obesity was 3% more prevalent during the year beginning March 2020, compared with the 2019 to pre-pandemic 2020 period. The study also found statistically significant changes among US adults in four obesity-related risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: exercise participation, sleep duration, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking.</p><p>While exercise participation and sleep duration were higher by 4.4% and 1.5%, respectively, the number of days in which alcohol was consumed was 2.7% higher and cigarette smoking prevalence was lower by 4%. The overall increases in exercise and sleep were not sufficient to offset the impact of other behaviors, resulting in an average 0.6% rise in body mass index during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although smoking cessation is a healthy step, it is known to cause some weight gain.</p><p>\"Our results, which are broadly consistent with what prior studies have found using smaller and less representative samples, contribute additional insights that can serve to inform policymakers about the state of the US adult obesity epidemic and obesity-related risk factors,\" noted Dr. Restrepo, adding, \"Because obesity affects some adults more than others, it would be helpful to further explore the changes in the rates of adult obesity by demographic subgroup and socioeconomic status.\"</p>','2022-04-04 16:04:05.363551','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Elsevier','More Americans weighed in as obese during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than in the previous year. A new study presents evidence from a large, nationally representative survey that documents this trend and helps to explain behavior changes that led to widespread weight gain in 2020.\n',1,139,'<li>Brandon J. Restrepo. <strong>Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong>. <em>American Journal of Preventive Medicine</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2022.01.012\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.amepre.2022.01.012</a>\n</li>'),(1860,'Converting body heat into electricity: A step closer towards high-performance organic thermoelectrics','converting-body-heat-into-electricity:-a-step-closer-towards-high-performance-organic-thermoelectrics','2022-04-04 17:05:10.468999',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Researchers have introduce a new path towards superior organic thermoelectric devices: highly efficient modulation doping of highly ordered organic semiconductors under high doping concentrations.</p><p>Can you image charging your mobile phone by simply using your body heat? It may still sound rather futuristic, but thermoelectrics certainly can do. Thermoelectrics is all about transforming heat into useful energy, mostly using inorganic materials.</p><p>Because of their mechanical flexibility, light-weight and low thermal conductivity, organic semiconductors have emerged as a promising material system especially for flexible thermoelectric applications. Efficient doping for charge-carrier creation is the key in thermoelectric device performance. Conventional bulk doping typically introduces disorder at high doping concentration limiting the electrical conductivity. \"In our study, we employed the modulation-doping approach to highly ordered organic thin films, where the dopant impurity is separated from the conduction channel. With this method, we are able to achieve highly efficient doping even at high doping densities without influencing the charge transport in the thin films,\" explains first author Dr. Shu-Jen Wang from the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Dresden.</p><p>The team around Prof. Karl Leo investigated the charge and thermoelectric transport in modulation-doped large-area rubrene thin-film crystals with different crystal phases. They were able to show that modulation doping allows achieving superior doping efficiencies even for high doping densities, when conventional bulk doping runs into the reserve regime. Modulation-doped orthorhombic rubrene achieves much improved thermoelectric power factors. \"Our results show that modulation doping together with high-mobility crystalline organic semiconductor films is a novel strategy for achieving high-performance organic thermoelectrics. The main advantage of the modulation doping technique is the avoidance of ionized impurity scattering in the highly ordered undoped narrow bandgap semiconductor allowing both carrier concentration and mobility to be independently maximized,\" states Shu-Jen Wang and Prof. Karl Leo adds: \"Our work paves new ways to achieve flexible thermoelectric devices which allow to directly generate electrical power from heat in an elegant way and efficient way. We believe our work will stimulate further work on high performance organic thermoelectrics using the modulation doping approach with high mobility organic semiconductors.\"</p>','2022-04-04 17:05:10.468999','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Technische Universität Dresden','Researchers have introduce a new path towards superior organic thermoelectric devices: highly efficient modulation doping of highly ordered organic semiconductors under high doping concentrations.\n',1,27,'<li>Shu-Jen Wang, Michel Panhans, Ilia Lashkov, Hans Kleemann, Federico Caglieris, David Becker-Koch, Jörn Vahland, Erjuan Guo, Shiyu Huang, Yulia Krupskaya, Yana Vaynzof, Bernd Büchner, Frank Ortmann, Karl Leo. <strong>Highly efficient modulation doping: A path toward superior organic thermoelectric devices</strong>. <em>Science Advances</em>, 2022; 8 (13) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl9264\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/sciadv.abl9264</a>\n</li>'),(1861,'Freshwater mussels can inhibit bacterial diseases','freshwater-mussels-can-inhibit-bacterial-diseases','2022-04-04 17:05:13.203377',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä found brown trout better survived a Flavobacterium disease outbreak if the fish had larvae of freshwater pearl mussel in their gills. In another study, duck mussels were observed to filter and remove Flavobacterium from the water.</p><p>Flavobacteria are a severe problem for fish farming and cause substantial economic losses. The \"warm water disease\" caused by <em>Flavobacterium columnare</em> is especially problematic since a functional vaccine against the bacterium is not available. The skin and gill damage in diseased individuals can cause high mortality in young salmonids.</p><p><strong>Larvae of the freshwater pearl mussel can give protection against bacterial infection</strong></p><p>Glochidium larvae of the freshwater pearl mussel attach to salmon or trout gills, where they develop and grow for 9 to 11 months until they detach and sink to the river bottom, starting their life as mussels. Glochidium larva is a parasite in the gills of fish. Therefore, it was assumed that glochidia-infested fish would be more prone to bacterial infection.</p><p>Against expectations, brown trout infested with pearl mussel larvae better survived an outbreak of <em>Flavobacterium columnare</em>. Moreover, the protective effect of glochidia infestation against bacterial disease sustained several months after the larvae had dropped off from the gills of fish. The higher the number of pearl mussel larvae in the gills was, the better the trout survived.</p><p><strong>Mussels can remove flavobacteria from water</strong></p><p>Freshwater mussel are filter-feeders. They remove suspended materials efficiently, cleaning tens of liters of water a day. Thus, their ability to filter and remove harmful <em>F. columnare </em>bacteria from water was tested. The result was clear: in aquaria, one mussel individual could halve the density of bacteria within two days.</p><p><strong>Species diversity loss will cause loss of important ecosystem services</strong></p><p>The freshwater pearl mussel is an endangered species which has disappeared from a large part of its original distribution area. The present results indicate that with the extirpation of species we may lose important and valuable ecosystem services.</p><p>\"Filtering freshwater mussels could be potentially utilized in water treatment applications,\" says Head of Konnevesi Research Station and LIFE Revives project, professor Jouni Taskinen. \"As species disappear, we may lose ecosystem services the species provide -- probably before we have even found them.\"</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-04 17:05:13.203377','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto','Researchers have found brown trout better survived a Flavobacterium disease outbreak if the fish had larvae of freshwater pearl mussel in their gills. In another study, duck mussels were observed to filter and remove Flavobacterium from the water.\n',1,116,'<li>M. Motiur R. Chowdhury, Amitav Roy, Kalle Auvinen, Katja Pulkkinen, Hanna Suonia, Jouni Taskinen. <strong>Glochidial infection by the endangered Margaritifera margaritifera (Mollusca) increased survival of salmonid host (Pisces) during experimental Flavobacterium disease outbreak</strong>. <em>Parasitology Research</em>, 2021; 120 (10): 3487 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07285-7\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1007/s00436-021-07285-7</a>\n</li>'),(1862,'In food safety study, 25% of participants contaminated salad with raw chicken','in-food-safety-study-25-of-participants-contaminated-salad-with-raw-chicken','2022-11-28 16:44:34.322801','<p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">In a study aimed at assessing the impact of washing poultry on kitchen contamination, researchers found that more than a quarter of study participants contaminated salad with raw poultry -- including many study participants who did not wash the poultry. The study highlights the importance of hand-washing and cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen in order to reduce the risk of foodborne illness when cooking at home.</p><p>Washing raw poultry is not recommended, due to concerns about inadvertently contaminating other foods and surfaces -- and increasing the risk of foodborne illness.</p><p>\"We wanted to know what effect an educational intervention would have on getting people to stop washing poultry before cooking, and what effect any resulting change in behavior might have on reducing contamination in the kitchen,\" says Ellen Shumaker, corresponding author of the study and an extension associate at North Carolina State University. \"We also wanted to get a better idea of how, if at all, washing poultry actually led to increased contamination in the kitchen.\"</p><p>For the study, researchers recruited 300 home cooks who said they washed poultry before cooking it. The researchers sent food safety information to 142 of the study participants via email, outlining risk-reduction efforts -- including the recommendation to not wash raw poultry during food preparation. The remaining 158 study participants did not receive the education intervention.</p><p>All 300 study participants were then invited to test kitchens equipped with video cameras that filmed meal preparation. Participants were asked to cook chicken thighs and prepare a salad. After preparing the chicken thighs, but before putting the chicken in the oven, participants were called out of the kitchen to conduct a short interview. Participants were then sent back into the kitchen to cook the chicken thighs, prepare the salad, and clean the kitchen as they would at home.</p><p>What the study participants didn\'t know was that the chicken thighs were inoculated with a harmless strain of bacteria, which the researchers would be able to detect. This allowed researchers to swab surfaces in the kitchen to see whether any cross-contamination occurred during the food preparation and cooking process.</p><p>When study participants left the kitchen to conduct the interview, researchers swabbed the kitchen to identify any potential contamination. This process was repeated after each participant had completed cooking the meal and cleaned the kitchen. The prepared salad was also tested for possible contamination.</p><p>Ninety-three percent of the participants who received the intervention did not wash the chicken, as compared to 39% of the participants who did not receive the intervention.</p><p>However, the researchers were surprised to see that people who <em>did </em>wash the chicken and people who <em>didn\'t </em>wash the chicken had similar levels of contamination from the raw chicken in their prepared salads.</p><p>So what gives?</p><p>\"We think the salad contamination stems from people doing a poor job of washing their hands after handling the raw chicken, and/or doing a poor job of sanitizing the sink and surrounding surfaces before rinsing or handling the salad,\" Shumaker says.</p><p>\"Regardless of whether people washed their chicken, the kitchen sinks became contaminated by the raw chicken, while there was relatively little contamination of nearby counters,\" Shumaker says. \"This was a little surprising, since the conventional wisdom had been that the risk associated with washing chicken was because water would splash off of the chicken and contaminate surrounding surfaces. Instead, the sink itself was becoming contaminated, even when the chicken wasn\'t being washed.</p><p>\"Washing the chicken is still not a good idea, but this study demonstrates the need to focus on preventing contamination of sinks and emphasizing the importance of hand-washing and cleaning and sanitizing surfaces.\"</p><p>The work was done with support from FSIS.</p>','2022-04-04 18:31:43.863388','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'North Carolina State University','In a study aimed at assessing the impact of washing poultry on kitchen contamination, researchers found that more than a quarter of study participants contaminated salad with raw poultry -- including many study participants who did not wash the poultry. The study highlights the importance of hand-washing and cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen in order to reduce the risk of foodborne illness when cooking at home.',1,118,'<li>Ellen Thomas Shumaker, Margaret Kirchner, Sheryl C. Cates, Lisa Shelley, Rebecca Goulter, Lydia Goodson, Christopher Bernstein, Aaron Lavallee, Lee-Ann Jaykus, Benjamin Chapman. <strong>Observational Study of the Impact of a Food Safety Intervention on Consumer Poultry Washing</strong>. <em>Journal of Food Protection</em>, 2022; 85 (4): 615 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/JFP-21-397\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.4315/JFP-21-397</a>\r\n</li>'),(1863,'Understanding the use of bicycle sharing systems with statistics','understanding-the-use-of-bicycle-sharing-systems-with-statistics','2022-04-04 18:31:52.769363',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Bicycle sharing systems (BSSs) are a popular transport system in many of the world\'s big cities. Not only do BSSs provide a convenient and eco-friendly mode of travel, they also help reduce traffic congestion. Moreover, bicycles can be rented at one port and returned at a different port. Despite these advantages, however, BSSs cannot rely solely on its users to maintain the availability of bicycles at all ports at all times. This is because many bicycle trips only go in one direction, causing excess bicycles at some ports and a lack of bicycles in others.</p><p>This problem is generally solved by rebalancing, which involves strategically dispatching special trucks to relocate excess bicycles to other ports, where they are needed. Efficient rebalancing, however, is an optimization problem of its own, and Professor Tohru Ikeguchi and his colleagues from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, have devoted much work to finding optimal rebalancing strategies. In a study from 2021, they proposed a method for optimally rebalancing tours in a relatively short time. However, the researchers only checked the performance of their algorithm using randomly generated ports as benchmarks, which may not reflect the conditions of BSS ports in the real world.</p><p>Addressing this issue, Prof. Ikeguchi has recently led another study, together with PhD student Ms. Honami Tsushima, to find more realistic benchmarks. In their paper published in Nonlinear Theory and Its Applications, IEICE, the researchers sought to create these benchmarks by statistically analyzing the actual usage history of rented and returned bicycles in real BSSs. \"Bike sharing systems could become the preferred public transport system globally in the future. It is, therefore, an important issue to address in our societies,\" Prof. Ikeguchi explains.</p><p>The researchers used publicly available data from four real BSSs located in four major cities in USA: Boston, Washington DC, New York City, and Chicago. Save for Boston, these cities have over 560 ports each, for a total number of bicycles in the thousands.</p><p>First, a preliminary analysis revealed that an excess and lack of bicycles occurred across all four BSSs during all months of the year, verifying the need for active rebalancing. Next, the team sought to understand the temporal patterns of rented and returned bicycles, for which they treated the logged rent and return events as \"point processes.\"</p><p>The researchers independently analyzed both point processes using three approaches, namely raster plots, coefficient of variation, and local variation. Raster plots helped them find periodic usage patterns, while coefficient of variation and local variation allowed them to measure the global and local variabilities, respectively, of the random intervals between consecutive bicycle rent or return events.</p><p>The analyses of raster plots yielded useful insights about how the four BSSs were used in their respective cities. Most bicycles were used during daytime and fewer overnight, producing a periodic pattern. Interestingly, from the analyses of the local variation, the team found that usage patterns were similar between weekdays and weekends, contradicting the results of previous studies. Finally, the results indicated that the statistical characteristics of the temporal patterns of rented and returned bikes followed a Poisson process -- a widely studied random distribution -- only in New York City. This was an important find, given the original objective of the research team. \"We can now create realistic benchmark instances whose temporal patterns of rented and returned bicycles follow the Poisson process. This, in turn, can help improve the bicycle rebalancing model we proposed in our earlier work,\" explains Prof. Ikeguchi.</p><p>Overall, this study paves the way to a deeper understanding of how people use BSSs. Moreover, through further detailed analyses, it should be possible to gain insight into more complex aspects of human life, as Prof. Ikeguchi remarks: \"We believe that the analysis of BSS data will lead not only to efficient bike sharing but also to a better understanding of the social dynamics of human movement.\"</p><p>In any case, making BSSs a more efficient and attractive option will, hopefully, make a larger percentage of people choose the bicycle as their preferred means of transportation.</p>','2022-04-04 18:31:52.769363','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Tokyo University of Science','Though bicycle sharing systems (BSSs) are popular in many big cities, it is necessary to actively rebalance the number of bicycles across the various ports with optimization algorithms. In a recent study, researchers statistically analyzed the bicycle usage patterns in four real-world BSSs to obtain realistic benchmarks for testing these algorithms. Their findings can make BSS rebalancing more efficient through an understanding of the social dynamics of human movement.\n',1,145,'<li>Honami Tsushima, Tohru Ikeguchi. <strong>Statistical analysis of usage history of bicycle sharing systems</strong>. <em>Nonlinear Theory and Its Applications, IEICE</em>, 2022; 13 (2): 355 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1587/nolta.13.355\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1587/nolta.13.355</a>\n</li>'),(1864,'Aggressive warming during surgery does not reduce major complications','aggressive-warming-during-surgery-does-not-reduce-major-complications','2022-04-04 18:32:09.300217',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Patients kept at a body temperature of 37 C during major surgery had no fewer cardiac complications than patients kept at 35.5 C, according to data presented at the American College of Cardiology\'s 71<sup>st</sup> Annual Scientific Session. There were also no differences in the number of infections or required blood transfusions in patients kept at cooler body temperatures.</p><p>Body temperature generally decreases during surgery, largely because anesthetic medications interfere with the body\'s processes for regulating temperature. While practices vary around the world, nursing staff in Western countries typically use forced-air heaters to keep patients warm during surgery, with a target temperature of 36 C, or 96.8 F. This trial, one of the largest to date, sought to determine whether warming patients even more -- to 37 C, or 98.6 F -- would reduce the risk of cardiac complications, which are a leading cause of death in the first 30 days after major surgery.</p><p>Results showed no significant differences between groups for the trial\'s primary endpoint, a composite of troponin elevation due to ischemia (an indicator of heart injury), non-fatal cardiac arrest or death from any cause within 30 days after surgery. Researchers also reported no differences for any of the trial\'s secondary endpoints.</p><p>\"This trial tells us that there is no benefit to aggressively warming patients to 37 C during surgery. It is simply unnecessary, and it doesn\'t improve any substantive outcomes,\" said Daniel I. Sessler, MD, Michael Cudahy professor and chair of the Department of Outcomes Research at Cleveland Clinic and the trial\'s lead author. \"Also, the results show that 36 C should not be considered the threshold for defining mild hypothermia since there was no harm at 35.5 C.\"</p><p>The researchers enrolled 5,050 patients who had surgery at 13 medical centers, mostly in China. Participants had various major noncardiac surgical procedures, with a minimum duration of two hours and an average duration of four hours. Half of the patients were randomly assigned to receive routine care, with a target body temperature of 35.5 C, while half received aggressive warming, with a target body temperature of 37 C.</p><p>For patients assigned to routine care, nursing staff put a warming cover in position but did not activate it until the patient\'s body temperature decreased to less than 35.5 C, resulting in an average group body temperature of 35.6 C. With the more aggressive warming protocol, nurses covered patients with a heated blanket for 30 minutes before surgery and then used two forced-air heaters to keep patients warmed to a mean of 37.1 C during surgery.</p><p>In addition to seeing no benefit in terms of the composite primary endpoint, the trial reported no significant differences between groups in terms of serious wound infections, length of hospitalization, hospital re-admissions or the need for blood transfusions. The investigators were surprised that rates of wound infections and transfusions were similar to previous studies, which suggested that both were more common in patients maintained at lower body temperatures.</p><p>Nearly all patients were enrolled in China, Sessler said, but the results should be generalizable to patients and health care settings in other countries.</p><p>\"This study shows that it is reasonable to keep patients warm, but we saw no evidence whatsoever that it makes a difference if they\'re just above or just below 36 C,\" Sessler said. \"Surgical patients should still be warmed, but there\'s no need to be super-aggressive about the warming.\"</p><p>The study did not assess less serious or non-medical outcomes, such as patient comfort or shivering. Sessler said that patients maintained at a lower body temperature may shiver or feel cold after surgery, but both are temporary and unlikely to have a meaningful health impact.</p><p>This study was simultaneously published online in <em>The Lancet </em>at the time of presentation. The study was partially funded by 3M.</p>','2022-04-04 18:32:09.300217','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'American College of Cardiology','Patients kept at a body temperature of 37 C during major surgery had no fewer cardiac complications than patients kept at 35.5 C, according to new data. There were also no differences in the number of infections or required blood transfusions in patients kept at cooler body temperatures.\n',1,27,'<li>Daniel I Sessler, Lijian Pei, Kai Li, Shusen Cui, Matthew T V Chan, Yuguang Huang, Jingxiang Wu, Xuemei He, Gausan R Bajracharya, Eva Rivas, Carmen K M Lam, Kai Li, Shusen Cui, Yaozhong Zhang, Hai Sun, Zhouting Hu, Wangyu Li, Yangdong Han, Wei Han, Pengcheng Zhao, Hong Ye, Peng Chen, Zhihua Zhu, Weisong Dai, Lei Jin, Wenchao Bian, Yan Liu, Matthew T V Chan, Beaker B Y Fung, Eva Lee, Ka Yan Hui, Gordon Y S Choi, Wai Tat Wong, Chee Sam Chan, Lijian Pei, Yuguang Huang, Yi Xiao, Bin Wu, Weiming Kang, Ling Lan, Chen Sun, Jingxiang Wu, Yuwei Qiu, Wei Tang, Yunyun Zhang, Qi Huang, Xiaofei Lu, Tingting Li, Qimeng Yu, Jie Yu, Xuemei He, Rurong Wang, Hong Chang, Yunxia Zuo, Zhirong Sun, Wenting Hou, Congxia Pan, Xi Liu, Xue Zhang, Sheng Wang, Yin Kang, Zhengliang Ma, Xiaoping Gu, Changhong Miao, Daniel I Sessler, Eva Rivas, Gausan R Bajracharya, Mauro Bravo, Andrea Kurz, Alparslan Turan, Kurt Ruetzler, Kamal Maheshwari, Guangmei Mao, Yanyan Han, Ece Yamak Altinpulluk, Mateo Montalvo Compana, Federico Almonacid-Cardenas, Steve M Leung, CeCelia K Hanline, David M Chelnick, Marianne Tanios, Michael Walters, Michael J Rosen, Stephanie Ezoke, Edward J Mascha, Carmen K M Lam, Benny C P Cheng, Renee P L Yip, P J Devereaux. <strong>Aggressive intraoperative warming versus routine thermal management during non-cardiac surgery (PROTECT): a multicentre, parallel group, superiority trial</strong>. <em>The Lancet</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00560-8\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00560-8</a>\n</li>'),(1865,'Catalysts: The platinum riddle','catalysts:-the-platinum-riddle','2022-04-04 18:32:17.503146',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Platinum is an important catalyst. But up until now, nobody know how exactly single platinum atoms behave during catalysis.</p><p>What happens when a cat climbs onto a sunflower? The sunflower is unstable, will quickly bend, and the cat will fall to the ground. However, if the cat only needs a quick boost to catch a bird from there, then the sunflower can act as a \"metastable intermediate step.\" This is essentially the mechanism by which individual atoms of a catalyst capture molecules in order to chemically transform them.</p><p>Several years ago, the Vienna University of Technology surface physics group discovered that platinum \"single-atom\" catalysts could oxidize carbon monoxide at temperatures which, according to their theoretical models, should not have been possible. Now, with the help of atomic-scale microscope images and complex computer simulations, they have been able to show that both the catalyst itself and the material on which it is anchored assume energetically unfavorable \"metastable\" states for a short time to allow the reaction to happen in a special way. The results have been published in the journal <em>Science Advances.</em></p><p><strong>Single atoms as catalysts</strong></p><p>The research group of Prof. Gareth Parkinson at the Institute of Applied Physics at the TU Wien is investigating the smallest catalysts possible: Individual platinum atoms are placed on an iron oxide surface. They then come into contact with carbon monoxide gas and convert into carbon dioxide, like happens in a modern car exhaust.</p><p>\"This process is technically very important, but exactly what happens when the catalyst is reduced in size to the single atom limit has not been clear until now,\" says Gareth Parkinson. \"In our research group, we study such processes in a number of ways: on the one hand, we use a scanning tunneling microscope to produce extremely high-resolution images on which you can study the movement of individual atoms. And on the other hand, we analyze the reaction process with spectroscopy and computer simulations.\"</p><p>Whether the platinum atoms are active as a catalyst depends on the temperature. In the experiment, the catalyst is heated slowly and evenly until the critical temperature is reached, and carbon monoxide is converted to carbon dioxide. That threshold is about 550 Kelvin. \"However, this did not fit our original computer simulations,\" says Matthias Meier, first author of the current publication. \"According to density functional theory, which is normally used for such calculations, the process could only take place at 800 Kelvin. So we knew: Something important had been overlooked here until now.\"</p><p><strong>A metastable state: short-lived, but important</strong></p><p>For several years, the team gathered extensive experience with the same materials in other reactions, and as a result, a new picture emerged step by step. \"With density functional theory, you normally calculate that state of the system that has the lowest energy,\" says Matthias Meier. \"That makes sense, because that is the state that the system most often assumes. But in our case, there is a second state that plays a central role: A so-called metastable state.\"</p><p>Both the platinum atoms and the iron oxide surface can switch back and forth between different quantum physical states. The ground state, with the lowest energy, is stable. When the system changes to the metastable state, it inevitably returns to the ground state after a short time -- like the cat trying to get to the top on an unstable climbing pole. But in the catalytic conversion of carbon monoxide, it is enough for the system to be in the metastable state for a very short time: Just as a brief moment in a wobbly climbing state might be enough for the cat to catch a bird with its paw, the catalyst can convert carbon monoxide in the metastable state.</p><p>When the carbon monoxide is first introduced, two platinum atoms attach together to make a dimer. When the temperature is high enough, the dimer can move to a less favourable position where the surface oxygen atoms are less weakly bound. In the metastable state, the iron oxide changes its atomic structure precisely at this point, releasing the oxygen atom that the carbon oxide needs to form carbon dioxide, which instantly flies away -- completing the catalysis process. \"If we include these previously unaccounted for short-term states in our computer simulation, we get exactly the result that was also measured in the experiment,\" says Matthias Meier.</p><p>\"Our research result shows that in surface physics you often need a lot of experience,\" says Gareth Parkinson. \"If we hadn\'t studied very different chemical processes over the years, we probably never would have solved this puzzle.\" Recently, artificial intelligence has also been used with great success to analyze quantum chemical processes -- but in this case, Parkinson is convinced, it probably would not have been successful. To come up with creative solutions outside of what was previously thought possible, you probably need humans after all.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-04 18:32:17.503146','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Vienna University of Technology','Platinum is an important catalyst. But up until now, nobody know how exactly single platinum atoms behave during catalysis.\n',1,68,'<li>Matthias Meier, Jan Hulva, Zdenek Jakub, Florian Kraushofer, Mislav Bobić, Roland Bliem, Martin Setvin, Michael Schmid, Ulrike Diebold, Cesare Franchini, Gareth S. Parkinson. <strong>CO oxidation by Pt            2            /Fe            3            O            4            Metastable dimer and support configurations facilitate lattice oxygen extraction</strong>. <em>Science Advances</em>, 2022; 8 (13) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abn4580\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/sciadv.abn4580</a>\n</li>'),(1866,'Damaged nerve behind athletes\' post-concussion issues','damaged-nerve-behind-athletes\'-post-concussion-issues','2022-04-04 18:32:21.253059',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Depression, dizziness, difficulty focusing the gaze and balance problems. Many professional athletes who have sustained head trauma in sports have lingering symptoms that affect everyday life. Little help has been available as the cause has been unknown. A clinical study from Lund University in Sweden can now show that the problems originate in an injury to the vestibular nerve.</p><p>Athletes in contact sports such as ice hockey, football and skiing have an increased risk of sustaining a head injury. If the impact is severe enough, the athlete can suffer a concussion. Even minor head injuries can have serious consequences. The problems have been brought to light within American football, where players who have suffered from repeated concussions have developed dementia, severe depression and cognitive impairment.