Science X Newsletter Wednesday, Jan 7

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This free resource provides an introduction to postprocessing which will help you to more effectively understand and interpret your simulation results. View online or download.

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for January 7, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Thermal memory thrives at extremely high temperatures
- Sun may determine lifespan at birth, study finds
- Scientists train immune system to spot and destroy cure-defying mutant HIV
- Adding leap second this year expected to cause Internet problems
- Unusual light signal yields clues about elusive black hole merger
- New approach sees breakthrough in antibiotics research
- High-temperature superconductor 'fingerprint' found
- NASA observatories take an unprecedented look into superstar Eta Carinae
- Researchers make new discoveries in key pathway for neurological diseases
- Brain scientists figure out how a protein crucial to learning and memory works
- Tracking subtle brain mutations, systematically: Tool can trace and spatially map 'mosaic' mutations in the brain
- Study of ancient dogs in the Americas yields insights into human, dog migration
- Shedding light on why blue LEDs are so tricky to make
- Levitation recreates nature's dumbbells
- Strategy might thwart resistance to a common prostate cancer treatment

Astronomy & Space news

	NASA observatories take an unprecedented look into superstar Eta Carinae Eta Carinae, the most luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000 light-years of Earth, is known for its surprising behavior, erupting twice in the 19th century for reasons scientists still don't understand. A long-term study led by astronomers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, used NASA satellites, ground-based telescopes and theoretical modeling to produce the most comprehensive picture of Eta Carinae to date. New findings include Hubble Space Telescope images that show decade-old shells of ionized gas racing away from the largest star at a million miles an hour, and new 3-D models that reveal never-before-seen features of the stars' interactions.
	Unusual light signal yields clues about elusive black hole merger (Phys.org)—The central regions of many glittering galaxies, our own Milky Way included, harbor cores of impenetrable darkness—black holes with masses equivalent to millions, or even billions, of suns. What is more, these supermassive black holes and their host galaxies appear to develop together, or "co-evolve." Theory predicts that as galaxies collide and merge, growing ever more massive, so too do their dark hearts.
	Where did all the stars go? Dark cloud obscures hundreds of background stars Some of the stars appear to be missing in this intriguing new ESO image. But the black gap in this glitteringly beautiful starfield is not really a gap, but rather a region of space clogged with gas and dust. This dark cloud is called LDN 483—for Lynds Dark Nebula 483. Such clouds are the birthplaces of future stars. The Wide Field Imager, an instrument mounted on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile, captured this image of LDN 483 and its surroundings.
	Volunteer 'disk detectives' top 1 million classifications of possible planetary habitats (Phys.org) —A NASA-sponsored website designed to crowdsource analysis of data from the agency's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission has reached an impressive milestone. In less than a year, citizen scientists using DiskDetective.org have logged 1 million classifications of potential debris disks and disks surrounding young stellar objects (YSO). This data will help provide a crucial set of targets for future planet-hunting missions.
	No signals from newest Kepler planet A newly discovered planet has been observed with the Allen Telescope Array in a search for radio signals that would betray technically sophisticated inhabitants, but no transmissions have been detected.
	Image: First Mars orbital photo of 2015 This image was taken on 2 January just after midday GMT, and is one of the first of the Red Planet this year from the low-resolution Visual Monitoring Camera – the 'Mars Webcam' – on ESA's Mars Express orbiter.
	Princeton satellite successfully heads to the 'edge of space' to study the early universe (Phys.org) —With a noise like giant flags billowing in the wind, the massive white helium balloon rose into the air and carried SPIDER, a telescope designed to investigate the origin of the universe, high above Antarctica. The successful Jan. 1 launch signaled the beginning of a roughly 20-day mission above the continent.
	Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft to make second attempt to enter orbit of Venus in December 2015 Back in 2010, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the The Venus Climate Orbiter "Akatsuki" with the intention of learning more about the planet's weather and surface conditions. Unfortunately, due to engine trouble, the probe failed to make it into the planet's orbit.
	NOAA's DSCOVR to provide 'EPIC' views of Earth NASA has contributed two Earth science instruments for NOAA's space weather observing satellite called the Deep Space Climate Observatory or DSCOVR, set to launch in January 2015. One of the instruments called EPIC or Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera will image the Earth in one picture, something that hasn't been done before from a satellite. EPIC will also provide valuable atmospheric data.
	Second launch try for space station delivery set for Saturday SpaceX will try again Saturday to launch a load of groceries and other supplies to the International Space Station.
	A new, public view of the sky For the first time, scientists and the public are beginning to see the large-scale structure of the universe, thanks to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. UA scientists provide scientific expertise and crucial technology to the largest project ever undertaken to map the cosmos.
	Opportunity rover takes in view from top of Martian hill NASA's Opportunity rover is soaking in the view from its perch atop a Martian hill as engineers continue to fix a problem with its computer memory.
	SEED has won the international Mars One University Competition Seed was selected by popular vote from an initial 35 university proposals. The aim of the project is to germinate the first seed on Mars and to prove the concept that it is possible to germinate and grow plants on Mars. Besides the social impact of growing the first life form on Mars, the possible scientific outcomes of this experiment could contribute to a better understanding of plant growth on Mars and possibly contribute for the development of life support systems.

