https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/uab-vmo100316.php
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Vast majority of impoverished fathers involved with their children
University at Buffalo
Many policymakers and elected officials, including President Barack Obama, have publicly criticized impoverished and African-American fathers for not being involved in the lives of their children. But a new study published in the journal Families in Society suggests the criticism is largely unfounded and that even in cases of incarceration, most low-income fathers are connected to their children.
"Regardless of what these fathers were facing, they tried to stay involved with their children," says Robert Keefe, PhD, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work and the paper's lead author.
•••••
Results from data collected between 1996 and 2011 indicate that 94 percent of mothers interviewed say their children's fathers were somewhat involved or highly involved with their families.
The public criticism derives from a narrow definition of "involvement."
How we look at father involvement in this country is all financial, according to Keefe, who says "all kinds of factors are considered when talking about what makes a good mother, but with fathers, economic support is the major criterion."
Keefe also points to disproportionate rates of incarceration for African-Americans, which compound the flawed perception of low involvement. Those fathers who are in jail remain involved as much as possible through visitation and phone calls - both of which mean additional financial strain for families already struggling with finances.
"Many low-income fathers who are not incarcerated also face challenges to remaining involved in their children's lives" said Keefe. "Working three or four jobs, being called away for military duty or volunteering at jobs in hopes the job will turn into a full-time paying job are all ways fathers try to provide for their children, but also pose limitations on the amount of time they can spend with their children."
"It's not fair to limit defining fatherhood involvement to economics when many of these dads are trying to be good fathers," says Keefe. "Since all of the fathers in the study were low income, their economic contributions might not be that great and because of that they're automatically thought of as any number of things we've heard, from deadbeat dads to just being uninvolved."
Yet Keefe's conversations with the mothers and fathers reveal concrete examples of involvement.
•••••
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Thinking globally linked to optimism
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/sfcp-tgl100316.php
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Thinking globally linked to optimism
Society for Consumer Psychology
As the world becomes increasingly global, people often respond one of two ways: They start to consider themselves part of the larger global community, or they strengthen their association with their smaller national or local community.
These differences can lead to heated debates, such as the Brexit situation which pitted English citizens against one another as the country decided whether or not to leave the E.U. What if our global or local mindsets influenced the types of goals we set and the way we think about our own lives?
This was the question that researchers set out to answer, and their findings are available online in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. The investigators suspected that people with a global mindset would adopt goals that encourage growth and advancement (promotion goals).
"Previous research has shown that people with a promotion mindset think more broadly and about the future," says researcher Rajeev Batra, a professor in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. "They are more optimistic and want to maximize the positive things in their lives."
People with a local mindset, however, would most likely focus on goals that center around roles and responsibilities (prevention goals). "These people think about the here and now and want to minimize the negative, prevent losses and think about reasons not to do things," Batra says.
•••••
The participants who had written about being a global citizen selected more words on the new list than those who had read about being a Singapore citizen. This suggested that they were focused on getting as many positive identifications as possible--which has been correlated in previous research to the optimistic, growth mindset.
The two groups also viewed different fruit juice advertisements. One ad focused on how the juice could increase energy and improve well-being, while the other stated that the juice could protect against harmful daily elements. People who had written about their global identity preferred the positive version of the advertisement, while the local identity group preferred the juice ad that focused on preventing harm.
The researchers also conducted two other experiments that showed similar variations between people who associated with global versus local identities.
"These mindset differences might help us understand why we see some of the population adopting a more broad, optimistic view while others are more protective of the status quo," Ng says. "Policy makers who want to influence people to think more globally may want to design campaigns about global issues, such as climate change, that help people connect with the worldwide community."
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Thinking globally linked to optimism
Society for Consumer Psychology
As the world becomes increasingly global, people often respond one of two ways: They start to consider themselves part of the larger global community, or they strengthen their association with their smaller national or local community.
These differences can lead to heated debates, such as the Brexit situation which pitted English citizens against one another as the country decided whether or not to leave the E.U. What if our global or local mindsets influenced the types of goals we set and the way we think about our own lives?
This was the question that researchers set out to answer, and their findings are available online in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. The investigators suspected that people with a global mindset would adopt goals that encourage growth and advancement (promotion goals).
"Previous research has shown that people with a promotion mindset think more broadly and about the future," says researcher Rajeev Batra, a professor in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. "They are more optimistic and want to maximize the positive things in their lives."
People with a local mindset, however, would most likely focus on goals that center around roles and responsibilities (prevention goals). "These people think about the here and now and want to minimize the negative, prevent losses and think about reasons not to do things," Batra says.
•••••
The participants who had written about being a global citizen selected more words on the new list than those who had read about being a Singapore citizen. This suggested that they were focused on getting as many positive identifications as possible--which has been correlated in previous research to the optimistic, growth mindset.
The two groups also viewed different fruit juice advertisements. One ad focused on how the juice could increase energy and improve well-being, while the other stated that the juice could protect against harmful daily elements. People who had written about their global identity preferred the positive version of the advertisement, while the local identity group preferred the juice ad that focused on preventing harm.
The researchers also conducted two other experiments that showed similar variations between people who associated with global versus local identities.
"These mindset differences might help us understand why we see some of the population adopting a more broad, optimistic view while others are more protective of the status quo," Ng says. "Policy makers who want to influence people to think more globally may want to design campaigns about global issues, such as climate change, that help people connect with the worldwide community."
Chemical exposure linked to lower vitamin D levels
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/tes-cel100316.php
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Chemical exposure linked to lower vitamin D levels
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may alter active form of vitamin in body
The Endocrine Society
Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may reduce levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
The study is the first to find an association between EDC exposure and vitamin D levels in a large group of U.S. adults.
EDCs are chemicals or mixtures of chemicals that can cause adverse health effects by interfering with hormones in the body. The Society's Scientific Statement on EDCs examined more than 1,300 studies that found links between chemical exposure and health problems, including infertility, obesity, diabetes, neurological problems and hormone-related cancers.
"Nearly every person on the planet is exposed to BPA and another class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals called phthalates, so the possibility that these chemicals may even slightly reduce vitamin D levels has widespread implications for public health," said the study's first author, Lauren Johns, MPH, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, MI. "Vitamin D plays a broad role in maintaining bone and muscle health. In addition, low vitamin D levels have been implicated in outcomes of numerous conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer."
EDCs are found in everyday products and throughout the environment. There are more than 85,000 manufactured chemicals, of which thousands may be EDCs. BPA, a known EDC, is often found in plastics and other consumer products. Another group of chemicals linked to hormone disruption, phthalates, are found in personal care products such as cosmetics, children's products, food packaging and medical tubing.
•••••
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Chemical exposure linked to lower vitamin D levels
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may alter active form of vitamin in body
The Endocrine Society
Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may reduce levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
The study is the first to find an association between EDC exposure and vitamin D levels in a large group of U.S. adults.
EDCs are chemicals or mixtures of chemicals that can cause adverse health effects by interfering with hormones in the body. The Society's Scientific Statement on EDCs examined more than 1,300 studies that found links between chemical exposure and health problems, including infertility, obesity, diabetes, neurological problems and hormone-related cancers.
"Nearly every person on the planet is exposed to BPA and another class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals called phthalates, so the possibility that these chemicals may even slightly reduce vitamin D levels has widespread implications for public health," said the study's first author, Lauren Johns, MPH, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, MI. "Vitamin D plays a broad role in maintaining bone and muscle health. In addition, low vitamin D levels have been implicated in outcomes of numerous conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer."
EDCs are found in everyday products and throughout the environment. There are more than 85,000 manufactured chemicals, of which thousands may be EDCs. BPA, a known EDC, is often found in plastics and other consumer products. Another group of chemicals linked to hormone disruption, phthalates, are found in personal care products such as cosmetics, children's products, food packaging and medical tubing.
•••••
Health determined by social relationships at work
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/sfpa-hdb100316.php
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Health determined by social relationships at work
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Whether you're an engineer, a nurse, or a call center worker, you are likely to spend an average of one third of your day on the job. In a new meta-analysis covering 58 studies and more than 19,000 people across the globe, psychologists have shown that how strongly we identify with the people or organization where we work is associated with better health and lower burnout.
•••••
"This study is the first large-scale analysis showing that organizational identification is related to better health," says lead researcher Dr. Niklas Steffens (University of Queensland, Australia). "These results show that both performance and health are enhanced to the extent that workplaces provide people with a sense of 'we' and 'us.'"
•••••
While the type of job was not a significant factor in the link between social identification and health benefits, several factors influenced the relationship.
"Social identification contributes to both psychological and physiological health, but the health benefits are stronger for psychological health," says Steffens.
The positive psychological benefit may stem from the support provided by the work group but also the meaning and purpose that people derive from membership in social groups.
"We are less burnt out and have greater well-being when our team and our organization provide us with a sense of belonging and community -- when it gives us a sense of 'we-ness,'" summarizes Steffens.
The authors also found that the health benefits of identifying with the workplace are strongest when there are similar levels of identification within a group -- that is, when identification is shared. So if you identify strongly with your organization, then you get more health benefits if everyone else identifies strongly with the organization too.
The team was surprised to find that that the more women there were in a sample, the weaker the identification-health relationship.
"This was a finding that we had not predicted and, in the absence of any prior theorizing, we can only guess what gives rise to this effect," says Steffens. "However, one of the reasons may relate to the fact that we know from other research that there are still many workplaces that have somewhat 'masculine' cultures. This could mean that even when female employees identify with their team or organization, they still feel somewhat more marginal within their team or organization."
•••••
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Health determined by social relationships at work
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Whether you're an engineer, a nurse, or a call center worker, you are likely to spend an average of one third of your day on the job. In a new meta-analysis covering 58 studies and more than 19,000 people across the globe, psychologists have shown that how strongly we identify with the people or organization where we work is associated with better health and lower burnout.
•••••
"This study is the first large-scale analysis showing that organizational identification is related to better health," says lead researcher Dr. Niklas Steffens (University of Queensland, Australia). "These results show that both performance and health are enhanced to the extent that workplaces provide people with a sense of 'we' and 'us.'"
•••••
While the type of job was not a significant factor in the link between social identification and health benefits, several factors influenced the relationship.
"Social identification contributes to both psychological and physiological health, but the health benefits are stronger for psychological health," says Steffens.
The positive psychological benefit may stem from the support provided by the work group but also the meaning and purpose that people derive from membership in social groups.
"We are less burnt out and have greater well-being when our team and our organization provide us with a sense of belonging and community -- when it gives us a sense of 'we-ness,'" summarizes Steffens.
The authors also found that the health benefits of identifying with the workplace are strongest when there are similar levels of identification within a group -- that is, when identification is shared. So if you identify strongly with your organization, then you get more health benefits if everyone else identifies strongly with the organization too.
The team was surprised to find that that the more women there were in a sample, the weaker the identification-health relationship.
"This was a finding that we had not predicted and, in the absence of any prior theorizing, we can only guess what gives rise to this effect," says Steffens. "However, one of the reasons may relate to the fact that we know from other research that there are still many workplaces that have somewhat 'masculine' cultures. This could mean that even when female employees identify with their team or organization, they still feel somewhat more marginal within their team or organization."
•••••
Study explains how an intestinal microbe protects against other, more dangerous bacteria
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/ru-seh100316.php
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Study explains how an intestinal microbe protects against other, more dangerous bacteria
Rockefeller University
Antibiotics save millions of lives. But their tendency to kill helpful and harmful bacteria alike, coupled with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, means that they are not without their downside.
Probiotics consisting of beneficial microorganisms, meanwhile, have the potential to deliver the benefits of antibiotics minus the pitfalls. Yet up until now, evidence of their efficacy has been largely anecdotal, their mechanisms of action poorly understood.
Thanks to a pair of papers recently published in Science and Science Immunology by researchers at The Rockefeller University, however, that is beginning to change.
The studies demonstrate that an enzyme produced by a common intestinal microbe can protect the guts of worms and mammals alike from attack by harmful bacteria, and offer important insights into how it does so. Together, their findings could lead to the development of probiotics for use against such dangerous pathogens as Clostridium difficile, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.
•••••
Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Study explains how an intestinal microbe protects against other, more dangerous bacteria
Rockefeller University
Antibiotics save millions of lives. But their tendency to kill helpful and harmful bacteria alike, coupled with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, means that they are not without their downside.
Probiotics consisting of beneficial microorganisms, meanwhile, have the potential to deliver the benefits of antibiotics minus the pitfalls. Yet up until now, evidence of their efficacy has been largely anecdotal, their mechanisms of action poorly understood.
Thanks to a pair of papers recently published in Science and Science Immunology by researchers at The Rockefeller University, however, that is beginning to change.
The studies demonstrate that an enzyme produced by a common intestinal microbe can protect the guts of worms and mammals alike from attack by harmful bacteria, and offer important insights into how it does so. Together, their findings could lead to the development of probiotics for use against such dangerous pathogens as Clostridium difficile, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.
•••••
Laughter-based exercise program has health benefits, study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/gsu-lep100216.php
Public Release: 2-Oct-2016
Laughter-based exercise program has health benefits, study finds
Georgia State University
Incorporating laughter into a physical activity program that is focused on strength, balance and flexibility could improve older adults' mental health, aerobic endurance and confidence in their ability to exercise, according to a study led by Georgia State University.
•••••
In simulated laughter exercises, participants initially choose to laugh and go through the motions of laughing. The exercises facilitate eye contact and playful behaviors with other participants, which generally transition the laughter from simulated to genuine.
•••••
The study found significant improvements among participants in mental health, aerobic endurance and outcome expectations for exercise (for example, perceived benefit of exercise participation), based on assessments completed by the participants. When surveyed about their satisfaction with the program, 96.2 percent found laughter to be an enjoyable addition to a traditional exercise program, 88.9 percent said laughter helped make exercise more accessible and 88.9 percent reported the program enhanced their motivation to participate in other exercise classes or activities. The findings are published in the journal The Gerontologist.
•••••
The pleasant associations with laughter may add enjoyment to an exercise program and keep older adults motivated to work out.
"The combination of laughter and exercise may influence older adults to begin exercising and to stick with the program," said Celeste Greene, lead author of the study and a master's degree graduate from Georgia State's Gerontology Institute. "We want to help older adults have a positive experience with exercise, so we developed a physical activity program that specifically targets exercise enjoyment through laughter. Laughter is an enjoyable activity and it carries with it so many health benefits, so we incorporated intentional laughter into this program to put the fun in fitness for older adults."
Simulated laughter may be an ideal way for older adults with functional or cognitive impairment to achieve the health benefits of laughter, which include improved physiological and psychological functioning. Participants simply choose to laugh and initiate laughter as bodily exercise. There is no need to rely on cognitive skills to "get the joke" because there is no joke. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of laughter, the effect of different levels of exposure to laughter and its associated health benefits.
