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Researching the research enthusiasts: examining their motivation and the impact of a successful role model

Jubair et al. | Sep 18, 2024

Researching the research enthusiasts: examining their motivation and the impact of a successful role model
Image credit: The authors

High school and university students have various motivations for participating in research, ranging from strengthening their applications for university to building skills for a research career. Jubair and Islam survey Bangladeshi high school and university students to uncover their motivations and inspirations for participating in research.

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A HOG feature extraction and CNN approach to Parkinson’s spiral drawing diagnosis

Tripathi et al. | Aug 09, 2024

A HOG feature extraction and CNN approach to Parkinson’s spiral drawing diagnosis

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the U.S., second only to Alzheimer’s disease. Current diagnostic methods are often inefficient and dependent on clinical exams. This study explored using machine and deep learning to enhance PD diagnosis by analyzing spiral drawings affected by hand tremors, a common PD symptom.

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The gender gap in STEM at top U.S. Universities: change over time and relationship with ranking

Kruus et al. | Jun 25, 2024

The gender gap in STEM at top U.S. Universities: change over time and relationship with ranking

Authors address the gender disparity in STEM fields, examining changes in gender diversity across male-dominated undergraduate programs over 19 years at 24 top universities. Analyzing data from NCES IPEDS, it identifies STEM as persistently male-dominated but notes increasing gender diversity in many disciplines, particularly in recent years. Results indicate that higher-ranked universities in disciplines like computer science and mechanical engineering show a weak correlation with improved gender diversity, suggesting effective initiatives can mitigate the gender gap in STEM, despite ongoing challenges.

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Identification of potential therapeutic targets for multiple myeloma by gene expression analysis

Kochenderfer et al. | Apr 26, 2024

Identification of potential therapeutic targets for multiple myeloma by gene expression analysis
Image credit: The authors

A central challenge of cancer therapy is identifying treatments that will effectively target cancer cells while minimizing effects on healthy cells. To identify potential targets for treating a multiple myeloma, a frequently incurable cancer, Kochenderfer and Kochenderfer analyze RNA sequencing data from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia to find genes with high expression in multiple myeloma cells and low expression in normal tissues

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Which fruit peel helps retain the most soil moisture?

Parashar et al. | Jan 09, 2024

Which fruit peel helps retain the most soil moisture?
Image credit: Anshu A

Here, the authors investigated the ability to use fruit peels to help soil retain moisture, a property that is essential to agriculture. Across a 96-hour observation period, orange, banana, and kiwi peel water emulsions were evaluated for their effects on soil moisture. They found that orange peels retained the most moisture, but banana and kiwi peels also offered improvements over their control sample.

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