Τετάρτη 31 Οκτωβρίου 2012

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News


Bullying has long-term health consequences

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:05 PM PDT

Childhood bullying can lead to long term health consequences, including general and mental health issues, behavioral problems, eating disorders, smoking, alcohol use, and homelessness, a study has found.

Finding triggers of birth defects in an embryo heart

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

Researchers have found a way to create three-dimensional maps of the stress that circulating blood places on the developing heart in an animal model – a key to understanding triggers of heart defects. The team has begun testing the technology to uncover how alcohol, drugs and other factors set off events that result in malformations.

New tool aims to ensure software security policies reflect user needs

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a new natural language processing tool that businesses or other customers can use to ensure that software developers have a clear idea of the security policies to be incorporated into new software products.

E. coli adapts to colonize plants

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

New research has given new clues as to how some E. coli strains, normally at home in mammalian gastrointestinal tracts, have adopted slightly different transmission strategies, with some being better adapted to live on plants than others.

Couple of weekly portions of oily fish can help ward off stroke; But fish oil supplements don't have the same effect, study finds

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

Eating at least two servings of oily fish a week is moderately but significantly associated with a reduced risk of stroke, finds a new study.

Flavor and texture alter how full we expect a food to makes us feel

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

Low calorie foods may help people lose weight but there is often a problem that people using them do not feel full. New research shows that subtle manipulations of texture and creamy flavor can increase the expectation that a fruit yogurt drink will be filling and suppress hunger regardless of actual calorific content.

Agriculture and food production contribute up to 29 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

Feeding the world releases up to 17,000 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually, according to a new analysis. But while the emissions "footprint" of food production needs to be reduced, a companion policy brief lays out how climate change will require a complete recalibration of where specific crops are grown and livestock are raised.

Import of proteins into chloroplasts is differentially regulated by age

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

New research has found that the transport of proteins into chloroplasts in plants is differentially regulated by the age of the chloroplast; upturning the previously accepted notion that this process is age-independent or only globally up- or down- regulated for all proteins.

How does the brain measure time?

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT

Researchers have found a small population of neurons that is involved in measuring time, which is a process that has traditionally been difficult to study in the lab.

Sizing up biomass from space

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT

The biomass stored in forests is thought to play a critical role in mitigating the catastrophic effects of global climate change. New research has used Lidar data to accurately measure the biomass of California.

Dementia patients need urgent support after diagnosis

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT

There is an urgent need for support from outside the family after diagnosis of dementia according to a study led by researchers from the University of Hertfordshire.

Animals learn to fine-tune their sniffs

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT

Animals use their noses to focus their sense of smell, much the same way that humans focus their eyes. Researchers found that rats adjust their sense of smell through sniffing techniques that bring scents to receptors in different parts of the nose. The sniffing patterns changed according to what kind of substance the rats were attempting to detect.

'Ordered' catalyst boosts fuel cell output at lower cost

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:32 PM PDT

Fuel cells, which convert fuel directly into electricity without burning it, promise a less polluted future where cars run on pure hydrogen and exhaust nothing but water vapor. But the catalysts that make them work are still "sluggish" and worse, expensive. A research team has taken an important step forward with a chemical process that creates platinum-cobalt nanoparticles with a platinum enriched shell that show improved catalytic activity.

Materials scientists make additive-free battery electrodes with nanoparticles

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:31 PM PDT

Materials scientists have developed a simple, robust way to fabricate carbon-free and polymer-free, lightweight colloidal films for lithium-ion battery electrodes, which could greatly improve battery performance.

Smart as a bird: Flying rescue robot will autonomously avoid obstacles

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:30 PM PDT

Researchers have created an autonomous flying robot that is as smart as a bird when it comes to maneuvering around obstacles.

Ozone's impact on soybean yield: Reducing future losses

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:15 PM PDT

Ozone is a pollutant that damages crops, particularly soybean. Researchers have investigated the responses of seven different soybean genotypes to eight ozone concentrations. The plants were exposed to ozone concentrations ranging from ambient levels of 38 parts per billion up to 200 parts per billion. They found that any increase above the ambient concentration was enough to reduce seed yield: roughly half a bushel per acre for each additional part per billion.

