ScienceDaily: Science & Society News

Cost of care for a common prostate condition measured for the first time Posted: 10 Mar 2015 11:39 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have described cost across an entire care process for a common condition called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) using time-driven activity-based costing. They found a 400 percent discrepancy between the least and most expensive ways to treat the condition.

'Sugar papers' reveal industry role in 1970s U.S. National Caries Program, analysis shows Posted: 10 Mar 2015 11:39 AM PDT A newly discovered cache of industry documents reveals that the sugar industry worked closely with the National Institutes of Health in the 1960s and '70s to develop a federal research program focused on approaches other than sugar reduction to prevent tooth decay in American children.

Alarms in cars could cut crash rates Posted: 10 Mar 2015 09:36 AM PDT An in-car alarm that sounds when sensors on the vehicle detect an imminent crash could cut crash rates from one in five to one in 10 for drivers over the of 60 suffering tiredness on long journeys, according to a study.

Fading orange-red in Van Gogh's paintings Posted: 10 Mar 2015 09:35 AM PDT Red lead is most familiar to us in orange-red rustproof paint. Artists have treasured the brilliant color of this pigment for their paintings since ancient times. However, various aging processes cause discoloration of the saturated hue over time. Thanks to a combination of X-ray diffraction mapping and tomography experiments, scientists have now explained an additional step in the light-induced degradation of lead red.

Being 'laid off' leads to a decade of distrust Posted: 10 Mar 2015 09:32 AM PDT People who lose their jobs are less willing to trust others for up to a decade after being laid-off, according to new research. The author finds that being made redundant from your job not only makes people less willing to trust others but that this increased distrust and cynicism lasts for years after being forced out of work. It also finds that far from dissipating over time, an individual can remain distrustful of others even after they find a new job.

March Madness brackets: Flipping a coin is your best bet Posted: 10 Mar 2015 09:30 AM PDT Each year, millions of people lose billions of dollars in NCAA March Madness basketball pools. Still, most return the following year for another pummeling.

CEO bonuses could cost companies in the long term Posted: 10 Mar 2015 07:53 AM PDT The culture of CEO bonus payments creates a mentality where executives chase quick wins and short term strategies, which are often not in the best interest of companies.

Younger immigrants at higher risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease Posted: 10 Mar 2015 06:15 AM PDT This is the first population-based study to demonstrate an increased risk of IBD in the children of immigrants to Canada. This indicates that the environment plays an important role in IBD pathogenesis, experts say.

Detecting deception online is not so easy Posted: 10 Mar 2015 06:13 AM PDT Phishing scams are such a problem that some businesses are sending out fake phishing emails to employees. A professor says the scams work in part because it's harder to detect deception online.

Product placement, branding growing in popular music Posted: 10 Mar 2015 04:44 AM PDT As branding and advertising creep into almost every facet of life, a new study shows it's now making substantial inroads into popular music. The study examined in detail the yearly top 30 Billboard songs from 1960 to 2013 -- a total of 1,583 -- and found a steep increase in `advertainment' or the use of product placement, branding and name dropping among the most popular music in the United States.

More UK regulation of total hip replacement devices needed to prevent unnecessary surgery Posted: 10 Mar 2015 04:41 AM PDT A new study is calling for more UK compulsory regulation of devices used in hip replacements to reduce the need for further traumatic and expensive surgery.

Find out what your apps are really doing Posted: 10 Mar 2015 04:41 AM PDT Apps, these tiny programs on Internet-connected mobile phones are increasingly becoming entryways for surveillance and fraud. Computer scientists have now developed a program that can show users whether the apps on their smartphone are accessing private information, and what they do with that data.

Depression puts low-income population at even greater risk for obesity and poor nutrition Posted: 10 Mar 2015 04:40 AM PDT In a new study, researchers report that for people receiving food assistance there are significant links between depression, poor dietary quality, and high body mass index (BMI). They suggest that understanding the risk of depression among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants could be important to understanding the relationship among SNAP participation, diet, and weight.

Hunting, birdwatching boosts conservation action, study finds Posted: 10 Mar 2015 04:38 AM PDT What inspires people to support conservation? A new study provides one simple answer: bird watching and hunting. The contributions of individuals who identified as both bird watchers and hunters were evident: on average, this group was about eight times more likely than non-recreationists to engage in conservation.

Content creators leave social networks when messaging gets too easy Posted: 09 Mar 2015 12:53 PM PDT It's not much harder or more expensive to send a tweet or a Facebook post to hundreds or even thousands of people than to just a handful. So you'd think that the ease of communicating with lots of people via social networks would result in more and more people sharing their thoughts, political views, and cat videos. But that's not the case, experts say.

Interdependence explained by ecologist Posted: 09 Mar 2015 11:50 AM PDT A community ecologist demonstrates important links between human health and the environment in the African savanna. Her fieldwork is a good example of researchers' continuing effort to understand exactly how environmental management affects disease emergence. In East Africa, she examines the direct impacts of human disturbance on landscape and wildlife, as well as a variety of factors affecting infectious disease risk.

Women still the ones who compromise, Spanish study suggests Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:11 AM PST In the week of 8th March, International Working Women's Day, the debate comes back surrounding paternity and maternity leave. Even in today's Spain it is women who are the most likely to change their careers, limit their working hours and reduce their salaries to meet family needs, regardless of their socioeconomic status, researchers say.

Violence to homecare workers means new policies needed Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:00 PM PST When it comes to caring for older adults, there is a shift to a consumer-driven model that focuses on keeping patients in their homes and out of institutional care facilities. It’s an arrangement that can benefit both the patient and the healthcare system, but new research shows that the personnel working in patient homes are often at risk for harassment and violence with no plan of prevention.

Launching a new brand: Is partnering with a popular brand a good idea? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST If you're trying to sell a new brand of cereal, teaming up with Kellogg's or General Mills would seem like a really great idea. However, a new study shows that partnering with established brands may not always benefit new brands.

Deciding on a purchase: Does it matter if you look up or down while shopping? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST Next time you look up at a higher shelf in a store or down at your phone when making a purchase, think about how the direction you are looking could influence your decision. According to a new study, consumers choose different products when looking up versus down.

America's Next Top Model: How do fans contribute to the decline of their favorite TV shows? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST Popular TV shows can rapidly lose much of their audience. According to a new study, the most devoted fans of popular TV shows could actually be contributing to their decline.