Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for August 12, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Physicists investigate electron fractionalization into not two, but three components- Unique air shutter helps morph Chevrolet Cruze into 40 MPG leader (w/ Video)
- Dangerous bacterium hosts genetic remnant of life's distant past
- Scientists call for a global nuclear renaissance in new study
- Asteroid found in gravitational 'dead zone'
- Einstein@Home 'citizen scientists' discover a new pulsar in Arecibo telescope data
- Wide range of plants offer cellulosic biofuel potential, ecological diversity
- Extended solar minimum linked to changes in sun's conveyor belt
- Do stock options improve employee performance?
- Raisin' mountains on Saturn's moon Titan
- Dancing in the dark: scientists shed new light on protein-salt interactions
- Manipulating cells with a micro-suction cup
- Robots that develop emotions in interaction with humans
- Implantable silk metamaterials could advance biomedicine, biosensing
- India sets Aug. 31 deadline for BlackBerry info
Space & Earth news
NASA's FASTSAT Satellite Arrives at Kodiak, Alaska, Launch Complex
NASA's first microsatellite designed to create a capability that increases opportunities for secondary, scientific and technology payloads, or rideshares, to be flown at lower cost than before has arrived at Kodiak Island, Alaska, to begin final launch preparations.
NASA's Aqua Satellite sees Dianmu enter the Sea of Japan
NASA captured infrared imagery of Dianmu entering the Sea of Japan today, August 11. Tropical Storm Dianmu made a quick track over South Korea and has already emerged in the Sea of Japan. She's on track for crossing northern Japan and then moving into the North Western Pacific Ocean.
Warnings up for Tropical Depression 5 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico
One of the two systems that forecasters have been closely watching in the Atlantic Ocean Basin became the fifth tropical depression at 7:30 p.m. EDT on August 10 in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. NASA's TRMM satellite confirmed better organization in the system's rainbands just before it was classified as a tropical depression.
US greenhouse gas emissions and capture, regionally
A new report, Agriculture's Role in Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Capture, commissioned by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, examines the evidence for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequestration in America's major agroecosystems.
Water-sector firms: which ones will sink or swim?
The United Nations estimates that more than half of the world's population will experience severe shortages of fresh water by 2025. In light of these fresh water forecasts and challenges, several Ryerson University researchers worked together to develop a financial evaluation process to identify which water-sector companies are likely to stay afloat and which ones are likely to sink in a worldwide financial crisis.
The Mysterious Roving Rocks of Racetrack Playa
In a particularly parched region of an extraordinary planet, rocks big and small glide across a mirror-flat landscape, leaving behind a tangle of trails. Some rocks travel in pairs, their two tracks so perfectly in synch along straight stretches and around curves that they seem to be made by a car. Others go freewheeling, wandering back and forth alone and sometimes traveling the length of several football fields. In many cases, the trails lead right to resting rocks, but in others, the joyriders have vanished.
Greenpeace to launch expedition to probe BP oil spill impact
Environmental watchdog Greenpeace on Wednesday announced the launch of a three-month expedition on which researchers will analyze the impact of the massive BP oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.
How algae 'enslavement' threatens freshwater bodies
How toxic, blue-green algae out-compete other organisms through a form of selfish "enslavement" -- and by so doing proliferate dangerously in freshwater bodies -- has been described by a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Study to examine rising sea level's impact on estuaries, coastal communities
A new University of Central Florida study will examine how rising sea level could harm estuaries and coastal communities along the Florida Panhandle and Alabama and Mississippi coasts.
Experts say federal nuclear waste panel overlooks public mistrust
A renewed federal effort to fix the nation's stalled nuclear waste program is focusing so much on technological issues that it fails to address the public mistrust hampering storage and disposal efforts.
Obama panel urges US backing for clean coal
A task force to President Barack Obama called Thursday for a strong government role to promote clean coal, potentially accepting liability over carbon storage sites for thousands of years to come.