Technology news

	Energous at CES shows wire-free charging tech Once upon a time the hassle of looking for a plug to charge your phone was not that big a deal. In 2015, the phone is but one of numerous devices a person may have to power up. Charging is a hassle not only for phones; there are tablets and wearables and assorted home devices, and then there are the battery-powered learning toys. San Jose, California-based Energous is a company that hopes to make device owners relax in a WattUp wire-free charging zone.
	Car of the future emerges at Las Vegas electronics show It has four wheels, is always connected and the driver is optional: the car of the future is starting to take shape from collaboration between automakers and their technology partners.
	Robotic camera mimics human operators to anticipate basketball game action Automated cameras make it possible to broadcast even minor events, but the result often looks...well, robotic. Now scientists at Disney Research have made it possible for robotic cameras to learn from human operators how to better frame shots of a basketball game.
	At CES: Color-changing E Ink film for display experience Architects and designers create "experiences" and use the visual language of display through materials, colors, shapes and light. Their goals, though, are often limited in what they can achieve as the architectural elements are static; any desired change takes new materials and more labor. Breakthroughs in lighting and digital displays have brought about color and design changing but E Ink on Tuesday announced yet another pathway to color-changing design, called E Ink Prism.
	Drone revolution draws near, but big obstacles remain The drones are coming. Not as flying deliverymen that bring diapers, books or soup cans to your home, a vision put forth by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to much fanfare a little more than a year ago.
	Arrival of the drones: 20 uses for unmanned aircraft Most people think of drones as instruments of warfare, but as the Federal Aviation Administration slowly opens U.S. airspace to commercial use of unmanned aircraft, they are going to become more commonplace.
	Intel CEO says computing 'unleashed' by wearables Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich said Tuesday that computing is being "unleashed" by the move to wearables as the tech giant unveiled a button-sized device for new connectivity.
Californians on way to state's new energy goals Clean-energy programs initiated by Gov. Jerry Brown and governors before him have California already well on its way to meeting his new goals for reducing the use of climate-changing fossil fuels, industry experts and state officials said Tuesday.
	Singapore firm launches mobile app for halal foodies A Singapore-based company on Wednesday launched a mobile application that enables Muslim foodies and travellers to share halal restaurant discoveries around the world.
	Drones swoop into electronics show as interest surges On a dusty stretch of Nevada desert, a quadcopter drone kicks up a small cloud as it takes off. It then trails its operator on a drive across the flat terrain, filming the motion from a short distance above.
	Neil Young brings high-res music player to the masses Rock star Neil Young announced his high-resolution music player Pono to the general public after delivering some 20,000 devices to Kickstarter supporters.
	Monster sues Apple's Beats over headphone technology American audio equipment maker Monster LLC is suing rival Beats over claims it ripped off headphone technology ahead of the firm's sale to Apple for more than $3 billion.
	Drones must learn to navigate populated areas For drones to make it to the big time, they will need to learn to get around in towns and cities—without falling on car hoods or crashing into pedestrians.
	Don't sound the death knell for the PC just yet A year ago, pundits were declaring the personal computer dead. Smartphones and tablets were cannibalizing sales, and the once-revolutionary PC seemed unnecessary—and boring.
Parts of SE Asia suffer slow Internet as undersea cable cut Parts of Southeast Asia are suffering slow Internet connections after an undersea cable linking the region to the U.S. was cut earlier this week.
	Drone market resembles Silicon Valley's early days To see the future of drones, head up the hill at the intersection of Industrial Drive and Electronics Avenue. Inside a bland brick office building, the team at CyPhy is working on tethered machines that can fly nonstop for days and pocket-sized drones for search-and-rescue missions.
	Hackers could make smart homes stupid—or worse Imagine the smart home of the future. Thanks to a central controller and wi-fi, not only does the thermostat power up and warm or cool the house as you are heading home. Smart light bulbs come on low at dusk and brighten up as the sky gets darker; your washing machine starts a load of clothes when the electricity is cheapest; your smart refrigerator thaws the roast in one section, while another keeps your cheese ready to slice and yet another chills your beer. The doors lock automatically behind you and unlock as you—but no one else—approach. A 2-way nannycam lets you keep an eye on the kids while a sprinkler waters your lawn when water demand is lowest.
	Hot showers, lower power bills with heat pump water heaters How much energy was used to heat the water for your morning shower is probably the least of your groggy, uncaffeinated thoughts.
	Team creates automated method to assemble story-driven photo albums Taking photos has never been easier, thanks to the ubiquity of cell phones, tablets and digital cameras. But editing a mass of vacation photos into an album remains a chore. A new automated method developed by Disney Research could ease that task while also telling a compelling story.
	Tablet apps let cats catch critters in cyberspace When Laura Fritz's felines play with her iPad, her fat cat loses the urge to eat, her scaredy-cat loses his fear and her youngest just loses interest.
	Researchers scan video to monitor nighttime behavior of giraffes Disney researchers have developed a video technique for automatically detecting unusual behaviors of giraffes at night, providing naturalists with an improved tool for monitoring the health and safety of the animals in the wild and under human care.
	Eight mobile credit card readers, and what they cost Need to accept credit cards for your small business? You have more reader options than ever. Online retailers Amazon and Etsy are the latest companies to offer the devices, which plug in to smartphones and tablets and let business owners accept credit cards anywhere. They join established players such as Square and Inuit GoPayment.
	Small businesses have even more credit-card reader options Small business owners looking to ditch traditional credit card readers have more options than ever.
