AUGUSTA, Ga. – A brain cell type found where habits are formed and movement is controlled has receptors that work like computer processors to translate regular activities into habits, researchers report. "Habits, for better or worse, basically define who we are," said Dr. Joe Z. Tsien, Co-Director of the Brain & Behavior Discovery Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University. Habits also provide mental freedom and flexibility by enabling many activities to be on autopilot while the brain focuses on more urgent matters, he said. Research published in the journal Neuron ...

CouponRoo.Com, a leading discount coupon website in the USA, is taking the Internet by storm. The website is started by a college student, and quickly grew to include thousands of retailers. To date, it has included over ten thousand stores on the site. Discount shopping online On the Internet, price has always been transparent. In other words, buyers tend to go online to search and compare prices before making a purchase. Retailers are well aware of this fact. In order to capture new customers and retain existing ones, many have resorted to running attractive promotions. ...

Beer tested in a new study, including some brands labeled "low-gluten," contains levels of hordein, the form of gluten present in barley, that could cause symptoms in patients with celiac disease (CD), the autoimmune condition treated with a life-long gluten-free diet, scientists are reporting. The study, which weighs in on a controversy over the gluten content of beer, appears in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. Michelle Colgrave and colleagues explain that celiac disease (CD) affects more than 2 million people worldwide. Gluten, a protein found in foods and beverages ...

Ken Miller, President of Blue Pond Signs, announced today the availability of the 2012 custom signage line for business customers throughout the United States. As many companies seek to refresh their visual identities in the first quarter of the year, Blue Pond Signs streamlines the process of creating customized visual identities, from business signs to logos, in just four weeks. "Creating a customized corporate visual identity is an important element for companies who seek recognition in today's competitive marketplace" said Miller. "We offer a fast ...

Bacteria living in people's large intestine may slow down the activity of the "good" kind of fat tissue, a special fat that quickly burns calories and may help prevent obesity, scientists are reporting in a new study. The discovery, published in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, could shed light on ways to prevent obesity and promote weight loss, including possible microbial and pharmaceutical approaches, the authors said. Sandrine P. Claus, Jeremy K. Nicholson and colleagues explain that trillions of bacteria live in the large intestine of healthy people, where they ...

In a discovery that may help speed use of "cell therapy" — with normal cells or stem cells infused into the body to treat disease — scientists are reporting development of a way to deliver therapeutic human cells to diseased areas within the body using a simple magnetic effect. Their report appears in ACS' journal Langmuir. Rawil Fakhrullin and colleagues explain that cell therapy aims to replace damaged or diseased cells in the human body with normal cells or stem cells. To do so, medical personnel need a way to target these cells to diseased organs or tissues. So-called ...

WASHINGTON -- The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) award-winning "Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions" podcast series discusses the discovery that household washing machines seem to be a major source of so-called "microplastic" pollution -- bits of polyester and acrylic smaller than the head of a pin -- that researchers now have detected on ocean shorelines worldwide. In the podcast, Mark Anthony Browne, Ph.D., explains that the accumulation of microplastic debris in marine environments has raised health and safety concerns. The bits of plastic ...

Recently, the accuracy of current methods of pain assessment in babies have been called into question. New research from London-area hospitals and the University of Oxford measures brain activity in infants to better understand their pain response. As every parent knows, interpreting what a baby is feeling is often incredibly difficult. Currently, pain in infants is assessed using the premature infant pain profile (PIPP), which is based on behavioral and physiological body reactions, such as crying and facial expression. Though this is a useful measure, it is largely ...

An advance in sensor design* by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Waterloo's Institute of Quantum Computing (IQC) could unshackle a powerful, yet high-maintenance technique for exploring materials. The achievement could expand the technique—called neutron interferometry—from a test of quantum mechanics to a tool for industry as well. [Watch a short YoutTube video on this work at http://youtu.be/A21iXn2NL-8 ] Neutron beams can be used in dozens of ways to probe complex molecules and other advanced materials, ...

Cancer cells are essentially immortal. The acquisition of an unlimited capacity to divide – the process of immortalization - is a central event in the genesis of tumors. Normally, cells are subject to stringent mechanisms which control their proliferation. Together these ensure that pre-malignant cells are induced to enter a senescent, non-dividing state or to undergo apoptosis, i.e. commit suicide. A research team led by Professor Heiko Hermeking and Dr. Antje Menssen from LMU's Institute of Pathology has now discovered how the regulatory protein c-MYC subverts these controls, ...

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a prototype device capable of absolute measurements of optical power delivered through an optical fiber. The device is the world's first fiber-coupled cryogenic radiometer that links optical fiber power measurements directly to fundamental electrical units and national standards. It uses a microscopic forest of carbon nanotubes—the world's darkest material—to measure values that are about one-thousandth of the levels typically attained with a cryogenic radiometer lacking direct ...

December 15, 2011 marked Ellis & Salazar's 10 year anniversary leading an annual charitable effort for Child, Inc.'s Responsible Parenting Initiative. Since the program's inception in 2002, Ellis & Salazar , an Austin area collision repair shop, has individually awarded 15 newly refurbished vehicles and organized other business partners to contribute an overall total to date of 56 vehicles to local families in need. Maintaining the holiday tradition of giving, Ellis & Salazar and Child Inc surprised another five, low-income Austin families this year with ...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued the world's first reference material for single-wall carbon nanotube soot. Distantly related to the soot in your fireplace or in a candle flame, nanotube-laden soot is the primary industrial source of single-wall carbon nanotubes, perhaps the archetype of all nanoscale materials. The new NIST material offers companies and researchers a badly needed source of uniform and well-characterized carbon nanotube soot for material comparisons, as well as chemical and toxicity analysis. With walls of carbon only ...

