Saturday, April 30, 2016

Parasites help brine shrimp cope with arsenic habitat contamination

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/p-phb022516.php

Public Release: 3-Mar-2016
Parasites help brine shrimp cope with arsenic habitat contamination
PLOS

Artemia (the scientific name of the small crustacean that is also commonly known as 'sea monkey') is famous for being able to live in extreme environments and has become a model organism used to test the toxicity of chemicals in water. In addition, Artemia can produce dormant eggs, known as cysts, that can be stored for long periods and hatched on demand to provide a convenient form of live feed for the seafood industry, and 2000 tonnes of Artemia cysts per year are sold worldwide.

Marta Sánchez and Andy Green, both from the Estación Biológica de Doñana in Seville, Spain, and colleagues are interested in environmental parasitology, i.e., the study of interactions between parasites and pollution or climate change. Artemia is an intermediate host for tapeworms that eventually infect water birds such as flamingos and grebes, and the researchers had previously shown that tapeworm infection can change the shrimps' physiology and behavior.

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Both samples were used for toxicity testing with arsenic, a pollutant that is commonly found in concentrations considered harmful in the estuaries where the shrimp came from. To their surprise, the researchers found that infected shrimp were consistently more resistant to arsenic than uninfected ones. This was true not only at 25 degrees Celsius (the temperature under which both samples were tested), but also at 29 degrees (tested on some of the shrimp from the larger May sample). Overall, the 4-degree increase--consistent with current climate-change predictions for the change in mean temperature--made the shrimp more vulnerable to arsenic toxicity.

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High daily coffee consumption may lower MS risk

I have wondered if humans have been consuming caffeine long enough to have adapted to it, and thus need it for optimal health? Like we and other animals are healthier and have fewer allergies and autoimmune disease when we have a certain level of exposure to microbes and parasites.

I can't stand the taste of coffee, and six cups of coffee would send me up the wall, I hope that eating well otherwise, and drinking green tea & yerba mate, which contain caffeine, will have a beneficial effect.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/b-hdc030116.php

Public Release: 3-Mar-2016
High daily coffee consumption may lower MS risk
Caffeine's neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties may explain link
BMJ

Drinking a lot of coffee every day--more than 900 ml (30 fluid ounces) or around six cups--is linked to a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), finds research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

Caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, has neuroprotective properties and can suppress the production of chemicals involved in the inflammatory response, which may explain the association found, suggest the researchers.

While it remains to be seen whether coffee drinking could ward off the development of MS, cautions a linked editorial, the findings add to the growing body of evidence indicating that coffee may be good for our health, it suggests.

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The results showed that the risk of MS was consistently higher among those drinking fewer cups of coffee every day in both studies, even after taking account of potentially important influential factors, such as smoking, and weight during the teenage years.

In the Swedish study, coffee consumption was associated with a reduced risk of MS both at the start of symptoms and 5 and 10 years beforehand, with a 28-30% lower risk among those drinking more than six cups (900 ml +) every day.

Similar results were found in the US study, with a 26-31% lower risk among those drinking more than 948 ml daily at least five years beforehand and at the start of symptoms compared with those who never drank coffee.

The higher the quantity of coffee drunk, the lower the risk of MS, the results showed.

This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, added to which changes in coffee consumption between an MS diagnosis and data collection could have influenced the results, while inaccurate recall of coffee consumption can't be ruled out, say the researchers.

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Cannabis use in psychotic patients linked to 50 percent higher hospital admission risk

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/b-cui030116.php

Public Release: 3-Mar-2016
Cannabis use in psychotic patients linked to 50 percent higher hospital admission risk
And may contribute to antipsychotic drug treatment failure, suggest researchers
BMJ

Cannabis use among people experiencing a first episode of psychotic illness is linked to a 50 per cent heightened risk of hospital admission--including compulsory detention (sectioning)--as well as longer inpatient stay, reveals the largest study of its kind, published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Cannabis use was also linked to higher numbers of prescriptions for different antipsychotic drugs, the findings show, suggesting that it may contribute to treatment failure, say the researchers.

Cannabis use has been linked to an increased risk of psychotic episodes before, particularly if used during the teen years, but it is not clear if it has any impact on relapse risk in those with long term psychosis.

The researchers therefore mined the anonymised electronic health records of 2026 people treated for a first episode of psychosis at one of the largest providers of mental health services in Europe between 2006 and 2013.

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Use of the drug was associated with a 50% increase in the frequency of hospital admissions, with an average of 1.8 admissions up to five years after the first service visit, compared with non-users who averaged 1.2 admissions over the same period.

And it was associated with an increase in the risk of compulsory detention in hospital under the Mental Health Act--45% of those who used cannabis compared to 34% of those who didn't.

Use of the drug was also associated with a significantly longer hospital stay, particularly once two years of the monitoring period had elapsed. Length of stay progressively increased from an average of 21 extra days within three years, to 35 additional days within five years among cannabis users.

Furthermore, cannabis use was associated with a greater likelihood of being treated with clozapine, an antipsychotic used for schizophrenia that is difficult to treat, and a higher number of prescriptions (up to 11) for different antipsychotics.

The electronic records data did not provide enough information to be able to tell whether the number of different prescriptions was prompted by poor treatment response, poor compliance, unpleasant side effects, or admission to hospital following a relapse, say the researchers.

But many different antipsychotic prescriptions are indicative of treatment failure they suggest, and point towards an association between cannabis use and increased risk of hospital admission linked to treatment failure.

This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, added to which the researchers were not able to determine the amount or frequency of cannabis use among mental health service users from their electronic health records.

Nevertheless, they conclude that their findings "highlight the importance of ascertaining cannabis use in people receiving care for psychotic disorders and prompt further study to investigate the mechanisms underlying poor clinical outcomes in people who use cannabis, and strategies to reduce associated harms."


tags: drug use, drug abuse

ADHD medications associated with diminished bone health in kids

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/aaoo-ama030216.php

Public Release: 3-Mar-2016
ADHD medications associated with diminished bone health in kids
Physicians should address risk, preventative strategies to avoid long-term consequences of low-bone density
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Children and adolescents who take medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show decreased bone density, according to a large cross-sectional study presented today at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

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Dr. Rivera added that a definite link has not been established between osteopenia in childhood and osteoporosis later in life, which increases the risk of brittle and porous bones, and ultimately, fracture risk. However, low-bone density in children theoretically could have long-term implications and lead to poor bone health in adulthood because childhood and adolescence is when growing bones accrue mass and strength.

Medications used by patients in the study were: methylphenidate (Ritalin), dexmethylphenidate (Focalin), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), atomoxetine (Strattera) and lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse). These medications can cause gastrointestinal problems such as decreased appetite and stomach upset, which may result in poor nutrition and reduced calcium intake. The drugs also may diminish bone density because they alter the sympathetic nervous system, which plays an important role in bone remodeling, or regeneration.

Dr. Rivera said that because most skeletal growth occurs by ages 18-20, physicians should realize the potential threat that ADHD medications pose to maturing bones and consider nutritional counseling and other preventative measures.

Some birds are just as smart as apes

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/rb-sba030316.php

Public Release: 3-Mar-2016
Some birds are just as smart as apes
Researchers figure out similarities in brain architecture
Ruhr-University Bochum

At first glance, the brains of birds and mammals show many significant differences. In spite of that, the cognitive skills of some groups of birds match those of apes.

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"The mental abilities of corvids and parrots are as sophisticated and diverse as those of apes," says Onur Güntürkün, Head of the Department for Biopsychology in Bochum. Among other things, they are capable of thinking logically, of recognising themselves in the mirror and of empathy.

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"What is clear is that the multi-layered mammalian cortex is not required for complex cognition," concludes Güntürkün. "The absolute brain weight is not relevant for mental abilities, either." While ape brains weigh 275 to 500 gram on average, birds, who are just as skilful despite lacking a cortex, only manage 5 to 20 gram.

Georgia Gov. Deal signs bill making it easier to cloak possible conflicts of interest

The bill came from the mostly Republican Georgia state legislature.



Apr. 27, 2016

Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation into law that critics say will make it harder for the public to find out if state lawmakers have possible conflicts of interest.

Senate Bill 199 was amended late in the 2016 legislative session and was approved after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia News Lab reported that House Majority Leader Jon Burns, R-Newington, failed to properly disclose at least $120,000 in state agency payments to his private business.

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Tucked into SB 199 is a sentence that says lawmakers and other state officials do not have to report payments from the state on both personal financial disclosure reports and business transaction reports.

Another sentence would ensure that non-statewide officials, such as Burns and other legislators, do not have to disclose payments from political subdivisions of the state, like school districts.

