الأربعاء، 16 يناير 2013

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Choline supplementation during pregnancy presents a new approach to schizophrenia prevention

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST

Choline, an essential nutrient similar to the B vitamin and found in foods such as liver, muscle meats, fish, nuts and eggs, when given as a dietary supplement in the last two trimesters of pregnancy and in early infancy, is showing a lower rate of physiological schizophrenic risk factors in infants 33 days old.

2012 sustained long-term climate warming trend, NASA finds

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST

Scientists say 2012 was the ninth warmest of any year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the nine warmest years in the 132-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the hottest years on record.

Novel approach to track migration of arctic-breeding avian species

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST

A group of scientists have tried to determine how snow bunting populations are linked in space and time. Considering that the snow bunting poses an extra challenge to monitor due to its inaccessible breeding locations, nomadic lifestyle and small body size, they argue, combining multiple sources of data is the most appropriate approach to track patterns of the birds' migratory connectivity.

Transmission of tangles in Alzheimer's mice provides more authentic model of tau pathology

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST

By using synthetic fibrils made from pure recombinant protein, researchers have provided the first direct and compelling evidence that tau fibrils alone are entirely sufficient to recruit and convert soluble tau within cells into pathological clumps in neurons, followed by transmission of tau pathology to other inter-connected brain regions from a single injection site in an animal model of tau brain disease.

Ways to improve quality of care measurement from electronic health records identified

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:35 PM PST

Health care providers and hospitals are being offered up to $27 billion in federal financial incentives to use electronic health records (EHRs) in ways that demonstrably improve the quality of care. The incentives are based, in part, on the ability to electronically report clinical quality measures. By 2014, providers nationwide in the U.S. will be expected to document and report care electronically, and by 2015, they will face financial penalties if they don't meaningfully use EHRs.

New technique helps stroke victims communicate

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:35 PM PST

Researchers have developed a speech technique to aid stroke victims with aphasia.

Where there's smoke or smog, there's climate change

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:35 PM PST

In addition to causing smoggy skies and chronic coughs, soot -- or black carbon -- turns out to be the number two contributor to global warming. It's second only to carbon dioxide, according to a four-year assessment by an international panel. The new study concludes that black carbon, the soot particles in smoke and smog, contributes about twice as much to global warming as previously estimated, even by the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

For sports fans, the story -- not the victor -- makes the difference in enjoyment

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:39 AM PST

A new study has concluded that sports fans love to root for a hero and against a villain, but if the game is exciting, they'll enjoy it no matter who wins.

New genetic mutation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis identified

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:39 AM PST

Researchers have identified a new genetic mutation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), opening the door to future targeted therapies. Medical researchers found that mutations within the ARHGEF28 gene are present in ALS. When they looked across both familial and sporadic forms of the disease, they found that virtually all cases of ALS demonstrated abnormal inclusions of the protein that arises from this gene.

Global warming may have severe consequences for rare Haleakalā silversword plants

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:39 AM PST

While the iconic Haleakala silversword plant made a strong recovery from early 20th-century threats, it has now entered a period of substantial climate-related decline. New research warns that global warming may have severe consequences for the silversword in its native habitat.

Photovoltaic cell manufacture: Device tosses out unusable PV wafers

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:38 AM PST

Silicon wafers destined to become photovoltaic cells can take a bruising through assembly lines, as they are oxidized, annealed, purified, diffused, etched, and layered to reach their destinies as efficient converters of the sun's rays into useful electricity. All those refinements are too much for five percent to 10 percent of the costly wafers. They have micro-cracks left over from incomplete wafer preparation, which causes them to break on the conveyors or during cell fabrication.

Major step toward an Alzheimer's vaccine

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:38 AM PST

Medical researchers have discovered a way to stimulate the brain's natural defense mechanisms in people with Alzheimer's disease. This major breakthrough opens the door to the development of a treatment for Alzheimer's disease and a vaccine to prevent the illness.

Is your business ready for a flu outbreak?

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:37 AM PST

Flu is reaching epidemic levels this year. A flu outbreak affects more than individual's health. Communities, schools and businesses will all be impacted by the virus. Will your business be ready for a flu outbreak?

Small UAV supports development of lightweight sensors

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:37 AM PST

Engineers are developing an airborne testing capability for sensors, communications devices and other payloads. Their aerial test bed is known as the GTRI Airborne Unmanned Sensor System (GAUSS).

Who decides in the brain? How decision-making processes are influenced by neurons

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 09:43 AM PST

Neuroscientists have shown how decision-making processes are influenced by neurons. Whether in society or nature, decisions are often the result of complex interactions between many factors. Because of this it is usually difficult to determine how much weight the different factors have in making a final decision. Neuroscientists face a similar problem since decisions made by the brain always involve many neurons.

