quinta-feira, 27 de novembro de 2014

Any similarity to Google Glass is purely coincidental

 

 

Inventor-Hugo-Gernsback-is-demonstrating-his-television-goggles-in-1963

inventor Hugo Gernsback is demonstrating his television goggles.

Hugo Gernsback (August 16, 1884 – August 19, 1967), born Hugo Gernsbacher, was a Luxembourgian American inventor, writer, editor, and magazine publisher, best known for publications including the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publisher were so significant that, along with the novelists H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, he is one person sometimes called "The Father of Science Fiction".In his honor, annual awards presented at the World Science Fiction Convention are named the "Hugos".

Snap 2014-11-28 at 01.10.55

Two Foods You Should Stop Eating Yesterday

 

 

What if I told you that most people could cut out a huge chunk of health problems just by eliminating two groups of food? Well, you can.

what if

Cutting out these two food groups can help regulate your hormone levels, make it easier to lose weight, improve gut health, normalize blood sugar levels & even improve allergies. If you take a look at food groups through the lens of the 80/20 Principle, these two foods would be the 20% of foods that cause 80% of the problems in most people’s diets.

So what are they? Well here are the two foods you should stop eating – yesterday preferably. Here we go.

Dairy

What Standard Nutrition Advice Would Have You Believe:

“It’s great for you! It’s got calcium! But be careful of that fatty, whole milk. Better drink either skim or 1%, just to be safe – and try to forget that 1% tastes like water. I mean it has to be good for you right? Besides thousands of terrible milk mustaches & “got milk” campaigns can’t be wrong – can they?”

Well…actually…

Why Dairy Is Actually Terrible For You

Dairy has different levels of bad, but particularly low-fat, 1% and skim milk are highly insullogenic – that means they cause your insulin levels to spike and causes your body to stop burning fat.  And don’t get me started on the fact that it’s nearly impossible to find chocolate milk without HFCS and corn starch in it. Really, corn starch in your milk? When’s the last time you said “yum” to corn starch? Toss in the fact that a huge portion of the population is lactose intolerant and the links to cancer that milk is known for and the picture isn’t looking too pretty.

If you’re going to have dairy, make it either fermented (cheese, whey protein, grassfed butter, or yogurt – without a ton of a sugar). Sure, ice cream is delicious  but there’s really no need for a daily shellacking of dairy in your diet.

Grains

Standard Nutrition Advice:

You need grains more than you need oxygen – they’re that important! Why else would we need 6-11 servings a day? I mean, just look at this chart!

USDA_Food_Pyramid

“They help with digestion & give you fiber! Not to mention, it’s completely UNREALISTIC to actually cut out ALL grains from your diet. I’m Italian, I can’t live without grains – we’re not animals, you know?”

Well…actually…

Why Grains Are Terrible For You

Grains are actually pretty unnecessary. They contain gluten, lectins and phytates that make minerals unavailable to your body & create situations prime for obesity.

Oh, and that’s just the start. It can lead to leaky gut, weight gain and even cause type 2 diabetes. That’s before we get into how these simple carbohydrates affect your blood sugar & insulin levels and cause you to store fat instead of burning it and using it for fuel. Whether you’re into paleo or not, when you look at grains (and wheat especially), there’s a ton of really, really good reasons not to eat them.

grains

Despite all of this, 6-11 servings of grains was common nutritional advice from the government up until 2011!

The truth is, for most people, there’s really very little reason to include many (or any) grains in their diet on a regular basis and once you try it, they’re not so “impossible” to cut out of your diet either. If you need a substantial amounts of carbohydrates (endurance athletes or power lifters come to mind), you can get them from vegetables & squashes that give you the energy sources you need without the added side effects of feces in your blood stream & type 2 diabetes (sounds like a good tradeoff to me).

Note: It’s funny that somehow both of these have made it into a standard american breakfast of cereal with milk – which is the absolute worst time to do this as the morning is your body’s prime time to burn fat and both of these “foods” bring that process to a screeching halt. Do yourself a favor & choose eggs & bacon for your morning breakfast instead.

80/20 your diet and take out these two foods from your diet. You might be surprised at the results.

Want to clean up your diet? Start with these two foods & cut out dairy & grains. Notice how you feel and see what happens.

photo credit: Dustin Diaz

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Brasileiros criam sistema que transforma caixa d’água em miniusina hidrelétrica….

