MedWorm: Cambridge University

Clonal antigen receptor gene PCR products outside the expected size range

Journal of Hematopathology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:19:24 +0100

Abstract Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the antigen receptor genes has clinical utility in establishing clonality in lymphoproliferations, which is an important correlate of lymphoid neoplasia. The most frequently used procedures for this purpose were developed by the BIOMED-2 consortium. One of the criteria for establishing monoclonality using PCR of the antigen receptor genes is the finding of an abundant amplicon within a size range determined by the positions of the PCR primers and the known variability in size inherent in the recombination events that assemble a functional antigen receptor gene. However, several cases have been reported in which an amplicon outside this size range has been shown to be a valid indicator of clonality after DNA sequence analysis. In ...

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Scientists sign petition to boycott academic publisher Elsevier

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:07:55 +0100

Cost of Knowledge petition criticises 'exorbitantly high' price of Elsevier's scientific journals and the publisher's 'huge profits'More than 3,000 academics, including several Fields medal-winning mathematicians, have put their names to a petition declaring their intention to boycott the academic publisher Elsevier.The "Cost of Knowledge" petition claims Elsevier charges "exorbitantly high" prices for its journals and criticises its practice of selling journals in "bundles" so libraries "must buy a large set with many unwanted journals, or none at all". It says the publisher makes "huge profits by exploiting their essential titles, at the expense of other journals".The petition also criticises Elsevier's support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), PIPA and the US Research Works Act, wh...

MPs call for media campaign to raise awareness of cybercrime

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0100

Science and technology committee says advice on preventing cybercrime is too full of jargon for people to understandMPs have urged the UK government to launch a major publicity campaign to help people protect themselves from online crime.Simple security precautions could thwart around 80% of cyber attacks, but advice on preventing them was often too full of jargon for people to understand, the MPs said.They called on ministers to raise awareness of online security through a sustained media campaign, television adverts and revamped websites that provide information in plain English.In a report by the Commons science and technology committee, Malware and Cyber Crime, MPs also called for police officers to be better trained to help victims of online attacks.The Cost of Cyber Crime report publ...

It's time for science to move on from materialism | Mark Vernon

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0100

This article was amended on 28 January 2012. The superscript formatting in a quote by Rupert Sheldrake was lost in the production process, leaving it with a reference to 1026 years instead of 1026. This has now been correctedRichard DawkinsMark Vernonguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

The plane truth: Scientist reveals how wings really work

The Independent - Science — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:00:08 +0100

The classic explanation of how a wing generates enough lift to keep a plane or a bird in the air is wrong, according to a Cambridge University physicist. (Source: The Independent - Science)

Techniques and applications of EMG: measuring motor units from structure to function

Journal of Neurology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:09:45 +0100

Abstract Needle electromyography (EMG) is an established method of evaluating motor unit and muscle fibre function and pathology in clinical practice, while the development of advanced techniques including single-fibre EMG and combined recordings with other modalities have become increasingly useful in research. The development of quantitative EMG in particular had led to greater reproducibility and inter-rater reliability. This review provides an overview of standard needle EMG as well as discussing advanced recording and analysis techniques and their increasing role in clinical research. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Techniques in Clinical SciencePages 1-10DOI 10.1007/s00415-011-6350-0Authors Rachel C. Thornton, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Addenbrook...

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Access to the next wave of biologic therapies (Abatacept and Tocilizumab) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in England and Wales

Clinical Rheumatology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:54:07 +0100

Abstract Patients in England and Wales with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receive treatment from the National Health Service (NHS) with therapies approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), under guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). This document overviews the current NICE guidelines for the treatment of RA and identifies scenarios when such guidance may not represent the optimum management strategy for individual patients. Specifically, we consider the use of tocilizumab or abatacept as the most appropriate treatments for some patients. In such scenarios, it may be possible for the clinician to secure access to the required therapy through an application procedure known as an ‘individual funding request’, the process of whic...

Is Stephen Hawking's voice music to the ears?

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0100

People just don't like voice synthesisers that sound too realistic, say researchersStephen Hawking celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this month with a public symposium at Cambridge University attended by some of the world's most eminent physicists. Although illness prevented him from being there in person, the audience was treated to an inspiring address delivered in the idiosyncratic computer-generated voice that has become his trademark.As well as being the world's most famous living scientist, Hawking is probably the best-known user of speech-synthesis technology, which enables those who have lost their voices through illness or disability to communicate verbally. His progressive motor neurone disease has meant that he has needed to rely on the technology since the mid-80s and t...

How a heroic hunt for penguin eggs became 'the worst journey in the world'

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:42:08 +0100

Scott centennial at Natural History Museum recalls horrific trip across polar wastes to prove link between birds and reptilesHenry Bowers, Apsley Cherry-Garrard and Bill Wilson took 35 days to collect three emperor penguin eggs in July 1911. In the middle of the Antarctic winter, they had to survive intense blizzards and temperatures that plunged to –60C. It was pitch black and the three had to navigate by candlelight and the stars. They took turns falling into crevasses. Cherry's teeth chattered so violently that they shattered, while Wilson was blinded in one eye by a blob of boiling blubber from a camp stove.In the end, the three men – members of Robert Scott's doomed expedition to the south pole – returned to their base camp, utterly exhausted and close to death, with the three p...

Breastfed babies cry more than formula-fed babies

NHS News Feed — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:57:00 +0100

Conclusion This cross sectional assessment, taken within part of a large cohort, asked mothers of three-month-old babies to report how their babies were fed and to complete a questionnaire which assessed their babies’ temperament. Most importantly, this assessment cannot prove causation, and does not mean that breastfeeding results in unhappier babies or that formula feeding is better. There are several additional points to make: The researchers did not take into account other wider issues that might affect the chosen feeding method, mother/baby interactions and babies’ temperaments, such as whether the mothers were working, time spent with babies and feeding schedules. The study relied on mothers to subjectively rate their babies’ temperaments. Such self-completed ratings cou...

I owe it all to my father – Hawking marks milestone of 70th birthday

The Independent - Science — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:40:04 +0100

He was there in spirit, but sadly not in person. Stephen Hawking missed his own 70th birthday party yesterday at Cambridge University on doctor's advice – he was recovering at home from an infection that had put him in hospital for a few days last week. (Source: The Independent - Science)

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Stephen Hawking unable to attend 70th birthday celebration

Physics Today News Picks — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

BBC: Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was too ill to attend the 8 January symposium at Cambridge University that was held in honor of his 70th birthday. However, he was able to address the audience via a recorded speech. Unable to speak because he suffers from motor neurone disease, Hawking uses twitches of his cheek muscles to choose letters or words on his computer that can be voiced using a speech synthesizer. He is able to select about one word per minute, making the task of writing speeches arduous. Currently the director of research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge, Hawking also founded the university's Center for Theoretical Cosmology and is a visiting professor at the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada. S...

Global warming could delay next ice age, say scientists

Physics Today News Picks — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

BBC: According to research published in Nature Geoscience, human carbon emissions could insulate Earth against the next ice age, writes Richard Black for the BBC. Ice ages result because of subtle variations in Earth’s orbit, although exactly how those variations cause global temperature change is not known. The next ice age should begin within about 1500 years, say Luke Skinner of Cambridge University and colleagues, but it will likely be deferred because of the abnormally high level of atmospheric carbon dioxide, currently around 390 parts per million; that would have to drop to below about 240 ppm before glaciation could begin. And other research groups have shown that even if emissions were cut instantly, CO2 concentrations would remain elevated for at least 1000 years. Despite t...

Stephen Hawking's 70th birthday celebrations - live updates

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:56:00 +0100

Hawking joins fellow scientists in Cambridge to deliver lectures marking his 70th birthday1.35pm: We don't provide live blogs for many birthday celebrations, even 70th ones. But this is the man generally celebrated as the most famous living scientist in the world, someone who has not just provided great advances on thinking about black holes and the study of the early universe, but sold 10m books detailing his thoughts.This is, of course, Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge University physicist, who was born on 8 January 1942. His life and celebrity are, of course, hard to untangle from the astounding story of how he echieved such feats while living with a form of motor neurone disease. He was famously diagnosed aged just 21 and given just a few years to live by doctors.Rather than re-hash a lo...

Stephen Hawking marks 70th birthday with speech to leading cosmologists

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:34:21 +0100

'Look up at the stars and not down at your feet,' says scientist, unable to attend symposium in person due to ill healthStephen Hawking, the world's most famous living scientist and a symbol of the triumph of willpower over adversity, has celebrated his 70th birthday, revealing he did not learn to read properly until he was eight years old, and that his schoolfriends had made a bet that he "would never come to anything".A public symposium in Cambridge was told that, far from being top of the class, he was never more than half-way up. "My classwork was very untidy, and my handwriting was the despair of my teachers," he said. "But my classmates gave me the nickname Einstein, so presumably they saw signs of something better."When I was 12, one of my friends bet another friend a bag of sweets ...

World's brainiest physicists raise a toast to Stephen Hawking

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:19:00 +0100

Leading scientists gather at Cambridge University to pay tribute to Hawking and take stock of our understanding of the universe"Bold", "provocative", "relentless", "witty" and "an inspiration" – tributes to Prof Stephen Hawking have not been hard to come by at a gathering of more than a hundred of the world's top cosmologists.The planet's most famous living physicist turns 70 on Sunday and scientists began to assemble in his honour at Cambridge University on Thursday and Friday to raise a toast. They are also here to take stock of the scientific fields to which he has applied his considerable brain power during his career.The meeting, entitled "The State of the Universe", is charting the theoretical frontiers of our understanding of black holes, cosmology and fundamental physics. But the...

