Philadelphia, PA—Social groups in a population can lend important cues to law enforcement officials, consumer-based services and risk assessors. Social and geographical patterns that provide information about such communities or gangs have been a popular subject for mathematical modeling. In a paper published last month in the SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, authors use police department records about individuals' social and geographical information to determine gang memberships. Data on social interactions is particularly hard to come by, but in combination ...

New Haven, Conn. – A new study has linked exposure to two common perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) with osteoarthritis. PFCs are used in more than 200 industrial processes and consumer products including certain stain- and water-resistant fabrics, grease-proof paper food containers, personal care products, and other items. Because of their persistence, PFCs have become ubiquitous contaminants of humans and wildlife. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, is the first to look at the associations between perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic ...

Research carried out by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and The University of Manchester has revealed new insights into how cells stick to each other and to other bodily structures, an essential function in the formation of tissue structures and organs. It's thought that abnormalities in their ability to do so play an important role in a broad range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study's findings are outlined in the journal Molecular Cell and describe a surprising new aspect of cell adhesion involving the family of cell ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Electrical engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a way to use high- frequency sound waves to enhance the magnetic storage of data, offering a new approach to improve the data storage capabilities of a multitude of electronic devices around the world. The technology, called acoustic-assisted magnetic recording, has been presented at a professional conference, and a patent application was filed this week. Magnetic storage of data is one of the most inexpensive and widespread technologies known, found in everything from computer hard drives ...

Memphis, Tenn. – Studies at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., are advancing our understanding of how viruses, including RSV, replicate in humans, mutate to avoid the immune response and can be effectively treated. John DeVincenzo, MD, medical director of Molecular Diagnostics and Virology Laboratories at Le Bonheur, and professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Biology at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has recently published three papers on this topic. DeVincenzo's lab is one of only two of its kind in the ...

The protein structure of the motor that propels archaea has been characterized for the first time by a team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Germany's Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Terrestrial Microbiology. The motility structure of this third domain of life has long been called a flagellum, a whip-like filament that, like the well-studied bacterial flagellum, rotates like a propeller. But although the archaeal structure has a similar function, it is so profoundly different in structure, genetics, ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Physical Society (APS), the nation's largest organization of physicists, commends President Obama's exhortation in his State of the Union Speech that, "Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race." During the Space Race, the nation made huge investments in scientific research, which led to new discoveries, accelerated technological advancements and generated new innovations and businesses. The President also noted that sequestration -- automatic spending cuts scheduled to occur ...

From providing living cells with energy, to nitrogen fixation, to the splitting of water molecules, the catalytic activities of metalloenzymes – proteins that contain a metal ion – are vital to life on Earth. A better understanding of the chemistry behind these catalytic activities could pave the way for exciting new technologies, most prominently artificial photosynthesis systems that would provide clean, green and renewable energy. Now, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the SLAC National Accelerator ...

New Rochelle, NY, February 14, 2013—As scientists continue to unravel the complexity of the human genome and to uncover vital elements that play a role in both normal physiology and disease, one particular class of elements called noncoding RNAs is gaining a lot of attention. Guest Editor Tom Cech, PhD and Executive Editor Fintan Steele, PhD explore the enormous potential value of this rapidly advancing research area in their Editorial " The (Noncoding) RNA World." The authors introduce a special research section on noncoding RNAs published in the current issue of Nucleic ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — In what could be an early step toward new treatments for people with osteoporosis, scientists at Michigan State University report that a natural probiotic supplement can help male mice produce healthier bones. Interestingly, the same can't be said for female mice, the researchers report in the Journal of Cellular Physiology. "We know that inflammation in the gut can cause bone loss, though it's unclear exactly why," said lead author Laura McCabe, a professor in MSU's departments of Physiology and Radiology. "The neat thing we found is that a probiotic ...

NEW YORK – February 13, 2013 – EcoHealth Alliance, the nonprofit organization that focuses on local conservation and global health issues, announced new research focused on the rapid identification of disease outbreaks in the peer reviewed publication, Journal of the Royal Society Interface. The article, authored by leading scientists in the fields of emerging disease ecology, biomathematics, computational biology and bioinformatics, shows how network theory can be used to identify outbreaks of unidentified diseases. The strategy builds on the wealth of online surveillance ...

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Feb. 14, 2013—A Los Alamos National Laboratory quantum cryptography (QC) team has successfully completed the first-ever demonstration of securing control data for electric grids using quantum cryptography. The demonstration was performed in the electric grid test bed that is part of the Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for the Power Grid (TCIPG) project at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) that was set up under the Department of Energy's Cyber Security for Energy Delivery Systems program in the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Microorganisms that can break down plant biomass into the precursors of biodiesel or other commodity chemicals might one day be used to produce alternatives to petroleum. But the potential of this "biorefinery" technology is limited by the fact that most microorganisms cannot break down lignin, a highly stable polymer that makes up as much as a third of plant biomass. Streptomyces bacteria are among few microorganisms known to degrade and consume lignin. Now a group of researchers at Brown University has unlocked the genetic and molecular ...

