LAS VEGAS?Cricket is moving on up. At the CTIA Wireless trade show this week, the nation's No. 5 carrier outlined an ambitious plan to stock more high-end smartphones supporting nationwide LTE, most notably including the Samsung Galaxy S 4.
"A year ago, we had less than 1 percent of our customers on high-tier handsets," Cricket CEO Doug Hutchinson said. "Now we're in the mid-teens on the high-tier handsets and growing nicely."
Cricket is backing up these plans with an aggressive new ad campaign targeting AT&T and Verizon subscribers called "Half is More," highlighting how its $50 plans cost half what most AT&T and Verizon subscribers are paying. This is a nuanced strategy for Cricket, which is much cheaper than the two big players but tends to be a little more expensive than the truly low-cost prepaid carriers.
I spent a little time with the new Cricket Galaxy S 4 and the less expensive Samsung Galaxy Discover at Cricket's press conference. They're both pretty much as expected; Cricket's major addition is its unlimited Muve Music service. The Galaxy S 4 will cost $599 up front, but Cricket will also offer a range of financing options.
Cricket's unafraid to offer high-end, high-cost smartphones after seeing the success of its Galaxy S III this year, said Matt Stoiber, Cricket's senior vice president for devices.
"Our expectation was that our customers probably wouldn't spend that much money to get to an iconic phone, but we were surprised with the take rate on the Galaxy S III," he said.
A More Focused Portfolio
Cricket's 2013 portfolio will focus primarily on smartphones, with Samsung playing a heavy role. Stoiber said Cricket will carry two entry-level feature phones, a clamshell, and a QWERTY device, along with a bunch of entry-level smartphones and some high-end smartphones. About a third of Cricket's customers are still on feature phones, and mid-tier smartphone customers have been moving up to high-end devices with the coming of Cricket's device financing plans, he said. But you shouldn't expect a huge lineup from a carrier with seven million customers.
"You're not going to see us go to 18-24 devices in the lineup again. We're going to be trying to be very smart about which devices we pick, and you'll see a much narrower focus on OEMs," he said.
That seems to be a signal that Cricket won't be aggressively auditioning new Chinese manufacturers and instead is going to be primarily working with bigger brands like Samsung, LG, and HTC.
LTE will also be a major focus. Cricket only covers a third of the country by itself, but it also has an ongoing wholesale agreement with Sprint offering Cricket customers nationwide roaming on Sprint's 3G and LTE networks. The new Cricket GS 4 will support LTE on both Cricket's AWS and Sprint's 1900Mhz networks, and some 2014 devices may mix in Clearwire's 2.5Ghz as well.
"You'll see fewer 3G options for our customers," Stoiber said. "You're not going to see a lot of new 3G Android devices. We're working hard to get 4G to entry level pricing."
And while Cricket is focused on its iPhones and Android devices right now, it isn't counting out other mobile operating systems.
"We're likely to have [a Windows Phone 8] in the future," Stoiber said. "We're very interested in it, and it wouldn't be an entry level device ? we continue to talk to BlackBerry, but we haven't made any commitments to BlackBerry," he said.
Pay attention: How we focus and concentratePublic release date: 22-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Bidewell press.office@ncl.ac.uk 44-019-122-27850 Newcastle University
Publishing in Neuron, the team reveal the interplay of brain chemicals which help us pay attention in work funded by the Wellcome Trust and BBSRC.
By changing the way neurons respond to external stimuli we improve our perceptual abilities. While these changes can affect the strength of a neuronal response, they can also affect the fidelity of that response.
Lead author Alex Thiele, Professor of Visual Neuroscience explains: "When you communicate with others, you can make yourself better heard by speaking louder or by speaking more clearly. Neurons appear to do similar things when we're paying attention. They send their message more intensely to their partners, which compares to speaking louder. But more importantly, they also increase the fidelity of their message, which compares to speaking more clearly.
"Our earlier work has shown that attention is able to affect the intensity of responses in effect the loudness - by means of the brain chemical acetylcholine. Now we have shown that the fidelity of the response is altered by a different brain chemical system."
