Science X Newsletter Friday, Apr 1

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 1, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- White dwarf with almost pure oxygen atmosphere discovered
- Ubuntu environment on Windows means new options for developers
- Planet with triple-star system found
- For rechargeable batteries that crush the competition, crush this material
- How to hide Earth from ET? Massive lasers
- Egyptians get more scans of secret rooms behind Tut's tomb
- Lifting the veil on sex: Can males be less expensive?
- Graphene layer could allow solar cells to generate power when it rains
- Dancing on ice: Experiments show how protons inside ice behave
- Nepali textile find suggests Silk Road extended further south than previously thought
- Researcher synthesizes hybrid molecule that delivers a blow to malignant cells
- Climate change drives UK wine production but not without weather shocks
- New cause of exceptional Greenland melt revealed
- High-tech Boston area in legal bind on driverless-car tests
- Researchers demonstrate a new way to characterize twisted light

Astronomy & Space news

	Planet with triple-star system found A team of researchers working at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has announced the finding of a triple-star system—one that also as has a stable orbit planet in it. In their paper published in The Astronomical Journal, the team describes how they came to see that a binary system once thought to be a single star, was actually a pair of stars orbiting one another, and how that led to the revelation of the triple-star system.
	White dwarf with almost pure oxygen atmosphere discovered A trio of researchers, two with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and the other with Universität Kiel has discovered something very unique—a white dwarf with an atmosphere that is made almost completely of oxygen. In their paper published in the journal Science, Kepler de Souza Oliveira, Detlev Koester and Gustavo Ourique describe how they came to discover the oddity and offer some ideas on how it might have come to exist. Boris Gänsicke with the University of Warwick offers an essay on the work by the team in the same journal issue. White dwarfs come about, scientists believe, when a relatively 'small' star runs out of fuel, losing its outer layer as the star shrinks down due to gravity—the stronger gravitational force then usually causes the heaviest elements to be drawn towards the core pushing the lighter ones, such as helium and hydrogen to the surface. But this new white dwarf is different, the researchers report, instead of the usual mix of light elements at the surface, there is almost nothing but pure oxygen. Nicknamed Dox, the star is the first ever of any kind to be observed to have a nearly pure oxygen outer layer.
	Discovering the bath scum on Titan It's not everyday that you get to discover something new. But when you do it is a rather strange and quite brilliant feeling. You don't really cry out 'Eureka' (there's usually about a million things going about it your head pointing out how it could be wrong). When you finally conquer the 'wrong' demon and satisfy yourself that you have something new, well then you usually sit back in your chair and smile to yourself. Maybe at a push grab a cup of coffee and a celebratory chocolate bar from the vending machine. That's pretty much how I felt when I worked out the latest crystal structure I've just published, of the 'bath scum' of Titan.
	Finding other Earths—the chemistry of star and planet formation In the last two decades, humanity has discovered thousands of extrasolar planetary systems. Recent studies of star- and planet-formation have shown that chemistry plays a pivotal role in both shaping these systems and delivering water and organic species to the surfaces of nascent terrestrial planets. Professor Geoffrey A. Blake in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology talked to Duke faculty and students over late-afternoon pizza in the Physics building on the role of chemistry in star and planet formation and finding other Earth-like planets.
Scientists discover how gypsum forms—and how it might tell us more about water on Mars A new explanation of how gypsum forms may change the way we process this important building material, as well as allow us to interpret past water availability on other planets such as Mars. The work is reported in Nature Communications.
	How to hide Earth from ET? Massive lasers The fate of humanity if aliens were to discover Earth with its balmy climate and bountiful resources, has long been a concern for scientists—many of whom fear the worst.
	Rover takes on steepest slope ever tried on Mars NASA's long-lived Mars rover Opportunity is driving to an alternative hillside target after a climb on the steepest slope ever tackled by any Mars rover. Opportunity could not quite get within reach of a target researchers hoped the rover could touch earlier this month.
	One small step for the health of female astronauts In recent films involving space travel, such as Interstellar, Gravity and The Martian, several female characters have been portrayed as astronauts, commanders and specialists with the capability to endure the same missions as their male counterparts.
	Something new under a (dead) sun For all their enormous size and furious energies, stars are remarkably simple. Knowing just their mass and the smattering of elements heavier than hydrogen we can predict their lives from cradles to grave. But every now and then, nature throws us something truly bizarre as as reminder that we ain't seen everything yet.

