| Teachers more likely to label black students as troublemakers Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:35 PM PDT Teachers are likely to interpret students' misbehavior differently depending on the student's race, according to new research findings. Racial differences in school discipline are widely known, and black students across the United States are more than three times as likely as their white peers to be suspended or expelled, according to the researchers.  |
| Video games can power up from merely fun to meaningful experiences Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:35 PM PDT It may be game over for critics who claim that video games are nothing more than a fun diversion. A team of researchers suggests that many games can be meaningful entertainment experiences for players.  |
| Inside health-reform savings in the United States Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:35 PM PDT In the first year of Medicare's Pioneer Accountable Care Organization program, the 32 participating provider organizations achieved a 1.2 percent savings while maintaining or improving performance on measures of quality of care. Researchers examined how savings differed by potentially policy-relevant characteristics of the participating accountable care organizations.  |
| Unnecessary preoperative testing still done on cataract patients Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:35 PM PDT Although routine preoperative testing is not indicated for patients undergoing cataract surgery, researchers have found that it is still a common occurrence and is driven primarily by provider practice patterns rather than patient characteristics.  |
| Racial disparity in cancer mortality is narrowing, suggests new study Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:35 PM PDT Cancer mortality remains significantly elevated among African-Americans. Between 2000 and 2010, overall mortality from cancer decreased faster among African-American women and men than among Caucasians. If current trends continue, racial disparities in cancer outcomes are expected to narrow further and might disappear over time.  |
| Eight nutrients to protect the aging brain Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:33 PM PDT Brain health is the second most important component in maintaining a healthy lifestyle according to a 2014 AARP study. As people age they can experience a range of cognitive issues from decreased critical thinking to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers write about eight nutrients that may help keep your brain in good shape.  |
| Heavy snoring, sleep apnea may signal earlier memory and thinking decline Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:33 PM PDT Heavy snoring and sleep apnea may be linked to memory and thinking decline at an earlier age, according to a new study. The research also suggests that treating the disorders with a breathing machine may delay the decline.  |
| The difference between 'Use-By' 'Sell-By' and 'Best-By' dates Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:33 PM PDT Confusion over date labeling leads to billions of pounds of food waste every year. An expert explains the difference between "use-by," "sell-by," and "best-by" dates.  |
| BPA can disrupt sexual function in turtles, could be a warning for environmental health Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:54 PM PDT Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in food storage products and resins that line plastic beverage containers. Often, aquatic environments become reservoirs for BPA, and turtle habitats are affected. Now, a collaboration of researchers has determined that BPA can alter a turtle's sexual differentiation. Scientists are concerned findings could indicate harmful effects on environmental and human health.  |
| New evidence adds the Capitanian extinction to the list of major extinction crises Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:54 PM PDT Since the Cambrian Explosion, ecosystems have suffered repeated mass extinctions, with the 'Big 5' crises being the most prominent. Twenty years ago, a sixth major extinction was recognized in the Middle Permian (262 million years ago) of China, when paleontologists teased apart losses from the 'Great Dying' at the end of the period. Until now, this Capitanian extinction was known only from equatorial settings, and its status as a global crisis was controversial.  |
| Dwindling bird populations in Fukushima Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:54 PM PDT This is the time of year when birds come out and really spread their wings, but since a disastrous day just before spring's arrival four years ago, Japan's Fukushima province has not been friendly to the feathered. And as several recent papers show that the avian situation there is just getting worse.  |
| Wind bursts strongly affect El Nino severity Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:53 PM PDT A new study finds that prolonged wind bursts originating in the western Pacific can have a strong effect on whether an El Nino event will occur and how severe it is likely to be. The paper also identifies three distinct varieties of El Nino, and explains how these westerly wind bursts can determine which variety will take shape. The findings should help refine future predictions of these global-scale climate events.  |
| Patents forecast technological change Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:53 PM PDT Engineers have devised a formula for estimating how fast a technology is advancing, based on information gleaned from relevant patents.  |
