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Released: 4-Jun-2015 2:05 PM EDT
After Concussion, Sleep Aids Memory and Recall
University of Massachusetts Amherst

After a concussion, a person can have disturbed sleep, memory deficits and other problems for years, but a new study suggests that despite these, sleep still helps them to overcome memory deficits, and the benefit is equal to that seen in individuals with no history of mild traumatic brain injury.

   
Released: 3-Jun-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Physicists Eager for New, High-Energy LHC Run
University of Massachusetts Amherst

When experiments at the Large Hadron Collider collect the first 13-teraelectronvolt particle collisions data today, a long wait will be over for physicists who now begin some of the most exciting years of their careers searching for new particles, extra dimensions and the nature of dark matter.

Released: 22-May-2015 2:05 PM EDT
New Study Reveals the Economic Damage Caused by the Financialization of Non-Financial Companies
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A new study from researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst concludes that workers and governments have paid a heavy price in lost employment, wages and taxes over the past 35 years as Main Street firms mimicked Wall Street by speculating in financial assets, while the benefits from these financial investments were reaped primarily by corporate debt and equity holders, fostering inequality and eroding general social welfare.

   
Released: 12-May-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Sociologists Assess Epidemic of Wage Theft in Massachusetts Residential Construction Industry
University of Massachusetts Amherst

New research published by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Labor Center asserts how the illegal theft of workers’ wages, especially those of undocumented immigrant laborers, has reached epidemic levels in the residential construction industry in Massachusetts. In the working paper “The Epidemic of Wage Theft in Residential Construction in Massachusetts,” Tom Juravich, professor of sociology, with research assistants and co-authors Essie Ablavsky and Jake Williams, present three case studies examining the subcontractors for one of the nation’s largest homebuilding companies, regional drywall-hanging companies and affordable housing construction by a community development corporation.

Released: 5-May-2015 12:05 PM EDT
Improving Transistors That Drive Flexible Electronics
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A revolution is coming in flexible electronic technologies as cheaper, more flexible, organic transistors replace expensive, rigid, silicone-based semiconductors, but not enough is known about how bending thin-film electronic devices affects performance. A new study provides answers.

Released: 30-Apr-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Large New Study of Phthalates and Breast Cancer Risk
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Reliable data are lacking on whether the plasticizing chemicals found in such products as cosmetics, shampoo, flooring and medical tubing, or phthalates, affect human breast cancer risk. A large new study will investigate a possible relationship with a three-year, $1.5 million grant from NIEHS.

Released: 25-Feb-2015 11:30 AM EST
Chinese Institute Funds New Antibiotics Work
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Margaret Riley, an evolutionary biologist and pioneer research in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, announced a partnership with a Chinese scientist to develop a new drug platform, pheromonicins, with $400 million per year from Beijing. Riley plans to open a sister institute in Amherst, Mass.

Released: 18-Feb-2015 11:00 AM EST
‘Nature’s Medicine Cabinet’ Helps Bees Reduce Disease
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Researchers studying interaction between plants, pollinators and parasites say in experiments where bees infected with an intestinal parasite had reduced parasite loads in the gut after seven days when they had consumed natural toxins present in plant nectar, compared to bees on control nectar.

22-Jan-2015 2:00 PM EST
A First Peek Beneath the Surface of a Comet
University of Massachusetts Amherst

In some of the first research findings to be published from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, scientists report this week in Science on early measurements of the comet’s subsurface temperature and production of gas from the surface of its nucleus.

Released: 20-Jan-2015 3:00 PM EST
Help Wanted: Fast Food Cashier, $15 an Hour – New Report Details How the Industry Can Double Its Minimum Wage
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) have released a working paper verifying the ability of American fast food restaurants to more than double the minimum wage of their lowest paid workers to $15 an hour over a four-year period without causing the widespread employment losses and decline in profits often cited by critics of such increases.

