science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τετάρτη 6 Νοεμβρίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Perfect Faults: A Self-Correcting Crystal May Unleash the Next Generation of Advanced Communications
Effects of Chronic Stress Can be Traced to Your Genes
NIST’s New Compact Atomic Clock Design Uses Cold Atoms to Boost Precision
Findings Could Overcome Major Stumbling Blocks to Tissue Cryopreservation for Medical Care
Scientists Use Light to Uncover the Cause of Sickle Cell Disease
Study: Sexual Function Dramatically Improves in Women Following Bariatric Surgery
Researchers Identify Molecular Link Between Gut Microbes and Intestinal Health

Perfect Faults: A Self-Correcting Crystal May Unleash the Next Generation of Advanced Communications

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 03:50 PM PST

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have joined with an international team to engineer and measure a potentially important new class of nanostructured materials for microwave and advanced communication devices. Based on NIST's measurements, the new materials—a family of multilayered crystalline sandwiches—might enable a whole new class of compact, high-performance, high-efficiency components for devices such as cellular phones.

Effects of Chronic Stress Can be Traced to Your Genes

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 03:43 PM PST

New research shows that chronic stress changes gene activity in immune cells before they reach the bloodstream. With these changes, the cells are primed to fight an infection or trauma that doesn’t actually exist, leading to an overabundance of the inflammation that is linked to many health problems.

NIST’s New Compact Atomic Clock Design Uses Cold Atoms to Boost Precision

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 03:36 PM PST

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a compact atomic clock design that relies on cold rubidium atoms instead of the usual hot atoms, a switch that promises improved precision and stability.

Findings Could Overcome Major Stumbling Blocks to Tissue Cryopreservation for Medical Care

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST

Developing an efficient way to freeze and store living tissues could transform many aspects of medical care and research, but ice crystallization often occurs within cells during such cryopreservation procedures, leading to cell death. In the November 5 issue of the Biophysical Journal, a Cell Press publication, researchers report that they have gained new information about the processes that are responsible for promoting the freezing of cells within tissues. This knowledge may ultimately lead to novel approaches for preventing tissue injury during cryopreservation.

Scientists Use Light to Uncover the Cause of Sickle Cell Disease

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST

In sickle cell disease, hemoglobin—the oxygen-carrying component of blood—forms fibers that stiffen red blood cells and cause life-threatening symptoms. Using light-scattering techniques to study the detailed thermodynamics of this process, researchers reporting in the November 5 issue of the Biophysical Journal, a Cell Press publication, have determined the strength of the forces that hold these fibers intact. The information could be used to design therapies that interfere with the sickling process.

Study: Sexual Function Dramatically Improves in Women Following Bariatric Surgery

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 07:27 AM PST

The first study to look extensively at sexual function in women who underwent bariatric surgery found that significant improvements in overall sexual function, most reproductive hormones and in psychological status were maintained over two years following surgery.

Researchers Identify Molecular Link Between Gut Microbes and Intestinal Health

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 07:24 AM PST

It’s well established that humans maintain a symbiotic relationship with the trillions of beneficial microbes that colonize their bodies. These organisms, collectively called the microbiota, help digest food, maintain the immune system, fend off pathogens, and more. There exists a long and growing list of diseases associated with changes in the composition or diversity of these bacterial populations, including cancer, diabetes, obesity, asthma, and even autism.