Technology Spain  MADRID 29/10/2019

A new type of acoustic insulation enables sound to be concentrated in corners

This line of research could have applications in industrial ultrasound technologies

A group of researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), in collaboration with Chinese scientists from the University of Nanjing (NJU), have designed a new type of acoustic insulation that enables sound waves to be concentrated in corners. This line of research could have applications in industrial ultrasound technologies or in the improvement of certain medical diagnostic tests such as ultrasound.

 
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Technology Spain  MADRID 18/10/2019

Ralf Steinmetz new member of the Academy of Europaea

This appointment recognizes Steinmetz’s role as one of the world leaders in the research and development of adaptive seamless multimedia communications

Professor Dr. Ralf Steinmetz, President of IMDEA Networks’ Board of Trustees and Full Professor at the Multimedia Communications Lab (KOM) of the Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany), has been appointed member of the prestigious Academy of Europe. This appointment recognizes Steinmetz’s role as one of the world leaders in the research and development of adaptive seamless multimedia communications.

 
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Social Sciences Brazil  BRASIL 17/10/2019

Brazilian capuchin monkeys stone use may show similarities with earlier hominin activities

An international team investigate primates looking for clues about hominin technological development and to learn more about the use of pounding stones by Homo antecessor

Fossils and stone tools are key findings unearthed at any archaeological site focused on human evolution studies, however, behavior does not fossilize, and it is not possible to observe hominins using their tools. Thus, primatology plays an important role, as the study of modern primates can help us to understand the behavior of the earliest human populations. In this context, an international research team is focused on the analysis of capuchin monkeys from Serra da Capivara, in Brazil. The main goal is to investigate the use-wear marks developed on the stone tools used by these monkeys and build a theoretical model that could help to understand the emergence of hominin behavior.

 
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Space Chile  CHILE 17/10/2019

ALMA observes counter-intuitive flows around black hole

The discovery could explain why supermassive black holes grew so rapidly in the early Universe

At the center of a galaxy called NGC 1068, a supermassive black hole hides within a thick doughnut-shaped cloud of dust and gas. When astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study this cloud in more detail, they made an unexpected discovery that could explain why supermassive black holes grew so rapidly in the early Universe.

 
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Technology Spain  MADRID 16/10/2019

Europe prepares four 5G pilots in industrial applications

A European research project coordinated by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), named 5Growth, will implant 5G technology in four working environments on the continent

The 5G technology that will be implanted in the framework of this project will enable communications to run at ten times the speed of the current 4G network, and also decreases the latency (the delay in the propagation of information packages within a network) and increases communication reliability. All this allows applications, such as the autonomous car, augmented reality or the connection of numerous devices to the Internet a reality, into what is called the Internet of Things, explains the lead researcher on the project, Carlos J. Bernardos from the UC3M’s department of Telematic Engineering.

 
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Health Brazil  BRASIL 07/10/2019

Compounds extracted from Cerrado plant combat fungus that causes candidiasis

Four substances isolated from Mimosa caesalpiniifolia were found to be more effective against thrush and candida than was fluconazole, the drug usually prescribed to treat the disease. Brazilian researchers are developing an ointment

Fungi of the genus Candida cause thrush and candidiasis, a fairly common disease in humans. It can be lethal to individuals with low immunity, especially when they are hospitalized. Although the drug most widely used to combat the disease is effective in most cases, some varieties of the fungus are drug-resistant.

 
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Nutrition Spain  BARCELONA 01/10/2019

Redefining honey: a new process for the pretreatment of raw honey that does not affect quality or nutrients

Sonicat-Systems, a company located near Barcelona, has been selected from a pool of thousands of technology start-ups to receive 1.4 million euros of funding from the European Commission

The Catalan company has been working for over 8 years to develop breakthrough technology that let’s honey producers offer a higher quality product to consumers.

 
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Environment El Salvador  EL SALVADOR 27/09/2019

Restoring land in Latin America shows big potential for climate mitigation

First inventory of restoration projects across Latin America and the Caribbean shows where the potential lies for climate mitigation and provides a compass towards reaching the Bonn Challenge

Land restoration in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is picking up pace, but scaling up projects is critical if the region wants to meet its pledges under the Bonn Challenge, which aims to restore 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested land worldwide by 2030. A new study led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Wageningen University supplies a first map of restoration projects in Latin America and shows their potential to mitigate climate change through restoring forest cover.

 
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Environment Panama  PANAMÁ 20/09/2019

Invaders are lunch for local marine species

Native predators could contribute to controlling the abundance and expansion of invasive species

The climate is changing, and with it, ocean temperatures. On the other hand, global maritime traffic is increasing, provoking marine species to move towards new areas. Panama, in particular, is at greater risk. The heavy ship traffic could be transporting plants, animals or even parasites, from one ocean to another involuntarily. These ‘invasions’ could negatively affect the local fauna or human health, so Luis De Gracia has been interested in understanding them.

 
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Health Spain  MADRID 11/09/2019

Olfactory and auditory stimuli change the perception of our body

New knowledge in the field of cognitive neuroscience and human-computer interaction

A pioneering investigation developed by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) alongside the University of Sussex and University College London, shows that olfactory stimuli combined with auditory stimuli can change our perception of our body. These results provide new knowledge in the field of cognitive neuroscience and human-computer interaction.

