Science X Newsletter Thursday, Sep 11

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for September 11, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Multiscreen social TV would enrich traditional viewing experience
- Astronomers pinpoint 'Venus Zone' around stars
- RobotsLAB offers tiny BMW Z4 for NAO robot to drive around (w/ Video)
- New species of electrons can lead to better computing
- Ceramics don't have to be brittle: Materials scientists are creating materials by design
- 'Hot Jupiters' provoke their own host suns to wobble
- Shark-munching Spinosaurus was first-known water dinosaur
- Scientists map white matter connections within the human brain
- Chemists create 'assembly-line' for organic molecules
- NASA's newest human spacecraft on the move
- Microbes evolve faster than ocean can disperse them
- Facebook posts reveal personality traits, but changes complicate interpretation
- Cutting the cord on soft robots
- Microscopic diamonds suggest cosmic impact responsible for major period of climate change
- How salt causes buildings to crumble

Astronomy & Space news

	Astronomers pinpoint 'Venus Zone' around stars San Francisco State University astronomer Stephen Kane and a team of researchers presented today the definition of a "Venus Zone," the area around a star in which a planet is likely to exhibit the unlivable conditions found on the planet Venus.
	'Hot Jupiters' provoke their own host suns to wobble Blame the "hot Jupiters." These large, gaseous exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) can make their suns wobble when they wend their way through their own solar systems to snuggle up against their suns, according to new Cornell University research to be published in Science, Sept. 11.
	Lurking bright blue star caught—The last piece of a supernova puzzle A team led by Gastón Folatelli at the Kavli IPMU, the University of Tokyo, has found evidence of a hot binary companion star to a yellow supergiant star, which had become a bright supernova. The existence of the companion star had been predicted by the same team on the basis of numerical calculations. This finding provides the last link in a chain of observations that have so far supported the team's theoretical picture for this supernova. The results are published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and have wide implications for our knowledge of binary systems and supernova mechanisms.
	ESA's bug-eyed telescope to spot risky asteroids Spotting Earth-threatening asteroids is tough partly because the sky is so big. But insects offer an answer, since they figured out long ago how to look in many directions at once.
	NASA's newest human spacecraft on the move NASA is one step closer to launching its newest spacecraft designed for humans.
	Mars Curiosity Rover Arrives at Martian Mountain (Phys.org) —NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has reached the Red Planet's Mount Sharp, a Mount-Rainier-size mountain at the center of the vast Gale Crater and the rover mission's long-term prime destination.
	Study helps unravel mysteries of the venusian atmosphere (w/ Video) (Phys.org) —Underscoring the vast differences between Earth and its neighbor Venus, new research shows a glimpse of giant holes in the electrically charged layer of the Venusian atmosphere, called the ionosphere. The observations point to a more complicated magnetic environment than previously thought – which in turn helps us better understand this neighboring, rocky planet.
	NASA research gives guideline for future alien life search Astronomers searching the atmospheres of alien worlds for gases that might be produced by life can't rely on the detection of just one type, such as oxygen, ozone, or methane, because in some cases these gases can be produced non-biologically, according to extensive simulations by researchers in the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory.
	Russian and American astronauts return to Earth Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut returned to Earth on Thursday after spending more than six months working together aboard the International Space Station, as tensions between their countries soared over the Ukraine crisis.
	Image: Rosetta mission selfie at comet Using the CIVA camera on Rosetta's Philae lander, the spacecraft have snapped a 'selfie' at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
	Image: Mirror array in Large Space Simulator This vast enclosure, made to appear larger still by an array of mirrors at its end, is ESA's Large Space Simulator.
	Jellyfish flames on the ISS Fire is inanimate, yet anyone staring into a flame could be excused for thinking otherwise: Fire dances and swirls. It reproduces, consumes matter, and produces waste. It adapts to its environment. It needs oxygen to survive.
Virgin Galactic pushes first flight—again Virgin Galactic has again pushed back its timeline for launching space tourism flights from southern New Mexico's Spaceport America.
	Solar storm heads Earth's way after double sun blasts Two big explosions on the surface of the sun will cause a moderate to strong geomagnetic storm on Earth in the coming days, possibly disrupting radio and satellite communications, scientists said Thursday.
	NASA image: Expedition 40 Soyuz TMA-12M landing Ground support personnel are seen at the landing site after the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft landed with Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson of NASA, and Flight Engineers Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014.

Technology news

	Multiscreen social TV would enrich traditional viewing experience Following the trend of the merging of TV and Internet, researchers have proposed a new way to interact with people over the Internet while watching TV. The new paradigm involves using a second screen (such as a tablet or phone) to synchronize with the TV and integrate with geolocation social media—in particular, tweets and other microblogs that relate to the TV program.
