Articles tagged with Rice
Rice University scientists develop technology to remove specific contaminants from drinking water and wastewater, reducing energy and cost. The system uses composite electrodes that selectively pull target ions, allowing for more efficient treatment and reuse.
Rice University researchers discovered that graphene reinforced with carbon nanotubes 'rebar' can withstand twice the stress of pristine graphene, making it more suitable for flexible electronics. The study demonstrated how rebar helps bridge cracks in graphene under strain.
A new study by Rice University researchers found that Muslim and Protestant scientists are more likely to experience religious discrimination in the US. Researchers also discovered that religious identity can fuel perceptions of discrimination among certain groups, particularly biologists.
A study of firefighters reveals how groups take leaps of faith through supporting and sustaining dynamics. This study breaks new ground in understanding trust-related judgments, shedding light on the role of knowledge and faith in building trust.
Rice University's Luay Nakhleh has received $1.5 million in grants from the NSF to develop algorithms that can infer evolutionary histories of tumor cells, helping researchers understand why some cancer cells spread and mutate differently.
Engineers at Rice University have developed methods to study the neural patterns driving muscle movements in freshwater hydrae, a species that appears ageless and can regenerate its body parts. By analyzing neural activity and muscle responses, the team hopes to uncover similarities with other animals and gain insights into their nervo...
The Rice University scientists found that the catalyst starts nanotubes with various chiral angles but redirects almost all of them to the fast-growing variant (12,6). The cause appears to be a Janus-like interface composed of armchair and zigzag segments.
The US Department of Energy awards Rice University researchers $1.1 million to develop single-particle spectroscopy techniques and analyze mechanisms to improve nanoparticle-based electrocatalysts. The goal is to fine-tune nanoscale electrocatalysts for future applications in various industrial processes.
Rice University researchers found widespread contamination by E. coli and high levels of antibiotic-resistant genes in water and sediment samples collected after Hurricane Harvey. These findings highlight the need for caution when handling stagnant floodwaters, especially for immunocompromised individuals or those with open wounds.
A team of researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine has discovered a weak link in the flu virus protein hemagglutinin that could be targeted by therapeutic drugs. By analyzing the protein's mechanism of attachment to host cells, they propose a new approach for developing universal vaccines.
Rice plants engineered to have fewer stomata are more tolerant of drought and resilient to future climate change, conserving water and surviving longer under drought and high temperatures. This discovery has significant implications for food security as much of the global rice crop relies on rain-fed agricultural systems.
Researchers found that ancient rock sulfur isotope anomalies align in rivers eroding the rocks, supporting the timing of oxygen's appearance around 2.7 billion years ago. The balance suggests a robust oxygenation event, allowing for better understanding of complex life's emergence.
Researchers found anomalous oxygen isotopes in an ancient Canadian lake bed, hinting at life on ancient Earth's surface. The study provides evidence of a lower gross primary production during the Proterozoic eon, shedding light on the evolution of life on Earth.
Researchers at Rice and Northwestern universities discovered how different lattice arrangements of borophene can combine into new crystal-like forms, exhibiting metallic properties and unique electronic structure. The findings suggest potential applications in flexible and transparent electronic interconnects, electrodes, and displays.
Researchers Ang Chen and Eugene Ng aim to optimize components along data streams to analyze big data efficiently. They plan to intelligently process and reduce data before it reaches servers, potentially generating partial answers.
Researchers at Tohoku University have identified a key gene responsible for deepwater rice's ability to thrive in flood conditions. The SD1 gene enables the plant to increase its height and accumulate ethylene, allowing it to ride out lengthy floods.
A new study identifies the SD1 gene as responsible for the deepwater rice adaptation, which enables plants to rapidly grow taller to keep above floodwaters. This discovery highlights the intrinsic complexity of plant adaptation strategies and could offer solutions for breeding modern rice varieties to cope with climate change.
A Rice University neurobiologist and cancer researcher has created a new type of zebrafish that produces fluorescent tags in migratory embryonic nerve precursor cells. The goal is to find the origins of neuroblastoma, which could potentially lead to treatments for cancers where SOX proteins play a role.
Researchers at Rice University have developed an energy landscape model that details the combination of forces driving nuclear motion in cells. The model, based on a protein folding algorithm, reveals the presence of dynamically associated domains and phase separation in chromatin segments.