Technology news

	Ubuntu environment on Windows means new options for developers Tech watchers' eyes and ears have been on the Microsoft Build 2016 developer conference in the U.S. and one of the news items of special interest is this: Microsoft is bringing the Bash shell to Windows 10. "The announcement received an uproarious applause from the crowd," wrote Chris Welch in The Verge.
	Science relies on computer modelling – so what happens when it goes wrong? From the transforming discovery of penicillin to the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics, science progressed with mind-boggling speed even before there were computers. Much of this is down to the robustness of the scientific method: scientific results are validated by being replicated and extended by other scientists.
Hard mathematical problems as basis for new cryptographic techniques RUB researchers develop new cryptographic algorithms that are based on particularly hard mathematical problems. They would be virtually unbreakable.
	X-rays reveal how a solar cell gets its silver stripes The silver electrical contacts that carry electricity out of about 90 percent of the solar modules on the market are also one of their most expensive parts. Now scientists from two Department of Energy national laboratories have used X-rays to observe exactly how those contacts form during manufacturing.
	High-tech Boston area in legal bind on driverless-car tests With its Colonial-era street patterns, icy winters, notoriously aggressive drivers and high-tech talent, the Boston region would seem the perfect place to test self-driving cars and ensure they can handle anything thrown at them.
	Scientists developed artificial molecules Scientists at ETH Zurich and IBM Research Zurich have developed a new technique that enables for the first time the manufacture of complexly structured tiny objects joining together microspheres. The objects have a size of just a few micrometres and are produced in a modular fashion, making it possible to program their design in such a way that each component exhibits different physical properties. After fabrication, it is also very simple to bring the micro-objects into solution. This makes the new technique substantially different from micro 3D printing technology. With most of today's micro 3D printing technologies, objects can only be manufactured if they consist of a single material, have a uniform structure and are attached to a surface during production.
	US approves low-income broadband subsidy plan A US regulator Thursday approved a plan to provide subsidies to low-income Americans for high-speed Internet access, saying it would help close the "digital divide."
	Radar with 360° vision Nowadays it is impossible to imagine industry without robots. Safety laser scanners mostly safeguard dangerous areas and protect people from collisions. But optical sensors have their limitations, for instance when plastic surfaces, dust or smoke obstruct their line of sight. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a new, high-frequency radar scanner that cuts through these obstacles. It can monitor its environment in a 360-degree radius, making it ideal for safety applications wherever people and robots work together.
	Tactile power steering for order picking carts Vehicles in logistics centers will be more intuitive to steer in the future, thus making work easier and safer. "Tactile" handles being developed by Fraunhofer researchers will make this possible: They employ pressure sensors to detect the direction in which a user is pushing or pulling the cart. Whenever there is a risk of a collision, the cart stops immediately.
	Real environmental data in real time for simulations In computer aided vehicle engineering, you need accurate data on various environmental influences. This is the only way developers can conduct tests that simulate the experience of a real car. At the Hannover Messe, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute are presenting a quick and inexpensive system that collects real data at normal driving speeds and processes this data in real time as fine-grained and coarse-grained data for 3D driving simulations.
	High dynamic range imaging via robust multi-exposure image fusion Multi-exposure image fusion (MEF) can produce an image with high dynamic range (HDR) effect by fusing multiple images with different exposures. The conventional MEF methods require significant pre/post-processing steps to improve the visual quality by reducing spatial artifacts. These methods may produce unwanted artifacts because of the limited processing power of mobile devices and complexities of real scenes.
Science behind remarkable new Wall of Death motorcycle world record The Wall of Death has been the most enigmatic dare-devil motorbike stunt for more than 100 years. Motorcyclists ride around the inside of a vertical wall, rather like a huge barrel, at speeds of around 30mph. Most Wall of Death "drums" are about 32 feet (10 metres) in diameter.
	Apple at 40—can walled garden thrive in the new digital era? The stand-out feature of Apple's 40-year rise to become the world's largest public company has been its ability to convert ideas into designs that have redefined consumer products. It is astonishing that the iPhone only arrived in 2007 but, in less than a decade, has helped redefine communication, computers, music and the internet.
	Presswerk 4.0—Cutting downtimes in half, making manufacturing flexible It costs companies a lot of money to have machines out of operation due to failure. This applies to press shops, too, the focus of Fraunhofer's Presswerk 4.0 project. Researchers want to employ targeted data networking in manufacturing to help employees recognize and correct failures more quickly – and reduce failure-related downtimes by at least half. Smart, connected machines balance out disturbances so that material that normally lands in the scrap pile can be processed.
