Fwd: Science X Newsletter Monday, Jun 1

HOT!

The less you sleep, the more you eat

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 2, 2015 at 3:14 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, Jun 1
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for June 1, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Amoeba-inspired computing system outperforms conventional optimization methods
- A new tool measures the distance between phonon collisions
- Graphene layer could quadruple rate of condensation heat transfer in generating plants
- Best of Last Week–Confirming quantum weirdness, revolutionary bionic lens and connecting our brains directly to Internet
- New evidence emerges on the origins of life
- Entangled photons unlock new super-sensitive characterisation of quantum technology
- Researchers identify circular orbits for 74 small exoplanets
- New sensing tech could help detect diseases, fraudulent art, chemical weapons
- Researcher discovers metabolite of prostate cancer drug more effective at treating aggressive tumors
- Seas face biodiversity shakeup even under 2 C warming
- Some endangered sawfishes are having babies, no sex required
- New anti-microbial compounds evade resistance with less toxicity
- The ebb and flow of Greenland's glaciers
- Ancient algae found deep in tropical glacier
- Yorkshire's oldest new addition to the 'Jurassic World'

Nanotechnology news

	Amoeba-inspired computing system outperforms conventional optimization methods (Phys.org)—Researchers have designed and implemented an algorithm that solves computing problems using a strategy inspired by the way that an amoeba branches out to obtain resources. The new algorithm, called AmoebaSAT, can solve the satisfiability (SAT) problem—a difficult optimization problem with many practical applications—using orders of magnitude fewer steps than the number of steps required by one of the fastest conventional algorithms.
	Graphene layer could quadruple rate of condensation heat transfer in generating plants Most of the world's electricity-producing power plants—whether powered by coal, natural gas, or nuclear fission—make electricity by generating steam that turns a turbine. That steam then is condensed back to water, and the cycle begins again.
	A new tool measures the distance between phonon collisions Today's computer chips pack billions of tiny transistors onto a plate of silicon within the width of a fingernail. Each transistor, just tens of nanometers wide, acts as a switch that, in concert with others, carries out a computer's computations. As dense forests of transistors signal back and forth, they give off heat—which can fry the electronics, if a chip gets too hot.
	New sensing tech could help detect diseases, fraudulent art, chemical weapons From airport security detecting explosives to art historians authenticating paintings, society's thirst for powerful sensors is growing.
	Carbon nanotubes grown in combustion flames An international research team's theoretical simulation of the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes has revealed important details of the mechanisms at play. This could lead to better ways to control the production of carbon nanotubes.
	Connecting the atomic surface structures of cerium oxide nanocrystals to catalysis When it comes to reducing the toxins released by burning gasoline, coal, or other such fuels, the catalyst needs to be reliable. Yet, a promising catalyst, cerium dioxide (CeO2), seemed erratic. The catalyst's three different surfaces behaved differently. For the first time, researchers got an atomically resolved view of the three structures, including the placement of previously difficult-to-visualize oxygen atoms. This information may provide insights into why the surfaces have distinct catalytic properties.
	Hot nanostructures cool faster when they are physically close together A complete description of nanoscale thermal transport is a fundamental problem that has defied understanding for decades. Here, researchers uncover a new regime of thermal transport near nanoscale structures, where counterintuitively, nanoscale hot spots cool more quickly when placed close together than when they are widely separated.
How safe is nanotechnology research in Southeast Asia? Researchers in Malaysia are asking whether existing legal and regulatory frameworks in Southeast Asia are robust enough to consider the safety issues surrounding the technology.
Manipulating cell membranes using nanotubes Japanese researchers have developed a targeted method for opening up cell membranes in order to deliver drugs to, or manipulate the genes of, individual cells.
	Tiny semiconducting crystals show promise for solar cell architectures and light-emitting devices Ames Laboratory scientists discovered semiconducting nanocrystals that function not only as stellar light-to-energy converters but also as stable light emitters.

Physics news

	Entangled photons unlock new super-sensitive characterisation of quantum technology A new protocol for estimating unknown optical processes, called unitary operations, with precision enhanced by the unique properties of quantum mechanics has been demonstrated by scientists and engineers from the University of Bristol, UK, and the Centre for Quantum Technologies in Singapore.
	Novel X-ray lens sharpens view into the nano world A team led by DESY scientists has designed, fabricated and successfully tested a novel X-ray lens that produces sharper and brighter images of the nano world. The lens employs an innovative concept to redirect X-rays over a wide range of angles, making a high convergence power. The larger the convergence the smaller the details a microscope can resolve, but as is well known it is difficult to bend X-rays by large enough angles. By fabricating a nano-structure that acts like an artificial crystal it was possible to mimic a high refracting power. Although the fabrication needed to be controlled at the atomic level—which is comparable to the wavelength of X-rays—the DESY scientists achieved this precision over an unprecedented area, making for a large working-distance lens and bright images. Together with the improved resolution these are key ingredients to make a super X-ray microscope. The team led by Dr. Saša Bajt from DESY p! resents the novel lens in the journal Scientific Reports.
	Are scientists finally on the brink of understanding where proton spin comes from? For nearly three decades, physicists have been unable to answer a seemingly simple question: where does proton spin come from?
	Giant structures called plasmoids could simplify the design of future tokamaks Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have for the first time simulated the formation of structures called "plasmoids" during Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI), a process that could simplify the design of fusion facilities known as tokamaks. The findings, reported in the journal Physical Review Letters, involve the formation of plasmoids in the hot, charged plasma gas that fuels fusion reactions. These round structures carry current that could eliminate the need for solenoids - large magnetic coils that wind down the center of today's tokamaks - to initiate the plasma and complete the magnetic field that confines the hot gas.
	Researchers synthesize magnetic nanoparticles that could offer alternative to rare Earth magnets A team of scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University has synthesized a powerful new magnetic material that could reduce the dependence of the United States and other nations on rare earth elements produced by China.
	Russian physicists study laser beam compressed into thin filament A group of Russian scientists recently presented their research into the process of laser pulse filamentation—the effect produced when a laser beam propagating in air focuses into a filament. The researchers discovered how this process influences the preliminary transition of a beam passing through quartz glass, which has applications in the field of nonlinear optics.
	Sensors for measuring the properties of tiny amounts of fluid Researchers in Singapore have developed fibre-based "optofluidic" sensors for measuring the properties of tiny amounts of fluid. The innovation increases the sensitivity of measurements and makes it less expensive for researchers and clinicians to study the properties of fluids.
	Major work to ready the LHC experiments for Run 2 Next week, the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be back in action, taking data for the accelerator's second run. The detectors were shut down two years ago for maintenance and refurbishment in preparation for collisions at the higher energy of 13 teraelectronvolts (TeV).
	Researchers detect how light excites electrons in metal Researchers have observed, in metals for the first time, transient excitons – the primary response of free electrons to light. Here, the researchers discovered that the surface electrons of silver crystals can maintain the excitonic state more than 100 times longer than for the bulk metal, enabling the excitons to be experimentally visualized by a newly developed multidimensional coherent spectroscopic technique.
	Scientists mix matter and anti-matter to resolve decade-old proton puzzle Fans of science and science fiction have been warned that mixing matter with anti-matter can yield explosive results. And that's just what physicists were counting on, in hopes of blowing wide open a puzzle that has confounded them for the last decade.
	Diode lasers bars with 2 kW output power for ultra-high power laser applications The FBH presented the latest results from their project CryoLaser at CLEO 2015, demonstrating for the first time that a single 1-cm laser bar can deliver at least 2 kilowatt (kW) of optical output power, when cooled to 203 Kelvin.

