Science X Newsletter Thursday, Aug 21

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 21, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Color hologram uses plasmonic nanoparticles to store large amounts of information
- New algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions
- Meteorite study indicates volcanic activity on early small asteroids
- Researchers use expanding gels to mimic creation of folds in mammalian brain
- How hummingbirds evolved to detect sweetness
- X-ray laser probes tiny quantum tornadoes in superfluid droplets
- Researchers find first direct evidence of 'spin symmetry' in atoms
- Hot-spring bacteria reveal ability to use far-red light for photosynthesis
- World's coolest molecules
- Michigan team finds security flaws in traffic lights
- Researchers obtain first direct observation of facet formation in nanocubes
- Hacking Gmail with 92 percent success
- Severe drought is causing the western US to rise
- Some anti-inflammatory drugs affect more than their targets
- Alternate mechanism of species formation picks up support, thanks to a South American ant

Astronomy & Space news

	Meteorite study indicates volcanic activity on early small asteroids (Phys.org) —Examination of one of the Almahata Sitta meteorites (aka, ALM-A, found in Sudan in 2008) by a team of space scientists working in Germany has revealed a volcanic past. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how they dated the meteorite to just a few million years after our solar system was born and uncovered evidence that it suggests it was produced by volcanic activity.
	GPIM spacecraft to validate use of "green" propellant (Phys.org) —Milestone progress is being made in readying NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) for launch in 2016, a smallsat designed to test the unique attributes of a high-performance, non-toxic, "green" fuel on orbit.
	Two dynamos drive Jupiter's magnetic field (Phys.org) —Superlatives are the trademark of the planet Jupiter. The magnetic field at the top edge of the cloud surrounding the largest member of the solar system is around ten times stronger than Earth's, and is by far the largest magnetosphere around a planet. Just why this field has a similar structure to that of our own planet although the interiors of the two celestial objects have a completely different structure, has mystified researchers for a long time. With the aid of the most detailed computer simulations to date, a team headed by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen has now succeeded in explaining the origin of the magnetic field deep inside the gaseous giant.
	Super-black nano-coating to be tested for the first time in space (Phys.org) —An emerging super-black nanotechnology that promises to make spacecraft instruments more sensitive without enlarging their size will be tested for the first time on the International Space Station within a year.
	Toothpaste fluorine formed in stars The fluorine that is found in products such as toothpaste was likely formed billions of years ago in now dead stars of the same type as our sun. This has been shown by astronomers at Lund University in Sweden, together with colleagues from Ireland and the USA.
	Electric sparks may alter evolution of lunar soil The moon appears to be a tranquil place, but modeling done by University of New Hampshire and NASA scientists suggests that, over the eons, periodic storms of solar energetic particles may have significantly altered the properties of the soil in the moon's coldest craters through the process of sparking—a finding that could change our understanding of the evolution of planetary surfaces in the solar system.
	ITAR-TASS claims Russian cosmonauts have found sea plankton on outside of International Space Station The Russian news agency ITAR-TASS is claiming that Russian officials have confirmed that Russian cosmonauts have found sea plankton on the outside of the International Space Station. The news agency reports that the cosmonauts have also found traces of other organisms on the outside of the station as well. To date, no other news group has been able to confirm the report and thus far it appears no other agency, including NASA has been able to confirm the claims made by the Russians.
	Eclipsing binary stars discovered by high school students Two Dallas high school students discovered five stars as members of a Southern Methodist University summer physics research program that enabled them to analyze data gleaned from a high-powered telescope in the New Mexico desert.
	Why NASA studies the ultraviolet sun (Phys.org) —You cannot look at the sun without special filters, and the naked eye cannot perceive certain wavelengths of sunlight. Solar physicists must consequently rely on spacecraft that can observe this invisible light before the atmosphere absorbs it.
	New delay for launch of Europe navigation satellites (Update) Bad weather delayed the liftoff Thursday of a rocket with two new satellites for Europe's rival to GPS, launch firm Arianespace said as it announced 12 orbiters will join the constellation from next year.
	Mars, Saturn and the claws of Scorpius Look up at the night sky this week and you'll find Mars and Saturn together in the west. Mars stands out with its reddish colouring and you might just be able to detect a faint yellow tinge to Saturn.
	Remembering the "World War I eclipse" The paths of total solar eclipses care not for political borders or conflicts, often crossing over war-torn lands.
