Safe, reliable access to nutritious food is a challenge for many nations, and Earth’s changing climate adds an further challenges for ensuring crop productivity. To ensure food security, production needs to be environmentally sustainable, and soil microbial inoculants may be part of the solution. Dr Maureen O’Callaghan from AgResearch Ltd and her team have assessed published research literature to understand the opportunities and limitations of soil microbial inoculants. Read the original resear...
Mar 31, 2023•11 min
Accumulation of fat in the liver (hepatosteatosis) and muscle (myosteatosis) affects normal physiological functioning, leading to poorer health outcomes. But what is the concurrence of these two conditions in the general population, and are there common underlying mechanisms? Professor Julie Pasco and colleagues at Deakin University and Barwon Health in Australia investigate these metabolic alterations in a population-based study providing vital clinical insight. Their results suggest fat build-...
Mar 29, 2023•9 min
Treatment of prostate cancer has changed dramatically over the years, with multiple treatment options including chemotherapy, refined hormonal therapies, radiotherapies, surgery and others currently available, depending on the patient and their disease. Dr Sakir Mutevelic, Chief Medical Officer at Curium, has witnessed the tremendous progress in cancer treatment options and the increased survival rate that goes with them. Today, we’re talking with him about an investigational treatment for metas...
Mar 27, 2023•16 min
We all get bored at work from time-to-time, but some jobs are more monotonous than others. Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, mindfulness has been found to be an effective way to improve the boredom associated with remote working. So could boredom during jobs such as working on an assembly line or providing delivery services be improved with mindfulness practices too? Prof Jochen Reb at Singapore Management University is part of an international team of researchers trying to understand ho...
Mar 24, 2023•11 min
The latest generations of cars now carry technology borrowed from industries ranging from machine learning to medical imaging, contributing to enhanced hazard detection, camera operation and autonomous functions. In this episode, Florian Friedl from Hamamatsu Photonics joins us to talk about the role of their light sensing technologies play in modern motor vehicles,and what the future may hold for the cutting edge of photon detection. Find more from Hamamatsu at their website....
Mar 22, 2023•25 min
The history of logic tells us that the binary-based logic proposed by Aristotle was, and continues to be, a pervasive force. Logic does, however, have a complex history and, in more recent years, the concept of 'fuzzy-logic' has emerged as a counter to the rigidity of Aristotelian logic and decision making. Fuzzy logic is an attempt to bridge the gap between mathematics and the fuzzy way humans naturally talk, think, and interact with the world. Edy Portmann is a transdisciplinary researcher and...
Mar 20, 2023•9 min
The COVID-19 virus and subsequent series of lockdowns had a major effect on mortality among the young and old of different countries. Whilst this may be a sensitive topic for some listeners, it is important to understand lockdowns in the case of future epidemics. Professor Lin Ma and colleagues at the World Bank and University of Michigan investigate the impact of economic downturns following national lockdown protocols, and their link to deaths in respective countries. The researchers reveal an...
Mar 17, 2023•10 min
Lung cancer accounts for one of the highest numbers of cancer related deaths, and - among its disease subtypes - HER2 mutations can play a key role in tumour initiation and growth. Unfortunately no targeted therapy is yet available to treat the most common HER2 mutations. Dr Birgit Wilding, Dr Ralph Neumueller, Dr Flavio Solca, and colleagues at Boehringer Ingelheim have been researching these HER2 mutations, and have developed drugs that inhibit the abnormal HER2 signalling driving cancer growt...
Mar 15, 2023•10 min
Ageing populations and the rise of globalisation demand that the life science and healthcare industries keep pace with speedy social changes, and technical advancements demand links with other industries. This can present complex legal problems. With these challenges in mind, Takanori Abe, International attorney-at-law, patent attorney and guest professor at Osaka University in Japan offers insight for organisations navigating these emerging and challenging fields. Read more at: Research Outreac...
Mar 13, 2023•10 min
In a “flipped classroom”, students are introduced to the learning materials prior to the class; the time in class is then used to deepen understanding. But how effective is that style of active learning for computer programming? Professors Benjamin Gan and Eng Lieh Ouh at Singapore Management University study how students taking a beginner class in programming using the Python computer language, describe their learning experiences. Read the original paper: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_rese...
