ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Multiple pathways progressing to Alzheimer's disease
• A person's diet, acidity of urine may affect susceptibility to UTIs
• As siblings learn how to resolve conflict, parents pick up a few tips of their own
• Brain scan can predict who responds best to certain treatment for OCD
• Tracking genetic arms race between humans, mosquitoes
• Supercomputer model shows planet making waves in nearby debris disk
• Blue and fin whale distribution in waters off Southern California
• Most of America's poor have jobs, study finds
• Giant axonal neuropathy: Researchers develop innovative gene transfer-based treatment approach
• Lax rules put Congo's forests, key carbon reserve, at risk
• Compound in magnolia may combat head and neck cancers
• Synthetic biology used to engineer new route to biochemicals
• Some snowy forestlands cool climate better without trees
• Chloroplast tubes play a key role in plants' immune defense
• New approach holds promise for earlier, easier detection of colorectal cancer
• Top scientists call for improved incentives to ensure research integrity
• Faster internet? Electrical engineers break power and distance barriers for fiber optic communication
• Earth's daily rotation period encoded in an atomic-level protein structure
• Corals are already adapting to global warming, scientists say
• Low scores on memory and thinking tests may signal Alzheimer's 18 years prior to disease
• Backward-moving glacier helps scientists explain glacial earthquakes
• Stem-like progenitor cell that exclusively forms heart muscle
• Genetic discovery uncovers key tool for morphine production in poppies
• Solving the next step in the mystery of prions
• Smartphone app may prevent dangerous freezing of gait in Parkinson's patients
• Study highlights 'important safety issue' with widely used MRI contrast agents
• Artificial blood to assist in mosquito control research
• Cancer drug makes fruit flies live longer
• What controls blood flow in the brain?
• Calcium uptake by mitochondria makes heart beat harder in fight-or-flight response
• Songbirds have a thing for patterns
• Potential drug lessens neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease model
• Functional class helps predict mortality risk after surgery
• New drug squashes cancer's last-ditch efforts to survive
• New close-up view of key part of ebola virus life cycle
• Three simple rules govern complex brain circuit in fly
• Scientists pinpoint mutations responsible for ineffectiveness of 2014-2015 flu vaccine
• Analyzing genes according to evolutionary profile
• Investigating parent-child visitation in prison
• New class of compounds shrinks pancreatic cancer tumors, prevents regrowth
• Researchers stretch a thin crystal to get better solar cells
• A good appetizer could make your main course less enjoyable
• microRNA may provide therapy against pancreatic cancer
• Women on the U.S. $10? These eight women could fill the bill
• Children with severe head injuries are casualties of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan
• E2F4 signature can predict progression of bladder cancer
• Bad news and good news for birds nesting at reservoirs
• Eating in the absence of hunger: A recipe for expanding waistline
• Chimps are sensitive to what is right and wrong
• Breakthrough graphene production could trigger revolution in artificial skin development
• Past water patterns drive present wading bird numbers
• Experimental treatment sends deadly leukemia into remission
• Starfish that clone themselves live longer
• Pilot program in pediatric long-term care facility halves topical antibiotic use
• Infection preventionists may spend more time collecting data than protecting patients
• How companies can reduce sovereign risk
• New way of understanding police authority, power
• Recycled water, salt-tolerant grass a water-saving pair
• Antarctic life: Highly diverse, unusually structured
• Writing program with student interaction creates sense of purpose for seniors

Multiple pathways progressing to Alzheimer's disease Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:18 PM PDT The amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) posits that sticky aggregations or plaques of amyloid-beta peptides accumulate over time in the brain, triggering a series of events that ultimately result in the full-blown neurodegenerative disorder. The hypothesis has been a major driver of AD research for more than 20 years. However, in a new study, researchers suggest the picture is not so clear-cut, reporting that early indicators or biomarkers of AD development are not fixed in a specific sequence.

A person's diet, acidity of urine may affect susceptibility to UTIs Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:16 PM PDT The acidity of urine — as well as the presence of small molecules related to diet — may influence how well bacteria can grow in the urinary tract, a new study shows. The research may have implications for treating urinary tract infections, which are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide.

