>>winter storm
making its way from the the midwest to the northeast. now we'll go to al upstairs with details on the story. hey, al.
>>thank you very much, ann. we are talking about a big
winter storm
that's dumped anywhere from six to
12 inches of snow
through the midwest. this is wisconsin where they are digging out. they have the snow shovels going. we have more to talk about. let's look at what we have seen as far as snowfall amounts. gaylord, michigan, 9 inches. dupage, illinois, 6.4.
downers grove
, illinois, 6.4. chicago, five inches.
winter storm
warnings and
winter weather
advisories from
traverse city
, michigan down to bristol and out to caribou, maine. we have a system and a front pushing through. we can see rain in new
york city
. behind it, snow from chicago,
green bay
, alpena into pittsburgh. snowfall amounts, real
lake effect
snowfall amounts. anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow buffalo to watertown. cleveland, three to six inches. beckley, 1 to 6. moves out quickly but a lot of cold air behind
University of Houston opens Sleep and Anxiety Center for KidsPublic release date: 10-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Melissa Carroll mcarroll@uh.edu 713-743-8153 University of Houston
Clinical research center provides low-cost evaluation, treatment for children and adolescents
Children who have chronic sleep problems may be much more likely to develop mental health disorders as adolescents and adults, according to Candice Alfano, associate professor in clinical psychology at the University of Houston (UH) and director of the new Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids (SACK).
To address this problem and further research in the area, Alfano opened SACK, a clinical research center at UH that provides low-cost, empirically based evaluation and treatment services for children and adolescents who struggle with anxiety and/or sleep disorders. "Several research studies also are being conducted at SACK, which means that many of the families calling (on behalf of their children) will qualify to participate in a study where they will get top-of-the-line treatment at no cost," Alfano said.
"We know from previous research that anxiety and sleep problems are among the most common in kids, affecting up to 30 percent of youth," she said. "Despite their high prevalence, there is little research taking place to teach us how exactly sleep and mental health disorders are related. What we do know is that this relationship is much more complex than simply saying these problems co-occur. If we can identify the kids who are most likely to be anxious or depressed, perhaps based on the earlier emergence of sleep problems, then we can intervene before these disorders take hold."
In addition to the possibility of developing mental health problems later, chronically insufficient sleep in children has been found to have negative effects on performance in school, extracurricular activities and social functioning. Inadequate sleep may interfere with a child's ability to concentrate and follow directions, and is continually linked with behavior problems, irritability, accidents and injuries, and conflict in relationships with family and friends.
"There are some kids who have a tough time 'shutting off' at night and blocking out different types of stimuli in the environment," Alfano said. "Sleep masks and earplugs are a good way to help some kids settle into sleep. Other kids, however, need more help."
"We teach families about the importance of sleep and that it should be made a priority, the same way eating right and exercising are important. We teach children about sleep hygiene, which includes things like keeping the same bedtime and wake time every day, not having caffeinated drinks after lunch, and sleeping in your own bed every night. We also teach kids self-imagery and relaxation skills to deal with intrusive thoughts and feelings of restlessness when trying to fall asleep."
As a recipient of a Mentored Career Development Award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Alfano enters year four of a five-year research study that is examining sleep disturbances in children with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). "We are studying a total of 80 children, ages 7 to 11 years, based on several measures of sleep," Alfano said. She completed the first half of recruitment for the project previously at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and will be completing data collection over the next two years in Houston.
"We in the process of submitting preliminary findings from the study for publication," Alfano said. "What is exciting is that we are finding the same objective sleep patterns in children with GAD that we see in depressed adults. This is particularly intriguing because we know that having GAD as a child is a huge risk factor for developing depression later on, but we don't yet understand exactly why this is. This data suggests it's more than just a co-occurring problem, sleep abnormalities could be a mechanism through which anxiety and depression develop."
