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To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, May 31, 2016 at 12:30 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, May 30
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
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Spotlight Stories Headlines
Nanotechnology news
 | Plasmonic pixels could be used to make non-fading paint
(Phys.org)—Researchers are developing a technology that could one day make paint and color packaging labels that never fade. The color is produced by a type of nanostructure called a "plasmonic pixel." These pixels are made of aluminum nanoantennas, and when the free electrons in the metal collectively vibrate at specific frequencies, they produce a specific color.
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Physics news
 | Engineering nanodevices to store information the quantum way
Creating quantum computers which some people believe will be the next generation of computers, with the ability to outperform machines based on conventional technology—depends upon harnessing the principles of quantum mechanics, or the physics that governs the behavior of particles at the subatomic scale. Entanglement—a concept that Albert Einstein once called "spooky action at a distance"—is integral to quantum computing, as it allows two physically separated particles to store and exchange information.
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 | Quantum photonic researchers start new company, Sparrow Quantum
There is incredible potential in quantum technology for unbreakable communication and new superfast computers and with a new technological invention quantum technology is storming ahead. Researchers in the research group Quantum Photonics at the Niels Bohr Institute have formed a new company, Sparrow Quantum, which will produce photonic chips that could be used for quantum technology based on light (photons) – that is, photonics instead of electronics (electrons).
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Earth news
 | Bleaching kills third of coral in Great Barrier Reef's north
Mass bleaching has killed more than a third of the coral in the northern and central parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, though corals to the south have escaped with little damage, scientists said on Monday.
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 | Deep, old water explains why Antarctic Ocean hasn't warmed
The waters surrounding Antarctica may be one of the last places to experience human-driven climate change. New research from the University of Washington and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology finds that ocean currents explain why the seawater has stayed at roughly the same temperature while most of the rest of the planet has warmed.
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 | 'Dirty Blizzard' sent 2010 Gulf oil spill pollution to seafloor
Scientists working in the Gulf of Mexico have found that contaminants from the massive 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill lingered in the subsurface water for months after oil on the surface had been swept up or dispersed. In a new study, they also detailed how remnants of the oil, black carbon from burning oil slicks and contaminants from drilling mud combined with microscopic algae and other marine debris to descend in a "dirty blizzard" to the seafloor.
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 | Uncharted waters: Restoring deep Gulf fouled by BP spill
Far offshore and a mile deep in the dark world below the Gulf of Mexico's gleaming surface, the catastrophic BP oil spill of 2010 did untold damage on the ocean floor. But scientists are unsure they can do much to heal places in the deep that were hurt the most as they undertake what's being called the largest ecosystem restoration effort ever.
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Feds give thumbs-up to fracking off California coast
An environmental assessment from two federal agencies released Friday determined that fracking off the coast of California causes no significant impact, thus lifting a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing that was instituted earlier this year.
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 | Bombs and buses 600 metres deep
German forces in Norway have surrendered, and after five long years of occupation, the country is finally free.
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Why Africa could do with a dose of punctuality and cleanliness
There are two features of life on the African continent that are fundamentally deadly to socioeconomic development. These are lack of cleanliness and punctuality.
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4-H program aims to grow next generation of ag scientists (Update)
One team is developing GPS ear tags so cattle farmers can track herds from afar. Another thinks drones can protect livestock from predators. Yet another is developing a rechargeable portable warmer to prevent vaccines from freezing when dairy producers inoculate their herds in the winter.
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Astronomy & Space news
 | Astronomers observe the intriguing near-Earth asteroid Phaethon
(Phys.org)—Discovered in 1983, the near-Earth asteroid Phaethon is an intriguing object, primarily due to its unusual orbit. Recently, an international team of astronomers has conducted a detailed study of this unique space rock, deriving a shape model that characterizes the orbit, spin state, and thermophysical parameters of the asteroid. The findings were presented in a paper published online on May 27 on arXiv.org.
