Short video tutorial from COMSOL
In this video, simulation experts demonstrate how to simulate Thermal-Structure Interaction in a MEMS energy harvester using COMSOL Multiphysics. Watch now: http://goo.gl/2YlXv4
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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for October 23, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Scientists propose quantum wells as high-power, easy-to-make energy harvesters- Dendritic spines, memories, and memories of dendritic spines
- Induced pluripotent stem cells reveal differences between humans and great apes
- Chemists use MRI to peek at temperatures of gases inside catalytic reactors
- The reins of Casimir: Engineered nanostructures could offer way to control quantum effect
- Universe's most distant galaxy discovered
- New device stores electricity on silicon chips
- Review: Refinements add up in new Mac system
- LinkedIn tool shares user info on iPhone email (Update)
- Imaging breast cancer with light: Researchers unveil 'photoacoustic mammoscope'
- Futuristic copper foam batteries get more bang for the buck
- ChemWiki takes on costly textbooks
- New study establishes first-ever connections between the Mississippi River
- Force to be reckoned with: Team measures laser power with portable scale
- Early-life exposure of frogs to herbicide increases mortality from fungal disease
Space & Earth news
ADB urges East Asian giants to work together on climate change
The Asian Development Bank on Wednesday called on China and Japan to band together in fighting the disastrous effects of climate change, despite their diplomatic hostilities.
A functional forest ecosystem is more than just trees
In 2011, the University of Jyväskylä held an academic conference on the ecological restoration of forests. The conference was visited by 53 researchers from 10 European countries. Now the researchers' ideas and discussions have been published in the appreciated Biological Conservation publication series.
Soil pretreatment boosts protein recovery for microbial community studies
Scientists have significantly boosted the recovery and identification of proteins expressed by soil-dwelling microbes over what was previously possible, thanks to a new method of soil pretreatment being used at EMSL in Richland, Wash. The new strategy for processing samples reveals additional insight into the function of microbial communities in their native environments.
NASA sees heavy rain in Typhoon Francisco, now affecting southern Japanese islands
On Oct. 22, 2013 Typhoon Francisco was already affecting the southern islands Japan when the TRMM satellite had a good view of its rainfall and cloud heights.
NASA eyes Super-typhoon Lekima in the northwestern Pacific
NASA's Terra satellite flew over Lekima after it became a super-typhoon in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and captured visible and infrared data on the storm.
NASA's TRMM satellite shows wind shear's effect on Tropical Storm Lorenzo
NASA's TRMM satellite data provided forecasters at the National Hurricane Center with a good look at how wind shear is affecting Tropical Storm Lorenzo in the Atlantic Ocean.
'Apocalyptic' smog eases in Chinese city
A bout of choking smog that brought life to a standstill in a far northeast Chinese city for three days has dissipated, with flights resuming and students returning to school Wednesday.
Enough lying about
ESA's volunteers recently finished their third and last session lying in bed in the interest of spaceflight and science. They can return to their normal lives after spending their last 21 days in bed with their feet up – once their bodies have recuperated from the experience.
Scientists help retrieve ice core from West Antarctica
A slice of ice from 17,500 years ago can help scientists figure out how the Earth came out of the Ice Age and how climate change can happen in the future, according to South Dakota State University Professor Jihong Cole-Dai of the chemistry and biochemistry department. He and graduate student, Kari Peterson, spent nearly a month in Antarctica during Christmas break as part of the West Antarctica Ice Sheet Divide Ice Core project.
Watch all six Apollo Moon landings at once
So often, when we think of all the Apollo missions to the Moon, we recall the videos of the astronauts walking, jumping and driving around on the Moon. But the actual landing of the Lunar Module was such a key – if not nail-biting – part of the mission. Here in this video you can watch all six Apollo lunar landings at once.
SMOS sees triple superstorms
ESA's versatile water mission tracked Asia's recent storms over land and sea.
A link between black holes and new stars
Supermassive black holes (those with millions to billions of solar-masses) are thought to reside at the centers of most galaxies. These black holes must have undergone periods of intense accretion activity to grow to their large sizes, during which times they would be observed as active galactic nuclei and especially bright in X-rays. The masses of these black holes have been found to correlate closely with the cumulative mass of the stars that surround the galaxy in its bulge (and which are bound by gravitational forces). In a second discovery, it turns out that the activity of accretion for black holes and of star formation both peaked during a similar cosmic epoch, about three billion years ago, and then declined to the present day. These two results seem to suggest parallel evolutionary paths for the growth of the black holes and stellar mass, but the physical mechanisms that drive this apparent link, if it exists, are poorly understood. To make matters more confusing,! some studies of individual objects have concluded that there is little or no correlation, or even an inverse one.
Europe's Planck telescope retires
The deep-space Planck telescope was switched off Wednesday after a successful 4.5-year mission that revealed our Universe to be 80 million years older than previously thought, the European Space Agency said.
Vinyl flooring linked to potentially harmful substances at schools and daycare centers
Large areas of vinyl flooring in daycares and schools appear to expose children to a group of compounds called phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive and developmental problems, scientists are reporting. They published their results on the ubiquitous plastic ingredients in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
NASA sees Tropical Storm Raymond finally moving away from Mexico
Satellite data revealed that Raymond, formerly a hurricane, now a tropical storm is finally moving away from the coast of south-central Mexico.
