Culture

URBANA – With a struggling U.S. economy and a large number of employers downsizing their operations, many Americans are finding themselves in severe financial distress. In some cases, individuals decide their only solution is to file for bankruptcy. The American Bankruptcy Institute reported 1.4 million consumer bankruptcy filings in 2009 and a 17.5 percent increase in the number of bankruptcy cases filed the first three months of 2010 compared to a year ago.

A groundbreaking study of banded mongooses in Uganda has shown even small-brained animals pass on traditions, giving a valuable insight into how complex human culture could have evolved.

OAK BROOK, Ill. – A new study suggests that computed tomography (CT) angiography might be unnecessary in many patients suspected of having pulmonary embolism (PE), based on the results of risk assessment analysis. PE risk assessment could help reduce radiation exposure and costs associated with CT angiography. The results of the study appear in the online edition and August print issue of the journal Radiology.

Out-of-date innovation policy is undermining unprecedented opportunities for development aid to improve the environment and combat global poverty, according to a new Manifesto published today. We live in an era of rapid scientific advance yet poverty is deepening, the environment is in crisis and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals has stalled.

Women who eat foods rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals may have a lower risk of developing the most common type of cataract that occurs in the United States, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Hamilton, ON (June 14, 2010) – McMaster University researchers have identified a specific chemical that may trigger remission in patients with the debilitating disease of ulcerative colitis.

The team from the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute has found that people in long-term remission of ulcerative colitis have elevated levels of the same chemical, prostaglandin D2, which they previously found to be important in promoting healing and maintaining remission of the condition in laboratory rats.

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- A nation's economy plays a surprisingly large role in the success or failure of microfinance – the practice of making small loans to farmers or business owners too poor to provide collateral, according to a study led by a Michigan State University economist.

PROVIDENCE, RI – A new study from Rhode Island Hospital indicates that spinal cord stimulation may be able to modulate Parkinson's disease symptoms. The lead author will present the findings at the 2010 American Society for Stereotactical and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) Biennial Meeting, June 14-16 in New York City.

Tequila and cheese may sound like the makings of an awkward cocktail party, but new research shows that they have a lot to tell us about efforts to boost rural economies around the world.

Trying to have an impact in the brave new world of web advertising? You could match an ad to a web page's content, such as putting a car ad on an auto consumer website, or you could make it stand out with eye-catching pop-up graphics and video.

But don't waste your marketing budget putting the two strategies together. The first large-scale study looking at thousands of online ad campaigns says that in combination, these approaches turns viewers off.

p>MADISON, WI, June 14th, 2010 – Nutrient runoff from livestock manure is a common source of agricultural pollution. Looking for an uncommon solution, a team of scientists has developed an application of rare earth elements to control and track runoff phosphorus from soils receiving livestock manure. In addition to reducing the solubility of phosphorus, this method shows particular promise for researchers interested in tracking the fate of manure nutrients in agricultural settings.

Disparities in cancer stage and treatment are the main reasons why Medicaid-insured and uninsured rectal cancer patients are twice as likely to die within five years as privately insured patients. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Because poorer survival among rectal cancer patients without private insurance is largely attributable to later cancer stage at diagnosis and inadequate treatment, disparities may be lessened through health care reform.

Almost the entire adult population of Scotland (97.5%) are likely to be either cigarette smokers, heavy drinkers, physically inactive, overweight or have a poor diet. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health also found a strong association between the presence of several of these risk factors and low income.