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Neisseria meningitidis disseminates itself by sending out 'scouts'

2011-02-18
VIDEO: Although, in the majority of cases, the localized presence of Neisseria meningitidis in the throat has no consequence, it can sometimes lead to meningitis or septicaemia. The seriousness of these... Click here for more information. Although, in the majority of cases, the localized presence of Neisseria meningitidis in the throat has no consequence, it can sometimes lead to meningitis or septicaemia. The seriousness of these two infections is driving researchers from ...

Children in public housing play outdoors more

2011-02-18
Young children living in urban public housing spend more time playing outdoors than other urban children, according to researchers at Rice University, Columbia University and Princeton University. Contrary to the expectations of the researchers, who hypothesized that children living in poorer circumstances would be playing outside less, the study found that 5-year-olds living in public housing played outside 13 percent more per day, on average, than did other urban 5-year-olds. Children living in places of high physical disorder -- areas with visible graffiti, trash, ...

Shining a light on trypanosome reproduction

2011-02-18
The research could eventually lead to new approaches for controlling sleeping sickness in humans and wasting diseases in livestock which are caused by trypanosomes carried by the bloodsucking tsetse fly. Biologists believe that sexual reproduction evolved very early and is now ubiquitous in organisms with complex cell structure (the eukaryotes, essentially all living organisms except bacteria). However, real evidence is lacking for a large section of the evolutionary tree. Trypanosomes represent an early and very distant branch of the eukaryote tree of life and ...

Biomarker discovery may lead to reliable blood test for ectopic pregnancy

2011-02-18
Scientists at The Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report the discovery of protein markers that could provide physicians with the first reliable blood test to predict ectopic pregnancies. Their findings are presented in the February 16 issue of the Journal of Proteome Research, currently available online. In a related small-scale study of clinical samples, published recently in the journal Fertility and Sterility, the researchers found that one of the proteins—ADAM12—showed a nearly 97 percent correlation with ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic ...

Scientists discover agave's tremendous potential as new bioenergy feedstock

2011-02-18
Champaign, IL – February 4, 2011 - An article in the current issue of Global Change Biology Bioenergy reviews the suitability of Agave as a bioenergy feedstock that can sustain high productivity in spite of poor soil and stressful climatic conditions accompanying climate change. Agave, which grows successfully under hot, dry conditions, is currently used in the production of beverages, food, and fiber, and has only recently been considered a promising source of biofuel. Garcia-Moya and colleagues (2011) were able to assess Agave's potential as a biomass crop by reviewing ...

Improved behavioral health needed to respond to rising number of suicides among US Armed Forces

2011-02-18
U.S. military officials should improve efforts to identify those at-risk and improve both the quality and access to behavioral health treatment in response to a sharp rise in suicide among members of nation's armed forces, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Needed changes include making service members aware of the advantages of using behavioral health care, ensuring that providers and chaplains are delivering high quality care, and assuring that service members can receive confidential help for their problems, according to the report. "Efforts should focus ...

Cigarette smoking increases production of mucus in patients with bronchitis

2011-02-18
Cigarette smoking has been linked with overproduction of mucus associated with chronic bronchitis, according to a study conducted by researchers in New Mexico. The study indicates cigarette smoke suppresses a protein that causes the natural death of mucus-producing cells in the airways of bronchitis patients. The findings were published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Although it is known that chronic mucus secretion is a hallmark of chronic bronchitis, the mechanisms underlying ...

Everything you wanted to know about microbes and oil spills but were afraid to ask

2011-02-18
Is it true that microbes cleaned up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Can bacteria really "eat" oil, and if so, how? To help clear up the confusion the American Academy of Microbiology has brought together the nation's leading experts to consider and answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding microbes and oil spills. "Long before the Gulf oil spill microbes evolved the ability to degrade the complex hydrocarbon mixture we call petroleum. They were already present in the Gulf of Mexico and ready to attack the oil when the spill occurred," says Ronald ...