	RobotsLAB offers tiny BMW Z4 for NAO robot to drive around (w/ Video) Aldebaran Robotics' RobotsLAB, maker and seller of the small humanoid robot, NAO, has built a miniature version of the BMW Z4 for the NAO robot to drive around—and it's for sale to consumers already.
	Business academics suggest world follow China's lead to boost markets for renewable resource technology John Mathews a professor of strategic management at Macquarie University and Hao Tan a senior lecturer with Newcastle Business School, both in Australia, have published a Comment piece in the journal Nature, suggesting that the rest of the world follow China's lead in boosting markets for renewable energy resource technology.
	Cloverpop offers web site to help people make big decisions Infographics company Cloverpop, Inc., has put online a website designed to help people make big decisions. Most people have long grown used to running to the Internet for answers to simple questions, e.g. how long do you cook a meatloaf, and some have used chat rooms to get advice on some of the bigger stuff, such as should they dump a bad boyfriend, but until now, there hasn't really been a website that boasts that it can offer real advice on big decisions, such as should you buy a house, get married, etc. With its new site, Cloverpop appears to be attempting to do just that.
	Cutting the cord on soft robots When it comes to soft robots, researchers have finally managed to cut the cord.
	Coinbase taking Bitcoin wallet platform to Europe San Francisco-based Coinbase is taking its Bitcoin wallet to Europe with an aim of enticing more people there to use the digital currency.
	Apple's smartwatch: Timely idea or clocked out? Apple is a habitual party crasher, but can the company's history of arriving late and making a big splash in various gadget categories continue with the Apple Watch?
	Apple Watch 'too feminine' says LVMH's head of luxury watches Apple's long-awaited smartwatch looks "too feminine" and its design will not stand the test of time, luxury giant LVMH's watch guru has told German media.
Chip packets help make safer water in Papua New Guinea University of Adelaide mechanical engineering students and staff have designed a low-cost and easily made drinking water treatment system suitable for remote communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) – using foil chip packets and some glass tubing.
	Greater capacity for batteries makes smaller devices In a joint project, scientists optimized the electrical power of capacitors which will store and release energy charges.
	Algorithms reveal forecasting power of tweets Sang Won Yoon had a good Chinese meal recently—not always easy in America. It's on his mind.
	The world's first 3D-printed, drivable vehicle to debut History will be made when the world's first 3D-printed car drives out of McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. During the six-day IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show 2014, the vehicle will be printed over 44 hours then rapidly assembled by a team led by Local Motors with the historic first drive set to take place the morning of Saturday, September 13.
	China market missing from iPhone launch When the last version of Apple's biggest-selling gadget went on sale, China was among the first territories to offer it. That will not be the case with the iPhone 6, despite the country's importance to the US firm.
	Four reasons shoppers will shrug off Home Depot hack Home Depot's data breach could wind up being among the largest ever for a retailer, but that may not matter to its millions of customers.
	Friend or foe? Robots could be either. You might even marry one (Phys.org) —When Purdue University professor Eric Matson teaches his robotics class, he asks his students a simple question on the first day. Would you consider marrying a robot?
	US threatened Yahoo with huge fine over surveillance US authorities threatened to fine Yahoo $250,000 a day if it failed to comply with a secret surveillance program requiring it to hand over user data in the name of national security, court documents showed Thursday.
	Few critics as Nevada mulls Tesla tax breaks The Nevada Legislature has adjourned the first day of a special session considering an unprecedented package of up to $1.3 billion in incentives to bring Tesla Motors' $5 billion battery factory to the state.
Regulators reject call for nuke plant shutdown The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday rejected a senior federal expert's recommendation to shut down California's last operating nuclear power plant until the agency can determine whether its twin reactors can withstand powerful shaking from nearby earthquake faults.
	Europe's new age of metals begins ESA has joined forces with other leading research institutions and more than 180 European companies in a billion-euro effort developing new types of metals and manufacturing techniques for this century.
	How to estimate energy footprint in highways Researchers at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have developed an application to estimate energy footprint in highways.
	Damage to the cockpit gives a clue to loss of flight MH17 Investigations into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have revealed the aircraft's cockpit was punctured by a number of "high-energy objects".
	University launches new software training computers to understand language of musicians New software launched today by researchers at Birmingham City University aims to reduce the long periods of training and expensive equipment required to make music, whilst also giving musicians more intuitive control over the music that they produce.
Will growth in low-carbon technologies lead to metals scarcity? Demand for 'critical' metals used to manufacture low-carbon energy technologies is rising rapidly and requires serious attention from industry and policymakers, but scaremongering about scarcity is misguided. This is the conclusion of new research by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and the Energy Research Partnership (ERP).