A study published in Science Advances suggests replacing rice with alternative crops like maize, finger millet, or sorghum could reduce irrigation water demand by 33 percent while improving iron and zinc production. However, more research is needed to evaluate the potential benefits on a case-by-case basis for each district.
A new study by Rice University ecologists suggests that saving lemurs could be key to saving the island's largest trees. Lemurs disperse seeds of many hardwoods, but their loss may lead to a change in forest composition, reducing carbon sequestration potential.
Researchers found that host plant quality determines whether brown planthoppers grow short wings or long wings, with higher glucose levels triggering the development of long-winged adults. This discovery could lead to new methods for controlling the insect, a major pest on rice in Asia.
A new study shows that combining machine learning and quantum chemistry can help chemical engineers at Rice University and Penn State find fundamental correlations in large amounts of data. This allows them to narrow down their search and design more efficient catalysts, which can translate into millions of dollars for companies.
Researchers link abnormal TOR activity to oxidative stress and degeneration in both muscle cells and neurons. This discovery has broad implications for understanding diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, and HSP, and may lead to new therapeutic targets.
A new study from the University of Illinois provides information on the effects of rice bran on growth performance and carcass quality of growing-finishing pigs. The results show that including 30% full-fat rice bran in diets improves gain-to-feed ratio without affecting carcass characteristics or meat quality.
A team led by Jane Grande-Allen and Dr. Sundeep Keswani will develop computer models to predict DSS lesions in the left ventricular outflow tract, aiming to prevent fibrotic lesions and treat other cardiovascular diseases associated with altered flow.
Rice University's NESMD technology uses nanoparticles and sunlight to desalinate water in one step, reducing energy costs compared to traditional methods. The technology has shown promising results in laboratory-scale tests, with the potential for further optimization and scaling up for field testing.
Ming Tang, a Rice University materials scientist, is awarded a $150,000 annual grant to study morphological instability mechanisms in electrodeposition of active metals. The goal is to apply the findings to next-generation rechargeable batteries for lithium, zinc, sodium, and potassium.
Researchers found that barnacle density decreases with depth and extent of coral cover, suggesting a preference for spreading out. This study provides insight into the importance of barnacles in reef erosion and their potential as indicators of reef health.
Researchers create environmentally friendly composite binder using fly ash, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and the need for sodium-based activators. The new binder replaces Portland cement in concrete production with minimal impact on compressive strength.
Researchers create 3D laser-induced graphene (LIG) foam with excellent performance in lithium-ion capacitors, exceeding graphite's theoretical limit. The process is easily scaled and scalable to complex shapes using a custom-built fiber lasing system.
A University of Guelph study found that swapping half of a portion of starchy side dishes with lentils can significantly improve the body's response to carbohydrates. Replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35-per-cent drop in blood glucose levels.
eVOLVER, an open-source system developed by Rice University, enables high-throughput continuous cell culturing using automated growth experiments. The system can support 96-chamber experiments and allows for real-time data tracking and monitoring of culture conditions, making it suitable for applications in synthetic biology and antibi...
PlinyCompute is a system designed for developing high-performance big data codes, offering faster implementation of complex object manipulation and library-style computations compared to Spark. The platform was developed by Rice University's DARPA-funded Pliny Project team, which aims to create sophisticated programming tools using mac...
Researchers have discovered that exposure to cattle and rice farming are risk factors for the devastating disease leptospirosis in northern Tanzania. Cattle and work in rice fields are associated with acute leptospirosis, suggesting that controlling Leptospira infection in livestock could play a role in preventing human infection.
Researchers at Rice University and Los Alamos National Laboratory developed a scale to measure exciton binding energy in perovskite quantum wells, enabling the design of efficient optoelectronic devices. This breakthrough could impact solar cells, LEDs, and other technologies.
A new study found that letters of recommendation written for women are more likely to contain words or phrases that raise doubts about job or education qualifications. The researchers defined four categories of doubt-raisers: negativity, faint praise, hedging, and irrelevant information.
A new study by Rice University sociologist Robert Werth suggests that risk assessment tools in the US parole system contribute to higher incarceration rates. The study found that these tools consider everyone a risk, leading to an environment where most people are supervised closely.
Rice University researchers develop a molecular modeling framework that combines experimental data with coarse-grained simulations, enabling more accurate protein dynamics modeling. The technique reveals unanticipated molecular properties and can be scaled up to larger systems, reducing simulation time by hours.
