Thursday 23 May 2019

Research reveals how personality affects susceptibility to persuasion

Researchers at Edge Hill University in England have helped identify personality traits which make people more (or less) susceptible to persuasion than others.

* This article was originally published here

Unique Iron Age shield gives insight into prehistoric technology

A unique bark shield, thought to have been constructed with wooden laths during the Iron Age, has provided new insight into the construction and design of prehistoric weaponry.

* This article was originally published here

Scientists create new standard genome for heavily studied worm

A new Cornell University-led study finds that the genome for a widely researched worm, on which countless studies are based, was flawed. Now, a fresh genome sequence will set the record straight and improve the accuracy of future research.

* This article was originally published here

How a zebrafish could help solve the mysteries of genetic brain disease

A close look at the rapidly developing zebrafish embryo is helping neuroscientists better understand the potential underpinnings of brain disorders, including autism and schizophrenia.

* This article was originally published here

Did Leonardo da Vinci have ADHD?

Leonardo da Vinci produced some of the world's most iconic art, but historical accounts show that he struggled to complete his works. 500 years after his death, King's College London researcher Professor Marco Catani suggests the best explanation for Leonardo's inability to finish projects is that the great artist may have had Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

* This article was originally published here

Of strawberry jelly and earthquakes: Space station investigation studies colloids

If you think your strawberry jelly is unrelated to earthquakes, think again.

* This article was originally published here

Threat or promise? E-auto boom could cost industry jobs

Over 115 years the auto industry in the east German town of Zwickau has lived through wrenching upheavals including World War II and the collapse of communism. Now the city's 90,000 people are plunging headlong into another era of change: top employer Volkswagen's total shift into electric cars at the local plant.

* This article was originally published here

Medication nonadherence common in patients with T2DM

(HealthDay)—Routine urine samples can be used to test for medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

* This article was originally published here

Google Glass struck out for masses but enterprise class has takers

My, have we grown. All eyes are on the Glass Enterprise Edition 2. with its hardware update and new frames. Google Glass has come a long way since its debut in 2013. As Scott Stein in CNET quipped, "You might remember Glass as a strange 2013 footnote."

* This article was originally published here

Home-schoolers see no added health risks over time

Years of home-schooling don't appear to influence the general health of children, according to a Rice University study.

* This article was originally published here

Young athletes may need one-year break after knee surgery

After surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, young athletes are now recommended to undergo at least a year's rehab and thorough testing before resuming knee-strenuous sport. Research shows that those who return to sport relatively soon after surgery incur a highly elevated risk of a second ACL injury.

* This article was originally published here

Studying the function of liver cancer genes in mini-organs

Researchers from the Hubrecht Institute and Radboud University have developed a human model in which they use organoids, or mini organs, to study the function of specific genes that are mutated in liver cancer. Using this method, they have found that mutations in BAP1, a gene commonly mutated in liver cancer, changes the behaviour of the cells, which may make them more likely to be invasive. Their results were published in the scientific journal Cell Stem Cell on the 23 of May.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers gain key insight into solar material's soaring efficiency

The rows of blue solar panels that dot landscapes and rooftops are typically made out of crystalline silicon, the workhorse semiconductor found in virtually every electronic device.

* This article was originally published here

Producing electricity at estuaries using light and osmosis

Most renewable power technologies are weather dependent. Wind farms can only operate when there's a breeze, and solar power plants rely on sunlight. Researchers at EPFL are working on a method to capture an energy source that's constantly available at river estuaries: osmotic power, also known as blue energy.

* This article was originally published here

Translational research uncovers new treatment for fatty liver disease

A team of researchers led by Duke-NUS Medical School and National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) found that deactivating the interleukin 11 (IL11) protein with therapeutic antibodies reverses inflammation and scarring of the liver in patients suffering from untreatable non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The findings, published in Gastroenterology, have implications for the development of drugs to treat the disease.

* This article was originally published here

Hypertension found in children exposed to flower pesticides

In a study published online May 21, 2019 in the journal Environmental Research, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found higher blood pressure and pesticide exposures in children associated with a heightened pesticide spraying period around the Mother's Day flower harvest. This study involved boys and girls living near flower crops in Ecuador.

* This article was originally published here