•••••
Public Release: 2-Oct-2016
Laughter-based exercise program has health benefits, study finds
Georgia State University
Incorporating laughter into a physical activity program that is focused on strength, balance and flexibility could improve older adults' mental health, aerobic endurance and confidence in their ability to exercise, according to a study led by Georgia State University.
•••••
In simulated laughter exercises, participants initially choose to laugh and go through the motions of laughing. The exercises facilitate eye contact and playful behaviors with other participants, which generally transition the laughter from simulated to genuine.
•••••
The study found significant improvements among participants in mental health, aerobic endurance and outcome expectations for exercise (for example, perceived benefit of exercise participation), based on assessments completed by the participants. When surveyed about their satisfaction with the program, 96.2 percent found laughter to be an enjoyable addition to a traditional exercise program, 88.9 percent said laughter helped make exercise more accessible and 88.9 percent reported the program enhanced their motivation to participate in other exercise classes or activities. The findings are published in the journal The Gerontologist.
•••••
The pleasant associations with laughter may add enjoyment to an exercise program and keep older adults motivated to work out.
"The combination of laughter and exercise may influence older adults to begin exercising and to stick with the program," said Celeste Greene, lead author of the study and a master's degree graduate from Georgia State's Gerontology Institute. "We want to help older adults have a positive experience with exercise, so we developed a physical activity program that specifically targets exercise enjoyment through laughter. Laughter is an enjoyable activity and it carries with it so many health benefits, so we incorporated intentional laughter into this program to put the fun in fitness for older adults."
Simulated laughter may be an ideal way for older adults with functional or cognitive impairment to achieve the health benefits of laughter, which include improved physiological and psychological functioning. Participants simply choose to laugh and initiate laughter as bodily exercise. There is no need to rely on cognitive skills to "get the joke" because there is no joke. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of laughter, the effect of different levels of exposure to laughter and its associated health benefits.
•••••
Skipping breakfast and not enough sleep can make children overweight
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/ucl-sba111016.php
Public Release: 11-Nov-2016
Skipping breakfast and not enough sleep can make children overweight
Mothers smoking in pregnancy, children skipping breakfast and not having a regular bedtime or sufficient sleep all appear to be important factors in predicting whether a child will become overweight or obese
University College London
Mothers smoking in pregnancy, children skipping breakfast and not having a regular bedtime or sufficient sleep all appear to be important factors in predicting whether a child will become overweight or obese, according to new research led by UCL.
All three are early life factors which can be modified and the research highlights the possibility that prompt intervention could have an impact in curbing the growth in childhood overweight and obesity.
•••••
Public Release: 11-Nov-2016
Skipping breakfast and not enough sleep can make children overweight
Mothers smoking in pregnancy, children skipping breakfast and not having a regular bedtime or sufficient sleep all appear to be important factors in predicting whether a child will become overweight or obese
University College London
Mothers smoking in pregnancy, children skipping breakfast and not having a regular bedtime or sufficient sleep all appear to be important factors in predicting whether a child will become overweight or obese, according to new research led by UCL.
All three are early life factors which can be modified and the research highlights the possibility that prompt intervention could have an impact in curbing the growth in childhood overweight and obesity.
•••••
Is it true that companies "can't afford" to build things in the U.S. ?
Nov. 13, 2016
NPR is interviewing someone who is claiming that companies have moved to other countries because they "can't afford" to build things here. Wages for the working class have fallen, relative to inflation. Executive pay has ballooned. Why is it that companies could afford to build here when the workers salaries were higher, but can't do it now.
It would be fair to note that once one company relocates to a place where they can pay very little, they can lower their prices, and other companies have to follow suit to compete. I would also note that in the past, products were better made, worked better, lasted much longer.
This Story Should Dominate the News Until Trump Is Sworn In
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a50598/russian-talked-to-trump-campaign/
By Charles P. Pierce
Nov 11, 2016
•••••
The statement came from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who said in an interview with the state-run Interfax news agency that "there were contacts" with the Trump team. "Obviously, we know most of the people from his entourage," Ryabkov said. "We have just begun to consider ways of building dialogue with the future Donald Trump administration and channels we will be using for those purposes," Ryabkov was quoted as saying. Ryabkov provided no further details, and his remarks drew a swift denial from Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks, who said the campaign had "no contact with Russian officials" before Tuesday's election.
Why in Christ's sweet name isn't this thundering through the news cycle right now? Why aren't hundreds of national-security reporters all over it? We have elected a guy who may well have traded what little integrity he has to a vicious autocrat and his thieves-in-law. (Note to anyone who takes exception: This is not "red-baiting" because these crooks are not Red.) We know he can't get a loan from most American banks, so he has to go overseas for a lot of his financing. What banks is he tied into, and are any of those banks tied into the Russian government? Whom does he owe and how much does he owe them? And how do they plan to collect?
•••••
This is a monumental story, and it deserves a full airing before we swear this guy in. And it's only part of the unprecedented tangle of shadowy business dealings that will follow him into office. The president-elect also is the defendant in 75 different lawsuits of assorted kinds. He plans to put his assets into a "blind trust" that will be overseen by…his children. I know a lot of people are charmed by his reluctance to abide by traditional political norms and customs, but this is far beyond that. This is a guy toting a huge amount of baggage into the Oval Office and each piece of it contains a ticking time-bomb.
The Russian business is perilous beyond words. But you can sense even now that our Fourth Estate is pushing it ever so gently in the direction of the same memory hole down which went Nixon's treasonous behavior as regards the Paris Peace Talks and the possibility that the Reagan campaign monkeywrenched the release of the hostages in Iran in 1980. The way this works is that the elite political media decides something is so unthinkable that the children—that's the rest of us—are too delicate to handle it.
Well, kids, the unthinkable already has happened. You might as well cover it as fully as possible.
By Charles P. Pierce
Nov 11, 2016
•••••
The statement came from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who said in an interview with the state-run Interfax news agency that "there were contacts" with the Trump team. "Obviously, we know most of the people from his entourage," Ryabkov said. "We have just begun to consider ways of building dialogue with the future Donald Trump administration and channels we will be using for those purposes," Ryabkov was quoted as saying. Ryabkov provided no further details, and his remarks drew a swift denial from Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks, who said the campaign had "no contact with Russian officials" before Tuesday's election.
Why in Christ's sweet name isn't this thundering through the news cycle right now? Why aren't hundreds of national-security reporters all over it? We have elected a guy who may well have traded what little integrity he has to a vicious autocrat and his thieves-in-law. (Note to anyone who takes exception: This is not "red-baiting" because these crooks are not Red.) We know he can't get a loan from most American banks, so he has to go overseas for a lot of his financing. What banks is he tied into, and are any of those banks tied into the Russian government? Whom does he owe and how much does he owe them? And how do they plan to collect?
•••••
This is a monumental story, and it deserves a full airing before we swear this guy in. And it's only part of the unprecedented tangle of shadowy business dealings that will follow him into office. The president-elect also is the defendant in 75 different lawsuits of assorted kinds. He plans to put his assets into a "blind trust" that will be overseen by…his children. I know a lot of people are charmed by his reluctance to abide by traditional political norms and customs, but this is far beyond that. This is a guy toting a huge amount of baggage into the Oval Office and each piece of it contains a ticking time-bomb.
The Russian business is perilous beyond words. But you can sense even now that our Fourth Estate is pushing it ever so gently in the direction of the same memory hole down which went Nixon's treasonous behavior as regards the Paris Peace Talks and the possibility that the Reagan campaign monkeywrenched the release of the hostages in Iran in 1980. The way this works is that the elite political media decides something is so unthinkable that the children—that's the rest of us—are too delicate to handle it.
Well, kids, the unthinkable already has happened. You might as well cover it as fully as possible.
Trump's conflicts of interest take White House into uncharted territory
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/12/donald-trump-conflicts-of-interest-business?CMP=fb_gu
Sam Thielman
Nov. 12, 2016
When President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House next year he will bring with him potential conflicts of interest across all areas of government that are unprecedented in American history.
Trump, who manages a sprawling, international network of businesses, has thus far refused to put his businesses into a blind trust the way his predecessors in the nation’s highest office have traditionally done. Instead he has said his businesses will be run by his own adult children.
•••••
Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka Trump are all on the president-elect’s transition team executive committee, per ABC’s Candace Smith, as is Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
But according to regulators who have overseen potential conflicts of interests under two former presidents, Trump’s arrangements were unprecedented and present a host of issues.
This is in no way a blind trust, said Karl Sandstrom, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the regulatory body that oversees campaign finance, under Bill Clinton and George W Bush. “A blind trust is not anywhere near the same. You don’t still have access to the decision being made. That’s why you put assets in and don’t just have someone else manage the company,” he said. Trump’s assets will instead apparently remain united under his company, and operated under his name even if he is not directly in charge.
•••••
While conflicts of interest may cause scandals for the president, they are unlikely to add to his long list of legal woes. In 1982 the supreme court gave Richard Nixon “absolute immunity” to prosecution for most kinds of crimes committed while in office, setting a precedent for administrations to come. “The president’s absolute immunity is a functionally mandated incident of his unique office, rooted in the constitutional tradition of the separation of powers and supported by the Nation’s history,” wrote Justice Lewis Franklin Powell in the majority opinion, adding that “diversion of his energies by concern with private lawsuits would raise unique risks to the effective functioning of government”.
As checks on that immunity, Powell wrote, “There remains the constitutional remedy of impeachment, as well as the deterrent effects of constant scrutiny by the press and vigilant oversight by Congress. Other incentives to avoid misconduct may include a desire to earn re-election, the need to maintain prestige as an element of Presidential influence, and a President’s traditional concern for his historical stature.”
•••••
Sam Thielman
Nov. 12, 2016
When President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House next year he will bring with him potential conflicts of interest across all areas of government that are unprecedented in American history.
Trump, who manages a sprawling, international network of businesses, has thus far refused to put his businesses into a blind trust the way his predecessors in the nation’s highest office have traditionally done. Instead he has said his businesses will be run by his own adult children.
•••••
Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka Trump are all on the president-elect’s transition team executive committee, per ABC’s Candace Smith, as is Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
But according to regulators who have overseen potential conflicts of interests under two former presidents, Trump’s arrangements were unprecedented and present a host of issues.
This is in no way a blind trust, said Karl Sandstrom, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the regulatory body that oversees campaign finance, under Bill Clinton and George W Bush. “A blind trust is not anywhere near the same. You don’t still have access to the decision being made. That’s why you put assets in and don’t just have someone else manage the company,” he said. Trump’s assets will instead apparently remain united under his company, and operated under his name even if he is not directly in charge.
•••••
While conflicts of interest may cause scandals for the president, they are unlikely to add to his long list of legal woes. In 1982 the supreme court gave Richard Nixon “absolute immunity” to prosecution for most kinds of crimes committed while in office, setting a precedent for administrations to come. “The president’s absolute immunity is a functionally mandated incident of his unique office, rooted in the constitutional tradition of the separation of powers and supported by the Nation’s history,” wrote Justice Lewis Franklin Powell in the majority opinion, adding that “diversion of his energies by concern with private lawsuits would raise unique risks to the effective functioning of government”.
As checks on that immunity, Powell wrote, “There remains the constitutional remedy of impeachment, as well as the deterrent effects of constant scrutiny by the press and vigilant oversight by Congress. Other incentives to avoid misconduct may include a desire to earn re-election, the need to maintain prestige as an element of Presidential influence, and a President’s traditional concern for his historical stature.”
•••••
NPR - Faux Noise Light
Nov. 13, 2016
NPR is so disgusting. A day or two ago, they said the news media should inform people, give background info. But they have not done this. Eg., they have noted that the Republicans have refused even to have hearings on President Obama's nomination for the vacancy on the supreme court. If they were doing their job, they would have mentioned the relevant fact that the republicans have been blocking almost all of his nominations to lower courts, which are lifetime positions.
And I day or two ago I they had an ad by their corporate sponsor, Koch industries, that said what a good company Koch is. I guess after NPR listeners showed in the recent fund raising drive that they can be snookered indefinitely, the Kochs have no reason not to let their influence over NPR be known.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Primitive reward-driven behaviors may bias the information people choose to sample
Public Release: 11-Nov-2016
Primitive reward-driven behaviors may bias the information people choose to sample
Pavlovian approach, like confirmation bias, may underlie behaviors that seem irrational
PLOS
The way people make decisions often seems irrational. One explanation for this behavior is that they seek evidence that confirms what they already believe, a phenomenon called 'confirmation bias'. But new research in open-access journal PLOS Biology suggests that confirmation bias may not be the only factor that influences how people sample information. The tendency to choose items associated with rewards--known as 'Pavlovian approach' --can also bias the information people choose to sample, according to Laurence Hunt from University College London, United Kingdom, and his colleagues.
•••••
Pest control: Wicked weeds may be agricultural angels
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/cu-pcw111116.php
Public Release: 11-Nov-2016
Pest control: Wicked weeds may be agricultural angels
Cornell University
Farmers looking to reduce reliance on pesticides, herbicides and other pest management tools may want to heed the advice of Cornell agricultural scientists: Let nature be nature - to a degree.
"Managing crop pests without fully understanding the impacts of tactics - related to resistance and nontarget plants or insects - costs producers money," said Antonio DiTommaso, professor of soil and crop science and lead author of a new study, "Integrating Insect, Resistance and Floral Resource Management in Weed Control Decision-Making," in the journal Weed Science (October-December 2016).
"We are taking a renewed look at a holistic, sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) approach," DiTommaso said.
In corn production, for example, maintaining a few villainous milkweed plants in the middle of a cornfield may help minimize crop loss from the destructive European corn borer. The milkweed plants can harbor aphids (destructive sap-sucking flies) that produce a nectar food source for beneficial parasitic wasps Trichogramma. The wasps, in turn, lay eggs inside the eggs of the European corn borer, killing the corn borer eggs - reducing damage to the crop.
•••••
One additional side benefit for having a few milkweed plants in a field of corn is that it serves as a breeding place and food source for monarch butterflies. As of late, monarch numbers are down, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is evaluating a petition to have them protected under the Endangered Species Act.
•••••
Public Release: 11-Nov-2016
Pest control: Wicked weeds may be agricultural angels
Cornell University
Farmers looking to reduce reliance on pesticides, herbicides and other pest management tools may want to heed the advice of Cornell agricultural scientists: Let nature be nature - to a degree.
"Managing crop pests without fully understanding the impacts of tactics - related to resistance and nontarget plants or insects - costs producers money," said Antonio DiTommaso, professor of soil and crop science and lead author of a new study, "Integrating Insect, Resistance and Floral Resource Management in Weed Control Decision-Making," in the journal Weed Science (October-December 2016).
