WASHINGTON, April 19—To produce the maximum amount of energy, solar cells are designed to absorb as much light from the Sun as possible. Now researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have suggested – and demonstrated – a counterintuitive concept: solar cells should be designed to be more like LEDs, able to emit light as well as absorb it. The Berkeley team will present its findings at the Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics (CLEO: 2012), to be held May 6-11 in San Jose, Calif. "What we demonstrated is that the better a solar cell is at emitting photons, ...

With an estimated 36, 540 people diagnosed with oral cancer in 2010, the Oral Cancer Foundation has made April oral cancer awareness month. Dr. Robert Getz, dentist in Lauderhill, FL, joins dentists from all over the country to bring further awareness to this life-threatening disease. "Oral cancer screening is a routine part of a dental examination. Regular checkups, including an examination of the entire month, are essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions," stated Dr. Robert Getz, Lauderhill, FL dentist. "Even though ...

As any city dweller knows, buses are rarely on time. It's typical to wait a while, only to have several buses show up one after another – a phenomenon known as bus bunching. Fortunately, researchers and students at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a possible solution for bus bunching that provides better service to riders, simplifies the job of drivers and reduces work for management. Industrial & Systems Engineering Professor John Bartholdi and Georgia Tech alumnus Don Eisenstein (MS IE 1983, PhD IE 1992), a colleague from the University of Chicago, ...

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have found that targeted swallowing exercises can help alleviate swallowing dysfunction – a debilitating side effect in people undergoing chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for head and neck cancer. The study, published in the April issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, a JAMA Network publication, suggests that clinicians should consider giving all patients undergoing CRT an exercise regimen to improve their quality of life after treatment. "This study provides clear evidence that aggressive swallowing therapy ...

While white men are expected to be assertive and aggressive leaders, black men and white women are often penalized for that kind of behavior in the workplace. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, looks at another group: black women. They find that, rather than being viewed as a combination of black men and white women, black women also seem to be expected to act assertively. "Traditionally, women have been assigned to a more subordinate role," said Robert W. Livingston of Northwestern University, who co-wrote ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Are women willing to use a vaginal gel to protect themselves against HIV infection? Researchers at The Miriam Hospital say that is the million dollar question when it comes to developing products known as microbicides that can prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. Now the findings of a new study known as Project LINK could offer critical insight on user experience with topical vaginal gels – information that could be used to develop microbicide products that optimize a woman's experience, ultimately leading to more consistent use. Miriam researchers, ...

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 19, 2012 —The boundary between electronics and biology is blurring with the first detection by researchers at Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory of ferroelectric properties in an amino acid called glycine. A multi-institutional research team led by Andrei Kholkin of the University of Aveiro, Portugal, used a combination of experiments and modeling to identify and explain the presence of ferroelectricity, a property where materials switch their polarization when an electric field is applied, in the simplest known amino acid—glycine. ...

In order to provide his patients with the best available dental care, Dr. Ali Etessam, dentist in Naples, maintains over 300 certificates in continuing dental education. He continues his dental education in areas such as implant surgery and prosthodontics; smile restoration and orthodontics, and dentofacial orthopedics - including Naples Invisalign and Inline certification. Dr. Etessam's thirst for knowledge keeps him updated and thoroughly educated in many aspects of oral health care. His passion for knowledge in all aspects of dentistry also allows him the ability ...

Ever since the false prognoses of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Himalayan glaciers have been a focus of public and scientific debate. The gaps in our knowledge of glaciers in the Himalayan region have hindered accurate statements and prognoses. An international team of researchers headed by glaciologists from the University of Zurich and with the involvement of scientists from Geneva now outlines the current state of knowledge of glaciers in the Himalayas in a study published in Science. The scientists confirm that the shrinkage scenarios for ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As biofuel production has increased – particularly ethanol derived from corn – a hotly contested competition for feedstock supplies has emerged between the agricultural grain markets and biofuel refineries. This competition has sparked concern for the more fundamental issue of allocating limited farmland resources, which has far-reaching implications for food security, energy security and environmental sustainability. Numerous studies of land use, food prices, environmental impact and more have fed the so-called "food versus fuel" debate. However, according ...

DETROIT – While mood disorders like depression or anxiety tend to negatively affect treatment for allergies and chronic rhinosinusitis, the same cannot be said for patients with nasal obstructions such as deviated septum, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. The new study shows mood disorders are not linked to either nasal obstructive symptoms or the failure of nasal obstruction surgery. Results also suggest that those patients with nasal obstruction caused by septal deviation – a blockage of the nasal airway caused by a portion of cartilage or bony septum ...

Having a new baby brings much joy to a new family. But for a family whose baby cries for hours on end, fusses through feedings, or has difficulty sleeping, the joy may be overshadowed by feelings of helplessness and frustration. The treatment of that infant – and that family – will impact the parent-child relationship for years to come. Research has recently been published in the Infant Mental Health Journal that supports an integrated model of care that is found at the Infant Behavior, Cry and Sleep Clinic at the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk at Women ...

