Washington, D.C., May 16, 2012 – Last week the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued its obesity-prevention report at the Weight of the Nation™ conference hosted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This report included a call to action for increased access to healthy foods (like fruits and vegetables) at retail outlets nationwide . Findings from a new Michigan State University (MSU) study released today, underscored the critical role that canned fruits and vegetables play in helping Americans increase these intakes, regardless of geography or income level. It's time ...

RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products including ethernet cables and coaxial cable connectors, wants to thank customers based in Nottingham who have helped raise more than GBP500 for the Help for Heroes charity. With several members of the RS branch team in Nottingham having close links to the forces, Help for Heroes was chosen as their charity of choice. Customers have fully supported the fundraising with donations towards the free-vend drinks and ...

Response efforts to outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Africa can benefit from a standardized sampling strategy that focuses on the carcasses of gorillas, chimpanzees and other species known to succumb to the virus, according to a consortium of wildlife health experts. In a recently published study of 14 previous human Ebola outbreaks and the responses of wildlife teams collecting animal samples, the authors of the new study conclude that most efforts to collect samples from live animals (i.e. rodents, bats, primates, birds) failed to isolate Ebola virus or antibodies. ...

Leading online gaming portal operator Right Casino Media have teamed up with fundraiser Hayley Fuller to help raise awareness and funds for the Help for Heroes charity, which supports soldiers wounded in current conflicts. Right Casino Media, who operate a network of industry leading websites including http://www.liveroulette.co.uk, have given GBP500 in much-needed sponsorship to Hayley, as she takes part in a 7-day fundraising bike trek through France this month. Established in 2007, the Help for Heroes charity raises money to help provide direct, practical support ...

A new study suggests that dumping old or unneeded medications in the trash can may be the best way to reduce the environmental impact of the 200 million pounds of pharmaceuticals that go unused in the U.S. each year. The report, which weighs the emissions from flushing, incinerating or trashing drugs, appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. Stephen J. Skerlos and colleagues explain that to avoid the risks of abuse and accidental poisoning, as well as other problems that unused, unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals pose, they shouldn't be kept in homes. ...

This year marks 60 years since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. London is marking the Diamond Jubilee with a series of events, taking in exhibitions, processions, pomp and pageantry, from a grand flotilla making waves on the Thames to a stately parade bound for St. Paul's Cathedral. The events mark the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth's coronation on June 2 1953. The UK's workforce can look forward to a double bank holiday on June 4th and June 6th which looks set to be great time to visit London and join in the fun. Thanks to LondonTown.com's wide selection of discounted ...

With epidemics of Type 2 diabetes looming in rural India, China and other areas of the world where poverty limits the availability of health care, scientists are reporting development of an inexpensive and easy-to-use urine test ideally suited for such areas. The report describing the paper-based device, which also could be adapted for the diagnosis and monitoring of other conditions and the environment, appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry. Jan Lankelma and colleagues point out that monitoring glucose levels is important. Although diabetes test strips seem inexpensive, ...

Scientists are reporting development and testing of a new series of drugs that could finally stop the fox tapeworm — which causes a rare but life-threatening disease in humans — dead in its tracks. The report, which appears in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, shows that specific organometallic substances that help combat cancer are also the surprising best new hope for a treatment against tapeworm infection. Carsten Vock, Andrew Hemphill and colleagues explain that alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a parasitic disease caused by the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. ...

For Allergy Awareness month, Wild Indigo Publishing has launched an Extraordinary Kids contest with prizes including a new iPad 3. Based on the theme song Extraordinary, from the book The Princess and the Peanut: A Royally Allergic Fairytale , contest entrants will create videos showing how allergies affect their world and what makes them Extraordinary Kids. Their testimony will be followed by their own rendition of Jackie Henderson's allergy song. The contest details can be found on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/royallyallergic The Princess and the Peanut: A ...

Most consumers want to fit in while still asserting their individuality—and they balance these conflicting desires when choosing products, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Consumers want both to signal their identity with desired groups and to be different from other group members. This research shows how people simultaneously satisfy these apparently conflicting motives in consumer behavior," write authors Cindy Chan, Jonah Berger (both University of Pennsylvania), and Leaf Van Boven (University of Colorado, Boulder). "Is it possible to ...

Growing demand among baby boomers and others for "enhanced cosmetics" that marry cosmetics and active ingredients to smooth wrinkled skin and otherwise improve appearance is fostering research on micro-capsules and other technology to package those ingredients in creams, lotions and other products. That boom in research on encapsulation and other delivery technology is the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. In the ...

It seems really simple: If you want to achieve something, set a goal and then make specific plans to implement it. But according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, consumers get overwhelmed while juggling multiple goals. "Research has shown that forming specific plans for a single goal makes success more likely," write authors Amy Dalton (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) and Stephen Spiller (UCLA). "Most of us, however, are juggling multiple goals in our lives and jobs and managing a busy schedule is difficult. This raises the question ...

Researchers with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Weapons and Materials Research Directorate saw the product of their work toward a new generation of significantly improved materials for advanced Soldier head protection reach the milestone of commercial production on March 12 when Ceradyne, a commercial partner, announced it had received its first Enhanced Combat Helmet order. The new helmets have 35 percent higher tolerance from fragmenting munitions than previous ballistic helmets. Other helmets from the ARL-led Army ManTech program are already in the field, ...

