Science X Newsletter Monday, Nov 3

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for November 3, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Study reveals missing boundary in PZT phase diagram
- Mathematicians settle 30-year-old resonance controversy
- Best of Last Week – Parallel worlds, China completes moon round trip and progress in preventing GI cancers
- Physicists propose identification of a gravitational arrow of time
- String field theory could be the foundation of quantum mechanics
- 'Telomerator': New tool could help reshape the limits of synthetic biology
- Team develops computational model for predicting superconductivity
- Very Large Telescope Interferometer detects exozodiacal light
- Astronomers solve puzzle about bizarre object at the center of our galaxy
- Thirdhand smoke: Toxic airborne pollutants linger long after the smoke clears
- Electromagnetic fluctuation forces across plasmas analogous to so-called weak nuclear interaction forces
- Neuroscientists offer novel insight on brain networks
- Coating prevents electrical current from damaging the digestive tract after battery ingestion
- Compared with apes, people's gut bacteria lack diversity, study finds
- From HIV to cancer, IL-37 regulates immune system

Astronomy & Space news

	Very Large Telescope Interferometer detects exozodiacal light By using the full power of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer an international team of astronomers has discovered exozodiacal light close to the habitable zones around nine nearby stars. This light is starlight reflected from dust created as the result of collisions between asteroids, and the evaporation of comets. The presence of such large amounts of dust in the inner regions around some stars may pose an obstacle to the direct imaging of Earth-like planets.
	Astronomers solve puzzle about bizarre object at the center of our galaxy (Phys.org) —For years, astronomers have been puzzled by a bizarre object in the center of the Milky Way that was believed to be a hydrogen gas cloud headed toward our galaxy's enormous black hole.
	Image: Icy rocks around Saturn (Phys.org) —Earth is the only planet in our Solar System to have a single solitary moon. While others, such as Mercury and Venus, have none, the gas giants have accumulated crowds of orbiting bodies—Saturn, for example, boasts an impressive 62 moons!
	Lever under scrutiny in Virgin spaceship disaster (Update) A prematurely deployed slowing device could "well be" behind the Virgin Galactic spaceship crash, Virgin's boss Richard Branson said Monday while hitting out at "hurtful" critics and "self-proclaimed experts."
	How a giant impact formed asteroid Vesta's 'belt' When NASA's Dawn spacecraft visited the asteroid Vesta in 2011, it showed that deep grooves that circle the asteroid's equator like a cosmic belt were probably caused by a massive impact on Vesta's south pole. Now, using a super high-speed cannon at NASA's Ames Research Center, Brown University researchers have shed new light on the violent chain of events deep in Vesta's interior that formed those surface grooves, some of which are wider than the Grand Canyon.
	Spaceship's descent device deployed prematurely Investigators say Virgin Galactic's experimental spaceship broke apart in flight over California's Mojave Desert after a device to slow the craft's descent prematurely deployed.
	Virgin disaster is a reminder of deadly explosion The loss of an experimental spaceship that broke up over the Mojave Desert, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another, has renewed criticism of the way the craft's designer and Virgin Galactic handled a deadly explosion seven years ago.
	Five years in orbit for ESA's Proba-2 (Phys.org) —ESA's Proba-2 celebrates five years in orbit today. From technology demonstrator to solar observatory and now space weather platform, the mission has provided triple value to European scientists.
	SpaceShipTwo cost a life, so why do we still use human test pilots? Tragically, the experimental spaceplane SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave desert during a test flight on Friday, killing one pilot and injuring another.
	Studying the physics of galaxies Assistant Professor of Astronomy Evan Kirby arrived on campus in August. Born and raised in New Orleans, Kirby earned his BS in 2004 from Stanford University; his undergraduate thesis involved trips to Pasadena to test an instrument built by JPL's Jamie Bock, now also a Caltech professor of physics, and the late Andrew Lange, the Marvin L. Goldberger Professor of Physics at Caltech. Kirby earned his MS and PhD degrees from UC Santa Cruz in 2006 and 2009. His PhD thesis involved an analysis of the spectra of bright stars in dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. Then as a Caltech postdoc and Hubble Fellow from 2009 to 2012, he moved on to more distant stars in Andromeda and its satellite galaxies. As a Center for Galaxy Evolution Fellow at UC Irvine from 2012 to 2014, he shifted the focus of his spectral analyses from chemical makeups to stellar motions.
Virgin boss hits out after safety warning claim (Update) Questions about why the Virgin Galactic spaceship crashed switched focus Monday to a prematurely-deployed lever on the doomed flight, as Virgin's boss suggested it may "well be" the cause.
	NASA lining up ICESat-2's laser-catching telescope To catch individual laser photons that have travelled more than 600 miles from a satellite to Earth and back, the satellite's telescope needs to be perfectly positioned. Last week, engineers and technicians at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, fitted the mirrored telescope of the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) into its place.
