CORVALLIS, Ore. – Forest thinning to help prevent or reduce severe wildfire will release more carbon to the atmosphere than any amount saved by successful fire prevention, a new study concludes. There may be valid reasons to thin forests – such as restoration of forest structure or health, wildlife enhancement or public safety – but increased carbon sequestration is not one of them, scientists say. In research just published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Oregon State University scientists conclude that even in fire-prone forests, it's necessary to treat ...

In 2003, under the Bush administration, the number of hours a commercial truck driver could drive in a day was increased from 10 to 11. Furthermore, truck drivers are allowed to drive as much as 77 hours in a 7-day period, with 34 hours off before they return to work. While truck safety has improved in recent years, thousands of people still die in accidents with trucks every year. In 2009, some 3,600 people died in accidents with large trucks, and another 74,000 were injured. Public safety advocates were concerned that this increase in hours would worsen the problem ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When one tiny circuit within an integrated chip cracks or fails, the whole chip – or even the whole device – is a loss. But what if it could fix itself, and fix itself so fast that the user never knew there was a problem? A team of University of Illinois engineers has developed a self-healing system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in less time than it takes to blink. Led by aerospace engineering professor Scott White and materials science and engineering professor Nancy Sottos, the researchers published their results in the ...

The most pressing issue any newly arrested person has is the earliest possible release from jail. And knowing how to minimize the cost and bother! The first step is to call a lawyer who is a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law. They compromise less than 1 percent of the lawyers in Texas and are easily the best-qualified criminal lawyers. He will know the bondsmen who will negotiate for the best deal, and the judges who have the power (and perhaps the inclination) to reduce the bond amount and, overall, how to end up with the best terms and conditions of release. ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Bacteria are able to build camouflaged homes for themselves inside healthy cells - and cause disease - by manipulating a natural cellular process. Purdue University biologists led a team that revealed how a pair of proteins from the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, which causes Legionnaires disease, alters a host protein in order to divert raw materials within the cell for use in building and disguising a large structure that houses the bacteria as it replicates. Zhao-Qing Luo, the associate professor of biological sciences who headed ...

NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was providing forecasters with the rate in which rainfall was occurring in Tropical Storm Washi over the last week, and now TRMM data has been compiled to show rainfall totals over the devastated Philippines. Washi, known locally in the Philippines as Sendong, began as a tropical depression on December 13, 2011 in the West Pacific Ocean about 2150 km (~1333 miles) due east of the southern Philippines. Washi only intensified slightly and never exceeded tropical storm intensity as it tracked due west towards the ...

With approximately 70,000 people living in each of its 23 square miles, millions of daily commuters and other visitors, a massive public transportation system, 20 hospitals, thousands of ongoing construction projects and more hustle and bustle than anywhere else in the United States, serious accidents are a staple of life in Manhattan. At Simon Eisenberg & Baum, our Manhattan personal injury lawyers understand that a serious personal injury can turn anyone's life upside down in a New York minute. If you or your family is going through something like this right now, ...

Skeletons don't lie. But sometimes they may mislead, as in the case of bones that reputedly showed evidence of syphilis in Europe and other parts of the Old World before Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage in 1492. None of this skeletal evidence, including 54 published reports, holds up when subjected to standardized analyses for both diagnosis and dating, according to an appraisal in the current Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. In fact, the skeletal data bolsters the case that syphilis did not exist in Europe before Columbus set sail. "This is the first ...

Atlanta tree services company Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts is happy to share some tips on how to choose a Christmas tree and keep it healthy during the holiday season. "If you haven't bought your tree yet, there is no need to be concerned," assures Gary Robertson, owner of Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts. "Many lots will still have a good selection of trees available, and the shorter amount of time left before the holidays means that less effort will be required to keep the tree in good condition before the big day." When choosing a tree, it is important ...

TORONTO, ON., Dec. 20, 2011—Women who are at risk for breast cancer may also be at greater risk for heart disease, new research has found. The majority of women with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer have a mutated form of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which normally suppress the growth of breast and ovarian tumours. Dr. Subodh Verma, a cardiac surgeon at St. Michael's Hospital, said his research team was surprised to discover the genes also regulate heart function. Following a heart attack, mice with the mutated BRCA1 gene had a three-to-five times higher rate of ...

A Mediterranean diet with large amounts of vegetables and fish gives a longer life. This is the unanimous result of four studies to be published by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg. Research studies ever since the 1950s have shown that a Mediterranean diet, based on a high consumption of fish and vegetables and a low consumption of animal-based products such as meat and milk, leads to better health. Study on older people Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy have now studied the effects of a Mediterranean diet on older people in Sweden. They have ...

Confused.com has announced it will unveil a new promotion with Nectar, the UK's largest loyalty programme. Customers will receive 1,000 Nectar points for every car insurance policy they buy through Confused.com. The promotion is running from 12 December 2011 until 31 March 2012. Confused.com's Nectar Points promotion will be supported by a 30 second TV advert and radio advert running from 23 December. The adverts will feature animated logo Cara singing 'YMCA', with some unique wording added to highlight the Nectar promotion. Will Shuckburgh, Nectar Client Development ...

