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Science News Archive March 2016 - Page 38


Page 38 of 41

Getting from here to there

Researchers at the University of Delaware have developed a new algorithm to reduce massive amounts of connected traffic data, enabling real-time information to be provided to users. The HTGD approach identifies similar communities in the data and finds the shortest route at the highest level, reducing search space and increasing effici...

SourceUniversity of Delaware·JournalIIE Transactions·DateMar 2, 2016

How diet influences colon cancer

A high-fat diet drives a population boom of intestinal stem cells and generates a pool of other cells that behave like stem cells, leading to an increase in tumor formation. The researchers found that the high-fat diet changes the biology of both stem cells and non-stem-cell populations, ultimately resulting in more tumors.

Cancer cells' evasive action revealed

Researchers have discovered a trick used by lung cancer cells to hide from the immune system, specifically suppressing immunoproteasomes that signal T-cells to attack diseased cells. The study suggests it may be possible to enhance production of these proteins to override the cells' escape mechanism.

SourceRice University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 2, 2016

UM researchers found shallow-water corals are not related to their deep-water counterparts

A new study by UM researchers found that shallow-reef corals are more closely related to their shallow-water counterparts over a thousand miles away than they are to deep-water corals on the same reef. This challenges previous expectations and highlights the need for protecting shallow water corals in the Florida Keys.

Study: Homeschooled kids sleep more than others

A study published in Behavioral Sleep Medicine found that homeschooled children get an average of 90 minutes more sleep per night than their public and private school peers. Experts argue that this is due to the altered biological clocks of teenagers, who need nine hours of sleep a night but often don't get it.

SourceMediaSource·JournalBehavioral Sleep Medicine·DateMar 2, 2016

Spinning better electronic devices

UC Riverside researchers have successfully transmitted electrical signals through insulators in a sandwich-like structure, potentially revolutionizing electronic device efficiency. The breakthrough exploits the 'spin' of electrons rather than their charge, enabling new generations of spintronic devices.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalNature Communications·DateMar 2, 2016

Activating brown fat tissue

Researchers from the University of Cologne have successfully inhibited a protein that hampers activation of brown fat in mice, leading to improved glucose metabolism. By feeding Bace1 inhibitors to these animals, scientists were able to activate their brown fat and alleviate metabolic problems.

SourceUniversity of Cologne·JournalNature Cell Biology·DateMar 2, 2016

Do we see the trailer for the upcoming blockbuster of LHC?

Physicists from Polish Academy of Sciences analyze data from LHCb experiment, indicating possible signs of new physics. The analysis shows a deviation of 3.7 sigma in the decay rate of beauty mesons, suggesting that physicists may be on the cusp of discovering new particles beyond the Standard Model.

Next-generation immunotherapy offers new hope for beating brain cancer

Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a novel cell-based immunotherapy that combines chemotherapy, inducing specific type of cell death in brain cancer cells. This approach stimulates the immune system to attack and activate dendritic cells, resulting in a drastically increased survival rate of mice with brain tumors.

SourceKU Leuven·JournalScience Translational Medicine·DateMar 2, 2016

Reduce, reuse, recycle: Safe for water?

A study by Alison Franklin and her team at Pennsylvania State University found that treated wastewater from pharmaceutical and personal care products shows scant presence in wheat crops irrigated with the effluent. The researchers discovered that most compounds were present on the outer surfaces of plants, but only trace amounts were d...

SourceAmerican Society of Agronomy·JournalJournal of Environmental Quality·DateMar 2, 2016

Nurse staffing levels key to keeping rehospitalizations down for hip/knee surgery patients

A cross-sectional study of 112,000 Medicare patients found that inadequate nurse staffing and poor work environments increase risk of postoperative readmissions. Patients undergoing elective hip and knee surgery in hospitals with supportive nursing environments are 12% less likely to be readmitted.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Nursing·JournalInternational Journal for Quality in Health Care·DateMar 2, 2016

Water-skiing beetles get a bumpy ride

Researchers discovered that the beetles' unique method of movement involves raising their middle legs to prevent wing interference and then rapidly flapping their wings in a figure-of-eight pattern. The insects' balancing act between surface tension and lift generates telltale ripples on the water's surface.

SourceThe Company of Biologists·JournalJournal of Experimental Biology·DateMar 2, 2016