Science X Newsletter Wednesday, Aug 5

Modeling and Simulation for Everyone

With COMSOL Multiphysics version 5.1, modeling and simulation is available for everyone. Check out the release highlights video to learn about the latest advancements in simulation and application design: http://goo.gl/BwVSlq

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Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 5, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Team claims to have created a sample of stanene
- Physicist unveils plan for entangling massive objects
- Milky Way-like galaxies may have existed in the early universe
- Two spin liquids square off in an iron-based superconductor
- Astronomers unveil a distant protogalaxy connected to the cosmic web
- Tip-enhanced Raman scattering can distinguish between two structurally similar adjacent molecules
- Biochemical sensor implanted at initial biopsy could allow doctors to better monitor, adjust cancer treatments
- How stress can tweak the brain to sabotage self-control
- How makerspaces can be more accessible to people with disabilities
- DynaFlash is a high-speed projector with 3ms delay
- Creating an avatar from a 3-D selfie
- Scientists solve planetary ring riddle
- Aluminum could give a big boost to capacity and power of lithium-ion batteries
- Cancer treatment models get real
- Automakers trying to prevent hackers from commandeering cars

Astronomy & Space news

	Milky Way-like galaxies may have existed in the early universe A new, large-scale computer simulation has shown for the first time that large disk galaxies, much like our own Milky Way, may have existed in the early days of the universe.
	Astronomers unveil a distant protogalaxy connected to the cosmic web A team of astronomers led by Caltech has discovered a giant swirling disk of gas 10 billion light-years away—a galaxy-in-the-making that is actively being fed cool primordial gas tracing back to the Big Bang. Using the Caltech-designed and -built Cosmic Web Imager (CWI) at Palomar Observatory, the researchers were able to image the protogalaxy and found that it is connected to a filament of the intergalactic medium, the cosmic web made of diffuse gas that crisscrosses between galaxies and extends throughout the universe.
	Galaxies show appetite for growth The extent to which galaxies consume one another has been revealed in research. Findings from the study help to explain how galaxies such as the Milky Way were formed.
	Image: The ghost of a dying star This extraordinary bubble, glowing like the ghost of a star in the haunting darkness of space, may appear supernatural and mysterious, but it is a familiar astronomical object: a planetary nebula, the remnants of a dying star. This is the best view of the little-known object ESO 378-1 yet obtained and was captured by ESO's Very Large Telescope in northern Chile.
	Lunar IceCube to take on big mission from small package In what scientists say signals a paradigm shift in interplanetary science, NASA has selected a shoebox-size mission to search for water ice and other resources from above the surface of the moon.
	Scientists solve planetary ring riddle In a breakthrough study, an international team of scientists, including Professor Nikolai Brilliantov from the University of Leicester, has solved an age-old scientific riddle by discovering that planetary rings, such as those orbiting Saturn, have a universally similar particle distribution.
	From a million miles away, NASA camera shows moon crossing face of Earth A NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured a unique view of the moon as it moved in front of the sunlit side of Earth last month. The series of test images shows the fully illuminated "dark side" of the moon that is never visible from Earth.
Cosmological 'lost' lithium: An environmental solution In the beginning there were four "fundamental" elements besides Hydrogen- not Earth, Air, Fire, or Water, but rather Helium 3, Helium 4, Deuterium and Lithium-7, four "light" isotopes produced by primordial nucleosynthesis (during the Big Bang). The four elements remain, but the calculations simply do not add up. The "metal-poor" stars are celestial bodies composed of mainly primitive material. Based on the Standard Cosmological Model - the most accepted theory today to explain the universe - scientists have calculated how much Li7 should be in them, but the measurements show that it is a factor 3 less of what it should be. The question remains whether the theoretical predictions were wrong or if some of the Lithium was lost along the way.
	Image: MSG-4, Europe's latest weather satellite, delivers first image Today, the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager instrument on MSG-4 captured its first image of Earth. This demonstrates that Europe's latest geostationary weather satellite, launched on 15 July, is performing well and is on its way to becoming fully operational when needed after six months of commissioning.
	Image: ESA's deep-space tracking station at New Norcia, Australia This image shows the 35 m-diameter dish antenna of ESA's deep-space tracking station at New Norcia, Australia, illuminated by ground lights against the night sky on 3 August 2015.
	The mystery of Jupiter's Great Red Spot The largest and most powerful hurricanes ever recorded on Earth spanned over 1,000 miles across with winds gusting up to around 200 mph. That's wide enough to stretch across nearly all U.S. states east of Texas. But even that kind of storm is dwarfed by the Great Red Spot, a gigantic storm in Jupiter. There, gigantic means twice as wide as Earth.
	NASA says it needs $490 million for seats on Russian rockets NASA is asking Congress for another half billion dollars to pay Russia to fly astronauts to the International Space Station.
	Tracking spacecraft through the cosmos music contest Musicians, composers and audio buffs are invited to help celebrate 40 years of ESA's tracking station network. Create some truly cosmic sound and you may win impressive prizes, including a trip to our anniversary gala event in Spain.
	The dog days and Sothic Cycles of August The month of August is upon us once again, bringing with it humid days and sultry nights for North American observers.

Technology news

	Robo-whiskers mimic animals exploring their surroundings Many mammals, including seals and rats, rely on their whiskers to sense their way through dark environments. Inspired by these animals, scientists working at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois' Advanced Digital Sciences Centre in Singapore have developed a robotic 'whisker' tactile sensor array designed to produce tomographic images by measuring fluid flow.