As siblings learn how to resolve conflict, parents pick up a few tips of their own Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:15 PM PDT When children participated in a program designed to reduce sibling conflict, both parents benefited from a lessening of hostilities on the home front. But mothers experienced a more direct reward. As they viewed the children's sessions in real time on a video monitor and coached the kids at home to respond as they'd been taught, moms found that, like their kids, they were better able to manage their own emotions during stressful moments.

Brain scan can predict who responds best to certain treatment for OCD Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:15 PM PDT A certain detail from patients' brain scans could help clinicians identify which people are more likely to relapse after cognitive-behavioral therapy -- and why. Tens of millions of Americans -- an estimated 1 to 2 percent of the population -- will suffer at some point in their lifetimes from obsessive-compulsive disorder, a disorder characterized by recurrent, intrusive, and disturbing thoughts (obsessions), and/or stereotyped recurrent behaviors (compulsions).

Tracking genetic arms race between humans, mosquitoes Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:15 PM PDT Individual populations of mosquitoes are under strong evolutionary pressure from humans and their environment, a new study shows.

Supercomputer model shows planet making waves in nearby debris disk Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:14 PM PDT A new supercomputer simulation of the planet and debris disk around the nearby star Beta Pictoris reveals that the planet's motion drives spiral waves throughout the disk, a phenomenon that causes collisions among the orbiting debris. Patterns in the collisions and the resulting dust appear to account for many observed features that previous research has been unable to fully explain.

Blue and fin whale distribution in waters off Southern California Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:14 PM PDT A new study indicates a steady population trend for blue whales and an upward population trend for fin whales in Southern California.

Most of America's poor have jobs, study finds Posted: 25 Jun 2015 01:14 PM PDT Sociologists evaluated 129 existing methods for defining the 'working poor' and propose one method as a unified definition. Their estimate is that 10 percent of all working households are poor. That's lower than some federal estimates, but it also means that a majority of poor Americans have jobs.

Giant axonal neuropathy: Researchers develop innovative gene transfer-based treatment approach Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:54 AM PDT Researchers have developed an innovative, experimental gene transfer-based treatment for children with giant axonal neuropathy (GAN). This extremely rare genetic disorder causes children to gradually lose the ability to balance themselves, move their muscles and to feel certain sensations. Most children born with GAN do not survive beyond their early 20s because of progressive impairment of their ability to breath.

Lax rules put Congo's forests, key carbon reserve, at risk Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:53 AM PDT Without new conservation efforts, the Democratic Republic of Congo could lose up to 20 percent of its forests, unleashing a 60 percent increase in carbon emissions from one of the largest carbon reserves in the world, a new study shows.

Compound in magnolia may combat head and neck cancers Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:53 AM PDT As one of the compounds in magnolia extract, honokiol has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine to treat anxiety and other conditions. More recently, scientists have been revealing its cancer-fighting properties.

Synthetic biology used to engineer new route to biochemicals Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:53 AM PDT Chemists create a new pathway that allows E. coli bacteria to feed on sugar and acetate to make isobutyl coA, a raw material for fuels and chemicals.

Some snowy forestlands cool climate better without trees Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:52 AM PDT Forests worldwide are increasingly used to store carbon as a way to slow climate change, but a new study finds that some wooded areas may be more valuable without trees, allowing the cleared landscape to reflect rather than absorb the sun's energy. In other words, it's better to have snow-covered ground act as a natural mirror if you want to use some forest lands to cool the climate.

Chloroplast tubes play a key role in plants' immune defense Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:52 AM PDT When plant cells are infected with pathogens, networks of tiny tubes called stromules grow from the chloroplasts to the cell's nucleus and trigger programmed cell death and innate immune responses.

New approach holds promise for earlier, easier detection of colorectal cancer Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:52 AM PDT A new, sensitive electrochemical technique capable of detecting colorectal cancer in tissue samples has been developed by chemists -- a method that could one day be used in clinical settings for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Top scientists call for improved incentives to ensure research integrity Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:52 AM PDT Scientific controversies, from problems replicating results - such as with the now debunked association between autism and MMR vaccines -- to researcher misconduct and sensationalism, have led to speculation of 'trouble at the lab,' as the Economist put it. Top scientists have now examine ways to return to high scientific standards.

Faster internet? Electrical engineers break power and distance barriers for fiber optic communication Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:52 AM PDT Photonics researchers have increased the maximum power -- and therefore distance -- at which optical signals can be sent through optical fibers. This advance has the potential to increase the data transmission rates for the fiber optic cables that serve as the backbone of the Internet, cable, wireless and landline networks. The new study presents a solution to a long-standing roadblock to increasing data transmission rates in optical fiber.

