Afternoon r/science - sharing the results of a study into the health of children seeking asylum in Australia helmed by UNSW paediatrician and PhD student, Dr Lahiru Amarasena.

The research analysed the health assessments of 62 children and young people held on Nauru, an Australian immigration detention facility, and found physical and/or mental health difficulties in almost all children in the sample.

The team also found that 94% of children had exposure to one adverse childhood experience, 40% had exposure to one or more types of abuse or neglect and 63% had witnessed trauma.

Dr Amarasena says the team’s research adds to the evidence that immigration detention is a harmful practice for children.

The research has been published in Archives of Disease in Childhood and can be accessed here: https://adc.bmj.com/content/108/3/185

Afternoon r/science! A team of UNSW and Garvan Institute researchers have found that introducing bacteria to a tumour’s microenvironment creates a state of acute inflammation that triggers the immune system’s primary responder cells to attack rather than protect a tumour.

The research could lead to better treatments to improve outcomes for people with advanced or previously untreatable cancers.

The work has been published in the journal Cancer Research, and is available to read here: https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/doi/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-4025/716558/Neutrophil-conversion-to-a-tumor-killing-phenotype

Hi r/science!

A team of quantum engineers from our School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications have published a paper in Science Advances describing a new device that can measure the spins in materials with high precision.

Normally, commercially produced spectrometers require billions to trillions of spins to get an accurate reading, but the research team were able to measure spins of electrons in the order of thousands, meaning the new tool was about a million times more sensitive.

The paper is available to read here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg1593

Thank you! We tried to get that onto our original comment but it kept getting removed!

Hi r/science - researchers from our Medical Robotics Lab have developed a proof of concept of a tiny flexible 3D bioprinter that can be inserted into the body just like an endoscope and directly deliver multilayered biomaterials onto the surface of internal organs and tissues.

The team behind the concept say that with further development the technology could be used by medical professionals to access hard-to-reach areas inside the body via small skin incisions or natural orifices.

Their work has been published in Advance Science if you’d like to have a read: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202205656

Here's what Professor Andrey Miroshnichenko had to say, u/PPatBoyd:

>Great suggestion! Indeed, it would be possible to make curved (or even flexible) screens using such devices.

Thanks for the questions u/EMitch02, here's Professor Andrey Miroshnichenko.

>Depending on the size of the screen. Generally, it should enable sharper images even on large screens.

Hi there u/tornpentacle, here's a response from Prof Andrey Miroshnichenko, a lead researcher in the Nanophotonics team at UNSW Canberra.

​

>LCD screens use backlight illumination, and light propagates through a liquid crystal cell before entering our eyes. By changing the properties of the liquid crystal cell, the light can be blocked or not. Here we eliminate the relatively thick liquid crystal cell, maintaining the ability to control light propagation properties, making it thinner and lighter.

G'day r/science! A team of our researchers, alongside ANU and Nottingham Trent University colleagues have developed a proof-of-concept technology that could eventually supersede LCDs and LED.

The tech – which has extraordinary light scattering properties – would replace the liquid crystal layer and would not require the polarisers, which are responsible for half of wasted light intensity and energy use in displays.

“Our pixels are made of silicon, which offers a long life span in contrast with organic materials required for other existing alternatives. Moreover, silicon is widely available, CMOS* compatible with mature technology, and cheap to produce.”

You can take a deep dive into the research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-023-01078-6

Hi r/science, jumping on to share this research led by UNSW PhD Candidate, Dr Matthew Lennon MD in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Exeter.

The team found that people who experienced three or more concussions had worse cognitive function, significantly worse concentration and a reduced ability to complete complex tasks.

This is the largest study to explore the cognitive effects of concussion, or traumatic brain injury to date.

Here’s a link to the full study in the Journal of Neurotrauma, if you’d like to take a look: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/neu.2022.0360

G’day r/science, thanks for having us. A team of our psychology researchers have found the potential for being judged online could be impacting the mood and cognitive function of young people.

Team lead on the study, Dr Susanne Schweizer, said “our research showed that when young people thought that others might be evaluating them, they felt upset and their ability to perform a basic cognitive task was impaired.”