	Simulating the moon at the Cinder Lakes Crater Fields Between the years of 1969 and 1972 the astronauts of the Apollo missions personally explored the alien landscape of the lunar surface, shuffling, bounding, digging, and roving across six sites on the Moon. In order to prepare for their off-world adventures though, they needed to practice extensively here on Earth so they would be ready to execute the long laundry lists of activities they were required to accomplish during their lunar EVAs. But where on Earth could they find the type of landscape that resembles the Moon's rugged, dusty, and—most importantly—cratered terrain?

Technology news

	Virtual stimuli help identify deviant sexual behaviors Virtual reality may be the key to predicting both the behaviour of sex offenders and the effectiveness of the therapies they have undergone, according to a study undertaken by Massil Benbouriche of the University of Montreal's School of Criminology. "It is currently impossible to define the circumstances in which patients will – or will not – contain their aggressive impulses following therapy or treatment or prevent themselves reoffending," Benbouriche said. "By testing research protocols that can be applied using virtual reality, we are able to help empirically validate theories that could explain why offenders act on their impulses."
	China unveils 'laser to shoot down low-flying drones' China has developed a highly accurate laser weapon system that can shoot down light drones at low altitude, state media reported.
	The iBox Nano 3D resin printer offers precision at low price iBox Printers is issuing a claim that it has the world's smallest, most affordable 3D printer. "Most 3D printers are expensive, large, noisy and complicated," said Trent Carter, founder of the Melbourne, Florida-based company. They have introduced their iBox Nano on Kickstarter. The creators had four goals for the iBox Nano—to be small, quiet, inexpensive and portable. The product is a 3D resin printer and it is constructed of precision laser cut extruded acrylic. Why resin? The team said resin has outstanding properties and advantages over FDM, which stands for Filament Deposition Modeling. Many of the resin printers on the market use DLP technology to create and control the UV light used to cure the resin.
	Security contractor breach not detected for months A cyberattack similar to previous hacker intrusions from China penetrated computer networks for months at USIS, the government's leading security clearance contractor, before the company noticed, officials and others familiar with an FBI investigation and related official inquiries told The Associated Press.
	Contactless cards fail to recognise foreign currency A flaw in Visa's contactless credit cards means they will approve unlimited cash transactions without a PIN when the amount is requested in a foreign currency.
	Electric car revs to world record in Switzerland A racing car designed and built by students in Switzerland on Monday set a world record for acceleration in electric vehicles, their universities said Monday.
	Near-infrared technology plays role in visualizing veins Having hard-to-find veins is never a pleasant thought if anticipating donating blood. Now the Australian Red Cross Blood Service has a message to potential donors that such unpleasant thoughts should not stop them from making the move to save lives. The service has announced it is conducting research into the use of technology to visualize blood donors' veins during blood donation. Angela King, Blood Service researcher, said they are placing the technology in a trial study to determined its effectiveness.
	Skip check-in; latest hotel room key is your phone Hotels don't want guests to have to linger at the front desk—or even stop by at all.
N. Korea denies role in smartphone hacking in South North Korea's state media on Monday blasted South Korea's spy agency for alleging that Pyongyang hacked tens of thousands of smartphones in the South using malware disguised in mobile gaming apps.
	From smart grids to flying robots, engineer finds many applications for theory The future of electricity involves a "smart" grid, in which the energy distribution system is fully computerized, with sensors and wireless devices monitoring remote parts of the system and communicating with a central operations center. Automated technology can then adjust and control the components of the grid to improve its efficiency and manage the integration of renewable energy sources.
Keeping good company on Facebook It seems that no company can afford not to engage with its customers and potential clients via online social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, these days. The likes of Facebook have become hubs for such direct company to customer interactions where queries can be quickly answered, grievances addressed and products and services promoted through a marketing model that simply did not exist when the web first went commercial long before the web 2.0 concept was realized. What companies would like to know for sure, however, is whether or not their online networking efforts offer a good return on investment in terms of the bottom line regardless of whether they improve customer relations.
	In cybersecurity, the weakest link is you A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Computer security relies on a great number of links, hardware, software and something else altogether: you. The greatest threat to information security is actually people. Why strive to defeat encrypted passwords stored in computers, when those computers' human users will turn them over willingly?
A skipper sets sail with navigation assistance from a start-up Can this boat go any faster? Starting Sunday, a device developed by Anemomind will help Swiss sailor Alan Roura evaluate his performance during racing. The tool, which is also useful for amateur sailors, records GPS and environmental data and helps competitors improve their performance.
	Maps made from mobile phone records could help plan for the next tsunami or Ebola outbreak There are now more mobile phones in use than there are people in the world to use them – some 7.2 billion phones. Mobile phones are becoming integral parts of our lives, penetrating into areas of the developing world that lack much of the fixed infrastructure taken for granted elsewhere. This makes them an excellent potential source of information about population movements.