| Complex cognition shaped the Stone Age hand axe Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:53 PM PDT The ability to make a Lower Paleolithic hand axe depends on complex cognitive control by the prefrontal cortex, including the 'central executive' function of working memory, a new study finds. The results knock another chip off theories that Stone Age hand axes are simple tools that don't involve higher-order executive function of the brain.  |
| Cracking your knuckles: What really happens inside your joints? Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:53 PM PDT "Pull my finger," a phrase embraced by school-aged kids and embarrassing uncles the world over, is now being used to settle a decades-long debate about what happens when you crack your knuckles. Scientists have determined what happens inside finger joints to cause the distinctive popping sounds heard when cracking knuckles. For the first time, they observed that the cause is a cavity forming rapidly inside the joint.  |
| Oxycodone overdose deaths drop 25 percent after launch of Prescgram Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:06 AM PDT Oxycodone-related deaths dropped 25 percent after Florida implemented its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in late 2011 as part of its response to the state's prescription drug abuse epidemic, according to researchers. The drop in fatalities could stem from the number of health care providers who used the program's database to monitor controlled substance prescriptions.  |
| New genomic research amends earlier triple negative breast cancer finding Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:06 AM PDT Investigators tried to validate a previously reported molecular finding on triple negative breast cancer that many hoped would lead to targeted treatments for the aggressive disease. Instead, they discovered that the findings were limited to a single patient and could not be applied to further clinical work. This discovery amends the earlier work and underscores the importance of independent study validation and careful assay development.  |
| What is more rewarding: Soccer goal or prize money? Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:05 AM PDT Soccer fans hold their breath in situations like these: Two players on a team are in front of the opponent's goal with the attacking player having to make an important decision: Is it better to pass the ball to the teammate or to take the shot yourself? What happens in the brain during the course of such situations and upon scoring a goal is very similar to the processes and reward sequence with monetary incentives, researchers have discovered.  |
| Man with restored sight provides new insight into how vision develops Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:05 AM PDT Fifteen years after California entrepreneur and downhill ski champion Mike May underwent a pioneering stem cell procedure, researchers investigate how functional his vision is. "With sight-restoration procedures becoming more developed, we're going to see more and more cases where people are blind for long periods of time and then get their sight back," said the study's senior author. "But we know very little about what happens in their brains during that period. That is going to be one of the fundamental questions going forward -- what happens when the lights are turned off, and what happens when you turn them back on?"  |
| Brain development suffers from lack of fish oil fatty acids, study finds Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:33 AM PDT While recent reports question whether fish oil supplements support heart health, scientists have found that the fatty acids they contain are vitally important to the developing brain. Neurobiologists report that dietary deficiencies in the type of fatty acids found in fish and other foods can limit brain growth during fetal development and early in life. The findings suggest that women maintain a balanced diet rich in these fatty acids for themselves during pregnancy and for their babies after birth.  |
| Perceptions of environmental damage improves over time, despite lack of real change Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:33 AM PDT Human perception of the beetle kill problem in the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska has improved over time, despite little improvement in the environmental conditions, researchers have found. The study drew on household survey data collected in two phases across a 4-year time period. In the first phase, more than 1,000 people living in six communities located throughout the Kenai Peninsula completed a mail survey that asked participants about their perceptions of the beetle kill in the area and how they felt about its economic and social effects on the community and themselves individually.  |
| Should a political party form a coalition? Voters and math decide Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:33 AM PDT A new paper proposes mathematical models to analyze political decision-making. "Mathematics is important in many aspects of social behavior. Politics is just one of these aspects, since some of the typical behavior in politics can be characterized by suitable quantities which, usually, evolve in time," says an author. "In other words, political parties are examples of dynamical systems."  |
