As population growth, greater food consumption, competition for land use, and climate change pose challenges to world food production, managing loss of crop due to pests and weeds becomes increasingly important. While chemical pesticides offer effective means for control, potential loss of crop yield is still significant, as is cost. Global potential loss from pests has been estimated to be between 50% and 80% of yield based on crop type.
Culture
Everyone marches to the beat of their own drum: From walking to talking to producing music, different people's movements occur at different speeds. But do these differences influence coordination of group actions? The answer is yes, according to McGill University researchers. The finding has the potential to help us predict for each person how successful they will be in a group task, depending on how similar their partners are to them in their internal rhythms.
Montreal, Feb. 9, 2016 -- Ever have your street repaved one year, only to have it torn up for sewage work shortly afterwards? Municipal blunders like this may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to new software developed by researchers at Concordia University in MOntreal.
A short animated film commissioned by two University of Kent historians challenges the concept that migration at current levels is a new phenomenon.
With migration now a major topic of debate across Europe, Professor Ray Laurence and Dr Julie Anderson, working with the University of Reading's Dr Hella Eckardt, created a script and commissioned the film to provide the public, schools and policy makers with a better understanding of its history.
The 75 second animation draws from research on the Roman Empire and the First World War.
The use of a structured, task-oriented rehabilitation program, compared with usual rehabilitation, did not result in better motor function or recovery after 12 months for patients with moderate upper extremity impairment following a stroke, according to a study in the February 9 issue of JAMA.
PASADENA, Calif., February 9, 2016 -- A large study demonstrated that health plan members who accessed their health information online and received timely alerts about potential gaps in care were more likely to receive preventive tests and screenings than those who did not use the service. The Kaiser Permanente study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
TUCSON, Ariz. - In contrast to enduring stories about extraordinarily high rates of alcohol misuse among Native Americans, University of Arizona researchers have found that Native Americans' binge and heavy drinking rates actually match those of whites. The groups differed regarding abstinence: Native Americans were more likely to abstain from alcohol use.
Babies born to mothers exposed to air pollution from traffic during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing asthma before the age of six, according to new UBC research.
"Our study results highlight the danger of exposure to pollution while babies are still in the womb," said lead author Hind Sbihi, research associate in UBC's School of Population and Public Health. "Air pollution from traffic sources increased the risk of developing asthma during early years before children reach school age, even in an urban area like Vancouver with relatively low levels of air pollution."
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (February 9, 2016) - Recent years have seen an increase in those suffering from allergies, including baby boomers. And because older people tend to have additional chronic diseases, diagnosis and management of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) can be a challenge. A new study shows immunotherapy (allergy shots) reduced symptoms by 55 percent after three years of therapy, and decreased the amount of medication needed for relief of symptoms by 64 percent.
New light has been shed on how a common diabetes drug can be used to aid recovery from a heart attack.
Heart disease is the leading cause of illness in diabetic patients. It accounts for more than half of all fatalities and the search for enhanced treatments is of high importance.
For the first time, researchers have explored the mechanism behind metformin, a key treatment used by diabetic patients to prevent heart disease. The findings are published today in the journal, Cardiovascular Diabetology.
A new Finnish study proves that a commonly used surgical treatment does not help patients who suffer from "mechanical symptoms" (sensations of knee catching or locking) associated with a degenerative knee.
"Established medical concepts should be rigorously tested from time to time to see if they can stand the scrutiny. No assumption is too obvious not to be tested in medicine", says Professor Teppo Järvinen, who led the research.
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A kidney transplant is a life-changing and life-saving procedure. Yet, a new study conducted by Mayo Clinic and the University of Michigan shows that only one-third of patients who ultimately receive a living donor kidney transplant receive it pre-emptively (i.e., before starting dialysis). Less than two-thirds receive a transplant either pre-emptively or within a year of starting dialysis.
The most dangerous times of year for children with asthma are soon after their schools reopen after a break, and a new study finds that cold viruses are largely to blame.
(Tempe, Ariz., Feb. 8, 2016) - We know that nature is valuable, but how does this value compare to other assets? Not as lumber or drinking water or a fancy dinner, but as standing forests, healthy aquifers or living organisms - what is the dollar value of this natural capital?
February 8, 2016 (Glenview, Ill.)-- New research finds patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experienced lower quality of life, more sleepiness, and less adherence and response to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy.