For the first time, scientists have been able to detect signs of
Alzheimer's disease 10 to 20 years before the onset of dementia. The study, presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference
in Paris, focused on people with rare, inherited forms of the disease
who develop it relatively young, with symptoms beginning in the
patients' 30s, 40s, and 50s. Researchers say the results will help them
test drugs that could prevent or slow the progression of the disease,
not only in these groups, but also in people with the more common
late-onset variety.
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Jul 2, 2011
Artificial pancreas to ease diabetes burden
Mayo Clinic endocrinologists are developing an artificial pancreas that will deliver insulin automatically and with an individualized precision never before possible.The “Closed Loop System” under development includes a blood sugar monitor, an automatic insulin pump, a set of activity monitors that attach to the body, and a central processing unit.
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Jun 23, 2011
iPhone app lets the blind see through the crowd’s eyes
Using an iPhone app called VizWiz, the blind can now receive realtime assistance from sighted workers on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service.
With the app, blind users use their phone to take a picture of something they want identified, have it sent automatically to a recruited worker on the Internet, and receive back an answer, all within an average time of 27 seconds. Yasmina, a student at the University of Rochester, used the app to identify a can of coconut milk amongst other canned goods.
During a volunteer test session, participants asked questions like “What denomination is this bill?,” “Do you see picnic tables across the parking lot?,” and “What temperature is my oven set to?”
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With the app, blind users use their phone to take a picture of something they want identified, have it sent automatically to a recruited worker on the Internet, and receive back an answer, all within an average time of 27 seconds. Yasmina, a student at the University of Rochester, used the app to identify a can of coconut milk amongst other canned goods.
During a volunteer test session, participants asked questions like “What denomination is this bill?,” “Do you see picnic tables across the parking lot?,” and “What temperature is my oven set to?”
[ more ]
Jun 18, 2011
Lasers Made from Human Cells
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| Living cell with green fluorescent protein |
Like any laser, the cell laser needs an energy source to "pump" it and increase the power of the light it can emit. The researchers pumped the living lasers by pulsing the cells with light through a microscope. As light bounces around inside the cell and is re-emitted by the fluorescent proteins, it's amplified, increasing in power before being emitted in a coherent beam. To keep the light bouncing around as long as possible, to gain as much power as possible, the Boston group placed these cells inside a biocompatible optical cavity—essentially a tiny, highly reflective, cell-shaped hole.
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May 31, 2011
Human skin cells converted directly into functional neurons
Human skin cells can be converted directly into functional neurons in a period of four to five weeks with the addition of just four proteins, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is significant because it bypasses the need to first create induced pluripotent stem cells, and may make it much easier to generate patient- or disease-specific neurons for study in a laboratory dish.
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Identifying brain networks for specific mental states
Researchers at Stanford University have determined from brain-imaging data whether experimental subjects are recalling events of the day, singing silently to themselves, performing mental arithmetic, or merely relaxing.
In the study, subjects engaged in these mental activities at their own natural pace, rather than in a controlled, precisely timed fashion as is typically required in experiments involving fMRI. The team used uninterrupted scan periods ranging from 30 seconds to 10 minutes in length.
The team assembled images from each separate scan. Instead of comparing “on-task” images with “off-task” images to see which regions were active during a distinct brain state compared with when the brain wasn’t in that state, the researchers focused on which collections, or networks, of brain regions were active in concert with one another throughout a given state
The researchers found that distinct mental states can be distinguished based on unique patterns of activity in coordinated networks — brain regions that are synchronously communicating with one another.
[ more ]
In the study, subjects engaged in these mental activities at their own natural pace, rather than in a controlled, precisely timed fashion as is typically required in experiments involving fMRI. The team used uninterrupted scan periods ranging from 30 seconds to 10 minutes in length.
The team assembled images from each separate scan. Instead of comparing “on-task” images with “off-task” images to see which regions were active during a distinct brain state compared with when the brain wasn’t in that state, the researchers focused on which collections, or networks, of brain regions were active in concert with one another throughout a given state
The researchers found that distinct mental states can be distinguished based on unique patterns of activity in coordinated networks — brain regions that are synchronously communicating with one another.
[ more ]
New audio coding system to improve videoconferencing
A new codec (data coding system) called Enhanced Low Delay Advanced Audio Coding (AAC-ELD) developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS has solved a major problem with Skype and other videoconference calls: latency (annoying sound delay between participants).
Their new Enhanced Low Delay Advanced Audio Coding (AAC-ELD) allows for latency only about 15 milliseconds. In the process, they also managed to reduce the audio data to less than one-thirtieth of its original size without major loss of sound quality, thus reducing the required bandwidth.
[ more ]
Their new Enhanced Low Delay Advanced Audio Coding (AAC-ELD) allows for latency only about 15 milliseconds. In the process, they also managed to reduce the audio data to less than one-thirtieth of its original size without major loss of sound quality, thus reducing the required bandwidth.
[ more ]
May 6, 2011
The next generation of E-ink may be on cloth
E Ink is developing a displays that can be printed on materials other than paper, including cloth. Envelopes made for e-ink could be made to be reusable, eliminating waste, by allowing for quick and easy address changes, without the need for multiple packing slips and a new envelop every time.
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May 1, 2011
How Bacteria Could Generate Radio waves
Radio-frequency emissions from certain bacteria could be generated by free electrons moving around DNA loops as they transition between quantum energy levels, researchers at Northeastern University and University of Perugia suggest, based on modeling. The frequencies would be at 0.5, 1 and 1.5 kilohertz, which are the frequencies that have been measured in E Coli bacteria by Luc Montagnier, who won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 2008. They could possibly be used for intercellular communication.
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Apr 28, 2011
Questionnaire may help predict autism at 1 year
A quick and simple questionnaire given to parents during a regular checkup in a pediatrician's office may help detect autism in children as young as 1 year old, a new study suggests.
The 24-item questionnaire, which assesses a child's ability to communicate with eye contact, sounds, and gestures, may steer infants who show early signs of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) into appropriate treatment at earlier ages, the researchers say.
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The 24-item questionnaire, which assesses a child's ability to communicate with eye contact, sounds, and gestures, may steer infants who show early signs of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) into appropriate treatment at earlier ages, the researchers say.
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