The Amazon, a vast tropical forest stretching across South America, is so large that is virtually impossible to study the evolving landscapes within the basin without the use of satellites. Scientists have used satellite imagery of the Amazon for more than 30 years to seek answers about this diverse ecosystem and the patterns and processes of land cover change. This technology continues to advance and a new study shows that NASA satellite images can allow scientists to more quickly and accurate
Nanorods of many materials are proving very successful, and their properties often exceed that of nanotubes, making them excellent candidates for industrial applications. Theoretical calculations predicted that diamond nanorods too would have properties superior to that of carbon nanotubes. But, so far, nobody had been able to actually synthesize diamond nanorods. This is no longer true. A team from the Bayerisches Geoinstitut (Universität Bayreuth) has just reported the synthesis of these aggregat
In a study from Johns Hopkins, a pocket-size device giving electronic-voice reminders to “take your medicine” proves to be a success for people living with HIV whose memory is slightly impaired by the virus.
The investigators report that the device, dubbed “Jerry” by most users, is a portable gadget programmed to ease the task of taking medicines in multiple doses every day on time. HIV-infected patients, particularly those suffering from mild memory loss from the disease, benefit h
Researchers from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia say restraints, other passengers in rear seat reduce risk
Researchers at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will present today a series of findings aimed at enhancing protection for children in side-impact car crashes at the Scientific Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). The findings demonstrate that children fare better in side-impact crashes if they are restraine
In a study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers found that budesonide capsules are an effective treatment to prolong and maintain the period of remission of Crohn’s Disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that budesonide is effective for inducing remission of Crohn’s disease.
Four double-blind, placebo-controlled trials were conducted with identical protocols in which patients with Crohn’s Disease, and medically induced remission,
Summertime in northern Australia means monsoon storms — and plenty of them. Tall, turbulent clouds associated with these storm systems form rapidly, release their energy in the form of rain, then tail away, leaving in their wake a surplus of moisture to feed the next system. This lifecycle–the formation of tropical convective clouds, their outflow into cirrus clouds, and eventual dissipation into water vapor–is a key component of tropical climate. However, the cloud properties and the exte
Findings highlight 12 potential ’susceptibility’ genes
Mayo Clinic researchers in collaboration with scientists at Perlegen Sciences, Inc. and funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research have produced the first large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson’s disease. Their results highlight changes in 12 genes that may increase the risk for Parkinson’s disease in some people. Parkinson’s disease is a disabling and currently in
Mayo Clinic Proceedings says treatment can be safe, but exercise and diet should be first option
Mayo Clinic researchers report in the September edition of Mayo Clinic Proceedings that bariatric surgery is a safe option for treating obese patients who have coronary artery disease.
The findings are important because coronary artery disease patients can see a significant benefit with a successful procedure. The resulting weight loss is also followed by an improvement in b
Destruction prevents transport of receptors necessary for cognition and emotion
Neuroscientists at the University at Buffalo have shown in two recently published papers that destabilization of structures called microtubules, intracellular highways that transport receptors to their working sites in the brain, likely underlie many mental disorders and could be promising targets for intervention.
In their most recent article, published in the Aug. 19 issue of the Journal
A new and unusual class of genes plays an important role in the development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to new research here. At the same time, these genes may provide a new form of therapy for the disease.
CLL strikes some 9,700 Americans annually, making it the most common adult leukemia in the world.
The study found that the loss of two genes for producing small molecules known as microRNAs enables damaged cells to survive, rather than normally se
DFO’s maps aid flood analysis, providing insight into river and coastal flooding due to storm surge
Researchers with the Dartmouth Flood Observatory at Dartmouth College have been working with state and federal officials, along with representatives from NGOs, to help map and analyze the flooding that has occurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The maps not only provide an overview of the impact and enormity of the flooding, they also preserve a day-to-day record of this
Yale School of Medicine researchers published a report this month in the Archives of General Psychiatry that highlights the interplay of two brain signaling systems, glutamate and dopamine, in psychosis and cognitive function.
The study helps resolve a long-standing research debate between the “dopamine hypothesis” and the “glutamate hypothesis” or “PCP Model,” said John Krystal, M.D., professor, deputy chair for research in the Department of Psychiatry, and lead author of th
Despite recent claims by some urologists that measuring the blood protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) may not be effective in predicting risk of prostate cancer, a Johns Hopkins study of more than 2,000 men confirms that PSA remains the best measure of the likelihood of cancer recurrence after surgery.
Results of the study, published in the October issue of The Journal of Urology, demonstrated that men with high PSA levels prior to prostate removal surgery were significantly
As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans for the next launch of the space shuttle, a critical aspect of the program’s safety is being assured by 5 million pieces of data collected recently by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
To help prevent a repeat of the 2003 accident when launch debris damaged the shuttle Columbia, causing it to break up on re-entry, NASA has begun illuminating shuttles with tracking radars during laun
Simple test could be developed to determine cancerous or pre-cancerous conditions
The attaching of methyl–or chemical–groups onto DNA sequences within the tumor suppressing gene Rb2/p130 can cause the gene to cease functioning in non-small lung cancer cells (NSLC) and retinoblastoma cells, researchers at Temple University’s Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine and Italy’s University of Siena have discovered.
Their findings are reported i
Although still in the qualifying rounds, U.S. researchers are helping manufacturers win the race to develop low-cost ways to commercialize a multitude of products based on inexpensive organic electronic materials–from large solar-power arrays to electronic newspapers that can be bent and folded.
In the on-line issue of Advanced Materials,* researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of California at Berkeley report success in usin
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