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Is it better to give than receive? Our expert explains the science behind holiday gift giving
It's the holiday season -- full of merriment and cheer and gift giving. But why do we give gifts? And why is it a ritual that cuts across cultures on just about every continent on Earth? UConn professor Dimitris Xygalatas, an expert in human rituals, details the social science behind the centuries old tradition of exchanging gifts in a new essay for The Conversation: From the shells exchanged by Pacific islanders to the toys and sweaters placed under Christmas trees, sharing has always been at the center of many ritual traditions. This is fundamentally different from other forms of material exchange, like trade or barter. For the Massim, exchanging a shell necklace for a shell armband is not the same as trading yam for fish, just as giving a birthday present is not the same as handing a cashier money to purchase groceries. This speaks to a more general rule of ceremonial actions: they are not what they appear to be. Unlike ordinary behaviors, ritual actions are nonutilitarian. It is this very lack of obvious utility that makes them special. Professor Xygalatas is an anthropologist and cognitive scientist at the University of Connecticut who specializes in some of the things that make us human, including ritual, sports, music, cooperation, and the interaction between cognition and culture. He is available to speak with media, answering all your holiday ritual questions. Click on his icon to arrange an interview today.
Can oily fish, cherries or milk help you sleep? Here’s what the evidence shows
Almost one in five British people report they don’t get enough sleep each night. The problem is so bad that in total the UK public are losing around a night’s worth of shut-eye each week. There are a lot of popular beliefs about foods and drinks helping people get a good night’s rest, but many of them are not based on scientific evidence. Here’s what we know. Chemistry of food and sleep Our diet has an influence upon sleep patterns by affecting the sleep hormone melatonin. For example, foods rich in the essential amino acid tryptophan are commonly cited as helping sleep, as tryptophan helps produce melatonin. Additionally, some vitamins and minerals may help sleep, such as vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. Oily fish: Evidence suggests the more oily fish, such as salmon or herring, you eat the better you sleep. Oily fish contain healthy fats such as omega-3 oils which have been shown to improve sleep in children and are involved in serotonin release. Serotonin, a brain chemical linked to mood, also regulates the sleep-wake cycle which may also explain how eating oily fish can help. Tart cherries: A number of studies have looked at consumption of tart cherries, usually in the form of a drink, and sleep. Evidence suggests that tart cherries improves sleep in older adults, probably due to their ability to increase melatonin levels. And tart cherries are also rich in nutrients, including magnesium, which also may improve your sleep. Kiwi fruit: The evidence for kiwi fruit helping you sleep is mixed. One study suggested four weeks of kiwi fruit consumption improved multiple sleep measures, while another, admittedly in sufferers of insomnia, found no effect. Based on these findings it is not clear yet that eating kiwi fruit will benefit sleep for most people. Oysters: In 1888 W F Nelsom wrote “He who sups on oysters is wont on that night to sleep placidly…”. There is some evidence to back up this statement, with zinc-rich foods, including oysters, being reported to benefit sleep. However, on balance eating oysters before bedtime is unlikely to be beneficial to your night’s sleep. Alcohol and other drinks Alcohol causes brain activity to slow down and has sedative effects that can induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness> But consuming alcohol is actually linked to poor sleep quality and duration. Although drinking alcohol may cause more rapid sleep onset, this can affect the different stages of sleep, decreasing overall sleep quality. If you want a good night’s sleep, avoiding alcohol is sound advice. But are there any non-alcoholic drinks that might help? Warm milk: Research conducted in the 1970s suggested that a glass of warm milk before bed could improve sleep quality. This research was performed in a very small group however, and little research has been done since. Drinking milk does increase melatonin levels which could help. But there isn’t enough evidence to support the claim that a glass of warm milk definitely makes you nod off. Bone broth: Bone broth commonly crops up in online articles as a food that can aid sleep. This may be due its high content of the amino acid glycine. Glycine has been shown to improve sleep in rodents and humans, possibly by lowering body temperature. There are however no studies specifically looking at bone broth consumption and sleep. Herbal teas: The range of herbal teas aimed at the sleep market has grown and grown. Evidence for valerian, a common ingredient, to aid sleep is inconclusive. Decaffeinated green tea has been reported to improve sleep quality, which might be linked to the relaxing qualities of L-theanine, an amino acid it contains, but in general, avoiding caffeinated teas is a wise choice. If you like herbal teas, then they can be part of a relaxing pre-bedtime routine – but they are unlikely to improve your sleep quality. A bedtime routine Having a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep are important. These include keeping to the same time to head off to bed, making your bedroom free of disruptions and having a relaxing pre-sleep routine. But many of the foods that have claimed benefits for sleep have little or no evidence behind them, to the point there are no legally recognised health claims for food assisting sleep approved in the UK or Europe. If any one of these things helps you to sleep well, there’s no reason to stop. But just remember the other basics of a good nights sleep too, including relaxing before bed and avoiding too much blue light from electronic devices.
