Commonly used cholesterol calculation underestimates the heart disease danger for many at high risk

Researchers suggest a different method of assessing risk after examining data on 1.3 million Americans

In what promises to be an eye-opener for many doctors and patients who routinely depend on cholesterol testing, a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the standard formula used for decades to calculate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels is often inaccurate. Of most concern, the researchers say, is their finding that the widely used formula underestimates LDL where accuracy matters most — in the range considered desirable for high-risk patients. Results of the study are published in an online article, ahead of print, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

LDL is known as the "bad' cholesterol, with higher numbers signaling greater risk of plaque accumulating in heart arteries and having a heart attack. Since 1972, a formula called the Friedewald equation has been used to gauge LDL cholesterol. It is an estimate rather than an exact measurement. However, physicians use the number to assess their patients’ risk and determine the best course of treatment.

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An animal to feed your Eco-car

The marine animal tunicate can be used both as biofuel and fish food, according to prize-winning research at UiB and Uni Research.

On the ocean floor, under the pier, and on ship ropes – that’s where the tunicates live. Tunicates are marine filter feeders that serve as bacteria eaters and as a foodstuff in Korea and Japan. But in the future they may become more prevalent.

Five researchers at the University of Bergen (UiB) and Uni Research have found that a certain type of tunicate – ascidiacea – can be used as a renewable source of biofuel and fish food. This is particularly good news for the growing aquaculture industry, which for years has struggled to find enough quality feed for its fish. There also is the prospect of reducing emissions from traffic.

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RESEARCHERS FORM NEW NERVE CELLS – DIRECTLY IN THE BRAIN

The field of cell therapy, which aims to form new cells in the body in order to cure disease, has taken another important step in the development towards new treatments. A new report from researchers at Lund University in Sweden shows that it is possible to re-programme other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain.

Two years ago, researchers in Lund were the first in the world to re-programme human skin cells, known as fibroblasts, to dopamine-producing nerve cells – without taking a detour via the stem cell stage. The research group has now gone a step further and shown that it is possible to re-programme both skin cells and support cells directly to nerve cells, in place in the brain.

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More Light! – for Medicine

PET scan, CT and MRI are almost standard in today’s diagnostics – highly developed and very sophisticated. Although more capable and less cost-intensive, laser-optical diagnosis methods are, up to now, far less prevalent. FAMOS is aiming to change this.

Some diseases like cancer call for sophisticated imaging methods and also sample taking for precise diagnosis and therapy control. In the future, in case of examinations of surface tissue such as human skin, retina, and intestine, optical methods could be the technique of choice to clarify the matter – more cost-effective, non-invasive, and without requiring ionizing radiation and contrast agents. For examinations, only high-energy laser light is used.

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Pathological thickening of the cardiac wall halted

Inhibition of RhoGEF12 leads to considerable improvement in disease progression

The heart responds to the increased stress caused by chronically raised blood pressure, for example, by thickening its wall muscle. In the late stage of this condition, a risk of heart failure arises. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research have now succeeded in identifying a key molecule in the molecular signalling cascade responsible for this growth. Based on this discovery, they managed to achieve a significant reduction in cardiac wall thickening in animal experiments. In addition, they managed to partly reduce existing thickening of the cardiac wall.

The heart reacts to intensive, long-term stress by increasing its muscle mass. In competitive athletes, this thickening of the cardiac wall is known as athletic heart syndrome or “athlete’s heart”. Whereas in this case, the process is a reversible physiological reaction to physical activity, in other cases, cardiac wall thickening, known medically as cardiac hypertrophy, is a serious condition; its progression frequently leads to death through heart failure. The triggers for this pathological change can include, for example, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and cardiac valve defects.

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Queen’s 'super solvents' voted ‘Most Important British Innovation of the 21st Century’

Research by scientists from Queen’s University Belfast on ionic liquid chemistry has been named the ‘Most Important British Innovation of the 21st Century’.

The work of staff in the Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL) Research Centre has been named as the innovation that will have the greatest impact in the coming Century.

QUILL fought off stiff competition from 11 other innovations from across the United Kingdom to win the vote which was part of the Science Museum’s Initiative on Great British past and future Innovations. This initiative was also sponsored, amongst others, by: Engineering UK, The Royal Society, British Science Association, Royal Academy of Engineering and Department for Business Innovation & Skills.

