Durham, NC —The most toxic, brightly colored members of the poison frog family may also be the best athletes, says a new study. So-named because some tribes use their skin secretions to poison their darts, the poison dart frogs of the Amazon jungle are well known for their bitter taste and beautiful colors. The spectacular hues of these forest frogs serve to broadcast their built-in chemical weapons: skin secretions containing nasty toxins called alkaloids. Like the red, yellow and black bands on a coral snake or the yellow stripes on a wasp, their contrasting color ...

Digital marketing company bigmouthmedia has been shortlisted by judges for the award of Best Agency in recognition of the innovative and dynamic approach taken to campaigns by the Performance Marketing team on behalf of clients. Nomination in such a highly competitive category in the a4u Awards 2011, alongside industry heavyweights including 7thingsmedia, Arena Quantum and Stream 20, is sound acknowledgment of bigmouthmedia's position at the forefront of performance marketing. Bigmouthmedia's performance marketing team delivers for its clients successful campaigns integrated ...

Newest Hockey Recruiting and Hockey Scouting Service redefines old methods. When Jerry Maguire pleaded "Help Me, Help You!" no one had any idea this phrase would resonate from football to hockey. But it has through an innovative online hockey recruiting and hockey scouting service called PuckProspect.com where hockey players are taking full advantage by helping themselves get noticed. The concept of hockey players marketing themselves is relatively new compared to the old hockey recruiting and hockey scouting models. PuckProspect.com lets hockey players work smarter ...

Stanford researchers have developed a battery that takes advantage of the difference in salinity between freshwater and seawater to produce electricity. Anywhere freshwater enters the sea, such as river mouths or estuaries, could be potential sites for a power plant using such a battery, said Yi Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering, who led the research team. The theoretical limiting factor, he said, is the amount of freshwater available. "We actually have an infinite amount of ocean water; unfortunately we don't have an infinite amount of freshwater," ...

The Millennium Suite, shared by both Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick and Copthorne Hotel Effingham Gatwick has recently undergone a soft refurbishment. Occupying approximately 1,126 square metres with a maximum capacity of 650 guests, the Millennium Suite is undoubtedly one of the largest meetings and event venues in the area and an ideal option if you're looking for hotels near Gatwick airport. Featuring a new beige patterned carpet and curtains in a neutral shade of beige to lighten the venue's space, the modern Millennium Suite ensures that events can accommodate any ...

Members of California's aging lesbian, gay and bisexual population are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, even as they wrestle with the challenges of living alone in far higher numbers than the heterosexual population, according to new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Half of all gay and bisexual adult men in California between the ages of 50 and 70 are living alone, compared with 13.4 percent of heterosexual men in the same age group. And although older California lesbians and bisexual women are more likely to live with ...

Too much choice can be a bad thing—not just for the individual, but for society. Thinking about choices makes people less sympathetic to others and less likely to support policies that help people, according to a study published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In the U.S., important policy debates are often framed in terms of choice, such as whether people get to choose their own healthcare plan and a school for their children. "When Hurricane Katrina happened, people asked, why did those people choose ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. - More than 40 percent of Americans have at least one step relative, according to a recent Pew Center study. Relationships between stepchildren and stepparents can be complicated, especially for children. University of Missouri experts have found that stepchildren relate with stepparents based on the stepparents' treatment of them and their evaluations, or judgments, of the stepparents' behaviors. "It takes both parties – children and adults – to build positive relationships in stepfamilies," said Larry Ganong, professor in the Department of Human Development ...

Innodep Inc., www.innodep.com, is a software development company focusing on IP Video Management Solution (VMS) & software H.264 Codec for security applications, under the brand name TYBIS and InnoCodec. Innodep today extended an open invitation to customers and interested parties to visit the Innodep booth #2051 at the ISC West2011 show in Las Vegas, NV, USA where industry professionals can see the latest IP VMS solution and H.264 Encoder and Decoder codecs for video surveillance. Innodep will be exhibiting together with Igloo Security, www.igloosec.com, a leader in integrated ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Women's appreciation of their bodies is only indirectly connected to their body mass index (BMI), a common health measure of weight relative to height, according to recent research. The most powerful influence on women's appreciation of their bodies is how they believe important others view them, the study suggests. On the flip side, the more women are able to focus on the inner workings of their body – or how their bodies function and feel – rather than how they appear to others, the more they will appreciate their own bodies. And the more a woman ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A study at Michigan State University has revealed a potential new way for plants to fend off pests – starvation. Gregg Howe, biochemistry and molecular biology professor, cites that this defense mechanism is just one example of a veritable evolutionary arms race between plants and herbivores. Howe, in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers insights to understanding the chemical weaponry of this war, which could lead to new approaches to protect crops. All plants produce the enzyme threonine deaminase, ...

A registered Republican that voted for President Barack Obama announces the launch of www.ObamaEndYourWar.com. The nonpartisan website is dedicated to ending the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. Americans are urged to drive with their headlights on during the day to illuminate a bright pathway for President Obama to find his way out of Afghanistan. ObamaEndYourWar.com will serve to focus public attention on the 10 year old war. The call to action, driving with your headlights on during the day, gives Americans a simple method to express their opposition to ...