Alfano uses a range of methods to assess children's sleep, including clinical interviews with parents and children, polysomnography and actigraphy. An actigraph is a watch-like device worn on the wrist to measure sleep patterns. "It collects data continuously for up to two weeks," she said. "A computer-generated algorithm is then used to score sleep and wake periods. It's a nice, non-invasive way to get a picture of what's going on with a child's sleep without having them sleep in a laboratory with electrodes and wires all over them."
For more detailed questions about sleep (e.g., sleep stages including rapid eye movement sleep) she uses polysomnography, a comprehensive recording of the complex, internal changes in the brain and body that occur during sleep. Polysomnography is often used to diagnose or rule out sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder and obstructive sleep apnea.
The type of award Alfano received, the Career Development Award from NIMH, requires mentorship and led her to collaborate with Dr. Daniel Glaze, a neurologist and chief of the Texas Children's Sleep Center at Texas Children's Hospital.
"It's a great situation to work with Dr. Glaze and the Texas Children's Sleep Center, one of the few accredited centers in the country specializing in pediatric sleep disorders," Alfano said. "I look forward to a long and productive relationship working with Dr. Glaze and other sleep experts as Texas Children's Hospital."
Alfano is co-author of the book, "Child Anxiety Disorders: A Guide to Research and Treatment," and co-editor of the book, "Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents and Young Adults: Translating Developmental Science into Practice." She also serves as associate editor of the Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
###
About the Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids (SACK)
The Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids (SACK) is a clinical research center in the department of psychology at the University of Houston dedicated to understanding the connections between children's sleep at night and their behavior and emotions during the day. Research at SACK focuses on helping school-aged children manage and overcome their anxieties, fears and sleep-related problems. Both research opportunities and low-cost clinical services based on the latest scientific evidence are offered to families. For more information about research opportunities and clinical services at SACK, please call 713-743-8600 or visit the SACK website, http://www.uh.edu/SACK
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
University of Houston opens Sleep and Anxiety Center for KidsPublic release date: 10-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Melissa Carroll mcarroll@uh.edu 713-743-8153 University of Houston
Clinical research center provides low-cost evaluation, treatment for children and adolescents
Children who have chronic sleep problems may be much more likely to develop mental health disorders as adolescents and adults, according to Candice Alfano, associate professor in clinical psychology at the University of Houston (UH) and director of the new Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids (SACK).
To address this problem and further research in the area, Alfano opened SACK, a clinical research center at UH that provides low-cost, empirically based evaluation and treatment services for children and adolescents who struggle with anxiety and/or sleep disorders. "Several research studies also are being conducted at SACK, which means that many of the families calling (on behalf of their children) will qualify to participate in a study where they will get top-of-the-line treatment at no cost," Alfano said.
"We know from previous research that anxiety and sleep problems are among the most common in kids, affecting up to 30 percent of youth," she said. "Despite their high prevalence, there is little research taking place to teach us how exactly sleep and mental health disorders are related. What we do know is that this relationship is much more complex than simply saying these problems co-occur. If we can identify the kids who are most likely to be anxious or depressed, perhaps based on the earlier emergence of sleep problems, then we can intervene before these disorders take hold."
In addition to the possibility of developing mental health problems later, chronically insufficient sleep in children has been found to have negative effects on performance in school, extracurricular activities and social functioning. Inadequate sleep may interfere with a child's ability to concentrate and follow directions, and is continually linked with behavior problems, irritability, accidents and injuries, and conflict in relationships with family and friends.
"There are some kids who have a tough time 'shutting off' at night and blocking out different types of stimuli in the environment," Alfano said. "Sleep masks and earplugs are a good way to help some kids settle into sleep. Other kids, however, need more help."
"We teach families about the importance of sleep and that it should be made a priority, the same way eating right and exercising are important. We teach children about sleep hygiene, which includes things like keeping the same bedtime and wake time every day, not having caffeinated drinks after lunch, and sleeping in your own bed every night. We also teach kids self-imagery and relaxation skills to deal with intrusive thoughts and feelings of restlessness when trying to fall asleep."
As a recipient of a Mentored Career Development Award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Alfano enters year four of a five-year research study that is examining sleep disturbances in children with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). "We are studying a total of 80 children, ages 7 to 11 years, based on several measures of sleep," Alfano said. She completed the first half of recruitment for the project previously at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and will be completing data collection over the next two years in Houston.
