Was your favorite childhood book crawling with wild animals and set in places like jungles or deep forests? Or did it take place inside a house or in a city, with few if any untamed creatures in sight? A new study has found that over the last several decades, nature has increasingly taken a back seat in award-winning children's picture books -- and suggests this sobering trend is consistent with a growing isolation from the natural world. A group of researchers led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociology professor emeritus J. Allen Williams Jr. reviewed the winners ...

Mindfulness meditation has moved from the mountains of eastern Asia to the modern computer monitor in everyone's home. MindfulnessMeditation.org has recently launched semi-weekly online meditation sessions, letting people from all over the globe participate in a meditation community online. Mindfulness meditation, the art and science of paying attention to the moment, is a set of meditation techniques that have been applied not only to spiritual growth but also to medical recovery, healthy emotional development and even corporate performance. Online group meditations have ...

By global standards, health risks caused by environmental factors are low in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), new studies by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers show. In an effort to keep those risks low, Emiratis are working with UNC public health researchers to find ways now to avoid problems in the future. What's more, researchers and officials believe their approach could be used to address similar issues in other rapidly developing nations and regions. The Middle Eastern nation is one of the fastest growing countries in the world, moving in ...

MADISON – A new study reveals a dazzling degree of biological diversity in an unexpected place – a single neural connection in the body wall of flies. The finding, reported in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raises several interesting questions about the importance of structure in the nervous system and the evolution of neural wiring. "We know almost nothing about the evolution of the nervous system, although we know it has to happen – behaviors change, complexity changes, there is the addition of new neurons, formation ...

Investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and 12 other centers in the United States and Australia have found that a new drug for patients with metastatic melanoma nearly doubled median overall survival. More than half of patients who were treated with the novel drug vemurafenib, known commercially as Zelboraf, responded to treatment and experienced an impressive median overall survival of nearly 16 months – far longer than the typical survival of just six to 10 months for most patients whose melanoma has spread beyond the initial tumor site. Results ...

JUPITER, FL, February 22, 2012 – While RNA is an appealing drug target, small molecules that can actually affect its function have rarely been found. But now scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time designed a series of small molecules that act against an RNA defect directly responsible for the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. In two related studies published recently in online-before-print editions of Journal of the American Chemical Society and ACS Chemical Biology, the scientists show that these ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The more afraid a person is of a spider, the bigger that individual perceives the spider to be, new research suggests. In the context of a fear of spiders, this warped perception doesn't necessarily interfere with daily living. But for individuals who are afraid of needles, for example, the conviction that needles are larger than they really are could lead people who fear injections to avoid getting the health care they need. A better understanding of how a phobia affects the perception of feared objects can help clinicians design more effective treatments ...

NEWS ARTICLES LINKING ALCOHOL TO CRIMES OR ACCIDENTS INCREASE SUPPORT FOR LIQUOR LAW ENFORCEMENT COLUMBUS, Ohio – Reading a newspaper article about the role alcohol played in an injury accident or violent crime makes people more supportive of enforcing alcohol laws, a new study suggests. Researchers had participants read actual news reports, randomly selected from newspapers across the United States, about violent crimes and various accidental injuries – half of which were edited to mention the role of alcohol and half of which were edited not to make such mention. Those ...

PawnUp.com's management has made a decision to include high-end laptops and tablets to its list of accepted items for pawn loans and sales in their online pawn shop. This decision is based on the company's commitment to continue widening the range of items it accepts in order to help more people get cash fast from a reliable source. Today, there are many people that purchase the most cutting-edge electronic devices on a regular basis, right after they become available on the market. At the same time, it makes most of the previously purchased items outdated - usually, ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Computed tomography (CT) colonography can be used as a primary screening tool for colorectal cancer in adults over the age of 65, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. Some previous medical studies have found no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of CT colonography, also known as "virtual colonoscopy," and traditional optical colonoscopy. This study looks at whether both exams are as effective for adults over 65 as they are for adults between 50 and 65 years of age. In the study, C. Daniel Johnson, M.D., ...

Philadelphia (Feb. 23, 2012) — Computerized tomographic (CT) colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, is comparable to standard colonoscopy in its ability to accurately detect cancer and precancerous polyps in people ages 65 and older, according to a paper published online today in Radiology. This is consistent with results of the ACRIN National CT colonography Trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008, which demonstrated CT colonography can serve as a primary colorectal cancer screening option for adults ages 50 and older, but did ...

In response to a study published online Feb. 23 in Radiology which showed that virtual colonoscopies are comparably affective to standard colonoscopy at detecting colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps in adults ages 65 and older, the Colon Cancer Alliance and the American College of Radiology released a joint statement demanding Medicare cover seniors for screening virtual colonoscopies — also known as CT colonography. "The minimal invasiveness and lower cost of CT colonography can attract more seniors to be screened if Medicare will cover them for the exam. Many ...

After we sense a threat, our brain center responsible for responding goes into gear, setting off a chain of biochemical reactions leading to the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands. Dr. Gil Levkowitz and his team in the Molecular Cell Biology Department have now revealed a new kind of ON-OFF switch in the brain for regulating the production of a main biochemical signal from the brain that stimulates cortisol release in the body. This finding, which was recently published in Neuron, may be relevant to research into a number of stress-related neurological disorders. ...