Unique protein bond enables learning and memory

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:14 PM PDT

Two proteins have a unique bond that enables brain receptors essential to learning and memory to not only get and stay where they're needed, but to be hauled off when they aren't, researchers say. NMDA receptors increase the activity and communication of brain cells and are strategically placed, much like a welcome center, at the receiving end of the communication highway connecting two cells. They also are targets in brain-degenerating conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Empathy represses analytic thought, and vice versa: Brain physiology limits simultaneous use of both networks

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:14 PM PDT

When the brain's analytic network is engaged, our ability to appreciate the human cost of our action is repressed, researchers have found. The study shows for the first time that we have a built-in neural constraint on our ability to be both empathetic and analytic at the same time.

High levels of vitamin D in plasma protects against bladder cancer

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:14 PM PDT

High levels of vitamin D are associated with protection against bladder cancer, according to a study by molecular biologists and epidemiologists.

New cat breed, Selkirk Rex, genetically different from other curly-haired cats

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:14 PM PDT

Pet owners and animal breeders are frequently attracted by curly-haired animals. Indeed, three curly-haired varieties of cat are already recognized and have been developed into competitive breeds. Serina Filler at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna now shows that a fourth curly-haired breed, Selkirk Rex, is genetically distinct from previously known breeds and presents a genetic analysis of the new cats.

Nine colorful and endangered tree-dwelling tarantulas discovered in Brazil

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:14 PM PDT

A Brazilian arachnologist described nine new species of arboreal tarantulas endemic to Central and Eastern Brazil. Four of these colorful species are among the smallest arboreal tarantulas ever recorded and can be considered relicts. Two other new species live inside bromeliads, one of which in the top of table mountains. The species were discovered out of the Amazon region, where arboreal tarantulas are better known.

Drug offers new pain management therapy for diabetics

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:14 PM PDT

A new study shows there is evidence to support a new drug therapy called nabilone to treat diabetic neuropathy, or nerve pain. Researchers enrolled 60 patients with diabetic neuropathy in a 12-week placebo controlled clinical study. At the end of the study, patients reported less pain and an improvement in sleep and anxiety when taking nabilone as compared to the placebo. Nabilone is a synthetic cannabinoid, which mimics some of the chemical compounds of cannabis, or marijuana.

First direct detection sheds light on dark galaxies

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:12 PM PDT

Three lead members of an international science team provide insight into the first direct detection of dark galaxies.

Common food preservative may slow, even stop tumor growth

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:12 PM PDT

Nisin, a common food preservative, may slow or stop squamous cell head and neck cancers, a new study found.

Mars like Hawaii? NASA rover's first soil studies help fingerprint Martian minerals

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 12:42 PM PDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has completed initial experiments showing the mineralogy of Martian soil is similar to weathered basaltic soils of volcanic origin in Hawaii. The minerals were identified in the first sample of Martian soil ingested recently by the rover. Curiosity used its Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument (CheMin) to obtain the results, which are filling gaps and adding confidence to earlier estimates of the mineralogical makeup of the dust and fine soil widespread on the Red Planet.

Transforming America by redirecting wasted health care dollars

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:32 AM PDT

It's estimated that $750 billion is lost each year to wasteful or excessive health care spending. If those wasteful costs could be corralled without sacrificing health care quality, say researchers, how could that money be better spent?

NASA satellites capture Hurricane Sandy's massive size

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:32 AM PDT

NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image Sandy's massive circulation. Sandy covers 1.8 million square miles, from the Mid-Atlantic to the Ohio Valley, into Canada and New England.

New developments reveal a molecule with a promising function in terms of cancer treatment

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:31 AM PDT

One of the current challenges in terms of cancer treatment is how it can be best adapted to patients: today the emphasis is on personalized treatment (factoring in genetic and metabolic profiles). In response to this growing need for personalization, there is an increasing demand for fundamental research to develop adapted future treatments.

