Kelly-Moore Paints Unveils New Collection Top Color Picks to Enliven 10 Classic Neutrals

June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

SAN CARLOS, CA, Jun 09 (MARKET WIRE) —
There’s no denying it, for years, neutrals — the whites and beiges that
often dominate home decor — have been a safe choice for consumers
especially during economic downturns. But as the current recovery begins,
we’re seeing what Mary Lawlor, color stylist for Kelly-Moore Paints,
calls “frugal fatigue” — a sentiment that, in the world of paint,
consumers are ready to spend and take risks with color. Adding even a
small touch of fresh new color into our home is guaranteed to nurture our
souls without costing a fortune — it appears we’re in a “color recovery.”

Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Inc., a leader and innovator of
waterborne-coating technology and the first major paint company to offer
recycled paints, introduces its Top Color Picks to Enliven 10 Classic
Neutrals Collection. Lawlor has identified 10 of Kelly-Moore’s most
popular classic neutrals and pairs them in exciting combinations using 12
of today’s hot new trend colors. For those feeling creative, the
pairings, of course, are endless, but for those wanting vetted choices
and more professional input, Lawlor has done all the hard work. Each
color combination conveys a different look and feel.

Lawlor sees this return to fresher, more vibrant colors in home decor and
the marketplace as an emerging trend. “Color is coming back but in a
completely new way which is exciting,” she explains. “In this collection,
we have effectively captured the desire for brighter, livelier colors.
Our pairings offer inspiration and direction on how to enhance the color
undertones of our neutrals while giving them a contemporary feel that
adds new spice and character. The majority of us are content with using a
safe neutral, but even the choice of neutrals can be overwhelming. Our
goal was to simplify these choices for our customers.”

Kelly-Moore’s 10 Classic Neutrals and colors can be paired together to
accent a wall or with home decor items. Below are just a few of the many
possibilities:

1. Wise Owl – Wise Owl is a rich neutral with a reddish undertone that
looks great with wood or stone flooring. It works well with the warmer
colors like Drive-In Cherry and Persimmon. It’s a great traditional look
teamed with Luxe and a sophisticated look when paired with Cast in
Stone.
2. Spanish Sand – This is a dramatic neutral that blends depth and color –
a rich warm neutral with reddish undertones. Spanish Sand is softened
when used in combination with Pools of Blue and French Sonnet. It adds
balance when used with an edgier combination of Arizona Turquoise, Cedar
Lake and Bistro Brown. It’s a great complement to today’s dark warm
cabinetry and flooring.
3. Star of the Garden – This neutral has it all — not too light or too
dark, too warm or too cool, it’s the perfect complement to all of
today’s most fashionable colors. Star of the Garden teams well with the
wide variety of today’s wood tones and decor finishes found in many
homes.
4. Navajo White – While this classic neutral has been a trusted favorite by
many for years, it enjoys a newfound place near the top of our list. A
lighter neutral by today’s standards, dressed up with a Swiss Coffee
trim it offers softness and just enough contrast to create a soothing
backdrop for today’s colorful home decor items. It combines nicely with
Pools of Blue or Grigitta. Use it with Cast in Stone for a contemporary
look.
5. Earth Stone – A versatile warm grey, this neutral is a good choice for a
modern, contemporary look. It will cool down when paired with today’s
fashionable West Warwick and Persimmon, and warms up with Cedar Lake,
Grigitta and Arizona Turquoise.
6. Brittany Beige – This mid-toned neutral with reddish undertones works
great with most warm colors in the palette like Bistro Brown and
Balsamic. Brittany Beige evokes a feeling of tradition and teams
especially well with Luxe and Cast in Stone.
7. Pale Portabella – Neutrals with yellow undertones have become very
popular in the past few years, as they offer a freshness that works with
all of today’s home decor items. Pair it with Drive-In Cherry and Pools
of Blue to give your home a fun and lively look.
8. Bone – A traditional neutral with a cool quality when paired with blues,
purples and grays, its warmth is discovered when paired with reds,
oranges and yellows. It’s a great supporting color for all of today’s
fashionable forecast colors.
9. Aged Parchment – Another popular yellow-undertoned neutral, this color
maintains a freshness that livens up dark or dreary spaces — the
perfect color if you have a vision of a cheerful home. Modern and sassy
when used with Grigitta and Persimmon.
10. Tropical Straw – Another winning neutral with yellow undertones, this
sophisticated color adds warmth and tradition to a home. Tropical Straw
delivers a taste of yellow while remaining calm and sophisticated. While
it works well with all colors in the palette, it looks especially nice
with Cast in Stone and Cedar Lake.

