ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Antireflective Coating: Sugar-based carbon hollow spheres that mimic moth eyes
• Runaway stars leave infrared waves in space
• Andromeda galaxy scanned with high-energy X-ray vision
• Rover rounds Martian dune to get to the other side
• During Great Recession, employees drank less on the job, but more afterwards
• Traveling salesman uncorks synthetic biology bottleneck
• Injuries among Dungeness crab fishermen examined in new study
• Scientists discover nursery ground for sand tiger sharks in Long Island's Great South Bay
• Mosquitoes more likely to lay eggs in water sources near flowers
• Dandelion uses latex to protect its roots against insect feeding
• New model uses public health statistics to signal when disease elimination is imminent
• New material for detecting photons captures more quantum information
• Study of a pregnant cockroach paves a new direction in genetics research
• Bacteria, electrons spin in similar patterns
• Novel RNA delivery system may treat incurable blood cancers
• Why daring to compare online prices pays off offline
• Service-learning courses can positively impact post-graduate salaries
• Promising new approach for controlled fabrication of carbon nanostructures
• Kaolin effectively controls whitefly in beans
• Female urologists still earn less money than their male counterparts
• Irradiation preserves blueberry, grape quality
• Levetiracetam shows promise for treatment of feline audiogenic reflex seizures
• First ever digital geologic map of Alaska
• Racial disparities in kidney transplantation rates eased by new allocation system
• DNA repair enzyme identified as a potential brain cancer drug target
• Why white, older men are more likely to die of suicide
• Antidepressant drug linked with increased risk of birth defects when taken in early pregnancy
• Changes in brain connectivity protect against developing bipolar disorder
• Researchers track eye movements to improve visual searches
• Beyond dance: Ballet training improves muscle coordination in everyday activities
• Zombified caterpillars forced to carb-load by parasitoid wasps
• Snakes show that eating can be bad for your health
• Physicists simulate innovative method for starting up tokamaks without using a solenoid
• Bringing popular South American food fish to Florida
• Radiation an important addition to treatment for pancreatic cancer surgery candidates
• Broken bone may lead to widespread body pain, not just at the site of the fracture
• Overweight young people can avoid diabetes risk if they lose weight early enough, says new research
• High blood sugar levels could lead to heart attack complications
• Tools for protecting drinking water
• Reliably detecting dengue fever
• Unique high-resolution map on bat diversity in Africa
• Causes of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia identified
• Use of anticholinergic drugs does not increase risk for dementia in Parkinson's disease patients
• Schizophrenia gene traced in chicken study
• Optical coherence tomography may speed detection of pneumonia-related bacteria in ICU patients
• Community food bank study dispels belief healthy diets are costly
• Polyurethane phase morphology induces endothelial cell organization
• New findings on embryonic heart valves may prevent congenital heart defects in newborns
• High frequency of spontaneous mutation in Ebola virus, study shows
• Waste less at home
• Penetrating head gunshot wounds in children and adolescents: Factors predicting outcomes
• Improving vaginal discomfort after menopause
• Medical research influenced by training 'genealogy'
• Experts question automatic osteoporosis drug holidays
• Beam-beam compensation scheme doubles proton-proton collision rates
• Cardiovascular disease in adult survivors of childhood cancer
• Map shows hotspots for bat-human virus transmission risk
• Impact of seaweed-covered corals on reef fish
• Gene thought to suppress cancer may actually promote spread of colorectal cancer
• Pediatric sickle cell study stopped early due to positive results

Antireflective Coating: Sugar-based carbon hollow spheres that mimic moth eyes Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:35 PM PST Researchers have developed a novel, low-cost, ultra-lightweight material that could be used as an effective anti-reflective surface for microwave radiation based on the eyes of moths.

Runaway stars leave infrared waves in space Posted: 05 Jan 2016 01:08 PM PST Astronomers are finding dozens of the fastest stars in our galaxy. When some speedy, massive stars plow through space, they can cause material to stack up in front of them in the same way that water piles up ahead of a ship. Called bow shocks, these dramatic, arc-shaped features in space are leading researchers to uncover massive, so-called runaway stars.

Andromeda galaxy scanned with high-energy X-ray vision Posted: 05 Jan 2016 01:03 PM PST NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has captured the best high-energy X-ray view yet of a portion of our nearest large, neighboring galaxy, Andromeda. The space mission has observed 40 "X-ray binaries" -- intense sources of X-rays composed of a black hole or neutron star that feeds off a stellar companion.

