NAIROBI, KENYA (12 SEPTEMBER 2011) – Restoring and preserving dryland forests and planting more trees to provide food, fodder and fertilizer on small farms are critical steps toward preventing the recurrence of the famine now threatening millions of people in the Horn of Africa, according to forestry experts from the CGIAR Consortium. Across the Horn, drought-induced famine has claimed tens of thousands of lives and swelled refugee camps in Kenya, Ethiopia and elsewhere, with millions of starving people – many of them children. Bearing the brunt of the crisis is Somalia, ...

This press release is available in German. The stars are boiling! The reason is the energy generated in the center of the star that wants to escape. If this does not happen quickly enough, the star starts to 'boil' in the outer layers causing vibrations that result in light variations, like in the Sun. Such oscillations have now been discovered by Victoria Antoci and collaborators using the NASA spacecraft Kepler, but in a much hotter star. The scientists publish this in the most recent issue of Nature. Besides the discovery of earth-like planets, astronomy is concerned ...

Fluctuations of serotonin levels in the brain, which often occur when someone hasn't eaten or is stressed, affects brain regions that enable people to regulate anger, new research from the University of Cambridge has shown. Although reduced serotonin levels have previously been implicated in aggression, this is the first study which has shown how this chemical helps regulate behaviour in the brain as well as why some individuals may be more prone to aggression. The research findings were published today, 15 September, in the journal Biological Psychiatry. For the study, ...

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 15, 2011) – Treatment with a telaprevir-based combination regimen for hepatitis C – heretofore a chronic, destructive and difficult to manage disease – effectively can be shortened to six months in about two-thirds of patients, finds a new study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Telaprevir, a drug approved for use against hepatitis C in May, inhibits replication of virus. This anti-viral drug and a similar medication called boceprevir have nearly doubled the number of patients with sustained response. Among patients treated ...

Sabal Financial Group, L.P., formerly Milestone Asset Resolution Company, LLC, a diversified financial services management firm, announces the recent acquisition of a $158 million portfolio of performing and non-performing commercial real estate loans and commercial acquisition, development and construction loans and credit facilities. The acquisition represents the first sale transaction under the FDIC's pilot Small Investor Program ("SIP") and represents the commercial loan component of a larger $297 million loan sale mandated by the FDIC for the assets of failed ...

Small group homes for people with dementia provide good quality care and a domestic environment where people can live as individuals and families can get involved. But tension can arise when it comes to deciding who takes responsibilities for certain practical and caring tasks. Those are the key findings of a study of two group living care homes in the Netherlands, published in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. "It's estimated that 80 million people worldwide will suffer from dementia by 2040" says Ezra van Zadelhoff from Maastricht University. ...

At least one of the "Big Three" credit ratings agencies exaggerated credit scores of private debt compared to public bonds during the last 30 years, according to a new study by researchers from Rice University, American University and Indiana University. The recent downgrade of U.S. debt by Standard & Poor's makes the study timely, and the research adds to the current debate surrounding regulatory reliance on credit ratings and the current Securities and Exchange Commission proposal to standardize credit ratings across asset classes. For the study, "Credit Ratings ...

It has long been known that roots alter the soil in their immediate vicinity, where other microorganisms live and the chemical composition is altered compared to that further away from the roots. An international research team has now demonstrated in experiments at the Paul Scherrer Institute that the soil in the vicinity of roots also contains more water – contrary to the earlier belief that there must be less water in this region, as the plant takes up water from the soil. Apparently, however, plants create a small water reserve that helps to tide them over through short ...

Tuesday, September 13, 2011, Cleveland: Researchers at Cleveland Clinic have discovered that cardiac patients receiving medicated stents – a procedure that occurs often when blood vessels are blocked – have a lower likelihood of suffering heart attacks or developing new blockages in the vessel downstream from the stent. Stents have been used to prevent re-narrowing of coronary arteries after balloon angioplasty and newer designs have included coatings with medications to prevent re-narrowing from occurring within the stent after implantation. The recent study – led by ...

September 2011, Paris, France The 24th ECNP Congress, which was held from 3 to 7 September 2011 in Paris, France, was once again a great success, bringing together more than 6,700 psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists and neuroscience researchers from all over the world. ECNP is especially pleased to see an increasing number of delegates coming from outside Europe. The annual ECNP Congress is the largest scientific meeting on mental and neurological health in Europe, promoting fruitful dialogue between neuroscientists and medical professionals. With more than ...

Scientists reveal in more detail than ever before how white blood cells kill diseased tissue using deadly granules, in research published today in PLoS Biology. The researchers, from Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, used 'optical' laser tweezers and a super-resolution microscope to see the inner workings of white blood cells at the highest resolution ever. The researchers describe how a white blood cell rearranges its scaffolding of actin proteins on the inside of its membrane, to create a hole through which it delivers deadly enzyme-filled granules ...

Are children as young as five years old so driven by consumerism and fashion that they are in danger of 'losing' their childhood? Not necessarily, according to Dr Jane Pilcher, a sociologist at the University of Leicester, whose research findings on children and fashion were recently reported in the international journal, Childhood. Nonetheless, her findings showed that brands and logos are highly important to some children, influenced by family attitudes, peer pressure and celebrity culture. The desire for certain brands and logos, especially in boys' sportswear, ...

