When mediated by superconductivity, light pushes matter million times more

 

Tue, 04/28/2015 University of Jyväskylä When a mirror reflects light, it experiences a slight push. This radiation pressure can be increased considerably with the help of a small superconducting island. This was revealed by the joint research done in the Aalto University and the Universities of Jyväskylä and Oulu. The finding paves a way for the studies of mechanical oscillations at the level of a single photon, the quantum of light. The results of the research were published in Nature Communications in April 2015. In our everyday lives, the effects of the radiation pressure of light can be neglected. Your furniture is not moved over even though the light, or more generally the electromagnetic radiation, emitted by your lamps bounces off from its surfaces thus creating a radiation pressure force. An ordinary 100 Watt light-bulb causes a radiation pressure that is only a trillionth (one part to 1000000000000) of the normal atmospheric pressure. Nevertheless, in space the relevance of the phenomenon becomes apparent: because of the radiation pressure the tails of comets typically point away from the Sun. Radiation pressure has also been proposed as the propulsion for the solar sails. In the recent years, the radiation pressure has been harnessed also in the field of laser physics. It can be used to couple the electromagnetic laser field to, for example, the movement of the small mechanical oscillators that can be found inside ordinary watches. Due to the weakness of the interaction, one typically needs substantially strong laser fields. Radiation pressure physics in these systems have become measurable only when the oscillator is hit by millions of photons, explains theorist Jani Tuorila from the University of Oulu. In the work reported here, the researchers combine their knowledge on experimental and theoretical physics, and show how the strength of the radiation pressure coupling can be considerably increased. They placed a superconducting island in between the electromagnetic field and the oscillator to mediate the interaction. In the measurements, we exploited the Josephson coupling of the superconducting junctions, especially its nonlinear character, explains Juha Pirkkalainen from Aalto University, the post-doctoral researcher who conducted the measurements. The researchers were able to alter the radiation pressure coupling significantly. With the superconducting island, the radiation pressure increased a millionfold the value we had previously achieved, reports the supervisor of the experimental group, Professor Mika Sillanpää from Aalto University. Because of the increased radiation pressure coupling, the oscillator observes the electromagnetic field with the precision of a single photon. Correspondingly, the oscillators reveal themselves to the field with the resolution of a single quantum of oscillations, a phonon. Such strong coupling allows, in principle, the measurement of quantum information from an oscillator nearly visible to the naked eye, explains Professor Tero Heikkilä from the University of Jyväskylä who was in charge of the theoretical studies. The research enables the observation of quantum phenomena in larger structures than before. Thus, it allows studying the validity of the quantum mechanical laws in large structures. Some claim that the theory holds only with very small particles. Nevertheless, the existence of an upper limit for the validity region has not been found—yet. The research was conducted within the Academy of Finland Center of Excellence on Low Temperature Quantum Phenomena and Devices and it got also support by the European Research Council. Source: University of Jyväskylä

How Academic Institutions Partner with Private Industry

 