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 | SpaceX makes fourth successful rocket landing
SpaceX launched an Asian communications satellite into a distant orbit Friday and for the fourth time managed to recover the rocket that did the work.
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 | NASA inflates spare room in space
NASA on Saturday successfully expanded and pressurized an add-on room at the International Space Station two days after aborting the first attempt when it ran into problems.
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 | Juno spacecraft crosses Jupiter / Sun gravitational boundary
Since its launch five years ago, there have been three forces tugging at NASA's Juno spacecraft as it speeds through the solar system. The sun, Earth and Jupiter have all been influential—a gravitational trifecta of sorts. At times, Earth was close enough to be the frontrunner. More recently, the sun has had the most clout when it comes to Juno's trajectory. Today, it can be reported that Jupiter is now in the gravitational driver's seat, and the basketball court-sized spacecraft is not looking back.
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 | Image: Hubble gets in on a galactic gathering
Nearly as deep as the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, which contains approximately 10,000 galaxies, this incredible image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals thousands of colorful galaxies in the constellation of Leo (The Lion). This vibrant view of the early universe was captured as part of the Frontier Fields campaign, which aims to investigate galaxy clusters in more detail than ever before, and to explore some of the most distant galaxies in the universe.
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 | Water on the moon?
Prior to the Apollo missions to the moon, scientists speculated that volatiles - including water - may have accumulated in permanently shaded regions at the poles. Then the Apollo era brought the return of lunar samples, enabling real measurements: They found none of the water-bearing minerals common on Earth. Over the past ten years, however, several developments have reinvigorated the discussion. In particular, new analyses of volcanic glasses in the sample returns have inferred the presence of water in the moon's interior. Meanwhile, several new lunar missions have been launched. The ones using neutron spectroscopy to search for water have come up with mixed conclusions, but those using infrared spectroscopy seemed to reach unambiguous identification of water on the lunar surface, although in disagreement with the neutron experiments.
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 | NASA to try again to inflate spare room in space
NASA will try again Saturday to inflate an add-on room at the International Space Station, after the first attempt ran into problems due to too much friction.
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 | Mars closest to Earth in over a decade
Mars will be the closest it has been to Earth since 2005, meaning academics and amateurs alike can get a rare, bright close-up of our dusty red neighbour in the night sky.
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 | Blue Origin test to include deliberately failed crew capsule parachute deployment
Blue Origin, the builder of the New Shepard re-usable rocket, has announced plans for the fourth flight of the rocket. With a recent successful launch and landing in their pocket, the company is anticipating another similar result. But this time, something will be done differently.
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 | What is the coldest planet of the solar system?
The solar system is pretty huge place, extending from our sun at the center all the way out to the Kuiper Cliff – a boundary within the Kuiper Belt that is located 50 AU from the sun. As a rule, the farther one ventures from the sun, the colder and more mysterious things get. Whereas temperatures in the inner solar system are enough to burn you alive or melt lead, beyond the "Frost Line", they get cold enough to freeze volatiles like ammonia and methane.
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 | Calibrating exoplanetary atmospheres using benchmark brown dwarfs
An EU-funded researcher has developed an innovative new tool, furthering our understanding of giant planet atmospheres and, ultimately, how planets are formed.
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Technology news
 | Google eyes shift from passwords sooner than you may think
Is this a dream or an answer to yours? Is Google really set to kill the password on Android—in 2016? Wait, that is this year. The headlines are not a dream. Google is to ditch passwords in favor of a biometrics means for authentication.
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 | A cross-language search engine enables English monolingual researchers to find relevant foreign-language documents
"About 6,000 languages are currently spoken in the world today," says Elizabeth Salesky of MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Human Language Technology (HLT) Group. "Within the law enforcement community, there are not enough multilingual analysts who possess the necessary level of proficiency to understand and analyze content across these languages," she continues.
