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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 29, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Quantum random number generator combines best of two approaches
- North–south climate divide: Researchers find 200-year lag between climate events in Greenland, Antarctica
- Inspired by humans, a robot takes a walk in the grass (w/ Video)
- Weird-winged dino sets science world aflutter (w/ Video)
- Brain circuitry for positive vs. negative memories discovered in mice
- Scientists achieve critical steps to building first practical quantum computer
- Some monkeys can understand danger calls made by different monkey species
- New Horizons detects surface features, possible polar cap on Pluto
- Researchers detail role of silica and lung cancer
- The trillion-frame-per-second camera
- How does a honeybee queen avoid inbreeding in her colony?
- The science behind spite
- Urine profiles provide clues to how obesity causes disease
- Combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy shows promise for advanced prostate cancers
- New solar telescope unveils the complex dynamics of sunspots' dark cores

Astronomy & Space news

	New Horizons detects surface features, possible polar cap on Pluto For the first time, images from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft are revealing bright and dark regions on the surface of faraway Pluto – the primary target of the New Horizons close flyby in mid-July.
	NASA successfully tests shape-changing wing for next generation aviation NASA researchers, working in concert with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and FlexSys Inc., of Ann Arbor, Michigan, successfully completed initial flight tests of a new morphing wing technology that has the potential to save millions of dollars annually in fuel costs, reduce airframe weight and decrease aircraft noise during takeoffs and landings.
	NASA spacecraft to impact planet Mercury on Thursday NASA's Mercury-orbiting spacecraft, Messenger, is going out with a bang this week, adding a hefty crater to the little planet closest to the sun.
	Russia loses control of unmanned spacecraft (Update) Russia said Wednesday it had lost control of an unmanned spacecraft taking supplies to the International Space Station and it is plunging back to Earth but is likely to burn up in the atmosphere.
	New solar telescope unveils the complex dynamics of sunspots' dark cores Groundbreaking images of the Sun captured by scientists at NJIT's Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) give a first-ever detailed view of the interior structure of umbrae - the dark patches in the center of sunspots - revealing dynamic magnetic fields responsible for the plumes of plasma that emerge as bright dots interrupting their darkness. Their research is being presented this week at the first Triennial Earth-Sun Summit meeting between the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division and the American Geophysical Union's Space Physics and Aeronomy section in Indianapolis, Ind.
	As astronomers mark 25 years of Hubble past, they predict more discoveries ahead The Hubble Space Telescope survived decades of delays, glitches and blunders to fulfill predictions that it would rewrite science textbooks. But as it moves into the final years of its life, scientists say some of its best work still could be ahead of it.
	Six things you didn't know about MESSENGER's Mercury crash The MESSENGER spacecraft left Earth in 2004 carrying among its instruments a sensor built at Michigan Engineering's Space Physics Research Lab. Over the years, some 75 U-M researchers, including faculty members, engineers and students, were involved in either making the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer, also known as FIPS, or analyzing the data it sent back. MESSENGER, which flew by Venus and Mercury before entering orbit around the closest planet to the sun, will end its mission April 30, 2015, by crashing into Mercury, as NASA intended.
	USNO releases first version of newest star catalog The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) has released the First Edition of its USNO Robotic Astrometric Telescope star catalog, URAT1. This catalog is the follow-on to the Observatory's previous USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC4). The new catalog contains positional data on about 228 million stars with a magnitude range of 3.0 to 18.5 for a bandpass of 680 to 750 nanometers between declinations of +89.5 degrees and -15 degrees. Longer integration times and more sensitive, backside CCDs allowed for a substantial increase in limiting magnitude, resulting in a nearly 4-fold increase in the average number of stars per square degree as compared to UCAC.
	Deep space atomic clock As the saying goes, timing is everything. More so in 21st-century space exploration where navigating spacecraft precisely to far-flung destinations—say, to Mars or even more distant Europa, a moon of Jupiter—is critical.
	Attempts to contact Russian spacecraft 'unsuccessful' Russia said on Wednesday that attempts to contact an unmanned Progress spacecraft have so far been unsuccessful, raising fears the vessel could be lost for good.
	The researcher's guide to the galaxy: Team develops new classification system for galaxies based on movement of stars Using data on the motion of distant galaxies, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Alberta has developed a new classification system for galaxies based on the movements of their stars.
	Mercury's MESSENGER mission comes to a crashing climax More than a decade after it left Earth, the space probe MESSENGER is in the dying days of its exploration of the planet Mercury.
	Beyond the James Webb, a future high-definition telescope could probe life on exoplanets The James Webb Space Telescope will be Earth's premier space observatory for the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. However its scientific mission will be limited. Unlike Hubble, which is nearing the end of its scheduled life, the James Webb will cover a much smaller part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Instead, a proposed high-definition space telescope is the only way to image Earth-like planets orbiting others stars and study them in detail.
	Space Station safari's ultimate wildlife research vantage point What do bats, birds, sea turtles and even primates have to do with the International Space Station? Scientists want to use the orbiting laboratory's spectacular view to track creatures on our planet and learn more about their behavior.
	Russia's spinning cargo capsule for space station total loss (Update) A Russian supply capsule that went into an uncontrollable spin after launch was declared a total loss Wednesday, but astronauts at the International Space Station said they will get by without the delivery of fresh food, water, clothes and equipment.
	Space station astronauts get big screen, watch 'Gravity' Space station astronauts have finally hit the big time, at least when it comes to the big screen.

Technology news

	Inspired by humans, a robot takes a walk in the grass (w/ Video) In a rolling, outdoor field, full of lumps, bumps and uneven terrain, researchers at Oregon State University last week successfully field-tested for the first time the locomotion abilities of a two-legged robot with technology that they believe heralds the running robots of the future.