Earth's daily rotation period encoded in an atomic-level protein structure Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:52 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that Earth's daily rotation period (24 hours) is encoded in the KaiC protein at the atomic level, a small, 10 nm-diameter biomolecule expressed in cyanobacterial cells.The results of this joint research will help elucidate a longstanding question in chronobiology: How is the circadian period of biological clocks determined?

Corals are already adapting to global warming, scientists say Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:48 AM PDT Some coral populations already have genetic variants necessary to tolerate warm ocean waters, and humans can help to spread these genes, scientists have found.

Low scores on memory and thinking tests may signal Alzheimer's 18 years prior to disease Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:39 AM PDT Errors on memory and thinking tests may signal Alzheimer's up to 18 years before the disease can be diagnosed, a new study suggests.

Backward-moving glacier helps scientists explain glacial earthquakes Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:39 AM PDT The relentless flow of a glacier may seem unstoppable, but a team of researchers from the United Kingdom and the U.S. has shown that during some calving events -- when an iceberg breaks off into the ocean -- the glacier moves rapidly backward and downward, causing the characteristic glacial earthquakes which until now have been poorly understood.

Stem-like progenitor cell that exclusively forms heart muscle Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:39 AM PDT Future therapies for failing hearts are likely to include stem-like cells and associated growth factors that regenerate heart muscle. Scientists have just taken an important step towards that future by identifying a stem-like "progenitor" cell that produces only heart muscle cells.

Genetic discovery uncovers key tool for morphine production in poppies Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:37 AM PDT Scientists have made a key genetic discovery in poppies, paving the way for more effective painkillers.

Solving the next step in the mystery of prions Posted: 25 Jun 2015 11:36 AM PDT Working towards the ultimate goal to develop therapeutics to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and BSE (Mad Cow Disease), scientists are investigating the physical principles underlying the formation of misfolded protein aggregates. The aggregates of misfolded proteins -- proteins that clump together in the 'wrong' structure -- feature prominently in these fatal degenerative diseases.

Smartphone app may prevent dangerous freezing of gait in Parkinson's patients Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:11 AM PDT CuPID is striving to provide personalized rehabilitation for patients with Parkinson's disease who experience gait disturbances. It is a home-based personalized rehabilitation tool in the form of a smartphone app that harnesses wearable sensors, audio biofeedback, and external cuing to provide intense motivational training tailored to each patient.

Study highlights 'important safety issue' with widely used MRI contrast agents Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:11 AM PDT New results in animals highlight a major safety concern regarding a class of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents used in millions of patients each year. The study adds to concerns that repeated use of specific "linear"-type gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) lead to deposits of the heavy-metal element gadolinium in the brain.

Artificial blood to assist in mosquito control research Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:11 AM PDT Scientists continue to advance research on controlling one of the world's most notorious species of pests, the mosquito.

Cancer drug makes fruit flies live longer Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT Adult fruit flies given a cancer drug live 12 percent longer than average, according to a study researching healthy aging. The drug targets a specific cellular process that occurs in animals, including humans, delaying the onset of age-related deaths by slowing the aging process.

What controls blood flow in the brain? Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT Scientists present the strongest evidence yet that smooth muscle cells surrounding blood vessels in the brain are the only cells capable of contracting to control blood vessel diameter and thus regulate blood flow. This basic anatomical understanding may also have important implications for phenomena observed in stroke and migraines.

Calcium uptake by mitochondria makes heart beat harder in fight-or-flight response Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT In a life-threatening situation, the heart beats faster and harder, invigorated by the fight-or-flight response, which instantaneously prepares a person to react or run. Now, a new study shows that the uptick in heart muscle contractility that occurs under acute stress is driven by a flood of calcium into mitochondria -- the cells' energy-producing powerhouses.

Songbirds have a thing for patterns Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT You might think that young children would first learn to recognize sounds and then learn how those categories of sounds fit together into words. But that isn't how it works. Rather, kids learn sounds and words at the same time. Now, researchers present evidence from European starlings showing that songbirds learn their songs in much the same way.

Potential drug lessens neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease model Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:03 AM PDT The first test in a mammalian model of a potential new class of drugs to treat Parkinson's disease shows abatement of neurodegeneration in the brains of test rats and no significant toxicities.

