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Tag: Scientific Meetings

  • Software DJ Creates Automated Pop Song Mashups #Acoustics23

    Software DJ Creates Automated Pop Song Mashups #Acoustics23

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    Newswise — SYDNEY, Dec. 7, 2023 – Song mashups are a staple of many DJs, who mix the vocals and instrumentals from two or more tracks into a seamless blend, creating a new and exciting final product. While the result is fun to listen to, the creation process can often be challenging, requiring knowledge and expertise to select the right tracks and mash them together perfectly.

    Xinyang Wu from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology took a different approach, designing a computer algorithm to intelligently create mashups using the drum tracks from one song and the vocals and instrumentals from another. He will present his work Dec. 7 at 4:20 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time, as part of Acoustics 2023, running Dec. 4-8 at the International Convention Centre Sydney.

    While some algorithms and automated software can attempt to create song mashups, their results are often clunky and unrefined. These methods layer the complete, unaltered tracks on top of each other, aligning them based on detected key moments in the music, rather than skillfully combining the vocals and instrumentals of different songs.

    “Imagine trying to make a gourmet meal with only a microwave – that’s sort of what automated mashup software is up against compared to a pro chef, or in this case, a professional music composer,” said Wu. “These pros can get their hands on the original ingredients of a song – the separate vocals, drums, and instruments, known as stems – which lets them mix and match with precision.”

    His algorithm takes a different approach, mimicking the process used by professionals. The software works to isolate the stems from each song and identify the most dynamic moments. It adjusts the tempo of the instrumental tracks and adds the drum beat mashup at exactly the right moment for maximum effect.

    The result is a unique blend of pleasing lyrics and exciting instrumentals with wide-ranging appeal.

    “From what I’ve observed, there’s a clear trend in what listeners prefer in mashups,” said Wu. “Hip-hop drumbeats are the crowd favorite – people seem to really enjoy the groove and rhythm that these beats bring to a mashup.”

    Now that the software has been tested on drum tracks, the team plans to tackle bass mashups next. For Wu, the dream is to expand the algorithm to incorporate the full instrumental suite and put user-friendly mashup technology directly into the hands of listeners.

    “Our ultimate goal is creating an app where users can pick any two songs and choose how to mash them up – whether it’s switching out the drums, bass, instrumentals, or everything together with the other song’s vocals,” said Wu.

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    ———————– MORE MEETING INFORMATION ———————–

    The Acoustical Society of America is joining the Australian Acoustical Society to co-host Acoustics 2023 in Sydney. This collaborative event will incorporate the Western Pacific Acoustics Conference and the Pacific Rim Underwater Acoustics Conference.

    Main meeting website: https://acoustics23sydney.org/ 
    Technical program: https://eppro01.ativ.me/src/EventPilot/php/express/web/planner.php?id=ASAFALL23    

    ASA PRESS ROOM

    In the coming weeks, ASA’s Press Room will be updated with newsworthy stories and the press conference schedule at https://acoustics.org/asa-press-room/. 

    LAY LANGUAGE PAPERS

    ASA will also share dozens of lay language papers about topics covered at the conference. Lay language papers are summaries (300-500 words) of presentations written by scientists for a general audience. They will be accompanied by photos, audio, and video. Learn more at https://acoustics.org/lay-language-papers/.

    PRESS REGISTRATION

    ASA will grant free registration to credentialed and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend the meeting or virtual press conferences, contact AIP Media Services at [email protected]. For urgent requests, AIP staff can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.

    ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

    The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), JASA Express Letters, Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. See https://acousticalsociety.org/.

    ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY

    The Australian Acoustical Society (AAS) is the peak technical society for individuals working in acoustics in Australia. The AAS aims to promote and advance the science and practice of acoustics in all its branches to the wider community and provide support to acousticians. Its diverse membership is made up from academia, consultancies, industry, equipment manufacturers and retailers, and all levels of Government. The Society supports research and provides regular forums for those who practice or study acoustics across a wide range of fields The principal activities of the Society are technical meetings held by each State Division, annual conferences which are held by the State Divisions and the ASNZ in rotation, and publication of the journal Acoustics Australia. https://www.acoustics.org.au/ 

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    Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

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  • A Farsighted Approach to Tackle Nearsightedness #Acoustics23

    A Farsighted Approach to Tackle Nearsightedness #Acoustics23

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    As humans age, our eyes adjust based on how we use them, growing or shortening to focus where needed, and we now know that blurred input to the eye while the eye is growing causes myopia.

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    Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

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  • Want Better AI? Get Input From a Real (Human) Expert

    Want Better AI? Get Input From a Real (Human) Expert

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    Newswise — Can AI be trusted? The question pops up wherever AI is used or discussed—which, these days, is everywhere.

    It’s a question that even some AI systems ask themselves. 

    Many machine-learning systems create what experts call a “confidence score,” a value that reflects how confident the system is in its decisions. A low score tells the human user that there is some uncertainty about the recommendation; a high score indicates to the human user that the system, at least, is quite sure of its decisions. Savvy humans know to check the confidence score when deciding whether to trust the recommendation of a machine-learning system.

    Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have put forth a new way to evaluate an AI system’s recommendations. They bring human experts into the loop to view how the ML performed on a set of data.  The expert learns which types of data the machine-learning system typically classifies correctly, and which data types lead to confusion and system errors. Armed with this knowledge, the experts then offer their own confidence score on future system recommendations.

    The result of having a human look over the shoulder of the AI system? Humans predicted the AI system’s performance more accurately.

    Minimal human effort—just a few hours—evaluating some of the decisions made by the AI program allowed researchers to vastly improve on the AI program’s ability to assess its decisions. In some analyses by the team, the accuracy of the confidence score doubled when a human provided the score.

    The PNNL team presented its results at a recent meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society in Washington, D.C., part of a session on human-AI robot teaming.

    “If you didn’t develop the machine-learning algorithm in the first place, then it can seem like a black box,” said Corey Fallon, the lead author of the study and an expert in human-machine interaction. “In some cases, the decisions seem fine. In other cases, you might get a recommendation that is a real head-scratcher. You may not understand why it’s making the decisions it is.”

    The grid and AI

     It’s a dilemma that power engineers working with the electric grid face. Their decisions based on reams of data that change every instant keep the lights on and the nation running. But power engineers may be reluctant to turn over decision-making authority to machine-learning systems.

    “There are hundreds of research papers about the use of machine learning in power systems, but almost none of them are applied in the real world. Many operators simply don’t trust ML. They have domain experience—something that ML can’t learn,” said coauthor Tianzhixi “Tim” Yin.

    The researchers at PNNL, which has a world-class team modernizing the grid, took a closer look at one machine-learning algorithm applied to power systems. They trained the SVM (support-vector machine) algorithm on real data from the grid’s Eastern Interconnection in the U.S. The program looked at 124 events, deciding whether a generator was malfunctioning, or whether the data was showing other types of events that are less noteworthy.

    The algorithm was 85% reliable in its decisions. Many of its errors occurred when there were complex power bumps or frequency shifts. Confidence scores created with a human in the loop were a marked improvement over the system’s assessment of its own decisions. The human expert’s input predicted the algorithm’s decisions with much greater accuracy.

     

    More human, better machine learning

    Fallon and Yin call the new score an “Expert-Derived Confidence” score, or EDC score.

    They found that, on average, when humans weighed in on the data, their EDC scores predicted model behavior that the algorithm’s confidence scores couldn’t predict.

    “The human expert fills in gaps in the ML’s knowledge,” said Yin. “The human provides information that the ML did not have, and we show that that information is significant. The bottom line is that we’ve shown that if you add human expertise to the ML results, you get much better confidence.”

    The work by Fallon and Yin was funded by PNNL through an initiative known as MARS—Mathematics for Artificial Reasoning in Science. The effort is part of a broader effort in artificial intelligence at PNNL. The initiative brought together Fallon, an expert on human-machine teaming and human factors research, and Yin, a data scientist and an expert on machine learning.

    “This is the type of research needed to prepare and equip an AI-ready workforce,” said Fallon. “If people don’t trust the tool, then you’ve wasted your time and money. You’ve got to know what will happen when you take a machine learning model out of the laboratory and put it to work in the real world.

    “I’m a big fan of human expertise and of human-machine teaming. Our EDC scores allow the human to better assess the situation and make the ultimate decision.”

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    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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  • Actiphage TB awarded US Patent grant for diagnostic kit

    Actiphage TB awarded US Patent grant for diagnostic kit

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    Newswise — PBD Biotech developers of Actiphage TB, a ground-breaking phage-based diagnostic for laboratory tuberculosis testing, has today announced it has secured the grant of a US patent for its diagnostic kit. The company is exhibiting in the AACC Clinical Lab Expo on booth #4578.

    Grant of this US patent relating to Mycobacteria detection using bacteriophages, and specifically to the diagnostic kit, provides further important protection for the Actiphage technology.

    Jane Theaker CEO of PBD Biotech explains: “We already have a granted US Patent for the specific method steps, but this new allowance relates to the specific components that make up the Actiphage TB diagnostic kit, strengthening our rights.”