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 | Addressing energy technologies and policies that shape future sustainability
A quickly growing global population presents a variety of challenges, and raises the critical question: How can we sustainably meet energy needs while considering—and preventing—environmental and human impacts? An ever-increasing demand for energy requires the development and maintenance of an underlying infrastructure providing important services and utilities, such as power and communications. As new energy technologies emerge, researchers need to consider factors such as materials and costs—but beyond the actual technologies, researchers also need to determine which policies and incentives will help ensure that the technologies are used efficiently. Research from MIT's Institute for Data, Systems, and Society uses data and models to better design and predict the outcomes of technologies and policies in the critical area of energy and environmental sustainability.
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Trump or not, 'big data' could be huge in 2016 vote
"Big data" could play a huge role in the 2016 US election, even if Donald Trump doesn't think so.
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 | Beijing tracks the elderly as they take buses, go shopping
These days, when people over 80 in Beijing take a bus, see a doctor or spend money, their activities are digitally tracked by the government, as part of an effort to improve services for the country's rapidly growing elderly population.
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 | Transforming ordinary photos into clean, high-resolution 3D worlds
It is no longer unusual for computers to display our world in three dimensions. 3D scanners can scan faces, buildings or entire landscapes, and the data can be used to generate 3D models. In most cases though, this process is very complex. In the 'Harvest4D' research project, led by TU Wien (under the direction of Prof. Michael Wimmer from TU Wien's Institute of Computer Graphics and Algorithms), algorithms are therefore being developed that can be used to generate these three-dimensional worlds much more easily, using existing image data not necessarily collected for this purpose. Even the development of these worlds over time can be studied on the computer in this way. This type of software solution can be applied to a range of different fields, from archaeology to flood research.
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 | Wind turbines on Galapagos replace millions of liters of diesel since 2007, meet 30 percent of energy needs
A global renewable energy project on the Galapagos Islands—one of Earth's most fragile and important ecological treasures—has helped avoid many tanker loads worth of risky diesel fuel imports since 2007, reduced the archipelago's greenhouse gas emissions and preserved critically endangered species.
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 | Striking Verizon workers to return Wednesday; deal inked
Nearly 40,000 striking Verizon employees will return to work Wednesday after reaching a tentative contract agreement that includes 1,300 new call center jobs and nearly 11 percent in raises over four years but also makes health care plan changes to save the company money, the company and unions said Monday.
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Chemistry news
 | Researchers use strain to engineer first high-performance, two-way oxide catalyst
Catalysts make chemical reactions more likely to occur. In most cases, a catalyst that's good at driving chemical reactions in one direction is bad at driving reactions in the opposite direction. However, a research team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has created the first high-performance, two-way oxide catalyst and filed a patent application for the invention. The accomplishment is reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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 | New catalyst found for clean energy fuel
A team of UConn chemists led by professors Steven Suib and James Rusling has developed a new material that could make hydrogen capture more commercially viable and provide a key element for a new generation of cheaper, light-weight hydrogen fuel cells.
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 | Decentralized production of hydrogen peroxide using surplus renewable power
Wood-colored pulp from which white paper is to be produced, objectionable tooth discolorations or disinfecting work areas in hospitals and food production facilities: Due to its highly oxidizing and cell toxic effects hydrogen peroxide is widely used as a bleaching agent and disinfectant in many technical areas, the production of cosmetics and medical applications. Hydrogen peroxide has also become firmly established in oxidative water treatment. Here, under the influence of ultraviolet light, hydrogen peroxide forms hydroxyl radicals: these destroy organic molecules that are not easily biodegradable.
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 | Ancient Egyptian pigment provides modern forensics with new coat of paint
It was during a trip to Indianapolis that Professor Simon Lewis, a forensic and analytical chemist, was approached by Gregory Smith from the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) with an idea.
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 | Neutron reflectivity gives insight to the role of the N-terminal sequence in Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide assembly
IIn 2013 the UN published a report estimating that by 2050 over 20% of the world's population will be 65 or older - the advance of medicine and the increase in global living standards means that the human race is living longer than ever before. An ageing population means that more of us are being diagnosed with age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer's. In 2015, there were 46.8 million people living with dementia, costing the world economy over $800 billion. With an estimated 131.5 million Alzheimer's sufferers by 2050, understanding Alzheimer's is more important than ever.