New £1.5 million healthcare simulation facilities to open at Aston University
New clinical simulation facilities for medical, pharmacy and optometry students are set to open in 2022 Including an ocular simulation unit facility which will be the only one in Europe, as part of further investment in clinical facilities in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University. The facilities are part funded by the Office for Students which awarded the University £806,226 to set up a ‘high fidelity’ simulation A&E room with further expenditure by Aston University on an ocular simulation unit. Aston Medical and Pharmacy School students will be able to practise in emergency settings using high quality manikins where they will simulate treating patients for acute conditions such as a heart attack or learning how to intubate a patient onto a ventilator. The high-fidelity acute care simulation room will be equipped with recording facilities, a debrief room and control room. The funding will allow for the purchase of other training equipment such as a hospital grade bed and single task trainer simulation equipment. For example, male and female catheterisation models, pelvic and rectal trainers, venepuncture arms, breast trainers and abdominal trainers. Professor Liz Moores, deputy dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences, said: “We are really excited to have the support from both the Office for Students and Aston University in building these state-of-the-art facilities for our students and can’t wait to start using them. “The acute care simulation room will allow us to simulate a variety of emergency resuscitation scenarios that are very difficult to teach in real life situations, such as heart attacks, acute breathlessness and severe allergic reaction and will be of great value in training students of medicine and pharmacy.” Students in the School of Optometry will also be equipped with simulation facilities to carry out treatment on patients. Professor James Wolffsohn, head of the School of Optometry said: “The ocular simulation facility at Aston University will be unique in Europe, allowing students to refine their skills in examining the health of the front and back of the eyes and to experience a wide range of eye disease. “One of the simulators even allows them to utilise their smartphone to practice at home. They can gain direct feedback and be assessed by the simulators, allowing more flexible, diverse and intensive learning than can be achieved with clinical practice placements.” It is hoped these facilities will help plug some of the gaps in clinical placements that are currently affecting students since the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, alternative ways are being explored to gain high quality authentic ‘clinical’ experiences, whilst not exposing patients, staff, or students, to risk. The health crisis has also increased pressure on the NHS creating a need for alternative but appropriate training facilities, to ensure that students are fully prepared for the medical profession. The simulation facilities are due to be open in time for the September 2022 intake of students.
Inflation's on the rise - can it be reigned in for 2022?
It seems the cost of everything is going up. For most Americans, filling up your car and filling up your grocery cart are now noticeably more expensive. Costs of goods are going up and that's taking a toll on the cost of living for a lot of people across the country. But what's causing the prices of goods and services to creep upwards - and what will it take to tame the upward trend that has inflation at its highest rate in more than 30 years? Recently, Andrew Butters and Kyle J. Anderson from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business sat down with Indiana NewsDesk to help explain what's going on. Inflation might be the one the leading news stories of 2022 - and if you are a reporter looking for answers - then let us help with your coverage. Andrew Butters is an Assistant Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He is also an expert in the areas of industrial organization, productivity, market integration, demand and business cycles. Kyle J. Anderson is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Economics. He is an is an economist researching business and pricing in online environments. Both Kyle and Andrew are available to speak with media regarding this important topic – simply click on either expert's icon now to arrange an interview today.
