Pretty much everybody thinks they're better than average. But in some cultures, people are more self-aggrandizing than in others. Until now, national differences in "self-enhancement" have been chalked up to an East-West individualism-versus-collectivism divide. In the West, where people value independence, personal success, and uniqueness, psychologists have said, self-inflation is more rampant. In the East, where interdependence, harmony, and belonging are valued, modesty prevails. Now an analysis of data gathered from 1,625 people in 15 culturally diverse countries ...

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, August 23, 2011—Researchers at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory have set a new world record for the strongest magnetic field produced by a nondestructive magnet. The scientists achieved a field of 92.5 tesla on Thursday, August 18, taking back a record that had been held by a team of German scientists and then, the following day, surpassed their achievement with a whopping 97.4-tesla field. For perspective, Earth's magnetic field is 0.0004 tesla, while a junk-yard magnet is 1 ...

The carnage on America's roads is so constant that it's easy to become desensitized it. It's important, however, to take a moment and ponder the scale of the pain -- and consider what can be done to lessen the terrible toll. In 2010, an estimated 32,788 people died in car accidents. These numbers represented a slight reduction from the year before, in which more than 33,000 people were killed and over two million more were injured in traffic-related crashes. Even so, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its participation in the United Nations' ...

Graphene, considered the most exciting new material under study in the world of nanotechnology, just got even more interesting, according to a new study by a group of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. The new findings -- that graphene has surprisingly powerful adhesion qualities -- are expected to help guide the development of graphene manufacturing and of graphene-based mechanical devices such as resonators and gas separation membranes, according to the CU-Boulder team. The experimentsshowed that the extreme flexibility of graphene allows it to conform ...

The state of Indiana is still recovering from the tragic stage collapse that caused the death of five people and seriously injured over 40 others. More than anything people want answers as to how such a terrible accident could occur. The collapse happened at the Indiana State Fair last Saturday before the band Sugarland was set to perform before about 12,000 fans. Unexpected 60-70 mph winds were initially blamed for the fatal concert stage collapse, although investigations have been ongoing. Concerns About Independence Earlier this week questions were raised, however, ...

A fundamental new discovery about how nerve cells in the brain store and release tiny sacs filled with chemicals may radically alter the way scientists think about neurotransmission – the electrical signaling in the brain that enables everything from the way we move, to how we remember and sense the world. According to the scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) who conducted the research, the discovery doesn't change the players involved so much as it reveals that the rules of the game are very different than previously assumed. Better understanding ...

On Sept. 1, 2011, a number of new modifications to the Texas traffic code take effect. Not surprisingly, this means more restrictions for some Texas drivers. However, the thrust of the new laws actually allows for greater freedom on Texas roadways. Young Drivers' Cell Phone Ban Currently, those Texans granted a provisional license are prohibited from using a cellular phone in any capacity (both talking and texting) for the first 12 months. After Sept. 1, the cell phone ban will be strengthened to include every driver under the age of 18. Increased Speed limits Texas ...

Coral Gables, FL (August 23, 2011) – As firms begin the 2011 annual report process, which many do at this time of year, they may want to pay closer attention to the way those reports look. A recent study out of the University of Miami School of Business Administration found that investors, regardless of their experience, place a higher value on firms with attractive annual reports than they do on those that produce less attractive reports. The study found that annual reports that utilize more color are perceived to have at least one percent higher annual revenues than ...

Most of us are familiar with the so-called "black boxes" used in airplanes that often capture information pointing to the cause of a crash. However, not everyone is aware that similar technology is available for automobiles. In fact, if you have purchased a new car within the last few years, it is likely an event data recorder ("EDR") is already keeping track of your driving habits. Now, a new rule proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") could mandate that all vehicles contain EDRs. Benefits of Event Data ...

JUPITER, FL, August 23, 2011 – In a joint research effort with researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and with help from scientists at The University of Pennsylvania, The University of Minnesota, and the National Institutes of Health, investigators from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have defined a specific protein complex that allows cells to rid themselves of damaged mitochondria, which are the energy producing machines of the cell. "This protein complex is already being targeted in cancer therapeutics," said John Cleveland, chair ...

Every year, GMAC Insurance, one of the largest auto insurers in the United States, conducts a study that examines drivers' knowledge of the rules of the road. The GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test has become a widely-respected litmus test of the general state of safe conduct on the nation's highways. This year's results, although a marginal improvement over 2010, still reveal a sorely-lacking emphasis on care behind the wheel for a large segment of American motorists. Nearly One Fifth of Drivers Would Be Unable to Pass Written Test In 2011, 5,130 licensed drivers ...

