Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Nov 15

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 15, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

New accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar discovered

Spermidine found to lengthen lifespan in mice and to promote cardiovascular health

A new way to image solar cells in 3-D

Do extremely reddened quasars extinguish star formation?

Cow goes moo: Artificial intelligence-based system associates images with sounds

Scientists discover clues to altered brain wiring in autism

Scientists 'plug in' to circuitry behind sex in male fruit flies

The mathematics of coffee extraction: Searching for the ideal brew

For First Nations people, effects of European contact are recorded in the genome

Interdisciplinary approach makes linking biological materials and electronic devices possible

What factors are influencing electric vehicle purchases in China?

What can Google tell us about 'the memory web' in the brain?

Once inside a tumor, our immune cells become traitors

The aging brain benefits from distraction

Researchers develop way to 'fingerprint' the brain

Astronomy & Space news

	New accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar discovered (Phys.org)—A new accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar (AMXP) has been found in one of our galaxy's most massive clusters, NGC 2808. The newly detected AMXP received designation MAXI J0911-655 and is part of an ultra-compact binary system. A paper describing the discovery was published Nov. 9 on the arXiv pre-print server.
	Do extremely reddened quasars extinguish star formation? Galaxies formed and grew billions of years ago by accumulating gas from their surroundings, or colliding and merging with other young galaxies. These early stages of galaxy assembly are believed to be accompanied by episodes of rapid star formation, known as starbursts, and rapid growth of a single super-massive black hole in the galactic centers.
	Dutch firm unveils concept space suit for Mars explorers Dutch company Mars One, which aims to send people to the Red Planet within a decade, on Tuesday unveiled its first concept for a space suit to protect humans "under the most difficult conditions."
	First GRACE follow-on satellite completes construction Construction is now complete on the first of the two satellites for NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, planned for launch in the December 2017/January 2018 timeframe.
	Imaging giant exoplanets around nearby stars The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is the highest-ranked recommendation for a large space mission in the NRC 2010 decadal survey, New Worlds, New Horizons (NWNH) in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The WFIRST coronagraph instrument (CGI) will be the first high-contrast stellar coronagraph in space. It will enable WFIRST to respond to the goals of NWNH by directly imaging and spectrally characterizing giant exoplanets similar to Neptune and Jupiter, and possibly even super-Earths (extrasolar planets with a mass higher than Earth's but lower than our Solar System's ice giants, Neptune and Uranus), around nearby stars. The WFIRST CGI includes both a Shaped Pupil Coronagraph (SPC) and a Hybrid Lyot Coronagraph (HLC). All three of WFIRST's CGI technology milestones for 2015 were passed successfully.
	When good showers turn bad—the 2016 Leonids A flash of light recently reminded us of the most stunning sight we ever saw.
	Carl Sagan's bonkers idea—life inside a comet Establishing a sustained human presence somewhere other than Earth is a vital part of humanity's future, no matter what. We know that Earth won't last forever. We don't know exactly which one of the many threats that Earth faces will ultimately extinguish life here, but life will be extinguished completely at some future point.
	Image: Supermoon and Expedition 50 Soyuz The moon, or supermoon, is seen rising behind the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016.
Hawaii land board seeks quick dismissal of telescope appeal Hawaii's land board is urging the state Supreme Court to quickly dismiss an appeal by opponents of a proposed telescope on a dormant Big Island volcano that is viewed as sacred by some Native Hawaiians.