	AVERT team shows autonomous extraction system for vehicles A paper titled "AVERT: An Autonomous Multi-Robot System for Vehicle Extraction and Transportation" is the result of research work and the AVERT project team is in for some momentous times ahead. Angelos Amanatiadis, Christopher Henschel, Bernd Birkicht, Benjamin Andel, Konstantinos Charalampous, Ioannis Kostavelis, Richard May, and Antonios Gasteratos are the members of the team, representing a collaboration among researchers from Greece, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. They say their project has reached a significant level of maturity and key design features have been finalized. They said the objective is entering production next year.
	CMU researchers discover complex interaction patterns on Twitter and Yelp using Deep Learning Everything in social media evolves with time; understanding the patterns of this change is essential for any social-media application. However, in terms of research on identifying interaction patterns, little was done to explore how exactly these interactions behave at multiple time scales, despite the fact that this is hugely important in practice. For example, to make a business popular on Yelp, it is important to use short-term (e.g., a few months) interactions to build and sustain long-term (e.g., a couple of years) popularity.
	Research advances security and trust in reconfigurable devices A research team at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is studying a range of security challenges involving programmable logic devices – in particular, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
	Enron becomes unlikely data source for computer science researchers Computer science researchers have turned to unlikely sources - including Enron - for assembling huge collections of spreadsheets that can be used to study how people use this software. The goal is for the data to facilitate research to make spreadsheets more useful.
	Fonkraft modular smartphone makes crowdfunding debut Many smartphone ads start their promotions stating their distinctive looks and novel features but save the phone's battery life stats for last. Fonkraft's video abandons the formula and rushes to the point.
	Microsoft opens Windows 10 to Apple, Android apps Microsoft hopes to get more people using the next version of its Windows software on all kinds of devices, by giving them access to many of the same apps they're already using on Apple or Android phones.
	Samsung's profit hit by bigger iPhones, sinks 39 percent Samsung Electronics Co. said its first quarter net profit plunged 39 percent as consumers switched to bigger iPhones, squeezing earnings from its mobile business to less than half what they were a year earlier.
	LG Electronics says 1Q profit sinks nearly 60 percent LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday its quarterly profit plunged 59 percent as losses from TVs offset a modest improvement in its smartphone business.
	State of the news media in 2015: Facebook and mobile rule A new report on the state of the media has some simple terms for how we learn about the world: mobile and social media.
Microsoft Build 2015 is an opportunity to woo developers Microsoft this week makes its pitch to a constituency that will go a long way toward determining the fate of the upcoming version of its flagship Windows software: developers.
	Better batteries to break dependence on fossil fuels By 2050 world population is projected to reach 10 billion people, and energy needs will double from what we require today. "We are nowhere near ready," said Héctor D. Abruña at a Charter Day Weekend lecture, "Cornell and the Energy Landscape in the Age of Sustainability" April 26.
	Battle of ideas pits tech talent in London docks The clicking of keyboards fills the hall at a former London dockyard hosting a 24-hour "hackathon" to design applications ranging from the whimsical to the practical and even the potentially life-saving.
	A mouse that plays off gamers' super-quick motions An EPFL post-doctoral student at Logitech has developed an algorithm that gives a mouse a nearly-unlimited reaction rate. It facilitates the combining of optical sensors with a system based on accelerometers and gyroscopes. Already on the market, this device is a successful example of collaboration between research and industry.
	Spying on your kid's phone with Teensafe will only undermine trust There is a growing market in software that can be used by parents to track their child's mobile phone and internet activity. The Teensafe app, recently launched in Australia, is one such app that has prompted renewed debate around issues such as children's privacy and parental rights and responsibilities.
	Self-driving cars will need people, too Self-driving cars are expected to revolutionize the automobile industry. Rapid advances have led to working prototypes faster than most people expected. The anticipated benefits of this emerging technology include safer, faster and more eco-friendly transportation.
Norway blazes global path from FM to digital-only radio Norway is tuning out FM radio for good, and becoming the world's first country to put a date on the switchover to digital-only transmissions.
	Instagram, favorite of artists, debuts music channel Instagram, which has quickly become a favorite social media platform for stars, on Wednesday launched a channel dedicated to music.
	Samsung regains lead over Apple in smartphone market (Update) Samsung retook the lead in the global smartphone market in the first quarter, as gains in emerging market sales helped it overtake Apple, a research group said Wednesday.
	Review: Little-known Facebook apps might remain just that You probably already use Facebook on your phone, along with its Messenger app for chatting with Facebook friends. You might also have Instagram and WhatsApp, two services Facebook bought in recent years.
	Dozens of American Airlines flights delayed by map glitch More than 50 American Airlines flights have been delayed in the past two days by a glitch in navigation-map software loaded on pilots' iPads.
Canadian hacker arrested for spying through webcams Federal police arrested a Canadian woman Wednesday accused of remotely taking over people's computers and spying on them using their own webcams.
	Anonymous app Secret shutting down Secret, a smartphone app that gained notoriety for allowing users to make anonymous comments to friends and nearby people, said Wednesday it was shutting down after just 16 months.
	Sao Paulo court backs taxi drivers, bans Uber A judge on Wednesday barred Uber from operating in Sao Paulo, siding with the city's taxi drivers who complained that the popular ride-sharing service enjoys an unfair competitive advantage.
Salesforce stock soars on takeover talk centering on Oracle Investors are betting that business software service company Salesforce.com will be sold, with Oracle Corp. emerging as the early favorite to pull off a deal that could cost about $50 billion.
