A novel system for processing embryos during IVF treatment has been shown to significantly improve the chances of pregnancy – by more than a quarter. Pioneered by a Newcastle team of fertility experts at the University and within the NHS, the innovative design of interlinked incubators provides a totally enclosed and controlled environment within which every step of the IVF process can be performed. Research published today in the journal PLoS ONE reveals that the introduction of the new system into the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life, part of the Newcastle Hospitals ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – In 2007, a controversial pesticide was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use on fruit and vegetable crops, mainly in California and Florida. Farm workers and scientists protested the approval of the pesticide because its active ingredient, methyl iodide, is a known carcinogen. Now, MU researchers are studying the molecular structure of the pesticide to determine if the product could be made more efficient and safer for those living near, and working in, treated fields. Methyl iodide is the active ingredient used in a pesticide known commercially ...

Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts, an Atlanta tree services company, reminds Atlanta homeowners to have their trees pruned before the spring growing season begins. "Atlanta tree trimming is best done in late winter, before warm spring weather encourages trees to grow," notes Gary Robertson, owner of Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts. "We are already seeing signs of spring weather coming, so it is important for Atlanta homeowners to have an Atlanta tree service come and prune their trees soon." Proper pruning can both maintain tree health and enhance a tree's ...

Language barriers could deter more than 100,000 Californians from enrolling in the Health Benefit Exchange, according to a study released today by the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education. The study presents findings from a UC Berkeley–UCLA micro-simulation that estimates the likely enrollment in health care reform programs in California. Specifically, the study projects that more than 1 million limited–English proficient (LEP) adults will be eligible to receive ...

Toronto, February 29, 2012 - Scientists at the Toronto Western Research Institute (TWRI), Krembil Neuroscience Center, have developed a drug that protects the brain against the damaging effects of a stroke in a lab setting. This drug has been in development for a few years. At this point, it has reached the most advanced stage of development among drugs created to reduce the brain's vulnerability to stroke damage (termed a "neuroprotectant"). Over 1000 attempts to develop such drugs by scientists worldwide have failed to be translated to a stage where they can be used in ...

Propulsion by a novel jet engine is the crux of the innovation behind a University of Colorado Boulder-developed aircraft that's accelerating toward commercialization. Jet engine technology can be small, fuel-efficient and cost-effective, at least with Assistant Professor Ryan Starkey's design. The CU-Boulder aerospace engineer, with a team of students, has developed a first-of-its-kind supersonic unmanned aircraft vehicle, or UAV. The UAV, which is currently in a prototype state, is expected to fly farther and faster -- using less fuel -- than anything remotely similar ...

Monitoring the construction of wells, avoid over-exploiting cold groundwater close to hot groundwater, and controlling mineral water extraction. These are the recommendations from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and the University of Barcelona, after analysing the contamination of La Selva geothermal system, above all by arsenic pollution. In this region, which is known for its spa resorts and bottling plants, as well as in other Catalan coastal mountain ranges, uranium levels higher than what is recommended by the WHO have been detected. The groundwater in La ...

Atlanta pest control company Team Pest USA has opened a new location offering pest control services in Gainesville, GA. This latest expansion is the most recent example of the continued growth that Team Pest USA has maintained over the past four decades. Since 1971, Team Pest USA has been providing outstanding pest control in Atlanta, and that dedication to reliable pest control services has, in large part, been a reason for the company's continued success and current expansion in Gainesville. Team Pest USA offers an extended list of services, including mosquito control, ...

It's one of life's special moments: a child finds a fat caterpillar, puts it in a jar with a twig and a few leaves, and awakens one day to find the caterpillar has disappeared and an elegant but apparently lifeless case now hangs from the twig. Then, when the jar has been forgotten, soft beating against its glass walls calls attention to a new wonder: the jar now holds a fragile-winged butterfly or dusky moth with fringed antennae. These transformations are so startling that a child's awe seems a more appropriate response than an adult's calm acceptance. How is it, ...

A recent decline in ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), a ground-nesting migratory songbird, in forests in the northern Midwest United States is being linked by scientists to a seemingly unlikely culprit: earthworms. A new survey conducted in Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest and Wisconsin's Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest by a research team led by Scott Loss of the University of Minnesota and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has revealed a direct link between the presence of invasive European earthworms (Lumbricus spp.) and reduced numbers of ovenbirds in mixed ...

Employees at Atlanta granite countertop fabricator Premier Surfaces have shaved their heads to support one of their own. When a beloved team member learned that she would be undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, she made the brave decision to shave her head instead of letting the chemo take her hair. The men at Atlanta granite counters supplier Premier Surfaces felt it was important to lend her moral support, and roughly 20 of them shaved their heads with her. The employee was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2011, and began her first chemotherapy ...

Alexandria, VA – What if we could cheaply and efficiently detect a potent new energy source, while also monitoring for environmental safety? Olivier Carrière, a physicist in the Marine Physical Laboratory at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and other researchers are using the symphony of sound produced in the ocean to do just that. When natural gas is released from the seafloor, it produces bubbles; similarly, gas leaking from a pipeline also produces bubbles. Instead of traditional acoustic methods that use active surveys of the ocean floor with sonar or seismic ...