Technology news

	Cow goes moo: Artificial intelligence-based system associates images with sounds The cow goes "moo." The pig goes "oink." A child can learn from a picture book to associate images with sounds, but building a computer vision system that can train itself isn't as simple. Using artificial intelligence techniques, however, researchers at Disney Research and ETH Zurich have designed a system that can automatically learn the association between images and the sounds they could plausibly make.
	What factors are influencing electric vehicle purchases in China? Many Chinese cities are suffering from deteriorating environmental quality—particularly due to air pollution that contributes to fog and haze. Air pollutant levels now far exceed "safe" limits established by the European Union, and one of the main culprits behind it is the rapid increase in automobile ownership and usage.
	Large-scale wind energy slows down winds and reduces turbine efficiencies Wind energy has been remarkably successful in providing an increasing share of cheap renewable energy. But can this trend continue to supply more and more renewable energy for decades to come? A new study published by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany, lowers the expectations of wind energy when used at large scales.
	Enabling wireless virtual reality One of the limits of today's virtual reality (VR) headsets is that they have to be tethered to computers in order to process data well enough to deliver high-resolution visuals. But wearing an HDMI cable reduces mobility and can even lead to users tripping over cords.
	Google, Facebook take aim at 'fake' news (Update) Google and Facebook moved Tuesday to cut off advertising revenue to fake news sites, after a wave of criticism over the role misinformation played in the US presidential election.
	Team with watch that runs on body heat turns to crowdfunding site (Tech Xplore)—The makers of something titled the Matrix PowerWatch have a painful reminder for those of us who live our daily digital lives. Oh boy,imagining the scene hurts. Consider the vast numbers of batteries thrown away and ending up in landfills every year. Our environment, not our household budgets, bears the real brunt of damages.
	Google also gets fooled by fake election news (Update) Google's search engine highlighted an inaccurate story claiming that President-elect Donald Trump won the popular vote in last week's election, the latest example of bogus information spread by the internet's gatekeepers.
	After election rupture, CEOs seek unity for staff, customers Apple CEO Tim Cook is telling his employees to "keep moving forward." Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is saying "progress does not move in a straight line." T-Mobile's CEO John Legere tweeted "let's see what an out of the box, non-typical, non-politician can do for America!"
	Lyft lifts off with new look, light-up beacons Ride-hailing service Lyft, the underdog rival to Uber, is getting rid of its iconic pink moustache logo and replacing it with something more useful—beacons.
	South Korea to test self-driving car in real traffic Self-driving cars soon will hit the road in South Korea as the country seeks to overtake other nations that have sped ahead with automated driving technology.
	New search tool for inactive patents A new patent search tool developed by engineers at Michigan Technological University makes it easier to discover and track inactive patents.
	Why virtual reality won't replace cadavers in medical school Virtual reality has been described as a game changer for medical education. Some even predict it will see an end to using cadavers to teach anatomy.
	How to save the Internet of Things from cyber attacks – with psychology Two scientists were recently able to take over the lights of an office building using a drone and some clever computer hacking. They demonstrated how "smart" lightbulbs connected to the internet were vulnerable to a virus that could spread from one infected light to any bulb in range. The researchers flew a drone up to the building, transmitted a signal that hacked into one light and then took control of the whole floor. In theory, such an attack could be used to take out the lights of an entire city, if smartbulbs were to become commonplace.
	Wind and solar energy projects could bring 5,000 new jobs to rural Minnesota Minnesota has undergone a remarkable transformation in its energy landscape over the past decade. Coal, once the dominant fuel source for Minnesota's electric utilities, has given way to new types of energy resources—wind and solar among them. While Minnesota's state energy policies have been a large driver in the shift from fossil fuels to renewables, the federal Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit have played a major role in shaping the state's clean energy economy while keeping rates affordable for utility customers, according to a new report from the University of Minnesota Energy Transition Lab. ETL is a strategic initiative of Institute on the Environment, supported by the Law School and the Office of the Vice President for Research.
	Mobile app behavior often appears at odds with privacy policies How a mobile app says it will collect or share a user's personal information with third parties often appears to be inconsistent with how the app actually behaves, a new automated analysis system developed by Carnegie Mellon University has revealed.
	Twitter rolls out tool to curb online abuse, bullying (Update) Twitter on Tuesday began rolling out a new weapon in the fight against harassment by "trolls" whose often anonymous vitriol can make the messaging service an unwelcoming place.
Time to tackle the UK's plutonium mountain Professor Neil Hyatt, Research Chair in Radioactive Waste Management, calls for UK plutonium policy to be re-examined to allow swift immobilisation of UK's civil plutonium stockpile to maximise safety, security and affordability for UK taxpayers.
	Google releases app to digitize boxes of old photo prints Google wants to make digitizing your old photo prints as easy as opening an app.
	In world of internet-enabled things, US says security needed The Obama administration urged companies on Tuesday to make millions of devices safe from hacking, underscoring the risks posed by an increasingly bewildering array of internet-connected products permeating daily life, covering everything from fitness trackers to computers in automobiles.
	Facebook's fake news problem: What's its responsibility? Facebook is under fire for failing to rein in fake and biased news stories that some believe may have swayed the presidential election. Its predicament stems from this basic conundrum: It exercises great control over the news its users see, but it declines to assume the editorial responsibility that traditional publishers do.
	Google announces new London office, 3,000 jobs expected US tech giant Google on Tuesday confirmed it will expand its vast campus in central London, a move a source said is expected to bring 3,000 jobs to the British capital.
Google teaches machines to become more fluent translators Google is promising that its widely used translation service is now even more fluent, thanks to an advance that's enabling its computers to interpret complete sentences.
Snapchat parent begins IPO process: report Snapchat parent firm Snap Inc. has filed confidentially for a public share offering valuing the disappearing messaging platform at more than $20 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
	Hacking a revolution in biology Graduate studies within any single scientific discipline are challenging endeavors on their own. But imagine combining graduate school-level training in physics and mathematics with advanced research in engineering and biology.
	Free software to predict the energy production of photovoltaic systems Researchers at UPM make available for the general public programmes to simulate the functioning and predict the energy production of photovoltaic systems.
	Tinder update allows gender options beyond 'man,' 'woman' Tinder has started giving users the option to select a gender other than man or woman.
Tips on protecting devices from hackers Billions of fitness trackers, medical implants, surveillance cameras, home appliances, thermostats, baby monitors and computers in automobiles now are connected as part of a rapidly expanding "internet of things."