</p><p>In many cases, the symptoms after a concussion are temporary, but an increasing number of athletes experience long-term problems that make it difficult to work, go to school or play sports. The symptoms are aggravated by activity or impressions and include headaches, depression, anxiety, nausea, difficulty focusing and problems with balance.</p><p>\"It has been unclear what causes the symptoms, and it is difficult for healthcare professionals to help these athletes. We wanted to investigate this further to find out what really causes the symptoms,\" says Niklas Marklund, professor of neurosurgery at Lund University, consultant at Skåne University Hospital with a scientific interest in sports-related head injuries and one of the researchers behind the article.</p><p>A total of 42 people were included in the study. One group included 21 healthy athletes without previous trauma to the head, and the other 21 athletes who all suffered from sports-related concussions and who had experienced persisting symptoms for more than six months. All the participants underwent various tests in which the researchers examined, among other things, their balance organs. Using a so-called 7-Tesla MRI, the athletes\' brains were studied to understand more about what caused the symptoms. The researchers found impaired function of the balance organs in the inner ear of 13 athletes in the group with long-term problems. In the group of healthy athletes 3 people had similar findings.</p><p>\"The test results show that the injury is located to the vestibular nerve, which is connected to the semicircular canals in a cavity inside the skull, and which is directly adjacent to the cochlea in the ear. These injuries lead to the inward nerve impulses not working properly, and the brain therefore does not receive important information about body movements and sensory impressions required to maintain a good balance,\" says Anna Gard, doctoral student at Lund University, resident in neurosurgery at Skåne University Hospital and first author of the study.</p><p>When you suffer from a concussion, it is often because the head rotates too fast, for example when tackling in ice hockey.</p><p>\"We have not examined athletes with short-term problems after blows to the head, so we cannot say anything about them. This study applies to athletes with prolonged symptoms after concussion. The rotation of the head that occurs in connection with a concussion could lead to a stretch of the vestibular nerve, which then leads to impaired function. Now that we have more knowledge about where the problems are located, it is easier to find possible therapies that could help these athletes,\" concludes Niklas Marklund.</p>','2022-04-04 18:32:21.253059','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Lund University','Depression, dizziness, difficulty focusing the gaze and balance problems. Many professional athletes who have sustained head trauma in sports have lingering symptoms that affect everyday life. Little help has been available as the cause has been unknown. A clinical study can now show that the problems originate in an injury to the vestibular nerve.\n',1,27,'<li>Anna Gard, Ali Al-Husseini, Evgenios N. Kornaropoulos, Alessandro De Maio, Yelverton Tegner, Isabella Björkman-Burtscher, Karin Markenroth Bloch, Markus Nilsson, Måns Magnusson, Niklas Marklund. <strong>Post-Concussive Vestibular Dysfunction Is Related to Injury to the Inferior Vestibular Nerve</strong>. <em>Journal of Neurotrauma</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/neu.2021.0447\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1089/neu.2021.0447</a>\n</li>'),(1867,'Cause of metastasis in prostate cancer discovered','cause-of-metastasis-in-prostate-cancer-discovered','2022-04-04 18:32:24.440479',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Prostate cancers remain localised in the majority of cases, giving affected individuals a good chance of survival. However, about 20% of patients develop incurable metastatic prostate cancer, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths each year in Austria alone. Medical research has not yet adequately explained why metastases occur in some people and not in others. A research team at MedUni Vienna has now discovered specific changes in a protein that drive the growth and spread of prostate cancer. The study was recently published in the journal <em>Molecular Cancer.</em></p><p>In the study, the researchers broke new ground and investigated the role of the protein KMT2C in prostate cancer. KMT2C is a genetic component that essentially functions as a regulator of central cellular processes. If KMT2C loses this regulatory ability due to typical cancer-related mutations, this encourages the proliferation of the cancer gene MYC. This in turn causes cells to divide at an increased rate, driving both growth and spread of the cancer.</p><p><strong>New insights into the transition to metastasis</strong></p><p>\"Our study provides new insights into the previously poorly understood transition from localised prostate cancer to terminal metastatic prostate cancer,\" says study leader Lukas Kenner (Department of Pathology at MedUni Vienna, Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, Department of Laboratory Animal Pathology at Vetmeduni Vienna and the K1 Center CBmed), underlining the significance of the research work. In addition, the knowledge gained about the effects of KMT2C mutations may also generate new momentum for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.</p><p><strong>Diagnosing aggressive progression at an early stage</strong></p><p>KMT2C mutation status can be measured via a blood test, allowing early diagnosis of potentially aggressive progression in prostate cancers. In addition, MYC inhibitors could be used to prevent increased cell division, and hence metastasis, and it is hoped that further scientific studies will substantiate this. MYC inhibitors are essentially new cancer treatment drugs that have already been tested in clinical trials and -- if further studies confirm this -- could also be used in metastatic prostate cancer in the next few years. \"Since a high level of KMT2C mutation characterises many types of cancer, such as breast, lung, colorectal, bladder and even skin cancer, our study results have a great deal of potential in the research, diagnosis and treatment of malignant cancers in general,\" says Lukas Kenner.</p>','2022-04-04 18:32:24.440479','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Medical University of Vienna','Prostate cancers remain localized in the majority of cases, giving affected individuals a good chance of survival. However, about 20% of patients develop incurable metastatic prostate cancer, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths each year in Austria alone. Medical research has not yet adequately explained why metastases occur in some people and not in others. A research team has now discovered specific changes in a protein that drive the growth and spread of prostate cancer.\n',1,27,'<li>Tanja Limberger, Michaela Schlederer, Karolina Trachtová, Ines Garces de los Fayos Alonso, Jiaye Yang, Sandra Högler, Christina Sternberg, Vojtech Bystry, Jan Oppelt, Boris Tichý, Margit Schmeidl, Petra Kodajova, Anton Jäger, Heidi A. Neubauer, Monika Oberhuber, Belinda S. Schmalzbauer, Sarka Pospisilova, Helmut Dolznig, Wolfgang Wadsak, Zoran Culig, Suzanne D. Turner, Gerda Egger, Sabine Lagger, Lukas Kenner. <strong>KMT2C methyltransferase domain regulated INK4A expression suppresses prostate cancer metastasis</strong>. <em>Molecular Cancer</em>, 2022; 21 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12943-022-01542-8\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1186/s12943-022-01542-8</a>\n</li>'),(1868,'The material that could save industries heat','the-material-that-could-save-industries-heat','2022-04-04 18:32:26.628003',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Scientists in Japan have found a common substance that can reversibly and rapidly store and release relatively large amounts of low-grade heat without decomposing. The research could lead to more efficient reuse of industrial waste heat. The results were published in the journal<em> Nature Communications </em>and were a collaboration between scientists at Tohoku University\'s Institute for Materials Research and Rigaku Corporation, a company that designs and manufactures X-ray-based measurement and thermal analysis tools.</p><p>In their investigations, the researchers used a layered manganese oxide mineral containing potassium ions and crystal water. This mineral is quite similar in its composition to birnessite, which is commonly found on the Earth\'s surface. The team fabricated their compound in the form of an insoluble black powder and then examined its crystal structure using an X-ray diffractometer and a transmission electron microscope. They then examined how the compound\'s structure changed when heated or cooled, and how much and how quickly heat energy was stored and released.</p><p>Heating the material up to 200 degrees C dehydrated it by giving its stored water molecules the energy they need to be released into the surrounding atmosphere. When the dehydrated material was then cooled below 120?C in a dry container and then exposed to humid air, it absorbed water molecules and released its stored heat.</p><p>\"This \'intercalation\' mechanism, where water molecules are reversibly inserted into a layered material, is very advantageous for heat storage,\" says Tohoku University materials scientist Tetsu Ichitsubo. \"It is very fast, reversible and the material\'s structure is well maintained. Also, oxygen in the atmosphere doesn\'t degrade the layered manganese oxide crystal and water doesn\'t dissolve it. This makes it an excellent candidate for waste-heat reuse in industrial settings.\"</p><p>This \'birnessite-type layered manganese dioxide with crystal water\' compound demonstrated better all-round performance compared to other compounds currently being researched for heat storage purposes. \"Our material has a long lifetime, can reversibly store and release large amounts of heat per unit volume, and rapidly charges and discharges,\" says Ichitsubo.</p><p>The researchers validated the results of their experiments with theoretical calculations.</p><p>Next, they plan to work on increasing the amount of water molecules that can be accommodated by the material in order to increase the amount of heat energy it can store.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-04 18:32:26.628003','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Tohoku University','Scientists have found a common substance that can reversibly and rapidly store and release relatively large amounts of low-grade heat without decomposing. The research could lead to more efficient reuse of industrial waste heat.\n',1,27,'<li>Takuya Hatakeyama, Norihiko L. Okamoto, Satoshi Otake, Hiroaki Sato, Hongyi Li, Tetsu Ichitsubo. <strong>Excellently balanced water-intercalation-type heat-storage oxide</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28988-0\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-28988-0</a>\n</li>'),(1869,'Spotted hyenas adjust their foraging behavior in response to climate change','spotted-hyenas-adjust-their-foraging-behavior-in-response-to-climate-change','2022-04-04 18:32:32.846554',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Spotted hyenas adjust to a decreased presence of migratory prey in their territories induced by climate change. This is the key result of a paper recently published in the scientific journal Ecosphere. A team of researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), Germany, and the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE), France, investigated the relationship between rainfall volume and migratory herbivore presence in hyena clan territories in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and the responses of lactating hyenas to recent changes in the climate-prey relationship. Using an observation-based dataset spanning three decades, they showed that the substantial increase in annual rainfall during this time halved the presence of migratory herds inside the hyena clan territories, but did not affect the ability of female hyenas to access their prey and successfully nurse their young. This suggests a high plasticity of foraging behaviour of hyenas in response to changing environmental conditions.</p><p>It is crucial to understand the mechanisms and extent to which animals in diverse ecosystems are resilient to climate change. Changes in the timing or amount of precipitation can alter vegetation growth and hence the distribution of migratory herbivores, such as the blue wildebeest (<em>Connochaetes taurinus</em>) and plains zebras (<em>Equus quagga</em>) in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania, East Africa. Climate change may thus ultimately influence the location of profitable feeding areas for predators, such as spotted hyenas, who feed on these herbivores. A recent paper reveals that spotted hyenas <em>(Crocuta crocuta) </em>can adjust their foraging behaviour to shifts in migratory prey presence in their territories that are linked to recent changes in pattern and amount of rainfall.</p><p>Scientists from the Leibniz-IZW and CEFE analysed data from a long-term project on three clans of spotted hyenas in the centre of the Serengeti National Park. The three clans have been monitored continuously from 1990 to 2019, on a near-daily basis. Weather data show that total annual rainfall substantially increased in the Serengeti over these three decades. Simultaneously, the presence of migratory herds in hyena clan territories essentially halved. \"To assess how the hyenas responded to these changes in rainfall patterns and prey abundance in their territories, we focused on maternal den attendance -- the presence of lactating hyenas with entirely milk-dependent offspring at communal dens,\" says Morgane Gicquel, first author of the paper and doctoral student at the Leibniz-IZW.</p><p>The research team found that, over the course of a year, the probability of migratory herd presence in hyena clan territories increased with the amount of rainfall two months earlier, and that the probability of maternal den presence in clan territories also increased with that of migratory herd presence. As rainfall volume increased over the years, the presence of migratory herds in hyena clans decreased because the association between rainfall and herd presence became weaker. Surprisingly, maternal den attendance did not decrease throughout the entire study period and still matched periods of high prey abundance.</p><p>\"The presence of mothers at the communal den is a key behaviour directly related to cub survival. Spotted hyenas in the Serengeti National Park reproduce throughout the year. Their cubs entirely depend on milk for their first six months of life,\" explain Dr Marion East and Prof Heribert Hofer, senior scientists at the Leibniz-IZW who investigated the hyenas in the Serengeti throughout the study period. \"When large aggregations of migratory herbivores occur in the clan territory, all lactating mothers feed inside the territory and nurse their cubs daily. When migratory herds are absent, there is no other prey around and females fuel milk production by regularly commuting to distant areas to feed on migratory herbivores. After one to several days, they return to the communal dens to nurse their cubs.\"</p><p>It could be expected that a decline in migratory herd presence within clan territories increases the time mothers spent away from their cubs searching for prey. So, why did maternal den presence not decrease in the hyena clans? \"Our findings suggest that hyenas may not so much rely on an expectation of where aggregations of migratory herds should be on a given month, but rather employ other means of locating good foraging locations when commuting,\" says Dr Sarah Benhaiem, senior author of the paper and senior scientist at the Leibniz-IZW. A hyena might obtain information on the best direction to set out on a commuting trip from the direction from which well-fed clan members return to the den or the scent trail left by these members. Previous research by the Leibniz-IZW team had shown that hyenas use well established commuting routes which cross many territories. Dr Sarah Benhaiem explains: \"The use of these tracks would allow hyenas to obtain information on foraging success of animals from different clans they encounter on the way. This could help improve their efficiency in locating distant migratory herds.\"</p><p>\"Our results suggest that hyenas appear to be well suited to cope with changes in the presence of migratory herds in their territories induced by climate change,\" says Morgane Gicquel. \"This indicates a high plasticity in the response of this keystone predator to environmental variability,\" adds Dr Sarah Cubaynes, a scientist at the CEFE and co-author of the paper. Although migratory herbivores in the Serengeti National Park are the main prey of several large carnivore species when they occur in their territories, only hyenas regularly commute long distances outside their clan territory to feed on migratory herbivores. Even so, the impact of potential changes in migratory herbivore movements might also affect other carnivores in this ecosystem.</p>','2022-04-04 18:32:32.846554','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)','Spotted hyenas adjust to a decreased presence of migratory prey in their territories induced by climate change. Researchers investigated the relationship between rainfall volume and migratory herbivore presence in hyena clan territories in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and the responses of lactating hyenas to recent changes in the climate-prey relationship.\n',1,102,'<li>Morgane Gicquel, Marion L. East, Heribert Hofer, Sarah Cubaynes, Sarah Benhaiem. <strong>Climate change does not decouple interactions between a central‐place‐foraging predator and its migratory prey</strong>. <em>Ecosphere</em>, 2022; 13 (4) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4012\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1002/ecs2.4012</a>\n</li>'),(1870,'Using gene scissors to specifically eliminate individual cell types','using-gene-scissors-to-specifically-eliminate-individual-cell-types','2022-04-04 18:32:36.377717',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">With the help of the CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors, genetic information in a plant can be modified to make the latter more robust to pests, diseases, or extreme climatic conditions. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed this method further to eliminate the complete DNA of specific cell types and, thus, prevent their formation during plant development. This will also help scientists better understand development mechanisms in plants. The findings are presented in <em>Nature Communications</em>.</p><p>By means of molecular scissors, the DNA -- the carrier of genetic information -- can be modified in plants. So far, the CRISPR/Cas method co-developed in plants by Professor Holger Puchta, molecular biologist at KIT\'s Botanical Institute has already been used to specifically insert, exchange or combine genes. The goal is to increase the plant\'s resistance to diseases and environmental impacts. CRISPR (stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas are molecular scissors that can specifically recognize and cut DNA sequences. \"We have studied molecular scissors for plant use for 30 years now. In the beginning, we applied them to modify individual genes. Two years ago, we were the first worldwide to restructure complete chromosomes,\" Puchta says. For his research, the pioneer of genome editing twice received the Advanced Grant of the European Research Council (ERC). \"We were able to optimize this method. With CRISPR-Kill, we have reached now an entirely new level of development: We can eliminate certain plant cell types and prevent the formation of specific plant organs.\"</p><p><strong>Eliminating Secondary Roots and Petals with CRISPR-Kill</strong></p><p>The experiments carried out by the scientists concentrated on secondary roots and petals of the model plant thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). \"These are classical examples in biology. Here, we know the genetic program and the cell types that are important for the formation of these plant organs,\" the molecular biologist explains. After the elimination of these cells, CRISPR-Kill plants no longer formed any petals or secondary roots, whereas the control plants exhibited normal growth.</p><p>Contrary to other methods that eliminate cells with cytotoxins or laser radiation, CRISPR-Kill induces multiple cuts in the genome. A genome consists of a certain number of chromosomes, on which the individual genes are arranged in fixed order. \"So far, CRISPR/Cas has aimed for exactly one location and has cut once or twice to modify a gene or chromosome,\" Puchta says. \"Now, we have reprogrammed our molecular scissors. They no longer address the genomic DNA only once, but aim in the respective cell type for a sequence that is encountered often in the genome and that is essential for the survival of the cell. In this way, many cuts are induced at the same time -- too many for the cell to repair them. The cell will die.\"</p><p><strong>Better Understanding Development Processes in Plants</strong></p><p>The work of the KIT researchers can be classified as fundamental research. \"By studying what happens when a certain cell type is eliminated, we learn more about the development processes in plants. How does the plant react? How flexible is the plant during development? Can we remove parts of plants that are not necessary in agriculture, for instance?,\" Puchta adds. In the long term, food production and pharmaceutical applications might profit from this technology when the plant is prevented from forming cells that produce toxins, for instance. Moreover, the technology might be applied in multi-cellular organisms for the specific modification of tissues.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-04 18:32:36.377717','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)','With the help of the CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors, genetic information in a plant can be modified to make the latter more robust to pests, diseases, or extreme climatic conditions. Researchers have now developed this method further to eliminate the complete DNA of specific cell types and, thus, prevent their formation during plant development. This will also help researchers better understand development mechanisms in plants.\n',1,27,'<li>Angelina Schindele, Fabienne Gehrke, Carla Schmidt, Sarah Röhrig, Annika Dorn, Holger Puchta. <strong>Using CRISPR-Kill for organ specific cell elimination by cleavage of tandem repeats</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29130-w\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29130-w</a>\n</li>'),(1871,'Making a ‘sandwich’ out of magnets and topological insulators, potential for lossless electronics','making-a-‘sandwich’-out-of-magnets-and-topological-insulators,-potential-for-lossless-electronics','2022-04-04 18:32:45.908515',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A Monash University-led research team has discovered that a structure comprising an ultra-thin topological insulator sandwiched between two 2D ferromagnetic insulators becomes a large-bandgap quantum anomalous Hall insulator.</p><p>Such a heterostructure provides an avenue towards viable ultra-low energy future electronics, or even topological photovoltaics.</p><p><strong>Topological Insulator: The Filling in the Sandwich </strong></p><p>In the researchers\' new heterostructure, a ferromagnetic material forms the \'bread\' of the sandwich, while a topological insulator (ie, a material displaying nontrivial topology) takes the place of the \'filling\'.</p><p>Combining magnetism and nontrivial band topology gives rise to quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators, as well as exotic quantum phases such as the QAH effect where current flows without dissipation along quantized edge states.</p><p>Inducing magnetic order in topological insulators via proximity to a magnetic material offers a promising pathway towards achieving QAH effect at higher temperatures (approaching or exceeding room temperature) for lossless transport applications.</p><p>One promising architecture involves a sandwich structure comprising two single layers of MnBi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>4</sub> (a 2D ferromagnetic insulator) either side of ultra-thin Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> in the middle (a topological insulator). This structure has been predicted to yield a robust QAH insulator phase with a bandgap well above the thermal energy available at room temperature (25 meV).</p><p>The new Monash-led study demonstrated the growth of a MnBi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>4</sub> / Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> /MnBi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>4</sub> heterostructure via molecular beam epitaxy, and probed the structure\'s electronic structure using angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy.</p><p>\"We observed strong, hexagonally-warped massive Dirac fermions and a bandgap of 75 meV,\" says lead author Monash PhD candidate Qile Li.</p><p>The magnetic origin of the gap was confirmed by the observing the bandgap vanishing above the Curie temperature, as well as broken time-reversal symmetry and the exchange-Rashba effect, in excellent agreement with density functional theory calculations.</p><p>\"These findings provide insights into magnetic proximity effects in topological insulators, which will move lossless transport in topological insulators towards higher temperature,\" says Monash group leader and lead author Dr Mark Edmonds.</p><p><strong>How It Works </strong></p><p>The 2D MnBi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>4</sub> ferromagnets induce magnetic order (ie, an exchange interaction with the 2D Dirac electrons) in the ultra-thin topological insulator Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> via magnetic proximity.</p><p>This creates a large magnetic gap, with the heterostructure becoming a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator, such that the material becomes metallic (ie, electrically conducting) along its one-dimensional edges, whilst remaining electrically insulating in its interior. The almost-zero resistance along the 1D edges of the QAH insulator are what make it such a promising pathway towards next-generation, low-energy electronics.</p><p>To date, several strategies have been used to realise the QAH effect, such as introducing dilute amounts of magnetic dopants into ultrathin films of 3D topological insulators. However, introducing magnetic dopants into the crystal lattice can be challenging and results in magnetic disorder, which greatly suppresses the temperature at which the QAH effect can be observed and limits future applications.</p><p>Rather than incorporating 3<em>d </em>transition metals into the crystal lattice, a more advantageous strategy is to place two ferromagnetic materials on the top and bottom surfaces of a 3D topological insulator. This breaks time-reversal symmetry in the topological insulator with magnetic order, and thereby opens a bandgap in the surface state of the topological insulator and gives rise to a QAH insulator.</p><p><strong>Making the Right Kind of Sandwich </strong></p><p>Yet, inducing sufficient magnetic order to open a sizable gap via magnetic proximity effects is challenging due to the undesired influence of the abrupt interface potential that arises due to lattice mismatch between the magnetic materials and topological insulator.</p><p>\"To minimise the interface potential when inducing magnetic order via proximity, we needed to find a 2D ferromagnet that possessed similar chemical and structural properties to the 3D topological insulator\" says Qile Li, who is also a PhD student with the Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronic Technologies (FLEET).</p><p>\"This way, instead of an abrupt interface potential, there is a magnetic extension of the topological surface state into the magnetic layer. This strong interaction results in a significant exchange splitting in the topological surface state of the thin film and opens a large gap,\" says Li.</p><p>A single-septuple layer of the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>4</sub> is particularly promising, as it is a ferromagnetic insulator with a Curie temperature of 20 K.</p><p>\"More importantly, this setup is structurally very similar to the well-known 3D topological insulator Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>, with a lattice mismatch of only 1%\" says Dr Mark Edmonds, who is an associate investigator in FLEET.</p><p>The research team travelled to the Advanced Light Source part of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, USA, where they grew the ferromagnet/topological/ferromagnet heterostructures and investigated their electronic bandstructure in collaboration with beamline staff scientist Dr Sung-Kwan Mo.</p><p>\"Although we cannot directly observe the QAH effect using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we could use this technique to probe the size of the bandgap opening, and then confirm it is magnetic in origin,\" says Dr Edmonds.</p><p>\"By using angle-resolved photoemission we could also probe the hexagonal warping in the surface state. It turns out, the strength of the warping in the Dirac fermions in our heterostructure is almost twice as large as in Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>\" says Dr Edmonds</p><p>The research team was also able to confirm the electronic structure, gap size and the temperature at which this MnBi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>4</sub>/Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>/MnBi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>4</sub> heterostructure is likely to support the QHE effect by combining experimental ARPES observations with magnetic measurements to determine the Curie temperature (performed by FLEET associate investigator Dr David Cortie at the University of Wollongong) and first-principles density functional theory calculations performed by the group of Dr Shengyuan Yang (Singapore University of Technology and Design).</p><p>The study was funded by the Australian Research Council\'s Centres of Excellence and DECRA Fellowship programs, while travel to Berkeley was funded by the Australian Synchrotron.</p>','2022-04-04 18:32:45.908515','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies','A research team has discovered that sandwiching a topological insulator between two 2D ferromagnetic insulators provides a quantum avenue towards ultra-low energy future electronics, or topological photovoltaics.\n',1,61,'<li>Qile Li, Chi Xuan Trang, Weikang Wu, Jinwoong Hwang, David Cortie, Nikhil Medhekar, Sung‐Kwan Mo, Shengyuan A. Yang, Mark T. Edmonds. <strong>Large Magnetic Gap in a Designer Ferromagnet–Topological Insulator–Ferromagnet Heterostructure</strong>. <em>Advanced Materials</em>, 2022; 2107520 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202107520\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1002/adma.202107520</a>\n</li>'),(1872,'Urban agriculture in Detroit: Scattering vs. clustering and the prospects for scaling up','urban-agriculture-in-detroit:-scattering-vs.-clustering-and-the-prospects-for-scaling-up','2022-04-04 18:32:51.595892',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Despite Detroit\'s reputation as a mecca for urban agriculture, a new University of Michigan-led analysis of the city\'s Lower Eastside, which covers 15 square miles, found that community and private gardens occupy less than 1% of the vacant land.</p><p>Even so, gardens on Detroit\'s Lower Eastside, which has one of the city\'s highest vacancy levels, play an important role in reducing neighborhood blight and have the potential to provide other significant benefits to residents in the future, according to the new study.</p><p>To maximize those benefits -- which include improved access to fresh food, increased community cohesion and reduced stormwater runoff -- the new study recommends scattering future gardens across the landscape, rather than clustering them in a few places.</p><p>\"Despite the abundance of vacant land and Detroit\'s media image as a hub of urban agriculture, we were surprised to find a relatively low level of private and community gardens in the Lower Eastside,\" said study lead author Joshua Newell, an urban geographer at U-M\'s School for Environment and Sustainability.</p><p>\"As urban agricultural production scales up, our modeling recommends dispersing rather than clustering these gardens. This strategy would provide more benefits to more people, while countering the gentrification effects that may occur when cities expand green space.