US spymaster dined with N.Korea general responsible for Sony hack The US intelligence chief revealed Wednesday that he dined with the North Korean general believed responsible for hacking Hollywood studio Sony, during a secret mission to Pyongyang two months ago.
	Social equity in urban transportation planning During the 20th century, urban transportation planning in North America was mainly concerned with easing traffic congestion, improving safety and saving time for motorists. These days, most cities' transportation plans evoke a more complex blend of environmental, economic, and social-equity goals - all aimed at promoting "sustainability." Yet, many fail to include meaningful measurements of social-equity objectives, such as helping disadvantaged neighborhoods access essential services, according to researchers at McGill University.
Hackers test, teach computer pros at Cyber Range You won't find this town on a map, but it's a very scary place. In Alphaville, a virtual town used for cyber security training, the banks are robbed on a regular basis, the power plant and water system are under constant siege, and wireless networks at coffee shops are crawling with spyware meant to steal your personal information.
At CES, 'Internet of Things' showcases the connected life Everywhere you look at CES, it seems there's nothing that can't be connected to the Internet: Tennis rackets, coffee makers, watches, jewelry, baby clothing, pet accessories, oven ranges and infinitely more appliances and household goods are all getting high-tech upgrades.
Chicago-based LyteShot wants to take mobile gaming off the tiny screen The kind of mobile gaming Mark Ladd and Tom Ketola have dreamed of for years is a lot more physical than twiddling with Candy Crush.
Keeping hackers out of hospitals The humble infusion pump: It stands sentinel in the hospital room, injecting patients with measured doses of drugs and writing information to their electronic medical records.
FAA to require airlines use data to prevent accidents New federal rules announced Wednesday will require airlines to collect and analyze safety data in an effort to spot troubling trends and help prevent accidents.
	Want to turn heads at CES? Hire a celebrity (Update) Driverless cars of the future. Every imaginable (and unimaginable) kind of smartphone case. The latest laundry technology, even. Acres of Las Vegas convention center floor packed with gadget demos and exhibitor booths. And 160,000 people milling about. So how can a company get noticed among all the noise?
	Wave energy integration costs should compare favorably to other energy sources A new analysis suggests that large-scale wave energy systems developed in the Pacific Northwest should be comparatively steady, dependable and able to be integrated into the overall energy grid at lower costs than some other forms of alternative energy, including wind power.
	Tech never sleeps in quest for better slumber This new technology is staying up all night, so you don't have to.
	Netflix won't say how many people watch their series Even as Netflix continues to pump out more original programming, its bosses say they will continue to keep secret details on how many people are actually watching.
Drone maker AeroVironment seeks new customers to boost sales AeroVironment Inc. of Monrovia proves Southern California still has the right stuff.
Razer console will stream PC games, play mobile games on TV If a new gaming console running on Google software succeeds, people who play computer games locked up in their rooms should find themselves spending more time in the living room, and mobile game players should become less isolated.
At The Gadget Show: BlackBerry promotes security expertise BlackBerry says it will use its expertise in secured messaging services to offer new ways for cars, home appliances and other devices to communicate with each other while keeping data secure and private.
	Divers enter water in search of wreckage from AirAsia jet At least two divers plunged into the choppy waters early Wednesday during a break in the bad weather to search for two large objects suspected of being chunks of the fuselage of the AirAsia plane that crashed more than one week ago, an Indonesian official said.
	Rare glimpse of Obama daughter causes online stir After years of careful White House control over her few public appearances, a mysterious online image of first daughter Malia Obama, 16, has gone viral.
NXP releases world's first ultra-compact smart car access solution for car keys and wearables NXP Semiconductors today announced the world's first true one-chip solution for smart car access, combining Passive Keyless Entry (PKE), RF transmitter for remote control and immobiliser in a HVQVN32 package – the NCF29A1. As the global market leader in car access and immobilisation solutions, the company continues its track record of bringing breakthrough innovations to its customers.
81 percent of Americans admit privacy concerns with the 'Internet of Things' NXP Semiconductors has announced the findings of its Internet of Things (IoT) study conducted by Harris Poll. NXP commissioned the research based on its expertise on IoT, including enabling secure solutions for the connected car, smart home and portable and wearable devices. Conducted online by Harris Poll in early December 2014, the NXP survey questioned 2,042 American adults and determined that a majority of Americans (81 percent) admit that their concern for privacy impacts their decision to invest in a smart home device, connected workspace gadget or connected car. More than half of all Americans (56 percent) said these concerns have impacted their decisions either very much or to some extent.
	What Call of Duty can tell us about US foreign policy The latest instalment of wildly popular videogame Call of Duty, Advanced Warfare, shows the narratives of today's games can reveal the motives behind real-world politics.
	Netflix says it wants to stream 'The Interview' The streaming service Netflix wants to make Sony's "The Interview" available to its 53 million worldwide subscribers, Netflix's chief content officer said on Wednesday.
Students engineering phone charger for world's needy A pair of Case Western Reserve University engineering students are field testing their foot-powered cell phone charger in rural villages of the Kingdom of Lesotho, a small country surrounded entirely by South Africa, this week.
	Merkel website hacked ahead of visit by Ukrainian premier A German official says Chancellor Angela Merkel's website and several other German government sites have been blocked, and a pro-Russian organization has claimed responsibility.
Some tips on shopping for smartphone service The cellphone industry's traditional way of doing business - locking customers into pricey two-year contracts - has been upended thanks to upstart major carriers T-Mobile and Sprint and a bunch of smaller providers that are giving consumers more options and different ways to customize their service.
