From Junior Seau, former San Diego Chargers linebacker, to Dave Duerson, former Chicago Bears safety — who both committed suicide as a result of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have been making gruesome headlines at an alarming rate. In the United States alone, TBIs account for an estimated 1.6 - 3.8 million sports injuries every year, with approximately 300,000 of those being diagnosed among young, nonprofessional athletes. But TBIs are not confined to sports; they are also considered a signature wound among soldiers of the Iraq ...

Washington, D.C. (March 26, 2013) – Despite some very high-profile female candidates and elected officials, and what looks like a changing landscape of U.S. politics, a new study conducted by American University professor and director of its Women and Politics Institute Jennifer L. Lawless and Richard L. Fox (Loyola Marymount University) reveals that young women are less likely than young men ever to have considered running for office, to express interest in a candidacy at some point in the future, or to consider elective office a desirable profession. In their new ...

A once-promising approach for using next-generation, ultra-intense lasers to help deliver commercially viable fusion energy has been brought into serious question by new experimental results and first-of-a-kind simulations of laser-plasma interaction. Researchers at The Ohio State University are evaluating a two-stage process in which a pellet of fusion fuel is first crushed by lasers on all sides, shrinking the pellet to dozens of times its original size, followed by an ultra-intense burst of laser light to ignite a chain reaction. This two-stage approach is called Fast ...

The nation's 40 federally-funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) spent $17.8 billion on research and development (R&D) in fiscal year (FY) 2011, according to a recent report from the National Science Foundation. More than $850 million of the total was supplied by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. FFRDCs are privately operated R&D organizations financed by the federal government. They include national labs and observatories. Federal funding accounted for 97.6 percent, or $17.4 billion, of the FFRDCs' total expenditures in FY 2011. ...

In a National Science Foundation funded study, Kathleen Alexander, an associate professor of wildlife at Virginia Tech, found that climate drives a large part of diarrheal disease and increases the threat of climate change for vulnerable communities. The only study of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa is based on three decades of historical data and has important implications for arid countries around the world struggling with poverty and increasing health challenges. Alexander, a veterinarian, teaches in Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment and ...

When it officially came online at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) in early January 2012, Gordon was instantly impressive. In one demonstration, it sustained more than 35 million input/output operations per second--then, a world record. Input/output operations are an important measure for data intensive computing, indicating the ability of a storage system to quickly communicate between an information processing system, such as a computer, and the outside world. Input/output operations specify how fast a system can retrieve randomly organized data common in large ...

PHILADELPHIA - Certified Primary Stroke Centers are three times more likely to administer clot-busting treatment for strokes than non-certified centers, reports a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, looked at a wide sample of hospitals across the United States, and provides insight into practice across the US health care system as experts examine ways to increase the use of this important therapy. Clot busting treatment is used to open blocked ...

Engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed a portable mapping system -- carried in a backpack -- that can be used to automatically create annotated physical maps of locations where GPS is not available, such as in underground areas and on ships. Produced for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System (EMAPS) captures a floor-plan-style map of the area traversed as well as 360-degree photos and sensor readings of that area using a combination of lasers and sensors. The system improves ...

VIDEO: When you navigate with a compass you can orient yourself thanks to Earth's global magnetic field. But on Mars, if you were to walk around with a compass it would... Click here for more information. When the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission begins its journey to the Red Planet in 2013, it will carry a sensitive magnetic-field instrument built and tested by a team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Scheduled for launch in late 2013, ...

A psychological experiment known as "the marshmallow test" has captured the public's imagination as a marker of self control and even as a predictor of future success. This test shows how well children can delay gratification, a trait that has been shown to be as important to scholastic performance as traditional IQ. New research from University of Pennsylvania psychologists suggests, however, that changing one's mind about delaying gratification can be a rational decision in situations when the timing of the payoff is uncertain. The research was conducted by assistant ...

Early diagnosis is critical in treating Lyme disease. However, nearly one quarter of Lyme disease patients are initially misdiagnosed because currently available serological tests have poor sensitivity and specificity during the early stages of infection. Misdiagnosed patients may go untreated and thus progress to late-stage Lyme disease, where they face longer and more invasive treatments, as well as persistent symptoms. Existing tests assess the presence of antibodies against bacterial proteins, which take weeks to form after the initial infection and persist after ...

University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slows the aging process and may prevent the progression of some cancers. In the March 23 online edition of the prestigious journal Aging Cell, scientists from the University of Montreal explain how they found that the antidiabetic drug metformin reduces the production of inflammatory cytokines that normally activate the immune system, but if overproduced can lead to pathological inflammation, a condition that both damages tissues in aging and favors tumor growth. "Cells ...

Electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures and records electrical activity in the brain, is a quick and efficient way of determining whether seizures are the cause of altered mental status (AMS) and spells, according to a study by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco. The research, which focused on patients who had been given an EEG after being admitted to the hospital for symptoms such as AMS and spells, appears on March 27 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. "We have demonstrated a surprisingly high frequency of seizures – more than 7 percent – in a ...