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 | Hydrogen synthesis—when enzymes assemble themselves in the test tube
Researchers from Bochum have engineered a hydrogen-producing enzyme in the test tube that works as efficiently as the original. The protein – a so-called hydrogenase from green algae – is made up of a protein scaffold and a cofactor. The latter is the reaction centre where the substances that react with each other dock. When the researchers added various chemically synthesised substances to the protein scaffold, the cofactor spontaneously assembled.
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Biology news
 | Weed stems ripe for biofuel
A weedy plant found on the roadside in northern Australia has stems ripe for biofuel production.
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 | Parasites' winner-takes-all mechanism to evade immune defenses
A genetic game of 'winner takes all' that sustains the parasitic infections which cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle – devastating diseases particularly in rural areas of Africa - has been identified in a research breakthrough led by the University of Dundee.
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 | Heme, a poisonous nutrient, tracked by 'Green Lantern' sensor
A pinch of poison is good for a body, at least if it's heme.
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 | Dancing hairs alert bees to floral electric fields
Tiny, vibrating hairs may explain how bumblebees sense and interpret the signals transmitted by flowers, according to a study by researchers at the University of Bristol.
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Researchers find spatial scale changes ecological processes driving disease
Researchers from the University of South Florida (USF) and a colleague at the Institute of Zoology in Beijing, China have found that outbreaks of three emerging diseases and parasites - West Nile virus, Lyme disease and amphibian chytridiomycosis - are driven by different ecological processes at different spatial scales. Their data also suggests that focusing on a single spatial scale can lead to inaccurate estimations of the impact humans are having on biodiversity, disease emergence, and the environment.
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 | A cougar's epic journey east
A male cougar in search of a mate traveled more than 1,500 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Connecticut, leaving a trail of clues that enabled scientists to verify his odyssey.
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 | 'Genetically engineered' crops not adverse to environment or human health
Genetically engineered crops have not hurt the environment and are not adversely affecting human health, according to a comprehensive study coordinated by the National Academy of Sciences.
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 | Warm springs, early laying don't harm bird flocks
A new study has found that many bird species lay their eggs earlier when spring is warmer, but that the timing has no damaging impact on their overall numbers.
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 | Fatter really is better
In a divergence from normal thinking, research has shown that being fatter really is better, at least when it comes to being a sheep!
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 | Do female birds mate with multiple males to protect their young?
Blue tit females mate with more than one male. Several possible blue tit fathers may then work together to stop predators from attacking their young, according to new research from the University of Bergen. Philosopher Claus Halberg believes this research challenges established ideas about the passive female.
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Hydropower dams worldwide cause continued species extinction
New research led by the University of Stirling has found a global pattern of sustained species extinctions on islands within hydroelectric reservoirs.
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 | Shark alert! Warnings high- and low-tech seek to protect (Update)
From drones and smartphone apps to old-school flags and signs, a growing great white shark population along the East Coast has officials and researchers turning to responses both high- and low-tech to ensure safety for millions of beachgoers this summer.
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 | Poachers in Zimbabwe use cyanide to kill five elephants
Zimbabwean officials say poachers killed five elephants by poisoning them with cyanide.
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Medicine & Health news
 | Cell phones and rats: Study explores radiation exposure
For some years research teams have explored and attempted to sort out any evidence concerning a cause-effect situation with mobile phones and cancer. Interest in the question does not disappear. Scientific groups prefer to welcome more studies than to shoo the question away.
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 | Development of gut microbes and gut immunity linked
Studying twins from birth through age 2, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that the gut's immune system develops in sync with the gut's tens of trillions of microbes. The findings have implications for understanding the underpinnings of healthy growth and, potentially, the origins of various immune disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, and malnourished children's poor responses to oral vaccination.
