One of astronomy's big questions is why galaxies forming as recently as 1 billion years after the Big Bang contain so much dust. The leading hypothesis is that supernovae, stars that explode at the end of their lives, contain large amounts of metal-enriched material that, in turn, harbors key ingredients of dust, like silicon, iron and carbon.
Scientists of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité – University Medical School, Berlin, Germany, in collaboration with researchers from the Klinikum rechts der Isar of Technical University Munich and Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, have identified a gene variant on chromosome 11 that is associated with an increased risk of atopic dermatitis. In a large genome-wide association study the researchers scanned the genomes of more than 9600 participants from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Toronto – Be careful of that raunchy joke that gets all the laughs. As funny as folks at work may find it, it's probably hurting morale.
That's one conclusion of a groundbreaking new paper from the Journal of Applied Psychology co-authored by researchers from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management and the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Management. The study's authors looked at the effect of sexual behavior in the workplace such as sexual jokes, innuendo, discussions of sexual matters or flirtation. And in a research first, they investigated if men and women got anything positive out of the behaviour, such as enjoyment and social bonding.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Performance pay programs designed by teachers, for teachers, tend to offer small incentives to a large number of teachers, new research indicates.
"We found that when teachers design performance pay programs they tend to be egalitarian, offering everyone a little bit of money," Matthew Springer, director of the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University and a co-author of the new research, said.
Results from a new study identify a biomarker that may be useful for predicting the outcome of treatment for neuroblastoma, the most common cancer in young children. The research, published by Cell Press in the April 7th issue of the journal Cancer Cell, also provides new information about the molecular signals that are involved in the progression of this often devastating pediatric cancer.
A new study identifies a protein that modifies the androgen receptor (AR) and influences its ability to regulate target genes linked with the progression of prostate cancer. The research, published by Cell Press in the April 7th issue of the journal Cancer Cell, may also drive creation of new strategies for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer that no longer responds to traditional anti-hormone therapies.
HOUSTON - Scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a gene that protects PTEN, a major tumor-suppressor that is reduced but rarely mutated in about half of all breast cancers.
The gene Rak helps protect and regulate PTEN, which also is important in several other types of cancer, the team reports in the April edition of Cancer Cell. Causes for diminished PTEN protein levels in breast cancer absent a mutation of the PTEN gene have eluded researchers, who knew for several years that a piece of the puzzle was missing.
The following highlights summarize research papers that have been published or are "in press" (accepted, but not yet published) in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) or the Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres (JGR-D).
In this release:
Natural protector for Pacific reefs disputed
Pacemaker of major climate shifts revealed
How space dust vaporizes in the atmosphere
Cyclone locations affect cooling or warming of poles
Monitoring aerosols over the world's oceans
Refined model mimics speeding ice streams
Modeling magnetic humps and dips around planets
Updated model offers aerosol insights
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– A new study by researchers from UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) sheds light on how threats to the world's endangered coral reef ecosystems can be more effectively managed.
In a recent issue of the journal Coral Reefs, lead authors Kimberly A. Selkoe and Benjamin S. Halpern, both of NCEAS, explain how their maps of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) –– a vast area stretching over 1,200 miles –– can be used to make informed decisions about protecting the world's fragile reefs.
Heart failure is by far the most prevalent chronic cardiac condition. Around 30 million people in Europe have heart failure and its incidence is still increasing: more cases are being identified, more people are living to an old age, and more are surviving a heart attack but with damage to the heart muscle.
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, may have a subterranean ocean of hydrocarbons and some topsy-turvy topography in which the summits of its mountains lie lower than its average surface elevation, according to new research.
Titan is also more squashed in its overall shape—like a rubber ball pressed down by a foot—than researchers had expected, said Howard Zebker, a Stanford geophysicist and electrical engineer involved in the work. The new findings may help explain the presence of large lakes of hydrocarbons at both of Titan's poles, which have been puzzling researchers since being discovered in 2007.
Jerusalem, April 5, 2009 – Can people's differing reactions to situations of stress be attributed at least in part to genetic differences and do those differences affect men and women in different ways – with the edge seemingly favoring the women? Research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem would seem to indicate that the answer to both questions is yes.
ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The biochemical buzz on career changes in bees
Journal of Proteome Research
Adults facing unexpected career changes, take note. Scientists from Brazil and Cuba are reporting that honey bees — a mainstay for behavioral research that cannot be done in other animals — change their brains before transitioning to that new job. Appears in the current edition of ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research, the research provides valuable insight into the biochemistry behind the behavior, feats of navigation, and social organization in these animals.
