Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Feb 24

Phys.org Newsletter for February 24, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Global warming contrarian researcher investigated for not revealing funding sources 
- Belgian groups deem Facebook's updated terms of service agreement unlawful in Europe 
- CT scan taken of mummified remains in statue 
- Data-driven audience targeting expands to drone tests in LA 
- Micro-5: Gut reactions in space 
- Ocean acidification slows algae growth in the Southern Ocean 
- Flex Logix looking to make processor chips more programmable 
- Massive amounts of Saharan dust fertilize the Amazon rainforest 
- Ultra-thin nanowires can trap electron 'twisters' that disrupt superconductors 
- Why a latte is less likely to spill than a coffee 
- Do genes play a role in peanut allergies? New study suggests yes 
- Sea level spiked for 2 years along northeastern North America 
- Optical nanoantennas set the stage for a NEMS lab-on-a-chip revolution 
- Who's your daddy? Hippo ancestry unveiled 
- Review: Apple-centric 'Modern Family' goes beyond gimmicks 

Nanotechnology news

Environmentally friendly procedure developed for extracting silver Silver can now be extracted ecologically and more efficiently than before. Researchers at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) extracted silver from a process stream using an environmentally friendly ion exchange technique. The technique and process are challenging, but researchers managed to extract silver that was 72 percent pure.

Physics news

	Scientists observe the transition state in a chemical reaction on a catalyst's surface For the first time, an international scientists' team observed the volatile intermediate stages which appear when carbon monoxide oxidises on a hot ruthenium surface, an ordinary catalyst. The scientists, including researchers from the University of Hamburg and DESY, used the ultra-short X-ray flashes of the X-ray laser LCLS at the research centre SLAC in California. Initially, an optical laser pulse heated the ruthenium surface, thus activating the absorbed carbon monoxide molecules and oxygen atoms. With the help of X-ray absorption spectroscopy, the team was able to detect how the electronic structure of the involved oxygen atoms changed during the formation of carbon dioxide molecules – a process which regularly takes place in a similar way in all automobile catalysts. The observed transition states assort well with quantum chemical calculations.
	Ultra-thin nanowires can trap electron 'twisters' that disrupt superconductors Superconductor materials are prized for their ability to carry an electric current without resistance, but this valuable trait can be crippled or lost when electrons swirl into tiny tornado-like formations called vortices. These disruptive mini-twisters often form in the presence of magnetic fields, such as those produced by electric motors.
	Why a latte is less likely to spill than a coffee Carrying a full cup of coffee from the kitchen to the dining room can be precarious for a sleepy-eyed caffeine addict who might accidentally send a wave of java sloshing over the rim. But add a bit of foam to the top and the trip becomes easier.
	Optical nanoantennas set the stage for a NEMS lab-on-a-chip revolution Newly developed tiny antennas, likened to spotlights on the nanoscale, offer the potential to measure food safety, identify pollutants in the air and even quickly diagnose and treat cancer, according to the Australian scientists who created them. The new antennas are cubic in shape. They do a better job than previous spherical ones at directing an ultra-narrow beam of light where it is needed, with little or no loss due to heating and scattering, they say.

Earth news

	Global warming contrarian researcher investigated for not revealing funding sources For several years, aerospace engineer Willie Wei-Hock Soon, with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) has been a well known figure in the debate regarding the cause of global warming. While most scientists have maintained that the elevated temperatures are due to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from man-made processes, such as coal and gasoline burning, Soon has insisted that it is instead caused by normal fluctuations of the sun. Taking such a contrarian view has led to praise from those that support his views, and harsh criticism from those who do not.
	Fears over plastic-eating coral in Australia's Barrier Reef Corals in the Great Barrier Reef are eating small plastic debris in the ocean, Australian researchers said on Tuesday, raising fears about the impact the indigestible fragments have on their health and other marine life.
	A new way to quantify and track soot from its source to destination No one wants to see dirty snow. But that's just what appears when soot—from forest fires, diesel engines, and other fuel combustion—hitchhikes to the Arctic on atmospheric currents. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory designed a new way to identify and track the sources of soot using an atmospheric model and a tagging technique that is both efficient and effective. The result establishes a clear source-receptor relationship and soot pathways that will help explain the seasonal variations found for soot deposition. This finding will contribute to insights on the impact of darkened snow and ice on the Earth's energy budget.
	Imaging technique reconstructs 120 years of seasonal changes in ocean acidification University of Maine marine scientist Bob Steneck is part of an international team that has unlocked an underwater time capsule in the North Pacific that has been monitoring the climate for centuries.
	Researchers develop accurate measure of aggregating particles that block oil production lines Rice University researchers have developed an easy and accurate technique to detect and quantify the amount of asphaltene precipitated from crude oils, which bedevils the oil industry by clogging wells and flow lines.
	Study seeks to understand variations in the rate of global warming A team of climate scientists, including Professor Mat Collins from the University of Exeter, have investigated the role of internal variability in the Earth's climate system in these periods of slow warming.
Ocean acidification slows algae growth in the Southern Ocean Bremerhaven, 24 February 2015. In a recent study, scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), demonstrate for the first time that ocean acidification could have negative impacts on diatoms in the Southern Ocean. In laboratory tests they were able to observe that under changing light conditions, diatoms grow more slowly in acidic water. In so doing, Dr Clara Hoppe and her team have overturned the widely held assumption that sinking pH values would stimulate the growth of these unicellular algae. Their findings will be published today in the journal New Phytologist.
	Massive amounts of Saharan dust fertilize the Amazon rainforest The Sahara Desert and the Amazon rainforest seem to inhabit separate worlds. The former is a vast expanse of sand and scrub stretching across the northern third of Africa, while the latter is a dense green mass of humid jungle covering northeast South America. And yet, they are connected: every year, millions of tons of nutrient-rich Saharan dust cross the Atlantic Ocean, bringing vital phosphorus and other fertilizers to depleted Amazon soils.
	Sea level spiked for 2 years along northeastern North America Sea levels from New York to Newfoundland jumped up about four inches in 2009 and 2010 because ocean circulation changed, a University of Arizona-led team reports in an upcoming issue of Nature Communications.
	Geysers have loops in their plumbing: Periodic eruptions tied to underground bends and side-chambers Geysers like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park erupt periodically because of loops or side-chambers in their underground plumbing, according to recent studies by volcanologists at the University of California, Berkeley.
Water thefts on the rise in drought-stricken California (AP)—As California's drought drags on, officials are cracking down on thieves who wrench open fire hydrants and ignore or tamper with meters to access one of the state's precious commodities—water.
	UN climate panel head steps down amid sex claims The head of the UN's climate science panel, Rajendra Pachauri, has stepped down, the body announced Tuesday, amid claims that he sexually harassed a subordinate.
	NASA adds up Tropical Cyclone Marcia's Queensland area rainfall Powerful Tropical Cyclone Marcia dropped a lot of rain as it made landfall and moved over eastern Queensland, Australia from February 19 to 21. Data from NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was combined with other satellites to create a map of that rainfall.
Technology changing the climate debate This year could well go down in history as the moment when technology transformed the debate about climate change.
	NASA Terra satellite spots new Tropical Cyclone 14S A tropical low pressure area designated as System 90S formed in the Southern Indian Ocean on February 21, 2015 and has been slowly organizing and consolidating. Three days later System 90S became Tropical Storm 14S as NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead.