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 | Mouse study links heart regeneration to telomere length
Researchers at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research have discovered that the ends of heart muscle cell chromosomes rapidly erode after birth, limiting the cells' ability to proliferate and replace damaged heart tissue. The study, "Postnatal telomere dysfunction induces cardiomyocyte cell-cycle arrest through p21 activation," which will be published online May 30, 2016 in The Journal of Cell Biology, suggests potential new interventions to boost the heart's capacity to repair itself after a heart attack.
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 | Research explains the role of the gene BRCA1 in DNA repair
Scientists at the University of Birmingham are a step closer to understanding the role of the gene BRCA1. Changes in this gene are associated with a high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
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 | Effects of maternal smoking continue long after birth
Early exposure to nicotine can trigger widespread genetic changes that affect formation of connections between brain cells long after birth, a new Yale-led study has found. The finding helps explains why maternal smoking has been linked to behavioral changes such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, addiction and conduct disorder.
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 | The brain clock that keeps memories ticking
Just as members of an orchestra need a conductor to stay on tempo, neurons in the brain need well-timed waves of activity to organize memories across time. In the hippocampus—the brain's memory center—temporal ordering of the neural code is important for building a mental map of where you've been, where you are, and where you are going. Published on May 30 in Nature Neuroscience, research from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan has pinpointed how the neurons that represent space in mice stay in time.
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 | Fish courtship pheromone uses the brain's smell pathway
Research at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan has revealed that a molecule involved in fish reproduction activates the brain via the nose. The pheromone is released by female zebrafish and sensed by smell receptors in the noses of the males. The neural pathway and brain areas involved in transforming this molecular messenger into courtship behavior in fish were also identified and reported in Nature Neuroscience on May 30.
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 | Google searches for 'chickenpox' reveal big impact of vaccinations
Countries that implement government-mandated vaccinations for chickenpox see a sharp drop in the number of Google searches for the common childhood disease afterward, demonstrating that immunization significantly reduces seasonal outbreaks.
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 | Narcotic painkillers prolong pain in rats, study finds
The dark side of painkillers - their dramatic increase in use and ability to trigger abuse, addiction and thousands of fatal overdoses annually in the United States is in the news virtually every day.
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Study underlines gaps in pregnancy testing before surgery in women of reproductive age
New research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia congress (London, May 27-30) addresses the importance of discussing potential pregnancy and providing pregnancy testing for women of reproductive age before they undergo surgery, so that harm to mother and baby can be avoided. The study is by Dr Subhamay Ghosh, Consultant Anaesthetist, Glangwili General Hospital, Carmarthen, Wales, UK (and formerly of Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, UK, where the research took place) and Dr Gokulnath Rajendran, Department of Anaesthesia Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK (and again formerly of Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, UK).
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Music for the eyes
Having relaxing music played just before eye surgery leads to patients feeling less anxiety and requiring less sedation, concludes a study presented at Euroanaesthesia 2016 (London, 27-30 May). The study is by Dr Gilles Guerrier, Cochin University Hospital, Paris, France, and colleagues.
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Russian activists struggle to raise HIV awareness as epidemic grows
Vadim Pokrovsky stunned hundreds of students at a conference in Moscow last week when he reached into his pocket and took out a condom.
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WHO rejects calls to move Olympics over Zika fears
The World Health Organization has ruled out any change in timing or the location of the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, shunning a call by doctors and scientists to shift the event over the Zika virus.
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 | Premature babies may grow up to have weaker bones
Among the many important processes that happen during a woman's last few weeks of pregnancy is the transfer of calcium to the growing foetus to boost bone development. But what happens if this transfer is interrupted when a baby is born prematurely?
