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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for September 2, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Scientists find missing link between stem cells, immune system- LG Chem cable batteries may reshape mobile designs
- Ancient enzymes function like nanopistons to unwind RNA
- Apple files new Samsung patent action in US
- A new light shed on genetic regulation's role in the predisposition to common diseases
- Mathematical model helps design efficient multi-drug therapies
- Heavy drinking rewires brain, increasing susceptibility to anxiety problems
- Gene therapy restores sense of smell, may aid research into other diseases caused by cilia defects
- 'Super Wi-Fi' poised for growth in US, elsewhere
- Toronto study shows mobile spyware's long shadow
- Hubble spotted a supernova in NGC 5806
Space & Earth news
Oil spilling from Turkish bulk carrier wreck off Cape Town
Oil from a Turkish bulk carrier that ran aground three years ago off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa's prime tourist city, was spilling onto two beaches, officials said.
New 'Seahorse' sees scallops in new way
(AP)—A new underwater explorer has hit the seas armed with cameras, strobes and sonar and charged with being a protector of sorts to the valuable Atlantic scallop catch.
New York's new environmental 'hero'—the oyster
(AP)—On a summer morning, marine biologist Ray Grizzle reaches into the waters of the Bronx River estuary and pulls up an oyster. The 2-year-old female is "good and healthy."
Robben Island penguins hit by fuel from wrecked tanker
Fuel leaking from a Turkish freighter wreck that has been smashed up by a storm has contaminated at least five penguins on South Africa's Robben Island, emergency services said Sunday.
NASA's GRAIL moon twins begin extended mission science
(Phys.org)—NASA's twin, lunar-orbiting Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft began data collection for the start of the mission's extended operations.
Hubble spotted a supernova in NGC 5806
(Phys.org)—A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows NGC 5806, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo (the Virgin). It lies around 80 million light years from Earth. Also visible in this image is a supernova explosion called SN 2004dg.
Technology news
Spanish director wins YouTube online festival
(AP)—Spanish filmmaker David Victori has won the inaugural edition of YouTube's Your Film Festival for his short movie "The Guilt."
Facebook cracks down on insincere "Likes"
Facebook ramped up efforts Friday to get rid of "Likes" that aren't from people genuinely interested in giving a virtual thumbs up to pages at the world's leading social network.
Samsung: Apple trying to limit consumer choice
(AP)—Samsung on Saturday accused Apple of resorting to litigation in an effort to limit consumer choice after the iPhone maker said it was seeking to stop the sale of Galaxy S III smartphones in the United States.
Online universities blossom in Asia
Thousands of kilometres from Kuala Lumpur in Cameroon, doctoral student Michael Nkwenti Ndongfack attends his Open University Malaysia classes online and hopes to defend his final thesis by Skype.
Taiwan to step up cyberwar capabilities: report
Taiwan plans to beef up its cyberwar capabilities to counter a perceived threat from Chinese hackers targeting government and security websites, local media reported Sunday.
Pirate Bay co-founder arrested in Cambodia
A co-founder of top Swedish filesharing site The Pirate Bay, who is on an international wanted list, has been arrested in the Cambodian capital at Stockholm's request, police said Sunday.
Apple files new Samsung patent action in US
Apple has filed a fresh patent infringement action in the United States against Samsung, alleging that the South Korean company is continuing to steal its technology despite a recent court ruling.
Toronto study shows mobile spyware's long shadow
(Phys.org)—Spyware sold legally can infect BlackBerrys, iPhones, and other mobile devices, according to a study from two security researchers at the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs' Citizen Lab. Morgan Marquis-Boire and Bill Marczak, in their study "The SmartPhone Who Loved Me: FinFisher Goes Mobile?" focus on spyware that can be used by governments as well as law enforcement to commandeer phones. They analyzed samples that appear to be variants of the FinFisher toolkit. They identified various command and controls servers as well. They sought to follow the marks of spyware surveillance software from Bahrain across several continents.
'Super Wi-Fi' poised for growth in US, elsewhere
Move over Wi-Fi, there's a new wireless technology coming.
LG Chem cable batteries may reshape mobile designs
(Phys.org)—LG Chem says it has a cable-type lithium-ion battery that is so flexible it can be tied in knots and worn as a bracelet or woven into textiles. For mobile device designers, the eventual commercial production of such a battery would be a very big deal in reducing design constraints. Flexible batteries have been created before but made in flat sheets and have not stored much energy. The LG Chem flexible battery is thin and very flexible, able to be placed anywhere in any shape. Thin strands of copper wire are coated with nickel-tin. The strands are made into a metal yarn and wrapped around a rod. Once the rod is removed, a strong spring results.
Medicine & Health news
New physio guidelines for the elderly at risk of falls
Taking a fall in older life can not only result in injury, but also a potentially debilitating loss of confidence. But new guidelines for physiotherapists, co-compiled by a leading academic in the field from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, aim to refresh out-dated guidelines and introduce better direction for physiotherapists who work with elderly people at risk of falling.