In the paper, the team reveal that the quality of the response is altered by means of glutamate coupling to NMDA receptors (a molecular device that mediates communication between neurons). Carried out in a primate model, these studies for the first time isolate different attention mechanisms at the receptor level.
The research has potentially significant implications not only for our understanding of how our brains work but also give an insight into conditions such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and attention deficit disorder, and may aid in the development of treatments for them.
###
Reference: Attention induced variance and noise correlation reduction in macaque V1 is mediated
by NMDA receptors. Jose L Herrero, Marc A. Gieselmann, Mehdi Sanayei & Alexander Thiele. Neuron.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Pay attention: How we focus and concentratePublic release date: 22-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Bidewell press.office@ncl.ac.uk 44-019-122-27850 Newcastle University
Publishing in Neuron, the team reveal the interplay of brain chemicals which help us pay attention in work funded by the Wellcome Trust and BBSRC.
By changing the way neurons respond to external stimuli we improve our perceptual abilities. While these changes can affect the strength of a neuronal response, they can also affect the fidelity of that response.
Lead author Alex Thiele, Professor of Visual Neuroscience explains: "When you communicate with others, you can make yourself better heard by speaking louder or by speaking more clearly. Neurons appear to do similar things when we're paying attention. They send their message more intensely to their partners, which compares to speaking louder. But more importantly, they also increase the fidelity of their message, which compares to speaking more clearly.
"Our earlier work has shown that attention is able to affect the intensity of responses in effect the loudness - by means of the brain chemical acetylcholine. Now we have shown that the fidelity of the response is altered by a different brain chemical system."
In the paper, the team reveal that the quality of the response is altered by means of glutamate coupling to NMDA receptors (a molecular device that mediates communication between neurons). Carried out in a primate model, these studies for the first time isolate different attention mechanisms at the receptor level.
The research has potentially significant implications not only for our understanding of how our brains work but also give an insight into conditions such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and attention deficit disorder, and may aid in the development of treatments for them.
###
Reference: Attention induced variance and noise correlation reduction in macaque V1 is mediated
by NMDA receptors. Jose L Herrero, Marc A. Gieselmann, Mehdi Sanayei & Alexander Thiele. Neuron.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
"); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['togglesource'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['toolbar'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['button'] = new Template("
"); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['menu_item'] = new Template("
#{title}
"); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['togglesource'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['emoticons_showall'] = new Template(""); ipb.editor_values.get('templates')['emoticon_wrapper'] = new Template("
Emoticons
"); // Add smilies into the mix ipb.editor_values.set( 'show_emoticon_link', false ); ipb.editor_values.set( 'bbcodes', $H({"snapback":{"id":"1","title":"Post Snap Back","desc":"This tag displays a little linked image which links back to a post - used when quoting posts from the board. Opens in same window by default.","tag":"snapback","useoption":"0","example":"[snapback]100[/snapback]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"topic":{"id":"5","title":"Topic Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a topic","tag":"topic","useoption":"1","example":"[topic=1]Click me![/topic]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Enter the topic ID","menu_content_text":"Enter the title for this link","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"post":{"id":"6","title":"Post Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a post.","tag":"post","useoption":"1","example":"[post=1]Click me![/post]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Enter the Post ID","menu_content_text":"Enter the title for this link","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"spoiler":{"id":"7","title":"Spoiler","desc":"Spoiler tag","tag":"spoiler","useoption":"0","example":"[spoiler]Some hidden text[/spoiler]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"Enter the text to be masked","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"acronym":{"id":"8","title":"Acronym","desc":"Allows you to make an acronym that will display a description when moused over","tag":"acronym","useoption":"1","example":"[acronym='Laugh