Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Sep 19

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for September 19, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Self-healing catalysts make it easier to store solar energy with water

New quasar discovered by astronomers

New research suggests Mercury's poles are icier than scientists thought

Solar wind impacts on giant 'space hurricanes' may affect satellite safety

Today's US teens about three years behind '70s generation

Startup Pi out to slice the charging cord

Tesla patent talk: A battery-swapping system

Researchers compose guidelines for handling CAR T cell side effects

Soft robotics: self-contained soft actuator three times stronger than natural muscle, without the need of externals

Nonlinear physics bridges thoughts to sounds in birdsong

Researchers find way to convert bad body fat into good fat

Researchers produce first 2-D field-effect transistor made of a single material

Americans vastly overestimate progress toward racial economic equality

New model may help science overcome the brain's fortress-like barrier

Expect the unexpected from the big-data boom in radio astronomy

Astronomy & Space news

	New quasar discovered by astronomers (Phys.org)—A team of astronomers led by Jacob M. Robertson of the Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee has detected a new quasi-stellar object (QSO). They found the new quasar, designated SDSS J022155.26-064916.6, as a result of an analysis of available spectroscopic data. The finding is reported in a paper published Sept. 10 on the arXiv pre-print server.
	New research suggests Mercury's poles are icier than scientists thought The scorching hot surface of Mercury seems like an unlikely place to find ice, but research over the past three decades has suggested that water is frozen on the first rock from the sun, hidden away on crater floors that are permanently shadowed from the sun's blistering rays. Now, a new study led by Brown University researchers suggests that there could be much more ice on Mercury's surface than previously thought.
	Solar wind impacts on giant 'space hurricanes' may affect satellite safety Could the flapping of a butterfly's wings in Costa Rica set off a hurricane in California? The question has been scrutinized by chaos theorists, stock-market analysts and weather forecasters for decades. For most people, this hypothetical scenario may be difficult to imagine on Earth - particularly when a real disaster strikes.
	Expect the unexpected from the big-data boom in radio astronomy Radio astronomy is undergoing a major boost, with new technology gathering data on objects in our universe faster than astronomers can analyse.
	A day in the life of NASA's Voyagers At more than 10 billion miles away from Earth, there is no day and night. Time and space are fathomless and our Sun is a distant point of starlight—a faint reminder of the home NASA's twin Voyagers, humanity's farthest and longest-lived spacecraft, left behind 40 years ago. Voyager 1, which launched on Sept. 5, 1977, and Voyager 2, launched on Aug. 20, 1977, continue to return data that shape our view and understanding of our place in the universe.
	What do we need to know to mine an asteroid? The mining of resources contained in asteroids, for use as propellant, building materials or in life-support systems, has the potential to revolutionise exploration of our Solar System. To make this concept a reality, we need to increase our knowledge of the very diverse population of accessible Near Earth Asteroids (NEA). Last year, dozens of the world's leading asteroid scientists and asteroid mining entrepreneurs came together in Luxembourg to discuss key questions and identify scientific knowledge gaps. A White Paper outlining the results of that discussion, "Answers to Questions from the Asteroid Miners" will be presented at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) 2017 in Riga on Tuesday 19th September by Dr JL Galache and Dr Amara Graps.
	The cosmic water trail uncovered by Herschel During almost four years of observing the cosmos, the Herschel Space Observatory traced out the presence of water. With its unprecedented sensitivity and spectral resolution at key wavelengths, Herschel revealed this crucial molecule in star-forming molecular clouds, detected it for the first time in the seeds of future stars and planets, and identified the delivery of water from interplanetary debris to planets in our solar system.
	New mirror-coating technology promises dramatic improvements in telescopes Materials scientist Nobuhiko Kobayashi wasn't quite sure why the astronomer he met at a wine-tasting several years ago was so interested in his research, but as he learned more about telescope mirrors it began to make sense.
	What we're hoping to learn from the magnetic readings of Cassini's final orbits It was a proud but sad moment when NASA announced that mission control had lost the signal from the Cassini spacecraft on September 15. As it takes the signal over an hour to travel from Saturn to Earth, this meant that the spacecraft had already been destroyed in Saturn's atmosphere.
	Size matters in the detection of exoplanet atmospheres A group analysis of 30 exoplanets orbiting distant stars suggests that size, not mass, is a key factor in whether a planet's atmosphere can be detected. The largest population-study of exoplanets to date successfully detected atmospheres around 16 'hot Jupiters', and found that water vapour was present in every case.
	Nanosat fleet proposed for voyage to 300 asteroids A fleet of tiny spacecraft could visit over 300 asteroids in just over three years, according to a mission study led by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The Asteroid Touring Nanosat Fleet concept comprises 50 spacecraft propelled by innovative electric solar wind sails (E-sails) and equipped with instruments to take images and collect spectroscopic data on the composition of the asteroids. Each nanosat would visit six or seven asteroids before returning to Earth to deliver the data. The concept will be presented by Dr Pekka Janhunen at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) 2017 in Riga on Tuesday 19th September.
	NASA small satellite promises big discoveries Small satellites provide a cheap, responsive alternative to larger, more expensive satellites. As demand grows, engineers must adapt these "nanosatellites" to provide greater data returns. NASA, in collaboration with educational partners, targets 2021 for the launch of an innovative CubeSat that addresses these challenges.
Giant antennas in New Mexico search for cosmic discoveries Employing an array of giant telescopes positioned in the New Mexico desert, astronomers have started a massive surveying project aimed at producing the most detailed view ever made of such a large portion of space using radio waves emitted from throughout the Milky Way and beyond.

