Thursday 25 July 2013

Farting fish fingered

By: Dr Anuschka Miller
Flatulence may be a social faux pas for us, but for some fish it appears to be of great social value. Herring seem to fart to communicate with their neighbours at night – a discovery which scooped researchers Dr Bob Batty (Scottish Association for Marine Science), Dr Ben Wilson (University of British Columbia) and Professor Larry Dill (Simon Fraser University) an Ig Nobel award in Biology.

The prizes, which are an antidote to more serious Nobels, reward research that makes people laugh, then think (www.improbable.com). They are announced at Harvard University, Massachusetts in front of a 1200 strong audience. Bob Batty and Larry Dill attended the ceremony to pick up their prize.

Scottish Association for Marine Science Public domain

The British/Canadian team became interested in fish farts when they noticed captive herring releasing gas bubbles from their rears at night. Using infrared lighting with video cameras and underwater microphones, they monitored the herring behaviour round the clock. “We heard these rasping noises, which sound like high pitched raspberries, only ever at night, whenever we saw tiny gas bubbles coming from the herrings’ bottoms”, reminisces Bob Batty.

The fish, which can gulp air from the surface and store it in their swim bladder, can release it through a duct to their anus. Although it was already known that herring could release large clouds of bubbles to confuse predators, releasing small bubbles intermittently when not under threat had not been seen or heard before.

‘We also noticed that individual fish release more bubbles the more fish are in the tank with them. In other words it seems that herring like to fart in company’ says lead author Ben Wilson.

The noises are only heard at night and may act as a source of communication within the shoal. Batty speculates that fish at the front of a shoal fart to direct other shoal members in a particular direction, keeping the school together at night. During the day these fish use visual information, such as the pattern of light reflected off specialised mirror-like scales, to communicate.

But why were Swedish scientists interested in farting herrings too? In 1980's The Swedish navy had been picking up strange unidentified sounds and worried they might be from Russian submarines, so they asked scientists to investigate. The upshot was that as the Scots Canadian paper, Pacific and Atlantic herring produce burst pulse sounds, was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, a second paper established that herrings behave just as badly in Baltic waters too.

Country blues

Whisky, women and song were also on the agenda at the Ig Nobel awards. The gong for Medicine went to a study suggesting that country music can foster suicidal thoughts.

Country music often conveys a sense of fatalism and hopelessness, notes James Gundlach from Auburn University, Alabama, who co-authored the research. The song themes commonly revolve around relationship problems that are solved by drink, desertion, and sometimes, death.

Gundlach compared the suicide rates in 49 US cities with the frequency of country music played on local radio stations. Suicide is more common in places where country music is prevalent, he concluded in a 1992 paper in Social Forces.

Today, Gunlach is concerned about the impact of Brad Paisley's current country hit, Whisky Lullaby. The song is played up to 50 times a week on some US radio stations, and tells of unrequited love, alcoholism and suicidal thoughts. Gundlach is planning a follow up study in five years to assess whether the song has influenced suicide rates.

Despite the downbeat nature of his research, Gundlach was upbeat when he heard of his pending award. "I felt all kind of warm and fuzzy," he said.

Cock-a-hoop

The Ig Nobel award in Physics honoured the childhood art of hula-hooping. Researchers studied seven amateur hula-hoopers in an attempt to understand how the brain manages to keep the tricky toys aloft. They attached sensors to their subjects' joints, and watched as they hula'd at different speeds. Their results were revealed this year inBiological Cybernetics.

To keep the hoop spinning, the brain potentially has to think about 18 things at once, explains study co-author Michael Turvey from the University of Connecticut in Storrs: the movement of two ankles, two knees and two hip joints in three dimensions.

But the video footage revealed that only two types of movement are really important: the front to back motion of the body controlled by the hips and ankles, and the vertical motion of the body controlled by the knees. Those who have mastered hula-hooping tend to keep these two modes of action perfectly in synch, Turvey explains. "It's quite stunning that children can do this," he adds. Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban

References
1. Fish farts, Russian submarines, the Swedish Foreign Minister
2. Video From National Geographic
3. Farting Fish Fingered: Source from Guardian
4. Journal reference: Biology Letters (DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0107)
5. Wilson B., Batty R. S. & Dill L. J. Biol. Lett., 271. S95 - S97 (2003). | Article |
6. Stack S. & Gundlach J. Soc. Forces , 71. 211 - 218 (1992). | ISI |
7. Balasubramaniam R. & Turvey M. Biol. Cybern., 90. 176 - 190 (2004). | Article | PubMed | ISI |

Sunday 14 July 2013

Air pollution impact on heart failure

Air pollution can increase death rates and hospital admissions among people living with heart failure, a study has shown.