"We in the process of submitting preliminary findings from the study for publication," Alfano said. "What is exciting is that we are finding the same objective sleep patterns in children with GAD that we see in depressed adults. This is particularly intriguing because we know that having GAD as a child is a huge risk factor for developing depression later on, but we don't yet understand exactly why this is. This data suggests it's more than just a co-occurring problem, sleep abnormalities could be a mechanism through which anxiety and depression develop."
Alfano uses a range of methods to assess children's sleep, including clinical interviews with parents and children, polysomnography and actigraphy. An actigraph is a watch-like device worn on the wrist to measure sleep patterns. "It collects data continuously for up to two weeks," she said. "A computer-generated algorithm is then used to score sleep and wake periods. It's a nice, non-invasive way to get a picture of what's going on with a child's sleep without having them sleep in a laboratory with electrodes and wires all over them."
For more detailed questions about sleep (e.g., sleep stages including rapid eye movement sleep) she uses polysomnography, a comprehensive recording of the complex, internal changes in the brain and body that occur during sleep. Polysomnography is often used to diagnose or rule out sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder and obstructive sleep apnea.
The type of award Alfano received, the Career Development Award from NIMH, requires mentorship and led her to collaborate with Dr. Daniel Glaze, a neurologist and chief of the Texas Children's Sleep Center at Texas Children's Hospital.
"It's a great situation to work with Dr. Glaze and the Texas Children's Sleep Center, one of the few accredited centers in the country specializing in pediatric sleep disorders," Alfano said. "I look forward to a long and productive relationship working with Dr. Glaze and other sleep experts as Texas Children's Hospital."
Alfano is co-author of the book, "Child Anxiety Disorders: A Guide to Research and Treatment," and co-editor of the book, "Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents and Young Adults: Translating Developmental Science into Practice." She also serves as associate editor of the Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
###
About the Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids (SACK)
The Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids (SACK) is a clinical research center in the department of psychology at the University of Houston dedicated to understanding the connections between children's sleep at night and their behavior and emotions during the day. Research at SACK focuses on helping school-aged children manage and overcome their anxieties, fears and sleep-related problems. Both research opportunities and low-cost clinical services based on the latest scientific evidence are offered to families. For more information about research opportunities and clinical services at SACK, please call 713-743-8600 or visit the SACK website, http://www.uh.edu/SACK
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
HTC should be feeling pretty proud of itself right about now.
This morning at CES, the smartphone-maker managed to bag two U.S. firsts. Not only was its Titan II the first to announce the world's first 4G LTE Windows Phone, but it also contains the highest-megapixel smartphone camera we've heard of stateside, a 16-megapixel whopper.
Just after the smartphone was announced today, I got a chance to get eye-to-eye with the Titan II. At first blush, it looks nearly identical to the original Titan, which is new to the scene in its own right. There are some subtle differences, you may call them, but I find them improvements.
For instance, instead of a hard plastic backing, the Titan II is covered everywhere with a soft-touch finish of a lighter gray, and there's some pocked texturing over the battery cover at the base of the phone's back. Overall, it's a lot more comfortable in the hand.
The phone still has its hungry-man build and its 4.7-inch Super LCD display, which nicely showcases the clean, simple Windows Phone interface. There's a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front as well.
It's the back of the phone that's the most thrilling--a 16-megapixel camera that has the capability to beat the pants off every other high-end 8-megapixel camera out there (the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion that was announced today has a 12-megapixel camera, FYI.)
The HTC Titan II took this impressive outdoor shot, which has been cropped, but not resized.
(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)
I took a few minutes to see how well the camera actually performed. There was an abundance of natural light, so I wasn't able to stress test the Titan II in low-lighting situations or night shots. The photos that I did take were very impressive indeed, with accurate focus and sharp edges throughout. There were some weird lighting gradients with the front-facing camera, but so far the 16-megapixel camera is truly a winner.