CES 2015: The connected dog CES has gone to the dogs.

Medicine & Health news

	Scientists train immune system to spot and destroy cure-defying mutant HIV Luring dormant HIV out of hiding and destroying its last cure-defying holdouts has become the holy grail of HIV eradication, but several recent attempts to do so have failed. Now the findings of a Johns Hopkins-led study reveal why that is and offer a strategy that could form a blueprint for a therapeutic vaccine to eradicate lingering virus from the body.
	New approach sees breakthrough in antibiotics research Scientists using a revolutionary approach have devised an antibiotic that may offset the mounting problem of drug resistance for decades, they said on Wednesday.
	How songbirds may help build a better hearing aid (Medical Xpress)—Untreated hearing loss can have devastating and alienating repercussions on a person's life: isolation, depression, sapped cognition, even dementia.
	Two brain regions join forces for absolute pitch People who have "absolute pitch" can identify notes immediately without relying on a reference tone. Intensive research is being conducted into the neuronal basis of this extraordinary ability at the University of Zurich's Department of Neuropsychology. The researchers have now detected a close functional link between the auditory cortex in the brain and the frontal lobe in these extraordinary people – a discovery that is not only important in theory, but also in practice.
	Schizophrenia onset linked to elevated neural links In its chronic stage, schizophrenia is typically marked by a dearth of links between brain cells in the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain responsible for higher-order thinking. However, a new study by Yale and Chinese researchers shows that the onset of the disease—usually in the early 20s—is marked by an abnormal spike in neural connections.
	Was Beethoven's music literally heartfelt? Could cardiac arrhythmia have influenced famous works? Could it be that when Ludwig van Beethoven composed some of the greatest masterpieces of all time that he was quite literally following his heart?
	Too much gas, too little food appear major factors in injury, disease-related memory loss Inflammation plays a role in learning and memory loss that can result from brain Injury or disease, and researchers now have evidence that neurons may be suffering from too much gas and too little food.
Research shows small proteins called defensins neutralize toxins released by pathogens A small protein active in the human immune response can disable bacterial toxins by exploiting a property that makes the toxins effective - but also turns out to be a weakness.
	Research findings have implications for regenerating damaged nerve cells Two new studies involving the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia have identified a unique molecule that not only gobbles up bad cells, but also has the ability to repair damaged nerve cells.
	Brain scientists figure out how a protein crucial to learning and memory works Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found out how a protein crucial to learning works: by removing a biochemical "clamp" that prevents connections between nerve cells in the brain from growing stronger. The finding moves neuroscientists a step closer to figuring out how learning and memory work, and how problems with them can arise. A report on the discovery appears Jan. 7 in the journal Neuron.
	Scientists identify first nutrient sensor in key growth-regulating metabolic pathway Known as much for its complexity as its vital role in regulating cellular and organismal growth, the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway has seemingly been acting in mysterious ways.
	Tracking subtle brain mutations, systematically: Tool can trace and spatially map 'mosaic' mutations in the brain DNA sequences were once thought to be identical from cell to cell, but it's increasingly understood that mutations can arise during brain development that affect only certain groups of brain cells. A technique developed at Boston Children's Hospital allows these subtle mutation patterns to be traced and mapped spatially for the first time. This capability is a significant advance for genetics research and provides a new way to study both the normal brain and brain disorders such as epilepsy and autism.
Researchers make new discoveries in key pathway for neurological diseases A new intermediate step and unexpected enzymatic activity in a metabolic pathway in the body, which could lead to new drug design for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, has been discovered by researchers at Georgia State University.
	Strategy might thwart resistance to a common prostate cancer treatment Conventional wisdom has it that high levels of testosterone help prostate cancers grow.
Alcohol sales linked with alcohol deaths across GB regions For the first time alcohol sales data, which act as a proxy for alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related deaths for regions in Great Britain have been analyzed. The results, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, show that of eleven regions analyzed, the South West, Central Scotland, North East, North West and Yorkshire had higher levels of alcohol sales per adult than the GB average. There were lower sales in London, Central England and the East of England.
Blood sugar levels in heart failure patients predict risk of early death New research suggests that people who arrive at hospital emergency departments with acute heart failure should have their blood sugar levels checked on arrival. This simple and inexpensive measure could identify patients at high risk of early death, further hospitalisations, or the development of more health problems, such as diabetes.
More than a third of people with abnormal results drop out of bowel cancer screening Almost 40 per cent of people who have abnormal results from bowel cancer screening tests and are referred for further investigation ignore their next screening invitation two years later, according to a Cancer Research UK study* published today in the British Journal of Cancer.
	Having a hard time focusing? Research identifies complex of neurons crucial to controlling attention Our ability to pay attention to certain things while ignoring distractions determines how good we are at a given task, whether it is driving a car or doing brain surgery. A research team at McGill University has for the first time convincingly identified a network of neurons in a particular area of the brain, the lateral prefrontal cortex, that interact with one another to promptly filter visual information while at the same time ignoring distractions. It's a discovery with potentially far reaching implications for people who suffer from diseases such as autism, ADHD and schizophrenia.
