The More Frequently You Log On, the More Weight You Can Keep Off

PORTLAND, Ore., July 27 /PRNewswire/ — The more people used an interactive weight management website, the more weight loss they maintained, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study published online today in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

The National Institutes of Health-funded study evaluated an Internet-based weight maintenance intervention involving 348 participants. Consistent website users who logged on and recorded their weight at least once a month for two-and-a-half years maintained the most weight loss, the study found.

“Consistency and accountability are essential in any weight maintenance program. The unique part of this intervention was that it was available on the Internet, whenever and wherever people wanted to use it,” said study lead author Kristine L. Funk, MS, RD, a researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore.

“This study shows that if people use quality weight management websites consistently, and if they stick with their program, they are more likely to keep their weight off,” said study co-author Victor J. Stevens, PhD, senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. “Keeping weight off is even more difficult than losing it in the first place, so the fact that so many people (in the study) were able to maintain a good portion of their weight loss is very encouraging.”

This weight maintenance intervention was part of the Weight Loss Maintenance Trial, one of the largest and longest-running weight maintenance trials ever conducted – lasting three years and including more than 1,600 people at four study sites across the United States. To enroll in the trial, participants had to be overweight or obese based on their Body Mass Index and taking medication for high blood pressure or high cholesterol. For the first six months, participants attempted to lose weight by attending weekly group meetings at which they were weighed, encouraged to keep food diaries, and given extensive information about exercise and healthy eating.

Participants had to lose at least nine pounds to remain in the trial for the weight loss maintenance phase, which lasted an additional two-and-a-half years and included three groups of randomized participants: those with no intervention, those who had monthly contact with a personal health coach, and those given unlimited access to a weight-maintenance website created specifically for the trial.

The Internet group included 348 participants who were encouraged to log in at least once a week. If they didn’t, they received e-mail reminders and follow-up automated phone messages. Once on the website, participants were prompted to record their weight, their minutes of exercise, and the number of days they kept food diaries. If they went longer than seven days without recording their weight other parts of the website were disabled until the weight was recorded. The website included an interactive bulletin board on which participants could talk with others involved in the study and pose questions to nutrition and exercise experts.

During the first six months of the trial, while they were attending group sessions and before they had access to the website, participants who ended up in the Internet group had lost an average of 19 pounds. Once they were given website access, their objective was to keep off as much of that weight as possible. Consistent users who logged in and recorded their weight at least once a month for 24 months maintained the greatest weight loss – keeping off an average of nine of the 19 pounds they’d lost during the initial phase of the trial. Those who logged on less consistently – at least once a month for 14 months – kept off an average of five pounds. Those who logged on even less kept off an average of only three pounds of their original weight loss.

At the end of the study, 65 percent of the participants were still logging on to the website. The study authors were encouraged by this level of participation, noting that it is rare to see that kind of commitment – even in shorter-term weight maintenance studies involving the Internet.

While the study website is no longer available, there are many useful weight management websites that people can access. The study authors advise consumers to look for sites that:

* Encourage accountability by asking users to consistently record weight, exercise and calories consumed
* Offer tailored or personalized information
* Have interactive features that allow users to communicate with each other and with nutrition and exercise experts
* Provide accurate health information.

View a PDF of the study website here:

http://www.kpchr.org/research/public/documents/MultimediaAppendix1.pdf

This study was funded by a grant from the National Health, Lung and Blood Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. Authors include Kristine L. Funk, MS, RD, Victor J. Stevens, PhD, Alan Bauck, Jack Hollis, PhD, and William M. Vollmer, PhD, from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore.; Lawrence J. Appel, MD, Janelle W. Coughlin, PhD, Arlene T. Dalcin, RD, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore; Phillip J. Brantley, PhD, Catherine M. Champagne, PhD, Betty M. Kennedy, PhD, and Valerie H. Myers, PhD, from Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.; Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD, RD, from the University of Vermont in Burlington; Gerald J. Jerome, PhD, from Towson University, Department of Kinesiology, Townson, Md.; and Lillian F. Lien, MD, Carmen D. Samuel-Hodge, PhD, and Laura Svetsky, MD, from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

About the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (http://www.kpchr.org)

Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research, founded in 1964, is a nonprofit research institution dedicated to advancing knowledge to improve health. It has research sites in Portland, Ore., Honolulu and Atlanta.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

http://www.kaiserpermanente.org

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Retail banks making less from customers

(Reuters) – Retail banks are making less profit on average from customers since the financial crisis as price-sensitive consumers shop around and become more demanding, according to a report released on Monday.

The study by consultancy Accenture found that nearly half of top global retail banks had seen the average profit from customers fall between 5 and 15 percent. A further 11 percent said they had seen bigger declines.

Of the 46 executives interviewed for the study, more than half said customer loyalty had decreased. Most expected the lack of customer loyalty to continue in the long term.

“Consumers (are) more skeptical of their bank brands, more price conscious, and more willing to move away from institutions that provide poor service,” said co-author Noel Gordon, global managing director of Accenture’s banking industry practice.

“For the banks, traditional profit-recovery strategies — rate and fee increases, conventional cross-selling and organic growth — will not readily fix the problem,” he said.

(Reporting by Kenneth Grierson, editing by Will Waterman)

Retail banks making less from customers -study

July 19 (Reuters) – Retail banks are making less profit on average from customers since the financial crisis as price-sensitive consumers shop around and become more demanding, according to a report released on Monday.

