Culture

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — For the work-weary, the word "vacation" may conjure images of leisurely, carefree days at the beach sipping umbrella drinks. But according to published research by a University of Illinois expert in tourism and recreation, genealogical tourism is one of the fastest growing markets in vacation travel because it represents a conscious shift away from relaxation and into the realm of personal enrichment and fulfillment.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study shows that the more graphic and intense war news is, the less likely that viewers – regardless of political beliefs – will remember the advertising that follows the news.

However, the researchers did find that lower-intensity programming resulted in a better recall of the advertising by proponents of the war.

The youth of London have a message for the world about life in the capital and what the Olympic Games and its legacy really mean for those living in its shadow; it hasn't meant much in the way of improvement, especially with the cameras gone. Generation 2012, an event which is part of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Festival of Social Science, is a community digital storytelling project that gives them the opportunity to 'tell it like it is'.

A new study by Texas AgriLife Research scientists finds that contrary to widespread perceptions, springs in the Edwards Plateau, which provide much of the stream flows, have not been declining as a result of increased encroachment of woody plants. In fact, spring flows are twice as high as they were prior to 1950.

Like the rest of the UK, Scotland is undergoing social and economic change. The population is declining, ageing and becoming increasingly diverse and the definition of what it means to 'be Scottish' is ever more complex.

University of Alberta researcher Nese Yuksel says pharmacists could be integral to the education and screening of people for osteoporosis, as pharmacists are easily accessible and are playing a greater role in health promotion and disease prevention.

According to Osteoporosis Canada, after the age of 50 one in four women has the disease and at least one in eight men. Yuksel says a major issue is that it's a silent disease that often goes undiagnosed, and that's where pharmacists can help.

The residents of Stassfurt in Saxony-Anhalt are lucky. They are able to voice opinions about construction plans even before redevelopment commences. This is made possible by software from the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg, which represents open lots, individual buildings, neighborhoods and even complete industrial parks true-to-scale and photorealistically in virtual 3-D projections.

ST. LOUIS – In the last month, Anthony Scalzo, M.D., professor of toxicology at Saint Louis University, has seen nearly 30 cases involving teenagers who were experiencing hallucinations, severe agitation, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, vomiting and, in some cases, tremors and seizures. All of these teens had smoked a dangerous, yet legal substance known as K2 or "fake weed."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new study by a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist estimates the total economic impact of foodborne illness across the nation to be a combined $152 billion annually.

In this week's BMJ, senior eye doctors are warning people to keep liquid capsules for fabric detergents out of the reach of children after a wave of eye injuries in young children at their hospital.

Rashmi Mathew and Melanie Corbett from The Western Eye Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London report that last year chemical injuries associated with these capsules accounted for 40% of ocular chemical injuries in children under the age of five at their hospital.

Individuals who were identified as being at increased risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events based on screening for low ankle brachial index, a type of pressure measurement used in the diagnosis of peripheral artery disease, did not significantly reduce their risk of these events with the use of aspirin, according to a study in the March 3 issue of JAMA.

An analysis of Medicare data indicates that elderly patients who are hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) and survive to be discharged from the hospital have a high rate of death in the following three years, and that, in particular, patients who receive mechanical ventilation have a substantially increased rate of death compared with both hospital and general population controls in the first several months after hospital discharge, according to a study in the March 3 issue of JAMA.

Undergraduate women who join a sorority are more likely to judge their own bodies from an outsider's perspective (known as self-objectification) and display higher levels of bulimic attitudes and behaviors than those who do not take part in the sorority's recruitment process.

Over time, those women who join the group also show higher levels of body shame. These findings, part of Ashley Marie Rolnik's senior honors thesis at Northwestern University in the US, are published online in Springer's journal Sex Roles.

The exploits of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, are richly documented in 2,000-year-old records of his conquests across eastern China. His reign was indeed noteworthy – he is responsible for initiating construction of the Great Wall, and the discovery of life-size terracotta soldiers that guard his tomb in central China has generated worldwide attention.

Addressing one of the most urgent societal challenges of the Information Age – ensuring that valued digital information will be accessible not just today, but in the future – requires solutions that are at least as much economic and social as technical, according to a new report by a Blue Ribbon Task Force.