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Happiness Model Developed by MU Researcher Could Help People Go From Good to Great

By Guest PostMay 8, 2012Culture, Healthhappiness, happiness model, kennon sheldon, miserable, model, positive life, psychological basis, romantic relationship, sonja lyubomirsky, spice of life

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The sayings “variety is the spice of life” and “happiness isn’t getting what you want, but wanting what you get” seem to have a psychological basis, according to a new study by an MU psychologist who identified two keys to becoming happier and staying that way.

“Although the Declaration of Independence upholds the right to pursue happiness, that search can be a never-ending quest,” said Kennon Sheldon, professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Previous research shows that an individual’s happiness can increase after major life changes, such as starting a new romantic relationship, but over time happiness tends to return to a previous level. Through our research, we developed a model to help people maintain higher levels of happiness derived from beneficial changes. The model consists of two major components: the need to keep having new and positive life-changing experiences and the need to keep appreciating what you already have and not want more too soon.” (more…)

Game on! UCLA Researchers Use Online Crowd-Sourcing to Diagnose Malaria

By Guest PostMay 8, 2012Health, Technologymalaria diagnosis, online crowd sourcing, telemedicine, telemedicine problems, telepathology

Gaming system a new step for telepathology and other telemedicine fields

Online crowd-sourcing — in which a task is presented to the public, who respond, for free, with various solutions and suggestions — has been used to evaluate potential consumer products, develop software algorithms and solve vexing research-and-development challenges. But diagnosing infectious diseases? (more…)

Researchers Find Potential ‘Dark Side’ To Diets High In Beta-Carotene

By Guest PostMay 7, 2012Healthbeta carotene metabolism, health hazard, immune function

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that there could be health hazards associated with consuming excessive amounts of beta-carotene. (more…)

When Cells Hit the Wall: UCLA Engineers Put The Squeeze on Cells to Diagnose Disease

By Guest PostMay 6, 2012Health, Scienceaids, amander clark, balloon, cancer, cells, chemical tags, chronic inflammation, cytopathologist, daniel gossett, deformability cytometer, diagnose disease, dino di carlo, dna arrangement, elastic properties, extract information, henry tse, honey, immune disorder, immune system, infection, jian yu rao, mesothelial cells, microfluidic chip, nuclei, rubber balloon, shape, software, steven chu, Technology, ucla engineers, viscous, white blood cells

If you throw a rubber balloon filled with water against a wall, it will spread out and deform on impact, while the same balloon filled with honey, which is more viscous, will deform much less. If the balloon’s elastic rubber was stiffer, an even smaller change in shape would be observed.

By simply analyzing how much a balloon changes shape upon hitting a wall, you can uncover information about its physical properties.

Although cells are not simple sacks of fluid, they also contain viscous and elastic properties related to the membranes that surround them; their internal structural elements, such as organelles; and the packed DNA arrangement in their nuclei. Because variations in these properties can provide information about cells’ state of activity and can be indicative of diseases such as cancer, they are important to measure. (more…)

Researchers Show Prebiotic Can Reduce Severity of Colitis

By Guest PostMay 4, 2012Healthbacterial infection, cells, colitis, colon cancer, elizabeth gardner, fiber supplements, galacto oligosaccharide, good bacteria, gos, gut, inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal ailments, jenifer fenton, michigan state university, natural killer, prebiotic, probiotics, synthetic compound

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers at Michigan State University have shown a prebiotic may help the body’s own natural killer cells fight bacterial infection and reduce inflammation, greatly decreasing the risk of colon cancer.

Prebiotics are fiber supplements that serve as food for the trillions of tiny bacteria living in the gut. When taken, they can stimulate the growth of the “good” bacteria. The evolution of prebiotic supplements (as well as probiotics, which are actual bacteria ingested into the system) provide new therapeutic targets for researchers and physicians. (more…)

Researchers Determine Vitamin D Blood Level for Reducing Major Medical Risks in Older Adults

By Guest PostMay 4, 2012Healthblood samples, caucasian adults, food sources, hip fracture, sun exposure, vitamin D

In testing older patients’ blood vitamin D levels, there’s uncertainty about where the dividing line falls between enough and not enough. The threshold amount has become controversial as several scientific societies set different targets. (more…)

Video Games Can Teach How To Shoot Guns More Accurately And Aim For The Head

By Guest PostMay 1, 2012Health, Technologyhead shots, shooting video game, video games, violent crimes, violent shooting games

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Just 20 minutes of playing a violent shooting video game made players more accurate when firing a realistic gun at a mannequin – and more likely to aim for and hit the head, a new study found. (more…)

Substance Abuse Struggle

By Guest PostApril 29, 2012Health, Sportsdrinking alcohol, lines of cocaine, smoking marijuana, struggle, substance abuse

Former NBA player Herren recounts struggle with substance abuse

Former college basketball and NBA player Chris Herren spoke on the University of Delaware campus Thursday, April 19, about the struggle with substance abuse that eventually ended his career. (more…)

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