 

Enquanto cientistas em todo o mundo tentam aumentar a eficiência dos grandes sistemas de produção energética, dois empreendedores brasileiros desenvolveram uma solução simples para gerar energia limpa em casa. Apelidada de UGES, a tecnologia transforma as caixas d’água em miniusinas hidrelétricas.

(Caramba, essa idéia é boa mesmo…parabéns aos engenheiros, meus compatriotas….he-he-he)

O nome é uma abreviação de Unidade Geradora de Energia Sustentável e a criação é fruto do trabalho dos engenheiros Mauro Serra e Jorgea Marangon. A tecnologia é simples e pode ser utilizada em qualquer caixa d’água, independente de seu tamanho. “A UGES transforma a passagem da água que abastece os reservatórios em um sistema gerador de energia. Vale destacar que o consumo diário de água no país é, em média, de 250 litros por pessoa, consumo que é totalmente desperdiçado como forma de energia. Ao desenvolver um sistema que reaproveita essa energia, podemos gerar eletricidade, sem emissão de gases e totalmente limpa”, destacou Mauro Serra, em entrevista à Faperj.

Foto: Divulgação

A ideia já foi patenteada e logo deve estar disponível no mercado. Além de contar com um sistema instalado dentro do próprio reservatório de água, o UGES também precisa de uma unidade móvel para que seja possível transformar toda a energia captada em eletricidade e assim distribuí-la para o uso doméstico. No entanto, ele não precisa de uma fonte externa de energia para funcionar.

Foto: Divulgação

“Ao entrar pela tubulação para abastecer a caixa, a água que vem da rua é pressurizada pelo sistema gerador de energia, passando pela miniusina fixada e angulada na saída de água do reservatório”, explica Serra. Depois disso, a pressão gera energia, que é transformada em eletricidade. O empreendedor explica que a produção é ideal para abastecer lâmpadas, geladeiras, rádios, computadores, ventiladores, entre outros aparelhos domésticos. A energia só não é ideal para ser usada em equipamentos de alto consumo, como chuveiros e secadores de cabelo.

Foto: Divulgação

Não é possível quantificar com exatidão a produção, pois a variação depende do tamanho da caixa d’água e da quantidade de água consumida. “Se ela for instalada em um sistema de abastecimento de água municipal, poderá, por exemplo, ser dimensionada para gerar energia suficiente para abastecer a iluminação pública. Imagine então esse benefício em certos locais como restaurantes, lavanderias ou mesmo indústrias, onde o consumo de água é grande”, exemplifica o inventor. Outro ponto positivo do sistema é o armazenamento do excedente para uso posterior e a independência – ao menos, parcial – das redes de distribuição.

Redação CicloVivo

MagLOCK offers a magnetic take on clipless pedals

 

MagLOCK pedals retain the rider's shoes using embedded magnets

MagLOCK pedals retain the rider's shoes using embedded magnets

 

So-called "clipless" bicycle pedals, in which a steel cleat in the sole of the rider's shoe clicks in and out of a mechanism in the pedal, are very popular with cyclists – they maximize pedaling efficiency, plus they help keep riders' feet from accidentally slipping off the pedals when going over rough terrain. Some riders, however, find them too difficult to quickly snap out of. Additionally, they don't work well with regular, non-cleated footwear. That's why Salt Lake City-based mechanical engineer David Williams has created the MagLOCK bike pedal.

The aluminum-bodied prototype device looks like a regular mountain bike/BMX-style platform pedal, but contains a stack of rare-earth magnets within a user-accessible compartment in the middle. Those magnets are attracted to another magnet, mounted in the sole of the rider's cycling shoe – the shoe magnets are compatible with mounting systems designed for the popular Shimano SPD cleats.

Whereas SPDs are disengaged from the pedal by twisting the foot to the side, however, the MagLOCK system requires the rider to pronate their foot to the left or right. According to Williams, this is a more instinctive movement, particularly for mountain bikers who suddenly feel themselves tipping over.

The magnetic cleats, attached to the rider's shoes

The amount of magnetic attraction between the pedals and shoes can be adjusted by adding or removing magnets within the pedals. This means that newbies could start with a minimum of force, so they can easily get their feet out as needed, but then increase the force as they get more comfortable with the system.

A maximum of over 50 lb (23 kg) of attractive force is reportedly possible. David claims that this is easily enough to keep the shoe attached to the pedal on upstrokes when climbing hills, and also when going over jumps.

