General – Page 9 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Youth bullying because of perceived sexual orientation widespread and damaging

By Guest PostJune 23, 2013Culture, General, Healthamerican journal, anti bullying poster, berea, bisexual, catherine shen, consideration of suicide, depressed mood, donald patrick, early prevention efforts, female students, gay, lesbian, ohio, public health, school, school environments, self-esteem, sexual orientation, washington state survey, youth bullying

Bullying because of perceived sexual orientation is prevalent among school-aged youths, according to a study led by Donald Patrick, professor of health services at the UW School of Public Health. The study was published online May 16 in the American Journal of Public Health.

The research team analyzed responses collected in a 2010 Washington state survey of more than 24,000 public school students in grades eight through 12. The study found that 14 percent, 11 percent and 9 percent of male students in grades 8, 10, and 12 respectively reported being bullied because of perceived sexual orientation. For female students in those grades, the numbers were 11 percent, 10 percent and 6 percent respectively. (more…)

The rhythm of everything

By Guest PostJune 21, 2013General, Health, Scienceadolescents, approximately a day, automobile accidents, blood pressure, body temperature, breast cancer rates, brown university, cancer epidemiology, chronic insomnia, chronobiology international, circa diem, circadian cycle, circadian gene, circadian rhythms, clock, DNA, electric lights, epigenetic changes, estrogen level, feedback loop, habitual fatigue, heart rate, human body, jet lag, key issue, kidneys, logic, molecular autoregulatory, mutation, mysterious, natural processes, physiological phenomena, probably carcinogenic, regulatory genes, rhythm of everything. biological changes, richard g stevens, scientists, seasonal affective disorder, transcriptional activators, ultraviolet light, winter blues, yong zhu

Dawn triggers basic biological changes in the waking human body. As the sun rises, so does heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. The liver, the kidneys and many natural processes also begin shifting from idle into high gear. Then as daylight wanes and darkness descends, these processes likewise begin to subside, returning to their lowest levels again as we sleep.

These internal biological patterns are tightly linked to an external cosmic pattern: the earth’s rotation around the sun once every 24 hours. This endless loop of light and darkness and the corresponding synchrony of internal and external clocks, are called circadian rhythms, from “circa diem,” Latin for “approximately a day.” Circadian rhythms influence almost all living organisms, from bacteria to algae, insects, birds and, as is increasingly understood by science, humans beings. (more…)

Fetch, Boy! Study Shows Homes with Dogs Have More Types of Bacteria

By Guest PostJune 17, 2013General, Healthallergies, dataset, DNA, dogs, habitats, holly menninger, households, human fecal bacteria, jessica henley, jonathan leff, kitchen counter, microbial populations, noah fierer, north Carolina, organisms, phylotypes, rob dunn, state university, television screen, types of bacteria, united states, university of colorado

New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Colorado shows that households with dogs are home to more types of bacteria – including bacteria that are rarely found in households that do not have dogs. The finding is part of a larger study to improve our understanding of the microscopic life forms that live in our homes.

“We wanted to know what variables influence the microbial ecosystems in our homes, and the biggest difference we’ve found so far is whether you own a dog,” says Dr. Rob Dunn, an associate professor of biology at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work. “We can tell whether you own a dog based on the bacteria we find on your television screen or pillow case. For example, there are bacteria normally found in soil that are 700 times more common in dog-owning households than in those without dogs.” (more…)

Meeting online leads to happier, more enduring marriages

By Guest PostJune 9, 2013Culture, Generalamericans, eharmony, elizabeth ogburn, find, gestalt research, gian gonzaga, happier, harris interactive, john cacioppo, marital satisfaction, marriages, meeting online, online dating encounters, partner, survey, tyler vanderweele, university of chicago

More than a third of marriages between 2005 and 2012 began online, according to new research at the University of Chicago, which also found that online couples have happier, longer marriages.

