COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- New computer modeling work shows that by 2100, if society wants to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to less than 40 percent higher than it is today, the lowest cost option is to use every available means of reducing emissions. This includes more nuclear and renewable energy, choosing electricity over fossil fuels, reducing emissions through technologies that capture and store carbon dioxide, and even using forests to store carbon. Researchers from the Joint Global Change Research Institute introduced the work, called the RCP 4.5 scenario, in ...

Horse-breeders are used to the fact that most new-born foals suffer from diarrhoea. Many methods have been suggested to avoid the problem, including supplementing the mothers' diets with ß-carotene, which is known to be helpful in preventing diarrhoea in young calves. However, Juliane Kuhl in the group of Christine Aurich at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has now shown that this food supplement has no real effect on the incidence of diarrhoea in foals. Kuhl, Aurich and their collaborators were interested in learning what causes the condition and how it ...

A newly released image from ESA's Mars Express shows the north pole of Mars during the red planet's summer solstice. All the carbon dioxide ice has gone, leaving just a bright cap of water ice. This image was captured by the orbiter's High-Resolution Stereo Camera on 17 May 2010 and shows part of the northern polar region of Mars during the summer solstice. The solstice is the longest day and the beginning of the summer for the planet's northern hemisphere. The ice shield is covered by frozen water and carbon dioxide ice in winter and spring but by this point in the ...

Forklifts are remarkably simple and incredibly useful. They allow the movement of heavy loads to be racked in the close quarters of warehouses with ease and precision. However, the same power and capability can and does lead to unfortunate injuries and deadly accidents. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)--the U.S. federal agency that oversees workplace health and safety--approximately 70% of all annually reported forklift incidents, including New York forklift accidents, could have been prevented if proper safety training and policies ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Most middle-schoolers struggle to grasp the introductory concepts of genetics, a field of study considered crucial to advancing solutions to health problems and disease such as cancer, according to a study led by a Michigan State University researcher. In the journal Science Education, Michelle Williams suggests genetics and heredity lessons should be taught with broader context and in a visually stimulating manner via computer technologies. Williams, assistant professor of education, has landed a $2.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation ...

When a member of the military is injured or suffers from a medical or mental health condition that makes him or her unfit to perform the duties of his or her rank, the Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine is entitled to medical benefits and retirement pay. The amount of benefits he or she receives is determined by the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB), so it is important to be prepared and make a strong case to the PEB. The process of determining the medical fitness of and benefits awarded to a member of the military begins with a determination as to whether he or she meets ...

The increase in patent litigation has moved Congress to consider legislation to stem the practices of "patent trolls:" individuals and companies that use patents to license revenue from other companies or to file-patent infringement lawsuits -- rather than to build and sell products using the patented inventions. Several other changes to U.S. patent law are also under consideration. Patent Trolls and Infringement Litigation Patent trolls' aims are not to further innovation in products or services. Instead, they hold a patent, much like a stock investment, ...

In summer, more dishes like gazpacho –a cold soup containing raw vegetables, bread, olive oil and vinegar– are consumed. A new study has revealed that ingredients' vitamin C content as well as other organic acids is lower in the resulting mixture, meaning that it should be eaten immediately after preparation. Is it true that cutting fruit and boiling vegetables cause vitamin loss? A new study has examined gazpacho, one of the most popular Spanish summer dishes, comparing the levels of vitamin C (ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid) and other organic acids (citric, oxalic, ...

A truly horrible bill that would have significantly limited injured workers' rights was introduced into the North Carolina General Assembly in early 2011. Since then, the bill underwent major changes before it eventually became law. The legislation is still generally a negative change for injured workers, but it is now much more complicated and not quite as bad. Who Is Affected? The new workers' compensation law went into effect on July 1, 2011. Fortunately, most of the worst provisions only apply to cases in which injuries happen after that date. However, some parts, ...

Researchers at Johns Hopkins found that use over time and not just genetics informs the structure of jaw bones in human populations. The researchers say these findings may be used to predict the diet of an ancient population, even if little evidence exists in the fossil record. It can also make it easier for scientists to pinpoint the genetic relationship between fossils. Their results were published online June 23 in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. "Our research aimed to see how much of the mandible's—or jaw bone's—shape is plastic, a response to environmental ...

There are multiple non-immigrant visas under which dual intent is recognized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Dual intent is a legal concept that describes people who maintain a proper non-immigrant status now, but intend to immigrate to the U.S. in the future. Although the eligibility and evidentiary requirements for the O-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary abilities or achievements in certain areas are strict, if non-immigrants apply for and are granted the O-1 visa, the dual intent doctrine applies. Importantly, holders of O-1 visas ...

This release is available in Spanish. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A common technique for determining whether melanoma has spread can be used safely and effectively even in tumors from the head and neck area, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sentinel lymph node biopsy involves injecting a special dye to identify the first node where cancer would likely spread. If that node is clean, patients can avoid further debilitating surgery to remove multiple lymph nodes. If that node shows cancer, patients know they need the more extensive ...