Earth news

	Team reports new evidence that microbial algae in Caribbean came from the Pacific; could do long-term damage University of Delaware's Daniel "Tye" Pettay reports new evidence that Symbiodinium trenchii (S. trenchii), a stress-tolerant zooxanthellae alga found in coral communities across the Greater Caribbean, is actually an introduced species from the Indio-Pacific Ocean.
	Seas face biodiversity shakeup even under 2 C warming The oceans will undergo a dramatic turnover in biodiversity even if the UN meets its goal of limiting of global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), scientists said Monday.
	The ebb and flow of Greenland's glaciers In northwestern Greenland, glaciers flow from the main ice sheet to the ocean in see-sawing seasonal patterns. The ice generally flows faster in the summer than in winter, and the ends of glaciers, jutting out into the ocean, also advance and retreat with the seasons.
	Ancient algae found deep in tropical glacier The remains of tiny creatures found deep inside a mountaintop glacier in Peru are clues to the local landscape more than a millennium ago, according to a new study by Rice University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Ohio State University.
	Army of sensor-equipped seals collects distant ocean data Seals have helped gather information on some of the harshest environments on the planet, using technology designed by scientists at the University of St Andrews.
	Researchers urge protection for reefs in turbid environments When you think about coral, invariably your first thoughts are of pristine waters and a colourful reef, buzzing with marine activity. But did you know there is coral right here in Sydney Harbour? And in fact, these corals could hold valuable information about the future of our reefs under the spectre of climate change.
	Hurricane forecast accuracy is improving, but don't overly focus on the skinny black line "Don't focus on the skinny black line" was the trademark admonition of former National Hurricane Center (NHC) director Max Mayfield dating back to the 1990s. It's advice that media and residents of southwest Florida would have done well to heed when Hurricane Charley crossed Cuba in August 2004. Too much attention was paid to a track forecast depicting landfall near Tampa, and too few appreciated that Port Charlotte, only 70 miles to the south, was also under a hurricane warning. Although tropical cyclone forecasts had improved dramatically over the years, they were still far from perfect, as residents of Port Charlotte would soon find out.
	Highly explosive volcanism at Galapagos Eight to 16 million years ago, highly explosive volcanism occurred in the area of today's Galapagos Islands. This is shown for the first time by analyses of core samples obtained by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Jointly with colleagues from the US, Taiwan, Australia and Switzerland, volcanologists from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel now present their results in the international journal Geology.
	Six energy companies call for carbon pricing Six leading oil and gas companies Monday called on governments to put into place a carbon pricing system, saying this would be the most effective way of cutting the emission of greenhouse gases.
	Acid saline groundwaters and lakes of southern Western Australia The "wheat belt" and "gold fields" of southern Western Australia are associated with a regional acid saline groundwater system. Groundwaters hosted in the Yilgarn Craton there have pH levels as low as 2.4 and salinities as high as 28%, which have greatly affected bedrock and subsurface sediments. This is manifested above ground as hundreds of shallow, ephemeral acid saline lakes.
	New climate stress index model challenges doomsday forecasts for world's coral reefs Recent forecasts on the impacts of climate change on the world's coral reefs—especially ones generated from oceanic surface temperature data gathered by satellites—paint a grim picture for the future of the "rainforests of the sea."
	New round of UN talks seeks a shape to climate deal UN climate talks were to resume in Bonn on Monday, tasked with sculpting a historic deal on greenhouse gases due to be sealed in Paris little more than six months from now.
	A look at competing math on pools versus lawns The drought gripping California has the swimming pool and spa industry on the offensive. Pool contractors worry about damage to their business as water districts consider bans on filling new pools and refilling existing ones.
	NASA sees birth of second Eastern Pacific tropical depression Less than a week after the first Eastern Pacific Ocean tropical cyclone was born, NASA's Aqua satellite saw Tropical Depression 02E form to the east of Hurricane Andres.
	NASA provides information on Category 4 Hurricane Andres Hurricane Andres grew into a major hurricane today and NASA's Aqua satellite provided data to forecasters to help determine the powerful storm's next move.
	Image: Canadian wildfires continue and increase Hot spots abound in this image taken by NASA's Aqua satellite on May 30. When accompanied by smoke, as they are in this image, these hot spots are indicative of fire. Wildfire season in Canada is starting somewhat early this year due to higher than normal temperatures earlier in the season.
Soil erosion contributes significantly to global carbon emissions Soil erosion that occurs in rainy seasons leads to a significant amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere, a new study shows.
Series of quakes strikes off Northwest coast; no tsunamis A string of five earthquakes with a top magnitude of 5.9 has struck in an area off the Pacific Northwest known for lots of activity along faults but little tsunami danger.

Astronomy & Space news

	Researchers identify circular orbits for 74 small exoplanets Viewed from above, our solar system's planetary orbits around the sun resemble rings around a bulls-eye. Each planet, including Earth, keeps to a roughly circular path, always maintaining the same distance from the sun.
	Distant moons may provide evidence of life beyond Earth, researchers say Is there life beyond Earth? The answer to that age-old question may be on a moon we can't yet see.
	A head start for planet formation? Evidence of large dust grains in star-forming regions A group of Victoria-based scientists have made a discovery suggesting that the building blocks of planets may form earlier than previously thought. UVic astronomer, Mike Chen, presented the group's research at a Canadian Astronomical Society's conference on May 25th.
	Astronomers make real-time, 3-D movies of plasma tubes drifting overhead By creatively using a radio telescope to see in 3D, astronomers have detected the existence of tubular plasma structures in the inner layers of the magnetosphere surrounding the Earth.
	Hardy bacteria thrive under hot desert rocks Beneath the rocks scarring California's Mojave Desert are colonies of cyanobacteria, tiny creatures thought to be some of the first on Earth to convert light from the Sun into energy in the process known as photosynthesis. By studying how these creatures adapt to life in the hot, dry desert, biologists hope to glean insight into how microbial life of some sort might fare on Mars.
	Crashing comets may explain mysterious lunar swirls Brown University researchers have produced new evidence that lunar swirls—wispy bright regions scattered on the moon's surface—were created by several comet collisions over the last 100 million years.
	'Galaxy fingerprinting' yields new clues about galaxy evolution Astronomers are a step closer to understanding the evolution of galaxies, thanks to new research that compares the chemical make-up of distant galaxies to those in our own galactic back yard.
	Earth organisms survive under low-pressure Martian conditions New research at the University of Arkansas suggests that methanogens – among the simplest and oldest organisms on Earth – could survive on Mars.
Video: Engineers conduct "heart surgery" on the Webb telescope In this new NASA video, engineers from Airbus Defense and Space (DS), Ottobrunn, Germany, dressed in white protective suits and special white gloves, recently completed a delicate surgical procedure to exchange two key components from the "heart" of an instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
	Will we ever colonize Mars? Mars. It's a pretty unforgiving place. On this dry, dessicated world, the average surface temperature is -55 °C (-67 °F). And at the poles, temperatures can reach as low as -153 °C (243 °F). Much of that has to do with its thin atmosphere, which is too thin to retain heat (not to mention breathe). So why then is the idea of colonizing Mars so intriguing to us?
	History of the NASA Skylab, America's first space station Before there was the International Space Station, before there was Mir, there was Skylab. Established in 1973, and remaining in orbit until 1979, this orbital space station was American's first long-duration orbital workshop, and the ancestor of all those that have followed.
	Radar techniques used in Antarctica will scour Europa for life-supporting environments When a NASA spacecraft sets off to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa to look for the ingredients of life, radar equipment designed to pierce the ice of Antarctica will be among the passengers.
	Pollen corona season for backyard astronomers Don't be surprised if you look up in the sun's direction and squint with itchy, watery eyes. You might be staring into billows of tree pollen wafting through your town. It's certainly been happening where I live.

