Pandemic changed perceptions of masked faces
(Hokkaido University) The Covid-19 pandemic has improved perceptions of facial attractiveness and healthiness of people wearing face masks in Japan. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 21, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Study uncovers factors linked to radical attitudes and intentions
(Wiley) A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Campbell Systematic Reviews identified and examined more than 100 risk and protective factors for radical attitudes, intentions, and behaviors (including terrorism) in democratic countries. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 21, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Innovative program entertains and teaches children about fish migration
(Wiley) It's important to communicate about hard-to-see and complex environmental topics and issues with young people. In an article published in People and Nature, an international team reflects on the group's creation of the Shout Trout Workout, a lyric poem, comic, and music video for children aged 8-14 years old designed to entertain, engage, and enrich learning about migratory fishes and aquatic environments. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 21, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Firms connected to the Mafia have lower profitability and more likely to go bust
(Bocconi University) New research unveils that firms connected to organized crime have lower return on assets, higher debt, lower cash holdings and are more likely to default. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 21, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

New study shows transcendental meditation reduces emotional stress and improves academics
(Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education) Students who participated in a meditation-based Quiet Time program utilizing the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique for four months had significant improvements in overall emotional stress symptoms, quality of sleep, and English Language Arts (ELA) academic achievement according to a new randomized controlled trial published last month in Education. This was the first randomized control trial to investigate the effects of TM on standardized academic tests. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 21, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Communicating about climate change: What's politics got to do with it?
(Portland State University) In the United States, climate change is controversial, which makes communicating about the subject a tricky proposition. A recent study by Portland State researchers Brianne Suldovsky, assistant professor of communication, and Daniel Taylor-Rodriguez, assistant professor of statistics, explored how liberals and conservatives in Oregon think about climate science to get a better sense for what communication strategies might be most effective at reaching people with different political ideologies. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 21, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Reaping the benefits: Training in rice growing system ups yields and well-being
(University of Tsukuba) A researcher from the University of Tsukuba, together with well-known development economists, conducted randomized trials of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) agronomy method. Following SRI training of 5,486 Bangladeshi rice farmers, they compared trained and untrained farmers. The results showed compelling benefits for SRI's efficacy in increasing yield and profits, how it improves farming households' well-being, and its positive spillover effects in communities. This bolsters support for SRI's value, especially in the Global South. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 21, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Urgent need for anti-smoking campaigns to continue after pregnancy
(Curtin University) Curtin University research has found quit support for smoking mothers should continue even after their first babies are born, given that many of those women will become pregnant again, and that quitting can substantially reduce the risk of future preterm births. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Coffee doesn't raise your risk for heart rhythm problems
(University of California - San Francisco) In the largest study of its kind, an investigation by UC San Francisco has found no evidence that moderate coffee consumption can cause cardiac arrhythmia. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Renewable energies: No wind turbine disturbing the scenery
(Karlsruher Institut f ΓΌ r Technologie (KIT)) In the Alpine foothills, in low mountain ranges, or on the seacoast, expansion of wind energy use often meets popular resistance. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partners from Great Britain and Denmark have now studied what this means for the energy transition. In Patterns, they report that costs per kilowatt hour may rise by up to 7 cents and CO2 emissions may increase by up to 200 g. (DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2021.100301) (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Untrained beer drinkers can taste different barley genotypes
(Washington State University) When it comes to craft beer, the flavor doesn't have to be all in the hops. As a panel of amateur beer tasters at Washington State University recently demonstrated, malted barley, the number one ingredient in beer besides water, can have a range of desirable flavors too. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Millions of dollars saved when scheduled travel providers adapt to on-demand scheduling
(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) Uber and Lyft are popular on-demand ways to travel, but does that mean trains and buses are a thing of the past? Travelers prefer different modes of transportation at different times. So how can all these modes co-exist and do so successfully? New research in the INFORMS Journal Transportation Science has created a model and an algorithm to redistribute transit resources based on commuter preferences resulting in millions in savings. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Shoppers' mobility habits: retailers overestimate car use
(Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. (IASS)) Retail traders often fear that reducing the amount of urban space made available for parking private vehicles would have a negative effect on their businesses. A survey conducted by researchers from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) on two shopping streets in Berlin shows that traders have a skewed perception of their customers' mobility habits. The findings of this research will facilitate better-informed decision-making around urban land-use planning. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

The Indus basin: Untapped potential for long-term energy storage
(International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis) Hydropower has massive potential as a source of clean electricity, and the Indus basin can be a key player in fulfilling long-term energy storage demands across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. IIASA researchers explored the role the Indus basin could play to support global sustainable development. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

More exercise and fewer hours watching TV cuts sleep apnoea risk
(European Lung Foundation) Being more physically active and spending fewer hours per day sitting watching TV is linked to a substantially lower risk of developing obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to new research published in the European Respiratory Journal. The study of more than 138,000 US men and women is the first to simultaneously evaluate physical activity and sedentary behaviour in relation to OSA risk. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - July 20, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news