Technology news

	Startup Pi out to slice the charging cord Silicon Valley youngster Pi on Monday claimed it had developed the world's first wireless charger that does away with cords or mats to charge devices.
	Tesla patent talk: A battery-swapping system (Tech Xplore)—Tesla has filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office, titled "Battery Swapping System and Techniques."
	Soft robotics: self-contained soft actuator three times stronger than natural muscle, without the need of externals Researchers at Columbia Engineering have solved a long-standing issue in the creation of untethered soft robots whose actions and movements can help mimic natural biological systems. A group in the Creative Machines lab led by Hod Lipson, professor of mechanical engineering, has developed a 3D-printable synthetic soft muscle, a one-of-a-kind artificial active tissue with intrinsic expansion ability that does not require an external compressor or high voltage equipment as previous muscles required. The new material has a strain density (expansion per gram) that is 15 times larger than natural muscle, and can lift 1000 times its own weight.
	Review: Glitzy iPhone X aside, the iPhone 8 is fine for most The difference between Apple's new iPhone models is a bit like flying first class compared with coach. We envy first class, but coach gets us there without breaking the budget.
	Startup pioneers human-centric urban travel For city dwellers, life without an automobile can be filled with daily headaches and frequent inconveniences. Everyday tasks, like lugging a few grocery bags from the nearest market to a walk-up apartment, become a pain in the neck.
	Researchers use Wikipedia to give AI context clues Walk into a room, see a chair, and your brain will tell you that you can sit in it, tip it over or lift it up, but you wouldn't even consider drinking it, promoting it or unlocking it. As humans, explains Brigham Young University computer science professor David Wingate, we know intuitively that certain verbs pair naturally with certain nouns, and we also know that most verbs don't make sense when paired with random nouns.
	Security cameras are vulnerable to attacks using infrared light: study Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have demonstrated that security cameras infected with malware can receive covert signals and leak sensitive information from the very same surveillance devices used to protect facilities.
	Study suggests risks vary widely in drone-human impacts New Virginia Tech research suggests there's wide variation in the risk that unmanned aircraft pose to people on the ground.
	The person named most dangerous online might surprise you One-time pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne has beaten superstar Beyonce at something, but she may not be totally happy with her victory—she's been named the most dangerous celebrity on the internet.
	Facebook may be facing an 'era of accountability' The problems keep piling up for Facebook, and it's unclear how long the internet giant will be able to brush them aside as it barrels toward acquiring its next billion users.
	'Car nation' Germany distrustful of driverless vehicles German carmakers are showing off their self-driving cars at the IAA international auto show in Frankfurt, but most people in the car-mad country have yet to be convinced by the technology.
	EU antitrust chief defends probe of Google, US tech giants Europe's top antitrust regulator Magrethe Vestager on Monday defended her agency's investigations of Google and other US tech giants, arguing that dominant companies have a "special responsibility" to avoid abusing their market power.
	Bringing harmony to discord in the IoT world Billions of devices are connected to wireless networks all over the globe, and because of the Internet of Things (IoT), they're starting to communicate with each other and the cloud now more than ever. Today, some of our devices can 'talk' with other applications to make our lives more manageable and stress-free: our smart phones can track our movements to help us navigate, and our Fitbits can count our steps to monitor our health, but what if every device in our homes, or in our cities, could be connected to the Internet? The Internet of Things (IoT) is a growing platform that could make this possible.
	Fujitsu develops world's first wearable, hands-free speech translation device Fujitsu Laboratories today announced the development of the world's first wearable, hands-free speech translation device, suitable for tasks in which the users' hands are often occupied, such as in diagnoses or treatment in healthcare.
	Music piracy on increase worldwide: industry group Music piracy is on the increase worldwide, with 40 percent of users are accessing unlicensed music, up from 35 percent last year, the global recorded music industry group IFPI said.
	How VR is revolutionizing the way future doctors are learning about our bodies Wearing virtual reality goggles, Jordan Holler was hard at work taking apart muscles inside of a body.
	The sublime challenge of jet noise Humans make a lot of noise. The riffs of heavy metal bands like Metallica and Kiss have soared to levels in the 130-decibel range, levels sure to lead to auditory damage.
	Bike-sharing schemes might seem like a waste of space, but the economics makes sense Have you ever walked past (or tripped over) a shared bike and wondered how it's possible for the business to survive with a ride costing as little as A$2 per half hour?