South Pole ozone hole slightly smaller this year (Update)
Scientists say warm upper air this September and October helped shrink the man-made ozone hole near the South Pole slightly.
Meteorite study suggests Mars' ancient atmosphere may be locked in its rocky terrain
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers from the U.K. and the Netherlands has found evidence of carbonation in a meteorite that was found in the U.S. back in 1931—prior research has proven that the meteorite is actually a rock that was blown off the surface of Mars and landed on Earth approximately, 3000 years ago. This suggests, the researchers argue in their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, that Mars' long ago atmosphere may not have escaped as has been suggested, but may instead be locked in its surface.
Asteroid-blast space cannon on track, Japan scientists say
Japanese scientists readying to blast a crater in an asteroid to find out what it is made of said Wednesday they have successfully tested their new space cannon.
People don't put a high value on climate protection
(Phys.org) —People are bad at getting a grip on collective risks. Climate change is a good example of this: the annual climate summits have so far not led to specific measures. The reason for this is that people attach greater value to an immediate material reward than to investing in future quality of life.
New study establishes first-ever connections between the Mississippi River
A new study led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science showed that the complex circulation from the Mississippi River plume played a substantial role in the transport and fate of the oil following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident. These findings provide new information on the transport of oil and other pollutants in the Gulf of Mexico. The research, published in the Oct. 2013 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, was funded by grants from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative and the National Science Foundation.
Coral chemicals protect against warming oceans
Australian marine scientists have found the first evidence that coral itself may play an important role in regulating local climate.
Universe's most distant galaxy discovered
Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin may be former football rivals, but the Lone Star State's two research giants have teamed up to detect the most distant spectroscopically confirmed galaxy ever found—one created within 700 million years after the Big Bang.
Technology news
Facebook pulls beheading video amid furor
Facebook yanked a beheading video from the social network late Tuesday following outrage over its lifting of a ban on the gory imagery.
New Zealand moving to 3 days a week mail service
Mail will soon be delivered to suburban New Zealand homes just three days a week as the country's postal service responds to the rise of smartphones and the decline of letters.
Sony hopes sharable clips, extras aid movie buying
Sony is hoping that providing sharable movie clips and extras like deleted scenes will prompt more people to buy digital movies. At least that's the intention behind a new initiative it's calling Vudu Extras+.
Court: Studies understated Samsung health hazards (Update)
A South Korean court said studies conducted to evaluate safety at Samsung chip factories failed to fully examine workplace health hazards, undermining the electronics giant's efforts to distance itself from claims that its manufacturing plants caused fatal cancers.
WellPoint's 3Q profit falls 5 pct, forecast climbs
WellPoint says its third-quarter earnings fell 5 percent, but the nation's second-largest health insurer raised its forecast for 2013, citing in part gains it expects from the health care overhaul.
Mass producing pocket labs
There is certainly no shortage of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices, but in most cases manufacturers have not yet found a cost-effective way to mass produce them. Scientists are now developing a platform for series production of these pocket laboratories.
Smart solutions to increase time and resource management
'Time is money.' Though coined in 1748 the old adage is still a firmly anchored principle in today's business circles. Time efficiency and increasingly resource efficiency are some of the many pressures facing businesses operating in Europe today, often forced to do more with limited resources.
Holocaust memorial app launches in Germany
Smartphones in Germany are now delivering messages from the past, with a new app launched Wednesday that shows the names and pictures of Holocaust victims to people walking by their former homes.
Fedex sees huge day for 'Cyber Monday'
US delivery giant FedEx said Wednesday it expects its busiest day in company history with some 22 million shipments around the world on "Cyber Monday" which falls December 2.
Yahoo to shut down Cairo office at year's end
Yahoo says it will shut down its office in Cairo at the end of this year, laying off all its local employees.
Activist investor Icahn reconnects with Apple CEO
Activist investor Carl Icahn has sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook three weeks after demanding the iPhone maker take steps to boost its stock price.
India's Wipro shares tumble as revenue lags
Shares in India's third largest IT outsourcer Wipro slumped more than eight percent on Wednesday, a day after it announced modest revenue growth that lagged rivals, analysts said.
Real-time energy audit reduces power consumption
Governments are pressuring industries to reduce energy consumption for both environmental and economic reasons. Optimizing factory processes and improving equipment can lower energy usage but this not only takes time and money, it also requires a vast amount of background operational knowledge.
Generating electricity from 20 suns
What do lighthouses have in common with a groundbreaking spacecraft propulsion system? And how can the technology they share help us here on Earth to generate electricity more efficiently?
Nissan recalls over 188,000 SUVs to fix brakes (Update)
Nissan Motor Co. is recalling more than 188,000 Nissan and Infiniti SUVs worldwide to fix faulty brake control software that could increase the risk of a crash.
Researchers develop new cement mortar from seagrass residues
Researchers at the University of Alicante have developed a new process for manufacturing concrete to achieve greater resistance. This is a new mortar based on Portland cement with the addition of the ashes retrieved from Neptune Grass residues.
Amping up solar in the snowy north
Solar farms are a no-brainer in warm and sunny places, but what about in northern climes where snow can cover and even shut down the panels?
Waste heat could keep cows cool and comfortable
The dog days of summer can be brutal for cows. When dairy cattle get too hot, it means reduced milk production, decreased reproductive activity and sometimes death – and for dairy farmers, lost income.