The study was published today in Scientific Reports if you’d like to take a look: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24932-w

HNY r/science, popping in to share this study led by UNSW Professor Xiaoqi Feng and Professor Thomas Astell-Burt from the UOW.

Prof Feng studied 100,000 Australian adults living in apartments or houses and analysed the nearby green space as well as 10 years of hospitalisation and death data.

The study found that for those living in houses, green space was associated with a lower risk of heart disease-related mortality. But not all green spaces were equally beneficial – larger amounts of tree canopy, but not open grass, was associated with these positive health effects.

Here's the link to the full study if you want to take a read: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1443950622011489?dgcid=coauthor

Happy holidays r/Futurology,

We're stoked to share new research from our resident solid-state chemistry expert, Associate Professor Neeraj Sharma.

Alongside Professor Naoaki Yabuuchi from Yokohama National University, A/P Sharma has investigated a new type of positive electrode material with unprecedented stability for solid-state batteries.

The researchers discovered the material may offer a high capacity, safe and durable alternative to lithium-ion batteries - properties that make the material an excellent candidate for use in electric vehicles.

The team's work has been published in Nature Materials if you're keen to take a read: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-022-01421-z

Hi, u/chucksutherland - Here's a response from Dr Cristina Martínez-Lombilla

​

>This fact does not necessarily say anything about the frequency of events (i.e. interactions between galaxies). However, partial tidal stripping of the stars in the outer parts of galaxies (which is what we propose as the main IGL formation driver) is a very likely process as it is more easy to strip some stars from the outer parts of galaxies than a total disruption of a whole galaxy or a major merger, which are other possible scenarios. So, at least for the moment, we cannot say how many interaction events have suffered this group os galaxies but we can say that partial tidal stripping of galaxies if a common process.

u/insaneintheblain Hi! Yep, the account is managed by a few of us in the news team here at UNSW. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions for our researchers :)

Hi r/science!

Researchers from our School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences have become the first in the world to use CRISPR gene-editing technology to alter a flagellar motor.

They used synthetic biology techniques to engineer a sodium motor onto the genome to create a sodium-driven swimming bacteria. They then tested and tracked the bacteria’s ability to adapt when the environment was starved of sodium, showing the stators were able to rapidly self-repair the flagellar motor and restore movement.

Associate Professor Matthew Baker, a co-author of the paper said the study’s findings can help us better understand the origin of molecular motors in mechanistic detail, how they came together and how they adapt.

Here's a link to the published research if you're keen on having a read: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq2492

Hi r/science, cheers for having us!

A joint study from UNSW and the University of Melbourne has found existing dams will be at greater risk under climate change than what is currently assumed.

Lead author on the research, Johan Visser, said, "some of the worst floods around the world were due to extreme storms overwhelming a dam, causing it to fail and release a wall of water downstream.”

The study was published in Water Resources Research today and is available to read: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022WR032247

Hi,u/Corsair4! Here's a response from Professor François Ladouceur!

​

>Fascinating indeed and yes, we are also addressing the reverse operation and will be publishing this very soon. It is based on the simple idea of micro-voltaic cells or if you prefer, we have shrunk down solar panels to micron-square size and managed to generate enough voltage to stimulate nerves. Hence we can both “read” and “write” using light. No optogenetics needed.

Hi r/Futurology, cheers for having us!

A team of UNSW researchers led by Professor François Ladouceur have demonstrated that sensors built using liquid crystal and integrated optics technologies can measure neural activity using light – rather than electricity – which could lead to a complete reimagining of medical technologies like nerve-operated prosthetics and brain-machine interfaces.

The team's research has been published in the Journal of Neural Engineering: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1741-2552/ac8ed6

Hi r/Futurology, cheers for having us!

New research from UNSW PhD candidate, Karen Kusuma has explored machine learning models and their ability to predict future suicidal behaviours and thoughts.

Published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Kusuma's research found machine learning models outperformed traditional risk prediction models in predicting suicide-related outcomes, which have traditionally performed poorly.

Here's a link to the published research if you're keen to read the full findings: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395622005416