... and yes, because they have the form factor of regular platforms, the pedals can also be used with ordinary street shoes when riders just want to commute or run errands.

In their present form, a set of MagLOCK pedals with a full load of magnets weighs in at a rather hefty 1,540 grams (54.3 oz). Down the road, however, Williams hopes to manufacture a polycarbonate version, that would be more in the range of 900 to 1200 grams (31.7 to 42.3 oz).

For now, though, you can preorder a pair of the aluminum pedals by pledging US$175 to the MagLOCK Kickstarter campaign. Shipping is estimated for next May, assuming the pedals go to production.

 

Sources: MagLOCK, Kickstarter

 

A hybrid vehicle that delivers DNA

 

Wed, 11/26/2014 - 7:46am

Cory Nealon, Univ. at Buffalo

 

Univ. at Buffalo researchers, including Charles Jones, far right, a doctoral candidate in the Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, are developing new technology to improve DNA vaccines. Photo: Onion Studio

Univ. at Buffalo researchers, including Charles Jones, far right, a doctoral candidate in the Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, are developing new technology to improve DNA vaccines. Photo: Onion Studio A new hybrid vehicle is under development.

Its performance isn’t measured by the distance it travels, but rather the delivery of its cargo: vaccines that contain genetically engineered DNA to fight HIV, cancer, influenza and other maladies.

Described recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the technology is a biomedical advancement that could help unleash the potential of DNA vaccines, which despite two decades of research, have yet to make a significant impact in the treatment of major illnesses.

“The technology that we’re developing could help take immunization to the next level,” said Blaine A. Pfeifer, PhD, an associate professor in the Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the Univ. at Buffalo.

Pfeifer, the study’s lead author, added: “By improving the delivery of DNA vaccines, we can potentially harness the human immune system in new ways to fight everything from the flu and herpes to HIV and cancer.”

Conventional vaccines, like those used to fight polio and smallpox, are typically composed of an agent that contains weakened or killed forms of the disease-causing microbe. The agent prompts the immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and keep a record of it so the immune system can more effectively fight it in the future.

While effective, some vaccines don’t last, others can revert to dangerous forms and some are costly and time-consuming to develop. Furthermore, no effective vaccines exist for cancer, malaria and others diseases that kill millions of people worldwide annually.

DNA vaccines could address these problems.

To create them, researchers analyze disease-causing sources, such as a pathogenic microbe. They then isolate copies of the microbe’s genes (usually one or two) responsible for the disease.

The genetically engineered DNA is injected into the body, whereupon being processed by the immune cells, directs the production and presentation of antigens which provoke an adaptive immune response capable of destroying the disease.

Essentially, the body’s own cells become vaccine-making factories that create the antigens necessary to stimulate the immune system, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In theory, DNA vaccines can generate broad immune responses; they are relatively inexpensive to create; and they can’t cause the disease because they don’t contain the source of the disease, only a few of its genes. Dozens of clinical trials involving DNA vaccines are underway. Most are investigating treatments for HIV and cancer, while others involve influenza, hepatitis B and C, HPV and malaria.

A problem limiting the effectiveness of some DNA vaccines, however, is that they do not sufficiently stimulate the immune system. Scientists say this is due, in part, to the inefficient delivery of the genes. For example, some travel to the wrong place while others get caught in intracellular traffic jams.

To address the problem, Pfeifer and his students collaborated with Anders Hakansson, PhD, formerly of the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and a senior co-author of the study.

The team combined two delivery vehicles—a bacterial cell and a synthetic polymer—to create a hybrid. Designed to target specific immune cells (antigen-presenting cells) and more efficiently deliver genes to the nucleus of those cells, the hybrid outperformed the two individual delivery vehicles when tested in a mouse model.

“The hybrid provided a synergistic boost in delivery effectiveness due to its dual nature,” said Charles H. Jones, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at UB and the study’s first author. “We also determined that it’s relatively inexpensive to create and flexible in terms of use. The results thus far are very encouraging.”

The team continues to test the vehicle in different models. The goal, Pfeifer said, is to create a vehicle that will be useful for many DNA vaccines.

