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Public Release: 10-Feb-2012
Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting' A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service sweethearting," a clandestine practice that costs their employers billions of dollars annually in lost revenue. Contact: Barbara Ash
Public Release: 10-Feb-2012
 Molecular Cancer TherapeuticsMolecular profiling reveals differences between primary and recurrent ovarian cancers There is a need to analyze tumor specimens at the time of ovarian cancer recurrence, according to a new study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Researchers used a diagnostic technology called molecular profiling to examine the differences in the molecular characteristics of primary and recurrent ovarian tumors and found significant changes for some biomarkers. 
The Clearity Foundation
Contact: Pam Lord
Public Release: 10-Feb-2012
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual MeetingOrthopaedic surgery report provides transparency on patient safety, quality initiatives Patients and health care professionals can learn about this commitment to world-class care and operational transparency in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery's recently published "2012 Quality and Outcomes Report," which is now available online as well as in hard copy at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons meeting taking place this week in San Francisco. Contact: Craig Andrews
Public Release: 10-Feb-2012
Eastern Economics JournalHigh school students test best with 7 hours' rest New research finds that 16- to 18-year-olds perform better academically when they shave about two hours off what current guidelines prescribe. Contact: Joe Hadfield
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
Psychological ScienceAnyone can learn to be more inventive, says UMass Amherst cognitive researcher After studying common roadblocks to problem-solving, Anthony McCaffrey has developed a toolkit for enhancing anyone's creativity and inventiveness. Contact: Janet Lathrop
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
Nano Letters'Dark plasmons' transmit energy Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via "dark plasmons," according to researchers at Rice University.
Robert A. Welch Foundation, Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, Nontenured Faculty Grant
Contact: David Ruth
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
Journal of MarketingUS workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions Nearly 70 percent of the nation's service employees give away free goods and services – from hamburgers to cable TV – costing companies billions of dollars a year, according to a groundbreaking study. Contact: Clay Voorhees
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
PLoS ONEStorm warning: Financial tsunami heading this way Dror Kenett and professor Eshel Ben-Jacob of Tel Aviv University recently devised a financial market "seismograph" that can measure the interconnections between stock markets across the globe. Their research has the potential to serve as an early warning system and provide measures to manage and mitigate the spread of financial crisis. Contact: George Hunka
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
Maryland Commission recommends 'common sense' immigration policy Immigrants to Maryland contribute significantly to the state's economy, and were vital to its workforce expansion in both technical and less-skilled occupations from 2000 to 2010, concludes a new report by a Maryland state commission. During this period, immigrants mostly complemented rather than competed with US-born state residents for jobs, it adds. The Commission, a state panel coordinated by the University of Maryland, evaluated immigrants' economic contributions and the cost of government services for them. Contact: Neil Tickner
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
American Journal of TransplantationRacial disparities exist in access to kidney transplantation A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that racial disparities exist in both the early and late steps in access to kidney transplantation. This study is part of the February special themed issue of the journal on racial disparity. Contact: Amy Molnar
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
'Flipped classroom' teaching model gains an online community Researchers at Harvard University have launched the Peer Instruction Network, a new global social network for users of interactive teaching methods. PI, developed by Eric Mazur, Area Dean for Applied Physics and Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is an innovative evidence-based pedagogy designed to improve student engagement and success. Contact: Michael Rutter
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
Fresh city tomatoes, any time Why not produce lettuce, beans and tomatoes where most of the consumers are to be found: in the city? The flat roofs of many buildings are well-suited for growing vegetables. Rooftop greenhouses can also make use of a building's waste heat and cleaned waste water. Contact: Volkmar Keuter
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
NFC aid for the visually and hearing impaired As the proportion of senior citizens grows, their special needs are gaining momentum. Human eyesight, for example, weakens with age. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has been developing new NFC-based applications that make life easier for the visually impaired. A group of affected persons recently tested an innovative, speech-based item identification system and new "talking" packaging for medicine and food. Contact: Minna Isomursu
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
PLoS GeneticsFurther support for a role of synaptic proteins in autism spectrum disorders A new study combines genetic and neurobiological approaches to confirm that synaptic mutations increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). It also highlights a role for modifier genes in these disorders. Contact: Thomas Bourgeron
Public Release: 9-Feb-2012
PLoS ONEUniversity of East Anglia research reveals why fishermen keep fishing despite dwindling catches Half of fishermen would not give up their livelihood in the face of drastically declining catches, according to research led by the University of East Anglia. A new report, published by PLoS ONE, challenges previously held notions about poverty and adaptation by investigating why fishermen in developing countries stick with their trade.
Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association
Contact: Lisa Horton
Public Release: 8-Feb-2012
Health AffairsUtilizing risk-adjustment strategies to navigate an equitable road toward health-care reform Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examine why health reform could lead to favorable or adverse risk selection across health plans. The article reviews provisions within the Affordable Care Act legislation and discusses key risk-adjustment implementation issues for states establishing health insurance exchanges. Results from a simulation using data from 5 million insured persons show how risk-adjusted transfer payments will be essential to help minimize selection bias across participating health plans.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Contact: Tim Parsons
Public Release: 8-Feb-2012
New England Journal of MedicinePitt study: Drug costs, not volume, cause regional differences in Medicare drug spending The cost of medications through Medicare's subsidized prescription drug program varies from region to region across the United States largely due to the use of more expensive brand-name drugs and not because of the amount of drugs prescribed, according to a study led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH). The authors said that more efficient prescribing practices could have saved the Medicare program and its beneficiaries $4.5 billion.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NIH/National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, others
Contact: Allison Schlesinger
Public Release: 8-Feb-2012
Tackling financial exploitation of elderly people Professionals who are in close contact with elderly people could soon be in a better position to spot if they are being financially exploited, for example through a lottery scam or by a deceitful relative draining the bank account, thanks to a pioneering new study funded by the UK Research Councils' New Dynamics of Aging program.
Economic and Social Research Council
Contact: Press Office
Public Release: 8-Feb-2012
Child DevelopmentStudy examines role of bilingualism in children's development A Canadian study looked at monolingual and bilingual six year-olds on three verbal tasks and one nonverbal task of executive control. The study found that different factors were responsible for the language- and non-language-related outcomes of bilingualism than found in previous research. This study is also unique in that it controlled for other factors that are often associated with bilingualism, including differences in culture, socioeconomic status, immigration history, and language.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Sarah Hutcheon
Public Release: 7-Feb-2012
Current AnthropologyStudy: Breastfeeding can be tougher for women when pregnancy is unplanned Women who did not plan to get pregnant are much more likely to stop breastfeeding within three months of giving birth, according to a study published in the journal Current Anthropology. The research suggests that women whose pregnancies were unplanned often experience more emotional and physical discomfort with breastfeeding compared to women who planned to get pregnant. Contact: Kevin Stacey
Public Release: 7-Feb-2012
SAGE OpenTeenage pregnancy is not a racial issue While researchers have long set to determine if there is a tie between race and teenage pregnancy, according to a new study, equating black teenagers with the problem of teenage pregnancy is a misrepresentation of today's reality. This new study is detailed in the article, "Black Teenage Pregnancy: A Dynamic Social Problem," published in SAGE Open. Contact: Ashley Loar
Public Release: 7-Feb-2012
National Quality Forum endorses 2 American College of Surgeons NSQIP measures Two outcomes-based measures from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program were recently endorsed by the National Quality Forum. The two measures, surgical site infection and urinary tract infection, were developed by ACS in partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as possible national outcomes measures that could be adopted by the governmental body as early as 2015. Contact: Sally Garneski
Public Release: 7-Feb-2012
An electronic green thumb If sensors are supposed to communicate with each other to compare the measured data and to secure them, then, in the future, a network of distributed sensor nodes will aid in that: the network ensures problem-free communication between the sensors. For example, they can be used to reliably monitor the watering of plants. At the "embedded world" trade fair, taking place from Feb. 28 to March 1 in Nuremberg, the researchers are showcasing a technological demonstration. Contact: Jens Krueger
Public Release: 7-Feb-2012
First industrial-scale foam forming research environment for forest sector Foam-forming technology gives exciting opportunities to develop new recyclable and lightweight wood fiber products. It also gives a possibility to decrease raw material and production costs remarkably compared to recent technology. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, together with industry, has started setting up a new pilot scale technology platform for foam-forming applications. Contact: Janne Poranen
Public Release: 7-Feb-2012
Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and SocietyCounties with thriving small businesses have healthier residents, LSU and Baylor researchers find Counties and parishes with a greater concentration of small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations -- with lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes -- than do those that rely on large companies with "absentee" owners, according to a national study by sociologists at LSU and Baylor University. Contact: Terry Goodrich
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