Tag: STEM Education

Gun ownership linked to greater incidence of domestic homicides

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, reveals a unique and strong association between firearm ownership and the risk of domestic homicides. For each 10 percent increase in household gun ownership rates, the findings show a significant 13 percent increased incidence of domestic firearm homicide. The homicide risk differed

Study finds nearly half of shared e-scooters being ridden illegally

A QUT observational study of electric scooter riding in central Brisbane has found nearly half of shared e-scooters were being ridden illegally. The research has identified the need to ensure that helmets were available for shared e-scooter riders, and called for further research into whether bicycle helmet standards are adequate for e-scooters. Professor Narelle Haworth,

Social media has limited effects on teenage life satisfaction: Study of teenage social media use and life satisfaction

Researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), part of the University of Oxford, used an eight-year survey of UK households (Understanding Society, part of the UK Household Longitudinal Study) to study how long teenagers spent using social media on a normal school day and their corresponding life satisfaction ratings. This is the first large-scale and

AI-generated profiles? Airbnb users prefer a human touch

In an online marketplace like Airbnb, host profiles can mean the difference between a booked room and a vacant one. Too peppy, too long, too many exclamation points? Language is critical in a user’s search for trust and authenticity, crucial factors in any online exchange. With so much at stake, should Airbnb hosts rely on

Forecasting contagious ideas: ‘Infectivity’ models accurately predict tweet lifespan: A tweet’s virality is modulated most by its early spread rate and a gradual loss of interest over time

Estimating tweet infectivity from the first 50 retweets is the key to predicting whether a tweet will go viral, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE on April 17, 2019 by Li Weihua from Beihang University, China and colleagues. As online social networks and media continue to grow, so has the importance of

How a personality trait puts you at risk for cybercrime

Impulse online shopping, downloading music and compulsive email use are all signs of a certain personality trait that make you a target for malware attacks. New research from Michigan State University examines the behaviors — both obvious and subtle — that lead someone to fall victim to cybercrime involving Trojans, viruses, and malware. “People who

Social relationships more important than hard evidence in partisan politics: Study explains how political groupings become extreme and divided

The basic human need to get along with others results in the formation of extreme political groupings, according to a study from Dartmouth College. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, add to the widening body of research on the behavior of social and political networks. The Dartmouth research demonstrates that individuals

Patient beware: Researchers diagnose crowdsourced hospital ratings

Consumers can go to Google, Yelp and Facebook for crowdsourced insight about the experiences they’ll have at a hospital, but they shouldn’t expect foolproof guidance on the quality of care they will receive, according to new Indiana University research. Researchers Victoria Perez and Seth Freedman of IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs compared social

Vulnerable youth stress the importance of influential adults in their school lives: How systems to address stressors such as maltreatment and homelessness affect education

Kids who faced daunting barriers to success in the classroom had a clear message for University at Buffalo researchers who asked them as young adults to look back on their experiences with maltreatment, homelessness and their time in school: Adults can do better. “It’s as though they’re asking us as adults not to give up

Who got bit? By mailing in 16,000 ticks, citizen scientists help track disease exposures: Study offers new insight into potential exposure to tick-borne diseases

A bite from a disease-carrying tick can transmit a serious, potentially fatal infection, such as Lyme disease. But many ticks go unnoticed and unreported. Now, with the help of citizen scientists, ecologists at Colorado State University and Northern Arizona University are offering better insight into people’s and animals’ potential exposure to tick-borne diseases — not

National Academies report on sexual harassment in academia: To prevent sexual harassment, academic institutions should go beyond legal compliance to promote a change in culture

A systemwide change to the culture and climate in higher education is needed to prevent and effectively respond to sexual harassment, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. There is no evidence that current policies, procedures, and approaches — which often focus on symbolic compliance with the law and

Black Americans face education, income barriers to healthy behaviors, study finds: Policy action is needed to address income, education gap for low-income individuals, researchers say

Better educational opportunities and higher incomes may be key to closing the gap of cardiovascular health behaviors — including smoking, physical activity, and diet quality — between black and white Americans, according to a new study led by a University of Iowa researcher. The study, headed by Kara Whitaker, assistant professor in the UI’s Department