"We are taking a renewed look at a holistic, sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) approach," DiTommaso said.
In corn production, for example, maintaining a few villainous milkweed plants in the middle of a cornfield may help minimize crop loss from the destructive European corn borer. The milkweed plants can harbor aphids (destructive sap-sucking flies) that produce a nectar food source for beneficial parasitic wasps Trichogramma. The wasps, in turn, lay eggs inside the eggs of the European corn borer, killing the corn borer eggs - reducing damage to the crop.
•••••
One additional side benefit for having a few milkweed plants in a field of corn is that it serves as a breeding place and food source for monarch butterflies. As of late, monarch numbers are down, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is evaluating a petition to have them protected under the Endangered Species Act.
•••••
Friday, November 11, 2016
Night delight: 'supermoon' to grace Earth's skies
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/night-delight-supermoon-to-grace-earths-skies/ar-AAkaRxG?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=mailsignout
By Irene Klotz
Nov. 11, 2016
The largest, brightest full moon in nearly seven decades will be on display in the coming days, promising Earth-bound sky-watchers a celestial "supermoon" spectacle.
The full moon will come nearer to Earth than at any time since 1948, astronomers said. At closest approach, which occurs at 6:23 a.m. EST on Monday, the moon will pass within 216,486 miles (348,400 km) of Earth's surface, about 22,000 miles (35,400 km) closer than average, they added.
The moon's distance from Earth varies because it is in an egg-shaped, not circular, orbit around the planet.
If skies are clear, the upcoming full moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual, making it what is called a supermoon, according to NASA. A supermoon occurs when the timing of a full moon overlaps with the point in the moon's 28-day orbit that is closest to Earth. About every 14th full moon is a supermoon, said University of Wisconsin astronomer Jim Lattis.
The next time a full moon comes as close to Earth will be in 2034.
"If you could stack up full moons next to each other, there is clearly a difference," Lattis said, but to a casual observer it is going to look very similar to a regular full moon.
Weather permitting, sky-watchers in North America and locations east of the International Dateline will have a better view on Sunday night since the moon will set less than three hours after closest approach on Monday.
"The difference in distance from one night to the next will be very subtle, so if it's cloudy on Sunday, go out on Monday. Any time after sunset should be fine," Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Will Dunham)
By Irene Klotz
Nov. 11, 2016
The largest, brightest full moon in nearly seven decades will be on display in the coming days, promising Earth-bound sky-watchers a celestial "supermoon" spectacle.
The full moon will come nearer to Earth than at any time since 1948, astronomers said. At closest approach, which occurs at 6:23 a.m. EST on Monday, the moon will pass within 216,486 miles (348,400 km) of Earth's surface, about 22,000 miles (35,400 km) closer than average, they added.
The moon's distance from Earth varies because it is in an egg-shaped, not circular, orbit around the planet.
If skies are clear, the upcoming full moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual, making it what is called a supermoon, according to NASA. A supermoon occurs when the timing of a full moon overlaps with the point in the moon's 28-day orbit that is closest to Earth. About every 14th full moon is a supermoon, said University of Wisconsin astronomer Jim Lattis.
The next time a full moon comes as close to Earth will be in 2034.
"If you could stack up full moons next to each other, there is clearly a difference," Lattis said, but to a casual observer it is going to look very similar to a regular full moon.
Weather permitting, sky-watchers in North America and locations east of the International Dateline will have a better view on Sunday night since the moon will set less than three hours after closest approach on Monday.
"The difference in distance from one night to the next will be very subtle, so if it's cloudy on Sunday, go out on Monday. Any time after sunset should be fine," Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Will Dunham)
The Humane Society calls a Trump presidency ‘a threat to animals everywhere’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/10/11/the-humane-society-calls-a-trump-presidency-a-threat-to-animals-everywhere/?postshare=6121478886628730&tid=ss_fb
By Karin Brulliard October 11, 2016
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is such a polarizing figure that he’s inspired a record-breaking number of news outlets and several Republican public figures to back a Democrat for the first time — or to make their first endorsements.
Now, even America’s animals are breaking their silence to voice opposition to Trump.
Okay, not really the animals themselves. But last week, the lobbying arm of the nation’s most prominent animal welfare group, the Humane Society, broke with its own tradition of not making endorsements by coming out in support of Democrat Hillary Clinton and releasing an attack ad against Trump, calling him “a threat to animals everywhere.”
Unsurprisingly, the ad features the most familiar — and derided — animal-related image associated with Trump: a photo of his sons hoisting the carcass of a leopard they hunted in Africa. It also takes aim at Forrest Lucas, an oil tycoon who founded a farmers’ advocacy group that fights animal rights organizations; and Bruce Rastetter, an Iowa agribusiness entrepreneur. Both are on Trump’s agricultural advisory committee and are among “a who’s who of zealous anti-animal welfare activists” allied with the candidate, according to Humane Society Legislative Fund President Michael Markarian.
Trump “has assembled a team advisors and financial supporters tied in with trophy hunting, puppy mills, factory farming, horse slaughter, and other abusive industries,” Markarian wrote in a blog post announcing the Clinton endorsement.
The president, Markarian noted, has influence over several agencies that create policies that affect animals, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Land Management. Donald Trump Jr., who is seen holding up a severed elephant tail in the Humane Society ad, has expressed interest in joining the Department of the Interior.
Trump himself hasn’t clearly outlined his thoughts on animal issues or trophy hunting (though Mother Jones reported Tuesday that he once sort-of bought a racehorse and trained it to the point of disability).
•••••
But animal lovers shouldn’t just vote for Clinton out of fear of Trump, the HSLF argues. As the organization has written before, Clinton has a robust record on animal issues. As a senator, she sponsored legislation against animal fighting, puppy mills and slaughtering of horses for human food. As secretary of state, she led international efforts to police wildlife trafficking. The Clinton Foundation has fought elephant poaching, and Clinton’s official campaign website has a section on her positions on animal welfare.
If that’s not convincing, Markarian wrote, consider how the Clintons have shared their homes with Socks the cat and other animals, while Trump “would be the first president since Harry Truman without a pet in the White House.”
•••••
By Karin Brulliard October 11, 2016
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is such a polarizing figure that he’s inspired a record-breaking number of news outlets and several Republican public figures to back a Democrat for the first time — or to make their first endorsements.
Now, even America’s animals are breaking their silence to voice opposition to Trump.
Okay, not really the animals themselves. But last week, the lobbying arm of the nation’s most prominent animal welfare group, the Humane Society, broke with its own tradition of not making endorsements by coming out in support of Democrat Hillary Clinton and releasing an attack ad against Trump, calling him “a threat to animals everywhere.”
Unsurprisingly, the ad features the most familiar — and derided — animal-related image associated with Trump: a photo of his sons hoisting the carcass of a leopard they hunted in Africa. It also takes aim at Forrest Lucas, an oil tycoon who founded a farmers’ advocacy group that fights animal rights organizations; and Bruce Rastetter, an Iowa agribusiness entrepreneur. Both are on Trump’s agricultural advisory committee and are among “a who’s who of zealous anti-animal welfare activists” allied with the candidate, according to Humane Society Legislative Fund President Michael Markarian.
Trump “has assembled a team advisors and financial supporters tied in with trophy hunting, puppy mills, factory farming, horse slaughter, and other abusive industries,” Markarian wrote in a blog post announcing the Clinton endorsement.
The president, Markarian noted, has influence over several agencies that create policies that affect animals, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Land Management. Donald Trump Jr., who is seen holding up a severed elephant tail in the Humane Society ad, has expressed interest in joining the Department of the Interior.
Trump himself hasn’t clearly outlined his thoughts on animal issues or trophy hunting (though Mother Jones reported Tuesday that he once sort-of bought a racehorse and trained it to the point of disability).
•••••
But animal lovers shouldn’t just vote for Clinton out of fear of Trump, the HSLF argues. As the organization has written before, Clinton has a robust record on animal issues. As a senator, she sponsored legislation against animal fighting, puppy mills and slaughtering of horses for human food. As secretary of state, she led international efforts to police wildlife trafficking. The Clinton Foundation has fought elephant poaching, and Clinton’s official campaign website has a section on her positions on animal welfare.
If that’s not convincing, Markarian wrote, consider how the Clintons have shared their homes with Socks the cat and other animals, while Trump “would be the first president since Harry Truman without a pet in the White House.”
•••••
People who don't like music have a disconnected brain, research claims
by Sam Meaghan
Nov. 9, 2016
Music may be all over the world, in the airwaves, on the internet, everywhere, but some people still just do not like it.
Now, researchers have attempted to find out why a certain group of people just don't take to music the way others do.
With the help of fMRI scans to track the participant's brain activity, reseachers have found that people have less blood flow to the brain's reward networks when exposed to music.
This suggests that people who have a natural distaste to music, have a less functioning connectivity between the auditory processing and the reward centres.
According to Ars Technica, these findings provide further support for the theory that the pleasure that comes from music stems from interactions between the auditory neural networks and and the brain's reward networks.
•••••
What The Trump Presidency Means For Seniors
http://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2016/11/09/what-the-trump-presidency-means-for-seniors/#57cdf93e367c
Howard Gleckman
Nov. 9, 2016
The election of Donald Trump, along with continued Republican majorities in the House and Senate, will likely result in major cuts in federal programs that benefit older adults and younger people with disabilities.
Some of the programs that could be targeted: Medicaid, important reforms in the way health care is delivered through Medicare, and services funded through the Older Americans Act such as Meals on Wheels, adult day, information assistance. And while Trump vowed throughout his campaign to leave Social Security and Medicare untouched, congressional Republicans have targeted both programs and it is not clear whether the new president would resist their efforts to cut benefits.
It is important to note that Trump carefully avoided identifying specific spending reductions throughout the campaign. He did back a House GOP plan to cap federal spending for Medicaid, a program that benefits very poor and very sick older adults and people with disabilities, as well as low-income mothers and children. He promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), called for unspecified cost savings in the Medicare drug program, and generally vowed to eliminate government waste. And he said he backs an old (never-enacted) congressional proposal to cut government spending by one percent a year, except for Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and defense.
•••••
Trump has proposed a $6.2 trillion tax cut, according to my colleagues at the Tax Policy Center. That’s bigger than any tax cut in modern US history, expect for Ronald Reagan’s 1981 cuts. Including added interest expense, that plan would increase the national debt by $7 trillion over the next decade. A GOP –controlled Congress will almost surely approve a very large tax cut next year and while it won’t be as big as what Trump has proposed, it will be very large. The question is: How will they pay for it?
That’s where programs for seniors come in.
The Older Americans Act has been under enormous budget pressure for a decade. Even under President Obama, funding for most of these programs was flat even though the number of older adults using benefits was growing. The result: waiting lists in some communities for programs such as Meals on Wheels.
If Congress finances these tax cuts with across-the-board domestic spending cuts—something like Trump’s penny plan—senior services will almost surely get caught in the squeeze. So may other programs important to older adults such as low-income senior housing and NIH research into dementia and other diseases of old age.
•••••
Howard Gleckman ,
Contributor
I cover news on Washington
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
(ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
(ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
The election of Donald Trump, along with continued Republican majorities in the House and Senate, will likely result in major cuts in federal programs that benefit older adults and younger people with disabilities.
Some of the programs that could be targeted: Medicaid, important reforms in the way health care is delivered through Medicare, and services funded through the Older Americans Act such as Meals on Wheels, adult day, information assistance. And while Trump vowed throughout his campaign to leave Social Security and Medicare untouched, congressional Republicans have targeted both programs and it is not clear whether the new president would resist their efforts to cut benefits.
It is important to note that Trump carefully avoided identifying specific spending reductions throughout the campaign. He did back a House GOP plan to cap federal spending for Medicaid, a program that benefits very poor and very sick older adults and people with disabilities, as well as low-income mothers and children. He promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), called for unspecified cost savings in the Medicare drug program, and generally vowed to eliminate government waste. And he said he backs an old (never-enacted) congressional proposal to cut government spending by one percent a year, except for Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and defense.
President Trump’s First 100 Days:
We’ll get to that last proposal, called the penny plan, in a minute. But first one more bit of context to help explain why a Trump presidency is likely to lead to big spending cuts for programs that benefit seniors and younger people with disabilities.
Recommended by Forbes
Trump has proposed a $6.2 trillion tax cut, according to my colleagues at the Tax Policy Center. That’s bigger than any tax cut in modern US history, expect for Ronald Reagan’s 1981 cuts. Including added interest expense, that plan would increase the national debt by $7 trillion over the next decade. A GOP –controlled Congress will almost surely approve a very large tax cut next year and while it won’t be as big as what Trump has proposed, it will be very large. The question is: How will they pay for it?
That’s where programs for seniors come in.
The Older Americans Act has been under enormous budget pressure for a decade. Even under President Obama, funding for most of these programs was flat even though the number of older adults using benefits was growing. The result: waiting lists in some communities for programs such as Meals on Wheels.
If Congress finances these tax cuts with across-the-board domestic spending cuts—something like Trump’s penny plan—senior services will almost surely get caught in the squeeze. So may other programs important to older adults such as low-income senior housing and NIH research into dementia and other diseases of old age.
But that’s not all. Trump says that one of his first priorities will be to repeal the ACA (what he calls Obamacare). While most of the public attention on the ACA is focused on the exchanges and their rising premiums, the law also includes important changes in the way health care is delivered under Medicare. These include ways for doctors to better coordinate care, which is especially important for seniors with multiple chronic conditions. If Trump and a Republican Congress repeal the ACA (and they almost surely will) many of those reforms will die as well.
Then there is Medicaid, which provides long-term supports and services to millions of frail seniors. Trump and the House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) support capping the federal contribution to Medicaid, which is funded partly by the feds and partly by the states. Such a cap would limit the amount Medicaid will have available to pay providers such as nursing homes or home health agencies and will inevitably reduce care for seniors.
Finally, there is the matter of Medicare and Social Security. Ryan and other House Republicans have been trying for years to cap the government’s share of Medicare, a step that would lead to huge jumps in premiums for seniors, and to limit Social Security benefits by raising the retirement age, change the cost of living index, or other adjustments. In the campaign, Trump said he’d oppose those changes. But I would not be surprised if he accepted changes that Congress brought to him.
•••••
Howard Gleckman
Nov. 9, 2016
The election of Donald Trump, along with continued Republican majorities in the House and Senate, will likely result in major cuts in federal programs that benefit older adults and younger people with disabilities.