Rover rounds Martian dune to get to the other side Posted: 05 Jan 2016 01:00 PM PST NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, partway through the first up-close study ever conducted of extraterrestrial sand dunes, is providing dramatic views of a dune's steep face, where cascading sand has sculpted very different textures than the wavy ripples visible on the dune's windward slope.

During Great Recession, employees drank less on the job, but more afterwards Posted: 05 Jan 2016 12:10 PM PST Periods of economic uncertainty tend to influence drinking problems among people who lose their jobs, as some turn to alcohol due to stress or because they have more free time and fewer responsibilities. But what about the drinking habits of people who remain employed? A new study explored the effects of the Great Recession of 2007-09 on alcohol use among people who remained employed.

Traveling salesman uncorks synthetic biology bottleneck Posted: 05 Jan 2016 12:10 PM PST A computer program has been created that will open a challenging field in synthetic biology to the entire world -- repetitive polypeptides. The freely available computer program based on the 'traveling salesman' mathematics problem will enable synthetic biologists to find the least-repetitive genetic code for repetitive polypeptides, allowing those with limited resources or expertise to easily explore synthetic biomaterials that were once available to only a small fraction of the field.

Injuries among Dungeness crab fishermen examined in new study Posted: 05 Jan 2016 12:10 PM PST Commercial Dungeness crab fishing on the West Coast is one of the highest risk occupations in the United States, based on fatality rates. But non-fatal injuries in the fishery appear to go largely unreported, a new study shows.

Scientists discover nursery ground for sand tiger sharks in Long Island's Great South Bay Posted: 05 Jan 2016 12:10 PM PST Scientists and veterinarians have discovered something noteworthy in the near shore waters of Long Island's Great South Bay: a nursery ground for the sand tiger shark, a fearsome-looking but non-aggressive fish.

Mosquitoes more likely to lay eggs in water sources near flowers Posted: 05 Jan 2016 12:09 PM PST Certain mosquitoes are more likely to lay eggs in water sources near flowers than in water sources without flowers, according to a new article.

Dandelion uses latex to protect its roots against insect feeding Posted: 05 Jan 2016 12:09 PM PST Dandelions are troublesome weeds that are detested by most gardeners. Yet dandelions also have many insect enemies in nature. However, they can protect themselves with their latex, a milky, bitter-tasting sap. Scientists have demonstrated that a single latex compound protects dandelion roots against voracious cockchafer larvae. Thus, latex plays a crucial role in dandelion defense against root feeders.

New model uses public health statistics to signal when disease elimination is imminent Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:42 AM PST Ecologists have developed a model showing that public health surveillance data can be used to signal when a disease is approaching eradication. Their research lays the groundwork for a potential new tool in the fight against infectious diseases.

New material for detecting photons captures more quantum information Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:32 AM PST Detecting individual particles of light just got a bit more precise -- by 74 picoseconds to be exact -- thanks to advances in materials by researchers fabricating superconducting nanowires.

Study of a pregnant cockroach paves a new direction in genetics research Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:32 AM PST Examination could hold wider applications on how stress during pregnancy affects mothers and offspring.

Bacteria, electrons spin in similar patterns Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:31 AM PST Scientists have identified an unexpected shared pattern in the collective movement of bacteria and electrons: As billions of bacteria stream through a microfluidic lattice, they synchronize and swim in patterns similar to those of electrons orbiting around atomic nuclei in a magnetic material.

Novel RNA delivery system may treat incurable blood cancers Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:31 AM PST Mantle Cell Lymphoma is considered the most aggressive known blood cancer, and available therapies are scarce. A new study offers tangible hope of curing the currently incurable cancer -- and others like it.

Why daring to compare online prices pays off offline Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:29 AM PST When setting in-store prices or offering price-matching guarantees, offline retailers should focus more on online retailer ratings than on offering the lowest prices, new research suggests.

Service-learning courses can positively impact post-graduate salaries Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:27 AM PST Service-learning experiences in college can reach beyond the classroom -- and help grow graduates' bank accounts once they enter the workforce, according to a recent study. The study centered on a group of college students who graduated in 2010 and found that they made about $4,600 more annually in their first full-time job if they had participated in service-learning courses while earning their degrees.