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A new climate reality threatens the Atlanta area and its most vulnerable populations

http://clatl.com/atlanta/earth-to-atlanta/Content?oid=17156418

By Paul DeMerritt
April 21, 2016

On Sept. 21, 2002, an unprecedented level of rain surged through Vine City. The gush of water overwhelmed Atlanta's dated sewer systems and caused severe flooding, with the water reaching 6 feet deep in areas. Some residents swam through sewage to reach safety. Then-Mayor Shirley Franklin declared a state of emergency after the flooding destroyed nearly 70 homes.

Families were displaced. Bulldozers demolished many of the affected properties. A 16-acre patch of overgrown grass remains where the houses once stood. The emptiness serves as a reminder of the devastation extreme weather can inflict on a city unprepared for its consequences.

Local environmental activist and English Avenue resident Tony Torrence sees a pattern in the heavy rains that continue to overwhelm the neighborhoods in his community.

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Torrence recognizes the way climate change plays out in people's daily lives, particularly in metro Atlanta where increased precipitation, severe heat waves, and droughts are becoming the norm.

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"Climate vulnerability is not just driven by the weather event itself, it's driven by a combination of that plus the socioeconomic status, plus whether communities live in an urban environment that is likely to flood, so it's a multi-pronged look at vulnerability," Shepherd says.

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Coastal towns, communities reliant on agriculture, and metro Atlanta were found to be particularly vulnerable, but often for different reasons. While Savannah faces the threat of rising sea levels, Atlanta must adapt to an array of impacts threatening major urban areas across the globe, including heavy rains and high temperatures.

In metro Atlanta, as in many cities, climate change aggravates longtime racial and class inequalities. Lack of greenspace, increased incidences of asthma, unequal access to resources, and lower incomes disproportionately impact African-American, Latino, and elderly populations.

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"[Vulnerability] really comes down to income gap," Shepherd says. "With some of these populations, it's not just race, it's that people are disadvantaged in many ways, such as those who need air conditioning, or those who are more likely not to have health insurance. It continues to amplify this notion that the most disadvantaged are the most likely to bear the brunt of climate change."

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WARMER TEMPERATURES also present a significant danger. Georgia follows a trend consistent with the rest of the world as annual global temperatures continue to shatter previous records. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 15 hottest years worldwide since recording started in 1880 have occurred in the 21st century. Average annual temperatures in the Southeast have increased by roughly two degrees Fahrenheit since 1970 with an expected increase of four to eight degrees by the end of the century.

Metro Atlanta, with its many parking lots, roadways, and sprawling blacktops, is especially susceptible to the urban heat island effect in which buildings and asphalt capture heat and drive up temperatures.

Isolated centers of severe heat pop up throughout metro Atlanta, especially around areas deprived of greenspace. Low-income populations face increased risk because these communities tend to have fewer trees, which provide protection from the sun, help filter out air pollutants, and cool the air by releasing moisture. A more upscale area like Midtown benefits from the cool shade of Piedmont Park, while greenery is scarce and empty parking lots soak up heat in lower-income areas such as Lakewood Heights.

Heat waves — abnormally hot weather lasting at least two days — have proliferated throughout metro Atlanta. According to the UGA study, these heat events occurred roughly every other year from 1984 through 2007 with an average length of two weeks.

"The heat impacts put people without air conditioning at risk, and elderly citizens in the urban centers in Atlanta are particularly vulnerable to increases in heat due to climate change," says state Sen. Vincent Fort, whose district includes parts of Atlanta, East Point, College Park, and Union City.

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"Increased asthma from heat and pollution is one of the most obvious impacts in places like Atlanta," Fort says. "Climate change increases asthma especially in African-American children, which is one of the greatest reasons for children missing school in Atlanta."

Shepherd stresses that while everyone is equally exposed to the dangers of heat waves and flooding, vulnerability hinges on whether people can access the economic necessities required to withstand the health and financial consequences.


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GEORGIA'S ATTITUDE TOWARD climate change is dangerously outdated. Gov. Nathan Deal, during his re-election run against Democratic challenger Jason Carter, said, "[Global warming] is an argument and a debate that will continue in this country and I have no reason to become engaged in it other than to say I'm the governor of this state."

This attitude of casual deniability stalls the potential of fragile communities from rural South Georgia to St. Simons Island to adapt to severe weather. In contrast, the city of Atlanta is being proactive in its attempts to improve climate resiliency. Mayor Kasim Reed and Atlanta's Director of Sustainability Stephanie Benfield attended December's UN COP 21 talks in Paris, where leaders from around the world agreed on the most comprehensive climate change plan in history.

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Last year, the city of Atlanta released a climate action plan designed to slash greenhouse gas emissions, spur job growth, and improve air quality. The plan zeroed in on a number of focus areas from increased greenspace to adding a fleet of electric city vehicles to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by transportation 20 percent by 2020 and 40 percent by 2030. The city also plans to cut consumption in commercial and residential buildings 20 percent by 2020 and 40 percent by 2030.

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Your modern lifestyle is made possible by creating tons of waste

No surprise.

Your modern lifestyle is made possible by creating tons of waste

Public Release: 3-Mar-2016
Your modern lifestyle is made possible by creating tons of waste, new book reveals
Binghamton University

Josh Reno, assistant professor of anthropology at Binghamton University, spent a year working as a paper picker at a large mega-landfill on the outskirts of Detroit, M.I., to explore the relationship North Americans have with garbage. His two big takeaways: a) People don't think twice about what happens to the garbage they throw out and b) the American dream of two cars, a house and perfect commodities is made possible by creating tons of waste.

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Reno delivers the nitty-gritty details of his job and the impact of waste management on society in Waste Away: Working and Living with a North American Landfill, a new book published by the University of California Press.

"When we think of the disposal of a good, rather than its production, we are more often encouraged to imagine ourselves in a relationship with 'Nature,' in the abstract, and forget the many people and communities who take our waste away, and work and live with the consequences," said Reno. "This partly has to do with mega-landfills, like the one I studied, because they are designed to disappear into the landscape and be forgotten. By making the things we dispose of swiftly vanish, they distort our relationship to the things we keep (which appear to transcend process and time) and to one another."

According to Reno, people have gotten used to the idea that things just disappear. For example, for a consumer to get a bottle of Coke that is identical to every bottle of Coke he or she has had before and every bottle of Coke that will be produced in the future, that requires waste.

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We're so used to it that for everything that we come to think of as modern, civilized, what every American deserves...all of those things are made possible by creating lots of waste. And if we're going to have those values, have those beliefs in the home, and the two cars and the perfect commodities, then we have to acknowledge that is a waste-making form of life.

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016 Nurse staffing levels key to keeping rehospitalizations down for hip/knee surgery patients The cross-sectional study analyzed data from 112,000 Medicare patients in nearly 500 US hospitals University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uops-nsl030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Nurse staffing levels key to keeping rehospitalizations down for hip/knee surgery patients
The cross-sectional study analyzed data from 112,000 Medicare patients in nearly 500 US hospitals
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) shows that patients, who undergo elective hip and knee surgery in hospitals with inadequate nurse staffing and poor nurse work environments, are more likely to require re-hospitalization.

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Food System Shock: Climate Change's Greatest Threat to Civilization

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/food-system-shock-climate-changes-greatest-threat-to-civilization

By: Jeff Masters , 4:00 PM GMT on April 29, 2016

The greatest threat of climate change to civilization over the next 40 years is likely to be climate change-amplified extreme droughts and floods hitting multiple major global grain-producing "breadbaskets" simultaneously. A "Food System Shock" report issued in 2015 by insurance giant Lloyd’s of London outlined a plausible extreme shock to global food production that could cause rioting, terrorist attacks, civil war, mass starvation and severe losses to the global economy. Their scenario, which Lloyd's gave uncomfortably high odds of occurring--significantly higher than 0.5% per year, which works out to at least an 18% chance of occurrence in the next 40 years--goes like this:

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The extreme weather of the year 2010--which I speculated was Earth’s most extreme weather year since the famed “Year Without a Summer” in 1816-- showed us that multiple extreme weather events in major grain-producing areas can indeed cause dangerous shocks to the global food system. This was unexpected at the beginning of 2010, when in its January World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted higher global wheat production and lower prices for 2010 - 2011. But extreme weather began an dramatic assault on the world's grain-producing nations in the spring of 2010, ... [Read the full article at the link above for a list of conditions around the world that caused decreased food production.]