	Tackling the fastest and most powerful computing systems on the planet A world-leading team of academic researchers and industrial experts from across Europe are celebrating the conclusion of a four year research collaboration tackling the challenges posed by the fastest and most powerful computing systems on the planet.
	Greater opportunity for scientific research using unmanned aircraft Unmanned aircraft are creating new opportunities for scientific research. A fixed wing airplane, for example, can be used to compile detailed 3D models of a specific area for research into erosion, or to map larger areas. An octocopter can help with research into precision farming, vegetation or forests, for example, and can be used to survey specific marine areas, such as coral reefs. Aerial research using these aircraft has huge advantages (in terms of time and cost) over research carried out from the ground or via satellites.
	Does Rust Belt manufacturing have a future? William Lovejoy, professor of technology and operations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, shared his thoughts about manufacturing's future on Friday with journalists at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers annual conference in Chicago. Here are some excerpts.
	Jay Z to perform rare songs to promote Tidal service Jay Z is breaking out his B-sides to hype his fledgling music streaming service.
	NPL performs its first off-site X-ray residual stress measurement service The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has performed its first off-site X-ray residual stress measurement service for engineering company, Siemens.
	New tools designed to achieve big fuel savings in fishing vessels The 'GESTOIL' system is an economic, easy-to-operate piece of technology, and when actively used it enables significant fuel savings to be made. With this tool the skipper can from the bridge of the vessel see fuel consumption displayed instantly; this puts him in a position to be able to optimize it depending on the sailing conditions at each moment. The proactive use of this system can achieve savings of up to 25% in troll fishing, about 10% in purse-seine vessels, and between 2% and 9% in trawling.
	Hulu lands 'Seinfeld' episodes, future AMC series As people increasingly turn to the Internet for their TV fix, Hulu is adding "Seinfeld" episodes and future AMC series to its lineup.
	'Destiny' video game creators seek to atone for missteps The creators of "Destiny" are ready to unleash the wolves.
Research teams collaborate with microsoft on 'Earth-­shattering' mixed-­reality technology for education Case Western Reserve University Radiology Professor Mark Griswold knew his world had changed the moment he first used a prototype of Microsoft's HoloLens headset. Two months later, one of the university's medical students illustrated exactly why.
GoDaddy shifts away from NASCAR, Danica Patrick The online Web hosting firm GoDaddy said Wednesday it is shifting its global strategy into a new gear, and dumping its longtime sponsorship of NASCAR auto racing.
	Japanese PM seeks tech innovation in Silicon Valley visit Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans a swing through Silicon Valley on Thursday, speaking with Stanford University experts about innovation, building relationships with tech firms and investors, and—as head of one of the world's leading car producing nations—popping in on electric carmaker Tesla Motors.
China's Tencent takes stake in games maker Glu Chinese Internet giant Tencent agreed to take a minority stake in Glu Mobile, a maker of video games including "Contract Killer" and "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," the companies said Wednesday.
Baidu revenue climbs while profit slips Baidu on Wednesday reported that its quarterly profit slipped despite revenue jumping more than a third on strong use of smartphones to access the service.

Medicine & Health news

	Brain circuitry for positive vs. negative memories discovered in mice Neuroscientists have discovered brain circuitry for encoding positive and negative learned associations in mice. After finding that two circuits showed opposite activity following fear and reward learning, the researchers proved that this divergent activity causes either avoidance or reward-driven behaviors. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, they used cutting-edge optical-genetic tools to pinpoint these mechanisms critical to survival, which are also implicated in mental illness.
	Scientists uncover surprising new details of potential Alzheimer's treatment Taking a new approach, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered some surprising details of a group of compounds that have shown significant potential in stimulating the growth of brain cells and memory restoration in animal models that mimic Alzheimer's disease.
	Combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy shows promise for advanced prostate cancers Chemotherapy can be very effective against small prostate tumors. Larger prostate tumors, however, accumulate cells that suppress the body's immune response, allowing the cancer to grow despite treatment. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now find that blocking or removing these immune-suppressing cells allows a special type of chemotherapy—and the immune cells it activates—to destroy prostate tumors. This novel combination therapy, termed chemoimmunotherapy, achieved near complete remission in mouse models of advanced prostate cancer.
	Researchers detail role of silica and lung cancer Researchers at the University of Louisville have detailed a critical connection associated with a major environmental cause of silicosis and a form of lung cancer. Their study is reported in today's Nature Communications.
	Urine profiles provide clues to how obesity causes disease Scientists have identified chemical markers in urine associated with body mass, providing insights into how obesity causes disease.
	New study shows how babies' lives were saved by 3-D printing Kaiba was just a newborn when he turned blue because his little lungs weren't getting the oxygen they needed. Garrett spent the first year of his life in hospital beds tethered to a ventilator, being fed through his veins because his body was too sick to absorb food. Baby Ian's heart stopped before he was even six months old.
	Medical education risks becoming two-tiered unless strong research focus is preserved For more than 100 years, exposing students to basic and clinical research has been an essential component of a medical school education in the United States. However, today, new models of medical education in which research plays a minimal role are likely to create a two-tiered system of education, decrease the physician-scientist pipeline and diminish the application of scientific advances to patient care.
	UK coalition government derailed efforts to reduce salt in food The coalition government derailed a successful programme that reduced salt content added to foods by industry, argue experts in The BMJ this week.
Two-thirds of bowel cancer patients aren't advised to exercise despite health benefits More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of bowel cancer patients say they weren't advised to exercise regularly after their diagnosis - despite evidence that brisk physical activity is linked to better survival in bowel cancer, according to a Cancer Research UK study published today in BMJ Open.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increases the risk of sudden cardiac death People suffering from the common lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), have an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to new research published online today (Wednesday) in the European Heart Journal.
