blog posts Only half of youths involved in problem behaviors graduate on time Jan 25, 2018 8:30 am Addressing middle school students’ problems with bullying, fighting and attendance may be critical to ensuring they graduate high school on time Study: Telehealth services for the elderly should include caregivers Jan 25, 2022 8:45 am When the pandemic hit and health care systems switched to telehealth visits, many caregivers to the elderly - who would have been involved in in-person care - were left out of the process, according to a new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine. Probe can measure both cell stiffness and traction, researchers report Jan 25, 2023 2:15 pm The 'magnetic microrobot' probes gave precise information about both tissue stiffness and traction, revealing for the first time that while malignant tumors may become stiffer in response to surrounding tissues, cancer cells do not alter their tractions. Product recall decisions need balance to prevent overreacting Jan 29, 2018 10:15 am The timely detection of potential medical device recalls could both reduce the cost of and improve the effectiveness of health care delivery Researchers shed light on how influenza evades immune systems Jan 29, 2018 11:00 am According to new research at Illinois, certain mutations in the genome of influenza A may help counteract the weakening effects of other mutations Feline Leukemia Virus opens doors to secondary diseases Jan 30, 2017 12:15 pm Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is an agent that spreads easily between cats and has potentially lethal effects, causing a variety of secondary diseases that range from secondary infections to cancer. Multistate foodborne illness outbreaks impact restaurant stock price, public perception Feb 2, 2024 8:30 am Foodborne illness outbreaks spanning multiple states bring swift financial losses, increased media attention and a public-relations hit, says Maria Kalaitzandonakes, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics. National politics shape the impacts of park law enforcement Feb 3, 2016 1:15 pm An Illinois researcher examined the results of a multi-million dollar EU aid project in West Africa and found that a country’s national governance quality can affect the livelihoods of families who rely on resources from national parks Book examines Pope’s environmental encyclical, how religion can address climate change Feb 3, 2020 12:00 pm Robert McKim, a professor emeritus of religion, edited a book looking at how religion might respond to climate change. “Laudato Si’ and the Environment” is a response to Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical of 2015. Optimistic people have healthier hearts Feb 4, 2015 11:30 am Optimists are twice as likely to be in ideal cardiovascular health, according to a new study led by Rosalba Hernandez, a professor of social work at the University of Illinois. Germanic languages and lit professor receives Humboldt Foundation research prize Feb 4, 2019 9:00 am Mara Wade is internationally known for her emblem research, research on European aristocratic and festival culture, gender research and research on the urban culture of Nuremberg Illinois receives grant to help study community college transfer students Feb 5, 2016 10:45 am One issue the researchers will examine is “transfer shock,” a term that refers to the decline in grade point average that many community college students experience after matriculating to four-year institutions. Illini professor, students join cloud-seeding project in Idaho Feb 6, 2017 9:30 am The team is part of SNOWIE (Seeded and Natural Orographic Wintertime Clouds – the Idaho Experiment), a project that scientists hope will teach them more about how to put more snow on the ground. Climate change will affect carbon storage level, richness in Midwest soil Feb 7, 2017 10:45 am Researchers from Illinois and collaborating institutions predict that Midwest soil may lose as much at 15% of its stored carbon - and thus its agricultural fertility - over the next 100 years due to global climate change. Illinois researchers contribute to publicly accessible agronomy database Feb 7, 2018 9:45 am Comprising data from five years and 30 field research sites in the Midwest, it has been called one of the most comprehensive agricultural datasets ever to be published Homeownership a ‘dream deferred’ for millennial generation Feb 8, 2016 11:00 am More than 85 percent of the millennial generation believe that owning a home makes more financial sense than renting. But millennials still face significant hurdles in their quest for homeownership. Study tracks emerging contaminants from landfill to treatment plant to application Feb 8, 2024 10:45 am 'Once in landfills, the stuff moves into the leachate... We’re just moving them from one environmental compartment to the next without addressing the problem. We never get rid of them; we’re just shifting them back and forth.' Forget butterflies and bees, box like an ant Feb 10, 2016 11:45 am The trap-jaw ant species Odontomachus brunneus is the champion boxer, striking its opponents more than 41 times per second. Dual-function nanorod LEDs could make multifunctional displays Feb 10, 2017 9:45 am Cellphones and other devices could soon be controlled with touchless gestures and charge themselves using ambient light, thanks to new LED arrays that can both emit and detect light. Experts call for national research integrity advisory board Feb 11, 2019 10:30 am It’s been proposed before, but so far no one has heeded the call for an official advisory board to support ethical behavior in research institutions Patient education with mental health component cuts cardiovascular disease risks Feb 11, 2021 9:45 am People who participated in a health education program that included both mental and physical health information significantly reduced their risks of cardiovascular disease and sustained those health benefits up to six months later. Drug-delivering capsules could sustain transplant insulin-producing cells for diabetics Feb 12, 2018 10:30 am A drug-carrying microsphere within a cell-bearing microcapsule could be the key to transplanting insulin-secreting pig pancreas cells into human patients Bridging the gap between medicine and literature Feb 14, 2018 10:15 am 'Nowadays, you have a separation between the humanities departments and the sciences, but up until the 18th century that was not the case,' says Professor Stephanie Hilger Oncology dietitians rarely ask cancer patients about food insecurity, study finds Feb 14, 2022 9:00 am Despite awareness that many cancer patients are food insecure, most of the registered dietitian nutritionists interviewed by U of I researchers said they did not use a validated tool to screen patients for it. Social media as good a barometer of public health attitudes as traditional phone