The master plan vision for the East River Science Park in Manhattan established a 6.7-acre campus with 1.5 million sf of research labs. To date, three of the four buildings—attracting top global biotech and pharmaceutical companies, as well as renowned academic/medical institutions—within the master plan have been completed, importantly contributing to New York City’s role in the future of biomedical research. Image: Perkins Eastman    04/20/2015 Janet Corzo, AIA, Associate, Perkins Eastman Partnerships between universities and businesses are nothing new, but these partnerships have become especially relevant in the face of increasing economic pressure and global competition, the need for interdisciplinary approaches and the growing complexity of the problems need solutions. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of partnering between academic institutions and private industry that’s poised to address many of the modern challenges to advancing research, innovation and technological development. A historical perspective Academic research institutions and private industry share a rich history of collaboration dating back to the early 20th century. One of the earliest examples, a joint R&D effort between professors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Standard Oil of New Jersey, resulted in a critical technological advancement in petroleum refinery. During World War II, the U.S. Federal Government invested heavily in research aimed at national defense, establishing the centralized national lab system that brought together top academic and industry researchers. This convergence led to technological breakthroughs that would drive innovation for years to come. In the post-war era, universities relied on abundant federal research funding, while private industry moved towards a centralized R&D model—notable examples of which include Bell Labs, IBM and Xerox PARC. Although research efforts became bifurcated, there was often overlap during this time with academic researchers making key contributions to technologies emerging from corporate labs. The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, passed in response to the economic stagnation of the 1970s, was instrumental in altering the landscape of academic research by giving universities greater control over patents and intellectual property, resulting in the proliferation of Technology Transfer Offices at research universities that were established to capitalize on research. The challenges of funding research in today’s economic climate Academic-industry partnerships are becoming increasingly robust and collaborative as a result of growing economic volatility, competition from emerging economies and a rapidly evolving technological landscape that has changed the way people work, exchange information and conduct research. Public funding for academic research has declined in recent years, with the majority of available research dollars skewed toward limited fields of study. These research grants have become difficult to acquire in the face of greater competition and narrowing focus. Additionally, public universities are experiencing cutbacks in research funding due to fiscal policy at the state level. Meanwhile, private businesses are facing increased pressure to do more with fewer resources. Many industries have shifted focus from investing in long-term, discovery-based R&D efforts toward shorter-term strategies that identify and target consumer needs and trends. In the face of shrinking R&D budgets, large centralized R&D facilities have become financially unsustainable. Yet, innovation remains necessary. While incremental technological improvements sustain short-term product cycles, it will be the scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs that address society’s greatest needs. Although the research motivations of universities and private industry are traditionally at odds with each other—university research as a contribution to a public body of knowledge vs. corporate profit-driven applied research—universities have become more entrepreneurial while industry is realizing the potential for academic expertise centers to fill the need for applied research. Emerging areas of study are becoming progressively interdisciplinary, encompassing the traditional sciences, engineering, medicine, computer science and social sciences. Academic institutions are well-equipped at facilitating collaboration between traditionally separate disciplines and can serve industry by filling the existing research gap. Many have created hybrid degree programs that address the growing need researchers and professionals have for interdisciplinary skills. In its 2013 publication Research Universities and the Future of America, The National Research Council cites “Strengthening Partnerships with Business” as one of the 10 recommendations universities can follow to remain globally competitive and overcome economic pressure. Partnership models Since the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act, university-industry partnerships have consisted largely of transaction-based partnership models through Technology Transfer Offices. This model, which can range from contract research work to licensing patents, carries minimal risk for both parties, but results in little revenue for the university and typically doesn’t lead to groundbreaking innovation on the corporate side. However, the value in this model lies in the ability for transaction-based research-for-hire to evolve into a long-term partnership as mutual trust is built between parties over time. Academic research has been trending toward fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration outside the lab, resulting in buildings with increasingly generic wet lab space supported by highly flexible non-lab workspaces that support various modes of working, as well as highly specialized core facilities based around a specific technology or field of study that are typically shared by multiple departments and across disciplines. These state-of-the-art facilities can be leveraged to attract private industry for a wide range of partnership models—from transaction-based partnerships to long-term, focused research collaborations. Business incubator programs are ideal for mid- to long-term partnerships that reach beyond the Technology Transfer Office. This partnership model is also an effective springboard for startup or spin-off companies that result directly from in-house research, allowing the newly formed business to maintain a link with the university as it matures. Providing a residence for businesses within the academic campus allows industry professionals to become embedded in the research setting with access to labs and equipment, while giving researchers and students direct access to industry professionals, building a network of knowledge and collaboration that is mutually beneficial. Long-term strategic alliances, focused around a specific area of study, carry the greatest risk, but have the greatest potential for impact. The opportunity exists for academic institutions to partner with private industry at a variety of scales, including large corporations, small businesses and non-profit organizations, as well as government agencies under a consortium of parties that share a common set of goals. This model has inherent efficiencies, creating transparency between entities, pooling resources, breaking down barriers to intellectual property rights and streamlining the process of bringing research results from bench top to market. The physical setting for a large-scale research effort involving many parties can vary from multiple concurrent settings that include university labs, corporate centers and national labs to a single dedicated research campus community. The partnership model creates a framework for the rapid and open exchange of information between parties with a shared vision and goals. The success of the open source concept of development in computer science has led to its adoption in other fields as a tool that can be leveraged by both academic institutions and private industry to partner with each other in new ways. Open source research models have the potential to democratize innovation and discovery by linking together academia, industry, government agencies, philanthropic organizations, NGOs, private investors and individuals across the globe. Integrating Internet-based concepts such as crowd sourcing and crowd funding can serve to further expand the reach and impact of research. For example, the drug industry is currently experimenting with open source research networks to facilitate drug discovery. One such network, Open Source Drug Discovery (OSDD), based in India, has brought together over 7,000 participants to research and develop drugs for neglected tropical diseases including tuberculosis and malaria. Keys to success The success of any partnership depends largely on several key factors that are cited again and again by numerous sources, including a 2008 report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a separate three-year MIT study: Develop a shared vision that clearly identifies the purpose and goals of the partnership and provides a framework for all involved parties to follow. Identify leaders who are capable of crossing boundaries between business and academia to foster strong ties between parties. Erode boundaries between entities by facilitating communication. Create a shared platform for the exchange of ideas and information. Establish a clear agreement for the use of resultant intellectual property. This remains one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for the success of a partnership. All parties can maximize the benefit of the partnership by agreeing to a shared set of expectations that are well-defined and transparent. Invest in long-term relationships. A long-term relationship allows parties to share risk and accountability without overburdening a single entity. Under a shared vision and a foundation of mutual trust, a long-term partnership can reap great results by building a body of work over time. Janet Corzo AIA is an Associate at Perkins Eastman.

Cidades alemãs têm grau excessivo de poluição

 

