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Fighting and preventing crimes may not be the only activity in a typical day in the life of a police officer in Canada; it's also filing paperwork, tons of paperwork. Western professor Laura Huey and researchers at the department of sociology examined how police services' managerial and data collection practices - intended to provide transparency and accountability - often lead to inefficiencies, including increased paperwork, higher staffing costs and poor-quality crime statistics.

The emotional toll of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic weighed heavily on everyone in Canada: young and old. Nevertheless, the sense of loss was perhaps most evident on the country's teens as their world stopped spinning instantly and pivoted quickly to a virtual space. While adept (more than most age groups) at navigating school and friendships via Zoom, FaceTime and other social media platforms, this technological ability didn't mitigate teens experiencing psychological distress.

By Max Martin, Special to Western News A breakthrough genetic discovery from researchers at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is unlocking new clues about why some individuals experience early onset of neurodegenerative diseases. A recent study led by the O'Donoghue Lab focused on mistakes that occur during the translation of gene products into proteins, allowing researchers to better understand genetic factors that affect disease.

A Statistics Canada survey shows more than 1 in 10 Canadians reports being lonely often or all the time. Photo by Mike Toraw of Pexels Elvis knew lonely. And if even the king of rock-and-roll sometimes checked into Heartbreak Hotel down at the end of Lonely Street, it's hardly surprising that a lot of ordinary Canadians are also feeling a bit forlorn these days.

Smiling makes you look older, according to research by neuroscientists at Western and Ben-Gurion University in Israel. But if you're already over 60, smiling doesn't appear to change the way your age is perceived. Melvyn Goodale , founding director of Western's renowned Brain and Mind Institute , and his collaborator Tzvi Ganel from Ben-Gurion devised a study that furthered their previous research showing that smiling could make people appear to be one or two years older than if they keep a straight face.

A recent study of network mobility data suggests it may be necessary to re-examine the government's region-based approach to COVID-19 travel restrictions (Aleks Marinkovic / Pexels) By Robert Rombouts, Special to Western News November 25, 2021 When Ontario implemented regionally targeted lockdowns at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a common presumption was that travel from highly restricted regions to those with low levels of restriction will increase, negating the intent of the lockdowns.

A Western Univesity study has found moms-to-be often find and curate health information on behalf of their partners. Photo by Amina Filkins of Pexels Today's parents-to-be use online tools for health guidance in the same way their parents once dog-eared pages of the What to Expect book series. But a new study has found it's new moms who most often devour digital guidance about parenting - while dads-to-be rely on their women partners to sift and curate information for them.

Health Canada has authorized the use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11 years of age. (FatCamera / iStock) By Western Communications November 19, 2021 Health Canada has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11, marking another major milestone in the country's pandemic response.

By Celine Zadorsky, Special to Western News Researchers at Western and Lawson Health Research Institute played a leading role in a new global study that will change the way surgeons repair leaky valves in the heart. Leaky valve is one of the most common heart conditions, and it often does not present any symptoms. Many patients don't even realize they have a leaky valve, often presenting to doctors only when they are in the late stage of the disease.

A child plays with sensory-based objects during a day camp in January 2020, held by the Sensory Perception Research lab at Western University. (Maggie MacLellan/Western Communications) By Maggie MacLellan, Special to Western News November 15, 2021 Results of a recent study on sensory abilities in autistic children may have positive consequences to the way supports are provided to them, helping increase their quality of life.

Like most sports technology, hockey helmets have evolved exponentially over the past 50 years. Gone are the days of the "egg shell" helmets worn by NHL superstars like Wayne Gretzky and Michel Goulet in the 1970s and 1980s. As the primary piece of equipment used to protect hockey players (professional or amateur) from concussions and other brain injuries, researchers at Western University say it is vitally important to continue improving the quality of hockey helmets.

A new joint project between Western University's Faculty of Engineering and Fanshawe College's Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) , in collaboration with London Hydro, is investigating household energy consumption for electric vehicles (EVs) and how weather factors affect it. EVs charged in Ontario produce, on average, only three per cent of the emissions of a similar gas-fueled car.

Children have been spending almost triple the recommended amount of screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new Western-led study. Published in the  Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, the research found that, on average, children had nearly six hours of screen time each day. Some children in the study were on their screens even longer, at a staggering 13 hours a day.

Western has published a new, first-of-its-kind study that followed and examined the experiences of transgender youth in Canada. Trans Youth CAN! explored the medical, social and family contexts of trans youth under the age of 16 seeking gender-affirming care in Canada. The study followed youth and their families over a two-year period from their first clinic visit, and includes youth referred to ten Canadian clinical sites for medical care that can put a hold on puberty.