FlexibleLove - the extraordinary expanding chair

The FlexibleLove chair can be stretched and manipulated into a multitude of shapes and lengths Image Gallery (7 images) It’s a little embarrassing when a crowd of friends descend on your doorstep and you don’t have enough chairs to seat them all. However, if you have a FlexibleLove chair - you won’t have anything to worry about. This fabulously functional chair = is constructed almost entirely from recycled cardboard and recycled wood waste and can expand to hold up to16 people! Read on, you’ll be amazed at what this single piece of furniture can do… At first glance, the design of the FlexibleLove chair seems quite simple, but once you see how quickly and easily it can be expanded and contracted, you really appreciate the complexity of its design. The unique qualities of its accordion and honeycomb structure allow it to be stretched and folded into a multitude of shapes and lengths - creating surprisingly strong seating. To change its length and shape, you simply pull each end – much like playing an accordion. For a chair that offers this much flexibility and adaptability, it’s hard to believe it is made almost entirely of recycled cardboard. How does cardboard manage to hold the weight of up to 16 people? Their body weight is divided evenly between the hundreds of cells contained in the chair. And, although it is strong enough to support the weight of all those people, it won’t support unbalanced weights so don’t let the kids jump or walk on it and obviously don’t use it outside or near fire! The FlexibleLove was designed by Chise Chiu, a young designer from Taiwan. He discovered a factory in suburban Taipei that made honeycomb-structured pieces of recycled paper. This gave him the idea that the qualities of rigid honeycomb-structured cardboard could be used to create flexible furniture. His name, ‘FlexibleLove', was derived from the concept of a ‘flexible love-seat’ – that is, seating that can hold up to sixteen people simply by altering its shape and length. Each of his pieces is constructed using the same honeycomb structure, to allow for quick and easy extension and collapse. When the FlexibleLove chair is first used, about two millimeters (about 1/10th of an inch) will bend, but these marks across the surface will eventually level off, leaving a velvet-like appearance. It is also recommended that the chair be folded regularly to minimize the signs of use, and moistening the surface slightly before folding will also help to achieve a better look. As the name suggests, the FlexibleLove model 8 can accommodate up to eight people. When folded it measures 25 x 21.8 x 5.1 inches and it stretches to 25 x 21.8 x 140.4 inches. It can support weight up to 2116.44 pounds (averaging out at about 264 pounds per person) and weighs 28.66 pounds. The FlexibleLove model 16 will seat up to 16 people and when folded measures 25 x 21.8 x 8.8 inches. Weighing 55.12 pounds, it can be stretched to a length of 280.8 inches and will support body weight of up to 4232.87 pounds. Currently available for sale in the U.K from FlexibleLove UK the model 8 is priced at GBP220 (approx. US$347 at time of publication) and the model 16 is priced at GBP390 (approx. US$615 at time of publication). Not a bad price for eco-friendly, strong pieces of furniture that offer adaptable, flexible seating. Via noquedanblogs and LikeCool

Energy drinks significantly increase hyperactivity in schoolchildren, study finds

Middle-school children who consume heavily sweetened energy drinks are 66% more likely to be at risk for hyperactivity and inattention symptoms, a new study led by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The finding has implications for school success and lends support to existing recommendations to limit the amount of sweetened beverages schoolchildren drink. The authors also recommend that children avoid energy drinks, which in addition to high levels of sugar also often contain caffeine. The study is published in the journal Academic Pediatrics. The research team -- led by professor Jeannette Ickovics, director of CARE (Community Alliance for Research and Engagement) at the School of Public Health -- surveyed 1,649 middle-school students randomly selected from a single urban school district in Connecticut. The researchers found that boys were more likely to consume energy drinks than girls and that black and Hispanic boys were more likely to drink the beverages than their white peers. The average age of the student participants was 12.4 years old. The study controlled for the number and type of other sugar-sweetened drinks consumed. "As the total number of sugar-sweetened beverages increased, so too did risk for hyperactivity and inattention symptoms among our middle-school students. Importantly, it appears that energy drinks are driving this association," said Ickovics. "Our results support the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that parents should limit consumption of sweetened beverages and that children should not consume any energy drinks." While more research is needed to better understand the effects and mechanisms linking sweetened beverages and hyperactivity, previous research has shown a strong correlation between children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and poor academic outcomes, greater difficulties with peer relationships, and increased susceptibility to injuries. These associations are understudied among minority children, notes Ickovics, and previous research has suggested under-diagnosis of ADHD in black and Hispanic children. Some sugar-sweetened beverages and energy drinks that are popular with students contain up to 40 grams of sugar. The students in this study consumed on average two sugared drinks per day, with a range of zero to seven or more drinks. Health experts recommend that children consume a maximum of 21 to 33 grams of sugar daily (depending on age). In addition to hyperactivity and inattention, heavily sugared beverages also impact childhood obesity, notes Ickovics, and sugar-sweetened beverages are a leading cause of added calories in the diets of obese children. Currently, about one-third of American schoolchildren are considered overweight or obese. The study was co-authored by other researchers from CARE, the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, and the New Haven Public Schools. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Yale University. The original article was written by Michael Greenwood. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Deborah L. Schwartz, Kathryn Gilstad-Hayden, Amy Carroll-Scott, Stephanie A. Grilo, Catherine McCaslin, Marlene Schwartz, Jeannette R. Ickovics. Energy Drinks and Youth Self-Reported Hyperactivity/Inattention Symptoms. Academic Pediatrics, 2015; DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.11.006