Astronomy & Space news

	Satellite gearing up to take EPIC pictures of Earth The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite is on its way to do something epic. NOAA's spacecraft, sent to monitor space weather, will use its Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) to capture the entire sunlit face of our planet and collect valuable atmospheric data. EPIC, built by Lockheed Martin, will show the full face of Earth in a single picture, something previously done only by the Apollo 17 astronauts and the Galileo mission on its way to Jupiter. "EPIC will view the whole sunlit side of Earth from L-1, a point approximately one million miles away," Joe Mobilia, EPIC program manager at Lockheed Martin, told astrowatch.net. "Today, images of Earth come from spacecraft in LEO [Low Earth Orbit] or GEO [Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit], which only sample a portion of the planet, albeit at higher resolutions."
	Could ionized gas do A better job of sterilizing spacecraft? Earth's microbes are a hardy bunch. They can survive in extreme environments, such as inside hot springs at the bottom of the ocean. Some have even remained alive despite being exposed to the ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, extreme low temperatures, and vacuum of space.
	Could there be another planet behind the sun? If you've read your share of sci-fi, and I know you have, you've read stories about another Earth-sized planet orbiting on the other side of the Solar System, blocked by the Sun. Could it really be there?
	Space station 3-D printed items, seedlings return in the belly of a Dragon Newly 3-D printed wrenches, data to improve cooling systems, protein crystals and seedling samples returned Feb. 10 aboard SpaceX's fifth contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station. Researchers will use samples and data returned to improve scientific studies on Earth and build on research that will enable space exploration.
UN report urges drones for peace missions A UN report is calling for drones to be deployed in most peacekeeping missions as part of a major technological leap needed to help the United Nations confront world crises, the lead expert of the study said Monday.
	Scientific spring in isolated Antarctica In Antarctica, the crew of the French–Italian Concordia research station are preparing for the winter. They have to survive six months of complete isolation – four in darkness because the Sun never rises above the horizon – while they perform science in one of the most barren places on Earth.
	Calling on satellites in alpine rescues Emergency services rescued 1780 people in the Austrian Alps last year. They can now count on satellites to access maps, send messages, give warnings and stay in contact.
NASA launches 3 suborbital rockets from Wallops Island (AP)—Three suborbital rockets have been launched for the Department of Defense from NASA's facility on Wallops Island in Virginia.
Russia to keep its part of space station after its duty ends (AP)—Russia's space agency expects the International Space Station to stay in orbit through 2024, and plans to create its own space outpost with its segment of the station after that.
Fireballs spotted over western US as Chinese rocket burns up (AP)—People from Arizona to Canada have reported seeing bright lights in the sky as a Chinese rocket burned up in the atmosphere.
SOHO sees something new near the sun An unusual comet skimmed past the sun on Feb 18-21, 2015, as captured by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO.

