Saturday, March 18, 2017
February 2017: Earth's 2nd Warmest February and 4th Warmest Month in Recorded History
By: Jeff Masters , 4:07 PM GMT on March 17, 2017
February 2017 was the planet's second warmest February since record keeping began in 1880, said NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) on Friday; NASA also rated February 2017 as the second warmest February on record. The only warmer February was just last year, in 2016. Remarkably, February 2017 ranked as the fourth warmest month (expressed as the departure of temperature from average) of any month in the global historical record in the NASA database, and was the seventh warmest month in NOAA’s database—despite coming just one month after the end of a 5-month long La Niña event, which acted to cool the globe slightly. The extreme warmth of January 2017 (tenth warmest month of any month in NASA’s database) and February 2017 (fourth warmest) gives 2017 a shot at becoming Earth’s fourth consecutive warmest year on record, if a moderate or stronger El Niño event were to develop by summer, as some models are predicting.
With the exception of last month, the top five warmest months on record since 1880 (expressed as departure from the 1951 - 1980 average) in the NASA database all occurred during the strong El Niño event of 2015 - 2016, which worked to raise global air temperatures by exporting heat from the oceans:
February 2016, 1.32°C above average
March 2016, 1.28°C above average
January 2016, 1.13°C above average
February 2017, 1.10°C above average
December 2015, 1.10°C above average
Global ocean temperatures last month were the second warmest on record for any February, as were global land temperatures. Global satellite-measured temperatures for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were the fourth warmest for any February in the 39-year record, according to the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH).
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58 million Americans are exposed to loud, frequent noises, including firearms, at work and home
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/bawh-5ma031417.php
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
58 million Americans are exposed to loud, frequent noises, including firearms, at work and home
Study finds substantial noise exposures, with potentially serious long-term hearing health consequences, frequently occur in occupational and recreational settings
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Loud noise exposure is a common environmental hazard in the United States that can lead to hearing loss and other conditions such as sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In a study published today in The Laryngoscope, Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers found that substantial noise exposures, with potential long-term hearing effects, commonly occur in occupational and recreational settings and only a small percentage of those exposed are consistently wearing recommended hearing protection. Additionally, the study found that for the almost 35 million Americans who use firearms, only 58 percent use hearing protection.
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Researchers report that almost 22 percent of those surveyed were exposed to very loud sounds at work for at least four hours a day, several days a week, and 38 percent of people who were exposed never used hearing protection. The data also show that 21 percent of those surveyed experienced very loud noise exposures in the past year in both leisure and recreational settings, and that 62 percent of people exposed to loud or very loud sounds during these activities did not use any hearing protection.
Additionally, the team found only 58 percent of the 34.7 million people who shot firearms in the last year used hearing protection consistently, while 20 percent of those who shot more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in the last year never used any protection. The vast majority of this firearm related noise exposure (77 percent) occurred during recreational shooting.
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Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
58 million Americans are exposed to loud, frequent noises, including firearms, at work and home
Study finds substantial noise exposures, with potentially serious long-term hearing health consequences, frequently occur in occupational and recreational settings
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Loud noise exposure is a common environmental hazard in the United States that can lead to hearing loss and other conditions such as sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In a study published today in The Laryngoscope, Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers found that substantial noise exposures, with potential long-term hearing effects, commonly occur in occupational and recreational settings and only a small percentage of those exposed are consistently wearing recommended hearing protection. Additionally, the study found that for the almost 35 million Americans who use firearms, only 58 percent use hearing protection.
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Researchers report that almost 22 percent of those surveyed were exposed to very loud sounds at work for at least four hours a day, several days a week, and 38 percent of people who were exposed never used hearing protection. The data also show that 21 percent of those surveyed experienced very loud noise exposures in the past year in both leisure and recreational settings, and that 62 percent of people exposed to loud or very loud sounds during these activities did not use any hearing protection.
Additionally, the team found only 58 percent of the 34.7 million people who shot firearms in the last year used hearing protection consistently, while 20 percent of those who shot more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in the last year never used any protection. The vast majority of this firearm related noise exposure (77 percent) occurred during recreational shooting.
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Smoking cessation programs benefit patients prior to joint replacements
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/nlmc-scp031317.php
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Smoking cessation programs benefit patients prior to joint replacements
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Smokers who needed a hip or knee replacement experienced better surgical outcomes and fewer adverse events including hospital readmissions, surgical site infections and blood clots if they were enrolled in a smoking cessation program prior to surgery, according to preliminary new research that needs to be confirmed by larger studies.
The researchers recommend that orthopaedic surgeons consider implementing smoking cessation programs, which may lead to better outcomes for this higher-risk patient population and reductions in health care costs. Their findings were presented March 16, 2017 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2017 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.
"We've known that smokers do worse than non-smokers after joint replacements, and now this research shows there's good early evidence that quitting smoking before surgery may improve their outcomes," says lead study author Amy Wasterlain, MD, a fourth-year resident in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone. "Not every risk factor can be reduced before a joint replacement, but smoking status is one that should be a top priority for orthopaedic surgeons and their patients."
