Smoking set to kill one in three young men in China

 

One in three of all the young men in China will eventually be killed by tobacco, unless a substantial proportion stop smoking, according to new research published in The Lancet. Two-thirds of the young men in China start to smoke, mostly before age 20, and the study, led by researchers from Oxford University, UK, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control, shows that around half of those who start smoking cigarettes as young men will eventually be killed by tobacco, unless they stop permanently. The researchers conducted two large, nationally representative studies 15 years apart, tracking the health consequences of smoking in a large group of people in China. The first study took place in the 1990s, and involved a quarter of a million men. The second study is ongoing, and involved half a million men and women. The results show that in China the annual number of tobacco deaths, mostly among men, had reached 1 million by 2010, and if current trends continue, it will be 2 million by 2030. Among Chinese women, however, smoking rates have plummeted and the risk of premature death from tobacco is low and falling. In recent decades there has been a large increase in cigarette smoking by young men, and the research shows the consequences that are now emerging. The proportion of all male deaths at ages 40-79 that are attributed to smoking has doubled, from about 10% in the early 1990s, to about 20% now. In urban areas this proportion is higher, at 25%, and is still rising. In rural areas it is currently lower, but is set to rise even more steeply than in cities, due to the high prevalence of smoking and low rate of cessation in rural China. Conversely, the women of working age in China now smoke much less than the older generation. About 10% of the women born in the 1930s smoked, but only about 1% of those born in the 1960s did so. Hence, overall female deaths caused by tobacco are decreasing, and less than 1% of deaths in women born since 1960 are due to tobacco. Other studies, however, have shown a recent increase in smoking uptake by young women that could eventually reverse this downward trend. Professor Zhengming Chen from the University of Oxford, UK, a study co-author, says: "About two-thirds of young Chinese men become cigarette smokers, and most start before they are 20. Unless they stop, about half of them will eventually be killed by their habit." However, an increasing proportion of smokers are choosing to stop, and the study results show that between 1991 and 2006, the proportion of smokers who had quit rose from 3% to 9%. For smokers who stopped before developing any serious disease, after ten years of not smoking their risk was similar to that of people who had never smoked. According to study co-author Professor Liming Li, from the Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China, "Without rapid, committed, and widespread action to reduce smoking levels China will face enormous numbers of premature deaths." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151008191048.htm

Lab has made new discoveries at the cellular, molecular levels about how the eye processes light

 

The image shows a Drosophila compound eye stained with antibodies that recognize TRP (magenta) and anti-XPORT-B (green). Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Santa Barbara An animal's ability to perceive light incorporates many complex processes. Now, researchers in Craig Montell's lab at UC Santa Barbara have used fruit flies and mice to make novel discoveries about sensory physiology at both cellular and molecular levels that are important for light processing. Their most recent findings, which improve the scientific understanding of the signaling cascade necessary for phototransduction -- the process by which light is converted into electrical signals in the photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye -- appear today in the journal Cell Reports. More than 25 years ago, Montell discovered TRP channels, which allow animals to detect light, chemicals in food, mechanical force and changes in temperature. These proteins act at the cell surface, but very little was known about the mechanism by which they are transported to the cell surface. Until now, scientists knew of only one protein, XPORT, that was a "helper protein" involved in getting TRP proteins to the outer surface of cells. However, using the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), postdoctoral fellow Zijing Chen found that the XPORT gene in fact encodes two unrelated molecular chaperone proteins -- XPORT-A and XPORT-B -- and both are critical for moving TRP channels out of their synthesis site inside the cells. "This discovery is important because if TRP proteins don't get to the cell surface, they are not going to be able to function, and the animals will not see properly," said Montell, a professor in UCSB's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. "The light that activates the photoreceptor cells is not directly activating TRP but rather a light sensor called rhodopsin," Montell explained. This primary pigment found in photoreceptor cells is extremely sensitive to light. "What's interesting is that both XPORT-A and XPORT-B are required for getting rhodopsin and TRP to the cell surface," he added. According to Montell, mutations in TRP have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders, pain syndromes, neuropathies and bone deformations. Understanding the intricacies of TRP function is the first step toward identifying drugs that could affect their activity and one day be used as therapeutic targets. TRP channels also function in light sensation in mammals, including humans. However, they do not have central roles in rods or cones, which allow mammals to see images. Rather, TRPs in mammals function in a third class of photoreceptor cell, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). The ipRGCs are necessary for setting circadian rhythms by light as well as pupillary constriction in response to light. The ipRGCs are activated by bright light and also stimulated through pathways initiated in rods and cones. However, the pathways and molecules that allow rods and cones to stimulate ipRGCs indirectly by light have been poorly understood. In another paper, published in the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell, Marquis Walker, a postdoctoral fellow working with Montell, used mice to explore the indirect pathway for activating ipRGCs. They found that a protein called retinal degeneration B2 (RDGB2) was critical in connector neurons called amacrine cells located in the inner retina, between the rods and cones and ipRGCs. "This study reveals the first molecular player that is important in sending signals from the rods into the ipRGCs," Montell said. "This indirect communication allows the ipRGCs to respond to dim light that activates rod photoreceptor cells." The first RDGB protein was identified in the eye of the fruit fly and Montell and Walker wanted to determine its role in the mammalian retina. They found that RDGB2 in mice is required for normal circadian activity and pupil constriction -- but only in dim light. "Understanding all the cells, pathways and molecules is necessary if you want to develop therapies for jet lag or problems related to circadian rhythm," Montell said. "We need to understand the whole cellular and molecular mechanism in order to ultimately come up with new approaches and drugs to deal with these issues." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Barbara. The original item was written by Julie Cohen. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: zijing Chen, Hsiang-Chin Chen, Craig Montell. TRP and Rhodopsin Transport Depends on Dual XPORT ER Chaperones Encoded by an Operon. Cell Reports, October 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.09.018 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151008152822.htm

