Cloud-Based Software Helps Farmers on the Ground

Producers already use the software for many purposes. For example, many citrus growers want to take inventory of their trees, including the size of each tree. Gathering this data normally requires farmers to manually count trees and measure them. The software streamlines that process. They can also use the software to see which parts of their fields – or which fruit varieties — perform better.

Machine learning in agriculture: scientists are teaching computers to diagnose soybean stress

Machine learning could lead to automated processes that would allow soybean producers to diagnose crop stresses more efficiently. A multi-disciplinary team at Iowa State University recently received a grant to develop the technology, which could lead to unmanned aerial vehicles surveying fields and automatically analyzing crop images.

Are Children Interested in Politics? University of Kentucky Researcher Provides Insight in New Study

With the 2020 U.S. presidential election fast approaching, should the youngest members of society be engaged in the political discussion? Findings of a new collaborative study — conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky, University of Kansas, University of Texas at Austin, Whitman College and University of Texas at Tyler — aim to answer that question by providing insight into children’s reactions to the 2016 presidential election.

Failed Cancer Drug Looks Promising For Scleroderma And Other Fibrotic Conditions

Sixteen years ago, a research group at Mayo Medical School published results showing that a protein called TRAIL can kill cells that cause liver fibrosis but no one seemed to follow up on these findings. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have improved on this protein and shown that it selectively kills cells that cause the hardening of skin associated with scleroderma, effectively reversing the condition in mice genetically engineered to mimic the disease. A report on these results was published earlier this year in Nature Communications.

Kim Kardashian West impacted by autoimmune disease, a major women’s health issue.

Named a major women’s health issue by the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Research on Women’s Health, it is no surprise that the number of celebrities impacted by autoimmune disease is on the rise. Kim Kardashian West recently opened up about the impact of autoimmune disease on her life. Other celebrities with autoimmune disease diagnoses include Venus Williams, Selena Gomez, and Missy Elliott.

Predictors of Response to Guadecitabine Found in Relapsed/Refractory AML Patients

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a leukemia which arises from bone marrow tissue, often see remission following their initial treatment, but for patients whose cancer returns, there are few options. One such option is guadecitabine, a novel DNA hypomethylating drug which slows problematic changes to a person’s epigenetic profile, but the drug is ineffective in a select number of relapsed or refractory AML patients and there has not been a way to determine who stands to benefit and who does not.

However, researchers from the Coriell Institute for Medical Research have found certain biomarkers which can indicate a patient’s likelihood for success. Their findings were published in Clinical Epigenetics in July.

Psychedelics in Psychiatry? Studies Show Benefits of Hallucinogenic Drugs for Mental Health Treatment

A growing body of evidence suggests that LSD, psilocybin, and other hallucinogenic drugs may have therapeutic benefits for patients with psychiatric disorders, according to a research review in the September issue of Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

World’s largest optical lens shipped to SLAC

When the world’s newest telescope starts imaging the Southern sky in 2023, it will take photos using optical assemblies designed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers and built by Lab industrial partners. A key feature of the camera’s optical assemblies for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, under construction in northern Chile, will be its three lenses.

NSF awards two ‘convergence accelerator’ pilot grants to UNC Charlotte

Two faculty teams at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have received awards in phase 1 of the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator program, a major new research investment by the agency, designed to “accelerate use-inspired convergence research in…

Satellite study of Amazon rainforest land cover gives insight into 2019 fires

LAWRENCE — Throughout August and early September 2019, media around the world have reported on the extensive forest fires ravaging Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. Much of the concern stems from the Amazon’s significance to regulating the world’s climate. According to the…

Researchers produce synthetic Hall Effect to achieve one-way radio transmission

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have replicated one of the most well-known electromagnetic effects in physics, the Hall Effect, using radio waves (photons) instead of electric current (electrons). Their technique could be used to create advanced communication…

Humans more unique than expected when it comes to digesting fatty meals

DAVIS, CALIFORNIA, September 12, 2019–People have very individualized inflammatory responses to eating a high-fat meal. These were the somewhat unexpected results of a study recently published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry by researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS)…

Heterogeneity in the workplace: ‘Diversity is very important to us — but not in my team’

Diversity in the workplace is highly sought in theory, but often still lacking in practice. A new study shows that people tend to favor diversity for others, but prefer to work with people who are as similar to themselves as…

Why is Earth so biologically diverse? Mountains hold the answer

What determines global patterns of biodiversity has been a puzzle for scientists since the days of von Humboldt, Darwin, and Wallace. Yet, despite two centuries of research, this question remains unanswered. The global pattern of mountain biodiversity, and the extraordinarily…

Search tightens for genes driving prostate cancer

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is set up to fund individual projects in fields like genomics, computational biology, and pathology. Now researchers at University of Colorado Cancer Center are taking advantage of an innovative new program in cancer systems biology…

Repeated periods of poverty accelerate the ageing process

Genetics, lifestyle and environment are all factors that somehow influence when and how we all age. But the financial situation is also important. Now, researchers from the Center for Healthy Aging and the Department of Public Health have found that…

New book provides a roadmap for companies to address demands from multiple stakeholders

Toronto – Companies are increasingly facing intense pressures to address stakeholder demands from every direction: consumers want socially responsible products; employees want meaningful work; investors now screen on environmental, social, and governance criteria; “clicktivists” create social media storms over company…