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Causes of severe antisocial behaviour may differ for boys and girls
The causes of severe antisocial behaviour may differ between boys and girls, which could pave the way for new sex-specific treatments, according to a major new study published today (Friday 21 July). Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-techniques to map the brains of over 200 teenagers aged 14 - 18 years, researchers from our Department of Psychology and several other European universities conducted the most comprehensive study ever to analyse differences in brain development between children with conduct disorder (CD) and a group of typically-developing children (the control group).

Could slot machines be the key to more effective HIV testing?
A new Yale School of Public Health study found that slot machines, or "one-armed bandits," may offer a clue to how AIDS programs can better locate persons living with undiagnosed HIV infection. "When you walk into a casino and see a row of slot machines how do you decide which one to play and when it‘s time to switch to another' What's the best strategy to maximize your winnings?" asks Gregg Gonsalves, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Yale, and lead author on the paper published in Medical Decision Making .

’Tug of war’ explains diversity of cell migration patterns
Live cells can successfully navigate complex terrains inside intertwined human tissues, showing different migration patterns, sometimes moving apparently at random, sometimes in back-and-forth steps, occasionally switching to what amounts to very persistent directed migration. Scientists have studied these and other cell locomotion patterns, but until now no single mechanism has been proposed to explain why cells employ diverse migration patterns under the same conditions, with single cells switching between them with what seems like uncanny regularity.

Birds versus buildings: Rural structures post greater relative threat than urban ones
About one billion birds are killed every year when they unwittingly fly into human-made objects such as buildings with reflective windows. Such collisions are the largest unintended human cause of bird deaths worldwide - and they are a serious concern for conservationists. A new paper published in June in the journal Biological Conservation finds that, as one might suspect, smaller buildings cause fewer bird deaths than do bigger buildings.

Young people want more choice in GCSE experience
A new study by researchers from the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) at Cardiff University and Queen's University Belfast has found that students in Wales and Northern Ireland want more choice and fairness when it comes to their GCSE experience, including the subject selection process and the pressure to take on particular academic subjects.

Evidence for a particle that is its own antiparticle
In a discovery that concludes an 80-year quest, Stanford and University of California researchers found evidence of particles that are their own antiparticles. These 'Majorana fermions'  could one day help make quantum computers more robust. See video here. In 1928, physicist Paul Dirac made the stunning prediction that every fundamental particle in the universe has an antiparticle - its identical twin but with opposite charge.

Study investigates link between antidepressant use in pregnancy and autism
Children exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy seem to be at a slightly higher risk of autism than children of mothers with psychiatric disorders who were not treated with antidepressants during pregnancy, according to a University of Bristol study published in The BMJ today. However, the researchers stress that the absolute risk of autism was small, so these results should not be considered alarming.

Moderate exercise and dieting reduces risk of caesarean section and diabetes in pregnancy
Pregnant women who have a healthy diet and regular moderate exercise are less likely to have a caesarean section, gain excessive weight, or develop diabetes in pregnancy, according to a study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) using data from over 12,000 women. The study, published in the BMJ , is the largest research project in the world looking at lifestyle interventions in pregnancy, involving more than 50 researchers from 41 institutions*.

Many kinds of happiness promote better health
A new study links the capacity to feel a variety of upbeat emotions to better health. The research suggests people who experience a range of positive emotions in their daily lives - from enthusiasm to cheerfulness and calm - have lower levels of inflammation, compared to those who experience a narrower range of emotions.

Young adult cancer survivors struggle to get back to normal
ANN ARBOR-Cancer survivors often talk about wanting to get back to normal, but a new study indicates many young adults who survived the disease struggle with attaining this goal two years after their initial diagnosis. The longitudinal study is among the first seeking to understand the social functioning among adolescents and young adults who have had cancer.

Individual personal pensions fare worse than group pensions, shows research
People who take out an individual personal pension can expect lower returns than those who invest in a group personal pension plan, suggests new research from the University of Bath's School of Management. Individual investors are losing out The study finds that individual investors lose out by over 1 per cent a year in comparison with group personal pension plans negotiated by employers, even before differences in fees are taken into account.

Diving into magnets
First-time 3D imaging of internal magnetic patterns Magnets are found in motors, in energy production and in data storage. A deeper understanding of the basic properties of magnetic materials could therefore impact our everyday technology. A study by Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in Switzerland, the ETH Zurich and the University of Glasgow has the potential to further this understanding.

Self-perceptions linked to shorter lifespans
Stanford researchers found that U.S. adults who believed that they were less active than their peers died younger than those who believed they were more active - even if their actual activity levels were similar. Your answer might be linked to your risk of premature death decades from now - no matter how physically active you actually are, according to research by Stanford scholars Octavia Zahrt and Alia Crum.

Kakadu find confirms earliest Australian occupation
Aboriginal people have been in Australia for at least 65,000 years - much longer than the 47,000 years believed by some archaeologists. The discovery, by a team of archaeologists and dating specialists led by Associate Professor Chris Clarkson from The University of Queensland School of Social Science , has been detailed in the Nature journal this week.

Aging Americans enjoy longer life, better health when avoiding 3 risky behaviors
ANN ARBOR-We've heard it before from our doctors and other health experts: Keep your weight down, don't smoke and cut back on the alcohol if you want to live longer. Now, research from the University of Michigan School of Public Health shows that people of fairly normal weight who never smoked and drank only in moderation have a life expectancy at age 50 that is seven years longer than the average American.

Imaging breakthrough reveals magnets’ internal patterns
A new imaging technique has helped scientists make a breakthrough in how they visualise the directions of magnetisation inside an object. Magnets play a vital role in everyday life, are used in everything from hard drives to energy production, and scientists have already been able to study the structure of thin films of magnetic materials.

Artifacts suggest humans arrived in Australia earlier than thought
When and how the first humans made their way to Australia has been an evolving story. While it is accepted that humans appeared in Africa some 200,000 years ago, scientists in recent years have placed the approximate date of human settlement in Australia further and further back in time, as part of ongoing questions about the timing, the routes and the means of migration out of Africa.

Study examines effects of stopping psychiatric medication
UCLA professor co-authored new report showing that more than half of people succeed in discontinuing usage of drugs George Foulsham Despite numerous obstacles and severe withdrawal effects, long-term users of psychiatric drugs can stop taking them if they choose, and mental health care professionals could be more helpful to such individuals, according to a new study.

Less invasive treatment for blocked artery in the leg is safe, review finds
FINDINGS Researchers found in a review of data from three large studies that a minimally invasive treatment to treat peripheral artery disease offers a safe alternative to standard surgery. BACKGROUND Peripheral artery disease is a common circulatory problem in which the arteries become narrow from plaque buildup and blood flow to the limbs is reduced.

Supreme Court decision complicates prosecuting child abusers
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A Supreme Court decision that limits the types of statements that can be admitted as evidence unless the victim testifies in court discourages prosecutors from trying some child maltreatment cases, according to a recent national survey of more than 200 prosecutors.