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Results 81 - 100 of 235.
Scientists at EPFL have found a way to overcome power loss and the manufacturing complexity of scaling up perovskite solar cells. Perovskites are hybrid materials made from metal halides and organic compounds. They have attracted a lot of interest in the field of solar energy because of their light-harvesting capacities combined with a low cost of manufacturing, making them prime candidates for overtake the market from their silicon counterparts.
The number of legionellosis cases in Switzerland has increased five-fold over the past 20 years. A study by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) published today in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health analysed case numbers from 2000 to 2020 and determined the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on reporting.
Through wastewater, rivers and lakes are polluted with numerous micropollutants which originate from care products and pharmaceuticals, among other things. The Waters Protection Act therefore aims to expand Swiss wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with the addition of a further treatment step. In pilot tests, two processes have proven particularly successful in the removal of trace substances: ozonation and treatment with activated carbon.
Scientists in Neuchâtel have developed a tandem solar cell that can deliver a certified efficiency of 29. This achievement was made possible by combining a perovskite solar cell with a textured silicon solar cell. Solar cells made of silicon are used widely but have limited power-conversion yields. These yields will likely top out at around 27% in the foreseeable future, owing to fundamental thermodynamic limitations.
Scientists at EPFL have carried out an extensive study of a newly discovered mutation that can uncover new insights into the molecular basis of pathology formation in a family of disorders that includes Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia belong to a family of neurodegenerative disorders called synucleinopathies because they are caused by the pathological accumulation of protein alpha-synuclein into structures called Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in the brain.
The Molecular Oncology research group at USI has identified, through the use of bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, a new way to selectively identify and kill a specific type of cells involved in metastasis dissemination. The problem Metastasis, the spreading of tumor cells from a primary site to their progressive outgrowth at a distant organ, is ultimately what kills almost 90% patients with cancer.
According to two recent studies carried out as part of the Vanishing Glaciers Project, the ecosystems of glacier-fed streams are undergoing profound change around the world. That could have major repercussions on the food chain and the natural carbon cycle. The ecosystems of glacier-fed streams have survived nutrient-poor and harsh environmental conditions over the course of thousands of years, yet they are now being transformed by climate change at unprecedented pace.
Countless chemical substances, including fertilisers and pesticides but also pharmaceutical substances and industrial products, leak into groundwater, lakes and rivers. "We want to know what the impact of these chemicals is on aquatic species, and whether they are toxic or not," says Marco Baity-Jesi, Head of the Eawag Data Science Group.
By developing a tool to visualize the membrane association and activation status of normal and oncogenic proteins, scientists at the University of Geneva have established the basis for innovative drug discovery. Peripheral membrane proteins have the particularity of temporarily binding to cell membranes, a necessary step for them to be able to fulfil their biological function.
The list of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is growing and now includes the retina. This is what suggest a prospective study by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva. The list of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is growing and now includes the retina. This is what suggest a prospective study by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva , in collaboration with the Adolphe de Rothschild Memorial Clinical Research Center for Ophthalmology.
Targeting ’anti-tumor’ genes to provide better treatment for leukemia
Scientists discuss the possibility of offering personalized treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia by regulating the expression of a gene known for its "anti-tumorous" properties. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common blood cancers in adults. The disease originates in B cells - the part of the immune system that produces antibodies - and then evolves slowly, typically affecting older people.
Scientists discuss the possibility of offering personalized treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia by regulating the expression of a gene known for its "anti-tumorous" properties. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common blood cancers in adults. The disease originates in B cells - the part of the immune system that produces antibodies - and then evolves slowly, typically affecting older people.
A team from the UNIGE has succeeded in visualizing crystal nucleation - the stage that precedes crystallization - that was invisible until now. At the interface between chemistry and physics, the process of crystallization is omnipresent in nature and industry. It is the basis for the formation of snowflakes but also of certain active ingredients used in pharmacology.
Everyone wants to stay fit and healthy as they grow old. But as we age, our body degrades, our muscles shrink and strength declines. Some older people suffer from excessive muscle loss, a condition known as sarcopenia. University of Basel researchers show that a combination therapy could delay the onset of sarcopenia.
Structural insights into the assembly of cilia
Cilia, the little "hairs" attached to almost all cells of the human body, play a role in various cellular functions and cause diseases called ciliopathies when they are defective. Researchers from the group of Patrick Matthias and the FMI Structural Biology platform determined the structure, at near atomic resolution, of a protein complex that plays an essential role in the assembly of cilia - and causes ciliopathies when it is mutated.
Cilia, the little "hairs" attached to almost all cells of the human body, play a role in various cellular functions and cause diseases called ciliopathies when they are defective. Researchers from the group of Patrick Matthias and the FMI Structural Biology platform determined the structure, at near atomic resolution, of a protein complex that plays an essential role in the assembly of cilia - and causes ciliopathies when it is mutated.
Can iron-rich dust fertilize the ocean, stimulate algae growth there, and thereby capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? An international research team involving the University of Bern and led by the University of Bonn used deep-sea sediment cores from the Scotia Sea to investigate whether this hypothetical greenhouse gas sink had an effect during ice ages.
Breast cancer: why metastasis spreads to the bone
A team of biologists led by UNIGE has discovered, for breast cancer, a factor that explains the spread of metastases to the bones. 3D image showing the invasion of breast cancer cells (green) expressing ZEB1 into mouse bone tissue (red). (c) Didier Picard When cancer cells break away from a primary tumor and migrate to other organs, this is called 'metastatic cancer'.
A team of biologists led by UNIGE has discovered, for breast cancer, a factor that explains the spread of metastases to the bones. 3D image showing the invasion of breast cancer cells (green) expressing ZEB1 into mouse bone tissue (red). (c) Didier Picard When cancer cells break away from a primary tumor and migrate to other organs, this is called 'metastatic cancer'.
A cell's production of fat molecules can be a key factor in determining what that cell will become, show scientists at EPFL. How does a cell -decide- what type of cell to become? The question of -cell fate- has been explored for decades now, especially in the context of stem cell biology, but there are still gaps in our understanding.
Chemical syntheses in liquids and gases take place in three-dimensional space. Random collisions between molecules have to result in something new in an extremely short time. But there is another way: on a gold surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, molecules lying still next to each other can be made to combine - even those that would never want to react with each other in a liquid.
Chlorine is deadly for many microorganisms and is therefore used to disinfect drinking water. But what does chlorinated water do to the intestinal flora of young children, which yet has to develop? An international team led by Amy J. Pickering from University of California in Berkeley and Timothy R. Julian from the Swiss Aquatic Research Institute Eawag examined stool samples from 130 children from a larger study in Bangladesh (see box).
Our blood vessels must remain sealed to prevent blood leakage. During blood vessel formation vascular cells are able to reinforce their cell junctions by employing a specific protein when exposed to great forces, University of Basel scientists report. Throughout our body there is a dense, widely ramified network of blood vessels.