The coming weekend will be host to two highly visible events, the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and the 85th Annual Academy Awards, and despite recent media trends toward live event streams, neither of the marquee programs will be available online. As a result, Internet users have instead shifted their attention to the weekend's sideshows, ESPN's NBA Celebrity Game and E! Online's pre-Oscar red carpet coverage, both of which will be streamed live for free over the Internet, and now a Facebook app developed by FreeCast.com is drawing even more attention to these secondary events ...

Sugar, cholesterol, phosphates, zinc – a healthy body is amazingly good at keeping such vital nutrients at appropriate levels within its cells. From an engineering point of view, one all-purpose model of pump on the surface of a cell should suffice to keep these levels constant: When the concentration of a nutrient, say, sugar, drops inside the cell, the pump mechanism could simply go into higher gear until the sugar levels are back to normal. Yet strangely enough, such cells let in their nutrients using two types of pump: One is active in "good times," when a particular ...

Technetium, an Orlando-based brand marketing agency, was recently recognized with a Silver ADDY at the 2012 AAF-Orlando ADDY Awards for their work on the SOUL by Ludacris package design. Technetium's work on the SOUL by Ludacris brand included consumer package design, a global marketing campaign and all support materials for the 2011 U.S. product launch. Technetium's leadership in the design and development of the branding campaign has led to international success and a very excited consumer base. "We're honored to be recognized by our peers for our work with ...

Printing a personalized check with logo and signature in house is easy and affordable with ezCheckPersonal software. For this Valentine¡¯s Day, shoppers of halfpricesoft.com (http://www.halfpricesoft.com) can get a present, the new FREE bank check writing and printing software, for themselves with the bouquet they give. "Everyone loves getting free stuffs. But through our partnership with TrialPay, consumers can get their favorite software for free and get something else they want in the process," said Dr Ge, the founder of halfpricesoft.com. "It's a remarkable ...

Dr. Energy Saver St. Louis is providing homeowners with a way to save up to $300 on home energy audits as a way to celebrate leap year. Now through February 29, 2012 homeowners can "Leap into Energy Savings" and receive a home energy audit for only $29. A home energy audit is sometimes referred to as a home energy checkup or home energy assessment. This process identifies the precise areas where a home is wasting energy and costing a homeowner far too much for energy and comfort. Dr. Energy Saver St. Louis uses a 10 step course of action to maximize their customers' ...

Jeunesse Global by BizJaya.com (Jeunesse Malaysia Worldwide) is a brand new anti-aging, wealth and well-being store that provides customers with an opportunity to be partake in the Jeunesse global experience. Jeunesse itself means 'youth' in french, and is a state-of-the-art Research and Development company that has been involved with the research and production of a line of superfoods and super-products that are getting recognition in the anti-aging and health/well-being industry. The company is a pioneer in the stem-cell technology based anti-aging serum that repairs ...

Global Outsourcing Association of Lawyers (GOAL) is pleased to have Suman Naresh, CEO, International Strategy Group, LLC (US) as a keynote speaker in its upcoming webinar on "The Advantages and Best Practices for Structuring and Negotiating your Outsourcing Agreement." Suman Naresh will discuss the process of Structuring confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements to ensure the obligations for client confidentiality and privacy are met, Defining IP rights, drafting provisions that ensure confidential and direct knowledge transfer and a timeframe for phasing ...

Rising Media and Third Door Media, producers of the Search Marketing Expo conference series, today announced that Amit Singhal, head of Google's core ranking team, will be the opening keynote speaker at SMX London 2012 http://www.searchmarketingexpo.com/london. Amit is internationally recognised as the man responsible for Google web search. His algorithm has become the foundation for Google's search platform and Fortune named him one of the smartest people in tech. A Google Fellow, Amit was recently elected as one of the members of the National Academy of Engineering ...

Vehicle wrapping specialists, Creative FX, have teamed up with Toyota to create a set of unique eye-catching decals for its iQ city car. The already distinctive Toyota iQ can now be made even more eye-catching with a range of six individual body and roof decals. Chosen when the car is purchased, designs include retro daises, aqua bubbles, classic monochrome checks and psychedelic swirls. They can be mixed and matched on the body or roof, along with an endless choice of colour combinations and six leather seat interior options. Bromley-based Creative FX who designed ...

Novosoft, acclaimed software outsourcing developer and business intelligence service provider, announced hot hard drive imaging features for Handy Backup, the award-winning backup software. The new edition of the utility will have smart copying of hard drive partitions or the entire disk with optimized performance time, insignificant requirements for computer user experience, and minimum amount of steps to be followed. The new hot image backup function is created for Windows system, and simple hard disk imaging is also convenient for Linux OS. "There are technologies ...

Gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets are pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Hird as their new Managing Director. Now in his tenth year with the company, Andy started as Professional Services Manager, adding the Software Development portfolio in 2009. During that time he has been recognised as driving forward the high standards that has earned Aligned Assets the reputation as the 'go to company' for anyone looking for gazetteer or address management software and services. Andy gained a Degree in Geography from Middlesex University in 1997 and subsequently ...

ResearchWritingCenter.com is preparing to issue newly revised terms of service for all our users. Over the next several months, we will be finalizing these rights and duties of all our users. We will make sure that our entire community is completely informed through an information campaign that is also under development. This effort is all aimed at making RWC an even better freelance writing community, with everyone functioning under the same rules. We are always working on ways to make the operations smoother and increase opportunities for fully qualified writers. This ...