Technology news

	Self-driving cars vulnerable to cyberattack, experts warn Hackers pose a real danger to self-driving vehicles, US experts are warning, and carmakers and insurers are starting to factor in the risk.
	Brillo as an underlying operating system for Internet of Things The Project Brillo announcement was one of the event's highlights making news at Google's I/O conference last week. Brillo fundamentally is Google's answer to the Internet of Things operating system. Brillo is designed to run on and connect various IoT low-power devices. If Android was Google's answer for a mobile operating system, Brillo is a mini, or lightweight, Android OS–and part of The Register's headline on the announcement story was "Google puts Android on a diet".
	New privacy app takes a page from NSA technology Before the National Security Agency began complaining about being shut out of encrypted devices, it helped develop software for secure communications that could be adapted by the private sector.
	Bringing microgrids to rural villages An estimated 1.3 billion people around the world lack access to electricity, and as a result spend scarce resources on kerosene and other fuels for lighting. Now MIT researchers have developed a system to enable those in rural villages who can afford solar panels to share power with their neighbors, providing both income for the owners and much-needed power for the neighbors.
	Lenovo REACHit app to add muscle to Cortana search Lenovo and Microsoft have teamed up, in combining two strengths for one satisfying feature. The pairing up involves Cortana—the personal digital assistant across Windows 10 PCs, tablets and phones that allows users to talk or type naturally to get things done—with Lenovo's REACHit—an app that lets you connect and search multiple file storage locations in one place. The search capabilities of Cortana for Windows 10 devices have in turn been extended.
	Senate takes up House bill but fails to avoid spying lapse (Update) For the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, the Congress curtailed the National Security Agency's authority to track suspected terrorists as lawmakers struggled to restore approval for mass collection of phone records and other surveillance methods.
	Engineers win grant to make smart clothes for personalized cooling and heating Imagine a fabric that will keep your body at a comfortable temperature—regardless of how hot or cold it actually is. That's the goal of an engineering project at the University of California, San Diego, funded with a $2.6M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E). Wearing this smart fabric could potentially reduce heating and air conditioning bills for buildings and homes.
	Solar Impulse plane to land in Japan due to bad weather A solar plane attempting to fly around the world without a drop of fuel plans to make an unscheduled stop Monday night in Nagoya, Japan, because of bad weather.
	Japan's pension system hacked with 1.25 mn personal data leaks Japan's pension service said Monday it suffered a hack attack that led to 1.25 million cases of personal data being leaked.
	Researcher uses technology to bring power to the people In the beginning, Eric Brewer and Paul Gauthier created Inktomi. And they saw that it was good. In 1996, before anyone spoke the word Google, Brewer and his Berkeley graduate student launched Inktomi to create the first Internet service based on clusters of networked computers—the architecture that enables modern Internet search engines and cloud computing.
	Mini laser for real-time quality control Good quality and precision are essential – a dictum that also applies to products from the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. While the quality of chemical products is often still being monitored manually during the production process, a laser-based system could take over this task in future, allowing for a continuous monitoring in real time.
	Small and discreet data glasses for everyday use Data glasses tend to be chunky, unstylish objects, so it's no wonder they haven't caught on among general consumers. Fraunhofer researchers have now developed a technology that allows the "specs" to be made in small, unobtrusive designs. The new glasses also correct for farsightedness.
	Banknote check with ultra-fast line scan sensor Speed and accurate image reproduction are the alpha and omega of quality inspection in security printing. Conventional image sensors are limited in this regard. Fraunhofer researchers have developed an ultrafast line scan sensor that delivers high-quality images and identifies banknotes with faulty safety features.
	Fast charging electric bus does overtime Electric buses are an eco-friendly alternative to diesel. With several project partners, Fraunhofer researchers have developed a concept to swiftly recharge buses while they operate routes. System testing in Dresden has been underway since November last year.
	To understand every word Hearing-impaired people face a challenge at the theater or cinema. Fraunhofer technology promises a remedy integrated into two apps made by Sennheiser Streaming Technologies GmbH. They allow the hearing impaired to adjust the sound to match their individual needs – allowing them to follow the story through their headphones.
	A ubiquitous immersive sound reproduction system Mobile Maestro enables users to enjoy a high-quality listening experience anytime and anywhere through the collaborative use of multiple mobile devices.
	Quantum leaps Data may be king, but new research by the Centre for Quantum Computation and Intelligent Systems means we may soon see a coup. UTS's team of computer scientists are leading the development of a new pattern of programming language that will underpin how we use quantum computers and how we process data.
	Three problems with the way we think about nuclear power The future does not exist, at least not in the same way the past exists. From an evolutionary perspective, one might say there is no future in looking too far ahead. And perhaps not surprisingly, we are not very good at looking into our own distant future.
	Oracle vs Google case threatens foundations of software design The Java programming language, which has just turned 20 years old, provides developers with a means to write code that is independent of the hardware it runs on: "write once, run anywhere".
	Microsoft to launch Windows 10 on July 29 Microsoft on Monday announced that the latest version of its Windows operating system will be available July 29 for computer and tablet users.
	Google tries to demystify privacy controls with new approach Google is making its privacy controls easier to find and understand in an attempt to make the more than 1 billion users of its digital services more comfortable about the personal information that they give the Internet's most powerful company.
	Intel buys into chips powering cloud computing, smarter cars Intel is buying chip designer Altera for about $16.7 billion in cash to expand its reach into new chip markets that are powering the wireless revolution, smarter cars and more.
	High court throws out conviction for Facebook threats The Supreme Court on Monday threw out the conviction of a Pennsylvania man prosecuted for making threats on Facebook, but dodged the free-speech issues that had made the case intriguing to First Amendment advocates.
	New Wi-Fi antenna enhances wireless coverage Researchers at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia have succeeded in using ionised gas in a common fluorescent light tube as an antenna for a Wi-Fi Internet router.
	Improving the experience of the audience with digital instruments Researchers have developed a new augmented reality display that allows the audience to explore 3D augmentations of digital musical performances in order to improve their understanding of electronic musicians' engagement.
BlackBerry and Ryan Seacrest's Typo reach settlement BlackBerry said Monday that it reached a patent infringement settlement with Typo, a maker of iPhone keyboards co-founded by "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest. The Canadian smartphone maker had accused Typo of ripping off its design.
	Hollywood dipping toes into virtual reality worlds Virtual reality is creeping into our world.
	Solar Impulse plane lands in Japan to wait out bad weather A solar-powered plane attempting to circle the globe without a drop of fuel made an unscheduled landing late Monday in Japan to wait out bad weather.
	'This is not a race' says Solar Impulse co-founder At the control centre in Monaco of the sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 plane, Swiss pilot and projet co-founder Bertrand Piccard explains to AFP why his colleague Andre Borschberg had to make an unplanned stop in Japan in the middle of an historic round-the-world voyage.
	Millennials favor Facebook for US political news: study When it comes to political news, Millennials are more likely to turn to Facebook than their television-watching Baby Boomer elders, a Pew Research Center study released Monday suggests.
	Theater ticket app TodayTix makes West End debut A last-minute theater ticket smartphone application that has been a hit on Broadway took its act to London's West End on Monday with the official opening there of TodayTix.
	Rare Apple computer dumped for recycling A Silicon Valley recycling company on Monday was searching for a woman who dropped off a rare Apple computer subsequently snapped up by a collector for $200,000.
Either way, no more NSA collection of US phone records However Congress resolves its impasse over government surveillance, this much is clear: The National Security Agency will ultimately be out of the business of collecting and storing Americans' calling records.
	New Godzilla video game steers clear of nuclear references Godzillas galore, including last year's Hollywood version, stomp on buildings, thrashing about and breathing fire, in a video game going on sale globally mid-July. But don't expect any references to radiation, the mutant reptile's trademark affliction.
ARM De-risks Design Cycle for IoT Chips ARM has unveiled a new hardware subsystem to enable the fast and efficient development of highly customized chips for smart connected devices. The ARM IoT subsystem for ARM Cortex-M processors is optimized for use with ARM's most efficient processor and radio technologies, physical IP and ARM mbed OS.
	Precisely simulating the production of ceramic tape Manufacturers of ceramic tape currently have to rely on their own experience when it comes to configuring the tape properties. But now a new combination of macroscopic and microscopic simulation is facilitating this process by predicting how the slurry will flow through the machine and determining the alignment of the ceramic particles.
	Living in a material world A pop-up, waterproof, solar-powered shelter. It sounds like science fiction, but a new multi-disciplinary research team is making this dream a reality. The 'Architextile' project combines architecture, textiles and material science and has the potential to revolutionise on-the-ground services in conflict and disease-affected areas.
	Virtualization technology brings security and operability to web applications Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced that it has developed technology for web applications that run on smart devices or wearables, and that delivers the same level of security as thin clients while offering an exceptional degree of operability. In recent years, there have been increasing expectations that the use of smart devices and wearables in a variety of front-line scenarios will lead to greater efficiency in business operations. When a high degree of confidentiality is required for the data used by these devices, such as patient data or confidential company data, thin client environments, which leave no trace of the data on the devices, are ideal from a security perspective. Generally, thin clients are environments in which screen data is frequently sent and received. As a result, depending on the status of the mobile network or the processing performance on the device side, lags of up to about a second can occur, and operations that are unique to smart devices, such as swiping are effected.
	Boosting confidence in new manufacturing technologies Additive manufacturing, including emerging "3D printing" technologies, is booming. Last year an astronaut on the International Space Station used a 3D printer to make a socket wrench in space, hinting at a future when digital code will replace the need to launch specialized tools into orbit. Here on Earth, the Navy is considering applications for additive manufacturing aboard ships, and a commercial aircraft engine company recently announced its first FAA-approved 3D-printed part. Despite its revolutionary promise, however, additive manufacturing is still in its infancy when it comes to understanding the impact of subtle differences in manufacturing methods on the properties and capabilities of resulting materials. Overcoming this shortcoming is necessary to enable reliable mass production of additively manufactured structures such as aircraft wings or other complex components of military systems, which must meet demanding specifi! cation requirements.
Google still struggling to diversify beyond white, Asian men Google's workforce is still dominated by white and Asian men even after the Internet company hired a woman to fill one out of every five of its openings for computer programmers and other high-paying technology jobs last year.

