Culture | Science Codex

Sociologist examines "professional and scientific" evolution of execution methods

A University of Cincinnati sociologist combed through newspaper accounts of 19th and 20th century Ohio executions to understand how executions became more "professional and scientific" in character. Annulla Linders, an associate professor of sociology, presented the paper Aug. 9 at the 104th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco.

Linders used two late 19th century executions to illustrate the transition from hanging to electrocution. Central to that transition, Linders says, was the audience of executions, especially journalists and physicians.

Do powerful people perceive tragedy differently than ordinary individuals?

A newly completed New York University study of public reaction to the 9/11 attacks concludes that people in positions of power, from government officials to managers working on Wall Street to military personnel, tended to interpret the events in more abstract terms and with more certainty and positivity than ordinary individuals.

Study: Higher education playing bigger role in gender wage gap

SAN FRANCISCO – While higher education has helped women narrow their long-running wage gap with men, there is one college-related factor that has becoming increasingly important in perpetuating that gap, according to new research.

And that factor is college major.

Women are still segregated into college majors that will lead them to careers with less pay than men, said Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, author of the study and assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University at Marion.

Indiana University research at the American Sociological Association annual meeting

Dozens of Indiana University researchers are participating in the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. Below are examples of some of the studies.

OUT IN THE COUNTRY

Gay depictions in the media have "exploded" in the last 10 years but rural gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual youth still find it difficult to find people like them on TV or in the movies. Instead, many turn to the Internet to help them come to terms with their sexual identity and rural lifestyle.

Female supervisors more susceptible to workplace sexual harassment

SAN FRANCISCO — Women who hold supervisory positions are more likely to be sexually harassed at work, according to the first-ever, large-scale longitudinal study to examine workplace power, gender and sexual harassment.

Black women with postgraduate degrees staying single

SAN FRANCISCO — Fewer black women with postgraduate degrees are getting married and having children, according to research to be presented at the 104th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

Scientists go searching for WW II shipwrecks in the Atlantic

NOAA will lead a three-week research expedition to study World War II shipwrecks sunk in 1942 off the coast of North Carolina during the Battle of the Atlantic. The shipwrecks are located in an area known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," which includes sunken vessels from U.S. and British naval fleets, merchant ships, and German U-boats.

How to change customers' assumptions of "negative " services

For customers, the higher the perceived service quality, the higher the his or her satisfaction is. However, an article published in the August issue of the Journal of Service Research finds this relationship may be more complicated in "negative service environments" (i.e., services that consumers would prefer not to have to use), such as health screening, diagnostic tests, or even auto repair.

Medical errors result from poor hospital communication

Poor communication about the outcomes of medical tests whose results are pending at the time of a patient's hospital discharge is common, and can lead to serious medical errors in post-hospitalization medical treatment.

Marine microbes creating waves of green

New technology designed to analyze large numbers of new marine microbes could lead to more efficient and greener ways to manufacture new drugs for conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, flu and other viruses, as well as improving the manufacture of other products such as agrochemicals.

Carbon nanoparticles toxic to only adult fruit flies

Carbon nanoparticles are widely used in medicine, electronics, optics, materials science, and architecture, but their health and environmental impact is not fully understood.

In a series of experiments, researchers at Brown University sought to determine how carbon nanoparticles would affect fruit flies — from the very young to adults.

Guided nursing care reduces health care more than standard care

The nation's sickest and most expensive patients need fewer health care resources and cost insurers less when they are closely supported by a nurse-physician primary care team that tracks their health and offers regular support, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Choose your words carefully, it could make the difference between calm and pandemonium

Professor Brigitte Nerlich points out that easier internet access might help people to feel in control during a potential crisis, an issue that emerged from a previous ESRC project on foot and mouth disease carried out in Nottingham. Nowadays, and especially in the context of swine flu, "email, Twitter, and public health sites all give information and advice which can be useful to worried individuals and may dampen down panic," she says. "But more research needs to be done in this area."

American obesity expected to increase with national debt

Levels of debt have been associated with an increased risk of being fat. Researchers writing in the journal BMC Public Health blame the trend on the high price of healthy food, and a tendency for people worried by debt to comfort eat.

New mechanism revealed for increasing recombinant protein yield in tobacco

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) cause plants to store GM proteins in special 'protein bodies,' insulating them from normal cellular degradation processes and increasing the overall protein yield. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology have visualised the mechanism by which the synthetic biopolymer increases the accumulation of recombinant proteins.