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently approved the use of certain forms to be used in uncontested divorces throughout the state. Where litigants do not own real property or have minor children, they will be able to use plain-language forms to facilitate simple divorces. The Court incorporated a new rule making the forms acceptable in all Tennessee family courts beginning September 1, 2011. The forms will help parties in filing an "agreed divorce," which is also known as an uncontested divorce. The instructions that will accompany the forms will cover a range ...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which affects more than 1 million patients in North America, results from an uncontrolled immune response triggered by environmental factors, such as bacteria, in people genetically predisposed to the disorder. Ulcerative colitis, or inflammation of the lining of the colon, is one such condition. The aberrant immune response found in IBD is prompted by different cytokines – small signaling proteins secreted by various cells, including immune cells – that activate the immune system, causing chronic inflammation. Now researchers led ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Assembling chemicals can be like putting together a puzzle. University of Illinois chemists have developed a way of fitting the pieces together to more efficiently build complex molecules, beginning with a powerful and promising antioxidant. Led by chemistry professor Martin Burke, the team published its research on the cover of the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie. Burke's group is known for developing a synthesis technique called iterative cross-coupling (ICC) that uses simple, stable chemical "building blocks" sequentially joined in a repetitive ...

The approach of autumn means one thing for Wisconsin farmers -- harvest season. For most farmers this means picking corn or soy beans, for others it means harvesting marijuana. Following two busts of large-scale marijuana grow operations in the last two years, it appears that Wisconsin law enforcement officers are keeping a close watch on possible marijuana grow operations. Both busts involved the seizure of tens-of-thousands of marijuana plants -- with street values in the millions of dollars -- grown in remote corners of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Northern ...

Sunbathers have long known that melanin in their skin cells provides protection from the damage caused by visible and ultraviolet light. More recent studies have shown that melanin, which is produced by multitudes of the planet's life forms, also gives some species protection from ionizing radiation. In certain microbes, in particular some organisms from near the former nuclear reactor facilities in Chernobyl, melanin has even been linked to increased growth in the presence of ionizing radiation. Research at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River National ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new physics-based theory could give researchers a deeper understanding of the unusual, slow dynamics of liquids composed of large polymers. This advance provides a better picture of how polymer molecules respond under fast-flow, high-stress processing conditions for plastics and other polymeric materials. Kenneth S. Schweizer, the G. Ronald and Margaret H. Professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, and graduate student Daniel Sussman published their findings in the journal Physical Review Letters. "This is the first ...

Many Americans are currently experiencing financial setbacks due to stagnant economic conditions. For some, this means child support payment amounts that were once manageable are becoming burdensome. Fortunately, there is a well-defined process facilitated by Arizona courts that can help you lower your child support load. In Arizona, only the Superior Court can legally change the payments required by a child support order and either parent may request a modification from the court. Changes to the income stream of one or both parent, changes in the costs of medical insurance ...

Now that the NFL lockout is over, football fans across the nation are excited for the upcoming season. One of the last issues to be resolved was the ability for players to file workers' compensation claims in states where their team is not based. This was a particularly thorny issue that owners did not want to concede. Because of the speed and violent collisions inherent to professional football, NFL players get injured on the job much like any other employee and they have the opportunity to file for workers' compensation. Since injuries are large part of the game, owners ...

State governments, including California as well as others in Canada and the United Kingdom, pour hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into major motion pictures that depict smoking -- leading to thousands of new teen smokers every year, a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researcher has found. According to a survey published in PLoS Medicine, those subsidies, along with government inaction on stricter ratings for movies that depict smoking, also promote youth smoking and undermine tobacco control efforts. In California, approximately 70 percent of all ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – 79 million American adults have prediabetes and will likely develop diabetes later in life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to grow, researchers are focusing on discovering why the prevalence of the disease is increasing. John Thyfault, an assistant professor in MU's departments of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and Internal Medicine, has found that ceasing regular physical activity impairs glycemic control (control of blood sugar levels), suggesting that inactivity ...

Until the last twenty years or so, most creditors didn't bother trying to collecting on old debts because the payments they received were rarely worth the trouble it took to collect them. Times have changed, however, and collecting on past due accounts is now a robust and highly profitable industry. For consumers, the rise of the debt collection industry means that that even very old debts can be extremely difficult to leave behind. Even if an original creditor gives up on trying to collect on a debt, it may sell the debt to a collection agency for a fraction of the ...

An extreme form of pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) takes a heavy toll on thousands of women each year and can lead to hospitalization and pregnancy termination. But new research suggests pregnant women are not the only victims. A joint study by UCLA and the University of Southern California has found that children whose mothers suffered from HG while carrying them were 3.6 times more likely to suffer from anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression in adulthood than individuals whose mothers did not have the condition. HG sends ...

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite has been busy measuring rainfall within Hurricane Irene, and forecasts call for between 5 and 10 inches in the southeastern and central Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands as Irene moves toward them today. It's been a busy season so far in terms of tropical storms with seven named storms already in the Atlantic basin; however, none of them have had a very large impact as they have either been small, short-lived or remained at sea and none of them have intensified into a hurricane until now. Irene, which originated from ...

Relatives of people with special needs often worry about who will care for their disabled loved ones when they are gone. One way that concerned family members can plan for their disabled relatives' futures is by creating a Special Needs Trust. But, people need careful estate planning to make sure that such trusts do not disqualify their loved ones from receiving public benefits, either at the time they establish the special needs trust or in the future should the trust beneficiary get money from another source. Special Needs Trusts A special needs trust is a flexible ...