	Privacy analysis shows battery status API as tracking tool That same HTML5 battery status function that lets you see how you're doing and how much juice you have left could also leave you vulnerable: A Mashable senior editor, Stan Schroeder, reported Tuesday on a paper that shows just how your battery status API can be used to track your Internet activity.
	Maker of hacked radio says system is unique to Fiat Chrysler The company that makes car radios that friendly hackers exploited to take control of a Jeep Cherokee says its other infotainment systems don't have the same security flaw.
	EFF and partners place Do Not Track on higher plane Yes, you have the option of "Do Not Track" when using well-known browsers. Still, reports come in regularly of stealthy online tracking activities, where your reading histories can be exploited. An announcement this week from a coalition of companies along with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) seek a better route both for privacy-minded users as well as for advertisers.
	The future of rail travel, and why it doesn't look like Hyperloop As the world's population becomes increasingly urbanised, it is estimated that the number of journeys measured in passenger-kilometres will triple by 2050. Roads simply can't absorb this increase.
	Creating an avatar from a 3-D selfie Generating a 3D duplicate of someone without the aid of a Hollywood studio: this is the challenge taken up by EPFL researchers, who have successfully condensed an expensive and complex process to use only a smartphone camera.
	How makerspaces can be more accessible to people with disabilities Inside the University of Washington's CoMotion MakerSpace, students, faculty and staff use sewing machines to create anime convention costumes, 3-D print models for aeronautics research or make circuits for a custom-built amplifier.
	Automakers trying to prevent hackers from commandeering cars When researchers at two West Coast universities took control of a General Motors car through cellular and Bluetooth connections in 2010, they startled the auto industry by exposing a glaring security gap.
	DynaFlash is a high-speed projector with 3ms delay A team from the Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory at Tokyo University and Tokyo Electron Device (TED) have come up with a prototype of a high-speed projector called "DynaFlash" which can project 8-bit images up to 1,000fps with 3ms delay. DynaFlash is actually a projection mapping system for tracking objects moving at high speed. A video showing the DynaFlash at work is an impressive video.
	Apple slump deepens on iPhone, China concerns Apple is slumping as the usually high-flying tech stock struggles with the burden of raised expectations.
US bill requiring carriers to report 'terror' criticized A coalition including civil liberties and human rights activists urged US lawmakers Tuesday to reject a bill that would require Internet companies to report signs of "terrorist activity" on their networks.
	Review: Stand-alone gadgets trump all-in-one devices When Apple announced new iPod music players a few weeks ago, many people asked why anyone would need iPods when smartphones can play music and more. I had that question myself—until I remembered I've been carrying an iPod almost every day, mostly for my runs.
	Companies exploit live-streaming apps Periscope, Meerkat Companies have learned to use Facebook, Instagram and other social media to drum up business and now they're finding ways to exploit two new apps, Periscope and Meerkat.
	Researchers building high-speed data 'freeway system' For the last three years, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has made a series of competitive grants to over 100 U.S. universities to aggressively upgrade their campus network capacity for greatly enhanced science data access. NSF is now building on that distributed investment by funding a $5 million, five-year award to UC San Diego and UC Berkeley to establish a Pacific Research Platform (PRP), a science-driven high-capacity data-centric "freeway system" on a large regional scale. Within a few years, the PRP will give participating universities and other research institutions the ability to move data 1,000 times faster compared to speeds on today's inter-campus shared Internet.
	Participatory design in Kenya's oldest slum In a landmark project with UN-Habitat, a team of Cambridge researchers has designed a community centre in one of Kenya's biggest and oldest slums, and its future users are now raising funds to build it.
	Cyber-defense and forensic tool turns 20 Sometimes a new idea or product can burst into the world fully-formed, but more often than not it takes time for things of value to evolve, improve, emerge and find an audience.
	MARS mission aims to make historic Atlantic crossing A pioneering project has been launched to design, build and sail the world's first full-sized, fully autonomous unmanned ship across the Atlantic Ocean.
	Why we should all care about cyber crime In today's world, the reality is that all individuals and organisations connected to the internet are vulnerable to cyber attack. The number, type and sophistication of attacks continues to grow, as the threat report published last month by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) points out.
	Forget the Silicon Valley revolution—the future of transport looks remarkably familiar From autonomous vehicles and the rapid rise of Uber to the global diffusion of bike-sharing schemes, transport is changing. Developments in information technology, transport policy and behaviour by urban populations may well be causing a wholesale shift away from conventional cars to collective, automated and low-carbon transport.
Now advertising billboards can read your emotions ... and that's just the start Advertising giant M&C Saatchi is currently testing advertising billboards with hidden Microsoft Kinect cameras that read viewers' emotions and react according to whether a person's facial expression is happy, sad or neutral.
	Big Data analyses depend on starting with clean data points Popularly referred to as "Big Data," mammoth sets of information about almost every aspect of our lives have triggered great excitement about what we can glean from analyzing these diverse data sets. Benefits range from better investment of resources, whether for government services or for sales promotions, to more effective medical treatments. However, real insights can be obtained only from data that are accurate and complete, so it's critical to keep in mind how the data were collected.
	A suspension revolution in Formula I Motorsport A Cambridge academic equipped with no more than a pencil and paper invented a completely new suspension component which led to a unique story featuring code names, Formula 1 victories and claims of industrial espionage.
