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- Material benefits: thin film computers and an eco-friendly replacement for concrete
Material benefits: thin film computers and an eco-friendly replacement for concrete
Russian scientists have found an environmentally friendly replacement for concrete, which will ensure high durability of buildings without carbon dioxide emissions, proposed a new way to control pests in agriculture and an innovative approach to the treatment of chronic kidney disease. In China and Japan, they continue to improve electronics: they are building self-unloading vessels and creating reconfigurable electronic devices on a thin, bendable film. Read more about the interesting science news of the week in the Izvestia collection.
Exposure to the microbiota will help delay dialysis
According to the findings of doctors at Sechenov University, the gut microbiota may become a new key to the treatment of chronic kidney disease and help patients go longer without dialysis.
The microbiota is a collection of microorganisms living in the human intestine, and for the first time in Russia, doctors began to study its effect on the course of chronic kidney disease. Specialists from the E.M. Tareev Clinic of Rheumatology, Nephrology and Occupational Pathology at Sechenov University have found that an increase in the proportion of opportunistic pathogens in the microbiota of a person with CKD can have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system, kidneys and even the brain. To better understand this impact, scientists are launching a study on "Chronic Kidney disease and cognitive impairment. The role of diet and microbiota".
CKD and the intestinal microbiota are linked in a chain of mutual reinforcement: the worse the kidneys work, the more the balance of bacteria is disrupted, and this accelerates organ damage, said molecular biologist Arina Kholkina.
— The work of scientists can become the basis for a personalized approach to the treatment of CKD, from microbiota correction and diet therapy to the use of fecal transplantation in cases where it is proven that dysbiosis worsens the course of the disease. The approach can also be used as prognostic markers: analysis of intestinal microflora will allow assessing the risk of CKD progression and the development of cardiovascular complications, and regular monitoring will help timely adjust therapy at an early stage," said Head of the Department of Urology with Kidney Transplantation at the SamSMU clinic of the Russian Ministry of Health, urologist, surgeon, NTI market expert "Healthnet" Evgeny Kanaev.
According to the expert, the data obtained can be useful not only for the treatment, but also for the prevention of complications of chronic kidney disease.
Chinese ships break records
On July 21, Africa's largest iron ore project, Simandou, received its first unique self-unloading vessel with a total cargo capacity of 41,800 tons and a two-way capability. According to media reports, this event transformed China from a catching-up country into a world leader in the segment of high-tech transport vessels.
According to the shipbuilding company, the novelty has set three records at once: it has become the world's largest shallow-seated self-unloading transshipment vessel in terms of total cargo weight, the fastest in terms of unloading speed and the first in its class with the ability to move equally efficiently in both directions without turning around.
Over the next few years, the Simandou project is expected to receive four more such vessels. Thanks to the new transporters, the iron ore deposit will be able to reach full capacity and significantly increase supplies to the market.
Dispersal of insect predators from drones will increase yields by 20%
Scientists from Kazan National Research Technical University named after A.N. Tupolev have developed and patented a technology for dispersing beneficial insects using drones that destroy agricultural pests. It is based on a special device with a stirrer and a dispenser that allows you to prepare a working mixture during the flight and distribute it evenly over the target crops. The mixture consists of semolina, which acts as a filler, and beneficial insect entomophages that feed on pests.
"This method is safe for humans and the environment," explained Ilfir Abdullin, one of the authors of the invention, Associate Professor of the Department of Aircraft Design and Engineering at KNRTU — KAI.
The required ratio of entomophages and cereals is selected depending on the type of biological agent and the conditions of use. On average, it amounts to 1 gram of insects per 3-5 grams of semolina, he said.
— Now agrodrons are moving from experiments to active industrial use. In 2025, 781 thousand hectares of farmland were cultivated in our country, and this year it is planned that the figure will exceed 1 million hectares. Drones are especially in demand for monitoring farmland, applying drugs, as well as for processing areas where it is difficult to deliver ground equipment," said Artem Bogatyrev, market expert at the Aeronet National Technology Initiative.
According to the developers, the use of this technology can increase yields by more than 20%. Experts note that the development is particularly promising for growing vegetables, fruits and other high-margin crops on a large scale, and for small farms its implementation will be too expensive. At the same time, it will not replace old technologies, but complement them by becoming part of a comprehensive biological pest control system.
Eco-friendly high-strength replacement for concrete
Researchers at the Grebenshchikov Institute of Silicate Chemistry (a branch of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center, St. Petersburg), who study the formation of concrete analogues — geopolymers — have found that this material is comparable in strength to it, but at times more environmentally friendly. This discovery will make it possible to produce building materials without the huge amount of carbon dioxide emissions that are inevitable when firing a cement mixture.
Geopolymers are more plastic and less susceptible to deformation, but their mass use was abandoned due to insufficient knowledge. The situation is changing now. After conducting many experiments, experts have found that the strength of eco-friendly concrete analogues increases 1.5 times when using tubular particles as their base. According to the researchers, due to their shape, they are arranged in an orderly manner and allow the material to withstand heavy loads.
Understanding these mechanisms, according to scientists, will make it possible to adapt the strength and structure of geopolymers to specific construction tasks.
In Japan, electronics are "coming to life"
Researchers at Japan's Kyushu University have developed a thin-film electronic system that can change its configuration without human intervention.
"In this study, we have developed an electromechanical docking mechanism between thin—film modules, which allows them to automatically connect and disconnect if necessary," said Fumihiro Sassa, associate professor at the University's Faculty of Information Sciences and Electrical Engineering.
The module itself is a thin film with an electronic circuit and an executive layer of two polymers that expand differently when heated, thereby allowing the entire structure to bend in the desired direction. In addition, the new technology provides both the mechanical connection of the individual modules and the electrical contact between them.
With its high functionality, the system can operate at a voltage of 5 V, and all contacts between the modules remain intact even after a power outage. In the future, such capabilities will make it possible to create reconfigurable electronic systems that do not require constant power supply. According to scientists, the new technology will become indispensable in medicine and when working in hard-to-reach places, and in a few years self-assembling devices will be able to adapt to environmental conditions as living organisms.
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