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Science News Archive July 2017 - Page 12


Page 12 of 37

Approaching to autonomous controlling swarm of UAVs

A new control technique has been developed to achieve tight formation control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), reducing power requirements by minimizing vortices effects. The technique uses an adaptive control scheme to estimate and suppress the aerodynamic interference caused by closely flying UAVs, improving overall performance.

Rush hour pollution may be more dangerous than you think

A Duke University study reveals that rush hour commutes may be more hazardous to human health than previously thought. The levels of particulate matter and chemicals causing oxidative stress found in car cabins were twice as high as roadside sensors, posing a significant risk to drivers' health.

SourceDuke University·JournalAtmospheric Environment·DateJul 21, 2017

Neural nets model audience reactions to movies

A new technique called factorized variational autoencoders (FVAEs) uses neural networks to predict a viewer's facial expressions for the remainder of the movie after observing an audience member for just a few minutes. The approach demonstrated impressive accuracy in predicting reactions, outperforming conventional methods.

Civil unrest after Freddie Gray's death harms health in Baltimore mothers

A new study found that civil unrest after Freddie Gray's death led to a significant spike in maternal depressive symptoms and concerns about daily routines. The research suggests chronic stress may undermine young children's health and well-being, highlighting the need for policies to protect mothers and children from community violence.

SourceUniversity of Maryland Medical Center·JournalAmerican Journal of Public Health·DateJul 21, 2017

How enzymes produce hydrogen

Enzymes called [FeFe]-hydrogenases efficiently convert electrons and protons into hydrogen, offering a potential solution for biotechnological production of the energy source. The team's discovery reveals the crucial role of a complex structure called the H-cluster in facilitating this process.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalNature Communications·DateJul 21, 2017

Name that scotch

Researchers developed a novel sensor array that can detect and differentiate among a diverse range of aldehydes and ketones, providing a sensitive, fast, and inexpensive method for identifying volatile compounds. The array allows for the detection of chemical toxins, safety inspections, and preventative screening in various fields.

SourceWiley·JournalAngewandte Chemie International Edition·DateJul 21, 2017

Sleep disorders may increase cognitive problems particularly in those at risk for Alzheimer's

Research suggests that sleep disorders are associated with diminished cognition in individuals carrying a genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, APOE-ε4 carriers showed greater cognitive deficits with various indices of sleep-disordered breathing compared to those without the allele. The study found increased over...

SourceAmerican Thoracic Society·JournalAnnals of the American Thoracic Society·DateJul 21, 2017

Five times the computing power

FPGAs can now handle five times more calculations, saving industry huge sums and enabling new functionality without hardware replacement. Carl Ingemarsson's method optimizes signal routes in chips to achieve the boost.

SourceLinköping University·JournalIEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Systems·DateJul 21, 2017

Good fighters are bad runners

Research with house mice suggests that a strength in one area of Darwinian fitness may come at the expense of another. Good fighters and good runners had about the same body mass, despite differences in oxygen consumption during running. The findings give a clue as to how trade-offs may have shaped our evolution.

SourceUniversity of Utah·JournalJournal of Experimental Biology·DateJul 21, 2017

Computers using linguistic clues to deduce photo content

Researchers at Disney Research and UC Davis have developed a method for computer vision programs to understand spatial relationships in images based on caption sentence structure. This approach enables accurate visual localizations for language inputs, outperforming baseline systems that do not consider natural language structure.

On the path to vitamin A in rice

Scientists from the University of Freiburg successfully elucidated the three-dimensional structure of phytoene desaturase, a crucial enzyme in carotene production. This breakthrough offers insights into herbicide binding and reaction mechanisms, which may lead to new agents for crop protection and Golden Rice development.

SourceUniversity of Freiburg·JournalStructure·DateJul 21, 2017

The way of change is important!

A case study in Guangdong province finds green building development contributes to local economy but is limited by regional conditions. The research uses system dynamic theory to analyze the relationship between green building and regional economy.

SourceBentham Science Publishers·JournalThe Open Civil Engineering Journal·DateJul 21, 2017

A genetic variation may increase tuberculosis susceptibility

Researchers discovered a single nucleotide polymorphism in the hepcidin promoter gene associated with increased susceptibility to extrapulmonary tuberculosis. This genetic variation leads to decreased hepcidin production, impairing macrophage function and allowing M. tuberculosis to spread to other areas of the body.

SourceMary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News·JournalGenetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers·DateJul 21, 2017

Study reveals most impactful neuroscience research

A study of 100 most-cited neuroscience articles reveals five top research topics: neurological disorders, prefrontal cortex, brain connectivity, brain mapping, and methodology studies. The study allows scientists to quickly identify impactful research in neuroscience.

SourceFrontiers·JournalFrontiers in Human Neuroscience·DateJul 21, 2017

Alzheimer's drug may help treat traumatic brain injury

Researchers found that memantine significantly reduced blood levels of neuron-specific enolase, a marker of neuronal damage, in patients with moderate TBI. The study also showed marked improvements in Glasgow Coma Scale scores on day 3, indicating potential therapeutic benefits.

SourceWiley·JournalThe Journal of Clinical Pharmacology·DateJul 21, 2017