The United States Supreme Court recently decided to hear a case that could have an impact on the approximately 1.4 million people who are arrested nationwide for driving while intoxicated each year. The legal issue before the court is whether those who have been stopped on suspicion of DWI have Fourth Amendment protection against forced blood tests. The case, Missouri v. McNeely, began when a highway patrol officer in Missouri pulled over Tyler McNeely for speeding. During the stop, the officer claimed that McNeely's behavior gave him cause to believe that he was intoxicated. ...

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, private employers reported almost 3 million non-fatal injuries and illness among their employees in 2011. While laws exist to help provide safe workplaces for workers in the U.S., employees themselves can take steps to help protect themselves while on the job. Education One of the most important things that employees can do to help promote workplace safety is to educate themselves. Workers should be aware of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration's industry-specific safety standards for the fields in which ...

Consumers put a lot of trust in drug companies to produce and sell drugs that they believe will cure our ailments. But when things go wrong consumers and patients may end up with more problems than they may have started with. In Macon, Georgia, an elderly woman contracted fungal meningitis after using contaminated steroid injections to treat her back pain. Georgia's first steroid injection meningitis case The elderly woman had received an epidural injection of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate at the Forsyth Street Ambulatory Surgery Center in Macon, the ...

Recent controversy over prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for prostate cancer has left many men confused. In May 2012, a report was released with new government guidelines regarding PSA testing. The guidelines discouraged the use of the blood test that looks for PSA in high levels as an indication of prostate cancer. This controversial statement has been challenged by many medical professional who reassert the need for this testing. The new guidelines In the new guidelines, the concern was that with routine PSA testing, men were being unnecessarily treated for ...

It is no secret that a person who has consumed alcohol poses a danger on the road and should not be driving. And while most people would not consider getting behind the wheel after having a few drinks, many do not hesitate to drive after taking prescription medications. Unfortunately, drugged driving can have the same devastating results as drunk driving. Connection Between Prescription Medications and Car Accidents According to a recent study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, people who take prescription medications for insomnia, anxiety ...

Criminal diversion programs are a way to keep one mistake off your record. Usually diversionary program require some educational component and a fee, but it is often worth it to have a ticket torn up or a criminal charge dismissed. DuPage County recently started a "pretrial diversion" program. This would allow those accused of a felony offense the chance to keep the charge off their records. State's Attorney Bob Berlin said that it would allow his criminal prosecutors to spend more time fighting violent crime. Similar initiatives in neighboring Cook, Kane ...

Large vehicles like commercial buses and semi-trucks pose special hazards to others on the road. Although bus and truck drivers are not necessarily more at risk for causing a motor vehicle accident, the sheer size of their vehicles means that when crashes do occur, the chance of serious injury or death is much greater. As such, the federal government has a significant interest in regulating these carriers to prevent bus and truck accidents. To that end, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regularly conducts safety inspections on all interstate truck and bus ...

The Oregon Court of Appeals recently issued an interesting ruling involving the receipt and use of a substantial inheritance during a 15-year marriage in a case called In the Matter of the Marriage of Morton and Morton. At the time of their divorce, the husband was age 63 and his wife was 48. Throughout the marriage, he had worked as a lumber broker and typically earned more than $150,000 per year until his income dropped sharply in 2008 due to the recession. That same year, the wife's father died, leaving her an inheritance worth nearly $1.25 million. Both parties ...

For most jobs, it is not important to be in tip-top shape. Many of the country's office, retail, administrative and public service workers are overweight or dealing with some sort of chronic health issue like heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or arthritis, and can still perform their jobs well. The risk to the general public is lower, however, for clerical or retail jobs preformed by employees in poor health than it is to for a long-haul trucker. Long-haul truckers (also called over-the-road truckers) are some of the unhealthiest people in the American ...

Seven-time Grand Slam Champion and tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe has agreed to play in the first annual Necker Cup, joining world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the Bryan Brothers and other current and past ATP players in the Premier Tennis Travel hosted pro-am on Sir Richard Branson's private island, Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands. The 53-year-old McEnroe is currently leading the standings of the PowerShares Champions Tour with wins over Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier and Michael Chang. Additionally, Necker Cup organizers at Premier ...

Rocket21 (the new social network where kids explore amazing possibilities for their lives and futures) and the Captain Planet Foundation (supporting hands-on environmental projects for children and youth) today announced a contest to increase awareness of green careers and sustainable lifestyle choices among GenerationZ youth. The promotion is a part of Rocket21's Dream Here Dream Big Series - and four passionate students will win an unforgettable evening. "Rocket21 is about supporting all kids' dreams, every single day. But we are also scanning the globe 24/7 ...

Corcentric, a leading provider of Accounts Payable automation solutions, announces the appointment of Matt Clark to the role of Vice President of Operations. Matt joined Corcentric in 2004 as a Sales Executive and has been a key player in the organization's record growth. Prior to his tenure at Corcentric, Matt worked as a Project Manager for Infolinx System Solutions where he managed the implementation of records management solutions at large government agencies like The National Institute of Health (NIH) and DC Child Support. During his time at Corcentric, he has ...