    “We are particularly pleased with this result, claims covering diagnostic kits are notoriously difficult to obtain before the USPTO as the components of the kit are generally considered individually and not in relation to how the kit is to be used.”

    PBD Biotech is a clinical-stage diagnostic company and pioneer in phage-based diagnostics. It is focused on the development of Actiphage TB as a blood test for the detection of tuberculosis in latent TB screening and drug management.

    PBD Biotech recently initiated one of the largest clinical trials for Actiphage TB to date, building on a prior study that demonstrated detection of Mycobacteria tuberculosis (Mtb) in the blood of naive pulmonary TB patients.

    PBD Biotech is one of eight start-ups selected to present at the DxPx Conference US 2023, part of the AACC Clinical Lab Expo in Anaheim, California on July 26 2023.

    PBD is actively seeking investment and life sciences partners to support Actiphage TB clinical development and commercialization.

    DxPx is the only conference dedicated to facilitating M&A, licensing, and financing opportunities for Diagnostics, Digital Health, Precision Medicine, and Life Sciences Tools companies. 

    PBD Biotech is exhibiting in the AACC Clinical Lab Expo on Booth #4578. 

    -ENDS-

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    2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program

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  • With a new app, smart devices can have GPS underwater

    With a new app, smart devices can have GPS underwater

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    Newswise — Even for scuba and snorkeling enthusiasts, the plunge into open water can be dislocating. Divers frequently swim with limited visibility, which can become a safety hazard for teams trying to find each other in an emergency. Yet even though many dive with smartwatches designed to go to depths of over 100 feet, accurately locating mobile devices underwater has confounded researchers.

    Now, a team at the University of Washington has developed the first underwater 3D-positioning app for smart devices. When at least three divers are within about 98 feet (30 meters) of each other, their devices’ existing speakers and microphones contact each other, and the app tracks each user’s location relative to the leader. This range can extend with more divers, if each is within 98 feet of another diver. The team will present its findings in September at the SIGCOMM 2023 conference in New York City.

    “Mobile devices today can work nearly anywhere on Earth. You can be in a forest or on a plane and still get internet connectivity,” said lead author Tuochao Chen, a UW doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “But the one place where we still hadn’t made mobile devices work was underwater. It’s kind of the final frontier.”

    Above water, GPS relies on a vast satellite network to locate mobile devices with radio signals. Underwater, these signals quickly fade. Sound, though, travels faster and farther in water than it does in air. Previous underwater positioning systems have relied on strategically placed buoys, but these systems are expensive and cumbersome to deploy, leading many divers to do without.

    The UW team found that such buoys aren’t necessary. With the app, if the dive leader has at least one other diver visible, the group’s devices can send acoustic signals to each other through their microphones and speakers and use the timestamps to estimate each diver’s distance. Based on these distances, the app can estimate the group’s formation and each diver’s location. If a device also tracks depth, as sport monitors like the Apple Watch Ultra or the Garmin Descent do, the system can locate divers in 3D.

    The app needs at least three devices in its network to function, and its accuracy improves as more devices are added. When tested with four to five devices in local lakes and a pool, the app estimated locations with an average error of about 5 feet (1.6 meters) — close enough for divers to see each other in most environments. To get actual GPS coordinates, instead of tracking locations relative to the dive leader, the leader needs to be wirelessly connected to a surface device on a boat with GPS capabilities.

    For more information and to see the app’s open-source code, visit the team’s website.

    The study builds on a previous breakthrough from the lab called AquaApp, which allows divers to send messages to each other underwater.

    “This and AquaApp can be used together,” said author Justin Chan, a UW doctoral student in the Allen School. “For example, if the dive leader finds someone going the wrong way, the leader can send an alert: ‘Hey, you’re going out of range. You need to come back.’ Or if a diver is running out of oxygen, an SOS can let the team find the person quickly even in murky water.”

    Shyam Gollakota, a professor in the Allen School, is a senior author on this paper. This research was funded by grants from the Moore foundation and National Science Foundation.

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    University of Washington

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  • AACC Rebrands to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine

    AACC Rebrands to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine

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    Newswise — ANAHEIM—AACC, a global scientific and medical professional organization dedicated to better health through laboratory medicine, is pleased to announce a name change to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine. 

    This new name reflects the association’s role as advocate and champion for a larger community who specialize in diagnostics and laboratory medicine, as well as the global reach of the organization. 

    While AACC has been the professional home for clinical chemists since it began, over the years the association’s programs have grown in their appeal to other specialty areas working in or adjacent to the clinical lab. Today, the association is already broadly serving those who work in or with the clinical laboratory.

    On April 21, AACC held a member vote on the proposal to change the name of the association from AACC to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM). When final votes were tabulated, the motion was carried with more than a two-thirds majority voting to approve AACC becoming the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine.

    “I’m proud to say that this change has come about by listening to our members and focusing on the best way to ensure a bright future for our profession,” said association president Dr. Shannon Haymond. “This name change does not represent a change of direction for the association. Instead, it more accurately reflects an evolution within the field and the association that has long been underway. As we evolve into this new branding, I’d like to emphasize that the goal of the new brand is to broaden our invitation to collaborate, not narrow it.”

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    About the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) 

    Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, ADLM (formerly AACC) brings together more than 70,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, ADLM has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.myadlm.org. 

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    American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC)

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  • CSUF Study Examines Ways to Deter Cheating Online

    CSUF Study Examines Ways to Deter Cheating Online

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    Newswise — As the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to conduct classes online, colleges and universities around the world experienced increases in academic dishonesty. 

    A new study by Cal State Fullerton faculty members is among the first to explore the outcomes and motivations of passive versus active proctoring on academic honesty. Gerard Beenen, professor of management, and Sinjini Mitra, professor of information systems and decision sciences, are the co-authors of “Deterring Cheating Online: Passive Versus Active Proctoring Through a Social Facilitation Lens.”

    The paper was selected for the Academy of Management’s Best Paper in Management Education and Development Award.

    The researchers found that academic dishonesty appeared to be less likely in conditions of active (live instructor) versus passive (invisible instructor) proctoring. In addition, the strongest motivational mechanisms for deterring academic dishonesty were self-awareness and evaluation apprehension. 

    Beenen and Mitra said: “Given the potential for cheating in online exams…it is important to identify strategies to mitigate academic dishonesty for online assessments.

    “To our knowledge, this is the first research to examine potential differences in student cheating motivations, intentions and behaviors for a continuum of passively to actively proctored exams.”

    Read more about Beenen and Mitra’s research.

    About Cal State Fullerton: The largest university in the CSU and the only campus in Orange County, Cal State Fullerton offers 110 degree programs and Division 1 athletics. Recognized as a national model for supporting student success, CSUF excels with innovative, high-impact educational practices, including faculty-student collaborative research, study abroad and competitive internships. Our vibrant and diverse campus is a primary driver of workforce and economic development in the region. CSUF is a top public university known for its success in supporting first-generation and underrepresented students, and preparing all students to become leaders in the global marketplace. Visit fullerton.edu.

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    California State University, Fullerton

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  • Fastest industry standard fiber optic cable

    Fastest industry standard fiber optic cable

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    Newswise — An optical fibre about the thickness of a human hair can now carry the equivalent of more than 10 million fast home internet connections running at full capacity.

    A team of Japanese, Australian, Dutch, and Italian researchers has set a new speed record for an industry standard optical fibre, achieving 1.7 Petabits over a 67km length of fibre. The fibre, which contains 19 cores that can each carry a signal, meets the global standards for fibre size, ensuring that it can be adopted without massive infrastructure change. And it uses less digital processing, greatly reducing the power required per bit transmitted.

    Macquarie University researchers supported the invention by developing a 3D laser-printed glass chip that allows low loss access to the 19 streams of light carried by the fibre and ensures compatibility with existing transmission equipment.

    The fibre was developed by the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, Japan) and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (SEI, Japan) and the work was performed in collaboration with the Eindhoven University of Technology, University of L’Aquila, and Macquarie University.

    All the world’s internet traffic is carried through optical fibres which are each 125 microns thick (comparable to the thickness of a human hair). These industry standard fibres link continents, data centres, mobile phone towers, satellite ground stations and our homes and businesses.

    Back in 1988, the first subsea fibre-optic cable across the Atlantic had a capacity of 20 Megabits or 40,000 telephone calls, in two pairs of fibres. Known as TAT 8, it came just in time to support the development of the World Wide Web. But it was soon at capacity.

    The latest generation of subsea cables such as the Grace Hopper cable, which went into service in 2022, carries 22 Terabits in each of 16 fibre pairs. That’s a million times more capacity than TAT 8, but it’s still not enough to meet the demand for streaming TV, video conferencing and all our other global communication.

    “Decades of optics research around the world has allowed the industry to push more and more data through single fibres,” says Dr Simon Gross from Macquarie University’s School of Engineering. “They’ve used different colours, different polarisations, light coherence and many other tricks to manipulate light.”

    Most current fibres have a single core that carries multiple light signals. But this current technology is practically limited to only a few Terabits per second due to interference between the signals.

    “We could increase capacity by using thicker fibres. But thicker fibres would be less flexible, more fragile, less suitable for long-haul cables, and would require massive reengineering of optical fibre infrastructure,” says Dr Gross.

