This release is available in Spanish. Ranchers in the central Great Plains may be using some of their winter downtime in the future to rehearse the upcoming production season, all from the warmth of their homes, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil scientists. The ranchers would use the GPFARM (Great Plains Framework for Agricultural Resource Management)-Range computer model to see which cattle or sheep stocking rate scenarios are sustainable. Soil scientists Gale Dunn and Laj Ahuja with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are testing the model ...

Protein aggregation, generally associated with Alzheimer's and mad cow disease, turns out to play a significant role in cancer. In a paper published in Nature Chemical Biology, Frederic Rousseau and Joost Schymkowitz of VIB, K.U.Leuven and Vrije Universiteit Brussel describe that certain mutations of p53, an important tumor suppressor, cause the protein to misfold in a way that the proteins start to aggregate. This not only disrupts the protective function of normal p53, but of other related proteins as well. p53 plays a central role in protection against cancer In ...

British Airways started new flights to Marrakech from London Gatwick on March 27, 2011 in direct competition with low cost carriers. The airline announced its new flights to Marrakech last November at the World Travel Market at ExCel in London. Richard Tams, head of UK and Ireland sales and marketing, said at the time: "British Airways offers a real alternative to discerning travellers to Morocco. Unlike the low cost carriers, we offer fantastic all-inclusive fares with no stealth extras. The benefits you get on BA at no extra charge include a generous baggage allowance, ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A Harvard bioengineer and an MIT aeronautical engineer have created a new device that can detect single cancer cells in a blood sample, potentially allowing doctors to quickly determine whether cancer has spread from its original site. The microfluidic device, described in the March 17 online edition of the journal Small, is about the size of a dime, and could also detect viruses such as HIV. It could eventually be developed into low-cost tests for doctors to use in developing countries where expensive diagnostic equipment is hard to come by, says ...

EUGENE, Ore. -- (March 29, 2011) -- New research from the University of Oregon concludes that even brief training can help people learn how to be more supportive when friends and family members disclose traumatic events and other experiences of mistreatment. "The Impact of Skills Training on Responses to the Disclosure of Mistreatment," by Melissa Ming Foynes and Jennifer J. Freyd was published in the inaugural issue of the new American Psychological Association journal, Psychology of Violence. The study examined the effectiveness of skills training to enhance supportive ...

WASHINGTON—A new study has revealed widespread reductions in the greenness of Amazon forests caused by the last year's record-breaking drought. "The greenness levels of Amazonian vegetation -- a measure of its health -- decreased dramatically over an area more than three and one-half times the size of Texas and did not recover to normal levels, even after the drought ended in late October 2010," says Liang Xu of Boston University and the study's lead author. The drought sensitivity of Amazon rainforests is a subject of intense study. Computer models predict that in ...

Superlenses earned their superlative by being able to capture the "evanescent" light waves that blossom close to an illuminated surface and never travel far enough to be "seen" by a conventional lens. Superlenses hold enormous potential in a range of applications, depending upon the form of light they capture, but their use has been limited because most have been made from elaborate artificial constructs known as metamaterials. The unique optical properties of metamaterials, which include the ability to bend light backwards - a property known as negative refraction - arise ...

Durham, NC —The most toxic, brightly colored members of the poison frog family may also be the best athletes, says a new study. So-named because some tribes use their skin secretions to poison their darts, the poison dart frogs of the Amazon jungle are well known for their bitter taste and beautiful colors. The spectacular hues of these forest frogs serve to broadcast their built-in chemical weapons: skin secretions containing nasty toxins called alkaloids. Like the red, yellow and black bands on a coral snake or the yellow stripes on a wasp, their contrasting color ...

Digital marketing company bigmouthmedia has been shortlisted by judges for the award of Best Agency in recognition of the innovative and dynamic approach taken to campaigns by the Performance Marketing team on behalf of clients. Nomination in such a highly competitive category in the a4u Awards 2011, alongside industry heavyweights including 7thingsmedia, Arena Quantum and Stream 20, is sound acknowledgment of bigmouthmedia's position at the forefront of performance marketing. Bigmouthmedia's performance marketing team delivers for its clients successful campaigns integrated ...

Newest Hockey Recruiting and Hockey Scouting Service redefines old methods. When Jerry Maguire pleaded "Help Me, Help You!" no one had any idea this phrase would resonate from football to hockey. But it has through an innovative online hockey recruiting and hockey scouting service called PuckProspect.com where hockey players are taking full advantage by helping themselves get noticed. The concept of hockey players marketing themselves is relatively new compared to the old hockey recruiting and hockey scouting models. PuckProspect.com lets hockey players work smarter ...

Stanford researchers have developed a battery that takes advantage of the difference in salinity between freshwater and seawater to produce electricity. Anywhere freshwater enters the sea, such as river mouths or estuaries, could be potential sites for a power plant using such a battery, said Yi Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering, who led the research team. The theoretical limiting factor, he said, is the amount of freshwater available. "We actually have an infinite amount of ocean water; unfortunately we don't have an infinite amount of freshwater," ...

The Millennium Suite, shared by both Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick and Copthorne Hotel Effingham Gatwick has recently undergone a soft refurbishment. Occupying approximately 1,126 square metres with a maximum capacity of 650 guests, the Millennium Suite is undoubtedly one of the largest meetings and event venues in the area and an ideal option if you're looking for hotels near Gatwick airport. Featuring a new beige patterned carpet and curtains in a neutral shade of beige to lighten the venue's space, the modern Millennium Suite ensures that events can accommodate any ...

