The elusive culprits that are killing countless coral reefs around the world can now be nabbed with technology normally used to diagnose human diseases, marine researchers say. Coral researchers and reef managers will be able to identify coral infections using a new method that allows them to classify specific diseases based on the presence of microbes. This could lead to more effective action to reduce the impact of disease on the world's imperilled coral reefs. "Current classification of coral diseases is mostly based on a description of how the coral has deteriorated, ...

The Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act gives injured workers valuable rights. They include payment of medical bills, wage loss compensation, disfigurement awards for work-related facial and neck scars and awards for specific loss of use of a body part (ex. - leg, hand, finger, etc). The following are key points that workers should know about workers' compensation in Pennsylvania. Workers' Compensation Benefits for Work-Related Injuries According to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act, employers must give their full-time, part-time and seasonal employees ...

Blossom end rot on tomatoes and cucumbers, bitter-pit in apples – these unpleasant blemishes on fruits and vegetables not only compromises the flavor but also causes significant harvest losses every year. The characteristic blotches and spotting can be traced back to insufficient calcium uptake or faulty calcium transport within the plant. Consequently, the damage can occur even if the soil provides sufficient calcium. A team under the leadership of scientists from the University of Zurich and Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea, has for the first time identified ...

The tiny two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) causes much anxiety for farmers, and has been, to date, a scientific mystery. It feeds on over 1,100 species of plants, including 150 greenhouse plants and crops, such as maize, soy, tomatoes and citrus. The cost of chemically controlling damage caused by the spider mite exceeds USD 1 billion per year. In the latest issue of the journal Nature, a multinational consortium of scientists publish the sequenced genome of the spider mite, revealing how it is capable of such feeding frenzy, as well as other secrets of this ...

Glioblastoma is regarded as the most malignant form of brain tumor. In many cases, neurosurgeons are not able to remove such tumors completely because of the risk of destroying too much brain tissue in the process. Moreover, it is often impossible to identify all the fine extensions by which the tumor spreads into surrounding healthy tissue. To at least slow down the growth of tumor cells that have remained in the head, almost all glioblastoma patients are treated by radiotherapy after surgery. "Unfortunately, we can only delay cancerous growth in this way, but we cannot ...

Countless people sustain injuries each year while on the property of another person or business. Some of these injuries could have been prevented if the owner, manager or occupier of the property had taken basic safety precautions or behaved as a reasonable person would have in the same situation. Every slip and fall or trip and fall accident does not automatically result in a personal injury claim, but some of them do. It takes a skilled personal injury attorney to know the difference between a frivolous case and one that is likely to succeed. Slip and fall, trip and ...

Scientists have found that a strain of yeast implicated in inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, can be killed by certain peptides and could potentially provide a new treatment for these debilitating skin conditions. This research is published today in the Society for Applied Microbiology's journal, Letters in Applied Microbiology. 20% of children in the UK suffer from atopic eczema and whilst this usually clears up in adolescence, 7% of adults will continue to suffer throughout their lifetime. Furthermore, this type of eczema, characterized by dry, itchy, flaking ...

How will the terrorist attacks in Norway on 22 July change the country? That question has been put to three social scientists at the University of Stavanger (UiS). "Norwegians are still in a state of shock," says professor Odd Einar Olsen. "These incidents were so extensive and gruesome that people need time to come to terms with them." He is very interested to see what content Norway will give to promises made about more openness and democracy after the car-bombing in Oslo and the massacre at Utøya north of the capital. "While people have united in sorrow, a crippling ...

The long, cold Minnesota winters never fail to blanket the state's roadways, causing many weather-related accidents that can range from minor to severe. Minnesota was sixth in the nation for icy road fatalities during the 2009-2010 season, with 18 fatal accidents during that winter. Minneapolis weather-related auto accident attorneys and other people who work with accident victims understand the danger that comes with winter driving. They encourage safe, cautious driving in the snow, ice and sleet. Fortunately, there are several things drivers can do to stay safe ...

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A new University of Maryland public opinion poll finds Egyptians harboring serious doubts about their military's commitment to the revolution that ousted the Mubarak regime last spring. In the poll, 43 percent of Egyptians said they believe military authorities are working against the aims of the revolution, compared to nearly 21 percent who saw them as advancing these aims. "There appears to be a major shift in Egyptian public attitudes toward military authorities, and this will likely have important consequences for politics there in coming weeks," ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Research conducted at the University of Michigan College of Engineering may lead to the use of insects to monitor hazardous situations before sending in humans. Professor Khalil Najafi, the chair of electrical and computer engineering, and doctoral student Erkan Aktakka are finding ways to harvest energy from insects, and take the utility of the miniature cyborgs to the next level. "Through energy scavenging, we could potentially power cameras, microphones and other sensors and communications equipment that an insect could carry aboard a tiny backpack," ...

Led by a group at the University of Maryland (UMd), a multi-institution team of researchers has combined modern materials research and an age-old metallurgy technique to produce an alloy that could be the basis for a new class of sensors and micromechanical devices controlled by magnetism.* The alloy, a combination of cobalt and iron, is notable, among other things, for not using rare-earth elements to achieve its properties. Materials scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) contributed precision measurements of the alloy's structure and ...

