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Social Science18 Oct 2012

16 million-year-old amber specimen reveals unknown animal behaviors

Stunning images, including video footage, from a CT scan of amber have revealed the first evidence of any creature using an adult mayfly for transport. Researchers at the University of Manchester say this 16 million-year-old hitchhiker most likely demonstrates activity that is taking place today but has never previously been recorded. Entombed in amber the tiny springtail can be seen resting in a v-shaped depression at the base of one of the mayfly's wings. It appears to have secured itself for transport using its prehensile antennae. Dr David Penney and colleagues ...

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Social Science18 Oct 2012

Are young people who join social media protests more likely to protest offline too?

New Rochelle, NY, October 17, 2012—Among adults who use social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs for political purposes, 42% are under the age of 30. A case study of the controversial Budget Repair Bill in Wisconsin explored whether young adults who use social media are more likely to engage in offline protests, and the results are published in an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free online on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social ...

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Medicine18 Oct 2012

New advance could help soldiers, athletes, others rebound from traumatic brain injuries

A potential new treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI), which affects thousands of soldiers, auto accident victims, athletes and others each year, has shown promise in laboratory research, scientists are reporting. TBI can occur in individuals who experience a violent blow to the head that makes the brain collide with the inside of the skull, a gunshot injury or exposure to a nearby explosion. The report on TBI, which currently cannot be treated and may result in permanent brain damage or death, appears in the journal ACS Nano. Thomas Kent, James Tour and colleagues ...

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Medicine18 Oct 2012

New malaria drug requires just one dose and appears twice as effective as existing regimen

Scientists are reporting development of a new malaria drug that, in laboratory tests, has been twice as effective as the best current medicine against this global scourge and may fight off the disease with one dose, instead of the multiple doses that people often fail to take. A report on the drug appears in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Gary Posner and colleagues explain that malaria continues to kill almost 1 million people annually. The best existing treatment is so-called artemisinin combination therapy (ACT). It requires patients to take pills every day for ...

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Medicine18 Oct 2012

Leaves of carob tree, source of chocolate substitute, fight food-poisoning bacteria

Leaves of the plant that yields carob — the substitute for chocolate that some consider healthier than chocolate — are a rich source of antibacterial substances ideal for fighting the microbe responsible for listeriosis, a serious form of food poisoning, according to a report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Nadhem Aissani and colleagues explain that the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria has fostered a search for new natural substances to preserve food and control disease-causing microbes. They cite a need for new substances to combat Listeria ...

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Energy18 Oct 2012

Cleaner fracking

The technology that opened a wealth of new natural gas resources in the U.S. is producing millions of gallons of dirty water — enough from one typical gas well to cover a football field to a depth of 9-15 feet. Cleaning up that byproduct of "fracking" is the topic of the cover story of the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. Melody M. Bomgardner, C&EN senior business editor, explains that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, uses a mixture of water and chemicals ...

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Environment18 Oct 2012

Mathematics and the ocean: Movement, mixing and climate modeling

Philadelphia, PA – October 17, 2012—Studying the dynamics of the ocean system can greatly improve our understanding of key processes of ocean circulations, which have implications for future climate. Can applying mathematics to the research help? Dr. Emily Shuckburgh of the British Antarctic Survey, speaking at the 2012 SIAM Annual Meeting, thinks the answer is an emphatic "yes." Dr. Shuckburgh described mathematical ideas from dynamical systems used by her group, along with numerical modeling and experimental observations, to analyze circulation in the Southern Ocean. ...

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Space18 Oct 2012

Why are our salt marshes falling apart?