Arianespace to launch 12 satellites for EU system Arianespace has signed a deal with the European Space Agency to deploy 12 satellites and help speed up the creation of the European Union's Galileo navigation system.

Technology news

	Michigan team finds security flaws in traffic lights What if attackers could manipulate traffic lights so that accidents would happen with mayhem as the result? That is a question many would rather put off for another day but authorities feeling responsible for road safety are generally willing to consider all the what-ifs, assess their impact, and look for protective measures. According to a detailed report in Tuesday's MIT Technology Review, a road agency gave Michigan researchers permission to hack into almost 100 wirelessly networked traffic lights. The real news is what this electrical engineering and computer science team from the University of Michigan discovered. They saw three troubling weaknesses in the traffic light system they studied: unencrypted wireless connections, the use of default usernames and passwords that can be found online, and a debugging port easy to attack. Who is to blame? In their paper, "Green Lights Forever: Analyzing the Security of Traffic Infrastru! cture," which they will present at a computer security conference, they said no single device or design choice is at fault; the weaknesses instead "show a systemic lack of security consciousness.".
	New algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions In the near future, the package that you ordered online may be deposited at your doorstep by a drone: Last December, online retailer Amazon announced plans to explore drone-based delivery, suggesting that fleets of flying robots might serve as autonomous messengers that shuttle packages to customers within 30 minutes of an order.
	Hacking Gmail with 92 percent success (Phys.org) —A team of researchers, including an assistant professor at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering, have identified a weakness believed to exist in Android, Windows and iOS mobile operating systems that could be used to obtain personal information from unsuspecting users. They demonstrated the hack in an Android phone.
	Unlocking the potential of simulation software With a method known as finite element analysis (FEA), engineers can generate 3-D digital models of large structures to simulate how they'll fare under stress, vibrations, heat, and other real-world conditions.
	Researchers use 3D printers to create custom medical implants A team of researchers at Louisiana Tech University has developed an innovative method for using affordable, consumer-grade 3D printers and materials to fabricate custom medical implants that can contain antibacterial and chemotherapeutic compounds for targeted drug delivery.
	Security event to learn about side-channel attacks on PCs A paper to be presented at next month's Workshop on Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems (CHES) in Busan, South Korea, will discuss physical side-channel attacks on laptop computers, in findings from a team from the Technion and Tel Aviv University. "We demonstrated physical side-channel attacks on a popular software implementation of RSA and ElGamal, running on laptop computers," they said, using novel side channels. They said their attacks were based on the observation that the ground electric potential in many computers fluctuates in a computation-dependent way. An attacker can measure the signal by touching exposed metal on the computer chassis with a plain wire or even with a bare hand. The signal can also be measured at the remote end of Ethernet, VGA or USB cables They noted "non-negligible" impedance between the grounding point(s) and other points in the chassis. "Due to currents and electromagnetic fields inside the computer, voltages of large magnitude develop across this impedance (often 10mV RMS or more, after filtering out the 50 or 60 Hz mains frequency). This is the voltage we measure."
	Shazam breaks 100 million monthly user mark Shazam announced Wednesday that 100 million people use its song-recognition mobile service monthly in a 34 percent surge from a year earlier.
	HP revenue inches up after years of decline Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday reported that its quarterly revenue rose for the first time in three years, nudged by improved computer sales everywhere except Russia and China.
UPS says 51 retail stores breached by malware Some customers of The UPS Store may have had their credit and debit card information exposed by a computer virus found on systems at 51 stores in 24 states.
	Facebook awards 'Internet Defense Prize' Facebook awarded a $50,000 Internet Defense Prize to a pair of German researchers with a seemingly viable approach to detecting vulnerabilities in Web applications.
	OpenStax developing textbooks that deliver personalized lessons Rice University-based nonprofit OpenStax, which has already provided free textbooks to hundreds of thousands of college students, today announced a $9 million effort to develop free, digital textbooks capable of delivering personalized lessons to high school students.
	Razor-sharp TV pictures The future of movie, sports and concert broadcasting lies in 4K definition, which will bring cinema quality TV viewing into people's homes. 4K Ultra HD has four times as many pixels as today's Full HD. And thanks to the new HEVC video compression standard, broadcasters can now transmit live video in the 4K digital cinema standard. From September 12 to 16, 2014, Fraunhofer researchers will be presenting latest hardware and software for high efficiency video encoding and decoding at the International Broadcasting Convention IBC in Amsterdam, Netherlands (Hall 8, Booth B80).
