Here the authors investigate the effects of plastic pollutants on terrestrial life. Specifically they look at the growth of Brassica rapa and determine that phosphate levels have the most negative impact on growth.
Read More...The Effects of Various Plastic Pollutants on the Growth of the Wisconsin Fast Plant
Here the authors investigate the effects of plastic pollutants on terrestrial life. Specifically they look at the growth of Brassica rapa and determine that phosphate levels have the most negative impact on growth.
Read More...An Analysis of the Mathematical Accuracy of Perspective in Paintings
Here the authors investigate whether there are mathematical inaccuracies of perspective in artists' paintings that are undetectable with our naked eyes. Using the cross-ratio method, they find that there are three significant errors in various famous paintings which increase as the structures in the paintings recede from the viewer.
Read More...Giving Teens a Voice: Sources of Stress for High School Students
The authors investigate the negative effects stress has on teen mental and physical health. Through a survey, they give Virginia teens a voice in revising the Health and Physical Education curriculum to include a standards of learning (SOL). Notably they identify factors contributing to stress levels including homework level, amount of free and sleep time, parental pressure and family encouragement.
Read More...The Effect of Statement Biased Popular Media Consumption on Public Perceptions of Nuclear Power
The authors investigate the effects of popular media consumption on the public's opinion on nuclear power. They find that regardless of education level or positive/negative bias of the article, participants are willing to modify their opinions on nuclear power after consuming a single article.
Read More...The Effect of Lyrical and Instrumental Music on Reading Comprehension Tasks
Herring and Scott investigated how specific types of background music affected 8th and 9th graders' performance on a reading comprehension task. In the study, their results indicated that music with English lyrics led to lower reading comprehension scores, while foreign language and instrumental music was comparable to no music at all. The authors therefore recommend that teachers avoid playing English language music for students completing reading tasks in order to minimize distractions and improve work efficiency.
Read More...The Prevalence of Brain-Eating Roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis in Merrick County, Nebraska
The authors investigated an important parasite-host relationship between the raccoon roundworm and the raccoon to understand how parasite prevalence is affected by location. They found that the parasite infection was more prevalent in raccoons found closer to human dwellings, though the number of roundworm eggs was not significantly different. These results are important human health, since roundworm infection is lethal to humans and can be transmitted from raccoons to humans - the authors suggest that more research into this parasite and awareness of its prevalence is needed to prevent disease.
Read More...Examining Heat Recovery from Electric Light Bulbs Using Thermoelectric Generators
Here the author investigates how much heat energy is output and recovered from a conventional electric light bulb.
Read More...Extroverts as Materialists: Correlating Personality Traits, Materialism, and Spending Behavior
The authors investigated the relationship between personality traits and adolescent materialism, as well as how materialism relates to spending habits. Results indicate that extroversion was positively correlated with materialism, and that adolescents' purchases were affected by the purchasing behaviors of their friends or peers. Moreover, materialistic youth were more likely than non-materialistic youth to spend money on themselves when given a hypothetical windfall of $500.
Read More...Spelling Bee: A Study on the Motivation and Learning Strategies Among Elementary and Junior-High Student Competitors
This article investigates the study methodologies, learning strategies, and motives of spelling bee participants. The authors identify several important educational implications of this work.
Read More...Transcriptional Regulators are Upregulated in the Substantia Nigra of Parkinson’s Disease Patients
This article investigates differences in gene expression in the brains of patients with and without Parkinson's disease. The authors identify a crucial transcriptional regulator may be a relevant target for future therapeutic treatment for Parkinson's disease.
Read More...