HOUSTON -- (April 5, 2011) -- Some people collect stamps and coins, but when it comes to sheer utility, few collections rival the usefulness of Rice University researcher Michael Deem's collection of 2.6 million zeolite structures. Zeolites are materials -- including some natural minerals -- that act as molecular sieves, thanks to a Swiss-cheese-like arrangement of pores that can sort, filter, trap and chemically process everything from drugs and petroleum to nuclear waste. Zeolites are particularly useful as catalysts -- materials that spur chemical reactions. There ...

The 2011 Australian Jazz Bell Awards will see some of the country's most talented musicians head to Melbourne for a night of food, wine and performances. Named after Dixieland and classical jazz pianist Graeme Bell, the annual event is an opportunity to honour and encourage excellence in musical creativity, recording and presentation. As well as receiving the recognition of their peers, the winner of each category will be rewarded with AU$5,000 in prize money. Stars who have triumphed at the Bell Awards in the past include Jonathan Zwartz, who picked up the best ...

The Queensland Pops Orchestra (QPO) have enlisted the help of leading tenor Gregory Moore, plus numerous local performers and musicians, for their upcoming Celtic Celebration in Brisbane. Moore will take the stage alongside the likes of the Brotherhood of St Laurence's Choir, Watkins Academy of Irish Dance and Villanova College's Irish Ensemble for the show, which opens the QPO's 2011 season. The orchestra was formed back in 1984 by Colin Harper, a lifelong conductor of concert bands in the British and Australian armies. Since those early days the Pops have become ...

PHILADELPHIA – Two reports by addiction researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse show a drastic shift in prescribing patterns impacting the magnitude of opioid substance abuse in America. The reports, published in JAMA, recommend a comprehensive effort to reduce public health risks while improving patient care, including better training for prescribers, pain management treatment assessment, personal responsibility and public education. The JAMA Research Report shows that there has been a drastic increase ...

In an unprecedented collaborative analysis published in the journal PLoS Biology, scientists from 49 nations demonstrated that the ability of reef fish systems to produce goods and services to humanity increases rapidly with the number of species. However, growing human populations hamper the ability of reefs to function normally, and counterintuitively, the most diverse reef fish systems suffer the greatest impairments from stressors triggered by human populations. The study documented that the extent of this distress is widespread and likely to worsen because 75% of the ...

Making DNA sequences being passed through nanochannels a thousand times thinner than a human hair to the point that they take on the form of diminutive spaghetti. This is an innovative technique, known as DNA stretching, and is one of the lines of research in which CIC microGUNE is working, and about which they have already published two scientific articles and are shortly to apply for a patent. The technique basically consists of the analysis of a single molecule of DNA, after stretching it, measuring its length and analysing its sequence. This novel technology could ...

Paris is a traditional focal point of the celebrations on Labour Day, known as La Fete du Travail in France. Everything in the city closes except the Eiffel Tower on May 1st, with parades and demonstrations taking place around the Place de la Bastille. Across Paris, the exchanging of lily of the valley is a well-known custom on La Fete du Travail. Florists throughout the French capital stock up on the flower in the days running up to the public holiday, as it is traditionally passed between friends and family members as a token of good luck. Individual traders ...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – April 5, 2011 – Despite a growing number of cities instituting smoking bans across the country, hookah bars are cropping up everywhere – from chic downtown cafes to locations near college campuses, where they've found a loyal customer base in young adults. A new study done by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center sheds light on the increasingly popular pastime, and the results are discouraging. "The popularity of hookah smoking among young adults is quite alarming given the potential for negative health effects," said Erin L. Sutfin, ...

As our bodies form, cells within the embryo divide and separate. Certain cells come together to form the outer layer, or ectoderm, of the early embryo, and give rise to tissue such as the skin and nervous system (spine, peripheral nerves and brain). Other cells come together to form the mesoderm or middle layer of the embryo, and eventually give rise to tissue like muscle, heart or bone. Once cells have been assigned to the different regions – mesoderm or ectoderm – a mysterious mechanism draws boundaries between them that mark their permanent separation. Any defect in ...

Zucchero, one of the Italian music industry's biggest stars, is set to perform in Paris next month. The artist's show at the Zenith de Paris on Thursday May 12th will see him play songs from his latest LP Chocabeck, which was released last year. Born Adelmo Fornaciari, Zucchero has sold more than 40 million albums and won the hearts of fans around the world with his blend of rock, blues and gospel music. In a career spanning four decades, he has built up an international profile by collaborating with artists such as Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. Zucchero ...

A stellar cast has been assembled for the new West End production of George Bernard Shaw's classic play Pygmalion. Due to open at the Garrick Theatre on Thursday May 12th, the show will feature former EastEnders actress Kara Tointon as Eliza Doolitte and Rupert Everett as Professor Henry Higgins. Tointon, who spent four years playing Dawn Swann on the popular BBC1 soap and recently won Strictly Come Dancing, is set to make her West End debut in the production. Dame Diana Rigg was also recently added to the cast, with the 72-year-old former star of The Avengers ...

That the thyroid can be affected and that the kidneys in rare cases can be damaged are known side-effects of medication with lithium. Female patients who become pregnant are also advised against taking medicine containing lithium, as the substance can affect the foetus. "The amounts of lithium that the Latin American women are ingesting via their drinking water are perhaps a tenth of what a patient would take daily for bipolar disorder. But, on the other hand, they are absorbing this lithium all their lives, even from before birth", says occupational and environmental ...

