Astronomers from Queen's University Belfast have gathered the most direct evidence yet of a supermassive black hole shredding a star that wandered too close. The Queen's astronomers are part of the Pan-STARRS international team, whose discovery has been published in the journal Nature today (Wed, 2 May). Supermassive black holes, weighing millions to billions times more than the Sun, lurk in the centers of most galaxies. These hefty monsters lie quietly until an unsuspecting 'victim', such as a star, wanders close enough to get ripped apart by their powerful gravitational ...

When it comes to the food used to raise fish in aquaculture "farms," it seems that you may get what you pay for. In a new study,* researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) looked at the health effects of raising farmed fish on a diet incorporating less than the usual amount of fishmeal—a key but expensive component of current commercial fish food products. They learned that reduced fishmeal diets may be cheaper, but the fish were less healthy. Commercial aquaculture is one ...

It began in the eighties, in the days of taffeta prom dresses and big hair rock bands. During this decade, use of hand held video cameras became commonplace for most families. Now digital devices from cameras to iPhones have video capabilities. With improvements in technology almost everyone has a video recording device within reach at all times. Occasionally, a recording of an infant's delivery may catch a misdiagnosis or delay in intervention -- sometimes these medical mistakes have resulted in a tragic, yet preventable birth injury. The use of these video recordings ...

As of May 1, 2012, the military has two new drugs in its testing repertoire. Henceforth, service members may be tested for hydrocodone and benzodiazepines, two of the most commonly abused prescription drugs on the market. Servicemen and servicewomen are randomly tested for drugs at least once a year. A positive test result could mean serious legal complications, putting a servicemember anywhere in the chain of command in need of military drug offense lawyers. Hydrocodone and Benzodiazepine Part of Expanded Testing Regiment Hydrocodone is a component in a number ...

ATLANTA – April 19, 2012 – A new study finds differences in screening account for more than 40 percent of the disparity in colorectal cancer incidence and nearly 20 percent of colorectal cancer mortality between blacks and whites. Differences in stage-specific survival, which likely reflect differences in treatment account for additional 35% of the black-white disparity in colorectal cancer mortality rates. The study, appearing early online in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, concludes that equal access to care could substantially reduce the racial disparities ...

Changing the conditions that zebrafish are kept in could have an impact on their behaviour in animal studies and the reliability of results, according to scientists from Queen Mary, University of London. Zebrafish, like rats and mice, are often used by neuroscientists to explore mechanisms controlling behaviour and in the search for new compounds to treat behavioural disease such as addiction, attention deficit disorders or autism. It is known that housing and handling affects the results of behavioural studies done in rats and mice, but until now there have been few ...

Birth injuries, sometimes known as birth traumas, are physical injuries the baby receives while being born. Such injuries can be caused by the process of labor and delivery itself, but they can also be the result of medical malpractice. Causes of Birth Injuries Birth injuries are more likely to occur if the birth is a difficult one. A difficult birth is generally caused by the size or position of the baby during labor and delivery. Difficult births usually involve one or more of the following: - Premature babies (born earlier than 37 weeks) - Prolonged labor, ...

Recent raids of religious compounds in Texas and British Columbia make clear that polygamy is, to say the least, frowned upon by western governments. But legal questions aside, can polygamy ever be morally permissible? An article in the latest issue of the journal Ethics makes the case that traditional forms of polygamy are inherently unequal and therefore morally objectionable. "In traditional polygamy, only one person may marry multiple spouses. This central spouse divides him or herself among multiple spouses, but each peripheral spouse remains exclusively devoted ...

UCSF scientists have identified patterns of brain activity in the rat brain that play a role in the formation and recall of memories and decision-making. The discovery, which builds on the team's previous findings, offers a path for studying learning, decision-making and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The researchers previously identified patterns of brain activity in the rat hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory storage. The patterns sometimes represented where an animal was in space, and, at other times, represented fast-motion replays of places the animal ...

Following are highlights of presentations that will be given by researchers from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center at the upcoming American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting in Philadelphia (May 5-9, 2012). Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, the Lawrence C. Kolb Professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia and director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, will be officially installed as APA president-elect at the meeting. To speak with Dr. ...

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- A growing number of health research programs are collaborating with community groups to conduct research. The groups help recruit study participants, obtain informed consent, collect data and provide input on study design and procedures. But existing programs that educate researchers, community groups and institutional review boards about research ethics "fail to meet the needs of all groups that have a role in community-engaged research," according to an article in the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics. First author of the study ...

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/03/2012) —Vegetation, such as a patch of prairie or a forest stand, is more productive in the long run when more plant species are present, a new University of Minnesota study shows. The unprecedented long-term study of plant biodiversity found that each species plays a role in maintaining a productive ecosystem, especially when a long time horizon is considered. The study found that every additional species in a plot contributed to a gradual increase in both soil fertility and biomass production over a 14-year period. The research paper, published ...

Critical issues in learning, ADHD and autism will be explored during the Association for Psychological Science annual convention in Chicago, from May 23 to the 27th. Leaders in the field studying attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, learning, and childhood development will present the latest in psychological science research that will shed light on treatment options, disorder management, memory and school performance. There will be two major offerings in ADHD research. Four experts on ADHD will present current research, and discuss ...