\"</p><p>The study, which the authors describe as the most comprehensive integrated assessment of Detroit urban agriculture to be published in a peer-reviewed academic journal, appeared online March 25 in the journal Cities. Co-authors are from Illinois State University, Michigan State University and Arizona State University.</p><p>Detroit\'s Lower Eastside borders the Detroit River and includes the Indian Village, Jefferson Chalmers and East Village neighborhoods. It represents about 10% of Detroit\'s land area, and 95% of the residents are minorities, according to the new study.</p><p>To map and document urban agriculture sites in Detroit\'s Lower Eastside, the researchers used Google Earth Pro in conjunction with Geographic Information Systems analysis and site visits. In addition, Lower Eastside residents were interviewed to gain insights about their motivations for gardening.</p><p>The information was used to generate a future land-use scenario that would maximize the benefits of urban agriculture in the study area. Specifically, the researchers used spatial multicriteria evaluation modeling to identify parcels where planting gardens and growing crops would be especially beneficial.</p><p>Each location (38,541 parcels were analyzed) was given a suitability score based on 11 criteria, including proximity to: blight, grocery stores, existing gardens and parks.</p><p>The modeling results led the team to recommend a spatially dispersed strategy, in contrast to centralized urban agriculture-type developments such as Detroit\'s Hantz Woodlands, which is in the Lower Eastside study area. That project, originally conceived as the world\'s largest urban farm and named Hantz Farms, was later scaled back, renamed and refocused on growing hardwood trees.</p><p>Exactly how Detroit should expand urban agriculture has been hotly contested, and much of the debate has focused on the relative merits of large, centralized efforts versus smaller, decentralized approaches. The new Lower Eastside study comes down squarely on the side of smaller-scale efforts that are spatially dispersed.</p><p>For their study, the researchers collected data from two years, 2010 and 2016, and measured the changes that occurred over time. They identified 53 gardens, totaling 4.8 acres, in Detroit\'s Lower Eastside in 2010. Just over one-third of the gardens were communally managed.</p><p>By 2016, the number of gardens in the study area increased to 89, expanding to 6.2 acres. But even with this expansion, the 2016 acreage total represented less than 1% of the estimated vacant land (1,747 acres) in the Lower Eastside, according to the study.</p><p>Comparing the two years also highlighted the ephemeral nature of urban agriculture in Detroit. Between 2010 and 2016, 14 of the 53 gardens were lost, but 50 new gardens were added.</p><p>In a study of 2019 that is under review and is expected to be published later this year, Newell and his colleagues found an additional 13 gardens in the Lower Eastside that year, raising the total to 102.</p><p>Obstacles to scaling up urban agriculture in Detroit include uncertainties about future land access, ineffective government policies, lack of capital investment, and legacy contaminants, according to the study.</p><p>\"Access to permanent land tenure is the primary obstacle to the expansion of urban agriculture in Detroit and many other cities,\" said study co-author Alec Foster of Illinois State University. \"Urban gardens on vacant lots are often thought of as temporary solutions until traditional redevelopment options arise.\"</p><p>In 15 interviews, Lower Eastside residents said they planted gardens primarily to help build community, foster social cohesion and reduce blight, rather than for food production. Vacant lots are frequently used as dumping grounds.</p><p>\"An urban farm,\" one resident told researchers, \"really becomes a platform for reconnecting the broken pieces that make up Detroit.\"</p><p>\"Instead of blight, we\'re looking at beautiful trees and a garden and flowers, and something that\'s sustainable, that people can actually look at and say, \'Wow, that\'s beautiful,\'\" another Lower Eastside resident told researchers.</p><p>\"These interviews show that urban agriculture is multifunctional. It\'s not just providing food to surrounding communities, but rather a whole suite of social and environmental benefits,\" said study co-author Sara Meerow of Arizona State University.</p><p>It\'s long been recognized that Detroit has high potential for agricultural development, given its abundant vacant land. By some estimates, Detroit has more than 100,000 vacant lots, and vacant land in the city totals 23 square miles -- roughly equivalent in size to Manhattan.</p><p>One 2010 study estimated that Detroit has the potential to produce about 75% of its annual vegetable consumption and 40% of its fruit consumption by farming on publicly owned vacant lots using conventional methods.</p><p>But empirical research that documents the composition, spatial extent and motivations for urban agriculture in Detroit is relatively scarce. The authors of the new paper say their study addresses many of the knowledge gaps.</p><p>A similar study of urban agriculture across the entire city of Detroit would provide a comprehensive picture of urban agriculture\'s current footprint and enable a citywide plan for equitably scaling up, they suggest.</p><p>\"Studies indicate that UA benefits are often localized, and some evidence suggests that it can lead to gentrification, so scaling up will need to be implemented in a manner that does not exacerbate environmental injustice,\" the researchers wrote.</p><p>The other study author is Mariel Borgman of Michigan State University. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-04 18:32:51.595892','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Michigan','Despite Detroit\'s reputation as a mecca for urban agriculture, a new analysis of the city\'s Lower Eastside, which covers 15 square miles, found that community and private gardens occupy less than 1% of the vacant land.\n',1,70,'<li>Joshua P. Newell, Alec Foster, Mariel Borgman, Sara Meerow. <strong>Ecosystem services of urban agriculture and prospects for scaling up production: A study of Detroit</strong>. <em>Cities</em>, 2022; 125: 103664 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103664\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.cities.2022.103664</a>\n</li>'),(1873,'People around the world like the same kinds of smell','people-around-the-world-like-the-same-kinds-of-smell','2022-04-04 19:39:06.551171',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">What smells we like or dislike is primarily determined by the structure of the particular odour molecule. A collaborative study involving researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and the University of Oxford, UK, shows that people share odour preferences regardless of cultural background. The study is published in the journal <em>Current Biology</em>.</p><p>\"We wanted to examine if people around the world have the same smell perception and like the same types of odour, or whether this is something that is culturally learned,\" says Artin Arshamian, researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. \"Traditionally it has been seen as cultural, but we can show that culture has very little to do with it.\"</p><p>The present study shows that the structure of the odour molecule determines whether a smell is considered pleasant or not. The researchers found that certain smells were liked more than others regardless of the cultural affiliation of participants.</p><p>\"Cultures around the world rank different odours in a similar way no matter where they come from, but odour preferences have a personal -- although not cultural -- component,\" says Dr Arshamian.</p><p><strong>Studied indigenous populations</strong></p><p>The study was made possible through an international network of researchers that collaborated in a unique combination of experimental methods and field studies. The network comprised researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Lund University and Stockholm University (Sweden), University of Oxford and University College London (UK), Arizona State University, Monell Chemical Senses Center and the University of Pennsylvania (USA), Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador), University of Melbourne (Australia) and National Autonomous University of Mexico.</p><p>Many of the researchers are field workers working with indigenous populations. For this present study, the researchers selected nine communities representing different lifestyles: four hunter-gatherer groups and five groups with different forms of farming and fishing. Some of these groups have very little contact with Western foodstuffs or household articles.</p><p><strong>Disparate odiferous environments</strong></p><p>\"Since these groups live in such disparate odiferous environments, like rainforest, coast, mountain and city, we capture many different types of \'odour experiences\',\" says Dr Arshamian.</p><p>The study included a total of 235 individuals, who were asked to rank smells on a scale of pleasant to unpleasant. The results show variation between individuals within each group, but global correspondence on which odours are pleasant and unpleasant. The researchers show that the variation is largely explained by molecular structure (41 per cent) and by personal preference (54 per cent).</p><p>\"Personal preference can be due to learning but could also be a result of our genetic makeup,\" says Dr Arshamian.</p><p><strong>Vanilla was considered most pleasant</strong></p><p>The odours the participants were asked to rank included vanilla, which smelled best then followed by ethyl butyrate, which smells like peaches. The smell that most participants considered the least pleasant was isovaleric acid, which can be found in many foods, such as cheese, soy milk and apple juice, but also in foot sweat.</p><p>According to Dr Arshamian, a possible reason why people consider some smells more pleasant than others regardless of culture is that such odours increased the chances of survival during human evolution.</p><p>\"Now we know that there\'s universal odour perception that is driven by molecular structure and that explains why we like or dislike a certain smell,\" Dr Arshamian continues. \"The next step is to study why this is so by linking this knowledge to what happens in the brain when we smell a particular odour.\"</p><p>The field work behind the study was financed by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the general study by the Swedish Research Council and the USA\'s National Institutes of Health (NIH). The researchers have reported that there are no conflicts of interest.</p>','2022-04-04 19:39:06.551171','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Karolinska Institutet','What smells we like or dislike is primarily determined by the structure of the particular odor molecule. A collaborative study shows that people share odor preferences regardless of cultural background.\n',1,27,'<li>Artin Arshamian, Richard C. Gerkin, Nicole Kruspe, Ewelina Wnuk, Simeon Floyd, Carolyn O’Meara, Gabriela Garrido Rodriguez, Johan N. Lundström, Joel D. Mainland, Asifa Majid. <strong>The perception of odor pleasantness is shared across cultures</strong>. <em>Current Biology</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.062\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.062</a>\n</li>'),(1874,'Two-faced protein both inhibits and activates B cell receptor signaling','two-faced-protein-both-inhibits-and-activates-b-cell-receptor-signaling','2022-04-04 19:39:45.972949',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The rules to the kids\' game \"red light, green light\" are easy to follow: red always means stop, and green always means go. But now, researchers from Japan have found that a key protein involved in B cell signaling acts as both a red light to signaling in healthy cells and a green light to signaling in immune-deficient cells.</p><p>In a study published in March in <em>Science Signaling</em>, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have revealed that CD22, a crucial molecule in B cell signaling, switches from an inhibitory role to an activating role when B cell receptor (BCR) signaling is compromised due to a genetic defect that causes an immune disorder.</p><p>Contact between BCRs and foreign invaders prompts B cells to make antibodies, and CD22 inhibits BCR signaling to keep B cells from inappropriately releasing antibodies. Interestingly, previous research suggests that this inhibition is regulated by binding of CD22 to other factors expressed on the same cell. In contrast, a protein called CD45 is a main activator of BCR signaling, and defects in the gene encoding CD45 cause an immunodeficiency syndrome.</p><p>\"CD45 normally enhances BCR signaling,\" explains Chizuru Akatsu, lead author on the study. \"When CD45 is missing in laboratory cell lines, BCR signaling is dramatically decreased; however, signaling is not affected as severely in mice when CD45 is missing, which suggests that there is some kind of compensatory mechanism at work.\"</p><p>To investigate the relationship between CD22 and BCR signaling restoration in the absence of CD45, the researchers disrupted the binding of all interaction partners of CD22 either continuously or for a short time and looked at the effect this had on BCR signaling.</p><p>\"The results were entirely unexpected,\" says Takeshi Tsubata, senior author. \"Acute disruption of binding between CD22 and its ligands did not affect the restoration of BCR signaling in B cells lacking CD45, whereas continuous disruption of this binding resulted in markedly less BCR signaling recovery.\"</p><p>As it turns out, the cells in which signaling was restored expressed unusually high levels of BCR, which accounted for their ability to continue functioning relatively normally. BCR signaling occurs at low levels even in the absence of stimulation by foreign antigens, and this low-level steady-state signaling is required for B cell development and survival. Because BCR is an endogenous ligand of CD22, continuous CD22 binding to its ligands facilitates inhibition of steady-state BCR signaling by CD22. If BCR signaling is compromised by a defect such as CD45 deficiency, steady-state signaling is markedly reduced by the signaling defect together with the signal inhibition by CD22; therefore, only B cells that express high levels of BCR survive. Through this mechanism, CD22 paradoxically restores BCR signaling in immune-deficient B cells.</p><p>\"What is really interesting about this result is that it could point toward a way to restore immune function in patients with immune disorders involving B cell signaling deficiencies,\" states Akatsu.</p><p>Given that B cells and immunoglobulins are present -- though in greatly reduced numbers -- in immunodeficient patients with defects in BCR signaling, CD22 may be a useful treatment target. Activating CD22 could help restore B cell function in patients with B cell signaling deficiencies such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia.</p>','2022-04-04 19:39:45.972949','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Tokyo Medical and Dental University','Researchers have found that restoration of B cell function in BCR signaling deficiencies involves the interaction of CD22, normally an inhibitory factor, with binding partners on the same cell, which results in upregulation of BCR expression and paradoxically increased BCR signaling. These findings suggest that CD22 could be a novel target for the treatment of patients with B cell signaling deficiencies such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia.\n',1,91,'<li>Chizuru Akatsu, Amin Alborzian Deh Sheikh, Naoko Matsubara, Hiromu Takematsu, Astrid Schweizer, Hajjaj H. M. Abdu-Allah, Thomas F. Tedder, Lars Nitschke, Hideharu Ishida, Takeshi Tsubata. <strong>The inhibitory coreceptor CD22 restores B cell signaling by developmentally regulating                          Cd45              −/−                        immunodeficient B cells</strong>. <em>Science Signaling</em>, 2022; 15 (723) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scisignal.abf9570\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/scisignal.abf9570</a>\n</li>'),(1875,'Chemical data management: an open way forward','chemical-data-management:-an-open-way-forward','2022-04-04 19:39:51.285329',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">One of the most challenging aspects of modern chemistry is managing data. For example, when synthesizing a new compound, scientists will go through multiple attempts of trial-and-error to find the right conditions for the reaction, generating in the process massive amounts of raw data. Such data is of incredible value, as, like humans, machine-learning algorithms can learn much from failed and partially successful experiments.</p><p>The current practice is, however, to publish only the most successful experiments, since no human can meaningfully process the massive amounts of failed ones. But AI has changed this; it is exactly what these machine-learning methods can do provided the data are stored in a machine-actionable format for anyone to use.</p><p>\"For a long time, we needed to compress information due to the limited page count in printed journal articles,\" says Professor Berend Smit, who directs the Laboratory of Molecular Simulation at EPFL Valais Wallis. \"Nowadays, many journals do not even have printed editions anymore; however, chemists still struggle with reproducibility problems because journal articles are missing crucial details. Researchers \'waste\' time and resources replicating \'failed\' experiments of authors and struggle to build on top of published results as raw data are rarely published.\"</p><p>But volume is not the only problem here; data diversity is another: research groups use different tools like Electronic Lab Notebook software, which store data in proprietary formats that are sometimes incompatible with each other. This lack of standardization makes it nearly impossible for groups to share data.</p><p>Now, Smit, with Luc Patiny and Kevin Jablonka at EPFL, have published a perspective in <em>Nature Chemistry</em> presenting an open platform for the entire chemistry workflow: from the inception of a project to its publication.</p><p>The scientists envision the platform as \"seamlessly\" integrating three crucial steps: data collection, data processing, and data publication -- all with minimal cost to researchers. The guiding principle is that data should be FAIR: easily findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-usable. \"At the moment of data collection, the data will be automatically converted into a standard FAIR format, making it possible to automatically publish all \'failed\' and partially successful experiments together with the most successful experiment,\" says Smit.</p><p>But the authors go a step further, proposing that data should also be machine-actionable. \"We are seeing more and more data-science studies in chemistry,\" says Jablonka. \"Indeed, recent results in machine learning try to tackle some of the problems chemists believe are unsolvable. For instance, our group has made enormous progress in predicting optimal reaction conditions using machine-learning models. But those models would be much more valuable if they could also learn reaction conditions that fail, but otherwise, they remain biased because only the successful conditions are published.\"</p><p>Finally, the authors propose five concrete steps that the field must take to create a FAIR data-management plan:</p><p>\"We think there is no need to invent new file formats or technologies,\" says Patiny. \"In principle, all the technology is there, and we need to embrace existing technologies and make them interoperable.\"</p><p>The authors also point out that just storing data in any electronic lab notebook -- the current trend -- does not necessarily mean that humans and machines can reuse the data. Rather, the data must be structured and published in a standardized format, and they also must contain enough context to enable data-driven actions.</p><p>\"Our perspective offers a vision of what we think are the key components to bridge the gap between data and machine learning for core problems in chemistry,\" says Smit. \"We also provide an open science solution in which EPFL can take the lead.\"</p>','2022-04-04 19:39:51.285329','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne','Scientists propose an open platform for managing the vast amounts of diverse data produced in chemical research.\n',1,27,'<li>Kevin Maik Jablonka, Luc Patiny, Berend Smit. <strong>Making the collective knowledge of chemistry open and machine-actionable</strong>. <em>Nature Chemistry</em>, 04 April 2022 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41557-022-00910-7\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41557-022-00910-7</a>\n</li>'),(1876,'Dual-mode endoscope offers unprecedented insights into uterine health','dual-mode-endoscope-offers-unprecedented-insights-into-uterine-health','2022-04-04 19:40:22.440684',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Researchers have developed a new endoscope that combines ultrasound with optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess structural features of the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, in unprecedented detail. The new probe could one day help doctors diagnose infertility problems that are related to endometrial receptivity with greater accuracy than current imaging technologies while reducing the need for invasive biopsies.</p><p>\"This tool combines the two techniques of ultrasound and OCT, allowing it to obtain more information and provide a more accurate assessment of endometrial status than traditional vaginal ultrasound,\" said research team leader Xiaojing Gong from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. \"It has the potential to be used for basic endometrial research and to further advance clinical assessment of endometrial receptivity and other endometrial-related diseases.\"</p><p>In the Optica Publishing Group journal <em>Biomedical Optics Express</em>, the researchers report the ability for their dual-mode endoscope to differentiate between healthy and injured endometrial tissue in rabbit models based on both surface features and depth information. It is the first in vivo demonstration of intrauterine endoscopic imaging in small animals, with a probe measuring just 1.2 mm across.</p><p>The endometrium plays a critical role in the ability for a blastocyst to implant in a uterus and grow into a healthy fetus. Failure to implant is recognized as a key bottleneck in the reproductive process, with impaired endometrial receptivity accounting for about two-thirds of implantation failures.</p><p>By providing detailed structural information about the endometrium, the probe could offer a less invasive way to determine if endometrial problems are causing infertility, which affects about 10-20% of women worldwide, as well as help to diagnose other uterine health problems.</p><p>\"The system can obtain the thickness information of the endometrium, the echo pattern of the endometrium and information about damage to the endometrial surface, which play an important role in the evaluation of endometrial receptivity,\" said Gong. \"It also has the potential to detect diseases in the uterus, such as endometrial cancer and uterine fibroids.\"</p><p><strong>Creating a better probe</strong></p><p>The current gold standard method for assessing endometrial receptivity is through biopsies, which require surgically removing and analyzing a small tissue sample. Endoscopic imaging is a less invasive method, but current endoscopes can only identify larger defects in the uterus such as anatomical malformations or polyps, not assess the structure of the endometrium. A vaginal ultrasound can provide information about the thickness of the endometrium and other structural features, but lacks the resolution and contrast needed to comprehensively assess endometrial receptivity.</p><p>OCT is an imaging technique that uses relatively long wavelength light (commonly known as near infrared light) to produce high-resolution images from within scattering media. It has been adapted for diagnostic tools in several medical fields including ophthalmology, cardiology and dermatology. Previous studies have shown OCT imaging can be used to identify structural features of the endometrium that are associated with implantation failures.</p><p>For the new study, researchers improved upon a prototype they had previously developed to combine OCT and ultrasound imaging in a single probe. The OCT modality provides detailed information about the superficial endometrium including its surface information, while ultrasound provides insights about its full thickness. Since multiple features of the endometrium affect implantation success, combining these imaging modalities provides a more accurate picture of endometrial receptivity than either mode individually.</p><p>The catheter is designed to pass through the cervix, enter the uterine cavity and inject water to facilitate high-resolution imaging. A series of tiny custom-designed optical and ultrasonic components are arranged within the catheter to achieve both ultrasound and OCT mode. The improved probe also uses a single-mode fiber, which offers higher resolution and reduced noise for the OCT mode. In addition, the researchers used a metal coil to allow the probe to rotate for a 360-degree full-field of view once it is inside the uterus.</p><p>\"The imaging catheter can realize the rotation and retraction scanning through the rotation-retraction unit at the rear end, and obtain the three-dimensional ultrasound-OCT image of the uterus,\" said Gong.</p><p><strong>A powerful combination</strong></p><p>To test the endoscope, the researchers used it to image the uterine lining of four anesthetized rabbits. Some of the rabbits were healthy while others had undergone a procedure to wash the endometrium with ethanol for different lengths of time, damaging the tissue to varying degrees.</p><p>The researchers quantified features of the endometrium including its thickness, distribution and surface roughness separately in ultrasonic and OCT modalities. The OCT images showed that healthy endometrial tissues had a smoother and more continuous surface, while damaged tissues were more rough. In ultrasound images, the endometrium was found to be thicker in healthy tissues and thinner in areas that had been damaged. While each modality provided valuable information on its own, it wasn\'t until the researchers combined the information from each that they were able to comprehensively and accurately evaluate the degree of tissue injury.</p><p>\"These results demonstrated the importance of bimodality in the detection of the extent of endometrial damage,\" said Gong. \"The variance is too large, and it is difficult to distinguish the degree of injury through a single mode of information. However, combining the information of the two modalities can differentiate the degree of damage.\"</p><p>The probe also provided echo patterns that were similar to what can be obtained with vaginal ultrasound but with better resolution. In addition, the images revealed physical features such as polyp-like formations as small as 200 microns, demonstrating the probe\'s ability to discern tiny lesions that could affect endometrial health.</p><p>The researchers plan to add a photoacoustic mode to increase the probe\'s ability to observe blood flow and information about the vascular networks in the uterine lining. In addition, they are working to improve the size, resolution and imaging range of the imaging catheter to make it more practical for clinical use in humans.</p>','2022-04-04 19:40:22.440684','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Optica','A new endoscope design that combines ultrasound with optical coherence tomography can assess the structural features of the endometrium with unprecedented detail. This dual-mode endoscope could help doctors diagnose infertility problems that are related to endometrial receptivity with greater accuracy than current imaging technologies.\n',1,71,'<li>Jinke Zhang, Meng Du, JInghui Fang, Shengmiao Lv, Wenjin Lou, Zhihua Xie, Zhiyi Chen, Xiaojing Gong. <strong>In vivo evaluation of endometrium through dual-modality intrauterine endoscopy</strong>. <em>Biomedical Optics Express</em>, 2022; 13 (5): 2554 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/BOE.453191\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1364/BOE.453191</a>\n</li>'),(1877,'Solar hydrogen: Better photoelectrodes through flash heating','solar-hydrogen:-better-photoelectrodes-through-flash-heating','2022-04-04 19:40:34.304622',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Solar energy can directly drive electrochemical reactions at the surface of photoelectrodes. Photoelectrodes consist of semiconducting thin films on transparent conductive-glass substrates that convert light into electricity. Most photoelectrochemical studies have focused on water splitting, a thermodynamically uphill reaction that could offer an attractive pathway for the long-term capture and storage of solar energy by producing \'green\' hydrogen.</p><p>Metal-oxide thin film photoelectrodes are particularly promising for these diverse functions. They comprise abundant elements, potentially offering infinite tunability to achieve the desired properties -- at potentially low costs.</p><p><strong>Made from plasma</strong></p><p>At the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels, several teams focus on developing such photoelectrodes. The usual method to produce them is pulsed laser deposition: an intense laser pulse hits a target containing the material and ablates it into a highly energetic plasma deposited on a substrate.</p><p><strong>Quality needs heat</strong></p><p>Further steps are needed to improve the quality of the deposited thin film. In particular thermal processing of the metal-oxide thin-film reduces defects and imperfections. However, this creates a dilemma: Reducing atomic defects concentration and improvements in crystalline order of the metal-oxide thin films would require thermal processing temperatures between 850 and 1000 degrees Celsius -- but the problem is that the glass substrate melts at 550 degrees Celsius.</p><p><strong>Flash-heating the thin film</strong></p><p>Dr. Ronen Gottesman from the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels has now solved this problem: After deposition, using high-powered lamps, he flash-heats the metal-oxide thin film. This heats it up to 850 degrees Celsius without melting the underlying glass substrate.</p><p>\"The heat efficiently reduces structural defects, trap states, grain boundaries, and phase impurities, which would become more challenging to mitigate with an increasing number of elements in the metal-oxides. Therefore, new innovative synthesis approaches are essential. We have now demonstrated this on photoelectrodes made of Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>, TiO<sub>2</sub>, and WO<sub>3</sub>, which we heated to 850 °C without damaging the substrates,\" says Gottesman.</p><p><strong>Record performance for α-SnWO<sub>4</sub></strong></p><p>The new method was also successful with a photoelectrode material that is considered a very good candidate for solar water splitting: α-SnWO<sub>4</sub>. Conventional furnace heating leaves behind phase impurities. Rapid thermal processing (RTP) heating improved crystallinity, electronic properties, and performance, leading to a new record performance of 1 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> for this material, higher by 25% than the previous record.</p><p>\"This is also interesting for the production of quantum dots or halide perovskites, which are also temperature-sensitive,\" explains Gottesman.</p>','2022-04-04 19:40:34.304622','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie','Producing low-cost metal-oxide thin films with high electronic quality for solar water splitting is not an easy task. Especially since quality improvements of the upper metal oxide thin films need thermal processing at high temperatures, which would melt the underlying glass substrate. Now, a team has solved this dilemma: A high intensity and rapid light pulse directly heats the semiconducting metal-oxide thin film, allowing it to reach the optimal temperature without damaging the substrate.\n',1,138,'<li>Ronen Gottesman, Isabella Peracchi, Jason L. Gerke, Rowshanak Irani, Fatwa F. Abdi, Roel van de Krol. <strong>Shining a Hot Light on Emerging Photoabsorber Materials: The Power of Rapid Radiative Heating in Developing Oxide Thin-Film Photoelectrodes</strong>. <em>ACS Energy Letters</em>, 2022; 7 (1): 514 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.1c02220\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1021/acsenergylett.1c02220</a>\n</li>'),(1878,'Gene map may identify heart disease risk for people with Type 2 diabetes','gene-map-may-identify-heart-disease-risk-for-people-with-type-2-diabetes','2022-04-04 19:51:55.624548',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A risk score based on a gene map predicted the likelihood of high blood pressure leading to heart problems or stroke in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published today in the American Heart Association\'s peer-reviewed journal <em>Hypertension</em>. This tool may be especially useful in guiding treatment for people who are newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or for those with prediabetes.