BONUS COLOR: Swiss Coffee is the company’s top-selling trim color and
adds architectural style to the interior or exterior of any home.

The Top Color Picks to Enliven 10 Classic Neutrals color collection can
be previewed at the Kelly-Moore Paints website (www.kellymoore.com) by
selecting the Color Tool tab, the company’s Facebook page or at any of
Kelly-Moore’s 163 stores, where Kelly-Moore owners are pleased to assist.

For questions related to color, paint selection or application, VOCs, or
any other paint related query, Kelly-Moore’s painters (pros or DIY
consumers) can call 1-888-MR-PAINT, email colorsamples@kellymoore.com or
mrpaint@kellymoore.com, visit www.kellymoore.com or any of Kelly-Moore’s
nearest stores, where each Kelly-Moore employee-owner is committed to
offering exceptional customer service.

About Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Inc.
Headquartered in San Carlos,
Calif., Kelly-Moore is one of the largest employee-owned paint companies
in the United States, where each employee-owner is committed to offering
exceptional customer service. When you call or visit a Kelly-Moore store
you are speaking with an owner. A leader and innovator of
waterborne-coating technology, Kelly-Moore was the first major paint
company to offer recycled paints, along with the largest selection of
stock colors. Kelly-Moore is one of the few companies to continue to
offer stock colors for superior color consistency. Trusted and preferred
by professionals since 1946 as the “Painter’s Paint Store” for its high
quality, performance and consistency, Kelly-Moore’s paints are safe and
easy to use for everyone. The company’s environmentally friendly paint
factory in San Carlos, Calif. is the recipient of four widely recognized
and among the most stringent environmental awards. Kelly-Moore is
dedicated to giving back to the communities it serves. This ethos is
reflected in its corporate giving program and its numerous
industry-leading green business accolades.

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Media Contact:
Ruchika Jain
Adam Landres-Schnur
Graham & Associates
(415) 986-7212
kelly-moorepaint@graham-associates.com
www.kellymoore.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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UN warns ‘donor fatigue’ hampering rehabilitation of Lankan Tamils

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 19 (ANI): The UN has warned that the needs of displaced Tamils wanting to return to their homes in Sri Lanka are still huge a year after the war ended, and shortage of funds from donors has hampered the process.

The UN has warned that “donor fatigue” in Sri Lanka has meant that it has received only 24 percent of the donor funds it needs to help displaced Tamils, the BBC reports.

About 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in camps in the north of Sri Lanka at the height of the war, which ended on May 19, 2009.

The UN said that it is facing an uphill battle as it strives to facilitate the return of thousands of war-displaced Tamil people to their homes, because many have been destroyed and their villages and fields mined.

“There has been a serious shortage of funding from donors and if the international community doesn’t come forward soon, we are likely to run out of money for some key needs by June,” Sri Lanka UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator Neil Buhne said.

He said that more than 60 percent of homes in the north had been seriously damaged by the fighting, and the number of people affected combined with the impact on the local economy, made the situation more grave than it was in the aftermath the December 2004 tsunami, which killed 35,000 people, the BBC reports. (ANI)

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Study shows ‘female Viagra’ works

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 19 (ANI): A pill called Flibanserin can boost sex drive in women. It”s being called ‘female Viagra.’

A new paper from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists reports that after a 6-month treatment with the pill, women found improvement in their decreased sexual desire.

The FDA has not yet approved the drug, which was originally meant to be an anti depressant.

A survey conducted by a drug manufacturer, amongst 1,378 women who were suffering from a lack of sexual desire, revealed that the drug improved sex drive by 18 per cent, after a usage of 24 weeks.

