Future of US science depends on it
What do you want to be when you grow up? Eighth-graders asked this question in 1988 were two to three times more likely to earn science and engineering degrees in college if their answer was a science-related career.
The National Research Council recently reported the United States is slipping in its leadership in science and technology fields and recommended “vastly improving” K-12 education in math and science.
Research by
When used indoors under certain conditions, many common household cleaners and air fresheners emit toxic pollutants at levels that may lead to health risks, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Exposure levels to some of the pollutants – and to the secondary pollutants formed when some of the products mix with ozone – may exceed regulatory guidelines when a large surface is cleaned in a sma
A new study from the University of Michigan found that traffic metering systems that incorporate new algorithms for merging could reduce the seriousness of traffic slowdowns that originate near freeway on-ramps.
Craig Davis, a retired Ford Motor Co. research scientist and current adjunct professor at U-M, studied highway merging to see how current on-ramp traffic meter systems could be made more effective. Currently, meter systems try to improve traffic flow by letting a certain
A new study by Florida State University researchers has found that people who were verbally abused as children grow up to be self-critical adults prone to depression and anxiety.
People who were verbally abused had 1.6 times as many symptoms of depression and anxiety as those who had not been verbally abused and were twice as likely to have suffered a mood or anxiety disorder over their lifetime, according to psychology Professor Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, the study’s lead auth
Consumption of high-flavanol cocoa improves skin structure and function
Cocoa butter has long been used topically in many skin creams and cosmetics because it is thought to be good for the skin. Now, new research just published in the Journal of Nutrition reveals the potential benefits of consuming flavanol-rich cocoa and how it might actually benefit skin from the inside out.
Researchers found that certain components in cocoa may actually help improve the appearance of women’s
The percentage of adolescents aged 15-17 who are overweight today is about 50 percent higher in families below the poverty line in comparison to those at or above it. That difference was not present in the 1970s and 1980s, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions. The scientists based their analyses on U.S. national health surveys spanning 33 years. Adolescents aged 15-17 who were in families with an income below the poverty line were
IP 751, a potent synthetic analog of a metabolite of THC–the principal active ingredient of marijuana–effectively suppresses pain in hypersensitive bladder disorders such as interstitial cystitis (IC), according to animal model study results presented today at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association.
IP 751 is a potent anti-inflammatory and a powerful analgesic, although the mechanisms by which it works are unknown. However, since the drug is insoluble in water, its a
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that an improved version of the non-invasive fecal DNA (fDNA) test to screen for colon cancer (CRC) demonstrates a higher sensitivity for detecting cancers of the colon. This data will be presented at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference on May 21, 2006 in Los Angeles.
Previous studies have shown that a first generation fDNA test (PV1) was effective in the detection of colon cancer but partial degradation of DNA was a limi
Why are chickens so sensitive to dioxins, but terns seem much more resistant, despite their exposure through eating dioxin-tainted fish? The life-or-death difference researchers have found can be partially explained by two amino acids in the chain of 858 amino acids that form one critical protein.
The slight difference apparently changes the three-dimensional shape of the protein, known as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, allowing dioxin to bind more easily to the chicken receptor
An obstetrician well known for his care of and research into multiple-birth pregnancies has found that dietary changes can affect a woman’s chances of having twins, and that her overall chance is determined by a combination of diet and heredity. By comparing the twinning rate of vegan women, who consume no animal products, with that of women who do eat animal products, Gary Steinman, MD, PhD, an attending physician at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, found that th
It harms women’s health, say Group Health researchers
Intimate partner violence (IPV), a.k.a. domestic violence, is common and damages women’s physical and mental health significantly, according to a Group Health study reported in two papers in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
In a random sample of more than 3,400 women members of Group Health Cooperative, nearly half–44 percent–reported having experienced IPV during their adult lifeti
Japanese computer chips made at too high quality to be competitive on world market
Japan is falling behind countries like Korea, Taiwan and the U.S.A. in producing low cost Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) chips for personal computers says a recent report on the Japanese semiconductor industry.
The report was written by Takashi Yunogami from the Institute for Technology, Enterprise and Competitiveness (ITEC) at Doshisha University. Yunogami found that the current pre
Nearly half of the people responding to an online survey about obesity said they would give up a year of their life rather than be fat, according to a study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale.
The 4,000 respondents in varying numbers between 15% and 30% also said they would rather walk away from their marriage, give up the possibility of having children, be depressed, or become alcoholic rather than be obese. Five percent and four percent, respectively, said
The Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) has carried out studies on the emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) that pose a threat to sustainable development. The results show that current landfills, as well as those scheduled to be constructed in the near future, may discharge environmentally hazardous emissions even 100-200 years into the future. Globally, the target is to ensure each landfill site is closed and its harmful emissions stopped within 50 years of the site’s establ
On the Industry Initiated Limitations to Copyright Exclusivity, Especially Regarding Sound Recording and Broadcasting
The study concentrates on the introduction and background motive of technology related change of copyright law as reflected mainly in the Berne Convention due to the technological and economic necessities experienced in the early 20th century. The purpose of this study is to understand a development which has led to the adaptation of licensing regimes that a
This new study published in the journal “Cytogenetic and Genome Research” shows significantly shorter telomeres and higher erosion rates in men than in women, which likely causes a shorter life expectancy of male cells and tissues.
Human telomeres form the terminal structures of human chromosomes and play a pivotal role in the maintenance of genomic integrity and function. During aging, telomeres gradually shorten, eventually leading to cellular senescence. Therefore, in humans
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