Fifty years of decline in Queensland's coastal sharks
Historical records of shark catches in Queensland show a 50-year decline, with large apex sharks decreasing by 74-92%. The average size of sharks has also decreased.
Scientific Data
Articles tagged with Scientific Data
Trazadone associated with similar risk of falls and major fractures as antipsychotics in seniors with dementia
New research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that trazadone is associated with a comparable risk of falls and major osteoporotic fractures to atypical antipsychotics. This finding challenges the assumption that trazodone is a safer alternative for treating behavioral symptoms in seniors with dementia.
SourceCanadian Medical Association Journal·JournalCanadian Medical Association Journal·DateNov 26, 2018
Can Superman trigger heroic helping in people?
Priming individuals with superhero images, such as Superman, increases their likelihood of engaging in prosocial behaviors. However, the study found no direct effect on perceptions of meaning in life. The research used both self-reported and actual helping behavior experiments to explore this phenomenon.
Common tactics for health promotion at work may be detrimental to employees with obesity
A study found that employee-focused health promotion programs can lead to increased weight stigma, discrimination, and decreased wellbeing among employees with obesity. In contrast, employer-focused programs may be more effective in promoting healthy behavior.
Voters' preexisting opinions shift to align with political party positions
A longitudinal study of voters in New Zealand found that participants tended to shift their opinions to align with those of their preferred political party. Strong supporters of a party were more likely to change their opinions over time, while those whose opinions were already aligned with the party position were less likely to shift.
Halloween associated with increased risk of pedestrian fatalities
New research finds that Halloween is linked to higher rates of pedestrian traffic fatalities, particularly among young children. The study, which analyzed data from 1975-2016, revealed an average of four additional pedestrian deaths per year during Halloween, with the greatest risk among children aged 4-8.
Ecologists ask: Should we be more transparent with data?
A new paper highlights the importance of open and usable data sets in ecology and other field research. By sharing data and code, scientists can save time and effort, as well as foster critical inquiry and new knowledge.
Reusable software for high performance computing
Sunita Chandrasekaran is designing frameworks to adapt code to increasingly powerful systems, focusing on complex patterns like wavefronts. She aims to improve performance and portability while keeping scientists in mind, enabling them to concentrate on science rather than software.
Ride-hailing increases vehicle miles traveled
A study published in Transportation found that ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft contribute to increased vehicle miles traveled due to empty miles from drivers going without passengers. For every 100 miles carrying passengers, Uber and Lyft drivers travel an additional 69 miles without a passenger.
Regional seismic data help to locate September 2017 North Korean nuclear test
Researchers successfully located the epicenter of the September 2017 North Korean nuclear test using regional seismic data. The study's findings confirm that subsequent seismic events were not also nuclear explosions.
NIH-funded genome centers to accelerate precision medicine discoveries
The All of Us Research Program has awarded $28.6M to establish three genome centers, generating genomic data from 1 million biosamples contributed by program participants. These centers will provide critical data for precision medicine research and support studies on various health questions.
Beyond archeology: NCALM pursues new technology, new projects
NCALM has made significant contributions to the field of Earth science, using lidar technology to map terrain and create detailed topographical maps. The center's work has also had practical significance, including assessing earthquake and landslide risks.
Big data is synergized by team and open science
A synergistic approach to big data in science emphasizes the importance of collaborative research efforts and open science. Ecologists must work together to answer complex, globally relevant questions that cross disciplines and require extrapolating findings from one location to another.
OU team receives NSF instrumentation grant for research data archiving
The University of Oklahoma team has received a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation grant to develop the OU and Regional Research Store, a massive tape archive serving as a national model. The project will provide affordable storage for over 85 research teams across 27 institutions in 17 states.
Understanding deep-sea images with artificial intelligence
A new AI-powered workflow enables scientists to systematically and sustainably evaluate large amounts of high-resolution deep-sea images. The workflow, developed by GEOMAR researchers, uses machine learning algorithms to automatically detect features such as manganese nodules in the seafloor.