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Enhancing Yogurt With Healthful Fiber From Oats

Adding about one-quarter teaspoon of a fiber-rich component of oats boosts the nutritional value of low-fat yogurt without noticeably affecting the taste or texture of this increasingly popular dairy food.

Oat fiber is of interest to foodmakers and nutritionists alike. Studies with volunteers have shown that it can lower serum cholesterol, which may help improve heart health.

Agricultural Research Service food technologist Mukti Singh, chemist Sanghoon Kim, and their colleagues experimented with adding fiber-containing oat beta-glucan to what’s known in the dairy industry as “low-fat yogurt mix.” It is made up of low-fat milk and a selection of common, safe-to-eat bacteria that ferment the milk. Best known bacteria include Lactobacillus acidophilus or various Bifidobacterium species.

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RSNA: MRI Shows Brain Abnormalities in Migraine Patients

A new study suggests that migraines are related to brain abnormalities present at birth and others that develop over time. The research is published online, March 26, in the journal Radiology.

A new study suggests that migraines are related to brain abnormalities present at birth and others that develop over time. The research is published online in the journal Radiology.

Migraines are intense, throbbing headaches, sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. Some patients experience auras, a change in visual or sensory function that precedes or occurs during the migraine. More than 300 million people suffer from migraines worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Previous research on migraine patients has shown atrophy of cortical regions in the brain related to pain processing, possibly due to chronic stimulation of those areas. Cortical refers to the cortex, or outer layer of the brain.

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Cedars-Sinai study: Obesity may be linked to microorganisms living in the gut

How much a person eats may be only one of many factors that determines weight gain. A recent Cedars-Sinai study suggests that a breath test profile of microorganisms inhabiting the gut may be able to tell doctors how susceptible a person is to developing obesity.

The study, published online Thursday by The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, shows that people whose breath has high concentrations of both hydrogen and methane gasses are more likely to have a higher body mass index and higher percentage of body fat.

“This is the first large-scale human study to show an association between gas production and body weight – and this could prove to be another important factor in understanding one of the many causes of obesity”, said lead author Ruchi Mathur, MD, director of the Diabetes Outpatient Treatment and Education Center in the Division of Endocrinology at Cedars-Sinai.

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Moffitt Cancer Center Researchers Design Small Molecule to Disrupt Cancer-Causing Protein

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of South Florida have developed a small molecule that inhibits STAT3, a protein that causes cancer. This development could impact the treatment of several tumor types, including breast, lung, prostate and others that depend on STAT3 for survival.

The study appeared in the Jan. 15 online issue of Cancer Research, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"STAT3 has been associated with poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapy in patients with cancer,” explained Said M. Sebti, Ph.D., chair of the Drug Discovery Department at Moffitt. “Two STAT3 molecules need to bind to each other, a process called dimerization, to cause malignancy. We developed a small molecule called S3I-1757 to prevent dimerization by disrupting STAT3-STAT3 binding. Once disrupted, STAT3’s ability to help cancer cells survive, grow and invade is neutralized.”

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Hybrid ribbons a gift for powerful batteries

Rice lab finds vanadium oxide/graphene material works well for lithium-ion storage

Hybrid ribbons of vanadium oxide (VO2) and graphene may accelerate the development of high-power lithium-ion batteries suitable for electric cars and other demanding applications.

The Rice University lab of materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan determined that the well-studied material is a superior cathode for batteries that could supply both high energy density and significant power density. The research appears online this month in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.

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New mechanism for long-term memory formation discovered

UCI study also identifies possible gene target linked to cognitive disabilities

UC Irvine neurobiologists have found a novel molecular mechanism that helps trigger the formation of long-term memory. The researchers believe the discovery of this mechanism adds another piece to the puzzle in the ongoing effort to uncover the mysteries of memory and, potentially, certain intellectual disabilities.

In a study led by Marcelo Wood of UC Irvine’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, the team investigated the role of this mechanism – a gene designated Baf53b – in long-term memory formation. Baf53b is one of several proteins making up a molecular complex called nBAF.

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Monoclonal Antibody Targets, Kills Leukemia Cells

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center have identified a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets and directly kills chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells.

The findings, published in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on March 25, 2013 represent a potential new therapy for treating at least some patients with CLL, the most common type of blood cancer in the United States.