Medicine & Health news

	Spermidine found to lengthen lifespan in mice and to promote cardiovascular health (Medical Xpress)—A large team of researchers with members from several Europeans countries and the U.S. has found that mice fed a compound called spermidine lived longer than ordinary mice and also had better cardiovascular heath. In their paper published in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers describe experiments they carried out with the compound and mice, what they found and why they believe the compound might provide benefits for humans.
	Scientists discover clues to altered brain wiring in autism Autism is an agonizing puzzle, a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors. One piece of this puzzle that has emerged in recent years is a biochemical cascade called the mTOR pathway that regulates growth in the developing brain. A mutation in one of the genes that controls this pathway, PTEN (also known as phosphatase and tensin homolog), can cause a particular form of autism called macrocephaly/autism syndrome.
	What can Google tell us about 'the memory web' in the brain? A new study by researchers from the Centre for Systems Neuroscience at the University of Leicester, in collaboration with the University of California Los Angeles, has helped to untangle 'the memory web' by shedding light on how neurons in memory-related areas provide a long-term coding of associations between concepts.
	Once inside a tumor, our immune cells become traitors New research has found a subset of our immune cells (called regulatory T cells) that are highly abundant in the tumor microenvironment and are particularly good at suppressing the anticancer immune response. In two independent studies, published November 15 in Immunity, scientists describe the distinct features and differences in molecules expressed by regulatory T cells inside of human breast, colon, and lung tumors compared to normal tissue that could be potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets.
	The aging brain benefits from distraction As you age, you may find it more difficult to focus on certain tasks. But while distractions can be frustrating, they may not be as bad as we think. In a review published November 15 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, researchers at the University of Toronto and Harvard University suggest that there may be some benefits to reduced focus, especially in people over 50. Using behavioral studies and neuroimaging evidence, the researchers discuss how being easily distracted can help adults with, for example, problem solving and learning new information.
	Researchers develop way to 'fingerprint' the brain Using a new imaging technique, researchers have confirmed what scientists have always thought to be true: the structural connections in the brain are unique to each individual person.
	iPad apps teach kids just as well as humans: study Young children learn just as well from interactive media as from face-to-face instruction, a new University of British Columbia study has found.
	Team makes strides in fight against Zika There's a war raging on a tiny battlefield and the outcome could well touch millions of people worldwide threatened by Zika and related viruses. The key ally unlocking the mystery surrounding this conflict is the long-dreaded yellow fever virus.
	New hope given to women struggling to conceive Southampton researchers have found new insight into why some women have difficulty falling pregnant.
	Genes for speech may not be limited to humans Our current understanding is that mice have either no—or extremely limited—neural circuitry and genes similar to those that regulate human speech. According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, this understanding may be incorrect.
	High-fat diet disrupts brain maturation The latest study by researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich suggests that excessive consumption of fatty foods could severely disrupt the development of the prefrontal cortex in the maturing brains of young people. This could potentially lead to cognitive defects in later adulthood in areas such as learning and memory, personality and impulse control.
	Antibiotic restores cell communication in brain areas damaged by Alzheimer's disease New research from the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at UBC has found a way to partially restore brain cell communication around areas damaged by plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.
	Cholesterol drug shows promise to help reverse heart disease For the first time, a new drug given along with a cholesterol-lowering statin medicine has proved able to shrink plaque that is clogging arteries, potentially giving a way to undo some of the damage of heart disease.
	Three brain chemicals affect how we handle uncertainty New research has revealed how three important brain signaling chemicals affect the way that we handle uncertainty. It turns out that noradrenaline regulates our estimates of how unstable the environment is, acetylcholine helps us adapt to changing environments, and dopamine pushes us to act on our beliefs about uncertainty. The research, publishing 15 November in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, was led by Louise Marshall and Dr Sven Bestmann at the UCL (University College London) Institute of Neurology.
	More GABA in one brain region linked to better working memory, scientist says The amount of a particular chemical in a particular part of your brain predicts your ability to simultaneously hang onto several bits of information in your working memory, a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist and his University of California-Davis collaborators have learned.
	Flu vaccine's effectiveness can be improved, new findings suggest A team of engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin is reporting new findings on how the influenza vaccine produces antibodies that protect against disease, research that suggests that the conventional flu vaccine can be improved. The findings were reported in the journal Nature Medicine on Nov. 7.
	'Princess Leia' brainwaves help sleeping brain store memories Every night while you sleep, electrical waves of brain activity circle around each side of your brain, tracing a pattern that, were it on the surface of your head, might look like the twin hair buns of Star Wars' Princess Leia. The Salk Institute scientists who discovered these circular "Princess Leia" oscillations, which are described in the journal eLife think the waves are responsible each night for forming associations between different aspects of a day's memories.
	Why you may want to keep your Movember moustache out of the beer froth Alcohol is known to be a risk factor for breast cancer and at least seven types of cancers of the digestive system. It's also suggested that alcohol may increase the risk of cancers of the skin, pancreas and prostate. But some unresolved questions still remain in the underlying science.
Asian-Americans are at high risk for diabetes but rarely get screened Less than half of Asian Americans who ought to be screened for type 2 diabetes actually get tested, according to a study published Nov. 15, 2016, in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Asian Americans have a high prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes. Yet they were the racial and ethnic group least likely, by far, to undergo recommended screening.