	Artificial intelligence won't replace a doctor any time soon, but it can help with diagnosis In the next few years, you will probably have your first interaction with a medical artificial intelligence (AI) system. The same technology that powers self-driving cars, voice assistants in the home, and self-tagging photo galleries is making rapid progress in the field of health care, and the first medical AI systems are already rolling out to clinics.
	Researchers working on ways to power the next generation of prosthetic limbs Scientists from Deakin University's and CSIRO's Battery Technology Research and Innovation Hub (BatTRI-Hub) are aiming to develop safe and reliable batteries for a unique robotic hand created by researchers from the University of Wollongong as part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES).
	A pirate site explores a new way of paying for the internet that doesn't involve ads To say that advertising as the main business model of the internet is in a crisis would be an understatement. For a start, there is the fact that Google and Facebook between them suck up most of the revenue from digital advertising. They accounted for 99% of revenue growth in digital advertising in the US in 2016 and took 77% of all advertising spending in that same year. Then there is the growth of ad blockers whose use grew 30% also in 2016. Worse still, attempts to simply deny access to users with ad blockers until they whitelisted the site resulted in 74% of users simply leaving and not visiting that site. If that wasn't bad enough, Google is joining the ad blocking fight by building ad blocking directly into its Chrome browser. To cap it all, Apple has introduced intelligent ad-tracking prevention into Safari that has resulted in the American Association of Advertising Agencies to publicly oppose the move.
	Words With Friends adds 50,000 pop culture words Tell your bae or your bestie: The mobile game Words With Friends is adding thousands of pop culture words as part of its largest dictionary update in the game's eight-year history.
	Researchers' work pushes battery tech forward University of Central Florida Assistant Professor Yang Yang's research group has developed two promising energy storage technologies in its work with sustainable energy systems.
	Twitter touts victories in war on extremist content Twitter on Tuesday touted victories in the battle against tweets promoting extremist violence, saying it has been vanquishing those kinds of accounts before governments even ask.
	EU to launch cybersecurity 'safety labels' The European Union unveiled plans Tuesday to step up its response to cyber attacks, including a new intelligence-sharing agency, cyber war games and product safety labels.
	Self-driving Uber fleet returns to service following crash Uber has resumed self-driving vehicle service in Pittsburgh following a crash.
	Equifax says it had a security breach earlier in the year Equifax, under pressure from a massive data breach, says it had a separate incident earlier this year. That may mean even more scrutiny as the company deals with the aftermath of a security failure that exposed the information of 143 million Americans.
	Equifax says 100,000 Canadians' data hacked The personal information of 100,000 Canadians may have been compromised in a hack of Equifax revealed earlier in the month, the credit data company said Tuesday.
	Four things to know about Apple's iOS 11 software update Holding off on upgrading your trusty old iPhone? You won't need a spiffy iPhone 8 in order to get new maps, photos and other features with a free software update Apple began rolling out Tuesday.
If Google invests in Lyft, what does that mean for Uber? Uber was the indisputable No. 1 player in the domestic on-demand transportation industry. And by its workforce size, passenger count and capital raised, it still is.
Video streaming pioneer Roku aims to raise up to $252 million with IPO Roku Inc., the leading maker of devices for streaming internet video on televisions, hopes to raise up to $252 million with an initial public stock offering.
	Can cycling be safer if bikes are smarter and 'talk' to cars? Jake Sigal wants to make biking safer. To do that, Sigal and his Detroit-area software company, Tome, plan to make bicycles, or their accessories, smarter and allow them to communicate with the cars and trucks that occupy the same streets, sometimes leading to fatal interactions.
	Connected Lighting Test Bed advancing smart, adaptive lighting Long gone are the days when light bulbs simply shine in the darkness.
NY AG presses TransUnion, Experian for cybersecurity details New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is pressing TransUnion and Experian to explain what cybersecurity they have in place to protect sensitive consumer information following a recent breach at Equifax that exposed the data of 143 million Americans.
Revealing the cause for high air content in concrete A study carried out in Aalto University showed that the effectiveness of the mixing process has a great significance when newer plasticizing additives are used.
Accelerator company develops product to help wind turbines Sharks swimming deep in the ocean, geckos climbing up trees and wind turbines towering over West Texas don't have a lot in common. At least, not yet.
	Kohl's to start accepting Amazon returns at some stores Kohl's, which is opening some in-store Amazon shops, will start accepting returns for the online retailer at some of its stores in Los Angeles and Chicago starting next month.
	Research sparks new way to predict movie-goers' facial expressions Researchers in SFU's School of Computing Science have been working with Disney Research to develop a new way to assess and predict the facial expressions of movie goers. This method could help to make artificial data created in animation look more realistic.