Another study notched this number to four weeks.

Unlike the Viagra used by men, which increases bloody supply, this pill may affect a female”s mind and the neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, with minor side effects like dizziness, nausea, fatigue and insomnia.

For now Ashton suggests couples therapy and consulting a sexual therapist for these problems.

“You want to get at the root problem,” CBS News quoted her as saying.

“If it”s something like depression or a medication side-effect, deal with those things and hopefully you”ll see an improvement in your sex life.” (ANI)

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Pietersen crucial for England’s chances of winning World Cup: Collingwood

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 13 (ANI): Skipper Paul Collingwood has said that Kevin Pietersen, who arrived back in the Caribbean after becoming a father, is crucial for England’s chances of winning their first cricket World Cup after 35 years of trying.

Pietersen landed last night and will regain his place at No.3 in the World Twenty20semi-final with Sri Lanka today. Pietersen”s wife Jessica Taylor gave birth to their first baby, a boy, on Sunday.

Collingwood insisted Pietersen will rejoin a squad oozing with confidence, excitement and talent, The Sun reports.

“I’m sure KP will be happy and raring to go. Fatigue shouldn’t be an issue and he will be in a great state of mind. He won’t have a formal practice, but I’m sure he will have a few hits,” the England skipper said.

‘There is nothing technical he needs to change and I’m sure his mind will be 100 per cent right. KP is very important. He played two man-of-the- match innings before he went home and looks back to his best,” Collingwood said.

England won all three of their Super Eights matches against Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand.

“Captaining England in a world semi-final, that’s brilliant. I had a real sense when we turned up with this squad that we could do well. We’ve made some selections that have really come good,” Collingwood said.

“I think there was a real belief in the squad at the start of the tournament and now there is a lot of excitement. Sometimes, when you get to these situations, you sense some nerves but that hasn’t been the case. The boys can’t wait to play.

“This is the most powerful England side I”ve played in – definitely. Everybody can hit sixes all the way down to No 10. The bowlers are also thinking for themselves,” added. (ANI)

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Player of the Year Rooney allays World Cup fears

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 26 (ANI): Allaying fears over his fitness for the World Cup, ace striker Wayne Rooney Cup has declared that he will return for Manchester United’s potentially decisive final Premier League game of the season against Stoke City on May 9.

After picking the PFA Player of the Year Award, Rooney said: “I’m fine. I’ll be all right for the World Cup. In fact, I’ll be ready for the Stoke game.”

United feared Rooney, suffering from groin and ankle problems, would miss the title run-in.

Rooney paid tribute to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson as he picked up his trophy, with the Young Player of the Year award going to James Milner.

“Sir Alex is a great manager who has really brought me on as a player since I joined United. His hunger passes through to the players. It’s great to see he’s pushing 70 and hasn’t changed a bit. I’m sure he’ll be here for a long time yet,” he said.

Rooney has undergone a gruelling 55-game season and his old knee injury has also flared up again, The Sun reports.

United No.2 Mike Phelan admitted that the latest injury setbacks have been brought on through sheer exhaustion for Rooney.

“He has a groin problem and that is possibly due to fatigue. He’s had a fantastic season and these things creep up on you now and again. Wayne has just suffered in the past two to three weeks,” Phelan said. (ANI)

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Doctor intern questions remain

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Australian Medical Association says it still has questions about how well a Wagga Base Hospital intern was supported, before he committed suicide.

Doctor William Huynh died in January last year.

Friends blamed excessive working hours, something rejected by health officials.

An internal New South Wales Health report confirms he raised concerns about his workload, which required him to supervise two surgical teams.

But the report found Dr Huynh’s death was not predictable.

The Chairman of the AMAs Doctors-in-Training program, Doctor Andrew Perry says it is a concerning case.

“Covering two surgical teams in and of itself is not of major concern,” he said.

“The main issue is whether he was actually being properly supervised and supported at the time…he has brought up concerns about his work load.

“He himself did actually have some concerns about whether he was able to perform and cover that duty.”