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Role of Newman’s classification in predicting outcomes in patients with crystal arthritis

International Orthopaedics — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:00:17 +0100

Conclusions Newman’s criteria are a good indicator for prognosis in patients with crystal arthritis. However, the presence of crystals in an acutely inflamed joint does not exclude the need for supportive therapy and long hospital stay even in the absence of positive synovial fluid culture. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original PaperPages 1-4DOI 10.1007/s00264-011-1458-5Authors Ihab Hujazi, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 37, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKGraeme Ambler, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 37, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKArvind Arora, Department of Trauma and ...

Concepts and Methods of 2D Infrared Spectroscopy. By Peter Hamm and Martin Zanni. Pp. 296, 124 illustrations, 71 exercises. Cambridge University Press, 2011. Price (hardcover) 99.00 USD. ISBN 978-1-107-00005-6.

Journal of Applied Crystallography — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Applied Crystallography)

Rosensweig instability in ferrofluids

Low Temperature Physics — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:08:11 +0100

E. I. Kats We propose a simple model to analyze stability of the free surface of horizontally unbound ferrofluid in a vertical magnetic field. With respect to the well known Rosensweig instability (see e.g., R. E. Rosensweig, Ferrohydrodynamics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1993) and references there ... [Low Temp. Phys. 37, 812 (2011)] published Fri Dec 30, 2011. (Source: Low Temperature Physics)

Evaluating the PCPT risk calculator in ten international biopsy cohorts: results from the Prostate Biopsy Collaborative Group

World Journal of Urology — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:42:02 +0100

Conclusions External validation of the PCPTRC across ten cohorts revealed varying degree of success highly dependent on the cohort, most likely due to different criteria for and work-up before biopsy. Future validation studies of new calculators for prostate cancer should acknowledge the potential impact of the specific cohort studied when reporting successful versus failed validation. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Topic PaperPages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s00345-011-0818-5Authors Donna P. Ankerst, Department of Urology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX 78229, USAAndreas Boeck, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Garching, GermanyStephen J. Freedland, Durham VA Medical Center and Duke University, Durham, NC, U...

UK switch to low-carbon energy will cost £5,000 per person a year

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:34:48 +0100

Prediction using unique calculator challenges view that sustainable energy means higher costsEvery person in Britain will need to pay about £5,000 a year between now and 2050 on rebuilding and using the nation's entire energy system, according to government figures. But the cost of developing clean and sustainable electricity, heating and transport will be very similar to replacing today's ageing and polluting power stations, the analysis finds.The forecasts come from a unique open-source analysis package, called the 2050 pathways calculator, which was created by Professor David MacKay, chief scientific adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.The predictions challenge suggestions that the costs of embracing low-carbon energy and meeting the UK's legally binding commitments ...

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Importance of prostate volume in the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) risk calculators: results from the prostate biopsy collaborative group

World Journal of Urology — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:49:34 +0100

Conclusions Identifying men at increased risk for having a biopsy detectable prostate cancer should consider multiple factors, including an estimate of prostate volume. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Topic PaperPages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s00345-011-0804-yAuthors Monique J. Roobol, Department of Urology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, P.O Box 2010, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The NetherlandsF. H. Schröder, Department of Urology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, P.O Box 2010, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The NetherlandsJonas Hugosson, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg, SwedenJ. Stephen Jones, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USAMichael W. Kattan, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USAEric A. Klein, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USAFreddie ...

We may have glimpsed the Higgs boson, say Cern scientists

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:06:38 +0100

Physicists have seen strong hints the Higgs boson exists, but a firm discovery may not come before the end of 2012Scientists believe they may have caught their first glimpse of the Higgs boson, the so-called God particle that is thought to underpin the subatomic workings of nature.Physicists Fabiola Gianotti and Guido Tonelli were applauded by hundreds of scientists yesterday as they revealed evidence for the particle amid the debris of hundreds of trillions of proton collisions inside the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva.First postulated in the mid-1960s, the Higgs boson has become the most coveted prize in particle physics. Its discovery would rank among the most important scientific advances of the past 100 years and confirm how element...

Pink v blue - are children born with gender preferences?

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:03:00 +0100

Hamleys has abandoned its toy shop 'gender apartheid', scrapping its separate floors for boys and girls and their respective blue and pink signs. Are colour and toy preference dictated by nature or nurture? Polly Curtis, with your help, finds out. Get in touch below the line, email your views to polly.curtis@guardian.co.uk or tweet @pollycurtisThe Times and FT report today (£) that Hamleys, is ditching its separate floors for boys and girls along with their pink and blue signs and replacing them with signs that simply state the types of toys sold. The Times story says:Hamleys, the country's most famous toy store, has abandoned its traditional separate floors for boys and girls after a campaign on Twitter accused it of operating "gender apartheid". New signs in the store now state what typ...

Ink-jet prints graphene electronics

Nanotechweb.org News — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:18:18 +0100

Cambridge University researchers invent new ink (Source: Nanotechweb.org News)

Fictions of Justice: The International Criminal Court and the Challenge of Legal Pluralism in Sub-Saharan Africa. By Kamari Maxine Clarke (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009, xx + 322 pp. {pound}50.00 hb, {pound}18.99 pb)

British Journal of Criminology - recent issues — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: British Journal of Criminology - recent issues)

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Bronze age man's lunch: a spoonful of nettle stew

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:04:24 +0100

Archaeological dig reveals hundreds of objects, from six oak-tree boats to a bowl of foodSix boats hollowed out of oak tree trunks are among hundreds of intact artefacts from 3,000 years ago that have been discovered in the Cambridgeshire fens, the Observer can reveal.The scale, quality and condition of the objects, the largest bronze age collection ever found in one place in Britain, have astonished archaeologists – and barely a fraction of the site has been excavated.Unique textile fragments, wicker baskets and wooden sword handles have survived. There are even containers of food, including a bowl with a wooden spoon still wedged into the contents, now analysed as nettle stew, which may have been a favourite dish in 1000BC. The boats – two of which bear unusual decoration – are in ...

Guide rates best and worst hospitals in 2011

NHS News Feed — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:15:00 +0100

The Daily Telegraph has today revealed the findings of the latest Dr Foster Hospital Guide. The guide, published annually, closely scrutinises a range of healthcare data to measure hospital performance and detect trends that could save lives. As well as listing the hospital trusts in England that score above and below average on a range of different mortality measures, this year’s guide also found that: The rate of patient deaths in England is 20% lower than it was 10 years ago, in part because of improved hospital care. For certain conditions, patients admitted to hospital at the weekend are less likely to get treated quickly and have a higher chance of dying. Hospitals that perform certain operations infrequently pose a significantly greater risk to patients than those which c...

Birdbooker Report 198

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0100

Books, books, beautiful books! This is a list of biology, ecology, environment, natural history and animal books that are (or will soon be) available to occupy your bookshelves (or your library's bookshelves) and your thoughts.Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky,My pile of books is a mile high.How I love them! How I need them!I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. ~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books. Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a weekly report listing the wide variety of nature, natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, science and history books that have been newly released or republished in North America and in the UK. The books listed here were received by Ian during the previous week, courtesy of various pu...

Elan to create research centre with Cambridge University

Reuters: Health — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 09:14:48 +0100

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Elan Corp Plc has signed an agreement with Britain's Cambridge University to create a research center focused on therapies for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the Dublin-headquartered biotech group said on Sunday. (Source: Reuters: Health)

The impact of factor Xa inhibition on axial dependent arterial thrombus formation triggered by a tissue factor rich surface

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:46:33 +0100

In conclusion, axial position influences the degree of thrombus and fibrin deposition with measurements being less reproducible at the extremities of the flow chamber. This technique may prove useful for analysing anti-thrombotic drug effects before progression to clinical trials. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-10DOI 10.1007/s11239-011-0658-6Authors Nicholas Pugh, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB1 2QW UKGavin E. Jarvis, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UKAnnelize Koch, Addenbrooke’s Centre for Clinical Investigation, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 2GG UKKjell S. Sakariassen, KellSa s.a.s., Str. Campo e Zampe 12, 13900 Biella, ...

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Sir James Dyson funds £1.4m professorship at Cambridge University

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:05:00 +0100

Sir James Dyson says UK manufacturing sector would profit from having more scientists and engineers in executive rolesSir James Dyson has called for a march of the scientists and engineers through British boardrooms as he launched a £1.4m professorship at Cambridge University with a warning that the academic status of inventors is not reflected in the executive world.The eponymous billionaire creator of the bagless vacuum cleaner claimed that his peers are undervalued by technology and manufacturing businesses in the UK, who pay their best brains well but give them few senior roles. "Engineers and scientists on the whole are undervalued, although not always underpaid, and not always drawn into the top of businesses as they should be," said Dyson, citing the example of Japan's Honda, which...

Go to work on an egg: Advice of the 60s was correct as experts say 'ditch the sugar rush'

the Mail online | Health — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:52:56 +0100

Cambridge University research shows that egg proteins – specifically those found in the white – help us stay awake and feel alert. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Regional and age-related variations in the proportions of hip fractures and major fractures among postmenopausal women: the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women

Osteoporosis International — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:48:56 +0100

Conclusions The data suggest that there may be regional differences in the proportion of major fractures that are hip fractures in postmenopausal women. In contrast, the regional and age-related variations in the proportion of fractures that are major fractures appear to be modest. However, because of the limited number of fractures in our sample, further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-10DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1840-6Authors J. Pfeilschifter, Department of Internal Medicine III, Alfried Krupp Krankenhaus, Essen, GermanyC. Cooper, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, Southampton General Hospital, University of Southampton, Southampton, UKN. B. Watts, Bone Health and Osteoporosis Center, Unive...

