EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science
Sun Jan 24 11:35:51 EST 2010
Home: http://www.eurekalert.org
Feed: http://www.eurekalert.org/rss/social_behavioral.xml

Driven to distraction: New study shows driving hinders talking - (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) It is well known that having a conversation (for example on a cell phone) impairs one's driving. A new study indicates the reverse is also true: Driving reduces one's ability to comprehend and use language.

At home on the street: first-person look at homelessness by UAB prof, alum - (University of Alabama at Birmingham) In their new book "At Home on the Street: People, Poverty and a Hidden Culture of Homelessness," University of Alabama at Birmingham associate professor of sociology Jeffrey Michael Clair, Ph.D., and UAB alumnus Jason Wasserman, Ph.D., give readers an in-depth look at long-term homelessness and show the true meaning of life on the street.

Barrow researchers receive more than $2 million in NIH grants for nicotine studies - (St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center) Four scientists at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center have been awarded more than $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health to research the effects of nicotine and develop new tobacco-related drug therapies.

Autism Speaks responds to recent publications citing autism clusters in California - (Autism Speaks) Autism Speaks reviewed papers identifying California clusters of autism. UC Davis used CADDS data (10,000 cases in 2.5 million births, 1996-2000) finding clusters associated with higher parental education and age. Columbia University identified clusters (11,500 cases among four million births by birthplace) avoiding bias when parents move to access autism services. Both add to evidence on regional differences in autism cases. Study of environmental exposures and social factors will provide answers on causes of clusters.

For most outfielders, luck has nothing to do with catching flies - (Brown University) New research from Brown University supports a long-standing theory about how outfielders catch fly balls. The eye continuously tracks the ball as its visual velocity increases or decreases, and the outfielder runs backward or forward to compensate. Details are online at the Journal of Vision.

Science in the media - (Cardiff University) A major new report into science and the media has drawn on research by Cardiff University which found that that in some respects specialist science news reporting in the UK is in relatively good health. However the research also warns about the serious threat to the quality and independence of science reporting posed by the wider crisis in journalism.

National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities awards $8 million to Weill Cornell - (New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College) Weill Cornell Medical College has established a new research center to improve medical care in ethnically diverse and medically underserved communities in New York City. The Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Disparities Research and Community Engagement was created through an $8 million grant from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Carla Boutin-Foster was awarded the grant and will serve as the center's director.

Study shows genital herpes virus reactivates widely throughout genital tract - (Infectious Diseases Society of America) Genital herpes caused by a reactivation of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is generally treated as a lesion in one specific area of the genital region. A new study, however, finds that the virus can frequently reactivate throughout the genital tract, an important new concept that could help guide both HSV-2 treatment and prevention. Now available online, the study appears in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Cartilage repair can improve life, ease burden on health services - (Faculty of 1000: Biology and Medicine) Osteoarthritis is one of the 10 most disabling diseases in the developed world and is set to become more of a financial burden on health services as average life expectancy increases.

Zero vision, zero results? - (University of Stavanger) Two-hundred and fifty people are killed and hundreds injured on Norwegian roads each year. Road accidents cost 28 billion kroner annually. The zero vision was launched in National Transport Plan 2002-2011, inspired by the Swedish roads administration, which introduced the vision in 1995. The number of casualties has since remained largely the same according to Trond Åge Langeland thesis at the University of Stavanger.

Emotions should be taken seriously - (University of Stavanger) As much as 10-25 percent of women are at risk of developing serious depression during their lifetime. How can the health services improve safeguarding women's mental health? Kristin Akerjordets thesis at the University of Stavanger offers an important clue: By training health personnel in emotional intelligence, they will be better equipped to prevent women from developing depressive illnesses.

Global tobacco report outlines 21 challenges for 21st century - (American Cancer Society) A new American Cancer Society report outlines 21 challenges and needs for global tobacco control, covering the wide range of issues to be addressed and expertise needed to reduce the rising tide of tobacco use worldwide, particularly in the low- and middle-income nations that are the target of the multinational tobacco industry.

Tips from the American Journal of Pathology - (American Journal of Pathology) These tips highlight articles published in the February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

Providing good customer service is key to surviving down economy - (SAGE Publications) The recession and the recent holiday shopping crunch have brought further into focus the true importance of receiving good customer service. Americans are being more careful than ever about how and where they spend their money. A new report from the Center for Services Leadership at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University reveals advice from some of the top names in business on how to keep customers happy.

Pitt research explores how categories and environment create satisfied and well-informed consumers - (University of Pittsburgh) Expert consumers like to be surprised by unusual product presentation, while novices crave familiarity, so claims a new Pitt/USC study titled "Smart Subcategories: How Assortment Formats Influence Consumer Learning and Satisfaction," to be published in the June issue of Journal of Consumer Research.

Language structure is partly determined by social structure, says Penn psychology study - (University of Pennsylvania) Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Memphis argue that human languages may adapt more like biological organisms than previously thought and that the more common and popular the language, the simpler its construction to facilitate its survival.

Go easy on the environment -- and our wallets, says Generation Y - (Michigan State University) When it comes to saving the environment, Generation Y is all for it -- as long as it comes with an economic benefit, according to new research by Michigan State University in collaboration with Deloitte LLP.

Insect wranglers invade the garden at Southwestern science EXPO - (Arizona State University) Raymond Mendez, the "original insect wrangler," headlines the Social Insect Science EXPO on Feb. 20 at the Desert Botanical Garden.

How to live your life twice - (American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Prof. Carlo Strenger of Tel Aviv University says the myth of the mid-life crisis has been disproved by recent empirical studies and field research.

Economist invited to be review editor of one of world's leading science journals - (University of Warwick) A leading economist has been asked to join the Board of Reviewing Editors at Science, one of the world's most respected science journals. Professor Andrew Oswald is an economist at the University of Warwick and is ranked by ISI as one of the world's "Highly Cited" researchers.

Disease severity in H1N1 patients - (Canadian Medical Association Journal) A new study published in CMAJ concerning the severity of H1N1 influenza has found that admissions to an intensive care unit were associated with a longer interval between symptom onset and treatment with antivirals and with presence of an underlying medical condition. People of First Nations ethnicity were also found to be at higher risk of severe H1N1 infection compared to people of other ethnic origins.

Do children need both a mother and a father? - (Wiley-Blackwell) A recent study focused on the importance of gender-specific parents for child rearing.

Team finds childhood clues to adult schizophrenia - (Duke University) Years before adults develop schizophrenia, there is a pattern of cognitive difficulties they experience as children, including problems with verbal reasoning, working memory, attention and processing speed.

Moving through time - (Association for Psychological Science) Thinking of the past or future causes us to sway backward or forward.

EU must increase surveillance to prevent money laundering, study warns - (University of Granada) The EU enlargement has meant a greater risk for banks operating in this territory, as many countries "have not historically provided rigorous processes against money laundering, and it is likely for them to need a longer adjustment period." This research, conducted by a professor of Financial Economics from the UGR, has recently been published by the Real Instituto Elcano.