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Science News for June 25, 2014


Reorganization of crop production and trade could save China's water supply

Reducing agricultural production in provinces like Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Hebei, and importing food from other regions, could conserve China's water resources. A new report suggests that restructuring these regions could reduce national water use while maintaining food security.

SourcePrinceton School of Public and International Affairs·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 25, 2014

New math technique improves atomic property predictions to historic accuracy

Scientists at NIST and IU developed a tool that calculates fundamental properties of most atoms with historic accuracy, improving the prediction of atomic properties for fields like nuclear medicine and astrophysics. The technique enables precise determination of base energy levels, crucial for fundamental atomic research.

SourceNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)·JournalThe Journal of Chemical Physics·DateJun 25, 2014

Finding elusive emperor penguins

A team of scientists found two emperor penguin colonies near the Mertz Glacier in East Antarctica, with a total of 7,400 breeding pairs. The study used both satellite imaging and ground surveys to monitor population trends and habitat changes.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·DateJun 25, 2014

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center earns NCI renewal

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center has renewed its NCI grant for another year, solidifying its position as a world-class institution in multidisciplinary cancer research. The center supports innovative projects and collaborates with major academic medical centers to develop precise interventions for preventing cancer progression.

Are fish near extinction?

A new study by Tel Aviv University researchers has identified the biological flaw that causes most fish larvae to die within days of hatching. The 'hydrodynamic starvation' mechanism is triggered by the physical interaction between the larva and its environment, leading to poor feeding ability and high mortality rates.

SourceAmerican Friends of Tel Aviv University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 25, 2014

Deploying midwives in poorest nations could avert millions of maternal and newborn deaths

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that deploying a small number of skilled midwives in the world's poorest nations could prevent over a quarter of maternal, fetal, and infant deaths worldwide. Increasing midwife coverage to 60% by 2015 could save nearly 2.3 million mothers and babies.

Nanoscale velcro used for molecule transport

Scientists at the University of Basel have discovered that proteins within nuclear pores function like a 'velcro', enabling controlled and selective transport of particles. This discovery has potential applications in lab-on-a-chip technology, where it could be used to miniaturize complex pump and valve systems.

SourceUniversity of Basel·JournalNature Nanotechnology·DateJun 25, 2014

A vote for cooperation

A study by Harvard University researchers found that allowing people to vote on resource harvesting led to the preservation of these resources for future generations. The voting system used was based on the median of all votes cast, which encouraged altruistic decisions and cooperation across generations.

SourceHarvard University·JournalNature·DateJun 25, 2014

Marriage and healthy hearts

A new study reveals a correlation between unhappy marital interactions and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as thicker carotid arteries. The research found that individuals with positive marital interactions had an 8.5% greater risk of heart attack or stroke.

SourceUniversity of Pittsburgh·JournalPsychosomatic Medicine·DateJun 25, 2014

Peer problem solving leads to operational efficiency

A new study reveals that peer-to-peer problem solving can lessen the need for firms to contact their supplier for traditional customer support services. By leveraging collective knowledge and wisdom of customer communities, firms can conserve time and resources associated with traditional support services.

SourceBoston College·JournalJournal of Service Research·DateJun 25, 2014

Kaiser Permanente paper: E-surveillance program targets care gaps in outpatient settings

The Kaiser Permanente Southern California Outpatient Safety Net Program uses electronic health records to identify and address potential gaps in patient care, targeting issues such as medication interactions and follow-up tests. The program has shown promise in improving patient safety across various clinical conditions.

SourceKaiser Permanente·JournaleGEMs (Generating Evidence & Methods to improve patient outcomes)·DateJun 25, 2014

Distorting the past: Why do impulsive consumers forget their past indulgences?

A recent study published in Journal of Consumer Research found that people tend to distort their memories of past indulgences when faced with an opportunity to indulge. This distortion leads to greater levels of indulgence. By understanding this phenomenon, businesses and individuals can develop strategies to avoid impulsive decisions.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateJun 25, 2014

Potent neurotoxin found in flatworm

Researchers have discovered tetrodotoxin, a potent paralysis-inducing neurotoxin, in two species of terrestrial flatworms. The toxin was found to be used during predation to subdue large prey and may also play a role in defense through egg capsules.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·DateJun 25, 2014

People with tinnitus process emotions differently from their peers, researchers report

People with tinnitus process emotions differently in the brain from those with normal hearing, according to a study led by University of Illinois professor Fatima Husain. The study found that patients with tinnitus showed more activity in two brain regions associated with emotion, while having lower activity in the amygdala.

Researchers treat incarceration as a disease epidemic, discover small changes help

A team of researchers at Virginia Tech used infection-modeling techniques to analyze the mass incarceration problem, discovering that small but significant differences in prison sentences can lead to large disparities in incarceration rates. The model reproduces many facets of incarceration in the US, including racial disparities.

SourceVirginia Tech·JournalJournal of The Royal Society Interface·DateJun 25, 2014

Evidence of the big fix?

Researchers at Kyoto University found that the universe's radiation S reaches its maximum around the observed Higgs expectation value of 246 GeV. The study suggests that this could be evidence of the Big Fix, where Standard Model parameters are naturally fixed to achieve optimal results.

SourceWorld Scientific·JournalInternational Journal of Modern Physics A·DateJun 25, 2014

What's in a name?

A new study explains how Avibase, an online global database of birds, successfully addresses issues related to standardized scientific names and their meanings. The database pairs scientific names with citation definitions using taxonomic concepts.

SourcePensoft Publishers·JournalZooKeys·DateJun 25, 2014

Invisibility cloak for immune cells

Scientists at ETH Zurich have identified a mechanism that protects immune cells from natural killer cells. Type I interferon receptors play a crucial role in this process, and its absence can lead to the elimination of healthy immune cells. This discovery may have implications for understanding autoimmune diseases.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalImmunity·DateJun 25, 2014

Using math to analyze movement of cells, organisms, and disease

Mathematicians develop models to describe cell migration and tumor invasion, as well as dispersal patterns in species. The studies reveal the existence and uniqueness of traveling waves in malignant tumor invasion and show how fitness-dependent dispersal conveys advantages towards ideal free distribution in populations.

SourceSociety for Industrial and Applied Mathematics·JournalSIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis·DateJun 25, 2014

Food ingredient fears

A Cornell University study investigated food fears about ingredients such as HFCS, and found that people who avoid these ingredients are more likely to receive information from the internet. Providing consumers with historical context about an ingredient can help reduce ingredient fears.

SourceCornell Food & Brand Lab·JournalFood Quality and Preference·DateJun 25, 2014