José Eduardo Mendonça - 28/04/2015 às 16:51 Um relatório do Ministério do Ambiente alemão revela que a cidade mais poluída do país é Stuttgart. As estatísticas foram publicadas em resposta a um pedido feito pelo Partido Verde. O governo estabelece limites legais para fatores diferentes que contribuem com a poluição, como a quantidade de matéria fina particulada (PM2.5), dióxido de nitrogênio e dióxido de enxofre no ar. Mas os números mostram que os limites são excedidos em toda a nação. “Isto é assustador”, disse hoje Bärbel Höm, do partido. “O problema ambiental e de saúde é devastador em algumas áreas”, acrescentou seu colega Peter Mailwald. A maior parte da concentração de partículas finas no ar é causada pelo trânsito, principalmente de veículos a diesel. Não surpreende a posição ocupada por Stuttgart, onde se verificam os maiores congestionamentos. Estas partículas, como se sabe, aumentam o risco de câncer no pulmão. De acordo com a Agência Ambiental Europeia, causam 430 mil mortes prematuras na União Europeia por ano. O estudo também inclui dados sobre os níveis de dióxido de nitrogênio, prejudiciais para quem tem asma e que em altas concentrações podem elevar o risco de ataque cardíaco. Há um dado positivo. Os níveis de dióxido de enxofre não excederam os níveis em qualquer cidade alemã. Ele é produzido pela queima de carvão e petróleo, e tem caído consistentemente nos últimos 20 anos. A maioria das autoridades e dos institutos de pesquisa do país reconhece que a questão não será resolvida em futuro próximo. A União Europeia requer de seus membros que contenham suas emissões, mas medidas individuais são da responsabilidade de governos nacionais. A Alemanha poderá ser processada pelo Tribunal Europeu de Justiça, informa o Euractive. Foto: Pixabay/Domínio Público

New material for creating artificial blood vessels

 

Tue, 04/28/2015 - 11:04am Vienna Medical University   TU Wien and MedUni Vienna have developed artificial blood vessels, which are broken down by the body and replaced with its own tissue.VIENNA—Blocked blood vessels can quickly become dangerous. It is often necessary to replace a blood vessel—either by another vessel taken from the body or even by artificial vascular prostheses. Together, Vienna University of Technology and Vienna Medical University have developed artificial blood vessels made from a special elastomer material, which has excellent mechanical properties. Over time, these artificial blood vessels are replaced by endogenous material. At the end of this restorative process, a natural, fully functional vessel is once again in place. The method has already been used successfully in rats. Arteriosclerotic vascular disorders are one of the most common causes of death in industrialized countries. In this situation a bypass operation is often the only solution. Normally, blood vessels are taken from another part of the patient's body and used to replace the damaged vessel. Thanks to a joint project undertaken by TU Wien and the Medical University of Vienna, artificially manufactured vessels should be used more frequently in future. The most important thing is to find a suitable material. The artificial materials that have been used so far are not ideally compatible with body tissue. The blood vessel can easily become blocked, especially if it is only small in diameter. TUW has therefore developed new polymers. "These are so-called thermoplastic polyurethanes," explains Robert Liska from the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry of Vienna University of Technology. "By selecting very specific molecular building blocks we have succeeded in synthesizing a polymer with the desired properties." A thin polymer thread spun into tubes To produce the vascular prostheses, polymer solutions were spun in an electrical field to form very fine threads and wound onto a spool. "The wall of these artificial blood vessels is very similar to that of natural ones," says Heinz Schima of the Medical University of Vienna. The polymer fabric is slightly porous and so, initially, allows a small amount of blood to permeate through and this enriches the wall with growth factors. This encourages the migration of endogenous cells. The interaction between material and blood was studied by Martina Marchetti-Deschmann at TU Wien using spatially resolved mass spectrometry. The new method has already proved very successful in experiments with rats. "The rats' blood vessels were examined six months after insertion of the vascular prostheses," says Helga Bergmeister of MedUni Vienna. “We did not find any aneurysms, thromboses or inflammation. Endogenous cells had colonized the vascular prostheses and turned the artificial constructs into natural body tissue." In fact, natural body tissue re-grew much faster than expected so that the degradation period of the plastic tubes can be even shorter. Further adaptations are currently being made to the material. The project was recently awarded PRIZE prototype funding from Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS). A few more preclinical trials are necessary before the artificial blood vessels can be used in humans. However, based on the results so far, the research team is very confident that the new method will prove itself for use in humans in a few years’ time. SOURCE: Vienna Medical University

Testosterone replacement therapy: Which is best?

 

Use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to treat age-related testosterone deficiency has tripled over the past decade, but its benefits remain controversial. A new review article by testosterone researchers at the University of Florida compared the modes of delivery and concluded that intramuscular injection of TRT conferred greater health benefits and lower cardiovascular risks than transdermal administration by skin patch or gel. The article "Injection of Testosterone May Be Safer and More Effective than Transdermal Administration for Combatting Loss of Muscle and Bone in Older Men" is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology -- Endocrinology and Metabolism. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by American Physiological Society (APS). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Stephen E Borst, Joshua F Yarrow. Injection of Testosterone May be Safer and More effective than Transdermal Administration for combating Loss of Muscle and Bone in Older Men. American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology And Metabolism, 2015; ajpendo.00111.2015 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00111.2015

10 Budget Busters That You Can Live Without

 