Improving the effect of HIV drugs by the use of a vaccine A vaccine containing a protein necessary for virus replication can boost an HIV-infected patient's immune system, according to clinical research published in the open access journal Retrovirology. This boost can result in increased effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs.
	An apple a day brings more apples your way We have all been told not to grocery shop on an empty stomach, but what other tips can help us shop, and consequently eat, healthier? Cornell researchers Aner Tal, PhD and Brian Wansink, PhD (author of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life) found that shoppers can be primed to buy more produce when they eat a healthy item before shopping. In fact, their new research, published in Psychology & Marketing, found that individuals who ate an apple sample before shopping bought 25% more fruits and vegetables than those who did not eat a sample!
	Physician compensation up for most specialties (HealthDay)—Physician compensation has gone up for almost all specialties, according to a 2015 report published by Medscape.
China chokes as tobacco profits a tough habit to quit In the tobacco-producing heartland of China—the world's largest cigarette market—smoking is commonplace at work, in taxis and even in hospitals.
	App addresses challenges women face trying to quit smoking When it comes to quitting smoking, women may need some extra motivation, researchers say.
Hi-fidelity earplugs aim to preserve both hearing, sound quality For a long time, music lovers have been forced to make a choice: Go to concerts and fully hear the music while probably incurring permanent hearing damage, or wear earplugs that protect their hearing while distorting the sound of the music.
	'Normal' sleep is still a problem for children with sleep disorder University of Adelaide researchers have discovered key signs that children experiencing sleep difficulties continue to suffer health problems even during periods of so-called "normal" sleep.
	GM crops to fight spina bifida Genetically modified crops are usually designed to have herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, but there are other applications of such engineered plants, such as the incorporation of genes for specific nutrients. Research published in the International Journal of Biotechnology suggests that the bio-fortification of rice with a gene to produce more folate (vitamin B9) could significantly reduce the risk of birth defects, such as spina bifida and other neural tube defect conditions, caused by deficiency of this nutrient.
Watching cartoons reduces stress in children undergoing immunisation Watching cartoons can reduce pain and distress in children undergoing immunisation before, during and after the procedure, a study in Italy has found.
Dyslexic children do not detect stressed syllables well while listening to words Dyslexia is not only a problem related to reading; dyslexic children also display impaired prosodic processing—in other words, they struggle to detect stressed syllables. A team of Spanish researchers has shown this feature to be lacking in dyslexia for the first time in Spanish (it has already been demonstrated in English) and highlights the importance of including oral expression activities, as well as reading, to differentiate tone, word stress and intonation.
	Researchers say Japanese-Americans' healthier golden years could be a model for other seniors Nearly one in four Japanese-Americans are 65 and older—nearly twice the proportion of seniors in the overall U.S. population. The facts that they are likelier to live longer than other Americans and are healthier when they age make Japanese-Americans an important subject of research by health policy experts—and could provide clues about how all Americans can age, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
	Researchers find parents of children with autism embrace video game use A common frustration among many parents is wondering how to get their kids to 'disconnect' from devices—computers, phones, and gaming consoles—in order to maintain healthy lifestyles and develop meaningful relationships.
	World failing in fight against antibiotic resistance: WHO The world is doing far too little to combat the misuse of antibiotics which is fuelling drug resistance and allowing long-treatable diseases to become killers, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
	Biomarkers could predict response to antipsychotic treatment Researchers from the National institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and King's College London have identified stress and inflammation biomarkers which might help predict whether people with psychosis will respond to existing antipsychotic medication. The findings could help clinicians distinguish individuals at greatest risk of not responding, which could aid the search for improved medications and personalised treatment plans.
	Scientists discover protective molecule against Alzheimer's Disease South Australian and Chinese scientists have made a molecular discovery through their research into finding a cure for Alzheimer's Disease.
	How to turn the bad guys good in hardened arteries Hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases and is a common feature of ageing but it is not good news. When complex, calcified fatty plaques accumulate and develop up on the inner surface of major arteries, it pushes up the risk of heart attack and stroke.
	Quality sleep had no effect on the likelihood of injury in sporting study A good week's sleep had no effect on the likelihood of injury across the Westcoast Eagles' 2013 AFL season, according to recent research.
	Resolvin D1 reduces post-heart-attack heart failure Chronic inflammation provokes a downward spiral in many diseases, including congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease. A University of Alabama at Birmingham-led research team has now found that mice that are given the lipid "Resolvin D1" after experimental heart attacks have substantially reduced amounts of inflammation and heart failure.
New mechanism triggers endothelial permeability in vivo A single layer of endothelial cells and extracellular matrix lines the inside of blood vessels, like the inner tube inside a bicycle tire. Injury and inflammation can damage this thin layer, allowing a dangerous leakage of fluid from blood vessels to tissues. When this happens in the lung it can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, a major cause of death in hospital intensive-care units.
	Five lessons, and an enduring mystery, from a massive stroke study By any measure, the UAB-led REasons for Geographic And Racial Disparities in Stroke (REGARDS) study is a big deal. Funded by major ongoing grants to the School of Public Health (SOPH) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, REGARDS is the largest population-based study of its kind. Between 2003 and 2007, it enrolled 30,239 participants in 1,855 counties across the United States and continues to follow them to answer two crucial questions: Why do Southerners have a 50 percent higher risk of dying from stroke than the rest of the country? And why are blacks twice as likely to die from stroke as whites?
	Organic and long-life milk 'risk to children's IQ', new study Pregnant or breastfeeding women could be putting the health of their babies at risk by switching to organic or long-life UHT milk, new research suggests.