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Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Smoking cessation programs benefit patients prior to joint replacements
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Smokers who needed a hip or knee replacement experienced better surgical outcomes and fewer adverse events including hospital readmissions, surgical site infections and blood clots if they were enrolled in a smoking cessation program prior to surgery, according to preliminary new research that needs to be confirmed by larger studies.
The researchers recommend that orthopaedic surgeons consider implementing smoking cessation programs, which may lead to better outcomes for this higher-risk patient population and reductions in health care costs. Their findings were presented March 16, 2017 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2017 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.
"We've known that smokers do worse than non-smokers after joint replacements, and now this research shows there's good early evidence that quitting smoking before surgery may improve their outcomes," says lead study author Amy Wasterlain, MD, a fourth-year resident in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone. "Not every risk factor can be reduced before a joint replacement, but smoking status is one that should be a top priority for orthopaedic surgeons and their patients."
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Repeated eye injections for age-related macular degeneration associated with increased risk for glaucoma
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/tjnj-rei031417.php
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Repeated eye injections for age-related macular degeneration associated with increased risk for glaucoma
The JAMA Network Journals
Patients with age-related macular degeneration who received seven or more eye injections of the drug bevacizumab annually had a higher risk of having glaucoma surgery, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.
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Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Repeated eye injections for age-related macular degeneration associated with increased risk for glaucoma
The JAMA Network Journals
Patients with age-related macular degeneration who received seven or more eye injections of the drug bevacizumab annually had a higher risk of having glaucoma surgery, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.
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Better sleep feels like winning the lottery
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/uow-bsf031617.php
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Better sleep feels like winning the lottery
Improving your sleep quality is as beneficial to health and happiness as winning the lottery, according to research by the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
Improving your sleep quality is as beneficial to health and happiness as winning the lottery, according to research by the University of Warwick.
Dr Nicole Tang in the Department of Psychology has discovered that working on getting a better night's sleep can lead to optimal physical and mental wellbeing over time - and that quality of sleep is more important than how many hours you get.
Analysing the sleep patterns of more than 30,500 people in UK households across four years, Dr Tang finds that improving your sleep quality leads to levels of mental and physical health comparable to those of somebody who's won a jackpot of around £200,000.
The study shows that positive changes in sleep over time - improved quality and quantity, and using less sleep medication - are linked with improved scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), which is used by mental health professionals to monitor psychological wellbeing in patients.
People surveyed who reported positive improved sleep scored a 2-point change in the GHQ - a result comparable to those recorded from patients completing an eight-week programme of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy designed to improve psychological wellbeing.
Furthermore, the same people showed improved scores on the 12-Item Short Form Survey, which tests levels of physical and emotional health, as well as people's ability to perform everyday activities.
Conversely, it was found that a lack of sleep, bad quality sleep, and using more sleep medication can lead to worsened medical and emotional states.
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Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Better sleep feels like winning the lottery
Improving your sleep quality is as beneficial to health and happiness as winning the lottery, according to research by the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
Improving your sleep quality is as beneficial to health and happiness as winning the lottery, according to research by the University of Warwick.
Dr Nicole Tang in the Department of Psychology has discovered that working on getting a better night's sleep can lead to optimal physical and mental wellbeing over time - and that quality of sleep is more important than how many hours you get.
Analysing the sleep patterns of more than 30,500 people in UK households across four years, Dr Tang finds that improving your sleep quality leads to levels of mental and physical health comparable to those of somebody who's won a jackpot of around £200,000.
The study shows that positive changes in sleep over time - improved quality and quantity, and using less sleep medication - are linked with improved scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), which is used by mental health professionals to monitor psychological wellbeing in patients.
People surveyed who reported positive improved sleep scored a 2-point change in the GHQ - a result comparable to those recorded from patients completing an eight-week programme of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy designed to improve psychological wellbeing.
Furthermore, the same people showed improved scores on the 12-Item Short Form Survey, which tests levels of physical and emotional health, as well as people's ability to perform everyday activities.
Conversely, it was found that a lack of sleep, bad quality sleep, and using more sleep medication can lead to worsened medical and emotional states.
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Multi-year study finds 'hotspots' of ammonia over world's major agricultural areas
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/uom-msf031617.php
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Multi-year study finds 'hotspots' of ammonia over world's major agricultural areas
Fertilizers, animal waste, changes to atmospheric chemistry and warming soils all tied to increased ammonia over US, Europe, China and India
University of Maryland
The first global, long-term satellite study of airborne ammonia gas has revealed "hotspots" of the pollutant over four of the world's most productive agricultural regions. Using data from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) satellite instrument, the University of Maryland-led research team discovered steadily increasing ammonia concentrations from 2002 to 2016 over agricultural centers in the United States, Europe, China and India. Increased atmospheric ammonia is linked to poor air and water quality.
The study, published March 16, 2017 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, also describes the probable causes for increased airborne ammonia in each region. Although the specifics vary between areas, the increases in ammonia are broadly tied to crop fertilizers, livestock animal wastes, changes to atmospheric chemistry and warming soils that retain less ammonia. The results could help illuminate strategies to control pollution from ammonia and ammonia byproducts near agricultural areas.