VIDEO: In this first ever atomic-scale real-time movie of nanocrystal growth in liquid, which was made at TEAM I of the National Center for Electron Microscopy, nanoparticles of platinum move and... Click here for more information. They won't be coming soon to a multiplex near you, but movies showing the growth of platinum nanocrystals at the atomic-scale in real-time have blockbuster potential. A team of scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley ...

Well-known Madison, WI dentist, Dr. Liberty Boucher, is pleased to announce the newest addition to Odana Hills Dental's website- online appointment requesting. The new feature will enable patients to make an appointment with ease, giving them the flexibility to request an appointment at their convenience from the comfort of their home computers. Odana Hills Dental is a full-service dental practice located in Madison, WI and serves patients in the surrounding communities. With a focus on patient education, comfort and quality care, Odana Hills Dental offers an array ...

Anti-tobacco television advertising helps reduce adult smoking, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Health Research and Policy -- but some ads may be more effective than others. Adults and youth are exposed to a variety of anti-smoking messages on television. However, no research had been done on whether the ads, produced by various sponsors, impact adult smoking behaviors, or on how the ads differ, says Sherry Emery, a senior scientist at the UIC institute and lead author of the study. The new study, in the April ...

Scientists have discovered proof that the evolution of intelligence and larger brain sizes can be driven by cooperation and teamwork, shedding new light on the origins of what it means to be human. The study appears online in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B and was led by scientists at Trinity College Dublin: PhD student, Luke McNally and Assistant Professor Dr Andrew Jackson at the School of Natural Sciences in collaboration with Dr Sam Brown of the University of Edinburgh. The researchers constructed computer models of artificial organisms, endowed ...

CINCINNATI—Cardiac researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that a certain cellular pathway is linked to obesity-related disorders, like diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease. These findings, being presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) 2012 Scientific Sessions in Chicago, April 19, 2012, could lead to a potential molecular target for metabolic diseases in humans. Building on previous research, Tapan Chatterjee, PhD, and researchers in the division of cardiovascular diseases ...

(CHICAGO) – In the 19th century, Jean-Martin Charcot, the celebrated neurologist, developed a "vibration chair," to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Charcot reported improvements in his patients, but he died shortly thereafter and a more complete evaluation of the therapy was never conducted. Now, a group of neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center have replicated his work in a study to see if Charcot's observation holds true against modern scientific testing. Results from the study indicate that while vibration therapy does significantly improve ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- In a study appearing this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, MIT researchers report that emissions from cars, trucks, planes and powerplants cause 13,000 premature deaths in the United Kingdom each year. The researchers analyzed data from 2005, the most recent year for which information is available. They found that among the various sources of emissions in the country, car and truck exhaust was the single greatest contributor to premature death, affecting some 3,300 people per year. By comparison, the researchers note, fewer ...

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year, $9 million grant to the University of Houston's Texas Center for Learning Disabilities to conduct research on the causes and treatment of learning disabilities in children and adolescents. UH is one of four universities nationally to receive funding from the NIH for a learning disability research center. The substantial number of today's adolescents struggling with weak literacy skills presents an urgent national concern, yet little is known about reading disabilities beyond the early elementary grades. ...

MyBinding.com, one of the country's leading retailers of document finishing machines and supplies, is partnering with Boom Fitness to provide their employees with a fitness program. "The health of our employees is very important to us," said Jeff McRitchie, Vice President of Marketing for MyBinding.com. "Many of our employees sit for most of the day and we wanted a way to help our staff stay active." McRitchie joined Boom Fitness for personal reasons and brought several employees along with him. As more employees joined, the two companies decided ...

Stressed out lizard moms tend to give their developing embryos short shrift, but the hardship may ultimately be a good thing for the babies once they're born, according to a study published in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. Stress changes the way animals allocate energy. During predator attacks or food shortages, hormones are released that help the body to access stored energy. But for pregnant females there's a potential trade-off. Stress hormones could rob precious energy from developing embryos, leading to offspring that aren't as healthy. A research ...

The need to swab the noses of pregnant women and newborns for the presence of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) may be unfounded, according to a Vanderbilt study now available online and published in the May issue of Pediatrics. The study's senior author, Buddy Creech, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of Pediatrics, said it is often feared that mothers carrying MRSA may risk transmitting an infection to their newborn babies, but Vanderbilt Pediatric Infectious Diseases researchers found that babies rarely became ill from MRSA infections, despite frequently ...

WasThatGood recently announced the launch of a new website meant to offer the public an arena to voice their opinions of the London theatre. The site is designed to fill a gap in a niche where misreporting and sycophancy abound and, as such, offers theatre-goers not only a fair assessment of various productions by their peers but also a venue to air their own opinions without censure. In the age of information, it is surprising that people who enjoy the London stage and all it has to offer have little choice when it comes to finding honest and transparent reviews on ...

Philadelphia– While most teens do buckle up when driving, new research shows that novice teen drivers who live in states with so-called "secondary enforcement" seat belt laws are less likely to use the life-saving devices than those in "primary enforcement" states. The research, conducted by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm®, is published in the American Journal of Public Health. The research found seat belt use rates differed as teens moved through the probationary licensing process known as Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL). A primary seat ...