PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Just like everyone else, people with panic disorder have real stress in their lives. They get laid off and they fight with their spouses. How such stresses affect their panic symptoms hasn't been well understood, but a new study by researchers at Brown University presents the counterintuitive finding that certain kinds of stressful life events cause panic symptoms to increase gradually over succeeding months, rather than to spike immediately. "We definitely expected the symptoms to get worse over time, but we also thought the symptoms ...

DURHAM, NC – Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found out how mouse basal cells that line airways "decide" to become one of two types of cells that assist in airway-clearing duties. The findings could help provide new therapies for either blocked or thinned airways. "Our work has identified the Notch signaling pathway as a central regulatory 'switch' that controls the differentiation of airway basal stem cells," said Jason Rock, Ph.D., lead author and postdoctoral researcher in Brigid Hogan's cell biology laboratory. "Studies like ours will enhance efforts ...

WASHINGTON — Synthetic fat substitutes used in low-calorie potato chips and other foods could backfire and contribute to weight gain and obesity, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association. The study, by researchers at Purdue University, challenges the conventional wisdom that foods made with fat substitutes help with weight loss. "Our research showed that fat substitutes can interfere with the body's ability to regulate food intake, which can lead to inefficient use of calories and weight gain," said Susan E. Swithers, PhD, the lead researcher ...

Female bosses sometimes have a reputation for not being very nice. Some display what's called "queen bee" behavior, distancing themselves from other women and refusing to help other women as they rise through the ranks. Now, a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, concludes that it's wrong to blame the woman for this behavior; instead, blame the sexist environment. Belle Derks of Leiden University in the Netherlands has done a lot of research on how people respond to sexism. ...

Richmond, Va. (June 20, 2011) – Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have revealed novel mechanisms in mitochondria that have implications for cancer as well as many other age-related diseases such as Parkinson's disease, heart disease and hypertension. This discovery has pioneered the formation of a whole new field within epigenetics research ripe with possibilities of developing future gene therapies to treat cancer and age-associated diseases. Shirley M. Taylor, Ph.D., researcher at VCU Massey Cancer Center and associate professor in ...

DeKalb, Ill. – Scientists at Northern Illinois University say they have discovered a simple method for producing high yields of graphene, a highly touted carbon nanostructure that some believe could replace silicon as the technological fabric of the future. The focus of intense scientific research in recent years, graphene is a two-dimensional material, comprised of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It is the strongest material ever measured and has other remarkable qualities, including high electron mobility, a property that elevates its ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Two new techniques for computer-vision technology mimic how humans perceive three-dimensional shapes by instantly recognizing objects no matter how they are twisted or bent, an advance that could help machines see more like people. The techniques, called heat mapping and heat distribution, apply mathematical methods to enable machines to perceive three-dimensional objects, said Karthik Ramani, Purdue University's Donald W. Feddersen Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "Humans can easily perceive 3-D shapes, but it's not so easy for a computer," ...

It is a common perception that bigger, stronger, faster organisms have a distinct advantage for long-term survival when competing with other organisms in a given community. But new research from the University of Washington shows that in some structured communities, organisms increase their chances of survival if they evolve some level of restraint that allows competitors to survive as well, a sort of "survival of the weakest." The phenomenon was observed in a community of three "nontransitive" competitors, meaning their relationship to each other is circular as in ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In the 1983 movie "A Man with Two Brains," Steve Martin kept his second brain in a jar. In reality, he had two brains inside his own skull — as we all do, one on the left and one on the right hemisphere. When it comes to seeing the world around us, each of our two brains works independently and each has its own bottleneck for working memory. Normally, it takes years or decades after a brand new discovery about the brain for any practical implications to emerge. But this study by MIT neuroscientists could be put to immediate use in designing more effective ...

TORONTO, Ont., June 20, 2011--Every second counts when performing CPR. A new study has found the number of people who survive after suffering a cardiac arrest outside a hospital drops significantly if the pause between stopping CPR and using a defibrillator to administer an electric shock is longer than 20 seconds. The number of people who survive rises significantly if the pause is less than 10 seconds. "If your pre-shock pause is over 20 seconds, the chances of surviving to reach a hospital, be treated and be discharged are 53 per cent less than if the pause is ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Frequent use of energy drinks is associated with binge drinking, alcohol-related social problems and misuse of prescription drugs among musicians, according to researchers at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions. In survey results published in the Journal of Caffeine Research this spring, UB research scientists Kathleen E. Miller and Brian M. Quigley examined substance use by 226 Western New York professional and amateur musicians aged 18-45. In the sample, 94 percent were caffeine users and 57 percent reported use of energy ...

Tropical Storm Beatriz developed from a low pressure area that NASA was watching last week. Beatriz is now expected to reach hurricane force and hit western coastal Mexico today and tomorrow. NASA satellite imagery today revealed powerful thunderstorms bubbling within, indicating further strengthening is occurring. Beatriz formed from the low pressure area System 92E that NASA and JAXA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) was watching last week. The low pressure area was coming together on Friday, June 17 and had some isolated areas of heavy rainfall. Those areas ...

The rate of sea level rise along the U.S. Atlantic coast is greater now than at any time in the past 2,000 years--and has shown a consistent link between changes in global mean surface temperature and sea level. The findings are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), was conducted by Andrew Kemp, Yale University; Benjamin Horton, University of Pennsylvania; Jeffrey Donnelly, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Michael Mann, Pennsylvania State University; ...