polling Feb 15, 2018 10:45 am 'People aren’t afraid to go public and crowd-source their health concerns.' Illinois psychology professor Dolores Albarracin Future of US citrus may hinge on consumer acceptance of genetically modified food Feb 15, 2019 4:45 am The battle to save the citrus industry is pitting crop producers and a team of agriculture researchers against a formidable brown bug, the Asian citrus psyllid, which spreads the disease. Project tracks how stories of racial violence spread, were reported Feb 15, 2023 8:30 am Professor Ryan Cordell is leading a project to examine how stories of racial violence circulated in late 19th century and early 20th century newspapers and how those stories relate to trends in contemporary social media. Livestock donations to Zambian households yield higher income, improved diet Feb 16, 2016 12:15 pm Giving livestock to poor families in Zambia increases household income by about 25 percent. And, communities that receive livestock report more dietary diversity. Study links prolonged sedentary time to distractibility in obese, overweight adults Feb 17, 2021 8:45 am Adding to the evidence linking sedentary behaviors and cognition, the study found that individuals who spent more sedentary time in bouts lasting 20 minutes or more were less able to overcome distractions. Study examines Teach For America’s impact on costs, hiring Feb 19, 2016 10:30 am A new study led by T. Jameson Brewer examines Teach For America’s influence on teacher hiring practices and costs at five major school districts in the U.S. Emancipated blacks often targeted for relocation to the tropics Feb 19, 2018 11:00 am Every significant emancipation of black enslaved people came with efforts to move the freed people off the continent, says Illinois professor Ikuko Asaka Sleep problems in menopause linked to hot flashes, depression - and may not last Feb 19, 2018 9:45 am The findings suggest that addressing hot flashes and depression may also address sleep disruptions that often accompany menopause Portrayals of doctors in comics have become more realistic, nuanced Feb 20, 2018 9:45 am In contemporary comics, doctors finally get away from being stark heroes or villians, more lilely to show human uncertainty, ethical struggles Illinois part of new center focused on vector-borne disease Feb 21, 2017 10:00 pm The CDC is providing $10 million over five years to the new Upper Midwestern Center of Excellence in Vector Borne Diseases. Of that, $1.8 million will fund work at Illinois, led by Dr. Marilyn O’Hara Ruiz at Vet Med. Graphic images may not scare smokers off cigarettes, says study Feb 22, 2016 9:45 am Graphic warning labels on cigarette packages, like these approved for use in the U.S., may not have the desired effect, according to a University of Illinois study. Water filtration membranes morph like cells Feb 23, 2022 1:15 pm The new study by Grainger Engineering researchers is the first to demonstrate nanoscale morphogenesis in a synthetic material. The study is published in the journal Science Advances. Project will help researchers explore big data in HathiTrust digitized library Feb 24, 2016 10:45 am A project funded by the Mellon Foundation, will help researchers use a vast amount of digitized texts without violating copyright laws. Start-up aims to bring high-speed wireless communications to the subsea industry Feb 24, 2017 8:15 am OceanComm, a start-up founded by an Illinois alumnus and a professor in the Coordinated Sciences Lab, developing a new technology that uses ultrasound to wirelessly transmit data from the ocean floor. Short-term climate modeling forecasts drought for Southeast US Feb 25, 2021 9:15 am Drought forecasting, typically performed at the multi-decade scale, is getting a makeover by Illinois researchers who focus on short-term models that stress the urgency of drought risk in the U.S. to help inform policymakers now. Study links responsible behavior in high school to life success 50 years later Feb 26, 2018 8:45 am Above and beyond other factors known to influence life success, responsible behavior and interest in high school correspond to economic and career success 50 years later Paper: Carbon taxes could create new winners and losers among countries Feb 26, 2019 9:00 am A global carbon tax would create new sets of economic winners and losers, with some countries holding a distinct competitive advantage over others, says Professor Don Fullerton. Scientists seeking rare river crayfish aren't just kicking rocks Feb 27, 2018 8:30 am Scientists use an established method, kick-seining, and a newer technique, environmental DNA, to study a rare crayfish in the Eleven Point River Giant sloth tooth in Belize tells story of creature’s last year Feb 27, 2019 2:45 pm Anthropology professor Lisa Lucero and colleagues discovered the remains of an extinct giant sloth. An analysis of the sloth tooth offers insight into the climate and environment of the region 27,000 years ago. Children’s education included 'mechanical literacy' in the industrial age Feb 27, 2024 10:30 am In her new book, information sciences professor Elizabeth Hoiem examines how children’s literature and material culture responded to industrialization and shaped the class politics of playful learning. Clouds are brighter near Antarctica. How does that affect climate? Feb 28, 2018 10:15 am Brighter clouds reflect more sunlight back to space, which 'means the energy balance over the Southern Ocean is different than the energy balance over everywhere else' Paper: Videos help medical students master physiology concepts Feb 28, 2018 12:30 pm Creating short videos that explain information presented during physiology lectures makes teaching easier for medical educators and learning easier for their students Study: Pro-worker ideas in political platforms resonate with voters Feb 28, 2022 9:00 am A study that covered 54 countries and more than 1,100 political parties found that parties whose manifestos contained a greater percentages of pro-worker ideas were more appealing to voters. Is conservation aid preventing deforestation? Mar 1, 2016 1:15 pm Study finds conservation aid alone has not been able to counteract deforestation pressures, and in some cases may have even exacerbated forest loss. Hand-picked specialty crops ‘ripe’ for precision agriculture techniques Mar 2, 2017 10:45 am “A hundred acres of corn may have a value of just $800,000, while the same number of acres planted in strawberries may be worth $7.5 million. Yet, strawberry harvesters use little to no precision agriculture techniques..." Study maps landmarks of peripheral artery disease to guide treatment development Mar 2, 2020 8:45 am A new study from U of I researchers identifies major landmarks of peripheral artery disease recovery, creating signposts for researchers seeking to understand the disease and develop treatments.