February 17, 2013 — Boston, MA — With nearly 20 percent of the United States experiencing an extreme drought, the damage from Hurricane Sandy estimated at $65 billion and farmers in Canada's Prairies struggling with the effects of 2011's devastating flooding, the importance of water security in North America is impossible to overstate. At the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan, director Howard Wheater and his team use the Saskatchewan River Basin as a large-scale case study to generate the science underpinning the policies and practices ...

BOSTON, MA -- Rats can't usually see infrared light, but they have "touched" it in a Duke University lab. The rats sensed the light as a sensation of touch after Duke neurobiologist Miguel Nicolelis and his team fitted the animals with an infrared detector wired to electrodes implanted in the part of the mammalian brain that processes information related to the sense of touch. One of the main flaws of current human, brain-controlled prosthetics is that patients cannot sense the texture of what they touch, Nicolelis said. His goal is to give quadriplegics not only the ...

BOSTON, MASS.—When difficult biological questions are tackled by creative experts in physics, what can result? Images of great beauty, accessible for anyone to appreciate, that also offer rich information on fundamental life processes, and rewarding new paths for analysis and insight. This leading edge of interdisciplinary collaboration in microscopy will be explored in "Innovations in Imaging: Seeing is Believing," Saturday, February 16, 1:30-4:30 PM at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston. The panel will feature three physicists and three biologists, several of ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Exercise doesn't only strengthen your heart and muscles – it also beefs up your brain. Dozens of studies now show that aerobic exercise can increase the size of critical brain structures and improve cognition in children and older adults. University of Illinois psychology professor Art Kramer, a nationally recognized expert on the role of physical fitness on cognition, will discuss these brain-changing outcomes at a session of the 2013 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston on Feb. 16. Kramer is the director of the ...

In his Feb. 12 State of the Union address, President Obama singled out climate change as a top priority for his second administration. "We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence," he said. "Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it's too late." Four years ago, the president addressed rising global temperatures by pledging a 17 percent cut in carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Hairless skin first evolved in humans as a way to keep cool -- and then turned into a canvas to help them look cool, according to a Penn State anthropologist. About 1.5 to 2 million years ago, early humans, who were regularly on the move as hunters and scavengers, evolved into nearly hairless creatures to more efficiently sweat away excess body heat, said Nina Jablonski, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology. Later, humans began to decorate skin to increase attractiveness to the opposite sex and to express, among other things, group identity. "We ...

BOSTON — Through research led by Michigan State University, crop yields have increased dramatically. The children of Ekwendi, Malawi, also have gained weight and are taller. These improvements bring smiles to Sieglinde Snapp, MSU ecologist, and other researchers who have worked in Malawi for many years. Snapp, a crop and soil scientist at MSU's Kellogg Biological Station, shared the secrets of the initiative's success at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Feb. 14-18 in Boston. One of the focal points of her research has been ...

The news sounds grim: mounting scientific evidence indicates climate change will lead to more frequent and intense extreme weather that affects larger areas and lasts longer. However, we can reduce the risk of weather-related disasters with a variety of measures, according to Stanford Woods Institute Senior Fellow Chris Field. Field will discuss how to prepare for and adapt to a new climate at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Boston. Field's talk, "Weather Extremes: Coping With the Changing Risks," will be part of a symposium ...

Canine Colors, a subsidiary of True Colors International, features a unique new exhibit at the 4th annual Wisdom 2.0 conference on Feb. 21 through Feb. 24th at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, Calif. where thought leaders from business and technology come together to share their insight on how to connect with our non-digital selves and using technology in ways enhance our well-being, making us effective and useful to the world. "This is a great corporate tool for employee engagement and team building. We want our employees to bring their whole self ...

Stanbridge College, a technical college that offers Masters, Bachelor and Associate of Science degrees and diploma programs in Allied Health and Information Technology, nursing student, Vanessa Gonzalez-Arroyo raised over $6,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The full-time nursing student, worked with in Team in Training, a non-profit organization that trains runners, walkers, triathletes, cyclists and hikers to support cancer research, to participate in two events: a marathon in San Diego and a hike in Yosemite where she raised $2,743 with over 40 donations and ...

Anita Bradfield is a determined single lady, with no car, no savings account, who has found herself in an unusual and difficult situation in life. She is struggling with brain swelling for several years, no health insurance, and in a job economy that makes staying employed longer than a year very difficult. Yes, with brain swelling Anita gets up and goes to work, when work is available. Her attendance at work is as good as her peers, who are healthy. That accomplishment is amazing to pull off, if you live with brain swelling. How do you get up and go to work every day like ...

Today EcoPlum, the green shopping rewards boutique, announces an e-gift cards program, the latest enhancement to its online shopping experience. The gift cards, sent electronically, are an environmentally friendly way to give eco friendly gifts and may be used to buy eco friendly products in the EcoPlum Online Boutique. Gia Machlin, CEO and Founder of EcoPlum, exclaims, "Holidays are great, but many of us are too busy to come up with the perfect eco friendly gifts for our loved ones on their birthdays, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day or any other occasion. Our new ...

My Little Salesman will exhibit and attend the Oregon Logging Conference February 21 - 23 at the Lane Convention Center in Eugene, OR. As the largest indoor/outdoor forestry show west of the Mississippi, the Oregon Logging Conference provides professional development opportunities for forestry professionals through seminars, competitions, and an exhibit hall featuring dealers and manufacturers from around the world. 2013 marks the 75th Oregon Logging Conference. My Little Salesman invites all Oregon Logging Conference attendees to booth #146 for demonstrations on new ...