	Researchers adapt TB diagnostic tool for determining traumatic brain injury A new detection approach originally developed for tuberculosis diagnostics is being adapted as a tool for determining traumatic brain injury, one of the challenges facing the medical community as it works to treat military and sports figures with head injuries. Minute chemical alterations in the body, called biomarkers, are the key.
	New research offers the potential of new treatments for toxoplasma-induced pneumonia and cystic fibrosis The research has discovered a link between a vital pumping system that does not function correctly in people with cystic fibrosis and the parasite Toxoplasma.
	When society isn't judging, women's sex drive rivals men's Men just want sex more than women. I'm sure you've heard that one. Stephen Fry even went as far as suggesting in 2010 that straight women only went to bed with men because sex was "the price they are willing to pay for a relationship".
	Students create smartphone app to connect heart patient, pump, doctor A smartphone app created by students at Rice University may someday serve as the ultimate remote to help control the flow of blood through human hearts.
	Ancient wisdom, modern technology team up to fight disease The high tech facilities where Jairam Vanamala probes the links between food and health are a long way from the rural village in southern India where he grew up, but to him the two are closely connected.
	The victimization quandry: To help victims we have to stop blaming them A woman is brutally assaulted, but rather than receiving the sympathy she deserves, she is blamed. If she had dressed differently or acted differently, or made wiser choices, others say, she would have been spared her ordeal. For victims, this "victim blaming" is profoundly hurtful, and can lead to secondary victimization.
Racial disparities seen in initial access to blood flow for hemodialysis Black and Hispanic patients will less frequently than white patients start hemodialysis with an arteriovenous fistula (connecting an artery to a vein for vascular access), a procedure for initial blood flow access known to result in superior outcomes compared with either catheters or arteriovenous grafts, according to a report published online by JAMA Surgery.
High-dose sodium nitrite with citric acid creams better than placebo for anogenital warts A high-dose treatment of sodium nitrite, 6 percent, with citric acid, 9 percent, creams applied twice daily was more effective than placebo for treating the common sexually transmitted disease of anogenital warts, according to an article published online by JAMA Dermatology.
	Cytokine may play a major role in multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by immune cells that activate a cascade of chemicals in the brain, attacking and degrading the insulation that keeps neuronal signals moving. These chemicals, called cytokines, drive the inflammation in the brain, attracting more immune cells, and causing the debilitating disease marked by loss of neurological function. Researchers have long debated which cytokines drive the disease and which are merely accessory. Now, a study published online April 27th, in the Journal of Immunology, confirms that the cytokine GM-CSF (Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor) likely plays an important role in human disease and offers a new explanation for why the MS treatment interferon-Beta (INF-β) is often effective at reducing MS attacks.
	Medical education: Guiding professional identity to prevent burnout Medical educators and students are paying unprecedented attention to the idea that the way doctors arrive at a professional identity may have a lot to do with whether they survive and thrive in the profession. More than just inspiration, professional identity formation—PIF—is increasingly seen as a crucible in which doctors become tempered against burnout, cynicism, and ethical decay.
Drug resistant bacteria common for nursing home residents with dementia A new study found one in five nursing home residents with advanced dementia harbor strains of drug-resistant bacteria and more than 10 percent of the drug-resistant bacteria are resistant to four or more antibiotic classes. The research was published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
	Gene therapy clips out heart failure causing gene mutations Gene therapy can clip out genetic material linked to heart failure and replace it with the normal gene in human cardiac cells, according to a study led by researchers from the Cardiovascular Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The study is published in the April 29 edition of Nature Communications.
	Your brain on drugs: Functional differences in brain communication in cocaine users The brain function of people addicted to cocaine is different from that of people who are not addicted and often linked to highly impulsive behavior, according to a new scientific study.
	Brain-injured patients need therapies based on cognitive neuroscience Patients with traumatic brain injuries are not benefiting from recent advances in cognitive neuroscience research - and they should be, scientists report in a special issue of Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences.
Booze calorie counts get EU parliament backing European Union lawmakers called Wednesday for all alcoholic drinks including beer, wine and spirits to have labelled calorie counts in a bid to tackle obesity and other health problems.
	Locally sourced drugs can be effective for treating multidrug-resistant TB Locally-sourced antibiotics can be as effective as 'internationally quality-assured' (IQA) antibiotics for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Pakistan, and may help avoid delays in starting treatment while programmes wait for drugs to arrive from overseas, according to new research published in PLOS ONE.
	Novel rapid method for typing of Clostridium difficile could limit outbreaks The Public Health Agency of Sweden has developed a method of typing that can allow laboratories to faster establish the presence of hospital outbreaks of the intestinal bacterium Clostridium difficile. The findings are now published in PLOS ONE.
	High costs of dental care leave many with too little money for basic necessities Having to pay for dental health care can put a considerable strain on household finances in many countries, according to an international study led by King's College London.
Improved sanitation may reduce sexual violence in South African townships Improving access to public toilets in South African urban settlements may reduce both the incidence of sexual assaults by nearly 30% and the overall cost to society, a study by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of Management found.
New therapy from naive cells attacks high-risk viruses in cord blood transplant patients Researchers in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist and the Texas Children's Hospital have expanded the use of virus-specific cell therapy in cord blood transplant patients to successfully prevent three of the most problematic post-transplant viruses affecting this group of patients that have yet to be addressed clinically - cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and adenovirus.
The key to reducing pain in surgery may already be in your hand Imagine a hand-held electronic device - accessible, portable and nearly universal - that could reduce pain and discomfort for patients, and allow doctors the freedom to use less powerful and potentially risky medications to complement anesthesia.
	Young adults born preterm may live with lungs of elderly, study finds Adult survivors of preterm births may have a lung capacity that resembles the healthy elderly or casual smokers by the time they reach their early 20s, according to a University of Oregon study.