	Google guns for 300 mn new Indian local language users (Update) Search giant Google announced Monday the creation of a new Hindi-language website in an ambitious bid to add 300 million Indian Internet users by 2017 and bridge the country's linguistic digital divide.
	Dance choreography improves girls' computational skills Clemson researchers find that blending movement and computer programming supports girls in building computational thinking skills, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Science Foundation and emerging technology report published in journal Technology, Learning and Knowledge.
	US voters more social, mobile: study The 2014 US midterm elections are decidedly more social and mobile than the last time around, according to a new report.
US online sales to see healthy holiday gain: survey US consumers are likely to spend $89 billion shopping online during the holiday season, a healthy rise despite fewer selling days, Forrester Research analysts said Monday.
	Apple sold by Jobs from parents' garage up for auction An early Apple computer sold by Steve Jobs from his parents' garage goes under the hammer in New York next month, valued at $400,000-600,000 in an increasingly competitive computer relic market.
	Hyundai, Kia to pay $100 million over fuel economy suit Hyundai and Kia agreed to pay $100 million Monday to settle a US government investigation into exaggerated fuel efficiency on 2012 and 2013 car models sold in the United States by the South Korean automakers.
Yellowstone park considers bumping up bandwidth Can Old Faithful compete with Netflix? The prospect of streaming wireless service deep inside Yellowstone National Park is re-igniting the debate over whether there should be any place off limits to technology.
	Researchers develop a new two-stroke engine, notable for its low consumption and low level of pollutant emissions Researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de València have participated in the development of a new two-stroke engine, notable for its low consumption and low level of pollutant emissions. This engine is the result of Powerful, a European project led by the French multinational company Renault, in collaboration with the Czech Technical University in Prague, the IFP Energies Nouvelles and the companies Delphi and Le Moteur Moderne (LMM).
	DARIUS project is working to enhance search and rescue operations From the nuclear disaster at Fukushima to the recent landslides in Sri Lanka – the number of natural and man‐made disasters in the world increases every year. As our urban populations continue to swell, the concentration of people in cities combined with haphazard planning amplifies the effects of these disasters, complicates Search And Rescue (SAR) operations and put first responders at risk. The DARIUS ('Deployable SAR Integrated Chain with Unmanned Systems') project is addressing this problem with the aim of providing unmanned platforms for search and rescue operations.
Communication module breakthrough advances smart metering At this week's European Utility Week, held in Amsterdam from Nov. 4 through Nov. 6, imec, iMinds, and their partners in the iMinds ICON-project CoPlaSM present the results of the two-year project (initiated in January 2013) to realize and validate proof of concept of a multi-standard communication module for smart meters.
	Combining 'Tinkertoy' materials with solar cells for increased photovoltaic efficiency Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have received a $1.2 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative to develop a technique that they believe will significantly improve the efficiencies of photovoltaic materials and help make solar electricity cost-competitive with other sources of energy.
Publicis to buy Sapient of US for $3.7 billion French advertising group Publicis said Monday it is to buy Boston-based marketing, communications and consulting firm Sapient for $3.7 billion.
Carnival Corporation rolls out faster Internet Carnival Corporation announced Monday it will offer a long-range, broadband wireless Internet network on all of its 101 ships across nine cruise line brands.
Sprint to cut 2,000 jobs after hefty loss Number three US wireless carrier Sprint said Monday it was slashing 2,000 jobs in a streamlining effort after reporting a $765 million quarterly loss.

Medicine & Health news

	Congenital herpes tied to lower developmental test scores in infants (Medical Xpress)—Infants with congenital human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) infections are more likely to score lower on a 12-month mental development test, according to a new URMC study published in the journal Pediatrics.
	Aging brains aren't necessarily declining brains For years, conventional wisdom held that growing older tends to be bad news for brains. Past behavioral data largely pointed to loss in cognitive – that is, thinking – abilities with age, including poorer memory and greater distractibility. Physical measures of brain structure also showed atrophy, or loss of volume, in many regions with age.
	Research could offer new hope for patients with cardiovascular disease New research has shown a protein that controls the growth of new blood vessels could potentially reduce the effects of cardiovascular disease in patients' legs, including risks of leg ulcers, gangrene, and amputation.
	Researchers pinpoint exactly where each building block sits in HIV Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany and collaborators from Heidelberg University, in the joint Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, have obtained the first structure of the immature form of HIV at a high enough resolution to pinpoint exactly where each building block sits in the virus. The study, published online today in Nature, reveals that the building blocks of the immature form of HIV are arranged in a surprising way.
	Biological fat with a sugar attached essential to maintaining the brain's supply of stem cells Fat and sugar aren't usually considered healthy staples, but scientists have found that a biological fat with a sugar attached is essential for maintaining the brain's store of stem cells.