Killer apps that could keep you healthy
For those wanting to keep their distance from health threats like E. coli-contaminated lettuce or the flu, there are two upcoming apps for that.
Keeping it real: Virtual trainer upgrades boost shipboard flight ops
Answering the fleet's call for more authentic training environments, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is delivering a more cost-effective, realistic simulator to train Sailors responsible for directing the movement of helicopters aboard ships.
T-Mobile to offer free data service for tablets
T-Mobile will give U.S. owners of iPads and other tablet computers free data service for life as part of an effort to broaden its customer base beyond phones.
Ethiopia signs $4 billion geothermal deal
Ethiopia signed a $4 billion deal Wednesday with American-Icelandic company Reykjavik Geothermal to develop a 1000-megawatt geothermal farm, officials said.
Chinese, Russian, Arabic language web addresses coming
The first-ever non-Latin language website address domains are on their way, the Internet's overlords said Wednesday.
Microsoft unfazed by 'lightweight' Apple software
Microsoft on Wednesday brushed off Apple's move to give away its software, claiming the iWork productivity suite from its rival was "lightweight" and "has never gotten much traction."
Dolphins inspire rescue radar device
British engineers said Wednesday they had taken inspiration from dolphins for a new type of radar device that could easily track miners trapped underground or skiers buried in an avalanche.
Apple watchers keen for next big thing
As Apple polishes its culture-changing gadgets to gleam during the holiday shopping season, pressure is growing for it to deliver the next big thing.
Condo dwellers to get energy-wise fuel cell system
(Phys.org) —Tokyo Gas and Panasonic are to start selling a unique home fuel-cell system for condos in Japan starting April 2014. This system involves a fuel-cell unit, hot-water storage unit and heat source equipment for backup purposes installed in the pipe shaft of a condominium. At the press conference where the system was announced, there was no manufacturer's suggested retail price offered, but the talk was about the system's features and benefits. This is the condo version of the now-famous Ene-Farm fuel cell that first went on sale in 2009. The design was modified in order to accommodate the requirements unique to installing such systems in condominiums. As such, this is another first in Japan's effort toward commercial fuel cell systems targeted at household heating and power generation. The unit now can be installed in the pipe shaft in the corridor of a condominium.
Chinese to test electrostatic smog cleaning concept in a park
(Phys.org) —Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde has announced at Dutch Design Week, that he's forged an agreement with Chinese officials to test a system he's designed to clear smog from a small portion of the sky. Roosegaarde, with Studio Roosgaarde, is known for coming up with innovative design ideas that are good for both people and the environment. His latest idea involves embedding copper coils in the ground and running high voltage, low amp electricity through them to create an electrostatic charge strong enough to pull down smog particles in the air.
Futuristic copper foam batteries get more bang for the buck
People use their GPS apps, cameras, and mobile internet to navigate strange cities in search of good coffee, record "selfie" commentary while they wait in line, and upload their videos directly to social media sites while they sip their latte. But no amount of high-tech savvy can save a well-loved device from dying when its battery is drained.
LinkedIn tool shares user info on iPhone email (Update)
LinkedIn just gave its users another reason to ensure their resumes are up to date. The online professional network has introduced a mobile feature that shows information about people's careers in emails being read on iPhones.
Review: Refinements add up in new Mac system
There isn't one thing that jumps out with Apple's new Mac operating system, known as Mavericks —and that's a good thing.
Medicine & Health news
Niger leads pack making progress on child mortality: NGO
Niger has made the most progress worldwide on reducing child mortality since 1990, according to a study out Wednesday.
Music therapy may work where other treatments have failed
A randomized controlled study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has investigated the role of music therapy in the mental health of patients.
If panic is treated in parents, also children feel better
Children of parents with anxiety disorders are more likely todevelop anxiety disorders than children of normal controls . This familial aggregation is due to genetic and environmental influences, whereas it can be assumed that shared environmental influences have the greatest effects during childhood, decreasing with age.
The strong link between pain killers and suicide in the elderly
A paper published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has investigated the relationship between pain killers and suicidal behavior in the elderly.
Every fifth child in Switzerland is overweight, research finds
Researchers at ETH Zurich regularly investigate the number of overweight children in Switzerland. The latest figures have just been published. Stefanie Murer, first author of the study, explains what the figures mean.
New software traces origins of genetic disorders 20 times more accurately
In a bioinformatics breakthrough, iMinds – STADIUS – KU Leuven researchers have successfully applied advanced artificial intelligence to enable the automated analysis of huge amounts of genetic data. Their new software suite, eXtasy, automatically generates the most likely cause of a given genetic disorder. The breakthrough directly impacts the treatment of millions of people with a hereditary disease.
FDA issues positive review for Gilead's hep C drug
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a positive review for a highly anticipated hepatitis C drug from Gilead Sciences, saying the pill cures more patients in less time than currently available treatments.
Study finds value and limitations of patient assistance programs for women with breast cancer
Patient assistance programs can help breast cancer patients meet a variety of needs that can interfere with getting recommended adjuvant therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal treatments, according to a study published recently in the online edition of the Journal of Oncology Practice.