	Danish discovery may change cancer treatment Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Herlev Hospital have made a discovery that may change the principles for treating certain types of cancer.
Why do obese men get bariatric surgery far less than women? A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified demographic, socioeconomic and cultural factors that contribute to a major gender disparity among U.S. men and women undergoing weight loss surgeries. Men undergo the surgeries in far lower numbers than women.
	Quenching the thirst for clean, safe water It is estimated that one in nine people globally lack access to safe water. Michigan State University researchers are looking to fill that critical need and provide safe drinking water to the most remote locations in the world with a new foam water filter that significantly reduces dangerous pathogens in drinking water.
	Sweden bans supermarket paracetemol sales after overdose hike Sweden said Wednesday that it will ban the sale of paracetamol tablets in supermarkets due to a sharp rise in overdoses in the six years since they became available outside of pharmacies.
	Challenging work tasks may have an upside for the brain Professionals whose jobs require more speaking, developing strategies, conflict resolution and managerial tasks may experience better protection against memory and thinking decline in old age than their co-workers, according to a new study published in the April 29, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
	Uncovering new functions of a gene implicated in cancer growth opens new therapeutic possibilities Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have shown for the first time that a gene previously implicated in blood vessel formation during embryonic development and tumor growth also induces immune suppression during tumor development. This finding, published April 29 in Nature Communications, opens the door for new therapeutic approaches and vaccine development in treating patients with melanoma and other advanced-staged cancers.
Pharmaceutical industry regulation undermines NICE drugs appraisal work Government policies that support UK pharmaceutical science and enhance export income are costing the NHS millions and undermine the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In an essay published today by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, health economists Professor Alan Maynard and Professor Karen Bloor describe an inflationary regulatory system that lacks accountability, is not evidence-based and subverts the efficiency of the technology appraisal work carried out by NICE, a target of pharmaceutical industry hostility since it was established in 1999.
	Three secrets to healthier eating If you want to know the secrets of healthier eating, think of the kitchen fruit bowl. A fruit bowl makes fruit more convenient, attractive, and normal to eat than if the same fruit were in the bottom of the refrigerator.
	Parents describe arduous journey from diagnosis to pediatric epileptic surgery Having a child diagnosed with epilepsy can be a frightening and confusing time.
Prevent type 2 diabetes blood-sugar spikes by eating more protein for breakfast Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes have difficulty regulating their glucose—or blood sugar—levels, particularly after meals. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that Type 2 diabetics can eat more protein at breakfast to help reduce glucose spikes at both breakfast and lunch.
	Most people eager to know the secrets of their genetics A survey of nearly 7000 people has revealed that 98 per cent want to be informed if researchers using their genetic data stumble upon indicators of a serious preventable or treatable disease. The study, which comes after the Government's announcement that Genomics England will sequence 100,000 genomes by 2017, begins an important and on-going conversation about how our genomic data is used.
	Team reports promising results of phase 1/2 trial of rociletinib in EGFR lung cancer The New England Journal of Medicine reports results of a multi-center phase I/II study of the investigational anti-cancer agent rociletinib (CO-1686) in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that had progressed after previous treatment with EGFR inhibitors. Responses were seen in 59 percent of evaluable patients with the T790M mutation (n=46). In this same population, median progression-free survival (PFS) at the time of analysis was 13.1 months; these data continue to mature.
	LVADs may lead to declines in health, cognitive thinking in some heart failure patients Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are life-prolonging devices for many patients with advanced heart failure but they also may leave some patients in poor health or with declines in brain function, according to two studies being presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2015 Scientific Sessions.
Halving of alcohol-fueled car crashes since mid-1980s boosted US economy by $20 billion The halving of alcohol-fuelled car crashes since the mid-1980s boosted US economic output by $20 billion, increased national income by $6.5 billion, and created 215,000 jobs in 2010, reveals an analysis of the economic impact of drink-driving, published online in the journal Injury Prevention.
	Novel approach blocks amyloid production in Alzheimer's mouse model Offering a potential early intervention for Alzheimer's disease (AD), researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Cenna Biosciences, Inc. have identified compounds that block the production of beta amyloid peptides in mice. The study is reported April 29 in PLOS ONE.
Toxic combination of air pollution and poverty lowers child IQ Children born to mothers experiencing economic hardship, who were also exposed during pregnancy to high levels of PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), scored significantly lower on IQ tests at age 5 compared with children born to mothers with greater economic security and less exposure to the pollutants. The findings by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health appear in the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology.
FDA approves injection for melting away double-chin fat The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it approved an injection designed to melt away double-chin fat.
Study shows surgeon's experience may be a contributing factor for non-small cell lung cancer patients Researchers at McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) explored whether a surgeon's expertise influences procedural choice. The results of a new study of more than 8000 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing surgical resection by 124 physicians showed that surgeons who perform more surgeries are less likely to perform high-risk pneumonectomies. Christian J. Finley, MD, MPH, will be presenting the results of this research at the 95th AATS Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA on April 28, 2015.
Simple, active intervention program after major thoracic surgery reduces ER visits and saves money Post-surgical hospital readmission after discharge and repeat emergency room (ER) visits are not unusual for patients who have undergone major thoracic surgery. Recognizing this problem, clinicians at McMaster University have implemented an innovative, active post-discharge intervention for thoracic surgery patients that is based on the principle of a "one team-one approach" that is initiated while the patient is still hospitalized. The program, known as the Integrated Comprehensive Care (ICC) Project, resulted in shorter hospital stays, fewer ER visits, cost savings, and no increase in adverse outcomes, as well as a trend toward fewer hospital admissions, according to Yaron Shargall, MD, who will be presenting the results of this research at the 95th AATS Annual Meeting in Seattle on April 28.