	Neuroscientists offer novel insight on brain networks New research from the Center for Vital Longevity (CVL) at UT Dallas offers a different approach for looking at the way the brain operates on a network level, and could eventually lead to new clinical diagnostic criteria for age-related memory disorders.
Even when you're older you need chaperones Aging is the most significant and universal risk factor for developing neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. This risk increases disproportionately with age, but no one really knows why.
From HIV to cancer, IL-37 regulates immune system A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in this month's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes the activity of a recently discovered communication molecule of the body's immune system, Interleukin 37 or IL-37. It has been known to limit inflammation and the current study reports its activity in the adaptive immune system: IL-37 inhibits the ability of the immune system to recognize and target new antigens.
NSAIDs prevent colon cancer by inducing death of intestinal stem cells that have mutation Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protect against the development of colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells that carry a certain mutated and dysfunctional gene, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and the School of Medicine. The findings were published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	'Purpose in life' a boon to your health, study shows Older adults with a strong sense of purpose in life may be particularly likely to get health screenings such as colonoscopies and mammograms, new research suggests.
	Sea sponge drug could boost advanced breast cancer survival by five extra months The cancer drug eribulin, originally developed from sea sponges, could give women with advanced triple negative breast cancer an average of five extra months of life, according to research presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool today (Monday).
Preterm, low birth-weight babies may need new hips in adulthood Researchers from Australia report that low birth weight and preterm birth are linked to increased risk for osteoarthritis (OA)-related hip replacements in adulthood. Findings published in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis Care & Research, indicate that low birth weight and pre-term babies were not at greater risk of knee arthroplasty due to OA as adults.
Weight loss surgery substantially reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes Bariatric (weight loss) surgery, such as gastric bypass or gastric banding, could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around 80% in obese people, compared with standard care, new research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal suggests.
	Women's sexual journey is usually an evolution, not revolution From motherhood to menopause, from marriage to divorce, women's sexual experiences have profound—and often unexpected—effects on not just their sexuality, but also on their feelings of self-worth, according to a Penn State Abington sociologist.
Study highlights motherhood complexities for gay, bisexual women In the popular narrative, motherhood among lesbians or bisexual women is usually viewed in one of two ways: non-existent, or seeking evidence of a lesbian baby boom.
Researcher studies obesity's role in breast, ovarian cancers Mandi Murph in the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy is focusing her research efforts on the role of obesity in the promotion and development of women's cancer, both breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
	Keeping active in middle age may help cut breast cancer risk, study shows Postmenopausal women who do the highest amount of vigorous exercise could be around a fifth less likely to develop breast cancer than those who put their feet up, according to new findings being presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference today.
Ethnic minorities less aware of cancer symptoms and more likely to identify barriers to seeking medical help Ethnic minorities in England are less aware of cancer symptoms and more likely to say they wouldn't see the doctor, even when they have a symptom that they think might be serious, according to research being presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool.
	Increase in cancer survival shows 'power of research' Cancer survival rates have improved considerably in recent years, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
	Regions of the brain strengthen with age For years, research into the aging brain has examined what is usually lost—hearing, vision, memory. Age is synonymous with decline. But current research is refuting that discouraging perspective. New techniques in cognitive neuroscience are revealing regions of the brain that actually improve with age, reports assistant professor of psychology Angela Gutchess in the current issue of Science. BrandeisNow spoke with Gutchess about aging and how it changes our brains.
Preventing cardiovascular disease in old aortas Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the No. 1 killer of people in the U.S. An early sign of CVD is increased aortic stiffness, a change that becomes more prevalent as we age. Now, researchers at Sargent College of Boston University have made some unexpected discoveries into the causes of and anatomical structures involved in arterial stiffening. Their findings could contribute to the development of medical therapies aimed at reducing or preventing this CVD risk factor.
Outcomes for the mentally ill do not improve with age New research has confirmed that people with severe mental disorders who reach older age have lower life expectancy compared with their peers.
New classification improves risk prediction in chronic leukemia If chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with a good or poor prognosis could be identified already at the time of diagnosis, physicians would have better possibilities to adjust their therapeutic and follow-up strategies. Now researchers at Uppsala University, together with international colleagues, have discovered a new correlation between specific molecular features of the disease and subgroups of patients with different prognosis.
	New study asks why willpower alone fails the weight test A new study investigating the psychology behind losing weight suggests temperament may influence food choices rather than willpower.
	Bowel cancer cases halve after screening The incidence of bowel cancer is dramatically lower after screening, a new report has found.
Radiation a risk factor for brain tumors in young people, study finds In people under age 30, radiation is a risk factor for a type of brain tumor called a meningioma, a Loyola University Medical Center study has found.
