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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 13, 2014:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Mars' halcyon times may have been fleeting- Polymer microparticles could help verify goods
- Power arm band for wearables harvests body heat
- How a Silly Putty ingredient could advance stem cell therapies
- Glasses strong as steel: A fast way to find the best
- NSA denies exploiting 'Heartbleed' vulnerability
- Fish from acidic ocean waters less able to smell predators
- New technique takes cues from astronomy and ophthalmology to sharpen microscope images
- New mouse model could revolutionize research in Alzheimer's disease
- Scientists unmask a piece in the puzzle of how the inheritance of traumas is mediated
- Finding the switch: Researchers create roadmap for gene expression
- Virus-fighting genes linked to mutations in cancer
- Team uncovers mechanism, and possible treatment, for immune suppression in liver disease
- Energy efficiency a trump card for German tech exports
- NSC backs disclosing software vulnerabilities
Astronomy & Space news
Space station computer outage may force spacewalk
A computer outage at the International Space Station may require a spacewalk by astronauts and threatens to delay next week's launch of a commercial supply ship for NASA.
NASA approves space station supply launch
NASA is pressing ahead with Monday's planned launch of a supply ship despite a critical computer outage at the International Space Station, determining the situation is safe.
Mars' halcyon times may have been fleeting
Cold and dry today, Mars was previously warm and wet but possibly only at intervals, a study published on Sunday suggests.
Technology news
CenturyLink: Washington 911 outage due to vendor
CenturyLink says a seven-hour outage in Washington state 911 service early Thursday was caused by a technical error by a third-party vendor.
Politics test Silicon Valley's Russian ties
Entrepreneurs and investors say Silicon Valley's fast-growing financial ties with Russia's tech sector are being slowed down by current political tensions between the White House and the Kremlin.
Twitter executives head to Turkey for gov't meeting
Twitter executives will meet officials from Turkey's government, a company spokesman said Sunday, after the country's prime minister vowed to pursue the site for alleged tax evasion.
Three things to do to protect from Heartbleed
The "Heartbleed" bug has caused anxiety for people and businesses. Now, it appears that the computer bug is affecting not just websites, but also networking equipment including routers, switches and firewalls.
Authors Guild asks US court to rule against Google
The Authors Guild says that Google Inc. is stealing business from retailers and has asked a New York federal appeals court to find that the Internet giant is violating copyright laws with its massive book digitization project.
Once-soaring tech stocks sink in sobering comedown
The stock market's laws of gravity are ravaging its highest fliers. Just look at the list of technology trailblazers whose values have plummeted from record highs during the past few weeks. Investors have re-focused on safer sectors such as utilities, health care and consumer staples instead of companies that promise potential growth from online services that are building huge audiences.
Instagram photo-sharing service goes down
Popular photo-sharing site Instagram was not working Saturday, as frustrated users quickly turned to social network Twitter and other web sites to share their complaints.
Visions of 1964 World's Fair didn't all come true
Video phone calls? Yeah, we do that. Asking computers for information? Sure, several times a day. Colonies on the moon and jet packs as a mode of everyday transportation. OK, maybe not.
German space research centre under espionage attack
Germany's aeronautics and space research centre has for months been the target of a suspected cyber attack by a foreign intelligence service, a German news weekly reported Sunday.
Tenacity pays off for founder of 'Nollywood Netflix'
At only 33, Jason Njoku is already considered one of Africa's most promising entrepreneurs thanks to an online film distribution service that has tapped high demand for Nigerian movies.
Energy Department seeks methane hydrate proposals
The U.S. Department of Energy is looking for research proposals that could advance what's known about methane hydrates, a potential new source of fossil fuel.
NSA denies exploiting 'Heartbleed' vulnerability
The US National Security Agency on Friday denied a report claiming it was aware of and even exploited the "Heartbleed" online security flaw to gather critical intelligence.
Heartbleed could harm a variety of systems
It now appears that the "Heartbleed" security problem affects not just websites, but also the networking equipment that connects homes and businesses to the Internet.
Amazon 'to release smartphone later this year'
Amazon is preparing to release a smartphone in the second half of 2014, thrusting itself into a market already crowded with Apple and Samsung models, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Samsung looks to life beyond the smartphone
After years of record profit growth, tech giant Samsung Electronics looks to be at a commercial crossroads as it searches for a new growth driver to counter slowing sales of its phenomenally successful smartphones.
