The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. http://www.eurekalert.org en-us Copyright 2009 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:00:01 EST EurekAlert! http://www.eurekalert.org/images/logo.gif http://www.eurekalert.org The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 20 webmaster@eurekalert.org (EurekAlert!) Tree-dwelling ants generally live in harmony with their arboreal hosts. But new research suggests that when they run out of space in their trees of choice, the ants can get destructive to neighboring trees. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uocp-aaf110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uocp-aaf110609.php Two articles about Charles Darwin and his development of the theory of evolution by natural selection have been published in the AIBS journal BioScience and have been made open to the public in honor of the 150th anniversary of the publication of "On the Origin of Species." The articles are by Kevin Padian and James T. Costa. Together the articles dispel some common myths about Darwin the man and detail his efforts over many years to develop a theory to explain nature's diversity. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/aiob-apd110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/aiob-apd110609.php Three leading scientific organizations specializing in infectious diseases prevention issued a letter to President Obama today expressing their significant concern with current federal guidance concerning the use of personal protective equipment by health care workers in treating suspected or confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/idso-peu110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/idso-peu110609.php A rapid decline in metabolic activity on a PET scan after radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is correlated with good local tumor control, according to a study presented by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/tju-pir110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/tju-pir110609.php Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/wfub-nfs110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/wfub-nfs110609.php A small group of patients with severe Graves' eye disease experienced rapid improvement of their symptoms -- and improved vision -- following treatment with the drug rituximab. Inflammation around their eyes and damage to the optic nerve were significantly reduced. The same patients had not previously responded to steroids, a common treatment for Graves' eye disease. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uomh-rfn110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uomh-rfn110609.php Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital working in conjunction with EMS services, paramedics and fire services across Ontario found that a bystander who attempts CPR can quadruple the survival rate to over 50 percent. But Dr. Laurie Morrison and the research team at Rescu have found only 30 percent of bystanders in Toronto are willing to help, one of the lowest rates of bystanders helping others in the developed world. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/smh-lto110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/smh-lto110609.php A compound already used to treat pneumonia could become a new therapy for an inherited muscular wasting disease. A five-member team of researchers from University of Oregon and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry report that pentamidine might be adapted to counter genetic splicing defects in RNA that lead to type 1 myotonic dystrophy. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoo-phi110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoo-phi110609.php As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new Cornell study. That could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cu-nlt110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cu-nlt110609.php Enrollment has ended early in a large, multi-center clinical trial comparing two distinct resuscitation strategies delivered by emergency medical service (EMS) providers to increase blood flow during cardiac arrest. The study's independent monitoring board and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the lead sponsor of the study, stopped enrollment based on preliminary data suggesting that neither strategy significantly improved survival http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nhla-nse110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nhla-nse110609.php Results of an investigation conducted by University of Nevada, Reno researchers, public health officials and area physicians published this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, indicate that Washoe County experienced a cluster of a particular birth defect, gastroschisis, during the period April 2007-April 2008. Subsequent review of medical records since the study's conclusion indicates that while the rate is still elevated, the cluster appears to have subsided. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uonr-lhi110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uonr-lhi110609.php Depression and other emotional symptoms in survivors of torture and other traumatic experiences may be exacerbated by the effects of head injuries, according to a study from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, based at Massachusetts General Hospital. The researchers found structural changes in the brains of former South Vietnamese political detainees who had suffered head injuries and clearly linked those changes to psychiatric symptoms often seen in survivors of torture. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mgh-pio110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mgh-pio110609.php Newborns cry differently depending on their mother tongue. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/m-bwa110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/m-bwa110609.php Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and Montana State University have discovered a fungal protein that plays a key role in causing disease in plants and animals and which also shields the pathogen from oxidative stress. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/vt-ppa110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/vt-ppa110609.php A new national poll from Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that a majority of adults who tried to get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves or their children have been unable to do so. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/hsop-pmp110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/hsop-pmp110609.php A new Web site, www.DeathriskRankings.com, developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon allows users to explore differences in the probability of dying across European countries and the US states for men and women of different ages and races. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cmu-cmr110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cmu-cmr110609.php Plasmids, which are DNA molecules capable of independent replication in cells, have played an important role in gene technology. Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden have now demonstrated that plasmid-based methods, which had been limited to single-cell organisms such as bacteria and yeasts, can be extended to mosses, opening the door to applications of a number of powerful techniques in plant research. The findings have been published in the distinguished journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uu-dmi110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uu-dmi110609.php Researchers from the University of Granada (Spain) have designed a system for the mobility of military troops within a battlefield following the mechanisms used by ant colonies to moveThey have used settings of Panzer General, a commercial war video game, for the development of this software . http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uog-anc110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uog-anc110609.php An international team of scientists from the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Argentina and the United States has shown in a paper to be published in Science shortly how the chemistry of surface reactions underpinning catalysis can be modeled accurately with computers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/lu-cpr110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/lu-cpr110609.php The manufacture of parts by compaction and sintering involves filling a die with metal powder. Research scientists have simulated this process for the first time to achieve an evenly distributed powder density. This improves the cost-efficiency of sintering. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-pp110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-pp110609.php Polishing metal surfaces is a demanding but monotonous task, and it is difficult to find qualified young specialists. Polishing machines do not represent an adequate alternative because they cannot get to difficult parts of the surface. A new solution is provided by laser polishers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-lpa110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-lpa110609.php People would be willing to pay more for products that carry detailed nutritional information than for the so-called light items. Thus it has been confirmed by researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Center for Agro-Food Research and Technology of Aragón (CITA) in a new study on the nutritional labeling of breakfast biscuits. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-sf-wsm110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-sf-wsm110609.php SNM applauds the US House of Representatives for its passage of H.R. 3276 -- the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/sonm-sah110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/sonm-sah110609.php The seriousness of current global warming is underlined by a reconstruction of climate at Maxwell Bay in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula over approximately the last 14,000 years, which appears to show that the current warming and widespread loss of glacial ice are unprecedented. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nocs-pco110609.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nocs-pco110609.php Among eligible Medicare beneficiaries, increased use of carotid arterial stenting procedures to treat carotid stenosis -- the narrowing of the carotid artery -- is associated with higher rates of mortality and adverse clinical outcomes, including heart attack and stroke, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uops-hca110509.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uops-hca110509.php Astronomers, conducting the broadest survey to date of galaxies from about 800 million years after the Big Bang, have found 22 early galaxies and confirmed the age of one by its characteristic hydrogen signature at 787 million years post Big Bang. The finding is the first age-confirmation of a so-called dropout galaxy at that distant time and pinpoints when an era called the reionization epoch likely began. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ci-pe110409.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ci-pe110409.php The future for magentic nanoparticles (mNPs) appears bright With the design of "theranostic" molecules. mNPs could play a crucial role in developing one-stop tools to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat a wide range of common diseases and injuries. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/iop-mnt110309.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/iop-mnt110309.php Some 350 experts from 50 nations gathering in Mexico for their 3rd global meeting will outline the latest creative applications of DNA barcoding, including several projects related to human health, fraud, smuggling, the food chain and reconstructing environmental history. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cftb-dbc110109.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cftb-dbc110109.php The ATS has issued an official statement that outlines the Society's position on research, training, education, patient care and advocacy. The statement, which appears in the Nov. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, also makes specific recommendations on how elements of the organization can make these policies a part of new and ongoing projects. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ats-nso110209.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ats-nso110209.php Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, according to a new study. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ats-api110209.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ats-api110209.php U.S. and European Experts Applaud New Transatlantic Task Force on Antibiotic Resistance Threat http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/idso-uae110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/idso-uae110509.php Drugs sometimes have beneficial side effects. A glaucoma treatment causes luscious eyelashes. A blood pressure drug also aids those with a rare genetic disease. The newest surprise discovered by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is a gonorrhea medication that might help battle cancer. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/jhmi-1ds110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/jhmi-1ds110509.php The ELA Association and Zinedine Zidane, its emblematic ambassador, are proud to announce a world premiere: the results regarding the gene therapy in adrenoleukodystrophy conducted in France have just been published in the prestigious journal Science. Two children have been treated and their diseases have been halted. The children are doing well, which is unexpected for a disease destroying the brain in a few months. This discovery opens up treatment perspectives for numerous widespread diseases. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ea-tcs110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ea-tcs110509.php The Cornea and Laser Eye Institute is participating in a research study to determine if an investigational corneal inlay can safely and effectively reduce the need for reading glasses. Dr. Peter Hersh, the study doctor, will perform the procedures. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/tcal-nvr110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/tcal-nvr110509.php Researchers at Yale University have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body's immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their findings, published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/yu-nsm110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/yu-nsm110509.php Featured in this release are research papers on the following topics: "Antarctica warming a regional, not local, trend"; "New model factors storms into shoreline loss"; "Study agrees reservoir contributed to Wenchuan earthquake"; "Much Arctic warming linked to sea-ice, cloud-cover changes"; "Sorting out natural from human influences in ocean warming"; and "Meteoritic impacts may have cooked up life's components." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/agu-ajh110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/agu-ajh110509.php Picture it: one jerk in a bar spends the night delivering bad come-ons to women. By the end of the evening, the women aren't receptive to even the nicest guys around. It's a scenario with a basis in evolutionary theory. Males increase their fitness by acquiring more mates; however, this is often not the case for females -- and therein lies the conflict. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bu-mwr110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bu-mwr110509.php One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation -- their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/osu-cri110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/osu-cri110509.php The American Thyroid Association has released new, revised Management Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. The new guidelines are published in Thyroid, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Thyroid is the official journal of the American Thyroid Association. The ATA's revised management guidelines and accompanying editorials are available free online. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mali-nrg110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mali-nrg110509.php An innovative proposal by the Ecuadorian government to protect an untouched, oil rich region of Amazon rainforest is a precedent-setting and potentially economically viable approach, says a team of environmental researchers from the University of Maryland, the World Resources Institute and Save America's Forests. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uom-rhi110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uom-rhi110509.php LifeFlow, a new device from Tel Aviv University's Professor Ofer Barnea, applies a sophisticated algorithm to a computer-controlled IV drip to improve the efficiency of disaster response in the field. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/afot-khp110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/afot-khp110509.php School-based physical education plays a key role in curbing obesity and improving fitness among adolescents from low-income communities, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and UC Berkeley. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--pek110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--pek110509.php Results of a long QT syndrome study published in the current issue of Circulation play an important role in understanding genetic testing's role in diagnosing disease, according to the senior author, Michael Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D. A pediatric cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Ackerman directs Mayo's Long QT Syndrome Clinic and is the director of the Mayo Clinic Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mc-rfk110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mc-rfk110509.php Scientists are making progress toward development of an "artificial leaf" that mimics a real leaf's chemical magic with photosynthesis -- but instead converts sunlight and water into a liquid fuel such as methanol for cars and trucks. That is among the conclusions in a newly available report from top authorities on solar energy who met at the 1st Annual Chemical Sciences and Society Symposium. The symposium was organized by the American Chemical Society and other scientific societies. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acs-cds110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acs-cds110509.php Since her teens, Jennifer Jablon had watched family members deal with breast cancer during their 40s, 50s and 60s. She wondered whether it would be her fate too. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/usmc-pso110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/usmc-pso110509.php A new study by a team of researchers led by Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, associate professor of biological sciences, sheds light on the molecular basis by which tumor cells modulate their surroundings to favor cancer progression. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uond-nnd110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uond-nnd110509.php The Autism Consortium, an innovative collaboration of researchers, clinicians, funders and families dedicated to catalyzing research and enhancing clinical care for autism spectrum disorders, held its fourth annual symposium on Oct. 28, 2009, at Harvard Medical School in Boston. The meeting gave scientists, clinicians, advocates and parents an opportunity to gather for the latest information on causes of autism and their implications for diagnosis, prognosis and therapies for people with autism spectrum disorders. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ac-acs110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ac-acs110509.php Real-time observation sheds new light on multiple sclerosis. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/m-ctl110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/m-ctl110509.php Carnegie Mellon's Lucio Soibelman, H. Scott Matthews and Jose M.F. Mourareceived a three-year $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to identify inexpensive ways to track energy consumption. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cmu-cmr110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cmu-cmr110509.php Substances naturally produced by the human body may one day help prevent paralysis following a spinal cord injury, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. A recent $2.5 million grant from the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board will fund their research investigating this possibility. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nyph-ren110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nyph-ren110509.php Most biopsies following mammograms reveal benign abnormalities, not cancer. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uof-rb110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uof-rb110509.php A new study indicates dentists can play a potentially life-saving role in health care by identifying patients at risk of fatal heart attacks and referring them to physicians for further evaluation. