Friday 31 May 2019

Three ways to travel at (nearly) the speed of light

One hundred years ago today, on May 29, 1919, measurements of a solar eclipse offered verification for Einstein's theory of general relativity. Even before that, Einstein had developed the theory of special relativity, which revolutionized the way we understand light. To this day, it provides guidance on understanding how particles move through space—a key area of research to keep spacecraft and astronauts safe from radiation.

* This article was originally published here

Sensor-packed glove learns signatures of the human grasp

Wearing a sensor-packed glove while handling a variety of objects, MIT researchers have compiled a massive dataset that enables an AI system to recognize objects through touch alone. The information could be leveraged to help robots identify and manipulate objects, and may aid in prosthetics design.

* This article was originally published here

Outsmarting deep fakes: AI-driven imaging system protects authenticity

To thwart sophisticated methods of altering photos and video, researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have demonstrated an experimental technique to authenticate images throughout the entire pipeline, from acquisition to delivery, using artificial intelligence (AI).

* This article was originally published here

Men who choose active surveillance for early prostate cancer often don't follow monitoring rules

Preliminary results from a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center study found that just 15 percent of a group of men in North Carolina with early-stage prostate cancer who choose active surveillance instead of treatment followed the recommended monitoring guidelines.

* This article was originally published here

Research reveals role of fat storage cells in anti-obesity intervention

New research from a team at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine establishes a role of adipocyte Na/K-ATPase signaling in worsening obesity and its companion diseases, including neurodegeneration and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), that was enhanced by specific targeting of NaKtide, an antagonist of Na/K-ATPase signaling, to the adipocyte.

* This article was originally published here

Lab-grown diamonds: Technology is disrupting the diamond business

Forget what you know about cubic zirconia, crystals and any simulated diamonds. This isn't about that.

* This article was originally published here

Excess cause-specific mortality tied to chronic proton pump inhibitor use

(HealthDay)—Taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is associated with an excess of cause-specific mortality, according to a study published online May 30 in The BMJ.

* This article was originally published here

More than half of patients in pain management study took no opioids after operations

The opioid epidemic has become a public health crisis in the U.S. While primary care physicians have been writing fewer opioid prescriptions over the last several years, new opioid prescriptions by surgeons increased 18 percent from 2010-2016. However, many surgeons are now diligently working to change their prescribing practices. One approach has been to try reducing excessive opioid prescriptions by exploring pain management strategies that include fewer or no opioids at all for surgical patients.

* This article was originally published here

Quick liquid packaging: Encasing water silhouettes in 3-D polymer membranes for lab-in-a-drop experiments

The ability to confine water in an enclosed compartment without directly manipulating it or using rigid containers is an attractive possibility. In a recent study, Sara Coppola and an interdisciplinary research team in the departments of Biomaterials, Intelligent systems, Industrial Production Engineering and Advanced Biomaterials for Healthcare in Italy, proposed a water-based, bottom-up approach to encase facile, short-lived water silhouettes in a custom-made adaptive suit.

* This article was originally published here

Nailing digital fakes with AI-learned artifacts

We see the imaginative feats of photo fakery; now we have to figure out what to do about them. Being able to tell fake from real is the goal, but how to get there? Forensics is the key tool to hunt down fake photos and it does not appear to be an easy task in getting that tool to perform well.

* This article was originally published here

A deep neural network that can maximize or minimize coloring to blend into or stand out against a background

A team of researchers at the University of Bristol has developed a deep learning neural network that can identify the best way to minimize or maximize coloring to allow for blending into a background or standing out. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the team describes their network and possible uses for it.

* This article was originally published here

Pediatric nurse practitioner shortage looming

(HealthDay)—There is a looming critical shortage of pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs), according to a white paper published in the May-June issue of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care.

* This article was originally published here

Simplifying soft robots

A soft robot developed by researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) could pave the way to fully untethered robots for space exploration, search and rescue systems, biomimetics, medical surgery, rehabilitation and more.

* This article was originally published here

Nature's first aid kit: A fungus growing on the sides of birch trees

If you've ever stopped to admire a birch tree, you may unknowingly have something in common with a 5,300-year-old mummy called Ötzi. In 1991, hikers found Ötzi in an alpine glacier on the Austrian-Italian border, and perfectly preserved with him were pieces of fungus attached to leather cords, safely stowed in his bag. That fungus is the same one you can see growing on birch trees today: the birch polypore.

* This article was originally published here

German government expands electric car incentive program

The German government is extending a system of incentives to buy electric cars by 18 months until the end of 2020.

* This article was originally published here

The most complete study of battery failure sees the light

An international team of researchers just published in Advanced Energy Materials the widest study on what happens during battery failure, focusing on the different parts of a battery at the same time. The role of the ESRF, the European Synchrotron, in France, was crucial for its success.

* This article was originally published here

Only few hundred training samples bring human-sounding speech in Microsoft TTS feat

Microsoft Research Asia has been drawing applause for pulling off text to speech requiring little training—and showing "incredibly" realistic results.

* This article was originally published here

Electrified methane reformer produces far less carbon dioxide

A team of researchers from several institutions in Denmark, along with colleagues from Sintex and Haldor Topsoe, has developed an electrified methane reformer that produces far less CO2 than conventional steam-methane reformers. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their new technology and how well it works. Kevin Van Geem, Vladimir Galvita and Guy Marin with the Laboratory for Chemical Technology and Center for Sustainable Chemistry in Ghent have published a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue.

* This article was originally published here

Thursday 30 May 2019

Stanford Doggo: a highly agile quadruped robot

Researchers at Stanford University have recently created an open-source quadruped robot called Stanford Doggo. Their robot, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv and set to be published by IEEE Explore, exceeds the performance of many state-of-the-art legged robots in vertical jumping agility.

* This article was originally published here

Telecoms giant EE launches Britain's first 5G services

British mobile phone operator EE on Thursday became the first in the country to launch a high-speed 5G service, but without smartphones from controversial Chinese technology giant Huawei.

* This article was originally published here

Alternative molecular mechanisms observed in cancer cells

Current anti-cancer drugs can be quite effective but too often, tumors are not fought off completely and end up returning. A recent study published in The FASEB Journal provides the first evidence that some cancer cells evade therapy by switching over to alternative molecular mechanisms that are not affected by existing anti-cancer treatments.

* This article was originally published here

Three convolutional neural network models for facial expression recognition in the wild

Two researchers at Shanghai University of Electric Power have recently developed and evaluated new neural network models for facial expression recognition (FER) in the wild. Their study, published in Elsevier's Neurocomputing journal, presents three models of convolutional neural networks (CNNs): a Light-CNN, a dual-branch CNN and a pre-trained CNN.

* This article was originally published here

New algorithm may help people store more pictures, share videos faster

The world produces about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Storing and transferring all of this enormous—and constantly growing—number of images, videos, Tweets, and other forms of data is becoming a significant challenge, one that threatens to undermine the growth of the internet and thwart the introduction of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things.

* This article was originally published here

New framework helps gauge impact of mosquito control programs

Effective methods of controlling mosquito populations are needed to help lower the worldwide burden of mosquito-borne diseases including Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have described a new statistical framework that can be used to assess mosquito control programs over broad time and space scales.

* This article was originally published here

Combination of three gene mutations results in deadly human heart disease

Congenital heart disease occurs in up to 1% of live births, and the infants who are affected may require multiple surgeries, life-long medication, or heart transplants. In many patients, the exact cause of congenital heart disease is unknown. While it is becoming increasingly clear that these heart defects can be caused by genetic mutations, it is not well understood which genes are involved and how they interact. Genetic mutations, also called genetic variants, can also cause poor heart function, but the type and severity of dysfunction varies widely even among those with the same mutation.