New treatment for multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Trust — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Cambridge University translates research at the bench into a drug at the bedside. (Source: Multiple Sclerosis Trust)

Pathophysiology of postprandial hyperglycaemia in women with type 1 diabetes during pregnancy

Diabetologia — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 06:47:48 +0100

Conclusions/interpretation Postprandial glucose control is impaired by significantly slower glucose disposal in late gestation. Early prandial insulin dosing may help to accelerate glucose disposal and potentially ameliorate postprandial hyperglycaemia in late pregnancy. Trial registration: ISRCTN 62568875 Funding: Diabetes UK Project Grant BDA 07/003551. H.R. Murphy is funded by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) research fellowship (PDF/08/01/036). Supported also by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Abbott Diabetes Care (Freestyle Navigator CGM and sensors free of charge), Medical Research Council Centre for Obesity and Related Metabolic Diseases and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. Content Type Journal Arti...

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Paediatric societies: increasing student engagement in paediatrics

Archives of Disease in Childhood — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Recent reductions in working hours and the increasing complexity of care in the UK both demand an increase in the number of consultant paediatricians.1 Responses of UK medical school graduates from 1974 to 2002 when surveyed on career influences indicate the importance of experiencing paediatrics during both medical school and the early postgraduate years.2 Recruitment into paediatrics should therefore begin in medical school, giving students early exposure to the best that paediatrics has to offer, especially as this may be their only opportunity before choosing careers.3 It is at this critical point that student-led paediatric societies could play a vital role. The Cambridge University Paediatric Society (CUPS) was established in 2009 to increase medical student exposure to paediatrics. ...

Glow in the dark brain tumours could help surgeons remove deadly disease

the Mail online | Health — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:54:34 +0100

Patients with just months to live have new hope today after doctors started trialling a treatment at Cambridge University that can make cancers glow in the dark. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Review of The Cambridge handbook of creativity.

Canadian Psychology — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Reviews the book, The Cambridge handbook of creativity edited by James C. Kaufman and Robert J. Sternberg (see record 2010-21837-000). Over a decade has passed since Sternberg edited the Handbook of Creativity for Cambridge University Press. In the intervening years, Kaufman and Sternberg tell us that more than 10,000 publications have been devoted to the topic of creativity. Creativity has become a valued resource. And yet, as Kaufman and Sternberg point out in this volume, even after six decades of research, definitions of creativity remain elusive. Creativity research continues to be the subject of much debate. Still, the chapters in this volume demonstrate that progress is being made with an increasing convergence of components, contexts, and complexity. The handbook is informative for...

Frequency and clinical significance of placental histological lesions in an unselected population at or near term

Virchows Archiv — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:17:38 +0100

This study reports the frequency of the several common, objective and predefined histological abnormalities of the placenta as identified by pathologists blinded to all clinical information. A total 1,153 women were recruited from an unselected population delivering at 34–43 weeks. Histological findings in common obstetric outcome groups were compared to those of the unselected population, and odds ratios and predictive values were calculated. Normal histological findings were present in 72.1% of pregnancies with normal outcomes and in 79.1%, 66.6%, 80%, and 74.8% of pregnancies affected by pre-eclampsia (PET), pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), gestational diabetes (GDM), and small for gestational age (SGA), respectively. Chronic placental underperfusion was seen more freq...

Quantitative ultrasound of the heel and fracture risk assessment: an updated meta-analysis

Osteoporosis International — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:11:32 +0100

Conclusions This study confirms that heel QUS, using validated devices, predicts risk of different fracture outcomes in elderly men and women. Further research is needed for more widespread utilisation of the heel QUS in clinical settings across the world. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-11DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1817-5Authors A. Moayyeri, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKJ. E. Adams, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Central Manchester Universities Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UKR. A. Adler, Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USAM.-A. Krieg, Lausanne University Hos...

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Erratum to: Pathophysiology of atypical femoral fractures and osteonecrosis of the jaw

Osteoporosis International — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:11:32 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticleCategory ErratumPages 1-1DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1827-3Authors J. Compston, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK Journal Osteoporosis InternationalOnline ISSN 1433-2965Print ISSN 0937-941X (Source: Osteoporosis International)

The use of combination therapy in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Endocrine — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:57:36 +0100

Abstract In recent years, there has been growing interest in the potential use of combination therapy in the management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Possible regimens include sequential or combined use of anti-resorptive drugs or combinations of anabolic and anti-resorptive agents, given concurrently or in sequence. Combined therapy with anti-resorptive drugs usually produces greater increases in bone mineral density (BMD) than monotherapy but there is no evidence that this results in greater anti-fracture efficacy. The use of bisphosphonates before strontium ranelate or PTH peptides blunts the BMD response. Combined PTH and anti-resorptive therapy results in more rapid gains in spine BMD and a greater increase in hip BMD than PTH monotherapy in the first year ...

Archimedes Palimpsest reveals insights centuries ahead of its time

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:53:57 +0100

Thirteenth-century manuscript, overwritten with prayer book, deciphered after years of painstaking workYears of painstaking work by scientists to expose a manuscript hidden for nearly a thousand years have shed new light on the genius of Archimedes, antiquity's greatest mathematician.Known as The Archimedes Palimpsest, the manuscript is a Byzantine prayer book from the 13th century which was assembled using pages from several earlier manuscripts – one of which contained several treatises by the Greek mathematician Archimedes that were copied in 10th-century Constantinople. These were first discovered in 1906 by the Danish Archimedes scholar Johan Ludwig Heiberg, but as the text had been scraped away to make room for the prayer book he was only able to partially read them, and the book th...

Palimpsest reveals new knowledge of old past

Physics Today News Picks — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Guardian: Thousands of books were lost, burned, or scattered during the upheaval of Europe's Dark Ages. Among those missing books were treatises by some of the earliest mathematicians, such as Archimedes. But some of the material is now being rediscovered with the use of modern technology. Centuries ago parchment was expensive, so scribes would frequently reuse pieces by scratching out the old text and replacing it with new. It was discovered years ago that a 13th century Byzantine prayer book was actually composed of several earlier, overwritten manuscripts—one of which contained several treatises by Archimedes that were copied in 10th century Constantinople. As Physics Today reported 10 years ago, by illuminating the manuscript with specific wavelengths of light and by applying i...

Time spent outdoors linked to better eyesight

Telegraph Health — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:46:11 +0100

Every hour spent outdoors each week can reduce a child's chance of becoming short-sighted by two per cent, a study by Cambridge University scientists suggests. (Source: Telegraph Health)

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European Court outlaws patents on embryonic stem cell techniques

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:37:07 +0100

The ban will stifle research investment in potential stem cell treatments for conditions such as dementia, say scientistsResearch into new therapies for incurable and life-threatening diseases have suffered a blow with a European court ruling that procedures that use embryonic stem cells cannot be patented.Senior scientists were dismayed by the judgment on Tuesday, which outlaws patents on stem cell techniques that involve the destruction of embryos. They fear it will hamper research and stifle commercial investment.Medical researchers around the world use stem cells from stores created from surplus IVF embryos. These embryos are donated by couples who have completed their fertility treatment and would otherwise be routinely destroyed by clinics.The unique ability of embryonic stem cells t...

Pathophysiology of atypical femoral fractures and osteonecrosis of the jaw

Osteoporosis International — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:50:30 +0100

Abstract In recent years, atypical femoral fractures and osteonecrosis of the jaw have emerged as potential complications of long-term bisphosphonate therapy; osteonecrosis of the jaw has also been reported in patients receiving high doses of denosumab. The pathophysiology of both conditions is poorly defined, and the underlying mechanisms are likely to differ. The initiation of atypical fractures in the lateral femoral shaft suggests that reduced tensile strength, possibly secondary to alterations in the material properties of bone resulting from low bone turnover, may be an important pathogenetic factor. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is characterised by infection, inflammation, bone resorption and bone necrosis, but the sequence in which these occur has not been established. ...

Lose weight by eating more protein as too little makes you hungry

the Mail online | Health — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:51:30 +0100

Eating more than the average amount of foods such as meat, fish, eggs and nuts can stop you gaining two pounds a month, say researchers from Cambridge University. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

U.K. Geoengineering Tests Delayed until Spring

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:15:00 +0100

Cambridge University Engineering Department Controversial tests of geoengineering hardware, initially set to start in October, have been delayed. The British government agency that provides funding to the project issued the delay on September 29, in order “to allow time for more engagement with stakeholders.” [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)

Huge UK investment in graphene will pay off, says Nobel prizewinner

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:29:09 +0100

Scientist who won Nobel for studying wonder material graphene says £50m government investment will reap dividends for UKLast year a team from the University of Manchester won the Nobel prize for physics for isolating and measuring the properties of graphene.A year on, the government has woken up to the potential of a substance – a sheet of carbon atoms one atom thick – which scientists and engineers say could make everything from touchscreens to plastics cheaper and more efficient.George Osborne this week announced an investment of £50m to create a research hub to support the commercialisation of the wonder material, the aim being to manufacture products in the UK."It's the strongest, thinnest, best conducting material known to science, to be used in everything from aircraft wings to...