Technology news

	Belgian groups deem Facebook's updated terms of service agreement unlawful in Europe Two groups, one a team of lawyers, the other made up of media consultants have together concluded that the new terms of service and data policies instituted by Facebook are illegal in the European Union. The analysis by the combined team came at the request of the Belgian government's Data Protection Authority, which the investigators note, builds on work done previously on behalf of the Flemish Agency for Innovation through Science and Technology. The team has publicly published their findings in a report titled: From social media service to advertising network—a critical analysis of Facebook's Revised Policies and Terms.
	Data-driven audience targeting expands to drone tests in LA (Phys.org) —"Experimenting With Drones For Data Collection." This is the sort of headline that could set off alarm bells in the minds of privacy proponents worried about the potential limits and freedoms of drones for eavesdropping, but that indeed was the headline earlier this month on the AdNear Blog.
Japan's Robear: Strength of a robot, face of a bear Forget the frightening androids of dystopian sci-fi, the future of robots is cute polar bears that can lift elderly people into and out of bed.
	Toyota unveils fuel-cell car assembly line Toyota President Akio Toyoda on Tuesday unveiled the assembly line that is making the first mass market fuel-cell car.
	Concrete solutions to aging bridges According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), this state leads the nation in the number of bridges classified as "structurally deficient."
	Flex Logix looking to make processor chips more programmable Silicon Valley startup Flex Logix Technologies has announced that it is now in the business of selling newly developed programmable chip technology to hardware makers—they believe they have found a new way to produce field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that is both cheaper and more amendable to being added to existing systems.
	Using 'fuzzy logic' to optimize hybrid solar-battery systems How did fuzzy logic help a group of researchers in Tunisia and Algeria create an ideal photovoltaic system that obeys the supply-and-demand principle and its delicate balance?
	Dendrite eraser: New electrolyte rids batteries of short-circuiting fibers Dendrites - the microscopic, pin-like fibers that cause rechargeable batteries to short circuit - create fire hazards and can limit the ability of batteries to power our smart phones and store renewable energy for a rainy day.
	Review: Apple-centric 'Modern Family' goes beyond gimmicks (AP)—When "Modern Family" producers revealed that they recorded this week's episode entirely with the iPhone and other Apple products, I was skeptical. I've seen too many good shows decline in quality over time. I worried this 6-year-old show was resorting to a gimmick.
Fierce battle looms on US 'open Internet' rules US regulators meet Thursday to vote on rules aimed at heading off Internet "fast lanes," although it may not be the end of a years-long battle.
Patent trolls serve valuable role in innovation, expert says So-called patent trolls may actually benefit inventors and the innovation economy, according to a Stanford intellectual property expert.
	There need not be a digital dark age—how to save our data for the future "The internet is forever." So goes a saying regarding the impossibility of removing material – such as stolen photographs – permanently from the web. Yet paradoxically the vast and growing digital sphere faces enormous losses. Google has been criticised for failing to ensure access to its archive of Usenet newsgroup postings that stretch back to the early 1980s. And now internet pioneer Vint Cerf has warned of a "digital dark age" that would result if decades of data – emails, photographs, website postings – becoming lost or un-readable.
	It's not 'what' but 'who' you connect with in metadata retention The purpose and implementation of the Australian government's proposed metadata retention scheme is making less sense as political pressure mounts to get the legislation passed. So what's going on?
	Development of an image sensor for an infrared color night-vision camera Researchers have developed an image sensor for infrared color night-vision imaging in collaboration with Sharp Corporation (Sharp; Division Deputy General Manager & Unit General Manager, Sensing Device Unit, Electronic Components and Devices Division: Norihiro Hondo).
	Neuroscientist takes scientific look at art of filmmaking Why do so many of us cry at the movies? Why do we flinch when Rocky Balboa takes a punch, duck when the jet careens toward the tower in "Airplane," and tap our toes to the dance numbers in "Chicago" or "Moulin Rouge"?
	​Detecting defects at the nanoscale will profit solar panel production Research at the University of Huddersfield will lead to major efficiency gains and cost savings in the manufacture of flexible solar panels. It has also resulted in an exceptional number of scholarly articles co-authored by a Libyan scientist who is completing his doctoral studies as a participant in the EU-backed project.
	Before decrying the latest cyberbreach, consider your own cyberhygiene The theft of 80 million customer records from health insurance company Anthem earlier this month would be more shocking if it were not part of a larger trend. In 2013, the Department of Defense and some US states were receiving 10–20 million cyberattacks per day. By 2014, there was a 27% increase in successful attacks, culminating with the infamous hack of Sony Pictures.
	Apple emoji go racially diverse Smiley emoji, sad emoji, hearts emoji, and now, for the first time, racially diverse emoji.
	Online child abuse moving to Skype, Bitcoin: Europol Hi-tech criminals are increasingly selling live streams of child sex over legitimate chat sites and apps such as Skype for hard-to-trace virtual currencies like Bitcoin, Europe's policing agency warned on Tuesday.
	Google Blogger to ban sexually explicit content Google said Tuesday it would ban sexually explicit content or "graphic nudity" on its Blogger platform, asking users to remove the material by March 23.
	Facebook claims 2 million advertisers Facebook said Tuesday it has boosted the number of advertisers on the social network to two million as it launched a mobile app for those managing their commercial pitches.
	Texas natural gas grants generated $128 million in economic impact last year The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development released a study today showing that three State grants to support natural gas programs generated $128 million in economic impact, $79.1 million in gross state product and supported 927 full-time jobs in 2014. The three grants, totaling $52.9 million, generated that impact by supporting the construction of new natural gas fueling stations and the adoption of natural gas vehicles.
Reddit cracks down on posting nude pics (AP)—Social-networking and news site Reddit says it will remove photos, videos and links with explicit content if the person in the image hasn't given permission for it to be posted.
	US offers $3 mn reward for Russian sought in bank hack The United States on Tuesday offered a $3 million reward for information to apprehend a Russian national sought in a major hacking enterprise that stole some $100 million.
Appeals court considering warrantless cellphone tracking (AP)—Now that the cellphone in your pocket can be used to track your movements, federal appeals judges in Atlanta are considering whether investigators must get a search warrant from a judge to obtain cellphone tower tracking data in a case that highlights the courts' effort to keep up with changing technology.
Android dominant in two-horse smartphone race: IDC Google Android dominated the global smartphone market in 2014, holding an 81.5 percent market share, with Apple's iOS second and no strong third player, market tracker IDC said Tuesday.
Train car design reduced impact in Southern California crash (AP)—After a horrific crash a decade ago that killed 11 people and injured 180 more, Southern California's commuter train network began investing heavily in passenger cars designed to protect passengers from the full force of a collision with another train or vehicle on the tracks.
Los Angeles rolls out online database of historic sites (AP)—From towering basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain's hillside home to downtown's towering US Bank building, Los Angeles is putting all its landmarks online.
	Trial nears in high-profile Silicon Valley sex bias case (AP)—A jury was picked Monday to determine whether a venerable Silicon Valley venture capital firm is liable in a sexual discrimination lawsuit or is the victim of a former employee forced out because of poor performance.
	Breakthrough solution for TX-to-RX isolation in reconfigurable, multiband front-end modules for mobile phones At next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain (MWC2015), imec, Murata and Huawei will present a stand-alone multiband electrical-balance duplexer in 0.18µm SOI CMOS. This type of duplexer is a promising alternative to the fixed frequency surface-acoustic wave (SAW) filters implemented in mobile phones providing transmit-to-receive (TX-to-RX) isolation.
Innovation success partly determined by composition of consortia Merely stimulating collaboration between different parties from science, government and industry does not always lead to the development of new, innovative technologies. Whether the partners involved have previously worked together and whether other collaborations are taking place at the same time are also important, state scientists from Utrecht University in the journal Research Policy. The research was co-funded by NWO (Veni grant).
Are we independent of rare metals? Numerous metallic elements are regarded as "critical": on one hand, they play an ever more important role in so-called future technologies and on the other, there is a high risk of supply bottlenecks. Small and medium-sized companies are also affected by this, and they are often not sure which of these materials they are dependent on. At a "Technology Briefing" at Empa, strategies for the sustainable use of critical materials were presented and discussed.
	Wireless sensors make aircraft maintenance more efficient The FLITE-WISE project has developed new wireless sensors to facilitate the constant monitoring of European aircrafts. The new system, which is expected to bring both cost and weight down, will be commercialised within the next three years.
	High density multi-lane optical transceiver circuit for high-capacity inter-processor data transmissions Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced that it has developed the world's first optical transceiver circuit in which multiple circuit lanes can be laid out in parallel, paving the way for higher-capacity data transmissions between CPUs in future servers and supercomputers. Re-timer circuits handle the waveform and noise reduction needed for high-density transmitter circuit and high-speed transmission signals. Because individual re-timer circuits are susceptible to coupling from adjacent ones, it has been difficult to lay them out in close proximity to each other.
Renewable energy obtained from wastewater Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have devised an efficient way to obtain electrical energy and hydrogen by using a wastewater treatment process. The proposed system, published in Water Research, uses bacteria which consumes the organic material and produces electricity, which produces hydrogen, the energy vector of the future. The results point to further developments of this technology at industrial scale.
	Comcast 4Q profit edges up, adds customers, boosts dividend (AP)—Comcast Corp.'s fourth-quarter net income edged up less than 1 percent as the company added more customers for its cable TV, high-speed Internet and phone services.
Mitsubishi's iMiev remains cheapest electric (AP)—Mitsubishi's 2016 iMiev will remain the cheapest electric car on the market when it goes on sale in the U.S. next month.
HP profit dips, sees impact from strong dollar US computer giant Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday reported a drop in profits in the past quarter and said the strengthening dollar was likely to hurt its finances this year.

Chemistry news

NETL invents improved oxygen carriers One of the keys to the successful deployment of chemical looping technologies is the development of affordable, high performance oxygen carriers. One potential solution is the naturally-occurring iron oxide, hematite.