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Gaseous ammonia is a natural part of Earth's nitrogen cycle, but excess ammonia is harmful to plants and reduces air and water quality. In the troposphere--the lowest, densest part of the atmosphere where all weather takes place and where people live -- ammonia gas reacts with nitric and sulfuric acids to form nitrate-containing particles that contribute to aerosol pollution that is damaging to human health. Ammonia gas can also fall back to Earth and enter lakes, streams and oceans, where it contributes to harmful algal blooms and "dead zones" with dangerously low oxygen levels.
"Little ammonia comes from tailpipes or smokestacks. It's mainly agricultural, from fertilizer and animal husbandry," said Russell Dickerson, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic science at UMD. "It has a profound effect on air and water quality -- and ecosystems. Here in Maryland, ammonia from the atmosphere contributes as much as a quarter of the nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, causing eutrophication and leading to dead zones that make life very difficult for oysters, blue crabs and other wildlife."
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Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Multi-year study finds 'hotspots' of ammonia over world's major agricultural areas
Fertilizers, animal waste, changes to atmospheric chemistry and warming soils all tied to increased ammonia over US, Europe, China and India
University of Maryland
The first global, long-term satellite study of airborne ammonia gas has revealed "hotspots" of the pollutant over four of the world's most productive agricultural regions. Using data from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) satellite instrument, the University of Maryland-led research team discovered steadily increasing ammonia concentrations from 2002 to 2016 over agricultural centers in the United States, Europe, China and India. Increased atmospheric ammonia is linked to poor air and water quality.
The study, published March 16, 2017 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, also describes the probable causes for increased airborne ammonia in each region. Although the specifics vary between areas, the increases in ammonia are broadly tied to crop fertilizers, livestock animal wastes, changes to atmospheric chemistry and warming soils that retain less ammonia. The results could help illuminate strategies to control pollution from ammonia and ammonia byproducts near agricultural areas.
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Gaseous ammonia is a natural part of Earth's nitrogen cycle, but excess ammonia is harmful to plants and reduces air and water quality. In the troposphere--the lowest, densest part of the atmosphere where all weather takes place and where people live -- ammonia gas reacts with nitric and sulfuric acids to form nitrate-containing particles that contribute to aerosol pollution that is damaging to human health. Ammonia gas can also fall back to Earth and enter lakes, streams and oceans, where it contributes to harmful algal blooms and "dead zones" with dangerously low oxygen levels.
"Little ammonia comes from tailpipes or smokestacks. It's mainly agricultural, from fertilizer and animal husbandry," said Russell Dickerson, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic science at UMD. "It has a profound effect on air and water quality -- and ecosystems. Here in Maryland, ammonia from the atmosphere contributes as much as a quarter of the nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, causing eutrophication and leading to dead zones that make life very difficult for oysters, blue crabs and other wildlife."
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Preventing lead spread
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/wuis-pls031617.php
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Preventing lead spread
Engineering team develops new approach to limit water contamination
Washington University in St. Louis
While lead pipes were banned decades ago, they still supply millions of American households daily with drinking water amid risks of corrosion and leaching that can cause developmental and neurological effects in young children.
One common abatement: Dig up old lead lines and replace a portion of them with another metal, such as copper. However, this technique can dislodge lead particulates and release them into the water supply. Furthermore, partially replacing the lead pipe connection instead of entirely exchanging it is problematic.
A team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new way to model and track where lead particles might be transported during the partial-replacement process, in an effort to keep the water supply safer.
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Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Preventing lead spread
Engineering team develops new approach to limit water contamination
Washington University in St. Louis
While lead pipes were banned decades ago, they still supply millions of American households daily with drinking water amid risks of corrosion and leaching that can cause developmental and neurological effects in young children.
One common abatement: Dig up old lead lines and replace a portion of them with another metal, such as copper. However, this technique can dislodge lead particulates and release them into the water supply. Furthermore, partially replacing the lead pipe connection instead of entirely exchanging it is problematic.
A team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new way to model and track where lead particles might be transported during the partial-replacement process, in an effort to keep the water supply safer.
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Link between Vitamin D treatment and autism prevention
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/uoq-lb031617.php
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Link between Vitamin D treatment and autism prevention
University of Queensland
Giving vitamin D supplements to mice during pregnancy prevents autism traits in their offspring, University of Queensland researchers have discovered.
The discovery provides further evidence of the crucial role vitamin D plays in brain development, said lead researcher Professor Darryl Eyles, from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute.
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In human studies, QBI researchers recently found a link between pregnant women with low Vitamin D levels and the increased likelihood of having a child with autistic traits.
Autism -- or autism spectrum disorder -- describes lifelong developmental disabilities including difficulty or inability to communicate with others and interact socially.
Sun exposure is the major source of vitamin D -- which skin cells manufacture in response to UV rays -- but it is also found in some foods.
Dr Wei Luan, a postdoctoral researcher involved in the study, said vitamin D was crucial for maintaining healthy bones, but the active hormonal form of vitamin D cannot be given to pregnant women because it may affect the skeleton of the developing foetus.
