Fights between siblings about simple things, like whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher, aren't harmless. Rather, such fights are about equality and fairness, and they can lead to depression, according to a new study. The longitudinal research, by researchers at the University of Missouri, appears in the journal Child Development. Although teen siblings fight about a lot of different issues, many of their fights can be categorized as being about equality and fairness (for example, whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher) or invasion of personal space (for example, ...

Low-income teenagers who have supportive role models and engage in adaptive strategies have lower levels of a marker for cardiovascular risk than low-income teens without such resources, according to a new study. The study, by researchers at Northwestern University and the University of British Columbia, is published in the journal Child Development. "Low socioeconomic status is one of the strongest determinants of chronic disease in developed countries," notes Edith Chen, professor of psychology and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern ...

It's not how smart students are but how motivated they are and how they study that determines their growth in math achievement. That's the main finding of a new study that appears in the journal Child Development. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Munich and the University of Bielefeld. "While intelligence as assessed by IQ tests is important in the early stages of developing mathematical competence, motivation and study skills play a more important role in students' subsequent growth," according to Kou Murayama, postdoctoral researcher of ...

Toddlers with more developed language skills are better able to manage frustration and less likely to express anger by the time they're in preschool. That's the conclusion of a new longitudinal study from researchers at the Pennsylvania State University that appears in the journal Child Development. "This is the first longitudinal evidence of early language abilities predicting later aspects of anger regulation," according to Pamela M. Cole, liberal arts research professor of psychology and human development and family studies at Pennsylvania State University, who was ...

Familiar categories whose members appear in orderly sequences are processed differently than others in the brain, according to new research published by David Eagleman in the open access journal Frontiers in Neuroscience on December 20th, 2012. The study suggests that ordinal sequences have a strong spatial quality and activate a region of the brain not thought to be directly involved in language acquisition and production. Also, sequences shown in the correct order stimulated less brain activity in comparison to sequences that were not in the correct order, implying that ...

Pina Fratamico is on the quest to find the easiest and fastest way to test for harmful Escherichia coli in ground beef. In an article published in Frontiers in Microbiology on the 20th of December, she explores using a next-generation real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system to discover specific gene targets that indicate the presence of dangerous foodborne pathogens. The results show that assays performed using this PCR system are rapid, sensitive, and reliable. "Testing using these types of systems is faster, easier, and more reproducible than previous methods, ...

WASHINGTON — Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center say they have new evidence that challenges scientific dogma involving two fatal neurodegenerative diseases — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) — and, in the process, have uncovered a possible therapeutic target as a novel strategy to treat both disorders. The study, posted online today in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, found that the issue in both diseases is the inability of the cell's protein garbage disposal system to "pull out" and destroy TDP-43, a powerful, ...

Holiday presents will soon be under the tree for millions of adolescents. With those gifts may come sibling squabbles over violations of personal space, such as unwanted borrowing of a fashionable clothing item, or arguments over fairness, such as whose turn it is to play a new video game. Those squabbles represent two specific types of sibling conflict that can have different effects on a youth's emotional health, according to a multi-year study by a University of Missouri psychologist. With these findings, parents can learn how to bring peace to the home and encourage ...

(Philadelphia, PA) – By all accounts, a combination of colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure can be a recipe for medical disaster. Now, a new study led by a surgical oncologist and researcher at Temple University School of Medicine and Fox Chase Cancer Center has shown just how deadly this mix can be. In a retrospective analysis of more than 36,000 patients with colon cancer, investigators showed that those with early stage disease and diabetes or high blood pressure – two components of metabolic syndrome – have a greater risk for the cancer returning after treatment ...

Your primary care physician may be your first choice for assistance with most health-related issues, but according a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, primary care physicians agree they may not be the best health care professionals to give weight related counseling. Researchers examined primary care physician perspectives on the causes of and solutions to obesity care and identified differences in these perspectives by number of years since completion of medical school. They found that only 44 percent of primary care physicians ...

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on-the-job fatalities fell slightly last year to a total of 4,609, down from 4,690 workplace deaths in 2010. A recent CNN report on the nation's most dangerous occupations touched on several industries that employ many people in and around Houston, Texas. Fishermen Although conditions have improved in the fishing industry over the past several years, professional fishermen still lost their lives at a rate of 121.2 per 100,000 workers in 2011, according to BLS data. In comparison, the average fatality rate for ...

Federal Study: More Teens Texting Behind the Wheel A new study shows that a disturbing number of teens are texting while driving, despite the dangers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that while more teens are wearing seatbelts and fewer are drinking while driving, the number who admit to texting while driving is increasing rapidly. According to the CDC, nearly 60 percent of high school seniors and over 40 percent of juniors admitted to texting or emailing while driving in the month prior to the survey. Over 15,000 teens from public and private ...

Car-Bicycle Accidents Still a Danger on the Road Unfortunately, thousands of people are seriously injured or killed in motor vehicle and bicycle collisions each year. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, 51,000 bicyclists were injured and more than 600 died in bicycle-motor vehicle crashes in 2009, the most recent year for which data is available. Recognizing the problem of bicycle accidents, Wisconsin developed a program called Enforcement for Bicycle Safety, which is designed to teach police officers the fundamentals of Wisconsin bicycle ...