* This article was originally published here

Wednesday 29 May 2019

REPLAB: A low-cost benchmark platform for robotic learning

Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a reproducible, low-cost and compact benchmark platform to evaluate robotic learning approaches, which they called REPLAB. Their recent study, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, was supported by Berkeley DeepDrive, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Google, NVIDIA and Amazon.

* This article was originally published here

Early statin treatment may help children with Fragile X

Children with an inherited form of intellectual disability and autism could be helped by a medicine commonly used to lower cholesterol, if used early in life.

* This article was originally published here

One night brand: Sexy snaps lead to clean buys

Sex sells—but not always what we think.

* This article was originally published here

Tuesday 28 May 2019

MobiKa: A low-cost mobile robot that can assist people in a variety of settings

Researchers at Fraunhofer IPA, in Stuttgart, Germany, have recently developed MobiKa, a low-cost, mobile robot capable of two-modal (voice and text) interactions with humans. Their robot, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, could be particularly useful for assisting elderly people.

* This article was originally published here

A newly discovered mechanism reveals how Parkinson's disease can spread between brain cells

Tiny channels between nerve cells are involved in a newly discovered mechanism of how Parkinson's disease can spread throughout the brain, according to new research from Linköping University, Sweden. The results demonstrate that harmful protein aggregates, or deposits, can bind and "hitch a lift" with channel-forming proteins, and in this way spread to healthy cells. The study has been published in Acta Neuropathologica.

* This article was originally published here

New tool for understanding cells in health and disease

A first-of-its-kind data analysis platform is enabling researchers to select the best tool for interpreting the overwhelming amounts of data generated by single-cell research.

* This article was originally published here

Climate change puts commercial viability of citrus, vineyards and olive trees at risk

Climate change threatens the medium-term commercial viability of citrus fruits, vines and olives. A study by the Ecophysiology and Biotechnology research group at the Universitat Jaume I de Castelló (UJI) - carried out in collaboration with scientists from France, Greece and the United Kingdom—warns that the effects of global warming will reduce the productivity of these three species of traditional and iconic fruit trees in the Mediterranean area. The conclusions of this review are published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science.

* This article was originally published here

Brazil braces for another tailings dam collapse

Thousands of Brazilians braced Monday for the possible collapse of another tailings dam owned by mining giant Vale that threatens to spew millions of tons of toxic sludge over towns, rivers and forest.

* This article was originally published here

Monday 27 May 2019

In vitro fertilization linked to deadly heart disease in pregnancy

Women undergoing fertility treatment should urgently see their doctor if they have heart failure symptoms, according to a study presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

* This article was originally published here

A quicker eye for robotics to help in our cluttered, human environments

In a step toward home-helper robots that can quickly navigate unpredictable and disordered spaces, University of Michigan researchers have developed an algorithm that lets machines perceive their environments orders of magnitude faster than similar previous approaches.

* This article was originally published here

Sunday 26 May 2019

Drug-resistant infections: If you can't beat 'em, starve 'em, scientists find

How do you fight a fungal infection that is becoming increasingly resistant to medicine? By starving it, found a team of University at Buffalo and Temple University researchers.

* This article was originally published here

Vision loss may up cognitive decline-related functional limitations

(HealthDay)—Vision impairment is associated with increased subjective cognitive decline (SCD)-related functional limitations for adults aged 45 years and older, according to research published in the May 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

* This article was originally published here

World celebrates centenary of confirmation of relativity

Celebrations are underway across the globe to commemorate 100 years since a UK-led expedition confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. The theory fundamentally changed our understanding of physics and astronomy, and underpins critical modern technologies such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). A series of public events in the UK and around the world will mark this seminal anniversary.

* This article was originally published here

Threat or promise? E-auto boom could cost industry jobs

Over 115 years the auto industry in the east German town of Zwickau has lived through wrenching upheavals including World War II and the collapse of communism. Now the city's 90,000 people are plunging headlong into another era of change: top employer Volkswagen's total shift into electric cars at the local plant.

* This article was originally published here

Bringing human-like reasoning to driverless car navigation

With aims of bringing more human-like reasoning to autonomous vehicles, MIT researchers have created a system that uses only simple maps and visual data to enable driverless cars to navigate routes in new, complex environments.

* This article was originally published here

Soil communities threatened by destruction, instability of Amazon forests

The clearing and subsequent instability of Amazonian forests are among the greatest threats to tropical biodiversity conservation today.

* This article was originally published here

Samsung at foundry event talks about 3nm, MBCFET developments

"The nanometer process deals with the space between the transistors mounted on a substrate at a nanometer level," said Pulse.

* This article was originally published here

Volcano on Bali erupts, briefly disrupting flights (Update)

Bali's airport has returned to normal operations after some flights were canceled on Friday night following an eruption of the Mount Agung volcano that spread ash over the south of the Indonesian island.

* This article was originally published here

U.S. incidence of pediatric thyroid cancer on the rise

(HealthDay)—From 1973 to 2013, there was an increase in the incidence rates of pediatric thyroid cancer, with marked increases from 2006 to 2013, according to a study published online May 23 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

* This article was originally published here

US dentists out-prescribe UK dentists when it comes to opioids

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that dentists practicing in the U.S. write 37 times more opioid prescriptions than dentists practicing in England. And, the type of opioids they prescribe has a higher potential for abuse.

* This article was originally published here

100% renewables doesn't equal zero-carbon energy, and the difference is growing

While 160 companies around the world have committed to use "100 percent renewable energy," that does not mean "100 percent carbon-free energy." The difference will grow as power grids become less reliant on fossil power, according to a new Stanford study published today in Joule. Entities committed to fighting climate change can and should measure the environmental benefits of their renewable strategies accurately, the authors write.

* This article was originally published here

Overwatch League commissioner leaving to work on Fortnite

Overwatch League Commissioner Nate Nanzer is leaving the competitive video game circuit to oversee esports competition for Fortnite publisher Epic Games.

* This article was originally published here

United Airlines extends cancellation of Boeing Max flights

United Airlines is canceling another month's worth of flights with Boeing 737 Max planes that were grounded after two deadly accidents.

* This article was originally published here

Engineers create a simple test that can measure stress hormones in sweat, blood, urine or saliva

Stress is often called "the silent killer" because of its stealthy and mysterious effects on everything from heart disease to mental health.

* This article was originally published here

Close encounters? SpaceX satellites spark Dutch UFO frenzy

A Dutch website set up to record UFO sightings was flooded early Saturday with reports after a "train of stars" was spotted crossing the Netherlands' skies, sparking fears of an alien invasion.

* This article was originally published here

Italy team cheers robot pulling a passenger plane

This four-legged robot has pull—3 tons of it—and its engineers were proud to show it off on May 23 as rugged and powerful as it is.

* This article was originally published here

Comet inspires chemistry for making breathable oxygen on Mars

Science fiction stories are chock full of terraforming schemes and oxygen generators for a very good reason—we humans need molecular oxygen (O2) to breathe, and space is essentially devoid of it. Even on other planets with thick atmospheres, O2 is hard to come by.

* This article was originally published here

Growing up high: Neurobiological consequences of adolescent cannabis use

About one in five Canadian adolescents uses cannabis (19% of Canadians aged 15-19), and its recent legalization across the country warrants investigation into the consequence of this use on the developing brain. Adolescence is associated with the maturation of cognitive functions, such as working memory, decision-making, and impulsivity control. This is a highly vulnerable period for the development of the brain as it represents a critical period wherein regulatory connection between higher-order regions of the cortex and emotional processing circuits deeper inside the brain are established. It is a period of strong remodeling, making adolescents highly vulnerable to drug-related developmental disturbances. Research presented by Canadian neuroscientists Patricia Conrod, Steven Laviolette, Iris Balodis and Jibran Khokhar at the 2019 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting in Toronto on May 25 featured recent discoveries on the effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain.