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Study shows patients require less painkilling medication after breast-cancer surgery if they have opiate-free anesthesia
New research presented at Euroanaesthesia 2016 (London 27-30 May) shows that patients undergoing breast cancer surgery need less painkilling medication post-surgery if they have anaesthesia that is free of opioid drugs. The study is by Dr Sarah Saxena, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium, and colleagues,
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 | Finally allowed 2nd child, older Chinese parents turn to IVF
China's decision to allow all married couples to have two children is driving a surge in demand for fertility treatment among older women, putting heavy pressure on clinics and breaking down past sensitivities, and even shame, about the issue.
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New findings on the connections between gut microbiota and the brain
Intestinal bacteria that can boost bravery or trigger multiple sclerosis: An increasing body of research results confirms the importance of the "gut-brain axis" for neurology and indicates that the triggers for a number of neurological diseases may be located in the digestive tract.
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 | Don't hang up yet: the latest study linking mobile phones to cancer has big problems
You may have seen the headlines over the weekend, reporting on a new study that's supposedly found a link between mobile phones and cancer. But all is not quite as it seems. And much of the alarm raised by the study is misplaced.
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Compiling food nutrient information for consumer labeling
Next time you're in the supermarket checking out the nutrition facts panel on a product or entering what you ate for lunch into a fitness app, you can thank researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts. They are among the scientists all over the country who figure out what, exactly, is in our food.
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 | Speaking dialects trains the brain in the same way as bilingualism
There has been a lot of research to back up the idea that people who use two or more languages everyday experience significant advantages. The brain training involved in having to use a different language depending on the context and speaker is credited with enhancing attention and memory skills – as well as better recovery after stroke and even later onset of the symptoms of dementia.But there is another – often hidden – source of brain-training in language use which many of us are not even aware of: dialects.
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 | Online tool to combat schoolyard bullying
Teachers may soon have a way to pinpoint and measure the seriousness of covert bullying incidents at school and how it affects primary school-aged kids.
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Smell tests, biomarkers and colon biopsies—new approaches to early identification of Parkinson's disease
Early diagnosis and starting treatment as early as possible are decisive factors in achieving improved quality of life for Parkinson's sufferers. Experts are discussing a wide range of new insights into the early stages of the disease at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen.
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Europe needs to be prepared for Zika virus epidemic, experts say
The Zika epidemic has long assumed global proportions, experts told the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen. Europe needs to get prepared to deal with the relentless spread of the health threat, in particular with a view to "imported" infection. Awareness for prevention and personal protection is important, in particular with thousands of athletes and fans soon travelling to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a region particularly hit by the virus.
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Pharma sector set for wave of mergers, acquisitions: study
The pharmaceuticals sector is facing an intensive period of mergers and acquisitions in the coming years, even if US firms Pfizer and Allergan recently failed to tie the knot, the corporate consultancy firm EY said Monday.
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 | A combined approach to treating metastatic melanoma
Oncologists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have successfully treated a patient with metastatic melanoma by combining two different types of immunotherapy. Cassian Yee and colleagues describe their approach in a paper, "Combined IL-21-primed polyclonal CTL plus CTLA4 blockade controls refractory metastatic melanoma in a patient," that will be published online May 30 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
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 | WHO says Zika response plan only 13 percent funded
The World Health Organization's Zika response programme is only 13 percent funded, "severely" compromising efforts to combat the virus that is increasingly becoming a global threat, the UN agency said Monday.
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Next-generation gene sequencing helps diagnose rare diseases in newborns
The use of next-generation gene sequencing in newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) may improve the diagnosis of rare diseases and deliver results more quickly to anxious families, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
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 | Impact of minimum wage on child health varies
Raising the minimum wage in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) does not necessarily lead to better health for young children, according to a new study by McGill University researchers.
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Researchers collect brains to study battle-related disorders
Brain scientists in Washington state are asking the families of armed services members to consider one last contribution.
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 | Scientists identify new drivers of rare cancer type
Cancer researchers in Würzburg, in cooperation with the international Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network, have identified new genetic drivers of adrenal cancer. Würzburg was the center of coordination of the European scientists.