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Corticosteroid-use in primary and secondary brain tumour patients: a review

Journal of Neuro-Oncology — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:48:13 +0100

This article reviews the literature, specifically in relation to the role of corticosteroids in primary and secondary brain tumour patients. Areas reviewed include corticosteroid pharmacology, indications, mechanism of action, toxicity profile, prescribing practices, and corticosteroid-sparing agents. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Topic ReviewPages 1-11DOI 10.1007/s11060-011-0713-3Authors Richella Ryan, Palliative Care Department, Elsworth House, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKSara Booth, Palliative Care Department, Elsworth House, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKStephen Price, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK ...

The Quest for Mental Health

Psych Central — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:33:31 +0100

One thing about getting older is that history feels more relevant. I grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Cognitive-behavioral therapy was in its infancy, and dialectical behavior therapy had not yet been devised. Psychoanalysis was the go-to mental health intervention, though most people couldn’t afford its hefty cost or time commitment. Doctors prescribed the “mother’s little helpers,” Miltown and Valium, but nobody yet was listening to Prozac. The majority of us plodded through life with our “neuroses,” and most of our “psychoses,” left unaddressed. So much in the mental health arena has changed, in barely half a century! In The Quest for Mental Health: A Tale of Science, Medicine, Scandal, Sorrow, and Mass Society, Ian Dowbiggin digs back much further and provides...

When two become one: art and science at the Royal Society

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:45:45 +0100

The One Culture festival sought to reconcile art and science, with star turns from Sebastian Faulks and Sir Paul NurseAn idea, like a story, can be big or little. It can tackle the heart of human nature, or the nature of a single human heart.This weekend at the Royal Society, the One Culture festival explored the sweeping narratives and the smaller dramas of science and literature, of individual scientists and their great ideas. Science's most elite club opened its doors to writers like Sebastian Faulks, Michael Frayn, John Banville; dancers from the Rambert Dance Company; Take the Space theatre company; and scientists who manage to combine artistic pursuits with a research career.The title "One Culture" is a play on the famous C P Snow speech, in which he described the way that science an...

Could A Lack Of Empathy Explain Cruelty?

NPR Health and Science — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0100

Can neuroscience and psychology explain cruelty? In his new book, The Science of Evil, Cambridge University professor Simon Baron-Cohen explains the empathy spectrum we all lie on and that an erosion of empathy can explain why some commit cruel acts.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us (Source: NPR Health and Science)

Stone-age toddlers had art lessons, study says

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:01:06 +0100

Research on Dordogne cave art shows children learned to finger-paint in palaeolithic age, approximately 13,000 years agoStone age toddlers may have attended a form of prehistoric nursery where they were encouraged to develop their creative skills in cave art, say archaeologists.Research indicates young children expressed themselves in an ancient form of finger-painting. And, just as in modern homes, their early efforts were given pride of place on the living room wall.A Cambridge University conference on the archaeology of childhood on Friday reveals a tantalising glimpse into life for children in the palaeolithic age, an estimated 13,000 years ago.Archaeologists at one of the most famous prehistoric decorated caves in France, the complex of caverns at Rouffignac in the Dordogne known as t...

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Diabetes Nurse Specialist (part-time), Cambridge

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Via www.healthjobsuk.com. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have a vacancy for a Band 7 Diabetes Nurse Specialist (26.25hrs per week) to work in the Investigative Sciences department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The postholder will be working on the National Severe Insulin Resistance Service which aims to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and educational support for patients and their local clinical carers for people with lipodystrophy and/or extreme insulin resistance. Click on the link below for further details. The deadline for applications is 6 October 2011. Job advert (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Drug firms using backdoor tactics to boost sales, report reveals

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 23:01:18 +0100

Cambridge University report finds pharmaceutical firms pay doctors to use their productsMany central and eastern European drug companies are using backdoor lobbying and payments to leading doctors and patient groups to ensure governments buy their medicines, according to an academic investigation.A study of the methods used by companies in Poland – the largest pharmaceutical market in central and eastern Europe – to ensure their drugs are prescribed is likely to be applicable to the whole region, say researchers involved in the Cambridge University-led study."This may be part of a broader syndrome of the prominence of informal institutions in post-communist policy-making, rather than something which is unique to Poland. For the New Europe, this could be a warning," said Dr Lawrence Kin...

Pompeii shows its true colours

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:21:32 +0100

'Pompeiian red' was created when gases from Vesuvius reacted with yellow paint, research revealsWhen word spread to Britain of the sensational discovery of the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 18th century, "Pompeiian red" became the favoured colour for smart dining-rooms – as it remains today.But, it seems, it may be time to get out the paint chart. According to new research presented to Sapienza University in Rome last week, large swaths of the vivid "Pompeiian red" frescoes in the town actually began life as yellow – and were turned red by the gases emitted from Vesuvius as it erupted in AD 79.Experts have long realised that some of the characteristic vivid reds of the frescoes in Pompeii and Herculaneum were originally yellow. But a new study, conducted by Italy's Nati...

Cambridge University Clinical Research Society: promoting academic medicine

Medical Education — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: Medical Education)

Times Atlas is 'wrong on Greenland climate change'

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:07:08 +0100

Glaciologists say the ice cover is melting – but at nowhere near the 'misleading' 15% rate represented by cartographersLeading scientists have accused the world's top cartographers of making a blunder in their representation of the effects of climate change in Greenland, prompting a robust defence by the map-makers' publisher.Maps in the 13th edition of the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, published last week, show large areas of the eastern and southern coasts of Greenland coloured brown and pink, and the permanent ice cap now covering a significantly smaller area than it did in the 1999 12th edition of the atlas. The atlas shows that 300,000 sq km, or 15%, of Greenland's ice cover had been lost in the period."This is concrete evidence of how climate change is altering the face o...

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How to eat yourself happy

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:03:03 +0100

We examined those people who had positive outlooks and found they had them whether or not they had breakfast. They were just that kind of person. They had a big breakfast because they were feeling good and were ready to get on with the day. Other people don't feel like that when they get up and there is no good trying to persuade them to sit down and have a leisurely meal."Similarly, research on chocolate has shown that this also has an over-rated impact on the psyche. "There is some slight evidence that chocolate triggers the release of opiate-like chemicals in the brain but really its relationship with our emotions operates in the reverse direction," says Smith. "We seek out a chocolate snack when we feel upset or are emotional because, in the past, we have had pleasant associations with...

High levels of lipid peroxidation in semen of diabetic patients

Andrologia — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

SummaryThe aim of this study was to evaluate the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) (one of the final products of lipid peroxidation and well‐known marker of oxidative stress) in semen of infertile men with type 2 diabetes and to investigate its relationship with their glycaemic control. Forty infertile men with type 2 diabetes were evaluated. The mean ages were 36.5 ± 8.0. Men with diabetes were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 20) with glycated haemoglobin >10% and group B (n = 20) with glycated haemoglobin <7%. A single sample was examined according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm‐Cervical Mucus Interaction, 1999, Cambridge University Press). MDA was assessed using the thiobarbit...

Nanowire transistors for analogue computing

Nanotechweb.org News — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:55:06 +0100

Nokia/Cambridge University team makes thyristor-like circuit (Source: Nanotechweb.org News)

Roger E. Backhouse and Philippe Fontaine (Eds.). The History of the Social Sciences since 1945. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 268 pp. $25.99 (paper). ISBN: 978‐0‐521‐71776‐2

Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences)

The 9/11 Effect: Comparative Counter-Terrorism by Prof. Kent Roach (Cambridge University Press)

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100

(University of Toronto) University of Toronto law professor Kent Roach takes a hard-hitting look at the failures of global anti-terrorism policies over the last 10 years in his latest book The 9/11 Effect: Comparative Counter-Terrorism. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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It's official... chocolate IS good for your health: Treats 'cut' heart disease, diabetes and stroke risk

the Mail online | Health — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:18:46 +0100

A Cambridge University study suggests that eating large amounts of chocolate could be associated with a one-third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Top scientists advise recent graduates to seek work abroad

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:56:23 +0100

A leading astrophysicist and one of the team that produced Dolly the sheep say declining funding means science graduates should think globallyScience graduates should scale back their hopes of finding work in the UK and cast their net wider, according to two of the UK's most influential scientists.Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Prof Keith Campbell said decreasing levels of funding for British research meant would-be scientists should think globally when hunting for employment.The pair made their comments on Sunday at an Edinburgh International Book Festival debate on the future of science.Campbell was among the team of Edinburgh-based scientists who produced Dolly, the world's first cloned sheep, in 1996. Bell Burnell is credited with revolutionising astronomy when she discovered the first ...

Books and Babies: Communicating Reproduction - in pictures

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:39:50 +0100

The free exhibition Books and Babies will be at Cambridge University Library until 23 December 2011 (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

Let's not talk about sex: Books and Babies exhibition – review

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:38:17 +0100

The Books and Babies exhibition at Cambridge University Library tells the story of how biology and medicine came to dominate the way we think about reproductionBooks and Babies exhibition - in picturesI'm in a dimly lit basement staring at a dismembered female torso. The legs, or what remains of them, are splayed to reveal the genitalia. Flaps of muscle and fibrous tissue are folded back over the abdomen and, underneath, I can see the curled-up form of an almost fully developed foetus.William Hunter's 18th century Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus may only be an anatomical drawing, but it is a shocking introduction to Cambridge University Library's latest exhibition Books and Babies (part of the Wellcome Trust-supported Generation to Reproduction project).One of the curators, Dr Francis N...