Medicine & Health news

	Today's US teens about three years behind '70s generation Teenagers in America today are about three years behind their counterparts from the 1970s when it comes to taking up sex, drinking alcohol and working for pay, researchers said Tuesday.
Researchers compose guidelines for handling CAR T cell side effects Immune-cell based therapies opening a new frontier for cancer treatment carry unique, potentially lethal side effects that provide a new challenge for oncologists, one addressed by a team led by clinicians at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with proposed guidelines for systematically dealing with the toxicities of these drugs.
	Researchers find way to convert bad body fat into good fat There's good fat and bad fat in our bodies. The good fat helps burn calories, while the bad fat hoards calories, contributing to weight gain and obesity. Now, new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified a way to convert bad, white fat into good, brown fat, at least in mice.
	New model may help science overcome the brain's fortress-like barrier Scientists have helped provide a way to better understand how to enable drugs to enter the brain and how cancer cells make it past the blood brain barrier.
	Metabolism switch signals end for healing hearts Researchers have identified the process that shuts down the human heart's ability to heal itself, and are now searching for a drug to reverse it.
	Researchers find new path to promising Parkinson's treatment Three researchers at The University of Alabama are part of work that is leading to a new direction for drug discovery in the quest to treat Parkinson's disease.
	Targeted antibiotic use may help cure chronic myeloid leukaemia The antibiotic tigecycline, when used in combination with current treatment, may hold the key to eradicating chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) cells, according to new research.
	The brain at work: Spotting half-hidden objects How does a driver's brain realize that a stop sign is behind a bush when only a red edge is showing? Or how can a monkey suspect that the yellow sliver in the leaves is a round piece of fruit?
	A piece of the puzzle: Eight autism-related mutations in one gene Scientists have identified a hotspot for autism-related mutations in a single gene.
	Scientists identify key regulator of male fertility When it comes to male reproductive fertility, timing is everything. Now scientists are finding new details on how disruption of this timing may contribute to male infertility or congenital illness.
	Research redefines proteins' role in the development of spinal sensory cells A recent study led by Samantha Butler at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA has overturned a common belief about how a certain class of proteins in the spinal cord regulate the formation of nervous system cells—called neurons—during embryonic development. These findings could one day inform the creation of stem cell-based therapies that restore the sense of touch in paralyzed patients.
	Taking a break from dieting may improve weight loss Avoiding continuous dieting may be the key to losing weight and keeping the kilos off, the latest University of Tasmania research shows.
ADHD kids can be still—If they're not straining their brains How's this for exasperating: Your ADHD child fidgets and squirms his way through school and homework, but seems laser-focused and motionless sitting in front of the TV watching an action thriller.
Researchers document changes in teenage parenthood The US birth rate hasn't changed for two generations of teenage girls, but other aspects of young parenthood are shifting, especially regarding young fathers, according to new Indiana University research.
	The wrong first step to revive athletes in cardiac arrest About three million people have viewed the YouTube video of the death of American collegiate basketball player Frank Gathers from cardiac arrest during a game in 1990. The sequence of the events clearly shows the that for two entire minutes following his collapse, he received no form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). New research presented in HeartRhythm, suggests that the main obstacle to an appropriate bystander response during athletes' cardiac arrest could be an apparently widespread myth: that "tongue swallowing" is a common complication of sudden loss of consciousness that must be avoided or relieved at all costs to prevent death from asphyxia.
Students' self-concepts of ability in math, reading predict later math, reading attainment Educational and developmental psychologists have tried to understand how skills and motivation are linked to academic achievement. While research supports ties between individuals' concepts of their abilities and their achievement, we lack a complete picture of how these relations develop from childhood to adolescence. A new longitudinal study looked at how youths' self-concepts are linked to their actual academic achievement in math and reading from middle childhood to adolescence. The study found that students' self-concepts of their abilities in these two academic domains play an important role in motivating their achievements over time and across levels of achievement.
	Antibiotics following C-section among obese women reduces risk of surgical infection Among obese women undergoing cesarean delivery, a postoperative 48-hour course of antibiotics significantly decreased the rate of surgical site infection within 30 days after delivery, according to a study published by JAMA.
	Contribution of opioid-related deaths to the change in life expectancy in the US Between 2000 and 2015 in the U.S., life expectancy increased overall but drug-poisoning deaths, mostly related to opioids, contributed to reducing life expectancy, according to a study published by JAMA.
	Community intervention among low-income patients results in improved blood pressure control Low-income patients in Argentina with uncontrolled high blood pressure who participated in a community health worker-led multicomponent intervention experienced a greater decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure over 18 months than did patients who received usual care, according to a study published by JAMA.
	Screening for cervical abnormalities in women offered HPV vaccination Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing detects a higher number of precancerous cervical lesions than cytology-based Pap smears in a female population including a proportion offered HPV vaccination, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine by Karen Canfell of Cancer Council New South Wales, Australia, researchers at the Victorian Cytology Service, Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues.
Home blood pressure monitoring for hypertension best combined with intensive support People who monitor their own blood pressure at home are most likely to see a benefit if they combine it with individually tailored intensive support, according to a new systematic literature review and meta-analysis published this week in PLOS Medicine by Richard McManus of the University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues.
	India has avoided 1 million child deaths since 2005, new study concludes India has avoided about 1 million deaths of children under age five since 2005, driven by significant reductions in mortality from pneumonia, diarrhea, tetanus and measles, according to new research published today.
	Researchers learn more about maximizing brain use Neuroscientists from Higher School of Economics and Charité University Clinic in Berlin have come up with a new multivariate method for predicting behavioural response to a stimulus using information about the phase of preceding neuronal oscillations recorded with EEG. The method may eventually find practical application in fields such as competitive sports, education and patient treatment. The study's findings are published in a paper titled "On optimal spatial filtering for the detection of phase coupling in multivariate neural recordings" in NeuroImage.
	Researchers report new paths to glaucoma treatment Researchers at the Center for Vascular Research, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), have identified a new mechanism involved in the development and progression of glaucoma, and found a potential therapeutic option to treat it. Glaucoma is the second cause of irreversible blindness after cataracts. It affects about 3.5 percent of people aged 40 to 80 worldwide. This study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could result in the development of therapies to treat primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), which accounts for three-quarters of all glaucoma patients.