As the legendary political guru James Carville used to say, "It’s the economy, stupid." And these days with housing prices, inflation and the cost of living all pointing up in a very steep trajectory – the state of the economy is front and center for a lot of politicians, Americans and families as the year comes to a close. There’s a lot to be considered, and that’s where experts like Augusta’s Dr. Simon Medcalfe are being sought out to explain economic trends what is behind them. “U.S. retail sales are high,” explains Medcalfe “We had a lot of stimulus checks coming through the door and that’s really spurred extra spending and it’s across a whole range of retail sectors.” According to Medcalfe, household items are also seeing double-digit price increases. “What we’ve seen over the last 18 months during the pandemic, is a shift in our consumer preferences and consumer behavior.” • Furniture sales are up 29% • Used cars and cars in general are up 25-26% • Gardening and building supplies are up 14% • Electronics have seen an almost 30% increase • Clothing sales are up a whopping 50% But it’s not all good news - as the price of everything as we know is going up. “Inflation is running about 6.8% nationally,” Medcalfe explains. “It’s running about 7.2% in the south and it’s certainly a concern of policymakers and economists.” But theirs is sunshine behind those clouds as Medcalfe believes 2022 will see a return to normal. “I think next year inflation will come down. I know it won’t be at these high levels, but I still think it’ll be above the Feds target level of inflation, so look for those interest rate increases next year.” The economy and what to expect locally and nationally are hot topics – and if you are a reporter covering this topic – that’s where we can help. Dr. Simon Medcalfe is a highly regarded economics expert and the Cree Walker Chair in the Hull College of Business at Augusta University. Medcalfe is available to speak with media regarding the economy and its outlook – simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Parents who struggle to encourage their children to eat vegetables can now play a more influential part at their mealtimes – concludes a study by psychologists in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University. The recent study, which was published in the journal Appetite, was carried out by doctoral researcher Katie Edwards, who found that children watching adults eat a green vegetable with positive facial expressions tasted and consumed more than double the amount of that vegetable. The team recruited 111 British children between the ages of four and six years old and played each of them one of three videos. In two of the videos, the children were shown unfamiliar adults eating raw broccoli with either a positive or a neutral facial expression. The third video, used as a control, was not food related. The researchers then assessed the children’s willingness to try raw broccoli. This was measured using a seven-point scale from turning away from it to both swallowing and accepting it. Their intake of the vegetable was measured by the number of grams of raw broccoli consumed, and the number of tastes of raw broccoli was examined. The findings could help children become more accepting of less popular vegetables like raw broccoli and generally facilitate healthier eating in children. The research mainly focused on young children who had never tried broccoli before. The team found that children who were exposed to video clips of adults enjoying eating broccoli had more tastes of, and ate, on average, more than twice as much of the food in comparison with the kids in the control group — specifically, 11 g (0.4 oz) rather than 5 g (0.2 oz). Katie Edwards, PhD researcher at Aston University, said: “One explanation for the beneficial effect of positive facial expressions whilst eating could be that conveying food enjoyment gives the observer information about the safety and palatability of food. “Raw broccoli was novel for most participants. Thus, children may have eaten more broccoli after watching adults enjoy eating it, because they believed it was enjoyable to eat.” The researchers were surprised to find, however, that seeing adults enjoying raw broccoli did not impact the children's initial willingness to try the vegetable. The results showed that after watching adults enjoying eating raw broccoli, children ate more than double the amount of raw broccoli than children who had seen a non-food related video. This suggests that smiling while eating green vegetables can encourage children to taste and eat more of that vegetable. Katie added: “Further work is needed to determine whether a single exposure [to adults enjoying broccoli] is sufficient and whether these effects are sustained over time.” The full findings of the study were published in the journal Appetite.
Christmas is here! And with the hustle and bustle of shopping and scouring the internet for that perfect gift or deal, odds are there are people lurking in the dark corners hoping to stuff their stockings with scams if you’re not too careful. At Thanksgiving, when the official start to the shopping season began – the experts from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business were front and center answering media calls and doing interviews about this very topic Scott Shackelford, a professor at Indiana University specializing in cyber security, said there are some red flags to be on the lookout for while shopping online. “There’s some easy ones to spot right off the bat, including if on the URL,” said Schackelford. “If you see it just as HTTP and not HTTPS. That S stands for secure, which means your information is encrypted when you use that site.” Shackelford also said to be on the lookout for funny wordplay involved on the website. Maniscalo says most of these fake websites originate from outside the country. “English is not their native tongue, so they will a lot of times have misspellings, or say things in kind of an awkward way, not how we would say it, or how we would print it out there,” said Maniscalo. There is also the problem of what Shackelford calls Grinch Bots. These are automated bots that monitor major retail sites to see what items are the hottest and buy them out as soon as they are restocked. “There’s actually been bills that have been proposed in Congress to deal with example of that phenomenon. But of course, they’re not enacted yet, so it’s still up to consumers,” said Shackelford. November 25 – Fox News It’s going to be a busy holiday shopping season – and if you’re a journalist looking to cover this important top, then let us help. Scott Shackelford is an Assistant Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He’s an expert in the field of cybersecurity law and policy. Scott is available to speak with media about this subject – simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
The film “Don’t Look Up” starring Hollywood A-listers Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio who play a faculty-graduate student pair from Michigan State University’s astronomy department, trying to save the world from a killer comet. Seth Jacobson, assistant professor in the department of physics and astronomy at Michigan State University, is the real-life version of DiCaprio’s character, Dr. Randall Mindy. Jacobson discusses how the movie got the science right regarding the killer comet and appropriately captured how scientists and astronomers would respond to such a discovery. He said the rest of the plot of the movie becomes more of an allegory for how we're dealing with the catastrophic threat of climate change. And why MSU? Jacobson says the producers and directors chose MSU because has one of the one of the top-ranked physics and astronomy departments in the country. The film is getting a lot of attention and if you are a reporter looking to cover the role MSU played in the film, or if you are curious about physics and astronomy – then let us help with your coverage. Seth Jacobson is available to speak with media. Simply contact: Kim Ward to arrange an interview today. Kim Ward, University Communications: (517) 432-0117, kward@msu.edu
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Is there such a thing as ‘a little cheating’ in American schools? Let our expert explain.