NGC 4696: A cosmic question mark
This picture, taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, is not just a beautiful snapshot of NGC 4696, the largest galaxy in the Centaurus Cluster (galaxy cluster Abell 3526). It is also an illustration of the rich variety of objects that astronomers can see with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
Sugar battles oil spills
The environment has often suffered from the catastrophic effects of an oil spill, the most recent example being the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The search for ways to remove oil from polluted water is therefore urgent. US scientists working with George John have now developed a novel gelator that solidifies the oil into a gel from which it can easily be later reclaimed.
Arctic ice island 'poses no immediate threat'
The largest ice island in almost 50 years poses no immediate threat as it will take up to two years to drift through the Arctic Ocean, the Canadian who discovered it told AFP.
Long hot summer of fire and floods fit predictions
(AP) -- Floods, fires, melting ice and feverish heat: From smoke-choked Moscow to water-soaked Pakistan and the High Arctic, the planet seems to be having a midsummer breakdown. It's not just a portent of things to come, scientists say, but a sign of troubling climate change already under way.
Asteroid found in gravitational 'dead zone'
There are places in space where the gravitational tug between a planet and the Sun balance out, allowing other smaller bodies to remain stable. These places are called Lagrangian points. So-called Trojan asteroids have been found in some of these stable spots near Jupiter and Neptune. Trojans share their planet's orbit and help astronomers understand how the planets formed and how the solar system evolved. Now Scott Sheppard at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and Chad Trujillo* have discovered the first Trojan asteroid, 2008 LC18, in a difficult-to-detect stability region at Neptune, called the Lagrangian L5 point. They used the discovery to estimate the asteroid population there and find that it is similar to the asteroid population at Neptune's L4 point. The research is published in the August 12, 2010, online issue of Science Express.
Einstein@Home 'citizen scientists' discover a new pulsar in Arecibo telescope data
Idle computers are the astronomers' playground: Three citizen scientists - a German and an American couple - have discovered a new radio pulsar hidden in data gathered by the Arecibo Observatory. This is the first deep-space discovery by Einstein@Home, which uses donated time from the home and office computers of 250,000 volunteers from 192 different countries. (Science Express, Aug. 12, 2010.)
Extended solar minimum linked to changes in sun's conveyor belt
A new analysis of the unusually long solar cycle that ended in 2008 suggests that one reason for the long cycle could be a stretching of the Sun's conveyor belt, a current of plasma that circulates between the Sun's equator and its poles. The results should help scientists better understand the factors controlling the timing of solar cycles and could lead to better predictions.
Raisin' mountains on Saturn's moon Titan
Saturn's moon Titan ripples with mountains, and scientists have been trying to figure out how they form. The best explanation, it turns out, is that Titan is shrinking as it cools, wrinkling up the moon's surface like a raisin.
Technology news
EBay rolling out shopping rewards program
(AP) -- EBay Inc. is rolling out its eBay Bucks shopping reward program to all U.S. users of its online marketplace.
Cox to offer video-on-demand content through TiVo
(AP) -- Digital video recording pioneer TiVo Inc. and cable television provider Cox Communications Inc. are making it easier for Cox subscribers who use TiVo's DVR boxes to watch Cox's on-demand video content.
Web embraces JetBlue flight attendant in NY ruckus
(AP) -- A folk hero in digital times, JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater has been thoroughly embraced by the Web.
Xinhua, China Mobile announce search venture
(AP) -- The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Thursday it will launch its own search venture, giving Google a new, well-financed rival following the closure of its China-based Web search engine.
Twitter hoping people will press its tweet button
(AP) -- Tweeting your favorite stories may be getting a little easier.
Facebook panic button prompts surge in abuse reports
Facebook has seen a sevenfold increase in young people reporting suspicious behaviour online since it introduced a so-called panic button in Britain last month, investigators said Thursday.
