A nationwide study of racioethnic representation between retail employees and their customers finds that mirroring a customer base improves consumer satisfaction and employee productivity – and contributes to nearly $100,000 in annual gains or losses per store. Analyzing data from 739 outlets of a major U.S. department store, the researchers found that representativeness improved customer satisfaction and increased annual productivity by $625 per employee. Given the study's average sample size of 150 employees per store, such a change amounts to about $94,000 per store, ...

WASHINGTON – Employees on sick leave with common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety fully returned to work sooner when therapy deals with work-related problems and how to get back on the job, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. Employees who received this therapy and returned to work sooner did not suffer adverse effects and showed significant improvement in mental health over the course of one year, according to the article, published online in APA's Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. "People with ...

New York City Bus and Subway Accidents: MTA Whether they take the train, subway or bus, New Yorkers put a great deal of trust into the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). They expect to get where they need to go -- work, school, the grocery store -- safely and on time. They expect that the MTA will frequently inspect trains and buses, and take other measures to ensure riders' safety. What happens when that trust is broken, when a bus or train accident causes serious injury? While the New York City subway and bus systems are generally safe, accidents ...

TAK-875, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, improves blood sugar control and is equally effective as glimepiride, but has a significantly lower risk of creating a dangerous drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, according to a new study. The results of the phase 2 randomized trial were published Online First Sunday in The Lancet. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes accounting for 90 percent of the 150 million people in the United States currently living with the disease. It is primarily caused by a lack of response to insulin which leads to high ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. ¬— In the past few years, the video game industry has grown from a niche market into a major part of mainstream media. This increase in popularity and use of technology has allowed video game developers to insert more detail and nuance into the storylines of their games. Many video games have begun incorporating religion as a key aspect to plot points and story lines. Greg Perreault, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that the many newer-generation video games equate religion with violence in the game narratives. Perreault ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Hispanics are enrolling in the higher education system at a greater rate than ever, yet they are less likely than their non-Hispanic peers to enter college or earn degrees, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that Mexican-American college students' family and peer attachments are associated with prosocial and physically aggressive behaviors that can affect their success in college. Gustavo Carlo, Millsap Professor of Diversity in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, found that ...

New Rule Aims to Decrease Truck Accidents Caused by Driver Fatigue Earlier in January 2012, a tractor-trailer overturned closing all southbound lanes on I-75 in Ohio. Though no one was hurt and the cargo was harmless, the accident created a significant traffic mess. Many other semi-truck accidents occur, or nearly occur, daily on America's roadways. Often, these can be attributed to driver error caused by fatigue. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, nearly 4,000 people die as a result of trucking accidents each year. Of those, about 500 can be directly ...

SANTA CRUZ, CA--A study of the tropical coral reef system along the coastline of Kenya has found dramatic effects of overfishing that could threaten the long-term health of the reefs. Led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the study was published in the journal Coral Reefs (online publication January 28). The researchers found that the loss of predatory fish leads to a cascade of effects throughout the reef ecosystem, starting with an explosion in sea urchin populations. Excessive grazing by sea urchins damages the reef structure and reduces the ...

A University of British Columbia study has found traces of the bacteria listeria in ready-to-eat fish products sold in Metro Vancouver, Canada. UBC food microbiologist Kevin Allen tested a total of 40 ready-to-eat fish samples prior to their best before date. Purchased from seven large chain stores and 10 small retailers in Metro Vancouver, these products included lox, smoked tuna, candied salmon and fish jerky. The findings – published in a recent issue of the journal Food Microbiology – show that listeria was present in 20 per cent of the ready-to-eat fish products. ...

The Roberts Law Group, PLLC, recently launched a family law practice in North Carolina to assist clients with divorce, child custody, child support and property and asset division issues. While many North Carolina residents may think it's okay to proceed without the guidance of a knowledgeable divorce attorney, when your family is at stake, it's too important to go it alone. At Roberts Law Group, PLLC, our family law attorneys provide quality representation to a limited number of family law and divorce clients each month to allow us to provide personalized legal advice ...

The Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Airport Hotel (North) recently announced a special offer with the Delta SkyMiles program for Hilton HHonors members. Guests who sign up for this offer will earn 2,012 bonus miles when they book and complete a minimum two-night stay by March 31, 2012 at participating hotels and resorts within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio. Members must register for the promotion prior to check-in for their first stay. Also, Delta Airlines must be selected as the Double Dip Points & Miles Partner in their Hilton HHonors profile. Delta Airlines, headquartered ...

The Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel (North, I-85) offers close lodging to guests attending Scott Antique Market Shows at Atlanta Expo Center. Providing over 3300 exhibit booths, the event is the world's largest monthly indoor antique show. It boasts lots of hard-to-find antiques from a variety of eras and regions. Visitors will find anything from furniture, paintings, silver, instruments, and much more at this "treasure hunter's paradise". Upcoming 2012 Atlanta show dates include: - March 9-11 - April 13-15 "Conveniently located only ...

Dosh Savers, a new discount and deals website, has been launched and is ready to provide a massive collection of highly attractive methods of purchasing common products at reduced costs. While featuring many of the technological attributes of other many similar market competitors, this platform is offering a number of additional advantages for its visitors, such as an improved search feature as well as a huge database containing discounts and special offers from various global brands. As discount coupons have evolved over time to become one of the most popular Internet ...

