ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Monday, July 28, 2008
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Typhoons Bury Tons Of Carbon In The Oceans (July 28, 2008) -- A single typhoon in Taiwan buries as much carbon in the ocean -- in the form of sediment -- as all the other rains in that country all year long combined. ... > full story
Researchers Disprove Long-standing Belief About HIV Treatment (July 28, 2008) -- Researchers have disproved a long-standing clinical belief that the hepatitis C virus slows or stunts the immune system's ability to restore itself after HIV patients are treated with a combination of drugs known as the "cocktail." ... > full story
Limiting Fructose May Boost Weight Loss, Researcher Reports (July 28, 2008) -- One of the reasons people on low-carbohydrate diets may lose weight is that they reduce their intake of fructose, a type of sugar that can be made into body fat quickly. Fructose is perhaps best known for its presence in the sweetener called high-fructose corn syrup or HFCS, which is typically 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, similar to the mix that can be found in fruits. ... > full story
Internal Medicine Residents May Benefit Most From Time In Clinic (July 28, 2008) -- A new approach to internal medicine residency training could improve patient care and physician-patient relationships. Research has shown that residents who spent increased time in outpatient settings as opposed to the hospital delivered a higher quality of care and had more satisfaction in their duties. ... > full story
Region Hit Hard By 1993 Floods Showed Economic Resiliency, Study Indicates (July 28, 2008) -- With the first wave of clean-up efforts behind them, residents of communities affected by this year's Midwest floods may find hope in a new study on the economic impact of the 1993 flood that devastated much of the same region. ... > full story
Population Policy Needed In Order To Combat Climate Change, Experts Argue (July 28, 2008) -- The biggest contribution UK couples can make to combating climate change would be to have only two children or at least have one less than they first intended, argues an editorial in the British Medical Journal. ... > full story
Plant Steroids Offer New Paradigm For How Hormones Work (July 28, 2008) -- Steroids bulk up plants just as they do human athletes, but the molecular signals that tell the genes to boost growth and development in plant cells is far more complicated than in human and animal cells. Understanding how these plant hormones activate genes could lead not only to enhanced harvests but also to new insights into how steroids regulate growth in both plant and animal cells. ... > full story
New Research On Pre-eclampsia In Mice May Have Important Implications For Humans (July 28, 2008) -- Researchers studying pre-eclampsia, a serious and potentially deadly disorder that affects about 5 percent of pregnancies, report new findings in mice that may have important implications for diagnosis and treatment in humans. ... > full story
Measuring Stress In Plants To Select Best Species For Reforestation (July 28, 2008) -- Plants undergo stress because of lack of water, due to the heat or the cold or to excess of light. Researchers have analyzed the substances that are triggered in plants to protect themselves, with the goal of choosing the species that is best suited to the environment during reforestation under adverse environmental conditions. ... > full story
Little Evidence That Treating Varicoceles In Men Boosts Pregnancy Rates (July 28, 2008) -- A recent review of studies from the Netherlands finds no evidence that treating varicoceles -- a somewhat common condition in men with fertility problems -- improves a couple's chances of conceiving a baby. ... > full story
Landscape Study May Offer Solutions For Fire Managers (July 28, 2008) -- A fire is currently burning through a study area where projections were made about fire behavior about two years ago. Managers used data and analysis from the Gotchen Late-Successional Reserve study in the planning, analysis and implementation of treatments near where the Cold Springs fire is now active. ... > full story
Daughters-in-law Help Reduce Depression Among Chinese Elders, But Help From Own Kids Can Increase Depression, Study Finds (July 28, 2008) -- In a new twist on the Confucian ideal of filial piety, a study finds that the assistance of daughters-in-law -- but not their own children -- helps mitigate depression among older people in China. Almost two-thirds of the older population in China lives in rural areas, making it the largest concentration of older adults in the world. ... > full story