	Variation in ability to ID inappropriate nuclear stress test (HealthDay)—There is modest inter-rater reliability for the 2009 Appropriate Use Criteria for nuclear stress testing and inter-rater variability in identification of inappropriate tests, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Experts meet in Geneva to review Ebola vaccines: WHO Experts will gather in Geneva this week to review progress on possible vaccines against the deadly Ebola virus, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
	Extreme obesity calls for individualized medication Doctors and pharmacists often do not take obesity into account when prescribing medication. For this, more insight into the influence of obesity on the distribution and elimination of drugs is of the utmost importance. This is emphasized by Catherijne Knibbe in the most recent issue of the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology
	Resolutions linked to 'ideal self' most effective, Stanford psychologist says New Year's resolutions present opportunities to connect to one's ideal self, a Stanford expert says.
	Can we train ourselves to control our dreams? A new national study at the University of Adelaide is investigating how people can mentally prepare themselves to influence their dreams.
Scientists seek to map origins of mental illness, develop noninvasive treatment An interdisciplinary team of Stanford scientists is working to map the origins of mental illnesses in the brain and develop technologies to treat them.
	New open-source program aims to help parents of children in foster care The first time Alise Hegle saw her daughter again after her birth was 11 months later at a court-ordered, supervised visit.
Dog paralysis study shows need for customized treatments A clinical trial from North Carolina State University involving paraplegic dogs has demonstrated that a one-size fits all approach is not ideal for treating spinal cord injuries. Instead, the study highlights the fact that the population of canine paraplegics – even those with the same type of injury – are very diverse, and that courses of treatment should be equally so. These findings may lead the way to personalized treatments for spinal cord injuries, and hopefully better outcomes for canine and potentially human patients.
	What should a hospital do when critical drugs are in short supply? Four years ago, just before Christmas, my hospital ran out of cytarabine, an essential drug used to treat and cure certain kinds of acute leukemia. This drug was suddenly in short supply across the nation. At Duke, we had enough for about 10 days based upon our historical usage, but after that we could no longer treat those already on therapy or begin treatment for newly diagnosed patients. And we couldn't ask other hospitals in the region to "lend" us some since they were in the same boat.
	How to get your stress levels in check Stress is the physical and emotional response we all experience when faced with demanding situations.
	Do ice cream and cold drinks cool us down? All over the world summer is synonymous with water activities, cold beverages and, of course, ice cream. While most of us agree ice cream and cold beverages are refreshing summer treats, do they actually help cool us down?
	Humans use facial expression to help recall emotion Smiles are contagious, even when we're trying to remember them. A study carried out by a research team of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste shows that in order to recall an emotion (positive or negative) we "re-enact" the motor sequence of the facial expression corresponding to that emotion. In other words: when remembering a smile, we smile.
A head start against tooth decay Massachusetts public health advocates have developed oral health guidelines to ensure the well-being of the 70,000 babies born in the state each year as well as that of their mothers.
	Study links TV use and unhealthy eating The holidays can be a time for binge watching TV shows or movies. According to a University of Houston (UH) researcher, all of those hours in front of the television may lead to increased snacking.
	Time to treatment increasing with head, neck cancer (HealthDay)—Time to treatment initiation (TTI) is rising for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to a study published online Dec. 9 in Cancer.
	Call to prioritise cancer care as number living with disease reaches record high Thanks to an ageing population and better diagnosis and treatment, 2015 will see an unprecedented number of people living with cancer, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.
	Study disputes previous theories on loss of muscle stem cells and aging (Medical Xpress)—Professional athletes often spend hours in a gym working to build strong healthy muscles needed to keep them at the top of their game. But strong muscles help all humans maintain peak physical performance – the non-athlete, the young and the old – and can prevent frailty later in life, a condition that can exacerbate an illness and even shorten one's life. According to Charlotte Peterson, co-director of the Center for Muscle Biology at the University of Kentucky, "muscle powers health."
Study suggests that dopamine is safe anti-angiogenic drug in cancer treatment A new study led by scientists at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) suggests that dopamine - an inexpensive drug currently used to treat heart, vascular and kidney disorders - can be safely used in cancer treatment to curb the growth of blood vessels in tumors.
	What's the difference between an outbreak and an epidemic? More than 8,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa since February 2014 and it has spread beyond the three countries initially effected. So, it's an epidemic, right? Or is it an outbreak?
	Do infants judge others' language proficiency? It depends on their own, research shows Monolingual infants expect others to understand only one language, an assumption not held by bilingual infants, a study by researchers at New York University and McGill University has found.
Genome wide expression changes in vascular tissue identified due to infection/diet Although it has been shown that a diet high in fat and exposure to certain bacteria can cause atherosclerosis (the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances on artery walls which can restrict blood flow), researchers have for the first time identified distinct gene pathways that are altered by these different stimuli. These findings, which currently appear in BMC Genomics, suggest that future therapies for this disease may need to be individualized.
Potential new tool to monitor radiotherapy side effects For lung cancer that cannot be removed with surgery, radiotherapy is the primary treatment option. However, it is associated with a range of side effects, including fatigue and inflammation of the oesophagus and lungs.
	New approach may lead to inhalable vaccines for influenza, pneumonia Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University have uncovered a novel approach to creating inhalable vaccines using nanoparticles that shows promise for targeting lung-specific diseases, such as influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis.
	Expressing anger linked with better health in some cultures In the US and many Western countries, people are urged to manage feelings of anger or suffer its ill effects—but new research with participants from the US and Japan suggests that anger may actually be linked with better, not worse, health in certain cultures. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Review article estimates annual US cost of psoriasis in 2013 The annual U.S. cost of psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, was estimated to be between $112 billion and $135 billion in 2013, according to a review article published online by JAMA Dermatology.