What 15 years of mobile data can say about us Large-scale anonymised datasets from mobile phones can give a better picture of society than ever before available. Mobile phone use helps us understand social networks, mobility and human behaviour. A review article recently published in EPJ Data Science highlights the main contributions in the field of mobile phone datasets analysis in the past 15 years. Vincent Blondel from the Université Catholique de Louvain, in Belgium, and colleagues conclude, among other things, that predictions that the world would shrink into a small village have not completely materialised as distance still plays a role. Meanwhile, individuals appear to have highly predictable movements as populations evolve in a remarkably synchronised way.
Wearable fitness devices carry security risks During a 2014 competition among Netflix employees to create potential new features, one group hacked into a Fitbit and created a "Sleep Bookmark" function, automatically pausing Netflix as the wearer started to fall asleep.
Lyft forgoes global expansion in favor of US market domination Lyft has walked back years of promises about a global expansion, and instead the car-booking company is doubling down on the U.S. market, hoping to beat its biggest foe here at home.
	Review: Windows 10 fixes the mistakes of Windows 8 Windows 10, the latest version of Microsoft's operating system, upholds the adage about the company's flagship product - every other release is good.
'Startup studio' helps entrepreneurs find a path to profitability Mike Jones hunts for small companies with "fantastically large" ambitions.
New Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins seeks to speed up networking giant In his first week as Cisco Systems' new CEO, Chuck Robbins made an immediate impression, moving quickly on plans to create a leaner, faster-moving company out of the networking colossus.
Solar technology could give consumers the power to get off the grid In the more than 130 years since Thomas Edison released the electric light bulb on the world, households have more or less gotten electricity one way. Build a power plant, string power lines in all directions until you've connected as many homes and businesses as possible, repeat.
	You still use a landline? FCC voting on new phone rules The copper network behind landline phones, a communications mainstay for more than a century, is going away, as cable and fiber-optics lines come along with faster Internet speeds.
	India's multi-billion dollar e-commerce battle heats up The battle for supremacy in India's bulging e-commerce market between Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal is rapidly heating up with multi-billion-dollar investments, trolling on Twitter and squabbling over exclusive selling rights.
	Team rendering method preserves detail in film quality production graphics Disney Research has developed a new method of rendering high-quality graphics for animated features that efficiently corrects for erroneous pixels while preserving the crisp detail in images, significantly increasing the efficiency of producing animated images.
	Data-driven method provides simple means of calculating aerodynamics of light, 3-D objects Obtaining the aerodynamic properties necessary to simulate falling leaves or a tumbling box caught by the wind can be as simple as dropping the object off of a balcony and recording the fall, thanks to OmniAD, a data-driven technique developed at Disney Research.
	Team produces 3-D-printed objects with variable elasticity using single material A 3D-printed teddy bear can have a stiff head, a pliable tummy and bendable arms, even though all of it is made of the same relatively stiff material, using a new method developed by Disney Research.
	System uses everyday descriptions of cloth to aid garment design for animations The elaborate costumes worn by Rapunzel, the heroine of Disney's "Tangled," are testament to the growing sophistication of cloth animation, but for art directors, who must tweak tens or hundreds of technical parameters, achieving a desired look for simulated clothing can be laborious.
	Wrinkles and all: Hi-res eyelid reconstruction makes digital doubles look more realistic Little details, such as the wrinkling or twitching of an eyelid, can have a big impact on whether a digitally rendered face looks real in a film or videogame. Now scientists at Disney Research have devised the first method to capture these subtleties of the eyelids in detail.
	Interactive editing tool enables personalization of planar linkages Disney Research has created LinkEdit, interactive software for predictably changing the shape or motion of planar linkages used in such objects as kinetic sculptures, folding furniture and mechanical toys.
	New method efficiently renders granular materials at multiple scales Computer graphics researchers have developed a way to efficiently render images of sand castles, gravel roads, snowmen, salt in a shaker or even ocean spray - any object consisting of randomly oriented, but discernible grains - that look realistic whether viewed from afar or up close.
	Researchers leverage redundancy in casually shot videos to enable scene-space effects The same sort of video processing effects that usually require video to be shot in controlled environments where 3-D positions of cameras and objects are precisely known can be achieved with real-world, handheld video shot from consumer-grade cameras using a new approach pioneered by Disney Research.
	New method captures facial details at high fidelity and real time Forehead wrinkles that rapidly deepen and crow's feet that appear suddenly around the eyes might distress the average person, but the ability to quickly and realistically incorporate such details in a facial reconstruction is the key feature of a new performance capture method developed at Disney Research.
	Gates richest in tech, as Bezos rises Microsoft's Bill Gates was the unsurprising leader of the first Forbes list of the richest global tech billionaires, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw his personal fortune surge.
Tesla loss widens as it gears for expansion Tesla reported Wednesday its loss for the second quarter widened to $184 million as the electric carmaker geared up for expansion.
	Facebook debuts live video for celebs Facebook announced Wednesday it was launching live streaming video to allow actors, musicians and other celebrities a new way to connect with their fans.
Reddit updates content policy, banning a 'handful' of groups Reddit, the online discussion site known for free-wheeling discussions, is updating its content policy as it tries to be a more welcoming place for everyone.
Dream of free and open Internet dying, lawyer says The dream of a free and open Internet is slowly being killed by overregulation, censorship and bad laws that don't stop the right people, a top computer crime defense lawyer says.