	Decades of computer vision research, one 'Swiss Army knife' When Anne Taylor walks into a room, she wants to know the same things that any person would.
	Google April Fool's prank boomerangs Google is acknowledging that it pranked itself after an April Fool's Day Gmail tweak angered some people who use Google's email for work.
	Huawei's upcoming flagship phone to sport Leica camera Controversial Chinese tech company Huawei's next smartphone will sport a camera from premium German manufacturer Leica, it said on Friday as it announced a jump in profits driven by its consumer division.
Researchers use 3-D printing to create structure with active chemistry Many materials - sugars, thermoplastics, glass, metals, ceramics and more—are used to produce 3D-printed figures, typically with expensive or custom-built 3D printers.
	Syria's Palmyra: Ghost town bearing scars of IS destruction Explosions rocked the ancient town of Palmyra on Friday and on the horizon, black smoke wafted behind its majestic Roman ruins, as Syrian army experts carefully detonated hundreds of mines they say were planted by Islamic State militants before they fled the town.
	Pentagon announces new push for 'smart' fabrics US Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced an initiative Friday to create smart textiles that one day could see tents made of power-generating fabric, running shoes as light as socks and uniforms that detect chemical and nuclear contamination.
North Korea now blocking Facebook, Twitter, other websites North Korea has officially announced it is blocking Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and South Korean websites in a move underscoring its concern with the spread of online information.
Huawei 2015 profit jumps 32 percent on smartphone demand Huawei Technologies Ltd., one of the biggest makers of telecoms equipment, said Friday its 2015 profit jumped 32 percent on strong sales of smartphones and switching gear as carriers upgraded wireless networks to 4G.
	BlackBerry posts fresh losses as it focuses on biz software BlackBerry suffered another loss in its latest fiscal year and now aims to return to profitability by refocusing on business services, away from consumer handsets, the Canadian company said Friday.
	US tech giants file brief in favor of Obama 'clean power' plan US tech giants Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon expressed support Friday for President Barack Obama's program to fight climate change, which was put on hold in February by the US Supreme Court.

Medicine & Health news

	Fridge-sized machine makes prescription drugs 'on demand' (HealthDay)—Scientists have created a compact machine that can churn out thousands of doses of prescription medication in a day—putting the capabilities of a drug-manufacturing plant into a device the size of a kitchen refrigerator.
	Study defines a possible target for future treatments for a deadly form of the disease Scientists at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research have discovered that a protein produced by a cancer gene leads to the development of a deadly, late-stage form of prostate cancer called neuroendocrine prostate cancer. The discovery could be a significant step toward a more effective treatment.
	Diminishing returns in neuroscience Cambridge researchers are studying what makes a brain efficient and how that affects behaviour in insects – including in the aptly named killer fly.
	Researcher synthesizes hybrid molecule that delivers a blow to malignant cells A new hybrid molecule developed in the lab at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering shows promise for treating breast cancer by serving as a "shipping container" for cytotoxic—or cell-destroying—chemotherapeutic agents. The protein/polymer-gold nanoparticle (P-GNP) composite can load up with these drugs, carry them to malignant cells, and unload them where they can do the most damage with the least amount of harm to the patient.
Over 50 percent of obese Spanish workers are metabolically healthy About half of obese individuals in a working population in Spain are metabolically healthy - they are obese but do not present metabolic abnormalities like disturbed insulin signaling or inflammation, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.
	Is there a link between oral health and the rate of cognitive decline? Better oral hygiene and regular dental visits may play a role in slowing cognitive decline as people age, although evidence is not definitive enough to suggest that one causes the other. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, come from the first systematic review of studies focused on oral health and cognition—two important areas of research as the older adult population continues to grow, with some 36% of people over age 70 already living with cognitive impairments.
	Brain changes seen in veterans with PTSD after mindfulness training Like an endlessly repeating video loop, horrible memories and thoughts can keep playing over and over in the minds of people with post-traumatic stress disorder. They intrude at the quietest moments, and don't seem to have an off switch.
	New study links coffee consumption to decreased risk of colorectal cancer Whether you like your coffee black, decaf, half-caff or even instant, feel free to drink up. Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center of Keck Medicine of USC have found that coffee consumption decreases the risk of colorectal cancer.
