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Blog – Page 127

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The Space Elevator Construction Concept

Obayashi pursues the potential for the future of the space elevator from a construction standpoint, and describes a newly-designed, whole-space elevator system, including its construction process, which we designed on the basis of work by construction engineers who completed the world’s tallest free-standing tower, TOKYO SKYTREE®, in 2012.

In the following animation, a space elevator which climbs from the Earth Port as a departure port for people to Geostationary Earth Orbit Station at a height of 36,000 km is featured.

The space elevator is planned to be built by the year 2050 with a capacity to carry 100-ton climbers. It is composed of a 96,000-km carbon nanotube cable, a 400-m diameter floating Earth Port and a 12,500-ton counter-weight. Other facilities include Martian/Lunar Gravity Centers, an Low Earth Orbit Gate, a Geostationary Earth Orbit Station, a Mars Gate and a Solar System Exploration Gate.-Jacob’s Ladder 🤔 https://www.obayashi.co.jp/en/news/detail/the_space_elevator…cept.html#

Machine learning algorithm brings long-read sequencing to the clinic

Long-read sequencing technologies analyze long, continuous stretches of DNA. These methods have the potential to improve researchers’ ability to detect complex genetic alterations in cancer genomes. However, the complex structure of cancer genomes means that standard analysis tools, including existing methods specifically developed to analyze long-read sequencing data, often fall short, leading to false-positive results and unreliable interpretations of the data.

These misleading results can compromise our understanding of how tumors evolve, respond to treatment, and ultimately how patients are diagnosed and treated.

To address this challenge, researchers developed SAVANA, a new algorithm which they describe in the journal Nature Methods.

T cells take up residence in the healthy brain via a gut-fat-brain axis

The brain is a unique place. It is shielded from much of the body by the blood-brain barrier, meaning it’s protected from pathogens and potentially dangerous substances that might be in our blood. And historically, many scientists believed that separation extended to the immune system as well: the brain has its own specialized immune cells called microglia, but immune cells present in the rest of the body were long thought to steer clear of the brain unless there was a disease or other problem requiring their presence.

Now, a team of scientists from Yale School of Medicine (YSM) has shown that known as T cells reside in the healthy brains of mice and humans, trafficked there from the gut and fat. This is the first time T cells have been shown to inhabit the brain under normal, non-diseased conditions.

The findings are published in Nature.

AI tool enables automated evaluation of facial palsy, reports study

A “fine-tuned” artificial intelligence (AI) tool shows promise for objective evaluation of patients with facial palsy, reports an experimental study in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

“We believe that our research offers valuable insights into the realm of facial palsy evaluation and presents a significant advancement in leveraging AI for clinical applications,” comments lead author Takeichiro Kimura, MD, of Kyorin University, Mitaka, Tokyo.

Patients with facial palsy have paralysis or partial loss of movement of the face, caused by nerve injury due to tumors, surgery, trauma, or other causes. Detailed assessment is essential for evaluating , such as nerve transfer surgery, but poses difficult challenges.

Turning Waste Into Energy: New Enzyme Revolutionizes Biofuel Production

The natural protein, known as CelOCE, was developed at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials and is ready for immediate integration into industrial processes. Breaking down plant material into usable fuel has long been one of science’s biggest energy challenges. At the heart o

A new super material could lead to more powerful, energy-saving electronics

A research team led by physicists Ming Yi and Emilia Morosan from Rice University has developed a new material with unique electronic properties that could enable more powerful and energy-efficient electronic devices.

The material, known as a Kramers nodal line metal, was produced by introducing a small amount of indium into a layered compound based on tantalum and sulfur. The addition of indium changes the symmetry of the crystal structure, and the result promotes the novel physical properties associated with the Kramers nodal line behavior. The research, published in Nature Communications, represents a step toward low-energy-loss electronics and paves the way for more sustainable technologies.

“Our work provides a clear path for discovering and designing new quantum materials with desirable properties for future electronics,” said Yi, associate professor of physics and astronomy.

High-entropy nanoribbons offer cost-effective solution for harsh environments

An SMU-led research team has developed a more cost-effective, energy-efficient material called high-entropy oxide (HEO) nanoribbons that can resist heat, corrosion and other harsh conditions better than current materials.

These HEO nanoribbons— featured in the journal Science —can be especially useful in fields like aerospace, energy, and electronics, where materials need to perform well in extreme conditions.

And unlike high entropy materials that have been created in the past, the nanoribbons that SMU’s Amin Salehi-Khojin and his team developed can be 3D-printed or spray-coated at room temperature for manufacturing components or coating surfaces. This makes them more energy-efficient and cost-effective than traditional high-entropy materials, which typically exist as bulk structures and require high-temperature casting.