    “We could just add more fibres. But each fibre adds equipment overhead and cost and we’d need a lot more fibres.”

    To meet the exponentially growing demand for movement of data, telecommunication companies need technologies that offer greater data flow for reduced cost.

    The new fibre contains 19 cores that can each carry a signal.

    “Here at Macquarie University, we’ve created a compact glass chip with a wave guide pattern etched into it by a 3D laser printing technology. It allows feeding of signals into the 19 individual cores of the fibre simultaneously with uniform low losses. Other approaches are lossy and limited in the number of cores,” says Dr Gross.

    “It’s been exciting to work with the Japanese leaders in optical fibre technology. I hope we’ll see this technology in subsea cables within five to 10 years.”

    Another researcher involved in the experiment, Professor Michael Withford from Macquarie University’s School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, believes this breakthrough in optical fibre technology has far-reaching implications.

    “The optical chip builds on decades of research into optics at Macquarie University,” says Professor Withford. “The underlying patented technology has many applications including finding planets orbiting distant stars, disease detection, even identifying damage in sewage pipes.”

    The results of this experiment were published in the proceedings of the 46th Optical Fiber Communication Conference, https://doi.org/10.1364/OFC.2023.Th4A.4.

    Measuring Internet speed

    The speed of an Internet connection is usually measured in Megabits. File size is usually measured in Megabytes. There are eight Megabits to a Megabyte.

    There are 1,000 Megabits in a Gigabit and 1,000 Gigabits in a Terabit and 1,000 Terabits in a Petabit.

    Most home NBN connections in Australia provide 25 to 100 Megabits a second. One Gigabit is now available with fibre to the premises.

    Singapore broadband connections average about 220 Megabits, Japan is about 150, the USA is about 140, and Australia averages about 75 Megabits.

    The new fibre has been proven to provide 1.7 Petabit over a 67 km length of fibre.

    Abstract and authors

    We developed a randomly-coupled 19-core fiber with standard 125-µm cladding diameter with spatial mode dispersion of 10.8ps/ √km, enabling a data rate of 1.7 Pb/s, the highest reported amongst optical fibers with standard cladding diameter.

    Georg Rademacher,(1),* Menno van den Hout,(1),(2) Ruben S. Luís,(1) Benjamin J. Puttnam,(1) Giammarco Di Sciullo,(1),(3) Tetsuya Hayashi,(4) Ayumi Inoue,(4) Takuji Nagashima,(4) Simon Gross,(5) Andrew Ross-Adams,(6) Michael J. Withford,(6) Jun Sakaguchi,(1) Cristian Antonelli,(3) Chigo Okonkwo,(2) and Hideaki Furukawa(1)

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    Macquarie University

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  • Annual UCLA Nursing Science and Innovation Conference

    Annual UCLA Nursing Science and Innovation Conference

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     Wed, May 31, 2023

     8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

     UCLA Covel Commons

     Directions and Parking

    Newswise — UCLA Health Nursing and School of Nursing will host its 19th Annual Nursing Science and Innovation Conference on May 31 at the UCLA Covel Commons. This day-long conference will showcase science-based discoveries, best practices and processes, and policy development. This year’s conference theme is “Translating Research into Practice and Policy” – and will include addresses from two nationally recognized nurse scientists.

    For more information on the conference and how to register, visit the website.

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    UCLA School of Nursing

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  • The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities 2023 Annual Meeting, May 7-10, Boston

    The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities 2023 Annual Meeting, May 7-10, Boston

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    Newswise — May 5, 2023 (Lexington, KY) – The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) 2023 Annual Meeting will be held May 7-10 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.  This year’s meeting focuses on Driving Collaborative Science, and features dozens of sessions on timely topics on the latest technology and strategies for shared research resources. With close to 1000 attendees from more than 200 leading academic research institutions and commercial manufacturers attending, the ABRF 2023 Annual Meeting will be the largest event for shared research resources, or Core, facilities.

    Among the notable sessions at the 2023 ABRF Annual Meeting are:

    ABRF Award for Outstanding Contributions to Biomolecular Technologies  – presented to Dr. Chris Enke and Richard Yost for the development of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and the tremendous impact triple quads have made for a wide range of biomedical research applications.

    ABRF Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award – presented to Dr. Tshaka Cunningham with Polaris Genomics and Future Kings, a regional nonprofit which serves boys and girls of color from economically challenged communities through a unique, year-long afterschool educational program that guides young men and women in grades 6-12 from underserved communities to explore exciting career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Their targeted focus is on cybersecurity, computer game design, biomedical sciences, and engineering.

    Keynote speakers: Beth Cimini, Ph.D., Senior Group Leader, Broad Institute will present Making More from Your Microscopy:  Advances in High-Content Image Analysis

    Ed Boyden, Ph.D., HHMI and MIT,  will close the meeting with an engaging presentation on Optical Tools for Analyzing and Controlling Biological Systems.

    Along with these key sessions, the ABRF Annual Meeting will include dozens of workshops on current developments in specific technology areas, including Genomics, Imaging, Mass Spectrometry, Flow Cytometry, and Proteomics, as well as best practices for Core Facilities Management and Leadership.  Attendees will also engage with over 70 biotechnology manufacturers and systems developers to view the latest advances in research instrumentation and tools to support their ground-breaking work. Visit the meeting web site for the latest information or contact ABRF to learn more.

     

    About the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities

    The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities is a unique membership association comprising over 2000 members working within or in the support of resource and research biotechnology laboratories. Our members represent over 400 laboratories and administrative offices in government, academia, research, industry and commercial settings. ABRF promotes education and career advancement for scientists, core administrators, and staff through conferences, a quarterly journal, publication of research group studies and conference scholarships. The society also sponsors multi-center research studies designed to help members incorporate new biotechnologies into their laboratories.

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    Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

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  • Land O’Lakes president, CEO to deliver Heuermann Lecture

    Land O’Lakes president, CEO to deliver Heuermann Lecture

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    BYLINE: Frances Hayes | Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute

    Newswise — Beth Ford, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes, Inc., is the featured speaker at the May 8 Heuermann Lecture, part of the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference.

    The free lecture, sponsored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, will be 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center, 2021 Transformation Drive in Lincoln, and streamed live here.

    Land O’Lakes, Inc., is a Fortune 200 food production and agribusiness company that is also a century-old farmer-owned cooperative. The company includes Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra and has operations in more than 60 countries.

    Ford joined Land O’Lakes in 2011 and has held a variety of roles across all businesses. She is a passionate advocate of farmers and rural America, with the goal of connecting people, particularly in urban areas, to the farmers and rural communities who grow their food. In addition, she helped launch the American Connection Project to help bridge the digital divide.

    Ford’s 35-year career spans six industries at seven companies. She is on the board of directors of Starbucks and previously served on the board of directors of Blackrock, Inc. She also serves on the board of directors for the Business Roundtable and the board of advises for Columbia Business School’s Deming Center.

    Ford was recently inducted into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Iowa State University in 2022.

    The Heuermann Lecture is held in conjunction with the Water for Food Global Conference, May 8-11, which will convene leading international experts and organizations to discuss “Cultivating Innovation: Solutions for a Changing World.” The focus will be on the next generation of research, smart technology, policy development and best practices that are achieving breakthroughs in water and food security. The conference is organized by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska and features three days of sessions, as well as site visits to a local Nebraska farm, feedlot and university research center. Registration and more information are available here.

    Heuermann Lectures are funded by a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips. The Heuermanns are longtime university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska’s production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.

    Lectures are streamed lived on the Heuermann Lecture Series website and air live on campus channel 4. Lectures are archived after the event and are later broadcast on NET2.

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    University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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  • Mid-Calf Nerve Block May Enable Early Rehabilitation After Foot and Ankle Surgery, Preventing Pain While Allowing Foot Movement

    Mid-Calf Nerve Block May Enable Early Rehabilitation After Foot and Ankle Surgery, Preventing Pain While Allowing Foot Movement

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    Newswise — A pilot study conducted at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) shows evidence that a mid-calf nerve block is a safe and effective regional anesthetic option for foot and ankle surgeries and may enable faster recovery of motor function of the ankle joint compared with a popliteal block. These findings were presented at the 2023 Spring American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) Annual Meeting.1

    “This new block provides excellent anesthesia and analgesia to foot and ankle surgeries and preserves motor function of the ankle joint. The results are very promising,” said Enrique A. Goytizolo, MD, an anesthesiologist at HSS and senior author of the study. “New protocols of early rehabilitation of foot surgeries can be instituted, since patients have no pain with movement of the foot.”

    An ultrasound-guided popliteal block is the current standard anesthetic technique for foot and ankle surgeries, but the study findings show that using an ultrasound-guided mid-calf block could enable earlier rehabilitation protocols and an overall faster recovery from surgery.

    A popliteal block numbs the sciatic nerve at the level of the popliteal fossa, which is a diamond-shaped space behind the knee joint. A mid-calf block is placed farther down the leg, between the popliteal fossa and the ankle, and numbs the posterior tibial nerve, superficial and deep peroneal nerves, sural, and saphenous nerves. A mid-calf block provides prolonged analgesia for any foot or ankle surgery while preserving motor function of the ankle joint.

