USA Archives

Optimising Particle Accelerators with Adaptive Machine Learning

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Alexander Scheinker introduces new techniques based on machine learning.

Machine learning has become a staple of research into many of today’s most cutting-edge technologies. Until now, however, it has not been widely considered as a useful tool for online optimisation of the performance of particle accelerators. Through his research, Dr Alexander Scheinker at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, USA, introduces new techniques based on machine learning, […]

How ubiquitin determines the fate of our proteins

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Regulation of the multitude of protein-protein interactions that take place in the cell is essential. HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases play an important role in regulating protein functions and maintaining cellular health. However, many questions about their biological functions remain unanswered. Working at the interface of biochemistry and biophysics, Dr Donald Spratt from Clark University in Massachusetts, uses NMR spectroscopy to […]

How do I choose? Teachers making sense of pedagogical responsibility

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Doctoral candidates Grace A. Chen and Samantha A. Marshall, and Dr Ilana S. Horn, Professor of Mathematics Education, from the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College, are investigating how teachers make sense of their pedagogical responsibility. During the course of their research, they record a conversation among teachers triggered by the question ‘for what?’ they teach […]

New Toolkits for Positron Emission Tomography

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PET scanners make use of radioactive tracers.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful imaging technique that uses radiotracers injected into the body to look at biology in tissues and cells, making it an important tool in biomedical research and drug development. Dr Victor Pike, Chief of the PET Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Section of the Molecular Imaging Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health in the U.S., […]

Cannabis: Offering hope of a breakthrough in chronic pain treatment

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For thousands of years, cannabis has been used to treat pain. Now, with medicinal cannabis legal in some places, the drug might prove to be a viable alternative to opioid pain killers. Dr Alex Bekker and colleagues at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, USA, is investigating how cannabis could be used to ease the pain associated with opioid addiction […]

Tracking changing shapes in falling raindrops

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Raindrops can adopt remarkably similar shapes, sizes and movements as they fall to the ground, but so far, our understanding of their behaviour has remained far from complete. Through her research, Dr Merhala Thurai at Colorado State University uses innovative techniques to learn more about what happens as they fall, particularly during stormy weather. Her team’s work offers important new […]

#SocialScience: Mining Twitter for Social and Behavioural Research

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Twitter is a rich and timely resource for social and behavioural research.

A disaster strikes, somewhere in the world. Within minutes there are millions rushing to their screens, letting out their thoughts and feelings. This makes Twitter, along with other social platforms, a rich and timely resource for social and behavioural research. Surprisingly, however, it is a lot less utilised in the social sciences compared with other fields. Tweeters don’t reflect the […]

Harnessing anger for social change

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Dr Monique Turner of Michigan State University, is an expert in persuasion and health and risk communication, and is conducting research into the way people cognitively process campaign messages. Emotions, including anger, are known to be predominant in persuasion, decision-making and risk assessments. Although commonly associated with negative behaviours, anger as a positive motivator in behaviour change is a promising […]

The effect of religiosity on emotional well-being among prisoners

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Studies show that religion enhances emotional well-being among prisoners, but they rarely address how. Professors Sung Joon Jang and Byron R. Johnson at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, examine the effects of religion on offenders in the South African correctional system. They test whether religiosity is likely to lead to a sense of meaning and purpose […]

Understanding statistical significance of subgroups in the data science era

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Statistical models are routinely used to derive inferences from large amounts of data. They directly impact several disciplines, including precision medicine and individualised learning, which rely on information concerning individuals and groups to make predictions on the expected effects of a specific intervention on population subgroups. Although it is relatively easy to find impressive-looking associations in big data, for instance […]