This release is available in Spanish. Ann Arbor, Mich. — Wealth, population size, race and age associate with the supply of hospice care available in a county, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management this month. Local availability is an important predictor of use of hospice programs, which are end-of-life services that have been shown to improve pain control, maintain patients' independence and even extend life, says lead author Maria Silveira, M.D., M.P.H., of the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System and assistant professor ...

Digestive Disease Week (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, DDW takes place May 7-10, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. The meeting showcases approximately 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures ...

This press release is available in Spanish. An international team of researchers co-led by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist has sequenced the genomes of two fungal pathogens-one that threatens global wheat supplies and another that limits production of a tree crop valued as a future source for biofuel. The sequencing of the genetic codes of wheat stem rust pathogen (Puccinia graminis) and poplar leaf rust pathogen (Melampsora larici-populina) is expected to help researchers develop control strategies to address worldwide threats to wheat fields and ...

New York — May 9,2011 — Abnormalities in cardiac conduction, the rate at which the heart conducts electrical impulses to contract and relax, are a major cause of death and disability around the world. Researchers at Columbia Engineering School have been developing a new method, Electromechanical Wave Imaging (EWI), that is the first non-invasive technique to map the electrical activation of the heart. Based on ultrasound imaging, EWI will enable doctors to treat arrhythmias more efficiently and more precisely. The study was published online in the May 9th Proceedings of ...

BOSTON – There is no doubt that undergoing infertility treatment is stressful, with high rates of anxiety and depression reported by many patients. Mind/body therapies designed to help women reduce stress earlier in the treatment process result in higher pregnancy rates, but little is known specifically about the impact of these therapies on women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). A new study published June 1 in Fertility and Sterility, a publication of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, shows that women who participate in a mind/body program for stress ...

Chestnut Hill, MA (5/9/2011) – Wait times quoted by restaurants typically increase depending on the size of the party. Though large parties are often given longer wait times, the actual time spent waiting to be seated turns out to be shorter than the time estimate from the host or hostess, according to a report in the most recent edition of the Journal of Service Research. One of the main reasons behind this discrepancy is the practice of "cherry picking" or "serving the high value customers and denying service to low value customers." For restaurants, cherry picking ...

Boston, MA—A study by scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute shows that a bioptic telescope on one lens of a pair of glasses used to magnify traffic signs and lights may not prevent the wider view of the road with the second eye. The study results, which will be published in the May 2011 Archives of Ophthalmology, are the first evidence that--under more realistic viewing conditions than in earlier studies--the second eye can detect objects in the area obscured by the magnification effect of the telescope (called the ring scotoma). "These study results are significant ...

(Garrison, NY) Medical involvement with torture is prohibited by international law and professional associations, and yet sometimes it is the right thing for doctors to do, argue two bioethicists. Their timely paper in the Hastings Center Report comes as news of the trail leading to the death of Osama Bin Laden points to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay who were subject to "enhanced interrogation techniques," which many believe amounted to torture. Despite its prohibition, torture remains widespread in more than a third of countries, according to data from Amnesty International ...

New Rochelle, NY, May 9, 2011—Disorders of the eye are excellent targets for gene therapy because the ocular environment is readily accessible, relatively easy to monitor, and sequestered from the rest of the body. A series of articles available online ahead of print in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com), highlight several exciting developments in ocular gene therapy. The articles are available free online at www.liebertpub.com/hum Two review articles describe the unique opportunities for ocular gene therapy. ...

Similar to humans, the bacteria and tiny plants living in the ocean need iron for energy and growth. But their situation is quite different from ours--for one, they can't turn to natural iron sources like leafy greens or red meat for a pick-me-up. So, from where does their iron come? New research results published in the current issue of the journal Nature Geoscience point to a source on the seafloor: minute particles of pyrite, or fool's gold, from hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean. Scientists already knew the vents' cloudy plumes, which spew forth from ...

Today, "Robert Lauri on the Air" Radio announced a new concept of radio interaction with the public. Fans, as well as the general listeners, can record a voice message online via a special radio webpage. They can express and share how they feel about a song or an album, about the artist, or any other musical topics they would like to discuss. The messages will be inserted into the Live365 radio programs that day, and as a result, the broadcast become a live show that changes daily due to listener participation and interaction with the artist. A special webpage ...

VIDEO: A team led by Georgia Tech School of Physics Assistant Professor Daniel Goldman has conducted physics and robotics experiments and created computer simulations to better understand how objects move through... Click here for more information. Search and rescue missions have followed each of the devastating earthquakes that hit Haiti, New Zealand and Japan during the past 18 months. Machines able to navigate through complex dirt and rubble environments could have ...

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Nitric oxide gas appears to directly impact the source of the classic, disabling pain crises of sickle cell disease, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report. The short-acting gas helps unglue hemoglobin molecules that stick together, forming long chains that ultimately deform red blood cells and prompting a cellular pileup in small blood vessels and pain, said Dr. C. Alvin Head, Chairman of GHSU's Department of Anesthesiology. The findings get scientists closer to understanding why red blood cells sickle and potentially to a easy-to-use, ...

