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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for May 1, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Study finds new genetic cause of neurodegeneration- Solar-thermal flat-panels that generate electric power
- Measuring the distant universe in 3-D: BOSS proves it can do the job with quasars
- New method helps solve several baffling puzzles in protein molecular structure
- System in brain -- target of class of diabetes drugs -- linked to weight gain
- Android smartphones winning over 'app' makers
- NASA: Endeavour's last launch delayed again
- Grandma was right: Infants do wake up taller
- New material could improve safety for first responders to chemical hazards
- BPA exposure linked to wheezing in childhood
- HTC Thunderbolt smartphone underwhelms
Space & Earth news
Utah suing federal government over wilderness plan
(AP) -- The state of Utah filed a lawsuit Friday against the federal government over an Obama administration plan to make millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West eligible for federal wilderness protection.
NWS: NE Mississippi tornado was highest-rated EF-5
(AP) -- At least one of the massive tornadoes that killed hundreds across the South this week was a devastating EF-5 storm, according to an analysis Friday by the National Weather Service, which suspects several others also were the worst of the worst.
Scientists investigate twisters like detectives
(AP) -- Weather scientists are retracing the footprints of this week's monstrous tornadoes the way detectives would investigate a crime scene: talking to witnesses, watching surveillance video and even taking the measurements of the trees ripped from the ground.
NASA to know Sunday whether shuttle can fly Monday
(AP) -- Engineers should know Sunday whether Endeavour's six-man crew and their families - including wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords - need to stick around for a Monday launch attempt or come back sometime around Mother's Day.
China pays price for world's rare earths addiction
Peasant farmer Wang Tao used to grow corn, potatoes and wheat within a stone's throw of a dumping ground for rare earths waste until toxic chemicals leaked into the water supply and poisoned his land.
Venice turns to floating barriers to fight floods
Flood-prone Venice has launched an ambitious plan to build mobile barriers at the mouth of its lagoon to protect the city from rising sea levels.
NASA: Endeavour's last launch delayed again
Space shuttle Endeavour's final launch is off until at least the end of the week because technicians need to replace a switch box in the engine compartment, NASA said Sunday.
Measuring the distant universe in 3-D: BOSS proves it can do the job with quasars
The biggest 3-D map of the distant universe ever made, using light from 14,000 quasars – supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies billions of light years away – has been constructed by scientists with the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III).
Technology news
Fewer stock awards reduces Yahoo CEO's pay 75 pct.
(AP) -- Yahoo Inc. cut CEO Carol Bartz's compensation by 75 percent to $11.9 million last year as the Internet company struggled to revive its revenue growth, regulatory documents filed Friday show.
Facebook reuniting tornado victims with memories
In a digital era update to the lost and found booth, a Facebook page started by an Alabama woman is reuniting victims of the killer US tornadoes with their precious family photos and documents.
Sony to reveal PlayStation hack probe findings
Sony will reveal details of its internal probe into a massive theft of personal data from users of its PlayStation Network on Sunday, plus a timetable for bringing the network back into action, it said.
India's Infosys names banker as new chairman
Infosys on Saturday named a prominent banker to take charge of India's second-largest software exporter as the firm struggles to boost performance in the face of slow global recovery.
Sony PlayStation network users face password change
Users of Sony's PlayStation Network will have to change their passwords, the Japanese entertainment and technology giant said Sunday as it looks to boost security after its system was hacked.
Sony apologises for breach, boosts security
Sony on Sunday apologised for a security breach that compromised millions of users, and said it could not rule out the possibility that credit card information was stolen.
Internet campaigns step up before Canada poll
Canada's election campaign has unleashed a flurry of online, youth-led political activity showing no signs of abating before national polls on Monday.
Your smartphone knows everything about you, and it tells tales
In the sexy but increasingly scary world of smartphone forensics, insiders have a name for all the personal information purposely or unknowingly stored inside that iPhone or Android or Blackberry in your pocket. They call it your "digital fingerprints."
Customers stay despite high-profile data breaches
(AP) -- Week after week, thieves break into corporate computer systems to steal customer lists, email addresses and credit card numbers. Large data breaches get overshadowed by even larger ones.
Android smartphones winning over 'app' makers
Google is the new darling of software wizards out to cash-in on the world's love for customizing smartphones with fun, hip or functional applications.
Medicine & Health news
Animal-assisted therapy decreases patient anxiety in pre-MRI setting, study suggests
Patients who undergo MRI often suffer from elevated anxiety. Patient discomfort may cause poor image quality due to motion artifacts or early termination. Anxiolytic medications are currently used to reduce this anticipated anxiety , but animal-assisted therapy may be a non-invasive alternative treatment with fewer adverse effects, according to an exhibit being presented at the 2011 American Roentgen Ray Society's annual meeting.
Dual-energy CT may be useful in evaluating the severity of gout, study suggests
The incidence of gout is on the rise and duel energy CT has the potential to allow non-invasive diagnosis of the disease, according to radiologists at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver General Hospital, in Vancouver, BC.
Race a factor in whether young women are tested for sexually transmitted infections
When adolescent females visit a pediatric emergency department with complaints that may signal a sexually transmitted infection (STI), white youths are less likely to be tested than blacks, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Children held captive in smoky vehicles
It is absolutely unacceptable to subject children to any tobacco smoke exposure in cars, according to the authors of an abstract to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Pediatricians confront the childhood obesity epidemic
Childhood obesity has become a significant health problem worldwide, but many parents don't know where to begin or how to help their child adopt a healthy lifestyle. At the opening session of the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver, Colo., experts in pediatric obesity prevention will discuss the science and the strategy behind understanding this epidemic and intervening upon it.
