Researchers simulating conditions of reduced cabin pressure and reduced oxygen levels, such as may be encountered during an 8-hour aeroplane flight, found no increase in the activation of the blood clotting system among healthy individuals, according to a study in the May 17 issue of JAMA. (Journal of the American Association).
Venous thromboembolism, a term used to describe deep vein thrombosis (DVT; blood clots forming in the veins) and pulmonary embolism (clots passing to the lun
Fabled equatorial icecaps will disappear within two decades because of global warming, a study led by UCL (University College London) has found.
Reporting online in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the first survey in a decade of glaciers in the Rwenzori Mountains, East Africa, has found that an increase in air temperature over the last four decades has contributed to a substantial reduction in glacial cover.
The Rwenzori Mountains – also known as the ’Mou
Dr. Shirley Tilghman and colleagues (Princeton University) lend new insight into the mechanism of genomic imprinting, demonstrating a necessary role for a non-coding RNA transcript in the silencing of an imprinted gene cluster in mice.
Imprinting, or the differential expression of a gene based upon which parent it has been inherited from, is integral to normal growth and development. Two human disorders, Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes, result from the deletion of the iden
Doctors should advise overweight moms considering another pregnancy to take off extra weight first because they are at greater risk of having big babies, a new Saint Louis University study finds.
Researchers found that moms who don’t lose the weight they gained during the first pregnancy and continue to gain after their first child is born are at risk of having bigger babies than mothers who do not gain weight between pregnancies. A patient’s prepregnancy weight remai
A deceptively simple approach to bonding thermoplastic microchannel plates together with solvent could be used for low-cost, high-volume production of disposable “lab-on-a-chip” devices, according to researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and George Mason University (GMU).
Microfluidics is considered a highly promising technology for performing rapid and inexpensive chemical and biochemical analyses. The defining feature of microfluidics is the u
Like coal-mine canaries, fish DNA can serve as a measure of the biological impact of water and sediment pollution–or pollution clean-up. That’s one of the conclusions of a new study* by researchers from the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Research over the past several years has demonstrated the adverse effects of industrial pollutants in water
In recent years, many have said that white collar professionals, college students and celebrities getting tattooed, pumping iron or riding motorcycles democratize or blur distinctions between rich and poor. However, a Penn State researcher claims just the opposite in a study including fads and fashions such as body sculpting at expensive health clubs, rich urban biking, the art of the chopper and modern primitive tattooing.
“The object is not to get chummy with the poor. These are ar
In a groundbreaking new study in the June issue of American Naturalist, Erika J. Edwards (Yale University and University of California, Santa Barbara) and Michael J. Donoghue (Yale University) explore how leafy, “normal” plants evolved into the leafless succulent cactus.
“The cactus form is often heralded as a striking example of the tight relationship between form and function in plants,” write the authors. “A succulent, long-lived photosynthetic system allows cacti to survive periods
This new study published in the journal “Cytogenetic and Genome Research” shows significantly shorter telomeres and higher erosion rates in men than in women, which likely causes a shorter life expectancy of male cells and tissues.
Human telomeres form the terminal structures of human chromosomes and play a pivotal role in the maintenance of genomic integrity and function. During aging, telomeres gradually shorten, eventually leading to cellular senescence. Therefore, in humans
With the threat of climate change and decreasing supplies of fossil fuels, the UK is going to have to find new ways to fuel our future to avoid an energy crisis. But with so much information out there, how can ordinary people find out more about what options there are? To help tackle this, the Institute of Physics today launches Potential Energy, a web log where three journalists will investigate the science of nuclear new-build for ten weeks.
The government white paper on the future possib
Over sixty participants representing space agencies from Europe, North America and Asia have today concluded the 2nd ESA/ASI Workshop for International Cooperation for Sustainable Space Exploration, held in Sarteano, Italy.
The workshop is the second in a series of international workshops jointly organised by ESA and the Italian Space Agency ASI, that are meant to facilitate the establishment of a global international cooperation framework to support the space exploration pla
A middle-aged woman with well-functioning lungs runs less risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A new study carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Göteborg, Sweden, shows a strong statistical correlation between lung capacity and dementia.
The findings are presented in the coming issue of the prestigious American journal Neurobiology of Aging.The study is based on the so-called Survey of Women in Göteborg, a population study that has been under way since 1968.
Th
We may look different on the outside, but inside we are all the same – so much has been scientifically proven. Research at the University of Bergen has shown that the pathways that lead to cancer are similar, no matter where you come from.
At any rate, there are remarkable genetic similarities among cancer tumours from Norway, Sudan, Sri Lanka, India, the UK and Sweden.
“We had actually expected to find a greater range of variation,” says post-doctoral fellow Salah Osm
The latest survey of robot sales in the UK produced by British Automation and Robot Association (BARA), based at the University of Warwick, reveals UK small businesses are failing to exploit a significant fall in price of industrial robots at a time when US figures are showing record sales of robots to US small businesses.
The BARA/ University of Warwick survey shows continuing trend for robot prices to fall. The majority of units installed last year cost less than £30k. There is also an in
On the Industry Initiated Limitations to Copyright Exclusivity, Especially Regarding Sound Recording and Broadcasting
The study concentrates on the introduction and background motive of technology related change of copyright law as reflected mainly in the Berne Convention due to the technological and economic necessities experienced in the early 20th century. The purpose of this study is to understand a development which has led to the adaptation of licensing regimes that a
A man gets lost when hiking. He is unable to tell the rescue service his exact position even though his mobile is working. Meanwhile, a pedigree dog, the apple of the owner’s eye, runs off. What to do these people do?
Mobile phone positioning helps locate lost people quickly and reliably. In the future, the volume of positioning services is expected to grow and their quality improve when the US GPS service is complemented by the European Galileo satellite positioning system.
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