Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for March 18, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Scientists discover a surprising new way that protons can move among molecules- Lifebrowser: Data mining gets (really) personal at Microsoft
- Exotic metamaterials will change optics
- Looking at quantum gravity in a mirror
- NEC goes ultra-thin with 0.3mm-thick batteries
- Simulating strongly correlated fermions opens the door to practical superconductor applications
- Bone marrow transplant arrests symptoms in model of Rett syndrome
- Study shows how the breakup of two proteins interferes with the immune system
- Scientists boost potency, reduce side effects of IL-2 protein used to treat cancer
- Hazy shades of life on early Earth
- Future NASA mission to sun 'a life's dream' for some
- BIM gene variation in East Asians found to explain resistance to cancer drugs
- Molecular ticket determines RNA's destination and speed inside egg cell
- Researchers reveal how a single gene mutation leads to uncontrolled obesity
- Researchers increase speed of single-molecule measurements
Space & Earth news
'Gravity is climate' - 10 years of climate research satellites GRACE
For the first time, the melting of glaciers in Greenland could now be measured with high accuracy from space. Just in time for the tenth anniversary of the twin satellites GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) a sharp image has surface, which also renders the spatial distribution of the glacial melt more precisely. The Greenland ice shield had to cope with up to 240 gigatons of mass loss between 2002 and 2011. This corresponds to a sea level rise of about 0.7 mm per year. These statements were made possible by the high-precision measurements of the GRACE mission, whose data records result in a hitherto unequaled accurate picture of the earth's gravity. One of Newton's laws states that the gravity of an object depends directly on its mass. "When the mass of the Greenland ice sheet changes, so does the gravity there," explains Dr. Frank Flechtner from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. "The GRACE gravity field measurements therefore give us information! on mass changes, including climate-related ones."
Arctic explorer's ship to return to Norway
Canada authorized Friday the repatriation to Norway of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's three-mast ship Maud from the Canadian Arctic, a project representative said Friday.
Chevron accused of graft in Indonesian green project
Indonesia on Saturday accused five Chevron employees of being involved in a scam to set up a fictitious green project that lost the state some $270 million, a charge denied by the US oil giant.
Solar storms join floods, terrorism as risks to UK
(AP) -- Britain has added volcanoes and solar storms to floods, flu and terrorism on a list of threats to national security.
Weird weather: heat, twisters, 250K tons of snow
(AP) -- America's weather is stuck on extreme.
NASA postpones launch of X-ray telescope
NASA has postponed the launch of a new X-ray telescope to allow more time to check an issue with the rocket that will boost it into orbit.
Smog and fog ground hundreds of Beijing flights
More than 400 flights to and from Beijing airport, including around 35 international services, were cancelled or delayed on Saturday due to thick fog and strong air pollution covering the city.
Future NASA mission to sun 'a life's dream' for some
The chest-high rack of electronics Justin Kasper is assembling in a Massachusetts office park will fit in a shoe box before he's done.
Delicate rescue saves stranded $1.7B US satellite
Air Force ground controllers delicately rescued a $1.7 billion military communications satellite last year that had been stranded in the wrong orbit and at risk of blowing up - all possibly because a piece of cloth had been left in a critical fuel line during manufacture.
Hazy shades of life on early Earth
A 'see-sawing' atmosphere over 2.5 billion years ago preceded the oxygenation of our planet and the development of complex life on Earth, a new study has shown.
Technology news
US radio episode about Apple factory abuse retracted
A popular US radio program on Friday retracted a story about harsh working conditions at factories that make Apple products in China, saying it contained "significant fabrications."
Video games enter realm of art at Smithsonian
Video games have come a long way since the first simple adventures of Mario and Pac-Man and now enter the realm of art in a major exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington that celebrates gaming's rich creative side and the people behind a medium that's still in full bloom.
Fan power may lead to ban on F1 new 'stepped noses'
Fan power may lead to a ban on the ugly new "stepped noses" on this year's Formula One cars, the sport's ruling body has conceded.
80% in Japan 'support nuclear phase-out'
Eighty percent of Japanese want to phase out the country's reliance on nuclear power and eventually eliminate it, a poll said Sunday, a year after Japan was hit by a massive nuclear disaster.
AT&T scotches appeal, pays small-claims litigant
(AP) -- AT&T Inc. on Friday gave up on appealing an $850 award won by an iPhone user in small claims court, and sent him a check.
