Water quality expert develops public tool for diagnosing health of America’s streams

WVU master's degree students Samira Jahan and Md. Tanvirul Islam discuss water quality data with Omar Abdul-Aziz, associate professor in the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Abdul-Aziz has publicly released a model for diagnosing the health of any U.S. freshwater stream in the past, present or future using only water temperature.
Photo Credit: Matt Sunday / West Virginia University

A model for predicting the levels of oxygen in water, developed by West Virginia University researcher Omar Abdul-Aziz, gives citizen scientists nationwide a tool for taking action on stream pollution. 

“I have been looking at water quality data for 20 years,” said Abdul-Aziz, an associate professor at the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. “I can tell you that a big percentage of streams in the United States are polluted. Urban streams are getting dumpster runoff, stormwater carrying lawn fertilizers and trash. Wastewater plants aren’t necessarily treating for the dissolved organic carbon, nutrients and pharmaceuticals we’re putting into our sewage.

Abdul-Aziz’s model relies on only water temperature and pH, a measure of acidity, to give an accurate measure of the health of any freshwater stream in the contiguous United States as represented by the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water. Oxygen is fundamental to stream health, and his model is significant because it predicts how much oxygen is in the water of any given stream at any location or time, based on a small amount of easily obtainable data.

Tubular nanomaterial of carbon makes ideal home for spinning quantum bits

Artistic rendering of chemically modified carbon nanotube hosting a spinning electron as qubit.
Illustration Credit: Argonne National Laboratory

Scientists find that a tubular nanomaterial of carbon makes for ideal host to keep quantum bits spinning in place for use in quantum information technologies.

Scientists are vigorously competing to transform the counterintuitive discoveries about the quantum realm from a century past into technologies of the future. The building block in these technologies is the quantum bit, or qubit. Several different kinds are under development, including ones that use defects within the symmetrical structures of diamond and silicon. They may one day transform computing, accelerate drug discovery, generate unhackable networks and more.

Working with researchers from several universities, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a method for introducing spinning electrons as qubits in a host nanomaterial. Their test results revealed record long coherence times — the key property for any practical qubit because it defines the number of quantum operations that can be performed in the lifetime of the qubit.

Does the artificial watercourse in the Hessian Ried have a Roman past?

At a site visit in the Hessian Ried
(from left): Prof. Andreas Vött, University of Mainz, Prof. Markus Scholz, Goethe University, Dr. Thomas Becker and Prof. Udo Recker, both State Service for Heritage Protection and Management Hesse.
Photo Credit: Lars Görze, State Service for Heritage Protection and Management Hesse

The Landgraben, the body of water between the German cities of Groß-Gerau and Trebur, flows into the Rhine northwest of Astheim. Its name goes back to Count Georg I (1547-1596) of Hesse-Darmstadt, to whom the origin of this artificial watercourse has been attributed until now. Archaeologists, however, suspect the waterway had a different genesis. A team from the State Service for Heritage Protection and Management Hesse and the universities of Frankfurt, Mainz and Kiel can now use the DFG's funding to research the Roman past. 

Following archaeological investigations in the Hessian Ried, initial indications show the canal may have been dug much earlier than previously estimated: It is thought the Roman military created the artificial body of water during the conquest and development of the Ried, located on the right bank of the Rhine, in the 1st century AD. The land ditch, which merged into today's Schwarzbach stream near Trebur, probably served to supply materials and goods to the Roman fort and its nearby civilian settlement in Groß-Gerau. With the new funds in hand, further research is now getting underway. 

Taking care of your teeth could help prevent chronic joint pain

Vicky Yao is an assistant professor of computer science at Rice University.
Photo by Ruth Dannenfelser/Rice University

Regular visits to the dentist might help keep joint pain at bay, too.

When Rice University computational biologist Vicky Yao found traces of bacteria associated with periodontal disease in samples collected from rheumatoid arthritis patients, she was not sure what to make of it.

Her finding helped spark a series of experiments that confirmed a connection between arthritis flare-ups and periodontitis. The study is published in Science Translational Medicine.

Tracing this connection between the two conditions could help develop therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune inflammatory disease that attacks the lining of the joints and can cause heart, lung and eye problems. The approach that led to the study could prove fruitful in other disease contexts, such as cancer.