Released: 20-Jan-2015 8:00 AM EST
Non-Native Plants Widespread, Plenty of Space to Invade
University of Massachusetts Amherst

The first comprehensive assessment of native vs. non-native plant distribution in the continental U.S., finds non-native plant species are much more widespread than natives, a finding the authors call very surprising. Even species with only a handful of occurrences were distributed widely.

Released: 16-Dec-2014 2:00 PM EST
Benefits of Naming People, Objects in Baby’s First Year
University of Massachusetts Amherst

In a follow-up to earlier studies of learning in infancy, researchers report that talking to babies in their first year, in particular naming things and people, helps them connect what they see and hear. This learning between 6 and 9 months aids later learning and is evident years later.

Released: 9-Dec-2014 3:00 PM EST
Help with Balance for People with Multiple Sclerosis
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Many people with multiple sclerosis have trouble with balance and a fear of falling, which can negatively affects quality of life. A new study funded by the National MS Society will look at how sensation in the feet relates to balance and whether vibrating insoles might aid walking and balance.

Released: 8-Dec-2014 3:00 PM EST
Re-Thinking Southern California Earthquake Scenarios
University of Massachusetts Amherst

New 3D numerical modeling that captures far more geometric complexity of an active fault segment in southern California than any other, suggests that the overall earthquake hazard for towns on the west side of the Coachella Valley such as Palm Springs may be slightly lower than previously believed.

Released: 1-Dec-2014 4:00 PM EST
Sociologist Explores Why Military Service Members Marry So Much Younger than Average Americans
University of Massachusetts Amherst

While numerous studies have shown that the marriage rate among military service members is much higher than civilians of the same age, new research from a sociologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has found specific reasons that lead these young men and women to make this important decision.

Released: 7-Nov-2014 3:00 PM EST
New Study Shows Childhood Asthma Due to Living Near Major Roadways Cost Los Angeles Residents $441 Million in 2007 Alone
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Asthma caused or worsened by living near major roadways cost Los Angeles County more than $441 million in 2007 alone, according to a new peer-reviewed article by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Southern California and the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Released: 6-Nov-2014 4:05 PM EST
Astronomers Peer Into Galaxies’ Star-Forming Centers
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Astronomers provide data from a new instrument, offering the most precise picture yet of events 4 billion years ago at the centers of distant, dust-cloaked galaxies. Details are in the first scientific paper based on data collected by the large millimeter telescope and its Redshift Search Receiver.

Released: 6-Nov-2014 4:00 PM EST
Anthropologist Receives Mellon Fellowship Award to Study Endangered Ojibwe Language and Native American Traditions
University of Massachusetts Amherst

UMass Amherst anthropologist Sonya Atalay has received a major fellowship award to master the endangered Anishinaabemowin language of Native American Ojibwe tribal communities, in order to expand research and understanding of ancient tribal knowledge and practices that are under an increasing threat of becoming lost forever.

Released: 3-Nov-2014 3:25 PM EST
‘Raising Shrimp’ a Finalist in Blue Ocean Film Festival
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A new documentary, “Raising Shrimp,” has been named an official selection of the Blue Ocean Film Festival, where it will screen on Nov. 6. It explores aquaculture and its impacts, particularly environmental concerns of shrimp farming and what consumers should know about this most popular seafood.

Released: 3-Oct-2014 1:25 PM EDT
New Book Examines the Mysteries and Drama of Brain Diseases Such as Parkinson’s and ALS
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A new book co-authored by a distinguished Boston neurologist and a University of Massachusetts Amherst mathematician takes readers behind the scenes at Harvard Medical School’s neurology unit to show how a seasoned diagnostician faces down bizarre neurological defects and life-altering disorders including Parkinson’s disease and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). In Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole: A Renowned Neurologist Explains the Mystery and Drama of Brain Disease (St. Martin’s Press, Sept. 30), Harvard Medical School neurologist Dr. Allan Ropper and Brian Burrell, senior lecturer of mathematics and statistics at UMass Amherst and author of six books, including 2005’s Postcards from the Brain Museum, share real-life stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations.