* This article was originally published here

PAL: A wearable system for context-aware health and cognition support

Researchers at MIT Media Lab have developed a wearable platform that provides real-time, personalized, and context-aware health and cognition support. Their system, called personalized active learner (PAL), was presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv.

* This article was originally published here

Saturday 25 May 2019

CEOs get $800,000 pay raise, leaving workers further behind

Did you get a 7% raise last year? Congratulations, yours was in line with what CEOs at the biggest companies got. But for chief executives, that 7% was roughly $800,000.

* This article was originally published here

Friday 24 May 2019

360-degree immersive video of surgeon performing cancer surgery

New technology has allowed the public to immerse themselves in a cancer operating theatre by filming a complex operation performed by Professor Tim Underwood in 360 Degrees.

* This article was originally published here

ALS research reveals new treatment approach

On June 2, 1941, at the age of 37, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive muscle degeneration disease. Today, nearly 80 years following his death, scientists are still searching for the root cause—and an effective treatment—for the condition.

* This article was originally published here

Thursday 23 May 2019

The politics of ugly buildings

In 1984, when the British government was planning to build a flashy modernist addition to the National Gallery in London, Prince Charles offered a dissenting view. The proposed extension, he said, resembled "a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend." A public controversy ensued, and eventually a more subtle addition was built.

* This article was originally published here

New Jersey beach smoking ban in place for start of summer

Smoke 'em if you've got 'em—but not on the beach in New Jersey this summer.

* This article was originally published here

Home-schoolers see no added health risks over time

Years of home-schooling don't appear to influence the general health of children, according to a Rice University study.

* This article was originally published here

Dog-like robot jumps, flips and trots

Putting their own twist on robots that amble through complicated landscapes, the Stanford Student Robotics club's Extreme Mobility team has developed a four-legged robot that is not only capable of performing acrobatic tricks and traversing challenging terrain but is also designed with reproducibility in mind. Anyone who wants their own version of the robot, dubbed Stanford Doggo, can consult comprehensive plans, code and a supply list that the students have made freely available online.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers gain key insight into solar material's soaring efficiency

The rows of blue solar panels that dot landscapes and rooftops are typically made out of crystalline silicon, the workhorse semiconductor found in virtually every electronic device.

* This article was originally published here

New exercise guidelines for people with cancer

A decade-old treatment recommendation for people with cancer to take a "slowly slowly" approach to exercise has been replaced with new guidelines recommending a personalised exercise program including high-intensity workouts to achieve the best treatment outcome.

* This article was originally published here

Reading with toddlers reduces harsh parenting, enhances child behavior

People who regularly read with their toddlers are less likely to engage in harsh parenting and the children are less likely to be hyperactive or disruptive, a Rutgers-led study finds.

* This article was originally published here

New leaf shapes for thale cress

Anyone who looks at their bowl of salad or at their garden can see how different the shapes of leaves can be. Spinach leaves, for example, have smooth edges and are comparatively simple in form, while parsley leaves are deeply notched and complex, apparently composed of many individual subunits. In a new study published in Cell, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have determined how key developmental genes influence growth of cells to produce such differences in leaf form. With this knowledge, the researchers were able to make thale cress, which typically produces simple leaves, grow leaves similar in complexity to those of hairy bittercress, a related plant with complex leaves.

* This article was originally published here

Production of more than 250,000 chips embedded within fibers in less than a year

In the summer of 2018, a team led by MIT researchers reported in the journal Nature that they had successfully embedded electronic devices into fibers that could be used in fabrics or composite products like clothing, airplane wings, or even wound dressings. The advance could allow fabrics or composites to sense their environment, communicate, store and convert energy, and more.

* This article was originally published here

Soft, social robot brings coziness to home robotics

A few years ago, when social robots began appearing in stores and homes, Guy Hoffman wondered why they all looked so much alike.

* This article was originally published here

Study provides new insight into origin of Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rocky Mountains were formed when the North American continent was dragged westward during the closure of an ocean basin off the west coast and collided with a microcontinent more than 100 million years ago, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists.

* This article was originally published here

Bipolar disorder may be linked to Parkinson's disease

People who have bipolar disorder may be more likely to later develop Parkinson's disease than people who do not have bipolar disorder, according at a study published in the May 22, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

* This article was originally published here

Wednesday 22 May 2019

Helping robots remember: Hyperdimensional computing theory could change the way AI works

The Houston Astros' José Altuve steps up to the plate on a 3-2 count, studies the pitcher and the situation, gets the go-ahead from third base, tracks the ball's release, swings ... and gets a single up the middle. Just another trip to the plate for the three-time American League batting champion.

* This article was originally published here

Prison-based college presents challenges, but can succeed, study finds

Creating a prison-based program where incarcerated individuals can take college classes and then work toward a degree upon release can be successful, but many obstacles challenge the success of such efforts, according to a new study.

* This article was originally published here

Widespread testing, treatment of Hepatitis C in U.S. prisons improves outcomes

At current drug prices, testing all persons entering prison for Hepatitis C, treating those who have at least 12 months remaining in their sentence, and linking individuals with less than 12 months in their sentence to care upon their release would result in improved health outcomes. Published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers found that these approaches provide the best value-for-money compared to not testing or treating any prisoners, or only testing and treating prisoners at high risk of Hepatitis C (HCV). While cost-effective, however, the data also show that these approaches would place a large cost burden on the correctional system.

* This article was originally published here

Two Japanese carriers postpone release of Huawei phones

Two of Japan's top mobile phone carriers said Wednesday they will delay releasing new handsets made by Huawei after a US ban on American companies selling technology to the Chinese tech giant.

* This article was originally published here

Nerve fibers in skin are involved in initiating neurofibromas in patients with disfiguring Neurofibromatosis 1

A study published today in PLOS ONE discovered the origin of severely disfiguring masses of cells, called neurofibromas, that gradually develop throughout the skin of patients afflicted with Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). The discovery consisted of micro-lesions that contained small pathological clusters of nerve fibers and associated Schwann cells that proliferate to form the bulk of the disfiguring neurofibromas.

* This article was originally published here

Monday 20 May 2019

High-quality jadeite tool discovered in underwater ancient salt works in Belize

Anthropologists discovered a tool made out of high-quality translucent jadeite with an intact rosewood handle at a site where the ancient Maya processed salt in Belize. The discovery of these high-quality materials—jadeite and rosewood—used as utilitarian tools, demonstrates that salt workers played an important role in the Classic Maya marketplace economy more than 1,000 years ago.

* This article was originally published here

Scientists succeed in testing potential brain-based method to diagnose autism

Scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have taken the first step in developing an objective, brain-based test to diagnose autism.

* This article was originally published here

Young children willing to punish misbehavior, even at personal cost, new research shows

Children as young as three years old are willing to punish others' bad behavior, even at personal cost, finds a new study by psychology researchers at New York University. The work adds to growing evidence that human beings distinguish between right and wrong at a very young age and are willing to pay a personal cost to encourage positive behavior in others.

* This article was originally published here

Stop gambling with black box and explainable models on high-stakes decisions

As the buzzwords "machine learning" continue to grow in popularity, more industries are turning to computer algorithms to answer important questions, including high-stakes fields such as healthcare, finance and criminal justice. While this trend can lead to major improvements in these realms, it can also lead to major problems when the machine learning algorithm is a so-called "black box."

