PVC is a widely used plastic that poses harmful health hazards when burned. In this study, the authors ask whether or not burned PVC (PVC char) affects bacterial transformation.
Read More...An Aqueous Solution Containing Soluble Substances From PVC Char Has No Effect on the Rate of Transformation in E. coli Cells
PVC is a widely used plastic that poses harmful health hazards when burned. In this study, the authors ask whether or not burned PVC (PVC char) affects bacterial transformation.
Read More...The Effect of Common Cations on DNA Degradation
Heating of DNA-containing solutions is a part of many experiment protocols, but it can also cause damage and degradation of the DNA molecules, potentially leading to error in the experimental results. The authors of this paper investigate whether the presence of certain cations during heating can stabilize the DNA polymer and aid the preservation of the molecule.
Read More...The Prevalence of White Guilt Among American High School Students
Racial inequality has been a major issue throughout the history of the United States. In recent years, however, especially with the election of America's first black president, many have claimed that we have made progress and are moving towards a post-racial society. The authors of this study sought to test that claim by evaluating whether high school age students still experience a phenomenon known as white guilt. White guilt is defined as remorse or shame felt by people of Caucasian descent about racial inequality.
Read More...Development of Two New Efficient Means of Wastewater Treatment
The water we use must be treated and cleaned before we release it back into the environment. Here, the authors investigate two new techniques for purifying dissolved impurities from waste water. Their findings may give rise to more cheaper and more efficient water treatment and help keep the planet greener.
Read More...The Effect of UV Treatment on the Degradation of Compostable Polylactic Acid
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a bio-based, compostable plastic that is comparable in cost to petroleum-based plastics. This study aims to evaluate the effects of UV treatment and mechanical chopping on the degradation of PLA. Based on their findings, the authors propose an alternative PLA degradation process that may be more time and energy efficient than current processes.
Read More...Increasing MMR vaccination rates substantially reduces measles infections in Gaines County, Texas
Using county-level epidemiological data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, this study implemented an SIRV model in Python to simulate measles transmission in Gaines County under different vaccination scenarios.
Read More...Improving autonomous vehicle perception in adverse weather through image augmentation
The authors looked at ways that autonomous vehicles could be trained to better perform in adverse weather without the use of actual images taken during adverse weather events. They were able to improve performance, but models using actual images still perform the best.
Read More...Dietary calcium intake and lead body burden in U.S. adolescents
We investigated whether dietary calcium intake affects how adolescents handle lead internally. Using paired blood and urinary lead data, we assessed whether calcium status is associated with differences in lead clearance. The results point to subgroups of adolescents—particularly those with lower calcium intake—who may carry a higher internal lead burden than their blood levels alone would suggest.
Read More...Drosophila proteins as human surrogates for early drug discovery: Findings from detailed structural analysis
This study examines the possibility of utilizing proteins from Drosophila melanogaster in early drug discovery. Structural and sequence analysis of five diverse Drosophila proteins and its human homologs were conducted. Drosophila proteins with high conservation of amino acids at functionally significant positions are better candidates for use as human surrogate in drug discovery efforts.
Read More...Puzzle to progress: relationship between Rubik’s Cube solving proficiency, spatial visualization, and anxiety
This study examined whether Rubik’s Cube solving ability is related to spatial visualization skills and stress levels.
Read More...