	Engineer leads effort to develop computer systems that can see better than humans "Deep learning" is the task at hand for Vijaykrishnan Narayanan and his multidisciplinary team of researchers who are developing computerized vision systems that can match—and even surpass—the capabilities of human vision. Narayanan, professor of computer science and engineering and electrical engineering, and his team received a $10 million Expeditions in Computing award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) last fall to enhance the ability of computers to not only record imagery, but to actually understand what they are seeing—a concept that Narayanan calls "deep learning."
For secure software: X-rays instead of passport control Trust is good, control is better. This also applies to the security of computer programs. Instead of trusting "identification documents" in the form of certificates, JOANA, the new software analysis tool, examines the source text (code) of a program. In this way, it detects leaks, via which secret information may get out or strangers may enter the system from outside. At the same time, JOANA reduces the number of false alarms to a minimum. The analysis tool developed by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has already proved to work successfully in realistic test scenarios. In a next step, an industrial case study is planned.
Smartphone-loss anxiety disorder The smart phone has changed our behavior, sometimes for the better as we are now able to connect and engage with many more people than ever before, sometimes for the worse in that we may have become over-reliant on the connectivity with the outside world that these devices afford us. Either way, there is no going back for the majority of users who can almost instantaneously connect with hundreds if not thousands of people through the various social media and other applications available on such devices and not least through the humble phone call.
	We need new laws to govern cyberwarfare President Bush is reported to have said: "When I take action, I'm not going to fire a US$2m missile at a US$10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It's going to be decisive." As the quote suggests, when it comes to national defence, enemies are unlikely to be deterred by an army of three, a leaky canoe and a fleet of second-hand microlights. In times of war we usually expect a powerful, graphic display of military might.
	The ethics of driverless cars Jason Millar, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Philosophy, spends a lot of time thinking about driverless cars. Though you aren't likely to be able to buy them for 10 years, he says there are a number of ethical problems that need to be tackled before they go mainstream.
Music site SoundCloud to start paying artists SoundCloud said Thursday that it will start paying artists and record companies whose music is played on the popular streaming site, a move that will bring it in line with competitors such as YouTube and Spotify.
Microsoft to unveil new Windows software A news report out Thursday indicated that Microsoft is poised to give the world a glimpse at a new-generation computer operating system that will succeed Windows 8.
Hitchhiking robot reaches journey's end in Canada A chatty robot with an LED-lit smiley face sent hitchhiking across Canada this summer as part of a social experiment reached its final destination Thursday after several thousand kilometers on the road.
Bringing emergency communications together A new University of Adelaide research project aims to improve emergency operations through integrated communications systems for police and the emergency services.
DOCOMO and Huawei confirm LTE network over unlicensed spectrum NTT DOCOMO and Huawei announced today that their joint test has successfully demonstrated that LTE can be deployed over the 5GHz unlicensed spectrum, which is widely used for wireless LAN networks in many countries today.
	Voice, image give clues in hunt for Foley's killer Police and intelligence services are using image analysis and voice-recognition software, studying social media postings and seeking human tips as they scramble to identify the militant recorded on a video showing the killing of American journalist James Foley.
Ticketfly buying WillCall for on-premise data Ticketfly Inc., a San Francisco-based technology company among several posing a challenge to Ticketmaster, is acquiring WillCall Inc., a crosstown rival that turns your smartphone into a mobile wallet at live events.
	A platform to help consumers achieve sustainable energy consumption While promoting sustainable electricity supplies requires coordination at the EU level, the actual implementation has to happen locally. If local actors – such as consumers – are to make a difference however, then they need to be equipped with the knowledge and the means...

Medicine & Health news

	Researchers use expanding gels to mimic creation of folds in mammalian brain (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers with members from facilities in Finland, the U.S., and the U.K. has found a way to mimic the process that leads to folds in mammalian brains. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how they developed computer models to explain the development of folds in the cerebral cortex and then used what they'd learned to mimic the process using expanding gels.
	Children with autism have extra synapses in brain Children and adolescents with autism have a surplus of synapses in the brain, and this excess is due to a slowdown in a normal brain "pruning" process during development, according to a study by neuroscientists at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). Because synapses are the points where neurons connect and communicate with each other, the excessive synapses may have profound effects on how the brain functions. The study was published in the August 21 online issue of the journal Neuron.