* This article was originally published here

New computer-based predictive tool more accurately forecasts outcomes for respiratory patients

Are electronic health records and computer calculations a better, more accurate way to predict clinical outcomes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

* This article was originally published here

When an aircraft landing system is made to enter the spoofing zone

Just what the airplane passenger who is always skittish does not want to hear: Radio navigation on planes for landing purposes is not secure; signals can be hacked.

* This article was originally published here

Sunday 19 May 2019

How the Trump prescription for drug prices transparency could make health care well again

When it comes to the prescription drugs America use, too often money is the last thing consumers think about. Formulaic prescription drug ads are part of the reason why.

* This article was originally published here

As bitcoin gyrates, less euphoria in evidence at blockchain gathering

The vibe at a gathering this week for blockchain enthusiasts felt decidedly less exuberant than its predecessor a year ago after dizzying swings in bitcoin.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers develop electric field-based dressing to help heal wound infections

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have found a way to charge up the fight against bacterial infections using electricity.

* This article was originally published here

A new approach to targeting cancer cells

A University of California, Riverside, research team has come up with a new approach to targeting cancer cells that circumvents a challenge faced by currently available cancer drugs.

* This article was originally published here

What's behind the belief in a soulmate?

The United States appears to be in a romantic slump. Marriage rates have plummeted over the last decade. And compared to previous generations, young single people today are perhaps spending more time on social media than actual dating. They are also having less sex.

* This article was originally published here

After the Moon, people on Mars by 2033... or 2060

On December 11, 2017, US President Donald Trump signed a directive ordering NASA to prepare to return astronauts to the Moon "followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations."

* This article was originally published here

Researchers unravel mechanisms that control cell size

Working with bacteria, a multidisciplinary team at the University of California San Diego has provided new insight into a longstanding question in science: What are the underlying mechanisms that control the size of cells?

* This article was originally published here

Tobacco and e-cigarette promotions spark teens' use of nicotine products, study finds

Owning items that promote e-cigarettes and other alternative tobacco products doubles the likelihood that a young person will try these products, a new study led by the Stanford University School of Medicine has found. The finding illustrates the influence of such marketing on teenagers.

* This article was originally published here

Clinical trial improves treatment of genetic rickets

A new study shows a drug developed in conjunction with investigators at Indiana University School of Medicine to alleviate symptoms of a rare musculoskeletal condition is significantly more effective than conventional therapies. The findings are published in Lancet.

* This article was originally published here

Thresholds found for unilateral optic nerve lesions in MS

(HealthDay)—A new anatomic threshold may be useful for identifying unilateral optic nerve lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a study published in the May issue of the Annals of Neurology.

* This article was originally published here

EU adopts powers to respond to cyberattacks

The European Union on Friday adopted powers to punish those outside the bloc who launch cyberattacks that cripple hospitals and banks, sway elections and steal company secrets or funds.

* This article was originally published here

Quinn on Nutrition: Carbs—how low can we go?

"Fruit has carbs? I had no idea," a stunned patient told me recently.

* This article was originally published here

Nanoscale sculpturing leads to unusual packing of nanocubes

From the ancient pyramids to modern buildings, various three-dimensional (3-D) structures have been formed by packing shaped objects together. At the macroscale, the shape of objects is fixed and thus dictates how they can be arranged. For example, bricks attached by mortar retain their elongated rectangular shape. But at the nanoscale, the shape of objects can be modified to some extent when they are coated with organic molecules, such as polymers, surfactants (surface-active agents), and DNA. These molecules essentially create a "soft" shell around otherwise "hard," or rigid, nano-objects. When the nano-objects pack together, their original shape may not be entirely preserved because the shell is flexible—a kind of nanoscale sculpturing.

* This article was originally published here

Black women more likely to die of breast cancer, especially in the South

When Felicia Mahone was 27, she felt her breast and found a mass. Breast cancer had killed nearly all the women in her family—her mother, two aunts and two cousins. Her doctor, though, downplayed the lump, assuring her everything would be all right.

* This article was originally published here

Saturday 18 May 2019

Machine learning speeds modeling of experiments aimed at capturing fusion energy on Earth

Machine learning (ML), a form of artificial intelligence that recognizes faces, understands language and navigates self-driving cars, can help bring to Earth the clean fusion energy that lights the sun and stars. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are using ML to create a model for rapid control of plasma—the state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nuclei, or ions—that fuels fusion reactions.

* This article was originally published here

Microsoft alerts hospitals to fix potential security risk

Computer experts inside hospitals were working diligently on Wednesday to address a serious new security vulnerability in older versions of the Windows operating system, which is still used in many health care devices even though Microsoft hasn't actively supported the older software in years.

* This article was originally published here

Eating ultra-processed foods will make you gain weight. Here's the scientific proof

For four weeks, 20 healthy volunteers checked into a research center hospital and were served a variety of tempting meals: cinnamon french toast, stir-fry beef with broccoli and onions, turkey quesadillas and shrimp scampi. Researchers scrutinized everything that was eaten and came away with the first hard evidence to support a long-held suspicion: Heavily processed foods could be a leading factor in America's obesity epidemic.

* This article was originally published here

New machine learning algorithm can predict age and gender from just your Twitter profile

A new "demographic inference" tool developed by academics can make predictions based solely on the information in a person's social media profile (i.e. screen name, biography, profile photo, and name). The tool—which works in 32 languages—could pave the way for views expressed on social media to be factored in to popular survey methods.

* This article was originally published here

Earliest evidence of the cooking and eating of starch

New discoveries made at the Klasies River Cave in South Africa's southern Cape, where charred food remains from hearths were found, provide the first archaeological evidence that anatomically modern humans were roasting and eating plant starches, such as those from tubers and rhizomes, as early as 120,000 years ago.

* This article was originally published here

Ernst Haeckel: Pioneer of modern science

"By ecology, we understand the whole science of the organism's relationship with the surrounding outside world, which includes in a broader sense all 'existential conditions'. These are partly organic and partly inorganic in nature; both the former and the latter are, as we have previously shown, of utmost importance for the form of the organisms, because they force them to adapt to them."

* This article was originally published here

Researchers imagine a cheaper, fairer marketplace for digital goods

E-commerce is sizzling. Last year, consumers spent more than $517 billion online with US merchants, up 15 percent from the year before, according to Internet Retailer.

* This article was originally published here

Integrated stepped alcohol treatment for people in HIV care improves both HIV and alcohol outcomes

New clinical research supported by the National Institutes of Health shows that increasing the intensity of treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) over time improves alcohol-related outcomes among people with HIV. This stepped approach to AUD treatment also improves HIV-related disease measures in this patient population. A report of the new study, led by researchers at Yale University, is now online in The Lancet HIV.

* This article was originally published here

First anticoagulant approved for preventing VTE recurrence in children

(HealthDay)—Fragmin (dalteparin sodium) injection has been granted the first approval for subcutaneous use in preventing recurrence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children aged 1 month or older, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced.

* This article was originally published here

Augmented reality affects people's behavior in the real world

As major technology firms race to roll out augmented reality products, Stanford researchers are learning how it affects people's behavior – in both the physical world and a digitally enhanced one.

* This article was originally published here

Sugary drinks and fruit juice may increase risk of early death

(HealthDay)—Most folks know that sugary drinks aren't healthy, but a new study finds fruit juices are not much better.