	Record seizure of smart drugs including one untested in humans shows growing market People desire to enhance themselves in all sorts of ways: physically through cosmetic surgery; sexually through Viagra; and through using cognitive enhancing, or smart, drugs to perform better at school or work. In such a globally competitive environment it is likely that the market for the last of these will continue to grow.
	Ground-breaking research shows frequency of addiction to over-the-counter medicines Participants are being sought for a new phase of a ground-breaking study into addiction to over-the-counter medicines, also known as non-prescription medicines.
	MRSA bugs linked to livestock are found in hospitals, study finds Some MRSA bugs in UK hospitals can be traced back to a type of bacteria found in farm animals, a study suggests.
	Mom's words matter most to newborns (HealthDay)—Infants are exposed to more speech from mothers during their first year of life, which may be why they often pay more attention to mom, new research suggests.
	Typical ADHD care leaves room for improvement, study finds (HealthDay)—Many pediatricians provide inadequate care for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), relying too heavily on drugs and failing to thoroughly assess kids' symptoms, a new study reports.
Spinal surgery varies by region in the US (HealthDay)—Surgery for low back pain caused by spinal stenosis varies depending on where in the United States you live, according to a Dartmouth Atlas Project report.
	Cosmetic camouflage benefits youth with visible skin issues (HealthDay)—Cosmetic camouflage can improve quality of life in children and adolescents with visible vascular and pigmentary anomalies, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
	Study suggests how flu-related gastrointestinal flare-ups can be relieved while body continues to battle virus the lung Flu infection has long-ranging effects beyond the lung that can wreak havoc in the gut and cause a dreaded symptom, diarrhea, according to a study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
	Immunotherapy for cancer toxic with obesity: Researchers link increased body fat and lethal drug reactions in mice Immunotherapy that can be effective against tumors in young, thin mice can be lethal to obese ones, a new study by UC Davis researchers has found. The findings, published online today in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggest a possible link between body fat and the risk of toxicity from some types of immunotherapy.
The effects of poor eating habits persist even after diet is improved Almost everyone knows that improving your eating habits will most likely improve your health. What most people may not know, however, is that the effects of poor eating habits persist long after dietary habits are improved. In a new report appearing in the November 2014 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, scientists use mice to show that even after successful treatment of atherosclerosis (including lowering of blood cholesterol and a change in dietary habits) the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle still affect the way the immune system functions. This change in function occurs largely because poor eating habits alter the way genes express themselves, including genes related to immunity. This change in gene expression (epigenetics) ultimately keeps the risk of cardiovascular disorders higher than it would be had there been no exposure to unhealthy foods in the first place.
Effect of chemotherapy on surgical resection of liver tumors A study of pediatric patients with hepatoblastoma led by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) suggests an opportunity to reduce chemotherapy in up to 65 percent of patients, which could lead to a decrease in the incidence of adverse effects. Their findings were published online this week in the British Journal of Surgery.
More than half of obese patients opt out of the bariatric surgical procedure process Researchers from the University Health Network in Toronto are hoping to improve the operational efficiency of bariatric surgery programs to increase access to care. Studies have shown that bariatric operations can alleviate chronic health issues like diabetes and arthritis for extremely obese people. Now the University Health Network researchers are trying to determine why many patients who are referred for a bariatric operation do not ultimately have the procedure performed, despite being in a publicly funded health care program. Findings from their single-site study are published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
	Lung cancer diagnosed before it is detected by imaging A team of researchers from Inserm led by Paul Hofman (Inserm Unit 1081/University of Nice) has just made a significant advance in the area of early diagnosis of invasive cancers. In a study which has just been published in the journal PLOS ONE, the team shows that it is possible to detect, in patients at risk of developing lung cancer, early signs, in the form of circulating cancer cells, several months, and in some cases several years, before the cancer becomes detectable by CT scanning. This warning could play a key role in early surgical intervention, thereby making it possible to attempt the early eradication of the primary cancer site.
	Inhaled Ebola vaccine may offer long-term protection from virus (Update) A potentially breathable, respiratory vaccine in development has been shown to provide long-term protection for non-human primates against the deadly Ebola virus, as reported this week in the online edition of the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.
Researchers develop the first cancer health literacy tool Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center researchers have developed the first and only tool that can accurately measure cancer health literacy (CHL) and quickly identify patients with limited CHL. This tool has the potential to improve communication and understanding between physicians and patients, which, in turn, could lead to better clinical outcomes.
	Beliefs about the soul and afterlife that we acquire as children stick with us, whether we know it or not What we believed as children about the soul and the afterlife shapes what we believe as adults – regardless of what we say we believe now, according to a new Rutgers study.
Women with bipolar disorder at 50 percent greater risk of delivering preterm babies Women who have been previously hospitalized for bipolar disorder are nearly twice as likely to have premature babies compared to women without a history of mental illness, according to a new study by researchers at Women's College Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).