Watching A 'New Star' Make The Universe Dusty (July 27, 2008) -- Astronomers were able for the first time to witness the appearance of a shell of dusty gas around a star that had just erupted, and follow its evolution for more than 100 days. This provides the astronomers with a new way to estimate the distance of this object and obtain invaluable information on the operating mode of stellar vampires, dense stars that suck material from a companion. ... > full story
New Health Drink? Chemist Goes Nano With CoQ10 (July 27, 2008) -- If one researcher has his way, you may soon be buying bottles of water brimming with the life-sustaining coenzyme CoQ10 at your local Costco. Like vitamin C, CoQ10 is a compound that's vital to our survival. ... > full story
Meet Robo Habilis: Robot Has Human-like Hand Controlled By 'Brain' Modeled After Human Cerebellum (July 27, 2008) -- The dream of human-like robots is a step closer to reality with the recent creation of a human-like arm and hand controlled by an electronic 'brain' modeled on the human cerebellum. ... > full story
CMV Infections Affect More Than Just Patients With Compromised Immune Systems (July 27, 2008) -- An infection due to a virus called cytomegalovirus, which most commonly affects people with compromised immune systems, can also affect hospital intensive-care patients who have no immune-system problems, researchers have found. CMV infection is also associated with longer hospital and intensive-care unit stays independent of other causes, according to the study. ... > full story
Surgery Will Put Dog With Amputated Leg Back On All Fours Again (July 27, 2008) -- A pioneering collaboration between a veterinary surgeon and an engineer will give a deserving dog the ability to walk on four legs again. A German shepherd mix is having a lost leg replaced with an osseointegrated prosthetic limb. If successful, this research could lead to implants for humans that allow the prosthetic limbs to attach without chafing or irritation, and limbs with more natural ranges of motion. ... > full story
No Gender Differences In Math Performance (July 27, 2008) -- We've all heard it. Many of us in fact believe it. Girls just aren't as good at math as boys. But is it true? After sifting through mountains of data - including SAT results and math scores from 7 million students who were tested in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act - a team of scientists says the answer is no. ... > full story
Researchers Discover New States Of Electrons That Behave Like Light (July 27, 2008) -- A team of researchers has observed electrons moving through a crystal of bismuth metal behaving like light. The discovery may enable powerful new electronic devices that exploit the principles of quantum mechanics to compute and communicate. ... > full story
Giving An Additional Early Vaccination May Reduce Measles Outbreaks (July 27, 2008) -- Outbreaks of measles in developing countries may be reduced by vaccinating infants at 4.5 months of age as well as at the World Health Organization's recommended routine vaccination at 9 months, according to a new study. ... > full story
New Generation Of Simpler Sensors For Detecting Disease-causing Microbes And Toxins (July 27, 2008) -- Scientists in Singapore are reporting development of a complete, palm-sized sensor that can detect disease-causing microbes, toxins, and other biological threats instantly without the need for an external power source or a computer. ... > full story
Genetic Mutation Identified For Eye Complaint (July 27, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a gene that, when modified, causes the eye disease Duane syndrome. Importantly, by identifying this gene the team has discovered how the visual system develops which may lead to new ways to treat other vision disorders. ... > full story
Rising Energy, Food Prices Major Threats To Wetlands As Farmers Eye New Areas For Crops (July 27, 2008) -- Resisting pressures to convert wetlands for agriculture, bio-fuels and hydro-electricity is vital to avoid destroying ecosystems that provide a suite of services essential to humanity, including safe, steady local water supplies, preserving biodiversity and the large-scale capture and storage of climate warming greenhouse gases, according 700 leading world experts concluding a week-long meeting in Cuiaba, Brazil. ... > full story
Wealth Does Not Dictate Concern For The Environment, Study Finds (July 27, 2008) -- Citizens of poorer nations are just as concerned about environmental quality as their counterparts in rich nations, new research shows. ... > full story
New Cellular Pathway Linked To Cancer Identified (July 27, 2008) -- In the life of a cell, the response to DNA damage determines whether the cell is fated to pause and repair itself, commit suicide, or grow uncontrollably, a route leading to cancer. Scientists have now identified a way that cells respond to DNA damage through a process that targets proteins for disposal. The finding points to a new pathway for the development of cancer and suggests a new way of sensitizing cancer cells to treatment. ... > full story
