Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered how abscisic acid, a natural plant hormone with known beneficial properties for the treatment of disease, helps fight inflammation. The results (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/210882970), which are published in the November 2010 Journal of Biological Chemistry, reveal important new drug targets for the development of treatments for inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases. The scientists had reported some of the key molecular events in the immune system of mice that contribute to ...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A benchtop version of the world's smallest battery — its anode a single nanowire one seven-thousandth the thickness of a human hair —has been created by a team led by Sandia National Laboratories researcher Jianyu Huang. To better study the anode's characteristics, the tiny rechargeable, lithium-based battery was formed inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), a Department of Energy research facility jointly operated by Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories. Says Huang of the work, ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Using lasers to contain some ultra-chilled atoms, a team of scientists has measured the viscosity or stickiness of a gas often considered to be the sixth state of matter. The measurements verify that this gas can be used as a "scale model" of exotic matter, such as super-high temperature superconductors, the nuclear matter of neutron stars, and even the state of matter created microseconds after the Big Bang. The results may also allow experimental tests of string theory in the future. Duke physicist John Thomas made the viscosity measurements using an ...

Despite a 30-year warming trend, the last three years in the Bering Sea have been the coldest on record. A University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist says that the cold temperatures have helped produce larger zooplankton in the Bering Sea, which may affect the way Walleye pollock feed. Alexei Pinchuk, research professional at the UAF Seward Marine Center, has spent the last three years gathering zooplankton samples in the Bering Sea. He and his colleagues have been looking at how changes in temperature in the Bering Sea affect resident zooplankton and, in turn, how those ...

New research suggests that private industry and academic science pursue different goals with different consequences, but that the two can still be complementary. Over the past three decades, private funding and collaboration in university-based research has risen steadily. That has led to concerns about the independence and integrity of public science. However, University of Chicago sociologist James Evans finds that industry can advance academic science by shaking up its conservative nature and encouraging novel discovery. Evans's research, released today in the American ...

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 9, 2010 -- A quicker and cheaper technique to scan molecular databases developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could put scientists on the fast track to developing new drug treatments. A team led by Jerome Baudry of the University of Tennessee-ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics adapted a widely used existing software to allow supercomputers such as ORNL's Jaguar to sift through immense molecular databases and pinpoint chemical compounds as potential drug candidates. The research was published in the Journal of ...

Used in the proper amounts, it can make teeth stronger and aid in the treatment of osteoporosis. When excessive amounts are consumed, however, it can be a killer — a carcinogen that causes bone, lung and bladder cancers. The "it" is fluoride, a common additive in most American communities' drinking water and an ingredient in the vast majority of commercially produced adult toothpastes. Determining the level of fluoride, be it in water, consumer products or the human body, is an important and attractive challenge for scientists. To address that, a Florida State University ...

A collaborative, government-led effort to guide and standardize diagnosis, treatment and management of food allergies has resulted in the release of an official set of recommendations for physicians. The guidelines are being published online this week by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI), and available online at www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodallergy/clinical/Pages/default.aspx. They were developed by the National Institutes of Health and leading researchers and clinicians, professional and patient advocacy organizations, and the American Academy of ...

Shootings like the one in which a gunman shot a doctor and killed a patient at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in September are "exceedingly rare," but the rate of other assaults on workers in U.S. health care settings is four times higher than other workplaces, conclude two Johns Hopkins emergency physicians after reviewing workplace violence in health settings. The rate of assault in all private-sector industries in the United States is two per 10,000, compared to eight per 10,000 at health care workplaces, note Gabor D. Kelen, M.D., and Christina L. Catlett, M.D., in a ...

Using buprenorphine instead of methadone — the current standard of care — to treat opioid-dependent pregnant women may result in healthier babies, suggests new findings from an international team led by Johns Hopkins researchers and published in the Dec. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Babies born to mothers taking buprenorphine instead of methadone to counter heroin and/or prescription opioid addiction were likely to need less morphine to deal with drug withdrawal symptoms, spent half as much time in the hospital after delivery and recovered from neonatal ...

Johns Hopkins scientists have identified a previously unrecognized step in the activation of infection-fighting white blood cells, the main immunity troops in the body's war on bacteria, viruses and foreign proteins. "It's as if we knew many of the generals, colonels and majors and now we have discovered a new officer that helps the troops carry out the right battle plan," says Joel Pomerantz, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Biological Chemistry in the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences and member of the Institute for Cell Engineering at Johns Hopkins. The discovery, ...

A myriad of inputs can indicate a body's health bombard pancreatic beta cells continuously, and these cells must consider all signals and "decide" when and how much insulin to release to maintain balance in blood sugar, for example. Reporting in Nature Chemical Biology last month, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have teased out how these cells interpret incoming signals and find that three proteins relay signals similar to an electrical circuit. "Pancreatic beta cells are influenced by hormonal, metabolic and electrical signals and something ...

Using a new gene sequencing method, a team of researchers led by scientists from Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health has discovered a gene that appears to cause some instances of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The finding could lead to novel ways to treat the more common form of this fatal neurodegenerative disease, which kills the vast majority of the nearly 6,000 Americans diagnosed with ALS every year. Researchers don't know exactly what causes ALS, which destroys the motor neurons that control the movement of all the body's muscles, ...