Some of the programs that could be targeted: Medicaid, important reforms in the way health care is delivered through Medicare, and services funded through the Older Americans Act such as Meals on Wheels, adult day, information assistance. And while Trump vowed throughout his campaign to leave Social Security and Medicare untouched, congressional Republicans have targeted both programs and it is not clear whether the new president would resist their efforts to cut benefits.
It is important to note that Trump carefully avoided identifying specific spending reductions throughout the campaign. He did back a House GOP plan to cap federal spending for Medicaid, a program that benefits very poor and very sick older adults and people with disabilities, as well as low-income mothers and children. He promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), called for unspecified cost savings in the Medicare drug program, and generally vowed to eliminate government waste. And he said he backs an old (never-enacted) congressional proposal to cut government spending by one percent a year, except for Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and defense.
•••••
Trump has proposed a $6.2 trillion tax cut, according to my colleagues at the Tax Policy Center. That’s bigger than any tax cut in modern US history, expect for Ronald Reagan’s 1981 cuts. Including added interest expense, that plan would increase the national debt by $7 trillion over the next decade. A GOP –controlled Congress will almost surely approve a very large tax cut next year and while it won’t be as big as what Trump has proposed, it will be very large. The question is: How will they pay for it?
That’s where programs for seniors come in.
The Older Americans Act has been under enormous budget pressure for a decade. Even under President Obama, funding for most of these programs was flat even though the number of older adults using benefits was growing. The result: waiting lists in some communities for programs such as Meals on Wheels.
If Congress finances these tax cuts with across-the-board domestic spending cuts—something like Trump’s penny plan—senior services will almost surely get caught in the squeeze. So may other programs important to older adults such as low-income senior housing and NIH research into dementia and other diseases of old age.
•••••
Howard Gleckman ,
Contributor
I cover news on Washington
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
(ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
(ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
The election of Donald Trump, along with continued Republican majorities in the House and Senate, will likely result in major cuts in federal programs that benefit older adults and younger people with disabilities.
Some of the programs that could be targeted: Medicaid, important reforms in the way health care is delivered through Medicare, and services funded through the Older Americans Act such as Meals on Wheels, adult day, information assistance. And while Trump vowed throughout his campaign to leave Social Security and Medicare untouched, congressional Republicans have targeted both programs and it is not clear whether the new president would resist their efforts to cut benefits.
It is important to note that Trump carefully avoided identifying specific spending reductions throughout the campaign. He did back a House GOP plan to cap federal spending for Medicaid, a program that benefits very poor and very sick older adults and people with disabilities, as well as low-income mothers and children. He promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), called for unspecified cost savings in the Medicare drug program, and generally vowed to eliminate government waste. And he said he backs an old (never-enacted) congressional proposal to cut government spending by one percent a year, except for Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and defense.
President Trump’s First 100 Days:
We’ll get to that last proposal, called the penny plan, in a minute. But first one more bit of context to help explain why a Trump presidency is likely to lead to big spending cuts for programs that benefit seniors and younger people with disabilities.
Recommended by Forbes
Trump has proposed a $6.2 trillion tax cut, according to my colleagues at the Tax Policy Center. That’s bigger than any tax cut in modern US history, expect for Ronald Reagan’s 1981 cuts. Including added interest expense, that plan would increase the national debt by $7 trillion over the next decade. A GOP –controlled Congress will almost surely approve a very large tax cut next year and while it won’t be as big as what Trump has proposed, it will be very large. The question is: How will they pay for it?
That’s where programs for seniors come in.
The Older Americans Act has been under enormous budget pressure for a decade. Even under President Obama, funding for most of these programs was flat even though the number of older adults using benefits was growing. The result: waiting lists in some communities for programs such as Meals on Wheels.
If Congress finances these tax cuts with across-the-board domestic spending cuts—something like Trump’s penny plan—senior services will almost surely get caught in the squeeze. So may other programs important to older adults such as low-income senior housing and NIH research into dementia and other diseases of old age.
But that’s not all. Trump says that one of his first priorities will be to repeal the ACA (what he calls Obamacare). While most of the public attention on the ACA is focused on the exchanges and their rising premiums, the law also includes important changes in the way health care is delivered under Medicare. These include ways for doctors to better coordinate care, which is especially important for seniors with multiple chronic conditions. If Trump and a Republican Congress repeal the ACA (and they almost surely will) many of those reforms will die as well.
Then there is Medicaid, which provides long-term supports and services to millions of frail seniors. Trump and the House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) support capping the federal contribution to Medicaid, which is funded partly by the feds and partly by the states. Such a cap would limit the amount Medicaid will have available to pay providers such as nursing homes or home health agencies and will inevitably reduce care for seniors.
Finally, there is the matter of Medicare and Social Security. Ryan and other House Republicans have been trying for years to cap the government’s share of Medicare, a step that would lead to huge jumps in premiums for seniors, and to limit Social Security benefits by raising the retirement age, change the cost of living index, or other adjustments. In the campaign, Trump said he’d oppose those changes. But I would not be surprised if he accepted changes that Congress brought to him.
•••••
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Probiotics improve cognition in Alzheimer's patients
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/f-pic110116.php
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Probiotics improve cognition in Alzheimer's patients
Frontiers
For the first time, scientists have shown that probiotics -- beneficial live bacteria and yeasts taken as dietary supplements -- can improve cognitive function in humans. In a new clinical trial, scientists show that a daily dose of probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria taken over a period of just 12 weeks is enough to yield a moderate but significant improvement in the score of elderly Alzheimer's patients on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale, a standard measure of cognitive impairment.
Probiotics are known to give partial protection against certain infectious diarrheas, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, eczema, allergies, colds, tooth decay, and periodontal disease. But scientists have long hypothesized that probiotics might also boost cognition, as there is continuous two-way communication between the intestinal microflora, the gastrointestinal tract, and the brain through the nervous system, the immune system, and hormones (along the so-called "microbiota-gut-brain axis"). In mice, probiotics have indeed been shown to improve learning and memory, and reduce anxiety and depression- and OCD-like symptoms. But prior to the present study there was very limited evidence of any cognitive benefits in humans.
•••••
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Probiotics improve cognition in Alzheimer's patients
Frontiers
For the first time, scientists have shown that probiotics -- beneficial live bacteria and yeasts taken as dietary supplements -- can improve cognitive function in humans. In a new clinical trial, scientists show that a daily dose of probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria taken over a period of just 12 weeks is enough to yield a moderate but significant improvement in the score of elderly Alzheimer's patients on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale, a standard measure of cognitive impairment.
Probiotics are known to give partial protection against certain infectious diarrheas, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, eczema, allergies, colds, tooth decay, and periodontal disease. But scientists have long hypothesized that probiotics might also boost cognition, as there is continuous two-way communication between the intestinal microflora, the gastrointestinal tract, and the brain through the nervous system, the immune system, and hormones (along the so-called "microbiota-gut-brain axis"). In mice, probiotics have indeed been shown to improve learning and memory, and reduce anxiety and depression- and OCD-like symptoms. But prior to the present study there was very limited evidence of any cognitive benefits in humans.
•••••
Neanderthal inheritance helped humans adapt to life outside of Africa
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/cp-nih110316.php
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Neanderthal inheritance helped humans adapt to life outside of Africa
Cell Press
As the ancestors of modern humans made their way out of Africa to other parts of the world many thousands of years ago, they met up and in some cases had children with other forms of humans, including the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Scientists know this because traces of those meetings remain in the human genome. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 10 find more evidence that those encounters have benefited humans over the years.
All told, the new study identifies 126 different places in the genome where genes inherited from those archaic humans remain at unusually high frequency in the genomes of modern humans around the world. We owe our long-lost hominid relatives for various traits, and especially those related to our immune systems and skin, the evidence shows.
"Our work shows that hybridization was not just some curious side note to human history, but had important consequences and contributed to our ancestors' ability to adapt to different environments as they dispersed throughout the world," says Joshua Akey of University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.
•••••
Generally speaking, the genes humans got from Neanderthals or Denisovans are important for our interactions with the environment. The evidence suggests that hybridization with archaic humans as our ancient ancestors made their way out of Africa "was an efficient way for modern humans to quickly adapt to the new environments they were encountering."
•••••
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Neanderthal inheritance helped humans adapt to life outside of Africa
Cell Press
As the ancestors of modern humans made their way out of Africa to other parts of the world many thousands of years ago, they met up and in some cases had children with other forms of humans, including the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Scientists know this because traces of those meetings remain in the human genome. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 10 find more evidence that those encounters have benefited humans over the years.
All told, the new study identifies 126 different places in the genome where genes inherited from those archaic humans remain at unusually high frequency in the genomes of modern humans around the world. We owe our long-lost hominid relatives for various traits, and especially those related to our immune systems and skin, the evidence shows.
"Our work shows that hybridization was not just some curious side note to human history, but had important consequences and contributed to our ancestors' ability to adapt to different environments as they dispersed throughout the world," says Joshua Akey of University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.
•••••
Generally speaking, the genes humans got from Neanderthals or Denisovans are important for our interactions with the environment. The evidence suggests that hybridization with archaic humans as our ancient ancestors made their way out of Africa "was an efficient way for modern humans to quickly adapt to the new environments they were encountering."
•••••
When fish come to school, kids get hooked on science
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/jhu-wfc110316.php
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
When fish come to school, kids get hooked on science
Johns Hopkins University
A program that brings live fish into classrooms to teach the fundamentals of biology not only helps students learn, but improves their attitudes about science, a new study finds.
The study of nearly 20,000 K-12 students, who raised zebrafish from embryos over the course of a week, found that kids at all grade levels showed significant learning gains. They also responded more positively to statements such as "I know what it's like to be a scientist." The results, to be published by the journal PLOS Biology, suggest that an immersive experience with a living creature can be a particularly successful strategy to engage young people in science, technology, engineering and math.
•••••
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
When fish come to school, kids get hooked on science
Johns Hopkins University
A program that brings live fish into classrooms to teach the fundamentals of biology not only helps students learn, but improves their attitudes about science, a new study finds.
The study of nearly 20,000 K-12 students, who raised zebrafish from embryos over the course of a week, found that kids at all grade levels showed significant learning gains. They also responded more positively to statements such as "I know what it's like to be a scientist." The results, to be published by the journal PLOS Biology, suggest that an immersive experience with a living creature can be a particularly successful strategy to engage young people in science, technology, engineering and math.
•••••
Childhood infections provide lifelong protection against flu viruses from animals
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uoc--cip110716.php
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Childhood infections provide lifelong protection against flu viruses from animals
UCLA, Arizona researchers explain that birth year may largely determine people's risk for serious illness in an influenza pandemic
University of California - Los Angeles
Exposure to influenza viruses during childhood gives people partial protection for the rest of their lives against distantly related influenza viruses, according to a new study in the journal Science.
Scientists from UCLA and the University of Arizona analyzed data from all known human cases of two types of avian influenza -- more than 1,400 people in all -- and found evidence of previously unrecognized human immunity against several viruses that circulate in animals but have not previously circulated in humans. They also discovered that people born before 1968 are more susceptible to certain viruses, while people born during or after that year are more at risk for different strains of the flu.
•••••
The researchers can now predict with reasonable precision whether a person will have immunity against new influenza strains based on their birth year, which indicates the seasonal flu virus that was most likely to have caused their first flu infection during childhood.
"Our findings show clearly that this 'childhood imprinting' gives strong protection against severe infection or death from two major strains of avian influenza," said James Lloyd-Smith, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the study's senior author. "These results will help us quantify the risk of particular emerging influenza viruses sparking a major outbreak."
It is unclear whether that imprinting provides strong enough immunity to prevent infection altogether, but it substantially reduces the risk for severe disease, the study reports. People born in "protected" birth years were much less likely to get sick enough to visit the doctor, be hospitalized or die from H5N1 or H7N9 infections.
•••••
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Childhood infections provide lifelong protection against flu viruses from animals
UCLA, Arizona researchers explain that birth year may largely determine people's risk for serious illness in an influenza pandemic
University of California - Los Angeles
Exposure to influenza viruses during childhood gives people partial protection for the rest of their lives against distantly related influenza viruses, according to a new study in the journal Science.
Scientists from UCLA and the University of Arizona analyzed data from all known human cases of two types of avian influenza -- more than 1,400 people in all -- and found evidence of previously unrecognized human immunity against several viruses that circulate in animals but have not previously circulated in humans. They also discovered that people born before 1968 are more susceptible to certain viruses, while people born during or after that year are more at risk for different strains of the flu.
•••••
The researchers can now predict with reasonable precision whether a person will have immunity against new influenza strains based on their birth year, which indicates the seasonal flu virus that was most likely to have caused their first flu infection during childhood.
"Our findings show clearly that this 'childhood imprinting' gives strong protection against severe infection or death from two major strains of avian influenza," said James Lloyd-Smith, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the study's senior author. "These results will help us quantify the risk of particular emerging influenza viruses sparking a major outbreak."
It is unclear whether that imprinting provides strong enough immunity to prevent infection altogether, but it substantially reduces the risk for severe disease, the study reports. People born in "protected" birth years were much less likely to get sick enough to visit the doctor, be hospitalized or die from H5N1 or H7N9 infections.
•••••
A study warns of Spanish children's overexposure to 'junk food' ads on TV
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uog-asw111016.php
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
A study warns of Spanish children's overexposure to 'junk food' ads on TV
Scientists from the UGR and the University Hospital San Rafael conclude that Spanish children are overexposed to TV ads of unhealthy food (burgers, pizzas, soft drinks, bakery, etc.), a worrying situation which promotes childhood obesity
University of Granada
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uog-asw111016.php
•••••
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
A study warns of Spanish children's overexposure to 'junk food' ads on TV
Scientists from the UGR and the University Hospital San Rafael conclude that Spanish children are overexposed to TV ads of unhealthy food (burgers, pizzas, soft drinks, bakery, etc.), a worrying situation which promotes childhood obesity
University of Granada
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uog-asw111016.php
•••••
Climate change already dramatically disrupting all elements of nature
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Study: climate change already dramatically disrupting all elements of nature
Study in journal Science says every aspect of life on earth impacted -- from genes to entire ecosystems
Wildlife Conservation Society
Global changes in temperature due to human-induced climate change have already impacted every aspect of life on Earth from genes to entire ecosystems, with increasingly unpredictable consequences for humans -- according to a new study published in the journal Science.
The study found a staggering 80 percent of 94 ecological processes that form the foundation for healthy marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems already show signs of distress and response to climate change.
Impacts to humans include increased pests and disease outbreaks, reduced productivity in fisheries, and decreasing agriculture yields.
"There is now clear evidence that, with only a ~1oC of warming globally, very major impacts are already being felt," said study lead author Dr Brett Scheffers of the University of Florida. "Genes are changing, species' physiology and physical features such as body size are changing, species are rapidly moving to keep track of suitable climate space, and there are now signs of entire ecosystems under stress."