Mindfulness Meditation Slows Progression Of HIV, Study Suggests (July 27, 2008) -- CD4+ T lymphocytes, or simply CD4 T cells, are the "brains" of the immune system, coordinating its activity when the body comes under attack. They are also the cells that are attacked by HIV, the devastating virus that causes AIDS and has infected roughly 40 million people worldwide. The virus slowly eats away at CD4 T cells, weakening the immune system. ... > full story
Ocean Surface A Boon For Extreme Event Forecasts, Warnings (July 27, 2008) -- For humans in the path of destructive hurricanes and tsunamis, an accurate warning of the pending event is critical for damage control and survival. Such warnings, however, require a solid base of scientific observations, and a new satellite is ready for the job. The Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason 2 adds to the number of eyes in the sky measuring sea surface and wave heights across Earth's oceans. The increased coverage will help researchers improve current models for practical use in predicting hurricane intensity, while providing valuable data that can be used to improve tsunami warning models. ... > full story
Making Patients Move Requires The Right Exercise Advice (July 27, 2008) -- Researchers found that adults with chronic illness who received interventions focused on behavior-changing strategies significantly increased their physical activity levels. In contrast, interventions based on cognitive approaches, which attempt to change knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, and are most commonly used by health care providers, did not improve physical activity. ... > full story
Lab-on-a-chip at home: Make Your Own Microfluidic Testing Device With New Kit (July 27, 2008) -- A type of device called a "lab-on-a-chip" could bring a new generation of instant home tests for illnesses, food contaminants and toxic gases. But today these portable, efficient tools are often stuck in the lab themselves. Specifically, in the labs of researchers who know how to make them from scratch. ... > full story
Overweight Elderly Americans Contribute To Financial Burdens Of U.S. Health Care System, Study Finds (July 27, 2008) -- The extra Medicare cost associated with overweight elderly people could place a significant burden on taxpayers. ... > full story
Young Galaxies Have Surprisingly Strong Magnetic Fields: Contradicts Popular Theories (July 26, 2008) -- The origin of magnetic fields in galaxies is still a mystery to astronomers. Popular theories suggest continual strengthening over billions of years. New research, however, contradicts this assumption and reveals that young galaxies also have strong magnetic fields. ... > full story
New Method Enabling Routine Targeted Gene Modification Developed (July 26, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a powerful new tool for genomic research and medicine -- a robust method for generating synthetic enzymes that can target particular DNA sequences for inactivation or repair. ... > full story
Target-seeking Antibodies For Cancer Therapy (July 26, 2008) -- A chemist has discovered a new marker together with three associated monoclonal antibodies which are promising candidates for cancer therapy. Up to now, monoclonal antibodies have only aided the chemotherapeutic fight against cancer to a limited extent. ... > full story
Novel Structure Proteins Could Play A Role In Programmed Cell Death -- Apoptosis (July 26, 2008) -- Isoforms from a new family of genes called novel structure proteins could be involved in apoptosis or programmed cell death. ... > full story
Patient Privacy Assured By Electronic Censor (July 26, 2008) -- Newly developed software will help to allay patients' fears about who has access to their confidential data. A new computer program is capable of deleting details from medical records which may identify patients, while leaving important medical information intact. ... > full story
Diversity In Primary Schools Promotes Harmony, Study Finds (July 26, 2008) -- For the first time, children as young as 5 have been shown to understand issues regarding integration and separation. The research confirms that the ethnic composition of primary schools has a direct impact on children's attitudes towards those in other ethnic groups and on their ability to get on with their peers. ... > full story
Northern Wildfire Smoke May Cast Shadow On Arctic Warming (July 26, 2008) -- The Arctic may get some temporary relief from global warming if the annual North American wildfire season intensifies, according to a new study. Smoke transported to the Arctic from northern forest fires may cool the surface for several weeks to months at a time, according to the most detailed analysis yet of how smoke influences the Arctic climate relative to the amount of snow and ice cover. ... > full story
