BOSTON (July 29, 2012) – Researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division and their collaborators have isolated an elusive human gene that causes a common form of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a relatively rare but devastating form of early-onset blindness. The new LCA gene is called NMNAT1. Finding the specific gene mutated in patients with LCA is the first step towards developing sight-saving gene therapy. LCA is an inherited retinal degenerative disease characterized ...

A team of British and Australian scientists has discovered an important method of how carbon is drawn down from the surface of the Southern Ocean to the deep waters beneath. The Southern Ocean is an important carbon sink in the world – around 40% of the annual global CO2 emissions absorbed by the world's oceans enter through this region. Reporting this week in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Australia's national research agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), reveal that rather ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a very rare disorder that causes paralysis that freezes one side of the body and then the other in devastating bouts that arise at unpredictable intervals. Seizures, learning disabilities and difficulty walking are common among patients with this diagnosis. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have now discovered that mutations in one gene cause the disease in the majority of patients with a diagnosis of AHC, and because of the root problem they discovered, a treatment may become possible. The study ...

"We see landslides everywhere in the solar system," says Kelsi Singer, graduate student in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, "but Saturn's icy moon Iapetus has more giant landslides than any body other than Mars." The reason, says William McKinnon, PhD, professor of earth and planetary sciences, is Iapetus' spectacular topography. "Not only is the moon out-of-round, but the giant impact basins are very deep, and there's this great mountain ridge that's 20 kilometers (12 miles) high, far higher than Mount Everest. "So ...

On a time scale of tens to hundreds of millions of years, the geomagnetic field may be influenced by currents in the mantle. The frequent polarity reversals of Earth's magnetic field can also be connected with processes in the mantle. These are the research results presented by a group of geoscientists in the new advance edition of "Nature Geoscience" on Sunday, July 29th. The results show how the rapid processes in the outer core, which flows at rates of up to about one millimeter per second, are coupled with the processes in the mantle, which occur more in the velocity ...

July 29th, 2012, Shenzhen, China – A five-country international team, led by Casey Eye Institute Molecular Diagnostic laboratory, BGI and Zhejiang University School of Medicine First Affiliated Hospital identified the NMNAT1 mutations as a cause of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), one of the most common causes of inherited blindness in children. The latest study was published online in Nature Genetics, reporting the genetic characteristics underlying some LCA patients, and providing important evidences that support NMNAT1 as a promising target for the gene therapy of LCA. LCA ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The chronic drought that hit western North America from 2000 to 2004 left dying forests and depleted river basins in its wake and was the strongest in 800 years, scientists have concluded, but they say those conditions will become the "new normal" for most of the coming century. Such climatic extremes have increased as a result of global warming, a group of 10 researchers reported today in Nature Geoscience. And as bad as conditions were during the 2000-04 drought, they may eventually be seen as the good old days. Climate models and precipitation projections ...

TORONTO, ON – Researchers from the University of Toronto (U of T) and King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) have made a breakthrough in the development of colloidal quantum dot (CQD) films, leading to the most efficient CQD solar cell ever. Their work is featured in a letter published in Nature Nanotechnology. The researchers, led by U of T Engineering Professor Ted Sargent, created a solar cell out of inexpensive materials that was certified at a world-record 7.0% efficiency. "Previously, quantum dot solar cells have been limited by the large internal ...

After the fall of the Soviet Union twenty years ago, water distribution in Central Asia became a source of conflict. In areas where summer precipitation is low, glaciers play an important role when considering the quantity of available water. The Tien Shan region is a prime example; mountain glaciers in this region contribute significantly to the fresh water supply in the arid zones of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Northwestern China. Like Switzerland, Kyrgyzstan serves as a water tower for its neighboring countries. While the impact of climate ...

SALT LAKE CITY, July 30, 2012 – In the years after Columbus' voyage, burning of New World forests and fields diminished significantly – a phenomenon some have attributed to decimation of native populations by European diseases. But a new University of Utah-led study suggests global cooling resulted in fewer fires because both preceded Columbus in many regions worldwide. "The drop in fire [after about A.D. 1500] has been linked previously to the population collapse. We're saying no, there is enough independent evidence that the drop in fire was caused by cooling climate," ...

HAMILTON, ON (July 30, 2012) – Child abuse experts say psychological abuse can be as damaging to a young child's physical, mental and emotional health as a slap, punch or kick. While difficult to pinpoint, it may be the most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect, experts say in an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) position statement on psychological maltreatment in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics. Psychological abuse includes acts such as belittling, denigrating, terrorizing, exploiting, emotional unresponsiveness, or corrupting a child ...

A new analysis has found that doing away with PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing for prostate cancer would likely cause three times as many men to develop advanced disease that has spread to other parts of the body before being diagnosed. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that PSA testing and early detection may prevent approximately 17,000 men each year from having such advanced prostate cancer at diagnosis. PSA testing has come under fire recently as a potentially ineffective screen for ...

Eliminating the PSA test to screen for prostate cancer would be taking a big step backwards and would likely result in rising numbers of men with metastatic cancer at the time of diagnosis, predicted a University of Rochester Medical Center analysis published in the journal, Cancer. The URMC study suggests that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and early detection may prevent up to 17,000 cases of metastatic prostate cancer a year. Data shows, in fact, that if age-specific pre-PSA era incidence rates were to occur in the present day, the number of men whose cancer ...

