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Environment 2014-03-14

Gluten-free crackers made with hemp flour and decaffeinated green tea leaves

CHICAGO—The market for gluten-free foods with functional properties is growing immensely across virtually all food categories on a global level. The need to replace wheat proteins, fibers, and minerals is very important in order to provide a better selection and more nutritious food for consumers that belong to this segment of the population. At the same time, the use of by-products of the food processing industry as a source of functional ingredients such as antioxidants, phenols, fibers and proteins is on the rise, which supports global sustainability. A team of food ...
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Science 2014-03-14

Genes may thwart seniors' exercise gains

Bethesda, Md. (March 14, 2014)—Keeping strong and physically fit is crucial to maintaining independence among the elderly. Exercise has repeatedly been shown to reduce or slow age-related declines in physical function and is a widely recommended for seniors, but the way that older people respond to exercise varies widely. A new study by Thomas W. Buford et al. examines the ACE I/D gene and whether its variations—the ID, DD, and II genotypes—impact some seniors' ability to fully reap the benefits of exercise. Researchers followed 424 sedentary, mobility-limited seniors ...
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Brighter inks, without pigment
Science 2014-03-14

Brighter inks, without pigment

Cambridge, Mass. – March 14, 2014 – Among the taxidermal specimens in Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, past centuries-old fur coats, arises a flicker of brilliant blue. This is the spangled cotinga. Surprisingly, the cotinga is about as old as everything in the room, but its color is still as dazzling as the day it was brought to the museum. The cotinga—or rather its feathers—achieve this effect through structural color. Unlike color that we usually think of, which arises from paints and dyes absorbing certain wavelengths of light and reflecting the remainder, ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

Patients should wait 6 to 12 weeks before driving after shoulder surgery

NEW ORLEANS--More than 53,000 Americans have total shoulder joint replacement (SJR) surgery each year, and yet the effects of this surgery on a patient's ability to safely drive a vehicle, and the appropriate recovery time before patients should return to driving, have yet to be determined. In a new study, "Driving Performance after Total Shoulder Arthroplasty," presented today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the driving skills of 28 shoulder replacement patients, with a mean age of 65 ±10 years, were tested at four distinct ...
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3-D X-ray film: Rapid movements in real time
Science 2014-03-14

3-D X-ray film: Rapid movements in real time

This news release is available in German. How does the hip joint of a crawling weevil move? A technique to record 3D X-ray films showing the internal movement dynamics in a spatially precise manner and, at the same time, in the temporal dimension has now been developed by researchers at ANKA, KIT's Synchrotron Radiation Source. The scientists applied this technique to a living weevil. From up to 100,000 two-dimensional radiographs per second, they generated complete 3D film sequences in real time or slow motion. The results are now published in the Proceedings of the ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

Patient requests for specific drugs have major impact on prescribing, reports study in Medical Care

Philadelphia, Pa. (March 14, 2014) – Patient requests for specific medications—including requests for brand-name drugs spurred by direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising—have a substantial impact on doctors' prescribing decisions, suggests a study in the April issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. "A patient request for a specific medication dramatically increases the rate at which physician s prescribe that medication," according to the new research led by John B. McKinlay, PhD, of New England ...
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Lurking in the darkness of Chinese caves 5 new species of armored spiders come to light
Environment 2014-03-14

Lurking in the darkness of Chinese caves 5 new species of armored spiders come to light

Armored spiders are medium to small species that derive their name from the complex pattern of the plates covering their abdomen strongly resembling body armor. Lurking in the darkness of caves In Southeast China, scientists discover and describe five new species of these exciting group of spiders. The study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys. The common name armored spiders is given to the engaging family Tetrablemmidae. Distinguished by their peculiar armor-like abdominal pattern, these tropical and subtropical spiders are mainly collected from litter ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

Dartmouth researchers develop new approach to chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment

March 14, 2014 Lebanon, NH - Dartmouth researchers have developed a novel and unique approach to treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), a form of blood cancer that often requires repeated chemotherapy treatments to which it grows resistant. The researchers, led by Alexey V. Danilov, MD, PhD, assistant professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Hematologist-Oncologist at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, modeled the lymph node microenvironment where CLL cells are found in the laboratory. They were able to disrupt the activity of a pathway (NF-kappaB) ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

