17-Mar-2026 Half of rural SC families bypass local hospitals to deliver their babies in urban settings and experience worse outcomes Arnold School of Public Health Rural and maternal health expert Peiyin Hung has published new research on maternal health outcomes based on the hospital locations where rural South Carolinians give birth. Published in JAMA Network Open, the health services policy and management (HSPM) associate professor and her co-authors* found that 47% of rural mothers are opting to deliver in urban hospitals over local facilities. These rural residents had higher risks of severe maternal morbidity and mortality. Journal JAMA Network Open
17-Mar-2026 The good, the bad, and the not-so-terrible: A comprehensive analysis of Sinclair’s effect on local television news quality University of Oregon Findings provide insights into how corporate ownership affects local TV, the most trusted source of news in the United States.
17-Mar-2026 HSE scientists uncover mechanism behind placental lipid metabolism disorders in preeclampsia National Research University Higher School of Economics Scientists at HSE University have discovered that in preeclampsia—one of the most severe complications of pregnancy—the placenta remodels its lipid metabolism, reducing its own cholesterol synthesis while increasing cholesterol transfer to the foetus. This compensatory mechanism helps sustain foetal nutrition but accelerates placental deterioration and may lead to preterm birth. The study findings have been published in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. Journal Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences
17-Mar-2026 New research explores the paradox of firms’ unique technologies Strategic Management Society A company’s ability to be technologically unique is an asset — but it can also be a costly, isolating characteristic. A new study published in Strategic Management Journal provides empirical evidence of this paradox, offering documentation of technologically unique pay-offs, as well as the double penalty of being a contrarian company. Journal Strategic Management Journal
17-Mar-2026 Smart methodology optimizes the restoration of electric power systems after multiple unforeseen failures. Universidad Politécnica Salesiana Researchers at Universidad Politécnica Salesiana have developed a smart methodology to restore electric power systems after multiple simultaneous failures. By using optimal AC power flows and new stability criteria, the model ensures a safe and efficient recovery of transmission lines and generation units, preventing voltage collapses even in extreme N-5 contingency scenarios. Journal Energies
17-Mar-2026 TREM2 safeguards macrophage survival and promotes repair in radiation-induced skin injury Research Recently, teams led by Prof. Yiming Zhang from Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University,Prof. Fazhi Qi from Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, and Prof. Junli Zhou from the Tenth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University (Dongguan People’s Hospital), focused on the regulatory mechanisms of macrophage function in radiation-induced skin injury and systematically elucidated the critical role of TREM2 in maintaining macrophage survival and promoting skin repair under radiation stress. The study demonstrated that irradiation activates the ROS–NRF2–ADAM17 axis, which mediates TREM2 shedding, leading to increased macrophage apoptosis and impaired reparative function. In contrast, supplementation with TREM2⁺ macrophages markedly attenuated inflammatory responses and accelerated wound healing. These findings were published in Research under the title “TREM2 Deficiency Regulates Macrophage Apoptosis and Repair in Radiation-Induced Skin Injury.” Journal Research Funder National Natural Science Foundation of China, Provincial Subsidies for the Construction of High-level Hospitals in Guangdong Province
17-Mar-2026 Study: Small “edge” computer could help self-driving cars operate in rural areas Washington State University As self-driving cars begin operating in cities, a question remains about how to make them work in rural areas with limited telecommunications infrastructure. New research from Washington State University suggests a potential answer, demonstrating that a small, affordable computer running a compressed large-language model may be an effective decision-maker for autonomous vehicles.
17-Mar-2026 Decline in Japanese chum salmon linked to climate change Hokkaido University Today, most of the salmon consumed in Japan is imported from countries like Chile and Norway, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. But just two decades ago, Japanese chum salmon made up a much larger share of domestic salmon consumption. Their numbers have declined sharply in recent years, and new research from Hokkaido University suggests that this decline may be linked to the loss of their natural habitats along their migratory routes. Journal Scientific Reports
16-Mar-2026 Maternal mental wellbeing shapes children’s early cognitive development, GUSTO study finds Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore A Singapore study tracking 328 mother-child pairs has found two distinct pathways linking maternal mental health to child outcomes at age four. The research from A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP), in collaboration with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), and KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), draws on data from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) birth cohort. Journal Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
16-Mar-2026 UCSB students discover new crab egg predator University of California - Santa Barbara After a year and a half of remote work and learning, UC Santa Barbara undergraduate students Sophia Lecuona Manos, Gabrielle Plewe, Carson Gadler and doctoral student Zoe Zilz returned to campus in late 2021 eager for some on-campus, hands-on research, an opportunity that was lost when COVID shut down universities and other public institutions in early 2020. Journal Ecology