When you are trying to set up a budget or you are trying to find additional money in your budget, it can be difficult to cut certain items. You may feel like the things listed are a must have for you to get by. You can develop bad financial habits that hurt you in the long run. These ten items are ones that many people have a hard time cutting. Learn cheaper alternatives that will help you save money while still enjoying some of the things that are most important to you. You may want to do some of these things with all of the extra money you save.  Images by Fabio/Moment/Getty Images 1.  Cable Television With subscription prices between $60.00 to $100.00 or more a month cable televsion can be a big budget buster. Canceling your cable television bill can help you save a significant amount of money each year. You can save between $720.00 and $1200.00 each year by simply canceling your cable. If you still want access to the latest television shows, try Hulu Plus or a similar service to watch the shows over the Internet. This is an easy cut, and once you cancel cable, you may find that you do not miss it at all. 2.  New Car Payments Paying off your car can free up a lot of cash in your budget, but sometimes you do need to borrow money to get a car. One way to save is to buy used. Shop for a deal and you can keep your car payments lower and more manageable. In the meantime start putting some money away each month to pay for your next car purchase. If you do this, you will find that you can save money on the interest for the car loan. 3.  Eating Out Eating out can add up quickly. If you enjoy eating out because you love really good freshly prepared food, you can save money by learning to cook the items yourself. If you eat out because you are strapped on time, try cooking over the weekend and making your own freezer meals. You can stop eating out and save a lot of money. It is easy to save more than $50.00 a week if you stop eating out if you are single and even more if you are married or have children.   Xavier Arnau/E+/Getty Images 4.  Gym Memberships Gym memberships can be pricey, especially if you are locked into a contract. Some gym memberships are more reasonably priced than others. If you really need a gym to exercise in, you can look into using a recreation center through your city, check out the facilities at your apartment complex or look for a less expensive gym with a low monthly membership fee. You can also try exercising at home or jogging in your neighborhood. 5.  Huge Gifts The holidays and birthdays can get very expensive. If you come from a family that expects you to give gifts to every family member, it can add up quickly. You can scale back on the gifts and try to give homemade gifts or shop throughout the year to find sales. You may also want to talk to your family about drawing names at Christmas time. The alternative is to find less expensive gifts by shopping throughout the year. 6.  Expensive Vacations Vacations are a lot of fun, but if you have a lot of debt or you are struggling to make ends meet, you should not spend a ton of money on vacations each year. You can plan smaller less expensive vacations like camping or to destinations you can reach by car. If you have a dream vacation save up for it, and pay for it with cash. If you are debt free and saving towards retirement, you can take the types of vacations you want to, just make sure you pay cash for it. You can use these five strategies to save on your summer vacation. 7.  Buying a House You Can't Afford (or Renting an Apartment You Can't Afford) When you are paying more than about twenty-five percent of your salary to your mortgage or your rent each month, it can be crippling when you try to manage paying all of your other bills. Before you take a out a mortgage work up a budget. You need to carefully determine how much home you can afford, instead of just taking whatever the bank is willing to lend to you. It is better to buy a less expensive home that you can afford than your dream home that you end up defaulting on. When you live in a high cost of living area, your rent may also be really expensive. You can reduce this by having a roommate or living a bit further out of town. 8.  Entertainment Costs Entertainment costs can add up quickly whether you are a big sports fan, video gamer, or you love to go the opera. This is an area that you need to be willing to cut back on when you are in debt or times are tight. Ask family members to give you gift cards for tickets or games instead of presents, and reduce the amount you spend instead of cutting out altogether. Instead of going to every home game, just go to one this year, and watch the rest at home. Or you can buy just one video game every few months and rent the other ones. You should be able to save money this. You may want to try to find frugal activities that do not cost a lot to do.  9.  Shopping Habits Your shopping habits really affect the way that you spend money. One of the biggest things you can do is to reduce how often you are in a store. This goes for everything from clothes shopping to grocery shopping. Try to do one major trip every week for groceries and always shop with a grocery list. Try to limit your other shopping trips and if you do not have money to buy an item, do not go into the store looking for it. Another trick is to switch to cash for these budget items. You can make this work by leaving your debit and credit cards at home. 10.  Emergencies An unexpected medical bill or car repair can bust anyone’s budget. The best way to fix this is to set up an emergency fund to cover these unexpected expenses. Additionally if you include money for car repairs or medical costs in your budget, and allow unused money to rollover each month, you will build up sinking funds to cover the costs of these expenses over time. Planning can help you handle the costs of emergencies.

Home Canning and Botulism

 