The following highlights summarize research papers that have been recently published in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL), Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface (JGR-F), Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres (JGR-D), Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth (JGR-B), and Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics (JGR-A). In this release: 1. Effect of vegetation die-off tested on tidal marshland 2. Capsizing icebergs release earthquake-sized energies 3. Asian emissions contribute to air pollution in western United States 4. Remote sensing ...

A drug once taken by people with HIV/AIDS but long ago shelved after newer, modern antiretroviral therapies became available has now shed light on how the human body uses its natural immunity to fight the virus—work that could help uncover new targets for drugs. In an article published online this month by the journal PNAS, a group of U.S. and Swiss researchers led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) presented the first clinical assessment of how this drug fights infections in people. The drug, called interferon, is a biotechnology product ...

The Atlanta pest control experts at North Fulton Pest Solutions are proud to announce that they now offer Builders Club rewards for new construction termite services. Eligible Atlanta termite control services contracted through North Fulton Pest Solutions can earn home builders and remodelers Club Points which are redeemable for merchandise or travel through Builders Club. "Builders Club is a great opportunity for builders and remodelers," says Blake Edwards, Director of Business Development for North Fulton Pest Solutions, the exterminators Atlanta trusts. ...

A subpopulation of the immune cells targeted by HIV may play an important role in controlling viral loads after initial infection, potentially helping to determine how quickly infection will progress. In the February 29 issue of Science Translational Medicine, a team of researchers from the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT and Harvard describe finding a population of HIV-specific CD4 T cells – cells traditionally thought to direct and support activities of other immune cells – that can directly kill HIV-infected cells. "We observed the emergence ...

In science, refuting a hypothesis can be as significant as proving one, all the more so in research aimed at elucidating how diseases proceed with a view toward preventing, treating, or curing them. Such a discovery can save scientists from spending precious years of effort exploring a dead end. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Munich-based researchers refute a widely accepted hypothesis about a causative step in neurodegenerative conditions. These results deal specifically with animal models of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ...

Healthe Trim's proprietary blend of over 15 natural ingredients includes hoodia gordonii, a natural, time-tested appetite suppressant, green tea leaf extract that provides a natural energy boost and burns fat, and resveratrol, which is packed with antioxidants and increases the burning of nutrients and fat into energy. The natural health and wellness supplement company has expanded its presence into retail to meet the growing demand of customers nationwide who are looking to enhance their metabolism, curb their appetite and lose weight now. Healthe Trim founder Matthew ...

Boston, MA (February 26, 2012)—Bacteria live in a state of perpetual warfare, with different species battling for dominion over their competitors and when pathogen, over their infected host. New research suggests that the human pathogen Vibrio cholerae, which causes the disease cholera, kills off its microbial rivals by jabbing them with a spring-loaded poison dagger. Were it not for that defense, called the Type 6 secretion system (T6SS), V. cholerae might not out-compete its neighbors to sicken millions of people every year. The results will be published online February ...

SEATTLE -- Scientists from Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington, in collaboration with the Genomic Disorders Group Nijmegen in the Netherlands, have identified two new genes that cause Baraitser-Winter syndrome, a rare brain malformation that is characterized by droopy eyelids and intellectual disabilities. "This new discovery brings the total number of genes identified with this type of brain defect to eight," said William Dobyns, MD, a geneticist at Seattle Children's Research Institute. Identification of the additional genes associated ...

New Rochelle -- Inhaled interferon-gamma may be an effective treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic and progressive form of lung disease caused by excessive formation of fibrotic, or scar tissue, in the lungs, according to an article published in Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery (http://www.liebertpub.com/jamp), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com) The article on inhaled interferon-gamma (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jamp.2011.0919) is available free online at the Journal ...

"Medisoft Medical Billing Software ANSI 5010 conversion is moving along smoothly," notes Harry Selent, CEO of www.MedicalBillingSoftware.com. Although the initial deadline for compliance has passed, the government has postponed enforcement of the adoption of the new standards to March 31, 2012 to allow time for both payers and doctors to fully comply. However, as more payers fully adopt the ANSI-5010 standards, doctors could see increased claim rejections from non-compliant claims. "Don't put your cash flow at risk" warns Selent. Verify that the latest ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A study recently published by the University of Kentucky's Scott Livingston shows that physiological problems stemming from a concussion may continue to present in the patient even after standard symptoms subside. Currently, concussions are diagnosed and monitored through a patient's self-reported symptoms (including headache, confusion or disorientation, poor concentration, and memory loss) and through computerized neuropsychological testing programs, which measure cognitive abilities including attention and concentration, cognitive processing, learning ...

Foresters are pleased to announce that they will be sponsoring Wallace and Gromits 'Big Breakfast' fundraising event from 20th - 27th April. Wallace & Gromit are calling on people across the UK to join The BIG Breakfast to raise thousands of pounds for sick children in hospitals and hospices by enjoying their BIG Breakfast. People from all walks of life are being invited to take part and host a 'Wallace & Gromit BIG Breakfast', from the 20th - 27th April. The fundraising event hopes to raise over GBP60,000. 'Wallace & Gromit's Children's Foundation is ...

A nationwide survey shows a positive correlation between Green School practices and student achievement in science. The study was conducted by the University of Colorado Denver's Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences. And presented Wednesday at the Green Schools National Network conference in Denver. Schools that took part in the survey observe GreenPrint core practices as defined by the Green Schools National Network (GSNN). The core practices are: Curriculum that advances environmental literacy and sustainability Stewardship and service learning Sustainable ...