Chemistry news

	New evidence emerges on the origins of life In the beginning, there were simple chemicals. And they produced amino acids that eventually became the proteins necessary to create single cells. And the single cells became plants and animals. Recent research is revealing how the primordial soup created the amino acid building blocks, and there is widespread scientific consensus on the evolution from the first cell into plants and animals. But it's still a mystery how the building blocks were first assembled into the proteins that formed the machinery of all cells. Now, two long-time University of North Carolina scientists - Richard Wolfenden, PhD, and Charles Carter, PhD - have shed new light on the transition from building blocks into life some 4 billion years ago.
	Trees are source for high-capacity, soft batteries A method for making elastic high-capacity batteries from wood pulp was unveiled by researchers in Sweden and the US. Using nanocellulose broken down from tree fibres, a team from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stanford University produced an elastic, foam-like battery material that can withstand shock and stress.
	Building a better microscope to see at the atomic level One of the more famous images in biology is known as "Photo 51," an image of DNA that chemist Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling created in 1952 by shooting X-rays through fibers of DNA and analyzing the patterns they left behind on film.
	New anti-microbial compounds evade resistance with less toxicity New compounds that specifically attack fungal infections without attacking human cells could transform treatment for such infections and point the way to targeted medicines that evade antibiotic resistance.
	Using robots, scientists assemble promising antimicrobial compounds There's an urgent demand for new antimicrobial compounds that are effective against constantly emerging drug-resistant bacteria. Two robotic chemical-synthesizing machines, named Symphony X and Overture, have joined the search. Their specialty is creating custom nanoscale structures that mimic nature's proven designs. They're also fast, able to assemble dozens of compounds at a time.
Using carbon nanotubes to improve bio-oil refining New catalyst structures based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes are set to make the refining of commodity chemicals and fuels from bio-oil more competitive.
	Microfluidics field aids quest for artificial photosynthesis Researchers developed a versatile, fully integrated microfluidic test-bed to facilitate the evaluation of new catalysts and materials for electrochemical energy conversion systems without the need for expensive scale-up. With its small size and adaptability, the test-bed can expedite the discovery and optimization of new artificial photosynthesis and fuel cell technologies.
	Nanowire-based design incorporates two semiconductors to enhance absorption of light A new material with light absorption characteristics ideally suited for making chemical fuels from sunlight was created via a nanowire growth strategy that fused the semiconductors silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) together in a new way. The GaAs nanowire array increases optical absorption by trapping the incident light and has potential for high solar energy conversion efficiency.
	Study reveals peculiar mechanism of radical addition-elimination For the first time, researchers have shown that a dissociation pathway, or mechanism for breaking chemical bonds, called roaming radical dynamics is a possibility for not just simple, single molecule reactions but more complex, multiple molecule, or bimolecular, reactions. A combination of imaging experiments and high-level quantum chemical calculations allowed for this dissociation pathway in bimolecular reactions to be disentangled both directly and indirectly.
	Unusual structure, bonding, and properties may provide a new possibility for a californium borate The heaviest element that exists in usable quantities on Earth, californium is surprisingly able to covalently bond with borate, dramatically altering the electronic characteristics of the californium ion, according to experimental and theoretical studies. These results challenge previously held views that heavy elements such as californium, plutonium, and americium are only able to possess purely ionic interactions.
	All shook up for greener chemistry Solvent-free chemistry, more common in Europe and Asia, is gaining notice among American manufacturers due to environmental concerns and rising costs in reducing toxic waste. Research out of the University of Cincinnati finds that this sustainable approach to chemistry, while noisier, can be just as reliable for chemical reactions without the drawbacks. Plus, its recycling ability cuts costs on investing in expensive reagents. James Mack, a University of Cincinnati associate professor of chemistry, is the only American speaker invited to present research at the International Symposium on Mechanochemistry, which will be held June 6-7, at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei.
	Constructing complex molecules with atomic precision Researchers in Russia have developed a waste-free and cost-effective approach for preparing complex organic molecules and revealing the physical nature of the processes that control the direction of chemical transformations.
	Objective comparison of catalyst performance for development of artificial photosynthesis systems Turning sunlight into storable fuels efficiently requires stable Earth-abundant catalysts that efficiently convert a maximum amount of the solar energy into fuel. Previous studies have described a range of catalysts, but a lack of standardized analytic conditions and methods has made objectively comparing catalysts challenging. Researchers standardized measurement techniques to allow a quantitative, objective evaluation of the activity and stability of water-splitting catalysts.
	Video: Why wet dogs stink (and other canine chemistry) They're our best four-legged friends, and they're the stars of many an Internet video. No, not cats. This week on Reactions, we're talking dogs. We investigate the chemistry behind your dog's amazing sense of smell.
Company reports antifungal compounds that evade resistance REVOLUTION Medicines, Inc., a company focused on the discovery and development of innovative drugs derived from natural compounds, announced that progress in antimicrobial drug discovery was published today in Nature Chemical Biology by the company's academic founder and scientific advisory board chairman, Martin D. Burke, M.D., Ph.D., professor of chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Early Career Scientist of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The paper titled "Non-toxic antimicrobials that evade drug resistance" reports on new chemical entities derived from the natural product amphotericin B, which has been used for more than 50 years as a highly effective treatment for serious fungal infections that is often accompanied by serious side effects. The novel compounds were active against fungal pathogens that cause life-threatening human diseases, effective in treating a rodent model of systemic yeast infect! ions, and significantly less toxic to human cells than the parent natural product. Unlike many antifungal drugs used today, these molecules also evaded the emergence of drug resistance.

Biology news

	Researchers see link between hunter-gatherer cannabis use, fewer parasites Washington State University researchers have found that the more hunter-gatherers smoke cannabis, the less they are infected by intestinal worms. The link suggests that they may unconsciously be, in effect, smoking medical marijuana.
	Yeast protein network could provide insights into human obesity A team of biologists and a mathematician have identified and characterized a network composed of 94 proteins that work together to regulate fat storage in yeast.
	Organic agriculture more profitable to farmers, study says A comprehensive study finds organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers than conventional agriculture.
	Not so crowded house? New findings on global species richness Planet Earth may contain millions fewer species than previously thought and estimates are converging, according to research led by Griffith University (Queensland, Australia).
	Some endangered sawfishes are having babies, no sex required Some female members of a critically endangered species of sawfish are reproducing in the wild without sex. The discovery, reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on June 1, marks the first time living offspring from "virgin births" have been found in a normally sexually reproducing vertebrate in the wild, the researchers say.
	Agrarian landscapes have a strong influence on biodiversity Human interventions increasingly threaten the habitat of many plant and animal species. A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF now aims to provide fundamental insights for countering the loss of biodiversity and preserving ecosystems in agrarian regions.
	Marsupial mating habits to die for Queensland scientists have discovered two more species of suicidally-sexed carnivorous marsupials and one is already destined for the threatened list.
	Researchers attach miniature video cameras to seabirds Deakin University researchers have been given a bird's eye view of Victoria's underwater kingdoms, after attaching miniature video cameras to seabirds in a bid to work out how they find food in different environments.
	Growing crops in salty soils gets easier one step at a time A team of researchers from The University of Western Australia has made a breakthrough that could assist the future development of crops to cope with production in salty soils worldwide.
	The fly's time: Biological clockwork of human beings and flies comparable The Drosophila, the so-called fruit fly, attends all day long to its activities. It flutters, has naps, lays its eggs or emerges from the pupa, the stage of metamorphosis preceding maturity. At the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, the team of the researcher in biology Emi Nagoshi is closely interested in this insect, used as a model organism for the study of circadian rhythms in the animal kingdom. The researcher's group discovered that the main clock of the Drosophila, formed by neurons clustered in various regions of the brain, is controlled by mechanisms similar to those regulating the internal clock of mammals. This study, described in the journal Current Biology, demonstrates how very distant organisms, displaying different circadian activities, can present the same type of biological clock gears.
	Startup offers antibiotic alternative to animal producers A University of Wisconsin-Madison animal scientist has developed an antibiotic-free method to protect animals raised for food against common infections.
	Smart phone apps series to help maximize lands productivity, protect resources What do "cloud computing" and "terra firma" have in common? A suite of mobile phone applications ("apps") that, once all are released, will connect agricultural producers around the world and provide them with shared knowledge on ways to maximize the land's productivity while protecting its resources for future generations.
The importance of community involvement for sustainable tourism Researchers in Southeast Asia are studying how tourism policy and local community involvement impact the tourism industry.
	The white house wants your help to stop the decline in pollinators Pollinating animals play a crucial role in our food production system, and they are essential in maintaining the health and vitality of many ecosystems. Unfortunately, many pollinator species, such as bees and butterflies, have been declining recently. In response to that decline, the national Pollinator Health Task Force, commissioned by the White House, recently released the Pollinator Health Strategy.
Does Agion silver technology work as an antimicrobial? The antibacterial effectiveness of Agion silver zeolite technology was tested on door handles across the Penn State Erie campus and after four years of sampling, a significant difference was observed between the bacterial populations isolated from silver versus control-coated door handles. This research is presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Citizen science helps protecting nests of a raptor in farmland During recent years it has become increasingly common that volunteer citizens help to collect ecological information and carry out conservation actions over vast geographical areas that scientists alone could not cover.