Home canning is an excellent way to preserve garden produce and share it with family and friends, but it can be risky or even deadly if not done correctly and safely. It's almost summer, and home gardeners will soon start to harvest the delicious produce they've been growing this year. Did you know 1 in 5 U.S. households can their own food, and 65% of those households can vegetables? Home canning is a great way to preserve your garden goodies. But beware: if it's done the wrong way, the vegetables you worked so hard for could become contaminated by a germ that causes botulism, a serious illness that can affect your nerves, paralyze you, and even cause death. Read on to learn about the symptoms and the safe way to can so you can protect yourself, your family, and others when you share your home-canned goodies. Don’t let your canned veggies spoil Follow these two tips to keep your canned vegetables safe and keep them from spoiling. 1. Use proper canning techniques. Make sure your food preservation information is always current with up-to-date, scientifically tested guidelines. Don't use outdated publications or cookbooks, even if they were handed down to you from trusted family cooks. You can find in-depth, step-by-step directions from the following sources: 2. Use the right equipment for the kind of foods that you are canning. Always use a pressure canner or cooker. Pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning vegetables, meat, poultry, and seafood. Pressure canning kills the germ that causes botulism when foods are processed at the correct time and pressure in pressure canners or cookers. Do not use boiling water canners because they will not protect against botulism poisoning. Use proper canning techniques and equipment to make sure your canned vegetables are safe. What is botulism? Botulism is a rare, but serious illness caused by a germ called Clostridium botulinum. The germ is found in soil and can survive, grow, and produce toxin in a sealed jar of food. This toxin can affect your nerves, paralyze you, and even cause death. Even taking a small taste of food containing this toxin can be deadly. Botulism is a medical emergency. If you have symptoms of foodborne botulism, seek medical care immediately. Symptoms may include the following: Double vision Blurred vision Drooping eyelids Slurred speech Difficulty swallowing Dry mouth Muscle weakness Protect yourself from botulism: When in doubt, throw it out! Home-canned vegetables are the most common cause of botulism outbreaks in the United States. From 1996 to 2008, there were 116 outbreaks of foodborne botulism reported to CDC. Of the 48 outbreaks that were caused by home-prepared foods, 18 outbreaks, or 38%, were from home-canned vegetables. These outbreaks often occur because home canners did not follow canning instructions, did not use pressure cookers, ignored signs of food spoilage, and were unaware of the risk of botulism from improperly preserving vegetables. For more information, see Three outbreaks of foodborne botulism caused by unsafe home canning of vegetables--Ohio and Washington, 2008 and 2009. Home-canned foods could be contaminated but look, smell and taste normal. If there is any doubt about whether safe canning guidelines have been followed, do not eat the food. Home-canned food might be contaminated if: The container is leaking, bulging, or swollen The container looks damaged, cracked, or abnormal The container spurts liquid or foam when opened The food is discolored, moldy, or smells bad If you suspect home-canned food might be contaminated with the germs that cause botulism, throw the food away. If any of the food spills, wipe up the spill using a dilute bleach solution (1/4 cup bleach for each 2 cups of water). Never taste home-canned food to determine if it is safe. Do not taste or eat foods from containers that are leaking, have bulges or are swollen, or look damaged, cracked, or abnormal. When you open a jar of home-canned food, thoroughly inspect the food. Do not taste or eat foods that are discolored, moldy, or smell bad. Do not eat food from a can that spurted liquid or foamed when it was opened. Do not open or puncture any unopened cans, commercial or home-canned, if you suspect contamination.

International Thalassemia Awareness

 

Did you know that beta thalassemia major, the most severe form of thalassemia, affects many people allover the world? 1,000 people only in the USA.  By staying committed to long-term treatment, people with thalassemia can enjoy a full life. Thalassemia is a group of blood disorders passed from parents to children through genes (inherited). A person who has thalassemia makes fewer healthy red blood cells. Their red blood cells do not produce enough hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen throughout the body. People with severe thalassemia can have various medical complications and they might require lifelong blood transfusions for treatment. Living with Thalassemia Specialized care across the life span can help people who have thalassemia live as healthily as possible. Thalassemia is a treatable disorder that can be well-managed with blood transfusions and chelation therapy. A person with thalassemia will need to receive medical care on a regular basis from a hematologist (a medical specialist who treats diseases or disorders of the blood) or a doctor who specializes in treating patients with thalassemia. If a doctor has prescribed either blood transfusions or chelation therapy, the most important thing a person with thalassemia can do is stick to their transfusion and chelation schedules to prevent severe anemia (low numbers of red blood cells) and possible organ damage from iron overload, respectively. "Maintaining my treatment routine is my top priority." Aaron's Story "I don't remember when I was diagnosed with beta thalassemia major (also known as Cooley's anemia), but my parents tell me I was around one year old," said Aaron Cheng. "I've been under treatment for as long as I can remember. Every three weeks, I receive a blood transfusion to maintain my level of healthy red blood cells." "Another part of treatment involves taking iron chelation medication to treat iron overload, which results from the transfusions. From infancy until the end of middle school, four times a week I would have to inject a drug called deferoxamine into my body. These injections, placed under my skin, would last for about eight hours each night. Now, instead of daily injections, I take a new oral medicine called deferasirox that I can take every night, which makes my schedule a lot more flexible. As a college student, I am thankful that treatment is becoming more manageable for people with thalassemia." Aaron is now in his senior year at Harvard, studying his passion—biology. Aaron has conducted laboratory research on iron overload and is studying his own disorder. "In the future, I would like to incorporate biomedical research and patient care in my career as a physician," says Aaron. Aaron also devotes time to getting involved in activities of the Cooley's Anemia Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing services for people with thalassemia. "Maintaining my treatment routine is my top priority," said Aaron. "It can be challenging at times, but it's worth it. The future looks bright, and I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to give back to the thalassemia community." CDC's Work CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities conducts the following activities: Blood Safety Monitoring for People with Blood Disorders CDC has two primary projects that are monitoring blood safety in people with blood disorders. Georgia State University has been awarded funding to look at transfusion-related complications in people with hemoglobin disorders (sickle cell disease and thalassemia) and develop approaches for reducing them. The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Michigan Department of Health, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, and Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago are analyzing data from a project that was funded by CDC to accomplish the following objectives: Gain a better understanding of rare blood types and blood banking practices Monitor the rates of transfusion-related problems Learn more about the risks associated with blood transfusions, including the risks of infections Develop interventions to prevent problems from frequent transfusions Perform an annual laboratory analysis to learn more about new infections that can be spread by transfusions Health Promotion To better understand the challenges of keeping up with thalassemia treatment, CDC funded the Cooley's Anemia Foundation (CAF) to continue providing outreach to people who have thalassemia. CAF reaches out to people who have this disorder in order to connect them with information and services that will help with managing thalassemia.