The study by consultancy Accenture found that nearly half of top global retail banks had seen the average profit from customers fall between 5 and 15 percent. A further 11 percent said they had seen bigger declines.

Of the 46 executives interviewed for the study, more than half said customer loyalty had decreased. Most expected the lack of customer loyalty to continue in the long term.

“Consumers (are) more sceptical of their bank brands, more price conscious, and more willing to move away from institutions that provide poor service,” said co-author Noel Gordon, global managing director of Accenture’s banking industry practice.

“For the banks, traditional profit-recovery strategies — rate and fee increases, conventional cross-selling and organic growth — will not readily fix the problem,” he said. (Reporting by Kenneth Grierson, editing by Will Waterman)

2009′s ‘Great Recession’ Slashed Carbon Market in Half Climate

The value of the voluntary carbon market shrunk 47 percent to $387 million in 2009 as the recession shrank the amount of offsets purchased for corporate social responsibility purposes.

Transactions for the year equaled 94 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reductions, a 26 percent decline from 2008, despite growth in emissions reductions bought for pre-compliance purposes, according to the State of the Voluntary Carbon Market Report 2010. The fourth annual report, to be released Monday, was produced by Ecosystem Marketplace and Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

“The economic recession had a marked impact on the part of the market primarily concerned with buying credits to offset emissions of companies and individuals,” Milo Sjardin, Bloomberg New Energy Finance Director and report co-author, said in a statement. “In contrast, expectations of a possible U.S. carbon trading program lifted the importance of the U.S., which figured as the largest buyer and seller in the market and the most popular transactions were those that could count towards future compliance. However, with the current state of play of U.S. politics this situation is likely to be very different this year.”

The average cost for an emissions reduction was $6.50 per ton of CO2-equivalent. Projects that destroy potent methane proved to be the most popular, comprising 41 percent of all voluntary transactions, followed by forestry at 24 percent, and renewable energy projects, at 17 percent.

About 56 percent of emissions reductions originated in projects in the U.S., followed by Latin America and Asia. The U.S. accounted for 49 percent of voluntary offset demand.

The use of independent, third-party registries to track ownership of emissions reductions nearly doubled, mostly caused by the roll-out of the Voluntary Carbon Standard’s meta-registry, which uses multiple registries across several regions.

The authors warn that figures in the report are likely conservative because of the inherent challenges in trying to inventory and collect data. More than 200 offset suppliers, exchanges and registries voluntary reported the data used in the report.

Image CC licensed by Flickr user nemesisnom.

Compound that leaves its traces in smoker’s breath for 72 hours found

Washington, May 21 (ANI): A team of Catalan researchers has discovered the presence of a compound called 2,5-dimethylfuran, which lingers in a smoker’s breath for 3 days.

This substance does not appear in the breath of non-smokers, unless they have been in direct contact with tobacco smoke for a long time. However, it may be detected in a passive smoker if he or she has been in direct contact with smoke for a long time.

“2,5-dimethylfuran cannot be detected in breath samples of non-smokers, meaning that the only way to know if a person has smoked in the last 72 hours is to use its qualitative determination”, Juan Manuel Sánchez, researcher with the Chemistry Department of the University of Girona (UdG) and co-author of the study, reports to SINC.

“Benzene, which is sometimes appears in the bibliography, is only useful when tobacco consumption is relatively high and in short periods –between 1 and 2 hours– after having smoked a cigarette, which means it is of no use from a practical point of view”, explains Sánchez.

To prove their theory, the researchers collected breath samples of 100 smokers and 104 non-smokers, who were first asked to answer a questionnaire on their habits.

The results confirm that the presence of 2,5-dimethylfuran is associated with the act of smoking.

The study appears in the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. (ANI)

Fathers experience prenatal, postpartum depression too

Washington, May 19 (ANI): A an analysis of previous research has revealed that about 10 percent of fathers experience prenatal or postpartum depression, with rates being highest in the 3 to 6 month postpartum period.

Maternal prenatal and postpartum depression is a well accepted phenomena, but the prevalence, risk factors and effects of depression among new fathers is not well understood, and has received little attention from researchers and clinicians, according to background information in the article.

James F. Paulson, of the East­ern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Va., and co-author Sharnail D. Bazemore, M.S., of the East­ern Virginia Medical School conducted a study that documented depression in fathers between the first trimester and the first postpartum year, and identified 43 studies involving 28,004 participants for inclusion in the analysis.

They found that the overall estimate of paternal depression was 10.4 percent, and that there was considerable variability between different time periods, with the 3- to 6-month postpartum period showing the highest rate (25.6 percent) and the first 3 postpartum months showing the lowest rate (7.7 percent).

They also found higher rates of prenatal and postpartum depression reported in the United States (14.1 percent vs. 8.2 percent internationally).

The study suggests that not only does early paternal depression have substantial emotional, behavioural, and developmental effects on children, but also that depression in one parent should prompt clinical attention to the other.

“Future research in this area should focus on parents together to examine the onset and joint course of depres­sion in new parents. This may in­crease our capacity for early identification of parental depression, add leverage for prevention and treat­ment, and increase the understanding of how parental depression conveys risk to infants and young children.”

The study appears in the May 19 issue of JAMA. (ANI)

Scientists identify 3 new monitor lizards from Philippines

Washington, May 18 (ANI): Scientists have discovered two new monitor lizard species and one new subspecies in the Philippines.

German scientist Andre Koch from the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn together with his supervisor Dr. Wolfgang Boehme and another colleague have described species in Zootaxa, the world”s foremost journal for taxonomic zoology.

