Culture | Page 2477 | Science Codex

New research finds that homeowners and city planners should 'hit the trail'

Location, location, location – it is often touted as affecting the value of residential property. Now, new University of Cincinnati research suggests that location near nature trails could hold a financial benefit for homeowners and ultimately neighboring communities.

University of Cincinnati researchers Rainer vom Hofe, an associate professor of planning, and Olivier Parent, an assistant professor of economics, will present their findings on Sunday, Oct. 16, at the 52nd Annual Association of College Schools of Planning (ACSP) ENVISION Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Notre Dame computer vision experts develop 'questionable observer detector'

It's become a standard plot device of television detective shows: criminals always return to the scene of the crime. And law enforcement officials believe that perpetrators of certain crimes, mostly notably arson, do indeed have an inclination to witness their handiwork. Also, U.S. military in the Middle East feel that IED bomb makers return to see the results of their work in order to evolve their designs.

Governments should use cash transfers to target families hit by food poverty

Governments should target aid towards individual households threatened with poverty because of soaring food costs rather than intervene in the markets to try to lower prices, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Governments in poorer countries should pay cash benefits directly to poor families instead of interventions such as price subsidies or controls. This type of interference causes distortions of the food markets and does not help the poorest.

Hispanic women have higher incidence of rare breast tumor

CHICAGO (October 11, 2011) – According to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, phyllodes tumors – rare breast malignancies accounting for 0.5 to one percent of all breast tumors – tend to be more prevalent in Hispanic patients. Population-based estimates indicate that the incidence of malignant phyllodes tumors is 2.1 cases per million women, with the highest frequencies in Hispanic women.

Cell phone analysis shows patterns of human movement by considering trip cost

Using previously published data on the time-stamped locations of 100,000 anonymous cell-phone users, a researcher from Duke University has identified three distinct patterns of human mobility for short, medium, and long distance trips.

In 2008, a separate research team that was not involved in the current study published a paper in which they had plotted data on cell-phone users' movements, and then fitted the data with a single, downward-sloping curve. The curve captured an intuitive relationship: the longer a trip, the less likely it was to occur.

Researchers track number of doctors disciplined and why

TORONTO, Ont., Oct. 11, 2011—A total of 606 Canadian physicians were disciplined by their provincial medical licensing authorities between 2000 and 2009, researchers at St. Michael's Hospital found.

The majority of disciplined physicians were men (92 per cent) who had been practicing medicine for a long time (an average of 28.9 years) and were independent practitioners (99 per cent), according to Dr. Chaim Bell.

Evidence points to potential roles for cognitive rehabilitation therapy in treating traumatic brain injury, but further research

WASHINGTON — There is some evidence about the potential value of cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) for treating traumatic brain injury (TBI), but overall it is not sufficient to develop definitive guidelines on how to apply these therapies and to determine which type of CRT will work best for a particular patient, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

Annual cost of violence pegged at $6.9 billion after women leave abusive partners, UBC research

Even after women have separated from an abusive partner, the violence still costs Canadians an estimated $6.9 billion a year, according to research at the University of British Columbia.

Led by UBC Nursing Prof. Colleen Varcoe, the study – published in a recent issue of Canadian Public Policy – is the first in Canada to comprehensively identify the spectrum of economic costs for services used by women who leave a violent partner.

Experts find continuous glucose monitoring beneficial in maintaining target blood glucose levels

Patients with diabetes face daily challenges in managing their blood glucose levels, and it has been postulated that patients could benefit from a system providing continuous real-time glucose readings. Today, The Endocrine Society released a clinical practice guideline (CPG) providing recommendations on settings where patients are most likely to benefit from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

20 year change: 'Coming out' age for homosexuals now dramatically younger

The repeal of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and the legalization of gay marriage in New York state represent great strides for the rights of homosexuals but a Tel Aviv University researcher says those actions are at the tail end of social progress that was already occurring.

The next stage of heart function testing

A new non-invasive technique for measuring how well the heart and blood vessels function in patients already suffering from coronary artery disease could, in a single test, identify which abnormally narrowed blood vessels are the most likely to lead to further cardiovascular complications. According to Dr.

UC research finds that consumers rely on signage over other ad media

Businesses looking for a sign on how to prosper in a down economy need look no further than their own indoor and outdoor signage.

That's because University of Cincinnati analysis of a market research survey of more than 100,000 North American households found that shoppers are drawn into stores and make important quality inferences on the basis of signs.

Ticagrelor: Considerable added benefit for specific patients

Since the start of 2011, the active ingredient ticagrelor can be prescribed in Germany in addition to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) to avoid blood clots in patients with acute ischaemia of the cardiac muscle. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now examined whether ticagrelor offers advantages to patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in comparison with conventional drugs.

The only thing worse than hybrid cars in carpool lanes is having them out

Car pool lanes should not exist. They never worked as intended and having 33% or 25% of highways blocked off for 7% of people has led to higher emissions and more accidents. Some governments, like California, issued a mandate and subsidy for automobile companies and certain owners by also letting hybrid cars use car pool lanes, which also did not help. Now, the end of the ridiculous law is going to slow down traffic even more, according to transportation engineers at the University of California, Berkeley.

Chronic dialysis for kidney disease patients now started substantially earlier

It has become increasingly clear that patients in the United States are starting dialysis at higher and higher levels of kidney function. A team of researchers, led by Dr. Ann O'Hare, University of Washington associate professor of medicine and affiliate investigator at Group Health Research Institute, set out recently to find out what this means for patients, and how much earlier patients are starting dialysis compared with past practices.