Biology news

	Novel pretreatment could cut biofuel costs by 30 percent or more Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have invented a novel pretreatment technology that could cut the cost of biofuels production by about 30 percent or more by dramatically reducing the amount of enzymes needed to breakdown the raw materials that form biofuels.
	World's rarest wild cat doubles in number At least 57 Amur leopards now exist in Russia's Land of the Leopard National Park, up from just 30 cats counted in 2007, according to new census data announced last week. An additional 8-12 leopards were counted in adjacent areas of China, meaning the number of Amur leopards, a rare subspecies considered the world's rarest wild cat, has more than doubled over the past seven years.
Parasitism runs deep in malaria's family tree The ancestors of a large family of parasites—including those that cause malaria—were equipped to become parasites much earlier in their lineage than previously assumed, according to University of British Columbia (UBC) research.
	Key genes for symbiosis between mycorrhiza fungi and trees evolved several times This news release is available in German.
	Causes of Great Lakes smelt population decline are complex The reasons for the dwindling population of smelt prey fish in the Great Lakes to near historic lows are more complicated than previously believed, new research from Purdue University and collaborators suggests.
	Micro-5: Gut reactions in space Our guts literally teem with beneficial bacteria. But not all bacteria are harmless. Disease-causing bacteria, known as pathogens, can infect our intestines, causing illness or even death. Bacterial pathogens can contaminate the foods and beverages we consume in our everyday diets, and illnesses caused by consuming tainted foods are a serious concern on Earth and in space.
Tropical turtle discovery in Wyoming provides climate-change clues Tropical turtle fossils discovered in Wyoming by University of Florida scientists reveal that when the earth got warmer, prehistoric turtles headed north. But if today's turtles try the same technique to cope with warming habitats, they might run into trouble.
	New cicada species discovered in Switzerland and Italy They belong to the best-known, biggest and loudest group of insects – and yet they still manage to surprise: Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered a new singing cicada species in Italy and southern Switzerland. The insect with a wingspan of four centimeters and a high pitch song has been named "Italian Mountain Cicada" (Cicadetta sibillae). It is one of only ten singing cicada species in Switzerland.
	Lifelong study suits spiderwoman If there's one name that's synonymous with spider research in Western Australia it's Barbara York Main.
	Research suggests green crab is risky bait for lobster industry Recent research conducted by Dalhousie University's Faculty of Agriculture indicates a high prevalence of a green crab pathogen now being found in lobsters in some Atlantic Canadian locations. The pathogen, a primary pathogen of green crab, correlates with increased use of green crabs as lobster bait over the last several years.
New, useful feature of Moringa seeds revealed Previous studies have shown that the extracts from seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree can be used for water purification. In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University show that the Moringa seeds can also be used for separation of different materials. Separation processes are very important in mining industries and the new knowledge could contribute to reduce the needs for expensive synthetic chemicals.
	Mapping lizard venom makes it possible to develop new drugs Lizards and other reptiles are not normally considered venomous, but a number of lizard species actually do produce and use venom. The most classic venomous lizard is no doubt the gila monster – a heavy-bodied lizard. As the first in the world, a group of researchers at Aarhus University has made a comprehensive description of the proteins in the venom. This knowledge not only provides insight into the function and evolution of venom proteins, but can also prove to be relevant in connection with developing new types of drugs.
	Exotic mammals may play key role in the spread of invasive pines throughout New Zealand (w/ Video) New research has found exotic mammals, such as deer and possums, may be playing a major role in assisting wilding conifers invade new sites around New Zealand.
	World's protected natural areas receive 8 billion visits a year The world's national parks and nature reserves receive around eight billion visits every year, according to the first study into the global scale of nature-based tourism in protected areas. The paper, by researchers in Cambridge, UK, Princeton, New Jersey, and Washington, DC, published in the open access journal PLOS Biology, is the first global-scale attempt to answer the question of how many visits protected areas receive, and what they might be worth in terms of tourist dollars.
	Luring deer away from livestock feed with fall cover crops Fall cover crops, such as clover, turnips and peas, can provide nutrient-rich winter forage and help lure hungry deer away from hay and other stored livestock feed, according to Distinguished Professor Jonathan Jenks of the South Dakota State University Department of Natural Resource Management
Screening tests for pets uncover hidden conditions early Some dogs bury bones, while some cats squirrel away socks. But that's not all our pets can hide; they often hide illness quite well.
	Storks could become poisoned by pesticides during their migration to Africa Not all storks migrate to Africa. Many stay for the winter in the Iberian Peninsula, where landfills have become a permanent source of food. Scientists from Extremadura have analysed the presence of pollutants and pesticides (some prohibited in Spain) in the blood of nestlings from three colonies, two of which are close to landfill sites. The results reveal that the main source of contamination can be due to the use of insecticides in African countries where the birds migrate, who transfer their contaminated load onto their offspring through their eggs.
	New effort in functional annotation of animal genomes Scientists and breeders working with poultry and livestock species will get a new set of tools from an international project that includes the University of California, Davis.

