(Chicago, July 13, 2011)– How influential are mass media portrayals of chimpanzees in television, movies, advertisements and greeting cards on public perceptions of this endangered species? That is what researchers based at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo sought to uncover in a new nationwide study published today in in PLoS One, the open-access journal of the Public Library of Sciences. Their findings reveal the significant role that media plays in creating widespread misunderstandings about the conservation status and nature of this great ape. A majority of study respondents ...

PITTSBURGH—Certain brain injuries can cause people to lose the ability to visually recognize objects — for example, confusing a harmonica for a cash register. Neuroscientists from Carnegie Mellon University and Princeton University examined the brain of a person with object agnosia, a deficit in the ability to recognize objects that does not include damage to the eyes or a general loss in intelligence, and have uncovered the neural mechanisms of object recognition. The results, published by Cell Press in the July 15th issue of the journal Neuron, describe the functional ...

More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes soil to release the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide, new research published in this week's edition of Nature reveals. "This feedback to our changing atmosphere means that nature is not as efficient in slowing global warming as we previously thought," said Dr Kees Jan van Groenigen, Research Fellow at the Botany department at the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, and lead author of the study. Van Groenigen, along with colleagues from Northern Arizona University and the University of Florida, ...

A tiny plant called Arabidopsis thaliana just helped scientists unearth new clues about the daily cycles of many organisms, including humans. This is the latest in a long line of research, much of it supported by the National Institutes of Health, that uses plants to solve puzzles in human health. While other model organisms may seem to have more in common with us, greens like Arabidopsis provide an important view into genetics, cell division and especially light sensing, which drives 24-hour behavioral cycles called circadian rhythms. Some human cells, including ...

Roger Anderson, President of X9 Gold Development, Inc., announced today that multiple tests conducted over the past 18 months have demonstrated that carbon in precious metal ores can be converted to natural gas (methane) during fine milling utilizing X9 Gold's Bubble Mill Technology. "Over 250 milling processes on a variety of ores have yielded the production of natural gas (methane) as a by-product of the milling process. The amount of natural gas generated seems to be in direct proportion to the carbon content of the ore. " Mr. Anderson also explained that, "The ...

PITTSBURGH, July 13, 2011 – Today, researchers from two major HIV prevention trials announced favorable results of an approach called oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. One of these trials, the Partners PrEP Study, has provided the strongest evidence yet of PrEP's effectiveness. Information from both studies will need to be fully evaluated before it can be determined what impact they will have on another major trial that is ongoing. Investigators for VOICE – Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic, and the study's sponsor, the National Institute ...

In a result that will fundamentally change approaches to HIV prevention in Africa, an international study has demonstrated that individuals at high risk for HIV infection who took a daily tablet containing an HIV medication – either the antiretroviral medication tenofovir or tenofovir in combination with emtricitabine – experienced significantly fewer HIV infections than those who received a placebo pill. These findings are clear evidence that this new HIV prevention strategy, called pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP), substantially reduces HIV infection risk. The study ...

PASADENA, Calif.—The power output of wind farms can be increased by an order of magnitude—at least tenfold—simply by optimizing the placement of turbines on a given plot of land, say researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) who have been conducting a unique field study at an experimental two-acre wind farm in northern Los Angeles County. A paper describing the findings—the results of field tests conducted by John Dabiri, Caltech professor of aeronautics and bioengineering, and colleagues during the summer of 2010—appears in the July issue of the ...

One of the smallest ever cave-dwelling ground beetles (Carabidae), has recently been discovered in two caves in the Rhodopi Mountains, Bulgaria, and described under the name Paralovricia beroni. The beetle is completely blind and is only 1.8-2.2 mm long. The study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys. "When we saw this beetle for first time, it became immediately clear that it belongs to a genus and species unknown to science. Moreover, its systematic position within the family of Carabidae remained unclear for several years. After a careful study of its closest ...

Over 4,000 international adoptions take place in Spain every year. Although the process of adaptation of these children is very similar to that of those living with their biological parents, some studies show that they are more prone to being hyperactive, to having behavioural problems, a low self-esteem and doing poorly in school. A group of researchers at UAB carried out a psychological study aimed at examining adaptation among adopted children with a sample of 52 children from different countries aged 6 to 11, and a control group of 44 non adapted children. Countries ...

Localised badger culling in response to bovine tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks increases the risk of infection in nearby herds, according to a new analysis. The study, by researchers at the Medical Research Council Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling at Imperial College London, is published today in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. The findings come as the Government prepares to decide whether to license farmers to organise the widespread culling of badgers over areas of 150 square kilometres or more in western England. Bovine TB is a major animal health ...

Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) have developed a method for evaluating the vulnerability of coastal regions to the impact of storms. The method, which has been applied on the Catalan coastline, shows that one-third of the region's coasts have a high rate of vulnerability to flooding, while 20% are at risk of erosion. "Until now there was no tool for evaluating coastal storm vulnerability that could quantify the processes and the probabilities of these events occurring. This is why we have developed a method to allow coastal managers – the ...

Farmers who spray insecticides against aphids as a preventative measure only achieve a short-term effect with this method. In the long term, their fields will end up with even more aphids than untreated fields. This has been reported by researchers at the Biocenter of the University of Würzburg in the scientific journal PLoS One. What's the status of the biodiversity in differently managed triticale fields? This is what the biologists at the Department of Animal Ecology & Tropical Biology wanted to find out. Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye. The cultivation of ...