“Data gathered in experiments from living organisms or cells or tissue grown in petri dishes is really important to confirm hypotheses, but, at the same time, this data perhaps holds more information than we are immediately able to derive from it,” Yao said.

Rare genetic disease: researchers discover new treatment for ADCY5-related dyskinesia

The movement disorder ADCY5-related dyskinesia can be treated with the asthma drug theophylline. This has been shown in a recent study by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), University Medicine Halle and University of Leipzig Medical Center. In the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers describe the case of a child with this disease whose symptoms improved significantly with the drug. ADCY5-related dyskinesia is an extremely rare disorder that causes dyskinesia and uncontrolled movements in affected individuals. Currently, there is no cure for this disease.

ADCY5-related dyskinesia is caused by defects in the ADCY5 gene. "Just one error in the genetic code of this gene can have devastating consequences," says Professor Andrea Sinz from the Institute of Pharmacy at MLU. In the case of ADCY5-related dyskinesia, the genetic defect causes a specific enzyme in the cells to become overactive. This enzyme is involved in the production of the second messenger "cAMP".

In those affected, too much "cAMP" tends to lead to uncontrolled movements, dyskinesia, and many other symptoms, such as speech deficiencies, starting in early infancy. The disease is considered very rare. According to estimates by the US National Institutes of Health, between one and 300 people are living with the disease in the United States; however, more precise numbers are not available. "Rare diseases like ADCY5-related dyskinesia are often not recognized and accurately diagnosed," says Sinz. The symptoms are easily confused with other medical conditions.

Red Deer Natural Habitat Recreated Over the Past 50,000 Years

During the period of global cooling (33,000 years ago), the range of the species declined and reached a minimum of around
Photo Credit: Alexis B

The natural habitat of the European Red deer over the last 50,000 years has been recreated and described by a team of scientists from Russia, Poland, Ukraine, the UK and Italy. An article summarizing the research has been published in The Journal of Archaeological Science.

The details of how reindeer ecology changed with climate warming during the Pleistocene to Holocene transition allow an assessment of the species' adaptive capacity. As reindeer have been widespread in Europe for tens of thousands of years, the data can be used for the study of human life and diet in this part of the world since the Late Pleistocene.

"At the beginning of the study period, the European Red deer tended to feed on plants inherent to open landscapes such as tundra, steppe, and meadows. During this stage, particularly with the maximum cold snap, 26-19 thousand years ago, the Red deer, as well as their ungulate neighbors (the reindeer and horses), were affected by prolonged low temperatures and lack of nutrients. The exception included some territories of modern Spain and Italy," says Pavel Kosintsev, Head Specialist of the UrFU Laboratory of Natural Science Methods in Humanities, Senior Researcher of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ural Branch), and co-author of the article.

Light-Induced Acceleration of Intracellular Delivery

Conceptual image of various cellular uptake processes accelerated by light irradiation
Illustration Credit: Courtesy of Osaka Metropolitan University

Light-induced accelerating system to increase the concentration of bio- functional molecules around targeted cells and their cytosolic delivery.

Cell membranes are barriers that maintain cellular homeostasis, and the intracellular delivery of biologically functional molecules, including peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids to manipulate cellular functions. Conventional intracellular uptake processes require high concentrations of bio functional molecules with low permeability to pass through the cell membrane. This results in low drug activity because the probability of the bio-functional molecules entering target cells and their organelles is low. In addition, many drugs damage healthy cells as well as the cells that are supposed to target due to poor selectivity, making it necessary to develop technology that can increase drugs’ selectivity so that they enter targeted cells with high efficiency.

A research group led by Professor Ikuhiko Nakase (Assistant Director) and Professor Takuya Iida (Director) of the Research Institute for Light-induced Acceleration System (RILACS) at Osaka Metropolitan University used light-induced convection with the aid of superradiance to achieve enhanced permeability of the cell membrane, by locally concentrating bio-functional molecules, including cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). The light-induced system was capable of effective drug delivery, even at concentrations as low as 1 pmol/L.

Poverty is linked to increased dementia risk, regardless of genetics

Researchers looked at poverty and low socioeconomic status.
Photo Credit: Leroy Skalstad

People who live in poverty are significantly more likely to develop dementia compared to people of higher socioeconomic status, regardless of genetic risk, new research concludes.