Gold demand remains resilient. Q3 2012 was above the five year quarterly average of 984.7t, according to the World Gold Council's Gold Demand Trends Report. In value terms gold demand was 14.0% lower year on year at $57.6bn and the average gold price of $1,652/oz was down 3% on the record average Q3 2011 price. The key findings from the report are as follows: - Global investment in ETFs over the quarter was up significantly by 56% on the previous year. - The Indian market is showing signs of recovery, up 9% to 223.1t from 204.8t in Q3 2011 following increases in ...

Everyone knows that Firelight Fusion means savings, but the company continues to add deal after deal to their offerings that makes the product and company irresistible to smokers looking to switch from smoking tobacco. On top of their low prices, they now offer free shipping and a free battery program when re-ordering cartridges. They also offer bundles of their electronic cigarette starter kit that are designed to make the smokers life as easy as possible. "We designed bundle kits to help keep startup cost low for smokers looking to switch to the electronic ...

Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered a new mode of action for enzymes immersed in cellular membranes. Their experiments suggest that instead of recognizing and clipping proteins based on sequences of amino acids, these proteases' location within membranes gives them the unique ability to recognize and cut proteins with unstable structures. In a report published online Nov. 13 in the new journal eLife, the Johns Hopkins scientists say their study results are the first to shed light on how these enzymes make use of their native environment to function. The particular ...

Insights from a genetic condition that causes brain cancer are helping scientists better understand the most common type of brain tumor in children. In new research, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a cell growth pathway that is unusually active in pediatric brain tumors known as gliomas. They previously identified the same growth pathway as a critical contributor to brain tumor formation and growth in neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1), an inherited cancer predisposition syndrome. "This suggests that the tools we've been developing ...

Come rain or shine (or even snow), some glaciers of the Himalayas will continue shrinking for many years to come. The forecast by Brigham Young University geology professor Summer Rupper comes after her research on Bhutan, a region in the bull's-eye of the monsoonal Himalayas. Published in Geophysical Research Letters, Rupper's most conservative findings indicate that even if climate remained steady, almost 10 percent of Bhutan's glaciers would vanish within the next few decades. What's more, the amount of melt water coming off these glaciers could drop by 30 percent. Rupper ...

Maternal vitamin C deficiency during pregnancy can have serious consequences for the foetal brain. And once brain damage has occurred, it cannot be reversed by vitamin C supplements after birth. This is shown through new research at the University of Copenhagen just published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. Population studies show that between 10-20 per cent of all adults in the developed world suffer from vitamin C deficiency. Therefore, pregnant women should think twice about omitting the daily vitamin pill. "Even marginal vitamin C deficiency in the mother stunts ...

Children who learn how to swim at a young age are reaching many developmental milestones earlier than the norm. Researchers from the Griffith Institute for Educational Research surveyed parents of 7000 under-fives from Australia, New Zealand and the US over three years. A further 180 children aged 3, 4 and 5 years have been involved in intensive testing, making it the world's most comprehensive study into early-years swimming. Lead researcher Professor Robyn Jorgensen says the study shows young children who participate in early-years swimming achieve a wide range ...

For the first time, Bochum clinicians have been able to show on the basis of a large sample, that it is possible to examine children's heads in the MRI scanner without general anaesthesia or other medical sedation. In many cases it was sufficient to prepare the young patients for the examination in an age-appropriate manner in order to take away their fear of the tube. And the results speak for themselves: of the 2461 image sequences recorded with 326 patients, the participating radiologists classified 97 percent as "diagnostically relevant". At the same time, through his ...

The skin is the most versatile of our organs: It protects the body from environmental effects, contributes to the body's immune system and supports metabolic functions such as breathing. The skin is always in action. Lack of movement is anathema to it. If a patient does not move, the ever higher moisture levels, pressure and effects of gravity lead to circulatory disorders. This increases the amount of toxic tissue, resulting in ulcers which can lead to life-threatening complications. This affects two groups of patients in particular: the elderly and paraplegics. There ...

ESA's GOCE gravity satellite has already delivered the most accurate gravity map of Earth, but its orbit is now being lowered in order to obtain even better results. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has been orbiting Earth since March 2009, reaching its ambitious objective to map our planet's gravity with unrivalled precision. Although the planned mission has been completed, the fuel consumption was much lower than anticipated because of the low solar activity over the last two years. This has enabled ESA to extend GOCE's life, improving ...

Fear of visiting the dentist is a frequent problem in paediatric dentistry. A new study confirms the emotional transmission of dentist fear among family members and analyses the different roles that mothers and fathers might play. A new study conducted by scientists at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid highlights the important role that parents play in the transmission of dentist fear in their family. Previous studies had already identified the association between the fear levels of parents and their children, but they never explored the different roles that ...

A fundamental cornerstone for spintronics that has been missing up until now has been constructed by a team of physicists at Linköping University in Sweden. It's the world's first spin amplifier that can be used at room temperature. Great hopes have been placed on spintronics as the next big paradigm shift in the field of electronics. Spintronics combines microelectronics, which is built on the charge of electrons, with the magnetism that originates in the electrons' spin. This lays the foundation for entirely new applications that fire the imagination. The word "spin" ...

Near surface water has shaped the landscape of Mars. Areas of the planet's northern and southern hemispheres have alternately thawed and frozen in recent geologic history and comprise striking similarities to the landscape of Svalbard. This suggests that water has played a more extensive role than previously envisioned, and that environments capable of sustaining life could exist, according to new research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Mars is a changing planet, and in recent geological time repeated freeze and thaw cycles has played a greater role than expected ...