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Modeling healthier habitats on managed lands

2023-07-07

(Press-News.org) Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers developed a model framework that identifies ways to ensure wildlife can safely navigate their habitats while not unduly affecting infrastructure.

The project centered on the 32,000-acre Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, home to Department of Energy facilities and several at-risk species like the four-toed salamander.

Scientists identified habitats and simulated solutions like conservation buffers and open-bottom culverts to allow safe passage for salamanders and other wildlife, which cost far less than large-scale barrier removal and similarly boost ecological connectivity.

“Development and environmental sustainability don’t have to be at odds,” said ORNL’s Evin Carter. “Our collaborative approach with project managers and engineers shows wildlife management can be an integral part of land-use planning without introducing undue cost or delays.”

ORNL doctoral student Bryce Wade said the model also benefited from 30 years of high-resolution data available because of the reservation’s history and management as a National Environmental Research Park. — Stephanie Seay

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School nurses may be crucial to reducing childhood obesity

2023-07-07

School nurses do much more than bandage scraped knees and take temperatures. A Rutgers study, published in the journal Pediatric Nursing, suggests they also may play a key role in reducing childhood obesity. Elaine Elliott, a school nurse in Newark, teamed up with Cheryl Holly and the late Sallie Porter, professors at Rutgers University School of Nursing, to test a family-centered, school-based intervention using parents and teachers as role models for healthy eating and other behaviors. “An important reason for the success of this program was the trust nurses have with parents ...

Leading the way to cyber safety on roads and highways

2023-07-06

A new research center led by the University of Houston is helping prevent potential cyberattacks that could threaten to impede the safe and efficient movement of people and goods in the United States and throughout the world. CYBER-CARE – the Transportation Cybersecurity Center for Advanced Research and Education – is a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) University Transportation Center (UTC), Tier 1. The center is supported by a $2 million USDOT grant for its first year with anticipated total federal funding of $10 million over five years. “We all use transportation. Therefore, maintaining ...

Reduced levels of FKBP5 promote atrial fibrillation

2023-07-06

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. This serious condition occurs when the heart beats so fast that the upper chambers of the heart quiver. This irregular heartbeat can lead to severe conditions, including heart failure, dementia and a fivefold increase in the risk of stroke. AFib affects more than 33.5 million people worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing. Despite intense research to better understand AFib, the molecular mechanism underlying the progression of this condition remains poorly understood. At Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. ...

Older adults experiencing social isolation are more likely to smoke

2023-07-06

Aging brings wisdom and experience; however, for some individuals getting older can also mean health challenges, loss of friends, and decreased mobility, leading to social isolation. Both the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academy of Medicine have issued recent warnings about the growing public health concern of social isolation and loneliness and its association with premature death among the elderly. Not having anyone to call (via phone or online) or not interacting with people in the community are forms of social isolation, which affects nearly a fifth of U.S. ...

Pennington Biomedical working to give children the best chance at a healthy life

2023-07-06

BATON ROUGE – One in five children have obesity in the U.S., and even more are considered overweight. Dr. Amanda Staiano, associate professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and director of the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory, believes childhood obesity is at the top of the list for public health issues of this century because children with obesity are much more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, asthma, sleep problems and other issues. Dr. Staiano's background is in developmental psychology, and she studies how to make sure children are growing in a healthy way and in ...

Multiple factors delay timely endometriosis diagnosis, study shows

2023-07-06

Reviewing qualitative studies from the past 20 years, the researchers found a range of contributing factors including: a continuing stigma around periods; society’s normalisation of menstrual pain; and a lack of medical training about the condition. Endometriosis, which affects 10% of women globally and 1.5 million women in the UK alone, is caused by endometrial (womb) tissue growing outside the womb. It’s extremely painful, exhausting, interferes with daily life and can lead to infertility if untreated. The researchers found that women in the studies often weren’t sure if their pain was unusual or severe enough to seek treatment. ...

Food labels offer consumer choices but also confusion about animal welfare

2023-07-06

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Animal-based food products often come packaged in a wide array of information labels, including organic, natural, grass-fed, humanely raised and pasture-raised. “There’s some confusion about food labels related to animal welfare,” said Purdue University’s Marisa Erasmus, associate professor of animal sciences and a specialist in animal behavior and welfare. “It’s typically up to the consumer to do their homework and figure out what these different claims mean. Labels do provide consumers with a choice because, in theory, you can ...

Department of Energy announces $2.2 million for U.S.-Japan cooperative research in high energy physics

2023-07-06

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $2.2 million for 11 collaborative research projects in high energy physics that involve substantial collaboration with Japanese investigators. For over forty years, collaboration between U.S. and Japanese scientists has enabled progress in some of the most challenging areas in high energy physics. Working together, researchers explore the universe at the smallest and largest scales, from the most elementary constituents of matter and energy to the nature of space and time. ...

Multistakeholder collaborations are vital to advancing technologies in Parkinson’s

2023-07-06

TUCSON, Ariz., July 6, 2023 — Critical Path Institute (C-Path) and the Center for Health + Technology (CHeT) at University of Rochester today announced the release of two seminal publications about digital health technologies for Parkinson’s. These technologies, such as smartphones and wearable sensors, offer an opportunity for objective, frequent and remote assessment of people with Parkinson’s. With 10 million people living with Parkinson’s worldwide, collaboration and data sharing are crucial for driving innovation in drug development for the fastest-growing degenerative neurological condition. Research leaders at CHeT have joined ...

THC use during pregnancy linked to changes in fetal development

2023-07-06

Oregon Health & Science University researchers showed that consuming THC while pregnant could potentially affect development of the fetus and lead to life-long health impacts for offspring. The preclinical study was published today in the journal Clinical Epigenetics. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, a substance growing in popularity and availability in the United States. The prevalence of cannabis use in pregnancy is also rapidly increasing, especially during the first trimester — a time when the fetus is most vulnerable to environmental exposures — ...

Wildlife crossing guards

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