The impact of Hurricane Harvey on allergy sufferers Although the floodwaters have mostly receded and people have begun to return to and repair their homes, the health impacts of Hurricane Harvey are just beginning. One of the most common health issues that people are facing are worsening allergies, and there are numerous reasons for this, according to one Baylor College of Medicine expert.
	Research predicts how patients are likely to respond to DNA drugs Research carried out by academics at Northumbria University, Newcastle could lead to improvements in treating patients with diseases caused by mutations in genes, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and potentially up to 6,000 other inherited conditions.
	Study suggests epilepsy drug can be used to treat form of dwarfism A drug used to treat conditions such as epilepsy has been shown in lab tests at The University of Manchester to significantly improve bone growth impaired by a form of dwarfism.
	Behavioral therapy increases connectivity in brains of people with OCD UCLA researchers report that people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, when treated with a special form of talk therapy, demonstrate distinct changes in their brains as well as improvement in their symptoms.
	Rich American seniors are getting healthier, leaving the poor behind The U.S. has seen substantial improvements in life expectancy over the past century, particularly for those who are better-educated and more affluent.
	People with dementia fail to get specialist care despite great need People suffering in the late stages of dementia receive most of their healthcare from GPs or emergency services rather than from specialist health care professionals, despite them having complex needs, researchers at UCL have found.
	Physicians perform unique procedure for ovarian cancer Physicians at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center are the first to perform a unique procedure to treat a rare and persistent type of ovarian cancer.
	Teenage aggression linked to neglect Nearly half of all teenagers investigated for neglect by Ontario's child welfare agencies and exhibiting signs of aggression are abandoned by their parents. This is because the parents are not willing or able to remain the primary caregivers for their adolescents. This startling finding comes from one of the first large-scale studies of Canadian data on maltreatment and aggressive behaviour in children and youth. The results have implications for North America as a whole. The research team also found that, in addition to suffering from various kinds of maltreatment, the vast majority of children and youth who are aggressive have non-behavioural problems ranging from educational difficulties to anxiety and ADHD to deal with (the figures that range from between 86-96 per cent, depending on the age group).
	How the media oversold standing desks as a fix for inactivity at work Sitting is so culturally ingrained at work, at the wheel, in front of the TV and at the movies, it takes a great effort to imagine doing these things standing up, let alone pedalling as you work at a "bike desk".
	Clinical trial examines care strategies for preventing falls at home A new large-scale clinical trial is testing the effectiveness of NHS home assessment strategies in preventing elderly people from falling unnecessarily.
	What motivates men to donate sperm online? A world-first QUT study into online sperm donor behaviour has revealed the importance men place on their family, friends and the risks associated with donation, has little impact on their motivation or psychology when choosing to donate their sperm to women they meet online.
American Stroke Association offers new stroke rehabilitation toolkits The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), the world's leading voluntary organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, has developed new stroke rehabilitation tools for healthcare professionals and clinical providers, to help stroke patients achieve the best recovery outcomes and quality of life possible.
	Epileptic seizures show long-distance effects The area in which an epileptic seizure starts in the brain, may be small but it reaches other parts of the brain at distances of over ten centimeters. That distant activity, in turn, influences the epileptic core, according to mathematicians and neurologists of the University of Twente and the university of Chicago.
	Brain cancer breakthrough could provide better treatment A new discovery about the most common type of childhood brain cancer could transform treatment for young patients by enabling doctors to give the most effective therapies.
	Links between deprivation and risk of violence-related injury Adolescent girls from deprived areas are at greater risk of interpersonal violence than girls from more affluent areas because they feel distrusted by their parents, suggests a study by Cardiff University.
	Self-confidence affected by teammates, study finds A person's confidence in their own ability varies significantly depending on who is in their team, according to new research from the University of Stirling.
Misuse of over-the-counter painkillers costing Australia millions A University of South Australia study looking at the health impacts of over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers has revealed the high costs of the nation's growing dependency on codeine.
	Smoking number one risk factor for PAD Smoking and diabetes are the two leading risk factors for peripheral artery disease (PAD), a narrowing of the arteries which can result in amputation, according to a study carried out at the University of Dundee and part-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
	The most important ways parents can prepare children for school With school starting, parents wonder what they can do to help their children succeed. Almost everyone knows that reading books with young children is important, and it is. But even more important is that we talk with our children. A lot. The more talk children engage in with adults, the bigger their vocabularies will become. The bigger their vocabularies when they enter kindergarten, the better they do with reading comprehension tasks – even 11 years later.
	Cell model of the brain provides new knowledge on developmental disease By reprogramming skin cells into nerve cells, researchers at Karolinska Institutet are creating cell models of the human brain. In a new study published in Molecular Psychiatry the researchers describe how cells from patients with the severe developmental disease lissencephaly differ from healthy cells. The method can provide vital new knowledge on difficult-to-study congenital diseases.
	Bone marrow protein a 'magnet' for passing prostate cancer cells Scientists at the University of York have shown that a protein in the bone marrow acts like a 'magnetic docking station' for prostate cancer cells, helping them grow and spread outside of the prostate.
	Exposure to pet and pest allergens during infancy linked to reduced asthma risk Children exposed to high indoor levels of pet or pest allergens during infancy have a lower risk of developing asthma by 7 years of age, new research supported by the National Institutes of Health reveals. The findings, published September 19 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, may provide clues for the design of strategies to prevent asthma from developing.
Weighing nonsurgical treatment options for knee osteoarthritis pain Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive "wear and tear" disease of the joint. Osteoarthritis of the knee (knee OA) may not be totally preventable but according to Elizabeth Matzkin, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine with Brigham and Women's Hospital, there are some key factors that we can control to minimize the chances of developing bone and joint pain. So, what's the best treatment option for those who already have knee OA? Dr. Matzkin explains her study's findings published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
	Study suggests link between youth football and later-life emotional, behavioral impairment A new study has found an association between participation in youth tackle football before age 12 and impaired mood and behavior later in life. The study appears in Nature's Translational Psychiatry.
