Friday 10 May 2019

The poorest pupils spurn school meals, study finds

Pupils from the poorest backgrounds are the ones most likely to leave school at lunchtime to buy food, a University of Hertfordshire investigation revealed today—and the choice is often chips together with other items high in fat, sugar and salt.

* This article was originally published here

75 years later, French 'HistoPad' offers new view of D-Day

The French and the Americans are working together again on a D-Day project—this time to give museum visitors the opportunity to travel back in time and experience the milestone World War II invasion 75 years later.

* This article was originally published here

Secrets of fluorescent microalgae could lead to super-efficient solar cells

Tiny light-emitting microalgae, found in the ocean, could hold the secret to the next generation of organic solar cells, according to new research carried out at the Universities of Birmingham and Utrecht.

* This article was originally published here

Peer-to-peer bonuses may have unintended negative consequences, expert warns

So-called peer-to-peer bonuses, where colleagues 'tip' or reward each other with points or money, may seem to offer short-term benefits but ultimately end up damaging performance and wellbeing, an HR expert has warned.

* This article was originally published here

Cancer screening rates decline when patients see doctors later in day

Compared to patients who see their primary care doctor earlier in the day, cancer screening rates decline significantly as the day goes on, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School both of the University of Pennsylvania. The researchers, whose findings were published today in JAMA Network Open, believe these rates of decline may be in part due to "decision fatigue"—which results from the cumulative burden of screening discussions earlier in the day—and doctors falling behind in their busy schedules.

* This article was originally published here

Focus on nuclear waste chemistry could help federal cleanup site challenges

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington State University teamed up to investigate the complex dynamics of low-water liquids that challenge nuclear waste processing at federal cleanup sites.

* This article was originally published here

Study shows native plants regenerate on their own after invasive shrubs are removed

Invasive shrubs have become increasingly prevalent in the deciduous forests of eastern North America—often creating a dense understory that outcompetes native plants. Many land managers would like to remove the invaders, but worry about what happens afterwards. Will they need to launch a costly remediation program to reestablish native plant communities?

* This article was originally published here

AI can detect depression in a child's speech

A machine learning algorithm can detect signs of anxiety and depression in the speech patterns of young children, potentially providing a fast and easy way of diagnosing conditions that are difficult to spot and often overlooked in young people, according to new research published in the Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

* This article was originally published here

Scientists introduce novel perspective in robotic capability

University of Illinois researcher Amy LaViers has introduced a new point of view from which to observe robotic capabilities in her paper, "Counts of Mechanical, External Configurations Compared to Computational, Internal Configurations in Natural and Artificial Systems," published today in PLOS ONE, a leading interdisciplinary research journal.

* This article was originally published here

Serotonin boosts neuronal powerplants protecting against stress

Mitochondria in neurons are the powerhouses that generate energy to execute cellular functions and regulate neuronal survival under conditions of stress. Collaborative research by Prof. Vidita Vaidya and Prof. Ullas Kolthur-Seetharam groups at TIFR, along with Dr. Ashok Vaidya, at the Medical Research Centre, Kasturba Health Society, has demonstrated an unusual function for the neurotransmitter serotonin, in the generation of new mitochondria—a process called mitochondrial biogenesis—in neurons, accompanied by increase in cellular respiration and ATP, the energy currency of the cell.

* This article was originally published here

MR imaging evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with SBRT

Although arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) is a key feature of untreated or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), standard response assessment such as modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) should be used with caution, particularly in the early phases after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) therapy, so as not to misinterpret treatment response, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2019 Annual Meeting, set for May 5-10 in Honolulu, HI.

* This article was originally published here

A deep-dive into the impact of arthritis drugs on gene expression

A new computational framework has revealed key differences between four rheumatoid arthritis medications and their impact on biological pathways in mice. Niki Karagianni of Biomedcode Hellas SA, Greece, and colleagues present their new approach and findings in PLOS Computational Biology.

* This article was originally published here