Articles Archives

Education & Training

Matching market design: Improving student experience in college admissions in China

How do students access higher education in China? Through the largest centralised matching market in the world, explains Prof Yan Chen. Yet we know very little about how this matching works. Could the design of higher education choice systems across the world be improved by examining the change from immediate acceptance (IA) to the parallel mechanism (PA) in Sichuan Province, […]

Physical Sciences

Interferometry with antimatter

For nearly a century, physicists have struggled to understand why the universe contains so much more matter than antimatter. In a new experiment, Dr Marco Giammarchi and colleagues at the QUPLAS collaboration have demonstrated a technique which could help in their search for an answer. For the first time, the team have demonstrated interferometry with a single antiparticle – an […]

Earth & Environment

Recycling de-inked paper sludge in plant growing substrates

The recycled paper industry produces tons of waste with resulting disposal costs and environmental impacts. Francesca Bretzel from the Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council of Italy, and colleagues examined the suitability of de-inked paper sludge (DPS), in pellet form, as a sustainable component of growing media for plants. Their studies include its use in substrates for […]

Health & Medicine

Thermodynamic modelling of dynamic cell phenotypes

The observed traits, or phenotypes, of living cell populations depend on complex networks of biological processes. How cells process information through those biochemical networks can be described by the mathematics of statistical thermodynamics. Through research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a multidisciplinary team has clearly shown how the physics of thermodynamics can enable an understanding of […]

Arts & Humanities

A place of knowledge and connection: Developing a health and wellbeing framework for public libraries

Debra Rosenfeldt, Head of Library Sector Engagement at State Library Victoria and Jane Cowell, CEO, Yarra Plenty Regional Library Corporation are part of a team of library professionals who are developing a Health and Wellbeing Framework for public libraries in Victoria, Australia. The research undertaken demonstrates how libraries, through collaboration with their health and community partners, can deliver in the […]

Health & Medicine

Common beans: A sustainable and inexpensive super food to fight against CVD

Legumes, such as common beans, are well known for their health benefits, including their ability to lower blood cholesterol and lipid levels. However, prior to consumption, beans need to be cooked or processed. These techniques often cause changes in the bean matrix, which can potentially influence their positive physiological effects. Dr Cristina Fernández-Fraguas, Assistant Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and […]

Biology

Ecuadorian essential oils: Ancestral knowledge meets scientific research

Ecuador has one of the highest biodiversity indices, but also one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation. New reforms and scientific research are needed to safeguard its biodiversity, which not only provides climate-balancing carbon capture but a world of natural medicines. Professors Paco Noriega and José Luis Ballesteros of the Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, in Quito-Ecuador, are leading research to […]

Education & Training

Peer observation and review improves university science teaching

STEM subjects in higher education are often taught by staff who have little or no formal training in how to teach. The Peer Observation and Review of Teaching (PORT) program provides a means for university academics to improve their teaching through feedback from their peers. Helen Georgiou and co-workers from the University of Sydney have investigated the effectiveness of the […]

Biology

Leaf spots on the prairies

Plants face a large number of threats from their surroundings. When microbes such as fungi act as pathogens on plants, they can cause disease. Some fungal pathogens of wheat appear as symptoms of spots on the leaves. Two important fungal species are the tan spot pathogen and the septoria nodorum blotch pathogen. These fungi can infect the same plant and […]

Thought Leaders

The Winton Centre: A vital time for nuanced risk communication

The Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, based at the University of Cambridge, UK, was established with a simple belief: that everyone deserves to hear accurate evidence concerning matters which are important to their lives. Never has this core tenet been so vital, or so widely scrutinised, as during the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke with the Centre’s Executive Director, […]