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In this study, the authors sought to find out how many mathematical solutions there were to the Indian mathematician Ramanujan's formula, which is a³ + b³ + c³ = d³, and also quantify the densities its solutions. They wrote their own computer program to do so and kept values of a, b, and c less than 10,000. While conducting the analysis, they were also looking for perfect power taxicab numbers and their frequency. They were able to find solutions and densities for the equation. Additionally, while they found that most perfect cube taxicab numbers had a frequency of 2 or 3, they also found on number with a frequency of 42!

Malaria is a major public health issue, especially in developing countries, and vector control is a major facet of malaria eradication efforts. Recently, sterile insect technique (SIT), or the release of sterile mosquitoes into the wild, has shown significant promise as a method of keeping vector populations under control. In this study, the authors investigate the Anopheles gambiae transglutaminase 3 protein (AgT3), which is essential to the mating of the Anopheles mosquito. They show that an active site mutation is able to abolish the activity of the AgT3 enzyme and propose it as a potential target for chemosterilant inhibitors.

Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is related to many neurological disorders, and can be caused by oxidative stress to cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) composing the BBB. The authors of the paper investigated the protective effects of the total saponins in the leaves of Panax notoginseng (LPNS) on oxidative-stress-induced damage in a mouse cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line.

The authors looked at how the addition of NaCl to crystalline nanocellulose capacitors could improve performance in transistor applications. They found that NaCl can improve performance, but that further work is needed to determine the optimal concentration used depending on the intended application.

COVID-19 has impacted the way many people go about their daily lives, but what are the main factors driving the changes in the housing market, particular house prices?

Understanding how bacteria respond to other bacteria could facilitate their ability to initiate and maintain their infectiousness. The phenomenon by which bacteria signal to each other via chemical signals is called quorum sensing, which could be targeted to deter bacterial infection in some cases if better understood. In this article, the authors study how a bacterium called V. fischeri uses quorum sensing to change bioluminescence, an easy readout that facilitates studying quorum sensing in this strain.

Honey possesses distinctive antimicrobial properties; however, it is unknown which compounds in honey are responsible for these properties. In this research study, Abdel-Azim et al. examine the role of osmotic stress in honey and the antibacterial efficacy of both Manuka and raw pasture honey.

Antibiotics are used to treat dangerous diseases. Over time, however, bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics - which poses a threat to humans and animals alike. In this paper, the authors examine how E. coli gains resistance to the antibiotic amoxicillin.

Previous studies have found that how a food item is labeled may influence people's liking of it. This study used a cookie taste test to investigate whether people's liking of a dessert item would be swayed by the use of different labels.

Farmers will need to increase crop yields to feed the world's growing population efficiently. The authors here investigate the effects of growing corn in the presence or absence of ragweed, an invasive weed found in many fields and gardens. Surprisingly, the authors found that corn grown in the presence of weeds grew taller and were more productive than corn that had weeds removed. This may help gardeners rethink the necessity of weeding, and may point a way to improve farm yields in the future.