Source: Univ. at Buffalo

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Gasoline from sawdust

 

Wed, 11/26/2014 - 8:45am

KU Leuven

 

Image: KU Leuven

Image: KU LeuvenResearchers at KU Leuven’s Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis have successfully converted sawdust into building blocks for gasoline. Using a new chemical process, they were able to convert the cellulose in sawdust into hydrocarbon chains. These hydrocarbons can be used as an additive in gasoline, or as a component in plastics. The researchers reported their findings in Energy & Environmental Science.

Cellulose is the main substance in plant matter and is present in all non-edible plant parts of wood, straw, grass, cotton and old paper. “At the molecular level, cellulose contains strong carbon chains. We sought to conserve these chains, but drop the oxygen bonded to them, which is undesirable in high-grade gasoline. Our researcher Beau Op de Beeck developed a new method to derive these hydrocarbon chains from cellulose,” explains Prof. Bert Sels.

“This is a new type of bio-refining, and we currently have a patent pending for it. We have also built a chemical reactor in our lab: we feed sawdust collected from a sawmill into the reactor and add a catalyst—a substance that sets off and speeds the chemical reaction. With the right temperature and pressure, it takes about half a day to convert the cellulose in the wood shavings into saturated hydrocarbon chains, or alkanes,” says Bert Lagrain.

“Essentially, the method allows us to make a ‘petrochemical’ product using biomass—thus bridging the worlds of bio-economics and petro chemistry,” he adds.

The result is an intermediary product that requires one last simple step to become fully distilled gasoline, explains Sels. “Our product offers an intermediate solution for as long as our automobiles run on liquid gasoline. It can be used as a green additive—a replacement for a portion of traditionally refined gasoline.”

But the possible applications go beyond gasoline. “The green hydrocarbon can also be used in the production of ethylene, propylene and benzene—the building blocks for plastic, rubber, insulation foam, nylon, coatings and so forth.”

“From an economic standpoint, cellulose has much potential,” says Sels. “Cellulose is available everywhere; it is essentially plant waste, meaning it does not compete with food crops in the way that first generation energy crops—crops grown for bioethanol, for example—do. It also produces chains of five to six hydrocarbon atoms—light nafta, in the technical jargon. We are currently facing shortages in this because it is becoming quite difficult and more expensive to distil these specific hydrocarbon chains from crude oil or shale gas. In time, hydrocarbon derived from cellulose may provide an alternative,” says Sels.

“Our method could be especially useful in Europe, where we have little crude oil and cannot easily produce shale gas,” concluded Sels.

Source : KU Leuven

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Photoshop? NO. These Are Real Animals by Katerina Plotnikova

 

katerina-plotnikova-photography-9

Katerina Plotnikova did something extremely amazing! She used no photoshop! All poses and animals are real!

ENJOY!

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Katerina Plotnikova

Visit her work on:  500px and facebook

About Andrew Ans

Andrew is the senior writer here on fosgrafi and an experimental photographer based in North Greece. He works as a studio and field photography assistant at Studio Dimitris Andritsos. You can find him on Facebook and Google+

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Artificial Sweeteners May Have Despicable Impacts on Gut Microbes

 

By Sheena Faherty | November 26, 2014


Artificial sweeteners. (Credit: PunchingJudy/Flickr)

I find it ironic that Thanksgiving coincides with American Diabetes Month. In honor of that irony, two recently published studies have suggested a possible link between what you eat, how it impacts the behavior of the microbes living in your gut, and type II diabetes.

To further explain, allow me use the most adorable analogy I could dream up: minions.

A rambunctious gang of rotund homunculi, minions are the tireless workhorses behind Gru’s malicious plots in the movie Despicable Me.

Minions are like gut microbes. For starters, despite appearing to be relatively simple-minded, both microbes and minions are capable of astounding things. Building and operating weapons, in the case of minions; regulating immune and digestive function, in the case of microbes.

Working in dark, cramped quarters, like microbes, minions excel at their respective jobs, making Gru’s evil-manufacturing plant run like a well-oiled machine. Upsetting the minions’ balancing act is sure to incite chaos.

It makes sense then that, just as with minions, disturbing the critical equilibrium of the community of microbes living in your gut (i.e. the microbiome) might have chaotic effects on your health. New research may have uncovered a reason why.

Consumption of artificial sweeteners has been shown to alter the community composition of the gut microbial communities in mice, rats and humans. (Figure credit: Erin McKenney, Duke University)

Results from a study by researchers in Israel, published in the journal Nature in October, have suggested that consumption of artificial sweeteners—found in over 6,000 food products—can lead to changes in the gut microbiome, and have put forth an explanation for how this alteration might be associated with diseases such as type II diabetes (Scientific American is part of the Nature Publishing Group).

