Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Science News for July 17, 2019


Modeling tool addresses uncertainty in military logistics planning

A new model, called the Military Logistics Network Planning System (MLNPS), draws on logistical data and operational information to assess risk and forecast logistical outcomes. The MLNPS can help military leaders identify efficient means of meeting logistical needs and account for uncertainty during expeditionary operations.

SourceNorth Carolina State University·JournalThe Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation Applications Methodology Technology·DateJul 17, 2019

Marijuana use may not make parents more 'chill'

A study by Ohio State University researchers found that marijuana users administered more discipline techniques to their children than non-users, including timeouts and physical abuse. This contradicts the popular belief that marijuana use leads to a more relaxed parenting style.

SourceOhio State University·JournalJournal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions·DateJul 17, 2019

Improving the odds of synthetic chemistry success

University of Utah chemists developed an algorithm that analyzes previous chemical reaction data to predict hypothetical reactions, narrowing the range of conditions needed for successful synthesis. The model successfully predicted outcomes for various reactions, offering a time-saving solution for pharmaceutical and materials research.

SourceUniversity of Utah·JournalNature·DateJul 17, 2019

Around one in 20 patients are affected by preventable harm

A systematic review and meta-analysis found that around 6% of patients are affected by preventable harm, which accounts for significant financial costs and can lead to permanent disability or death. The study highlights the need for strategies targeting preventable patient harm to improve medical care and reduce healthcare costs.

SourceBMJ Group·JournalThe BMJ·DateJul 17, 2019

Illinois study advances possibility of genetic control for major agricultural weeds

Researchers at the University of Illinois identified genetic signatures that distinguish male from female waterhemp and Palmer amaranth plants, a crucial step in developing genetic control. The discovery aims to introduce genetically modified male plants that would contain a gene drive to control the damaging weeds.

Do marine protected areas work?

A new study published in Journal of Applied Ecology provides a method for verifying the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) by comparing data collected before and after their implementation. This approach helps scientists determine whether adjustments are needed to improve the impact of MPAs on fish populations.

SourceUniversity of California - Davis·JournalJournal of Applied Ecology·DateJul 17, 2019

Parkinson's: New study associates oxidative stress with the spreading of aberrant proteins

Researchers at DZNE associate oxidative stress with the spreading of abnormal alpha-synuclein protein in Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. The findings suggest that oxidative stress may trigger the formation and aggregation of toxic alpha-synuclein species, leading to progressive pathology and neuronal damage.

SourceDZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases·JournalJournal of Clinical Investigation·DateJul 17, 2019

One in 270 births have 'dual burden' of prematurity and severe maternal complications

Research from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing finds that one in 270 births experience both premature birth and severe maternal complications. The study, which examined data from California births between 2007-2012, also reveals racial disparities in health outcomes, with Black women twice as likely to have a dual burden birth.

SourceNew York University·JournalThe Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine·DateJul 17, 2019

Is intensive treatment to lower lipid levels beneficial to older patients after acute coronary syndrome?

A secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial found no significant benefit of intensive lipid treatment with simvastatin and ezetimibe compared to simvastatin alone in older patients after acute coronary syndrome. The study suggests that age may be an important factor in determining the effectiveness of lipid-lowering therapies.

SourceJAMA Network·JournalJAMA Cardiology·DateJul 17, 2019

A new level of smart industrial robots control and management reached at FEFU

Scientists developed a command-and-control plugin for intelligent industrial robots, allowing for high-quality 3D computer models to be built quickly and precisely. The software helps solve the issue of hard programming of industrial robots and can fix in-process workpieces on universal positioning devices.

SourceFar Eastern Federal University·JournalInternational Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research·DateJul 17, 2019

Legalized recreational marijuana a substitute for alcohol, but not tobacco

A new study finds that recreational marijuana legalization leads to a 8% increase in online searches for tobacco products, while searches for alcohol drop by 11%. However, the study also reveals that teenagers lose interest in cannabis after its legalization, contradicting common concerns about increased teen usage.

