Category: Week 2 (Page 2 of 2)

Flueckiger, L., Lieb, R., Meyer, A. H., & Mata, J. (2014). How Health Behaviors Relate to Academic Performance via Affect: An Intensive Longitudinal Study. Plos ONE, 9(10), 1-10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111080

This study aimed to determine the effects that sleep and physical activity had on students’ academic performance during an examination period. They carried out the study by having 72 first-year students answer online questionnaires on their sleep quality, physical activity, positive and negative affect, learning goal achievement, and examination grades on 32 consecutive days. The data were then analyzed using multilevel structural equation models.

Over the examination period, better average sleep quality but not physical activity predicted better learning goal achievement. Better learning goal achievement was associated with increased probability of passing all examinations. In terms of day-to-day dynamics, on days with better sleep quality, participants reported better learning goal achievement. Day-to-day physical activity was not related to daily learning goal achievement.

P. D. Darbre, A Aljarrah, W. R. Miller, N. G. Coldham, M. J. Sauer and G. S. Pope. “Concentrations of Parabens in Human Breast Tumours.” Journal of Applied Toxicology, vol. 24, 2004, pp. 5–13.

NOT A FREE ARTICLE AND NOT ACCESSIBLE BY CCNY DATABASE so I have provided the link: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.511.731&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Our research question was in search of whether ingredients within high end and drugstore foundations were any different from one another and whether one as a opposed to the other could clog pores or affect the health of the skin due to the differences in ingredients.

I found that in our high end sample of foundation (Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation retailing at $66) there were indeed parabens of some form specifically methylparaben and butylparaben (to be cautious of). And here my team and I thought with the higher price for the product, there would be less harmful ingredients.

My article concerned the relationship between parabens and breast tumours.

Breast tumor material was collected and stored in liquid nitrogen. After homogenizing, adding supernatant, centrifuging, etc, parabens were extracted from the tissue and analyzed by paper chromatography.

Results showed that parabens were indeed in the breast tissue. In four of the twenty tumors, there was more than the average level of paraben found. There were more parabens found than others which was mainly due to the fact it is more widely consumed. Considering the parabens found in the Armani foundation, it is quite possible for one who uses such a product regularly that it may be found in high concentrations in that person’s breast tissue.