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191,281 articles from EurekAlert

GM, Chrysler bankruptcies created troubling legacy, legal scholars say

U. of I. law professors Charles J. Tabb and Ralph Brubaker argue that the legal principles applied in the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies -- two of the largest in US history at $83.5 and $39.9 billion, respectively -- were misguided, and have ultimately undermined the distributional norms of bankruptcy reorganizations.

Growing sorghum for biofuel

Researchers at Iowa State University examined 12 varieties of sorghum grass grown in single and double cropping systems to test the efficiency of double cropping sorghum grass to increase its yield for biofuel production.

Guardian angels for seeds

The seeds that you plant in your backyard garden next spring -- and farmers sow in their fields -- may have a guardian angel that helps them sprout and grow to yield bountiful harvests. It's a thin coating of chemicals termed a "seed treatment" that can encourage seeds to germinate earlier in the season, resist insects and diseases, and convey other advantages. These new seed defenders are the...

Infant foods should be screened for mycotoxins

An international team of scientists calls for protecting complementary food for infants in developing countries -- especially those where corn is a staple food -- against fumonisin, a toxin produced by fungi. Until now, physicians thought the growth retardation of children in those regions was to be blamed on the poor nutritional value of the complementary maize porridge they receive when breast...

Inhibitory neurons key to understanding neuropsychiatric disorders

In 1999, Baylor College of Medicine researcher Dr. Huda Zoghbi, and her colleagues identified mutations in one of these genes called MECP2 as the culprit in a devastating neurological disorder called Rett syndrome. In new research in mice published in the current issue of the journal Nature, Zoghbi and her colleagues demonstrate that the loss of the protein MeCP2 in a special group of inhibitory...

Looking for wireless? Try a local farm

Wireless. For most, the word conjures images quaint coffee shops or busy airport lobbies -- places where people drop in to check on business or check in with other people.But increasingly "wireless" is showing up on the farm to help produce better crops, net more money for growers and land a superior product in stores for consumers, according to experts.Wireless agriculture is yielding benefits in...

Mid-life cholesterol levels not linked to Alzheimer's disease

Contrary to earlier research, a new, long-term study suggests that cholesterol level in mid-life may not be linked to later development of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the Nov. 10, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the results suggest that large decreases in cholesterol levels in old age could be a better...

Mutations in single gene predict poor outcomes in adult leukemia

Decoding the DNA of a woman who died of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has led researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to a gene that they found to be commonly altered in many patients who died quickly of the disease. The findings, if confirmed in larger studies, suggest that a diagnostic test for mutations in the gene could identify AML patients who need more aggressive...

New data uncover common molecular pathways between Rett syndrome, autism and schizophrenia

The laboratory of Huda Zoghbi, where the discovery that mutations in the gene MECP2 cause the severe childhood neurological disorder Rett Syndrome was made, has taken yet another step toward unraveling the complex epigenetic functions of this gene, implicated also in cases of autism, bipolar disease and childhood onset schizophrenia. The Nov. 11 issue of Nature reports that removing MECP2 from a...

New highly stable fuel-cell catalyst gets strength from its nano core

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new electrocatalyst that uses a single layer of platinum and minimizes its wear and tear while maintaining high levels of reactivity during tests that mimic stop-and-go driving. The research may greatly enhance the practicality of fuel-cell vehicles and may also be applicable for improving the performance of other metallic catalysts.

New neuronal circuits which control fear have been identified

Fear is a behavioral adaptation which may be innate but can also be a consequence of conditioning. However, until now, the underlying neuronal circuits have remained largely unknown. Now, several Swiss and German teams and a researcher from Inserm Unit 862, "Neurocentre Magendie," in Bordeaux, have been able to identify, for the first time, distinct neuronal circuits within the central nucleus of...

New NIST dietary supplement reference materials could be 'berry' useful

National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers have developed new certified reference materials for measuring amounts of organic acids in dietary supplements formulated with Vaccinium berries -- cranberries, blueberries and bilberries. Manufacturers and researchers can use this new suite of standard reference materials as quality assurance tools.

New ultra-clean nanowires have great potential

New ultra-clean nanowires produced at the Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen will have a central role in the development of new high-efficiency solar cells and electronics on a nanometer scale. Ph.D. student Peter Krogstrup at the Niels Bohr Institute, in collaboration with a number of well-known researchers and the company SunFlake A/S, is behind the breakthrough. The new findings have...

NIST pings key material in sonar, closes gap on structural mystery

Using a neutron beam as a probe, researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have begun to reveal the crystal structure of a compound essential to technologies ranging from sonar to computer memory. Their recent work provides long-sought insight into just how a widely used material of modern technology actually works.