The authors wanted to test the effects of saccharin-spiked water (i.e. Sweet’N Low) on a variety of health parameters, such as glucose intolerance, which develops when the body can’t cope with large amounts of sugar in the diet, in both humans and mice.

Jotham Suez, a PhD candidate and lead author of the study explains, “We asked people who do not regularly consume artificial sweeteners to add them to their diet for one week, and saw that the majority of these subjects had poorer glycemic responses.”

And like humans, mice that were given saccharin-spiked water also developed marked glucose intolerance compared to mice drinking sugar water, or water alone.

The results were also supported by fecal transplant experiments. (Yes, this is what it sounds like: Mice that initially have germ-free guts are fed feces from mice that were given either saccharin-water or sugar-water. In this way, the microbial communities from the donor mice are established in the germ-free mice. But, I promise, it’s humane. Mice disgustingly eat their own feces anyway through a process called coprophagy. The humans in the study were spared from this experiment.)

Next, the authors wanted to investigate if artificial sweeteners changed the community composition of the microbiome.

Suez says, “We hypothesized that [because artificial sweeteners are] non-digestible, they directly encounter the microbiota, and might exert their effects on the host health through alterations to the microbial community’s composition and function.”

Sweet'N Low is a brand of artificial sweetener made primarily from granulated saccharin. (Credit: Mike Mozart/Flickr)

Their experiment revealed that mice did exhibit different microbiome profiles after consuming artificial sweeteners, just as with the human volunteers who had developed glucose intolerance. And importantly, the humans who did not show glucose intolerance after consuming artificial sweeteners also did not see changes in the community composition of their microbiome.

“[We were surprised] that unlike mice, not all humans consuming artificial sweeteners will be affected in the same manner. We were able to demonstrate that this may be mediated by changes in the composition of the microbiota,” says Suez.

Consequently, this change in microbial community in mice also modified how the microbiota functioned as a group to regulate metabolism. Pathways that impact the transport of sugar in the body were found to have decreased function after saccharin treatment and, notably, there was an increased abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are implicated in lipid biosynthesis.

An investigation done by an independent group of researchers in Canada found similar results in a study published in October in the journal PLoS ONE.

Although conducted using rats instead of mice, and with a different artificial sweetener (aspartame instead of saccharin) this study also found an increased risk of glucose intolerance. In addition, both studies showed that propionate—a SCFA highly involved in sugar production—is increased in animals consuming artificial sweeteners (although, unfortunately, propionate concentrations in humans weren’t assessed in the Nature study).

You can think of it this way: when mice and rats consume an artificial sweetener, their bodies may be duped into thinking they are following a low-sugar diet, and thus the microbiota shift to produce propionate, ultimately generating more sugar. (It’s important to remember, though, that since propionate concentrations were only examined in mice and rats, the results can’t be directly extrapolated to humans.)

While this isn’t necessarily bad for mice and rats, in humans it might be. Western diets are notorious for containing a gross amount of added sugar, so the food we eat doesn’t lend itself to actually following a low-sugar diet. In humans, if a similar increase in propionate is demonstrated after consuming artificial sweeteners, high blood sugar could be a consequence.

Remember back to the increased risk of glucose intolerance after consuming artificial sweeteners? This comes back into play here.

Not only are the mice and rats now producing more sugar from the alterations of microbial communities, but on top of that, their bodies are less adept at dealing with all the excess sugar that they’re making.

Artificial sweeteners are packing a double-punch.

As compelling as results from these studies might appear, it’s only fair to digest these findings with a grain of Sweet’N Low. Propionate has been linked with loads of health benefits ranging from anti-cancer properties to regulating satiety.

But the take home point is this: findings from two independent studies suggest that messing with the microbiome may have despicable consequences. Artificial sweeteners were originally intended to stave off the increasing obesity and metabolic disease epidemic, but instead they may have directly contributed to it.

In other words, consuming artificial sweeteners appears to throw metabolism out of whack by upsetting the critical balance of the biota in the gut—just as how chaos would surely ensue if you were to throw Gru’s minions out of whack.

However, as Suez says, “Further experiments with a larger number of participants and over a longer duration are required before any recommendations regarding human consumption of artificial sweeteners can be made.”