	New research reveals what to discuss near life's end A study led by a McMaster University researcher has identified the top five things health care teams should discuss with hospitalized patients and their families at the end of life, but the research also found gaps between what patients would like and the care they receive.
Report: Performance measures should include patient actions The actions—or inaction—of patients should be considered in programs designed to improve care and patient outcomes, according to a report released today by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Nurses Association in collaboration with other professional organizations.
	Higher risk of bleeding in atrial fibrillation patients taking blood thinner dabigatran Patients with atrial fibrillation who take the blood thinner dabigatran are at greater risk for major bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding than those who take warfarin, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.
Study recommends integrating housing data with health data to improve patient medical care A study to be released in the November issue of Health Affairs shows that integrating community housing data on such code violations as mold and cockroaches with health data can identify at-risk geographical areas of medical concern and help target patients for medical interventions.
Increased prevalence in autism diagnoses linked to reporting in Denmark About 60 percent of the increase in the observed prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in Danish children appears to be largely due to changes in reporting practices, according to a study published online by JAMA Pediatrics.
How bile acids could fight diabetes EPFL scientists have shown that a receptor activated by bile acids can reduce fat-tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity-linked diabetes.
Biosimilar drugs could create billions in health care savings, study finds Introducing competing "biosimilar" versions of complex biologic drugs used to treat illnesses such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis could cut spending on biologics in the United States by $44 billion over the next decade, according to new analysis from the RAND Corporation.
	Study shows clear new evidence for mind-body connection For the first time, researchers have shown that practising mindfulness meditation or being involved in a support group has a positive physical impact at the cellular level in breast cancer survivors.
Pain and depression place older adults at risk of delirium following surgery New research reports that preoperative pain and depressive symptoms in older adults place them at greater risk of delirium following surgery. According to the findings published today in The Lancet Psychiatry journal, both pain and depression are independent and interactive risk factors for delirium, suggesting a cumulative effect.
New technology allows medical professionals to step into their patients' shoes A pioneering piece of technology will allow users to experience the world through the eyes of a person with Young-Onset Parkinson's disease- which could revolutionise the way carers and medical staff treat people with the degenerative condition.
Coenzyme Q10 helps veterans battle Gulf War illness symptoms Roughly one-third of the 700,000 United States troops who fought in the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War have subsequently developed a distinct set of chronic health problems, dubbed Gulf War illness. Their symptoms, from fatigue, muscle pain and weakness to decreased cognitive function and gastrointestinal and skin problems, persist decades after the conflict.
	Resilience training could help prevent burnout in ICU nurses (HealthDay)—A multimodal resilience training program is feasible and acceptable for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Critical Care.
	CT findings ID Tx effectiveness in small-bowel obstruction (HealthDay)—Computed tomographic (CT) findings can predict the effectiveness of nonsurgical treatment in patients with adhesive small-bowel obstruction (SBO), according to a study published in the November issue of Radiology.
	AMA: Absence of health insurer competition in many areas (HealthDay)—In most metropolitan areas, there is a significant absence of health insurer competition, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
	Rate of PCI for coronary artery disease drops in the US (HealthDay)—In the past several years, the rate of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease (CAD) has decreased in the United States, according to research published in the Oct. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
	Median neuropathy at the wrist may signal diabetic neuropathy (HealthDay)—Median neuropathy at the wrist (MN) may be an early indicator of diabetic neuropathy, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
New test shows promise in identifying new drugs to treat Lyme disease Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a test they say will allow them to test thousands of FDA-approved drugs to see if they will work against the bacteria that causes tick-borne Lyme disease.
Most mental health disorders not increasing in children and youth, large Canadian study says Symptoms of mental illness in children and adolescents do not appear to be increasing, according to a large study of Canadian youth published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
	'Mild' control of systolic blood pressure in older adults is adequate: 150 is good enough A broad review of the use of medications to reduce blood pressure has confirmed that "mild" control of systolic pressure is adequate for adults age 65 or older - in the elderly, there's no clear benefit to more aggressive use of medications to achieve a lower pressure.
	Smoking is a pain in the back If you want to avoid chronic back pain, put out the cigarette. A new Northwestern Medicine® study has found that smokers are three times more likely than nonsmokers to develop chronic back pain, and dropping the habit may cut your chances of developing this often debilitating condition.
Migraine linked to defective 'insulation' around nerve fibers, study suggests A new study shows cellular-level changes in nerve structure and function that may contribute to the development of migraine headaches, reports the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Telephone counseling leads more adult childhood cancer survivors to get heart screenings Supplementing written heart screening guidelines with telephone counseling from specially trained nurses more than doubled the likelihood that adult survivors of childhood cancer received recommended heart checks, according to results from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS). St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators led the research, whose findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
	Many Americans may get hospice care too late (HealthDay)—Of the more than 1.5 million patients who received hospice care in the United States in 2013, one-third died within one week of getting it, a new report shows.