Glaxo says China drugs sales slump on bribery probe (Update)
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline revealed on Wednesday that pharmaceuticals and vaccines sales in China tumbled 61 percent in the third quarter, as it was rocked by a state bribery probe.
Official: 536 cholera cases, 50 deaths in Nigeria
Officials say an outbreak of cholera in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state has infected 536 people and killed 50 in the past week.
Self-rated health puts aging and health needs on the agenda
Implementation of national surveys where the population can estimate and assess their own health may give policy makers important insights into the different health interventions that should be implemented. According Siddhivinayak Hirve, PhD student at Umeå University, this may include a simple tool that harmonizes the assessment of health in developing countries with the rest of the world.
How will stem cell therapies impact patient care?
The stem cell field is at a critical point, with the potential for a major impact on clinical medicine if stem cell-based therapies can overcome serious and immediate challenges. These challenges and key action items to overcome them are described in an article published on Fast Track as part of the World Stem Cell Report 2013, a special upcoming supplement to Stem Cells and Development.
Study finds prenatal diagnosis and birth location may significantly improve neonatal HLHS survival
A first-of-its-kind study led by Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), published online in the journal, Circulation, found that infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) born far from a hospital providing neonatal cardiac surgery for HLHS have increased neonatal mortality, with most deaths occurring before surgery. Researchers also concluded that efforts to improve prenatal diagnosis of HLHS and subsequent delivery near a large volume cardiac surgical center may significantly improve neonatal HLHS survival.
Food allergy video game trial launched
Elizabeth McQuaid, Ph.D., a staff psychologist from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center, is leading a research team testing a new interactive software game developed to help children with peanut allergies better manage allergy symptoms, social situations and proper food avoidance.
Congress probes costly 'Obamacare' web fiasco Thursday
Furious US lawmakers demanded answers Wednesday ahead of a hotly anticipated hearing to probe the troubled rollout of the "Obamacare" website, which they described as a half-billion-dollar debacle.
Stopping transplant drugs before conception benefits fetus
Research suggests that fetal exposure to mycophenolic acid products (MPA)—which are drugs taken by transplant recipients to prevent rejection—may increase the risk of birth defects and spontaneous abortions. Results of this study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 November 5-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.
Penn docs find successful strategy to expand patient participation in hard-to-enroll clinical trials
Clinical trials are key to finding new cancer treatments, but with patient participation hovering around 5 percent, new strategies are needed to boost enrollment, particularly to study the rare cancers that have so few cases. One such strategy comes from a new abstract being presented October 28 at the 15th World Conference on Lung Cancer from researchers at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania studying mesothelioma.
Diabetes drug metformin with chemo and radiation may improve outcomes in lung cancer patients
Treating aggressive lung cancer with the diabetes drug metformin along with radiation and chemotherapy may slow tumor growth and recurrence, suggests new preliminary findings from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania being presented during an oral abstract session October 28 at the 15th World Conference on Lung Cancer.
Opsumit approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension
(HealthDay)—Opsumit (macitentan) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a debilitating disease characterized by high blood pressure in the lung arteries.
Reser's recalling salads, other ready-to-eat foods
An Oregon company is recalling about 109,000 cases of refrigerated prepared salads and other ready-to-eat foods because of possible listeria contamination.
Internet therapy may help postnatal depression
Researchers at the University of Exeter have teamed up with online forum Netmums in a pilot study which has shown that postnatal depression can be treated effectively using online therapy. Rates of postnatal depression (PND) are high—between 10 to 30 percent of mums are affected—but many cases go unreported and few women seek help.
DDT and obesity linked in new study
Washington State University researchers say ancestral exposures to environmental compounds like the insecticide DDT may be a factor in high rates of obesity. The finding comes as DDT is getting a second look as a tool against malaria.
Tuberculosis killed 1.3 million last year, WHO says (Update)
Tuberculosis claimed 1.3 million lives last year with drug-resistant forms of the infectious disease—the deadliest after AIDS—a huge global concern, the WHO warned Wedesday.
London uses van with X-ray machine to find TB
London is famed for its historic sites, its double-decker buses and its West End shows, but the city now has a more dubious distinction: Britain's public health agency says it has become the tuberculosis capital of Western Europe.
Hair-like constructs offer drug screening platform
Scientists from A*STAR have successfully engineered cellular structures resembling hair follicles in the laboratory—a tool that can now be used to develop new therapies to promote or decrease hair growth.
Pregnant women's changing sleep patterns revealed
Nearly a third of pregnant Māori and non-Māori women report sleeping less than six hours in late stages of pregnancy, a study by Massey University sleep scientists has concluded.
Meals for one: How eating alone affects the health of the elderly
EPIC-Norfolk, a long-term study of health and ageing that recently celebrated its 20th birthday, provides researchers with a wealth of data. Annalijn Conklin, a PhD candidate in the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), discusses what we can learn from the study about the impact of isolation, and a drop in quality of diet, on the older population.
Researchers discover effects of liver regenerating protein
Aging process in the human body is greatly influenced by the action of free radicals (byproducts of our own metabolism), but can be slowed down without the need to consume special dietary supplements if the HGF protein production, naturally found in the liver, is increased.
Can meditation decrease chronic pain?
A randomized controlled study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has investigated the role of a special form of meditation (mindfulness) in Chronic pain.
Insights into how TB tricks the immune system could help combat the disease
Researchers have identified a potential way to manipulate the immune system to improve its ability to fight off tuberculosis (TB).