    Twenty patients who were scheduled to receive foot or ankle surgery at HSS were recruited for the study. The procedures included total ankle replacement, ankle arthroscopy, bunionectomy, cheilectomy, and Achilles tendon repair. Participants were assessed in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and again before discharge to record the time when the mid-calf block ended, presence of paresthesia, and any other side effects. On postoperative days 1, 2, and 7, participants were asked about their pain on a numerical rating score (NRS), their medication use, and other symptoms.

    The researchers found that the median duration of analgesia from the mid-calf block was 18.2 hours, with an interquartile range of 4.5-24.0 hours. All 20 patients were able to flex their toes in the PACU.

    The average pain score in the PACU was 0.8 +/- 2.1 at rest, and 1.1 +/- 2.3 with movement. Three participants were excluded for sensitivity analysis because they received additional surgery in surgical areas not covered by the mid-calf block. Among the 17 patients in the sensitivity analysis group, these scores were both 0.3 +/- 1.2 at rest and with movement.

    “The mid-calf block provides reliable, consistent, and excellent anesthesia and analgesia for foot and ankle surgeries,” said Dr. Goytizolo. “Follow-up research and patient treatments following this study should include a fast-track rehabilitation program for patients who have total ankle replacement surgeries with a mid-calf block.”

    The findings of this study will also inform future randomized control trials on the mid-calf block.

    References

    1. Marko Popovic BS, Alex Illescas MPH, Pa Thor PhD, Jacques YaDeau MD PhD, Constantine Demetracopoulos MD, Scott Ellis MD, Vincent LaSala MD, Matthew Roberts MD, Anne H. Johnson MD, Mark Drakos MD, Enrique Goytizolo MD. “Mid-Calf Block for foot and ankle surgery: A pilot study.” Presented at: 48th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), April 20-22, 2023; Hollywood, FL. 

    About HSS

    HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 13th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2022-2023), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2022-2023). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a third consecutive year (2023). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 145 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.

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  • ENRICH Trial Findings Debuts at the 2023 American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting

    ENRICH Trial Findings Debuts at the 2023 American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting

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    Newswise — The latest science and trial results were unveiled during the 2023 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Los Angeles. The late-breaking abstract “Efficacy and Safety of Early Minimally Invasive Removal of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ENRICH): a Multicenter Randomized Adaptive Trial,” was showcased Saturday, April 22.

    The abstract was authored by Gustavo Pradilla, Jonathan J. Ratcliff, Alex J. Hall, Benjamin R. Saville, Jason W. Allen, Michael Frankel, David W. Wright, Daniel L. Barrow, and for the ENRICH Investigators.

    Supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 10-15% of all strokes and results in significant morbidity and mortality. The ENRICH Trial evaluated a Minimally Invasive trans-sulcal, Parafascicular Surgery (MIPS) approach. Between December 1, 2016, and August 24, 2022, eligible patients were randomized to either MM or MIPS at 37 centers in the United States. At the second interim analysis (175 enrolled), a pre-specified stopping criterion was met for the ABG location resulting in a study adaptation. Per design, the ABG location was halted and all subsequent participants were enrolled (enriched) meeting lobar location criteria. The trial randomized 300 participants, with 92 (30.7%) in the ABG location and 198 (69.3%) in the lobar location. There were no observed baseline differences between groups for age, ICH volume, GCS or NIHSS.

    Overall mortality at 6 months was 21.3% (22.7% in the MM group and 20.7% in the MIPS group). In the MIPS group, median extent of hematoma evacuation was 87.7% with a median end-of-treatment volume (EOTV) of 7.2mL. Goal EOTV <15mL was reached in 72.7%. An mRS at 6 months was obtained in 286 participants (95.3%): 139 in the MM group (40 ABG and 99 lobar) and 147 in the MIPS group (47 ABG and 100 Lobar).

    The Bayesian primary analysis compared the mean UWmRS at 6 months between treatment groups, with an estimated mean UWmRS of 0.376 for the control and 0.456 for the MIPS group, with a difference of 0.0793. The Bayesian posterior probability of superiority of the intervention was 0.9762, which exceeded the pre-specified 0.975 threshold to claim superiority of MIPS versus MM. The observed difference in mean UWmRS was -0.0488 in the ABG location, 0.1386 in the lobar location. Differences greater than 0 correspond to improved outcomes in the treatment group.

    This is the first clinical trial to demonstrate the functional benefit of surgical clot evacuation among participants with supratentorial ICH presenting within 24 hours of LKN. MIPS was deemed safe, resulted in substantial clot evacuation and improved the UWmRS at 6 months relative to standard management. The overall benefit of MIPS appears to be from the strong positive effect observed for participants with lobar ICH.

     

    About the 2023 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting:

    From April 21-24, 2023, in in Los Angeles, California, neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals will join together for the 2023 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting. The annual meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the field’s latest research and technological advances. The scientific presentations scheduled for the 2023 event represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery.

     

    About the AANS:

    Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 13,000 members worldwide. The AANS promotes the highest quality of patient care and advances the specialty of neurological surgery. Fellows of the AANS are board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, A.C. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the spinal column, spinal cord, brain, nervous system and peripheral nerves.

     

     For more information, visit www.AANS.org.

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  • Peripheral Nerve Blocks in Total Joint Arthroplasty May Provide the Best Reduction in Complications in Older Patients With Fewer Comorbidities

    Peripheral Nerve Blocks in Total Joint Arthroplasty May Provide the Best Reduction in Complications in Older Patients With Fewer Comorbidities

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    Newswise — Hollywood, Florida, April 22, 2023 — In a study conducted at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), researchers found that the use of peripheral nerve blocks in total knee and total hip arthroplasty were associated with a consistent reduction in risk for postoperative complications in patients with a lower comorbidity burden. In particular, the most consistent reduction in risk of complications and use of hospital resources was in older patients with no comorbidity burden. These findings were presented at the 2023 Spring American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) Annual Meeting and were acknowledged as one of the President’s Choice Abstracts.1

    “The utility of interventions in a general population of patients might be difficult to show, but might differ by subgroups, with certain patients deriving benefit when others do not,” said Stavros G. Memtsoudis, MD, PhD MBA FCCP, an anesthesiologist at HSS and lead author of the study. “In this study, we tried to identify which subgroups might benefit most from peripheral nerve blocks in terms of a reduction in complications after joint arthroplasty.”

    These findings demonstrate that comorbidities may be a factor with a greater effect on complication risk than other factors, such as age, and that peripheral nerve blocks alone may not be sufficient to consistently influence outcomes in patients with comorbidities.

    These findings may also demonstrate that there may be a specific optimal baseline patient population for whom peripheral nerve blocks have the greatest impact on improving surgical outcomes: patients who are older but do not have many comorbidities. This study could help clinicians determine which surgical patients may benefit most from peripheral nerve blocks and which candidates may need additional measures to improve their outcomes.

    Many total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients are at risk for poorly controlled pain and complications. The number of these surgeries performed increases each year, underscoring the importance of finding solutions. To find out how uniformly peripheral nerve blocks can improve perioperative outcomes and pain relief in TJA patients, the researchers conducted a population-based analysis using data from TJA surgeries in the United States from January 2006 to December 2019.

    Patients were divided into nine groups based on age and number of comorbidities. Age was broken down as follows: Young (Y) = younger than 65 years; Middle (M) = 65 to 75 years; and Old (O) = older than 75 years. Comorbidities were categorized as: no pre-existing comorbidity (Group 1); 1 or 2 comorbidities (Group 2); and 3 or more comorbidities (Group 3). This led to a breakdown of nine groups total: Y1, Y2, Y3, M1, M2, M3, O1, O2, and O3.

    The sample included more than 2.8 million TJA cases performed in 887 hospitals. Of those, 15.5% received a peripheral nerve block. The overall rate of peripheral nerve blocks increased from 9.5% in 2006 to 18.9% in 2019. Peripheral nerve blocks were used least often in young patients with more than 3 comorbidities (13.9%) and used most often in middle-aged patients with no comorbidities (16.3%). Peripheral nerve blocks were associated with a significant reduction in the odds of respiratory complication, acute renal failure, delirium, ICU admission, high opioid consumption during hospitalization, and prolonged length of stay.

    The results showed reduced odds of respiratory complications for the O1 and Y2 groups, reduced odds of acute renal failure in the Y1, O1, and M2 groups, and reduced odds of delirium in O1. The risk for ICU admission was reduced in those who received peripheral nerve blocks in all ages with no comorbidities, as well as in the Y2 and O2 groups, compared with those who did not receive a peripheral nerve block. Peripheral nerve blocks also reduced the odds of a prolonged length of stay in the Y1, M1, Y2, M2, and Y3 groups. Odds of high opioid use in patients who received a peripheral nerve block versus no peripheral nerve block were significantly reduced in all groups except for Y3 and O3.