There have been increased calls for an overhaul of JMO working hours, after the death of Dr Huynh last year.

Dr Perry says the AMA plans to repeat an audit of junior doctor working hours to ensure fatigue and stress is not putting them at risk.

“The issue of doctors’ welfare is always one of the top priorities of the AMA and that covers a range of areas so it covers safe hours and it also covers doctors’ mental well being,” he said.

“And I think we may have seen those two issues intersecting with this tragic suicide.

“And next year we’ll be repeating an audit of safe hours which we last did five years ago.”

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Why adoptive parents face postadoption depression

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): Adoptive parents often experience postadoption depression, which they say arises due to unmet or unrealistic expectations, according to research from Purdue University.

The signs and symptoms of depression include depressed mood, decreased interest or pleasure in activities, significant weight changes, difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping, feeling agitated, fatigue, excessive guilt and shame, and indecisiveness.

“People often hear about postpartum blues when having a baby, but the emotional well-being of adoptive parents once the child is placed in the home is not really talked about. In this study, the majority of the adoptive parents who self-reported having experienced depression after the child was placed in their home often described unmet or unrealistic expectations of him or herself, the child, family and friends, or society,” said Karen J. Foli, an assistant professor of nursing and an adoptive mother.

“For example, some parents shared that they did not anticipate that bonding with their child would be a struggle or that family members or friends would not offer the same support that birthparents enjoy,” she added.

“Postadoption depression not only affects the parents, but it also has an influence on the well-being of the child,” said Foli.

She interviewed 21 adoptive parents about their adoption and depression experiences, as well as 11 adoption experts and professionals.

“Many adoptive parents spend their time during the adoption process demonstrating they are not only going to be fit parents, but super parents, and then they struggle with trying to be the world””s best parent when the child is placed in the home. Adoptive parents also may experience feelings about their legitimacy as a parent, or even surprise if they don””t readily bond with the infant or child,” said Foli.

Other factors that contribute to postadoption depression may include the expectations surrounding the child””s attachment to the parent, a lack of peers, the lack of boundaries with birthparents in open adoptive agreements, and society””s attitude toward adoptive families as a whole.

Adoptive parents are also tired by the time the child comes into the home, said Foli.

They have endured a rigorous adoption process and much of their lives have been out of their control.

“Obtaining that next form or checking that next box while waiting for the child can shift the focus away from parenting and emphasize the process of adoption,” said Foli.

The adoption professionals who participated in the study said parents were often reluctant to admit their struggles out of fear and shame.

Parents also echoed feelings of extreme guilt and confusion over how they were struggling, particularly after their intense longing and eagerness to bring a child home.

The findings are published in this month””s Western Journal of Nursing Research. (ANI)

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Motorists urged to take a break on Easter weekend

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Motorists in Victoria are being urged to pull over and have a rest to avoid fatigue on the roads this weekend.

The State Emergency Services Minister, Bob Cameron, says volunteers will hand out more than 200,000 cups of tea and coffee across Victoria to encourage motorists to stay safe on the roads.

He says tired drivers should pull over at one of more than 65 driver reviver locations set up across the state.

“That’s what this driver reviver is about. It’s about people recognising that fatigue is an issue, call in, have that cuppa, break the trip, and survive.”

He says up to 60 deaths and more than 300 serious injuries on the road every year can be blamed on tired drivers.

“We want people to recognise that fatigue is a problem on our roads.”

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Top cop targets tired drivers

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The New South Wales deputy police commissioner says he would like to see drivers pulled over on suspicion of being fatigued.

Dave Owens is touring the state’s north coast, where last week two people died in a head-on crash in a notorious fatigue zone.

He says it might be time for police to test new strategies.

“Do we start stopping cars and talking to drivers? And I know people are telling us by law we can’t do that, well I think I can,” Dep Commissioner Owens said.

“I think we have to look at a way where on some of these long stretches we pull drivers over that are perhaps drifting onto the cat’s eye and yes, have a look at them, you get them out of the car, you walk them to the back of the car and you have a chat to them,” he said. “What you’ve done you’ve broken the cycle of maybe three, four hours of straight driving – get out, have a walk, have some fresh air, have safe trip, then they’re right to go again, maybe we need to look at that.”