University researchers, whose work is published in The Lancet medical journal, analysed data from 12 countries, including the UK, encompassing over four million cases of heart failure.

Air pollution

Since the entire population is exposed to air pollution, even modest reductions in air pollution could have major cardiovascular health benefits and substantial healthcare cost savings.

Dr Nick Mills

British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science

The British Heart Foundation-funded study looked at air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

It found that the effects were greatest for fine particles found in diesel exhaust fumes.

Heart Failure

In the UK over 750,000 people suffer from heart failure - a debilitating and incurable condition which accounts for around one million inpatient bed days each year.

While air pollution is known to be a risk factor for heart attacks, it has not been clear whether exposure increases the risk of other cardiovascular conditions.

We found a strong association between exposure to air pollution and admission to hospital with heart failure or death from heart failure. The effects were strongest for particulate matter found in vehicle exhaust fumes.

Dr Anoop Shah

Resarcher, British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence at the University

It is estimated that reducing the levels of harmful particles in air would increase average life expectancy by 7-8 months.

Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are living each day with the impact of heart failure. This study reveals air pollution could be making these already vulnerable people even more unwell. It’s vital that the UK government meets European Commission targets to improve air quality. The benefit would not only be felt by heart failure patients, but - by reducing the cost to the NHS - our economy too.

Joseph Clift

Policy Manager at the British Heart Foundation

The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation’s Mending Broken Hearts Appeal, which funds research to find ways to repair damaged hearts and end the suffering caused by heart failure

Traffic fumes can raise lung cancer risk says Experts.

Even low level exposure can increase risk of illness
Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the UK
Sooty particles from traffic fumes known to lodge in lungs

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Low level exposure to traffic fumes is enough to raise the risk of lung cancer, scientists reported yesterday.

Air pollution may even have to be added to smoking as a recognised cause of the disease, it is claimed.

Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the UK, claiming almost 35,000 lives in 2010. In the same year, 42,000 Britons were diagnosed with the disease.

Danger: New research suggests even low exposure to car fumes could increase the risk of lung cancer

An estimated 86% of cases are believed to be a direct result of smoking. Other potential triggers include exposure to natural radioactive gas from the ground and toxic substances in the work place, such as asbestos.

The new research, reported in the journal The Lancet Oncology, analysed pooled information from 17 studies in nine European countries. In total, the data covered almost 313,000 individuals.

Air pollution levels were estimated at people’s home addresses and cancer diagnosis rates obtained from national and local registries.

Over an average 13 year follow-up period, 2,095 study participants developed lung cancer.

People’s chances of having the disease rose with greater exposure to small sooty particles generated by diesel exhausts which are known to lodge in the lungs.

Two size grades of particle were studied, tiny PM 2.5s and somewhat larger PM10s.

For every density increase in PM10s of 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air, the risk of lung cancer rose by 22%. For PM2.5s, every five microgram per metre cubed increase led to an 18% increase in risk.

Deadly: An estimated 86 per cent of lung cancer cases are thought to be caused by smoking

The trend was seen below the air quality limits set by the European Union of 40 micrograms per cubic metre for PM10s and 25 micrograms for PM2.5s, according to the study authors.

Lead scientists Dr Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, from the Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, said: 'We found no threshold below which there was no risk. The results showed a picture that ‘the more the worse, the less the better’.'

Traffic pollution was mostly linked to adenocarcinoma lung cancer, the only form of the disease to affect significant numbers of non-smokers.

Commenting in the journal, Japanese expert Dr Takashi Yorifuji from Okayama University wrote: 'At this stage, we might have to add air pollution, even at current concentrations, to the list of causes of lung cancer and recognise that air pollution has large effects on public health.'

A second study published in a sister journal, The Lancet, links air pollution with a higher chance of heart failure patients being hospitalised.

Researchers combined data from 35 studies and estimated that a modest reduction in fine particulate pollution levels could prevent 8,000 heart failure hospitalisations each year in the US.

Dr Anoop Shah, from the University of Edinburgh, who co-led the British Heart Foundation-funded study said: 'We already know that air pollution is associated with an increased risk of having a heart attack. Our study suggests that air pollution also affects patients with heart failure.'

Heart failure occurs when the heart is too weak to pump blood efficiently round the body. It affects more than 750,000 people in the UK.