NHL entrusting live-game app, cable network to baseball The National Hockey League is passing its digital puck to Major League Baseball in an unusual sports partnership.
Eight cities cited in data program from ex-NYC mayor Bloomberg Jackson, Mississippi, and Mesa, Arizona, aim to make troves of data about city operations available online for the first time. Tulsa, Oklahoma, plans to make its data releases more useful for the public. Seattle wants to use contract data to help ensure vendors deliver on their promises.
Service restored after phone outages reported in Southeast Phone carriers say some customers in the Southeast who experienced outages with wireless and wired service have had service restored.
	India drops ban on online porn after backlash India has reversed a controversial order banning hundreds of porn websites, a government official said Wednesday, after accusations of heavy-handed censorship in the world's largest democracy.
	Researchers developing technology to spread warmth in villages without electricity Two recent National Science Foundation (NSF) grants received by Kettering University are propelling collaborative and industry research that is attempting to help reduce infant mortality rates in third-world countries.
	Labs team to build new solar optics system The University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute and Dallas-based Skyven Technologies have been awarded a National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research program grant to build and test a Phase 1 prototype of a novel optics system for concentrating sunlight more than 1,000 times the usual amplification.
	Who are the stock market heavyweights? At $660 billion, Apple is the stock market's heavyweight.
Microsoft boosts parental leave, on heels of Netflix Microsoft on Wednesday announced an expanded parental leave policy for its US-based employees, a day after a similar move by streaming television giant Netflix.

Medicine & Health news

	Thousands of womb cancers prevented by the pill, study says The contraceptive pill has prevented some 200,000 cases of womb cancer over the last decade in rich nations alone, according to research published Wednesday.
	Viruses thrive in big families, in sickness and in health The BIG LoVE (Utah Better Identification of Germs-Longitudinal Viral Epidemiology) study, led by scientists at the University of Utah School of Medicine, finds that each bundle of joy puts the entire household at increased risk for infection with viruses that cause colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses.
	How white blood cells limit muscle regeneration Researchers have identified a protein produced by white blood cells that puts the brakes on muscle repair after injury.
	Inflammation, not telomere length, predicts healthy longevity of centenarians Scientists have cracked the secret of why some people live a healthy and physically independent life over the age of 100.
	New strategy IDs infertility-causing genes Infertility affects roughly 15 percent of couples – with many cases resulting from faulty genetics – but the details of underlying genetic causes are largely unknown.
	Study offers first genetic analysis of people with extremely high intelligence The first ever genetic analysis of people with extremely high intelligence has revealed small but important genetic differences between some of the brightest people in the United States and the general population.
	How stress can tweak the brain to sabotage self-control A challenging morning meeting or an interaction with an upset client at work may affect whether we go for that extra chocolate bar at lunch. In a study appearing August 5 in Neuron, researchers placed human volunteers in a similar food choice scenario to explore how stress can alter the brain to impair self-control when we're confronted with a choice.
Scientists solve structure of important protein for tumor growth In a collaborative study between Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) and the Argonne National Laboratory, scientists have used a highly specialized X-ray crystallography technique to solve the protein structure of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), important regulators of a tumor's response to low oxygen (hyopoxia). The findings, published today in the journal Nature, open the door to search for new drugs to treat tumors by cutting off their supply of oxygen and nutrients.
	Source of liver stem cells identified Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists have identified stem cells in the liver that give rise to functional liver cells. The work solves a long-standing mystery about the origin of new cells in the liver, which must constantly be replenished as cells die off, even in a healthy organ.
Computer algorithm can forecast patients' deadly sepsis For a patient with sepsis - which kills more Americans every year than AIDS and breast and prostate cancer combined - hours can make the difference between life and death.
	Cancer treatment models get real Researchers at Rice University and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a way to mimic the conditions under which cancer tumors grow in bones.
	England still struggling to close the gap in cancer survival Cancer survival in England remains lower than countries with similar healthcare systems, according to a new Cancer Research UK funded study published in the British Journal of Cancer today.
Music played during surgeries may hinder communication and impact patient safety Music is currently played in approximately 50% to 70% of surgical operations performed worldwide. In a new study of 20 operations conducted in the UK, repeated requests—for example, for a surgical instrument—were 5 times more likely to occur in surgeries with music than in those without.
New study demonstrates combined impact of smoking and early menopause on mortality Women may now have yet another reason to quit smoking given the results of a new study that is being reported online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The Swedish study involving 25,474 women is the first to quantify the combined effects of smoking and age at menopause on overall mortality in terms of survival time by investigating the role of smoking as a possible effect modifier.
Skipping follow up with pulmonologist after COPD hospitalization could be risky business Researchers have found the risk for hospital readmission to be nearly three times higher after COPD exacerbation if a follow-up visit to a pulmonologist is skipped. The Israeli study published today in the journal Chest The Association Between Hospital Readmission and Pulmonologist Follow-up Visits in Patients With COPD examined the impact of a pulmonologist follow-up visit during the month after discharge from the hospital on reducing readmissions.
Coordinated effort by health care facilities can prevent many hospital-acquired infections By coordinating with state health departments and communicating with each other about patients with C. difficile and antibiotic-resistant infections, hospitals, long-term acute-care facilities and nursing homes could reduce the number of such hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) by an estimated 619,000 cases in the next five years, a new Centers for Disease Control 9 (CDC)-led report has found.