Chicago—(July 30, 2012): A surgical patient safety program that combines three components—accurate outcome measurement, support of hospital leadership, and engaged frontline providers—reduces surgical site infections (SSIs) by 33 percent in patients who undergo colorectal procedures, according to a new study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. SSIs are the most common complication for this high-risk population, occurring in 15 to 30 percent of patients after colorectal operations, according to the study authors. "Colorectal ...

Author Max Elliot Anderson has published his 10th adventure book for children 8 - 13, The Scarecrow. "The Scarecrow is the first of my books to carry a stronger Christian message as part of the plot and story," Anderson said. "My primary intent in writing The Scarecrow is to provide an exciting book for readers 8 - 13, that can be used with confidence by parents, churches, children's ministries, homeschoolers, Christian schools, and others who wish to reach out to kids with this unique tool." The Scarecrow can also be given as a gift to a hurting ...

Services provided include dog walking and in-home pet sitting for dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and other small animals. "Claymont is a Blueprint Community, and I'm excited to be opening a new business here," said Teresa Rothaar, owner of Upward Dog Pet Sitting. "I look forward to serving the people and pets in my community, and hope to ultimately bring jobs into the area." While busy professionals have long relied on dog walking services to exercise their pets and provide potty breaks during the day, in-home boarding of dogs, cats and other small ...

Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, a leader in retail pet supplies and service, has grown to 26 franchise locations. The company attributes the record growth to the popularity of the brand, high demand for the products and services provided and a strong network of successful franchisees. With corporate offices in Orlando, Florida, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming introduced a new store prototype in 2011 that reduces building costs and streamlines the construction process, enabling franchisees to better serve their customers. New Woof Gang Bakery stores typically include ...

The Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation (www.autismspectrumdisorderfoundation.org), a national organization that supports families living with autism, provides funding for autistic children to receive private swimming lessons at the Lydon Aquatic Center in Danvers, Massachusetts. Since the inception of the swim program in 2009, the Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation has provided financial assistance for twelve children to take swimming lessons every week, all year round. The private swimming lessons by instructors Maureen Lydon, Charlie Piper, and Sandra Dawson provide ...

So if you are starting up your own practice or already have one and simply do not have your own website as of yet, then now is the time to make this happen. Of course, however, doctors typically do not double as website designers. For this reason, you may find that you need to hire a professional physician website design service to get your website up and running. Luckily, if you are looking for the best physician website design service for the job, you do not need to look any further than Medical Website Creations. There, they specialize in all kinds of medical website ...

In a recently released draft of a bill that may be proposed as early as the U.S. Senate's next term, Senators Jeff Bingaman(D-NM) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are working on what appear to be aggressive improvements to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which provides tax benefits for the installation of energy efficient commercial building improvements. The Act is also known as EPACT or 179D. Currently, EPACT allows a tax deduction of up to $1.80 per sq. foot under section 179D of the tax code for commercial buildings with energy efficient installations and upgrades to HVAC, ...

This leg-pulling tale tells of a group of mis-guided, if slightly loony, scientists, of a lovely woman, a handsome athlete and  of two mischievous Greek gods who spill the beans on a scheme to privatize the USA and reduce the deficit by selling off the Western states.  So, what's the price of real estate in the fifth dimension? Born on the banks of the Detroit River in an orange crate house next to a pot-belly stove in the cold spring of 1930, Guerrino Amati worked his way through a BA English from Wayne State University and, later, after a stint in the US Army, an MA ...

Rick was recently awarded one of the first ever Superstar Coach Awards at the Fitness and Athletic Revolution National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. This award is given to coaches who display exemplary service, innovative practice, and commitment to personal and professional excellence. The Yun FIT family couldn't be more proud of Rick, who started as a client in 2009 and became a coach a year later. Rick has been involved in sports throughout his entire life. A native of Urbana, Ohio, he competed and lettered in football, basketball, and track. While serving ...

LOGIN is the conference for developers and professionals, executives, venture capitalists, designers in the online game industry, including Facebook game development, MMOG development, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network development, iPhone/iPad development, Android development, payment solutions, monetization and digital distribution. LOGIN Conference 2012 features two full days of lectures, panels, and roundtables, renowned local and international industry speakers, facilitated networking activities, startup pitch session, parties, keynote session, meetings and an exhibition ...

Hetman Software updates Hetman Partition Recovery, the company´s flagship tool to recover lost information and repair damaged, corrupted and inaccessible disk volumes. The new release features numerous improvements in recovery algorithms, allowing the tool to reliably locate and recover more files than ever. In addition, enhancements to the user interface make the tool even easier to use with more safeguards against accidental data corruption. For a limited time, the newly released Hetman Partition Recovery is available at a reduced price. Customers registering Hetman ...

Seattle, WA July 27, 2012 -- Bolide Software, the developer of software for collectors of books, movies and multimedia files, is announcing today the release of All My Movies 7.1 - the latest version of the Windows application for creating a computer database of movies on DVD, CD, Blu-Ray, VHS and video files on the hard drive. By automating the process of adding movies to its database, All My Movies allows the user to download all information about a particular film along with its cover art from the online movie databases, and then create a movie card in the collection ...