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 | Lupus a tough disease to spot, treat
(HealthDay)—Lupus is difficult to diagnose and treat, but scientists are working to learn more about its genetic causes and to develop better treatments.
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 | Even kiddie pools pose danger
(HealthDay)—Just a few inches of water in a kiddie pool are enough to drown a child.
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 | CDC: Fatal abusive head trauma among children down in the US
(HealthDay)—Half as many infants and preschoolers in the United States are dying from abusive head trauma as in 2009, according to research published in the May 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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 | Showering just days after TKA does not up infection risk
(HealthDay)—Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients are usually instructed to wait two weeks after surgery to take a shower to reduce the risk of infection; however, this may not be necessary, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Arthroplasty.
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 | Lifestyle may be key to improving ADHD in kids
(HealthDay)—Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often treated with medications, such as Adderall or Ritalin. But a new study suggests that parents can also help their kids by promoting healthy lifestyle habits.
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 | New UN treatment targets for HIV/AIDS would be 'expensive but worth every penny'
A new study finds that implementing the United Nations targets for HIV testing and treatment would be an expensive but ultimately very cost-effective way to increase survival, reduce the number of children orphaned by HIV, and contain the global AIDS epidemic. That is the conclusion of researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the University of Cape Town and the Yale School of Public Health, who estimated the likely impact of the so-called "90-90-90" program.
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Study finds one third of children have higher levels of cardiometabolic risk factors due to family history
A new study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) shows that children with a strong family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and/or type 2 diabetes were found to have cholesterol levels significantly higher than children with no family history of those conditions.
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Public reporting of hospital mortality rates for common conditions did not improve patient outcomes
Public reporting of hospital mortality rates to the Hospital Compare Program was not associated with an improvement in 30-day mortality rates. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Identification of the action mechanism of a protein impacting neural circuit development
Research by Dr. Shernaz Bamji, from the University of British Columbia, uncovers the mechanism of action of an enzyme called DHHC9 in the normal development and function of neural networks in the brain. Mutations in DHHC9 have been identified in certain patients suffering from X-linked Intellectual Disability, however the specific role of DHHC9 was not known. Dr. Bamji's work shows this enzyme plays a vital role in promoting the growth and branching of the ends of neurons and also in maintaining the balance between excitatory and inhibitory signals being formed onto neurons (called excitatory and inhibitory synapses, respectively).
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 | WHO reports major funding gap for fight against Zika
Member nations have so far donated only 13 per cent of the money required to respond to the Zika virus outbreak in the first half of this year, the World Health Organization reported Monday.
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Quiet please in the intensive care unit
A study presented at Euroanaesthesia 2016 shows that noise levels in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can go well above recommended levels, disturbing both patients and the medical teams that care for them. The study is by Dr Eveline Claes, Jessa Ziekenhuis Hospital, Hasselt, Belgium and colleagues.
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Epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and other neurological disorders impair sexuality
Neurological disorders can impair sexuality on a much more massive scale than frequently assumed, leaving loss of desire, erection problems and infertility in their wake. Both men and women are affected. A person's self-esteem, love life and relationship with a significant other can all suffer. But as Prof David B. Vodušek from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, pointed out at the Second Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Copenhagen, people do not have to simply acquiesce to this situation: "There are ways of helping affected individuals, provided neurologists actively address possible problems with the patient's intimate private life. Many patients have the impression that this aspect is given too little attention," the Chairman of the EAN Liaison Committee noted.
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New therapy options bring about changes in stroke care
There are more well-founded therapy options for the treatment of strokes than ever before. Care has to be reorganised before these innovations are actually used on patients. At the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen, experts are discussing just how to do that successfully – from guidelines for the use of thrombectomy procedures all the way to the structure and expansion of stroke care units. Oftentimes, it is precisely the small organisational changes that make the big difference.
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Experts call for patient care guidelines and effective therapies to combat Alzheimer's
Some 47 million people worldwide suffer from some form of dementia. Scientists are working feverishly to find a cure for the most common form, Alzheimer's. At the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen, Prof Gunhild Waldemar issued an appeal for researchers to work together and draw up standardised guidelines for early identification and treatment of the disease.
