Implicit racial attitudes within a community can effectively explain racial disparities seen in rates of COVID-19 in the United States, according to a new study. There is a growing body of evidence showing that racial and ethnic minorities are more affected by severe illness, and more likely to be hospitalized, from COVID-19 compared to white…

Health warnings printed on individual cigarettes could play a key role in reducing smoking, according to new research. Experts from Stirling’s Institute of Social Marketing examined smokers’ perceptions of the warning ‘Smoking kills’ on individual cigarettes — as opposed to the message only appearing on packs. The team, led by Dr Crawford Moodie, found that…

Machine learning can assess the effectiveness of mathematical tools used to predict the movements of financial markets, according to new research based on the largest dataset ever used in this area. The researchers’ model could also predict future market movements, an extraordinarily difficult task because of markets’ massive amounts of information and high volatility. «What…

Computer scientists have developed an app that allows state and federal inspectors to detect devices that steal consumer credit and debit card data at gas pumps. The devices, known as skimmers, use Bluetooth to transmit the data they steal. «All criminals have to do is download the data from the comfort of their vehicle,» said…

Researchers have been monitoring wastewater on the UC Davis campus and in the city of Davis for COVID-19 through the Healthy Davis Together program. A new article reviews their experiences and the advantages and limitations of wastewater testing as a public health tool in the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Professor Heather Bischel and doctoral student Hannah…

Fast and reliable internet access is fundamental for research and development activity around the world. Seamless connectivity is a privilege we often take for granted. But in developing nations, technological limitations can become stumbling blocks to efficient communication and cause significant disadvantages. Pete Goldsmith, director of the Soybean Innovation Lab at University of Illinois, works…

A new statistical model suggests that an infected student returning home for Christmas would, on average, have infected just less than one other household member. Professor Paul Harper and colleagues defined an equation to predict the number of secondary household infections using variables for prevalence of the virus, the probability of secondary transmission, the number…

Study authors note multiple health issues including blurred vision from excessive screen time, neck and back pain from poor posture, carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive motion, metabolic dysregulation from prolonged sitting and high consumption of caffeine and sugar, and depression and anxiety resulting from internet gaming disorder. Well beyond casual gamers, esport athletes practice three…

New research reveals the non-healthcare costs of chemotherapy for breast cancer patients. It includes the cost of lost productivity, work absence, and ‘out-of-pocket’ personal costs such as paying for transport and parking for treatment, the cost of wigs and new bras, and over the counter medications. The research team say that better targeting of treatment…

Switching from general to regional anaesthesia may help cut greenhouse emissions and ultimately help reduce global warming, indicates a real life example at one US hospital over the course of a year. The evidence suggests that regional anaesthesia provides more effective pain relief, has fewer unpleasant side effects than general anaesthesia, shortens hospital stay, and…