WASHINGTON—'When the River Runs Dry' is a familiar song in Australia. Some rivers in the arid center of the continent flow only after a stiff monsoon season, and smaller tributaries all over the country commonly shrink to puddled potholes and dry river beds during the dry season. But rivers also run dry in more temperate climes. Much of the upper reaches and feeder streams of the great rivers of North America, and even the mighty Amazon, dry out seasonally. Dry rivers are more than mere desiccated shells of their robustly flowing incarnations, says Australian ecologist ...

Alexandria, VA —The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) has released updated Clinical Indicators for the public and physicians. Clinical indicators for otolaryngology serve as a checklist for practitioners and a quality care review tool for clinical departments. The Clinical Indicators are created by the AAO-HNS and its clinical committees. "Clinical Indicators define a basis of medical necessity for a range of procedures…their intent is to help practitioners engage in the best practices, reduce errors and improve value of care received ...

Declining biodiversity may be contributing to the rise of asthma, allergies, and other chronic inflammatory diseases among people living in cities worldwide, a Finnish study suggests. Emerging evidence indicates that commensal microbes inhabiting the skin, airway, and gut protect against inflammatory disorders. However, little is known about the environmental determinants of the microbiome. Ilkka Hanski et al. from the Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, investigated whether reduced human contact with nature and biodiversity influences the composition ...

In A Uniquely Inviting Opera-Pops Duo Concert, Jackie Stotler, A University of Central Florida Sophomore Soprano and Piano Man Peter George, One of Orlando's Elite Entertainers, Join Together in Song in "The Beauty, The Phantom and Music of the Night" at Glenridge Performing Arts Center, 8 pm, on Saturday, May 19th. Fans of the pure voice of youth in lyrical operatic arias and art songs are in for a treat with young artist, Jackie Stotler as the Beauty in "The Beauty, The Phantom and Music of the Night",. She joins with Orlando's Piano Man, Peter ...

A modeling study from the European Alps suggests that population declines to be observed during the upcoming decades will probably underestimate the long-term effects of recent climate warming on mountain plants. A European team of ecologists around Stefan Dullinger from the Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology of the University of Vienna presents a new modeling tool to predict migration of mountain plants which explicitly takes population dynamic processes into account. Their results are published in "Nature Climate Change". Plant species ...

Are you a social media enthusiast or simply a Facebook addict?Researchers from Norway have developed a new instrument to measure Facebook addiction, the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. The use of Facebook has increased rapidly. We are dealing with a subdivision of Internet addiction connected to social media, Doctor of Psychology Cecilie Schou Andreassen says about the study, which is the first of its kind worldwide. Andreassen heads the research project "Facebook Addiction" at the University of Bergen (UiB). An article about the results has just been published in ...

Professional Congress Organiser Top Congress held at the Meliá Los Galgos, a hotel with a privileged location in the Salamanca district of Madrid, next to the famous Calle Serrano and 2 km from the stadium Bernabeu, the 2011 edition of Hormones and usual course under the program of seminars and courses of the Spanish Society of Clinical Chemistry. With great success of participation and attendance, Top Congress is already working on the 2012 edition of this prestigious course Top Congress specialises in the organisation and coordination of business events and the integral ...

Attitudes, relationships, intentions and personal behavior control are all factors that could affect a child's decision in either reaching for an apple or grabbing a bag of chips, according to a new study out of the University of Cincinnati. The research by Paul Branscum, assistant professor of health and exercise science at the University of Oklahoma, and Manoj Sharma, a University of Cincinnati professor of health promotion and education, is published in the International Quarterly of Community Health Education. The study focused on 167 fourth-and-fifth-grade elementary ...

Bethesda, MD—If you're counting calories to lose weight, that may be only part of the weight loss equation says a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org). In the report, French scientists show that impairments to a gene known to be responsible for our internal body clocks, called "Rev-Erb alpha," leads to excessive weight gain and related health problems. This provides new insights into the importance of proper alignment between the body's internal timing and natural environmental light cycles to prevent or limit excessive weight ...

Nearly 12,000 competitors ran, jogged, walked and wheeled their way through today's 16th Annual New Jersey Marathon and Long Branch Half Marathon on a cool, crisp, breezy morning down the Shore. Jason Page, 38, of Durham, N.C. won the men's marathon in 2:33:13, while Megan DiGregorio, 24, of White Marsh, Md., running in her first marathon ever, took the women's first place medal at 3:00:44. Samuel Spencer, 50, of Brick, N.J., won the wheel competition, covering the 26.2 miles in 1:45:51. The New Jersey Marathon course wound its way through eight New Jersey shore towns in ...

PITTSBURGH—People who have already sifted through online information to make sense of a subject can help strangers facing similar tasks without ever directly communicating with them, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research have demonstrated. This process of distributed sensemaking, they say, could save time and result in a better understanding of the information needed for whatever goal users might have, whether it is planning a vacation, gathering information about a serious disease or trying to decide what product to buy. The researchers ...

Birthdays, graduations, Christmas, baby showers, bridal showers, bar and bat mitzvahs, Mother's Day, Father's Day, first marriages (and second.. and third…), wedding anniversaries, the spontaneous friendship gesture, the occasional sorry-about-that gesture, hostess gifts and presents that don't even fall into a recognizable category. The year is filled with opportunities and obligations to give and receive. So who can blame someone for doing a little recycling, or as it is commonly known, regifting? Not the person who actually gave the original gift, despite what a regifter ...

"This has been a tremendous ride for us, with the Webby's, L.A. Web Fest, the Communicators, and now the Best Shorts award," says Clutch creator Jonathan Robbins. The Best Shorts Competition recognizes film professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film industry. "What impresses me about this award is the international nature of the competition, sharing the prestige with ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The sayings "variety is the spice of life" and "happiness isn't getting what you want, but wanting what you get" seem to have a psychological basis, according to a new study by an MU psychologist who identified two keys to becoming happier and staying that way. "Although the Declaration of Independence upholds the right to pursue happiness, that search can be a never-ending quest," said Kennon Sheldon, professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. "Previous research shows that an individual's happiness can increase after major ...

The team of Professor Keon Jae Lee (http://fand.kaist.ac.kr/) from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST, has developed new forms of low cost, large-area nanogenerator technology using the piezoelectric ceramic nanoparticles. Piezoelectric effects-based nanogenerator technology that converts existing sources of nonpolluting energies, such as vibrational and mechanical energy from the nature of wind and waves, into infinite electrical energy is drawing immense interest in the next-generation energy harvesting technology. However, previous nanogenerator ...

You can show your mom you not only care about her, but you recognize a good deal when you see one by purchasing a Mother's Day Pamper Package for $25 at ITS Academy of Beauty school, 1541 J.B.S Parkway in Odessa. The $25 package includes shampoo and conditioning treatment, haircut, blow dry and style, basic manicure and pedicure, as well as a facial with makeup. Packages are on sale through May 12, but there is no expiration on when they can be redeemed. Walk ins are welcome and no appointment is necessary. Services are performed by students under the supervision of ...

Stuart Swanepoel, President & CEO of Brixiom announced that Quality Wine & Spirits migrated from their year-long testing period and signed a multi-year contract. "Our team proved that our platform delivers what we promise," said Swanepoel. "We say we help companies manage their businesses more efficiently and can help increase sales. That's exactly what Quality Wine & Spirits found." According to Joe Best, President & CEO of Quality Wine & Spirits (QWS), they formalized their partnership and entered into a long-term agreement ...

Resident physicians' participation in a brief training program designed to increase empathy with their patients produced significant improvement in how patients perceived their interactions with the residents. This contrasts with several studies showing that empathy with patients usually drops during medical school and residency training. The report from a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers will appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and has been released online. "The most exciting message from this study is that empathy can be taught ...

Ohio Criminal Practice Rules, Courtroom Quick Reference joins a growing lineup of legal reference materials for Ohio practitioners, including Ohio Court Rules Practice & Procedure, Ohio Court Rules Government of Bench & Bar and Ohio Felony Sentencing. This book is the newest edition to Summit Legal Publishing's Courtroom Quick Reference series. Combining the full text of the Ohio Evidence Rules, Ohio Criminal Procedure Rules, Federal Evidence Rules, restyled in December 2011, and Federal Criminal Procedure Rules, this edition is an invaluable tool for criminal attorneys ...

Recently, many U.S. Internet service providers have fallen in line with their international counterparts in capping monthly residential broadband usage. A new study by a Georgia Tech researcher, conducted during an internship at Microsoft Research, shows such pricing models trigger uneasy user experiences that could be mitigated by better tools to monitor data usage through their home networks. Home users, the study found, typically manage their capped broadband access against three uncertainties—invisible balances, mysterious processes and multiple users—and these uncertainties ...

Don McCauley of the Free Publicity Focus Group and Danielle Hampson of eBroadcastMedia.com, founders of Book Marketing, announced today The Authors Show radio and TV weekly broadcast schedule. Book Marketing, branded as 'The Authors Marketing Powerhouse', allows authors and publishers the opportunity to upload photos, bios, book covers, video and book videos. The site also offers discussion forums, segmented special interest groups and allows for event listings. Each author can develop a personalized page. In addition the site allows for integration with Facebook and ...

ThePetCrib.com (www.thepetcrib.com), a leading online source for upscale dog and cat products, announced today that they have chosen the Carrier One from Bark n Bag as its showcased pet product of the month for May. Available in several colors, this well made dog collar is perfect for those who love to travel with their dogs. "These dog carriers from Bark n Bag are great and we love the Carrier One," says Bryan Cochran, owner of ThePetCrib.com. "These carriers are a fantastic design, they are functional and they come in a wide array of colors. We were ...

(WASHINGTON, May 7, 2012) – A new analysis concludes that rituximab, a drug commonly used to treat blood cancers, leads to treatment responses lasting at least five years in approximately one quarter of patients with low platelet counts and a risk of bleeding due to chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). In study results published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College provide the very first long-term outcome data for patients with chronic ITP treated with rituxamab. Approximately ...

SEATTLE – A long-term follow-up analysis of participants in the Step Study, an international HIV-vaccine trial, has confirmed that certain subgroups of male study participants were at higher risk of becoming infected after receiving the experimental vaccine compared to those who received a placebo. The vaccine used in the study did not contain the HIV virus, but it did contain HIV genes which were delivered to cells using a vector that employed a type of cold virus known as adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5). Of the 1,836 men examined in this study, 172 became infected with HIV. ...

Verygoodservice.com , the website dedicated to companies offering good products and good customer service, announces the inclusion of Teachers Building Society on its website. The Dorset-based building society historically had a strong affinity with people who work in education, providing them with mortgages and savings products. It now offers its mortgages to Dorset residents too and the full range of savings products is available to the general public. Being a mutual, the building society is managed for the benefit of its members and has strong customer focus. This dedication ...