Professional burnout associated with physicians limiting practice At a time when the nation is facing projected physician shortages, a Mayo Clinic study shows an association between burnout and declining professional satisfaction with physicians reducing the number of hours they devote to clinical practice. The findings appear in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
We now live in a world in which more people are obese than underweight, major global analysis reveals In the past 40 years, there has been a startling increase in the number of obese people worldwide—rising from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million in 2014, according to the most comprehensive analysis of trends in body mass index (BMI) to date, published in The Lancet.
Rising global temperatures may threaten diabetics The World Health Organization estimates that of the 500 million people worldwide thought to have diabetes, 90 percent have type 2 diabetes and the number diagnosed with diabetes by 2020 will increase dramatically. As the review by Dr. Glen Kenny and colleagues titled "Body temperature regulation in diabetes" highlights, diabetes can impair the body's ability to thermoregulate leading to a relative inability to adequately regulate core temperature. As they discuss in their review, this can have a profound impact on the ability of individuals with diabetes to work and play in adverse environments which includes workers in many vital industries who may be regularly exposed to harsh environmental conditions.
Label understanding affects perception of poultry quality, researchers find A doctoral student and her professor at the University of Arkansas have found consumer's knowledge of food labels affects the consumer's perception of product quality.
	Researchers to study link between gastric bypass and alcohol abuse A new collaborative study from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions and the Penn State College of Medicine will investigate why a significant percentage of people who undergo gastric bypass surgery develop alcohol abuse problems.
	Mining critical care data to support real-time clinical decision In the intensive care units found in leading hospitals, just about every aspect of human physiology is continually monitored and reported. Critical care clinicians synthesize all these inputs in real-time, but given the high volume of data, some important signals may get lost in the mix. Within a few days, most of the data are deleted altogether, preventing further study.
Scientists find receptor that puts the brakes on allergic response Up to 40% of the world's population has allergic rhinitis, commonly known as an allergy. A Yale-led study has identified an important receptor protein that regulates the intensity of the immune response to allergens. Their finding, published in Science, provides a new target for treating this pervasive health problem.
	New mobile app has the potential to revolutionise asthma management Asthma is a major public health concern, affecting one in 10 Australian adults. While there is no cure, asthma can be effectively managed. Asthma management is particularly important during pregnancy. The risk of pre-eclampsia, foetal growth restriction, preterm birth and the need for caesarean delivery are all recognised risk factors for asthmatics during pregnancy.
Nine out of 10 people don't link alcohol and cancer Almost 90 per cent of people in England don't associate drinking alcohol with an increased risk of cancer, according to a new report published today (Friday 1 April 2016).
	The lifetime nutrition of both mothers and fathers can affect the long-term health of their children In the winter of 1944, the western Netherlands faced a famine of epic proportions. A Nazi blockade had stopped all food or fuel from entering the region, forcing residents to eat whatever they could scrounge up—sometimes even grass or tulip bulbs. Many consumed as little as 600 calories a day, and by the time the famine eased that spring, more than 20,000 people had starved to death.
Connection between adverse childhood experiences and juvenile delinquency A recent study co-authored by University of New Mexico School of Law Associate Professor Yael Zakai Cannon shows the relationship between "adverse childhood experiences," or ACEs, and juvenile delinquency. The study also sheds light on the role that law and medicine can play in improving outcomes for children with adverse experiences.
	Researchers discover genes that influence cannabis use Researchers from the AMC, VU University Amsterdam and Radboud University have discovered four genes that play a role in the use of cannabis. An article about their findings, co-written by colleagues from the USA and Europe, is being published in this week's Translational Psychiatry. The research involved almost 40,000 participants in 17 different studies, who together make up the 'International Cannabis Consortium'.
	Mum's with preemie babies have better breast milk Mothers of extremely premature babies have higher concentrations of immune proteins in their breast milk, despite the fact that their babies are prone to deadly bacterial blood infections, researchers have discovered.
Suicide risk can be intercepted in the emergency department, study finds A new study from UMass Medical School found that universal suicide risk screening in emergency departments nearly doubled the number of patients who were positively identified as thinking about or having attempted suicide. In the study, suicide risk screenings among 236,791 ED visits over five years rose from 26 to 84 percent, increasing detection of suicide risk from 2.9 to 5.7 percent.
	Researchers opening a new front in the battle against childhood cancer There can be no more heartbreaking diagnosis for a child than that of cancer. It doesn't seem possible—or fair—that someone so young can be afflicted with a disease we often associate with aging.
	How metastatic cancer cells evade detection by the immune system Even after successful treatment, cancer can sometimes come back years later and spread to different organs. This is called latent metastasis. A new study by MSK scientists sheds light on how cancer cells hide out and remain undetected by our immune system, opening up a promising new avenue for treatment.