More than 380 in US sickened by cilantro-linked infection Two U.S. agencies say more than 380 people in 26 states have been diagnosed with a stomach illness tied to Mexican cilantro contaminated by human waste.
UK drinking guidelines are a poor fit with Britain's heavy drinking habits The UK government's current alcohol guidelines are unrealistic and largely ignored because they have little relevance to people's drinking habits, according to a new report by the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG) in collaboration with the University of Stirling.
	Storytelling skills support early literacy for African American children Early narrative skills are tied to kindergarten literacy among young African American children, according to new research from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). The study is the first to demonstrate the connection between African American preschoolers' storytelling abilities and the development of their early reading skills.
	Studies on peptide-modified cultures demonstrate control over both tissue growth and location in vitro "In vitro fabricated biological tissue would be a valuable tool to screen newly synthesized drugs or understand the tissue development process," explain Takuya Matsumoto and his colleagues in a recent report. However tissues grown so far have not reached the size and final shape of natural tissue. Matsumoto and colleagues at Okayama, Osaka and Kansai Universities in Japan have now identified a tripeptide sequence that can be used to overcome both limitations. With hydrogel modified with the tripeptide they demonstrate enhanced tissue growth of a salivary gland both across a sheet of tissue and at specified localised points.
	Music therapy offers creative outlet for youth in detention center Through a long-standing partnership with the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center, graduate students in Drexel's music therapy and counseling program are helping to bring joy, a creative outlet and—most importantly—music, to an adolescent population whose current circumstances are uncertain.
	Why Medicare should reimburse doctors for end-of-life care conversations On July 8, Medicare announced plans to reimburse physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants for services to help their patients plan the care they would want if they were too ill to speak for themselves. If approved, the plan will take effect in January 2016.
	Study finds state policies influence vaccination, disease outbreak rates Lax state vaccination laws contribute to lower immunization rates and increased outbreaks of preventable diseases—like whooping cough and measles—according to a new study from the University of Georgia.
	Missing piece surfaces in the puzzle of autism A study carried out by the Laboratoire Neurobiologie des Interactions Cellulaires et Neurophysiopathologie (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université), in collaboration with clinicians from Marseilles Public Hospitals (AP-HM) and scientists from the Salk Institute in San Diego (US), has revealed a new gene that plays a crucial role during early development in humans and whose under-expression may induce certain autistic traits. This work is published on 4 August 2015 in Molecular Psychiatry.
The implications of genetic testing In the past decade major developments have been made in cancer genetics with the identification of inherited mutations, along with advances in cancer screening, surveillance and prevention. However with these advances come significant cultural, ethical, social and psychological implications.
How does being 'on-call' impact employee fatigue? With the growing demands of consumerism and the need to assist customers on the clock, today's employees are working anything but nine to five. One in five EU employees are working on-call, but how does this arrangement stack up for labourers? Recently published research in Ergonomics monitors a group of 169 male Dutch distal on-call technicians and investigates the connections between high levels of work fatigue, need for recovery and the status of being on-call and off-call. The study suggested that the mere possibility of being called heightens the need for recovery among shift workers.
	Certain genes when exposed to the environment may lead to diabetes Arsenic, which can be present in ground water, modifies an enzyme that alters the secretion of insulin in the pancreas.
	Fast, accurate genetic tests may soon help doctors tell if you really need antibiotics Duke students are trying to help doctors find a faster way to pinpoint the cause of their patients' coughs, sore throats and sniffles.
	Gastric bypass surgery lowers women's alcohol tolerance Women who have gastric bypass surgery to lose weight should keep a close eye on their alcohol consumption, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety in rural older adults Telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy was better at reducing worry, generalized anxiety disorder symptoms and depressive symptoms in older adults who live in rural areas, where access to mental health treatment may be limited, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.
Long-term followup of type of bariatric surgery finds regain of weight, decrease in diabetes remission While undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy induced weight loss and improvements in obesity-related disorders, long-term followup shows significant weight regain and a decrease in remission rates of diabetes and, to a lesser extent, other obesity-related disorders over time, according to a study published online by JAMA Surgery.
	Study details powerful molecular promoter of colon cancers Cancer researchers already know of some oncogenes and other factors that promote the development of colon cancers, but they don't yet have the full picture of how these cancers originate and spread. Now researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have illuminated another powerful factor in this process.
New medical research reporting requirements may lead to fewer positive outcomes The adoption of new transparent reporting standards may have contributed to a significant reduction in the percentage of studies reporting positive research findings among large-budget clinical trials funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE has found.
	Surveys reveal trends in global consumption of sugary beverages, fruit juices and milk Data on beverage intakes in 187 countries reveal diversity in existing intakes and trends in global consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices and milk. A research team led by scientists from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University reported today in PLOS ONE that the consumption of all three types of beverages was lowest in East Asia and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was highest in the Caribbean. Overall, younger adults consumed the highest levels of sugar-sweetened beverages, while older adults consumed more milk. Young men in the Caribbean (ages 20-39) were found to have the highest average consumption: 3.4 servings of sweetened beverages per day.