Although the study did not determine why relationships that started online were more successful, the reasons may include the strong motivations of online daters, the availability of advance screening and the sheer volume of opportunities online. (more…)

Injured at the beach

By Guest PostJune 6, 2013General, Healthat the beach, beach patrols, beebe chief, bethany, blunt organ trauma, cervical spine, delaware communities, dewey, fractures, hurt, injured, mid atlantic, ocean waves, rehoboth, surf zone, surf zone forecast, surf zone hazards, wendy carey, zip code

Emergency department visits from beach injuries are common, study finds

Injuries to people swimming at the beach are common and severe, according to an ongoing study by the Delaware Sea Grant College Program and Beebe Medical Center.

A total of 1,121 injuries requiring emergency department treatment were recorded in Delaware during the past three summers for patients hurt by ocean waves. Injuries range from simple sprains and strains to extremity fractures, blunt organ trauma and fractures of the cervical spine. There were three fatalities attributed to surf zone injuries during the study period. The most common ailments were broken collarbones, dislocated and separated shoulders, neck pain, and ankle and knee sprains. (more…)

Men, Women Lie About Sex to Match Gender Expectations

By Guest PostJune 5, 2013General, Health, Sexdetector machine, gender expectations, gender related behaviors, journal, lie about sex, male type, men, non sexual behaviors, questionnaire, real men, sex roles, sexual intercourse, sexual partners, stereotypical male activity, stereotypical ways, terri fisher, typical female behaviors, women

For Other Behaviors, People Care Less about Meeting Norms

COLUMBUS, Ohio – People will lie about their sexual behavior to match cultural expectations about how men or women should act – even though they wouldn’t distort other gender-related behaviors, new research suggests.

The study found that men were willing to admit that they sometimes engaged in behaviors seen by college students as more appropriate for women, such as writing poetry. The same was true for women, who didn’t hide the fact that they told obscene jokes, or sometimes participated in other “male-type” deeds. (more…)

Sowing a more sustainable future

By Guest PostJune 3, 2013Generalbetter nutrition, cereal crops, common beans, consumption, country, cowpeas, drought, Economy, ecuador, farmers, food sources, Gerardine Mukeshimana, Health, high altitude zones, hilly terrain, Jim Kelly, knowledge, lima beans, Michigan State, millions of Rwandans, people of Rwanda, root, Rwanda Agriculture Board, rwandan genocide, sources of carbohydrates, united states, Widows

One of the keys to better nutrition and health for the people of Rwanda fits in the palm of a hand: legumes. But despite their nutritional punch, legumes—including common beans, cowpeas, and lima beans—are highly susceptible to drought and disease. That’s what brought MSU scientists to Rwanda, which has the world’s highest bean consumption per capita, to work on breeding heartier varieties that can sustain the people and economy of the country.

To increase yields, MSU’s Jim Kelly, a professor of crop and soil sciences who has been developing bean varieties for more than 30 years, is introducing new varieties as well as educational materials to help farmers grow them successfully. Using traditional methods that don’t require genetic manipulation, Kelly has bred climbing beans, as opposed to bush-like beans, that already have improved yields from a quarter ton per acre to four tons per acre in the country’s high-altitude, steep, hilly terrain. (more…)

Grassroots women’s groups could halve maternal death rate

By Guest PostMay 29, 2013General, Healthadult learning techniques, anthony costello, audrey prost, Bangladesh, child death rates, cost effective, grassroots womens groups, India, local women, malawi, maternal death rate, money, nepal, newborn deaths, participatory games, pregnancy, problem in pregnancy, related health problems, role play, story telling, sustainable, the lancet, ucl

Women’s groups can dramatically reduce the number of maternal and newborn deaths in some of the world’s poorest communities, according to a new meta-analysis published in The Lancet.

The research incorporated seven trials in Bangladesh, India, Malawi and Nepal and looked at 119,428 births.

It assessed whether groups facilitated by local women, who received a short training course of around 7 – 11 days, but were not health workers, affected rates of maternal and newborn mortality. The groups use a range of methods – including discussion, voting and role-playing – to identify common pregnancy-related health problems and work out locally appropriate ways to address them. (more…)

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