WOODS HOLE, Mass.—Salt marshes have been disintegrating and dying over the past two decades along the U.S. Eastern seaboard and other highly developed coastlines, without anyone fully understanding why. This week in the journal Nature, MBL Ecosystems Center scientist Linda Deegan and colleagues report that nutrients—such as nitrogen and phosphorus from septic and sewer systems and lawn fertilizers—can cause salt-marsh loss. "Salt marshes are a critical interface between the land and sea," Deegan says. "They provide habitat for fish, birds, and shellfish; protect coastal ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

Breech births cause more problems for moms and babies when water breaks early

MAYWOOD, Ill. – Breech births increase the risk of complications for the mother and baby when the amniotic sac ruptures early. These findings were presented today by a researcher from Loyola University Health System at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Chicago. Preterm, premature rupture of the amniotic sac contributes to one-third of all preterm births. A rupture is considered premature when it occurs before the onset of labor prior to 37 weeks' gestation. When the amniotic sac breaks prematurely, it can lead to ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

New fruit fly model of epilepsy reveals mechanisms behind fever-induced seizures

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 17, 2012 – UC Irvine and Brown University researchers have created a new fruit fly model of inherited epilepsy that's providing insights into the mechanisms underlying temperature-dependent seizures while establishing a platform from which to develop therapies for these disorders. In the Oct. 10 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, Diane O'Dowd of UCI, Robert Reenan of Brown and colleagues report their method for placing a gene mutation that causes human fever-induced seizures into drosophila fruit flies. As a result, the mutant flies experience ...

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Medicine18 Oct 2012

USDA scientists collaborate with global researchers to advance the mapping of the barley genome

WASHINGTON, October 17, 2012--In a major advance that will unlock the benefits of the mapping of the barley genome--one of the world's most important cereal crops--work conducted and supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with researchers around the world has resulted in the most advanced sequencing of the barley genome to date, as reported today in the journal Nature. The advance will give researchers the tools to produce higher yields, improve pest and disease resistance, and enhance nutritional value of barley. Past genomic research supported ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

Living Voters Guide adds fact-checking by Seattle librarians for 2012 election

When facing a difficult choice, many of us turn to that old standby: the pro-con list. A University of Washington project takes election pro-con lists to the next level, moving them online and allowing voters to work together to draft points – brief arguments for or against – and refine their positions. Now in its third year, the Living Voters Guide, presented in partnership with Seattle's CityClub, just won a regional award and has been updated for the 2012 election. This year the guide has expanded to include a California edition, and the Washington guide will include ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

A European-wide network for systematic GMO impact assessment

In Europe there are many concerns about adverse environmental effects of GM crops, and the opinions on the outcomes of environmental risk assessments (ERA) differ largely. GM crop safety testing and introduction studies among the regulatory system are insufficiently developed. Therefore the proposed framework aims at improving the regulatory system. Specific elements of the network are a) methodologies for both indicator and field site selection for GM crop ERA and PMEM, b) an EU-wide typology of agro-environments, c) a pan-European field testing network using GM crops, ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

Keck observations bring weather of Uranus into sharp focus

MADISON – In 1986, when Voyager swept past Uranus, the probe's portraits of the planet were "notoriously bland," disappointing scientists, yielding few new details of the planet and its atmosphere, and giving it a reputation as a bore of the solar system. Now, however, thanks to a new technique applied at the Keck Observatory, Uranus is coming into sharp focus through high-resolution infrared images, revealing in incredible detail the bizarre weather of the seventh planet from the sun. The images were released in Reno, Nev. today (Oct. 17, 2012) at a meeting of the ...

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Medicine18 Oct 2012

U of M scientist contributes to mapping of barley genome

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/17/2012) —An international team of researchers, including a University of Minnesota scientist, has developed an integrated physical, genetic and functional sequence assembly of the barley genome, one of the world's most important and genetically complex cereal crops. Results are published in today's issue of Nature. The advance will give researchers the tools to produce higher yields, improve pest and disease resistance, and enhance the nutritional value of barley. Importantly, it also will "accelerate breeding improvements to help barley ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

Gluten and lactose-free ingredient substitute found for low-fat white sauces

CHICAGO—Consumers are increasingly demanding the development of ready-to-eat gluten and lactose-free food products that meet their needs and help improve their health. A recent study in Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), shows how new white sauce formulations are being created to meet these demands. Consumers with celiac disease often find that gluten-free products are of inferior quality compared with their traditional, non-gluten-free counterparts. Traditional white sauce is made with milk, flour or starch, oil, and salt. ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

Choosing the right mango for the right product

CHICAGO- With over a thousand different varieties of mangoes to choose from, selecting the right variety for mango products can be a daunting task. A new study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), explores the impact that processing has on the flavor and texture of mango varieties. Findings suggest that processing plays an important role in determining the flavor and texture of the final product. Researchers at Kansas State University studied the flavor and texture of four different mango varieties as they were processed ...

