Running a successful business has its challenges, but the COVID-19 pandemic has required many owners to pivot and look for new ways to operate profitably while keeping employees and consumers safe. Research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business found that emotional intelligence – the ability to understand, use and manage emotions to relieve stress – may be more vital to a business’ survival than previously thought.
Category: Research Results
Hormonal IUDs Are a Viable and Underutilized Method for Emergency Contraception
in a first-of-its-kind study, University of Utah Health scientists found that hormonal IUDs were comparable to copper IUDs for use as emergency contraceptives. The researchers say the finding supports adding hormonal IUDs to current emergency contraception options.
Detecting ADHD with near perfect accuracy
A new study led by a University at Buffalo researcher has identified how specific communication among different brain regions, known as brain connectivity, can serve as a biomarker for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
In Brazil, many smaller dams disrupt fish more than large hydropower projects
A new University of Washington paper published Jan. 11 in Nature Sustainability quantifies the tradeoffs between hydroelectric generation capacity and the impacts on river connectivity for thousands of current and projected future dams across Brazil. The findings confirm that small hydropower plants are far more responsible for river fragmentation than their larger counterparts due to their prevalence and distribution.
Iowa and Ohio Researchers Discover New, Protective Strategy for Embryonic Development during Prenatal Stress in Animal Model
New research from the University of Iowa and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center demonstrates that offspring can be protected from the effects of prenatal stress by administering a neuroprotective compound during pregnancy.
New concept for rocket thruster exploits the mechanism behind solar flares
A new type of rocket thruster that could take humankind to Mars and beyond has been proposed by a physicist at PPPL. The device would apply magnetic fields to cause particles of plasma to shoot out the back of a rocket and propel the craft forward.
Implementation of ethnic provisions lags in 2016 Colombian Peace Agreement, report finds
The Peace Accords Matrix program (PAM), part of the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, has released its first report monitoring the implementation of 80 stipulations within the 2016 Colombian Peace Agreement related to ethnic communities across the country.
From the clinic to the lab, understanding medulloblastoma relies on molecular profiling
A pair of research papers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital report on a medulloblastoma clinical trial that provides insights to guide treatment and shed light on relapsed disease.
Can Large Fluid-Filled Spaces in the Brain Help Identify Those at Risk of Dementia?
People with enlarged fluid-filled spaces in the brain around small blood vessels may be more likely to develop cognitive problems and dementia over time than people without these enlarged spaces, according to a new study published in the January 27, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Hypnotic Suggestions Can Make a Complex Task Easy by Helping Vision Fill in the Blanks
New research demonstrates that hypnosis—the process of focusing a person’s attention on a specific task or sensation—can turn a normally difficult visual task into a far easier one by helping individuals mentally “fill in the gaps” of missing visual cues.
Geological phenomenon widening the Atlantic Ocean
An upsurge of matter from deep beneath the Earth’s crust could be pushing the continents of North and South America further apart from Europe and Africa, new research has found.
Scientists identify individual neurons responsible for complex social reasoning in humans
For the first time, scientists have identified the individual neurons critical to human social reasoning, a cognitive process that requires us to acknowledge and predict others’ hidden beliefs and thoughts.
Copperizing the Complexity of Superconductivity
Copper oxides have the highest superconducting transition temperatures under normal conditions, but physicists aren’t sure why. A group of international researchers may have stumbled upon a major clue that could help revolutionize our understanding of these superconductive materials.
Heart disease #1 cause of death rank likely to be impacted by COVID-19 for years to come
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2021 Update, published today in the Association’s flagship journal Circulation, and experts warn that the broad influence of the COVID-19 pandemic will likely continue to extend that ranking for years to come.
On nights before a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, study shows
Sleep cycles in people oscillate during the 29.5-day lunar cycle: In the days leading up to a full moon, people go to sleep later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time. Scientists observed these oscillations in urban and rural settings — regardless of an individual’s access to electricity.
‘You say tomato, I say genomics’: Genome sequences for two wild tomato ancestors
Tomatoes are one of the most popular types of fresh produce consumed worldwide, as well as being an important ingredient in many manufactured foods.
Pioneering research unravels hidden origins of Eastern Asia’s ‘land of milk and honey’
A study has revealed for the first time the ancient origins of one of the world’s most important ecosystems by unlocking the mechanism which determined the evolution of its mountains and how they shaped the weather there as well as its flora and fauna.
‘Smart’ cartilage cells programmed to release drugs when stressed
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have engineered cartilage cells to release an anti-inflammatory drug in response to stresses such cells undergo when they are compressed during weight bearing and movement.
