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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 14, 2024 at 6:35am

Flowers use adjustable 'paint by numbers' petal designs to attract pollinators

Flowers like hibiscus use an invisible blueprint established very early in petal formation that dictates the size of their bullseyes—a crucial pre-pattern that can significantly impact their ability to attract pollinating bees.

The study also found that bees prefer larger bullseyes over smaller ones and fly 25% faster between artificial flower disks with larger bullseyes—potentially boosting efficiency for both bees and blossoms. The findings are published in Science Advances.

Patterns on the flowers of plants guide insects, like bees, to the center of the flower, where nectar and pollen await, enhancing the plant's chances of successful pollination. 

Finding out how these petal patterns form and how they have evolved into the vast diversity we see today, including spots, stripes, veins, and bullseyes is an interesting subject. 

: Researchers compared the relative success of the bullseye patterns in attracting pollinators using artificial flower discs that mimicked the three different bullseye dimensions. The bees not only preferred the medium and larger bullseyes over the small bullseye, they were also 25% quicker visiting these larger flower discs. Credit: Lucie Riglet

Using a small hibiscus plant as a model, researchers compared closely related plants with the same flower size but three differently sized bullseye patterns featuring a dark purple center surrounded by white—H. richardsonii (small bullseye covering 4% of the flower disk), H. trionum (medium bullseye covering 16%) and a transgenic line (mutation) of H. trionum (large bullseye covering 36%).

They found that a pre-pattern is set up on the petal surface very early in the flower's formation, long before the petal shows any visible color. The petal acts like a 'paint-by-numbers' canvas, where different regions are predetermined to develop specific colors and textures long before they start looking different from one another.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 10:11am

Social media became a storefront for deadly fake pills

Fentanyl overdoses have become a leading cause of death for minors in the last five years or so, even as overall drug use has dropped slightly. In a 2022 analysis of fentanyl-laced prescription pills, the DEA found that six out of 10 contained a potentially lethal dose of the drug.

And social media, where tainted, fake prescription drugs can be obtained with just a few clicks, is a big part of the problem. Experts, law enforcement and children's advocates say companies like Snap, TikTok, Telegram and Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, are not doing enough to keep children safe.

The stories of these victims often play out similarly: The kids hear you can get pills on social media. A few taps later and then a package arrives. They retreat to the sanctity of their bedroom and take a pill. Fifteen minutes later, they're dead. No one even knows until the next morning.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-dealers-paradise-social-medi...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 10:04am

How the immune system fails as cancer arises

Cancer has been described as "a wound that does not heal," implying that the immune system is unable to wipe out invading tumor cells. A new discovery confirms that a key molecule can reprogram immune cells that normally protect against infection and cancer, turning them into bad guys that promote cancer growth.

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How genes shape personality traits: New links discovered

Your DNA has long been known to play a role in shaping your personality. Now, researchers at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) have taken another step in determining exactly how by identifying a number of new genetic sites associated with specific personality traits. They published their findings in Nature Human Behaviour.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 9:49am

Dams built to prevent coastal flooding can worsen it

The common practice of building dams to prevent flooding can actually contribute to more intense coastal flood events, according to a new study.

The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, studied the effects of dams built in coastal estuaries, where rivers and ocean tides interact. Those massive infrastructure projects are surging in popularity globally, in part to help offset intensifying storms, salt intrusion and sea-level raise fueled by climate change.

By analyzing data and measurements from Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, dating back more than a century, researchers determined that coastal dams don't necessarily mitigate flooding. Dams can either increase or decrease flood risks, depending on the duration of a surge event and friction from the flow of water.

We usually think about storm surges becoming smaller as you go inland, but the shape of the basin can actually cause it to become larger.

Estuaries are typically shaped like a funnel, narrowing as they go inland. Introducing a dam shortens the estuary with an artificial wall that reflects storm surge waves moving inland. The narrowing channel shape also makes small reflections that change with the surge duration. Researchers  compared those storm-fueled waves to splashes in a bathtub, with certain wave frequencies causing water to slosh over the sides.