Anti-clotting therapy may be used too often following orthopaedic surgery or trauma
Men and women who undergo joint replacement procedures, as well as those who have significant fractures, tend to be at an increased risk of developing pulmonary emboli (PE), blood clots that travel to the lungs where they may cause serious complications and even death. Patients are often aggressively treated with anticoagulants, or blood thinners, to help prevent the clots from forming, but a study published in the September 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons indicates that some blood clots being identified by today's sensitive testing methods may not require aggressive treatments.
10 dead in Quebec Legionnaire's disease outbreak
A Legionnaire's disease outbreak in Quebec City has killed 10 people since late July, health authorities in the francophone Canadian city said Saturday in an updated toll.
New technique helps determine degree of muscle wasting in critically ill patients
Researchers have identified a new technique that can help determine the severity of muscle loss in critically ill patients. The breakthrough could lead to new research to help prevent muscle-wasting and new therapeutic interventions to help treat critically ill patients.
How dog-savvy is your child?
(HealthDay)—Dog bites are one of the risks faced by children playing outdoors, but some simple safety measures can help protect them.
Exposure to common toxic substances could increase asthma symptoms
Vienna, Austria: Children who are exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which were commonly used in a range of industrial products, could be at risk of an increase in asthma symptoms, according to new research.
Researchers decipher manic gene
Flying high, or down in the dumps—individuals suffering from bipolar disorder alternate between depressive and manic episodes. Researchers from the University of Bonn and the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim have now discovered, based on patient data and animal models, how the NCAN gene results in the manic symptoms of bipolar disorder. The results have been published in the current issue of "The American Journal of Psychiatry."
10,000 Yosemite tourists could face deadly virus
Some 10,000 visitors to California's Yosemite National Park could have been exposed to a deadly virus that kills one in three victims and cannot be treated, officials said Friday.
Asthma symptoms could be aggravated by imbalance problems
Asthma patients could be at a higher risk of worsening symptoms due to problems with their balance, according to new research.
HbA1c less than 6.5 percent is specific, not sensitive for T1DM
(HealthDay)—Using a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) threshold of ≥6.5 percent is a specific but not sensitive early indicator of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in high-risk children and young adults, according to a study published in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
Fructose and sugar substitutes alter gut microbiota
(HealthDay)—High consumption of fructose, artificial sweeteners, and sugar alcohols affect host-gastrointestinal microbe interactions and may contribute to the development of metabolic disorders and obesity, according to research published in the September issue of Obesity Reviews.
Pack school lunches that are healthy and fun
(HealthDay)—Packing nutritious and fun school lunches can help children achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Marathons safe for aging boomers, study finds
(HealthDay)—It's safe for older adults to run marathons, a new study finds.
Study explores why children with asthma are more likely to be bullied
New research has uncovered several factors which could explain why children with asthma are at an increased risk of being bullied.
Experts warn that e-cigarettes can damage the lungs
New research has shown that despite electronic cigarettes being marketed as a potentially safer alternative to normal cigarettes, they are still causing harm to the lungs.
Gene therapy restores sense of smell, may aid research into other diseases caused by cilia defects
Scientists have restored the sense of smell in mice through gene therapy for the first time—a hopeful sign for people who can't smell anything from birth or lose it due to disease.
Heavy drinking rewires brain, increasing susceptibility to anxiety problems
Doctors have long recognized a link between alcoholism and anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those who drink heavily are at increased risk for traumatic events like car accidents and domestic violence, but that only partially explains the connection. New research using mice reveals heavy alcohol use actually rewires brain circuitry, making it harder for alcoholics to recover psychologically following a traumatic experience.
Mathematical model helps design efficient multi-drug therapies
For years, doctors treating those with HIV have recognized a relationship between how faithfully patients take the drugs they prescribe, and how likely the virus is to develop drug resistance. More recently, research has shown that the relationship between adherence to a drug regimen and resistance is different for each of the drugs that make up the "cocktail" used to control the disease.
A new light shed on genetic regulation's role in the predisposition to common diseases
An international team of researchers from King's College, Oxford University, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Faculty of Medicine of University of Geneva, has discovered several thousands new genetic variants impacting gene expression some of which are responsible for predisposition to common diseases, bringing closer to the biological interpretation of personal genomes.
Scientists find missing link between stem cells, immune system
UCLA researchers have discovered a type of cell that is the "missing link" between bone marrow stem cells and all the cells of the human immune system, a finding that will lead to a greater understanding of how a healthy immune system is produced and how disease can lead to poor immune function.
Biology news
Pod of pilot whales stranded along Fla. beach
(AP)—Rescuers are struggling to help a pod of pilot whales that beached at a South Florida state park.
Endangered sea turtle in Fla. Keys for care
(AP)—An endangered female hawksbill sea turtle, laden with eggs, has arrived at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital after being flown to the state from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Humpback whales rebounding on Brazil's coast
(AP)—An institute that tracks the population of Humpback whales that reproduce along Brazil's coast says the number of the once-threatened mammals has tripled over the last 10 years.
US experts probe beaching that killed 17 whales
US scientists are to investigate what led 22 whales to beach themselves in Florida—killing 17 of them—one of three such incidents in North America over the weekend.
Ancient enzymes function like nanopistons to unwind RNA
Molecular biologists at The University of Texas at Austin have solved one of the mysteries of how double-stranded RNA is remodeled inside cells in both their normal and disease states. The discovery may have implications for treating cancer and viruses in humans.
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