DETROIT – Lowering the cost of hearing aids isn't enough to motivate adults with mild hearing loss to purchase a device at a younger age or before their hearing worsens, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. A new study shows that simply lowering the cost of hearing aids – even by as much as 40% – does not improve hearing aid purchase for patients with partial insurance coverage or those who need to cover the entire cost out of pocket. Only patients with full insurance coverage for hearing aids get them at a younger age and with significantly less hearing ...

SALT LAKE CITY—Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer; it also occurs in adults. Now researchers working with zebrafish at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have identified previously undiscovered high-risk genetic features in T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (T-ALL), according to an article published online May 9, 2011, in the cancer research journal Oncogene. When compared to samples from human patients with T-ALL, these genetic characteristics allowed scientists to predict which patients may have more aggressive forms of the disease that ...

According to two new policy briefs from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the majority of state residents likely to be eligible for federally mandated health insurance coverage initiatives in California in 2014 are also those who may be least likely to excessively use costly health services: men, singles and those of working age. As a result of last year's passage of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), up to 4.57 million previously uninsured or underinsured Californians may be eligible for coverage, either through an expansion of ...

TORONTO, Ont., May 11, 2011 — Disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) are injected medications used to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), and have been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of relapses. But according to a new study led by St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), adherence to all DMDs is low, with less than half of patients, or 44 per cent, continually adherent after two years. "There are a number of reasons why adherence to therapies of proven value might be low," says Dr. Paul O'Connor, director of the ...

This discovery will make it possible to improve photoelectrochemical cells. In the same way that plants use photosynthesis to transform sunlight into energy, these cells use sunlight to drive chemical reactions that ultimately produce hydrogen from water. The process involves using a light-sensitive semi-conducting material such as cuprous oxide to provide the current needed to fuel the reaction. Although it is not expensive, the oxide is unstable if exposed to light in water. Research by Adriana Paracchino and Elijah Thimsen, published May 8, 2011 in the journal Nature ...

LIVERMORE, Calif. --Skin cells shed from livestock infected with foot and mouth disease could very well spread the disease. In a new paper appearing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Michael Dillon proposed that virus-infected skin cells could be a source of infectious foot and mouth disease virus aerosols. His proposal is based on the facts that foot and mouth disease virus is found in skin and that airborne skin cells are known to transmit other diseases. The proposal could lead to new methods for surveillance ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Whether they know it or not, anyone who's ever gotten a speeding ticket after zooming by a radar gun has experienced the Doppler effect – a measurable shift in the frequency of radiation based on the motion of an object, which in this case is your car doing 45 miles an hour in a 30-mph zone. But for the first time, scientists have experimentally shown a different version of the Doppler effect at a much, much smaller level – the rotation of an individual molecule. Prior to this such an effect had been theorized, but it took a complex experiment with a ...

Even the merest of microbes must be able to talk, to be able to interact with its environment and with others to not just survive, but to thrive. This cellular chatter comes in the form of signaling molecules and exchanged metabolites (molecules involved in the process of metabolism or living) that can have effects far larger than the organism itself. Humans, for example, rely upon thousands of products derived from microbially produced molecules, everything from antibiotics and food supplements to ingredients used in toothpaste and paint. Remarkably, most of what's known ...

Halfpricesoft.com (http://www.halfpricesoft.com) announces that ezCheckPrinting users can get the popular check writing software or blank check stock for free when they check out through TrialPay offer from halfpricesoft.com site. "It's a win-win-win-win situation: the customer gets free product, we make sales, the TrialPay advertiser makes sales, and TrialPay gets commissions," said Dr Ge, the founder of halfpricesoft.com. "In a down economy, companies need to streamline and increase efficiency, so they can be more productive with every minute and every ...

A new study by researchers in Hong Kong suggests that systemic sclerosis is an independent determinant for moderate to severe coronary calcification or atherosclerosis. Conventional cardiovascular risk factors such as age and hypertension predispose patients with systemic sclerosis to plaque build-up in the heart arteries similar to the general population. Details of this study are now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, is a ...

Debate about how to replace Seattle's deteriorating waterfront highway has centered on uncertainties in the project's price tag. Drilling a deep-bore tunnel and building an underground highway is estimated to cost around $4 billion, but some worry the final price could be higher, as it was for Boston's infamous Big Dig. University of Washington statisticians have, for the first time, explored a different subject of uncertainty, namely surrounding how much commuters might benefit from the project. They found that relying on surface streets would likely have less impact ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Ostracism or exclusion may not leave external scars, but it can cause pain that often is deeper and lasts longer than a physical injury, according to a Purdue University expert. "Being excluded or ostracized is an invisible form of bullying that doesn't leave bruises, and therefore we often underestimate its impact," said Kipling D. Williams, a professor of psychological sciences. "Being excluded by high school friends, office colleagues, or even spouses or family members can be excruciating. And because ostracism is experienced in three stages, ...

The gut may need bacteria to provide a little bit of oxidative stress to stay healthy, new research suggests. Probiotic bacteria promote healing of the intestinal lining in mice by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown. The results, published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition, demonstrate a mechanism by which bacterial cultures in foods such as yogurt and kimchi have beneficial effects on intestinal health. The insights gained could also guide ...