	For gamers, waiting can be the hardest part When it comes to video games, are they better late than never? At this week's GameStop Expo, the video game retailer's annual consumer-centric event, more than 3,000 attendees had the chance to test drive highly anticipated titles like "Evolve," ''Dying Light" and "Battlefield Hardline" in the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center. However, it's probably the last time this year that gamers will be able to play those particular titles.
	First bill in Tesla deal sails through Assembly The Nevada Assembly has unanimously approved the first of four bills that make up a package of up to $1.3 billion in tax breaks and incentives the Legislature is considering to seal a deal to bring Tesla Motors' $5 billion battery factory to Nevada.
Alliance Data to buy Conversant for $2.3 billion Alliance Data said it plans to boost its digital marketing business by buying Conversant for about $2.3 billion

Medicine & Health news

	Scientists map white matter connections within the human brain (Medical Xpress)—To see, think or feel, the 100 billion neurons in our brain must exchange messages. These are transmitted over some 100 trillion specialized connections, known collectively as the "connectome." Most connections are extremely short, carrying information a few hundred-thousandths of an inch between nearby neurons. But many important connections are much longer, winding as much as a foot from one end of the brain to the other.
	Why does the placebo response work in treating depression? (Medical Xpress)—In the past three decades, the power of placebos has gone through the roof in treating major depressive disorder. In clinical trials for treating depression over that period of time, researchers have reported significant increases in patient's response rates to placebos—the simple sugar pills given to patients who think that it may be actual medication.
	Compound protects brain cells after traumatic brain injury A new class of compounds has now been shown to protect brain cells from the type of damage caused by blast-mediated traumatic brain injury (TBI). Mice that were treated with these compounds 24-36 hours after experiencing TBI from a blast injury were protected from the harmful effects of TBI, including problems with learning, memory, and movement.
	Team discovers neurochemical imbalance in schizophrenia Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), researchers at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California, San Diego have discovered that neurons from patients with schizophrenia secrete higher amounts of three neurotransmitters broadly implicated in a range of psychiatric disorders.
Intestinal bacteria needed for strong flu vaccine responses in mice Mice treated with antibiotics to remove most of their intestinal bacteria or raised under sterile conditions have impaired antibody responses to seasonal influenza vaccination, researchers have found.
	You can classify words in your sleep When people practice simple word classification tasks before nodding off—knowing that a "cat" is an animal or that "flipu" isn't found in the dictionary, for example—their brains will unconsciously continue to make those classifications even in sleep. The findings, reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on September 11, show that some parts of the brain behave similarly whether we are asleep or awake and pave the way for further studies on the processing capacity of our sleeping brains, the researchers say.
	Tipping the balance of behavior (Medical Xpress)—Humans with autism often show a reduced frequency of social interactions and an increased tendency to engage in repetitive solitary behaviors. Autism has also been linked to dysfunction of the amygdala, a brain structure involved in processing emotions. Now Caltech researchers have discovered antagonistic neuron populations in the mouse amygdala that control whether the animal engages in social behaviors or asocial repetitive self-grooming. This discovery may have implications for understanding neural circuit dysfunctions that underlie autism in humans.
	Smokers who consume too much sodium at greater risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis A new study published online in the journal Rheumatology today indicates that the interaction between high sodium intake and smoking is associated with a more than doubled risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
'Fat shaming' doesn't encourage weight loss Discrimination against overweight and obese people does not help them to lose weight, finds new UCL research funded by Cancer Research UK.
Binge drinking in pregnancy can affect child's mental health and school results Binge drinking during pregnancy can increase the risk of mental health problems (particularly hyperactivity and inattention) in children aged 11 and can have a negative effect on their school examination results, according to new research on more than 4,000 participants in the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol by a team of researchers from the universities of Nottingham, Bristol, Leicester, Oxford, Queensland (Australia) and Sheffield. The research is published today in the journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
More needed to protect our sportspeople from brain injury, experts say Two University of Birmingham academics are calling for more research to be carried out looking at how the brains of sportspeople – including children – react when they receive a blow to the head.
South Korea to hike cigarette price by 80% South Korea on Thursday proposed a steep 80 percent hike in cigarette prices to cut consumption in a nation with one of the world's highest male smoking rates.
High levels of physical activity linked to better academic performance in boys A recent Finnish study shows that higher levels of physical activity are related to better academic achievement during the first three school years particularly in boys.
Model to improve diabetes management well-received by primary care physicians Nurses certified in diabetes education can be integrated successfully into primary care physician offices in an effort to improve the health of people with diabetes, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health evaluation funded by the American Diabetes Association.
	Mushroom compound with vitamin E suppresses prostate cancer tumours Stopping Australia's most commonly diagnosed cancer - prostate cancer - in its tracks is the goal of scientists around the world.
Housework brings no mental health benefits Housework just doesn't scrub up as a physical activity that brings any mental health benefits, say researchers from Deakin University's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN).
