PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Two-part special issue of Ergonomics in Design highlights climate change

2014-04-29
(Press-News.org) Human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) experts, like professionals in many other scientific domains, have joined the fight against global warming and climate change. Their research and practice focus on finding ways to combat or minimize its serious effects.

A special two-part issue of Ergonomics in Design examines how HF/E professionals can continue working to mitigate this worldwide phenomenon. Part 1 of the special issue, guest edited by Ken Nemire, is now available online and may be found at http://erg.sagepub.com/.

"With recent research indicating we stay close to a maximum global warming of 1°C (now at 0.8°C) to prevent the most disastrous consequences of global warming, the articles in this special issue point the way to immediate changes to research, standards, and regulations that may involve HF/E practitioners," said Nemire.

The following is a sampling of articles from researchers in Canada, South Africa, and the United States that are included in Part 1 of the special issue:

"Green Ergonomics and Green Buildings" "Feedback Design Heuristics for Energy Conservation: New Opportunities for the Human Factors Practitioner" "A Transdisciplinary Perspective on Hedonomic Sustainability" "Bicycle Promotion as a Response to Climate Change"

"Substantially more research and effort is needed to redesign our behavior, our products and our cities to prevent the most disastrous consequences of global warming," said Nemire. "It is clear that much more effort at corporate and governmental levels, such as stricter regulations and standards as well as greater funding for research and development of new technologies, is needed now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

INFORMATION:

To obtain copies of articles for media reporting purposes, contact HFES Communications Director Lois Smith (lois@hfes.org; 310/394-1811).

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is the world's largest nonprofit individual-member, multidisciplinary scientific association for human factors/ergonomics professionals, with more than 4,800 members globally. HFES members include psychologists and other scientists, designers, and engineers, all of whom have a common interest in designing systems and equipment to be safe and effective for the people who operate and maintain them. "Human Factors and Ergonomics: People-Friendly Design Through Science and Engineering"

Plan to attend the HFES 2014 International Annual Meeting, October 27-31, Hyatt Regency Chicago.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NRL researchers develop harder ceramic for armor windows

NRL researchers develop harder ceramic for armor windows
2014-04-29
The Department of Defense needs materials for armor windows that provide essential protection for both personnel and equipment while still having a high degree of transparency. To meet that need, scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have developed a method to fabricate nanocrystalline spinel that is 50% harder than the current spinel armor materials used in military vehicles. With the highest reported hardness for spinel, NRL's nanocrystalline spinel demonstrates that the hardness of transparent ceramics can be increased simply by reducing the grain size to ...

Saving crops and people with bug sensors

Saving crops and people with bug sensors
2014-04-29
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) — University of California, Riverside researchers have created a method that can classify different species of insects with up to 99 percent accuracy, a development that could help farmers protect their crops from insect damage and limit the spread of insect-borne diseases, such as malaria and Dengue fever. Over the past 60 years, insect classification research has been limited by factors including an overreliance on acoustic sensing devices, a heavy focus on wingbeat frequency and limited data. The UC Riverside researchers overcame ...

The Strangler: The chemistry behind the Game of Thrones poison (video)

The Strangler: The chemistry behind the Game of Thrones poison (video)
2014-04-29
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2014 — Game of Thrones gave us a shock with the Purple Wedding and now everyone is asking: "Who poisoned King Joffrey?" While the search for the killer continues, the American Chemical Society's latest Reactions video focuses on what killed the hated king. The video is available at http://youtu.be/6UNEpRXcxM4 Chemist Raychelle Burks, Ph.D., of Doane College helps us narrow down the suspects in her charismatic style, blending pop culture and chemistry. "Sometimes science gets a bad rap. People think it's dry or super serious," Burks says. "Pop culture ...

Information technology can simplify weight-loss efforts; social support still important for success

2014-04-29
COLUMBIA, Mo. – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 69 percent of adults in the United States are currently overweight or obese, which puts these individuals at increased risk for chronic health problems. Although weight loss decreases this risk, statistics show that dieters often fail multiple times before meeting their goals. Now, MU researchers have found that information technology, such as smartphone applications, can help dieters integrate healthy behavior changes into their daily lives. "Current weight loss recommendations are essentially ...

Immunogenic mutations in tumor genomes correlate with increased patient survival

2014-04-29
April 29, 2014 – Developing immunotherapies for cancer is challenging because of significant variability among tumors and diversity in human immune types. In a study published online today in Genome Research, researchers examined the largest collection of tumor samples to date to predict patient-specific tumor mutations that may activate the patient's immune system, paving the way for more successful, personalized cancer immunotherapy. Tumor cells accrue mutations in their DNA, and as these mutations accumulate, the cell looks less and less like part of the body and more ...

Vitamin D may raise survival rates among cancer patients

2014-04-29
Washington, DC—Cancer patients who have higher levels of vitamin D when they are diagnosed tend to have better survival rates and remain in remission longer than patients who are vitamin D-deficient, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The body naturally produces vitamin D after exposure to sunlight and absorbs it from certain foods. In addition to helping the body absorb the calcium and phosphorus needed for healthy bones, vitamin D affects a variety of biological processes by binding to ...

Study: WHO tool underestimates need for osteoporosis treatment

2014-04-29
Washington, DC—The World Health Organization's tool for assessing bone fracture risk underestimates the true dangers for people who are younger than 65 or have been treated for a single broken bone, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). A WHO task force developed the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) to help predict the likelihood of adults between the ages of 40 and 90 breaking a bone. FRAX is designed to evaluate the chances that a person will break a bone in a minor fall, which is called ...

Declines in large wildlife lead to increases in disease risk

Declines in large wildlife lead to increases in disease risk
2014-04-29
In the Middle Ages, fleas carried by rats were responsible for spreading the Black Plague. Today in East Africa, they remain important vectors of plague and many other diseases, including Bartonellosis, a potentially dangerous human pathogen. Research by Hillary Young, assistant professor in UC Santa Barbara's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, directly links large wildlife decline to an increased risk of human disease via changes in rodent populations. The findings appear today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Online Edition. With ...

Chronic stress heightens vulnerability to diet-related metabolic risk

2014-04-29
New research out of UC San Francisco is the first to demonstrate that highly stressed people who eat a lot of high-fat, high-sugar food are more prone to health risks than low-stress people who eat the same amount of unhealthy food. "Chronic stress can play an important role in influencing biology, and it's critical to understand the exact pathways through which it works." said Kirstin Aschbacher, PhD, an assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and lead author. "Many people think a calorie is a calorie, but this study suggests that two women who eat the ...

GWAS study ties ABCC9 anomalies, sulfonylurea exposure to HS-Aging

2014-04-29
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2014) -- A genome-wide association study (GWAS) led by Peter Nelson, MD, PhD, of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky, and David Fardo, PhD, of UK's Department of Biostatistics, has provided new insight into Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging (HS-A), a common disease affecting the elderly. Researchers from 16 different institutions compared 363 persons with autopsy-proven HS-A to a control group of 2,303 other individuals in an attempt to identify genetic predisposition to HS-Aging. Dr. Nelson and his team found that ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cesarean delivery linked to higher risk of pain and sleep problems after childbirth

New global burden of disease study: Mortality declines, youth deaths rise, widening health inequities

Chemobiological platform enables renewable conversion of sugars into core aromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum

Individualized perioperative blood pressure management in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery

Proactive vs reactive treatment of hypotension during surgery

Different types of depression linked to different cardiometabolic diseases

Ketogenic diet may protect against stress experienced in the womb

Adults 65 years and older not immune to the opioid epidemic, new study finds

Artificial intelligence emerging as powerful patient safety tool in pediatric anesthesia

Mother’s ZIP code, lack of access to prenatal care can negatively impact baby’s health at birth, new studies show

American Society of Anesthesiologists honors John M. Zerwas, M.D., FASA, with Distinguished Service Award

A centimeter-scale quadruped piezoelectric robot with high integration and strong robustness

Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander

Research gives insight into effect of neurodegenerative diseases on speech rhythm

Biochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

The playbook for perfect polaritons

‘Disease in a dish’ study of progressive MS finds critical role for unusual type of brain cell

[Press-News.org] Two-part special issue of Ergonomics in Design highlights climate change