ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• 'Universal' programmable two-qubit quantum processor created
• Tiny particles can deliver antioxidant enzyme to injured heart cells
• Birds lose color vision in twilight
• Say yes to a clinical trial; it may be good for your health
• Scientists take the lead out of piezoelectrics
• More than half of cheerleading injuries in US due to stunts
• Algae turned into high-temperature hydrogen source
• Heart and bone damage from low vitamin D tied to declines in sex hormones
• Curry as cure? Spicing up the effectiveness of a potential disease-fighter
• Whooping cough immunity lasts longer than previously thought
• United States using less water than 35 years ago
• Thoughtful words help ease impact of marital strife on immune system
• Potential treatment for Huntington's disease
• Biosensor to help enlist cancer resistance fighters?
• Facial biometrics system capable of creating a facial 'DNA'
• Inappropriate sepsis therapy leads to fivefold reduction in survival
• Listen, watch, read: Computers search for meaning
• Does modernization affect children's cognitive development?
• Shape perception in brain develops by itself, study of African tribe suggests
• Largest gene study of childhood inflammatory bowel disease identifies five new genes
• New insight into predicting cholera epidemics in the Bengal Delta
• Prevention experts urge modification to 2009 H1N1 guidance for health care workers
• Smart solution: Researchers use smartphones to improve health of elderly diabetics in China
• Enjoying school key to tackling teenage pregnancy
• Elevated biomarkers lead to diminished quality of life in heart attack patients post-discharge
• Continuous chest compression-CPR improved cardiac arrest survival in Arizona
• Study finds mixed results comparing two surgical strategies for infant heart defect
• Early cooling in cardiac arrest may improve survival
• Protein changes in heart strengthen link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure
• Warmer means windier on world's biggest lake

'Universal' programmable two-qubit quantum processor created Posted: 16 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST Physicists have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor able to run any program allowed by quantum mechanics -- the rules governing the submicroscopic world -- using two quantum bits (qubits) of information. The processor could be a module in a future quantum computer, which theoretically could solve some important problems that are intractable today.

Tiny particles can deliver antioxidant enzyme to injured heart cells Posted: 16 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST Researchers have developed microscopic polymer beads that can deliver an antioxidant enzyme made naturally by the body into the heart. Injecting the enzyme-containing particles into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack reduced the number of dying cells and resulted in improved heart function days later.

Birds lose color vision in twilight Posted: 16 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST The color vision of birds stops working considerably earlier in the course of the day than was previously believed, in fact, in the twilight. Birds need between 5 and 20 times as much light as humans to see colors.

Say yes to a clinical trial; it may be good for your health Posted: 16 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST A new study finds that heart failure patients willing to take part in clinical trials have a better prognosis than those unwilling to do so.

Scientists take the lead out of piezoelectrics Posted: 16 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST By applying epitaxial strain to thin films of bismuth ferrite, researchers have produced a lead-free alternative to the current crop of piezoelectric materials.

More than half of cheerleading injuries in US due to stunts Posted: 16 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST Whether rallying the crowd at a sporting event or participating in competition, cheerleading can be both fun and physically demanding. Although integral to cheerleading routines, performing stunts can lead to injury. Stunt-related injuries accounted for more than half (60 percent) of US cheerleading injuries from June 2006 through June 2007, according to a new study. Nearly all of the reported concussions occurred when the cheerleader was performing a stunt.

Algae turned into high-temperature hydrogen source Posted: 16 Nov 2009 05:00 AM PST In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles. New findings however, show that photosynthesis may function as that clean, sustainable source of hydrogen.

Heart and bone damage from low vitamin D tied to declines in sex hormones Posted: 16 Nov 2009 05:00 AM PST Researchers are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone.

Curry as cure? Spicing up the effectiveness of a potential disease-fighter Posted: 16 Nov 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists are reporting development of a nano-size capsule that boosts the body's uptake of curcumin, an ingredient in yellow curry now being evaluated in clinical trials for treatment of several diseases.

Whooping cough immunity lasts longer than previously thought Posted: 16 Nov 2009 05:00 AM PST Immunity to whooping cough lasts at least 30 years on average, much longer than previously thought, according to a new study.

United States using less water than 35 years ago Posted: 16 Nov 2009 05:00 AM PST The United States is using less water than during the peak years of 1975 and 1980, according to water use estimates for 2005. Despite a 30 percent population increase during the past 25 years, overall water use has remained fairly stable according to a new report.

Thoughtful words help ease impact of marital strife on immune system Posted: 16 Nov 2009 05:00 AM PST Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system.

Potential treatment for Huntington's disease Posted: 16 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Normal synaptic activity in nerve cells protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease, researchers have discovered. They also found that the drug Memantine, which is approved to treat Alzheimer's disease, successfully treated Huntington's disease in a mouse model by preserving normal synaptic electrical activity and suppressing excessive extrasynaptic electrical activity.