</p><p>Previous research has confirmed adults with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke than people who do not have Type 2 diabetes. Various measures of health status, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, are commonly used to determine a person\'s risk for developing heart disease. In this study, researchers explored whether genetic variants linked with high blood pressure are also linked to later heart disease or stroke for people with Type 2 diabetes and used that information to determine a risk score.</p><p>\"Increased genetic risk of high blood pressure may predispose some people with Type 2 diabetes to a higher risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death,\" said lead study author Pankaj Arora, M.D., director of the Cardiogenomics Clinic Program and the Cardiology Clinical and Translational Research Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. \"We conducted the study to determine if this genetic risk score can identify people with Type 2 diabetes who have a higher risk for cardiovascular events and if tight control of blood sugar impacts the link between genetic hypertension risk and cardiovascular outcomes.\"</p><p>Arora and colleagues assessed the health records of 6,335 participants in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial database for whom genetic data were available. The study group consisted of 37% women, and participants self-identified their race or ethnicity: 15% were African American, 6% were Hispanic; 70% were white; and 9% selected the category \"other.\" All participants had Type 2 diabetes and elevated blood pressure, and they were followed for 3.5 years.</p><p>A genetic variant map of more than 1,000 common genetic variants known to affect blood pressure was compared to the DNA of the study participants to determine participants\' genetic risk. More matches among the participant\'s DNA and the map of known blood pressure genetic variants equated to a higher genetic risk score.</p><p>Researchers found that the genetic risk score identified study participants with a higher risk of cardiovascular events:</p><p>Further evaluation of genetic risk scores in people who do not have Type 2 diabetes is needed to be able to apply these findings more broadly.</p><p>Arora and colleagues also noted the findings about differences in individuals\' genetic risk scores for high blood pressure did not entirely explain why intensive glycemic control (aggressive treatment with insulin, medications, diet and exercise) did not appear to have a cardiovascular benefit for people with long-standing Type 2 diabetes.</p><p>\"However, a genetic risk score maybe helpful for people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to identify who should have more intense lifestyle changes, such as changes in diet and exercise, and more aggressive management of weight, blood pressure and smoking cessation,\" said Arora.</p><p>\"If you have Type 2 diabetes, there\'s a lot you can do to reduce your risk for heart disease,\" said Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, FAAFP, the American Heart Association\'s chief medical officer for prevention, who is the clinical lead for Know Diabetes by Heart, a collaborative initiative between the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association addressing the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. \"In addition to blood sugar control, which is absolutely paramount, we highly encourage people living with Type 2 diabetes to talk with their health care team about other personal and familial risk factors for heart disease or stroke, and what they can do to manage or modify them.\"</p><p>Co-authors include Vibhu Parcha, M.D.; Akhil Pampana, M.S.; Adam Bress, Pharm.D., M.S.; Marguerite R. Irvin, Ph.D.; and Garima Arora, M.D.  </p>','2022-04-04 19:51:55.624548','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'American Heart Association','A new study confirmed a risk score, based on a map of genetic variants known to affect blood pressure, successfully identified people with Type 2 diabetes who are at increased risk for heart attack or stroke. Genetic risk scores, like the one examined in this study, may help identify risk very early in the disease process and indicate the need for more intensive prevention efforts, such as healthy lifestyle changes among people with Type 2 diabetes.\n',1,150,'<li>Vibhu Parcha, Akhil Pampana, Adam P. Bress, Marguerite R. Irvin, Garima Arora, Pankaj Arora. <strong>Association of Polygenic Risk Score With Blood Pressure and Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Individuals With Type II Diabetes: Insights From the ACCORD Trial</strong>. <em>Hypertension</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.122.18976\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.122.18976</a>\n</li>'),(1879,'Researchers identify neuronal mechanisms that control food cravings during pregnancy','researchers-identify-neuronal-mechanisms-that-control-food-cravings-during-pregnancy','2022-04-04 20:41:26.347238',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Many people have felt the sudden and uncontrollable urge to eat a certain food. These urges -- known as cravings -- are very common, mostly during pregnancy. During this time, the mother\'s body undergoes a series of physiological and behavioural changes to create a favourable environment for the embryo\'s development. However, the frequent consumption of tasty and high calorie foods -- derived from the cravings -- contributes to weight gain and obesity in pregnancy, which can have negative effects on the baby\'s health.</p><p>\"There are many myths and popular beliefs regarding these cravings, although the neuronal mechanisms that cause them are not widely known,\" notes March Claret, lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona and head of the IDIBAPS Neuronal Control of Metabolism Group. Claret leads, together with the researcher Roberta Haddad-Tóvolli, a study published in the journal <em>Nature Metabolism</em> that provides new evidence on the alterations of the neuronal activity that drive cravings in an animal model.</p><p><strong>Dopamine and compulsive eating behaviour </strong></p><p>According to the results, during pregnancy, the brain of female mice undergoes changes in the functional connections of the brain reward circuits, as well as the taste and sensorimotor centers. Moreover, just like pregnant women, female mice are more sensitive to sweet food, and they develop binge-eating behaviours towards high calorie foods. \"The alteration of these structures made us explore the mesolimbic pathway, one of the signal transmission pathways of dopaminergic neurons. Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter in motivational behaviours,\" notes Claret, member of the Department of Medicine of the UB and the Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERDEM).</p><p>The team observed the levels of dopamine -- and the activity of its receptor, D2R -- to increase in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region involved in the reward circuit. \"This finding suggests that the pregnancy induces a full reorganization of the mesolimbic neural circuits through the D2R neurons,\" notes Haddad-Tóvolli. \"These neuronal cells -- and their alteration -- would be responsible for the cravings, since food anxiety, typical during pregnancy, disappeared after blocking their activity.\"</p><p>The team led by Claret and Haddad-Tóvolli showed that persistent cravings have consequences for the offspring. They affect the metabolism and development of neural circuits that regulate food intake, which leads to weight gain, anxiety and eating disorders. \"These results are shocking, since many of the studies are focused on the analysis of how the mother\'s permanent habits -- such as obesity, malnutrition, or chronic stress -- affect the health of the baby. However, this study indicates that short but recurrent behaviours, such as cravings, are enough to increase the psychological and metabolic vulnerability of the offspring,\" concludes Claret.</p><p>The conclusions of the study could contribute to the improvement of nutritional guidelines for pregnant women in order to ensure a proper prenatal nutrition and prevent the development of diseases. Among the participants in the study were Guadalupe Soria and Emma Muñoz-Moreno (IDIBAPS), Analía Bortolozzi (IIBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS) and Emmanuel Valjent (INSERM and University of Montpelier).</p><p>This project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC), given to Marc Claret, and a grant from the Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Actions program, given to the researcher Roberta Haddad-Tóvolli.</p>','2022-04-04 20:41:26.347238','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Barcelona','Many people have felt the sudden and uncontrollable urge to eat a certain food. These urges --known as cravings-- are very common, especially during pregnancy. During this time, the mother\'s body undergoes a series of physiological and behavioral changes to create a favorable environment for the embryo\'s development. However, the frequent consumption of tasty and high calorie foods -- derived from the cravings -- contributes to weight gain and obesity in pregnancy, which can have negative effects on the baby\'s health.\n',1,32,'<li>Haddad-Tóvolli, R.; Ramírez, S.; Muñoz-Moreno, E.; Milà-Guasch, M.; Miquel-Rio, L.; Pozo, M.; Chivite, I.; Altirriba, J.; Obri, A.; Gómez-Valadés, A.; Toledo, M.; Eyre, E.; Bortolozzi, A.; Valjent, E.; Soria, G.; Claret, M. <strong>Food craving-like episodes during pregnancy are mediated by accumbal dopaminergic circuits</strong>. <em>Nature Metabolism</em>, 2022 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00557-1\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s42255-022-00557-1</a>\n</li>'),(1880,'Teens more likely to disengage from school after police stops','teens-more-likely-to-disengage-from-school-after-police-stops','2022-04-04 20:53:08.304365',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Teens who are stopped by the police are more likely to report greater disengagement from school the next day, and racial and ethnic minority youth reported more invasive police encounters than white youth, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.</p><p>In the study, 387 adolescents aged 13 to 17 (50% white, 32% Black and 18% other ethnic-racial minority) completed daily online diary entries over 35 days. The youth were students in five public school districts in Pittsburgh where district leaders were concerned about racially disparate juvenile justice court referrals. Half of the participants attended schools where low-income students were in the majority.</p><p>The researchers analyzed more than 13,000 diary entries. Youth who reported being stopped by the police were more likely to report disengagement from school the next day (skipping all or some classes, not staying focused, etc.). Students who were stopped also were more likely to report psychological distress, including anxiety, anger and depression. The research was published online in <em>Developmental Psychology</em>.</p><p>In just over a month, 9% of the youth (34 students) were stopped by police -- including school-assigned police officers -- which is a \"shockingly high\" number for such a short period, said lead researcher Juan Del Toro, PhD, a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh. The rate of police stops didn\'t vary significantly across racial or ethnic groups, but Black and other ethnic-racial minority students reported more intrusive interactions when they were frisked by police.</p><p>\"Police officers use their own discretion to decide which people to stop and frisk in their aim to reduce crime,\" Del Toro said. \"However, many of these practices result in racial disparities in policing and stop-and-frisks.\"</p><p>Students who reported disengagement from school were no more likely to be stopped by the police the next day, \"which helps refute common stereotypes that only \'bad kids\' are stopped by the police,\" Del Toro said.</p><p>Youth who reported psychological distress from police stops were more likely to disengage from school the following day. The cumulative negative effects of police stops could have long-term consequences for youth, including lower grades, lower standardized test scores and a lower likelihood of college admission, Del Toro said.</p><p>Prior research has found that youth of color are perceived as less innocent and more like adult criminals than their white peers, and aggressive policing has been linked to reduced test scores and school attendance for Black boys. In New York City, Black and Latino males between the ages of 14 and 24 account for only 5% of the city\'s population, but represented 38% of the reported police stops in recent years, according to a 2019 New York Civil Liberties Union report. Black and Latino people also were more likely to be frisked and to experience force from New York City police than white people.</p><p>Police officers should receive more training on how to interact with children and teens in a less confrontational manner, Del Toro said. There also should be increased funding for community efforts to help local youth feel more autonomous and competent at school and in their daily lives.</p>','2022-04-04 20:53:08.304365','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'American Psychological Association','Teens who are stopped by the police are more likely to report greater disengagement from school the next day, and racial and ethnic minority youth reported more invasive police encounters than white youth, according to new research.\n',1,27,'<li>Juan Del Toro, Dylan B. Jackson, Ming-Te Wang. <strong>The policing paradox: Police stops predict youth’s school disengagement via elevated psychological distress.</strong>. <em>Developmental Psychology</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0001361\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1037/dev0001361</a>\n</li>'),(1881,'Alternate delivery locations are viable options to offset negative impacts of increased home deliveries','alternate-delivery-locations-are-viable-options-to-offset-negative-impacts-of-increased-home-deliveries','2022-04-04 22:36:21.922086',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">As the demand for home deliveries from online purchases continues to increase, problems like traffic congestion, parking violations, and air pollution from the delivery trucks also grow, particularly in dense, congested, urban areas.</p><p>To counter these negative side effects, companies are exploring different options for getting packages to the people who ordered them. Alternative delivery locations (ADLs) such as delivery lockers like Amazon\'s Hub Locker, postal stores, or partnerships between brick-and-mortar stores and delivery companies such as the UPS Access Point have been developed as viable solutions.</p><p>In recently published research, Cara Wang, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Woojung Kim, a doctoral student in the same department at Rensselaer, found that some, but not all consumers, will accept going to the ADL to get their packages rather than having them delivered directly to their front door.</p><p>Using advanced computer modeling in conjunction with the New York City 2018 Department of Transportation Citywide Mobility Survey database, the scholars found that people who receive more packages are actually among the least likely to use ADLs.</p><p>The research also showed that the people who are most likely to use ADLs are those from underrepresented groups who don\'t receive many packages.</p><p>\"There is a target group of frequent online shoppers that is more of a burden to the freight system and the environment overall,\" Dr. Wang said. \"Through new technology or developing incentives, cities need to find a way to encourage communities to understand the benefits of ADLs.\"</p><p>Another question explored by the researchers is the distance people will travel to an ADL to retrieve the delivery. Their research showed that males and full-time students are more willing to travel further while people who live in apartments or older people are less willing to travel any more than two city blocks.</p><p>\"It\'s clear from the data that because different populations use ADLs differently, transportation planners cannot implement a one-size-fits-all solution to every neighborhood, every city,\" Dr. Wang said. \"We are a long way from finding all the answers but results from this research can help policymakers in dense urban areas better establish strategies regarding the ADLs as a way to mitigate negative externalities generated by delivery vehicles.\"</p><p>The paper, \"The adoption of alternative delivery locations in New York City: Who and how far,\" was recently published in <em>Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice</em><em>. </em>It is the first study to comprehensively investigate behaviors on the ADL from the users\' perspective.</p>','2022-04-04 22:36:21.922086','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute','As the demand for home deliveries from online purchases continues to increase, researchers recently published research showing that some -- but not all -- consumers will accept going to alternate delivery locations to get their packages rather than having them delivered directly to their front door.\n',1,27,'<li>Woojung Kim, Xiaokun Cara Wang. <strong>The adoption of alternative delivery locations in New York City: Who and how far?</strong> <em>Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice</em>, 2022; 158: 127 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2022.02.006\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.tra.2022.02.006</a>\n</li>'),(1882,'Middle ear fluid common in kids on ventilators','middle-ear-fluid-common-in-kids-on-ventilators','2022-04-04 22:36:24.672043',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Babies and toddlers who need a tracheostomy -- a tube surgically inserted into their windpipe to help relieve breathing problems -- are at a high risk of accumulating fluid behind their eardrum when on a ventilator. That\'s the conclusion of a new study, published in the<em> International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology</em>, by UT Southwestern head and neck surgeons. This buildup of fluid, called a middle ear effusion, can put them at risk for ear infections, hearing loss, and delays in speech and language development.</p><p>\"The majority of the time that these children are being cared for, the focus is on more pressing lung and heart concerns,\" said study leader Stephen R. Chorney, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology -- Head &amp; Neck Surgery at UTSW and Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Children\'s Health. \"But our study suggests we should also be mindful of things that might appear more trivial, like ear effusions, because they can impact communication skills and developmental milestones in a vulnerable population of kids.\"</p><p>Many young children who require a tracheostomy were born prematurely with underdeveloped lungs or narrow airways. In these cases, doctors may attach a mechanical ventilator -- a form of life support to help a child breathe -- to the tracheostomy tube.</p><p>Middle ear effusion (MEE) is a common problem for all young children. Nearly one in ten kids have ear tubes placed to help clear this fluid, treat infections, and reduce hearing loss. Dr. Chorney and his colleagues suspected, based on their own observations, that tracheostomy-dependent children on a ventilator might be at a higher risk of MEE.</p><p>The new study followed 94 children who received a tracheostomy before the age of two at Children\'s Medical Center Dallas between 2015 and 2020. On average, the children underwent tracheostomy at 5 months old and would then periodically obtain hearing tests to determine the presence of MEE. In the two years following their tracheostomy, 74% of children requiring mechanical ventilation developed at least one MEE while only 31% of those not on the ventilator developed a MEE. When controlling for age, diagnosis of craniofacial syndrome, and result of newborn hearing test, mechanical ventilation predicted the presence of a MEE. Further, among all children with a tracheostomy, 80% of MEEs persisted for at least several months, between multiple hearing exams.</p><p>\"This information allows us to have an objective reference point when communicating with parents,\" said Dr. Chorney. \"We know that this is a common phenomenon and we might consider ear tubes in some of these children.\"</p><p>Since placing ear tubes requires general anesthesia, some children with a tracheostomy on ventilator support might not be good candidates for the procedure, and the new data helps clinicians weigh risks and benefits. In future studies, Dr. Chorney would like to explore the impact of MEEs on hearing and communication in this population.</p><p>\"What we would hope is that if we\'re more vigilant with screening for and addressing MEEs in these children, positive outcomes on speech and language development can be achieved,\" he said. \"But we need more data on that.\"</p>','2022-04-04 22:36:24.672043','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'UT Southwestern Medical Center','Babies and toddlers who need a tracheostomy -- a tube surgically inserted into their windpipe to help relieve breathing problems -- are at a high risk of accumulating fluid behind their eardrum when on a ventilator. That\'s the conclusion of a new study by head and neck surgeons. This buildup of fluid, called a middle ear effusion, can put them at risk for ear infections, hearing loss, and delays in speech and language development.\n',1,100,'<li>Erin M. Wynings, Hussein Jaffal, Rachel St. John, Romaine F. Johnson, Stephen R. Chorney. <strong>Mechanical ventilation and middle ear effusions among tracheostomy-dependent children</strong>. <em>International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology</em>, 2022; 155: 111062 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2022.111062\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.ijporl.2022.111062</a>\n</li>'),(1883,'Firefighters with PTSD likely to have relationship problems','firefighters-with-ptsd-likely-to-have-relationship-problems','2022-04-04 22:36:28.109449',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">For firefighters, every day can be an emergency, rushing into flames and disasters as others can only hope to rush out. And make no mistake, it takes a toll. Exposure to such traumatic events throughout their careers places these first responders at heightened risk for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and new research from the University of Houston First Responder Program, indicates that PTSD means trouble for their intimate relationships.</p><p>\"Individuals experiencing PTSD symptoms often experience interpersonal problems and relationship stress, and this may be due to emotion regulation difficulties,\" reports Anka Vujanovic, associate professor of psychology and director of the UH First Responder Program and the Trauma and Stress Studies Center in the <em>Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment &amp; Trauma.</em> \"Negative alterations in cognition and mood were especially relevant to emotion regulation difficulties and relationship satisfaction.\"</p><p>The paper\'s lead author is Donald A. Godfrey, a doctoral student in the lab of Julia Babcock, professor of psychology and co-director of the Center for Couples Therapy at UH. The study examined the association between PTSD symptoms, couple relationship satisfaction and emotion regulation difficulties among 188 firefighters who completed an online questionnaire.</p><p>\"To our knowledge, no prior research has examined the role of emotion regulation difficulties in the association between PTSD symptoms and relationship satisfaction,\" said Godfrey. \"This study was the first to identify these associations among firefighters.\"</p><p>Difficulty regulating emotion also appears to have negative effects on couple intimacy, as individuals who report heightened emotion regulation difficulties demonstrated heightened fear of being controlled by their partners and avoidance of closeness. Their partners reported decreased perception that they would be open to emotional dialogue.</p><p>\"Results indicated that PTSD symptom severity was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction and positively associated with emotion regulation difficulties,\" wrote Godfrey.</p><p>The findings highlight the importance of understanding associations between PTSD and interpersonal functioning among firefighters.</p><p>\"Emotion regulation difficulties may offer a path for clinically targeting PTSD symptoms and relationship functioning among firefighters,\" said Babcock.</p>','2022-04-04 22:36:28.109449','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Houston','The stress firefighters face takes a toll. New research finds that those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are likely to have relationship problems due to an inability to regulate emotions.\n',1,27,'<li>Donald A. Godfrey, Maya Zegel, Julia C. Babcock, Anka A. Vujanovic. <strong>Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Relationship Satisfaction among Firefighters: The Role of Emotion Regulation Difficulties</strong>. <em>Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment &amp; Trauma</em>, 2022; 1 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2022.2043973\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1080/10926771.2022.2043973</a>\n</li>'),(1884,'Millionaires more risk-tolerant and emotionally stable','millionaires-more-risk-tolerant-and-emotionally-stable','2022-04-04 23:02:08.554220',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">According to a study by researchers from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the University of Münster, millionaires are more risk-tolerant, emotionally stable, open, extroverted, and conscientious than the general population. The study is published in the journal <em>Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</em>.</p><p>The data used for the analysis of personality traits come from the SOEP, a representative random sample of the German population. In 2019, a subsample of more than 2,000 high-wealth individuals was added to the SOEP. The SOEP now surveys more than 1,100 millionaires whose net worth averages around 4 million euros. \"This means that the very wealthy are now overrepresented in the SOEP, making it possible to analyze this very small population in a meaningful way,\" explains SOEP researcher Carsten Schröder, who initiated the top-wealth subsample.</p><p>The results show that the typical millionaire personality profile is especially pronounced among self-made millionaires, who see themselves as having made their money on their own rather than through inheritance. The profile is less pronounced among millionaires who attribute their wealth primarily to inheritance.</p><p>Within the sample of millionaires, those whose personality traits correspond most closely to the typical profile have the highest wealth. In the rest of the population, a weaker form of this personality profile can be found in individuals who have worked their way up through their own efforts: Although they are not millionaires yet, they see themselves as having earned their money on their own and, therefore, as self-made. Johannes König, research associate at SOEP and lead author of the study, explains, \"Taken together, the results suggest that personality is a relevant factor in wealth accumulation.\"</p><p>Coauthor Mitja Back, Professor of Psychological Diagnostics and Personality Psychology at the University of Münster, adds: \"This is the first study to describe the personality of millionaires using robust data. Since the rich wield particular influence over societal decision-making processes, and since personality has a determining influence on the way people think and behave, the investigation of millionaires\' personality traits is of great social relevance.\"</p>','2022-04-04 23:02:08.554220','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Münster','Millionaires are more risk-tolerant, emotionally stable, open, extroverted, and conscientious than the general population, according to new research.\n',1,133,'<li>Marius Leckelt, Johannes König, David Richter, Mitja D. Back, Carsten Schröder. <strong>The personality traits of self-made and inherited millionaires</strong>. <em>Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</em>, 2022; 9 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01099-3\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1057/s41599-022-01099-3</a>\n</li>'),(1885,'Cutting palm trees to harvest fruit? Better to let trees grow','cutting-palm-trees-to-harvest-fruit?-better-to-let-trees-grow','2022-04-04 23:28:02.105842',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Changing the way fruit is gathered from a \"tree of life\" could have hugely positive environmental and financial impacts in Amazonia, according to a new study.</p><p>An international research team, jointly led by the University Leeds and the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonia; IIAP) have shown for the first time the widespread harm caused in Peru by cutting down the palm tree <em>Mauritia flexuosa</em> in order to harvest its fruit.</p><p>The scientists examined where and why the trees were felled, producing detailed maps and analysis to reveal the extent of the environmental and economic damage caused by cutting down the palms.</p><p>Gabriel Hidalgo, lead author of the study who conducted the research as a postgraduate student at Leeds\' School of Geography whilst based at IIAP, said: \"Cutting down female palm trees to harvest the fruit has halved the total production of fruit of this palm that is available to local communities.</p><p>\"This is a clear example of the impact of humans on natural resource levels, in an ecosystem that, on first look, appears undamaged.</p><p>\"However, changing the way the fruit is harvested can increase both the number of fruit-bearing palms trees, and the value of these Amazonian peatland ecosystems to people.\"</p><p>Their study, published in <em>Nature Sustainability</em>, uses data from 93 sites across the palm swamp forests that are found on the extensive lowland tropical peatlands in north eastern Peru. <em>Mauritia flexuosa</em> is the most common species of tree in these peatland ecosystems that have the highest concentration of carbon of any part of the vast Amazon region.</p><p>The palm tree\'s fruit, known as aguaje, is widely used in food and drink preparation, and is an important part of the north Peruvian economy. Where currently harvested, sale of its fruit represents 15-22 % of family incomes.</p><p>The species is dioecious -- there are both female and male trees -- with the female bearing the fruit.</p><p>But because many of the female trees are cut down to harvest their fruit, many forests mostly contain male trees and therefore produce little fruit.</p><p>The research team discovered that the few places where an alternative harvesting method is employed -- climbing the trees to gather the fruit -- have a higher number of fruit-bearing female trees.</p><p>Climbing avoids killing the trees, which take about 10 years to reach maturity, growing up to 40 metres in height.</p><p>The research team, which also included scientists at the University of St Andrews and Wageningen University in The Netherlands, estimated that by switching to tree climbing to collect the fruit, the overall harvest could increase by 51%, and generate $62 million a year for the local economy.</p><p>Dennis del Castillo, head of the PROBOSQUES research group at IIAP said: \"This study shows that financially, over the long term, the potential value of the palm fruit \'aguaje\' for this region of Peru is similar in value to activities such as logging and oil extraction. Sustainable palm fruit harvesting could therefore provide a real economic alternative for local people.\"</p><p>Increasing the value of these intact forests would also bring significant environmental benefits: globally, tropical peatlands are one of the most carbon-rich landscapes, and keeping this carbon in the ground is crucial for reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.</p><p>These forests also provide a wide range of resources and have high cultural value for indigenous communities and the fruit of <em>Mauritia flexuosa, </em>described as the \"tree of life\" by 19<sup>th</sup> century explorer Alexander von Humboldt, also provides a food source for birds, fish and mammals.