A new study using observations from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveals the first clear-cut evidence the expanding debris of exploded stars produces some of the fastest-moving matter in the universe. This discovery is a major step toward understanding the origin of cosmic rays, one of Fermi's primary mission goals. "Scientists have been trying to find the sources of high-energy cosmic rays since their discovery a century ago," said Elizabeth Hays, a member of the research team and Fermi deputy project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, ...

(Phoenix, AZ Feb. 14, 2014) -- Researchers at The University of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix have discovered that many women with low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum have seen their tumors stabilize or shrink after taking a regular dose of the compound selumetinib. The findings, published in the Feb. 14 edition of The Lancet Oncology, show that selumetinib targets a mutation in the MAPK pathway for patients with low-grade serous carcinoma, allowing for treatment on previously chemoresistant tumors. "This ...

NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite known as TRMM measured Cyclone Gino's rainfall from space and saw the bulk of precipitation was south of the center. Gino's rainfall is being pushed away from the center by vertical wind shear. TRMM flew over Cyclone Gino on Thursday, Feb. 14 at 0806 UTC (3:06 a.m. EST) and measured the rainfall rates occurring throughout the storm. The bulk of the rainfall stretched from south to southeast of the center. The heaviest rain was falling at a rate of 2 inches (50 mm) per hour southeast of the center, and scattered throughout ...

Middle school students from small towns and rural communities who received any of three community-based prevention programs were less likely to abuse prescription medications in late adolescence and young adulthood. The research, published today in the American Journal of Public Health, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute of Mental Health, all components of the National Institutes of Health. "Prescription medications are beneficial when used as prescribed to treat ...

San Diego, CA, February 15, 2013 – Guided grocery store trips, menu labeling at restaurants, community gardens, and video-game-based exercise programs are among several promising, culturally appropriate ways to prevent obesity among Latino children, according to a new collection of studies from Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children published in a supplement to the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Salud America! is a national network of researchers, advocates, and policymakers ...

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have found a potential targeted therapy for patients with tobacco-associated non-small cell lung cancer. It is based on the newly identified oncogene IKBKE, which helps regulate immune response. The study appeared in the Feb. 13 online issue of Oncogene. The IKBKE gene is part of a family of enzyme complexes involved in increasing cellular inflammation. IKBKE overexpression has been associated with breast and prostate cancers. However, it had not been linked to environmental carcinogen, such as tobacco smoke, until now. Tobacco ...

Can police withdraw blood from DWI suspects without a warrant? Article provided by Ellis & Ortega, LLC Visit us at http://www.theortegalawgroup.com In early 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear a case regarding the constitutionality of law enforcement drawing blood from a drunken driving suspect without first obtaining a warrant. At the heart of the case is whether blood tests without a warrant violate the Fourth Amendment's protection from unreasonable search and seizure. The history of the Supreme Court case The case the Supreme Court ...

Elder abuse in California is no laughing matter Article provided by The Law Office of Kevin P. Kane, Esq. Visit us at http://www.kevinpkane.com Elder care abuse is a serious issue in California that can manifest as both physical and financial harm. An experienced attorney can help create a plan that will minimize the risk of harm and can fight for damages if the harm has already occurred. What are the warning signs? Elder abuse is an umbrella term for a whole host of different reproachable behavior. That said, there are some warning signs that can alert someone ...

Social security disability benefit for injured veterans Article provided by Chris R. Borgia, Esq. Visit us at http://www.socialsecuritydisabilitylaw.net Military servicepersons injured while on active duty can request an expedited processing of claims for Social Security Disability benefits. Military servicepersons who became disabled while on active duty on or after October 1, 2001 qualify for an expedited processing. To file a claim in Florida, the injury need not have occurred in Florida. Social Security disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income Military ...

Planning for the future: Who will make the decisions? Article provided by Jill M. Metz & Associates Visit us at http://www.jillmetzlaw.com For most people, it's almost unthinkable. An accident you never saw coming. An illness that strikes like lightning. No one likes to imagine it, let alone plan for it, but things happen. There might come a day when you cannot make decisions for yourself. Then what would happen? You can leave your fate to chance. Or, through a bit of legal work now, you can take control. The first step is to determine which type of legal document ...

New Computer Software Speeds Investigations of Internet Crimes Against Children Article provided by Law Offices of Frank Jackson Visit us at http://www.sex-crime-defense-texas.com/ Recently, an FBI Special Agent with a background in computer science devised a set of computer programs that has proven to be effective at investigating internet crimes against children in the United States and around the world. The Special Agent created 13 programs in total that have reportedly saved investigators an enormous amount of time and money. In addition, the programs have streamlined ...

Product liability: Medtronic announces warning of drug pump issues Article provided by Tracey Law Firm Visit us at http://www.traceylawfirm.com Near the close of last year, Medtronic announced a warning that some of its drug infusion pumps may fail to properly deliver medicines, contributing to a return of symptoms and possibly death. In December, the medical device manufacturer sent a notice to doctors that motors may stall on the SynchroMed II and Synchro Med EL pumps. The notice repeats a previous warning that the pumps are more likely to fail if used with unapproved ...