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Science News Archive September 2020 - Page 3


Page 3 of 49

Hospital-based specialist palliative care may slightly improve patient experience and increase their chances of dying in their preferred place (measured by home death)

A Cochrane Review found that hospital-based specialist palliative care may offer small benefits for patient-centred outcomes like quality of life, symptom burden, depression, and satisfaction with care. The review also showed an increased likelihood of patients dying in their preferred place by 22%, measured by home death.

SourceKing's College London·JournalCochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·DateSep 30, 2020

Heading upriver

Researchers have discovered that rivers will jump course more often on deltas than in the past, with avulsions occurring up to 20 times farther upstream. The combination of sea level rise, increased floods, and finer sediment size enables these destructive events to occur ever farther inland.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateSep 30, 2020

Researchers exploit weaknesses of master game bots

A new algorithm has been developed by Penn State researchers to train adversarial bots that can exploit weaknesses in master game bots using deep reinforcement learning. The algorithm successfully defeated a world-class AI bot in StarCraft II, highlighting the security threat of using such agents.

Welsh-medium school pupils underperform in tests despite more advantaged backgrounds

A new study by Lancaster University found that Welsh-medium school pupils consistently score lower than their English-speaking counterparts in standardised tests. Despite attending schools with wealthier families and having more access to resources at home, these pupils still fail to match the academic performance of their peers.

SourceLancaster University·JournalCylchgrawn Addysg Cymru / Wales Journal of Education·DateSep 29, 2020

Generating renewable hydrogen fuel from the sea

A team of Penn State researchers has integrated water purification technology into a sea water electrolyzer, which uses an electric current to split apart the hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules. This new method can make it easier to turn wind and solar energy into a storable and portable fuel.

SourcePenn State·JournalEnergy & Environmental Science·DateSep 29, 2020

Can mobile tech offer new pathways to improve recovery from serious traumatic injuries?

A new study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing demonstrates the potential of mobile technology in improving recovery from serious traumatic injuries. The research showed that mobile health monitoring was feasible and acceptable for tracking biometric indicators of physical activity and sleep among Black men recovering ...

Forgetting past misdeeds to justify future ones

In a study published in PNAS, researchers found that when participants were informed they could return some of the money they had overreported, they forgot their past cheating behavior more accurately. This 'unethical amnesia' allowed them to restore their reputation, making it more acceptable for future moral breaches.

SourceCNRS·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 29, 2020

Facile synthesis of quinoline in water

Quinoline and its derivatives have diverse chemical and pharmacological properties. The new water-mediated synthetic method offers environmentally friendly and regioselective transformations. This innovation provides an alternative route for the synthesis of quinolines, minimizing waste and improving efficiency.

SourceBentham Science Publishers·JournalCurrent Organic Chemistry·DateSep 29, 2020

Identified the cellular process by which Cisplatin chemotherapy causes neuronal damage

Researchers have identified the cellular process by which Cisplatin chemotherapy causes neuronal damage, revealing that it induces senescence of peripheral neurons through overexpression of the p21 protein. This discovery provides new targets for neuroprotective treatments to alleviate or avoid the adverse effects of Cisplatin.