Barriers to public health data-sharing; life-saving solutions

 


Barriers to the sharing of public health data hamper decision-making efforts on local, national and global levels, and stymie attempts to contain emerging global health threats, an international team led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health announced today.

The analysis, published in the journal BMC Public Health and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), classifies and examines the barriers in order to open a focused international dialogue on solutions.

"Data on disease surveillance, intervention coverage, vital statistics and mortality represent some of the most widely collected but also some of the most underused data," said lead author Willem G. van Panhuis, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health. "Innovative methods for collection of new data are developed all the time, but a framework to share all these data for the global good is seriously lacking. Investments in routine data systems will better position health officials to address ongoing challenges as well as new public health threats, such as the current Ebola epidemic in West Africa."

Dr. van Panhuis and his team -- which included experts in ethics and law, as well as public health and epidemiology -- identified more than 1,400 scientific publications related to public health data-sharing, ultimately winnowing them down to the 65 most relevant articles. From those, they determined 20 real or perceived barriers to data-sharing in public health and classified them into six categories: technical, motivational, economic, political, legal and ethical.

"These barriers and categories describe a landscape of challenges that must be addressed comprehensively, not piecemeal," said senior author Donald S. Burke, M.D., Pitt Public Health dean and UPMC-Jonas Salk Chair of Global Health. "We must work together as a global community to develop solutions and reap the benefits of data-sharing, which include saving lives through more efficient and effective public health programs."

The team found that most technical, motivational and economic barriers are deeply embedded in much larger challenges of health information system capacity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Solutions lie in sufficiently funding such systems through international cooperation and shared development of data and infrastructure used across agencies and institutes.

The political, legal and ethical barriers will require a dialogue across international agencies that should include the World Health Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization and World Trade Organization, as well as the countries, development and funding agencies, and experts in ethics and law. The team proposes the creation of a treaty for data-sharing in public health across the world, as well as a commission to monitor, mediate and facilitate data-sharing.

"Identifying and classifying these barriers was the first step toward harnessing the potential of data for a new era in population health," said Dr. van Panhuis. "As our knowledge of these barriers increases, so will the opportunities for solutions."


Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Willem G van Panhuis, Proma Paul, Claudia Emerson, John Grefenstette, Richard Wilder, Abraham J Herbst, David Heymann, Donald S Burke. A systematic review of barriers to data sharing in public health. BMC Public Health, 2014; 14 (1): 1144 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1144

 

Bio-Electric-Hybrid-Aircraft concept aims to quietly rule the skies

 

The Faradair BEHA concept is intended to be one of the world’s quietest, most efficient an...

The Faradair BEHA concept is intended to be one of the world’s quietest, most efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft ever created (Image: Faradair)

Image Gallery (15 images)

Touted as the world's first true hybrid aircraft, the Faradair BEHA (Bio-Electric-Hybrid-Aircraft) is a triple box-wing design concept that combines electric motors and a bio-diesel engine. Fitted with a range of energy conservation and recovery technologies, including solar panels on all flight surfaces and high-lift, low-speed flight capabilities, the BEHA is intended to be one of the world’s most environmentally friendly aircraft.

Aimed at the traditional multi-role light aircraft market, the BEHA concept is premised for a range of operations with lower cost overheads and minimal environmental effect. Included in a potential list of users are those who are engaged in inter-city travel, operate flight schools, run observation and emergency services, or simply want a low running cost aircraft for recreational use.

To this end, the designers of the BEHA claim that their concept electric design offers true "hybrid" dual-fuel capability with a combined bio-diesel/electric propulsion combination that will put it into a different league from currently available electric aircraft, by no longer requiring ground-based recharging. As such, it is intended that the Faradair craft also employ such energy recovery technologies as all flight surfaces being skinned with solar panels, along with wind-turbine technology to allow battery-charging for the vehicle whilst it is in-flight or on the ground.

The plan is to equip the BEHA concept with twin electric fan motors (from the company's renderings, somewhat similar in appearance to those used on the recently flown Airbus E-Fan electric aircraft) that deliver some 200 hp (150 kW) each, in combination with a similarly powerful bio-diesel generator incorporating a ducted pusher propeller. Designed to take off and land using electric power, the bio-diesel engine is intended to recharge the batteries whilst the craft is cruising to increase the overall performance and flying time.