Promising new approach for controlled fabrication of carbon nanostructures Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:27 AM PST A new strategy for fabricating atomically controlled carbon nanostructures used in molecular carbon-based electronics has been created by a group of researchers. The complete electronic structure of a conjugated organic polymer, and the influence of the substrate on its electronic properties are outlined in a new article.

Kaolin effectively controls whitefly in beans Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:27 AM PST Scientists determined the influence of kaolin on development of populations of whitefly in greenhouses, and its effect on the physiological characteristics of bean crops. Results showed a high percentage of efficacy on whitefly control in plants treated with 5 percent kaolin. Foliar applications of kaolin decreased transpiration and enhanced the contents of leaf chlorophyll without affecting yield. The findings show that use of kaolin particle film can be an alternative tool for managing bean crops.

Female urologists still earn less money than their male counterparts Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:27 AM PST Although the field of urology remains largely male dominated, the proportion of female physicians specializing in urology has increased from less than 0.5 percent in 1981 to 10 percent today, and 33 percent of students entering urology internships and residency programs are now female. Researchers report that gender inequality between male and female urologists persists with women currently earning approximately $76,000 less than men annually.

Irradiation preserves blueberry, grape quality Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:27 AM PST Scientists monitored the effects of irradiation on the quality of three varieties of blueberries and two varieties of grapes treated at phytosanitary dose levels. Results showed that blueberries and grapes have a high tolerance for phytosanitary irradiation and that storage affects quality more than irradiation. Firmness was the primary attribute affected by irradiation for both varieties of grapes. Sensory tests showed that consumers did not have a preference for control or irradiated fruit.

Levetiracetam shows promise for treatment of feline audiogenic reflex seizures Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:27 AM PST New findings about the treatment of the syndrome of feline audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS) have been provided by experts in a new article. FARS is a problem of older cats, which typically exhibit myoclonic seizures (brief, shock-like jerks of a muscle or a group of muscles) in response to certain high-pitched sounds.

First ever digital geologic map of Alaska Posted: 05 Jan 2016 10:27 AM PST A new digital geologic map of Alaska is being released providing land users, managers and scientists geologic information for the evaluation of land use in relation to recreation, resource extraction, conservation, and natural hazards.

Racial disparities in kidney transplantation rates eased by new allocation system Posted: 05 Jan 2016 08:23 AM PST Year-old changes to the system that distributes deceased donor kidneys nationwide have significantly boosted transplantation rates for black and Hispanic patients on waiting lists, reducing racial disparities inherent in the previous allocation formula used for decades, according to results of new research.

DNA repair enzyme identified as a potential brain cancer drug target Posted: 05 Jan 2016 08:23 AM PST When they removed Dicer from preclinical models of medulloblastoma, a common type of brain cancer in children, researchers found high levels of DNA damage in the cancer cells, leading to the cells' death. The tumor cells were smaller, and also more sensitive to chemotherapy, they report.

Why white, older men are more likely to die of suicide Posted: 05 Jan 2016 08:23 AM PST An important factor in white men's psychological brittleness and vulnerability to suicide once they reach late life may be dominant scripts of masculinity, aging and suicide, a psychology researcher says.

Antidepressant drug linked with increased risk of birth defects when taken in early pregnancy Posted: 05 Jan 2016 08:21 AM PST Using paroxetine -- a medication prescribed to treat conditions including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder -- during the first trimester of pregnancy may increase newborns' risk of congenital malformations and cardiac malformations. Up to one-fifth of women of childbearing age experience depressive symptoms that often lead to mild to moderate depression, and prescriptions for antidepressants during pregnancy have increased in recent years. The most common drugs for treating depression in pregnant women are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and up until 2005, one drug in that class -- paroxetine -- was considered to be safe for use during pregnancy.

Changes in brain connectivity protect against developing bipolar disorder Posted: 05 Jan 2016 08:21 AM PST Naturally occurring changes in brain wiring can help patients at high genetic risk of developing bipolar disorder avert the onset of the illness, according to a new study.

Researchers track eye movements to improve visual searches Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:23 AM PST Researchers are mimicking high-stakes visual search scenarios in the lab to gauge performances of independent searchers and search pairs. Preliminary research showed that two heads might not always be better than one.

Beyond dance: Ballet training improves muscle coordination in everyday activities Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:23 AM PST Professional ballet dancers have more control over their muscles than individuals with no dance training, new research shows.

