Psychogenic diseases, formerly known as 'hysterical' illnesses, can have many severe symptoms such as painful cramps or paralysis but without any physical explanation. However, new research from the University of Cambridge and UCL (University College London) suggests that individuals with psychogenic disease, that is to say physical illness that stems from emotional or mental stresses, do have brains that function differently. The research was published today, 25 February, in the journal Brain. Psychogenic diseases may look very similar to illnesses caused by damage to ...

UPTON, NY – Identifying the mysterious mechanism underlying high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) remains one of the most important and tantalizing puzzles in physics. This remarkable phenomenon allows electric current to pass with perfect efficiency through materials chilled to subzero temperatures, and it may play an essential role in revolutionizing the entire electricity chain, from generation to transmission and grid-scale storage. Pinning down one of the possible explanations for HTS—fleeting fluctuations called charge-density waves (CDWs)—could help solve the ...

Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell division and growth. In order to identify new therapeutic targets through which to tackle the disease, scientists seek to clarify the mechanisms that control the expression of genes that favor the development of tumors, in processes such as uncontrolled cell division. Today, Nature has published a paper by the lab headed by Raúl Méndez, ICREA professor at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). The study describes a mechanism controlled by the CPEB1 protein that affects more than 200 genes related to cell proliferation ...

The islands Reunion and Mauritius, both well-known tourist destinations, are hiding a micro-continent, which has now been discovered. The continent fragment known as Mauritia detached about 60 million years ago while Madagascar and India drifted apart, and had been hidden under huge masses of lava. Such micro-continents in the oceans seem to occur more frequently than previously thought, says a study in the latest issue of Nature Geoscience ("A Precambrian microcontinent in the Indian Ocean," Nature Geoscience, Vol 6, doi: 10.1038/NGEO1736). The break-up of continents ...

The team implemented the 'phase estimation algorithm' — a central quantum algorithm which achieves an exponential speedup over all classical algorithms. It lies at the heart of quantum computing and is a key sub-routine of many other important quantum algorithms, such as Shor's factoring algorithm and quantum simulations. Dr Xiao-Qi Zhou, who led the project, said: "Before our experiment, there had been several demonstrations of quantum algorithms, however, none of them implemented the quantum algorithm without knowing the answer in advance. This is because in the ...

Bottles, packaging, furniture, car parts... all made of plastic. Today we find it difficult to imagine our lives without this key material that revolutionized technology over the last century. There is wide-spread optimism in the scientific community that graphene will provide similar paradigm shifting advances in the decades to come. Mobile phones that fold, transparent and flexible solar panels, extra thin computers... the list of potential applications is endless. Scientists, industries and the European Commission are so convinced of the potential of graphene to revolutionize ...

DALLAS – Feb. 24, 2013 – The Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern has deepened the understanding of the environment within bone marrow that nurtures stem cells, this time identifying the biological setting for specialized blood-forming cells that produce the infection-fighting white blood cells known as T cells and B cells. The research found that cells called early lymphoid progenitors, which are responsible for producing T cells and B cells, thrive in an environment known as an osteoblastic niche. The investigation, published online today ...

In research that could one day improve the success of stem cell transplants and chemotherapy, scientists have found that distinct niches exist in bone marrow to nurture different types of blood stem cells. Stem cells in the blood are the precursors to infection-fighting white blood cells and oxygen-carrying red blood cells. The research, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is reported Feb. 24 in the advance online edition of Nature. The new findings, in mice, suggest that it may be possible to therapeutically target support cells in ...

MADISON – Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found a new way to accelerate a workhorse instrument that identifies proteins. The high-speed technique could help diagnose cancer sooner and point to new drugs for treating a wide range of conditions. Proteins are essential building blocks of biology, used in muscle, brain, blood and hormones. If the genes are the blueprints, the proteins patterned on them are the hammers and tongs of life. Proteins are not only numerous — humans have more than a 100,000 varieties — but each one has a complex structure ...

VIDEO: Jennifer Morgan and Ona Bloom are using an ugly fish with a beautiful spinal cord, the sea lamprey, to study mechanisms of recovery from spinal cord injury at the MBL... Click here for more information. MBL, WOODS HOLE, Mass.— Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have identified several genes linked to human neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, in the sea lamprey, a vertebrate fish whose ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — A new method of harvesting the Sun's energy is emerging, thanks to scientists at UC Santa Barbara's Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Materials. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods. The researchers' findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. "It is the first radically new and potentially workable alternative to semiconductor-based ...

For chronic pain sufferers, such as people who develop back pain after a car accident, avoiding the harmful effects of stress may be key to managing their condition. This is particularly important for people with a smaller-than-average hippocampus, as these individuals seem to be particularly vulnerable to stress. These are the findings of a study by Dr. Pierre Rainville, PhD in Neuropsychology, Researcher at the Research Centre of the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM) and Professor in the Faculty of Dentistry at Université de Montréal, along with Étienne ...

Screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in all screening-eligible current and former smokers has the potential to avert approximately 12,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. That is the conclusion of a new analysis published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. By providing a national estimate of potentially avertable lung cancer deaths, the study will help policy makers better understand the possible benefits of LDCT lung cancer screening. Despite substantial decreases in smoking ...