Energy efficiency a trump card for German tech exports
An often-ignored aspect of Germany's green energy transition is the one that has most helped its export industry; energy efficiency, the new hallmark of the country's high-tech sector.
NSC backs disclosing software vulnerabilities
Disclosing vulnerabilities in commercial and open source software is in the national interest and shouldn't be withheld from the public unless there is a clear national security or law enforcement need, President Barack Obama's National Security Council said Saturday.
Power arm band for wearables harvests body heat
(Phys.org) —A group of Korean researchers have turned their focus on supplying a reliable, efficient power source for wearables. Professor Byung Jin Cho of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and his team, recognizing that supplying power that is stable and reliable is critical to the successful commercialization of wearables, have come up with a wearable power band that made technology news this week. The team noted that a flexible thermoelectric (TE) power generator would be the way to go to realize a wearable self-powered mobile device. They developed a wearable band-shaped item that produces electricity from the heat of the human body, The device size is 10 cm x 10 cm. Wearable electronics must be light, flexible, and equipped with a power source, which could be a portable, long-lasting battery or no battery at all but a generator, according to a KAIST release on Thursday, providing details about their work.
Medicine & Health news
ACP launches High Value Care Coordination Toolkit
The American College of Physicians (ACP) today unveiled a High Value Care Coordination Toolkit designed to enable more effective and patient-centered communication between primary care and subspecialist doctors.
50,000 children could die in months in S.Sudan: UNICEF
Conflict in South Sudan has triggered a serious risk of famine that will kill up to 50,000 children within months if immediate action is not taken, the UN warned on Friday.
New interferon-free, all-oral 3D regimen achieves high SVR in chronic HCV genotype 1 patients
The new interferon-free, all-oral, three direct-acting-antiviral (3D) treatment regimen in development by AbbVie has achieved very high rates of virological response in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (GT1); according to the results of three studies presented today at the International Liver Congress 2014.
Obeticholic acid produces meaningful biochemical and clinical improvements in PBC cirrhosis patients
Results from an international Phase III study presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2014 have shown obeticholic acid (OCA) given to patients suffering from Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) who previously had an inadequate response to, or have been unable to tolerate ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), produced meaningful biochemical and clinical improvements. UDCA is the only therapy currently approved to treat PBC.
Three new studies help clarify optimal use of combination therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients
Three new studies presented today at the International Liver Congress 2014 have helped clarify the optimal use of combination therapy with peginterferon and nucleoside analogues (NUCs) to achieve the best treatment outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
New data for HCV genotype 4 patients with simeprevir- and sofosbuvir-based regimens
Results from RESTORE , a phase III, multicentre, single-arm, open-label study presented today at the International Liver Congress 2014 showed that simeprevir 150 mg once-daily for 12 weeks in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin (followed by 12 or 36 weeks of peginterferon and ribavirin) was effective and well tolerated in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4-infected patients, consistent with previous observations in HCV genotype 1-infected patients.
New advances in HCC diagnosis, staging and treatment all predicted to improve patient outcomes
Epidemiological, genetic and clinical data presented today at the International Liver Congress 2014 are collectively focussed on different approaches designed to improve the diagnosis, staging and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Impressive SVR12 data for once-daily combination to treat HCV genotype 1 patients
Results from three Phase III clinical trials (ION-1, ION-2 and ION-3) evaluating the investigational once-daily fixed-dose combination of the nucleotide analogue polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir (SOF) 400mg and the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir (LDV) 90mg, with and without ribavirin (RBV), for the treatment of genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been presented at the International Liver Congress 2014.
Japan orders chicken cull after bird flu outbreak in south
Japan has ordered the slaughter of some 112,000 chickens after officials confirmed Sunday bird flu infections at a poultry farm in the south.
With new health law, insurers target diabetics
As hundreds of thousands of diabetics get health coverage under the federal law, insurance companies are aggressively targeting this glut of new patients.
Sebelius: Health care launch 'terribly flawed'
The Obama administration's timeline for having ready the new health care law's online sign-up system "was just flat out wrong," outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview that aired Sunday.