Tailored doses of cytostatic improve survival rate
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and colleagues at University Children's Hospital Zürich in Switzerland have managed to improve cytostatic therapy for children with the chronic immune deficiency disorder granulomatous disease prior to stem cell transplantation. By tailoring doses of the cytostatics administered before the transplantation, the researchers achieved a higher rate of survival with minimal adverse reactions. Now more patient groups are to undergo the same therapeutic strategy.
A research identifies novel autism candidate genes
A scientific study published on the journal Molecular Psychiatry identifies new genes involved in autism, a polygenic disorder that is difficult to diagnose and treat. Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) represent a group of neurodevelopmental disorders which affect one out of 80-100 children. Autism's aetiology remains mainly unknown but there is strong evidence that genetic factors play a major role. An active international research has been carried out for several years in order to identify candidate genes which explain the origin and development of the disease.
Documenting effects of nature on human well-being
Nature may turn out to be the best medicine when it comes to human well-being. Providing such necessities of life as food, water and shelter, nature not only underpins and controls the conditions in which people live, it also provides important intangible benefits. A new synthesis of multidisciplinary peer-reviewed research identifies the ways in which nature's ecosystems deliver crucial benefits—and thus contribute culturally and psychologically to human well-being in nonmaterial ways.
Trust through food
People's trust in others increases after eating food that contains the amino acid tryptophan, found in fish, soya, eggs and spinach. Leiden psychologist Lorenza Colzato and her colleagues at the Universities of Leiden and Münster published their findings in Psychological Science.
Six foods that may help win the blood pressure battle
In the United States more than 77 million adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, which can cause heart disease and stroke. In the October issue of Food Technology magazine, Contributing Editor Linda Milo Ohr writes about six foods that have been shown in studies to have a beneficial effect on lowering blood pressure.
Technology that helps surgeons see cancer tissue being tested
OnTarget Laboratories LLC has teamed with partners in academia to test a novel optical imaging technology developed at Purdue University that could help surgeons see cancer tissue during surgery.
Better insights into treating hepatitis C
With nearly 200 million infected people worldwide, hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a significant public health issue. One of the most important challenges is that although the immune system seems to be responsible for much of the disease-associated morbidity, including liver cirrhosis, it is also successful at clearing viral infection for a significant number of patients.
Beating the nap-time blues
Young children who are required to engage in day-time naps in childcare settings when they do not sleep are more likely to have disturbed sleep patterns that affect their behaviour and learning.
Cigarette box advertising: A strong case for plain packaging
Researchers at the University of Surrey are encouraging the UK government to follow in the footsteps of Australia, which is the first country to introduce compulsory plain packaging for tobacco products.
Young black women less likely to survive breast cancer
Young black women in the UK diagnosed with breast cancer aged 40 or younger have poorer overall survival than white women in the same age group, according to a Cancer Research UK study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
PD Map: Putting together the pieces of the Parkinson's puzzle
Parkinson's disease continues to puzzle physicians and biologists alike - even though it is well-established that symptoms like muscle tremors, rigidity, and, during the final stages, immobility can all be traced back to the death of a certain type of brain cell called a dopaminergic neuron. The underlying cause of this cellular death is a complex web of interrelated genetic molecular processes as well as external factors, most of the details of which are well-known. But how the various factors correlate and influence each other continues to elude the scientific community. Now for the first time ever, researchers at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg have published an interactive picture containing the current knowledge about the underlying genetic and molecular causes of Parkinson's disease. This "Parkinson's disease map," or "PD Map" for short has been published in the scientific journal Molecular Neurobiology. It will fa! cilitate the systematic study of PD through a newly gained clarity of the existing knowledge about the disease.
Putting drug discovery back on target
'The world urgently needs new medicines for many diseases such as Alzheimer's, depression, diabetes and obesity,' says Professor Chas Bountra. 'Yet the pharmaceutical industry's success rate for generating truly novel medicines remains low, despite investing tens of billions of dollars.'
Changes in epigenetic DNA functions reveal how diabetes predisposes individuals to Alzheimer's
Diabetes and dementia are rising dramatically in the United States and worldwide. In the last few years, epidemiological data has accrued showing that older people with diabetes are significantly more likely to develop cognitive deterioration and increased susceptibility to onset of dementia related to Alzheimer's disease. Now, a research team led by Giulio Maria Pasinetti, MD, PhD, the Saunders Family Chair and Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discovered a novel mechanism through which this may occur. The results are published online Oct. 23, in the journal Diabetes.
Complete care improves patient outcomes
Complete Care, a collaborative approach to meeting patient needs, is improving outcomes for Kaiser Permanente patients. Results from the program are featured in the November 2013 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, and described in a journal editorial as, "a dramatic and impressive example of what is possible with a carefully designed and implemented system-level intervention."
A step towards early Alzheimer's diagnosis
If Alzheimer's disease is to be treated in the future it requires an early diagnosis, which is not yet possible. Now researchers at higher education institutions such as Linköping University have identified six proteins in spinal fluid that can be used as markers for the illness.
