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Sea level rise and shoreline changes are lead influences on floods from tropical cyclones

Though recent studies focus on climate change impacts on intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones, a new review shows that sea level rise and shoreline retreat are the two more certain factors expected to drive an increase in future flood risk.

Humans threaten wetlands' ability to keep pace with sea-level rise

Left to themselves, coastal wetlands can withstand rapid levels of sea-level rise. But humans could be sabotaging some of their best defenses, according to a new review.

Industrial age helps some coastal regions capture carbon dioxide, surprise finding shows

Coastal portions of the world's oceans, once believed to be a source of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, are now thought to absorb as much as two-thirds more carbon than they emitted in the preindustrial age, researchers estimate.

Researchers find shape-shifting stops migrating cancer cells

Like a car with a front and back end, a steering mechanism and an engine to push it forward, cancer cells propel themselves through normal tissues and organs to spread cancer throughout the body. Researchers, however, have managed to turn these cells into shapes like a round fried egg and an exaggerated starfish that sticks out in many directions — both of which cannot move.

New scheme uses shared visual cues to help people remember multiple passwords

It turns out that the way to keep track of your many passwords to online accounts is the same as how to get to Carnegie Hall -- practice, practice, practice. So researchers have devised a scheme that enables users to create 100 or more passwords by remembering -- and regularly rehearsing -- a small number of one-sentence stories. The story sentences become the basis for password fragments that are randomly combined to create unique, strong passwords for multiple accounts.

Looks are all important for girls on tween TV

Researchers believe that television programs for 8- to 12-year-olds may skew their concepts about gender roles. "Girls can participate in everything that boys can, but while doing so they should be attractive." This, according to American researchers, is one of the gender ideals conveyed by tween television programs to their young viewers.

New insights into cancer evolution help define screening window of opportunity

Researchers discover that cancer develops a few years after cells undergo drastic mutations, contrary to common belief.

Membrane enzymes 'stop and frisk' proteins indiscriminately

For what is believed to be the first time, researchers have illuminated the inner workings of an important class of enzymes located inside the outer envelopes of cells. Much to their surprise, they report, these protein cutters, called rhomboid proteases, are entirely different than nearly every other type of enzyme studied, showing no attraction to the proteins they cut and being extremely slow in making their cuts.

Molecular sensor detects early signs of multiple sclerosis, study finds

For some, the disease multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks its victims slowly over a period of years. For others, it strikes in fits and starts. But all patients share one thing: the disease had long been present in their nervous systems, under the radar from the most sophisticated detection methods. But now, scientists have devised a new sensor that can detect MS at its earliest stages -- even before the onset of physical signs.

HIV-1 movement across genital tract cells surprisingly enhanced by usurping antibody response

Infectious disease researchers have identified a novel mechanism wherein HIV-1 may facilitate its own transmission by usurping the antibody response directed against itself. These results have important implications for HIV vaccine development and for understanding the earliest events in HIV transmission.

No blue skies for mice

Guppies, hyenas and mice share one particular retinal specialization in their eye: Photoreceptors ("cones") sensitive to 'green' light are largely located in the top half of the eye, whereas cones sensitive to 'blue' light dominate the bottom half. Scientists have investigated this retinal specialization in mice, showing that the apparent match between 'color' and differential cone distribution brings the animals no advantage.

Omega-3 dietary supplements pass blood-brain barrier

New research shows that omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross the blood brain barrier in people with Alzheimer's disease, affecting known markers for both the disease itself and inflammation. The findings strengthen the evidence that omega-3 may benefit certain forms of this seriously debilitating disease.

Exercise beneficial for dementia

Exercise may benefit older people with dementia by improving their cognitive functioning and ability to carry out everyday activities, according to a new systematic review. However, the authors of the review did not see any clear effect of exercise on depression in older people with dementia and say that more evidence is needed to understand how exercise could reduce the burden on family caregivers and health systems.

Dispelling urban legend, new study shows who uses emergency departments frequently

Frequent emergency department users are have a substantial burden of disease, often having multiple chronic conditions and many hospitalizations, according to the analysis of Medicaid data for New York City.

Malaria treatment could improve in children

Antimalarial drug resistance has hampered malaria control programs for almost 60 years. A key factor in combatting this threat is to ensure that all antimalarial drugs are deployed in a way that ensures that the maximum number of patients are completely cured.