China and India face huge cancer burden: experts
China and India are facing a cancer crisis, with smoking, belated diagnosis and unequal access to treatment all causing large-scale problems, experts said on Friday.
Low vitamin D linked to fatty liver disease in UK children
A UK study[1] investigating the link between low vitamin D status and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in British children has identified a genetic variant associated with the disease's severity.
Subway: 'Yoga mat chemical' almost out of bread
The Subway sandwich chain says an ingredient dubbed the "yoga mat chemical" will be entirely phased out of its bread by next week.
New Chinese herbal medicine has significant potential in treating hepatitis C
Data from a late-breaking abstract presented at the International Liver Congress 2014 identifies a new compound, SBEL1, that has the ability to inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) activity in cells at several points in the virus' lifecycle.[1]
Gut microbiota may play a role in the development of alcoholic liver disease
Exciting new data presented today at the International Liver Congress 2014 shows that the gut microbiota has a potential role in the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).1 Though an early stage animal model, the French study highlights the possibility of preventing ALD with faecal microbiota transplantation – the engrafting of new microbiota, usually through administering human faecal material from a healthy donor into the colon of a recipient.2
New combination drug therapy proves very effective in Hepatitis C treatments
Treatment options for the 170 million people worldwide with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are evolving rapidly, although the available regimens often come with significant side effects. Two multi-center clinical trials led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show promise for a new option that could help lead to both an increase in patients cured with a much more simple and tolerable all oral therapy.
Foreigner dies of MERS in Saudi, 8 infected
A foreigner has died from MERS while eight people including five health workers have been infected in the Saudi city of Jeddah, where the spread of the coronavirus among medics has sparked panic.
Investors bet Sun Pharma can restore Ranbaxy to health
On the surface, Sun Pharma's $3.2-billion purchase of Indian generics rival Ranbaxy, which is in deep trouble with US regulators over safety lapses, may not look like a great deal.
Gene linked to pediatric kidney cancer suggests new strategies for kidney regeneration
Nearly one-third of cases of Wilms tumor, a pediatric cancer of the kidney, are linked to a gene called Lin28, according to research from Boston Children's Hospital. Mice engineered to express Lin28 in their kidneys developed Wilms tumor, which regressed when Lin28 was withdrawn, indicating that strategies aimed at blocking or deactivating the gene hold therapeutic promise for children with Wilms. Studies in the mouse model further suggest that controlled expression of Lin28 can promote kidney development and therefore may hold clues to regeneration of damaged kidneys in adults.
Italy IVF patient pregnant with wrong embryos
A woman who underwent fertility treatment at a clinic in Rome became pregnant with the twins of another couple after their embryos were mixed up, press reports said Sunday.
Finding the switch: Researchers create roadmap for gene expression
In a new study, researchers from North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill and other institutions have taken the first steps toward creating a roadmap that may help scientists narrow down the genetic cause of numerous diseases. Their work also sheds new light on how heredity and environment can affect gene expression.
Virus-fighting genes linked to mutations in cancer
Researchers have found a major piece of genetic evidence that confirms the role of a group of virus-fighting genes in cancer development.
Team uncovers mechanism, and possible treatment, for immune suppression in liver disease
The mechanism which underlies the susceptibility of liver disease patients to life-threatening infection has been uncovered by Wellcome Trust-funded medical scientists, who have also suggested a possible treatment to reverse immune suppression in these patients.
Scientists unmask a piece in the puzzle of how the inheritance of traumas is mediated
The phenomenon has long been known in psychology: traumatic experiences can induce behavioural disorders that are passed down from one generation to the next. It is only recently that scientists have begun to understand the physiological processes underlying hereditary trauma. "There are diseases such as bipolar disorder, that run in families but can't be traced back to a particular gene", explains Isabelle Mansuy, professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. With her research group at the Brain Research Institute of the University of Zurich, she has been studying the molecular processes involved in non-genetic inheritance of behavioural symptoms induced by traumatic experiences in early life.
New mouse model could revolutionize research in Alzheimer's disease
In a study published today in Nature Neuroscience, a group of researchers led by Takaomi Saido of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have reported the creation of two new mouse models of Alzheimer's disease that may potentially revolutionize research into this disease.
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