Feature Channels: All Journal News

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In the quest to realize artificial photosynthesis to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into fuel – just as plants do – researchers need to not only identify materials to efficiently perform photoelectrochemical water splitting, but also to understand why a certain material may or may not work. Now scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have pioneered a technique that uses nanoscale imaging to understand how local, nanoscale properties can affect a material’s macroscopic performance.

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Not much is known about whale sharks - and research scientists at Nova Southeastern University's Guy Harvey Research Institute are working to change that.

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One of the essential nutrients for vigorous crop production is nitrogen. Yet most routine tests done in commercial soil testing labs do not measure available nitrogen in the soil. Soil scientists at The Ohio State University and Cornell University think they have found a solution.

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One of the lead researchers of a study showing that Apollo astronauts’ activity likely contributed to slight, local lunar surface warming, would like to clear up misunderstandings that have resulted, particularly in light of the millions of views these reports have since received.

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Sugar improves memory in older adults – and makes them more motivated to perform difficult tasks at full capacity – according to new research by the University of Warwick.Led by PhD student Konstantinos Mantantzis, Professor Elizabeth Maylor and Dr Friederike Schlaghecken in Warwick's Department of Psychology, the study found that increasing blood sugar levels not only improves memory and performance, but makes older adults feel happier during a task.

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By doping alumina crystals with neodymium ions, engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new laser material that is capable of emitting ultra-short, high-power pulses—a combination that could potentially yield smaller, more powerful lasers with superior thermal shock resistance, broad tunability and high-duty cycles.

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An analysis of more than 1,000 people with and without psychiatric disorders has shown that nitrates—chemicals used to cure meats such as beef jerky, salami, hot dogs and other processed meat snacks—may contribute to mania, an abnormal mood state. Mania is characterized by hyperactivity, euphoria and insomnia.

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NYU Langone study serves as an important reminder of how stressful pregnancy can be on the female body and heart, causing a lot of physiological changes, and potentially unmasking risk factors that can lead to heart attack.

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The research shows that a freshwater production strain of microalgae, Auxenochlorella protothecoides, is capable of directly degrading and utilizing non-food plant substrates, such as switchgrass, for improved cell growth and lipid productivity, useful for boosting the algae’s potential value as a biofuel.

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herry producers in New York state and the Great Lakes region don’t have it easy. They face extreme temperatures in the winter, and in the summer, excessive rain can ruin the fruit. But if they can manage to avoid those risks, they stand to cash in: Cherries are one of the most profitable fruit crops, and there’s a growing demand in the Eastern U.S. for locally grown cherries.

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Settling youngsters down to sleep at night isn't always easy. Recent research suggests that the amount of exposure children have to bright light in the hour leading up to bedtime

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To prevent bias in hiring and other contexts, researchers present an algorithm that imposes a fairness constraint on machine learning.

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Engineers at the University of California San Diego have shed new light on a scientific mystery regarding the atomic-level mechanism of the sulfur embrittlement of nickel, a classic problem that has puzzled the scientific community for nearly a century. The discovery also enriches fundamental understanding of general grain boundaries that often control the mechanical and physical properties of polycrystalline materials.

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A study of more than 60,000 women has found that sexual and physical abuse in childhood and adolescence is associated with a greater risk of laparoscopically-confirmed endometriosis diagnosed during adulthood. The study – the largest of its kind – found that women reporting severe-chronic abuse of multiple types had a 79 percent higher risk of laparoscopically-confirmed endometriosis.

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Molecular tracer combined with PET scans show locations and concentrations of abnormal proteins associated with degenerative brain disease

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Professional baseball players who score higher on a test of hand-eye coordination have better batting performance – particularly in drawing walks and other measures of "plate discipline," reports a study in the July issue of Optometry and Vision Science, the official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

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Leading Argonne National Laboratory researcher Seth Darling describes the most advanced research innovations that could address global clean water accessibility.

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The interaction of traveling waves in dissipative systems, physical systems driven by energy dissipation, can yield unexpected and sometimes chaotic results. These waves, known as dissipative pulses are driving experimental studies in a variety of areas that involve matter and energy flows. In the journal Chaos, researchers discuss their work studying collisions between three types of DSs to determine what happens when these traveling waves interact.

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Studying the photochemistry has shown that ultraviolet radiation can set off harmful chemical reactions in the human body and, alternatively, can provide “photo-protection” by dispersing extra energy. To better understand the dynamics of these photochemical processes, a group of scientists irradiated the RNA base uracil with ultraviolet light and documented its behavior on a picosecond timescale. They discuss their work this week in The Journal of Chemical Physics.

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In the heart, aging can disrupt the protein network within muscle cells that move blood around the body. However, a new discovery in how heart muscles maintain their shape in fruit flies sheds light on the crucial relationship between cardiac function, metabolism, and longevity. Researchers have discovered that maintaining high levels of the protein vinculin confers health benefits to fruit flies. Their work, published in APL Bioengineering, shows that fruit flies bred to produce 50 percent more vinculin enjoyed better cardiovascular health and lived a third of their average life span longer.

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Men may recover more quickly from influenza infections because they produce more of a key lung-healing protein, a study from scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

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Getting parched can fuzz attentiveness and make it harder to solve problems. Dehydration can easily put a dent in those and other cognitive functions, a new metadata analysis of multiple studies shows. Researchers at Georgia Tech are particularly interested in possible ramifications for people who toil in the heat around heavy equipment or military hardware.

