Stanford University scientists have developed an advanced zinc-air battery with higher catalytic activity and durability than similar batteries made with costly platinum and iridium catalysts. The results, published in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Communications, could lead to the development of a low-cost alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries widely used today. "There have been increasing demands for high-performance, inexpensive and safe batteries for portable electronics, electric vehicles and other energy storage applications," said Hongjie ...

A new version of solar cells created by laboratories at Rice and Pennsylvania State universities could open the door to research on a new class of solar energy devices. The photovoltaic devices created in a project led by Rice chemical engineer Rafael Verduzco and Penn State chemical engineer Enrique Gomez are based on block copolymers, self-assembling organic materials that arrange themselves into distinct layers. They easily outperform other cells with polymer compounds as active elements. The discovery is detailed online in the American Chemical Society journal Nano ...

Too many cooks may spoil a recipe, and too many doctors may give you the flu. That's the takeaway from a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research that found that Californians who jump from provider to provider rather than seeing a regular doctor who coordinates their care may be less likely to get the kind of preventive treatment that protects against the flu and flare ups in their chronic conditions. Specifically, the study used data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to estimate whether the approximately 4.76 million California ...

What truly inspires individuals to perform at their very best? When it comes to motivating others and ourselves, it turns out offering rewards in defined categories, even when they are largely meaningless, can heighten motivation. According to recent research co-authored by Scott S. Wiltermuth, assistant professor of management and organization at USC's Marshall School of Business, even if the rewards are the similar – and the categories arbitrary – the very act of segmenting rewards motivates people to perform better and longer, even on menial tasks. Wiltermuth's study, ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Living in a poor neighborhood as an adolescent is linked to an increased risk of getting the sexually transmitted infection (STI) chlamydia in young adulthood, according to new research. Ohio State University researchers analyzed data from a large national study that tracked youths over time. The analysis suggested that children who lived in poor neighborhoods during their teenage years had an almost 25 percent greater risk of having chlamydia in their early 20s – even if they themselves weren't poor – than did teenagers living in wealthier settings. The ...

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have uncovered what may be a key molecular mechanism behind the lasting damage done by traumatic brain injury. The discovery centers on a particular form of a protein that neuroscientists call tau, which has also been associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Under ordinary conditions, tau is essential to neuron health, but in Alzheimer's the protein aggregates into two abnormal forms: so-called "neurofibrillary tangles," and collections of two, three, or four or more tau units ...

Astronomers using NASA's Swift X-ray Telescope have observed a spinning neutron star suddenly slowing down, yielding clues they can use to understand these extremely dense objects. A neutron star is the crushed core of a massive star that ran out of fuel, collapsed under its own weight, and exploded as a supernova. A neutron star can spin as fast as 43,000 times per minute and boast a magnetic field a trillion times stronger than Earth's. Matter within a neutron star is so dense a teaspoonful would weigh about a billion tons on Earth. This neutron star, 1E 2259+586, ...

AUDIO: Artificial sweeteners are thought to make foods and drinks taste sweet without any of the other consequences that come from sugar. But now studying people who are obese, nutrition researchers... Click here for more information. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a popular artificial sweetener can modify how the body handles sugar. In a small study, the researchers analyzed the sweetener sucralose (Splenda®) in 17 ...

WASHINGTON, DC, May 28, 2013 — Less-educated white women were increasingly more likely to die than their better-educated peers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s, according to a new study, which found that growing disparities in economic circumstances and health behaviors—particularly employment status and smoking habits—across education levels accounted for an important part of the widening mortality gap. "Based on the information we get from the news, it seems that life expectancy just keeps going up, and we're all riding this wave," said Jennifer Karas Montez, ...

WASHINGTON, DC, May 28, 2013 — A new study suggests that the decline of labor unions, partly as an outcome of computerization, is the main reason why U.S. corporate profits have surged as a share of national income while workers' wages and other compensation have declined. The study, "The Capitalist Machine: Computerization, Workers' Power, and the Decline in Labor's Share within U.S. Industries," which appears in the June issue of the American Sociological Review, explores an important dimension of economic inequality that has been largely overlooked in research and ...

NEW YORK – Clinicians have long speculated that poor sleep may be a mechanism involved in the higher risk of further cardiac events or death among those with post-traumatic stress disorder following a heart attack, but the association between PTSD and sleep after a heart event has been unknown. Recent data from Columbia University Medical Center researchers have shown that symptoms of PTSD after a heart attack are relatively common. A PLoS ONE study (published in June 2012) found that 1 in 8 heart attack survivors suffer PTSD and that survivors with PTSD have a doubled ...

Proposed changes may reduce Social Security benefit payments next year Article provided by Crowe & Shanahan Visit us at http://www.croweshanahan.com In an effort to reduce the federal deficit, the U.S. government is attempting to implement savings techniques for the 2014 budget. One of the proposed changes could save the nation hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade through the concept of "chained CPI." Unfortunately, chained CPI may reduce the amount of Social Security benefits received by thousands of recipients in Missouri, Illinois ...

Have you made an estate plan for your digital assets? Article provided by The Forakis Law Firm Visit us at http://www.mylegalhome.com If you are reading this right now, you are probably online. In this day and age, much of life is spent online. People spend hours of the day clicking away at websites. Everything from banking to social networking is carried out in various online venues. Due to the steady online presence, a new category of personal property has emerged in the estate-planning world. The new category is called "digital assets." Digital assets ...

