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Science20 Mar 2014

Sheraton Atlanta Perimeter Hotel Offers Comfortable Lodging for Runners of the Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon

Sheraton Atlanta Perimeter Hotel North, located at Atlanta Perimeter Center, offers comfortable lodging for runners of the Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon on March 23, 2014. More than 16,000 runners are expected to participate in the USATF certified races. The start and finish will be from Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. The course will wind through some of the city's historic neighborhoods as well as Piedmont Park. Prior to the races, a Health and Fitness Expo will be held on March 21 and March 22 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Bldg A, Hall ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

"Improved" Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) Not Proven to Increase IVF Success Rates, According to Systematic Review

In a recent systematic review published by the online medical journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, investigators at the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) discuss the rising popularity of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) and warn about uncontrolled use of the procedure in association with in vitro fertilization (IVF), which, in their opinion, still has not demonstrated efficacy in improving IVF outcomes, despite promotions to the contrary. PGS first rose to popularity nearly a decade ago, as a method of embryo selection that was purported to improve ...

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Technology20 Mar 2014

Lynx Systems Inc. Signs Agreement with Jukedocs Inc. for Document Management Software - March 1, 2014

Lynx Systems Inc. is pleased to announce that it is supporting and actively recommending Jukedocs Inc. for the management, storage and sharing of documents within the Real Estate, Leasing and Property Management Industry. www.lynx-jukedocs.com In support of Canadian, USA and international clients, Jukedocs is a secure cloud-based Document Management, Content Management and File Sharing system that provides true BYOD any-where, any-time access via mobile, web and PC/Mac. We see a number of benefits and functions for users of Real Estate systems such as YARDI, MRI ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

NationaLease Celebrates Opening of Universal Technical Institute's Lisle Campus

NationaLease, one of the largest independent full service truck leasing companies in North America, joined with nearly 250 local business, civic, educational, and industry executives to celebrate the grand opening of Universal Technical Institute's (UTI) new, state-of-the-industry campus in Lisle, IL. NationaLease has joined UTI in a strategic partnership, with both organizations working closely together to equip students with the skills to enter the workforce ready for employment as a diesel technician. NationaLease is a part of the Program Advisory Committee which ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

Corcentric Successfully Completes Annual SSAE 16 Examination

Corcentric, a leading provider of Accounts Payable automation and electronic invoicing solutions, announced the successful completion of their annual Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No 16, also known as the Service Organization Controls examination for its Software as a Service (SaaS) AP automation platform. SSAE 16 is an auditing standard issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Its purpose is to allow customers to obtain assurances about a SaaS provider's system and the suitability of the design of its controls. ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

Spacing Out a New Generation on Mission Discovery

The January launch of the Orbital-1 resupply mission to the International Space Station featured a number of important milestones. Along with being the first successful mission to the station by Orbital Sciences Corporation as part of their Commercial Resupply Services contract, the mission also marked the inaugural spaceflight for a unique new educational endeavor geared toward international high school- and college-age students. Administered by the nonprofit International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET), the program, called Mission Discovery, seeks to inspire interest ...

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Technology20 Mar 2014

New $3,000 Online MBA Closes Technology Gap

Today ILM is announcing a partnership with Summitsoft, Inc. to help provide productivity tools to our students to help them succeed in the MBA program. "For more than 20 years, Summitsoft Corporation has been dedicated to providing great solutions at a great price. Of course we jumped at the chance to help ILM students get cost effective access to what we think is the next big set of productivity tools," said Rebecca Deterding, a Vice President with Summitsoft. In addition to featuring Summitsoft productivity software, the new program leverages the best available ...

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Medicine20 Mar 2014

Loblolly pine genome is largest ever sequenced

BETHESDA, MD – MARCH 20, 2014 – The massive genome of the loblolly pine—around seven times bigger than the human genome—is the largest genome sequenced to date and the most complete conifer genome sequence ever published. This achievement marks the first big test of a new analysis method that can speed up genome assembly by compressing the raw sequence data 100-fold. The draft genome is described in the March 2014 issue of GENETICS and the journal Genome Biology. Loblolly pine is the most commercially important tree species in the United States and the source of most ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

First evidence of plants evolving weaponry to compete in the struggle for selection

Rutting stags and clawing bears are but two examples of male animals fighting over a mate, but research in New Phytologist has uncovered the first evidence of similar male struggles leading to the evolution of weaponry in plants. The team, led by Dr. Andrea Cocucci from the Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal of Argentina, studied a species of milkweed (Apocynaceae), found in tropical climates. While plants do not mate like animals, but rather reproduce via pollinators such as insects or birds, competition between individuals to exploit those pollinators ...