Living with Autism

 

Learn more about the role of siblings through this family’s story. Alexis Wineman is the first woman with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to participate in the Miss America competition. Alexis was in middle school when officially diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified), but felt "different" from an early age. As she got older, she struggled with some of the challenges that come with having ASD, such as a speech impediment, communication difficulties, and being sensitive to loud sounds, and other sensory-related issues. Alexis also had to deal with bullying that occurred because of her differences. Fortunately, her family has always been a source of strength and inspiration for her. We interviewed Alexis, her mother Kimberley, her older brother Nicholas, and her older sister Danielle, and her twin Amanda to hear more about the unique role that siblings play in families living with ASD. "My advice for other individuals with autism would be to have patience for your siblings just like they have patience for you." Alexis' Perspective Prior to being diagnosed with autism, neither I nor my family had an explanation for my meltdowns and other issues. After the diagnosis, it was incredible how my siblings reacted. They were superheroes. They took me everywhere and pushed me into activities. They helped me with homework. It was just amazing how they sprang into action after years of not knowing what was going on. My advice for other individuals with autism would be to have patience for your siblings just like they have patience for you. It's good to try and figure out what's going on from their perspective rather than focusing on yourself. Kimberley's Perspective Once Alexis was diagnosed and we knew what we are dealing with, her siblings took control. They shoved her into things and got her involved. They wouldn't let her use autism as a crutch or excuse for not being involved. Her brother got her into cross-country and her sisters got her into cheerleading. All three siblings got her into speech and drama. Had she not been involved in those activities, she wouldn't have been able to accomplish all that she has accomplished. Alexis was able to find activities where she was accepted, and she wouldn't have found those on her own. Her siblings also became very protective and helped with the teasing and bullying. Siblings can be such a positive force for combatting bullying. They can educate the peer group. That's something a sibling can be much more effective at than a parent. My advice for someone who has a sibling with autism would be to engage them and help them find their niche. Nicholas' Perspective Before Alexis was diagnosed, we just didn't understand why she was acting out. It was very confusing and frustrating. After the diagnosis, things made a lot more sense. Being able to help and take preventive measures, it was a whole new world. It has made us all better people. We learned patience. It was a common occurrence that we would get into fights, but being able to make up and process what happened was different for Alexis compared to the rest of us. With Alexis, when the fight was over, the board was erased clean. In other words, five minutes later everything was completely back to normal. It seemed like she was doing it to annoy you, but she wasn't. Not understanding why it was so easy for her to get over a fight was hard. Going through experiences like this makes you have to be more understanding. You learn that people handle things differently. My advice for someone who has a sibling with autism would be to practice empathy. I consider myself to be empathetic and living with Alexis was a huge part of that. Danielle's Perspective My brother and I had to do some growing up fast. You have to take on a parenting role when you're trying to understand what's going on. From the time she was diagnosed, it opened our eyes to understanding people with disabilities. We have openness to people with differences and are able to maintain that empathy. We've grown up having to deal with all levels of ups and downs. I played a second mom when Alexis was younger. If she didn't listen to mom, I'd go in and say the same thing. Sometimes it's easier to have someone on her level explain things or give her the opportunity to vent. My advice for someone who has a sibling with autism is that you have to become a solid shadow for your sibling. They might not fully understand how much you are putting in to be there for them. At the end of the day, each success, no matter how small, is part of you. You deserve to celebrate too. When you're diagnosed with autism, it's a diagnosis for the entire family and not just that person. It's really a test of family. Amanda's Perspective Having a twin is how we figured out there was a problem. There was a direct comparison to a neuro-typical child, and they could see that Alexis wasn't meeting milestones the way I was. When I was little, whenever I came home from school, I tried to teach her to do things that I had learned so that she could keep up with me. We are now roommates in college. But I still have to wake her up and help keep her on a schedule. It's been interesting to see how people in college react to our interactions. They don't understand that I'm acting in a couple of different roles—sometimes as a sibling and sometimes more as a mother. My advice for someone with a sibling with autism is to be patient. As stressful as the role you have to play is, it's also rewarding. If you try to be patient, you get to share in success. Alexis' America's Choice Award during the Miss America competition ranks as one of the highlights of my life because I got to share in that success. Never give up on trying to help.

Graphics in reverse

 