“After the spectacular discovery of several new monitor lizards from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi three years ago, our results now illustrate that the diversity of water monitor lizards in the Philippines has also been largely underestimated,” said Koch.

Co-author Dr Maren Gaulke, an expert for Philippine reptiles, particularly monitor lizards, has been studying the biology of these impressive giant reptiles for 25 years.

“Monitor lizards are fantastic creatures. They are agile, powerful, and the most intelligent lizards of the world,” Gaulke said.

The three new Philippine monitors were identified based on examination of numerous preserved voucher specimens in various major European natural history museums, in combination with long-term studies in the field. (ANI)

Conceiving babies naturally may be a dying art

London, May 16 (ANI): Conceiving babies using IVF rather than naturally could soon become rife among couples who have delayed having children until their late thirties or forties, perhaps to pursue a career, say scientists.

A new report says that advances in IVF technology mean it will be possible to produce embryos with a success rate of virtually 100 percent and cultivate them in computer-controlled storage facilities.

The couples may routinely go for IVF rather than sex to reproduce, giving themselves a better chance of conceiving through IVF than young adults in peak condition, who have only a one-in-four chance a month of conceiving naturally, according to the report.

Among over-35s, the chance of natural conception falls to less than one in 10. Modern fertility techniques have meant the healthiest couples already have a 50:50 chance of success using IVF, but the authors of the report say this is just the beginning.

They point to rapid advances in artificial reproduction for farm animals, which have led to a near-100 percent success rate in the production of cattle embryos and claim the technology could easily be adapted for humans.

“We are not quite at that stage yet, but it’s where we’re heading. Natural human reproduction is at best a fairly inefficient process. Within the next five to 10 years, couples approaching 40 will access the IVF industry first when they want to have a baby,” The Times quoted John Yovich, a co-author of the report, as saying.

The report has been published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online. (ANI)

Women derive double benefit from heart failure device than men

Washington, May 14 (ANI): Women show better results than men with device therapy to prevent the progression of mild heart failure, according to a study.

Women with mild heart disease who had a cardiac resynchronization device combined with a defibrillator (CRT-D) implanted had a 70 percent reduction in heart failure alone and a 72 percent reduction in death from any cause.

Men received some benefit from the therapy, but not the out-of-the-park results seen in women.

“This is the first study in which a heart failure therapy has proven more effective in women than in men,” said cardiologist Dr. Arthur Moss, professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center and lead author of the study.

Researchers found that females receiving CRT-D therapy to prevent heart failure progression had significantly better outcomes than males receiving the therapy.

Reduction of heart failure in females was twice that of males – 70 percent versus 35 percent.

While women saw a significant 72 percent reduction in death from any cause, there was no evident reduction in men.

This gender-based analysis comes less than two months after an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that the device, which is developed by Boston Scientific, be approved for use in patients with mild heart failure.

The device is already approved to treat patients with severe heart failure.

If approved for the new prevention of heart failure indication, nearly 4 million more Americans could be candidates for treatment with the CRT-D.

“Anecdotally, we know that women are offered devices to treat heart failure less often than men. We”re hopeful that these results will change the mindset of physicians and that they will apply this type of therapy as indicated in women as well as in men,” said Dr. Wojciech Zareba, co-author of the study.

In women with mild heart failure, CRT-D therapy effectively prevented deterioration of the heart, otherwise known as cardiac remodelling.

The study was presented at the Heart Rhythm Society”s 31st Annual Scientific Sessions. (ANI)

Changing thoughts ‘can help cure severe depression’

Washington, May 13 (ANI): A study has revealed that moderate to severely depressed clients showed greater improvement in cognitive therapy when therapists emphasized changing how they thought rather than how they behaved.

The results suggest use of cognitive techniques to break out of negative thought patterns and to see events in their lives more realistically.

An attempt to change behaviour, such as getting the patient to get out of the house, and tracking how they spent their time was not very helpful.

“There has been a lot of attention recently on behavioural approaches to treating severe depression, and that may lead some people to suspect that cognitive techniques are not important for more severely depressed patients,” said Daniel Strunk, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

“But our results suggest that it was the cognitive strategies that actually helped patients improve the most during the first critical weeks of cognitive-behavioural therapy.”

The study involved 60 patients who were diagnosed with major depression and who were being treated at two university clinics.

All the patients were being treated by one of six cognitive therapists and agreed to have their therapy sessions videotaped for study.

The tapes showed that that depression scores improved significantly when their therapists focused on cognitive techniques, but didn’t change when their therapists focused on behavioural techniques.

Patients improved more when they collaborated with their therapists about a plan for treatment and followed that plan.

“We’re trying to understand if cognitive therapy leads people to a profound change in their basic self view, or if it teaches them a set of skills that they have to continually practice over time,” Strunk said.

Their results appear online in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy and will appear in a later print edition. (ANI)

Teen girls disclose more than boys to parents about their dating habits

Washington, May 7 (ANI): Teenage girls talk more to parents about their dating habits than boys, according to a new study.

What’s more, both sexes generally prefer to talk to their mothers.

However, the new study found that girls and boys are equally close-mouthed about issues involving sex and what they do with their dates while unsupervised. And in this case, teens were no more eager to talk to their mothers than they were their fathers.

Results showed that the amount of information parents hear from their teenagers about dating depend on a variety of matters, including age, gender, and what aspect of dating the topic involves.