Sam Levine obituary

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 17:05:45 +0100

Our father, Sam Levine, who has died aged 100, was an outstanding scientist. He worked in the specialised area of colloids, which typically consist of particles immersed in solutions, everyday examples being milk, oil, blood and sauces. In a research career spanning more than 60 years, Sam published nearly 200 papers.He was born into a working-class Jewish family in Toronto. By the time he graduated from Toronto University with a PhD in 1936, he had already written path-breaking papers on the stability of colloidal solutions; any keen cook trying to resurrect a sauce béarnaise will appreciate the importance of this phenomenon. He held several postdoctoral research posts before becoming a lecturer in the university's physics department.In 1934 he married our mother, Mollie Rabinowitch, and...

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Double‐layer polarization of a non‐conducting particle in an alternating current field with applications to dielectrophoresis

Electrophoresis — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

This article discusses recent theoretical advances in the polarization of a dielectric particle, in particular, the polarization of the electric double layer. The double‐layer polarization is critical to determine particle dynamics in dielectrophoresis. The dipole moment characterizing the strength of this polarization depends on the double‐layer thickness, the electric field frequency, the particle's surface charge, and other surface's properties (Pohl, H. A., Dielectrophoresis, Cambridge University Press, New York 1978). After a brief review of the mathematical model, the focus is on the following problems: (i) the polarization of a spherical particle; (ii) the polarization of an elongated cylindrical particle; (iii) the effect of the slip on the polarization of a particle. The doubl...

Primate testing – crucial or cruel?

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:30:00 +0100

This report is an independent review commissioned by all the major research funders in the UK, to assess the quality, outputs and impacts of research carried out on non-human primates, and their benefits to human health. This review follows the publication in 2006 of the Weatherall report by a working group chaired by Sir David Weatherall that recommended that the major funding organisations should undertake a systematic review of the outcome of all their research using non-human primates (NHPs) supported over the last decade.Interestingly, whereas the Weatherall report was unambiguously in favour of the use of NHP in medical research, the Bateson report adopts a more challenging position. Professor Bateson, who is emeritus professor of ethology at Cambridge University and president of the...

Primate testing – crucial or cruel? | Sebastien Farnaud and Roger Lemon

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:30:00 +0100

Neanderthals' demise caused by modern human invasion

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:17:18 +0100

This article was amended on 29 July 2011. The original picture was a reconstruction of Homo ergaster not H. neanderthalensis. This has been corrected.Neanderthal manAnthropologyEvolutionIan Sampleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

Interpretation and use of FRAX in clinical practice

Osteoporosis International — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:01:25 +0100

Conclusions The wish list of clinicians for the modulation of FRAX is large, but in many instances, these wishes cannot presently be fulfilled; however, an explanation and understanding of the reasons may be helpful in translating the information provided by FRAX into clinical practice. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-17DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1713-zAuthors J. A. Kanis, WHO Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield Medical School, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX UKD. Hans, Center of Bone Diseases, Bone and Joint Department, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, SwitzerlandC. Cooper, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UKS. Baim, Division of Endocrinology, University of Miami, Miller Schoo...

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Introduction to XAFS. A Practical Guide to X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy. By Grant Bunker. Pp. viii + 260. Cambridge University Press, 2010. Price (hardback) GBP 40. ISBN-13: 978-0-521-76775-0.

Journal of Synchrotron Radiation — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation)

Laurance david Hall.

Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biochemistry — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:30:04 +0100

Authors: Coxon B An account is given of the life, scientific contributions, and passing of Laurance David Hall (1938-2009), including his early history and education at the University of Bristol, UK, and the synthesis and NMR spectroscopy of carbohydrates and other natural products during ∼20 years of research and teaching at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Lists of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and sabbatical visitors are provided for this period. Following a generous endowment by Dr. Herchel Smith, Professor Hall built a new Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Cambridge University, UK, and greatly expanded his researches into the technology and applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and zero quantum NMR. MRI technology was applied bot...

Birdbooker Report 179 #books

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:51:04 +0100

Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this is a weekly report about all those wonderful nature, science and history books that are hot-off-the-presses in North America and the UKBooks to the ceiling, Books to the sky,My pile of books is a mile high.How I love them! How I need them!I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. ~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books. Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a weekly report listing the wide variety of nature, natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, science and history books that have been newly released or republished in North America and in the UK. The books listed here were received by Ian during the previous week, courtesy of various publishing houses. Featured Titles: Gillespie, Rosema...

Health status among prehistoric Eskimos from Point Hope, Alaska

American Journal of Physical Anthropology — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

AbstractUsing the protocol outlined in The Backbone of History: Health and Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere (BBH) (Steckel and Rose. 2002a. The backbone of history: health and nutrition in the Western Hemisphere. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), this project compares the Mark I Health Index (MIHI) scores of the Ipiutak (n = 76; 100BCE–500CE) and Tigara (n = 298; 1200–1700CE), two samples of North American Arctic Eskimos excavated from Point Hope, Alaska. Macroscopic examination of skeletal remains for evidence of anemia, linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH), infection, trauma, dental health, and degenerative joint disease (DJD) was conducted to assess differences in health status resulting from a major economic shift at Point Hope. These data demonstrate that despite differences i...

Health status among prehistoric Eskimos from Point Hope, Alaska.

Health Physics — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Dabbs GR Using the protocol outlined in The Backbone of History: Health and Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere (BBH) (Steckel and Rose. 2002a. The backbone of history: health and nutrition in the Western Hemisphere. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), this project compares the Mark I Health Index (MIHI) scores of the Ipiutak (n = 76; 100BCE-500CE) and Tigara (n = 298; 1200-1700CE), two samples of North American Arctic Eskimos excavated from Point Hope, Alaska. Macroscopic examination of skeletal remains for evidence of anemia, linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH), infection, trauma, dental health, and degenerative joint disease (DJD) was conducted to assess differences in health status resulting from a major economic shift at Point Hope. These data demonstrate that despite dif...

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Current concepts in the diagnosis and management of femoroacetabular impingement

International Orthopaedics — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:00:52 +0100

This article presents the relevant literature with regards to the aetiology of femoroacetabular impingement, its clinical features, investigations and options of management. Finally outcomes relating to both open and arthroscopic approaches to treatment are discussed. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-9DOI 10.1007/s00264-011-1278-7Authors Samirul Imam, Department of Trauma & Orthopaedics, Addenbrooke’s, - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Box 37, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKVikas Khanduja, Department of Trauma & Orthopaedics, Addenbrooke’s, - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Box 37, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK Journal International OrthopaedicsOnline ISSN 1432-5195Print ISSN 0341-2695 (Source: International Orthopaedics)

The National Turner Syndrome Register

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Can you help to improve the follow-up of care for patients with Turner syndrome? The aim of the Turner register is to monitor the provision of clinical care provided to young women with Turner syndrome aged 16 years and above during adult life. We are asking young women to join the register and complete a simple annual questionnaire. The study has REC approval: South West Research Ethics Committee (reference 03/6/075) and is being coordinated by the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinical Trials Group. The Principal Investigator is Professor David Dunger, Cambridge University. Patients attending adult clinics can register themselves. For further information or if you are able to display a poster advertising the register in your clinics, please contact the Turne...

AUDIO: The science behind tickling

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:01:22 +0100

A tickling expert at Cambridge University tells Radio 5 live why anticipating being tickled is a basic survival instinct. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

The effect of an intervention to improve water consumption on pupils, parents and teachers

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:23:40 +0100

Conclusions: Although it is yet to be shown whether the many positive effects of Water in Schools will be maintained over the long term, this campaign demonstrates the benefits of empowering schools to deliver and sustain interventions themselves, persevering past initial problems with providing water in classrooms, and there has been demand from schools for the campaign to become an annual event.References: Johnston Molloy, C., Gandy, J., Cunningham, C. & Glennon Slattery, C. (2008) An exploration of factors that influence the regular consumption of water by Irish primary school children. J Hum. Nutr. Diet. 21, 512–515.Poskitt, E. & Edmunds, L. (2008) Management of Childhood Obesity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Water is Cool in School (2008) The Links Between Wat...

An evaluation of an intervention to improve water consumption in primary school children

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:23:39 +0100

Conclusions: The Water in Schools campaign has been shown to be successful in achieving a short‐term increase in pupil water intake. It is yet to be shown whether the effects of the campaign will last long‐term, although the thorough evaluation process has provided ample information to guide improvements, with the hope of bigger and better successes in future years.References: Department of Education (2009) Healthy Eating Criteria 2.1 Monitoring Food in Schools. Department of Education. http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/healthandwellbeing (accessed on 25 November 2010).Poskitt, E. & Edmunds, L. (2008) Management of Childhood Obesity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Water is Cool in School (2008) The Links Between Water, Dehydration, Health and Learning....

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Psychiatric diagnosis needs a more scientific approach

Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

AbstractA more rigorous and scientific approach to characterisation and diagnosis of mental illness, particularly among children, could help reduce the number of patients who do not respond to treatment. That was the view put forward by Professor Ian Goodyer, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cambridge University in his Keynote Lecture at the 10th Latest Advances in Psychiatry Symposium held in London in March. Steve Titmarsh reports. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Interface Ltd (Source: Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry)

Secondary determiners as markers of generalized instantiation in English noun phrases

Cognitive Linguistics — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:05:22 +0100

Cognitive Linguistics 22 (3): 511-533 Abstract This paper is concerned with English noun phrases that denote generalized instances: they do not refer to actual spatio-temporal instances, but to virtual ones that are abstracted from a limited number of actual instances, e.g., a student in Three times, a student complained (Langacker, Foundations of Cognitive Grammar. Volume II: Descriptive application, Stanford University Press, 1991, Dynamicity, fictivity, and scanning: The imaginative basis of logic and linguistic meaning, Cambridge University Press, 2005, forthcoming). Langacker likens generalized instances to generic ones, which constitute “global” generalizations over all actual instances of a type. On the basis of authentic data, I argue that, even though the profiled instance den...

