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Body Weight and Gender Influence Judgment in the Courtroom

By Guest PostJanuary 15, 2013Healthalleged defendant, bias, body weight, depth of stigmatization, discrimination, gender, journal of obesity, lean female, lean male, natasha schvey, obese female, obese male, obese people, overweight, perceptions of guilt, responsibility, weight related stigma, weight stigma, yale rudd center

In a study that offers insight into the depth of stigmatization of overweight and obese people, researchers at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity found that weight stigma extends to the courtroom. Published online in the International Journal of Obesity, the study shows that a defendant’s body weight and gender impact jurors’ perceptions of guilt and responsibility.

Researchers conducted an online study with 471 adult participants. They were presented with a mock court case, including images of alleged defendants. Participants viewed one of four defendant images: a lean male, a lean female, an obese male, and an obese female. After viewing the image, participants were then asked to rate how guilty they thought the defendant was. (more…)

Life Possible on Extrasolar Moons

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2013Scienceastrobiology, astrophysics potsdam, benign environment, climatic conditions, earth size, energy source, exomoons, exoplanets, extrasolar moons, extrasolar planets, Germany, greenhouse effect, habitable edge, habitable moons, habitable worlds, habitable zone, issue, jupiter, kepler space telescope, leibniz institute, life, liquid surface water, mars, NASA, orbiting planets, possible, rene heller, rory barnes, solar system, sources of light, stellar illumination, sterile gas giants, theoretical model, theoretical question, tidal heating, university of washington

In their search for habitable worlds, astronomers have started to consider exomoons, or those likely orbiting planets outside the solar system. In a new study, a pair of researchers has found that exomoons are just as likely to support life as exoplanets.

The research, conducted by Rory Barnes of the University of Washington and the NASA Astrobiology Institute and René Heller of Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, will appear in the January issue of Astrobiology. Heller is lead author of the paper. (more…)

IBM Social Sentiment Index Predicts New Retail Trend in the Making

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2013Technology19th century, advanced analytics, analysis, birth, blogs, convention, cultural domains, cultural meme, Facebook, fantasy, fashion, fiction, gothic machinery, hg wells, ibm, ibm predict, industrialized civilization, jules verne, message boards, national, news sources, nikola tesla, project, retail federation, retail industry, retro futuristic style, science fiction, sentiment analysis, social media sites, social sentiment index, steampunk, sub genre, trend, trevor davis, Twitter, us department stores, victorian society, visual arts

Analytics points to the “Birth of a Trend,” steampunk aesthetic to pervade pop culture in 2013

ARMONK, N.Y. – 14 Jan 2013: National Retail Federation Convention – Based on an analysis of more than a half million public posts on message boards, blogs, social media sites and news sources, IBM predicts that ‘steampunk,’ a sub-genre inspired by the clothing, technology and social mores of Victorian society, will be a major trend to bubble up, and take hold, of the retail industry. Major fashion labels, accessories providers and jewelry makers are expected to integrate a steampunk aesthetic into their designs in the coming year.

Measuring public sentiment can help retail chief marketing officers customize incentives and services to be more in tune with what customers are asking for, using data to tailor their offerings to address fast-moving trends and real-time customer needs. (more…)

Helping Patients Navigate New Cancer Drugs

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2013Healthautomated calling system, barbara given, cancer clinic, cancer treatment, chemotherapy, chemotherapy pills, chronic conditions, cutting edge treatment, cycle, diarrhea, dose, Environment, fatigue, ineffective, intravenous drugs, journal cancer nursing, life threatening disease, manage symptoms, michigan state university, monitor, multiple medications, oral chemotherapy drugs, oral pills, pain, patient, pill, sandra spoelstra, severe nausea, skin reactions, vomiting

As cancer treatment in pill form transforms how care is delivered, a new Michigan State University study underscores the challenges patients face in administering their own chemotherapy outside the supervised environment of a cancer clinic.

