Archive for January, 2022
A very scents-able invention for detecting odors
Posted by mark in science, Uncategorized on January 23, 2022
I was impressed to see this recent New York Times ‘heads-up’ featuring a fellow chemical engineer from University of Minnesota, Chuck McGinley, who operates a lab just a few miles down the road from my home in Stillwater, MN. They got a great shot of Chuck using his Nasal Ranger to sniff around in South St. Paul, last summer. That area of the Twin Cities has emitted unpleasant odors throughout my lifetime—it being founded as a regional stockyard and still the home of a stinky rendering plant.*
“Some of the most recognizable and potent odors, like hydrogen sulfide (think rotten egg) can be sensed at even the tiniest concentrations, like 1 part per billion. ‘If you were to map out the distance from New York to Los Angeles, 1 part per billion would account for only a few inches along that route’.”
– New York Times quoting Professor Jacek Koziel, Iowa State
It turns out that there’s a surprising amount of science behind detecting and characterizing odors as detailed in this blog by St. Croix Sensory, where Chuck works as Technical Director. Unfortunately, the main focus of these experts on smelling must, by necessity, be on detection of ‘off-odors’, such as that emanating from kitty litter (yuk!). If I had a Nasal Ranger, it would be aimed at a rose garden or at a barbecue grill, that is, “on” odors.
PS: Sadly, the current coronaviruses not only cause the loss of smell but also a perverse reversal of olfactory senses called “parosmia.” This can make savory foods smell like rotting sewage as noted in a 1/18/22 report by CNBC on how Covid can turn kids into ‘fussy eaters’ if it changes their sense of smell.
*As reported in 11/22/21, Des Moines Register, ‘You can’t escape it’: Stench spoils downtown experience for some in Des Moines , the residents of South St. Paul won a settlement in 2020 for $750,000 for putting up with the off-putting odors.
Megastudy uncovers secret to motivation for exercise
Posted by mark in Consumer behavior, Wellness on January 10, 2022
Over half of all Americans making resolutions for 2021 made exercise their top priority according to this report from Statista. Unfortunately, most people who decide to work out more often after being ‘flabbergasted’* by the year-end holidays will fall off by the 17th of January—cruelly declared as “Quitter’s Day” by fitness tracker Strava.
However, the results of a new ‘megastudy’ reported by this report last month in Nature provides some hope for certain interventions getting folks back on their treadmills or the like. A team of scientists in collaboration with 24 Hour Fitness created a “Step Up” program that, with a small incentive ($1 in Amazon points), drew in 61,000 members. They then divided up the group into groups to test over 50 four-week programs aimed at increasing weekly gym visits.
Only 8% of the interventions led to participants making a significant change in their behavior. The most successful approach, increasing attendance by 27% versus the control group, came by giving people about 10 cents in reward points for returning to the gym after missing a workout. Surprisingly, a larger monetary reward (~$1.75) produced slightly less improvement.
“Try not to miss more than one workout.”
Advice from lead-author Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
I like the New York Times December 8th “Phys Ed” take-home on this megastudy. “Find small ways to reward ourselves when we exercise as planned. Drop a dollar into a bowl for every workout, for instance, and let the proceeds mount.” Better yet, make an appreciable monetary bet with a friend that you will keep up your workouts. Along those lines, why not make it mutual? Fun!
Since this study only involved people motivated enough to join a gym, it would be a stretch (fitness pun?) to expect similar results for those remaining anchored to their couch. Perhaps attaching a dollar bill to a reeling fishing line might lure these slackers into moving about a bit. Worth a try!
*A neologism (newly coined word) becoming popular in these pandemic times of chronic overeating meaning “appalled over how much weight you have gained.”