Male fetal hormone could influence the making of woman as well as man Scientists at The University of Nottingham have shown, for the first time, that a naturally occurring hormone which plays a major role in the development of the male fetus can, in the early stages of pregnancy, transfer into a 'neighbouring' fetus and potentially influence the development of female as well as male twins.
	Who needs to be in an ICU? It's hard for doctors to tell You might think the only people who wind up in a hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) are at the brink of death and in dire need of specialized care. ICUs are designed to look after patients who need ventilators, medications to support blood pressure, high-tech treatments and close monitoring from doctors and nurses trained in critical care in order to survive.
	Monetary incentives for healthy behavior can pay off, study says Monetary rewards for healthy behavior can pay off both in the pocketbook and in positive psychological factors like internal motivation, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study.
Endocrine Society encourages clinicians to avoid prescribing compounded hormones A new Scientific Statement issued today by the Endocrine Society advises clinicians to avoid using compounded hormone medications to treat menopausal symptoms, female sexual dysfunction and other hormone conditions.
Anti-mullerian hormone may predict rate of trans-menopausal bone loss Doctors have devised a test which could help them predict which women going through menopause will lose bone faster than average, new research reports. The results of the study will be presented Friday, April 1, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.
Engineered ovary implant restores fertility in mice Northwestern University scientists created a prosthetic ovary using a 3D printer - an implant that allowed mice that had their ovaries surgically removed to bear live young. The results will be presented Saturday, April 2, at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, ENDO 2016, in Boston.
	Heart rate variability predicts epileptic seizure Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that causes seizures of many different types. Recent research from Japan has found that epileptic seizures can be more easily predicted by using an electrocardiogram to measure fluctuations in the heart rate than by measuring brain activity, because the monitoring device is easier to wear. By making more accurate predictions, it is possible to prevent injury or accident that may result from an epileptic seizure. This is a significant contribution toward the realization of a society where epileptic patients can live without worrying about sustaining injury from an unexpected seizure. This finding comes from the combined research of Kumamoto University, Kyoto University and Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
Study raises online golf tutorials to above par The internet is overflowing with online tutorials dedicated to improving your game of golf and other motor skills. A new study in Frontiers in Psychology has shown that straightforward changes to the way these tutorials are presented can have a measurable difference in the performance of the student.
	New method proposed to detect bacterial infection in preterm infants A research group led by Kobe University Professor MORIOKA Ichiro (Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics), Associate Professor OSAWA Kayo (Graduate School of Health Sciences, Department of Biophysics), and Clinical Technologist SATO Itsuko (Kobe University Hospital, Department of Clinical Laboratory) is proposing a new criterion for diagnosis of bacterial infection in preterm infants. Using this method could lead to early diagnosis and treatment for bacterial infection and improve the prognosis for preterm infants. These findings will be published in the online version of the journal Scientific Reports on April 1, 2016.
Vaccine adjuvant protects against post-burn infection Research findings published in the April 2016 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, suggests that the use of a FDA-approved drug may serve a dual purpose by protecting people who are at high risk of infection, including those with severe burns, cancer, and other conditions that may compromise their immune systems' ability to ward off disease. Specifically, scientists discovered that monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) has shown a protective effect in mice, and the scientists believe that it does this by stimulating the production of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), which ultimately bolsters the production of immune cells responsible for the clearance of bacteria to sites of infection.
Call them spare tires or love handles—belly fat is bad Researchers believe that the obesity wave, combined with an ageing population, will lead to a significant increase in heart failure in the future. A review of all available research in this area shows a clear correlation between higher BMI, waist circumference and the risk of heart failure.
Asthma is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome and excess weight Among reproductive-age women, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as well as overweight and obesity are independently linked with asthma, new preliminary research from Australia suggests. The results will be presented in a poster Saturday, April 2, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.
Brazil's woes mount as swine flu adds to Zika problem Brazil, the country hardest hit by the Zika virus, is facing another health problem with the Olympics it is hosting just months away: a swine flu outbreak.
Some sunscreen ingredients may disrupt sperm cell function Many ultraviolet (UV)-filtering chemicals commonly used in sunscreens interfere with the function of human sperm cells, and some mimic the effect of the female hormone progesterone, a new study finds. Results of the Danish study will be presented Friday at the Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston.