Zombified caterpillars forced to carb-load by parasitoid wasps Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:23 AM PST Parasitoid wasps manipulate their caterpillar hosts into eating a more wasp-friendly diet, report investigators. It turns out that when caterpillars eat more carbs, the wasp larvae that chew their way out of the caterpillar's carcass are bigger, explain the scientists.

Snakes show that eating can be bad for your health Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:22 AM PST Eating increases the amount of damaging reactive molecules in the body, potentially shaping and constraining life history evolution across animal groups, new research on snakes shows.

Physicists simulate innovative method for starting up tokamaks without using a solenoid Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:22 AM PST Scientists have produced self-consistent computer simulations that capture the evolution of an electric current inside fusion plasma without using a central electromagnet, or solenoid.

Bringing popular South American food fish to Florida Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:22 AM PST Have you dined on Arapaima? South Americans eat the fish regularly, and now researchers are studying whether it could be a viable food fish in the United States.

Radiation an important addition to treatment for pancreatic cancer surgery candidates Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:19 AM PST Radiation therapy was associated with a lower risk of cancer recurrence in pancreatic cancer surgery patients, making it, like chemotherapy, an important addition to treatment, new research found. Whether radiotherapy helps patients after pancreatic cancer surgery has been a long-standing question, and the findings suggest that it does, says the study's senior author.

Broken bone may lead to widespread body pain, not just at the site of the fracture Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:19 AM PST Breaking a major bone may increase risk of widespread chronic body pain in later life, a new study has found. Researchers found that men and women who had a spine fracture and women who had a hip fracture were more than twice as likely to experience long term widespread pain as those who had not had a fracture.

Overweight young people can avoid diabetes risk if they lose weight early enough, says new research Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:19 AM PST Obese young people can still turn their chances of developing life threatening illness around if they change before middle age, says new research. The study looked at the body mass index (BMI) of people when they were young and compared it to when they were middle aged to see whether it affected their risk of heart attack, stroke or diabetes.

High blood sugar levels could lead to heart attack complications Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:19 AM PST Direct evidence of blood vessel contraction due to glucose (sugar) has now been demonstrated for the first time, researchers report. These effects were observed even at glucose levels that could be reached after a large meal. This research provides a potential therapeutic target for improving outcomes following a heart attack or stroke

Tools for protecting drinking water Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:19 AM PST We place high demands on the quality of our drinking water. If pathogens or toxic substances found their way into the piping system, many people could become infected or injured very quickly. That's why this risk must be kept low. To do this, experts have developed technologies for a comprehensive monitoring, early warning and emergency management system.

Reliably detecting dengue fever Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:18 AM PST Tiger mosquitoes are indigenous to Africa and Asia. However, they are increasingly being found around the Mediterranean and are bringing the dengue virus with them. Up to now, there's been no sure-fire antibody test for detecting this virus. Researchers have now developed such a test, creating a cost-effective and fail-safe way to diagnose dengue.

Unique high-resolution map on bat diversity in Africa Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:18 AM PST A unique map of all 250 African bat species has been created on a high-resolution scale (1 km2). There are very few examples of biodiversity richness based on quantitative data at a continental scale, especially for challenging guilds like bats.

Causes of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia identified Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:18 AM PST Southeast Asia has the greatest diversity of mangrove species in the world, and mangrove forests provide multiple ecosystem services upon which millions of people depend. Mangroves enhance fisheries by providing habitat for young fishes and offer coastal protection against storms and floods. They also store substantially higher densities of carbon, as compared to most other ecosystems globally, thus playing an important role in soaking up carbon dioxide emissions and mitigating climate change.

Use of anticholinergic drugs does not increase risk for dementia in Parkinson's disease patients Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:18 AM PST Recent evidence has shown a greater risk of dementia, in particular Alzheimer's disease (AD), in individuals using anticholinergic medications regularly. These drugs are widely used by older adults to treat bladder dysfunction, mood, and pain, and many of them are available without prescription. Since these drugs are often used to treat both motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), there is concern for increased risk of dementia. Contrary to expectations, a study has determined that the cognitive performance of PD patients taking anticholinergic medications did not differ from those who did not.

Schizophrenia gene traced in chicken study Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:18 AM PST Mood-based disorders are one of the top-ten causes of disability worldwide. However the genes underpinning these disorders have proven to be remarkably elusive, say investigators.

Optical coherence tomography may speed detection of pneumonia-related bacteria in ICU patients Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:17 AM PST Hospital medical staff may soon be able to more quickly visualize the presence of biofilm in endotracheal tubes, lessening the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, reports a new article. Researchers have demonstrated that demonstrated that optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to determine the presence of biofilm, providing an alternative to methods requiring arduous sample preparation.

