ScienceDaily: Science & Society News

Nine steps to survive 'most explosive era of infrastructure expansion in human history' Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST A team of scientists call attention to nine issues that must be considered if there is to be any hope of limiting the environmental impacts of the ongoing expansion of new roads, road improvements, energy projects, and more now underway or 'coming soon' in countries all around the world.

Seven strategies to advance women in science Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST The Initiative on Women in Science and Engineering Working Group, a collection of more than 30 academic and business leaders, present seven strategies to advance women in science, engineering, and medicine in the modern landscape.

Flood and drought risk to cities on rise even with no climate change Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST A heads-up to New York, Baltimore, Houston and Miami: a new study suggests that these metropolitan areas and others will increase their exposure to floods even in the absence of climate change.

Hidden hazards found in 'green' products Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:06 AM PST Common consumer products, including those marketed as 'green,' 'all-natural,' 'non-toxic' and 'organic' emit a range of compounds that could harm human health and air quality, researchers have found. But most of these ingredients are not disclosed to the public.

Reliance on smartphones linked to lazy thinking Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST Our smartphones help us find a phone number quickly, provide us with instant directions and recommend restaurants, but new research indicates that this convenience at our fingertips is making it easy for us to avoid thinking for ourselves.

Little evidence that executive function interventions boost student achievement Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST Despite growing enthusiasm among educators and scholars about the potential of school-based executive function interventions to significantly increase student achievement, a federally funded meta-analysis of 25 years' worth of research finds no conclusive evidence that developing students' executive function skills leads to better academic performance, according to a new study.

£10 billion GP incentive scheme has no impact on premature deaths Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST There was no link between 10 billion pound pay-for-performance incentive scheme aimed at GP's and a reduction in premature deaths, an English study has concluded. "If this incentive scheme and others like it around the world are to continue, more attention needs to be paid to ensure that the performance indicators are more closely aligned to evidence for mortality reduction," the first author warns.

Study simulates changes to admissions criteria for NYC’s specialized high schools Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST A new report examines students' pathways from middle school to matriculation at a specialized high school, and simulates the effects of various admissions criteria that have been proposed as alternatives to the current policy -- which uses students' performance on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) as the sole determinant of admission.

Poverty, not the 'teenage brain,' accounts for high rates of teen crime Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PST While many blame the 'teenage brain' for high rates of teen crime, violence, and driving incidents, an important factor has been ignored: teenagers as a group suffer much higher average poverty rates than do older adults. A new study finds that teenagers are no more naturally crime-prone than any other group with high poverty rates.

Stigma of mental illness in India linked to poverty Posted: 04 Mar 2015 06:25 PM PST The stigma surrounding people with severe mental illness in India leads to increased poverty among them, especially women, according to new research. "Mental health professionals must incorporate an understanding of multidimensional poverty stressors as well as address family and community dynamics," authors. "Our findings go beyond medical and public health and link mental health to international development."

L.A. story: Cleaner air, healthier kids Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PST A 20-year study shows that decreasing air pollution in Los Angeles has led to healthier lungs for millennials when compared to children in the '90s. The gains in lung function paralleled improving air quality in the communities studied, and across the Los Angeles basin, as policies to fight pollution took hold.

Maternal health in India much worse than previously thought Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:23 PM PST More than 40 percent of women in India are underweight when they begin pregnancy, according to a new study. On average, these women gain only 15 pounds throughout pregnancy -- just half of the recommended amount. The findings are a concern as body mass and weight gain during pregnancy are important indicators of maternal health.

NHS savings plan led to cuts in some 'ineffective' treatments Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:22 PM PST The drive to reduce NHS spending led to a drop in some treatments considered ‘low-value’, according to new research. However, in the absence of clear national guidance about which procedures to perform less, the cuts were applied inconsistently by commissioning groups, authors of a new report say.

Teacher candidates lack a clear understanding of edTPA, study shows Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST The edTPA process in 2014 posed challenges for many teacher candidates in New York and Washington—the first two states to require successful edTPA completion for teacher certification. According to a recent study, candidates in both states, particularly in New York, felt unprepared during the first year of edTPA implementation.

U.S. women’s awareness of breast density varies by race, ethnicity, education and income Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST Disparities in the level of awareness and knowledge of breast density exist among U.S. women, according to the results of a study. Breast density is the term used to describe the variation in dense tissue on a mammogram image. Fatty breast tissue appears more radiologically translucent than dense (fibroglandular) breast tissue.

Despite federal law, some insurance exchange plans offer unequal coverage for mental health Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST One-quarter of the health plans being sold on health insurance exchanges set up through the Affordable Care Act offer benefits that appear to violate a federal law requiring equal benefits for general medical and mental health care, according to new research.

Income inequality – not just low wages – is taking a toll on the health of American workers Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:07 PM PST The degree of income inequality can lead to a long list of health issues, new evidence suggests. "It's clear that income inequality and working conditions affect the health of the U.S. workforce," an author said. "Although political differences may divide the policy approaches our elected officials may take, addressing income inequality is likely to improve the overall social and health well-being of those currently left behind."

Water in smog may reveal pollution sources Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:07 PM PST The chemical signature of water vapor emitted by combustion sources such as vehicles and furnaces has been found in the smoggy winter inversions that often choke Salt Lake City. The discovery may give researchers a new tool to track down the sources of pollutants and climate-changing carbon dioxide gas.

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in adults over 30 to rise 27% by 2030 Posted: 02 Mar 2015 11:10 AM PST The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) will rise in the United States, according to a new report. The prevalence model illustrates some of issues the nation will face as diabetes rates increase and Americans live longer. "We were surprised by the high probability of developing CKD during a lifetime," said the paper's lead author. "It's higher than most diseases that immediately jump to mind, and while the likelihood of chronic kidney disease progressing to complete kidney failure is much lower, CKD itself has been linked to a number of comorbidities and adverse health outcomes."