NEW YORK -- November 2, 2012 -- For decades, "bigger is better" has been the conventional path to efficiency in industries ranging from transportation to power generation. Food once grown on small family plots now comes overwhelmingly from factory farms. Vessels that carried 2,000 tons of cargo have been replaced by modern container ships that routinely move 150,000 tons. But now, new research shows, we are on the cusp of a radical shift from building big to building small—a change that has profound implications for both established and emerging industries. Many industry ...

The ability of fluorescence microscopy to study labeled structures like cells has now been empowered to deliver greater spatial and temporal resolutions that were not possible before, thanks to a new method developed by University of Illinois researcher Gabriel Popescu and Ru Wang from his lab. Using this method, they were able to study the critical process of cell transport dynamics at multiple spatial and temporal scales and reveal, for the first time, properties of diffusive and directed motion transport in living cells. Popescu leads the Quantitative Light Imaging ...

Income inequality has become a major topic of discussion over the last year and yet consensus on what (if anything) should be done about it seems elusive. New research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that a simple manipulation of language might be able to influence support for policies aimed at addressing income inequality. Income inequality can be described in two ways: as the rich making more than the poor, or as the poor making less than the rich. The two descriptions convey identical information, ...

Satellite imagery from Nov. 2 showed that Sandy's remnant clouds continue to linger over Canada and the northeastern U.S. The National Weather Service map for Nov. 2, 2012 showed two areas of low pressure over eastern Canada, near Quebec. That's where the remnants of Sandy are located and the storm's massive cloud cover continues to linger over a large area. That low pressure area is associated with Sandy's remnants. A visible image from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite at 1:31 p.m. EDT on Nov. 2, 2012 showed the remnant clouds from Sandy still linger over the Great Lakes east ...

Boulder, CO, USA – In response to the devastation caused last week by Hurricane Sandy, organizers of the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting technical sessions on rapid sea-level rise and its impacts have created a break-out discussion panel consisting of geoscience experts. The idea is to relate early findings and discuss how the changes caused by Hurricane Sandy to the U.S. East Coast tie into the scientific papers already scheduled for presentation. Session organizers George T. Stone of Milwaukee Area Technical College, Michael E. Mann of The Pennsylvania ...

HERSHEY, Pa. -- Extending Medicaid coverage to currently uninsured adults is likely to increase the cost of the program, according to health policy researchers, because those patients are prone to have more expensive health problems than nondisabled adults currently enrolled in Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act gives individual states the option to expand their Medicaid programs to cover many who are uninsured. A study by Penn State and Wake Forest University researchers is among the first to quantify the potential financial impact of this option. "We sought to compare ...

Richmond, Va. – (November 1, 2012) – Men with employment-contingent health insurance (ECHI) who suffer a health shock, such as a cancer diagnosis or hospitalization, are more likely to feel "locked" into remaining at work and are at greater risk for losing their insurance during this critical time as compared to men who are on their spouse's insurance plan or on private insurance plans, according to a new study by Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Published in the International Journal of Health Care and Economics, the study was led by Cathy J. Bradley, ...

The brain holds in mind what has just been seen by synchronizing brain waves in a working memory circuit, an animal study supported by the National Institutes of Health suggests. The more in-sync such electrical signals of neurons were in two key hubs of the circuit, the more those cells held the short-term memory of a just-seen object. Charles Gray, Ph.D., of Montana State University, Bozeman, a grantee of NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and colleagues, report their findings Nov. 1, 2012, online, in the journal Science Express. "This work demonstrates, ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Some high mountain meadows in the Pacific Northwest are declining rapidly due to climate change, a study suggests, as reduced snowpacks, longer growing seasons and other factors allow trees to invade these unique ecosystems that once were carpeted with grasses, shrubs and wildflowers. The process appears to have been going on for decades, but was highlighted in one recent analysis of Jefferson Park, a subalpine meadow complex in the central Oregon Cascade Range, in which tree occupation rose from 8 percent in 1950 to 35 percent in 2007. The findings ...

SAN DIEGO -- A drug therapy shows promise for treating an inherited form of kidney disease called autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), Mayo Clinic researchers say. The medication, tolvaptan, slowed the pace of kidney cyst growth over the three years of the study. The phase three clinical trial results were being presented today at the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. The multicenter study found tolvaptan demonstrated a nearly 50 percent reduction in the rate of increase in total ...

It is a fact that planning for one's demise is not a popular pastime for most people nationwide. However, if you fail to prepare your estate plan properly, it can bring serious hardships on your loved ones. Unfortunately, estate planning is an area of law where there is widespread confusion among the public. As you are considering your estate plan, it is important to be aware of some of the most common myths. Estate Planning Is Just For the Rich Many individuals think that estate planning is not needed if the estate is not big enough to be subject to estate taxes ...

Recently, a dangerous combination of factors -- distracted driving and drunk driving --caused a two-car accident in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The woman who allegedly caused the accident was both under the influence of alcohol and distracted at the time of the crash. Reportedly, a law enforcement official who arrived at the scene detected alcohol on the motorist's breath. She agreed to a field sobriety test, which indicated she was under the influence of alcohol. While she would not state how many drinks she had consumed that evening, she told officers that she had ...

While motor vehicle accidents involving all types of vehicles can prove deadly, those involving large trucks are often the most dangerous. The severity of these accidents is generally due to the size difference between the large commercial motor vehicle and, often, the much smaller passenger car with which it collides. As a result of the seriousness of these accidents, researchers in India have begun examining truck accident crash data to identify the typical causes of these accidents. By understanding the common causes, trucking companies will be able to educate their ...

