Researchers have engineered a strain of electricity-producing bacteria that can grow using hydrogen gas as its sole electron donor and carbon dioxide as its sole source of carbon. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst report their findings at the 113th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. "This represents the first result of current production solely on hydrogen," says Amit Kumar, a researcher on the study who, along with his co-authors are part of the Lovley Lab Group at the university. Under the leadership of Derek Lovley the ...

Scientists at the University of California, Davis have engineered a strain of photosynthetic cyanobacteria to grow without the need for light. They report their findings today at the 113th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. "In this work, we used synthetic biology approaches to probe and rewire photoautotrophic (exclusively relying on carbon dioxide and light energy for growth) cyanobacterial metabolism for the ability to grow without light energy," says Jordan McEwen, the lead researcher on the study. He is part of Shota Atsumi's lab at the university, ...

Overfishing has reduced fish populations and biodiversity across much of the world's oceans. In response, fisheries are increasingly reliant on a handful of highly valuable shellfish. However, new research by the University of York shows this approach to be extremely risky. The research, published today in the journal Fish and Fisheries, shows that traditional fisheries targeting large predators such as cod and haddock, have declined over the past hundred years. In their place, catches of shellfish such as prawns, scallops and lobsters have rocketed as they begin to thrive ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis — two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. A molecular marker obtained from pancreatic "juices" can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer, their study shows. The findings were being presented at Digestive Disease Week 2013 in Orlando, Fla. "Many researchers have been working on such a diagnostic test for a long time — for me, it has been 20 years," says lead investigator Massimo Raimondo, M.D., a gastroenterologist ...

A new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth. The study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes – including photosynthesis, respiration and the reduction of RNA to DNA – the study's findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when ...

NEW YORK, NY (May 19, 2013) — In their quest to learn more about the variability of cells between and within tissues, biomedical scientists have devised tools capable of simultaneously measuring dozens of characteristics of individual cells. These technologies have led to new challenges, however, as scientists now struggle with how to make sense of the resulting trove of data. Now a solution may be at hand. Researchers at Columbia University and Stanford University have developed a computational method that enables scientists to visualize and interpret "high-dimensional" ...

Scientists look at past climates to learn about climate change and the ability to simulate it with computer models. One region that has received a great deal of attention is the Indo-Pacific warm pool, the vast pool of warm water stretching along the equator from Africa to the western Pacific Ocean. In a new study, Pedro DiNezio of the International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Jessica Tierney of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution investigated preserved geological clues (called "proxies") of rainfall patterns during the last ice age when ...

Genomic analyses suggest that patterns of genetic diversity which indicate population movement may not be as ancient as previously believed, but may be attributable to recent events. This study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Investigative Genetics, based in the Netherlands, is able to genetically characterize geographically separated subpopulations within the country and map them to population movement within the last 2000 years. Looking at more than 400,000 SNPs (genetic variations) of almost 1000 people across the Netherlands, this study found that ...

Residents of Manhattan will not just sweat harder from rising temperatures in the future, says a new study; many may die. Researchers say deaths linked to warming climate may rise some 20 percent by the 2020s, and, in some worst-case scenarios, 90 percent or more by the 2080s. Higher winter temperatures may partially offset heat-related deaths by cutting cold-related mortality—but even so, annual net temperature-related deaths might go up a third. The study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, was done by a team at Columbia University's Earth Institute ...

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage. In a proof-of-concept experiment, they found that blocking the action of a critical bone regulation protein in mice halts progression of the disease. The prevailing theory on the development of OA focuses on joint cartilage, suggesting that unstable mechanical ...

How will rainfall patterns across the tropical Indian and Pacific regions change in a future warming world? Climate models generally suggest that the tropics as a whole will get wetter, but the models don't always agree on where rainfall patterns will shift in particular regions within the tropics. A new study, published online May 19 in the journal Nature Geoscience, looks to the past to learn about the future of tropical climate change, and our ability to simulate it with numerical models. Pedro DiNezio of the University of Hawaii and Jessica Tierney of Woods Hole ...

One of the basic principles of nanotechnology is that when you make things extremely small—one nanometer is about five atoms wide, 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair—they are going to become more perfect. "Perfect in the sense that their arrangement of atoms in the real world will become more like an idealized model," says University of Vermont engineer Frederic Sansoz, "with smaller crystals—in for example, gold or copper—it's easier to have fewer defects in them." And eliminating the defects at the interface separating two crystals, or grains, ...

OAKLAND, Calif., May 20, 2013 — Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics. Whole-cell pertussis vaccines, also called DTwP, were available from the 1940s to 1990s, but were associated with safety concerns that ultimately led to the development of acellular pertussis vaccines, which are also called DTaP. By the late 1990s, the United States had switched from whole-cell to acellular vaccines for all ...

A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot Study—the first to estimate the heritability of foot disorders in humans—appear in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Previous studies show that as many as 60% of older adults have foot disorders which may limit mobility and reduce their quality of life. In fact, bunions affect ...