	An interconnection between the nervous and immune system Working with colleagues from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Harvard Medical School and Ohio State University, researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have shown that the increased incidence of infections seen in spinal cord injury patients is directly linked to a disruption of the normal central nervous system.
Cell-based therapy success could be boosted by new antioxidant Cell therapies being developed to treat a range of conditions could be improved by a chemical compound that aids their survival, research suggests.
	Are today's teens putting the brakes on adulthood? (HealthDay)—Parents may still marvel at how fast their kids grow up, but a new study finds that U.S. teenagers are maturing more slowly than past generations.
	Restaurant rules for weight loss (HealthDay)—Is eating out your diet downfall? Getting together with friends is fun, but a tempting menu can quickly derail your weight loss efforts.
	PD-L1 mainly expressed in metastatic CRC lesions (HealthDay)—Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is primarily expressed in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) lesions, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in the Journal of Digestive Diseases.
	Drills assess ER response to communicable disease (HealthDay)—A series of mystery patient drills was used to assess the emergency department response to patients with communicable disease of public health concern in New York City; the results were published in the Sept. 15 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
	Postmarketing adverse events low for CardioMEMS HF system (HealthDay)—Postmarketing adverse events related to the CardioMEMS HF System are infrequent, but can be serious, according to a research letter published online Sept. 18 in JAMA Cardiology.
	Greater benefit for pioglitazone in high-risk patients post stroke (HealthDay)—For patients after an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, pioglitazone is associated with greater benefit for those at higher risk for stroke or myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study published online Sept. 18 in JAMA Neurology.
	How the shape and size of your face relates to your sexuality Men and women with shorter, wider faces tend to be more sexually motivated and to have a stronger sex drive than those with faces of other dimensions. These are the findings from a study led by Steven Arnocky of Nipissing University in Canada. The research investigates the role that facial features play in sexual relationships and mate selection and is published in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Scientists discover complex axis of immune suppression exploited by cancers A Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered a new mechanism by which cancer cells evade destruction by the immune system. The paper, led by Camilla Jandus of the Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, describes how immune cells known as group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are recruited by leukemic cells to suppress an essential anticancer immune response. The study, which appears in the current issue of Nature Communications, further suggests that the newly discovered immunosuppressive axis likely holds sway in other types of cancer—and that it might be disrupted by therapies already in use to treat other diseases.
	Team discovers how to train damaging inflammatory cells to promote repair after stroke White blood cells called neutrophils are like soldiers in your body that form in the bone marrow and at the first sign of microbial attack, head for the site of injury just as fast as they can to neutralize invading bacteria or fungi using an armament of chemical weapons.
	Groundbreaking investigative effort identifies gonorrhea vaccine candidates Researchers at Oregon State University have identified a pair of proteins that show promise as the basis for a gonorrhea vaccine.
Tumor-infiltrating B lymphocytes promote melanoma progression and resistance to therapy In a multi-institutional collaborative study, scientists at The Wistar Institute and the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, have identified the role of tumor-infiltrating or tumor-associated B-cells ("TABs") in melanoma progression and resistance to targeted therapy. This study provides a molecular mechanism that governs the cross-talk between TABs and tumor cells as well as a potential new therapeutic strategy for combating tumors resistant to treatment. The study was published online in Nature Communications.
Madagascar health minister separates siamese twins In most countries health ministers are seen as bureaucrats more interested in paperwork than medical miracles.
	Exercise may stem kidney damage in lupus patients (HealthDay)—Regular exercise may slow kidney damage in people with lupus while stress may prompt the opposite effect, new research suggests.
	Extended thromboprophylaxis safe, effective after liver surgery (HealthDay)—For patients undergoing liver surgery, extended pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis appears effective and safe, according to a study published online Aug. 28 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
	Anagliptin effect on LDL in T2DM via ApoB-100 synthesis (HealthDay)—In patients with type 2 diabetes being treated with a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4-I), use of anagliptin (ANA) may improve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, with the effect mediated, at least partly, via suppression of apoB-100 synthesis, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
	Half of repeat antibiotics in Australia extend initial Rx (HealthDay)—Half of repeat antibiotic dispensings in Australia are used to extend the initial course, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research.
	Metabolomic profiles differ with macular degeneration (HealthDay)—Patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have altered plasma metabolomic profiles compared with those without the condition, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in Ophthalmology.
	Monthly feedback linked to improved colonoscopy quality (HealthDay)—Monthly feedback significantly improves colonoscopy quality measures, but quarterly feedback does not, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
	Deaths, cardiac arrest not rare in triathlon participants (HealthDay)—The incidence of deaths or cardiac arrest is 1.74 per 100,000 USA Triathlon participants, according to a study published online Sept. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	ACP does not support legalization of assisted suicide (HealthDay)—The American College of Physicians (ACP) does not support the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, a practice that raises ethical, clinical, and other concerns, according to a position paper published online Sept. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Sleep deprivation is an effective anti-depressant for nearly half of depressed patients Sleep deprivation—typically administered in controlled, inpatient settings—rapidly reduces symptoms of depression in roughly half of depression patients, according the first meta-analysis on the subject in nearly 30 years, from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Partial sleep deprivation (sleep for three to four hours followed by forced wakefulness for 20-21 hours) was equally as effective as total sleep deprivation (being deprived of sleep for 36 hours), and medication did not appear to significantly influence these results. The results are published today in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
	Brain powered: Increased physical activity among breast cancer survivors boosts cognition It is estimated that up to 75 percent of breast cancer survivors experience problems with cognitive difficulties following treatments, perhaps lasting years. Currently, few science-based options are available to help. In the journal Cancer, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report in a pilot study of 87 female breast cancer survivors, an increase in physical activity more than doubled the women's post-treatment mental processing speed.
	Clear tactics, but few easy solutions, for hospitals combating ransomware Especially cruel hackers know that lives are on the line when they hold a hospital's computer systems hostage, as they did in the May 12 attack dubbed WannaCry, which locked down many overseas hospitals with the demand for a ransom. In a new article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, three medical and legal experts delineate the many steps hospitals can take to prevent and respond to attacks, but note that some strategies won't be easy to accomplish and that full security is likely impossible to ensure.