Serotonin-deficient brains more vulnerable to social stress

Mice genetically deficient in serotonin -- a crucial brain chemical implicated in clinical depression -- are more vulnerable than their normal littermates to social stressors, according to a Duke study appearing this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Following exposure to stress, the serotonin-deficient mice also did not respond to a standard antidepressant, fluoxetine (Prozac), which works by boosting serotonin transmission between neighboring neurons. The new results may help explain why some people with depression seem unresponsive to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most common antidepressant drugs on the market today. The findings also point to several possible therapeutic strategies to explore for treatment-resistant depression. "Our results are very exciting because they establish in a genetically defined animal model of serotonin deficiency, that low serotonin could be a contributing factor to the development of depression in response to psychosocial stress -- and can lead to the failure of SSRIs to alleviate symptoms of depression," said senior author Marc Caron, the James B. Duke professor of cell biology in the Duke University School of Medicine, and a member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. The exact causes of depression are unclear. Although scientists have traditionally thought that low brain serotonin could cause depression, the idea is difficult to test directly and increasingly controversial. At the same time, researchers have gained a greater appreciation for the many environmental factors -- especially stress -- that can bring on or worsen depression. In the new study, researchers used a transgenic mouse strain called Tph2KI that has only 20-40% of normal levels of serotonin in its brain. These mice harbor an extremely rare mutation that was first identified in a small group of people with major depression. Caron's group has been studying how the Tph2KI mice respond to different kinds of stress, showing previously that serotonin deficiency can affect susceptibility to some types of stress but not others, findings that may have implications for understanding how low levels of serotonin could contribute to mental illness. In the new study, lead author Benjamin Sachs, a postdoctoral researcher in Caron's group, tested the responses of these mice to a type of psychosocial stress: social defeat stress. The team stressed out mice by housing them each with an aggressive stranger mouse briefly every day for 7-10 days. Later, the scientists examined whether the test mice would avoid interacting with an unfamiliar mouse -- a depression-like behavior. A week of social stress was not sufficient for normal mice to show signs of depression, but the serotonin-deficient mice did. Longer periods of stress exposure led to depression-like behavior in both groups. The researchers then found that a 3-week treatment with Prozac following the stress exposure alleviated depression-like symptoms in normal mice, but not mutant mice. Prozac and other SSRIs work by blocking the ability of cells to recapture serotonin, so it makes sense that the drugs would be less effective in animals with abnormally low levels of serotonin to begin with, Caron said. A few case studies have suggested that targeting a brain area called the lateral habenula could help alleviate treatment-resistant depression. This area is known as a 'punishment' region of the brain because its neurons are active in the absence of reward. And scientists think that an overactive lateral habenula might trigger depression. In the new study, the Caron group targeted the lateral habenula with a designer drug and receptor (called DREADDs for 'designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs') that allows them to control the activity of particular neurons in a living animal. Inhibiting lateral habenula neurons reversed the social avoidance behavior in the serotonin-deficient mice, they found. Although DREADDs aren't appropriate for use in humans, showing that the lateral habenula-targeted drugs can be used to alleviate depression-like behavior in animals is "an important first step," Sachs said. "The next step is to figure out how we can turn off this brain region in a relatively non-invasive way that would have better therapeutic potential," Sachs added. Another clue for potential new therapies came from biochemical comparisons of the brains of the mutant and normal mice. The researchers found that social stressors seemed to change where in the brain the signaling molecule β-catenin is being produced in normal mice, but not in the Tph2KI mice. Taken with other evidence, these new findings suggest that serotonin deficiency may block a critical molecular pathway that includes β-catenin and that may be involved in resilience. "If we can identify what's both upstream and downstream of β-catenin we might be able to come up with attractive drug targets to activate this pathway and promote resilience," Sachs said. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (MH79201, MH60451, F32-MH093092, MH79201-03S1), the Lennon Family Foundation, Duke University's Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, and the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.

Google Invests Billions on Satellites to Expand Internet Access

The company's plan to buy 180 small, high-capacity satellites complements its other ventures to expand Internet access to remote and underserved areas An example of a fleet of satellites operated by O3b Networks, Ltd. Credit: O3b Networks Google plans to invest more than $1 billion in a new fleet of satellites that will expand Internet access to unconnected regions of the world. The company's decision to purchase 180 small, high-capacity satellites is just the first step in a project that could cost the search giant over $3 billion, reported The Wall Street Journal. The project's price tag will depend on whether the company decides to embark on a second phase of the project, which would double the number of satellites needed, Google insiders told the WSJ. The new venture is being led by Greg Wyler, founder of the Google-backed satellite communications startup O3b Networks, Ltd. Wyler and a former O3b chief technology officer recently joined Google to spearhead the effort, reported the WSJ. Wyler's company is also known to be hiring engineers from satellite company Space Systems/Loral LLC. [Video: Google to Spend Billions on Satellites for Internet Everywhere] The sky's the limit Google's satellite project is one of several new ventures designed to expand Internet access to remote areas of the world. Last year, the company announced Project Loon, an aerial wireless network that uses high-altitude balloons to provide Internet service to users in underserved and rural areas. Google also recently acquired Titan Aerospace, a company that develops ultra-lightweight, solar-powered drones that could replace the balloons from Project Loon altogether. Speaking with the WSJ, Tim Farrar, head of the satellite-consulting firm TMF Associates, said that, for Google, drones and satellites might complement one another nicely. Drones, he said, offer better high-capacity service in smaller areas, whereas satellites offer broader coverage in areas that have less demand. The satellites currently being developed by O3b Networks for Google are relatively small—weighing roughly 250 pounds (113 kilograms), according to the WSJ. This makes them markedly different from the satellites the company usually produces, which weigh about 1,500 pounds (680 kg) each. Due to non-disclosure agreements, additional details about what Google's new satellites might look like are hard to come by, according to media reports. However, O3b Networks (the name of the company refers to the "other 3 billion" people worldwide without Internet access) has four of its own satellites currently in orbit, and plans to launch four more next month. Faster & cheaper coverage? O3b currently provides Internet connectivity to mobile carriers' base stations, reported the MIT Technology Review. The company's involvement could be good news for people in remote parts of the world, because O3b satellites provide a superior (and cheaper) way to deliver high-speed Internet than do conventional satellites, the MIT Technology Review said. Compared to conventional Internet companies, whose satellites orbit roughly 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) above Earth, O3b's satellites orbit around 5,000 miles (8,000 km) above the planet's surface. This difference in altitude results in a corresponding difference in delays. While O3b users have to contend with a 150-millisecond delay in their Internet coverage (the time it takes for radio signals to go back and forth between the base carrier station and the satellite), those with other services might experience 600-millisecond delays for the same service. Such a delay, MIT reports, is generally considered excessive, at least for business use. Google's foray into satellite Internet could speed up coverage for hundreds of millions of people around the world, a Google spokeswoman told the WSJ. The technology company noted that nearly two-third of the world's citizens have no access to the Internet at all. But despite Google's enthusiasm for the new project, some outside the company are wary of the search giant's journey into the stratosphere. Roger Rusch, who runs the satellite-industry consulting firm TelAstra, Inc., told the WSJ that Google's project is a "pipe dream," and said the company will end up spending much more on the effort than originally planned, perhaps as much as $20 billion. source : www.scientificamerican.com