Controlling pain after surgery doesn’t have to mean opioids, study shows
As surgeons balance the need to control their patients’ post-surgery pain with the risk that a routine operation could become the gateway to long-term opioid use or addiction, a new study shows the power of an approach that takes a middle way.
Social media study reveals diabetics’ fear of disrupted insulin supplies because of Brexit
Diabetics living in the UK worry about disruption to insulin supplies as a result of Brexit, new research shows.
Culture shapes willingness to share personal data to reduce COVID-19 spread
Culture, civic-mindedness and privacy concerns influence how willing people are to share personal location information to help stem the transmission of COVID-19 in their communities, a new study finds.
Vaccine delivered via skin could help in fight against respiratory diseases
Among infectious diseases that have caused pandemics and epidemics, smallpox stands out as a success story. Smallpox vaccination led to the disease’s eradication in the twentieth century.
Research finds blood pressure can be controlled without drugs after spinal cord injury
Dr. Richi Gill, MD, is back at work, able to enjoy time with his family in the evening and get a good night’s sleep, thanks to research.
Study reveals precarious employment on the rise long before COVID-19
A study led by a University of Illinois Chicago researcher uses a new approach to measure precarious, or low-quality, employment in the United States. And, according to those findings, precarious employment has increased 9% between 1988 and 2016.
New study points to better diagnostics for cancer
A new University of California, Irvine-led study finds a new method for identifying biomarkers may aid in early cancer diagnosis. The study focused on lung cancer, however the Cell Heterogeneity-Adjusted cLonal Methylation (CHALM) method has been tested on aging and Alzheimer’s diseases as well and is expected to be effective for studying other diseases.
T cells can mount attacks against many SARS-CoV-2 targets—even on new virus variant
A new study led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) suggests that T cells try to fight SARS-CoV-2 by targeting a broad range of sites on the virus—beyond the key sites on the virus’s spike protein. By attacking the virus from many angles, the body has the tools to potentially recognize different SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Precision measurements of intracluster light suggest possible link to dark matter
Faint light from rogue stars not bound to galaxies has been something of a mystery to scientists. The dimness of this intracluster light makes it difficult to measure, and no one knows how much there is. Scientists on the Dark Energy Survey, led by Fermilab, have made the most radially extended measurement of this light ever, and they’ve found that its distribution might point to the distribution of dark matter.
Mount Sinai Researchers Build Models Using Machine Learning Technique to Enhance Predictions of COVID-19 Outcomes
Mount Sinai researchers have published one of the first studies using a machine learning technique called “federated learning” to examine electronic health records to better predict how COVID-19 patients will progress.
Fields of Breeders’ Dreams: A Team Effort Toward Targeted Crop Improvements
In Nature, a multi-institutional team including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers has produced a high-quality reference sequence of the complex switchgrass genome. Building off this work, bioenergy researchers are exploring targeted genome editing techniques to customize the crop.
Forests with diverse tree sizes and small clearings hinder wildland fire growth
A new 3D analysis shows that wildland fires flare up in forests populated by similar-sized trees or checkerboarded by large clearings and slow down where trees are more varied.
Purported phosphine on Venus more likely to be ordinary sulfur dioxide, new study shows
A University of Washington-led team has revisited and comprehensively reinterpreted radio telescope observations underlying a 2019 claim of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. They report that sulfur dioxide, a common gas in the atmosphere of Venus, is likely what was detected instead of phosphine.
UAB-developed research tool will help scientists better understand COVID-19
PAGER-CoV is a database packed with nearly 12,000 (so far) pieces of genetic information on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, information that researchers and physicians can use to tailor treatments against the disease.
Up-trending farming and landscape disruptions threaten Paris climate agreement goals
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 27, 2021 — One of President Joe Biden’s first post-inauguration acts was to realign the United States with the Paris climate accord, but a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine demonstrates that rising emissions from human land-use will jeopardize the agreement’s goals without substantial changes in agricultural practices.
Patients who take opioids for pain can’t get in the door at more than half of primary care clinics
People who take opioid medications for chronic pain may have a hard time finding a new primary care clinic that will take them on as a patient if they need one, according to a new “secret shopper” study of hundreds of clinics across the country.
Important Climate Change Mystery Solved by Scientists
Scientists have resolved a key climate change mystery, showing that the annual global temperature today is the warmest of the past 10,000 years – contrary to recent research, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Nature. The long-standing mystery is called the “Holocene temperature conundrum,” with some skeptics contending that climate model predictions of future warming must be wrong. The scientists say their findings will challenge long-held views on the temperature history in the Holocene era, which began about 12,000 years ago.