"Recent funding will now allow us to determine how much cholecalciferol - the supplement form that is safe for pregnant women -- is needed to achieve the same levels of active hormonal vitamin D in the bloodstream," said Dr Luan.
"This new information will allow us to further investigate the ideal dose and timing of vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women.
It was previously thought vitamin D had a protective anti-inflammatory effect during brain development, but the study didn't find this to be the case.
New funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council will allow researchers to continue to study how vitamin D protects against autism.
Public Release: 16-Mar-2017
Link between Vitamin D treatment and autism prevention
University of Queensland
Giving vitamin D supplements to mice during pregnancy prevents autism traits in their offspring, University of Queensland researchers have discovered.
The discovery provides further evidence of the crucial role vitamin D plays in brain development, said lead researcher Professor Darryl Eyles, from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute.
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In human studies, QBI researchers recently found a link between pregnant women with low Vitamin D levels and the increased likelihood of having a child with autistic traits.
Autism -- or autism spectrum disorder -- describes lifelong developmental disabilities including difficulty or inability to communicate with others and interact socially.
Sun exposure is the major source of vitamin D -- which skin cells manufacture in response to UV rays -- but it is also found in some foods.
Dr Wei Luan, a postdoctoral researcher involved in the study, said vitamin D was crucial for maintaining healthy bones, but the active hormonal form of vitamin D cannot be given to pregnant women because it may affect the skeleton of the developing foetus.
"Recent funding will now allow us to determine how much cholecalciferol - the supplement form that is safe for pregnant women -- is needed to achieve the same levels of active hormonal vitamin D in the bloodstream," said Dr Luan.
"This new information will allow us to further investigate the ideal dose and timing of vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women.
It was previously thought vitamin D had a protective anti-inflammatory effect during brain development, but the study didn't find this to be the case.
New funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council will allow researchers to continue to study how vitamin D protects against autism.
For a modest personality trait, 'intellectual humility' packs a punch
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/du-fam031417.php
Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
For a modest personality trait, 'intellectual humility' packs a punch
Trait increases tolerance, improves decisions, study says
Duke University
"Intellectual humility" has been something of a wallflower among personality traits, receiving far less scholarly attention than such brash qualities as egotism or hostility. Yet this little-studied characteristic may influence people's decision-making abilities in politics, health and other arenas, says new research from Duke University.
In a time of high partisanship, intellectual humility - an awareness that one's beliefs may be wrong - is nonpartisan. Researchers measured levels of the trait, and found essentially no difference between liberals and conservatives or between religious and nonreligious people.
"There are stereotypes about conservatives and religiously conservative people being less intellectually humble about their beliefs," said lead author Mark Leary, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke. "We didn't find a shred of evidence to support that."
As defined by the authors, intellectual humility is the opposite of intellectual arrogance or conceit. In common parlance, it resembles open-mindedness. Intellectually humble people can have strong beliefs, but recognize their fallibility and are willing to be proven wrong on matters large and small, Leary said.
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People who displayed intellectual humility also did a better job evaluating the quality of evidence -- even in mundane matters. For instance, when presented with arguments about the benefits of flossing, intellectually humble people correctly distinguished strong, fact-based arguments from weak ones.
The characteristic also affected people's views on politicians who "flip-flop." Intellectually humble Republicans were more likely than other Republicans to say that they would vote for a politician whose position on an issue changed over time, due to new evidence. They were also less likely to criticize that politician for "flip-flopping." There was less variability among Democrats: Democrats, whether intellectually arrogant or humble, were generally less likely to criticize a politician for changing his mind.
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Leary said intellectual humility bears further examination.
"If you think about what's been wrong in Washington for a long time, it's a whole lot of people who are very intellectually arrogant about the positions they have, on both sides of the aisle," Leary said. "But even in interpersonal relationships, the minor squabbles we have with our friends, lovers and coworkers are often about relatively trivial things where we are convinced that our view of the world is correct and their view is wrong."
The quality has potential benefits in the business world, too, he said.
"If you're sitting around a table at a meeting and the boss is very low in intellectual humility, he or she isn't going to listen to other people's suggestions," Leary said. "Yet we know that good leadership requires broadness of perspective and taking as many perspectives into account as possible."
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Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
For a modest personality trait, 'intellectual humility' packs a punch
Trait increases tolerance, improves decisions, study says
Duke University
"Intellectual humility" has been something of a wallflower among personality traits, receiving far less scholarly attention than such brash qualities as egotism or hostility. Yet this little-studied characteristic may influence people's decision-making abilities in politics, health and other arenas, says new research from Duke University.
In a time of high partisanship, intellectual humility - an awareness that one's beliefs may be wrong - is nonpartisan. Researchers measured levels of the trait, and found essentially no difference between liberals and conservatives or between religious and nonreligious people.
"There are stereotypes about conservatives and religiously conservative people being less intellectually humble about their beliefs," said lead author Mark Leary, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke. "We didn't find a shred of evidence to support that."
As defined by the authors, intellectual humility is the opposite of intellectual arrogance or conceit. In common parlance, it resembles open-mindedness. Intellectually humble people can have strong beliefs, but recognize their fallibility and are willing to be proven wrong on matters large and small, Leary said.