Most people think of military personnel returning from combat as individuals who commonly experience the mayhem of anxiety known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, civilians experience PTSD just as much. Individuals who sustain injuries from car accidents, in particular, often suffer from PTSD. What is PTSD? In more specific terms, PTSD is an anxiety disorder many people experience after undergoing a traumatic or life-threatening event like a car or motorcycle accident, pedestrian-vehicle accident or a fall from a significant height. Many PTSD sufferers ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 1, 2011) — A groundbreaking new study published in the journal, Health Affairs, suggests that increases in public health spending result in healthier people, especially in communities with fewer resources. The study was co-authored by Glen P. Mays, the new F. Douglas Scutchfield Endowed Professor in Health Services and Systems Research at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. At UK, Mays is affiliated with the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ...

BOZEMAN, Mont. – A Montana State University researcher who analyzed 100 years of data has found a significant link between extreme Montana weather and the ocean temperatures near Peru. Montanans who want to know what to expect from the weather should look to the Pacific Ocean in the fall or maybe find a way to chat with some Peruvian fishermen, according to Joseph Caprio, professor emeritus in MSU's Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and former Montana State Climatologist. If the average surface temperature of the ocean near Peru is warmer than ...

FINDINGS: A man-made fat called Intralipid, which is currently used as a component of intravenous nutrition and to treat rare overdoses of local anesthetics, may also offer protection for patients suffering from heart attacks. Current treatment for a heart attack focuses on limiting the duration of the ischemic period, when blood flow to tissues is reduced, and on subsequently opening arteries to reestablish normal coronary blood flow. It is well known that injury to the heart muscle can occur after oxygen and nutrients in the blood flow back to deprived cells, a ...

Los Angeles, CA (August 5, 2011) Facebook and artists like Rembrandt have much in common, says the author of "Friending the Virgin: some thoughts on the pre-history of Facebook" in the open access journal SAGE Open. The main commonality lies in the act of portraiture, which consists of more than just the realistic depiction of a subject, but also a number of rhetorical decisions closely intertwined with evolving ideas of identity and society, according to author Larry Friedlander. The article points out the complex negotiations that artists had to make when painting some ...

In 2008, state voters adopted the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act ("MMMA"). While the MMMA did not repeal any existing Michigan laws regarding marijuana, it did carve out a specific exception to shield certain qualifying individuals from state-level criminal liability. Until very recently, it was uncertain whether patients otherwise in compliance with MMMA could legally cooperate in marijuana plant cultivation. But, according to a new opinion from the Michigan Attorney General, only individual growing and use is contemplated by the MMMA. Separate, Secure ...

A USC researcher has opened a new window to understanding how the ocean impacts climate change. Lisa Collins, environmental studies lecturer with the USC Dornsife College, spent four years collecting samples from floating sediment traps in the San Pedro Basin off the Los Angeles coast, giving scientists a peek at how much carbon is locked up in the ocean and where it comes from. Collins' research suggests that the majority of particulate organic carbon (POC) falling to the basin floor is marine-derived, not the result of runoff from rainfall. This means that the ocean ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A repellant for sea lampreys could be the key to better controlling one of the most destructive invasive species in the Great Lakes, says a Michigan State University researcher. Scientists have seen the effect alarm cues have on lampreys. When scents from dead sea lampreys are poured into a tank of live ones, the lampreys' efforts to escape are dramatic. In the past, these reactions were simply dismissed as novel. But Michael Wagner, MSU assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife, sees this reaction as a potential game changer. "Sea lampreys ...

The demise of the world's forests some 250 million years ago likely was accelerated by aggressive tree-killing fungi triggered by global climate change, according to a new study by a University of California, Berkeley, scientist and her Dutch and British colleagues. The researchers do not rule out the possibility that today's changing climate could cause a similar increase in pathogenic soil bacteria that could devastate forests already stressed by a warming climate and pollution. The study, available online today (Aug. 5), will be published in the September 2011 print ...

Hit-and-run accidents are appalling and shameful. It's bad enough to carelessly run into someone. But it's even worse to leave the scene without checking on the health and safety of the people in the other vehicle. The Colorado legislature is looking to crack down on such cowardice. Colorado lawmakers are working with victims of hit-and-run car accidents to develop specific proposals for bills that would toughen the consequences for leaving the scene of an accident. Consequences for Hit-and-Runs Under present law, jail time is not mandatory for hit-and-run convictions. ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A Purdue University scientist is urging federal officials to decide whether genetically engineered salmon would be allowed for U.S. consumption and arguing that not doing so may set back scientific efforts to increase food production. William Muir, a professor of animal sciences, said that based on data made available by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, AquAdvantage (AA) salmon poses little real risk to the environment or human health. AA salmon were given a gene from Chinook salmon that speeds growth and improves feed efficiency in farm-raised ...

VIDEO: GOES-13 satellite imagery in 15 minute intervals from Aug. 3 at 15:15 UTC (11:15 a.m. EDT) to August 8 and shows Emily forming east of Hispaniola (bottom right) and moving... Click here for more information. A new animation from the GOES-13 satellite shows the creating and morphing of what was once Tropical Storm Emily into an elongated area of low pressure over the Caribbean Sea. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 provides continuous ...

A number of large federal health care programs have been vulnerable to fraud for years. Although there is no way to accurately measure the exact financial impact of undetected fraud, officials estimate that abuses of health care initiatives cost billions of dollars every year. In the current climate of slow economic growth and tight government budgets, officials are making concentrated efforts to trim waste. For the Obama administration, this means taking a hard line on healthcare fraud. New enforcement measures have resulted in a significant number of fines, penalties ...