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Mental health and substance abuse issues in adolescents have become major societal problems, forcing parents and health providers to look for innovative treatment options that may better suit some teens. However, some proven therapy programs, like Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH), can be challenging to access because many are not covered by insurance companies – creating an enormous cost burden for parents. Now, a landmark study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire has found that parents of youth who went through an outdoor behavioral program report that their children showed almost three times the improvement after one year than youth who remained in their communities for more traditional treatment.

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In a new study, Barry Alto and his research group found yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes – two abundant species in Florida -- can carry the Mayaro virus.

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In a new study, biologists have discovered that different versions of a single gene, called NDP (Norrie Disease Protein), have unexpected links between color patterns in pigeons, and vision defects in humans. The gene variations were likely bred into pigeons by humans from a different pigeon species and are now evolutionarily advantageous in wild populations of feral pigeons living in urban environments.

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A Johns Hopkins Medicine analysis of information gathered for an ongoing and federally sponsored study of aging and disability adds to evidence that a substantial majority of older adults with probable dementia in the United States have never been professionally diagnosed or are unaware they have been.

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White mass shooters receive much more sympathetic treatment in the media than black shooters, according to a new study that analyzed coverage of 219 attacks.Findings showed that white shooters were 95 percent more likely to be described as “mentally ill” than black shooters.

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A new study in which Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists compared drug responses in the brains of rodents to drug responses of brain cells cultured in Lab-developed “brain-on-a-chip” devices may be a critical first step to validating chip-based brain platforms, LLNL researchers said.

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According to Clarivate Analytics’ Journal Citation Reports, the 2017 impact factors for AAPS’ journals were all highly ranked in the category of Pharmacology and Pharmacy.

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A new molecule designed by University of Adelaide researchers shows great promise for future treatment of many cancers.

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A new delivery system for bacteriophages—viruses that selectively attack harmful bacteria—could help give doctors a new way to battle lung infections that threaten older patients and people with cystic fibrosis.

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A new study found that 66 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of Independents, and 90 percent of Democrats believe in human-caused climate change and the utility of reducing greenhouse gases. But when mulling proposals, they choose party above policy.

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Within seconds, we make personal choices daily, such as what clothes to wear or what music to play in the car on the way to work. A cognitive neuroscientist at Missouri University of Science and Technology says gut-level decisions are important, and that intuition tends to be accurate for revealing our true preferences.

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A new CU boulder study of 89 countries over five years found that countries which lack due process have the highest homicide rates while those that respect the rights of the accused have the lowest

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New research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates an investigational therapy for an inherited form of ALS extends survival and reverses signs of neuromuscular damage in mice and rats. The findings, published July 16 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, have led to a phase one/two clinical trial to investigate whether the drug could benefit people with ALS whose disease is caused by mutations in a gene called SOD1.

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A study co-authored by a Johns Hopkins University marketing expert says this feeling of revulsion is not limited to counterfeit products; it also may extend to the genuine items being copied. This should raise alarms among the makers of legitimate products that may be subject to counterfeiting, the study warns.

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A team of Florida State University researchers is using artificial intelligence to identify which among hundreds of thousands of hypothetical crystal structures can result in the prediction of new chemical compounds.

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Thousands of miles of buried fiber optic cable in densely populated coastal regions of the United States may soon be inundated by rising seas, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Oregon.

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A team at Washington University in St. Louis has created a bacteria that uses photosynthesis to create oxygen during the day, and at night, uses nitrogen to create chlorophyll for photosynthesis. This development could lead to plants that do the same, eliminating the use of some — or possibly all — man-made fertilizer, which has a high environmental cost.

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Researchers with UNC Lineberger’s Carolina Cancer Screening Initiative, in collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Health Department in Charlotte, examined the impact of mailing tests to more than 2,100 people insured by Medicaid who were not up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening.

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Research conducted in part by a University of Alabama professor seeks to answer the question, “Why do free people willingly choose autocratic leaders who will restrict their liberty?” The research also looks to provide a clearer definition of the abilities, values and personality traits that describe those leaders.

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A new understanding of the microbes and viruses in the thawing permafrost in Sweden may help scientists better predict the pace of climate change.

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Indigenous Peoples have ownership, use and management rights over at least a quarter of the world’s land surface according to a new study published this week in the journal Nature Sustainability.

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An international consortium of labs tested nine different methods for RNA sequencing to understand and standardize the best methods for sequencing small RNAs. The goal was to create a process that could be reproduced from one lab to the next to further the field of liquid biopsies.

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A toddler’s self-regulation – the ability to change behavior in different social situations – may predict whether he or she will be obese come kindergarten, but the connection appears to be much different for girls than for boys.

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A new study published in PLOS ONE by researchers from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development examined the long-term impacts of an early childhood program in Chicago, IL called the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP) and found evidence suggesting that the program positively affected children’s executive function and academic achievement during adolescence.

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Scientists have long known that RNA encodes instructions to make proteins. The building blocks that comprise RNA—A, U, C, and Gs—form a blueprint for the protein-making machinery in cells. In a new study published in Nature, scientists describe how the protein-making machinery identifies alternative initiation sites from which to start protein synthesis.

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Severe infections leading to hospitalizations during childhood are associated with lower school achievement in adolescence, reports a study in the July issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal (PIDJ). The official journal of The European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, PIDJ is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

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Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have successfully shrunk cancerous tumors in mice by manipulating the brain’s reward system. The intervention caused the nervous system to stimulate the immune system.

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New research from Binghamton University, State University at New York finds that mobile coupons can affect both short- and long-term sales goals, and that targeting customers with the right type of mobile coupon can boost revenue.