“Many parents become frustrated because they feel that the lack of communication with their teenage children is evidence of increasing distance or diminishing influence,” explained Christopher Daddis, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University at Marion.

“What we found is that adolescents are willing to talk to their parents about some issues, but those issues may change as they grow older and they feel more autonomous.”

The research appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescence.

The study involved a survey of 222 adolescents in the 9th or 12th grade at a central Ohio high school. (ANI)

Business Leaders Are More Resigned to a Turbulent Economic Future Than They Were at the Height of the Economic Crisis,

BOSTON, MA, May 05 (MARKET WIRE) —
Top executives at large companies around the world anticipate rough going
for the foreseeable future and voice less optimism than they did this
time last year, according to a new survey of 440 executives in seven
major economies, published today by The Boston Consulting Group.

In its third survey of executives during the crisis — following surveys
conducted in September and March 2009 — BCG found that half of
respondents expect an L-shaped recovery — that is, a slow and difficult
one. This is a significantly higher percentage than in March 2009, when
only 17 percent were so pessimistic. It also runs counter to the
prevailing view, which is suggested by stock market movements and
investor behavior indicating that “the crisis is behind us.”

The survey — published in In the Eye of the Storm: Ignore Short-Term
Indicators, Focus on the Long Haul, the latest in BCG’s Collateral Damage
series of reports on the global economic crisis — found that the
corporate mood is even gloomier in some countries. In Spain, 64 percent
expect an L-shaped recovery, in Italy, 57 percent expect such a recovery,
while in France, the figure is 52 percent. The Japanese are the most
pessimistic, with 72 percent expecting an L-shaped recovery.

“The somewhat fatalistic views of these global executives corroborate our
perspective that one shouldn’t be overly influenced by short-term
economic indicators. For the West, at least, once the stimulus effect
wears off, we should expect an anemic recovery — the sort of slow-growth
environment that will change the rules of the game for companies as they
seek to grow amid increased competitive intensity,” said BCG senior
partner David Rhodes, co-author of the new book Accelerating Out of the
Great Recession: How to Win in a Slow-Growth Economy (McGraw-Hill, 2010).

“Most developed economies, particularly the United States, face a
prolonged period of slower growth. The world view we’re hearing from
executives is hardly one conducive to job creation, investment, and risk
taking. Executives are, in fact, less enthusiastic about the economic
outlook than many of their governments,” said co-author and BCG senior
partner Daniel Stelter.

Profitability Is Expected to Fall Even Further, M&A Is Expected to
Increase, and Growth Will Be Harder to Achieve

Among the findings from the survey:

– Even after a rather dreadful 2009 — when 64 percent of respondents in
March expected profits to fall — 61 percent now think profitability
will continue to drop.

– Fully 60 percent of respondents expect increased consolidation in
their industry, compared with only 42 percent last year.

– A large majority — 69 percent — now believe growth will be harder to
achieve moving forward; only 56 percent expressed that view in 2009.

Executives Expect Even Less Now from Consumers Than They Did in 2009

Overall, respondents believe consumer attitudes have undergone a sea
change:

– The vast majority of executives — 79 percent — now expect an
increase in the savings rate in their country, which will translate
into less spending. Only 54 percent anticipated increased saving last
year.

– Even more — 89 percent — now anticipate increased consumer price
sensitivity, up from 71 percent in March 2009.

More Protectionism and a Shifting Global Order

“With the passing of a year, managers have become far more resigned to
the likelihood of significant changes to the global economic order. They
believe governments in developed countries will continue interventionist
policies — imposing more regulation and much more actively pursuing
changes in industrial policy. Nearly three-quarters see more negative
attitudes toward Western capitalism taking hold in their markets,” Rhodes
said.

– Among surveyed executives, 78 percent anticipate more trade
protectionism, up from 57 percent last year.

– In the latest survey, 73 percent of respondents expect a rebalancing
of global trade, compared with only 56 percent last year.

– A large majority — 82 percent — believe there will be more
regulation, up from 58 percent last year.

“The emergence of protectionist measures is reinforced by the
quandary in which many governments find themselves: having provided
massive stimulus, many are now heavily indebted — and lack financial
firepower for additional measures. Protectionism, however, does not
require any spending,” said Stelter.

Accordingly, 85 percent of managers believe that their companies are
likely to increase lobbying activities in the next two or three years.

Constraints on Management Are Expected as Well

As government involvement increases, executives see things changing for
management teams:

– Most surveyed executives — 60 percent — believe executive
compensation will be lower over the next five years. They also expect
that it will be more closely linked to long-term shareholder-value
creation and that a lower proportion of any bonuses will be paid in
cash.

– Among respondents, 77 percent believe risk management will become more
important than it is currently.

– And 70 percent of surveyed executives believe that nonexecutives will
play a more important role in setting and challenging company
strategy; will be more active in holding management accountable, and
will themselves need to have a greater technical understanding of the
business.

Companies Are Opting Out of Activities that Lay Groundwork for Growth

“With executives preparing for a more prolonged, anemic recovery –
characterized by greater trade problems, increased consumer price
sensitivity, and greater government interference — it is not surprising
that many companies are not building so aggressively for the future.
However, it is our view that the best companies are both strengthening
and rationalizing their core, preparing to ‘attack’ their competitors and
take advantage of others’ weaknesses in order to grow,” said Rhodes.

– Only about half of managers said that their companies are now
undertaking significant and concerted “attacking” options. By
contrast, two-thirds of market leaders are, in fact, beginning to
think more offensively; yet only about 44 percent of “middle-market”
companies — those typically with revenues of between $1 billion and
$10 billion — are doing so.