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Could a Robotic Skateboard Defeat Tony Hawk? One Day, Maybe

Engineering Students Teach Children About the Physics of Skateboarding

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One!” A robotic skateboard soared high into the air and above Paul Schmitt, a scientist and skateboard designer, then landed with a thud on the floor of the Main Gym on the UC San Diego campus on Monday, March 18.

It was all part of a San Diego Science and Engineering Festival event designed to show that science is cool. The robotic skateboard was created by a team of UC San Diego seniors studying mechanical engineering. They had to understand the physics of skateboarding, design the robot, run simulations that would predict how it would perform and build it. The project is part of the capstone design course for the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego.

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Decreased Water Flow May be Trade-off for More Productive Forest

Bubbling brooks and streams are a scenic and much loved feature of forest ecosystems, but long-term data at the U.S. Forest Service’s Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest suggests that more productive forests might carry considerably less water, according to a study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mark Green, a research hydrologist with the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station and an assistant professor at Plymouth State University, is the lead author for the study titled “Decreased Water Flowing from a Forest Amended with Calcium Silicate.”

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Developing Our Sense of Smell

Caltech biologists pinpoint the origin of olfactory nerve cells

When our noses pick up a scent, whether the aroma of a sweet rose or the sweat of a stranger at the gym, two types of sensory neurons are at work in sensing that odor or pheromone. These sensory neurons are particularly interesting because they are the only neurons in our bodies that regenerate throughout adult life—as some of our olfactory neurons die, they are soon replaced by newborns. Just where those neurons come from in the first place has long perplexed developmental biologists.

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Einstein Study Reveals New Approach for Stopping Herpes Infections

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered a novel strategy for preventing infections due to the highly common herpes simplex viruses, the microbes responsible for causing genital herpes (herpes simplex virus 2) and cold sores (herpes simplex virus 1). The finding, published online by The FASEB Journal, could lead to new drugs for treating or suppressing herpes virus infections.

"We've essentially identified the molecular "key" that herpes viruses use to penetrate cell membranes and infect cells of the human body," said Betsy Herold, M.D., professor of pediatrics (infectious diseases), of microbiology & immunology and of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health at Einstein and attending physician of pediatrics, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore.

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SCIENTISTS CONFIRM FIRST TWO-HEADED BULL SHARK

Scientists have confirmed the discovery of the first-ever, two-headed bull shark.

The study, led by Michigan State University and appearing in the Journal of Fish Biology, confirmed the specimen, found in the Gulf of Mexico April 7, 2011, was a single shark with two heads, rather than conjoined twins.

There have been other species of sharks, such as blue sharks and tope sharks, born with two heads. This is the first record of dicephalia in a bull shark, said Michael Wagner, MSU assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife, who confirmed the discovery with colleagues at the Florida Keys Community College.

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Artifacts Shed Light on Social Networks of the Past

Researchers studied thousands of ceramic and obsidian artifacts from A.D. 1200-1450 to learn about the growth, collapse and change of social networks in the late pre-Hispanic Southwest.

The advent of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have made us all more connected, but long-distance social networks existed long before the Internet.

An article published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sheds light on the transformation of social networks in the late pre-Hispanic American Southwest and shows that people of that period were able to maintain surprisingly long-distance relationships with nothing more than their feet to connect them.

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NOUNS BEFORE VERBS?

New research agenda could help shed light on early language, cognitive development

Researchers are digging deeper into whether infants’ ability to learn new words is shaped by the particular language being acquired.

A new Northwestern University study cites a promising new research agenda aimed at bringing researchers closer to discovering the impact of different languages on early language and cognitive development.

For decades, researchers have asked why infants learn new nouns more rapidly and more easily than new verbs. Many researchers have asserted that the early advantage for learning nouns over verbs is a universal feature of human language.

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Clam Shells Reveal Evidence of Ancient, Climate-Induced Downfall, UA Researchers Say

Analyses of clam shells used in ancient funeral ceremonies offer additional evidence as to how climate change may have contributed to the gradual collapse of an early South-American civilization, according to University of Alabama scientists.

The research, publishing online earlier this month in the scientific journal Geology, indicates El Niño, a temporary, cyclical change in the Pacific’s circulation, and an intertwined ocean phenomenon, known as upwelling, likely contributed to the 6th century downfall of an advanced civilization called the Moche, said Dr. Fred Andrus, a UA associate professor of geological sciences and co-author of the research article.

