Montreal, July 16, 2012 – Statistics show that today, almost one in four Canadians is obese. A deadly trend that has been on the rise for the last thirty years, obesity is associated with diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But is the obesity epidemic putting more pressure on an already strained Canadian health care system? James McIntosh, a professor in the Department of Economics at Concordia University, is the first to look at the impact of obesity on the number of doctor visits nation-wide. According to his research, obese individuals visit the doctor more frequently ...

LA JOLLA, CA----For more than 20 years, doctors have been using cells from blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after childbirth to treat a variety of illnesses, from cancer and immune disorders to blood and metabolic diseases. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found a new way-using a single protein, known as a transcription factor-to convert cord blood (CB) cells into neuron-like cells that may prove valuable for the treatment of a wide range of neurological conditions, including stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal ...

The following highlights summarize research papers that have been recently published in Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences (JGR-G), Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres (JGR-D), Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets (JGR-E), Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (G3), and Geophysical Research Letters (GRL). 1. Droughts threaten Bornean rainforests At 130 million years old, the rainforests of Southeast Asia are the oldest in the world and home to thousands of plant and animal species, some endemic to these forests. The rainforests ...

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has joined more than 3000 national, state, and local organizations in warning the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama that automatic budget cuts set for January could have "devastating" effects on research, education, social services, security, and international relations. The planned cuts threaten federal programs that "support economic growth and strengthen the safety and security of every American in every state and community across the nation," the groups wrote in a 12 July letter to Congress. "We ...

HOUSTON – (July 16, 2012) – Researchers at Rice University and Lockheed Martin reported this month that they've found a way to make multiple high-performance anodes from a single silicon wafer. The process uses simple silicon to replace graphite as an element in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, laying the groundwork for longer-lasting, more powerful batteries for such applications as commercial electronics and electric vehicles. The work led by Sibani Lisa Biswal, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice, and lead author Madhuri Thakur, ...

Poor people hold more traditional values toward marriage and divorce than people with moderate and higher incomes, UCLA psychologists report in the current issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family. The findings are based on a large survey about marriage, relationships and values, analyzed across income groups. They raise questions about how effectively some $1billion in government spending to promote the value of marriage among the poor is being spent. "A lot of government policy is based on the assumption that low-income people hold less traditional views about ...

NEW YORK, NY (July 16, 2012) – A team of scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory led by Scott Noggle, PhD, NYSCF–Charles Evans Senior Research Fellow for Alzheimer's Disease, has developed the first cell-based model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by reprogramming skin cells of Alzheimer's patients to become brain cells that are affected in Alzheimer's. This will allow researchers to work directly on living brain cells suffering from Alzheimer's, which until now had not been possible. Andrew Sproul, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Noggle's laboratory, ...

Patients' non-adherence to prescribed medication costs the U.S. health care system an estimated $290 billion annually and can lead to poor clinical outcomes, increased hospitalizations and higher mortality. In an effort to understand the extent to which health care providers feel responsible for their patients' medication adherence, UCLA researchers and colleagues conducted focus-group discussions with providers and recorded out-patient office visits with 100 patients taking a total of 410 medications. They also examined how adherence discussions were initiated between ...

When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Depression Khanun on July 15, infrared data revealed some high, strong thunderstorms that hinted the cyclone would intensify. On July 16 Khanun had indeed become a tropical storm. NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Khanun on July 15, 2012 at 1635 UTC (12:35 p.m. EDT) when it was a tropical depression. At that time the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument onboard measured Khanun's cloud top temperatures. The storm's coldest cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius), indicating ...

Hurricane Fabio continues to be the big tropical news maker in the Eastern Pacific, while the Central Pacific Hurricane Center is tracking the remnants of Hurricane Emilia. Both storms were captured on one satellite image from NOAA's GOES-15 satellite on July 16. Emilia's remnants appear as a light swirl of clouds on satellite imagery from NOAA's GOES-15 satellite. GOES-15 sits in a fixed orbit over the western U.S. and provides weather imagery. In an image from July 16 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) while Hawaii was still in the pre-dawn hours, infrared imagery on GOES-15 ...

Recent excavations, sediment coring and mapping by a multi-university team led by the University of Cincinnati at the pre-Columbian city of Tikal, a paramount urban center of the ancient Maya, have identified new landscaping and engineering feats, including the largest ancient dam built by the Maya of Central America. That dam – constructed from cut stone, rubble and earth – stretched more than 260 feet in length, stood about 33 feet high and held about 20 million gallons of water in a man-made reservoir. These findings on ancient Maya water and land-use systems at ...

Consumers are more likely to select products located in the horizontal center of a display and may not make the best choices as a result, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "A close investigation of visual attention reveals that consumers do not accurately recall their choice process. Our findings emphasize the relationship between horizontal location, attention, and choice," write authors A. Selin Atalay (HEC Paris), H. Onur Bodur (Concordia University), and Dina Rasolofoarison (Aston Business School). Many products are arranged horizontally. ...

While the causes of autism continue to be debated and bandied about, real families who have children with autism spectrum disorders are left to struggle with expensive health care needs. These costs can be devastating - but they can also be markedly different if the family lives in Massachusetts or Maine. Advocates in many states have lobbied for legislation to force private insurers to offer autism services at the same levels as other covered services. A new study by Susan Parish, the Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Disability Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy ...

Consumers who access products in the short-term instead of owning them show greater indifference toward these products and identify less with the brand and other consumers, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Our study represents the first look at how consumers think, feel, and act when they are accessing rather than purchasing products, and we discovered that the nature of access-based consumption is inherently different from ownership," write authors Fleura Bardhi (Northeastern University) and Giana M. Eckhardt (Suffolk University). The ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – A buildup of sodium in the brain detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be a biomarker for the degeneration of nerve cells that occurs in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. The study found that patients with early-stage MS showed sodium accumulation in specific brain regions, while patients with more advanced disease showed sodium accumulation throughout the whole brain. Sodium buildup in motor areas of the brain correlated directly to the degree of disability seen in ...

Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element on Earth, is a promising energy carrier for emerging clean energy technology. Hydrogen is the energy carrier that powers fuel cells in electric cars, and can be used to store energy generated by renewable sources at times of low demand. A major challenge with hydrogen energy is meeting the dual goals of high storage density and efficient kinetics for hydrogen release when it is needed. Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have shed new light on the kinetics of hydrogen release, or dehydrogenation, ...

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening at 8:00 PM eastern time, you can listen to Wellness, Wholeness & Wisdom radio with host Psychologist Parthenia Izzard, CNHP on BlogTalkRadio. The program is archived within minutes of the live broadcast on the internet and rebroadcast. On your computer go to http://www.amtherapies.com and click on the Radio link to listen to the show live online or on your phone! Program topics range from authors like Bishop Jordan, James Redfield, Immaculee Ilibagiza, and William Tiller to owners of products like Rishi Teas, and Dr. Kracker. ...

A leading coin and bullion dealer in Atlanta has recently made changes to their website and transaction procedures to make it easier for sellers of gold, silver, and platinum coins and bullion, including old and rare coins, to receive the best rates in Atlanta and beyond. In fact, their tagline is "our published online buying rates help you to receive more for your coins & bullion," and they don't disappoint! Atlanta Gold & Coin Buyers, LLC - http://www.atlantagoldandcoin.com has decided to increase their buying rates (or what they pay to sellers) on ...

Aurorae Yoga launches a Micro-Fiber, eco-safe Sport / Yoga Towel to replace their Cotton Sport Sweat Towel. The 30"x20" hygienic sport towel is currently available online in Aurorae's Crown color, violet, for purchase on their website Auroraeyoga.com secure payment through Amazon.com. The Micro-Fiber Sport / Yoga Hand Towel was designed to act as an ideal moisture absorbent towel to wipe away perspiration during yoga practice. It can also be used as an extra grip for hands or feet if one finds their yoga mat to be slippery during practice. The Aurorae Sport ...

Yancey Home Improvement, Sacramento roof company has announced its support for the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendment Act of 2012 (H.R. 5911). The goal of the amendment act is to improve on the current RRP rule by clarifying the the definition of terms used on the law. First enacted in 2010, the Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) rule aimed to protect homeowners from the harmful effects of lead-contaminated dust and waste released during most home improvement projects. The RRP law required contractors to secure a certification from the Environment Protection Agency ...

Twin Trinity Media announced today that Folsom resident Jennifer Walker will sign her two novels, BUBBA GOES NATIONAL and BUBBA TO THE RESCUE of THE RIDERS OF GREEN MEADOW series, at the California State Fair at Cal Expo in Sacramento. She will also offer Elements of the Soul, an anthology that contains two of her stories. BUBBA GOES NATIONAL is about thirteen-year-old Leslie Clark, who lives with her widowed father. She loves horses, but he can't afford to buy her one. She works for a horse trainer to earn lessons and a little extra money, which she saves up in hope ...

Screening cancer patients for tobacco use, and offering referrals for tobacco cessation programs may enhance the cancer treatment process. For smokers diagnosed with cancer, dropping the habit may help improve the body's ability to heal and respond to treatment, such as from surgery or chemotherapy, and lower the risk for pneumonia and respiratory failure. Quitting may also lessen the likelihood of the cancer returning or another cancer emerging, according to the National Cancer Institute. Yet a surprising number of cancer patients continue to smoke. Polaris Health Directions, ...

Nowadays a Mobile Website Design is crucial for your business websites to succeed online, not having one could be devastating. Consider these statistics, in 2012 there is now over 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions in the world and 95% of smartphones users worldwide have looked for local information according to Google. Other statistics in a Google publication title The Mobile Movement show that 79% of Mobile users rely on Smartphones to help with there shopping. These local information searchers are ready to buy from your businesses. There smartphones is an always-on ...

Due to the increasing number of Americans leading unhealthy lifestyles and the rise in obesity, the BerryRipe team realized the need for an online destination to provide engaging content and information illustrating how to be healthy. The new healthy living hub features everything from healthy recipes to fitness guides, all the way to lifestyle and wellness articles written by bloggers, chefs, nutritionists, and health experts. Although there are many health resources on the web, BerryRipe's new platform strives to take the "blog" to the next level."We ...

Platinum Guild International UK use Logicmighty Medialibrary software to share platinum jewellery photos with staff, retailers, journalists and agencies. Their old photo system was slow. Designers and journalists received low resolution photos, made selections, then received a CD of high resolutions or followed directions to locate and download files from an FTP site. It was difficult to hide exclusive images reserved for marketing staff. PGI now use online digital asset software for everyone to instantly download high resolution quality (showing off the jewellery ...