Global declines in adolescent childbearing related to national income, education expenditures Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that an important explanation for declining rates of global adolescent fertility is rising national wealth and expenditures on education. Income inequalities were associated with higher adolescent birth rates, and slower rates of decline in adolescent birth rates. Results are published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Leishmaniasis infection on the rise in US ecotourists, soldiers Driven by burgeoning ecotourism and military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, a parasitic infection called leishmaniasis is showing up in more U.S. patients, often stumping doctors. Rapid diagnostic tests and innovative treatments are among the strategies to address leishmaniasis highlighted in new guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) and published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Unhealthy weight management practices associated with non-medical use of prescription drugs among adolescents Non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) is a serious public health concern in the U.S. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps have identified significant associations between the non-medical use of prescription drugs and unhealthy weight management practices. They suggest that health educators in the school setting, as well as other health professionals who provide services to adolescents, should focus on healthy weight management strategies and other substance-specific messages. Their findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
	Researchers find association between gene mutation and rare heart disease A strong association between a genetic mutation and a rare kind of heart muscle disease has been discovered by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
	Special brain activities while mother and autism spectrum disorder child gaze each other Special activities in the brains while mother and her child with autism spectrum disorder are gazing each other have been discovered by the research team of Kanazawa University together with the research team of Osaka University. The teams used a very special equipment based on magnetoencephalography (MEG) to make three scientifically important discoveries.
As charcoal remedies rise in popularity in Baltimore, questions about its safety, effectiveness One of the most requested drinks at Pure Raw Juice in Federal Hill is black lemonade, a concoction of freshly squeezed lemon juice, agave, water and charcoal.
Study: Many caregivers spend $7,000 annually out of pocket Denise Sleeper has sold her home, spent most of her retirement savings and quit her job to care for her husband since his Alzheimer's disease struck two years ago.
	Florida Keys split on using genetically engineered mosquitoes to fight Zika Voters in a Florida county were at odds on a ballot referendum this past Tuesday about whether to allow the first trial of mosquitoes genetically engineered to reduce populations of the species that spreads Zika.
Women's wellness: Five things you need to know about early menopause So you missed a period. Or two. You think to yourself, "I'm too young for menopause. Right?"
How to spend your final months at home, sweet home There's no mystery about what older adults want when they become seriously ill near the end of their lives.
Identifying genetic variant early helps in treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in South Asians Early screening for a genetic variant that predisposes people of South Asian descent to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart) could help reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death in this population, says a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine heart researcher.
	T-cell differences may reveal individuals' age, susceptibility to disease Different cells of the human body differ greatly in structure and function. However, variation exists even among cells of one type. New research from investigators at the National Institutes of Health suggests the magnitude of such differences in T lymphocytes, or T cells, may indicate an individual's age and genetic predisposition to disease. Learning more about so-called cell-to-cell expression variation, or CEV, may further illuminate how the immune system functions and one day serve as a diagnostic tool to help implement personalized medicine, according to the researchers. The scientists, led by John S. Tsang, Ph.D., of the Laboratory of Systems Biology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of NIH, published their findings today in the journal Immunity.
Fetal movement proven essential for neuron development in rats A newborn rat's brain development stage is close to that of a human embryo in the second half of pregnancy, which allows suggests that similar movement patterns can help neuron development in humans. The research was published in Nature Communications on October 7th.
Winter conception increases mum's diabetes risk Research led by the University of Adelaide has found that women whose babies are conceived in winter are more likely to develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, increasing a range of risk factors for both child and mother.
Experts outline importance of recognizing, treating meniscal root tears The menisci, cartilage discs between the joint surfaces in the knee, play an important role in distributing stress across the curved surfaces of the knee. However, tears of the root of the meniscus have been increasingly recognized in recent years, which is why physicians at Baylor College of Medicine recently published a paper in the journal RadioGraphics that stresses the importance of recognizing and treating these tears.
	The health and social risks of tattooing Almost half of people between 18 and 35 have tattoos, and almost one in four regrets it, according to a 2016 Harris Poll. Based on an estimate of about 60 million people in that age group, that would mean that about 7.5 million people have tattoo regret.
	Why lovebirds have better teeth Being struck by Cupid's arrow can be good for your teeth.
	Battling prejudice still as important decades on Why is prejudice so persistent?
	Preventing adolescent substance use may need to start in early childhood Research from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions suggests the approach to preventing alcohol and drug use by some adolescents should begin in early childhood.
	Annual survey reveals significant gains in HIV treatment over the past decade There is compelling evidence that treatment greatly reduces HIV transmission but prevention of the disease remains complex, the latest report by UNSW's Centre for Social Research in Health shows.
	Genetic counseling helps determine risk for hereditary cancers Knowing your family history is a key part in understanding your risk factors for certain diseases. While you're gathering with family this Thanksgiving, get to know more about your family's health history and how it could impact your personal health.
Opinion: eHealth for long-term conditions: time for a health revolution Our general perception of healthcare has three basic steps: get ill; do something; get better. However, the pressures on the NHS mean that this is not sustainable. Does the answer lie in use of technology or eHealth? A future where doctors prescribe Apps as well as medicine? This was the subject of my talk at Cornwall's first TEDx event last month, TEDxTruro.
Women with multiple violent partners more likely to have endured childhood trauma, psychological abuse While there is abundant research on violently abusive relationships, it does not delve into the background of each individual involved, according to University of Michigan researchers.
More than 400 medical practices join national call to prioritize blood pressure control Just one year after the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Medical Association (AMA) launched Target: BP, more than 400 medical practices, providers and health systems are now participating in the joint national initiative aimed at reducing the number of American adults who die from heart attacks and strokes every year.
	Childhood adversity linked to blood pressure dysfunction A difficult childhood may be associated with a risk of poor blood pressure regulation, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