Less medical errors when continuity of care in hospitals improved

Implementation of a multifaceted program to improve patient handoffs (change in staff caring for a patient) among physicians-in-training residents at a children's hospital was associated with a reduction in medical errors and preventable adverse events, according to a study.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft obtains best views of Saturn hexagon

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has obtained the highest-resolution movie yet of a unique six-sided jet stream, known as the hexagon, around Saturn's north pole.

Study links sleep to mood disturbance, poor quality of life in obese

A new study shows that poor sleep quality is strongly associated with mood disturbance and lower quality of life among people with extreme obesity.

Social stigmas may contribute to African-American college students' hesitation to breast-feed

A researcher has found that African-American college students are aware of the benefits of breast-feeding for infants, yet some still are hesitant about breast-feeding future children. Evidence revealed a lack of public acceptance toward breast-feeding may influence this hesitation.

IVF improving, but fertility treatments keep multiple births high

More than one in three twin births and three of four births of triplets or more in the United States arise from fertility treatments, according to new estimates published. Although in-vitro fertilization (IVF) practices have improved to produce fewer triplets or higher-order births than at peak, multiples from non-IVF treatments continue unabated.

Study highlights massive benefits of HIV treatment in South Africa

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the treatment of HIV infection has saved 2.8 million years of life in South Africa since 2004 and is projected to save an additional 15.1 million years of life by 2030, according to a new study published. The analysis suggests these dramatic benefits could be even greater if more aggressive HIV testing and treatment strategies are implemented.

For top teacher pay, it's all about location, location, location

Where you live has a strong bearing on what you're paid as a public-school teacher in the State of New York. Median salaries for teachers with Master's degrees and 10 years experience range from $45,882 in the Mohawk Valley to a high of $81,852 on Long Island, according to a recent study.

Toxigenic C. difficile resides harmlessly in infants, poses risk to adults

Infants and toddlers frequently carry toxigenic Clostridium difficile, usually with no harm to themselves, but can serve as a reservoir and spread the bacteria to adults in whom it can cause severe disease, according to a study by a team of Swedish researchers.

Corporate culture of respect prevents workplace sexual harassment

Potentially harassing behavior is a daily occurrence in many places – and it's not always men who are the offenders and women the victims. There is no such thing as a typical offender or victim profile; much more important is the corporate culture, states a new Swiss study.

Glimpsing the infrastructure of a gamma-ray burst jet

A new study using observations from a novel instrument provides the best look to date at magnetic fields at the heart of gamma-ray bursts, the most energetic explosions in the universe. An international team of astronomers has glimpsed the infrastructure of a burst's high-speed jet.

Crocodiles are cleverer than previously thought: Some crocodiles use lures to hunt their prey

Biologists have observed two crocodilian species -- muggers and American alligators -- using twigs and sticks to lure birds, particularly during nest-building time.

Fledgling supernova remnant reveals neutron star's secrets

Astronomers have identified the glowing wreck of a star that exploded a mere 2,500 years ago — the blink of an eye in astronomical terms.

Early tree-dwelling bipedal human ancestor was similar to ancient apes and 'Lucy' but not living apes

An analysis of the femur of one of the oldest human ancestors reveals the six-million-year-old "Millenium Man" was bipedal but lived in the trees. The research could provide additional insight to the origins of human bipedalism.

Blood vessels reorganize after face transplantation surgery

For the first time, researchers have found that the blood vessels in face transplant recipients reorganize themselves, leading to an understanding of the biologic changes that happen after full face transplantation.

MR-guided ultrasound offers noninvasive treatment for breast cancer

A technique that uses focused ultrasound under magnetic resonance guidance to heat and destroy tumors may offer a safe and effective treatment for breast cancer, according to new research.

Radiographic imaging exposes relationship between obesity, cancer

Researchers are working to improve understanding about obesity and cancer. A study published today is the first to use direct radiographic imaging of adipose tissue rather than estimates like body mass index or waist circumference, and focuses on the relationship between obesity and cancer risk in aging populations.

Ten times more throughput on optic fibers

Two scientists have shown how to achieve a dramatic increase in the capacity of optical fibers. Their simple, innovative solution, generating perfect "Nyquist sinc pulses," reduces the amount of space required between the pulses of light that transport data. The breakthrough could increase the throughput of data in telecommunications systems by a factor of 10.

Mammography screening intervals may affect breast cancer prognosis

In a study of screening mammography-detected breast cancers, patients who had more frequent screening mammography had a significantly lower rate of lymph node positivity -- or cancer cells in the lymph nodes -- as compared to women who went longer intervals between screening mammography exams.