Cheating … it’s a universal tactic that seems to be a part of every academic institution regardless of subject, program or geography. Recently, Inside Higher Ed took a look at how students view cheating – and how their perspective of just what constitutes cheating is viewed. UMW’s David Rettinger provided his expert take on just what is going on in American schools. How acceptable is it to use study websites, or Google, to find answers to test or homework questions? What about using unapproved technology or tools to assist in an online exam? And would it be OK to give credit to another team member on a group project even if that person did not participate? These are a few ways the latest Student Voice survey, conducted in mid- to late October by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse with support from Kaplan, explored the nuances of academic integrity and what students view as unethical… When David Rettinger, president emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI), looked over the Student Voice data, he was drawn to the numbers that showed how much students realize certain actions would be considered cheating. “Some of [the unacceptable responses] are a little lighter for sure, but students generally would describe these behaviors as unacceptable,” says Rettinger, a professor of psychological science and director of academic integrity programs at the University of Mary Washington. “Their institutions talk about these things, and students know what they’re supposed to do, yet students cheat a fair bit.” He can imagine a stressed-out student saying, “I know it’s unacceptable, mostly I don’t do it, but in this situation, I’m going to do something I generally don’t believe in.” “That poses a problem for us as administrators,” he adds. December 07 – Inside Higher Ed Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger oversees Academic Integrity Programs at the University of Mary Washington. He is available to provide expert insight into this study and the concept of students who cheat while attending at American colleges and universities. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Experts in the Media – Learn how UMW is doing its part to preserve Indigenous history
The members of Virginia’s Rappahannock and Patawomeck tribes can trace their roots back to the times before the first European contact. For hundreds of years, their people fished the rivers and inhabited the area near the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. It was a rich history and today the efforts to preserve the stories and records of those times are being bolstered by UMW students and faculty. The work was recently featured in a piece by NBC-4 in Washington, D.C. Professor Lauren McMillan and her students are helping with that mission. King George County economic development officials approached her with an idea to create a Native American heritage trail, hopeful that it would drive ecotourism and draw visitors to public access points. “The first step that we did was say we need to consult with the tribes whose stories we’d be telling," McMillan said. Then the class did a deep dive. "We then started diving into the archives, the historical records, oral histories and the archaeological record as well,” McMillan said. They’ve created signs that will go up in seven different locations in King George. Each one tells a different story about the local tribes, spotlighting the past and present. “When you learn Virginia history, you learn about a lot of stuff that happened in Jamestown and that’s kind of the last place you learn about Indians in Virginia history, but we've been here all along,” Brad Hatch, a member of the Patawomeck Tribe, said. “We’ve been preserving our own culture and heritage and it's here for everybody to see." The students worked hard to put that heritage and culture on full display. They also envision their project inspiring others to do some research of their own about Virginia’s first residents. December 07 - NBC News Indigenous history is a fascinating topic – and one being covered more and more by media. And if you’re a reporter looking to know about the work UMW is doing with of the Rappahannock and Patawomeck tribes or other topics – then let us help. Lauren McMillan is the University of Mary Washington's resident historical archaeologist and an expert on middle-Atlantic American history. Dr. McMillan is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