	Biologists reprogram skin cells to mimic rare disease Johns Hopkins stem cell biologists have found a way to reprogram a patient's skin cells into cells that mimic and display many biological features of a rare genetic disorder called familial dysautonomia. The process requires growing the skin cells in a bath of proteins and chemical additives while turning on a gene to produce neural crest cells, which give rise to several adult cell types. The researchers say their work substantially expedites the creation of neural crest cells from any patient with a neural crest-related disorder, a tool that lets physicians and scientists study each patient's disorder at the cellular level.
	Influenced by self-interest, humans less concerned about inequity to others Strongly influenced by their self-interest, humans do not protest being overcompensated, even when there are no consequences, researchers in Georgia State University's Brains and Behavior Program have found.
	Two polio vaccines may give greater protection against crippling disease (HealthDay)—Using two types of polio vaccines seems to provide stronger protection against the disease and may boost efforts to eradicate polio, a new study shows.
'Suicide tourism' to Switzerland has doubled within four years The numbers of 'suicide tourists' going to Switzerland to take their own lives has doubled within the space of four years, reports a study published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
Counselling has limited benefit on young people drinking alcohol Counselling techniques used to help young people with drinking problems may be of limited benefit, a new study suggests. In a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library, researchers found that an approach known as motivational interviewing did not substantially reduce drinking or alter alcohol-related behaviour.
Pica in pregnant teens linked to low iron In a study of 158 pregnant teenagers in Rochester, NY, nearly half engaged in pica – the craving and intentional consumption of ice, cornstarch, vacuum dust, baby powder and soap, and other nonfood items, reports a new Cornell study.
	Blueprint for next generation of chronic myeloid leukemia treatment Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have identified and characterized mutated forms of the gene that encodes BCR-ABL, the unregulated enzyme driving the blood cancer chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 6,000 new cases of CML will be diagnosed in 2014.
	Experts question value of common superbug control practices The jury is still out on the effectiveness of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superbug control policies in hospitals, according to leading infectious disease experts in a Viewpoint published in The Lancet. In particular, screening and isolating infected patients—which have long been regarded as the gold standard MRSA prevention strategy and are required by law in some countries—have poor evidence for their effectiveness, say the authors.
Gambling, IT, booze addictions rife in Japan: study Nearly five percent of Japanese adults are addicted to gambling, a rate up to five times that of most other nations, according to a study.
Leprosy: Myanmar struggles with ancient scourge High in the hills of Myanmar's war-torn borderlands, a clutch of new leprosy cases among communities virtually cut off from medical help is a sign that the country's battle with the ancient disease is far from over.
	Noodles: Friend or foe? S. Koreans defend diet Kim Min-koo has an easy reply to new American research that hits South Korea where it hurts—in the noodles. Drunk and hungry just after dawn, he rips the lid off a bowl of his beloved fast food, wobbling on his feet but still defiant over a report that links instant noodles to health hazards.
	Coffee drinkers—your gums may thank you (Medical Xpress)—Coffee contains antioxidants. Antioxidants fight gum disease. Does coffee, then, help fight gum disease?
Investigational therapy focuses on slowing progression in mild to moderate Alzheimer's Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease currently have no treatment options to slow brain cell deterioration. Researchers at Houston Methodist's Nantz National Alzheimer Center are studying an investigational drug that proposes to do just that.
Adherence to diet can be measured from blood (Medical Xpress)—New results from the Nordic SYSDIET study show that it's possible to assess dietary compliance from a blood sample. This is especially useful in controlled dietary intervention studies investigating the health benefits of specific diets. So far, such studies have mainly relied on the participants' self-reported dietary intake, which is often biased, making it more difficult to assess the real health benefits.
Student publishes new research into fertility-damaging condition A fresh approach to studying the impact of a fertility-damaging condition on women's quality of life has been completed by a University of Derby post-graduate research student.
	Healthier foods available in neighborhoods Changes to the federal food assistance program for low-income women and their children improved the availability of healthy foods at small and medium-size stores in New Orleans, according to research from the Prevention Research Center at Tulane University.