AUDIO: There are 17 states that don’t have minimum age restrictions for the use of tanning beds in spite of the fact that studies have shown that there is a higher... Click here for more information. A survey of tanning salon operators in Missouri shows that 65 percent would allow children as young as 10 to 12 years old to use tanning beds. That's despite evidence that any tanning bed use increases the risk of all skin cancers, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, ...

New parents are pleased when their baby gains weight as expected, but if the rate of weight gain is slow parents can become worried and concerned about their child's future size. New research from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol shows that most babies who are slow to put on weight in the first nine months of life have caught up to within the normal range by the age of 13, but remain lighter and shorter than many of their peers. There are significant differences in the pattern of 'catchup', depending on the infant's age when the slow weight ...

Chainformation, a leading provider of software for retail, franchise and chain businesses, has entered a 4-year partnership agreement with O'Leary's, Sweden's most expansive restaurant chain, with over 80 locations around the world. Under the agreement, Chainformation will equip O'Learys with the CCM franchise software platform and also handle content delivery for all of its websites. The agreement will further enable O'Learys to maintain its aggressive growth strategy, opening more restaurants opening and maintaining a 20-25% growth rate per annum. "We are ...

Signalfire, LLC, a Delavan-based digital creative agency, produced three web videos promoting manufacturing as an exciting career choice for middle school and high school students. The two-minute web videos were produced in conjunction with Walworth County Job Center, Walworth County Economic Development Alliance (WCEDA), Lake Geneva Economic Development Corporation (LGEDC), Alliant Energy, and Wisconsin's Dream It! Do It! Program and with cooperation from Brunk Industries and Yunker of Lake Geneva. The National Association of Manufactures sponsors Dream It! Do It!, ...

Tenth Generation Shaman Moughenda Mikala is on a mission greater than most people know. He often says "He is not here to save the whole world" but when you realize the healing power of the African root bark, Iboga and look at his mission: " to spread the healing of the Iboga root to the world". It's hard not to think otherwise. Fourteen years ago, at the age of 31 he left Gabon, Africa, his family and tribe of 200 people of whom he is responsible for. This was significant for him because being a shaman in his tribe means he is accountable for their ...

The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind today announced that it has added five new members to its board of directors including Robert B. Wallace, Craig Sabin, David Mulcahy, Michele Flood Luce and Michael L. Martin. This raises the total number of board members to ten to provide oversight and governance to the organization. "We are very pleased to welcome these five distinguished business leaders to our board of directors," said Board Chair Michael Collier Bradley. As individuals, each new member brings solid expertise in a specific key area. As a group, their ...

Chronicle Graphics has released the latest upgrade to its OnePager Pro project reporting application, called OnePager Pro 5.0. The upgrade, over a year in the making, contains significant enhancements designed to extend the reporting capabilities of Microsoft Project, including: - Conditional formatting rules engine - Refreshed user interface - Expanded palette of shapes, fills, borders and decorations - Expanded drag, drop, and resizing capabilities - New date and percent label display options - Improved support for resource tracking "There is a lot of ...

Visitors to popular events in Brazil, such as the annual Carnival, the upcoming Football World Cup and the Olympic Games can all enjoy seamless WiFi access via Trustive's network of 2500 premium hotspots in Brazil and 500,000 hotspots worldwide. Whether you are planning to attend one of the upcoming events/exhibitions, relax at one of the famous tourist beaches in Copacabana or Salvador, take in the sights of Rio de Janeiro (Sugarloaf mountain or the Statue of Christ the Redeemer) or visit the amazing Iguazu Falls near Curibitia, enjoy seamless WiFi access at thousands ...

Socius, a leading provider of business management solutions and Microsoft Dynamics Master VAR, has accepted the Capital District Microsoft Dynamics partner, Abacus Information Systems, into their national Affiliate network. In 2011, Socius was named one of three Master VARs in the US and has since built a nation-wide group of Sales Affiliate organizations who continue to sell to and service their existing customers and grow their individual businesses with the support of Socius' business development processes, marketing efforts, brand recognition, and Gold competency ...

With a myriad of technology firms opening their doors every month, carving a niche in the market certainly isn't easy. However, for one young Texas-based company, remaining committed to their core values has garnered much acclaim. In fact, AustinCSI has recently been placed 59th on the Inc. 500 list and secured contracts with a number of top 20 Fortune 500 companies. Offering business process optimization, program and portfolio management and software quality management services, AustinCSI has seen its revenue climb from $117,000 to $4.9 million in just three short years. ...

Molecular-Tech Canada, an industrial manufacturer of eco-friendly paint removers has provided companies and consumers with a green alternative for over 15 years. Their flagship product, EFS-2500 is a natural paint remover formulated without methylene chloride making it 100% biodegradable, non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-carcinogenic, with low to no odor or VOC. "Our paint stripper is not only effective in removing paint from metal, brick, wood, and other surfaces, but the non-toxic formula is safe for the user and the environment," explains Phat Thiphavong, ...

Pythagoras Group, Inc. announces issuance of $65,000,000 credit facility for renewable energy project in Poland. The credit facility is structured as an asset backed securitization for the construction of ten bio gas facilities. The pricing of the senior secured bonds for private placement or listing in the German market is 12 year term, fully amortizing 10.00% annual coupon with a 5.00% semi-annual payment, $1,000 denominations offered at 100 basis points discount. Pythagoras Group has developed significant strategic partnerships throughout Europe for deal sourcing ...