Cambridge students told to stay out the water due to Weil's risk

Telegraph Health — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:28:24 +0100

A student at Cambridge University was taken to hospital suspected of contracting the life-threatening Weil's disease after jumping into the river during a "cardboard boat race" to celebrate the end of exams. (Source: Telegraph Health)

Cambridge University students warned to stay out of River Cam over Weil's disease fears

Telegraph Health — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:27:52 +0100

At least one Cambridge University student has been diagnosed with waterborne Weil's disease, which can be life-threatening. (Source: Telegraph Health)

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Research Provides Important Insight Into 'Systemizing' Theory Of Autism

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0100

A new study from Cambridge University has for the first time found that autism diagnoses are more common in an IT-rich region. The Medical Research Council (MRC) funded study, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, has important implications for service provision in different regions and for the 'hyper-systemizing' theory of autism... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Male accessory gland infection and sperm parameters (review).

International Journal of Andrology — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: La Vignera S, Vicari E, Condorelli RA, D'Agata R, Calogero AE Male accessory gland infection (MAGI) has been identified among those diagnostic categories which have a negative impact on the reproductive function and fertility in males (Rowe et al., World Health Organization Manual for the Standardised Investigation and Diagnosis of the Infertile Couple, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1993). MAGI is a hypernym which groups the following different clinical categories: prostatitis, prostate-vesiculitis and prostate-vesiculo-epididymitis. Some of the characteristics they share are: common diseases, mainly have a chronic course, rarely cause obstruction of the seminal pathways, can have an unpredictable intracanicular spread to one or more sexual accessory glands of the re...

Diagnosed autism is more common in an IT-rich region

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100

(University of Cambridge) A new study from Cambridge University has for the first time found that autism diagnoses are more common in an IT-rich region. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Osteoporosis: burden, health care provision and opportunities in the EU

Archives of Osteoporosis — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:54:20 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-97DOI 10.1007/s11657-011-0060-1Authors O. Ström, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management, and Ethics, Medical Management Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and Innovus, Stockholm, SwedenF. Borgström, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management, and Ethics, Medical Management Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and Innovus, Stockholm, SwedenJohn A. Kanis, WHO Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKJuliet Compston, Department of Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UKCyrus Cooper, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UKEugene V. McCloskey, Academic Unit of Bone Metabolism, Northern General Hospit...

Cancer is diagnosed later if you're old

the Mail online | Health — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 06:45:48 +0100

Patients with breast and bowel cancer in their 70s and 80s are twice as likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage tumours, which are often terminal, according to a study at Cambridge University. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

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Paediatric MRI under sedation: is it necessary? What is the evidence for the alternatives?

Pediatric Radiology — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:29:00 +0100

Abstract To achieve diagnostic images during MRI examinations, small children need to lie still to avoid movement artefact. To reduce patient motion, obviate the need for voluntary immobilisation or breath-holding and therefore obtain high-quality images, MRI of infants is frequently carried out under sedation or general anaesthesia, but this is not without risk and expense. However, many other techniques are available for preparing children for MRI, which have not been fully evaluated. Here, we evaluate the advantages and disadvantage of sedation and anaesthesia for MRI. We then evaluate the alternatives, which include neonatal comforting techniques, sleep manipulation, and appropriate adaptation of the physical environment. We summarize the evidence for their use accordi...

We're all getting smaller and our brains are shrinking... is farming to blame?

the Mail online | Health — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:40:42 +0100

Cambridge University experts say humans are past their peak and that modern-day people are 10 per cent smaller and shorter than their hunter-gatherer ancestors. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

[Perspectives] Helen Rees on the quest for global equity

LANCET — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:53:16 +0100

Helen Rees grew up in the UK in a family that championed social activism and human rights. Whilst her father, a passionate socialist from the Welsh mining valleys, influenced her political outlook, it was her mother, a teacher, who made her pursue a medical career. At Cambridge University, Rees obtained her medical degree alongside a Masters in Social and Political Sciences and from early on she always integrated medicine with social activism. Today, Rees is Executive Director of Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (WRHI) and also Personal Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. (Source: LANCET)

Broken idols of Keros: British archaeologists explain Greek mystery

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:01:03 +0100

Cambridge scientists dig up evidence of beautiful marble figurines broken then buried by Greeks 4,500 years agoTo say it has been an archaeological mystery may be an understatement: why are fragments of beautiful but deliberately smashed bronze age figurines buried in shallow pits on a small, rocky Greek island whose main inhabitants have always been goats?Today, academics at Cambridge University will release findings that shed light on the 4,500-year-old puzzle of Keros, a tiny Cycladic island in the Aegean.It appears Keros was the ceremonial destination for a ritual that involved islanders breaking prized possessions and making a pilgrimage with fragments for burial."It is rather remarkable," said Professor Colin Renfrew, who led the most recent excavations."We believe that the breaking ...

Introducing a natural history GCSE would give us a greener future

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:42:00 +0100

So few people have a connection to nature, of course they care little about it. A GCSE in natural history may change thatWhat is the biggest environmental problem: climate change? Loss of biodiversity? Soil erosion? Is it our collective failure to harness sustainable technologies, our inability to muster sufficient political will? Or is it there something more vital still: namely the fact that so few people have an understanding of nature and thus find it hard to comprehend what is happening?There are several ways to approach this particular problem – one is via the education system. The best thought I have come across on this subject for a while came from a conversation with BBC Saving Species producer Mary Colwell. She asked me if I thought it would be a good idea to introduce a GCSE c...

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Life expectancy rises in UK but north-south divide widens

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:05:02 +0100

Britons are living longer – men reach 77.9 and women live to 82 – but there is a growing disparity in regional variationsThe north-south divide in life expectancy worsened over the last decade even though Britons lived longer overall, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Life expectancy at birth rose from 76.5 years to 77.9 for men between 2003-05 and 2007-09 and from 80.9 to 82 for women. Life expectancy at age 65 also improved from 16.7 to 17.8 years for men and from 19.4 to 20.4 for women.But the report published on Wednesday showed variations in income, socio-economic status and health behaviour continued to take their toll: average life expectancy for both sexes in greater Glasgow is lower than in Albania and nearer to that of the Palestinian territor...

Review: Cognitive adaptation: Distinguishing between levels of analysis: Jay Schulkin, Cognitive Adaptation: A Pragmatist Perspective. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 198 pp. ISBN 9780521517911 (hbk)

Theory — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Theory)

Asperger Through the Looking Glass: An Exploratory Study of Self-Understanding in People with Asperger's Syndrome.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Jackson P, Skirrow P, Hare DJ Hobson (Autism and the development of mind. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hove, UK 1993) has proposed that the cognitive and linguistic disabilities that characterise autism result from abnormalities in inter-subjective engagement during infancy, which in turn results in impaired reflective self-awareness. The aim of the present study was to test Hobson's hypothesis by examining self-understanding in Asperger's syndrome (AS) using Damon and Hart's (Self-understanding in childhood and adolescence. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988) model of self-concept. Ten participants with Asperger's syndrome were compared with ten non AS controls using the Self-understanding Interview (Damon and Hart in Self-understanding in Childhood and Adolescence. Cambridge U...

Male accessory gland infection and sperm parameters (review)

International Journal of Andrology — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

SummaryMale accessory gland infection (MAGI) has been identified among those diagnostic categories which have a negative impact on the reproductive function and fertility in males (Rowe et al., World Health Organization Manual for the Standardised Investigation and Diagnosis of the Infertile Couple, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1993). MAGI is a hypernym which groups the following different clinical categories: prostatitis, prostate‐vesiculitis and prostate‐vesiculo‐epididymitis. Some of the characteristics they share are: common diseases, mainly have a chronic course, rarely cause obstruction of the seminal pathways, can have an unpredictable intracanicular spread to one or more sexual accessory glands of the reproductive tract, as well as to one or both sides. In this rev...

John S. Gilkeson. Anthropologists and the Rediscovery of America, 1886–1965. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 288 pp. $72.00 (cloth). ISBN–13: 9780521766722

Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences)

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Discovery Of Gene Ripple Effect Which Causes Cervical Cancer To Advance And Spread

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 19 May 2011 08:00:00 +0100

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that a common gene fault in cervical cancer cells triggers a ripple of molecular signals - which makes the disease more aggressive, according to research published in The Journal of Pathology, today. The scientists at Cambridge University increased and decreased the activity levels of a gene called Drosha in cervical cancer cells. Drosha is located on chromosome five which is overabundant in the majority of advanced cervical cancer tumours... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Key To Prison Quality - Staff-Prisoner Relationships

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:00:00 +0100

As public sector prisons move towards the thin staffing level model of profit-making institutions, with their high turnover of personnel who are less connected to their occupation, a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) warns of a potentially detrimental impact on prison quality. "Until now, little has been known about the relative strengths and weaknesses of public and private prisons," says Professor Liebling of Cambridge University who led the research... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Too much heat, not enough light in the creationism war | Mark Vernon

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:03:25 +0100

The near hysterical way in which intelligent design is treated online only suits those who seek to politicise evolutionThe most dismaying feature of the rise of creationism and intelligent design (ID) in the present day is the success advocates have in distorting so much of the wider public discussion of evolution. In short, evolution has become as much a political question as one of modern science. Culture wars, over the place of religion in society, show no sign of lessening. And so sadly it seems that creationism and ID will remain strong too, because what sustains them is not any serious contribution to science or theology, but precisely the heat of dispute.For example, last week I was talking with a senior biochemist at Cambridge University. He reported that he could not recall a sing...