	First clinical trial for new skin wound-healing compound is a success Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientist Robert Gourdie developed a wound-healing peptide while researching how electrical signals trigger heartbeats. He never imagined that the peptide, ACT1, would prove to heal venous leg ulcers twice as quickly as the current standard of care.
Sleepy students emphasize studies, social activity to detriment of health, according to study   College students are typically more sleep deprived than the rest of us and often ignore the health benefits of adequate slumber, said a University of Alabama researcher who studies the topic.
ADHD children make poor decisions due to less differentiated learning processes Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among school children. Pupils with ADHD often make poorer decisions than their unaffected classmates. Researchers from the University of Zurich now discovered that different learning and decision-making mechanisms are responsible for these behaviors, and localized the underlying impairments in the brain.
	Breast cancer imaging surgery world-first A world-first clinical trial to test new imaging technology that can scan tumours during breast cancer surgery has been launched at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with King's College London.
	How 'wriggling' skin cancer cells go on the move (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at King's College London have discovered a new way that melanoma skin cancer cells can invade healthy tissue and spread round the body, according to research published in Nature Communications.
	Many patients don't understand electronic lab results (Medical Xpress)—While it's becoming commonplace for patients to see the results of lab work electronically, a new University of Michigan study suggests that many people may not be able to understand what those numbers mean.
Emergency department nurses aren't like the rest of us (Medical Xpress)—Emergency department nurses aren't like the rest of us - they are more extroverted, agreeable and open - attributes that make them successful in the demanding, fast-paced and often stressful environment of an emergency department, according to a new study by University of Sydney.
Redefining anorexia may unlock new treatments, therapies (Medical Xpress)—New findings from Western suggest characterizing anorexia as a 'passion' will yield immediate and practical results in terms of treatment and therapy.
Researchers find an important clue to potential treatments for absence seizures A group of Korean researchers has succeeded in revealing a principle mechanism of a neural network in the human brain, which will provide an important clue to potential treatments for absence seizures.
A novel pathway for prevention of heart attack and stroke A recent Finnish study could pave the way for preventing brain and cardiac ischemia induced by atherosclerosis. Finnish researchers have found that the low-expression variant of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), which is particularly common among Finns, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. The finding revealed a promising new way to customise a potentially preventive drug for atherosclerosis.
	Learning to play the piano? Sleep on it! According to researchers at the University of Montreal, the regions of the brain below the cortex play an important role as we train our bodies' movements and, critically, they interact more effectively after a night of sleep. While researchers knew that sleep helped us the learn sequences of movements (motor learning), it was not known why. "The subcortical regions are important in information consolidation, especially information linked to a motor memory trace. When consolidation level is measured after a period of sleep, the brain network of these areas functions with greater synchrony, that is, we observe that communication between the various regions of this network is better optimized. The opposite is true when there has been no period of sleep," said Karen Debas, neuropsychologist at the University of Montreal and leader author of the study. A network refers to multiple brain areas that are activated simultaneously.
	Research offers insight into cellular biology of colorectal cancer A study recently published in the journal Carcinogenesis by researchers at the University of Kansas shows a new role for the protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) in suppressing colorectal cancer—the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
	Research explains how cellular guardians of the intestine develop Even the most careful chosen meal can contain surprises. To defend against infectious microbes, viruses or other potential hazards that find their way to the intestines, a dedicated contingent of immune cells keeps watch within the thin layer of tissue that divides the contents of the gut from the body itself.
Sequence of rare kidney cancer reveals unique alterations involving telomerase An international scientific collaboration led by Baylor College of Medicine has revealed clues about genetic alterations that may contribute to a rare form of kidney cancer, providing new insights not only into this rare cancer but other types as well.
	Performing surgery with the brain inside an MR machine (Medical Xpress)—As brain surgeons test new procedures and drugs to treat conditions ranging from psychiatric disorders to brain cancer, accuracy is becoming an ever-greater issue.
Mindfulness-based depression therapy reduces health care visits A mindfulness-based therapy for depression has the added benefit of reducing health-care visits among patients who often see their family doctors, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).
	Reading 'Fifty Shades' linked to unhealthy behaviors Young adult women who read "Fifty Shades of Grey" are more likely than nonreaders to exhibit signs of eating disorders and have a verbally abusive partner, finds a new study led by a Michigan State University researcher.
Policy will determine economic impact of legal marijuana, says sociologist The economic impact of legalizing marijuana in Oregon is difficult to estimate because the potential market will depend in large part on what kind of policies would be adopted if a proposed ballot measure passes in November, according to an Oregon State University sociologist who studies the issue.