– When executives at market-leading companies were asked in which
categories they would be making significant efforts in 2010, only 41
percent said they are planning to increase R&D, only 35 percent
are planning to hire new talent, and less than 40 percent are thinking
of extending their geographic reach, expanding capacity, or exploring
acquisitions.

– Only about a quarter of respondents from middle-market companies are
planning to take any significant action in any of the categories
above.

Said Stelter, “Company executives are viewing the economic outlook
with more caution than the politicians are. But it’s important to
remember that those companies that act decisively can significantly
outperform even in the toughest of economic times.”

About the Survey

Survey results are based on an online questionnaire of 440 executives in
seven countries. All respondents represented companies with at least $1
billion in global revenues in 2009, from all industries except financial
services. The survey was commissioned by The Boston Consulting Group and
administered by Grail Research from February 25, 2010, to March 9, 2010.

About Accelerating Out of the Great Recession: How to Win in a
Slow-Growth Economy
For more about the book, published by McGraw-Hill
in 2010, see http://accelerating.bcg.com/.

About the Collateral Damage Series

The Boston Consulting Group’s Collateral Damage series by David Rhodes
and Daniel Stelter includes the following articles, which can be found
online at

http://www.bcg.com/expertise_impact/capabilities/managing_in_a_slow_growth_econo

y/collateral_damage.aspx.

Collateral Damage, Part 8: Preparing for a Two-Speed World–Accelerating
Out of the Great Recession, January 2010

Collateral Damage, Part 7: Green Shoots, False Positives, and What
Companies Can Learn from the Great Depression, June 2009

Collateral Damage, Part 6: Underestimating the Crisis, April 2009

Collateral Damage, Part 5: Confronting the New Realities of a World in
Crisis, March 2009

Collateral Damage, Part 4: Preparing for a Tough Year Ahead–The Outlook,
the Crisis in Perspective, and Lessons from the Early Movers, December
2008

Collateral Damage, Part 3: Asia, Advantage, and Action, November 2008

Collateral Damage, Part 2: Taking Robust Action in the Face of the
Growing Crisis, October 2008

Collateral Damage, Part 1: What the Crisis in the Credit Markets Means
for Everyone Else, October 2008

About the Authors

David Rhodes is a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group and
global leader of the firm’s Financial Institutions practice. Since
joining BCG in 1985, he has worked primarily on projects involving major
strategy and organizational change in large financial institutions,
advising clients in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the United
States.

Daniel Stelter is a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group and
global leader of the firm’s Corporate Development practice. He is also a
member of BCG’s Executive Committee. During his 20 years with BCG, he has
participated in and directed many projects throughout Europe with a focus
on corporate finance (including M&A, IPOs, due diligence, strategic
alliances, and joint ventures) and strategy (including portfolio strategy
and value management).

About The Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm
and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with
clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value
opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform
their businesses. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the
dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels
of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve
sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and
secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 69
offices in 40 countries. For more information, please visit www.bcg.com.

Contact:
The Boston Consulting Group
Eric Gregoire
Global Media Relations Manager

Tel +1 617 850 3783
Fax +1 617 850 3701
gregoire.eric@bcg.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Business Leaders Are More Resigned to a Turbulent Economic Future Than They Were at the Height of the Economic Crisis

BOSTON, MA, May 05 (MARKET WIRE) —
Top executives at large companies around the world anticipate rough going
for the foreseeable future and voice less optimism than they did this
time last year, according to a new survey of 440 executives in seven
major economies, published today by The Boston Consulting Group.

In its third survey of executives during the crisis — following surveys
conducted in September and March 2009 — BCG found that half of
respondents expect an L-shaped recovery — that is, a slow and difficult
one. This is a significantly higher percentage than in March 2009, when
only 17 percent were so pessimistic. It also runs counter to the
prevailing view, which is suggested by stock market movements and
investor behavior indicating that “the crisis is behind us.”

The survey — published in In the Eye of the Storm: Ignore Short-Term
Indicators, Focus on the Long Haul, the latest in BCG’s Collateral Damage
series of reports on the global economic crisis — found that the
corporate mood is even gloomier in some countries. In Spain, 64 percent
expect an L-shaped recovery, in Italy, 57 percent expect such a recovery,
while in France, the figure is 52 percent. The Japanese are the most
pessimistic, with 72 percent expecting an L-shaped recovery.

“The somewhat fatalistic views of these global executives corroborate our
perspective that one shouldn’t be overly influenced by short-term
economic indicators. For the West, at least, once the stimulus effect
wears off, we should expect an anemic recovery — the sort of slow-growth
environment that will change the rules of the game for companies as they
seek to grow amid increased competitive intensity,” said BCG senior
partner David Rhodes, co-author of the new book Accelerating Out of the
Great Recession: How to Win in a Slow-Growth Economy (McGraw-Hill, 2010).

“Most developed economies, particularly the United States, face a
prolonged period of slower growth. The world view we’re hearing from
executives is hardly one conducive to job creation, investment, and risk
taking. Executives are, in fact, less enthusiastic about the economic
outlook than many of their governments,” said co-author and BCG senior
partner Daniel Stelter.

Profitability Is Expected to Fall Even Further, M&A Is Expected to
Increase, and Growth Will Be Harder to Achieve

Among the findings from the survey:

– Even after a rather dreadful 2009 — when 64 percent of respondents in
March expected profits to fall — 61 percent now think profitability
will continue to drop.