Medicine & Health news

Tea's benefits extend to old bones: Japan researchers Researchers in Japan say black tea could help treat osteoporosis, a bone condition affecting older people, but admit you need to drink an awful lot of it.
Infant brains are hardwired to link images and sounds as they learn to speak New research examining electrical brain activity in infants suggests that we are biologically predisposed to link images and sounds to create language.
	Researchers connect diseases based on their molecular similarities Northeastern University network scientists have found a way to connect diseases based on their shared molecular interactions. Published in the journal Science, the Northeastern team created a mathematical tool to analyze the human interactome—a map of the molecular interactions within cells—and found that overlapping disease modules—neighborhoods of disease-associated proteins—result in sometimes unexpected relationships between diseases.
Obesity genes identified by worldwide research team A massive worldwide analysis of genetic data from almost 340,000 people around the world has brought understanding of the genetic basis of obesity a step closer.
Do genes play a role in peanut allergies? New study suggests yes Researchers have pinpointed a region in the human genome associated with peanut allergy in U.S. children, offering strong evidence that genes can play a role in the development of food allergies.
	Pill taken before, after sex may prevent HIV, study finds An HIV prevention pill taken by gay men before and after sex reduced the risk of virus transmission by 86 percent, according to the results of a clinical trial released Tuesday.
Water fluoridation in England linked to higher rates of underactive thyroid Water fluoridation above a certain level is linked to 30 per cent higher than expected rates of underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) in England, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Keep calm, anger can trigger a heart attack! University of Sydney research reveals that the risk of a heart attack is 8.5 times higher in the two hours following a burst of intense anger.
Homeless people with mental illness have higher 30-year risk of serious cardiovascular disease, research finds Homeless people with mental disease have a greater than double risk of developing serious or fatal cardiovascular disease over 30 years than people of the same age and gender with no risk factors for the disease, new research has found.
'Massive' tobacco industry third party lobbying for revised European Directive The tobacco industry deployed "massive" third party lobbying to subvert revised European regulations on tobacco products, helped by regulatory reforms that seem to have made it easier for corporate interests to influence public health legislation, reveals research published online in Tobacco Control.
Researchers discover possible drug target to combat sleeping sickness Virginia Tech biochemists are trying to deliver a stern wake-up call to the parasite that causes sleeping sickness.
Scientist study skin cancer patients resistant to leading therapy Powerful drugs known as BRAF-inhibitors have been crucial for melanoma patients, saving lives through their ability to turn off the BRAF protein's power to spur cancer cell growth.
Tests reveal under-reported exposure to tobacco smoke among preemies with lung disease Public health experts have long known that tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) can be harmful for children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a lung disease that often accompanies premature birth.
	NY attorney general expands herbal supplements investigation (AP)—Three weeks after ordering four major retailers to pull store-brand herbal supplements off their shelves following DNA tests that found little or none of the listed herbs, New York's attorney general is targeting manufacturers of the popular products.
	Proton pump inhibitor use not linked to cardiac arrhythmia (HealthDay)—In critically ill patients, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is not associated with cardiac arrhythmia, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
Noncancer pain patients commonly use benzodiazepines (HealthDay)—Chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) patients who use benzodiazepines (BZDs) daily frequently have multiple comorbid mental health conditions and higher rates of emergency health care use, according to a study published in the February issue of Pain Medicine.
	Variation in clinical practice guidelines for febrile infants (HealthDay)—Emergency department clinical practice guideline (CPG) recommendations contribute to observed practice variation in febrile infants, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
	No temporal change in incidence of amniotic fluid embolism (HealthDay)—The incidence of and risk factors for amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) have not changed over time, according to a study published online Feb. 12 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
	Sound of mother's voice in womb may aid fetal brain growth (HealthDay)—Babies may get a brain boost in the womb when they hear the voices and heartbeats of their mothers, a new study suggests.
Should paramedics be allowed to give antibiotics to trauma victims? For years, infection rates from open fractures have remained stubbornly high.
The numbers are in: As many as 2 in 3 smokers will die from their habit A large Australian study of more than 200,000 people has provided independent confirmation that up to two in every three smokers will die from their habit if they continue to smoke.
	Plague outbreaks that ravaged Europe for centuries were driven by climate change in Asia The Black Death struck Europe in 1347, killing 30-50% of the European population in six violent years. It wasn't a one-off epidemic: it signalled the start of the second plague pandemic in Europe that lasted for hundreds of years and only slowly disappeared from the continent after the Great Plague of London in 1665-1666.
	Older drivers can stay safe for longer Older drivers who lack confidence on the road could benefit from a new training plan being developed by researchers at Aston University.
Bionic hand that is 'sensitive' to touch and temperature A bionic hand that can sense pressure and temperature and transmit the information back to the brain is the focus of a new £1.4m UK research project.
	Shedding light on asexuality When confronted with the notion of asexuality, most people are baffled by the idea of a life devoid of sexual attraction.
Eliminating cellular stroma could enable anti-cancer drugs to penetrate tumor tissues, improve survival Like a stealth jet cloaks itself from radar, cancer cells cloak themselves within tumors by hiding behind a dense layer of cellular material known as stroma.
	Web app prompts important sexual health testing A personalized web app designed to encourage young men at risk for sexually transmitted diseases to go for testing has proven successful in a small trial conducted in Southeast Michigan.
Investigational drug can reduce asthma flareups An investigational drug appears to cut the risk of severe asthma attacks in half for patients who have difficulty controlling the disorder with standard medications, according to results from two multicenter clinical trials.
Neuroscientists discover why exercise reduces stress On top of the many reasons to hit the gym, working out may also improve the ability to persevere through hard times. In a series of recent experiments, neuroscientists at the University of Georgia have begun to unravel the link between long-term stress resilience and exercise.
	Helping computers see like people UA cognitive scientist Mary Peterson, who studies human vision, will work with collaborators from four partner institutions, funded by an Office of Naval Research grant.
National Food Institute maintains its assessment of bisphenol A After having examined the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA's new health assessment of bisphenol A, the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, maintains its assessment of the chemical compound. The institute's researchers assess that the safe level recently recommended by EFSA does not adequately protect consumers against endocrine disrupting effects of bisphenol A.
	Morphogenesis through flowing tissue In an in vivo analysis of eye development, researchers at Heidelberg University and the University of Freiburg have gained fundamental new insight into the development of coloboma of the eye, prompting them to revise the classical view of the development of this sensory organ in vertebrates. The team led by developmental and cell biologists Dr. Stephan Heermann and Prof. Dr. Jochen Wittbrodt of the Heidelberg Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) used in vivo 4D microscopy to demonstrate that directed tissue flow transforms the optic vesicle into the optic cup during eye development. This is not only critical for understanding the cause of coloboma ("cat eye syndrome"), but also means that eye development in vertebrates, including humans, is fundamentally different than has been taught for more than 70 years. The results of their research were published the journal eLife.
	A study of medication for knee osteoarthritis points the way to new methods for ranking drugs' effectiveness Maybe you "trust Tylenol" or (like this writer) you're "all Advil." Research proves that both painkillers work, but many of us, including our doctors, can't help but have a preference shaped by experience and perhaps even advertising. Which really does work better? That's what Raveendhara Bannuru, director of the Center for Treatment Comparison and Integrative Analysis at Tufts Medical Center and a research assistant professor of medicine, wanted to find out.
Household income found to be related to preschool attendance in China Early childhood education has been seen by many as a tool to break the cycle of poverty for developing countries. Yet, despite the more than 82 million children under age 5 living in China today, little is known about the factors contributing to preschool attendance there, particularly in rural areas. This omission is even more salient given that more than 70 percent of mothers in the 25–34 age range with children under the age of 6 in China work outside the home, and household income has consistently been shown to affect child care choices in both developed and developing countries.
	New strategies for anesthesia In operating rooms around the world, machines attached to anesthetized patients blip and bleep, reporting second-by-second accounts of vital organs. Blood circulation and respiration are closely monitored, but the one organ that is drugged, the brain, has no readout. Anesthesiologists simply watch for signs of wakening, says Emery Brown, the Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience at MIT.
	Partnerships key to preventing HIV transmission overseas A WA health expert says establishing partnerships and networks between Australia and foreign countries should help prevent Australians from contracting HIV abroad.
	Overcoming addiction with an app Can a game installed on your smartphone help you to overcome an addiction? Soon this will be a possibility. Marloes Postel, a lecturer at the University of Twente, observed the need for easily accessible care for people with addictions. This has led to the development of an app version of an existing computer course used for training the brain to break free from acquired patterns of thought. Approaching a therapist is too big a step for many addicts. The app makes the training course easily accessible to a larger group of people.
Opioid pain reliever abuse called a top 5 public health challenge The Centers for Disease Control calls prescription painkiller abuse "one of the worst drug overdose epidemics in history."
	Achieving community immunity against flu, one school at a time Each fall flu can strike a community like a wildfire. Initially, cases are sporadic, but eventually they spread person to person. And like a wildfire, the aftermath can be severe: high economic losses, hundreds hospitalized and dozens dead.
	Scientists find cancer weak spots for new targeted drugs A major computational analysis by scientists at the University of Sussex and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has found a number of potential targets for drugs that exploit the inherent weaknesses of cancer cells.
Previously unknown effect of vitamin A identified The signal molecule, retinoic acid, is a product of vitamin A which helps to instruct how different types of tissue are to be formed in the growing embryo. For the first time, Professor Niels-Bjarne Woods' laboratory, Lund Stem Cell Center in Sweden, has studied the effects of retinoic acid in relation to how blood cells develop from human stem cells. In the laboratory model, the stem cells are exposed to specific signal molecules, thereby developing into blood-producing cells.