Bone lengthening technique proves useful in patients with cleft palate

Philadelphia, Pa. (March 14, 2014) - A technique called distraction osteogenesis can create increased length of the upper jaw in patients with cleft lip and palate deformities, reports a study in the March issue of The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, edited by Mutaz B. Habal, MD, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. Distraction Technique Used to Lengthen the Palate Dr. Emeka Nkenke of Erlangen University Hospital, Germany, and colleagues, report on the use of distraction osteogenesis to lengthen the maxilla (upper jaw) bone in ...
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Big data tackles tiny molecular machines
Science 2014-03-14

Big data tackles tiny molecular machines

HOUSTON – (March 13, 2014) –Open, feed, cut. Such is the humdrum life of a motor molecule, the subject of new research at Rice University, that eats and excretes damaged proteins and turns them into harmless peptides for disposal. The why is obvious: Without these trash bins, the Escherichia coli bacteria they serve would die. And thanks to Rice, the how is becoming clearer. Biophysicists at Rice used the miniscule machine – a protease called an FtsH-AAA hexameric peptidase – as a model to test calculations that combine genetic and structural data. Their goal is to ...
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Science 2014-03-14

Older adults: Build muscle and you'll live longer

New UCLA research suggests that the more muscle mass older Americans have, the less likely they are to die prematurely. The findings add to the growing evidence that overall body composition — and not the widely used body mass index, or BMI — is a better predictor of all-cause mortality. The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, is the culmination of previous UCLA research led by Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, an assistant clinical professor in the endocrinology division at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, that found that building muscle mass is ...
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New cell line should accelerate embryonic stem cell research
Medicine 2014-03-14

New cell line should accelerate embryonic stem cell research

Researchers at the University of Washington have successfully created a line of human embryonic stem cells that have the ability to develop into a far broader range of tissues than most existing cell lines. "These cells will allow us to gain a much greater understanding of normal embryonic development and have the real potential for use in developing ways to grow new tissues and organs for transplantation," said Carol Ware, a professor in the UW Department of Comparative Medicine and lead author of a paper describing the new cell line appearing in the March 10 issue ...
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Motion and muscles don't always work in lockstep, researchers find in surprising new study
Science 2014-03-14

Motion and muscles don't always work in lockstep, researchers find in surprising new study

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animals "do the locomotion" every day, whether it's walking down the hall to get some coffee or darting up a tree to avoid a predator. And until now, scientists believed the inner workings of movement were pretty much the same — the nerves send a message to the muscles and there is motion. But in a first-of-its-kind study on wild green anole lizards, biologists at the University of California, Riverside have discovered that the link between muscle function and movement is a lot more complicated than anyone realized. "We were trying to understand ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

Critical role of one gene to our brain development

Research from the University of Adelaide has confirmed that a gene linked to intellectual disability is critical to the earliest stages of the development of human brains. Known as USP9X, the gene has been investigated by Adelaide researchers for more than a decade, but in recent years scientists have begun to understand its particular importance to brain development. In a new paper published online in the American Journal of Human Genetics, an international research team led by the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute explains how mutations in USP9X ...
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Drivers with hemianopia fail to detect pedestrians
Science 2014-03-14

Drivers with hemianopia fail to detect pedestrians

BOSTON (March 14, 2014) — A diagnosis of hemianopia, or blindness in one half of the visual field in both eyes as the result of strokes, tumors or trauma often means the end of driving. In about half of the states in the United States and in many other countries, driving with hemianopia is prohibited. However, in some countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Switzerland and Canada, driving with hemianopia is permitted after passing a specialized road test. Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute set out to determine the extent ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

New findings show link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer

In a new study published today in Annals of Surgical Oncology, clinicians worked with mathematicians to review data from 1973 to 2013 to conclude there was a time-dependent link between being diagnosed with diabetes and pancreatic cancer. A review of 88 international studies to date, is the largest analysis on the topic published. Dr Mehrdad Nikfarjam, liver, pancreas and biliary specialist from the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne said pancreatic cancer was often diagnosed when at an advanced, incurable stage. "This is an important paper that ...
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Science 2014-03-14

New stratigraphic research makes Little Foot the oldest complete Australopithecus

After 13 years of meticulous excavation of the nearly complete skeleton of the Australopithecus fossil named Little Foot, South African and French scientists have now convincingly shown that it is probably around 3 million years old. In a paper published today, Friday, 14 March 2014 at 12:00 (SATS), in the scientific journal, the Journal of Human Evolution, the latest findings by Professor Ron Clarke from the University of the Witwatersrand and his colleagues refute previous dating claims that suggested Little Foot is younger. (See the all authors' details and affiliations ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