Robotic surgery effective for removing hard-to-reach throat cancer
Robotic surgery has become a mainstream tool for removing an ever-increasing variety of head and neck tumors. Now, a team of head and neck surgeons from Mayo Clinic has found robotic surgery can treat cancer in the narrow, hard-to-reach area beyond the tongue at the top of the voice box. Some patients were able to avoid further treatment with chemotherapy or radiation, and most could resume normal eating and speaking.
Investigational agent shows promise in reducing spread of prostate cancer
A drug developed to treat Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare childhood cancer, may also help prevent human prostate cancer from spreading, as seen in new lab studies say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC).
Errors put infants, children at risk for overdose of painkillers
Parents who give young children prescription painkillers should take extra care to make sure they give just the right amount. What they may be surprised to learn, however, is that the dose given to them by the pharmacy could be too high, according to research to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Maternal obesity puts infants at risk
Babies born to obese mothers are at risk for iron deficiency, which could affect infant brain development, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Chemical found in crude oil linked to congenital heart disease
While it may be years before the health effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are known, a new study shows that fetal exposure to a chemical found in crude oil is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease (CHD).
Video games may help clear airway of cystic fibrosis patients
Video games controlled by the player's breath can encourage youths with cystic fibrosis to use techniques that can help keep their airways clearer, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
EDs should be aware of sexually transmitted infection risk in patients
All adolescent females who show up in the emergency department (ED) complaining primarily of lower abdominal pain and/or urinary or genital symptoms should be tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to the authors of a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Movement + academics = success
When schools cut physical education programs so students can spend more time in the classroom, they may be missing a golden opportunity to promote learning, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
China's new indoor smoking ban takes effect
(AP) -- China's latest push to ban smoking in indoor public venues came into effect Sunday, but the vaguely defined expanded rules were not expected to dramatically reduce the country's heavy tobacco addiction.
Male doctors more likely to be disciplined for misconduct
Male doctors are four times more likely than female doctors to be disciplined for misconduct, and sexual misconduct is the most common reason for disciplinary action, a University of Melbourne, Australia study has found.
Hard to arouse, hard to calm down
A scale used to assess the behavior of newborns exposed to methamphetamine before birth might be able to identify those children who will develop problems later on, according to a study that will be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Little fingers, big trouble: Study sheds light on child self-unbuckling
It can be quite jarring for a parent or caregiver to look in the rearview mirror while driving and see their child roaming around the backseat free of their safety restraints. A study on child self-unbuckling by Yale School of Medicine researchers reveals that most children who first unbuckle were age three and under and that many children unbuckle while the vehicle is in motion—putting them at a 3.5-fold increased risk for serious injuries.
Obesity in pregnancy hinders women's ability to fight infection
Pregnant women who are obese are less able to fight infections than lean women, which could affect their baby's health after birth and later in life, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Dirty mouths lead to broken hearts
Nurses who care for patients with dementia now have a tailored approach to dental hygiene for their charges, thanks to a pilot study by a team of nurses.
Renal cancer drug temsirolimus shows promise against mesothelioma
A drug commonly used to treat kidney cancer may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for mesothelioma, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
Formula-fed preemies at higher risk for dangerous GI condition than babies who get donor milk
Extremely premature babies fed human donor milk are less likely to develop the dangerous intestinal condition necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) than babies fed a standard premature infant formula derived from cow's milk, according to research by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere.
Child malnutrition caused by more than lack of food
Giving poor families land on which to grow crops has been shown to improve child nutrition. New research also shows that giving families non-agricultural land and better housing also is beneficial for children's growth and nutrition.
Adverse changes in sleep duration are associated with lower cognitive scores in middle-aged adults
A study in the May 1 issue of the journal Sleep describes how changes in sleep that occur over a five-year period in late middle age affect cognitive function in later life. The findings suggest that women and men who begin sleeping more or less than 6 to 8 hours per night are subject to an accelerated cognitive decline that is equivalent to four to seven years of aging.
How to raise a child who doesn't bully
With all of the media attention on young people being tormented by bullies and cyberbullies, parents may wonder what they can do to protect their children. The question they may want to ask instead is how can they prevent their child from becoming a bully.
Screening very preterm infants for autism at 18 months often inaccurate
Extremely premature infants who screen positive for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 18 months of age may not actually have autism. Rather, they may fail screening tests due to an unrelated cognitive or language delay, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Living with a smoker may raise blood pressure in boys
Exposure to secondhand smoke, even at extremely low levels, is associated with increased blood pressure in boys, according to new research being presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
BPA exposure linked to wheezing in childhood
If a pregnant woman is exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), especially during the first trimester, her child may be at higher risk of wheezing early in life, according to a study to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Grandma was right: Infants do wake up taller
Science is finally confirming what grandma knew all along: infants wake up taller right after they sleep.
Study finds new genetic cause of neurodegeneration
(Medical Xpress) -- Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered two mutations responsible for a devastating neurological condition they first identified 15 years ago. The researchers say their study -- appearing in Nature Genetics -- has revealed a new neural pathway that may help understand a variety of similar conditions.
System in brain -- target of class of diabetes drugs -- linked to weight gain
University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have determined why a certain class of diabetes drugs leads to weight gain and have found that the molecular system involved (PPAR-γ found in the brain) is also triggered by consumption of high-fat foods.
Biology news
New method helps solve several baffling puzzles in protein molecular structure
The structures of many protein molecules remain unsolved even after experts apply an extensive array of approaches. An international collaboration has led to a new, high-performance method that rapidly determined the structure of protein molecules in several cases where previous methods had failed.
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