Aphronze Architectural Design UK Ltd. (www.Aphronze.com), an architect firm located in London, UK, Taipei, Taiwan and China, is very pleased and proud to announce winning the prestigious International Property Award, Asia Pacific Region, for its design of the Wanbo underground commercial development project for the Jia Chuang Group. The project is currently under construction and located in the Panyu urban district of the southern end of Guangzhou in the Pearl River Delta of China. 280,000 square meter Guangzhou Wanbo Metro Shopping Center The Wanbo central business ...

Author Kiko McGregor has just published I'm Christian Too!, a book that explores the latest issues and messages being sold by today's top spiritual leaders. The book explains why biblical Christians may want to question the teachings of popular celebrities, TV producers, and new-age spiritual leaders such as Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, Joel Osteen, Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey and Pastor Rick Warren. McGregor also says, "Christians shouldn't willingly accept everything put in front of them that is labeled 'Christian'". McGregor takes a controversial ...

Visix, Inc. is honored to be named as one of Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce's top 25 Pinnacle Award winners. The esteemed Pinnacle Top 25 are awarded for demonstrating extraordinary growth and contributions to the community. "We're thrilled to be named among this impressive group," says Sean Matthews, President of Visix. "We are proud to be an Atlanta-based company in Gwinnett County. We've always worked to support the community through business practices and outreach participation. It is an honor to be named alongside these 24 inspiring recipients." The ...

Phoenix Industries (PI) today announced it has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,404,164 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its innovative process related to the pelletizing of rubber modified asphalt (bitumen) used in the paving industry. This addition to PI's patent and proprietary technology portfolio broadens the company's intellectual property protection already in place for the PelletPAVE, PelletPATCH and PelletRAP line of pelletized materials. The patent covers the pelletization process and formula technology related to creating a pre-manufactured ...

Independent movie rental kiosks have taken root on the Connecticut shore. The Walmarts and Walgreens of the world have Redbox, but smaller stores like Jojo's Food Mart in Westbrook, Conn. don't meet the criteria for Redbox's automated movie rental kiosks. That's where Connecticut-based independent operators Jeff and Sarah Taylor come in. The owners of Watchitnowdvd.com launched their movie rental kiosk at Jojo's convenience store and gas station this month, and right now it's the only game in this seaside town. The nearest Redbox is over five miles down the coast in ...

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development participated in a past study that showed a defective skin barrier may lead to skin conditions including eczema. Scientists suspect that the breakdown is due to a combination of factors - a genetic predisposition to thin skin, which is then easily damaged by moisture loss and irritation caused by overheating, cold weather, dry winds and exposure to chemical irritants like soap or detergents. One thing is certain, while thin skin is more susceptible to developing eczema, exposure to irritants is often the key ...

In celebration of Women's History Month, Great Minds in STEMTM (GMiS) especially seeks nominations of technically-talented female engineers and scientists for its 25th Anniversary HENAAC Awards. These prestigious, peer-reviewed awards are presented to outstanding Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) professionals who demonstrate high-caliber technical talent and a strong commitment to the Hispanic community. The complete class of 2013 HENAAC honorees will be presented during the 25th Anniversary HENAAC Conference, to be held in New Orleans, LA, from October ...

Leading UK tour operator Mercury Direct announce today that more and more holiday makers each year are choosing to go all inclusive while on holiday. With the UK economy stagnating, holiday makers have to work harder and harder to pay for luxury items such as a trip abroad, however savvy travellers have found that by going all inclusive money spent while they are away is significantly reduced. When planning a holiday most travellers often overlook how much that extras such as meals, drinks and snacks which are not included within their booked board basis, can add on ...

NEW YORK (March 25, 2013) -- Humans don't "own" their own genes, the cellular chemicals that define who they are and what diseases they might be at risk for. Through more than 40,000 patents on DNA molecules, companies have essentially claimed the entire human genome for profit, report two researchers who analyzed the patents on human DNA. Their study, published March 25 in the journal Genome Medicine, raises an alarm about the loss of individual "genomic liberty." In their new analysis, the research team examined two types of patented DNA sequences: long and short fragments. ...

Hamilton, ON, March 25, 2013 – Women's abilities to make fair decisions when competing interests are at stake make them better corporate leaders, researchers have found. A survey of more than 600 board directors showed that women are more likely to consider the rights of others and to take a cooperative approach to decision-making. This approach translates into better performance for their companies. The study, which was published this week in the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, was conducted by Chris Bart, professor of strategic management ...

In an animal study, researchers at the University of Washington show that it was possible to use gene therapy to boost heart muscle function. The finding suggests that it might be possible to use this approach to treat patients whose hearts have been weakened by heart attacks and other heart conditions. Led by University of Washington (UW) Professor and Vice Chair of Bioengineering Michael Regnier and Dr. Chuck Murry, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Biology and co-director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at UW, the study appears online ...

Since most driving is done locally, it is not surprising that most auto accidents occur during routine errands. Yet, occasional seatbelt users are more likely to buckle up for trips on high-speed roads and less likely to use the belts for local driving, according to an analysis of data from 100 instrumented vehicles reported in the January issue of Accident Analysis and Prevention. If drivers and front-seat passengers used seatbelts all the time, deaths from crashes would be reduced by 45 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). ...