    “While peripheral nerve blocks might have the advantage of providing superior pain control versus systemic modalities as well as reducing opioid consumption, a reduction in complications might be expected in those without comorbidities,” Dr. Memtsoudis said. “However, given that peripheral nerve blocks still provide better pain control and reduce opioid use, all patients should be considered for peripheral nerve blocks.”

    “Older patients without major comorbidities might represent a subgroup in which the beneficial effects of peripheral nerve blocks are most likely to be expected,” he noted. “This might be the case because major comorbidities are a bigger determinant of complications, with peripheral nerve blocks being less likely to be able to exert a substantial effect.”

    Future research should include further examination of the benefits of peripheral nerve blocks. “Many questions remain unanswered, including quantification of attributable risk reduction of peripheral nerve blocks and which peripheral nerve blocks provide the biggest effect,” Dr. Memtsoudis concluded.

     

    References

    1. Haoyan Zhong MPA, Marko Popovic BS, Jashvant Poeran MD PhD, Crispiana Cozowicz MD, Alex Illescas MPH, Jiabin Liu MD PhD, Stavros G Memtsoudis MD PhD MBA FCCP. “Does the impact of peripheral nerve blocks vary by age and comorbidity subgroups? A nationwide population based study.” Presented at: 48th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), April 20-22, 2023; Hollywood, FL.

     

    About HSS

    HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 13th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2022-2023), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2022-2023). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a third consecutive year (2023). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 145 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.

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  • Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Hosting World Malaria Day Symposium on Tuesday, April 25

    Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Hosting World Malaria Day Symposium on Tuesday, April 25

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    Newswise — The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will host its annual World Malaria Day Symposium Tuesday, April 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. EDT. The theme is the blood stage of malaria, which is the most devastating phase of the disease. The event will take place in person in Baltimore with thirteen panelists. A remote option is available to journalists.

    Daniel Goldberg, MD, PhD, the David M. and Paula L. Kipnis Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, will deliver the keynote. He specializes in the biology of malaria, focused on identifying drug targets. The symposium will also feature more than 40 research posters, from research on mosquito microbiomes to malaria therapeutics.

    The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute has hosted the annual symposium since 2009. The event recognizes World Malaria Day, established in May 2007 by the World Health Organization to bring global attention to the efforts being made to end the devastating disease. Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, killing more than 619,000 people in 2021, mostly children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. Many who survive suffer life-changing consequences, including blindness, and the economies of malaria-endemic countries suffer detrimental setbacks.

    Vaccines represent a significant advance in potential malaria prevention. WHO recommended widespread use of the first-ever malaria vaccine, RTS,S, in October 2021, and others are in development. Yet proven preventive measures, including indoor insecticide spraying and mosquito nets, are still needed to help curb transmission—even with vaccine uptake. Research continues to fuel innovations in the urgent search to find new ways to control and prevent malaria’s spread from mosquito to humans. 

    WHAT:
    Johns Hopkins World Malaria Day Symposium | “Blood Stage Malaria: Staving Off the Firestorm”
    Details and program available here.

    WHEN:
    Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 8:30 a.m – 5:45 p.m. EDT


    WHERE    :
    To attend via Zoom, register here.

    WHO:
    Thirteen leading scientists and researchers from leading global research institutions will present in person at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. Presenters include investigators representing the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California San Francisco, among others. Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Peter Agre, MD, will make introductory remarks. Please see program download on the event page.

    EVENT HASHTAG: #WorldMalariaDay 

    SOCIAL MEDIA:

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jhmri/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/johns-hopkins-malaria-research-institute

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHMRImalaria

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhmalaria/

    The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

     # # #

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  • How is TikTok affecting our mental health? It’s complicated, new U of M study shows

    How is TikTok affecting our mental health? It’s complicated, new U of M study shows

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    Newswise — With the rise of TikTok, many people have wondered about its potential impacts on society, in particular surrounding mental health. According to a first-of-its-kind study from University of Minnesota Twin Cities computer science researchers, the social media platform and its unique algorithm can serve as both a haven and a hindrance for users struggling with their mental state. 

    The researchers’ study will be published in the proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. They will be presenting their research at the upcoming conference happening April 23-28.

    Through interviews with TikTok users, the University of Minnesota team found that the platform provided many people with a sense of self-discovery and community they were unable to find on other social media. However, the researchers said, the TikTok algorithm also displayed a worrying tendency to repeatedly expose users to content that could be harmful to their mental health.

    “TikTok is misunderstood by people who don’t use the platform,” explained Stevie Chancellor, senior author of the paper and an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Computer Science & Engineering. “They think of it as the dance platform or the place where everybody gets an ADHD diagnosis. Our research shows that TikTok helps people find community and mental health information. But, people should also be mindful of its algorithm, how it works, and when the system is providing them things that are harmful to their wellbeing.”

    TikTok is different from other social media platforms in that it is primarily run by a recommender system algorithm that displays videos it thinks you will like on your “For You Page” feed, as opposed to mostly showing posts from accounts you follow. While this can be great for showing you more content that you like, it can also lead to a rabbit hole of negative content that’s nearly impossible to escape from, the researchers said. 

    “TikTok is a huge platform for mental health content,” said Ashlee Milton, first author of the paper and a University of Minnesota computer science and engineering Ph.D. student. “People tend to gravitate toward social media to find information and other people who are going through similar situations. A lot of our participants talked about how helpful this mental health information was. But at some point, because of the way the feed works, it’s just going to keep giving you more and more of the same content. And that’s when it can go from being helpful to being distressing and triggering.”

    The researchers found that when users get into harmful spirals of negative content, there often is no escape. The TikTok interface includes a “Not interested” button, but the study participants said it didn’t make any difference in the content that appeared in their feeds. 

    The research participants also expressed that it’s difficult to discern when TikTok creators are posting emotional or intense mental health content genuinely, or if they’re just “chasing clout” to gain more followers and likes. Many participants were forced to take breaks or quit using the platform entirely because of the stress it caused.

    According to the University of Minnesota researchers, all of this doesn’t mean TikTok is evil. But, they said, it is useful information to keep in mind when using the platform, especially for mental health purposes.

    “One of our participants jokingly referred to the For You page as a ‘dopamine slot machine,’” Milton said. “They talked about how they would keep scrolling just so that they could get to a good post because they didn’t want to end on a bad post. It’s important to be able to recognize what is happening and say, ‘Okay, let’s not do that.’”

    This study is the first in a series of papers Chancellor and Milton plan on writing about social media, TikTok, and mental health.

    “Ashlee and I are interested in how platforms may promote harmful behaviors to a person so that eventually, we can design strategies to mitigate those bad outcomes,” Chancellor said. “The first step in this process is interviewing people to make sure we understand their experiences on TikTok. We need insights from people before we as computer scientists go in and design to fix this problem.”

    In addition to Chancellor and Milton, the research team included University of Minnesota Twin Cities computer science and engineering Ph.D. student Leah Ajmani and University of Colorado Boulder researcher Michael Ann DeVito.

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  • Fred Hutch at AACR: New targets for cancer therapies, experts available in diversity and cancer screening tests — and Fred Hutch’s Philip Greenberg becomes AACR president

    Fred Hutch at AACR: New targets for cancer therapies, experts available in diversity and cancer screening tests — and Fred Hutch’s Philip Greenberg becomes AACR president

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    Newswise — SEATTLE — April 6, 2023 — Experts from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center will present their latest findings on targets in RIT1-driven cancers, ROR1 CAR T-cell immunotherapy, interplay of the microbiome and genetics in colorectal cancer and more at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, to be held April 14-19 in Orlando, Florida. 

    Other meeting highlights include:

    Philip Greenberg, M.D. of Fred Hutch will become AACR president.

    Public health researcher and biostatistician Ruth Etizioni, Ph.D. will discuss new and emerging tests for early detection of cancer.

    Christopher Li, M.D., MPH, a national leader in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at cancer centers, will best practices and strategies to enhance diversity. 

    Below are highlights of work to be presented, and you can follow Fred Hutch’s AACR updates on Twitter #AACR23.

    For media requests during AACR, please contact . 

    AACR news

    Meet and Greet: Meet the editors-in-chief of Cancer Immunology Research Monday, April 17, 2023, 9:30-10:30 a.m. 

    Meeting: Meet the 2023-2024 AACR President, Philip Greenberg Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

    Fred Hutch’s Philip Greenberg, M.D., one of two editors-in-chief of AACR’s Cancer Immunology Research, will participate in an April 17 discussion of the scope and types of research manuscripts they’re looking to publish. Greenberg, currently president-elect of AACR, will become AACR president during the meeting and be at the April 18 “Meet the 2023-2024 AACR President” session. He leads the Program in Immunology at Fred Hutch and holds the Rona Jaffe Foundation Endowed Chair.  

    Early detection and screening

    Educational session: How can we realize the promise of novel technologies for early cancer detection? Presentation: Developing realistic expectations for new cancer screening tests Friday, April 14, 2023, 3:01-3:21 p.m. Presenter: Ruth Etzioni, Ph.D.