Spectroscopy group–Department of Physics–Boston College

Erice Schools                         INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY Director: Prof. Baldassare Di Bartolo The purpose of the International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy is two-fold: To bring the workers in spectroscopy and related disciplines up to date on the new experimental and theoretical developments in this field of research, and To create an opportunity for the researchers in the various subfields of spectroscopy to discuss their problems in an interdisciplinary framework. Spectroscopic investigations are concerned with phenomena observed when the radiation from a source, separated into its various wavelengths, is made to interact with the constituents of a physical system. Through the examination of particular spectra, the identification of known molecular species can be carried out; by means of spectroscopy it has been possible, for example, to identify the presence of chemical elements in distant stars. More basic applications of the science of spectroscopy have produced a better understanding of atomic and molecular structures and of such phenomena as luminescence. Rotational, vibrational and electronic states of molecules continue to be subjects of investigation; also the important field of energy transfer between the different degrees of freedom in molecules is an object of study. In solids, spectroscopic investigations are directed to uncover the interrelation of absorption and emission properties with the location of the constituents and the crystalline symmetry. Studies of impurity spectra have shown the usefulness of spectral data in providing information about the spectra of such collective excitations of solids as phonons and magnons. Also, on the basis of purely spectroscopic data it is possible to predict the feasibility and efficiency of solid state systems as possible laser materials. The technique of flash photolysis has extended the usage of spectroscopy to the excited states of gases, liquids and solids with the measurement of transitions not allowed from the ground state. When used to check the evolution of a reaction, this technique has uncovered the presence of transient species, often not seen before, and existing only under particular experimental conditions. ETTORE MAJORANA FOUNDATION AND CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC CULTURE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY NANO–OPTICS: PRINCIPLES ENABLING BASIC RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS A NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE Erice, Sicily, Italy; July 4-19, 2015 Sponsored by the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific-Technological Research, the Sicilian Regional Government, and Boston College Purpose of the Meeting: Throughout the last decade, the field of optics and photonics has not only tremendously benefited from progress in nano-science and -fabrication but has in turn also become an important driver and toolbox of nano-science and -fabrication. Important sub-fields such as three-dimensional optical lithography and microscopy beyond the Abbe diffraction limit, optical diagnostics and bio-sensing, optical data- and telecommunications, energy-efficient lighting, and efficient solar energy conversion truly make optics and photonics an important key enabling technology of the 21st century. The rapidly increasing possibilities of nanoscience enable a completely new level of molding the flow of light and controlling light-matter interaction, nearly on the atomic scale. This has for instance led to metallic nano-antennas for light that can modify spontaneous emission of nearby molecules via local-field enhancement effects or that can act as high-figure-of-merit bio-sensors. Other interesting areas are artificial optical materials (“metamaterials”) assembled from these antennas and nano-plasmonic structures. Here, applications include but are not limited to ultra-compact and ultra-fast optical telecommunication devices, efficient sustainable solar energy conversion, and bio-photonics. Transformation optics and “flat optics” expand the concepts of metamaterials and metasurfaces, respectively, towards intentionally spatially inhomogeneous structures, e.g., for invisibility cloaking and flat lenses or flat polarization optics. Conversely, optics and photonics also fuel nanotechnology, e.g., by novel super-resolution approaches in optical microscopy and lithography. The Institute will introduce the students to the field and provide a comprehensive overview on experiments and theory, basic physics and applications as well as on nanofabrication and optical characterization. It will bring together physicists, chemists, biologists and engineers; it will be in the best tradition of our past Institutes, because it will start from the consideration of fundamental principles, and will reach the frontiers of research in a systematic and didactic fashion. The participants will have the opportunity to present their research work in the form of short seminars or posters. source : www.bc.edu