* This article was originally published here

North carolina sues electronic cigarette maker JUUL

(HealthDay)—North Carolina is suing electronic-cigarette manufacturer JUUL for allegedly marketing its products to children and misleading the public about the health risks of the products. This lawsuit is the first filed by a state over JUUL's alleged marketing toward teens, CNN reported.

* This article was originally published here

Metals influence C-peptide hormone related to insulin

Metals such as zinc, copper and chromium bind to and influence a peptide involved in insulin production, according to new work from chemists at the University of California, Davis. The research is part of a new field of "metalloendocrinology" that takes a detailed look at the role of metals in biological processes in the body.

* This article was originally published here

Just like toothpaste: Fluoride radically improves the stability of perovskite solar cells

Solar cells made of perovskite hold much promise for the future of solar energy. The material is cheap, easy to produce and almost as efficient as silicon, the material traditionally used in solar cells. However, perovskite degrades quickly, severely limiting its efficiency and stability over time. Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology, energy research institute DIFFER, Peking University and University of Twente have discovered that adding a small amount of fluoride to the perovskite leaves a protective layer, increasing stability of the materials and the solar cells significantly. The solar cells retain 90 percent of their efficiency after 1000 hours operation at various extreme testing conditions. The findings are published today in the leading scientific journal Nature Energy.

* This article was originally published here

Dangerous pathogens use this sophisticated machinery to infect hosts

Gastric cancer, Q fever, Legionnaires' disease, whooping cough—though the infectious bacteria that cause these dangerous diseases are each different, they all utilize the same molecular machinery to infect human cells. Bacteria use this machinery, called a Type IV secretion system (T4SS), to inject toxic molecules into cells and also to spread genes for antibiotic resistance to fellow bacteria. Now, researchers at Caltech have revealed the 3-D molecular architecture of the T4SS from the human pathogen Legionella pneumophila with unprecedented details. This could in the future enable the development of precisely targeted antibiotics for the aforementioned diseases.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers find way to build potassium-oxygen batteries that last longer

Researchers have built a more efficient, more reliable potassium-oxygen battery, a step toward a potential solution for energy storage on the nation's power grid and longer-lasting batteries in cell phones and laptops.

* This article was originally published here

Friday 17 May 2019

Wearable cooling and heating patch could serve as personal thermostat and save energy

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable patch that could provide personalized cooling and heating at home, work, or on the go. The soft, stretchy patch cools or warms a user's skin to a comfortable temperature and keeps it there as the ambient temperature changes. It is powered by a flexible, stretchable battery pack and can be embedded in clothing. Researchers say wearing it could help save energy on air conditioning and heating.

* This article was originally published here

To win online debates, social networks worth a thousand words

Want to win an argument online? Bolstering your social network may be more helpful than rehearsing your rhetorical flourishes.

* This article was originally published here

Mission control 'saves science'

Every minute, ESA's Earth observation satellites gather dozens of gigabytes of data about our planet—enough information to fill the pages on a 100-metre long bookshelf. Flying in low-Earth orbits, these spacecraft are continuously taking the pulse of our planet, but it's teams on the ground at ESA's Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, that keep these explorers afloat.

* This article was originally published here

Cancer drug could be repurposed to provide treatment for brain aneurysms

An important class of drug used to treat cancer patients could be used to treat brain aneurysms, according to new research published this week.

* This article was originally published here

Virtual reality game simulates experiences with race

Video games that use virtual reality to create immersive experiences have become increasingly popular for entertainment and for research. However, the representation of race in these simulations is often shallow—and fails to go beyond physical appearance attributes like skin color.

* This article was originally published here

Guidelines updated for TB screening, treatment in health care workers

(HealthDay)—Guidelines have been updated for screening and treatment for tuberculosis (TB) infection among health care personnel, according to research published in the May 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

* This article was originally published here

Study describes TBI caregiver QOL measurement system

(HealthDay)—A new tool, the Traumatic Brain Injury Caregiver Quality of Life (TBI-CareQOL), combines five new measures and 10 existing measures and can identify health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among caregivers of individuals with TBI, according to a study published in the April issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

* This article was originally published here

FDA approves venetoclax for chronic, small lymphocytic leukemia

(HealthDay)—Venetoclax (VENCLEXTA) has been approved to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday.

* This article was originally published here

German startup to offer electric air taxis 'by 2025'

German startup firm Lilium announced Thursday the maiden flight of its all-electric pilotless jet-powered 'air taxi' which it hopes to operate in various cities around the world 'by 2025'.

* This article was originally published here

For many HIV+ women, daily survival takes precedence over viral suppression

According to scientists who study women infected with HIV, statistics often paint an impressionist view of the lives of these women that misses the granular detail that tells the real story. The imprecise big picture is that most of this population is doing a good job at suppressing the virus, but facts gathered on the ground show that many struggle with issues of daily living that can make taking a pill to keep HIV at bay difficult.

* This article was originally published here

NIST team demonstrates heart of next-generation chip-scale atomic clock

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and partners have demonstrated an experimental, next-generation atomic clock—ticking at high "optical" frequencies—that is much smaller than usual, made of just three small chips plus supporting electronics and optics.

* This article was originally published here

Museum volunteers discover new species of extinct heron at North Florida fossil site

When the bones of an ancient heron were unearthed at a North Florida fossil site, the find wasn't made by researchers but by two Florida Museum of Natural History volunteers.

* This article was originally published here

Study aims to improve capturing wind power for energy production

Scientists have released the first of several reports outlining major results that could help wind industry officials manage wind power facilities more efficiently and increase renewable energy production.

* This article was originally published here

Study finds narrowing gender gap in youth suicides

New research from Nationwide Children's Hospital finds a disproportionate increase in youth suicide rates for females relative to males, particularly in younger youth aged 10-14 years. The report, which describes youth suicide trends in the United States from 1975 to 2016, appears this week in JAMA Network Open.

* This article was originally published here

Study finds Adelaide's depression hot spots

Poorer, disconnected suburbs are more likely to have depression 'hot spots', according to a new study focused on Adelaide from The Australian National University (ANU).

* This article was originally published here

Crisis-hit Nissan shakes up board, keeps boss

Japanese car giant Nissan shook up its executive board Friday, adding a top director from partner Renault as it battles the fallout from the Carlos Ghosn saga and disappointing results.

* This article was originally published here

EasyJet losses deepen in first half

British low-cost airline EasyJet said Friday that first-half net losses more than quadrupled due to "tough" market conditions and high fuel costs.

* This article was originally published here

Thursday 16 May 2019

How host-cell enzymes combat the coronavirus

Host-cell enzymes called PARP12 and PARP14 are important for inhibiting mutant forms of a coronavirus, according to a study published May 16 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Stanley Perlman of the University of Iowa, Anthony Fehr of the University of Kansas, and colleagues.

* This article was originally published here

Stay safe in the sun by knowing how to protect your skin

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Do spray sunscreens work as well as sunscreen lotions, and do I need to buy different sunscreen for my kids than what I use myself?

* This article was originally published here

Particulate matter from aircraft engines affects airways

In a unique, innovative experiment, researchers under the leadership of the University of Bern have investigated the effect of exhaust particles from aircraft turbine engines on human lung cells. The cells reacted most strongly to particles emitted during ground idling. It was also shown that the cytotoxic effect is only to some extent comparable to that of particles from gasoline and diesel engines.

* This article was originally published here

Video game rivals Microsoft and Sony team up in cloud

Longtime video game console rivals Microsoft and Sony on Thursday announced an alliance to improve their platforms for streaming entertainment from the internet cloud.

* This article was originally published here

Malnourished fruit flies preserve genital size to ensure reproductive success

In most animals, body size shrinks when food becomes scarce, but some parts are protected from shrinkage. In humans without enough food, the body becomes small, but the size of the head stays the same, hinting at biological mechanisms that act to preserve the all-important brain.