Cairo's Muslim faithful called to pray on one wavelength
Egypt on Thursday began unifying calls to prayer that ring out five times a day from thousands of minarets across the capital, but the move has been criticised by the men who make the call or azzan.
Unique air shutter helps morph Chevrolet Cruze into 40 MPG leader (w/ Video)
Squeezing out every last drop of fuel efficiency is one of the key tasks for Greg Fadler, aerodynamics engineering group manager at Chevrolet.
MySpace to revamp site in aim to simplify
(AP) -- The once-dominant social network MySpace is revamping its home page. It's looking a little more like its more popular and populous rival, Facebook, even as it attempts to set itself apart.
Google to serve ads on DIRECTV satellite dish programs
Satellite dish television service DIRECTV said Wednesday that Google will be serving ads on its cable broadcasts of programs such as Fox Business and G4.
Wireless tire pressure monitoring systems in cars may compromise privacy, pose security threat
New wireless technologies in cars may compromise a driver's privacy and pose a security threat, warn researchers at Rutgers University.
Video quality less important when you're enjoying what you're watching
Research from Rice University's Department of Psychology finds that if you like what you're watching, you're less likely to notice the difference in video quality of the TV show, Internet video or mobile movie clip.
India sets Aug. 31 deadline for BlackBerry info
(AP) -- India's Home Ministry threatened Thursday to block BlackBerry corporate e-mail and messaging services unless the device's manufacturer, Research In Motion Ltd., makes them accessible to its security agencies by Aug. 31.
Scientists call for a global nuclear renaissance in new study
Scientists outline a 20-year master plan for the global renaissance of nuclear energy that could see nuclear reactors with replaceable parts, portable mini-reactors, and ship-borne reactors supplying countries with clean energy, in research published today in the journal Science.
Wide range of plants offer cellulosic biofuel potential, ecological diversity
When it comes to selecting the right plant source for future cellulosic biofuel production, the solution won't be one-size-fits-all, and it certainly doesn't have to involve food and feed crops.
Medicine & Health news
Colonoscopies by primary-care doctors safe, study finds
Screening colonoscopies performed by primary-care physicians under strict protocols are as safe and effective as those performed by specialists, according to a new study by researchers from the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health.
Use of specialist retrieval teams to transport sick children is associated with reduce mortality
A study published Online First in The Lancet shows that use of specialist retrieval teams, rather than non-specialist teams, to transfer sick children to a hospital with a specialised paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is associated with reduced mortality. The findings support the policy of combining centralisation of intensive care services for children with the use of specialist retrieval teams, which has occurred in the UK and some other high income countries in recent years. The Article is by Dr Padmanabhan Ramnarayan, Children's Acute Transport Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK, and colleagues.
UK breast cancer mortality rates have fallen faster than in other European countries
Population-based breast cancer mortality rates in the UK have fallen steeply in the last two decades - more than in any other major European country, finds a study published on bmj.com today. These results challenge claims that survival after breast cancer is worse in the UK than elsewhere in western Europe.
Access to hip and knee replacement across England is unfairly skewed
Peoples' access across England to total joint replacement of the hip or knee is uneven and affected unfairly by age, sex, deprivation, geography and ethnicity, according to a new study published on bmj.com today.
Conception takes longer for stressed women
Practically everyone has heard of a couple who, after fertility treatments fail, adopt a baby and then all of a sudden get pregnant.
New drug reduces tumor size in women with advanced hereditary ovarian or breast cancer
Understanding the underlying genetic weakness of certain types of cancer may lead to targeted therapy and provide the key to effective treatment, a new study suggests. An international consortium of researchers has shown that an investigational drug, Olaparib, can reduce the size of tumors in women with advanced hereditary ovarian cancer with BRCA gene mutations.
College students exhibiting more severe mental illness, study finds
Severe mental illness is more common among college students than it was a decade ago, with more young people arriving on campus with pre-existing conditions and a willingness to seek help for emotional distress, according to a study presented at the 118th annual convention of the American Psychological Association. The data support what college mental health professionals have noted for some time.