Study examines potential link between assisted reproduction and autism (Medical Xpress)—When prospective parents have trouble conceiving and decide to seek medical help, they typically experience more than a little anxiety and have a host of questions: What are the potential risks to the mother and the baby? What kinds of diseases or other problems are associated with assisted reproduction? And, is one of those problems autism?
	Report finds scale and cost of dementia escalates Dementia UK: The Second Edition, prepared by King's College London and the London School of Economics for the Alzheimer's Society, finds that the cost of dementia to the UK has hit £26 billion a year and that people with dementia, their carers and families shoulder two-thirds of the cost themselves. The charity calls for the government to end the artificial divide between health and social care which unfairly disadvantages people with dementia.
	Malaria medications from waste All of the best currently available pharmaceuticals against malaria can now be produced in pure form using a single process, even from the waste of the plant-extraction. The method which has been developed allows for the complete production of anti-malaria medicines, in a continuous fashion, utilizing one reactor at one location. The process can also utilize both artemisinin and the plant waste product to produce these medicines, allowing for more material to be used and medicines produced without having to increase the amount of material farmed. The ability to utilize multiple sources for production builds on the photochemical reactor developed two years ago by the same scientists in Berlin. In collaboration with Prof. Andreas Seidel Morgenstern from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, it is possible, for the first time, to produce multiple medicines - pure - in a continuous and automated fashion u! tilizing a single process. The purity of the final compounds exceeds the limits set by certification authorities such as the WHO and the FDA.
Endometriosis a burden on women's lives Endometriosis often takes a long time to be diagnosed and affects all areas of a women's life, a study has found.
	Breast milk is brain food You are what you eat, the saying goes, and now a study conducted by researchers at UC Santa Barbara and the University of Pittsburgh suggests that the oft-repeated adage applies not just to physical health but to brain power as well.
	Neuroscientist explores mechanism that can cause deficit in working memory Amy Griffin, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Delaware, has received a five-year, $1.78 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to support her research into the brain mechanisms of working memory.
Is the pattern of brain folding A 'fingerprint' for schizophrenia? Anyone who has seen pictures or models of the human brain is aware that the outside layer, or cortex, of the brain is folded in an intricate pattern of "hills", called gyri, and "valleys", called sulci.
	Steroid hormone to fight age-related diseases Through the study of the roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans, the team led by Hugo Aguilaniu has discovered a hormone that enhances longevity and reduces fertility, thus reproducing the effects of an extreme diet. The scientists, based at the "Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire de la Cellule" (LBMC - CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1), now intend to explore its mode of action in the hope of finding new ways to combat age-related diseases. Their work is published on 11 September in Nature Communications.
	Say 'ahh' to let your smartphone check for Parkinson's disease Smartphones are designed to be curious. Having already learned about your friendships, your family and the pattern of your daily routine, designers are now interested in your health and fitness.
FDA approves weight-loss drug Contrave (Update) U.S. regulators have greenlighted a new weight-loss drug called Contrave, the third in a string of approvals for prescription medications aimed at the nation's 78 million obese adults.
	Structure of enzyme seen as target for ALS drugs Investigators from the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have determined the first high-resolution structure of an enzyme that, if partially inhibited, could represent a new way to treat most cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease).
	New superfoods could help key protein keep bodies healthy A new generation of new superfoods that tackle heart disease and diabetes could be developed following research into a protein that helps keep cells in our bodies healthy.
Cutting health-care costs one appendix at a time Consumer price comparison is almost nonexistent in the U.S. health care system, but a new study shows that when given the choice between a less costly "open" operation or a pricier laparoscopy for their children's appendicitis, parents were almost twice as likely to choose the less expensive procedure – when they were aware of the cost difference.
	Mice and men share a diabetes gene A joint work by EPFL, ETH Zürich and the CHUV has identified a pathological process that takes place in both mice and humans towards one of the most common diseases that people face in the industrialized world: type 2 diabetes.
Chemical signals in the brain help guide risky decisions A gambler's decision to stay or fold in a game of cards could be influenced by a chemical in the brain, suggests new research from the University of British Columbia.
	A non-toxic strategy to treat leukemia A study comparing how blood stem cells and leukemia cells consume nutrients found that cancer cells are far less tolerant to shifts in their energy supply than their normal counterparts. The results suggest that there could be ways to target leukemia metabolism so that cancer cells die but other cell types are undisturbed.
Bully victims more likely to suffer night terrors and nightmares by age 12 Children who are bullied at ages 8-10 are more likely to suffer from sleep walking, night terrors or nightmares by the time they are 12 years old.
	Review: Rapid antigen tests accurate for strep diagnosis (HealthDay)—Rapid antigen diagnostic tests (RADTs) can be used for accurate diagnosis of group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis for management of sore throat in primary care settings, according to a study published online Sept. 8 in Pediatrics.