Mar 10, 2023•11 min
Dr Rebekah Humphreys, senior lecturer at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and specialist in applied ethics, considers how it is possible to become desensitised to the use of animals for scientific research. Humphreys explores our emotional responses and moral feelings towards animals within the context of research. She considers those who work in animal research, and the legislation surrounding animal testing. Read more in Research Outreach Read their original article: https://doi.or...
Mar 08, 2023•9 min
Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A), often referred to as ‘Botox’, is increasingly in cosmetic procedures. However, long-term use and high doses of BoNT-A may lead to immunoresistance, limiting its future therapeutic benefit. A panel of experts including Dr Mary Dingley , Cosmetic Medicine Centre, Australia, is addressing this emerging issue. They offer guidance to practitioners and promote a culture of open communication with patients about BoNT-A risks, to empower individuals to make a fully infor...
Mar 06, 2023•12 min
With a reported 60% of employees reported experiencing workplace bullying within the last 6 months , the negative effect of mistreatment on their work-related attitudes and performance, as well as their general health, can be far-reaching and long lasting , What is causing this alarming rate of anti-social behaviour? An international team of researchers, including Dr Kenneth Tai from Singapore Management University, collectively predicted that gender and bottom-line mentality would have an inter...
Mar 03, 2023•10 min
Decarbonising energy production requires power plant operators to change to green technology. Using models of the German energy system and realistic future scenarios, Dr Johannes Schaffert and his research partners have been investigating the regulatory system that will be needed to enable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the authors have been conducting a business analysis for turning renewable energy, such as electricity, into synthetic hydrogen gas and green methane. Rea...
Mar 01, 2023•11 min
There are many reasons why people drop out of high school education, from bullying or family circumstances to having unrecognised learning difficulties. So, how can staff professional development bring lasting change in education for those who've missed out? Research by Dr Alexandra Youmans and Dr Lorraine Godden suggests that paying greater attention to the professional development of teachers and support staff can increase the accessibility of adult education and improve educational outcomes f...
Feb 27, 2023•10 min
The computer chip shortage has prompted Dr Geert van Kollenburg and his colleagues at Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands, to find data-driven methods to optimise chip manufacturing processes. As part of the MadeIn4 project, they have developed a predictive discarding framework in which quality predictions from artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are used to decide on whether to discard an unfinished product. This approach can improve both the profitability and sustainability...
Feb 24, 2023•5 min
Women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, or FHA – one of the most common types of secondary amenorrhoea - do not ovulate. Johannes Ott and Marlene Hager of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the Medical University of Vienna, in Austria are investigating the causes of secondary amenorrhoea - also known as “paused periods” or “missed periods,” which are not due to pregnancy, and how FHA, Polycystic Ovarian Morphology (PCOM) and serum hormone balances impact diagnoses. Read more ...
Feb 22, 2023•9 min
Electronic waste (e-waste) contains a range of materials, including precious metals, which could be salvaged for reusable components and continue to offer economic value. Dr Aidan Marc Wong investigates the central role of informal labour, in particular the karung guni in Singapore and Malaysia, who collect, disassemble, sort, and transform recycling and e-waste into raw materials for reuse. Dr Wong discusses how such informal labourers can identify raw materials that contain unrealised value, a...
Feb 17, 2023•9 min
Ophelia Mantz and Rafael Beneytez Duran from the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston present nature as a source of inspiration for architecture in contribution to a new book about urban resilience. They argue that humanity has forgotten its origins and its dependence on nature, and that what we need is a new contract with nature and a new paradigm – contingency. Read more about their work : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85847-6_26...
Feb 15, 2023•11 min
In her book 'Advancing Healthcare Through Personalized Medicine', science writer Dr Priya Hays has compiled an authoritative and highly detailed account of how technology is changing healthcare. Read more in Research Features Read it now at : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80100-7
Feb 10, 2023•7 min
Programming codes are traditionally based on binary numbering systems–everything is expressed in values of 0 or 1 in line with the true or false principles of classical logic. Fuzzy logic is different in that it takes a non-binary approach and allows for infinite values between 0 and 1. Andreas Meier, emeritus professor of data science at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, is on a mission to raise awareness of the importance of fuzzy-based ...