PTSD doubles diabetes risk in women Women with post-traumatic stress disorder are nearly twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with women who don't have PTSD, according to researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and Harvard School of Public Health.
Brain imaging may help predict future behavior Noninvasive brain scans, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, have led to basic science discoveries about the human brain, but they've had only limited impacts on people's day-to-day lives. A review article published in the January 7 issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron, however, highlights a number of recent studies showing that brain imaging can help predict an individual's future learning, criminality, health-related behaviors, and response to drug or behavioral treatments. The technology may offer opportunities to personalize educational and clinical practices.
After weight-loss surgery, people could experience discrimination when interviewing for jobs People say that they would be more likely to hire someone who has lost weight through exercise and dieting than through surgery. This is just one of the stigmas faced by obese people who undergo weight-reducing bariatric surgery, reports Robert Carels of East Carolina University in the US and his team of researchers. The findings are published in Springer's journal Obesity Surgery.
Physical recovery in critically ill patients can predict remission of anxiety and PTSD symptoms In a two-year longitudinal study involving 13 intensive care units in four U.S. hospitals, researchers found that better physical functioning—basic and complex activities considered essential for maintaining independence—is associated with remission of general anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. These findings may help clinicians be better prepared for caring for the growing number of survivors of critical illness, potentially leading to a better quality of recovery for patients.
	Bullies and their victims may be at higher risk of suicide (HealthDay)—A new analysis of research from around the world suggests that kids involved in bullying are at higher risk of suicidal thoughts and actions.
	Music cuts across cultures: Certain aspects of our reactions to music universal Whether you are a Pygmy in the Congolese rainforest or a hipster in downtown Montreal, certain aspects of music will touch you in exactly the same ways. A team of researchers from McGill University, Technische Universität Berlin, and l'Université de Montréal arrived at this conclusion after travelling deep into the rainforest to play music to a very isolated group of people, the Mbenzélé Pygmies, who live without access to radio, television or electricity. They then compared how the Mbenzélé responded both to their own and to unfamiliar Western music, with the way that a group of Canadians (in not-so-remote downtown Montreal) responded to the same pieces.
	An avocado a day may help keep bad cholesterol at bay Eating one avocado a day as part of a heart healthy, cholesterol-lowering moderate-fat diet can help improve bad cholesterol levels in overweight and obese individuals, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Caregiver interventions are not enough; families with mentally ill members also need help Listening to older sisters of mentally ill siblings discuss their mothers' difficult caregiving experiences made Case Western Reserve University co-investigator M. Jane Suresky wonder if something important about families was missed in a prior study that focused on women caregivers of mentally ill family members.
	Researchers to design, market smartphone app that gauges Ebola risk Within six months, your iPhone or Android mobile device could supply a real-time estimate of your likelihood of contact with the deadly Ebola virus. To create the digital tool, researchers at the University of Kansas recently won a rapid-response grant to advance Ebola-related fundamental research from the National Science Foundation.
Sticking to lifestyle guidelines may reduce risk for certain cancers and for overall mortality A study of nearly a half-million Americans has found that following cancer prevention guidelines from the American Cancer Society may modestly reduce your overall risk of developing cancer and have a greater impact on reducing your overall risk of dying. Having a healthy body weight and staying active appeared to have the most positive impact.
	Campus debit cards let students buy cigarettes with parents' money A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the British Medical Journal: Tobacco Control shows that of the top 100 universities as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, 11 allow tobacco sales and 13 allow e-cigarette sales on "campus cash" debit cards that are commonly prepaid by parents.
Team develops prognostic test for E2F4 in breast cancer By looking at the expression levels of downstream genes of the regulators in breast cancer, investigators at Dartmouth Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC), led by Chao Cheng, PhD, have identified a gene signature in E2F4 that is predictive of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. The findings, published in Breast Cancer Research, define a new opportunity for personalizing medicine for women whose Oncotype DX assay results classify them as of "intermediate-risk for recurrence." Until now, there has been no standard of care for those with intermediate risk. Results at NCCC support reclassifying 20-30% of those patients as "high-risk for recurrence," indicating they should receive aggressive follow-up treatment.
	Article highlights top technology challenges for 2015 (HealthDay)—The introduction of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) audits, meaningful use 2, and the burdens of technology are the top four technological challenges for physicians in 2015, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
	Sulfonylurea Rx ups testosterone levels in men with T2DM (HealthDay)—For middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes, sulfonylurea treatment is associated with improvements in total testosterone levels and testosterone secretion index values, according to a study published online Dec. 15 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
	Low risk of statin-linked hepatic injury in liver disease (HealthDay)—For patients with chronic liver disease, statin initiation is associated with low overall incidence of hospitalization due to severe hepatic injury, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
	Combined inhibition of TNF-alpha, IL-17 effective in RA model (HealthDay)—Combined inhibition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α and interleukin (IL)-17 is more effective than single blockade in cultures of human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), according to an experimental study published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology.
