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MU Study Pairs Military Veterans and Shelter Dogs to Ease Transition Home for Veterans; Train Shelter Dogs To Be More Adoptable

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Of the 2 million United States Service members that have been in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s estimated that up to 50 percent experience combat-related issues ranging from substance abuse to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Now, a University of Missouri professor is conducting a unique study that will give military veterans a “training buddy” to help them cope while helping shelter dogs become more adoptable. The Central Missouri Humane Society is supplying the dogs involved in the study. (more…)

Alibaba Group, Yahoo!, and SoftBank Reach Agreement on Alipay

Technology

Alibaba Group will Participate in the Ongoing Value of Alipay

HONG KONG & TOKYO & SUNNYVALE, Calif.-– Alibaba Group, Yahoo!, and SoftBank today announced they have reached an agreement in which Alibaba Group will continue to participate in Alipay’s future financial performance, including a future IPO or other liquidity event. The agreement is consistent with the two agreed-upon principles established at the outset of the negotiations: structure the inter-company relationship between Alipay and Taobao in order to preserve the value within Taobao and, by extension, within Alibaba Group; and provide that Alibaba Group is appropriately compensated for the value of Alipay. (more…)

Sea Squirt Cells Shed Light on Cancer Development

Science

*Specialized structures used by cancer cells to invade tissues could also help them escape protection mechanisms aimed at eliminating them, a UA-led research team has discovered.*

Delicate, threadlike protrusions used by cancer cells when they invade other tissues in the body could also help them escape control mechanisms supposed to eliminate them, a research group led by led by Bradley Davidson in the University of Arizona’s department of molecular and cellular biology reports in Nature Cell Biology.

Studying embryos of the sea squirt Ciona intestinalis, the researchers discovered that even non-invasive cells make the delicate, highly transient structures known as invadopodia. The group found that future heart cells in the Ciona embryo use invadopodia to pick up chemical signals from their surroundings. These so-called growth factors provide the cells with clues as to where they are in the developing embryo and what type of cell they are supposed to turn into. (more…)

WHOI Announces 2011 Ocean Science Journalism Fellows

Environment

Ten writers and multimedia science journalists from the U.S., Canada, France, Great Britain and South Korea have been selected to participate in the competitive Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Ocean Science Journalism Fellowship program. (more…)

Farmers More Likely to be Green if They Talk to Their Neighbors

Environment

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Besides helping each other plant and harvest, rural Chinese neighbors also influence each other’s environmental behavior – farmers are more likely to reenroll their land in a conservation program if they talk to their neighbors about it.

Scientists from Michigan State University’s Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability used a simulation model to study the amount of land farmers in the Wolong Nature Reserve in southwestern China re-enrolled in the Grain-to-Green Program, which aims to reduce soil erosion by converting sloping cropland to forest or grassland. Farmers receive an annual payment of either 5,000 pounds of grain or $498 for each 2.5 acres enrolled in the program. In 2005, this was about 8 percent of the farmers’ income. (more…)

Two Genetic Variations Predict Second Cancers after Radiation Treatment for Children with Hodgkin’s

Health, Science

A genome-wide association study published in the August issue of Nature Medicine has found two tiny genetic variations that can predict which patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are most likely to develop radiation-induced second cancers years after treatment. Knowing in advance who is at risk could help physicians tailor treatment to reduce the risks for patients who are most susceptible to long-term damage.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers, with more than 90 percent of patients surviving after a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. But nearly 20 percent of patients treated as children develop a second cancer within 30 years. The younger the patients are when treated and the higher the radiation dose, the greater the risk. This late side effect of treatment is the second leading cause of death for long-term Hodgkin’s survivors. (more…)

IBM Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Selectric Typewriter

Technology

Design Icon Honored in New “Pioneers of American Industrial Design” Stamp Series from U.S. Postal Service

Armonk, NY, USA – 27 Jul 2011: The IBM Selectric typewriter turns 50 on July 31, commemorating a design icon that revolutionized the day-to-day lives of office workers around the world. The Selectric’s half-century birthday coincides with IBM’s Centennial year and the release of a new U.S. postage stamp honoring the Selectric as an icon of design. (more…)

Two-Thirds of 13.3 Million Canadian Online Banking Customers Used Online Bill Payment in Q1 2011

Technology

*comScore Announces Availability of Canadian Online Banking Insights Report*

TORONTO, Canada, July 27, 2011 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the availability of the comScore Canadian Online Banking Insights report, providing a detailed look into emerging trends in the Canadian online banking industry. Based on comScore’s opt-in research panel of approximately 40,000 Canadian Internet users, the detailed quarterly reports include web site visitation, online marketing metrics, transaction benchmarks and mobile banking data that yield critical insights into emerging trends and consumer behavior in the Canadian online banking industry.

“We are excited to introduce a solution to the Canadian financial services industry leveraging comScore’s industry-leading measurement solutions and expertise in the online banking sector,” said comScore vice president Bryan Segal. “At comScore, we have long provided actionable insights into a broad range of online financial services such as credit cards, brokerage and mobile banking, which have helped our clients optimize their strategic digital marketing decisions. Through comScore’s Canadian Online Banking Insights report, financial services firms in Canada now have access to a wealth of competitive insights to help them understand the industry landscape and maximize the return on their digital investment.” (more…)