Aug 7, 2010
Huge ice island calves off Greenland glacier
The snow-covered landscape is seen in an aerial photo near the town of Uummannaq in western Greenland March 17, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters file photo)
SONGBIRDS MAY CARRY AVIAN FLU
The migratory patterns of birds can give scientists data on future
avian flu outbreaks. Analyzing more than 225 species of songbirds and
perching birds, researchers found that 22 varieties are carriers of
low-pathogenicity avian influenza, meaning they carry a strain of the
bug that isn't dangerous enough to kill the bird but could mutate into
something more lethal. The research supported by the National Science
Foundation was recently published in the journal BMC Infectious
Diseases.
Avian influenza or bird flu is most commonly associated with poultry
and water fowl like chicken and ducks, but perching and songbirds--also
called passerines--typically share the same habitats and may be more
effective transmitters of the disease.
By mapping such factors as a location's minimum temperature, date of
spring thaw, and particularly the amount of land that's been converted
into cropland, researchers hope to predict increases of avian flu
cases. "Agricultural activity reduces the amount of natural habitat
available to avian migrants," says Trevon Fuller, lead author of the
paper and a biologist at the Center for Tropical Research at UCLA. When
birds have less habitat, they crowd together more, which helps
communicable diseases spread faster.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation,
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117236&org=NSF&from=news
avian flu outbreaks. Analyzing more than 225 species of songbirds and
perching birds, researchers found that 22 varieties are carriers of
low-pathogenicity avian influenza, meaning they carry a strain of the
bug that isn't dangerous enough to kill the bird but could mutate into
something more lethal. The research supported by the National Science
Foundation was recently published in the journal BMC Infectious
Diseases.
Avian influenza or bird flu is most commonly associated with poultry
and water fowl like chicken and ducks, but perching and songbirds--also
called passerines--typically share the same habitats and may be more
effective transmitters of the disease.
By mapping such factors as a location's minimum temperature, date of
spring thaw, and particularly the amount of land that's been converted
into cropland, researchers hope to predict increases of avian flu
cases. "Agricultural activity reduces the amount of natural habitat
available to avian migrants," says Trevon Fuller, lead author of the
paper and a biologist at the Center for Tropical Research at UCLA. When
birds have less habitat, they crowd together more, which helps
communicable diseases spread faster.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation,
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117236&org=NSF&from=news
HIGHEST ATMOSPHERIC CARBON IN 800,000 YEARS
The choice to curb--or not to curb--carbon emissions in the near term
will affect populations across the globe for centuries to come, says a
new report from the National Research Council. The amount of carbon in
the atmosphere is currently higher than at any point in the last
800,000 years.
CO2 doesn't displace easily. The amount could triple by the end of the
century depending on the sorts of emissions reductions choices
individuals and policy makers enact today. Even if emissions stabilize,
CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere would continue to increase as the
amount in the air already exceeds what the earth can absorb.
The report details how small changes in temperature would change
rainfall patterns and water availability: Rain in the North American
southwest and the Mediterranean would decrease by as much as 10%, and
crop yields could decrease by 15% for every one degree (Celsius) of
warming according to the report.
SOURCE: National Research Council
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12877
will affect populations across the globe for centuries to come, says a
new report from the National Research Council. The amount of carbon in
the atmosphere is currently higher than at any point in the last
800,000 years.
CO2 doesn't displace easily. The amount could triple by the end of the
century depending on the sorts of emissions reductions choices
individuals and policy makers enact today. Even if emissions stabilize,
CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere would continue to increase as the
amount in the air already exceeds what the earth can absorb.
The report details how small changes in temperature would change
rainfall patterns and water availability: Rain in the North American
southwest and the Mediterranean would decrease by as much as 10%, and
crop yields could decrease by 15% for every one degree (Celsius) of
warming according to the report.
SOURCE: National Research Council
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12877
CLOAKING WITH GLASS AND CERAMICS
Using a type of glass that does not conduct electricity, researchers at
Michigan Tech and Penn State report discovering a way to capture and
route rays of visible light around objects, rendering the objects
invisible.
Previous attempts to build an "invisibility cloak" have used metals and
wires. In the research by Michigan Tech engineer Elena Semouchkina and
colleagues, tiny glass metamaterials were arranged in a cylinder shape
that produced the magnetic resonance required to bend light waves
around an object. These resonators are artificial materials with
properties that do not exist in nature, born of the marriage between
materials science and electrical engineering.
The researchers are experimenting with other materials, such as ceramic
resonators, and with other frequencies, such as microwave. The goal is
to find applications that work at visible light frequencies, says
Semouchkina.
Michigan Tech and Penn State report discovering a way to capture and
route rays of visible light around objects, rendering the objects
invisible.
