Culture | Page 1746 | Science Codex

Flexible hours controlled by management cause stress and damage lives of low-paid workers

A researcher who embedded himself in several London branches of one of the UK's largest supermarkets found that management used a combination of 'flexed-time' contracts and overtime to control worker shifts to meet times of anticipated demand, while ensuring costs are kept to a minimum.

Workers at the supermarket chain were frequently expected to extend or change shifts with little or no notice, often to the detriment of their home and family lives - causing the majority of workers interviewed to feel negatively about their jobs.

Lemurs mix smelly secretions to make richer, longer-lasting scents

DURHAM, N.C. -- Humans aren't alone in their ability to mix perfumes and colognes. Lemurs, too, get more out of their smelly secretions by combining fragrances to create richer, longer-lasting scents, finds a study led by Duke University.

The results appear online April 20 in Royal Society Open Science.

Loneliness and isolation linked to heightened risk of heart disease/stroke

Loneliness and social isolation are linked to around a 30 per cent increased risk of having a stroke or developing coronary artery disease--the two leading causes of illness and death in high income countries--finds an analysis of the available evidence, published online in the journal Heart.

The size of the effect is comparable to that of other recognised risk factors, such as anxiety and a stressful job, the findings indicate.

Low BMI and death after heart attack

Low body mass index increases risk mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), even after adjustment for other health factors that affect body weight, according to a study this week in PLOS Medicine. Emily Bucholz, Hannah Krumholz, and Harlan Krumholz of Yale University conducted a prospective cohort study of elderly patients hospitalized for AMI, analyzing short- and long-term mortality among underweight and normal weight patients (as measured by body mass index, BMI) while controlling for comorbid illness and frailty.

Clinical trial for experimental Ebola drug publishes results

Results of the Wellcome Trust funded trial of the experimental anti-Ebola drug TKM-130803 have been published today (April 19) in PLOS Medicine. Using a novel approach designed to get rapid indications of a drug's effectiveness, the trial showed that at the dose given the drug did not improve survival compared to historic controls.

Corporate sustainability should be core strategy, requires paths unique to each business

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Prior to the 1990s, there was little concept of corporate sustainability within the textile and apparel industry. However, beginning in the mid-1990s, clothing and apparel corporations began receiving pushback from consumers regarding social, environmental and economic sustainability. In an effort to qualify the process of investing in corporate sustainability, University of Missouri researchers examined two major international apparel brands, Nike and Adidas, to determine the paths taken to reach corporate sustainability.

New treatment for advanced melanoma shows promise

In a study appearing in the April 19, 2016 issue of JAMA, Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California-Los Angeles, and colleagues examined tumor response and overall survival following administration of the antibody pembrolizumab among patients with advanced melanoma.

Half of long-stay nursing home residents go to hospital ED regardless of cognitive status

INDIANAPOLIS -- A new study from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute has found that almost half of all long-stay nursing home residents experience at least one transfer to an Emergency Department over the course of a year regardless of their cognitive status. While a high percentage of long-stay nursing home residents were sent to the ED, only about a third of these individuals were subsequently admitted to the hospital.

Diabetes drug, metformin, lowers risk of heart disease deaths better than sulfonylureas

A new analysis of 204 studies involving more than 1.4 million people suggests that metformin, the most frequently prescribed stand-alone drug for type 2 diabetes, reduces the relative risk of a patient dying from heart disease by about 30 to 40 percent compared to its closest competitor drug, sulfonylurea.

Study identifies specific work factors that predict sleep problems

DARIEN, IL - A new study found that specific psychological and social work factors were associated with sleep problems both concurrently and two years after exposure, indicating prolonged consequences.

Results show that quantitative job demands, decision control, role conflict and support from a superior in the workplace were the most consistent predictors of troubled sleep, which was characterized by difficulty initiating sleep or disturbed sleep. Findings remained significant after adjustment for potential con-founders such as age, sex and occupation skill level.

Reasons for hospital-level variations in bleeding post-angioplasty are unclear

WASHINGTON (April 18, 2016) --The use of bleeding avoidance strategies has only a modest effect on the variation in bleeding rates post-angioplasty among hospitals performing this procedure, leaving about 70 percent of the causes for this variation unexplained, according to a study published today in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

American teacher panel surveys teachers' knowledge and perceptions of state standards

A new RAND Corporation survey of American teachers provides several key areas where states and school districts can do more to help teachers engage in instruction that will most help students meet state standards.

Why do older asymptomatic patients have carotid imaging

Most of the patients who had carotid revascularization for asymptomatic carotid disease were diagnosed on the basis of carotid imaging tests ordered for uncertain or inappropriate indications, according to a new study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Presidential elections: Electoral College increases ad spending in typical election

The advertising landscape during presidential elections could look a whole lot different if each American were to vote for his or her own preferred candidate, instead of having to do so collectively through the current Electoral College system. This is according to Brett Gordon of Northwestern University and Wesley Hartmann of Stanford Graduate School of Business in the US, in a study published in Springer's journal Quantitative Marketing and Economics.

Exposure to violence during pregnancy increases risk of prematurity and low birthweight

Exposure to violence during the first trimester of pregnancy could lead to an increase in the risk of prematurity and low birthweight, according to research by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Leicester.