Health & Medicine

Disruptive change in contemporary medical education:
Unintended consequences and risks

Undergraduate medical education in the United States is undergoing a process of change in the way teaching is delivered and educational outcomes are assessed. Latterly however there have been questions raised about the pedagogical methods behind the changes, particularly how they affect the teaching of pathology as the basis of medicine, and the development of physician-scientists. Here, we learn more […]

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Unintended consequences and risks

Health & Medicine

Integrating molecular epidemiology and microbiome science
How cancer patients respond to therapy

Understanding the variation in responses to cancer therapeutics would create better treatment for many patients and provide an important basis for further research into new or personalised treatments. It is understood there is a connection between patient response to treatment and their microbiome. However, there is currently a lack of consensus on the microbial signatures present in responsive versus unresponsive […]

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How cancer patients respond to therapy

Physical Sciences

Organic ice materials for electron beam lithography

Many electronic devices manufactured today are created using either photolithography or electron beam lithography—lengthy procedures that require multiple stages of chemical processing within an expensive clean room environment. But thanks to a team of researchers led by Marco Beleggia at the Technical University of Denmark that is set to change. By exploiting electron matter interactions, the researchers can trigger the […]

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Biology

Alpha-Gal syndrome Trade-off between allergy and protection to infectious diseases

Tick bites are responsible for the development of Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) in humans. Resulting in severe allergies to red meat, tick bites and certain drugs, the syndrome is life threatening. Anti-α-Gal IgE antibodies induced by tick bites trigger the allergies. However, anti-α-Gal IgM antibodies induced by microbiota bacteria protect against infectious diseases. Professor José de la Fuente and Dr Alejandro […]

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Health & Medicine

The use of fluid mechanics to explore human swimming technique

The use of science to compare swimming mechanisms used by humans and fish may shed light on ways in which human performance can be improved. This underpins the research of Professor Hideki Takagi at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, whose work includes the hydrodynamic and biomechanic study of swimming to explore the impact of competing forces on performance of competitive […]

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Behavioural Sciences

Unveiling Muslim Voices: Fostering a culture of understanding

Many Muslim families in the U.S. face isolation, segregation, and increasing pressures at home due to a lack of understanding in the care sector about provision of culturally appropriate supports/services for ageing Muslim parents with disabilities, chronic health and mental health conditions. Dr Rooshey Hasnain of the University of Illinois at Chicago examines the challenges faced by these families and what can be […]

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Behavioural Sciences

Supporting consumers in the sharing economy

The sharing economy is transforming the traditional consumer journey, with firms like Airbnb, BlaBlaCar and Etsy empowering consumers to become producers themselves. In his research at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Professor Benedict Dellaert draws on household production theory to suggest new marketing strategies that can support consumers as co-producers in co-production networks. Aman walks into a shop and buys a loaf […]

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Earth & Environment

Transforming permafrost coastal systems: Advancing scientific discovery through international collaboration

In the Alaskan Arctic, permafrost coastal systems are eroding at rates more than double those of the past. Rampant environmental change is putting new pressures on Arctic coastal dynamics, with the loss of landscapes, cultural heritage, infrastructure, and communities. Dr Benjamin Jones (Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks) and Professor Hugues Lantuit (Alfred […]

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Health & Medicine

Shared decision-making in the chronic care of Primary Immunodeficiency

Shared decision-making (SDM) between physicians and patients is vital for the chronic care of conditions such as primary immunodeficiency disorder (PID) as both have to agree on treatments that will continue throughout the patients’ lives. Dr Chris Lamb, CEO and President of BioSolutions Services LLC, examined the effects of SDM on patient participation in treatment decisions. By taking the results […]

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Education & Training

Flipping the script: Leveraging leadership development training in young athletes

A free online captain’s training course is teaching high school athletes how to become effective team leaders. By introducing a “flipped classroom” approach to supplement the course, Jedediah E. Blanton and his colleagues at the University of Tennessee have helped students transfer these leadership assets to their teams, and to other areas of their life. Drawing upon over ten years of […]

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