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ada-ssd110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ada-ssd110509.php Rush University Medical Center has opened the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Clinic to offer patients suffering from major depression a safe, effective, nondrug treatment. TMS therapy is the first FDA-approved, noninvasive antidepressant device-based treatment clinically proven for treatment of depression. Psychiatrists at Rush University Medical Center were among the first to test the technique and Dr. Philip Janicak, professor of psychiatry and lead investigator at Rush for the clinical trials of TMS, helped to develop this therapy. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/rumc-ntc110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/rumc-ntc110509.php Carol L. Tilley, a professor of library and information science at Illinois, says that comic books are just as sophisticated as other forms of literature, and children benefit from reading them at least as much as they do from reading other types of books. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoia-fie110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoia-fie110509.php As health insurers require people to base more treatment decisions on out-of-pocket costs, physicians should learn to talk to patients about money, according to researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/wfub-hhi110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/wfub-hhi110509.php The Alps are growing just as quickly in height, as they are shrinking. This paradoxical result could be proven by a group of German and Swiss geoscientists. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/haog-ata110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/haog-ata110509.php Recent studies investigating the question of parental control in the west and in east Asian countries suggest that extreme meddling by parents can have negative effects on their children's psychological development in both of those regions, although the effects may not be uniform. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/afps-pjd110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/afps-pjd110509.php The November issue of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, features an article focusing on prostate specific antigen velocity and early cancer detection. It has been suggested that changes in PSA over time aid prostate cancer detection. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/eaou-dpa110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/eaou-dpa110509.php Fuel economy ratings for the new 2010 model year automobiles are posted at www.fueleconomy.gov, which ORNL maintains for the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency. A team led by ORNL's Nina Balke has moved closer to developing more rugged memory and logic devices. Heavy trucks are less heavy but just as safe and rugged because of steel rail frames. A new approach to crunching massive volumes of data uses neural networks like an artificial brain. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/drnl-stf110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/drnl-stf110509.php Despite their fearsome fangs, male sabertoothed cats may have been less aggressive than many of their feline cousins, says a new study of male-female size differences in extinct big cats. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/du-msc110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/du-msc110509.php For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/fhcr-fuo110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/fhcr-fuo110509.php Computer Scientist Hany Farid has new evidence regarding a photograph of accused JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Farid digitally analyzed the iconic image of Oswald pictured in a backyard setting holding a rifle in one hand and Marxist newspapers in the other, and he says the photo almost certainly was not altered. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/dc-dpf110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/dc-dpf110509.php A boat tail, a tapering protrusion mounted on the rear of a truck, leads to fuel savings of 7.5 percent. This is due to dramatically improved aerodynamics, as shown by road tests conducted by the Dutch PART (Platform for Aerodynamic Road Transport) public-private partnership platform. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/duot-btr110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/duot-btr110509.php The Journal of Infectious Diseases has released a special edition, Global Rotavirus Surveillance: Preparing for the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccines. This special edition provides a significant contribution to the understanding of rotavirus disease burden and the impact of rotavirus vaccines, which have the potential to save an estimated 228,000 lives annually. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/p-jse110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/p-jse110509.php Scientists of the University of Granada state that the exogenous administration of melatonin corrects the sleep/wakefulness pace when human biological clock gets altered. At present, this substance is being widely used by the pharmaceutical industry to design synthetic medicines, a very interesting therapeutic tool for the treatment of sleep alterations. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uog-mah110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uog-mah110509.php A key player in a cascade that likely begins with stress and leads to high blood pressure and kidney damage has been identified by researchers who say the finding may lead to better ways to control both. Medical College of Georgia researchers have found endothelin, a powerful blood vessel constrictor and inflammatory peptide, increases the number of T cells in the kidneys, which helps recruit other immune cells, causing inflammation and destruction. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mcog-kpi110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mcog-kpi110509.php A unique large-scale research device from Jülich went into operation in the US yesterday. At the strongest neutron source in the world, the spallation source SNS in Oak Ridge, Tenn., Forschungszentrum Jülich inaugurated a so-called neutron spin echo spectrometer. The NSE spectrometer enables detailed observations to be made of the motion of proteins and polymers. It will thus help to develop improved plastics or to understand metabolic processes in cells. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/haog-jns110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/haog-jns110509.php Thanks to scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, it is now possible to accurately predict when and where different CRMs will be active. The study, published today in Nature, is a first step towards forecasting the expression of all genes in a given organism, and demonstrates that the genetic regulation that is crucial for correct embryonic development is more flexible than previously thought. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/embl-dtr110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/embl-dtr110509.php Spanish researchers have studied the fossil record of hadrosaurs, the so-called "duck-billed" dinosaurs, in the Iberian Peninsula for the purpose of determining that they were the last of their kind to inhabit the European continent before disappearing during the K/T extinction event that occurred 65.5 million years ago. Most notable among these fossils is the discovery of a new hadrosaur, the Arenysaurus ardevoli, found in Huesca, Spain. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-sf-tle110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-sf-tle110509.php Astronomy & Astrophysics publishes the results of an unusual research project, by a team involving German high-school students. They present an accurate, long-term ephemeris of the cataclysmic variable EK Ursae Majoris, obtained using a professional remotely-controlled telescope. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/aa-ghs110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/aa-ghs110509.php A team of Catalan researchers has developed a protocol to distort the user profile generated by Internet search engines, in such a way that they cannot save the searches undertaken by Internet users and thus preserve their privacy. The study has been published in the Computer Communications magazine. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-sf-ans110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/f-sf-ans110509.php Vowel perception is a central problem of speech research, and by far no compelling explanation has been proposed for all phenomena in speech perception. As a kind of inner representative of peripheral auditory system, is the excitation pattern closer to the solution? This paper investigates the perceptions of five Chinese vowel -- u, o, a, y, i -- on basis of the excitation pattern, and the results show a determinant relation between phonetic qualities and the peak positions of excitation pattern. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/sicp-epp110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/sicp-epp110509.php Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, according to a new study. These new findings indicate that previous estimates of lactose intolerance incidence -- based on the incidence of lactose maldigestion -- may be overestimated by wide margins. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/epr-lir110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/epr-lir110409.php Terahertz radiation still lies in a metrological no man's land -- a metrology gap. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt can now close this gap. For the first time, a commercial Terahertz laser was traced back to the international system of units by measuring its output power absolutely. Therefore, this laser is the first THz laser in the field with a reliably proven output power enabled by a novel calibration capability set up at the PTB. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/pb-ptc110509.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/pb-ptc110509.php Green tea extract has shown promise as cancer prevention agent for oral cancer in patients with a pre-malignant condition known as oral leukoplakia, according to researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uotm-gts110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uotm-gts110409.php A drug already approved for the treatment of lymphoma may also slow the growth of the most deadly bone cancer in children and teens, according to an early-stage study published online today in the International Journal of Cancer. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uorm-ald110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uorm-ald110409.php For the insects called water striders, the pushiest guys don't always get the girls, according to a research team led by a University of Arizona scientist. The finding provides support for the theory of multi-level selection and contradicts previous laboratory experiments that suggested that the most aggressive males are the most successful at reproducing. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoa-wng110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoa-wng110409.php New research from the November issue of CHEST shows that patients with septic shock may have a fivefold reduction in survival. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acoc-ist110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acoc-ist110409.php New research from the November issue of Chest shows that women with asthma who are on oral contraceptives may have better outcomes than women who are not on the medication. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acoc-ocm110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acoc-ocm110409.php New research shows that the popular pain reliever, acetaminophen, may be tied to asthma in both children and adults. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acoc-amb110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acoc-amb110409.php Fifty-eight percent of primary care doctors in the US report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications and care, and half of US doctors spend substantial time dealing with restrictions insurance companies place on their patients' care, according to findings from the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey published online today in the journal Health Affairs. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cf-iso110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cf-iso110409.php Researchers reporting in BioMed Central's open access journal Conflict and Health found that the discrepancy in media reporting of casualty numbers in the Iraq conflict can potentially misinform the public and contribute to distorted perceptions and gross underestimates of the number of civilians killed in the armed conflict. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bc-tfc110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bc-tfc110409.php Antibiotic over-prescription is promoted by pediatricians' perception of parents' expectations. Research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics shows that pediatricians are more likely to inappropriately prescribe antibiotics for respiratory tract infections if they perceived parents were expecting a prescription. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bc-ppc110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bc-ppc110409.php Parents who dress their children in inappropriate clothing could be inadvertently hampering their child's physical activity in childcare settings. The study, reported in BioMed Central's open access journal, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, suggests that inadequate or inappropriate clothing could restrict children's outdoor play. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bc-ada110409.