CHICAGO --- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researchers have identified a new and unusual role for a key player in the human immune system. A protein initially believed to regulate one routine function within the cell has proven vital for another critical step in the activation of the immune system. That protein, STIM1, was previously known to sense a change in calcium within immune cells, a process that occurs when the body confronts a pathogen. Upon sensing this change, STIM1 opens a type of pore in the cell membrane, called a CRAC channel, to allow ...

Improved Forecasting to Coincide with Peak in Solar Activity After years of relative somnolence, the sun is beginning to stir. By the time it's fully awake in about 20 months, the team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., charged with researching and tracking solar activity, will have at their disposal a greatly enhanced forecasting capability. Goddard's Space Weather Laboratory recently received support under NASA's Space Technology Program Game Changing Program to implement "ensemble forecasting," a computer technique already used by meteorologists ...

Canary Labs, the leading provider of data historian and trending applications, was chosen as an "Outstanding in the Field" supplier by Control's Readers' Choice Awards under the Data Acquisition Systems category. The list is described as suppliers of systems and devices that are needed in process automation. As part of the 20th Readers' Choice Awards, Control randomly sampled over 1,000 readers to find the year's best process automation technologies from over 100 entries. Control explains that this survey is "the only completely unaided brand preference ...

Mobile Poker Club expects its nearly one million users to multiply quickly as it releases its new real money applications for Android and iPhone/iPad smartphones worldwide this week. The company, which pioneered poker for cell phones, can now take real money wagers. The free app is available for downloading to phones at http://mobilepokerclub.com. The Android/iOS market is growing quickly and Mobile Poker Club's established mobile poker network is ready to bring real-money mobile poker to iPhone, iPad and Android phone users. "We're not a PC company going mobile. ...

Powerful Cyclone Funso's eye has been clear in NASA satellite imagery over the last several days until NASA's Aqua satellite noticed it had "closed" and become filled with high clouds on January 27. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Funso on January 27 at 0730 UTC (2:30 a.m. EST). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument captured a true color image of the storm that showed Funso's eye has now filled with clouds and appears ragged. Despite being filled with high clouds, the eye appears on multi-spectral satellite imagery to ...

Home Design Outlet Center, an online retailer of bathroom vanities, is inviting you to participate in the grand opening of the Sterling Showroom on February 18th, VA location. Food and beverages will be served on that day. Grand Opening Of Virginia Store Home Design Outlet Center Virginia 44901 Falcon Place Unit 101&102 Sterling, VA 20166 (571) 203-0010 About Home Design Outlet Center The Company has experienced fast annual growth, and is looking to expand its operations to various parts of the country. Unlike most other furniture retailers, Home Design ...

NASA satellites are providing valuable data to forecasters as Tropical Cyclone Iggy nears Western Australia. NASA's Aqua satellite provided visible and infrared data on Iggy, observing colder cloud tops and strengthening storm. Iggy has already triggered warnings and watches along coastal areas. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM) has issued a Cyclone Warning for coastal areas from Mardie to Ningaloo including Exmouth and Onslow. ABM has also issued a Cyclone Watch east to Port Hedland and south to Coral Bay. In addition, a Blue Alert has been posted for "People ...

Vellum Publishing, Inc. announces the release of a new digital single that explores life in the bedroom from both the human and the bedbug point of view. Bedbugs have returned to the sleeping quarters of America big time, and now there's a new lighthearted short digital single available for Kindle readers that explores the trials of this harrowing cohabitation between humans and bedbugs. At www.newkindlebooks.com, Vellum Publishing, Inc. has announced the release of an exciting new digital single exclusively for the Kindle which humorously demonstrates this unique relationship ...

A new physical form of proteins developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin could drastically improve treatments for cancer and other diseases, as well as overcome some of the largest challenges in therapeutics: delivering drugs to patients safely, easily and more effectively. The protein formulation strategy, developed by faculty and students in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Department of Chemical Engineering, is unprecedented and offers a new and universal approach to drug delivery – one that could revolutionize treatment of cancer, arthritis ...

KANSAS CITY, MO— Cells trying to keep pace with constantly changing environmental conditions need to strike a fine balance between maintaining their genomic integrity and allowing enough genetic flexibility to adapt to inhospitable conditions. In their latest study, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research were able to show that under stressful conditions yeast genomes become unstable, readily acquiring or losing whole chromosomes to enable rapid adaption. The research, published in the January 29, 2012, advance online issue of Nature, demonstrates that ...

UCLA researchers have explained the puzzling disappearing act of energetic electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt, using data collected from a fleet of orbiting spacecraft. In a paper published today in the journal Nature Physics, the team shows that the missing electrons are swept away from the planet by a tide of solar wind particles during periods of heightened solar activity. "This is an important milestone in understanding Earth's space environment," said lead study author Drew Turner, an assistant researcher in the UCLA Department of Earth and Space Sciences ...

New Year is a time to experience new places and reunite with friends and family. This also means that it is time to show off a bright and healthy smile. For those that are not confident with their appearance, one cosmetic dentist in Northridge is now offering cutting edge service at an all-time low price this coming season. Invisalign has fast become one of the most reliable and beloved teeth straightening systems in the field of dentistry. Unlike traditional metal braces that are both unsightly and uncomfortable, the Invisalign system takes an ultra-modern approach ...