Active and inactive cells in the brain's memory system For the first time, Tübingen neuroscientists were able to differentiate between active and inactive cells in the brain morphologically, i.e. based on the cells' structure. Investigating granule cells in the rat's brain, they found a much larger proportion of inactive than active cells.
Level of education is more decisive than intelligence for the development of short-sightedness Environmental factors such as education and leisure activities have a greater influence on the development of short-sightedness or myopia than the ability to think logically and solve problems. Myopia and the so-called "fluid intelligence" of a person are certainly related, but only indirectly through the duration of education. This is the conclusion of researchers at the Mainz University Medical Center involved in the study "Myopia and Cognitive Performance: Results from the Gutenberg Health Study." The results of the study appeared in the October issue of the specialist journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
	A fashionable response to Zika protection Just down the street from main campus, a research volunteer sits in an enclosed cage with several hundred hungry mosquitoes. When he emerges after 20 minutes, he has sustained just a few bites. The results are strong. His protection? A suit of sleek and breathable fabric. The test is part of NC State's research to develop a highly-engineered, chemical-free, lightweight fabric that is mosquito resistant.
New protein provides critical link between aging and age-dependent disease The discovery of a novel protein that links aging and age-dependent retinal diseases could lead to potential new treatments for conditions that cause sight loss in later life.
New study shows racial/ethnic variations in quitline reach among US smokers Quitlines, hotlines that provide free cessation services for smokers, appear to be reaching minority populations that typically underutilize cessation treatments and have high smoking prevalence, particularly African Americans and American Indians/Alaska Natives. This study, publishing today in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, is the first to use multi-state data to compare the reach of quitlines for different racial/ethnic groups.
'Breast is best' message can be harmful New research conducted by the University of Liverpool shows that mothers can experience negative emotions such as guilt, stigma and the need to defend their feeding choices regardless of how they feed their baby.
Bullied children excluded from digital communication forums There is a conception that bullied children with few friends can find new ones online.
Hospital admissions rising for elderly patients with Parkinson's disease Although treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) is significantly extending the lives of patients, these patients are now being admitted to hospitals at increasing rates. In a study reported in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, researchers in Ireland have found that the top five reasons for hospital admission of PD patients are urinary tract infections, pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infections, aspiration pneumonia and femur fracture. More troubling is the stark increase in PD patients requiring long-term nursing home care on discharge, with 27% of the over 65 group discharged to a nursing home compared to 12% admitted from a nursing home.
	Mental health interventions in pregnant women and new mothers have multiple benefits There are clear economic and societal arguments for investing in mental health interventions for women during pregnancy and immediately after birth, a new report by the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests.
	Simple changes to antibiotic treatment of MRSA may help beat the bacteria Microbiologists have identified how MRSA may be more effectively treated by modern-day antibiotics, if old-fashioned penicillin is also used. The team from the University of Liverpool and the National University of Ireland Galway have shown that, although penicillin does not kill the bacteria, it does weaken their virulence, making it easier for our immune system and other antibiotics to eradicate the infection. The research findings, funded by the Health Research Board and the Medical Research Council, are published today (15 November 2016) in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
	Keeping patients safe in hospital Healthcare is a complex beast and too often problems arise that can put patients' health – and in some cases, lives – at risk. A collaboration between the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research and the Department of Engineering hopes to get to the bottom of what's going wrong – and to offer new ways of solving the problems.
	Guidelines may have helped curb ADHD diagnoses in preschoolers (HealthDay)—In a bit of good news, the rate of diagnoses for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among U.S. preschoolers has leveled off, a new study finds.
	Brain implant lets 'Locked-in' ALS patient communicate (HealthDay)—A high-tech implant has enabled a paralyzed woman with late-stage ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) to communicate through brain signaling, researchers say.
	Heart failure hospitalizations on the rise in US (HealthDay)—More Americans are going to the hospital due to heart failure, a new study finds.
	Two new tools to enhance effectiveness of behavioral therapy in children with autism In two scientific papers published Tuesday, researchers identified two approaches that have the potential to help a large number of children with autism spectrum disorder through behavioral therapy.
	Researchers find new driver of an aggressive form of brain cancer University of Hawai'i Cancer Center researchers have identified an essential driver of tumor cell invasion in glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer that can occur at any age. The discovery can help researchers create novel targeted therapies potentially reducing deaths from this devastating cancer.
	Hearing with your eyes—a Western style of speech perception Which parts of a person's face do you look at when you listen them speak? Lip movements affect the perception of voice information from the ears when listening to someone speak, but native Japanese speakers are mostly unaffected by that part of the face. Recent research from Japan has revealed a clear difference in the brain network activation between two groups of people, native English speakers and native Japanese speakers, during face-to-face vocal communication.
	Footing the bill for a 'silent' sickness The "silent burden" of foot disease afflicts one in ten hospital patients, costing taxpayers billions and filling nearly 5,000 hospital beds each night, according to QUT research.
	Congenital virus in children with cerebral palsy more common than thought Cytomegalovirus is a common herpesvirus that can cross the placenta, infect the fetus and cause damage to the developing brain.
	Research finds that antibiotic may help in treatment of alcohol use disorder To date, there are not particularly effective therapies for AUD, with only three FDA approved drugs along with behavioral modification programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Together or alone, none are particularly effective and relapse is common, making the development of new therapies vital.
	Parkinson's disease patients benefit from physical activity A comprehensive review published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease confirms that people living with Parkinson's disease (PD) can benefit from being physically active, especially when it comes to improving gait and balance, and reducing risks of falls. It concludes that health professionals should be confident about prescribing physical activity to improve the health and quality of life of PD patients.
Children with aggressive behavior vary in ability to adjust after being exposed to tornadoes When a large group of children with aggressive behavior experienced devastating tornadoes, many of those with higher anxiety showed greater resilience, according to a study published online in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, published by the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
	Researchers identify protein required for breast cancer metastasis Researchers have identified a new pathway and with it a protein, BRD4, necessary for breast cancer cells to spread.
	Administering repurposed drug to treat TB via lungs vs. orally shows promise Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for more than 1.8 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization, yet there has been little significant improvement in therapies in the past 20 years. This chronic disease is systemic, meaning it affects not only the lungs but also other organs, such as the lymph nodes and spleen. But a promising new treatment may be on the horizon.
	After decades of research, science is no better able to predict suicidal behaviors Experts' ability to predict if someone will attempt to take his or her own life is no better than chance and has not significantly improved over the last 50 years, according to a comprehensive review of suicide research published by the American Psychological Association.
	Microbes in your gut influence major eye disease Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the industrialized world, affecting over 10 million individuals in North America. A study lead by Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha, researcher at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal) and professor at the University of Montreal, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, uncovered that bacteria in your intestines may play an important role in determining if you will develop blinding wet AMD.
	Depression during pregnancy is associated with abnormal brain structure in children Depressive symptoms in women during and after pregnancy are associated with reduced thickness of the cortex—the outer layer of the brain responsible for complex thought and behavior—in preschool-age kids, according to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry. The findings suggest that a mother's mood may affect her child's brain development at critical stages in life.
Organized prescription drug collection programs may have minimal impact More than 3.8 billion controlled medications, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, Valium and Adderall, are dispensed by pharmacies annually in the United States. It has been estimated that only about 30 percent of these drugs are used by the people for whom they were prescribed. The remaining 70 percent represent a large surplus of controlled medications that could be abused or sold to others for abuse.
Yo-yo dieting dangerous even if you're not overweight Repeatedly losing and regaining weight, known as weight cycling or yo-yo dieting, may increase the risk of death from heart disease among postmenopausal women who were of normal weight at the start of the study, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
	Photoimmunotherapy blows up tumors, spares nearby hostages When Kerstin Stenson, MD, describes the innovative technique she is helping develop to fight cancer, it seems like she's describing a Tom Clancy military espionage novel.
	Drinking red wine before smoking can prevent short term vascular damage Drinking red wine is widely regarded as protective against cardiovascular disease. A new report in The American Journal of Medicine found that a glass or two of red wine before lighting up a cigarette can counteract some of the short-term negative effects of smoking on blood vessels.
Are parents willing to have their children receive placebos? Placebos are essential in any controlled clinical trial, providing a yardstick against which the test drug is measured. Placebos are even starting to be used as a treatment in their own right, as studies show that they make people feel better via a "mind-body" healing effect. But do parents find placebos acceptable for their children? A study led by Boston Children's Hospital found the answer is mostly yes, provided ethical guidelines are followed. Findings will appear online November 15 in The Journal of Pediatrics.
Amputation risks highest amongst poor and black PAD patients Poverty and black race are independently predictive of greater amputation risk among patients with narrowing of the blood vessels, or peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
	Drosophila innate immunity: Another piece to the puzzle EPFL scientists have discovered a new receptor in the fruit fly immune system that detects bacterial infections. The finding opens up clues for our own immune responses.
Preschool education improves alphabet letter recognition, study finds Many education experts believe children's preschool years are important to their educational development and preparation for success in school. Although the benefits of attending preschool may seem apparent, limited evidence exists to support this based on large scale state-wide studies. Now, a new study from the University of Missouri College of Education has found that, on average, children who completed preschool make large improvements in their alphabet recognition skills compared to children have just begun preschool. The researcher says the results of the study help show the effectiveness of preschool in preparing children to succeed throughout their academic careers and may prevent future academic failure.
Kindergarten vaccine rates vary widely in Metro Vancouver Children in some local health areas of Metro Vancouver have much lower vaccination rates than others, according to a recent University of British Columbia study.
	Consuming violent media linked to 13x surge in violent dreams The violent and sexual media you consume during the day may infiltrate your dreams at night, new research suggests.
	Research suggests 'missed opportunities' to prescribe drugs for stroke prevention An analysis of the records of UK patients who had experienced a stroke has found that over half of those who should get drugs to prevent strokes were not prescribed them.
	Study finds people with Ebola may not always show symptoms A year after the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine and other institutions identified 14 individuals previously unknown to have had the disease in a Sierra Leone village that was an Ebola hot spot.
	Study finds wide variation in pricing for generic heart failure drugs A research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine found wide variations in pricing for generic heart failure (HF) drugs at retail pharmacies. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
	Atrial fibrillation patients are at increased risk of dementia, regardless of anticoagulation use Atrial fibrillation patients who use the drug, warfarin, to prevent harmful blood clots from forming in their hearts to lower risk of stroke are at higher risk of developing dementia than patients who use warfarin for non-atrial fibrillation conditions, according to a new study from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.
Popular heartburn medication may increase ischemic stroke risk A popular group of antacids known as proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, used to reduce stomach acid and treat heartburn may increase the risk of ischemic stroke, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
Prevalence, prognostic implications of coronary artery calcification in women at low CVD risk Among women at low risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), coronary artery calcium was present in approximately one-third and was associated with an increased risk of ASCVD and modest improvement in prognostic accuracy compared with traditional risk factors, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