After using Charleston Harbor as a case study, researchers used computer modeling to gauge the flood response at 23 other estuaries in diverse geographic areas. Those encompassed both dammed and naturally occurring estuary systems, including Cook Inlet in Alaska.

The models confirmed that the basin shape and alterations that shorten it with a dam are the key component in determining how storm surges and tides move inland. At the right amplitude and duration, waves in dammed environments grow instead of diminishing.

The study also determined that areas far from coastal dams could still be directly influenced by human-created infrastructure.

Steven L. Dykstra et al, Reflection of Storm Surge and Tides in Convergent Estuaries With Dams, the Case of Charleston, USA, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023JC020498

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 9:42am

Geoscientists detect rapid uplift at a volcano in Tanzania

When a volcano is about to erupt, the surrounding land puffs up like a squeezed balloon. The technical term is "transient deformation," and  researchers have detected and tracked this short-lived movement for the first time using satellite observations of Ol Doinyo Lengai, an active Tanzanian volcano.

Their results appeared in a paper published earlier this summer in Geophysical Research Letters.

According to the study, increasing pressure inside a volcano's magma reservoir can cause the land to bulge. When the pressure decreases, the reservoir deflates again and the land falls back.

Researchers have been able to detect transient motion in volcanic activity, and this is a precursor for any kind of eruption.

This research could help  authorities have a better idea of what is happening with the volcano and take precautionary measures. 

Ntambila Daud et al, Detecting Transient Uplift at the Active Volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania With the TZVOLCANO Network, Geophysical Research Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023GL108097

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 9:37am

Quantum researchers cause controlled 'wobble' in the nucleus of a single atom

Researchers have been able to initiate a controlled movement in the very heart of an atom. They caused the atomic nucleus to interact with one of the electrons in the outermost shells of the atom. This electron could be manipulated and read out through the needle of a scanning tunneling microscope.

The research, published in Nature Communications, offers prospects for storing quantum information inside the nucleus, where it is safe from external disturbances.

Lukas M. Veldman et al, Coherent spin dynamics between electron and nucleus within a single atom, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52270-0

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 9:33am

Fluorescent nanomaterial could transform how we visualize fingerprints

Researchers created a fluorescent nanoparticle using a combination of materials (MCM-41, chitosan and dansylglycine) to examine latent fingerprints. These nanoparticles have special properties that make them adhere well to fingerprint residues, even old ones.

The nanoparticles work on various surfaces, including metal, plastic, glass and complex objects such as polymer banknotes. They have the potential to be used directly at crime scenes without lab facilities, which is a significant advantage over some previous reagents. They produce high-quality fingerprint images for successful identification. 

This new method captures the finer details of a fingerprint, making it easier to identify individuals and is expected greatly to aid in forensic investigations. The research was published in a RSC Advances paper, highlighting that the new nanomaterial has proven to be a versatile and effective tool for visualizing fingerprint evidence. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques at Diamond provided useful data to validate these results.

Lais F. A. M. Oliveira et al, Dansyl fluorophore functionalized hierarchically structured mesoporous silica nanoparticles as novel latent fingerprint development agents, RSC Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1039/D4RA03074E

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 9:30am

 Printing 3D photonic crystals that completely block light

Photonic crystals are materials with repeating internal structures that interact with light in unique ways. We can find natural examples in opals and the vibrant colored shells of some insects. Even though these crystals are made of transparent materials, they exhibit a "photonic bandgap" that blocks light at certain wavelengths and directions.

A special type of this effect is a "complete photonic bandgap," which blocks light from all directions. This complete bandgap allows for precise control of light, opening up possibilities for advancements in telecommunications, sensing, and quantum technologies. As a result, scientists have been working on different methods to create these advanced photonic crystals.

