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Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature Vol 441, No 7092 including Electrons probe magnetic properties with a twist; Switching to nanowire transistors;Mechanism links protein misfolding to brain disease; Lobsters keep sickness at bay

There are many genetic tests that provide information about cancer risk — but how are ethical judgements made about who should be offered them?

A totally allogeneic graft material that would eliminate the need for harvesting bone from patients has been produced. The experiment involved thirty-six critical size defects which were created in the bones of 18 rabbits. (Embargo lifted on 22nd May 2006)

Two articles in the June issue of Nature Methods describe tools for the detection of large-scale structural rearrangements in individual chromosomes.

A solution to the problem of plasma instabilities that could threaten the commercial viability of fusion power is demonstrated by Todd Evans and colleagues in the June issue of Nature Physics.

A study of serum enzymal changes after death and its correlation with time since death

Dust and sandstorm (DSS) is the generic term for a phenomenon in Northeast Asia by which strong winds blow a large quantity of dust and fine sand particles away from the ground and carry them over a long distance with severe environmental impacts along the way. This article reviews some of the measures and outlines a strategy to combat DSS.

In Nature this week, Yoshitaka Taniyasu and colleagues report a light-emitting diode (LED) with the shortest wavelength of any such device to date, which emits deep into the ultraviolet part of the spectrum.

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature. VOL.441 NO.7091 including Single mutation changes cheats into model citizens;'Living fossil' gives clue to first flowering plants; Can't live, if living is without you; Monkey codewords

Androgenetic alopecia is an important and common cause for baldness. Despite recent advances, the drug therapy remains unsatisfactory. Surgical hair restoration is the only permanent method of treating this condition. This article discusses the latest trends in hair restoration surgery.

Dyslexia is a major educational problem, but the studies on genetics of dyslexia are very limited in India. There is a great dearth of proper statistical data to show the incidence of dyslexia in Indian population. More over inheritance pattern of dyslexia is not well established in our population.

A totally allogeneic graft material that would eliminate the need for harvesting bone from patients has been produced. The experiment involved thirty-six critical size defects which were created in the bones of 18 rabbits.

New players in the process of metastasis of cancer cells are described in a paper in the June issue of Nature Cell Biology. Sung Hee Baek and colleagues also present a novel means of controlling proteins that direct metastasis.

NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE - For papers that will be published online on 14 May 2006

The borehole started to operate in November 2002. Results of the medical examination in Iransha Village settlement showed that human health improved considerably because of the use of fresh water.

The unsaturated zone records shows, compared with the ice core records, that a large-scale climate difference took place between mountain regions and the desert during the 20th century.

Chikungunya is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by an alphavirus that is spread by bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. The precise reasons for its re-emergence in the Indian subcontinent as well as the other small countries in the southern Indian Ocean are an enigma.

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature. VOL.441 NO.7090 DATED 11 MAY 2006 including Space ball survived massive impact; Noble gases enter the Earth's mantle from sea water; Turning superconductors on; Silicon feels the strain; Buoyancy vests for six-legged scuba divers

Robotic laparoscopic surgery is evolving to include in vivo robotic assistants (i.e. placing the robot completely within the human body). Analysis of 151 consecutive general surgical patients over three months showed that 40% used some form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM).

Using data obtained from an Indian software company, this study examines the effect of some important organizational factors on the “innovation” dimension of its employees, that is, the ability to generate and stimulate creativity and innovation.

FuzzyXPest is an intelligent mobile Pest Management System that enables farmers to forecast the pest activity level before it can cause too much damage to the rice field. FuzzyXteem a similar advisory system which enables teachers to measure students academic self esteem using real time computation.

NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE - For papers that will be published online on 7 May 2006

Some stories are just too good to be true. And according to physicist Fabrizio Pinto, that's exactly the case for an analogy routinely used by physicists to illustrate the mysterious Casimir effect - a strange force of attraction seen between two surfaces separated by empty space.

The time is 33 B.C., and the place is China. The Western Han emperor, in order to secure a treaty with the Huns, sent one of his many wives, a beauty named Wang Chao-chun (also known as Ming Fei), to the Hun leader, Hu Han-yeh (r. 49-33 B.C.).

It is revealed that inclusion of commercial rice polish (25%) in the supplements for non-descript lactating goats may be an economical proposition.

Effect of feeding different phosphorus levels and depletion on the performance and blood biochemicals in broilers

Why is it that we do not see enough early prostate cancer in our urological practice? Is it really uncommon, or is it that we are not convinced about the need for its aggressive management? This study intended to look at the opinion and patterns of practice among urologists in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, with regards to early prostate cancer.

The properties of the holmium laser prevent the occurrence of these adverse events. We report the successful use of this technology in resecting the gland in patients on a permanent cardiac pacemaker implant.

2 teams reveal that a mutant protein implicated in inherited Parkinson’s disease disables the cell’s mitochondria; Researchers report the 1st conducting plastic that shows the signature of a true metal; A fish species that lived more than 400 million years ago may represent a bridge between two lineages that went on to dominate the modern world

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature. VOL.441 NO.7089 DATED 04 MAY 2006