	Research with space explorers may one day heal Earth's warriors Growing bone on demand sounds like a space-age concept—a potentially life changing one. Such a capability could benefit those needing bone for reconstructive surgery due to trauma like combat injuries or those waging a battle with osteoporosis. Related research is hardly science fiction, as a study into a key bone-growing protein was recently funded to take place in orbit aboard the International Space Station.
Cyberbystanders: Most don't try to stop online bullies In a new study, 221 college students participated in an online chat room in which they watched a fellow student get "bullied" right before their eyes.
New approach to tackle alphavirus infections Griffith University and an international team of researchers have moved a step closer to identifying a broad spectrum treatment for the dreaded arthritogenic alphavirus infections.
Researchers clarify vasospasm incidence in children with moderate to severe TBI Vasospasm, or severe narrowing of blood vessels, is a dangerous complication observed in children with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. In a paper recently published in Critical Care Medicine, investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital have further defined the prevalence, associated factors and time course for vasospasm in children with these brain injuries.
	Garlic extract could help cystic fibrosis patients fight infection A chemical found in garlic can kill bacteria that cause life-threatening lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis, research suggests.
Active surveillance of intermediate-risk prostate cancer associated with decreased survival An analysis of data on 945 patients with prostate cancer that is managed with active surveillance shows differences in outcomes depending on whether the patient was low or intermediate risk at diagnosis. Compared to patients with low-risk disease, those with intermediate-risk cancer (PSA >10ng/ml or Gleason score 7 or clinical stage T2b/2c) had a nearly four-fold higher chance of dying from prostate cancer within 15 years. The study will be presented at the upcoming 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando.
Men who have had testicular cancer are more likely to develop prostate cancer A case-control study of close to 180,000 men suggests that the incidence of prostate cancer is higher among men with a history of testicular cancer (12.6 percent) than among those without a history of testicular cancer (2.8 percent). Men who have had testicular cancer were also more likely to develop intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancers. The study will be presented at the upcoming 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando.
Androgen receptor abnormality may not be associated Findings from a small prospective study suggest that androgen receptor V7 (or AR-V7) status does not significantly affect response to taxane chemotherapy in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Treatment outcomes were largely similar for the 17 patients with AR-V7-positive prostate cancer and the 20 patients with AR-V7-negative disease included in this analysis. The study will be presented at the upcoming 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando.
Early evidence of increase in higher-risk prostate cancers from 2011-2013 An analysis of data on roughly 87,500 men treated for prostate cancer since 2005 finds a notable increase in higher-risk cases of the disease between 2011 and 2013. The retrospective analysis of patient data found the proportion of men diagnosed with intermediate- and high-risk disease increased by nearly 6 percent in those years. While a rise in mortality has not yet been seen, the authors estimate this apparent trend could produce 1,400 additional prostate cancer deaths per year (based on the 2014 estimated number of new prostate cancer cases and the relative survival of patients with low- versus high-risk cancer). They emphasize, however, that the findings must be confirmed through further research. The study will be presented at the upcoming 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando.
Facial expression more important to conveying emotion in music than in speech Regular concert-goers are used to seeing singers use expressive and often very dramatic facial expressions. Indeed, music and speech are alike in that they use both facial and acoustic cues to engage listeners in an emotional experience. McGill researchers wondered what roles these different cues played in conveying emotions.
Gene regulatory path revealed as target for therapy of aggressive pediatric brain cancer Working with cells taken from children with a very rare but ferocious form of brain cancer, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have identified a genetic pathway that acts as a master regulator of thousands of other genes and may spur cancer cell growth and resistance to anticancer treatment.
Findings a step toward a pill that provides benefit of exercise A researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine has magnified a benefit of exercise in mice to provide a "profound" protection from diabetic cardiomyopathy, a potentially deadly heart condition that affects many people with diabetes. The discovery demonstrates the power of exercise to prevent chronic health conditions and suggests that one day some benefits of exercise may come in a pill or bottle.
Indian city bans gatherings over swine flu outbreak An Indian city has banned public gatherings to contain the spread of deadly swine flu after thousands were infected with the virus, officials said Tuesday.
Decline in smoking rates may increase lung cancer mortality A decline in smoking rates may mean that many people who could have benefited from early detection of lung cancer are dying because they don't qualify for low-dose CT scans, according to a group of Mayo Clinic researchers. Their research appears in the Feb. 24 issue of JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association.
Findings may help with the management of anticoagulant-related bleeding within the brain Among patients with oral anticoagulation-associated intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding within the brain), reversal of international normalized ratio (INR; a measure used to determine the clotting tendency of blood while on medication) below a certain level within 4 hours and systolic blood pressure less than 160 mm Hg at 4 hours were associated with lower rates of hematoma (a localized swelling filled with blood) enlargement, and resumption of anticoagulant therapy was associated with a lower risk of ischemic events without increased bleeding complications, according to a study in the February 24 issue of JAMA.
Gene variant and risk and severity of nerve disorder linked to cancer drug Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had a certain gene variant experienced a higher incidence and severity of peripheral neuropathy after receiving treatment with the cancer drug vincristine, according to a study in the February 24 issue of JAMA.
Taking NSAIDs with anti-clotting medications and risk of bleeding, CV events Among patients receiving antithrombotic therapy (to prevent the formation of blood clots) after a heart attack, the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with an increased risk of bleeding and events such as heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death, even after short-term treatment, according to a study in the February 24 issue of JAMA.
It's tough to shift that weight, studies show New studies by McMaster University researchers, published in CMAJ Open, have confirmed that people of all ages find it difficult to prevent weight gain; that it is terrifically difficult to get rid of it later and to keep it off once lost. However, even small weight losses can mean better health.
Direct brain neurostimulation for partial onset seizures provides long-term benefit Piotr Olejniczak, MD, PhD, LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Neurology and Director of the Epilepsy Center, contributed to a study of the long-term effectiveness of the first direct brain responsive neurostimulator for partial onset, or focal, seizures that cannot be controlled with medication. The study found that responsive direct cortical stimulation reduces seizures and improves quality of life over an average of 5.4 years. The study is published in the February 24, 2015, issue of the journal, Neurology.
Stellate cells in the liver control regeneration and fibrosis Liver fibrosis, which is the progressive formation of scar tissue in the liver, is a massive medical problem. An estimated ten percent of the population is affected by liver fibrosis or its corresponding later stage, liver cirrhosis. A variety of causes can lead to liver fibrosis, the most widely recognized ones being alcohol consumption and virus-induced chronic liver inflammation. Other factors that can lead to scarring in the liver include the use of certain drugs, fatty liver disease and genetic disorders such as iron overload disease. As fibrosis progresses, the liver tissue becomes increasingly nodular, and the disease turns into liver cirrhosis, a dangerous condition that also drastically increases the risk of developing liver cancer.
'Patchwork' ovarian cancer more deadly The most common type of ovarian cancer is more deadly if it consists of a patchwork of different groups of cells, according to a Cancer Research UK study published today (Tuesday) in PLOS Medicine.
New research looks at app to help minority stroke patients improve health A clinical trial investigating the use of a physician-monitored app to help first-time minority stroke patients become healthier has begun at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
	Use of long-acting birth control rises fivefold in a decade: CDC (HealthDay)—The use of long-acting birth control methods such as IUDs or under-the-skin implants jumped fivefold between 2002 and 2011, according to a new U.S. government report.
	Together, nanotechnology and genetic interference may tackle 'untreatable' brain tumors There are no effective available treatments for sufferers of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive and devastating form of brain tumor. The disease, always fatal, has a survival rate of only 6-18 months.
Unexpected outcomes for elderly couples who stop driving The ability to drive can be central to a person's identity and can be an important expression of independence. When the elderly become unable to drive, due to age or deteriorating health, their emotional well-being can decline as a result of being unable to maintain social relationships or work schedules that require travel by car. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that even if just one member of a couple stops driving, negative consequences result for both the driver and non-driver. The researcher recommends that the elderly, and their adult children, carefully discuss and plan for the transition to driving cessation.
Marine oil supplement has positive effects on post-exercise muscle damage An Indiana University study has revealed that there may be a greater connection between mussels and muscles than previously thought.
Even low-androgen triple-negative breast cancer responds to anti-androgen therapy A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics shows that only about 1 percent of triple-negative breast cancer cells in a tumor must be "androgen-receptor-positive" to show benefit from anti-androgen therapies. There are no FDA-approved targeted therapies for triple-negative breast cancer. Clinical trials currently underway are showing promising preliminary results of anti-androgen-receptor therapies against triple-negative breast cancers expressing a higher percentage of androgen-receptor-positive cells.
Teen girls from rural areas more likely to have undiagnosed asthma, be depressed Teen girls who live in rural areas are more likely than their male counterparts to have undiagnosed asthma, and they often are at a higher risk of depression, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.
Amelotin molecule plays a critical role in tooth enamel maturation Today, the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) published an innovative developmental biology study by lead researcher Bernhard Ganss, University of Toronto, ON, Canada, that relates amelotin with tooth enamel defects and enamel formation. This study, titled "Enamel Hypomineralization and Structural Defects in Amelotin-deficient Mice," is published in the OnlineFirst portion of the Journal of Dental Research: the journal for dental, oral and craniofacial research.