Alimentos que te ajudam a dormir tranquilamente

 

Se você estiver tendo problemas para dormir à noite talvez seja porque está consumindo um jantar muito pesado ou sua dieta não seja completamente saudável. No artigo a seguir, o site Melhor com Saúde revela quais são os melhores alimentos para dormir tranquilamente.  Primeiro passo: determine se você sofre de algum desequilíbrio do sono Se, em alguma ocasião, você não conseguir dormir direito a noite toda não é para ficar alarmado… Mas se este episódio for frequente e estiver piorando, você pode estar sofrendo de insônia. Esta condição é caracterizada por não se poder dormir a noite toda, ou levar um longo tempo desde o momento que se deita, até finalmente conciliar o sonho (às vezes um pouco antes do nascer do sol ou do despertador soar). Na maioria dos casos a insônia é causada por estresse, nervosismo ou ansiedade, também problemas pessoais e até mesmo o que comemos. Às vezes pode ser devido à apneia do sono, problemas cardiovasculares ou depressão. Alimentos ricos em proteínas: Você se sentirá satisfeito, sem excessos e não terá que encher seu prato e consumir um jantar abundante. Dentro deste grupo estão: Frutas frescas; Queijo; Ovos; Chocolate quente; Peru (rico em triptofano, uma substância que produz a saciedade muito rapidamente. Mas também tem a capacidade de nos ajudar a dormir profunda e tranquilamente. Coma uma porção desta carne com verduras várias vezes por semana e verá a diferença).  Água: Não se esqueça de hidratar seu corpo durante todo o dia, mas especialmente à noite. Antes de ir para a cama beba um copo de água morna. Se estiver frio você pode fazer na forma de chá de ervas, por exemplo (nada de café, refrigerantes ou suco industrializado). Banana: Ela tem 2 nutrientes muito importantes que atuam como auxiliares naturais do sono: a melatonina e o triptofano já mencionado. Ela também fornece magnésio, o que alivia a tensão física. Comer uma banana na sobremesa faz com que o cérebro dê uma ordem ao o corpo de que já é hora de dormir. Mel: Um copo de leite quente com uma colher de sopa de mel para adoçar é um excelente remédio para dormir em paz. Reduz os níveis de um hormônio chamado orexina, cuja função é ativar o estado de vigília. Então, se estiver reduzida, nós podemos dormir quase que instantaneamente. Farinha de aveia: É muito rica em fibras e, se comida quente, é um incentivo para o estômago. Você pode dormir sem problemas se jantar aveia. Você também pode consumir uma tigela de leite quente misturado com esse alimento uma hora antes de deitar. Basta fechar os olhos, pois ficarão muito “pesados”! Camomila: Beba todas as noites antes de dormir uma xícara de chá de camomila adoçado com uma colher de chá de mel. Relaxa a mente e o corpo, permitindo que os músculos descansem. Pão integral: Uma fatia de pão permite a liberação de insulina no corpo. Esta viaja através da corrente sanguínea, atingindo o sangue e produzindo serotonina: uma substância que elimina a depressão e o estado de alerta, e você poderá dormir à noite sem problemas. Você nem imagina o resultado, se ainda passar um pouco de mel!