A new study of employment and divorce suggest that while social pressure discouraging women from working outside the home has weakened, pressure on husbands to be breadwinners largely remains. The research, led by Liana Sayer of Ohio State University and forthcoming in the American Journal of Sociology, was designed to show how employment status influences both men's and women's decisions to end a marriage. According to the study, a woman's employment status has no effect on the likelihood that her husband will opt to leave the marriage. An employed woman is more ...

DALLAS – June 21, 2011 – Cervical ripening that instigates preterm labor is distinct from what happens at the onset of normal term labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. The findings challenge the conventional premise that premature cervical ripening and remodeling is likely just an accelerated version of the term labor process, and that normal term ripening is caused primarily by activation of inflammatory responses. Cervical remodeling is the process by which the cervix is transformed to open sufficiently during the birth process. "Premature ...

TRGroup, Inc., one of Maryland's fastest growing Information Technology (IT) consulting and solutions firms, announced today that it has achieved certification as a Minority Business Enterprise with the state of Maryland. This certification makes the TRGroup, Inc. eligible to compete on the more than $80 million dollars of Maryland contracts for Information Technology services awarded through the MDOT MBE program. "As a certified MBE in the state of Maryland, we will now have a greater ability to expand our IT services, providing support to state and local government ...

SAFE International is the leading provider of self defense training in North America. It currently operates throughout Canada and has expanded into Albuquerque, New Mexico with a focused marketing campaign to provide Albuquerque self defense to women, men, corporations and high schools. SAFE International has delivered training to over one hundred thousand (100,000) people since 1994. The company is owned and managed by Chris Roberts, CEO, who is a professional teaching Director and self-defense instructor. Ryan Fellows is the Director of Operations for SAFE International ...

Atlanta based businesses and professionals can learn how to make money by using Camtasia software to produce lucrative training videos. Camtasia Training Atlanta founded by Michelle Schoen (VA Demo Girl) provides tips, strategies and tactics for creating training videos via live webinar as well as offering on-site instructor led courses in the Metro Atlanta area. According to US News, Training Specialist is one of the best careers for 2011, at least in the US. Median annual earnings for Training Specialists were $52,000 in 2009. The best-paid made more than $85,000 a ...

Lori Skinner, RN, BSN, Cosmetic Nurse Specialist at South Shore Skin Center and Spa recently attended the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) Annual Conference held in Grapevine, Texas and received additional certification in laser treatments. Ms. Skinner's primary clinical focus at the practice is laser treatments which she uses to treat sun damaged skin, acne scarring and spider veins and to remove brown spots and tattoos. She also performs XTRAC Excimer laser treatments for patients with vitiligo and psoriasis. Mary Rico, a Medical Assistant and ...

Since 2003, New York families, having experienced the tragedy of stillbirth, have been fighting for the respect and recognition of birth. All states, including New York, require the family to pay for funeral expenses and issue a death certificate. Until now, New York did not offer the choice of a birth certificate. On June 16th the New York legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill to provide a certificate of still birth. Bill number A8178a (S3111b) helps provide much-needed comfort, dignity, and documentation to women and their families having experienced a stillbirth. ...

Richard P Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD, leading experts in the use of mind-body practices for relief of anxiety, depression, and PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) following mass disasters, return to Mississippi to train the trainers in a three-day program for health care providers from both the public and private sectors who are providing services to Mississippi residents affected by the Gulf Oil Spill. This FREE training, sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health Oil Spill Recovery Program, takes place June 20-22, 2011 at the Marsha Barbour Resource ...

The Fair Debt Collections Practice Act and Platinum Law Group Debt settlement with Platinum Law Group is a legal option that is available to the financially strapped consumers who are struggling to recover from damages that a debt collector has endowed on debtors in order to get their money. In spite of the fact that it is illegal to harass debtors and violate their rights, a debt collector may hire a third party in order to harass a debtor. Platinum Law Group informs clients of their rights as consumers and the rights of the debt collection agencies in order for clients ...

The Katonah Art Center's 131 Art Day Open House will be held Sunday, June 26 from 12:00 - 3:00PM. Seasoned artists and newcomers alike—adults and kids—are encouraged to come and try a new art form. Drawing, painting, pottery, sculpture, animation, cartooning, crafts, and even music will be offered. Katonah Art Center instructors will be available to teach, demonstrate, answer questions about the programs and camps, and to give tours of the studios in the beautiful, light-filled center. "I like to give everyone the chance to be an artist and to discover his/her ...

Established in 1975, Vitamin Power is an exclusive line of nutritional healthcare products. Vitamin Power will be distributing this returning product in the same manner as the rest of the line, through independent retailers, health professionals and authorized dealers worldwide. Blending the best of science and nature, Vitamin Power products provide powerful nutritional benefits for preventative healthcare and a wide range of individual needs. Every product is formulated and manufactured to the highest standards in the vitamin-nutraceutical industry. Stringent quality control ...

Lawyers are being murdered by LASER-driven arrows. The FBI believes that someone is training a Native American militia to take over the economic system in the U.S. Joe Falk and Susan Koski are assigned to find the hired killer and The Fox, the real force behind the killings. A. G. Hayes studied writing at UCLA and has authored numerous short fiction works for magazines including "Cover up," "Not a Penny Pincher," "Home," "Payment in Full," and "Small Wonder," as well as "Guided Through a Mine Field" and other ...