</p><p>Co-author Dr Euridice Honorio started measuring the proportion of female trees as an indicator of the impact of resource extraction on the health of these ecosystems while working at IIAP. Dr Honorio, who is currently a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow on tropical peatlands at the University of St Andrews, said: \"This is the first estimate of the total value of this resource to communities in this region and will help to promote sustainable fruit harvesting by communities.\"</p><p>Tim Baker, Professor of Tropical Ecology and Conservation at Leeds\' School of Geography said: \"Reducing deforestation of tropical forests is a global priority to mitigate climate change. Achieving success depends on increasing the value of standing forest to people who live in these landscapes. This study demonstrates a pathway to do this in one of the most carbon-rich landscapes on the planet.\"</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-04 23:28:02.105842','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Leeds','Scientists have shown for the first time the widespread harm caused in Peru by cutting down the palm tree Mauritia flexuosa in order to harvest its fruit. The scientists examined where and why the trees were felled, producing detailed maps and analysis to reveal the extent of the environmental and economic damage caused by cutting down the palms.\n',1,42,'<li>Hidalgo Pizango, C.G., Honorio Coronado, E.N., del Águila-Pasquel, J. et al. <strong>Sustainable palm fruit harvesting as a pathway to conserve Amazon peatland forests</strong>. <em>Nat Sustain</em>, 2022 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00858-z\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41893-022-00858-z</a>\n</li>'),(1886,'Loss of neurons, not lack of sleep, makes Alzheimer’s patients drowsy','loss-of-neurons,-not-lack-of-sleep,-makes-alzheimer’s-patients-drowsy','2022-04-04 23:28:16.496115',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The lethargy that many Alzheimer\'s patients experience is caused not by a lack of sleep, but rather by the degeneration of a type of neuron that keeps us awake, according to a study that also confirms the tau protein is behind that neurodegeneration.</p><p>The study\'s findings contradict the common notion that Alzheimer\'s patients sleep during the day to make up for a bad night of sleep and point toward potential therapies to help these patients feel more awake.</p><p>The data came from study participants who were patients at UC San Francisco\'s Memory and Aging Center and volunteered to have their sleep monitored with electroencephalogram (EEG) and donate their brains after they died.</p><p>Being able to compare sleep data with microscopic views of their post-mortem brain tissue was the key to answering a question that scientists have been pondering for years.</p><p>\"We were able to prove what our previous research had been pointing to -- that in Alzheimer\'s patients who need to nap all the time, the disease has damaged the neurons that keep them awake,\" said Grinberg, a neuropathologist who, along with psychiatrist Thomas Neylan, MD, is a senior author on the study, which appears in the April 4, 2022 issue of <em>JAMA Neurology</em>.</p><p>\"It\'s not that these patients are tired during the day because they didn\'t sleep at night,\" noted Grinberg. \"It\'s that the system in their brain that would keep them awake is gone.\"</p><p>The opposite phenomenon occurs in patients with other neurodegenerative conditions, such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), who were also included in the study. Those patients have damage to the neurons that make them feel tired, so they are unable to sleep and become sleep deprived.</p><p>Grinberg\'s team developed the hypothesis that Alzheimer\'s patients were having trouble staying awake, after discovering a set of neurons that keep us awake and that are affected in Alzheimer\'s from the onset of the disease.</p><p>\"You can think of this system as a switch with wake-promoting neurons and sleep-promoting neurons, each tied to neurons controlling circadian rhythms,\" said Joseph Oh, a medical student and one of the lead authors. \"Finally, with this post-mortem tissue, we\'ve been able to confirm that this switch, which is known to exist in model animals, also exists in humans and governs our sleep and awake cycles.\"</p><p><strong>\"Extremely Smart Neurons\" Disrupted by Tau Proteins</strong></p><p>Oh describes these neurons as \"extremely smart\" because they can produce an array of neurotransmitters and can excite, inhibit, and modulate other nerve cells.</p><p>\"It\'s a small number of neurons but their computational capabilities are incredible,\" Oh said. \"When these cells are affected by disease, it can have a huge effect on sleep.\"</p><p>To determine what\'s contributing to the degradation of these neurons in Alzheimer\'s, the researchers looked at the brains of 33 patients with Alzheimer\'s, 20 with PSP, and 32 volunteers who\'d had healthy brains through the end of life.</p><p>The team measured the amounts of two proteins often associated with the neurodegenerative process -- beta amyloid and tau. Which of the two is more involved in disrupting sleep has been a long-disputed question, with most researchers crediting the sleep problems to beta-amyloid accumulation.</p><p>During sleep, the brain clears out the beta amyloid that accumulates during the day. When we can\'t sleep, it builds up. So, Neylan said, since the PSP patients never sleep, she expected to see lots of the protein in their brains.</p><p>\"But it turns out that they have none,\" he said. \"These findings confirm with direct evidence that tau is a critical driver of sleep disturbances.\"</p><p>In patients with PSP, said Grinberg, this understanding turned the treatment paradigm on its head.</p><p>\"We see that these patients can\'t sleep because there is nothing telling the \"awake\" neurons to shut down,\" she said. \"Now, rather than trying to induce these people to sleep, the idea is to shut down the system that\'s keeping them awake.\"</p><p><strong>Clinical Trial is Giving Patients Hope</strong></p><p>That idea is currently being tested in a clinical trial of patients with PSP, using a treatment that specifically targets the overactive \'awake\' system that keeps these patients from sleeping. This approach contrasts with the traditional trial-and-error treatment with sleep medications.</p><p>At the helm of that trial is Christine Walsh, PhD, the study\'s other lead author, who has also worked on the study for a decade. Noting that PSP and Alzheimer\'s are at opposite ends of the sleep-disturbance spectrum, she said she expects the research to lead to new ways of treating sleep disturbances driven by neurodegeneration.</p><p>Treatments for Alzheimer\'s could be adjusted depending on the patient\'s needs, bumping up the \"awake\" system while tamping down the \"sleep\" system, said Walsh, who along with Grinberg, is a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.</p><p>The PSP trial is still underway, and Walsh is highly optimistic that this new approach will have better results than current medications for people with either condition. Based on the findings of the study published today, she said, \"We\'re even more hopeful that we can actually make a difference in the lives of these patients.\"</p>','2022-04-04 23:28:16.496115','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of California - San Francisco','The lethargy that many Alzheimer\'s patients experience is caused not by a lack of sleep, but rather by the degeneration of a type of neuron that keeps us awake, according to a study that also confirms the tau protein is behind that neurodegeneration.\n',1,201,'<li>Jun Y. Oh, Christine M. Walsh, Kamalini Ranasinghe, Mihovil Mladinov, Felipe L. Pereira, Cathrine Petersen, Neus Falgàs, Leslie Yack, Tia Lamore, Rakin Nasar, Caroline Lew, Song Li, Thomas Metzler, Quentin Coppola, Natalie Pandher, Michael Le, Hilary W. Heuer, Helmut Heinsen, Salvatore Spina, William W. Seeley, Joel Kramer, Gil D. Rabinovici, Adam L. Boxer, Bruce L. Miller, Keith Vossel, Thomas C. Neylan, Lea T. Grinberg. <strong>Subcortical Neuronal Correlates of Sleep in Neurodegenerative Diseases</strong>. <em>JAMA Neurology</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0429\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0429</a>\n</li>'),(1887,'The art of smell: Research suggests the brain processes smell both like a painting and a symphony','the-art-of-smell:-research-suggests-the-brain-processes-smell-both-like-a-painting-and-a-symphony','2022-04-05 00:20:59.081742',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">What happens when we smell a rose? How does our brain process the essence of its fragrance? Is it like a painting -- a snapshot of the flickering activity of cells -- captured in a moment in time? Or like a symphony, an evolving ensemble of different cells working together to capture the scent? New research suggests that our brain does both.</p><p>\"These findings reveal a core principle of the nervous system, flexibility in the kinds of calculations the brain makes to represent aspects of the sensory world,\" said Krishnan Padmanabhan, Ph.D., an associate professor of Neuroscience and senior author of the study recently published in <em>Cell Reports</em>. \"Our work provides scientists with new tools to quantify and interpret the patterns of activity of the brain.\"</p><p>Researchers developed a model to simulate the workings of the early olfactory system -- the network the brain relies on for smelling. Employing computer simulations, they found a specific set of connections, called centrifugal fibers, which carry impulses from other parts of the central nervous system to the early sensory regions of the brain, played a critical role. These centrifugal fibers act as a switch, toggling between different strategies to efficiently represent smells. When the centrifugal fibers were in one state, the cells in the piriform cortex -- where the perception of an odor forms -- relied on the pattern of activity within a given instant in time. When the centrifugal fibers were in the other state, the cells in the piriform cortex improved both the accuracy and the speed with which cells detected and classified the smell by relying on the patterns of brain activity across time.</p><p>These processes suggest the brain has multiple responses to representing a smell. In one strategy, the brain uses a snapshot, like a painting or a photograph, at a given moment to capture the essential features of the odor. In the other strategy, the brain keeps track of the evolving patterns. It is attuned to which cells turn on and off and when -- like a symphony.</p><p>The mathematical models the researchers developed highlight the critical feature of the nervous system -- not only diversity in terms of the components that make up the brain but also how these components work together to help the brain experience the world of smell. \"These mathematical models reveal critical aspects of how the olfactory system in the brain might work and could help build brain-inspired artificial computing systems,\" Padmanabhan said. \"Computational approaches inspired by the circuits of the brain such as this have the potential to improve the safety of self-driving cars, or help computer vision algorithms more accurately identify and classify objects in an image.\"</p><p>Additional authors include Zhen Chen of the University of Rochester. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Cystinosis Research Foundation, and the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Pilot Program.</p>','2022-04-05 00:20:59.081742','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Rochester Medical Center','What happens when we smell a rose? How does our brain process the essence of its fragrance? Is it like a painting -- a snapshot of the flickering activity of cells -- captured in a moment in time? Or like a symphony, an evolving ensemble of different cells working together to capture the scent? New research suggests that our brain does both.\n',1,3,'<li>Zhen Chen, Krishnan Padmanabhan. <strong>Top-down feedback enables flexible coding strategies in the olfactory cortex</strong>. <em>Cell Reports</em>, 2022; 38 (12): 110545 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110545\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110545</a>\n</li>'),(1888,'Disbelief in human evolution linked to greater prejudice and racism','disbelief-in-human-evolution-linked-to-greater-prejudice-and-racism','2022-04-05 00:21:04.519115',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A disbelief in human evolution was associated with higher levels of prejudice, racist attitudes and support of discriminatory behavior against Blacks, immigrants and the LGBTQ community in the U.S., according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research published in the <em>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.</em></p><p>Similarly, across the globe -- in 19 Eastern European countries, 25 Muslim countries and in Israel -- low belief in evolution was linked to higher biases within a person\'s group, prejudicial attitudes toward people in different groups and less support for conflict resolution.</p><p>The findings supported the hypothesis of lead author Stylianos Syropoulos, a Ph.D. candidate in the War and Peace Labof senior author Bernhard Leidner, associate professor of social psychology. They collaborated with co-first author Uri Lifshin at Reichman University in Israel and co-authors Jeff Greenberg and Dylan Horner at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The researchers theorized that belief in evolution would tend to increase people\'s identification with all humanity, due to the common ancestry, and would lead to less prejudicial attitudes.</p><p>\"People who perceive themselves as more similar to animals are also people who tend to have more pro-social or positive attitudes toward outgroup members or people from stigmatized and marginalized backgrounds,\" Syropoulos explains. \"In this investigation, we were interested in examining whether belief in evolution would also act in a similar way, because it would reinforce this belief that we are more similar to animals.\"</p><p>In eight studies involving different areas of the world, the researchers analyzed data from the American General Social Survey (GSS), the Pew Research Center and three online crowdsourced samples. In testing their hypothesis about the associations of different levels of belief in evolution, they accounted for education, political ideology, religiosity, cultural identity and scientific knowledge.</p><p>\"We found the same results each time, which is basically that believing in evolution relates to less prejudice, regardless of the group you\'re in, and controlling for all of these alternative explanations,\" Syropoulos says.</p><p>For example, religious beliefs, like political ideology, were measured separately from a belief or disbelief in evolution, the researchers note. \"Regardless of whether one considers religion an important part of their life, belief in evolution relates to less prejudice independently from belief, or lack thereof, in God or any particular religion,\" Syropoulos says.</p><p>Leidner adds, \"This whole effect and pattern seems to be present in all major political systems. It\'s very much a human phenomenon, no matter where you are in the world.\"</p><p>The researchers note that Darwin\'s 19<sup>th</sup> century theory of evolution has been cited to perpetrate racism, prejudice and homophobia, in part through the phrase, \"survival of the fittest,\" used to describe the process of natural selection.</p><p>\"There have been theoretical accounts that predict the opposite of what we found, so it was exciting for us to show that this actually is not the case, that the opposite is true and that belief in evolution seems to have pretty positive effects,\" Leidner says.</p><p>The U.S.-based study involved data from 1993, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 -- the years the GSS surveyed Americans about their beliefs in evolution, as well as measures of attitudes toward immigrants, Blacks, affirmative action, LGBTQ people and other social matters.</p><p>The data analysis showed unfailingly \"that the disbelief in human evolution is the driving factor and most consistent predictor of prejudice in comparison to other relevant constructs,\" the paper states.</p><p>In the Israel-based study, people with a higher belief in evolution were more likely to support peace among Palestinians, Arabs and Jews. In the study involving countries in the Islamic world, belief in evolution was associated with less prejudice toward Christians and Jews. And in the study based in Eastern Europe, where Orthodox Christians are the majority, a belief in evolution was linked with less prejudice toward gypsies, Jews and Muslims.</p><p>Syropoulos posits that a belief in evolution may expand people\'s \"moral circle,\" leading to a sense that \"we have more in common than things that are different.\"</p><p>The findings also suggest that \"teaching evolution seems to have side effects that might make for a better or more harmonious society,\" Leidner adds.</p><p>The next step, the researchers say, is to investigate how evolution is taught in the classroom and work toward developing models to study and strengthen the positive effects.</p>','2022-04-05 00:21:04.519115','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Massachusetts Amherst','A disbelief in human evolution was associated with higher levels of prejudice, racist attitudes and support of discriminatory behavior against Blacks, immigrants and the LGBTQ community in the U.S., according to recent research.\n',1,27,'<li>Stylianos Syropoulos, Uri Lifshin, Jeff Greenberg, Dylan E. Horner, Bernhard Leidner. <strong>Bigotry and the human–animal divide: (Dis)belief in human evolution and bigoted attitudes across different cultures.</strong>. <em>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000391\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1037/pspi0000391</a>\n</li>'),(1889,'New method for probing the bewildering diversity of the microbiome','new-method-for-probing-the-bewildering-diversity-of-the-microbiome','2022-04-05 02:30:43.298718',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">In recent years, researchers have begun to explore the vast assemblage of microbes on and within the human body. These include protists, archaea, fungi, viruses and vast numbers of bacteria living in symbiotic ecosystems.</p><p>Known collectively as the human microbiome, these tiny entities influence an astonishing range of activities, from metabolism to behavior and play a central role in health and disease. Some 39 trillion non-human microbes flourish on and within us, in a ceaseless, interdependent bustle. Together, they make up over half of the human body\'s cells, though they may possess 500 times as many genes as are found in human cells. Identifying and making sense of this microbial mélange has been a central challenge for researchers.</p><p>In a new study, Qiyun Zhu and his colleagues describe a new method for probing the microbiome in unprecedented detail. The technique provides greater simplicity and ease of use compared with existing approaches. Using the new technique, the researchers demonstrate an improved ability to pinpoint biologically relevant characteristics, including a subject\'s age and sex based on microbiome samples.</p><p>The innovative research holds the promise of rapidly advancing investigations into the mysteries of the microbiome. With such knowledge, researchers hope to better understand how these microbes collectively act to safeguard human health and how their dysfunction can lead to a broad range of diseases. In time, drugs and other therapies may even be tailor-made based on a patient\'s microbiomic profile.</p><p>Professor Zhu is a researcher in the Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiology and ASU\'s School of Life Sciences. The research team includes collaborators from the University of California, San Diego, including co-corresponding author Rob Knight, Zhu\'s former mentor.</p><p>The group\'s research results appear in the current issue of the journal <em>mSystems</em>.</p><p><strong>Tools of the trade</strong></p><p>Two powerful technologies have been used to help researchers unlock the diversity and complexity of the microbiome, by sequencing the microbial DNA present in a sample. These are known as 16S and metagenomic sequencing. The technique described in the current study draws on the strengths of both methods to create a new way of processing data from the microbiome.</p><p>\"We borrow some of the wisdom that developed from 16S RNA sequencing and apply it to metagenomics,\" Zhu says. Unlike other sequencing methods, including 16S, metagenomics allows researchers to sequence all the DNA information present in a microbiome sample. But the new study shows that the metagenomic approach has room for improvement. \"The way people currently analyze metagenomic data is limited, because whole genome data has to first be translated into taxonomy.\"</p><p>The new technique, known as Operational Genomic Units (OGU) does away with the laborious and sometimes misleading practice of assigning taxonomic categories like genus and species to the multitude of microbes present in a sample. Instead, the method uses individual genomes as the basic units for statistical analysis and simply attempts to align sequences present in a sample to sequences found in existing genomic databases.</p><p>By doing this, researchers can get much more fine-grained resolution, which is particularly useful when microbes are present that are closely related in DNA sequence. This is true because most taxonomic classifications are based on sequence similarity. If two sequences differ by less than a certain threshold, they fall into the same taxonomic category, however the OGU approach can help researchers tell them apart.</p><p>Further, the method overcomes errors in taxonomy that persist as relics from the pre-sequencing epoch, when different species were defined by their morphology rather than from DNA sequence data.</p><p>In addition to improvements in resolution and simplicity, OGU can help researchers analyze data using what are known as phylogenetic trees. As the name implies, these are branching structures that can describe the degree of relatedness between organisms, based on their sequence similarity. Just as two distantly related species like worms and antelope will appear on more distant branches of a phylogenetic tree, so will more distantly related bacteria and other constituents of the microbiome.</p><p><strong>Innovations in sequencing</strong></p><p>The most widely used technique for probing the microbiome, known as 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing or just 16S, relies on a simple idea. All bacteria have a 16S gene, which is essential to the machinery bacteria need to initiate protein synthesis. The bacterial 16S gene, measuring 1500 base pairs in length, consists of distinct regions. Some of these regions change very little between different bacteria and over evolutionary timeframes, while others are highly variable.</p><p>Researchers realized that the conserved and variable regions of the 16S gene allow it to act as a molecular clock, keeping track of bacteria that are more closely or more distantly related, based on their sequence similarity. Thus, the 8 conserved and 9 variable regions of 16S can be used to fingerprint bacteria.</p><p>To do this, a microbiome sample is first collected. This could be a fecal sample, to evaluate the gut microbiome, or a sample from the skin or from the mouth. Each body site is home to a different bacterial menagerie.</p><p>Next, PCR technology is used to amplify portions of the 16S gene. By sequencing highly conserved regions, a broad swath of bacteria can be identified, while sequencing of variable regions helps narrow the identity of particular bacteria.</p><p>Although 16S is an inexpensive and well-developed method, it has limitations. The technique can only give a general idea of the kinds of bacteria present, with limited resolution. In general, 16S is only accurate to the genus level of identification.</p><p>Enter metagenomic sequencing. This technique sequences the full genomes of all microbes present in a microbiome sample, (not just bacteria, as with 16S). Metagenomics allows researchers to sequence thousands of organisms in parallel, providing accurate, species-level resolution. The greater resolution however does come with costs. Metagenomic data is far richer and more computationally challenging to analyze than 16S data and more expensive in time and money to process.</p><p><strong>A new path for metagenomics</strong></p><p>The OGU technique streamlines metagenomic sequencing, while providing even greater resolution. The approach classifies microbes in a sample strictly according to their alignment with a reference database -- no taxonomic assignment required. The approach enables researchers to evaluate the degree of species diversity present in a sample.</p><p>Compared with 16S and standard metagenomic sequencing, the new approach is superior in ferreting out biologically relevant information. Using the classic Human Microbiome Project dataset of 210 metagenomes sampled from seven body sites of male and female human subjects, the study demonstrates better correlation between body site and host sex.</p><p>Next, 6,430 stool samples collected through a random sampling of the Finnish population were analyzed, using both 16S and metagenomic sequencing. The samples belong to a large, randomly sampled cohort of the Finnish population, known as FINRISK. The aim was to predict the age of sampled individuals, based on gut microbial composition. Again, the OGU method outperformed 16S and conventional metagenomic analysis, providing more accurate predictions.</p><p>New research drawing on still larger datasets will further enhance the resolution of the new technique and expand the descriptive power of taxonomy-independent analysis.</p>','2022-04-05 02:30:43.298718','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Arizona State University','Scientists describe a new method for probing the microbiome in unprecedented detail. The technique provides greater simplicity and ease of use compared with existing approaches. Using the new technique, the researchers demonstrate an improved ability to pinpoint biologically relevant characteristics, including a subject\'s age and sex based on microbiome samples.\n',1,36,'<li>Qiyun Zhu, Shi Huang, Antonio Gonzalez, Imran McGrath, Daniel McDonald, Niina Haiminen, George Armstrong, Yoshiki Vázquez-Baeza, Julian Yu, Justin Kuczynski, Gregory D. Sepich-Poore, Austin D. Swafford, Promi Das, Justin P. Shaffer, Franck Lejzerowicz, Pedro Belda-Ferre, Aki S. Havulinna, Guillaume Méric, Teemu Niiranen, Leo Lahti, Veikko Salomaa, Ho-Cheol Kim, Mohit Jain, Michael Inouye, Jack A. Gilbert, Rob Knight. <strong>Phylogeny-Aware Analysis of Metagenome Community Ecology Based on Matched Reference Genomes while Bypassing Taxonomy</strong>. <em>mSystems</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00167-22\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1128/msystems.00167-22</a>\n</li>'),(1890,'The secret to better coffee? The birds and the bees','the-secret-to-better-coffee-the-birds-and-the-bees','2022-04-05 06:18:34.407181','<p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A groundbreaking new study finds that coffee beans are bigger and more plentiful when birds and bees team up to protect and pollinate coffee plants.</p><p>Without these winged helpers, some traveling thousands of miles, coffee farmers would see a 25% drop in crop yields, a loss of roughly $1,066 per hectare of coffee.</p><p>That\'s important for the $26 billion coffee industry -- including consumers, farmers, and corporations who depend on nature\'s unpaid labor for their morning buzz -- but the research has even broader implications.</p><p>The forthcoming study in the <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em> is the first to show, using real-world experiments at 30 coffee farms, that the contributions of nature -- in this case, bee pollination and pest control by birds -- are larger combined than their individual contributions.</p><p>\"Until now, researchers have typically calculated the benefits of nature separately, and then simply added them up,\" says lead author Alejandra Martínez-Salinas of the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE). \"But nature is an interacting system, full of important synergies and trade-offs. We show the ecological and economic importance of these interactions, in one of the first experiments at realistic scales in actual farms.\"</p><p>\"These results suggest that past assessments of individual ecological services -- including major global efforts like IPBES -- may actually underestimate the benefits biodiversity provides to agriculture and human wellbeing,\" says Taylor Ricketts of the University of Vermont\'s Gund Institute for Environment. \"These positive interactions mean ecosystem services are more valuable together than separately.\"</p><p>For the experiment, researchers from Latin America and the U.S. manipulated coffee plants across 30 farms, excluding birds and bees with a combination of large nets and small lace bags. They tested for four key scenarios: bird activity alone (pest control), bee activity alone (pollination), no bird and bee activity at all, and finally, a natural environment, where bees and birds were free to pollinate and eat insects like the coffee berry borer, one of the most damaging pests affecting coffee production worldwide.</p><p>The combined positive effects of birds and bees on fruit set, fruit weight, and fruit uniformity -- key factors in quality and price -- were greater than their individual effects, the study shows. Without birds and bees, the average yield declined nearly 25%, valued at roughly $1,066 per hectare.</p><p>\"One important reason we measure these contributions is to help protect and conserve the many species that we depend on, and sometimes take for granted,\" says Natalia Aristizábal, a PhD candidate at UVM\'s Gund Institute for Environment and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. \"Birds, bees, and millions of other species support our lives and livelihoods, but face threats like habitat destruction and climate change.\"</p><p>One of the most surprising aspects of the study was that many birds providing pest control to coffee plants in Costa Rica had migrated thousands of miles from Canada and the U.S., including Vermont, where the UVM team is based. The team is also studying how changing farm landscapes impact birds\' and bees\' ability to deliver benefits to coffee production. They are supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.</p><p>In addition to Martínez-Salinas (Nicaragua), Ricketts (USA), Aristizábal (Colombia), the international research team from CATIE included Adina Chain-Guadarrama (México), Sergio Vilchez Mendoza (Nicaragua), and Rolando Cerda (Bolivia).</p>','2022-04-05 02:50:02.892643','uploads/news/download.jfif',1,'University of Vermont','A groundbreaking study reveals that without birds and bees working together, some traveling thousands of miles, coffee farmers would see a whopping 25% drop in crop yields. Coffee is bigger and more plentiful when birds and bees team up to protect and pollinate coffee plants. The study is also the first to show, with real-world experiments, that the contributions of nature -- ie. from bees and birds -- are larger combined than their individual contributions. This suggests researchers may be underestimating how much the environment benefits society.',1,34,'<li>Alejandra Martínez-Salinas, Adina Chain-Guadarrama, Natalia Aristizábal, Sergio Vilchez-Mendoza, Rolando Cerda, Taylor H. Ricketts. <strong>Interacting pest control and pollination services in coffee systems</strong>. <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em>, 2022; 119 (15) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2119959119\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1073/pnas.2119959119</a>\r\n</li>'),(1891,'The global \'plastic flood\' reaches the Arctic','the-global-\'plastic-flood\'-reaches-the-arctic','2022-04-05 16:20:41.993659',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Even the High North can\'t escape the global threat of plastic pollution. An international review study just released by the Alfred Wegener Institute shows, the flood of plastic has reached all spheres of the Arctic: large quantities of plastic -- transported by rivers, the air and shipping- can now be found in the Arctic Ocean. High concentrations of microplastic can be found in the water, on the seafloor, remote beaches, in rivers, and even in ice and snow. The plastic is not only a burden for ecosystems; it could also worsen climate change. The study was just released in the journal <em>Nature Reviews Earth &amp; Environment</em>.