FDA warns of brain problem with Glaxo seizure drug
(AP) -- Federal health regulators are warning doctors and patients that a seizure drug from GlaxoSmithKline can cause rare inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
Researcher pinpoints the cellular mechanism responsible for modulating the permeability of blood vessels
Dr. Jean-Philippe Gratton, Director of the Endothelial cell biology research unit at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), identifies a new intracellular mechanism responsible for modulating vascular permeability: the nitrosylation of beta-catenin protein by nitric oxide. This scientific breakthrough could have a possible impact on the treatment of cancerous tumours by altering the permeability of the blood vessels irrigating them. Dr. Gratton's team will publish the results of its research tomorrow in the scientific journal Molecular Cell.
Elevated heart rate over time linked to significant risk of death
An elevated resting heart rate that develops or persists during follow-up is associated with a significantly increased risk of death, whether from heart disease or other causes, researchers from the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center found studying outcomes in more than 9,000 patients.
All pain is not the same: Psychologist discusses gender differences in chronic pain
Women experience chronic pain longer, more intensely and more often than men, according to a psychologist who works with both men and women dealing with diseases and conditions that leave them suffering.
Osteoporosis fractures significantly reduce quality of life
Women who suffer fractures from osteoporosis experience a significant reduction in their quality of life similar to or worse than that of patients with diabetes, arthritis, lung disease and other chronic illnesses.
Landmark dental school study uses genetic test to help predict gum disease
University of Michigan School of Dentistry has signed an agreement with Interleukin Genetics Inc. to conduct what may be the largest clinical study to date using genetic testing to assess the risk for gum disease.
Merlin protein found to control liver stem cells, prevent tumor development
A protein known to be involved in a rare hereditary cancer syndrome may have a role in the regulation of liver stem cells and the development of liver cancer. In the August 15 issue of Genes & Development, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team describes finding that the protein called merlin, encoded by the NF2 (neurofibromatosis type 2) gene, controls the activity of adult stem cells that give rise to the two major types of liver cells.
Seeing melanoma (w/ Video)
Melanoma is one of the less common types of skin cancer but it accounts for the majority of the skin cancer deaths (about 75 percent).
Researchers use stem cells to treat children with life-threatening, blistering skin disease
University of Minnesota Physician-researchers have demonstrated that a lethal skin disease can be successfully treated with stem cell therapy.
Cholera outbreak kills 40 in northern Nigeria: official
A cholera outbreak has killed 40 people while 115 others have been infected in northern Nigeria's Borno State in the past week, a senior official said on Thursday.
Free statins with fast food could neutralize heart risk, scientists say
Fast food outlets could provide statin drugs free of charge so that customers can neutralise the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London suggest in a new study published this week.
Researchers find that one type of stem cell creates a niche for another type in bone marrow
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have two unique abilities that are prized by medical researchers: to self-renew and to develop into any kind of blood cell, which enables them to replenish the entire blood and immune system. Scientists have traced these qualities to a distinct locale or niche within the bone marrow that HSCs home in on, but the identity and function of the niche-forming constituents have not been clearly defined.
Over-the-counter painkiller may help ease emotional slights
Maybe that disgruntled JetBlue flight attendant should have popped a couple of Tylenols. A University of Florida researcher says acetaminophen, an ingredient in the popular over-the-counter pain reliever, may relieve social pain from hurt feelings.
SUMO works with replication protein A complex to repair DNA
A team of investigators led by a physician-scientist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has shown for the first time that the small protein SUMO can team up with the replication protein A (RPA) complex to facilitate DNA repair. The study is published in the Aug. 13 edition of the journal Molecular Cell.
U of A works with Health Canada to test residential indoor air quality
Researchers at the University of Alberta are trying to help clear the air about the levels of air pollutants in people's homes.