Researchers at Embrapa have developed improved rice varieties with increased yields and reduced plant height, allowing for more efficient use of resources. Over a 45-year period, grain yield improved by an average of 0.62-0.73% per year, resulting in thousands of pounds in increased yield for farmers.
Researchers from Rice University and Duke University developed a new method to accurately estimate the number of identified victims killed in the Syrian civil war. Using 'hashing with statistical estimation,' they produced real-time estimates with a lower margin of error than existing methods.
Researchers from Rice University and Michigan Medicine developed a tool to analyze brain waves during periods of rest. They found that these ripples can be used to reconstruct memories of an environment, even when the animals were not actively exploring. The study provides new insights into how brains sort and store information.
Psychologists at Rice University argue that organizations must provide training, support, and opportunities for growth to eliminate the wage gap. The researchers highlight myths regarding the gap and offer suggestions for its elimination, including removing barriers, providing equal growth opportunities, and promoting diversity.
New research by Rice University geophysicists reveals that the asthenosphere's convective cycling and pressure-driven flow can move faster than the tectonic plates on top of it. This challenges a long-held theory that the lithosphere moves independently of the asthenosphere.
Research finds that rice grown under higher carbon dioxide concentrations has lower levels of iron, zinc, protein, and vitamins B1, B2, B5, and B9. This decrease may exacerbate malnutrition among populations relying heavily on rice as a staple food source.
A study found that rice grown under higher CO2 concentrations has lower nutritional value, particularly in protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B content. This decrease may have significant implications for the health of populations relying heavily on rice as a primary food source.
A new study found that increased CO2 levels in rice can lead to lower levels of four key B vitamins and reduced protein, iron, and zinc. The nutritional deficits could have a disproportionate impact on health outcomes in the poorest rice-dependent countries.
Rice University researchers have synthesized and isolated plasmonic magnesium nanoparticles that show promise with all the benefits of their gold and silver cousins. The particles proved to be unexpectedly robust and can concentrate light in nanoscale volumes, useful for chemical and biological sensors.
Boron nitride nanotubes have been enhanced using the Billups-Birch reaction process, allowing for functionalization and modification of their properties. This enables the creation of new composite materials with tunable properties, opening up possibilities for various applications.
Researchers deciphered the workings of a common bacterial switch that regulates protein production, revealing a snap-lock mechanism. This discovery could lead to new antibiotics as gram-positive bacteria use T-box riboswitches to regulate protein production.
Researchers from Rice University found that garnet steals the most iron from continents, contradicting 40-plus years of geophysical thinking. This discovery has weighty implications for understanding Earth's atmosphere and potentially Mars' rusty landscape.
A genetic analysis reveals leafcutter ants originated in South America and owe their success to more than just crop selection. The ants' ability to consume fresh leaves allows them to access a vast ecosystem, enabling massive colonies with specialized tasks.
Recipients of government aid in rural Indonesia receive 26% more subsidized rice after receiving simple information cards with program details. The study found that tangible information provides bargaining power, allowing villagers to negotiate better outcomes.
A 2017 theory by Rice University physicists Qimiao Si and Emilian Nica helps explain the behavior of an iron-based high-temperature superconductor, solving a long-standing puzzle. The theory proposes orbital-selective pairing as the key to understanding this phenomenon, revealing a new mechanism for these unusual materials.
A study by Rice University found that reflecting on personal possessions can reduce impulse buying by lowering willingness to pay for new products. The researchers discovered that people who reflected on using their possessions recently were less likely to buy impulsively and expressed a lower willingness to pay for new items.
A meta-analysis of 168 studies across six continents shows that importing Brazilian and US soybeans led to widespread land-use changes, increasing nitrogen pollution by over 100,000 metric tons. The study highlights the need for sustainable agricultural practices in both exporting and importing countries.
Researchers found that the sex composition and mating dynamics of a fruit fly community significantly impact disease transmission rates. Males faced a greater risk of infection when outnumbered by females, highlighting the importance of social context in disease spread.
Hematene, a 3-atom-thick material extracted from iron ore, shows promise as an efficient photocatalyst for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Its magnetic properties also make it suitable for spintronic-based devices.
A Rice University team is part of a $25 million study investigating the collapse of Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica. The team will use marine geological and geophysical data to examine how the glacier retreated in the past and determine key boundary conditions controlling its retreat.
Researchers at Rice University have discovered exceptional points in a unique material, enabling continuous tuning of light and matter coupling. This breakthrough may lead to novel quantum technologies like advanced information storage and one-dimensional lasers.