* This article was originally published here

What do they mean by 'stem cells'? Recommended guidelines for reporting on cell therapies

Cell therapies including so-called "stem cells" are increasingly being marketed and used for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders - despite questions about these treatments and their effectiveness. A new tool for standardizing communication about cell therapies is presented in the May 15 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

* This article was originally published here

Toy transformers and real-life whales inspire biohybrid robot

Drawing inspiration from biology and the toy shelf, researchers at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and City University of Hong Kong have developed a swimming robot with a light-controlled cellular engine that can perform highly-targeted drug delivery.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers teach robots handwriting and drawing

An algorithm developed by Brown University computer scientists enables robots to put pen to paper, writing words using stroke patterns similar to human handwriting. It's a step, the researchers say, toward robots that are able to communicate more fluently with human co-workers and collaborators.

* This article was originally published here

Balancing the beam: Thermomechanical micromachine detects terahertz radiation

Radiation from many parts of the electromagnetic spectrum has been harnessed for extremely beneficial uses, in fields as diverse as medicine, imaging and photography, and astronomy. However, the terahertz (THz) region of the spectrum, situated between microwaves and infrared light, has been relatively underutilized owing to difficulties in generating such radiation artificially and in building devices to detect it.

* This article was originally published here

Bedbugs evolved more than 100 million years ago—and walked the earth with T. rex

Bedbugs—some of the most unwanted human bed-mates—have been parasitic companions with other species aside from humans for more than 100 million years, walking the earth at the same time as dinosaurs.

* This article was originally published here

Older and poorer communities are left behind by the decline of cash

A future without cash seems almost inevitable. Recent statistics paint a damning picture: while cash accounted for 62% of all payments by volume in 2006, this dropped to 40% in just a decade and is predicted to fall yet further to 21% by 2026.

* This article was originally published here

Rape myths like 'stranger danger' challenged by global drug survey

Many of the beliefs people hold about rape are downright wrong. For example, women are often told they can avoid sexual assault by monitoring how much alcohol they drink on a night out. "Don't leave your drink unattended" and "drink from bottles instead of cups" are common pieces of advice. There's even a wristband that's marketed as a "simple, wearable test to see if your drink may have been spiked".

* This article was originally published here

A face-following robot arm with emotion detection

Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have recently developed a face-following robotic arm with emotion detection inspired by Pixar Animation Studios' Luxo Jr. lamp. This robot was presented by Vernon Stanley Albayeros Duarte, a computer science graduate at UAB, in his final thesis.

* This article was originally published here

Energy-free superfast computing invented by scientists using light pulses

Superfast data processing using light pulses instead of electricity has been created by scientists.

* This article was originally published here

Calling attention to gender bias dramatically changes course evaluations

With growing evidence of gender bias on student course evaluations, a new intervention developed by Iowa State University researchers may help reduce bias against women instructors.

* This article was originally published here

Brain network activity can improve in epilepsy patients after surgery

Successful epilepsy surgery can improve brain connectivity similar to patterns seen in people without epilepsy, according to a new study published in the journal Neurosurgery.

* This article was originally published here

Wednesday 15 May 2019

Just add water: Salt battery could help renewable energy use

Amid the hum and heat of Berlin's Reuter thermal power station stands a shining contraption that looks out of place in the decades-old machine hall.

* This article was originally published here

Flying cars mooted for Paris' public transport network

European aerospace giant Airbus and Paris underground operator RATP will study the viability of adding flying vehicles to the city's urban transport network, the companies said Wednesday.

* This article was originally published here

Captive chimpanzees spontaneously use tools to excavate underground food

Chimpanzees in captivity can successfully work out how to use tools to excavate underground food, even if they've never been presented with an underground food scenario before, according to a study published May 15, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Alba Motes-Rodrigo and colleagues and directed by Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar from the University of Oslo.

* This article was originally published here

3-D images reveal how infants' heads change shape during birth

Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), scientists have captured 3-D images that show how infants' brains and skulls change shape as they move through the birth canal just before delivery. Olivier Ami of Auvergne University in Clermont Ferrand, France, and colleagues present these findings in the open access journal PLOS ONE on May 15, 2019.

* This article was originally published here

Mercedes want to abandon combustion engines by 2039

German giant Mercedes-Benz said Monday it wants to stop selling traditional combustion engine cars by 2039 and plans for its new vehicles sold worldwide by that time to be carbon-neutral.

* This article was originally published here

First smartphone app that can hear ear infections in children

Ear infections are the most common reason that parents bring their children to a pediatrician, according to the National Institutes of Health.

* This article was originally published here

How climate change will affect the rural northeast: Expect three weeks of heat

While extreme cold and snow often make headlines in the Northeast, by 2060, there will be far more record heat. Imagine the most sweltering day of the year. By 2060, you will experience that type of hot day for approximately three weeks of the year, assuming we don't substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to a Dartmouth study, of the rural Northeast counties represented, those in the bottom two lowest income quartiles will be hit hardest, as their communities will be disproportionately affected by increases in extremely hot days relative to wealthier counties. The findings are published in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers.

* This article was originally published here

Study identifies how cancer drug inhibits DNA repair in cancer cells

According to researchers at Yale Cancer Center, a cancer drug thought to be of limited use possesses a superpower of sorts: It is able to stop certain cancer cells from repairing their DNA in order to survive. The study, published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests that combining this drug, cediranib, with other agents could potentially deliver a lethal blow in cancer that uses a specific pathway—or process—to create DNA repair cells.

* This article was originally published here

Once-per-month HIV drugs on the horizon

An HIV diagnosis was once a death sentence, but now people who receive treatment survive for decades with the disease. Keeping the virus at bay usually requires taking a pill every day, which aside from being inconvenient for some, is an unwelcome daily reminder of the disease. That's why drug companies are developing longer-acting, injectable HIV treatments, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

* This article was originally published here

Exploring people's perception of geometric features, personalities and emotions in videos with virtual humans

Researchers at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul have recently carried out a study aimed at evaluating people's perceptions of geometric features, personalities and emotions presented in video sequences with virtual humans. Their study, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, merges computer science tools with psychology research practices.

* This article was originally published here

'Foldable' PC? Lenovo ThinkPad laptop screen bends in half like a book

Samsung has gained a lot attention lately for its Galaxy Fold hybrid smartphone/tablet, though given the recent display snags that have prompted a delay in the product's release, not necessarily for all the right reasons.

* This article was originally published here

Review: Edifier headphones and earbuds give you great sound, no wires

There are times when we all would like to tune out the outside world and just relax in peace and quiet.

* This article was originally published here

Best Buy extends reach into booming health care market with GreatCall

The man at the other end of the phone line was confused. But Daina Blackmon, with the same certification as a 911 dispatcher, calmly probed for signs of trouble.

* This article was originally published here

Tuesday 14 May 2019

The superheroes of nutrient detection living in our oceans

y and large, marine bacteria have a fairly simple existence – eat, divide, repeat. But the first step isn't always straightforward. There are lots of nutrients in the ocean, but there's no Uber Eats for microscopic organisms. They must find their food, and it's not always at arm's reach.

* This article was originally published here

Signals to noise in acoustic vehicles alerting systems

If you've ever wished for a quieter commute, you may be in luck: The low-emission electric vehicles of tomorrow are expected to lower noise pollution as well as air pollution. In Europe, and across the world, the prospect of a future powered by environmentally friendly electric vehicles is leading experts to consider the benefits—and the risks—of quieter traffic.