Out Loud']lol[/acronym]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Enter the description for this acronym (EG: Laugh Out Loud)","menu_content_text":"Enter the acronym (EG: lol)","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"hr":{"id":"12","title":"Horizontal Rule","desc":"Adds a horizontal rule to separate text","tag":"hr","useoption":"0","example":"[hr]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"1","optional_option":"0","image":""},"php":{"id":"14","title":"PHP Code","desc":"Allows you to enter PHP code into a formatted/highlighted syntax box","tag":"php","useoption":"0","example":"[php]$variable = true;\n\nprint_r($variable);[/php]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"html":{"id":"15","title":"HTML Code","desc":"Allows you to enter formatted/syntax-highlighted HTML code","tag":"html","useoption":"0","example":"[html]\n \n[/html]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"sql":{"id":"16","title":"SQL Code","desc":"Allows you to enter formatted/syntax-highlighted SQL code","tag":"sql","useoption":"0","example":"[sql]SELECT p.*, t.* FROM posts p LEFT JOIN topics t ON t.tid=p.topic_id WHERE t.tid=7[/sql]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"xml":{"id":"17","title":"XML Code","desc":"Allows you to enter formatted/syntax-highlighted XML code","tag":"xml","useoption":"0","example":"[xml]\n \n Test\n \n[/xml]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"member":{"id":"31","title":"Member","desc":"Given a member name, a link is automatically generated to the member's profile","tag":"member","useoption":"1","example":"[member=skyhawk133] runs this site.","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"Input Username of Member","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"1","optional_option":"0","image":"memberbbcode.png"},"extract":{"id":"33","title":"Extract Blog Entry","desc":"This will allow users to define an extract for an entry. Only this piece of the entry will be displayed on the main blog page and will show up in the RSS feed.","tag":"extract","useoption":"0","example":"[extract]This is an example![/extract]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"blog":{"id":"34","title":"Blog Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a blog.","tag":"blog","useoption":"1","example":"[blog=100]Click me![/blog]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"entry":{"id":"35","title":"Blog Entry Link","desc":"This tag provides an easy way to link to a blog entry.","tag":"entry","useoption":"1","example":"[entry=100]Click me![/entry]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"twitter":{"id":"36","title":"Twitter","desc":"A tag to link to a user's twitter account","tag":"twitter","useoption":"0","example":"[twitter]userName[/twitter]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":"twitter.png"},"inline":{"id":"37","title":"Inline Code","desc":"Formats code inline instead of in a seperate code box. ","tag":"inline","useoption":"0","example":"[inline]style=\"font-size: 12px;\"[/inline]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":""},"il":{"id":"38","title":"Abbreviated Inline (IL)","desc":"Abbreviated version of the [inline] tag. ","tag":"il","useoption":"0","example":"[il]Code Here[/il]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"0","image":"il2.png"},"code":{"id":"41","title":"Code","desc":"Allows you to enter general code","tag":"code","useoption":"1","example":"[code]$text = 'Some long code here';[/code]","switch_option":"0","menu_option_text":"","menu_content_text":"","single_tag":"0","optional_option":"1","image":""}}) ); ipb.vars['emoticon_url'] = "http://cdn.dreamincode.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/default"; //Search Setup ipb.vars['search_type'] = 'forum'; ipb.vars['search_type_id'] = 32; ipb.vars['search_type_2'] = 'topic'; ipb.vars['search_type_id_2'] = 321490; //]]>
Hello All, Good day! I'm new in Java and Hopefully you can help me with my first post
I have a form with text fields (txt_field1, txt_field2, txt_field3) radiobutton (rad_btn1, rad_btn2) and button (btn_save, btn_cancel)
I just want, when the user input a data in txt_field1,txt_field2,txt_field3, choose rad_btn1 and click btn_save, it will save in a file prompting "Please enter file name to save" and then it will message "File has been successfully created".
Is This A Good Question/Topic? 0
Replies To: JButton to save data of textfields to a file
BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraq's wave of bloodshed sharply escalated Monday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 people and brought echoes of past sectarian carnage and fears of a dangerous spillover from Syria's civil war next door.
The latest spiral of violence ? which has claimed more than 240 lives in the past week ? carries the hallmarks of the two sides that brought nearly nonstop chaos to Iraq for years: Sunni insurgents, including al-Qaida's branch in Iraq, and Shiite militias defending their newfound power after Saddam Hussein's fall.