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Medicine20 Mar 2014

Among US children, more infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria

Infections caused by a concerning type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise in U.S. children, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and available online. Although still uncommon, the bacteria are increasingly found in children of all ages, especially those 1-5 years old, raising concerns about dwindling treatment options. Researchers led by Latania K. Logan, MD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, analyzed resistance patterns in approximately 370,000 clinical isolates from pediatric patients, ...

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Medicine20 Mar 2014

Loblolly pine's immense genome conquered

The massive genome sequence of the loblolly pine — the most commercially important tree species in the United States and the source of most American paper products — has been completed by a nationwide research team, led by a UC Davis scientist. The draft genome — approximately seven times bigger than the human genome — is the largest genome sequenced to date and the most complete conifer genome sequence ever published. The sequencing was accomplished by using, for the first time, a faster and more efficient analytical process. The achievement is described in two papers ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

Safety first, children

VIDEO: A mother and child discuss whether a scenario is dangerous, for a new study by the University of Iowa examining how parents can keep their children safe. Click here for more information. As parents, we've all been there: Watching our children teeter on a chair, leap from the sofa, or careen about the playground, fearing the worst. And, we all wonder, how can we teach them to be safer? Such was the goal of a team of researchers at the University of Iowa, who analyzed in ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

Tiny transistors for extreme environs

SALT LAKE CITY, March 20, 2014 – University of Utah electrical engineers fabricated the smallest plasma transistors that can withstand high temperatures and ionizing radiation found in a nuclear reactor. Such transistors someday might enable smartphones that take and collect medical X-rays on a battlefield, and devices to measure air quality in real time. "These plasma-based electronics can be used to control and guide robots to conduct tasks inside the nuclear reactor," says Massood Tabib-Azar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. "Microplasma transistors ...

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Medicine20 Mar 2014

Where are we with breast cancer in 2013?

The global burden of breast cancer remains immense in 2013, with over 1.6 million new cases being diagnosed annually. This burden has been increasing at a rate of 3.1% per year, and while the majority of new cases are diagnosed among women in developed countries, the 450,000 deaths per year from the disease are now equally divided between the developing and developed world, the 9th European Breast Cancer conference (EBCC-9) will hear tomorrow (Friday). Professor Peter Boyle, Director of the University of Strathclyde Institute of Global Public Health at the International ...

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Medicine20 Mar 2014

Choice of GP practice pilot most popular with young commuters and patients moving home

A pilot scheme allowing patients to visit GPs outside the area they live in was most popular among younger commuters and people who had moved house but did not want to change their GP, according to a new report by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The Department of Health's Choice of GP pilot scheme found that while demand overall was modest, participants were generally positive about the scheme and there was little sign of major increased cost to primary care trusts (PCTs) for providing the service. Patients will be able to register with volunteer practices ...

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Science20 Mar 2014

Future heat waves pose threat to global food supply

Heat waves could significantly reduce crop yields and threaten global food supply if climate change is not tackled and reversed. This is according to a new study led by researchers at the University of East Anglia and published today, 20 March, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, which has, for the first time, estimated the global effects of extreme temperatures and elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) on the production of maize, wheat and soybean. Earlier studies have found that climate change is projected to reduce maize yields globally ...

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Medicine20 Mar 2014

Data on antibiotic use in non-EU countries should stimulate development of action plans

A new study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, provides the first ever reliable data on antibiotic use in non-European Union (EU) southern and eastern European countries and newly independent states. The research, which was led by Dr Herman Goossens, of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO) at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, is a critical first step in identifying targets for improvements in the way antibiotics are used in these countries. The authors hope that the findings will aid the development of national action plans ...

