We developed new eco-friendly membranes enriched with natural nanomaterials to clean iron and manganese from drinking water. Some nanocomposite membranes achieved over 95% metal removal while maintaining water flux, suggesting improved performance compared to the undoped control group.
Image credit: Daehan Yi, Boughaleb Hassani and Ribeiro
The study investigates the antibacterial properties of household spices on bacteria isolated from everyday objects, aiming to address the limited understanding of bacterial resilience on surfaces and the potential of spices as antibacterial agents. Researchers hypothesized that bacteria would grow faster on some surfaces than others and that spices like honey, chili powder, turmeric, and sumac would inhibit bacterial growth at varying rates. The findings suggest that household spices possess significant antibacterial properties and could be used as emergency disinfectants, particularly in under-resourced settings. However, they cannot replace medical treatments but offer insights into alternative health solutions using common ingredients.
Here the authors investigate the potential of the bioluminescent fungus Panellus stipticus to serve as a sustainable bioindicator for environmental lead contamination. Their findings demonstrate that higher lead concentrations cause a measurable decrease in fungal bioluminescence intensity over time suggesting that the fungus could be an effective tool for detecting lead in an environment.
The authors assess a genetic variant within a well-known interaction partner of huntingtin that has been linked to modifying the age of onset of Huntington's disease.
The authors looked at the impact of vitamin A (retinol) on growth of S. epidermidis (most abundant bacterium on the skin) and E. coli (found in the gut microbiome, but not on the skin).
Here the authors hypothesized that reducing folliculin (FLCN) might affect p62 protein levels in the dorsal hippocampus of mice, given their potential functional connection and p62's role in neurodegenerative diseases. Their study, using western blots and a two-way ANOVA on young wild-type mice, found that p62 levels correlated with FLCN expression, but ultimately concluded there's no evidence of a functional connection between FLCN and p62 in this specific model.
The authors looked at the ability of different deep learning models to predict the presence of lung cancer from chest CT scans. They found that a pre-trained CNN model performed better than an autoencoder model.
Here the authors explored the development of biodegradable bioplastic films derived from mango peels as a sustainable solution to plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from fruit waste. They optimized the film's mechanical properties and water resistance through adjusting processing conditions and incorporating plasticizers and a hydrophobic coating, ultimately demonstrating its potential as a bacteriostatic and biodegradable alternative to conventional plastic food wrap.