Category: Feature

When musical theater and visual arts summer camps went online at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this summer, staff did not know what to expect. The award-winning camps, presented by UAB’s ArtPlay, are always popular, to the point of selling out all available spaces. Despite the teachers’ fears, campers and their parents loved the new virtual camps.

Portable UV Disinfection Chambers Could Help Address PPE Shortage

Portable disinfection chambers that use ultraviolet (UV) light to inactivate virus particles could allow emergency medical technicians, police officers, healthcare workers, pharmacy technicians, and others to quickly disinfect their personal protective equipment (PPE) as they need it.

Artificial intelligence could improve accuracy, efficiency of CT screening for COVID-19 diagnosis

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are developing a new technique using artificial intelligence (AI) that would improve CT screening to more quickly identify patients with the coronavirus.

UCI researchers launch first-of-its-kind coronavirus statistics portal

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 10, 2020 — Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have unveiled a public website that provides up-to-date statistics on coronavirus infections in Orange County, with comparisons to neighboring and other California counties. The site displays information collected from the California Open Data Portal in an easily comprehended format, giving visitors quick access to the most relevant data on hospitalized patients with COVID-19, intensive care unit patients, new daily cases and new daily deaths caused by the disease.

Computing Nuclei Properties at Lightning Speed

Nuclear physicists have developed a new method for quickly emulating the quantum properties of atomic nuclei. The emulator starts with a training stage that uses a small set of exact calculations, then generates 1 million predictions for the ground-state energy and charge radius of nuclei of oxygen-16. The process takes less than an hour on a personal computer.

Shape-Shifting Selenium; Abrupt Change Found Between Selenium-70 and Selenium-72

Nuclear scientists recently found that the nucleus of the radioactive isotope selenium-72 has a football-like shape. This is similar to the stable, nonradioactive isotopes of selenium, but different from the disk-like shape of radioactive selenium-70 nuclei. This finding helps explain how the interaction between protons and neutrons in nuclei leads to collective behavior.

How does plant disease affect my breakfast?

If plant diseases are not managed properly, our breakfast tables could be vastly different

First Patients in NIH ACTIV-3 Clinical Trial Enroll in Dallas

On Wednesday in Dallas, just one day after the initiative was launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baylor Scott & White Research Institute enrolled the first patient in the world for the ACTIV-3 clinical trial. A second patient was enrolled the following day.

Global climate trend since Dec. 1 1978: +0.14 C per decade

Global Temperature Report: July 2020

DHS S&T Innovation Programs Share Partnership With Oakland-Based Start-Up

DHS S&T SVIP and the DHS SBIR program are leveraging their innovative funding mechanisms to further develop a critical cybersecurity technology from CryptoMove, Inc., a start-up based in Oakland, California.

Take a guided ‘tour’ of SuperCam on the new Mars rover

NASA’s new Perseverance rover, which just started its seven-month journey to Mars, carries on board what is likely the most versatile instrument ever created to understand the planet’s past habitability: SuperCam—and a new podcast will tell listeners all about it.

The Medical Minute: Common eye conditions in children

While pediatricians routinely screen infants and toddlers for vision problems, parents should also be aware of common eye conditions. With knowledge and action, they can help set up their children for healthy vision — for the classroom and beyond.

Planned Medicare Cuts Deal Heavy Blow to Nation’s Ophthalmologists

Ophthalmology lost more patient volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic than any other medical specialty.

UAB Department of Pathology develops strategy to support GuideSafe™ Entry Testing, process more than 200,000 samples

This strategy will allow for ramping up testing capacity tenfold for the next 20-plus days leading up to the start of school.

Button Project Lets Children See the Faces Behind the Masks

When COVID-19 cases began rising in Nashville, masking became a regular part of life across Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Children’s Hospital as one of several public health safety measures to protect employees and patients from potential COVID-19 exposure.

Children’s Hospital decided to get creative to ensure that the 1,700 children and families who visit the hospital and clinics each day can see that the same friendly faces they’ve always known still exist behind the masks.

