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Blog – Page 5499

While hydroelectric dams are capable of generating a lot of electricity, they drastically disrupt the environment. Scientists have now proposed a simpler but still effective alternative, in which electric trucks replace such dams.

In a typical hydroelectric facility, a dam is built across a river, causing a reservoir to form directly upstream of that dam. When a gate in the dam is opened, water from the reservoir flows through and drops down to a lower elevation. As it does so, it spins up turbines which generate electricity.

Unfortunately, formation of the reservoir involves the flooding of land which may previously have contained forests, crops, or even people’s homes.

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Researchers have successfully stabilized an enzyme that is able to degrade scar tissue as a result of… See more.

Summary: Researchers have successfully stabilized an enzyme that is able to degrade scar tissue as a result of spinal cord injury with the help of AI and robotics.

Source: Rutgers

By employing artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to formulate therapeutic proteins, a team led by Rutgers researchers has successfully stabilized an enzyme able to degrade scar tissue resulting from spinal cord injuries and promote tissue regeneration.

Continue reading “Harnessing AI and Robotics to Treat Spinal Cord Injuries” | >

One of the especially promising therapies to appear in the realm of anti-aging research involves a set of molecules known as Yamanaka factors, which scientists have deployed to rejuvenate aging cells, trigger muscle regeneration and tackle glaucoma. New research at the Salk Institute has sought to build on these short-term and specific use cases by demonstrating how these molecules can reverse signs of aging in middle-aged and elderly mice, with no evidence of health problems following the extended treatment.

The Yamanaka factors at the center of this study are a set of four reprogramming molecules that can reset the molecular clock found in the cells of the body. They do so by returning unique patterns of chemicals known as epigenetic markers, which evolve through aging, to their original states.

This approach has been used to convert adult cells back into stem cells, that can then differentiate into different cell types. The Salk Institute team has previously used the approach to reverse signs of aging in mice with a premature aging disease, and improve the function of tissues found in the heart and brain. Separately, Stanford University scientists last year used the technique to give elderly mice the muscle strength of younger mice.

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For researchers, a robot that’s easy to build, maintain, and deploy saves time, energy, and budget for the team’s primary goals. Learn what goes into an effecti… See more.

Researchers consider many factors when selecting a robot, but the most important factor is that the robot enables these teams to prioritize the research.

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Circa 2012

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a colourless gas with the odour of rotten eggs and has recently been recognized as a signal mediator in physiological activities related with the regulation of homeostasis, the vascular system and the inflammatory system. Here we show that H2S donors, including sodium hydrogen sulphide (NaHS), GYY 4137 and diallyltrisulfide (DATS), synergistically enhanced the anti-cancer effect of a green tea polyphenol (−)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) against multiple myeloma cells without affecting normal cells. NaHS significantly potentiated the anti-cancer effect of EGCG and prolonged survival in a mouse xenograft model. In this mechanism, H2S enhanced apoptotic cell death through cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)/acid sphingomyelinase pathway induced by EGCG.

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Circa 2017 Egcg an active ingredient in green tea kills cancer.

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a colourless gas with the odour of rotten eggs and has recently been recognized as a signal mediator in physiological activities related with the regulation of homeostasis, the vascular system and the inflammatory system. Here we show that H2S donors, including sodium hydrogen sulphide (NaHS), GYY 4137 and diallyltrisulfide (DATS), synergistically enhanced the anti-cancer effect of a green tea polyphenol (−)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) against multiple myeloma cells without affecting normal cells. NaHS significantly potentiated the anti-cancer effect of EGCG and prolonged survival in a mouse xenograft model. In this mechanism, H2S enhanced apoptotic cell death through cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)/acid sphingomyelinase pathway induced by EGCG.

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To maintain peak efficiency, solar cells must be regularly cleaned of dust and other accumulated dirt. However, many panels are installed in high or hard-to-reach locations, which makes cleaning them difficult, time-consuming, and also simply dangerous. One solution is to use aerial drones to spray soapy water on dirty solar panels. However, these drones often run out of battery quite quickly. In addition, they also do not make direct contact with the panels, so they may not completely wash away dirt.

To solve these problems, a Belgian startup, ART Robotics, has developed HELIOS, an automated cleaning service for solar panels. It’s a fully autonomous system that can access difficult-to-reach places and eliminates dangerous and costly work.

The system consists of autonomous cleaning robots that can move autonomously over the panels. These are placed on the solar installation using a drone platform. The drone uses its computer vision to spot the photovoltaic array and flies the bot to the exact location. The HELIOS Cleaning Bot is a lightweight robot that can autonomously clean solar panels. An innovative traction system allows the robot to move on inclined surfaces and even cross over to adjacent panels, thoroughly cleaning them using a brush and vacuum combination.

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