Monday 3 June 2019

Young Americans' lawsuit on climate change faces big hurdle

A lawsuit by a group of young people who say U.S. energy policies are causing climate change and hurting their future faces a major hurdle Tuesday as lawyers for the Trump administration argue to stop the case from moving forward.

* This article was originally published here

Pop-up parks deliver big benefits in small spaces

Pop-up stores, restaurants, and theaters are an increasingly common sight in cities around the world, where they add to the diversity of commercial options available to city dwellers. But while the pop-up phenomenon is normally associated with urban activities like shopping and dining, it has also caught the attention of city planners, ecologists, and conservation scientists striving to find new ways to integrate natural features into rapidly urbanizing areas.

* This article was originally published here

'Slothbot' takes a leisurely approach to environmental monitoring

For environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, infrastructure maintenance and certain security applications, slow and energy efficient can be better than fast and always needing a recharge. That's where "SlothBot" comes in.

* This article was originally published here

New algorithm may help people store more pictures, share videos faster

The world produces about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Storing and transferring all of this enormous—and constantly growing—number of images, videos, Tweets, and other forms of data is becoming a significant challenge, one that threatens to undermine the growth of the internet and thwart the introduction of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things.

* This article was originally published here

Diabetes drug alleviates anxiety in mice

The antidiabetic medication metformin reduces anxiety-like behaviors in male mice by increasing serotonin availability in the brain, according to a study published in JNeurosci. These findings could have implications for the treatment of patients with both metabolic and mental disorders.

* This article was originally published here

A prosthetic foot that tackles tough terrain

Taking on a hiking trail or a cobblestone street with a prosthetic leg is a risky proposition—it's possible, but even in relatively easy terrain, people who use prostheses to walk are more likely to fall than others. Now, Stanford University mechanical engineers have developed a more stable prosthetic leg—and a better way of designing them—that could make challenging terrain more manageable for people who have lost a lower leg.

* This article was originally published here

Immunotherapy drug found safe in treating cancer patients with HIV

The results of a study led by physicians at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showed that patients living with HIV and one of a variety of potentially deadly cancers could be safely treated with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, also known by its brand name, KEYTRUDA.

* This article was originally published here

Phosphorylation of Regnase-1 lets IL-17 run amok

When considering the role of the key immune molecule interleukin (IL)-17, the phrase "too much of a good thing" springs to mind. Because unlike some of its more sedate cytokine cousins which studiously direct the immune response to destroy invading pathogens, IL-17 can get a little carried away. So much so that excess inflammation caused by IL-17 has been implicated in autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis.

* This article was originally published here

Higher surgical volume may improve outcomes in cervical cancer

(HealthDay)—Surgery at high-volume centers is associated with decreased local recurrence risk and improved survival for women with early-stage cervical cancer, according to a study published in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers find slowdown in Earth's temps stabilized nature's calendar

Sometimes referred to as nature's calendar, phenology looks at the seasonal life cycle of plants and animals and is one of the leading indicators of climate change. It's the observance of natural occurrences like the first formation of buds and flowers in the spring and the changing colors of leaves in the fall. According to researchers at the University of New Hampshire, when the rate of the Earth's air temperature slows down for a significant amount of time, so can phenology.

* This article was originally published here

App Store in crosshairs as Apple courts developers

Apple is set to court software savants at its annual developers conference beginning Monday while contending with criticism that the iPhone maker has made its App Store a walled garden.

* This article was originally published here

Downpours of torrential rain more frequent with global warming

The frequency of downpours of heavy rain—which can lead to flash floods, devastation, and outbreaks of waterborne disease—has increased across the globe in the past 50 years, research led by the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has found.

* This article was originally published here