Takeda warns of loss after $2.4 bn diabetes drug settlements Top Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical on Wednesday warned of its first annual loss in more than six decades after agreeing to pay around $2.4 billion to settle lawsuits over its Actos diabetes drug, amid cancer claims.
Listeria concerns spark Hy-Vee recall of pasta salad Hy-Vee Inc. says it is recalling Hy-Vee Summer Fresh Pasta because of a potential listeria contamination.
Private patient advocates a growing, yet costly, trend in health care Barbara Salata was anxious, couldn't sleep and told her family it felt like she was having a heart attack. The 77-year-old Libertyville woman would forget things and generally "wasn't the mom that we knew," said her son, Bob Salata Jr.
Dutch DSM posts Q1 slump Dutch pharmaceutical group DSM posted a 70 million euro first quarter net loss Wednesday despite an 11 percent jump in sales, boosted by higher animal nutrition volumes and favourable exchange rates.
European court: Bans on gay men blood donors sometimes OK The European Court of Justice ruled Wednesday that EU governments may ban gay men from ever donating blood, but only under strict conditions.
	Study analyses the distance children are willing to walk to school, and how it increases with age A study conducted by researchers from the universities of Granada, Cambridge and East Anglia (UK) has for the first time analysed the distance that children are willing to walk to school every day, and has quantified how it increases with age.
	ESA aids Ebola patients New antiviral drugs to treat Ebola patients in West Africa have been tested with the help of a transportable diagnostics laboratory developed with ESA's support.
Brain tumor patients should be screened for depression Because depression in brain cancer patients is a common but often overlooked condition, oncologists should regularly screen tumor patients for depression, according to an article in the current issue of CNS Oncology.
	Team develops healthy 'snacks' from egg proteins The aperitifs are obtained after treating the egg white with an enzyme, which break the proteins into smaller pieces, a process called hydrolysis, which allows obtaining a wide range of new textures. The development of these products, protected by a patent, is licensed to an American enterprise and it is in the commercial phase.
	Report: Insurers skirt health law's protections for women Some insurance plans offered on the health overhaul law's new marketplaces violate the law's requirements for women's health, according to a new report from a women's legal advocacy group.
Durable benefits seen for lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema Emphysema is a chronic, progressive, obstructive lung disease in which the small sacs of the lung (alveoli) are destroyed, leading to air pockets and severe breathing difficulties. In 2011, 4.7 million Americans reported being diagnosed with emphysema, and in 2013 more than 8200 patients died from emphysema. At the 95th AATS Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA, Dr. Ginsburg will present the results of 10 years of experience with LVRS for emphysema, covering the period between 2004 and 2014.
Stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma: New data did not change conclusion An update search enlarged the pool of study data, but did not change the content of the conclusion of the benefit assessment of stem cell transplantation (SCT) for multiple myeloma conducted in 2012. Overall, the evidence base remained insufficient: Until now, data on quality of life have not been recorded in any study at all. And three large studies, some of which were under German management, have not been completely published even more than 10 years after their completion. This is the conclusion of a rapid report published by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) on 28 April 2015.
Big pharma deals: Mylan raises bid for Perrigo to $35.6 bn Generic drug company Mylan raised its bid for a second time for Perrigo on Wednesday, offering $35.6 billion for the over-the-counter giant.
	Epilepsy alters organization of brain networks and functional efficiency Epilepsy, a disorder characterized by abnormal neuronal activity in certain regions of the brain, leads to organizational changes that can alter brain efficiency at the level of the whole brain. This occurs across functional networks that connect different brain regions and within individual brain regions, as described in an article in Brain Connectivity.
Five-year survivors of esophageal cancer still face low but constant risks Patients with esophageal cancer who survive 5 years after undergoing surgery might breathe a sigh of relief and become complacent about continued monitoring. In fact, there is little published information on the outcome of patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer (LAEC) who survive beyond the 5-year mark. A study that will be presented by Brendon Stiles, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, at the 95th AATS Annual Meeting finds that these survivors still face continued risks resulting from recurrence of the original cancer, appearance of new primary cancers, or chronic pulmonary disease, and calls for long-term surveillance of these patients.
Rubella is gone from the Americas: global health authorities Improved vaccine campaigns have led to the elimination of rubella—an infectious disease that can cause birth defects—from North, Central and South America, global health authorities said Wednesday.
Texas considers more abortion limits after clinic closures Two years after Texas adopted sweeping abortion restrictions despite Wendy Davis' star-making filibuster, Republicans are pushing a smaller encore of additional limits for new Gov. Greg Abbott to sign within the next month.
Sperm bank responds to accusations it misrepresented donor A Georgia-based sperm bank said in a court filing Wednesday that a lawsuit accusing it of misrepresenting the medical and social history of a sperm donor is baseless.
'Beach body' ads investigated after outcry in Britain Britain's advertising watchdog is to investigate ads for a slimming product that sparked outcry on social media this week when they appeared in London's underground rail network.
Low health literacy linked to heart failure deaths after hospitalization People who have difficulty understanding health information are more likely to die following hospitalization for acute heart failure, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
	Calling 911 in rural areas leads to faster heart attack care Arriving to the hospital by ambulance speeds up life-saving treatment for heart attack patients in rural areas and confirms the important role paramedics have in expediting care, according to new research presented at the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2015 Scientific Sessions.
Friends and social networks valued by heart failure patients and health care providers Patients consult family members for advice about their heart failure symptoms; while health care providers engage in social networks to improve communication and heart failure care, according to separate studies presented at the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2015 Scientific Sessions.