RENCI to lead two $1 million grants to support data-intensive scientific research
Two new $1 million NSF grants will support RENCI's efforts to develop a high-performance platform for scientific data processing and detect unintentional data errors. The projects aim to improve scientific productivity, increase confidence in outcomes, and facilitate seamless integration of available resources and networks.
SourceUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Office of Research Communication·DateAug 27, 2018
Frequency of prenatal marijuana use for nausea, vomiting in pregnancy
A study analyzing over 220,000 pregnancies found that women with mild or severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy had a greater likelihood of using marijuana during the first trimester. The overall frequency of marijuana use among pregnant women was 5.3 percent.
Urban geophone array offers new look at northern Los Angeles basin
Researchers map San Gabriel and San Bernardino sedimentary basins in greater detail than previous studies, revealing the San Gabriel basin is deeper and has an irregular shape. The study provides new insights into the structure of these basins, which may act as a 'waveguide' to focus energy from earthquakes.
Physician burnout in small practices is dramatically lower than national average
Research led by NYU School of Medicine found that physicians in small independent primary care practices (SIPs) report dramatically lower levels of burnout compared to the national average. The study suggests that independence and autonomy may provide some protection against symptoms of burnout, highlighting the importance of creating ...
SourceNYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine·JournalThe Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine·DateJul 9, 2018
Dietary supplement use in children, adolescents
A study of US children and adolescents found nearly a third use dietary supplements, including multivitamins. Many commonly used supplements are implicated in preventable adverse drug events in this population.
Lots of news and lots of contacts at ZPID Twin Conference
The ZPID Twin Conference brought together over 150 participants to discuss Big Data in Psychology and Research Synthesis. Keynote speakers highlighted the importance of psychology's theoretical strength in addressing big data challenges, while also emphasizing the need for innovative methods and tools for research synthesis.
Study: Guns in Chicago just '2.5 handshakes' away
A recent study by Northwestern University researchers used network science to map the gun market in Chicago, finding that individuals are on average 2.5 handshakes away from a gun. Gang membership was found to reduce this distance by 27 percent, highlighting the role of gangs in facilitating access to guns.
Getting health data sharing off the ground
The Swiss Personalized Health Network aims to develop guidelines for responsible health data sharing, addressing key topics like data quality and patient sovereignty. Innovative solutions, including blockchain and reciprocity-based incentives, are being explored to overcome hurdles in data sharing.
Bento browser makes it easier to search on mobile devices
Bento browser eliminates 'tab overload' by storing each search session as a project workspace, keeping track of relevant parts of visited web pages. Users can identify useful pages, trash unhelpful ones, and pick up where they left off later.
Infants can't talk, but they know how to reason
A study shows preverbal infants can make logical deductions by conducting process of elimination, as seen in toddlers. Infants stare longer at unexpected outcomes and their pupils dilate when watching movies requiring rational thinking.
Insights from putting science under the microscope
Rare scientific discoveries and inventions garner higher citation rates through exploratory research, suggesting reallocation of funding to risky projects. Collaboration enhances novelty, with teams being 38% more likely than solo authors to bring new ideas into familiar domains.
NASA's SDO reveals how magnetic cage on the Sun stopped solar eruption
Scientists used NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory to study a massive sunspot group and found that a magnetic cage prevented a coronal mass ejection (CME) from erupting. The model showed that the conflict between the magnetic rope and cage led to a powerful X-class flare instead.
Using data to tackle disease: Swansea University wins share of £30 million bid to be Health Data Research UK
Swansea University will share initial investment of £30 million with Queen's University Belfast to focus on Modernising Public Health and Enabling Precision Medicine. The project aims to upscale research in scientific discovery and its translation to improve patient and population health.
Networking, data experts design a better portal for scientific discovery
Researchers have designed a new approach to share scientific data, allowing for faster and more secure access. The 'Modern Research Data Portal' architecture uses Globus and the Science DMZ to simplify data transfers, enabling scientists to collaborate more easily.
Where are individual refugees most likely to succeed professionally?