A largescale study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine examined data from 196,368 UK Biobank participants whose genetic risk for developing dementia was assessed.

In the paper, researchers looked at poverty, or low socioeconomic status, on two levels. The researchers investigated the contribution of individual socioeconomic deprivation, including low income and low wealth. They also looked at area-level socioeconomic deprivation, including rates of employment, and the number of people who owned a car or home. They calculated risk of developing dementia, and compared these with genetic risk for dementia.

They found that deprivation, both linked to socioeconomic conditions of households and at area level, contributed to risk of dementia. The increased risk was particularly associated with people living in very disadvantaged neighborhoods.

23,000-year-old human genome from southern Spain decoded

Human tooth recovered Cueva de Malalmuerzo
Photo Credit: Pedro Cantalejo

A new study reports on genomic data from a 23,000-year-old individual who lived in what was probably the warmest place in Europe at the peak of the last Ice Age. The oldest human genome recovered from the southern tip of Spain adds an important piece of the puzzle to the genetic history of Europe.

An international team of researchers has analyzed ancient human DNA from several archaeological sites in Andalucía in southern Spain. The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, reports on the oldest genome to date from Cueva del Malalmuerzo in southern Spain, as well as the 7,000 to 5,000-year-old genomes of early farmers from other well-known sites, such as Cueva de Ardales. The researchers describe their findings in the article ‘A 23,000-year-old southern-Iberian individual links human groups that lived in Western Europe before and after the Last Glacial Maximum’ in the Journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

The Iberian Peninsula plays an important role in the reconstruction of human population history. As a geographic cul-de-sac in the southwest of Europe, it is on one hand considered a refuge during the last Ice Age with its drastic temperature fluctuations. On the other hand, it may have been one of the starting points for the recolonization of Europe after the glacial maximum. Indeed, previous studies had reported on the genomic profiles of 13,000 to 8,000-year-old hunter-gatherers from the Iberian Peninsula and provided evidence for the survival and continuation of a much older Paleolithic lineage that has been replaced in other parts of Europe and is no longer detectable. 

Fermilab completes the first-of-its-kind prototype of a superconducting accelerator module

The cavity string for the HB650 cryomodule after being assembled in April 2022. These cavities comprise the heart of the new cryomodule.
Photo Credit: Lynn Johnson, Fermilab

Technical staff at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have completed a prototype of a special superconducting cryomodule, the first of its kind in the world. The national lab is home of the Proton Improvement Plan II, or PIP-II, a project to upgrade Fermilab’s particle accelerator complex.

The new high-beta 650-megahertz, or HB650, cryomodule is the longest and largest cryomodule in PIP-II. It will be responsible for accelerating protons to more than 80% of the speed of light. Ultimately, four of them will comprise the last section of the new linear accelerator, or linac, that will drive Fermilab’s accelerator complex.

In this final section of the linac, these superconducting cryomodules will power beams of protons to the final energy of 800 million electronvolts, or MeV, before the protons exit the linac. From there, the proton beam will transfer to the upgraded Booster and Main Injector accelerators, where it will gain more energy before being turned into a beam of neutrinos. These neutrinos will then be sent on a 1,300-kilometer journey through Earth to the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment and the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility in Lead, South Dakota.

Wasps harness power of pitcher plants in first-ever observed defense strategy

This is a cynipid wasp, whose larvae were recently discovered to induce plant growths called galls containing acidity levels akin to lemons.
Photo Credit: Antoine Guiguet

As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, turn that tartness into little translucent balls in which to grow your young.” At least, that’s how the saying goes for a tiny insect called a cynipid wasp, whose larvae were recently discovered inducing plant growths called galls that contained acidity levels akin to lemons.

“This is exciting because it represents a novel defense system, one we haven’t seen before,” said Antoine Guiguet, an entomologist at Penn State and lead author on a paper about the discovery published today (March 1) in Biology Letters.

For decades, it has been known that most cynipid wasp species inject chemicals into leaves to induce oak trees to produce protective galls — or growths — around their larvae to ensure the safety of their developing offspring. The gall houses and feeds the insects during their larval development and serves a defensive function to ward off natural enemies. The galls eventually fall from the tree and the wasp larva eat their way out, leaving behind the little balls to decompose on the forest floor.