Patients with mental illness less likely to receive diet, exercise advice More than half of patients with symptoms of mental illness - and nearly one-third of those who also had diabetes - said their health care providers had never told them to exercise or reduce their intake of dietary fat, according to a new study published in Diabetes Educator.
Cutting-edge technology optimizes cancer therapy with nanomedicine drug combinations In greater than 90 percent of cases in which treatment for metastatic cancer fails, the reason is that the cancer is resistant to the drugs being used. To treat drug-resistant tumors, doctors typically use multiple drugs simultaneously, a practice called combination therapy. And one of their greatest challenges is determining which ratio and combination—from the large number of medications available—is best for each individual patient.
New health care delivery model for prostate cancer care results in better patient outcomes A comprehensive, population-based regional health care management program for men with prostate cancer who are members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California has led to improved outcomes, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the journal Urology Practice.
Younger women delay seeking help for heart attacks, study finds Younger women may ignore or dismiss the earliest symptoms of an impending heart attack, such as pain and dizziness, and delay seeking emergency medical care. Such factors potentially contribute to disproportionally high death rates of young women as compared to similarly aged men.
	Polio vaccination with microneedle patches receives funding The Georgia Institute of Technology and Micron Biomedical have been awarded $2.5 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the development of dissolvable microneedle patches for polio immunization. The patches will be studied to evaluate their potential role as part of the worldwide efforts to eradicate polio.
	SVR rates up with new regimens for HCV and HIV coinfection (HealthDay)—For patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 and HIV coinfection, new regimens are effective and correlate with high rates of sustained virologic response (SVR) after treatment, according to two studies published online Feb. 23 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
	Nasal allergies tied to increased nasopharyngeal cancer risk (HealthDay)—Patients with allergic rhinitis may have an increased risk of developing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), according to a Taiwanese study published in the March issue of Head & Neck.
	U.S. officials pinpoint common sources of foodborne illnesses (HealthDay)—Beef, dairy, fruit and certain types of vegetables are among the most common sources for the four major types of foodborne illness that strike nearly 2 million Americans each year, a U.S. government report finds.
Women's heart disease should be a research priority The latest gender-specific research on heart disease continues to show differences between women and men, yet gaps remain in how to best diagnose, treat and prevent this number one killer of women, according to studies published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
Tumor location in colorectal cancer may influence survival The two halves of the human colon have different embryonic origins and gene expression patterns, and these differences may also play a role in cancer biology, according to a study published February 24 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Skin test may shed new light on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases Scientists have discovered a skin test that may shed new light on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, according to a study released today will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 18 to 25, 2015.
High-energy breakfast with low-energy dinner helps control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes A small new study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that, in people with type 2 diabetes, those who consume a high energy breakfast and a low energy dinner have better blood sugar control than those who eat a low energy breakfast and a high energy dinner. Thus adjusting diet in this fashion could help optimise metabolic control and prevent complications of type 2 diabetes. The authors of the study include Professor Daniela Jakubowicz and Professor Julio Wainstein, Wolfson Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Israel, Professor Bo Ahren, Lund University, Sweden and Professor Oren Froy Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Primary care residents unlikely to detect hazardous alcohol use When it comes to detecting alcohol misuse, newly minted primary care physicians ask the wrong questions at the wrong times, according to a study led by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
	Women twice as likely to see pot as risky: Ten-year decline in perception of marijuana risk A study on the perceived risk of regularly using cannabis and the characteristics associated with these perceptions found that non-white, low-income women over the age of 50 were most likely to perceive a risk in using the drug. Least likely were those 12 to 25 years old, with a high school diploma or more, and a total family income above $75,000. The study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health with colleagues at Johns Hopkins University is the first to describe changes across time in perceived risk of regular cannabis use in the U.S. population 12 years and older. Results are published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Pregnant women unmoved by maternity hospital ratings, study suggests Media reports in 2008 naming the best and worst NHS trusts for maternity care did not lead to more women going to the top hospitals or avoiding the lowest, a study has found.
Sunitinib, sorafenib of no benefit in ECOG-ACRIN renal cell trial Research results highlighted today at the press conference of a major medical meeting report no benefit from the use of either Sutent (sunitinib) or Nexavar (sorafenib) among patients with locally advanced renal cell carcinoma at high risk of recurrence, the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) announced. Both of these oral drugs are widely used in helping patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, commonly called kidney cancer, live longer with their disease.
Simple paper strip can diagnose Ebola and other fevers within 10 minutes When diagnosing a case of Ebola, time is of the essence. However, existing diagnostic tests take at least a day or two to yield results, preventing health care workers from quickly determining whether a patient needs immediate treatment and isolation.
	Disparities in breast cancer care linked to net worth Household net worth is a major and overlooked factor in adherence to hormonal therapy among breast cancer patients and partially explains racial disparities in quality of care. The findings suggest that physicians, health insurers, and policy makers need to pay more attention to this economic variable to ensure that breast cancer patients receive this potentially life-saving treatment. The study was published recently in the online issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Limited promise in early results from Ebola drug trial Early results from an Ebola trial using the experimental drug Avigan (favipiravir) showed Monday it was somewhat effective at saving lives if given early in the illness, but not later.
	Alaska becomes 3rd state with legal marijuana (AP)—Smoking, growing and possessing marijuana becomes legal in America's wildest state Tuesday, thanks to a voter initiative aimed at clearing away 40 years of conflicting laws and court rulings.
	Reducing pharmacy error With 450 million prescriptions given out last year in Canadian pharmacies, mistakes will happen. James Barker and SafetyNET-Rx are helping reduce those mistakes.
	Testing the first portable system for monitoring patients with Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease is the second neurodegenerative disease in number of patients after Alzheimer's disease. The Technical Research Centre for Dependency Care and Autonomous Living (CETpD) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya has developed a pioneering portable system for monitoring the motor status of Parkinson's disease patients in real time. The system also determines the status of patients while they are walking or during their daily activities and acts when the person has gait problems such as slowing or freezing. This system is being developed within the European project REMPARK (Personal Health Device for the Remote and Autonomous Management of Parkinson's Disease), coordinated by the CETpD. The project's aim is to improve the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease.
Filipino newcomers to Canada diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age Filipinos who move to Canada are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age than women from other parts of East Asia or Caucasians, new research has found.
Adjuvant sorafenib and sunitinib do not improve outcomes in locally advanced kidney cancer Findings from a federally funded study suggest that patients with locally advanced kidney cancer should not be treated with either adjuvant (post-surgery) sorafenib or sunitinib. The average period to disease recurrence was similar between those who received sorafenib or sunitinib after surgery (5.6 years) and those treated with placebo (5.7 years). The study will be presented at the upcoming 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando.
	Merck grants free license for pediatric HIV drug (AP)—Drugmaker Merck & Co. has granted a free license allowing one of its HIV medicines to be made and sold inexpensively for use in young children in poor countries hard hit by the AIDS virus.
Daclatasvir for hepatitis C: Hint of added benefit in genotype 4 Daclatasvir (trade name Daklinza) has been approved since August 2014 for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. According to the dossier assessment conducted by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in December 2014, no added benefit could be derived for daclatasvir.
Watchdog group seeks FDA ban of antifungal tablets (AP)—A consumer safety group is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to pull certain antifungal tablets off the market, saying there are safer medicines that do not carry risks of liver damage.
	Survey: Uninsured rate hit new low in 2014 (AP)—The share of Americans without health insurance dropped to its lowest level in seven years in 2014 as President Barack Obama's overhaul took full effect, according to an extensive survey released Tuesday.
Evidence supports use of 'retainer' contact lenses for nearsightedness in children A technique called orthokeratology ("Ortho-K")—using custom-made contact lenses to shape the growing eye—has a significant effect in slowing the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in children, according to a research review in the March issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.
Study finds hormone therapy in transgender adults safe In the most comprehensive review to date addressing the relative safety of hormone therapy for transgender persons, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that hormone therapy in transgender adults is safe. The findings, which appear in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology, may help reduce the barriers for transgender individuals to receive medical care.
Financial incentives can influence control of HIV in some clinical settings A new study by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) shows that some HIV-positive patients were motivated by financial incentives to take their HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication regularly and maintain control of their HIV - enhancing their own health benefits and reducing the chance of passing the virus on to others. Study findings are being presented on Tuesday Feb. 24 at the 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, Washington.
California's plastic bag ban suspended by ballot referendum (AP)—A trade group has turned in enough signatures to put a referendum on California's plastic bag ban on the November 2016 ballot, suspending implementation of the nation's first statewide ban until voters can weigh in, state elections officials said Tuesday.
	Quality of care lacking for ESRD in lupus nephritis (HealthDay)—In the United States, minorities and those who lack private insurance are less likely to receive adequate care for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to lupus nephritis (LN), according to research published online Feb. 18 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Farydak approved for multiple myeloma (HealthDay)—Farydak (panobinostat) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood.

