Tag Archives: ann arbor

Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, points to need for expanded monitoring program

ANN ARBOR — The recent Arctic blast that gripped much of the nation will likely contribute to a healthy rise in Great Lakes water levels in 2014, new research shows. But the processes responsible for that welcome outcome are not as simple and straightforward as you might think.

Yes, extreme winter cold increases ice cover on the Great Lakes, which in turn reduces evaporation by preventing water vapor from escaping into the air. But this simplistic view of winter ice as a mere “cap” on Great Lakes evaporation is giving way to a more nuanced conception, one that considers the complex interplay among evaporation, ice cover and water temperature at different times of year. (more…)

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Old Habits Die Hard: Helping Cancer Patients Stop Smoking

ANN ARBOR — It’s a sad but familiar scene near the grounds of many medical campuses: hospital-gowned patients, some toting rolling IV poles, huddled in clumps under bus shelters or warming areas, smoking cigarettes.

Smoking causes 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of all lung cancer deaths. Yet, roughly 50 percent to 83 percent of cancer patients keep smoking after a cancer diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, says Sonia Duffy, University of Michigan School of Nursing researcher. For patients who quit on their own, relapse rates (as in the general population) are as high as 85 percent. (more…)

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Commerce Guys Taps Microsoft Cloud to Evolve E-Commerce

Microsoft BizSpark One startup helps businesses adapt in a volatile economic landscape.

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 7, 2012 — E-commerce sales are expected to top $1.25 trillion by 2013 globally.* However, according to the CEO of Commerce Guys, e-commerce is still in its infancy.

There is a growing opportunity for retailers and merchants using e-commerce, but meeting the needs of a global marketplace presents many challenges. Commerce Guys is working to make it easy with a platform that is flexible and scalable to meet the needs of a variety of customers. (more…)

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Breaking a Genocide’s Silence: Rwandan Storytelling Exhibit Centerpiece of New National Archives

ANN ARBOR — One of the casualties of the 1994 Rwandan genocide was the culture’s storytelling tradition. Resurrecting it has been the mission of a project called Stories for Hope for the past four years.

Now 99 narratives—conversations between youths and elders—will go on exhibit at the newly built Rwandan National Archives, which were decimated during the violence. On Oct. 12, the archives open again for the first time in nearly two decades. (more…)

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Which Ads Are Winners? Your Brain Knows Better Than You Do

Study on smokers’ brains may mark dawn of a new age in advertising

Advertisers and public health officials may be able to access hidden wisdom in the brain to more effectively sell their products and promote health and safety, UCLA neuroscientists report in the first study to use brain data to predict how large populations will respond to advertisements.

Thirty smokers who were trying to quit watched television commercials from three advertising campaigns, which all ended by showing the phone number of the National Cancer Institute’s smoking-cessation hotline. They were asked which commercials they thought would be most effective; they responded that advertising campaigns “A” and “B” would be the best and “C” would be the worst. (more…)

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For The Dogs: Team Performs Open-Heart Canine Surgeries

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Plagued with a defective heart valve that caused fluid accumulation in his lungs, Leo was in need of serious medical help.

His loved ones opted for open-heart surgery. And after a successful operation, Leo is recovering nicely and leading a full life: Chasing balls, chewing toys and barking at friends. (more…)

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