 
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Social Sciences Panama  PANAMÁ 12/08/2019

White-tailed deer were predominant in pre-Columbian Panama feasts

An analysis of deer remains in refuse piles at the Sitio Sierra archaeological site revealed signs of “feasting behavior” associated with this animal

In pre-Columbian times, the white-tailed deer was among the most abundant and frequently consumed mammals in Panama. It was also an icon, represented on thousands of clay vessels. Through an analysis of deer remains in refuse piles at the Sitio Sierra archaeological site, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) discovered signs of “feasting behavior” associated with this animal.

 
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Space Chile  ATACAMA 08/08/2019

ALMA identified dark ancestors of massive elliptical galaxies

The new results throw into question our understanding of the early Universe

Astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to identify 39 faint galaxies that are not seen with the Hubble Space Telescope’s most in-depth view of the Universe, 10 billion light-years away. They are ten times more numerous than similarly massive but optically–bright galaxies detected with Hubble. The research team assumes that these faint galaxies precede massive elliptical galaxies in the present Universe. However, no significant theories for the evolution of the Universe have predicted such an abundant population of star-forming, dark, massive galaxies. The new ALMA results throw into question our understanding of the early Universe. These results appear in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

 
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Environment Perú  AMAZONAS 07/08/2019

High lead concentrations found in Amazonian wildlife

Researchers from the UAB and the UVic-UCC detect high levels of lead concentration in wildlife samples from the Peruvian Amazon caused by lead-based ammunition and oil-related pollution in extraction areas

It is in industrialised countries and regions of the world where one can find the highest concentrations of lead, the world's most widespread neurotoxical accumulative metal. Thus, it was presumed that the Amazon, the world's largest expanse of tropical rainforest containing the highest levels of biocultural and cultural diversity, would contain a low amount of urban or industrial contaminants due to its remoteness and low human impact.

 
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Health Colombia  BOLÍVAR 26/07/2019

Five or More Hours of Smartphone Usage Per Day May Increase Obesity

Recent study found risk of obesity increased by 43 percent

As smartphones continue to be an inherent part of life and grow as a primary source of entertainment—particularly among young people—it leads to a decrease in physical activity. In a recent study presented at the ACC Latin America Conference 2019, university students who used their smartphones five or more hours a day had a 43 percent increased risk of obesity and were more likely to have other lifestyle habits that increase the risk of heart disease.

 
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Social Sciences Panama  PANAMÁ 26/07/2019

Skeleton stories: the bone whisperer

From understanding the origin of ancient diseases to correcting misinterpretations of archaeological evidence, STRI bioarchaeologist Nicole Smith-Guzman opens a window into the intricacies of pre-Columbian life in Panama

When a tiny fragment of human bone shows up in an excavation, Nicole Smith-Guzman can tell you where exactly it came from in the body. Her interest in bones began during her childhood and adolescence, after fracturing a few of them, including her pelvis. Later, as an anthropology major in college, a human osteology class hooked her for good, connecting her intellectual interests with one of her favorite hobbies: jigsaw puzzles.

 
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Health Colombia  BOLÍVAR 24/07/2019

ACC Latin America Conference Highlights CV Research, Practice in the Region

Research to be presented on smartphone use and obesity, heart disease and pregnancy, and Zika

The American College of Cardiology kicks off the ACC Latin America Conference in partnership with the Colombian Society of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery in Cartagena, Colombia, July 25-27, 2019. The conference will examine evidence-based strategies, as well as best practices and clinical decision-making with a focus on how it applies to everyday practice to treat heart disease patients throughout Latin America.

 
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Technology Spain  MADRID 08/07/2019

The UC3M programmes a humanoid robot to communicate in sign language

Scientists from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have published a paper featuring the results of research into interactions between robots and deaf people

Scientists from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have published a paper featuring the results of research into interactions between robots and deaf people, in which they were able to programme a humanoid - called TEO - to communicate in sign language.

 
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Health Perú  PERú 03/07/2019

New study aims to prevent anaemia in Peruvian children

The research project involving 300 pairs of mothers and babies across Peru

The causes of persistent high levels of anaemia among Peruvian children will be investigated by a new study led by Queen Mary University of London and the Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño (INSN), in collaboration with Universidad Nacional Intercultural de la Amazonia (UNIA) and Universidad Nacional San Christobal de Huamanga in Peru.

 
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Social Sciences Spain  ESPAÑA 02/07/2019

Presentation of the 2019 IUNE Observatory report on university R+D+i

The growth in research carried out within the framework of the Spanish University System (SUE in the Spanish acronym) has slowed since 2003

The growth in research carried out within the framework of the Spanish University System (SUE in the Spanish acronym) has slowed since 2003, according to the conclusions of the latest annual report on university R + D + i drawn up by IUNE, an observatory of the 4U Alliance (the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra ).

 
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Social Sciences Spain  MADRID 25/06/2019

The European film industry is progressively adopting Hollywood´s modes of representation

A study looks at the transformation of European cinema through Studiocanal

The European film industry is progressively adopting Hollywood´s modes of representation. This is one of the main conclusions of a study by Christopher Meir, CONEX researcher at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), who in his latest book analyzes the evolution of StudioCanal, the largest European company to have contributed to this transformation of the continent’s film industry.

 
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