Biofeedback – The concept of the subliminal message is now familiar. A subconscious suggestion can help a person bring about positive change, such as smoking cessation, or otherwise influence one’s actions. The science behind reaching this suggestive state and how to successfully present a message of change has its own journey.

Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal – HIV-positive mothers have been able to guard against transmitting the disease to their babies by taking antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy. Although the drugs prevent children from being born with HIV, they could cause birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate. A new study explores any links between antiretroviral prophylaxis and cleft lip and palate.

Invasive Plant Science and Management – Weed control has become a matter of national security. Along U.S. southern coastal rivers, most particularly Texas’ Rio Grande, an invasive species of plant known as giant reed is encroaching on the water, overrunning international border access roads, and creating a dense cover for illegal activities. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has called for a plan to control this weed.

Journal of Mammalogy – Our knowledge of desert small mammals, such as prairie dogs, kangaroo rats, and gerbils, is based primarily on pioneering North American studies. In the past decade data obtained from studies conducted in arid regions of the Southern Hemisphere have shown that different dynamics are at work in these animal communities. The assumption that all desert mammals share the same ecological history is no longer valid; new research has revealed that they have developed and evolved in many unique directions.