Roche urged to fulfil promise to release Tamiflu trial data

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:30 AM PDT

Pharmaceutical giant Roche has been urged to honor the promise it made almost three years ago and release key Tamiflu trial data for independent scrutiny, a new editorial states.

How silver turns people blue

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:30 AM PDT

Researchers have shown for the first time how ingesting too much silver can cause argyria, a rare condition in which patients' skin turns a striking shade of grayish blue.

Mastering weight-maintenance skills before embarking on diet helps women avoid backsliding

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:30 AM PDT

A new study found that women who spent eight weeks mastering weight-maintenance skills before embarking on a weight-loss program shed the same number of pounds as women who started a weight-loss program immediately. More importantly, the study showed that the "maintenance-first" women had regained only three pounds on average a year later, compared to the average seven-pound gain for the immediate dieters.

Keep moving and have fun with interactive fitness system

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:28 AM PDT

People are moving less and less these days. Researchers have now developed an interactive learning system that is supposed to motivate the user to move more but in a playful way: They have combined a sensor mat with an activity monitor. Children and adults can use the system to stay fit and learn at the same time. The highlight: The system records the intensity of the physical activity and immediately displays it.

Scattering of hydroxyl radicals measured with velocity-map imaging

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:28 AM PDT

Scientists are using velocity-map imaging to examine inelastic scattering of hydroxyl radicals.

Monkeys put off sex by bystanders

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:28 AM PDT

Monkeys shy away from bystanders during copulation, irrespective of the bystanders' gender or rank. The new study also suggests that sneaky sex is opportunistic rather than a tactical deception i.e. intentional hiding of sexual behavior.

New MRI technique allows detailed imaging of complex muscle structures and muscle damage

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:27 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a technique that allows detailed 3-D imaging of complex muscle structures of patients. It also allows muscle damage to be detected very precisely. This new technique opens the way to much better and more patient-friendly diagnosis of muscular diseases. It also allows accurate, non-invasive muscle examinations among top athletes.

Ash dieback in UK forests: Promising new research

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:27 AM PDT

A recent, Swedish study has revealed crucial information for horticulturalists in the UK, and in Northern and Central Europe, in their battles against the aggressive attacks of the Chalara fraxineafungus (otherwise known as ash dieback disease) on mature forest areas.  Results from the study are far reaching, encouraging governments to invest in ash breeding programs that will all but eliminate the disease.

Deviating from radiation protocols increases risk of treatment failure and death in cancer patients

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:23 AM PDT

Implementing measures to ensure radiation therapy protocols are followed not only decreases deviations, but it can also improve overall survival in cancer patients, researchers suggest in a first-of-its kind study.

New England poultry producers may see effects from Sandy

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:22 AM PDT

Instead of an early snowfall this time of year, farmers along the eastern seaboard are dealing with flood waters and wind damage from Superstorm Sandy, which is expected to affect everything from poultry production to grocery prices.

Grey Friars female skeleton is possibly of founder

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:14 AM PDT

Archaeologists leading the analysis of human remains found in the search for Richard III have commented on the second skeleton found at the Church of Grey Friars in Leicester.

Videos reduce children's anxiety prior to surgery

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:13 AM PDT

Having children watch a video immediately prior to surgery can reduce their anxiety during anesthesia induction, the most stressful time for children throughout the perioperative process.

Exoskeleton of advanced design promises new degree of independence for people with paraplegia

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:13 AM PDT

Engineers have developed a powered exoskeleton that enables people with severe spinal cord injuries to stand, walk, sit and climb stairs. Its light weight, compact size and modular design promise to provide users with an unprecedented degree of independence.

New way to prevent recurrent ear infections?

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:13 AM PDT

Eliminating bacteria's DNA and boosting antimicrobial proteins that already exist may help prevent middle ear infections from reoccurring. These are the findings from a new study that examined how an immune defense protein common in the middle ear interacts with a structure meant to protect a colony of bacteria.

Fighting melanoma's resistance to chemotherapy

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:13 AM PDT

Blocking the action of a particular protein in our skin could improve the treatment of skin cancers, according to a new study.

