'Ugly' finding: Unattractive workers suffer more

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EAST LANSING, Mich.-— People who are considered unattractive are more likely to be belittled and bullied in the workplace, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a Michigan State University business scholar.

"Frankly, it's an ugly finding," said Brent Scott, associate professor of management and lead investigator on the study. "Although we like to think we're professional and mature in the workplace, it can be just like high school in many ways."

Sound waves precisely position nanowires

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The smaller components become, the more difficult it is to create patterns in an economical and reproducible way, according to an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers who, using sound waves, can place nanowires in repeatable patterns for potential use in a variety of sensors, optoelectronics and nanoscale circuits.

Parasites affect the food web more than you think, UCSB researchers say

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(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Parasites are ubiquitous. They feed on virtually every animal and even on each other. Yet, for all the parasites' collective contributions to biomass and biodiversity, conventional food webs don't account for the presence of these tiny and numerous consumers. A recent study featuring work by several UC Santa Barbara scientists focuses on the impact parasites have on food webs, with findings that are expected to alter our picture of who-eats-who.

Laughing gas does not increase heart attacks

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Nitrous oxide — best known as laughing gas — is one of the world's oldest and most widely used anesthetics. Despite its popularity, however, experts have questioned its impact on the risk of a heart attack during surgery or soon afterward. But those fears are unfounded, a new study indicates.

The findings by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will appear in the July issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

Detour ahead: Cities, farms reroute animals seeking cooler climes

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In spite of considerable human development, the southeastern United States region could provide some of the Western Hemisphere's more heavily used thoroughfares for mammals, birds and amphibians on their way to cooler environments in a warming world, according to new research led by the University of Washington.

New Alzheimer's research suggests possible cause: The interaction of proteins in the brain

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PORTLAND, Ore. — For years, Alzheimer's researchers have focused on two proteins that accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer's and may contribute to the disease: plaques made up of the protein amyloid-beta, and tangles of another protein, called tau.

Timely treatment after stroke is crucial, UCLA researchers report

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For years, the mantra of neurologists treating stroke victims has been "time equals brain." That's because getting a patient to the emergency room quickly to receive a drug that dissolves the stroke-causing blood clot can make a significant difference in how much brain tissue is saved or lost.

But specific information has been limited on just how the timing of giving the intravenous drug — known as a tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA — influences outcomes for victims of ischemic (clot-caused), stroke, the most common type of stroke.

Making memories: Practical quantum computing moves closer to reality

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Researchers at the University of Sydney and Dartmouth College have developed a new way to design quantum memory, bringing quantum computers a step closer to reality. The results will appear June 19 in the journal Nature Communications.

Quantum computing may revolutionize information processing, by providing a means to solve problems too complex for traditional computers, with applications in code breaking, materials science and physics. But figuring out how to engineer such a machine, including vital subsystems like quantum memory, remains elusive.

Bullying and suicide among youth is a public health problem

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Research shows moves to ban pay-to-delay deals are justified

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Controversial deals that delay generic versions of drugs coming onto the market can lead to consumers paying significantly more for some treatments, according to new research by an academic from the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Dr Farasat Bokhari's study shows that moves to investigate and ban pay-to-delay deals – which typically involve a branded manufacturer holding a drug patent paying a rival generic firm to delay the release of its cheaper version – are justified.