– Fully 60 percent of respondents expect increased consolidation in
their industry, compared with only 42 percent last year.

– A large majority — 69 percent — now believe growth will be harder to
achieve moving forward; only 56 percent expressed that view in 2009.

Executives Expect Even Less Now from Consumers Than They Did in 2009

Overall, respondents believe consumer attitudes have undergone a sea
change:

– The vast majority of executives — 79 percent — now expect an
increase in the savings rate in their country, which will translate
into less spending. Only 54 percent anticipated increased saving last
year.

– Even more — 89 percent — now anticipate increased consumer price
sensitivity, up from 71 percent in March 2009.

More Protectionism and a Shifting Global Order

“With the passing of a year, managers have become far more resigned to
the likelihood of significant changes to the global economic order. They
believe governments in developed countries will continue interventionist
policies — imposing more regulation and much more actively pursuing
changes in industrial policy. Nearly three-quarters see more negative
attitudes toward Western capitalism taking hold in their markets,” Rhodes
said.

– Among surveyed executives, 78 percent anticipate more trade
protectionism, up from 57 percent last year.

– In the latest survey, 73 percent of respondents expect a rebalancing
of global trade, compared with only 56 percent last year.

– A large majority — 82 percent — believe there will be more
regulation, up from 58 percent last year.

“The emergence of protectionist measures is reinforced by the
quandary in which many governments find themselves: having provided
massive stimulus, many are now heavily indebted — and lack financial
firepower for additional measures. Protectionism, however, does not
require any spending,” said Stelter.

Accordingly, 85 percent of managers believe that their companies are
likely to increase lobbying activities in the next two or three years.

Constraints on Management Are Expected as Well

As government involvement increases, executives see things changing for
management teams:

– Most surveyed executives — 60 percent — believe executive
compensation will be lower over the next five years. They also expect
that it will be more closely linked to long-term shareholder-value
creation and that a lower proportion of any bonuses will be paid in
cash.

– Among respondents, 77 percent believe risk management will become more
important than it is currently.

– And 70 percent of surveyed executives believe that nonexecutives will
play a more important role in setting and challenging company
strategy; will be more active in holding management accountable, and
will themselves need to have a greater technical understanding of the
business.

Companies Are Opting Out of Activities that Lay Groundwork for Growth

“With executives preparing for a more prolonged, anemic recovery –
characterized by greater trade problems, increased consumer price
sensitivity, and greater government interference — it is not surprising
that many companies are not building so aggressively for the future.
However, it is our view that the best companies are both strengthening
and rationalizing their core, preparing to ‘attack’ their competitors and
take advantage of others’ weaknesses in order to grow,” said Rhodes.

– Only about half of managers said that their companies are now
undertaking significant and concerted “attacking” options. By
contrast, two-thirds of market leaders are, in fact, beginning to
think more offensively; yet only about 44 percent of “middle-market”
companies — those typically with revenues of between $1 billion and
$10 billion — are doing so.

– When executives at market-leading companies were asked in which
categories they would be making significant efforts in 2010, only 41
percent said they are planning to increase R&D, only 35 percent
are planning to hire new talent, and less than 40 percent are thinking
of extending their geographic reach, expanding capacity, or exploring
acquisitions.

– Only about a quarter of respondents from middle-market companies are
planning to take any significant action in any of the categories
above.

Said Stelter, “Company executives are viewing the economic outlook
with more caution than the politicians are. But it’s important to
remember that those companies that act decisively can significantly
outperform even in the toughest of economic times.”

About the Survey

Survey results are based on an online questionnaire of 440 executives in
seven countries. All respondents represented companies with at least $1
billion in global revenues in 2009, from all industries except financial
services. The survey was commissioned by The Boston Consulting Group and
administered by Grail Research from February 25, 2010, to March 9, 2010.

About Accelerating Out of the Great Recession: How to Win in a
Slow-Growth Economy
For more about the book, published by McGraw-Hill
in 2010, see http://accelerating.bcg.com/.

About the Collateral Damage Series

The Boston Consulting Group’s Collateral Damage series by David Rhodes
and Daniel Stelter includes the following articles, which can be found
online at

http://www.bcg.com/expertise_impact/capabilities/managing_in_a_slow_growth_econo

y/collateral_damage.aspx.

Collateral Damage, Part 8: Preparing for a Two-Speed World–Accelerating
Out of the Great Recession, January 2010

Collateral Damage, Part 7: Green Shoots, False Positives, and What
Companies Can Learn from the Great Depression, June 2009

Collateral Damage, Part 6: Underestimating the Crisis, April 2009

Collateral Damage, Part 5: Confronting the New Realities of a World in
Crisis, March 2009

Collateral Damage, Part 4: Preparing for a Tough Year Ahead–The Outlook,
the Crisis in Perspective, and Lessons from the Early Movers, December
2008

Collateral Damage, Part 3: Asia, Advantage, and Action, November 2008

Collateral Damage, Part 2: Taking Robust Action in the Face of the
Growing Crisis, October 2008

Collateral Damage, Part 1: What the Crisis in the Credit Markets Means
for Everyone Else, October 2008

About the Authors

David Rhodes is a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group and
global leader of the firm’s Financial Institutions practice. Since
joining BCG in 1985, he has worked primarily on projects involving major
strategy and organizational change in large financial institutions,
advising clients in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the United
States.