New video shows the human toll of Russian airstrikes in Syria

90% of Russian airstrikes in Syria have not targeted ISIS 4 Russian cruise missiles aimed at Syria crashed in Iran: US officials A man stands amid rubble in an amateur video said to have been shot on 8 October in Latamna, Hama province, Syria. He said his home had been destroyed by a Russian air strike the day before. "Yesterday, the f***ing Russian plane with Assad's help, look at this. I have no home left, I have nothing left. I did not manage to get mattresses out or clothes for my girls. Look at this destruction," he said. "No clothes, no nothing. Look at all this destruction that they have caused," he added. Syrian troops and militia backed by Russian warplanes mounted what appeared to be their first major coordinated assault on Syrian insurgents on 7 October and Moscow said its warships fired a barrage of missiles at them from the Caspian Sea, a sign of its new military reach. The combined operation hit towns close to the main north-south highway that runs through major cities in the mainly government-held west of Syria, said the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, a British-based group that tracks the conflict via a network of sources within the country. Hama is located between Aleppo and Damascus on the highway. The Syrian government, again backed by Russian air power, continued the major offensive on 8 October. Russian air strikes started last week and have mostly focused in areas of western Syria where Assad has sought to shore up his control after losing swathes of the rest of the country to insurgents including Islamic State.   http://www.businessinsider.com/new-video-shows-the-human-toll-of-russian-airstrikes-in-syria-2015-10

The self-sufficient NexusHaus provides energy, water, and food

 

With roughly 100 people moving there on a daily basis, Austin is battling to keep pace with rising demand for natural resources like energy and water. But don't worry, the solar-powered NexusHaus has got the city covered. A 784 sf prototypical modular home for the Austin Community Design & Development Center's (ACDDC) Alley Flat Initiative, which aims to make use of neglected secondary lots throughout the city, the carbon-neutral home features a state-of-the-art solar system with each panel embedded with its own inverter to convert direct current to alternating current. This makes the central inverter redundant, and allows each panel to operate independently. Comprised of two modular parts, the smart home also conserves water in a big way and grows its own food with an "all-food residential landscape." Entered into the 2015 Solar Decathlon competition by the Technische Universitaet Muenchen in Germany and The University of Texas at Austin, Nexus-Haus is bound to be among this year’s winners

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Comprised of two rectangular modules measuring 14 by 28 feet – one for daytime functions and one for night – NexusHaus employs a variety of both active and passive measures to ensure the two bedroom home is not only highly livable, but also exceptionally energy efficient. Connected by a 12-foot breezeway, the two modules can be operated separately, which helps to reduce energy consumption. A dog-trot porch and central covered canopy extend the interior living space while rain screens and canopies help to support a rainwater harvesting system and an edible landscape.

Related: The amazing affordable NexusHaus generates more energy than it consumes

The main material used to construct the home, certified green wood with a low embodied carbon footprint, gives it a warm and inviting aesthetic while also sequestering carbon. This, combined with the 7kW photovoltaic array installed on the roof, contributes to its carbon neutrality. In addition to the innovative inverters, which help to minimize the effect of partially-shaded panels, this solar array dramatically reduces installation costs with a lighter frame that has fewer penetration points. This also cuts down energy waste.

Thoroughly bathed in natural light, super compact, breezy and carefully designed to maximize views without excess solar gain, the NexusHaus will be Austin Green Building certified, and the team intends to apply for LEED Platinum certification. Stay tuned as we continue our coverage of the international collegiate Solar Decathlon competition, which consistently delivers the most cutting-edge advances in sustainable design, solar solutions, and thoughtful engineering.