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People who displayed intellectual humility also did a better job evaluating the quality of evidence -- even in mundane matters. For instance, when presented with arguments about the benefits of flossing, intellectually humble people correctly distinguished strong, fact-based arguments from weak ones.
The characteristic also affected people's views on politicians who "flip-flop." Intellectually humble Republicans were more likely than other Republicans to say that they would vote for a politician whose position on an issue changed over time, due to new evidence. They were also less likely to criticize that politician for "flip-flopping." There was less variability among Democrats: Democrats, whether intellectually arrogant or humble, were generally less likely to criticize a politician for changing his mind.
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Leary said intellectual humility bears further examination.
"If you think about what's been wrong in Washington for a long time, it's a whole lot of people who are very intellectually arrogant about the positions they have, on both sides of the aisle," Leary said. "But even in interpersonal relationships, the minor squabbles we have with our friends, lovers and coworkers are often about relatively trivial things where we are convinced that our view of the world is correct and their view is wrong."
The quality has potential benefits in the business world, too, he said.
"If you're sitting around a table at a meeting and the boss is very low in intellectual humility, he or she isn't going to listen to other people's suggestions," Leary said. "Yet we know that good leadership requires broadness of perspective and taking as many perspectives into account as possible."
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Untreated sleep apnea in children can harm brain cells tied to cognition and mood
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/uocm-usa031517.php
Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
Untreated sleep apnea in children can harm brain cells tied to cognition and mood
MRI scans link chronically disrupted sleep to widespread brain cell damage
University of Chicago Medical Center
A study comparing children between 7 and 11 years of age who have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea to children the same age who slept normally, found significant reductions of gray matter - brain cells involved in movement, memory, emotions, speech, perception, decision making and self-control - in several regions of the brains of children with sleep apnea.
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Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
Untreated sleep apnea in children can harm brain cells tied to cognition and mood
MRI scans link chronically disrupted sleep to widespread brain cell damage
University of Chicago Medical Center
A study comparing children between 7 and 11 years of age who have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea to children the same age who slept normally, found significant reductions of gray matter - brain cells involved in movement, memory, emotions, speech, perception, decision making and self-control - in several regions of the brains of children with sleep apnea.
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Indigenous South American group has healthiest arteries of all populations yet studied
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/tl-tli031517.php
Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
The Lancet: Indigenous South American group has healthiest arteries of all populations yet studied, providing clues to healthy lifestyle
Study estimates that an 80-year-old from the Tsimane group had the same vascular age as an American in their mid-50s
he Lancet
The Tsimane people - a forager-horticulturalist population of the Bolivian Amazon - have the lowest reported levels of vascular ageing for any population, with coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) being five times less common than in the US, according to a study published in The Lancet and being presented at the American College of Cardiology conference.
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While industrial populations are sedentary for more than half of their waking hours (54%), the Tsimane spend only 10% of their daytime being inactive. They live a subsistence lifestyle that involves hunting, gathering, fishing and farming, where men spend an average of 6-7 hours of their day being physically active and women spend 4-6 hours.
Their diet is largely carbohydrate-based (72%) and includes non-processed carbohydrates which are high in fibre such as rice, plantain, manioc, corn, nuts and fruits. Protein constitutes 14% of their diet and comes from animal meat. The diet is very low in fat with fat compromising only 14% of the diet - equivalent to an estimated 38 grams of fat each day, including 11g saturated fat and no trans fats. In addition, smoking was rare in the population.
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The researchers also note that the low risk of coronary atherosclerosis was identified despite there being elevated levels of inflammation in half of the Tsimane population (51%, 360 of 705 people).
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Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
The Lancet: Indigenous South American group has healthiest arteries of all populations yet studied, providing clues to healthy lifestyle
Study estimates that an 80-year-old from the Tsimane group had the same vascular age as an American in their mid-50s
he Lancet
The Tsimane people - a forager-horticulturalist population of the Bolivian Amazon - have the lowest reported levels of vascular ageing for any population, with coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) being five times less common than in the US, according to a study published in The Lancet and being presented at the American College of Cardiology conference.
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While industrial populations are sedentary for more than half of their waking hours (54%), the Tsimane spend only 10% of their daytime being inactive. They live a subsistence lifestyle that involves hunting, gathering, fishing and farming, where men spend an average of 6-7 hours of their day being physically active and women spend 4-6 hours.
Their diet is largely carbohydrate-based (72%) and includes non-processed carbohydrates which are high in fibre such as rice, plantain, manioc, corn, nuts and fruits. Protein constitutes 14% of their diet and comes from animal meat. The diet is very low in fat with fat compromising only 14% of the diet - equivalent to an estimated 38 grams of fat each day, including 11g saturated fat and no trans fats. In addition, smoking was rare in the population.
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The researchers also note that the low risk of coronary atherosclerosis was identified despite there being elevated levels of inflammation in half of the Tsimane population (51%, 360 of 705 people).