States join in on scrutiny of Google
Google has long faced privacy and antitrust problems with federal and European regulators. But states appear increasingly willing to confront the Internet giant over those same concerns, and also could exact significant financial penalties.
Movie industry embraces an old enemy: the cellphone
Looking to buck the line at the Regency Bruin in Los Angeles' Westwood neighborhood? It's fine if you bring your smartphone.
19 arrested in US for credit card, identity theft ring
Nineteen people have been arrested in nine US states for trafficking online in counterfeit credit cards and stolen personal information, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Latin American Web access could double in a decade
Latin America is the world's fastest-growing market for Internet access, and could double within a decade, the group that oversees Internet-related tasks said Friday.
Obama urges end to US reliance on foreign energy
US President Barack Obama called on Saturday for an end to America's dependence on foreign energy sources -- and to the multi-billion-dollar subsidies given each year to oil companies.
Singapore gains toehold in world arms industry
Singapore, better known for its clean-cut image and electronics exports, is seeking a place in the global arms industry by exploiting technological expertise honed on its own amply funded military.
China writers seek $8 mln from Apple in piracy row
A group of Chinese writers who accuse Apple's online store for selling pirated copies of their books is seeking $8 million in compensation from the US firm, state media said Sunday.
Thermosolar power station in Spain works at night
A unique thermosolar power station in southern Spain can shrug off cloudy days: energy stored when the sun shines lets it produce electricity even during the night.
Lifebrowser: Data mining gets (really) personal at Microsoft
(PhysOrg.com) -- Microsoft Research is doing research on software that could bring you your own personal data mining center with a touch of Proust for returns. In a recent video, Microsoft scientist Eric Horvitz demonstrated the Lifebrowser, which is prototype software that helps put your digital life in meaningful shape. The software uses machine learning to help a user place life events, which may span months or years, to be expanded or contracted selectively, in better context.
NEC goes ultra-thin with 0.3mm-thick batteries
(PhysOrg.com) -- NEC, which has been working on what is called "organic radical battery" (ORB) technology for some years, has announced its latest ORB breakthrough, the 0.3mm thick ORB. According to Geek.com, the output rated as 5kW/L with a capacity of 3mAh. On full charge, the new battery prototype can refresh a screen 2,000 times. A recharge takes under a minute, about 30 seconds. The new batteries maintain 75 percent of their charge-discharge after 500 charges.
Medicine & Health news
2012 Internal Medicine Residency match virtually unchanged from 2011
The number of U.S. medical student seniors at medical schools choosing internal medicine residencies leveled in 2012 after two years of significant increases. According to the 2012 National Resident Matching Program, 2,941 U.S. medical school seniors matched internal medicine, nearly unchanged from 2011 when 2,940 matched internal medicine.
Most California hospitals implementing infection control
(HealthDay) -- Most California hospitals implement some policies to improve infection control for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO), primarily methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but few policies are associated with lower MDRO rates, according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
Vets with MS have higher prevalence of chronic diseases
(HealthDay) -- Male veterans with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an increased prevalence of chronic diseases compared with the general population and with veterans without MS, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
Hip fracture surgery type impacts future fracture risk
(HealthDay) -- Patients with a primary proximal femoral fracture who undergo closed reduction and percutaneous pinning have a significantly increased risk of subsequent contralateral hip fracture compared with those who undergo arthroplasty, according to a study published in the March 7 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
New wrinkle in pot debate: stoned driving
(AP) -- Angeline Chilton says she can't drive unless she smokes pot. The suburban Denver woman uses medical marijuana to ease multiple sclerosis symptoms and says she'd never get behind the wheel right after smoking. But her case underscores a problem that no one's sure how to solve: How do you tell if someone is too stoned to drive?
4 GOP-appointed justices control health law's fate
(AP) -- Here's a thought that can't comfort President Barack Obama: The fate of his health care overhaul rests with four Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices.
Varicose veins keep some in long pants all year
(HealthDay) -- Varicose veins are a cosmetic issue for most people, but they can be a sign of a serious medical problem for others, an expert says.
Keep youth baseball players safe on the field
(HealthDay) -- Youth baseball season will soon begin, and parents and coaches need to know how to prevent player injuries, a medical expert says.
Genes may hold the key to aging skin
(HealthDay) -- Your DNA might help dictate how your skin changes with age, one expert says.
Tooting your horn can raise risk for skin condition
(HealthDay) -- Musicians and their instruments often make beautiful music together, but occasionally the relationship can hit a sour note: Certain parts of musical instruments may put their owners at risk for a skin condition called contact dermatitis, an expert warns.
Exercise training ups post-transplant functional recovery
(HealthDay) -- Participation in supervised exercise training for three months following hospital discharge for lung transplantation significantly improves physical functions and cardiovascular morbidity for patients during the first year of recovery, according to a study published online March 5 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
Meeting greater number of recommended cardiovascular health factors linked with lower risk of death
In a study that included a nationally representative sample of nearly 45,000 adults, participants who met more of seven recommended cardiovascular health behaviors or factors (such as not smoking, having normal cholesterol levels, eating a healthy diet), had a lower risk of death compared to participants who met fewer factors, although only a low percentage of adults met all seven factors, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at a specialty meeting of the American Heart Association.
Discrepancy between disease activity, disability in early RA
(HealthDay) -- For patients with early rheumatoid arthritis, there is a discrepancy between disease activity and disability, with women experiencing more disability than men, according to a Swedish study published online March 5 in Arthritis Care & Research.
Researchers reveal how a single gene mutation leads to uncontrolled obesity
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have revealed how a mutation in a single gene is responsible for the inability of neurons to effectively pass along appetite suppressing signals from the body to the right place in the brain. What results is obesity caused by a voracious appetite.
Study shows how the breakup of two proteins interferes with the immune system
Autoimmune diseases, such as Type I diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, are caused by an immune system gone haywire, where the body's defense system assaults and destroys healthy tissues. A mutant form of a protein called LYP has been implicated in multiple autoimmune diseases, but the precise molecular pathway involved has been unknown. Now, in a paper published March 18 in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute show how the errant form of LYP can disrupt the immune system. In doing so, they also found a potential new therapy for autoimmune diseases—a chemical compound that appears to inhibit this mutant protein.
BIM gene variation in East Asians found to explain resistance to cancer drugs
A multi-national research team led by scientists at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School has identified the reason why some patients fail to respond to some of the most successful cancer drugs.
Scientists boost potency, reduce side effects of IL-2 protein used to treat cancer
The utility of a naturally occurring protein given, sometimes to great effect, as a drug to treat advanced cancers is limited by the severe side effects it sometimes causes. But a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist has generated a mutant version of the protein whose modified shape renders it substantially more potent than the natural protein while reducing its toxicity.
Bone marrow transplant arrests symptoms in model of Rett syndrome
A paper published online today in Nature describes the results of using bone marrow transplant (BMT) to replace faulty immune system cells in models of Rett Syndrome. The procedure arrested many severe symptoms of the childhood disorder, including abnormal breathing and movement, and significantly extended the lifespan of Rett mouse models. Exploring the function of microglia deficient in methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (Mecp2), the protein encoded by the "Rett gene," principal investigator Jonathan Kipnis, Ph.D. and his team at the University of Virginia School of Medicine uncovered a completely novel approach to this devastating neurological syndrome. The work was funded by the Rett Syndrome Research Trust and the Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK.
Biology news
California's stem cell agency ponders its future
(AP) -- The creation of California's stem cell agency in 2004 was greeted by scientists and patients as a turning point in a field mired in debates about the destruction of embryos and hampered by federal research restrictions.
Poachers may wipe out rhinos in S. Africa, campaigner warns
Rhinos will be wiped out from South Africa's wildlife parks by 2015 if poaching continues at its current rate, a campaigner fighting to save the beasts has warned.
Mesquite trees displacing Southwestern grasslands
As the desert Southwest becomes hotter and drier, semi-arid grasslands are slowly being replaced by a landscape dominated by mesquite trees, such as Prosopis velutina, and other woody shrubs, a team of University of Arizona researchers has found.
Molecular ticket determines RNA's destination and speed inside egg cell
Like any law-abiding train passenger, a molecule called oskar RNA carries a stamped ticket detailing its destination and form of transport, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have found. They show that for this molecule, moving in the right direction isn't enough: speed is of the essence. Their study, published online today in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, also provides clues as to how a single molecule could receive tickets for different destinations, depending on what type of cell it is in.
This email is a free service of PhysOrg.com
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
http://www.physorg.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment