CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The ability to see through walls is no longer the stuff of science fiction, thanks to new radar technology developed at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory. Much as humans and other animals see via waves of visible light that bounce off objects and then strike our eyes' retinas, radar "sees" by sending out radio waves that bounce off targets and return to the radar's receivers. But just as light can't pass through solid objects in quantities large enough for the eye to detect, it's hard to build radar that can penetrate walls well enough to show what's happening ...

The Supreme Court of California recently denied plaintiff Rebecca Howell full compensation for her medical expenses from Hamilton Meats & Provisions, the company whose truck struck Hamilton's vehicle while making an illegal u-turn. As a result of the accident, Howell suffered through two spinal surgeries, among other medical treatments. The initial bill for her medical expenses came to almost $190,000. Fortunately, Howell had the foresight to purchase health insurance to cover unforeseen medical costs like these, but doing so denied her almost $130,000. It turned ...

Cyber war, long considered by many experts within the defence establishment to be a significant threat, if not an ongoing one, may never take place according to Dr Thomas Rid of King's College London. In a paper published in The Journal of Strategic Studies, Dr Thomas Rid, from the Department of War Studies, argues that cyber warfare has never taken place, nor is it currently doing so and it is unlikely to take place in the future. Dr Rid said: 'The threat intuitively makes sense: almost everybody has an iPhone, an email address and a Facebook account. We feel vulnerable ...

Geneticists at Emory University School of Medicine have demonstrated a method that enables the routine amplification of all the genes on the X chromosome. The technology allows the rapid and highly accurate sequencing and identification of novel genetic variants affecting X chromosome genes. The method, developed in cooperation with RainDance Technologies (www.RainDanceTech.com), is described in the Oct. 2011 issue of Genomics. Senior author Michael Zwick, PhD, assistant professor of human genetics at Emory University School of Medicine, is using the method to identify ...

A well-known collection of historical texts, the Cairo Genizah is one of the most valuable sources of primary documents for medieval historians and religious scholars. The 350,000 fragments found in the Genizah include not only religious texts, but also social and commercial documents, dating from the 9th to 19th century. But the collection is scattered among 70 institutions worldwide, including libraries in Cambridge, Jerusalem, and New York City, and scholars are hampered by both the wide dispersal of the collection as well as their fragmentary condition. Now researchers ...

Homeowners continue to feel the effects of the recession as banks drag their feet to foreclose on properties that have long been abandoned. While this does not normally cause an additional financial impact to homeowners -- especially those who have already filed bankruptcy -- some borrowers who previously paid homeowners association (HOA) fees will still be liable for these charges until the foreclosure is complete and the bank takes ownership of a property. Homeowners who experience this should consult a foreclosure and bankruptcy attorney. Why Are Homeowners Liable ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) leads to persistent inflammation of the airways and is typically managed with corticosteroids, a class of anti-inflammatory medication. However, corticosteroids do not improve survival nor alter the progression of COPD and may reduce lung symptoms as little as 20 percent. A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found why corticosteroids do not work well for COPD patients and how additional treatment with sulforaphane—an ingredient of broccoli and other vegetables—can improve the ...

The law regarding same-sex couples and marital status is beginning to change rapidly in many parts of the country. New Jersey has been no exception. In 2004, the New Jersey Legislature passed a domestic partnership law. In 2007, it enacted a law allowing civil unions. New Jersey also recognizes same-sex marriages performed out-of-state. Gay and lesbian couples in New Jersey today can choose whether to register their domestic partnership to receive some of the rights and obligations of marriage or apply for a civil union license to receive substantially all the rights ...

Microscopic animals that live in soils are as diverse in the tropical forests of Costa Rica as they are in the arid grasslands of Kenya, or the tundra and boreal forests of Alaska and Sweden. That conclusion is found in research results published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists have generally accepted that a wider range of species can be found above ground at the equator than at the Earth's poles. But this study proves for the first time that the same rules don't apply to the nematodes, mites and springtails living ...

The Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Columbia SC (Northeast) offers convenient lodging to architects attending the AIASC 2011 Fall Conference. The event will take place October 20-22 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The conference is open to members of the American Institute of Architects - South Carolina Chapter. The group is comprised of over 900 people including licensed architects, emerging professionals and allied partners who are committed to excellence in design and livability for South Carolina's buildings and communities. The AIASC Conference workshop ...

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy and Columbia University finds alcohol-related fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. are much lower among drivers with Canadian licenses than drivers with U.S. or Mexican licenses. The prevalence of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes was 27 percent for both U.S. and Mexican drivers, and 11 percent for Canadian drivers. Similarly, alcohol impairment was found in 23 percent of U.S. and Mexican drivers and 8 percent of Canadian drivers involved in a fatal crash. Research from other countries ...

The Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel (North I-85) is offering special savings rates for government and military employees to enjoy. Guests with a valid Government ID are eligible to receive great rates. As always, hotel guests will enjoy: - Complimentary hot breakfast - Free high-speed Internet access - Clean & fresh Hampton bed The capital of Georgia, Atlanta is home to many state government organizations, various international embassies and consulates, and the Federal Reverse Bank of Atlanta. In addition, Atlanta is located approximately 90 miles ...

Although portions of the visible world come in through one eye only, the brain instantaneously takes all that information and creates a coherent image. As far as we know, we "see" with both eyes at once. Now a new study suggests that the brain may know which eye is receiving information—and can turn around and tell that eye to work even harder. "We have demonstrated for the first time that you can pay attention through one eye, even when you have no idea where the image is coming from," says Peng Zhang, who conducted the study with University of Minnesota colleagues Yi ...

It's time for forgetting to get some respect, says Ben Storm, author of a new article on memory in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. "We need to rethink how we're talking about forgetting and realize that under some conditions it actually does play an important role in the function of memory," says Storm, who is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "Memory is difficult. Thinking is difficult," Storm says. Memories and associations accumulate rapidly. "These things could completely overrun ...

October 17, 2011—A new study uses a mathematical model to predict the potential impact of expanding treatment to discordant couples on controlling the global HIV epidemic-- in these couples one partner has HIV infection and the other does not. The research conducted at ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) is the first to predict the effect of the expansion of such treatment in couples on the HIV epidemic in certain African countries. In ...

Boots Treat Street shoppers can now download the new fun, free Trolley Dash app game, available to download from the Apple Store and the Android Market. Dave Robinson, Head of Partnership Marketing at Boots UK, commented: "We're delighted to launch Boots first web app and provide Advantage Card holders with a fun way to find out more about the Boots Treat Street shopping portal. We know our customers enjoy shopping and we're sure they'll enjoying playing with our app too." Users can take a stroll down the pretty pastel coloured street, passing favourite ...

Canadian parents today are raising families with less money and time than the Baby Boomer generation even though the country's economy has doubled in size since 1976, says a new study released at the University of Saskatchewan today by Paul Kershaw, a family policy expert from the University of British Columbia. "What we're seeing is something I call 'Generation Squeeze,'" Kershaw says. "The generation raising young kids today is squeezed for time at home, squeezed for income because of the high cost of housing, and squeezed for services like child care that would help ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Researchers at The Miriam Hospital demonstrated a practical strategy for regularly screening HIV-infected patients for acute hepatitis C virus infection (HCV), a "silent epidemic" that is rising undetected in this population and can lead to serious health complications. "Acute HCV outbreaks have led to calls for ongoing screenings for HIV-infected individuals, but it has been unclear how best to implement this," says lead author Lynn E. Taylor, M.D., an HIV/AIDS physician at The Miriam Hospital. "Detecting HCV in the acute stage is important because ...

Regenerative medicine in spinal cord injuries (SCI) is proving to help the human body create new cell and nerve connections that are severed during this type of injury. In a review of current scientific research for stem cell treatment in SCI published this month in the Springer journal Neurotheraputics, Dr. Michael Fehlings and Dr. Reaz Vawda from the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital in Ontario, Canada, provide evidence that supports researchers moving beyond the lab to conduct human clinical trials for stem cells. Spinal cord injuries remain one ...

Athens, Ga. – If genes provide the blueprint for life and proteins are the machines that do much of the work for cells, then carbohydrates that are linked to proteins are among the tools that enable cells to communicate with the outside world and each other. But until now, scientists have been unable to determine the structure of a biologically important so-called GAG proteoglycan—or even to agree whether these remarkably complex molecules have well-defined structures. In a paper published in the early online edition of the journal Nature Chemical Biology, however, a ...

(Baltimore, MD) — Learning from one's mistakes may be better than practicing to perfection, according to a new study appearing in the October 19 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute found that forcing people to switch from a normal walking pattern to an unusual one — and back again — made them better able to adjust to the unusual pattern the following day. The findings may help improve therapy for people relearning how to walk following stroke or other injury. Previous studies in the lab of Amy Bastian, PhD, Director of ...

A new analysis has found that coughing may signal trouble for patients with the lung-scarring disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The study, published in the journal Respirology, found that patients with the condition who also cough are more likely to develop advanced forms of the disease that may be life threatening. When idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis develops, tissue deep in the lungs becomes thick and scarred, likely due to a response to an unknown substance. The condition affects approximately 100,000 individuals in the United States, and up to half die ...

Global digital marketing company bigmouthmedia has announced the results of its annual affiliate marketing survey. Titled 'Exploring Online Affiliate Marketing Trends', the survey of UK based affiliates took in the views and opinions of a number of affiliate marketers to reveal insights on how this market is performing and indicates key technology and operational trends on where it is going. In particular the survey analyses and identifies key insights in to the relationships between affiliate marketers and agencies, the impact of Google (as an affiliate) and Google's ...

For better and for worse, human health depends on a cell's motility –– the ability to crawl from place to place. In every human body, millions of cells –are crawling around doing mostly good deeds ––– though if any of those crawlers are cancerous, watch out. "This is not some horrible sci-fi movie come true but, instead, normal cells carrying out their daily duties," said Florida State University cell biologist Tom Roberts. For 35 years he has studied the mechanical and molecular means by which amorphous single cells purposefully propel themselves throughout the body ...

Scientists have increased the estimate on the number of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean in a paper published in the journal Marine Mammal Science. The increase follows a refined statistical analysis of data compiled in 2008 from the largest whale survey ever undertaken to assess humpback whale populations throughout the North Pacific. The number of North Pacific Humpback Whales in the 2008 study known as the Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks, or SPLASH, was estimated at just under 20,000 based on a preliminary look at the ...