Medicine & Health news

	Quick to laugh or smile? It may be in your genes Why do some people immediately burst into laughter after a humorous moment, while others can barely crack a smile? New research examining emotional reactivity suggests one of the answers may lie in a person's DNA.
	Study solves mystery of memory and mood Scientists are one step closer to understanding how the brain regulates memory and mood, thanks to the discovery of two distinct types of stem cells.
	Adolescent brain develops differently in bipolar disorder In adolescents with bipolar disorder, key areas of the brain that help regulate emotions develop differently, a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows.
	Study finds online hookup sites increase HIV rates in sometimes-surprising ways The introduction of Craigslist led to an increase in HIV-infection cases of 13.5 percent in Florida over a four-year period, according to a new study conducted at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith of Business. The estimated medical costs for those patients will amount to $710 million over the course of their lives.
	Poor sleep linked to toxic buildup of Alzheimer's protein, memory loss Sleep may be a missing piece in the Alzheimer's disease puzzle.
	Scientists reveal epigenome maps of the human body's major organs For more than a decade, scientists have had a working map of the human genome, a complete picture of the DNA sequence that encodes human life. But new pages are still being added to that atlas: maps of chemical markers called methyl groups that stud strands of DNA and influence which genes are repressed and when.
	Researcher discovers metabolite of prostate cancer drug more effective at treating aggressive tumors Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered for the first time that a metabolite of an FDA-approved drug for metastatic prostate cancer, abiraterone (Abi), has more anti-cancer properties than its precursor. The research will be published online June 1st in Nature.
	Changing intelligence test performance: A century of IQ increases In the general population, IQ increases have been observed over the past 100 years. But are we really becoming more intelligent and if so, how much more intelligent are we becoming? University of Vienna psychologists Jakob Pietschnig and Martin Voracek now provide insights into how strong IQ gains are and perhaps why they occur. In their recent publication in the renowned journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, they show global increases of three IQ points per decade since the early 20th century.
	Missing link found between brain, immune system In a stunning discovery that overturns decades of textbook teaching, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have determined that the brain is directly connected to the immune system by vessels previously thought not to exist. That such vessels could have escaped detection when the lymphatic system has been so thoroughly mapped throughout the body is surprising on its own, but the true significance of the discovery lies in the effects it could have on the study and treatment of neurological diseases ranging from autism to Alzheimer's disease to multiple sclerosis.
A world without color—researchers find gene mutation that strips color, reduces vision People with achromatopsia, an inherited eye disorder, see the world literally in black and white. Worse yet, their extreme sensitivity to light makes them nearly blind in bright sunlight. Now, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health System have identified a previously unknown gene mutation that underlies this disorder.
	Mutation in transient receptor potential channel impairs fine motor control but leaves gross motor proficiency intact In all animals—from humans to fruit flies—coordinated physical movement relies on two regimes of motor control: gross and fine. In humans, gross motor control enables large movements of the body and limbs, such as during walking, running or throwing; fine motor control is necessary for more precise movements—pressing a specific key while playing a musical instrument, for example.
	Bacteria may cause type 2 diabetes Bacteria and viruses have an obvious role in causing infectious diseases, but microbes have also been identified as the surprising cause of other illnesses, including cervical cancer (Human papilloma virus) and stomach ulcers (H. pylori bacteria).
	Cancer treatments got gentler, yet kids' survival improved The move to make cancer treatments gentler for children has paid a double dividend: More kids are surviving than ever before, and without the long-term complications that doomed many of their peers a generation ago, new research shows.
	In a nation of smokers, Beijing bans lighting up indoors (Update) China's capital began imposing the country's toughest ban on smoking in public places Monday in hopes of stemming a looming health crisis in a society where smoking remains a nearly ubiquitous part of dining, social events and life in general.
Total of 77 people had contact with MERS patient: China China is searching for 13 people who came into contact with the first person to enter the country with the MERS virus, health officials said, adding that 64 had already been quarantined.
	Discovery could improve radiotherapy for wide range of cancers Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered how giving a class of drugs called AKT inhibitors in combination with radiotherapy might boost its effectiveness across a wide range of cancers, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation today.
	Immunotherapy drug improves survival for common form of lung cancer In a head-to-head clinical trial comparing standard chemotherapy with the immunotherapy drug nivolumab, researchers found that people with squamous-non-small cell lung cancer who received nivolumab lived, on average, 3.2 months longer than those receiving chemotherapy. Squamous non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 25 to 30 percent of all lung malignancies.
Preoperative statins reduce mortality in coronary artery bypass graft surgery Research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia exploring the protective effect of various heart medications that patients are taking before undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery concludes that statins reduce the risk of death by two thirds, or 67 percent, while no consistent effects were seen for other medications. The study is reported by Assistant Professor Dr. Robert Sanders, Anesthesiology & Critical care Trials & Interdisciplinary Outcomes Network (ACTION), Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WN, USA, and Drs. Puja Myles and Sudhir Venkatesan, University of Nottingham, UK with collaborators at the University of Southampton, Royal Brompton Hospital, London and University Hospital South Manchester NHS Trust, all in the UK.
Teen drinking countered by laws that curb adult binge drinking A new study by Boston University and Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers reveals that U.S. states with stronger alcohol policies have lower rates of youth overall drinking and binge drinking. The study's results, published in the journal Pediatrics, further suggest that the link is largely a result of policies intended mostly for adults and their effects on reducing adult binge drinking.
	Staring pain in the face—software 'reads kids' expressions to measure pain levels Accurately assessing pain in children in a clinical setting can be difficult. A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has demonstrated the validity of a new method for measuring pediatric pain levels using novel facial pattern recognition software.
New way to tackle vaccine hesitancy tested, found wanting Group Health Research Institute conducted the first randomized trial to test an intervention aimed at improving hesitancy about early childhood vaccines by working directly with doctors. Vax Northwest, a Washington state public-private partnership, developed the intervention. The results are reported in Pediatrics in "Physician Communication Training and Parental Vaccine Hesitancy: A Randomized Trial," with an accompanying editorial: "Physician Communication with Vaccine-Hesitant Parents: The Start, Not the End, of the Story."
Patient information too high for patients' literacy More than 90 per cent of educational materials written for kidney disease patients is higher than an average patient's literacy, according to a new study published in the June issue of the National Kidney Foundation's American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
Article concludes no reason for laughing gas to be withdrawn from operating theaters A debate at this year's Euroanaesthesia meeting in Berlin will focus on whether laughing gas (nitrous oxide) should be banned from the operating room. The debate coincides with an article on the "Current place of nitrous oxide in clinical practice" published in the European Journal of Anaesthesiology, that concludes there is "no clinically relevant evidence for the withdrawal of nitrous oxide from the armamentarium of anaesthesia practice or procedural sedation." The article has been prepared by a special taskforce of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA), which organises Euroanaesthesia.
	Western diet may increase risk of death after prostate cancer diagnosis After a prostate cancer diagnosis, eating a diet higher in red and processed meat, high-fat dairy foods, and refined grains—known as a Western diet—may lead to a significantly higher risk of both prostate cancer-related mortality and overall mortality compared with eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains, and healthy oils, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
	Massive weight loss fuels surge in plastic surgery An increase in the number of weight loss surgeries in the U.S. is beginning to have a ripple effect in plastic surgery, according to new data released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Procedures specifically associated with massive weight loss, including tummy tucks, thigh lifts, breast lifts and upper arm lifts, grew at their fastest rate in four years in 2014, according to the report. That follows a similar increase in the growth of weight loss surgeries.
Study analyzes link between psychotropic drugs and homicide risk A study analysing the Finnish homicide and prescription drug databases discovered that the use of certain drugs that affect the central nervous system are associated with an increased risk of committing a homicide. The greatest risk was associated with the use of painkillers and tranquillizing benzodiazepines, while anti-depressants were linked only to a slightly elevated risk. The study is the first one of its kind in the world.
	More than 680 in South Korea isolated over MERS virus fears More than 680 people in South Korea are in isolation after having contact with those infected with a virus that has killed hundreds of people in the Middle East, health officials said Monday.
Contaminant particles increase hospital admissions for children with respiratory illnesses Particles of less than 2.5 microns emitted by vehicles have negative repercussions for bronchiolitis, pneumonia, asthma and bronchitis in children. Should their concentrations be reduced to the levels recommended by the WHO, hospital admissions of children with these illnesses would decrease, amounting to a daily saving of 200 euros, according to calculations by researchers from the University of Seville for that city.
All forms of smoking detrimental to cardiac health Studies suggest that smoking with waterpipes, also referred to as shisha and hookah, may be associated with even greater toxin exposure because sessions are longer and involve more and larger "puffs," leading to smoke inhalation as much as 100 times higher than that associated with cigarette smoking.
	For women even a small co-pay for contraception can be a big deal On May 11 the Obama administration released updated guidance on insurance coverage of contraception. The announcement provides much-needed clarification for insurance plans regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Inactivity in childhood linked to poor health outcomes in adolescence How active you are as a child could have an impact on your weight and risk of chronic disease from as early fifteen years of age, according to new research led by the University of Sydney.
