The authors looked at whether youth use of marijuana related to later high-risk drug use. Using survey data from 2010-2019 they found that youth marijuana use did correlate to an increased risk of high-risk drug use.
Read More...The effect of youth marijuana use on high-risk drug use: Examining gateway and substitution hypothesis
The authors looked at whether youth use of marijuana related to later high-risk drug use. Using survey data from 2010-2019 they found that youth marijuana use did correlate to an increased risk of high-risk drug use.
Read More...Slowing the Mold Growth on Stored Corn: The Effects of Vinegar, Baker’s Yeast, and Yogurt on Corn Weight Loss
Chemical preservatives are often used to reduce grain spoilage due to mold, but can have harmful heath and environmental effects. In this study, the authors tested three low toxic compounds for their effects on mold growth on corn kernels and found that all three were successful at slowing growth.
Read More...A colorimetric investigation of copper(II) solutions
In this study, the authors investigate the effects of acetone on the color of copper chloride (CuCl2) solution, which has important implications for detecting copper in the environment.
Read More...More efficient sources of water distribution for agricultural and general usage
Here, the authors investigated alternative methods to irrigate plants based on the their identification that current irrigation systems waste a large amount of fresh water. They compared three different delivery methods for water: conventional sprinkler, underground cloth, and a perforated pipe embedded in the soil. They found the cloth method to save the most water, although plant growth was slightly less in comparison to plants watered with the sprinkler method or pipe method.
Read More...Environmentally-friendly graphene conductive ink using graphene powder, polystyrene, and waste oil
In this article, the authors propose an effective, environmentally-friendly method of producing conductive ink using expired waste oil, polystyrene, and graphene.
Read More...Mining social media posts: An alternative approach to understanding home health care workers’ experiences
This study developed an effective method for extracting valuable information from social media data and employed computer-assisted human coding alongside the AI-powered tool to analyze social media posts. The findings provide a deep understanding of the major challenges that home health care workers are experiencing and offer important implications regarding how to improve home healthcare workers' well-being, and provide suggestions on optimizing the home health care service experience.
Read More...Testing Various Synthetic and Natural Fiber Materials for Soundproofing
Noise pollution negatively impacts the health and behavioral routines of humans and other animals, but the production of synthetic sound-absorbing materials contributes to harmful gas emissions into the atmosphere. The authors of this paper investigated the effectiveness of environmentally-friendly, cheap natural-fiber materials, such as jute, as replacements for synthetic materials, such as gypsum and foam, in soundproofing.
Read More...Near-infrared activation of environmentally-friendly gold and silver nanoparticles for unclogging arteries
Coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, results from cholesterol build-up in coronary arteries, limiting blood and oxygen flow to the heart. This study investigated the use of gold and silver nanoparticles coated with aspirin and activated by near-infrared light to improve blood flow in a clogged artery model. The nanoparticles increased simulated blood flow rates, demonstrating potential as a less invasive and more targeted treatment for cardiovascular disease.
Read More...Exploring Unconventional Growing Methods to Promote Healthy Growth in Common Household Plants: Tagetes patula L. and Lepidium sativum
This study focused on finding more sustainable growing methods that reduce chemical fertilizer or water usage and can be used at the household level for garden plants. Metrics for healthy plant growth were height at first bloom, growing time, and survival rate. The Deep Water Culture (DWC) treatment for garden cress plants significantly increased the height at first bloom compared to the control group. For rates of surviving plants, the treatments had little effect on garden cress, but the Eggshell Grounds, Wick System, and DWC system groups outperformed the control group for marigolds.
Read More...Nature’s reset: The effect of native and invasive plant forage on honey bee nutrition and survival
The authors looked at survival of honey bees over the winter in regards to native and invasive plant availability. They found that native plants provided greater survivability and overall health compared to environments where there was an abundance of invasive plants.
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