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UCSB researcher explores relationship between landscape simplification and insecticide use

A UCSB study analyzed USDA data spanning two decades, showing the relationship between landscape simplification and insecticide use varies greatly from year to year. The research suggests that simplistic landscapes may not be better or worse than complex ones when it comes to insect pest problems.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 5, 2013

Statistics help clear fog for better climate change picture

Researchers are using statistical approaches to analyze climate change risks, including the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Bayesian statistics is a key tool in quantifying uncertainty and predicting future events. Collaboration between disciplines is essential for advancing climate science and risk management.

In search of the key word

Researchers found long-range correlation between letters and words within texts, enabling conclusions about topic connections. Burstiness analysis also reveals representative words in passages.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 17, 2012

Statistical analysis projects future temperatures in North America

Researchers at Ohio State University have combined different climate models using spatial statistics to project future seasonal temperature changes in North America. The analysis estimates that average land temperatures will rise around 2.5 degrees Celsius by 2070, with regional temperature rises varying across seasons and regions.

SourceOhio State University·JournalInternational Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation·DateMay 15, 2012

Mitigating disasters by hunting down Dragon Kings

Researchers aim to predict Dragon Kings, statistical anomalies in natural disasters, using advanced statistical analysis. They have identified empirical evidence in abnormal rainfall, hurricanes, and sudden events.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal Special Topics·DateMay 3, 2012

What makes tires grip the road on a rainy day?

Researchers from Italy and Germany created a model to predict friction on rough surfaces in wet conditions, shedding light on the flow of liquid at contact interfaces. The study confirms experimental findings and offers potential applications for creating microstructured tyres with improved grip in rainy weather.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal E·DateOct 19, 2011

Baseball's winning formula

A University of Delaware professor found hitting accounts for more than 45% of teams' winning records, fielding for 25%, and pitching also for 25%. The impact of stolen bases is greatly overestimated in baseball winning percentages.

SourceUniversity of Delaware·JournalJournal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports·DateSep 29, 2011

Lifelong gap in health between rich and poor set by age 20

A study by McGill University found that socio-economic status affects Canadians' health-related quality of life from a young age. The research analyzed data from 17,000 Canadians and found that poorer individuals start out less healthy than their wealthier counterparts and remain so over their lifetimes.

SourceMcGill University·JournalJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health·DateJun 8, 2011

Bats lend an ear to sonar engineering

Bats' varying ear shapes influence biosonar functionality, with implications for engineering applications such as SONAR and RADAR. The study's findings provide insights into the role of biodiversity in customizing general principles for different species.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalBioinspiration & Biomimetics·DateMay 9, 2011

Profiting on the Internet

A Tunisian researcher's study finds that Internet-based capabilities combine with other complementary organizational capabilities to lead to competitive advantage. Firms can create resource complementarities through capitalizing on online capability and technological opportunism, leading to improved performance and bottom line growth.

SourceInderscience Publishers·JournalInternational Journal of Technology Marketing·DateMar 17, 2010

Formula to detect an author's literary 'fingerprint'

Physicists in Sweden create a formula to identify distinct author styles by analyzing word frequencies in literature, challenging George Kingsley Zipf's maxim. The 'meta book' concept represents an imaginary infinite book containing each author's unique word frequency characteristics.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalNew Journal of Physics·DateDec 10, 2009

Team-based diabetes care fetches more value for dollar

A recent study found that team-based diabetes care improves health outcomes for Medicaid patients, including significant reductions in systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and hemoglobin A1C. However, the study suggests that this approach does not result in lower treatment costs under Medicare and Medicaid.

SourcePenn State·JournalDiabetes Care·DateFeb 26, 2009

What is the relationship between laryngopharyngeal reflux and reflux esophagitis?

A study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology found a significant association between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and reflux esophagitis. The research identified age, hoarseness, and hiatus hernia as factors significantly associated with LPR. Further study is needed to elucidate the importance of hiatus hernia in LPR.

SourceWorld Journal of Gastroenterology·JournalWorld Journal of Gastroenterology·DateOct 10, 2008

Foreign companies exaggerated job targets, claims study

A new study by Newcastle University reveals that many foreign-owned plants in the North East England fell short of their promised job creation targets. The research team found that firms which received special financial assistance were more likely to achieve their employment goals, but those involved with Invest UK were less likely to ...

SourceNewcastle University·JournalOxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics·DateNov 22, 2004

Unionized male visible minorities earn less: Study

A recent study analyzed hourly wages by gender and union affiliation among Canadians. Male visible minorities in unions earned 12% less than European background males, while unions improved women's wages on average. The findings suggest that unions must develop specific goals to target wage disparities faced by ethnic minorities.

New techniques to foil cyber intruders

Researchers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center are developing new statistical techniques to aid human operators in detecting and defending computer networks against intrusion. The new algorithms will filter out access attempts from strange places or at strange hours, or any attempts asking for unusual information.