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The journey to Proxima Centauri b

Ramaswamy et al. | Apr 01, 2024

The journey to Proxima Centauri b
Image credit: The authors

Someday, rockets from Earth may be launched towards worlds beyond our solar system. But will these rockets be able to reach their destination within a human lifetime? Ramaswamy and Giovinazzi simulate rocket launches to an Earth-like exoplanet to uncover whether it's physically possible to complete the journey within a lifetime.

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A new therapy against MDR bacteria by in silico virtual screening of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LpxC inhibitors

Liu et al. | Apr 27, 2022

A new therapy against MDR bacteria by <em>in silico</em> virtual screening of <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> LpxC inhibitors

Here, seeking to address the growing threat of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR). the authors used in silico virtual screening to target MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They considered a key protein in its biosynthesis and virtually screened 20,000 candidates and 30 derivatives of brequinar. In the end, they identified a possible candidate with the highest degree of potential to inhibit the pathogen's lipid A synthesis.

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People’s Preference to Bet on Home Teams Even When Losing is Likely

Weng et al. | Mar 10, 2020

People’s Preference to Bet on Home Teams Even When Losing is Likely

In this study, the authors investigate situations in which people make sports bets that seem to go against their better judgement. Using surveys, individuals were asked to bet on which team would win in scenarios when their home team was involved and others when they were not to determine whether fandom for a team can overshadow fans’ judgment. They found that fans bet much more on their home teams than neutral teams when their team was facing a large deficit.

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Error mitigation of quantum teleportation on IBM quantum computers

Chen et al. | May 15, 2023

Error mitigation of quantum teleportation on IBM quantum computers

Quantum computers can perform computational tasks beyond the capability of classical computers, such as simulating quantum systems in materials science and chemistry. Quantum teleportation is the transfer of quantum information across distances, relying on entangled states generated by quantum computing. We sought to mitigate the error of quantum teleportation which was simulated on IBM cloud quantum computers.

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Starts and Stops of Rhythmic and Discrete Movements: Modulation in the Excitability of the Corticomotor Tract During Transition to a Different Type of Movement

Lim et al. | Aug 27, 2018

Starts and Stops of Rhythmic and Discrete Movements: Modulation in the Excitability of the Corticomotor Tract During Transition to a Different Type of Movement

Control of voluntary and involuntary movements is one of the most important aspects of human neurological function, but the mechanisms of motor control are not completely understood. In this study, the authors use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to stimulate a portion of the motor cortex while subjects performed either discrete (e.g. throwing) or rhythmic (e.g. walking) movements. By recording electrical activity in the muscles during this process, the authors showed that motor evoked potentials (MEPs) measured in the muscles during TMS stimulation are larger in amplitude for discrete movements than for rhythmic movements. Interestingly, they also found that MEPs during transitions between rhythmic and discrete movements were nearly identical and larger in amplitude than those recorded during either rhythmic or discrete movements. This research provides important insights into the mechanisms of neurological control of movement and will serve as the foundation for future studies to learn more about temporal variability in neural activity during different movement types.

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The influence of working memory on auditory category learning in the presence of visual stimuli

Vishag et al. | Sep 18, 2022

The influence of working memory on auditory category learning in the presence of visual stimuli

Here in an effort to better understand how our brains process and remember different categories of information, the authors assessed working memory capacity using an operation span task. They found that individuals with higher working memory capacity had higher overall higher task accuracy regardless of the type of category or the type of visual distractors they had to process. They suggest this may play a role in how some students may be less affected by distracting stimuli compared to others.

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