Chemotherapy pills can target specific cancers better than some traditional intravenous drugs, said Sandra Spoelstra, the MSU assistant professor of nursing who led the study. But they also can be difficult for patients to take. (more…)

The Supernova That Cried Wolf

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2013Scienceextragalactic distances, host galaxy, luminous supernova, massive stars, stellar evolutionary theory, supernova impostors

A luminous supernova in a galaxy 67 million light years away from us has finally exploded for good, a UA-led team of astronomers has discovered. This event sheds light on how massive stars end their lives.

Astronomers have announced that a massive star, which they have watched repeatedly mimic a supernova since 2009, has finally exploded for real. (more…)

Recognizing Psychological Common Ground Could Ease Tensions Among Those with Different Religious Beliefs, says MU Psychologist

By Guest PostJanuary 13, 2013Cultureabdolhossein abdollahi, agnostics, allah, atheists, awareness of death, belief, buddha, caricature, christians, conflict, crucifix, death in christians, deity, different groups, ease tension, fear of death, foxholes, Germany, god, halle, higher power, how, human knowledge, immortal entity, individual, influence, iran, islamic azad university, jamie arndt, jesus, kenneth vail, motivation, muslims, opposing viewpoints, philosophies, propaganda, psychological similarity, relationship, religious symbol, religious tradition, saale, st marienkirche, stories, supreme being, thoughts of death, thoughts of mortality, understanding, united states, university of missouri, wartime aphorism

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Understanding how thoughts of mortality influence individuals’ beliefs sheds light on the commonalities among different groups’ motivations and could help ease tensions between opposing viewpoints, according to University of Missouri experiments that tested the relationship between awareness of death and belief in a higher power. The study found that thoughts of death increased atheists, Christians, Muslims and agnostics conviction in their own world views. For example, contrary to the wartime aphorism that there are no atheists in foxholes, thoughts of death did not cause atheists to express belief in a deity.

“Our study suggests that atheists’ and religious believers’ world views have the same practical goal,” said Kenneth Vail, lead author and doctoral student in psychological science in MU’s College of Arts and Science. “Both groups seek a coherent world view to manage the fear of death and link themselves to a greater and immortal entity, such as a supreme being, scientific progress or a nation. If people were more aware of this psychological similarity, perhaps there might be more understanding and less conflict among groups with different beliefs.” (more…)

New Qubit Control Bodes Well for Future of Quantum Computing

By Guest PostJanuary 13, 2013Sciencecollege de france, control, digital electronics, f schackert, feedback, information, integrity, large scale, m mirrahimi, michael hatridge, michel devoret, microscopic units, quantum computing, quantum feedback, quantum information, quantum mechanics, quantum object, qubit state, qubits, random errors, real, s shankar, theoretical formula, ultra fast, volatile realm, yale physicists, yale university

Yale University scientists have found a way to observe quantum information while preserving its integrity, an achievement that offers researchers greater control in the volatile realm of quantum mechanics and greatly improves the prospects of quantum computing.

Quantum computers would be exponentially faster than the most powerful computers of today. (more…)

Spear Phishing: Researchers Work to Counter Email Attacks that Gain Recipients’ Trust

By Guest PostJanuary 13, 2013Technologyandrew howard, attachment, corporate networks, counter, dynamic framework, e newsletter, email attacks, email system, employee, generic emails, georgia tech, gtri, knowledge, malicious attachments, malicious software analysis, malware, marketing plan, open this attachment, organization, password, personal information, phalanx, research institute, sec, spear phishing, titan, user, verify your password, website

The email resembled the organization’s own employee e-newsletter and asked recipients to visit a website to confirm that they wanted to continue receiving the newsletter. Another email carried an attachment that said it contained the marketing plan the recipient had requested at a recent conference. A third email bearing a colleague’s name suggested a useful website to visit.

None of these emails were what they pretended to be. The first directed victims to a website that asked for personal information, including the user’s password. The second included a virus that launched when the “marketing plan” was opened. The third directed users to a website that attempted to install a malicious program. (more…)

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