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Taking omega-3 fish oil supplements may increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer by 70%

Supplement was also increased low-grade prostate cancer risk by 44%
One theory is that pills may dampen down the immune system
Omega-3 fish oils are one of the most popular supplements in the UK

By FIONA MACRAE

PUBLISHED: 20:00 GMT, 10 July 2013 | UPDATED: 00:50 GMT, 11 July 2013

Fish-oil supplements credited with a range of health benefits could trigger prostate cancer.

Experts found that omega-3 fatty acids may raise the risk of the most lethal form of the disease by more than 70 per cent.

Researchers warned against omega-3 pills, and recommended eating just one or two meals of oily fish per week.

Fish-oil supplements are said to protect against heart attacks and strokes, stave off arthritis, boost brain power and prevent behaviour disorders in children.

Taking omega-3 fatty acids, derived from fish oils, can increase a man's risk of high-grade prostate cancer by 71 per cent

However, scientists found that those with the highest levels of omega-3 in their blood were 71 per cent more likely to develop fast-growing, hard-to-treat prostate tumours.

They were also more likely to contract the slower, less deadly form of the disease, with the overall prostate cancer risk raised by 43 per cent.

More...

The team from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle warned: ‘There is really no evidence that taking dietary supplements is beneficial to health, and there is increasing evidence that taking high doses is harmful.’

Dr Alan Kristal said the levels of omega-3 linked to the increased cancer risk would be reached by taking just one supplement a day, or three or four meals of fish such as salmon and mackerel each week.

Of mealtimes, he said: ‘There are good things in fish, so the message is moderation. It is probably not bad for you, and it tastes good.’

Taking omega-3 was also associated with a 44 per cent greater chance of developing low-grade prostate cancer

However, he stressed that when compared to fatty acids received by eating oily fish, the amount consumed via pills was ‘huge’.

It is unclear how fish oil could trigger tumours, but omega-3 may restrict the immune system, or damage our DNA. It is also unclear if it helps tumours to grow and spread.

The finding came amid a wider research project of more than 2,000 men, examining whether supplements of vitamin E and the mineral selenium can help prevent prostate cancer – the most common cancer in British men, killing more than 10,000. Selenium provided no benefit, and vitamin E increased the odds of contracting the disease.

Dr Kristal said: ‘As we do more and more of these studies – and I have been involved in them most of my career – we find high doses of supplements have no effect or increase the risk of the disease you are trying to prevent.

‘There is not really a single example of where taking a supplement lowers chronic disease risk.’

Professor Malcolm Mason, of Cancer Research UK, said: ‘The results of this study are surprising, and we clearly need more research to understand what is behind them.’

Although he stressed the researchers could not be certain whether the study’s participants ate oily fish or took omega-3 supplements, he said the results ‘show how complex the effects of food supplements might be’.

Dr Iain Frame of Prostate Cancer UK agreed that ‘larger and more complex studies will need to take place before we understand how the risks of a diet high in omega-3 balance against [its] benefits’.

Several recent studies have called omega-3’s benefits to the heart into question, too. One, which examined 20 studies involving almost 70,000 people, found that those who took omega-3 were no less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than others

Harmful Parasites In Cat Poop Are Widespread

That cat poop can pose a health risk to humans no longer surprises us.

Some cats carry a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Infected cats shed embryonic T. gondii,called oocysts, in their feces.

These oocysts are easily transmitted to humans, and researchers have explored their possible link to various mental health problems, including schizophrenia. More recently, studies of school-age children show a correlation between testing positive for T. gondii and having difficulty in school.

The parasites can cause more acute health problems in newborns and people with weak immune systems, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out.

Now a review published in Trends in Parasitology explores how substantial a public health threat the parasite poses in the United States. One thing's pretty clear: There are a lot of oocysts out there.

Research psychiatrist Dr. E. Fuller Torrey and pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Robert Yolken, who have spent years investigating the role that animals play in the spread of infectious diseases, co-authored the roundup.

Shots spoke with Torrey, who says there are four factors that he believes makes this a valid health concern:

The cat population is growing.
Every day about 1 million cats in the U.S. are actively pooping out as many as 50 millionoocysts apiece.
The oocycts are hard to kill.
There is a well-documented correlation between mental illness and testing positive for T. gondii antibodies.

"This is a public health problem that bears more scrutiny," Torrey says. "We're walking a tight line between alarming people and failing to point out obvious health problems that need to be paid attention to."

