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Environment3 Nov 2014

Climate change: Limiting short-lived pollutants cannot buy time on CO2 mitigation

Targeting emissions of non-CO2 gases and air pollutants with climate effects might produce smaller benefits for long-term climate change than previously estimated, according to a new integrated study of the potential of air pollution and carbon dioxide mitigation. High hopes have been placed on limiting emissions of so-called short-lived climate forcers (SLCF) such as methane and soot for protecting human health, vegetation and limiting temperature increase. These emissions originate from a broad variety of sources, including diesel engines, stoves, cows, and coal mines. ...

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Environment3 Nov 2014

Variations in ice sheet height influence global climate

In a study published today in PNAS, Dr William Roberts of Bristol's School of Geographical Sciences and colleagues use computer models to simulate a Heinrich event in Hudson Bay, Canada, adjusting the models to consider freshwater influx only, changing ice sheet height only or both factors together. Dr Roberts said: "There's lots of evidence to suggest that changing the height of the ice sheets could change atmospheric circulation or even ocean circulation but the role this forcing might play during Heinrich events has generally been overlooked. Our study aimed to ...

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Science3 Nov 2014

Putting batteries in a kidsafe coat of armor

A Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) led team has developed a simple "coat of armor" to encase small batteries, rendering them harmless if they are ever swallowed. Children, particularly infants and young toddlers, can ingest these batteries, leading to serious damage to their esophagus as well as other gut tissue, and sometimes, death. Such incidents are on the rise, yet up until now, no solutions have been directed at the battery itself. The new work, published online November 3, 2014 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers a simple, cost-effective ...

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Science3 Nov 2014

New tool could help reshape the limits of synthetic biology

Note: A graphic of the "telomerator" being inserted into a circular synthetic chromosome is available at: https://nyumc.box.com/s/zpticyfat5479vcnl9y8 NYU Langone yeast geneticists report they have developed a novel tool — dubbed "the telomerator" — that could redefine the limits of synthetic biology and advance how successfully living things can be engineered or constructed in the laboratory based on an organism's genetic, chemical base-pair structure. Synthetic biologists aim to use such "designer" microorganisms to produce novel medicines, nutrients, ...

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Science3 Nov 2014

No quick fix for global warming

When fossil fuels are burned, other climate-forcing gases are produced in addition to long-lasting carbon dioxide. Diesel combustion in vehicles or coal in power plants creates soot particles, which also contribute to global warming, albeit only briefly as they disappear quickly from the atmosphere. Short-lived climate pollutants (also known as Short Lived Climate Forcers or SLCF) caused by human activities include methane and sulphur dioxide, and to a lesser extent fluorocarbons. They all have a measurable impact on the climate. Politicians and industry have been considering ...

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Environment3 Nov 2014

Berkeley Lab scientists ID new driver behind Arctic warming

Scientists have identified a mechanism that could turn out to be a big contributor to warming in the Arctic region and melting sea ice. The research was led by scientists from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). They studied a long-wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum called far infrared. It's invisible to our eyes but accounts for about half the energy emitted by the Earth's surface. This process balances out incoming solar energy. Despite its importance in the planet's energy budget, it's difficult to measure ...

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Energy3 Nov 2014

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, November 2014

SOLAR – Made to order ... With the addition of a dash of a common solvent, researchers realized an efficiency gain of about 36 percent for organic solar cells. A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Kai Xiao added diiodooctane -- 3 percent of the weight of the entire solution -- to a blend of polymers and fullerene derivatives and saw the cell's power conversion efficiency jump from 4.5 percent to 7.1 percent. An added benefit is that the technique requires no additional processing, which means lower costs and higher production efficiency. While similar efficiency ...

