- March 16, 2010
- 12:45 PM
- 10 views
A new test of the Light:Nutrient hypothesis
by JL in Analyze Everything
To review: I love ecological stoichiometry (ES). I find it a fascinating subject and a useful framework for understanding ecological phenomena. However, ES is still relatively new, with a lot of the empirical work restricted to plankton (esp. Daphnia and algae). So it is always interesting to see theories developed predominantly in the pelagic system examined in other habitats.One of the more... Read more »
Hill, W., Smith, J., & Stewart, A. (2010) Light, nutrients, and herbivore growth in oligotrophic streams. Ecology, 91(2), 518-527. DOI: 10.1890/09-0703.1
Urabe, J., & Sterner, RW. (1996) Regulation of herbivore growth by the balance of light and nutrients. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93(16), 8465-8469. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.93.16.8465
- March 16, 2010
- 11:07 AM
- 5 views
Sea Change
by Roberta Kwok in Journal Watch Online
Iron fertilization could increase toxin production in ocean
... Read more »
Trick, C.G. et al. (2010) Iron enrichment stimulates toxic diatom production in high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll areas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. info:/10.1073/pnas.0910579107
- March 16, 2010
- 10:54 AM
- 11 views
Do infants prefer music over speech?
by Henkjan Honing in Music Matters
In this weeks online edition of PNAS Marcel Zentner and Tuomas Eerola report on a study in which they carried out two experiments with a total of 120 infants, aged between 5 and 24 months. The infants were exposed to various musical and rhythmic stimuli, including isochronous drumbeats. Control stimuli consisted of adult- and infant-directed speech. The researchers could show that infants engage significantly more in rhythmic movement to music, and other rhythmically regular sounds, than to spee........ Read more »
Zentner, M., & Eerola, T. (2010) Rhythmic engagement with music in infancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1000121107
- March 16, 2010
- 10:09 AM
- 8 views
Remote control of peptide screw sense
by The Curious Wavefunction in The Curious Wavefunction
As is well-known, peptides helices can be right or left handed. Many details of structure, amino acid identity and orientation can control this screw sense, and sometimes the controlling factors can be quite subtle. In a JACS communication, Jonathan Clayden (yes, the co-author of the amazing organic chemistry textbook) and his group uncover a surprising factor that controls the helical screw sense and also incorporate a neat "reporter group" to monitor the screw sense.But this reporter group is ........ Read more »
Solà, J., Helliwell, M., & Clayden, J. (2010) N- versus C-Terminal Control over the Screw-Sense Preference of the Configurationally Achiral, Conformationally Helical Peptide Motif Aib GlyAib . Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1021/ja100662d
- March 16, 2010
- 10:08 AM
- 9 views
Zebrafish used to visualize blood stem cell generation
by Mason Posner in A Fish Eye View
Understanding how blood cells are formed is not only important for developing treatments against numerous diseases, but also teaches us more about the fascinating process of turning stem cells into their specialized descendants. Recent work suggests that the initial stem cell that produces all of our blood’s formed elements (cells) comes in two flavors. But [...]... Read more »
Bertrand, J., Chi, N., Santoso, B., Teng, S., Stainier, D., & Traver, D. (2010) Haematopoietic stem cells derive directly from aortic endothelium during development. Nature, 464(7285), 108-111. DOI: 10.1038/nature08738
Kissa, K., & Herbomel, P. (2010) Blood stem cells emerge from aortic endothelium by a novel type of cell transition. Nature, 464(7285), 112-115. DOI: 10.1038/nature08761
- March 16, 2010
- 10:03 AM
- 26 views
What is "Self Transcendence"?
by Hesitant Iconoclast in NeuroWhoa!