* This article was originally published here

New recommendations for a thyroid and cardiovascular disease research agenda

New Recommendations for a Thyroid and Cardiovascular Disease Research Agenda have been co-published in Thyroid and Circulation. The Guidelines are published online here in Thyroid. The Guidelines are also copyrighted by the American Heart Association and are being simultaneously published in its journal Circulation.

* This article was originally published here

New tool to predict epileptic seizures in pregnancy could save lives

A new risk calculator for pregnant women with epilepsy, developed by researchers from Queen Mary University of London, has been found to accurately predict the risk of seizures during pregnancy and up to six weeks after delivery, and could save the lives of mothers and babies.

* This article was originally published here

Monday 13 May 2019

New recommendations developed for breast cancer screening

(HealthDay)—New recommendations have been developed for breast cancer screening based on a life-years-gained model; the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) official statement was published online May 3.

* This article was originally published here

Sunday 12 May 2019

Collision-detecting suitcase, wayfinding app help blind people navigate airports

Carnegie Mellon University researchers say a smart suitcase that warns blind users of impending collisions and a wayfinding smartphone app can help people with visual disabilities navigate airport terminals safely and independently.

* This article was originally published here

Using AI to predict breast cancer and personalize care

Despite major advances in genetics and modern imaging, the diagnosis catches most breast cancer patients by surprise. For some, it comes too late. Later diagnosis means aggressive treatments, uncertain outcomes, and more medical expenses. As a result, identifying patients has been a central pillar of breast cancer research and effective early detection.

* This article was originally published here

Measuring quality of life after pediatric kidney transplant

After receiving a kidney transplant, children may experience quality-of-life difficulties that underscore the importance of screening transplant recipients for psychosocial function, according to Children's research presented May 4, 2019, during the 10th Congress of the International Pediatric Transplant Association.

* This article was originally published here

Can recreational sports really make you a better student?

A new Michigan State University study adds to growing evidence that participating in recreational sports not only can help improve grades while attending college, but it also can help students return for another year.

* This article was originally published here

Saturday 11 May 2019

Supply-chain hack attacks are worrying investigators

What do you know about supply-chain attacks? In January, an article in CSO said it's when a weak link in your enterprise security might lie with partners and suppliers. It's when someone infiltrates your system through an outside partner or provider with access to your systems and data.

* This article was originally published here

Israel drugmaker Teva vows to fight US price-fixing lawsuit

Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva vowed Saturday to defend itself after being accused of orchestrating price-fixing among drugmakers in a US antitrust lawsuit.

* This article was originally published here

Box of Pain: A new tracer and fault injector for distributed systems

In computer science, distributed systems are systems with components located on different devices, which communicate with one another. While these systems have become increasingly common, they are typically filled with bugs.

* This article was originally published here

Smart software tool could pave the way for changing how things get designed, made, and supplied

If you don't like wandering through big-box stores trying to find the furniture you need, and then struggle to assemble it, researchers have proposed a solution: Smart software that helps you design your own furniture, 3-D print the joints and assemble the whole structure at home.

* This article was originally published here

UK reaches jolly good milestone in days without coal

The UK has gone more than five days without burning coal, the longest streak without burning the fuel since the Industrial Revolution, said Bloomberg. It breaks the previous record from earlier this year, a total of 90 hours.

* This article was originally published here

Storm water banking could help Texas manage floods and droughts

Massive, destructive floods such as those caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 are a stark reality in Texas, but so are prolonged ground-cracking droughts.

* This article was originally published here

A case of the chimp sniffles or major outbreak? Syndromic surveillance may hold the key

Two sniffling chimps could be one too many for a wild chimpanzee community susceptible to respiratory disease outbreaks, report Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the University of Minnesota. The team's findings were a result of their development of a syndromic surveillance system to noninvasively and preemptively detect a potential outbreak of respiratory disease. The study recently was published in EcoHealth.

* This article was originally published here

How much protein do you need for weight loss and muscle growth?

(HealthDay)—Low-carb, vegetarian, Mediterranean—whatever your diet, it's important to get enough protein.

* This article was originally published here

Smarter training of neural networks

These days, nearly all the artificial intelligence-based products in our lives rely on "deep neural networks" that automatically learn to process labeled data.

* This article was originally published here

Clean fuel cells could be cheap enough to replace gas engines in vehicles

Advancements in zero-emission fuel cells could make the technology cheap enough to replace traditional gasoline engines in vehicles, according to researchers at the University of Waterloo.

* This article was originally published here

Opioid doctor and pharmacy 'shoppers' may also shop at home, study finds

As states crack down on doctor and pharmacy "shopping" by people who misuse opioids, a new study reveals how often those individuals may still be able to find opioids to misuse in their family medicine cabinets.

* This article was originally published here

Will smoggy L.A. have 'zero bad air' in 2025? Don't hold your breath

It was one of Mayor Eric Garcetti's most dramatic pledges in his sweeping "Green New Deal" for Los Angeles: "We will have zero days of unhealthy air quality by 2025."

* This article was originally published here

WHO warns Ebola could spread elsewhere if attacks don't stop

The World Health Organization warned Friday that it may not be possible to contain Ebola to the two affected provinces in eastern Congo if violent attacks on health teams continue.

* This article was originally published here

Study: Some biologic treatments for psoriasis may be safer for patients

A common chronic skin condition affecting 125 million people worldwide, psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, a class of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body's own healthy cells. In recent years, new medications—known as biologics—that inhibit the overactive immune system by targeting specific inflammatory pathways, have revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases. However, until now, few studies have documented the comparative safety of these various biologics.

* This article was originally published here

Dyson driving towards all-terrain electric car

James Dyson, famed for his vacuum cleaners, hinted Thursday that his electric car would be more energy efficient than rivals—and with "very large wheels" for city and rough-terrain driving.

* This article was originally published here

Friday 10 May 2019

The poorest pupils spurn school meals, study finds

Pupils from the poorest backgrounds are the ones most likely to leave school at lunchtime to buy food, a University of Hertfordshire investigation revealed today—and the choice is often chips together with other items high in fat, sugar and salt.

* This article was originally published here

75 years later, French 'HistoPad' offers new view of D-Day

The French and the Americans are working together again on a D-Day project—this time to give museum visitors the opportunity to travel back in time and experience the milestone World War II invasion 75 years later.

* This article was originally published here

Secrets of fluorescent microalgae could lead to super-efficient solar cells

Tiny light-emitting microalgae, found in the ocean, could hold the secret to the next generation of organic solar cells, according to new research carried out at the Universities of Birmingham and Utrecht.

* This article was originally published here

Peer-to-peer bonuses may have unintended negative consequences, expert warns

So-called peer-to-peer bonuses, where colleagues 'tip' or reward each other with points or money, may seem to offer short-term benefits but ultimately end up damaging performance and wellbeing, an HR expert has warned.

* This article was originally published here

Cancer screening rates decline when patients see doctors later in day

Compared to patients who see their primary care doctor earlier in the day, cancer screening rates decline significantly as the day goes on, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School both of the University of Pennsylvania. The researchers, whose findings were published today in JAMA Network Open, believe these rates of decline may be in part due to "decision fatigue"—which results from the cumulative burden of screening discussions earlier in the day—and doctors falling behind in their busy schedules.

* This article was originally published here

Focus on nuclear waste chemistry could help federal cleanup site challenges

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington State University teamed up to investigate the complex dynamics of low-water liquids that challenge nuclear waste processing at federal cleanup sites.