Colorado lawmakers face challenge in setting marijuana DUI limits Article provided by James L. Finegan, P.C. Visit us at http://www.fineganduilaw.com Many people have hailed Colorado's recent legalization of marijuana as an important step to the larger development of a sensible drug policy. While this may be true, the legalization of the drug is requiring Colorado lawmakers to address some new questions. Unfortunately, coming up with answers is proving to be more difficult than expected. One issue that some lawmakers are attempting to tackle currently is setting ...

People of all ages should have a plan for their estate Article provided by Katherman, Heim & Perry Visit us at http://www.khpyork.com When people think about estate planning, they often assume it is a task they need not take on until they have reached an advanced age. This common assumption could not be further from the truth. In fact, it is wise for people to start estate planning when they turn 18 years old, and to continue to make adjustments to their plans as they reach certain milestones. Of course, as an individual ages, the types of plans they ought ...

Take care to protect your digital assets Article provided by Katherman, Heim & Perry Visit us at http://www.khpyork.com When people think about estate planning, they typically focus on what will happen to their home, car and other physical possessions. In fact, many people will outline specifically which possessions they wish to go to certain individuals upon their passing. As more information is gathered and stored online, it is also wise for individuals to consider what will happen to their so-called digital assets. Digital assets can include a wide variety ...

Diagnostic errors more common than many think Article provided by J Eric Harrison Visit us at http://www.jeh-lawoffice.com/ The leading cause of medical malpractice claims is not surgical errors, missteps by obstetricians or medication errors. Rather, according to a recent study, misdiagnoses by doctors are the leading cause of successful medical malpractice claims in the U.S. Though this may not be the first kind of error that people think of, the reality is that the effects of these errors can be life threatening. By some estimates, between 40,000 and 80,000 of ...

Tumultuous legal landscape creates obstacles to same-sex divorce Article provided by DiBella Law Offices, P.C. Visit us at http://www.dibellalawpc.com Massachusetts pioneered the same-sex marriage movement in the United States when it became the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004. As the issue gains traction in America's mainstream, a growing number of states have modified their laws to recognize marriages between same-sex partners, but for now those states remain in the minority. Because of the myriad state laws concerning same-sex ...

Traveling DNA test site makes waves in Massachusetts Article provided by DiBella Law Offices, P.C. Visit us at http://www.dibellalawpc.com A traveling DNA test site made an appearance in downtown Boston recently, causing a stir among passersby. The mobile clinic, a modified recreational vehicle emblazoned with the slogan "Who's Your Daddy?", had pedestrians lining up to take pictures. The vehicle's owner and operator told Boston Magazine that the truck's bold paint job helps break the ice on an often-taboo subject by getting people laughing and talking ...

Save money in the divorce process Article provided by Law Office of L. Todd Nalagan Visit us at http://www.toddnalagan.com Everyone knows that divorce can be emotionally difficult. However, many do not consider the toll that the process can take on one's finances. Mediators, psychologists, accountants, court fees and other expenses can really add up. Therefore, it is important for those confronting a divorceto create a budget and be cautious of expenses. Also, it can help to limit the amount of money spent within the process. There are a few ways you can do this. First, ...

Understanding paternity rights in Oklahoma Article provided by Law Office of L. Todd Nalagan Visit us at http://www.toddnalagan.com To retain custody or visitation rights of a child, a male in Oklahoma must first establish paternity. In Oklahoma, the establishment of paternity depends on whether a child was born into a marriage. Specifically, a man is automatically presumed to be a legal father of a child if he is married to the mother when the child is born. Similarly, if a child is not born into a marriage, but the man and mother were married within 300 days of ...

Bankruptcy in Texas: what property is exempt? Article provided by Wyatt & Gracey, PC Visit us at http://www.wyattpllc.com/ A misleading and persistent rumor says if you file for bankruptcy protection, you have to sell your property to pay your debt. It is true that in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, certain types of your property may be sold. However, the only type of property that may be sold is called nonexempt property--property that is not exempt from the bankruptcy estate. How exemptions protect your property Exempt property is removed from the bankruptcy estate ...

Chapter 13 bankruptcy: a remedy as Ohio foreclosure rates increase Article provided by Robert E. Bardwell, Jr. Attorney at Law Visit us at http://www.ohiobankruptlaw.com While many may assume the worst of the housing collapse is over, financial institutions in Ohio are aggressively pursuing foreclosures to clear troubled properties off their books. As a result, Ohio had the third-highest rate of foreclosures nationwide in April. For some, an Ohio Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a way to stay in their home and stop the foreclosure process. According to data from RealtyTrac, ...

Loan modifications may offer relief for struggling homeowners Article provided by Law Offices of Robert M. Geller, P.A. Visit us at http://www.attorneyfortampabay.com Americans across the country are struggling to keep their homes as many homeowners continue to find themselves owing more for their home than it is worth. Government officials are taking note, extending relief programs and taking steps to educate the public on programs that may help homeowners who find themselves in these situations. Educational efforts include The Department of Treasury's Foreclosure ...

New technologies may reduce risk of job related injuries in Georgia Article provided by Law Office of D. Lee Biola, LLC Visit us at http://www.workers-compensation-atlanta.com The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that almost 1.2 million workers were injured while on the job and an additional 4,609 were killed. Accidents can occur in any work environment, but truck drivers, medical professionals, construction workers and laborers appear to be at the greatest risk for injury. One company is applying a novel concept in an attempt to help reduce the risk of injuries ...