Attention deficit after kids' critical illness linked to plasticizers in medical tubes Children who are often hospitalized in intensive care units are more likely to have attention deficit disorders later, and new research finds a possible culprit: a high level of plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates circulating in the blood. The researchers, who will present their study results Friday at The Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston, suggest these chemicals, which are added to indwelling medical devices such as plastic tubes and catheters, seep into the child's bloodstream.
BPA changes fetal development of the mammary gland, can raise breast cancer risk A new culture system that tests the role of chemical exposure on the developing mammary gland has found that bisphenol A (BPA) directly affects the mammary gland of mouse embryos. The study results, to be presented Friday at the Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston, show that these changes to embryonic mammary tissue occur at a dose comparable to that of humans' environmental exposure to BPA.
Chemical in antibacterial soap may disrupt mix of organisms in digestive tract Use of a common nonprescription antimicrobial, triclocarban (TCC), during pregnancy and breast-feeding may alter the offspring's composition of intestinal bacteria and other micro-organisms, called the gut microbiota, a new animal study finds. Presentation of the results will take place Friday at the Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston.
Scientists engineer immune cells to protect organs from transplant rejection Scientists at BC Children's Hospital and the University of British Columbia have developed a gene therapy that programs a type of immune cell called T regulatory cells (Tregs) to protect transplanted tissues from rejection by the patient's immune system. The proof-of-concept study is published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation print issue.
New toolkit can improve primary healthcare for people with developmental disabilities Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have more health issues than other adults, but they are less likely to receive preventative care. A new evidence-based toolkit, developed by Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities Program (H-CARDD), will help family health teams provide better, more proactive care for this vulnerable and underserved population.
	Seeing cell to cell differences for first time explains symptoms of rare genetic disorders Every cell in the body has two genomes, one from the mother and one from the father. Until now, researchers have lacked the tools to examine—in a single cell —the exact readout from each genome to make RNA. Using a new technology that allows researchers to do just that, an interdisciplinary University of Pennsylvania team examined a rare disease in which these two genomes are expressed differently throughout the body, even sometimes in the same organ. They found that at the single-cell level gene expression was highly variable and quite different than expected, which is now shedding light on the molecular causes of rare diseases and perhaps the complex nature of tumors.
	How to control chlamydia They are young and mostly female: with more than 3.2 million reported cases between 2005 and 2014, chlamydia remains the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) across Europe. As chlamydia infection often shows no symptoms, these numbers underestimate the true picture. The updated ECDC guidance Chlamydia control in Europe makes the case for national chlamydia control strategies in the European Union Member States and shows ways to develop, implement or improve national or local control activities.
Obesity can be predicted as early as 6 months of age, says study Severe obesity can be predicted using a simple body mass index (BMI) measurement as early as 6 months of age, according to a new study. The study is believed to be the first to show that weight gain during infancy differs in those who eventually develop obesity.
	Use of peripheral nerve blocks associated with improved joint replacement outcomes The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) is associated with better outcomes following hip and knee replacement, according to a study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Researchers compiled data on more than one million joint replacement patients who received a PNB in addition to general anesthesia or epidural anesthesia. Those who received the nerve block had fewer complications after surgery.
In mildly obese patients, sleeve-it surgery may increase weight loss and glycemic control In mildly obese ("class I") patients, sleeve with ileal transposition (sleeve-IT) surgery results in better glycemic control than either gastric bypass or clinical treatment, a new study from Brazil suggests. The results will be presented Friday, April 1, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.
Older overweight and obese adults with diabetes benefit from better diet and exercise Lifestyle changes that include healthier diet and routine physical exercise help older overweight and obese adults with Type 2 diabetes improve glucose control, body composition, physical function and bone quality, according to preliminary findings of an ongoing clinical trial. The six-month results of the one-year study will be presented Friday, April 1, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.
	Pediatricians vary widely in diagnosing ADHD, depression (HealthDay)—There is a large variation in how often U.S. pediatricians diagnose and prescribe drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other mental health conditions, a new study suggests.
	Booze-branded merchandise may spur teen drinking (HealthDay)—Teens who own caps, shirts, and other merchandise displaying alcohol logos are more likely to drink, a new study finds.
	Even light-use waterpipe smoking harms the lungs (HealthDay)—Young, light-use waterpipe smokers exhibit a variety of pulmonary abnormalities, according to a study published online March 23 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
	Under-dosing worsens prognosis for PD patients with infection (HealthDay)—For patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) admitted to the hospital, decreased treatment is associated with worse prognosis, according to a letter to the editor published online March 25 in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics.