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As a result of the global extreme weather during 2010, the price of wheat more than doubled from approximately $4 per bushel in July 2010 to $8.50 - $9 in February 2011. These price increases hit the nations of the Middle East and North Africa particularly hard, since they import more food per capita than any other region of the world, due to their scarce water supplies and lack of farmable land. According to a 2013 report, "The Arab Spring and Climate Change"--issued by the Center for American Progress, the Stimson Center, and The Center for Climate and Security--the top nine importers of wheat are all in the Middle East; seven had political protests resulting in civilian deaths in 2011, and the food price increases were identified as a major contributing cause of the societal unrest.

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Unfortunately, a serious shock to the global food system will grow increasingly likely in the next few decades. According to an independent 2015 food shock study by the UK-US Task Force on Extreme Weather and Global Food System Resilience, the odds of an extreme weather food shock capable of reducing the production of corn, soybean, wheat and rice by 5-7% will grow from 1% per year to over 3% per year by 2040. The increased vulnerability will occur due to climate change, population growth, decreasing water availability, the alarming reduction in plant-pollinating insects like bees, loss of topsoil and a shift towards more meat consumption globally. About 805 million people worldwide are undernourished, according to the United Nations, and this number will grow as the population increases from 7.3 billion now to a projected 9.6 billion by 2050--mostly in Africa and other developing regions.

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If it seems like the weather in recent years has gotten crazier than you remember from 20+ years ago, you are right. As I discussed in a March 2013 post, "Are atmospheric flow patterns favorable for summer extreme weather increasing?", research published by scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in German found that extreme summertime jet stream patterns had become twice as common during 2001 - 2012 compared to the previous 22 years. One of these extreme patterns occurred in the summer of 2010, leading to Russian drought that triggered the steep rise in food prices implicated in the “Arab Spring” uprisings. When the jet stream goes into one of these extreme configurations, it freezes in its tracks for weeks, resulting in an extended period of extreme heat or flooding, depending upon where the high-amplitude part of the jet stream lies. The scientists found that because human-caused global warming is causing the Arctic to heat up more than twice as rapidly as the rest of the planet, a unique resonance pattern capable of causing this behavior was resulting. This sort of jet stream behavior makes a serious extreme weather food shock event much more likely to occur, since extreme weather events affect multiple areas of the planet simultaneously for long periods of time.

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There is hope that we will overcome, though. The global agriculture system has shown impressive resiliency in more than meeting the demands of a growing population over the last 50 years. The December 2015 Paris Accord--the commitment by the world's nations to de-carbonize our economies--should result in long-term changes to the global food system that should make the Lloyd's scenario less likely to occur. According to an October 2015 report by the World Bank, Future of Food: Shaping A Climate-Smart Global Food System, a growing and diverse spectrum of practices called "Climate Smart Agriculture" are showing it is possible to simultaneously deliver higher agricultural productivity, greater climate resilience, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

tags: extreme weather

Millionaires Would Gain Trillions Under Trump and Cruz Tax Plans

http://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/millionaires-would-gain-trillions-under-trump-and-cruz-tax-plans

April 28, 2016
by Isaac Shapiro

At a time of exceptionally wide levels of income inequality, the tax-cut proposals from Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz would produce extremely large and unprecedented tax-cut windfalls for people with incomes exceeding $1 million a year, almost certainly at the expense of low- and middle-income households once budget cuts to pay for the tax cuts are taken into account. Both tax plans would ultimately increase the already substantial incomes of people who make over $1 million a year by about 20 percent, with the revenues lost due to the tax cuts for millionaires exceeding $3 trillion over the coming decade.

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TPC also examined the tax cuts that would be given to the richest 0.1 percent of the population, those with annual incomes exceeding $5.2 million (in today’s dollars). The data show that in 2025:

These households would receive tax cuts averaging $1.4 million under Trump and $1.8 million under Cruz. Under both plans, this segment of the population would receive significantly larger percentage increases in after-tax income (18 percent and 23 percent, respectively) than any other group.

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Thursday, April 28, 2016

Food limitation linked to record California sea lion pup strandings

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/nfwc-fll030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Food limitation linked to record California sea lion pup strandings
New research shows a decade-long decline of sardines and anchovy associated with poor condition of sea lion pups
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region

Large numbers of California sea lion pups have flooded animal rescue centers in Southern California in the past few years. Now, as part of an ongoing investigation into the Unusual Mortality Event of California sea lions by a team of NOAA scientists and private partners, researchers may have an explanation.

Booming sea lion numbers combined with declines in the highest-calorie prey around the Channel Islands breeding rookeries have left nursing females struggling to support the nutritional needs of their pups, according to a new study published today in Royal Society Open Science.

The study by NOAA Fisheries scientists is the first to analyze changes in fish populations sea lions prey on for clues as to what is causing the record strandings. Scientists examined changes in the abundance of four of the main prey species: sardine, anchovy, rockfish and market squid over the 2004-2014 time period. They found that that high-calorie sardines and anchovies, both rich in fat that is vital to the growth of young sea lions, have declined since the mid-2000s in the areas around the Channel Islands where the females forage. That has forced the female sea lions to prey instead on market squid and rockfish, which contain far less fat and fewer calories.

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How diet influences colon cancer

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/miot-hdi030116.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
How diet influences colon cancer
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Over the past decade, studies have found that obesity and eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet are significant risk factors for many types of cancer. Now, a new study from MIT reveals how a high-fat diet makes the cells of the intestinal lining more likely to become cancerous.

The study of mice suggests that a high-fat diet drives a population boom of intestinal stem cells and also generates a pool of other cells that behave like stem cells -- that is, they can reproduce themselves indefinitely and differentiate into other cell types. These stem cells and "stem-like" cells are more likely to give rise to intestinal tumors, says Omer Yilmaz, an MIT assistant professor of biology and leader of the research team.

"Not only does the high-fat diet change the biology of stem cells, it also changes the biology of non-stem-cell populations, which collectively leads to an increase in tumor formation," says Yilmaz, who is a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and a gastrointestinal pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Processed meat may increase the risk of breast cancer for Latinas, USC study finds

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uosc-pmm030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Processed meat may increase the risk of breast cancer for Latinas, USC study finds
Tuna has similar impact on white women, research suggests
University of Southern California

Latinas who eat processed meats such as bacon and sausage may have an increased risk for breast cancer, according to a new study that did not find the same association among white women.

The study, published Feb. 22 in the journal Cancer Causes & Control, suggests that race, ethnicity, genetics, culture and lifestyle choices could all affect cancer risk, said Mariana Stern, senior author and director of graduate programs in molecular epidemiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

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The findings came months after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared processed meat a carcinogen that increases the risk of colorectal cancer.

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In the study, Latinas who consumed about 20 grams of processed meat per day (the equivalent of a strip of bacon) were 42 percent more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer compared to Latinas who ate little or no processed meats, said Andre Kim, lead author and a USC molecular epidemiology doctoral student.

"We're not entirely sure why processed meat association was restricted to Hispanics, especially since we know processed meats are carcinogens," Kim said.

Researchers also looked at consumption of red meats, poultry, all fish and just tuna. White women who ate an average of 14 grams of tuna daily (roughly the size of a thimble) were 25 percent more likely to have breast cancer than those who did not. The association for tuna on Latinas was comparable but not statistically significant.

While many fish contain omega-3 and other fatty acids, many also contain contaminant metals such as mercury and cadmium. Tuna has been reported to have a higher proportion of these contaminants, which may activate estrogen receptors and increase breast cancer risk, Stern said.

As a caveat, the authors noted the association between increased breast cancer risk and tuna could have been driven by chance because the two data sets researchers used had different ways of collecting tuna intake information.

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Joaquin, Patricia, and Erika Get Their Names Retired From the List of Hurricanes

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/joaquin-patricia-and-erika-get-their-names-retired-from-the-list-of-

By: Jeff Masters , 3:32 PM GMT on April 28, 2016

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced last week that three tropical cyclones from 2015 would get their names retired--Hurricane Joaquin and Tropical Storm Erika in the Atlantic, and Hurricane Patricia in the Eastern Pacific. The WMO will replace Erika with “Elsa”, Joaquin with “Julian” and Patricia with “Pamela” when the 2015 lists are reused in 2021.

The two new retired names in the Atlantic brings the total number of storm names retired since 1953 to 80. Although the Eastern Pacific, on average, has more hurricane activity than the Atlantic, far fewer storms have had their names retired in the Eastern Pacific, since the prevailing steering currents tend to take the storms to the west-northwest, away from land. Patricia is just the 11th storm to get its name retired (the names Adolph and Israel were removed from the Eastern Pacific list in 2001 due to political considerations, bringing the total number of retired names in the basin to thirteen.) Prior to Patricia, Mexico's Hurricane Manuel from 2013 and Hurricane Odile from 2014 both had their names retired, making 2015 the third consecutive year a hurricane has gotten its name retired in the Eastern Pacific--an unprecedented occurrence.

