الأربعاء، 27 نوفمبر 2013

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News

'Molecular motors' involved in chromosome transport observed

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 05:29 PM PST

Researchers have for the first time directly observed the "molecular motor", called Xkid, that plays a critical role in facilitating the proper alignment of chromosomes during cell division. The study provides invaluable knowledge on the mechanisms of materials transport in biological systems.

Leukemia cells exploit 'enhancer' DNA elements to cause lethal disease

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:16 PM PST

A team of researchers has identified a leukemia-specific stretch of DNA called an enhancer element that enables cancerous blood cells to proliferate in acute myeloid leukemia, a devastating cancer that is incurable in 70 percent of patients. Just as important, the findings offer a mechanistic insight into how a new class of promising drugs -- one version of which is already in human clinical trials -- appears to halt the growth of cancer cells so effectively.

A whirling dervish puts physicists in a spin

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:16 PM PST

A force that intricately links the rotation of the Earth with the direction of weather patterns in the atmosphere has been shown to play a crucial role in the creation of the hypnotic patterns created by the skirts of the Whirling Dervishes.

New therapeutic target identified for Huntington's disease

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:15 PM PST

A new study published identifies a new target in the search for therapeutic interventions for Huntington's disease -- a devastating late-onset neurodegenerative disorder.

Iron preserves, hides ancient tissues in fossilized remains

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:14 PM PST

Iron may play a role in preserving ancient tissues within dinosaur fossils, but also may hide them from detection. This finding could open the door to the recovery of more ancient tissues from within fossils.

Inexpensive 'nano-camera' can operate at the speed of light

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:59 PM PST

A newly developed device could be used in medical imaging, collision-avoidance detectors for cars, and interactive gaming.

Finding hidden circles may improve social network privacy settings

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:59 PM PST

Creating a computer program to find relationships in networks, such as Google Plus and Facebook, may help users more easily set up and maintain privacy settings, according to researchers.

Alcohol use disorders linked to death and disability

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:58 PM PST

Disorders related to the abuse of alcohol contribute significantly to the burden of disease in the U.S., finds a new study.

Better combustion through plasma

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 10:46 AM PST

Scientists know that by introducing plasma to combustion, new chemical species are produced that catalyze the reaction. But no one knows precisely what species are involved, what the reactions are, and what their rates are. To better understand plasma-assisted combustion and to develop future technology, researchers are conducting experiments and creating computer models to determine which chemical processes are involved.

Flexible, stretchable fire-ant rafts

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 10:46 AM PST

Fire-ant rafts aren't just unusual in that they're "viscoelastic," like Jell-O and toothpaste, according to a new study. Researchers found the rafts actively reorganize their structure, a feat that allows them to more effectively cushion themselves against applied forces, such as the battering of raindrops or the surges of waves.

Polymer gel, heal thyself: Engineering team proposes new composites that can regenerate when damaged

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:41 AM PST

Researchers have developed models to design a new polymer gel that would enable complex materials to regenerate themselves.

Delaying resistance to Bt corn in western corn rootworm

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:41 AM PST

While Bt corn has been highly effective against the European corn borer, it has been less so against the western corn rootworm. A new article explains why and recommends an integrated pest management approach to address it.

Google Earth reveals untold fish catches

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:39 AM PST

Large fish traps in the Persian Gulf could be catching up to six times more fish than what's being officially reported, according to the first investigation of fish catches from space.

High-fat diet during puberty speeds up breast cancer development

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:39 AM PST

New findings show that eating a high-fat diet beginning at puberty speeds up the development of breast cancer and may actually increase the risk of cancer similar to a type often found in younger adult women.

Gene mutation for excessive alcohol drinking found

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:39 AM PST

Researchers have discovered a gene that regulates alcohol consumption and when faulty can cause excessive drinking. They have also identified the mechanism underlying this phenomenon.

The lingering clouds: Why pollution results in larger storm clouds, colder days, warmer nights

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:36 AM PST

A new study reveals how pollution causes thunderstorms to leave behind larger, deeper, longer lasting clouds. The results solve a long-standing debate and reveal how pollution plays into climate warming. The work can also provide a gauge for the accuracy of weather and climate models.