	Child mental health care varies widely in primary care settings (HealthDay)—For children aged 4 to 18 years, mental health diagnoses and psychotropic medication prescribing vary across practices in the United States, according to a review published online April 1 in Pediatrics.
An overfed fetus may become an overweight adolescent Higher levels of blood markers in the umbilical cord indicate that the baby has more fat and may continue having more fat into late childhood and adolescence, new research suggests. The results will be presented in a poster Friday, April 1, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston.
	Engineered monomeric streptavidin for cell labeling and proximity dependent biotinylation A team of researchers from the University at Buffalo in Amherst, NY have successfully engineered a novel variant of streptavidin that forms a stable monomer and is capable of monovalent biotin detection. Streptavidin is broadly used for detection of biotinylated ligands but may cause target crosslinking that can interfere with observations at a molecular level. The engineered streptavidin monomer (mSA) binds biotinylated targets without crosslinking because it has only one biotin binding site. As a structural monomer, mSA can also be genetically fused to another protein to form a biotin binding tag. The binding of a biotinylated ligand to the fused mSA domain is useful in various biochemical and cell biology studies. The optimization of mSA design and its potential applications in labeling and protein-protein interaction studies are described in the forthcoming 2016 issue of the journal TECHNOLOGY.
Growing skin in the lab Using reprogrammed iPS cells, scientists from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Japan have, along with collaborators from Tokyo University of Science and other Japanese institutions, successfully grown complex skin tissue—complete with hair follicles and sebaceous glands—in the laboratory. They were then able to implant these three-dimensional tissues into living mice, and the tissues formed proper connections with other organ systems such as nerves and muscle fibers. This work opens a path to creating functional skin transplants for burn and other patients who require new skin.
Researchers identify candidate biomarker of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have shown an association between a defective myogenic response—the regulatory increase or decrease in blood pressure to keep blood flow within the vessels of the retina constant—and early, accelerated development of retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes. These findings, published online today in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, identify one mechanism to explain why some patients develop diabetic retinopathy sooner than others. Furthermore, the findings provide a target for future study, which may lead to therapies to delay or prevent the development of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy.
Infants with strong sucking skills are more likely to gain additional weight A new study of African-American infants finds that those who feed more vigorously at 1 month of age have higher weight at 4 months, which may be associated with a later risk for obesity. Researchers will present their study findings Friday at the Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston.
Lower home temperature in winter is associated with lower waist measurement Elderly adults are bigger around the middle when they turn up the heat inside their homes during the cold season and have smaller waistlines when their homes stay cool, new research finds. Investigators from Japan will present their study results Friday at the Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston.
	FDA proposes limit for arsenic in baby rice cereal The Food and Drug Administration on Friday urged the food industry to reduce the already-tiny amount of arsenic found in baby rice cereals.
New appeals for Zika funds amid resistance in US Congress US health officials Friday appealed again for emergency funding to fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus, after meeting resistance from Republican lawmakers who want to use money previously earmarked for Ebola.
	Your viruses could reveal your travel history, and more The genomes of two distinct strains of the virus that causes the common lip cold sore, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), have been identified within an individual person—an achievement that could be useful to forensic scientists for tracing a person's history. The research also opens the door to understanding how a patient's viruses influence the course of disease. The research by an international team led by Moriah L. Szpara, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State University, will be published in the May 2016 issue of the journal Virology.
'Concern' over GPs prescribing unnecessary antibiotics for toothache Over half of all patients who visited their GP with a dental problem in the last 10 years were not offered a long-term treatment for their pain and were instead prescribed antibiotics, often unnecessarily, new research has found.
More Latinas screened for breast cancer after 'Promotora' visits Latina women were nearly twice as likely to be screened for breast cancer after they were visited in their homes by trained community health workers, known as Promotoras, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
Sports-related brain injuries: 12 new articles in April issue of Neurosurgical Focus Sports-related concussion (also known as mild traumatic brain injury [TBI]) and possible sequelae such as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) are hot topics that can be found daily in news outlets and often as story lines in movies and TV shows. In March, the NFL (National Football League) conceded a link between football and CTE, and The New York Times reported a connection between the NFL and earlier faulty research on concussion.
	Drug maker reconsidering $20 million North Carolina factory North Carolina's governor met Thursday with gay-rights advocates bearing a letter signed by more than 100 corporate executives urging him to repeal the nation's first state law limiting the bathroom options for transgender people.