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Record-warm ocean waters helped Hurricane Patricia explode into a Category 5 storm with 215 mph sustained surface winds and a central pressure of 872 mb off the Pacific coast of Mexico on October 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia's 215 mph winds officially tie it with the Northwest Pacific's Super Typhoon Nancy of 1961 for strongest winds of any tropical cyclone in world history, and Patricia's lowest pressure of 872 mb makes it the second most intense tropical cyclone in world history by pressure, behind the 870 mb measured in the Northwest Pacific's Super Typhoon Tip of 1979 (Tip's top sustained winds of "only" 190 mph were not as high as Patricia's, since Tip was a large, sprawling storm that did not have a tiny concentrated area of extreme eyewall winds.) Patricia made landfall in an relatively unpopulated area near Cuixmala in Southwest Mexico on October 23 as a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, killing fourteen and doing $325 million in damage.

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Although Tropical Storm Erika never reached hurricane strength, the storm brought a catastrophic deluge on August 27, 2015 to the Caribbean island of Dominica (population 72,000). Erika killed 30 people on the island and caused $300 million in damage--57% of their GDP of $524 million. Dominica's previous most expensive disaster was the $175 million in damage from Hurricane Marilyn of 1995.

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Hurricane Joaquin was the strongest Atlantic hurricane since 2007, topping out just below Category 5 strength on October 3, 2015 with 155 mph winds. Joaquin was the second deadliest and second most damaging Atlantic named storm of 2015, causing $100 million in damage in the Central Bahamas, where it lingered for several days. Joaquin's death toll was 34, with 33 of these deaths occurring from the sinking of the ill-fated cargo ship El Faro. Although Joaquin tracked far to the east of the United States, a non-tropical low over the Southeast tapped into the hurricane's moisture, causing record-shattering rains and flooding across North and South Carolina. Several areas of South Carolina saw accumulations exceeding the threshold for a 1-in-1,000-year event. The subsequent floods inundated large areas of the state, killing 21 people and causing over $2 billion in damage.

tags: extreme weather

Extraordinary Heat Wave Sweeps Southeast Asia and Points Beyond

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/extraordinary-heat-wave-sweeps-southeast-asia-and-points-beyond

By: Christopher C. Burt , 6:47 PM GMT on April 19, 2016

What is most likely the most intense heat wave ever observed in Southeast Asia has been ongoing for the past several weeks. All-time national heat records have been observed in Cambodia, Laos, and (almost) in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Meanwhile extreme heat has resulted in all-time record high temperatures in the Maldives, India, China, and portions of Africa as well.

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UPDATE April 24th The city of Titlagarh measured 48.5°C (119.3°F) on April 24th. This is the highest reliably measured temperature in India for the month of April. I

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The heat waves are still in progress and more records over at least the next month are likely.

tags: extreme weather

How the Other Fifth Lives

I suggest reading the whole article at the following link.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/opinion/campaign-stops/how-the-other-fifth-lives.html?login=email&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&_r=2&mtrref=undefined&assetType=opinion

Thomas B. Edsall APRIL 27, 2016

For years now, people have been talking about the insulated world of the top 1 percent of Americans, but the top 20 percent of the income distribution is also steadily separating itself — by geography and by education as well as by income.

This self-segregation of a privileged fifth of the population is changing the American social order and the American political system, creating a self-perpetuating class at the top, which is ever more difficult to break into.

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In hard numbers, the percentage of families with children living in very affluent neighborhoods more than doubled between 1970 and 2012, from 6.6 percent to 15.7 percent.

At the same time, the percentage of families with children living in traditional middle class neighborhoods with median incomes between 80 and 125 percent of the surrounding metropolitan area fell from 64.7 percent in 1970 to 40.5 percent.

Reardon and Bischoff write:

Segregation of affluence not only concentrates income and wealth in a small number of communities, but also concentrates social capital and political power. As a result, any self-interested investment the rich make in their own communities has little chance of “spilling over” to benefit middle‐ and low-income families. In addition, it is increasingly unlikely that high‐income families interact with middle‐ and low‐income families, eroding some of the social empathy that might lead to support for broader public investment in social programs to help the poor and middle class.

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In an essay published earlier this year, “Gates, Gaps, and Intergenerational Mobility: The Importance of an Even Start,” Smeeding finds that the gap between the average income of households with children in the top quintile and households with children in the middle quintile has grown, in inflation-adjusted dollars, from $68,600 to $169,300 — that’s 147 percent.
The bottom line, Smeeding wrote in an email, is this:

The well-to-do are isolated from the day to day struggles of the middle class and below to provide these key services (health, education, job search and other opportunities) to aid the upward mobility of their children. But the upper middle class are happy to take advantage of tax subsidies for their own housing, preschool for their kids, and saving for college which benefit them.

Political leverage is another factor separating the top 20 percent from the rest of America. The top quintile is equipped to exercise much more influence over politics and policy than its share of the electorate would suggest. Although by definition this group represents 20 percent of all Americans, it represents about 30 percent of the electorate, in part because of high turnout levels.

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Equally or perhaps more important, the affluent dominate the small percentage of the electorate that makes campaign contributions.

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As the top 20 percent becomes more isolated and entrenched, reforms designed to open opportunities for those in the middle and on the bottom “can all run into the solid wall of rational, self-interested upper middle class resistance,” Reeves argues.

At the same time that lifestyle and consumption habits of the affluent diverge from those of the middle and working class, wealthy voters are becoming increasingly Democratic, often motivated by their culturally liberal views.

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Homeschooled kids sleep more than others

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/m-shk030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Study: Homeschooled kids sleep more than others
Experts urge later start times at other schools after charting homeschool sleep benefits
National Jewish Health

A new study published in Behavioral Sleep Medicine shows that children who are taught at home get more sleep than those who go to private and public schools. The findings provide additional evidence of teens' altered biological clocks and support an argument for starting traditional high school later in the morning.

"We have a school system that is set up so that the youngest children, who are awake very early in the morning, start school latest, and our adolescents, who need sleep the most, are being asked to wake up and go to school at a time when their brains should physiologically be asleep," said Lisa Meltzer, PhD, a sleep psychologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, and lead author of the study.

"Adolescents need nine hours of sleep a night and if they're only getting seven hours, on average, by the end of the week they are a full ten hours of sleep behind schedule," said Meltzer, "and that impacts every aspect of functioning."

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If your teenager needs more sleep, why not just send them to bed earlier? "It's not that simple," said Meltzer. Melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate our sleep, shifts by about two hours during puberty. So, even if they wanted to get to sleep earlier, teenagers are battling biological changes in their bodies that are nearly impossible to overcome.

"It's not that they don't want to go to bed, but physiologically they simply can't fall asleep earlier. So, the logical solution, is to allow them to sleep later," said Meltzer.

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The study concluded that more than half (55%) of teens who were homeschooled got the optimal amount of sleep per week, compared to just 24.5% of those who attend public and private schools. Conversely, 44.5% of public and private school teens got insufficient sleep during the school week, compared to only 16.3% of homeschooled teens.

"The differences are stark," said Meltzer. "Across the country, public and private schools that have changed their high school start times see considerable benefits. Students are tardy less often and graduation rates are actually higher," she said.

While you may not be able to change teenagers' biology, you can help them develop healthier sleeping habits. Meltzer offers this advice:

Get all electronics out of the bedroom. TVs, computers, video games and phones are major distractions for teens and often delay sleep.

Don't look at any screens 30-60 minutes before bed time. Though turning off media is as simple as flipping a switch, the human brain does not work the same way. Being stimulated by media just before bed can make the brain too active to sleep.

Set up family charging stations, where mom, dad and the kids plug in their phones at night so they are out of reach.

Most importantly, set a consistent routine. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This one habit can help regulate your body's internal clock and improve the quality of sleep you get.

Extreme tornado outbreaks have become more common, says study

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/teia-eto030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Extreme tornado outbreaks have become more common, says study
Climate could be implicated, but answers are so far unclear
The Earth Institute at Columbia University

Most death and destruction inflicted by tornadoes in North America occurs during outbreaks--large-scale weather events that can last one to three days and span huge regions. The largest ever recorded happened in 2011. It spawned 363 tornadoes across the United States and Canada, killing more than 350 people and causing $11 billion in damage.

Now, a new study shows that the average number of tornadoes in these outbreaks has risen since 1954, and that the chance of extreme outbreaks --tornado factories like the one in 2011--has also increased.

