Culture | Science Codex

Researchers create freestanding nanoparticle films without fillers

Nanoparticle films are no longer a delicate matter: Vanderbilt physicists have found a way to make them strong enough so they don't disintegrate at the slightest touch.

In the last 25 years, ever since scientists figured out how to create nanoparticles – ultrafine particles with diameters less than 100 nanometers – they have come up with a number of different methods to mold them into thin films which have a variety of interesting potential applications ranging from semiconductor fabrication to drug delivery, solid state lighting to flexible television and computer displays.

New study indicates radiologists need standards to ensure optimal visual accuracy

Radiologists, like professional pilots for example, depend on good vision as part of their occupation. However, radiologists unlike pilots are not required to undergo regular vision testing. A new study found that approximately 50% of radiologists surveyed indicated they don't recall ever having their vision tested or it had been 24 months or longer since their last vision exam.

Alcohol advertising self-regulation not working, as ads target younger drinkers

Addiction scientists are calling for tighter regulation of alcohol advertising, as new research shows that self-regulation by the alcohol industry does not protect impressionable children and youth from exposure.

The new research, conducted in Australia, found that adolescents in the five main cities saw nearly as much TV alcohol advertising as 18-24 year olds, and in the case of full-strength beer and wine, in one city underage teens were actually exposed to more advertising than young adults of a legal drinking age.

Botox injections can significantly improve quality of life for people with overactive bladders

Botox is well known for its cosmetic uses, but researchers have now found that it can also significantly improve people's quality of life if they suffer from another problem that increases with age, an overactive bladder (OAB).

A study published in the June issue of BJU International shows that patients who had Botox injections to control bladder problems reported significant improvements in their lives as well as their symptoms for at least 24 weeks.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for chronic insomnia

WESTCHESTER, Ill. –A majority of people experiencing chronic insomnia can experience a normalization of sleep parameters through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), according to a research abstract that will be presented on Tuesday, June 9, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Obstructive sleep apnea patients have increased occurrences of parasomnia symptoms

WESTCHESTER, Ill. –Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased prevalence of parasomnia symptoms compared with the prevalence rates of individual parasomnias, according to a research abstract that will be presented on Tuesday, June 9, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

We don't do enough wildfire mitigation work where it would help most - the western US

'Back to nature' marketing has worked. More people than ever are living in or near wooded nature areas. Unfortunately, that places them at risk for fires. Activist lawsuits and confusion about responsible clearing of woodlands in the US are part of the problem but another part is that private ownership means the federal government is not including those lands in its mitigation efforts.

Evidence of ancient human activity found - on a ridge beneath Lake Huron

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---More than 100 feet deep in Lake Huron, on a wide stoney ridge that 9,000 years ago was a land bridge, University of Michigan researchers have found the first archeological evidence of human activity preserved beneath the Great Lakes.

The researchers located what they believe to be caribou-hunting structures and camps used by the early hunters of the period.

Consumers confused about corn syrup versus other sugars

WASHINGTON, DC – Three top researchers corrected inaccuracies and misunderstandings concerning high fructose corn syrup's impact on the American diet. They also examined how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers this sweetener in light of the upcoming 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in a session, High Fructose Corn Syrup: Sorting Myth from Reality, at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California.

Rogue engineering student culture drives counterproductive practices

To engineering students, scenes like these might sound familiar: students splitting up group projects so they don't have to work together. One student bragging that he did the problem without following the directions but still got the right answer. Another student bragging about how he did the whole project in the hour before class.

It's practices like these that many students believe will help them become expert engineers — but it's the same practices that are the ire of managers who hire recent engineering graduates.

Staying sharp: New study uncovers how people maintain cognitive function in old age

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Not everyone declines in cognitive function with age. Elderly people who exercise at least once a week, have at least a high school education and a ninth grade literacy level, are not smokers and are more socially active are more likely to maintain their cognitive skills through their 70s and 80s, according to research published in the June 9, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

UBC researcher solves century-old enigma of prehistoric marine mass grave

Good old-fashioned detective work has turned up the first conclusive explanation for the origin of a massive bonebed in southern California, according to a new study led by a UBC paleontologist.

The Sharktooth Hill bonebed is exposed over approximately 100 sq. kilometres of land, located at the southern end of the Central Valley of California. It is one of the largest concentrations of marine vertebrate fossils in the world, containing an average of 200 fossils per square-metre, including the skeletal remains of whales, seals, sea turtles, sharks and land mammals.

Common chemotherapy drug triggers fatal allergic reactions

CHICAGO -- A chemotherapy drug that is supposed to help save cancer patients' lives, instead resulted in life-threatening and sometimes fatal allergic reactions.

A new study from the Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports (RADAR) pharmacovigilance program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine identified 287 unique cases of hypersensitivity reactions submitted to the FDA's Adverse Event Report System between 1997 and 2007 with 109 (38 percent) deaths in patients who received Cremophor-based paclitaxel, a solvent-administered taxane chemotherapy.

Moon magic: Researchers develop new tool to visualize past, future lunar eclipses

Troy, N.Y. – Lunar eclipses are well-documented throughout human history. The rare and breathtaking phenomena, which occur when the moon passes into the Earth's shadow and seemingly changes shape, color, or disappears from the night sky completely, caught the attention of poets, farmers, leaders, and scientists alike.

What about the boys?

Both boys and girls have issues, but boys seem to be the ones getting the raw deal. According to Judith Kleinfeld, professor of psychology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the US, issues affecting boys are more serious than those affecting girls, but they have been neglected by policy makers. Her review (1) of issues characterizing American boyhood, how they compare to those affecting girls, and the lack of initiatives in place to address them has just been published in the June issue of Springer's journal Gender Issues.