Science Education & Policy

A neuroimaging study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to find that cognitive processes related to verbal fluency are compromised in people with insomnia despite the absence of a behavioral deficit. These specific brain function alterations can be reversed, however, through non-pharmacological treatment with sleep therapy. Results of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning during verbal fluency tasks show that people with insomnia have less activation than controls in the left medial prefrontal cortex and the left interior frontal gyrus, two fluency-…

The widely-held perception that the influenza vaccination reduces overall mortality risk in the elderly does not withstand careful scrutiny, according to researchers in Alberta. The vaccine does confer protection against specific strains of influenza, but its overall benefit appears to have been exaggerated by a number of observational studies that found a very large reduction in all-cause mortality among elderly patients who had been vaccinated. The study included more than 700 matched elderly subjects, half of whom had taken the vaccine and half of whom had not. After controlling for a…

Here is a somewhat provocative article by the Chief Exec of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Have a read, and please tell me what you think. (For non-UK readers, GCSEs are taken at the end of year 11, after which one is allowed to leave school. But if one prefers to stay on, then A-Levels are taken in two doses at the end of years 12 and 13 before those who wish to go on to university, sometimes taking a gap year before doing so.) Chemistry chief stamps on exam eggshells The reality is that national science testing has become dominated by what is easy to teach, and what is easy to mark,…

LONDON, August 29 /PRNewswire/ -- - AvantGard Wins Recognition for Liquidity, Risk and Treasury Management SunGard's AvantGard (http://www.sungard.com), which provides cash management solutions for treasury, payments and receivables to corporations and financial institutions, has been recognized with seven different industry awards in the past six months. These awards include: Best Technology Provider from Treasury Management International (www.treasury-management.com) for the three categories of Cash and Working Capital Management Solutions, Risk Management and Best ASP Solution; and three…

LEEDS, England, August 29 /PRNewswire/ -- - MYA Cosmetic Surgery Seems to be the Provider of Choice for Recent Big Brother Stars but the big Question is who Will be Next? Months of constant cameras, mirrors all around and being on national television for an hour each night can have a major impact on how you feel about the way you look. For many previous Big Brother contestants this has become a reality. Upon leaving the house contestants may undoubtedly spend hours watching past footage of themselves on the show and trawl through loads of newspaper articles not to mention the hundreds of…

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, August 29 /PRNewswire/ -- - Former CEO of NEC Philips Unified Solutions Joins CyberTech, one of the Fastest Growing Suppliers of Voice Recording and Quality Monitoring Solutions Globally CyberTech International has today announced the appointment of Ad Ketelaars as Managing Director and CEO. He will report to CyberTech's Supervisory Board and assume full responsibility for leading the company through its next period of strategic growth. Ad Ketelaars has more than twenty five years' experience in the telecommunications and electronics sectors and has worked for a…

It sounds like a sales job from a 12 year old; "Actually, Dad, this is not just another video game. Its a virtual, scenario-based microcosm of real world experiences that will enhance my decision-making abilities and my cognitive perceptions of the challenges of the sport's environment."  You respond with, "So, how much is Madden 09?"   With over 5 million copies of Madden 08 sold, the release of the latest version two weeks ago is rocketing up the charts.  Days and late nights are being spent all over the world creating rosters, customizing plays and playing entire seasons,…

LONDON, August 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Vagisil(R) are delighted to invite you to The WoW Show - a one-day event, run by Wellbeing of Women, focusing on women's gynaecological health issues at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Bringing together the college's well-respected consultants and leading doctors in the field of gynaecology, The WoW Show gives you the chance to meet the experts and ask the questions you've always wanted to know the answers to. When: Saturday 20th September 2008, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm Where: The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 27 Sussex…

High impact activities such as jumping and skipping that can easily be incorporated into warm-ups before sports and physical education classes, have been shown to benefit bone health in adolescents. The 10 minute school-based intervention, provided twice a week for about eight months, significantly improved bone and muscle strength in healthy teenagers compared to regular warm-ups. Physiotherapist Ben Weeks said the warm-up which included tuck jumps, star jumps, side lunges and skipping with gradually increasing complexity and repetitions, was specifically designed to apply a bone-…

DHAKA, Bangladesh, August 28 /PRNewswire/ -- - Radisson Hotel, Dhaka, October 17, 2008 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. The inauguration of a new university chartered to grant degrees to underserved women in Asia will be celebrated at a Symposium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 17-18,2008. The Asian University for Women (AUW), based in Chittagong, will offer a five-year program of combined bachelor's and graduate-level professional training across the liberal arts, communications technology, management, public policy, and environmental science. The initiative is funded by leading global corporations and…