	People with low scores on test of thinking skills may be at higher risk for heart attack People with low scores on a test of executive function, the higher-level thinking skills used to reason, problem solve and plan, may be at higher risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new study published in the August 5, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
	How to tell the difference between bipolar disorder and depression Many patients with bipolar disorder, a debilitating mental condition that can take a person from the sluggishness of severe depression to super-human energy levels, are often misdiagnosed as having major depressive disorder, or MDD. But now as an alternative to reliance on patient interviews, scientists are closing in on an objective test that could help clinicians distinguish between the two—and provide better treatment. Their method appears in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research.
Spaceflight may increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease Here's the summary of a new research report appearing in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal: Prolonged spaceflight may give you a nasty case of diarrhea. Specifically, when mice were subjected to simulated spaceflight conditions, the balance of bacteria and the function of immune cells in the gut changed, leading to increased bowel inflammation.
	Want to improve your health? Focus on nutrition and not weight If you are watching what you eat, working out, and still not seeing improvements in your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc., here's some hope. A new report appearing in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that inflammation induced by deficiencies in vitamins and minerals might be the culprit. In this report, researchers show that - in some people - improvement results in many of the major markers of health when nutritional deficiencies are corrected. Some even lost weight without a change in their diet or levels of activity.
	High salt intake could be a risk factor for multiple sclerosis Here's another reason to put the salt shaker down: New research in mice shows that diets high in sodium may be a novel risk factor in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) by influencing immune cells that cause the disease. Although this research does implicate salt intake as a risk factor, it is important to note that dietary salt is likely just one of the many environmental factors contributing to this complex disease, and very much influenced by one's genetic background. This finding was published in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal.
	The role of intra-abdominal fat in IBD uncovered Intra-abdominal fat cells may contribute to the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study1 published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the basic science journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
Consuming highly refined carbohydrates increases risk of depression A diet high in refined carbohydrates may lead to an increased risk for new-onset depression in postmenopausal women, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
	Scientists discover cancer markers may be present early during human development Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have uncovered a link between the genomes of cells originating in the neural crest and development of tumors—a discovery that could lead to new ways to diagnose and treat cancer.
Online tool enables public to track 'tip-of-the tongue' states, speech errors We've all been there. Occasionally, in the midst of a conversation, our mind flashes blank, and it's impossible to conjure the word for a thing, place or person. We'll gesture with our hands and feel like we're on the verge of remembering. But the word won't come.
	Higher mortality tied to planned vaginal breech delivery (HealthDay)—Perinatal mortality and morbidity is significantly higher with planned vaginal breech delivery compared with planned cesarean delivery, according to a review published online July 29 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
	Hysterectomy at younger age tied to heart disease risks (HealthDay)—Hysterectomy is associated with an increased likelihood of cardiovascular risk factors and disease, especially among younger women, a new study suggests.
	People with type 2 diabetes do benefit from blood sugar checks (HealthDay)—Personalized blood sugar self-monitoring benefits people with type 2 diabetes even if they're not taking insulin, a new small study shows.
	Infliximab lost into feces of patients with ulcerative colitis (HealthDay)—For patients with moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC), clinical nonresponders to infliximab have high concentrations of infliximab in fecal samples, according to a study published in the August issue of Gastroenterology.
	Increasing trend toward use of 'laborists' in hospitals (HealthDay)—Hospitals are increasingly employing laborists who are always at the hospital to handle births and obstetrical and gynecological emergencies, with positive results, according to a report published by Kaiser Health News.
	Bacterial biofilms identified in ocular prosthesis (HealthDay)—Bacterial biofilms are associated with ocular prostheses, according to a letter to the editor published in the August issue of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.
	Intraperitoneal chemotherapy ups ovarian cancer outcomes (HealthDay)—Intraperitoneal chemotherapy significantly improves survival among women with advanced ovarian cancer; however, fewer than half of eligible U.S. patients are receiving it, according to research published online Aug. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
	Topical vitamin D may ease CKD-associated pruritus (HealthDay)—Topical vitamin D may be an effective and well-tolerated treatment for pruritus associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD-aP), according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Dermatology.
	No quick fix in cardiac fat metabolism from calorie cuts (HealthDay)—Seven-day caloric and saturated fat restriction was found to increase myocardial dietary fatty acid (DFA) partitioning in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), according to research published online July 29 in Diabetes.
New laser surgery ends 30 years of severe seizures The seizures caused Nick Pauly to laugh mirthlessly, clap his hands and shout.
	Study finds hospital physicians fail to identify, address weight issues in children Physicians and physician trainees fail to identify or address overweight/obesity in over 90 percent of hospitalized children, according to new research from a Saint Louis University pediatric hospitalist.
Endoscopes still contaminated after cleaning, study shows Potentially harmful bacteria can survive on endoscopes used to examine the interior of the digestive tract, despite a multi-step cleaning and disinfecting process, according to a study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
	Team gets the beat, develops method of quantifying ciliary movement Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have figured out how to objectively quantify the beating action of cilia, the tiny, hair-like projections on cells that line nasal passages, the lungs and almost every other body tissue, according to a study published online today in Science Translational Medicine. Such digital signatures could help doctors more quickly and accurately diagnose ciliary motion (CM) defects, which can cause severe respiratory airway clearance defects and also developmental defects including congenital heart disease.
Meniscal transplant in patients age 50 and under relieves pain, delays additional surgery Most patients younger than age 50 with a torn or severely damaged meniscus experienced reduced pain and improved knee function following transplant surgery, according to a study in the August 5 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). However, many patients required additional surgery within 10 years.
Researchers map 'self-regulation' to develop comprehensive definition The term "self-regulation" has started appearing in children's report cards of late, but what it means is often unclear to parents. Thanks to three York University researchers, who have created a clear-cut definition for learning this important psychological concept, parents and teachers can now have a better understanding of what "self-regulation" means and how they can help their children develop that capacity.
Enthusiasm for personalized medicine is premature, prominent public health scholars argue The increasing national focus on personalized or 'precision' medicine is misguided, distracting from broader investments to reduce health inequities and address the social factors that affect population health, two leading public health scholars argue in the New England Journal of Medicine.
	Scientists identify key genetic factor that keeps moles from turning into melanoma Moles are benign tumors found on the skin of almost every adult. Scientists have known for years that a mutation in the BRAF gene makes them start growing, but until now haven't understood why they stop. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a major genetic factor that keeps moles in their usual non-cancerous, no-growth state. The study was published online first this summer in the journal Cancer Discovery.
	New drug offers hope in fight against mad cow disease A new drug compound could lead to a breakthrough in the fight against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the incurable brain-wasting disease also known as mad cow disease, researchers said Wednesday.
New Ebola cases in single digits another week, says WHO New Ebola cases were in the single digits another week, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, showing that contact tracing efforts are yielding results.
Case study reveals therapy to reduce sarcoidosis symptoms in 5q-myelodysplastic syndrome A case study published in the August issue of the journal CHEST found lenalidomide treatments may have an immediate effect in the treatment of sarcoidosis-related symptoms. Sarcoidosis, a disease that involves abnormal collections of inflammatory cells that can form nodules in various organs, can affect individuals from all racial and age groups. To date, no optimal therapies have been effective in managing this condition.
Chilean Congress takes first step towards legal abortion Chile's Congress took its first step Tuesday toward legalizing abortion in some cases, a practice that has been legally banned for decades in the socially conservative nation.
	Consumers missing out on health benefits of seafood consumption Seafood, which is defined as both fish and shellfish, is a nutrient-rich protein food, and its consumption has been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. But while most U.S. consumers eat some seafood, the amounts are inadequate to meet federal dietary guidelines, according to a study conducted by Agricultural Research Service scientists.
	Study investigates hospital-treated injuries due to intimate partner violence A new report has provided an analysis of the effects on women's physical health resulting from Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). This is the first Australian study to investigate IPV-related assault injuries in women utilising routinely collected hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) data.
Speech language pathologists and athletic trainers work together to get athletes enough air When an athlete tries to breathe deep and struggles to get air, their performance suffers and stress takes over. Such a common symptom is easily misdiagnosed, but could signal a physical issue that many sports health care professionals may be unaware of. Luckily, an unlikely pair of medical professionals at Ithaca College are teaming up to help athletes recover from this troublesome condition.
	Odds of longevity for summer romances Sun, sand, surf and a smile across a crowded beach might spark a summer romance, but once the season passes, will the glow endure?
	Official: Alabama patient doesn't have Ebola, tests negative (Update) Alabama state health officials say a patient whose symptoms caused concerns about Ebola has tested negative for the virus.
Delay in treatment, missed diagnostic testing found among lung cancer patients Patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer may wait too long to receive treatment, and too many patients skip vital diagnostic steps that are needed to help determine the best possible treatment, according to study published in the August 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Exploring 'clinical conundrum' of asthma-COPD overlap in nonsmokers with chronic asthma Researchers may be closer to finding the mechanism responsible for loss of lung elastic recoil and airflow limitation in nonsmokers with chronic asthma. The study published today in the journal Chest 'Unraveling the Pathophysiology of the Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome' reported that both nonsmokers and smokers with chronic asthma share features of COPD. This conundrum, often referred to as asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS), has been assumed to be due to large and especially small airway remodeling.
Colorado resident is second to die of plague there this year The plague has killed a second person in Colorado this year.

Biology news

	Flowers can endanger bees: Study shows flowers serve as parasite-dispersing hubs Despite their beauty, flowers can pose a grave danger to bees by providing a platform of parasites to visiting bees, a team of researchers has determined.
	Biology, not just physics, controls release of scent compounds from plants Purdue University research suggests active biological mechanisms transport scent and taste compounds known as volatiles from plant cells to the atmosphere, a finding that could overturn the textbook model of volatile emission as a process that occurs solely by diffusion.
	Sardines, anchovies, other fast-growing fish vulnerable to dramatic population plunges A Rutgers marine biologist studying the rise and fall of fish populations worldwide recently made a counterintuitive discovery: ocean species that grow quickly and reproduce frequently, such as sardines, anchovies and flounder, are more likely to experience dramatic plunges in population than larger, slower growing fish such as sharks or tuna.
Expanding theory of evolution An Indiana University professor is part of an international team of biologists working to expand Darwin's theory of evolution to encompass factors that influence a species' growth and development beyond genetics—as well as to consider the impact of species on the environment.
	Scientists investigate whether fish could evolve to become less catchable Intensive fishing prompts much concern and debate over sustainability of fish stocks, but could it also be driving evolutionary changes that render fish of the future less catchable?
	Why we see things differently in winter compared with summer Scientists at the University of York have shed new light on how humans process colour – revealing that we see things differently in winter compared with summer.
	Why the long face? Horses and humans share facial expressions Horses share some surprisingly similar facial expressions to humans and chimps, according to new University of Sussex research.