Mon, 04/13/2015 - 9:40am Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office 2-D images of human faces (top row) and front views of 3-D models of the same faces, produced by both a new MIT system (middle row) and one of its predecessors (bottom row). Image: Courtesy of the researchersMost recent advances in artificial intelligence—such as mobile apps that convert speech to text—are the result of machine learning, in which computers are turned loose on huge data sets to look for patterns. To make machine-learning applications easier to build, computer scientists have begun developing so-called probabilistic programming languages, which let researchers mix and match machine-learning techniques that have worked well in other contexts. In 2013, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an incubator of cutting-edge technology, launched a four-year program to fund probabilistic-programming research. At the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition conference in June, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers will demonstrate that on some standard computer-vision tasks, short programs—less than 50 lines long—written in a probabilistic programming language are competitive with conventional systems with thousands of lines of code. “This is the first time that we’re introducing probabilistic programming in the vision area,” says Tejas Kulkarni, an MIT graduate student in brain and cognitive sciences and first author on the new paper. “The whole hope is to write very flexible models, both generative and discriminative models, as short probabilistic code, and then not do anything else. General-purpose inference schemes solve the problems.” By the standards of conventional computer programs, those “models” can seem absurdly vague. One of the tasks that the researchers investigate, for instance, is constructing a 3-D model of a human face from 2-D images. Their program describes the principal features of the face as being two symmetrically distributed objects (eyes) with two more centrally positioned objects beneath them (the nose and mouth). It requires a little work to translate that description into the syntax of the probabilistic programming language, but at that point, the model is complete. Feed the program enough examples of 2-D images and their corresponding 3-D models, and it will figure out the rest for itself. “When you think about probabilistic programs, you think very intuitively when you’re modeling,” Kulkarni says. “You don’t think mathematically. It’s a very different style of modeling.” Joining Kulkarni on the paper are his adviser, professor of brain and cognitive sciences Josh Tenenbaum; Vikash Mansinghka, a research scientist in MIT’s Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; and Pushmeet Kohli of Microsoft Research Cambridge. For their experiments, they created a probabilistic programming language they call Picture, which is an extension of Julia, another language developed at MIT. What’s old is new The new work, Kulkarni says, revives an idea known as inverse graphics, which dates from the infancy of artificial-intelligence research. Even though their computers were painfully slow by today’s standards, the artificial intelligence pioneers saw that graphics programs would soon be able to synthesize realistic images by calculating the way in which light reflected off of virtual objects. This is, essentially, how Pixar makes movies. Some researchers, like the MIT graduate student Larry Roberts, argued that deducing objects’ three-dimensional shapes from visual information was simply the same problem in reverse. But a given color patch in a visual image can, in principle, be produced by light of any color, coming from any direction, reflecting off of a surface of the right color with the right orientation. Calculating the color value of the pixels in a single frame of “Toy Story” is a huge computation, but it’s deterministic: All the variables are known. Inferring shape, on the other hand, is probabilistic: It means canvassing lots of rival possibilities and selecting the one that seems most likely. That kind of inference is exactly what probabilistic programming languages are designed to do. Kulkarni and his colleagues considered four different problems in computer vision, each of which involves inferring the three-dimensional shape of an object from 2-D information. On some tasks, their simple programs actually outperformed prior systems. The error rate of the program that estimated human poses, for example, was between 50 and 80% lower than that of its predecessors. Learning to learn In a probabilistic programming language, the heavy lifting is done by the inference algorithm—the algorithm that continuously readjusts probabilities on the basis of new pieces of training data. In that respect, Kulkarni and his colleagues had the advantage of decades of machine-learning research. Built into Picture are several different inference algorithms that have fared well on computer-vision tasks. Time permitting, it can try all of them out on any given problem, to see which works best. Moreover, Kulkarni says, Picture is designed so that its inference algorithms can themselves benefit from machine learning, modifying themselves as they go to emphasize strategies that seem to lead to good results. “Using learning to improve inference will be task-specific, but probabilistic programming may alleviate re-writing code across different problems,” he says. “The code can be generic if the learning machinery is powerful enough to learn different strategies for different tasks.” Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Top Ten Websites of The Day To Kill Boredom

 

Everyone succumbs to boredom once in a while, especially at work. No one can read your mind but, you can still bear with others whilst your mind still begs for a little entertainment and fun. These following websites could make your day a little better and sway away your boredom. I’ve also rated the websites from 10, based on their humor and the level of fun they were packed with. 10. Happiness Islands A Stretchy Hand, One of Coca Cola’s funny website from the Happiness Islands, with a red stretchy hand that sticks with your page margins. Go around and play with it unless you get bored of it. You’ve still got more from Coca Cola though. You can find similar browser based fun sites like, Falling Dominoes in the islands. 9. 8 Bit Games from Snesbox: This website has a directory of all the famous nostalgic Nintendo games, which you can play anytime anywhere without downloading any emulators. It’s completely free to play online. 8. PointerPointer: This one is quite interesting. All you have to do is to place your mouse pointer inside the box to let random images of people pointing your pointer, no matter where you point. 7. Zombo: You can do anything! Anything is possible! 6. NewRafael: This website contains multiple links to the funny websites created by Rafaël Rozendaal. From Text Free Browsing Plugin to the Annoying Cursor, you can slay a few minutes. 5. Fucking Homepage: Click the fucking link! And find… What the fuck the website is about! 4. Trypap This is actually a very funny site and tells you exactly how your in-laws would react if they are helping you with a password. Tim Holman, the designer of this website has also created a few other good time slaying website like this WebGL Experiment – Fizzy Cam. You can find his entire projects here: theolman.com. 3. Hop Along WebGL: This actually brought back the epic scene from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey to my mind. It’s quite stunning piece of work from Barry Martin. 2. Mr.Doob’s WebGL Collections: Interactive visual treats are always the best way to distract your mind from the chaotic world and let it immerse in a different world. Mr.Doob here has got a wide range of stunning WebGL works. Indeed there are lots of WebGL experiments which we will see in the upcoming slots, but Mr.Doob’s work and some of his cool collections from around the web is really amazing and it’s obviously an eye candy for the bored. Some cool interactive experiments: PV3D Magic Dust Voxels Liquid Clouds ( Fullscreen Please ) Harmony 3DWaveform Also swipe: Top Ten Websites Of The Day To Kill Boredom [Day 2] 1. Liveplasma: Liveplasma is an exploration engine especially for the music addicts and movie fanatics and a great tool to discover music, movies and books. There are sites that almost made the list and I assure you that your favorite websites will be in our upcoming lists. Share your favorite websites in the comments and we will credit you on our lists. If you are planning to slay the boredom forever, try these 15 addictive browser games, which would take years to crawl out from.

