Study reveals details of mussels' tenacious bonds
...to an atomic force microscope tip and measured the strength of interaction between DOPA and inorganic and organic surfaces. They found that on an inorganic metal oxide surface DOPA interacts with the substrate by a coordinated noncovalent interaction, which is over an order of magnitude stronger than hydrog...Rewiring the mammalian brain -- neurons make fickle friends
...ourse of a single day. Scientists know that the strength of the connections between neurons changes to shape memories. They also know that the developing brain has a high level of plasticity as neurons forge connections with other neurons. This new research, published in the August 7, 2006 early online edi...Researchers devise new tools to help pinpoint treatments for heart failure
...ngs of many scientists suggest that increasing the strength of heart cells contraction may be less beneficial to patients than restoring the normal PKA-dependent control system. During heart failure, the heart muscle contracts weakly, which causes the body to compensate by releasing more hormones and neurotra...Technique used commonly in physics finds application in neuroscience
...otransmitters. They also were able to classify the strength of the molecular interactions (bonding) between 3 of the SNARE proteins that participate in the process. SNARE proteins are located on vesicles (tiny membrane-encased packets that contain neurotransmitters or enzymes) and the plasma membrane of bra......perm. It is thought to increase sperm motility and strength but not actually affect the woman's body. Indeed, IVF clinics rinse the semen from sperm and discard it. But now Rebecca Burch, at the State University of New York at Oswego, has found some intriguing compounds in semen. In particular, hormones. So...Debate continues on post-wildfire logging, forest regeneration
...research setting and its scope, and emphasized the strength of the study design and conclusions. It says that short-term data from well designed studies such as the original paper can be very valuable; that caution should be exercised when extrapolating what we know about live-tree harvest to post-wildfire si...ACS News Service Weekly PressPac -- July 19, 2006
...sive gel that seals eye incisions quickly with the strength to keep the incisions sealed. Their report is scheduled for the current [July 19] issue of ACS Bioconjugate Chemistry . In about 11 million cataract operations performed worldwide each year, surgeons either stitch the tiny incisions with nylon su...'Friend' protein keeps nerve signals in check
...standing how proteins function to control synaptic strength is really important." Richmond and her colleague...ens down the system, regulating the efficiency and strength of the synapse." Because the nematode C. elegans uses proteins in its nervous system comparable to...Carnegie Mellon, Pitt receive $15 million from NSF to found center to improve quality of life
... industrialized countries. Carnegie Mellon's great strength in information technology and growing strength in life sciences, coupled with Pitt's renowned expertise in medicine and bioengineering, make this t...Scientists identify protein with a crucial role in cell death
... deteriorated very rapidly − losing muscular strength after only 4 weeks, which greatly reduced their capacity for breathing − and, after 8 to 12 weeks, they died. Thus, a lack of PARL leads to weakening of (muscle) cells, a phenomenon that also occurs in the normal ageing process. This result spu...Brittle prions are more infectious
...ed them into yeast cells. They then correlated the strength of infectivity of each prion with its physical properties and compared their results to those predicted by their mathematical model. According to Weissman, the researchers found that the slowest-growing conformation seemed to have the strongest effec...Epilepsy drug eases symptoms of inherited disorder that weakens muscles
...ug appeared to be well-tolerated and increased the strength of the patients who took it." The study, now avail...e drug, clinicians regularly gave them a series of strength tests. When Weihl reviewed the data from those tests, he found patient strength had increased signif...Neurons grown from embryonic stem cells restore function in paralyzed rats
...oximately 50 percent improvement in hind limb grip strength by 4 months after transplantation. In contrast, none of the rats given other combinations of treatments recovered lost function. "We found that we needed a combination of all of the treatments in order to restore function," Dr. Kerr says. Follow-up e...New materials developed for vascular graft
...ave created a vascular graft with a combination of strength and bioactivity two things we need to maintain and regenerate the graft. Although the body is the best bioreactor for tissue regeneration or wound healing, we hope this new material will be recognized by the body as an environment conducive for rege...Natural selection in island sheep
...examine the impact of environmental quality on the strength of selection and the amount of genetic variation a...ts by predicting an evolutionary path based on the strength of selection and the amount of genetic variance underlying the trait. Some of these models assume a ...New step toward treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
...plete muscle in the recipient's forearm. Patients' strength will be measured before their grafts, then three a...whether the transplant significantly increases the strength of the grafted muscle. Dr. Tremblay's team is seeking ten patients over the age of 18 who suffer fro...Lehigh receives $1.8 million from Howard Hughes Medical Institute for bioscience education
...-intensive experiences in biosystems dynamics as a strength of the proposal. Simon says the new HHMI grant will allow the university to offer a new introductory survey course that includes community access and promotes bioscience literacy. A minor in Biosystems Dynamics will stress an integrative approach to ...Researchers discover how bacteria sense their environments
...d to sense a wide range of chemicals, light, ionic strength (salt), pH and heavy metals with great sensitivity, gain and dynamic range. Scientists are interested in developing synthetic systems with such sensing properties as well as engineering bacteria that respond to stimuli such as pollutants or explosive...Striking the right balance between excitation and inhibition
... the brain. In doing so these neurons evaluate the strength of sensations. "An example of how the system works is illustrated by what happens when you cut your finger," Goulding explains. "Initially it hurts a lot, but the pain then eases. One of the reasons that this happens is because inhibitory interneuron......e Research The age-related loss of muscle mass and strength called sarcopenia is getting more attention as the first of 76 million baby boomers turn 60 this year. A slow, barely noticeable loss of muscle begins around age 30. The rate increases sharply around age 60. As sleek, firm muscle disappears, older pe...