	Finding the 'conservacion' in conservation genetics A recently published special issue of the Journal of Heredity focuses on case studies of real-world applications of conservation genetics in Latin America, from nabbing parrot smugglers to exposing fraudulent fish sales.
	Researchers studying Oregon's 'resident population' of gray whales Every year, some 20,000 gray whales migrate between the breeding lagoons of Baja, Mexico, and the bountiful feeding grounds off British Columbia and Alaska, often passing close to shore along the Northwest coast – creating a popular tourist attraction.
	Why honey bee sex can be dangerous A discovery by scientists at UWA that a widespread fungus that causes dysentery in honey bees can be sexually transmitted may impact bee breeding programs world-wide.
	How citizen scientists are creating an atlas of turtles in Connecticut Nothing quite says summer like a stroll along the water's edge and finding a turn of turtles basking on a log or witnessing the slow and deliberate pace of an eastern box turtle. Before these ancient creatures retire to the earth for their winter hibernation, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich asks for your help in mapping the turtle population in the Constitution State.
	New fish genus and species named for its red, fingerlike fins After nearly 35 years, a color-changing fish known for its red "fingers" finally has a proper name.
	European wasps gather strength in Kalgoorlie The invasive European wasp (Vespula germanica) may be getting a foothold in Kalgoorlie-Boulder as increasing numbers of the pest's nests are found in the area.
	Ants as a model of complex societies In small plastic tubs lining the shelves of a basement laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania, a million organisms live in complex societies.
	Whale-eating deep-sea shrimp discovered Two new species of submarine shrimp-like creature, capable of 'stripping' a pig carcass in a matter of days, have been discovered by a team of scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC).
	Wasp masters manipulate web-building zombie slave spiders Some wasps have unpleasant habits. Hijacking an unsuspecting insect or spider, parasitic wasps incapacitate their hapless victims by taking control of their nervous systems and turning them into zombies. Once the wasp has its victim in its clutches, it deposits its egg on or within the victim's body, ready for the next generation to develop.
Snow leopard blood no better prepared for high altitude than domestic cats Prowling through the icy Himalaya mountains, snow leopards seem unfazed by the rarefied atmosphere. Yet, according to an international team of researchers lead by Jay Storz from the University of Nebraska, USA, Jan Janecka from Duquesne University, USA, and Angela Fago from Aarhus University, Denmark, cats of all shapes and sizes are notoriously poor at coping when oxygen is scarce.
	Ancient Chinese archives track decline of rare apes Scientists at the international conservation charity Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have used historical records from China stretching back over 400 years to track changes in the distribution of gibbons, which today are some of China's most threatened species. This is one of the first instances of using ancient historical records to reconstruct the course of extinctions across several centuries.
	Researchers discover a new deep-sea fish species They are some of the most interesting and unique creatures in the oceans - deep-sea life. Most people can identify a shark or sea turtle or whale, but many are shocked to see what a lanternfish or oarfish looks like. Deep-sea creatures can be down-right scary looking.
	World-famous, yet nameless: Hybrid flowering dogwoods named by Rutgers scientists Garden lovers and horticulturalists now have two new species names to add to their vocabulary and memory. The world's most commercially successful dogwood garden trees have finally received proper scientific names decades after their introduction into horticulture. The big-bracted, or flowering, dogwoods are beloved trees with cloud-like branches blossoming in early spring in white, sometimes red or pink. The new scientific names are published by a team of American scientists in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.
	Pandas set their own pace, tracking reveals When it comes to body clocks, pandas are the rugged individualists of the forest.
Review highlights steps needed to deal with bed bugs in multi-family housing A new review highlights how an integrated pest management approach that utilizes a combination of chemical and nonchemical control options is the best strategy for getting rid of bed bug infestations; however, pest management professionals that are hired on a lowest bid basis are not likely to use such an approach.
	More companies chime in on big game trophy shipments More carriers chimed in Tuesday after several major airlines began banning shipment of big game trophies amid outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe.
	UK to give £5 million to fight illegal wildlife trade Britain is to give up to £5 million for projects that tackle the illegal wildlife trade, which threatens animals such as elephants, rhinos and tigers, the government is to announce on Wednesday.
	New strain of yeast to be helpful in toxic waste removal A new strain of yeast called Yarrowia lipolytica Y-3492 has been found to be very active in waste water treatment. The discovery was made by by microbiologists from Kazan Federal University during their research at Western Siberian peat bogs.
	New tracking program for Baudin's cockatoos New knowledge about WA's endangered Baudin's cockatoos could be gained through an innovative tracking program beginning this week.
Veterinary medicine researcher helps discover novel fatigue syndrome in feedlot cattle Researchers at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with colleagues at Iowa State University and Texas Tech University, have discovered a novel fatigue syndrome affecting feedlot cattle. The syndrome is similar to one affecting the swine industry.
	Open windows can be dangerous for cats The summer months are dangerous for indoor cats. A large number of cats have accidents every year when they fall out of open windows or from balconies. Every year the University Clinic for Small Animals at the Vetmeduni Vienna treats about 70 to 80 cats that suffer from bone fractures or internal injuries after such accidents. These days, vets strongly recommend to keep windows closed or to secure windows in an appropriate way.
	Students create tool to stop pests in their tracks Every day, invasive species threaten the health of vital agricultural and natural lands, from plants like the fast-growing kudzu vine to animals like the pernicious red scale insect that chomps through citrus crops. The US Department of Agriculture estimates invasives to be a $120 billion problem annually.

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