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Science 2011-10-25

John Coker's Oct. 29-30 No-Reserve Auction Features Two Fresh, Long-Held Collections of Toys, Lunchboxes and Folk Art

John W. Coker is a Tennessee auctioneer better known for his sales of fine and decorative art, but when the opportunity arose to handle two outstanding toy and lunchbox collections - each from a collector of 40+ years - he jumped at the chance. More than 100 cardboard boxes later, Coker knew he had the makings of a terrific auction, and one that toy collectors "would go crazy over." Coker's 1,000-lot Oct. 29-30 event, which will be held at the company's gallery near Knoxville, is 100% unreserved. "Whatever the high bid is, that's what the toy, lunchbox ...
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Science 2011-10-25

Potential new cause of miscarriage and habitual abortion

Fetal and neonatal immune thrombocytopenia (FNIT; aka FNAIT) is a condition in which fetuses and newborns have reduced numbers of blood cells known as platelets. Platelets have a key role in blood clotting; if the reduction in platelet number in a fetus or newborn is dramatic, it can lead to bleeding within the skull, which can result in brain damage or even death. A team of researchers led by Heyu Ni, at the University of Toronto, Toronto, has now identified in mice a non-classical form of FNIT that does not cause uncontrolled bleeding within the skull of the fetus/newborn. ...
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Science 2011-10-25

JCI online early table of contents: Oct. 24, 2011

EDITOR'S PICK: Potential new cause of miscarriage and habitual abortion Fetal and neonatal immune thrombocytopenia (FNIT; aka FNAIT) is a condition in which fetuses and newborns have reduced numbers of blood cells known as platelets. Platelets have a key role in blood clotting; if the reduction in platelet number in a fetus or newborn is dramatic, it can lead to bleeding within the skull, which can result in brain damage or even death. A team of researchers led by Heyu Ni, at the University of Toronto, Toronto, has now identified in mice a non-classical form of FNIT ...
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Medicine 2011-10-25

Insomnia could moderately raise your heart attack risk

Having trouble sleeping? If so, you could have a moderately higher risk of having a heart attack, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. In a recent study, the risk of heart attack in people with insomnia ranged from 27 percent to 45 percent greater than for people who rarely experienced trouble sleeping. Researchers related heart attack risks to three major insomnia symptoms. Compared to people who reported never or almost never having these problems, people who: had trouble falling asleep almost daily in the last ...
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Yoga eases back pain in largest US yoga study to date
Science 2011-10-25

Yoga eases back pain in largest US yoga study to date

SEATTLE--Yoga classes were linked to better back-related function and diminished symptoms from chronic low back pain in the largest U.S. randomized controlled trial of yoga to date, published by the Archives of Internal Medicine as an "Online First" article on October 24. But so were intensive stretching classes. "We found yoga classes more effective than a self-care book—but no more effective than stretching classes," said study leader Karen J. Sherman, PhD, MPH, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute. Back-related function was better and symptoms were ...
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Technology 2011-10-25

Virtosoftware Launches a Comprehensive Project Management Solution for Microsoft SharePoint

Various calendar planning, task and resource management as well as reporting tools allow SharePoint users to easily implement project management directly in SharePoint environment. Virtosoftware presents Virto Project Management - a ready-to-use template based on an extensive set of Virtosoftware components for managing SharePoint projects of various types. Virto Project Management is designed for companies and organizations which want to effectively manage their tasks and resources within SharePoint environment. The solution integrates several Virtosoftware components ...
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Medicine 2011-10-25

Gene mutations predict early, severe form of kidney disease

Washington, DC (Monday, October 24, 2011) — The most common kidney disease passed down through families, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) affects one in 400 to 1,000 individuals and is characterized by cysts on the kidneys. The condition slowly gets worse and leads to kidney failure. Most ADPKD cases arise in adults, but some patients show severe symptoms of the disease in early childhood. New research indicates that these severely affected patients carry, in addition to expected inherited genetic defects, further mutations that aggravate the disease.The ...
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Science 2011-10-25

UC San Diego biologists unravel how plants synthesize their growth hormone

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have succeeded in unraveling, for the first time, the complete chain of biochemical reactions that controls the synthesis of auxin, the hormone that regulates nearly all aspects of plant growth and development. Their discovery, detailed in a paper in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will allow agricultural scientists to develop new ways to enhance or manipulate auxin production to improve the growth and yield of crops and other plants. More than a century ago, Charles ...
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Science 2011-10-25

bestwebdesignagencies.com Ranks HypeLife Brands as Fifth Best Web Strategy Company for October 2011

bestwebdesignagencies.com, the independent authority on web design and development, has released their list of the best web strategy companies for the month of October 2011. HypeLife Brands has been named as the fifth best web strategy company, providing services which help customers identify key needs for their online presence ranging from the proper type of website, infrastructure, and miscellaneous needs to make their website a success. The approach to web strategy which HypeLife Brands allows for a custom solution to be planned out based on the overall vision and ...
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Science 2011-10-25