Whether in a hurricane, tornado, or bomb attack, a leading cause of injury and death is often fast-flying shards of glass. Explosions and high winds can cause windows in buildings to shatter-spewing jagged pieces of glass in every direction. A Pentagon report on the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, for example, noted: Two of the 19 deceased had injuries know to be caused by glass fragments that were severe enough to cause death even without other contributing forces. Of the remaining 17 deceased, 10 had glass injuries that were significant and which may ...

Although presidents at some U.S. colleges have argued that lowering the minimum legal drinking age could help curb binge drinking on campuses, a new study in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs suggests such a measure would be ineffective. In 2008, a group of college presidents and chancellors formed the Amethyst Initiative, a call to rethink the current minimum legal drinking age of 21. They argue that the law encourages underage college students to drink at parties, where binge drinking is common. The main argument states that if students ...

The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in April this year resulted in a giant ash cloud, which – at one point covering most of Europe – brought international aviation to a temporary standstill, resulting in travel chaos for tens of thousands. New research, to be published today, Friday 10 December, in IOP Publishing's Environmental Research Letters, shows that lightning could be used as part of an integrated approach to estimate volcanic plume properties. The scientists found that during many of the periods of significant volcanic activity, the ash plume ...

Diane Marino, talented US jazz artist known in Europe Take an accomplished singer, a talented pianist, and experienced arranger, combine them, and you get the dynamic and dazzling artist known as Diane Marino. She combines solos that are sophisticated and elegant with expressive vocal pieces. With a warm and clear voice, Diana Marino reflects emotion in the simplicity of her vocal expression. Her albums combine "standards" with impressive versions of the bossa nova and samba, sung in Portuguese. Diane Marino offers us an "interpretation" in the truest sense and a ...

The estimated cost of damage as a result of the flash floods and blizzards that have swept across the UK during November is GBP1.1 million and rising according to Santander Insurance. According to research from the bank the average cost of damage from weather related damage is costing the UK, on average, GBP36,670 a day in claims. With extreme weather conditions becoming a regular feature of the UK weather pattern Santander Insurance advises people to be ever more prepared for the worst. Santander Insurance storm, snow and flood advice: - Keep all insurance and ...

From The Desk of Love Psychic DJ Ownbey: Mercury goes retrograde December 10, 2010 to December 29, 2010. What is Mercury Retrograde? It is when the planet mercury reverses it course and travels backwards. What are the potential effects of mercury retrograde? 1. Miscommunications 2. Arguments 3. Mix ups 4. Having to do things over again 5. Lost luggage 6. Minor traffic accidents 7. Car problems 8. Traffic tickets 9. Computer/electronic device malfunctions Is mercury retrograde good for anything? Yes, actually it is a very good time for planning, ...

Corcentric, a leading provider of Accounts Payable automation solutions, today announced a new live Webinar: Implementing AP Automation: Learn What Your CFO May Be Thinking. This one-hour Webinar will take place on Wednesday, December 15th at 2:00 PM EST. Rob DeVincent, Vice President of Product Marketing for Corcentric, is the Webinar's featured speaker. He will discuss the following topics, which can help build the case for convincing your CFO to automate the invoice processes: - Why you'll need more than ROI to get your CFO's attention - What is a CFO's Evaluation ...

Knightvest Capital, a growing real estate investment firm targeting distressed multi-family properties in Texas, today announced the acquisition of a 370-unit multi-family property in north Dallas. The property, known as Copper Creek Apartments, is located in close proximity to the corner of Interstates 75 and 635. The investment firm acquired the property out of foreclosure and are planning significant renovations. "We were able to acquire Copper Creek "off market" at a reasonable discount due to the depressed financial markets and lack of refinance options by ...

Phyzios, Inc. announced a successful closure of USD 5.6 million* series B funding from a consortium of leading Japanese venture capital firms including Globis Capital Partners, Daiwa Corporate Investment Co., Ltd., Mizuho Capital Co., Ltd., and NISSAY CAPITAL Co., Ltd. and the University of Tokyo Edge Capital (UTEC). Phyzios plans to use this capital to advance the company's multi-platform strategy by enhancing collaboration with business partners and strengthening the team in order to accelerate product development in the growing smartphone and tablet device markets worldwide. ...

Amazing Books releases MY FIRST TRIP TO WASHINGTON DC 3D, a First of a Kind, animated and Interactive 3D children's eBook App. About My First Trip to Washington DC 3D: Join the LIL' TRAVELERS, HANNA, TOMMY and ARTHUR as they take a wondrous vacation in Washington DC over the Fourth of July holiday. The first in Amazing Books new LIL' TRAVELER series, "My FIRST TRIP TO WASHINGTON DC 3D" is designed for children 3+, is 43 pages in length and packed with fun facts and amazing animation. Trip highlights include: The US capitol, the Supreme Court, the Smithsonian Air ...

Nitric oxide is a toxic pollutant, but the human body also creates it and uses it to attack invading microbes and parasites. A new study by researchers at UC Davis, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) shows how nitric oxide, attacks an important group of proteins critical to cell survival. A paper describing the work was published Dec. 6 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. "This information can be used to learn more about possible treatments for nitric oxide toxicity and to help design ...

Medical researchers have found a missing link that explains the interaction between brain state and the neural triggers responsible for learning, potentially opening up new ways of boosting cognitive function in the face of diseases such as Alzheimer's as well as enhancing memory in healthy people. Much is known about the neural processes that occur during learning but until now it has not been clear why it occurs during certain brain states but not others. Now researchers from the University of Bristol have been able to study, in isolation, the specific neurotransmitter ...