+ NexusHaus

+ Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Coverage

Photos by Mike Chino for Inhabitat; renderings via NexusHaus

 

http://inhabitat.com/every-solar-panel-on-this-co2-neutral-austin-home-has-its-own-inverter/

The Best Things You Can Do to Ease Your Constipation

 

What To Do for Constipation Photo Credit: Blend Images - Peathegee Inc/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images Written or medically reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Policy. Updated October 05, 2015. Whether you find yourself dealing with occasional bouts of constipation or the chronic health conditions of constipation-predominant-IBS (IBS-C) or chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), you know the distress of having bowel movements that happen infrequently and are made up of stools that are small, hard, and painful to pass. Gas and bloating usually come along for the ride. You may find that you are straining and that you end up with a sense of incomplete emptying. So frustrating! Constipation occurs when the contractions of the colon are too slow, which causes too much water to be drawn out of the stool, and results in infrequent bowel movements. Why this happens is not always clear. What is clear is that there are certain things you can do on your own to try to ease your discomfort and get things moving again! Some of these things are based on science, while some are based on common sense or folk wisdom. Don't skip the last slide - it will offer you articles that will provide you with in-depth information related to many of the recommendations. Note: If you are dealing with constipation on a regular basis, be sure to tell your doctor so as to obtain a proper diagnosis. Let's start with a nice, pleasant recommendation...     http://ibs.about.com/od/constipation/ss/Constipation-Self-Care.htm

Smoking, heavy alcohol use are associated with epigenetic signs of aging

 

All levels of exposure to smoke were associated with significantly premature aging, the scientists report. Interestingly, moderate alcohol use -- about one to two drinks per day -- was correlated with the healthiest aging, while very low and high consumption were linked to accelerated aging. Credit: © Frank Täubel / Fotolia Cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol use cause epigenetic changes to DNA that reflect accelerated biological aging in distinct, measurable ways, according to research presented at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2015 Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Using data from the publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus, Robert A. Philibert, MD, PhD and colleagues at the University of Iowa and other institutions analyzed patterns of DNA methylation, a molecular modification to DNA that affects when and how strongly a gene is expressed. Prior research had shown that methylation patterns change in predictable ways as people age, as well as in response to environmental exposures, such as cigarette smoke and alcohol. In these earlier studies, Dr. Philibert's laboratory identified two specific locations in the genome, base pairs cg05575921 on the AHRR gene and cg23193759 on chromosome 10, at which methylation levels were highly associated with smoking and alcohol consumption, respectively. In fact, they showed, DNA methylation levels at these two locations was a better measure of substance use than people's self-reported estimates. Thus, in this follow-up study, Meeshanthini Dogan, MS, and Dr. Philibert used methylation levels as a proxy for tobacco and alcohol consumption. They estimated each person's biological age using a previously validated epigenetic "clock" based on methylation levels at 71 locations in the genome, as measured by the widely used Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. Then, they calculated the difference between biological age and chronological age, and assessed the relationship between tobacco and alcohol use and premature aging. They found that all levels of exposure to smoke were associated with significantly premature aging. Interestingly, moderate alcohol use -- about one to two drinks per day -- was correlated with the healthiest aging, while very low and high consumption were linked to accelerated aging. "These new tools allow us to monitor smoking and alcohol use in an objective way, and to understand their effects quantitatively," Ms. Dogan said. "Furthermore, our methods could be used to analyze any set of 450 BeadChip data, which means that existing data can be used to identify new patterns and that all such results can be easily compared." "Being able to objectively identify future smokers and heavy alcohol users when they are young, before major health issues arise, can help providers and public health practitioners prevent future problems, improve quality of life, and reduce later medical costs," Dr. Philibert added. The researchers' next step is to unravel the details of how methylation patterns change in response to lifestyle changes during the life course, so that their assessments can be more informative. "For example, we want to study how the intensity of current tobacco and alcohol use and cumulative levels of use throughout a lifetime affect methylation, including what happens when a person quits smoking or drinking," Ms. Dogan said. "By clarifying at what point the epigenetic changes become tougher to stop or reverse, we can inform decisions about how best to use the limited public health resources we have." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by American Society of Human Genetics. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151008173505.htm

A controversial new gene-editing technology could win a Nobel — and a fight is raging over who invented it

 