While fatalities among teenage drivers have decreased over the past six years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims car accidents are still the leading cause of death among teens. With more teens surviving accidents, the long-term effects of a crash are becoming more apparent. Unfortunately, recent national discussion over teen concussions in high school sports has overshadowed the more widespread issue of serious head injuries in teen motor vehicle accidents. The Stats Due in part to out-reach programs, teen driver deaths fell 46 percent between 2005 and ...

Awake mental replay of past experiences is essential for making informed choices, suggests a study in rats. Without it, the animals’ memory-based decision-making faltered, say scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers blocked learning from, and acting on, past experience by selectively suppressing replay – encoded as split-second bursts of neuronal activity in the memory hubs of rats performing a maze task. "It appears to be these ripple-like bursts in electrical activity in the hippocampus that enable us to think about future possibilities ...

May 3, 2012 — (Bronx, NY) — Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in collaboration with Nurses' Health Study investigators have shown that levels of certain related proteins found in blood are associated with a greatly reduced risk for developing type 2 diabetes up to a decade or more later. The findings, published today in the online edition of Diabetes, could open a new front in the war against diabetes. These proteins are part of what is called the IGF axis. This axis was named for insulin-like growth factor-1, (IGF-1), so called ...

Researchers at Seattle Children's Research Institute and their collaborators have discovered a pair of defective genes that cause a rare congenital malformation syndrome that can make it impossible for the child to breathe or eat properly without reparative surgery. In a study led by Michael L. Cunningham, MD, PhD, medical director of the Seattle Children's Hospital's Craniofacial Center, a research team pinpointed two genes known as PLCB4 and GNAI3 in a genetic pathway that affects children with auriculocondylar syndrome (ACS). ACS is a rare disorder in which a child's ...

Defective hip implant devices and transvaginal mesh devices were put on the market despite significant concerns over the safety of earlier models. And thousands of Americans have been injured as a result. Sadly, a loophole in federal law could be to blame. By law, the Food and Drug Administration is not required to review or approve medical devices that are "substantially equivalent" to previously approved models, so long as the prior model was not taken off the market pursuant to an FDA or court order. Since the device's prior models were approved, and still ...

People who have been in a car accident before know how difficult it can be to deal with insurance companies. However, if you are new to the experience, it can be a painful and patience-testing process to get your claim paid. Despite the warm impression that insurance commercials give of efficient claims processing and willingness to help you out when you're in a car accident, insurance is in reality a multi-billion dollar business. Like most companies, insurance companies exist to make a profit for their shareholders, so making their policyholders happy is not the main ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—More than 60 percent of young adults between the ages of 19 and 22 received some financial help from mom and dad, according to a new University of Michigan study. The average amount they received – including help with college tuition, rent, and transportation – was roughly $7,500 a year. The study is the first to use nationally representative data to calculate parental assistance to young adults and to analyze how help varies by family and individual characteristics. It is based on data from 2,098 interviews conducted between 2005 and 2009, with young ...

A Queen's University researcher has created a Star Trek-like human-scale 3D videoconferencing pod that allows people in different locations to video conference as if they are standing in front of each other. "Why Skype when you can talk to a life-size 3D holographic image of another person?" says professor Roel Vertegaal, director of the Human Media Lab. The technology Dr. Vertegaal and researchers at the Queen's Human Media Lab have developed is called TeleHuman and looks like something from the Star Trek holodeck. Two people simply stand infront of their own life-size ...

Hampton Inn Atlanta-Southlake Morrow Hotel offers convenient accommodations to parents and guests attending Clayton State University's spring 2012 Commencement Ceremonies. The Commencement Exercises will take place at 9:00am and 12 noon on May 5 at the Clayton State University Athletics & Fitness Center. The commencement speaker for both graduation events will be former Atlanta mayor, Ambassador Andrew Young. Conveniently located within minutes from Clayton State University, The Hampton Inn Morrow GA Hotel is the perfect choice for local lodging. Services and amenities ...

Irvine, Calif., May 3, 2012 – Being cut off from work email significantly reduces stress and allows employees to focus far better, according to a new study by UC Irvine and U.S. Army researchers. Heart rate monitors were attached to computer users in a suburban office setting, while software sensors detected how often they switched windows. People who read email changed screens twice as often and were in a steady "high alert" state, with more constant heart rates. Those removed from email for five days experienced more natural, variable heart rates. "We found that when ...

PASADENA, Calif.—There is an old trick for remembering the difference between stalactites and stalagmites in a cave: Stalactites hold tight to the ceiling while stalagmites might one day grow to reach the ceiling. Now, it seems, stalagmites might also fill a hole in our understanding of Earth's climate system and how that system is likely to respond to the rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since preindustrial times. Many existing historical climate records are biased to the high latitudes— coming from polar ice cores and North Atlantic deep ocean sediments. ...

Radisson Blu Resort El Quseir has launched additional upgrades for its guests, including improvements to Wi-Fi access, food and beverage services and room amenities. The upgrade was carried out by the hotel's new management team with the aim of increasing guest satisfaction. The new management team is headed by General Manager Mohamad Yassine. It's supported by Taha Mansour, Front Office Manager, Carola Pawlowitz, Head of German Guest Relations, Ahmed Shawki, IT Manager, Sameh Salib, Food and Beverage Manager, and Nagham Mohamed, Director of Sales and Marketing. The ...