Daniel Stelter is a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group and
global leader of the firm’s Corporate Development practice. He is also a
member of BCG’s Executive Committee. During his 20 years with BCG, he has
participated in and directed many projects throughout Europe with a focus
on corporate finance (including M&A, IPOs, due diligence, strategic
alliances, and joint ventures) and strategy (including portfolio strategy
and value management).

About The Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm
and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with
clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value
opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform
their businesses. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the
dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels
of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve
sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and
secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 69
offices in 40 countries. For more information, please visit www.bcg.com.

Contact:
The Boston Consulting Group
Eric Gregoire
Global Media Relations Manager

Tel +1 617 850 3783
Fax +1 617 850 3701
gregoire.eric@bcg.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Egyptian blue pigment found in 12th century Romanesque altarpiece

Washington, May 6 (ANI): A team of researchers from the University of Barcelona (UB) has discovered Egyptian blue pigment in a Romanesque altarpiece in the church of Sant Pere de Terrassa (Barcelona).

The puzzling part was that the colour was in use only till the end of the Roman Empire in 476 AD, and wasn’t made afterwards, but the Catalan researchers found it in a 12th century church.

“We carried out a systematic study of the pigments used in the altarpiece during restoration work on the church, and we could show that most of them were fairly local and ”poor” – earth, whites from lime, blacks from smoke – and we were completely unprepared for Egyptian blue to turn up”, Mario Vendrell, co-author of the study and a geologist from the UB”s Grup Patrimoni research group, told SINC.

Chemical and microscopic analysis was done to confirm that the pigment was indeed blue and is made of copper silicate and calcium.

However, geologist say they have been unable to find out how the pigment ended up in a Medieval times church.

“In fact it has never been found in any mural from the era”.

“The most likely hypothesis is that the builders of the church happened upon a ”ball” of Egyptian blue from the Roman period and decided to use it in the paintings on the stone altarpiece”, Vendrell explains.

These monuments are built upon ancient Iberian and Roman settlements, and the precious blue pigment could have remained hidden underground for many centuries. “But only a little of it, because this substance couldn”t be replaced – once the ball was all used up the blue was gone”, concludes Vendrell.

The results of this research have just been published in the journal Archaeometry. (ANI)

Parental involvement key to preventing bullying

Toronto, May 3 (IANS) Parents can play an important role in preventing their children from becoming bullies, says new research.

‘Improving parent-child communication and parental involvement with their children could have a substantial impact on child bullying,’ said Rashmi Shetgiri, study co-author.

Shetgiri, paediatrician and researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre (UTSMC), and colleagues analysed data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health.

Among the questions asked of 45,897 parents with children 10-17 years old were whether their child bullies or is cruel or mean to others. Researchers then identified factors that increased or reduced the risk of a child being a bully.

Results showed the prevalence of bullying was 15 percent. Factors increasing the risk included race, emotional/behavioural problems and mothers’ mental health.

African-American and Latino children had a higher likelihood of being bullies compared to white children.

In addition, children with emotional, developmental or behavioural problems and those whose mothers reported having less than ‘very good’ mental health also were more likely to be bullies.

Other parental characteristics that increased the likelihood of child bullying were getting angry with their child frequently and feeling that their child often did things to bother them, said a UTSMC release.

Parents also played a protective role. Those who shared ideas and talked with their child, and those who met most of their child’s friends were less likely to have children who bully.

These findings were presented at the Paediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Discrimination linked to depression among minority kids

Washington, May 3 (ANI): A new research has shown that children who experience discrimination are more susceptible to becoming depressed.

Lee M. Pachter, co-author of the study and professor of pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine and St. Christopher”s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, and his colleagues surveyed 277 minority children ages 9-18 years to determine the contexts in which they perceive racism and the relationship between discrimination, depression and self-esteem.

Participants filled out questionnaires that included 23 scenarios in which they might perceive discrimination, such as being followed by a store security guard, getting poor service in a restaurant or being accused of doing something wrong at school. About two-thirds of the children were Latino or African American, and 19 percent were multiracial.

Results showed that 88 percent had at least one experience with racism, and nearly 12 percent had experienced racial discrimination in at least half of the situations described in the survey.

The most common forms of discrimination were racial remarks, being called insulting names and being followed by security guards in stores.

Experiences were similar for Latinos and African Americans, boys and girls, and younger and older children.

“Not only do most minority children experience discrimination, but they experience it in multiple contexts: in schools, in the community, with adults and with peers.” Pachter said.

“It”s kind of like the elephant in the corner of the room. It”s there, but nobody really talks about it. And it may have significant mental and physical health consequences in these children”s lives,” Pachter added.

Researchers also administered the Child Depression Inventory and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Questionnaire to 52 minority children.

They found a significant correlation between perceived racism and depression, self-esteem and depression, but not between racism and self-esteem.

Pachter said that the next step is to look at whether discrimination creates stress that leads to racial/ethnic disparities in physical and mental health.

The study has been presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (ANI)

Two new genes linked to autism

Washington, May 3 (ANI): Scientists have identified two additional genes that may be associated with autism.

Study co-author Ning Lei, a researcher at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Studies, said that there is no known cause of autism, but mutations of several genes have been linked to autism.

For the study, Dr. Lei and her colleagues analyzed data from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) on 943 families, most of whom had more than one child diagnosed with autism and had undergone genetic testing.

The researchers compared the prevalence of 25 gene mutations in the AGRE families with a control group of 6,317 individuals without developmental or neuropsychiatric illness.