When data is the best medicine One of the biggest challenges in health care is balancing cost with patient needs. Compounding the problem is a lack of good data and analysis.
	Student's research offers key to good night's rest for children with cerebral palsy We all know what it's like to wake up and wish we had another couple hours' slumber before beginning our day, but children with cerebral palsy have a hard time falling asleep in the first place.
	Cardiovascular health affects hearing, speech according to research Ray Hull, professor of communication sciences and disorders in audiology/neurosciences at Wichita State University, has concluded research analyzing 84 years of work from scientists worldwide into the connection between cardiovascular health and the ability to hear and understand what others are saying.
	Early motor skills may affect language development Learning to sit up, crawl and walk are all major milestones in a child's early development – and parents often record these actions in baby diaries, photographs and videos. Developing motor skills allows the child to become more independent. But our research, backing a number of other studies, has shown that it may also say something about the rate of a child's cognitive development, such as talking.
Vitamin D and calcium supplements do not improve menopausal symptoms Women who took vitamin D and calcium supplements had the same number of menopausal symptoms as women who did not take the supplements, according to a study published today in Maturitas, the official journal of the European Menopause and Andropause Society.
Despite guidelines, too many medical tests are performed before low-risk procedures Despite guideline recommendations to limit medical tests before low-risk surgeries, electrocardiograms (ECGs) and chest x-rays are still performed frequently, found a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Study suggests breastfeeding may lower risk of childhood leukemia Breastfeeding for six months or longer was associated with a lower risk of childhood leukemia compared with children who were never breastfed or who were breastfed for a shorter time, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics.
Is diabetes protective against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? A study of patients in Denmark suggests that type 2 diabetes may be associated with a reduced risk for the fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology.
Available genetic data could help doctors prescribe more effective cardiovascular drugs There is a wealth of published information describing interactions between drugs used to treat cardiovascular disease and the genetic variations that can affect how patients respond to them. But few heart specialists make routine use of this potentially life-saving data.
Poliovirus study finds that less is more A modified poliovirus therapy that is showing promising results for patients with glioblastoma brain tumors works best at a low dosage, according to the research team at Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center where the investigational therapy is being pioneered.
Anastrozole prevents recurrence more than tamoxifen in some with noninvasive breast cancer Anastrozole provides a significant benefit compared with tamoxifen in preventing recurrence after a lumpectomy and radiation therapy in postmenopausal women ages 60 years or younger who had DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), a common diagnosis of non-invasive breast cancer. In women over age 60, it works as well as tamoxifen. These findings were presented today at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. The benefit reported in this trial appeared later in follow up of the women in the study.
Practice-changing study offers new option for tough breast cancer cases Despite advances in managing and curing some forms of breast cancer, women whose disease becomes metastatic have fewer effective options. A new phase 3 study in some of the most difficult-to-treat patients, women with endocrine-resistant disease, showed that the newly approved drug, palbociclib, more than doubled the time to cancer recurrence for women with hormone-receptor (HR+) positive metastatic breast cancer. The results will be presented at the 2015 annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO, abstract LBA-502) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
	Flu surveillance suggests an early and severe season Today is the first day of winter, and for many Australians with winter comes influenza.
	Do mini-packaged snacks help you eat less junk? In recent years countless food manufacturers have been "sub-packaging" their foods into smaller portions in an apparent effort to curb folks from overindulging. You can usually find 100 kcal multi-packs of chips, pretzels, chocolates, and all sorts of junk foods. Despite the very obvious negative environmental impact of all this excess packaging, what, if any, impact does such packaging have on people's consumption.
	Blood pressure medications can lead to increased risk of stroke, study finds Untreated high blood pressure, or hypertension, wreaks havoc on the body, leading to heart disease and stroke. New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published in the journal Stroke shows that, although HBP medications are beneficial, it is as risky to wait for the condition to develop and then treat it to a controlled level.
	The less you sleep, the more you eat Factors influencing food intake have, and continue to be, a hotly contested subject. A new paper published today in the SAGE journal, Journal of Health Psychology (JHP), suggests that disrupted sleep could be one factor contributing to excessive food intake and thus leading to long term chronic health damage in both adults and children.
	Weakening memories of crime through deliberate suppression There are some bad memories—whether of a crime or a painful life event—that we'd rather not recall. New research shows that people can successfully inhibit some incriminating memories, reducing the memories' impact on automatic behaviors and resulting in brain activity similar to that seen in "innocent" participants.
Gut check: Does a hospital stay set patients up for sepsis by disrupting the microbiome? Can a routine hospital stay upset the balance of microbes in our bodies so much that it sets some older people up for a life-threatening health crisis called sepsis? A new University of Michigan and VA study suggests this may be the case.
	Revolutionary technology to improve bedside tumor diagnosis in patients Researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham are developing a revolutionary mini gamma ray camera that will improve the diagnosis of tumours and lymph nodes from patients' bedsides.
Resources for the seven day services may be better spent on other NHS priorities The NHS could achieve up to twice as much with the resources that the Government plans to spend introducing a full seven day service in the NHS in England, according to new research from The University of Manchester.
	Common antibiotic part of a new potential pancreatic cancer therapy Despite surgical advances, pancreatic cancer continues to be one of the most deadly and difficult cancers to manage due to a lack of effective therapies. However, VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) scientists in the lab of Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., are hoping to change that with a novel combination of an experimental drug and a common antibiotic that has shown promising results in preclinical experiments.
Does aging affect decision making? Aging is associated with significant decline in cognitive functions. But does this translate into poorer decision making? Psychologists from the University of Basel and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development report that in simple decision situations, older adults perform just as well as younger adults. However, according to their study published in the academic journal Cognition, aging may affect decision performance in more complex decision situations.
	Researchers' discovery may explain difficulty in treating Lyme disease Northeastern University researchers have found that the bacterium that causes Lyme disease forms dormant persister cells, which are known to evade antibiotics. This significant finding, they said, could help explain why it's so difficult to treat the infection in some patients.
Mobile app educates teens on risky sexual behavior Teenagers, parents, educators and clinicians will have a new tool to help adolescents make more informed decisions about their sexual behavior. "Seventeen Days," a mobile app based on the interactive movie of the same name, will be available at no cost on iPhone, iPad and Android devices beginning June 4.
	Gene therapy shows early promise against deadly brain cancer (HealthDay)—Early trials of a new form of gene therapy may give hope to patients battling glioblastoma, the most deadly form of brain cancer.
Scientists discover protein that plays key role in streptococcal infections The effort to identify new ways of fighting infections has taken a step forward now that scientists have identified a key protein involved in the host's response to strep infections. This protein, called "NFAT," appears to play a key role in the body's inflammatory response to an infection, which when uncontrolled, can be as bad, if not worse, than the infection itself. Furthermore, this discovery was made using streptococcal bacteria, which are responsible for a wide range of human illnesses, ranging from sore throat and pink eye to meningitis and bacterial pneumonia. This discovery was published in the June 2015 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
	Trials show immune drugs effective in advanced melanomas Results of two clinical trials reported at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2015 show continued promise of immune therapies nivolumab and pembrolizumab against advanced melanomas, specifically in the context of PD1 signaling that some tumors use to avoid immune system attack. Dr. Rene Gonzalez, MD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and director of the Melanoma Research Clinics at the CU School of Health, is an author of both studies.
	Improved therapies have extended life spans of childhood cancer survivors (HealthDay)—Treatment adjustments have significantly increased the life spans of childhood cancer survivors in the United States and Canada, according to new research.
	Cancer patient's health affected by spouse's mood (HealthDay)—The emotional health of cancer caregivers may affect the mental health of the loved ones they are caring for, a new study suggests.
	ICU delirium tied to higher death risk, study says (HealthDay)—Intensive care unit patients who develop delirium have a higher risk of death, longer hospital stays and are more likely to have mental impairment after leaving the hospital, a large review finds.
	Study links exposure to common pesticide with ADHD in boys A new study links a commonly used household pesticide with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and young teens.
	10th-century medical philosophy and computer simulation in research Dr. Mona Nasser, Clinical Lecturer in Evidence Based Dentistry at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, is to present a lecture at an international conference in Barcelona which links the writings of a 10th-century medical philosopher to the use of computer simulation as an alternative to using animals in medical research.
	Drug prevents passage of HBV during pregnancy The antiviral drug telbivudine prevents perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to a study in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
At peak fertility, women who desire to maintain body attractiveness report they eat less Biology isn't the only reason women eat less as they near ovulation, a time when they are at their peak fertility.
Twitter shared news of first Ebola case three days before officials, study finds Tweets regarding the Ebola outbreak in West Africa last summer reached more than 60 million people in the three days prior to official outbreak announcements, according to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