Combination vaccines for young children are commonly used in industrialized nations because they provide protection for multiple diseases in one single injection. However, combination vaccines are prohibitively expensive for developing countries and may not available until several years later, or when market prices are more affordable. As a result, the choice of vaccines used by developing and industrialized countries to immunize children against similar pediatric diseases is rapidly diverging. A researcher at Rochester Institute of Technology has a solution. He developed ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - MIT researchers have created a new detector so sensitive it can pick up a single molecule of an explosive such as TNT. To create the sensors, chemical engineers led by Michael Strano coated carbon nanotubes — hollow, one-atom-thick cylinders made of pure carbon — with protein fragments normally found in bee venom. This is the first time those proteins have been shown to react to explosives, specifically a class known as nitro-aromatic compounds that includes TNT. If developed into commercial devices, such sensors would be far more sensitive than existing ...

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Steven LaTourette (R-OH), jointly introduced legislation today that will help preserve Public, Educational and Government (PEG) access television channels across the country. The introduction of the Community Access Preservation Act (the CAP Act), was hailed by American Community Television (ACT) as critical to saving hundreds of channels as well as jobs in twenty states that passed statewide or state-issued franchising laws since 2005. "ACT has been working with these offices and many others to create a solution ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Bad news for muggle parents! A new study by psychologists at the University at Buffalo finds that we more or less "become" vampires or wizards just by reading about them. The good news is that, although we might think our teeth are a little sharper after a session with "Twilight," reading satisfies a deeply felt need for human connection because we not only feel like the characters we read about but, psychologically speaking, become part of their world and derive emotional benefits from the experience. "Becoming a Vampire Without Being Bitten: The ...

Every boat owner recognises the dilemma: environmentally friendly or effective. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now found a way of reconciling these two almost unattainable aims. By using smart combinations of the most environmentally friendly biocides in the paint, it is possible to both reduce the total quantity of biocides and dramatically reduce the environmental impact. "It's very easy to make an environmentally friendly hull paint, and just as easy to make an effective hull paint. Yet there is still no paint that is both effective and environmentally ...

NEW YORK (May 9, 2011) -- Teenagers who drink alcohol spend more time on their computers for recreational use, including social networking and downloading and listening to music, compared with their peers who don't drink. Results of an anonymous survey of 264 teenagers were reported in the online edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a study authored by Weill Cornell Medical College public health researcher Dr. Jennifer Epstein. "While the specific factors linking teenage drinking and computer use are not yet established, it seems likely that adolescents are ...

An international team of researchers led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has deciphered the genome of a tropical marine organism known to produce substances potentially useful against human diseases. Tiny photosynthetic microorganisms called cyanobacteria are some of the oldest forms of life on the planet. At times their emergence as toxic blooms causes a threat to humans and animals. But despite the recognized capability of marine strains of the cyanobacterial genus Lyngbya, and specifically the species L. majuscula, to create hundreds ...

TechConnect Ohio is proud to announce the current list of sponsor companies who will be in attendance for its inaugural event aimed at connecting job seekers with companies looking to fill open positions with the local technical talent. "Ohio-based companies are committed to seeking out local technical talent. There is no better way to bring companies and talent together than attending the TechConnect event," said Dan Harris, VP of Strategy at Minds On and the originator of the TechConnect Ohio concept. TechConnect Ohio is please to have the following ...

Palo Alto, CA— Accurately calculating the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the process of producing and bringing products to our doorsteps is nearly impossible, but still a worthwhile effort, two Carnegie researchers claim in a commentary published online this week by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Global Ecology department's Ken Caldeira and Steven Davis commend the work of industrial ecologist Glen Peters and colleagues, published in the same journal late last month, and use that team's data to do additional analysis on the disparity between emissions ...

Blacksburg, Va., May 10, 2011 - Virginia Tech released today the results of a new rating system of adult football helmets that is designed to reduce the risk of concussions. One currently manufactured helmet received the top "5 star" rating, and a total of five helmets received the very good "4-star" rating. This biomechanical impact data study on football helmets represents the first time researchers have provided the public with comparative test results. The information is based on a new evaluation methodology that incorporated eight years of data and analysis, ...

Berry Plastics - Tapes, Bags and Coatings Division, makers of the Marino Technologies, Rafypak, Atlas Bag, and Walpole Bag brands of FIBCs, specializes in short lead times and rigorous adherence to the highest quality standards to meet the toughest client needs. As a leading producer of FIBCs, Berry Plastics continues to deliver the best-in-class products from its North American facility (Atlacomulco, Mexico) for a wide variety of applications and order sizes. The Atlacomulco plant holds a rating of "excellent" from AIB International and ISO 9001:2008 certificates ...

Reef fishes and many other marine species live all their adulthood in one place but early in their lives, when they're eggs and larvae, spend a short period of time drifting and swimming in the open ocean. It seems intuitive that the duration of this open water period should determine the geographic extent over which species are found as species that spend longer drifting at sea are likely to reach greater distances. Interestingly enough, numerous studies have consistently failed to find any relationship between the duration of the open water period and the geographic coverage ...