</p><p>The numbers speak for themselves. Today, between 19 and 23 million metric tons of plastic litter per year end up in the waters of the world -- that\'s two truckloads per minute. Since plastic is also very stable, it accumulates in the oceans, where it gradually breaks down into ever smaller pieces -- from macro- to micro- and nanoplastic and can even enter the human bloodstream. And the flood of debris is bound to get worse: global plastic production is expected to double by 2045.</p><p>The consequences are serious. Today, virtually all marine organisms investigated -- from plankton to sperm whales -- come into contact with plastic debris and microplastic. And this applies to all areas of the world\'s oceans -- from tropical beaches to the deepest oceanic trenches. As the study published by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) now shows, the High North is no exception. \"The Arctic is still assumed to be a largely untouched wilderness,\" says AWI expert Dr Melanie Bergmann. \"In our review, which we jointly conducted with colleagues from Norway, Canada and the Netherlands, we show that this perception no longer reflects the reality. Our northernmost ecosystems are already particularly hard hit by climate change. This is now exacerbated by plastic pollution. And our own research has shown that the pollution continues to worsen.\"</p><p>The article paints a grim picture. Although the Arctic is sparsely populated, in virtually all habitats -- from beaches and the water column, to the seafloor -- it shows a similar level of plastic pollution as densely populated regions around the globe. The pollution stems from both local and distant sources. Especially ocean currents from the Atlantic and the North Sea, and from the North Pacific over the Bering Strait, contribute to this. Tiny microplastic particles are also carried northward by wind. Then there are the rivers: though the Arctic Ocean makes up only one percent of the total volume of the world\'s oceans, it receives more than 10 percent of the global water discharge from rivers, which carry plastic into the ocean, for example, from Siberia. When seawater off the coast of Siberia freezes in the autumn, suspended microplastic becomes trapped in the ice. The Transpolar Drift transports the ice floes to Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard, where it melts in the summer, releasing its plastic cargo.</p><p>Some of the most important local sources of pollution are municipal waste and wastewater from Arctic communities and plastic debris from ships -- especially fishing vessels, whose nets and ropes pose a serious problem. Either intentionally dumped in the ocean or unintentionally lost, they account for a large share of the plastic debris in the European sector of the Arctic: On one beach on Svalbard, almost 100 percent of the plastic mass washed ashore came from fisheries according to an AWI study.</p><p>\"Unfortunately, there are very few studies on the effects of the plastic on marine organisms in the Arctic,\" Bergmann explains. \"But there is evidence that the consequences there are similar to those in better-studied regions: in the Arctic, too, many animals -- polar bears, seals, reindeer and seabirds -- become entangled in plastic and die. In the Arctic, too, unintentionally ingested microplastic likely leads to reduced growth and reproduction, to physiological stress and inflammations in the tissues of marine animals, and even runs in the blood of humans.\"</p><p>The available data on potential feedback effects between plastic debris and climate change is particularly thin. \"Here, there is an urgent need for further research,\" says the AWI expert. \"Initial studies indicate that trapped microplastic changes the characteristics of sea ice and snow.\" For example, dark particles could mean the ice absorbs more sunlight and therefore melts more rapidly. In turn, due to what is known as ice-albedo feedback this can intensify global warming. Moreover, plastic particles in the atmosphere provide condensation nuclei for clouds and rain, which means they could influence the weather and, in the long term, the climate. And last but not least, throughout their lifecycle, plastics are currently responsible for 4.5 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.</p><p>\"Our review shows that the levels of plastic pollution in the Arctic match those of other regions around the world. This concurs with model simulations that predict an additional accumulation zone in the Arctic,\" says Bergmann. \"But the consequences might be even more serious. As climate change progresses, the Arctic is warming three times faster than the rest of the world. Consequently, the plastic flood is hitting ecosystems that are already seriously strained. The resolution for a global plastic treaty, passed at the UN Environment Assembly this February, is an important first step. In the course of the negotiations over the next two years, effective, legally binding measures must be adopted including reduction targets in plastic production. In this regard, the European countries including Germany must cut their plastic output, just as the rich Arctic States have to reduce pollution from local sources and improve the often virtually non-existent waste and wastewater management in their communities. In addition, more regulation and controls are called for -- with regard to plastic debris from international shipping, and fisheries.\"</p>','2022-04-05 16:20:41.993659','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research','Even the High North can\'t escape the global threat of plastic pollution. An international review study shows, the flood of plastic has reached all spheres of the Arctic: large quantities of plastic - transported by rivers, the air and shipping- can now be found in the Arctic Ocean.\n',1,163,'<li>Melanie Bergmann, France Collard, Joan Fabres, Geir W. Gabrielsen, Jennifer F. Provencher, Chelsea M. Rochman, Erik van Sebille, Mine B. Tekman. <strong>Plastic pollution in the Arctic</strong>. <em>Nature Reviews Earth &amp; Environment</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00279-8\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s43017-022-00279-8</a>\n</li>'),(1892,'‘Freeze-thaw battery’ is adept at preserving its energy','‘freeze-thaw-battery’-is-adept-at-preserving-its-energy','2022-04-05 16:20:51.962154',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Scientists have created a battery designed for the electric grid that locks in energy for months without losing much storage capacity.</p><p>The development of the \"freeze-thaw battery,\" which freezes its energy for use later, is a step toward batteries that can be used for seasonal storage: saving energy in one season, such as the spring, and spending it in another, like autumn.</p><p>The prototype is small, about the size of a hockey puck. But the potential usefulness of the science behind the device is vast, foretelling a time when energy from intermittent sources, like sunshine and wind, can be stored for a long time. The work by scientists at the Department of Energy\'s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was published online March 23 in <em>Cell Reports Physical Science</em>.</p><p>\"Longer-duration energy storage technologies are important for increasing the resilience of the grid when incorporating a large amount of renewable energy,\" said Imre Gyuk, director of Energy Storage at DOE\'s Office of Electricity, which funded the work. \"This research marks an important step toward a seasonal battery storage solution that overcomes the self-discharge limitations of today\'s battery technologies.\"</p><p><strong>Harnessing and packaging nature\'s energy</strong></p><p>Renewable sources ebb and flow with nature\'s cycles. That makes it difficult to include them in a reliable, steady stream of electricity. In the Pacific Northwest in the spring, for instance, rivers heavy with runoff power hydroelectric dams to the max just as winds blow fiercely down the Columbia Gorge. All that power must be harnessed immediately or stored for a few days at most.</p><p>Grid operators would love to harness that springtime energy, store it in large batteries, then release it late in the year when the region\'s winds are slow, the rivers are low, and demand for electricity peaks.</p><p>The batteries would also enhance utilities\' ability to weather a power outage during severe storms, making large amounts of energy available to be fed into the grid after a hurricane, a wildfire or other calamity.</p><p>\"It\'s a lot like growing food in your garden in the spring, putting the extra in a container in your freezer, and then thawing it out for dinner in the winter,\" said first author Minyuan \"Miller\" Li.</p><p>The battery is first charged by heating it up to 180 degrees Celsius, allowing ions to flow through the liquid electrolyte to create chemical energy. Then, the battery is cooled to room temperature, essentially locking in the battery\'s energy. The electrolyte becomes solid and the ions that shuttle energy stay nearly still. When the energy is needed, the battery is reheated and the energy flows.</p><p>The freeze-thaw phenomenon is possible because the battery\'s electrolyte is molten salt -- a molecular cousin of ordinary table salt. The material is liquid at higher temperatures but solid at room temperature.</p><p>The freeze-thaw concept dodges a problem familiar to anyone who has let their car sit unused for too long: a battery that self-discharges as it sits idle. A fast discharge rate, like that of batteries in most cars or laptops, would hamper a grid battery designed to store energy for months. Notably, the PNNL freeze-thaw battery has retained 92 percent of its capacity over 12 weeks.</p><p>In other words, the energy doesn\'t degrade much; it\'s preserved, just like food in a freezer.</p><p><strong>Ordinary ingredients a plus</strong></p><p>The team avoided rare, expensive and highly reactive materials. Instead, the aluminum-nickel molten-salt battery is chock full of Earth-abundant, common materials. The anode and cathode are solid plates of aluminum and nickel, respectively. They\'re immersed in a sea of molten-salt electrolyte that is solid at room temperature but flows as a liquid when heated. The team added sulfur -- another common, low-cost element -- to the electrolyte to enhance the battery\'s energy capacity.</p><p>One of the biggest advantages of the battery is the composition of a component, called a separator, placed between the anode and the cathode. Most higher-temperature molten-salt batteries require a ceramic separator, which can be more expensive to make and susceptible to breakage during the freeze-thaw cycle. The PNNL battery uses simple fiberglass, possible because of the battery\'s stable chemistry. This cuts costs and makes the battery sturdier when undergoing freeze-thaw cycles.</p><p>\"Reducing battery costs is critical. That is why we\'ve chosen common, less-expensive materials to work with, and why we focused on removing the ceramic separator,\" said corresponding author Guosheng Li, who led the study.</p><p>The battery\'s energy is stored at a materials cost of about $23 per kilowatt hour, measured before a recent jump in the cost of nickel. The team is exploring the use of iron, which is less expensive, in hopes of bringing the materials cost down to around $6 per kilowatt hour, roughly 15 times less than the materials cost of today\'s lithium-ion batteries.</p><p>The battery\'s theoretical energy density is 260 watt-hours per kilogram -- higher than today\'s lead-acid and flow batteries.</p><p>Researchers point out that batteries designed for seasonal storage would likely charge and discharge just once or twice a year. Unlike batteries designed to power electric cars, laptops or other consumer devices, they don\'t need to last hundreds or thousands of cycles.</p><p>\"You can start to envision something like a large battery on a 40-foot tractor-trailer parked at a wind farm,\" said coauthor Vince Sprenkle, senior strategic advisor at PNNL. \"The battery is charged in the spring and then the truck is driven down the road to a substation where the battery is available if needed during the summer heat.\"</p><p>Battelle, which operates PNNL, has filed for a patent on the technology.</p>','2022-04-05 16:20:51.962154','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory','Scientists have created a battery designed for the electric grid that locks in energy for months without losing much storage capacity. It\'s a step toward batteries that can be used for seasonal storage: saving renewable energy in one season, such as the spring, and spending it in another, like autumn.\n',1,72,'<li>Minyuan M. Li, Xiaowen Zhan, Evgueni Polikarpov, Nathan L. Canfield, Mark H. Engelhard, J. Mark Weller, David M. Reed, Vincent L. Sprenkle, Guosheng Li. <strong>A freeze-thaw molten salt battery for seasonal storage</strong>. <em>Cell Reports Physical Science</em>, 2022; 100821 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100821\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100821</a>\n</li>'),(1893,'DNA discovery reveals a critical \'accordion effect\' for switching off genes','dna-discovery-reveals-a-critical-\'accordion-effect\'-for-switching-off-genes','2022-04-05 16:20:54.899579',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">WEHI researchers have revealed how an \'accordion effect\' is critical to switching off genes, in a study that transforms the fundamentals of what we know about gene silencing.</p><p>The finding expands our understanding of how we switch genes on and off to make the different cell types in our bodies, as we develop in the womb.</p><p>It also offers a new way to potentially harness gene silencing in the future, to treat or reverse the progression of a broad range of diseases including cancer, congenital and infectious diseases.</p><p>Gene silencing is regulated by how tightly DNA is packed into a cell. The findings from a team led by Dr Andrew Keniry and Professor Marnie Blewitt reveal a new accordion-like trigger that is crucial to the process.</p><p>The research is published in <em>Nature Communications. </em></p><p><strong>All in the DNA</strong></p><p>The DNA that makes up our genetic material is wrapped tightly around proteins, like thread wraps around a spool. When it is loosely packaged the genes can be switched on; when it is tightly compacted, genes are switched off.</p><p>In the new study, the researchers found that to switch a gene off, the DNA packaging must initially loosen up, before then being tightly compressed.</p><p>Professor Marnie Blewitt said discovering the accordion-style trigger took the team by surprise, changing their fundamental understanding to date of this critical process.</p><p>\"We were amazed to learn that the DNA first needs to relax, to trigger this process,\" she said.</p><p>\"Similar to how an accordion needs to open up before it is compressed to elicit a musical note, we found our DNA needs to be opened up first, before it can be compressed and the gene is silenced.\"</p><p><strong>Silencing power</strong></p><p>Dr Andrew Keniry said gene silencing had amazing therapeutic potential.</p><p>\"If we could learn exactly how to switch genes off, we may one day be able to switch off detrimental genes in a variety of diseases,\" Dr Keniry said.</p><p>\"If you could switch off the oncogenes that drive cancer, for example, you potentially could have a new treatment.</p><p>\"To be able to realise this dream, we first need to know how the process happens so it can be mimicked with medicines, and our discovery is one more vital piece of this puzzle.\"</p><p>The fundamental mechanistic study was focused on efficiently searching for new factors involved in the gene silencing process.</p><p>To enable this, the team created a system they called \'Xmas\', based on red and green tags that are normally switched off during development. The system reported gene activity from each X chromosome through the expression of a red and green fluorescent protein, to reveal if the gene silencing process was occurring normally.</p><p>The study uncovered a new molecular mechanism of gene silencing, with the researchers pinpointing the protein complex required for this process, known as the BAF complex.</p><p>The next steps for the research will investigate why the accordion effect is required for gene silencing and the relevance of the process for genes on other chromosomes, such as the autosomes.</p><p>This research was supported by the Dyson Bequest, the DHB Foundation, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Victorian State Government and a Bellberry-Viertel Senior Medical Research fellowship. The work also involved collaborations with other Australian researchers at Monash BioMedical Discovery Institute and The University of Tasmania.</p>','2022-04-05 16:20:54.899579','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Walter and Eliza Hall Institute','Researchers have revealed how an \'accordion effect\' is critical to switching off genes, in a study that transforms the fundamentals of what we know about gene silencing. The finding expands our understanding of how we switch genes on and off to make the different cell types in our bodies, as we develop in the womb.\n',1,123,'<li>Andrew Keniry, Natasha Jansz, Linden J. Gearing, Iromi Wanigasuriya, Joseph Chen, Christian M. Nefzger, Peter F. Hickey, Quentin Gouil, Joy Liu, Kelsey A. Breslin, Megan Iminitoff, Tamara Beck, Andres Tapia del Fierro, Lachlan Whitehead, Andrew Jarratt, Sarah A. Kinkel, Phillippa C. Taberlay, Tracy Willson, Miha Pakusch, Matthew E. Ritchie, Douglas J. Hilton, Jose M. Polo, Marnie E. Blewitt. <strong>BAF complex-mediated chromatin relaxation is required for establishment of X chromosome inactivation</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29333-1\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29333-1</a>\n</li>'),(1894,'New non-destructive DNA method opens opportunities','new-non-destructive-dna-method-opens-opportunities','2022-04-05 16:20:58.264167',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">A new method of obtaining ancient genomic data without damaging source material has been developed by University of Otago researchers, creating new opportunities for museum and archaeological collections worldwide.</p><p>\"Ancient DNA doesn\'t have to be destructive,\" says lead author Lachie Scarsbrook. \"Our new method allows the reconstruction of genetic whakapapa without destroying the very bone that\'s kept its secrets for thousands of years.\"</p><p>The research, published in the international journal <em>Molecular Ecology</em>, presents a new method of obtaining genomic data from small vertebrate remains that causes no visible damage to the underlying bone.</p><p>\"This will not only facilitate analyses on materials in museum collections that are either too small to be destructively sampled, but also more rare and valuable materials, both culturally and scientifically,\" Mr Scarsbrook says.</p><p>The study, undertaken when Mr Scarsbrook was completing a Master of Science in the Department of Zoology, used contemporary and extinct populations of <em>Hoplodactylus</em> geckos as a case study, and represents the first mitochondrial genomes obtained for any New Zealand lizard.</p><p>The newly sequenced DNA data allowed researchers to understand and show how tectonic activity, climate change and human impact have influenced Duvaucel\'s gecko (<em>Hoplodactylus duvauceli</em>) populations regionally within New Zealand.</p><p>\"Deep splits between North and South Island populations reflect long-term isolation prior to the formation of Cook Strait, while South Island populations show genetic breaks geographically consistent with maximum ice coverage during the height of the last Ice Age,\" Mr Scarsbrook explains.</p><p>\"The significant loss of genetic diversity in both North and South Island populations is testament to the impact of humans and introduced predators. Our research is having meaningful and direct impacts on the conservation management of Duvaucel\'s gecko.\"</p><p>Supervisor and co-author of the study, Dr Nic Rawlence of the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory</p><p>says that one of the upshots of this research is that knowledge of New Zealand\'s geckos at the time of human arrival is now a clean slate.</p><p>\"It was previously thought that you could only distinguish between bones of different gecko species on the basis of size, but amazingly CT scans and ancient DNA showed that we could in fact distinguish different geckos using shape alone -- size got thrown out with the bathwater,\" Dr Rawlence says.</p><p>\"It turns out size doesn\'t matter after all, meaning what we know about New Zealand\'s geckos at the time of human arrival is now a palaeontological clean slate.\"</p><p>Currently completing his DPhil in the Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network at the University of Oxford, Mr Scarsbrook says the research also speaks to the process involved with making scientific progress.</p><p>\"We first attempted to obtain mitochondrial genomes using a different method, and after months of time in the laboratory, we failed to produce usable data.\"</p><p>\"After going back to the drawing board and making some changes we achieved our goal, which just goes to show that perseverance in the face of failure is key if you\'re going to help make scientific advancements.\"</p><p>Dr Rawlence says the continuing research programme will use these new techniques to reconstruct the lost ecological history of New Zealand\'s gecko and skinks (where size-based identifications have confounded scientists), and frogs and tuatara, in partnership with the Department of Conservation and M?ori iwi.</p><p>\"The long-term conservation of finite specimens is of huge concern to curators globally, so what Lachie has developed will not only unlock molecular secrets but potentially vast swaths of natural history and archaeological collections globally to similar genetic analysis.\"</p>','2022-04-05 16:20:58.264167','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Otago','A new method of obtaining ancient genomic data without damaging source material has been developed, creating new opportunities for museum and archaeological collections worldwide.\n',1,34,'<li>Lachie Scarsbrook, Alexander J. F. Verry, Kerry Walton, Rodney A. Hitchmough, Nicolas J. Rawlence. <strong>Ancient mitochondrial genomes recovered from small vertebrate bones through minimally destructive DNA extraction: Phylogeography of the New Zealand gecko genus            Hoplodactylus</strong>. <em>Molecular Ecology</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.16434\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1111/mec.16434</a>\n</li>'),(1895,'Squid recorded color-matching substrate for the first time','squid-recorded-color-matching-substrate-for-the-first-time','2022-04-05 16:20:59.732828',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">While octopus and cuttlefish are famous for their use of camouflage to match the color of the substrate, a third type of cephalopod -- the squid -- has never been reported displaying this ability. Now, in a study published in <em>Scientific Reports</em>, scientists from the Physics and Biology Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have shown that squid can and will camouflage to match a substrate as a way of avoiding predators. This work opens up research avenues on how squid see and perceive the world around them. Furthermore, it sheds light on their behavior, and thus could go on to inform conservation initiatives.</p><p>\"Squid usually hover in the open ocean but we wanted to find out what happens when they move a bit closer to a coral reef or if they\'re chased by a predator to the ocean floor,\" explained one of the three first authors, Dr. Ryuta Nakajima, OIST visiting researcher. \"If substrate is important for squid to avoid predation than that indicates that increases or decreases in squid populations are even more tied to the health of coral reef than we thought.\"</p><p>Previous studies on cephalopod camouflage have mostly been conducted on cuttlefish and octopus. Squid, as an animal that tends to live in the open ocean, are notoriously hard to keep in captivity and so have been rather avoided for this kind of research. But, since 2017, the scientists in the OIST\'s Physics and Biology Unit have been culturing a species of oval squid in captivity.</p><p>This squid, locally known as Shiro-ika, is one of three oval squids found in Okinawa. When in the open ocean, they are light in color, meaning that they blend into the ocean surface and flickering sunlight above. But the researchers suspected that when they moved closer to the ocean floor, it would be a different story entirely.</p><p>At OIST\'s Marine Science Station, the oval squid were, almost accidentally, observed camouflaging to the substrate for the first time. The researchers were cleaning their tank to remove the algal growth. They noticed that the animals were changing color depending on whether they were over the cleaned surface or the algae.</p><p>Following this observation, the researchers performed a controlled experiment. They kept several squid in a tank and cleaned half of the tank, leaving the other half covered in algae. They placed an underwater camera inside the water and suspended a regular camera above, so they could capture and run statistical tests on any color changes.</p><p>The results were clear. When the squid were in the clean side of the tank, they were the light color. But when they were above the algae, they promptly became darker.</p><p>The experiment uncovered an ability that had never previously been reported in squid. The researchers highlighted that as well as opening up exciting avenues for exploring the visual capabilities of the animal, the study also showed that substrate is clearly useful for these squid to survive.</p><p>\"This effect really is striking. I am still surprised that nobody has noticed this ability before us,\" said another first author, Dr. Zdenek Lajbner. \"It shows just how little we know about these wonderful animals.\"</p><p>Dr. Nakajima stated that this particular squid is important for Okinawa for economic and cultural reasons. \"It was actually the local fishermen who were the first ones distinguishing three species of oval squids in Okinawa, long before the scientists,\" said Dr. Nakajima.</p><p>\"We look forward to continuing to explore the camouflage capabilities of this species and cephalopods more generally,\" said Prof. Jonathan Miller, Principal Investigator of OIST\'s Physics and Biology Unit and the senior author of the research article.</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-05 16:20:59.732828','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University','A new study has found that squid will camouflage against coral reef and other substrate as a way of avoiding predation.\n',1,82,'<li>Ryuta Nakajima, Zdeněk Lajbner, Michael J. Kuba, Tamar Gutnick, Teresa L. Iglesias, Keishu Asada, Takahiro Nishibayashi, Jonathan Miller. <strong>Squid adjust their body color according to substrate</strong>. <em>Scientific Reports</em>, 2022; 12 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09209-6\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41598-022-09209-6</a>\n</li>'),(1896,'Gene deletion behind anomaly in blood cancer cells','gene-deletion-behind-anomaly-in-blood-cancer-cells','2022-04-05 16:21:04.904592',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The mystery is being unraveled of why the control centers, or nuclei, of certain blood cancer cells have a distinctly odd shape.</p><p>These new research findings provide clues on the origins and progression of these cancers, and could suggest ways to diagnose and treat certain leukemias at an earlier stage.</p><p>These squeezed-in-the-middle nuclei, which resemble pince-nez glasses, are called Pelger-Huët anomalies. They were first observed under a microscope in 1928. Checking for this cellular aberration has long helped clinical labs diagnose leukemias and myelodysplastic syndrome, a disease of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow.</p><p>Although this structural change inside blood cells indicates possible cancer, until a recent study, no one knew what caused it to happen.</p><p>In the journal <em>CELL Stem Cell</em>, cancer biologists report the discovery of the genetic mutation behind this cell abnormality.</p><p>\"The primary diagnosis of many cancers, even in the era of genomic medicine, remains centered on the appearance of cells under a microscope.\" said Dr. Sergei Doulatov, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology at the University of Washington School of Medicine In Seattle and the senior investigator on the recent gene study, a collaborative work among several institutions.</p><p>Pap smears, he said, are just one example of cancer screenings that look for irregularly shaped nuclei in a patient\'s cells.</p><p>One of Doulatov\'s own research interest is in malignancies of infection-fighting white blood cells called neutrophils. He and his team wanted to get to the molecular root of these cancers. They assumed something was lurking in the genome of the more primitive progenitor, or stem cells, which go on to create blood cell lineages.</p><p>What determines the fate of these progenitor cells that causes the emergence of cancerous cells, rather than normal neutrophils? While they are still in their multipotent state and able to give rise to any one of a variety of blood cell categories, the progenitor cells for neutrophils, red blood cells or platelets are called myeloid cells.</p><p>Myeloid cells themselves can sometimes show abnormal, precancerous changes. The researchers on this recent study were able to cast suspicion on the loss of nuclear lamin B1, encoded on chromosome 5q. It is frequently deleted in cells examined from abnormally growing myeloid tissue. Evidence from this study suggests this loss is at fault in the misshapen nuclei.</p><p>Doulatov explained, \"Lamins are proteins that line the inside of the nucleus, and are mutated in inherited disorders -- famously progeria, the disorder of accelerated aging.\" Lamin protein production is also often dysregulated in cancers.</p><p>\"We showed that loss of nuclear Lamin B1 induces defects in the nuclear morphology and in human hematopoietic [blood-forming] stem cells associated with malignancy,\" the researchers noted.</p><p>His group went on to detail that lamin B1 deficiency alters genome organization. This in turn caused expansion of the blood-forming stem cells, a bias towards their becoming myeloids, genome instability due to defective DNA damage repair and other problems that set the stage for cancer.</p><p>They also showed that the abnormal nuclei in the cells of myeloid pre-cancerous growths in patients were associated with deletions in chromosome 5q that spanned the lamin1 B1 region.</p><p>Lamin B1 loss was both necessary and sufficient to cause the Pelger-Huët anomalies, according to the researchers. The scientists were also able to link this abnormal nuclear shape with progenitor and blood-forming stem cell fate determination through the organization of the genome.</p><p>The study also implicates nuclear lamin B1 as a master regulator of cell fate specification in blood-forming stem cells, of genome integrity and nuclear morphology, according to the researchers.</p><p>In summing up the recent discovery, Doulatov said, \"We show that lamin B1 deletion causes changes in stem cell function, nuclear shape, and leukemia progression. Our research discovers lamin mutations in cancer and demonstrates that these mutations are responsible for the oddly shaped nuclei that have puzzled and helped pathologists recognize cancers over the past century.\"</p><p>The latest genomic findings and their consequences for aberrant transformations in blood-forming cells may be important in the future of leukemia care. The presence of these changes, the researchers said, may be an early cancer biomarker, whose detection could permit for earlier diagnosis and treatment of leukemias.</p><p>The research was supported by the Discovery Grant from the Kuni Foundation, as well as grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (Ro1 HL151651, R21 HL139864, R01 HL031823), NIH New Innovator Award (DP2 HL147126), Evans MDS Discovery Research Grant, American Society of Hematology Scholar Award, T32 Hematology Training Grant, National Cancer Center (P30 Ca015704) and Seattle Translational Tumor Research.</p><p>The researchers declared no competing financial interests.</p><p>In addition to the UW School of Medicine, other institutions involved in this study were the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Carnegie Mellon University and University of California Irvine. Doulatov is an investigator at the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.</p>','2022-04-05 16:21:04.904592','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine','Although clinical labs have known for almost a century that a oddly shaped nucleus resembling pince-nez glasses in blood cells could indicate leukemia, the cause of this anomaly remained unknown. Scientists have now discovered that loss of nuclear Lamin B1 induces defects in the nuclear morphology and in human hematopoietic [blood-forming] stem cells associated with malignancy. The scientists went on to detail that lamin B1 deficiency alters genome organization. This in turn causes expansion of blood-forming stem cells, a bias towards their becoming myeloids, genome instability due to defective DNA damage repair and other problems that set the stage for cancer.