According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the number of consumer complaints against third-party debt collectors rose to 108,997 in 2010, up from about 90,000 in 2009. Federal Reserve data show that complaints rose even though consumer debt for the country overall fell to its lowest levels since 2005. Debt collection companies have gotten more aggressive in their collection efforts in recent years. Complaints of creditor harassment have prompted many states to pass laws to regulate the industry more to prevent abuse. In response, debt collection companies ...

A healthy diet and the right amount of exercise are key players in treating and preventing obesity but we still know little about the relationship both factors have with each other. A new study now reveals that an increase in physical activity is linked to an improvement in diet quality. SINC Many questions arise when trying to lose weight. Would it be better to start on a diet and then do exercise, or the other way around? And how much does one compensate the other? "Understanding the interaction between exercise and a healthy diet could improve preventative and ...

When the economy collapsed in November 2008, many homeowners suddenly found themselves with underwater mortgages, owing more on the mortgage note than the house that secured the note was worth. As the economy continued to falter, many found it difficult to keep up with their exorbitant mortgage payments. The residential real estate market shows few signs of significant recovery any time soon. According to RealtyTrac, a firm that records home foreclosure data, lenders foreclosed on over one million homes in 2010 alone - a record number. In Alabama, foreclosure sale listings ...

Scientists from the EPFL and the University of Geneva have discovered a genetic mechanism that defines the shape of our members in which, surprisingly, genes play only a secondary role. The research published in Cell, online the 23rd of November, shows the mechanism is found in a DNA sequence that was thought, incorrectly, to play no role. This long string has seven enhancers which, when combined with one another, modulate the activity of the genes responsible for the formation of the fingers – an important fundamental discovery for the field of genetics. The discovery ...

Spinal surgeries are risky procedures that require hours under anesthesia, and days of hospitalization, so no patient likely takes the decision to undergo such surgery lightly. Most are following their doctors' recommendations, but such recommendations are coming under increased scrutiny. Chronic back pain--one of the common complaints that cause doctors to recommend spinal surgery--is one of the top 10 diseases in the US according to Forbes.com. It is also one of the most expensive: Americans spend $32 billion per year treating back pain, including spinal surgeries. ...

Researchers at Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today's domesticated dogs can be traced to southern East Asia -- findings that run counter to theories placing the cradle of the canine line in the Middle East. Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably sole region where wolves were domesticated by humans. Data on genetics, morphology and behaviour show clearly ...

VIDEO: Animation of PMN-PT microcantilever. Click here for more information. A team of university researchers, aided by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have succeeded in integrating a new, highly efficient piezoelectric material into a silicon microelectromechanical system (MEMS).* This development could lead to significant advances in sensing, imaging and energy harvesting. A piezoelectric material, such as quartz, expands slightly when ...

Rezidor, a rapidly-expanding worldwide hotel company, has announced a partnership with World Clean Up 2012, a global campaign which aims to clean up illegal stray garbage in 100 countries and raise people's environmental awareness worldwide. Together with Carlson, majority shareholder and strategic partner of Rezidor, the company will join and support World Clean Up activities throughout the year and celebrate the end of the campaign 2012 in September during Rezidor's traditional "Responsible Business Action Month." Rezidor and Carlson are the only global partners ...

Urban legend warns shoveling snow causes heart attacks, and the legend seems all too accurate, especially for male wintery excavators with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease. However, until recently this warning was based on anecdotal reports. Two of the most important cardiology associations in the US include snow -shoveling on their websites as a high risk physical activity, but all the citation references indicate that this warning was based one or two incidents. "We thought that this evidence should not be enough to convince us that snow -shoveling ...

AMHERST, Mass. – A new study involving bat skulls, bite force measurements and scat samples collected by an international team of evolutionary biologists is helping to solve a nagging question of evolution: Why some groups of animals develop scores of different species over time while others evolve only a few. Their findings appear in the current issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. To answer this question, Elizabeth Dumont at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Liliana Dávalos of Stony Brook University together with colleagues at ...

Kuoni, a leading travel operator in the UK, has revealed in its new 'Discover' brochure, a collection of enthralling holidays aimed at adventurous travellers. Whether it's hot air ballooning in Jaipur, tea with a Gurkha family, zip-lining in Honduras, horse riding in Uruguay, cruising in Antarctica, snorkeling in the San Blas Islands in Panama, wildlife spotting in Guyana or walking the Inca trail in Peru, readers of the brochure are invited to engage with the many adventures available through Kuoni travel. These exciting and iconic experiences are just a few that fill ...

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine describe for the first time a key target of DNA damage checkpoint enzymes that must be chemically modified to enable stable maintenance of chromosome ends by telomerase, an enzyme thought to play a key role in cancer and aging. Their findings are reported online in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. Telomeres are the natural ends of chromosomes, consisting of specialized DNA-and-protein structures that protect chromosome ends and ensure faithful duplication of chromosomes in actively dividing ...

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announced the first Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Italy. The hotel group revealed that the Grand Hotel Milan Malpensa will be transformed into the Park Inn by Radisson Milan Malpensa. The property, which features 138 rooms, is 10 minutes from Milan Malpensa Airport and has easy access to nearby businesses and Milan's exhibition centres. "We are delighted to bring our dynamic mid-market brand Park Inn by Radisson to Italy. We also further strengthen our position as one of Europe's largest ...