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Exercise May Lead to Better School Performance for Kids with ADHD

By Guest PostOctober 17, 2012Health, Scienceadhd, american children, attention, brain activity, cartoon fish, challenge, charles hillman, children, computer game, daniel picchietti, deficit, disorder, eeg cap, error, exercise, hyperactivity, inhibitory control, journal, kids, matthew pontifex, michigan, mistake, nonpharmaceutical treatment, pediatrics, physical activity, physical education, program, state university, swimming, treadmill, walking briskly

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A few minutes of exercise can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder perform better academically, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University researcher.

The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, shows for the first time that kids with ADHD can better drown out distractions and focus on a task after a single bout of exercise. Scientists say such “inhibitory control” is the main challenge faced by people with the disorder. (more…)

Fingerprints for Financing: Removing Some Risk from Lending in Africa

By Guest PostOctober 16, 2012Economy, Generalafrican nation, american, biometric identification, birth certificate, computer, control trial, credit history, dean yang, defaulting, economic review, economist, fingerprinting, id, identification system, jessica Goldberg, malawi, michigan, microfinance institution, national, negative association, paprika, paprika farmer, positive association, record, rural area, scanned fingerprint, software, southeastern, university, witchcraft, world bank, xavier gine

ANN ARBOR — Some called it “witchcraft.” Others just watched in awe as their scanned fingerprints were used to pull up their records on a computer.

They were paprika farmers in Malawi participating in a new study that shows fingerprinting can help encourage borrowers to repay their loans.

Like many impoverished countries, Malawi lacks a national identification system. Most of the population lives in rural areas with few government services. Even ID as basic as a birth certificate is rare in the southeastern African nation. (more…)

Breaking a Genocide’s Silence: Rwandan Storytelling Exhibit Centerpiece of New National Archives

By Guest PostOctober 12, 20122 commentsPolitics1994, ann arbor, catalyze, conversation, culture, david wallace, english, for, grenade, hope, kakuze josiane, marriage practices, michigan, mission, mukakayange veronique, national archives, neighbourhood, painful stories, patricia pasick, perpetrator, project, resident, resilience, rwanda history, rwandan, rwandan culture, rwandan genocide, simple question, stories, storycorps, storytelling tradition, strength, university, work history, young person

ANN ARBOR — One of the casualties of the 1994 Rwandan genocide was the culture’s storytelling tradition. Resurrecting it has been the mission of a project called Stories for Hope for the past four years.

Now 99 narratives—conversations between youths and elders—will go on exhibit at the newly built Rwandan National Archives, which were decimated during the violence. On Oct. 12, the archives open again for the first time in nearly two decades. (more…)

India’s Public School Students on Par with Private Students

By Guest PostOctober 11, 2012Educationamita chudgar, benefit, developing countries, developing world, Economics, education level, education researcher, education review, education system, educational administration, educational outcome, elizabeth quin, India, k 12, michigan, private school, privatization, public school, rural, state university, student, student achievement, united states, urban area

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Contrary to past research, private school students in India do not outperform their counterparts in public schools, finds a new study by a Michigan State University education researcher.

The study challenges the claim that private schools are superior – a hot issue in India and other developing countries that are expanding K-12 educational offerings. During the past decade, some 40 million children have entered India’s education system, giving rise to a growth in privately run schools. (more…)

Scientists Uncover Vast Differences in Earth’s Polar Ocean Microbial Communities

By Guest PostOctober 10, 2012Environmentalison murray, Antarctica, arctic ocean, biodiversity, biodiversity pattern, biogeographically, canada, changing climate, coast, community, continental, drainage basin, earth, environmental selection, flow, france, freshwater, glacial melt, global ocean, jean françois ghiglione, kevin bakker, marine, marine life, marine microbe, michigan, microbial community, microbial diversity, new zealand, ocean, oceanic circulation, oden, polar ocean, polar region, polar year, pole, sea ice, sloan foundation, southern, spain, structure, Sweden, swedish icebreaker, united states, university

ANN ARBOR— An international team of scientists, including a University of Michigan graduate student, has demonstrated that a clear difference exists between the marine microbial communities in the Southern and Arctic oceans, contributing to a better understanding of the biodiversity of marine life at the poles.

The most comprehensive comparison of microbial diversity at both of Earth’s polar oceans showed that about 75 percent of the organisms at each pole are different. This insight sheds light on newly recognized biodiversity patterns and reinforces the importance of studying Earth’s polar regions in the face of a changing climate. And it highlights the need for further research on the impacts of sea ice, seasonal shifts and freshwater input in both regions. (more…)

Fluid Cathedrals: Gels Under the Microscope

By Guest PostOctober 8, 2012Science3d maps, bandage, basilica, cables, computer simulation, correlation, di, discovery, dollop, engineering researcher, error, florence, flow, fluid, geodesic dome, hair gel, high tech, labyrinth, lilian hsiao, manufacturer, michael solomon, michigan, particle, pedestrian, pressure, railroad bridge, richmond newman, rigid structure, rods, roof, santa croce, sharon glotzer, tensegrity, trial

ANN ARBOR— A dollop of hair gel might not look like much, but Michigan Engineering researchers have found that it’s a labyrinth of chambers and domes, constructed by the particles inside. These structures allow the gel to hold its shape and determine how much pressure it can withstand before it starts to flow.

While manufacturers currently use trial and error to develop gels with a particular degree of solidity, this discovery could provide a way to design gels for particular applications. (more…)

For Some Women, Genes May Influence Pressure to Be Thin

By Guest PostOctober 5, 2012Healthalexandra burt, beauty, behavior, change, cheryl sisk, eating disorder, Environment, environmental, environmental influence, environmental trigger, genetics, ideal, internalization, jessica suisman, kelly klump, michigan, msu, psychological impact, risk factor, self perception, shannon oconnor, state university, symptom, thin, western culture, western society, women, young women

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Genetics may make some women more vulnerable to the pressure of being thin, a study led by Michigan State University researchers has found.

From size-zero models to airbrushed film stars, thinness is portrayed as equaling beauty across Western culture, and it’s an ideal often cited as a cause of eating disorder symptoms in young women. The researchers focused on the potential psychological impact of women buying into this perceived ideal of thinness, which they call thin-ideal internalization. Changes in self-perception and behavior, caused by this idealization, can lead to body dissatisfaction, a preoccupation with weight and other symptoms of eating disorders. (more…)

Obama, Romney supporters: R-E-S-P-E-C-T (just a little bit)

By Guest PostOctober 4, 2012PoliticsBarack Obama, Chicago, democrat, John McCain, marketing research, mccain voters, michigan, mitt romney, obama voter, oleg urminsky, political aisle, political season, president, presidential campaign, psychologists, republican, university, video game, yesim orhun

ANN ARBOR— It’s a common refrain during the political season—Republicans and Democrats talk past one another. They claim they live in different universes or come from different species, with little hope for extending empathy across the political aisle.

But University of Michigan researcher Yesim Orhun and her colleague Oleg Urminsky of the University of Chicago say that there exists a greater respect for one another’s views than is generally assumed. (more…)

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