Said the study's senior author, Dr. James Watson from the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Queensland: "The level of change we have observed is quite astonishing considering we have only experienced a relatively small amount of climate change to date. It is no longer sensible to consider this a concern for the future. Policy makers and politicians must accept that if we don't curb greenhouse gas emissions, an environmental catastrophe is likely."
•••••
Mirroring a drop in emissions, mercury in tuna also declines
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/acs-mad111016.php
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Mirroring a drop in emissions, mercury in tuna also declines
American Chemical Society
For years, public health experts have warned against eating certain kinds of fish, including tuna, that tend to accumulate mercury. Still, tuna consumption provides more mercury to U.S. consumers than any other source. But recently, as industry cuts down on its mercury emissions, research has found mercury concentrations in some fish are dropping. The latest study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, reports that this is the case for prized Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Although global mercury emissions continue to rise due largely to increases in coal burning in Asia, emissions in North America between 1990 and 2007 went down 2.8 percent per year, according to published studies in 2010 and 2013. Over a similar period, mercury in north Atlantic waters dropped 4.3 percent annually. And between 2001 and 2009, mercury in the air above the north Atlantic declined by 20 percent, or about 2.5 percent per year.
To see whether the regional emissions reductions were having an effect on fish at the top of the ocean food chain, researchers from Stony Brook University, the University of Massachusetts and Harvard University collected and analyzed tissue samples from nearly 1,300 Atlantic bluefin tuna captured between 2004 and 2012. Tests for mercury content showed that over this eight-year period, the concentration in the fish dropped an average of 19 percent. The finding suggests that reductions in mercury emissions could rapidly lead to reduced mercury concentrations in some marine fish, the researchers say.
Public Release: 10-Nov-2016
Mirroring a drop in emissions, mercury in tuna also declines
American Chemical Society
For years, public health experts have warned against eating certain kinds of fish, including tuna, that tend to accumulate mercury. Still, tuna consumption provides more mercury to U.S. consumers than any other source. But recently, as industry cuts down on its mercury emissions, research has found mercury concentrations in some fish are dropping. The latest study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, reports that this is the case for prized Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Although global mercury emissions continue to rise due largely to increases in coal burning in Asia, emissions in North America between 1990 and 2007 went down 2.8 percent per year, according to published studies in 2010 and 2013. Over a similar period, mercury in north Atlantic waters dropped 4.3 percent annually. And between 2001 and 2009, mercury in the air above the north Atlantic declined by 20 percent, or about 2.5 percent per year.
To see whether the regional emissions reductions were having an effect on fish at the top of the ocean food chain, researchers from Stony Brook University, the University of Massachusetts and Harvard University collected and analyzed tissue samples from nearly 1,300 Atlantic bluefin tuna captured between 2004 and 2012. Tests for mercury content showed that over this eight-year period, the concentration in the fish dropped an average of 19 percent. The finding suggests that reductions in mercury emissions could rapidly lead to reduced mercury concentrations in some marine fish, the researchers say.
Trump's election already hurting people
From Facebook:
Jim C. Hines
Over on Twitter, some of my writer friends are grieving the loss of a friend who took her own life last night, at least in part out of fear and despair over the threat to her health care.
Donald Trump’s EPA Transition Team Is Being Run By A Climate Change Denier
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/11/09/donald-trumps-epa-transition-team-run-climate-change-denier.html
By Sean Colarossi on Wed, Nov 9th, 2016 at 8:00 pm
Trump's pick calls climate change "nothing to worry about" and questions whether humans even contribute to it.
s the world continues to grapple with yesterday’s stunning election results, many Americans want to know what the United States will look like under a Trump presidency and what policies he will pursue. Given his lack of specifics during the campaign, it’s hard to know for sure.
But one area that can be particularly helpful in determining Trump’s policy goals is his transition team – the people helping him choose his future government. In the area of climate change and environmental policy, his choices spell big trouble.
According to a report from Scientific American, Trump has chosen “one of the best-known climate skeptics” to run his EPA transition team.
His choice, Myron Ebell, who is the director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the right-wing Competitive Enterprise Institute, calls climate change “nothing to worry about” and questions whether humans contribute to it.
Let me repeat: the guy running Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition team thinks climate change isn’t anything worth sweating over.
•••••
The choice of Ebell is just one alarming pick Trump has made when it comes to his environmental team. The president-elect has also tapped a GOP lobbyist, Mike McKenna, to lead his Department of Energy transition team.
You know those lobbyists and special interests Trump slammed throughout the campaign? Well, now they’re choosing who will run his White House.
With these decisions alone, two things are becoming apparent:
1. Donald Trump’s energy policy is likely to undo all the progress made under President Obama, including massive investments in green energy that have pushed America toward energy independence and a historic international climate agreement. If you don’t believe climate change is a problem, you’re not going to try to tackle it.
2. Trump is shaping up to be a standard right-wing shill, owned by the very elites and lobbyists in his own party that he spent over a year attacking. He won’t turn the system upside down; the system will turn him upside down.
In any case, the incoming Trump administration is likely to be a disaster for the environmental health of the planet, and that should alarm any American who cares about the one planet we all share.
By Sean Colarossi on Wed, Nov 9th, 2016 at 8:00 pm
Trump's pick calls climate change "nothing to worry about" and questions whether humans even contribute to it.
s the world continues to grapple with yesterday’s stunning election results, many Americans want to know what the United States will look like under a Trump presidency and what policies he will pursue. Given his lack of specifics during the campaign, it’s hard to know for sure.
But one area that can be particularly helpful in determining Trump’s policy goals is his transition team – the people helping him choose his future government. In the area of climate change and environmental policy, his choices spell big trouble.
According to a report from Scientific American, Trump has chosen “one of the best-known climate skeptics” to run his EPA transition team.
His choice, Myron Ebell, who is the director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the right-wing Competitive Enterprise Institute, calls climate change “nothing to worry about” and questions whether humans contribute to it.
Let me repeat: the guy running Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition team thinks climate change isn’t anything worth sweating over.
•••••
The choice of Ebell is just one alarming pick Trump has made when it comes to his environmental team. The president-elect has also tapped a GOP lobbyist, Mike McKenna, to lead his Department of Energy transition team.
You know those lobbyists and special interests Trump slammed throughout the campaign? Well, now they’re choosing who will run his White House.
With these decisions alone, two things are becoming apparent:
1. Donald Trump’s energy policy is likely to undo all the progress made under President Obama, including massive investments in green energy that have pushed America toward energy independence and a historic international climate agreement. If you don’t believe climate change is a problem, you’re not going to try to tackle it.
2. Trump is shaping up to be a standard right-wing shill, owned by the very elites and lobbyists in his own party that he spent over a year attacking. He won’t turn the system upside down; the system will turn him upside down.
In any case, the incoming Trump administration is likely to be a disaster for the environmental health of the planet, and that should alarm any American who cares about the one planet we all share.
Trump University lawsuit heads toward Nov. 28 trial
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-university-lawsuit-heads-toward-nov-28-trial-085926733--politics.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb
[Associated Press]
ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated PressNovember 10, 2016
Donald Trump is scheduled to go on trial this month in a class-action lawsuit against him and his now-defunct Trump University, potentially taking the witness stand weeks before his inauguration as president of the United States.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, the Indiana-born jurist who was accused of bias by Trump during the campaign for his Mexican heritage, will hold a hearing Thursday on jury instructions and what evidence to allow at trial, which begins Nov. 28.
Among the flurry of requests from both sides to be considered Thursday is a highly unusual petition by Trump's attorneys to exclude any statements made by or about their client during the presidential campaign. The request would apply to Trump's tweets, a video of Trump making sexually predatory comments about women, his tax history, revelations about his private charitable foundation and public criticisms about the judge in the case.
•••••
The lawsuit filed in 2010 on behalf of former customers alleges that Trump University, which was not accredited as a school, gave seminars and classes across the country that were like infomercials, pressuring people to spend up to $35,000 for mentorships and, in the end, failing on its promise to teach success in real estate. The claims mirror another class-action complaint in San Diego and a lawsuit in New York.
•••••
At the May hearing, Petrocelli asked for a trial after Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, but the judge raised concerns about distractions if Trump won the election. The attorney said the period between the election and swearing-in is extremely hectic for a president-elect but that it was preferable to holding a trial during the campaign.
[Associated Press]
ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated PressNovember 10, 2016
Donald Trump is scheduled to go on trial this month in a class-action lawsuit against him and his now-defunct Trump University, potentially taking the witness stand weeks before his inauguration as president of the United States.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, the Indiana-born jurist who was accused of bias by Trump during the campaign for his Mexican heritage, will hold a hearing Thursday on jury instructions and what evidence to allow at trial, which begins Nov. 28.
Among the flurry of requests from both sides to be considered Thursday is a highly unusual petition by Trump's attorneys to exclude any statements made by or about their client during the presidential campaign. The request would apply to Trump's tweets, a video of Trump making sexually predatory comments about women, his tax history, revelations about his private charitable foundation and public criticisms about the judge in the case.
•••••
The lawsuit filed in 2010 on behalf of former customers alleges that Trump University, which was not accredited as a school, gave seminars and classes across the country that were like infomercials, pressuring people to spend up to $35,000 for mentorships and, in the end, failing on its promise to teach success in real estate. The claims mirror another class-action complaint in San Diego and a lawsuit in New York.
•••••
At the May hearing, Petrocelli asked for a trial after Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, but the judge raised concerns about distractions if Trump won the election. The attorney said the period between the election and swearing-in is extremely hectic for a president-elect but that it was preferable to holding a trial during the campaign.
Wednesday, November 09, 2016
October temperatures in the U.S. were warmest in decades
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/october-temperatures-in-us-warmest-since-1963/
By Brian Mastroianni CBS News November 8, 2016, 4:56 PM
In a continuing trend of record or near-record-breaking temperatures, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that the U.S. experienced its third-warmest October ever this year. Last month was the warmest October since 1963.
Last month saw an average U.S. temperature of 57.7 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 3.6 degrees above the 20th century average, according to NOAA. This news might have a familiar ring to it. Each of the last three Octobers were among the six warmest in the 122-year period of official temperature record-keeping.
Notably, this is also the second-warmest year on record so far, with the year-to-date average temperature for the contiguous U.S. measuring 57.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 2.8 degrees above average.
•••••
Which areas experienced the most extreme temperature increases? NOAA found that the “year’s most profound warmth” in the U.S. has occurred in usually chilly Alaska. Alaska’s year-to-date temperature was 6.7 degrees above the average, measuring at 36.3 degrees Fahrenheit. That breaks an Alaska record set way back in the January-October period of 1926.
The temperature shifts in Alaska are another sign of climate change that’s been bringing significant disruption to the state.
North and South Carolina also set temperature records for the year to date.
In all, NOAA says 37 states experienced one of their five warmest January-October periods in the record books.
By Brian Mastroianni CBS News November 8, 2016, 4:56 PM
In a continuing trend of record or near-record-breaking temperatures, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that the U.S. experienced its third-warmest October ever this year. Last month was the warmest October since 1963.
Last month saw an average U.S. temperature of 57.7 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 3.6 degrees above the 20th century average, according to NOAA. This news might have a familiar ring to it. Each of the last three Octobers were among the six warmest in the 122-year period of official temperature record-keeping.
Notably, this is also the second-warmest year on record so far, with the year-to-date average temperature for the contiguous U.S. measuring 57.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 2.8 degrees above average.
•••••
Which areas experienced the most extreme temperature increases? NOAA found that the “year’s most profound warmth” in the U.S. has occurred in usually chilly Alaska. Alaska’s year-to-date temperature was 6.7 degrees above the average, measuring at 36.3 degrees Fahrenheit. That breaks an Alaska record set way back in the January-October period of 1926.
The temperature shifts in Alaska are another sign of climate change that’s been bringing significant disruption to the state.
North and South Carolina also set temperature records for the year to date.
In all, NOAA says 37 states experienced one of their five warmest January-October periods in the record books.
Potentially harmful chemicals widespread in household dust
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-09/gwum-phc090716.php
Public Release: 14-Sep-2016
Potentially harmful chemicals widespread in household dust
First-of-a-kind study reveals top 10 consumer product chemicals in dust with known or suspected health impacts
George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
Household dust exposes people to a wide range of toxic chemicals from everyday products, according to a study led by researchers at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University. The multi-institutional team conducted a first-of-a-kind meta-analysis, compiling data from dust samples collected throughout the United States to identify the top ten toxic chemicals commonly found in dust. They found that DEHP, a chemical belonging to a hazardous class called phthalates, was number one on that list. In addition, the researchers found that phthalates overall were found at the highest levels in dust followed by phenols and flame retardant chemicals.
•••••
Public Release: 14-Sep-2016
Potentially harmful chemicals widespread in household dust
First-of-a-kind study reveals top 10 consumer product chemicals in dust with known or suspected health impacts
George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
Household dust exposes people to a wide range of toxic chemicals from everyday products, according to a study led by researchers at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University. The multi-institutional team conducted a first-of-a-kind meta-analysis, compiling data from dust samples collected throughout the United States to identify the top ten toxic chemicals commonly found in dust. They found that DEHP, a chemical belonging to a hazardous class called phthalates, was number one on that list. In addition, the researchers found that phthalates overall were found at the highest levels in dust followed by phenols and flame retardant chemicals.
•••••
Marine plastic debris is an olfactory trap for seabirds
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uoc--wds110316.php
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Why do seabirds eat plastic? The answer stinks
Marine plastic debris is an olfactory trap for seabirds
University of California - Davis
If it smells like food, and looks like food, it must be food, right?
Not in the case of ocean-faring birds that are sometimes found with bellies full of plastic. But very little research examines why birds make the mistake of eating plastic in the first place.
It turns out that marine plastic debris emits the scent of a sulfurous compound that some seabirds have relied upon for thousands of years to tell them where to find food, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. This olfactory cue essentially tricks the birds into confusing marine plastic with food.
The study, published Nov. 9 in the journal Science Advances, helps explain why plastic ingestion is more prevalent in some seabird species than in others. Tubenosed seabirds, such as petrels and albatross, have a keen sense of smell, which they use to hunt. They are also among the birds most severely affected by plastic consumption.
•••••
Using food-and-wine chemist Susan Ebeler's chemical analyzer, the team confirmed that, sure enough, the plastic reeked of the sulfur compound dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, a chemical cue released by algae, which coats floating plastic.
Co-author Nevitt, with the UC Davis Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, had previously established that DMS is a scent that triggers tubenosed seabirds to forage. DMS is released when algae is eaten by animals like krill, one of the birds' favorite meals. So while the algae does not smell like food itself, it does smell like food being eaten, which is the birds' version of a dinner bell.