	FDA OKs Glaxo's inhaler, first one to combine three medicines The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first inhaler combining three medicines to ease breathing in patients with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
	HPV vaccine associated with improved fertility in some women More than 40 percent of American teens are now getting vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). But, despite HPV infection being associated with reduced semen quality and lower pregnancy rates, there is still public concern about whether the HPV vaccine itself could affect future fertility.
	Gulf spill oil dispersants associated with health symptoms in cleanup workers Workers who were likely exposed to dispersants while cleaning up the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill experienced a range of health symptoms including cough and wheeze, and skin and eye irritation, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study appeared online Sept. 15 in Environmental Health Perspectives and is the first research to examine dispersant-related health symptoms in humans.
Red cosmetic powder used in Hindu ceremonies contains unsafe lead levels Sindoor—a cosmetic powder sold in the United States and used during Hindu religious and cultural ceremonies—has unsafe levels of lead, according to a Rutgers University study.
	Managing negative emotions can help pregnant smokers quit A new study by scientists in the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions has shown that pregnant smokers are more likely to quit if they can learn to manage negative emotions that lead to smoking.
	Cancer treatment can affect your food preferences (HealthDay)—Cancer therapies often change patients' sense of taste, which may affect what they like to eat, according to a nutrition expert.
Hepatitis A outbreak seen in Los Angeles County Public health authorities on Tuesday declared an outbreak of the highly contagious liver disease hepatitis A in Los Angeles County, the third California region to see significant infections this year.
	PET imaging tracks Zika virus infection, disease progression in mouse model For the first time, scientists have used Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging to study brain inflammation following Zika virus infection in mice, according to a study recently published online in the journal Molecular Imaging and Biology. The technology has the added benefit of allowing investigators to study the progression of the disease over time.
Victimization of transgender youths linked to suicidal thoughts, substance abuse In two peer-reviewed papers, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that transgender adolescents are twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts as the general population, and they are up to four times as likely to engage in substance use. Depression and school-based victimization factored heavily into the disparities in both cases. The papers are the first set of studies using representative, population-based data to examine whether bias against transgender youths is associated with higher levels of suicidal thoughts and greater alcohol, cigarette and drug use.
Catheterization procedure linked to potentially long-lasting blood vessel damage Transradial catheterization—when a clinician inserts a long thin tube through the radial artery in the arm—is commonly used to diagnose and treat certain heart conditions. A recent analysis of published studies indicates that the procedure can have a significant detrimental effect on cells in the radial artery, which persists for at least several months post-catheterization.
Five African countries approach control of their HIV epidemics Data released today from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) show that the HIV epidemic is coming under control in Lesotho. These results add to prior PEPFAR-supported Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs) announced in the last nine months for Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
New hurdles as Republicans rush to reverse Obama health law After falling one vote short this summer, US Republicans have revived efforts to overhaul Barack Obama's landmark health care bill, but skepticism Monday by some in President Donald Trump's party has imperiled the plan.
	Experts explain what parents should know about pediatric obesity Contrary to what many people think, childhood obesity doesn't just happen if a child eats too much and exercises too little. Sure, proper nutrition and physical activity are crucial to anyone's health, but there are many influencing factors beyond a child—or parent's—control.
	Excluding Indigenous youth from schools may severely increase their risk of incarceration Many Indigenous children, particularly boys aged 10 to 17 years, are receiving lengthy suspensions from schools throughout Australia. Even more concerning is the over-representation of young Indigenous males incarcerated in Australia's juvenile detention facilities.
	Improving kidney transplant outcomes A new clinical trial led by researchers at the U of M could change the current standard of care for monitoring kidney transplant patients and potentially increase the longevity of successful kidney transplants. Principal investigator Julie Ho says many Canadians don't realize that kidney disease is a silent killer.
	Study showing 70 years of progress for LGBTQ students raises concerns about Trump agenda The author of a new study showing slow but consistent progress in the experiences of LGBTQ students on college campuses over the past 70 years is concerned that for the first time since 1944, that trend may be reversing.
New toolkit helps nurses use genomics in patient care Nurses and other health professionals looking to integrate genomics into patient care now have access to an online toolkit with more than 100 resources, part of a new website launched by the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Bangladesh frets about population boom in Rohingya camps Bangladesh has launched a birth control drive in its overcrowded Rohingya refugee camps, an official said Tuesday, fearing a population boom would worsen the humanitarian crisis unfolding along its border.
	Is there a link between breast milk nutrients, circadian rhythms, and infant health? The fat content and levels of several key nutrients and hormones in breast milk vary with the mother's circadian rhythm, which may have implications for the timing of breastfeeding and feeding of expressed milk, especially for high-risk infants.
	Future of legalized cannabis focus of expert panel discussion in cannabis journal In the roundtable entitled "Expert Panel on Understanding Cannabis: Medicine, Society, Government," the panelists shared their views on topics ranging from what actions U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions might take, the business of growing and selling cannabis, risk of addiction, and whether patients should use cannabis to alleviate cancer pain. The expert Roundtable is published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
States expand investigation of opioid makers, distributors Attorneys general from most states are broadening their investigation into the opioid industry as a nationwide overdose crisis continues to claim thousands of lives.
	Appeals court blocks San Francisco warning law for soda ads (Update) A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a San Francisco law requiring a health warning on soda ads, saying the measure was misleading and would suppress free speech.
Lack of trust less of a barrier to clinical trial participation, say minority populations Significantly fewer African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and non-Hispanic whites say 'lack of trust' is a reason why individuals do not participate in clinical trials, indicating a more favorable perception of this research. In a recent public opinion survey commissioned by Research!America, the percentage of respondents citing 'lack of trust' as a reason declined by as much as 15% among minority groups and the population overall, compared to the results of a 2013 survey—50% of African-Americans (11% decrease), 45% of Asians (6% decrease), 43% of Hispanics (9% decrease) and 39% of non-Hispanic whites (15% decrease).