'The World's Most Powerful Money Making System' was first created in 1995 offline by Frank A Trueblood in the form of cassette tapes. The system proved to be very successful for the many businesses that used it. Following this massive success, Mr Trueblood established an online version of the system so that many ordenary people like you and me could easily make huge sums of money every month for ourselves. Frank Trueblood is a marketing genius who is very good at understanding systems and formulas. Using his skill with these formulas he devised a method of turning just ...

Though "variety is the spice of life" and "opposites attract," most people marry only those whose political views align with their own, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Political scientists found that political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits and even stronger than qualities like personality or looks. In an article published in the April issue of the Journal of Politics, researchers examined physical and behavioral traits of more than 5,000 married couples in the United States. They found spouses in ...

Presidential nominees carefully pick their running mates so that their ticket is in solid agreement on the issues. But what about the average married couple? A new study of U.S. spouses shows they partake in very little political vetting, but tend to walk in political lockstep throughout their relationship, anyway. In an article to be published in the Journal of Politics, researchers examined physical and behavioral traits in thousands of spouse pairs in the United States. They found that political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits – stronger, even, than ...

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo veterinarians, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program have joined forces to answer a perplexing wildlife question: Why are bog turtles getting sick? The dilemma shines a light on North America's smallest turtle; an adult bog turtle reaches only 4.5 inches in length and as many ounces. Wildlife managers working in a few known bog turtle habitats in the Northeast have reported higher than average mortality rates ...

As The Wooten Company continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary as one of the most reputable engineering, planning and architectural firms in North Carolina, the organization reflects on one of its most successful and well-known projects over the years - Carter-Finley Stadium. The stadium, which has served as the home of the North Carolina State University Wolfpack football team for the past 45 years, was as much an engineering feat in the 1960s as it is a true Raleigh landmark today. In February 1962, John Caldwell, then Chancellor of NC State College of Agriculture ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Since the 1950s, sustainability in northern hardwood forests was achieved by chopping down trees in small clumps to naturally make room for new ones to spring up. Early experiments with single-tree and group selection logging found that desirable species like sugar maples did a great job of regenerating in the sunny, rain-drenched harvest gaps – theoretically eliminating the need to replant. But something has changed. In a sweeping study of a huge swath of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Michigan State University researchers document that in many ...

HBO begins airing its new hot show FEMMES FATALES, the new 13-part series Friday May 13, 2011. The series is co-created and executive produced by Mark A. Altman (Castle) and Steve Kriozere (NCIS). This sizzling show features the hottest Femme Fatales in plots around murder mystery, hidden secrets and of course femmes fatales hosted by Tanit Phoenix (Lost Boys: The Thirst). Eyes are on Robin Sydney who had two separate but equally memorable roles as a Femme Fatale in THE LOST AND MASTERS OF HORROR 'RIGHT TO DIE' now stars in the FEMMES FATALES episode 'THE CLINIC' on July ...

Like gravity, the strong interaction is a fundamental force of nature. It is the essential "glue" that holds atomic nuclei—composed of protons and neutrons— together to form atoms, the building blocks of nearly all the visible matter in the universe. Despite its prevalence in nature, researchers are still searching for the precise laws that govern the strong force. However, the recent discovery of an extremely exotic, short-lived nucleus called fluorine-14 in laboratory experiments may indicate that scientists are gaining a better grasp of these rules. Fluorine-14 comprises ...

National photographer Paul Mobley reflects on his time photographing one of the September 11 heroes. Rochelle or "Rocky" as she is called by her peers is a battalion chief in one of New York's fire departments. She is now the highest ranking female chief in New York. His portraits of the the first female fire chief of the FDNY in 2003 are just a few of the portraits that are documenting American life in it's glory, turmoil and strength. Mobley writes in his latest blog, "As the nation watched President Obama deliver a speech that would mark the end of ...

Richmond, Va. (May 10, 2011) – Cancer researchers are a step closer to finding a cure for advanced prostate cancer after effectively combining an anti-cancer drug with a viral gene therapy in vivo using novel ultrasound-targeted microbubble-destruction (UTMD) technology. The research was conducted by scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine and School of Medicine, in collaboration with colleagues from Washington University School of Medicine and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. In their study, published ...

MATERIALS -­ Stir in extrusion tech . . . Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have achieved a friction-stir technology milestone by extruding aluminum-based wire in lengths up to 15 feet. Friction-stir, which is also used in welding, is a method that uses the heat from a spinning tool to plasticize metal alloys or composites for reforming, joining or recycling. The ORNL researchers optimized the friction-stir process to extrude the unprecedented long lengths of wire through a die. Along with its energy efficiency benefits through eliminating the need to melt ...

There's a reason to be afraid of the dark. Fish accustomed to living near the light of the water's surface become proverbial "fish out of water" when they move to dark environments like those found in caves, according to a study from North Carolina State University. In research published this week in Biology Letters, a Royal Society scientific journal, NC State post-doctoral researcher Rüdiger Riesch and colleagues found that Atlantic molly females from regular surface streams have a difficult time adjusting to cavelike conditions. Surface female fish had trouble ...