The study noted that seabirds that track the scent of DMS to find prey are nearly six times more likely to eat plastic than those that do not.
•••••
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Why do seabirds eat plastic? The answer stinks
Marine plastic debris is an olfactory trap for seabirds
University of California - Davis
If it smells like food, and looks like food, it must be food, right?
Not in the case of ocean-faring birds that are sometimes found with bellies full of plastic. But very little research examines why birds make the mistake of eating plastic in the first place.
It turns out that marine plastic debris emits the scent of a sulfurous compound that some seabirds have relied upon for thousands of years to tell them where to find food, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. This olfactory cue essentially tricks the birds into confusing marine plastic with food.
The study, published Nov. 9 in the journal Science Advances, helps explain why plastic ingestion is more prevalent in some seabird species than in others. Tubenosed seabirds, such as petrels and albatross, have a keen sense of smell, which they use to hunt. They are also among the birds most severely affected by plastic consumption.
•••••
Using food-and-wine chemist Susan Ebeler's chemical analyzer, the team confirmed that, sure enough, the plastic reeked of the sulfur compound dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, a chemical cue released by algae, which coats floating plastic.
Co-author Nevitt, with the UC Davis Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, had previously established that DMS is a scent that triggers tubenosed seabirds to forage. DMS is released when algae is eaten by animals like krill, one of the birds' favorite meals. So while the algae does not smell like food itself, it does smell like food being eaten, which is the birds' version of a dinner bell.
The study noted that seabirds that track the scent of DMS to find prey are nearly six times more likely to eat plastic than those that do not.
•••••
Study links shorter sleep and sugar-sweetened drink consumption
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uoc--sls110416.php
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Study links shorter sleep and sugar-sweetened drink consumption
Treating sleep deprivation could potentially help reduce sugar intake, say UC San Francisco researchers
University of California - San Francisco
People who sleep five or fewer hours a night are likely to also drink significantly more sugary caffeinated drinks, such as sodas and energy drinks, according to a new study of more than 18,000 adults led by UC San Francisco scientists.
The authors emphasize that it's not yet clear whether drinking sugar-sweetened beverages causes people to sleep less, or whether sleep deprivation makes people seek out more sugar and caffeine to stay awake, though previous research suggests both could be true.
"We think there may be a positive feedback loop where sugary drinks and sleep loss reinforce one another, making it harder for people to eliminate their unhealthy sugar habit," said lead author Aric A. Prather, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at UCSF. "This data suggests that improving people's sleep could potentially help them break out of the cycle and cut down on their sugar intake, which we know to be linked to metabolic disease."
•••••
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Study links shorter sleep and sugar-sweetened drink consumption
Treating sleep deprivation could potentially help reduce sugar intake, say UC San Francisco researchers
University of California - San Francisco
People who sleep five or fewer hours a night are likely to also drink significantly more sugary caffeinated drinks, such as sodas and energy drinks, according to a new study of more than 18,000 adults led by UC San Francisco scientists.
The authors emphasize that it's not yet clear whether drinking sugar-sweetened beverages causes people to sleep less, or whether sleep deprivation makes people seek out more sugar and caffeine to stay awake, though previous research suggests both could be true.
"We think there may be a positive feedback loop where sugary drinks and sleep loss reinforce one another, making it harder for people to eliminate their unhealthy sugar habit," said lead author Aric A. Prather, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at UCSF. "This data suggests that improving people's sleep could potentially help them break out of the cycle and cut down on their sugar intake, which we know to be linked to metabolic disease."
•••••
Who has the better memory -- men or women?
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/tnam-wht110716.php
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Who has the better memory -- men or women?
Middle-aged women may remember more than men, but memory fades as estrogen levels decline
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
In the battle of the sexes, women have long claimed that they can remember things better and longer than men can. A new study proves that middle-aged women outperform age-matched men on all memory measures, although memory does decline as women enter postmenopause. The study is being published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Memory loss, unfortunately, is a well-documented consequence of the aging process. Epidemiological estimates suggest that approximately 75% of older adults report memory-related problems. Women report increased forgetfulness and "brain fog" during the menopause transition. In addition, women are disproportionately at risk for memory impairment and dementia compared with men. Despite these conditions working against them, middle-aged women still outscore their similarly aged male counterparts on all memory measures, according to the study.
•••••
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Who has the better memory -- men or women?
Middle-aged women may remember more than men, but memory fades as estrogen levels decline
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
In the battle of the sexes, women have long claimed that they can remember things better and longer than men can. A new study proves that middle-aged women outperform age-matched men on all memory measures, although memory does decline as women enter postmenopause. The study is being published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Memory loss, unfortunately, is a well-documented consequence of the aging process. Epidemiological estimates suggest that approximately 75% of older adults report memory-related problems. Women report increased forgetfulness and "brain fog" during the menopause transition. In addition, women are disproportionately at risk for memory impairment and dementia compared with men. Despite these conditions working against them, middle-aged women still outscore their similarly aged male counterparts on all memory measures, according to the study.
•••••
Regular intake of sugary beverages, but not diet soda, is associated with prediabetes
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Regular intake of sugary beverages, but not diet soda, is associated with prediabetes
An epidemiological analysis of data from 1,685 adult Americans finds that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, but not diet soda, is associated with increased risk of prediabetes and increased insulin resistance
Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus
Adult Americans who regularly consumed sugar-sweetened beverages (roughly one can of soda per day) had a 46 percent higher risk of developing prediabetes compared to low- or non-consumers over a 14-year period, according to a new epidemiological analysis led by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University. Higher sugar-sweetened beverage intake was also associated with increased insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
No associations between diet soda consumption and risk of prediabetes or increased insulin resistance were found. However, the research team notes that previous studies on associations between diet soda and risk of type 2 diabetes have produced mixed results, and further studies are needed to reveal the long-term health impact of artificially sweetened drinks. The findings were published in the Journal of Nutrition on Nov. 9.
•••••
More women sexually active into old age
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
More women sexually active into old age
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
Although many of us don't want to think about grandma still "getting it on," multiple studies show that older women are still sexually active beyond their seventh decade of life. A new study published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), suggests, however, that at least one in seven women aged 65 to 79 years has hypoactive sexual desire dysfunction (HSDD).
•••••
Human health risks from hydroelectric projects
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/hjap-hhr110816.php
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Human health risks from hydroelectric projects
Ninety-percent of proposed Canadian hydroelectric projects may expose local indigenous communities to methylmercury
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
In a new study, Harvard University researchers find over 90 percent of potential new Canadian hydroelectric projects are likely to increase concentrations of the neurotoxin methylmercury in food webs near indigenous communities.
•••••
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
Human health risks from hydroelectric projects
Ninety-percent of proposed Canadian hydroelectric projects may expose local indigenous communities to methylmercury
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
In a new study, Harvard University researchers find over 90 percent of potential new Canadian hydroelectric projects are likely to increase concentrations of the neurotoxin methylmercury in food webs near indigenous communities.
•••••
Current Judicial Vacancies
Lifetime positions, many vacant since 2015 or earlier, one since Dec. 2005. The Republican Congress has been blocking President Obama's nominations. Can't tell from recent nominations when President Obama made an earlier nomination, and he or the nominee gave up, so the current nominee was only nominated recently.
Now that we will have a Republican president, they want Democrats to be cooperative in a way they have refused to be, which I'm sure includes allowing him to fill these lifetime positions.
This list can be sorted by each column, including vacancy date.
I never hear NPR mentioning how the Republicans have been blocking President Obama's nominations since the very beginning of his administration.
See the link for details on each vacancy.
http://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/current-judicial-vacancies
Vacancies in the Federal Judiciary
114th Congress
Last updated on11/09/2016
Total Vacancies:103
Total Nominees Pending:59
tags: obstructionism
New findings on physical activity could shape treatment for mild Alzheimer's disease
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uok-nfo110916.php
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
New findings on physical activity could shape treatment for mild Alzheimer's disease
University of Kansas
For older adults, physical activity is apt to shield against cognitive decline and forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Yet, as people age and some experience cognitive impairment, they tend to become less physically active.
"Physical activity is very important for brain function," said Amber Watts, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas. "We know that people who are physically active are less likely to develop AD. But we also know that for people already living with AD, physical activity can help them function better, decline more slowly and help them with symptoms like agitation, wandering and sleeplessness."
•••••
Public Release: 9-Nov-2016
New findings on physical activity could shape treatment for mild Alzheimer's disease
University of Kansas
For older adults, physical activity is apt to shield against cognitive decline and forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Yet, as people age and some experience cognitive impairment, they tend to become less physically active.
"Physical activity is very important for brain function," said Amber Watts, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas. "We know that people who are physically active are less likely to develop AD. But we also know that for people already living with AD, physical activity can help them function better, decline more slowly and help them with symptoms like agitation, wandering and sleeplessness."
•••••
What I expect from the Republican win
With Republicans in control of the presidency & both houses of congress, and a supreme court opening, and possibly several more coming up, and many openings in lifetime position lower courts, there will be an faster move to increased inequality, with an ever larger share of wealth going to the top 0.1%, and decreasing well being of the poor and working class. We will have increasing damage to our health from pollution by big companies. We will have more damage to our health and property from the results of global warming. We will have courts that will block us from relief from the damage to our health and pocketbook by big business. We will have government contracts going to companies belong to Trump, with unfairly high profits, and shoddy work.
Hillary won the popular vote
Listening to NPR radio for a couple of hours, the closest I've heard to a mention that Clinton won the popular vote is that an occasional mention that Trump won the electoral vote. Mostly they just say Trump won the presidency.
Trump kept saying the system is rigged. When a candidate has won the popular vote while losing the electoral vote in modern times, they have been a Democrat; Gore in 2000, Hillary in 2016.
On Wed. Nov. 9, 2016 10:24am EST
I don't know if all results are in.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2016/nov/08/us-election-2016-results-live-clinton-trump?view=map&type=presidential
Hillary : 47.6% 59,323,530 electoral 218
Trump : 47.5% 59,154,017 electoral 276
Monday, November 07, 2016
Apple growers explain how rising temperatures wreak havoc on their orchards
https://thinkprogress.org/video-virginia-apple-growers-cope-with-rising-temperatures-7657e8adde60#.y8lflncso
By Jeremy Deaton
Oct. 17, 2016
•••••
When we talk about climate and food, our gaze tends to drift overseas, where heat and drought are punishing subsistence farmers. But the carbon crisis is hurting American farmers, too.
Apple growers in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley face a tougher climate than they did a generation ago. Heather McKay, co-owner of Marker-Miller Orchards, says that, today, “It seems like the weather is more extreme.”
•••••
Apple trees are particularly sensitive to small deviations in temperature. A 2013 study published in the journal Nature found warmer weather is robbing apples of their tart flavor and crunchy texture. In some instances, it is derailing production.
“If you start getting warm temperatures in February, these blossoms will be blooming in March and not April, and then you have the possibility of freezing,” said McKay. A single cold snap can ruin the harvest.
Across the country, warming is reconfiguring ecosystems — drying some, drenching others. Fertile lands are drifting north, and in some cases, disappearing altogether. For now, the Shenandoah Valley marks the southern edge of the Atlantic apple-producing region, but climate change threatens to drive out decades-old Virginia orchards.
•••••
By Jeremy Deaton
Oct. 17, 2016
•••••
When we talk about climate and food, our gaze tends to drift overseas, where heat and drought are punishing subsistence farmers. But the carbon crisis is hurting American farmers, too.
Apple growers in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley face a tougher climate than they did a generation ago. Heather McKay, co-owner of Marker-Miller Orchards, says that, today, “It seems like the weather is more extreme.”
•••••
Apple trees are particularly sensitive to small deviations in temperature. A 2013 study published in the journal Nature found warmer weather is robbing apples of their tart flavor and crunchy texture. In some instances, it is derailing production.
“If you start getting warm temperatures in February, these blossoms will be blooming in March and not April, and then you have the possibility of freezing,” said McKay. A single cold snap can ruin the harvest.
Across the country, warming is reconfiguring ecosystems — drying some, drenching others. Fertile lands are drifting north, and in some cases, disappearing altogether. For now, the Shenandoah Valley marks the southern edge of the Atlantic apple-producing region, but climate change threatens to drive out decades-old Virginia orchards.
•••••
Climate Change May Trigger Next Financial Crisis, Fisher Says
Found in https://thinkprogress.org/climate-change-may-spark-next-economic-crisis-7bbe5fa5cbad#.j5xtcbve4http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-24/climate-change-may-trigger-next-financial-crisis-fisher-says
Emily Cadman
Oct. 24, 2016
Climate change could spark the world’s next financial crisis, according to Paul Fisher, who retired this year as deputy head of the Bank of England body which supervises the country’s banks.
“It is potentially a systemic risk,” Fisher said Monday in an interview in Sydney. A sudden repricing of assets as a result of climate change “could be the trigger for the next financial crisis,” he added.
Fisher, a 26-year-veteran of the U.K. central bank, pointed to the renewed fall in sterling earlier this month, after the government set out a timetable for leaving the European Union, as an example of the way that prices can shift suddenly. “That is exactly the sort of event you might get with climate change,” said Fisher, formerly deputy head of the U.K.’s Prudential Regulation Authority.
•••••
Protect kids from toxic secondhand smoke, experts urge
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-09/aha-pkf090716.php
Public Release: 12-Sep-2016
Protect kids from toxic secondhand smoke, experts urge
American Heart Association Scientific Statement
American Heart Association
Parents and policy advocates should take a "zero tolerance" approach to exposing children to secondhand cigarette smoke, which can be responsible for lifelong cardiovascular consequences in addition to respiratory and other health issues, according to a new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
"Parents should consider making their children's environment smoke free because cigarette smoke exposure is harmful to children's long-term heart health and may shorten life expectancy," said Geetha Raghuveer, M.D., M.P.H., pediatric cardiologist and chair of the American Heart Association expert panel that wrote the statement. "Children exposed to cigarette smoke may develop early heart disease as adults due to poorly functioning, stiffer blood vessels. Some babies who were exposed to cigarette smoke while still in the womb may be at risk for sudden death during infancy."
Besides impacting heart function by causing damage to arteries, exposure to secondhand smoke has been associated with other cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance - which is linked to diabetes. Furthermore, children are more likely to become smokers themselves if their parents smoke.
Since publication of the 1994 American Heart Association statement on this topic, experts have learned more about the dangers of secondhand smoke to children, including the high level of toxicity in the smoke that comes from the end of a burning cigarette ("side stream smoke" - this is a major component of second hand smoke) and the damage smoke does to children's blood vessels, Raghuveer said.