Other Sciences news

	CT scan taken of mummified remains in statue (Phys.org) —A CT scan and endoscopy have revealed a master's mummy inside a Buddha statue. These were mummified remains of an ancient Buddhist monk who lived during the 11th or 12th century. Investigations revealed the skeletal frame of Buddhist master Liuquan, said the Toronto Sun, inside the bronze statue. Liuquan lived around the year 1100.
	Who's your daddy? Hippo ancestry unveiled A great-great grandfather of the hippopotamus likely swam from Asia to Africa some 35 million years ago, long before the arrival of the lion, rhino, zebra and giraffe, researchers said Tuesday.
	International team of scientists launches fossil database Have you ever wondered exactly when a certain group of plants or animals first evolved? This week a groundbreaking new resource for scientists will go live, and it is designed to help answer just those kinds of questions. The Fossil Calibration Database, a free, open-access resource that stores carefully vetted fossil data, is the result of years of work from a worldwide team led by Dr. Daniel Ksepka, Curator of Science at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, and Dr. James Parham, Curator at the John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center in Orange County, California, funded through the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent).
	Forensics exhibition shows how science can make dead speak (AP)—For all of us, death is the end. For forensic scientists, it's also a beginning.
Research suggests using neuroscience in law may face political resistance A first of its kind study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania has found that Republicans and Independents are more likely to disapprove of neuroscience-based legal reforms if the reforms are perceived as being too lenient on criminal defendants.
A new look at culture and its influence on individuals and organizations Whether you are an executive, an entrepreneur, or even an MBA student, the ability to bridge cultural gaps and leverage foreign ideas and opportunities is critical to success in today's increasingly global business environment. However, this skill is more elusive than many think.