Culture

(Boston) - African-American women who were younger at menarche, or the onset of their menstrual periods, were more likely to report a history of childhood sexual abuse, according to a new study led by a researcher at Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center. The results suggest that a history of sexual abuse may increase the risk of early menarche (i.e., onset of menstrual periods before age 12 years).

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that exempting bars from community smoking bans makes no economic difference in terms of preserving bar employment, and that even the most comprehensive clean indoor air policies do not lead to a reduction in hospitality jobs.

Researchers hope the findings, based on a study in Minnesota, will factor into future debates within municipalities and states considering the economic and health issues surrounding smoking-ban proposals.

Deterrence is often a stated goal of criminal sentencing guidelines, but there is debate about whether the threat of punishment actually discourages people from committing crimes. A new study published in the Journal of Political Economy sheds some empirical light on the question of deterrence. Using a recently passed Italian law as a natural experiment, the study found that former prisoners are less likely to return to jail if they expect longer sentences for future crimes.

Washington, DC, May 18, 2009— Some cities and states around the country have completely banned smoking in public places. Others have instituted partial bans to avoid negative economic consequences, such as loss of employment in restaurants and bars due to reduced patronage by smokers. But a new study from Minnesota finds that there is no significant difference between partial bans, complete bans and even no bans, in terms of their impact on number of employees in restaurants and bars.

Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washinton DC (18 May 2009) – Research published this week in the Journal Autism, published by SAGE, estimate the annual costs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to be more than £27 billion a year. The costs of supporting children with ASDs were estimated to be £2.7 billion per year, £25 billion each year for adults. The findings will be presented at the Autism & Employment Workshop taking place today at Goldsmiths, University of London.

ORLANDO (May 15, 2009)—Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have discovered that low-oxygen regions in prostate tumors can be used to predict a rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, a marker of tumor recurrence in prostate cancer. The long-term study results will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Substantial advances for applications of nanocrystals in the fields requiring a continuous output of photons and high quantum efficiency may soon be realized due to discovery of non-blinking semiconductor nanocrystals. This discovery recently announced by scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), University of Rochester, Cornell University and Eastman Kodak Company is an important step to the use of the nanocrystals in various practical devices ranging from low-threshold lasers to the solar cells and biological imaging and tracking.

The transition from basic education to upper secondary school is a challenge for many young people. According to a study of school burnout at different stages of school and higher education, upper secondary school is a particularly challenging stage for many young people. Success-oriented female upper secondary school pupils are at the greatest risk: up to 20 cent of them suffer from school burnout. Burnout is a phenomenon to be taken seriously, as it can lead to depression.

(Toronto: May 14, 2009) A study looking at Canadian-educated registered nurses working in the USA found that opportunities for ongoing education, including formal support for graduate education and ease of licensure, in addition to full-time employment, were key factors that contribute to the migration of Canadian nurses to the USA, particularly baccalaureate-educated nurses.

Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing's Dr. Linda McGillis Hall, Associate Dean, Research, is the lead author of the study, published online today in the International Nursing Review.

At a recent IEEE technology conference, UC San Diego electrical engineers presented a solution to their problem with the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" — and it's not that they don't it like it.

The electrical engineers' issue with Queen's rock anthem is that it is too heterogeneous. With its mellow piano, falsetto vocals, rock opera sections and crazy guitar solos, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is so internally varied that machine learning algorithms at the heart of their experimental music search engine have trouble labeling the song.

People with cancer can reduce post-chemotherapy nausea by 40 percent by using ginger supplements, along with standard anti-vomiting drugs, before undergoing treatment, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

ORLANDO - At some point during their care, more than one-third of metastatic breast cancer patients receive chemotherapy off label, the legal use of FDA-approved drugs in a different indication than for which they were approved, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

ORLANDO (May 14, 2009)—A study of targeted educational initiatives between the clinical staff at Fox Chase Cancer Center and the hospitals within their Partners program suggest that educational interventions by academic cancer centers can improve quality of care for cancer patients at community hospitals.

Substantial advances for applications of nanocrystals in the fields requiring a continuous output of photons and high quantum efficiency may soon be realized due to discovery of non-blinking semiconductor nanocrystals. This discovery recently announced by scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), University of Rochester, Cornell University and Eastman Kodak Company is an important step to the use of the nanocrystals in various practical devices ranging from low-threshold lasers to the solar cells and biological imaging and tracking.

While a total or partial collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet as a result of warming would not raise global sea levels as high as some predict, levels on the U.S. seaboards would rise 25 percent more than the global average and threaten cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, according to a new study.