Science News SciGuru.com

How nano building blocks can be directed to self-assemble into specific structures
Tiny tubes tell of threat
Researchers overcome the freezing sample problem in biostudies
Bacteria may signal pancreatic cancer risk
Lower drug costs 20 years after bariatric surgery
Surprising demographic shifts in endangered monkey population challenge conservation expectations
UCSB psychologist studies the effects of diagram orientation on comprehension
One in Three Victims of Teen Dating Violence Has Had More than One Abuser
Pacifiers may have emotional consequences for boys
Aldo Leopold's field notes score a lost "soundscape"
Flu Antibody’s ‘One-Handed Grab’ May Boost Effort toward Universal Vaccine, New Therapies

How nano building blocks can be directed to self-assemble into specific structures

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:12 AM PDT

According to Eric M. Furst, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware, engineers and scientists are closer to making this and other scalable forms of nanotechnology a reality as a result of new milestones in using nanoparticles as building blocks in functional materials.

Two researchers in UD's Center for Composite Materials have received a three-year $300,000 grant to investigate the use of carbon nanotube-based sensing composites for structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure.

Tiny tubes tell of threat

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:03 AM PDT

In August 2007, the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The collapse was attributed to a design deficiency that resulted in a gusset plate failing during ongoing construction work.

Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Delaware is developing a novel structural health monitoring system that could avert such disasters in the future.

Researchers overcome the freezing sample problem in biostudies

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 01:06 PM PDT

Researchers at the Spallation Neutron Source BASIS beam line at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have successfully developed a method to study biomolecules (proteins) at temperatures far below freezing using a lithium chloride preparation in the aqueous solvent that prevents freezing.

Bacteria may signal pancreatic cancer risk

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT

Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal and difficult to detect early. In a new study, researchers report that people who had high levels of antibodies for an infectious oral bacterium turned out to have double the risk for developing the cancer. High antibody levels for harmless oral bacteria, meanwhile, predicted a reduced pancreatic cancer risk.

A new study finds significant associations between antibodies for multiple oral bacteria and the risk of pancreatic cancer, adding support for the emerging idea that the ostensibly distant medical conditions are related.

Lower drug costs 20 years after bariatric surgery

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 12:47 PM PDT

A new analysis of the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study shows that despite considerably greater and sustained weight loss than conventionally treated controls, patients treated with bariatric surgery continued to use just as much inpatient and non-primary outpatient care than the controls during a 20 year follow-up period. However, cost savings in the surgery group were seen for medications that treat diabetes and cardiovascular disease between year 7 and 20, resulting in lower overall drug costs.

Surprising demographic shifts in endangered monkey population challenge conservation expectations

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 12:39 PM PDT

At first glance, the northern muriqui monkey is a prime conservation success story.

These Brazilian primates are critically endangered, but in the past 30 years a population on a private reserve has grown from just 60 individuals to some 300, now comprising almost a third of the total remaining animals.

UCSB psychologist studies the effects of diagram orientation on comprehension

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 12:09 PM PDT

The orientation of a diagram on the page of a textbook may seem inconsequential, but it can have a significant impact on a reader's ability to comprehend the information as presented, according to a team of researchers at UC Santa Barbara, Vanderbilt University, and West Carolina University. Their findings appear in a recent issue of the journal Bioscience.

One in Three Victims of Teen Dating Violence Has Had More than One Abuser

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:59 AM PDT

More than one-third of young adults who reported being victims of dating violence as teenagers had two or more abusive partners, a new study suggests.

The study involved 271 college students who recalled dating violence - including physical, sexual and psychological abuse - from ages 13 to 19.

Overall, nearly two-thirds of both men and women reported some type of abuse during their teenage years, which falls in line with other studies.

Pacifiers may have emotional consequences for boys

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:22 AM PDT

Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.

Three experiments by a team of researchers led by psychologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison tie heavy pacifier use as a young child to poor results on various measures of emotional maturity.

Aldo Leopold's field notes score a lost "soundscape"

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:19 AM PDT

Listen to the recreated soundscape around Aldo Leopold's legendary shack. Bird songs and calls were obtained from the extensive collection housed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library.

Flu Antibody’s ‘One-Handed Grab’ May Boost Effort toward Universal Vaccine, New Therapies

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:48 AM PDT

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and Sea Lane Biotechnologies have solved the co-crystal structure of a human antibody that can neutralize influenza viruses in a unique way. The antibody recognizes the crucial structure that flu viruses use to attach to host cells, even though previously this structure had been thought too small for an antibody to grab effectively. The immune protein manages to hit this precise spot by using just a small part of its target-grabbing apparatus. In so doing, it can neutralize a broad range of dangerous flu viruses.