Missing centenarians cause angst in aging Japan
(AP) -- Japan prides itself on the world's longest life expectancy but is struggling with a disturbing footnote to that statistic - revelations that hundreds of people listed as its oldest citizens are either long dead or haven't been heard from for decades.
Probing Question: Why are bed bugs on the rise?
"Bed Bugs Invade New York City." "Bed Bugs Biting All Over US." "Bed Bugs Are Coming To Get You." From the headlines, you might think America was under attack by an army of millimeter-sized parasites. Media reports have bed bug "epidemics" plaguing cities from New York City to Bloomington, Ind., to Los Angeles.
Excess stomach removed via mouth, novel weight loss surgery a U.S. first
(PhysOrg.com) -- Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have achieved what is believed to be the nation?s first stomach reduction via the mouth. The novel weight loss procedure, known as a sleeve gastrectomy, reduces the stomach to 20 percent of its original size. The smaller stomach leads to less caloric intake and increased feelings of fullness. This is the first time in the U.S. that the excess stomach has been removed through the mouth rather than a large open incision.
Research could change course of treatment for cancer that spreads to bones
New research holds promise for the thousands of people whose cancer has spread to their bones.
The cancer biomarker conundrum: Too many false discoveries
The boom in cancer biomarker investments over the past 25 years has not translated into major clinical success. The reasons for biomarker failures include problems with study design and interpretation, as well as statistical deficiencies, according to an article published online August 12 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers use pyrosequencing to study canine intestinal bacteria
A dog's indiscriminate taste is not always a positive trait. In fact, it often leads to gastrointestinal infections and consequent ailments such as diarrhea and vomiting that come from eating spoiled food. Others develop gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases that are not directly attributed to the diet, but are influenced by intestinal bacteria.
Parents' mental health more likely to suffer when a grown child struggles
Even into adulthood, problem children continue to give their parents heartache, and it doesn't matter if other children in the family grow up to be successful, according to a new study of middle-aged parents.
Childhood memories of father have lasting impact on men's ability to handle stress
Sons who have fond childhood memories of their fathers are more likely to be emotionally stable in the face of day-to-day stresses, according to psychologists who studied hundreds of adults of all ages.
CDC: Fruit pulp linked to rare US typhoid cases
(AP) -- A rare U.S. outbreak of typhoid fever has been linked to a frozen tropical fruit product used to make smoothies, health officials reported Thursday.
Single neurons can detect sequences
Single neurons in the brain are surprisingly good at distinguishing different sequences of incoming information according to new research by UCL neuroscientists.
'Fused' people eager to die and kill for their group, research shows
People with extremely strong ties to their countries or groups are not only willing, but eager, to sacrifice themselves to save their compatriots, according to new psychology research from The University of Texas at Austin.
Biology news
Diggin' in: Water trees, shrubs in drought, but let lawn go dormant
Intense heat and less than half of normal rainfall in many areas has left landscapes dry this summer.
ASH recommends cross-disciplinary engagement to advance regenerative medicine
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has developed specific recommendations to the scientific community and federal agencies to help propel collaborative research in regenerative medicine in order to make real strides in improving patient care. These recommendations were released today in Blood, ASH's premier scientific journal, in the article titled "Enhancing Research in Regenerative Medicine."
New research suggests orangutans not so solitary
(AP) -- When British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace arrived in Borneo's jungles 150 years ago, one of his great hopes was to see orangutans. Even he was surprised at his success, spotting the red apes feeding along river banks, swinging between branches, and staring down from trees almost the moment he arrived.
Dangerous bacterium hosts genetic remnant of life's distant past
Within a dangerous stomach bacterium, Yale University researchers have discovered an ancient but functioning genetic remnant from a time before DNA existed, they report in the August 13 issue of the journal Science.
Manipulating cells with a micro-suction cup
Researchers at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering have devised a novel method to pick up and relocate individual cells with a microtip without damaging them. In the future this could be used to verify how robust synthetically grown tissue structures e.g. on implant surfaces are.
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