Steel – the traditional industry for which the UK city of Sheffield is so well known – could help provide a green alternative for heating the city's homes and businesses, alongside other renewable energy sources. Experts from the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Engineering believe that the many steel plants located just outside the city centre could be connected to Sheffield's existing district heating network to provide an extra 20 MW of thermal energy, enough to heat around 2,000 homes. "It actually costs the steel plants to reduce the temperature of the flue ...

Dr Julian Hiscox and Dr John Barr of the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences are working with the Health Protection Agency Porton (HPA) to build a bank of molecular signatures that will help identify the severity of virus infection from characteristic changes seen in cells. Currently the team is barcoding different strains of influenza virus and human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) - a virus associated with the onset of asthma in young children. "Diseases such as flu infect and hijack our cells, turning them into virus producing factories," says Dr Hiscox. ...

STANFORD, Calif. — Using tiny solar-panel-like cells surgically placed underneath the retina, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a system that may someday restore sight to people who have lost vision because of certain types of degenerative eye diseases. This device — a new type of retinal prosthesis — involves a specially designed pair of goggles, which are equipped with a miniature camera and a pocket PC that is designed to process the visual data stream. The resulting images would be displayed on a liquid crystal microdisplay embedded ...

Imagine charging your phone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator embedded in the sole of your shoe. This futuristic scenario is now a little closer to reality. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The scientists tested their approach by creating a generator that produces enough current to operate a small liquid-crystal display. It works by tapping a finger on a postage stamp-sized electrode ...

Milk poured down Britain's kitchen sinks each year creates a carbon footprint equivalent to thousands of car exhaust emissions, research shows. Scientists say the 360,000 tonnes of milk wasted in the UK each year creates greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 100,000 tonnes of CO2. The study by the University of Edinburgh says this is the same as is emitted by about 20,000 cars annually. The research identifies ways that consumers could also help curb greenhouse gas emissions – by reducing the amount of food they buy, serve and waste. They also suggest the food industry ...

Women are more likely to suffer post-traumatic stress than men after leaving an intensive care unit (ICU), finds a new study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care. However, psychological and physical 'follow-up' can reduce both this and post-ICU depression. Patients in the ICU often suffer post-traumatic stress, anxiety, or depression due, not only to the illness or trauma that put them there, but to the very nature of the ICU and life-saving treatment. As a result, follow-up schemes have been put in to place to help alleviate these psychological ...

May 13, 2012, Shenzhen, China – BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, in cooperation with Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Science, has completed the genome sequence and analysis of foxtail millet (Setaria italica), the second-most widely planted species of millet. This study provides an invaluable resource for the study and genetic improvement of foxtail millet and millet crops at a genome-wide level. Results of the latest study were published online today in Nature Biotechnology. Foxtail millet is an important cereal crop providing food and feed in semi-arid ...

DURHAM, N.C. – A team of Duke University engineers has created a master "ingredient list" describing the properties of more than 2,000 compounds that might be combined to create the next generation of quantum electronics devices. The goal is topological insulators (TI), man-made crystals that are able to conduct electrical current on their surfaces, while acting as insulators throughout the interior of the crystal. Discovering TIs has become of great interest to scientists, but because of the lack of a rational blueprint for creating them, researchers have had to rely ...

The average U.S. citizen is willing to pay 13 percent more for electricity in support of a national clean-energy standard (NCES), according to Yale and Harvard researchers in Nature Climate Change. Americans, on average, are willing to pay $162 per year in higher electricity bills to support a national standard requiring that 80 percent of the energy be "clean," or not derived from fossil fuels. Support was lower for a national standard among nonwhites, older individuals and Republicans. In addition, the results suggest that the Obama Administration's proposal for ...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The foundation of biological inheritance is DNA replication – a tightly coordinated process in which DNA is simultaneously copied at hundreds of thousands of different sites across the genome. If that copying mechanism doesn't work as it should, the result could be cells with missing or extra genetic material, a hallmark of the genomic instability seen in most birth defects and cancers. University of North Carolina School of Medicine scientists have discovered that a protein known as Cdt1, which is required for DNA replication, also plays an important ...

A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published May 13 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Climate Change, reports that the volume of greenhouse gas released when a forest is cleared depends on how the trees will be used and in which part of the world the trees are grown. When trees are felled to create solid wood products, such as lumber for housing, that wood retains much of its carbon for decades, the researchers ...

NEW YORK (May 13, 2012) -- Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that the single protein -- alpha 2 delta -- exerts a spigot-like function, controlling the volume of neurotransmitters and other chemicals that flow between the synapses of brain neurons. The study, published online in Nature, shows how brain cells talk to each other through these signals, relaying thoughts, feelings and action, and this powerful molecule plays a crucial role in regulating effective communication. In the study, the investigators also suggest how the widely used pain ...

A new study has found that, contrary to current thinking, taking beta blockers that treat high blood pressure does not decrease a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also revealed that even long-term use or subtypes of beta blockers showed no reduction of colorectal cancer risk. In recent years, researchers have thought that beta blockers, which are prescribed to many older adults for high blood pressure and heart conditions, might be linked with a decreased ...