Study finds testosterone therapy may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease
Research from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) suggests that testosterone treatment in hypogonadal (testosterone deficient) men restores normal lipid profiles and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. These finding currently appear online in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
'Common courtesy' lacking among doctors-in-training
Johns Hopkins investigators have found that doctors-in-training are unlikely to introduce themselves fully to hospitalized patients or sit down to talk to them eye-to-eye, despite research suggesting that courteous bedside manners improve medical recovery along with patient satisfaction.
Potential new treatment for colitis
A drug currently on the market to treat leukemia reversed symptoms of colitis in lab tests, according to recently published findings by medical researchers with the University of Alberta.
A simple test may catch early pancreatic cancer
Reporting on a small preliminary study, Johns Hopkins researchers say a simple blood test based on detection of tiny epigenetic alterations may reveal the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer, a disease that is nearly always fatal because it isn't usually discovered until it has spread to other parts of the body.
Researchers discover new genetic errors that could cause one of the most deadly leukaemias
Acute dendritic leukaemia is a rare type of leukaemia, but one with the worst prognosis—the average patient survival rate is just 12-14 months—that is difficult to treat. Juan Cruz Cigudosa's team, from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre's (CNIO) Molecular Cytogenetics Group, has for the first time sequenced the exome –the coding, or protein-generating, regions of the genome— of dendritic cell leukaemia.
To halt AIDS, stop brief risk counseling, concentrate on testing, national study says
For decades, people seeking an HIV test have been counseled on realistic and achievable steps they could take to avoid infection. But a national study led by Miller School investigators has determined that, given the rapid HIV tests available today, the resources devoted to pre-test counseling would be better spent on universal testing that could detect more HIV cases earlier, and link newly infected people to the treatment that could halt the spread of the virus.
Lower blood sugars may be good for the brain
Even for people who don't have diabetes or high blood sugar, those with higher blood sugar levels are more likely to have memory problems, according to a new study published in the October 23, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Oral bacteria create a 'fingerprint' in your mouth
The bacteria in the human mouth – particularly those nestled under the gums – are as powerful as a fingerprint at identifying a person's ethnicity, new research shows.
Cancer wasting due in part to tumor factors that block muscle repair, study shows
A new study reveals that tumors release factors into the bloodstream that inhibit the repair of damaged muscle fibers, and that this contributes to muscle loss during cancer wasting. The condition, also called cancer cachexia, accompanies certain types of cancer, causes life-threatening loss of body weight and lean muscle mass, and is responsible for up to one-in-four cancer deaths. There is no treatment for the condition.
New biological links between sleep deprivation and the immune system discovered
Population-level studies have indicated that insufficient sleep increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. These diseases are known to be linked to inflammatory responses in the body.
Study aims to understand how, when the auditory system registers complex auditory-visual synchrony
Imagine the brain's delight when experiencing the sounds of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" while simultaneously taking in a light show produced by a visualizer.
Emotionally intelligent people may influence the emotions of others based on their own goals
Emotionally intelligent people have the ability to manipulate others to satisfy their own interest, according to new research published October 23 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Yuki Nozaki and colleagues at Kyoto University.
Neurologists finds potential route to better treatments for Fragile X, autism
When you experience something, neurons in the brain send chemical signals called neurotransmitters across synapses to receptors on other neurons. How well that process unfolds determines how you comprehend the experience and what behaviors might follow. In people with Fragile X syndrome, a third of whom are eventually diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, that process is severely hindered, leading to intellectual impairments and abnormal behaviors.
Researchers learn how to break a sweat
Without sweat, we would overheat and die. In a recent paper in the journal PLOS ONE, USC faculty member Krzysztof Kobielak and a team of researchers explored the ultimate origin of this sticky, stinky but vital substance—sweat gland stem cells.
Weight-loss surgery seems to beat diet and exercise
(HealthDay)— For people who have a lot of weight to lose, weight-loss surgery appears more effective than diet and exercise, a new review suggests.
Flu season off to slow start . . .
(HealthDay)—The 16-day federal government shutdown earlier this month hindered the ability of U.S. health officials to monitor flu activity around the country.
Three-quarters of U.S. teens say they don't drink
(HealthDay)—About three-quarters of American high school students say they don't drink alcohol, a new survey finds.
Removable 'gut sleeve' might become a future weight-loss tool
(HealthDay)—People struggling with severe obesity are increasingly turning to bariatric, or weight-loss, surgery. But the procedure is invasive, irreversible and not without risks. A new study conducted on rats describes a nonsurgical approach using an experimental "gut sleeve" procedure.
Infections from tainted steroids ranged in severity: update
(HealthDay)—The tainted steroid injections that caused a deadly meningitis outbreak last year seem to have triggered a broad range of symptoms in patients, according to a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New eye treatment effective in laboratory tests
A promising technique for treating human eye disease has proven effective in preclinical studies and may lead to new treatments to prevent blindness, according to experiments conducted at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, California.
Unlikely gene variants work together to raise Alzheimer's risk
(Medical Xpress)—Studying spinal fluid from people at risk for Alzheimer's disease, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a gene variation that had not been considered risky actually can increase the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease when it occurs in tandem with another gene variant known to elevate risk.
Exercise–libido link confirmed in prostate survivors
In a world first, researchers from Edith Cowan University's Health and Wellness Institute have established a link between exercise and sexual health in men with prostate cancer.
How liver 'talks' to muscle: A well-timed, coordinated conversation
A major collaborative research effort involving scientists at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Harvard University have uncovered a novel signal mechanism that controls how fat storage in the liver can communicate with fat burning in skeletal muscle.