    Public health researcher and biostatistician Ruth Etzioni, Ph.D. will join an educational session to talk about novel cancer screening tests based on liquid biopsies, with a particular focus on multi-cancer early detection testing. She said that while there are some studies that show how well the tests detect different cancers, the extent to which this will translate into lives saved is still unclear. Etzioni, who holds the Rosalie and Harold Rea Brown Endowed Chair at Fred Hutch and received a $7.4 million National Cancer Institute grant to study cancer diagnostics, will discuss the process by which population screening leads to reduction in cancer deaths, why some past cancer screening trials have led to disappointing results and what needs to be done now to generate convincing evidence that population screening using the new tests will reduce cancer deaths. 

    Precision oncology

    Educational session: Tumor heterogeneity: Rapid autopsy to longitudinal biopsies Presentation: Intra and inter-tumor heterogeneity across cancer metastases: A reality check for targeted therapeutics and the utility of non-invasive biomarkers Saturday, April 15, 2023, 3:16-3:33 p.m. Presenter: Peter Nelson, M.D.

    In a session on the use of rapid autopsies to understand cancer metastasis, Peter Nelson, M.D. will discuss the impact of tumor heterogeneity on treatment resistance. Nelson, who is a prostate cancer expert and is the vice president of Precision Oncology at Fred Hutch, will also explain how studies of metastatic tumors improve our understanding of molecular imaging such as PET scans as well as minimally-invasive diagnostic methods including circulating tumor DNA. Nelson directs the Stuart and Molly Sloan Precision Oncology Institute at Fred Hutch and holds an endowed chair with the same name.  

    Session: Small cell lung cancer: Moving biology to the clinic Presentation: Measuring and modulating SCLC transcriptional heterogeneity from murine models to clinical trials Monday, April 17, 2023, 1:00-1:20 p.m. Presenter: Joseph Hiatt, M.D., Ph.D. (On Twitter and LinkedIn)

    Physician-scientist Joseph Hiatt, M.D., Ph.D. will give an update on Fred Hutch preclinical research that has identified a molecular pathway that could make more cases of small cell lung cancer responsive to checkpoint inhibition. The approach is now being studied in a clinical trial. Hiatt, who is a research fellow in the MacPherson lab at Fred Hutch, will also present a new liquid biopsy method to predict subtypes of small cell lung cancer using cell-free DNA. This could be used to link patients’ subtypes to their treatment outcomes to help personalize clinical trial enrollment. The work is part of the Fred Hutch Lung Specialized Project of Research Excellence (SPORE), a five-year $13 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to expedite lung cancer research from the lab to the clinic. 

    Session: Ras-related signaling Poster: Protein-level regulation of wild-type and mutant RIT1 by the deubiquitinase USP9X Monday, April 17, 2023, 1:30-5 p.m. Presenter: Amanda Riley (On LinkedIn)

    Mutations in the gene RIT1 account for about 13,500 cases of non-small cell lung cancer diagnoses each year, with limited treatment options. Graduate student Amanda Riley, working in the Fred Hutch lab of Alice Berger, Ph.D., will give an update on their work to find targeted therapies for RIT1-driven cancers. They’ve identified a regulator of RIT1, a protein called USP9X. Using mouse models and existing inhibitors of USP9X, the researchers are evaluating this potential drug target. The project is part of Berger’s 7-year NIH MERIT award to pursue targeted therapies for mutations in lung cancer. Berger holds the Innovators Network Endowed Chair at Fred Hutch, follow her on Twitter. 

    Cancer biology

    Major symposium: Targeting RNA splicing in cancer and the immune system Presentation: From splicing to polyadenylation in tumor immunity Sunday, April 16, 2023, 1:55-2:15 p.m. Presenter: Robert Bradley, Ph.D. (On Twitter)

    Computational biologist and biophysicist Robert Bradley, Ph.D. will present new work on a biological process that’s growing in attention for its role in controlling cancer growth. Alternative polyadenylation is part of making mRNA and it’s disrupted in many cancers, though it’s not clear how the dysregulation contributes to tumors. Bradley, who holds the McIlwain Family Endowed Chair in Data Science at Fred Hutch, will discuss a CRISPR-Cas9-based screen to test the functional importance of alternative polyadenylation to tumor growth. 

    Cellular immunotherapy

    Minisymposium: Genetically engineered anticancer T cells Presentation: NKTR-255, a polymer-conjugated IL-15, dramatically improves ROR1 CAR-T cell persistence and anti-tumor efficacy in an autochthonous model of ROR1+ lung cancer Sunday, April 16, 2023, 4:10-4:25 p.m. Presenter: Sam Nutt

    Using a mouse model of lung cancer that closely resembles human disease, graduate student Sam Nutt in the Fred Hutch lab of Shivani Srivastava, Ph.D. (on Twitter) will present a study on whether NKTR-255, a drug that stimulates the immune system to fight cancer, can improve the anticancer effects of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. The Fred Hutch team is using a CAR-T cell targeting the tumor antigen ROR1, which is a marker on many breast and lung cancer patients. Their findings suggest that NKTR-255 treatment improves the persistence and function of ROR1 CAR T cells, and that these two therapies work together to boost immune function in the tumor microenvironment, resulting in significantly improved tumor control. The team is continuing to evaluate the combined approach for treatment of solid tumors. Read more about the lab’s work to develop cellular therapies for solid tumors.

    Colorectal cancer risk and prevention

    Session: Biological and behavioral factors in cancer surveillance, prevention and survivorship Poster: Evaluation of intra-tumoral pks+ E. coli, enterotoxigenic B. fragilis and Fusobacterium nucleatum and in early onset disease, in colorectal cancer cases Monday, April 17, 2023, 1:30-5:00 p.m. Presenter: Meredith Hullar, Ph.D. 

    Meredith Hullar, Ph.D., a principal staff scientist at Fred Hutch, studies the gut microbiome and its interplay with diet and cancer risk. She will present a new study that revealed different patterns of microbes in colorectal cancer tumors that are present in patients with early onset colorectal cancer, which has increased in incidence in people who are 50 years old and younger. Since some microbes can help tumors grow, understanding the microbiome may help predict which colorectal cancer patients will have increased odds of lower survival and may support targeted intervention strategies to improve survivorship. Learn more about her work in a Fred Hutch news story.

    Session: Aging, immune factors and metabolomics Poster: Association between HLA-KIR allele interaction combinations and density of T-cell subsets in colorectal cancer Monday, April 17, 2023, 1:30-5:00 p.m. Presenter: Claire E. Thomas, Ph.D., MPH (On Twitter)

    Session: Diet, alcohol, tobacco use, and other lifestyle factors Poster: Lifestyle and environmental factors in relation to colorectal cancer risk and survival by colibactin tumor mutational signature status Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Presenter: Claire E. Thomas, Ph.D., MPH (On Twitter)

    Claire E. Thomas, Ph.D., MPH, a post-doctoral researcher at Fred Hutch, will present two posters looking at genetic and molecular risks underlying colorectal cancer. In the first poster, she examines whether immune function gene combinations are related to T-cell density within colorectal cancer tumors. The findings could help determine how an individual’s genetic background is related to T-cells and immune response to fight cancer. 

    In a second poster, Thomas will present a study examining whether lifestyle and environmental factors are differentially associated with colorectal cancer risk and survival for cases with and without the mutational signature SBS88. SBS88 is present in some colorectal cancer tumors and is related to production of the genotoxin colbactin from exposure to some strains of Escherichia coli. The findings show that among cases with the SBS88 signature, higher BMI category was associated with worse colorectal cancer outcomes. 

    Thomas works with Fred Hutch’s Ulrike Peters, Ph.D., MPH, who is a molecular and genetic epidemiologist and holds the Fred Hutch 40th Anniversary Endowed Chair, and with Amanda Phipps, Ph.D., MPH, an epidemiologist. The research team aims to understand underlying genetic risks in cancer and how to intervene. A recent Nature Genetics study from the Peters team identified 100 new genetic risk variants in colorectal cancer.

    Diversity, equity and inclusion

    Meet-the-expert session: Plan to enhance diversity: Opportunities, challenges, best practices and innovative strategies to advance a culture of inclusive excellence at cancer centers Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 7:00-7:45 a.m. Presenter: Christopher Li, M.D., Ph.D. (On LinkedIn)

    Christopher Li, M.D., Ph.D., vice president of Faculty Affairs and Diversity at Fred Hutch, is a nationally recognized leader in efforts to ensure that cancer research benefits all people. At AACR, he will insights from his efforts to help build and maintain a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce at Fred Hutch and to collaborate with leaders at other cancer centers. Li, who holds the Helen G. Edson Endowed Chair for Breast Cancer Research, is also an epidemiologist who studies breast cancer risk factors, breast cancer recurrence and cancer health disparities.

    Clinical trials

    Major symposium: Sex hormones and cancer Presentation: Sex differences in severe adverse events in patients receiving immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or chemotherapy in Cancer clinical trials: An evidentiary perspective Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 1:25-1:45 p.m. Presenter: Joseph Unger, Ph.D. (On Twitter)

    Biostatistician and health services researcher Joseph Unger, Ph.D. will insights based on findings he published in Journal of Clinical Oncology in how women experience greater adverse effects from cancer treatment, whether it’s chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy. The data came from more than 23,000 people participating in 202 clinical trials as part of the SWOG Cancer Research Network, which described the study in a blog post. Unger uses big data to understand treatment outcomes and disparities in cancer, with the aim of revealing problems in cancer care that then allow for ways to predict and prevent the issues before they impede patients.  

