The diverse functions of living cells are all based on the information encoded in the structure of the hereditary material DNA. Gene expression must therefore be tightly controlled, and this task is accomplished by the binding of regulatory proteins to, and their removal from, specific DNA sequences. One class of large molecular machines known as Swi2/Snf2 remodelers plays a central role in modulating these processes. However, until now, it was not clear how Swi2/Snf2 remodelers actually work. A team led by Professor Karl-Peter Hopfner at the Gene Center at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität ...

Sexual orientation and 'gender conformity' in women are both genetic traits, according to new research from Queen Mary, University of London. It is well recognised that there consistent differences in the psychological characteristics of boys and girls; for example, boys engage in more 'rough and tumble' play than girls do. Studies also show that children who become gay or lesbian adults differ in such traits from those who become heterosexual – so-called gender nonconformity. Research which follows these children to adulthood shows that between 50 to 80 per cent of ...

Pupils with special needs and teachers in mainstream schools in the UK are often the victims of a "one size fits all" approach to schooling and education, a leading academic has claimed. Professor Paul Cooper, a chartered psychologist and professor of education at the University of Leicester, said pupils with social, emotional and behavioural problems (SEBD) are at particular risk of under-achieving because schools are frequently ill-equipped to handle their problems. Teachers need better training in the appropriate skills and methods for supporting pupils with special ...

Nature sees to it that we do not have "too much choler" (bile) in our body. A delicately equilibrated regulation system ensures that there is always exactly the right amount of bile in the gallbladder. When we are hungry, our body releases a hormone called cortisol, which is a glucocorticoid. Hepatic cells receive this hormone signal through their cortisol receptors (glucocorticoid receptors) and respond by filling the gallbladder with bile in preparation of the imminent food intake. Directly upon eating a meal, bile is secreted into the intestine. Bile acids contained ...

Brussels, 7 July 2011 – Intelligent electricity networks – smart grids – are a key component in the EU energy strategy, but substantial investments are needed to make them a reality. A new study from the European Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), presents a review of 219 smart grid projects Europe-wide. The vast majority of investments, amounting to about €5.5 billion, were made in old Member States ("EU15"), while new Member States ("EU12") tend to lag behind. By providing a complete catalogue of the projects to date, the report ...

Villa Can Cardona is the former luxury home of Lighthouse Family musician, Paul Tucker. This exclusive villa on Ibiza is a new addition to the Hip Holidays Ibiza portfolio. Located a short drive from Ibiza town, the airport and a stunning beach the villa sits on a hill surrounded by pines and benefits from breath-taking views over the nearby Salinas beach. With its impeccable design, outlook and luxury furnishings, Can Cardona is a truly unique place to stay. For those looking for luxurious living combined with a well-functioning layout, Villa Can Cardona does not disappoint. ...

This release is available in Spanish. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are identifying factors that influence pesticide levels in the Chesapeake Bay airshed, including traces of "legacy" pesticides that still linger even though they are no longer being used. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemists Laura McConnell and Cathleen Hapeman obtained weekly air samples and rain samples for precipitation events from 2000 to 2003 at three sites in Maryland and Delaware. Both scientists work at the ARS Environmental Management and Byproduct Utilization ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In the last decade, minorities have poured into nursing homes at a time when whites have left in even greater numbers, according to a new Brown University study that suggests a racial disparity in elder care options in the United States. At first blush the analysis, published July 7 in the journal Health Affairs, suggests that elderly blacks, Hispanics, and Asians are gaining greater access to nursing home care. But the growing proportion of minorities in nursing homes is coming about partly because they do not have the same access ...

After living incognito for millions of years in a remote area of a forested mountain range in the Philippines, seven newfound species of mice owe their recent discovery to DNA evidence and the Florida State University biologist who deciphered it. What's more, the DNA drawn from the reclusive "new" mammals told FSU Associate Professor Scott J. Steppan an unusual evolutionary story. As he analyzed and compared the genetic codes of mice found in separate but proximate parts of a small area on Luzon, the largest Philippine island, he determined that while each mouse was a ...

WOONSOCKET, R.I. – July 7, 2011 – As the nation seeks to expand health care coverage to more citizens without adding burdensome costs, researchers from Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS Caremark reported that preventative health care may be significantly less costly than previously thought, due to expanded use of cost-effective generic medications for the treatment and prevention of chronic disease. A study released today in the July issue of Health Affairs concludes that preventive health care is considerably less costly than previous industry ...

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created a tunable superconducting circuit on a chip that can place a single microwave photon (particle of light) in two frequencies, or colors, at the same time. This curious "superposition," a hallmark of the quantum world, is a chip-scale, microwave version of a common optics experiment in which a device called a beam-splitter sends a photon into either of two possible paths across a table of lasers, lenses and mirrors. The new NIST circuit can be used to create and manipulate different quantum ...

In a typical year, California gets about 30 percent of its water from groundwater wells. Yet when it comes to managing this precious resource, the state of California relies on a mixed bag of more than 2,000 local water agencies with varying degrees of authority. Critics say that this decentralized system leaves the state vulnerable to overdraft, which occurs when water is pumped out faster than replacement water is absorbed. But according to a new report published by Stanford University's Program on Water in the West, a surprising number of local water districts are ...