Understanding the Why of Potato Virus Y

Potatoes are a multi-billion-dollar crop in the US. Potato harvests can be reduced by up to 80 percent because of disease caused by Potato virus Y (PVY) that attacks both the tubers and leaves.

Imitation May Be a Sincere Form of Treatment

The National Institutes of Health will soon launch a phase II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential new therapeutics for COVID-19, including the use of investigational synthetic monoclonal antibodies. Davey Smith of UC San Diego is the protocol chair and answers questions.

NIH harnesses AI for COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring

NIH has launched an ambitious effort to use artificial intelligence, computation, and medical imaging to enable early disease detection, inform successful treatment strategies, and predict individual disease outcomes of COVID-19.

ASSEMBLING OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES

To meet the current and anticipated demand for offshore wind, we’re going to need marshalling ports, large waterside sites with the acreage and weight-carrying capacity necessary to assemble, house and deploy the huge wind turbines ready to ship out into the ocean. A new study from the University of Delaware has identified two prime east coast locations for marshalling ports on either side of the Delaware bay.

RSNA, ACR and AAPM Launch Massive Open-Source COVID-19 Medical Image Database via NIBIB contract with Univ. of Chicago

The nation’s largest medical imaging associations are developing the new Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC), an open-source database with medical images from tens of thousands of COVID-19 patients. The MIDRC will help doctors better understand, diagnose and treat COVID-19.

EPA Approves Thirteen Surface Disinfectants Tested on SARS-CoV-2

The Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) released the following statement today, attributed to Steve Caldeira, President & CEO, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that thirteen surface disinfectants from List N have been tested and proven effective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Brooklyn Heart Patient Saves Own Life Amid COVID-19

Ann Apasewicz was hesitant to seek care at the height of the pandemic, but consulting her NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn doctor saved her life

Big Opportunity for Telemedicine Emerges from COVID-19 Crisis

Phillip Phan, the Alonzo and Virginia Decker Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, discusses promising developments in the field of telemedicine – developments that, ironically, may have been sped up by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Warwick Moto’s electric superbike build racing ahead despite lockdown

A team of 25 students who formed Warwick Moto are designing, building and developing an electric superbike which was due to race this summer

Surgery Milestone Reached for Rutgers Cancer Institute Urologic Oncology Leader at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Urologic Oncology chief marks a major milestone in completing his 2,000th robotic prostatectomy at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility and one of the few hospitals in the state designated to teach surgeons about this technique.

Fauci still considered No. 1 COVID-19 information source; reliance on Trump drops; public support of government response to the coronavirus declines, reports study by USC Center for the Digital Future

A growing number of Americans say federal, state, and local governments are doing a poor job of responding to COVID-19, and Anthony Fauci continues to be the nation’s most relied-upon source about COVID-19, reports a new study by the USC Center for the Digital Future.

Reporting on Local Health Systems

Susan Dentzer, health-care analyst, commentator, journalist, and senior policy fellow at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, discusses local health systems, including how they are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and best practices for reporting on the subject. Carla Anne Robbins, CFR adjunct senior fellow and former deputy editorial page editor at the New York Times, hosts the webinar.

How Police Compare in Different Democracies

Recent killings by U.S. officers have sparked widespread calls for police reform and an end to systemic racism. Here’s how U.S. policing compares with other countries’ approaches.

UCLA launches major mental health study to discover insights about depression

UCLA has launched a major new study, sponsored by and in collaboration with Apple, designed to help revolutionize detection and treatment of depression.

Researchers support college in making data-driven decisions

Behind the scenes of some big decisions, a student-faculty research team is sifting through extensive amounts of COVID-19 data to provide insight to Cornell College campus leaders.

Making the Switch

As higher education pivots to online instruction, the CSU leads the way in exploring and implementing innovative new approaches to teaching, learning and engagement … all with an eye on student success.

Digging into the Roots of Phosphorus Availability

Scientists do not fully understand the mechanisms that plants use to extract phosphorus from soil and incorporate it into their biomass. Now, researchers have developed a new technique to visualize the activity and distribution of enzymes that mobilize phosphate around plant roots.

