Nearly a decade ago, researchers from Brigham Young University, Utah State University and Rutgers published a disheartening study revealing how discrimination in bank loan services was tainting the American Dream for minority entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, even in 2023, not much has changed. A newly published paper from this core group of authors finds banks still offer Black customers inferior loan products and service, even when those Black customers have objectively stronger financial profiles and FICO ...

EL PASO, Texas (June 21, 2023) — In 2021, agricultural activities contributed to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Now, researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso will help reduce these emissions by training farmers across the nation on climate-friendly agricultural practices. The project is supported by a new $2 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The team behind the Carbon SMART (Soil Monitoring, Assessment, Research and Training) project includes soil scientists and geochemists from UTEP as well as geomorphologists, landscape ecologists, sociologists, and environmental anthropologists from ...

Citrus cultivation holds significant importance in Japan and has recently attracted both domestic and global attention. With an agricultural production value of approximately 201 billion yen, citrus is the third most important agricultural product in Japan. The success of the Japanese citrus industry is attributed to the development of new cultivars that are free of pests and diseases, climate-resilient, and exhibit superior fruit quality. Notable examples include 'Asumi', 'Asuki', 'Ehimekashidai28go', 'Ehimekashidai48go', 'Himekoharu', 'Kanpei', 'Rinoka', and 'Mihaya', all of which display improved agricultural ...

Alexandria, VA, USA – A study seeking to understand the perspectives of decision-makers (DMs) working within health fields in First Nations (FNs) communities in Canada regarding the use of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as an early childhood caries (ECC) management strategy will be presented at the 101st General Session of the IADR, which will be held in conjunction with the 9th Meeting of the Latin American Region and the 12th World Congress on Preventive Dentistry on June 21-24, 2023, in Bogotá, ...

IOP Publishing (IOPP) is rolling-out a new co-review policy across its entire owned journal portfolio as part of its commitment to ensuring an inclusive and supportive review process.   Early career researchers (ECRs) often support more experienced academics by contributing ideas or comments to peer review reports. Yet, according to a survey, 70% of ECRs say that their name was withheld from the editorial staff after they served as a reviewer or co-reviewer on a report, and they received no official recognition for their work.   IOPP’s ...

New research published in the Journal of Internal Medicine demonstrates that optogenetics—which uses light-sensitive proteins to control the activity of targeted cells—is a promising shock-free approach to treating atrial fibrillation (AF), or an irregular, often rapid heart rate, for immediate restoration of regular rhythm. Current treatments for AF—including medications and shocks to restore a regular heart rhythm—come with low success rates and/or serious side effects. ...

An analysis of published studies suggests that humor therapy may lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety. For the analysis, which is published in Brain and Behavior, investigators identified 29 relevant studies that included a total of 2,964 participants and were conducted in nine different countries. Participants had depression or anxiety and included children undergoing surgery or anesthesia; older people in nursing homes; patients with Parkinson's disease, cancer, mental illness, or receiving dialysis; retired women; and college ...

An article in GCB Bioenergy describes why bamboo may be an attractive resource in efforts to develop environmentally friendly renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. The authors note that bamboo grows rapidly, absorbs carbon dioxide, and releases large amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere. They describe various processes—such as fermentation and pyrolysis—that can be performed to convert its raw material into bioethanol, biogas, and other bioenergy products. A tool with limitations is currently available for selecting the most appropriate bamboo species ...

The global burden of disease associated with water insecurity has traditionally focused on diarrheal disease as the most significant driver of infant and child mortality. However, a review in WIREs Water notes that there are many other ways that water insecurity can have adverse health and social consequences for children. Inadequate or unsafe household water can have a range of health effects in children from infancy to late adolescence. Household water insecurity can spread disease, cause interruptions to growth and development, lead to school absenteeism and interpersonal violence, and contribute to other aspects of children’s mental and physical health. “Because ...

A review in Clinical & Experimental Allergy highlights a problematic relationship between the infant formula industry and allergy health professionals. The authors express concern that this could undermine breastfeeding in countries such as India, whose allergy management practices are often extrapolated from guidance developed in high-income countries with low breastfeeding rates. The article by international experts in infant nutrition and allergy health documents the high rate of breastfeeding in India, where one-quarter ...

Higher testosterone levels during adolescence are associated with increased involvement of the brain’s anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) in emotion control, but the opposite effect occurs during adulthood. In a study published in Developmental Science, researchers investigated this switch by conducting brain imaging scans in the same individuals during middle adolescence, late adolescence, and young adulthood. The study, which included 71 participants, demonstrated that the positive effect of testosterone ...

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- New species continue to evolve the world over, as different groups of organisms separate and take divergent paths. What happens when you add climate change to the mix? That’s the question Thomas H.Q. Powell, assistant professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and his lab seek to answer in “Contrasting effects of warming in diverging insects,” recently published in Ecology Letters. In the 1850s, the apple maggot fly — a major agricultural pest ...

In a new study, researchers from North Carolina State University detected elevated PFAS levels in the blood of pet dogs and horses from Gray’s Creek, N.C. – including dogs that only drank bottled water. The work establishes horses as an important sentinel species and is a step toward investigating connections between PFAS exposure and liver and kidney function in dogs and horses. The study included 31 dogs and 32 horses from the community, and was conducted at the behest of community members concerned about their pets’ well-being. All of the households in the ...

