EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science

SFU cell biologist Lynne Quarmby will address top-flight American high school science students at AAAS conference in Vancouver

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Simon Fraser University) Lynne Quarmby, a Simon Fraser University cell biologist with a passion for promoting science, will deliver a talk to 30-top flight American high school science students and their teachers about the importance of basic science. Quarmby will be the keynote speaker at the Feb. 16 AJAS meeting at SFU Burnaby. It strategically brings together the crème de la crème of young American science students during the AAAS meeting in Vancouver.

Human cognitive performance suffers following natural disasters, HF/E researchers find

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Human Factors and Ergonomics Society) Not surprisingly, victims of a natural disaster can experience stress and anxiety, but a new study indicates that it might also cause them to make more errors - some serious - in their daily lives. In their upcoming Human Factors article, "Earthquakes on the Mind: Implications of Disasters for Human Performance," researchers William S. Helton and James Head from the University of Canterbury explore how cognitive performance can decline after earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Florida State University) 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.

SFU health scientist joins governor general's roundtable at AAAS

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Simon Fraser University) Kate Tairyan, an SFU health scientist and director of public health at Next Generation University, will use a meeting with Canada's governor general at the AAAS conference to promote the world's first free university.

C-sections linked to breathing problems in preterm infants

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Yale University) Research conducted at Yale School of Medicine shows that a cesarean delivery, which was thought to be harmless, is associated with breathing problems in preterm babies who are small for gestational age.

UTHealth research: Both maternal and paternal age linked to autism

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Older maternal and paternal age are jointly associated with having a child with autism, according to a recently published study led by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Sonic Cradle lands spot in TED exhibition

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Simon Fraser University) A Simon Fraser University graduate student project that melds music, meditation and modern technology has landed a rare spot as an exhibit at TEDActive 2012 in Palm Springs, Calif., this month.Jay Vidyarthi's project, Sonic Cradle, allows individuals to use their breathing to shape musical sounds while they sit suspended in a totally dark chamber. The experience is described as "meditation for the non-meditator."

Numeracy: The educational gift that keeps on giving?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Association for Psychological Science) Cancer risks. Investment alternatives. Calories. Numbers are everywhere in daily life, and they figure into all sorts of decisions. A new article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, examines how people who are numerate -- that's like literacy, but for numbers -- understand numbers better and process information differently so that they ultimately make more informed decisions.

Orthopaedic surgery report provides transparency on patient safety, quality initiatives

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine) 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.

Tailor-made search tools for the Web

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) For companies, customer feedback is a matter of strategic importance. Smart apps for the semantic analysis of user opinions from the Web help businesses keep an eye on feedback. Users benefit as well: with the "Eat and Drink" app, the user can quickly learn all about the special features of restaurants, cafes and bars.

Georgetown hosts forum to discuss government request of journals to redact scientific data

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Georgetown University Medical Center) Georgetown University hosts "Censoring Research on Contagious H5N1 Influenza in 2012? -- A Panel Discussion on Global Public Health, Legal, and Policy Controversies" on Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the New Research Building Auditorium on the campus of Georgetown University Medical Center. The panel is free and open to the public.

From virginity to Viagra

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Sociologists for Women in Society) Americans will spend more than $17 billion on Valentine's Day, but far less on programs like sex education for adolescents. The editors of the new book, "Sex for Life, From Virginity to Viagra, How Sexuality Changes Throughout Our Lives," argue that not only do our public policies on sex education need to be reevaluated, our entire concept of human sexuality needs to be broadened.

High school students test best with 7 hours' rest

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Brigham Young University) New research finds that 16- to 18-year-olds perform better academically when they shave about two hours off what current guidelines prescribe.

PAP therapy improves neurobehavioral outcomes in children with OSA

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(American Thoracic Society) Treatment of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with positive airway pressure therapy improves a number of important neurobehavioral outcomes, according to a new study from the the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Autism experts to gather at USC symposium

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Southern California) USC faculty and community experts are slated to convene on March 9 at the USC Occupational Science Symposium to share research and perspectives on autism and autism spectrum disorders with an audience of university colleagues and students, health professionals and public advocates.

News of plaque-clearing drug tops week of major advances against Alzheimer's disease

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(AHAF-American Health Assistance Foundation) In the last eight days, scientists have delivered a powerful one-two punch in the fight to defeat Alzheimer's disease. At the same time, the White House and members of Congress are proposing increases in Alzheimer's research funding. This has been a big week for all who seek to end this disease, says the CEO of the American Health Assistance Foundation.

Kids show cultural gender bias

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Alberta) Talk about gender confusion! A recent study by University of Alberta researchers Elena Nicoladis and Cassandra Foursha-Stevenson in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology into whether speaking French influenced how children assigned gender to objects yielded some interesting observations. Nicoladis and Foursha-Stevenson found some differences between the monolingual English children and the bilingual French-English children they surveyed.

Anyone can learn to be more inventive, says UMass Amherst cognitive researcher

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Massachusetts at Amherst) After studying common roadblocks to problem-solving, Anthony McCaffrey has developed a toolkit for enhancing anyone's creativity and inventiveness.

Focus on self-improvement, rather than winning, benefits young athletes

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Michigan State University) Underserved youth athletes report more life skill and character development when their coaches place greater emphasis on creating caring climates instead of focusing on competition, according to research from Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports.

ONR Global taking off for Singapore Air Show 2012

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Office of Naval Research) The Office of Naval Research Global will be showcasing unmanned systems Feb. 14-19 at the 2012 Singapore Air Show, the largest air show in Asia and one of the top three aerospace and defense events on the global industry calendar. Through its offices in Washington, London, Prague, Tokyo, Singapore and Santiago, ONR Global pursues international partnerships with organizations conducting basic and early applied research to drive execution of long-term strategic efforts.

Aid missions get cutting-edge assistance from ONR

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Office of Naval Research) A Web-based tool suite that helps first responders rapidly coordinate resources during disasters, co-sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, is being introduced at a University of Connecticut panel Feb. 8-11 as part of a month-long rollout. The Resiliency Assessment and Coordination System tool takes data from United Nations sites and displays it on a map-based diagram showing the locations of various resources, such as food, shelter, sanitation and health supplies and provides a checklist.

New prenatal genetic test is much more powerful at detecting fetal abnormalities

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center) A nationwide, federally funded study has found that testing a developing fetus' DNA through chromosomal microarray provides more information about potential disorders than does the standard method of prenatal testing, which is to visually examine the chromosomes. The results of the 4,000-plus-participant clinical study are being presented at the 32nd annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Dallas on Feb. 9, 2012. The study was recently published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Undiagnosed neurological disorders may cause falls and hip fractures in the elderly

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Undiagnosed neurological disorders, such as cervical myelopathy, may predispose elderly patients to falls and fractures, according to new research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthpaedics.

To perform with less effort, practice beyond perfection

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Colorado at Boulder) Whether you are an athlete, a musician or a stroke patient learning to walk again, practice can make perfect, but more practice may make you more efficient, according to a surprising new University of Colorado Boulder study.

US workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Michigan State University) 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.