A truly horrible bill that would have significantly limited injured workers' rights was introduced into the North Carolina General Assembly in early 2011. Since then, the bill underwent major changes before it eventually became law. The legislation is still generally a negative change for injured workers, but it is now much more complicated and not quite as bad. Who Is Affected? The new workers' compensation law went into effect on July 1, 2011. Fortunately, most of the worst provisions only apply to cases in which injuries happen after that date. However, some parts, ...

Researchers at Johns Hopkins found that use over time and not just genetics informs the structure of jaw bones in human populations. The researchers say these findings may be used to predict the diet of an ancient population, even if little evidence exists in the fossil record. It can also make it easier for scientists to pinpoint the genetic relationship between fossils. Their results were published online June 23 in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. "Our research aimed to see how much of the mandible's—or jaw bone's—shape is plastic, a response to environmental ...

There are multiple non-immigrant visas under which dual intent is recognized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Dual intent is a legal concept that describes people who maintain a proper non-immigrant status now, but intend to immigrate to the U.S. in the future. Although the eligibility and evidentiary requirements for the O-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary abilities or achievements in certain areas are strict, if non-immigrants apply for and are granted the O-1 visa, the dual intent doctrine applies. Importantly, holders of O-1 visas ...

This release is available in Spanish. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A common technique for determining whether melanoma has spread can be used safely and effectively even in tumors from the head and neck area, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sentinel lymph node biopsy involves injecting a special dye to identify the first node where cancer would likely spread. If that node is clean, patients can avoid further debilitating surgery to remove multiple lymph nodes. If that node shows cancer, patients know they need the more extensive ...

Most people think of military personnel returning from combat as individuals who commonly experience the mayhem of anxiety known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, civilians experience PTSD just as much. Individuals who sustain injuries from car accidents, in particular, often suffer from PTSD. What is PTSD? In more specific terms, PTSD is an anxiety disorder many people experience after undergoing a traumatic or life-threatening event like a car or motorcycle accident, pedestrian-vehicle accident or a fall from a significant height. Many PTSD sufferers ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 1, 2011) — A groundbreaking new study published in the journal, Health Affairs, suggests that increases in public health spending result in healthier people, especially in communities with fewer resources. The study was co-authored by Glen P. Mays, the new F. Douglas Scutchfield Endowed Professor in Health Services and Systems Research at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. At UK, Mays is affiliated with the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ...

BOZEMAN, Mont. – A Montana State University researcher who analyzed 100 years of data has found a significant link between extreme Montana weather and the ocean temperatures near Peru. Montanans who want to know what to expect from the weather should look to the Pacific Ocean in the fall or maybe find a way to chat with some Peruvian fishermen, according to Joseph Caprio, professor emeritus in MSU's Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and former Montana State Climatologist. If the average surface temperature of the ocean near Peru is warmer than ...

FINDINGS: A man-made fat called Intralipid, which is currently used as a component of intravenous nutrition and to treat rare overdoses of local anesthetics, may also offer protection for patients suffering from heart attacks. Current treatment for a heart attack focuses on limiting the duration of the ischemic period, when blood flow to tissues is reduced, and on subsequently opening arteries to reestablish normal coronary blood flow. It is well known that injury to the heart muscle can occur after oxygen and nutrients in the blood flow back to deprived cells, a ...

Los Angeles, CA (August 5, 2011) Facebook and artists like Rembrandt have much in common, says the author of "Friending the Virgin: some thoughts on the pre-history of Facebook" in the open access journal SAGE Open. The main commonality lies in the act of portraiture, which consists of more than just the realistic depiction of a subject, but also a number of rhetorical decisions closely intertwined with evolving ideas of identity and society, according to author Larry Friedlander. The article points out the complex negotiations that artists had to make when painting some ...

In 2008, state voters adopted the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act ("MMMA"). While the MMMA did not repeal any existing Michigan laws regarding marijuana, it did carve out a specific exception to shield certain qualifying individuals from state-level criminal liability. Until very recently, it was uncertain whether patients otherwise in compliance with MMMA could legally cooperate in marijuana plant cultivation. But, according to a new opinion from the Michigan Attorney General, only individual growing and use is contemplated by the MMMA. Separate, Secure ...

A USC researcher has opened a new window to understanding how the ocean impacts climate change. Lisa Collins, environmental studies lecturer with the USC Dornsife College, spent four years collecting samples from floating sediment traps in the San Pedro Basin off the Los Angeles coast, giving scientists a peek at how much carbon is locked up in the ocean and where it comes from. Collins' research suggests that the majority of particulate organic carbon (POC) falling to the basin floor is marine-derived, not the result of runoff from rainfall. This means that the ocean ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A repellant for sea lampreys could be the key to better controlling one of the most destructive invasive species in the Great Lakes, says a Michigan State University researcher. Scientists have seen the effect alarm cues have on lampreys. When scents from dead sea lampreys are poured into a tank of live ones, the lampreys' efforts to escape are dramatic. In the past, these reactions were simply dismissed as novel. But Michael Wagner, MSU assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife, sees this reaction as a potential game changer. "Sea lampreys ...

