An article in the current issue of Global Change Biology Bioenergy finds that natural populations of Miscanthus are promising candidates as second-generation energy sources because they have genetic variation that may increase their stress tolerance. Sustainable, large-scale bioenergy production requires domestication that develops crops capable of producing sufficiently high biomass on marginal and degraded land. Yan and coauthors collected three species of Miscanthus from populations across China and grew these species at three separate sites with varying climates ...

Back in the mid 19th century, a French doctor, Armand Trousseau, discovered a connection between cancer and thrombosis – the formation of often dangerous blood clots that can lead to venous occlusion. Today it is known that cancer and its treatment change blood flow properties and thus promote the formation of clots. However, clots do not only occur as a side effect and consequence of cancer, but, vice versa, an increased blood clotting tendency may also be associated with an elevated cancer risk. About twelve different blood proteins called clotting factors interact ...

A group of scientists at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, in Portugal, have uncovered a surprising link between the cell's skeleton and organ size. The team, led by Florence Janody, show in the journal Development(*), that one of the proteins that regulates the skeleton of the cell also acts to blocks activation of genes that promote cell survival and proliferation. Their findings have implications for cancer research, as they add to the puzzle of understanding how proliferation genes are abnormally activated, often leading to tumours. During development of an embryo, ...

Nana's Fire and Safety School will have its grand opening of Nana's Interactive Exhibit inside the Permian Basin Regional Training Center on June 11, 2011 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. "The interactive exhibit is the next stage of growth toward our goal to teach children how to be safe," said Martha "Nana" Chapman. "We want everyone to come out and see how Nana's Fire and Safety School came to be, show families the reason to be vigilant with their children's safety, and share our vision for the future." Nana's Fire and Safety School and the ...

Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have discovered proteins in frog skins which could be used to treat cancer, diabetes, stroke and transplant patients by regulating the growth of blood vessels. The award-winning research, led by Professor Chris Shaw at Queen's School of Pharmacy, has identified two proteins, or 'peptides', which can be used in a controlled and targeted way to regulate 'angiogenesis' – the process by which blood vessels grow in the body. The discovery holds the potential to develop new treatments for more than seventy major diseases and conditions ...

Carlsbad, NM and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) received a visit this past Saturday from Representative James Clyburn (SC, 6th Dist.), a prominent member of the U.S. Congress. Congressman Clyburn, the Assistant Democratic Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives and a member of the Congress since 1993, is the leadership liaison to the Appropriations Committee and one of the Democratic Caucus' primary liaisons to the White House. Clyburn spent the day in Carlsbad, NM touring the WIPP site and speaking with community leaders. "I had a very productive and enlightening ...

Contact: Joseph Bonner bonnerj@rockefeller.edu 212-327-8998 Rockefeller University Terry Collins tc@tca.tc 416-538-8712 416-878-8712 (mob) Higher density means world forests are capturing more carbon Forests in many regions are becoming larger carbon sinks thanks to higher density, U.S. and European researchers say in a new report. In Europe and North America, increased density significantly raised carbon storage despite little or no expansion of forest area, according to the study, led by Aapo Rautiainen of the University of Helsinki, Finland, and ...

Imagine plugging a USB port into a sheet of paper, and turning it into a tablet computer. It might be a stretch, but ideas like this have researchers at North Carolina State University examining the use of conductive nanocoatings on simple textiles – like woven cotton or even a sheet of paper. "Normally, conductive nanocoatings are applied to inorganic materials like silicon. If we can find a way to apply them to textiles – cheap, flexible materials with a contorted surface texture – it would represent a cost-effective approach and framework for improving current and ...

This release is available in Spanish. The objective of this research work focuses on analyzing the functioning of the technology centers and evaluating the results obtained in fomenting innovation and competitivity in companies and universities. In the majority of developed countries, technology institutes are considered an important element of national and regional technology structure; these companies offer a wide array of services, ranging from applied research and technological development to other support services, such as consulting, diagnostic and technical assistance. ...

A new poll by the Harvard School of Public Health and The Boston Globe finds 63% of Massachusetts residents support the health care reform legislation enacted in 2006, 21% oppose it while 6% are not sure and 9% have not heard or read about the law. The percentage of residents supporting the law has increased since a 2009 poll (53%).[1] Support for the law varied by party affiliation, with 77% of Democrats, 60% of Independents, and 40% of Republicans saying they support the legislation. The poll was conducted May 24-26, 2011. Despite a difficult financial environment ...

Stirling Capital Investments has secured a five-year lease for a 12,500-square-foot industrial property with international beverage company Red Bull. The facility, located at 13644 George Blvd in Victorville within Southern California Logistics Centre (SCLC), will serve as a regional warehouse and distribution center for Red Bull's internationally renowned line of energy drinks. "SCLC continues to grow as a premier destination for multinational food and beverage companies," said Brian Parno, chief operating officer of Stirling Development, the managing partner ...

Today, The Endocrine Society released "Evaluation, Treatment, and Prevention of Vitamin D Deficiency: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline." The clinical practice guideline (CPG) is published in the July 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society. The major source of vitamin D for children and adults is exposure to natural sunlight as very few foods naturally contain or are fortified with vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is common throughout the world and results in abnormalities of calcium, ...

