For kids with sensitivity to bitter tastes, certain vegetables — like broccoli — are hard to eat, says Jennifer Orlet Fisher, researcher at Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education. In a new study, she found that such kids ate 80 percent more broccoli when they had the option of using a dip. "So, for kids who have genetic sensitivity to bitter tastes, or seem to be weary of bitter tasting foods, we think that offering low-fat dips could be a way to help kids eat more vegetables,” she said.
The Fox School of Business Online MBA program was ranked in the Top 10 for student services and technology and was one of only 14 honor roll recipients among graduate business programs in the first edition of Top Online Education Program rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Fox is the only online MBA program in Greater Philadelphia and Pennsylvania to be named to the national honor roll, ranking No. 8 for student services and technology. U.S. News ranked 164 schools overall.
The shift among employers toward policies that ban smokers, not just smoking, has been growing in Pennsylvania and the 20 other states that allow it — making even some longtime tobacco-control advocates uncomfortable. A smoker "has only to give up smoking off the job in order to be eligible for employment," the anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health says. That view "ignores the deeply addictive nature of smoking," said Jennifer Ibrahim, a Temple tobacco-control policy expert. "We know that quitting doesn't happen overnight."
Neuroimaging offers clues to how memory drills might improve pure intelligence. Brain scans conducted during memory training reveal that several regions of the brain become more active — indicating that these regions are involved in memory. "I am cautiously optimistic that we're seeing real effects in these studies," says Temple psychologist Jason Chein.
Temple biologist Tonia Hsieh's study of the locomotion of lizards continues to garner attention. The goal of the study is to figure out how these lizards remain upright on varied terrain, and she hopes some of the lessons can be used in the future to prevent falls among the aged. Early indications are that tendons in the lizards' feet play a key role in balance. It's a valuable first line of defense that kicks in even before the brain has time to react, Hsieh said. "It's kind of acting like a damper, like shock absorbers in cars," she said.
In Pennsylvania, the criminal statute of limitations for child abuse ends when the victim turns 50. "It's really a matter of fairness. If there's going to be a prosecution or a lawsuit, it should happen promptly after the events so the person has a fair opportunity to put together a defense," said James Shellenberger, a professor at Temple's Beasley School of Law. "The evidence may be stale, memories may have faded."