But the widening shadow and regional brinksmanship from Syria's conflict now increasingly threaten to feed into Iraq's sectarian strife, heightening concerns that Iraq could be turning toward civil war.
The Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki must balance its close ties with Iran ? the main regional ally of Syria's Bashar Assad ? and its position among fellow Arab League members and neighboring Turkey, which strongly back Syria's mainly Sunni opposition.
Al-Maliki appears determined to boost security crackdowns to keep Iraq's minority Sunnis from taking a more high-profile role in the anti-Assad forces, which have received pledges of support from the longtime insurgent group al-Qaida in Iraq.
There have been no claims of responsibility for the current flare-up of violence, capped by Monday's body count that was the highest death toll for a single day in 10 months. Yet some analysts believe it's difficult to separate Iraq's deep sectarian suspicions from the Shiite-Sunni split over Assad, which has also led to clashes in Lebanon.
"Iraq now has moved into a bigger circle that covers Syria and Lebanon," said Baghdad-based political affairs analyst Hadi Jalo.
Al-Maliki is not only worried about his Sunni rivals possibly deepening their involvement in the rebel cause in Syria, said Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Al-Maliki's worries extend to Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, which has close links to Assad foe Turkey.
"Al-Maliki believes this is the time to be tough and show he is in control of the country," said Clawson. "What we are seeing is the backlash to that."
The U.S. and its Western allies strongly support Syria's political opposition, but have been reluctant to significantly boost weapons flow to rebel fighters because of worries over Islamic militants who have joined the anti-Assad brigades. But the deepening refugee crisis in the region, along with concern over spillover violence, is often cited by Arab states and Turkey urging greater Western intervention.
Sectarian tensions have been worsening since Iraq's minority Sunnis began expanding protests over what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government. Many Sunnis contend that much of the country's current turmoil is rooted in the policies of al-Maliki's government, which they accuse of feeding sectarian tension by becoming more aggressive toward Sunnis after the U.S. military withdrawal in December 2011.
Mass demonstrations by Sunnis, which began in December, have largely been peaceful. However, the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in northern Iraq on April 23.
Hours after Monday's stunning blitz of attacks ? stretching from north of Baghdad to the southern city of Basra ? al-Maliki accused militant groups of trying to exploit Iraq's political instability and vowed to resist attempts to "bring back the atmosphere of the sectarian war."
He also blamed the recent spike in violence on the wider unrest in the region, particularly Syria.
"You cannot remove the Syrian element from what's happening in Iraq," said Sami al-Faraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies. "The outcome of the war in Syria has big consequences for both Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites. What we see now is an extension of that in some respects."
The worst of Monday's violence took place in Baghdad, where 10 car bombs ripped through open-air markets and other areas of Shiite neighborhoods, killing at least 48 people and wounding more than 150, police officials said.
In Balad, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded next to a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims, killing 13 Iranians and one Iraqi, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
Meanwhile, in the predominantly Shiite city of Basra in southern Iraq, twin car bombings ? outside a restaurant and at the city's main bus station ? killed at least 13 people and wounded 40, according to provincial police spokesman Col. Abdul-Karim al-Zaidi and the head of the city's health directorate, Riadh Abdul-Amir.
"All of a sudden, a thunderous explosion lifted my car and put it back on the ground," said Sami Saadon, a Basra taxi driver who suffered shrapnel injuries in his chest. "I could barely open the door and I crawled outside the car, where smoke and dust were everywhere."
A car bomb later struck Shiite worshippers as they were leaving a mosque in the southern city of Hillah, killing nine and wounding 26, police and health officials said.
Monday's violence also struck Sunni areas.
A car bomb in Samarra, north of Baghdad, went off near a gathering of pro-government Sunni militia waiting outside a military base to receive salaries, killing three and wounding 13. In the western province of Anbar, the hub of Sunni power, gunmen ambushed two police patrols near the town of Haditha, killing eight policemen, officials said.