Human Traffickers Caught on Hidden Internet

A new set of search tools called Memex, developed by DARPA, peers into the “deep Web” to reveal illegal activity February 8, 2015 By Larry Greenemeier Hidden in Plain Sight: Investigators are using DARPA's Memex technology pull information from the so-called "deep Web" that can be used to find and prosecute human traffickers. - Courtesy of PhotoDisc/ Getty Image. More In This Article In November 2012 a 28-year-old woman plunged 15 meters from a bedroom window to the pavement in New York City, a devastating fall that left her body broken but alive. The accident was an act of both desperation and hope—the woman had climbed out of the sixth-floor window to escape a group of men who had been sexually abusing her and holding her captive for two days. Four months ago the New York County District Attorney’s Office sent Benjamin Gaston, one of the men responsible for the woman’s ordeal, to prison for 50-years-to-life. A key weapon in the prosecutor’s arsenal, according to the NYDA’s Office: an experimental set of Internet search tools the U.S. Department of Defense is developing to help catch and lock up human traffickers. Although the Defense Department and the prosecutor’s office had not publicly acknowledged using the new tools, they confirmed to Scientific American that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Memex program provided advanced Internet search capabilities that helped secure the conviction. DARPA is creating Memex to scour the Internet in search of information about human trafficking, in particular advertisements used to lure victims into servitude and to promote their sexual exploitation. Much of this information is publically available, but it exists in the 90 percent of the so-called “deep Web” that Google, Yahoo and other popular search engines do not index. That leaves untouched a multitude of information that may not be valuable to the average Web surfer but could provide crucial information to investigators. Google would not confirm that it indexes no more than 10 percent of the Internet, a statistic that has been widely reported, but a spokesperson pointed out that the company’s focus is on whether its search results are relevant and useful in answering users' queries, not whether it has indexed 100 percent of the data on the Internet. Much of this deep Web information is unstructured data gathered from sensors and other devices that may not reside in a database that can be scanned or “crawled” by search engines. Other deep Web data comes from temporary pages (such as advertisements for illegal sexual and similarly illicit services) that are removed before search engines can crawl them. Some areas of the deep Web are accessible using only special software such as the Tor Onion Router, which allows people to secretly share information anonymously via peer-to-peer connections rather than going through a centralized computer server. DARPA is working with 17 different teams of researchers—from both companies and universities—to craft Internet search tools as part of the Memex program that give government, military and businesses new ways to analyze, organize and interact with data pulled from this larger pool of sources. Law and order DARPA has said very little about Memex and its use by law enforcement and prosecutors to investigate suspected criminals. According to published reports, including one from Carnegie Mellon University, the NYDA’s Office is one of several law enforcement agencies that have used early versions of Memex software over the past year to find and prosecute human traffickers, who coerce or abduct people—typically women and children—for the purposes of exploitation, sexual or otherwise. “Memex”—a combination of the words “memory” and “index” first coined in a 1945 article for The Atlantic—currently includes eight open-source, browser-based search, analysis and data-visualization programs as well as back-end server software that perform complex computations and data analysis. Such capabilities could become a crucial component of fighting human trafficking, a crime with low conviction rates, primarily because of strategies that traffickers use to disguise their victims’ identities (pdf). The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates there are about 2.5 million human trafficking victims worldwide at any given time, yet putting the criminals who press them into service behind bars is difficult. In its 2014 study on human trafficking (pdf) the U.N. agency found that 40 percent of countries surveyed reported less than 10 convictions per year between 2010 and 2012. About 15 percent of the 128 countries covered in the report did not record any convictions. Evidence of criminals peddling such services online is hard to pinpoint because of the use of temporary ads and peer-to-peer connections within the deep Web. Over a two-year time frame traffickers spent about $250 million to post more than 60 million advertisements, according to DARPA-funded research. Such a large volume of Web pages, many of which are not posted long enough to be crawled by search engines, makes it difficult for investigators to connect the dots. This is, in part, because investigators typically search for evidence of human trafficking using the same search engines that most people use to find restaurant reviews and gift ideas. Hence the Memex project. Inside Memex At DARPA’s Arlington, Va., headquarters Memex program manager Christopher White provided Scientific American with a demonstration of some of the tools he and his colleagues are developing. Criminal investigations often begin with little more than a single piece of information, such as an e-mail address. White plugged a demo address into Google to show how investigators currently work. As expected, he received a page of links from the portion of the Internet that Google crawls—also referred to as the “surface Web”—prioritized by a Google algorithm attempting to deliver the most relevant information at the top. After clicking through several of these links, an investigator might find a phone number associated with the e-mail address. Thus far, White had pulled the same information from the Internet that most people would see. But he then faced a next step all Web users confront: sifting through pages of hyperlinks with very little analytical information available to tie together different search results. Just as important as Memex’s ability to pull information from a broader swath of the Internet are its tools that can identify relationships among different pieces of data. This helps investigators create data maps used to detect spatial and temporal patterns. One example could be a hub-and-spoke visualization depicting hundreds of Web sites connected to a single sex services e-mail, phone number or worker  Scientific American exclusive: A sneak peek at Memex data maps White also showed how MEMEX can generate color-coded heat maps of different countries that locate where the most sex advertisements are being posted online at any given time. These patterns and others could help reveal associations that investigators might otherwise miss, says White, who began working with DARPA in 2010 as a consultant developing data-science tools to support the U.S. military in Afghanistan. Search results The technology has already delivered results since DARPA began introducing Memex to select law enforcement agencies about a year ago. The NYDA says that its new Human Trafficking Response Unit now uses DARPA’s Memex search tool in every human trafficking case it pursues. Memex has played a role in generating at least 20 active sex trafficking investigations and has been applied to eight open indictments in addition to the Gaston conviction, according to the NYDA’s Office. “Memex helps us build evidence-based prosecutions, which are essential to fighting human trafficking,” says Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. “In these complex cases prosecutors cannot rely on traumatized victims alone to testify. We need evidence to corroborate or, in some cases, replace the need for the victim to testify.” Different components of Memex are helping law enforcement crack down on trafficking elsewhere in the country as well. A detective in Modesto, Calif., used a specific piece of software called Traffic Jam to follow up on a tip about one particular victim from Nebraska and ended up identifying a sex trafficker who was traveling with prostitutes across the Midwest and West. The investigation culminated in his arrest. Traffic Jam, developed independently of DARPA in 2011 by Carnegie Mellon University researchers and later spun off into a company called Marinus Analytics, enabled investigators to gather evidence by quickly reviewing ads the trafficker posted for several locales. DARPA has since awarded Carnegie Mellon a three-year, $3.6-million contract to enhance Traffic Jam’s basic search capabilities as part of Memex, with machine-learning algorithms that can analyze results in depth, according to the university. Carnegie Mellon researchers are also studying ways to apply computer vision to searches in a way that helps investigators identify images with similar elements—such as furniture from the same hotel room that appears in multiple images—even if the images themselves are not identical, says Jeff Schneider. Schneider is the project's principal investigator and a research professor in the Auton Lab at the university’s School of Computer Science, which studies statistical data mining. Furniture in a hotel room, for example, could help law enforcement identify the location of trafficking operations. Vance and other law enforcement officials welcome such advances. “Technology alone won’t solve cases, but it certainly helps,” he says. “We’ve had the most success with this effort when we married traditional field intelligence with the information this tool provides.” White agrees that DARPA’s technology is a supplement to other investigative methods, including interviews with victims. In addition to targeting human trafficking, law enforcement officials are finding that they can tap Memex to crack down on other, related crimes, including trafficking in guns and drugs. source : www.scientificamerican.com