DETROIT – While the number of people – especially women – who have a minimally invasive procedure to remove kidney stones has risen in recent years, so has the rate of complications related to the surgery, according to a published study by Henry Ford Hospital. The research, from Khurshid R. Ghani, M.D., of Henry Ford Hospital's Vattikuti Urology Institute, appears in the current issue of Journal of Urology. The focus of the investigation was the procedure, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, or PCNL, in which a surgeon removes medium to large kidney stones through a small ...

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of Florida studied health care providers to determine the factors associated with disparities in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among girls, ages 9 to 17, from low-income families. They found that physician vaccination strategies and the type of practice play a role in whether or not girls were vaccinated. The study results were published in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer. "The HPV vaccine has made cervical cancer preventable. However, low-income and minority women still experience a higher number ...

West Virginia nursing home abuse and neglect: signs to watch for Article provided by The Bell Law Firm, PLLC Visit us at http://www.wvnursinghomeabuselawyer.com When you have to admit a beloved elder to a nursing home for care, you hope for the best under difficult circumstances, that he or she will be well cared for and feel secure. And you have the right to expect that the facility will comply with state and federal laws that require adequate staffing levels, screening for safe hiring, secure buildings; proper equipment, healthy nutrition, professional medical ...

Valuing homes in Oklahoma divorces Article provided by Baysinger Henson Reimer Shaddix PLLC Visit us at http://www.bhrslaw.com In nearly every marriage dissolution, the divorcing couple will have to go through the process of dividing their marital property. Oklahoma is an "equitable division" state, meaning that marital assets and debts are supposed to be divided equally between the two spouses. The hardest part of most asset division cases is figuring out what to do with the family home. Usually, the home is the most valuable asset a divorcing couple ...

Understanding the Tax Consequences of Divorce Article provided by Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee, LLP Visit us at http://www.mirickfamilylaw.com Going through a divorce involves a lot more than just a lifestyle transition. In addition to adapting to a new life as a single person, most new divorcees will also face significantly different financial outlooks than they did when they were married. This is especially true for couples where one spouse stayed home while the other worked, or where one spouse had a significantly higher income than the other. ...

Custody, parenting plans and visitation in Massachusetts divorces Article provided by Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee, LLP Visit us at http://www.mirickfamilylaw.com Going through a divorce is hard. But, for however stressful a divorce may be for the couple that is separating, it is even harder on their children. Once the divorce has been finalized, if not during the pending of the case, children may have to adapt to a whole new child custody and parenting arrangement. After living their whole lives with both parents in the same home, adapting to a shared ...

Hardship waiver rule change benefits "mixed status" families Article provided by Wilner & O'Reilly Visit us at http://www.wilneroreilly.com At the beginning of March, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Department began accepting provisional unlawful presence waiver applications. The new process will reduce waiting times for those with family-based immigration petitions, who have unlawful presence in the country. The new rule will allow some undocumented immigrants who are the immediate relatives of an U.S. citizen to apply for a hardship ...

Immigrant-entrepreneur visa proposed Article provided by Wilner & O'Reilly Visit us at http://www.wilneroreilly.com Immigration reform is a stated priority of the current congress. In February, a group of both Democrat and Republican senators introduced a bill that would create a special visa for entrepreneurs and provide green cards to students graduating from American universities with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees. The details of the proposed visa are interesting and dovetail with the push to create more jobs as unemployment ...

Severance agreements protect sought-after executives Article provided by Adelson, Robert A. Visit us at http://www.executiveemploymentattorney.com/ A new job, like a new marriage, brims with excitement. Often the job does result in success and brings even further opportunity. Like a prenuptial agreement, however, it is wise to plan for a separation when such high stakes are involved. A severance agreement protects executives employed on an at-will or other basis in the event of termination without good cause. A Board of Directors can fire an executive employed ...

To all expecting and proud new parents of newborn babies. Hush a Bye Photography presents the most amazing experience of capturing every moment of your little bundle of joy, building blissful memories to be treasured forever. With a unique approach to newborn photography, the San Diego based business is run by two professional, talented photographers, Tara and Karly, whose love for babies has made just the perfect team for newborn photography. With a passion for photography and a love for babies, Tara and Karly have excelled in the art and 'science' of newborn photography, ...

Debra Burdick, LCSWR, BCN, also known as "The Brain Lady", teaches how to achieve improved well-being during her 3-week on-line classes is at thebrainlady.com/mindfullness/. The intensive tele-trainings will cover what mindfulness is, and how you can incorporate it into your daily life for better physical and mental health. According to Burdick, "research suggests that using mindfulness skills can save your life." Based on extensive mindfulness research and her work with hundreds of clients, Burdick's trainings utilize experiential techniques. ...

NC Beautiful has announced the winners of the 2013 Windows of Opportunity (WOO) Grants from The Duke Energy Foundation. Eight schools were awarded WOO Grants, which were created to cultivate an appreciation of natural environments by helping K-12 children get out of school and into natural settings. The grants also build leadership awareness, develop environmental educational mentors and ambassadors, create materials and resources that can be used by other students, and develop a sustainable outdoor program. The Duke Energy Foundation improves the quality of life in ...