Osaka, Japan – Lymphangiogenesis refers to the formation and remodeling of lymphatic vessels (a network of thin tubes that carry lymph in the lymphatic system), and it supports the transport of molecules and immune cells around the body. Recently, a team led by researchers at Osaka University has uncovered important insights into lymphatic cell migration and lymphatic vessel remodeling. Polydom (or SVEP1) is a kind of protein that is essential for making new lymphatic vessels; this is known because mice that do not express this protein have problems with lymphatic ...

 A research team led by Dr. Ji-Hoon Lee of the Department of Hydrogen Energy Material at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) developed a three-dimensional porous carbon-based current collector material and applied it to secondary batteries and supercapacitors to improve energy density and lifespan at the same time with Prof. Insuk Choi at Seoul National University and Prof. Jungho Shin at Gangneung-Wonju National University. KIMS is a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT.  A current ...

Alcohol-related deaths rose disproportionately quickly in the US among Black, Hispanic, Asian and American-Indian/Alaska Native populations at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows.    Detailed in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the peer-reviewed analysis of official data revealed that while the rate of deaths that can be directly attributed to alcohol increased sharply overall, there were stark ethnic and racial disparities.    “Racial and ethnic minority groups experienced disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, fear of Covid and financial strain during the pandemic,” says ...

Around 20% of women who needed fertility treatment, such as IVF, to conceive their first child are likely to get pregnant naturally in the future, finds a new UCL study. The first-of-its-kind research, published in Human Reproduction, analysed data from 11 studies of over 5,000 women around the world between 1980 and 2021, to evaluate how common it is to get pregnant naturally after having a baby conceived by fertility treatment. They found that at least one in five women conceived naturally after having had a baby using fertility treatment such as IVF mostly within 3 years. This figure remained unchanged, even when taking into account the different ...

A new study in rats suggests that xylazine, the active ingredient in a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use, can worsen the life-threatening effects of opioids. The findings imply that when used in combination with opioid drugs such as fentanyl and heroin, xylazine may damage the ability of the brain to get enough oxygen, which is one of the most dangerous effects of opioid drugs and can lead to death. The study, published in Psychopharmacology, was led by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Research has shown xylazine is ...

Press release: Under embargo until Wednesday 21 June 2023, 01.00 BST New research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has found that community mental health patients who were prescribed antidepressants were significantly less likely to test positive for COVID-19 when admitted to inpatient care. The research, published in BMC Medicine, suggests that antidepressants – particularly the most commonly prescribed class called selective serotonin ...

ROCKVILLE, MD - The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to welcome Jennifer Covington as the Society’s Vice President of Membership and Meetings, an exciting and critical role for the Society as it looks ahead to an evolving landscape for scientific meetings and society membership. As Vice President of Membership and Meetings, Ms. Covington will oversee the development of revenue and results-oriented products and services in the membership, conference, and educational areas. Her responsibilities include the development of online and in-person conferences, workshops, and webinars; digital ...

The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2023 awards, which honor distinction in service, outreach, education, and research. ASPB Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology Renata Bolognesi, Stanislaw Flasinski, Sergey Ivashuta, Daniel Kendrick, Curtis Scherder, Gerrit Segers Bayer, Chesterfield, Missouri Charles Albert Shull Award José Dinneny Stanford University, Stanford, California Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award John Browse Washington State University, Pullman Natasha Raikhel University of California, Riverside Early Career Award Moisés Expósito-Alonso Carnegie Institute ...

The rate of eating disorder diagnoses among girls aged 13–16-years-old in the UK during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (from March 2020–March 2022) was 42% higher than the expected rate based on previous trends, suggests a study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal. The rate of self-harm diagnoses in the same cohort was 38% higher than the expected rate for the two-year period. As the largest and most targeted nationwide study in the adolescent population, and the first to cover two years of the pandemic, these findings are the best available evidence on eating disorder and self-harm diagnoses among young ...

Introducing widespread screening of newborns for a deadly disease called severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID, followed by early treatment boosted the five-year survival rate of children with the disorder from 73% before the advent of screening to 87% since, researchers report. Among children whose disease was suspected because of newborn screening rather than illness or family history, 92.5% survived five years or more after treatment. These findings demonstrate for the first time that newborn screening facilitated the early identification of infants with SCID, leading to prompt ...

The sustainability and scalability of limited duration interventions in low- and middle-income countries remain unclear. A study published in The Lancet Global Health aimed to investigate the sustainability in reduction of blood pressure (BP) through a 12-month lifestyle intervention by community health workers (CHWs) to reduce BP in Nepal four years after the intervention ceased. During the 12-month intervention, female community health volunteers (FCHVs) visited participants in the intervention groups and provided lifestyle counselling and BP measurement every 4 months. At the end of the 12-month intervention, ...

Exposure to air pollution meant an average of around four extra days in hospital for Covid-19 patients, further increasing the burden on health care systems, according to a study published today (Wednesday) in the European Respiratory Journal [1].   The researchers say the effect of pollution on patients’ time in hospital was equivalent to being a decade older. Conversely, the effect of reducing exposure to pollution was 40 to 80% as effective in reducing patients’ time in hospital as some of the best available treatments.   In ...