	Researchers find fructose contributes to weight gain, physical inactivity, and body fat In the last 40 years, fructose, a simple carbohydrate derived from fruit and vegetables, has been on the increase in American diets. Because of the addition of high-fructose corn syrup to many soft drinks and processed baked goods, fructose currently accounts for 10 percent of caloric intake for U.S. citizens. Male adolescents are the top fructose consumers, deriving between 15 to 23 percent of their calories from fructose—three to four times more than the maximum levels recommended by the American Heart Association.
Novel government cancer study will test precision medicine The federal government is launching a very different kind of cancer study that will assign patients drugs based on what genes drive their tumors rather than the type.
	Zinc in the body may contribute to kidney stones New research on kidney stone formation reveals that zinc levels may contribute to kidney stone formation, a common urinary condition that can cause excruciating pain. The research found that zinc may be the core by which stone formation starts.
	How does human behavior lead to surgical errors? Researchers count the ways Why are major surgical errors called "never events?" Because they shouldn't happen—but do. Mayo Clinic researchers identified 69 never events among 1.5 million invasive procedures performed over five years and detailed why each occurred. Using a system created to investigate military plane crashes, they coded the human behaviors involved to identify any environmental, organizational, job and individual characteristics that led to the never events. Their discovery: 628 human factors contributed to the errors overall, roughly four to nine per event. The study results are published in the journal Surgery.
Microgravity experiments may help lighten the load of joint diseases Going into space might wreak havoc on our bodies, but a new set of microgravity experiments may help shed light on new approaches for treating cartilage diseases on Earth. In a new research report published in the June 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal, a team of European scientists suggests that our cartilage—tissue that serves as a cushion between bones—might be able to survive microgravity relatively unscathed. Specifically, when in a microgravity environment, chondrocytes (a main component of cartilage) were more stable and showed only moderate alterations in shape and structure when compared to their Earthbound counterparts. This was particularly the case for those also exposed to growth factors and specific nutrients. For those of us on the ground, the success of the growth factors and nutrients suggests that it might be possible to halt cartilage degradation or even reverse it with improved nutrition and/or new drugs.
	Picture perfect: Researchers use photos to understand how diabetes affects kids If a picture is worth a thousand words, UF Health Type 1 diabetes researchers and their colleagues have tapped into an encyclopedia, revealing new insights into how young people cope with the disease.
	Aging couples connected in sickness and health As the world's population of older adults increases, so do conversations around successful aging—including seniors' physical, mental and social well-being.
	Researchers create new combination vaccine to fight Streptococcus A Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics has developed a groundbreaking, combination vaccine that may finally beat Streptococcus A infections.
	New discoveries advance efforts to build replacement kidneys in the lab Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center report progress in their quest to build replacement kidneys in the lab. The teams' goal is to make use of the more than 2,600 kidneys that are donated each year, but must be discarded due to abnormalities and other factors. The scientists aim to "recycle" these organs to engineer tailor-made replacement kidneys for patients.
	Extra love and support doesn't make up for being a helicopter parent It's time for helicopter parents to land and stay grounded.
	S.Korea announces first two MERS deaths South Korea's health ministry confirmed Tuesday that two people had died from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the country's first fatalities from the virus, Yonhap news agency reported.
The safe surgery checklist could save more lives worldwide than any other single known intervention New research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia meeting in Berlin suggests that the WHO-approved safe surgery checklist is working well in both high-income and developing countries. The study is by Dr Janet Martin and Professor Davy Cheng, Centre for Medical Evidence, Decision Integrity & Clinical Impact (MEDICI), and Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
	Get up and stand up for at least two hours daily during working hours Office workers should be on their feet for a minimum of 2 hours daily during working hours, recommends the first ever UK guidance designed to curb the health risks of too much cumulative sitting time, and published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
American surgery patients—more pain medication, yet more pain New research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia conference in Berlin shows that American patients undergoing orthopaedic surger receive more treatments for pain and that their experience of pain differs in some aspects to orthopaedic patients internationally. The study is by Drs Winfried Meissner and Ruth Zaslansky, University Hospital Jena, Germany, and Dr C. Richard Chapman Utah, Pain Research Center, Salt Lake City, USA. All researchers are part of the international PAIN OUT research group.
New worldwide regulatory framework proposed for pharmaceuticals Professor Sam Salek at the University of Hertfordshire has today (1st June) published a "universal framework" for global regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry to use when weighing up the benefits versus risks of bringing new medicines to market.
Medical home intervention with shared savings shows quality and utilization improvements A three-year study of a 'medical home' intervention that paid bonuses to physician practices based on financial savings has shown significant improvements in quality and use of some medical services relative to comparison practices, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Virtually no effect of state policies on organ donation, transplantation Policies passed by states to encourage organ donation have had virtually no effect on rates of organ donation and transplantation in the United States, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Canada's radon guidelines are inadequate Radon gas is a silent health threat, and Canada needs to align its guidelines for acceptable radon levels with World Health Organization (WHO) limits, argues an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
What do college students think about human papillomavirus vaccination? Preliminary results from a survey of 192 Oakland University undergraduate female students in Auburn Hills, Michigan, revealed that although a vast majority of them are aware of the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), about 54% are not vaccinated. This research is being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
Risks of whole brain radiation therapy outweigh benefits for patients with limited brain metastases Whole Brain Radiation Therapy (WBRT) is associated with significantly worse cognitive function than radiosurgery, and should no longer be used in the adjuvant setting after radiosurgery to treat cancer patients with brain metastases, according to a large study led by a researcher at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Insulin degludec: No hint of added benefit in children and adolescents Insulin degludec (trade name: Tresiba) has been approved since January 2015 for adolescents and children from the age of one year with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now examined whether this new drug, alone or in combination with other blood-glucose lowering drugs, offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.
Conjoined Guinean twins successfully separated in Paris Conjoined Guinean twin baby boys have been successfully separated in Paris, a humanitarian organisation announced Monday, after a high-risk marathon operation.
	Survey finds civilian physicians feel underprepared to treat veterans A survey of nearly 150 U.S. physicians who frequently treat veterans found civilian doctors aren't adequately trained in health issues related to military service, according to research published today in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.
The costs of conflict: Amputees and the Afghan war Policy makers need to budget more than 288 million pounds over the next 40 years to adequately provide health care to all British soldiers who suffered amputations because of the Afghan war. This is the prediction of Major DS Edwards of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in the UK, in a new article appearing in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, published by Springer. He led a study into the scale and long-term economic cost of military amputees following Britain's involvement in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2014.
Sex and musculoskeletal health: Differences between males and females Woman in general have a higher incidence of osteoporosis-related hip fractures yet, conversely, they have a lower rate of mortality than men with the same fracture, according to a study in the June 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS). In addition, doctors don't always recognize or treat osteoporosis in men as often as they do in women.
Vast trove of Medicare data details how billions are spent Joint replacement was the most common hospital procedure that Medicare paid for in 2013, accounting for nearly 450,000 inpatient admissions and $6.6 billion in payments.
Cannabis use in male African pygmies linked to decreased risk of parasitic worm infection In a population of Congo Basin foragers called the Aka, 67% of men—but only 6% of women—use cannabis, and the practice seems to protect against infection with parasitic worms.
	Recommendations address how to manage seizures in infants New recommendations offer insights on strategies for treating infants with seizures. In an Epilepsia report, child neurologists who are members of the International League Against Epilepsy note that intervening at the time of a febrile seizure does not alter the risk for subsequent epilepsy, and there is no evidence to support the use of antiepileptic drugs for simple febrile seizures.
Abortion-rights group challenges new Kansas restrictions An abortion-rights group challenged Kansas' first-in-the-nation ban on a second-trimester procedure that anti-abortion activists describe as dismembering a fetus.
Study shows public access defibrillators are increasing survival but are not being used enough New research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia shows that use of public access defibrillation on people suffering cardiac arrest is associated with a large increase in chances of survival. However, despite the great potential, publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are not being used enough, concludes research by Dr Marianne Agerskov and colleagues at Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
	ASCO: Risks of whole brain radiotx may outweigh benefits (HealthDay)—Targeted radiation in the treatment of brain metastases leads to less cognitive damage than radiation for the entire brain, while survival is similar, researchers reported Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from May 29 to June 2 in Chicago. In a second study, researchers report that early trials of a new form of gene therapy may give hope to patients battling glioblastoma.
Research identifies wide array of devices, mobile applications available for monitoring health Technology is making health care services that may have once seemed available only within a doctor's office accessible to the general public, according to new research from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Other Sciences news