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Research Finds That Elevated Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Trims Wheat, Sorghum Moisture Needs

Plenty has been written about concerns over elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere, but a Kansas State University researcher has found an upside to the higher CO2 levels. And it’s been particularly relevant in light of drought that overspread the area in recent months.

“Our experiments have shown that the elevated carbon dioxide that we now have is mitigating the effect that drought has on winter wheat and sorghum and allowing more efficient use of water,” said K-State agronomy professor Mary Beth Kirkham.

Kirkham, who has written a book on the subject, “Elevated Carbon Dioxide: Impacts on Soil and Plant Water Relations,” used data going back to 1958. That’s when the first accurate measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide were made, she said.

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New engineering breakthrough may answer host of medical questions

In an engineering breakthrough, a Washington University in St. Louis biomedical researcher has discovered a way to use light and color to measure oxygen in individual red blood cells in real time.

The technology, developed by Lihong Wang, PhD, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, could eventually be used to determine how oxygen is delivered to normal and diseased tissues or how various disease therapies impact oxygen delivery throughout the body.

The research is published March 25 in PNAS Online Early Edition.

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Paint-on plastic electronics: Aligning polymers for high performance

Semiconducting polymers are an unruly bunch, but University of Michigan engineers have developed a new method for getting them in line that could pave the way for cheaper, greener, "paint-on" plastic electronics.

"This is for the first time a thin-layer, conducting, highly aligned film for high-performance, paintable, directly writeable plastic electronics," said Jinsang Kim, U-M professor of materials science and engineering, who led the research published in Nature Materials.

Semiconductors are the key ingredient for computer processors, solar cells and LED displays, but they are expensive. Inorganic semiconductors like silicon require high temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and costly vacuum systems for processing into electronics, but organic and plastic semiconductors can be prepared on a basic lab bench.

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Nanowire Based Solar Cell Increases Shockley-Queisser Efficiency Limit

The development of a nanowire based solar cell that increases sunlight concentration to a a factor of 15 raises the standard efficiency limit of solar cells known as the Shockley-Queisser limit.

One of the most popular and common source of renewable and sustainable energy is the Sun. Solar energy is not dependent on weather conditions such as wind power or need to be near a power source such as geothermal or hydroelectric energy producers.

Solar energy is produced by solar panels or solar cells. These cells, also known as photovoltaic cells, convert sunlight to electrical energy.

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PCAST suggests 6 key components for climate change strategy to President Obama; adaptation and mitigation

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a letter to President Obama describing six key components the advisory group believes should be central to the Administration’s strategy for addressing climate change. The letter, responding to a request by the President last fall for input, calls for a dual focus on mitigation and adaptation.

President Obama established the current PCAST in 2010 as an advisory group of leading scientists and engineers who directly advise the President and the Executive Office of the President; one of the members serves as the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (the Science Advisor). PCAST’s charter is to advise the President on matters involving science, technology, and innovation policy, including, but not limited to, policy that affects science, technology, and innovation, as well as scientific and technical information that is needed to inform public policy relating to the economy, energy, environment, public health, national and homeland security, and other topics.

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Bosch ends photovoltaics activities

Bosch is to discontinue its activities in crystalline photovoltaics. Bosch’s manufacture of ingots, wafers, cells, and modules will be ceased at beginning of 2014. As far as possible, individual units are to be sold quickly. All development and marketing activities are likewise to be ended. The module plant in Vénissieux, France, is to be sold. Plans to construct a manufacturing facility in Malaysia will be ended. Bosch plans to sell its shares in aleo solar AG. Bosch Solar CISTech GmbH in Brandenburg, Germany, will be continued – as before – as a development center for thin-film technology. Its future alignment will be decided at a later date.

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Cisco Commends Government of Canada's Commitment to Drive Productivity Through Increased Use of Telepresence Technology

As a company focused on positively impacting innovation and productivity, Cisco Canada applauds the Government of Canada for continuing to lead by example in using technology to increase productivity and reduce travel costs.

"The 2013 budget demonstrates that the Government of Canada is keenly focused on embracing technologies such as telepresence to drive down travel costs and improve productivity and work-life balance for public servants,” said Nitin Kawale, president, Cisco Canada. “I commend Minister Flaherty, the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board, and Shared Services Canada for continuing to show leadership in transforming federal service provisioning and impacting public service delivery.”