	Mandatory gastro consult boosts care in decompensated cirrhosis (HealthDay)—For patients hospitalized with decompensated cirrhosis (DC), a gastroenterology mandatory consultation (MC) can improve the quality of care, according to a study published online Dec. 30 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
	Universal preconception care can cut pregestational DM burden (HealthDay)—Universal preconception care (PCC) could prevent the substantial health and cost burden associated with pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM), according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Combined therapy can reduce chance of recurrence in women with small, HER2-positive breast tumors In a phase 2 clinical trial, women with small (stage 1), HER2-positive breast tumors who received a combination of lower-intensity chemotherapy and a targeted drug following surgery were highly unlikely to have the cancer recur within three years of treatment, investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other institutions report in a paper published today by the New England Journal of Medicine.
Jealousy—impact of sexual vs. emotional infidelity In the largest study to date on infidelity, Chapman University has learned men and women are different when it comes to feeling jealous. In a poll of nearly 64,000 Americans this study provides the first large-scale examination of gender and sexual orientation differences in response to potential sexual versus emotional infidelity in U.S. adults.
Major study sends clear safety message to prevent brain injury in children An exhaustive analysis of data from more than 40,000 cases of brain trauma in children - published by the authoritative New England Journal of Medicine - provides convincing evidence that protecting children in advance from head injuries is the key to reducing their severity.
	Misfit or Miss Goody Two Shoes? Adolescent misperceptions abound It's true: teens are misunderstood. But apparently, teens themselves have dramatic misperceptions about what their peers are doing when it comes to sex, drugs and studying, possibly prompting them to conform to social norms that don't exist.
Type 2 diabetes risk varies with magnesium intake, genes and ethnicity Magnesium is an important nutrient, in part because it appears to help regulate insulin secretion and/or action. Sure enough, studies over the last decade have shown that low intake of the mineral is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. But everyone is different, so doctors need to know much more before they can accurately tailor nutritional therapy for patients. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition found several deep, specific interactions of diet, genetics, and ethnicity in determining magnesium-mediated diabetes risk in postmenopausal women.
	Restoring vision to the blind Scientists have long known that species such as amphibians and fish can regenerate retinal cells—so why can't mammals? This and related questions are the premise for the third report from the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and the International Retinal Research Foundation's 10-year collaboration, recently published in the ARVO journal Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST).
	Mind-body connection not a one-way street We usually think our mind is in control and telling our body what to do. But there is a lot of scientific evidence that shows the chatter between mind and body goes two ways, and the body is an integral part of how we think. In the new book How the Body Knows Its Mind, Prof. Sian Beilock provides the latest scientific evidence about the body's influence on our psyche, drawing on work from her own laboratory and from colleagues around the world.
Synthetic oil drug may bring promise for Huntington's disease An early study suggests that a synthetic triglyceride oil called triheptanoin may provide hope for people with Huntington's disease. The study is published in the January 7, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
FDA panel endorses first lower-cost biotech drug Federal health experts have unanimously endorsed a Novartis drug which is expected to become the first lower-cost copy of a biotech drug to reach the U.S. market.
	Study finds link between cancer diagnosis, stroke risk (HealthDay)—Newly diagnosed cancer patients are at increased risk for stroke in the months after they find out they have the disease. And the risk of stroke is higher among those with more aggressive cancer, a new study says.
	Couples' conflicts: Withdrawal or expecting your partner to mind-read hurts relationships, but in different ways When you have a conflict with your spouse or significant other, do you withdraw like a turtle into its shell? Or perhaps you expect your partner to be a mind reader about what ticks you off?
European rights court mulls whether to let French quadriplegic die (Update) Europe's human rights court on Wednesday heard arguments on whether a man in a vegetative state should be taken off life support, in a case that has torn his family apart and ignited a fierce euthanasia debate in France.
New practical video guides from the International Menopause Society Half the world's population will experience the menopause. It can be a difficult time for many women and is made worse by a tidal-wave of misleading information on social media. Now women globally can now access reliable information about what the menopause is, how it might affect them and how to choose safe and effective treatment options.   All this information is contained in a set of easy-to-understand videos freely available from the International Menopause Society (IMS). The IMS is the international body representing doctors and scientists working with the menopause and the health of women in mid life, and so has an unrivalled authority in dealing with the variety of ways the menopause can affect women throughout the world.
	Trial of a potential treatment for Ebola begins in Liberia The trial is led by the University of Oxford and is taking place at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)'s ELWA 3 Ebola Management Centre in Monrovia.
	NIH teams with industry to develop treatments for Niemann-Pick disease type C Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have entered into an agreement with biotechnology company Vtesse, Inc., of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to develop treatments for Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) and other lysosomal storage disorders.
Added benefit of sucroferric oxyhydroxide is not proven Sucroferric oxyhydroxide (trade name Velphoro) has been approved since August 2014 for adults with chronic kidney disease on haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined in a dossier assessment whether in these cases the drug offers patients an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapies. According to the findings, an added benefit is not proven because no suitable data were available.
Snacking on almonds instead of a high-carb snack reduced belly fat, other heart disease risk factors A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that a daily snack of 1.5 ounces of almonds instead of a high-carbohydrate muffin, eaten as part of an overall healthy diet, improved a number of heart disease risk factors in study participants.
New rules to curb 'epidemic' of cesarean births in Brazil (Update) Brazil has unveiled new rules aimed at stemming the South American nation's "epidemic of cesareans" and promoting natural births among private health care providers.