Almost three-quarters of patients with no coronary heart disease have persistent symptoms Almost three-quarters of patients investigated for coronary heart disease, and given the all-clear, still have persistent symptoms up to 18 months later, indicates a small study published in the online journal Open Heart. Certain investigations seem to deepen fears about heart health and perpetuate physical symptoms, the findings suggest.
	Researchers discover why anesthetics cause prolonged memory loss Researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine have shown why anesthetics can cause long-term memory loss, a discovery that can have serious implications for post-operative patients.
March of Dimes calls for 50 percent reduction in preterm births by 2030 The March of Dimes is calling for a nationwide effort to reduce U.S. preterm births to 5.5 percent of all live births by 2030. Seven other developed countries already have preterm birth rates below 6 percent, and 15 have rates below 7 percent.
New test will combat major cause of preventable blindness in Africa A new test will accelerate global progress toward eliminating onchocerciasis, a leading cause of preventable blindness in Africa. PATH, an international nonprofit health organization, today announced the availability of the SD BIOLINE Onchocerciasis IgG4 rapid test, manufactured and distributed by Standard Diagnostics, Inc. (SD). Designed for use in disease surveillance, the antibody-based test is faster, easier-to-use, and more acceptable to impacted communities than the current option. It is the first in a suite of diagnostic innovations by PATH intended to support the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of illnesses that affect more than a billion people worldwide.
	Terminally ill 'death with dignity' advocate dies A terminally ill woman who renewed a nationwide debate about physician-assisted suicide has ended her life with the lethal drugs available under Oregon's Death With Dignity Law. Brittany Maynard was 29.
	Deaths of babies at Dominican hospital raise alarm Rosa Elba Santana struggles to comprehend what went tragically wrong for her infant twins at the Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital, one of the few places for someone with a sick kid and not much money in the Dominican capital.
Helping Pacific islanders eat more "greens" University of Adelaide research is helping indigenous Pacific Island and Torres Strait Islander people eat more "greens" to improve their diet and help combat disease.
	Caring for ex–prisoners under the NDIS would save money and lives The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) promises to deliver better support to the one in five Australians living with a disability. But what about those inside prison or who have just left prison? Will the NDIS look after them too, or keep pushing them through the cracks?
	Children with dyslexia might also be having difficulties with social skills A reluctance to do any reading may be a classic sign of dyslexia, but there may be other tell-tale signs that can raise a parent's concern according to Joanna Dunton of Bangor University's Miles Dyslexia Centre.
	Bowel disease questionnaire developed for pharmacies Twenty community pharmacies in Western Australia are trialling a short, simple and self-administered questionnaire for people with bowel problems.
Plastic surgery has led to the objectification of breasts according to social scientist Women's breasts have long been the focus of visual attention. Whether interpreted as the ultimate symbol of femininity, or sexualised by the male gaze, breasts are an integral part of a woman's body, which are increasingly becoming a commodity according to Dr Jacqueline Sanchez Taylor, Lecturer in the University of Leicester's Department of Sociology.
	Sierra Leone says another doctor dies of Ebola (Update) A doctor in Sierra Leone has died of Ebola - the fifth local doctor in the West African nation to die of the disease, authorities said Monday.
UN head slams 'unnecessary' Ebola restrictions on health workers UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned Monday against "unnecessarily" strict restrictions on health workers returning from treating Ebola patients, in an apparent reference to quarantines and visa bans by some Western nations.
New study shows women have higher risk of injury than men A new study of emergency department patients in 18 countries, made available online today by the scientific journal Addiction, shows that the risk of injury caused by acute alcohol consumption is higher for women compared with men. While the risk of injury is similar for both men and women up to three 'standard' drinks (containing 16 ml or 12.8 g of pure ethanol), the risk then increases more rapidly for women, becoming twice the risk to men around 15 drinks and three times the risk to men around 30 drinks. In this study the drinks were reportedly consumed within six hours prior to injury.
Malaria from monkeys now dominant cause of human malaria hospitalizations in Malaysia The majority of malaria hospitalizations in Malaysia are now caused by a dangerous and potentially deadly monkey-borne parasite once rarely seen in humans, and deforestation is the potential culprit in a growing number of infections that could allow this virulent malaria strain to jump from macaque monkeys to human hosts, according to research presented today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Meeting.
Comprehensive breast center improves quality of care for breast reconstruction After opening a comprehensive breast center (CBC), one hospital achieved significant improvement in key measures of quality of care for women undergoing breast reconstruction, reports the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
ACP releases new recommendations to prevent recurrent kidney stones In a new evidence-based clinical practice guideline published today in Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends that people who have had a kidney stone increase their fluid intake to achieve at least two liters of urine per day to prevent another kidney stone from forming. If increased fluid intake fails to reduce the formation of stones, ACP recommends adding medication with a thiazide diuretic, citrate, or allopurinol.