A recent study by Italian researchers uncovered the fact that neurosurgery involving certain brain structures can effect personality changes that make one feel more "spiritual". 88 patients underwent pre- and post-surgical personality assessments while treated for tumours, and the results were combined with lesion mapping procedures (to precisely locate lesions) after surgery to measure changes in a personality construct called Self-Transcendence (ST). It was found that patients with p........ Read more »
Urgesi, C., Aglioti, S., Skrap, M., & Fabbro, F. (2010) The Spiritual Brain: Selective Cortical Lesions Modulate Human Self-Transcendence. Neuron, 65(3), 309-319. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.01.026
Cloninger CR, Svrakic DM, & Przybeck TR. (1993) A psychobiological model of temperament and character. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50(12), 975-90. PMID: 8250684
- March 16, 2010
- 09:43 AM
- 6 views
Editorial Support, CME, and the Primary Care Companion
by CL Psych in Clinical Psychology & Psychiatry
By now, everyone who has been paying attention should know that a journal article which lists "editorial support" is an article that was ghostwritten. Yet the average reader of these articles is apparently uninformed enough to not care. Why else would so many articles get published which feature "editorial support provided by [insert name of ghostwriter here]." One my my favorite journals, under the "so bad, it's good" category, is the Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical P........ Read more »
Thase, M., Gaynes, B., Papakostas, G., Shelton, R., & Trivedi, M. (2009) Tackling Partial Response to Depression Treatment. The Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 11(4), 155-162. DOI: 10.4088/PCC.8133ah3c
- March 16, 2010
- 09:06 AM
- 6 views
Research roundup
by City University Science Journalism MA in Elements Science
Sexual ambiguity crosses species in this week's research roundup.... Read more »
Zhao, D., McBride, D., Nandi, S., McQueen, H., McGrew, M., Hocking, P., Lewis, P., Sang, H., & Clinton, M. (2010) Somatic sex identity is cell autonomous in the chicken. Nature, 464(7286), 237-242. DOI: 10.1038/nature08852
Yoon, J., Maddock, R., Rokem, A., Silver, M., Minzenberg, M., Ragland, J., & Carter, C. (2010) GABA Concentration Is Reduced in Visual Cortex in Schizophrenia and Correlates with Orientation-Specific Surround Suppression. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(10), 3777-3781. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6158-09.2010
Popescu, M., & Polley, D. (2010) Monaural Deprivation Disrupts Development of Binaural Selectivity in Auditory Midbrain and Cortex. Neuron, 65(5), 718-731. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.02.019
Aristov, V., Urbanik, G., Kummer, K., Vyalikh, D., Molodtsova, O., Preobrajenski, A., Zakharov, A., Hess, C., Hänke, T., Büchner, B.... (2010) Graphene Synthesis on Cubic SiC/Si Wafers. Perspectives for Mass Production of Graphene-Based Electronic Devices. Nano Letters, 10(3), 992-995. DOI: 10.1021/nl904115h
- March 16, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 6 views
My Nephew and his Brain, Part 2 – Revealed to be Complicated
by Shaheen Lakhan in Brain Blogger
Continued from Part 1. After we had arrived at the new hospital and my nephew had been placed into the Pediatric ICU (PICU), the doctors started running more tests, and in conjunction with what the ER doctor had found out, my nephew was diagnosed with a seizure disorder or, as it is more commonly known, [...]... Read more »
Fisher RS, van Emde Boas W, Blume W, Elger C, Genton P, Lee P, & Engel J Jr. (2005) Epileptic seizures and epilepsy: definitions proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE). Epilepsia, 46(4), 470-2. PMID: 15816939
- March 16, 2010
- 07:14 AM
- 11 views
Spotlight on Inactivity
by PhD Blogger in Exercise Psychology
A report published yesterday in the UK by Professor Sir Liam Donaldson the UK Government's Chief Medical Officer, and the professional head of all medical staff in England, draws attention to the role of inactivity in the nations health. The report states that "the benefits of regular physical activity to health, longevity, well being and protection from serious illness have long been established. They easily surpass the effectiveness of any drugs or other medical treatment. The challenge f........ Read more »
Blair, S. (2007) 61 Physical inactivity: the biggest public health problem of the 21st Century. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 29-29. DOI: 10.1016/S1440-2440(07)70066-X
- March 16, 2010
- 07:00 AM
- 11 views
Reducing the negative ecological impacts from biofuel production
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
Two new articles in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment show that dramatic expansion of biofuel agriculture may reduce biodiversity and promote the spread of invasive species. The articles also make a number of recommendations for reducing the ecological impact from biofuel production. ... Read more »
Davis, A., Cousens, R., Hill, J., Mack, R., Simberloff, D., & Raghu, S. (2010) Screening bioenergy feedstock crops to mitigate invasion risk. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1890/090030
- March 16, 2010
- 06:53 AM
- 13 views
Measles week, part II: Emerging disease
by iayork in Mystery Rays from Outer Space
Symptoms of small pox, scarlet fever, measles, miliary fever, petechiae, rank itch and watery itch.
from Domestic medicine. Or, a treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases, by regimen and simple medicines.
by William Buchan (T. Nelson,London. 1846)
This is part II of “Measles Week”; see Part I for an explanation of what this is about, [...]... Read more »
Grenfell, B., Bjørnstad, O., & Kappey, J. (2001) Travelling waves and spatial hierarchies in measles epidemics. Nature, 414(6865), 716-723. DOI: 10.1038/414716a
Furuse, Y., Suzuki, A., & Oshitani, H. (2010) Origin of measles virus: divergence from rinderpest virus between the 11th and 12th centuries. Virology Journal, 7(1), 52. DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-7-52
- March 16, 2010
- 06:44 AM
- 32 views
Warning: Global English may harm your mental health
by Ingrid Piller in Language on the Move
About ten years ago an overseas student from South Korea who was about to fail a unit I was teaching left a suicide note under my office door. She described herself as a “loser” who – in contrast to other overseas students – hadn’t got enough English to cope with her course. She wrote how [...]... Read more »
Song, J. (2010) Language ideology and identity in transnational space: globalization, migration, and bilingualism among Korean families in the USA. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 13(1), 23-42. DOI: 10.1080/13670050902748778
- March 16, 2010
- 06:00 AM
- 25 views
A healthy life leads to a healthy sex life
by Helen Jaques in In Sickness and In Health
Being in good or excellent health increases the quality and quantity of sex for middle aged and older people, according to a big study that delved into the sex lives of 6,000 American adults aged 25-85. Plus being fit can keep you sexually active into a ripe old age, unlike your unhealthy peers.
