EurekAlert! - Business and Economics

NJIT receives NSF funding to improve Big Bear Telescope, study solar energy

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(New Jersey Institute of Technology) The National Science Foundation has recently provided support that totals nearly $4.3 million for the diverse efforts of the following investigators under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Evolution of evolution: An NSF-sponsored webcast featuring Mohamed Noor

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(National Science Foundation) Please join the National Science Foundation on Monday, Nov. 23, at 10 a.m. ET for a live webcast featuring Darwin-Wallace Medal recipient Mohamed Noor of Duke University, who will answer media questions about current evidence for evolution and modern evolution theory.

More than powerful! German research computer QPACE is the most energy efficient in the world

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) At the 2009 Supercomputing Conference in Portland, Ore., the high-performance computer QPACE (QCD Parallel Computing on the Cell) was recognized today as the most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world. QPACE is at the head of the Green500 list, which provides a global ranking of energy-efficient supercomputers.

Promoting healthy skepticism in the news: Helping journalists get it right

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Journal of the National Cancer Institute) An editorial published online November 20 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute discusses the exaggerated fears and hopes that often appear in news coverage of cancer research. The editorial provides guidance for both the media and journals to help alleviate the problem.

Projections of savings from health IT are baseless, Harvard researchers say

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Physicians for a National Health Program) The increased computerization in US hospitals hasn't made them cheaper or more efficient, Harvard researchers say, although it may have modestly improved the quality of care for heart attacks. The findings contradict claims by President Obama and many lawmakers that health information technology, including electronic medical records, will save billions and help make reform affordable. The study uses data from the most extensive survey ever undertaken of hospital computerization.

Dispensing prescription drugs in 3-month supplies reduces drug costs by a third

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Chicago Medical Center) Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to save money. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the savings for the first time.

Workshop on economics, neuroscience and hormones

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - Davis) A workshop on "Neuroeconomics and Endocrinological Economics," to be held Nov. 20 and 21 at UC Davis, will be the first to bring together experts in neuroscience, economics and hormone physiology in one event, according to organizers.

Shifting blame is socially contagious

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Southern California) Merely observing someone publicly blame an individual in an organization for a problem -- even when the target is innocent -- greatly increases the odds that the practice of blaming others will spread with the tenacity of the H1N1 flu.

Poverty measurement in the US: Income transfers alone won't eradicate poverty

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Wiley-Blackwell) Government-based poverty intervention through income transfers may skew poverty level measurement in US.

Case Western School of Medicine receives RWJF grant to establish a public health research network

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Case Western Reserve University) Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a Robert Wood Johnson grant to fund a Public Health Practice Based Research Network called the Ohio Research Association for Public Health Improvement. The grant, $90,000 over two years, was one of seven practice-based research networks awarded this year, making the School of Medicine one of only 12 networks in the country.

Microorganism may provide key to combating giant salvinia throughout Louisiana

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Louisiana Tech University) A team of researchers at Louisiana Tech University has found that a naturally occurring microorganism acts as a natural herbicide against giant salvinia.

Dana Foundation and Johns Hopkins release neuroeducation book

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(DANA Foundation) Today, the Dana Foundation released Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts, and the Brain, its newest free education resource. The book, the culmination of a summit sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Neuro-Education Initiative, focuses on the convergence of neuroscientific research and teaching and learning, with an emphasis on the arts.

Reference genome of maize, most important US crop, is published by team co-led by CSHL scientists

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) A four-year, multi-institutional effort co-led by three Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists culminated today in publication of a landmark series of papers in the journal Science revealing in unprecedented detail the DNA sequence of maize. Maize, or corn, as it is commonly called by North American consumers, is one of the world's most important plants and the most valuable agricultural crop grown in the United States, representing $47 billion in annual value.

WPI researchers take aim at hard-to-treat fungal infections

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have developed a new model system to study fungal infections. The system can be a powerful tool for screening potential drug targets for conditions like thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast infections, which affect millions of people each year but are difficult to treat with existing medications. Using the new model, the researchers also identified a gene that may be a promising target for a new anti-fungal drug.

Pivotal study for PSD502 -- the first potential treatment for premature ejaculation

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(HealthStar PR) Results of the double-blind treatment phase of this study, which enrolled patients from the US, Canada and Poland, are consistent with previously reported results of the pivotal trial conducted in Europe and showed that men who were treated with PSD502 five minutes before intercourse were able to delay ejaculation up to five times longer than those who used placebo. Additionally, patients and partners in both trials reported significant improvements in sexual satisfaction, and the drug was well tolerated.

Treating alcohol-use disorders and tuberculosis together

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research) Treatment for alcohol use disorders and tuberculosis (TB) is rarely integrated, even though the two diseases have a high co-occurrence. American and Russian researchers have jointly designed and are monitoring an innovative program that will deliver alcohol treatment as part of routine TB care. The trial study is continuing.

TGen Drug Development establishes European footprint

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(The Translational Genomics Research Institute) TGen Drug Development and the Institut Paoli-Calmettes have forged a strategic alliance that will enable both to maximize their worldwide contributions in the treatment of cancer patients.

Girls 'disengage' from high school science

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Northern Illinois University) High school girls are bored, disengaged and stressed in science classes when compared to boys, Northern Illinois University researchers say. And teachers might not be doing enough to change the situation. Funded by a three-year, $476,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Jennifer Schmidt and M. Cecil Smith expect their research eventually will help high school science teachers design and deliver lesson plans that best engage and electrify girls as well as boys.

Berkeley Lab lends expertise to India to promote energy efficiency

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) India may rank only a distant fourth in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, behind China, the United States and Russia, but its rapid economic growth rate coupled with aging and inefficient energy infrastructure suggest dire environmental consequences if "business as usual" continues. That's why experts from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have been working to expand collaborations with India on energy efficiency.

When good companies do bad things

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Michigan State University) The more prominent and financially successful a corporation becomes, the more likely it is to break the law, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University scholar that challenges previous research.

AGU Fall Meeting: Press room update, book hotels by Nov. 19

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Geophysical Union) This updates for the AGU 2009 Fall Meeting contains a press room update, reminder to book hotels by Nov. 19, how tosearch abstracts by affiliation, the blog roll and more.

Developing 'green' tires that boost mileage and cut carbon dioxide emissions

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Chemical Society) A new generation of "green" automobile tires that can boost fuel efficiency without sacrificing safety and durability is rolling their way through the research pipeline. The new tires could help add an extra mile or two per gallon to a car's fuel economy. That's the topic of the cover story of the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

Future for Internet retailers: Compete on niche products advises management insights study

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) In their competition with brick-and-mortar stores, online retailers will do best if they promote the ability to search out and obtain niche products online, according to the Management Insights feature in the current issue of Management Science, the flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

Creation of new school districts in US may cause a new form of segregation

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Wiley-Blackwell) Although the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 overturned segregation within many US metropolitan communities and districts, school districts were slow to change and have remained segregated between districts. A recent study in Law & Social Inquiry examines how the political process of creating new school districts in Southern communities changed the nature of segregation and seriously affected municipalities and districts now divided along racial lines.

ORNL, partners helping scientists deal with data deluge

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Vast amounts of information that could hold the key to breakthroughs in environmental research will be made readily available through a network created by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners.