Health and Science
Defining Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables: A Nutrient Density Approach
National nutrition guidelines emphasize consumption of powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFV), foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk; yet efforts to define PFV are lacking. This study developed and validated a classification scheme defining PFV as foods providing, on average, 10% or more daily value per 100 kcal of 17 qualifying nutrients. more »
Watching Schrodinger's Cat Die: "Gently recording the cat's paw prints both makes it die, or come to life"
If you put a cat inside an opaque box and make his life dependent on a random event, when does the cat die? When the random event occurs, or when you open the box? Though common sense suggests the former, quantum mechanics — or at least the most common "Copenhagen" interpretation enunciated by Danish physicist Neils Bohr in the 1920s – says it’s the latter. Someone has to observe the result before it becomes final. Until then, paradoxically, the cat is both dead and alive at the same time. more »
Rising Mortality Rates in Women in the United States: "Today, we still have to fight for equal access, equal rights, and even equal health"
Congresswoman Lois Capps stressed that knowing about diseases and risk factors provides individuals with the opportunity to notice a problem early and to take action. She emphasized that health care providers require education to spot unique warning signs and women need support because they all too often put their families and jobs ahead of their own health more »
High-Containment Laboratories; Recent Incidents of Biosafety Lapses: "The oversight of these laboratories is fragmented and largely self-policing"
"As GAO last reported in 2013, after more than 12 years, GAO has not been able to find any detailed projections based on a government-wide strategic evaluation of research requirements based on public health or national security needs. Without this information, there is little assurance of having facilities with the right capacity to meet the nation's needs." more »