I can taste your DNA

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:33:00 +0100

This study was too small to be statistically significant, but there were several extreme outlying results. These outliers point to a strong correlation in a few cases -- suggesting that taste may be useful when a female is strongly attractive or repulsive to a male."I think that is down to the difficulty in differentiating between human tastes," explained Ms Bondy in email. "[Y]ou would only taste something if it was very beneficial to you (or your offspring) or very non-beneficial." Ms Bondy, who plans to attend Cambridge University to pursue a PhD in neuroscience, said this competition inspired her to delve deeply into her topic."I kept finding more and more links between taste and choosing mates and every link spurred me on to find out more." When asked what she learned along the way, M...

Google Science Fair semi-finalist: I can taste your DNA | GrrlScientist

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:33:00 +0100

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WEIRD Masturbation Habits

Psychology Today Sex Center — Tue, 10 May 2011 07:59:26 +0100

What can cross-cultural data tell us about normal masturbation habits?read more (Source: Psychology Today Sex Center)

Clinical MR Neuroimaging: Physiological and Functional Techniques, Second Edition

Academic Radiology — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:39:46 +0100

Cambridge University Press’s Clinical MR Neuroimaging: Physiological and Functional Techniques, Second Edition, impressed me in many ways. As a sign of how interesting I found this book, I cannot recall the last time I marked so many pages in a book! I found the book extremely well organized, timely, relevant, well written, and very well designed. Given the size of this book, it is probably more likely to hold a place of distinction in a personal or reading room library rather than be carried around in a backpack, at least in my opinion. I was particularly struck by how fluid it was to move through the book, given what appeared to me to be its textbook size. The individual sections appear relatively short, well designed, well illustrated and are interspersed with cases presented in a ver...

Female-To-Male Transsexual People (Transmen) Have More Autistic Traits

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 06 May 2011 10:00:00 +0100

A new study from Cambridge University, funded by the Medical Research Council, has found for the first time that female-to-male transsexual people have a higher than average number of autistic traits. The study has important implications for the clinical management of biological girls with gender incongruence that persists into adulthood. The researchers measured autistic traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and compared AQ scores from transmen; transwomen (male-to-female); typical males; typical females; and individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS, a form of autism)... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Female-to-male transsexual people (transmen) have more autistic traits

Medical Research Council Press Releases — Thu, 05 May 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Female-to-male transsexual people have more autistic traits

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Thu, 05 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100

(University of Cambridge) A new study from Cambridge University has for the first time found that female-to-male transsexual people have a higher than average number of autistic traits. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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Book Review: M. Mesthrie and R. M. Bhatt. World Englishes: The Study of New Linguistic Varieties. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 276 pp

Journal of Language and Social Psychology — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Language and Social Psychology)

Book Review: A. R. Kinsella. Language Evolution and Syntactic Theory. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 222 pp

Journal of Language and Social Psychology — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Language and Social Psychology)

Book Review: A. L. Vangelisti (Ed.) Feeling Hurt in Close Relationships Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 527 pp. ISBN 978-0-521-86690-3

Journal of Language and Social Psychology — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Language and Social Psychology)

Science Weekly Podcast: Tim Radford muses on our place in the cosmos

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:01:01 +0100

This week Alok Jha talks to former Guardian science editor Tim Radford about his new book The Address Book, an epic musing on our place in the universe, starting from his own humble abode in Hastings, Sussex, UK, and extending out into the cosmos. Alok is joined by Guardian science correspondent Ian Sample and Observer science editor Robin McKie to discuss this week's science news, including a controversial proposal to ban the patenting of products of embryonic stem cell research in Europe and the impending mothballing of the Allen Telescope Array in California, a key tool in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti).We also have an extract from Ian's interview with the director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, Simon Baron-Cohen, about his new book Zero Degr...

Podcast: Our place in the cosmos

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:01:00 +0100

This week Alok Jha talks to author and former Guardian science editor Tim Radford about The Address Book, an epic musing on our place in the universe, starting from his own humble home in Hastings, Sussex, UK, and extending out into the cosmos. Alok is joined by Guardian science correspondent Ian Sample and Observer science editor Robin McKie to discuss this week's science news, including a controversial proposal to ban the patenting of products of embryonic stem cell research in Europe and the impending mothballing of the Allen Telescope Array in California, a key tool in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti).We also have an extract from Ian's interview with the director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, Simon Baron-Cohen, about his new book Zero Degrees...

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Social Media lures academics frustrated by journals

News from STM — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:32:29 +0100

22/02/11 20 Feb 2011. (CIBER) Centre for Information Behaviorr & the Evaluation of Research received responses from 2,414 researchers in 215 countries. Five publishers participated - Cambridge University Press, Emerald, Kluwer, Taylor & Francis and John Wiley. CIBER Social Media and Research Workflow Report. (Source: News from STM)

The role of child and parental mentalizing for the development of conduct problems over time

European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:10:22 +0100

Abstract The current study aimed to investigate the role of parental and child mentalizing in the development of conduct problems over time in a community sample of 7- to 11-year-olds (N = 659). To measure child mentalizing, children were asked to complete a social vignettes task at baseline as a measure of distorted mentalizing. Parents (primarily mothers) were asked to complete the same task, guessing their child’s responses in the social scenarios as a measure of maternal mentalizing. Conduct problems were evaluated using repeated measures from multi-informant (self-, teacher-, and parent-report) questionnaires completed at baseline and 1-year follow-up. As expected, children who had an overly positive mentalizing style were more likely to be reported by teac...

Interactive magnetic resonance voiding cystourethrography (iMRVC) for vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) in unsedated infants: a feasibility study

European Radiology — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 05:49:46 +0100

Conclusion iMRVC is a feasible method for evaluating the renal tract in infants without the need for radiation or sedation. A formal evaluation is required to establish its diagnostic potential. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-8DOI 10.1007/s00330-011-2124-4Authors Owen J. Arthurs, Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 219, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKAndrea D. Edwards, Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 219, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKIlse Joubert, Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 219, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKMartin J. Graves, Departme...

Relationship between placental morphology and histological findings in an unselected population near term

Virchows Archiv — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 05:59:31 +0100

This study aims to explore this relationship and further to describe the incidence of predefined categories of histological lesions of the placenta in an unselected obstetric population recruited prior to delivery. The study is based upon the placental examination of 1,156 women with singleton pregnancies recruited prospectively in a single unit. Placentas were analysed where deliveries occurred between 34–43 weeks. The incidence of normal histological findings and specific histological categories, such as ascending genital tract infection, chronic placental underperfusion, intervillous thrombus and villitis of unknown aetiology, were noted. The relationship between placental morphological indices: coiling index, cord centrality index (distance of cord insertion on the chorion...

Clinical MR Spectroscopy: Techniques and Applications

Academic Radiology — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 22:43:49 +0100

Cambridge University Press’s book Clinical MR Spectroscopy: Techniques and Applications was an absolute pleasure to review. Admittedly, I may be a bit biased because of my personal connections to magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), but I tried my best to put that into context as I read through this work. This book is supremely well organized and presented in a very clear and aesthetic format, with many color-enhanced fonts. The figures were delightful, including many color images and many multimodality correlations. Probably the most impressive aspect of this book to me were the tables; for example, see Table 11.1, “Classification of Hereditary Metabolic Disorders with the Characteristic Metabolic MRS Findings.” I cannot even imagine how much work must have gone into putting toget...

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Martin Rees wins £1m Templeton prize

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0100

The astronomer royal Martin Rees has accepted the annual prize from the Templeton Foundation, which critics say makes a virtue of belief without evidence• Read a transcript of Ian Sample's interview with Rees• Martin Rees's acceptance speechA British scientist whose work has touched on some of the greatest questions in physics, from the nature of the big bang to the size of physical reality, has won the largest monetary prize on the planet.Sir Martin Rees, the astronomer royal and former president of the Royal Society, was named as the recipient of the £1m annual Templeton prize in London on Wednesday. He will be awarded the prize by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in June.The award has drawn criticism from some scientists, including th...

Martin Rees: I've got no religious beliefs at all - interview

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Ian Sample spoke to the astronomer royal Martin Rees on Tuesday before the announcement that he had won the Templeton Prize. This is a full transcript of the interview• Martin Rees wins controversial £1m Templeton prize• Transcript of Rees's speech at Tuesday's press conferenceIan Sample: Congratulations on the award.Martin Rees: Thank you.IS: Were you already a millionaire?MR: Sorry?IS: Were you already a millionaire?MR: No comment.IS: Why do you think you won?MR: I was obviously rather surprised that I fitted the credentials, but as I see it, it is primarily because my work is on cosmology and astrophysics and they support work of that kind, because of its general interest. If you look at who has won it, I'm the 7th member of the Royal Society for instance. People like Freeman Dyson...

‘Sink or swim’: an evaluation of the clinical characteristics of individuals with high bone mass

Osteoporosis International — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:52:25 +0100

Conclusion Individuals with unexplained HBM have an excess of clinical characteristics associated with skeletal dysplasia and their relatives are commonly affected, suggesting many may harbour an underlying genetic disorder affecting bone mass. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-12DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1603-4Authors C. L. Gregson, Musculoskeletal Research Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UKS. A. Steel, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull, UKK. P. O’Rourke, Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar, IrelandK. Allan, St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UKJ. Ayuk, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UKA. Bhalla, Royal National Hospital of Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, UKG. Clunie, The Ipswich Hosp...