New knowledge: Blood poisoning increases the risk of blood clots

Every year, almost 10,000 Danes are admitted to hospital with blood poisoning, while more than 3,000 patients become infected while they are hospitalised. New research shows that Danes suffering from blood poisoning risk an extra challenge in the form of an increased risk of suffering a blood clot: "We have followed more than 4,000 people who have been admitted with blood poisoning. The study shows that the risk of suffering a blood clot in either the brain or the heart is twice as high for patients with blood poisoning in relation to other patients who are also admitted ...
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An experiment recreates the crust of the moon Europa
Space 2014-03-14

An experiment recreates the crust of the moon Europa

Water, salts and gases dissolved in the huge ocean that scientists believe could exist below Europa´s icy crust can rise to the surface generating the enigmatic geological formations associated to red-tinged materials that can be seen on this Jupiter's satellite. This is confirmed by the experiment carried out in the laboratory with water, carbon dioxide and magnesium sulfate by researchers at Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, Spain). Scientists suspect that inside Europa, one of the icy moons of Jupiter, reservoirs of liquid water exists, the essential element for life on ...
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Science 2014-03-14

Number of days without rain to dramatically increase in some world regions

By the end of the 21st century, some parts of the world can expect as many as 30 more days a year without precipitation, according to a new study by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego researchers. Ongoing climate change caused by human influences will alter the nature of how rain and snow falls; areas that are prone to dry conditions will receive their precipitation in narrower windows of time. Computer model projections of future conditions analyzed by the Scripps team indicate that regions such as the Amazon, Central America, Indonesia, and all Mediterranean ...
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Brain mapping confirms patients with schizophrenia have impaired ability to imitate
Medicine 2014-03-14

Brain mapping confirms patients with schizophrenia have impaired ability to imitate

According to George Bernard Shaw, "Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery – it's the sincerest form of learning." According to psychologists, imitation is something that we all do whenever we learn a new skill, whether it is dancing or how to behave in specific social situations. Now, the results of a brain-mapping experiment conducted by a team of neuroscientists at Vanderbilt University strengthen the theory that an impaired ability to imitate may underlie the profound and enduring difficulty with social interactions that characterize schizophrenia. In ...
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Science 2014-03-14

Deceased trust beneficiary's share held payable to his estate

Deceased trust beneficiary's share held payable to his estate Article provided by Teague & Wetsel, PLLC Visit us at http://www.teaguewetsel.com/ In the case of Estate of Rozell v. Betty Rozell Revocable Trust, the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals reviewed the language of a revocable trust and ruled, in a divided opinion, that the share designated for a deceased beneficiary who died without children was fully vested and payable to his estate. Background of the case In 2002, the decedent's mother signed a revocable trust agreement. The trust agreement contained ...
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Science 2014-03-14

Non-suspect victim attacked by police dog could proceed with lawsuit

Non-suspect victim attacked by police dog could proceed with lawsuit Article provided by Day, Day & Brown Visit us at http://www.daydayandbrown.com If you are attacked by a neighbor's dog, you might expect that the neighbor would be responsible for your resulting personal injuries. However, what if you were randomly attacked by a police dog, through no fault of your own? Might you still deserve compensation for your dog bite injuries? The California Court of Appeal recently discussed such a case in Pulido v. Reaver. A police dog attacks The victim was ...
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Science 2014-03-14

Probation sentencing for intoxication manslaughter convictions

Probation sentencing for intoxication manslaughter convictions Article provided by Law Office of Paul Schiffer Visit us at http://www.schifferlawfirm.com A unique offense DWI (driving while intoxicated) is a serious offense with serious, potentially long lasting, consequences. A criminal record of a DWI conviction may affect your future employment prospects, not to mention, your personal freedom. While each state has DWI laws, each state has variations in the ways they classify such offenses, both in terms of the legal requirements for convictions and in the ...
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Medicine 2014-03-14

Do not be a victim of misdiagnosed heart failure

Do not be a victim of misdiagnosed heart failure Article provided by Webb & Beecher Visit us at http://www.bestmilitarymedicalmalpracticelawyer.com Many people claim to know that they would recognize the symptoms of a heart attack if they or a loved one is afflicted. However, even medical professionals fail to diagnose heart disease with their own patients, causing or allowing harm to the people they are sworn to protect. Late last year, results of a study conducted by the medical journal JAMA revealed that more than a third of people suffering from acute ...
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