It would be greatly beneficial to physicians trying to save lives in intensive care units if they could be alerted when a patient’s condition rapidly deteriorates or shows vitals in highly abnormal ranges. While current machine learning models are attempting to achieve that goal, a Virginia Tech study recently published in Communications Medicine shows that they are falling short with models for in-hospital mortality prediction, which refers to predicting the likelihood of a patient dying in the hospital, failing to recognize 66 percent of the injuries.

Empa researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or robotics – and anywhere else where things need to move at the touch of a button.

Cost, technical performance and environmental impact – these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society. This has been demonstrated by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, in a study published in Nature Sustainability.

Where there’s water, there are waves. But what if you could bend water waves to your will to move floating objects? Nanyang Technological University, Singapore co-led a team of international researchers to achieve this with physics.

The scientists developed a technique to merge waves in a water tank to produce complex patterns, such as twisting loops and swirling vortices. Some patterns acted like tweezers or a “tractor beam” to hold a floating ball in place. Other patterns made the ball spin and move precisely in a circular path.

In the future, the technique could be scaled down to precisely move particles the size of cells for experiments, or scaled up to guide boats along a desired path on the water.

Physicists developed simplified formulas to quantify quantum entanglement in strongly correlated electron systems. Their approach was applied to nanoscale materials, revealing unexpected quantum behaviors and identifying key quantities for the Kondo effect. These findings advance understanding of quantum technologies.

By incorporating gadolinium into a catalyst, its efficiency in a reaction that produces hydrogen fuel increases. This could be the boost we need to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

This study shows that there is a complex and close interaction between plants and the root microbiota in nutrient utilization. Environmental nutrient conditions and plant nutrient-related genes jointly regulate the composition and assembly of the root microbiota, while the root microbiota significantly affects the plant's nutrient utilization efficiency by improving nutrient availability and regulating plant hormones.