While 1D and 2D photonic crystals have been used in various applications, unlocking the secret to producing 3D photonic crystals with a complete photonic bandgap in the visible range has been fraught with challenges due to the need to achieve nanoscale precise control of all three dimensions in the fabrication process.

This is all set to change. In a study, "Printing of 3D photonic crystals in titania with complete bandgap across the visible spectrum" published in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers across institutions in Singapore and China have achieved an unprecedented feat. Led by Professor Joel Yang from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), the team has developed a revolutionary method to print 3D photonic crystals using a customized titanium resin.

Unlike in previous attempts, this new method has resulted in crystals that are of high resolution, possess a high refractive index, and feature a complete bandgap across the range of visible light. The innovation holds immense potential for transforming industries.

Wang Zhang et al, Printing of 3D photonic crystals in titania with complete bandgap across the visible spectrum, Nature Nanotechnology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41565-024-01780-5

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 9:21am

The five factors identified are tumor mutational burden; effective T cell infiltration; the activity of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in the tumor microenvironment; previous treatment received by the patient; and tumor proliferative potential. These factors in different types of cancer are associated with the response to CPIs and have been validated by the authors in six independent cohorts, covering a total of 1,491 patients.

Tumor mutational burden (TMB): Tumors with a high number of mutations tend to produce more neoantigens, making it easier for the immune system to recognize and attack them. TMB has been one of the most studied biomarkers for predicting response to CPIs.
Effective T-cell infiltration: The presence of cytotoxic T-cells in the tumor is essential for the effectiveness of CPIs. This study has confirmed that a higher infiltration of these cells is directly related to a better response to the therapy.
TGF-β activity in the tumor microenvironment: This factor influences the behavior of some cells in the tumor microenvironment. High TGF-β activity can suppress the immune response, which is reflected in a tendency for patients to have poorer survival after immunotherapy treatment.
Previous treatment: Patients who have received previous treatments tend to show a poorer response to immunotherapy.
Tumor proliferative potential: Patients with tumors that have a high proliferative index, which tend to be more aggressive, generally show poorer survival after treatment.
These five factors provide a framework for organizing the vast current knowledge about biomarkers of immunotherapy response.
Furthermore, the researchers demonstrated that a multivariate model combining these five factors allows for more accurate patient classification than using tumor mutational burden alone ( as is frequently done in clinical practice), predicting the probability of patients to respond to immunotherapy.

Five latent factors underlie response to immunotherapy, Nature Genetics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01899-0

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 13, 2024 at 9:19am

Five key factors that predict response of cancer patients to immunotherapy

A team of researchers  has identified five independent factors that predict cancer patients' response to checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs). The study, which has been published in Nature Genetics, validates these factors in more than 1,400 patients and diverse types of cancer. These findings provide a framework to interpret biomarkers of response to CPIs and suggest a future pathway to improve personalized cancer medicine.

Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment in recent years by enabling the immune system to attack tumor cells. However, only 20–40% of patients respond positively to immunotherapy, and these rates vary across different types of cancer.

Predicting which patients will respond to immunotherapy and which will not is currently a highly active area of research. Numerous studies conducted so far have focused on the specific characteristics of tumors, their microenvironment, or the patient's immune system. As a result, which of the proposed biomarkers represent the same underlying factors or how many independent factors influence the effectiveness of this therapy remains unclear.
Researchers have identified five key, independent factors that determine patients' response and survival after receiving checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs), a type of immunotherapy widely used in cancer treatment. These findings provide a reference framework for current and future biomarkers of immunotherapy response.

They could also, in the future, entail a pathway to a significant advancement in the personalization of cancer treatments, helping to more accurately identify those patients who are likely to benefit from immunotherapy. The results suggest that patients with certain types of tumors who are currently not considered candidates for immunotherapy (such as those with liver or kidney carcinomas) might benefit from this type of treatment.

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