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Space3 Nov 2014

How a giant impact formed asteroid Vesta's 'belt'

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — When NASA's Dawn spacecraft visited the asteroid Vesta in 2011, it showed that deep grooves that circle the asteroid's equator like a cosmic belt were probably caused by a massive impact on Vesta's south pole. Now, using a super high-speed cannon at NASA's Ames Research Center, Brown University researchers have shed new light on the violent chain of events deep in Vesta's interior that formed those surface grooves, some of which are wider than the Grand Canyon. "Vesta got hammered," said Peter Schultz, professor of earth, environmental, ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

Groundwater patches play important role in forest health, water quality

Even during summer dry spells, some isolated patches of soil in forested watersheds remain waterlogged. These patches act as hot spots of microbial activity that remove nitrogen from groundwater and return it to the atmosphere, researchers from several institutions, including Virginia Tech, report in a leading scientific journal. The discovery provides insight into the health of a forest. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plant growth and productivity, but in streams, it can be a pollutant. "The importance of these fragmented patches of saturated soil and their ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

NSAIDs prevent colon cancer by inducing death of intestinal stem cells that have mutation

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 3, 2014 – Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protect against the development of colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells that carry a certain mutated and dysfunctional gene, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and the School of Medicine. The findings were published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists have long known from animal studies and clinical trials that use of NSAIDs, such ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

Malaria from monkeys now dominant cause of human malaria hospitalizations in Malaysia

NEW ORLEANS (November 3, 2014)—The majority of malaria hospitalizations in Malaysia are now caused by a dangerous and potentially deadly monkey-borne parasite once rarely seen in humans, and deforestation is the potential culprit in a growing number of infections that could allow this virulent malaria strain to jump from macaque monkeys to human hosts, according to research presented today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Meeting. An analysis of malaria patients hospitalized in Malaysian Borneo in 2013 showed that 68 percent ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

Report: Performance measures should include patient actions

WASHINGTON (Nov. 3, 2014) — The actions — or inaction — of patients should be considered in programs designed to improve care and patient outcomes, according to a report released today by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Nurses Association in collaboration with other professional organizations. The work of doctors and other clinicians is often evaluated based on "performance measures," specific measurable ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

New test shows promise in identifying new drugs to treat Lyme disease

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a test they say will allow them to test thousands of FDA-approved drugs to see if they will work against the bacteria that causes tick-borne Lyme disease. The researchers, reporting Nov. 3 in the journal PLOS ONE, say doctors and patients are desperate for new treatments for Lyme disease, which in many people is cleared up with a few weeks of antibiotics but, in some, lingers long after completion of the standard drug regimen. Until now, it has been very difficult to determine on a large ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

PNAS: From HIV to cancer, IL-37 regulates immune system

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in this month's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes the activity of a recently discovered communication molecule of the body's immune system, Interleukin 37 or IL-37. It has been known to limit inflammation and the current study reports its activity in the adaptive immune system: IL-37 inhibits the ability of the immune system to recognize and target new antigens. "Knowing this mechanism that underlies IL-37's effect on the immune system now allows us to study IL-37 function and perhaps dysfunction ...

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Space3 Nov 2014

NASA sees Super Typhoon Nuri's eye open in 2 days

Over the course of two days, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, NASA's Aqua satellite watched from space as Tropical cyclone Nuri strengthened into a Super Typhoon and "opened" or developed an eye. On Nov. 1, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Super Typhoon Nuri at 04:30 UTC (12:30 a.m. EDT) and it had not yet developed an eye. On Nov. 3 at 04:20 UTC (12:20 a.m. EDT) MODIS on Aqua passed over Super Typhoon Nuri again after it developed an eye. By Nov. 3 the bands of thunderstorms spiraling ...

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Technology3 Nov 2014

String field theory could be the foundation of quantum mechanics

Two USC researchers have proposed a link between string field theory and quantum mechanics that could open the door to using string field theory — or a broader version of it, called M-theory — as the basis of all physics. "This could solve the mystery of where quantum mechanics comes from," said Itzhak Bars, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences professor and lead author of the paper. Bars collaborated with Dmitry Rychkov, his Ph.D. student at USC. The paper was published online on Oct. 27 by the journal Physics Letters. Rather than use quantum ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

'Mild' control of systolic blood pressure in older adults is adequate: 150 is good enough