The study's authors said they do not know what is driving the changes. "The science is still open," said lead author Michael Tippett, a climate and weather researcher at Columbia University's School of Applied Science and Engineering and Columbia's Data Science Institute. "It could be global warming, but our usual tools, the observational record and computer models, are not up to the task of answering this question yet." Tippett points out that many scientists expect the frequency of atmospheric conditions favorable to tornadoes to increase in a warmer climate--but even today, the right conditions don't guarantee a tornado will occur. In any case, he said, "When it comes to tornadoes, almost everything terrible that happens, happens in outbreaks. If outbreaks contain more tornadoes on average, then the likelihood they'll cause damage somewhere increases."

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tags: severe weather

Breeding birds use alligators to protect nests from raccoons, opossums

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/p-bbu022616.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Breeding birds use alligators to protect nests from raccoons, opossums
Dropped chicks may also provide source of food for alligators in Everglades
PLOS

Breeding birds that nest above alligators for protection from mammalian predators may also provide a source of food for the alligators living in the Everglades, Florida, according to a study published March 2, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Lucas Nell from the University of Florida and colleagues.

For many bird species, nest predation is the greatest threat to raising chicks. Long-legged wading birds, like herons, egrets, ibises, storks, and spoonbills may choose nesting sites above resident American alligators, likely to take advantage of protection from nest predators such as raccoons and opossums. While the benefits to the bird species of having alligators nearby are well-documented, few studies have explored the effect on the protector, the alligator. Specifically, some previous research has shown that wading bird nesting colonies could provide substantial food for alligators in the form of dropped chicks, which are chicks ejected from the nest when a bird lays more eggs than they can raise.

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Nearly half of American children living near poverty line

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/cums-nho030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Nearly half of American children living near poverty line
National Center for Children in Poverty's Basic Facts about Low-Income Children Report illustrates severity of economic instability and disparity in the US
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Nearly half of children in the United States live dangerously close to the poverty line, according to new research from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Basic Facts about Low-Income Children, the center's annual series of profiles on child poverty in America, illustrates the severity of economic instability and poverty conditions faced by more than 31 million children throughout the United States. Using the latest data from the American Community Survey, NCCP researchers found that while the total number of children in the U.S. has remained about the same since 2008, more children today are likely to live in families barely able to afford their most basic needs.

"These data challenge the prevailing beliefs that many still hold about what poverty looks like and which children in this country are most likely to be at risk," said Renée Wilson-Simmons, DrPH, NCCP director. "The fact is, despite the significant gains we've made in expanding nutrition and health insurance programs to reach the children most in need, millions of children are living in families still struggling to make ends meet in our low-growth, low-wage economy."

According to NCCP researchers, the number of poor children in the U.S. grew by 18 percent from 2008 to 2014 (the latest available data), and the number of children living in low-income households grew by 10 percent. NCCP defines a low-income household as one where incomes fall below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Threshold (e.g., $48,016 for a family of four with two children in 2014). A family is considered poor if its earnings are below 100 percent of the poverty threshold (e.g., $24,008 for a family of four with two children in 2014).

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These are some of the findings in the 2016 edition of Basic Facts about Low-Income Children:

  • More than four in ten U.S. children are living close to the poverty line. ...
  • Children remain more likely than adults to live in poverty. ...
  • America's youngest children are still those most likely to live in low-income or poor households. ...
  • Disparities in child poverty persist along racial lines. More than 60 percent of black, Hispanic, and Native American kids live in low-income families, compared to 30 percent of Asian and white children -- a dynamic largely unchanged since 2008.
  • Many children living in poverty have parents with some higher education, and many live in two-parent households. While higher parental education decreases the likelihood that a child will live in a low-income or poor household, nearly half of children living in poverty (48 percent) have a parent with at least some college education. Though data shows that children who live with married parents are much less likely to be poor or low income compared to children who live with a single parent, nearly half of children (47 percent) in low-income families and 36 percent of children in poor families (5.5 million) live with married parents.

Happiness can break your heart too

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/esoc-hcb022916.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Happiness can break your heart too
European Society of Cardiology

Happy events can trigger a heart condition known as takotsubo syndrome, according to research published today (Thursday) in the European Heart Journal [1].

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is known as "broken heart syndrome" and is characterised by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscles that causes the left ventricle of the heart to balloon out at the bottom while the neck remains narrow, creating a shape resembling a Japanese octopus trap, from which it gets its name. Since this relatively rare condition was first described in 1990, evidence has suggested that it is typically triggered by episodes of severe emotional distress, such as grief, anger or fear, with patients developing chest pains and breathlessness. It can lead to heart attacks and death.

Now, for the first time, researchers have systematically analysed data from the largest group of patients diagnosed with TTS worldwide, and found that some patients have developed the condition after a happy or joyful event; they have named it "happy heart syndrome".

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They found 485 patients where there was a definite emotional trigger. Of these, 20 (4%) had TTS that had been precipitated by happy and joyful events, such as a birthday party, wedding, surprise farewell celebration, a favourite rugby team winning a game, or the birth of a grandchild; 465 (96%) had occurred after sad and stressful events, such as death of a spouse, child or parent, attending a funeral, an accident, worry about illness, or relationship problems; one occurred after an obese patient got stuck in the bath.

Ninety-five percent of the patients were women in both the "broken hearts" and "happy hearts" groups, and the average age of patients was 65 among the "broken hearts" and 71 among the "happy hearts", confirming that the majority of TTS cases occur in post-menopausal women.

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The researchers found that "happy heart" patients were more likely to have hearts that had ballooned in the mid-ventricle than "broken heart" patients (35% versus 16%). Although this is a new and interesting finding, the small number of patients in this group means that more research needs to be conducted in order to discover whether or not it sheds any light on the mechanisms involved in TTS.

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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Moderate drinking has risks and benefits, heavy drinking heightens short- and long-term risk of heart attack, stroke

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/aha-mdh022416.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Moderate drinking has risks and benefits, heavy drinking heightens short- and long-term risk of heart attack, stroke
American Heart Association Meeting Report - Poster P158
American Heart Association

Drinking alcohol is associated with an immediate higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. The risk lessens and can become protective after 24 hours for moderate drinking but remains high for heavy drinking, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle 2016 Scientific Sessions.

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"There appears to be a transiently higher risk of heart attack and strokes in the hours after drinking an alcoholic beverage but within a day after drinking, only heavy alcohol intake seems to pose a higher cardiovascular risk," said Elizabeth Mostofsky, Sc.D., study lead author, instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and post-doctoral fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Immediately following alcohol intake, there are both harmful and protective physical responses. Within one to three hours, a single dose of alcohol increases heart rate and disrupts the heart's normal pacing but by 24 hours, moderate alcohol intake improves blood flow, blood vessels' lining function and reduces clotting.

Moderate drinking - up to six drinks a week in this study - was associated with an immediately higher cardiovascular risk but within a day was considered protective and associated with a lower risk of a having heart attack or stroke from bleeds and within the week was associated with a lower risk of strokes from clots.

However, heavy alcohol use was associated with higher heart attack and stroke risks at all times studied: six to nine drinks in a day nearly doubled the risk and 19 to 30 drinks in a week elevated the risk by up to six times more.

Heavy drinking is typically described for men as consuming 15 or more drinks per week and more than 8 drinks per week for women. According to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate drinking is up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. [I'm sure less for smaller people.]

"Just after drinking, blood pressure rises and blood platelets become stickier, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes," Mostofsky said. "However, regularly drinking small amounts of alcohol in the long term appears to both increase levels of HDL cholesterol (high density lipoprotein cholesterol), the so-called good cholesterol, and reduce the tendency to form blood clots."

"If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation," she said.

Likewise, the American Heart Association recommends consuming alcohol in moderation if you already drink but cautions people to not start drinking and consult your doctor on your risks and benefits of consuming alcohol in moderation.

New method reveals high similarity between gorilla and human Y chromosome

I've been thinking of how most of the Republican presidential candidates & their followers remind me of gorillas beating on their chests at each other.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/ps-nmr022616.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
New method reveals high similarity between gorilla and human Y chromosome
Penn State

A new, less expensive, and faster method now has been developed and used to determine the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosome in the gorilla.

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Surprisingly, we found that in many ways the gorilla Y chromosome is more similar to the human Y chromosome than either is to the chimpanzee Y chromosome," said Kateryna Makova, the Francis R. and Helen M. Pentz Professor of Science at Penn State and one of two corresponding authors of the paper. "In regions of the chromosome where we can align all three species, the sequence similarity fits with what we know about the evolutionary relationships among the species -- humans are more closely related to chimpanzees. However, the chimpanzee Y chromosome appears to have undergone more changes in the number of genes and contains a different amount of repetitive elements compared to the human or gorilla. Moreover, a greater proportion of the gorilla Y sequences can be aligned to the human than to the chimpanzee Y chromosome."