| How Twitter can help predict emergency room visits Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:33 AM PDT Researchers analyzed asthma-related tweets, along with data from air quality sensors, to successfully predict how many asthma sufferers would visit the emergency room on a given day. "We realized that asthma is one of the biggest traffic generators in the emergency department," an author said. "Often what happens is that there are not the right people in the ED to treat these patients, or not the right equipment, and that causes a lot of unforeseen problems."  |
| Iceberg armadas not the cause of North Atlantic cooling Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:33 AM PDT Armadas of icebergs were probably not the cause of abrupt episodes of cooling in the North Atlantic over the past 440,000 years, according to new research.  |
| Core competencies for oncology patient navigators published Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:32 AM PDT 45 core competency statements have been finalized for oncology patient navigators. These competency statements were created through literature review, focus group data analysis, expert review, and a national survey of oncology patient navigation stakeholders.  |
| How oxytocin makes a mom: Hormone teaches maternal brain to respond to offspring's needs Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:31 AM PDT Neuroscientists have discovered how the powerful brain hormone oxytocin acts on individual brain cells to prompt specific social behaviors -- findings that could lead to a better understanding of how oxytocin and other hormones could be used to treat behavioral problems resulting from disease or trauma to the brain.  |
| NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft Nears Historic July 14 Encounter with Pluto Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:19 AM PDT NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is three months from returning to humanity the first-ever close up images and scientific observations of distant Pluto and its system of large and small moons.  |
| Discovery of new plant switch could boost crops, biofuel production Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT Photosynthesis stores energy in two forms that are used to power plants' metabolism. The amount of energy flowing into each of these must be perfectly balanced to match the needs of plants' metabolism or the plant will self-destruct. A switch that regulates this plant photosynthesis has been discovered by a team of researchers for the first time.  |
| Longest mammal migration raises questions about distinct species of whales Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT A team of scientists has documented the longest migration of a mammal ever recorded -- a round-trip trek of nearly 14,000 miles by a whale identified as a critically endangered species that raises questions about its status as a distinct species.  |
| Immunology: Macrophages as T-cell primers Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT Macrophages can effectively substitute for so-called dendritic cells as primers of T-cell-dependent immune responses, new research shows. Indeed, they stimulate a broader-based response. "It has been assumed until now that the dendritic cells are considered to be essentially the only cell type responsible for antigen presentation in the immune system. We have now discovered that macrophages can also do this job. Not only that, in certain situations, they can be more effective than dendritic cells," says one researcher.  |
| Active aging on the up in EU, despite economic crisis and austerity Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT A healthy and active old age is a reality for many Europeans and is a genuine possibility for many more, despite the 2008 economic crash and years of austerity measures, according to a new report.  |
| New sensor detects spoiled meat Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT Chemists have devised an inexpensive, portable sensor that can detect gases emitted by rotting meat, allowing consumers to determine whether the meat in their grocery store or refrigerator is safe to eat.  |
| Building healthier communities should be a priority when preparing for and recovering from disasters Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT US communities and federal agencies should more intentionally seek to create healthier communities during disaster preparation and recovery efforts -- something that rarely happens now, says a new report.  |
| Low-dose BPA exposure affects fertility in next three generations of mice Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT When scientists exposed pregnant mice to levels of bisphenol A equivalent to those considered safe in humans, three generations of female mouse offspring experienced significant reproductive problems, including declines in fertility, sexual maturity and pregnancy success.  |
| Depression, diabetes associated with increased dementia risk Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT Depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus were each associated with an increased risk for dementia and that risk was even greater among individuals diagnosed with both depression and diabetes compared with people who had neither condition, according to a new article.  |
| Anti-fungal drug shows promise as potential new cancer treatment Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:56 AM PDT A common anti-fungal treatment has joined the ranks of drugs that may be suitable for use in treating cancer, according to research from the Repurposing Drugs in Oncology (ReDO) project. The ReDO project is an international collaboration of anticancer researchers dedicated to promoting the cause of common medicines which may represent an untapped source of novel therapies for cancer. Itraconazole is a drug used to treat a broad range of fungal infections, including skin and nail infections. It also has a lot of potential as a new cancer treatment, according to the ReDo project.  |