New findings on men's genes could alter interpretation of PSA test

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:37 AM PDT

By studying a specific part of the male DNA, it may be possible to refine the interpretation of PSA tests. This would reduce the risk of men being treated for prostate cancer unnecessarily.

New technique connects multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:36 AM PDT

Using a new method for precisely controlling the deposition of carbon, researchers have demonstrated a technique for connecting multi-walled carbon nanotubes to the metallic pads of integrated circuits without the high interface resistance produced by traditional fabrication techniques.

Oxidative stress and altered gene expression occurs in a metabolic liver disease model

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:26 AM PDT

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is the most common genetic liver disorder in children and may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in adults. New evidence indicates that oxidative stress occurs in a genetic model of this disease. The report suggests that treatment with antioxidants might be of therapeutic benefit. Investigators also Identified potential alterations in gene expressions that could modify the development of disease. This information could lead to the design of therapeutic treatments.

Women undergoing IVF report problems with sexual relationship, study finds

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:24 AM PDT

A new study has found that women undergoing in-vitro fertilization report that the process of infertility treatment has many negative impacts on their sexual relationship with their partner. Little attention has been given to the sexual dynamics of couples as they navigate infertility and treatments such as IVF, despite the important role that sex plays in a couple's attempt to conceive a child.

Honeybees harbor antibiotic-resistance genes

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:24 AM PDT

Bacteria in the guts of honeybees are highly resistant to the antibiotic tetracycline, probably as a result of decades of preventive antibiotic use in domesticated hives. Researchers have identified eight different tetracycline resistance genes among US honeybees that were exposed to the antibiotic, but the genes were largely absent in bees from countries where such antibiotic use is banned.

Distinct developmental patterns identified in children with autism during their first three years

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:24 AM PDT

Researchers have found a preclinical phase in children with autism that is not easily detected. Published in the journal Child Development, the study found that early in development, children who display early signs of ASD show greater initial delay across multiple aspects of development compared to children whose ASD symptoms emerge later.

Water-based exercise bicycle provides workouts as good as land-based stationary bicycle

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:23 AM PDT

People who used an immersible ergocycle – basically an exercise bike in a pool – had just about the equivalent workout to using a typical stationary bike. Those who can't train on land can train in the water and have the same benefits in terms of improving aerobic fitness.

Risk of cardiac arrest depends on where you live: Study compares 'cardio-toxicity' of Toronto-area neighborhoods

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:23 AM PDT

Your chances of having a sudden cardiac arrest can depend on where you live.

Smoking causes asthma in second generation offspring, study shows

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:22 AM PDT

The dangers of smoking on smokers and their children are widely known but new research demonstrates that nicotine exposure also causes asthma in the smoker's grandchildren. Asthma is a major public health problem. It is the most common chronic disease of childhood. While there are many factors which contribute to asthma maternal smoking during pregnancy is a well known, and avoidable, risk.

The hunt for electron holes: A molecular glance on solar water splitting

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:22 AM PDT

Hydrogen production by solar water splitting in photoelectrochemical cells (PEC) has long been considered the holy grail of sustainable energy research. Iron oxide is a promising electrode material. Scientists have now gained in-depth insights into the electronic structure of an iron oxide electrode – while it was in operation. This opens up new possibilities for an affordable hydrogen production from solar energy.

Every single junk food meal damages your arteries, new study reveals

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:20 AM PDT

A single junk food meal – composed mainly of saturated fat – is detrimental to the health of the arteries, while no damage occurs after consuming a Mediterranean meal rich in good fats such as mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Overweight and smoking during pregnancy boost risk of overweight kids

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:52 PM PDT

Mums who carry too much weight and/or who smoke during pregnancy increase the risk of having overweight kids, indicates a systematic analysis of the available evidence.

Smoking and hyperactivity share common genetic risk factor

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:52 PM PDT

A variation of a particular gene may link the behaviors typical of childhood attention hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short, and those associated with smoking, suggests new research.

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