A new algorithm developed by Kirk Bansak et al. uses machine learning and optimal matching to align refugees with suitable employment locations based on their individual skillsets. The results show that the algorithm boosts employment success in both the US and Switzerland, with gains of up to 71% compared to current practices.
With wrist-worn gadget, researchers capture real-life sleep for the first time
For the first time, researchers have captured detailed information on human sleep cycles over long periods of time while individuals slumber at home. The wrist-worn gadget, called an actimeter, records data on wrist movement to assess rest/activity cycles during sleep.
Borrowing a leaf from biology to preserve threatened languages
Researchers use language tree to identify unique languages with low close relatives, guiding preservation efforts. A tool is developed to target conservation priorities, helping minimize linguistic diversity loss.
Virtual reality allows you to look inside your body and could help improve drug delivery
Experts utilize cutting-edge imaging techniques to create a 3D virtual model of cells, enabling scientists, students, and the public to explore and interact with 'real' cell data. This approach may improve understanding of cellular processes and enhance learning, research, and public engagement.
UC Davis genome researchers facilitating NIH data commons pilot
Researchers at UC Davis are part of a NIH initiative to make biomedical data accessible online. The goal is to accelerate discoveries by making research data FAIR, findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.
SourceData is making data discoverable
SourceData provides a suite of tools to generate, validate and use figure data, making it efficient to find and reuse published results. The platform links figures to other related figures across papers and journals, creating a searchable knowledge graph.
Household with mother (-in-law) means fewer kids
Researchers analyzed records of over 2.5 million women from 14 countries, finding that living with a mother-in-law actually results in lower family sizes. Women who live with either their own or husband's mother have fewer children compared to those who only live with their spouse.
ESnet's science DMZ design could help transfer, protect medical research data
A Science DMZ architecture can be adapted to meet the needs of the medical research community, allowing for secure sharing of large datasets while protecting individual privacy. The design provides speed and security for moving large data sets, enabling teams of experts to collaborate in real-time.
SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association·DateOct 16, 2017
A social media hub for hydrological data
Researchers at Utah State University are improving the HydroShare online system for storing and sharing hydrological data. The system, which will also be used to archive flooding and precipitation data from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, aims to facilitate collaboration among scientists.
New study shows aggressive policing link to major crime
A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that reducing systematic and aggressive policing measures can lead to a decline in major crime complaints. The researchers analyzed data from New York City's NYPD during a period when proactive policing was halted, revealing a 3-6% decrease in reported serious crimes.
SourceData from EMBO wins the 2017 ALPSP Award for Innovation in Publishing
SourceData, an open platform from EMBO, has been recognized for its innovative approach to making published scientific data easily findable. The platform uses a machine-readable format to describe the data published in figures, allowing researchers to search directly for data on specific research questions.
Squirrels use 'chunking' to organize their favorite nuts
Fox squirrels separate each cache into quasi subfolders for different types of nuts, suggesting they use flexible strategies to store food depending on how they acquire it. This cognitive strategy allows them to maximize their ability to remember where they've stored their most prized treats.
CoreTrustSeal Certification launched
The ICSU World Data System has launched the CoreTrustSeal Certification, a core-level certification for Trustworthy Data Repositories. The certification is based on the DSA-WDS Core Trustworthy Data Repositories Requirements catalogue and procedures, aiming to promote sustainable and trustworthy data infrastructures.
Danish university and industry open a patent-free playground
Aarhus University researchers and industrial companies publish results and data on innovative Open Science platform, making basic research relevant to industries accessible. The platform breaks barriers and provides risk-free zone for companies to try out ideas, acquire latest university research and create unique products.
How off-line retailers can fight back
New research published in the Journal of Retailing shows that offline retailers can use online data to identify consumers who value product touch and target them with marketing strategies. By understanding consumers' mental representations of products, retailers can offer free trials and other incentives to boost sales.