	Regenerative therapy shows promise for the treatment of femoral head osteonecrosis As part of an ongoing investigator-initiated clinical trial, a medical team led by Professor Shuichi Matsuda of Kyoto University Hospital has successfully treated a patient with a refractory disease called idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (idiopathic ONFH). The procedure consisted of a single local administration of gelatin gel impregnated with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a protein that has been found to promote bone regeneration.
	New test can predict death in patients with serious liver disease Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a sudden deterioration of the liver function in a patient with liver cirrhosis accompanied by failure of one or more organ systems. This liver disease has a serious prognosis and the four-week mortality rate is 20-30%.
WHO says new case of Ebola confirmed in Liberia A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Liberia, the World Health Organization said Friday, a setback for the country which had been declared free from Ebola transmissions in January.
	Retooled Bayer expands US business The German conglomerate that invented aspirin over a century ago wants to take over much more of your medicine cabinet.
HIV-positive children and adolescents: Added benefit of rilpivirine not proven Under the trade name Edurant, rilpivirine as single agent has been approved already since 2011 for adults who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Since November 2015, HIV-1-infected children and adolescents from the age of 12 years have also been allowed to be treated with rilpivirine if they have not received any other antiretroviral therapy before and have no more than 100 000 viral RNA copies/mL in their blood (so-called viral load).
Transgender veterans have high rates of mental health problems Among military veterans identifying as transgender, 90 percent have at least one mental health diagnosis, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and nearly 50 percent had a hospitalization after a suicide attempt or suicidal thoughts. These study findings, from a single veterans' hospital, will be presented Friday at The Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston.
Brain processes social information at high priority Our brain automatically pays great attention to everyday actions linked to a social context. Researchers from Bochum have verified this fact with the aid of hypnosis.
UH pharmacology student to present research on Fragile X April 3 Luis Martinez, a pharmacology doctoral candidate at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, has earned a spot to present his research on Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) at the 2016 Experimental Biology Meeting April 2-6 in San Diego. Working in the lab of associate professor Maria V. Tejada-Simon, he will present their latest findings on the research into this autism-linked genetic disorder.

Biology news

	Living in a constant din, bats' hearing remains resilient At some time or another – perhaps at a loud concert or a construction site, for instance – many people have experienced the loss of hearing sensitivity that becomes strikingly evident after the noise subsides. That phenomenon is called a "temporary threshold shift" (TTS) and its occurrence is the norm among a wide variety of animals. But not so for bats. The company of other bats surrounds them with a cloud of incredibly intense sound, yet the results of experiments at Brown University show that their hearing doesn't suffer any significant sensitivity loss from their experience.
Lifting the veil on sex: Can males be less expensive? Men: if all they do is eat, without an ability to produce babies, what long term benefit are they to society?
Feeding the world: Uncovering a key regulator of flower head development in rice Rice is a staple food for more than 3.5 billion people worldwide. Meeting the demand for high-yielding rice is an urgent task for breeders. Superior, high-yielding hybrid plants are often produced by crossing two diverse parental lines. This task is quite complicated in rice, a self-pollinating plant. One approach to solving this problem originated in the 1970s, when Chinese scientists figured out how to produce male sterile (MS) rice lines.
	Rare crane a boost to Taiwan's troubled wetlands It has a Facebook page, two books and its own brand of rice. A Siberian crane that landed in Taiwan after getting lost on migration over a year ago even made international headlines when it was found wandering outside a train station.
	Cloud cover points to threatened habitats, study says The search for endangered species is leading scientists to an unexpected place for information—the clouds that shift and swirl around the planet.
	Biofuel producers with poor soil should consider prairie cordgrass Most prime agricultural land is used to produce food crops, leaving biofuel producers to establish crops on marginal land. The soil on marginal land is often salty, making crop production difficult. But University of Illinois researchers have found several varieties of perennial grasses that can withstand high salt concentrations.
	Discovery of cellular counting mechanism used for size control in algae with links to cancer genetics James Umen, Ph.D., associate member at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and colleagues have discovered a protein that enables the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas to count cell divisions, a process that is critically important for its cells to maintain optimal size. The findings were published March 25, in a paper titled, "A new class of cyclin dependent kinase in Chlamydomonas is required for coupling cell size to cell division," in the open access journal eLife. Umen and his team including lead authors postdoctoral scientist Yubing Li and graduate student Dianyi Liu, identified a "sizer" protein called CDKG1 that helps Chlamydomonas count cell divisions.

---

This email is a free service of Phys.org
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
https://sciencex.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com