	ACCR: oral olaparib plus chemo beneficial in ovarian cancer (HealthDay)—For heavily pretreated, advanced ovarian cancer patients, an oral tablet inhibitor of poly ADP ribose polymerase, olaparib, can be safely administered with a weekly carboplatin/paclitaxel regimen, according to a phase I study presented at the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research-AACR Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium, held Sept. 8 to 9 in Seattle.
	Single random biopsy ups detection of cervical disease (HealthDay)—In women with negative colposcopy, a single random biopsy increases detection of high-grade cervical disease, according to a study published online Sept. 8 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Study finds high protein diets lead to lower blood pressure Adults who consume a high-protein diet may be at a lower risk for developing high blood pressure (HBP). The study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), found participants consuming the highest amount of protein (an average of 100 g protein/day) had a 40 percent lower risk of having high blood pressure compared to the lowest intake level.
Increased access to nature trails, forest lands–not nature preserves–could decrease youth obesity rates, study finds As youth obesity levels in America remain at record high levels, health professionals and policymakers continue to search for solutions to this national health issue. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri and the University of Minnesota have found that local governments can help reduce youth obesity levels by increasing the amount and type of public lands available for recreation. Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, an associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, found that counties with more non-motorized nature trails and forest lands have higher levels of youth activity and lower youth obesity, while counties with more nature preserves have lower activity levels.
Ticks that vector Lyme disease move west into North Dakota According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, there are more than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. each year. Last year, most Lyme disease cases reported to the CDC were concentrated heavily in the Northeast and upper Midwest, with 96 percent of cases in 13 states. In fact, the disease gets its name from the northeastern town of Lyme, Connecticut, where it was first discovered.
Not enough vitamin B1 can cause brain damage A deficiency of a single vitamin, B1 (thiamine), can cause a potentially fatal brain disorder called Wernicke encephalopathy.
	Ebola paper demonstrates disease transmission rate New research from Arizona State University and the University of Tokyo that analyzes transmission rates of Ebola in West African countries shows how rapidly the disease is spreading.
Bioethicists call for greater first-world response to Ebola outbreak Amid recent discussion about the Ebola crisis in West Africa, Penn Medicine physicians say that high-income countries like the United States have an obligation to help those affected by the outbreak and to advance research to fight the deadly disease—including in the context of randomized clinical trials of new drugs to combat the virus. The two new editorials, which will appear "online first" in JAMA on September 11th, are written by faculty members in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine at King's College London.
Proactive monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease therapy could prolong effectiveness Proactive monitoring and dose adjustment of infliximab, a medication commonly used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), could improve a patient's chances of having a long-term successful response to therapy, a pilot observational study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center concludes.
Diverse gut bacteria associated with favorable ratio of estrogen metabolites Postmenopausal women with diverse gut bacteria exhibit a more favorable ratio of estrogen metabolites, which is associated with reduced risk for breast cancer, compared to women with less microbial variation, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
	Study finds teenagers are far more sensitive than adults to the immediate effect or reward of their behaviors Don't get mad the next time you catch your teenager texting when he promised to be studying. He simply may not be able to resist.
New study may shed light on molecular mechanisms of birth defects among older women Dartmouth researchers studying cell division in fruit flies have discovered a pathway that may improve understanding of molecular mistakes that cause older women to have babies with Down syndrome.
	New genetic targets discovered in fight against muscle-wasting disease Scientists have pinpointed for the first time the genetic cause in some people of an incurable muscle-wasting disease, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD).
	Study links genetic mutation and melanoma progression Dartmouth researchers have found that the genetic mutation BRAFV600E, frequently found in metastatic melanoma, not only secretes a protein that promotes the growth of melanoma tumor cells, but can also modify the network of normal cells around the tumor to support the disease's progression. Targeting this mutation with Vemurafenib reduces this interaction, and suggests possible new treatment options for melanoma therapy. They report on their findings in "BRAFV600E melanoma cells secrete factors that activate stromal fibroblasts and enhance tumourigenicity," which was recently published in British Journal of Cancer.
Inflammation may be key to diabetes, heart disease link Inflammation may be the reason high blood sugar levels damage blood vessels, raising the possibility that anti-inflammatory medications might someday be used to lower the risk of blood vessel disease in people with diabetes, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions 2014.
Age and diabetes duration linked to risk of death and macrovascular complications New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that age (or age at diagnosis) and duration of diabetes disease are linked to the risk of death and marcovascular complications (those in larger blood vessels), whereas only diabetes duration is linked to the risk of microvascular complications (in smaller blood vessels such as those in the eyes).