* This article was originally published here

Study shows native plants regenerate on their own after invasive shrubs are removed

Invasive shrubs have become increasingly prevalent in the deciduous forests of eastern North America—often creating a dense understory that outcompetes native plants. Many land managers would like to remove the invaders, but worry about what happens afterwards. Will they need to launch a costly remediation program to reestablish native plant communities?

* This article was originally published here

AI can detect depression in a child's speech

A machine learning algorithm can detect signs of anxiety and depression in the speech patterns of young children, potentially providing a fast and easy way of diagnosing conditions that are difficult to spot and often overlooked in young people, according to new research published in the Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

* This article was originally published here

Scientists introduce novel perspective in robotic capability

University of Illinois researcher Amy LaViers has introduced a new point of view from which to observe robotic capabilities in her paper, "Counts of Mechanical, External Configurations Compared to Computational, Internal Configurations in Natural and Artificial Systems," published today in PLOS ONE, a leading interdisciplinary research journal.

* This article was originally published here

Serotonin boosts neuronal powerplants protecting against stress

Mitochondria in neurons are the powerhouses that generate energy to execute cellular functions and regulate neuronal survival under conditions of stress. Collaborative research by Prof. Vidita Vaidya and Prof. Ullas Kolthur-Seetharam groups at TIFR, along with Dr. Ashok Vaidya, at the Medical Research Centre, Kasturba Health Society, has demonstrated an unusual function for the neurotransmitter serotonin, in the generation of new mitochondria—a process called mitochondrial biogenesis—in neurons, accompanied by increase in cellular respiration and ATP, the energy currency of the cell.

* This article was originally published here

MR imaging evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with SBRT

Although arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) is a key feature of untreated or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), standard response assessment such as modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) should be used with caution, particularly in the early phases after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) therapy, so as not to misinterpret treatment response, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2019 Annual Meeting, set for May 5-10 in Honolulu, HI.

* This article was originally published here

A deep-dive into the impact of arthritis drugs on gene expression

A new computational framework has revealed key differences between four rheumatoid arthritis medications and their impact on biological pathways in mice. Niki Karagianni of Biomedcode Hellas SA, Greece, and colleagues present their new approach and findings in PLOS Computational Biology.

* This article was originally published here

Thursday 9 May 2019

Biomarker test predicts mild, serious IBD in newly diagnosed

(HealthDay)—A new test can predict the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in patients, according to a study published online April 27 in Gut.

* This article was originally published here

VisiBlends, a new approach to disrupt visual messaging

Visual blends, which join two objects in an unusual, eye-catching way, are an advanced graphic design technique used in advertising, marketing, and the media to draw attention to a specific message. These visual marriages are designed to precipitate an "aha!" moment in the viewer who grasps one idea from the union of two images. For instance, blending an image of an orange with an image of the sun could convey a beverage with Vitamin C.

* This article was originally published here

NASA-NOAA satellite catches formation of Tropical Cyclone Lili

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the Southern Indian Ocean and captured a visible image of newly formed Tropical Cyclone Lili, located north of the coast of Australia's Northern Territory.

* This article was originally published here

Milk expression within eight hours associated with lactation success for VLBW infants in NICU

A study led by physician researchers at Boston Medical Center has shown that first milk expression within eight hours of giving birth is associated with the highest probability of mothers of very low-birth-weight infants being able to provide milk throughout hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit. The study results, published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, help better inform perinatal providers and new mothers how to prioritize the many aspects of perinatal care after delivery of a very low-birth-weight infant.

* This article was originally published here

Making a case for robotic objects as anger outlets

Coochi coo. Robots have undergone impressive designs and engineering for social use, manifested in puppy-like robots with expressive, blinking eyes, to little space robots. These little pals and helpers appeal to the home-confined elderly and children. These are social robots designed to understand and respond to cues.

* This article was originally published here

Hope on the horizon for treating stroke

A stroke treatment developed by researcher Byron Ford at the University of California, Riverside, has moved toward clinical trials.

* This article was originally published here

Free video streaming offers some gems - if you can find them

Free services let you watch thousands of movies and TV shows online, but using them feels like wandering through a low-rent, digital version of Blockbuster (RIP).

* This article was originally published here

A multi-scale body-part mask guided attention network for person re-identification

Person re-identification entails the automated identification of the same person in multiple images from different cameras and with different backgrounds, angles or positions. Despite recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), person re-identification remains a highly challenging task, particularly due to the many variations in a person's pose, as well as other differences associated with lighting, occlusion, misalignment and background clutter.

* This article was originally published here

AMP recommends minimum set of alleles for all clinical CYP2C9 genotyping testing

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostic professional society, today published consensus, evidence-based recommendations to aid in the design and validation of clinical CYP2C9 assays, promote standardization of testing across different laboratories and improve patient care. The report, "Recommendations for Clinical CYP2C9 Genotyping Allele Selection: A Joint Recommendation of the Association for Molecular Pathology and College of American Pathologists," was released online ahead of publication in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

* This article was originally published here

Nike's plan for better-fitting kicks: Show us your feet

Nike wants to meet your feet.

* This article was originally published here

Private health plans pay hospitals 2.4 times what Medicare would pay

An examination of U.S. hospital prices covering 25 states shows that in 2017, the prices paid to hospitals for privately insured patients averaged 241% of what Medicare would have paid, with wide variation in prices among states, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

* This article was originally published here

Pixel 3a vs. Pixel 3: Great camera for the price makes Google's $399 phone the better buy

Google's launch Tuesday of the $399 Pixel 3a and $479 Pixel 3a XL smartphones only seven months after the release of the pricier Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL handsets likely has you asking: "Why would I want to spend at least $400 more for Google's premium flagships, when these latest mid-priced devices offer so many overlapping features?"

* This article was originally published here

China Mobile's bid to offer US phone service rejected

U.S. communications regulators are rejecting a Chinese telecom company's application to provide service in the U.S. due to national-security risks amid an escalation in tensions between the two countries.

* This article was originally published here

Google bucks soaring smartphone prices with new Pixel

Google bucked the soaring smartphone price trend Tuesday, unveiling a high-performance Pixel handset aimed at the middle of the market as part of a wide-ranging pitch to developers of its new hardware, software and privacy efforts.

* This article was originally published here

Scientists find link between digital media use and depression in Chinese adolescents

Adolescents in China who either spend more time on screen activities, such as watching TV or surfing the Web, or less time on non-screen activities, including physical activity, are at risk and significantly more likely to experience depression, according to a new study in the journal Heliyon. A greater association with depression in girls over boys was also found as the use of new digital media grows across the country.

* This article was originally published here

Days at home after surgery reveal long-term outcome

The number of days at home within 30 days after surgery (DAH30) is a patient-centred outcome metric that integrates length of hospital stay and any readmission or death within 30 days after a surgical procedure. A group of clinical scientists at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and Monash University Melbourne, Australia, have now comprehensively evaluated DAH30 as a novel perioperative outcome metric by combining unique information from an array of national health registries and databases across Sweden.

* This article was originally published here

Notre Dame's melted roof leaves astronomical lead levels

Notre Dame Cathedral's melted roof has left astronomically high lead levels in the plaza outside and adjacent roads.

* This article was originally published here

Here's why the Uber, Lyft protests might not even work

A loose network of ride-hailing drivers took to the streets without their cars from San Diego to Atlanta on Wednesday as they protested ahead of Uber's highly anticipated initial public offering, which is scheduled for Friday.

* This article was originally published here

Analysis of historical specimens determines single origin of Australian potato pest

Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are quarantine soilborne pests that damage potatoes around the world, stunting plants and reducing yields. PCN results in losses of 9% of total potato production in Europe and can cause total losses in other regions of the world.

* This article was originally published here