\n',1,29,'<li>Andreea Reilly, J. Philip Creamer, Sintra Stewart, Massiel C. Stolla, Yuchuan Wang, Jing Du, Rachel Wellington, Stephanie Busch, Elihu H. Estey, Pamela S. Becker, Min Fang, Siobán B. Keel, Janis L. Abkowitz, Lorinda A. Soma, Jian Ma, Zhijun Duan, Sergei Doulatov. <strong>Lamin B1 deletion in myeloid neoplasms causes nuclear anomaly and altered hematopoietic stem cell function</strong>. <em>Cell Stem Cell</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2022.02.010\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.stem.2022.02.010</a>\n</li>'),(1897,'Global team of scientists determine \'fingerprint\' for how much heat, drought is too much for forests','global-team-of-scientists-determine-\'fingerprint\'-for-how-much-heat,-drought-is-too-much-for-forests','2022-04-05 16:21:07.763869',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">How hot is too hot, and how dry is too dry, for the Earth\'s forests? A new study from an international team of researchers found the answers -- by looking at decades of dying trees.</p><p>Just published in the journal <em>Nature Communications,</em> the study compiles the first global database of precisely georeferenced forest die-off events, at 675 locations dating back to 1970. The study, which encompasses all forested continents, then compares that information to existing climate data to determine the heat and drought climatic conditions that caused these documented tree mortality episodes.</p><p>\"In this study, we\'re letting the Earth\'s forests do the talking,\" said William Hammond, a University of Florida plant ecophysiologist who led the study. \"We collected data from previous studies documenting where and when trees died, and then analyzed what the climate was during mortality events, compared to long-term conditions.\"</p><p>After performing the climate analysis on the observed forest mortality data, Hammond noted, a pattern emerged.</p><p>\"What we found was that at the global scale, there was this consistently hotter, drier pattern -- what we call a \'hotter-drought fingerprint\' -- that can show us how unusually hot or dry it has to get for forests to be at risk of death,\" said Hammond, an assistant professor in the UF/IFAS agronomy department.</p><p>The fingerprint, he says, shows that forest mortality events consistently occurred when the typically hottest and driest months of the year got even warmer and drier.</p><p>\"Our hotter-drought fingerprint revealed that global forest mortality is linked to intensified climate extremes,\" Hammond said. \"Using climate model data, we estimated how frequent these previously lethal climate conditions would become under further warming, compared to pre-industrial era climate -- 22% more frequent at plus 2 degrees Celsius (plus 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), to 140% more frequently at plus 4 degrees Celsius (plus 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit).\"</p><p>Those higher temperatures would more than double how often forests around the world see tree-killing droughts, he adds.</p><p>\"Plants do a phenomenal job of capturing and sequestering carbon,\" Hammond said. \"But death of the plants not only prevents their performing this critical carbon-capturing role, plants also start releasing carbon as they decay.\"</p><p>Hammond says that relying, in part, upon trees and other plants to capture and sequester carbon, as some proposed climate solutions suggest, makes it is critical to understand how hot is \'too hot,\' and how dry is \'too dry.\' \"Otherwise mortality events, like those included in our database, may wipe out planned carbon gains.\"</p><p>One of the study\'s co-authors, Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero of Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo in Mexico, offered an example of how recent climate patterns affected a Mexican temperate forest.</p><p>\"In recent years, the dry and warm March to May season is even more dry than usual, but also warmer than ever,\" he said. \"This combination is inducing a lot of stress on the trees before the arrival of the next June-to-October rainy season. For example, in 2021, more than 8,000 mature trees were killed by bark beetles in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Central Mexico. The effect of the La Niña Pacific Ocean stream resulted in drier, warmer conditions; a deadly combination that favored pest outbreaks.\"</p><p>Hammond has also developed an interactive application on the website of the International Tree Mortality Network to host the database online and to allow others to submit additional observations of forest mortality to the database.</p><p>The organization, founded and coordinated by co-author Henrik Hartmann from the Max Planck Institute in Germany, among others, is a collaborative effort between scientists on every forested continent and aims to coordinate international research efforts on forest die-off events. Hammond is the network\'s data management group leader.</p><p><strong>Glossary</strong></p><p><strong>\'Georeferenced\'</strong></p><p>Using maps or aerial images, scientists assign to them real-world coordinates.</p><p><strong>\'Ground-truthed\'</strong></p><p>Information confirmed or validated by direct observation and measurement. In the case of machine learning, it refers to checking results for accuracy.</p><p>\"We\'re hoping that this paper will create a bit of urgency around the need to understand the role of warming on forest mortality,\" Hammond said. \"Also, we expect that our open-access database will enable additional studies, including other climate fingerprints from local to regional scales. Current climate modeling and remote-sensing research communities need ground-truthed datasets to validate their predictions of important processes like forest mortality. One of the really important elements to this study was bringing all this data together for the first time, so that we can ask a question like this at the planetary scale.\"</p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-05 16:21:07.763869','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University of Florida','A new study has compiled a global database of climate-induced forest die-off events, from 1970-2018, across 675 locations. After analyzing the climate conditions at each location during each event, researchers found a common \'hotter-drought fingerprint\' for Earth\'s forests, a term that describes the combination of higher temperatures and more frequent droughts for a lethal set of climate conditions. Under further warming, this hotter-drought fingerprint will appear more frequently -- the authors conclude that limiting Earth\'s warming will determine survivability for many of Earth\'s forests.\n',1,34,'<li>William M. Hammond, A. Park Williams, John T. Abatzoglou, Henry D. Adams, Tamir Klein, Rosana López, Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero, Henrik Hartmann, David D. Breshears, Craig D. Allen. <strong>Global field observations of tree die-off reveal hotter-drought fingerprint for Earth’s forests</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em>, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29289-2\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41467-022-29289-2</a>\n</li>'),(1898,'Honey holds potential for making brain-like computer chips','honey-holds-potential-for-making-brain-like-computer-chips','2022-04-05 16:21:10.591954',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Honey might be a sweet solution for developing environmentally friendly components for neuromorphic computers, systems designed to mimic the neurons and synapses found in the human brain. Hailed by some as the future of computing, neuromorphic systems are much faster and use much less power than traditional computers. Engineers have demonstrated one way to make them more organic too by using honey to make a memristor, a component similar to a transistor that can not only process but also store data in memory. VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Honey might be a sweet solution for developing environmentally friendly components for neuromorphic computers, systems designed to mimic the neurons and synapses found in the human brain.</p><p>Hailed by some as the future of computing, neuromorphic systems are much faster and use much less power than traditional computers. Washington State University engineers have demonstrated one way to make them more organic too. In a study published in <em>Journal of Physics D, </em>the researchers show that honey can be used to make a memristor, a component similar to a transistor that can not only process but also store data in memory.</p><p>\"This is a very small device with a simple structure, but it has very similar functionalities to a human neuron,\" said Feng Zhao, associate professor of WSU\'s School of Engineering and Computer Science and corresponding author on the study.\"This means if we can integrate millions or billions of these honey memristors together, then they can be made into a neuromorphic system that functions much like a human brain.\"</p><p>For the study, Zhao and first author Brandon Sueoka, a WSU graduate student in Zhao\'s lab, created memristors by processing honey into a solid form and sandwiching it between two metal electrodes, making a structure similar to a human synapse. They then tested the honey memristors\' ability to mimic the work of synapses with high switching on and off speeds of 100 and 500 nanoseconds respectively. The memristors also emulated the synapse functions known as spike-timing dependent plasticity and spike-rate dependent plasticity, which are responsible for learning processes in human brains and retaining new information in neurons.</p><p>The WSU engineers created the honey memristors on a micro-scale, so they are about the size of a human hair. The research team led by Zhao plans to develop them on a nanoscale, about 1/1000 of a human hair, and bundle many millions or even billions together to make a full neuromorphic computing system.</p><p>Currently, conventional computer systems are based on what\'s called the von Neumann architecture. Named after its creator, this architecture involves an input, usually from a keyboard and mouse, and an output, such as the monitor. It also has a CPU, or central processing unit, and RAM, or memory storage. Transferring data through all these mechanisms from input to processing to memory to output takes a lot of power at least compared to the human brain, Zhao said. For instance, the Fugaku supercomputer uses upwards of 28 megawatts, roughly equivalent to 28 million watts, to run while the brain uses only around 10 to 20 watts.</p><p>The human brain has more than 100 billion neurons with more than 1,000 trillion synapses, or connections, among them. Each neuron can both process and store data, which makes the brain much more efficient than a traditional computer, and developers of neuromorphic computing systems aim to mimic that structure.</p><p>Several companies, including Intel and IBM, have released neuromorphic chips which have the equivalent of more than 100 million \"neurons\" per chip, but this is not yet near the number in the brain. Many developers are also still using the same nonrenewable and toxic materials that are currently used in conventional computer chips.</p><p>Many researchers, including Zhao\'s team, are searching for biodegradable and renewable solutions for use in this promising new type of computing. Zhao is also leading investigations into using proteins and other sugars such as those found in Aloe vera leaves in this capacity, but he sees strong potential in honey.</p><p>\"Honey does not spoil,\" he said. \"It has a very low moisture concentration, so bacteria cannot survive in it. This means these computer chips will be very stable and reliable for a very long time.\"</p><p>The honey memristor chips developed at WSU should tolerate the lower levels of heat generated by neuromorphic systems which do not get as hot as traditional computers. The honey memristors will also cut down on electronic waste.</p><p>\"When we want to dispose of devices using computer chips made of honey, we can easily dissolve them in water,\" he said. \"Because of these special properties, honey is very useful for creating renewable and biodegradable neuromorphic systems.\"</p><p>This also means, Zhao cautioned, that just like conventional computers, users will still have to avoid spilling their coffee on them.</p>','2022-04-05 16:21:10.591954','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Washington State University','Honey might be a sweet solution for developing environmentally friendly components for neuromorphic computers, systems designed to mimic the neurons and synapses found in the human brain. Hailed by some as the future of computing, neuromorphic systems are much faster and use much less power than traditional computers. Engineers have demonstrated one way to make them more organic too by using honey to make a memristor, a component similar to a transistor that can not only process but also store data in memory. They created the memristors by processing honey into a solid form and sandwiching it between two metal electrodes, making a structure similar to a human synapse. They then tested the honey memristors\' ability to mimic the work of synapses with high switching on and off speeds of 100 and 500 nanoseconds respectively. The memristors also emulated the synapse functions known as spike-timing dependent plasticity and spike-rate dependent plasticity, which are responsible for learning processes in human brains and retaining new information in neurons.\n',1,27,'<li>Brandon Sueoka, Feng Zhao. <strong>Memristive synaptic device based on a natural organic material—honey for spiking neural network in biodegradable neuromorphic systems</strong>. <em>Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics</em>, 2022; 55 (22): 225105 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ac585b\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1088/1361-6463/ac585b</a>\n</li>'),(1899,'Scientists develop a recyclable pollen-based paper for repeated printing and ‘unprinting’','scientists-develop-a-recyclable-pollen-based-paper-for-repeated-printing-and-unprinting','2022-12-21 04:35:18.794530','<p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a pollen-based \'paper\' that, after being printed on, can be \'erased\' and reused multiple times without any damage to the paper.</p><p>In a research paper published online in <em>Advanced Materials </em>on 5 April, the NTU Singapore scientists demonstrated how high-resolution colour images could be printed on the non-allergenic pollen paper with a laser printer, and then \'unprinted\' -- by completely removing the toner without damaging the paper -- with an alkaline solution. They demonstrated that this process could be repeated up to at least eight times.</p><p>This innovative, printer-ready pollen paper could become an eco-friendly alternative to conventional paper, which is made via a multi-step process with a significant negative environmental impact, said the NTU team led by Professors Subra Suresh and Cho Nam-Joon.</p><p>It could also help to reduce the carbon emissions and energy usage associated with conventional paper recycling, which involves repulping, de-toning (removal of printer toner) and reconstruction.</p><p>The other members of this all-NTU research team are research fellow Dr Ze Zhao, graduate students Jingyu Deng and Hyunhyuk Tae, and former graduate student Mohammed Shahrudin Ibrahim.</p><p>Prof Subra Suresh, NTU President and senior author of the paper, said: \"Through this study, we showed that we could print high-resolution colour images on paper produced from a natural, plant-based material that was rendered non-allergenic through a process we recently developed. We further demonstrated the feasibility of doing so repeatedly without destroying the paper, making this material a viable eco-friendly alternative to conventional wood-based paper. This is a new approach to paper recycling -- not just by making paper in a more sustainable way, but also by extending the lifespan of the paper so that we get the maximum value out of each piece of paper we produce. The concepts established here, with further developments in scalable manufacturing, could be adapted and extended to produce other \"directly printable\" paper-based products such as storage and shipping cartons and containers.\"</p><p>Prof Cho Nam-Joon, senior author of the paper, said: \"Aside from being easily recyclable, our pollen-based paper is also highly versatile. Unlike wood-based conventional paper, pollen is generated in large amounts and is naturally renewable, making it potentially an attractive raw material in terms of scalability, economics, and environmental sustainability. In addition, by integrating conductive materials with the pollen paper, we could potentially use the material in soft electronics, green sensors, and generators to achieve advanced functions and properties.\"</p><p>This innovation adds to the series of discoveries and technological advances pioneered by NTU researchers from many disciplines, whose cutting-edge scholarly research translate NTU\'s commitment to sustainability into practices that benefit industry and society, in line with the vision outlined in the University\'s Sustainability Manifesto released in 2021 and the NTU 2025 strategic plan.</p><p>A patent application has been filed based on this NTU innovation.</p><p><strong>A more sustainable way of papermaking</strong></p><p>Conventional paper is made of cellulose fibres found in wood, and the papermaking process involves energy-intensive steps that include logging, debarking, and chipping. With the pulp and paper industry accounting for 33 to 40 per cent of all industrial wood traded globally[1], this form of papermaking adds to the global problem of deforestation and rising carbon emissions.</p><p>Pollen grains, in contrast, are generated regularly and in large amounts as genetic material carriers in plant reproduction. The process of making pollen-based paper is similar to traditional soapmaking, which is much simpler and less energy-intensive.</p><p>Using potassium hydroxide, the scientists first removed the cellular components encapsulated in tough sunflower pollen grains and turned them into soft microgel particles. This step also removes the component in pollen that causes allergies.</p><p>The scientists then used deionised water to remove unwanted particles from the resulting pollen microgel, before casting it into a 22 cm x 22 cm mould for air-drying. This forms a piece of paper that is about 0.03 mm in thickness or about half the thickness of the human hair.</p><p>Earlier research by the same NTU team has shown that pollen paper can bend and curl in response to moisture in the air. To \'stabilise\' the paper and to render it insensitive to moisture, the scientists immersed it in acetic acid -- an active component in vinegar.</p><p><strong>Print, rinse, and repeat</strong></p><p>To demonstrate the printability of their sunflower pollen paper, the NTU scientists printed a painting from Vincent Van Gogh\'s <em>Sunflowers </em>series using a laser printer. They found that the paper passed through the printer without any tear or damage.</p><p>None of the toner powder particles came off when tape was stuck on the printed image and removed, suggesting that the toner layer was well-deposited on the pollen paper surface.</p><p>While the colours of the image printed on pollen paper differed slightly from the same image printed on conventional paper (in part because of the differences in subsequent treatments), the image resolution and clarity on both types of paper were comparable.</p><p>The scientists also found that subsequent immersion in water did not damage or soften the printed pollen paper -- an outcome essential for materials used for printing.</p><p>The NTU team next showed that the pollen paper could be unprinted. \"Unprinting\" is a concept that has emerged in recent years as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional methods to remove toner from the used paper before it is recycled. This unprinting involves weakening of the bond between the toner powder and the paper for laser printing.</p><p>The scientists did so by immersing the paper and rubbing it gently in a common lab reagent that is alkaline for two minutes. The pollen paper swelled when immersed in the alkaline solution, causing the toner layer to mechanically disintegrate and break away from the paper.</p><p>Swollen from the unprinting process, the paper was then left to shrink in ethanol for five minutes, and air-dried. After treating it with acetic acid, the paper was ready for printing again.</p><p>This process of treating pollen paper with acid, printing, then rinsing off the printed image, could be repeated another eight times without any loss of the paper\'s structural integrity or the quality of the printed images.</p><p>This is in contrast to the unprinting techniques used for conventional paper which entail use of chemicals (e.g. chloroform or acetone) to weaken the bond between the toner and paper, or the use of high-intensity light to ablate the toner off the printed paper. Both these steps could damage the physical integrity of the paper, rendering it unsuitable for reprinting. In addition, the use of chemicals could pose environmental and health risks, said the scientists.</p><p>Apart from sunflower pollen, the NTU scientists found that pollen grains from camellia and lotus could also be used to make a paper-like material, similar to the sunflower pollen paper. Their work thus shows that more than one type of pollen could be used to create pollen-based alternatives to conventional paper.</p><p>This study builds on the team\'s body of research on pollen conducted at NTU over the past few years. Profs Cho and Suresh and their research team previously demonstrated that pollen paper could bend, curl, and even crawl like a caterpillar in response to changing levels of moisture in the air, making the material a potential candidate for applications in soft robotics.</p><p>The same team also showed that they could get pollen paper to fold itself up into different 3D configurations by printing different patterns on the paper.</p><p>[1] <em>Pulp and paper</em><em>, WWF</em></p><p>Video: <a href=\"https://youtu.be/lqQ69Zl0z1o\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/lqQ69Zl0z1o</a><a href=\"https://youtu.be/lqQ69Zl0z1o\"></a></p><p>{{news:news}}</p>','2022-04-05 17:02:17.554142','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Nanyang Technological University','Scientists have developed a pollen-based \'paper\' that, after being printed on, can be \'erased\' and reused multiple times without any damage to the paper.',1,61,'<li>Ze Zhao, Jingyu Deng, Hyunhyuk Tae, Mohammed Shahrudin Ibrahim, Subra Suresh, Nam‐Joon Cho. <strong>Recyclable and Reusable Natural Plant‐Based Paper for Repeated Digital Printing and Unprinting</strong>. <em>Advanced Materials</em>, 2022; 2109367 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202109367\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1002/adma.202109367</a>\r\n</li>'),(1900,'Bees win in survival wars','bees-win-in-survival-wars','2022-04-05 17:02:31.725692',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Like diseases affecting humans, parasites can wage a deadly evolutionary \"arms race\" against their hosts. But can hosts and parasites upgrade their weapons at the same rate?</p><p>This can be a very unequal battle for two reasons. If the parasite is too successful it will wipe out its host, and therefore lose its only means of surviving. At the same time, evolutionary \"wars\" between hosts and their parasites depend on their rates of evolution; we can think of that as their ability to \'upgrade their weapons\'.</p><p>Flinders University researchers examined this conundrum by examining a social bee (<em>Exoneura</em>) and its social parasite, another bee (<em>Inquilina</em>).</p><p>\"These parasitic species spend their entire life cycle within the nest of the host species and have extreme adaptations to social parasitism, they are not able to survive without their hosts,\" says first author Dr Nahid Shokri-Bousjein in an article in Ecology and Evolution.</p><p>The ability of species to adapt to existential challenges depends on their ability to \'discover\' new strategies via random mutations. The more individuals in a species, the greater the likelihood that a favorable mutation will arise amongst one of them, and that means that species with larger populations should generally win any \"wars\" against their enemies. So what happens when species and their parasites or pathogens have very different population sizes?</p><p>\"We can see this problem play out with COVID-19. The virus has a much bigger population size than its host (us!), so its ability to evolve around our defenses is great,\" says Dr Shokri-Bousjein. \"We see this in terms of new COVID variants emerging and then spreading.\"</p><p>But what happens when the pathogen has very small population sizes? \"In our previous studies, we found that the population sizes of the parasite species are an order of magnitude lower than their host. Surprisingly, our analyses of molecular data showed that rates of evolution were similar between host and parasite.\"</p><p>Flinders University Associate Professor Mike Schwarz says that \"evolutionary wars between species and their enemies may be much more complex than we have thought. Large population sizes might allow more strategies to arise, but maybe the critical issue is how effective those strategies are. Species like these bee social parasites are on the very edge of survival: they might tell us something about how you can survive when your very existence is under threat.</p><p>There might be some lessons we can learn from these bees as we deal with the covid-19 pandemic.\"</p>','2022-04-05 17:02:31.725692','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Flinders University','Like diseases affecting humans, parasites can wage a deadly evolutionary \'arms race\' against their hosts. But can hosts and parasites upgrade their weapons at the same rate?\n',1,64,'<li>Nahid Shokri Bousjein, Simon M. Tierney, Michael G. Gardner, Michael P. Schwarz. <strong>Does effective population size affect rates of molecular evolution: Mitochondrial data for host/parasite species pairs in bees suggests not</strong>. <em>Ecology and Evolution</em>, 2022; 12 (2) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8562\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1002/ece3.8562</a>\n</li>'),(1901,'Scientists connect the dots between Galilean moon, auroral emissions on Jupiter','scientists-connect-the-dots-between-galilean-moon,-auroral-emissions-on-jupiter','2022-04-05 18:03:20.748296',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">On November 8, 2020, NASA\'s Juno spacecraft flew through an intense beam of electrons traveling from Ganymede, Jupiter\'s largest moon, to its auroral footprint on the gas giant. Southwest Research Institute scientists used data from Juno\'s payload to study the particle population traveling along the magnetic field line connecting Ganymede to Jupiter while, at the same time, remotely sensing the associated auroral emissions to unveil the mysterious processes creating the shimmering lights.</p><p>\"Jupiter\'s most massive moons each create their own auroras on Jupiter\'s north and south poles,\" said Dr. Vincent Hue, lead author of a paper outlining the results of this research. \"Each auroral footprint, as we call them, is magnetically connected to their respective moon, kind of like a magnetic leash connected to the moon glowing on Jupiter itself.\"</p><p>Like the Earth, Jupiter experiences auroral light around the polar regions as particles from its massive magnetosphere interact with molecules in the Jovian atmosphere. However, Jupiter\'s auroras are significantly more intense than Earth\'s, and unlike Earth, Jupiter\'s largest moons also create auroral spots. The Juno mission, led by SwRI\'s Dr. Scott Bolton, is circling Jupiter in a polar orbit and flew through the electron \"thread\" connecting Ganymede with its associated auroral footprint.</p><p>\"Prior to Juno, we knew that these emissions can be quite complex, ranging from a single auroral spot to multiple spots, which sometimes trail an auroral curtain that we called the footprint tail,\" said Dr. Jamey Szalay, a co-author from Princeton University. \"Juno, flying extremely close to Jupiter, revealed these auroral spots to be even more complex than previously thought.\"</p><p>Ganymede is the only moon in our solar system that has its own magnetic field. Its mini-magnetosphere interacts with Jupiter\'s massive magnetosphere, creating waves that accelerate electrons along the gas giant\'s magnetic field lines, which can be directly measured by Juno.</p><p>Two SwRI-led instruments on Juno, the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) and the Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) provided key data for this study, which was also supported by Juno\'s magnetic field sensor built at NASA\'s Goddard Space Flight Center.</p><p>\"JADE measured the electrons traveling along the magnetic field lines, while UVS imaged the related auroral footprint spot,\" said SwRI\'s Dr. Thomas Greathouse, a co-author on this study.</p><p>In this way, Juno is both able to measure the electron \"rain\" and immediately observe the UV light it creates when it crashes into Jupiter. Previous Juno measurements showed that large magnetic perturbations accompanied the electron beams causing the auroral footprint. However, this time, Juno did not observe similar perturbations with the electron beam.</p><p>\"If our interpretation is correct, this a confirmation of a decade-old theory that we put together to explain the morphology of the auroral footprints,\" said Dr. Bertrand Bonfond, a co-author of the study from the Liège University in Belgium. The theory suggests that electrons accelerated in both directions create the multi-spot dance of auroral footprints.</p><p>\"The Jupiter-Ganymede relationship will be further explored by Juno\'s extended mission, as well as the forthcoming JUICE mission from the European Space Agency,\" Hue said. \"SwRI is building the next generation of UVS instrumentation for the mission.\"</p><p>Video: <a href=\"https://youtu.be/xGUtx0IvYZI\">https://youtu.be/xGUtx0IvYZI</a></p><p><strong>Story Source:</strong></p>','2022-04-05 18:03:20.748296','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Southwest Research Institute','On November 8, 2020, NASA\'s Juno spacecraft flew through an intense beam of electrons traveling from Ganymede, Jupiter\'s largest moon, to its auroral footprint on the gas giant. Scientists used data from Juno\'s payload to study the particle population traveling along the magnetic field line connecting Ganymede to Jupiter while, at the same time, remotely sensing the associated auroral emissions to unveil the mysterious processes creating the shimmering lights.\n',1,27,'<li>V. Hue, J. R. Szalay, T. K. Greathouse, B. Bonfond, S. Kotsiaros, C. K. Louis, A. H. Sulaiman, G. Clark, F. Allegrini, G. R. Gladstone, C. Paranicas, M. H. Versteeg, A. Mura, A. Moirano, D. J. Gershman, S. J. Bolton, J. E. P. Connerney, M. W. Davis, R. W. Ebert, J.‐C. Gérard, R. S. Giles, D. C. Grodent, M. Imai, J. A. Kammer, W. S. Kurth, L. Lamy, B. H. Mauk. <strong>A Comprehensive Set of Juno In Situ and Remote Sensing Observations of the Ganymede Auroral Footprint</strong>. <em>Geophysical Research Letters</em>, 2022; 49 (7) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2021GL096994\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1029/2021GL096994</a>\n</li>'),(1902,'Carbs, sugary foods may influence poor oral health','carbs,-sugary-foods-may-influence-poor-oral-health','2022-04-05 18:03:26.170069',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">The foods we eat on a regular basis influence the makeup of the bacteria -- both good and bad -- in our mouths. And researchers are finding that this collective of bacteria known as the oral microbiome likely plays a large role in our overall health, in addition to its previously known associations with tooth decay and periodontal disease.</p><p>Scientists from the University at Buffalo have shown how eating certain types of foods impacts the oral microbiome of postmenopausal women. They found that higher intake of sugary and high glycemic load foods -- like doughnuts and other baked goods, regular soft drinks, breads and non-fat yogurts -- may influence poor oral health and, perhaps, systemic health outcomes in older women due to the influence these foods have on the oral microbiome.</p><p>In a study in Scientific Reports, an open access journal from the publishers of Nature, the UB-led team investigated whether carbohydrates and sucrose, or table sugar, were associated with the diversity and composition of oral bacteria in a sample of 1,204 postmenopausal women using data from the Women\'s Health Initiative.