Using a combination of sophisticated computer modeling and advanced materials analysis techniques at synchrotron laboratories, a research team led by the University at Buffalo (UB) and including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and SEMATECH* has demonstrated how some relatively simple processing flaws can seriously degrade the otherwise near-magical electronic properties of graphene. Their new paper** demonstrates how both wrinkles in the graphene sheet and/or chance contaminants ...

If materials scientists accompanied their research with theme songs, a team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland (UMD) might be tempted to choose the garage punk song "Don't Crowd Me"* as the anthem for the promising, but still experimental nanocomposite fire retardants they are studying. That's because the collaborators have demonstrated that the more widely and uniformly dispersed nanoscale plates of clay are in a polymer, the more fire protection the nanocomposite material provides. Writing in the journal Polymer,** ...

A strategy that has been shown to reduce age-related health problems in several animal studies may also combat a major cause of age-associated infertility and birth defects. Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have shown that restricting the caloric intake of adult female mice prevents a spectrum of abnormalities, such as extra or missing copies of chromosomes, that arise more frequently in egg cells of aging female mammals. Their report appears in this week's online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. "We found ...

Brava breast enhancement is a clinically proven, nonsurgical method for enlarging your breasts. Brava utilizes tissue expansion, a method for enabling your body to grow extra skin tissue. Brava consists of two domes with silicone gel rims that are worn over the breasts and held in place with a sports bra. A battery-powered microcomputer called a SmartBox creates and regulates a light vacuum within the domes. This gentle tension within the domes stimulates tissue cells, causing them to multiply and generate new breast tissue. As new tissue develops, your breast size ...

A team of researchers from the Czech University of Life Sciences discovered four new species of jewel beetles (Buprestidae) from South-eastern Asia. This family of beetles is named for their particularly beautiful body and fascinating, shiny colours. "All new species belong to the genus Philanthaxia. Before the publication of this study, 61 species had been known from this genus. Currently, it comprises of 65 species, with a primarily Southeast-Asian distribution, except for two species extending to the Australasian region", said Oto Nakládal, a co-author of the study. The ...

In a world - a mobile world - where the words "cool" and "useful" are the primary ways to describe smartphone apps worth buying, apps provided by law firms have very seldom been described as cool or useful. Will the Accident Toolkit, sponsored by the Miami personal injury lawyers of Ferrer Shane, be any different? It actually might. Many commentators have stated that lawyers' smartphone apps are just another marketing gimmick and will do very little to attract consumer interest, especially when it comes to those apps that are likely to be ...

WACO, Texas (July 7, 2011) – Research universities with an organizational climate that actively supports commercialization and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers are more likely to produce invention disclosures and patent applications, according to a Baylor University study. Published online June 29 in the Journal of Research Policy, the study by Emily Hunter, Ph.D., assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business, showed that a favorable organizational climate had a sizeable and direct ...

Children may face a difficult transition when newly divorced parents first start sharing their children's time with one another.Young children may have a difficult time understanding the new situation. However, by explaining as simply as possible the prospective changes in living arrangements -- before they occur -- and speaking to your child about how both parents will still love and care for him or her no matter what changes take place and no matter where everyone lives, the effect of a difficult transition can be minimized for the child, and undue worry and distress ...

A new technique which targets antibiotic-resistant bacteria and shields patients from the toxic parts of an antibiotic drug has been developed by Cardiff University scientists. Dr Elaine Ferguson from Cardiff University's School of Dentistry has utilised a new technique which attaches tiny nano-sized biodegradable polymers to the antibiotic drug - colistin. Use of the drug colistin to fight infection has been limited as it is known to be toxic to the kidneys and nerves despite the fact that it has been found to be effective against new multi-drug resistant bacteria, ...

Hearing has a key role in the acquisition of speech, but 2 of every 1000 children are born with a hearing impairment. Early diagnosis and treatment can help these children learn to speak. In the latest issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Martin Ptok of Hannover Medical School explores whether screening of newborns reliably detects hearing defects, the benefits of early diagnosis, and the potential risks of newborn hearing screening (Dtsch Arztebl Int; 108(25): 426-31). Professor Ptok concludes that the current scientific evidence favors universal neonatal hearing ...

OTTAWA, July 7, 2011 – Family doctors are reluctant to disclose identifiable patient information, even in the context of an influenza pandemic, mostly in an effort to protect patient privacy. A recently published study by Dr. Khaled El Emam the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the University of Ottawa and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute recently found that during the peak of the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, there was still reluctance to report detailed patient information for public health purposes. These results are important ...

The United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is offering those with undisclosed offshore bank accounts an opportunity to get current on their tax returns. The 2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative (OVDI) seeks to bring taxpayers with undisclosed foreign bank accounts - whether in the Cayman Islands, Europe, South America or Asia - into compliance with United States tax laws. Taxpayers who have undisclosed offshore accounts are eligible to apply to the 2011 OVDI. The program requires disclosing unreported income from 2003 through 2010 and filing amended tax ...

Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed smart nanomaterials, which can disrupt the blood supply to cancerous tumours. The team of researchers, led by Physics lecturer Dr Antonios Kanaras, showed that a small dose of gold nanoparticles can activate or inhibit genes that are involved in angiogenesis - a complex process responsible for the supply of oxygen and nutrients to most types of cancer. "The peptide-functionalised gold nanoparticles that we synthesised are very effective in the deliberate activation or inhibition of angiogenic genes," said Dr ...