Secondhand smoke contains a host of chemicals that can impact health by causing changes to blood flow, blood vessels, blood pressure and heart rhythm.
Compared with adults, children are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke exposure in part because they cannot control tobacco use in their surroundings, and they appear to be particularly susceptible physically to the smoke's effects.
•••••
Public Release: 12-Sep-2016
Protect kids from toxic secondhand smoke, experts urge
American Heart Association Scientific Statement
American Heart Association
Parents and policy advocates should take a "zero tolerance" approach to exposing children to secondhand cigarette smoke, which can be responsible for lifelong cardiovascular consequences in addition to respiratory and other health issues, according to a new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
"Parents should consider making their children's environment smoke free because cigarette smoke exposure is harmful to children's long-term heart health and may shorten life expectancy," said Geetha Raghuveer, M.D., M.P.H., pediatric cardiologist and chair of the American Heart Association expert panel that wrote the statement. "Children exposed to cigarette smoke may develop early heart disease as adults due to poorly functioning, stiffer blood vessels. Some babies who were exposed to cigarette smoke while still in the womb may be at risk for sudden death during infancy."
Besides impacting heart function by causing damage to arteries, exposure to secondhand smoke has been associated with other cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance - which is linked to diabetes. Furthermore, children are more likely to become smokers themselves if their parents smoke.
Since publication of the 1994 American Heart Association statement on this topic, experts have learned more about the dangers of secondhand smoke to children, including the high level of toxicity in the smoke that comes from the end of a burning cigarette ("side stream smoke" - this is a major component of second hand smoke) and the damage smoke does to children's blood vessels, Raghuveer said.
Secondhand smoke contains a host of chemicals that can impact health by causing changes to blood flow, blood vessels, blood pressure and heart rhythm.
Compared with adults, children are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke exposure in part because they cannot control tobacco use in their surroundings, and they appear to be particularly susceptible physically to the smoke's effects.
•••••
Historical analysis examines sugar industry role in heart disease research
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-09/tjnj-hae090816.php
Public Release: 12-Sep-2016
Historical analysis examines sugar industry role in heart disease research
The JAMA Network Journals
Using archival documents, a new report published online by JAMA Internal Medicine examines the sugar industry's role in coronary heart disease research and suggests the industry sponsored research to influence the scientific debate to cast doubt on the hazards of sugar and to promote dietary fat as the culprit in heart disease.
•••••
"This historical account of industry efforts demonstrates the importance of having reviews written by people without conflicts of interest and the need for financial disclosure," note the authors, who point out the NEJM has required authors to disclose all conflicts of interest since 1984. There also is no direct evidence that the sugar industry wrote or changed the NEJM review manuscript and evidence that that the industry shaped its conclusions is circumstantial, the authors acknowledge.
•••••
"This study suggests that the sugar industry sponsored its first CHD [coronary heart disease] research project in 1965 to downplay early warning signs that sucrose consumption was a risk factor in CHD. As of 2016, sugar control policies are being promulgated in international, federal, state and local venues. Yet CHD risk is inconsistently cited as a health consequence of added sugars consumption. Because CHD is the leading cause of death globally, the health community should ensure that CHD risk is evaluated in future risk assessments of added sugars. Policymaking committees should consider giving less weight to food industry-funded studies, and include mechanistic and animal studies as well as studies appraising the effect of added sugars on multiple CHD biomarkers and disease development," the article concludes.
•••••
Public Release: 12-Sep-2016
Historical analysis examines sugar industry role in heart disease research
The JAMA Network Journals
Using archival documents, a new report published online by JAMA Internal Medicine examines the sugar industry's role in coronary heart disease research and suggests the industry sponsored research to influence the scientific debate to cast doubt on the hazards of sugar and to promote dietary fat as the culprit in heart disease.
•••••
"This historical account of industry efforts demonstrates the importance of having reviews written by people without conflicts of interest and the need for financial disclosure," note the authors, who point out the NEJM has required authors to disclose all conflicts of interest since 1984. There also is no direct evidence that the sugar industry wrote or changed the NEJM review manuscript and evidence that that the industry shaped its conclusions is circumstantial, the authors acknowledge.
•••••
"This study suggests that the sugar industry sponsored its first CHD [coronary heart disease] research project in 1965 to downplay early warning signs that sucrose consumption was a risk factor in CHD. As of 2016, sugar control policies are being promulgated in international, federal, state and local venues. Yet CHD risk is inconsistently cited as a health consequence of added sugars consumption. Because CHD is the leading cause of death globally, the health community should ensure that CHD risk is evaluated in future risk assessments of added sugars. Policymaking committees should consider giving less weight to food industry-funded studies, and include mechanistic and animal studies as well as studies appraising the effect of added sugars on multiple CHD biomarkers and disease development," the article concludes.
•••••
Maternal gastric bypass may be associated with low birth weight babies
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-09/esfp-mgb090816.php
Public Release: 9-Sep-2016
Maternal gastric bypass may be associated with low birth weight babies
Women who undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss risk giving birth to babies that are small or have lower average birth weights
European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology
Women who undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss risk giving birth to babies that are small or have lower average birth weights. The work is presented today at the 55th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting. The findings could lead to different advice and clinical care for pregnant women who have undergone gastric bypass surgery.
Gastric bypass surgery is used to treat people who are severely obese (a body mass index greater than 40kg/m2); food is re-routed past most of the stomach, meaning less is digested. The procedure can lead to up to 70% loss of excess body weight within two years, but is associated with an increased vulnerability to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as it reduces the body's ability to absorb micronutrients.
Women treated with gastric bypass surgery are advised to wait 18 months after the procedure before trying to become pregnant in order to establish a stable, healthy weight. They must also follow a daily multivitamin supplementation regime and receive regular clinical follow up before, during and after the pregnancy.
Despite these precautions, a team of clinical researchers at the Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital, Angers, France found that the birth-weight of babies born to gastric bypass mothers was on average 0.34 kg lower than average, and that 23% of neonates were small for their gestational age. The team studied 56 newborns born to gastric bypass mothers who had waited an average of 32 months between surgery and pregnancy, and compared results to 56 controls.
"Maternal obesity can lead to health conditions for the newborn, such as high birth weight and low blood sugar. It can also cause birthing complications, and gastric bypass can prevent these," says Maxime Gerard, lead researcher of the study. "But our study showed that gastric bypass could have other effects on newborns."
They team saw that, despite supplementation, a proportion of gastric bypass mothers were deficient in key nutrients during pregnancy, such as calcium and zinc. Analysis of the newborns showed that they also suffered lower than average levels of the same nutrients.
"These maternal nutrient deficiencies may be the reason for the same deficiencies and low birth weights seen in the newborns," continues Gerard. "One of our next steps will be to confirm this and determine its impact."
•••••
Public Release: 9-Sep-2016
Maternal gastric bypass may be associated with low birth weight babies
Women who undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss risk giving birth to babies that are small or have lower average birth weights
European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology
Women who undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss risk giving birth to babies that are small or have lower average birth weights. The work is presented today at the 55th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting. The findings could lead to different advice and clinical care for pregnant women who have undergone gastric bypass surgery.
Gastric bypass surgery is used to treat people who are severely obese (a body mass index greater than 40kg/m2); food is re-routed past most of the stomach, meaning less is digested. The procedure can lead to up to 70% loss of excess body weight within two years, but is associated with an increased vulnerability to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as it reduces the body's ability to absorb micronutrients.
Women treated with gastric bypass surgery are advised to wait 18 months after the procedure before trying to become pregnant in order to establish a stable, healthy weight. They must also follow a daily multivitamin supplementation regime and receive regular clinical follow up before, during and after the pregnancy.
Despite these precautions, a team of clinical researchers at the Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital, Angers, France found that the birth-weight of babies born to gastric bypass mothers was on average 0.34 kg lower than average, and that 23% of neonates were small for their gestational age. The team studied 56 newborns born to gastric bypass mothers who had waited an average of 32 months between surgery and pregnancy, and compared results to 56 controls.
"Maternal obesity can lead to health conditions for the newborn, such as high birth weight and low blood sugar. It can also cause birthing complications, and gastric bypass can prevent these," says Maxime Gerard, lead researcher of the study. "But our study showed that gastric bypass could have other effects on newborns."
They team saw that, despite supplementation, a proportion of gastric bypass mothers were deficient in key nutrients during pregnancy, such as calcium and zinc. Analysis of the newborns showed that they also suffered lower than average levels of the same nutrients.
"These maternal nutrient deficiencies may be the reason for the same deficiencies and low birth weights seen in the newborns," continues Gerard. "One of our next steps will be to confirm this and determine its impact."
•••••
Public Release: 6-Nov-2016
Poor nutrition during pregnancy can cause early aging of baby's heart
Child of a slightly undernourished mother is more likely to suffer early aging of the heart
The Physiological Society
New research has shown that the child of a slightly undernourished mother is more likely to suffer early aging of the heart.
That's according to a new study looking at the relationship between food intake of pregnant baboons and the health of their offspring's heart. The study, published in The Journal of Physiology was carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Geoffrey Clarke at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and Dr. Peter Nathanielsz at the University of Wyoming (4).
The researchers found that moderately reducing a mother's food intake can impact the rate at which the offspring's heart ages. Evidence is accumulating that restricted dietary intake can cause problems for the fetus which result in abnormal structure and function of developing organs, such as the heart. This makes it more likely that the offspring will suffer chronic illnesses later in life, such as heart disease and stroke. This study introduces the additional potential that a restricted diet during development accelerates the rate of aging.
•••••
Maternal B12 deficiency may increase child's risk of type 2 diabetes
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uow-mbd110316.php
Public Release: 6-Nov-2016
Maternal B12 deficiency may increase child's risk of type 2 diabetes
University of Warwick
B12 deficiency during pregnancy may predispose children to metabolic problems such as type-2 diabetes, according to research presented today at the Society for Endocrinology's annual Conference in Brighton. These findings could lead to a review of current vitamin B12 requirements for pregnant women, whether through an improved diet or supplements.
Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs and milk, meaning deficiency is more likely in those following a vegan diet. Previous studies show that mothers with low B12 levels had a higher BMI and were more likely to give birth to babies with low birth weight as well as high cholesterol levels. These children also had higher insulin resistance in childhood - a risk factor for type-2 diabetes.
•••••
"The nutritional environment provided by the mother can permanently program the baby's health," said Dr Ponusammy Saravanan, senior author of the study. "We know that children born to under or over nourished mothers are at an increased risk of health problems such as type-2 diabetes, and we also see that maternal B12 deficiency may affect fat metabolism and contribute to this risk. This is why we decided to investigate leptin, the fat cell hormone."
•••••
Public Release: 6-Nov-2016
Maternal B12 deficiency may increase child's risk of type 2 diabetes
University of Warwick
B12 deficiency during pregnancy may predispose children to metabolic problems such as type-2 diabetes, according to research presented today at the Society for Endocrinology's annual Conference in Brighton. These findings could lead to a review of current vitamin B12 requirements for pregnant women, whether through an improved diet or supplements.
Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs and milk, meaning deficiency is more likely in those following a vegan diet. Previous studies show that mothers with low B12 levels had a higher BMI and were more likely to give birth to babies with low birth weight as well as high cholesterol levels. These children also had higher insulin resistance in childhood - a risk factor for type-2 diabetes.
•••••
"The nutritional environment provided by the mother can permanently program the baby's health," said Dr Ponusammy Saravanan, senior author of the study. "We know that children born to under or over nourished mothers are at an increased risk of health problems such as type-2 diabetes, and we also see that maternal B12 deficiency may affect fat metabolism and contribute to this risk. This is why we decided to investigate leptin, the fat cell hormone."
•••••
Record hot year may be the new normal by 2025
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uons-rhy110416.php
Public Release: 6-Nov-2016
Record hot year may be the new normal by 2025
No matter what we do, it is inevitable that the record hot year of 2015 will soon become an average year
University of New South Wales
The hottest year on record globally in 2015 could be just another average year by 2025 if carbon emissions continue to rise at their current rate, according to new research published in the Bulletin of American Meteorological Society.
And no matter what action we take, human activities had already locked in a "new normal" for global average temperatures that would occur no later than 2040, according to lead author Dr Sophie Lewis, from the Australian National University (ANU) hub of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science (ARCCSS).
However, while annual global average temperatures were locked in, it was still possible with immediate and strong action on carbon emissions to prevent record breaking seasons from becoming average - at least at regional levels.
"If we continue with business-as-usual emissions, extreme seasons will inevitably become the norm within decades and Australia will be the canary in the coal mine that will experience this change first," said Dr Lewis.
"That means the record hot summer of 2013 in Australia - when we saw temperatures approaching 50°C [122F] in parts of Australia, bushfires striking the Blue Mountains in October, major impacts to our health and infrastructure and a summer that was so hot it became known as the "angry summer" - could be just another average summer season by 2035.
"But if we reduce emissions drastically to the lowest pathway recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (RCP2.8), then we will never enter a new normal state for extreme seasons at a regional level in the 21st Century ."
•••••
Public Release: 6-Nov-2016
Record hot year may be the new normal by 2025
No matter what we do, it is inevitable that the record hot year of 2015 will soon become an average year
University of New South Wales
The hottest year on record globally in 2015 could be just another average year by 2025 if carbon emissions continue to rise at their current rate, according to new research published in the Bulletin of American Meteorological Society.
And no matter what action we take, human activities had already locked in a "new normal" for global average temperatures that would occur no later than 2040, according to lead author Dr Sophie Lewis, from the Australian National University (ANU) hub of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science (ARCCSS).
However, while annual global average temperatures were locked in, it was still possible with immediate and strong action on carbon emissions to prevent record breaking seasons from becoming average - at least at regional levels.
"If we continue with business-as-usual emissions, extreme seasons will inevitably become the norm within decades and Australia will be the canary in the coal mine that will experience this change first," said Dr Lewis.
"That means the record hot summer of 2013 in Australia - when we saw temperatures approaching 50°C [122F] in parts of Australia, bushfires striking the Blue Mountains in October, major impacts to our health and infrastructure and a summer that was so hot it became known as the "angry summer" - could be just another average summer season by 2035.
"But if we reduce emissions drastically to the lowest pathway recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (RCP2.8), then we will never enter a new normal state for extreme seasons at a regional level in the 21st Century ."
•••••
Adult weight gain could increase cancer risk
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/cru-awg110616.php
ublic Release: 6-Nov-2016
Adult weight gain could increase cancer risk
Cancer Research UK
Substantial weight gain over many years increases the risk of obesity-related cancers in men by 50 per cent and in women by almost 20 per cent, according to new research* presented at the National Cancer Research Institute's (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool, today (Monday).