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Space18 Oct 2012

Why are coastal salt marshes falling apart?

Salt marshes have been disintegrating and dying over the past two decades along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and other highly developed coastlines without anyone fully understanding why. This week in the journal Nature, scientist Linda Deegan of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Mass., and colleagues report that nutrients--such as nitrogen and phosphorus from septic and sewer systems and lawn fertilizers--can cause salt marsh loss. "Salt marshes are a critical interface between the land and sea," Deegan says. "They provide habitat for fish, birds ...

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Medicine18 Oct 2012

Study shows overeating impairs brain insulin function, can lead to diabetes and obesity

New research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine sheds light on how overeating can cause a malfunction in brain insulin signaling, and lead to obesity and diabetes. Christoph Buettner, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease) and his research team found that overeating impairs the ability of brain insulin to suppress the breakdown of fat in adipose tissue. In previous research Dr. Buettner's team established that brain insulin is what suppresses lipolysis, a process during which triglycerides in fat tissue are broken down and ...

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Medicine18 Oct 2012

Plant-based diets can remedy chronic diseases

CHICAGO—According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 63 percent of the deaths that occurred in 2008 were attributed to non-communicable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, Type 2 diabetes and obesity—for which poor diets are contributing factors. Yet people that live in societies that eat healthy, plant-based diets rarely fall victim to these ailments. Research studies have long indicated that a high consumption of plant foods is associated with lower incidents of chronic disease. In the October issue of Food Technology magazine, Senior ...

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Environment18 Oct 2012

Elevated indoor carbon dioxide impairs decision-making performance

Overturning decades of conventional wisdom, researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have found that moderately high indoor concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) can significantly impair people's decision-making performance. The results were unexpected and may have particular implications for schools and other spaces with high occupant density. "In our field we have always had a dogma that CO2 itself, at the levels we find in buildings, is just not important and doesn't have any direct impacts on people," said Berkeley ...

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Technology18 Oct 2012

ORNL study confirms magnetic properties of silicon nano-ribbons

Nano-ribbons of silicon configured so the atoms resemble chicken wire could hold the key to ultrahigh density data storage and information processing systems of the future. This was a key finding of a team of scientists led by Paul Snijders of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The researchers used scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to validate first principle calculations – or models – that for years had predicted this outcome. The discovery, detailed in New Journal of Physics, validates this theory and could move scientists closer ...

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Social Science18 Oct 2012

Male politicians have 'bigger heads' in more gender-equal cultures

Los Angeles, CA (October 17, 2012)- When it comes to analyzing gender stereotypes in the media, studies have shown that photographs of men focus on male faces while photographs of women are more focused on women's bodies. A recent study from Psychology of Women Quarterly, a SAGE journal, finds that this type of "face-ism" is even more extreme in cultures with less educational, professional, and political gender discrimination. "Being in a relatively egalitarian cultural context does not shield politicians from this face-ism bias; in fact, it exacerbates it," wrote study ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

RU study: For collegians with disabilities, success linked to mentoring, self-advocacy

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A Rutgers study of recent New Jersey college and university graduates with disabilities has found that students attributed their academic success to a combination of possessing such strong personality traits as self-advocacy and perseverance, and their relationship with a faculty or staff mentor. Accessing campus accommodations was not a major issue but learning about such help "was not always the smoothest process," they noted. The research also determined that students mainly used campus resources for assistance rather than a combination of college ...

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Science18 Oct 2012

Men, women have different stress reactions to relationship conflict

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Men and women who are expectant parents have different stress reactions to relationship conflict, according to researchers at Penn State, who studied couples expecting their first child. In addition, recovery from the initial reaction to conflict also can be different for men and women, depending on individual difficulties, such as anxiety, or relationship difficulties, such as chronic relationship conflict. The researchers found that men's increased stress levels -- measured by the amount of the stress hormone cortisol -- during a conflict discussion ...

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