Introduction This book is a basic introduction to empirical research methods. It examines a range of methods that try to deal with primary sources of information about the social world – actual people and events that can inform us about the processes, practices and ideas in the social world around us. Working with secondary sources – writings and materials produced by other social researchers –...

F amily planning assistance in the US has directly advanced, supported, and helped to build the infrastructure of family planning services in over 50 countries around the world since 1965. Family planning funds, channelled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have allowed women and families around the world to improve their quality of life.2 Tragically, in rec...

We experience the world around us as “continuous,” which means everything around us seems uninterrupted and ongoing. But how does our brain achieve that? Here, we suggest that the brain samples our environment in separate snapshots. We demonstrate that brain waves work just like a flipbook, where the rapid stream of related pictures creates the illusion of a continuous movie. We present results...

Medical News A mistaken interpretation of data relating alcohol to mortality Epidemiology of alcoholic liver disease in Denmark 2006–2011: A population-based study WineHealth 2015 The pattern of alcohol consumption and risk of cirrhosis Ethnic differences in presentation and severity of alcoholic liver disease Worsening of health and a cessation or reduction in alcohol consumption to special oc...

Mysterious disease devastates pacific Coast of Central America A mysterious epidemic has killed more than 24 000 people in El Salvador and Nicaragua since 2000 and stricken thousands of others with chronic kidney disease at rates unseen almost anywhere else. Some suggest that agricultural chemicals are the cause, but others contend that the grueling nature of the work and dehydration are to bla...

There have been several global epidemics of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu). Some, such as Itai-Itai disease in Japan and Balkan endemic nephropathy, have been explained, whereas the etiology of others remains unclear. In countries such as Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and India, CKDu is a major public health problem and causes significant morbidity and mortality. Despite...