Feb 08, 2023•9 min
Preschool children have an extraordinary capacity to learn and use different languages, embracing the gestural, musical, and visual cues associated with languages to make sense of the world around them. This ‘translanguaging’ transcends concerns of socially and politically defined boundaries beyond multilingualism. Dr Gabrijela Aleksić and colleagues designed a programme to help teachers leverage children’s translanguaging skills, especially in classes with children from immigrant or refugee fam...
Feb 06, 2023•10 min
Mathematics and physics extend the notion of dimensionality beyond the usual perception of three dimensions to consider higher-dimensional spaces. The formulae describing properties such as area and volume of some geometric objects can result in indefiniteness, particularly when dealing with negative dimensions. Dr Szymon Łukaszyk, an independent researcher in Poland, has discovered recurrence relations that can remove the indefiniteness in these formulae. His investigation into the properties o...
Feb 03, 2023•11 min
Lung surgery, like every other type of surgery, can have complications that sometimes require further procedures to be dealt with. Surgeons are always looking for new ways to keep these procedures as minimally invasive as possible, but they also have to ensure these are effective and safe. Consultant surgeon Mr David Waller and his surgical trainee Miss Michelle Lee at the Department of Thoracic Surgery in St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, routinely deal with complex cases of lung surgery. They...
Feb 01, 2023•9 min
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections and contribute to antibiotic use and the healthcare burden each year. Women are more susceptible, and oestrogen receptors have been found to play a key role played by in the aetiology of UTIs and other diseases Dr Rashmi Kaul and Dr Anil Kaul, of the Center for Health Sciences at Oklahoma State University, US, hope that by increasing understanding of the links between oestrogen and UTIs it may be possible to develop ...
Jan 29, 2023•11 min
Despite the shocking levels of gun violence in the USA and in the Americas, medical practitioners are taught little more than dealing with the direct biologic outcomes of bullets. Understanding gun violence as a disease requires examining complex behavioural health, environmental, and social issues not commonly imbedded in medical school curricula. Leading American emergency physician and gun violence researcher Stephen Hargarten and colleagues from the Medical College of Wisconsin are calling f...
Jan 27, 2023•10 min
With a predicted global population of 9 billion by 2050, there is a need for increased, sustainable food production. Additionally, climate change will have an effect on soil and crop health, due to changes in weather patterns and disease distribution. Dr Philippe Rolshausen at the University of California in Riverside specialises in tree crops, viticulture and plant pathology. In today's podcast, he explains the role plant microbiomes , and how increased understanding of small changes in plant e...
Jan 25, 2023•37 min
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection globally, more than 80% of sexually active people will be infected at some point. It can cause genital warts and several types of cancer. Although a vaccine against HPV infection has been available since 2006, vaccination rates in the US remain low. This has led to Roanna Kessler and John Gentile, at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, accepting the challenge of improving vaccination awareness and increasing vacci...
Jan 20, 2023•11 min
Tumour hypoxia occurs when cancer cells lack oxygen, and is associated with decreased effectiveness of radiotherapy treatments. One way to counteract hypoxia is to increase the dose of radiation we use to kill cancer cells, a technique called dose escalation. However, many side effects have been reported due to surrounding organs being damaged by off-target radiation. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, led by Dr Giovanni Fattori, have been investigating the clinical poten...
Jan 18, 2023•9 min
Transferring human consciousness into a machine has long been a popular motif in science fiction, but for now, seems like a far-off dream. However, Prof Masataka Watanabe at the University of Tokyo believes we’re on the cusp of making mind uploading a reality. Prof Watanabe proposes a new type of brain‒machine interface that is capable of fully reconstructing transhemispheric connectivity, leading to a ‘seamless’ mind uploading procedure while the brains owner is still alive. Read more about thi...
Jan 13, 2023•11 min