Among Islamists, certain global brands can be considered threats to Muslim identity, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "'Infidel! Infidel!' cries the six-year-old boy upon hearing his mother mention Nestlé during our interview," writes author Elif Izberk-Bilgin (University of Michigan-Dearborn). "Why would a six-year-old call Nestlé infidel? How do global brands like Coca-Cola and Disney get tangled in a complex web of sociopolitical dynamics and become targets of religiously charged consumer activism?" In describing a phenomenon she calls ...

Why are men generally more reluctant to try vegetarian products? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, consumers are influenced by a strong association of meat with masculinity. "We examined whether people in Western cultures have a metaphoric link between meat and men," write authors Paul Rozin (University of Pennsylvania), Julia M. Hormes (Louisiana State University), Myles S. Faith (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), and Brian Wansink (Cornell University). The answer, they found, was a strong connection between eating meat—especially ...

Although it is tempting to use the word "we" to make consumers feel like part of the family, people react negatively when brands overstep their boundaries, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Marketers often desire to promote consumers' feelings of being in a close relationship with the brands they market, and they frequently craft their communications using language that portrays brands as close partners with consumers," write authors Aner Sela (University of Florida), S. Christian Wheeler (Stanford University), and Gülen Sarial-Abi (Koç University). ...

WASHINGTON -- More than 4,000 psychological scientists, academics, clinicians, researchers, teachers, and administrators from 85 countries will gather in Chicago for the Association for Psychological Science's 24th annual convention May 23-27, 2012 at the Sheraton Chicago. Culture and ethnicity drive many human processes – including science. (Section I, below.) A concert with a former guitarist from the Black Eyed Peas and a five-time Grammy Award winning bassist will share the stage with musically talented scientists to discuss and explore music and the mind. (II) ...

People respond to facial cues and this affects their level of trust, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research that looks at the way consumers react to morphed photo images. Authors Robin J. Tanner and Ahreum Maeng (both University of Wisconsin-Madison) explore the effect of morphing unfamiliar facial images with those of two famous individuals: George W. Bush and Tiger Woods. "We digitally create composite faces that are made up of 35 percent of the celebrity face and 65 percent of unknown model faces," the authors write. "When individuals view these ...

People who feel good about themselves are less likely to choose an attractive product than a functional one, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. But choosing highly aesthetic products may make people more open-minded. "Today's marketers are keenly aware that the way a product looks significantly impacts its commercial success," write authors Claudia Townsend (University of Miami) and Sanjay Sood (UCLA). "In this research we demonstrate one way in which aesthetics impacts the choice decision differently than more functional attributes and then ...

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in the U.S., and radical prostatectomy, the surgical removal of the prostate gland, remains the most popular therapeutic option, accounting for half of treatments. The procedure, however, is not without possible side effects, primarily erectile dysfunction and incontinence. But a good nerve-sparing surgical technique can lessen the likelihood of these undesirable outcomes, as can the skill and experience of the surgeon, according to a new UCLA study that focused on robotic-assisted prostate surgery. ...

If you are one of the countless consumers that has fallen prey to the marketing ploys of large skincare companies you are not alone. Each year top skincare brands spend millions of dollars on flashy ad campaigns and lining up big name celebrity endorsements to get you to buy their products. These ads are working, resulting in Americans spending billions of dollars on skincare products that promise to do everything from relieving dry skin to reversing the signs of aging - only to deliver minimal result! Here's why your skin care lotion isn't working To keep the cost ...

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have succeeded in engineering algae to produce potential candidates for a vaccine that would prevent transmission of the parasite that causes malaria, an achievement that could pave the way for the development of an inexpensive way to protect billions of people from one of the world's most prevalent and debilitating diseases. Initial proof-of-principle experiments suggest that such a vaccine could prevent malaria transmission. Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by infection with protozoan parasites from the ...

BOSTON--A hormone-depleting drug approved last year for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer can help eliminate or nearly eliminate tumors in many patients with aggressive cancers that have yet to spread beyond the prostate, according to a clinical study to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), June 1-5, in Chicago. The phase II clinical trial, led by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other research centers, examined the use of the drug abiraterone acetate (Zytiga(R)) in combination with prednisone ...

New York and New Jersey Partnership Lawyer Charles N. Internicola has announced the release of "The New York and New Jersey Partnership Dispute Guide: A Practical no nonsense guide to educate, inform and empower partners, shareholders and members faced with a serious partnership dispute." This book is for you if you have partners who now jeopardize and threaten your business and livelihood. Having seen the devastating and unnecessary effect that a "partnership dispute" may have on a thriving business, Mr. Internicola wrote the book: "...to ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Returning extra medicine to the pharmacy for disposal might not be worth the extra time, money or greenhouse gas emissions, according to a University of Michigan study that is the first to look at the net effects of so-called take-back programs. The new evidence suggests that discarding unused drugs in the trash is a better option to limit the risk of poisoning and at the same time curb pollution of both water and air. To arrive at this conclusion, the researchers compared the total emissions created by take-back, trash and toilet disposal methods. ...