CORVALLIS, Ore. – Civil engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new system to better analyze the connections that hold major bridge members together, which may improve public safety, help address a trillion-dollar concern about aging infrastructure around the world, and save lives. When testing is complete and the technology implemented, the system might allow a technician working for a day to produce a better analysis of a bridge's structural condition than a more expensive and highly-trained engineer could do in weeks. Developed at OSU, the technology ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Working mothers are two-and-a-half times as likely as working fathers to interrupt their sleep to take care of others. That is the finding of a University of Michigan study providing the first known nationally representative data documenting substantial gender differences in getting up at night, mainly with babies and small children. And women are not only more likely to get up at night to care for others, their sleep interruptions last longer---an average of 44 minutes for women, compared to about 30 minutes for men. "Interrupted sleep is a burden ...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 17, 2010 ¬– Eight states earned a better grade on the 2010 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card and 32 others and the District of Columbia saw their preterm birth rates improve. Following three decades of increases, in 2008 the nation saw the first two-year decline in the preterm birth rate, a 4 percent drop from 2006. The 2008 preliminary preterm birth rate dropped to 12.3 percent, from the 2006 final rate of 12.8 percent. The March of Dimes says 79 percent of the decline was among babies born just a few weeks too soon. Overall, the ...

DURHAM, N.H. -- The New England economic outlook remains precarious, with the regional economy struggling to continue its recovery if the U.S. economy remains weak. The looming federal and state fiscal crises will make a difficult road to recovery in the region even more difficult, according to Ross Gittell, James R. Carter Professor of Management at the University of New Hampshire. Gittell will release his fall 2010 economic forecast at the New England Economic Partnership economic outlook conference, "Deficits as Far as the Eye Can See: Seeking Solutions to our National ...

As hospitals consider ED strategies to help satisfy meaningful use objectives, they seek a blend of robust functionality and tight integration, according to a new report by KLAS. For this latest study, "EDIS 2010--Functionality vs. Integration: Finding the Right Mix", KLAS compiled feedback from over 700 providers to investigate the effect of ARRA on ED purchasing priorities, as well as to highlight vendor progress in delivering both clinical functionality and integration. "Historically, best-of-breed EDIS vendors have led the market in addressing the needs of ED ...

Print It Fast Online recently launched a new Affiliate Program web site for prospective and current Print It Fast Online Affiliates. The new web site provides complete details and information on the Print It Fast Online Affiliate Program. Print It Fast Online offers a unique affiliate experience to online associates. Affiliates earn a 10% commission rate on all sales forwarded to Print It Fast Online with a 90-day period after the initial visit. In addition, new Affiliates receive a $25 sign-up bonus which they receive with their first commission payment. New Affiliates ...

Leading dentist in Bristol, Dr. Neil Salesky, invites patients to visit Southington Dentistry's innovative website for further education and resources on dental care. With new online patient education resources, this dentist in Southington allows patients to access valuable dental care information via their website, prior to their dental appointments. Patients can now access resources to further advance their knowledge of dental services, treatments, ailments and procedures via the practice's website at any moment during their day. The educational library provides valuable ...

Innovative video effects creator and technology developer NewBlue, Inc. announces the inclusion of select NewBlueFX plugins in the latest release of Adobe Premiere Elements 9. The NewBlue collection of integrated video effects filters provides a creative set of plugins that give Adobe users dynamic, easy to use creativity tools. In delivering the collection, NewBlue worked closely with Adobe to give its customers powerful effects with a minimal learning curve. These NewBlueFX video plugins turn any video into an animated film and solve basic audio problems. "We ...

The number of natural disasters that our world has had to deal with this year is truly unbelievable. It has left rescue aid groups scrambling to come up with enough supplies and means to get them there. But it is not only the rescue organizations that have found themselves overwhelmed. Tarp companies have been the number one supplier for temporary shelters to the victims. The tarps have been in huge demand this year, and this demand has at times actually resulted in a shortage. However, supply has grown to meet demand as these suppliers and manufacturers are stepping up ...

All shelled hazelnuts processed by Willamette Shelling from October 12, 2009 through November 25, 2009 have been recalled due to possible contamination with Salmonella. The recalled hazelnuts were shelled in Oregon, and are sold in many states throughout the country. The Willamette Shelling hazelnut recall is affecting several brands of raw and roasted, organic and non-organic, shelled hazelnuts, and products containing them. It does not apply to hazelnuts sold in their shells. So far, no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall. One production lot ...

McNeil consumer Healthcare has recalled Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets 100 count bottles with EZ-OPEN CAP. The initial recall announced in November, 2009, only included five lots of the medication. On December 18, 2009, the drug recall was expanded to include all available lots. The bottles can be recognized by their red, Ez-Open cap. Why Tylenol Has Been Recalled The recall was prompted by complaints from Tylenol users that the product had a musty, mildew-like, or moldy odor and that after taking the foul smelling caplets they experienced gastrointestinal problems ...

Patients in Chicago often consider surgery for months or even years before going in for a consultation with a LASIK surgeon. You may have concerns about the safety of having LASIK surgery even if you know people with success stories. Understand LASIK safety by doing research on your chosen Chicago LASIK surgeon, speaking with friends about their experiences and learning about the surgical process. It has been considered a medically safe procedure for twenty years. What can patients do to ensure their safety? You may already know the kind of vision loss you are experiencing ...

Atlanta landscape lighting company NightVision Outdoor Lighting is encouraging homeowners to take advantage of their seasonal lighting service to get a head start on their holiday decorating for the 2010 Christmas season. NightVision Outdoor Lighting is an Atlanta Christmas lighting specialist, offering an array of designs and presentations for the exterior of homes or businesses. November is the perfect time to begin preparing for the quickly approaching holiday season. NightVision OutDoor Lighting streamlines the process of decorating by installing and removing lights, ...