A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. In the May 20 issue of the journal Cancer, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary describe how their measure was a better predictor of survival than most traditional risk factors in a small group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. "Our findings will eventually allow better matching of treatments ...

WASHINGTON —Emergency physicians are key decisionmakers for nearly half of all hospital admissions, highlighting a critical role they can play in reducing health care costs, according to a new report from the RAND Corporation. Hospital admissions from the ER increased by 17 percent over seven years, accounting for nearly all the growth in hospital admissions between 2003 and 2009. Hospital inpatient care is a key driver of health care costs, accounting for 31 percent of the nation's health care expenses. "This report tells policymakers and hospital administrators ...

Located a mere 2-miles from the University of Iowa campus and a short 20-minute drive from Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center is the only TAG Approved hotel near Iowa City. Offering unforgettable rates for couples looking to visit the area for Iowa City and Coralville Pride Week activities, the hotel serves as the perfect home base. Event organizers, Iowa City Pride, are committed to providing a variety of inclusive, diverse and entertaining events throughout the year, culminating with the annual Pride Fest every June. ...

Cindy Bauer, inspirational, mystery & suspense author, has created book covers, trailers and formatted manuscripts over the past six years. Also a previous editor, Cindy has left the previous book promotion company she was partnered with and is venturing out on her own again. Cindy has created several of these necessary items for authors in the past and you can see her work on her website at cindybauerbooks.com and also at You Tube. Visit cindybauerbooks.com today to contact Cindy for any of these services at the most reasonable prices available on the internet ...

Who:Massage Envy Stonebriar, Massage Envy SPA Frisco North, Massage Envy Craig Ranch and Town of Little Elm What: 6th Annual Health Fair for Town of Little Elm employees When: Friday, June 7, 2013, 1 - 3 PM Where:Little Elm Recreation Center, 303 Main St., Little Elm, TX 75068, 214-975-0410 How: Massage EnvyStonebriar, Frisco North and Craig Ranch are donating note pads with promotions for free massage upgrades that will go in totes given to each employee plus a free, 1-hour massage session to be raffled as a door prize. Details:The purpose of the health fair is to ...

The premier launch of the country's top 7v7 competition (www.elite7v7.com) has announced the formation of the Elite 7v7 National Football Association . The tournament series will kick off its' Championship 7v7 Football Competition this season in South Florida and it will feature Ladies & Men high school student athletes from Broward, Dade & Palm Beach high schools. Join the action or follow your favorite players and teams through our 7v7 football link below. The 7v7 football competition will kick off this June & July and will be played in Coral Springs, Florida. ...

Following GI Blythe's recent announcement to provide periodic free music downloads of songs from their successful CD release Lost in Space, and the offering of their first, "Run Rabbit Run," they are now providing a second free song written by Geoff Blythe. The title cut "Lost in Space" is an ethereal and majestic mosaic that charts a man's existential journey through the cosmic fabric of life and creation only to realize that he is "lost." In the wake of a highly successful national radio campaign and last year's triumphant CD release tour ...

"Throughout my life, I've encountered many women who have striking features, endearing personalities, and faultless styles. Yet, in spite of all of these things, most were either unaware or unappreciative of their characters. I hope that by celebrating these type of women in my publication, they will realize the depth of the impact that they make on other people in their lives," said Wynter. Caneva is an online fashion magazine for the modern woman. With the magazine's planned debut in June 2013, Wynter anticipates targeting the fashion conscious woman. ...

Have you seen the new sign for Rock Plaza at Crystal Falls? Rock Plaza is the newest commercial development along Leander's prestigious Crystal Falls Parkway between Bagdad Road and US Highway 183. Rock Plaza is the vision of entrepreneurs Dr. Shane and Tasha Wilkinson, owners of Rock Chiropractic Leander (www.rockchiropracticleander.com). The complex consists of two commercial buildings with three business occupants: Rock Chiropractic Leander, Z's Family Hair Salon and Sean Whitehead State Farm Agency. The public is invited to Rock Plaza's official ribbon cutting and first ...

The QuestionPro App brings interactive data visualization to tablets and smartphones, increasing the accessibility of survey data and providing powerful tools to analyze, present and monitor results in real-time. This makes analyzing data, managing feedback and making decisions easier than ever before. The QuestionPro App is a data visualization engine that absorbs QuestionPro survey results and extrapolates insights in the form of highly interactive pie, bar, line and multi-series charts and graphs. Touch gesture technology enables users to zoom, spotlight, compile, ...

Jim Brocious has been named the Territory Sales Manager for the Ohio Valley for the Boral TruExterior Trim product line. Based in the Youngstown area of Ohio, Brocious will spearhead sales with the goal of increasing the market share of Boral TruExterior Trim among dealers, builders, remodelers and architects. Brocious' demonstrated sales knowledge and performance will be integral to his sales role covering Central and Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and portions of West Virginia. "Jim has extensive experience selling high-value, low maintenance, game-changing ...