A Pill That Mimics the Immune System

Synthetic antibodies that can be orally ingested to fight cancer and autoimmune diseases may replace cumbersome intravenous therapeutics February 9, 2015 By Bret Stetka The therapeutic potential of synthetic antibodylike compounds is vast. Credit: NIAID via Flickr The human body doesn’t like outsiders. When a foreign pathogen or substance, say an unwanted virus, finds its way into our blood streams we produce antibodies that the neutralize the threat. These “Y”-shaped proteins are made by a class of white blood cells called plasma cells and bind to molecules on the invaders called antigens, triggering another set of white blood cells to literally ingest the interloper. For years now doctors have used antibodies and other protein-based therapies (aka biologics) to treat a range of illnesses, cancers, infections and autoimmune diseases among them. There’s only one problem: antibodies are bulky and hence usually have to be administered intravenously as they’re often to big to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. With this in mind, chemist David Spiegel and his colleagues at Yale University are out to simplify dosing for patients on antibody therapy by developing treatments with the benefits of antibodies—minus the needle. In work recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society Spiegel and his team have successfully developed the first synthetic molecules that behave like antibodies. Like the real thing, these so-called "synthetic antibody mimics"—or "SyAMs"—bind to both diseased cells and disease-fighting immune cells. Specifically the compounds were found to zero in on and bind to a specific antigen on prostate cancer cells. The SyAMs also bind to and activate certain immune cells that then devour the malignancy. Spiegel’s SyAMs are produced in a way that is similar to conventional drugs, by using chemical reactions to piece together various structural features often not found in nature. As he explains, the therapeutic potential of synthetic antibodylike compounds is vast: “Because antibodies are proteins they’re difficult and expensive to produce on a large scale, can cause unwanted immune reactions and tend to aggregate and denature with long-term storage.” Spiegel speculates that SyAMs will be easier and cheaper to produce and less likely to incite aberrant immune activity. SyAMs are also one twentieth the size of antibodies—more akin to the size of most medications—and can therefore perhaps be administered orally. This could be a major boon to patients with cancers and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis who have to regularly get themselves to infusion centers for monoclonal antibody therapy. The idea of producing “artificial antibodies” traces back to the work of late 19th-century German physician Paul Ehrlich who first proposed that the immune system can neutralize toxins or pathogens by forming "antitoxins." Based on the idea he and his colleagues began developing drugs meant to function like these antitoxins, including one to treat Trypanosoma parasite infections. During the 1930s and 1940s—as understanding of antibody–antigen interactions grew—famed chemist, activist and vitamin C evangelist Linus Pauling started tinkering with the idea that proteins could be transformed into antibodies by exposing them to certain antigens. Artificial antibody research split subsequently in two directions: one camp pursued creating protein antibodies resulting in what are called monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonals are produced by natural means in a lab and are now commonly used therapeutically. The other camp, in which Spiegel falls, set out to produce smaller, nonprotein compounds with antibodylike properties. Beyond attacking prostate cancer, Spiegel’s group has also developed SyAM-based approaches targeting HIV, various other cancers and bacterial triggers of autoimmune disease. And although SyAM research remains in the petri dish, a mouse model is in the works and human studies are not far off. A number of other labs are also researching ways to fight disease by manipulating antibodies and synthesizing molecules that act on the immune system, including Peter Schultz at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. “He's probably our biggest competitor and I'm his biggest fan,” Spiegel says. Laura Kiessling at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who studies ways to draw natural antibodies to tumor cells, comments on the benefits of Spiegel’s approach: “It can be tailored to selectively recruit specific types of immune cells to kill tumor cells. The smaller size of the compounds could also be an asset in eliminating tumors, but the benefits would need to be looked at in vivo,” Kiessling says. As Spiegel confesses, his route to the chemistry lab was an unusual one. He went to medical school to become a psychiatrist but along the way also picked up an interest in chemistry and—in decidedly un-psychiatristlike fashion—tacked on a PhD in organic synthesis (the development of new organic compounds and reactions in the lab). “The relevance of this research to clinical medicine was not always clear to my classmates and colleagues—or sometimes to myself,” he recalls, “but I realized that organic chemistry has been critically associated with drug development from the beginning.” Spiegel points out that most U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs are in fact small organic molecules. “My thought was that by working to understand diseases at the cellular and molecular level, I could not only learn how to make new drugs,” he notes, “but also perhaps develop new paradigms for how drugs could function.” Spiegel’s decision to join his chemical and clinical interests, it seems, was a wise one. source : www.scientificamerican.com