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$2m on offer for V8 grand slam

March 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The V8 Supercars bosses have upped the stakes for drivers, introducing a grand slam incentive.

If a driver manages to win the Adelaide 500, Bathurst, the Gold Coast and Sydney 500 in one season, they will take home $2 million.

V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane says the races are the most challenging of the tour and winning all four deserves an added bonus.

“They are very difficult, very different events that require a huge amount of fitness and a massive amount of concentration and a huge element of luck,” he said.

“It’s these four that challenge drivers and their teams the most due to the fatigue of both man and machine, not to mention the strategy involved.

“You have to have everything going right for you with the car as well.

“We wouldn’t be putting it up it we didn’t think it would go off and quite frankly I want it to go off, what a great headline.”

Reigning V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup has welcomed the incentive.

“It’s a lot of money, the competition’s extremely tough, it’s going to be massively tough for one driver to win all four, but if I was to win the $2 million I think I’d blow it as quick as I possibly can and enjoy it,” he said.

“My team will be giving it a good shot, no doubt about that.

“I guess after Adelaide we’ll find out who is still in the running.”

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Two dead, four injured in Pacific Highway crash

March 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Pacific Highway has been reopened after an accident that claimed two lives on the New South Wales far north coast this morning.

Emergency service crews were called to a site about 15 kilometres south of New Italy just after eight oclock this morning.

Two cars crashed head on in an area known as a notorious fatigue zone.

Two people died at the scene and four others were injured.

Police say it could be several hours before they can identify the deceased.

Two males, aged 17 and 19 have been flown to the Lismore Base Hospital with various injuries.

The highway was closed for most of the morning.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

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Long working hours make parents compromise on food choices

September 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): Long work hours and irregular schedules are forcing people to compromise on food choices for themselves and their children, suggests a new study.

The research team from Cornell University measured food choice coping strategies in low- to middle-income families in five categories: (1) food prepared at/away from home; (2) missing meals; (3) individualizing meals (family eats differently, separately, or together); (4) speeding up to save time; and (5) planning.

They found that fathers who worked long hours or had nonstandard hours and schedules were more likely to use take-out meals, miss family meals, purchase prepared entrees, and eat while working.

Similarly, mothers were also likely to purchase restaurant meals or prepared entrees or missed breakfast.

About a quarter of mothers and fathers said they did not have access to healthful, reasonably priced, and/or good-tasting food at or near work.

The findings suggest that better work conditions may be associated with more positive strategies such as more home-prepared meals, eating with the family, keeping healthful food at work, and less meal skipping.

“This study examined how work conditions are related to the food choice coping strategies of low- and moderate-income parents,” said Dr Carol M. Devine, RD, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, and colleagues.

“Study findings will enhance understanding of social and temporal employment constraints on adults’ food choices and may inform workplace interventions and policies…The importance of work structure for employed parents’ food choice strategies is seen in the associations between work hours and schedule and food choice coping strategies, such as meals away from home and missed family meals.

“Long work hours and irregular schedules mean more time away from family, less time for household food work, difficulty in maintaining a regular meal pattern, and less opportunity to participate in family meals; this situation may result in feelings of time scarcity, fatigue, and strain that leave parents with less personal energy for food and meals,” the researchers added.

The study appears in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. (ANI)

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Air Chief inaugurates Tele-Presence System

September 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 9 (ANI): Indian Air Force took another significant step in its quest for acquiring Network Centric Capabilities when Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal PV Naik inaugurated the ‘Tele-Presence System’ under the Air Force Network (AFNET) project today.

This system facilitates lifelike experience between two distant sites for holding operational discussions that results in saving crucial time, fatigue and cost.

During the Tele-Presence session, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik advocated the use of the system extensively for operational and other procurement and training activities in order to cut down costs in economically tough times.

The Air Chief congratulated the AF Net team for achieving yet another milestone.

From the Bangalore site, this conference was attended by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command.

The system uses high definition cameras, spatial audio and calibrated acoustic systems for providing real-life experience which cannot be achieved by other video conferencing systems.