In the summer of 2011, former North Dakota Attorney General Nicholas Spaeth filed a dramatic age discrimination suit against six U.S. law schools, including Michigan State University College of Law. Spaeth alleged that the schools passed over his applications for employment, instead hiring younger, less qualified candidates as law professors in violation of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, known as the ADEA. Spaeth, who is in his early 60s, has a long, distinguished legal career that includes a law degree from Stanford, a stint as a law clerk at the ...

Limited liability corporations and limited liability partnerships are useful entity types that can accomplish a variety of purposes for a business. Which entity type is appropriate for a business depends upon the type of business, the number of owners, the financial situation of the business and how the owners want to run the business. Only certain types of California businesses are allowed to form an LLP or LLC. Under California law, only professionals such as architects, attorneys or accountants can form an LLP. LLCs, on the other hand, cast a wider net and can involve ...

New commercial construction increasingly uses "green" technology such as wind turbines, fuel cells and even vegetative roofs in an attempt to lower energy costs and be more environmentally responsible. Commercial enterprises use green buildings to cultivate an image of corporate responsibility that will appeal to consumers. In addition, studies have shown that green buildings, which tend to have natural light and fresh air, can improve employee concentration and boost productivity. It is no surprise, then, that green commercial building construction is on the ...

Pennsylvania Small Claims Court The Pennsylvania State Court system is comprised of five courts: the Minor Judiciary/Magisterial District Court (small claims court), Common Pleas, Commonwealth Court, Superior Court and Supreme Court. This article will provide to the consumer a brief overview of civil lawsuits in small claims court. Small Claims Actions Magisterial district justices (also known as MDJs) hear a wide variety of cases involving criminal complaints and prosecutions, landlord-tenant disputes, and general civil complaints, such as collection matters and ...

Construction Defects Increase as Contractors Work Outside of Expertise The economy has forced many builders and contractors in Colorado and elsewhere in the country to take on projects outside of their expertise in order to stay afloat or gain new business. However, the consequence of builders and contractors taking on projects outside of their wheelhouses may lead to a rise in construction defects detrimentally affecting commercial and residential clients. When a builder takes on a project outside of an area of expertise, the builder remains responsible for any negligence ...

Social Media and Divorce Along with social media comes many positives and negatives. Facebook and Twitter provide great ways to stay in touch with loved ones and transmit information in a quick and efficient way. Recently however, social media is having a larger role in divorce proceedings in the United States, and often, the consequences of using social media in this setting are not positive. How Social Media Can Affect a Divorce Case The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers reports that social media postings are increasingly being used in divorce proceedings. ...

Beware of Hidden Assets in Divorce Couples going through a divorce in Texas must usually undergo a thorough lifestyle analysis to determine the couple's marital property and what an individual's budget may look like after the divorce. An accurate inventory of all the assets is an essential part of the analysis and is vital to achieving a fair division of property in a Texas divorce. Unfortunately, some spouses try to cheat by hiding assets, then reclaiming them some time after the property division is finalized, ending up with an unfair share of the marital property. ...

Brake Safety Week Targets Large Truck Operators West Virginia motorists may not find it surprising that large commercial vehicles are harder to stop than passenger cars. At its best, the braking system on a tractor-trailer needs twice as much distance to bring the vehicle to a stop, compared to the braking performance of smaller vehicles. If road conditions are not ideal or brakes are poorly maintained, the stopping distance for large trucks can be even greater. Recognizing that brake systems in good working order can help prevent dangerous trucking accidents, the ...

New Jersey's Alimony Laws Under the Microscope New Jersey's alimony laws are getting a lot of attention lately, as two widely disparate groups -- those in favor of dramatically revamping the state's "antiquated" laws governing alimony awards and those who feel that the current system is both fair and impartial -- plead their case to the public and lawmakers alike. New Jersey's legislature is taking the debate about alimony seriously. The state's General Assembly unanimously passed a bill that would authorize the creation of an impartial committee that would ...

Massachusetts Drug Lab Shutdown Puts Convictions in Question When a person is prosecuted for a drug crime in Massachusetts, the evidence is sent to a state laboratory where scientists run tests to prove that the substance in question is, in fact, an illegal drug. In most instances, the results of these tests end up being a major part of the prosecution's case. Without them, it becomes very difficult to prove the defendant was guilty of selling or possessing illegal drugs. Sadly, it appears that an untold number of Massachusetts criminal defendants may have been subject ...

From the animated entrance of the characters, She and He, the play follows them through a full range of drama and humor. The couple shares their secrets hopes, dreams and experiences as they evolve and journey through life, sometimes together, sometimes apart. At times they find themselves laughing as they share joyful moments while, at other times, they suffer pain and longing together. Scenes tinted with kindness and cruelty, bliss and bitterness and at times, irony; keep the audience engaged as unexpected developments shape each of the characters throughout the play. Taking ...

LetsMeetAtJoes, a Denver based startup that simplifies scheduling with powerful tools and social networking features, has launched a crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo.com In its most basic form LetsMeetAtJoes is a SaaS solution that allows people to collaboratively schedule a date, time and location for a small get-together, yet it's powerful enough to scale with more advanced features (file sharing, pictures, communication, etc.) to manage large groups and organizations. If you've ever tried to coordinate a get-together with more than two or three people you ...