Travelers can immerse themselves in a blend of art and nature at the 10th Annual Mohican Wildlife Weekend, sponsored by Gander Mountain and held April 29-May 1, 2011. This unique celebration of wildlife habitat, heritage and natural history features six program sites throughout North Central Ohio's Ashland and Richland Counties. Each site will offer workshops and demonstrations designed to interest beginners and experienced naturalists alike. This fun and educational event-packed weekend is ideal for kids of all ages and perfect for the entire family. Program sites include: ...

DALLAS – March 29, 2011 – A retrospective study of women who became pregnant while using intrauterine devices shows that more than half of the IUDs were malpositioned. Though the displacement may have occurred over time, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher suggests that routine sonograms after IUD placement would in the least confirm proper initial positioning. "Gynecologists typically do a pelvic and speculum exam after placing an IUD, but there's no sonogram involved," said Dr. Elysia Moschos, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and lead author ...

A new study by Rochester Institute of Technology is one of the first to analyze how new-media technology, including the Internet and smartphones, are changing college students' eating habits and their relationship to food. Findings indicate that individuals are more likely to have meals while sitting at the computer than at the kitchen table, and that they use social media as the main avenue to obtain recipe and nutritional information. "I sought to investigate how the explosion of new media is changing traditional notions of meals and how this is transforming human interaction," ...

Columbus is home to the nation's No. 1 zoo and the No. 1 science center in America, making it the perfect place for unforgettable family fun this summer. Just in time for spring and summer travel, Experience Columbus today launched its Roar and Explore Adventure Getaway, featuring both of these top-ranked experiences and packed with family fun. This affordable package allows guests to experience a trio of top Columbus adventures at a surprisingly low cost. Families can book their Roar and Explore Adventure Getaway online at www.ColumbusFamilyFun.com or by calling (888) ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- For more than 5 million Americans with heart failure, a critical step to better health is taking the medications they're prescribed. But many patients fail to do so, putting themselves at greater risk of hospitalization and even death. To date, studies have not fully answered why patients fall short when it comes to taking heart medicine. In a study appearing in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic researchers found the drugs' cost is one of the biggest deterrents. "We found patients weren't filling their prescriptions because ...

RENO, Nev. – A new air-quality measuring instrument invented by Pat Arnott and Ian Arnold of the University of Nevada, Reno that is more economical, more portable and more accurate than older technologies has been licensed for commercial development by Droplet Measurement Technologies of Boulder, Colo. Arnott, a physics professor in the University's College of Science, had perhaps lugged his heavy pieces of equipment one too many times through airports to faraway places to examine airborne particles. Now, his and Arnold's latest invention has reduced the laser-equipped ...

LOS ANGELES (March 29, 2011) – Throwing stones at castle walls is one way to attack an enemy, but sneaking inside makes the target much more vulnerable. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have employed a similar strategy using a mouse model to target important mechanisms inside the most challenging breast cancer cells. Earlier studies at Cedars-Sinai found a similar approach effective in attacking malignant brain tumor targets. Unlike other drugs that target cancer cells from outside and often injure normal cells as a side effect, this ...

Residential and commercial construction sites can produce a large amount of waste in the form of scrap lumber, leftover materials, and various other items. Having access to large construction dumpsters from a quality rental company is a must for any contractor. They have to meet deadlines and time can often be short to come by when a project falls behind or has to be speed up. This is why having a local rental company that carries various dimensions of construction dumpsters has numerous advantages. Our company is both professional and customer service focused when ...

LOS ANGELES (March 29, 2011) – Patients suffering from dystonia, an uncommon yet potentially crippling movement disorder, get better results if they begin deep brain stimulation therapy sooner rather than later, according to an international study published in the March issue of the Journal of Neurology. "Our data suggest that patients who begin treatment earlier in the disease process may expect a better general outcome than those with longer disease duration. Also, age at surgery appears to influence the time necessary to achieve the best clinical response, meaning ...

Despite much research that demonstrates potential dangers from climate change, public concern has not been increasing. One theory is that this is because the public is not intimately familiar with the nature of the climate uncertainties being discussed. "A major challenge facing climate scientists is explaining to non-specialists the risks and uncertainties surrounding potential" climate change, says a new Perspectives piece published today in the science journal Nature Climate Change. The article attempts to identify communications strategies needed to improve layman ...

The deVere Group, the world's largest financial consultancy group is pleased to announce the extension of its alliance with The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, in relation to the construction and distribution of the bank's range of Structured Products into the offshore market. Following a very successful 12 month-operation, the alliance is now moving into its second year, and will continue to provide access to the bank's full range of Structured Products through the deVere Group. The deVere Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Green, commented: "The first twelve months ...

LOS ANGELES (March 29, 2011) – Investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have provided the first evidence that Eya1 protein phosphatase is a crucial regulator of the development of embryonic lung epithelial stem cells. The correct functioning of lung epithelium is essential to life. Cellular polarity of lung epithelial cells, meaning that they have an asymmetrical orientation or a front and back, is crucial. Dysregulation of cell polarity has been associated with developmental disorders as well as cancer. Until now, little has ...

April is a wonderful time for hiking and rafting in the Grand Canyon. The weather is ideal with average daytime highs in the mid-80s and nighttime lows in the mid-50s. The illustrious Grand Canyon flowers are in bloom during April. The incredible spring wildflower season only occurs in the Grand Canyon from March to early May, just in line with the Hiker's Special trip. The Hiker's Special will include many different types of hiking opportunities in Grand Canyon. Hike up narrow slot canyons of beautiful sandstone, hike to the source of grand waterfalls where the water ...