Journal AAS publishes first data description paper: Data collection and sharing
The journal published two ultraviolet radiation datasets covering China, providing long-term measurements from 1961 to 2014. This move aims to promote translational applications for the general public by making atmospheric and physical oceanographic data traceable and citable.
SourceInstitute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences·JournalAdvances in Atmospheric Sciences·DateJun 10, 2017
Wide-Open accelerates release of scientific data by identifying overdue datasets
A new tool called Wide-Open identifies overdue scientific datasets and encourages their public release. The system uses text mining to detect dataset references in published articles and enforces open data policies.
The perils of publishing location data for endangered species
The publication of rare species' location data can inadvertently contribute to poaching and further species declines. Biologists must reevaluate their publishing culture to protect endangered species.
Data sharing can offer help in science's reproducibility crisis
Positive trends in creating open and reproducible environments are underway, with more researchers sharing data and software. Technology is also improving, with new web-based management tools and data depositories being developed.
The first microbial supertree from figure-mining thousands of papers
Researchers use machine-compiled data to construct a microbial supertree, addressing the challenge of accessing and synthesizing scientific literature. The study demonstrates the potential of high-throughput machine extraction in tackling the vast amount of published science.
$2.4 million grant funds new Biomedical Big Data to Knowledge Training Program
The Biomedical Big Data to Knowledge Training Program aims to accelerate advances in biomedical research by training the next generation of scientists in data analysis and visualization. The program, funded by Penn State and the National Institutes of Health, will support up to nine graduate students per year.
Study: Managers may compromise safety due to earnings expectations
A recent study found that companies facing market pressure to meet earnings expectations may compromise on safety, resulting in a 12% higher injury rate for employees. This is due to managers cutting back on safety-related expenditures and increasing employee output, leading to an economic trade-off between profits and worker health.
Improving memory with magnets
Scientists at McGill University used magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography to study the relationship between theta waves and auditory memory. They found that applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the same frequency as natural theta waves improved memory performance, while arrhythmic TMS had no effect.
A 48-hour sexual 'afterglow' helps to bond partners over time
A study of newlywed couples found that partners experience a lingering sexual satisfaction after sex, linked with relationship quality over the long term. This association held even after controlling for various factors, suggesting that sex may play a crucial role in pair bonding.
3-D visualization of the pancreas -- new tool in diabetes research
Researchers at Umeå University have created detailed 3D maps of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The data includes information on cell volume and coordinates, providing a valuable resource for studying diabetes.
Legitimacy of reusing images from scientific papers addressed
A new study argues that taxonomic images, as standardized references for biodiversity data, are exempt from copyright laws. The authors recommend reusing such images without permission, citing ethical and scholarly standards.
Guidelines for scholarly publishing of biodiversity data from Pensoft and EU BON
The article outlines policies and guidelines for scholarly publishing of biodiversity and biodiversity-related data. The guidelines cover general concepts, including dataset definitions, incentives to publish data, and licences for data publishing.
Open Science Prize goes to software tool for tracking viral outbreaks
The Nextstrain software tool has won the first-ever international Open Science Prize for its ability to track genetic mutations during disease outbreaks. The platform makes it easier to share and analyze genetic sequencing data, aiming to speed discoveries and improve human health.
McGill University at the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
McGill University has become the world's first Open Science academic institution, aiming to accelerate research and discovery of new treatments for neurological diseases. The MNI is opening its books to international partners, ensuring transparent data sharing on genomic and health data.
Mind reader: A consumer EEG device serves up rich new troves of scientific data
A consumer EEG device is generating valuable data for neuroscience research, revealing new information on what happens to our thinking processes as we age. The device's large-scale data collection has enabled scientists to study the brain in the real world, shedding light on sex differences and cognitive functions.
Study applies game theory to genomic privacy
A new study from Vanderbilt University uses game theory to simulate re-identification risks and strikes an optimal balance between data sharing and privacy. The approach compares various data sharing policies in terms of risk and scientific utility, providing a more realistic estimate of the risk.
SourceVanderbilt University Medical Center·JournalAmerican Journal of Human Genetics·DateJan 16, 2017