GiftWorksPlus, an American business specializing in personalized picture frames, is focusing not only on creating unique frames, but also the pictures that fill them. A new blog series at GiftWorksPlus.com will feature helpful tips for capturing quality photographs. The GiftWorksPlus blog series is timed to align with those who are planning winter getaways or upcoming summer vacations. Tips will include a wide variety of topics from remembering to pack extra memory cards to considering the rule of thirds and choosing the right personalized picture frames to compliment ...

Grammy award winning arranger/composer Nan Schwartz contributed orchestrations to two Oscar nominated film scores: ARGO and LIFE OF PI. The scores for ARGO won the Satellite Award, Life of Pi won the Golden Globe and both scores are Academy Award nominated. Nan Schwartz was nominated this year for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist for "Wild is the Wind" performed by Whitney Kaufman and the London Symphony Orchestra. For ARGO, film composer Alexandre Desplat combined Iranian influences with classic orchestration. He turned ...

Following the successful arbitration of a number of high profile disputes, MPGQS is now helping a number of its Irish-based clients expand their operations overseas. Some of its more recent successes come in the form of the Steelworks Apartments in Dublin which called upon MPGQS to settle a dispute with the developer for unpaid fees of GBP1.5 million. It also acted on behalf of a contractor and builder on a shopping centre in Kilkenny, between a consulting engineer and a private hospital, a facilities manager in dispute over provision of services to a sports surgery ...

Excel Software announced Safe Activation was integrated with over a dozen online shopping cart and payment services. Safe Activation is an online activation server that automates the activation and licensing process for protected software, documents, plugins, web applications and other digital products. Other enhancements include registered downloads to securely deliver digital products and ShipIt to sell online without an online merchant account. Safe Activation works with PayPal, Amazon Simple Pay or Google Wallet to enable any software vendor to sell products, collect ...

BidOn Entertainment, a Ukrainian game development company, is pleased to announce the launch of a new Wild West shooter for iOS, called Bounty Hunter. The game integrates ideas and experience from the previous cowboy game the company worked on with a new exciting plot and improved duel mechanics. "We wanted to design a series of games that would add some movement and excitement in the players' lives," said Vladimir Dybenko, Director of BidOn Entertainment. "Bounty Hunter is a big step in that direction for us, and we hope the users will have as much fun ...

For the upcoming National Clam Chowder Day, February 25, Benny's Chop House (444 N. Wabash Ave., 312-626-2444) suggests a twist on a familiar dish, Benny's Chowder ($8.99). It is a Manhattan-style chowder with clams and rock shrimp plus Vermouth, which adds subtle sweetness and fruitiness, and Pernod, which adds a mild anise flavor. These ingredients are, in part, what make Benny's Chowder a very unique standout. The tasty dish can easily compete with Chicago's and New York's best. Benny's challenges you to try it and judge for yourself. Chowder History The word ...

American Hero T Shirt is the premium seller of its patriotic apparel and accessories. Recently, the company launched a new design called 31 Heroes to commemorate 31 American soldiers who died on 08/06/2011 in Afghanistan. The soldiers were on their way to provide support to an on-ground team, when their Chinook helicopter crashed in Tangi Valley. The chopper was hit by a rocket propelled grenade, launched by Taliban insurgents. 22 of the 31 heroes were SEAL commandos. The dead included the chopper's crew of five US servicemen and a service dog. The 31 heroes shirt ...

Bio-Synthesis, Inc., a leading biotech supplier of chemical biology reagents, is proud to announce Instant Quenchers , a better alternative to BHQ 1, 2 and 3 for oligonucleotides. Dual labeled oligonucleotides are commonly used to monitor the kinetics of PCR amplification and other biological processes in real time. In one version of this method, the oligonucleotides are designed to hybridize to the 3' side ("downstream") of an amplification primer so that the 5'-3' exonuclease activity of a polymerase digests the 5' end of the probe, cleaving off one of the ...

The North Central Indiana Small Business Development Center and Precept Partners announced their latest joint seminar program: "Taking the Fear Out of Mobile Technology" slated for presentation at 11: 30 am, on Thursday, February 21, 2013, at the Commerce Center in South Bend, IN. The seminar presenter and Precept Partners Manager, Stephen Antisdel said, "This program is designed to help business owners and managers understand how the rapid growth of tablet computers and smartphones are changing basic assumptions about the Internet and what these changes ...

Find out how easy it can be to give your business a makeover! Join AAA Building Maintenance as they celebrate 15 years of service within the Denver and Lakewood area by offering specials throughout the 2013 year. Kyle Grivette and Rae Harris, the founder and owners of AAA Building Maintenance, never thought that having such a dirty job would be so rewarding, but they have been doing it for 15 years and they want you to help celebrate their success. Leave the dirty jobs to them because no one loves those filthy jobs like they do. They scrub, they strip, they wax, they ...

The Macular Degeneration Association will be hosting a series of educational symposiums throughout the United States to raise awareness about age related macular degeneration and share information and provide macular patients an opportunity to learn about the latest information surrounding treatments and drugs for age-related macular degeneration. There will also be a forum where patients and caregivers can exchange their questions and concerns with experts in the field of macular, as well as other patients. The programs will feature general session presentations and ...

GetEngaged.com, diamond manufacturer and retailer, has partnered with AffiliateManager.com, premier affiliate management agency, to launch the GetEngaged affiliate management program. Diamond manufacturing technology makes eye-catching jewelry of world-class quality ethical, eco-friendly and affordable. And GetEngaged.com makes shopping for manufactured diamonds convenient and satifying by showcasing their inventory online and guaranteeing their products and service for life. GetEngaged.com has hundreds of engagement rings in stock, styles that are considered to ...