    Late-breaking poster session: Clinical research 3 Poster: Biomarker analysis from AMPECT correlating response to nab-sirolimus with TSC1 and TSC2 inactivating alterations Wednesday, April 19, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Presenter: Lee Cranmer, M.D., Ph.D.

    Lee Cranmer, M.D., Ph.D. leads the Bob and Eileen Gilman Family Sarcoma Research Program at Fred Hutch. A recent Fred Hutch news story featured a patient Cranmer treated for a type of cartilage cancer, called chondrosarcoma.

    Note: Fred Hutch and its scientists who contributed to these discoveries may stand to benefit from their commercialization. See links above to AACR abstracts for more details on individual researchers’ disclosures.

    The clinical trials referenced above involve investigational products and/or therapies that have not been approved for commercial marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory authority. Results may vary, and encouraging results from early-stage clinical trials may not be supported in later-stage clinical trials. No conclusions should be drawn from the information in this report about the safety, efficacy or likelihood of regulatory approval of these investigational products and/or therapies.

    # # #

    Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options and accelerate discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.

    Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention, and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services and has network affiliations with hospitals in four states. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.

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  • Fermented coffee’s fruity aromas demystified

    Fermented coffee’s fruity aromas demystified

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    Newswise — INDIANAPOLIS, March 29, 2023 — Specialty coffees are gaining traction in coffeehouses around the world — and now a fermented version could bring a fruity taste to your morning cup of joe. This new kind of beverage has a raspberry-like taste and aroma, but what causes these sensations has been a mystery. Today, scientists report six compounds that contribute to the fermented coffee experience. The work could help increase production of the drink and make it more readily available for everyone to enjoy.

    The researchers will present their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2023 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in-person March 26–30, and features more than 10,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

    “There are now flavors that people are creating that no one would have ever associated with coffee in the past,” says Chahan Yeretzian, Ph.D., the project’s principal investigator. “The flavors in fermented coffee, for example, are often more akin to fruit juices.”

    This unusual type of beverage provides a unique flavor experience for consumers, and the growing demand for it means that fermented coffee beans can fetch a high price, potentially benefiting farmers. And the process by which the beans are prepared requires much less water than traditional methods, making it a more environmentally friendly alternative to a standard cup of coffee.

    But despite this drink’s growing popularity, the compounds that cause its distinctive flavor were unknown. And with fermented coffee becoming more popular in competitive events, some people have been concerned that the lack of knowledge about fermented coffee may make it difficult to distinguish between the genuine product and regular joe that has been illicitly adulterated. So, Yeretzian and colleagues from the Coffee Excellence Center at Zurich University of Applied Sciences sought to identify the compounds that are responsible for these new and exciting flavors. And because flavor and smell are intimately linked, studying the beverages’ scents could help the team gain a better understanding of how fermented coffee’s complex flavor is created.

    To single out the compounds unique to fermented coffee’s aromas, researchers took arabica beans and divided them into three groups. One was prepared using a wash process, which is likely how your average afternoon pick-me-up brew is made. Here, a gelatinous substance known as mucilage is stripped from the coffee bean, which is washed with water before being dried. The researchers prepared the second group using the pulped natural process — another common approach — in which the skin is removed from the bean, but the mucilage is left intact. Finally, the team fermented beans in the third group using carbonic maceration, a process often used in winemaking. This method was first introduced to the specialty coffee world in 2015, when the winning contestant in the World Barista Championship used it to prepare their entry. With this process, whole coffee fruits are fermented in stainless steel tanks and infused with carbon dioxide to lower the pH of the fermentation. Unlike the other brews, the coffee made with fermented beans was described as smelling intense, like raspberries with a hint of rose.

    Next, the researchers brewed coffee using each type of bean and analyzed the samples with gas chromatography (GC) sniffing, also called GC olfactometry. First, the GC instrument separated individual components in the air above each sample. Then, as the compounds left the instrument, they went to a mass spectrometer for identification, and to someone sitting at the outlet to describe what they smelled.

    “Because the chemical signature doesn’t tell us how a compound smells, we have to rely on the human nose to detect the scent as each compound comes out of the chromatography instrument individually,” says Yeretzian. This methodology can be tricky because there is a subjective element to it. “We’re using people to detect scents, and everybody perceives flavors a little differently,” says Samo Smrke, Ph.D., a research associate in the lab who is presenting the results. “But in this case, the panel was very consistent in the smells they described. So, what is traditionally considered a challenge was actually not an issue because the aromas were so clear.”

    There is one major advantage to GC sniffing. The human nose can sometimes detect scents from compounds that are at such a low concentration, they’re unable to be picked up by mass spectrometry. In this case, although six compounds appeared to contribute to the intense fruity flavor and the raspberry scent of the fermented coffee, the team was only able to identify three of them: 2-methylpropanal, 3-methylbutanal and ethyl 3-methylbutanoate.

    In the future, the researchers hope to identify the remaining compounds, as well as judge the intensity of different flavors and scents. Additionally, the researchers would like to know more about how these unique compounds form. Potential factors include farming practices, the variety of coffee beans, the microclimate of specific farms and the microbes present during fermentation. “There’s still quite a lot of unknowns surrounding this process,” says Smrke. A better understanding of the sources of these compounds could help the team standardize production methods, making it easier to produce fermented coffee at larger scales and allowing even more people to enjoy this distinctive flavor.

    The researchers acknowledge support and funding from Project Origin Australia and Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

    A recorded media briefing on this topic will be posted Wednesday, March 29, by 10 a.m. Eastern time at www.acs.org/acsspring2023briefings. Reporters can request access to media briefings during the embargo period by contacting [email protected].

    For health and safety information for ACS Spring 2023, please visit the FAQ webpage.  

    The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

    To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact [email protected].

    Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

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    Title
    Exploring unique coffee flavours of fermented high-end specialty coffee: Towards the fourth wave coffee 

    Abstract
    Third wave coffee has its origin in the 1970s when coffee businesses started sourcing high-quality specialty coffee and delivering it freshly roasted to consumers. Over the past decade specialty coffee has become ubiquitous, and its market share has continuously grown. Presently, there is no consensus about what the fourth wave could be like. One of the developments has been the emergence of heavily fermented coffees. These exhibit very characteristic, clearly defined, and intense aromas and command a price up to 100-times higher than the commodity market price. Arabica coffee from the farm Iris Estate, Geisha variety, has been post-harvest processed by three methods: washed (W), pulped natural (PN), and fermented by so-called ‘carbonic maceration’ (CM). The aim was to elucidate the impact of CM on the flavour profile, as compared to the W and PN process. Sensory evaluation had revealed that CM creates characteristic flavour notes that were described as raspberry with hint of rose water. The aroma compounds of the roasted and ground coffee were analysed using solid-phase micro extraction gas chromatography (SPME-GC) and detected by both sniffing (GC-O) and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The study found six compounds that are considered contributing to the characteristic raspberry flavour of the CM coffee. These compounds were consistently identified as intense with raspberry notes when sniffing CM coffee, but not in W coffee. Three out of the six were identified and characterized by means of MS, whereas the other three were detected only by GC-O and could not be characterised by MS. The link of an experimental fermentation post-harvest processing technique to characteristic flavour compounds and sensory notes in the cup could be established. Such studies may ultimately allow such coffees to become scalable and more readily available for everyone to experience and enjoy.

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  • Human cells help researchers understand squid camouflage

    Human cells help researchers understand squid camouflage

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    INDIANAPOLIS, March 27, 2023 — Squids and octopuses are masters of camouflage, blending into their environment to evade predators or surprise prey. Some aspects of how these cephalopods become reversibly transparent are still “unclear,” largely because researchers can’t culture cephalopod skin cells in the lab. Today, however, researchers report that they have replicated the tunable transparency of some squid skin cells in mammalian cells, which can be cultured. The work could not only shed light on basic squid biology, but also lead to better ways to image many cell types. 

    The researchers will present their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2023 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in-person March 26–30, and features more than 10,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics. 

    For many years, Alon Gorodetsky, Ph.D., and his research group have been working on materials inspired by squid. In past work, they developed “invisibility stickers,” which consisted of bacterially produced squid reflectin proteins that were adhered onto sticky tape. “So then, we had this crazy idea to see whether we could capture some aspect of the ability of squid skin tissues to change transparency within human cell cultures,” says Gorodetsky, who is the principal investigator on the project.

    The team at the University of California, Irvine focused their efforts on cephalopod cells called leucophores, which have particulate-like nanostructures composed of reflectin proteins that scatter light. Typically, reflectins clump together and form the nanoparticles, so light isn’t absorbed or directly transmitted; instead, the light scatters or bounces off of them, making the leucophores appear bright white.

    “We wanted to engineer mammalian cells to stably, instead of temporarily, form reflectin nanostructures for which we could better control the scattering of light,” says Gorodetsky. That’s because if cells allow light through with little scattering, they’ll seem more transparent. Alternatively, by scattering a lot more light, cells will become opaque and more apparent. “Then, at a cellular level, or even the culture level, we thought that we could predictably alter the cells’ transparency relative to the surroundings or background,” he says.