Yoga and stretching exercises beneficial for chronic low back pain

CHICAGO -- Yoga classes were found to be more effective than a self-care book for patients with chronic low back pain at reducing symptoms and improving function, but they were not more effective than stretching classes, according to a study published Online First by the Archives of Internal Medicine. "Despite the availability of numerous treatments for chronic back pain, none have proven highly effective, and few have been evaluated for cost-effectiveness," the authors provide as background information. "Self-management strategies, like exercise, are particularly appealing ...
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Engineering 2011-10-25

Study evaluates industry payments to orthopedic surgeons

CHICAGO – An analysis of financial payments made by orthopedic device manufacturers to orthopedic surgeons shows that the patterns of payments from 2007 to 2010 appear to be complex with a reduction in the total number of payments and the total amount of funds distributed after payment disclosure was required, as well as an increase in the proportion of consultants with academic affiliations, according to a report in the October 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The article is part of the journal's Health Care Reform series. "There ...
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Medicine 2011-10-25

Probability model estimates proportion of women who survive breast cancer detected through screening

CHICAGO – A model used to estimate breast cancer survival rates found that the probability that a woman with screen-detected breast cancer will avoid a breast cancer death because of screening mammography may be lower than previously thought, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Today, more people are likely to know a cancer survivor than ever before," the authors write. "Between 1971 and 2007, the number of cancer survivors in the United States more than doubled, from 1.5 percent to 4 percent ...
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Science 2011-10-25

Tax Critics Recognized US Tax Shield as Number One Tax Resolution Company

US Tax Shield was rated as number one tax resolution company by Tax Critics. Tax Critics compared top tax resolution companies based on success rate, customer satisfaction, and experience of attorneys employed, to generate their results. US Tax Shield proved to be successful in an array of tax resolution services from negotiation with the IRS to appeals. "We took a look at number of qualification when deliberating our decision and US Tax Sheet was by far ahead of its competitors" said Tom Lee, Tax Critics representative. US Tax Shield not only employs highly ...
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Science 2011-10-25

Non-targeted HIV testing in emergency departments identifies only few new cases, French study finds

CHICAGO -- Non-targeted HIV rapid test screening among emergency department patients in metropolitan Paris resulted in identifying only a few new HIV diagnoses, often at late stages and mostly among patients who are in a high-risk group, according to a study published Online First by the Archives of Internal Medicine. "During the last 15 years, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening combined with early treatment has effectively reduced HIV-related mortality, and some authors have postulated that this strategy plays a key role in controlling the epidemic," the authors ...
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Science 2011-10-25

New device measures viscosity of ketchup and cosmetics

A device that can measure and predict how liquids flow under different conditions will ensure consumer products – from make up to ketchup – are of the right consistency. The technology developed at the University of Sheffield enables engineers to monitor, in real time, how the viscous components (rheology) of liquids change during a production process, making it easier, quicker and cheaper to control the properties of the liquid. The research is a joint project between the University's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and the School of Mathematics ...
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Science 2011-10-25

Le Meridien Amman Welcomes Swedish Artist Lunden in Continuation to its UNLOCK ART Programme

Le Meridien Amman, a subsidiary of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, has recently welcomed the visual Swedish artist Ragnhild Lunden, as she prepared for her second cross cultural exhibition in Jordan; "Intuition and Imagination" at the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts; Le Meridien Amman's partner in the global UNLOCK ART programme. Guests of Le Meridien Amman were invited to the abstract art exhibition as part of the UNLOCK ART programme which entails providing guests with access to contemporary cultural centres around the world, through the Unlock Art pass ...
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Medicine 2011-10-25

Uncovering the genetic causes of bipolar disorder could lead to new treatments

Researchers at the University of Leeds investigating the genetic causes of bipolar disorder have identified two new drugs – one of which has already been found safe in clinical trials – that may be effective in treating the disorder. Bipolar disorder is characterised by mood swings between mania and depression. Like autism, it is thought to be a spectrum of disorders and, although its causes are not well understood, it seems to run in families and is thought to be caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Dr Steve Clapcote, of the Institute of Membrane and ...
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Science 2011-10-25