Leading Atlanta dentist, Dr. Donald Rozema, shares important dental health care knowledge with patients via social media websites - Facebook and Twitter. In a society that continues to advance with online technology, Dr. Rozema takes advantage of these opportunities to further communicate and educate his patients about dental health care. The practice's Facebook and Twitter pages were designed to improve patient-to-practice interaction. Functioning as an extension of the practice's professionally designed website, patients can now join Dr. Rozema's social network to ...

Research summary: The study shows how normal cells in tumors can enhance the growth of the tumor's cancer cells after losing an important tumor suppressor gene called Pten. The findings suggest a new strategy for treating breast cancer by interrupting signals between normal cells and cancer cells in tumors. COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study published in the journal Nature Cell Biology has discovered how normal cells in tumors can fuel tumor growth. Led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard ...

A new draft computer security publication from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides guidance for vendors and security professionals as they work to protect personal computers as they start up. The first software that runs when a computer is turned on is the "Basic Input/Output System" (BIOS). This fundamental system software initializes the hardware before the operating system starts. Since it works at such a low level, before other security protections are in place, unauthorized changes—malicious or accidental—to the BIOS can cause a significant ...

Cosmetic dentist in Chicago, Dr. Carolyn Belke, invites patients to take advantage of Belke Dental's new extended office hours. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Dr. Belke is excited to offer patients later office hours. Rather than closing at five on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Dr. Carolyn Belke, Chicago cosmetic dentist, has extended the office hours to 6:00 p.m. Patients can now enjoy the added hour to office hours for convenience and ease of receiving dental care. Additionally, patients can continue to visit the office during regular hours on Mondays and Wednesdays of 9:00 a.m. ...

A newly revised publication from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) expands the options for government agencies that need to verify the identity of users of their Web-based services. Electronic Authentication Guideline (NIST Special Publication 800-63-1) is an extensive revision and update of the original document, released in 2006, and it recognizes that times, and technologies, have changed. "Changes made to the document reflect changes in the state of the art," explains NIST computer security expert Tim Polk, Cryptographic Technology Group manager ...

Ironically, despite excessive caloric intake, many obese women are deficient in vitamins vital to a healthy pregnancy. This and other startling statistics abound when obesity and pregnancy collide. Together, they present a unique set of challenges that women and their doctors must tackle in order to achieve the best possible outcome for mom and baby. In the December issue of the journal Seminars in Perinatology, maternal fetal medicine expert Loralei L. Thornburg, M.D., reviews many of the pregnancy-related changes and obstacles obese women may face before giving birth. ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- New research from the University of Michigan suggests obesity can be seen as one of the unintended side effects of free market policies. A study of 26 wealthy nations shows that countries with a higher density of fast food restaurants per capita had much higher obesity rates compared to countries with a lower density of fast food restaurants per capita. "It's not by chance that countries with the highest obesity rates and fast food restaurants are those in the forefront of market liberalization, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, ...

Leading dentist in Boulder, Dr. Mark Barnes, has over 1100 hours of post-graduate training and commits to many hours each year for remaining up-to-date with dental advancements. Dr. Barnes maintains continuing education course, as well as lectures on subjects such as TMJ and sleep apnea treatment in Boulder and other areas. Dr. Barnes, Boulder dentist, and his staff regularly participate in continuing education programs, while doing everything they can to offer patients the best care possible. Continuing education allows Dr. Barnes to help his patients achieve and maintain ...

A study examining the prevalence of the fungus Fusarium in bathroom sink drains suggests that plumbing systems may be a common source of human infections. In the first extensive survey of its kind, researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences sampled nearly 500 sink drains from 131 buildings -- businesses, homes, university dormitories and public facilities -- in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and California. They analyzed fungal DNA to compare the spectrum of Fusarium species and sequence types found ...

Dr. Ardalan Sanati, Vienna dentist, invites patients to leave reviews of their experience via online search engines - Google, Yelp and Yahoo! The reviews are easily accessible via any of the available search engines and allow patients to view how other patients' experiences at Dr. Sanati's office were. Patients can visit Google, Yelp and Yahoo! to read reviews from previous patients who have received treatment from Dr. Sanati, cosmetic dentist in McLean. "It is important for me to know what my patients' concerns are so that I know what I can do to make their time ...

Lean beef can contribute to a heart-healthy diet in the same way lean white meats can, according to nutritional scientists. The DASH diet -- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension -- is currently recommended by the American Heart Association to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. People following the DASH diet are encouraged to eat fish and poultry, but not much beef. According to the Centers for Disease Control about 26 percent of American deaths are caused by heart disease. "The DASH diet is currently the gold standard for contemporary diet recommendations," ...

Dr. Robert Katz, East Hartford family dentist, of Burnside Dental Care gives patients a reason to smile. With new patient forms now available online via the practice's website, patients can spend more one-on-one quality time with Drs. Robert Katz, Elzbieta Wallace and Alison Hadden. "I understand that new patient paperwork often takes up a large amount of time at a patient's first appointment with our office. For this reason, I am happy to offer new patient forms online for easy access and to save time while in the office for more one-on-one treatment time," ...