Every year, people try to predict who will win a Nobel Prize in science. This year, Thompson Reuters named two scientists for the discovery of a powerful technology for editing genomes, known as CRISPR/Cas9. Problem is, they're not the only scientists claiming credit for the discovery. Molecular biologists Jennifer Doudna, of UC Berkeley, and Emmanuelle Charpentier, of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Germany, were nominated by Thompson Reuters for their pioneering work on CRISPR. But Feng Zhang, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute and MIT, owns the patents for the technique, and claims he discovered it independently. Doudna's team filed for a patent first, however, and now the two groups' lawyers are locked in a fierce intellectual property battle. The final decision of who should get the patents will come down to who can prove they were first to invent the technology. And the stakes are high — both groups have licensed the technology to spinoff companies, and the patents could be worth millions of dollars.   A powerful tool with high stakes CRISPR, which refers to short stretches of repeated DNA, were originally discovered in E. coli bacteria by Japanese scientist Yoshizumi Ishino in 1987, but their function was a mystery. Later, scientists discovered that these repeated sequences contained DNA from viruses. Researchers then found a set of related genes, which encoded molecules that act like scissors to cut a virus's DNA. The bacterium would then paste that viral DNA into its own genome, so it could recognize the threat and fight it off in the future. Doudna and Charpentier had independently been studying a CRISPR system in bacteria that involved the protein Cas9, which cuts DNA very precisely. The two scientists decided to pair up, and published a highly cited study in the journal Science in 2012 that demonstrated this technology could be used to edit human cells. Since then, CRISPR/Cas9 has been used in a wide range of organisms, includingbaker's yeast, flies, mice (by Zhang and his team) and monkeys. Earlier this year, Chinese scientists even used it to modify human embryos, which were tweaked so they couldn't survive. Doudna, Charpentier, and others quickly realized the technique's potential, which could allow scientists to easily and accurately cut-and-paste the genes of any organism. The method could be used to fix defective genes that cause disease, or even to enhance a gene — prompting some to worry it might be used to create "designer babies."   The controversy heats up Zhang — the MIT and Harvard Broad Institute scientist who claims he also discovered the CRISPR technique — was awarded the first patent for the technique in April 2014. But the adminstrators of California’s public university system (where Doudna is from) have petitioned the US Patent and Trademark Office to reconsider the ownership of ten patents issued to MIT and the Harvard Broad Institute. A decision has not been reached. Adding fuel to the fire, Zhang just discovered an alternative to Cas9 that may work even better for editing genes. The Nobel winner could be announced before the patent office reaches a decision, however. And if the Nobel committee honors one group of scientists while the patent office honors another, it wouldn't be the first time. The chemistry Nobel will be announced on Wednesday October 7, after 11:45 a.m. local time in Sweden. And whatever happens then, you can be sure we haven't heard the last of the CRISPR saga. NOW WATCH: Scientists have almost discovered how to resurrect a woolly mammoth   http://www.businessinsider.com/crispr-nobel-controversy-2015-10

Staying healthy: Experiment finds key to natural detoxifier’s reactivity

 

A chalk drawing showing the key bonds in the cytochrome intermediate compound. The shorter iron-sulfur bond enables the more reactive double-bonded oxygen atom to extend farther out on the other side and participate in an activation reaction. Credit: Michael T. Green, Elizabeth L. Onderko/ Penn State University Researchers working at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered that a mere 9-trillionths-of-a-meter reduction in the length of a chemical bond dramatically boosts the reactivity of a family of molecules that helps keep humans and many other organisms healthy. This result, reported recently in Nature Chemistry, is expected to help scientists design and manufacture new and more effective medicines. The molecules, called cytochrome P450s, are known as "nature's detoxifiers," said Courtney Krest Roach, a beamline scientist at SLAC's Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) -- a DOE Office of Science User Facility -- and first author of the paper. Since cytochrome P450 was discovered more than 50 years ago, more than 11,000 variants have been identified in every kingdom of life, including animals, plants, fungi and bacteria. Some 57 different P450s are found in humans, typically in the liver, where they help break down poisons and unwanted molecules. They are also essential in the body's manufacture of certain hormones, and chemists hope to be able to use them in the future to catalyze the creation of complex molecules for use in medicine and industry. "Our bodies use P450s to perform one step in the metabolism of some 75 percent of pharmaceuticals," Roach said. "And the P450s' extreme selectivity can enable much more direct and efficient synthesis of a number of high-value hydrocarbons and organic molecules." Molecular Structure is Key Each cytochrome P450 is optimized to catalyze an initial "activation" step in a specific chemical reaction. They all share the same basic atomic structure: A central iron atom is surrounded by four nitrogen atoms, with a sulfur-based structure sticking out from one side of the ring. Activation creates an intermediate compound that has an oxygen atom double-bonded to the iron atom; it sticks out from the other side of the ring. Because the P450s' intermediate compounds were short-lived, chemists who were trying to learn how they worked tried studying a slightly simpler molecule, called CPO, which had a more stable intermediate. But they found it was much less reactive than the P450s ­- in some cases only one-fortieth as reactive. Researchers needed to know why, because a more reactive P450 can break stronger bonds, metabolize new medicines or make different final products. The new experiments at SSRL were led by Penn State University Professor Michael Green, who was Roach's PhD advisor. The research team used the absorption of X-rays by the intermediate forms of CPO and P450s to make ultraprecise measurements of their atomic structures. The results showed that the big difference in reactivity was caused by a miniscule, 9-trillionths-of-a-meter difference in the lengths of their iron-sulfur bonds. Small Changes, Big Impact Slight changes in hydrogen bonding near the central iron atom shortened the length of the P450s' iron-sulfur bond by 4 percent. This changed the distribution of nearby electrons in a way that weakened and lengthened the iron-oxygen double bond on the opposite side of the ring. This, in turn, made it easier for the oxygen atom to carry out its part in the activation process, thus increasing P450s' reactivity. "SSRL is the only place that we could do these experiments with the necessary quality," Roach said. In their "News & Views" commentary on this research published in the same issue of Nature Chemistry, University of Illinois professors Ilia Denisove and Stephen Silgar said this result is a significant breakthrough that will provide the basis for researchers to design and make new catalysts and adapt P450-based systems for use in biotechnology. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Courtney M. Krest, Alexey Silakov, Jonathan Rittle, Timothy H. Yosca, Elizabeth L. Onderko, Julio C. Calixto, Michael T. Green. Significantly shorter Fe–S bond in cytochrome P450-I is consistent with greater reactivity relative to chloroperoxidase. Nature Chemistry, 2015; 7 (9): 696 DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2306   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151007145246.htm