An approach to fighting the Ebola virus Terrible suffering in Western Africa has refocused the world's attention on Ebola viruses, for which there is no vaccine or cure. The viruses are masters of their attack, but researchers are working hard to fight them, said Dr. Ian Michelow, who has studied an approach.
	Safe driving period calculated following first-time seizure WA neurologists have studied the risk of seizure recurrence while driving in a unique cohort of almost 1400 patients who have experienced their first-ever seizure.
Mouse model for epilepsy, Alzheimer's gives window into the working brain University of Utah scientists have developed a genetically engineered line of mice that is expected to open the door to new research on epilepsy, Alzheimer's and other diseases.
	Difficulty assessing effort drives motivation deficits in schizophrenia, study finds Individuals with schizophrenia often have trouble engaging in daily tasks or setting goals for themselves, and a new study from San Francisco State University suggests the reason might be their difficulty in assessing the amount of effort required to complete tasks.
Researchers identify potential risk factors for urinary tract infections in young girls Young girls with an intense, red, itchy rash on their outer genital organs may be at increased risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to new research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The treatment may be as simple as better hygiene and avoiding potential irritants such as bubble baths and swimming pools.
Study shows Native American ancestry a risk factor for eye disease New research led by the University of Southern California (USC) Eye Institute, part of Keck Medicine of USC, shows for the first time that Native American ancestry is a significant risk factor for vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy among Latinos with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults in the United States, affecting more than 4 million Americans age 40 and older.
Objectification in romantic relationships related to sexual pressure and coercion To sexually objectify a woman is to focus on her body in terms of how it can provide sexual pleasure rather than viewing her as a complete human being with thoughts and feelings. While objectification has long been considered a problem in the media, how does it affect individual romantic relationships? New research published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, a SAGE journal, finds that more objectification of a female partner's body is related to higher incidents of sexual pressure and coercion.
	The marmoset animal model recapitulates disease symptoms of MERS infection in humans An article published on August 21st in PLOS Pathogens reports the first animal model that recapitulates the severe and sometimes lethal respiratory symptoms seen in human patients and suggests that the common marmoset will play an important role in the development effective countermeasures against Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus.
	A novel 'man and machine' decision support system makes malaria diagnostics more effective A Finnish-Swedish research group at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, and Karolinska institutet, Stockholm, has developed a novel "man and machine" decision support system for diagnosing malaria infection. This innovative diagnostic aid was described in PLOS One scientific journal today, 21 August. The method is based on computer vision algorithms similar to those used in facial recognition systems combined with visualization of only the diagnostically most relevant areas. Tablet computers can be utilized in viewing the images.
TeleStroke units improve stroke care in underserved areas Using telecommunications to connect stroke experts to stroke patients in rural areas continued to improve and sustain stroke care, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.
New DNA test for diagnosing diseases linked to childhood blindness Researchers in the United Kingdom have demonstrated that advanced DNA testing for congenital cataracts can quickly and accurately diagnose a number of rare diseases marked by childhood blindness, according to a study published online today in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Using a single test, doctors were able to tailor care specifically to a child's condition based on their mutations reducing the time and money spent on diagnosis and enabling earlier treatment and genetic counseling.
	Study says men, lesbians more likely to have orgasms (HealthDay)—When it comes to achieving orgasms during sex with a regular partner, straight women still lag behind men and lesbian women, a new study suggests.
	Consumer reports advises pregnant women to avoid tuna (HealthDay)—In a new review of seafood safety, Consumer Reports is advising that pregnant women avoid eating tuna due to concerns about mercury exposure.
New test helps diagnose type 1 diabetes (HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new test that may help doctors diagnose type 1 diabetes, the most common form diagnosed in children and adolescents.
	New drug may fight serious respiratory virus in infants (HealthDay)—An experimental drug shows promise in treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of pneumonia in infants, researchers report.
	Fewer US teens using sunscreen, study finds (HealthDay)—The number of U.S. teens using sunscreen dropped nearly 12 percent in the last decade, a new report shows.
	Racial disparities in breast-feeding may start with hospitals, study suggests (HealthDay)—Black mothers are less likely than white moms to breast-feed their babies, and here's one possible reason why: Hospitals in neighborhoods with many black residents do less to promote nursing than those in areas with more white residents, a U.S. government study finds.