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Children who play outside more likely to protect nature as adults
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/uobc-cwp031617.php
Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
Children who play outside more likely to protect nature as adults
University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
Protecting the environment can be as easy as telling your kids to go outdoors and play, according to a new UBC study. Research by Catherine Broom, assist. prof. in the Faculty of Education at UBC Okanagan, shows that 87 per cent of study respondents who played outside as children expressed a continued love of nature as young adults. Of that group, 84 per cent said taking care of the environment was a priority.
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Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
Children who play outside more likely to protect nature as adults
University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
Protecting the environment can be as easy as telling your kids to go outdoors and play, according to a new UBC study. Research by Catherine Broom, assist. prof. in the Faculty of Education at UBC Okanagan, shows that 87 per cent of study respondents who played outside as children expressed a continued love of nature as young adults. Of that group, 84 per cent said taking care of the environment was a priority.
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Happy spouse, happy house
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/uoc--hsh031717.php
Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
Happy spouse, happy house
New study by UCR psychology professor finds focus on spouse an indicator of strong, healthy relationship
University of California - Riverside
Achieving marital quality could seem daunting, even impossible to any couple, let alone a couple in which one of the partners is dealing with a serious illness. But a new study by Megan Robbins, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, may hold the answer.
Achieving marital quality could be as simple as using the right words, and finding balance, the study asserts. The results of the research paper show that the use of pronouns such as "I," "me," and "my," spoken by the spouse, and "you," and "your," by the patient, reflect positive marriage quality.
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"It may seem like an insignificant thing, but our research shows words can reflect important differences among romantic relationships," Robbins said. "Spouses' use of first-person singular pronouns, and patients' use of second-person pronouns, was positively related to better marital quality for both partners as the focus wasn't always on the patient. So, it reflects balance and interdependency between partners.
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Public Release: 17-Mar-2017
Happy spouse, happy house
New study by UCR psychology professor finds focus on spouse an indicator of strong, healthy relationship
University of California - Riverside
Achieving marital quality could seem daunting, even impossible to any couple, let alone a couple in which one of the partners is dealing with a serious illness. But a new study by Megan Robbins, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, may hold the answer.
Achieving marital quality could be as simple as using the right words, and finding balance, the study asserts. The results of the research paper show that the use of pronouns such as "I," "me," and "my," spoken by the spouse, and "you," and "your," by the patient, reflect positive marriage quality.
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"It may seem like an insignificant thing, but our research shows words can reflect important differences among romantic relationships," Robbins said. "Spouses' use of first-person singular pronouns, and patients' use of second-person pronouns, was positively related to better marital quality for both partners as the focus wasn't always on the patient. So, it reflects balance and interdependency between partners.
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Heads up tackling program decreases concussion rates, say researchers
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/aosf-hut031317.php
Public Release: 18-Mar-2017
Heads up tackling program decreases concussion rates, say researchers
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Consistently using a tackling education program appears to help lessen youth football concussion severity and occurrence, say researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Diego, CA.
"Our study showed that the risk of a concussion in high school football athletes was 1.4 times lower from schools that utilized the Heads Up tackling education program than those who were not trained to utilize the techniques," said lead researcher, Ellen Shanley PhD, PT, OCS, Director, Athletic Injury Research, Prevention, and Education, SC Center for Effectiveness Research in Orthopedics.
•••••
Public Release: 18-Mar-2017
Heads up tackling program decreases concussion rates, say researchers
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Consistently using a tackling education program appears to help lessen youth football concussion severity and occurrence, say researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Diego, CA.
"Our study showed that the risk of a concussion in high school football athletes was 1.4 times lower from schools that utilized the Heads Up tackling education program than those who were not trained to utilize the techniques," said lead researcher, Ellen Shanley PhD, PT, OCS, Director, Athletic Injury Research, Prevention, and Education, SC Center for Effectiveness Research in Orthopedics.
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Total eclipse Aug. 21, 2017
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.html
2017 Aug 21 N. America, n S. America
[Total: n Pacific, U.S., s Atlantic]
2017 Aug 21 N. America, n S. America
[Total: n Pacific, U.S., s Atlantic]
Polluters Could ‘More Easily’ Commit Crimes Under Cuts
John Upton By John Upton
Mar. 16, 2017
Investigators that enforce federal environmental laws would see their funding cut by nearly a quarter under a Trump administration proposal, boosting the likelihood that people, wildlife and the climate will be harmed by corporate pollution.
A federal budget proposal released Thursday would reduce funding for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance by $129 million to $419 million a year. The office employs more than 800, suggesting the cut could see 200 positions shed.
“The cuts are so deep it’s hard to imagine we won’t see real effects in air and water quality,” said Ann Carlson, an environmental law professor at UCLA law. “Individual polluters are going to be able to get away with violating the law much more easily.”
•••••
If Congress agrees to reduce law enforcement at the EPA, it would make it less likely that the federal government would prevent or prosecute cases of illegal air and water pollution, and push substantially more enforcement responsibilities to states.
“States are doing great jobs, and the locals do great jobs, but really the EPA has the high level expertise to do complex, large-scale cases,” said Jared Blumenfeld, President Obama’s Administrator for the Pacific Southwest region of the EPA until last spring.