	Research finds Zika virus can live for hours on hard, non-porous surfaces The Zika virus is most commonly transmitted in humans as the result of a bite from an infected mosquito or from an infected human to another human. What is not well known is that the virus also can be transmitted via the environment if an individual is pricked with an infected needle or has an open cut and comes in contact with the live virus. While there are no known cases to date of the general public being infected with the Zika virus through the environment, there has been at least one documented case of laboratory acquired Zika virus infection.
Appendicitis patients can safely leave hospital the same day of their operations Patients with acute appendicitis who undergo laparoscopic appendectomy (surgical remove of the appendix) do not experience higher rates of postoperative complications or costly readmissions when sent home on the same day of their operations compared with patients hospitalized overnight, according to study results published online as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website ahead of print publication.
	Scientists identify potent antibody that neutralizes nearly all HIV strains Scientists from the National Institutes of Health have identified an antibody from an HIV-infected person that potently neutralized 98 percent of HIV isolates tested, including 16 of 20 strains resistant to other antibodies of the same class. The remarkable breadth and potency of this antibody, named N6, make it an attractive candidate for further development to potentially treat or prevent HIV infection, say the researchers.
	A possible explanation for recurring breast cancer In October, we mourned those who died of breast cancer and celebrated all of the women (and men) who have survived. What many of those survivors worry about, though, is that their breast cancer may come back. It has puzzled scientists and health care providers that cancer can suddenly reappear, often with a vengeance, months or years after treatment is over.
New bioinformatic analysis reveals role of proteins in diabetic kidney disease A new bioinformatic framework developed by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine has identified key proteins significantly altered at the gene-expression level in biopsied tissue from patients with diabetic kidney disease, a result that may reveal new therapeutic targets.
New drug beats standard therapy in advanced kidney cancer An experimental kidney cancer drug outperformed the standard first-line therapy for patients with metastatic disease who are considered at risk for poorer than average outcomes, according to results of a randomized phase II clinical trial by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
RA patients who smoke or are overweight see less symptom improvement with treatment A study finds that smoking or being overweight makes it more difficult for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to achieve optimal control of inflammation and symptoms, despite standard of care treatment. American and Canadian researchers, who collected data on more than 1,100 patients at multiple sites, presented their findings at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals annual meeting on November 15 in Washington, DC.
Egyptians face medicine shortages as pound plunges Fatima was already struggling to find cancer drugs for her father when a devaluation of the Egyptian pound this month caused the imported medicine to disappear altogether.
	New MSF survey: Thousands of kids dying in northeast Nigeria Thousands of children have died of starvation and disease in Boko Haram-ravaged northeastern Nigeria, Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday quoting a new survey that is forcing Nigerian officials to stop denying the crisis.
Treating chronic, unremitting grief After Stephanie Muldberg's 13-year-old son Eric died of Ewing's sarcoma in 2004, she was lost in a sea of grief. Her days were long, unstructured, monotonous. She barely left her New Jersey home. When she did leave, she planned her routes carefully to avoid driving past the hospital, just a few miles away, where Eric had been treated during the 16 months of his illness, or the fields where he had played baseball. Grocery shopping was a minefield, because it was painful to contemplate buying Eric's favourite foods without him. To enjoy anything when he could not felt wrong. And Muldberg never thought she would be able to return to the temple where he had celebrated his bar mitzvah – and where his funeral was held.
Swiss enact nationwide measures to battle bird flu strain Swiss authorities say they are taking bird flu protection measures across the country to prevent wild birds from intermingling with domesticated poultry, after a strain of the virus cropped up earlier this month.
	New therapeutic target for diseases caused by lack of oxygen An international scientific team has developed a new small molecule –VH298- which can provoke a hypoxic response controlled from outside the cells, according to a study recently published in the magazine Nature Communications with its first authors being the expert Carles Galdeano, Beatriu de Pinós researcher at the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), and Julianty Frost, from the University of Dundee (United Kingdom).
	Video: How to stop acne with science Breakouts are a pain and can happen well into your 40s.
ESCEO-IOF expert panel reviews current evidence for efficacy of calcium supplementation An expert consensus meeting of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has reviewed the evidence for the value of calcium supplementation, with or without vitamin D supplementation, in healthy musculoskeletal ageing.
	Experts issue urgent call to action for surgeons on antibiotic overuse Overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents is an urgent problem, and surgeons around the world, who often prescribe antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis, need to take a leadership role in the effort to promote antimicrobial stewardship (ASP). A team of experts from the Surgical Infection Society and the World Society of emergency Surgery has issued "A Call to Action for Surgeons," published in Surgical Infections, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc, publishers. Surgical Infections is the Official Journal of the Surgical Infection Society (SIS), SIS-Europe, SIS-Latin America, and the Chinese Society of Surgical Infection and Intensive Care. The article is available free online at the Surgical Infections website.
	Migraine linked to increased stroke risk in women Women who have migraines may have an increased risk of stroke, according to a preliminary study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
	Novel mapping technique targets gene therapy to hibernating heart muscle Gene therapy to repair damaged heart muscle is most likely to succeed if it can be injected at the site of ischemia where there is viable myocardium with reduced contractile ability, and a new technique that combines imaging and electroanatomical mapping does just that. A study of this novel approach that shows increased blood flow in treated areas in patients with refractory angina is published in Human Gene Therapy.
	'Origami' rapid malaria test receives Grand Challenges Explorations grant An interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at Vanderbilt University headed by Stevenson Professor of Chemistry David Wright has designed a new kind of rapid diagnostic test for malaria that has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant which is designed to support innovative global health and development research projects. It is one of 56 such grants announced today by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
S. Carolina agency suspends changes to abortion regulations South Carolina's public health agency is holding off on recommending any changes to abortion clinic regulations after being inundated with responses to its drafted proposal.