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Guarding against deadly blows to the chest in kids' sports
A blow to the chest sometimes knocks the heart out of rhythm, and can kill. Fortunately it's rare. But most victims are otherwise healthy kid athletes. And survival hinges on fast use of heart-zapping defibrillators that not every athletic league or school keeps near the playing fields.
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Pakistan says new sampling shows progress against polio
For the first time in Pakistan's history all the previous month's environmental samples for polio have tested negative—a sign of progress in the campaign to eradicate the virus, an official said Monday.
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Czech government again approves ban on smoking
The Czech government has again approved a smoking ban in restaurants.
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Intensive aquatic resistance training promotes cartilage health and quality in knee osteoarthritis
Postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis, who may avoid strenuous exercise due to pain, can safely promote cartilage health and improve aerobic fitness with intensive aquatic resistance training.
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NIH Pathways to Prevention Workshop yields 8 recommendations for advancing NIOSH Total Worker Health program
A small body of evidence suggests that integrated Total Worker Health interventions may help employees improve some health behaviors, but more research is necessary to determine whether these interventions decrease injuries or improve overall quality of life. The evidence review, along with expert presentations and public comment, helped to inform a report identifying research gaps and future research priorities for advancing the science of integrated interventions to improve the total health of workers. The evidence review and report summarizing 8 specific research recommendations are published in Annals of Internal Medicine, along with a response from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
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Other Sciences news
 | It's raining men! Sweden sees historic gender balance shift
Famous for its efforts to put women on an equal footing with men, Sweden is experiencing a gender balance shift that has caught the country by surprise: For the first time since record-keeping began in 1749, it now has more men than women.
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 | Remains of rice and mung beans help solve a Madagascan mystery
Researchers have helped solve one of the enduring mysteries of the ancient world: why the inhabitants of Madagascar speak Malagasy, a language otherwise unique to Southeast Asia and the Pacific - a region located at least 6,000 km away. An international research team has identified that ancient crop remains excavated from sites in Madagascar consist of Asian species like rice and mung beans. This is thought to be the first archaeological evidence that settlers from South Asia are likely to have colonised the island over a thousand years ago. The findings are published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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 | Best of Last Week – Possible fifth force of nature, India launches mini shuttle and how money matters in relationships
(ScienceX)—It was another interesting week for physics as a team of physicists at the University of California suggested that work done by another team of researchers in Hungary last year might have inadvertently revealed the possibility of a fifth force of nature—a super-short force carried on a protophobic X boson.
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 | Computer generated math proof is largest ever at 200 terabytes
(Phys.org)—A trio of researchers has solved a single math problem by using a supercomputer to grind through over a trillion color combination possibilities, and in the process has generated the largest math proof ever—the text of it is 200 terabytes in size. In their paper uploaded to the preprint server arXiv, Marijn Heule with the University of Texas, Oliver Kullmann with Swansea University and Victor Marek with the University of Kentucky outline the math problem, the means by which a supercomputer was programmed to solve it, and the answer which the proof was asked to provide.
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 | Increased marrying, and mating, by education level not affecting genetic make-up
While the latter half of the 20th century showed a widening gap between the more and less educated with respect to marriage and fertility, this trend has not significantly altered the genetic makeup of subsequent generations, a team of researchers has found.
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Luxury brands struggle to attract Internet generation
Seducing hyper-connected "Millennials" poses an increasing challenge for luxury brands, which find their markets slowing as young, skeptical consumers force them to rethink strategies.
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 | Video game feeds soccer's growth in the U.S.
The popularity of soccer in the United States has grown exponentially in the past decade due to increased media exposure, demographic changes and the proliferation of social media.
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Experimental installations put the social in social science
The truck-size metal container sitting in a downtown park here isn't meant to raise awareness about the global shipping industry, though it may nudge some people's curiosity in that direction.
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