Tag Archives: university of missouri

Adolescents with Autism Spend Free Time Using Solitary, Screen-Based Media

By Guest PostJanuary 30, 2012Scienceadolescent, asd, autism spectrum disorder, benjamin cooper, children, email, intellectual disabilities, internet chatting, language impairment, micah mazurek, non social media, paul shattuck, screen based technology, social media, Technology, television, university of missouri, video games

*MU researcher encourages capitalization on interest in screen-based technology, cautions against overuse*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to be fascinated by screen-based technology. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that adolescents with autism spend the majority of their free time using non-social media, including television and video-games.

“Even though parents and clinicians have often observed that children with ASD tend to be preoccupied with screen-based media, ours is the first large-scale study to explore this issue,” said Micah Mazurek, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. “We found that 64 percent of adolescents with ASD spent most of their free time watching TV and playing video and computer games. These rates were much higher than among those with other types of disabilities. On the other hand, adolescents with ASD were less likely to spend time using email and social media.” (more…)

Babies Are Born With “Intuitive Physics” Knowledge, Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostJanuary 26, 2012Scienceevolution, glass of milk, hidden objects, infants, intuitive physics, knowledge, kristy vanmarle, natural interaction, northwestern university, predict the future, skill, susan hespos, university of missouri, unsupported objects

*Numerous infant studies indicate environmental knowledge is present soon after birth*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – While it may appear that infants are helpless creatures that only blink, eat, cry and sleep, one University of Missouri researcher says that studies indicate infant brains come equipped with knowledge of “intuitive physics.”

“In the MU Developmental Cognition Lab, we study infant knowledge of the world by measuring a child’s gaze when presented with different scenarios,” said Kristy vanMarle, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences in the College of Arts and Science. “We believe that infants are born with expectations about the objects around them, even though that knowledge is a skill that’s never been taught. As the child develops, this knowledge is refined and eventually leads to the abilities we use as adults.” (more…)

Emotional News Framing Affects Public Response to Crises, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostJanuary 16, 2012Mediaanger frame, automobile recalls, corporate response, crisis, crisis situations, distinct emotions, effective communication, glen cameron, human face, hyo kim, journalism research, maxine wilson gregory chair, message, nanyang technological university, news frames, organizational crises, plane crashes, public relations, relief, sadness frame, singapore, strategies, substantive action, university of missouri, victims, wellbeing

COLUMBIA, Mo. – When organizational crises occur, such as plane crashes or automobile recalls, public relations practitioners develop strategies for substantive action and effective communication. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that the way in which news coverage of a crisis is framed affects the public’s emotional response toward the company involved.

Glen Cameron, the Maxine Wilson Gregory Chair in Journalism Research and professor of strategic communication at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, along with Hyo Kim of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, studied the reactions of news readers when exposed to a story about a crisis. One group read an “anger-frame” story that blamed the organization for the crisis. Another group read a “sadness-frame” story that focused on the victims and how they were hurt by the crisis. Cameron and Kim found that those who read the “anger-frame” story read the news less closely and had more negative attitudes toward the company than those exposed to the “sadness-frame” story. (more…)

MU Researchers Find Unique Protein Organization in Arteries Associated with Cardiovascular Disease

By Guest PostJanuary 13, 2012Health, Science3 d microscopic imaging technology, amount of protein, artery, artery functions, blood vessels, cardiovascular disease, cause of death, circulatory complications, diabetes, disorders, elastin, elastin production, factor, gerald meininger, high blood pressure, human arteries, michael hill, minute structural elements, molecular biologists, stiffening, stiffening process, tissue replacement proces, united states, university of missouri

*Knowledge could assist in tissue replacements, treatments for high blood pressure and diabetes*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Human arteries – some smaller than a strand of hair – stiffen as a person ages. This stiffening is a factor in cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, because it contributes to the circulatory complications in disorders such as high blood pressure and diabetes. University of Missouri researchers have now used advanced 3-D microscopic imaging technology to identify and monitor the proteins involved in this stiffening process. These findings could eventually help researchers and physicians understand and treat complications associated with cardiovascular disease. (more…)