Northern Rock has launched two new variable rate savings options for customers who want access to their funds, but don't want to compromise on the interest they'll receive. Rainy Day Saver is a new 120-day notice account, paying 2.90% gross/AER pa variable, which includes a 1.50% gross/AER pa bonus payable for 12 months from account opening. Longer term, the interest rate is also guaranteed to be no less than the Bank of England base rate until 30th June 2013. Rainy Day Saver is available to open by post or telephone with a minimum initial deposit of GBP5,000, and can ...

Jumeirah has announced that its Burj Al Arab hotel has welcomed the first Michelin-starred chef to its culinary team; chef Mansur Memarian, who has been appointed as chef de cuisine for Al Mahara, the under-water themed fine dining restaurant where guests enjoy contemporary seafood whilst seated in full view of one of Dubai's most beautiful aquariums. As the first Iranian chef to be awarded a Michelin star, chef Mansur brings a wealth of experience and personal passion to the position. After moving to Frankfurt, Germany at a young age, chef Mansur discovered his passion ...

Ideasbynet has announced the re-branding of its US site, moving from its previous name of PromotionalPro to IdeasByNet, matching the US site to its European counterparts in the UK, Germany and Spain. The company hopes the change will reinforce IdeasByNet as a truly global brand. IdeasByNet hopes to become a popular name for promotional products in America and the re-branding is pushing the company forward towards becoming a market force in the US much like its UK counterpart. IdeasByNet sees this as a beneficial move as its customer base will be reassured that they are ...

2entertain has announced the release of Clarkson: The Italian Job, will be released in time for Christmas. The new Jeremy Clarkson DVD is his first double disc release. Filmed at a number of stunning locations across Italy and showcasing the world's best supercars, this spectacular release also comes with an added bonus disc of Clarkson's five most explosive destructions of the past 15 years, as voted for by the fans. The DVD sees Clarkson heading to Kent for the race of a lifetime but he first heads to the Fiorano test track in Italy where he spends a while not ...

Standard Life has appointed Ann Flynn as Head of Customer Management in corporate marketing, reporting to Corporate Marketing Director Jonathan Hewitt. Ann joins the company from Scottish Widows where she was Head of Marketing Communications for Corporate Pensions. Ann joined the corporate marketing team this week and will be responsible for supporting clients and their advisers to further strengthen Standard Life's offering in the corporate market. The Edinburgh-based savings and investments company is one of the leading providers of corporate and company pensions. ...

British Airways has announced that it is introducing first class on its popular flight to Las Vegas next summer, from June 1, 2011 and it will also be increasing capacity by 18 per cent. The direct daily flight to Las Vegas from Terminal 5 at Heathrow was launched a year ago (October 2009) and is currently operated by a three-class Boeing 777. A four-class B747 offering BA's First cabin will replace it. By moving to a B747, BA will be sending an additional 124 seats on every round trip. Each flight will now have 14 seats in the first cabin. Richard Tams, British ...

Foster Care Associates (FCA) has stepped up its activities to recruit remand foster carers, complementing the agency's ongoing foster carer recruitment campaign. Remand fostering placements add to the standard range of fostering services provided to Local Authorities and Trusts throughout the UK. Remand fostering placements provide temporary care for young people with challenging behavioural issues. They are provided for young people who have been charged with an offence, that they may or may not have committed, and are waiting for their cases to go through the courts. ...

Debenhams, the high street store, has announced that sensible shoes have virtually disappeared from the market. The traditional, thick soled, lace-up, comfy varieties of shoes are on the way out. Trainers have taken their place, with more organisations now allowing the American-style shoe to be worn to work rather than the tough, British, black, leather stalwarts. The news brings to an end to the decades long association of sensible shoes with countless professions such as nurses, teachers, police officers and traffic wardens. Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson said: ...

Debenhams, one of Britain's leading department stores, has reported that 'taking' afternoon tea, the epitome of British refinement, is making a surprising comeback thanks to American pop sensation Lady Gaga. Sales of china teacups and saucers are up to 119%, and other afternoon tea accoutrement such as teapots, plates and cake stands are flying off the shelves since Lady Gaga made delicate crockery her accessory of choice. The international pop sensation was pictured drinking from a china cup and saucer earlier this year and was bizarrely seen walking round cup and ...

Business Intelligence and database veterans James Fox and Joseph DeLucia announce the launch of DataRoket, Inc. a data integration and visualization suite built on an entirely new paradigm of connected, real-time streaming data, transforming a company's disparate data into a global data repository. DataRoket is the first to provide a single holistic platform that connects, transforms, integrates and streams a company's data from their ERP, BI, Data Warehouse and General Ledger platforms. DataRoket also supports unstructured and semi-structured data such as flat-files, MS ...

Based on the research and investment strategy developed by former Harvard university professor Michael Edleson, VA Investment Software conducted a study with regards to how investors would have done had they used the value averaging strategy to achieve their investment goals. In order to conduct the study, VA Investment Software created a powerful web-based software system that allowed it to back-test the value averaging investment method, over any time frame, using historical data for any North American Stock, ETF or US based mutual fund. The program also compares the ...

Fengtao Software, a dedicated and professional multimedia software provider, has released the actual Blu-ray to DVD converting software in the world on Nov. 11, 2010, DVDFab Blu-ray to DVD Converter, which can convert Blu-ray to DVD-Video disc and allows you to watch Blu-ray movie with DVD player, or some player software. This will quite possibly mark a turning point for Blu-ray entertainment. We all know that Blu-ray Disc competed with HD DVD format during the high definition optical disc format war, and finally win the war as Toshiba, the main company that supported ...