Do volunteers who take part in conservation efforts do it for the wildlife they are trying to protect or just to impress their friends and because they like the way wildlife looks on their property? A University of Alberta case study says it is not altruism that drives them.

A study of purple martin landlords, those who keep and monitor special birdhouses on their land, revealed that they were more motivated to take part in the conservation project for egoistic rather than altruistic reasons.

"Though there were areas of overlap, we found that common motivations for self-benefit included interaction with the birds, a sense of achievement, social interaction, personal stimulation and enjoyment," said Glen Hvenegaard, a co-author on the qualitative study and a professor of geography and environmental studies at the University of Alberta's Augustana campus in Canada.

Controlling body weight is a complicated process but scientists investigating the brain's intricate neurocircuitry and its role in maintaining energy balance are forming a clearer picture of the myriad events that lead to weight gain ... and weight loss.

Writing in Nature Neuroscience, a study led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) identifies another piece of this complex puzzle, demonstrating that the neurotransmitter GABA --one of the master communicators among neurons – plays a role in controlling energy balance.

Imagine winning a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.  No really, go ahead, close your eyes and visualize it.  What did you see?  Were you standing on the medal platform looking out at the crowd, waving and taking in the scene through your own eyes, or were you a spectator in the crowd watching yourself getting the medal put around your neck?  This choice between "first-person" or "third-person" perspective actually has an effect on our motivation to achieve a future goal.

Anyone who has ever tried smoking probably remembers that first cigarette vividly - it likely brought either a nasty coughing fit or a rush of pleasure - a "buzz."

A new study links those first experiences with smoking, and the likelihood that a person is currently a smoker, to a particular genetic variation.

The new finding also adds to growing suspicion surrounding the role of a particular nicotine-receptor gene in smoking-related behaviors and in lung cancer. Other researchers have already linked variations in the same genetic region to smokers' level of dependence on nicotine, to the number of cigarettes smoked per day and to a far higher risk of lung cancer — the ultimate outcome of a lifetime of smoking.

A newly discovered function for a hormone in melons suggests it plays a role in how sexual systems evolve in plants.

Scientists from several French institutions, led by Abdel Bendahmane of the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), isolated the melon sex determination gene and determined its function. As part of this collaborative effort, New York University biologists Jonathan Flowers and Michael Purugganan, who are part of NYU's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, conducted the evolutionary analysis of the study.

Because plants' sexual systems are varied—species may possess various combinations of male, female, or hermaphrodite systems—their evolution has long been of interest to scientists. This is especially the case in melons, whose sexual system—andromonoecy—carries both male and bisexual flowers and appears to have evolved recently. In this study, the researchers sought to understand what determines the recent formation of melons' new sexual system.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, August 8 /PRNewswire/ --

- 'Energy demand in the GCC States is spiraling' - Fountain

Germany's Techem Energy Services, an International leader in wireless metering technology, announced that they will be showcasing their range of energy conserving solutions to the Middle East region at Working Buildings Middle East, which is scheduled to take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on 17th and 18th November 2008.

For dogs, just as for people, the saying “you are what you eat” applies. But modern pet foods are a far cry from the old fashioned chicken-bone based foods of yesterday.

Many of today’s pet foods are a combination of meat protein mixed with grains and most are mixed with flavor enhancers. Leading flavor enhancement companies including AFB International and the French based company SPFare continually doing research into what makes dogs go bow wow.

At AFB International experts have been testing flavors of ingredients that go into pet food in order to ensure companies that these household friends will find their food appetizing.

HAIKOU, China, August 8 /PRNewswire/ --

- Latest Classic Menu for Office 2007 v3.93a Brings Back Classic Office Icons, While Providing a Gentle Transition for the Upgraded Standard MS Office 2007 Interface for Word, Excel, Access, Outlook and PowerPoint

Addintools announces today Classic Menu for Office 2007 v3.93a, an update version for the popular tool that enables smooth transitions from MS Office 2003 to MS Office 2007, by providing an interface with menu lists and toolbars of the old Office. Users can wither position Office 2003 interface along with the new one, or completely hide the latter. Frequently used commands can be assigned to the toolbar, or have all the menus under a single pull-down list.

KOBE, Japan, August 8 /PRNewswire/ --

Carna Biosciences, Inc. ("Carna") is pleased to announce the signing of a collaborative agreement with Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. USA ("Caliper") on August 6 (US Eastern Daylight Time). Carna will supply a set of discrete protein kinases aiding the expansion of Caliper's kinase profiling and assay development services, and ProfilerPro Kinase Selectivity Assay Kits. Caliper's products and services are widely used and highly regarded by leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The selection of Carna as a Preferred Provider enhances the visibility and use of Carna's products in the area of kinase inhibitor drug discovery -- a major focus of targeted therapy in the areas of cancer, neurological, and autoimmune diseases.