This press release is available in German. Leipzig. The carcinogenic harmful substance benzene can seriously impact the soil and ground water following chemical accidents or at old industrial sites. Nevertheless, bacteria exist which can degrade this compound even in the absence of oxygen. Until now it was not clear which organisms take part in this process and how they work together. With modern analytical procedures scientists of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have succeeded for the first time in tracking the path of this harmful substance through ...

Scientists led by the President of The University of Manchester have demonstrated a drug which can dramatically limit the amount of brain damage in stroke patients. Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, Professor Stuart Allan and their team have spent the last 20 years investigating how to reduce damage to the brain following a stroke. They have been testing the effectiveness of the drug Anakinra (IL-1Ra), which is already used for rheumatoid arthritis in experimental studies of stroke. This new study builds on previous research, although the big difference is that rats ...

Sixty years after the transistor began a technological revolution that transformed nearly every aspect of our daily lives, a new transistor brings innovations that may help to do so again. Developed at RIKEN, the device uses the electrostatic accumulation of electrical charge on the surface of a strongly-correlated material to trigger bulk switching of electronic state. Functional at room temperature and triggered by a potential of only 1 V, the switching mechanism provides a novel building block for ultra low power devices, non-volatile memory and optical switches based ...

This press release is available in German. Pulsars are superlative cosmic beacons. These compact neutron stars rotate about their axes many times per second, emitting radio waves and gamma radiation into space. Using ingenious data analysis methods, researchers from the Max Planck Institutes for Gravitational Physics and for Radio Astronomy, in an international collaboration, dug a very special gamma-ray pulsar out of data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The pulsar J1838-0537 is radio-quiet, very young, and, during the observation period, experienced the strongest ...

Patients with the most common type of lung cancer are notoriously insensitive to chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin. New findings related to the cellular pathways that regulate responses to cisplatin have now been published by Cell Press on July 26th in the journal Cell Reports. The findings reveal a potential biomarker that can be used to predict how these patients will respond to chemotherapy, as well as the patients' overall prognosis, paving the way for personalized treatment strategies. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related ...

A team of scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association (AWI) and the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences has just completed an airborne measurement campaign that allowed for the first time to measure large-scale methane emissions from the extensive Arctic permafrost landscapes. The study area extended from Barrow, the northernmost settlement on the American mainland, across the entire North Slope of Alaska, to the Mackenzie Delta in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The airborne measurements (Airborne ...

Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed the world's first device designed for mapping the human brain that combines whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. MEG measures the electrical function and MRI visualizes the structure of the brain. The merging of these two technologies will produce unprecedented accuracy in locating brain electrical activity non-invasively. We expect that the new technology will improve the accuracy of brain mapping of patients with epilepsy. It may also improve the diagnosis of ...

Roofers and road construction workers who use hot asphalt are exposed to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published this week in the British Medical Journal Open shows that roofers have higher PAH blood-levels after a shift than before and that these high levels of PAHs are linked with increased rates of DNA damage, and potentially with higher cancer risk. "We've known for some time that roofers and road workers have higher cancer rates than the general population, but we also know roofers have a higher ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The secret to the deadly 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany has been decoded, thanks to research conducted at Michigan State University. The deadliest E. coli outbreak ever, which caused 54 deaths and sickened more than 3,800 people, was traced to a particularly virulent strain that researchers had never seen in an outbreak before. In the current issue of the academic journal PLoS ONE, a team of researchers led by Shannon Manning, MSU molecular biologist and epidemiologist, suggests a way to potentially tame the killer bacteria. The strain, E. coli ...

WASHINGTON—A study by the Genographic Project has shown that not all individuals carrying the Romanian "Basarab" surname, the first dynasty of Wallachian kings that included the real-life Dracula, can be direct biological descendants of the Basarab dynasty. The Basarab dynasty ruled Wallachia, the historical and geographical southern region of present-day Romania, for almost three centuries (1330-1601) and had among its members Vlad III the Impaler, commonly known as Dracula. The ethnic origin of the Basarab family has long been a dispute among historians, with both an ...

New Rochelle, NY, July 26, 2012— Administering high-doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been the preferred treatment for patients with stage IV metastatic melanoma. An article published in the current issue of Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com), explores whether or not this regimen is still the most effective. The article is available free online at the Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals website (http://www.liebertpub.com/cbr). In the article "Should High-Dose Interleukin-2 ...

We all know that, for the most part, it's wrong to kill other people, it's inappropriate to wear jeans to bed, and we shouldn't ignore people when they are talking to us. We know these things because we're bonded to others through social norms – we tend to do things the same way people around us do them and, most importantly, the way in which they expect us to do them. Social norms act as the glue that helps to govern social institutions and hold humans societies together, but how do we acquire these norms in the first place? In a new article published in the August ...

Predictors of disease severity in human papillomavirus-derived head and neck cancer, tobacco use, and the dramatic benefits of robotic surgery in people with head and neck cancer are among landmark research presented by Mount Sinai School of Medicine at the Eighth International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer. The meeting took place from July 21-25, 2012 in Toronto. Highlights of Mount Sinai research at the American Head and Neck Society conference: Transoral Robotic Surgery Shows Significant Promise in Hard-to-Treat Smokers with Head and Neck Cancer In a retrospective ...