Food allergy development linked to skin exposure Food allergies are on the rise in the U.S. and other developed countries. In patients, food allergies appear as a variety of symptoms, ranging from mild skin inflammation to severe asthma. Recent studies suggest that contact between inflamed skin and food proteins may trigger food allergy development.

Biology news

	'Telomerator': New tool could help reshape the limits of synthetic biology NYU Langone yeast geneticists report they have developed a novel tool—dubbed "the telomerator"—that could redefine the limits of synthetic biology and advance how successfully living things can be engineered or constructed in the laboratory based on an organism's genetic, chemical base-pair structure.
	Study reveals startling decline in European bird populations Bird populations across Europe have experienced sharp declines over the past 30 years, with the majority of losses from the most common species, say the University of Exeter, the RSPB and the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS) in a new study. However numbers of some less common birds have risen.
	How beetles hack into ant colonies Pretending to be one of them, ant-nest beetles trick ants to rear their brood—and then reward their hosts by devouring them. UA entomologists have discovered that the beetles evolve at an astonishing rate.
	Monkeys can work out abstract properties of objects by looking at them (Phys.org) —Monkeys, much like young children, can work out abstract properties of objects by looking at them, according to the latest research.
	Reviving algae from the (almost) dead Tucked away in darkness and almost dead, algae can emerge from a frigid and foggy environment to live again—and perhaps even become the seeds for a new beginning that can provide biofuel for a clean energy future.
	Diet affects pesticide resistance in honey bees Feeding honey bees a natural diet of pollen makes them significantly more resistant to pesticides than feeding them an artificial diet, according to a team of researchers, who also found that pesticide exposure causes changes in expression of genes that are sensitive to diet and nutrition.
	New process transforms wood, crop waste into valuable chemicals Scientists today disclosed a new method to convert lignin, a biomass waste product, into simple chemicals. The innovation is an important step toward replacing petroleum-based fuels and chemicals with biorenewable materials, says Shannon Stahl, an expert in "green chemistry" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
	Compared with apes, people's gut bacteria lack diversity, study finds The microbes living in people's guts are much less diverse than those in humans' closest relatives, the African apes, an apparently long evolutionary trend that appears to be speeding up in more modern societies, with possible implications for human health, according to a new study.
	South west shrubs get naming rights Botanists have formally identified four rare and threatened native species, with efforts now turning to the shrubs' future management and conservation.
	Ningaloo snapper branches out of sanctuary zone Spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus) within the Ningaloo Marine Park have been found to move outside the sanctuary's boundary a year after being tagged—presenting possible implications for shoreline fishing rules.
	Parasitized honey bees discovered for first time in mid-Atlantic region Parasitized honey bees, or "zombees," have been found for the first time in the mid-Atlantic region, according to researchers at San Francisco State University. The discovery, made in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, was announced this morning by ZomBee Watch (http://www.zombeewatch.org), a project based at the University.
	What is a species? It could be difficult to reply if you work with aphids Karyotype is usually a stable feature of each species since chromosomal changes, if they occur, may contribute to the formation of barriers between populations causing the establishment of reproductive isolation and speciation as possible consequences. Indeed, mating between individuals with different karyotypes frequently produces hybrids with a reduced fertility (or sterile) due to mis-segregation of chromosomes during meiosis.
	Maple syrup production declines after big seed year For decades, maple syrup producers have eyed the weather to help understand spring sugar yields. But new research in the journal Forest Ecology and Management reveals a more valuable metric for understanding – and even predicting – syrup production: how many seed helicopters rained down from the trees the year before?
Research partnership is key to biodiversity conservation A new policy paper led by University of York scientists, in partnership with Proforest, aims to increase awareness among researchers of the High Conservation Value (HCV) approach to safeguarding ecosystems and species.
	S.Africa fish farm could attract sharks, make triathletes bait Plans to build a fish farm along a popular stretch of South African coast prompted concerns Monday that it could entice sharks, endangering tourists and Iron Man triathletes.
	Is buying pet insurance a good idea? Many pet owners end up having to spend a large sum of money because of an unexpected health crisis. And euthanasia for financial reasons is all too common in veterinary practice. Pet insurance can make the difference between being able to go ahead with treatment or not.
	Combatting diseases in the greenhouse before they become visible A camera that maps photosynthesis, a DNA test that can measure the slightest traces of pathogens, or a precision spray system that only affects the plant and not the surrounding air… The Gezonde Kas ('healthy greenhouse') project has, over the last four years, allowed for the development of a sophisticated system of monitoring and disease control. It is now ready for practical applications, says Wageningen UR project leader Carolien Zijlstra. "The strength of the system is that we can detect problems before they become apparent."

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