Endeeper, a pioneer in knowledge management for petrography, launched PetrographypediA (http://www.petrographypedia.com), an unprecedented portal for dissemination of knowledge in petrography. The portal will serve as a tool to help companies, researchers and students in the development of petrographic studies. PetrographypediA offers a comprehensive multimedia material about petrography. Navigation is guided by categories that classify the content. A robust search engine is also available for searching geological terms. In the first phase of the portal, a set of ...

Dr. Jan Linhart, world renowned restorative and aesthetic dentist, has been honored by the Presidential who's who organization. He has been the official dentist of Miss Universe. Dr. Jan Linhart has been listed as one of America's top dentists by both Castle Connolly Consumer Guide and the Consumers' Research Council of America. With his expertise and years of experience, Dr Linhart has helped many patients by providing comprehensive dental care through advanced techniques. Whether it is cosmetic dentistry or restorative dentistry, Dr. Linhart provides one-stop dental perfection ...

Brock Reeve, Executive Director, Stem Cell & Cancer Research Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute to give a Featured Presentation on "The Latest From The Lab" at the 8th Stem Cell Summit (April 19-20, 2012 in Boston, MA) The Latest From The Lab In the current environment, the commercial sector is increasingly dependent on interactions with academia for new ideas and the latest science, especially in a field where the knowledge base is literally growing at an exponential rate. This talk will highlight some of the more recent findings in the field of ...

Bemis Custom Plastics, the advanced technology group of Bemis Manufacturing Company, has announced the acquisition of a 3,000-ton plastic injection molding system, the Maxima MG 3000, from Milacron Plastics Technologies. Located in Lenoir, NC, Bemis Customs Plastics designs, engineers and produces plastic parts for a wide variety of industries. Despite its massive size, the new Maxima MG 3000 uses 10 to 20% less floor space than comparable machines. This efficient use of floor space will enable Bemis Customs Plastics to add additional machines when needed. "The ...

The plastic surgery practice of Smoot, Sadrian and Hollan are pleased to announce the appointment of permanent make-up artist Vicki Maierle-Foss to the Laser and Skincare Center located at their skincare facility at the Ximed Medical building on the campus of Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. Ms. Maierle-Foss is President and CEO of "The Pink Icing on the Cake", a permanent make-up enterprise that provides expertise in the area of permanent applications for eyebrows, eyeliner, lips and restoring pigment color to breasts after breast reconstruction surgery. ...

Singer/Songwriter Tracy Walton has released his first solo CD Brand New Again. The ten song CD is at once rough and vulnerable with Tracy's voice cutting to the heart of any story, taking you down back roads, through broken lonely hearts, and into hopeful, open skies. "People seem shocked when they hear how diverse my record is," says Tracy, "but it really is just a throwback to bands like the Beatles and the Stones that could go from hard rock, to country, to blues and back on one side of a record." The first single from the album of the same name ...

Ajax Union, a Brooklyn-based online marketing company, is encouraging business owners and entrepreneurs to view the agency's recently released webinar schedule, available online at http://www.AjaxUnion.com/webinar. Committed to helping professionals understand the mechanics of small business internet marketing, Ajax Union has hosted at least one free webinar per week throughout 2012, allowing the search engine agency to cover a wide range of topics. Many of the national and local internet marketing seminars also feature raffled prizes, including free press releases, custom ...

The League of Women Voters of Bergen County will commemorate Women's History Month and the League's 92nd birthday with a special celebration on Sunday, March 4, 2 to 4 p.m., at the Park Ridge Community Center, 53 Park Avenue, Park Ridge, New Jersey. The entrance to the library on the lower level should be used. The public is invited to attend the festivities and participate in a three-part program that kicks off with Toni Zimmer, President of the New Jersey League of Women Voters, providing a special greeting. Guests will be asked to select and discuss briefly a woman ...

Projex Group have just launched a new radio campaign for their Koster Remedial Waterproofing products. The objectives of the campaign are to inform people about the solutions available for rectifying problematic water leaks and also salt staining/efflorescence on tiles, masonry etc. Every Sunday, the listeners of the Home Improvement Show on 2GB (873AM) will hear and learn more about the Koster waterproofing products. A special number, 1 800 112 111, has also been activated for everyone who wants to place an order. The Koster KD System and Polysil TG 500 will interest ...

The Sagemont School has always been technologically advanced. For years, students on the middle school and high school campus have shared a networked wireless laptop environment. This year, the school has expanded the program to the Lower School Campus where, for the first time, fifth graders are using laptop computers in the classroom. Sagemont students are being trained on laptop note taking, learning the ins and outs of Microsoft Office, accurate MLA formatting, creating and presenting Power Points, e-mailing and proper email etiquette, keyboarding, caring for their ...

With the social media age firmly upon us, marketers are under even greater pressures to develop winning strategies. With that in mind, the Fennley team of digital and social media marketing experts will be offering a free workshop to help marketers further understand and navigate the social space while strategically integrating multiple digital media channels to deliver optimal results. Founder/CMO Geoff Gilbert said that "I founded Fennley so that we could help foster a new way of thinking for the digital and social marketing space." The social media age ...

Keeping Your Car in Bankruptcy For most people, having a car is essential. Anyone considering bankruptcy will naturally want to know what will happen to his or her car--or cars--as part of the bankruptcy process. The answer, like so many bankruptcy issues, is complex, and depends on the state in which the person files, and whether the he or she files under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. State Exemptions Every state in the country allows an individual to keep certain items during bankruptcy. (These items are exempt from being used to pay creditors, and are thus called ...