In early April, PennDOT issued a finalized report on last year's traffic accident data. In 2012, Pennsylvanians faced a higher risk of suffering a fatal accident on the state's roads compared to the previous year. Uptick in roadway deaths more pronounced in some demographic segments All told, 1,310 people lost their lives on Pennsylvania roads last year. That was an increase of 24 -- around two percent -- from 2011. The best year on record in terms of the fewest Pennsylvania roadway deaths was 2009. In 2009, there were 1,256 traffic fatalities in the state. This ...

In a perfect world, when you went into surgery, it would be a smooth and error-free experience. In reality, this is not always the case, as surgeons and other surgical staff are human and make mistakes. However, a recent article in USA Today highlighted how often these mistakes are so simple that it seems incredible to a layperson. According to the article, surgeons leave behind surgical tools and material in their patients more than 12 times per day. The most common tool that is left behind is the cotton surgical sponge, which surgeons use to soak up blood during operations. ...

While money is never easy to talk about, if you plan to spend the rest of your life married to one person, you may benefit from discussing the issue before you have a wedding. Money and assets can be important issues in a relationship. One way to explore finances before a commitment is through a prenuptial agreement. A prenuptial agreement is an agreement made between a couple before marriage. The device protects the assets of parties prior to a marriage in the event of a divorce. For example, it often sets out future terms regarding the division of assets, future earnings, ...

In recent years, concussion lawsuits by former National Football League players have captured headlines and sparked a great deal of interest in improving safety in youth and college sports. Although the media may make it appear as if most traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. are somehow sports-related, this is simply not the case. Indeed, only a very small number of TBIs are suffered in football, hockey, soccer and other sports. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading causes of TBIs in the U.S. are motor vehicle accidents and falls. Many ...

The negative impact of brain injuries has gained media attention. In part, this new spotlight is connected to concussion research of players in the National Football League, or NFL. Although the NFL has provided funding for research and increased public awareness of the long lasting medical complications that can be tied to brain injuries, it is important to note that brain injuries often occur off the football field. Brain injuries can occur in many circumstances, including workplace accidents. A study conducted with the National Institute of Health found brain injuries ...

Over the last several decades, automobile technology has changed dramatically. Most vehicles are now controlled by a complex network of computers and electronics. These computers are meant to make the vehicles more reliable. However, they can malfunction, leading to unpredictable safety problems that can cause serious car accidents. An example of this issue can be found in the recent recall of almost 250,000 Honda and Acura vehicles. The cars were recalled after reports of electronic stability control malfunctions, in which the vehicles would stop or slow even if the ...

The tree disease anthracnose is a general term describing a number of different diseases that are characterized by areas of dead tissue. Some instances of the disease can be relatively minor, while others are ultimately lethal to the tree. The disease can be the result of a wide variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, or viruses. Atlanta tree service experts at Yellow Ribbon describe how you can tell if your tree is infected, and what needs to be done to treat the disease. Evidence of anthracnose varies by the species of the infected tree. Tree leaves may start ...

Atlanta Staffing Agency Describes How to Avoid a Plateau TRC Staffing Services, Inc, an established Atlanta staffing agency, wants to discuss the problem of career plateaus. At one point in time many of us will encounter this issue. It occurs when one has found his or her self locked in a position without any room for advancement. The causes vary from person to person, but it is generally due to necessity. If you have a family to support and have a decent paying job, it can be difficult to make a transition. Being comfortable and not wanting to switch careers is ...

Recent Kaplan College Palm Springs (Calif.) graduate Jesus Navarro currently works as a medical technician at a drug and alcohol recovery center, but not long ago he held a full-time job at a grocery store. As one of Kaplan Higher Education Campuses' more than 3,030 recent graduates, he credits his new career to the school's hands-on focus and the faculty and staff's dedication to his individual needs. "Kaplan's flexible schedules and programs made it possible for me to work full-time and attend school," said Jesus. "Being married and having a three-year-old ...

Megamotormadness.com is a fast-growing online supplier for motorsports enthusiasts. They carry over 100 different models including scooters/mopeds, trikes, street bikes, ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, electric motorcycles and accessories. All products from them are affordable and reliable. All products come directly from their factory and the lowest prices are guaranteed. The new promotion "free gloves with any scooter purchase" ends Apr 28, 2013. Customers can get a pair of free gloves with any scooter purchase. The color is random. Due to the rising fuel prices, ...

Autoglass has just announced the introduction of its new bespoke wet weather solution - an extendable canopy fixed to its mobile technician's vans, known as the Vanbrella . Britain experiences rainy weather approximately 145 days of the year and this can adversely affect vehicle glass repair and replacement services. For example, the time needed for the chip repair healing process (usually 30 minutes) or that needed to bond a replacement glass (usually 1 hour) may significantly increase in wet conditions and this could compromise the quality of the result. 90 per ...

QuickLoansBadCredit.org, the leading matching organization for people with bad credit in need of loans, announces that it has undergone some crucial improvements. The service has been implemented two phases of upgrades, the first of which has been completed. The second phase will be commenced in the coming weeks. No disturbance will be made to the site or its bad credit loans introduction service during phase two, during which time all aspects of the platform will remain in full operation. QuickLoansBadCredit.org made the announcement in the following statement. "Following ...

