Science Policy - Eureka!

EurekAlert! - Policy and Ethics

1. Soldiers who desecrate the dead see themselves as hunters
   (Economic & Social Research Council) Modern day soldiers who mutilate enemy corpses or take body-parts as trophies are usually thought to be suffering from the extreme stresses of battle. But, research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council shows that this sort of misconduct has most often been carried out by fighters who viewed the enemy as racially different from themselves and used images of the hunt to describe their actions.
2. CQ Researcher examines distracted driving
   (SAGE Publications) More than 5,000 people die each year in vehicle crashes caused by distracted driving, many who were texting and talking on cellphones behind the wheel, according to the May 4 issue of CQ Researcher (published by CQ Press, an imprint of SAGE). Teen drivers appear to be especially susceptible to distraction.
3. University of Nevada, Reno, scientists design indoor navigation system for blind
   (University of Nevada, Reno) University of Nevada, Reno, computer science engineering team Kostas Bekris and Eelke Folmer presented their indoor navigation system for people with visual impairments at two national conferences in the past two weeks. The researchers explained how a combination of human-computer interaction and motion-planning research was used to build a low-cost accessible navigation system, called Navatar, which can run on a standard smartphone.
4. Quantum computing: The light at the end of the tunnel may be a single photon
   (American Institute of Physics) Semiconductors are the foundation of modern computer technology. Now a photon's literal quantum leap may point the way to a semiconductor-based quantum computer.
5. A network of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe
   (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) A group of European experts on biodiversity will gather fromMay 21-23, 2012, in Brussels in order to further improve the transfer of biodiversity knowledge from the scientific community into the policy sphere. These experts will take part in a project funded by the European Commission: "BiodiversityKnowledge."
6. Computing experts unveil superefficient 'inexact' chip
   (Rice University) Researchers have unveiled an "inexact" computer chip that challenges the industry's dogmatic 50-year pursuit of hardware accuracy. The design improves power and resource efficiency by at least 15 times over today's technology by allowing for occasional errors. Prototypes unveiled this week at the ACM International Conference on Computing Frontiers in Cagliari, Italy, by experts from Houston's Rice University, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, Switzerland's Center for Electronics and Microtechnology and the University of California, Berkeley.
7. New study shows that workplace inspections save lives, don't destroy jobs
   (Harvard Business School) Results of a new study by researchers at Harvard Business School, Haas School of Business, and Boston University show that workplace inspections do reduce on-the-job injuries and their associated costs, with no harm to companies' performance or profits.
8. Genetic testing may not trigger more use of health services
   (Group Health Research Institute) Receiving results of genetic testing doesn't appreciably drive up -- or diminish -- test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a new study in the May 17, 2012, early online issue of Genetics in Medicine. The study was conducted by researchers with the Multiplex Initiative, a multi-center collaborative initiative involving investigators from the National Institutes of Health's Intramural Research Program, Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
9. ACP urges HHS to consider using SNOMED-CT for coding of clinical problems
   (American College of Physicians) The American College of Physicians (ACP) today urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to use the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) implementation delay to consider specifying the use of Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Term (SNOMED-CT), rather than ICD-10, for coding problems in all situations. ACP's recommendation was part of a letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius commenting on the ICD-10 proposed rule compliance date.
10. 35th Annual Sarnoff Symposium opens at NJIT featuring 60-plus expert talks
    (New Jersey Institute of Technology) Managing malware, better ways to fight electronic warfare and creating smarter wireless networks will number among the dozens of fascinating technology topics available to the public May 21-22, 2012, at NJIT when the prestigious 35th Annual IEEE Sarnoff Symposium opens in the Campus Center.
11. Labor economist Richard Freeman to liken innovation to GDP at AAAS in June
    (IEEE-USA) Leading labor economist Dr. Richard Freeman will liken a new way of measuring innovation to GDP during his keynote address at a STEM measurement workshop in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday June 6.
12. Bringing home (less) of the bacon
    (Sociologists for Women in Society) New research shows that women stockbrokers sometimes earn as much as 20 percent less than their male counterparts.
13. Climate engineering report ranked among top government priorities by Copenhagen Consensus Center
    (University of Texas at Austin) The effect of global warming could potentially be ameliorated by engineering ways to reflect more sunlight back into space, according to a report by a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.The report, by Professor J. Eric Bickel and Hudson Institute Fellow Lee Lane, was selected by a panel of international experts as one of 16 areas of research that governments and philanthropists should prioritize to respond to the world's most pressing challenges.
14. Religion is a potent force for cooperation and conflict, research shows
    (University of Michigan) Across history and cultures, religion increases trust within groups but also may increase conflict with other groups, according to an article in a special issue of Science.
15. Pioneering US program creates spike in student success; Malaysia becomes first country to adopt ideas at national level
    (Malaysian Industry‑Government Group for High Technology) Malaysia is preparing national level education reforms based on tactics pioneered in the US that are successfully raising student success throughout the school system, from very early childhood through completion of university or college.The "cradle to career" approach, originated in Ohio, involves identifying specific interventions that best prepare a child for kindergarten. Students are then helped to meet carefully tracked indicators of critical progress in, for example, math and reading, throughout their educational journey.
16. AmericanEHR partners welcomes AMA as newest member
    (American College of Physicians) AmericanEHR Partners today welcomed the nation's largest medical society, the American Medical Association (AMA), as its newest member. AmericanEHR Partners' primary objective is to provide comprehensive and trustworthy information to support clinicians in the selection and use of electronic health records.
17. Navy pilot training enhanced by AEMASE 'smart machine' developed at Sandia Labs
    (DOE/Sandia National Laboratories) Navy pilots and other flight specialists soon will have a new "smart machine" installed in training simulators that learns from expert instructors to more efficiently train their students. Sandia National Laboratories' Automated Expert Modeling & Student Evaluation (AEMASE, pronounced "amaze") is being provided to the Navy as a component of flight simulators.
18. Committee on Publication Ethics receives top award from Council of Science Editors
    (Committee on Publication Ethics) COPE, the Committee on Publication Ethics, has been awarded the Council of Science Editors highest honor for its significant contribution to improving scientific communication by promoting high editorial standards.The Meritorious Achievement award will be presented to Dr. Virginia Barbour, Chair of the COPE council, in a ceremony scheduled for the CSE Annual Meeting, which will be held this year in Seattle, Wash., USA, on May 20-21, 2012.
19. University of Minnesota startup to treat challenging bacterial infection
    (University of Minnesota) A live biological preparation developed by University of Minnesota researchers could put a stop to an increasingly prevalent, and sometimes deadly, infection caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile. CIPAC Limited, based in Australia with subsidiaries in California, will continue to work with the university to advance the technology to treat patients.
20. Ancient tree-ring records from Southwest US suggest today's megafires are truly unusual
    (Southern Methodist University) Today's mega forest fires of the southwestern US are truly unusual and exceptional in the long-term record, suggests an unprecedented study that examined 1,500 years of ancient tree ring and fire data from two distinct climate periods. Researchers constructed and analyzed a statistical model and found that today's dry, hot climate combined with the past century of human fire suppression is causing megafires, said study co-author and fire anthropologist Christopher Roos, Southern Methodist University, Dallas.