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The use of computer vision to differentiate valley fever from lung cancer via CT scans of nodules

El Kereamy et al. | Nov 12, 2024

The use of computer vision to differentiate valley fever from lung cancer via CT scans of nodules

Pulmonary diseases like lung cancer and valley fever pose serious health challenges, making accurate and rapid diagnostics essential. This study developed a MATLAB-based software tool that uses computer vision techniques to differentiate between these diseases by analyzing features of lung nodules in CT scans, achieving higher precision than traditional methods.

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Evaluating the antimicrobial activity of maitake mushroom extract against Staphylococcus epidermidis

Shamsudeen et al. | Oct 06, 2024

Evaluating the antimicrobial activity of maitake mushroom extract against <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i>
Image credit: Guido Blokker

Here, seeking to explore new antimicrobial therapies, the authors investigated the antimicrobial activity of Maitake mushroom extract against Staphylococcus epidermidis, a common cause of antibiotic resistant hospital-acquired infections. They found that Maitake extract showed potent antimicrobial activity, with higher concentrations showing inhibition comparable to tetracycline.

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The optical possibilities of gelatin

Parikh et al. | Mar 28, 2024

The optical possibilities of gelatin
Image credit: Lensabl

Here the authors investigated the optical possibilities of gelatin and acrylic in regards to potential implementations at soft contact lenses. They fabricated lenses of different shapes and evaluated the refraction of laser light finding that gelatin needed to be thickened or increased in curvature to account for its lower refractive index compared to plastics, or used in a mixture to strengthen the lens.

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Impact of carbon number and atom number on cc-pVTZ Hartree-Fock Energy and program runtime of alkanes

Pan et al. | Mar 06, 2024

Impact of carbon number and atom number on cc-pVTZ Hartree-Fock Energy and program runtime of alkanes
Image credit: The authors

It's time-consuming to complete the calculations that are used to study nuclear reactions and energy. To uncover which computational chemistry tools are useful for this challenge, Pan, Vaiyakarnam, Li, and McMahan investigated whether the Python-based Simulations of Chemistry Framework’s Hartree-Fock (PySCF) method is an efficient and accurate way to assess alkane molecules.

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The impacts of different Al(NO3)3 concentrations on the mitotic index of Allium sativum

Jimenez Pol et al. | Jul 10, 2023

The impacts of different Al(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub> concentrations on the mitotic index of <i>Allium sativum</i>
Image credit: Kylie Paz

Recognizing the increasing threat of acid deposition inn soil through the reaction of NOx and SO2 pollutants with water in Spain, the authors investigates the effects of Al(NO3)3 concentrations on the health of Allium sativum. By tracking its mitotic index, they found a negative exponential correlation between Al(NO3)3 concentrations and the mitotic index of A. sativum.

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Analyzing resilience in a sample population as a novel qualifier for triage in psychological first aid

Ramesh et al. | Apr 18, 2023

Analyzing resilience in a sample population as a novel qualifier for triage in psychological first aid
Image credit: Mat Napo

While serving as an immediate address for psychological safety and stability, psychological first aid (PFA) currently lacks the incorporation of triage. Without triage, patients cannot be prioritized in correspondence to condition severity that is often called for within emergency conditions. To disentangle the relevance of a potential triage system to PFA, the authors of this paper have developed a method to quantify resilience - a prominent predictor of the capability to recover from a disaster. With this resilience index, they have quantified resilience of differing age, race, and sex demographics to better inform the practice of PFA and potential demographic prioritization via a triage system.

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Utilizing the Magnus effect to produce more downforce than a standard wing

Angiras et al. | Aug 15, 2022

Utilizing the Magnus effect to produce more downforce than a standard wing

Here, seeking a better solution to produce downforce that keeps a vehicle grounded at high speeds than wings which tend to result in degraded car performance due to increased air resistance, the authors considered using the Magnus effect as a replacement. The authors found that a spinning cylinder generated significantly more downforce through the Magnus effect than a standard wing at all wind speeds as simulated through the use of a leaf blower. They suggest that a cylinder could be a potential replacement for a wing when downforce is a priority.

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Are alkaline spices the future of antibiotics?

Jani et al. | Jan 23, 2022

Are alkaline spices the future of antibiotics?

The authors experimented with several commonly available alkaline spices (turmeric, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon) to study their antimicrobial properties, hypothesizing that alkaline spices would have antimicrobial activity. Results showed a zone of inhibition of bacterial growth, with the largest zone of inhibition being around turmeric, followed by cayenne pepper, and the smallest around cinnamon. These results are impactful, as common alkaline spices generally do show antibacterial properties and both bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects correlated with degree of alkalinity.

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