WASHINGTON – A national, phase II clinical trial examining the effects of resveratrol on individuals with mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's disease has begun as more than two dozen academic institutions recruit volunteers in the coming months. R. Scott Turner, M.D., Ph.D., director of Georgetown University Medical Center's Memory Disorders Program, is the lead investigator for the national study. Resveratrol is a compound found in red grapes, red grape juice, red wine, chocolate, tomatoes and peanuts. Pre-clinical and pilot clinical research studies suggest ...

A group of Khmer and Foreign filmmakers and artists, including a Cambodian Princess, US alt-rock legend Bob Lewis of the band DEVO, an award-winning US writer-director, and Golden Age 1960's Cambodian filmmaker Yvon Hem all have one thing in common. They're working to get Cambodia's first homegrown crowd funded indie feature, FREEDOM DEAL off the ground, in a developing nation where film funding is virtually non-existent and crowd funding - common in the West and other developed filmmaking environments - is virtually unknown. Undaunted, a new crowd funding site for ...

Take your Securitization Education a step further, be brought up to speed on the industry's most recent and important developments with continuing education, from CFLA's leading experts. -Requires completion of the MSA Tier I course and an additional 16 hours Register online at http://www.CertifiedForensicLoanAuditors.com, or contact our corporate sales office at 1-888-758-CFLA (2352) to register. Seating will be extremely limited. Ambassador "MSA" Training Certification 2-day (16 hr) course covers all (but not limited to) the following: -How to find ...

Over 250 Hindus from the Greater Toronto area attended the Hinduism Summit (Dharmajagruti Sabha) held in Hindu Heritage Center in Mississauga on Saturday, 28th April. The audience listened raptly as the speakers highlighted the scientific basis of Hindu concepts, emphasized the importance of maintaining a Hindu identity in Canada and addressed issues, such as denigration of Hinduism and genocide of Hindus. Many attendees commended the organizers, Hindu Heritage Center and Forum for Hindu Awakening, on the event's quality and educational value. Inspired by the event, several ...

Robin G. Coles, author, owner of TheNauticalLifestyle.com, and boating enthusiast will be signing copies of her book "Boating Secrets: 127 Top Tips to Help You Buy and/or Enjoy Your Boat" and answering questions on May 18 - 20 during Boston Yacht Sales' Open House at MacDougalls' in Falmouth, MA. Coles will sign and sell her book from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. "I'm thrilled to be participating in Boston Yacht Sales' Open House," says Coles. As Coles ventured out on her own journey to become a better boater she had lots ...

The Preiss Company, one of the fastest growing student housing providers in the nation, is proud to announce the recent appointment of Dan Leff to the company's Acquisitions and Development Team. In his role, Leff will be responsible for new acquisitions, development, and disposition of real estate assets in the firm's portfolio. This includes overseeing the acquisition of new student apartments, managing the development of new and existing developments, and managing the financial underwriting of new acquisitions. Prior to joining The Preiss Company, Leff was a Partner ...

The New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus has postponed the Spring Charity Concert due to logistics issues in providing for and accommodating the patrons and guests of the Chorus, and the concert dates are being moved forward as a result. The New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus Board of Directors Issued the following statement to the public regarding the concert. " ... We regret to inform you that, due to uncontrollable circumstances, the "Raise Us Up" fundraiser will be postponed to a later date. Our event sponsors will continue to support us when a new date is determined. ...

Miratel Solutions (Miratel) is a leading provider of professional fundraising services designed specifically to optimize fundraising performance and efficiencies for nonprofit organizations to maximize money earned. Since its inception in 2000, the company has successfully completed more than 45 million donor interactions via phone, web, fax and mail representing over $1.5 billion in gross fundraising revenue. Miratel's client base boasts some of Canada's largest and most reputable nonprofit organizations who rely on Miratel to provide expert telephone fundraising, lottery ...

Seattle Garage Doors has just opened a branch in Redmond. They are happy to finally have a location to help all the wonderful residents in Redmond with all of their garage door repairs. They had a grand opening party last sat (5/5/12) that was a success. Along with the new branch location they have released a brand new website at http://www.seattlegaragedoors.co to better facilitate their customers needs. They understand that more and more business, especially in such a tech savvy community as Redmond, is moving online and now have an online presence. Seattle Garage ...

School for Tomorrow (SFT), an independent secondary school located in Rockville, Maryland, has been selected to pilot SAVE Science, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded science assessment program, in the DC area. SAVE stands for Situated Assessment Using Virtual Environments. SAVE Science is a game-based assessment of middle school science learning. The program's contemporary gaming platform utilizes a cutting-edge, engaging method to evaluate students' understanding of time-tested science curricula. Using a database of student interactions in a virtual environment, ...

The Orange County skies will shine brightly on May 19th as stars participate in the Harmony and Hoops Celebrity Basketball Game at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA. Designed to benefit autism charities and promote anti-bullying against those who are different, Harmony and Hoops will showcase former NBA players, actors, recording artists, and others who are "about peace," and is part of World Peace Day activities. "Individuals with autism are often the victims of bullying and violence. This event is a testimony to the power of uniting as one voice ...

Social media marketing company, Social Starfish, is pleased to announce it has partnered with Rick Itzkowich Consulting to offer social media management for business professionals' LinkedIn accounts. Itzkowich is recognized worldwide for his training on 21st century business networking strategies via web-based platforms such as Plaxo, Biznik, and LinkedIn. As a team Social Starfish and Itzkowich plan to help busy business professionals get and keep their LinkedIn profile pages up to date. With over 120 million users, the premier business social media site allows ...