Biosensor to help enlist cancer resistance fighters? Posted: 16 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST A powerful new biosensor will help identify cells in the immune system that actively suppress tumor growth, then put them to use. Enlisting the patient's own immune system would be like sending reinforcements for resistance fighters.

Facial biometrics system capable of creating a facial 'DNA' Posted: 16 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Research into techniques of facial biometrics, carried out by scientists in Spain, has resulted in a system that is able to recognize the facial "DNA" of every individual by determining his/her most noteworthy facial traits, with a of 95% rate of precision.

Inappropriate sepsis therapy leads to fivefold reduction in survival Posted: 16 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST New research shows that patients with septic shock may have a fivefold reduction in survival.

Listen, watch, read: Computers search for meaning Posted: 16 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Researchers have created the first integrated semantic search platform that integrates text, video and audio. The system can 'watch' films, 'listen' to audio and 'read' text to find relevant responses to semantic search terms. At last, computers are able to look for meaning in our multimedia searches.

Does modernization affect children's cognitive development? Posted: 16 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Using data from the late 1970s, researchers have looked at almost 200 children ages 3 to 9 in Belize, Kenya, Nepal and American Samoa to determine whether modernization changes have had an effect on the thinking skills that are learned over the course of childhood. Results show that children in communities with more modern resources performed better in some areas of cognitive functioning and that they took part in more complex sequences of play.

Shape perception in brain develops by itself, study of African tribe suggests Posted: 15 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST Despite minimal exposure to the regular geometric objects found in developed countries, African tribal people perceive shapes as well as westerners, according to a new study. The findings suggest that the brain's ability to understand shapes develops without the influence of immersion in simple, manufactured objects.

Largest gene study of childhood inflammatory bowel disease identifies five new genes Posted: 15 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST In the largest, most comprehensive genetic analysis of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease, scientists have identified five new gene regions, including one involved in a biological pathway that helps drive the painful inflammation of the digestive tract that characterizes the disease. Although much research remains to be done, the study may provide a basis for developing drugs that target a protein on the pathway, for patients with the implicated gene variant.

New insight into predicting cholera epidemics in the Bengal Delta Posted: 15 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST In Bangladesh cholera epidemics occur twice a year. Scientists have tried, without much success, to determine the causes -- and advance early detection and prevention efforts. Now, researchers have proposed a link between cholera and fluctuating water levels in the region's three principal rivers -- the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna.

Prevention experts urge modification to 2009 H1N1 guidance for health care workers Posted: 15 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST Three leading scientific organizations specializing in infectious diseases prevention issued a letter to President Obama November 6 expressing their significant concern with current federal guidance concerning the use of personal protective equipment by health care workers in treating suspected or confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza.

Smart solution: Researchers use smartphones to improve health of elderly diabetics in China Posted: 15 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST Scientists have designed smartphone technology, which includes interactive games and easy-to-use logging features, especially for elderly Chinese diabetics.

Enjoying school key to tackling teenage pregnancy Posted: 15 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST Youth development programs that tackle deprivation and help children and young people enjoy school are successful in reducing teenage pregnancy rates.

Elevated biomarkers lead to diminished quality of life in heart attack patients post-discharge Posted: 14 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST Many heart attack patients have high levels of cardiac biomarkers in the blood for several months after leaving the hospital, with more shortness of breath and chest pain, according to new study.

Continuous chest compression-CPR improved cardiac arrest survival in Arizona Posted: 14 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST The chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital was found to be twice as high when bystanders performed continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing than when bystanders performed standard CPR. In those receiving standard CPR (alternating between 30 compressions and 2 breaths), survival was 6 percent. In contrast, 11 percent survived if bystanders kept pumping on their chest and did not stop for mouth-to-mouth breaths until emergency medical services arrived.

Study finds mixed results comparing two surgical strategies for infant heart defect Posted: 14 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST Researchers found mixed results in the first head-to-head comparison of two surgeries for infants born with severely underdeveloped hearts -- the most common severe heart birth defect. One surgery worked better initially but was associated with more complications, and by 2 years of age the survival advantage had disappeared. It remains to be seen which will prove better over the long term.

Early cooling in cardiac arrest may improve survival Posted: 14 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST In a new study, patients were more likely to survive without brain damage after a cardiac arrest if emergency medical technicians lowered their body temperature early during resuscitation. Cooling is recommended for comatose patients after cardiac arrest, and this study demonstrates the potential benefits of beginning cooling even sooner during the arrest in the pre-hospital setting.

Protein changes in heart strengthen link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure Posted: 14 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST Scientists report evidence from studies in animals and humans supporting a link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, two of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States.

Warmer means windier on world's biggest lake Posted: 14 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST Rising water temperatures are kicking up more powerful winds on Lake Superior, with consequences for currents, biological cycles, pollution and more on the world's largest lake and its smaller brethren.

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