It's been a puzzle why our two closest living primate relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, have widely different social traits, despite belonging to the same genus. Now, a comparative analysis of their brains shows neuroanatomical differences that may be responsible for these behaviors, from the aggression more typical of chimpanzees to the social tolerance of bonobos. "What's remarkable is that the data appears to match what we know about the human brain and behavior," says Emory anthropologist James Rilling, who led the analysis. "The neural circuitry that mediates ...

Katie Melua is set to play live at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London on Thursday May 5th. The 26-year-old singer's performance in the capital will come in the midst of a major European tour that began in Germany last month. Melua released her fourth studio album The House in May 2010 and is now playing songs from the LP to audiences across the continent. Produced by William Orbit, the record features tracks written with Guy Chambers and reached number four in the UK albums chart. The artist was born in the former soviet republic of Georgia and spent several ...

For the first time, researchers have found five regions in the human genome that increase susceptibility to immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, a major cause of kidney failure worldwide — systematically identifying those that point to a tendency for IgA nephropathy, or a protection against it. "The study is unique in identifying the biological pathways that mediate IgA nephropathy, mapping the way for further study that may reveal practical targets for diagnosis and treatment," said Dr. Ali Gharavi, Division of Nephrology at Columbia University in New York City, the ...

New Orleans – Each year, more than 100,000 patients in the U.S. undergo implantation of a new implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for heart rhythm abnormalities. This number constitutes a 20-fold increase over the last 15 years. Current medical guidelines advocate discussion of end of life care of these medical devices, including deactivation, but many patients may not understand their options. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine say that discussions should also address post-mortem donation of ICDs for product improvement or reuse ...

FrontDoorSoftware Corporation has recently unveiled its new company website, www.frontdoorsoftware.com. The new website provides visitors with detailed information about its products and a simple interface for downloading the software. "We wanted our website to provide a better user experience and make it easier for people to access this powerful, free software program," said Carrie Hafeman, president of FrontDoorSoftware Corporation. "With this new website layout, it is easier than ever before to sign up for this service." Once installed on a computer, the free ...

WASHINGTON ― By elevating its life and physical sciences research program, NASA could achieve the biological understanding and technical breakthroughs needed to allow humans to be sent deeper into space, including to Mars, says a new National Research Council report. In addition, access to the space environment -- for example, on the International Space Station -- will open up further opportunities for groundbreaking research in the physical and life sciences. The report, one of a series of decadal surveys that the Research Council has completed for NASA and the ...

This release is available in French. Montreal, April 5, 2011 – Introductory science courses – in biology, chemistry, math and physics – can be challenging for first-year college, CEGEP and university students. Science 101 courses can make or break a student's decision to venture into a scientific field or even pursue higher education. "The language, fundamentals and scope of science gateway courses can be akin to a foreign culture," says Calvin Kalman, principal of Concordia's Science College and a professor in the Department of Physics. "Students can have great ...

The Board of Directors for Dr Park Ave, Cosmetic Services, contains three renowned physicians, and four successful business executives. Their major responsibilities will include: ensuring the professional operation of all Dr Park Ave offices; increasing the company knowledge and skills base; and preparing Dr Park Ave for a successful IPO. Here are the Board members: Dr. Paul Fondacaro, co-founder, is also President and CEO. Dr. Fondacaro earned his BS in Biochemistry, magna cum laude, from Manhattan College; and his MD from NYU in 1981. His surgical residency and chief ...

It's time to put away the skates and skis and get out the golf clubs as Intertops Casino celebrates spring with its Intertops Champions contest. At the end of May three players will each win a $1000 cash prize and nine others will receive a grand prize casino bonus of up to $500. The Intertops Champions contest will award a total of $100,000 in cash prizes and bonuses. All that's required to qualify is to play any of the more than 300 games at Intertops Casino between now and May 29th. Bonus levels are based on game-play performance with points awarded for bets, profits ...

New York / Heidelberg, 6 April 2011 The arrays of fine adhesive hairs or 'setae' on the foot pads of many insects, lizards and spiders give them the ability to climb almost any natural surface. Research by James Bullock and Walter Federle from the University of Cambridge in England found that the different forces required to peel away these adhesive hairs from surfaces are what allows beetles to adhere to diverse surfaces, thereby reducing the risk of detachment. Their study, published online in the Springer journal Naturwissenschaften – The Nature of Science, reports ...

A search team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has located the wreckage of Air France Flight 447 some 3,900 meters, or nearly 2.5 miles, below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil's northeastern coast. The team left the port of Suape, Brazil, aboard the vessel Alucia on March 22, arriving at the search site on March 25. After one week of searching, one of the mission's three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), the REMUS 6000s, detected debris on the seafloor. A second vehicle was dispatched to the area for more detailed sonar mapping and ...

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Companies looking to engineer an eco-friendly diesel fuel have more red lights in their path. According to Kansas State University researchers, making petroleum diesel completely green would not only bend the laws of physics, it would cost too much green. "Fossil fuels are limited, and since we can't use more than what Earth offers, a lot of people are looking for alternative fuel sources like algae," said Peter Pfromm, professor of chemical engineering and member of a K-State interdisciplinary team that analyzed oil produced by algae as a source of ...

Washington, D.C. (April 5, 2011) -- A very simple bench-top technique that uses the force of acoustical waves to create a variety of 3D structures will benefit the rapidly expanding field of metamaterials and their myriad applications—including "invisibility cloaks." Metamaterials are artificial materials that are engineered to have properties not found in nature. These materials usually gain their unusual properties—such as negative refraction that enables subwavelength focusing, negative bulk modulus, and band gaps—from structure rather than composition. By creating ...