Food additive may prevent spread of deadly new avian flu
A common food additive can block a deadly new strain of avian influenza virus from infecting healthy cells, report researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine in the online journal, PLOS ONE.
Child born with HIV still in remission after 18 months off treatment, experts report
A 3-year-old Mississippi child born with HIV and treated with a combination of antiviral drugs unusually early continues to do well and remains free of active infection 18 months after all treatment ceased, according to an updated case report published Oct. 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
H5N1 bird flu genes show nature can pick worrisome traits
(Medical Xpress)—In the beginning, all flu viruses came from birds. Over time, the virus evolved to adapt to other animals, including humans, as natural selection favored viruses with mutations that allowed them to more readily infect the cells of new host species. For some strains of bird flu virus, notably the worrisome H5N1 variant, the genetic changes that could make human-to-human transmission a possibility and spark a pandemic are the markers of intense interest to those who track flu as a threat to human health.
New research may help spare patients 'accidental awareness' during surgery
(HealthDay)—A new study offers insight into what happens in the brain when a person is given anesthesia, and the finding could help spare patients the traumatic experience of becoming aware of their own surgery.
Dendritic spines, memories, and memories of dendritic spines
(Medical Xpress)—Nothing raises the hackles on the neck of a neurobiologist like talk of dendritic spines on neurons. These little outcroppings of membrane and contractile tissue adorn the long apical tendrils of excitatory pyramidal cells in the cortex. They are found on neurons in subcortical organs as well, but for now anyway, the mission is to first define their function where they can best be seen. Researchers at the Institute for Molecular Pathology in Vienna have just published a paper in PNAS where they report their recent findings about pyramidal cell spines in live, behaving mice. They seek to define the role of spines, and plasticity in general in the role of learning and memory.
Biology news
Who's eating my eggs
Nature, as the great poet Tennyson reminded us, is a violent place, or "red in tooth and claw", as he put it. One of the mechanisms animals use to avoid a bloody end is camouflage – blending in with the background – to avoid predators.
Biting spiders force UK school closure
Creepy crawlies, in the form of a venomous spider infestation, has forced a school in Britain to close a week before Halloween.
Melanin pigmentation in salmon fillets—causes and risk factors
A PhD project carried out at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science has examined the unwanted discoloration, or melanin "black spots", of muscle fillets from farmed salmon.
Analysis finds little advancement addressing food system concerns
Five years after the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (PCIFAP) released its landmark recommendations to remedy the public health, environment, animal welfare and rural community problems caused by industrial food animal production, a new analysis by Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future (CLF) finds that the Administration and Congress have acted "regressively" in policymaking on industrial food animal system issues. The original report, Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America, was released in April 2008 and detailed myriad problems caused by the present industrial food animal production model. CLF began its analysis, "Industrial Food Animal Production in America: Examining the Impact of the Pew Commission's Priority Recommendations," late last year.
Neurotoxin effectively relieves bone cancer pain in dogs, researchers find
By the time bone cancer is diagnosed in a pet dog, it is often too late to save the animal's life. Instead, the goal of treatment is to keep the dog as comfortable and free of pain as possible for as long as possible.
Former 'Rat Island' in Alaska has whole new look
Five years after undertaking an effort to eradicate rats from a remote Alaska island, conservationists and federal wildlife officials are reporting success.
Bees provide cash boost as they fuel a greener future
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have shown that bees contribute almost €4 million to the Irish economy each year, simply by improving seed production in crops of oilseed rape.
Nations debate giant Antarctic ocean sanctuaries
Multi-nation talks on creating two vast sanctuaries in Antarctic waters began Wednesday with a key official saying a marine reserve protecting the pristine Ross Sea had the better chance of success.
Study first to track South-West dolphins
Murdoch University has completed a comprehensive survey of the Bunbury dolphin population in an area extending from Capel to Binningup, providing vital baseline data for future management decisions in a region pegged for rapid future growth.
The molecular clock of the common buzzard
Be it hibernation or the routes of migratory birds: all animal behaviour that is subject to annual rhythms is controlled by a molecular clock. Although this has been known for a long time, in many cases it is still unclear how far genes are involved in setting this internal clock. Up to now, this also applied to the common buzzard and its migration from parental breeding grounds. Behavioural scientists in Professor Dr. Oliver Krüger's team at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Biology have now confirmed that a genetic clock determines when young buzzards leave their parents' territory. The key to these findings were observations from the general public who reported tagged birds to the researchers. The researchers have now published their study in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Camera traps reveal Andean bears hate paparazzi
A series of camera-trap images released by the Wildlife Conservation Society today shows rare Andean bears acting like angry Hollywood celebrities – at least when it comes to having their picture taken.
Super song learners: Researchers uncover mechanism for improving song learning in juvenile zebra finches
Most songbirds learn their songs from an adult model, mostly from the father. However, there are relatively large differences in the accuracy how these songs are copied. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen now found in juvenile zebra finches a possible mechanism that is responsible for the differences in the intensity of song learning. They provided the nerve growth factor "BDNF" to the song control system in the brain. With this treatment the learning ability in juvenile males could be enhanced in such a way that they were able to copy the songs of the father as good as it had been observed in the best learners in a zebra finch nest.