Investment Risk Tolerance Affected by Age, Economic Climate, MU Study Shows

By Guest PostJanuary 5, 2012Economyasset preservation, client education, counter productive strategy, economic climate, economic outlook, federal reserve board, financial planners, financial risk, investment goals, investors, market fluctuations, pragmatic relationship, risk tolerance, risks, rui yao, steady source of income, stock market, time period, turbulent economy, u.s economy, united states, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. – As the U.S. economy continues to lag, many investors remain wary about taking risks with the stock market. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have concluded that this attitude toward investment risk-taking is influenced by the age of the investor and the economic climate of the time period. Rui Yao, an assistant professor of personal financial planning in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at MU, found that willingness to take financial risks, or “risk tolerance,” decreases as investors age.

“Age has a pragmatic relationship with financial risk,” Yao said. “Each additional year of life represents a shortened time horizon for recouping market losses. In addition, individuals approaching or in retirement may shift focus from asset accumulation to asset preservation. These individuals may become relatively more concerned about potential loss of money when they are closer to retirement or no longer have a steady source of income.” (more…)

Breast Cancer Survivors Benefit From Practicing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, MU Researchers Find

By Guest PostDecember 31, 2011Healthamerican cancer society, breast cancer, health challenges, jane armer, lifestyles and belief, mbsr, meditation, meditation technique, mindfulness, mindfulness based stress reduction, physical awareness, positive effects, post diagnosis, survivors, university of missouri, women, yaowarat matchim, yoga

*Survivors’ psychological and physiological health improved after training*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to the American Cancer Society. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed. Now, University of Missouri researchers in the Sinclair School of Nursing say a meditation technique can help breast cancer survivors improve their emotional and physical well-being. (more…)

MU Unveils 3-D Visual Immersion Laboratory

By Guest PostDecember 20, 2011Science3 d, active shutter, bimal balakrishnan, design studio curriculum, designing buildings, experiential tool, glasses, high definition projection screens, icon lab, iel, ilab, immersive 3 d technology, immersive environments lab, model, penn state university, rooms, smart board, Technology, three dimensional space, university of missouri

*New “iLab” will allow undergraduate students to design projects in a 3-D environment*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – One of the most difficult tasks architects and interior designers face when designing buildings and rooms is visualizing exactly what their projects will look like when they are finished. Now, the University of Missouri architectural studies department has developed the Immersive Visualization Lab (iLab) to help students visualize their designs more accurately. Bimal Balakrishnan, an assistant professor of architectural studies in MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, says the iLab will be one of few labs in the country to allow undergraduate students to get hands-on experience using immersive 3-D technology to complete and test their designs as part of their design studio curriculum.

“Most university immersion labs are reserved primarily for graduate students to use for research purposes,” Balakrishnan said. “While the MU iLab will be used for research, it will also serve as an excellent teaching and experiential tool for undergraduate students.” (more…)

MU Veterinarians Find Infections Faster By Monitoring Blood Compound

By Guest PostDecember 10, 2011Scienceamy declue, antibiotics, biomarker for sepsis, blood biomarkers, blood test, death, diagnose an infection, dogs, indication of infection, infection, kara osterbur, n terminal portion, nitrite concentrations, nt pcnp, people, pet infections, pets, plasma nitrate, pro c type natriuretic peptide, sepsis, serum nt pcnp, university of missouri, veterinarian

*Blood test for dogs could lead to similar human test; severe infections kill more than half of patients*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – In pets and people, the time it takes to diagnose an infection may mean life or death. Now, a University of Missouri veterinarian is identifying ways to diagnose pet infections in approximately a third of the current diagnosis time. The resulting test could be used eventually for humans.

“Infections can be difficult to diagnose, and many veterinarians have to send samples to a lab and wait three days or more as the lab attempts to grow a culture,” said Amy DeClue, assistant professor of veterinary internal medicine in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. “Meanwhile, the infection continues to spread each day that veterinarians wait on lab results, which is detrimental to the patient. In extreme infections, called sepsis, more than half of patients die. My group has been evaluating different blood biomarkers that could give a quick and accurate indication of infection, and we believe we’ve found a biomarker that will only require a simple blood test.” (more…)