Biology news

	False eyespots intimidate predators, researchers find The widespread occurrence of eyespots, from butterflies to fish, has intrigued biologists for years but the mechanism behind their function has, until now, remained unclear.
	Researchers find there are at least 14,003 plant types in Amazon basin (Phys.org)—A large team of researchers from Brazil, the U.K., Columbia and Spain has found that scientists have identified 14,003 types of plants growing in a major part of the Amazon rain forest. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes the many ways they searched for listings of plant types in the area and how they came up with a total.
	Virgin female spiders found willing to give themselves up to being eaten alive by spiderlings (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with Ernst Moritz Arndt University in Germany and Aarhus University in Denmark has found that female virgin velvet spiders (Stegodyphus dumicola) in addition to assisting close relatives in raising their young, allow themselves to be eaten alive by the spiderlings. In their paper published in the journal Animal Behavior, the group describes their study of the spiders and the possible advantages they get from allowing females that never mate to be eaten by young members of the colony.
	Researchers discover molecular 'add-ons' that customize protein interfaces Researchers in the United States and Germany have just discovered a previously overlooked part of protein molecules that could be key to how proteins interact with each other inside living cells to carry out specialized functions.
	Why aren't house sparrows as big as geese? Why are house sparrows the exact size they are? Why aren't they hummingbird size or as large as geese?
	Declining queen conch populations are fragmented and that's changing the conservation game The queen conch, a marine mollusk prized for its edible meat and its glossy shell, is one of the most economically and culturally important species in the Caribbean. In the past few decades, intense international fishing driven largely by the demand for export to the United States, has led to declining populations that threaten local fisheries in countries throughout the Caribbean. Some countries have closed their queen conch fisheries, and international trade of the species is restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). But scientists and conservation organizations still have had difficulty determining what it will take for depleted conch populations to recover.
Monk parakeets invade Mexico Thanks to the international pet trade, populations of exotic animals are popping up in unexpected places worldwide. One of these successful invaders is the monk parakeet: a small, green parrot native to South America that now flies free in cities across North America, Europe, and elsewhere around the world.
	Scientists identify new hosts for Chagas disease vectors Solitary weasel-like animals called tayra might look pretty harmless, but some may actually be incubators for a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a chronic, debilitating condition that is spread by insects called kissing bugs and affects more than 8 million people worldwide. In a study published today in the journal PeerJ, researchers from the University of California, Riverside have identified several new hosts for parasite-spreading kissing bug species, including tayras, new world monkeys, sloths, porcupines, and coatis—which are the South American cousins of racoons.
	Method allows researchers to collect body odour samples of mammals in a non-invasive manner Mammals communicate with each other using olfactory cues. This way they recognize relatives or friends or find a genetically suitable mate. However, to collect smells, especially in the wild, is anything but easy to accomplish. A team of researchers from the University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have now succeeded in adapting a method that has previously been used in plant ecology for collecting body odour samples of captive meerkats. In the future this method can be used to collect body odour samples from mammals living in the wild.
	How animals vote to make group decisions Today we opt for ballot boxes but humans have used numerous ways of voting to have their say throughout history. However, we're not the only ones living (or seeking to live) in a democratic society: a new study has suggested that African wild dogs vote to make group decisions.
	American oaks share a common northern ancestor If you had been in northern Canada 45 million years ago, you might have encountered the distant ancestor of all of the oaks in the Americas. That single species gave rise to 220 more and two distinct lineages—red oaks and white oaks—that moved south through the boreal zone to populate large swaths of the continent all the way into Mexico. These two findings—simultaneous evolutionary diversification in the red and white oaks each following the same geographic routes; and two relatively recent origins of the Mexican oaks—are a surprise conclusion to a scientific mystery that went unresolved until now. Research published this week in the journal New Phytologist tells this story of the evolutionary history of American oaks for the first time.
	What's the latest on gut microbiota? Concordia microbiology undergrads publish their findings How many undergraduate classes in microbiology—or any scientific field, for that matter—can say they're published in a peer-reviewed journal?
	Method to estimate abundance, trends in North Atlantic right whales confirms decline NOAA Fisheries researchers and colleagues at the New England Aquarium have developed a new model to improve estimates of abundance and population trends of endangered North Atlantic right whales, which have declined in numbers and productivity in recent years. The findings are published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
	Emerging disease further jeopardizes North American frogs A deadly amphibian disease called severe Perkinsea infections, or SPI, is the cause of many large-scale frog die-offs in the United States, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.
	Nine stray elephants electrocuted in Botswana Nine elephants were electrocuted in a freak accident in Botswana after one of them knocked into an electricity pole and the high-voltage power line fell on them, a local official said Tuesday.
Western cities try to stop hungry bears from causing havoc On a recent morning that was chilly with the first nip of fall, Brenda Lee went looking for knocked-over trash cans. She drove her car slowly through alleyways on the west side of this Colorado city, close to where streets end and the Rocky Mountains begin. The damage wasn't hard to find.

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