Tele-Presence system rides over IAF’s state-of-the-art IP/MPLS network providing adequate reliability and security. (ANI)

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Fatigue during radiotherapy ’caused by inflammation’

August 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 19 (ANI): A new study has revealed that fatigue during radiotherapy for breast or prostate cancer might be caused by inflammation.

Lead researcher Dr Julie Bower, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles has found that patients who experience fatigue during radiotherapy for might be reacting to activation of the proinflammatory cytokine network, a known inflammatory pathway.

For the study, the researchers recruited patients with breast cancer and 20 patients with prostate cancer, all early stage and determined the level of proinflammatory markers.

They found a strong link between radiotherapy treatment and fatigue.

The researchers discovered that increases in serum markers of cytokine activity, specifically IL-1 receptor antagonist and C-reactive protein, were also linked with fatigue.

“This study suggests that exposure to radiation is releasing these inflammatory cytokines and that may be contributing to fatigue,” said Bower.

Dr Stephen Hahn, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Abramson Cancer Centre at the University of Pennsylvania, said this study is an important step forward in understanding the biological basis for fatigue.

“Fatigue related to radiotherapy is very common but we do not have any good idea about why it occurs. This suggests one possible mechanism and suggests an avenue for treatment,” he added.

The study appears in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. (ANI)

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Flamingoes stand on one leg to regulate their body temperature

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, August 18 (ANI): An exhaustive study by scientists has concluded that flamingoes stand on one leg to regulate their body temperature.

According to a report by BBC News, the study was carried out by Matthew Anderson and Sarah Williams, who are comparative psychologists based at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, US.

The test subject of their study was the Caribbean flamingo.

“I was very surprised to discover how little systematic, hypothesis-driven empirical research had been conducted on flamingoes,” said Anderson.

Anderson and Williams’s research began by studying laterality in flamingoes: whether they show any preference over which side of their bodies they use for various tasks, just as a human may be right or left-handed.

They found that flamingoes prefer to rest with their heads on one side more than the other, and that which side a flamingo rests its head determines how aggressive it is toward others in the flock.

The researchers investigated whether flamingoes also prefer to stand on one leg more than the other, and from there, why they stand on one leg at all, empirically testing the question for the first time.

To investigate, Anderson and Williams spent several months observing the habits of captive Caribbean flamingoes at Philadelphia Zoo, Pennsylvania, each of which carries a leg band that allows individuals to be identified.

At first, they examined whether standing on one leg helps reduce fatigue in the birds’ legs, or helps flamingos escape from predators more quickly, by shortening the time to take flight.

Both are commonly proposed as reasons for unipedal resting in flamingoes.

The scientists ruled out each as a benefit of standing on one leg, as their research showed it took flamingoes longer, and therefore more energy, to move forward after resting on one leg than after resting on two.

The birds also showed no preference for which leg they stood on.

Nor did standing on one leg help the birds balance when conditions were windy, another proposed idea.

However, the researchers did find that flamingoes prefer to stand on one leg far more often when they are standing in water than when standing on land.

“As water invariably draws away more body heat, this result supports the thermoregulation hypothesis,” said Anderson.

In short, the birds stand on one leg to conserve body heat.

“The results provide definitive evidence that thermoregulation is a principal function of unipedal resting in flamingoes,” said Anderson. (ANI)

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Synchronised light bursts may make jet lag history

July 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, July 15 (ANI): A software program that prescribes a regimen for avoiding jet lag using timed light exposure has been created by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Michigan.

The method has been described in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology.

Traveling across several times zones can cause an individual to experience jet lag, which includes trouble sleeping at night and difficulty remaining awake during the day. These effects largely reflect de-synchronization between the body”s internal time clock and local environmental cues.

Now, the program, which seeks to re-synchronize the body with its new environment, considers inputs like background light level and the number of time zones traveled. Then, based on a mathematical model, the program gives users exact times of the day when they should apply countermeasures such as bright light to intervene and reduce the effects of jet lag.

