Futurity.org » Penn State

Digital divide may hang up rustic phones

Matthew Swayne-Penn State — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:25:49 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — Deregulating the communications industry may leave rural customers on the wrong side of the digital divide, according to a telecommunications expert.

“Moving away from copper lines is an example of abandoning obsolete technology and embracing technology that is faster, better, cheaper, and more convenient,” says Rob Frieden, professor of telecommunications and law at Penn State.

Limit off-label psych drugs to save, study says

Matthew Solovey-Penn State — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:15:13 +0000

PENN STATE / YALE (US) — Reducing the non-FDA-approved use of antipsychotic drugs may be a way to save money while having little effect on patient care, according to a new study.

Researchers say that 57.6 percent of patients prescribed antipsychotic medications in data from 2003 did not have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the conditions for which the drugs were approved for use. Use of medication for treatments that is not FDA-approved is called off-label use.

“Given healthcare reform and widespread crisis in state revenues, state Medicaid programs will be under pressure to serve larger patient populations, increasing their fiscal stress,” says Douglass L. Leslie, professor of public health sciences at Penn State.

Americans exercise more, but not enough

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:01:48 +0000

PENN STATE / U. MARYLAND (US) — Americans exercise almost three times more than they did 40 years ago, but still far less than the recommended four hours a week.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults aged 18 to 64 exercise moderately for 2.5 hours per week and engage in a vigorous activity, such as running and muscle strengthening, for an hour and fifteen minutes per week. The current average time Americans spend on exercise is two hours a week.

‘Hot spot’ languages are in danger, too

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:24:16 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — Biodiversity hot spots are some of the most linguistically diverse regions on the planet, accounting for 70 percent of all languages on Earth.

Hot spots are considered the most rich biologically and the most threatened locations. High biodiversity wilderness areas are those that are biologically rich but less threatened.

A better way to diagnose malnutrition

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:06:35 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — A new systematic assessment that describes malnutrition in the context of starvation, chronic disease, and/or acute disease or injury will help with diagnosis and treatment, nutritionists say.

Up to 50 percent of patients in hospitals and nursing facilities are estimated to be malnourished and although it is widespread, confusion exists in the clinical community on how to best make a diagnosis. Malnourished patients are frequently not identified as such, and those not affected are sometimes thought to be malnourished.

Parasite ‘castrates’ zombie-ant fungus

Barbara Kennedy-Penn State — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:41:31 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — Ant colonies attacked by the zombie-ant fungus can survive with the help of a second parasite that keeps the infectious spores in check.

The research, led by Penn State‘s David Hughes, reveals how the colony is able to survive infestations by the zombie-ant fungus, which invades an ant’s brain and causes it to march to its death at a mass grave near the ant colony, where the fungus spores erupt out of the ant’s head.

“In a case where biology is stranger than fiction, the parasite of the zombie-ant fungus is itself a fungus—a hyperparasitic fungus that specializes in attacking the parasite that turns the ants into zombies,” says Hughes. The research will be published in the journal PLoS ONE.

Tired surgeons can’t cope with surprise

Matthew Solovey-Penn State — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:44:58 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — Although sleep-deprived surgeons can perform familiar and new tasks as well as rested colleagues, their brains must work harder, which could lead to problems during unexpected events.

The researchers reached these conclusions using simulations to study the effects of sleepiness on surgeons.

“Particularly in surgery, simulation has become the introduction to many procedures for new residents,” says Jonathan Tomasko, a research fellow involved in surgical resident training at the Penn State College of Medicine.

Friends’ parents impact teen drinking

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:28:32 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — The parents of high school students’ friends can have as much effect on whether teens drink alcohol or use drugs as their own parents.

“Among friendship groups with ‘good parents’ there’s a synergistic effect—if your parents are consistent and aware of your whereabouts, and your friends’ parents are also consistent and aware of their (children’s) whereabouts, then you are less likely to use substances,” says Michael J. Cleveland, research assistant professor at the Prevention Research Center and the Methodology Center at Penn State.

Nearly extinct, slew of new skinks found

Barbara Kennedy-Penn State — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:24:18 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — Twenty-four new and threatened species of lizards known as skinks, all from islands in the Caribbean, have been discovered.

According to Blair Hedges, professor of biology at Penn State University and the leader of the research team, half of the newly added skink species already may be extinct or close to extinction, and all of the others on the Caribbean islands are threatened with extinction.

The researchers found that the loss of many skink species can be attributed primarily to predation by the mongoose—an invasive predatory mammal that was introduced by farmers to control rats in sugarcane fields during the late 19th century.

Starch takes the ouch out of bandages

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:28:47 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — A process that spins starch into fine strands could take the sting out of removing bandages, as well as produce less expensive and more environmentally-friendly paper products.

Researchers used a solvent to dissolve starch into a fluid that can then be spun into long strands, or fibers. These fibers can be combined and formed into paper-like mats similar to napkins, tissues, and other similar products.