7 cultural concepts the USA doesn`t have

Perhaps one of these ideas will inspire you to think differently in your day-to-day life.   Exploring other cultures helps us learn more about ourselves — and perhaps find a new celebration or concept that speaks to us. (Photo: Boris Stroujko/Shutterstock) From the end of October through the New Year and onto Valentine's Day, it's easy to forget that the holidays we celebrate are simply cultural constructs that we can choose to engage in — or not. The concepts and ideas we celebrate — like our spiritual beliefs and daily habits — are a choice, though sometimes it feels like we "have" to celebrate them, even if we don't feel like it. Culture is ours to do with as we choose, and that means that we can add, subtract, or edit celebrations or holidays as we see fit — because you and me and everyone reading this makes up our culture, and it is defined by us, for us, after all. If you want to add a new and different perspective to your life, there are plenty of other ways to recognize joy and beauty outside American traditions. From Scandinavia to Japan, India and Germany, the concepts below may strike a nerve with you and inspire your own personal or familial celebration or — as is the case with a couple of these for me — sound like an acknowledgement of something you have long felt, but didn't have a word for. Friluftsliv Photo: Shutterstock Friluftsliv translates directly from Norwegian as "free air life," which doesn't quite do it justice. Coined relatively recently, in 1859, it is the concept that being outside is good for human beings' mind and spirit. "It is a term in Norway that is used often to describe a way of life that is spent exploring and appreciating nature," Anna Stoltenberg, culture coordinator for Sons of Norway, a U.S.-based Norwegian heritage group, told MNN. Other than that, it's not a strict definition: it can include sleeping outside, hiking, taking photographs or meditating, playing or dancing outside, for adults or kids. It doesn't require any special equipment, includes all four seasons, and needn't cost much money. Practicing friluftsliv could be as simple as making a commitment to walking in a natural area five days a week, or doing a day-long hike once a month. Shinrin-yoku Photo: Semmick Photo/Shutterstock Shinrin-yoku is a Japanese term that means "forest bathing" and unlike the Norwegian translation above, this one seems a perfect language fit (though a pretty similar idea). The idea being that spending time in the forest and natural areas is good preventative medicine, since it lowers stress, which causes or exacerbates some of our most intractable health issues. As MNN's Catie Leary details, this isn't just a nice idea — there's science behind it: "The "magic" behind forest bathing boils down to the naturally produced allelochemic substances known as phytoncides, which are kind of like pheromones for plants. Their job is to help ward off pesky insects and slow the growth of fungi and bacteria. When humans are exposed to phytoncides, these chemicals are scientifically proven to lower blood pressure, relieve stress and boost the growth of cancer-fighting white blood cells. Some common examples of plants that give off phytoncides include garlic, onion, pine, tea tree and oak, which makes sense considering their potent aromas." Hygge Photo: Shutterstock Hygge is the idea that helps Denmark regularly rate as one of the happiest countries in the world — Danes have regularly been some of the most joyful in the world for over 40 years that the U.S. has been studying them — despite long, dark winters. Loosely translated at "togetherness," and "coziness," though it's not a physical state, it's a mental one. According to VisitDenmark (the country's official tourism site): "The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Friends and family — that’s hygge too. And let’s not forget the eating and drinking — preferably sitting around the table for hours on end discussing the big and small things in life." Hygge's high season is winter, and Christmas lights, candles galore, and other manifestations of warmth and light, including warm alcoholic beverages, are key to the concept. Still a little confused and wondering how you could cultivate hygge in your life? This Danish NPR commenter sums up some specifics: "Hygge is a deep sense of cosy that can originate from many different sources. Here is a good example from my life : a cloudy winter Sunday morning at the country house, fire in the stove and 20 candles lit to dispel the gloom. My husband, puppy and I curled up on our sheepskins wearing felt slippers, warm snuggly clothes and hands clasped around hot mugs of tea. A full day ahead with long walks on the cold beach, back for pancake lunch, reading, more snuggling, etc. This is a very hyggligt day." Now that sounds do-able, doesn't it? Wabi-sabi Photo: markuliasz/Shutterstock Wabi-sabi is the Japanese idea of embracing the imperfect, of celebrating the worn, the cracked, the patinaed, both as a decorative concept and a spiritual one — it's an acceptance of the toll that life takes on us all. As I wrote about it earlier this year, "If we can learn to love the things that already exist, for all their chips and cracks, their patinas, their crooked lines or tactile evidence of being made by someone's hands instead of a machine, from being made from natural materials that vary rather than perfect plastic, we wouldn't need to make new stuff, reducing our consumption (and its concurrent energy use and inevitable waste), cutting our budgets, and saving some great stories for future generations." We might also be less stressed, and more attentive to the details, which are the keys to mindfulness.  Kaizen Photo: Santiago Cornejo/Shutterstock Kaizen is another Japanese concept, one that means "continuous improvement," and could be taken to mean the opposite of wabi-sabi (though as you'll see, it depends on the interpretation). It's a very new idea, only coined in 1986, and generally used in business circumstances. As this tutorial details, "Kaizen is a system that involves every employee, from upper management to the cleaning crew. Everyone is encouraged to come up with small improvement suggestions on a regular basis. This is not a once a month or once a year activity. It is continuous. Japanese companies, such as Toyota and Canon, a total of 60 to 70 suggestions per employee per year are written down, shared and implemented." These are regular, small improvements, not major changes. Applied to your own life, it could mean daily or weekly check-ins about goals, as opposed to making New Year's resolutions, or a more organized path based on small changes toward weight loss, a personal project or a hobby. Gemütlichkeit Gemütlichkeit is a German word that means almost the same thing as hygge, and also has its peak usage during the winter. In fact, some linguists posit that the word (and concept) of hygge likely came from the German idea. Blogger Constanze's entry on the German Language Blog for "Untranslatable German Words" describes how the word means more than just cozy: "A soft chair in a coffee shop might be considered ‘cosy’. But sit in that chair surrounded by close friends and a hot cup of tea, while soft music plays in the background, and that sort of scene is what you’d call gemütlich." Jugaad Photo: Michal Zieba/Shutterstock Jugaad is a Hindi word that means "an innovative fix" or a "repair derived from ingenuity," — think a jury-rigged sled for snowy fun, or a bicycle chain repaired with some duct tape. It's a frequently used word in India where frugal fixes are revered. But the idea has further merit beyond figuring out solutions to get by with less. It also encapsulates the spirit of doing something innovative. As the authors of Jugaad Innovation write in Forbes, they see jugaad in many other places than the repair shop: "In Kenya, for instance, entrepreneurs have invented a device that enables bicycle riders to charge their cellphones while pedaling. In the Philippines, Illac Diaz has deployed A Litre of Light — a recycled plastic bottle containing bleach-processed water that refracts sunlight, producing the equivalent of a 55-watt light bulb — in thousands of makeshift houses in off-the-grid shantytowns. And in Lima, Peru (with high humidity and only 1 inch of rain per year), an engineering college has designed advertising billboards that can convert humid air into potable water." Jugaad's idea of frugal innovation can definitely be applied in the individual life — what about setting aside a half a day twice a year where everyone in your family fixes something that needs repair? You'll save money, spend time together, test problem-solving skills, and get a sense of accomplishment from repairing instead of buying new. I'd like to integrate some of these ideas into my own life. Over the last few years I have dropped Christmas and Easter (I've been an atheist for over 25 years now) and replaced them with a Solstice celebrations; I have remade New Year's into a quiet, reflective time (the antithesis of a party); and have incorporated an appreciation and gratefulness aspect into my almost-daily meditation routine. I've kept Thanksgiving, though mine is vegetarian, so the focus is on the harvest and thanks and not killing a turkey. And I celebrate Halloween some years, when I feel into it, and not if I don't. And forget Valentine's Day! Because I don't love some of our existing holidays, I'd like to add celebrations to my list — luckily I need not come up with them by myself, but can look to other cultures for inspiration. I actually started practicing hygge last winter and I felt it really helped me through the darkest days of the year. I may formalize it a bit by creating a "start" and "end" date to the practice. Wabi-sabi is also very appealing to me, as I tend towards perfectionism (which also tends to make me miserable), and it's an idea that seems like it might become part of my seasonal cleaning and organizing time (along with Jugaad). Have any of the above ideas inspired you to try something different or add a new celebration day to your life?  www.mnm.com