High fizzy soft drink consumption linked to violence among teens

Teens who drink more than five cans of non-diet, fizzy soft drinks every week are significantly more likely to behave aggressively, suggests research published online in Injury Prevention. This includes carrying a weapon and perpetrating violence against peers and siblings. US lawyers have successfully argued in the past that a defendant accused of murder had diminished capacity as a result of switching to a junk food diet, a legal precedent that subsequently became known as the "Twinkie Defense" – a twinkie being a packaged snack cake with a creamy filling. The researchers ...
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Medicine 2011-10-25

Langham Hospitality Group and LRA Worldwide Develop Guest Experience Assessment Program

Langham Hospitality Group has built its portfolio on its historical and luxurious past - its "Birth of a Legend" branding message evokes the very first Langham that was the talk of Victorian London as Europe's first grand hotel in 1865. Now Langham has partnered with LRA Worldwide, Inc., to evaluate how well Langham associates connect the guest emotionally with its legendary past, using LRA's proprietary Emotional Audit framework. LRA has customized the Emotional Audit protocol to reflect Langham's unique service components and the desired emotional connection ...
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Science 2011-10-25

Doctors happily cite alcohol as cause of death, but not smoking, for fear of stigmatization

UK doctors are willing to cite alcohol as a cause of death on death certificates, but not smoking, for fear of stigmatising the deceased, shows research published online in the Journal of Clinical Pathology. This has implications for the true extent of the impact of smoking on health, say the researchers, who point out that the current statistical estimates of the death toll from smoking are potentially flawed. They looked at just over 2,000 death certificates and 236 post mortem reports, issued at a large London teaching hospital between 2003 and 2009, to see what ...
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Ancient cooking pots reveal gradual transition to agriculture
Social Science 2011-10-25

Ancient cooking pots reveal gradual transition to agriculture

Humans may have undergone a gradual rather than an abrupt transition from fishing, hunting and gathering to farming, according to a new study of ancient pottery. Researchers at the University of York and the University of Bradford analysed cooking residues preserved in 133 ceramic vessels from the Western Baltic regions of Northern Europe to establish whether these residues were from terrestrial, marine or freshwater organisms. The research led by Oliver Craig (York) and Carl Heron (Bradford) included an international team of archaeologists from The Heritage Agency ...
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Science 2011-10-25

b-pack Announces Rehmann deploys b-pack Cloud Purchase-to-Pay solution to control its Procurement

b-pack announces Rehmann recently chooses b-pack's Purchase-to-Pay Solution to implement their new Procurement and Asset Management strategy. The main objective is to quickly set up these functions with an Innovative On Demand solution. One of the critical imperative of Rehmann was to bring visibility to their purchasing processes and also control their costs more efficiently. Selected in October 2011, b-pack was the best Purchase-to-Pay solution provider to implement Rehmann's new Procurement and Asset Management strategy. Using b-pack, Rehmann is now able to track ...
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Study offers clues as to why some patients get infections from cardiac implants
Medicine 2011-10-25

Study offers clues as to why some patients get infections from cardiac implants

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that some patients develop a potentially deadly blood infection from their implanted cardiac devices because bacterial cells in their bodies have gene mutations that allow them to stick to the devices. Patients with implants can develop infections because of a biofilm of persistent bacterial bugs on the surfaces of their devices. Researchers found that some strains of the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, have just a few genetic variants in the proteins on their surfaces that make them more likely to form these biofilms. The research ...
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Environment 2011-10-25

With Employee-Wellness Programs and Green Initiatives, U.S. Chemicals Uses a Different Method for Chemical Distribution

US Chemicals isn't your typical multi-million dollar chemical corporation. From a staff that's made up of roughly 80 percent women to corporate nutritionists to entryway waterfalls, the Darien, Conn. based company is really one-of-a-kind. CEO Carol Piccaro, daughter of founder Howard T. Von Oehsen, wouldn't have it any other way. "Corporate wellness is really important to me," Picarro explains. "Stress can kill you. We've tried to develop a different type of workplace here, and I think it really has a lot to do with wellness and performance and all ...
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Environment 2011-10-25

With Graeme Blackman Leading the Way, Inter-Marine Looks to Build its Own Name from the Renowned Inter-Chillers HVACR Brand

Originally founded as Blackman Field Services in 1989, Inter-Chillers has since seen its name change, but its commitment to excellence in the field of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) continues to prosper throughout the reaches of Australia. Based in Sydney and with an office in Melbourne, the company has extensive experience in the HVACR field, with over 800 years of accumulated knowledge in the industry. Graeme Blackman founded the company on the values of hard work and dedicated customer service, and those sentiments are clearly seen ...
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