Book Review: Reger: Gray, P. S., Williamson, J. B., Karp, D. A., & Dalphin, J. R. (2007). The Research Imagination: An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Organizational Research Methods — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Organizational Research Methods)

Book Review: Boyd: Tharenou, P., Donohue, R., and Cooper, B. (2007). Management Research Methods. New York: Cambridge University Press

Organizational Research Methods — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Organizational Research Methods)

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Werner Herzog on the 'awakening of the modern human soul' - video

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:28:00 +0100

Werner Herzog investigates the 'proto-cinema' of the 32,000-year-old paintings inside France's Chauvet cave – the subject of his film Cave of Forgotten Dreams – and discusses his project with Cambridge University archaeologistsLaurence Topham (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

Accuracy of unidimensional and volumetric ultrasound measurements in predicting good pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

Breast Cancer Research and Treatment — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:44:39 +0100

In conclusion, proportional tumour size changes (the basis of the RECIST criteria) were not found predictive of good pathological response, although residual volume ≤1 cm3 at mid-treatment was found to be predictive of pCR/MRD. However, multiple volume and LD thresholds were examined and uncorrected P values presented, increasing the possibility of type I errors. Replication in an independent dataset is required. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-11DOI 10.1007/s10549-011-1454-xAuthors I. Gounaris, Oncology Centre, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, Box 193, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKE. Provenzano, Cambridge Breast Unit, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ UKA. L. Va...

Microsoft software to "replace" radiologists - recognizes organs and structures in medical images

Clinical Cases and Images — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:20:01 +0100

Microsoft Research, Mar 8, 2011: InnerEye focuses on the analysis of patient scans using machine learning techniques for automatic detection and segmentation of healthy anatomy as well as anomalies:Antonio Criminisi is the the researcher shown in the video above.The InnerEye research project focuses on the automatic analysis of patients' scans by using machine learning techniques for:- Automatic detection and segmentation of healthy anatomy, as well as anomalies- Semantic navigation and visualizationMicrosoft Research methods aim to combine medical expertise and modern machine learning theory in the design of tools for computer-aided diagnosis, personalized medicine, and natural user interfaces for surgical intervention.The InnerEye project has a host of famous collaborators, including Joh...

Where is Policing Studies?: A Review of Democratic Policing in a Changing World. By Peter K. Manning (Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, 2010, xvii + 306pp. $95.00 hb, $28.95 pb) * The Policing Web. By Jean-Paul Brodeur (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010, xiii + 404pp. $45 hb) * Lengthening the Arms of the Law: Enhancing Police Resources in the Twenty-First Century. By Julie Ayling, Peter Grabosky and Clifford Shearing (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009, xii + 318pp. {pound}17.99 pb)

British Journal of Criminology - recent issues — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: British Journal of Criminology - recent issues)

Toxic Empowerment

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:32:30 +0100

As a leadership coach I come across a few troubled bosses. One recent case jumps out at me more than others. Mario Erasmus, a leader in the construction industry was dumbfounded by workers who in his words were "sabotaging his high end sites and perfecting the art of insubordination."read more (Source: Psychology Today Relationships Center)

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Case: Congenital deformity leading to significant neurological damage: H v Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Risk — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Clinical Risk)

Jocelyn Bell Burnell | Top 100 women

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:05:00 +0100

Astrophysicist who discovered the first pulsar and was the first female president of the Institute of PhysicsThe career of one of Britain's most respected physicists is a neat snapshot of the progress of women in science. The 67-year-old Bell Burnell was one of the few girls "allowed" to study science at school, and was the only woman to study physics at her college; she remembers "there was a tradition among the students that when a female walked into a lecture theatre all the guys stamped and whistled and called and banged the desk. And I faced that for every class I walked into for my last two years". Later, as a PhD student at Cambridge University, Bell Burnell was part of the team that discovered the first pulsar, a spinning star made up of neutrons – in fact it was she who noticed ...

Athene Donald | Top 100 women

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:05:00 +0100

Donald researches unconventional areas for a physicist – such as revolutionary treatments for Alzheimer'sAthene Donald, 57, is passionate about being a role model. "Having very visible, successful women who have not become complete anoraks is really important to keep girls doing science. They are put off it; they think they can't have a family and be a successful scientist," she says.An expert in the structure of "soft" matter, Donald researches unconventional areas for a physicist – such as revolutionary treatments for Alzheimer's.Now professor of experimental physics at Cambridge University, she was made a dame last year. Donald is also director of the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Initiative at Cambridge, which mentors female scientists at the university, and is chair...

Your mother's diet in pregnancy may affect your risk of ageing diseases

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:00:00 +0100

An unbalanced diet in pregnancy can increase children's odds of getting ageing-related illnesses like type 2 diabetes in later life, research on rats suggestsWomen who have a poor diet during pregnancy may have children who are more susceptible to age-related diseases than those who have a healthier diet, scientists say.The warning comes after research found that rats that had poor nutrition during pregnancy gave birth to young with a high risk of type 2 diabetes, an illness that typically strikes in middle age.Researchers at Cambridge University traced back the effect to subtle genetic changes that normally accumulate with age. Similar changes are likely to occur in humans.The work is believed to be the first evidence that poor maternal diet during pregnancy can make people more vulnerabl...

Bilateral irreversible blindness in leukaemic meningitis: cause or cure?

Annals of Hematology — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:50:24 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-2DOI 10.1007/s00277-011-1202-7Authors Christos Tziotzios, Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKGeorge Follows, Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKNicholas Sarkies, Department of Ophthalmology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKCharles Crawley, Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK Journal Annals of HematologyOnline ISSN 1432-0584Print ISSN 0939-5555 (Source: Annals...

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Human Development & Political Violence , by Colette Daiute, Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN978-0-521-76780-4 (hardback); ISBN 978-0-521-73438-7 (paperback); 280 pp

Mind, Culture, and Activity — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:04:13 +0100

(Source: Mind, Culture, and Activity)

Membership and Conference Booking Technical Problems

The Nutrition Society — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:25:19 +0100

Please note that the membership services website, hosted by Cambridge University Press, is currently out of order due to technical problems. Therefore members will be unable to use the online system to renew their membership or to book for an upcoming meeting at present. The IT team are working on the issue and hope to have the online system up and running very soon. In the meantime, please email the Communications Manager with queries. (Source: The Nutrition Society)

[Cancer and Society] Is oral sex safe?

The Lancet Oncology — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

In January, 2011, BBC Three—a UK television channel with a target audience of 16–34 year olds—screened Is Oral Sex Safe?, a documentary on human papillomavirus (HPV) and the oropharyngeal cancer that it causes. The programme was presented by 25-year-old actress Jaime Winstone, an engaging, husky-voiced representative of the youth of the UK. “It makes me think, ‘what exactly is this human papillomavirus?’”, she wonders early in the film, uttering the words with ponderous unfamiliarity. Later, Winstone enthuses about the prospect of meeting Cambridge University's Margaret Stanley, “she's the Queen Bee of HPV”, she says, gleefully. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)

ThinkCon at the Cambridge Science Festival - Can you make a difference?

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 11:45:49 +0100

Science advocates will meet at the Cambridge Science Festival to debate ways to make a difference in public debates over science. Guest Post by Andrew HoldingGuest Post: Andrew Holding works at the Medical Research Council's laboratory of molecular biology and runs Skeptics in the Pub in CambridgeWhat do a Naked Scientist, a professor of pharmacology and a champion of free scientific speech have in common?Ever since Frank Swain gave his talk on outreach last August at Skeptics in the Pub in Westminster, there has been continuing debate if the majority of what grass-root science activists do actually engages anyone or changes anything. The talk sparked a large number of responses in the blogosphere (including one by myself), yet appeared to achieve little.One critic of the talk was Prof. Da...

Book review: Tanz, Christine Studies in the acquisition of deictic terms (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 26). Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1980/2009; 184 pp.: 9780521103237

First Language — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: First Language)

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Book Review: Ian Marsh, Suicide: Foucault, History and Truth, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2010; xii + 251 pp.: 9780521130011, {pound}19.99 (pbk)

History of Psychiatry — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: History of Psychiatry)

Subcutaneous fat necrosis in newborn—an unusual case and review of literature

European Journal of Pediatrics — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:50:37 +0100

Conclusion: Significant subcutaneous fat necrosis can develop in both preterm and term infants, and preterm infants also develop significant complications including hypercalcaemia. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-4DOI 10.1007/s00431-011-1405-xAuthors Subhabrata Mitra, Clinical Research Fellow in Neonatology, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Post Box 226, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UKJennifer Dove, Histopathology Unit, Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust, Luton, UKSateesh Kumar Somisetty, Neonatal Unit, Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust, Luton, UK Journal European Journal of PediatricsOnline ISSN 1432-1076Print ISSN 0340-6199 (Source: European Journal of Pediatrics)

Review: Steps toward an ecological model of risk: Glynnis M. Breakwell, The Psychology of Risk. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 335 pp. ISBN 9780521004459 (pbk)

Theory — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Theory)

Cuts disastrous for brain science research, academics warn

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:14:45 +0100

At least 30 neuroscience units to go under cuts proposed by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilThe closure of drug company research facilities and "draconian" funding cuts will have a disastrous impact on brain science in Britain, senior academics have warned.At least 30 neuroscience research groups are expected to fold under cuts proposed by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), adding to jobs already lost after big pharmaceutical companies shut research programmes or moved them abroad.Last year GlaxoSmithKline pulled out of antidepressant research in Britain in an effort to save £500m a year by 2012, while AstraZeneca and the US drug company Merck closed facilities across the country."There is now virtually no neuroscience being done by p...