50 new alien planets discovered, including one that might support life

The potentially habitable 'super-Earth' is about 3.6 times more massive than Earth and is 35 light-years from our sun. LIFE-SUPPORTING: This artist's impression shows the alien planet HD 85512b orbiting the Sun-like star HD 85512 in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sail). It orbits a star 35 light-years from Earth and weighs the equivalent of 3.6 Earth masses and m More than 50 new alien planets — including one so-called super-Earth that could potentially support life — have been discovered by an exoplanet-hunting telescope from the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The newfound haul of alien planets includes 16 super-Earths, which are potentially rocky worlds that are more massive than our planet. One in particular — called HD 85512 b — has captured astronomers' attention because it orbits at the edge of its star's habitable zone, suggesting conditions could be ripe to support life. The exoplanet findings came from observations from the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher instrument, or HARPS. The HARPS spectrograph is part of ESO's 11.8-foot (3.6-meter) telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. [Illustration and video of alien planet HD 85512 b] “The harvest of discoveries from HARPS has exceeded all expectations and includes an exceptionally rich population of super-Earths and Neptune-type planets hosted by stars very similar to our sun," HARPS team leader Michel Mayor of the University of Geneva in Switzerland said in a statement. "And even better — the new results show that the pace of discovery is accelerating." The potentially habitable super-Earth, officially called HD 85512 b, is estimated to be only 3.6 times more massive than Earth, and its parent star is located about 35 light-years away, making it relatively nearby. HD 85512 b was found to orbit at the edge of its star's habitable zone, which is a narrow region in which the distance is just right that liquid water could exist given the right conditions. [Gallery: The Strangest Alien Planets] "This is the lowest-mass confirmed planet discovered by the radial velocity method that potentially lies in the habitable zone of its star, and the second low-mass planet discovered by HARPS inside the habitable zone," said exoplanet habitability expert Lisa Kaltenegger, of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany and Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Boston. Further analysis of HD 85512 b and the other newfound exoplanets will be able to determine more about the potential existence of water on the surface. "I think we're in for an incredibly exciting time," Kaltenegger told reporters in a briefing today. "We're not just going out there to discover new continents — we're actually going out there to discover brand new worlds." [Infographic: Alien Planet HD 85512 b Holds Possibility of Life] The HARPS spectrograph is designed to detect tiny radial velocity signals induced by planets as small as Earth if they orbit close to their star. Astronomers used HARPS to observe 376 sunlike stars. By studying the properties of all the alien planets detected by HARPS so far, researchers found that approximately 40 percent of stars similar to the sun is host to at least one planet that is less massive than the gas giant Saturn. In other words, approximately 40 percent of sunlike stars have at least one low-mass planet orbiting around it. On the other hand, the majority of alien planets with a mass similar to Neptune appear to be in systems with multiple planets, researchers said. Astronomers have previously discovered 564 confirmed alien planets, with roughly 1,200 additional candidate worlds under investigation based on data from the Kepler space observatory, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. This article was reprinted with permission from SPACE.com.

E-cigarette vapors, flavorings, trigger lung cell stress

Do electronic cigarettes help people quit smoking? As the debate continues on that point, a new University of Rochester study suggests that e-cigarettes are likely a toxic replacement for tobacco products. Emissions from e-cigarette aerosols and flavorings damage lung cells by creating harmful free radicals and inflammation in lung tissue, according to the UR study published in the journal PLOS ONE. Irfan Rahman, Ph.D., professor of Environmental Medicine at the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry, led the research, which adds to a growing body of scientific data that points to dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping. The investigation suggests the harm begins when the e-cigarette's heating element is activated. The heating element is designed to turn a liquid solution (known as an e-liquid or "juice") into an aerosol that mimics cigarette smoke. The inhaled vapors contain heavy metals and other possible carcinogens in the form of nanoparticles -- tiny particulate matter that can reach farther into lung tissue, cell systems, and blood stream. Rahman's study also shows that some flavored e-juices (particularly cinnamon) create more stress and toxicity on lung tissue. Researchers observed in the laboratory that human lung cells exposed to e-cigarette aerosols released various inflammation biomarkers. Mice exposed to e-cigarettes with classic tobacco flavoring also demonstrated signs of pulmonary inflammation. "Several leading medical groups, organizations, and scientists are concerned about the lack of restrictions and regulations for e-cigarettes," Rahman said. "Our research affirms that e-cigarettes may pose significant health risks and should be investigated further. It seems that every day a new e-cigarette product is launched without knowing the harmful health effects of these products." Rahman's laboratory also recently reported in the journal Environmental Pollution that toxic metals and oxidants from e-cigarettes raise safety concerns as well as potential pollution hazards from second-hand exposures and disposal of e-cigarette waste. Another recent study connected e-cigarette vapors to a higher risk of respiratory infections in young people. In a joint statement issued January 8, 2015, the two leading cancer organizations in the United States -- the American Association for Cancer Research and American Society for Clinical Oncology -- said that e-cigarettes should be subject to the same Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restrictions as tobacco until more is known about possible adverse health effects. Insufficient data also exists on the value of the tool for smoking cessation. The biggest concern is for e-cigarette users under age 18. Health experts believe e-cigarettes entice some young people to start smoking and will make it socially acceptable again. E-liquid flavorings marketed to kids and teens include fruit, dessert, and candy, and are widely available at convenience stores, gas stations, and online. Manufacturers contend it's a safer alternative to cigarettes, and consumers have pushed sales in the U.S. beyond $1 billion. A trend known as "dripping" allows e-cig users to drip an e-liquid directly onto the cigarette's heating element instead of using a refillable chamber to hold the e-liquids. The smoker inhales the aerosols and gets a stronger hit, while also being able to more easily switch between flavors, brands or nicotine content. The UR study found that dripping e-liquids or e-juices to produce vapors likely generates a larger dose of toxins to the lungs. Rahman's study notes that manufacturers typically don't disclose all materials and chemicals used to make e-cigarettes and e-juices. Without that information or long-term use studies, consumers have limited information about the potential dangers for human health and the environment, he said. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by University of Rochester Medical Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Chad A. Lerner, Isaac K. Sundar, Hongwei Yao, Janice Gerloff, Deborah J. Ossip, Scott McIntosh, Risa Robinson, Irfan Rahman. Vapors Produced by Electronic Cigarettes and E-Juices with Flavorings Induce Toxicity, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammatory Response in Lung Epithelial Cells and in Mouse Lung. PLOS ONE, 2015; 10 (2): e0116732 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116732