Commensal bacteria help orchestrate immune response in lung Studies in mice demonstrate that signals from the bacteria that harmlessly—and often beneficially—inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract boost the immune system's ability to kill a major respiratory pathogen, Klebsiella pneumoniae, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity.
Primary care doctors reluctant to provide genetics assessment in routine care Primary care providers report many challenges to integrating genetics services into routine primary care, according to research published today in Genetics in Medicine.
	Physician, system factors affect CAD detection rates (HealthDay)—Nonclinical factors account for considerable variation in the detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) with coronary angiogram, according to a study published online Sept. 2 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes.
	White matter measure predicts longer concussion recovery (HealthDay)—A measure of white matter in the brain, particularly in males, is an independent predictor of longer time to symptom resolution (TSR) after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.
Study reveals profile of patients most likely to delay hospice enrollment until final days of life (Medical Xpress)—One in six cancer patients enroll in hospice only during their last three days of life, according to a new study from a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their findings, published online last month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) also reveal a profile of patients who may be most at risk of these late admissions.
	One-minute point-of-care anemia test shows promise in new study A simple point-of-care testing device for anemia could provide more rapid diagnosis of the common blood disorder and allow inexpensive at-home self-monitoring of persons with chronic forms of the disease.
	Meditation may mitigate migraine misery Meditation might be a path to migraine relief, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Yogic breathing shows promise in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2012 report by RAND Corp.
	Diabetes researchers find faster way to create insulin-producing cells University of British Columbia, in collaboration with BetaLogics Venture, a division of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, has published a study highlighting a protocol to convert stem cells into insulin-producing cells. The new procedure could be an important step in the fight against Type 1 diabetes.
	Few mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease patients suffer from malnutrition, yet almost one-third are at risk Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) can experience difficulties with food preparation and ingestion, which could contribute to poor nutrition and place them at risk for malnourishment. Published studies have also suggested that PD is associated with low weight, however, few studies included control groups. A report published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease counters this conclusion in patients with mild-to-moderate PD, finding that the incidence or risk of malnutrition is no different for patients with mild-to-moderate PD compared to healthy controls.
One in four people with diabetes worldwide live in China, but a new approach could help transform their care Diabetes has become a major public health crisis in China, with an annual projected cost of 360 billion RMB (nearly 35 billion British pounds) by 2030, but a new collaborative approach to care that uses registries and community support could help improve diabetes care, according to a new three-part Series about diabetes in China published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
Australian man isolated in Ebola scare An Australian was isolated in hospital Thursday after he displayed symptoms of Ebola following a trip to Africa but health officials said it is unlikely he has the deadly virus.
NFL needs consciousness-raising campaign on domestic abuse, say experts The NFL has reached a tipping point with its problem of player violence against women, says a Stanford scholar who believes the football league needs a culture shock.
	Using antibiotics to help heart problems A research team from the University of Bristol is looking at whether an antibiotic has the potential to prevent or treat irregular heartbeats brought on by other medicines, thanks to a grant from national charity Heart Research UK.
	Long acting HIV drugs to be developed HIV drugs which only need to be taken once a month are to be developed at the University of Liverpool in a bid to overcome the problem of 'pill fatigue'.
	Ebola's ripple effects The race to stamp out West Africa's Ebola epidemic is not just about saving lives. It's also about stemming an assault on society that could include food shortages and mass migration, morphing from a medical emergency into a broad humanitarian crisis.
	Mapping could help stop Ebola's spread In the fight against Ebola, mapping fruit bat habitats could be one important step, says a geoinformatics researcher at Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology.
	Violent words, not just deeds, leave a lasting mark on our kids She showed me the cigarette burns on her arms. Her eyes seemed empty as she slumped in the chair, answering questions with defeated shrugs. Finally she explained that her stepfather had held her down and burnt her arm many times with his cigarette, calling her a "useless bitch" because she had accidentally spilled his beer.
VALUE study reports on accreditation status The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) announced today that researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have published a manuscript in Vascular Medicine analyzing a random national sample of Medicare beneficiary data to determine the outpatient vascular testing facilities' accreditation status and geographic location. The study manuscript entitled, "Accreditation Status and Geographic Location of Outpatient Vascular Testing Facilities Among Medicare Beneficiaries: The VALUE (Vascular Accreditation, Location & Utilization Evaluation) Study" is the first peer-reviewed presentation of the results. Findings indicate that the proportion of outpatient vascular testing facilities that are IAC accredited is low and varies by region.
Australian hospital patient tests free of Ebola An Ebola false alarm at Australia's premier beachside tourist city on Thursday triggered cancelled vacation bookings, early hotel checkouts and children missing school, an official said.