Breaking Down Barriers: Streamlining Data Management to Boost Knowledge Sharing

 

Thu, 04/23/2015 - 3:10pm Ian Peirson, Senior Solutions Consultant, IDBS   Research in the pharmaceutical and industrial science industries has become increasingly global, multidisciplinary and data-intensive. This is made clear by the evolution in patent approvals, which can also be considered a reliable measure of innovation in these industries. Innovation itself, of course, is a cumulative effect, which requires access to multiple fragments of knowledge from disparate sources and exchange of technology and ideas. While the benefits in innovation in such a competitive environment are clear, investment in research is primarily influenced by the strategic behavior of companies, and a deeper understanding of the importance of market share. Patents and publications help to establish corporate reputation, allowing for controlled technology transfer with strategic joint ventures and to raise barriers to prevent competitors from eroding market share. The relationship between technological processes, innovation and economic growth has changed over time, as innovation and technological advancement became increasingly important for sustained economic performance. This change was largely driven by globalization, with concurrent flows of information, technology, capital and services and resources across the world, and was manifested by the rising investment in market-oriented research, a surge in patenting driven by rapid innovation across all technology fields and a broad investment in the services sectors. For those who fund the research, the sharing—and therefore efficient use—of data is a high priority. This keeps the “knowledge management” cogs turning, helping organizations to create, acquire, disseminate and leverage knowledge in order to retain competitive advantage. In R&D, this process increasingly requires researchers to externalize and exchange information, to increase the productivity and profitability of the organization. This growing emphasis on knowledge sharing is a significant, step-change in the way research is carried out—and presents new challenges to the R&D ecosystem. Moving beyond the “paper prison” Although efficient knowledge management and sharing is seen as key to increasing productivity and profitability of organizations, there are a number of potential barriers that can exist within an organization—primarily created by factors such as hierarchy, motivation, flexibility and transparency of the communication system within the organization. Many researchers are familiar with the challenges of data storage, given that important research may often be archived in paper notebooks, computers, external hard drives and corporate IT systems. Although document management systems encompass enterprise storage capability for IP compliance, often these fail to capture the tacit knowledge of the researcher—and crucially, the context of how and why the data was created. The introduction of electronic laboratory notebooks has helped to overcome this, by providing an environment that allows the researcher to capture the experimental design process, together with the data and conclusions as the experiment is conducted. Addressing the human factors Trust is an important influence on an individual’s reticence to share knowledge. Employees may believe they are in competition with each other, and that the action of sharing knowledge may result in them losing power and influence in the organization. Employees may also not be willing to share information unless they are sure their knowledge is safe from misuse, or that they are certain about the results. Traditionally, such information may have been controlled by visibility and access to the paper notebook where the information was stored. In an electronic laboratory notebook, private areas can be created to hide data from public view, until an experiment has been completed and the results have been validated. Equally, these protected areas may be created to protect sensitive data, or to segment in-house research from that conducted by a contract research organization. Human capital is an important component of the innovation process, and requires a deeper understanding the soft skills of teamwork and inter-personal relationships. Communication skills and knowledge transfer of employees are thus positively influenced by the level of interaction within the organization (given the opportunity, distance and visibility of the channel of interaction within an organization), but may be equally challenged by a “know-it-all” attitude, poor ability to comprehend the information being exchanged or a fear of receiving negative criticism. Tackling the infrastructure obstacles From an organizational perspective, barriers may also exist due to ethnographic language differences—particularly prevalent in global organizations—or where inherent differences in culture exist because of successive mergers and acquisitions. It is said that one of the key challenges to successful mergers of organizations is to reconcile and adopt a new organizational culture, but this may take years for managers to effectively develop and implement successfully. Organizations can help to overcome this by creating a recognition system to reward employees for sharing information, or by accrediting those whose work contributes to new patents and publications. By enabling information exchange sessions between remote teams, an open culture of knowledge sharing may be established. The organization itself needs to recognize it’s cheaper to re-use information for both successful and failed research, than it is to repeat the work of someone else. In a paper notebook world, it’s almost impossible to identify what has been done by a co-worker in a foreign site. However with text mining of documents, an electronic data repository offers users a facile way to use keywords to search for data that’s analogous to their own research aims. Technology also forms a key part of the knowledge management infrastructure, along with the employee resource and the processes of data capture. It forms the backbone of intra-organizational knowledge sharing, particularly where multiple research sites exist in different geographic locations. By connecting sites, the research operation become decentralized, although potential technology barriers may result from a lack of integration of the information systems, together with a disconnect between employees’ expectations of the technology and what it’s capable of delivering. Additionally, researchers now often work with a multitude of systems and instruments, and it’s important to recognize not all users have the same degree of capability or access to these. Although some of these barriers can be overcome through education or formal training, users may simply suffer from slow network speeds between sites, which can hinder system adoption and a willingness to search for prior research remotely.  Clearly, the R&D process is evolving. Firms must now manage and share knowledge, and deal with an evolving set of associated challenges in doing so—but these can be overcome. An open corporate culture, coupled with effective data management tools, helps to break the communication barrier by linking researchers across different geographies and business units. This ensures researchers are able collaborate effectively and reuse existing data, to seed new discoveries and keep science moving forwards.