Sustainable savings on medical care

A global payment model has slowed spending growth on medical claims by nearly 12% while improving quality of care, particularly for patients with chronic diseases. The study found that patients received improved preventive care and management of conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

SourceHarvard Medical School·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·DateJul 17, 2019

New tuberculosis tests pave way for cow vaccination programs

A new skin test can accurately differentiate between cattle infected with tuberculosis (TB) and those that have been vaccinated against the disease. This breakthrough has significant implications for reducing TB transmission from cattle to humans through unpasteurized milk or co-habitation with infected animals.

SourcePenn State·JournalScience Advances·DateJul 17, 2019

Giving a chip about masa

Researchers reviewed knowledge on making corn into food products, highlighting the importance of corn quality and masa quality. They found that better quality corn could lead to higher yields, lower costs, and improved product consistency.

SourceAmerican Society of Agronomy·JournalCrop Science·DateJul 17, 2019

Tiny vibration-powered robots are the size of the world's smallest ant

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed micro-bristle-bots that harness vibration to move and interact with their environment. The bots can be controlled by adjusting vibration frequencies and can potentially be used for tasks such as repairing injuries inside the human body or sensing environmental changes.

SourceGeorgia Institute of Technology·JournalJournal of Micromechanics and Microengineering·DateJul 17, 2019

Head Start accountability systems may be missing how classroom quality varies within preschool centers

A recent study by Northwestern University researchers found that high-stakes accountability policies used to monitor Head Start preschool center quality may overlook significant variation in classroom quality within centers. This could lead to inaccurate representations of center quality and decisions about re-competition for funding.

SourceAmerican Educational Research Association·JournalAmerican Educational Research Journal·DateJul 17, 2019

AI radar system that can spot miniature drones 3 kilometers away

A new AI radar system developed by DGIST can detect subminiature drones flying as far as 3km away, thanks to the use of super-resolution algorithm and AESA radar signal processing technology. The system also integrates GANs-based drone cognition technology for real-time detection and identification.

SourceDGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)·JournalIEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters·DateJul 17, 2019

Undocumented Latina immigrants face PTSD at four times the national rate, new study finds

A new study led by George Mason University found that undocumented Latina immigrants meet the threshold for PTSD diagnosis at nearly four times the rate of civilian women in America. The researchers also discovered differences in PTSD thresholds by occupation, with women working outside the home having higher scores.

SourceGeorge Mason University·JournalJournal of Social Service Research·DateJul 17, 2019

New study finds both components of blood pressure predict heart attack, stroke risk

A large Kaiser Permanente-led study found that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings predict cardiovascular risk, contradicting decades of previous research. The study analyzed over 36 million blood pressure readings from 1.3 million people, revealing that high blood pressure is a strong predictor of heart attack or stroke.

SourceKaiser Permanente·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·DateJul 17, 2019

'Intensive' beekeeping not to blame for common bee diseases

A study by researchers from the University of Exeter and Berkeley found that crowding honeybees together does not greatly increase disease prevalence. However, intensive beekeeping could accelerate the spread of new diseases. Beekeepers don't need to worry about the number of bees they keep together as long as there is enough food.

SourceUniversity of Exeter·JournalJournal of Applied Ecology·DateJul 17, 2019

A single measurement may help determine kneecap instability risk

Researchers found that measuring the distance between the tibial tubercle and trochlear groove using MRI can accurately predict knee instability. A TT-TG distance of 13 mm is identified as a guideline for identifying patients at risk, with further study planned to explore contributing factors.

SourcePenn State·JournalClinical Orthopaedics and Related Research·DateJul 17, 2019

Fiber-optic vibration sensors could prevent train accidents

Researchers developed new accelerometers to measure acceleration and vibration on trains, enabling real-time monitoring of track or train problems. The sensors use polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber and can detect frequencies double that of traditional accelerometers.

SourceOptica·JournalOptics Express·DateJul 17, 2019

Correcting historic sea surface temperature measurements

Researchers from Harvard University and the UK's National Oceanography Centre corrected historic sea surface temperature measurements, identifying two new key causes of warming discrepancies in the North Pacific and North Atlantic. The study suggests that changes in Japanese records, particularly truncation of data, contributed to the ...