Released: 18-Sep-2014 2:40 PM EDT
A More Efficient, Lightweight and Low-Cost Solar Cell
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Scientists trying to improve the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells were long hampered by drawbacks of metal electrodes. Now comes a more efficient, easily processable and lightweight solar cell that can use any metal for the electrode, breaking down this barrier.

Released: 16-Sep-2014 1:00 PM EDT
Chemist Receives National Pharmacopeia Award
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Khaja Muneeruddin is one of three promising young scientists to recently receive the 2014-15 Global Fellowship Award from the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, dual publishers of the official pharmacopeia and National Formulary, the book of directions for identifying compound medicines.

Released: 11-Sep-2014 11:00 AM EDT
New Research Questions Legitimacy of Corporate Ratings and ‘Best-Of’ Lists
University of Massachusetts Amherst

New research published by the UMass Amherst Labor Center raises questions about the legitimacy of popular corporate ratings systems and industry “best-of” lists. In “The Corporate Rating Sham: The Case of T-Mobile,” Tom Juravich, professor of sociology, evaluated the various awards and recognitions received by the mobile telephone carrier from 2011-13. Upon examining these award programs’ selection and evaluation criteria, the quality of the data used, and the independence of the rating programs, Juravich and research assistant and co-author Essie Ablavsky concluded that these ratings and awards cannot be seen as objective measures of corporate performance. Instead, they believe that they are best viewed as marketing promotions operating in the guise of contests and competitions.

Released: 8-Sep-2014 4:00 PM EDT
New ‘Green Growth’ Report Shows How the U.S. Can Cut Carbon Pollution by 40 Percent While Creating 2.7 Million New Jobs
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A new report from the UMass Amherst Political Economy Research Institute and the Center for American Progress shows that the United States can cut its carbon pollution by 40 percent from 2005 levels and create a net increase of 2.7 million clean energy jobs in the process, reducing the unemployment rate by 1.5 percentage points.

   
Released: 20-Aug-2014 3:00 PM EDT
CloudLab Will Allow Tests of New Cloud Architectures
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Computer systems engineers have a three-year NSF grant to create a new instrument for the national research community known as a cloud laboratory. CloudLab will allow scientists to run huge or complex experiments on an enormous and flexible new shared network of reliable, secure, fast computers.

Released: 12-Aug-2014 3:00 PM EDT
Making Eco-Friendly ‘Pre-Fab Nanoparticles’
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A team of materials chemists, polymer scientists and device physicists this week report a breakthrough technique for controlling assembly of nanoparticles over multiple length scales that may allow cheaper, ecologically friendly manufacture of organic photovoltaics and other electronic devices.

Released: 11-Aug-2014 3:30 PM EDT
What Triggered Abrupt Climate Change in Paleo Arctic?
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Climate scientists at UMass Amherst have a three-year NSF grant to study an extremely thick, immobile area of ice that may once have covered much of the Arctic Ocean during glacial periods, providing new insights into its possible role in, and mechanisms of, abrupt past climate change.

Released: 7-Aug-2014 1:00 PM EDT
Learning from Origami to Design New Materials
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Scientists want to design new materials that have desired physical properties rather than relying on these to emerge naturally. Now origami-based folding methods may “tune” the physical properties of thin sheets, leading to micro machines that can snap into place to perform mechanical tasks.

Released: 6-Aug-2014 3:00 PM EDT
Studying Muscle Function to Treat Heart Failure
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A grant from the American Heart Association will support studies to uncover the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle fatigue. This will advance understanding of muscle function and lead to new drug therapies for people with fatigue, including 5.7 million Americans living with chronic heart failure.

24-Jun-2014 9:00 AM EDT
Animal Testing Methods for Some Chemicals Should Change
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Challenging risk assessment methods used for decades by toxicologists, a new review of the literature suggests that oral gavage, the most widely accepted method of dosing lab animals to test chemical toxicity, does not accurately mimic how humans are exposed to chemicals in everyday life.