Martha Stokes C.M.T. will be speaking at the AAII Puget Sound Chapter in Mercer Island, WA! Saturday, September 24, 2011 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Registration/Social at 8:30 AM. The topic will be New Technology Cycle Investing Opportunities. Attend this meeting and learn: - Which sectors and industries could experience exponential growth - Methods for separating the most competitive companies from those that are losing momentum - The reasons why certain new industries are growing exponentially For more information please visit: http://sites.google.com/site/pugetsoundchapter/home http://technitrader.com/get-connected/ Contact ...

Their critics weren't convinced the first time, but Rice University researchers didn't give up on the "ice that burns." A paper by a Rice team expands upon previous research to locate and quantify the amount of methane hydrates -- a potentially vast source of energy -- that may be trapped under the seabed by analyzing shallow core samples. The paper published this week by the Journal of Geophysical Research- Solid Earth should silence the skeptics, the researchers said. Chemical engineers George Hirasaki and Walter Chapman and oceanographer Gerald Dickens headed the ...

Scientists have sequenced the genomes (genetic codes) of 17 strains of common lab mice--an achievement that lays the groundwork for the identification of genes responsible for important traits, including diseases that afflict both mice and humans. Mice represent the premier genetic model system for studying human diseases. What's more, the 17 strains of mice included in this study are the most common strains used in lab studies of human diseases. By enabling scientists to list all DNA differences between the 17 strains, the new genome sequences will speed the identification ...

Savings at one of the UK's leading theme parks and money off at cinemas can be had from leading voucher codes website DiscountVouchers.co.uk right now thanks to new deals announced this week. The discount voucher codes website, which is home to regularly-updated deals for over 800 suppliers, has introduced new deals redeemable at Chessington World of Adventures and Cineworld. Great evenings out at the cinema are always popular with kids, and DiscountVouchers.co.uk can help mums and dads treat the kids right now thanks to new Cineworld vouchers on show on the site. Parents ...

An avatar is really no more than a graphical representation, generally human, which is associated with a user for identification purposes. Avatars can be either photographs or art drawings, and certain technologies enable their use in three dimensions. Until now, 3D avatars were mainly used as fun objects for diversion and entertainment purposes of the end user. However, the Media Unit at Tecnalia has developed a "Personalised 3D avatars" technology, the aim of which is to facilitate the building of low-cost 3D avatars. This 3D avatar is used as a responsible interface ...

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed polymers that fluoresce in the presence of bacteria, paving the way for the rapid detection and assessment of wound infection using ultra-violet light. When contained in a gel and applied to a wound, the level of fluorescence detected will alert clinicians to the severity of infection. The polymers are irreversibly attached to fragments of antibiotics, which bind to either gram negative or gram positive bacteria – both of which cause very serious infections – informing clinicians as to whether to use antibiotics ...

Prof. Dr. Motoharu Yoshida and colleagues from Boston University investigated how the rhythmic activity of nerve cells supports spatial navigation. The research scientists showed that cells in the entorhinal cortex, which is important for spatial navigation, oscillate with individual frequencies. These frequencies depend on the position of the cells within the entorhinal cortex. "Up to now people believed that the frequency is modulated by the interaction with neurons in other brain regions", says Yoshida. "However, our data indicate that this may not be the case. The frequency ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A study of more than 400 children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has found a link between the children's routine play settings and the severity of their symptoms, researchers report. Those who regularly play in outdoor settings with lots of green (grass and trees, for example) have milder ADHD symptoms than those who play indoors or in built outdoor environments, the researchers found. The association holds even when the researchers controlled for income and other variables. The study appears in the journal Applied Psychology: ...

The World MoneyShow Vancouver September 19-21, 2011 Where? Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA Focus: Global Investing Martha will be speaking Monday, September 19, 2011 at 01:30 PM - 02:15 PM Topic? Educational Presentation - "The Cloud Investing and Trading Opportunities: Are You Ready for the Next Big Displacement Technology?" To learn more on this event please visit: http://technitrader.com/get-connected/ TechniTrader Home Page: http://technitrader.com/ Contact us: 888 846 5577TechniTrader is a stock ...

INDIANAPOLIS – A study by researchers from the schools of science and medicine at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis examines the effects of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) on living cells. This work is among the first to study concentrations of these tiny particles that are low enough to mimic the actual exposure of an ordinary individual. The effects on the human body of exposure to CNPs -- minute chemicals with rapidly growing applications in electronics, medicine, and many other fields -- is just beginning to be revealed. Exposure at the level studied ...

Closet World is an organizing service that offers a huge variety of accessories and a range of systems, colors, and closet designs. There are organizing solutions for walk-in closets, kids' closets, wall beds, home offices, media centers, garages, laundry rooms, and pantries. Closet World also offers mirrored doors. Getting organized is one way to increase your living space. And Closet World offers an innovative Bedtec wall bed that stylishly allows you to truly maximize your living space. The wall bed is designed to remain safely tucked away behind doors when it's not ...

OTTAWA, ON – September 15, 2011 – The demand for transparency through publicly available healthcare data is on the rise. This is the case for administrative and clinical data for research, and for clinical trials data used to support new drug approvals. Broad data access has a measurable impact on research and policy making. A new report by Dr. Khaled El Emam, the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the University of Ottawa and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, looks at the creation of clinical public use microdata files ...

Fires have continuously occurred on Earth for at least the last 400 million years. But since the 1970s, the frequency of wildfires has increased at least four-fold, and the total size of burn areas has increased at least six-fold in the western United States alone. Steadily rising, the U.S.'s bill for fighting wildfires now totals $1.5 billion per year. How much of the increases in the frequency and size of fires are due to human activities? No one knows for sure. But a paper in this week's issue of the Journal of Biogeography puts the role of fire in natural ecosystems ...