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To demonstrate the utility of the gorilla Y chromosome sequence they generated, the researchers designed genetic markers that can be used to differentiate the genetic relatedness among male gorillas and thus to aid in conservation genetics efforts targeted at preserving this endangered species.

Impact of climate change on food production could cause over 500,000 extra deaths in 2050

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/tl-ioc030116.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Impact of climate change on food production could cause over 500000 extra deaths in 2050
By 2050, reduced fruit and vegetable intake could cause twice as many deaths as undernutrition * Three-quarters of all climate-related deaths due to changes in food production estimated to occur in China and India
The Lancet

Climate change could kill more than 500000 adults in 2050 worldwide due to changes in diets and bodyweight from reduced crop productivity, according to new estimates published in The Lancet. The research is the strongest evidence yet that climate change could have damaging consequences for food production and health worldwide.

The modelling study, led by Dr Marco Springmann from the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food at the University of Oxford, UK, is the first of its kind to assess the impact of climate change on diet composition and bodyweight, and to estimate the number of deaths they will cause in 155 countries in 2050.

"Much research has looked at food security, but little has focused on the wider health effects of agricultural production", explains Dr Springmann. "Changes in food availability and intake also affect dietary and weight-related risk factors such as low fruit and vegetable intake, high red meat consumption, and high bodyweight. These all increase the incidence of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer, as well as death from those diseases."[1]

"Our results show that even modest reductions in the availability of food per person could lead to changes in the energy content and composition of diets, and these changes will have major consequences for health," adds Dr Springmann.

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Brief educational program can help curb dating violence among teens

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/l-bep030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Brief educational program can help curb dating violence among teens
Study provides evidence that community-based violence prevention program is successful
Lifespan

A study by researchers at Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center confirmed that teens who attend classes about relationships have lower tolerance for aggression and dating violence. Healthier dating attitudes can be acquired after even brief involvement in an anti-violence curriculum.

Co-authored by Meredith C. Joppa, Ph.D., and Christie J. Rizzo, Ph.D., researchers and colleagues on behalf of the BHCRC, the study was published in the Journal of School Health.

"Adolescent dating violence is a huge problem in the United States, and schools are being urged to address this issue," said Joppa. "Some states have even legislated this type of training. Given the limited time available to implement prevention programming during the school day, brief programs are needed, and we tested one such curriculum to gauge its effectiveness."

Researchers learned that even as few as five lessons from a community-based dating violence prevention program can effect changes in student attitudes and behaviors.

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"Violence ranges from emotional and verbal abuse to physical and sexual abuse," said Rizzo. "The good news is, good relationship skills can be taught. Measuring behavior change is a critical component of dating violence prevention research and is rarely found in studies of adolescent dating violence prevention programs. This study demonstrates that teens can modify their cognitions and behaviors about dating violence."

•••••

The Katie Brown Education Program is based in Fall River, Massachusetts and works with schools throughout Southern New England to deliver their dating violence prevention curriculum. Their curriculum uses observational learning, discussion, role-play and modeling of health relationship skills. Each session included lecture, discussion, group and individual activities, handouts and worksheets. The materials included educational components such as identifying types of violence, rights in relationships, and warning signs of dating violence, as well as key skills components such as conflict resolution, communications skills, and taking responsibility for choices and actions. For example, the facilitator engages the group in a game called "agree/disagree" to help the teens realize their conceptions about wants and needs in a relationship. She will then lead them in a discussion about the traits of healthy and unhealthy dating relationships.

"We found important changes in attitudes and knowledge among students who received the Katie Brown Educational Program curriculum in comparison to those teens taking the usual health class," said Rizzo. "Identifying an efficacious and brief curriculum is crucial, as brief programming may offset the burden of dating violence education on school resources and can be incorporated into any high school health curriculum."

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Emerging threat from climate change: ocean oxygen levels are starting to drop

Also, when you burn fossil fuels, you remove oxygen from the air, which will result in less being absorbed by the ocean.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/emerging-threat-from-climate-change-ocean-oxygen-levels-are-starting-to-drop-20160427-gogqd3.html

Peter Hannam, Environment Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
April 28, 2015 (Australia time)

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now, some of the first evidence is emerging of what scientists have been expecting for decades: oxygen levels in some oceans are beginning to fall and widespread evidence of the trend should be evident from 2030 onwards.

Warming seas absorb less oxygen at the surface. Another effect of a changing climate is that oceans turn over less, so that oxygen at the surface has less chance of moving deeper.

Matthew Long, lead author of a study published in the American Geophysical Union's journal, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, said deoxygenation poses a major threat to marine life and is one of the most serious side-effects from a warming atmosphere.

"Oxygen is a necessary ingredient for marine life, for all sorts of marine organisms," Dr Long, a scientist with the US's University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and based in Colorado.

"The extent we care about marine ecosystems for their intrinsic value, we should care," Dr Long told Fairfax Media. "We're also reliant on these systems for food - fisheries will be vulnerable."

According to the models, the process is likely to be underway in the southern Indian Ocean and parts of the eastern tropical Pacific and Atlantic.

The study found that eastern Australia, eastern Africa and south-east Asia may be relatively spared, with impacts likely to be delayed until the next century.

The effects of lower oxygen levels will compound other harmful trends for wildlife such as oceans becoming more acidic.

"We're driving pretty massive changes in the environment - and we're not just changing one variable," Dr Long said. "We're changing a suite of variables to which marine organisms are sensitive, and basically putting significant demands on their adaptive capacities."

Dr Long said it was important for governments to invest in long-term, consistent research to help predict and manage the impacts. This role was particularly vital given observation records for much of the world's oceans are limited.

He also questioned the decision by Australia's CSIRO to cut climate monitoring and modelling programs.

The agency has trimmed the number of scientists to go from two key research programs from almost 100 to about 45, a move that has drawn wide criticism from researchers at home and abroad.

"I don't understand it, and it does seem short-sighted in my view," Dr Long said.

In the longer term, the world had to curb carbon impacts and limit global warming.

"If the carbon dioxide-driven warming continues, the trend in ocean deoxygenation is basically an inexorable component associated with that warming," he said.

China Reduces Coal-Fired Power Capacity Amid Clean Energy Concerns

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/21210/20160427/china-reduces-coal-fired-power-capacity-amid-clean-energy-concerns.htm

By Alixandra Caole Vila
Apr. 27, 2016

On Monday, China's top economic planner laid out new measures to curb green house emissions brought by coal-fired powerplants in the notoriously polluted country.

In a release, the central government announced they are banning construction of new coal-fired power plants in areas with surplus power, even postponing construction of some approved plants in 13 provinces until at least 2018.

Apart from the banning announcement, NDRC also mentioned that some areas will face shortage of electricity; however the government will give preference to developing power plants that use non-fossil fuels in regions short of energy supplies and arrange to transport power from other provinces.

Thermal power, most of which comes from coal, accounts for the bulk of China's electricity output.

In an interview with New York Times, Nr. Myllyvirta of Greenpeace said "while coal consumption in China is being reduced to help fight air pollution, the country's biggest state-owned electricity generators are adding new coal-fired power plants at a pace not seen in a decade.

"It's definitely a positive step, but it's not even enough to prevent the overcapacity from getting worse," he told the newspaper.

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Thirdhand smoke linked to type 2 diabetes

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uoc--tsl022916.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Thirdhand smoke linked to type 2 diabetes
UC Riverside-led study has health implications for nonsmokers living in homes that have (or had) smokers
University of California - Riverside

Thirdhand smoke (THS) results when exhaled smoke gets on surfaces - clothing, hair, homes and cars. THS has been shown, in mice, to damage the liver and lungs, complicate wound-healing and cause hyperactivity. Add to this list now type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.

Research published today in PLOS ONE by a team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside shows, in mice, that THS exposure causes insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

"If confirmed in humans, our study could greatly impact how people view exposure to environmental tobacco toxins," said Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology and neuroscience at UC Riverside and the lead author of the study. "Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to THS and its impact on health. Because infants frequently crawl on carpets and touch objects exposed to exhaled smoke, they are at high risk for THS exposure. The elderly are at high risk simply because older organs are more susceptible to disease."

Martins-Green explained that THS consists of tobacco smoke toxins that linger on surfaces and in dust after tobacco has been smoked.

"This includes toxins that become increasingly toxic with age and are re-emitted into the air or react with other chemicals in the environment to produce new pollutants," she said. "Some of these pollutants are carcinogenic."