Missing 'brake in the brain' can trigger anxiety

Fear, at the right level, can increase alertness and protect against dangers. Disproportionate fear, on the other hand, can disrupt the sensory perception, be disabling, reduce happiness and therefore become a danger in itself. In anxiety disorders, the fear is so strong that there is tremendous psychological strain and living a normal life seems impossible. Researchers have now found a possible explanation as to how social phobias and fear can be triggered in the brain: a missing inhibitory connection or missing "brake" in the brain.

World record: Longest ECG ever measured non-invasively

Patients suffering from cardiac diseases may rapidly become emergencies. However, many cardiac diseases are announced several months before, and symptoms are simply overlooked. A long-term ECG may help. A sensor belt for the first time allows clinicians to document cardiac activity of a patient over a long term, around the clock, for up to six months.

Rising ocean acidification leads to anxiety in fish

A new research study combining marine physiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and behavioral psychology has revealed a surprising outcome from increases of carbon dioxide uptake in the oceans: anxious fish. Scientists have shown for the first time that rising acidity levels increase anxiety in juvenile rockfish, an important commercial species in California.

Multi-dog study points to canine brain's reward center

After capturing the first brain images of two alert, unrestrained dogs last year, researchers have confirmed their methods and results by replicating them in an experiment involving 13 dogs. The research showed that most of the dogs had a positive response in the caudate region of the brain when given a hand signal indicating they would receive a food treat, as compared to a different hand signal for "no treat."

New fossil species found in Mozambique reveals new data on ancient mammal relatives

In the remote province of Niassa, Mozambique, a new species and genus of fossil vertebrate was found. The species is a distant relative of living mammals and is approximately 256 million years old. This new species belongs to a group of animals called synapsids. Synapsida includes a number of extinct lineages that dominated the communities on land in the Late Permian (260-252 million years ago), as well as living mammals and their direct ancestors.

Laser light at useful wavelengths from semiconductor nanowires

Thread-like semiconductor structures called nanowires, so thin that they are effectively one-dimensional, show potential as lasers for applications in computing, communications, and sensing. Scientists have demonstrated laser action in semiconductor nanowires that emit light at technologically useful wavelengths and operate at room temperature. They now have documented this breakthrough and have disclosed further results showing enhanced optical and electronic performance.

Soft mini-robots: Micro-robots will become soft and move like biological organisms, experts predict

Increasingly small robots can carry out their functions even inside the human body. No, this isn't a sci-fi dream. The technology is almost ready. However there is still one condition they must meet to be effective: these devices need to have the same "softness" and flexibility as biological tissues.

Geoengineering approaches to reduce climate change unlikely to succeed

Reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the planet's surface by geoengineering may not undo climate change after all. Researchers used a simple energy balance analysis to explain how the Earth's water cycle responds differently to heating by sunlight than it does to warming due to a stronger atmospheric greenhouse effect. Further, they show that this difference implies that reflecting sunlight to reduce temperatures may have unwanted effects on the Earth's rainfall patterns.

What do investors and college football pollsters have in common?

When it comes to choosing the best college football teams in the nation or the best companies to invest in, even the experts tend to fall for the same types of biased thinking that the rest of us do.

An ecosystem-based approach to protect the deep sea from mining

A new paper describes the expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion–Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ).

Mother sharks 'home' to their birthplace to give birth

Research conducted in Bimini in The Bahamas spanning almost two decades shows that female lemon sharks that were born there returned 15 years later to give birth to their own young, confirming this behavior for the first time in sharks. The study began in 1995, and has resulted in the capture, tagging, and release of more than 2,000 baby sharks.

Study gives new meaning to 'let your fingers do the walking'

A psychological study has found that skilled typists can't identify the positions of many of the keys on the QWERTY keyboard and probably didn't memorize them even when they first learned to type.

Ultrathin 'diagnostic skin' allows continuous patient monitoring

An international, multidisciplinary research team has developed an ultrathin membrane that can stick to skin and carry arrays of diagnostic sensors and stimulatory components. The "electronic skin" allows remote patient monitoring and may someday be used to deliver treatments.

Women find sexually explicit ads unappealing -- unless price is right

Sexual imagery is often used in magazine and TV ads, presumably to help entice buyers to purchase a new product. But new research suggests that women tend to find ads with sexual imagery off-putting, unless the advertised item is priced high enough.