The researchers identified mutations in four genes within the AGRE families. Two of the genes previously were shown to be associated with autism and often are involved in forming or maintaining neural synapses — the point of connection between individual neurons.

One of the new genes identified was neural cell adhesion molecule 2 (NCAM2). NCAM2 is expressed in the hippocampus of the human brain — a region previously associated with autism.

“While mutations in the NCAM2 gene were found in a small percentage of the children that we studied, it is fascinating that this finding continues a consistent story — that many of the genes associated with autism are involved with formation or function of the neural synapse. Studies such as this provide evidence that autism is a genetically based disease that affects neural connectivity,” Dr. Lei said.

The researchers hypothesize that a substantial percentage of children with autism will be shown to have a mutation in one or more of the many genes necessary for normal function of the synapse.

The study also showed that some parents and siblings of children with autism have the NCAM2 mutation but do not have the disorder themselves.

This suggests that other environmental or genetic factors are involved in causing autism in susceptible individuals.

“These results help the public understand that autism is a very complex disorder, much like cancer and no single gene or gene environment is likely to be causative in most cases,” Dr. Lei said.

The findings have been presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (ANI)

Scientists unveil largest atlas of nuclear galactic rings

Washington, Apr 30 (ANI): The most complete atlas of nuclear rings, enormous star-forming ring-shaped regions that circle certain galactic nuclei, has been unveiled by an international team of astrophysicists.

The catalogue, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, includes 113 such rings in 107 galaxies.

“AINUR (the Atlas of Images of Nuclear Rings) is the most complete atlas of nuclear rings created to date”, Sébastien Comerón, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), and co-author of the joint study with other scientists from the universities of La Laguna, Oulu (Finland) and Alabama (United States), tells SINC.

The atlas has just been published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and covers 113 nuclear rings in 107 different galaxies. Six are dust rings in elliptical galaxies, while the rest (the majority) are star-forming rings in disc galaxies.

The nuclear rings are ring-shaped, star-forming configurations located around galactic nuclei. They range in size on average from between 500 to 3,000 light years, and they are very bright because they contain an abundance of young stars, including some extremely massive ones. This kind of star has a short lifetime but shines very brightly before exploding as a supernova.

To find the rings, the astrophysicists used images from around 500 galaxies observed by the Hubble space telescope, which belongs to NASA and the European Space Agency, as well as using other references. (ANI)

Organic labels on snacks lead to overeating

Washington, April 29 (ANI): A new study has concluded that organic labels really do make people think their snack has a lot fewer calories than it really does, which ultimately leads to overeating.

Jenny Wan-Chen Lee, a graduate student with the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, said the study showed that people who ate organic cookies labelled as ‘organic’ believed that their snack contained 40 percent fewer calories than the same cookies that had no label.

Co-author, Brian Wansink, Cornell professor and author of the book, Marketing Nutrition, said: “An organic label gives a food a ”health halo.’”

“It”s the same basic reason people tend to overeat any snack food that”s labeled as healthy or low fat. They underestimate the calories and over-reward themselves by eating more,” he added.

These findings were presented at this week”s Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, Calif. (ANI)

Newly discovered fossils reveal how dinosaur feathers changed with age

Washington, Apr 29 (ANI): Analysis of newfound fossils of a feathered dinosaur has suggested that the extinct reptiles might have had a diversity in plumage types that puts modern birds to shame.

Farmers in northeastern China have unearthed two roughly 125-million-year-old specimens of the dinosaur Similicaudipteryx— a member of the group called the oviraptorosaurs, which are believed to be ancestors of birds.

The species, believed to be herbivorous, was first described in 2008—it had robust jaws similar to those of other oviraptorosaurs, but with two unusually large buck teeth.

The two new fossils belong to a pigeon-size juvenile dinosaur thought to be just a year or two old and a three- to four-year-old duck-size youth.

The younger animal”s fossil included short ribbonlike feathers and each feather on its tail was just 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) long, while on its arms a typical feather was less than 0.8 inch (2 centimeters) long.

On the other hand, the older dinosaur sported long quills, with each tail feather measuring 13.7 inches (35 centimeters) long and a typical arm feather measuring roughly 9.8 inches (25 centimeters) long.

The findings suggest feathered dinosaurs might have been undergone a string of changes as they matured—unlike anything seen in modern birds, said study co-author Xing Xu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

It is believed that very young dinosaurs have been covered in down, so the new finding suggests that dinosuars went through at least three stages of feather types— full down, to a mix of down and “ribbons,” to down and quills.

The long quills on the older Similicaudipteryx are much like those seen on modern birds, and they might have served as ornaments or to help the dinosaur balance itself as it ran.

The younger dinosaur”s ribbonlike feathers are superficially similar to some specialized plumes seen today, for example, on birds of paradise.

However, the ancient feathers are actually a type that has been lost in the course of evolution, and the role they played on the younger juvenile remains unknown.

These extinct feathers would not have been useful for warmth, for example, given how flat they are, said Xu.

While the “ribbons” might have served as ornaments, “in modern animals, structures used for display generally develop relatively late, when the animal is mature, for attracting mates,” he added.

“Their appearance here is at the wrong stage—it”s really bizarre,” National Geographic News quoted him as saying.

Similicaudipteryx”s odd changes suggest that early birds and feathered dinosaurs experimented with a diversity of feather types and a variety of ways to use them, “which only later stabilized to the more conservative system we see now with modern birds,” said Xu.

“There were very, very strange structures in the history of feathers,” he added.

The feathered dinosaurs are described in the latest issue of the journal Nature. (ANI)