    To change how light interacts with cultured cells, Georgii Bogdanov, a graduate student in Gorodetsky’s lab who is presenting the results, introduced squid-derived genes that encoded for reflectin into human cells, which then used the DNA to produce the protein. “A key advance in our experiments was getting the cells to stably produce reflectin and form light-scattering nanostructures with relatively high refractive indices, which also allowed us to better image the cells in three dimensions,” says Bogdanov.

    In experiments, the team added salt to the cells’ culture media and observed the reflectin proteins clumping together into nanostructures. By systematically increasing the salt concentration, Bogdanov got detailed, time-lapse 3D images of the nanostructures’ properties. As the nanoparticles became larger, the amount of light that bounced off the cells increased, consequently tuning their opacity.

    Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leaving the researchers to wonder what they could do to advance their investigation without being physically in the lab. So, Bogdanov spent his time at home developing computational models that could predict a cell’s expected light scattering and transparency before an experiment was even run. “It’s a beautiful loop between theory and experiments, where you feed in design parameters for the reflectin nanostructures, get out specific predicted optical properties and then engineer the cells more efficiently — for whatever light-scattering properties you might be interested in,” explains Gorodetsky.

    On a basic level, Gorodetsky suggests that these results will help scientists better understand squid skin cells, which haven’t been successfully cultured in a laboratory setting. For example, previous researchers postulated that reflectin nanoparticles disassemble and reassemble to change the transparency of tunable squid leucophores. And now Gorodetsky’s team has shown that similar rearrangements occurred in their stable engineered mammalian cells with simple changes in salt concentration, a mechanism that appears analogous to what has been observed in the tunable squid cells.

    The researchers are now optimizing their technique to design better cellular imaging strategies based on the cells’ intrinsic optical properties. Gorodetsky envisions that the reflectin proteins could act as genetically encoded tags that would not bleach inside human cells. “Reflectin as a molecular probe provides a lot of possibilities to track structures in cells with advanced microscopy techniques,” adds Bogdanov. For example, the scientists propose that imaging approaches based on their work could also have implications for better understanding cell growth and development.

    The researchers acknowledge funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

    A recorded media briefing on this topic will be posted Monday, March 27, by 10 a.m. Eastern time at www.acs.org/acsspring2023briefings. Reporters can request access to media briefings during the embargo period by contacting [email protected].

    For health and safety information for ACS Spring 2023, please visit the FAQ webpage.  

    The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

    To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact [email protected].

    Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

    Follow us: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

    Title
    Dynamic optical systems inspired by cephalopods 

    Abstract
    Cephalopods (e.g., squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish) have captivated the imagination of both the general public and scientists alike due to their sophisticated nervous systems, complex behavioral patterns, and visually stunning coloration changes. By drawing inspiration from the structures and functionalities of tunable cephalopod skin cells, we have designed and engineered human cells that contain reconfigurable protein-based photonic architectures and, as a result, possess tunable transparency-changing and light-scattering capabilities (1). In turn, we have visualized the refractive index distributions of analogous engineered cells with three-dimensional label-free holotomographic microscopy techniques, and as a consequence, we have developed a detailed understanding of the relationship between their global optical characteristics and subcellular ultrastructures (2). We have moreover extended these efforts to the predictive engineering of the refractive indices and light-scattering properties of multiple self-assembled protein-based platforms, both in vitro and in vivo (2,3). Finally, we have developed improved chemical and genetic strategies for manipulating the sizes, numbers, and refractive indices of our subcellular structures (4). Our combined findings may facilitate an improved understanding of cephalopod camouflage mechanisms and lead to the development of unique tools for applications in biophotonics and bioengineering.

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  • Colorful films could help buildings, cars keep their cool

    Colorful films could help buildings, cars keep their cool

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    Newswise — INDIANAPOLIS, March 26, 2023 — The cold blast of an air conditioner can be a welcome relief as temperatures soar, but “A/C” units require large amounts of energy and can leak potent greenhouse gases. Today, scientists report an eco-friendly alternative — a plant-based film that gets cooler when exposed to sunlight and comes in a variety of textures and bright, iridescent colors. The material could someday keep buildings, cars and other structures cool without requiring external power.

    The researchers will present their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2023 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in-person March 26–30 and features more than 10,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

    “To make materials that remain cooler than the air around them during the day, you need something that reflects a lot of solar light and doesn’t absorb it, which would transform energy from the light into heat,” says Silvia Vignolini, Ph.D., the project’s principal investigator. “There are only a few materials that have this property, and adding color pigments would typically undo their cooling effects,” Vignolini adds.

    Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) is the ability of a surface to emit its own heat into space without it being absorbed by the air or atmosphere. The result is a surface that, without using any electrical power, can become several degrees colder than the air around it. When used on buildings or other structures, materials that promote this effect can help limit the use of air conditioning and other power-intensive cooling methods.

    Some paints and films currently in development can achieve PDRC, but most of them are white or have a mirrored finish, says Qingchen Shen, Ph.D., who is presenting the work at the meeting. Both Vignolini and Shen are at Cambridge University (U.K.). But a building owner who wanted to use a blue-colored PDRC paint would be out of luck — colored pigments, by definition, absorb specific wavelengths of sunlight and only reflect the colors we see, causing undesirable warming effects in the process.

    But there’s a way to achieve color without the use of pigments. Soap bubbles, for example, show a prism of different colors on their surfaces. These colors result from the way light interacts with differing thicknesses of the bubble’s film, a phenomenon called structural color. Part of Vignolini’s research focuses on identifying the causes behind different types of structural colors in nature. In one case, her group found that cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which are derived from the cellulose found in plants, could be made into iridescent, colorful films without any added pigment.

    As it turns out, cellulose is also one of the few naturally occurring materials that can promote PDRC. Vignolini learned this after hearing a talk from the first researchers to have created a cooling film material. “I thought wow, this is really amazing, and I never really thought cellulose could do this.”

    In recent work, Shen and Vignolini layered colorful CNC materials with a white-colored material made from ethyl cellulose, producing a colorful bi-layered PDRC film. They made films with vibrant blue, green and red colors that, when placed under sunlight, were an average of nearly 40 F cooler than the surrounding air. A square meter of the film generated over 120 Watts of cooling power, rivaling many types of residential air conditioners. The most challenging aspect of this research, Shen says, was finding a way to make the two layers stick together — on their own, the CNC films were brittle, and the ethyl cellulose layer had to be plasma-treated to get good adhesion. The result, however, was films that were robust and could be prepared several meters at a time in a standard manufacturing line.

    Since creating these first films, the researchers have been improving their aesthetic appearance. Using a method modified from approaches previously explored by the group, they’re making cellulose-based cooling films that are glittery and colorful. They’ve also adjusted the ethyl cellulose film to have different textures, like the differences between types of wood finishes used in architecture and interior design, says Shen. These changes would give people more options when incorporating PDRC effects in their homes, businesses, cars and other structures.

    The researchers now plan to find ways they can make their films even more functional. According to Shen, CNC materials can be used as sensors to detect environmental pollutants or weather changes, which could be useful if combined with the cooling power of their CNC-ethyl cellulose films. For example, a cobalt-colored PDRC on a building façade in a car-dense, urban area could someday keep the building cool and incorporate detectors that would alert officials to higher levels of smog-causing molecules in the air.

    The researchers acknowledge support and funding from Purdue University, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the European Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the European Union and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

    A recorded media briefing on this topic will be posted Monday, March 27, by 10 a.m. Eastern time at www.acs.org/acsspring2023briefings. Reporters can request access to media briefings during the embargo period by contacting [email protected].

    For health and safety information for ACS Spring 2023, please visit the FAQ webpage.

    The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

    To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact [email protected].

    Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

    Follow us: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

    Title
    Structurally colored radiative cooling cellulosic films 

    Abstract
    Daytime radiative cooling (DRC) materials offer a sustainable approach to thermal management by exploiting net positive heat transfer to deep space. While such materials typically have a white or mirror-like appearance to maximize solar reflection, extending the palette of available colors is required to promote their real-world utilization. However, the incorporation of conventional absorption-based colorants inevitably leads to solar heating, which counteracts any radiative cooling effect. In this work, efficient sub-ambient DRC (Day: −4 °C, Night: −11 °C) from a vibrant, structurally colored film prepared from naturally derived cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), is instead demonstrated. Arising from the underlying photonic nanostructure, the film selectively reflects visible light resulting in intense, fade-resistant coloration, while maintaining a low solar absorption (~3%).  Additionally, a high emission within the mid-infrared atmospheric window (>90%) allows for significant radiative heat loss. By coating such CNC films onto a highly scattering, porous ethylcellulose (EC) base layer, any sunlight that penetrates the CNC layer is backscattered by the EC layer below, achieving broadband solar reflection and vibrant structural color simultaneously. Finally, scalable manufacturing using a commercially relevant roll-to-roll process validates the potential to produce such colored radiative cooling materials at a large scale from a low-cost and sustainable feedstock.

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