Key Mechanism Of Cellular Damage In Aging And Disease Discovered (July 26, 2008) -- Researchers have taken a first snapshot of how a class of highly reactive molecules inflicts cellular damage as part of aging, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease and Alzheimer's disease to name a few. Researchers have discovered a tool that can monitor related damage and determine the degree to which antioxidant drugs effectively combat disease. ... > full story
Shimmering Ferroelectric Domains (July 26, 2008) -- Ferroelectric materials are named after ferromagnetic ones because they behave in a similar way. The main difference: these materials are not magnetic, but permanently electrically polarized. They have great importance for data storage technology and novel piezoelectric devices. Scientists have now produced microscopic images of ferroelectric domains - tiny regions of a ferroelectric material -, where the electric polarization points into different directions. ... > full story
Kidneys Donated After Cardiac Death Could Reduce Disparities For Black Kidney Transplant Recipients (July 26, 2008) -- Kidneys donated after individuals die from cardiovascular causes may be one of the best options for black patients in need of transplants, according to a new study. The research reveals that utilization of these organs should be expanded in order to reduce racial disparities that exist in renal transplantation. ... > full story
Moblie Peer-to-peer Applications: Keeping Up With Your Peers, Securely (July 26, 2008) -- Mobile peer-to-peer (P2P) applications allow a team or group to create new levels of ad hoc co-operation and collaboration around a specific, real-time goal. But developing compelling and secure applications is a challenge. Now a new platform rises to that challenge. ... > full story
Who's More Likely To Do Sports? White, Middle Class, And Middle-aged (July 26, 2008) -- The comfortably off, white, and middle-aged are the most likely to participate in sporting activities, reveals a 10 year study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. ... > full story
Adult Stem Cells Activated In Mammalian Brain (July 26, 2008) -- Adult stem cells originate in a different part of the brain than is commonly believed, and with proper stimulation they can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury, a new study has shown. ... > full story
Promising Results In Deep Brain Stimulation For Patients With Treatment-resistant Depression (July 26, 2008) -- New data from a study of patients with treatment-resistant depression who underwent deep brain stimulation in the subcallosal cingulate region of the brain shows that this intervention is generally safe and provides significant improvement in patients as early as one month after treatment. The patients also experienced continued and sustained improvement over time. ... > full story
New Roadside Beautification Concept Studied (July 26, 2008) -- Travel America's highways or drive down any city street this summer and you'll probably see them. From small, manicured beds of flowers to extensive landscaping projects, roadside gardens are taking root. Aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits, studies indicate that roadside beautification, including landscaping and gardens, can help drivers reduce stress, frustration and aggression, while helping maintain safe highways. ... > full story
Heart Disease Is Linked To Worse Mental Processes That, In Turn, Predict The Onset Of Dementia (July 26, 2008) -- Coronary heart disease is associated with a worse performance in mental processes such as reasoning, vocabulary and verbal fluency, according to a study of 5,837 middle-aged Whitehall civil servants published in the European Heart Journal. The study also found that the longer ago the heart disease had been diagnosed, the worse was the person's cognitive performance and this effect was particularly marked in men. ... > full story
Machine Vision Lab Has Smoother Approach To Tile Quality (July 26, 2008) -- Surface defects in ceramic tiles, invisible to the naked eye, could be automatically detected by a new system being developed at the University of the West of England. The system would detect imperfections such as pinholes, crazing, rough or dull glazes, even on tiles with a texture or relief pattern, saving the industry time and money and reducing wastage. ... > full story
Giving Electronic Learning A Personal Touch (July 26, 2008) -- A learning system that adapts to the abilities and needs of students opens the way to a more personalized approach in delivering education electronically. ... > full story
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