Members of California's aging lesbian, gay and bisexual population are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, even as they wrestle with the challenges of living alone in far higher numbers than the heterosexual population, according to new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Half of all gay and bisexual adult men in California between the ages of 50 and 70 are living alone, compared with 13.4 percent of heterosexual men in the same age group. And although older California lesbians and bisexual women are more likely to live with ...

Too much choice can be a bad thing—not just for the individual, but for society. Thinking about choices makes people less sympathetic to others and less likely to support policies that help people, according to a study published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In the U.S., important policy debates are often framed in terms of choice, such as whether people get to choose their own healthcare plan and a school for their children. "When Hurricane Katrina happened, people asked, why did those people choose ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. - More than 40 percent of Americans have at least one step relative, according to a recent Pew Center study. Relationships between stepchildren and stepparents can be complicated, especially for children. University of Missouri experts have found that stepchildren relate with stepparents based on the stepparents' treatment of them and their evaluations, or judgments, of the stepparents' behaviors. "It takes both parties – children and adults – to build positive relationships in stepfamilies," said Larry Ganong, professor in the Department of Human Development ...

Innodep Inc., www.innodep.com, is a software development company focusing on IP Video Management Solution (VMS) & software H.264 Codec for security applications, under the brand name TYBIS and InnoCodec. Innodep today extended an open invitation to customers and interested parties to visit the Innodep booth #2051 at the ISC West2011 show in Las Vegas, NV, USA where industry professionals can see the latest IP VMS solution and H.264 Encoder and Decoder codecs for video surveillance. Innodep will be exhibiting together with Igloo Security, www.igloosec.com, a leader in integrated ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Women's appreciation of their bodies is only indirectly connected to their body mass index (BMI), a common health measure of weight relative to height, according to recent research. The most powerful influence on women's appreciation of their bodies is how they believe important others view them, the study suggests. On the flip side, the more women are able to focus on the inner workings of their body – or how their bodies function and feel – rather than how they appear to others, the more they will appreciate their own bodies. And the more a woman ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A study at Michigan State University has revealed a potential new way for plants to fend off pests – starvation. Gregg Howe, biochemistry and molecular biology professor, cites that this defense mechanism is just one example of a veritable evolutionary arms race between plants and herbivores. Howe, in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers insights to understanding the chemical weaponry of this war, which could lead to new approaches to protect crops. All plants produce the enzyme threonine deaminase, ...

A registered Republican that voted for President Barack Obama announces the launch of www.ObamaEndYourWar.com. The nonpartisan website is dedicated to ending the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. Americans are urged to drive with their headlights on during the day to illuminate a bright pathway for President Obama to find his way out of Afghanistan. ObamaEndYourWar.com will serve to focus public attention on the 10 year old war. The call to action, driving with your headlights on during the day, gives Americans a simple method to express their opposition to ...

Travelers can immerse themselves in a blend of art and nature at the 10th Annual Mohican Wildlife Weekend, sponsored by Gander Mountain and held April 29-May 1, 2011. This unique celebration of wildlife habitat, heritage and natural history features six program sites throughout North Central Ohio's Ashland and Richland Counties. Each site will offer workshops and demonstrations designed to interest beginners and experienced naturalists alike. This fun and educational event-packed weekend is ideal for kids of all ages and perfect for the entire family. Program sites include: ...

DALLAS – March 29, 2011 – A retrospective study of women who became pregnant while using intrauterine devices shows that more than half of the IUDs were malpositioned. Though the displacement may have occurred over time, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher suggests that routine sonograms after IUD placement would in the least confirm proper initial positioning. "Gynecologists typically do a pelvic and speculum exam after placing an IUD, but there's no sonogram involved," said Dr. Elysia Moschos, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and lead author ...

A new study by Rochester Institute of Technology is one of the first to analyze how new-media technology, including the Internet and smartphones, are changing college students' eating habits and their relationship to food. Findings indicate that individuals are more likely to have meals while sitting at the computer than at the kitchen table, and that they use social media as the main avenue to obtain recipe and nutritional information. "I sought to investigate how the explosion of new media is changing traditional notions of meals and how this is transforming human interaction," ...

Columbus is home to the nation's No. 1 zoo and the No. 1 science center in America, making it the perfect place for unforgettable family fun this summer. Just in time for spring and summer travel, Experience Columbus today launched its Roar and Explore Adventure Getaway, featuring both of these top-ranked experiences and packed with family fun. This affordable package allows guests to experience a trio of top Columbus adventures at a surprisingly low cost. Families can book their Roar and Explore Adventure Getaway online at www.ColumbusFamilyFun.com or by calling (888) ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- For more than 5 million Americans with heart failure, a critical step to better health is taking the medications they're prescribed. But many patients fail to do so, putting themselves at greater risk of hospitalization and even death. To date, studies have not fully answered why patients fall short when it comes to taking heart medicine. In a study appearing in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic researchers found the drugs' cost is one of the biggest deterrents. "We found patients weren't filling their prescriptions because ...

RENO, Nev. – A new air-quality measuring instrument invented by Pat Arnott and Ian Arnold of the University of Nevada, Reno that is more economical, more portable and more accurate than older technologies has been licensed for commercial development by Droplet Measurement Technologies of Boulder, Colo. Arnott, a physics professor in the University's College of Science, had perhaps lugged his heavy pieces of equipment one too many times through airports to faraway places to examine airborne particles. Now, his and Arnold's latest invention has reduced the laser-equipped ...