Peugeot Citroën's self-driving car makes Paris to Bordeaux run

 

An autonomous Peugeot Citroën has driven itself all the way from Paris to Bordeaux in a demonstration of the increasing viability of self-driving vehicles (Credit: PSA Peugeot Citroën) A PSA Peugeot Citroën driverless vehicle has journeyed 580 km (360 miles) on the motorway from Paris to Bordeaux entirely in autonomous mode. Automatically maintaining its speed to the road conditions and traffic, as well as independently changing lanes to pass slower traffic, the Peugeot Citroën completed the journey without incident and demonstrated the increasing viability of driverless motor vehicles. Motoring to Bordeaux to participate in the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress (5 to 9 October), the car was in attendance to show off PSA Peugeot Citroën’s new autonomous technology along with its newly-developed car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communication systems. The on-board sensors and car and infrastructure communications demonstrated are claimed to provide a raft of safety features, including pedestrian awareness and collision avoidance from information transmitted by cars ahead and via dynamic road signs designed to deliver tailored messages to drivers. The autonomous vehicle itself contained a vast array of on-board systems, including radar, automated braking, steering, and acceleration, GPS, and digital cameras, to name but a few. All working in concert with the master electronic control unit – and monitored remotely by a Peugeot Citroën control center – the autonomous vehicle is designed to be safer than driver-only vehicles, where hazards such as fatigue and human error are a major factor in collisions. "The journey made by our prototype today proves that autonomous vehicles are no longer a matter of science fiction," said Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the managing board of PSA Peugeot Citroën. "This ushers in a new era of mobility, which I find truly exciting." Much like the Mercedes-Benz autonomous truck recently tested on a stretch of Autobahn in Germany, the PSA Peugeot Citroën vehicle was permitted to drive on the highway with stringent protocols in place. With a driver ready to take control at any time, the vehicle's degree of autonomic control was set at what is known as "Level 3"; where the the vehicle is able to accelerate, brake, steer, and control the vehicle. Peugeot Citroën also included what it calls the Scoop@F system, which allows not only for the autonomous controls and mechanisms mentioned earlier, but a range of more intuitive vehicle controls. Such things include adaptive cruise controls that manages vehicle speeds as standard systems do, but also allows for upcoming traffic light changes, hills, obstacles, and traffic flow via intrinsic communications systems collecting data from other vehicles and traffic infrastructure. Unlike many autonomous concepts, however, PSA Peugeot Citroën says its vehicle will be fully-capable of "Level 5" autonomous control (subject to legislative approval) in the not-too-distant-future. Slated for release to the public by 2018, Peugeot Citroën customers will be able to purchase vehicles fitted with all the features demonstrated in this most recent test run (aka "Level 3") which, the company believes, will greatly enhance customer safety by relieving the driver of fatigue from the tedium of long-distance driving or inattention.   Source: PSA Peugeot Citroën http://www.gizmag.com/peugeot-citroen-autonomous-car-paris-bordeaux/39738