New insurance guides help Ohio residents choose the best coverage The Ohio Department of Insurance now provides consumers with insurance guides that help them choose the best insurance coverage for auto, homeowners, health, life and Medicare insurance. The guides are detailed but easy to understand. According to the Department of Insurance director, the goal of the guides is to provide Ohio residents with the information necessary to make informed decisions on insurance policies. The guides available include: -Automobile insurance. The auto insurance guide provides ...

Family limited partnerships can reduce estate taxes and pass a business A family limited partnership is a good idea for passing on a family-owned business or real estate holdings. Business succession planning is one of the most important and difficult aspects of leaving an estate to a younger generation. Carrying on the business to future generations is emotional, but estate planning, financial considerations and legal structure of the business must all be taken into account as well. Having a fully realized succession plan can minimize financial strain on the business ...

New drug may improve outcomes for victims of traumatic brain injury A new study reveals how a new delivery system for the drug Etanercept may improve the physical and mental health of those struggling with a traumatic brain injury up to 115 months after the injury occurred. Research shows drug may improve outcomes The Institute for Neurological Recovery has completed a study, published this October, of over 629 people who suffered a stroke or TBI. The study took place over two years. The researchers found statistically significant evidence that a new delivery of ...

Florida homeowners to benefit from national mortgage settlement A $25 billion settlement has been reached between 49 states and the nation's five largest banks, which will help homeowners across the country with loan reductions, refinancing and cash payments for those who lost their homes between 2008 and 2011 due to fraudulent bank practices. The settlement is likely to affect tens of thousands of Sunshine State residents. How Florida's share of the settlement money will be distributed Florida will receive $8.4 billion of the $25 billion national award. This is ...

Realty-Trac numbers show fluctuating foreclosure activity over past year Data from the real estate research firm Realty-Trac shows a housing market still struggling with foreclosures and bank-owned homes. Some believe the increase in foreclosures is a sign that the nation's banks and mortgage servicers are more confident in new mortgage and foreclosure rules and are willing to begin the foreclosure process on distressed properties. Late 2011 by the numbers In the fourth quarter of 2011, about 24 percent of all home sales in the United States were sales of foreclosed ...

Drug-sniffing dog cases heard by US Supreme Court Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases involving drug-sniffing dogs. The decisions made by the justices will affect the interpretation of the Fourth Amendment's protection against "unreasonable searches and seizures" when it comes to searches outside of vehicles and homes. Florida v. Jardines and Florida v. Harris: The facts The first case the justices heard, Florida v. Jardines, deals with allowing dogs trained to detect certain drugs to sniff outside of a person's home. In ...

Can police force a DUI suspect to provide a blood sample? This term the United States Supreme Court will hear several criminal procedure cases. One of these cases may change how some states collect evidence in DUI cases. The question the Justices must answer is whether a law enforcement officer must obtain a search warrant before forcibly drawing a suspect's blood to determine his or her blood alcohol content. Each state has slightly different impaired driving laws. In Maryland, for example, law enforcement officers need to obtain a warrant from a judge or a prosecutor ...

Louisiana law enforcement cracking down on texting while driving The next time that your cellphone beeps or vibrates while you are driving on the highway, you might want to resist the temptation to read or answer the text message, because it could cost you. Louisiana State Troopers recently announced that their officers are out in full force to enforce the law against texting while driving. The law enforcement agency said that they will use a combination of marked and unmarked vehicles to ferret out texting drivers. The unmarked vehicle will look for evidence of texting ...

The risk and liability of deadly hit-and-run accidents in Sacramento In California, it is illegal to leave the scene of a car accident or pedestrian accident. Despite this law, drivers often flee the scene of accidents they have caused. The Sacramento area has seen a series of fatal hit-and-run accidents in the last few months, including: -In the first week of December, a pedestrian was killed in Vacaville when he was struck by a pickup truck that fled the scene of the accident. -In November, a 61-year-old female bicyclist died from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run ...

Items to include in a commercial lease agreement Pennsylvania small business owners know the importance of a proper work space. Often, small business owners rent workspace. There are several factors to consider when signing a commercial lease agreement. A commercial lease is a contract between a landlord and a business for rental of a piece of property. Business owners often choose a commercial lease over purchasing property because it requires less capital. Differences between commercial leases and residential leases Commercial leases are different from residential ...

Selling a business? How to determine its value There comes a time in the lives of many Pennsylvania business owners when they have to consider selling their business. Whether this is a joyous occasion or not, it is important to understand how a business is valued. Otherwise, business owners could be getting less than they deserve. Valuing a business There are many factors that go into valuing a business, and sometimes the calculations are more important than the actual numerical result itself. One important factor that goes into valuing a business is the profits. ...

Who will make your health care decisions if you can't? What would happen if loved ones suddenly could not make decisions for themselves? Who would make these decisions? What kinds of decisions would they be able to make? These are overwhelming questions to think about, but they are important ones. Texas residents thinking about these questions may want to consider making an advance directive. What is an advance directive? Texas offers advance directives to its citizens. These allow people to officially communicate their health care decisions in the event that they ...