Timed light exposure is a well known synchronization method, and when used properly, this intervention can reset an individual”s internal clock to align with local time. The result is more efficient sleep, a decrease in fatigue, and an increase in cognitive performance. Poorly timed light exposure can prolong the re-synchronization process.

Using their computational method, researchers simulated shifting sleep-wake schedules and the subsequent light interventions for realigning internal clocks with local time.

They found that the mathematical computation resulted in quicker design of schedules and also predictions of substantial performance improvements. They were able to show that the computation provided the optimal result for timing light exposure to reduce jet lag symptoms.

“Using this computation in a prototyped software application allows a user to set a background light level and the number of time zones traveled to obtain a recommendation of when to expose a subject to bright light, such as the bright lights sometimes used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder” said lead-author Dennis Dean.

“Although this method is not yet available to the public, it has direct implications for designing schedules for jet lag, shift-work, and extreme environments, such as in space, undersea or in polar regions,” the expert added.

“This work shows how interventions can cut the number of days needed to adjust to a new time zone by half,” said co-author Daniel Forger. (ANI)

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A Rodd says he is ready for his heat and dust battle with Murray

July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, July 2 (ANI): Sixth-seed Andy Roddick has revealed that he can handle 15,000 fans, fatigue and the Fahrenheit as he too bids for a first Wimbledon title like British hero Andy Murray.

Roddick said that he has a cunning plan to turn the Centre Court crowd in his favour in tomorrow’s semi-final with Andy Murray.

According to The Sun, the American joked: “When I hear them shout ‘Come on Andy’ I’ll just pretend they’re referring to me.”

Roddick entered the semi-final after beating Australian Lleyton Hewitt in a five-set battle lasting three hours fifty minutes on Court One. Roddick’s 6-3 6-7 7-6 4-6 6-4 victory included an astonishing 43 aces and a top-speed serve of 140mph.

Roddick, twice a runner-up at Wimbledon, said: “This is cold where I come from. I grew up in Florida and Texas where it gets offensively hot. I’m not concerned about the heat. There’s no time for tiredness. I’m sure I’ll pull up a little bit sore tomorrow but that’s to be expected. That’s not a new condition.”

Hewitt left Wimbledon a bit sore but with his head held high and with the belief that tomorrow’s semi-final is Murray’s to lose.

He said: “It’s going to be a tough one for Roddick to win.

“When I’ve seen Andy Murray at his best, he matches up extremely well against Roddick,” he said. (ANI)

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Native seeds may feed future human colonies in space

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, June 29 (ANI): An Australian experiment with native plant seeds has raised hopes for self-sustaining human colonies in space, with the seeds, taken into space last year, showing no signs of “fatigue” or damage after surviving more than 28,000 orbits of the earth.

According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, the seedlings of the golden wattle, waratah, flannel flower and wollemi pine accompanied NASA astronaut Dr Gregory Chamitoff on his six-month space odyssey.

At the request of NSW’s (New South Wales’) Botanic Gardens Trust, Dr Chamitoff took the seeds on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission to the International Space Station in May 2008.

While tests are still being conducted on the seedlings, which returned to earth in November last year, conservationists are encouraged by preliminary findings.

The seeds are being germinated and “fast-track” aged at the Trust’s NSW Seedbank at Mount Annan Botanic Garden in Sydney’s southwest.

“With habitats under increasing threat, seedbanking on earth, and perhaps in space, will be part of an integrated conservation program for species threatened by extinction due to global warming or other sudden changes to their habitat,” said Trust executive director Dr Tim Entwisle.

“As a species (humans) have an impact upon the other species of the world and we have the possibility of damaging the environment where we lose the biodiversity because of our actions,” said Entwisle.

“We also are a species that understands these things and, therefore, I think we have a moral imperative to do these kinds of things and protect the environment.” he added.

For NASA, the findings also present the opportunity to plan for possible space colonies.

“As soon as we get back to the moon and even before we reach Mars, we’re going to have to figure out how to recycle as much as we can and provide as much food sources as we can in space,” Dr Chamitoff said.