The study also [...]... Read more »
Lindau, S., & Gavrilova, N. (2010) Sex, health, and years of sexually active life gained due to good health: evidence from two US population based cross sectional surveys of ageing. BMJ, 340(mar09 2). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.c810
- March 16, 2010
- 05:30 AM
- 27 views
Don't eat on a full brain
by Yoni Freedhoff in Weighty Matters
Here's a interesting study. Simple experimental design. Take 165 undergraduate students and enroll them in a study you tell them is about memory and where as part of their reward for inclusion, they'll be given a snack. Ask half of them to memorize a 2 digit number and the other half a 7 digit number and once they've memorized their numbers ask them to go into a second room where they are faced with their snack choice - either a piece of chocolate cake or a cup of fruit salad. Track choice a........ Read more »
Shiv, B., & Fedorikhin, A. (1999) Heart and Mind in Conflict: the Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making. Journal of Consumer Research, 26(3), 278-292. DOI: 10.1086/209563
- March 16, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 13 views
When land managers unintentionally create ecological traps
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
Sometimes the well-intentioned efforts of land managers can have unintended negative consequences for threatened species. In a new case study, researchers from Israel show how efforts by the national forestry agency to improve scrubland habitat in the Negev desert actually created an ecological trap for a highly endangered, endemic lizard...... Read more »
HAWLENA, D., SALTZ, D., ABRAMSKY, Z., & BOUSKILA, A. (2010) Ecological Trap for Desert Lizards Caused by Anthropogenic Changes in Habitat Structure that Favor Predator Activity. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01477.x
- March 16, 2010
- 03:28 AM
- 25 views
Chocolate Against Stress
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
40 grams of dark chocolate per day reduces the urinary excretion of the stress hormone cortisol and it almost normalizes the stress related differences in energy metabolism and gut microbial activities between participants with low and high anxiety traits.
You are what you eat, it has been described how dietary preferences is associated with metabolic processes [...]
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Martin, F., Rezzi, S., Peré-Trepat, E., Kamlage, B., Collino, S., Leibold, E., Kastler, J., Rein, D., Fay, L., & Kochhar, S. (2009) Metabolic Effects of Dark Chocolate Consumption on Energy, Gut Microbiota, and Stress-Related Metabolism in Free-Living Subjects. Journal of Proteome Research, 8(12), 5568-5579. DOI: 10.1021/pr900607v
- March 16, 2010
- 01:53 AM
- 20 views
Earworms, lyrics, and tunes in the brain
by William Lu in The Quantum Lobe Chronicles
Last time I left off quoting Lady GaGa's masterwork "Poker Face". I continue to rag on it because I can't seem to escape it's repetitive and forced impingement on my vulnerable eardrums. Unfortunately, the city doesn't afford much auditory privacy and some people in the subway are really determined to lose their hearing before old age. Whatever happened to iPod etiquette? According to Oliver Sack's book Musicophilia I've got a bad case of the earworm. This is when a piece of music repeats compul........ Read more »
Sammler, D., Baird, A., Valabregue, R., Clement, S., Dupont, S., Belin, P., & Samson, S. (2010) The Relationship of Lyrics and Tunes in the Processing of Unfamiliar Songs: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Adaptation Study. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(10), 3572-3578. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2751-09.2010
- March 15, 2010
- 11:37 PM
- 13 views
A Gene Story: the Negritos’ Early Southern Migration
by bonvito in time travelling
Current Biology’s article, The Human Genetic History of East Asia: Weaving a Complex Tapestry, presents another interesting evidence on the peopling of East Asia using evidences from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and non-recombining Y chromosomes (NRY) haplogroups.
Stoneking and Delfin’s genetic evidence presented an early southern dispersal that created refugia populations. The authors suggested that Philippine Negritos, [...]... Read more »
Stoneking, M., & Delfin, F. (2010) The Human Genetic History of East Asia: Weaving a Complex Tapestry. Current Biology, 20(4). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.11.052
- March 15, 2010
- 10:08 PM
- 20 views
Yes, the Little Things Matter: Parents' Role in Helping Kids Become Socially Competent
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
Parents out there you know how it goes: you play the same game over and over again with your toddler or you help them put together a puzzle. This is the daily "stuff" of parenting and you may feel it doesn't make a difference. Well, turns out, it does make a difference! A recent study from the University of Montreal and the University of Minnesota shows that how parents interact with young children helps them develop crucial cognitive skills. Here's a brief overview of the study:- researchers st........ Read more »
Bernier, A., Carlson, S., & Whipple, N. (2010) From External Regulation to Self-Regulation: Early Parenting Precursors of Young Children’s Executive Functioning. Child Development, 81(1), 326-339. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01397.x
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