Analysis finds federal government under-funds chronic disease prevention research Investigators have, for the first time, completed a comprehensive analysis of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding of research to prevent non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) and determined that prevention research in the United States is severely underfunded. Specifically, the study found the NIH spends just 7 to 9 percent of its research budget on behavioral interventions to prevent NCDs, despite the fact that 70 percent of deaths in the U.S. are due to NCDs, and that treating people with NCDs accounts for approximately 84 percent of U.S. healthcare expenditures. The study is sponsored by the Vitality Institute and published today in the online edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
	Obama threatens veto of increase of hours in health care law (Update) The White House issued its second veto threat since Republicans took full control of Congress, saying Wednesday that President Barack Obama would block legislation to increase his health care law's definition of a full-time worker from 30 to 40 hours per week.
Genetics in depression: What's known, what's next Even with modern genomewide analysis techniques, it has proven difficult to identify genetic factors affecting risk for depression, according to a topical review in the January issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.
Physician survey indicates positive experience, desire for formal guidelines to improve peer review Peer review is a common practice in medicine to support the complementary, multidisciplinary team approach in healthcare. A 2013 survey of radiation oncologists indicates that they would like more formal recommendations and guidance in order to improve the peer review process, according to a study published in the January-February 2015 issue of Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), the clinical practice journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Nine measles cases linked to Disney theme parks in California Seven Californians and two people in Utah have confirmed cases of measles likely contracted on trips last month to Disney theme parks in California, state officials said Wednesday.
Tobacco companies criticize federal judge Tobacco companies on Wednesday accused a federal judge of forcing them to inaccurately describe themselves as unscrupulous villains who continue to deceive the public.
Health care sign-ups steady as uninsured rate hits new low Sign-ups under President Barack Obama's health care law grew slowly but steadily over the New Year's holiday, as the share of Americans still lacking coverage hit its lowest level in years.
Ebola death toll hits 8,235: WHO The global death toll from the Ebola outbreak centred in west Africa has jumped to 8,235 out of 20,747 recorded cases, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Ebola countries miss treatment, burial targets: WHO The west African countries ravaged by Ebola have made great strides to stem the spread of the deadly virus but missed key January 1 targets towards halting the epidemic, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

Biology news

	Sun may determine lifespan at birth, study finds Could the Sun be your lucky—or unlucky—star? In an unusual study published Wednesday, Norwegian scientists said people born during periods of solar calm may live longer, as much as five years on average, than those who enter the world when the Sun is feisty.
	Field study suggests brain size in ants adheres to specialization hypothesis (Phys.org)—A small group of researchers working in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama has found that for at least one type of ant, the specialization hypothesis appears to apply regarding brain size. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the team describes their study of various sized ant colonies and ant brains, and what they learned in doing so.
	Study of ancient dogs in the Americas yields insights into human, dog migration A new study suggests that dogs may have first successfully migrated to the Americas only about 10,000 years ago, thousands of years after the first human migrants crossed a land bridge from Siberia to North America.
	Could gut bacteria that help us digest beer and bread fight disease, too? Bacteria that have evolved to help us digest the yeast that give beer and bread their bubbles could support the development of new treatments to help people fight off yeast infections and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease, researchers report.
	Never mind the selfish gene – ribosomes are the missing link Since the discovery that DNA encodes genetic information, research on the evolution of life has focused on its genetic origins. Following this "genes-first" approach, Oxford University evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has argued in his book The Selfish Gene that cells and organisms evolved simply as packages to ever-more efficiently protect and transmit genes.
	How do you make a greasy protein? Every cell is encapsulated and protected by a thin membrane made of greasy molecules called lipids. Assemblies of equally greasy protein molecules span the membrane, forming passageways that control the flow of signaling molecules that, in turn, direct the cell's activities. Because of these proteins' key role in cell-to-cell communication, they have become a prime target for drug design. Professor of Biochemistry Bil Clemons is among those working out the structures of these proteins and, more fundamentally, the biological processes behind them.
	Vacuum-steam treatment for invasive snails proves promising The U.S. East Coast and some port areas such as Houston, Texas, are being invaded by snails that hitchhike in containers shipped from the Mediterranean.
	Molecular genetics ready to launch a golden age of winegrape breeding Growing winegrapes may be the most backward form of horticulture that exists. The vast majority of the world's production uses only about 20 cultivars out of thousands of available grape varieties. The wine industry is convinced these traditionally-cultivated varieties alone provide all the diversity necessary and that newly-bred varieties can't compete on wine quality. This belief persists in the face of modern genetic evidence that many of the world's traditional varieties were intentionally bred from older ones. But things may start to shift as wineries in highly-recognized regions cope with a changing climate.
	Scientists successfully grow onions overwintered in low tunnels In response to high demand for year-round local produce, researchers with the University of New Hampshire report they have successfully grown bulbing onions planted in fall for a spring harvest with the aid of inexpensive low tunnels.
	Are human behaviors affecting bird communities in residential areas? A new study from the Wildlife Conservation Society shows that habitat alteration may be less important than other factors- such as human behavior- in driving the effects of "exurban" development on bird communities. These unexpected results are fueling more questions that may ultimately lead to informed landowners lessening their impacts on local wildlife.
	Thousands predicted to die along state barrier fence Ongoing research across South-West WA is examining the impacts of upgrading and extending the state barrier fence.
	Research helps California lead the way in lima beans California farmers grew about 23,000 acres of baby and large limas with a value of about $30 million in 2012, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Oregon's wandering wolf, OR-7, gets official pack status Oregon's famous wandering wolf, OR-7, is now officially the leader of his own pack.

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