Plant viruses may be reshaping our world

Recent advances suggest that plant viruses are not just disease-causing entities, but can also play a significant role in the functioning of diverse ecosystems. Viruses have been found to be present in humans, with around 100,000 pieces of viral DNA elements making up 8% of our genome.

SourceArizona State University·JournalNature Reviews Microbiology·DateJul 17, 2019

Machine learning platform guides pancreatic cyst management in patients

Researchers created a comprehensive test using machine learning algorithms to better guide patient management for pancreatic cysts, a precursor of pancreatic cancer. The test, called CompCyst, outperformed the current standard-of-care in an international study, avoiding surgery in 60% of patients who underwent unnecessary removal.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience Translational Medicine·DateJul 17, 2019

Body and mind need care in mental illness

A new study by University of Queensland researchers found that patients' physical health is often overlooked in pursuit of treating mental illness. Conditions like diabetes serve as a stark example, with rates twice as high in those with mental illness compared to the general population.

SourceUniversity of Queensland·JournalThe Lancet Psychiatry·DateJul 17, 2019

Toward a better battery

Sodium-ion batteries have shorter lifetimes than lithium-based batteries due to the unintended presence of hydrogen. Hydrogen leads to degradation of the battery electrode. The study reveals that measures can be taken during fabrication and encapsulation to suppress incorporation of hydrogen, leading to better performance.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalChemistry of Materials·DateJul 17, 2019

Researchers put a new spin on molecular oxygen

A multinational team successfully alters oxygen atoms' charge states and achieves reversible conversion to molecular oxygen using Kelvin probe force spectroscopy. The researchers found that controlled bonding between adjacent oxygen atoms can be induced remotely via surface polarons.

SourceOsaka University·JournalACS Nano·DateJul 17, 2019

Artificial snowfall could save the West Antarctic ice sheet, but with high costs and risks

A new study suggests that artificially pumping ocean water onto coastal regions surrounding the West Antarctic ice sheet could stabilize it, but at great cost. The approach would require a minimum of 7,400 gigatons of artificial snowfall over 10 years to achieve a two-to-five-centimeter sea level drop.

Multiple injection safety violations found in New Jersey septic arthritis outbreak

A New Jersey outpatient facility experienced a severe outbreak of bacterial septic arthritis infections following tainted knee injections. The investigation identified multiple breaches of recommended infection prevention practices, including inadequate hand hygiene and unsafe injection techniques.

SourceSociety for Healthcare Epidemiology of America·JournalInfection Control and Hospital Epidemiology·DateJul 17, 2019

Harvesting energy from the human knee

Researchers developed an energy harvester attached to the wearer's knee that generates 1.6 microwatts of power while walking without increased effort. The device captures biomechanical energy through natural human motion, offering a potential solution for self-powered wearable devices.

SourceAmerican Institute of Physics·JournalApplied Physics Letters·DateJul 17, 2019

The loss of biodiversity comes at a price

Researchers estimated financial losses of €209,619 to €322,733 due to Doñana National Park fire impacting Iberian lynx habitat, and €634 to €3,258 for Segura fire. A tool will be created to assess forest fires' impact on biodiversity, leisure, and tourism.

SourceUniversity of Córdoba·JournalThe Science of The Total Environment·DateJul 17, 2019

Should obesity be recognized as a disease?

Obesity experts argue that it should be recognized as a chronic disease due to its strong biological influence and severe complications. They believe this approach can help reduce stigma and discrimination, but critics caution that labeling obesity as a disease may not lead to better outcomes for individuals or society.

SourceBMJ Group·JournalThe BMJ·DateJul 17, 2019

A new spin on DNA

The team, led by Xiaowei Zhuang, captured the first recorded rotational steps of a molecular motor as it moved from one DNA base pair to another. They used DNA origami to build molecule-sized propellers that allowed them to visualize the motor's movement.

SourceHarvard University·JournalNature·DateJul 17, 2019

The physiology of survival

Bacteria do not die randomly in hunger phases; their neighbors play a crucial role. The team identified two key factors: basic energy consumption and biomass recycling efficiency. Changes to these factors affect the mortality rate, which can arise from genetic or ecological perturbations.

SourceTechnical University of Munich (TUM)·JournalCell Systems·DateJul 17, 2019