Bonobo: 'Forgotten' ape threatened by human activity and forest loss

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:36 AM PST

The most detailed range-wide assessment of the bonobo (formerly known as the pygmy chimpanzee) ever conducted has revealed that this poorly known and endangered great ape is quickly losing space in a world with growing human populations. The loss of usable habitat is attributed to both forest fragmentation and poaching, according to a new study.

Brain reward gene influences food choices in the first years of life

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:36 AM PST

Research has suggested that a particular gene in the brain's reward system contributes to overeating and obesity in adults. This same variant has now been linked to childhood obesity and tasty food choices, particularly for girls, according to a new study.

Electronic cigarettes: New route to smoking addiction for adolescents

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:27 AM PST

E-cigarettes have been widely promoted as a way for people to quit smoking conventional cigarettes. Now, in the first study of its kind, researchers are reporting that, at the point in time they studied, youth using e-cigarettes were more likely to be trying to quit, but also were less likely to have stopped smoking and were smoking more, not less.

Lowering stand density reduces mortality of ponderosa pine stands

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:27 AM PST

As trees grow larger in even-aged stands, competition develops among them. Competition weakens trees, as they contend for soil moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. Competition also increases trees' risk to bark beetles and diseases, and subsequently leads to a buildup of dead fuels. A recent study considered if the onset of this risk could be determined.

ADHD linked to social, economic disadvantage

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:27 AM PST

A team of researchers has analyzed data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a database of more than 19,500 UK children born between 2000 and 2002, and has resolved that ADHD is linked to social and economic disadvantage.

Large study shows pollution impact on coral reefs, and offers solution

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:26 AM PST

One of the largest and longest experiments ever done to test the impact of nutrient loading on coral reefs today confirmed what scientists have long suspected -- that this type of pollution from sewage, agricultural practices or other sources can lead to coral disease and bleaching. But there was unexpectedly good news - when you cleaned up the water, the corals recovered.

Incidental by-catch of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:25 AM PST

When a marine turtle is incidentally by-caught by a longliner, fishermen try to cut the line — without hauling it on board — and release the turtle into the sea. However, research published determines that about 40% of post-released turtles die some months later due to the impact of longline fishing.

New agent against cancer cells

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:24 AM PST

Scientists have discovered a new active substance that inhibits cell division in leukemia cells and could play an important role in the fight against cancer.

A robot turtle will help underwater archaeologists to inspect shipwrecks

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:24 AM PST

A new highly maneuverable robot turtle has been designed to penetrate shipwrecks.

Reconceptualizing JFK’s chronic low back pain

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:22 AM PST

JFK exuded strength and vitality, but less apparent was the daily battle he waged with chronic back pain. He often used crutches while walking to minimize pain and back pain may have been a contributing factor in his November 1963 assassination.

C-section rate for private patients double that of publicly funded patients

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:56 PM PST

The rate of scheduled caesarean sections among private patients is around double that of publicly funded patients, indicates a study of more than 30,000 women in Ireland.

Regular physical activity in later life boosts likelihood of 'healthy aging' up to sevenfold

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:56 PM PST

It's never too late to get physically active, with even those starting relatively late in life reaping significant health benefits, finds research.

Childhood exercise may stave off bad effects of maternal obesity, animal study suggests

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 02:20 PM PST

Rats whose mothers were fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy and nursing were able to stave off some of the detrimental health effects of obesity by exercising during their adolescence.

Cancer patients at increased risk for severe flu complications

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 02:20 PM PST

Weakened immune systems due to diseases like cancer cause increased risk of severe complications from the flu virus — experts advise vaccine shot, not mist.

Biomedical scientist discovers method to increase survival in sepsis

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:48 PM PST

Sepsis, the body's response to severe infections, kills more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer and HIV/AIDS combined. On average, 30 percent of those diagnosed with sepsis die.