"Markets will be opened up as this lightweight, state-of-the-art, carbon fiber, high-lift designed aircraft will negate night flight restrictions and pollution concerns," says Neil Cloughley, Managing Director of Faradair Aerospace Limited. "Its truly radical and futuristic design aims to follow in the footsteps of other great aviation achievements by becoming a game changing aircraft that helps transform aviation as we know it today."

Solar panels are on the topside of all lifting surfaces (Image: Faradair)

The inspiration for the BEHA was the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, an iconic British design from the 1930s. With a large surface area from its three lift surfaces, combined with an efficiency-enhancing box wing design that reduces turbulent airflow, the makers of the BEHA also hope to emulate the popularity and success of their design's inspiration as a comfortable, smooth flying model of light commercial transport.

A range of active and passive safety features are promised, including a ballistic parachute recovery system, high-impact capability crash protection (apparently modeled on Formula One motor racing technology), the ability to run on fewer than its full complement of engines, and a high-efficiency glide capability that allows longer unpowered flight in the unlikely event that all engines fail.

And – perhaps most interesting of all – the ultimate safety feature: If anything should happen to the pilot and he is unable to fly the plane, Faradair also plan to outfit the BEHA with a remote control system so that the aircraft can be flown and landed by a pilot in control from the ground. Despite the fact that no such system has yet had approval on any aircraft, the designers believe that being able to remotely control the craft in times of emergency would boost passenger confidence and safety immensely.

"This aircraft will be one of the most eco-friendly and safest aircraft in the world, costing somewhere close to $1m US Dollars per aircraft," says Cloughley. "Plus our production facility will be equally environmentally focused."

Recently launched on Kickstarter, the company intends to spend the next 12 months through 2015 on Research and Development, with a specific aim to complete specifications and fabrication of prototype parts, provided its £20,000 Kickstarter aspirations are met.

Source: Faradair

 

Pinć wants to bring virtual reality to mainstream computing

 

Unlike other VR headsets, Pinć is designed for tasks like shopping, social media and watch...

Unlike other VR headsets, Pinć is designed for tasks like shopping, social media and watching videos

While most virtual reality headsets place an emphasis on gaming, Canadian company Cordon Media believes that the technology is suited to everyday computing tasks such as browsing the web or watching video. It intends to bring its vision to the masses via the Pinć (pronounced “pinch”) VR headset, which is designed for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and folds right up to fit in your pocket.

We’ve seen a number of virtual reality headsets announced over the last year, such as the Sony Project Morpheus, the low-key Zeiss VR and most notably the Samsung Gear VR. Similarly to those last two devices, the Pinć makes use of a smartphone, specifically the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, to provide its processing and display.

However, unlike those accessories, the new headset isn’t designed with gaming in mind, but has its lenses fixed on common computing experiences like online shopping and watching video. Condon Media, the company behind the headset, has a background in building immersive, interactive commercial interfaces, and believes it can utilize VR tech to create a “next generation” computing experience.

The headset is paired with with optical control rings worn on the user’s index fingers, wi...

The headset is paired with with optical control rings worn on the user’s index fingers. These are equipped with LEDs, and are tracked by the iPhone's camera through a custom wide angle lens. The goal is to provide simple and intuitive navigation and manipulation of objects, using established gestures like pinch-to-zoom to interact with the virtual environment. At least in theory, the control method makes more sense than using more conventional controls such as a gamepad, and could be a good fit for virtual reality.

As with any VR headset, the amount of software available will greatly impact its chance of being a commercial success. While the company intends to release its own apps for the accessory, it will also make a developer SDK available, encouraging third party support.

The new headset is focused on common computing experiences like online shopping and watchi...

Aside from its alternative focus, the headset has one other thing going for it. While other headsets designed to pair with a smartphone are reasonably bulky, the Pinć is designed to fold up and fit in the user’s pocket, acting as a protective flip case for the user’s smartphone when not in use.

Assuming the product’s crowdfunding effort is successful, there’s still some way to go before its ready for mass production, with the company working on a number of refinements including headset comfort, the form factor of the rings and improvements to the custom wide angle lens.

The product is currently seeking funding through Indiegogo, with the effort set to conclude on December 23. Prices start at US$99 excluding shipping, with the first headsets scheduled to arrive on doorsteps in June 2015. At the time of publication, it's raised almost 10 percent of its $100,000 goal, with 28 days to go.

 

Source: Indiegogo