Community food bank study dispels belief healthy diets are costly Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:17 AM PST Contrary to popular belief, healthy diets rich in fruits and vegetables are affordable, say researchers whose study focused on community food bank programs.

Polyurethane phase morphology induces endothelial cell organization Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:17 AM PST A new study demonstrates the role of nanostructured biphasic morphology of segmental polyurethanes as a matrix signal for organization of endothelial cells into network structures.

New findings on embryonic heart valves may prevent congenital heart defects in newborns Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:17 AM PST Natural triggers that could reduce the chance of life-threatening, congenital heart defects among newborn infants have been identified by biomedical engineers. Those triggers can override developmental, biological miscues, leading to proper embryonic heart and valve formation.

High frequency of spontaneous mutation in Ebola virus, study shows Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:17 AM PST Ebola virus has the potential to evolve rapidly, but the genetic changes result in viruses that are weakened or not viable, which could be exploited as a therapeutic, report scientists.

Waste less at home Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:17 AM PST Consumer food waste carries the highest environmental impact compared to losses earlier in the food chain, and it is no longer a problem concentrated only in higher income countries. How can household food waste be reduced? The proper answer might come from more research to identify which communication and marketing initiatives work better to decrease waste.

Penetrating head gunshot wounds in children and adolescents: Factors predicting outcomes Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:16 AM PST Intracranial gunshot wounds (GSWs) in children and adolescents have been studied by researchers who identified nine clinical, laboratory, and radiological factors that were predictive of these patients' outcomes.

Improving vaginal discomfort after menopause Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:16 AM PST A new phase III trial with positive results is taking intravaginal DHEA a step closer to governmental approval. The formulation could provide women who cannot or do not wish to use intravaginal estrogen with an effective vaginal alternative for easing vaginal symptoms and pain with sex after menopause.

Medical research influenced by training 'genealogy' Posted: 04 Jan 2016 06:22 PM PST By analyzing peer-reviewed scientific papers that examined the effectiveness of a surgical procedure, researchers provide evidence suggesting that the conclusions of these studies appear to be influenced by the authors' mentors and medical training.

Experts question automatic osteoporosis drug holidays Posted: 04 Jan 2016 06:22 PM PST A new editorial urges physicians to individualize treatment decisions based on their patients' fracture risk, rather than automatically interrupting or stopping bisphosphonate therapy after five or three years.

Beam-beam compensation scheme doubles proton-proton collision rates Posted: 04 Jan 2016 06:22 PM PST Accelerator physicists have successfully implemented an innovative scheme for increasing proton collision rates at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. More proton collisions produce more data for scientists to sift through to answer important nuclear physics questions, including the search for the source of proton spin.

Cardiovascular disease in adult survivors of childhood cancer Posted: 04 Jan 2016 06:22 PM PST For adult survivors of childhood cancer, cardiovascular disease presents at an earlier age, is associated with substantial morbidity, and is often asymptomatic. According to researchers, the type and frequency of screening that should be used in this group is not clear.

Map shows hotspots for bat-human virus transmission risk Posted: 04 Jan 2016 06:22 PM PST West Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia are most at risk from bat viruses 'spilling over' into humans resulting in new emerging diseases, according to a new global map. The map shows risk levels due to a variety of factors including large numbers of different bat viruses found locally, increasing population pressure, and hunting bats for bushmeat.

Impact of seaweed-covered corals on reef fish Posted: 04 Jan 2016 01:50 PM PST Butterflyfish avoid coral that has come in contact with seaweed, research shows. This is the first study to evaluate how coral-seaweed interactions affect coral associated reef fishes, a key component of coral reef resilience.

Gene thought to suppress cancer may actually promote spread of colorectal cancer Posted: 04 Jan 2016 01:42 PM PST A gene that is known to suppress the growth and spread of many types of cancer has the opposite effect in some forms of colorectal cancer, researchers have found. It is a finding that may lay the foundation for new colorectal cancer treatments.

Pediatric sickle cell study stopped early due to positive results Posted: 04 Jan 2016 01:42 PM PST For some children with sickle cell disease, the drug hydroxyurea is as effective as blood transfusions to reduce blood flow speeds in the brain, a national sickle cell disease study has found. Increased blood flows are a major risk factor for stroke in these children, report investigators.

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