Hotspot reveals new kangaroo paws
Two new species of kangaroo paw have been discovered in WA's biodiversity hotspot – the south-west of Australia – thanks to DNA sequencing.
Older siblings' cells can be passed from female dogs to their puppies in the womb
Some people possess a small number of cells in their bodies that are not genetically their own; this condition is known as microchimerism. In prior studies, researchers from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine found that this condition also exists in dogs. Now, the researchers have found evidence that this condition can be passed from a female dog to her offspring while they are still in the womb. Jeffrey Bryan, an associate professor of oncology at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and director of Comparative Oncology and Epigenetics Laboratory, says this discovery will help further study into the health effects of microchimerism in dogs and in humans.
Long-term study links box jellyfish abundance, environmental variability at Waikiki Beach
You can almost set your watch to it. A familiar sight to local beachgoers, the box jellyfish Alatina moseri is known for showing up in big numbers on Waikīkī Beach 8 to 12 days after each full moon.
Environmental factors help limit gene flow between different giraffe species
Giraffe species may only breed with each other based on the timing of rainfall in their local environments, according to new research published October 23 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Henri Thomassen and colleagues at UCLA.
Name that tune: Algorithm used in music retrieval systems applied to help identify dolphin whistles
The same algorithm used to find tunes in music retrieval systems has been successfully applied in identifying the signature whistles of dolphins, affording a new time-saving device for research into the world of dolphin communication.
Family doesn't guarantee anything, if you are a sea creature
The often remade song "He Ain't Heavy… He's My Brother" probably owes a good deal of its enduring popularity to its depiction of the loving familial bond between two siblings - one aiding the other despite great difficulty. While such self-sacrificing behaviour can and does occur, in humans and in other animals, familial bonds don't guarantee anything, as the raw tale of sea creatures killing their siblings tell.
Ignorance is sometimes bliss
A range of examples suggests a lack of information about their fellows can favor cooperation and prevent conflict among animals—and even among genes.
Ancient bacteria go under the lens
Every fourth breath you take comes from cyanobacteria, which populate the planet's waters. Progenitors of these microscopic, photosynthetic organisms are believed to have been the first organisms to release oxygen into the atmosphere. Their evolution nearly 3 billion years ago is thought to have enabled all aerobic life on Earth.
Study shows pesticides make some ants more aggressive
(Phys.org) —Research carried out at Victoria University of Wellington shows that exposure to some commonly used pesticides makes an invasive ant species more aggressive and more likely to survive conflict with a native ant species.
Long-term memory helps chimpanzees in their search for food
Where do you go when the fruits in your favorite food tree are gone and you don't know which other tree has produced new fruit yet? An international team of researchers, led by Karline Janmaat from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, studied whether chimpanzees aim their travel to particular rainforest trees to check for fruit and how they increase their chances of discovering bountiful fruit crops. The scientists found that chimpanzees use long-term memory of the size and location of fruit trees and remember feeding experiences from previous seasons using a memory window which can be two months to three years ago.
First venomous crustacean discovered living in underwater caves
(Phys.org) —A research team with members from the U.K., Germany, and Mexico has confirmed the first known existence of a venomous crustacean. In their paper published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, the researchers describe their study of Speleonectes tulumensis, of the group remipedes as well as their finding that it is indeed the first known crustacean to use venom to capture and kill prey.
Plants use sugars to tell the time of day, study finds
Plants use sugars to tell the time of day, according to research published in Nature today.
Early-life exposure of frogs to herbicide increases mortality from fungal disease
The combination of the herbicide atrazine and a fungal disease is particularly deadly to frogs, shows new research from a University of South Florida laboratory, which has been investigating the global demise of amphibian populations.
Researchers get a detailed look at a DNA repair protein in action
Errors in the human genetic code that arise from mismatched nucleotide base pairs in the DNA double helix can lead to cancer and other disorders. In microbes, such errors provide the basis for adaption to environmental stress. As one of the first responders to these genetic errors, a small protein called MutS – for "Mutator S" – controls the integrity of genomes across a wide range of organisms, from microbes to humans. Understanding the repair process holds importance for an equally impressive range of applications, including synthetic biology, microbial adaption and pathogenesis.
Researchers capture images of open channel that moves proteins across cell membranes
Similar to passengers on an urban transit system, every protein made in the cell has a specific destination and function. Channels in cell membranes help direct these proteins to their appropriate target. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and their colleagues have now captured images of these channels as they open to allow proteins to pass through a membrane, while the proteins are being made. These findings are published as a Letter in Nature (Park, E. et al. 2013).
Bees underwent massive extinction when dinosaurs did
For the first time ever, scientists have documented a widespread extinction of bees that occurred 65 million years ago, concurrent with the massive event that wiped out land dinosaurs and many flowering plants. Their findings, published this week in the journal PLOS ONE, could shed light on the current decline in bee species.
South African 'living stone' plant adapts to extreme conditions in new ways
A unique plant that lives underground uses multiple mechanisms to boost photosynthesis and offers new insights into how plants adapt to extreme conditions, according to new research published October 23 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Katie Field and colleagues at the University of Sheffield and other institutions.
Induced pluripotent stem cells reveal differences between humans and great apes
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have, for the first time, taken chimpanzee and bonobo skin cells and turned them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a type of cell that has the ability to form any other cell or tissue in the body.
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