The demise of the world's forests some 250 million years ago likely was accelerated by aggressive tree-killing fungi triggered by global climate change, according to a new study by a University of California, Berkeley, scientist and her Dutch and British colleagues. The researchers do not rule out the possibility that today's changing climate could cause a similar increase in pathogenic soil bacteria that could devastate forests already stressed by a warming climate and pollution. The study, available online today (Aug. 5), will be published in the September 2011 print ...

Hit-and-run accidents are appalling and shameful. It's bad enough to carelessly run into someone. But it's even worse to leave the scene without checking on the health and safety of the people in the other vehicle. The Colorado legislature is looking to crack down on such cowardice. Colorado lawmakers are working with victims of hit-and-run car accidents to develop specific proposals for bills that would toughen the consequences for leaving the scene of an accident. Consequences for Hit-and-Runs Under present law, jail time is not mandatory for hit-and-run convictions. ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A Purdue University scientist is urging federal officials to decide whether genetically engineered salmon would be allowed for U.S. consumption and arguing that not doing so may set back scientific efforts to increase food production. William Muir, a professor of animal sciences, said that based on data made available by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, AquAdvantage (AA) salmon poses little real risk to the environment or human health. AA salmon were given a gene from Chinook salmon that speeds growth and improves feed efficiency in farm-raised ...

VIDEO: GOES-13 satellite imagery in 15 minute intervals from Aug. 3 at 15:15 UTC (11:15 a.m. EDT) to August 8 and shows Emily forming east of Hispaniola (bottom right) and moving... Click here for more information. A new animation from the GOES-13 satellite shows the creating and morphing of what was once Tropical Storm Emily into an elongated area of low pressure over the Caribbean Sea. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 provides continuous ...

A number of large federal health care programs have been vulnerable to fraud for years. Although there is no way to accurately measure the exact financial impact of undetected fraud, officials estimate that abuses of health care initiatives cost billions of dollars every year. In the current climate of slow economic growth and tight government budgets, officials are making concentrated efforts to trim waste. For the Obama administration, this means taking a hard line on healthcare fraud. New enforcement measures have resulted in a significant number of fines, penalties ...

In one image, NASA's Aqua satellite captured two tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific today, Tropical Storm Merbok and the large Typhoon Muifa. NASA Satellite imagery shows that Muifa is almost twice as big as Merbok. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured Typhoon Muifa near Okinawa, Japan and Tropical Storm Merbok, farther east in the western Pacific at 4:35 UTC (12:35 a.m. EDT) on August 5, 2011. By having the storms side-by-side in one image, it is much easier to see how Merbok is a lot less ...

On February 23, 2011 the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc. The Court considered whether federal regulations governing vehicle safety standards preempt state product liability claims for failure to install three-point, lap-and-shoulder style seat belts in the back seats of vehicles. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that such state claims were not barred, allowing litigation against Mazda to continue. Background The claims in Williamson arose from a 2004 car crash involving a 1993 Mazda MPV mini-van. Thanh Williamson ...

Elder abuse is a real danger for many in their golden years. Growing awareness of the issue nationally has brought to light some horrific acts perpetrated by caregivers at long-term care facilities. As more baby boomers retire and need extended care, it will become a central issue affecting senior citizens in the United States. The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) reports that more than one million Americans over the age of 65 have experienced some type of abuse, neglect or exploitation by caregivers. Most victims of elder abuse suffer in silence. For every one case ...

Warmer cloud top temperatures mean that cloud heights in a tropical cyclone are dropping and the storm doesn't have as much power to push them higher in the atmosphere. That's what NASA infrared satellite imagery has revealed about Tropical Storm Eugene this morning. During the very early morning hours (Eastern Daylight Time) on August 5, Eugene was still hurricane strength. Then the storm ran into cooler waters and a more stable atmosphere, weakening into a tropical storm. That weakening was confirmed in satellite imagery from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) ...

For a divorcing parent, especially the non-custodial parent, there may be nothing more important than ensuring that the relationships with his or her children are maintained. By devising a visitation schedule that best reflects the needs of all involved, those relationships can be maintained and grown. Standard Visitation Schedule A standard visitation schedule -- also called a possession schedule -- is offered in the Texas Family Code. For parents who live within 100 miles of each other, the standard schedule for a child age three or older provides for visitation ...

In a recent press release, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett proclaimed the month of May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Across the state, the warm spring weather changes our climate; motorcycle riders are again taking to the road after a long winter. As the riding season continues in earnest, the governor is asking riders and drivers to share the road and maintain safe operating practices. Vigilance by riders and drivers is important now more than ever. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reports that the number of registered motorcycles increased ...

Diamond has released the results of a new study that reveals one in four British children suffer from travel sickness. The research also suggests the affliction could run in the family. The study of 2,000 parents by the women's car insurance specialist has shown even those whose children aren't regularly travel sick prepare for the worst with two fifths taking the precaution of keeping sick bags in the car just in case. And for the parents of children who do get car sick, three quarters have to stop and pull over for their child to be ill, travelling an average of ...

Kuoni has announced the launch of its brand new environmentally responsible travel offering, ananea. These holidays are for those who want to book ethical travel and it underpins the company's long-term credentials as a responsible and sustainable travel company. The holidays available under the ananea brand - a word that derives from the ancient Greek word for renewal - are available only via an e-brochure. The new style, page turning e-brochure features video streaming and stunning slide shows. The trips within the brochure provide respectful, authentic and responsible ...