Correlation isn't the same as causation, however, particularly when it comes to the area of mental health. "The association has been discussed, but it has not been completely accepted by everyone," Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University, told NBC News. "If people were convinced of that, we would have acted on it."

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Supreme Court rules Drug Companies exempt from Lawsuits

July 7, 2013. Washington. In case readers missed it with all the coverage of the Trayvon Martin murder trial and the Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage and the Voting Rights Act, the US Supreme Court also made a ruling on lawsuits against drug companies for fraud, mislabeling, side effects and accidental death. From now on, 80 percent of all drugs are exempt from legal liability.

In a 5-4 vote, the US Supreme Court struck down a lower court’s ruling and award for the victim of a pharmaceutical drug’s adverse reaction. According to the victim and the state courts, the drug caused a flesh-eating side effect that left the patient permanently disfigured over most of her body. The adverse reaction was hidden by the drug maker and later forced to be included on all warning labels. But the highest court in the land ruled that the victim had no legal grounds to sue the corporation because its drugs are exempt from lawsuits.

Drug companies failed to warn patients that toxic epidermal necrolysis was a side effect. But the Supreme Court ruled they're still not liable for damages.

Report on Nondestructive Test Methods for Evaluation of Concrete in Structures

228.2R-13 Report on Nondestructive Test Methods for Evaluation of Concrete in Structures

Author: ACI Committee 228

Year of Publication: 2013

Number of Pages: 82

This document is: Active

Nonmember Price: $102.50

ACI Member Price: $62.00

Order Code: 228213

Category: Nondestructive Evaluation

Formats: Hard Copy or PDF

Note: You cannot mix hard copy orders with electronic downloads.

Ship a hard copy of this item to me.

Quantity:

Download an electronic version to my computer.

Abstract:

Preview

A review is presented of nondestructive test (NDT) methods for evaluating the condition of concrete and steel reinforcement in structures. Methods discussed include visual inspection, stresswave, nuclear, measurement of fluid transport properties, magnetic and electrical, infrared thermography, and ground-penetrating radar. The principle of each method is discussed and the typical instrumentation described. Testing procedures are summarized and the data analysis methods explained. The advantages and imitations of the methods are highlighted. This report concludes with a discussion of planning a NDT program. General information is provided for those faced with the task of evaluating the condition of a concrete structure and who are considering the applicability of NDT methods to aid in that evaluation.

Keywords: covermeter; deep foundations; half-cell potential; infrared thermography; nondestructive testing; polarization resistance; radar; radiography;

radiometry; stress-wave methods; transport properties; visual inspection.

Contents:

CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION, p. 2

1.1—Scope, p. 2

1.2—Needs and applications, p. 2

1.3—Objective, p. 2

CHAPTER 2—NOTATION AND DEFINITIONS, p. 2

2.1—Notation, p. 2

2.2—Definitions, p. 3

CHAPTER 3—SUMMARY OF METHODS, p. 3

3.1—Visual inspection, p. 5

3.2—Stress-wave methods for structures, p. 6

3.3—Low strain stress-wave methods for deep foundations,p. 17

3.4—Nuclear methods, p. 23

3.5—Magnetic and electrical methods, p. 28

3.6—Methods for measuring transport properties, p. 44

3.7—Infrared thermography, p. 51

3.8—Radar, p. 53

CHAPTER 4—PLANNING AND PERFORMING NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING INVESTIGATIONS,p. 61

4.1—Selection of methods, p. 61

4.2—Defining scope of investigation, p. 62

4.3—Numerical and experimental simulations, p. 66

4.4—Correlation with intrusive testing, p. 71

4.5—Reporting results, p. 71

CHAPTER 5—REFERENCES, p. 71

APPENDIX A: THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF MOBILITY PLOT OF PILE, p. 81

source : www.concrete.org

Friday 5 July 2013

Cracking your knuckles does not actually hurt your bones or cause arthritis. The sound you hear is just.....

Cracking your knuckles does not actually hurt your bones or cause arthritis. The sound you hear is just gas bubbles bursting.

Cracking your knuckles (or any of your joints) can have therapeutic benefits. When you crack one of your joints you are pulling the bones that are connected at the joint apart from each other. This process stimulates your tendons, relaxes your muscles, and loosens your joints. Chiropractors do this for spinal joints when your back is sore and stiff, but you can do this on your own for your knuckles, toes, knees, neck, etc.