World's first skyscraper was a monument to intimidation

Worlds first skyscraper was a monument to intimidation
2011-02-18
Tel Aviv — Discovered by archaeologists in 1952, a 28-foot-high stone tower discovered on the edge of the town of Jericho has puzzled scientists ever since. Now, eleven centuries after it was built, Tel Aviv University archaeologists at the ancient site Tel Jericho are revealing new facts about the world's first "skyscraper." Recent computer-based research by doctoral student Roy Liran and Dr. Ran Barkai of Tel Aviv University's Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities sheds light on ...

Researchers work at the frontiers of islet cell transplantation

2011-02-18
Tampa, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2011) – Two studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (19:12) investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes. Researchers in Milan, Italy re-examine the role of bone marrow stem cells in diabetic therapy and islet cell regeneration and Canadian researchers offer improved strategies for optimizing pancreatic islet culture in vitro. Both studies are in the current issue of Cell Transplantation, freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/. New perspectives on role of bone ...

Psychology and the law: A special issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science

2011-02-18
Legal systems are necessary in any functioning society. Centuries ago, people realized that the only way to maintain a peaceful community was to develop a firm set of rules—laws—to punish transgressors. As laws have continued to evolve in societies around the world, psychological scientists have begun to investigate the psychological basis of many aspects of legal systems. A new special issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, presents the current state of research on psychology and law. Many lawyers ...

Study suggests statins may prevent diabetic-related blindness

2011-02-18
Athens, Ga. – New University of Georgia research has found that a statin drug that is often known by the brand-name Lipitor may help prevent blindness in people with diabetes. In a study using diabetic rats, lead author Azza El-Remessy, assistant professor in the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, and her colleagues found that statins prevent free radicals in the retina from killing nerves important to maintaining vision. The results of the study are published in the March edition of the journal Diabetologia. "The exciting part is that there are now treatment ...

The green machine: Algae clean wastewater, convert to biodiesel

2011-02-18
Let algae do the dirty work. Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are developing biodiesel from microalgae grown in wastewater. The project is doubly "green" because algae consume nitrates and phosphates and reduce bacteria and toxins in the water. The end result: clean wastewater and stock for a promising biofuel. The purified wastewater can be channeled back into receiving bodies of water at treatment plants, while the biodiesel can fuel buses, construction vehicles and farm equipment. Algae could replace diesel's telltale black puffs of exhaust with cleaner ...

Study reinforces link between obesity, high-fat meals and heart disease

2011-02-18
The effect of a high-fat meal on blood vessel walls can vary among individuals depending on factors such as their waist size and triglyceride levels, suggests new research at UC Davis. The new research reinforces the link between belly fat, inflammation and thickening of the arterial linings that can lead to heart disease and strokes. Triglycerides are types of fat molecules, commonly associated with "bad cholesterol," known to increase risk of inflammation of the endothelium, the layer of cells that lines arteries. "The new study shows that eating a common fast food ...

Magma power for geothermal energy?

2011-02-18
When a team of scientists drilling near an Icelandic volcano hit magma in 2009, they had to abandon their planned experiments on geothermal energy. But the mishap could point the way to an alternative source of geothermal power. "Because we drilled into magma, this borehole could now be a really high-quality geothermal well," said Peter Schiffmann, professor of geology at UC Davis and a member of the research team along with fellow UC Davis geology professor Robert Zierenberg and UC Davis graduate student Naomi Marks. The project was led by Wilfred Elders, a geology professor ...

The NIST role in role-based control: A 20th anniversary appraisal

2011-02-18
What NIST-led innovation is estimated to have saved U.S. industry $6.1 billion over the past 20 years? Well, probably several, but, perhaps surprisingly, a new economics study* points to the development of "role-based access control," a computer-security technology fostered and championed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the 1990s. Role-based access control (RBAC) is the idea of establishing standard levels of access—"permissions"— to the various computing resources and networks of an organization that are tailored to specific employee roles, ...

Compact high-temperature superconducting cables demonstrated at NIST

Compact high-temperature superconducting cables demonstrated at NIST
2011-02-18
A researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has invented a method of making high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables that are thinner and more flexible than demonstration HTS cables now installed in the electric power grid while carrying the same or more current. The compact cables could be used in the electric grid as well as scientific and medical equipment and may enable HTS power transmission for military applications. Described in a paper just published online,* the new method involves winding multiple HTS-coated conductors** around ...