“From NASA’s perspective, we are interested in seeds that might be hardy enough to survive long duration exposure to the space environment and then germinate in greenhouses in Space or on other planets,” he added.

“Ultimately, this will be essential to support self-sustaining outposts or colonies in Space with food and oxygen,” he explained.

The NSW Seedbank tests on the seedlings will monitor their growth, vigour and life span compared to control seeds. (ANI)

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Why sleep deprivation affects some people more than others

June 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, June 25 (ANI): Conducting a new imaging research, scientists have explained why sleep deprivation affects some people more than others.

Researchers observed that people who are genetically vulnerable to sleep loss showed reduced brain activity after staying awake all night, while those who are genetically resilient showed expanded brain activity.

The findings help explain individual differences in the ability to compensate for lack of sleep.

“The extent to which individuals are affected by sleep deprivation varies, with some crashing out and others holding up well after a night without sleep,” said Dr. Michael Chee, at the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School.

In the current study, the researchers, led by Dr. Pierre Maquet, at the University of Liege in Belgium selected study participants based on their genes.

Previous research showed that the PERIOD3 (PER3) gene predicts how people will respond to sleep deprivation. People carry either long or short variants of the gene.

Those with the short PER3 variant are resilient to sleep loss – they perform well on cognitive tasks after sleep deprivation.

However, those with the long PER3 variant are vulnerable – they show deficits in cognitive performance after sleep deprivation. Now the new study explains why.

The authors imaged study participants while they did a working memory task that requires attention and cognitive control – also called executive function.

They found that the resilient, short gene variant group compensated for sleep loss by “recruiting” extra brain structures.

Besides brain structures normally activated by the cognitive task, these participants showed increased activity in other frontal, temporal, and subcortical brain structures after a sleepless night.

On the other hand, after a sleepless night, vulnerable participants, the long PER3 group, showed reduced activity in brain structures normally activated by the task.

These participants also showed reduced brain activity in one brain structure – the right posterior inferior frontal gyrus – after a normal waking day.

The above data is consistent with previous research suggesting that people with the long gene variant perform better on executive tasks earlier, but not later, in the day.

“Our study uncovers some of the networks underlying individual differences in sleep loss vulnerability and shows for the first time how genetic differences in brain activity associate with cognitive performance and fatigue. The data also provide a basis for the development of measures to counteract individual cognitive deficits associated with sleep loss,” said study author Maquet.

The study is published in the latest issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. (ANI)

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Maths program can make jet lag history

June 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, June 19 (ANI): A software program that prescribes a regimen for avoiding jet lag using timed light exposure has been created by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Michigan.

The method has been described in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology.

Traveling across several times zones can cause an individual to experience jet lag, which includes trouble sleeping at night and difficulty remaining awake during the day. These effects largely reflect de-synchronization between the body’s internal time clock and local environmental cues.

Now, the program, which seeks to re-synchronize the body with its new environment, considers inputs like background light level and the number of time zones traveled. Then, based on a mathematical model, the program gives users exact times of the day when they should apply countermeasures such as bright light to intervene and reduce the effects of jet lag.

Timed light exposure is a well known synchronization method, and when used properly, this intervention can reset an individual’s internal clock to align with local time. The result is more efficient sleep, a decrease in fatigue, and an increase in cognitive performance. Poorly timed light exposure can prolong the re-synchronization process.

Using their computational method, researchers simulated shifting sleep-wake schedules and the subsequent light interventions for realigning internal clocks with local time.
hey found that the mathematical computation resulted in quicker design of schedules and also predictions of substantial performance improvements. They were able to show that the computation provided the optimal result for timing light exposure to reduce jet lag symptoms.

“Using this computation in a prototyped software application allows a user to set a background light level and the number of time zones traveled to obtain a recommendation of when to expose a subject to bright light, such as the bright lights sometimes used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder” said lead-author Dennis Dean.

“Although this method is not yet available to the public, it has direct implications for designing schedules for jet lag, shift-work, and extreme environments, such as in space, undersea or in polar regions,” the expert added.

“This work shows how interventions can cut the number of days needed to adjust to a new time zone by half,” said co-author Daniel Forger. (ANI)

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