Unfortunately, there can be too much of a good thing. Cracking your knuckles will never lead to arthritis (despite what your mom keeps telling you), but scientists have discovered that it can cause tissue damage in the affected joints. Knuckle-cracking pulls your finger bones apart which stretches your ligaments. Too much stretching of your ligaments will cause damage to your fingers akin to the arm injuries sustained by a baseball pitcher who throws too many pitches. In addition to making your hand really sore, this ligament damage can also result in reduced grip strength.

How does this work? Your joints, the places in your body where you can bend, are where your bones intersect and are held together by ligaments. These joints are surrounded by a liquid called synovial fluid. When you stretch your ligaments by pulling the bones apart to crack your knuckles a gas in the synovial fluid escapes and turns into a bubble. This process is called cavitation. Cavitation ends when the bubble eventually bursts, producing that popping sound we know and love. After that, your joints won't be able to crack for another 25-30 minutes while the gas gets reabsorbed into the synovial fluid.

References:

^ ^a ^b ^c Protopapas M, Cymet T, Protapapas M (1 May 2002). "Joint cracking and popping: understanding noises that accompany articular release.". J Am Osteopath Assoc 102 (5): 283–7.PMID 12033758.
^ Brodeur R. (1995). "The audible release associated with joint manipulation.". J Manipulative Physiol Ther 18 (3): 155–64. PMID 7790795.
^ Unsworth A, Dowson D, Wright V. (1971). "'Cracking joints'. A bioengineering study of cavitation in the metacarpophalangeal joint.". Ann Rheum Dis 30 (4): 348–58. doi:10.1136/ard.30.4.348.PMC 1005793. PMID 5557778.[1]
^ Fryer, Gary and Jacob, Mudge and McLaughlin, Patrick (2002). "The Effect of Talocrural Joint Manipulation on Range of Motion at the Ankle". Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 25(6): 384–390. doi:10.1067/mmt.2002.126129. PMID 12183696.
^ ^a ^b Deweber K, Olszewski M, Ortolano R. (2011). "Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis". J Am Board Fam Med 24 (2): 169–174. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2011.02.100156. PMID 21383216.
^ ^a ^b Castellanos J., Axelrod D. (1990). "Effect of habitual knuckle cracking on hand function". Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 49 (5): 49(5):308–9. doi:10.1136/ard.49.5.308. PMC 1004074.PMID 2344210.
^ Simkin, Peter (November 1990). "Habitual knuckle cracking and hand function.". Annals of Rheumatic Disease 49 (11): 957.
^ "2009 Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize". Retrieved 27 November 2011.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Dark chocolate can actually be good for you

Although it seems too good to be true, dark chocolate can actually be good for you! When consumed in moderation, this delicious treat has some powerful health benefits. Following are three of the major reasons to indulge:

1. It can help prevent heart disease: Like tea, dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which are compounds that act as antioxidants. Flavonoids protect cells from harmful molecules—called free radicals—that are produced when the body breaks down food or is exposed to sunlight or smoke. Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to heart disease. Flavonoids can also lower blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol (i.e., the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

2. It can improve your mood: Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that bring on feelings of pleasure. It also contains the chemical serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.

3. It can protect your skin: German researchers found that the flavonoids in dark chocolate absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, and improve skin’s hydration and complexion.

For all of its health benefits, though, dark chocolate does contain a lot of calories. So, experts recommend sticking to no more than three ounces of the sweet stuff per day.

Wednesday 3 July 2013

40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World

If you’re a visual learner like myself, then you know maps, charts and infographics can really help bring data and information to life. Maps can make a point resonate with readers and this collection aims to do just that.

Hopefully some of these maps will surprise you and you’ll learn something new. A few are important to know, some interpret and display data in a beautiful or creative way, and a few may even make you chuckle or shake your head.

1. Where Google Street View is Available

map-of-the-world-where-google-street-view-is-available

Map by Google

2. Countries That Do Not Use the Metric System

map-of-countires-that-use-metric-system-vs-imperial

Map via Wikimedia Commons

3. The Only 22 Countries in the World Britain Has Not Invaded (not shown: Sao Tome and Principe)

the-only-countries-britain-has-not-invaded

Map by Stuart Laycock (via The Telegraph)

4. Map of ‘Pangea’ with Current International Borders

map-of-pangea-with-current-internatoinal-borders

Map by eatrio.net via Reddit

Pangea was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, forming about 300 million years ago. It began to break apart around 200 million years ago. The single global ocean which surrounded Pangaea is accordingly named Panthalassa.