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A broad review of the use of medications to reduce blood pressure has confirmed that "mild" control of systolic pressure is adequate for adults age 65 or older - in the elderly, there's no clear benefit to more aggressive use of medications to achieve a lower pressure. Historically, most medical practitioners tried to achieve control of systolic pressure – the higher of the two blood pressure readings – to 140 or less. Recently changed guidelines now suggest that for adults over 60, keeping the systolic pressure at 150 or less is adequate, ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

Inhaled Ebola vaccine may offer long-term protection from virus

AUSTIN, Texas—A potentially breathable, respiratory vaccine in development has been shown to provide long-term protection for non-human primates against the deadly Ebola virus, as reported this week in the online edition of the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics. Results from a recent pre-clinical study represent the only proof to date that a single dose of a non-injectable vaccine platform for Ebola is long lasting, which could have significant global implications in controlling future outbreaks. A breathable vaccine could surmount the logistical obstacles of storing, ...

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Science3 Nov 2014

New research reveals what to discuss near life's end

Hamilton, ON (Nov. 3, 2014) – A study led by a McMaster University researcher has identified the top five things health care teams should discuss with hospitalized patients and their families at the end of life, but the research also found gaps between what patients would like and the care they receive. In the study published today in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), seriously ill hospitalized patients and their families say the most important aspects to discuss are: Preferences for care in the event of life-threatening illness ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

End-of-life discussions: The top 5 things to talk about with patients and their families

What are the most important things for health care teams to talk about in end-of-life discussions with patients in hospital and their families? A new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) asked older patients and their families for their top priorities and found gaps between what patients would like and the care they actually receive. "Our findings could be used to identify important opportunities to improve end-of-life communication and decision-making in the hospital setting," states Dr. John You, lead author of the study and associate professor ...

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Medicine3 Nov 2014

Most mental health disorders not increasing in children and youth: Large Canadian study

Symptoms of mental illness in children and adolescents do not appear to be increasing, according to a large study of Canadian youth published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) "Popular media tends to perpetuate the idea that the prevalence of mental disorders is increasing," writes Dr. Ian Colman, Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Epidemiology and associate professor at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, with coauthors. "However, research supporting this position has been inconsistent." Dr. Colman and colleagues sought to better understand ...

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Science3 Nov 2014

NYU study points to perception divide in abortion: Whom we think we know

Pro-life Americans are less likely to hear about the abortions women they know have had than are pro-choice Americans, a New York University study shows. The findings, which appear in the journal Sociological Science, point to a previously unexplored divide on the abortion issue: differences in perceptions of those we associate with. "Americans who are opposed to abortion are less likely to hear that their sister, mother, or friend had an abortion than their pro-choice peers," says Sarah K. Cowan, an assistant professor in NYU's Department of Sociology and the study's ...

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Technology3 Nov 2014

Thirdhand smoke: Toxic airborne pollutants linger long after the smoke clears

Ever walked into a hotel room and smelled old cigarette smoke? While the last smoker may have left the room hours or even days ago, the lingering odors—resulting from noxious residue that clings to walls, carpets, furniture, or dust particles—are thanks to thirdhand smoke. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), who have made important findings on the dangers of thirdhand smoke and how it adsorbs strongly onto indoor surfaces, have published a new study assessing the health effects of thirdhand smoke ...

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Science3 Nov 2014

New study shows women have higher risk of injury than men

A new study of emergency department patients in 18 countries, made available online today by the scientific journal Addiction, shows that the risk of injury caused by acute alcohol consumption is higher for women compared with men. While the risk of injury is similar for both men and women up to three 'standard' drinks (containing 16 ml or 12.8 g of pure ethanol), the risk then increases more rapidly for women, becoming twice the risk to men around 15 drinks and three times the risk to men around 30 drinks. In this study the drinks were reportedly consumed within six ...

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Science3 Nov 2014

Smoking is a pain in the back

CHICAGO --- If you want to avoid chronic back pain, put out the cigarette. A new Northwestern Medicine® study has found that smokers are three times more likely than nonsmokers to develop chronic back pain, and dropping the habit may cut your chances of developing this often debilitating condition. "Smoking affects the brain," said Bogdan Petre, lead author of the study and a technical scientist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "We found that it affects the way the brain responds to back pain and seems to make individuals less resilient to an ...

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