A targeted approach to treating toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, shows early promise in test-tube and animal studies, where it prevented the parasites from making selected proteins. When tested in newly infected mice, it reduced the number of viable parasites by more than 90 percent, researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This precisely focused therapy combines short strands of "antisense" nucleic acid-like material with a small peptide that can transport those strands through cell membranes ...

Newly published research led by Dr. David Spence of Western University, Canada, shows that eating egg yolks accelerates atherosclerosis in a manner similar to smoking cigarettes. Surveying more than 1200 patients, Dr. Spence found regular consumption of egg yolks is about two-thirds as bad as smoking when it comes to increased build-up of carotid plaque, a risk factor for stroke and heart attack. The research is published online in the journal Atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis, also called coronary artery disease, is a disorder of the arteries where plaques, aggravated ...

ARGONNE, Ill. (August 12, 2012) -- For the first time X-ray scientists have combined high-resolution imaging with 3-D viewing of the surface layer of material using X-ray vision in a way that does not damage the sample. This new technique expands the range of X-ray research possible for biology and many aspects of nanotechnology, particularly nanofilms, photonics, and micro- and nano-electronics. This new technique also reduces "guesswork" by eliminating the need for modeling-dependent structural simulation often used in X-ray analysis. Scientists from the Advanced ...

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A team of investigators from UC Davis and Peking University have discovered a mechanism that may explain how alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) -- the key ingredient in cosmetic chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams -- work to enhance skin appearance. An understanding of the underlying process may lead to better cosmetic formulations as well as have medical applications. The findings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in an article entitled "Intracellular proton-mediated activation of TRPV3 channels accounts for exfoliation effect ...

WASHINGTON, DC—A team at Children's National Medical Center has found that external stimulation has an impact on the postnatal development of a specific region of the brain. Published in Nature Neuroscience, the study used sensory deprivation to look at the growth and collection of NG2-expressing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (NG2 cells) in the sensory cortex of the brain. This type of research is part of the Center for Neuroscience Research focus on understanding the development and treatment of white matter diseases. NG2 cells can develop into oligodendrocytes progenitor ...

A University of Houston researcher has developed a nanoparticle coating for solar panels that makes it easier to keep the panels clean, maintaining their efficiency for longer and reducing the maintenance and operations costs. The patent-pending coating developed by physics professor Seamus "Shay" Curran, director of UH's Institute for NanoEnergy, has successfully undergone testing at the Dublin Institute for Technology and will undergo field trials being conducted by an engineering firm in North Carolina. Curran said the June testing in Ireland and the field trials ...

If a hurricane's path carries it over large areas of fresh water, it will potentially intensify 50 percent faster than those that do not pass over such regions, meaning it has greater potential to become a stronger storm and be more devastating, according to a study co-written by a group of researchers at Texas A&M University. Ping Chang, professor of oceanography and atmospheric sciences and director of the Texas Center for Climate Studies, along with his former student, Karthik Balaguru, now at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, are the ...

URBANA – A study that examined how rural farmers in Ethiopia learn new farming techniques and adopt them on their own farms discovered that learning from a friend was a stronger motivator than learning from neighbors in close proximity. The goal of the study was to find out how farmers in Ethiopia learn and ultimately adopt new agricultural technologies such as using fertilizers in the production of grains, trying new grain crop varieties, and installing an irrigation system to grow new high-value fruit and vegetable crops. "One strategy used by extension in developing ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A sedentary lifestyle is a common cause of obesity (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/obesity/DS00314), and excessive body weight and fat in turn are considered catalysts for diabetes (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/DS01121), high blood pressure (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/DS00100), joint damage (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/arthritis/DS01122/DSECTION=risk-factors) and other serious health problems. But what if lack of exercise itself were treated as a medical condition? Mayo Clinic physiologist Michael Joyner, ...

Montreal, August 13, 2012 – Does the ideal ratio of couch to rug size keep you up at night? Are the exposed wires of your stereo causing you angst? Is that crocheted toilet paper cover kitschy enough to be cool? If you wonder, then you are not alone. For Concordia University's Zeynep Arsel, such questions have led to exciting new research into buyer behaviour. The assistant professor of marketing at the John Molson School of Business teamed up with Jonathan Bean from Parsons The New School of Design in New York City to co-author a recent article in the Journal of Consumer ...

New York, NY and San Diego, CA, August 13, 2012 – Despite years of research, glioblastoma, the most common and deadly brain cancer in adults, continues to outsmart treatments targeted to inhibit tumor growth. Biologists and oncologists have long understood that a protein called the epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR is altered in at least 50 percent of patients with glioblastoma. Yet patients with glioblastoma either have upfront resistance or quickly develop resistance to inhibitors aimed at stopping the protein's function, suggesting that there is another signalling ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation. The system works by measuring differences in gamma radiation emitted when atoms in radioactive elements "decay," or lose energy. This rate of decay is widely believed to be constant, but recent findings challenge that long-accepted rule. The new detection technique is based on a hypothesis that radioactive decay rates are influenced ...

VIDEO: This animation shows rapid transport of a single ion over about 0.37 millimeters within 8 millionths of a second. The ion is held and moved with electric fields, its transport... Click here for more information. Take that, sports cars! Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can accelerate their beryllium ions from zero to 100 miles per hour and stop them in just a few microseconds. What's more, the ions come to a complete stop and hardly ...

NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of Tropical Storm Kai-tak affecting the northern Philippines on August 13 as the storm heads toward China for a final landfall. Warnings are already in effect in part of the Philippines. Tropical storm Kai-tak is the fourteenth tropical cyclone of the western North Pacific season. On August 13 at 11 a.m. EDT, Kai-tak had maximum sustained winds near 40 knots (46 mph/74 kmh). It was located approximately 290 nautical miles (334 miles/ 537 km) east-Northeast of Manila, Philippines, has tracked west-southwestward at 11 knots (12.6 ...

On August 13, the Atlantic tropics are quieter than they were the previous week, when four low pressure areas were marching across the ocean basin. Satellite imagery shows two lows in the Atlantic as Tropical Storm Hector spins in the Eastern Pacific Ocean with System 95E near the Mexican coast. The NOAA GOES-13 satellite sits in a fixed orbit over the eastern U.S. and provides infrared and visible imagery of the Atlantic Ocean basin continuously. At the same time, NOAA's GOES-15 satellite covers the western U.S. and eastern Pacific Ocean. At NASA's GOES Project, the ...

VIDEO: This movie shows a coronal mass ejection (CME) on the sun from July 22, 2012 at 10 p.m. EDT until 2 a.m. July 23 as captured by NASA's Solar TErrestrial... Click here for more information. On July 23, 2012, a massive cloud of solar material erupted off the sun's right side, zooming out into space, passing one of NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft along the way. Using the STEREO data, scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center ...

A mysterious condition called Inclusion Body Disease (IBD) strikes captive boa constrictors and pythons, causing bizarre behavioral changes and eventually death. Scientists investigating an outbreak of IBD among snakes at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco report they may well have found a virus that is responsible for this common but deadly disease, a discovery that could eventually lead to prevention and treatment options. The study appears in the August 14 issue of mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The authors report ...

PrimeView, one of the leading Phoenix SEO Firms in the whole of Arizona, eagerly welcomes Affordable Gas to its growing list of clientele. Affordable Gas is Arizona's Membership Gas Delivery Service which lets you save up on fuel costs. Other than the unique gas on delivery service they offer, Affordable Gas lives up to its name by offering low cost gas to their members. Understanding how pump prices on gasoline has been escalating in the recent years, they have found an economical system to this problem. The secret formula is by not having a gas station they have ...

Fear Overload, one of California's most popular haunted houses, opens its doors on September 29th, 2012. Voted the scariest haunted house in California (-HauntWorld), Fear Overload boasts of its new horrifying tactics it will use to implant fear this Halloween season. "This October, we will be taking fear to the next level," says Creative Director of Fear Overload, Nathan Polanco. "No longer may you expect your haunted house to provide the adventure for you. Now you create your own adventure. This October, we offer each group one flashlight to explore the ...

The premium British online eyewear retailer, SmartBuyGlasses UK, is delighted to announce the debut of their posh new eyewear blog, Eye Spy. Their newest addition to the blogosphere focuses on the latest designer sunglasses and glasses trends, celebrity eyewear fashion, and current eyewear news. From chic fashion editorials to original photo shoots to eyewear recommendations, the Eye Spy blog features fresh and unique content that cannot be found elsewhere. To bring you the latest fashion trends in the kingdom, SmartBuyGlasses UK has teamed up with an ultra stylish ...

Cyara today announced the latest release of Cyara Solutions Suite, version 4.1, which was made generally available in early July and includes key performance, usability and reporting enhancements. Cyara is a pioneer of next-generation premise and cloud solutions for testing, monitoring and simulation of interactive voice response (IVRs) and contact center systems and applications. Customers who use Cyara frequently experience 50-90 percent savings in testing time and costs; With this latest release, customers gain additional time and cost savings and control over their ...

To announce the launch of the truWalk(zero) line for the Spring 2012 collection, Rockport Shoes, a subsidiary of Reebok International, teamed with Roy Braeger Events to create a one of a kind exhibition on the streets of New York City. This launch, featuring performance artist Johan Lorbeer, could be found in April 2012 with various performance artists "levitating" next to the cube to signify the line being one of the lightest ever developed by Rockport Shoes. Roy Braeger Events is a Brooklyn based company specializing in full service planning of happy occasions. ...

Ofir Hirsh has published a new e-book, Investilosophy: Investment Lessons Wrapped in a Story. The adventures of a businessman, who arrives at the island of Kauai, Hawaii, on a spur-of-the-moment surfing trip. He meets an exceptional veteran Hedge Fund manager who gives him some practical investment advice and teaches him how to develop his own investment personality. When he visits the Traders Village, an intimate community of financial industry professionals, he is taken by the people he meets and their ambitious visions for a better investment world. Investilosophy was ...

Choice Hotels Australasia (CHA) continues to show strong growth, with demand across all levels of its offer resulting in six new hotels joining the stable. In the last quarter Australia's largest hotel franchisor has seen particular demand for options in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Trent Fraser, CHA's Chief Executive Officer, says the company is focused on investing in regional as well as metropolitan properties at a time when increased international competition and a high Australian dollar has seen leisure travellers choosing to holiday abroad. "Our ...

Everyone thinks they have the next big idea and now they have a chance to prove it. My Cool Inventions Radio is coming to Philadelphia and will be featured Saturdays, at 4PM, on WNTP News Talk 990 AM. The fastest growing invention radio show, based in Tampa, Florida on their flagship station 970 WFLA, is expanded it's reach in to an even larger metropolitan area that is know for creative ideas and cool inventions! Inventors are being invited to submit their product at MyCoolInventions.com (http://www.mycoolinventionsradio.com) where they may be selected to pitch their ...