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MAKING AXONS BRANCH AND GROW TO HELP NERVE REGENERATION AFTER INJURY

One molecule makes nerve cells grow longer. Another one makes them grow branches. These new experimental manipulations have taken researchers a step closer to understanding how nerve cells are repaired at their farthest reaches after injury. The research was recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

“If you injure a peripheral nerve, it will spontaneously regenerate, but it goes very slowly. We’re trying to speed that up,” said Dr. Jeffery Twiss, a professor and head of the biology department at Drexel University in the College of Arts and Sciences, who was senior author of the paper.

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Archerfish get an eye test

A modified version of an eye test used to assess visual acuity in the military has been given to archerfish by scientists to help explain how these remarkable fish are able to accurately spit down tiny insects high above the water’s surface.

Dr Shelby Temple, now at the University of Bristol, and his team at the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia used a modified version of the Landolt C test to discover just how fine a detail the archerfish could resolve.

The researchers first trained the fish to spit at one of two letters – an ‘O’ or a ‘C’ – by rewarding them with food.  Then they showed them small versions of both letters together and recorded which letter they spat at.

Dr Temple said: "This modified Landolt C test works because the only difference between the two letters is the gap in the ‘C’ so in order to tell the difference and spit at the right target to get their reward the fish must be able to resolve the gap."

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Quantum computers counting on carbon nanotubes

Physicists develop a new approach to quantum computing:

Quantum computers counting on carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes can be used as quantum bits for quantum computers. A study by physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) has shown how nanotubes can store information in the form of vibrations. Up to now, researchers have experimented primarily with electrically charged particles. Because nanomechanical devices are not charged, they are much less sensitive to electrical interference.

Using quantum mechanical phenomena, computers could be much more powerful than their classical digital predecessors. Scientists all over the world are working to explore the basis for quantum computing. To date most systems are based on electrically charged particles that are held in an "electromagnetic trap." A disadvantage of these systems is that they are very sensitive to electromagnetic interference and therefore need extensive shielding. Physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have now found a way for information to be stored and quantum mechanically processed in mechanical vibrations.

Playing a nano-guitar

A carbon nanotube that is clamped at both ends can be excited to oscillate.

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"TERRADYNAMICS" COULD HELP DESIGNERS PREDICT HOW LEGGED ROBOTS WILL MOVE ON GRANULAR MEDIA

Using a combination of theory and experiment, researchers have developed a new approach for understanding and predicting how small legged robots – and potentially also animals – move on and interact with complex granular materials such as sand.

The research could help create and advance the field of “terradynamics” – a name the researchers have given to the science of legged animals and vehicles moving on granular and other complex surfaces. Providing equations to describe and predict this type of movement – comparable to what has been done to predict the motion of animals and vehicles through the air or water – could allow designers to optimize legged robots operating in complex environments for search-and-rescue missions, space exploration or other tasks.

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Under the skin, a tiny laboratory

Humans are veritable chemical factories - we manufacture thousands of substances and transport them, via our blood, throughout our bodies. Some of these substances can be used as indicators of our health status. A team of EPFL scientists has developed a tiny device that can analyze the concentration of these substances in the blood. Implanted just beneath the skin, it can detect up to five proteins and organic acids simultaneously, and then transmit the results directly to a doctor’s computer. This method will allow a much more personalized level of care than traditional blood tests can provide. Health care providers will be better able to monitor patients, particularly those with chronic illness or those undergoing chemotherapy.

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UNC study shows how two brain areas interact to trigger divergent emotional behaviors

The findings could lead to new mental health therapies for disorders such as addiction, anxiety, and depression.

New research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine for the first time explains exactly how two brain regions interact to promote emotionally motivated behaviors associated with anxiety and reward.

The findings could lead to new mental health therapies for disorders such as addiction, anxiety, and depression. A report of the research was published online by the journal, Nature, on March 20, 2013.

Located deep in the brain’s temporal lobe are tightly packed clusters of brain cells in the almond shaped amygdala that are important for processing memory and emotion. When animals or people are in stressful situations, neurons in an extended portion of the amygdala called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or BNST, become hyperactive.

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Scientists discover reasons behind snakes' 'shrinking heads'

An international team of scientists led by Dr Kate Sanders from the University of Adelaide, and including Dr Mike Lee from the South Australian Museum, has uncovered how some sea snakes have developed 'shrunken heads' - or smaller physical features than their related species.