“Cutting out $129 million will basically signal to polluters that, ‘You know what? No-one is watching,’” Blumenfeld said. “Maybe it is worth the risk to pollute this waterway, or, in the middle of the night at the factory to turn off the scrubbers.”
The EPA’s enforcement office has worked with the Department of Justice to prosecute high-profile cases in recent years.
•••••
Cutting the EPA’s enforcement budget would increase pressure on local and state governments to enforce environmental laws — something they can’t always do for financial reasons, or don’t want to do for political ones.
“Federal budget cuts puts pressure on the states to fill the gap,” said Emily Hammond, a professor at the George Washington University Law of School focused on environmental and energy issues.
“The problem is that many states are already strapped for enforcement resources,” Hammond said. “The costs of such an approach are increased cross-state pollution problems, hot spots of increased environmental harm, and a lack of uniformity in policy development that undermines forward-thinking states' efforts at environmental protection.”
Earth had 2nd warmest February, season and year to date on record
How long before the Trump administration gets this purged from the NOAA page?http://www.noaa.gov/news/earth-had-2nd-warmest-february-season-and-year-to-date-on-record
March 17, 2017
With Winter 2017 mostly missing in action for many areas in the Northern Hemisphere, it appeared by the end of February that spring had sprung early — or was, at the very least, just around the corner. Balmy seasonal temperatures were also felt in numerous locations around the globe.
Climate by the numbers
February
February 2017’s average global temperature was 1.76 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 53.9 degrees, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. This was the second warmest February in the 1880-2017 record, behind 2016.
Season
The average temperature from December through February was 1.60 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 53.8 degrees. This was the second warmest for this period, just behind 2015-2016.
Year to date
The year to date (January through February 2017) average temperature was 1.69 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 53.8 degrees. This was the second-warmest first two months of the year in the record, behind last year.
Other notable climate events and facts around the world last month included:
Continued record-low sea ice extent at the poles
The average Arctic sea ice extent was 7.6 percent below the 1981-2010 average for February, and the average Antarctic sea ice extent was 24.4 percent below average. Both regions logged the smallest February sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979.
Above-average snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was the 22nd largest in the 51-year record. North America had its 15th smallest, while Eurasia had its 19th largest.
Warmer-than-average lands and oceans
Both the globally averaged sea surface temperature and the land surface temperature ranked as second highest on record for February, the December-to-February season and the year to date.
Continents experienced temperature highs and lows
South America had its third warmest February on record; North America, its fourth; Asia, it’s eighth; Africa, its 10th; Europe, its 17th (tied with 1997); and Oceania, its 25th.
Peru floods kill 67 and spark criticism of country's climate change preparedness
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/17/peru-floods-ocean-climate-change
Dan Collyns in Piura and Jonathan Watts
Friday 17 March 2017
Sixty-seven people have been killed and thousands more forced to evacuate by intense rains which damaged 115,000 homes and destroyed more than 100 bridges in Peru’s worst floods in recent memory.
“We are confronting a serious climatic problem,” said Peru’s president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, in a broadcast to the nation on Friday afternoon. “There hasn’t been an incident of this strength along the coast of Peru since 1998.”
The disaster – which came after a period of severe drought – has been blamed on abnormally high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, and fuelled criticism that the country is ill-prepared for the growing challenges of climate change.
Over the past three days, the downpour has burst river banks, created mudslides, collapsed bridges, closed roads and forced school suspensions in swaths of the west and north of the country.
Rains continued to lash the northern Piura region where streets remained flooded in the regional capital and homes had been washed away in poorer neighbourhoods.
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Abraham Levy, a Peruvian meteorologist, said the weather conditions were “extremely unusual” and the storms and flooding were caused by the “atypical” warming of sea surface temperatures off Peru’s northern coast by five to six degrees to 29C.
He described the phenomenon as a “coastal El Niño”. The last time this was seen was nearly a century ago in 1925.
“We’ve had these kinds of El Niños as long as we have historical data, so it’s very difficult to link climate change or even global warming to these events,” he said.
Other scientists say a global trend of rising sea temperatures was likely to have contributed to the recent storms.
•••••
Abraham Levy, a Peruvian meteorologist, said the weather conditions were “extremely unusual” and the storms and flooding were caused by the “atypical” warming of sea surface temperatures off Peru’s northern coast by five to six degrees to 29C.
He described the phenomenon as a “coastal El Niño”. The last time this was seen was nearly a century ago in 1925.
“We’ve had these kinds of El Niños as long as we have historical data, so it’s very difficult to link climate change or even global warming to these events,” he said.
Other scientists say a global trend of rising sea temperatures was likely to have contributed to the recent storms.
•••••
Scientists accused Peruvian authorities of ignoring a warning to countries in the region that there was a severe risk of drought, and opposition politicians have accused the government of failing to respond adequately to forecasts of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
•••••
tags: extreme weather
Dan Collyns in Piura and Jonathan Watts
Friday 17 March 2017
Sixty-seven people have been killed and thousands more forced to evacuate by intense rains which damaged 115,000 homes and destroyed more than 100 bridges in Peru’s worst floods in recent memory.
