Archive for July, 2008
Older people may need less sleep, study finds
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
Along with all the other changes that come with age, healthy older people also lose some capacity for sleep
Disappointments and Depression: His and Hers
Saturday, July 26th, 2008by Susan
Disappointments in the every day life of those of us suffering from mental health problems are often triggers of depression. Many people are able to easily let go of the frustration of disappointments but if we're prone to having depression it is more difficult.
Disappointment is the frustration we often feel for failing to attain specific hopes or wishes. Recently I proudly sent pictures of my immediate family to members of my family of origin. I failed to attain the reactions I had hoped for. In fact, they didn't even acknowledge the receipt of my pictures. I have been in a dark hole ever since. I'm writing this post as a step up out of that hole.
Over the years the relationships I've had with members of my family of origin have changed dramatically. I don't like the changes but I do concede the changes have been necessary for my general well being. Letting go of old, hurtful relationships is a hard thing to do. I find myself reaching out every now and then, hoping for a better result and it just doesn't happen. I only end up feeling disappointed, depressed and frustrated.
I have five sisters but it is my brother, David who is my friend and the one I can count on if I need support or encouragement. He's definitely not a disappointment! Thanks for reading. You are helping us to achieve our hope of having a successful blog. I'm half way out of this dark hole as a result of posting this article!
Memory impairment associated with sound processing disorder
Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Mild memory impairment may be associated with central auditory processing dysfunction, or difficulty hearing in complex situations with competing noise, such as hearing a single conversation amid several other conversations
Inhaler can target left or right lung
Friday, July 25th, 2008
An increasingly common way of treating cancers, AIDs and diabetes, not to mention asthma, is by inhaling a drug in aerosol form.But inhalers are notoriously inefficient. At best they deliver 20% of their load into the lungs. At worst, they deliver less than 5%. The rest gets left in the mouth and throat, or gets blown back out into the air, particularly if the user's intake of breath is not well synchronised with the aerosol jet.
With some drugs costing more than their weight in gold, that is an expensive waste.
So Clement Kleinstreuer, a mechanical engineer at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, has developed a computer-controlled inhaler that measures air flow around its nozzle to determine the best moment to release a powdered drug to achieve maximum penetration into the lungs.
Kleinstreuer even claims to be able to target specific areas of the lungs with a drug. This is done by injecting powder into different parts of the airflow, aiming the drug towards the right or left lung or even areas within each lung. That could make inhalers far more efficient at targeting the conditions they are designed to treat.
Read the full smart inhaler patent application.
Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant
Closing coal-burning power plant in China and improved cognitive development in children
Friday, July 25th, 2008
Study shows benefits of closing plants on early childhood neurodevelopment
Water-diffusion technology identifies brain regions damaged by prenatal alcohol exposure
Friday, July 25th, 2008
A new study has used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to identify several specific white matter regions as well as deep gray matter areas of the brain that appear sensitive to prenatal alcohol exposure.
Aggressive preschoolers found to have fewer friends than others
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
Preschoolers who are aggressive, angry, and inattentive tend to have fewer playmates than their non-aggressive classmates, whether they are boys or girls.
Magic is the trick to understanding the mind
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
Elements of human cognition and perception that are not yet fully understood by scientists may receive greater insight by analysing tricks and techniques used by magicians
Lorry drivers’ power generator
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Lorry drivers often have to run their engines when their vehicle is at rest to power what is known as their "hotel load" – the air-conditioning unit, the radio or TV, and other auxiliary equipment.
A driver may sometimes run their hotel load for as long as five hours per day or night. But the practice is noisy, polluting, wasteful (idling is a particularly fuel inefficient), and wears the engine.
So Richard Stobart at the University of Sussex in southeast England has designed an alternative power source.
His answer is to use exhaust gases while the engine is running normally to heat a tank of pressurised water to its critical temperature – just below boiling.
When the engine is turned off, this water can then be harnessed by allowing it to expand into steam through a turbine that generates electricity. Or it can provide heat directly to the cabin when the weather is cold.
Read the full hotel load power supply patent application.
Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant
A driver may sometimes run their hotel load for as long as five hours per day or night. But the practice is noisy, polluting, wasteful (idling is a particularly fuel inefficient), and wears the engine.
So Richard Stobart at the University of Sussex in southeast England has designed an alternative power source.
His answer is to use exhaust gases while the engine is running normally to heat a tank of pressurised water to its critical temperature – just below boiling.
When the engine is turned off, this water can then be harnessed by allowing it to expand into steam through a turbine that generates electricity. Or it can provide heat directly to the cabin when the weather is cold.
Read the full hotel load power supply patent application.
Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant
Team creates touch-based illusion
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Mind trick yields new insights on perception