Their research is published today in the journal Molecular Ecology.

A large head - "all the better to eat you with" - would seem to be indispensable to sea snakes, which typically have to swallow large spiny fish. However, there are some circumstances where it wouldn't be very useful: sea snakes that feed by probing their front ends into narrow, sand eel burrows have evolved comically small heads.

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NTU scientist develops a multi-purpose wonder material to tackle environmental challenges

A new wonder material that can generate hydrogen, produce clean water and even create energy.

Science fiction? Hardly, and there’s more - It can also desalinate water, be used as flexible water filtration membranes, help recover energy from desalination waste brine, be made into flexible solar cells and can also double the lifespan of lithium ion batteries. With its superior bacteria-killing capabilities, it can also be used to develop a new type of antibacterial bandage.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), led by Associate Professor Darren Sun have succeeded in developing a single, revolutionary nanomaterial that can do all the above and at very low cost compared to existing technology.

This breakthrough which has taken Prof Sun five years to develop is dubbed the Multi-use Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). It is formed by turning titanium dioxide crystals into patented nanofibres, which can then be easily fabricated into patented flexible filter membranes which include a combination of carbon, copper, zinc or tin, depending on the specific end product needed.

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Thin films of nickel and iron oxides yield efficient solar water-splitting catalyst

University of Oregon chemists say that ultra-thin films of nickel and iron oxides made through a solution synthesis process are promising catalysts to combine with semiconductors to make devices that capture sunlight and convert water into hydrogen and oxygen gases.

Researchers in the Solar Materials and Electrochemistry Laboratory of Shannon Boettcher, professor of chemistry, studied the catalyst material and also developed a computer model for applying catalyst thin films in solar water-splitting devices as a tool to predict the effectiveness of a wide range of catalyst materials for solar-hydrogen production.

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‘Brain waves’ challenge area-specific view of brain activity

Our understanding of brain activity has traditionally been linked to brain areas – when we speak, the speech area of the brain is active. New research by an international team of psychologists led by David Alexander and Cees van Leeuwen (Laboratory for Perceptual Dynamics) shows that this view may be overly rigid. The entire cortex, not just the area responsible for a certain function, is activated when a given task is initiated. Furthermore, activity occurs in a pattern: waves of activity roll from one side of the brain to the other.

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Family dinners nourish mental health in adolescents

Benefits of family meals to mental health examined in a large community sample of adolescents

Regular family suppers contribute to good mental health in adolescents, according to a study co-authored by McGill professor Frank Elgar, Institute for Health and Social Policy. Family meal times are a measurable signature of social exchanges in the home that benefit adolescents’ well-being – regardless of whether or not they feel they can easily talk to their parents.

“More frequent family dinners related to fewer emotional and behavioural problems, greater emotional well-being, more trusting and helpful behaviours towards others and higher life satisfaction,” says Elgar, an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, whose research centers on social inequalities in health and family influences on child mental health.

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Sleep consolidates memories for competing tasks

Sleep plays an important role in the brain’s ability to consolidate learning when two new potentially competing tasks are learned in the same day, research at the University of Chicago demonstrates.

Other studies have shown that sleep consolidates learning for a new task. The new study, which measured starlings’ ability to recognize new songs, shows that learning a second task can undermine the performance of a previously learned task. But this study is the first to show that a good night’s sleep helps the brain retain both new memories.

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Biodiversity does not reduce transmission of disease from animals to humans

New analysis pokes holes in widely accepted theory that connects biodiversity abundance with a reduced disease risk for humans.

More than three quarters of new, emerging or re-emerging human diseases are caused by pathogens from animals, according to the World Health Organization.

But a widely accepted theory of risk reduction for these pathogens – one of the most important ideas in disease ecology – is likely wrong, according to a new study co-authored by Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment Senior Fellow James Holland Jones and former Woods-affiliated ecologist Dan Salkeld.

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Fewer Women Pursue Jobs in Science Because They Have More Career Options

Pitt study shows women are less likely to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) because of higher verbal scores

Women may be less likely to pursue careers in science—not because they have less ability—but because they have more career choices, according to a University of Pittsburgh study published today in Psychological Science.

Although the gender gap in mathematics has narrowed in recent decades between males and females, women are still less likely to pursue STEM careers than their male counterparts. Together with colleagues at the University of Michigan, the Pitt research team investigated whether differences in overall patterns of math and verbal ability might play a role.