Also in Anbar, authorities found 13 bodies dumped in a remote desert area. The victims, who included eight policemen kidnapped by gunmen on Friday, had been killed by a gunshot to the head, officials said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
The surge in bloodshed has exasperated Iraqis, who have lived for years with the fear and uncertainty bred of random violence.
"How long do we have to continue living like this, with all the lies from the government?" asked 23-year-old Baghdad resident Malik Ibrahim. "Whenever they say they have reached a solution, the bombings come back stronger than before."
___
Associated Press writers Nabil Al-Jurani in Basra and Brian Murphy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
One of the more contentious rumors surrounding next-gen consoles has been potential changes to DRM and while Microsoft hasn't answered all our questions when it comes to the Xbox One, it took a few head on. The official FAQ starts off with the "always-on" DRM issue and also addresses used games, indicating that the box is designed "so you can play games and watch Blu-ray movies and live TV if you lose your connection," and that it does not have to always be connected. That said, it still "requires" a connection to the internet, promising cloud-based benefits for gameplay and more. Other questions answer things like whether the new console will require more power (no) and will our Xbox Live Gold subscriptions still work with the new and old hardware (yes).
When it comes to used games, the FAQ's response is also promising, stating "We are designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games." We can still find enough wiggle room in those responses to remain curious, but it appears we should be able to avoid a SimCity-style meltdown (with our new games, since the old ones won't work.)
CTIA isn't the only event happening today, up in Redmond at Microsoft HQ we're being treated to a first look at what's next for the Xbox. Besides the gaming, the Xbox has steadily been increasing its attack on the living room, and Xbox Live has gone cross-platform with the release of Wordament on iOS. Then of course there's Xbox Smartglass, so already Microsoft has our attention before announcing anything new.
Our good friends over at Windows Phone Central will be covering the whole event with a liveblog, and we've got you hooked up with the link below. Also worth a read is their "What to expect..." post, but keep it locked to Windows Phone Central for all the news as it happens.
Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivityPublic release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Keith Herrell Keith.Herrell@uc.edu 513-558-4559 University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center
CINCINNATIEarly-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
The research is detailed in a study being published Tuesday, May 21, in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed open access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The research was conducted by faculty members from the UC College of Medicine's Department of Environmental Health in collaboration with Cincinnati Children's. Nicholas Newman, DO, director of the Pediatric Environmental Health and Lead Clinic at Cincinnati Children's, was the study's first author.
"There is increasing concern about the potential effects of traffic-related air pollution on the developing brain," Newman says. "This impact is not fully understood due to limited epidemiological studies.
"To our knowledge, this is the largest prospective cohort with the longest follow-up investigating early life exposure to traffic-related air pollution and neurobehavioral outcomes at school age." Scientists believe that early life exposures to a variety of toxic substances are important in the development of problems later in life.
Newman and his colleagues collected data on traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) from the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS), a long-term epidemiological study examining the effects of traffic particulates on childhood respiratory health and allergy development. Funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, CCAAPS is led by Grace LeMasters, PhD, of the environmental health department. Study participantsnewborns in the Cincinnati metropolitan area from 2001 through 2003were chosen based on family history and their residence being either near or far from a major highway or bus route.
Children were followed from infancy to age 7, when parents completed the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition (BASC-2), assessing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related symptoms including attention problems, aggression, conduct problems and atypical behavior. Of the 762 children initially enrolled in the study, 576 were included in the final analysis at 7 years of age.
Results showed that children who were exposed to the highest third amount of TRAP during the first year of life were more likely to have hyperactivity scores in the "at risk" range when they were 7 years old. The "at risk" range for hyperactivity in children means that they need to be monitored carefully because they are at risk for developing clinically important symptoms.
"Several biological mechanisms could explain the association between hyperactive behaviors and traffic-related air pollution," Newman says, including narrowed blood vessels in the body and toxicity in the brain's frontal cortex.
Newman notes that the higher air pollution exposure was associated with a significant increase in hyperactivity only among those children whose mothers had greater than a high school education. Mothers with higher education may expect higher achievement, he says, affecting the parental report of behavioral concerns.
