Culture | Page 2668 | Science Codex

IMPACT results show potential cancer treatment

Dr. Neal Shore (GB) presented for the first time in Europe the updated results of the study "Sipuleucel-T Active Cellular Immunotherapy for Metastatic, Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: results from the IMPACT trial," during the second plenary session of the 25th Anniversary EAU Congress in Barcelona.

"This study shows a potential new treatment paradigm in oncology and is the first active immunotherapy to demonstrate improvement in overall survival (OS) for metastatic CRPC (castrate-resistant prostate cancer)," said Shore

Big tobacco harms innocent children with nicotine pellets

Boston, MA – A tobacco company's new, dissolvable nicotine pellet, which is intended as a temporary form of nicotine for smokers in settings where smoking is banned but critics claim resembles popular candies, could lead to accidental nicotine poisoning in children, worries the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), the Northern Ohio Poison Control Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The researchers further claim the candy-like products could appeal to young people and lead to nicotine addiction.

Women are taking over cinema, says female sociologist

A female director wins best director at the Oscars. A female-driven movie wins two Academy Awards, including best adapted screenplay. It may not be a huge sign, but it signals a huge shift in what the general public is watching and how Hollywood is viewing the much-maligned genre, the "chick flick."

G1 HCV patients who achieve an early viral response can be successfully treated within 6 months

Vienna, Austria, Friday 16 April: 24 weeks of treatment could be sufficient to cure between 93 and 100% of treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (G1) infected patients if they have a fast antiviral response to Telaprevir (TVR) with Peginterferon (PEG-IFN) and Ribavirin (RBV), according to new research presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria.

Professor says Kindle will help kids read better

To help children become better readers, a Kansas State University professor thinks they may 'need to spend less time with their noses stuck in books.

Lotta Larson, a K-State assistant professor of elementary education, is finding that electronic readers allow children to interact with texts in ways they don't interact with the printed word.

Since fall 2009, Larson has been using the Amazon Kindle in her work with a pair of second-graders. The e-reader has features that make the text audible, increase or decrease font size and let readers make notes about the book.

Dance therapy improves seniors' gait, balance, researcher finds

The researchers used a dance-therapy program called The Lebed Method (TLM), which includes a combination of low-impact dance steps choreographed to music. Sessions were led by certified TLM instructors and adjusted to fit the specific needs of the seniors who participated.

Sexual violence common in Asian, African armed conflicts

According to the Alerta 2010! Report on Conflicts, Human Rights and Peacebuilding, sexual violence was used as a weapon in most armed conflicts taking place in 2009. In addition to the report, the School for a Culture of Peace of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona also published the Yearbook 2010 on Peace Processes. This year the report includes a Human Rights Index which measures the level of non-compliance of states regarding their obligation to protect human rights. The index is headed by Myanmar, Sudan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Thailand, Russia, Somalia and India.

Solid-state illuminator reduces nitrates in leafy green vegetables

KAUNAS, LITHUNIA—Searching for ways to improve the nutritional quality of leafy green vegetables, Lithuanian researchers have found success with new technology that features high-density photosynthetic photon flux generated by a solid-state illuminator. The technology, which can be applied in greenhouses for preharvest treatment of leafy vegetables, was found to decrease concentrations of harmful nitrates while allowing some beneficial nutrient levels to increase. The research results were published in a recent issue of HortScience.

Congress takes another stride toward public access to research

Washington, DC – Fueling the growing momentum toward openness, transparency, and accessibility to publicly funded information, the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2010 (FRPAA) has been introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and a bi-partisan host of co-sponsors. The proposed bill would build on the success of the first U.S.

Evil Insurance Companies Heavily Invested In Fast Food Industry

Just weeks after the passage of a health bill that will dramatically increase the number of Americans covered by private health insurers, Harvard researchers have detailed the extent to which life and health insurance companies are major investors in the fast-food industry – to the tune of nearly $2 billion.

Weizmann scientists developed an electronic 'nose' that can predict the pleasantness of novel odors

Weizmann Institute scientists have 'trained' an electronic system to be able to predict the pleasantness of novel odors, just like a human would perceive them – turning the popular notion that smell is completely personal and culture-specific on its head. In research published in PLoS Computational Biology, the scientists argue that the perception of an odor's pleasantness is innately hard-wired to its molecular structure, and it is only within specific contexts that personal or cultural differences are made apparent.

NIST detector counts photons with 99 percent efficiency

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed* the world's most efficient single photon detector, which is able to count individual particles of light traveling through fiber optic cables with roughly 99 percent efficiency. The team's efforts could bring improvements to secure electronic communication, advanced quantum computation and the measurement of optical power.

Pittsburgh's young workforce among top 5 most educated in US

PITTSBURGH—Once defined by heavy-industry and blue-collar masses, Pittsburgh now hosts the fifth most educated young workforce in the United States, a distinction that groups the city with such bastions of erudition as Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., according to a recent report in the Pittsburgh Economic Quarterly published by the University of Pittsburgh's University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR).

Perchance to dream, perchance to write for young children

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An approach to teaching young children the principles of writing and literacy that prohibits them from borrowing from our common cultural landscape is a problematic one, according to a University of Illinois professor who studies childhood learning and literacy development.

Black men with chronic pain at higher risk for depression, disability

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Black men with chronic pain related to an accident, injury, illness, surgery or other causes were more likely to experience depression, affective distress and disability than white men with chronic pain, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System.

The persistent pain black men experienced was more severe which might lead to greater disability, but the study by U-M researchers give clues to other factors that drive the downward spiral to depression and disability.