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Environment19 Mar 2014

Fossils of earliest stick insect to mimic plants discovered

An ancient stick insect species may have mimicked plant leaves for defense, according to a paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 19, 2014 by Maomin Wang, from Capital Normal University, China and colleagues. Many insects have developed defense mechanisms, including the ability to mimic the surrounding environment. Stick and leaf insects mimic plants from their environment, but scientists know little about the original of this interaction due to little or no previous stick insect fossil records showing this adaptation. The scientists discovered three ...

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Environment19 Mar 2014

Large feathered dinosaur species discovered in North America

Fossils found in western North America reveal a new species of large-bodied, feathered oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur from the latest Cretaceous Period, according to a paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 19, 2014 by Matthew Lamanna from Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pennsylvania and colleagues. Known for their beaks, long necks, and relatively short tails, the bird-like oviraptorosaurian group contains dinosaurs with body sizes ranging from a few kilograms to more than one metric ton. The scientists described three well-preserved partial ...

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Environment19 Mar 2014

Fossilized bighorn sheep poop reveals early Holocene population

Genetic analysis of ancient poop found off the coast of Mexico suggests bighorn sheep may be native to the island, according to a paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 19, 2014 by Benjamin Wilder from University of California Riverside and colleagues. Bighorn sheep were not thought to inhabit Tiburón Island, the largest island in the Gulf of California and Mexico, prior to their introduction in 1975. Scientists discovered fossilized dung in the mountains of Tiburón Island that challenges that assumption. Scientists compared the pellet-shaped poop ...

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Science19 Mar 2014

Bighorn sheep went extinct on desert island in Gulf of California, study finds

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Using ancient DNA analysis and other techniques, a research team led by conservation biologists at the University of California, Riverside has determined that bighorn sheep, so named for their massive spiral horns, became extinct on Tiburón Island, a large and mostly uninhabited island just off Sonora, Mexico, in the Gulf of California, sometime in the last millennium — specifically between the 6th and 19th centuries. The result, published March 19 in PLOS ONE, is a surprise because conventional wisdom among wildlife biologists and the indigenous Seri ...

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Earth Science19 Mar 2014

A 'chicken from hell' dinosaur

SALT LAKE CITY, March 19, 2014 – Scientists from Carnegie and Smithsonian museums and the University of Utah today unveiled the discovery, naming and description of a sharp-clawed, 500-pound, bird-like dinosaur that roamed the Dakotas with T. rex 66 million years ago and looked like an 11 ½-foot-long "chicken from hell." "It was a giant raptor, but with a chicken-like head and presumably feathers. The animal stood about 10 feet tall, so it would be scary as well as absurd to encounter," says University of Utah biology postdoctoral fellow Emma Schachner, a co-author of ...

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Earth Science19 Mar 2014

Smithsonian collaborates with paleontologist team to reveal new large, feathered dinosaur

A team of scientists from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the University of Utah has described an unusual bird-like dinosaur previously unknown to science, resembling a cross between a modern emu and a reptile. The new species, Anzu wyliei, lived 68 to 66 million years ago and was identified from three partial skeletons collected from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation in North and South Dakota. The species belongs to Oviraptorosauria, a group of dinosaurs mostly known from fossils found in Central ...

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Earth Science19 Mar 2014

Paleontologists announce discovery of Anzu wyliei

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania…A team of researchers has announced the discovery of a bizarre, bird-like dinosaur, named Anzu wyliei, that provides paleontologists with their first good look at a dinosaur group that has been shrouded in mystery for almost a century. Anzu was described from three specimens that collectively preserve almost the entire skeleton, giving scientists a remarkable opportunity to study the anatomy and evolutionary relationships of Caenagnathidae (pronounced SEE-nuh-NAY-thih-DAY)—the long-mysterious group of theropod dinosaurs to which Anzu belongs. The ...

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Science19 Mar 2014

High-frequency breathing support for premature babies could lead to better lung function

A new study led by researchers at King's College London has found that premature babies supported immediately after birth by high-frequency oscillation - a type of breathing support - had better lung function as adolescents than those who received conventional ventilation. The children ventilated with the high frequency method also showed higher academic achievement in three of eight school subjects. The findings of the research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre ...

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