JUPITER, FL, March 25, 2013 – Using a broad spectrum of analytical tools, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered a class of novel compounds that can alter cell signaling activity, resulting in a variety of responses including a strong anti-inflammatory effect. These findings could lead to new strategies for treating diseases such as breast cancer. The study, published this week in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, focuses on compounds that interact with the estrogen receptor-α, a therapeutic target in breast ...

March 25, 2013, Shenzhen, China – The advanced online publication version of Nature today presents two manuscripts that provide an unprecedented glimpse into the adaptation and domestication of wheat. These achievements are the results of joint efforts led by the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), and BGI. The two projects sequenced and analyzed two ancestral wheat genomes of Triticum urartu and Aegilops tauschii, respectively, throwing light on the biology of the world's ...

PHILADELPHIA — A drug that indirectly impairs the function of several cancer-driving proteins, including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), may be an effective new treatment for patients with ALK--positive non-small cell lung cancer. The drug, ganetespib, may also be effective for treating patients who have become resistant to the only FDA-approved targeted therapy for this disease, crizotinib, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "Lung cancer, a leading cause of death, is no longer thought of as ...

PHILADELPHIA — Baldness was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer among African-American men, and risk for advanced prostate cancer increased with younger age and type of baldness, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "We focused on African-American men because they are at high risk for developing prostate cancer and are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than other groups in the United States," said Charnita Zeigler-Johnson, Ph.D., research ...

Charlottesville, VA (March 26, 2013). Researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System recommend radiosurgery for treating unruptured arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), because the procedure has a reasonable benefit-to-risk profile. They base this recommendation on an evaluation of clinical and radiographic outcomes in 444 patients treated with radiosurgery for unruptured AVMs at their institution. Detailed findings in this single-institution patient cohort are reported and discussed in "Radiosurgery for patients with unruptured intracranial arteriovenous ...

Previous research has shown that obesity runs in families, and twin studies suggest that this is largely due to genetic factors, with heritability estimates over 50%. 32 genes have been identified as risk factors for obesity but previous analyses suggest that these genes alone cannot fully explain the high level of heritability in childhood obesity, as together they explain only 2% of individual differences in childhood body weight. This has led to a problem of 'missing heritability'. In this study, researchers used a new method called Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis ...

Memphis, Tenn. (March 26, 2013) – Identifying and understanding the combination of factors that leads to autism is an ongoing scientific challenge. This developmental disorder appears in the first three years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. Results from a study led by Larry T. Reiter, PhD, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) are providing significant insights into the disorder through the study of a specific form of autism caused by a duplication on chromosome 15. This month his work appears ...

Durham, NC —Africa isn't the kind of place you might expect to find penguins. But one species lives along Africa's southern coast today, and newly found fossils confirm that as many as four penguin species coexisted on the continent in the past. Exactly why African penguin diversity plummeted to the one species that lives there today is still a mystery, but changing sea levels may be to blame, the researchers say. The fossil findings, described in the March 26 issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, represent the oldest evidence of these iconic tuxedo-clad ...

HUNTSVILLE, TX (3/26/13) -- Gangs are not using the Internet to recruit new members or commit complex cybercrimes, according to a new study funded by Google Ideas. "What they are doing online is typically what they are doing on the street," said David Pyrooz, an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice and coauthor of the study. "For the most part, gang members are using the Internet for self-promotion and braggadocio, but that also involves some forms of criminal and deviant behaviors. " "Criminal and Routine Activities in Online ...

A newly developed membrane used to separate waste from water could become key in the treatment of pollutants ranging from acid mine drainage to oil-containing wastewater, as well as in processes ranging from desalination to kidney dialysis. The research was published in Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group) on Friday, 22 March, coinciding with World Water Day and falling within South Africa's National Water Week. The technology – which was developed by a team of researchers from Wits University, in collaboration with NASA – will make it easier to filter pure ...

PASADENA, Calif.—White blood cells, or leukocytes, are the immune system's warriors. So when an infection or disease attacks the body, the system typically responds by sending more white blood cells into the fray. This means that checking the number of these cells is a relatively easy way to detect and monitor such conditions. Currently, most white blood cell counts are performed with large-scale equipment in central clinical laboratories. If a physician collects blood samples from a patient in the office—usually requiring a full vial of blood for each test—it can take ...

Viewed from the outside, our body looks completely symmetrical. However, most internal organs – including the heart – are formed asymmetrically. The right side of the heart is responsible for pulmonary circulation; the left side supplies the rest of the body. This asymmetry allows the heart to do its job effectively. In a study on zebrafish embryos, the researchers Dr. Justus Veerkamp and PD Dr. Salim Seyfried from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have now shown how the left and right sides of the heart develop differently. Their findings ...

The field of cell therapy, which aims to form new cells in the body in order to cure disease, has taken another important step in the development towards new treatments. A new report from researchers at Lund University in Sweden shows that it is possible to re-programme other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain. Two years ago, researchers in Lund were the first in the world to re-programme human skin cells, known as fibroblasts, to dopamine-producing nerve cells – without taking a detour via the stem cell stage. The research group has now gone a step further ...