Paniccioli’s vast hip-hop photo archive launches online

Nearly 20,000 images can now be viewed online as Cornell University Library launches the Ernie Paniccioli Photo Archive, a digital collection chronicling hip-hop music and culture from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

Lab-Created Shock Waves Mimic Supernova Particle Accelerators

When stars explode as supernovas, they produce shock waves in the plasma that blast cosmic rays into the universe at relativistic speeds. How exactly they do that remains a mystery. New experiments using powerful lasers have recreated a miniature version of these supernova shocks in the lab, where scientists can observe how they accelerate particles.

Machine Learning Probes 3D Microstructures

Scientists have developed a machine learning technique for materials research at the atomic and molecular scales. The technique visualizes and quantifies the atomic and molecular structures in three-dimensional samples in real time. It is designed primarily to identify and characterize microstructures in 3D samples.

How Countries Are Reopening Schools During the Pandemic

Educators worldwide are facing the agonizing decision of whether to resume in-person instruction while there’s still no cure for the new coronavirus. Countries including Denmark, India, and Kenya are taking different approaches.

Tackling the Bioethics Challenges Raised by COVID-19

The diverse situations experienced by health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic often present serious ethical challenges. From the allocation of resources and triage protocols to health-care worker and patient rights and the management of clinical trials, new ethical questions have come to the forefront of today’s global public health emergency.

Consumer Behavior Has Shifted Significantly During Pandemic, Survey Reveals

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an increase in telework and online commerce, and a significant decrease in the number of personal trips people are making. Understanding the effects of these rapid changes on the economy, supply chains, and the environment will be essential, as some of these behaviors will continue even after the pandemic has ended. Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently presented the results of two sets of surveys they conducted in an effort to quantify and understand these unprecedented shifts.

Tulane study seeks new insights into panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder

A Tulane University psychologist received a $2.24 million NIH grant to study the causes of panic disorder and PTSD.

Most retirement investors should stay the course in market swings, UAH professor says

In a volatile stock market, retirement-minded investors who are funding a 401(k), IRA or similar investment vehicle should check their allocations and then stay the course, says Dr. John Burnett, an associate professor in the Finance Department of the College of Business at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

Study Seeks to Reduce Barriers to Breastfeeding Premature Babies

To help increase breastfeeding among premature infants, researchers at Rush University Medical Center will test the effects of an intervention that addresses barriers to breastfeeding.

Important Dementia Studies Continuing at UK Despite Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many things to a screeching halt and continues to impact our daily lives. However, important research at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) is continuing under extreme caution and deep dedication.

A monumental study in the field of dementia research is set to get underway in the coming weeks at UK.

Why is testing for soil microbes important?

Various types of microbes are key ingredients to healthy soil

Engineers developing no-touch, mail-in, fast-scan test for COVID-19, other outbreaks

August 1, 2020 sarah JonasFeature

Engineers are developing a no-touch, mail-in, fast-scan diagnostic sensing system that could be used to quickly test for COVID-19 or other outbreaks. The system would also produce a real-time outbreak map with demographic details.

The August 2020 Issue of Neurosurgical Focus Examines Osteoporosis in the Lumbar Spine

Announcement of contents of Neurosurgical Focus’s August issue.

Digital Twin program brings new life to old aircraft

Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR)’s Digital Twin program is using two Blackhawk helicopters and a B-1 Bomber to help the military maintain and repair similar aircraft.

Safer, longer-lasting energy storage requires focus on interface of advanced materials

More studies at the interface of battery materials, along with increased knowledge of the processes at work, are unleashing a surge of knowledge needed to more quickly address the demand for longer-lasting portable electronics, electric vehicles and stationary energy storage for the electric grid.

Ground System for NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Completes Major Review

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has just successfully completed a preliminary design review of the mission’s ground systems, including the Science Operations Center that will be hosted by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland. This means the plan for science operations has met all of the design, schedule, and budget requirements. The mission will now proceed to the next phase: building the newly designed systems that will enable planning and scheduling of Roman observations and managing the resulting data.

COVID-19: Should children skip back-to-school checkups and vaccinations this year?