Papillary thyroid cancer accounts for the majority of all thyroid malignancies, which primarily impact women. A new study indicates that routinely removing lymph nodes in the neck in these cancer patients may help prevent the disease from coming back. When thyroid cancer metastasizes, lymph nodes in the neck may be affected, but these lymph-node tumors can be tiny and may not be detected by ultrasounds done before surgery to remove the diseased thyroid — or even during the procedure itself. In an international academic study published in the December issue of ...

An endoscope that can provide high-resolution optical images of the interior of a single living cell, or precisely deliver genes, proteins, therapeutic drugs or other cargo without injuring or damaging the cell, has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). This highly versatile and mechanically robust nanowire-based optical probe can also be applied to biosensing and single-cell electrophysiology. A team of researchers from Berkeley Lab and the University of California (UC) Berkeley ...

The deep thinkers at Health Journeys Inc. are counting on their first iTunes app, Sleep Help, to be a real yawner. Literally. Insomnia is a common condition that affects millions of Americans each year. Being sleep-deprived or sleep-impaired can lead to irritability, sub-par functioning, muddy thinking, poor judgment, inefficient use of time, dangerous driving, failing relationships and decreased enjoyment of life. "A question we get asked a lot about our self-help CD programs is: Is there an app for that?," says Cindy Stalnaker, President of Health ...

The company owner of Gamingator.com announced today that for the last 2 months after the launch of its affiliate program there have been around 200 active affiliates registered that generate traffic towards the platform. "Around 3% of all visitors of the website that are generated through affiliates are making a purchase, which is due to our attractive banners and the fact that we publish promotional offers for games on the banners. This assists the customers who are trying to purchase hit titles on reasonable prices to make an easy choice," the website crew ...

Stanford, CA— Plant roots are fascinating plant organs – they not only anchor the plant, but are also the world's most efficient mining companies. Roots live in darkness and direct the activities of the other organs, as well as interact with the surrounding environment. Charles Darwin posited in The Power of Movement of Plants that the root system acts as a plant's brain. Due to the difficulty of accessing root tissue in intact live plants, research of these hidden parts has always lagged behind research on the more visible parts of plants. But now: a new technology--developed ...

For most of us, the word "turbomachinery" may conjure up images of superheroes or fast exotic cars, but in reality most people leverage turbomachinery to get things done nearly every day. Turbomachinery – pumps, fans, compressors, turbines and other machines that transfer energy between a rotor and a fluid – is especially instrumental in power generation in the aeronautic, automotive, marine, space and industrial sectors. For engine designers to achieve the most efficient propulsion and power systems, they must understand the physics of very complex air-flow fields produced ...

Philadelphia, PA – Despite increased use of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there is a notable lack of consensus about optimal postoperative treatment. Aquatic therapy has been shown to have a beneficial effect, and it is typically begun two weeks after surgery, after the wound has healed. According to a new study published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, beginning aquatic therapy just 6 days after TKA may lead to improved results, while delaying its onset an additional week may be more appropriate after a THA. ...

In the first major upgrade to his toy delivery system in 200 years, Santa Claus has added a second sleigh. Sources close to Santa say the move had been contemplated for years, as the number of good little girls and boys grew and grew, causing the number of toys to deliver to skyrocket. The little red sleigh had not carried all the toys at one time since 1846. Santa and the reindeer had simply begun flying back to the Toy Workshop to reload. That was no problem for 5 or 50 or even 502 flights. But last year it took 5,002 flights and the reindeer finally ran completely ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Despite improvements to diagnostic tools and therapies in the two last decades, significant disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of depression remain, according to Rutgers research published online by the American Journal of Public Health; print, February 2012. In the study "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Depression Care in Community-Dwelling Elderly in the United States," lead author Ayse Akincigil, an assistant professor in Rutgers' School of Social Work, and colleagues found that African Americans were significantly less likely to receive ...

Expect radical changes, unpredictability and instability in the year ahead, cautions Roi Solberg, well-known intuitive and author of Spirit of Archetypes. Solberg softens her prediction by explaining that altering our perception of change will lessen our resistance to new circumstances and help us to resolve many issues. To those who have lost their jobs, Solberg says, "The past few years have seen extreme changes in the way our country functions and looking back on the 'good old days' blocks us from seeing new opportunities. While the job market will continue to ...

Sno Life, a modern cold weather layering, accessory and apparel brand, will be showcasing their new collection at the Snowsports Industry America (SIA) Snowshow on Jan 26-29, 2012 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colo. Sno Life is dedicated to building their products for their consumers who live, love and enjoy the snow and snow sport activities. Their products are top quality, and the company is proud to say their products are made in the USA. The brand sponsors several rising-stars in the snow sport community that are as young as nine years-old. "We ...

How many times have we left out phone on our desks and, when returning from the break, we found it has... moved, or even disappeared? How many times have we wondered who's snooping around in our cell phone when we leave it places, forget it places? Muzeme Inc., an American start-up, has developed an application for this purpose, for Android devices, application that efficiently answers the above-mentioned needs: Lockguard. What's more interesting is the fact that the development of the application was managed from Romania and the American company is making it available ...

Each year, the holiday season brings good tidings and cheer along with an abundance of sweet treats, from tasty eggnog to candy canes. The holiday food frenzy actually begins with Halloween candy and lingers all the way until the big game, offering a steady stream of tempting goodies that can be a real hazard for the millions of people living with diabetes or at risk for diabetes. Currently about 26 million Americans have the disease and another 79 million have been identified with pre-diabetes. A recent report from the International Diabetes Federation shows that one ...