Puerto Ricans who inject drugs among Latinos at highest risk of contracting HIV Higher HIV risk behaviors and prevalence have been reported among Puerto Rican people who inject drugs (PRPWID) since early in the HIV epidemic. Now that HIV prevention and treatment advances have reduced HIV among PWID in the US, researchers from New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) examined HIV-related data for PRPWID in Puerto Rico (PR) and Northeastern US (NE) to assess whether disparities among PRPWID continue.
	From Ebola front line: Teaching how to stay safe He's traveled to the sites of worrisome outbreaks of SARS, bird flu, MERS. But the Ebola outbreak that's spiraled out of control in West Africa presents new challenges for even a veteran infectious disease doctor—starting with how to stay safe.
In US, calls mount for major scale-up to Ebola crisis The world response to the deadly Ebola crisis in West Africa needs a major scale-up that should include military flights for delivering supplies, US lawmakers and leading doctors said Thursday.
Many kidney failure patients have concerns about pursuing kidney transplantation Concerns about pursuing kidney transplantation are highly prevalent among kidney failure patients, particularly older adults and women, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). Reducing these concerns may help decrease disparities in access to transplantation.
African American women receive less breast reconstruction after mastectomy Dartmouth researchers have found that African American women are 55 percent less likely to receive breast reconstruction after mastectomy regardless of where they received their care. They report on their findings in "The influence of race/ethnicity and place of service on breast reconstruction for Medicare beneficiaries with mastectomy," recently published in SpringerPlus.
FDA panel backs Novo Nordisk injection for obesity Federal health experts say a diabetes drug from Novo Nordisk should be approved for a new use in treating obesity.
Ebola survivor gives blood to ill American A survivor of Ebola has donated blood to an American aid worker infected with the disease, and doctors treating him at a Nebraska hospital say he has responded well to the aggressive treatment.
	Fourth Sierra Leonean doctor infected with Ebola Another doctor from Sierra Leone who has tested positive for Ebola will be evacuated for medical treatment, an official said Thursday, making her the first citizen of a hard-hit country to be treated abroad.

Biology news

Wiping the slate clean: Erasing cellular memory and resetting human stem cells Babraham Institute scientists, in collaboration with colleagues at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute, have published findings today in the journal Cell giving hope that researchers will be able to generate base-state, naïve human stem cells for future medical applications. The study demonstrates that human stem cells can be reverted back to a base state, losing characteristics that mark them as belonging to a specific cell lineage and instead regaining the identify of a non-specialised cells with unrestricted potential (pluripotency) to develop into any cell type.
Simple method turns human skin cells into immune-fighting white blood cells (Phys.org) —For the first time, scientists have turned human skin cells into transplantable white blood cells, soldiers of the immune system that fight infections and invaders. The work, done at the Salk Institute, could let researchers create therapies that introduce into the body new white blood cells capable of attacking diseased or cancerous cells or augmenting immune responses against other disorders.
	Our microbes are a rich source of drugs, researchers discover Bacteria that normally live in and upon us have genetic blueprints that enable them to make thousands of molecules that act like drugs, and some of these molecules might serve as the basis for new human therapeutics, according to UC San Francisco researchers who report their new discoveries in the September 11, 2014 issue of Cell.
	Cells put off protein production during times of stress Living cells are like miniature factories, responsible for the production of more than 25,000 different proteins with very specific 3-D shapes. And just as an overwhelmed assembly line can begin making mistakes, a stressed cell can end up producing misshapen proteins that are unfolded or misfolded.
	Diversified farming practices might preserve evolutionary diversity of wildlife As humans transform the planet to meet our needs, all sorts of wildlife continue to be pushed aside, including many species that play key roles in Earth's life-support systems. In particular, the transformation of forests into agricultural lands has dramatically reduced biodiversity around the world.
	Evolutionary tools improve prospects for sustainable development Solving societal challenges in food security, emerging diseases and biodiversity loss will require evolutionary thinking in order to be effective in the long run. Inattention to this will only lead to greater challenges such as short-lived medicines and agricultural treatments, problems that may ultimately hinder sustainable development, argues a new study published online today in Science Express, led by University of California, Davis and the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the University of Copenhagen.
	Team makes scientific history with new cellular connection Researchers led by Dr. Helen McNeill at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute have revealed an exciting and unusual biochemical connection. Their discovery has implications for diseases linked to mitochondria, which are the primary sources of energy production within our cells.
Mexican 'water monster' salamander battles extinction Dubbed the "water monster" by the Aztecs, the axolotl salamander is battling extinction in the remnants of Mexico City's ancient lake, alarming scientists hoping mankind learns from its ability to regenerate organs.