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Playing quantum tricks with measurements

A team of physicists at the University of Innsbruck performed an experiment that seems to contradict the foundations of quantum theory – at first glance. The team led by Rainer Blatt reversed a quantum measurement in a prototype quantum information processor. The experiment is enabled by a technique that has been developed for quantum error correction in a future quantum computer.

Measurements on quantum systems have puzzled generations of physicists due to their counterintuitive properties. One of them is the fact that measurements on a quantum system are in general non-deterministic. This means that even if the state of the system is completely known, it is impossible to determine the outcome of a single measurement. Furthermore, the measurement alters the system’s state so that a previous measurement will certainly return the same result as the first measurement. Thus the system is irreversibly altered by a measurement.

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Model allows engineers to test fuel system efficiency on computers

Engineers will be able to design better fuel systems for everything from motorcycles to rockets faster and more inexpensively because of a mathematical fuels model developed at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The fuels model will increase the pace of injector design for greater efficiency, better gas mileage and more horsepower in cars and trucks. But the beauty of this approach is that it works for all combustion processes and fuels, from mopeds to missiles and from gasoline, ethanol and diesel fuel to decane/hexadecane.

Instead of costly real-world modeling, which requires the design, machining and production of parts before they can be bench tested and performance modeled, the mathematical model lets designers test their ideas on computers first. The model also brings research into alternative fuels into the computer before it needs to be prototyped.

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Researchers Trap Light, Improve Laser Potential of MEH-PPV Polymer

Researchers from North Carolina State University have come up with a low-cost way to enhance a polymer called MEH-PPV’s ability to confine light, advancing efforts to use the material to convert electricity into laser light for use in photonic devices.

“Think of a garden hose. If it has holes in it, water springs out through a million tiny leaks. But if you can eliminate those leaks, you confine the water in the hose and improve the water pressure. We’ve plugged the holes that were allowing light to leak out of the MEH-PPV,” says Dr. Lewis Reynolds, a teaching associate professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the research.

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Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell To Demonstrate Real-World Benefits To Eu Decision-Makers

The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell has been selected for the second consecutive year by the European Commission-backed Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) to demonstrate the real-world benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology. The world’s first production fuel cell electric vehicle, the ix35 Fuel Cell, will be made available throughout 2013 to members of the European Parliament, European Commission officials and other policymakers for test drives in Brussels, Belgium.

Hyundai Motor was awarded its first leasing contract for a hydrogen-powered fuel cell car by the FCH JU in October 2011. Over the course of 2012, the ix35 Fuel Cell was presented to EU decision-makers, stakeholders and the general public at a number of demonstration drives and public events in Brussels and other locations across Europe.

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Another historic success for Audi

> First triumph of a hybrid race car at Sebring

> One-two victory of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro on U.S. debut

> Fässler/Jarvis/Tréluyer win endurance classic

Another historic racing success for Audi: The Audi R18 e-tron quattro’s victory marked the first ever of a hybrid race car at the Sebring (Florida) 12 Hours in the history of the U.S. endurance classic.

On the – provisionally – last running of the LMP1 sports cars that feature sophisticated technology at Sebring, Audi Sport Team Joest achieved a commanding one-two victory. Right from the start, the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars set the pace, during the entire race an Audi was at the front of the field made up of 42 prototypes and GT sports cars. The third-placed Lola-Toyota was trailing the winner by five laps at the finish.

For twelve hours, the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars fought a fierce duel for victory and repeatedly overtook each other in close battle. In total, the lead between the two R18 cars changed 20 times. A damaged under-floor of car number “1” that was ultimately victorious caused some headaches for Audi Sport Team Joest. The necessary repairs could be performed without any major time loss during caution periods though. 

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Mahindra launches electric car, e2o

Mahindra and Mahindra, on Monday, launched its all-electric four-seater passenger car, the e2o, with price starting at Rs.5.96 lakh.

The car is developed by Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles (formerly Reva Electric Car Company), and will replace its predecessor Reva, India’s first electric car.

“The launch of the Mahindra e2o marks an important milestone for the Mahindra Group…this is not just about selling a car, it is about telling people to change their lifestyle. We are working at creating an ecosystem that includes mobility solutions along with other environment-friendly innovations,” Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra told reporters here.

The group also plans to extend the electric mobility technology to its two-wheelers.

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