"The observed association between traffic-related air pollution and hyperactivity may have far-reaching implications for public health," Newman says, noting that studies have shown that approximately 11 percent of the U.S. population lives within 100 meters of a four-lane highway and that 40 percent of children attend school within 400 meters of a major highway.
"Traffic-related air pollution is one of many factors associated with changes in neurodevelopment, but it is one that is potentially preventable."
###
LeMasters, Patrick Ryan, PhD, Linda Levin, PhD, David Bernstein, MD, Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD, James Lockey, PhD, Manuel Villareal, MD, Tiina Reponen, PhD, Sergey Grinshpun, PhD, Heidi Sucharew, PhD, and Kim Dietrich, PhD, were co-authors of the study.
Funding was provided by NIEHS and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivityPublic release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Keith Herrell Keith.Herrell@uc.edu 513-558-4559 University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center
CINCINNATIEarly-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
The research is detailed in a study being published Tuesday, May 21, in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed open access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The research was conducted by faculty members from the UC College of Medicine's Department of Environmental Health in collaboration with Cincinnati Children's. Nicholas Newman, DO, director of the Pediatric Environmental Health and Lead Clinic at Cincinnati Children's, was the study's first author.
"There is increasing concern about the potential effects of traffic-related air pollution on the developing brain," Newman says. "This impact is not fully understood due to limited epidemiological studies.
"To our knowledge, this is the largest prospective cohort with the longest follow-up investigating early life exposure to traffic-related air pollution and neurobehavioral outcomes at school age." Scientists believe that early life exposures to a variety of toxic substances are important in the development of problems later in life.
Newman and his colleagues collected data on traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) from the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS), a long-term epidemiological study examining the effects of traffic particulates on childhood respiratory health and allergy development. Funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, CCAAPS is led by Grace LeMasters, PhD, of the environmental health department. Study participantsnewborns in the Cincinnati metropolitan area from 2001 through 2003were chosen based on family history and their residence being either near or far from a major highway or bus route.
Children were followed from infancy to age 7, when parents completed the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition (BASC-2), assessing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related symptoms including attention problems, aggression, conduct problems and atypical behavior. Of the 762 children initially enrolled in the study, 576 were included in the final analysis at 7 years of age.
Results showed that children who were exposed to the highest third amount of TRAP during the first year of life were more likely to have hyperactivity scores in the "at risk" range when they were 7 years old. The "at risk" range for hyperactivity in children means that they need to be monitored carefully because they are at risk for developing clinically important symptoms.
"Several biological mechanisms could explain the association between hyperactive behaviors and traffic-related air pollution," Newman says, including narrowed blood vessels in the body and toxicity in the brain's frontal cortex.
Newman notes that the higher air pollution exposure was associated with a significant increase in hyperactivity only among those children whose mothers had greater than a high school education. Mothers with higher education may expect higher achievement, he says, affecting the parental report of behavioral concerns.
"The observed association between traffic-related air pollution and hyperactivity may have far-reaching implications for public health," Newman says, noting that studies have shown that approximately 11 percent of the U.S. population lives within 100 meters of a four-lane highway and that 40 percent of children attend school within 400 meters of a major highway.
"Traffic-related air pollution is one of many factors associated with changes in neurodevelopment, but it is one that is potentially preventable."
###
LeMasters, Patrick Ryan, PhD, Linda Levin, PhD, David Bernstein, MD, Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD, James Lockey, PhD, Manuel Villareal, MD, Tiina Reponen, PhD, Sergey Grinshpun, PhD, Heidi Sucharew, PhD, and Kim Dietrich, PhD, were co-authors of the study.
Funding was provided by NIEHS and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vBnABl2u01KZDGfzIu2LoSoOSAnVJJx7tZuj4Iew9aomrW1IqsfaJnQcBadN3vX8Td8MGqHr41izSOKh0LNK5fae78g1h2lkQvLu_j098=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 22-May-2013
Share ] 