In addition to the camera boost, the Titan II has a larger battery--now 1,730mAh, up from 1,650mAh on the original Titan. This is one handset I can't wait to try out in the real world, whenever that is. Unfortunately, AT&T and HTC are still mum on pricing and availability.
WASHINGTON ? Americans are feeling confident enough in the economy to go back to a time-honored tradition ? taking on a little extra debt.
Consumer borrowing surged in November by $20.4 billion, the Federal Reserve said Monday. It was the third straight increase and the largest monthly gain in a decade.
The jump in borrowing was largely because people took out more loans to buy cars and swiped their credit cards frequently to purchase holiday gifts.
In November, total consumer borrowing rose to seasonally adjusted $2.48 trillion. That's nearly at pre-recession levels and up from a post-recession low point of $2.39 trillion reached in September 2010. Borrowing had tumbled for more than two years during and immediately after the recession.
Since then, consumers have increased their borrowing in 13 of the past 14 months. Americans are taking on more debt after seeing the unemployment rate drop and the economy improve, albeit modestly. Many are also leaning on their credit cards and loans to make up for wages that haven't kept pace with inflation this year.
Holiday sales were solid in November, and the U.S. auto industry had its two best sales months for the year in November and December. The Fed's credit report appeared to reflect those sales.
The category that measures credit card debt rose in November by $5.6 billion, the most since March 2008. The gauge that tracks auto loans and student loans increased $14.8 billion, nearly matching July's gain that was the biggest since February 2005.
Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at the Martin Smith School of Business at California State University, said many consumers were likely persuaded by incentives that retailers and auto dealers offered to boost sales.
Still, Paul Edelstein, director of financial economics at IHS Global Insight, expressed concern that consumers may have relied on their credit cards to finance holiday purchases.
The rise in borrowing comes as many consumers are seeing little to no growth in their paychecks. Inflation-adjusted, after-tax incomes shrank by nearly 2 percent in the July-September period.
To make up the difference, many consumers have reduced the amount they save. The savings rate fell in November to 3.5 percent ? the lowest level since the recession began. The savings rate jumped in 2008 to 5 percent and stayed above that level until early last year.
Sohn said he expects the savings rate to level off near November's level. He also said the increase in consumer demand should prompt businesses to hire more workers. Those gains would allow consumers to finance their spending with rising incomes.
In December, employers added 200,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the government said Friday. It was the sixth month in a row that the economy had added at least 100,000 jobs, the longest streak since 2006. And the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in nearly three years.
With more jobs and better pay, consumers could step up spending even further. That could lead more companies to add workers, which ultimately drives more spending and more hiring. Economists call that a virtuous cycle.
Still, a recession in Europe could dampen demand for U.S. exports and weaken financial markets.
The Federal Reserve's borrowing report covers auto loans, student loans and credit cards. It excludes mortgages, home equity loans and other loans tied to real estate.
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MT @QuinnipiacPoll: FL 01/09/12 Romney Has Big GOP Likely Voter Lead In FL; Most Voters Say They Might Change Their Mind; details 2foloIl y a environ 2 heuresvia TweetDeck
Here are the Baseball Hall Of Fame voting results for 2012. This year will see the enshrinement of Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, a worthy Hall Of Famer and a scary N.L. Central opponent for Pirates pitchers in the 1990s. Players who got less than the necessary 75 percent of the vote but more than 50 percent are, in order, Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, Lee Smith, Tim Raines and Alan Trammell. This will come as no shock to serious baseball fans, but that order doesn't make much sense. There isn't much reason not to enshrine Bagwell (another fearsome N.L. Central opponent) besides totally unsubstantiated steroid suspicions. And anyone who thinks Morris or Smith are half as deserving as Raines or Trammell probably needs their heads examined. Nonetheless, Larkin is a very deserving pick.
To no one's surprise, none of the three former Pirates on the ballot (Jeromy Burnitz, Terry Mulholland and Tony Womack) received any votes.
Check out Bucs Dugout's interview with Barry Larkin here.
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Public release date: 10-Jan-2012
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