Released: 11-Jun-2014 2:00 PM EDT
Dad’s Environmental Exposure and Reproductive Success
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A new study, among the first in humans, is underway to investigate whether phthalate (plastics) levels in expectant fathers have an effect on the couples’ reproductive success, via epigenetic modifications of sperm DNA. Phthalates are detectable in nearly 100 percent of the U.S. population

23-May-2014 3:40 PM EDT
A Mechanism of How Biodiversity Arises
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A new study of how biodiversity arises shows how a mutation in a single gene in development can lead to different consequences not only in jaw shape, but how this leads to different feeding strategies. It is among the first to show how one genetic change influences trait development and function.

Released: 23-May-2014 4:00 PM EDT
UMass Amherst’s University Museum of Contemporary Art Receives Never-Before-Exhibited Warhol Prints
University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a gift of six original never-before-exhibited Andy Warhol prints from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Released: 24-Apr-2014 11:00 AM EDT
Wildlife Response to Climate Change Underestimated
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Analyzing surveys sent in by citizen scientists over 35 years, researchers report that most of the 40 songbird species studied shifted northward or toward higher elevation in response to climate change, but not always both. Thus earlier studies likely underestimated effects of warming on wildlife.

Released: 23-Apr-2014 10:00 AM EDT
UMass Amherst Announces $10 Million Gift from Douglas and Diana Berthiaume to Create Entrepreneurship Center
University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst today announced a $10 million gift from longtime supporters Douglas and Diana Berthiaume to create a world-class Center for Entrepreneurship within the university’s Isenberg School of Management.

Released: 14-Apr-2014 12:00 PM EDT
John W. Olver, Gail Collins, to Get Honorary Degrees
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Former U.S. Rep. John W. Olver and journalist Gail Collins will receive honorary doctoral degrees at Undergraduate Commencement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday, May 9. About 5,500 students will receive bachelor’s degree at the ceremony in McGuirk Alumni Stadium at 4:30 p.m.

Released: 7-Apr-2014 11:00 AM EDT
Political Scientist Finds States’ Standardized Tests Have a Negative Impact on Parents’ Civic Engagement
University of Massachusetts Amherst

New research has found that parents of public school students in states with more extensive and stringent student assessment systems express lower trust in government and more negative views of their children’s schools, threatening civic engagement and the potential for future education reform.

Released: 30-Jan-2014 2:00 PM EST
Psychologists Find the Perceived Benefits of Casual Video Games Among Adults
University of Massachusetts Amherst

New research finds that while a majority of adults cite the ability to compete with friends as their primary reason for playing online casual video games such as Bejeweled Blitz, they report differing perceived benefits from playing the games based upon their age.

Released: 13-Jan-2014 4:25 PM EST
Plant Cell Growth Studies at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Plant cell biologist Magdalena Bezanilla has a four-year, $600,000 grant from NSF to further her research on fundamental processes of plant growth, notably how molecules secreted by cells determine their outer shape and pattern, as different as an adobe house is from a steel skyscraper.

Released: 7-Jan-2014 2:00 PM EST
Updating Air Pollution Measurement Methods
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Using advanced monitoring to assess health risk from air pollution, environmental health scientists hope to demonstrate for the first time in a real-world setting that air pollution can and should be regulated based on toxicology variables rather than simply on the volume of particles in the air.

Released: 12-Dec-2013 3:40 PM EST
Surprising Bonefish Spawning Behavior in Bahamas
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Bonefish are among the most elusive and highly prized quarry of recreational anglers in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and similar tropical habitats around the world. Now a research team has documented their rarely seen pre-spawning behavior, which should aid future conservation.

Released: 10-Dec-2013 12:00 PM EST
NCI Grant Targets a Key Enzyme in Cancer
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Immunologists on a multi-institution research team will share a five-year, $4.8 million National Cancer Institute grant to target multiple diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s and graft-versus-host disease by manipulating an enzyme that activates over 100 different protein substrates in the body.



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