| Early use of palliative care in cancer improves patients' lives, outcomes for caregivers Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:55 AM PDT Significant improvement has been noted in several measures among those who began palliative care early, a new study reports. "Early interventions for caregivers lowered their depression and stress burden in the last month of the patient's life," authors state.  |
| Journal writing can help mothers raising a child with autism manage stress Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:55 AM PDT Mothers raising a child with autism can manage stress through emotional disclosure in journal writing, an occupational therapy professor reports. These mothers can get burned out because if there is no one there to help them, she said, they can't get out of the house to participate in any interventions for themselves. She compared the situation to the oxygen mask advisory on airplanes: mothers need to help themselves first before they can help others.  |
| Researchers can trace dust samples using fungal DNA Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:40 AM PDT Researchers have developed a statistical model that allows them to tell where a dust sample came from within the continental United States based on the DNA of fungi found in the sample. The work offers a new forensic biology tool for law enforcement and archaeologists.  |
| Diversity in a monoculture Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:40 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated in field experiments that it is sufficient to alter the expression of certain defense genes in individual plants to protect the whole population and to alter the diversity of the ecosystem as a whole.  |
| Select groundcover management systems found viable for organically managed apple orchard Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:40 AM PDT A long-term study evaluated four groundcover management systems in combination with composted poultry litter, commercial organic fertilizer, or a nonfertilized control to determine ability to alter near-surface soil quality in a new organically managed apple orchard in the Ozark Highlands of northwest Arkansas. Results showed the GMS and nutrient source combinations were viable management options for apple producers in the region while satisfying USDA-National Organic Program requirements to improve soil quality with crop production.  |
| Most partisans treat politics like sports rivalries, instead of focusing on issues Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:40 AM PDT The attitudes of American voters have been analyzed by researchers who found that many average voters with strong party commitments -- both Democrats and Republicans -- care more about their parties simply winning the election than they do either ideology or issues. Unlike previous research, the study found that loyalty to the party itself was the source of partisan rivalry and incivility, instead of a fundamental disagreement over issues.  |
| Vision: New technique reduces halo effect caused by lenses Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:25 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new technique that significantly reduces the halo effect that is generated when using multifocal (contact and intra-ocular) lenses and looking at bright point sources in dark conditions. Presbyopia is a result of natural aging and stems from a gradual thickening and decrease in elasticity of the lens inside the eye. Corrective lenses used to address presbyopia often lead to a halo effect. This is basically a glow or color light pattern observed when looking at a bright source of light in front of a dark background. It is mostly experienced at night when people see halos around street lamps and car headlights, and it can make driving at night unsafe or even impossible in extreme cases.  |
| 40 million-year-old family tree of baleen whales Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:33 AM PDT New research is providing the most comprehensive picture of the evolutionary history of baleen whales, which are not only the largest animals ever to live on earth, but also among the most unusual.  |
| 59 percent of California physicians support Affordable Care Act, study shows Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:33 AM PDT 77 percent of California primary care and specialty physicians understand the basics of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and 59 percent support it, a new study suggests.  |
| Plant oils used for novel bio-based plastics Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:33 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new way to use plant oils like olive and linseed oil to create polyurethane, a plastic material used in everything from foam insulation panels to tires, hoses and sealants.  |
| Injury prevention programs not widely used in high school Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:33 AM PDT Injury prevention programs can help reduce ankle, knee and other lower extremity injuries in sports, but the programs are not being widely used in high schools, a new study has found. Researchers surveyed 66 head soccer and basketball coaches from 15 Oregon high schools and found that only 21 percent of the coaches were using an injury prevention program, and less than 10 percent were using the program exactly as designed.  |