	Best of Last Week–Confirming quantum weirdness, revolutionary bionic lens and connecting our brains directly to Internet (Phys.org)—It was a an interesting week for physics as a team with the Australian National University conducted an experiment that confirmed quantum theory weirdness—they carried out John Wheeler's famous delayed-choice thought experiment in which a moving object is given the choice to behave like a particle or a wave—Wheeler asked, at what point does the object decide? Meanwhile another team of researchers at the Ohio Supercomputer Center proved that magnetism can control heat and sound—showing that phonons have magnetic properties.
	Archeologists find gold artifacts in Scythian grave mounds A team of archeologists led by Anton Gass of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation has unearthed a small trove of gold objects left behind by a people known as the Scythians, a group of fierce nomads that thrived for over a thousand years in the environs of what is now southern Russia.
	People more likely to cheat as they become more economically dependent on their spouses Both men and women are more likely to cheat on their spouses the more economically dependent they are on them, according to a new study.
	Yorkshire's oldest new addition to the 'Jurassic World' Experts from the University of Manchester have identified Britain's oldest sauropod dinosaur from a fossil bone discovered on the Yorkshire coast.
	Research highlights link between neighborhood and partner violence People who had more social support, including trust and a sense of belonging, were less likely to experience emotional or verbal abuse while in a relationship, said a study published today in the American Journal of Community Psychology.
Fossils of previously unknown beaver species found in Oregon A fossilized skull and teeth from a newly described species of beaver that lived 28 million years ago have been unearthed in eastern Oregon.
	New report says motorcycle lane-splitting can be safe While inching along congested roadways, California drivers will often see motorcyclists zip by, eking out a path in the narrow space between two lanes of cars. This practice of passing other vehicles traveling in the same direction by sharing their lane is called lane-splitting, and a new report by UC Berkeley transportation researchers finds that no matter what some angry drivers might think, it does not necessarily pose a greater risk for injury.
	Study signals risk factors for gang involvement among Native youths Over the last three decades, street gangs have seeped into rural areas—including Native reservations, where youth gang involvement has been steadily rising since the 1990s.
	Organizations must prepare for aging global workforce to stay competitive A new book chapter from a Rice University psychologist suggests that to remain competitive, organizations must prepare for the changes in their employees' knowledge and skills over the lifespan of their workforce.
	Our obsession with metrics is corrupting science Not everything that can be counted counts,and not everything that counts can be counted. – William Bruce Cameron
	How journals shape science and academia No matter whether you study medicine or biology, law or art, neuroscience or history—there is one instrument that we all share: the journal. Learned journals play a pivotal role in science and academia. Publishing in scholarly periodicals disseminates our insights and bolsters scientific communities. It propels careers and fosters knowledge. And if this knowledge can be applied practically, then the academic journal renders a service to society.
	The ethical slipperiness of hoaxes Hoaxes sure can stir up a lot of emotion, can't they? We tend to have a quick reaction to them, and they flush out differences in values quickly, too.
New 'body of evidence' regarding approval of prostitution, compensation for organ donation Selling one's body to provide another person with sexual pleasure and selling organs to restore another person's health are generally prohibited in North America on moral grounds, but two new University of Toronto Mississauga studies illustrate how additional information about the societal benefits of such transactions can have an impact on public approval.
	Online gambling would benefit from better regulation The U.S. government's attempt to crack down on Internet gambling is widely seen as a convoluted mess. Yet, more controlled and defined regulation would likely benefit the $41 billion industry and protect consumers alike, finds a new study by Michigan State University business scholars.
Inexperienced investors should take advantage of 'auto-pilot investing' For inexperienced investors with little knowledge about the investment process, it may be important to invest in funds that do not require much maintenance. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri has found that investors with less investment knowledge are more likely to invest in target-date funds (TDFs). Michael Guillemette, an assistant professor of personal financial planning in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, says this is a positive trend which will help inexperienced investors invest safely without risking significant losses based on their lack of knowledge.
Study explores reasons behind alcohol abuse in non-heterosexual women Non-heterosexual women who feel a disconnect between who they are attracted to and how they identify themselves may have a higher risk of alcohol abuse, according to a new study led by Amelia E. Talley, an assistant professor in Texas Tech University's Department of Psychological Sciences.
Feudalism and macroeconomic cannibalism The revered Chinese author Lu Xun (1881-1936) described feudalism as sort of predatory structure that caused ordinary people to descend into cannibalistic rituals. In his seminal work, The Diary of a Madman (1918), he provided a scathing critique of feudalism as the cause of gross social dysfunction. This sentiment is mirrored in macroeconomics, where there is a growing area of investigation that examines how feudal structures create inter-sectoral "cannibalism" through the distortion of government taxation decisions (see the literature survey of Erickson and Vollrath (2004)). This is done by increasing the tax burden of the manufacturing and service sectors at the expense of the oftentimes semi-feudal agricultural sector in numerous developing countries (Rangazas and Mourmouras 2008: 8).
	'Crimea Is Ours!' Russian geopolitics and digital irony In a new article published in the Journal of Eurasian Geography and Economics Mikhail Suslov, researcher at Uppsala University, analyzes how the annexation of Crimea in March 2014 has been represented and discussed on Russian-language social networks. The article discusses the paradox of 'digital disempowerment' but also how no state can control digital irony.
	Illinois' guaranteed-tuition law making college less affordable Illinois' guaranteed-tuition law is causing tuition rates at the state's public colleges and universities to escalate faster than they would if schools were allowed to adjust tuition rates annually, say two experts in higher education finance from the University of Illinois.
	New study evaluates remedial pathways for community college students Academic programs that provide alternatives to traditional remedial education help students succeed at community colleges, but different programs result in a range of outcomes for various sub-populations of students. Drew Allen, a New York University doctoral student and director of the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Program Support at the City University of New York (CUNY), devoted his doctoral research to the evaluation of three current programmatic approaches at CUNY community colleges.

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