Promise of genomics research needs a realistic view

Promise of genomics research needs a realistic view
2011-02-18
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - In the ten years since the human genetic code was mapped, expectations among scientists, health care industry, policy makers, and the public have remained high concerning the promise of genomics research for improving health. But a new commentary by four internationally prominent genetic medicine and bioethics experts cautions against the dangers of inflated expectations – an unsustainable genomic bubble – and it offers ways to avoid it while still realizing "the true – and considerable – promise of the genomic revolution." "This commentary is ...

Technology breakthrough fuels laptops and phones, recharges scientist's 60-year career

2011-02-18
EAST LANSING, Mich. — How does a scientist fuel his enthusiasm for chemistry after 60 years? By discovering a new energy source, of course. This week, SiGNa Chemistry Inc. unveiled its new hydrogen cartridges, which provide energy to fuel cells designed to recharge cell phones, laptops and GPS units. The green power source is geared toward outdoor enthusiasts as well as residents of the Third World, where electricity in homes is considered a luxury. "SiGNa has created an inherently-safe solution to produce electric power, resulting in an eco-friendly and cost-effective ...

Asthma tied to bacterial communities in the airway

2011-02-18
Asthma may have a surprising relationship with the composition of the species of bacteria that inhabit bronchial airways, a finding that could suggest new treatment or even potential cures for the common inflammatory disease, according to a new UCSF-led study. Using new detection methods, researchers learned that the diversity of microbes inside the respiratory tract is far vaster than previously suspected – creating a complex and inter-connected microbial neighborhood that appears to be associated with asthma, and akin to what has also been found in inflammatory bowel ...

Mayo researchers, Rochester educators, students to present at science conference

2011-02-18
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- America's largest general science conference will be the setting next week for seven presentations on how zebrafish changed the classroom in Rochester. Those presenting at the conference in Washington, D.C., include researchers from Mayo Clinic and Winona State University, educators from the Rochester school system, and several students. "We started out trying to improve how science was taught. That led to adding curriculum beyond science, and resulted in improvement in testing and grade outcomes, and now to the experience of reporting all of it at ...

Inexpensive rinsing effective at reducing post-op infection following joint replacement surgery

2011-02-18
CHICAGO – A rinsing technique with betadine that costs just a little over one dollar per patient may significantly reduce the infection rate following total knee and hip joint replacement surgery according to a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. The study, presented at the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons 2011 Annual Meeting, found that a three minute diluted betadine lavage combined with painting of the skin with a 10% betadine solution prior to surgical closure nearly eliminated early deep post-operative infection. Deep periprosthetic ...

Canadian brainpower at AAAS in Washington

2011-02-18
Washington (February 17) — Three leading Canadian language and speech experts will take centre stage in discussions on the latest developments in speech research at this year's annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. (February 17-21). Ellen Bialystok of York University has been a driving force in revealing the unique window that bilingualism opens on brain function. Her research disproves earlier claims of cognitive deficits among bilingual children, discovering, instead, that bilingual children and adults have distinct ...

ASTRO publishes palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases guideline

2011-02-18
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Clinical Affairs and Quality Committee has developed a guideline for the use of radiation therapy in treating bone metastases. The guideline will be published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, an official journal of ASTRO. Bone metastases are caused when a malignant tumor spreads to the bone. They can lead to debilitating effects including pain, fractures and paralysis due to spinal cord compression. The care of these patients requires collaboration between several types of cancer treatment ...

Catching space weather in the act

Catching space weather in the act
2011-02-18
Close to the globe, Earth's magnetic field wraps around the planet like a gigantic spherical web, curving in to touch Earth at the poles. But this isn't true as you get further from the planet. As you move to the high altitudes where satellites fly, nothing about that field is so simple. Instead, the large region enclosed by Earth's magnetic field, known as the magnetosphere, looks like a long, sideways jellyfish with its round bulb facing the sun and a long tail extending away from the sun. In the center of that magnetic tail lies the plasma sheet. Here, strange things ...
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