A Campaign for Women About Heart Disease, HHS, NIH, NHLBI

Show Off Your Red Every year, The Heart Truth® and its supporters continue to raise awareness about heart disease in women to encourage them to take action and improve their heart health. On National Wear Red Day®, February 6, 2015, thousands of people, men and women, raise their voices in support of heart disease awareness and prevention, in efforts to help women learn their risk for heart disease. Show your support by wearing something red—a red dress, sweater or scarf—and encourage your neighbors, coworkers, friends and loved ones to do the same. Join us on this national movement and help us give a wakeup call to all women about the importance of knowing their risk for heart disease, the #1 killer of women. We want women to know that making small healthy changes to their everyday life can help them lead heart healthy and productive lives. Use this toolkit to invite others to wear red with you. The materials included―a poster, flyer, newsletter ad, pre-drafted content for social media platforms, and Web banners―feature women like you who are speaking up about heart disease risk. The Heart Truth’s #4MyHeart is an interactive challenge designed to help you lower your risk for heart disease. Take action, starting today, to protect your heart. Track your progress and share your success with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest using #4MyHeart. Last Updated: January 2015

What's next in diets: Chili peppers?

February 8, 2015 Biophysical Society A large percentage of the world's population -- fully one third, by the World Health Organization's estimates -- is currently overweight or obese. This staggering statistics has made finding ways to address obesity a top priority for many scientists around the globe, and now a group of researchers has found promise in the potential of capsaicin -- the chief ingredient in chili peppers -- as a diet-based supplement. Spice up your diet with peppers every day to keep obesity away. Don't go chomping on a handful of chili peppers just yet, but there may be help for hopeful dieters in those fiery little Native American fruits. A large percentage of the world's population -- fully one third, by the World Health Organization's estimates -- is currently overweight or obese. This staggering statistics has made finding ways to address obesity a top priority for many scientists around the globe, and now a group of researchers at the University of Wyoming has found promise in the potential of capsaicin -- the chief ingredient in chili peppers -- as a diet-based supplement. The temptation to eat fatty foods is often so strong that, for many, it can override or overpower any dietary restrictions. As a solution to this problem, a group of researchers at the University of Wyoming developed a novel approach to stimulate energy metabolism -- without the need to restrict calorie intake. During the Biophysical Society's 59th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., Feb. 7-11, 2015, the researchers from the laboratory of Dr. Baskaran Thyagarajan, University of Wyoming will describe how dietary capsaicin may stimulate thermogenesis and energy burning by activating its receptors, which are expressed in white and brown fat cells. This may help to prevent and manage obesity and other related health complications such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases -- though this effect has not yet been demonstrated in carefully-controlled clinical trials. "Obesity is caused by an imbalance between calorie intake and energy dissipation," explained Vivek Krishnan, a graduate student working in Baskaran Thyagarajan's laboratory at the University of Wyoming's School of Pharmacy -- a research group known as "Baskilab." "In our bodies, white fat cells store energy and brown fat cells serve as thermogenic (heat produced by burning fat) machinery to burn stored fat. Eating calorie-rich food and a lack of physical activity cause an imbalance in metabolism that leads to obesity." While pursuing a strategy for obesity management, our group's laboratory data revealed that "dietary capsaicin -- a chief 'agonist' (initiator of a response) of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel protein -- suppresses high-fat-diet-induced obesity," Krishnan said. Baskilab has found that high-fat-diet obesity and dietary capsaicin -- 0.01 percent of capsaicin in the total high fat diet -- prevented high-fat-diet-induced weight gain in trials with wild type mice, but not in mice that genetically lacked TRPV1. Further, dietary capsaicin didn't modify food or water intake in these mice, "although it did significantly increase the metabolic activity and energy expenditure in wild type mice fed a high-fat diet, "but not for mice that genetically lack TRPV1" Krishnan noted. So, Baskilab's overarching hypothesis is that dietary capsaicin induces browning of white adipose tissue and stimulates thermogenesis to counteract obesity. "The main goal of our work is to expand the knowledge of the mechanism by which capsaicin antagonizes obesity, as well as to advance the proof of principle of the anti-obesity potential of dietary capsaicin. Next, we'll focus on our longer-term goal of developing TRPV1 agonists as new drug molecules to prevent and treat obesity," said researchers from Baskilab. Developing a natural dietary supplement as a strategy to combat obesity can be easily advanced to human clinical trials, according to the researchers. "We envision a nanoparticle-based sustained-release formulation of capsaicin, which is currently under development in our laboratory," added researchers from Baskilab. "In turn, this will advance a novel dietary supplement-based approach to prevent and treat one of the life-threatening diseases, obesity and its associated complications -- in humans." The group's strategy to counteract obesity is expected to form a major focus of future healthcare priorities for both the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense. Baskilab has already submitted a patent application for the drug delivery aspect of the discovery.