Functional class helps predict mortality risk after surgery Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:02 AM PDT Information on functional status—whether or not a person can carry out routine daily tasks independently—improves the ability to predict risk of death in patients undergoing surgery, according to a study.

New drug squashes cancer's last-ditch efforts to survive Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:02 AM PDT As a tumor grows, its cancerous cells ramp up an energy-harvesting process to support its hasty development. This process, called autophagy, is normally used by a cell to recycle damaged organelles and proteins, but is also co-opted by cancer cells to meet their increased energy and metabolic demands. A compound that stops this cellular recycling process has now been developed by scientists.

New close-up view of key part of ebola virus life cycle Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:02 AM PDT A key part of the Ebola virus life cycle has been revealed at a higher resolution than ever before. The research sheds light on how Ebola virus assembles--and how researchers might stop the often-fatal infection.

Three simple rules govern complex brain circuit in fly Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:02 AM PDT Think the nest of cables under your desk is bad? Try keeping the trillions of connections crisscrossing your brain organized and free of tangles. A new study reveals this seemingly intractable job may be simpler than it appears.

Scientists pinpoint mutations responsible for ineffectiveness of 2014-2015 flu vaccine Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:02 AM PDT Viruses like influenza have the ability to mutate over time, and given that the flu vaccines administered during the 2014-2015 season were largely ineffective at preventing the spread of the flu, it appears the virus that recently circulated had taken on mutations not accounted for when last year's vaccine was developed. Now, researchers have identified specific mutations that influenza recently acquired to escape the current vaccine design.

Analyzing genes according to evolutionary profile Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:01 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new Internet tool that will allow any investigator, physician or patient to analyze genes according to their evolutionary profile and find associated genes. The tool combines genomics and informatics to enables the rapid, cost-free identification of genes responsible for diseases, by inputting results from genetic mapping studies concerning suspected genes, and identifying connections to known genes with association to diseases.

Investigating parent-child visitation in prison Posted: 25 Jun 2015 10:00 AM PDT It's not 'cupcakes and lollipops' for most children who visit a parent in prison, with two-thirds reported to have negative experiences including fear, anger, anxiety, and related reactions, according to a study.

New class of compounds shrinks pancreatic cancer tumors, prevents regrowth Posted: 25 Jun 2015 09:59 AM PDT A chemical compound that has reduced the growth of pancreatic cancer tumors by 80 percent in treated mice has been developed by researchers. The compound, called MM41, was designed to block faulty genes. It appears to do this by targeting little knots in their DNA, called quadruplexes, which are very different from normal DNA and which are especially found in faulty genes.

Researchers stretch a thin crystal to get better solar cells Posted: 25 Jun 2015 09:59 AM PDT An interdisciplinary team has made a semiconductor crystal with a variable band gap. Among other potential uses, this variable semiconductor could lead to solar cells that absorb more energy from the sun by being sensitive to a broader spectrum of light.

A good appetizer could make your main course less enjoyable Posted: 25 Jun 2015 09:59 AM PDT A new study outlines how a good appetizer can make people enjoy the main course less, and a mediocre appetizer can make them enjoy the main course more.

microRNA may provide therapy against pancreatic cancer Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:31 AM PDT Cancer researchers have found that a particular microRNA may be a potent therapeutic agent against pancreatic cancer. The need for new therapies for pancreatic cancer patients is great as only 7 percent of people with the disease survive more than 5 years after diagnosis. According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be an estimated 48,960 new cases of pancreatic cancer and 40,560 deaths from the disease in 2015.

Women on the U.S. $10? These eight women could fill the bill Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:31 AM PDT Some notable but lesser-known women in American history might be overlooked as possibilities for the soon-to-be redesigned 10 dollar bill.

Children with severe head injuries are casualties of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:30 AM PDT During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. combat support hospitals treated at least 650 children with severe, combat-related head injuries, according to a new report.

E2F4 signature can predict progression of bladder cancer Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:29 AM PDT Investigators harnessed genomic data to discover that the previously identified E2F4 signature in breast cancer can be utilized to predict prognosis and response to therapy in bladder cancer.