| Optimal substrate moisture content determined for high-quality bedding plants Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:33 AM PDT Scientists determined if irrigation at lower, constant substrate moisture content (SMC) during greenhouse production could acclimate plants for reduced shrinkage during shelf life while conserving irrigation water. A 20 percent SMC treatment produced the best postharvest quality plants resulting from reduced plant height, without detrimental effects on flowering. Results showed controlled irrigation at a lower SMC can conserve water and produce high-quality plants with shelf life equal to that of plants irrigated at high levels.  |
| Protein finding can pave way for improved treatment of malignant melanoma Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:31 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have linked a new protein with malignant melanomas. The protein is detected in aggressive malignant melanoma cells and might be used to predict whether and how the cancer will spread. At the same time, the discovery also opens new doors for future improved treatment of patients with melanomas.  |
| New blood test can predict future breast cancer Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:31 AM PDT By analyzing a simple blood sample, scientists have succeeded in predicting if a woman will get breast cancer within two to five years. The method -- a metabolic blood profile -- is still in the early stages but over time the scientists expect it could be used to predict breast cancer and more generally to predict chronic disease.  |
| Shape-shifting molecule tricks viruses into mutating themselves to death Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:31 AM PDT A newly developed spectroscopy method is helping to clarify the poorly understood molecular process by which an anti-HIV drug induces lethal mutations in the virus's genetic material. The findings could bolster efforts to develop the next generation of anti-viral treatments.  |
| A beggars banquet: Carrion crow chicks sit back while cuckoo chick does all the begging Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:30 AM PDT It's not all bad for crow chicks who have to share their nest with an uninvited pushy guest such as a cuckoo youngster. For one, they can sit back and wait for food to arrive while the cuckoo chick does all the begging for nourishment. So says a researcher who led a study into the pros and cons associated with the parasitic relationship of the great spotted cuckoo with the carrion crow.  |
| How limiting CEO pay can be more effective, less costly Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:29 AM PDT A new article offers insights into the political economy of executive-compensation reform. The analysis also offers insights into the political economy of executive-compensation reform.  |
| A video camera that powers itself Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:29 AM PDT Scientists have invented a prototype video camera that is the first to be fully self-powered -- it can produce an image each second, indefinitely, of a well-lit indoor scene. They designed a pixel that can not only measure incident light but also convert the incident light into electric power.  |
| Restoring cellular energy signals may treat mitochondrial diseases in humans Posted: 15 Apr 2015 06:28 AM PDT Mitochondrial disorders, rooted in malfunctions within tiny cellular power plants, are notorious complex, with few effective treatments. But by using existing human drugs to improve metabolism in microscopic worms, scientists have set the stage for clinical trials of possible innovative therapies for mitochondrial disease.  |
| Ovarian cancer: Genetic testing should be accessible to all women with the disease Posted: 15 Apr 2015 06:28 AM PDT Recent media attention has focused on American actress Angelina Jolie's decision to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes surgically removed after genetic testing for such cancers. A study suggests that all women with ovarian cancer should be tested for these genes, regardless of their family history. The findings have clinical implications both for the treatment of this disease and for the screening of individuals at-risk.  |
| Quantum cryptography at the speed of light: Researchers design first all-photonic repeaters Posted: 15 Apr 2015 06:28 AM PDT Engineers bring perfectly secure information exchanges one step to reality. They have now designed the first all-photonic quantum repeaters -- protocols that ensure data can be carried reliably and securely across longer distances when using quantum cryptography.  |
| Millions of liters of juice from one grapefruit Posted: 15 Apr 2015 06:28 AM PDT A new method allows production of expensive grapefruit aroma Nootkatone biotechnologically from cheap sugar using a 'turbo-yeast.' The versatile, healthy and tasty substance is used in soft drinks, pharmaceutical products or even as an insect repellent.  |
| Disruption of sleep in children could hamper memory processes Posted: 15 Apr 2015 06:28 AM PDT Sleep-disordered breathing can hamper memory processes in children, according to a new study. The research found that disrupted sleep had an impact on different memory processes and how children learn.  |
| Light, sound, temperature: Absence of consistent standards found in children's hospital environments Posted: 15 Apr 2015 06:28 AM PDT The sound, light and temperature levels in pediatric hospital wards often vary, highlighting the lack of consistent environmental standards across Europe, according to a new study.  |