	Markey launches app for cancer clinical trials The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center recently launched a new iPhone app featuring a searchable database of the open clinical trials at Markey. The app gives Markey patients and their treatment teams an easier way of identifying the clinical trials currently offered that might be beneficial for the patient's treatment plans.
Traumatic events, financial struggles may threaten women's heart health Traumatic life events such as the death of a loved one or life-threatening illness increased the chances of a heart attack by more than 65 percent among middle-aged and older women regardless of heart disease risk factors or socioeconomic status, according to new research presented at the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2015 Scientific Sessions.

Biology news

	Some monkeys can understand danger calls made by different monkey species (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with members from France, Ivory Coast, Switzerland and the U.K. has found that some monkeys of one species are able to listen in and respond to communications made by monkeys of another species. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers describe a field study they conducted with two monkey species and what they learned from it.
	Coastal light pollution disturbs marine animals, new study shows Marine ecosystems can be changed by night-time artificial lighting according to new research published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. The results indicate that light pollution from coastal communities, shipping and offshore infrastructure could be changing the composition of marine invertebrate communities.
	Male flour beetles increase their courtship effort and their sperm count if a female smells of other males Male flour beetles increase their courtship effort and their sperm count if a female smells of other males according to a study published in the journal Behavioural Ecology.
	Elderly crickets are set in their ways, study finds As insects grow old their behaviour becomes increasingly predictable according to new research published in the journal Behavioural Ecology. The study, which set out to understand how personality alters with age, found that behavioural traits tend to become entrenched as crickets age.
	Dutch saltwater potatoes offer hope for world's hungry A small field on an island off the Netherlands' northern coast promises one answer to the problem of how to feed the world's ever-growing population: potatoes and other crops that grow in saltwater.
	Researchers deliver transcription factors into specific tissue of a living animal for the first time A team of researchers affiliated with the University of California has for the first time, delivered transcription factors into specific tissue of a living animal. In their paper published in the journal Nature Materials, the team describes how they built on prior research to come up with a new technique that allowed for the breakthrough.
	Study sheds light on how leafcutter ants use chemical secretions to prevent fungal infections (Phys.org)—A team of researchers working in Panama has learned more about how leafcutter ants use chemical secretions to ward of fungal infections. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the team, made up of researchers from Panama and Denmark, describe how they set up multiple ant colonies and subjected them to various fungal infections, and watched how the ants warded them off.
	The science behind spite Psychology, biology, and mathematics have come together to show that the occurrence of altruism and spite - helping or harming others at a cost to oneself - depends on similarity not just between two interacting individuals but also to the rest of their neighbours.
	How does a honeybee queen avoid inbreeding in her colony? Recombination, or crossing-over, occurs when sperm and egg cells are formed and segments of each chromosome pair are interchanged. This process plays an crucial role in the maintanance of genetic variation. Matthew Webster and Andreas Wallberg at the Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, have studied recombination in honeybees. The extreme recombination rates found in this species seem to be crucial for their survival.
	Cause of wheat resistance to scab discovered A nasty disease that can wreak havoc on wheat crops has been identified by scientists, allowing plant breeders to develop better varieties with higher yields for farmers.
	Aquatic ecologist says dams are boxing in fish, causing them to disappear from Kansas Call them the canary in the coal mine for water quality; small fish species are being extirpated from Kansas rivers, according to Kansas State University ecologists.
	Understanding genetic diversity of bacteriophages Over the last seven years, thousands of undergraduate students have joined the effort to sequence and analyze the genomes of bacteria-infecting viruses as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science Education Alliance (SEA). The hundreds of genomes that they have sequenced are the foundation of a new study that broadens scientists' understanding of the vast diversity among these viruses, which are known as bacteriophages.
	Crossbreeding could create stronger future for coral reefs The hybridisation of algae that live in reef corals could increase their rate of development and provide a means for corals to adapt to global warming, Victoria University of Wellington research has shown.
	Algae discovery means pig waste could provide more for farms The Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC) has invested $300,000 with the Algae Research and Development Centre at Murdoch University to investigate the proposals, which would cut costs, recover energy from waste and reduce the potential for groundwater contamination at piggeries.
	Coffee production starting to decline Scientists have provided the first on-the-ground evidence that climate change has already had a substantial impact on coffee production in the East African Highlands region, according to a recently published paper in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology.
	Study advances new tool in the fight against invasive species Asian carp. Burmese python. Hemlock woolly adelgid. These are just some of the most destructive pests and the world's worst invasive species that raise the hackles of fisherman, farmers, and wildlife managers everywhere they invade.
Fresh produce growers learn ways to prevent foodborne illnesses Fresh produce growers learned ways to reduce food safety risks and qualify for Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) certification at a workshop during the annual Wyoming Farmers Marketing Association meeting earlier this month in Casper, according to Cole Ehmke, University of Wyoming Extension specialist.
	Albany's citizen scientists aid fish surveys A community marine monitoring project is using underwater video technology to survey fish species on shallow reef systems off Albany.
$4 million in US projects aim to protect sage grouse habitat Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday announced more than $4 million in projects in four states as part of a wildfire-fighting strategy to protect a wide swath of intermountain West sagebrush country that supports cattle ranching and is home to a struggling bird species.
	Tracking tiny songbirds across continents A pair of newly published papers in The Condor: Ornithological Applications lay out a method for outfitting birds with geolocators or radio transmitters that cuts precious weight from the package, allowing the devices to be used on very small birds, and demonstrate that the trackers do not harm the birds or impede their migration. Henry Streby of the University of California, Berkeley, and Sean Peterson of the University of Minnesota led a team of researchers to carry out the studies, which could make it easier than ever before to identify the migratory routes and wintering ranges of small songbirds such as warblers.

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