•••••
Some people gained a little weight between the ages of 18 and 65 years, while others became morbidly obese. The population was then followed up for an average of 15 years to see who went on to develop obesity-related cancers.
It found that men who went from a BMI of around 22 to 27*** had a 50 per cent increased risk of developing obesity-related cancer compared to a man who stayed within a healthy weight range. And in men who went from being overweight to morbidly obese, the risk went up by 53 per cent compared to the same group.
Women who went from a BMI of 23 to around 32, had a 17 per cent increased risk in comparison to women whose weight started off in the healthy bracket and remained stable.
•••••
Being overweight or obese is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK after smoking and contributes to around 18,100**** cases of cancer every year. It is linked to a range of cancer types including bowel, breast, and pancreatic.
Several of the obesity-related cancer types can only affect women - for example, womb cancer and ovarian cancer. Dr Hannah Lennon, lead author and researcher at The University of Manchester, said: "This research shows how important it is to look at weight gain over a person's lifetime - to give a clearer picture of cancer risk through life compared to assessing someone's BMI at a single point.
•••••
Being overweight or obese is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK after smoking and contributes to around 18,100**** cases of cancer every year. It is linked to a range of cancer types including bowel, breast, and pancreatic.
Several of the obesity-related cancer types can only affect women - for example, womb cancer and ovarian cancer. Dr Hannah Lennon, lead author and researcher at The University of Manchester, said: "This research shows how important it is to look at weight gain over a person's lifetime - to give a clearer picture of cancer risk through life compared to assessing someone's BMI at a single point.
•••••
ublic Release: 6-Nov-2016
Adult weight gain could increase cancer risk
Cancer Research UK
Substantial weight gain over many years increases the risk of obesity-related cancers in men by 50 per cent and in women by almost 20 per cent, according to new research* presented at the National Cancer Research Institute's (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool, today (Monday).
•••••
Some people gained a little weight between the ages of 18 and 65 years, while others became morbidly obese. The population was then followed up for an average of 15 years to see who went on to develop obesity-related cancers.
It found that men who went from a BMI of around 22 to 27*** had a 50 per cent increased risk of developing obesity-related cancer compared to a man who stayed within a healthy weight range. And in men who went from being overweight to morbidly obese, the risk went up by 53 per cent compared to the same group.
Women who went from a BMI of 23 to around 32, had a 17 per cent increased risk in comparison to women whose weight started off in the healthy bracket and remained stable.
•••••
Being overweight or obese is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK after smoking and contributes to around 18,100**** cases of cancer every year. It is linked to a range of cancer types including bowel, breast, and pancreatic.
Several of the obesity-related cancer types can only affect women - for example, womb cancer and ovarian cancer. Dr Hannah Lennon, lead author and researcher at The University of Manchester, said: "This research shows how important it is to look at weight gain over a person's lifetime - to give a clearer picture of cancer risk through life compared to assessing someone's BMI at a single point.
•••••
Being overweight or obese is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK after smoking and contributes to around 18,100**** cases of cancer every year. It is linked to a range of cancer types including bowel, breast, and pancreatic.
Several of the obesity-related cancer types can only affect women - for example, womb cancer and ovarian cancer. Dr Hannah Lennon, lead author and researcher at The University of Manchester, said: "This research shows how important it is to look at weight gain over a person's lifetime - to give a clearer picture of cancer risk through life compared to assessing someone's BMI at a single point.
•••••
Ill-treatment and working the night shift increases nurse turnover
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/i-iaw110616.php
Public Release: 6-Nov-2016
Ill-treatment and working the night shift increases nurse turnover
Personal interventions and team-building initiatives from management can reduce the intention of employees to quit
INSEAD
Workplace incivility, characterised by subtle forms of mistreatment (such as a dismissive gesture, raised voices or harsh words) can lead to lower job satisfaction, psychological stress, and a decline in physical health. These negative effects eventually result in higher employee turnover.
Workplaces where stress levels already run high are especially sensitive to incivility (because employees' emotional resources are highly taxed to begin with). And since high-stress environments tend also to be high-stakes, incivility could be at the heart of some very costly, even tragic mistakes.
This is particularly worrisome for organisations that have employees working in shifts, such as manufacturing firms, police departments and hospitals. Nowhere are the stakes higher than in hospitals with many countries facing nursing shortages. Retention has become an urgent issue. If incivility were to cause nurses to leave the profession, patients at the affected hospitals would bear the brunt.
Incivility is especially difficult to weed out of the workplace because it may be difficult for employees to even describe or articulate to Human Resources. But in his recent paper in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Curtailing the harmful effects of workplace incivility: The role of structural demands and organization-provided resources, INSEAD Professor of Strategic Management, Quy Huy and his colleagues find that there are ways such incivility can be moderated.
•••••
Public Release: 6-Nov-2016
Ill-treatment and working the night shift increases nurse turnover
Personal interventions and team-building initiatives from management can reduce the intention of employees to quit
INSEAD
Workplace incivility, characterised by subtle forms of mistreatment (such as a dismissive gesture, raised voices or harsh words) can lead to lower job satisfaction, psychological stress, and a decline in physical health. These negative effects eventually result in higher employee turnover.
Workplaces where stress levels already run high are especially sensitive to incivility (because employees' emotional resources are highly taxed to begin with). And since high-stress environments tend also to be high-stakes, incivility could be at the heart of some very costly, even tragic mistakes.
This is particularly worrisome for organisations that have employees working in shifts, such as manufacturing firms, police departments and hospitals. Nowhere are the stakes higher than in hospitals with many countries facing nursing shortages. Retention has become an urgent issue. If incivility were to cause nurses to leave the profession, patients at the affected hospitals would bear the brunt.
Incivility is especially difficult to weed out of the workplace because it may be difficult for employees to even describe or articulate to Human Resources. But in his recent paper in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Curtailing the harmful effects of workplace incivility: The role of structural demands and organization-provided resources, INSEAD Professor of Strategic Management, Quy Huy and his colleagues find that there are ways such incivility can be moderated.
•••••
Why electronic screens keep you awake at night and what you can do about it
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/blue-leds-light-up-your-brain/
By Ferris Jabr | Scientific American November 2016 Issue
•••••
They wrote some code to change the number and wavelength of the photons emitted by their computer screens as a day progressed. The Herfs' goal was to mimic natural shifts in ambient light as closely as possible, transitioning from the bright, bluish-white light characteristic of morning and afternoon sunshine to a dim, orange glow in the evening.
At first, they simply intended to harmonize the lighting scheme in their home. But they soon began to suspect that their new app, dubbed f.lux, might offer some health benefits as well. “After we'd been using it for a while, we started to notice it seemed easier to wind down at night,” Lorna recalls, making it easier to fall asleep when they turned off their electronic devices. They are not the only ones who have appreciated the calming effect. Since the Herfs released the program for free in 2009, f.lux has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
By following their aesthetic taste, the Herfs had stumbled on a curious twist in the way the body controls how we sleep. Researchers have known for several decades that strong light of any kind can suppress melatonin, the hormone the brain produces at night to induce sleepiness. But more recent studies show that blue light suppresses melatonin more effectively than any other visible wavelength, potentially leaving people more alert when they would otherwise start feeling drowsy.
As it happens, smartphones, laptops and all kinds of electronic screens have become brighter and bluer over the past couple of decades because of the addition of powerful blue LEDs. During the day, when blue light is already naturally plentiful, a little extra exposure from electronic screens should not make much of a difference to anyone's physiology. The problem is that people are increasingly staring into bright screens long into the night.
•••••
Researchers did not begin amassing concrete evidence that blue LEDs can disrupt sleep until about 15 years ago, but they have had a good idea of the probable mechanism for quite some time. Scientists had discovered back in the 1970s that a tiny brain region dubbed the suprachiasmatic nucleus helps to control the body's sleep cycles, alertness, temperature and other daily fluctuations. Studies showed that the suprachiasmatic nucleus prompts the brain's pineal gland to produce melatonin every evening.
Earlier this century biologists uncovered exactly how this signaling process happens. As it turns out, the missing link was a previously unknown type of light-sensitive cell in the human eye, distinct from the familiar rods and cones that are responsible, respectively, for night and color vision. This third so-called photoreceptor tracks the amount of blue light in the environment and reports back to the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Thus, when there is a lot of blue light (as when the sun is overhead), this particular photoreceptor prompts the suprachiasmatic nucleus to tell the pineal gland not to make much melatonin, and so we stay awake. When the sun begins to set, however, the amount of blue light diminishes, triggering a surge in melatonin levels, prompting us to fall asleep.
•••••
Given the accumulating evidence that artificial screens in general and blue lights in particular spoil sleep, scientists have begun investigating various remedies. Several studies have shown that wearing orange-tinted plastic goggles, which filter out the blue light emanating from electronic devices, helps to prevent melatonin suppression. Similar glasses are now commercially available for as little as $8 or as much as $100. A more expensive option is a so-called dynamic lighting system, which promises to re-create “the full range of natural daylight in an interior space” for hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the size of one's home or office.
The most affordable countermeasures are computer programs such as f.lux. This past March, Apple introduced a function called Night Shift for the iPhone and iPad, which mimics f.lux in shifting the screen's emitted light “to the warm end of the spectrum” around sunset. So far no researchers have tested f.lux or Apple's Night Shift in a controlled study, but Figueiro says she is planning to conduct such experiments, and Michael Herf says he is collaborating with university scientists to examine the effects of f.lux in everyday environments outside the laboratory. “F.lux in my view is still a hypothesis,” Herf adds. “We think it probably helps a lot of night owls, but we still need to support the anecdotes with data.”
•••••
Researchers emphasize, however, that eliminating blue light is not a fail-safe solution. Even dim, orange screens make it tantalizingly easy to stay awake and read, watch movies or play games at night, keeping your brain alert when it should be winding down. “It's as if you're completely in the dark, but you drink coffee,” Figueiro explains. “It's still going to have an effect.”
Ultimately the surest solution is electronic abstinence: shutting off all screens and bright lights for at least a few hours before bedtime. The inescapable fact is that humans evolved to rise and sleep with the sun. “Before we had all this technology, before electricity and artificial lighting, we would be awake in daylight, have a little bit of fire in the evening, and then sleep,” says Debra Skene, a chronobiologist at the University of Surrey in England. Artificial light has been enormously beneficial over the centuries. But there are times, especially at the end of the day, when it can be too much of a good thing.
By Ferris Jabr | Scientific American November 2016 Issue
•••••
They wrote some code to change the number and wavelength of the photons emitted by their computer screens as a day progressed. The Herfs' goal was to mimic natural shifts in ambient light as closely as possible, transitioning from the bright, bluish-white light characteristic of morning and afternoon sunshine to a dim, orange glow in the evening.
At first, they simply intended to harmonize the lighting scheme in their home. But they soon began to suspect that their new app, dubbed f.lux, might offer some health benefits as well. “After we'd been using it for a while, we started to notice it seemed easier to wind down at night,” Lorna recalls, making it easier to fall asleep when they turned off their electronic devices. They are not the only ones who have appreciated the calming effect. Since the Herfs released the program for free in 2009, f.lux has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
By following their aesthetic taste, the Herfs had stumbled on a curious twist in the way the body controls how we sleep. Researchers have known for several decades that strong light of any kind can suppress melatonin, the hormone the brain produces at night to induce sleepiness. But more recent studies show that blue light suppresses melatonin more effectively than any other visible wavelength, potentially leaving people more alert when they would otherwise start feeling drowsy.
As it happens, smartphones, laptops and all kinds of electronic screens have become brighter and bluer over the past couple of decades because of the addition of powerful blue LEDs. During the day, when blue light is already naturally plentiful, a little extra exposure from electronic screens should not make much of a difference to anyone's physiology. The problem is that people are increasingly staring into bright screens long into the night.
•••••
Researchers did not begin amassing concrete evidence that blue LEDs can disrupt sleep until about 15 years ago, but they have had a good idea of the probable mechanism for quite some time. Scientists had discovered back in the 1970s that a tiny brain region dubbed the suprachiasmatic nucleus helps to control the body's sleep cycles, alertness, temperature and other daily fluctuations. Studies showed that the suprachiasmatic nucleus prompts the brain's pineal gland to produce melatonin every evening.
Earlier this century biologists uncovered exactly how this signaling process happens. As it turns out, the missing link was a previously unknown type of light-sensitive cell in the human eye, distinct from the familiar rods and cones that are responsible, respectively, for night and color vision. This third so-called photoreceptor tracks the amount of blue light in the environment and reports back to the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Thus, when there is a lot of blue light (as when the sun is overhead), this particular photoreceptor prompts the suprachiasmatic nucleus to tell the pineal gland not to make much melatonin, and so we stay awake. When the sun begins to set, however, the amount of blue light diminishes, triggering a surge in melatonin levels, prompting us to fall asleep.
•••••
Given the accumulating evidence that artificial screens in general and blue lights in particular spoil sleep, scientists have begun investigating various remedies. Several studies have shown that wearing orange-tinted plastic goggles, which filter out the blue light emanating from electronic devices, helps to prevent melatonin suppression. Similar glasses are now commercially available for as little as $8 or as much as $100. A more expensive option is a so-called dynamic lighting system, which promises to re-create “the full range of natural daylight in an interior space” for hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the size of one's home or office.
The most affordable countermeasures are computer programs such as f.lux. This past March, Apple introduced a function called Night Shift for the iPhone and iPad, which mimics f.lux in shifting the screen's emitted light “to the warm end of the spectrum” around sunset. So far no researchers have tested f.lux or Apple's Night Shift in a controlled study, but Figueiro says she is planning to conduct such experiments, and Michael Herf says he is collaborating with university scientists to examine the effects of f.lux in everyday environments outside the laboratory. “F.lux in my view is still a hypothesis,” Herf adds. “We think it probably helps a lot of night owls, but we still need to support the anecdotes with data.”
•••••
Researchers emphasize, however, that eliminating blue light is not a fail-safe solution. Even dim, orange screens make it tantalizingly easy to stay awake and read, watch movies or play games at night, keeping your brain alert when it should be winding down. “It's as if you're completely in the dark, but you drink coffee,” Figueiro explains. “It's still going to have an effect.”
Ultimately the surest solution is electronic abstinence: shutting off all screens and bright lights for at least a few hours before bedtime. The inescapable fact is that humans evolved to rise and sleep with the sun. “Before we had all this technology, before electricity and artificial lighting, we would be awake in daylight, have a little bit of fire in the evening, and then sleep,” says Debra Skene, a chronobiologist at the University of Surrey in England. Artificial light has been enormously beneficial over the centuries. But there are times, especially at the end of the day, when it can be too much of a good thing.
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