'Arabidopsis' semidwarfs: The green revolution in nature

During the so-called 'green revolution' of the sixties, a movement that changed agricultural practices in many crops around the world, techniques for genetic improvement were applied in order to obtain grain varieties which were shorter, more resistant and more productive. A study has found that some similar mutations to those which were artificially obtained during the green revolution also occur naturally in populations of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Love connection: Advice for online daters

Most online dating users don't choose a potential mate the same way they choose a movie to watch, but new research suggests they'd be more amorously successful if that's how their dating service operated.

Stomach 'clock' tells us how much to eat

Researchers have discovered the first evidence that the nerves in the stomach act as a circadian clock, limiting food intake to specific times of the day.

How our nerves keep firing

Biologists discovered how nerve cells recycle tiny bubbles or "vesicles" that send chemical nerve signals from one cell to the next. The process is much faster and different than two previously proposed mechanisms for recycling the bubbles.

Tripped tongues teach speech secrets

Tongue twisters are not just fun to say; it turns out that these sound-related slip-ups can also open windows into the brain's speech-planning processes.

What a Formula 1 race does to your eardrums

An acoustical engineer always wanted to go to a Formula 1 Grand Prix but knew he needed to protect himself from the deafening roar of the engines. The advice he found online varied and the technical papers he read provided assessments of sound levels for NASCAR and other races, but he could find nothing that measured the noise levels or dosage specifically for Formula 1. So he decided to conduct his own test.

'Valley girl speak' extending to males

The American English speech variant known as uptalk, or "Valley Girl speak" – marked by a rise in pitch at the ends of sentences – is typically associated with young southern Californian females. New research shows uptalk is expanding to other demographic groups, including males.

Sound protection standards for secret spaces may be insufficient

What's the best place to conduct a conversation about a confidential or even classified matter? Surprisingly, probably not a conference room designed in accordance with acoustical criteria approved by the Department of Defense. While such "secret" rooms might meet DOD standards, they offer less protection against snooping than is found in a luxury condo, says one researcher who evaluated the acoustic performance of several classified spaces.

Carbon monoxide may help shrink tumors, amplify effectiveness of chemotherapy

In recent years, research has suggested that carbon monoxide, the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems, can be used to treat certain inflammatory medical conditions. Now a study shows for the first time that carbon monoxide may also have a role to play in treating cancer.

Swallowing a diagnostic pill

A tiny capsule that can carry out a chemical analysis of the contents of one's stomach could identify the presence of so-called "occult" blood at very low levels. The data is automatically broadcast to an external monitoring device for detection of early stage stomach cancer by one's physician.

Recurring memory traces boost long-lasting memories

While the human brain is in a resting state, patterns of neuronal activity which are associated to specific memories may spontaneously reappear. Scientists performed a memory test on a series of persons while monitoring their brain activity by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The experimental setup comprised several resting states including a nap inside a neuroimaging scanner. The study indicates that resting periods can generally promote memory performance.

New program helps curb phone use while driving

Expanding their efforts to keep citizens safe on San Diego roadways, UC San Diego's Training, Research and Education for Driving Safety program announced today that they are launching a new distracted driving education project called Just Drive - Take Action Against Distraction, a one hour class free of charge offered to businesses in San Diego.

Death of adult son increases depressive symptoms in mothers, but not fathers

Mothers -- but not fathers -- exhibited more depressive symptoms and experienced a decline in overall health after the death of an adult son, while the death of a daughter had no such effect on either parent, according to one of the first studies to examine the impacts of the death of an adult child on parents aged 65 and older.

Heart failure after heart attack is driven by immune cells made in spleen

Damage to heart muscle caused by a heart attack turns on immune cells in the spleen that accelerate heart failure.

Structure of key pain-related protein unveiled

In a technical tour de force, scientists have determined, at near-atomic resolution, the structure of a protein that plays a central role in the perception of pain and heat.

DNA helicity, elasticity explained on nanoscale

A simple mechanical model to effectively implement the well-known double-stranded structure and the elasticity of DNA on a nano-meter scale has been developed, in an effort to more comprehensively explore the nucleic acid containing genetic material of cells.

Tune in, turn on, power up

Human beings don't come with power sockets, but a growing numbers of us have medical implants that run off electricity. To keep our bionic body parts from powering down, a group of researchers is developing a safe, noninvasive, and efficient means of wireless power transmission through body tissue.

Inflammation linked to obesity in adults may be protective in young children

The first study of its kind reveals that the same pro-inflammatory proteins linked to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in adults appear to protect children prior to puberty.

Predicting ovarian cancer survival by counting tumor-attacking immune cells

Scientists develop a new method for counting cancer-fighting cells in ovarian cancer patients.

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Thursday, December 5, 2013

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