A study published in Nature Genetics today has found new evidence for a link between the body clock hormone melatonin and type 2 diabetes. The study found that people who carry rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings should help scientists to more accurately assess personal diabetes risk and could lead to the development of personalised treatments. Previous research has found that people who work night shifts have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Studies have also found that if ...

Led by researchers at University of Oxford (UK) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) at Harvard University, (USA), more than 50 collaborators at over 30 scientific organizations around the globe have agreed on a common standard that will make possible the consistent description of enormous and radically different databases compiled in fields ranging from genetics to stem cell science, to environmental studies. The new standard provides a way for scientists in widely disparate fields to co-ordinate each other's findings by allowing behind-the-scenes combination ...

Genetics has provided surprising insights into why vaccines used in both the UK and US to combat serious childhood infections can eventually fail. The study, published today in Nature Genetics, which investigates how bacteria change their disguise to evade the vaccines, has implications for how future vaccines can be made more effective. Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) causes potentially life-threatening diseases including pneumonia and meningitis. Pneumococcal infections are thought to kill around a million young children worldwide each year, though the success ...

The London based financial website www.Spread-Betting.org, which features a range of reviews, analysis and trading guides, has launched a new set of comparisons tables that compare and contrast a range of spread betting companies. There is an array of financial spread betting companies that investors can choose from. However, these firms vary in many ways: Does the company offer candlestick charts? Are the markets open 24 hours a day? What kind of trading orders are available? These are just some of the questions that spread bettors face when looking to sign up with ...

A team of UCLA scientists has found that the pathogen that causes leprosy has a remarkable ability to avoid the human immune system by inhibiting the antimicrobial responses important to our defenses. In one of the first laboratory studies of its kind, researchers discovered that the leprosy pathogen Mycobacterium leprae was able to reduce and evade immune activity that is dependent on vitamin D, a natural hormone that plays an essential role in the body's fight against infections. The pathogen manipulated micro-RNAs, tiny molecules made of ribonucleic acids that ...

Flexible Lifeline Systems, Inc. today announced the completion of the design and installation of a series of unique and innovative Fall Protection Anchors for Sun Products Facility in Houston, TX. Flexible Lifeline Systems provided a series of two-user fall protection anchors on Sun's above ground storage tanks. The unique design incorporated a clamping system eliminating any hot work and penetration of the tanks. FLS has designed and safely installed hundreds of fall protection anchors on above ground storage tanks with little to no effect on customer's ongoing operations. ...

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are the top marine predator, wherever they are found, and seem to eat everything from schools of small fish to large baleen whales, over twice their own size. The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. New research published in BioMed Central's re-launched open access journal Aquatic Biosystems has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to determine killer whale behaviour and diet ...

Halos, starbursts, and glare are all potential complications with LASIK surgery. These instances can be caused by two factors: - The corneal flap not adhering properly after surgery - The pupil dilating to a size larger than the treatment zone Your risk for corneal flap problems may be reduced with bladeless LASIK, but this complication is still possible no matter what type of LASIK you choose to have. Fortunately, most people experience this rare side effect for little more than 30 days. During this period, you will have follow-up visits with your eye doctor. ...

Since the introduction of BOTOX Cosmetic, nonsurgical facial rejuvenation treatments have exploded. They have become the most popular option for people seeking to rejuvenate their appearance, and have led to a significant decline in the popularity of facelifts. However, in recent years the trend has been reversing. People have come to realize that a facelift has certain benefits no nonsurgical treatment can match. Nothing Does What a Facelift Does There is currently no nonsurgical facial rejuvenation procedure that can accomplish what a facelift can. Facial aging ...

The ideal male contraceptive would be inexpensive, reliable, and reversible. It would need to be long acting but have few side effects. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology used commercially available therapeutic ultrasound equipment to reduce sperm counts of male rats to levels which would result in infertility in humans. Ultrasound's potential as a male contraceptive was first reported nearly 40 years ago. However the equipment used is now outdated and no longer available. Researchers from the Department ...

A systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) has found that differences in systolic blood pressure between arms could be a useful indicator of the likelihood of vascular risk and death. The findings add support to the calls for both-arm blood pressure checks to be performed as standard. The review is published in The Lancet online today (30th January) and the study is supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the South West GP Trust and the National Institute ...

The partners at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend are pleased to announce that attorney Muhammad S. Aziz has been named partner at the firm. Attorney Muhammad S. Aziz has been an associate with the firm since 2006. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Aziz worked at Price Waterhouse Coopers as a business assurance auditor for four years. He is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, and has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London, England. Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, ...

Researchers studying a rare, lethal childhood tumor of the brainstem discovered that nearly 80 percent of the tumors have mutations in genes not previously tied to cancer. Early evidence suggests the alterations play a unique role in other aggressive pediatric brain tumors as well. The findings from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP) offer important insight into a poorly understood tumor that kills more than 90 percent of patients within two years. The tumor, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), ...