Experiments at the National Ignition Facility probe carbon at record pressures
Decades of studies have shown that carbon’s crystal structure has a significant impact on material properties. In addition to graphite and diamond, the most common carbon structures found at ambient pressures, scientists have predicted several new structures of carbon that could be found above 1,000 gigapascals (GPa). These pressures, approximately 2.5 times the pressure in Earth’s core, are relevant for modeling exoplanet interiors but have historically been impossible to achieve in the laboratory. That is, until now. Under the Discovery Science program, which allows academic scientists access to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) flagship National Ignition Facility (NIF), an international team of researchers led by LLNL and the University of Oxford has successfully measured carbon at pressures reaching 2,000 GPa (5 times the pressure in Earth’s core), nearly doubling the maximum pressure at which a crystal structure has ever been directly probed.
How does the immune system keep tabs on the brain?
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that immune cells stationed in sinuses in the meninges — the covering of the brain and spinal cord — monitor the brain and initiate an immune response if they detect a problem.
Schizophrenia Second Only To Age as Greatest Risk Factor for COVID-19 Death
People with schizophrenia, a mental disorder that affects mood and perception of reality, are almost three times more likely to die from the coronavirus than those without the psychiatric illness, a new study shows. Their higher risk, the investigators say, cannot be explained by other factors that often accompany serious mental health disorders, such as higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and smoking.
Mira’s Last Journey: exploring the dark universe
Scientists used a supercomputer to perform one of the five largest cosmological simulations ever — the Last Journey. This simulation will provide crucial data for sky maps to aid leading cosmological experiments.
How fat loss accelerates facial aging
For many of us, as we get older the skin on our face begins to sag and we seem to lose volume around our eyes, cheeks and chin. Is gravity taking its toll in our later years or do we lose fat over the course of several years that many of us associate with youth, vibrancy and energy? Understanding the cause is paramount to how plastic surgeons treat the signs of facial aging.
Why People Overuse Antibiotics
The overuse of antibiotics occurs due to the mistaken widespread belief that they are beneficial for a broad array of conditions and because many physicians are willing to prescribe antibiotics if patients ask for the medication, according to a Rutgers study.
Making wheat and peanuts less allergenic
Research uses plant breeding and biotechnology to remove proteins associated with food allergies.
Getting to Net Zero – and Even Net Negative – is Surprisingly Feasible, and Affordable
Reaching zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from energy and industry by 2050 can be accomplished by rebuilding U.S. energy infrastructure to run primarily on renewable energy, at a net cost of about $1 per person per day, according to new research published by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the University of San Francisco (USF), and the consulting firm Evolved Energy Research.
Ultra-absorptive nanofiber swabs could improve SARS-CoV-2 test sensitivity
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have developed ultra-absorptive nanofiber swabs that could reduce the number of false-negative SARS-CoV-2 tests by improving sample collection and test sensitivity.
Detecting trace amounts of multiple classes of antibiotics in foods
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have developed a method to simultaneously measure 77 antibiotics in a variety of foods.
COVID-19 increases mortality rate among pregnant women
The study, which followed 240 pregnant women between March and June 2020, found that the COVID-19 mortality rate in the pregnant women was significantly higher when compared to the COVID-19 mortality rate in similarly aged individuals within Washington state.
Partners in Crime: Genetic Collaborator May Influence Severity of the Rare Disease, NGLY1
In 2012, four-year-old Bertrand Might became the first-ever patient diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called N-glycanase (NGLY1) deficiency. Since then, more than 60 additional patients have been found. University of Utah Health geneticist Clement Chow is investigating the disease, which affects every system of the body.
Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement Risks Are Overestimated, Miller School Study Finds
Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement surgery is a safer procedure than indicated by current surgical risk scores, according to a study published in Innovations, the journal of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery, led by Joseph Lamelas, M.D., chief and program director of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Miami Health System.
At three days old, newborn mice remember their moms
For mice, the earliest social memories can form at three days old and last into adulthood, scientists report on January 26 in the journal Cell Reports.
Two Anti-viral Enzymes Transform Pre-Leukemia Stem Cells into Leukemia
Viral infections and space travel similarly trigger inflammation and the enzymes APOBEC3C and ADAR1; UC San Diego researchers are developing ways to inhibit them as a means to potentially lower cancer risk for both astronauts and people on Earth.