Terrorist groups bend the rules of 'true' Islam to justify the use of female suicide bombers, according to Margaret Gonzalez-Perez from Southeastern Louisiana University in the US. Her paper traces the development of radical Islamic doctrine over time, highlights how it deviates from mainstream Islam, and identifies the building blocks that have culminated in Jihadi female suicide bombers. According to Gonzalez-Perez, "Radical Islam reinterprets, and even misinterprets Islamic jurisprudence, as a tool to legitimize female suicide bombers." Her findings are published online ...

Slotland's new Tikal Treasure online slot machine takes players to the mystical temples of the ancient Mayans where the treasures of the ancients lay waiting. Until June 12th, Slotland is giving every player a free $15 chip to take a free spin on the new game. (Regular bonus restrictions apply.) Tikal Treasure is a 5 reel, 25 pay line slot machine. Like all of Slotland's latest new games, it has eye-popping full screen graphics and brilliant sound effects. With a $15 free chip to try the new game, and a six-figure jackpot that many players feel is overdue for a win, ...

A national study has found that nearly 68,000 deaths potentially could be prevented each year by optimally implementing key national guideline–recommended therapies, including critical medications and cardiac devices, for all eligible heart failure patients. Although heart failure is a major cause of death, morbidity and health care expenditures in the U.S., the routine clinical use of scientifically proven treatments that reduce mortality and improve quality of life has been slow and inconsistent. "This is one of the first studies to quantify the potential survival ...

Troy, N.Y. – Engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are combining automation techniques from oil refining and other diverse areas to help create a closed-loop artificial pancreas. The device will automatically monitor blood sugar levels and administer insulin to patients with Type 1 diabetes, and aims to remove much of the guesswork for those living with the chronic disease. For six years, Professor B. Wayne Bequette, a member of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer, has been creating progressively more advanced computer ...

This release is available in German. Fat-rich food makes you fat. Behind this simple equation lie complex signalling pathways, through which the neurotransmitters in the brain control the body's energy balance. Scientists at the Cologne-based Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research and the Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Ageing-associated Diseases (CECAD) at the University of Cologne have clarified an important step in this complex control circuit. They have succeeded in showing how the hormone insulin acts in the part of the brain known ...

Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of New York) physicians were once again honored by Super Doctors as top Reproductive Endocrinologists in the New York metro area. This is the 4th consecutive year that RMA of New York's physicians have been recognized for their professional achievement in treating patients with infertility and helping individuals and couples build families. This year's honorees include Reproductive Endocrinologists Alan Copperman, MD; Lawrence Grunfeld, MD; Tanmoy Mukherjee, MD and Benjamin Sandler, MD. Each year, Super Doctors identifies ...

Researchers now understand more about why platinum is so efficient at producing power in hydrogen fuel cells. "Understanding platinum's properties for speeding up chemical reactions will potentially enable scientists to create significantly cheaper synthetic or metal alloy alternatives for use in sustainable devices like fuel cells," says Gregory Jerkiewicz, a professor in the Department of Chemistry who led the groundbreaking study. Dr. Jerkiewicz's research team has found that when platinum is used in reactions involving hydrogen it develops an embedded layer of hydrogen ...

PITTSBURGH, June 6 - New neurons take more than six months to mature in adult monkeys and that time is likely even longer in humans, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the University of Illinois, and Pennsylvania State University. Their findings, reported this week in the online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenge the notion that the time it takes for neurogenesis is the reason anti-depressant medications are not fully effective until three to five weeks after treatment begins. The dentate ...

Paying attention to something and being aware of it seems like the same thing -they both involve somehow knowing the thing is there. However, a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that these are actually separate; your brain can pay attention to something without you being aware that it's there. "We wanted to ask, can things attract your attention even when you don't see them at all?" says Po-Jang Hsieh, of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore and MIT. ...

After a strong start to 2011 the car finance industry is looking forward to continued growth in the UK. March again showed positive signs with GBP707 million of business written. This was a 1% increase compared to March 2010. The figures for the first quarter of 2011 compared to 2010 are still being skewed due to the scrappage scheme running in 2010. The number of cars sold in Q1 of 2011 was down when compared to 2010. However the value of the vehicles being sold has increased, which indicates the scrappage scheme helped to increase the number of cars sold, but, the ...

PASADENA, Calif.—When geologists survey an area of land for the potential that gas or petroleum deposits could exist there, they must take into account the composition of rocks that lie below the surface. Take, for instance, sandstone—a sedimentary rock composed mostly of weakly cemented quartz grains. Previous research had suggested that compaction bands—highly compressed, narrow, flat layers within the sandstone—are much less permeable than the host rock and might act as barriers to the flow of oil or gas. Now, researchers led by José Andrade, associate professor ...

The City Bingo website has undergone a series of changes recently; including the introduction of a daily jackpot tab. City Bingo is also proudly displaying the 5 free bingo rooms that are available as well as the 200% welcome bonus. The free bingo site pays out more than GBP150,000 on a daily basis following games on bingo and instants. There are a seven guaranteed bingo jackpots playing every day of the week, with card prices costing 2p, 5p, 10p and 15p or even free of charge. Free bingo opportunities can also be explored on the City Bingo facebook page. This ...

Migraine specialists attending the American Headache Society (AHS) science meeting here this weekend say they believe that more government money for migraine research holds the most promise for winning the battle against the disease. When asked to rank four areas of research need, 40 % say an increase in public funds is more important even than understanding basic aspects of the disease -- more than early intervention in a migraine attack (28%), migraine genetics (25%), or the role of the thalamus (6%). "The infusion of public money in migraine is central to the conquest ...