New insight into graphene grain boundaries

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:17 AM PST

Making the one-atom thick sheets of carbon known as graphene in a way that could be easily integrated into mass production methods has proven difficult. Now, research is giving new insight into the electronics behavior of graphene.

Quantum leap in gene therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:17 AM PST

For years, scientists have been working to find the key to restoring dystrophin, but they have faced many challenges. After careful evaluation of 22 dogs, researchers found that the new version of the micro-dystrophin gene not only reduced inflammation and fibrosis, it also effectively improved muscle strength.

Designer bacteria may lead to better vaccines

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:17 AM PST

The 61 strains of E. coli are part of a new class of biological "adjuvants" that is poised to transform vaccine design. Adjuvants are substances added to vaccines to boost the human immune response.

Born to lead? Leadership can be an inherited trait, study finds

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:15 AM PST

Genetic differences are significantly associated with the likelihood that people take on managerial responsibilities, according to new research.

Chemistry resolves toxic concerns about carbon nanotubes, experts say

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:15 AM PST

Safety fears about carbon nanotubes, due to their structural similarity to asbestos, have been alleviated following research showing that reducing their length removes their toxic properties.

3-D mapping of lipid orientation in biological tissues such as skin

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:15 AM PST

A non-invasive method that makes it possible to observe in situ how assemblies of lipids are oriented in biological tissues, and which does not require any labeling or preparation,  has been developed. The work should enable the detection and characterization of certain pathologies associated with molecular disorders in the skin or in the nervous tissue.

Facebook concept used by 16th century scholars

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:14 AM PST

Our obsession with social networking is not exclusive to the 21st century, according to researchers.

Flexible, nanoscale 'bed of nails' created for possible drug delivery

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:15 AM PST

Researchers have come up with a technique to embed needle-like carbon nanofibers in an elastic membrane, creating a flexible "bed of nails" on the nanoscale that opens the door to development of new drug-delivery systems.

Some children lose autism diagnosis: Small group with confirmed autism now on par with mainstream peers

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:15 AM PST

Some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism lose the symptoms and the diagnosis as they grow older, a new study has confirmed. The research team made the finding by carefully documenting a prior diagnosis of autism in a small group of school-age children and young adults with no current symptoms of the disorder.

Borderline personality disorder: The 'perfect storm' of emotion dysregulation

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:14 AM PST

Originally, the label "borderline personality disorder" was applied to patients who were thought to represent a middle ground between patients with neurotic and psychotic disorders.  Increasingly, though, this area of research has focused on the heightened emotional reactivity observed in patients carrying this diagnosis, as well as the high rates with which they also meet diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder and mood disorders.

Asteroid deflection mission seeks smashing ideas

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 06:28 AM PST

A space rock several hundred metres across is heading towards our planet and the last-ditch attempt to avert a disaster -- an untested mission to deflect it -- fails. This fictional scene of films and novels could well be a reality one day. But what can space agencies do to ensure it works?

Fetal exposure to PVC plastic chemical linked to obesity in offspring

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 06:02 AM PST

Exposing pregnant mice to low doses of the chemical tributyltin -- which is used in marine hull paint and PVC plastic -- can lead to obesity for multiple generations without subsequent exposure, a new study has found.

Childhood trauma leaves its mark on the brain

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 06:02 AM PST

Scientists have found evidence that psychological wounds inflicted when young leave lasting biological traces -- and a predisposition toward violence later in life.

Tamoxifen ameliorates symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, study suggests

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST

A new study has found that tamoxifen, a well-known breast cancer drug, can counteract some pathological features in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). At present, no treatment is known to produce long-term improvement of the symptoms in boys with DMD, a debilitating muscular disorder that is characterized by progressive muscle wasting, respiratory and cardiac impairments, paralysis, and premature death.

Never forget a Face(book): Memory for online posts beats faces and books

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST

People's memory for Facebook posts is strikingly stronger than their memory for human faces or sentences from books, according to a new study.

Growing food on walls? Robotic nutritional advice? What does the future kitchen hold?

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST

By 2050 people the world over could be growing food on the walls of their homes and have eco-kitchens - complete with robots to provide nutritional advice, if one group's projections come true.

Neon lights up exploding stars

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:55 AM PST

An international team of nuclear astrophysicists has shed new light on the explosive stellar events known as novae. These dramatic explosions are driven by nuclear processes and make previously unseen stars visible for a short time. The team of scientists measured the nuclear structure of the radioactive neon produced through this process in unprecedented detail. Their findings show there is much less uncertainty in how quickly one of the key nuclear reactions will occur as well as in the final abundance of radioactive isotopes than has previously been suggested.
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