</p><p>It is the first study to examine carbohydrate intake and the subgingival microbiome in a sample consisting exclusively of postmenopausal women. The study was unique in that the samples were taken from subgingival plaque, which occurs under the gums, rather than salivary bacteria.</p><p>\"This is important because the oral bacteria involved in periodontal disease are primarily residing in the subgingival plaque,\" said study first author Amy Millen, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UB\'s School of Public Health and Health Professions.</p><p>\"Looking at measures of salivary bacteria might not tell us how oral bacteria relate to periodontal disease because we are not looking in the right environment within the mouth,\" she added.</p><p>The research team reported positive associations between total carbohydrates, glycemic load and sucrose and <em>Streptococcus mutans</em>, a contributor to tooth decay and some types of cardiovascular disease, a finding that confirms previous observations. But they also observed associations between carbohydrates and the oral microbiome that are not as well established.</p><p>The researchers observed Leptotrichia spp., which has been associated with gingivitis, a common gum disease, in some studies, to be positively associated with sugar intake. The other bacteria they identified as associated with carbohydrate intake or glycemic load have not been previously appreciated as contributing to periodontal disease in the literature or in this cohort of women, according to Millen.</p><p>\"We examined these bacteria in relation to usual carbohydrate consumption in postmenopausal women across a wide variety of carbohydrate types: total carbohydrate intake, fiber intake, disaccharide intake, to simple sugar intake,\" Millen said. \"No other study had examined the oral bacteria in relation to such a broad array of carbohydrate types in one cohort. We also looked at associations with glycemic load, which is not well studied in relation to the oral microbiome.\"</p><p>The key question now is what this all means for overall health, and that\'s not as easily understood just yet.</p><p>\"As more studies are conducted looking at the oral microbiome using similar sequencing techniques and progression or development of periodontal disease over time, we might begin to make better inferences about how diet relates to the oral microbiome and periodontal disease,\" Millen said.</p>','2022-04-05 18:03:26.170069','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'University at Buffalo','New research on postmenopausal women identifies associations between commonly eaten foods and the diversity and composition of oral bacteria.\n',1,12,'<li>Amy E. Millen, Runda Dahhan, Jo L. Freudenheim, Kathleen M. Hovey, Lu Li, Daniel I. McSkimming, Chris A. Andrews, Michael J. Buck, Michael J. LaMonte, Keith L. Kirkwood, Yijun Sun, Vijaya Murugaiyan, Maria Tsompana, Jean Wactawski-Wende. <strong>Dietary carbohydrate intake is associated with the subgingival plaque oral microbiome abundance and diversity in a cohort of postmenopausal women</strong>. <em>Scientific Reports</em>, 2022; 12 (1) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06421-2\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41598-022-06421-2</a>\n</li>'),(1903,'Tiny jumping genes fingered as culprit in rise of antibiotic resistance','tiny-jumping-genes-fingered-as-culprit-in-rise-of-antibiotic-resistance','2022-04-05 18:03:29.376072',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Biomedical engineers at Duke University believe they have discovered the physical mechanism that causes high doses of antibiotics to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance between bacteria.</p><p>The culprit, they say, is an overabundance of \"jumping genes,\" called transposons, that carry the genetic instructions for resistance from the cell\'s source code to plasmids that shuttle between cells.</p><p>The results appeared online March 28 in the journal<em> Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution.</em></p><p>\"There\'s a lot of evidence that suggests human pathogens likely pick up antibiotic resistance from other species living in the natural environment,\" said Lingchong You, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke. \"Intuitively, it makes sense that high levels of antibiotics in these environments are facilitating the jumping of resistance genes from chromosomes to plasmids so that they can spread, but the underlying mechanism never been directly tested. That\'s where our work comes in.\"</p><p>It\'s no secret that the rise in antibiotic resistance in human pathogens has coincided with the rise in the use of antibiotics in large-scale industrial endeavors like farming and manufacturing. While the genes that provide resistance appear to be relatively new to these pathogens, some date back millions of years in bacteria living in certain wild ecosystems. Coupled with experiments that show high levels of antibiotics promote the spread of resistance both within and between bacterial species, it\'s easy to draw the conclusion that human pathogens have acquired these resistance genes from the environment due to its increasing ambient levels of antibiotics.</p><p>While the cause and effect seems clear, research has never firmly established the underlying mechanisms, You said. Scientists know that small, free-floating bundles of DNA called plasmids carry resistance genes between cells. You\'s own research, however, has shown that the presence of antibiotics does not increase the rate at which plasmids carry out these gene swaps. What then, the researchers asked, is the fundamental force driving this natural selection?</p><p>In the new paper, You and his postdoc Yi Yao show that this mysterious mechanism could be the antibiotic-mediated selection on \"jumping genes,\" called transposons, that carry the resistance genes from the cell\'s chromosomes to the plasmids.</p><p>\"Yi\'s experiments were designed to test this possible pathway that explains how different pathogens actually get resistance from environmental species,\" You said. \"And he demonstrated that not only is this possible, it\'s also very likely.\"</p><p>Transposons are tiny pieces of DNA that constantly jump around the inside of a cell. They can jump from place to place within a cell\'s central genetic database, and they can jump from the database of the DNA to the larger plasmids capable of traveling between cells, or vice versa. This can lead to chromosomes or plasmids that contain many copies of the same genetic blueprints.</p><p>In a series of experiments, Yao exposed cells resistant to various types of antibiotics to a range of concentrations of that antibiotic. As the concentration increased, invariably there came a point at which the cells carrying plasmids with more copies of the resistance genes began outcompeting their peers.</p><p>\"All the curves looked almost exactly the same,\" You said. \"It\'s actually surprising just how robust the trend is.\"</p><p>The researchers say that the copy number of transposons on the plasmids affects how many antibiotic resistance proteins the cell is producing. That production comes at an energy cost, and it\'s not until the amount of antibiotics reaches a certain level that the extra energy expended is a valuable trait to carry.</p><p>It is not clear, however, if the higher levels of antibiotics are directly causing the resistance transposons within these cells to become more active. Rather, it demonstrates that if the transposon jumping is already happening, antibiotic selection would always enrich the population containing resistance genes that have jumped to plasmids.</p><p>The levels of antibiotics required to begin driving this selection, the researchers say, varies greatly between species and the specific drugs in question. But this range is not uncommon in today\'s natural environments, potentially providing the pressure needed for human pathogens to pick up the resistance genes with more regularity.</p><p>\"We\'re now working to prove that this dynamic is actively occurring in real environments like hospitals and not just in a Petri dish,\" You said. \"We also want to see if we can use this knowledge to selectively dial in the flow of genes to optimize bacteria engineered for industrial uses.\"</p><p>This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01A1125604, R01GM110494, R01EB029466), the National Science Foundation (MCB-1937259) and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.</p>','2022-04-05 18:03:29.376072','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Duke University','Biomedical engineers believe they have discovered the physical mechanism that causes high doses of antibiotics to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance between bacteria. The culprit, they say, is an overabundance of \'jumping genes,\' called transposons, that carry the genetic instructions for resistance from the cell\'s source code to plasmids that shuttle between cells.\n',1,46,'<li>Yi Yao, Rohan Maddamsetti, Andrea Weiss, Yuanchi Ha, Teng Wang, Shangying Wang, Lingchong You. <strong>Intra- and interpopulation transposition of mobile genetic elements driven by antibiotic selection</strong>. <em>Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01705-2\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41559-022-01705-2</a>\n</li>'),(1904,'HIV drug stabilizes disease progression in metastatic colorectal cancer','hiv-drug-stabilizes-disease-progression-in-metastatic-colorectal-cancer','2022-04-05 18:03:35.019593',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">New clinical research shows that lamivudine, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor widely used in HIV therapy, stopped disease progression in 25% of patients with fourth-line metastatic colorectal cancer. Findings from the trial, published in <em>Cancer Discovery</em>, raise the possibility of an unexpected promising direction in cancer treatment, not just colorectal cancer.</p><p>The trial included 32 patients with advanced metastatic colon cancer whose disease progressed despite four lines of previous cancer treatments. The first nine patients received the standard HIV-approved dose of lamivudine. \"After giving them only this one drug -- nothing else -- we saw signs of disease stability,\" says co-senior author David T. Ting, MD, of the Mass General Cancer Center. After adjusting the dosing four-fold, another 23 patients received lamivudine therapy where it was highly tolerated.</p><p>The research team observed that 9 of the 32 patients, or 28%, had disease stability or mixed response at the end of the trial. \"This provides evidence that an HIV drug can be repurposed as an anti-cancer therapy in metastatic cancer patients,\" says Ting. While the research team did not see tumor shrinkage, the results are encouraging.</p><p>\"If we see this kind of response with just one HIV drug, the next obvious trial is to see what else we can achieve with HAART, or highly active anti-retroviral therapy,\" adds Ting, referring to the standard three-drug regime for HIV treatment.</p><p>The first clues to this unusual drug trial surfaced in Ting\'s lab and those of his collaborators over the past ten years. The team discovered that up to 50% of a tumor\'s DNA was composed of \"repetitive elements,\" which were previously considered \"junk DNA.\" \"Only cancer cells produced these repetitive element, not healthy cells,\" says Ting. Colorectal cancers produce abundant amounts of repetitive elements, as do cancers of the esophagus, lung, and several others. These repetitive elements spew out extraordinary levels of RNA which replicate in a viral-like life cycle through reverse transcription into what Ting describes at the repeatome.</p><p>The repeatome acts much like a virus does relying on reverse transcription to replicate itself and move in the genome. \"It\'s a way for cancers to change their genome to adapt to stress,\" adds Ting, who had the idea to assess whether an HIV drug, lamivudine, might interfere with the process.</p><p>In their preclinical studies, Ting found that colorectal cancer cells were sensitive to lamivudine, reducing their ability to move. The team also discovered that the drug induced DNA damage and interferon responses, an indication that the drug triggered an inflammatory response in the tumor cells. Although not proven or evaluated in this trial, Ting theorizes that pairing reverse transcriptase inhibitor therapy with immunotherapy might encourage immune cells to become involved in these cancers.</p><p>Research shows that in a U.S. population of HIV patients receiving three-drug anti-retroviral therapy for life, their incidence of colon, breast, and prostate cancer was significantly less than the general population. Ting speculates this kind of therapy might prevent a cancer or a recurrence or turn a crushing metastatic disease into a chronic disease like HIV.</p><p>\"We did the trial to see if we could learn something new about the biology of cancer cells and in the process found this unexpected, very encouraging result,\" says Ting. \"Disease stability in a cancer patient population this advanced, with just one single agent, is highly unusual and we are hoping we can soon initiate a larger Phase III study with a three-drug reverse transcriptase inhibitor combination.\"</p><p>This work was supported with grants from the National Institutes of Health, Gateway for Cancer Research, Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), National Science Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, V Foundation for Cancer Research, Affymetrix, Inc., ACD-Biotechne, Robert L. Fine Cancer Research Foundation, and the Pershing Square Sohn Prize -- Mark Foundation Fellowship.</p>','2022-04-05 18:03:35.019593','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Massachusetts General Hospital','Many cancers exhibit high levels of the reverse transcriptase enzyme. Single-agent lamivudine, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor, stopped disease progression in over 25% of patients with fourth-line refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. These results provide evidence for the evaluation of reverse transcriptase inhibitors as a new class of anti-cancer drugs.\n',1,19,'<li>Mihir Rajurkar, Aparna R. Parikh, Alexander Solovyov, Eunae You, Anupriya S. Kulkarni, Chong Chu, Katherine H. Xu, Christopher Jaicks, Martin S. Taylor, Connie Wu, Katherine A. Alexander, Charly R. Good, Annamaria Szabolcs, Stefanie Gerstberger, Antuan V. Tran, Nova Xu, Richard Y. Ebright, Emily E. Van Seventer, Kevin D. Vo, Eric C. Tai, Chenyue Lu, Jasmin Joseph-Chazan, Michael J. Raabe, Linda T. Nieman, Niyati Desai, Kshitij S. Arora, Matteo Ligorio, Vishal Thapar, Limor Cohen, Padric M. Garden, Yasmeen Senussi, Hui Zheng, Jill N. Allen, Lawrence S. Blaszkowsky, Jeffrey W. Clark, Lipika Goyal, Jennifer Y. Wo, David P. Ryan, Ryan B. Corcoran, Vikram Deshpande, Miguel N. Rivera, Martin J. Aryee, Theodore S. Hong, Shelley L. Berger, David R. Walt, Kathleen H. Burns, Peter J. Park, Benjamin D. Greenbaum, David T. Ting. <strong>Reverse Transcriptase Inhibition Disrupts Repeat Element Life Cycle in Colorectal Cancer</strong>. <em>Cancer Discovery</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1117\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1117</a>\n</li>'),(1905,'Botany: Fitness needs the right timing','botany:-fitness-needs-the-right-timing','2022-04-05 18:03:52.237950',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Life on Earth runs in 24-hour cycles. From tiny bacteria to human beings, organisms adapt to alterations of day and night. External factors, such as changes in light and temperature, are needed to entrain the clock. Many metabolic processes are controlled by the endogenous clock. Scientists at the University of Jena have now studied the molecular rhythms of the endogenous clock in the \"green lineage.\" In a current publication in the journal <em>Plant Physiology</em>, the team led by Prof. Maria Mittag of the Matthias Schleiden Institute provides an overview of their genetic basis.</p><p>The \"green lineage\" encompasses green algae, mosses, ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants. These organisms produce a significant part of the oxygen on Earth and are therefore essential to all other living creatures. Photosynthesis by these green organisms -- the conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> and water into glucose and oxygen -- depends on light, so that good timing of these processes is crucial. Plants prepare for the daylight period even before sunrise and can thus use the light phase most efficiently to achieve optimum yields of photosynthesis and other metabolic pathways. As a result, they grow better and survive competitors.</p><p>\"The fitness of photosynthetic organisms depends on the integrity of their endogenous clocks,\" says Maria Mittag. The professor of general botany and her team have therefore investigated how the endogenous clock has developed during the evolution of organisms in the green lineage. To this end, the researchers studied the clock genes of various model organisms from the green lineage, starting with single-celled organisms such as the green alga <em>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</em>, through the liverwort <em>Marchantia polymorpha</em>, to higher plants, such as thale cress, <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>.</p><p><strong>Cryptochromes are \"conserved\" in evolution</strong></p><p>The researchers found that there are some genes involved in circadian rhythms that occur in all studied organisms of the green lineage, while other clock genes differ significantly. Among the genes of the endogenous clock that have been \"conserved\" throughout evolution are cryptochromes. These are receptor molecules with which land plants sense blue light. \"Cryptochromes are important for the entrainment and regulation of the circadian clock; they play this role not only in land plants and algae, but also in fungi, insects and mammals,\" says Dr Jan Petersen, member of the research team and first author of the current review paper.</p><p>So far, Maria Mittag\'s team has studied cryptochromes in the model organism <em>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</em>. Its genome even encodes four different cryptochromes. While two of these cryptochromes are involved in the circadian clock, the function of the other two was still unknown. To analyse the role of one of these cryptochromes with unknown function in detail, the Jena research team compared wild type algal cells with mutants in which the gene for this receptor molecule was knocked out. \"We were able to determine that the mutant algae grow significantly more slowly than wild type algal cells,\" says doctoral student Anxhela Rredhi.</p><p><strong>The newly studied cryptochrome influences cell structures responsible for photosynthesis </strong></p><p>\"However, we were surprised that the mutant algae were greener than the wild type algae,\" says Anxhela Rredhi. More colour in the form of green pigments should actually result in better photosynthesis and thus increased growth, as these molecules capture the light for photosynthesis. Finally, the researchers found an explanation. Using electron microscopy, they could see that the cell membranes in which photosynthesis takes place are more densely packed without the cryptochrome than in wild type cells. \"On the one hand, this makes the algae appear darker green,\" explains Dr Petersen. \"On the other hand, it causes the cells to shade each other more, so there is simply less light reaching the inner membranes, which has a negative effect on algal growth.\"</p><p>It is currently unclear how exactly the recently studied cryptochrome influences these cell structures. The research team will now investigate whether it also plays a role in the circadian clock.</p>','2022-04-05 18:03:52.237950','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena','Life on Earth runs in 24-hour cycles. From tiny bacteria to human beings, organisms adapt to alterations of day and night. External factors, such as changes in light and temperature, are needed to entrain the clock. Many metabolic processes are controlled by the endogenous clock. Scientists have now studied the molecular rhythms of the endogenous clock in the \'green lineage.\'\n',1,27,'<li>Jan Petersen, Anxhela Rredhi, Julie Szyttenholm, Maria Mittag. <strong>Evolution of circadian clocks along the green lineage</strong>. <em>Plant Physiology</em>, 2022; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac141\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1093/plphys/kiac141</a>\n</li>'),(1906,'Local motion detectors in fruit flies sense complex patterns generated by their own motion','local-motion-detectors-in-fruit-flies-sense-complex-patterns-generated-by-their-own-motion','2022-04-05 18:03:57.315953',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Simple behaviors such as walking or driving require the human eye to process complex visual cues to allow proper navigation. A fly eye needs to accomplish even more to guide appropriate behavioral responses during flight. The fruit fly <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> relies on rapid detection and processing of information from its eyes to its nervous system to adjust its behavior to an ever-changing environment. Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have gained new insights into how the eye of <em>Drosophila</em> processes motion patterns that are generated by self-motion through space. They have discovered that direction-selective cells can distinguish six types of global motion patterns. \"We thought that the visual system of <em>Drosophila</em> first detects the four cardinal directions of motion, i.e.,front-to-back, back-to-front, upward, and downward,\" said Professor Marion Silies, the leader of the study. \"However, the computation of the motion patterns we have now discovered matches <em>Drosophila</em>\'s actual behavior much closer.\"</p><p><strong>Each T4/T5 subtype can recognize one specific motion pattern </strong></p><p>A fruit fly\'s compound eye consists of 800 visual units organized in a hexagonal array. Each individual eye, in turn, is equipped with multiple photoreceptors, which pick up light stimuli from the environment. From here, the information is then processed in the visual system and transmitted to the central nervous system.</p><p>On the way from the photoreceptors to the brain, various neurons are involved in processing image and motion information. Among these are T4 and T5 cells, which act as local motion detectors. T4/T5 cells are the first direction-selective cells in the eye, just a few cell layers behind the photoreceptors. They occur together and respond to moving bright contrasts in the case of T4 cells and to moving dark contrasts in the case of T5 cells. If fruit flies lack these cells, they cannot react to motion stimuli from the environment and are \"motion-blind.\" Previously, it was assumed that there are four subtypes of T4/T5 neurons and that each of the 800 individual units presents one of four directions by four T4 and four T5 cells corresponding to local motion from specific regions in visual space. This implied that all cells of a single subtype would react to uniform motion -- either front-to-back, back-to-front, upward, or downward -- and pass on the corresponding information.</p><p><strong>Neurons represent the fly\'s actual behavior</strong></p><p>\"The process is complicated and it has been unclear how the flies could create a complex pattern from these four directions of motion,\" said Dr. Miriam Henning from Professor Marion Silies\' group. The researchers employed two-photon imaging to monitor the population activity of more than 3,500 of these local T4 and T5 motion detectors. They revealed that the process involves not just four, but six subtypes, which contribute to correctly sensing and relaying the flies\' movement through space. The findings have been published now in <em>Science Advances</em>. Henning, the lead author of the study, has just received the Bernstein SmartSteps Award for her work from the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, a research network established in 2004 as part a funding initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).</p><p>\"The individual subtypes do not encode uniform directions of motion, as we previously thought. Instead, each subtype consists of a group of direction-selective neurons that directly represent a complex global motion pattern composed of many different local motion cues,\" explained Dr. Miriam Henning. \"This matches the fly\'s real behavioral pattern much more closely, the way it actually moves in space.\" In doing so, the subtypes all work together at the same time, but they are activated differently.</p><p>Previous work on mice demonstrated that the direction-selective neurons in the mouse eye -- in this case, retinal ganglion cells -- likewise represent the animal\'s self-motion as a complex pattern. Interestingly, however, only four subtypes exist in mice, while there are six subtypes in flies. Global motion computation of this kind may, therefore, have arisen independently twice during evolution. The authors of the study suggest that the different number of subtypes may correspond to the different patterns of self-motion: flying animals have to cover a three-dimensional space, while running animals mostly move in two dimensions.</p><p><strong>Paradigm shift in neurobiology</strong></p><p>Neuronal processing of motion information in <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> has been studied for about 60 years and it has been known since 2013 that T4 and T5 cells function as the local motion detectors in the fruit fly eye. \"The new findings are a paradigm shift in our field, the neurobiology of vision,\" emphasized Dr. Marion Silies, relating to their latest findings. \"It seems to make more sense to capture complex motion patterns directly rather than capturing four uniform directions and then transform them into global patterns related to self-motion in subsequent visual processing. In addition, the six T4/T5 cell subtypes better match the hexagonal structure of the fly eye.\" However, many questions remain unanswered. The researchers still don\'t know, for example, how the direction-selective subtypes map to different behaviors in species with different running or flying behaviors and how they themselves control these behaviors. \"We would like to explore this in the future,\" said Silies.</p>','2022-04-05 18:03:57.315953','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz','Scientists have gained new insights into how the eye of Drosophila processes motion patterns that are generated by self-motion through space. They have discovered that direction-selective cells can distinguish six types of global motion patterns.\n',1,53,'<li>Miriam Henning, Giordano Ramos-Traslosheros, Burak Gür, Marion Silies. <strong>Populations of local direction–selective cells encode global motion patterns generated by self-motion</strong>. <em>Science Advances</em>, 2022; 8 (3) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abi7112\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/sciadv.abi7112</a>\n</li>'),(1907,'Late-onset alcohol abuse can be a presenting symptom of dementia','late-onset-alcohol-abuse-can-be-a-presenting-symptom-of-dementia','2022-04-05 18:04:00.081494',' <p class=\"lead\" id=\"first\">Patients who start abusing alcohol later in life -- after age 40 -- may be doing so secondary to an underlying neurologic condition, such as frontotemporal dementia, according to findings by a team of researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University of California, San Francisco. The results are reported in the April 4 issue of the <em>Journal of Alzheimer\'s Disease</em><em>.</em></p><p>Overall alcohol abuse -- classified as when alcohol consumption negatively impacts work or social life or leads to legal ramifications -- is present in 1.7 percent of older adults in the United States. Previous research has identified lifelong alcohol abuse as a risk factor for dementia. However, it has been unknown whether older adults who begin abusing acohol late in life have an underlying neurodegenerative disease. Particularly concerning is that people who begin abusing alcohol because of an underlying neurological condition may be misdiagnosed with primary alcohol abuse and referred to traditional addiction treatment programs, a process that may delay correct diagnosis and appropriate behavioral treatment, expend family resources, and add to patient and caregiver burden.</p><p>\"Our study aimed to identify and compare the frequencies of lifetime alcohol abuse, late-onset alcohol abuse, and alcohol abuse as a first symptom of dementia in a group of patients living with several forms of dementia, including Alzheimer\'s disease and frontotemporal dementia,\" said Georges Nassan, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, and Medical Director for the Division of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and senior author of the paper. \"What we found is that alcohol abuse may be the first sign of an underlying neurological condition when it presents late in life. In fact, up to 7 percent (nearly 1 in 15) of patients with frontotemporal dementia started abusing alcohol late in life, and 5 percent (1 in 20) did so as the first symptom of the disease. While it is important to identify social factors that may lead to alcohol abuse, such as retirement, loneliness, or loss of income/loved ones/housing, our data should implore health care workers to avoid systematically attributing alcohol abuse to these aspects and prompt clinicians to investigate the possibility of frontal lobe dysfunction.\"</p><p>The research team conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective study of patients evaluated at an academic referral center between 1999 and 2017 who had a clinical diagnosis of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), Alzheimer\'s-type dementia, or semantic variant primary progressive aphasia. The presence of alcohol abuse was screened using the National Alzheimer\'s Coordinating Center UDS questionnaire completed by clinicians during patient research visits. Lifelong alcohol abuse was defined as alcohol abuse that began before the patient was 40 years old, late-onset alcohol abuse as abuse that began at age 40 or above, and alcohol abuse as a first symptom of dementia as abuse that started within the first three years, either before or after symptom onset.</p><p>Among the 1,518 participants screened, late-onset alcohol abuse affected 2.2 percent, higher than the 1.7 percent for older adults overall. The research team found that late-onset alcohol abuse was significantly more frequent in patients with bvFTD than those with Alzheimer\'s-type dementia, while there was no difference between the frequency of lifelong alcohol abuse across the three dementia groups. They also found that alcohol abuse as a first symptom occurred in 1.4 percent of all patients, five times more frequently in patients with bvFTD than those with Alzheimer\'s-type dementia. The results indicate not only that late-onset alcohol abuse is much more frequent in bvFTD than Alzheimer\'s-type dementia, but also the likelihood that the biological mechanisms underlying late-onset and lifelong alcohol abuse are different.</p><p>\"Because patients who begin using alcohol late in life are usually first seen by psychiatrists, primary care providers, and rehabilitation specialists, these professionals should be aware of the possibility that a neurodegenerative disease might be underlying the onset of alcohol abuse late in life in people who historically didn\'t abuse alcohol. Therefore, a specific evaluation including checking for other frontal lobe symptoms should be performed, and patients at risk should be referred to a neurologist,\" said Dr. Nassan. \"An early and appropriate diagnosis in those patients is paramount for providing the best management, improving patients\' and families\' quality of life, and channeling patients to appropriate care facilities.\"</p><p>Funding for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health, The National Institute on Aging, and the Larry L. Hillblom Network Grant for the Prevention of Age-Associated Cognitive Declince.</p>','2022-04-05 18:04:00.081494','uploads/news/logo.jpg',1,'The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine','Clinical awareness of connection between alcohol and dementia is paramount to providing the best patient care management.\n',1,27,'<li>Elisa de Paula França Resende, Robin Ketelle, Anna Karydas, Isabel Allen, Lea T. Grinberg, Salvatore Spina, William W. Seeley, David C. Perry, Bruce Miller, Georges Naasan. <strong>Late-Onset Alcohol Abuse as a Presenting Symptom of Neurodegenerative Diseases</strong>. <em>Journal of Alzheimer\'s Disease</em>, 2022; 86 (3): 1073 DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/JAD-215369\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">10.3233/JAD-215369</a>\n</li>'),