Previous attempts to build an "invisibility cloak" have used metals and
wires. In the research by Michigan Tech engineer Elena Semouchkina and
colleagues, tiny glass metamaterials were arranged in a cylinder shape
that produced the magnetic resonance required to bend light waves
around an object. These resonators are artificial materials with
properties that do not exist in nature, born of the marriage between
materials science and electrical engineering.
The researchers are experimenting with other materials, such as ceramic
resonators, and with other frequencies, such as microwave. The goal is
to find applications that work at visible light frequencies, says
Semouchkina.
Aug 6, 2010
Women's Health News
Norwegian cervical screening program begins reimbursing for liquid-based cytology
Hologic, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics products, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, today announced that on July 1, 2010, the Norwegian cervical screening program began reimbursing for liquid-based cytology (LBC). [More]
Gender-harassed women report lower satisfaction with professional relationships: Study
Gender harassment - verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey insulting, hostile and degrading attitudes to women - is just as distressing for women victims as sexual advances in the workplace. According to Emily Leskinen, Lilia Cortina, and Dana Kabat from the University of Michigan in the US, gender harassment leads to negative personal and professional outcomes too and, as such, is a serious form of sex discrimination. In their view, there is a case for interpreting existing legislation as including gender harassment, so that it is recognized as a legitimate and serious form of sex-based discrimination in the workplace. Their work is published online in Springer's journal Law and Human Behavior. [More]
Agendia inaugurates new clinical genomics laboratory
Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, today announced the inauguration of a new state-of-the-art clinical genomics laboratory in Irvine, CA. Previously, Agendia's offices and laboratory were located in Huntington Beach, CA. The new laboratory will further increase capacity to support Agendia's strong commercial expansion in the U.S. market, as well as the use of multiple Agendia tests in clinical research. MammaPrint, the company's lead product and the only FDA-cleared breast cancer recurrence test, is reimbursed by an increasing number of payers, covering some 100 million lives today. [More]
Ovulating women unconsciously dress in sexier fashion products to outdo attractive rival women
Ovulating women unconsciously buy sexier clothes, says new research from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. The study finds that ovulating women unconsciously dress to impress - doing so not to impress men, but to outdo rival women during the handful of days each month when they are ovulating. [More]
Mothers of premature babies have high levels of stress and anxiety
The incidence of premature babies has been stable or even increased over time. The phenomenon brings with it the possibility of neurological, sensorial, respiratory, cognitive or psychomotor consequences for the child, both in the short and the medium term. These consequences also are a concern to child psychiatrists and psychologists, as it is currently known that the progress of a premature baby and the appearance or otherwise of problems depend largely on the family environment, above all how the mother interacts with her child in the first months of its life. [More]
Ferroportin levels are strong predictors of propensity for breast cancer recurrence: Study
A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) may soon help to spare some women with breast cancer from having to undergo invasive and toxic treatments for their disease. [More]
Scientists suggest home genetic tests may cause unnecessary stress
In the age of the Internet, where cybercondriacs are just a mouse click away from a diagnosis, do-it-yourself home genetics test may seem like the next logical step in managing health. But these tests, which are relatively new and available online, are often not comprehensive and may cause unnecessary stress, warns Suzanne Mahon, DNSc., a clinical professor of hematology and oncology at Saint Louis University. [More]
HF-WBI effective for patients with early stage breast cancer
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has released evidence-based guidelines to define appropriate fractionation of whole breast irradiation (WBI), finding that hypofractionated (HF) WBI is effective for many patients with early-stage breast cancer. These guidelines are published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of ASTRO. [More]
Pregnancy weight gain liked to childhood obesity: Study
Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy have a greater chance their babies will be born too big. Scientists are trying to find whether this relationship of gaining too much weight by mother and baby is genetic and can predispose the child to be obese later in life. [More]
Conceptus’ Essure procedure effective for permanent birth control
According to the recently released 2006-08 National Survey of Family Growth by the Center for Disease Control, one in four women choose permanent birth control. Conceptus, Inc. wants women to know that its Essure permanent birth control procedure has been gaining in popularity, and is a safe and effective solution used by hundreds of thousands of women worldwide. [More]
Aug 5, 2010
Yahoo News, Top Stories
-
- Looking for the oil? NOAA says it's mostly gone (AP) AP - With a startling report that some researchers call more spin than science, the government said Wednesday that the mess made by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is mostly gone already.
- Judge overturns Calif. gay marriage ban (AP)
- Girlfriend: Conn. gunman 'dazed' before rampage (AP)
- Floods ravage Pakistan's heartland, threaten south (AP)
- Missouri vote puts health care back in crosshairs (AP)
- Group sues to stop mosque near NYC's ground zero (AP)
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