How scavenging fungi became a plant's best friend

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:47 PM PST

More than two thirds of the world's plants depend on Glomeromycota soil-dwelling symbiotic fungus to survive, including critical agricultural crops such as wheat, cassava, and rice. The analysis of the Rhizophagus irregularis genome has revealed that it doesn't shuffle genes the way researchers expected. Moreover it has expanded its range of cell-to-cell communication genes and phosphorus-capturing genes.

ADHD study: Expensive training programs don't help grades, behavior

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:47 PM PST

A two-year study found that computer-based training programs that claim to help children with ADHD succeed in the classroom and in peer relationships while reducing hyperactivity and inattentiveness do not produce significant or meaningful long-term improvements. Parents are better off saving their money, the lead researcher says.

Inner workings of bacterial black box caught on time-lapse video

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:47 PM PST

Using a pioneering visualization method, researchers made movies of a complex and vital cellular machine called the carboxysome being assembled inside living cells. They observed that bacteria build these internal compartments in a way never seen in plant, animal and other eukaryotic cells. The findings will illuminate bacterial physiology and may also influence nanotechnology development.

Ear infections down, thanks to vaccine

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:46 PM PST

Researchers have discovered that, during recent years, several interventions have been introduced aiming to decrease the otitis media burden -- and they've been successful. The researchers found there was a downward trend in visits from 2004 to 2011, with a significant drop in children younger than 2 years that coincided with the advent of the 13-valent vaccine, or PCV-13, in 2010.

Brain imaging differences in infants at genetic risk for Alzheimer's

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:44 PM PST

Researchers have found that infants who carry a gene associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease tend to have differences in brain development compared to infants who do not carry the gene. The findings do not mean that these infants will get Alzheimer's, but they may be a step toward understanding how this gene confers risk much later in life.

Nurse navigators help cancer patients cope early in care

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:44 PM PST

When patients received support from a nurse navigator, or advocate, soon after a cancer diagnosis, they had better experiences and fewer problems with their care -- particularly in health information, care coordination, and psychological and social care -- according to a randomized controlled trial.

Methane emissions vastly surpass previous estimates

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:44 PM PST

Government calculations of total US methane emissions may underestimate the true values by 50 percent, a new study finds. The results cast doubt on a recent Environmental Protection Agency decision to downscale its emissions estimate.

Postmenopausal estrogen decline unrelated to changes in cognition, mood

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:44 PM PST

A new study shows that decreased estrogen levels after menopause are largely unrelated to changes in cognitive ability and mood. It did find, however, a possible link between levels of another hormone -- progesterone -- and cognition among younger postmenopausal women.

Oxytocin leads to monogamy

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:43 PM PST

How is the bond between people in love maintained? Scientists have discovered a biological mechanism that could explain the attraction between loving couples: If oxytocin is administered to men and if they are shown pictures of their partner, the bonding hormone stimulates the reward center in the brain, increasing the attractiveness of the partner, and strengthening monogamy.

New tales told by old infections

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:43 PM PST

Retroviruses are important pathogens capable of crossing species barriers to infect new hosts, but knowledge of their evolutionary history is limited. By mapping endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), retroviruses whose genes have become part of the host organism's genome, researchers can now provide unique insights into the evolutionary relationships of retroviruses and their host species.

Using microRNA fit to a T (Cell)

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:42 PM PST

Researchers have successfully targeted T lymphocytes – which play a central role in the body's immune response – with another type of white blood cell engineered to synthesize and deliver bits of non-coding RNA or microRNA (miRNA).

Findings not supportive of women-specific chest pain symptoms in heart attack diagnosis

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:42 PM PST

Using chest pain characteristics (CPCs) specific to women in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack) in the emergency department does not seem to be supported by the findings of a study recently published.

Barriers to HPF vaccination among teens

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:42 PM PST

Barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents in the U.S. range from financial concerns and parental attitudes to social influences and concerns about the vaccination's effect on sexual behavior, according to a review of the available medical literature.

Cervical cancer screenings overused in some groups of women

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:42 PM PST

For the past 10 years, U.S. clinicians have been performing unnecessary Pap tests for cervical cancer screening in certain groups of women, according to a researcher.
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