	'Immortal' flatworms may be a weapon against bacteria A novel mode of defense against bacteria such as the causal agent of tuberculosis or Staphylococcus aureus has been identified in humans by studying a small, aquatic flatworm, the planarian. This discovery was made by scientists in the "Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes" (CNRS/IRD/Inserm/Aix-Marseille Université), working in collaboration with the "Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire" (Inserm/Université Nice Sophia Antipolis) and other national and international research groups . Their work, published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe on 10 September 2014, highlights the importance of studying alternative model organisms, and opens the way towards new treatments against bacterial infections.
	Local fauna species unique to specific locations Animals in the south-west which have a limited ability to travel show a high degree of local endemism, according to a review of genetic data for fauna in the region.
	New defense mechanism against viruses discovered Researchers have discovered that a known quality control mechanism in human, animal and plant cells is active against viruses. They think it might represent one of the oldest defense mechanisms against viruses in evolutionary history.
	New curbs on trade in threatened sharks Seven threatened species of shark and ray are to get greater protection, as a historic agreement aimed at safeguarding the world's oldest predator takes effect, conservationists said Thursday.
	How bacteria battle fluoride He's not a dentist, but Christopher Miller is focused on fluoride. Two studies from his Brandeis University lab provide new insights into the mechanisms that allow bacteria to resist fluoride toxicity, information that could eventually help inform new strategies for treating harmful bacterial diseases. The studies appear in The Journal of General Physiology (JGP).
	In India's human dominated landscapes, the number one prey for leopards is man's best friend: study A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society reveals that in India's human dominated agricultural landscapes, where leopards prowl at night, it's not livestock that's primarily on the menu – it is man's best friend.
	Unusual host preference of a moth species could be useful for biological control A team of Iranian researchers from the Rice Research Institute of Iran have discovered that Gynnodomorpha permixtana, a well-known moth species from Europe and Asia, has changed its host preferences in order to adjust to Iran's northern region environmental conditions. The importance of this adaptation for biological control of problematic weeds in rice fields and the biology of the moth on new host plant have been described in the open access journal Nota Lepidopterologica.
	Malaria parasites sense and react to mosquito presence to increase transmission Many pathogens are transmitted by insect bites. The abundance of vectors (as the transmitting insects are called) depends on seasonal and other environmental fluctuations. An article published on September 11thin PLOS Pathogens demonstrates that Plasmodium parasites react to mosquitoes biting their hosts, and that the parasite responses increase transmission to the mosquito vector.
Researchers discover new producer of crucial vitamin (Phys.org) —New research has determined that a single group of micro-organisms may be responsible for much of the world's vitamin B12 production in the oceans, with implications for the global carbon cycle and climate change.
Volunteer 'eyes on the skies' track peregrine falcon recovery in California In recovery from the deadly legacy of DDT, American peregrine falcons (Falco peregrines anatum) faced new uncertainty in 1992, when biologists proposed to stop rearing young birds in captivity and placing them in wild nests. Tim Wootton and Doug Bell published models that year in ESA's journal Ecological Applications, projecting population trends for the falcon in California, with and without direct human intervention in the falcons' reproductive lives. They concluded that the birds would continue to recover without captive rearing, though the population growth rate might slow. Fledgling introductions had bolstered wild falcon numbers and genetic diversity, but survival would ultimately depend on cleaning up lingering DDT contamination to create healthy conditions for wild birds, they argued.
When it comes to pit bulls, animal shelter workers intentionally misidentify A recently published Open Access article "Is That Dog a Pit Bull? A Cross-Country Comparison of Perceptions of Shelter Workers Regarding Breed Identification" asserts that shelter workers operating in areas restricted by breed-specific legislation (BSL) are more likely to consciously mislabel a dog's breed if they felt it were to increase the dog's chances of being adopted and/or avoid being euthanized.
	Life on Earth still favours evolution over creationism Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, first published in 1859, offered a bold new explanation for how animals and plants diversified and still serves as the foundation underpinning all medical and biological research today. But the theory remains under attack by creationists in various parts of the world, particularly the US, Turkey, Indonesia and the Middle East.
Crop improvement and resistance to pathogens benefits from non-coding RNA studies With the rise of emerging economies around the world and a concomitant upgrade of health care systems, the global population has been rapidly expanding. As a consequence, worldwide demand for agricultural products is also growing.
	Two new species of carabid beetles found in Ethiopia There are more than 150 species of beetles in the genus Calathus, 17 of which have only been found in the mountains of the Ethiopian Highlands. Now scientists have found two new ones—Calathus juan and Calathus carballalae—and have described them in Annals of the Entomological Society of America.
	Fury as mother bear dies after capture in Italian Alps One of the handful of brown bears living in the Italian Alps has died after being tranquilised for capture in an operation ordered after she mauled a mushroom hunter.
	Golden retriever study sniffs for cancer clues (HealthDay)—Michael Court is a scientist and a dog lover, so he jumped at the chance to enroll his golden retriever in a nationwide study aimed at fighting cancer and other ills in canines.

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