Bad news and good news for birds nesting at reservoirs Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:20 AM PDT In a six-year study at Arrow Lakes Reservoir in British Columbia, researchers found that while some nests failed due to flooding as the reservoir filled up in the spring, the higher water levels actually provided benefits for the nests that survived. Their results show that overall, nesting in the reservoir's riparian areas did not reduce nest success.

Eating in the absence of hunger: A recipe for expanding waistline Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:20 AM PDT Snacking when you're not hungry can cause weight gain as much as overly large portion sizes and energy-rich foods, a researcher reports.

Chimps are sensitive to what is right and wrong Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:20 AM PDT How a chimpanzee views a video of an infant chimp from another group being killed gives a sense of how human morality and social norms might have evolved. A new study provides the first evidence that chimpanzees, like humans, are sensitive to the appropriateness of behaviors, especially those directed toward infants.

Breakthrough graphene production could trigger revolution in artificial skin development Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:20 AM PDT A pioneering new technique to produce high-quality, low cost graphene could pave the way for the development of the first truly flexible 'electronic skin,' that could be used in robots.

Past water patterns drive present wading bird numbers Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:13 AM PDT Wading bird numbers in the Florida Everglades are driven by water patterns that play out over multiple years according to a new study. Previously, existing water conditions were seen as the primary driving factor affecting numbers of birds, but this research shows that the preceding years' water conditions and availability are equally important.

Experimental treatment sends deadly leukemia into remission Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:13 AM PDT An experimental new treatment approach for a rare, deadly leukemia can send the disease into remission even in patients for whom the standard therapy has failed, a pilot study has found. The study is 'proof of principle' the cutting-edge approach could be used to treat many other cancers as well.

Starfish that clone themselves live longer Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:13 AM PDT Starfish that reproduce through cloning avoid aging to a greater extent than those that propagate through sexual reproduction.

Pilot program in pediatric long-term care facility halves topical antibiotic use Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:13 AM PDT A pilot antibiotic stewardship program at a pediatric long-term care facility brought about a 59 percent decrease in use of a topical antibiotic and an 83 percent decrease in orders for antibiotics without proper documentation during a six-month period, according to a new study.

Infection preventionists may spend more time collecting data than protecting patients Posted: 25 Jun 2015 08:13 AM PDT Collecting and reporting hospital infection data to federal health agencies takes more than five hours each day, at the expense of time needed to ensure that frontline healthcare personnel are adhering to basic infection prevention practices such as hand hygiene, according to a recent case study.

How companies can reduce sovereign risk Posted: 25 Jun 2015 06:13 AM PDT In a new study of five-year spreads on credit default swap contracts for more than 2,000 U.S. and international firms, a finance researcher found that strong property rights and transparency are key in securing a stable financial future for companies amid a widespread rise in sovereign risk around the globe.

New way of understanding police authority, power Posted: 25 Jun 2015 06:12 AM PDT The police aim at maintaining law and order and social peace, and to achieve it they can make use of authority and power in a coercive way, through repression, prohibition or control, but they can also make use of this authority and power to manage conflicts and seek amicable settlements between the parties. A study claims the opportunities offered by police mediation, which operation is still attached to a great dose of "lawlessness". In this sense, the research shows legal arguments, which clearly support the legal framework of police mediation and compliance with the reporting principles of voluntariness, freely availability and confidentiality governing any field of mediation.

Recycled water, salt-tolerant grass a water-saving pair Posted: 25 Jun 2015 06:11 AM PDT Plants need water. People need water. Unfortunately, there's only so much clean water to go around -- and so the effort begins to find a solution. One strategy is to use treated wastewater, containing salt leftover from the cleaning process, to water large areas of turf grass. Researchers have found ways to breed salt-tolerant turf that can withstand this irrigation.

Antarctic life: Highly diverse, unusually structured Posted: 25 Jun 2015 06:11 AM PDT In a comprehensive assessment of Antarctic biodiversity scientists have revealed the region is more diverse and biologically interesting than previously thought. The team noted several unusual ways in which patterns of biodiversity are produced in the region. Geothermal, heated areas, such as volcanoes, have played an important role as refuges from icy, glacial conditions on land. At sea, wind has an especially significant effect on diversity. Windier areas have more seabird species.

Writing program with student interaction creates sense of purpose for seniors Posted: 25 Jun 2015 06:11 AM PDT A unique program combining a life review writing workshop with conversations between seniors and college students enhances the sense of meaning in life for older adults living independently, finds a new study.

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