For 35 years Drs. Roger Lent and Brett Lent of Lent Family Dental, dentists in Santa Monica, have been providing the highest quality dental care to patients in the Santa Monica area. Striving to educate patients about their oral health and treatment options, Lent Family Dental is now helping patients make well-informed decisions about their dental health care through the use of educational resources on their website. New educational resources include a vast dental library and staff section, to learn more about dental problems and treatments currently available, as well ...

Exotic marine species, including giant seaweeds, are spreading fast, with harmful effects on native species, and are increasingly affecting the biodiversity of the Mediterranean seabed. Some native species, such as sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus), can fight off this invasion, but only during its early stages, or when seaweed densities are very low. Spanish researchers have carried out a study to look at the ability of sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus) – generalist herbivores that live in the Mediterranean – to limit the invasion of two introduced seaweeds (Lophocladia ...

Dr. Brock Rondeau of Dr. Rondeau & Associates is helping patients make informed decisions about their dental health care through the use of educational resources on his practice's website. New educational resources include a dental library and video gallery to learn more about dental problems and treatments currently available, including orthodontics in London. The dental library and videos can be easily accessed on the practice's interactive website. Dr. Rondeau & Associates is a general dentistry practice in London, Ontario that treats patients with orthodontic ...

American Brick Company (Ambrico) recently reported another busy season of thin brick installations. The company, who recently partnered with some of the industries top thin brick manufacturers, has reported that more thin brick installations than ever are taking place in many different types of construction projects. Hospitals, sports arenas, business parks and projects of all sizes have seen the benefits of installing thin brick products over traditional clay brick products. Offering popular benefits like affordability and durability, thin brick is a smart alternative ...

For the first time, a handful of curious bystanders had the opportunity to see TU Muenchen's new electric vehicle in test runs. But the final design of MUTE remained shrouded; it will first be revealed at the IAA in Frankfurt (15 – 25 September 2011, hall 4, C 23). The MUTE prototype is built so that it has the same driving dynamics as the final vehicle. The first test drives speak for the ingenious construction of the vehicle, which was tried and tested in numerous computer simulations. Particularly noticeable are MUTE's narrow tires. They minimize rolling friction, ...

North Carolina State University researchers have found that a subset of fungus-farming ambrosia beetles may be in the early stages of a global epidemic threatening a number of economically important trees, including avocados, poplars and oaks. "Only about 12 species of ambrosia beetle are creating problems so far, but there are thousands of other species in the world, many of which could be devastating to any number of tree species," says Dr. Jiri Hulcr, a postdoctoral research associate at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the research. "Dutch elm disease ...

The WineStation Subscription Program A recent survey by Napa Technology, found that 81 percent of wine industry experts agree that it is important to have a wine preservation system to achieve a more profitable wines by the glass program. Of the more than 150 top sommeliers, wine directors, and hotel and restaurant operators questioned, 85 percent agree that consumers are both demanding and ordering more wines by the glass than in previous years. In response to the results of the survey, an accessible leasing program was created. The WineStation Subscription Program ...

NewBlue, Inc., the fastest growing integrated video and audio effects provider, today introduced the fifth edition of its best-selling Video Essentials series, NewBlue Video Essentials V. NewBlue Video Essentials V, offers over 100 presets in 10 distinct effects designed for producing professional quality results with minimum effort, saving time, energy, and accelerating productivity. NewBlue Video Essentials V provides advanced editing techniques including Progressive Stretch, Background Generator, Outline, Selective Focus, Selective Tint, Color Fixer Pro, ViewFinder, ...

The widely known PSA blood test for prostate cancer in men may get a second life as a much-needed new test for breast cancer, the most common form of cancer in women worldwide, scientists are reporting in a new study in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry. Chien Chou and colleagues say that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measured in the test also is a potential biomarker of breast cancer in women. However, levels of PSA in healthy women are usually so small that only ultrasensitive tests can measure them. To improve PSA detection in women, the researchers built ...

Scientists are reporting development of a new approach for producing large quantities of human-derived gelatin that could become a substitute for some of the 300,000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually for gelatin-type desserts, marshmallows, candy and innumerable other products. Their study appears in ACS's Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. Jinchun Chen and colleagues explain that animal-based gelatin, which is made most often from the bones and skin of cows and pigs, may carry a risk of infectious diseases such as "Mad Cow" disease and could provoke ...

Brian Hall, Senior Vice President of Imaging Advantage (www.imagingadvantage.com), headquartered in Santa Monica CA, today announced the launch of Imaging Advantage's "RAD-ED Optimization Program". The initiative was developed in conjunction with senior ED physicians and radiologists in Imaging Advantage's national network. In describing the program's importance, Mr. Hall explained its driving principle: "Nearly half of all imaging volume originates in hospital emergency departments. In many cases, ED physicians are relying on preliminary or "wet reads" ...

A major new review of scientific knowledge on kava — a plant used to make dietary supplements and a trendy drink with calming effects — has left unsolved the mystery of why Pacific Island people can consume it safely, while people in the United States, Europe, and other Western cultures sometimes experience toxic effects. The article appears in ACS' journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. Line Olsen and colleagues point out that for centuries, people of the Pacific Islands have safely consumed a beverage made from crushed kava roots. Kava'scalming effects made it popular ...