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/bc-ada110409.php The impact of airborne nitrogen released from the burning of fossil fuels and wide-spread use of fertilizers in agriculture is much greater that previously recognized and even extends to remote alpine lakes, according to a study published Nov. 6 in the journal Science. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/asu-ans110309.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/asu-ans110309.php The whole genome sequence of the domestic horse has been completed by the genome-sequencing center of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, in collaboration with an international team of researchers that includes scientists at the University of California, Davis. The findings, which have important implications for improved breeding of horses and for studies of human health, will be reported in the Nov. 6 issue of the journal Science. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--gsf110309.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--gsf110309.php Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood are linked to increased calcification of the coronary arteries -- a key marker of heart disease risk, according to a study in an upcoming issue of Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ason-sii110309.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ason-sii110309.php Declining kidney function is linked to a higher risk of heart failure, heart attack, peripheral arterial disease, and early death in individuals with or without kidney disease, according to a pair of studies appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ason-kfd110309.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ason-kfd110309.php A University of Colorado at Boulder team has developed the first atlas of bacterial diversity across the human body, charting wide variations in microbe populations that live in different regions of the human body and which aid us in physiological functions that contribute to our health. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoca-cmo110309.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoca-cmo110309.php Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of Natural History has discovered evidence of Hernando de Soto's 1540 journey through the Southeast. No evidence of De Soto's path from Tallahassee to North Carolina has been found until now, and few sites have been located anywhere. Fernbank archaeologist Dennis Blanton has amassed an impressive collection of objects revealing a probable stop in today's Telfair County, Ga. He'll present his findings at the Southeastern Archaeological Conference on Nov. 5 in Mobile. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/fmon-afm110309.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/fmon-afm110309.php Unwrapping some of the mystery from how plants and bacteria communicate to trigger an innate immune response, scientists at the University of California, Davis, have identified the bacterial signaling molecule that matches up with a specific receptor in rice plants to ward off a devastating disease known as bacterial blight of rice. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--srh110209.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--srh110209.php People living in volcanic areas may be at a higher risk for thyroid cancer, according to a new study published online Nov. 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/jotn-hio110309.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/jotn-hio110309.php A new class of supernova was discovered by scientists at Berkeley and may be the first example of a new type of exploding star. A team of astrophysicists at UC Santa Barbara had predicted this kind of explosion in their theoretical work. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--nto110209.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--nto110209.php Complete Genomics, a third-generation human genome sequencing company, today announced publication of a report in the journal Science describing its proprietary DNA sequencing platform, including analysis of sequence data from three complete human genomes. The consumables cost for these three genomes sequenced on the proof-of-principle genomic DNA nanoarrays ranged from $8,005 for 87x coverage to $1,726 for 45x coverage for the samples described in this report. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/web-cgp110209.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/web-cgp110209.php UC Berkeley post-doc Dovi Poznanski was looking through seven-year-old data when he chanced upon a very strange supernova that flashed and was gone in less than a month, when 3-4 months is typical. The unusually rapid supernova appears to match the predicted behavior of a thermonuclear explosion on a white dwarf that is drawing helium from its binary companion. This mechanism is quite different from the two standard types of supernovae. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--rsc110209.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--rsc110209.php A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurons in the adult brain, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study in mice suggests that the gene may play an important role in maintaining cognitive function during aging. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/sumc-ss110209.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/sumc-ss110209.php As global temperatures and energy costs continue to soar, renewable sources of energy will be key to a sustainable future. An attractive replacement for gasoline is biofuel, and in two studies published online in Genome Research, scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cshl-gob110209.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/cshl-gob110209.php First gene therapy success in boys with fatal brain disorder -- the Stop ALD Foundation, having spurred a successful European gene therapy trial, is now pressing to bring this therapy to the US. The foundation was started by families with children who have died or suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy, the disease highlighted in the movie Lorenzo's Oil. A report of the trial appears in the current issue of Science. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/tsf-gts110209.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/tsf-gts110209.php University of Utah chemists demonstrated the first conclusive link between the size of catalyst particles on a solid surface, their electronic properties and their ability to speed chemical reactions. The study is a step toward the goal of designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts to increase energy production, reduce Earth-warming gases and manufacture a wide variety of goods from medicines to gasoline. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uou-hsm103009.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uou-hsm103009.php A strategy that combines gene therapy with blood stem cell therapy may be a useful tool for treating a fatal brain disease, French researchers have found. These findings appear in the Nov. 6, 2009, issue of the journal Science, which is published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/aaft-gtt102909.php Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/aaft-gtt102909.php