Popular texting, messaging and microblog apps developed for the Android smartphone have security flaws that could expose private information or allow forged fraudulent messages to be posted, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. Zhendong Su, professor of computer science, said that his team has notified the app developers of the problems, although it has not yet had a response. The security flaws were identified by graduate student Dennis (Liang) Xu, who collected about 120,000 free apps from the Android marketplace. The researchers focused ...

This press release is available in French. Montreal, April 16, 2013 – From corsets to caftans, we have seen dramatic changes in popular style over the past 100 years. New research from Concordia University now brings the future of fashion into focus by taking a closer look at the next quantum leap in textile design: computerized fabrics that change their colour and their shape in response to movement. Joanna Berzowska, professor and chair of the Department of Design and Computation Arts at Concordia, has developed interactive electronic fabrics that harness power ...

Ecological dimensions of biofuels: state of the science Are biofuels a renewable, environmentally friendly energy source? The Ecological Society of America reviews bioethanol and biodiesel in conventional production as well as feedstocks still in development. Biofuels in commercial scale production are made from the sugars and oils of food crops, and share the ecological impacts of high intensity agriculture. Corn, the primary biofuel source in the United States, demands a lot of fuel to produce fuel. It needs nitrogen fertilizer, fixed using energy-intensive industrial ...

Philadelphia, PA, April 16, 2013 – Atherosclerosis – sometimes called "hardening of the arteries" – is a leading cause of death and morbidity in Western countries. A cell-permeable peptide containing the NF-ĸB nuclear localization sequence (NLS) shows promise as a potential agent in controlling the development of atherosclerotic disease. This study is published in the May 2013 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial and vascular wall. The objective of many therapeutic compounds is to modulate atherogenesis ...

A new report prepared in collaboration with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations, is the first to describe in detail the epidemiology, burden, and treatment of osteoporosis in all 27 member states of the European Union (EU27). Published today in Rome in conjunction with the opening of Europe's largest osteoporosis congress, the report 'Osteoporosis in the European Union: Medical Management, Epidemiology and Economic Burden' shows that as Europe's population ages, fractures due to osteoporosis ...

Today a panel of international experts working in cooperation with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) have published SCOPE – or Scorecard for Osteoporosis in Europe. Focusing on key aspects of service provision and uptake, the Scorecard compares how the 27 different countries within the European Union (EU) care for people with osteoporosis to reduce their risk of bone fractures. Fractures, which mostly affect older adults, can result in pain, long-term disability and even premature death. The Scorecard presents, measures and compares data in a way that ...

The most fertile bursts of star birth in the early Universe took place in distant galaxies containing lots of cosmic dust. These galaxies are of key importance to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution over the history of the Universe, but the dust obscures them and makes them difficult to identify with visible-light telescopes. To pick them out, astronomers must use telescopes that observe light at longer wavelengths, around one millimetre, such as ALMA. "Astronomers have waited for data like this for over a decade. ALMA is so powerful that it has revolutionised ...

Stem cells and tissue-specific cells can be grown in abundance from mature mammalian cells simply by blocking a certain membrane protein, according to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their experiments, reported today in Scientific Reports, also show that the process doesn't require other kinds of cells or agents to artificially support cell growth and doesn't activate cancer genes. Scientists hope that lab-grown stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which have the ability to produce ...

The human body has the ability to ward off viruses by activating a naturally occurring protein at the cellular level, setting off a chain reaction that disrupts the levels of cholesterol required in cell membranes to enable viruses to enter cells. The findings, discovered by researchers in molecular microbiology and immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, hold promise for the development of therapies to fight a variety of viral infections. "Previous studies have shown that our bodies are already equipped to block viruses such as Ebola, influenza, West Nile, ...

As much as dog owners love their children, they tend to share more of themselves, at least in terms of bacteria, with their canine cohorts rather than their kids. That is just one finding of a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder that looked at the types and transfer modes of microbes from the guts, tongues, foreheads and palms (or paws) of members of 60 American families, including canines. Identifying how such bacterial communities can be affected by environmental exposure may help scientists better understand how they can be manipulated to prevent or ...

"Current wisdom says that cells are closed entities that communicate through the secretion of soluble signalling molecules. Recent findings indicate that cells can exchange more complex information – whole packages of genetic material and signalling proteins. This is an entirely new conception of how cells communicate", says Dr Mattias Belting, Professor of Oncology at Lund University and senior consultant in oncology at Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Exosomes are small vesicles of only 30 nm. They are produced inside cells and act as "transport vehicles" of ...

Typing on today's mobile phones and tablets is needlessly slow. One limitation is that the QWERTY layout is ill-suited for tablets and other touch-screen devices when typing with the thumbs. Two-thumb typing is ergonomically very different from typing on a physical keyboard. It has been established that normal users using a QWERTY on a touch-screen device are limited to typing at a rate of around 20 words per minute, which is slow compared to the rates achieved on physical keyboards. The researchers set out to create an alternative to QWERTY that offers substantial performance ...

A new study concludes that approximately half of the prescriptions of Tamiflu during the 2009-10 influenza pandemic went unused in England. The unused medication represents approximately 600,000 courses of Tamiflu at a cost of around £7.8 million to the UK taxpayer. The novel scientific method used in the study could help measure and improve the effectiveness of future pandemic flu strategies. The finding, published online this week in the open access scientific journal PLOS ONE, comes from the first study of its kind to use sewage water to estimate drug compliance rates, ...