Culture

ATLANTA -- A study by Indiana University researchers found that terminology and efforts to frame an issue -- often effective in influencing public opinion -- have no effect on public opinion concerning the ongoing debate in the U.S. over legalizing same-sex marriage.

Using an experimental approach involving a nationally representative sample, the researchers found that beliefs and values held sway, not rhetoric, such as the use of 'same-sex couple' instead of 'homosexual couple' or using the term 'civil rights' instead of 'gay rights.'

"Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America." --Barack Obama (2008)

"And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming." --John McCain, 2008

Are minorities moving into suburbs that are essentially an extension of the inner city? Or are the outer-ring suburbs becoming more diverse? University of Cincinnati researchers tracked 30 years of U.S. Census data covering 250 metropolitan areas in an examination of those questions, with some findings that challenge previous scholarly thought on the issue.

ATLANTA -- A study by Indiana University researchers found that terminology and efforts to frame an issue -- often effective in influencing public opinion -- have no effect on public opinion concerning the ongoing debate in the U.S. over legalizing same-sex marriage.

Using an experimental approach involving a nationally representative sample, the researchers found that beliefs and values held sway, not rhetoric, such as the use of 'same-sex couple' instead of 'homosexual couple' or using the term 'civil rights' instead of 'gay rights.'

ATLANTA -- Man's best friend might just be treated like any other animal depending on where the owners live, says a study by David Blouin, assistant professor of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Indiana University South Bend, who found that people who think of animals as children tend to have a city background.

"To think of pets as just another animal is not uncommon in rural areas," Blouin said, "which makes sense given the utilitarian relationships people in rural areas are more likely to have with a range of different animals -- from farm to wild animals."

ATLANTA — The context in which adolescent sexual activity occurs can substantially moderate the negative relationship between sexual intercourse and education, according to research to be presented at the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

New York, NY, July 30, 2010—Thirty million women will benefit from the new health reform law over the next decade, either through new or strengthened insurance coverage, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Even in better neighborhoods, parents should be wary about letting teens gather with nothing to do and with no adult supervision, a new study suggests.

In a long-term study of Chicago neighborhoods, researchers found that informal teen gatherings significantly increased the likelihood of violent behavior by the adolescents.

Implementing a program of universal HIV testing and immediate antiretroviral treatment (ART) for infected individuals could have a major impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, DC, but a new study finds that it would not halt the epidemic, something that a previous report had projected.

A new barrier design could protect reservoir levees from the erosive forces of wind-driven waves, according to studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and partners. These findings could help lower the maintenance costs for constructed ponds in the lower Mississippi Delta where levee repairs can average $3 per foot-and sometimes are needed just five years after a reservoir is built.

"We have analysed emotional traits of low intensity. In this context, the higher the negative emotional traits are, the fewer risks taken by the bodies managed by the directors", Juan Bautista Delgado García, co-author of the study and researcher at UBU declares to SINC.

Long before TV's campy Fantasy Island, the isolation of island communities has touched an exotic and magical core in us. Darwin's fascination with the Galapagos island chain and the evolution of its plant and animal life is just one example.

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an ion trap with a built-in optical fiber that collects light emitted by single ions (electrically charged atoms), allowing quantum information stored in the ions to be measured. The advance could simplify quantum computer design and serve as a step toward swapping information between matter and light in future quantum networks.

DURHAM, N.H. – Continued support for off-shore oil drilling by Gulf Coast residents who are dealing with one of the most devastating environmental disasters in U.S. history might seem surprising, but new research from the University of New Hampshire shows that local factors such as unemployment and population growth influence views about the value of environmental conservation and regulation.

The research is presented in the most recent issue of the journal Rural Sociology in the article "Place Effects on Environmental Views."

KINGSTON, R.I. – July 7, 2010 -- The rapid growth of the oyster aquaculture industry in Rhode Island has raised questions about how many oyster farms Narragansett Bay and the state's salt ponds can support. But a study by a University of Rhode Island graduate student has found that these ecosystems can withstand continued high rates of aquaculture growth without causing ecological harm.