[That's the number known to be killed so far.]
“We are confronting a serious climatic problem,” said Peru’s president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, in a broadcast to the nation on Friday afternoon. “There hasn’t been an incident of this strength along the coast of Peru since 1998.”
The disaster – which came after a period of severe drought – has been blamed on abnormally high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, and fuelled criticism that the country is ill-prepared for the growing challenges of climate change.
Over the past three days, the downpour has burst river banks, created mudslides, collapsed bridges, closed roads and forced school suspensions in swaths of the west and north of the country.
Rains continued to lash the northern Piura region where streets remained flooded in the regional capital and homes had been washed away in poorer neighbourhoods.
•••••
Abraham Levy, a Peruvian meteorologist, said the weather conditions were “extremely unusual” and the storms and flooding were caused by the “atypical” warming of sea surface temperatures off Peru’s northern coast by five to six degrees to 29C.
He described the phenomenon as a “coastal El Niño”. The last time this was seen was nearly a century ago in 1925.
“We’ve had these kinds of El Niños as long as we have historical data, so it’s very difficult to link climate change or even global warming to these events,” he said.
[Global warming is inevitably making such events stronger and more frequent.]
Other scientists say a global trend of rising sea temperatures was likely to have contributed to the recent storms.
•••••
Abraham Levy, a Peruvian meteorologist, said the weather conditions were “extremely unusual” and the storms and flooding were caused by the “atypical” warming of sea surface temperatures off Peru’s northern coast by five to six degrees to 29C.
He described the phenomenon as a “coastal El Niño”. The last time this was seen was nearly a century ago in 1925.
“We’ve had these kinds of El Niños as long as we have historical data, so it’s very difficult to link climate change or even global warming to these events,” he said.
Other scientists say a global trend of rising sea temperatures was likely to have contributed to the recent storms.
•••••
Scientists accused Peruvian authorities of ignoring a warning to countries in the region that there was a severe risk of drought, and opposition politicians have accused the government of failing to respond adequately to forecasts of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
[Which is what the republicans are doing now in the U.S.]
•••••
tags: extreme weather
Friday, March 17, 2017
Informative links
http://news.mit.edu/2017/america-economy-decline-middle-class-0313
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2017/03/16/standing-by-my-opinion-that-hands-up-dont-shoot-was-built-on-a-lie/?utm_term=.c7ab73e7d736
http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/who-leaked-part-of-donald-trumps-2005-federal-tax-return
http://constantinecannon.com/whistleblower/nine-new-navy-officials-charged-fraud-corruption-fat-leonard-scandal/#.WMsB_H_rURZ
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/03/15/conservative-christians-are-fighting-an-alabama-bill-that-would-protect-kids-at-childcare-centers/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=FBCP-ATH&utm_content=friendlyatheist
Science and medicine leaders say Trump budget would be dire for U.S.
I suggest reading the whole article.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/03/16/science-and-medicine-leaders-say-trump-budget-would-be-dire-for-u-s/?utm_term=.5484205d37a3
The private sector is interested in short-term profits. An example is that there is little work by the private sector on developing new antibiotics, even though we know there is an urgent need for them.
I remember when Reagan cut spending on health research. Some years later, a friend got a spinal injury in a car crash, and was allowed to die because it would cost so much to care for him. Within six months, there was the first of several breakthroughs that were able to reduce the damages from such injuries. Over the next couple of years there were several other breakthroughs. I thought if Reagan hadn't made those cuts, the research might have happened in time to save my friend's life.
By Joel Achenbach March 16, 2017
President Trump's budget blueprint calls for massive cuts to federally funded research. The leaders of the scientific and medical establishment woke up to that startling news Thursday morning and quickly fired off statements of protest and alarm. This budget, they collectively warned, threatens America's pre-eminence in science and technology.
“This is not a budget that’s designed to make America first,” Rush Holt, chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, told The Washington Post.
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Holt pointed to the administration's proposal to eliminate completely the Energy Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which does research on batteries, metals, electrical grids, etc.
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Investment in Earth and space science has given us better satellite data for our military, more accurate forecasting that protects the public from natural hazards, and improved our understanding of the effects of a changing climate on agricultural, ecosystems, and human health. Without the critical data and information this research provides, who will farmers turn to when they need help managing their crops? Who will the Pentagon turn to when they need information to support effective troop movements? Who will families turn to when a hurricane or tornado threatens their lives and livelihoods?
Glynda Becker, president of the Science Coalition, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for federal funding for public and private universities, issued a statement saying that China, South Korea and India are aggressively investing in research and development and that the Trump budget could imperil U.S. leadership in science:
“Since World War II, America’s commitment to scientific breakthroughs has been a continual driver of U.S. economic growth. The personal computer, the Internet, smartphones are all based on research that had its beginnings in labs and centers funded in part by the federal government. Likewise, the biomedical revolution with its advancement of disease-fighting vaccines and lifesaving drugs and the advance of diagnostic tools such as the MRI would not have occurred without federal support of collaborative research. And, most of the technologies that have made our men and women in uniform the world’s most effective fighting force, all had their start and ongoing improvements in federally funded scientific research.”
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