الاثنين، 13 أكتوبر 2014

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News


Nanoparticles can act like liquid on the outside, crystal on the inside

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:49 AM PDT

A surprising phenomenon has been found in metal nanoparticles: They appear, from the outside, to be liquid droplets, wobbling and readily changing shape, while their interiors retain a perfectly stable crystal configuration.

New records set for silicon quantum computing

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

Two research teams working in the same laboratories have found distinct solutions to a critical challenge that has held back the realization of super powerful quantum computers. The teams created two types of quantum bits, or "qubits" -- the building blocks for quantum computers -- that each process quantum data with an accuracy above 99%.

Atomic map reveals clues to how cholesterol is made

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

In spite of its dangerous reputation, cholesterol is in fact an essential component of human cells. By mapping the structure of a key enzyme involved in making it, researchers have gained new insight into this complex process with implications for understanding and treating disease, including high cholesterol.

Efficacy of 'natural' bed bug pesticides compared

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

The efficacy of nine essential oil-based products and two detergents that are labeled and marketed for bed bug control were evaluated by researchers. When the researchers sprayed the 11 non-synthetic pesticides directly on bed bug nymphs, they found that only two -- EcoRaider (1% geraniol, 1% cedar extract, and 2% sodium lauryl sulfate) and Bed Bug Patrol (0.003% clove oil, 1% peppermint oil, and 1.3% sodium lauryl sulfate) -- killed more than 90 percent of them.

Bioinspired coating for medical devices repels blood, bacteria

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

Medical devices implanted in the body or in contact with flowing blood present two critical, life-threatening challenges for doctors treating their patients: blood clotting and bacterial infection. A team of scientists and engineers has developed a new surface coating for medical devices using FDA-approved materials. The coating repelled blood from more than 20 medically relevant substrates the team tested -- made of plastic to glass and metal -- and also suppressed biofilm formation.

Revving up fluorescence for superfast LEDs

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

Engineering researchers have made fluorescent molecules emit photons 1,000 times faster than normal -- a record in the field and an important step toward superfast light emitting diodes and quantum cryptography.

New cells meant to form blood vessels developed, treat peripheral artery disease

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

A technique to jump-start the body's systems for creating blood vessels has been developed by scientists, opening the door for potential new treatments for diseases whose impacts include amputation and blindness.

Novel culture system replicates course of Alzheimer's disease, confirms amyloid hypothesis

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

An innovative laboratory culture system has succeeded, for the first time, in reproducing the full course of events underlying the development of Alzheimer's disease. Using this system, investigators provide the first clear evidence supporting the hypothesis that deposition of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain is the first step in a cascade leading to the devastating neurodegenerative disease.

Icebergs once drifted to Florida, new climate model suggests

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

Using a first-of-its-kind, high-resolution numerical model to describe ocean circulation during the last ice age about 21,000 year ago, oceanographers have shown that icebergs and meltwater from the North American ice sheet would have regularly reached South Carolina and even southern Florida. The models are supported by the discovery of iceberg scour marks on the sea floor along the entire continental shelf.

A novel platform for future spintronic technologies

Posted: 12 Oct 2014 10:48 AM PDT

Spintronics is a new field of electronics, using electron spin rather than charge. Scientists have now shown that a conventional electrical insulator can be used as an optimal spintronic device.

Oral capsule as effective as invasive procedures for delivery of fecal transplant

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 02:21 PM PDT

A noninvasive method of delivering a promising therapy for persistent Clostridium difficile infection appears to be as effective as treatment via colonoscopy or through a nasogastric tube.

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News


Body contouring after bariatric surgery helps obese patients keep weight off

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 02:21 PM PDT

Patients who have plastic surgery to reshape their bodies after bariatric procedures are able to maintain 'significantly greater' weight loss than those who do not have surgery, according to a new study.

Oral capsule as effective as invasive procedures for delivery of fecal transplant

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 02:21 PM PDT

A noninvasive method of delivering a promising therapy for persistent Clostridium difficile infection appears to be as effective as treatment via colonoscopy or through a nasogastric tube.

Common anesthetic procedure dramatically improves well being of veterans with PTSD

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 02:20 PM PDT

A single application of a common anesthetic procedure could be the answer to alleviating anxiety, depression and psychological pain in those suffering from chronic, extreme post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research.

Detecting depressive states in elderly with on-line monitoring devices

Posted: 09 Oct 2014 01:36 PM PDT

Detecting depression in older adults through monitoring their daily routine has become a reality thanks to a new system developed by researchers. This technology can be used as an auxiliary tool for the care of elderly people, who for various reasons, such as family abandonment of or a chronic condition, tend to fall into a depressed state.

Launch of new sensor device on Hudson River set to 'wire' river for cleaner water

Posted: 09 Oct 2014 01:33 PM PDT

In the race to find solutions to critical water issues, the launch of a new cost-effective water quality sensor device is the first step in overcoming hurdles of historically prohibitive costs for long-term water resource monitoring, scientists say.

Low birth rates can actually pay off: Having fewer children can boost a country's standard of living, experts say

Posted: 09 Oct 2014 12:40 PM PDT

As birth rates decline in countries that include parts of Europe and East Asia, threatening the economic slowdown associated with aging populations, a global study suggests that in much of the world, it actually pays to have fewer children. The results challenge previous assumptions about population growth.

MRI machine provides in-depth analysis of strokes

Posted: 09 Oct 2014 12:38 PM PDT

A new, innovative way to classify the severity of a stroke, aid in diagnosis and evaluate potential treatments has been revealed by researchers. "Stroke affects millions of adults and children worldwide," said one expert. "This research offers a new technique for the chemical analysis of metabolites during stroke and a means of evaluating dynamic changes in cell processes and size in living tissue."

How doctors use prescription drug monitoring programs studied by researchers

Posted: 09 Oct 2014 12:38 PM PDT

As prescription drug abuse and overdose have escalated across the United States, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) were implemented in every state, but little is known about the types of clinicians who make the most use of PDMPs. Researchers have now examined the differences between prescribers of controlled substances who use PDMPs and those who do not.