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Popular blood pressure app misses the mark

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/jhm-pbp022916.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Popular blood pressure app misses the mark
Study in 85 volunteers found highly inaccurate measurements and showcases weakness of unregulated mobile health applications, researchers say
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A popular smartphone app purported to accurately measure blood pressure simply by placing a cellphone on the chest with a finger over the built-in camera lens misses high blood pressure in eight out of 10 patients, potentially putting users' health at risk, according to research from Johns Hopkins.

Although the app, called Instant Blood Pressure, is no longer available for purchase, it was downloaded more than 100,000 times and is still functional on phones, the researchers say.

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Children who are emotionally abused may be more likely to experience migraine as adults

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/aaon-cwa022216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Children who are emotionally abused may be more likely to experience migraine as adults
American Academy of Neurology

Children who are emotionally abused may be more likely to experience migraines as young adults, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016. The link between migraine and abuse was stronger for emotional abuse than for physical or sexual abuse in the study.

"Emotional abuse showed the strongest link to increased risk of migraine," said author Gretchen Tietjen, MD, from the University of Toledo in Ohio and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "Childhood abuse can have long-lasting effects on health and well-being."

In the study, emotional abuse was assessed by asking, "How often did a parent or other adult caregiver say things that really hurt your feelings or made you feel like you were not wanted or loved?"

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Energy drinks trigger abnormal heart rhythm, rise in blood pressure

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uotp-edt022916.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Energy drinks trigger abnormal heart rhythm, rise in blood pressure
University of the Pacific

A clinical trial led by researchers from University of the Pacific and David Grant Medical Center adds to the evidence that energy drinks may be bad for your heart. Results of the study will be presented today at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Phoenix, Arizona.

"Our findings suggest certain energy drinks may increase the risk of having an abnormal heart rhythm when consumed in high volumes," said primary investigator Sachin A Shah, an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Pacific's Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. "While we wait for more data, some consumers should exercise caution and not blindly follow the buzz."

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Hair forensics could yield false positives for cocaine use

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/acs-hfc030216.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Hair forensics could yield false positives for cocaine use
American Chemical Society

Hair analysis has become standard practice for determining whether someone has abused illicit drugs. But some experts have questioned whether current methods to wash away external contaminants from samples might affect test results. Now one team confirms that for cocaine detection, a pretreatment step can cause the drug on the outside of a hair shaft to wash into it and potentially lead to falsely identifying someone as a drug user. Their study appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry.

Testing a person's locks for evidence of drug abuse has several advantages over urine and blood analyses. Sampling is simple and non-invasive. And a person's hair provides a record of use over a long period, whereas body fluids can only provide a short-term picture. However, it can be difficult to distinguish drugs incorporated into hair because someone has taken them from drugs that externally contaminate a non-user's hair when he or she was in the same room as the substances. To address this uncertainty, testers wash hair samples to get rid of any potential external contaminants. Eva Cuypers and colleagues wanted to find out if this step could affect the results.

The researchers followed standard procedures to wash off cocaine from non-users' hair. They then examined cross-sections of these samples and found that the drug had migrated into the hair shafts. The results suggest that current methods to decontaminate hair can have the opposite effect. The researchers conclude that this new insight could have implications for future hair analyses.

Agricultural fertilizer could pose risk to human fertility, sheep study finds

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uon-afc022916.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Agricultural fertilizer could pose risk to human fertility, sheep study finds
University of Nottingham

Eating meat from animals grazed on land treated with commonly-used agricultural fertilisers might have serious implications for pregnant women and the future reproductive health of their unborn children, according to a new study involving sheep.

The study by British and French scientists from the universities of Nottingham, Aberdeen (UK) and Paris-Saclay (France), The James Hutton Institute (Aberdeen) and UMR BDR, INRA, Jouy en Josas (Paris, France) published in the journal Scientific Reports, has shown striking effects of exposure of pregnant ewes - and their female lambs in the womb - to a cocktail of chemical contaminants present in pastures fertilised with human sewage sludge-derived fertiliser.

Dr Richard Lea, of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at The University of Nottingham, was lead author on the paper.

He said: "The study highlights potential risks associated with the common practice of grazing livestock on pastures on which human sewage sludge-derived fertiliser has been used.

"More worryingly, since low-level chemical exposure poses a threat to human reproductive development, the consumption of products from animals grazing such pastures may be of considerable environmental concern."

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Study of patients with melanoma finds most have few moles

Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. It is what President Jimmy Carter has been treated for.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/tjnj-sop030116.php

Public Release: 2-Mar-2016
Study of patients with melanoma finds most have few moles
The JAMA Network Journals

Most patients with melanoma had few moles and no atypical moles, and in patients younger than 60, thick melanomas were more commonly found in those with fewer moles but more atypical moles, according to an article published online by JAMA Dermatology.

•••••

The study included 566 patients with melanoma and most of them (66.4 percent or 376) had zero to 20 total moles, while 73.3 percent (415 patients) had no atypical moles.

In patients younger than 60, having more than 50 total moles was associated with reduced risk for thick melanoma, while having more than five atypical moles compared with no atypical moles was associated with thicker melanoma, according to the results.

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Emotionally stable kids, teens got lots of love in the preschool years

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/emotionally-stable-kids-teens-had-lots-of-love-in-the-preschool-years/

By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay April 27, 2016

Preschoolers given higher levels of emotional support from moms, dads or other caregivers tend to have better emotional health during their childhood and teen years, a new study suggests.

The researchers saw increased growth in a brain region known as the hippocampus in children who were highly supported at preschool age. The hippocampus is involved in emotion, learning and memory formation. Reductions in hippocampus volume have been linked with worse emotional health and unhealthy coping, the study authors said.

"Support during the preschool period seems critical to healthy brain development, and healthy brain development is important for healthy emotional functioning," said study leader Dr. Joan Luby. She's a professor of child psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis.

The researchers reported that they didn't see changes in the volume of the hippocampus based on parental support when the children reached school age.

Because of the study's design, Luby said, it can't prove cause and effect. And, she added, a child who has an unsupportive parent isn't doomed to be emotionally unhealthy if they get the same nurturing and support from another caregiver, such as a grandparent.

Previous research had already shown that maternal support has a powerful effect on the development of the hippocampus.

•••••

In the gift scenario in the study, a supportive mother would acknowledge her child's impatience and gently tell the child that sometimes he or she must wait to do something, Luby said. A mother rated as less supportive would either ignore the child or speak harshly, she explained.

•••••

For people who grew up without good support, Korman has some reassurance.

"What happens during early childhood is obviously significant in shaping who you are, but it doesn't mean you are doomed [if you did not have the support]," Korman said. If an adult now feels that way, he said, "the best thing they could do is enroll in therapy to explore that." [I suggest also learning to support yourself emotionally. It takes time and effort, but can help you heal.]

Parents who want to learn to be supportive can participate in special programs that focus on that issue, Luby said. These widely available programs are known as parent-child interaction therapies and by other names, she said.

•••••

Busy



I haven't been posting much lately because I was doing volunteer tax returns for the AARP Tax-Aide program, and now I'm trying to catch up with things like house & yard work, paperwork dealing with my father's death. I finally got the settlement, in my favor, for a car accident, so now I can get my car fixed. I wasn't hurt, and my car is drivable, but for more than a month I've been having to get in the driver's side and crawl over the stick shift. So things will probably be somewhat slow for another week. Also, I'll be working at the polls in May, & I need to review the procedures. And I'm working on the music to my latest song "What kind of world". Also got a baritone uke that I want to learn to play.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Heavy teen marijuana use may cut life short by age 60

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heavy-teen-marijuana-use-may-cut-life-short-by-60/

By Mary Brophy Marcus CBS News April 22, 2016

Heavy marijuana use in the late teen years puts men at a higher risk for death by age 60, a new long-term study suggests.

Swedish researchers analyzed the records of more than 45,000 men beginning in 1969 and 1970. The scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm reported that 4,000 died during the 42-year follow-up period, and men who'd used marijuana heavily at ages 18 and 19 were 40 percent more likely to die by age 60 compared to guys who hadn't used the drug.

•••••

"Cannabis users have poorer health in general. You'd expect there to be increased mortality risk," Krakower told CBS News. He pointed to another long-term study linking early heavy marijuana use with lung cancer, and a second study that associates the drug with increased heart problems.

"Marijuana users generally may have poorer diets and they might be tobacco smokers. There's an increased linkage between weed and tobacco," said Krakower.

Dr. Kevin Hill, a member of the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Addiction Psychiatry, told CBS News, "One of the key messages from a study like this comes down to two words: dose matters."

The study looked at teenagers who had used marijuana more than 50 times.

•••••

Using marijuana earlier in life is linked to poorer psychological health, he said, and that can contribute to more health problems down the road.