	Role of innervation explored in gastric tumorigenesis (HealthDay)—Vagal innervation is involved in gastric tumorigenesis, according to an experimental study published in the Aug. 20 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
	Asthma outcomes worse in older women (HealthDay)—Older women face increased challenges in managing their asthma, according to a review published in the August issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
New US restrictions on painkiller to take effect The federal government is finalizing new restrictions on hundreds of medicines containing hydrocodone, the highly addictive painkiller that has grown into the most widely prescribed drug in the U.S.
Losing weight lowers health care costs for adults with type 2 diabetes Overweight individuals with diabetes who lose weight by dieting and increasing their physical activity can reduce their health care costs by an average of more than $500 per year, according to a new study.
Ethical experts urge 'fair' sharing of Ebola test drugs as doctors cured The limited doses of Ebola trial drugs must not be reserved for the well-off or well-connected, two medical ethics experts said on Thursday as two American doctors treated with an experimental serum were pronounced cured.
Imaging study reveals white-matter deficits in users of codeine-containing cough syrups An imaging study of chronic users of codeine-containing cough syrups (CCS) has found deficits in specific regions of brain white matter and associates these changes with increased impulsivity in CCS users.
	Researchers look at breast cancer drugs to treat certain brain tumors University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers hope to repurpose commonly used breast cancer medicines for the treatment of malignant primary brain tumors such as gliomas.
	Targeted exercise benefits Parkinson's patients Can exercise help people with Parkinson's disease? Maureen Gartner, MSN, a nurse practitioner with the University of Cincinnati (UC) Neuroscience Institute's Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, answers with an emphatic "Yes!"
Needs of Maori a priority to address poor stomach cancer survival - researchers New research shows that Māori diagnosed with stomach cancer are 27% less likely to survive than non-Māori, prompting calls for recently-released national stomach cancer standards to prioritise the needs of Māori.
Two American Ebola patients leave hospital (Update) Two American missionaries who were sickened with Ebola while working in Liberia and were treated with an experimental drug are doing better and have left the hospital, doctors said Thursday.
New feeding tube connectors will improve patient safety New feeding tube connectors, designed by an international standards process, will be available soon and will improve patient safety.
UN Ebola pointman to visit west Africa The UN's new pointman on Ebola was due to arrive in west Africa on Thursday for a visit aimed at shoring up health services in the region where at least 1,350 lives have been lost to the virus.
	Conclusive evidence on role of circulating mesenchymal stem cells in organ injury Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are present in virtually every type of human tissue and may help in organ regeneration after injury. But the theory that MSCs are released from the bone marrow into the blood stream following organ damage, and migrate to the site of injury, has long been debated. M.J. Hoogduijn and colleagues provide conclusive evidence to resolve the controversy over the mobilization and migration of MSCs in humans in a new study published in Stem Cells and Development.
Experimental Ebola drugs must be fairly distributed and tested ethically in clinical trials Researchers and health authorities need to ensure that experimental drugs to treat Ebola are distributed fairly, and in the context of randomized controlled trials, according to a new Viewpoint, published in The Lancet today [Thursday 21 August, 2014].
Study shows steep decline in tooth loss, increase in socioeconomic disparities The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published a paper titled "Projections of U.S. Edentulism Prevalence Following Five Decades of Decline." This study, by lead researcher Gary Slade, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, follows edentulism (tooth loss) over the last hundred years and highlights the numbers of people losing teeth and requiring dentures. It is published in the OnlineFirst portion of the IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research (JDR).
The American College of Chest Physicians releases new expert guidance in care of the critically ill and injured The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) announces the immediate release of Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters: CHEST Consensus Statement today in the Online First section of the journal CHEST while the global health-care community cares for patients with the Ebola virus. The consensus statement aims to guide ethical decision-making, coordination of care, resource conservation, and research in crises. The statement was developed by over 100 clinicians and experts representing a broad variety and scope of clinical fields from more than nine countries. It offers the latest evidence-informed suggestions on how to best prepare and manage the critically ill and injured during large-scale disasters and pandemics.