Biology news

	Scientists 'plug in' to circuitry behind sex in male fruit flies Researchers from the University of Oxford have identified a small neural circuit in male fruit flies that has evolved to allow them to perform the complex mating ritual.
	Hard soils no headache for pocket gopher The evolutionary secrets of an extraordinary North American rodent are being uncovered by University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences researchers.
	Concern over parasites affecting honey bees Scientists from The University of Western Australia's Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER) tagged 200 honey bee workers to find out how a highly-contagious fungal parasite (Nosema apis) impacts their ability to pollinate crops.
	Humans are still evolving but in ways that might surprise you It's often said that through our innovations in science, agriculture and medicine humans have become masters of our biological destiny.
	Scientists uncover genetic evidence that 'we are what we eat' Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated that the diets of organisms can affect the DNA sequences of their genes.
	New study shows LED lights attract fewer insects than other lights New research by scientists from the University of Bristol has revealed that domestic LED lights are much less attractive to nuisance insects such as biting midges than traditional filament lamps.
	New model reveals adaptations of world's most abundant ocean microbe Researchers from David Karl's laboratory at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM) and from Professor Jens Nielsen's laboratory at Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden, developed a computer model which takes into account hundreds of genes, chemical reactions, and compounds required for the survival of Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthetic microbe on the planet. They found that Prochlorococcus has made extensive alterations to its metabolism as a way to reduce its dependence on phosphorus, an element that is essential and often growth-limiting in the ocean.
	Light therapy could save bees from deadly pesticides Treating bees with light therapy can counteract the harmful effects of neonicotinoid pesticides and improve survival rates of poisoned bees, finds a new UCL study.
	Bacteria discovery offers possible new means of controlling crop pest A bacterium common in insects has been discovered in a plant-parasitic roundworm, opening up the possibility of a new, environmentally friendly way of controlling the crop-damaging pest.
Skillful cockatoos filmed making the same tool from different materials Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna and the University of Oxford have shown that Goffin's cockatoos can make and use elongated tools of appropriate shape and length out of different materials, suggesting that the birds can anticipate how the tools will be used.
	Scaling the odds at Vietnam's pangolin rehab Pangolin Mi Bo has seen better days. He arrived at a rescue centre in Vietnam missing a paw after it was cut off in a snare trap.
	Three new species of miniaturized tropical salamanders are already endangered An international team of researchers has completed a decades-long study of tiny salamanders found in the high-mountain forests of Oaxaca, Mexico, and concluded that they represent three new species of the enigmatic genus Thorius. With adults smaller than a matchstick, these salamanders are the smallest tailed tetrapods—their miniaturized bodies are highly unusual for a vertebrate, with structures for feeding and reproduction being among the most prominent.
Rare river crossing by female raises hopes for boost in Florida panther population Efforts to save the Florida panther may have broken through a longtime barrier: a female cat appears to have forged the Caloosahatchee River to stake out new territory to the north.
How mammary glands appeared in the course of evolution A joint team of geneticists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, demonstrated that the emergence of mammary glands in placental mammals and marsupials results from recycling certain 'architect' genes. The latter, known as Hox genes, are responsible for coordinating the formation of the organs and limbs during the embryonic stage. Such genes are controlled by complex regulatory networks. In the course of evolution, parts of these networks were reused to produce different functions. Architect genes were thus requisitioned to form the mammary bud and, later, for gestation. This team's work has been published in the journal PNAS.
	Less sensitive temperature regulation a key to hibernation-like torpor Some animals can enter a hibernation-like state called daily torpor that reduces the amount of energy needed to survive when food is unavailable. Using a combination of experimental data and mathematical modeling, researchers at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology have determined that the largest factor that contributes to daily torpor is reduced sensitivity of the thermoregulatory system. Published in Scientific Reports, the study shows that during daily torpor, the body's compensatory response to lowered temperature is much less than during normal active periods.
	Tomato plants are more resistant against nematodes when colonized by a fungus Plants are constantly challenged by hungry animals and infectious microbes. For tomato plants, major enemies are nematodes of the species Meloidogyne incognita. These are little worms that first induce the roots to form galls, which they then inhabit, feeding on the plant tissue. The plants' problem is: they cannot run away from their attackers. However, they have other means of defending themselves, namely chemical substances that are toxic or deterrent to the parasitic nematodes. The production of these compounds in the plant is tidily regulated by small hormones, like salicylic and jasmonic acid.
Netherlands steps up measures to fight bird flu The Netherlands shuttered petting zoos and banned duck hunting as it stepped up measures Monday to stem a bird flu outbreak blamed for killing scores of poultry and more than a thousand wild birds.
Rose family study leads to new understanding of fruit diversity across geological time Among flowering plants, the rose family (called Rosaceae) displays an incredible diversity, including classic reds like the American beauty. But in addition to ornamentals making the perfect romantic gift, the Rosaceae family also includes vital staples of worldwide diets and cash crop economies. They exhibit an extraordinary range of variation in the size and shapes of trees, bushes and succulent fruits, from strawberries and raspberries, to Jonathan apples, plums, cherries, and almonds, to mouth-watering Georgia peaches.
Video: Engineering a new mosquito Scientists have long been looking for ways to reduce or get rid of insect-borne diseases, and NC State University's Sophia Webster is taking a new approach that involves genetically engineering the mosquitoes.

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