Friday, August 29, 2008

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Origin Of High Energy Emission From Crab Nebula Identified

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT

Another piece of the jigsaw in understanding how neutron stars work has been put in place following the discovery by scientists of the origin of the high energy emission from rotation-powered pulsars.

Cystic Fibrosis: Engineered Proteins Can 'Bypass' Genetic Defect

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT

By manipulating the machinery used by our cells for quality control, researchers have found a way to restore the function of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway cells. This could significantly reduce the sticky mucus that plugs the lungs of CF patients, which leads to antibiotic-resistant infections and untimely death.

Quantum 'Traffic Jam' Revealed: Findings May Help Get Current Flowing At Higher Temperatures

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators have uncovered the first experimental evidence for why the transition temperature of high-temperature superconductors cannot simply be elevated by increasing the electrons' binding energy. The research demonstrates how, as electron-pair binding energy increases, the electrons' tendency to get caught in a quantum mechanical "traffic jam" overwhelms the interactions needed for the material to act as a superconductor -- a freely flowing fluid of electron pairs.

Common Treatment To Delay Labor Decreases Pre-term Infants' Risk For Cerebral Palsy

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT

Pre-term infants born to mothers receiving intravenous magnesium sulfate -- a common treatment to delay labor -- are less likely to develop cerebral palsy than are pre-term infants whose mothers do not receive it, report researchers in a large National Institutes of Health research network.

Robots Learn To Predict Where Their Leader Is Going, And Follow Along

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT

Researchers have come up with a control system that allows a robot to pick up on cues that the leader is about to turn, predict where it is going and follow it.

Risk Of Repeat Attacks In Heart Patients Causes Concern For Doctors

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT

The risk of heart attack patients having repeat attacks after they are discharged from hospital is being underestimated, research has shown. An international study raises concerns that some patients may not be receiving the optimum medical treatment and follow-up care because doctors are misjudging the risk of a further heart attack.

Eyes Evolved For 'X-Ray Vision': Forward-facing Eyes Allow Animals To 'See Through' Clutter In The World

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT

The advantage of using two eyes to see the world around us has long been associated solely with our capacity to see in 3-D. Now, a new study has uncovered a truly eye-opening advantage to binocular vision: our ability to see through things.

Variant Of Mad Cow Disease May Be Transmitted By Blood Transfusions, According To Animal Study

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions.

Not All Fat Is Created Equal: Fat In Obese Patients Is 'Sick' Compared To Fat From Lean Patients

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT

A new study finds that fat in obese patients is "sick" when compared to fat from lean patients, which could more fully explain the link between obesity and higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Pregnancy Situations Have Impact On Brain Development In Pre-term Infants

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Brain development in infants who are born very prematurely is still incomplete. Factors that cause premature birth may have an impact on the development of the premature infant's brain both during pregnancy and later on after birth.

Natural Chemical From Sea Sponges Induces Death In Cancer Cells Via Unusual Pathway

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT

A chemical called candidaspongiolide (CAN) inhibits protein synthesis but also kills cancer cells by triggering caspase 12-dependent programmed cell death, according to an article in the Aug. 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

New Evidence On Addiction To Medicines: Diazepam Has Effect On Nerve Cells In The Brain Reward System

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Addictions to medicines and drugs are thought to develop over a relatively long period of time. The process involves both structural and functional changes in brain nerve cells that are still poorly understood. However, a single drug or alcohol dose is sufficient to generate an initial stage of addiction.

Explosives Go 'Green' ... And Get More Precise

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT

Certain explosives may soon get a little greener and a little more precise. Researchers have added unique green solvents (ionic liquids) to an explosive called TATB (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene) and improved the crystal quality and chemical purity of the material.

Class Of Diabetes Drugs Carries Significant Cardiovascular Risks

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT

A class of oral drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may make heart failure worse, according to an editorial published online in the journal Heart.

Even Without Dementia, Mental Skills Decline Years Before Death

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT

A new study shows that older people's mental skills start declining years before death, even if they don't have dementia.

Recent Advances Make Cervical Cancer Control In Developing World Feasible For First Time

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT

Recent advances in cervical cancer prevention mean that controlling the disease in developing countries is becoming feasible for the first time, experts say. Developments such as highly effective vaccines against the human papilloma virus (HPV) and promising new screening tests provide an unprecedented opportunity to tackle the disease in poor countries, where pap smear screening has largely failed because it is too expensive and too complicated to implement.

Ultra-energy Efficient Dryer Under Development

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT

A total drying solution for the manufacturing industry which will make significant energy savings is currently under development.

Researchers To Survey Students On Managing Psychiatric Medications In The Transition From Home To College

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT

An increasing number of students are packing more than their computers and iPods when leaving for college. They are bringing along prescribed psychiatric medications. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University will survey students on managing psychiatric medications in the transition from home to college.

Researchers Provide Solution To World’s Worst Mass Poisoning Case

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT

A solution to the world's worst case of ongoing mass poisoning, linked to rising cancer rates in Southern Asia, has been developed by researchers from Queen's University Belfast. They have created new low-cost technology to provide arsenic-free water to millions of people in South Asia currently exposed to high levels of the poison in groundwater.