A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University has uncovered a hoard of real-life buried treasure at the Crusader castle of Arsur (also known as Apollonia), a stronghold located between the ancient ports of Jaffa and Caesarea, in use from 1241 to its destruction in 1265. The hoard, comprised of 108 gold coins, mostly dinars dated to the Fatimid Period (ca. 900 to 1100 AD), was discovered in a pot by a university student. The coins bear the names of sultans and blessings, and usually include a date and a mint name that indicates where a coin was struck. This fascinating ...

RICHMOND, Va. (July 26, 2012) – Patients suffering from the chronic lung condition COPD, which is the third-leading cause of death and disability in the United States, may benefit greatly from a three-times-a-week dose of an antibiotic, according to a study by Virginia Commonwealth University physicians published in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Approximately 24 million Americans suffer from COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which creates recurrent, acute episodes of severe shortness of breath, cough and sputum production. Every ...

URBANA – A lot of time, effort, and money are spent by agencies, municipalities, and other non-governmental organizations to inform and educate the public about environmental concerns. Could these groups collaborate to inform the public about an environmental concern even though their beliefs may be very different? Two studies suggest that they can and should. University of Illinois professional geographer Bethany Cutts tracked messages to the public about water quality and usage from a variety of sources in Phoenix, Arizona. She found that considerable overlap in the ...

University Park, Pa. -- Text messaging may offer tweens a quick way to send notes to friends and family, but it could lead to declining language and grammar skills, according to researchers. Tweens who frequently use language adaptations -- techspeak -- when they text performed poorly on a grammar test, said Drew Cingel, a former undergraduate student in communications, Penn State, and currently a doctoral candidate in media, technology and society, Northwestern University. When tweens write in techspeak, they often use shortcuts, such as homophones, omissions of non-essential ...

A new versatile measurement system devised by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) accurately and quickly measures the electric power output of solar energy devices, capabilities useful to researchers and manufacturers working to develop and make next-generation solar energy cells. Innovative devices that convert sunlight to electric power more efficiently and cost effectively than the current generation of solar cell technology are the objects of a global pursuit—means to reducing fossil-fuel consumption and to securing pole position ...

This press release is available in German. Excitation of neurons depends on the selected influx of certain ions, namely sodium, calcium and potassium through specific channels. Obviously, these channels were crucial for the evolution of nervous systems in animals. How such channels could have evolved their selectivity has been a puzzle until now. Yehu Moran and Ulrich Technau from the University of Vienna together with Scientists from Tel Aviv University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) have now revealed that voltage-gated sodium channels, which ...

Boston, MA – Men diagnosed with prostate cancer are less likely to die from the disease than from largely preventable conditions such as heart disease, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). It is the largest study to date that looks at causes of death among men with prostate cancer, and suggests that encouraging healthy lifestyle changes should play an important role in prostate cancer management. "Our results are relevant for several million men living with prostate cancer in the United States," said first author Mara Epstein, a postdoctoral ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study concludes that among older adults – especially those who are frail – low levels of vitamin D can mean a much greater risk of death. The randomized, nationally representative study found that older adults with low vitamin D levels had a 30 percent greater risk of death than people who had higher levels. Overall, people who were frail had more than double the risk of death than those who were not frail. Frail adults with low levels of vitamin D tripled their risk of death over people who were not frail and who had higher levels of vitamin ...

PowerStone Property Management Inc. a full service Orange County, California based property management firm, today announced that it has added several new Home Owner Associations to its client roster within the last year accounting for a 103% rate of growth. Additions include a mix of new condominium, master planned, single family, commercial, and on-site community associations including high-profile communities like Westpark (Westpark Maintenance District) in Orange County. The company also expanded into the Inland Empire adding the prestigious Bear Creek Master Association. ...

Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Starr King Elementary School, 145 Artesia Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90805 Freedom School Assemblies with Oba William King This event begins with Harambee; a 30 minute affirmation celebration that prepares students for the day's work ahead. And what a day it will be. Beginning at 10am, in a series of assemblies for grades K thru 8, Oba William King will enchant and enlighten Freedom School students and the community audience with his unique and powerful storytelling style, complete with dramatic, interactive presentations. In addition to Oba's ...

Dr. Marlene Maheu, Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, Inc., has been a pioneer in the telehealth industry with a focus on research and development in telemental health since 1994. Dr. Maheu is offering several training programs at the APA convention, and will sponsor a unique networking event for professionals interested in telepsychology and technology on Friday, August 3, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel lobby bar (across from the Orange County Convention Center). Maheu explained, This has been a yearly event for the majority of years since 1996. It allows ...

Songwriter Ruby Hayes has just recently signed a non-exclusive Music Licensing Deal on July 20th, 2011, with "Music Supervisor", who are located in Los Angeles, California. "Music Supervisor" has licensed out music to production projects such as; "The Blind Side", "Swing Vote", "Blades of Glory", "Burn Notice", "Ugly Betty" and more. Some of "Music Supervisors client list include; NBC, Universal and ABC. A few of Ruby's works include, "Alter My Perception", "Love is Standing by ...