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Science News for August 17, 2012


Trust in management key to avoiding correctional staff burnout Wayne State research finds

A Wayne State University researcher found that correctional facility employees who trust supervisors and management are less likely to experience job burnout. Higher trust levels resulted in lower reported burnout characteristics, while trust in management had no bearing on perceived work effectiveness.

Photographic cholesterol test

Researchers in India have developed a non-invasive approach to determine total cholesterol levels using image processing and a database of known cholesterol levels. The test uses a digital camera to capture the back of a patient's hand and compares it with images in a database for accurate cholesterol readings.

SourceInderscience Publishers·JournalInternational Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics·DateAug 17, 2012

Foreclosure crisis and metropolitan crime rates

A recent study by Indiana University researchers found no association between housing-mortgage stress and crime rates in US metropolitan areas. Despite anecdotal evidence, the research indicates that higher levels of housing-mortgage stress do not correlate with violent or property crime rates.

SourceIndiana University·JournalSocial Science Quarterly·DateAug 17, 2012

Writing the book in DNA

Researchers encoded George Church's book 'Regenesis' in DNA using novel strategy and next-generation sequencing technology. The team stored 54,898 unique DNA sequences, each with an address to guide reassembly, for a total of 70 billion copies.

SourceHarvard Medical School·JournalScience·DateAug 17, 2012

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of wheeze and asthma in preschool children

Maternal smoking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of wheeze and asthma in preschool children, with a dose-response pattern related to maternal cigarette consumption. Exposure to maternal smoking before birth and early life is associated with an increased likelihood of developing respiratory symptoms.

SourceAmerican Thoracic Society·JournalAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine·DateAug 17, 2012