April 24, 2012 - Thinking about death can actually be a good thing. An awareness of mortality can improve physical health and help us re-prioritize our goals and values, according to a new analysis of recent scientific studies. Even non-conscious thinking about death – say walking by a cemetery – could prompt positive changes and promote helping others. Past research suggests that thinking about death is destructive and dangerous, fueling everything from prejudice and greed to violence. Such studies related to terror management theory (TMT), which posits that we uphold ...

In daily life we remember faces and voices of several known individuals. Similarly, mammals have been shown to remember calls and faces of known individuals after a number of years. Markus Boeckle and Thomas Bugnyar from the Department of Cognitive Biology of the University of Vienna show in their recent article, published in Current Biology, that ravens differentiate individuals based on familiarity. Additionally, they discovered that ravens memorize relationship valence and affiliation. So far it was unknown whether relationship valence can be remembered based on former ...

To further communicate upcoming events and happenings in the office, Dr. Wesley Yemoto, San Jose cosmetic dentist, has created an advanced social network for increased communication with patients. In addition, patients can also view new educational information through the practice's Facebook, Twitter and blog. With the introduction of these social media channels, patients can now access more personalized information, as well as learn more about other patients' experiences with Dr. Yemoto, San Jose dentist, and his team of dental professionals. By visiting the practice's ...

Multi-hop wireless networks can provide data access for large and unconventional spaces, but they have long faced significant limits on the amount of data they can transmit. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a more efficient data transmission approach that can boost the amount of data the networks can transmit by 20 to 80 percent. "Our approach increases the average amount of data that can be transmitted within the network by at least 20 percent for networks with randomly placed nodes – and up to 80 percent if the nodes are positioned ...

To ensure top of the line technology for increased patient care, Dr. Tom Morgan, Prior Lake children's dentist, of Babcock and Morgan Family Dentistry is pleased to offer 3D x-rays. With the introduction of 3D x-rays to Babcock and Morgan Family Dentistry, Drs. Michael Babcock and Tom Morgan can take 3D x-ray images of the face and jaws in an affordable manner to the patient. This technology is traditionally only found in hospitals or medical radiology offices, but Dr. Morgan, children's dentist in Prior Lake, is honored to offer this innovative technology at Babcock ...

The radiata pine is the tree species par excellence in the Basque Country's forests. Like other types of pine, the lack of water is one of the factors having the greatest effect on its survival and productivity. Until now, the Basque Country's high, steady rainfall has encouraged the cultivation and good productivity of this species. This situation could change over the coming years if, in line with the predictions of climate change, average temperatures rise and droughts become more frequent and intense. So, new varieties of the radiata pine that are more resistant to ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Every year, more than a million Americans receive an artificial hip or knee prosthesis. Such implants are designed to last many years, but in about 17 percent of patients who receive a total joint replacement, the implant eventually loosens and has to be replaced early, which can cause dangerous complications for elderly patients. To help minimize these burdensome operations, a team of MIT chemical engineers has developed a new coating for implants that could help them better adhere to the patient's bone, preventing premature failure. "This would ...

To maintain quality dental health care, Dr. Kevin Kuffel, Brookfield family dentist, invites patients to leave reviews via popular search engines - Google and Yahoo! By leaving reviews, patients further help Dr. Kuffel maintain a dental office that meets their every need. "We always look forward to hearing from our patients, and by leaving reviews they can help us to be the best dental team we can be. When our patients leave reviews, they do not go overlooked. We value each review and take into consideration their experience. We hope to further expand our practice ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Since 1992, the government's Back-to-Sleep Campaign has encouraged parents to place infants on their backs to sleep. Still, more than 4,500 infants die unexpectedly during sleep each year in the United States. Now, a University of Missouri injury prevention researcher says that safe, separate sleep environments for infants are critical to preventing sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs). "Many of these SUIDs are due to unsafe sleep environments, and these deaths are totally preventable," said Patricia Schnitzer, an associate professor in the MU Sinclair ...

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2012 — Just in time for Sunday's celebration of Earth Day, the American Chemical Society (ACS) today released a video revealing the journey that recyclable materials take beyond those blue curbside bins. In the latest episode of ACS' award-winning Bytesize Science series, viewers take a tour of a typical recycling center to see how these facilities sort the mountains of recyclables they receive every day. The video is available at www.BytesizeScience.com. It points out that the average American generates about 4.5 pounds of trash every day. That's ...

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 ...