Could a Naturally Occurring Amino Acid Lead Us to a Cure for COVID-19?

An amino acid called 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) might be key to reduce the expression of ACE2, a cell membrane receptor that SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect cells. New insights gained by scientists at Tokyo Tech have clarified the relationship between ACE2, ALA, and the production of heme, which could pave the way to anti-viral drugs to cure COVID-19.

After more than two years since its discovery, six million deaths, and half a billion reported cases, there is still no effective cure for COVID-19. Even though vaccines have lowered the impact of outbreaks, patients that contract the disease can only receive supportive care while they wait for their own body to clear the infection.

A promising COVID-19 treatment strategy that has been gaining traction lately is targeting angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). This is a receptor found on the cell membrane that allows entry of the virus into the cell due to its high affinity for SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein. The idea is that reducing the levels of ACE2 on the membrane of cells could be a way to prevent the virus from entering them and replicating, thereby lowering its infectious capabilities.

Lipid nanoparticles highly effective in gene therapy

The RNP-ssODN is designed to ensure the CRISPR-Cas9 molecule is encapsulated by the LNP. Once inside the cells, the ssODN dissociates and CRISPR-Cas9 can carry out its effect.
Illustration Credits: Haruno Onuma, Yusuke Sato, Hideyoshi Harashima. Journal of Controlled Release. February 10, 2023.

Lipid nanoparticles have been used to encapsulate CRISPR-Cas9 and deliver it to cells in mice, where it was highly effective at knocking down expression of a target protein.

Gene therapy is a potential mode of treatment for a wide variety of diseases caused by genetic mutations. While it has been an area of diverse and intense research, historically, only a very few patients have been treated using gene therapy—and fewer still cured. The advent of the genetic modification technique called CRISPR-Cas9 in 2012 has revolutionized gene therapy—as well as biology as a whole—and it has recently entered clinical trials for the treatment of some diseases in humans.

Haruno Onuma, Yusuke Sato and Hideyoshi Harashima at Hokkaido University have developed a new delivery system for CRISPR-Cas9, based on lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), that could greatly increase the efficiency of in vivo gene therapy. Their findings were published in the Journal of Controlled Release.

Social bird species may be less competitive

Northern mockingbird
Photo Credit: Brian E. Kushner/Cornell Lab of Ornithology 

Using Cornell Lab of Ornithology data, a new study finds that birds that have evolved to be more social are less likely to kick other birds off a bird feeder or a perch.

Spend any time watching backyard bird feeders and it becomes clear that some species are more “dominant” than others. They evict other birds from a feeder or perch, usually based on their body size. Scientists wanted to learn if birds that have evolved to be more social have also evolved to be less aggressive.

Their findings published March 1 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, “The Effect of Sociality on Competitive Interactions Among Birds.”

“We found that species’ sociality was inversely related to dominance,” said lead author Ilias Berberi from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. “Using data collected from thousands of birdwatching volunteers, we measured the sociality of different species based on their typical group size when seen at bird feeders. Though some species are often found in groups, other tend to be loners. When we examined their dominance interactions, we found that more social species are weaker competitors. Overall, the more social bird species are less likely to evict competing species from the feeders.”

Chemical imaging could help predict efficacy of radiation therapy for an individual cancer patient

Concept illustration of body chemistry.
Image Credit: Nicole Smith, made with Midjourney. Courtesy of University of Michigan

Decisions on cancer treatment could become better tailored to individual patients with the adoption of a new imaging method being developed by University of Michigan researchers that maps the chemical makeup of a patient’s tumor.

Today, treatment methods for cancer—whether surgery, radiation therapy or immunotherapy—are recommended based mainly on the tumor’s location, size and aggressiveness. This information is usually obtained by anatomical imaging—MRI or CT scans or ultrasound and by biological assays performed in tissues obtained by tumor biopsies.

Yet, the chemical environment of a tumor has a significant effect on how effective a particular treatment may be. For example, a low oxygen level in tumor tissue impairs the effectiveness of radiation therapy.

Now, a team of scientists from the University of Michigan and two universities in Italy has demonstrated that an imaging system that uses special nanoparticles can provide a real-time, high-resolution chemical map that shows the distribution of chemicals of interest in a tumor.

It could lead to a way to help clinicians make better recommendations on cancer therapy tailored to a particular patient—precision medicine.