Researchers examine impact of race and ethnicity in motor complete spinal cord injury Researchers have published a study examining racial and ethnic influences in the outcomes of patients with motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI). The article, "Racial and ethnic disparities in functioning at discharge and follow-up among patients with motor complete SCI," was published online ahead of print on August 2 by the Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Findings included small but significant differences in self-care and mobility at discharge; no differences were apparent at 1-year followup. Authors are Denise Fyffe, PhD, and Amanda Botticello, PhD, MPH, of Kessler Foundation, Steven Kirshblum, MD, of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Anne Deutsch, RN, PhD, CRRN, of Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and RTI International, and Kenneth Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, of the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Coronary calcium predicts heart disease risk in patients with chronic kidney disease Calcium buildup in the coronary arteries may be a better indicator of kidney disease patients' risk of heart disease than traditional risk factors used in the general population, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings provide valuable new information that could help safeguard the heart health of patients with kidney disease.
Vision loss adversely affects daily function which can increase risk for death Vision loss can adversely affect the ability of older adults to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), such as using the telephone, shopping and doing housework, which are all measures of an individual's ability to live independently, and that subsequently increases the risk for death.
Surgery associated with better survival for patients with advanced laryngeal cancer Patients with advanced laryngeal cancer appear to have better survival if they are treated with surgery than nonsurgical chemoradiation.

Biology news

	Hot-spring bacteria reveal ability to use far-red light for photosynthesis Bacteria growing in near darkness use a previously unknown process for harvesting energy and producing oxygen from sunlight, a research team led by a Penn State University scientist has discovered. The discovery lays the foundation for further research aimed at improving plant growth, harvesting energy from the Sun, and understanding dense blooms like those now occurring on Lake Erie and other lakes worldwide. A paper describing the discovery will be published in the Science Express edition of the journal Science on 21 August 2014.
	How hummingbirds evolved to detect sweetness Everything about hummingbirds is rapid. An iridescent blur to the human eye, their movements can be captured with clarity only by high-speed video.
New process helps overcome obstacles to produce renewable fuels and chemicals (Phys.org) —There's an old saying in the biofuels industry: "You can make anything from lignin except money." But now, a new study may pave the way to challenging that adage. The study from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) demonstrates a concept that provides opportunities for the successful conversion of lignin into a variety of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials for a sustainable energy economy.
	Alternate mechanism of species formation picks up support, thanks to a South American ant A newly-discovered species of ant supports a controversial theory of species formation. The ant, known to live only under a single eucalyptus tree on the São Paulo State University campus in Brazil, branched off from its original species while living in the same colony, something thought rare in current models of evolutionary development.
	Some anti-inflammatory drugs affect more than their targets Researchers have discovered that three commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, alter the activity of enzymes within cell membranes. Their finding suggests that, if taken at higher-than-approved doses and/or for long periods of time, these prescription-level NSAIDs and other drugs that affect the membrane may produce wide-ranging and unwanted side effects.
Salmon forced to 'sprint' less likely to survive migration Sockeye salmon that sprint to spawning grounds through fast-moving waters may be at risk, suggests new research by University of British Columbia scientists.
	Canola flowers faster with heat genes (Phys.org) —A problem that has puzzled canola breeders for years has been solved by researchers from The University of Western Australia - and the results could provide a vital breakthrough in understanding the impact of increasing global temperatures on crop flowering.
Of bees, mites, and viruses Honeybee colonies are dying at alarming rates worldwide. A variety of factors have been proposed to explain their decline, but the exact cause—and how bees can be saved—remains unclear. An article published on August 21st in PLOS Pathogens examines the viral landscape in honeybee colonies in New Zealand after the recent arrival of the parasitic Varroa destructor mite.
From dandruff to deep sea vents, an ecologically hyper-diverse fungus A ubiquitous skin fungus linked to dandruff, eczema and other itchy, flaky maladies in humans has now been tracked to even further global reaches—including Hawaiian coral reefs and the extreme environments of arctic soils and deep sea vents.
Parks Service bans drones over Appalachian Trail The National Park Service has banned drones from flying over the Appalachian Trail.
Watch for pet poisons around your home, and form a plan for emergency response Accidental poisoning is among the most common problems we see in emergency veterinary medicine, so it's a good idea for pet owners to understand sources of toxicity, to take preventative steps, and to have a plan for response in case of ingestion.
	Bat in your house? Don't touch it or kill it After a confirmed rabies case in Parke County last week, experts are urging caution if you find a bat in your home or office.

---

This email is a free service of Phys.org
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.
https://sciencex.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com