Potential New Targets For Antidepressant Medications

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT

The news about antidepressant medications over the past several years has been mixed. The bad news from large multicenter studies such as STAR*D is that current antidepressant medications are effective, but not as effective as one might hope.

Fishing For Profits On World Caviar Market

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT

As sturgeon populations decline in the Caspian Sea, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have a found way for Israel to cash in on the world's growing demand for caviar.

NIAID Describes Challenges, Prospects For An HIV Vaccine

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT

Events of the past year in HIV vaccine research have led some to question whether an effective HIV vaccine will ever be developed. In the Aug. 28 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, officials from NIAID examine the extraordinarily challenging properties of the virus that have made a vaccine elusive and outline the scientific questions that, if answered, could lead to an effective HIV vaccine.

Novel Trial Design Aims To Speed Drug Development

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT

Researchers propose a novel multi-arm trial design that can test several therapies simultaneously and could speed drug development in cancer, according to an article in the Aug. 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Economic And Social Disadvantage Can Affect Young Citizens' Voter Turnout

Posted: 29 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT

A study recently published in the Journal of Social Issues illustrates how certain disadvantages experienced in adolescence, such as early pregnancy, dropping out of high school, being arrested, or going to an underprivileged school, contribute to lower voter turnout in young adulthood. In addition, the types of disadvantage vary across racial groups.

Arctic Ice On Verge Of Another All-time Low

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT

Following last summer's record minimum ice cover in the Arctic, current observations from ESA's Envisat satellite suggest that the extent of polar sea-ice may again shrink to a level very close to that of last year.

New Beta-blocker To Offer Hope To Heart And Lung Sufferers

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT

Researchers in the UK are developing new drug that could ease the suffering of hundreds of thousands of heart disease patients who are unable to take beta-blockers.

Model Helps Computers Sort Data More Like Humans

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT

Humans have a natural tendency to find order in sets of information, a skill that has proven difficult to replicate in computers. Faced with a large set of data, computers don't know where to begin -- unless they're programmed to look for a specific structure, such as a hierarchy, linear order, or a set of clusters. Now, in an advance that may impact the field of artificial intelligence, a new model developed at MIT can help computers recognize patterns the same way that humans do.

HIV Patients At Greater Risk For Bone Fractures

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT

HIV-infected patients have a higher prevalence of fractures than non HIV-infected patients, across both genders and critical fracture sites according to a new study accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Ceramic Material Revs Up Microwaving

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT

Quicker microwave meals that use less energy may soon be possible with new ceramic microwave dishes and, according to the material scientists responsible, this same material could help with organic waste remediation.

Sticks And Stones: A New Study On Social And Physical Pain

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT

According to a new study, words may pack a harder punch that we realize. Psychologists have found that while the pain of physical events may fade with time, the pain of social occurrences can be reinstantiated through memory retrievals.

Cluster Watches Earth's Leaky Atmosphere

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Oxygen is constantly leaking out of Earth's atmosphere and into space. Now, ESA's formation-flying quartet of satellites, Cluster, has discovered the physical mechanism that is driving the escape. It turns out that the Earth's own magnetic field is accelerating the oxygen away.

Why Transplanted Insulin Cells Die

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT

New research can enhance survival of islets transplants and improve treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Student-designed Device To Help Poor East Africans Coax Oil From Coconuts

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Student engineers designed an innovative and cost-effective apparatus that enables poor East African women to turn abundant coconuts into valuable coconut oil.

Variations Of Rare Lung Disease Examined

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Scientists are conducting a new research study that examines why symptoms of LAM are different in certain subgroups of people with the goal of finding more successful therapies.

New Report Card Shows Campuses Going Greener

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Is your alma mater among those stepping up to green their campuses? Are our colleges preparing students for a greener future? You can find out in National Wildlife Federation's just-released Campus Environment 2008 Report Card, a comprehensive look at nationwide trends in sustainability among America's institutions of higher learning. The report compares findings with the previous study conducted in 2001.

Study Shows Link Between Spanking And Physical Abuse

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Spanking has been, and still is, a common method of child discipline used by American parents. But mothers who report that they or their partner spanked their child in the past year are nearly three times more likely to state that they also used harsher forms of punishment than those who say their child was not spanked, according to a new study led by the Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Low Levels Of Brain Chemical May Lead To Obesity

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT

A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition.

Protection Zones In The Wrong Place To Prevent Coral Reef Collapse

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT

Conservation zones are in the wrong place to protect vulnerable coral reefs from the effects of global warming, an international team of scientists warned today. Now the team say that urgent action is needed to prevent the collapse of this important marine ecosystem.

Findings Challenge Common Practice Regarding Glucose Control For Critically Ill Patients

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT

An analysis of randomized trials indicates that for critically ill adults, tight glucose control is not associated with a significantly reduced risk of death in the hospital, but is associated with an increased risk of hypoglycemia, calling into question the recommendation by many professional societies for tight glucose control for these patients.

Proteins Have Controlled Motions, Researcher Shows

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT

Iowa State University researcher Robert Jernigan believes that his research shows proteins have controlled motions. Most biochemists traditionally believe proteins have many random, uncontrolled movements.

Study Reveals Gap In HIV Testing Knowledge Among College Students

Posted: 28 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT

Most college students understand how they can prevent the transmission of HIV but are less knowledgeable about HIV testing, according to a new University of Georgia study.

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