"It is well-established that if you begin using at an early age and use a lot then, there are significant negative outcomes particularly in terms of mental health and it wouldn't be a surprise for that to translate to long-term health problems," Hill said.

Earlier cannabis use is linked to cognitive problems. Hills said, "One 2012 study showed early, regular use of marijuana - the kind of level they describe in this study -- led to an eight point decline in IQ over time."

He said it's also associated with worse anxiety and depression, adding, "If you start using marijuana at an early age, you're more likely to express a psychotic disorder."

•••••


tags: drug abuse

Renter beware: Study finds Craigslist catches barely half of scam rental listings

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/ntso-rbs022916.php

Public Release: 1-Mar-2016
Renter beware: Study finds Craigslist catches barely half of scam rental listings
NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Apartment hunters in big cities know the drill: They spot a listing for a well-priced, attractive place and make an inquiry, only to be met with demands for an instant credit check or an upfront fee to access the full listing. Savvier home hunters spot these scams immediately, but others fall through the cracks, making popular rental listing sites like Craigslist a highly lucrative spot for fraud.

A new study by researchers at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering finds that Craigslist fails to identify more than half of scam rental listings on the site's pages and that suspicious postings often linger for as long as 20 hours before being removed--more than enough time to snare victims, especially in competitive housing markets.

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Family support buffers the physiological effects of racial discrimination

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/afps-fsb022916.php

Public Release: 1-Mar-2016
Family support buffers the physiological effects of racial discrimination
Association for Psychological Science

African American adolescents who experience high levels of racial discrimination show cellular wear and tear, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The research indicated that a supportive family environment may protect against these negative physiological effects.

"These findings are novel because they show that racial discrimination predicts the premature aging of cell and tissues," says lead researcher Gene Brody of the University of Georgia. "But the findings also show that families can play a protective role, serving as a shield that keeps racial discrimination from changing children's bodies by 'getting under the skin.'"

Research has shown that stressful experiences build over time, producing a cumulative effect that "weathers" physiological systems, including the premature aging of cells.

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Air pollution linked to higher risk of preterm birth for mothers with asthma

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/nksn-apl022616.php

Public Release: 1-Mar-2016
Air pollution linked to higher risk of preterm birth for mothers with asthma
Early exposure may affect pregnancy outcomes, NIH study finds
NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Pregnant women with asthma may be at greater risk of preterm birth when exposed to high levels of certain traffic-related air pollutants, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

The researchers observed an increased risk associated with both ongoing and short-term exposure to nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, particularly when women were exposed to those pollutants just before conception and in early pregnancy.

For example, an increase of 30 parts per billion in nitrogen oxide exposure in the three months prior to pregnancy increased preterm birth risk by nearly 30 percent for women with asthma, compared to 8 percent for women without asthma. Greater carbon monoxide exposure during the same period raised preterm birth risk by 12 percent for asthmatic women, but had no effect on preterm birth risk for non-asthmatics.

The last six weeks of pregnancy was another critical window for women with asthma, according to the researchers. Exposure to high levels of particulate matter -- very small particles of substances like acids, metals, and dust in the air -- also was associated with higher preterm birth risk.

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Drinking more water associated with numerous dietary benefits, study finds

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uoia-dmw030116.php

Public Release: 1-Mar-2016
Drinking more water associated with numerous dietary benefits, study finds
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

For people who want to control their weight or reduce their intakes of sugar, sodium and saturated fat, tap water may be what the doctor ordered.

A new study that examined the dietary habits of more than 18,300 U.S. adults found the majority of people who increased their consumption of plain water - tap water or from a cooler, drinking fountain or bottle - by 1 percent reduced their total daily calorie intake as well as their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol.

People who increased their consumption of water by one, two or three cups daily decreased their total energy intake by 68 to 205 calories daily and their sodium intake by 78 to 235 milligrams, according to a paper by University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Ruopeng An. They also consumed 5 grams to nearly 18 grams less sugar and decreased their cholesterol consumption by 7 to 21 milligrams daily.

•••••

Can't sleep? Street lights may be keeping you awake

I wear a knit cap at night, pulled over my eyes.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/aaon-css022216.php

Public Release: 1-Mar-2016
Can't sleep? Street lights may be keeping you awake
How light pollution may interfere with your sleep
American Academy of Neurology
If your neighborhood is well-lit at night, you may not be sleeping well, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

"Our world has become a 24/7 society. We use outdoor lighting, such a street lights, to be more active at night and to increase our safety and security," said study author Maurice Ohayon, MD, DSC, PhD, of Stanford University in Stanford, Calif. "The concern is that we have reduced our exposure to darkness and it could be affecting our sleep."

•••••

The study shows that nighttime light affects sleep duration and was significantly associated with sleep disturbances. People living in more intense light areas were six percent more likely to sleep less than six hours per night than people in less intense light areas. People living in more intense light areas were more likely to be dissatisfied with their sleep quantity or quality than people in less intense light areas, with 29 percent dissatisfied compared to 16 percent.

People with high light exposure were also more likely to report fatigue than those with low light exposure, with 9 percent compared to 7 percent. People with high light exposure also slept less per night than those with low light exposure, with an average of 412 minutes per night compared to 402 minutes per night.

In addition, people with high light exposure were more likely to wake up confused during the night than people with low light exposure, with 19 percent experiencing this compared to 13 percent. They were also more likely to have excessive sleepiness and impaired functioning, at 6 percent compared to 2 percent.

"Light pollution can be found in any sizable city in the world. Yet, excessive exposure to light at night may affect how we function during the day and increase the risks of excessive sleepiness," said Ohayon. "If this association is confirmed by other studies, people may want to consider room darkening shades, sleep masks or other options to reduce their exposure."

Does your financial adviser specialize in misconduct?

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uocb-dyf030116.php

Public Release: 1-Mar-2016
Does your financial adviser specialize in misconduct?
First large-scale study documents extent of misconduct, find most advisers keep their jobs or are rehired
University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Financial advisers are often perceived as dishonest, and consistently rank among the least trustworthy professionals. New research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business suggests this public perception may be deserved.

In the first large-scale study documenting the economy-wide extent of misconduct among financial advisers and financial advisory firms in the United States, researchers find that most financial advisers who engage in misconduct get to keep their jobs--or are quickly rehired by another firm in the industry.

•••••

At Oppenheimer, 20 percent of advisers have been disciplined for misconduct, the researchers find. At First Allied Securities, 18 percent; at Wells Fargo Advisors FN, 15 percent; and at UBS Financial Services, 15 percent. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are among the firms with the lowest rates of misconduct, with rates at both closer to 1 percent.

•••••

Approximately 7 percent of advisers have misconduct records. Prior offenders are five times as likely to engage in new misconduct as the average financial advisor. More than half of misbehaving advisers stay with the same firm after a year, according to the data. Of those who leave, 44 percent quickly (within a year) find new jobs in the industry.

The research indicates that misconduct is widespread in regions with relatively high incomes, low education levels, and elderly populations. Some firms rife with misconduct are likely targeting vulnerable consumers, say the researchers, while other firms use their reputation to attract sophisticated consumers.

Financial advisers' misconduct records are public information, which should help to prevent and punish misconduct. But according to the research, neither market forces nor regulators are successfully preventing such advisers from continuing to provide their services.

•••••

Do we have free will?

I don't think that what these researchers call "free will" is really what most people mean when they say we have free will. It seems to me that the automatic contrariness is the opposite of what we usually mean by free will.



Public Release: 29-Feb-2016
Do we have free will?
A study by UCSB psychologists explores how disbelief in free will corrupts intuitive cooperation
University of California - Santa Barbara

•••••

The results show that while people are intuitively cooperative, challenging their belief in free will corrupts this behavior and leads to impulsive selfishness. However, when given time to think, participants are able to override the inclination toward self-interest.

"Challenging a person's belief in free will corrupts the more automatic and intuitive mental processes," said corresponding author Protzko, a postdoctoral scholar in Schooler's META (Memory, Emotion, Thought, Awareness) Lab in UCSB's Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. "Our study suggests that a challenge to an individual's belief in free will can shift this default mechanism -- at least temporarily -- to become intuitively uncooperative and cause an individual to act in their own self-interest." [I would say "perceived" self-interest, since the inclination to cooperation is in our self-interest.]

•••••

"Challenging a person's belief in free will did not seem to provide them with a conscious justification for uncooperative behavior," Protzko said. "If it did, we should have observed fewer contributions when people were given adequate time to think about their decision on the amount to contribute.

"It's very damaging to hear that we don't have free will," said Protzko. "Discounting free will changes the way we see things. Yet given time, we recover and go about our lives as though nothing were different."